The film crew had to smuggle some of the negatives out of Russia to have them developed, as they were shot in the dark and required a special process. Originally set to be sent to Budapest, the negatives could not be delivered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As development was not possible in Russia and the law doesn't allow for transporting film negatives out of the country, the crew had to resort to smuggling at the border of Finland and Russia.
Originally there was plan to shoot also in Moscow, but since the filming took place when the Covid-19 pandemic started to spread the scenes planned for Moscow were filmed in St. Petersburg.
At a London Film Festival Q&A the director, Juho Kuosmanen, stated that a decision was made not to show the engine/whole train in order to focus the attention on the inside.
It was, however, filmed on moving trains for effect, moving on local tracks as timetables permitted.
It was, however, filmed on moving trains for effect, moving on local tracks as timetables permitted.
Official submission of Finland for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
Rather than recreated sets, the film was shot aboard the actual working, moving Moscow to Murmansk trains depicted in the film.