I really don't know where to begin to describe how I feel about this film. It was truly one of the most depressing things I have ever seen on the big screen. The entire plot was one big cluster of negative emotions and hatred amongst everyone in the movie. Vera, the main character seemed to have it the worst out of anyone. She was constantly being bombarded with one tragic event after another. I really felt for her. Her life was spinning out of control and when things seemed like they couldn't get much worse, the universe gave her a slap in the face and piled on more heartbreak. Honestly, I felt a bit depressed after sitting through this one.
Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I want to talk a little about the historical significance of the film. It takes place during the fall of the Soviet Union and there are noticeable differences between this film and the others we have seen. The younger generation is way more outspoken in comparison to a few years earlier and they are beginning to experiment with cultural norms, such as music preferences, social interactions, and relationships. Teenagers are no longer constricted to the old ways of the old regime and are more open minded.
When we look at Vera, she seems like a very independent person. The way she dresses and her hairstyle suggest she is not someone who conforms to the way people want her to look and that she will do what she wants, when she wants. Unfortunately, this way of thinking does not always pan out for her. She tends to hangout with the wrong crowd and she keeps more untrustworthy people closer to her than loved ones. I understand that a lot of the things she went through in the movie were out of her control, such as her parents telling her they didn't want her and discovering she will not pursue a college degree with her best friend. However, there were a few things that she could have avoided, like not being such a flirt with bad guys and cutting down on her drinking habits. This was a main theme in the movie as well. Alcoholism is not a joke and we saw that firsthand when Vera's dad stabbed her boyfriend with a knife while drunk. The bottom line is, every family has their own issues, but putting the blame game on each other is not the way to resolve any problem. I do have sympathy for Vera and her family because I think it is a real shame that they felt the need to act in such a hostile way towards each other. In the end, it really didn't solve anything. It just resulted in Vera attempting suicide.
Now that you say it, I totally notice how the younger generation was much more outspoken. I really just couldn't stand both generations to be honest but I the two generations were completely different. One was emotional and the other was angry and strict.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that every character--except possibly the boyfriend/fiancé Sergei--is good, or at least has very good traits and under the right (and easier!) circumstances all could go well with them, and they could get along. But what seems to happen is a chain of straitened and strained circumstances that are causing them all to tear at the seams--and then vicious circles are created that only intensify the problems.
ReplyDeleteAnd I even want to say that ten years earlier *all* of the figures in this film (yes, possibly even Sergei) could have been good...but that the disintegration and loss of purpose in Soviet society has deflated their lives and taken away the crucial things that they otherwise would have shared.
I feel like since Vera had a disregard for the future, she brought most of her problems to herself. There was a lot of advice directed at her, it's almost as if she felt there was no point in thinking about a meaningless future. She never thought much on it as the last movie we watched did.
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