Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Diagonaldi Very well executed

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

sixpence1106 The only reason I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 is because amid the crazy plot, there was some good acting. It seemed like it was going to be a typical period movie. It was far from that. I am not sure if it was me, but I was quite confused throughout the entire movie. Until the end of the movie, I still hadn't figured out if Zinaida was just as pix-elated (as in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town)as her mother or if she was just a very selfish, egotistical young lady who enjoyed playing with people and their feelings. I was confused at what was going on with Vladimir's father and his thought process at the end. If you gave that cast a good plot and script, it would have been a wonderful movie. Its too bad it was wasted on that one.

wraymatthew I caught this hidden gem on television last week.It is a wonderfully shot film which is both poignant and life affirming. Dunst is excellent and Stahl also puts in a solid performance.The only disappointment was the fact that the brilliant character of victor was so criminally under used. Connell's performance is outstanding.All in all though a great film for all the family which I would highly recommend. A career highlight for Dunst, Stahl and Connell which should not be overlooked.

torstenbaden Maybe the reason why I like this movie is mostly that I like the story "First Love" which the movie is based on. I can understand from another of the user comments that there is a lot of symbolism in the story. This symbolism is wasted on me. I have to see it as just a story. What I see then is a story about youth. Young people who follow their immediate emotions without giving much thought to the future. In the long term perspective we often make stupid choices when we act like that. I myself am not a very impulsive man, but I find myself attracted to people who are, unless they are so in a negative way. Is it not the force in emotions, especially big powerful emotions like love that make life so beautiful?The main character Vladimir falls in love with Zinaida. She likes him very much, but she doesn't love him. She likes toying with him and her other admirers, and their feelings make them her willing puppets. This is of course not very nice of her, but it seems to me that she doesn't give it much thought and that it is never her intention to hurt anyone, she is just an emotional and impulsive girl. And maybe part of what makes them love her is her impulsive nature. After some time it becomes clear to Vladimir that Zinaida has herself fallen in love. But who is it that she loves? And is her own human nature now taking revenge for her toying with the emotions of her admirers? Will Vladimir and Zinaida mature through their experiences?For those who thinks this story has no point I will say, that for me the point is simply to study human nature and to allow one self to feel with the characters. We don't always need a great plan to build the societies of the 21st century.I would like to make a negative comment also. There is a second story in this movie mixed in with the main story. A woman falls in love while her husband is away in the war, and of course this causes trouble. Maybe this story could have a movie of its own (?), but I think it shouldn't have been part of this movie, because the situation of the woman, her husband (if he lives), her child and her lover is far too serious to just pop up for a moment now and then as a side story.

todd2u I really liked this movie a lot. The acting was good from Kirsten and Nick. The scenery was beautiful. I enjoyed the whole film. There were a few parts where I was confused, but only a few parts. I know a lot of people didn't like this movie but I didn't see a problem with it. The music was good. I would recommend this movie to anyone loves a good drama movie. Especially on that takes place in the eighteenth century. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves Kirsten Dunst or Nick Stahl.