Kavkazskiy Plennik / Prisoner of the Mountains

An adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novella The Prisoner in the Caucasus (1872), this Oscar-nominated film reveals the cultural differences between Russians and Chechens during the First Chechen War (1994-1996). After surviving a Chechen ambush, two Russian soldiers find themselves imprisoned by a Chechen father who hopes to barter the soldiers for the release of his captive son. The two soldiers, a sergeant and a young conscript, react differently to their situation and begin to develop an unexpected — and humorous — bond of friendship. A tenuous understanding between the captor and his prisoners unravels during a botched rescue mission.