Compartment No. 6

I saw this preview for the Perth Festival at The Backlot a few nights ago. It's a low-key 'love story', devoid of any of the usual romantic cliches that you'd expect to find in a film with this outline. Finnish student Laura, played by Seidi Haarla, is first seen trying to navigate a party full of wankers at her girlfriend's apartment in Moscow. She doesn't fit in here and it's some relief to know that she's soon off on a train trip north to Murmansk to see some petroglyphs (ancient rock drawings). In fact, this was a trip planned by her carefree (and could care less) girlfriend, Irina, who cancels at the last minute. This is where the journey - and the JOURNEY - begins.

Laura's compartment (No. 6) is shared with a moody Russian skinhead called Ljoha, played by Yuriy Borisov. He doesn't take long to get pissed up and obstreperous, lecturing her on the superiority of Mother Russia and asking if she's going to Murmansk to 'sell her cunt'. Proper charmer. The initial animosity between them thaws slightly, then grows into something like familiarity, though the only common denominator is a sense of disenchanted loneliness. I think the director, Juho Kuosmanen, is trying to show the haphazard nature of a person's life, how there are small, unannounced 'sweet spots' that turn out to be more rewarding than previous hopes or expectations. Laura starts the journey, clearly having doubts about her relationship with Irina, and these are exacerbated by unanswered or dismissive calls back to Moscow. It's obvious the feeling isn't all that mutual. A fellow Finn boards the train, which irritates Ljoha no end, but this guy eventually disappoints Laura too. Even those radioactive-level MacGuffin petroglyphs are a colossally damp squib.

The film is a real antidote to the unrealistic, unbelievable tropes about human relationships that seem to permeate countless other films of its type. I'm not Russian or Finnish, but everything that occurred in Compartment No. 6 was plausible, I could believe all of that might happen within the context of this slice of life and time. The style is reminiscent of Kuosmanen's compatriot, Kaurismäki, though not as surreal, or Pawlikowski, though not as sombre. Haarla and Borisov are fantastically normal, as they piss each other off while gradually gaining each other's respect. This is a film that savours its prosaic touches - a tough, matronly train conductor who eventually thaws; non-plussed taxi drivers; indolent hotel receptionists; nearly everyone slipping on ice at one time or another; and a lovely turn by an old woman (maybe Ljoha's granny), played by newcomer, Lidia Kostina, who tells Laura she must 'listen to her inner animal', while getting trolleyed on Russian spirits.

Compartment No. 6 is a quiet delight and, considering it's all about awkward, frustrating loneliness, it's also surprisingly upbeat and hopeful. It runs at the Somerville Auditorium as part of the Perth Festival from Feb 14 - 20. Not to be missed.

See also:

Though not exactly similar, The Darjeeling Limited (2007) has a train journey and may just be Wes Anderson's best film. Laura mentions a balalaika, so have a look at Total Balalaika Show (1994), by Aki Kaurismäki - one of the oddest (and coolest) concert films ever made.