Sumptuous filming of the journey of a shipwrecked Japanese expedition from the Pacific Ocean across Siberia to the court of Catherine the Great of Russia. A Russo-Japanese co-production of a unique event in history which was the hit of Cannes and other film festivals but did not receive wide distribution despite its huge scope, high production values, and very human story of culture clash.
Young soldiers of the Soviet Internal Troops are brutally bullied during their time of Dedovshchina(hazing). The plot unfolds mostly on board of a prisoner transport rail car guarded by a unit of paramilitary conscripts.
Ivan Khristoforov discovers the strange property of foreseeing explosions. Trying to understand the reason and meaning of this unusual ability, he turns to family history. The attention of the secret public service doesn't bode well for Khristoforov. The imaginary journey of the hero in his past, bearing the imprint of a children's worldview, and the present, at times just like a dream.
