And on the first through fifth day, God created the potato.

The first thing that caught my attention was the repeat of the lining up of bullets. I believe it was Chapaev [i think!!] where the bullets were taken out and lined up equally for no apparent reason.

The girl that beats up the doll made me laugh a little, because it is untypical of a little girl [or at least the typical female child] to decide to beat up the doll. Also when she calls out "you tramp!", it was later repeated by the father, and is most likely the place that she learned it.

There were a few spots in the movie where the scene changed suddenly. Or the mood had an underlying implication and then changed drastically.
As the three kids fight in the bathtub, it is all in good humor. They laugh and fight, and even the mother laughs as she tears them apart from eachother, but immediately after, the sounds of war are heard in the distance and then come rumbling down the street.
The shot of Vavilova's stomach as she crosses the room struck me, because immediately after, the two mothers/soon to be mother's contrasts are bluntly shown. The motherly figure that loves her children without fail and the mother that does not want her soon to be son are vividly colored. It is the first time that someone truly argues with Vavilova's want to have an abortion.
Along with her pregnancy, I found it strange that they never truly mention how far along she is. Even when the conversation is mentioned, the answer is whispered.

The birth of the child was an interesting concept on it's own. Vavilova, as she drifts in and out of consciousness, seems to revert to what is familiar [war] in order to conquer the unfamiliar [labor and birth]. As labor starts, the shot drifts from dry cracked earth to the sand that the wagon is stuck in. This could be interpreted as Vavilova's movement from the military to her new life as a mother and the struggle that goes with it. Although it appears nicer [the sand], motherhood still bears it's difficulties and ultimately can be 'harder than war'. However, the sand is nicer to the touch, whereas the cracked earth seems tough and has spaces that are 'missing something.'
The upside down shots, similar to those in Ballad of a Soldier caught me due to the repeat.

As Vavilova attempts to push the wagon by herself, it represents the fact that she suddenly feels alone in this feat. The random steel machines in the war dreams seem to be everywhere. The men with picks [??] and the larger steel machine seem out of place on the beach, but are likely to represent her want to have an abortion and lose the child on this journey through motherhood. They may also be representative of her difficulties throughout this new experience.

As Vavilova believes she is going to die, the horses without riders are suddenly shown, emphasizing her could-be death.