Complicated, expressionist, with a bizarre storyline, if there is one. About an immature man that is lost at forty as he was always, living a meaningless life and playing with the ones close to him like a spoiled child. As difficult as a man as he can be, everyone seems to love and like him, even if he is hurting them constantly. All women love this charismatic kind of person, that makes them dream and evade of their own made reality, from the railway worker, to the lonely colleague that was once his lover.
I was a bit surprised to see such a realistic portrait of a soviet town with pretty poor infrastructure and living conditions and it was before Gorbaciov. As in almost all russian movies of the time, one can see the alcohol excessive consumption, the enthusiastic nature of the russian soul and the good natured and helping russian citizen.