The melancholy world of Chechnya, divided into three rooms, each an elegiac portrayal of a land without spirit. In the first room we are introduced to cadets in a military academy; it is in the subtle detail of their ritualistic habits that we understand the emptiness of their lives. In the second room we see and feel the apocalyptic city of Groznyy, utterly destroyed by war. Finally, we feel the effects of the war in a town close by, the sense that this war has traveled through the air, touching everyone. The film’s elegant score and powerful imagery draw you into spaces that few would want to inhabit. Do not miss this. Albeit sad, this film is a monumental achievement and paean to the wastes of war.