Believe me, this is an above-the-average Soviet film, which has a lot to say, and says it mostly by hinting at it, and suggesting it. It starts hinting from the title: it means "The little boy and the little girl". The words can be used also for older people, when it is a term of endearment . Here, though the characters are teen-agers. They somehow convey the first meaning, and thus they suggest to the viewer that they are both naif and unxeperienced like children, and they make many mistakes. He follows a superficial impulse towards the girl, maybe more because of his boredom and his wish of something new, than because of a real interest in her. On the other hand, she believes him instantly, and she takes very seriously the whole thing, even if he shows some signs that he is only making a pass at her. In one word, they both believe that the affair is serious, but actually it is only on her side.
One of their mistakes is a very hasty sexual intercourse. Of course, it is only hinted at.
As a hole, it is an introspective, at times romantic small movie, depicted by the director by means of small brush touches, which in the end give life to the portait of the two carachters and their affair.
The movie was shot in Crimea in high summer, and so it is full of light, sun, sea, and a holiday atmosphere.
The two acotrs are quite good (she is really a pretty girl), and the director is very careful in their direction, and in choosing the angles and the frames. One of the best scenes, because it says a lot only showing apparently usual things, is when he sits down at the table to write a letter to her: he sits, he thinks, he starts writing something, he throws it in the trash can, he tries again, then he starts scribbling, and then he gives it up. And to see the lonely girl, looking at the sea with tears in her beautiful eyes is quite a scene to see.
There are no political metaphors, no hidden political message, only a very human and - unfortunately - common human drama.
