MOVIE│"The Way Back - 6500 km Escape -," the story of men who escaped Siberia and kept walking.
LOUNGE / MOVIE
January 7, 2015

MOVIE│"The Way Back - 6500 km Escape -," the story of men who escaped Siberia and kept walking.


MOVIE│Peter Weir, a director committed to realism, brings the story to film.


THE WAY BACK


The story of men who escaped Siberia and walked all the way to India.


THE WAY BACK, the story of men who escaped a Siberian forced labor camp during World War II and trekked 6,500 kilometers to India, will be released nationwide starting September 8 (Saturday) at Ginza Cinepatos and other theaters.



Text by YANAKA Tomomi




Exploring human nature under the "microscope" of confinement.



The film is a passionate work by master director Peter Weir, a six-time Academy Award nominee known for films like "Dead Poets Society" and "The Truman Show" that delve into human nature. It brings to life the true story of Slawomir Rawicz, a Polish soldier who actually escaped a Siberian forced labor camp and served as the model for the story's protagonist. This masterpiece will be released this autumn.

Jim Sturgess of "One Day" is cast as the protagonist, Janusz, delivering a powerful performance as a man desperately trying to survive amidst a cruel fate. The ensemble cast includes the reliably brilliant Ed Harris from "The Rock," Colin Farrell from this summer's hit "Total Recall," Mark Strong from "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," and the highly regarded young talent Saoirse Ronan from "Hanna."



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Director Peter Weir, known for his meticulous commitment to realism, ensured his actors deepened their knowledge of the camps and underwent survival training. They experienced firsthand how hunger and exhaustion alter the body and shift the mind. Much like in "The Truman Show" and "Master and Commander," Weir places human nature under the "microscope" of confinement. By exposing ordinary people to extraordinary circumstances and environments, he strips away their outer layers, forcing both characters and the audience to confront their inner selves in this powerful film.


A 6,500-kilometer journey through frozen forests and across scorching lands.




In 1940, Janusz (Jim Sturgess), a Polish soldier unjustly imprisoned during Stalin's reign of terror in the Soviet Union, is transported to a correctional labor camp in the frigid expanse of Siberia. The camp is characterized by sweltering summers, brutal winters, and food worse than pig slop. In this environment where humanity is stripped away, Janusz seeks freedom from the harsh nature itself, described as "Siberia itself is the camp. Siberia itself is the guard."


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He secretly recruits companions, and on a stormy night, escapes with six others. They manage to evade their pursuers amidst the snow and darkness, but the path ahead is fraught with immense difficulty. With little food or supplies and an uncertain direction, they embark on a 6,500-kilometer journey through frozen forests and across scorching lands. Faced with unimaginable hardship, they have only one recourse: to walk, and keep walking. And what awaits them at the end of their journey...?

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THE WAY BACK
Opening September 8 (Saturday) at Ginza Cinepatos and other theaters nationwide.
Director│Peter Weir
Starring│Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Mark Strong
Distributor│Showgate
2010 / USA, UAE, Poland / 134 minutes
wayback.jp
©2010Siberian Productions,LLC