dave s
Nadezhda Petrukhina (Mayya Bulgakova), a decorated former Soviet Air Force pilot, lives in a world where she is dismissed by her daughter, is isolated from the generation of students she oversees as the principal of the school where she works, and generally lives a mundane life with little sense of belonging. To escape her drab existence, she looks to the sky and recalls the glory of her military days and the freedom of flight. Other than some odd freeze-frames, the movie is beautifully directed by Larisa Shepitko, a promising director tragically killed in her prime. It's a touching film about loss, isolation and the human desire to connect with what gives life meaning.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Maya Bulgakova gives a mesmerizing performance as a lonely, aging WWII heroine in this Soviet classic.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A former WW2 Russian female fighter pilot reminisces about her past while trying to deal with the issues of the present.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/28/23
Full Review
dave j
Monday, March 12, 2012
(1966) Wings (Krylyra)
(In Russian with English subtitles)
DRAMA/ SOCIAL COMMENTARY
In order for this film to be appreciated, 'one' must first consider the time it was made which is in 1966 and the place it was based on which is a small part of Russia during Stalin's rule since the film is near plotless and does instead states a single person's experiences, in this case happens to be a woman by the name of Nadezhda exceptionally played by Maya Bulgakova, playing a civilized normal woman who's starting to adjust back to normal civilization again after fighting on the Russian's side as a war pilot. Directed by criticially acclaimed director by the name of Larisa Shepitko who has directed 4 feature films, this one is the third before she died from an unfortunate automobile accident at the age of 41. As forementioned earlier, the film starts with a middle aged woman whose just being hailed as a war hero on national tv for shooting 12 planes down and now that the war's over, she's then presented for a job as a principal at a school, and barely starting, she's soon mocked by a bunch of school kids who're just being school kids, resulting to one of them to be expelled. She then tries to eat out at one of the fancy restuarants since the job she has can make her afford it who used to always eat at home, but upon trying to go in, the manager then stops her from going inside and tells her that because she's a female, she can only come in anytime after 6 PM if escorted by a male. She also has a daughter whose just coming out of university and finds out that she's already married and upon meeting him, doesn't really approve of him and later finds out that she's not really in love with him either. Can this be the result of this long absence of not conversing with her frequently as a result of the war! If anyone who is reading this review think that is all there is, well all I can say is that this is only a few examples she had to endure out of a film that's only an hour and a half. The only kind of happiness was when the war was still going on and when she was still defending Russia's skys which the movie uses flashbacks between the past and the present time. The best way to describe it is that it's the Russian equivilent to "The Best Years Of Our Lives" and "Til The End Of Time" with the difference is that she's a female and at the time was treated as a second class citizen living in a repressed Russian society.
3 out of 4
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
¡Bravo! Una obra maestra de contenido dramatismo y admirable rigor estético, al estilo del mejor cine soviético de los años 60. Larisa Shepitko nos lega, como testimonio de su talento tras las cámaras, un largometraje dirigido con disciplina e inspiración; al tiempo que, en consonancia con el material, la actriz Maya Bulgakova habita en la piel de Nadezhda, la heroína de la historia, transmitiendo con una intencional economía de gestos y diálogos los avatares internos de una piloto combatiente cuya vida pierde sentido una vez finalizada la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
WWII era has ended and Russia is in a time of peace. WINGS follows an elite female pilot who has returned home. She works at a school where she is an administrator. She has a young daughter, who has just gotten married but all of the present just pales in comparison to her past. She constantly reminises of her past as a pilot and where she felt and home and free. She struggles to fit in to her currently life too. Her daughter doesnt show much compassion and really doesnt want anything to do with her. Larisa Sheptiko the wife of Elem Kilmov, was really a great director in her own right. WINGS perfectly captures the psyche of this woman who has no real connection with the present. Shepiko uses some almost hallucinogenic visuals to portray this woman's dreams of the past. A segment towards the end of the film where the woman remembers a fellow pilot, who she clearly had some type of significant relationship with is particularly emotionally resonant. Maya Bulgava who plays the pilot, gives a fantastic subdued performance too. Great film with a great ending.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
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