Among the movies on 2nd world war coming from Russia these last few years, "vremia sobirat' kamni" - "time for picking stones" (instead of throwing them, from the biblical quote) offers at last a vision that goes beyond brainless patriotism (Zvezda) or self-indulging nihilism (svoi).
It presents two people whose lives have been changed, and not for the better, by war. The third character, namely an interpret, is the go-between who will try to bridge the gap between them.
On a background of little Russian towns and villages, the trio comes across various situations, each one a symbol of the way people try to cope with a former enemy who comes to help them undo the wrong he thinks he helped to create.
True, the plot tends to be a bit heavy on sentimentalism and some of the scenes may lack finesse. But the intimistic approach of this mainly symbolic movie was a challenge, and I think the director and the three main actors did an excellent job despite a few awkward scenes. I especially liked the performance of Olga Krasko, thoroughly believable and moving.
Anyway, the movie succeeds in making its point. It is a message of tolerance, something sorely needed in the context of growing xenophobia, rewriting of history and nostalgia of the Empire reflected by the mainstream Russian blockbusters.
It presents two people whose lives have been changed, and not for the better, by war. The third character, namely an interpret, is the go-between who will try to bridge the gap between them.
On a background of little Russian towns and villages, the trio comes across various situations, each one a symbol of the way people try to cope with a former enemy who comes to help them undo the wrong he thinks he helped to create.
True, the plot tends to be a bit heavy on sentimentalism and some of the scenes may lack finesse. But the intimistic approach of this mainly symbolic movie was a challenge, and I think the director and the three main actors did an excellent job despite a few awkward scenes. I especially liked the performance of Olga Krasko, thoroughly believable and moving.
Anyway, the movie succeeds in making its point. It is a message of tolerance, something sorely needed in the context of growing xenophobia, rewriting of history and nostalgia of the Empire reflected by the mainstream Russian blockbusters.
