Every person is a whole world. Different depths of human grief: one can easily step over and not even soak your feet, and in another you can drown, because its depth is not measurable. It was in such a bottomless pool that Illarion Groza (Peter Glebov) drove himself, having committed during the war an act that broke not only his life, but also the life of his daughter Yuli (Irina Vavilova). Director Vladimir Dovgan acted very wisely, postponing the confession of the main character to the last minute. Throughout the picture, the viewer can only guess about the reason for Hilarion’s almost restless drunkenness, and his abusive attitude to his daughter.
The script is based on the play “Diary Page” by the Ukrainian Soviet writer, winner of five Stalin Prizes Alexander Evdokimovich Korneychuk. It was written in 1964 and has nothing to do with Stalin. It was written only because the terrible war had very long arms: it reached out to survivors at the front even after many, many years. The film turned out to be deeply dramatic, because all the characters, no matter how cheerful and carefree they look, over time overestimate their lives.
This applies to the “parade” artist Bogutovsky (Boris Livanov), who for a long time lived in captivity of fake pompous art, who was favored by the “powerful of this world”. But other “political winds” blew out and instead of the crystal of the Kremlin chandeliers, the artist caressed by the authorities found himself under a tent of tree crowns. The couple of artists Sashenka (Ninel Myshkova) and Leonid (Gennady Karnovich-Valua) are also forced to reconsider their relationship after the writer Arkady Iskra (Georgi Zhyonov) made some changes to their new play. Not easy fate and Julia, literally torn between Makar and his father.
The operator successfully conveyed the inner emotional mood of the characters with “long” shots of a lonely shore with cut down centuries-old trees (desert of life), or close-ups of shaky swaying water (how easy it is to “trouble” the long-established life order). The actors played exceptionally well, having managed to endow their characters with character traits that make the viewer unconditionally believe them. A great film about the responsibility of a person, especially to himself.
In the fire of the attacks, the earth went around, we were called to battle by burned bridges. Two cranes above us, as two friends carried the warmth of spring through the fronts. There, where their native hut is waiting, they were flying with a soldier’s newsletter, and suddenly one swung over the river, but extended another wing to him. The earth was washed with crane blood. A poplar bent over her in anguish. And for a long time fought over the plain the anxious cry of another crane ...