IN THE FOG

Belarus, 2011, 123 minutes, Colour.
Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin, Sergei Kolesov
Directed by Sergei Losznitsa.

In the Fog is based on a celebrated Belarus novel by Vasili Bykov, written in 1989 at the end of the Societ era (though Belarus is still ruled by a dictator of the old school and style). It has been brought to the screen in the visual and dramatic style of films made from the 1950s in the then Soviet union. It is very serious indeed, with its story of the journal German occupation of Belarus during World War II, showing life in a village, the domination of the Germans, the hanging of hostages, the work of the resistance.

However, the focus is on a man in his thirties, a farmer, who is arrested with the hostages but allowed to leave, escaping his hanging. Villagers are suspicious, as is his wife. Eventually, two men from the resistance turn up, obviously charged with killing him. This does not happen. One of the partisans is wounded, the other goes foraging and is arrested by the local police and shows them where the resistance leader is.

The central character carries the wounded partisan through the forest. He also takes the opportunity to reflect on what has happened to him, a lengthy flashback: his initial arrest, interrogation, torture, but his being allowed to go free after the German commandant wanted him to spy on the partisans. In letting him go free, not hanging him, he has made him bait for the partisans to come to hunt him down, which is what happens.

Surviving in the forest, the farmer makes his way back home, the two partisan members dead. This means that the farmer will go back to the same suspicions, possibly being a target again of the resistance group, possibly being at the mercy of the German commandant. This is symbolized at the end by fog beginning to roll in and submerge the forest, the farmer making his way through the fog.

The style of former Soviet films was often very slow, long takes, focus on the faces of the characters, plenty of time for audiences to think. This is certainly the case here and audiences used to more rapid editing may find watching the film and gazing at it rather more difficult than they might have expected.

Nevertheless, it is a different picture of World War II in Northern Europe, a picture of the experience of people in a Belarus village, a character study as well as an invitation to reflect on the meaning of war, loyalty and betrayal, personal integrity, even an implicit reflection on human nature, heroism, truth with the image of the accused man carrying a kind of cross with the body of his accuser.

1. A story from Belarus? Famed novel, adaptation? Belarus and its history? 20th century? The Soviet Union? Its collapse? The 21st century? The dictatorship and Soviet-like regime?

2. The location photography, the town, the first set up and the crowds, the action, the tracking shot? The hanging? Seen later in Sushenya’s flashback? His walk through the town? The occupations of the people? The visuals of the forest, night and day? Houses, roads? The fog? The musical score?

3. The title, the fog at the end, the analogy, the confused moral perspective?

4. The situation, the German occupation, the taking of hostages, hanging them? The resistance? Partisans and executions? The price of betrayal? Sushenya and his wife, support, not believing him? Fate? The forest, digging the grave? The patrol, Sushenya not dying? The shooting, his carrying Voitik? Burov as partner, encountering the police, going to the home, food, the betrayal, his death? Sushenya and his going into the fog, his fate, his future?

5. The flashback, the German commander, torture of prisoners, the bid for spying, Sushenya and his refusal? His being let go, as bait for the partisans, the people watching, the hostages hanged?

6. Atmosphere of suspicion, the resistance, the partisans, his wife, his being court?

7. Characters of the partisans, their loyalty, working against the occupation? The past friendship of Voitik and Sushenya? The judgment made? The mission, the issue of the trial, execution? Sushenya digging his grave?

8. Carrying Voitik, wounded, his death, the religious burden? Sushenya telling his story, to a dead man?

9. Burov, the food, talking to the police, information, the local police working for the Germans, his death?

10. The style of the film, throwback to Soviet Union films, slow pace, reflective, close-ups, long takes? The effect?