Set in the '50s, this follows the teenage hero, a trainee sanitary engineer, as he undergoes rites of passage of various kinds before marrying his mortally ill childhood sweetheart. The tone moves between mawkish comedy and melodrama, with the shadows of still fresh war memories falling exceedingly lengthily and darkly. Not brilliant, but very desperate, and offering a window on Russia during the high years of the Cold War. It also implies criticism of the high price of space technology.
Cast and crew