This movie should be added to your list of "must see". This highly underrated movie delivers to the viewer a gripping story, within a story, within a story, within a story. Many sub-plots.
The movie portrays the story of a young selfish, greedy and heartless Russian business tycoon planning a land development on a WW2 historic battle site with no care or consideration of the war dead under the soil. He plans the "accidental death" of a young female protester attempting to save the remains of the fallen soldiers of WW2 who is blockading the vehicles trying to enter the land. He uses deception to lure her to a place of the accident where she in turn shows him the skeletal remains of Russian soldiers in an uncovered bunker and tells him the story of their lives and sacrifice of which he shows no care or concern until he is thrust back in time to be at the actual battle field during the war. (This is the only touch of sci-fi in the movie).
Waking up in the middle of the battlefield, he finds himself as like a ghost, being invisible to the soldiers fighting off the German advance, impervious to the bombardments and bullets, but thrust into the face to face sacrifice and desperation of the soldiers dying around him.
Without introducing spoilers to my review, the young businessman finds himself torn between his business activities and selfish lifestyle, into that of actually learning and appreciating the sacrifice of the Soviet soldiers of WW2. In turn, he learns he is not the orphan he thought he was and has a major change of heart and appreciation of life of those before him and around him.
The middle of the movie becomes a bit sluggish, but thereafter it becomes quite intense and gripping. The last 20 minutes wrap up the whole story sending a very strong message of self sacrifice, caring of others and appreciation of war veterans.
Military history buffs will pick up quickly that the war time scenes are that of the conclusion of the mass German advance when the Russians were losing, until the moment, the tide of war had just turned. The Russian battle location is not clear in the movie, but infers it is a mix of the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk and Sevastopol.
The story reveals a younger person, not caring about the sacrifice of former soldiers in war and learning of it through family/ancestor stories are rarely reflected in movies. Coming to my mind is only "Memorial Day (USA)", "The Eternal Zero (Japan)" and "Da 5 Bloods (USA)"
ACCURACY - The uniforms and weapons are spot-on. Of interest was seeing a soldier in a trench in close up baring a rare Mosin Nagant 91/30- 7.62x54R (1891 model), which was an antique weapon that had ceased production 1905, but were actually still in use in WW2. Small subtle accurate scenes are depicted in the movie such as the poor diet of soldiers in the bunkers and trenches and what they were actually eating..
TECHNIQUE/SPECIAL EFFECTS - The off color of the scenes in the WW2 scenes are clever in showing the fantasy/dream like state of being thrust back in time.
BATTLEFIELD CGI - It is not of a high or convincing quality, but I think it is not needed, nor does it detract from the movie given the above reference to Special effects
Overall, this movie is a fine piece of work and I highly recommend it.
