Winter Cherry

Vladimir Valutsky (1936–2015) is the author of the scripts for many beloved films («Yaroslavna, Queen of France», «The King of Blackmail», «Deadly Duel» and «Hunt for a Tiger» about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, «Mary Poppins, Goodbye!»... and others). However, at the end of his life, he said: «The work of a screenwriter by its nature is stressful... It is much easier and more pleasant to compose leisurely prose. It has always attracted and seduced me, and in the breaks between film projects, I wrote something.» «Winter Cherry» (1985) is one of the most popular melodramas in Russian cinema. The basis of the famous film, which sold 32 million tickets, is the eponymous novel. «Leisurely prose» about the love of ordinary people, Vadim and Olga, is written with Valutsky's inherent light sadness, gentle humor, and empathy for the characters. «...If two people love each other, if they feel so good together, as if nothing can be imagined... It's simpler than two times two, right?» Vadim has a family, and Olga is unsure whether a romance with a married man will bring her happiness. Are the rules of «simple arithmetic» applicable to their story?