Solnechnyy udar

Probably the very best film by great director Nikita Mikhalkov. Almost three hours of great cinema but each time I see "Sunstroke" with great interest.It's a magic realism of genius, indeed. His political opponents are trying to make negative opinion about Mikhalkov and his recent movies. However genial art stands higher than politic ambitions. This movie offers almost such variety of colors as reality. It's poetic, humorous, tragic, philosophical, sorrowful, etc. This variety is shown with exceptional talent and professionalism. Great photography, great music, fantastic cast with rather unknown actors.

Martins Kalita is very impressive in main role. Especially he's touching when listens the strange woman singing aria of Dalilah. This scene with his playing recalls me the most outstanding actors of past - such as Marlon Brando. Highly recommended.

To my mind, it's one of greatest movies in this century. It's about man's tragedy in personal life and death of his country. He asks again and again in the first scene of this film: how this happened? The answer is: each of us influence history (as I understand this) - our actions, even thoughts and desires, Main hero (Poruchik - Martinsh Kalita) is indifferent about all except his individual desire. He can't make the right choice in his love and he can't come round until the moment of his death. It's too late for him, too late for his homeland. Bt film isn't didactic, this movie has exceptional artistic values. Director Nikita Mikhalkov knows enormous number of sophisticated nuances of human soul as professional secrets of cinema. The artistic result is outstanding. The cast is very successful, music is very touching, photography is splendid. Mikhalkov's enemies tries to denigrate him very hard. But it's method of communists and fascists - to assess art in politic terms. Everybody has rights to reject political views of Mikhalkov. But reject the great art of politic isn't democracy, it's totalitarianism. "Sunstroke" contains nothing denying human rights, humanism, etc.

Excellent movie, excellent direction and acting, fantastic scenaries and photograph. Unfairly Underrated in IMDM probably by American pie watchers

While the movie was indeed visually beautiful, almost stunning even, I was left disappointed and annoyed, feeling like I watched 2 movies squeezed into one. I won't give away any plot points: Through the movie we watch the main character's past and present events unfold. However, the past could've been a standalone film, the present as well. The two segments weren't connected by a single detail almost to the very end of the movie, and even then that detail is so minuscule and irrelevant we could've easily gone without it.

When it comes out on DVD, I'd watch it again, selectively watching just scenes from the past, then just scenes from the future, treating myself to 2 movies, instead of a forced ONE movie.

I won't give away the "key" -- that's for the viewer to discover -- but until I figured it out for myself, about 2/3 of the way through, I was so exasperated by this movie that I was tempted to just give up on it and quit. I thought it was incoherent and disjointed, and actually got peeved since I thought it was screwing with me.

But THEN... I figured out who/what the young officer in white, and the various appearances of the attractive woman, represented... and my whole experience changed. By the end of the movie, I was devastated. The lingering final image and text -- and the song sung over it -- left me trembling and weeping. The whole thing haunted me for days, then weeks, afterward.

I intend to watch it again from the beginning, now that I know what it's about. But I am waiting a bit, since I still haven't recovered from that first experience.

This is a very different kind of movie. It's NOT a straight story/narrative, and expecting such will just leave you frustrated. Mikhalkov is a sort of poet, who has used seemingly unconnected images to evoke feelings and impressions. He uses visual/emotional images to conceal deep realities of history. And, for this viewer at least, realities of humanity in general. For though the movie is concerned with 20th-century Russia/USSR, it speaks to me, as an American in 2022, of a more general truth, one we should all take to heart as our own glittering Western consumer culture heads for collapse: Concealed beneath superficially beautiful things (and hoo-boy, are the "in-color" parts of this movie a sensual feast for the eyes!) can lie the ugliest horrors of which humans are capable.