My command of the Russian language is very poor, anyway I had little problems following this nail-biting and suspenseful story. I purchased the DVD, because a Russian friend of mine recommended it to me, after we talked about the movie "Come And See". This movie is very close to "Come And See" and also very close to "Franz And Polina". I believe the Russians have a lot of unresolved issues with this period of history: The resistance movement in Bjelorussia during WW2. This miniseries is a very good attempt to address the complexities of collaboration, betrayal, terror and counter-terror, sacrifice and opportunism. The acting is absolutely superb, no cliché's of evil German SS-Officers, this miniseries really tries to explain the reasoning that might have been behind those men. Let's not forget, there was a fuhrer's order to view upon the Russian population as inferior subhuman. For the more subtle ways of today, to dehumanize an enemy, this was the very crude style. But it worked, because people did not have "the check and balances" of the media of today. I was very impressed with the actress Agnes Zeltinya playing the NKVD agent Lida Eisenschmidt. Using a lot of female intuition, seduction and iron nerves to execute her mission. I really liked to have the space of over 400 minutes to see the characters develop, there was not one boring minute in this movie. Uniforms, weapons the period and the politics where well depicted and researched in detail. Something that you rarely see in Hollywood movies, where most current action movies are drowning in special effects and simplified story lines. The new Russian film is going a different direction, taking pride in the art of acting and the old fashion way of story telling. I have to admit, I'm addicted to the new Russian cinema. Now my criticism: I'm wondering why Russian movies are so purely marketed in the west, since the quality of those movies are really outstanding. Almost every new Russian movie-epic comes without English subtitles, so I get so tired of waiting, that I have to watch them without them. It seems that it might take forever, for the Russian studios to release English versions of "Doctor Zhivago (2006)", "Quiet flows the Don (2006)" , "Svoi (2004)", "Gibel Imperij (2005)", "Yonkera(2007)", "The Nine Lives Of Nestor Machnow (2006)" and many, many more.

Russian cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. Russian cinema contributed revolutionary theories of editing and later a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.

Nikolay Grinko, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, and Anatoliy Solonitsyn in Stalker (1979)

The period drama subgenre transports audiences to the past, immersing them in historical contexts and offering insights into the lives, relationships, and challenges of characters from different time periods.

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The war genre features armed conflicts, both historical and fictional, and the experiences of individuals and groups involved in warfare. This genre explores the physical, emotional, and moral challenges faced by soldiers, civilians, and others affected by war.

WWII. A detachment of underground partisans under the leadership of commander Shmakov is hiding out in a forest near the front lines. They are joined by a reconnaissance group led by Major Semin from State Security. The day to day life of the partisans is extremely tense, as they risk their lives fighting the enemy and encounter conflicts within their own group. Hoping to enhance his career, Semin contacts Shimmel, a highly place German spy, in an attempt to recruit him for the Soviet side. During the encounter, Semin is given false information about chemical bombs supposedly developed by the Germans. Semin immediately informs central command, sure that he will be rewarded for his important discovery. However, central command decides that the tip needs to be confirmed and sends reconnaissance officer Lida Eisenschmidt to get close to Shimmel and get to the bottom of the chemical weapons story. Kurt Shimmel and Lida Eisenschmidt are well matched adversaries. They are both professionals and brave opportunists, able to control themselves in the most extreme conditions. Both are lonely, surrounded by colleagues who cannot appreciate their skill or understand their dance with death. Kurt and Lida are predators - born of war - who have lost all traces of their humanity. But perhaps that is the essence of human nature.

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