Oj, vy goesi (Hey, Lads and Lasses)

Lydia Bobrova's first feature film is a directorial debut of great emotional depth and sensitivity. The script, written ten years ago in the period before perestroika, speaks of her own experiences and those of her family and people who live in the remote provinces of her vast country. In many respects the story is an allegorical fable about the country and its recent history. lt is also 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 1991)