stefano-detoni

Believe me, this is an above-the-average Soviet film, which has a lot to say, and says it mostly by hinting at it, and suggesting it. It starts hinting from the title: it means "The little boy and the little girl". The words can be used also for older people, when it is a term of endearment . Here, though the characters are teen-agers. They somehow convey the first meaning, and thus they suggest to the viewer that they are both naif and unxeperienced like children, and they make many mistakes. He follows a superficial impulse towards the girl, maybe more because of his boredom and his wish of something new, than because of a real interest in her. On the other hand, she believes him instantly, and she takes very seriously the whole thing, even if he shows some signs that he is only making a pass at her. In one word, they both believe that the affair is serious, but actually it is only on her side.

One of their mistakes is a very hasty sexual intercourse. Of course, it is only hinted at.

As a hole, it is an introspective, at times romantic small movie, depicted by the director by means of small brush touches, which in the end give life to the portait of the two carachters and their affair.

The movie was shot in Crimea in high summer, and so it is full of light, sun, sea, and a holiday atmosphere.

The two acotrs are quite good (she is really a pretty girl), and the director is very careful in their direction, and in choosing the angles and the frames. One of the best scenes, because it says a lot only showing apparently usual things, is when he sits down at the table to write a letter to her: he sits, he thinks, he starts writing something, he throws it in the trash can, he tries again, then he starts scribbling, and then he gives it up. And to see the lonely girl, looking at the sea with tears in her beautiful eyes is quite a scene to see.

There are no political metaphors, no hidden political message, only a very human and - unfortunately - common human drama.

I have watched it with small expectations, but I like it, and I am convinced it can be worth viewing for many a person.

It is a fast-paced movie, with many characters, and many quick dialogues. You have to keep track a little of all the things that happen, in order not to lose the thread off your hands.

After seeing all this, the question "What is the point of this story?" may appear in your mind, but I think you just need to think about it a little, and you will see it. The main character has had some men in her life, not many, but all wrong: unfaithful, selfish, married, awkward guys Now the right one turns up in an unexpected way, but her eyes are blind. She does see something, but she gets carried away by her thoughts, and she plays the hard-to-get one.. Moreover, she wants to please everybody, to understand everybody, to excuse everybody and to get everybody to like her. She is not even able to say no when she is asked for information in the street, about a place she does not know, and in the wrongest moment of all.

This film cannot be boring in any way, despite what you expect. For some reason, it has stood in the shadows for many years, and I hardly understand why. We see good acting, good directing, tasty dialogues, and plausible characters. And no politics. Give it a try!

I've come across this film by chance, because I would never have looked for it, otherwise. People like me, who know a little the Soviet cinema, know that this is not the usual Soviet stuff. You think you are watching a Billy Wilder or Howard Hawks movie in Russian! Quick and ironic dialogues, a good plot, not a moment of rest, a litlle of social satire, and that kind of humour which today is very rare to find: subtle and understated, but nonetheless effective. The actors are all good, and you see that they believe in what they are doing. Yuriy Yakovlev became later a star in the USSR. The director is particularly inspired and makes no mistakes. It should be dubbed in other languages and known abroad.