War, Grudges, and Old-School Dramas: A Look at Pred otechestvoto da zabravim omrazata si

Is this for you?

If you like movies that wear their heart on their sleeve—or maybe their entire chest—you might find something here. If you need snappy dialogue or modern editing, you’re probably going to be bored to tears within the first ten minutes. It is slow, it is earnest, and it is definitely a product of a different time. 🎥

The whole thing kicks off with a classic love triangle. Two young guys chasing the same peasant girl. It feels very small-scale, almost like a play put on in a village square. You can practically hear the creak of the floorboards.

Then, the war happens. It’s funny how these movies shift gears so abruptly. One second you're watching a romantic spat, and the next, everyone is in uniform marching toward the front.

The transformation of these two rivals is the whole point, obviously. There’s a scene in the trenches where the lighting is just... dim. You can barely see their faces, which actually makes the moment feel a bit more real, like they’re hiding from the world even while they’re standing in it.

It reminded me a bit of the heavy, somber mood in Okraina. There is that same weight of duty pulling everyone down. People aren't fighting for grand ideas here; they are fighting because they're stuck.

Oddly specific observations

• The girl’s scarf in the opening scene looks suspiciously clean for someone living that hard of a life.
• The way they hold their rifles suggests they might have been handed them five minutes before the camera started rolling.
• There is a lingering shot of a sunset that goes on for a long, long time. I think the editor just liked the view.
• The reconciliation feels a bit rushed, like the writers realized they only had ten minutes of film left to wrap it up.

The movie doesn't really care about the tactical side of the war. It doesn't want to be Atonement with all that sweeping scale. It just wants to show two guys realizing that maybe the girl isn't worth dying over once bullets start flying.

It’s deeply flawed. Sometimes the acting feels like everyone is shouting to the back row of a theater. But there’s a sincerity to it that’s hard to completely dismiss. You can tell they really wanted this story to matter.

I found myself wondering if they actually filmed in a real village or if it was all painted wood. The textures look a little too perfect in the background, like a postcard that's been left out in the rain.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even really a 'good' movie by today’s standards. But for a rainy afternoon? It’s alright. It’s got a pulse. 🎞️