A young Finnish woman escapes an enigmatic love affair in Moscow by boarding a train to the arctic port of Murmansk. Forced to share the long ride and a tiny sleeping car with a Russian miner, the unexpected encounter leads the occupants of compartment no. 6 to face the truth about their own yearning for human connection.

For in-depth thoughts on Compartment No. 6, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Compartment No. 6 comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation in the original 2.39:1 that is quite lovely. Much of this film takes place on a train, which means variety in settings are in short supply, but there are enough adventures off of the train to satisfy on a strictly visual level. The destination of the trip makes you long to travel with its beauty. This is a carefully composed film with numerous shots that expose an incredible amount of detail. There are a plethora of interior settings featuring distinct production design which provide a nice reference to showcase the depth at play in the image.

The film plays very well with the nuances of the colors on display. These hues might not be popping off the screen, but they capture the natural look of every item from outfits to the landscape. This is a film with a slightly cooler color palette that is reproduced perfectly here with a pleasing radiance. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no obvious signs of any noise or other such digital nuisances. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation is a great representation of the film.

Audio Quality

The film comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Russian that has quite a bit of depth and is well balanced, which is appreciated in a film that has a surprisingly complex sound design. Environmental effects play a substantial role in the film as dialogue is often sacrificed for nonverbal storytelling, and this track brings these elements to life quite capably. The use of the rear channels to create a fully enveloping world works out well. The directionality is precise so sounds always present as natural when coming from their respective points. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without being overwhelmed by any other elements. The track is most active when the score is permeating the room in a really wonderful way. Activity in the low end is not the most substantial but what is there adds texture to the proceedings. Sony has done a nice job with this one.

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Compartment No. 6 is a tender and intimate drama about connection and where we stand within the natural world. The two lead performances feel very lived-in with an honest chemistry that blossoms into something quite beautiful over the course of this journey. The narrative does not conform neatly to traditional tropes which allows this to be something more singular and exciting. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation but next to no special features. If you are a fan of thoughtful and moving international dramas, be sure to give this one a shot. Recommended

Compartment No. 6 is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.