Berenshtein

Roman Shumunov's Berenshtein is a film that aspires to greatness, delivering moments of artistic brilliance while grappling with inconsistencies in its emotional and narrative execution. It stands out for its meticulous craftsmanship, particularly in its visuals and sound design, but struggles to fully connect on a human level.

The cinematography is one of the film's most compelling elements. Through the use of muted tones, stark contrasts, and natural landscapes, it captures the bleakness of wartime Eastern Europe with haunting beauty. Light and shadow are employed masterfully to evoke an atmosphere of both despair and resilience. However, the film's focus on visual composition can sometimes feel distant, favoring aesthetic grandeur over intimacy. This detachment, while visually impressive, occasionally dampens the emotional impact of pivotal scenes.

Equally notable is the production design, which immerses the audience in a world of historical authenticity. From the meticulously recreated costumes to the desolate wartime settings, every detail feels carefully chosen. However, this precision can sometimes feel too calculated, as if prioritizing historical accuracy over the raw unpredictability of life in the chaos of war. This calculated approach is mirrored in the sound design, which blends period-accurate ambiance with a restrained, haunting score. While technically flawless, the overuse of silence creates moments of detachment during emotionally charged scenes.

The performances are anchored by Alexander Khmelnitsky as the older Leonid Berenshtein. His portrayal is restrained and poignant, effectively capturing the weight of a man haunted by his past. The contrast between his frailty in old age and his fierce resolve during wartime is a powerful narrative device, though the performance occasionally feels too subdued. The supporting cast is competent but underserved by a script that prioritizes the historical narrative over deeper character exploration.

Shumunov's direction is deliberate, leaning heavily into contemplative pacing. While this reflective tone adds to the film's poetic ambition, it often comes at the expense of emotional immediacy. Non-linear storytelling and abrupt time jumps, while potentially reflective of the confusion of war, leave viewers disoriented. Key moments lack the narrative grounding needed to fully resonate, and the absence of visual aids, such as maps, further hampers the audience's ability to contextualize the unfolding events.

Despite these flaws, Berenshtein succeeds thematically. It is a sobering exploration of heroism, sacrifice, and identity in the face of unimaginable hardship. The closing tribute to the WWII partisans, paired with archival photographs of the real Leonid Berenshtein, gives the film a poignant emotional weight. These moments remind the viewer of the real, human cost of war and the bravery of those who resisted tyranny.

Berenshtein is a visually striking and technically accomplished film that falters in its attempt to balance artistic ambition with emotional depth. Its evocative cinematography, sound design, and historical fidelity make it a compelling watch, but the lack of character development and narrative clarity prevent it from reaching its full potential. A tribute to unsung bravery, the film lingers in the mind, even as it leaves the heart wanting more.

An amazing story of a Leonid. Berenshtein depicts bravery and heroism exercised by a special regiment under his command during WWII.

His Jewish background assured silence about his activities in a post-war Soviet era.

Storytelling by a major character in a fragile aged state, visualised by an actors' play is a brilliant approach of which materialisation would even more impress if script, uniforms deployed, performing could a bit more be detailed.

Screening this movie of a Soviet Army tonight, in a middle of RF operation in Ukraine, bears some special meaning as one could feel.

IN A NUTSHELL: Based on a true story, the film is about Leonid Berenshtein, one the last of the great partisans, who located Hitler's "wonder weapon." He returns to the war that took away his feelings and identity, yet failed to rob him of his values as a human being.

The film was directed by Roman Shumunov. The writers were Simon Schecter, Tasha Karlyuka, and Vyacheslav Tkachov.

Already, it has been nominated for "Best Sound" at the Israeli Film Academy, "Best Feature" at the Israeli Film Festival in Montreal, and at the Stony Brook Film Festival.

At the end of the movie, we read these words on the screen: "Dedicated to the soldiers and partisans of WWII who saved humanity from its greatest threat."

THINGS I LIKED: We get to see photos of the real Leonid Berenshtein at the end of the film. Sadly, he passed away in 2019, shortly before this movie was made. What a gift that his descendants will get to learn about all of the brave things he did to fight against the Nazi army.

I wasn't familiar with any of the European actors. They all did a fine job.

I watched the film dubbed in English.

One of the voice talents sounded like Liam Neeson at the beginning of the movie. Unfortunately, it wasn't him.

The first battle scene we see is near Kiev, Ukraine. We see title cards that identify other areas of Ukraine and Poland where the soldiers fought.

Before the final rolling credits, we get to see pictures of the real people in the story and learn about what happened to them after the war.

The explosions and destruction looked pretty real.

The overall feeling of the movie is sobering, yet hopeful. It's truly amazing to see what people did to sacrifice in order to save others and their country during World War II.

The movie made me want to learn more about the Partisans who fought to protect their homeland.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The blood and wounds look pretty fake.

It would have been nice to get to know more about the characters.

I like it when war movies show maps so we can better understand where the events take place. Unfortunately, we don't see much of that in this film.

Some of the voice acting in the dubbed American version wasn't very good.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: We see blood and gore Lots of war violence with various weapons High dead-body count We see brutal deaths Kids will be bored or frightened or both.

!

I didn't realise that this was a docu/drama, which I wasn't really in the mood for but I stuck with it and I am pleased I did.

Leonid Berenshtein makes a personal appearance as one who is being interviewed about the events that he remembers as an officer of Ukrainen Partisans. He is clearly very old and somewhat weak so he has limited screen time but his narrative of that time drives this compelling story of brave soldiers and locals who are just defending themselves and their fellow villagers.

The action is convincing and equal to much of what you would see on streaming channels.

It deals with dilemnas of war without being over sentimental and has time to challenge the anti semitic attitudes that were prevalent in that time.

I'd recommend it to anyone whose knowledge is limited regarding that period of Ukraine history.

How much of this is true? Probably most of it, or at least it's told as well as Berenshtein himself knew how to tell it.

A story during WW2 of Russian resistance against the German onslaught, with Berenshtein apparently in a few quandaries, one of which is whether or not to even reveal his real name.

The story is ultra confusing. And it's hard to understand the dialog. It's dubbed in English, and without subtitles, you really can't understand more than a few words by any actor other than the main character.

Still, you do get a "feel" for what is going on. It's just confusing. There is a commander over Berenshtein, but he is also a leader of what seems to be a squad.

One command character parachutes in early and gives Berenshtein's commander some static about his role in the war. They're supposed to cover for thousands of troops crossing a river.

Berenshtein is part of an intelligence unit, and the plot jumps into the future without explanation often. At one point, although they are lacking in food, Berenshtein is at a dinner for officers, and one of them angers him, but I have no idea what the anger is from. He invites the officer outside and hits the officer, and then nothing else happens from this incident.

Later, he parachutes with his squad into a place further West, landing in Poland, where he doesn't want to be. We're led to believe he's a hundred miles from his destination, then we hear him say he's two miles away, so again there is confusion.

The squad learns of a German super weapon that sounds like something Captain America would run into, and their plans change. Their plans change again to do a humanitarian effort. Do they get back to the Captain America plan? I won't tell you.

I think the point here is that everyone is confused in the war, and that's okay, because that's the point of the movie I think.