BAKU, Azerbaijan 1990. The microcosm of the extended family is used here to reflect the broader disintegrating political situation. The patriarch of the family is a stern, but compassionate man trying to hold the family together as each member struggles with the impending pressures of poverty and dissension.

The film is shot in gritty super-eight, which adds to its sense of realism. The pace is slow. The characters, although complex, remain in a state of suspension where you never quite feel that you know who they are or what they feel.

Despite the intense political and emotional upheaval the film remains passionless and dry. Even shots of military tanks and soldiers lining the streets elicit no horror or disbelief. There is little emotion. It never quite inspires.