Sibir. Monamur

It's lovely movie,

Siberia. Late autumn. In taiga.

In the deserted village there lives an old man Ivan & his seven-year-old grandson Leshia. A pack of feral dogs devours everything alive in the neighborhood. One of these dogs is Leshia's best friend. Sometimes their relative uncle Yuri brings food to them. Once on his way back from Ivan's village uncle Yuri is attacked by dogs & perishes. Ivan & Leshia stay without supply. Once Leshia witnesses Ivan shooting at 'his' dog & runs away. The old Man finds him in a dry well, but he fails to get him out on his own. Ivan sets out through taiga in search of help. Now the dogs are hunting him... And the boy is waiting for his father...

Slava Ross excellently guides his protagonists through parallel story lines, almost wordless immersing into their souls, giving us a glimpse of their cruel humanism, intriguing us by raising our own perception to a angelic level which enables us to perceive the difficulty we would have if we would judge his characters.

At first glance you would say that some of Ross' characters are evil, but sooner or later you will realize that you have to think over your verdict.

What an excellent philosophical film not denying the kind heart in every human soul despite all misery.

Thank you very much Slava for Lesia!!

I lived in Siberia between 1963 and 1973 and I can testify that the film is as true to the reality of life there as it gets.

Without a doubt one of a best Russian movie I have seen till date and one of a best among 2011 world movies. It tells the story of cruel Siberian natural environment and those men who are depending on it. Specially it deals between the good versus the bad, even some animals are in crucial part of this beautiful tale.

This movie distinguishes between the man, the animal and the nature. These three are the main ingredients of the story and the movie explains how they are related in this one world which they share for theirs survival by facing and defending each others all the time. The one who gain victory will be profitable for their survival and future. Of course it was concentrated more on human perspective which tells how the humans created borders within themselves by ethic, race, nationalism and all, who had to fight themselves others than the beasts and harsh mother nature.

This movie gives more meaning than what it was made of just like some modern art. If you had a vision you will get it just like an poet. The places where the movie was shot were amazing and breathtaking just like what I have seen in the other Russian movie 'Kray'. Camera work was good, a fine photography, it was the artistic capture of beautiful Siberia.

I talked to my American friends before watching and all of them warned me that this is a "heavy" movie. Guess what, it was like I just went home. Real. It was true in every detail. Brutal. Exposing. Poisonous. Nauseating. Yes. And true. Superb work by Slava Ross worthy of Oscar nomination. I think that the strongest lines were: Grandpa, Lyosha, the Captain and Anna, aside from Fang the dog. There was only a single overreach - I do not remember drinking vodka for breakfast. Otherwise - the film was captivating and honest. I feel that sometimes watching the endless line of all-goody-goody movies kills our ability to perceive reality, which is far from nice and fluffy. Soviet system kills the most important thing in every man - his ability to respect himself. That is what the Grandpa in the movie is running from and so do we...