In the abandoned village of Zvizdal, within the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Dido and Baba live a simple, solitary life.
There is no electricity, no gas, and they exist by farming with their animals, a cat, a dog, a horse, a cow and some chickens and their own company.
Through this intimate documentary we get a glimpse into the elderly couple’s lives which is as heart-warming as it heart-breaking.
The first time we meet the couple tells you everything you need to know with a long quiet take as Baba sits stern faced, while Dido looks bemused.
The uncomfortable themes of isolation, aging and love are all touched upon with the delicate tenderness they deserve as we learn the routine of this couple out of time.
While they press on with steely Soviet resolve, the imagery of their struggle with the elements, with the unstoppable hand of age, and at times with each other is immensely powerful.
The film plays out on a double sided screen, beneath which are three seasonally different models of the couple’s farm which rotate and have miniature screens on which scenes from the film play – our window into their small world.
The forbidden world of the Zvizdal and its countryside is beautiful, and so is this masterpiece by Berlin.
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