A highly acclaimed war film featuring a lesser-known role by Saoirse Ronan is currently streaming.
The 2010 film, The Way Back, features the Little Women star, alongside Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, and Ed Harris, and can be streamed at no extra cost by Prime Video subscribers.
The drama, set in 1939, tells the story of a group of gulag prisoners who escape from a Siberian labour camp and embark on a perilous journey to freedom, trekking thousands of miles.
The film is based on the 1956 memoir, The Long Walk, by Polish prisoner of war Sławomir Rawicz, which chronicles his alleged escape from a Soviet gulag during World War Two.
However, the authenticity of the memoir has been questioned, with some historians suggesting that Rawicz may not have actually undertaken the arduous 4,000-mile journey.
Despite these doubts, acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir was drawn to the story’s emotional core and decided to adapt it for the big screen, reports the Mirror.
In the film, Ronan plays the role of Irena, a young refugee who encounters the escapees, including Janusz Wieszczek (Sturgess), Mr Smith (Harris), and Valka (Farrell), during their journey.
The Way Back received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, earning a respectable 73 per cent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising its sweeping ambition, strong performances, and grand visual spectacle.
The critics’ consensus reads: “This Peter Weir epic offers sweeping ambition and strong performances to go with its grand visual spectacle.”
Film buffs also praised the drama, with one enthusiast on Google Reviews declaring: “It’s a masterpiece and it’s a pity that this movie is so underrated.”
They continued: “From actors to the dialogues, lights, camera-angle, background music, scripting, screenplay, art direction of sets, cinematography, everything will just blow your mind.”
Another admirer hailed the film as “one of the greatest movies of WW2”, while someone else remarked: “[It is a] tough to watch but an incredible story!”
In other comments, fans said the “acting was outstanding and so was the story,” and one more viewer lauded the “raw” narrative.
Concluding the accolades, a reviewer on IMDb succinctly wrote: “Grim but beautiful.”
The Way Back is streaming now on Prime Video.