The Movie
Siberia, for some reason that's not clear to this reviewer, often gets compared to Run, Lola, Run the hit German import that was made at approximately the same time. One is a relatively straightforward crime caper, while the other is a non-linear exercise in possibilities. The only similarities between them are their stylish production values and the fact that they were made in Europe. Other than that, you couldn't find much to tie them together. Of course, Lola became a massive art-house hit, and Siberia is just now coming to home video.

That doesn't mean that Siberia is a bad movie. It's not as layered or polished as Lola, but the story is much more complete and involving than Lola's wash-rinse-repeat plot. Hugo and Goof are small-time Dutch hustlers trolling the streets of Amsterdam for sex-hungry women looking to have a good time in the freewheeling city of pot and brothels. Once bedded, the women are then robbed of their money and the photo page of their passport (a plot point that dates the movie to a time when passports had removable photo pages.) A trophy to the guys, these pages are the only way home for these women, who have now learned a lesson: there are repercussions to your actions in Amsterdam.

Trouble starts for the guys when they meet Kristy (Nicole Eggert, the film's most recognizable star) and Lara. Hugo, the duo's brains, takes care of Kristy, leaving Lara with Goof. That's the beginning of the end for Hugo and Goof, as Lara uses her subtle, mysterious sexuality to bring simple Goof under her spell. Soon he's breaking the rules he set with Hugo for their scam, putting their plans at risk. Hugo is the odd man out as Goof decides he wants to leave Amsterdam, and take his part of their loot to go to Siberia with Lara. This doesn't sit well with Hugo, who takes matters into his own hands.

It may seem obvious where the movie is going, but a series of double-crosses twists the plot around. The ending walks the line between satisfying and unresolved, but asking for more would result in a pat finale for a film where everyone has a second face. Uniquely, this foreign film is mostly done in English, which is used as a universal language. When countrymen speak to each other it is subtitled, but otherwise it's rather accessible for a Dutch film.

Visually, the film is a well-designed experience, switching styles as if they were gears, using the different looks to emphasize moments and ramp up or slow down the movie's momentum. For example, instead of graphically presenting the sex scenes, they are done stylistically, in a very elemental way that makes them even sexier. The change is used very effectively at one point to draw an important distinction in the action on-screen. Thankfully though, the style doesn't overwhelm the substance, and instead enhances it.

The DVD
Packaged in a not-so-standard white keepcase, Siberia arrives home on one DVD, complete with a glossy four-page insert. The insert includes liner notes by film critic Rich Cline and chapter stops. The menu is full-screen (though it looks fine on a widescreen display) with options for scene selections, the trailer and set-up. Set-up options include subtitles for the non-English dialogue or subtitles for all dialogue.

The Quality
Shot in several different styles, including grainy black and white and sped-up handheld, the movie has a herky-jerky, almost homemade feel, which comes across beautifully on DVD. It would be hard to discern any problems in the transfer, due to the unique look and feel. One of the most notable visual factors was the black-and-white moments, which featured stark white against deep dark blacks. The scenes have a speckled look, which really makes them work artistically.

The sound, presented in 5.1, is a key to making the feel of the movie work. The soundtrack, by deejay Junkie XL, is full of pounding techno music, which gives the scenes a sense of energy that wouldn't otherwise be there. It felt like all the speakers were active, spreading the music around. The dialogue was a bit buried at times, and hard to understand, especially when the main characters or the other tourists spoke in heavily accented English. Overall, it's a quality presentation.

The Extras
There's only one extra on this DVD, which is a 30-second trailer for Siberia, presented in letterboxed widescreen. Featuring just one short moment from the film, it captures the feel of the movie, but isn't anything too interesting.

The Bottom Line
A nearly nihilistic cross of a Shakespearean play and Trainspotting, Siberia shows that style and substance can play well together. While it seems like it will be a sex and drug fueled romp through a European playground, it actually is a well-done movie about friendship and double-crossing. The DVD is empty in terms of special features, but the movie stands on it own, and is worth checking out.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.