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Winner of a Golden Plaque award at the Chicago International Film Festival "for its complex and poetic evocation of an ambiguous period in Soviet history," Marina Razbezhkina's debut film Harvest Time is a beautiful portrait of a woman living in a small Russian village after World War II. Working at a collective farm as a tractor operator, Antonina suddenly finds herself having to support her young son and husband - after the latter returns from the warfront without his legs.
In honor of Antonina's hard work, the State rewards her with the prestigious Red Flag, also naming her the best tractor operator in the region. As the first woman to ever receive such title, Antonina becomes the source of great pride for her family and community. But when a mouse infestation threatens to destroy the valued Flag, the prestigious prize turns into a liability. Antonina becomes intensely invested in keeping it safe and at her home.
More than a story of survival against ethics, or individuality against collectivity, Harvest Time is a piercing meditation on family unity. Set in the 1950s U.S.S.R., a period marked by rapid Soviet development and harsh poverty for its habitants, Razbezhkina's film dares to combine humor and sensitive character development with a legitimate sense of nostalgia for a difficult and fascinating period in the Soviet past.
2004 Russia 67 min. Color Original Aspect Ratio (1:33.1)
In Russian with optional English subtitles
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