Media critic goodyk: 'Compartment No. 6' is a gritty travel movie that takes an unexpected, satisfying journey
“Compartment No. 6” is both the name of director Juho Kuosmanen’s latest film and the setting for much of it — a tight car on a crumbling Russian train rumbling north through ice and snow.
Unlikely as it seems, this turns into a surprisingly touching story of affection and something like love, as what might be a predictable story evolves into something more, something different.But the film doesn’t start on the train. It’s the story of a journey, after all, literal and figurative. Laura’s got to get there first.
The purpose of Laura’s trip is to see ancient petroglyphs. One of the bores at the party goes on about how it’s important to see your past to understand your present or some other blah-blah-blah platitude. It doesn’t seem to occur to any of the geniuses in the apartment that going to an arctic region in winter on a sightseeing trip is maybe not a great idea.
There are bits and pieces of various genres here. Certainly it’s a travel movie. It might be a romantic comedy if it was more romantic or funnier.