Let us begin reviewing this film by asking a simple yet tricky question. What is the element which defines the identity of Russian culture and Russian nation ? The answer is fairly simple.Russian culture and Russian nation will always be recognized by the achievements of great Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.This must be construed as a loud and clear messages to all those philistine souls who are foolish enough to believe that after the fall of Soviet empire the psyche of Russian nation is represented by non decrepit Lada cars and beautiful albeit dumb girls who try to seduce different men.This is the most important message of this film which is a visual feast for all those who like to watch films which stimulate their minds.In "Day of the full Moon",one event leads to another event as human beings are connected to each other through a mysterious emotional bond.What is common in all these events is the Russianness of every character.Music is in the form of songs sung by the same characters.Acting is perfect as there is a Russian Shirley Mcclaine too.By making "Day of the full Moon", Russian director Karen Shaknazarov has made a Slavic version of Robert Altman's famous American film "Short Cuts".He has ensured that all sections of Russian society are fairly represented.As there are many characters in the film,weak viewers might be tempted to label them as bizarre characters.It is precisely at this spot that viewers will err as these people are not oddball characters. They represent the heart and soul of modern day Russia. It would be a grave error to ignore them as they are crucial to this film's progress.This film was shown during 13th IFFK 2009 as part of a Karen Shaknazarov retrospective.Cinema-Poet website has an interview with Russian director Karen Shaknazarov when he spoke to film critic Lalit Rao about his films and the influence of music on them.
