The Last Meeting

Writer Pavel Snegirev comes to the village where during the war there was an orphanage where he spent his childhood, and meets his old friend Klim Avilov. The collective farm foreman does not understand and does not accept the writer, who did not keep his promised word and did not return after the army, thereby betraying both their friendship and the love of Anichka, who had been waiting for Pavel all this time. Their meeting is the last in their lives.

Directed by Boris Buneev, The Last Meeting leans on a strong ensemble — Gennady Sayfulin, Alyosha Molostov, Vladimir Menshov — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1974.