The second feature from former documentarian Sergei Loznitsa, In the Fog (V tumane) embodies its title, both literally and figuratively. A swell of mist slowly infiltrates its minimalist frames with such gradual progression that the film is at all times within its hazy embrace; an undercurrent of simmering emotion, driven by war, fear, death and duty, clouds every element of its slow-burning yet astounding narrative.
In the Fog commences powerfully but contemplatively, following a figure – lead by others, his tied hands signalling his resistance – past a watching Belorussian village. A voice lectures the populace on the importance of supporting, not sabotaging, the Germans; when it stops, the unmistakable sound of men being executed rings out. Loznitsa immediately indicates his willingness to pause for thought, and – over time – divulge another meaning within his parable. The film’s next 127 minutes unfurl in a similar fashion, reserved in its detail, gradual in its admissions, yet rewarding the viewer’s perseverance.
A trio of conflicted men comprise the film’s protagonists, each caught up in the repercussions of the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union circa 1942. Sushenya (Vladimir Svirskiy, 4 Days in May) has escaped death at the hands of the Germans, but is branded as a collaborator instead; freedom fighters Burov (Vladislav Abashin, Reverse Motion) and Votik (Sergei Kolesov, in his only screen credit to date) feel compelled to punish his treachery. Marching Sushenya away from his wife and son in the middle of the night, they force him to dig his own grave before they pull the trigger. His survival during an attack by their adversaries changes their fates.
After the immacutely composed My Joy, the writer/director again assembles a visually complex effort, pristine and precise within the expansive yet intimate wilderness setting. The intricacy of the source material – Vasil Bykau’s 1989 novel of the same name – is explored with atmospheric deliberation and almost dreamlike intensity by cinematographer Oleg Mutu (Beyond the Hills), but its compelling allegory remains, resounding with mystery and morality through every long take and reflective moment.
Loznitsa’s classic fatalist characters act as cyphers within the surrounding philosophical and psychological rumination; his performers – particularly the stoic Svirskiy – inhabit their roles with perfection, both in physical and symbolic terms. Each is as carefully composed as every other aspect of the austere offering, and in their mirroring of the feature’s debate – the resolution of which is striking in its revelations and haunting in its captivating imagery.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
In the Fog (V tumane)
Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Germany/Netherlands/Belarus/Russia/Latvia, 2012, 127 min
Now showing in cinemas
Distributor: Sharmill Films
Rated M
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