The core of the film, and indeed the book, is a simple & ultimately tragic love story. However, I felt the chemistry between the two lovers was weak and unfulfilled. From a cinematography perspective, the film is stunning with wonderful use of the dramatic expanse of the caucuses. Equally, it is a fascinating study of a poorly understood region and history in the west. The sobering element, viewed from 2022, is the symmetry between the territorial aggression of the Soviet Union in 1920 and the same practices of Russia today. Worth watching.