Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Holstra Boring, long, and too preachy.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

lastliberal I don't know many grandmothers that would take a troop train across Russia, then get on top a troop transport to visit their grandson (Vasily Shevtsov), an Army Captain in Chechnya. But this grandmother (Galina Vishnevskaya) did. It was certainly an arduous journey for the elderly woman.The films color is appropriate for the hot and dirty climate where here grandson is stationed. The soldiers are all shirtless and just sit around waiting. The other soldiers watch her with fascination, probably thinking of home and their own grandmothers.She makes her way to the market where cigarettes are priced depending upon you rank. The locals look at the Russians with disgust. She manages to connect with a local, Malika (Raisa Gichaeva), who treats her like a sister.It is not a place for a grandmother, but she manages to connect again with her grandson before he goes off on a five-days mission, and she boards the troop train home.It was only anti-war in a subtle sense. The futility of it all was visible, but not exaggerated. Maybe the futility was finally recognized as the Russians are to leave Chechnya soon.A very good story.

nimimerkillinen Aleksandra is the movie that Putin disliked and Chechen banned. It's a movie about temperamental old lady who travels from Russia to Chechen to see her grandson in military base. The movie combines greatly aging and military. Story about a woman who doesn't want to get old while the others spend their aging time killing. There isn't any set decorations used, all is authentic. The military base, ruins, soldiers and the common people. Aleksandra is a great movie from one of Russians most interesting film-maker at the moment. If you aren't scared of slow and lifelike drama. This is very easy to recommend. It is humane, it is insightful.

Seamus2829 Alexander Sokurov has directed some of the most beautiful visual poems I've managed to see since the films of the late Andrei Tarkovsky. His 'Russian Ark' still ranks for one of the best films of post Soviet Russia. 'Alexandra' is a tale of an elderly woman who travels by train to see her grandson,who is a soldier fighting the Russian/Chechen war. Despite the potential for graphic,bloody war scenes, the film instead focuses on the sad faces of soldiers,as well as the Chechen peoples who were not involved directly in fighting the war (but still had sons or daughters who died in battle with Russian soldiers). This is the kind of screen poetry that could never be allowed to see the light of day in pre Glanost/Perestroika Russian cinema (Soviet censorship was astringent about subject matter). What I really appreciated was the film's photography (that makes every scene look arid & devoid of colour). It reminded me of Sokurov's film 'Mother & Son' at times (with the loving relationship of Grandmother & Grandson depicted on screen).

vlaisav A sublime ode to ordinary people in times of war; a cry, a silent scream for a drop of normal and decent life which was taken away with no particular reason. As the plot, deceptively uninteresting, is dragging towards the end of the film, this silent scream is raising in viewers throats, making you want to explode of anger, finding no answers of why are such things happen if the only thing you want is to live and let live! An excellent display of anti-war emotions, shown through long scenes of shattered and dusty life in a war zone. This film is not only about Chechnya and Russian - Chechen conflict. Every person who experienced grieves of war can find relief after such movie. Very nice peace of art!