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Compartment No. 6 Movie Review

Compartment No. 6 is a 2021 Finnish romance film directed by Juho Kuosmanen and starring Seidi Haarla and Yuri Borisov. It is such a wonderful movie that has a timeless quality to it.

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“Haista vittu!“

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Traveling by train from Moscow to Murmansk, a Finnish student forms an unlikely friendship with a gruff Russian miner. Movies just aren’t made like this anymore. This is a common complain that people direct these days to the lack of something more classic in the current cinema landscape. I usually don’t like that saying, but here it is definitely apt to use it as this movie is so wonderfully old-fashioned that it is reminiscent to the cinema of the past and not the present that is almost devoid of genuinely romantic films.

This highly emotional, sweet and romantic tone that the movie employs was a breath of fresh air in this highly cynical world of today. I really hope that other foreign filmmakers take notice and try to do something similar themselves. The movie isn’t original as it clearly evokes comparisons to ‘Before Sunrise’, but its execution is so tender and so strong that this lack of authenticity hardly mattered to me.

Some critics did criticize the movie for not being cinematic enough. I could not care less for that and I honestly find that type of critique very annoying. Not all movies are supposed to be these audio-visual artsy spectacles. This movie isn’t concerned with that and it’s basically a one-location flick, but it needs to be respected for how well it made use of that location.

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The film is a timeless romance of two passengers who fall in love in this particular time and place, but the film’s setting is also very specific as is its multicultural outlook. For a Western movie to have a Russian character that is positive for a change and not stereotypical was lovely and their relationship was just wonderful to me.

A lot of praise should also be directed toward the actors as both Haarla and Borisov imbued so much heart into their roles and that led to this highly emotionally charged movie that features a tremendous chemistry between its leading actors, thus leading to a believable relationship.

I loved all of the moments on the train itself, but another highlight is that entire final section that was gorgeously shot. The juxtaposition of the harsh scenery and their joy to just be there and enjoy themselves was striking. The movie captures that thrill and joy that only travel can bring to people and it was just beautiful seeing how happy they were.

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The directing from Juho Kuosmanen is also pretty good here and the pacing is also strong as I was never bored, but in fact I enjoyed the movie from start to finish. It’s an easy, breezy watch that is pleasantly lightweight in tone and devoid of any more serious and unnecessary dark drama. That lack of darkness that is inherent in most movies made in this period was truly refreshing to witness here.