Made the year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, this "visually         astonishing, erotically charged and emotionally jarring" (The New York        Times) film captures the battle-weary attitude of the Russian people as       well as a sexual ambiguity among soldiers that had never been portrayed in     prior Russian cinema. The film's subtle use of homoerotic imagery and subtext  caused it to be banned by Soviet censors when first released. Five young Red   Army recruits struggle to preserve their humanity and compassion as each day     seems to bring another act of senseless violence. In Russian with English      Hussein Erkenov---USSR---1990---71 mins.