The Last Station

I haven't read Tolstoy. I admit to it. Either it wasn't a requisite at my school, or I just skipped it. Later in life I've been too caught up in pop culture to take any interest in War and Peace and really, I don't care much about Cliff Notes. To come clean, I also admit I don't watch American Idol or play video games, but I guess that just leaves me as a half-assed snob, because I'm not well read but I despise anything overly pop... So having come clean I must recommend The Last Station.

I found this movie a little better than I expected. I wasn't really expecting much either as I wasn't quite sure what it was about. I don't know wether I missed it in the trailer for lack of attention or due to ignorance on the subject but I didn't even know this movie was about Tolstoi. For that I'm glad, because having not read him I would have felt a little illiterate on the subject and maybe would have felt not informed enough to understand it. Without this piece of information, I headed to the theater to watch the acclaimed performance by Helen Mirren and I'm glad I did because I enjoyed it.

This movie is not so much about Tolstoy but about his wife's (Countess Sophya) battle for his love and for the rights to his legacy, facing an old Tolstoy with fixed ideas and confronting the advocates that surround him and try to keep him on a pedestal. This movie is truly about the sacredness of marriage and the sometimes beautiful sometimes ugly face we'll see from sharing a long life together. The movie strikes a balance with a parallel story that contrasts new love vs. old love, spontaneity vs. rigidity... this is a true love story, with all of its faces.

You don't need to know much, or anything, about Tolstoy to get this movie. It is a period piece but it tells a universal story that transcends time or place. It speaks a clear language of love, jealousy and sense of belonging. It shows both ends of the spectrum and the real beauty that lies in-between. The good are not all good and the bad are not all bad, nice! Rent it!