This film is a great example of excellent Russian drama. It is superbly and artfully done with excellent scenes, cinematography, acting, etc., yet it is unrelentingly harsh and gloomy. There is barely a spot of happiness or hope throughout, hammering the viewer with the harshness of a hard life in a troubled world. Things start out bad and stay that way through the end since the woman's choices only alter the details of her problems without ever improving her lot. This is, in my experience, very emblematic of a particular outlook on the world. It is a notion of a harsh world that is really beyond our control and that, despite our efforts and our choices, we are in fact powerless to improve. This is a common theme in Russia, a country whose land and people have made great achievements, yet at different times have sacrificed much without any real benefit in return and as a result suffered so much more than most westerners can even comprehend. The film presses that home with the usual Russian knack for artistic excellence, itself further highlighting the strange dichotomies of this land.
In the end, this film leaves the viewer emotionally battered, but thoroughly satisfied at having just seen a grimly beautiful and outstanding film.
In the end, this film leaves the viewer emotionally battered, but thoroughly satisfied at having just seen a grimly beautiful and outstanding film.