A Survivor from Magadan

Dr. Atu Safavi lived most of his life in exile. Directed by Aref Mohammadi, this documentary follows the journey of Safavi—who also narrates—beginning when post-WWII Iran was going through a turbulent transition. In his youth, Safavi was attracted to Communist ideals, but feeling threatened in his homeland he sought refuge in Stalin's Soviet Union. When he crossed the border into Russia, however, Safavi was arrested by the KGB, accused of spying, and sentenced to hard labor working in a brickyard. Eventually, he was forced to make a perilous train trip to the coastal city of Vladivostok, placed on an overcrowded boat, and then transported to a labor camp named Magadan in the desolate wasteland of Siberia—a place with little chance of escape that remained mostly dark about six months out of the year. Conditions were brutal, and some prisoners cut off fingers to obtain brief refuge in a camp hospital. Safavi kept a clandestine diary during these years, depicting some of his ordeal in drawings. Altogether, Safavi was held prisoner in the Soviet Gulag system for about 10 years, being finally released after Stalin died in 1953. Safavi settled in Tajikistan and became a doctor, and after Iran's 1979 revolution he tried to return to his homeland, but found that he didn't fit in with the new order. Emigrating to Toronto, Safavi lived quietly until his death in 2012. Although not always absolutely compelling, this is an interesting story of Safavi's plight as a perpetual outcast. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)