As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: A Bit of a Mixed Bag

This one’s based on a true story and wow, what a story it is. “As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me,” directed by Hardy Martins, it takes us on Clemens Forell’s escape from a Siberian labor camp. I remember seeing it on a rainy Tuesday back in Göteborg—I was supposed to meet an old friend, but the heavens had other plans and the cinema was my refuge. Honestly, sometimes life just scripts itself, right?

The movie’s lead, Bernhard Bettermann, delivers an intense performance. He’s got that everyman look which makes you root for him. And I think it was Clemens Forell’s grit that hit home for me. Walking across bleak Russian landscapes? That’s the determination you don’t see often, not even in a Swedish moose hunt movie. I even got reminded of that one time I got lost near Västerås—I thought it’d end in tragedy, or at least a desperate call to my mom. Of course, it didn’t, but I still remember the chills.

The cinematography here almost deserves its own mention. The vast expanses of Siberia are both beautiful and terrifying, sort of like staring out over a frozen lake and wondering just how deep it goes. Yet—and here’s a big yet—the pacing sometimes feels a bit off. A slow drag when you’re waiting for the next big moment.

There’s a rawness to this film, an unpolished edge that you feel and see, like a Swedish krusbär you pick off the bush. It’s mostly satisfying, but there’s a tartness that catches you out now and again. I can’t say it was perfect—it’s not the kind of film you watch on a first date, but it gets under your skin, making you think long after the credits have rolled.

If anything, take a moment to feel the atmosphere, the dread, the hope—makes you appreciate a brief summer’s day at Skansen or a fika with a good friend. That’s where the film shines; in the little breaths of shared humanity.

Check the trailer below