Their escape was just the beginning.|Sep. 03, 2010|USA|133 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Adventure;Drama;History
Description: **The Way Back (2010) – Synopsis**
During World War II, following the Soviet invasion of Poland, a young Polish army officer, Janusz Wieszczek, finds himself captured and interrogated by the NKVD. Despite their efforts, the Soviets fail to extract a confession of espionage from him, leading them to detain his wife and force her into making false statements against him. As a result, Janusz is sentenced to an arduous 20-year term in a labor camp located deep within Siberia.
While in the camp, he forms a bond with other inmates, including Mr. Smith, an American engineer; Khabarov, an actor; Valka, a hardened criminal; Tomasz, a Polish artist; Voss, a Latvian priest; Kazik, a Pole suffering from night blindness; and Zoran, a Yugoslav accountant. Khabarov reveals to Janusz his plan to escape to Mongolia, with a route that takes them past Lake Baikal. However, Smith warns Janusz that Khabarov is known for making such plans without follow-through.
Haunted by visions of a homefront, Janusz ultimately decides to escape along with his companions during a fierce snowstorm that conceals their tracks. Tragically, Kazik succumbs to the cold and passes away; the group has no choice but to bury him in the snow.
After many grueling days traversing the Siberian wasteland, they arrive at Lake Baikal, where they come across Irena, a young Polish girl. She shares the heartbreaking tale of losing her parents to Russian soldiers, leading her to flee from a cruel collective farm. Despite Smith’s initial skepticism about her story—considering Warsaw is under German occupation—the group votes to include her, although Smith warns her against dishonesty. Eventually, Irena admits that her parents were communists who were betrayed by their own leaders, resulting in her tragic fate.
Cast director: Peter Weir
Cast actor: Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan, Jim Sturgess, Mark Strong, Dejan Angelov, Dragoș Bucur, Sally Brunski, Alexandru Potocean, Gustaf Skarsgård
Original name: The Way Back