Russian naval lieutenant Mikhail Kalekov and his colleagues board submarine Kursk for routine training. However, it sinks in an explosive accident leaving them on the brink of death. Inside, the oxygen grows thin, but the Russian Navy and government, knowing the cause of the sinking, reject British naval support, making rescue attempts only by mobilizing diving bells. Meanwhile, Kalekov′s wife, Tanya, along with other soldiers′ families, ask officials whether the crew are alive and what the rescue plans are, but the government tries to evade and cover up the real situation. With a total production cost of $40 million, Kursk is based on the actual sinking of the K-141 Kursk submarine, which occurred in the Barents Sea in 2000. Thomas Vinterberg dramatized the Russian government and navy′s improper response, rescue delays and the suffering of the crews’ families in the aftermath, utilizing all the available historical records to portray events accurately. From Matthias Schoenaerts to Lea Seydoux, Colin Firth, Max von Sydow, Michael Nyqvist, and Martin Brambach, the splendid cast represents European talent at its finest. (Jin Park)