Tom Wiseman
Prisoner
of the Mountains: Cultural Misunderstanding and Conflict
Sergei Bodrov’s Prisoner of the Mountains aptly
displays the futility of the war in Chechnya by lending humanity to
both the Chechens and the Russians without raining down condescending
judgment. With superior character development, the film creates in the
viewer a sense of understanding of all those involved in the war, be it
of the boyish recruit, the grisly veteran or of the loving Chechen
father and his charming daughter. Wide screen shots of the imposing
mountains elicit admiration for the striking beauty and expertise
captured in the shooting of Bodrov’s work. By developing relatable
characters and in sending a clear call for peace in Chechnya, Prisoner
of the Mountains strikes home with any viewer, whether or not he is
familiar with the long and brutal history of the conflict.
In Prisoner of the Mountains, Chechen Abdul-Murat
takes two Russian soldiers, the inexperienced Sasha and the war-worn
Ivan, as prisoners to trade for his son, who is held captive in a
Russian prison. As Sasha and Ivan spend time in the Chechen village,
they interact with people from a culture completely foreign to them in
the context of the conflict between the Russian government and the
Chechen separatists. The film depicts the Chechen war in terms of the
personal challenges and relationships that develop as a result of
Sasha’s and Ivan’s captivity.
Prisoner of the Mountains describes the conflict in
Chechnya in personal terms, limiting the cast to a few important
characters. In this way, the film lends a human face to the war. Rather
than focusing on killing or on atrocities committed by either side,
Prisoner of the Mountains sidesteps overt brutality in favor of
focusing on the humanity and the individual experiences of those
affected by the war. Thus, the cultural and personal connections and
differences around which the story develops describe a conflict outside
the realm of indoctrination or stereotypes. Because war becomes an end
itself, rather than a means to a justified end, the conflict seems to
lack any logical justification. Through the use of music Prisoner of
the Mountains displays the differences between Russian and Chechen
culture, but in the depiction of the relationship between Sasha and
Dina, Abdul’s daughter, the film represents these differences as
bridgeable.
Prisoner of the Mountains uses music in such a way
that points out striking differences between the Russian and Chechen
cultures. As Sasha looks out of the window of his prison to study the
daily life of the Chechens in the village, a folk-like song plays in
the background. “We are children of the mountains,” proclaims the song,
“no one understands us.” The line “the wind frightens the heart of any
stranger here” highlights the fear-filled misunderstanding of these
mountain people. This song stands in contrast to the patriotic Russian
call to war that the Ivan and Sasha sing. While the Chechen song
highlights the humanity of the “children of the mountains,” the Russian
song focuses on patriotism and duty to country, idealizing war and
glorifying the killing of strangers. Later in the film Sasha and Ivan
see Chechen children dancing in a fluid circle. This dance contrasts
sharply to the rigid, marching-like motions with which the Russians
express themselves. However striking the differences between the
Russian and the Chechen mindsets are, the relationship between Sasha
and Dina shows that cultural differences are bridgeable. As the two
characters left most untouched by experience in the war or by
stereotypes, Sasha and Dina interact uninhibited by the automatic sense
of distrust or revulsion that poisons other characters. Their
friendship becomes so intimate that Sasha even offers to marry Dina.
The innocence of this relationship stands out in a wartime setting
that, for the most part, propagates fear and an inability to trust.
Through the relationship between Dina and Sasha, Bodrov gives the
viewer a glance of the humanity that goes beyond the violence and
hatred of war and gives hope to eventual understanding between the
conflicting groups.
However, that this personal connection between members of two enemy
cultures requires innocence does not show much hope for a peaceful end
to the war in Chechnya. In a conflict understood through ethnic and
cultural differences in which assumptions and popular preconception
perpetuate hatred, the pure futility of war shines through in only the
most innocent of characters. A viewer of Prisoner of the Mountains
should come away with a sense of the futility of a war fought for no
cause but extended because of indoctrinated hatred and misunderstanding.