Burnt by the Sun is a fantastically made film, focusing on the injustices of Stalin. It details the arrest of a Russian Civil War veteran, Sergei Petrovich Kotov.
At 135 minutes, some will say that the movie runs long but I disagree. While the plot does not really begin until the second half, the extra time is not wasted on viewers. We see much of Kotov, his family, and are made that much more sad when his fate is revealed.
The characters are all incredibly interesting and well-developed. We learn much about Kotov, Nadya, and Mitya. The latter is especially interesting. We can see immediately that there is something wrong with Mitya and do not trust him. Then, when he and Kotov pretend to be friends around Nadya, we begin to feel he is not that bad of a character, and that the movie might end well (I did, at least). But finally, when he kills the lost farmer and salutes the image of Stalin (one of my favorite moments), we realize Mitya is gone.
However, given everything that the film does to show cruelty, I was surprised by how tame it made certain scenes. The lost farmer is shot off screen, as is Kotov death. At first glance, this seems unnecessary. Why not show their deaths in full force? In the end though, I think the director made the right decision. There are some scenes that, no matter how powerful they are, will not live up to people's expectations. It was better to leave these moments off-screen so that the audience can imagine them as they see fit. It seems like these scenes are only revealed to the viewer when there was no other choice (like the balloon carrying the image of Stalin). This way, the movie tells as much of the story as it has to and leaves the rest to the audience. I enjoyed it.
At 135 minutes, some will say that the movie runs long but I disagree. While the plot does not really begin until the second half, the extra time is not wasted on viewers. We see much of Kotov, his family, and are made that much more sad when his fate is revealed.
The characters are all incredibly interesting and well-developed. We learn much about Kotov, Nadya, and Mitya. The latter is especially interesting. We can see immediately that there is something wrong with Mitya and do not trust him. Then, when he and Kotov pretend to be friends around Nadya, we begin to feel he is not that bad of a character, and that the movie might end well (I did, at least). But finally, when he kills the lost farmer and salutes the image of Stalin (one of my favorite moments), we realize Mitya is gone.
However, given everything that the film does to show cruelty, I was surprised by how tame it made certain scenes. The lost farmer is shot off screen, as is Kotov death. At first glance, this seems unnecessary. Why not show their deaths in full force? In the end though, I think the director made the right decision. There are some scenes that, no matter how powerful they are, will not live up to people's expectations. It was better to leave these moments off-screen so that the audience can imagine them as they see fit. It seems like these scenes are only revealed to the viewer when there was no other choice (like the balloon carrying the image of Stalin). This way, the movie tells as much of the story as it has to and leaves the rest to the audience. I enjoyed it.