Ballad of a solider

I had some mixed feelings after viewing this film. I thought it was very good but i wasn't a big fan of the ending. It was definatley a little suprising the way it ended i thought that main character Alyosha was going to either meet up with the girl Shura again or that he was going to stay home with his mother and neither happened. But i can see why the movie did not have that kind of ending because it was trying to send a different message that that of a Hollywood fairytale or with a tragic death at the end. This film doesn't really explore the battles of war but more of a solider return home and the people he meets along the way. While the film is about more than just a solider on his journey home he hirst meets the man who is also returning home and lost his leg. He spends some time with this man then they part ways after he reunites wtih his fiance. Alyosha the sneaks his way onto a cargo train where he meets Shura, who is very irratating at first and wants to jump off the train when she sees him. She calms down and they spend some time together on the train and get to know each other a liitle better. Another significant meeting he has with a solider father who he gives the gifts of soap to, you can see just how much it meant to the father and the people around him after receiving this gift. This makes him feel good about what he has done for the father by giving them good news of his son. The last encounter is with his mother who is just thrilled to see her some again but gets her heart torn apart when he has to turn right around and head back to the army. I really felt for him and his mothe during this scene because if  I would have had to turn right around and head back after only seeing her for a few minutes. the message that this film sent was that you have to get the most out of time you spend with people and that some encounters can change your life forever.