"In the fog" is a movie with a complicated story about loyalty and betrayal in a Second World War resistance group.

"In the fog" loosely resembles "Rashomon" (1950, Akira Kurosawa),with the emphasis on loosely. In "Rashomon" there are various alternative versions of the truth. The conclusion is that perhaps such a thing as the single ultimate truth does not exist. In "In the fog" there is an ultimate truth, but in reality the way thinks look like is often far more important and influential than the way things really are.

Belarus is not a country with a real film tradition, and I am always interested in films from such "forgotten" (in the sense of film history) areas. Sometimes is is not a single director who attracts attention, but a whole new wave of promising directors. Take for example Romania where in a few years directors such as Cristi Puiu ("The death of Mr Lazarescu", 2005),Corneliu Porumboiu ("12:08 East of Buchares", 2006) and last but not least Cristian Mungiu ("Four month, three weeks and two days", 2007) scored a big hit in the Western art house cinema's. By the way Oleg Mutu, the cinematographer of Cristian Mungiu, also shot "In the fog".

However, director Sergey Loznitsa did not start a Belorussian new wave. He made documentaries before "In the fog", and he continued making documentaries after it. One exception is the movie "Donbass" from 2018. This film is situated in the east of the Ukraine and shows the influence of fake news on society in the post thruth era. In this respect "Donbass" further elaborates on the themes already visible in "In the fog".

It's very hard for a movie to get a perfect 10/10 from me. Well, after a very weak season of Hollywood movies, I decided to take a look at this one that was screening in one of the theaters of my town, as part of the independent foreign circuit. And it was mesmerizing!

The movie is veeeeeeeeeeeeeery slow. Yes, no action and not much dialog, it's all about the visuals telling the story, some ability that Hollywood seems to be lacking along the years. Thank God we can always count with European cinema. In the Fog (V Tumane) is a very strong, bitter and moving portrait about the 1942 USSR and the conflicts concerning the bellic race. It's one of the most poetic and moving anti-bellic movies I've ever seen.

The photography is simply amazing, portraying the agonizing situation of the main protagonist that goes on a road trip with only one purpose: dying. As the very visual story progresses you see the pain that each character is going through, you witness the horrors of those conflicts in a slow-paced agonizing and self-contained fashion. You start to get sensitive with each characters journeys and disillusions as we go deeper into their stories. And when the fog finally comes to makes us "witness" the final resolution... you start realizing how deep the decisions and the speech about life x death can sink us if we let the memory lane carry us throughout whichever path you choose.

It's a mesmerizing and visually stunning experience, thought-provoking and very elegant that you just can't miss.

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air," said the witches of MacBeth. Belarus, long occupied by the Germans during World War II, might well have been under the witches spell. Confusion is a fog that swallows soldiers, spies, special forces, partisans, police, rogue agents and civilians alike. They stab at each other in the dark, misjudging their prey and striking the heart of a friend.

Sushenya is caught by the Germans while sabotaging railroad tracks and instead of being put to death with his comrades, is inexplicably set free. Shooting him in the head would have done him a favor though, for Sushenya is now dead meat to his former pals. Minds are set in stone, traps are set, ambushes await, and Sushenya disappears into the forest and fog to meet his fate.

In the Fog is a thrilling combination of action and artistry, brain and brawn. One moment someone is discussing guilt and betrayal with their trusted comrade, and the next they get hit over the head with a brick by the same. There is light and sympathy too, but rare in such a place as Belarus under the German boot. Better to trust no one and wish for luck. A raw, deep and enthralling film. Seen at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.