House with a Turret

The second full-length film from German-based Ukrainian director Eva Neyman is based on an autobiographical narrative by well-known screenwriter Fridrikh Gorenshtein (“Solaris”).

An eight-year-old boy travels with his mother to visit his grandfather during wartime. The mother, who is lying on the floor in a crowded freight car, has typhus and her condition is getting worse. At an unidentified station, she is placed on a stretcher and four men take her to hospital.

In this war-torn setting, surrounded by adults preoccupied with their own survival, the boy must shoulder a man’s responsibility, take care of his baggage and get a telegram sent to his grandfather, no matter what the cost. Through a child’s eyes, we see a country in chaos, grotesque figures on the verge of losing their humanity and families torn apart by the war.

Lithuanian cinematographer Rimvydas Leipus recreates a dream-like atmosphere of WWII-era yearning. The minimalist tale unfolds slowly, with hints of Ukrainian cinema legend Kira Muratova palpable in the atmosphere and dialogue, yet the story’s narrative is easy to follow and every scene is emotionally charged and captivating.

The boy - played by young actor Dmytro Kobetskoy, discovered in an Odessa orphanage - finds the hospital and stays by his mother’s side, but she soon dies, and he starts seeking the way home. Placing his trust in strangers, he is soon aboard a train; the beautiful wintry landscapes glimpsed from the window reflect the steely ice in the souls of people fighting for their survival...

Filipp Kruusvall