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"AlekseiGhermanjunior’sfilmTheLastTrainpremieredinMoscowinmidDecemberduringthefilmfestivalStalker,whichalsoawardedittheprizeforthebestfilm.However,itsfirstscreeninghadalreadytakenplaceinthe‘controcorrente’competitionoftheVeniceFilmFestivalinSeptember.Thefilm,dealingwiththemeofwarandshotinblackandwhite,remainedunnoticedbythepressinthecontextoftheVeniceFilmFestival(preoccupiedalmostexclusivelywithZviagintsev’sTheReturn),althoughitwasawardedaprize.InMoscow,itmaderatheradifferentimpression,especiallywhensetinthecontextoffilmsdealingwithhumanrightsissues.Gherman’sfilmis,inasense,aresponsetohisfather’swarfilm20DayswithoutWar.Maybethisexplainstheoddityofayoung,clearlytalenteddirectorventuringonhisdebutfilmintothetroddenterritoriesofthewarfilm,athemethatdominatedRussiancinemaingeneral,buthadalsobeendealtwithbyhisfather.ForGhermanJunior,however,warknowsneitherwinnersnorlosers:insteadofexploringthehistoryofWWII,Ghermanlooksatthefateoftwomenwhohavefailedtomaketherightchoice(orachoice)attherighttime.Therefore,theyarenowthevictimsofcircumstances,ofpolitics,ofregimes–whichtheyhaveorhavenotelected.Gherman’sconcerniswithpeopleinparticularcircumstances,whicharenottheirchoice,andhowtheycopewiththeseunwantedsituations.
