Love and Pigeons

Vasya keeps pigeons in a provincial town, and after an accident at work he is sent to a sanatorium on the southern coast, where he takes up with Raisa Zakharovna and leaves his wife and three children. Before long he understands that the urban version of life does not fit him and tries to come back, except returning is harder than leaving. Vladimir Menshov built it as a comedy and the shame inside it is real; nobody forgives easily. It was extraordinarily popular in the Soviet Union and its lines are still in circulation. It is also valuable as a record of village life, neighbours and conversation in the yard. The pigeons are the governing metaphor and land in the final scene. Who it is for: viewers who like Soviet comedy and stories built on ordinary life. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the film to defend its protagonist, since it keeps holding him responsible.