It's only recently through films like Within the Whirlwind that I've come to understand how Stalin and Hitler were two sides of the same coin. While Hitler's torturous siege of Europe was destroying millions of lives, Stalin was doing the same in Russia and its soviet countries. Within the Whirlwind is a portrayal of one woman's experience of being scapegoated and punished for alleged "crimes" she didn't do. Watching the Russian party bosses attempt to destroy Genia Ginzburg's sanity and ultimately her life, one gains insight into what millions of Eastern Europeans and Russians, who weren't brought to German concentration camps, were stuck in the Russian equivalent. Ginzburg's story, which includes despair ultimately challenged by love, is compelling and uplifting. Emily Watson's portrayal of Ginsburg is brilliant. Overall, an important film to see.
Review of Within the Whirlwind
