Le Chemin des tourments

Oh my word, what a series! This 12 episode series, based on Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoys book trilogy The Road To Calvary ( originally written in Russian ) was enthralling, beautiful, touching and heart wrenching. It tells the story of the two Bulavina sisters and their lives as they live through the 1st World war and the Russian revolution. It's a film about love. It's about the love of sisters, of their lovers, of their friends, of the love of country and ideology. It even has time for some Bonny and Clyde action. Whilst being sentimental and romantic, it stays away from sex scenes or any nudity at all. It does paint a bleak picture of the vulnerability of women on their own in places of conflict and deals with rape and violence without being too explicit or gory. There are strong scenes of battles which show the physical consequences of bombs and bullets whilst not being overly graphic. In the final episode there is a scene of children being mudered in an executional style shooting by War Lord, which may upset some. This is an epic series and covers different aspects of family politics and the meaning of friendship. It doesn't hold back from showing the torment and human cost of a revolution. If I was to be hyper critical it would be that 10 episodes not 12 would have been sufficient but a series based on a book trilogy might find it hard to be edited that way. If you like history and romance this film is for you and if I have 3 days free I might even watch it again!

You will be transported to pre WW1 Russia in this extremely high quality TV series. If you know a little history, you will be on the edge of your seat knowing what horrors are about to unfold. The story focuses on two loving sisters, two women lucky enough to be aristocratic with kind hearts and highly educated. Their fate is closely connected with the men in their lives, and the opposing political forces unfolding. You will truly understand how the world evolved after this time, the idealism of the Bolshevics and how that went horribly wrong, and you will feel for the young sisters as horrible as their world becomes, it will only get worse. There are lessons here for current times. Watch out for the slow loss of liberties and push back. This series is astonishingly good. The russian languge is a pleasure to listen to and the subtitles are hardly noticeable. Dont miss it.

This historical drama set in the early 20th centery was beautifully presented with outstanding creativity, skills, profoundity and workmanship. Acting, costumes, story - great work!

I am a person who watches a lot of foreign films and series and I found a very good Russian one on Netflix. It's a story that most Americans will not understand, because very few people here know anything about Russian history or would want to take the time to know it. And to appreciate this 12 part mini series, you would have to know that after the Czar was overthrown there was a civil war between, the Reds, the Whites, and many other factions all thinking that they could save mother Russia.

This is the story of 2 sisters who start in high society, get caught up in WW1 and the aftermath of just trying to survive. It's also a love story and done very well. Highly recommended to those who like a well done historical drama.

Finally, a captivating, artistic series from Netflix. Adaptation of Tolstoy in Russia by Russians. Important to see the perspective of early 20th century art from Russia, where most often we see this explosion of artistic fervor depicted in Paris or other enlightened European cities. Here we see a Picasso in a home in St Petersburg, we watch the debates of the poets in university, we feel the electric change in the air. A nostalgia one feels for the epoch of the poet, the collective draw to the expressions of the artist. And we are given an honest look into the soul of Russia that so transcends political bruhaha. Thanks to whoever got this series to us in the epoch of Ant Man and Spider Man.