A patient, formally daring work — the cinematography lingers on empty rooms longer than most audiences will tolerate, but those who stay are rewarded with the most haunting final act of the year.
Mit Olga auf der Wolga
A river trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg, in which mainly German seniors take part. For 14 days you will experience a dense program of churches, art, vodka and the Volga. You will be chased through old villages with hundreds of souvenir stands. On the ship you will learn Russian songs and folk dances and can do gymnastics under supervision. But the film lives from the protagonists, the idealistic Renate, who mourns communist Russia, Peter, who doesn't like traveling, who only went along for the sake of his girlfriend ("One tree looks like another"), and the passionate Ellen, who is unhappy in... Peter in love. A helicopter is flown in to rescue a seriously ill passenger. But what also makes the cynical Peter think are the wonderful sunsets, the beautiful nature, the peace and the vastness of the Russian landscape. And in the end, a little piece of the Russian soul remains.
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Critics & Reviews
3 featuredI walked in expecting another genre exercise and walked out feeling like I'd been eavesdropping on a confession. The lead performance is genuinely singular — a career-defining turn.
A few too many scenes feel borrowed from a better film, but the soundtrack and the production design carry the rest. Solid recommendation for fans of slow-burn European thrillers.