A farmer and his wife live in a rural part of Inner Mongolia with their three children. Chinese population control policies prevent them from having any more. The farmer sets out for the nearest town to obtain birth control. He comes upon a Russian truck driver who has ended up in a lake. The farmer takes the man back to his farm, and after initially being appalled, the Russian becomes enchanted with the peaceful life of the countryside and decides to stay. But his presence presages big changes for the peasants.
Unfortunately the movie Close to Eden is not yet available on HBO Max.
| Directing | Nikita Mikhalkov | Director |
| Editing | Joëlle Hache | Editor |
| Camera | Roman Ovcharenko | Additional Director of Photography |
| Camera | Jean-Jack Brehier | Steadicam Operator |
| Costume & Make-Up | Larisa Avdyushko | Makeup Artist |
| Production | Jean-Louis Piel | Executive Producer |
| Production | Michel Seydoux | Producer |
| Production | René Cleitman | Associate Producer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Irina Ginno | Costume Design |
| Camera | Vilen Kalyuta | Director of Photography |
| Production | Nikita Mikhalkov | Producer |
| Production | Leonid Vereshchagin | Producer |
| Sound | Eduard Artemyev | Original Music Composer |
| Writing | Rustam Ibragimbekov | Screenplay |
| Camera | Valery Anisimov | Additional Director of Photography |