About the film
For centuries the village of Matyora has stood on an island in the Angara river. Now a hydroelectric dam is being built, and the island will go under water. The villagers are moved to a new settlement.
For the old people, especially old Darya, leaving means losing their whole world: their homes, their graves and their way of life.
The film was begun by Larisa Shepitko, who died in a car crash during preparation, and completed by her husband Elem Klimov.
Did you know?
- Larisa Shepitko died in 1979 while preparing the film; Elem Klimov, her husband, finished it.
- It is based on Valentin Rasputin's novella Farewell to Matyora.
