You can find this film with English subtitles all over the Internet. There's a website somewhere that's dedicated just to producing quality made English dubs of Soviet made films. Most of them are free because they weren't actually owned by anybody. Point is there's no excuse not to watch this movie so go out and find it.
Instead of having the story ruined because you read my stupid synopsis that doesn't really properly cover the film.
Once there was a man who lived in a village. His village was awful, his children stole from the other rich people just to survive. And these rich people were fairly poor themselves, only being considered rich because they had food for out the winter. So the father decides to try and build a road by cutting down the trees in the surrounding forest and trying to escape from the horrible Village*.
However building a road out of trees that he cuts down one by one proves to take an incredible amount of time. He dies why the road is about halfway done. Half drunk sleeping on top of an ant hill he'll never retrieve his dream of escaping the village.
Now his children are left fatherless and are more or less chased out of the village by the other people of the community. The son of the village rodemaker will return one day when the Communist Revolution destroys the czarist Russia. He'll attempt to bring order of the Leninist variety to the Village. It works at first a little bit but then he's killed by the villagers and his son is chased off. His son wind up serving in the Patriotic War and will eventually return to the Village with tons of Soviet Engineers that all want to profit from the oil reserves found throughout the area.
In his attempts to acquire resources from the region The Village will inevitably be destroyed. As the population begins to dwindle and all that is left are old people with no one new to take up their place. Eventually the entire Village will be destroyed by strip-mining, oil refining and finally an explosion that burns down the cemetery.
So this film is a prime example of symbolism. Everything about it has a deeper meaning and there's so much to it.
From the representation of the different generations of a family representing different times in Soviet history to the destruction of nature represented by the father of the forest as he begins to dwindle and die slowly.
It's strange to think that this film has one Supernatural element is the Eternal Grandfather. Who pops up from time to time when our various characters are in the forest either exploring it or in some cases destroying it.You see as time goes on the father of the Eternal Forest becomes ever more distraught, old and worn down. When finally at the end he's an almost near death as they begin to pump oil out of the Earth.
There's very little subtlety to this film. Everything is very Broad and very direct. The only Simplicity you get are the reactions between the people and their understanding of the world around them. And you get moments that seem Supernatural at first but become more clear as time goes on. Like the Son sitting with his father in a swamp somewhere. The two light a cigarette, they throw the match behind them and the entire Place burst into flames. as if the land behind them all the sudden became hell. But in reality is nothing more than oil and gases seeping up from under the Earth.
The story of the three generations of one family are a representation of what was the Romanov Empire and the Soviet Union. Each generation representing a phase in the lives of the people who lived within this massive continent-size country. The old Romanov days were slow uneventful and ultimately self-destructive.
The second generation represents communist Bolsheviks coming in and altering the country. At first it seems like a breath of fresh air, a new ideology for a new world full of potential and Hope. But ultimately it falls apart and becomes the same oppressive Society as what came before it. Then there's the third-generation better off than the other two but ultimately flawed as well. Still scarred by the events of the previous two generations and ultimately self-destructive and how it handles itself.
It lacks a cultural connection to the old days, it's willing to destroy all the things of the past to gave way for this great new future. It's more destructive to the environment than the previous generations could ever dream of.
And despite all the progress and all the advancements it will still end in a bed of Fire destroying not only itself but the past is well. The village which comes to symbolise the entire country is left ultimately destroyed. Even its brick foundations and it's Cemetery which had stood so long to represent the soul of the nation will ultimately end up his nothing more than dust.
It's A Beautiful film full of heart and despair. And it leaves you feeling ultimately depressed.
my summary of this film doesn't really do it justice, but then again I don't think anybody summary of this film would do it any good. It's just one you need to see for yourself but certainly worth the time. Really that's the only negative I can say about it, it might be a little long for some people I think it clocks in at around 3 hours. Some might complain some of the metaphors are too on the nose. But I don't see that as a problem I think that's what the film is intended to be.
Beyond all the metaphor and storytelling there's also a surprisingly interesting soundtrack. Intermixed with Orchestra and electronica fusing together to make a beautiful and fitting soundtrack.
Some incredible acting with many tranche de vie based stories and a strange but interesting romance.
There's a part towards the end of the third act that I would love to have seen explored more. It was just a dramatized version of the Soviet government. Showing all the different members of the politburo and the Supreme Soviet with their well decorated offices, all talking and reacting with one another. Like how there's that ''West Wing'' show in America that does the same. Part of me would have loved to have seen this explored. Obviously not in this film but in another. Perhaps there is a Soviet political drama out there somewhere. Probably not in the time of the Soviet Union as such material would have been seen as extremely taboo.
*Now the film will tell us that this is a man building a road towards the brightest star. He's not technically heading in the direction of any civilised land but seems more interested in a theoretical better land. Like the Magi looking for baby Christ by following the star. Perhaps it's similar to that. At the end of the day anywhere is better than the village itself.
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