Vor

A woman meets a man who isn't the right man for her - but she hasn't realised it yet...

Director:

Pavel Chukhray

Writer:

Pavel Chukhray

Stars:

Vladimir Mashkov, Yekaterina Rednikova, Mikhail Filipchuk

Storyline

In 1946, a soldier fathers a child then dies before its birth. Jump to 1952: on a train, the child and his mother meet a handsome soldier who makes a play for her. She accepts. Posing as a married family, the soldier finds them a rooming house where he becomes everyone's favorite through his good looks and generosity. Meanwhile he gives the boy, Sanya, lessons in life: to fight back, to win at all costs. The child's mother, Katya, is head-over-heels in love with Tolyan, the soldier, but the relationship becomes rocky when Tolyan's true plans for the rooming house become clear. It starts them on a treadmill of flight that risks Katya's life, Tolyan's liberty, and Sanya's trust.

User Reviews

Should have won for best Foreign Picture

28 April 2002 | by mercuryix (Los Angeles) – See all my reviews

This is one of the most ambitious films I have ever seen done; it is an extremely painful movie to watch in places, beautifully photographed, with understated direction that does not get in the way of the story.

A lot will be lost on the small screen, but if you enjoy foreign films (or films in general) you will not find a better one than this. If you are in the mood for lighthearted entertainment, do not rent this film; you will feel sad for a long time after it ends. (It is a Russian story, after all.) Images from the film are guaranteed to haunt for a long time; it reminds the viewer of the power film can have to affect an audience.