war secrets is a drama that tells the story of two Soviet officers who fall in love and have to live that love in secret, since being LGBT+ was considered a crime punishable by severe punishment (five years of forced labor).
The plot that mixes love, struggle and prejudice has conquered the public – there are 82% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes so far. But is this story real?
Directed by Peeter Rabane, war secrets follows Sergey (Tom Prior), a soldier at the Soviet Air Base who falls in love with Lieutenant Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii) as soon as he joins the Armed Forces.
The two begin a torrid romance, which needs to be hidden at all costs, since it was forbidden. In the midst of all this is Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya), an officer who dreams of being a doctor and who has feelings for Sergey.
When the boy decides to leave the army to pursue an acting career, Roman ignores him and does everything to forget him, even marrying Luisa. It is from then on that the love triangle is established and the feelings of the three are interspersed.
Is Secrets of War based on a true story?
The film released in 2023 is, yes, based on real events. The plot was based on the book A Tale About Romanwhich tells the story of the real Sergey Fetisov, who lived between 1952 and 2017 and was an officer in the Soviet army during the Cold War period.
Peeter discovered Sergey’s book in 2011 at the Berlin Film Festival. He took it home and read it in just one weekend.
The director was so enthralled by the story that he decided to turn it into a feature film. When he thought the script was ready, in 2014, he started looking for actors for the work. It was then that he met Tom Prior, with whom he shared the creative process.
In 2015, both left for Moscow in order to meet and interview the real Sergey, who told them a little more about his life and his memoirs.
The former officer trained as an actor at the renowned GITIS institute, but turned down numerous job offers after his mother developed a terminal illness. He only returned to the stage when a director rediscovered him on a street in his city.
In 2017, Sergey, who starred in more than 40 films and series, fell ill and had to undergo surgery. He died after this procedure, on May 3.
When and where to watch Secrets of War?
Also known by the names of firebird and Tulilind, war secrets is showing in cinemas in Brazil; you can guarantee your entry into ingresso.com.
