In search of the silence, solitude and truth of the great outdoors, Teddy leaves France to settle in Siberia. He buys an old cabin on the frozen shores of Lake Baikal to spend a harsh winter, far from civilization. With the intention of getting back to basics, he learns to hunt and live without electricity or anything other than that supplied nature. When he gets caught in a violent storm, he narrowly escapes death thanks to a mysterious man on the run. A strong friendship develops between Teddy and Aleksei.

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Initially, Dans les forêts de Sibérie is convincing in what is says about the zeitgeist: modern man escapes chaotic civilization to relearn and rediscover the essentials, with trees and wild animals replacing noisy cities. Safy Nebbou (Mark of an Angel, Dumas) does not need to do much to capture the audience’s attention, as his production is totally taken over by the majestic scenery of Siberia, which tells a story in itself. Quiet and charismatic, Raphaël Personnaz easily carries the first part of the film. The rest is less successful: instead of adding a new dimension to the story, the arrival of the Russian forces the plot to close up and become more simplistic. But the movie does manage to be entertaining and the scenery guarantees interest in this small and well-calibrated human adventure.