The Postman's White Nights

The scenario: Lake Keno or Kenozero in northern Russia's Arkhangelsk district (the city of Arkhangelsk is about 300 kilometers away). The lake is not far from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which plays a role in the story. It is summer, and the far northern latitude of the lake causes the white nights; darkness never sets in day or night. Postman Aleksey Tryapitsyn (played by himself) delivers mail by boat to the small settlements on the lake's shores. The inhabitants seem to be mostly women, children, and old people; presumably, the able bodied men have departed in search of jobs. Aleksey's visits seem to be the only communication of the locals with the outside world, except for television and occasional bus trips to nearby towns.

There are a few professional actors in the cast; the rest of the characters are real people playing themselves. Individual anecdotes and reminiscences were used by director/writer Andrey Konchalovsky and cowriter Elena Kiseleva during the writing of the screenplay. The time is post-Soviet and we have glimpses of some of the character's past from their comments and some photographs. There are also strange and whimsical happenings such as the disappearing grey cat and rockets from Plesetsk making their way to space in the background.

The action: nothing much happens, except for a theft mid-movie. However, what we witness are real characters in they real milieu. The film bears the seal of truth and envelops us in its magic from beginning to end. An essential component is the outstanding cinematography by Aleksander Simonov. It does justice not only to the beautiful, melancholic summer landscapes of Northern Russia but to the modest houses and their drab interiors which, without obvious trick lighting come to life with the poetry of common things and with an almost three dimensional look. One of the most fascinating films I have seen.

I didn't expect docu-fiction from Konchalovskiy but that's ok... it was good. I especially enjoyed the romance between the postman and the police woman (the movie made me identify with him and desire her, as Laura Mulvey would say) as well as its lyrical moments (the rockets! the boat trip! the contemplation of nature!). I also think it's beautiful that a remote community like this has acted in a movie.

Comments to the plot summary: the absence of our usual comfort doesn't necessarily mean "Neolithic Era" :) What this film has to offer is not what you see on the screen. It's what it makes you think about. It's the memories that it brings. It's much more. You might feel pity for these people in their remoteness, but, in fact, we should feel pity for ourselves in our addiction to comfort and lack of pure human interrelationship. They've definitely got it. It's about us, good and bad, silly and wise.. it's about kindness that is still there, deep inside us. It's about the beauty and magnificence of nature, which is our primary government. Purity, genuineness and reflection... Thank you, Mr. Konchalovskiy!

This film may be much too subtle for some who are accustomed to the Hollywood-type lowest common denominator message delivery. The conversations and interactions are not stylized or dramatized - they are very natural. The scenery is stern and beautiful and the camera work is magnificent. What is especially remarkable is how gently and thoughtfully the characters are portrayed. The postman is an exceptionally kind soul. He is not handsome or muscular and he does not commit any violent acts but he is still "created in God's image" and, in his own way, very heroic. Others may be superfluous, primitive and flawed, but the film manages to fully humanize them and make them very sympathetic and likable. Another reviewer mentioned the contrast between the launch of the space rocket and the simple life of the villagers, but that is not the main point of the film. However poor these people are, the rocket does not diminish their humanity. In fact, the characters do not even notice it. It does not matter anymore that the spaceships are plowing the expanses of the universe. The scenes where the postman looks at a little ant, or hears the sounds of the past in the decaying school building, are even more profound. The important and skillfully developed idea here is that, however remote this place is, the now abandoned people living there still got caught up in the historical events forced upon them, and those events left them scarred for life.

A very realistic depiction of life in a beautiful Russian village whose tenuous connection with the rest of the world is slowly getting severed. This lends it an air of magic & mystery. Unfortunately, all's not good for this village since it doesn't have the basic infrastructure that we take for granted, like schools & healthcare institutions. People are poor and have no jobs. Their only remaining connection to the outside world is the postman who delivers mails & brings in their supplies. He is a decent and easy-going guy but when his boat's motor is stolen, he gets a little fed up with the village people. And when his love interest leaves for town with her son, he too decides to go to the city, but his roots may be deeper than he thought!

Mr. Konchalovskiy has captured the essence of this wonderful community on the verge of extinction. Hopefully, this movie would have brought the attention of the authorities to the plight of the people living in this beautiful but abandoned land.

The cinematography & the sparse background score is to die for!