Like in all Ozon films, the director doesn't comment on the events, shows them like an observer, doesn't judge the persons, the viewer has to actively ingage in the film and develop his standpoint, but in the end gives his moral statement through the work as a whole. Everything you have to know is there, but you have to connect the dots by yourself.

That's an interesting comment. I wrote somewhere that "I think the positive remarks have come from those who are willing to let their minds run amok during the space Ozon doesn't allow us to access." Basically, I was willing to draw the lines if there were enough "dots" there. Ozon gave us the big moments: wedding night, birth of a child, divorce, etc., but I found it difficult to access the instances (in my mind, I guess) that led to their demise.