"Eastern Promises" review
Eastern Promises, made in 2007 by esteemed director David Croenberg, follows a midwife and a series of events that lead her to discover evidence contradicting members of a Russian crime family.
The film takes place in London in the dead of winter, and opens with a grisly murder of a rival mob member in a barbershop. Meanwhile, a midwife, Anna, at a local hospital delivers a baby from a 14 year old prostitute working at the headquarters of the local Russian mob. The mother dies, and Anna, hoping to trace the girl's diary back to the girl's family, goes to the address of a mob-owned russian restaurant found on the girl's person hoping to get the diary translated from Russian into English. Eventually, she learns that the diary contains evidence that Semyon, the mob boss, raped the girl.
The mob, to cut ties with Anna, intimidates her, suggesting that she return the baby to them. Anna is faced with the decision of giving the baby back to the mob and secure her own saftey, or to gain custody of the baby herself.
The majority of the interactions of Anna and the mob occur through Nikolai, the family "driver" who also disposes of bodies. He is clearly conflicted in his decisions. The Russian mafia, more than most crime organizations, are intent on absolutely desensitizing their members from any human emotion at all, and to see Nikolai in this dilemma makes him by far the most complex character.
One scene in particular stands out from the rest of the film. Nikolai, while meeting a allied mafia member in a sauna, is mistaken for another member of Semyon's family, and is attacked by two men with linoleum knives. The result is a bloody knife-fight, ending in both sides earning brutal wounds. The scene is truly gutwrenching to watch, and the vulnerability that Croenberg extracts from the character makes the viewer truly reflect on the nature of violence in the media. Nikolai is naked for the entire scene, and this somehow makes the viewer's natural response to the violence even stronger.
Perhaps Croenberg is making a statement here about our own vulnerability, as humans, and how not even something as thin and flimsy as clothing can save us from the inevitable blows of knives. Maybe the reason that at times I had to look away during this scene, is because there is something in all of us that can relate to Nikolai, as he is attacked in the nude, his thin shell of protection torn from him.
Croenberg, through filmaking techniques, superbly conveys this "shell" from the start. The language used by the characters is blunt and sterile. His choices in lighting are incredibly desaturated, reflecting the sterility of the culture of the Russians. He often plays on the viewers sensitivity to violence, bluntly showing all the murder scenes in close-ups and medium shots, leaving nothing up to the viewer's imagination. The only time Croenberg truly breaks through the shell in terms of filming is with the musical score. The orchestral score is heavily influenced by Russian folk music, often featuring a singing violin. Additionally, cheerful traditional Russian music is heard in the background of many scenes, providing profound contrast to the cruel acts happening onscreen.
This is a haunting film, not for the faint of heart. Its violent portrayals of sex, friendship, and family are sure to keep any gangster-film novice up for a few hours. But, as should always be the case with violence, Croenbergs vision is artfully executed.
The film takes place in London in the dead of winter, and opens with a grisly murder of a rival mob member in a barbershop. Meanwhile, a midwife, Anna, at a local hospital delivers a baby from a 14 year old prostitute working at the headquarters of the local Russian mob. The mother dies, and Anna, hoping to trace the girl's diary back to the girl's family, goes to the address of a mob-owned russian restaurant found on the girl's person hoping to get the diary translated from Russian into English. Eventually, she learns that the diary contains evidence that Semyon, the mob boss, raped the girl.
The mob, to cut ties with Anna, intimidates her, suggesting that she return the baby to them. Anna is faced with the decision of giving the baby back to the mob and secure her own saftey, or to gain custody of the baby herself.
The majority of the interactions of Anna and the mob occur through Nikolai, the family "driver" who also disposes of bodies. He is clearly conflicted in his decisions. The Russian mafia, more than most crime organizations, are intent on absolutely desensitizing their members from any human emotion at all, and to see Nikolai in this dilemma makes him by far the most complex character.
One scene in particular stands out from the rest of the film. Nikolai, while meeting a allied mafia member in a sauna, is mistaken for another member of Semyon's family, and is attacked by two men with linoleum knives. The result is a bloody knife-fight, ending in both sides earning brutal wounds. The scene is truly gutwrenching to watch, and the vulnerability that Croenberg extracts from the character makes the viewer truly reflect on the nature of violence in the media. Nikolai is naked for the entire scene, and this somehow makes the viewer's natural response to the violence even stronger.
Perhaps Croenberg is making a statement here about our own vulnerability, as humans, and how not even something as thin and flimsy as clothing can save us from the inevitable blows of knives. Maybe the reason that at times I had to look away during this scene, is because there is something in all of us that can relate to Nikolai, as he is attacked in the nude, his thin shell of protection torn from him.
Croenberg, through filmaking techniques, superbly conveys this "shell" from the start. The language used by the characters is blunt and sterile. His choices in lighting are incredibly desaturated, reflecting the sterility of the culture of the Russians. He often plays on the viewers sensitivity to violence, bluntly showing all the murder scenes in close-ups and medium shots, leaving nothing up to the viewer's imagination. The only time Croenberg truly breaks through the shell in terms of filming is with the musical score. The orchestral score is heavily influenced by Russian folk music, often featuring a singing violin. Additionally, cheerful traditional Russian music is heard in the background of many scenes, providing profound contrast to the cruel acts happening onscreen.
This is a haunting film, not for the faint of heart. Its violent portrayals of sex, friendship, and family are sure to keep any gangster-film novice up for a few hours. But, as should always be the case with violence, Croenbergs vision is artfully executed.
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