Odna ("The One") is based on the true story of Larissa Savitskaya, a 20 year-old newly married student who on a flight back from her honeymoon in 1981 survived an airplane crash caused by a collision with a military plane. Although she was at an altitude of 5km (15,000 ft), the plane fragment she was on began coasting and landed on a soft patch, so that she sustained only moderate injuries.
The effective blending of the story of her survival after the crash with the story of the love between her and her husband elevates this movie from others in this genre.
The cinematography, giving the film a retro look which conveys an atmosphere that transports one right back to the 70s and early 80s Soviet era, is excellent, even if occasionally combining it with more modern camera techniques creates a jarring anachronistic effect. The crash scene itself was done very well; though at times the CGI becomes noticeable, the fall from the sky could still be anxiety-inducing.
There is a well-executed juxtaposition between the beauty of the Taiga where the plane crashed and the danger it holds for the protagonist, but the frequent survival challenges she faces(including a tiger, quicksand and a raging river) as she tries to find her husband tend to go a little over the top. The tendency is not, however, more than in any Hollywood survival film. In fact, I felt that this Russian movie took more than a few elements from Hollywood.
The presentation of the Soviet system apparently tries to be nuanced. As in the real-life catastrophe, there is a government cover-up, but the Soviet apparatchik responsible for clean-up and disaster management, initially presented to be as dour as in any other Soviet official in Russian film, is eventually revealed to be a man with a heart.
During the end credits there are excerpts of an interview with the real-life Larissa which render the love story that much more poignant and touching. I find it also remarkable that, as a young woman, she looked more like a stunning movie star than the actress who played her.
Overall, a very well-made film.
