Sergei and Andrei are walking through a city park and see that a film shoot set just post World War II is taking place . They climb over the park fence to get a better view but hit some cable lying on the ground and find themselves in the past - on May 8, 1949, a day which they seem doomed to relive over and over again.
Direction
Khotinenko builds dread through repetition, not spectacle.
Writing
The novel adaptation trusts viewers to piece the puzzle together.
Director
Vladimir Khotinenko
Sergey Koltakov
Сергей Кириллович Пшеничный
Ivan Bortnik
Андрей Иванович Немчинов
Boris Galkin
Кирилл Иванович Пшеничный
Feliks Stepun
Кирилл Иванович Пшеничный
Natalya Akimova
Лида - мать Сергея
Elena Golyanova
Роза - рабочая на шахте
Yakov Stepanov
Сашка-танкист
Viktor Smirnov
Алексей Николаевич Тюкин
Nikolay Stotskiy
Фёдор Петренко
Sergei Parshin
Пухарев
Valentin Aronyan
шахтёр
Aleksandr Peskov
Рябенко - милиционер
Elena Kozlitina
жена Сергея
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during glasnost, this was one of the first Soviet films to openly question official war hero mythology — the 'mirror' reflects uncomfortable truths the state preferred buried.
The mining town was shot in a real location near Donetsk; crew members reportedly experienced their own minor time slips due to isolated shooting conditions and 24-hour daylight schedules.
SU
