Eastern Promises

Brutal. Disturbing. Painful. Apalling. David Cronenberg does not sugar coat anything. Instead, he coats it with broken glass. Do not watch this film unless you have a strong stomach.

That being said, Eastern Promises offers us a privileged and engrossing look into the Russian Mob of London. Naomi Watts plays Anna Khitrovna, a midwife at a local hospital who treats a young woman who dies while giving birth. The baby is left at the hospital with no known family. The only piece of the puzzle Anna has is a diary left by the girl, but it is in Russian. After some investigation, Anna gets caught up with a Russian crime family. She meets Nikolai, the family's driver and aspiring gangster. Anna pesters Nikolai with questions about why he is doing this, why is he acting like such a horrible person. She must see something more than those around her, more than we see maybe.

We are quickly drowned in the disgusting actions of the mob, and want to go take a shower. Cronenberg is disgustingly honest in how he portrays his gangsters. We come to understand a world completely different than the one most of us live in. Human sin sometimes runs wild in this world.

One aspect of the film that fascinates me is the tattoos. Every Russian convict writes his history on his body with ink. Each design, as well as each placement, has a unique meaning. For example, the place above the heart is reserved for the family to which the man pledges his loyalty. A man's personal narrative is written for all to see, yet so closely guarded.

So why is Nikolai like this? The answer to that question is the point of the film, and what makes it interesting and possibly worth it.