Film Review: COMPARTMENT NUMBER 6 (2021): A Terrifically Acted Movie About the Need for Human Connection

Compartment Number 6 Review

Compartment Number 6 (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Juho Kuosmanen and starring Yuriy Borisov, Seidi Haarla, Yuliya Aug, Dinara Drukarova, Polina Aug, Galina Petrova, Konstantin Murzenko and Lidia Kostina.

Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen has crafted an entertaining and very compelling human drama with his new film, Compartment Number 6. This movie is mainly about a friendship of sorts that develops between two people who are traveling together but it is so much more than that. Conversations that the characters in this film engage in are thought-provoking and, at times, philosophical leaving one to question what truly leads to one’s ultimate happiness in life.

The excellent Seidi Haarla stars in the movie as Laura, a student from Finland who is in love with Irina (Dinara Drukarova) from whom she rents a room as the film’s story begins. Laura loves the culture, parties and sophistication she finds herself immersed in and is clearly in love with Irina. Laura had planned a trip with Irina but, unfortunately, Irina backs out because of her job.

Laura ends up going on the trip by herself and meets an initially pushy and crude Russian miner named Ljoha (Yuriy Borisov). Ljoha is not someone Laura would probably associate with under normal circumstances but since they end up sharing a train compartment together, they forge some kind of initial interaction that seems awkward at first but will lead to some interesting places as the film progresses.

It eventually seems that Laura’s affections for Irina are not reciprocated and her calls from payphones go unanswered. In a scene where a passerby gets upset with Laura for taking too much time in the phone booth, Ljoha comes and helps Laura deal with the situation. He’s probably not such a bad guy after all it seems.

A terrific scene in the film comes when Ljoha convinces Laura to come with him to see his foster mother (Lidia Kostina) when their train takes a brief stop. Kostina shines in her brief performance here and the comfortability the characters experience during this sequence is heartwarming and effective showing the character’s need for kind and sincere interaction.

Yuliya Aug serves as the no-nonsense train conductor who makes sure everybody is in their correctly assigned locations on the train. Aug has some briefly effective scenes in the picture that serve to help develop the plot. One such scenario is when a male singing guitar player finds himself in the wrong class section on the train and Aug’s character tells him that he has to go to where he is assigned. Laura, being considerate, offers him a place with Ljoha and herself with ultimate consequences that will affect Laura greatly.

This is in essence a film about two characters who have nothing in common but nevertheless forge a bond due to their being together for a brief period of time. It’s more about how their interaction with one another will transform their lives going forward and how they now see things that may have been obvious and, as a result, they are now ready to face the truth, for better or worse.

Haarla is the essence of the film as Laura. Her character’s uncertainty regarding her future is expertly conveyed on screen. As Laura needs to chart a path for herself, we follow the character every step of the way and root for her despite her flaws. Borisov can become more likable as the film progresses as his character reveals certain traits that make us understand why he seemed a lot less likable when he first came into the film.

Director Kuosmanen sets the film in the late 1990’s which is evidenced by the music, the devices characters possess and the presence of payphones throughout the film. The film’s snowy backdrop makes for some appealing scenery for the story to take flight. Kuosmanen commands a terrific central performance from Haarla which keeps the film deeply relatable.

Compartment Number 6 is a movie where the characters are travelling to a destination that may take them one place physically but quite another one emotionally. It is a character driven film that is well worth seeing.

Rating: 8/10

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