Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland (German: Beresina oder Die letzten Tage der Schweiz) is a 1999 Swiss satirical comedy film directed by Daniel Schmid and written by Martin Suter. It follows Irina, a Russian call girl who becomes entangled with figures from Swiss business, politics, the military, and the media, and unwittingly triggers the coup of a forgotten patriotic organisation. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.
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Synopsis
The film follows Irina, a Russian call girl who arrives in an Alpine country she comes to idealise. Through a dubious lawyer and his companion, she is introduced to a growing circle of clients from business, politics, the military, and the media. Drawn into a web of competing interests and pressured by blackmail and the threat of deportation, she unwittingly triggers the long-planned coup of a forgotten patriotic organisation: the Beresina alarm. Her life then takes an unexpected turn, along with that of the whole country.
Cast
The cast includes:
Elena Panova as Irina
Geraldine Chaplin as Carlotte De
Martin Benrath as Alt-Divisionär Sturzenegger
Ulrich Noethen as Dr. Alfred Waldvogel
Iván Darvas as Direktor Vetterli
Reception
Awards and nominations
At the Swiss Film Awards in 2000, the film received a nomination for Best Fiction Film.
Critical response
Variety described the film as “a rollicking socio-political farce that roasts just about everybody in a position of power”, adding that Daniel Schmid used black humour to expose Swiss high society as a “hypocritical façade hiding secrets from money-laundering to pimping”.
The New York Times review summary highlighted the film's “barbed wit” and “clever production design”, as well as Yelena Panova's comic performance.
Filmdienst described the film as a comedy that satirises Switzerland's history and contemporary clichés, but found that it ultimately failed because of its excesses, clumsy direction, and only average performances.
Festival screenings
The film premiered in May 1999. It was screened that month in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, and later screened at festivals including the Seattle International Film Festival in May 2000, the Warsaw Film Festival in October 2000, the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg in November 2000, the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival in April 2002, the Troia International Film Festival in June 2003, and the Zurich Film Festival in September 2016.