War in pieces

Prisoner of the Mountains updates Tolstoy

by MATTHEW HAYS

Over 150 years ago, Tolstoy wrote the short story Prisoner of the Caucasus. Told from the perspective of a Russian soldier, the tale concerned the plight of one prisoner of war, taken captive by Chechens when the Russians were initially taking over the region by force. Oddly enough, the story was written for children and Russian director Sergei Bodrov was eight years old when he first came across it.

Several decades later, Bodrov has adapted the story into a contemporary work about the current mess in Chechnya. A lyrical mix of stark realism and magical realism, the film has two soldiers, the only survivors of their platoon, taken hostage by Chechen rebels. Sacha and Vania are seen by their captors as perfect fodder for a trade with Russian authorities for Chechen prisoners.

The Stockholm Syndrome soon sets in; though Vania and Sacha dislike each other at first, the chains between them (à la The Defiant Ones) soon force them to develop a sense of trust and friendship. And Vania becomes taken with the young daughter of one of their captors.

Bodrov has also employed a unique blend of professional and non-actors in his cast. The entire cast is utterly believable, so much so that combined with the hand-held camera used in parts of the film, one gets the sense of watching documentary footage. Another casting coup comes in the form of nepotism: Bodrov cast his son Sergei Bodrov Jr. in one of the leads as the younger soldier, and his portrayal as an idealistic young man caught in the insanity of war is poignant and brilliant.

Though nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language film category, the top prize went to the Czech film Kolya. While a worthy entry, Kolya is an infinitely more sentimental film which, I suspect, tugged on the heartstrings of Academy voters. A pity, for Prisoner of the Mountains is a significantly more artfully done and challenging work of cinema. Bodrov has captured the full dimensions of the horror of war and put it on the two-dimensional screen for us.

Prisoner of the Mountains opens this Friday, April 18 at the Cinéma du Parc. See repertory listings for showtimes