The fog of war—i.e., the inability to comprehend what is really happening in the heat of conflict—is dramatized in an intensely personal manner in Sergei Loznitsa's somber adaptation of a novel by Vasil Bykov. Set in German-occupied Belarus in 1942, In the Fog opens with an eerily quiet sequence in which Resistance fighters Burov (Vladislav Abashin) and Voitik (Sergei Kolesov) approach the isolated farm of Sushenya (Vladimir Svirskiy) and shepherd the man away for execution. Gradually revealed, via flashbacks, is the fact that Sushenya was one of four workers taken into custody for sabotaging a rail line, but he was later released unharmed while the others were hanged. This turn of events led locals to assume that Sushenya had collaborated with the Germans, although in reality he was freed to serve as bait for the partisans. When the three men are ambushed while trudging through the forest and Burov is severely wounded, Sushenya must decide whether to carry him to safety or take the opportunity to escape. Along the way, the narrative is further deepened by flashbacks to the episodes that led Burov and Voitik—one a hothead, the other a sniveling coward—to join the Resistance. Watching this grim, deliberately paced film requires patience and attention, but those willing to surrender to its languorously hypnotic rhythm may find that the expertly-crafted In the Fog has a powerful effect. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
In the Fog
Strand, 128 min., in Russian w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $27.99, Sept. 17 Volume 28, Issue 5
In the Fog
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