In his constant quest for innovative and avant-garde cinematic expression, director Alexander Sokurov has set himself apart, and his films are highly prized by those who relish very obscure, esoteric works which focus on skillfully photographed and emotionally evocative imagery. In the meditative scenario of this black-and-white production, filmed at the Anton Chekhov museum, a young museum guard and an enigmatic older man (possibly the long-dead writer himself) have a number of inconclusive but interesting encounters. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi