Name: Zhili-byli starik so starukhoy
Genre: Drama
Released: 1965-05-11
Duration: 1 h 43 min
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Ivan Marin, Vera Kuznetsova, Georgiy Martynyuk

Touching, At Times Provocative Russian Family Drama

This touching Russian film tells of an elderly couple whose zest for life allows them to begin anew when their farm burns down. Instead of going to live in comfort with one of their sons, they choose to visit their trouble daughter, Nina. She had married a miner and settled in a hamlet above the Arctic Circle. Upon arrival, the situation they encounter is worse than expected -- Nina has run away with a lover, abandoning her husband and infant. The couple save their son-in-law from alcoholism and and remain on in the frigid climate to care for the household. Conflicts arise when their wayward daughter returns. This at times provocative movie was Russia's entry in the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.

Russian cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. Russian cinema contributed revolutionary theories of editing and later a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.

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The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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The old parents are trying to arrange the life of their miserable daughter.

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There Lived an Old Man and an Old Woman

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