Three Soviet soldiers wait out the end of the war in a Berlin basement—glory, grief, and madness included.
The action takes place shortly before the Victory in the ruins of Berlin. But it is not the military actions that are at the center of what is happening, but the fate of people, their sorrows and hopes. A young first-year Dandelion, drafted in the last days of the war, suffers completely childishly from the fact that he will not get military glory. His older friend, Dervoed, in front of whom his wife and son died, is suffering unable to cope with the mental pain. In contrast, the Rebel, who was taken to the military enlistment office right from his own wedding, is nervous and fierce. A real "war dog", he only knows how to kill. What to do when the war is over, where to put yourself?
Acting
Kirill Lavrov's Dervoed is shattering grief made flesh.
Direction
Tovstonogov turns one basement into an entire psychological battlefield.
Writing
Three soldiers, three philosophies of war—brutally specific.
Director
Georgi Tovstonogov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Banned from theatrical release until 1986 due to its unflinching portrayal of Soviet soldiers as psychologically damaged rather than heroic.
Tovstonogov filmed this after his legendary stage production of the same material; the basement set was built to theatrical specifications with nowhere to hide from the camera.
SU
