Many reviews have attempted to describe the plot in Aleksandra ("old woman faces cruel military life", "beautiful reunion gradually becomes conflicted") but I found out they are misleading and greatly stretched. This film contains no particular plot, at least when measured against Western expectations and standards in movie-making.
No, for a casual viewer, it's best to consider this movie as a little, non-pretentious insight into Russian culture and way of life which itself meets Chechnyian culture and way of life throughout the play, all wrapped up into military environment and parental chit-chat. Sure, acting is occasionally unimpressive, English subtitles seem to be rather simplified, dialogues are often unintelligible and it's plain boring sometimes but if your grandmother came to visit you in the army, I bet it wouldn't be much more spectacular either, especially to an outsider from a different culture. 7 out of 10.
No, for a casual viewer, it's best to consider this movie as a little, non-pretentious insight into Russian culture and way of life which itself meets Chechnyian culture and way of life throughout the play, all wrapped up into military environment and parental chit-chat. Sure, acting is occasionally unimpressive, English subtitles seem to be rather simplified, dialogues are often unintelligible and it's plain boring sometimes but if your grandmother came to visit you in the army, I bet it wouldn't be much more spectacular either, especially to an outsider from a different culture. 7 out of 10.