Compartimento Nº 6

Aah, the pleasures of traveling by long distance train! Admiring the scenery from the compartment window, enjoying nice meals in the restaurant car, and dozing off at night to the clickety-click sound of the wheels.

Everybody who once took a long distance sleeper knows the reality is different. Those people will enjoy this film. One of the drawbacks of international trains is the company in the compartment to which you have been assigned. Finnish student Laura has bad luck, having to share hers with a drunken Russian miner who asks without much ado if she is a prostitute.

During the long ride from Moscow to the northern city of Murmansk the two travel companions get to know each other better, and even learn to appreciate each other. This sounds a bit cheesy, but it isn't. Laura is dissapointed and lonely: her lover couldn't accompany her on the trip and reacts coolly to her phone calls. When, during a long stopover, she has to choose between the company of her rude but adventurous travel companion or no company at all, the choice is a no-brainer.

An extra attraction is that the movie takes place in the not-so distant past. It is the pre-internet era of pay phones and Walkmans. This is no major issue in the film, but it explains why Laura takes the train instead of flying.

There's a bit of 'Lost in Translation' in this film, a bit of 'Before Sunrise' and a bit of 'Ma nuit chez Maude'. Plus: it's Russia, so everything is nicely rough-edged and vodka-soaked. Na zdorovie!

Only finnish director that has won that before this was Aki Kaurismäki with The Man Without a Past 2002.

So i was very excited to see this one.

I'm always little skeptical with finnish movies.

But this ended up being very delightful movie.

Very good and beautiful story about finnish woman who travels across Russia to see petroglyphs in Murmansk.

Main part of movie is when she travels by train.

She meets russian guy and they are completely different peoples.

Their unique friendship develops beautifully.

There are also many other very different peoples who she meets in her journey.

Good and little less good peoples.

This movie has many sweet and funny moments in it.

It's mostly spoken in russian but it was very fun to hear finnish language in it too.

Very good performances from two leads definitely.

I also heard that this was chosen to be Finland's Oscar runner for foreign category.

So best of luck with that too.

Let's put one thing to rest. Anywhere at all where there are night trains, the sexes are mixed. Even in Muslim countries - the night sleepers in Morocco, for example, are not single sex cabins. Not knowing this is not a reason for giving low marks just because they find the situation unbelievable!

As for relationships in the film, ideas of distance and travel played a huge part. The further from Moscow, the more the lesbian lover receded and rejected. But the nearer to the petroglyphs, the deeper the bond between the ill matched compartment mates became.

However, the script didn't go overboard - there was no sentimentality in the refusal to swap addresses.

90s Russia was portrayed perfectly. Not yet a consumer society, there were hangovers from the communist times, notably in the appalling service offered on hotels and restaurants as well as the train itself.

As a speaker of (very poor) Finnish, I loved the joke about the terrible swear word in that language that framed the narrative on the train. It means a lot more than the tame subtitled translation that was offered.

I loved this film. The actors were perfect as were the locations. I personally enjoy train journeys and would now want to go on this one.

I have just watched this at the Mostra Internacional de São Paulo.

It feels very genuine: the acting is naturalistic and the story, simple. It's a road movie/coming of age experience that teaches us a few valuable lessons without preaching them. Also a reminder of how much we miss natural-looking people on the big screen.

It is about human connection.

Lead actors hit it out of the ball park.

If you ever rode trains OR grew up or lived in a cold country OR love Travel - you will LOVE this movie.

Direction and photography OUT of this world.

End is bitter sweet.

You will root for the male lead

He plays a guy that probably was an introvert growing up and didn't have (and or ) was able to feel much love .

When female lead starts connecting to his world he moves heaven and earth to get her to go where she wants to go.

Visuals are stunning.

Acting was amazing.

Background score / music perfect.

At the end you WILL have a tear or two

10/10 STARS.