[8.4/10]

The Russian short "Papers, Please" shows how film adaptions of video games can be done right.

"Papers, Please", the game, is an extraordinarily great basis for a short film adaption, as the core game itself only spans over a couple of hours and the game-play never is the important aspect of it. This game is not about the character itself, not about his family, not about politics. This game is about making hard, (im)moral decisions.

"Papers, Please", the film, handles that perfectly. The bleak, blunt atmosphere of it, everything seems impersonal and fruitless and mundane. The actor portrays this depressing feeling quite nicely. You know he has done this for an eternity and amidst that repetitiveness he is suddenly faced with a difficult decision. Does he unite a desperate couple and risk his own well-being, or does he follow orders and effectively separate them forever, all based on some obscure bureaucracy. Seeing him look long and hard at the family photo, makes it quite clear what influences his decision to deny her entry: the well-being of his family. So, the mundane goes on and we get thrown into another montage, which coincidentally also makes for a great place to hide Easter-eggs in, which shouldn't be too in-your-face in film adaptions, and luckily they aren't in this one. Then, another decision. A husband begs that the inspector approves the entry of his wife that comes after him, who doesn't have the proper documents. This time, when our protagonist instinctively glances at the family photo his gaze fixates on the heart-shaped amulet that the woman he denied entry left behind. Obviously feeling a tremendous amount of guilt, he puts himself at risk and accepts the wife's entry.

Shortly after, he hears a quick progression of gunshots and the sound of lifeless bodies sinking onto the ground. Instinctively, he reaches for the gun, steps outside and is frozen in shock and disbelief, as he watches the couple he just let through execute an injured officer, then turning his attention to the inspector and murdering him, as well, at which point the movie faints to black.

This film is not trying to push an agenda, it simply portrays what it feels like to play this game. There are so many things you have to consider when faced with a decision; the well-being of yourself, your family, your friends, your colleagues. More often than not, trying to do the moral thing gets many innocents killed and not doing so might as well. The frightening aspect of "Papers, Please" is the uncertainty of it all. There are always hints of what might happen, if you do this or that, but you can never be sure, you can always slip up, not spot something, not think something through enough, since you're always under time pressure. If you have played this game, you will know precisely what thoughts shoot through the inspector's head as he has to make those two decisions.

On a more technical side, this short film is surprisingly well made with wonderful shots and an overall amazing atmosphere. It also couldn't have worked as well in any other language than Russian. This is an absolute must-see for all who have played the game and a nice little short for all that haven't.