A darkly comic portrait of reluctant conscripts whose shared hardships produce resilience and unlikely camaraderie.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Troubled Roads To Service
Three young men with troubled civilian pasts are drawn into the Russian army of the 1990s. They arrive at an induction center alongside a varied group of reluctant recruits.
Key Events
Three Troubled Lives — Three young men are introduced through their troubled civilian circumstances.
Location: Various civilian settings
University Scandal — A university student is expelled after an affair with the dean's wife.
Location: University
Factory Fire Charges — A factory worker faces charges after accidentally causing a fire.
Location: Factory
Gambling Debts — A gambler attempts to escape creditors and his financial troubles.
Location: Civilian setting
Arrival At Induction Center — The three men arrive at an induction center with an eclectic group of recruits.
Location: Army induction center
Motley Recruits Gather — Reluctant conscripts from different backgrounds are assembled for service.
Location: Army induction center
The Warrant Officer's Journey
A warrant officer leads the recruits on a chaotic journey toward their base. The disorder of the trip establishes military service as an absurd and unstable environment.
Key Events
Warrant Officer Appears — A warrant officer takes charge of the recruits' movement toward their base.
Location: Army induction center
Chaotic Journey Begins — The recruits begin a chaotic journey under military supervision.
Location: Road to the army base
Recruits Reach Base — The group reaches the base and enters military life.
Location: Army base
Hazing And Brotherhood
At the base, senior soldiers impose intense hazing and the recruits endure repeated mishaps. Shared suffering gradually transforms strangers into an unlikely group of comrades.
Key Events
Senior Soldiers Haze Recruits — Senior soldiers subject the new recruits to intense hazing.
Location: Army base
The Slap — A humiliating incident becomes part of the recruits' difficult initiation.
Location: Army base
Series Of Mishaps — Repeated mishaps intensify the recruits' hardships and confusion.
Location: Army base
Unlikely Camaraderie — Shared hardship gradually creates solidarity among the recruits.
Location: Army base
The Samurai Boar
The recruits prepare a makeshift farm for a general's visit and encounter local widows and drunken officers. A boar hunt turns the assignment into a bizarre rural adventure.
Key Events
Makeshift Farm Assignment — The recruits are ordered to prepare a makeshift farm for a general's visit.
Location: Makeshift farm
Meeting Local Widows — The farm assignment brings the recruits into bizarre encounters with local widows.
Location: Local settlement
Drunken Officers — Drunken officers add further disorder to preparations for the inspection.
Location: Makeshift farm
Boar Hunt Begins — The farm episode develops into a chaotic hunt involving a boar.
Location: Rural area
Boar Hunt Goes Awry — The boar hunt becomes an uncontrolled and bizarre military adventure.
Location: Rural area
A Darkly Humorous Oath
The recruits participate in a darkly humorous swearing-in ceremony. The closing reflection emphasizes resilience as the central requirement of military life.
Key Events
Swearing-In Ceremony — The recruits take part in a darkly humorous swearing-in ceremony.
Location: Military ceremony area
Reflection On Endurance — The narration reflects on the resilience required to endure military life.
Location: Military setting
Story Breakdown
Civilian Troubles — The film introduces three young men through the personal crises that precede military service.
University Scandal — A student is expelled after an affair with the dean's wife.
Factory And Gambling Crises — A factory fire and gambling debts place two recruits under pressure.
Induction Center — The recruits enter the army system among a diverse group of reluctant conscripts.
Motley Recruits — Young men from varied backgrounds gather for conscription.
Forced Military Entry — Civilian problems give way to compulsory military service.
Chaotic Transfer — The first military journey exposes the disorder and absurdity of the service structure.
Warrant Officer Leads — A warrant officer directs the recruits toward their base.
Journey To Base — The transfer becomes a chaotic early test of military life.
Hazing And Mishaps — The recruits face harsh treatment and humiliating incidents after reaching the base.
Senior Soldier Hazing — Senior soldiers impose intense hazing on the new arrivals.
Shared Hardship — Repeated mishaps gradually strengthen solidarity among the recruits.
Farm Assignment — A practical assignment for an expected general's visit turns into an absurd rural episode.
Preparing The Farm — The recruits work to prepare a makeshift farm for inspection.
Local Encounters — The assignment involves local widows and disorderly officers.
Boar Hunt Chaos — The rural assignment escalates into a bizarre and uncontrolled hunt.
Hunt Begins — The recruits become involved in a hunt for a boar.
Adventure Unravels — The hunt goes awry and reaches the film's comic high point.
Military Initiation — The swearing-in ceremony frames military service as both absurd and demanding.
Darkly Comic Ceremony — The recruits complete a strange and humorous swearing-in ritual.
Resilience And Endurance — The closing reflection presents endurance as essential to surviving service.
The student, Rifle, has managed to seduce his professor's wife, Bomber, an average working guy, has bought a factory and Bullet, the casino lover, is hiding from creditors. They all share a common path and conscription. In the army they teach you that everything must be smart and in order - cockades, straps and all, otherwise you're not fit to call yourself a person, you're a maggot. For a real man, there's no better place than the army.
