Three Women (1936): A gritty, dusty look at history

Is this for you?

Look, if you’re into early Soviet cinema and don’t mind a bit of propaganda mixed in with your drama, you might find something to chew on here. If you want something light or, god forbid, nuanced, keep walking. You’ll probably hate it if you have zero patience for films where people shout about the revolution every five minutes. But for the history nerds? It’s a weird, fascinating relic.

The whole thing feels like it was filmed through a layer of actual dirt. It’s got that heavy, 1930s weight where every actor looks like they’ve been practicing their 'determined face' for weeks. There’s a scene in the second act—I think it’s in a field hospital, or maybe it’s just a tent—where the camera just hangs on a character’s hands for way too long. Just hands, shaking, holding bandages. It wasn't 'cinematic' in a fancy way. It was just… tired.

It’s nowhere near as weirdly atmospheric as The Golem, which has that whole other kind of supernatural dread going for it. This is grounded, for better or worse. It’s all about the mud, the bandages, and the shouting.

The rhythm of it

The pacing is a disaster, frankly. Sometimes it feels like it’s racing toward the finale, and then suddenly, we’re watching a conversation about grain distribution that lasts for an eternity. It’s uneven. It’s messy. But that's why it feels real.

• The lighting in the hospital scenes is suspiciously bright for a war zone.
• I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background of the train station scene is just standing there eating an apple.
• The dialogue is about 40% slogans, 30% crying, and 30% staring into the middle distance.

There’s this moment where one of the lead nurses, played by Zoya Fyodorova, just stops talking mid-sentence. She doesn’t finish the line. She just looks off-camera—presumably at the director—and then walks out of frame. It’s probably just bad editing, but it felt like a genuine moment of 'I'm done with this war' exhaustion. I liked that mistake.

It’s not as polished as A Bedtime Story, obviously. It doesn't have the gloss. But it also doesn't feel like it’s trying to sell you a product as hard. It’s just… a movie about women, nurses, and a revolution that feels a lot more personal than the history books let on. 🏥

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it worth two hours of your time? Maybe if you’ve got a rainy afternoon and a lack of better things to do. Just don’t expect a history lesson that won't make your eyes glaze over at least once.