Assistant Director
The novelette was written by I.Huseynov. In the film, the problem of war is viewed from the perspective of love. Almost all of the men of the village are at the battlefront. The women who stayed in the night and day to support their efforts. Children wake up in the middle of the night, crying for bread. All of the villagers feel anxious for the men to return. Mothers are waiting for their sons; wives, for their husbands and children, for their fathers. When Sayali's husband dies at the front, her husband's friend Jabrayil proposes to her. The people of the village are furious. Jabrayil's brothers leave home, convinced that their family has been disgraced. One brother goesw crazy; the other fall ill and dies. The only person who doesn't blame Jabrayil is the "agsaggal" (the wise old man) of the village - Isfandiyar Kishi. In this film, note single sound of weaponry is heard, not are any battle scenes depicted, yet we still witness the inherent tragedy of war.
Assistant Director
It is the story of an old man - Gulam - and the cherry tree which grew in his garden. As the story opens, the village children consider Gulam their best friend. But as the war wears on, Gulam directs his kindness and affection to his cherry tree, shielding the tree from the children who are starving. In the process, Gulam becomes very aggressive and eventually is seen as the enemy of the children. The movie shows how war can destory even the most tender and gentle feelings, as well as the most basic moral values of being human.
