Film Review - Compartment No. 6
Images courtesy of Sharmill Films.
Compartment No.6 follows Laura, a timid and reserved archaeology student who takes a cross-country trip of Russia to study ancient petroglyphs (rock paintings) as part of her studies.
The film introduces Laura as a fish-out-of-water, at a cocktail party of her new university professor girlfriend, Irina. Her efforts to assimilate into intellectual conversations exasperate her, as she retreats to a bedroom in frustration. The chasm only widens as Irina informs Laura she will not be able to come with her on the aforementioned trip, but encourages her to go on her own.
At this juncture, the majority of the plot takes place in the eponymous train carriage where Laura will stay for a few days whilst on the trip. The director here is perhaps at his most didactic, particularly through the title, as to what the viewer should focus on. Laura is so consumed by worries of her career, relationship and future; the film compels the viewer to focus on what is directly in front of us - the train carriage - as a metaphor for appreciating the present moment.
What immediately confronts Laura in the carriage is a vodka-chugging, burping and obstreperous Russian of few manners named Lyokha. As he drools and sprawls on the floor, he asks her if she is a prostitute and to translates crude phrases into Russian. Suddenly the seemingly endless journey appears even longer.
Audiences unfamiliar with Russian geography can still grapple with the painful longevity of this days-long trip. The icy, snowing surrounds of the trip signify the duo’s disdain for each other. The train itself creaks with wooden floorboards and squeaky hinges, and the stains on the walls evoke decades of neglect. These scenes were in fact filmed on a real disused train belonging to the Russian Transport Authority and went round in circles for the film.
Director Juho Kuosmanen masterfully manipulates this space as characters frequently brush past each other in cramped hallways. Not only that, in the carriage Laura sleeps on a top bunk, while Lyokha sleeps in his bottom bunk, symbolising the superiority she feels over him.
However, the audience soon learns first impressions aren’t everything, as both of them care deeply about their futures but demonstrate it in different ways. While bearing a striking resemblance to the Before trilogy by Richard Linklater, Compartment No.6 strips itself of the former’s romance and intellectual vanity for an endearing platonic relationship.
Beautifully acted with two contrasting performances, Compartment No.6 subtly conceals its themes behind sharp, rapid dialogue and terrific sense of spatial continuity.
Compartment No. 6 is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 7th of July. For tickets and more info, click here.