In 1942, Nazi occupied Belarus, the former Soviet commanders readily put themselves at the disposal of the German invaders, and enforce the new order of rule with a cruel and brutal hand.
The local partisans, who are building a fierce resistance campaign, attempt to sabotage the railway tracks and derail a train. Sushenya, a local rail worker, is wrongly accused with the group of saboteurs, but is given a reprieve by the German officer who makes a decision not to hang him and sets him free. Rumours of Sushenya’s apparent collaboration spread, and partisans Burov and Voitik soon arrive from the forest to seek revenge.
Based on the book by writer and social activist Vasil Bykov (1924-2003). The Ukrainian Sergei Loznitsa (My Joy) aptly portrays the corruption of man’s humanity in the context of war, and deservedly won the FIPRESCI Award at Cannes 2012.
