Reviews

A rather entertaining film that follows a group's near impossible escape from the Soviet Gulag system. It's quite miserable throughout the film as the characters face very harsh conditions while sustaining on little to no food. I shed a tear or two when members of the group were slowly picked off by starvation and dehydration, but in all honestly I require very little characterization to become attached to characters, and this film had just enough to allow me to connect with the scraggly escapees. It's a very simple plot line, but I think the film peaked my interest most within the first 30 minutes where it showed the lethality of Gulag life. I found it especially interesting in the way it portrays the relationship between political and criminal detainees, and how the professional criminals had so much power over the lives of other campmates. I enjoyed watching, although I can't be certain how much I gained from the experience.

A problematic film to say the least. Of the only good aspects of the film is the accuracy with which it portrayed the experience of Japanese Americans in internment camps. It showed their confusion, loss of identity, and suffering in a very authentic way. However, it was completely ridiculous to create a film about such a shameful time in American history through the lens of a love story, especially one riddled with sexism and racial stereotypes. In my opinion, the middle of the movie is quite gripping, well-acted, and historically accurate. In all other areas, the film is unfortunately a flop. Topics of this significance should not be treated with such insensitivity.

I would like to say that I enjoyed the movie, but I did not. I find it difficult to watch a film, whimsical and sweet as this one was, that seems to make a joke of an atrocity. I feel that there is no need to shed light on a horrific event like the Holocaust. Were there moments of joy within the camps? Yes, but what does a film which seems to glorify the experience really add to the conversation? The actors were lovely, and the love story was pleasant, but the film is so far from historically accurate or even possible as there is very little chance that a toddler would have survived in a camp. I understand why many have loved the film and I do see where it encomapsses important themes such as the preserved humanity of the camp inmates. Yet, I am fearful that there are many who see the film as a true representation of concentration camps were, and I see that as a disservice to those who experienced the inhumanity of the camp system.