Things become just as convoluted and bizarre as the situation implies. Unfortunately, Konchalovsky doesn't do anything to make this organized chaos compelling in any fashion. The patients run amok for a while before some Chechen soldiers commandeer the hospital. They want the supplies and could care less about the patients. Janna and Ali (Stanislav Varkki) are two of the sanest patients, and try to ensure that everybody else has adequate care. Janna helps by playing polka on her accordion. This soothes the other patients, and also thrusts Janna into her fantasy world. When she plays, she envisions better things; the room lights up and the people around her dance.

Ahkmet (Sultan Islamov) tells Janna he wants to marry her. Obviously he doesn't but Janna doesn't know this, and a good part of the film is her preparing for her wedding. Konchalovsky used actual patients for some of the roles (much like the film Quitting). The scenes with patients quickly become tedious. The juxtaposition between Janna's idealized fantasy life and reality doesn't work either. As the war worsens, the plight of the patients increases as does the boredom of the audience.

Presumably, Konchalovsky is trying to say something about the futility of war and how people can find happiness is simple things. Instead, House of Fools feels like an exercise in the bizarre. However, there is one scene that redeems the film. Chechens have control of the hospital, but Russian soldiers arrive to bring a dead Chechen soldier. The initial encounter is tense, as both sides feel edgy and uneasy. Soon, they discover that in Afghanistan, the Chechens rescued the Russian commander. Other soldiers trade drugs for ammunition. Clearly, both sides to not want to fight each other. The moment is quiet, almost surreal. Both commanders sit almost uneasily enjoying the moment before they have to return to violence. This is by far the most powerful moment in the film, and it's a shame that it is such a small part of House of Fools.