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.[1][2]
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.[1]
At the Swiss Film Awards in 2000, the film received a nomination for Best Fiction Film.[1]
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”.[4]
The New York Times review summary highlighted the film's “barbed wit” and “clever production design”, as well as Yelena Panova's comic performance.[5]
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.[3]
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