"Burnt by the Sun" glides effortlessly, seamlessly though the genres as it tells of a handful of Russian characters who collectively constitute a family of sorts with great humor and drama, poignant and sweetly sentimental moments, and excellence both technically and artistically. What is more, the film's story is interesting, unpredictable, and well told with depth and thoroughly developed characters.

The much which has been written about the politics of the our time, the Oscar award and the bravura with which it was accepted, etc. is much ado about nothing. This is a movie. This is art and entertainment. And, when taken for what it is, "Burnt by the Sun" is truly a masterpiece.

There have been many documentaries describing the mass torture, starvation and murder of the Russians during the reign of Stalin. This film is unusual in that it really only centers on a TINY portion of the horror--in this case a beloved hero of the 1917 revolution and his family. He is a paragon of the community and seems to be a decent man down deep and he has a lovely family (though I was a bit confused by his relationship with his young wife--this was the only poorly written portion of the movie). The film begins with the family on vacation in their Dacha, when, unexpectedly, an old boyfriend from the wife's past shows. He is a charming and talented musical entertainer and much of the film then centers on his relationship with the daughter (who looks about 7 years-old). Where the film goes from there and the betrayals and tragedies I won't describe--it would spoil the film. However, it is important to note that you'll come to really care about the characters and their fates.

Russia, 1936: revolutionary hero Colonel Kotov is spending an idyllic summer in his dacha with his young wife and six-year-old daughter Nadia and other assorted family and friends. Things change dramatically with the unheralded arrival of Cousin Dmitri from Moscow, who charms the women and little Nadia with his games and pianistic bravura.

Russian history is strange, especially for Americans. Was the end of the monarchy a good thing? How about the rise of Lenin? Or the takeover from Stalin? Depending on who you believe, any of these three could be heroes or demons. This film is set during the rise of Stalin, still a few years off from World War II.

How accurate it is, I do not know. But it seems like a nice time to be a Russian. Perhaps even better than today (2015). Or maybe just a good time to be an important military figure.