Easily the most dismal of all Soviet movies, and one of the most powerful ones, if not the most powerful. The brilliant performance of Shakurov and Livanov's voice-over, coupled with the haunting guitar soundtrack by Rosenbaum, are impossible to forget.
Probably the reason why the film is relatively obscure, is that it is so heartbreaking and difficult to watch, unlike the majority of the warm and fuzzy Soviet films in 1970s - 1980s.
A talking dog (the only fictional device in this movie, not counting the reverence of the main character to the "Pravda" newspaper) is trying to cure an alcoholic Kolyun of the worst kind of his addiction. Kolyun is stuck in a blue-collar job, lives alone, and gave up the idea of making his life better in any way. It wasn't always like this; Kolyun was a talented musician and had a family, which is now ashamed of what he has become. In one of the most powerful scenes, the dog asks Kolyun to swear with anything important to him that he will not drink. Kolyun answers, "I have nothing to swear with".
The movie takes us through the entire attempt of recovery. The ending is ambiguous, and can be construed as either happy or unhappy ending. The result is a scary and realistic close-up of alcoholic addiction. Highly recommended, both to Russophone and non-Russophone viewers.
Probably the reason why the film is relatively obscure, is that it is so heartbreaking and difficult to watch, unlike the majority of the warm and fuzzy Soviet films in 1970s - 1980s.
A talking dog (the only fictional device in this movie, not counting the reverence of the main character to the "Pravda" newspaper) is trying to cure an alcoholic Kolyun of the worst kind of his addiction. Kolyun is stuck in a blue-collar job, lives alone, and gave up the idea of making his life better in any way. It wasn't always like this; Kolyun was a talented musician and had a family, which is now ashamed of what he has become. In one of the most powerful scenes, the dog asks Kolyun to swear with anything important to him that he will not drink. Kolyun answers, "I have nothing to swear with".
The movie takes us through the entire attempt of recovery. The ending is ambiguous, and can be construed as either happy or unhappy ending. The result is a scary and realistic close-up of alcoholic addiction. Highly recommended, both to Russophone and non-Russophone viewers.