On first sight, the format of this film is that of independent episodes connected by common characters or places, such as Max Ophüls' La Ronde or Robert Altman's Nashville and Short Cuts. However, Day of the Full Moon is a different kind of movie. It is divided not in episodes but in short happenings or segments most of which do not tell an entire story. Some happenings are connected to others some are not. Connections may not be by common characters or places; in one segment a look from a passenger of a plane about to land towards a train running below leads to the next episode. In other segments we see some event from different points of view and, in a later time frame, as a remembrance, as in that of the officer having lunch at a restaurant with a mysterious woman in a mauve dress. One happening consists just of a meaningful look between two characters. In another, a boy is reading Alexander Pushkin's travel diary Journey to Arzrum; in the next we see Pushkin at a stop in his journey as dreamt by the boy, who has fallen asleep. Finally, some segments are (or may be) imagined. The total effect of the movie is that of tantalizing, incomplete, voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of strangers.
Cinematography by Gennady Karyuk deserves special mention. Many of the scenes he films are rather unglamorous (such as an old dog resting on a broken sidewalk) but, without obvious trick lighting Karyuk imbues his shots with the poetry of common things and with an almost three dimensional look. His closeups of faces are striking; the actors come alive even before they utter a word or do anything. Music is used sparingly and unobtrusively and the large cast is so uniformly excellent that it would be difficult to single out any of the actors for praise. All in all a fascinating, unusual experience. I enjoyed every minute of it.
