A film I thought I was going to like, but confess I struggled. It wasn't so much that it's relentlessly bleak; I looked forward to the exploration of picking up the pieces and attempting to heal almost insurmountable trauma in post-war Leningrad. One of the best scenes for me is when the child can't identify a dog imitation while playing a game with a bunch of wounded soldiers, and then one of them realizes he's probably never seen a dog since they've all been eaten. In this very subtle way we get a hint as to the horror of the war in the Soviet Union. Aspects like the lead character's PTSD causing her to accidentally smother a child to death, and then for her friend (the real mom) to want to go out to a bar and look for men upon hearing the news, seemed less successful to me. The story or maybe the way it was presented didn't feel true to 1945, it seemed overly voyeuristic, and the pace was often unbearably slow. At times there are beautiful images, e.g. the walk up to the large estate in the snow towards the end, and the two main characters have great presence with the depth of their expressions, but it wasn't enough for me. I think it needed a stronger script and to be pared down to a shorter runtime.
Review of Beanpole
