The film
Eastern Promises shows the collision of many different types of lives--both older and younger members of the Russian mob; Nikolai, an undercover agent who infiltrates the mob as a member; Anna, a part-Russian midwife who finds the diary of a fourteen year-old girl raped by the mob; and Anna's family, who understand the mob well enough to know to stay away but get dragged into the situation when Anna sets out to find out more about Tatiana, so that Tatiana's baby doesn't end up in foster care.
I found this film to be quite interesting when viewing it from the theory of Realism.
Eastern Promises most caught my attention with the scenes that were particularly violent, mundane, or simply
different from the formula I was used to seeing in movies. The starkness of the film struck me. From the theoretical viewpoint of Realism,
Eastern Promises does a great job, particularly in portraying the violence that accompanies the mob members everywhere they go, much of which happens behind closed doors. The scenes are shocking but blatantly shot--though some films find seeing the splattering of the blood sufficient,
Eastern Promises often shows the whole fight. In one of the first scenes of the movie, we witness a mentally-challenged man's first kill inside a barber shop. The film spares no detail, showing the man's fear as well as his mental handicap. He finishes the job, though, roughly cutting through his victim's neck over and over. The camera does not cut away. The situation is an uncomfortable one, and the audience witnesses firsthand the bullying and the mess that is the mob, as well as the amount of risk involved in their lives--you could be killed at any moment. The life is truly and realistically ugly, but we see why the members do it--for power and acceptance.
The film does not only portray gritty fight scenes but also very humbly portrays daily life. Anna works as a midwife in a hospital. The shots of her work (as well as the shots of her home) are very basic. The color palette is basic. The shots tend to closely focus on the action and on whoever is doing the action. The audience doesn't notice the "big picture" because they don't need to. The lighting very much mimics available lighting. Daily life is basic and seemingly closed-off. Anna doesn't look glamorous at work because most midwifes don't. Her beauty comes through with her interactions with Tatiana's daughter, and through Anna's happiness, we understand what is important to her in the world, what brightens up the shady and mundane life she leads.
One of the last scenes in the movie, Nikolai and Anna's goodbye, has all of the elements of Realism. Visually, it's realistic. It's wet. It's dark. Situationally, it's realistic. He's wounded, but not in a heroic way. His clothes conceal his wounds. He's in pain. The end of Anna's quest is finished, but Nikolai is still in the middle of his. He has helped her and they have connected but their relationship is over. There are few attempts to glorify the kiss, as Anna and Nikolai's connection is their disconnection. The audience feels the connect and disconnect also. Again, it's uncomfortable, and told with very few bells and whistles.
I found this film to be quite interesting when viewing it from the theory of Realism. Eastern Promises most caught my attention with the scenes that were particularly violent, mundane, or simply different from the formula I was used to seeing in movies. The starkness of the film struck me. From the theoretical viewpoint of Realism, Eastern Promises does a great job, particularly in portraying the violence that accompanies the mob members everywhere they go, much of which happens behind closed doors. The scenes are shocking but blatantly shot--though some films find seeing the splattering of the blood sufficient, Eastern Promises often shows the whole fight. In one of the first scenes of the movie, we witness a mentally-challenged man's first kill inside a barber shop. The film spares no detail, showing the man's fear as well as his mental handicap. He finishes the job, though, roughly cutting through his victim's neck over and over. The camera does not cut away. The situation is an uncomfortable one, and the audience witnesses firsthand the bullying and the mess that is the mob, as well as the amount of risk involved in their lives--you could be killed at any moment. The life is truly and realistically ugly, but we see why the members do it--for power and acceptance.
The film does not only portray gritty fight scenes but also very humbly portrays daily life. Anna works as a midwife in a hospital. The shots of her work (as well as the shots of her home) are very basic. The color palette is basic. The shots tend to closely focus on the action and on whoever is doing the action. The audience doesn't notice the "big picture" because they don't need to. The lighting very much mimics available lighting. Daily life is basic and seemingly closed-off. Anna doesn't look glamorous at work because most midwifes don't. Her beauty comes through with her interactions with Tatiana's daughter, and through Anna's happiness, we understand what is important to her in the world, what brightens up the shady and mundane life she leads.
One of the last scenes in the movie, Nikolai and Anna's goodbye, has all of the elements of Realism. Visually, it's realistic. It's wet. It's dark. Situationally, it's realistic. He's wounded, but not in a heroic way. His clothes conceal his wounds. He's in pain. The end of Anna's quest is finished, but Nikolai is still in the middle of his. He has helped her and they have connected but their relationship is over. There are few attempts to glorify the kiss, as Anna and Nikolai's connection is their disconnection. The audience feels the connect and disconnect also. Again, it's uncomfortable, and told with very few bells and whistles.
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