Please ignore the 'lonely granny' review; this is quite simply one of the greatest films you will see. Sokurov allows for mystery and contemplation, but like Ozu, Sokurov is, I suppose, not for everyone. If Ozu's films are 'just about some boring Japanese family', then Alexandra can similarly be reduced to some misguided plot description. I'd say it's about what it means to be a soldier, what it means to not be a soldier, what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, what it means to be young, what it means to be old, what it means to be a human being. No answers, just a journey.