BREAD DAY

In a hamlet fifty miles from St. Petersburg, a group of elderly people are the only ones left behind. They are living almost completely isolated from the outside world, but once a week the train passes by that brings them their bread. An uncoupled carriage is pushed to the village by the old people themselves and the bread is unloaded. This ritual repeats itself every Tuesday, also called "bread day". With modest means, Russian director Sergei Dvortsevoy has produced a perceptive portrait of this exceptional community and the unusual way in which they obtain and distribute the indispensable bread. In a protracted sequence, Dvortsevoy captures the unhooking of the carriage and the long, humiliating and physically demanding trip by half a dozen elderly people. The heart of this documentary consists of a scene in the bakery, with the camera positioned behind the counter, visible to everyone. Nobody is satisfied with the allotted portion of bread, and the old shop assistant is called everything under the sun, although she doesn't hesitate to respond accordingly. The film ends with a long, drawn-out shot of a gorgeous sunset, as if to remind us that even in the most wretched conditions, life can sometimes be beautiful.