Spy films – and in particular those with Russian leanings – have been a favourite of filmmakers worldwide and the release of Farewell is well timed to follow on the coat tails of films such as Salt and, less recently, the Borne trilogy…
Farewell is the true story of Vladimir Vetrov, a KGB director who became disenchanted with the communist ideals of Russia and decided to pass top-secret information to French Intelligence and subsequently America. In return for over 4,000 documents, he asks for nothing more than a few bottles of champagne and some music for his beloved son – for whom he hopes to make Russia a better place.
For those who don’t usually appreciate foreign films, Farewell is a good entry point. Certainly there are subtitles to read as the majority of the dialogue is in either French or Russian, but the film has a well-polished feel about it that will be familiar to the average NZ viewer.
The film is set in the early 1980s and is somewhat humorously tinged with memorable cultural references to the Sony Walkman and the band Queen. At one point Vladimir’s son gives an enthusiastic interpretation of a Queen song, which lightens the mood of what is otherwise quite a serious story.
Spy films – and in particular those with Russian leanings – have been a favourite of filmmakers worldwide and the release of Farewell is well timed to follow on the coat tails of films such as Salt and, less recently, the Borne trilogy. However don’t expect any action or traditional suspense of standard spy film. Being a true story, the plot lacked the twists that I have come to expect from spy thrillers though this did mean that it was easy to follow – even for someone who has little understanding of communism, Russia, or espionage.
Farewell instead tries to focus on the characters. While the film was easy enough to watch, I struggled to form an emotional attachment to any of the characters, which meant I didn’t really care what happened to them or whether or not things would work out as planned. I am willing to accept that this may be due to cultural differences though.
If this story is to be believed, then the world owes a great deal to the dark and passionate man that was Vladimir Vetrov. This is the strength of Farewell. The Cold War and secret spy games have always been of interest – especially with the recent alleged Russian spies arrested in America.
So instead of shrugging my shoulders and sighing at Farewell perhaps I should be giving thanks that such people exist who are willing to risk their lives to make the world a safer place for all.
Farewell will be in NZ cinemas from 14th October 2010.
by Jasmine Pearson, September 2010
Leave a Reply