Alyonka (1962): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1962, Alyonka is a comedy and family film directed by Boris Barnet, running about 86 minutes.

What it’s about. Set in 1955 when many migrated from Russia to the Steppes of Kazakhstan, this is the trip back to the Canal from the frontier and farms by a number of people who tell their settler stories. Alenka Muratova (Ovodova) is a winsome 13 year old who talks Dmitry Prokovich, the chief mechanic for the Soviet, into giving up his seat in the truck to a young mother with her infant daughter. Then Alenka and Dmitry share the back of the open truck with a young woman, newly graduated dentist who has not been able to find a position, Stefan, a hitchhiker with a dog who hopes his upper-class wife will return to him and the countryside, and Vasselina Petrovolka, a woman who lost one of her twin daughters in a riding accident by the river shortly after they arrived, and now is returning to tell the other twin of her sister's fate. A warm hearted look at common folks traveling in the frontier.

Who’s in it. Alyonka stars Natalya Ovodova as Alyonka, Irina Zarubina, Vasiliy Shukshin and Erast Garin, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.8/10, Alyonka has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Alyonka page.

If you liked it. Fans of Alyonka tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.