Beresina oder Die letzten Tage der Schweiz

Beresina is definitely funnier than that classic of Swiss comedy, Die Schweizermacher. The exaggerated way in which everything is portrayed is hilarious and never dumb. I don't know if it's equally funny for people who have never been to Switzerland though - you mightn't get some of the jokes. But everybody else: Go and see it, you'll have a laugh.

Russian call girl Irina (Elena Panova) is used and abused by everybody, but it takes some time until she realizes that. She enjoys Switzerland and wants to become a Swiss citizen. Several people promise to help her, but in fact they're only interested either in her services, information-wise (her customers include some v.i.p. people in Swiss politics and gov.t) or sex-wise (including her charming, angel-like naivete). Even the General (Martin Benrath), who promised to marry her in case she'd have otherwise to leave Switzerland, is in fact married and would never dream of marrying his as he calls her, "little Swiss girl". After having to deal with the harsh truth, she decides to pay the General a visit. He's not at home -- and she knows that he is chief of the subversive right-wing organization Cobra .. so it's payback time for Irina.... This is a very funny comedy, and one of the best Swiss films ... of the Nineties, in any case!

One of my favourite playwrights is Friedrich Dürrenmatt who came from Switzerland and wrote plays of some let's say political-philosophical significance. He used to turn the world (especially the Swiss one) around and examine it from a rather twisted point of view, but usually he hit the nail on the head. This movie transfers in a hilarious way the Swiss mentality as Dürrenmatt would have presented it. Daniel Schmid gives a wonderful satirical portrait of his country although there aren't almost any Swiss actors speaking the „Schwytzerdytsch` other German speaking citizens usually spoof about Switzerland, and although the two leading characters are not Swiss but Russian and from another country (I couldn't filter out which). Weird jokes, surprisingly good actors and a satirical plot that gets better and better in course of the movie make „Beresina` a sadistic pleasure for every viewer. Of course, the ending and the message of the movie are somewhat exaggerated, but that's what satires are supposed to be. And people who know Switzerland will admit that in the main most things are not too far-fetched. I would be happy, if anybody would produce such a fine movie about my country.

Deconstructing Switzerland, or at least its myths and legends. "Beresina" is a comedy that gains its attraction from a naive Russian girl Irina, played by Elena Panova, a very talented young actress. Although it is presented in a very fairy-tale-like way, the story takes place in today's Switzerland with all its old-fashioned clichées. But since the movie never tries to take itself too serious, it manages to give a view of the real centers of power in this "oh so beautiful little country" the way they could be. Actually at the date of release, reality has already caught up with fiction, meaning we now have a scandal about a "secret" Secret Service and a whore pretending to know the Swiss government from within. One might almost call "Beresina" the "Wag the Dog" of Swiss politics.

All in all the film's first half presents kind of a "chronicle of slowness" and hence reflects the way structures are broken and opened to new ideas in the heads of many people always being mindful of tradition. But this slow pacing can also be very amusing, as Daniel Schmid shows us. Although he never reaches the tempo of a Billy Wilder comedy, he manages to capture another speciality of the very same director: showing people the way they are, making us care for them, without taking them too serious. A pretty obvious characteristic of this movie are the constant repetitions, which may not always please, but which show effectively how the presented characters live their lives following ritualized patterns.

What makes this movie go is doubtlessly the story of Irina, the Russian callgirl. She is the only one really believing all the myths and promises around her "promised (Switzer)land", and ironically a central factor in their destruction. She provides the only emotional relation to the audience. In her idealisticly pure hope for a paradise she is willing to sacrifice even a virtue or two ("lying is a bad thing!") in order to make her dream come true.

It's also a story about friends, most of them false ones though. From a certain point in time things happen to tumble and the satire turns into a very amusing grotesque.

Watch out for the "réduit"-sequence, a true highlight! I have to admit that I would have never thought that Swiss Folk songs could be delightful sung with a Russian accent. By the way there is a powerful performance by Geraldine Chaplin, who shows us a hundred ways to open a fan

I was very pleased to see the first good Swiss movie in years, even if its attraction may somehow be limited to Switzerland and prevent it from being successful in probable foreign releases.

Apart from being famous for its innumerable banks, chocolates and watches, Switzerland is equally famous for its peace loving people. It is precisely this quality which impels many people young and old alike to seek Swiss nationality in order to lead a better life than what they have been leading. This is something which viewers can watch in 'Beresina', a film where Swiss director Daniel Schmid chooses to reveal the weaknesses of influential Swiss people when they are duped by a meek person exploited by them. It is fun to watch how the family members of victims endorse the presence of the exploited person in their midst. Daniel Schmid's film depicts some powerful Swiss people namely an army general, some industrialists, a media specialist etc who misuse their power as well as position to indulge in personal pleasures. This film also features a discussion about how far can an ordinary person go in order to dream something big in life? There is also a sub plot about basic human values as a young Russian prostitute's innocence is shattered when a letter informs her of not having obtained the Swiss nationality. The entire story runs slowly until viewers finish watching three-fourths of the film. It is only in the last parts that some crucial events happen which herald the destruction of Switzerland. Despite being a story about an expensive call girl, Berezina is not at all exploitative. It has been hailed as a comedy film but watching it, one would not laugh in the same manner as how other people do when they watch Chaplin, Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd.