Josie Villanueva
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Director Michael Hoffman brings us “The Last Station,” a film highlighting Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s final months — a time filled with humorously violent bouts of distrust and misguidance among his family and friends.
It is widely known that Russian writer Tolstoy gave the world groundbreaking novels like “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina.” What many may not know is that he also gave the world an entire social movement based on the concepts of freedom, equality and love.
Though all elements of Tolstoy’s movement are positive, his last days were full of anything but love and compassion. The audience is taken to Russia in 1910 and views Tolstoy’s dysfunctional home life and the movement’s growth through the eyes of a young and naive Tolstoyan (a follower of Tolstoy’s philosophical and religious views) —Valentin Bulgakov (James McAvoy).
Bulgakov is hired by Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti) to be Tolstoy’s (Christopher Plummer) secretary and is given an insider’s view of the world Tolstoy has created. As directed by Chertkov, Bulgakov must continuously spy and keep record of all the goings on surrounding Tolstoy.
Celibate and anxious (evident by his nervous sneezing tick), Bulgakov is eager to work for the great Tolstoy and to take in as much guidance and knowledge as possible from the national star.
The film pans to Bulgakov as he travels from Moscow to Yasnaya Polyana, the beautiful Tolstoy estate. But before meeting his hero, he makes one trip to his new home—a rustic Tolstoyan commune.
The commune is agrarian and inhabited by with men and women who wake up at the crack of dawn to do Tai Chi and start on shared chores. The rigidity and structure of the commune are examples of a lifestyle that rejects personal wealth and property and embraces the notion of passive resistance.
It is in the Tolstoyan commune where Bulgakov meets Marsha (Kerry Condon), as she gracefully chops wood. Her bold and inquisitive nature both frightens and excites Bulgakov, as he pursues the life of a true Tolstoyan that rejects the idea of romantic sexual relationships.
It is at Tolstoy’s estate where the audience meets the true star of the film, Countess Sofya Andrea (Helen Mirren), Tolstoy’s wife. She is a maddening woman for all of the right reasons.
The only way to effectively describe Mirren as Sofya to our generation is to give her complete diva status in this film. She is undoubtedly over-the-top, amusingly disgruntled and woefully lovable.
Because of the mounting threats of her last days spent in poverty — without royalties for the Tolstoy family — Sofya makes it her quest to prevent Tolstoy from signing a will that would make his published works public domain.
It is her frustration and reluctance toward Chertkov that causes a rift between Tolstoy and Sofya. Though they are great lovers, friends and colleagues in the world of writing, they find each other completely unbearable at times, which is shown through screaming matches, slammed doors and even the crashing of fine china.
One consistently fantastic actor is Giamatti. He is thrust into the role of a opportunist leader of the movement. His interactions and suspicious nature would typically make the audience hate his character. However, Giamatti is never one to portray the villain without also being entertainingly devilish and hilariously conniving.
Although they fight and fight, “The Last Station” would not be as wonderful if it did not introduce us to the private interactions between Mirren and Plummer. Their chemistry lights up the room, and the passion between the two, whether good or bad, is full of life and laughter. This film exemplifies all the tumultuous ups and downs of a romantic relationship beautifully, and the audience has the genius of both Mirren and Plummer to thank.
Though the film and its plot may be obscure, “The Last Station” is a solid love story and historical account. It is an enjoyable experience that is filled with troubled emotion and great acting.
The audience can truly appreciate both budding love between Bulgakov and Marsh and love in its final days between Tolstoy and Sofya. Though there is constant conflict, one concept is true throughout the film, as Plummer beautifully executes the line halfway through: “There is only one truth: love, simple.”
Despite the discomfort of Tolstoy’s last days, the audience finds that love prevails, even in the most turbulent relationships.
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