filmland / By Charlie Myers

Crazy Train

The specific site of the conflict is Tolstoy’s will. Not unreasonably, Sofiya wants to inherit the rights to her husband’s works. Chertkov, as the head of a Tolstoy foundation, wants the rights to benefit all of mankind, a position seemingly in accord with Tolstoy’s own views on privilege and private ownership.

As the story opens, Bulgakov (James McAvoy) is applying to be Tolstoy’s personal secretary. Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), who is under house arrest, seizes on the opportunity to plant a spy in Tolstoy’s estate. Bulgakov first visits the commune near Tolstoy’s house, a sort of ramshackle collection of acolytes who live in a dormitory and perform everyday menial tasks in an egalitarian fashion. Except for the comely Masha (Kerry Condon), the commune seems a dreary place where devotion to Tolstoy’s ideas is barely examined.

More interesting is Tolstoy’s household, where Sofiya (Helen Mirren) is in daily conflict with her husband (Christopher Plummer) and her daughter Sasha (Anne-Marie Duff) who, as we discover, favors Chertkov. Bulgakov is quickly drawn into the war, and much of his character has to do with being torn between loyalty to Tolstoy himself and to his understanding of Tolstoy’s philosophy that may be better represented by Chertkov and Sasha.

However, the film seems to come down clearly on Sofiya’s side — perhaps too much so. To be fair, this conclusion may partly be due to my negative reaction to Giamatti’s performance. Giamatti has become a one-note actor. Here, he is constantly twirling his mustache like a villain out of a 19th century melodrama, and he brings no subtlety whatever to his depiction of Tolstoy’s acolyte. There is also something faintly ridiculous about Plummer’s Tolstoy, but I can accept that as an artistic choice. It is Mirren’s strong performance that drives the film, though, along with the sensitive portrayal of Bulgakov by McAvoy.

I couldn’t help think that the main tragedy of Tolstoy’s life, as depicted here, is that he found no peace even at the end, the result both of family discord and the fact he had become an icon well before his death. The film does a fine job of depicting this condition, particularly as its reflected in the character of Bulgakov.

Tolstoy does leave his estate to find solace, but too late. He sickens and dies at a railway station while paparazzi, devotees and Sofiya herself wait outside for the daily dose of information. Despite my caveats above, this is a very good film. Rated R for a scene of sexuality/nudity. 112m. At the Minor.

Continuing

AVATAR. Military forces attempt to control and exploit a region and its people, which they know little about (In 3D). Rated PG-13. 162m. At the Broadway, Fortuna (3D) and Mill Creek.

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