Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise is one of my favorite films of the ’90s and one of the best depictions of a natural interaction that blooms into a friendship/relationship. As someone who expects a more realistic approach to these types of films, I’ve also had a strong respect for any movie that follows that narrative technique.
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival gave cinephiles the North American premiere of the Grand Prix winner Compartment No. 6. This film provides an engaging, transformative experience for two strangers that leads to one of the most exciting films of the festival.
Compartment No. 6 is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Rosa Liksom. Similar to Before Sunrise, the film’s setting is mainly within the confinements of a Russian train. Young Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla) leaves her girlfriend Irina (Dinara Drukarova) behind with the hopes of seeing the petroglyphs in Murmansk. Unfortunately for Laura, she gets trapped in a small compartment with Vadim (Yuri Borisov), a quite messy lad. However, over time, a bond begins to form between the two protagonists that change their lives for the better.
With the film, director Juho Kuosmanen not only gives us a look into happy circumstances that blossom into friendships but, in turn, also looks at fate. In this case, Laura and Vadim, are two individuals dealing with moral dilemmas they are desperate to find answers for and how intersecting at the most apropos time allows them to find those answers. Kuosemamen’s narrative choice allows the audience to fully engage with the concept of fate and show how it can also factor into our very own lives.
I, for one, left the film pondering over circumstances and people I’ve met throughout my life and how my interactions with them changed for the better. Similar to how Laura and Vadim will be forever altered by having met one another, I found this personal connection to the characters as its most vital point because the idea of “everything happens for a reason” could never be more true. The film implements that idea to perfection.
Seidi Haarla and Yuri Borisov’s performances provide a believability that is welcomed as their bond forms. Like Seidi’s Laura, we are hesitant to trust Yuri’s Vadim, but as the film progresses, the real-time journey is aided by their endearing takes. With their performances, Kuosmanen can capture what it’s like to be a human being. We are all flawed and at times hurt one another, but at the same time, we’ll always try to be our very best person despite those flaws.
Compartment No. 6 is one of my favorite films of TIFF thus far. It effectively leaves you emotional as the final scene and credit rolls. It’s at that moment where you realize that the very idea of fate and happy circumstantial meetings are in play as we say goodbye to two new friends in Laura and Vadim.
