OLD WOMEN

After all the young people have left because there is no work, a small village near Kostroma is populated by a dozen old women. They all wait – most of the time unsuccessfully – for their small pension and have to find ways to make ends meet. Bartering is the main means of trade – they all stick together. When one of them dies, the others dig her grave. Mikolka, who suffers from Down’s Syndrome, also lives with the women; every once in a while, Major Fyodor and a few soldiers from the nearby garrison stop by and bring some life to the village. Cast mostly with first-time actors, the film has a documentary feel to it. A fictional plot develops when a family of refugees from Uzbekistan moves to the village. The women observe them with great scepticism. Just as the refugees have settled, Mikolka – who takes the women’s xenophobic talk seriously – sets fire to their house. Converted by the tragedy in their midst, the villagers begin to develop a friendship with the new arrivals. When a woman causes jealousy between Fyodor and one of his soldiers, the old women hide the soldier over night. As he can’t endure the harassments any longer, the soldier wants to quit service – therefore, they accompany him to the station. The film, which paints a picture of Russian country-folk, ends with a conciliatory celebration.