She reminds me of Tony's mum from 'The Sopranos'. She's visiting her grandson who is in the Russian army, during the Second Chechen War. She complains a lot, she pushes the soldiers around, and they all act mildly afraid of this frail old woman. That's basically the whole thing.
The movie is very slow and thoughtful, with scenes dragging on for a long time. Even the dialogue is slow, the actors seeming to take a long time to think over what they are going to say. Alexandra acts as a force for change in the army camp and outwith, she doesn't physically affect anyone, and on the outside nothing changes throughout the whole movie (which may be surprising - there is no action at all, despite it being set in a military base during an occupation), but she gets people to think in new ways. Everywhere she goes soldiers stare at her, and are very careful around her. She reminds them all of the outside world, and the lives in it that these young men are missing out on. She is a relic of that world, and so is treated by all of them with wonder, care, and a certain amount of fear.
Either I was more tired than I thought, or there are some very subtle distortions in this film. The shot is still, yet bends very slightly as a character walks across the screen. Warping just a little, like a mirage. It's extremely smart, and I was captivated.
There is little else I can find to say about this movie. It was very specific in it's theme, and extremely slow. It will bore many, and you really have to be in the right mood to appreciate it, but it's beautiful and chilling in it's way.
Alexandra: 71.4