I would like to start with a small digression. In the famous film "The Man from the Capuchin Boulevard" the main character was called "Mr. Fest", that is, the First. This man brought cinematography to the provincial American town, which radically changed the lives of local residents. These were films about love and betrayal, drama and comedy, they made people cry and laugh, become better and deeper look into themselves. And then "Mr. Second", that is, the Second, came to the town. He brought completely different films: stupid, vulgar, but spectacular and understandable. And this second grade seemed to the residents of the town more interesting, it was in favor of such cinema that they made their choice.
Since then, nothing has changed in art in general and in cinema in particular. There are smart, beautiful films that affect the soul and excite the mind, which change the viewer for the better, but there are everyone else. Vera Watchdog’s film “Traveling with Pets” falls into the first category.
It was shot in 2007 by the “Elephant” studio and in the same year was awarded the highest award of the 29th Moscow International Film Festival. The starring role was played by actress Ksenia Kutepova, the central supporting role was played by Dmitry Dyuzhev.
The main character of the film “Traveling with Pets” Natalya is a wild, silent young woman who, until she was 35, remained in the cocoon of life chosen by others. Her childhood was spent in an orphanage. When the girl turned sixteen, she was "sold" as a wife to a stranger. So she lived on a lonely stop, not seeing anything but passing trains, the unsociable, still alien "master" (as she called her husband) and her cow. The life story of Natalia begins at the moment when the "master" dies, and she remains alone. “Mistress” to herself. For the first time, she saw herself and everything around with her own eyes. The cocoon that has fettered her all these years has opened, and a woman was born. She is only 35, she is able to love and be loved, the whole world is open to her, and she learns to open up to meet him.
Traveling with Pets is a parable film. Natalia meets people who pass through her life, bringing with herself something new, but without changing the essence of her personality. She gets acquainted with the driver Sergey (Dyuzhev), to whom she experiences first strong feelings, but does not allow him to stay close and drive her back into the same rut.
The second person with whom a woman speaks more than once is a local priest involved in the restoration of the temple. He tells Natalya that one must live in love, and without it, sin.
The heroine decides to drastically change her life and move away from this gloomy wretched house, but cannot leave her only friends - a dog and a goat (she had sold the cow by that time), so she embarks on a trip with her pets on a boat.
The ultimate goal of her journey is the orphanage in which she grew up. This is the only place besides the half-station that she knows, and in which they know her. Here she meets her former classmate - a tall awkward person who remained to work in an orphanage as a physical education teacher. This person says a phrase that characterizes not only the film “Traveling with Pets”, but also how our life works. When asked by Natalia about the family, he replies: “No, I have not married. Tall is hard. And it’s hard for the little ones. The average is good. ”
The film ends with Natalya “taking” the boy from the orphanage, because she always dreamed about children and because he was as lonely and as red as she herself. Kozu leaves fresh milk for the “children” and floats on his boat along the endless river to meet fate with his only companions - a child and a dog.
The picture “Traveling with Pets” turned out to be very feminine. She collected the reviews contradictory, but to a greater degree laudatory. In order to make your own idea of this film, free one evening, redo all the affairs, sit alone in front of the screen and watch it.