Burnt by the Sun

The title of the film "Burnt by the Sun" has a socialist party reference to it. The sun is the socialist party and its ideals. The people of the Soviet Union were "burned" by their own people. In the case of the movie, it was the Colonel, a decorated war hero, that was cut down by the very people he fought for. The fact that Mitya was the one orchestrating the capture and execution of the colonel was unfortunate. Mitya and Kotov both supported Stalin, they upheld the laws of their nation, but they did not trust one another. They accused each other of being traitors.
Another "sun" in this movie was Marusia. She was the light of Mitya's and Kotov's lives. The men were so in love with her. Mitya was obviously deeply envious of Kotov and the life he had built. Kotov had a beautiful family. He had a little girl that very intelligent and had an obvious love for her father and mother. The family was picture perfect before Mitya came around.
When we found out that Marusia tried to kill herself when Mitya left her, I didn't know who to feel pity for. Marusia clearly had the right to be heartbroken, she was not given an explanation when she was left behind. We did find out later that Mitya was given a choice, go to prison or serve the Motherland. When Mitya's side of the story comes out, I felt like Kotov did it on purpose in order to get Marusia. I was never really sure what Mitya did to be given that type of choice. The way accusations were flying around in the woods during the soccer ball search, I began to think that both men were quite innocent. I think they were victims only of the propaganda poured into their heads combined with the fear of the NKVD. The last scene of the movie supports the men's innocence when Mitya is the bath tub full of water and blood. The fact that he killed himself in the way that Marusia tried to kill herself tugs at the heartstrings of the audience.
At the end of the movie I felt that everyone involved was a victim. Even Nadya ended up being taken, the symbol of peace and innocence of the movie. She was the sunshine to everyone, she was the healing sun. Kotov tells his daughter that she is the peace in his life. Nadya's role in the film makes what the NKVD so much more evil. They stole everything from her, and she is the future of the country. She wanted to follow in her father's footsteps in service to her country.
This film was made for a Russian audience and an international one. The reasons I think this was made for Russians was because this was a film that showed the 1930's without censorship. This movie was a lesson for the generation did not live during this time. It lets the Russians come to terms with their history. Kotov's and Mitya's characters show the conflict that existed everywhere in Russia.
It was also for an international audience because this is a story that would have never escaped Russia under the Soviet Union. It shows that the USSR turned men into something else. I got the feeling that neither Kotov nor Mitya liked what they had become. This story was one that would have undermined the authority of Stalin. Countries around the world might have treated Russia different had this story come out in 1930. "Burnt by the Sun" was a great story that needed to be told to the world.