Wings (Krylya)
Directed by Larisa Shepiitko
Written by Valentin Ezhov and Natalya Ryazantseva
1966/USSR
Mosfilm
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [/box]

Touching story of post-War readjustment from a director who died way too young.

Nadezhda Petruchina is a schoolteacher at a provincial school.  She was a famous fighter pilot during the war, when sweetheart died.  The trauma has left Nadezhda a rigid disciplinarian and unable to connect with others including her colleagues, students, or daughter.

Mayya Bulgakova gives a tender, sensitive performance as the heroine.  The film is beautifully shot.  I prefer Shepitko’s The Ascent (1977) but this is also well worth seeing.