For her entire life, Granny Tusya has invested herself in taking care of her daughter, son-in-law, grandson and granddaughter. But when, many years later, Vera enters the hospital, son-in-law Ivan forces the now 80-year-old Tusya to sign the house over to the grandchildren and dumps her at her sister Anna’s home. Despite her alcoholic nephew Vitya’s torments, her sister Anna’s warm care manages to keep Tusya in one piece until she hears the news of her daughter Vera’s death. Then Anna breaks her hip and has to go to hospital. Once again, this predicament forces her to worry about a place to stay, and the cold reception she receives upon visiting her son-in-law and two granddaughters drives her to even greater despair. She finally finds a place to stay at her Chechen refugee grandson Tolik’s house, where she leaves behind the gift of a miracle to her great-great-granddaughter Olya who has lost the ability to speak.
 Nina Choubina who plays Granny Tusya, is not a professional actor, but the deadpan and sorrow-ridden yet straighforward expression on her wrinkled face gives more depth and strength to her acting. This film presents the lives of the women of old Russia. These are women who had no other choice but to take charge of their families and country during the Second World War without any award or expectation. It is a dedication to these woman, and an analogy and criticism of contemporary Russia where the value of ‘family’ seems to have faded. (Lim Sung-min)