Siberia

Siberia [2018] is director Matthew Ross’ sophomore follow up to Frank & Lola [2016]. Keanu Reeves stars as Lucas Hill, an American diamond trader who goes to Russia in search of his missing partner. While there, he ends up beginning a love affair with Ana Ularu’s Katya. Also starring Molly Ringwald, Veronica Ferres, and Pasha D. Lynchnikoff.

“Do you think this needs an explanation?” Siberia is a strange sort of film. One of those that looks and feels solid all the way around but feels off in hindsight. Aesthetically it is photographed well, but there’s nothing particularly exciting about how anything is composed or colored. The pacing comes through well in both the story and editing, never feeling too rushed or too stilted; however, the story itself is unsure of what is supposed to be important at any particular moment. The film is scored elegantly, and there are several moments where the music comes through beautifully. The cast’s performances and overall guidance of the director are sure-handed and proven. It really is a solid film.

“I would have burned my house down for her.” That being said, it feels like it lacks anything particularly spectacular. It would stand to reason that the story is ultimately to blame for this. With how well the production was pieced together, and how adequate every performance is, it’s certainly not the way the story is told or the way it was written. What starts off as a straight enough story of a diamond trader trying to find his missing associate in Russia makes a believable enough turn into the introduction of a love interest. The issue is how the story struggles to decide on what’s truly more important now, the love affair or the diamond deal with its fair share of issues. The story would have you believe this is a tale of love, and how far one would go to have it or protect it or save it or whatever it. While one couldn’t argue where Keanu’s protagonist goes in the end, it’s confusing why things needed to escalate the way they did and how this relationship truly escalated to the point that we’re lead to believe.

“I’m so sorry for the bird.” And yet, honestly, everything really is fine. As one watches nothing feels off or silly. The whole thing moves along at a great pace and each moment to moment follows respectably from the next. At the end, I’m left believing that it’s a well done but forgettable piece of cinema that has no true faults besides telling a somewhat interesting story without quite reaching the necessary depth to make it as meaningful as the creators would hope.