139 minute running time so at least 40 minutes too long … not a feel-good story, Russian women living with the traumas of war … first-time actresses and the kid who directed it is 28 years old, impressive … I didn’t hate it, but I also can’t recommend it, unless you’re a glutton for Russian punishment. I liked that the Party official and his beautiful, ice-cold wife lived in a mansion and had a Mercedes.

Dick Brody wasn’t thrilled: “… showy performances and photogenic moments. But the characters don’t seem to exist outside the stilted drama of their individual scenes.“