MUBI

I’ll open by being quite hyperbolic: This is the best Soviet film of all time! That’s right, right out of the gates, I shock and awe. To call this film a Soviet New Wave — which is a title it’s garnered — is false and puts the wrong perceptions in people’s heads. I can see the comparison; It’s very French New Wave in fashion. The lack of plot, no noticeable jumps in time, et al. These devices ask for comparison, but it’s an injustice to even compare this masterpiece to the likes of the French New Wave or any other Wave for that matter.

Filmed during a time when creativity was being stifled by the new conservatives in the Soviet Union, it surprisingly wasn’t banned by government. Though, it was limited to only 100 prints, and wasn’t allowed into the Venice Film Festival, so it didn’t get the viewership it much deserves. But why was it limited? It wasn’t that political, and on it’s surface it portrays a love once lively, which crumbles after small events. Though that may be the problem. The protagonists of our film’s relationship can be seen as an allegory for the Soviet nation. There was no single event that caused the collapse, many little events, over time, caused it’s destruction.

It’s a rare glimpse into 1960s Moscow. See the lives of the youth, the creative, the intellectuals, the “free.” Have fun with Lena (our protagonist) but also feel her trepidation. Her alarm of what’s to come for herself, where she is going. Lena represents the Soviet nation that should be. On the surface, things all seem well, though nothing is well.