The road is like life and life is like the road. The genre of “road-movie”, as applied to Soviet cinema, sounds too “foreign”. Russian ear is much more pleasant phrase "film-journey", "road movie" or the most correct in this case option: "film about truckers". The driver’s theme, given the truly vast expanses of our country, has always been in demand among directors. Samvel Gasparov in 1970 graduated from the directing faculty of VGIK, but immediately did not go to the cinema, having worked for some time as a driver. Therefore, it is not surprising that he chose a story about this difficult profession as his debut. The plot is simple and simple: you need to deliver racing cars from Odessa to Tbilisi. It is only necessary to arrive there on time, otherwise the declared team will not be able to participate in races. There are three MAZ with trailers on the flight. Behind the lamb are drivers with many years of experience. The senior in the column - Boris Ivanovich (Sergei Plotnikov) is entrusted with an intern (Yuri Kuzmenko).
The starter squealed, squabbled over the gravel of the wheels, and the path began a length of 1700 km. The asphalt ribbon runs to meet, hands lie on the lamb, eyes are directed to the road. The monotony of the picture is calming. You can remember the past and think about the future. For the trainee, sometimes ironically called the Student, this is the first flight. He's out of the blue. And for Boris Ivanovich, whom everyone calls only Jork (in memory of the military past) – the last. He has 40 years of work experience, and many, many thousands of “twisted” kilometers not only along the roads of the Union, but throughout Europe. He has something to remember. Especially the Road of Life on Ladoga. The director does not go into lengthy explanations of the past of his heroes. One or two scenes are enough. These scenes unfold on the screen, like unhurried memories of the characters, because who knows better than drivers that a long trip is not measured in kilometers, but in moments of meetings. There will be many such meetings.
The absolute advantage of Soviet paintings is that they are kind to both the characters and the audience. The realization that a barrel of dirt from the “dashing 90s” will not pour on you from the “blue screen” makes the film take a special view. Everyone here helps each other. They do not charge money for ordinary human participation. There is no need to be grateful for a good deed. Here, good people usually live a simple life in which there are their joys and their sorrows. But most importantly, there is a sense of necessity and demand for your profession. That is why the eyes of the trainee burn with delight, and the eyes of Jorge are filled with sorrow. He has been on the move all his life: My life is a road. I have to keep moving! But one desire, unfortunately, is not enough. Iron health is necessary. He's not. So Jork looks with warmth in his eyes at his shift - the Intern. Good guy. Kind, cheerful, responsive. You can rely on that.
Bright film. There are few conversations, but many thoughts, the main of which is: There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.'