Compartment No. 6

Against its bleak frozen backdrop, Compartment No. 6 is somehow one of the warmest movie experiences around. Truly a lesson in listening to your heart and tearing down the defensive walls we've all built to protect ourselves and convince us of our safety. Compartment No. 6 asks of us to look at the things we say we want and have convinced ourselves we need, and decide if they are actually compatible with who we fundamentally are as a person. Those unprepared may be put off by the somewhat meandering pace and stilted structure with which the scenes play out, but this train is definitely worth the unconventional, bumpy ride.

A reflection on appearances that little by little becomes a kind of romantic story that has enough charm to capture the viewer. And although the train slows down as it approaches its destination, it is a pleasant journey, with much more depth than it appears, which includes a nostalgic look at the traces of the past in our present.

For some people, happiness comes right up to them, sits on their face and rides them all day long while others have to struggle to get happiness through the front door and beg for it stay just a moment longer when it's there. _Compartment No. 6_ is like the second kind of person and, fortunately, that's my kind of people so this is my kind of film.

A Finnish student in Moscow decides to leave the city and (her girlfriend) to take a 3-day train ride across Russia to see famous petroglyphs in the remote village of Murmansk. On the train, she finds she's trapped with in her compartment with an obnoxious young Russian (played with a breathtaking honesty by Yuriy Borisiv).

The film delivers on all of its promises and, while it may have some unnecessarily drawn out moments, _Compartment No. 6_ is one film you won't have to beg to make you happy, it'll do it gladly.

A man and a woman of different nationalities and social statuses are forced to spend days in the same filthy night train compartment. Wonder what’s going to happen?
Despite the premise sounding like it’s coming from one of those corny romantic comedies, “Compartment No.6” is a surprisingly subtle and somber movie that benefits from its exquisitely European origin. The same script shot elsewhere could have resulted in a disaster.
The pacing is a little slow, but it’s also true that you have to let it breathe as silence speaks for the characters the most.

The setting is extremely interesting. The plot however, even if well built, is yet another journey drama seen in plenty of other films.