"Baltic Storm" dramatizes and brings to the fore the 'why's and wherefores' behind a little known tragedy -- the sinking of the ferryboat 'Estonia' on the Baltic Sea in 1994, a disaster in which 852 people lost their lives. The framing device -- a reporter's search for the truth, along with a survivor father's search for his missing son, presumed drowned -- allows the viewer to understand the geo-political implications that transcends what appears to be a natural tragedy. As Scacchi and Prochnow (both never better) investigate, the answers they glean only bring up more questions which continue to resonate way beyond the particulars of this tragedy. The gloomy light of the Baltic Sea in winter enhances the tension and poignancy of the story. Well acted, (especially the turn by Donald Sutherland as a mysterious 'facilitator'), as well as written and directed, the film is quite moving. Ultimately, it should be judged on its cinematic merits -- not on personalities or differences in the conclusions the film suggests. To view it any other way, only disrespects the memories of the victims.
Review of Baltic Storm
