Within the Whirlwind
| Within the Whirlwind | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Marleen Gorris |
| Written by | Nancy Larson |
| Starring | Emily Watson |
Release dates |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | English |
Within the Whirlwind is a 2009 film directed by Marleen Gorris and based on the book by Eugenia Ginzburg. It stars Emily Watson and Pam Ferris.[1] Watson has described the film as "the most stretching thing I’ve done as a mature actress."[2]
Plot
During Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, literature professor Evgenia Ginzburg is falsely convicted of anti-Soviet agitation and sentenced to 10 years hard labor in a Soviet concentration camp. Having lost everything, and no longer wishing to live, she meets Dr. Anton Walter (Ulrich Tukur), a Crimean German political prisoner who is a camp doctor in Kolyma. He recommends her for a position as a nurse in the camp infirmary. They fall in love and, slowly, Evgenia begins to come back to life.
Cast
- Emily Watson as Evgenia Ginzburg
- Pam Ferris as Genia's mother
- Ian Hart as Beylin
- Ben Miller as Krasny
- Ulrich Tukur as Dr. Anton Walter
Distribution
Within the Whirlwind has not been picked up for distribution. According to Watson, "It was delivered pretty much the day the market crashed so nobody was buying anything. You have to be very Zen. Walk away and say: 'I have no idea what’s going to happen and it’s not in my hands.’ At the same time you never quite think that’s going to happen."[2]
References
External links
- Within the Whirlwind at the Internet Movie Database
- Bernd Reinhardt reviews the film for the, "World Socialist Website."
- Ronnie Scheib reviews "Within the Whirlwind" for Variety.com