Can anyone explain to me the fondness that Pavel (the customs man) suddenly develops for Petrushka? I feel like a sexual relationship is vaguely suggested, but I don't think that it was intentional. Or was it?
shareOf course there's no sexual context, what a silly suggestion. Petrukha reminded Vereshagin of the son he never had. At one point camera shows a photo of him and his wife standing by a small coffin, suggesting that their only child died at the young age. He develops paternal feelings towards his young drinking partner.
Plus Petrukha is generally a nice, likable guy, while Vereshagin literally lives on the border, stuck between old and new times, surrounded by bandits and bastards. At that point he is glad to meet a pure soul not corrupted by anything, finances or politics. Three main characters are three Russian archetypes of different age, and there's a strong connection between each of them, as well as Russian viewers, which is why the movie's still so popular after 50 years.