Iи Traиzit (2008)
"In Tranzit" (original title)

In the winter of 1946, in Leningrad, a group of German prisoners of war are sent to a female transit camp by the cruel Russian Commander Pavlov. When they arrive, the Russian female ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom Roberts

Writers:

Natalia Portnova, Simon van der Borgh

Stars:

Vera Farmiga, Thomas Kretschmann, John Malkovich

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vera Farmiga	...	Natalia
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Max
John Malkovich	...	Pavlov
Daniel Brühl	...	Klaus
Natalie Press	...	Zina
Patrick Kennedy	...	Peter
John Lynch	...	Yakov
Guy Flanagan	...	Hans
Phillip Azarov	...	Ivan
Sergei Baryshev	...	Russian Guard 1 (as Sergey Baryshev)
Aleksandr Bolshakov	...	Captain (as Alexander Bolshakov)
Katya Chunkova	...	Nina
Ingeborga Dapkunaite	...	Vera
Andrey Fedortsov	...	Anton
Natalya Fisson	...	Tamara (as Natalia Fisson)

Storyline

In the winter of 1946, in Leningrad, a group of German prisoners of war are sent to a female transit camp by the cruel Russian Commander Pavlov. When they arrive, the Russian female soldiers show the hostility to the enemies that have killed their husbands, families and friends; only Dr. Natalia and the cook treat the prisoners with dignity. Natalia has an agreement with Commander Pavlov to keep her former lover, who was wounded on the head during the war and is slow, in the camp instead of sending him to an institution in Siberia. Pavlov assigns Natalia to disclose members of the SS infiltrated in the group of prisoners. Natalia and the prisoner Max feel a great attraction for each other while the prisoner Klaus tries to convince Max to denounce a couple of prisoners to satisfy the Russian. Natalia convinces the businessman Yakov to organize an orchestra with the prisoners; they are invited to play in a ball, where the lonely women that survived the war dance with the Germans. After ...

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Plot Keywords:

german | ss | soldier | prisoner of war | soviet | 

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Taglines:

From her greatest enemy came her greatest love

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality, nudity, violence and language

Details

Country:

Russia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Iи Traиzit

Filming Locations:

St. Petersburg, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thema Production, Peace Arch Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Some of the female guards wear summer forage caps and others the heavy winter ushanka; the second is the correct type to be wearing with the winter uniform.

User Reviews

This is a well-acted film, but so depressing!

Yikes! Just watched it in Russian. Fortunately I speak enough Russian to understand the voice-over; wish they had kept it in the original English and just added Russian subtitles. Kretschmann, Bruhl, Farmiga and Press all give excellent performances; Evegeny Mironov does the most amazing "silent" performance since his Russian version of Kafka's "Metamorphosis". I have no doubt that anti-German sentiment was running high in 1946 in Leningrad; nevertheless, surely there was some hope or ray of sunshine in all the gloom. I am beginning to understand why this film was not marketed in America. Unless you lived through those times, or are a student of history, the subject matter of this film may not have much appeal. Still, for you history buffs out there, don't miss some fine acting in this film.