This is a simple story. Alyosha Skvortsov, a private in the Soviet Army during WWII, destroys two enemy tanks and, in exchange for receiving official recognition for his accomplishment, asks for leave to see his mother and repair her roof. After some hesitation his commanding officer is taken by Alyosha's innocent sincerity and grants him a six day leave; the rest of the movie details Alyosha's journey home. Given how difficult travel was at the time, and the distance to be covered, it was not clear to me how Alyosha ever figured he could make it home and back in six days. I think it would have helped non-Russians to have had a map.<br /><br />Alyosha travels by hitching and by hopping trains. In some of the most affecting and believable scenes Alyosha meets a depressed man who has lost a leg and is convinced his wife will not accept him on his return. It is Alyosha's genuine, gentle good nature that helps this man to have the courage to continue his journey, and the last we see of him he has been happily reunited with his wife.<br /><br />The main event of the trip has Alyosha meeting a young woman on one of his train trips. Their relationship develops slowly and tenderly, but I ultimately found it too romanticized. The swelling music and soft close-ups were too conspicuous in trying to achieve their goal. And after the couple's unfortunate separation, their chance reunion seemed highly improbable.<br /><br />There is some remarkable black and white cinematography. Director Chukhrai has taken a page out of Bergman's book by filming black figures silhouetted against gray skies and lonely backgrounds. The film stock does not seem up to the quality of a lot of black and white films of the time, it lacks in contrast and sharpness.<br /><br />The reunion of Ayosha with his mother at the end tears at your heart, knowing from the beginning of the film that this will be their last brief meeting. The message of the toll that war takes on average citizens comes across clearly--there is no happy ending here.<br /><br />I liked this movie, but it did not seem to touch me as deeply as others have testified to.