In the early years of the war, in distant Siberia, the communist regime is already revealing its true nature by destroying the lives of political prisoners in the Siberian gulags. One of them is the Pole Janusz Wieszczek. A false accusation of espionage lands him in the gulag for twenty years.

The film’s story begins in wartime Poland in 1940, where the main character, Janusz, is forced to confess to espionage and resistance against the Soviet regime.

Because of his wife’s coerced confession, Janusz is sentenced to 20 years of forced labor in one of the many gulags in Siberia at the time.

In the gulag, prisoners must endure hard labor, hunger, and harsh natural conditions. After some time and careful planning, Janusz, along with several other fellow prisoners, attempts to escape.

They carry out the escape at night during a guard change, amid heavy snowfall and wind. They set off southward around Lake Baikal with the original plan of reaching neighboring Mongolia.

Janusz becomes the group’s leader and uses his extensive knowledge of nature as they make their way. He crafts protective gear against the elements, determines their direction of escape based on the position of the sun and the moss on the trees, and makes tools for gathering food.

In this difficult struggle, the characters’ personalities are revealed, as well as their solidarity in achieving their shared goal of freedom.

Parents Guide: 2 drawings of a naked woman. A person is murdered with a knife. A suggestion of masturbation, 1 swear word, “for Christ’s sake,” and similar irreverent uses of God’s name. Celebrating a birthday with alcohol, smoking. Oppression of prisoners, fear in the wilderness.

Cast: Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Alexandru Potocean, Gustaf Skarsgård, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Dragos Bucur, Zahary Baharov

Crew: Peter Weir

USA / United Arab Emirates, 2010

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