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You can watch Ballad of a Soldier (1959) for free on Darkroom.

During World War II, earnest young Russian soldier Alyosha Skvortsov is rewarded with a short leave of absence for performing a heroic deed on the battlefield. Feeling homesick, he decides to visit his mother. Due to his kindhearted nature, however, Alyosha is repeatedly sidetracked by his efforts to help those he encounters, including a lovely girl named Shura. In his tour of a country devastated by war, he struggles to keep hope alive.

Alyosha trades his precious leave of absence for moments spent assisting strangers, letting a brief journey home slip through his fingers. This lyrical odyssey captures the heartbreaking collision between individual kindness and the relentless momentum of war.

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