World War II might be the most versatile historical setting for semi-grounded fiction. There are so many eventful periods that authors could fabricate a fun story in or around, but the endless possibilities and indelible iconography of 1939 to 1945 remain a fan favorite.Burialfinds the potential potency of the impact of the war after all the fighting has stopped.
Genre-bending films regularly struggle to pin down a cohesive tone. Taking inspiration from multiple sources can cause some elements to detract from others. B-movies deliver compelling schlocky action, but they can’t usually discuss meaningful topics with any degree of nuance.Bitter “war is hell” dramasconvey their messages with some force but sacrifice the thrill-ride atmosphere for good taste.Burialmixes those aspects, and their repulsion affects the film.
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What isBurialabout?
The film opens in 1991, as an old lady named Anna Marshall fends off a violent invasion in her modest London apartment. The perpetrator, Karl, isa local neo-Nazistill bitter over losing a war he wasn’t alive to see. Karl hasn’t kicked down Anna’s door looking for cash. He’s heard stories of Anna’s old life. Anna swiftly incapacitates her assailant, but speaking to someone still devoted to the cause she spent her young life fighting awakens something in her. Anna chains Karl to the radiator and tells him the truth about her time at war. Anna used to go by Brana.She was a Soviet soldierin 1945 tasked with transporting the rotting remains of Adolf Hitler across enemy lines.
Brana and her small squad were assigned to bring Hitler’s corpse to Joseph Stalin. The commanding officer is a tense Captain named Ilyasov. The team meets a pair of native Polish civilians to serve as guides. The trek will be grueling. They’ll have to cross Poland and enter the USSR on foot with a full coffin. They are expected to bury the casket each night. With Hitler’s death, the European theater of the war is over, but Brana and her cohorts find that the hostilities have not ended. Brana encounters Wolfram Graeber and hissmall army of “werewolves.“Wolfram’s men aren’t lycanthropes. Instead, they wear animal pelts and assault their enemies by burning mushrooms, which causes victims to hallucinate. Wolfram’s Nazis fight to take back Hitler’s corpse, determined to convince the world that their Führer is still alive.
Burialis a film about a soldier’s duty to a cause. It’s about dedication under impossible circumstances. One of the most fascinating aspects of the story is the reasoning behind the central mission.There have been conspiracy theoriessurrounding Hitler’s death for decades.Burialdoesn’t play with them much. The motivation of the Nazis is to stoke the flames of disbelief by proving that the corpse isn’t Hitler’s. Brana makes it clear that dental records and the self-imposed bullet wound unequivocally prove the body’s identity. Stalin wants Hitler’s body brought to him to demonstrate what the former Führer always was. By proving that Hitler is mortal, he demystifies the strength created by his cult of personality.Burialis a movie about Russians fighting Nazi werewolves, but it’s also about the spiritual weakness of fascism. It’s a bizarre mix ofprimal violence and philosophical exploration, and the film’s messy ending reflects that juxtaposition.
How doesBurialend?
Lucasz, one of the Polish citizens, hides a secret identity. He confesses to Brana that he was forced to conscript in the German military under the threat of a labor camp. Lucasz’s guilt pushes him to aid the Russians in their quest. He helps them find shelter in an elderly couple’s home. Unfortunately, the Nazis discover the Russians and steal the coffin. The Nazis plan to film a video proving that the body in the casket isn’t Hitler. They set up in a nearby church.The Russians attack to reclaimthe coffin. Most members of both armies are killed in the fight. The church bursts into flames, consuming the casket and Hitler’s body. Only Brana and Lucasz survive to tell the tale. The film returns to 1991 when Brana finishes telling Karl her story. Brana brings Karl into her bedroom, revealing a souvenir from her time with Hitler’s body. She then reveals that Lucasz was killed in a similar break-in sometime earlier. Brana poisons Karl, killing him in vengeance for her Polish friend.
Burialhas more going on than it appears to. Fans of films about World War II will find more to love in it. The film’s description on streaming services like Hulu does it a disservice, painting it as something as absurdasShadow in the Cloud. It’s closer to a film likeFury, with some additional B-movie elements. There’s a beating heart underneath the strange creative choices inBurial. It’s a bizarre pitch, but writer/director Ben Parker found the best imaginable way to carry this coffin across the finish line.
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