Four groups of people (Polish Catholics, Ukrainian Orthodox Nationalists, German Nazis and Russian Communists) meet in Volhynia, a historic and largely agricultural region between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The only thing that they appear to have in common is a hatred of Jews. The results are as deeply unpleasant (and graphically shown) as you might expect. The areas of Eastern Europe that lay between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia, predominantly Poland, Belarus, the Baltic States and the Ukraine, are often referred to as the "blood lands" and, after watching this film, you'll see why. It's a deeply depressing film, all the more so because a little background research shows it's firmly rooted in historical fact. There aren't any "heroes", there aren't even any "good guys". There are just people wandering the countryside trying to survive routinely barbaric encounters with each other. This is one film that Hollywood certainly won't be remaking (with a happy ending) any time soon.
