Kira Muratova, then with the surname Korotkova, graduated in 1959 and quickly moved to Odessa and married Oleksandr Muratov, one of the directors at Odessa Film Studio. Together they made two films, before parting ways and Muratova made her first film on her own - Brief Encounters in 1967. She not only directed, but she also wrote it herself (together with Leonid Zhukhovichi) and plays one of the leading roles. The other female lead is played by Nina Ruslanova, also from Ukraine. Ruslanova, who should later become a popular actress with over 100 film roles, makes her film debut here and impresses with her portrayal of a naive and shy village girl that gradually develops into a mature woman.

One night, while the municipal politician Valentina (played by Muratova) is wondering whether she should do the dishes or write a speech for a waterworks conference, there is a knock on the door. Outside stands Nadya (Ruslanova), a young girl from the countryside, the new maid. Valentina's husband, the geologist Maksim, is on field work. In several short sequences, the scenes are presented in a temporal disorder. This requires the spectator to put the pieces together into a whole, and slowly a painful drama is revealed about people who are so different that love may become impossible…