The Steamroller and the Violin

A gentle tale of a boy-violinist who is taunted by his peers and misunderstood by the predominantly female figures in his life (mother, music teacher, little girl-violinist), but introduced to the world of "manliness" by a chance encounter with a member of the working class. Both boy and man are enriched by the interchange, which crosses lines of class and age.

For fans of Tarkovsky, it is more revealing as a foretaste of visual images in the filmmaker's later work than of thematic development. But as a study of human psychology and an image of life in the former Soviet Union, it is a source of much to contemplate. Since the story line has certain gaps in it (the editing seems more image- than plot-oriented), however, it bears watching through twice (at 43 minutes, this is not a cumbersome task!)