this film remind me of go to the zoo . here you have a community of individual that be capture by the thought of a longer life and freedom and and food and only when they arrive ( like animal in zoo ) while they be shock by the realism that it be not a vacation . food will be serve at your captor convenience and your captor determine the chain of command a well and and finally and nobody can leave once they arrive . after wwii and under stalin regime and russia invite all defector back to their homeland and but it be a trick . est ouest tell the story of one family plight to escape a country that have transform into a wall less prison . with the kgb watch their every move and our hero must risk everything to see the light of freedom once more . living in a post 9/11 world and one can not help but begin to see the similarity between what alexei and marie and the arab world in america . while not quite a harsh and we constantly be remind about the vengeful eye of our government and the illustrious patriot act . est ouest be one of those film where you could either be excite and happy by the result or be burst into an emotional sea of tear . from the opening credit sequence until the darkened word creep back on the screen and this film captivate me . with the powerful acting and the intense story and and the brilliant work behind the camera and est ouest will pull hard on your emotion and not release you until the very end . director régis wargnier have do a superb job of bring the history of the character and as well a the land and straight into your heart . he do this with some of the most common technique and a very simple story . this be a story about love and freedom . he use these simplistic structure to keep u focus on the overall depth and tone of the film . there be this feeling of be in a non bar cage and unable to escape and unable to be free due to the vengeful eye of your comrade . wargnier force you to feel for these character and from the beginning until the end and because they be no different than you be i. they be place in a situation like no other and yet somehow so real that we could witness it happen even today . from our initial meeting with alexei and marie on the boat head to russia and we be bombard with a sense of pride and love and and fear all at once . we be unfamiliar with the relationship between alexei and marie and but immediately take it a a love one . perhaps we be too haste with that decision and because a our story unfolds and a do the bond that connect these two individual or at least that be what wargnier would like u to think . est ouest be more than just a story about escape to freedom and it be a contrast between patience and immediate self sacrifice . marie want to escape the cold world they inhabit immediately and she want to see paris again and taste it freedom and while alexei do as well and just not quite a quickly . he understand the rule of the nation and and slowly set in motion a plan that will give his wife all that he have promise . it take me until the end of the film to see this contrast between immediate escape and patience . while i think that it be a great message to show and i felt a if the timing be a bit off throughout the film . i have trouble follow the timeline and while i do realize that several year have pass between these horrific event and the only person that seem to age be alexei son . i need a strong connection between these rivet scene so that i could keep track in my mind the time that have pass . the acting be gorgeous . oleg menshikov and sandrine bonnaire have such a powerful connection on screen that i could not keep my eye off them . when they be together you want them to be and and when they be apart and you dream of them be back together . you can not say that of many film character . the late sergei bodrov jr. remind me of a russian brad pitt . the way he carry himself and act in this film be similar to that of mr. pitt . together these three key player bring this film to life . while somehow catherine deneuve receive top billing as well and she do not seem to carry a much of the weight that i have hop that she would . while she be vital to the story and i felt she could have bring more to her character . the depth behind her word just wasn not there or just do not seem to match the emotion of everyone else . the only other negative aspect that i have with this film be that i felt the story seem incomplete . there be moment where we be give a nibble to enjoy and but never fully develop those nibble into bite . there be element of the story that need to be develop far and such a the relationship between sasha and marie . while i do see some evolution when they be in russia and it be later that i need the follow up . it just felt a if some string be not tie at the end and but instead leave fray with question loom in the air . overall and i think this be a very tight drama . there be some flaw with may have cause it to loose it oscar win in 1999 and but nonetheless and the good do outweigh the bad . the character be intense and the story ( outside of the loose end ) be captivate and and be able to see a darker side of the world be thrill . simply put and this be a story about freedom and love and and those be theme that transcend throughout history . est ouest be a story for see the destructive nature of stalinism and it impact on humanity . grade represent out of .