HEY, YOU WILD GEESE

Lydia Bodrova's first feature film tells the apparently simple story of three brothers who live in an impoverished village. The action takes place during the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which reach the village by radio and television. The festive events in Moscow help to emphasize the dull existence of the main characters. But underneath it all we see the deep suffering, the tragic fate of the three brothers, and the director's sympathetic determination to tell their story with dignity and respect. A debut of great emotional depth and sensitivity, the script speaks of the director's own experiences. It is a hymn to the common man's struggle, his survival against odds, and the spiritual purity of the poor, the oppressed, and the permanently forgotten. -Toronto Film Festival.