Zavtra byla voyna

its a harsh view of the life lead in stalin's russia. The title indicates that a war was on even before Hitler invaded (it takes place in '40 before russia was invaded). 1984 in its true, real, form where people are so penetrated by the dogma around them, they are virtually willing to denounce their children and words like truth and justice are unknown. (one of the girls asks her mother, "what is istina?" which means 'higher truth') the suffering befalling the kids in the movie is tragic and heartfelt. Its excellently done and the acting is superb (in the russian style). There is a reason why it is rated higher than godfather.

...for a time, an age and a country. for Stalinism. precise, honest, simple. and, more important, useful. a film about young people. and the brutal discover of truth. about the nuances of an unique age. and the clash of freshness of youth against near reality. sepia sequences. definitions. traits of teens. love and happiness. and the message. sure, it is easy to analize the film from the perspective of Glasnost. but, in strange manner, that remains just a detail. it is a powerful film. for story, performances and cinematography. and that could be the lead motif for see it.

'Tomorrow There Was War' is a story about children who were destined to perish in the midst of war and the Stalinistic terror regime. It is also about the conflict between generations, ideologies, and differences between being a citizen and being a human. The big question was raised - to whom one can stay loyal? To your friends or your country? Is it possible to be just and loyal to others while not betraying the other? With raising these questions the movie also gives them the answers.

We see the 9th graders who live in the belief that their country is fair and where everyone is equal, lose their innocence when they witness the terror of the regime at first hand. Attempts with first love and understanding poetry while also getting the smell of becoming an adult is suddenly stopped when bucked of harsh reality is thrown into their faces. They must stand up for what is right. Even if the system demands otherwise they can't thoroughly suppress the human feelings and curiosity. In the Stalinistic regime, curiosity killed. Also, showing any interests that didn't match with the official stance of the state, was dangerous.

The direction was low key, but not un-artistic. The story itself was so powerful that it didn't need any cinematographical novelties. I liked how the play between black and white and color cinematography symbolized the harsh reality and the hope in humanity. The best part was the powerful acting. Especially Irina Cherichenko as Iskra, (an activist of the Young Communist League who starts to see through the duplicitous system.) and Nina Ruslanova as her mother (a tough woman of principle and loyal member of the Party who starts to see that there are much more in the human than just the loyalty to the country).

This movie seems the be unfairly overlooked. That is unfortunate because besides the story and great acting it also gives a realistic picture of how it was to live under the Soviet regime before the war hit the soil of Mother Russia.

I never expected to be so impressed by this picture after reading the description. I often avoid to read reviews before watching the film in order to have my own uninfluenced opinions. This movie is like a thorn which you just stepped in. It's about the freedom, of having questions, wanting to find the truth and the repercussions of these in a Stalinist regime. The alternation of black and whit with the colored picture show exactly what I was saying: the difference between liberty, happiness shreds and marginal thinking, but also the difference between a great intellect and a small-minded one. The music in the film is also great, achieving a perfect conjunction with the images and the surroundings, the society. It's also a perfect explanation of the presumption of innocence and how society arrives to judge in advance, disregarding the collateral damage.

There are movies, which i don't have the wish to see second time, because the first impression was so deep and insightful, that the second time raise the fear that it could disturb what I gained from the first one. And this movie gives much, too much, question after question, where no answer is absolute. It is movie about The Life, about the wish to live and about the fear of it. It describes the life of some young Sowjets before the break of the Nazi invasion, where the Sowjet presence is depicted with the real touch of emotions. As a typical Sowjet (Russian) movie the feeling and the play of the actors dominates, but because of the confrontation between young and old, in between the young ones and the old ones, there is no single cadre, which gives me a second of time to relax and I jump form one personage into another. I think that it is amazing how this feeling drama, succeed to overcome the tragedy of the situation, of its fearful environment and to glorify the Human. Somehow there is no trail of judgment, but the actors' play resolve it in the endless search for happiness of their personages. There many strong movies showing what human do to other human, this movie shows us what one can do to it self. Just the end is a bit of pathetic, but it is the true end, unfortunately, where the unification is matter of the death.