The Last Stations tells the story of the last year of Leo Tolstoy’s life, based on the novel by Jay Parini. As someone who knew Tolstoy purely as a novelist, albeit a great one, this film provides an introduction to Tolstoy the philosopher and social theorist, but does so without becoming didactic or mired in theory.

The film is told from the perspective of Valentin (James McAvoy), who we meet as he takes up a coveted position as Tolstoy’s secretary. Valentin arrives glistening with idealism, awed in the presence of Tolstoy and determined to live his life strictly by Tolstoyan ideals. He soon finds himself distracted by the free-thinking Masha (Kerry Condon), and by the increasing conflict in the Tolstoy home. This comes to a head when Tolstoy leaves the house and his wife to live as a wandering ascetic but his ailing health means he only reaches the nearby Astapov station before succumbing to pneumonia.

By 1910, Tolstoy’s beliefs had seen him seek to renounce his wealth and titles, which was viewed unsympathetically by his wife Sofya. Valentin becomes witness to this household disharmony, and to the machinations of Tolstoy’s collaborator Chertkov (Paul Giametti) as he seeks to secure Tolstoy’s legacy. Sofya and Chertkov view each other as corrupting influences, as he attempts to get Tolstoy to leave the rights of his novels to the Russian people, and she grasps to keep their partnership intact. The Tolstoy’s marriage has been described by biographer A.N. Wilson as one of the unhappiest in literary history and there is certainly a sense that the marriage has become completely untenable. There are moments where we see the affection between Tolstoy and Sofya, but this is definitely the waning of a love affair, with frustration and betrayal predominant. This is set against the love affair between Valentin and Masha, which is in its heady early stages. The humourless Tolstoyan zeolots, epitomised by Chertkov, are contrasted with characters such as Masha and Tolstoy himself. Masha becomes disillusioned with the rigid interpretations of Tolstoy’s ideas, and he is portrayed as a man of fervent belief, but one who is constantly clarifying and revising his theories. Furthermore he is aware of his own limitations, and sympathetic to the passions of youth.

Christopher Plummer portrays a charming Tolstoy, who it is easy to see as inspiring a movement, but who is also coming to the end of his life and frustrated by his inability to live as his beliefs require. Chertkov is a wholly unsympathetic character, rigid and scheming, and more concerned at shaping Tolstoy’s legacy than making his life a happy one. I was completely beguiled by Helen Mirren as Sofya, who fluctuates between coquettish and frustratingly melodramatic but is totally convincing in her love for Tolstoy.

I found The Last Station to be a satisfying film, which manages to inform about a historical figure without sacrificing story or drama, and by creating a cast of entrancing characters.

Release date April 1^st 2010

Starring: Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, Kerry Condon & Anne-Marie Duff.