Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Beginning of WWII. Zinaida, a Russian woman, is taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp together with several other women. She is imprisoned with her baby son, Gena, who is learning to walk and takes his first steps in the snow, in the concentration camp. They spend a few years together in the camp until they are separated, first within Auschwitz itself, then, for good, when the Germans are losing the war and decide to evacuate.A relatively simple story, but full of substance. Sober treatment of facts. A film that shows, through a personal story, how tragic and devastating the war was, with the loss of loved ones. A film to watch and to remember, if only to see what other people had to go through and (some) managed to survive. Astounding acting by the main characters, Lyudmila Kasatkina as Zinaida, Slava Astakhov as Gena, and Tadeusz Borowsky. Very moving, powerful acting. Difficult to watch this film without shedding tears, it really touches one's heart. Similar effect to Polansky's The Pianist, if you have seen that.