What It’s About
In the midst of a brutal winter in Nazi-Occupied Russia, partisans Sotnikov (Plotnikov) and Rybak (Gostyukhin) venture out to find food for their ragtag group. Sotnikov gets wounded, and the pair take refuge in the small house occupied by Avginya (Polyakova), and her three small children. But it seems there’s no escaping the Nazis. These two men, thrown together by chance, will confront their fate in very different ways.
Why We Love It
Director Shepitko’s last and finest film (she was killed in a car accident in 1979), this stark, harrowing tale reinforces the futility of war, but also how it brings out the best, or worst, qualities in those who wage it. What makes one man willing to die for his principles, while another sacrifices his soul just to stay alive? Beautifully acted and gorgeously shot in black and white, “The Ascent” won the prestigious Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Its spare, unadorned power really stays with you. War is hell indeed.