There are countless questions after watching this movie.
Who is this movie for? Main character is 11 and many supporting ones are same age or younger. But I doubt so young children would understand it. Teenagers might understand more, but they are usually more interested in movies about kids their own age. It could be a drama for adults about children (like Torzok, Pretty Baby or Fanny och Alexander), but child games about Indians seem to be too long to keep adults' attention. I taped the movie one Saturday morning when TV usually shows cartoons or fairy tales, or adventure movies like Dreamgate or Tom Sawyer. I wonder if anyone watched this movie before deciding when it will be shown.
I like movies hard to understand. I avoid only-action movies and brain washing comedies. But I still have some problems with this one. First, does anyone believe an 11-year would use words and phrases Lisa (main character) uses during train scenes? And what is she doing there? Did parents send her away after what she had done (but how could it be that she went alone) or did she run away from home? Was it next day or long time after... (I don't want to say to much in case you didn't watch it so far.)
Some scenes were beautiful, like the opening one, as made by Tarkovsky or Mikhalkov. The repeating pool scenes that connect pieces of this puzzle-movie were also beautiful, and they fit well, but should start appearing earlier in the movie. But this rare poetic scenes or those poetic sentences from the train don't follow and are not followed by anything that could be compared to them. This contrast is too big. Lisa during the movie never expresses feelings that could make us believe those are her dreams and her words.
The children violence scene is weird. If a gang of children wants to revenge a girl for destroying their magazines with nude pictures, I don't think they would humiliate her by dirtying her stomach. Or was there something else I didn't recognize? That scene was too long and not so important. The rape scene, on the other hand, was too short - I had to rewind it to understand what happened at all. I don't like any violence but so important event must be clear, it's one of the crucial moments. You don't have to show anything if it's too disturbing, but you must tell what's going on. (I've opened a board about that and would like to read other's opinions.)
Some adult roles and actors are good, or even great (like the grandmother), also is the social dimension of the movie. I've mentioned beautiful photography; most of the movie is dark, with a lack of bright colors, what is adequate to way Lisa's family and neighbors live. Film has also a good construction - a puzzle of Lisa's flashbacks (separated and connected by only colorful - pool - scenes). But, still, the most important question stays unanswered: who should this movie be recommended to?
