Irony of Fate Part 1

Irony of Fate, a Russian made film made in 1975, depicts the mishap between two people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. What is interesting about the opening credits is the emphasis on how all apartment buildings in Russia look the same. They are almost identical in every city all over the country. This was the most common means of living for the public as well. Even today, it isn't common for someone to own a single home. During the time period in which the movie was made, Communism was the form of government. The idea in this society is that everyone must earn the same amount regardless of profession and that everyone must have the same beliefs.

The film is set during the holiday season. Since it was looked down upon to celebrate Christmas, New Year's Day served as a prelude holiday. People would decorate trees in there homes and share presents, but they made an effort to show these gestures did not have symbolic meaning to the birth of Christ. As the plot of the film begins to unfold, we first see two of the main characters, Zhenya and Galya, decorating their New Years tree in Zhenya's apartment. Zhenya is featured as the protagonist in the film due to his upbeat attitude and willingness to always do the right thing. When he asks Galya to settle down with him, she accepts. In response, Zhenya goes to a bathhouse to celebrate the good news with his friends where he proceeds to get incredibly drunk on vodka and beer. Two of the friends remain sober enough to remember that either Zhenya or their friend Pavlik needs to board a plane to Leningrad from Moscow. By accident, they put the wrong person on the plane. When Zhenya wakes up from his drunken coma on the plane, he gets in a taxi and goes to what he thinks is his apartment in Moscow. When he arrives at his address, to my disbelief, he is able to use his apartment key to gain entry into someone else's home. What is also interesting is that the furniture is very similar to that of his apartment in Moscow. I feel the directors are poking fun at the Communist way of thinking here. The ideology in Russia at the time is that everyone should be equal and that the government makes all the decisions for the public. A few moments later, we are introduced to the second protagonist in the film, and woman named Nadya who is the homeowner.

There is also lot of irony in the way the plot is beginning to unfold. The fact that the Russians built simliar style apartment buildings with the same street names in different cities in an effort to equalize the country is exactly the reason why Zhenya is in this predicament in the first place. When he finally begins to sober up, he realizes the severity of the situation. He is in danger of ruining his relationship with Galya, while Nadya is in danger of being accused of cheating on her boyfriend, Ippolit, for having a strange man in her apartment. Unfortunately, both parties receive the short end of the stick and lose their significant other over this horrible mishap.

My prediction for part 2 of the movie is that Zhenya and Nadya will become close to one another as the night goes on. Nadya has already staged Zhenya as Ippolit to her girlfriends and the two seem to be hitting it off despite the grim circumstances. Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't kick him to the curb the second she lost Ippolit due to his personal issues with his friends getting too drunk and putting him on a plane to Leningrad. But who knows, time will tell...