Connect with us
Compartment No. 6
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Film

Compartment No. 6 Rides High on its Chemistry

With two endearing, nuanced lead performances, Compartment No. 6 examines a complicated relationship formed between unlikely companions.

FNC 2021: Compartment No. 6 Review

Set primarily in the confines of a train, Compartment No. 6 is an immediately claustrophobic film. A sparse film narratively, Juho Kuosmanen’s sophomore feature effort dives into two characters slightly damaged in their own ways and deftly navigates first impressions and complicated feelings. Utilizing its minimalist setting and characters, Compartment No. 6 explores the early stages of a relationship, anchored by its two nuanced leading performances.

Laura (Seidi Haarla) is forced to share a small two-person cabin on a railcar with a seemingly belligerent alcoholic, Ljoha (Yuriy Borisov), all so she can see some rock carvings (otherwise known as petroglyphs) in a remote area of northern Russia. The two could not be more at odds when they begin their journey. Already homesick and questioning the stability of her current relationship, Laura slowly begins to open up to Ljoha and the two form a rapport that helps pass the time on their trip.

Compartment No. 6
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Where Compartment No. 6 truly shines is in its characters and the actors that inhabit them. While Laura is given the most screen time and who we primarily follow, Ljoha might be the most interesting character especially when trying to root out the cause of his volatile personality. Frequently he moves from happy to depressed to angry, but he also wants to be let into Laura’s life. What becomes painfully clear is that it’s easier said than done when both people have their own separate histories that prevent them from truly seeing one another for who they are.

It’s in those brief moments where they forget their surroundings that Compartment No. 6 is at its strongest. It doesn’t matter where they are, the conversation and palpable chemistry between the two draws the audience in and makes their relationship endearing. They’re tiny pockets of genuine attraction between two people with their guard up, aided by Haarla and Borisov’s respective performances. 

Compartment No. 6
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Borisov in particular hides a pain in plain sight with his portrayal and is given a mysterious, enigmatic background besides the tiny nuggets of information he provides. Meanwhile, Haarla is working with a character that isn’t afraid to be herself. It’s a more emotionally charged performance that helps let the audience in when Borisov’s performance intentionally tries to keep everyone out. The two characters are not alike, but thanks to Haarla and Borisov, their moments together make them seem destined to ride the train forever.

By the end Compartment No. 6 loses a bit of steam but manages to end on a pitch-perfect note that accentuates both its protagonists’ personalities. It occasionally loses a bit of focus on the companionship between Laura and Ljoha and every moment not thinking about the two of them brings the film to a halt. It’s a bittersweet experience watching them together and while fans of films like Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy will probably gravitate towards Compartment No. 6’s central relationship, there’s a lot heavier baggage being thrust upon the audience and hidden from the main characters. It amounts to great layered performances but a severity that Kuosmanen’s film doesn’t seem fully equipped to handle.

The 2021 edition of Festival du Nouveau Cinema runs from Oct. 6 to Oct. 31. Visit the official website for more information.

Written By

Chris is a graduate of Communications from Simon Fraser University and resides in Victoria, British Columbia. Given a pint, he will talk for days about action films, video games, and the works of John Carpenter.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: Clarke and Kubrick’s Odyssey of Discovery

Culture

Deep Impact was a serious look at the end of the world Deep Impact was a serious look at the end of the world

25 Years Later: Deep Impact was a Serious Look at the End of the World 

Film

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 movie review Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 movie review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Caps Off the Trilogy With a Heartfelt Bang (Mostly)

Film

The Best Movies of 1973 The Best Movies of 1973

The Golden Year of Movies: 1973

Culture

The Zone of Interest The Zone of Interest

Cannes 2023: Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest is a Manicured Vision of Hell

Culture

Jeanne Du Barry review Jeanne Du Barry review

Cannes 2023: MaĂ¯wenn’s Great Hair Goes to Great Lengths in Jeanne Du Barry

Culture

Black Flies Gripping Black Flies Gripping

Cannes 2023: Black Flies— Gripping Descent into the Underbelly of New York’s Urban Misery 

Culture

Asteroid City: A Gimmicky Vanity Project Asteroid City: A Gimmicky Vanity Project

Cannes 2023: Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is a Gimmicky Vanity Project

Culture

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant: La Passion de Dodin Bouffant:

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant: Surfeit Cooking Drama Most Inane Film at Cannes

Culture

BlackBerry movie review BlackBerry movie review

BlackBerry Is a Wonderfully Canadian Account of a Dying Tech Dream

Film

Godzilla 1998 Godzilla 1998

Godzilla at 25: When Hollywood Made a Manhattan Monster Movie, with Disastrous Results

Film

The Mother Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez The Mother Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez

Jennifer Lopez’s The Mother is Eerily Similar to Enough, But That’s Not a Bad Thing

Film

Discovery channel Discovery channel

The Head-Scratching Moves Discovery Has Been Making

Culture

10 Best SummerSlam Matches 10 Best SummerSlam Matches

10 Best SummerSlam Matches

Culture

Sean Connery Sean Connery

60 Years Later, Dr. No Remains the Paragon of Bond

Film

The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded

20 Years Later: The Matrix Reloaded was Underwhelming, but Still Underrated

Film

Connect