One phone call ruins everything — and nobody's innocent.
At the heart of the plot - the erroneous message about the death of Varvara Antonovna gathers around her son, daughter-in-law and grandson. They feel a sense of deep guilt, so carelessly treating a loved one for a number of years
Acting
Maretskaya's controlled devastation — you feel every ignored year
Direction
Kvachadze traps you in cramped rooms with nowhere to hide
Director
Valerian Kvachadze
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during Brezhnev's stagnation era, the film quietly critiques Soviet elder care — the 'universal family' propaganda crumbling in real time.
Vera Maretskaya was 67 here, playing 70 — she'd die seven years later, making her final scenes unbearably prophetic.
SU
