The movie has many evocative scenes. Here are some of them: the interior of the Dubrovka Theater like a mirror for the audience watching the movie in the theater; Natasha's pale face like a Japanese ghost mask; Natasha's dark clothes, putting herself in the category of the terrorists (one could believe she wears a black hijab like the female terrorists did); Natasha dancing and singing for her paralyzed husband; the priest spilling the incense smoke in the orthodox church and Galya blowing the cigarette smoke into her mother's face; Galya reliving her mother's moments before the escape jump by repeatedly opening and closing the bathroom window; the surviving hostages inflating the dead/other hostages and the terrorists; the cleaning lady collecting the deflated victims (which makes you feel bad for being annoyed by the long hoover opening scene). Even though the movie is not criticizing the authorities for being responsible for around 200 deaths, there are some clear hints for the indifference of the authorities for the victims (the title is such a hint).
For me it was useful, before watching the movie, to read the touching story of the Nord-Ost massacre, from the point of view of the victims, in Anna Politkovskaya's book, "Putin's Russia". The movie is mainly about Natasha's excruciating guilt for her sin of fear, but it made me think also about those without any remorse who called the rescue operation a success and wonder how much fear can the Russian people still endure...
For me it was useful, before watching the movie, to read the touching story of the Nord-Ost massacre, from the point of view of the victims, in Anna Politkovskaya's book, "Putin's Russia". The movie is mainly about Natasha's excruciating guilt for her sin of fear, but it made me think also about those without any remorse who called the rescue operation a success and wonder how much fear can the Russian people still endure...
