“Moving Valor and Loss”
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What You Need To Know:
Based on a novel by Aleksandrs Grins. BLIZZARD OF SOULS is serious, intense and thrilling. The story is engaging and heartfelt yet remains truthful to the events and horrors of World War I. BLIZZARD OF SOULS depicts the brutality of war. So, the graphic scenes of war violence and its aftermath aren’t for the faint of heart. The movie extols strength, bravery, prayer, faith, family, and patriotism, however. For example, Artur fights for his country despite being afraid, the Latvian troops celebrate Easter, and Artur prays for the fallen fathers and brothers in war. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for BLIZZARD OF SOULS.
Content:
Light Christian worldview with strong moral, patriotic elements stresses bravery, strength, right vs. wrong, love, family, and faith, including Artur fights for his country despite being afraid, he continues to fight after losing all his family members, Artur questions whether killing others is right or wrong, Artur gets “married” to Marta, the Latvian troops celebrate Easter, a sergeant states “God be with us,” and Artur prays for the fallen fathers and brothers in World War I
19 obscenities (including two “f” words), a man makes a joke about passing gas, brothers throw horse poop at each other, and men vomit in battle
Some very strong and strong violence includes multiple images of dead bodies, a horse is shown decaying, a dog and woman are shot by Germans, animals are shot, soldier’s ears bleed from a grenade, a man gets his arm blown off, multiple bombs/grenades set off, multiple men are stabbed in the trenches, two men are shot in the head, lead character is shot four times, a gas attack occurs, hero smashes in a soldier’s head, man freezes to death, a tree falls on protagonist, Latvian soldiers kills the “traitor” soldiers by shooting them, protagonist punches sergeant in the face, countless soldiers shot in war on both Latvian and German sides
Implied sex when a man goes into a room with a woman, couples kiss multiple times, and man etches a drawing of a woman’s body into wood
Rear male nudity, upper male nudity, man shows risqué photos of women
Men and women drink hard liquor with the intent of getting drunk
Smoking but no drugs; and,
Cheating.
More Detail:
BLIZZARD OF SOULS begins the story with 16-year-old Artur Vanags happily bicycling through the streets. Artur has strong relationships with his mother, father and brother, Edgar. One afternoon, when his father and Edgar leave, German soldiers arrive at the house and kill their mother. Following this incident Artur, Edgar, and their father enlist in the Latvian military to fight against the Germans in “The Great War.”
The Latvian troops begin training for the War, but goof around and don’t realize the gravity of the situation they’ll be facing soon. During the first battle, the Latvian soldiers plan to ambush the German soldiers on the German side. While crossing no man’s land, Artur’s friend, Spilva, is shot and killed. Also, when they reach the German trenches, Artur is too shocked to fight and watches a German soldier his age get impaled right in front of him. Artur gets hit in the head and is knocked unconscious.
Artur begins to realize how vicious and ruthless war is and loses his childlike view of the world. Artur’s father, brother and friends die on the battlefield, leaving Artur orphaned and alone. He meets a nurse named Marta whom he promises to marry by symbolically gifting Marta his mother’s ring. Artur decides to run away to Marta’s farm, but he eventually returns to fight with the Latvian troops.
Toward the end of the movie, Artur returns to battle with the remaining troops. Many children were drafted due to the fact that most of the original soldiers who enlisted had died in battle. Artur becomes a glorious war hero, who teaches the younger children how to fight in war. The young 16-year-old who was afraid to shoot on the battlefield is now instructing others on how to fight. Although Artur receives “fame and glory” for his efforts in the Latvian military, he loses his home, his family, friends, and health. BLIZZARD OF SOULS depicts a meaningful message that many soldiers like Artur sacrificed everything on behalf of their country during the war.
The movie is based on the novel BLIZZARD OF SOULS by Aleksandrs Grins. The movie version is serious, intense and thrilling. The story is engaging and heartfelt yet remains truthful to the events of World War I. BLIZZARD OF SOULS depicts the brutality of war, so the graphic scenes are not for the faint of heart. Attributes of strength, bravery, prayer, family, and patriotism are present throughout the movie, however. For example, Artur fights for his country despite being afraid, and he continues to fight after losing all his family members, the Latvian troops celebrate Easter, a sergeant says, “God be with us,” and Artur prays for the fallen fathers and brothers in war. Overall, BLIZZARD OF SOULS respectfully depicts the sobering truth that many lives, including young children, were lost during World War I. As time continues, many people forget the sacrifice and heroism that was displayed by the Allies. The historical story of Latvia’s involvement in the war in BLIZZARD OF SOULS will be appreciated by older viewers. However, the content and shocking scenes are not appropriate for children and should be viewed with caution by adults.
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