''Franz + Polina'' is a

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Russian war

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

set in 1943 in occupied Belarus. It tells the story of Franz, a Waffen-SS soldier who deserts, and Polina, a

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

woman whose village is razed and people massacred. The film received several accolades, including the 2007 FIPA D'Or Grand Prize.

Plot

Franz stays at a Belarusian village and falls in love with Polina. The Nazis settled as friendly sympathizers in an effort to gain the confidence of the villagers while they await the order burn the villages to the ground and kill the inhabitants. Franz kills his commanding NCO after he attempts to kill Polina's mother and Franz's new found love Polina. When her

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

brother returns he whispers to Polina to get Franz away and she passes Franz off as her deaf-mute brother. Polina became pregnant after they briefly settled in a log cabin in the woods. Always on the run, Polina is shot by a collaborator but saved by Franz as they join a band of refugees. Franz kills a German soldier for his uniform and infiltrates a nearby village to obtain an antibiotic to treat Polina's wound. When he returns he is already delirious with

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

and accidentally reveals his national identity by slurring in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. The refugees are sympathetic with the exception of a small boy, the sole survivor of a family that was lured back to the village by the seemingly humane behavior of the Waffen-SS. He has a gun, bought with his father's watch, and his adoptive mother and sister are unable to dissuade him from using it on Franz. They warn Polina and soon the pair are on the run again. Their escape is interrupted by a German patrol which in turn is ambushed by partisans. After this rescue Franz is at the river bank retrieving water for pregnant Polina when the boy appears with the gun. The movie closes with the boy returning with the water and comforting a screaming Polina.

Cast

* Adrian Topol as Franz *

Svetlana Ivanova Svetlana Andreyevna Ivanova (russian: Светлана Андреевна Иванова; born 26 September 1985) is a Russian theater and film actress. Her feature film debut was in ''The 9th Company'' (2005). Subsequently she starred in such ...

as Polina * Tamara Mironova as Kucherikha * Uwe Jellinek as Otto * Valentin Makapura as Kazik * Erika Bulataya as Kazik's sister * Natalia Gorbatenko as Kazik's mother * Andrey Merzlikin as Pavel

DVD release

The notes on the DVD case compare the lovers to

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

. Their differing nationalities are stressed by printing the title in two alphabets, namely as ''Franz + Полина''.

References

External links

*
Film's official website

About the film by Denise J. Youngblood, University of Vermont
2006 films Belarusian-language films 2000s Russian-language films 2000s German-language films 2000s war drama films 2006 romantic drama films War romance films Russian war drama films Russian romantic drama films Eastern Front of World War II films Films set in Belarus Films set in 1943 2006 drama films Films about deserters Partisan films 2006 multilingual films Russian multilingual films Russian World War II films {{2000s-romantic-drama-film-stub