1999, 100 min, Russia. Directed by Denis Evstigneev. Starring: Nonna Mordyukova, Oleg Menshikov, Vladimir Mashkov, Evgeni Mironov. The story began long ago. Polina, the mother of six children, is left without any support when she loses her husband, who went to jail for stealing charcoal and was then killed in an escape attempt. In order to survive, Polina and her family start a folk group. She knows that her children deserve a better fate, and she makes the desperate decision to hijack a plane and go abroad. Fifteen years later, Polina is released from prison and finds out that her children are now scattered all over the country: one is in the army, another is a miner in the Donbass, and the oldest, Lyonchik is now in a mental institution. Polina gathers all of her sons to free their older brother from the psychiatric hospital. Three of Russia's most famous contemporary actors - Oleg Menshikov, Vladimir Mashkov and Evgeny Mironov - come together in this movie for the first time, and work alongside the star of Soviet cinema, Nonna Mordyukova. The magnificent cast is part of a story which involves elements of many genres, including drama and comedy, thriller and action movies, and which the director calls a "family chronicle".
