Two in One

One of Muratova’s strangest films. Two stories capriciously represent and contradict each other. Nowhere else does Muratova so urgently ask for the collaboration of the viewer, whom she makes a co-author. The film is seen by some as contemporary art.
The first part is filmed as a play on stage, the second as a carnivalesque spectacle. First, the viewers are the audience of a play being staged at a theatre in the province. Later, they see the fireworks heralding the new year. The first act is like a Shakespearean tragedy with themes from Hamlet, played by amateurs. The second act is like a Shakespearean comedy, in which famous actors shine and ham it up. In the first act, Muratova chooses improvisation. The second act is presented as a show, full of intermezzos and burlesque.
When the curtain rises, the actors either play grotesquely or pseudo-psychologically. As such, Muratova confuses the viewers, who don't know if they are watching theatre or a 'real' film. Here she not only explodes genres, but also art forms.