Great to find an unknown movie as good as this. Emily Watson rocks. Very important true story of oppression and gulag life in Stalin's Russia. There's a real shortage of honest movies about Russian "crimes against humanity" and this one helps correct that problem.

The origins of the film are very curious, however. It is listed as German/Belgian/Polish. But, the film is done with English actors, is spoken in English, and there is no effort from the actors to attempt a Russian accent in the English dialogue. It's pretty standard in English language films when set in continental Europe to make some effort at the accent of the country a movie is set in. Admittedly, people who really know Russian probably would find the effort irritating, but since most of us don't, the imitation sort of works.

Other than that, this is a "not to be missed movie" that no one ever saw. But, that happens a lot. Some of the best movies never get seen. Go, Batman!

This is an excellent historical drama based on the real memoirs of Evgenia Ginzburg. Her daughter was consulted, as well, and is mentioned in the credits. I appreciated the understated, non-sensationalist approach to the story and the script. They didn't have to sensationalize anything to make the story horrifying.

Emily Watson proves again that she is an outstanding actress - she does a great job in this movie - academy award material. The other actors are also fantastic in their roles.

It is a rare movie that depicts real-life events that most of us would rather not re-visit too often. But the lessons of this movie, and the lessons of history, are important, and this ugly part of history needs to be seen and acknowledged by as many people as possible, so we can prevent similar events from happening again.

Franz Kafka, in his novel "The Trial," predicted the murders soon to come that were motivated by political paranoia, power-mad dictators, and bigotry. The inevitable, tragic results of the abuse of power are depicted bluntly in this movie. As unpleasant as it is to witness the events shown, it is also inspiring to see the true -life strength of will and character that enabled Evgenia Ginzburg to survive the ordeals she was forced to endure. May her memory be an inspiration for us all. Highly recommended.

Emily Watson is arguably the finest actor of our time, male or female. Regarding this film, there is certainly no possible debate. Watson is nothing less than magnificent. In a breathtaking performance of incredible magnitude, she sets the screen ablaze with her stunning talent. A fantastically gifted actor, Emily Watson can express more emotion with her eyes or a glance than even 50 pages of dialog. She takes the character she portrays in this film and creates a living, flesh and blood human being we can not help but embrace. It is an emotional tour de force and a performance of stunning power and depth. While Watson always does exemplary work in every production, this particular role is a masterpiece. That this motion picture was not widely released and did not have the impact it should have upon the public is an outrage. That Emily Watson received no Oscar or BAFTA nomination a crime.