A Sweet Woman

Anna Dobrokhotova grows up in a village where hard work is constant. Unlike others, she is lazy and disorganized, preferring sunbathing, a feather bed, and indulgent meals. Her girlish dreams are modest and mostly about comfort rather than ambition.

A chance encounter with a young student leads to Anna's pregnancy and the birth of her child. The relationship does not develop into marriage, as she does not wish to wed at that stage. Her life continues to revolve around personal comfort rather than family responsibilities.

Anna relocates to the city and takes a job at a confectionery factory. The move brings better income, yet her worldview remains unchanged—she stays self-centered and indifferent to others. Wealth does not alter her core laziness.

During a visit to a female friend, Anna meets Nikolai Egorovich Kushakov, a lonely war veteran. Their affair grows into a marriage, and Anna imagines that her life is finally in order. Kushakov furnishes a private flat and appliances, symbolizing a new, comfortable life for her.

The seemingly perfect marriage quickly fractures as the reality of living with a narcissistic philistine becomes unbearable for Kushakov. He leaves the family, unable to endure. Anna's son Yuri supports his stepfather in the conflict and also leaves the house to go to the Nakhimov Naval School.

Shortly after the family fractures, Anna's old mother dies in the village, leaving her completely alone. The loss intensifies her isolation, as her life revolves around possessions rather than relationships. Her emptiness grows even as she remains surrounded by material comforts.

While walking in the forest, Anna meets Tikhon Sokolov, a simple crane operator and divorced man. He initially believes she could be the great love he was seeking. His first impression is hopeful, but it is quickly tested by Anna's pushy, selfish behavior.

Anna seizes the relationship, trying to mold Tikhon into the husband she wants. She behaves in an indecent and tiresome way, seeking security and status through him. Tikhon, however, sees nothing but discomfort in her company and grows wary.

As Tikhon becomes better acquainted with Anna, he realizes she is shallow and self-centered. Without hesitation, he drives her away from his home and ends the relationship. Anna remains stubbornly unable to change her ways and faces renewed loneliness.

Left to her own devices, Anna contends with the consequences of her lifelong self-interest. Despite her material comforts, she finds no companionship or meaningful purpose. The movie closes on her continued isolation, the loneliness she herself cultivated.

The summary emphasizes Anna as a petty bourgeois figure: self-centered, obsessed with a comfortable life and wealth. Her relationships fail because she can't connect with others or compromise. This self-critique is reflected in the unresolved loneliness at the end.

The film ends by underscoring the futility of Anna's desires for wealth and security without love or genuine human connection. She remains trapped in her own making, a cautionary portrait of narcissism.