This film is currently unavailable
The Story of an Appointment
A soldier condemned to execution enlists the help of legendary literary figure Leo Tolstoy to back his case.
Director: Avdotya Smirnova
Overview
A heartbreaking and tragic story about the events that involved Count Leo Tolstoy himself. A war crime is committed in an infantry regiment in the Tula region, where lieutenant Gregory Kolokoltsev – inspired by progressive ideas – sets off to do military service from the capital. The soldier, who is charged with the crime, faces a military tribunal and execution. Kolokoltsev turns for help to Count Tolstoy, who decides to defend the innocent. An edgy story, based on real events, about the complexity of choice and commitment to one's ideals.
Related
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut Caligula: The Ultimate Cut
Period drama 2023 178 mins Director: Tinto Brass
Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren star in one of the most controversial films in cinema history, presented here in an entirely new cut compiled from the original rushes.
Baltimore Baltimore
Historical drama 2023 98 mins Director: Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor
Imogen Poots grounds Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's meditative portrayal of terrorist, disinherited heiress and expectant mother Rose Dugdale.
Battleship Potemkin Battleship Potemkin
Historical drama 1925 69 mins Silent Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
A fixture in the critical canon almost since its premiere, Eisenstein’s film about a 1905 naval mutiny was revolutionary in both form and content.
Fitzcarraldo Fitzcarraldo
Historical drama 1981 157 mins Director: Werner Herzog
Fitzcarraldo tells the story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, a fortune hunter who dreams of bringing opera to the Peruvian jungle.
Aguirre, Wrath of God Aguirre, Wrath of God
Historical drama 1972 94 mins Director: Werner Herzog
This early masterpiece from Werner Herzog stars Klaus Kinski as a power-crazed explorer in sixteenth-century South America who leads a band of conquistadors through the Amazon in search of El Dorado.
Sebastiane Sebastiane
Historical drama 1976 85 mins Director: Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress
A distinctly bold and sensual reclaiming of gay history, Jarman here tells the sexually intense story of the 4th-century martyr.
War and Peace War and Peace
Documentary 2002 134 mins Director: Anand Patwardhan
The rise of nuclear nationalism in 1990s India is explored in a powerful and personal documentary from Anand Patwardhan.
Traffic Traffic
Crime 2000 147 mins Director: Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning ensemble drama explores America’s war on drugs at the start of the 21st century.
Tell No One Tell No One
Crime 2006 131 mins Director: Guillaume Canet
A grieving man becomes convinced he is being framed for murder in Guillaume Canet’s gripping thriller, adapted from the Harlan Coben bestseller.
The Girl on a Motorcycle The Girl on a Motorcycle
Drama 1968 88 mins Director: Jack Cardiff
Marianne Faithfull is the eponymous girl in this glorious, richly colourful slice of sixties British cinema.
Sophia Loren: Reshaping Femininity Sophia Loren: Reshaping Femininity
Short documentary 2025 18 mins Director: Maha Albadrawi
Exclusive to BFI Player, a video essay exploring Sophia Loren’s 60s and 70s filmography, and how her work shook up Italian gender roles.
Moviedrome: Welcome to the Cult Moviedrome: Welcome to the Cult
Short documentary 2025 48 mins Director: Nic Wassell
Documentary, made exclusively for BFI Player, examining the history, impact and legacy of cult movie series Moviedrome