About

Once a star fighter pilot in the Soviet military, the middle-aged Nadezhda now lives a comfortable existence as a school principal in the peace of post-war Russia. Worn down by the quiet drudgery of her new life, she longs to return to the freedom and excitement of the skies.

Wings proved to be a breakthrough success for Larisa Shepitko. While not a commercial triumph, it established her as an ambitious director who could engage incisively with the complex Soviet relationship with the Great Patriotic War. The film also received unanimous praise for the incredible central performance by Maya Bulgakova, who captures the melancholy of a person feeling they are fading into irrelevance. A moving, tender portrait told with intelligence and technical acuity.