Product description

Siberia [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Price: £9.83
Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780780029705
ISBN : 0780029704
Label : Homevision
Manufacturer : Homevision
Publisher : Homevision
Release date : 2005-01-18
Title : Siberia [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actor : Array
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 2000-08-18
Region code : 1
Running time : 91
Studio : Homevision
Theatrical releaseDate : 1998

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2007-11-30 rating:

A nasty, funny black comedy
This is a movie I had to make myself stay with for the first 20 minutes. I was rewarded with a nasty black comedy, some fine performances and a satisfying take on the worm-that-turns theme. Hugo (Hugo Metsers) and Goof (Roeland Fernhout) are two buddies in Amsterdam who pick up foreign backpackers, charm them, seduce them and then steal their money. They also rip out the women's picture pages from their passports as trophies, which they post in a sexual conquest shrine they have in the apartment they share. Hugo is the dominant one, cynical, cold-hearted and selfish. Goof goes along; he's a follower, a nice enough guy with an open grin and a fairly good heart. Then they meet Lara (Vlatka Simac), and the games really begin. She says she's Russian and draws such a picture of Siberia that Goof falls in love with her and wants to take her back there. She moves in with the two. Hugo doesn't like it, or her. Before long it's clear that Lara is playing games of her own...and it's unclear just who is being hustled.

Westdijk is a young Dutch director who gives this film all the fancy angles, fast cuts, flashes of black and white that fans of Run Lola Run and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels could wish for. The movie began working for me, finally, because of three things. First, the dawning realization that these two hustlers just may have met their match. Second, the performance of Vlatka Simac. She has big eyes, a calm face and manages to appear desirable and probably untrustworthy at the same time. Third, the performance of Roeland Fernhout. He really has a goofy, open smile. It's easy to like him even though what he does to the girls he and Hugo pick up is not very nice. When he falls for Lara, then realizes what the score really is, he pulls off a triple play which is funny and satisfying.

I wound up liking this movie, but it's one of those films, I think, that you need to give a chance to develop before making up your mind. The DVD picture and audio is fine. Although a good portion of the film is in Dutch with subtitles, much of the story also is in English, the common language Lara and Goof (and Hugo) can speak.

review by: ambrudenell date: 2002-08-18 rating:

Unheard of? Yes, but Vibrant? You Betcha!
Generally Euro-cinema can suck. It's not that there aren't well made and interesting films out there, it's just that for every Amelie there is generally a littany of foreign films that are tired, slow and depressing. Then there's Siberia. The vibrant story of two friends who become divided by very different feelings towards a mysterious female. Doesn't sound too lively I know, but throw in the fact that the two are thieves and users of women, set it in Amsterdam around the back-packing and club culture and add a Soundtrack by the wicked Junkie XL and it soon livens up. By turns both energetic and poigniant, witty yet sad and ultra modern yet human, the film is unusual and very entertaining.Forget your notions of tedious foreign film this is a sharp and funny film. An overlooked gem I reckon.

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