The roads we choose... In a remote village near the Black Sea, people are building a road that leads nowhere, as you can see from the frame that it is directed towards a cliff ... Stupid exhausting work, corresponding to everyday life, etc.
In this village comes a couple – an interesting, strange man with a beautiful woman. They are located by the sea. Local residents watch them, and one man, drawing pictures in his free time from plowing, even decides to get acquainted with them closer and show his works to find out the opinion of the capital's guest. “No one can forbid you to draw” – a stunning accuracy and meaning answer from the mouth of a wanderer.
The main character of the film is a boy watching a couple and reaching for the unknown world of other people.
Piercing the soul scene, when he, having found a wandering father grief-artist, asked him to return home, and the drunk carrying him on a bicycle, fell after breaking his bicycle and the boy injured his face, the mother scolded his son for a broken bicycle and rudely pushed him away, the boy came to strangers and a stranger woman tried to alleviate his pain. How much love, tenderness, genuine compassion there is in this scene ... remembering it brings tears.
An amazing and strange man plays games with a boy, teaches him to walk on stilts ... the boy does not work immediately, but he tries hard.
The wanderer talks to himself, asks himself questions ... and apparently can not find answers to them ... from that it is clear that he suffers.
It is shown how beautifully a man and a woman love each other ... without unnecessary words and without ostentatious sex, the atmosphere of love is surprisingly accurately conveyed.
A man dies, drowns in the sea. A grief-stricken woman has locals stealing money from her belongings.
The woman does not blame them and agrees that there can be no theft and, perhaps, she lost money. Asks for a small amount of debt for a ticket to the house, but residents refuse it
The boy, seeing this whole ugly picture, rebels and decides to leave his family.
But the boy has no money to leave... he wanders, starves for several days, but absolutely does not want to go home... climbs into some high abandoned building... often urinates in the corner of the room with fear... you can see that the boy wants to throw himself down... and here he decides, runs away ... and below there is a man and realizing what is happening, asks “Hey, what are you doing there?”
The boy would rather die than go home. A good man, decides to help the boy leave.
“I just want to get my jacket out of the house” – the boy returns home for a jacket, but there he comes across ... completely blind father-“artist” ... the boy stays at home!!
The boy walks on stilts, repeats the movements of the deceased wanderer, begins to live, unknown to his loved ones, a new life.
The film ends with footage of the unfinished road to nowhere ... and walking on stilts of a boy.
The film is deeply symbolic. Actors live in the frames, not play. Every scene has meaning.
Schnittke's music creates a very sensual atmosphere.
This is not an entertaining movie, but the story of our lives!
And curiously, why was the path of such a talented director Efim Gribov so inglorious?
