As a reward for destroying two Nazi tanks, a young Russian soldier (Vladimir Ivashov) is given a ten-day leave from the front—ten days he spends struggling home to see his mother and falling in love along the way. This 1959 film is one of those “universal” tales that are so often vague and sticky, but the simplicity and restraint of director Grigori Chukhrai lift it above the run. In Russian with subtitles. 89 min.
