Release, runtime and language

1988 · 139 mins · Russian

Directed by

Aleksandr Sokurov

Starring

Irina Sokolova, Vladimir Zamanskiy, Kirill Dudkin, Aleksei Ananishnov, Eskender Umarov, Aleksey Yankovskiy

Bleak late Soviet-era drama about Malyanov, a recent medical graduate sent to Turkmenia, where he encounters a mix of ethnic groups displaced by the Soviet government's forced relocations and purges. The traumatized residents cannot find comfort in each other's company, becoming antagonistic and resorting to desperate measures in their attempts to ease their suffering.