General Information

Original Title

Afganskii izlom

Author/Creator

Bortko, Vladimir, director.

Language

Russian.

Published

Russia : Clemi Cinematografica ; Lenfilm Studio ; Raidue ; Russkoe Video, 1991.

Physical Description

VHS (140 min.)

Contents/Summary

Summary

The movie tells the story of the last days of a Soviet regiment stationed in Afghansitan, before the main troop withdrawal in 1985. The movie accurately portrays the grim realities of Russian army that have made it infamous: "dedovshina" (officers and NCOs physically harassing, beating and humiliating younger recruits), mixed character of war (you can trade with your enemy one day and kill him the next), life of women at the front lines, documentary footages of helicopter assaults, an endless row of coffins sent home, fatigue, boredom, and anti-war sentiment. It shows that war is a dirty affair, where murder is sometimes condoned, wanton destruction of whole villages for little or no reason is normal, and indiscriminate killing of civilians is overlooked as collateral damage inevitable during war. It was the first movie to talk about the pointless 9-year occupation of Afghanistan and about the trauma of both civilians and the army involved in the conflict.

Subjects

Genre

Fiction films

Bibliographic Information

Title Translation

Afghan Breakdown

Note

Duration: 02:20:00

Holdings

Item Type	Current Location	Call Number	Status	Shelving Location	Public Note
VHS	OSA Film Library	FL Record 0999	Available	-	-