Cuckoo in a Dark Forest

This film is elevated to a four-star level by Oleg Tabakov, probably his best performance on the big screen. The decent script showcases multiple levels of thought and the remarkable contradictions in the value system of a Nazi officer. The film culminates in a raw finale of stoning in a POW camp. Another positive is the pleasantly short runtime, free from unnecessary digressions and sentimental fluff. The scenes in the sand dunes on the Polish coast also add authenticity to the film. Overall impression: 75%. (05/22/2007)

The girl for a quarter, and the whore is the one who paid for her. Genuine love that can't be bought, a delicate nature of good, and evil, whose conscience is plagued by the scurvy of twisted morals and values. Oleg Tabakov's credibility, reminiscent of an older brother to Marek Daniel, was disrupted by Petr Kostka, but even without much explicit content, it can offer powerful moments (like the spectrum of eye and hair colors or the identity-stealing cornered rat). It is relevant to the present day, with child abductions for Russification representing another trait that Kremlin kleptocrats share with the Nazi regime. (01/10/2024)