One of the Russian army's last existing outposts, seen through the young eyes of a 19-year-old rookie. In the midst of the vast and frozen nothingness, and more than a thousand kilometres from the nearest tree, a handful of old soldiers and their young assistant are left to deal with themselves, the magnificent nature and the antiquated political ideas that keeps them on their toes, as they ward off invisible enemies from the Russian borders. Young Aleksey has to gain the respect of his ageing superiors in the more or less absurd and pointless rituals and routines of everyday life. 'The Edge of Russia' does not criticise, but instead provides a human image of isolated men who are looking for refuge from the unwieldy chaos of civilian life within the self-inflicted order and discipline of the army. A discipline that is only interrupted by vodka and sad songs. Unforgettable characters, their secrets and demons from their lives as civilians, marked by a special 'Russian' blend of melancholy and manly bravery. The young Polish director Michal Marczak's dazzling debut brings the spectator right up to the border of a fallen empire, whose political ambitions and harsh nature are united in a spectacular metaphor for a modern Russia, which itself remains out of the picture.