The Ascent (Criterion Collection)

This stirring Soviet drama is set during World War II and focuses on Sotnikov (Boris Plotnikov) and Rybak (Vladimir Gostyukhin), partisan soldiers captured by the Germans in Belarus while searching for food for their unit. As one of them suffers horrendous torture when he resists interrogation, the other chooses to collaborate with the local police in order to save his own life. Sergey Yakovlev, Lyudmila Polyakova, Viktoriya Goldentul also star. 109 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Russian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; interviews; documentaries; bonus shorts "The Homeland of Electricity" (1967), "Larisa" (1980); more. In Russian with English subtitles. Two-disc set.