Poignant,  emotional and heartwarming!  This movie follows the life of married couple Evdokiya and Evdokim, who can't have children but took in a couple of kids during the years. There is the issue of Evdokiya having been enamored by another man yet stayed with Evdokim and the family. As years pass the kids grow up and charter their own course in life and the couple were left behind. Some of the adopted children served during the Revolution and a son perished. Upon learning of the news Evdokiya broke down and it was one of the emotional scenes of the film. Spanning almost 4 decades of their life, this film realistically and clearly tells a story, thanks to adept editing techniques. Director Liaznova also made use of commendable camera movements and the story unfolded understandably well.  This is a movie worth watching!