Movie - The way back

The synopsis, a 4000 km walk to escape from the Gulag, would not have tempted me more than that in the first place, but the very positive reviews and IMDB and the absence of any credible alternative at a sensible time pushed me in. And it is a very good surprise.

The story is about a group of prisoners in a Gulag in Siberia around 1942, escaping and walking through Siberia, Mongolia, the Gobi desert, the Himalayas, to finally arrive in India. Obviously, the trip is quite an undertaking, and they will need to survive against the extreme colds, droughts, and lack of water and food through the hostile regions they are traversing.

After going through the oppressive Gulag, the Siberian colds and the Gobi dry lands, the public is not far from being as exhausted as the characters, after a 2 hours 15 feature! The rhythm is astonishingly well sustained, through the various landscapes and hardships. All the characters are pretty good, with among others a Polish man king of survival, an artist / cook, a mysterious American, and Colin Farrel in an astonishing role of Russian gang member.

The editing can be sometimes strange (almost nothing is seen of the evasion, the end of the movie looks rushed) but leaves the landscapes talking for themselves. Special honors for the Baikal lake and its mosquitoes!

I also note with pleasure that Pteer Weir, the director, avoids big sentimental overtakings, to concentrate on the human adventure and the determination to retrieve one's freedom.

Now I want to travel!