MIFF Review - First Squad

IMDB, Wikipedia
Score: 2.5/5
Language:  Russian with eng subs

Genre: Anime, War, Sci Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Summary: (from MIFF)

As the forces of the Third Reich clash with the Red Army on the Eastern Front, a hidden war is waged between Nazi occultists and a Russian psychic.
In 1942, as Nazi Germany marches on the Russian homeland, Nadya, the lone survivor of a secret organisation of teenage Soviets with supernatural abilities, is gearing up for a battle of her own. Faced with the schemes of an occult order within the SS that plans to raise an unstoppable army of undead, she will need to call on her own fallen comrades for help.
A fast-paced, one-of-a-kind Japanese/Russian co-production, First Squad is an occult-fuelled retelling of the battle for the Eastern Front. Lush animation combines with interviews with real-life Russian and German soldiers to create a totally original animated take on World War II.
More information: http://www.first-squad.com

D Yoshiharu Ashino, Misha Shprits, Aljoscha Klimov P Eiko Tanaka, Misha Shprits, Aljoscha Klimov S Misha Shprits, Aljoscha Klimov WS Golden Network Asia L Russian, German w/English subtitles TD 35mm/2009 

Comments:

• Traditional anime style (eg cowboy bebop, full metal alchemist etc). Occasional cgi mixed in. cgi mainly the vehicles. Possibly actual war footage cgi'd to fit in.
• Story weak point. Ok, nothing special
• Interviews with war vets and historians (live actors and possibly real war vets) interspersed through the film talking of the events to give the story an authenticity.
• Some Scenes reminded of STALKER, eg the Ferris wheel. Also the starting village in STALKER as it would have been with people living in it