Today in class we watched the film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", set in both "The Thaw" and "Stagnation" time periods in Russia. I really liked this film, mainly because it reminded me of "Irony of Fate". Although, there was something that "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" did that "Irony of Fate" did not...which was show WAY more Moscow life and more than just one apartment building. It definitely appealed to me, and showed me the way that a woman living in a dormitory and working her butt off lived, and how even she could move up so high in the industry to become a successful individual. I liked how the director made sure that the friends (Lyudmila and Tonya) didn't disappear towards the end of the movie, although it mainly focused on Katya and her odd meeting with Gosha. I get distracted by how fun life actually seemed back then, realizing that sometimes I didn't think it could be that good. Even at the beginning when they showed what people were saying on the street, it was somewhat bizarre.
The three girls were super interesting. I think I could relate best to Lyudmila (although I am not THAT superficial), I thought her character was super believable and brought a lot of optimism and humor to the movie. She made me laugh with all her aspirations to meet the most important people of Moscow, and make sure that she fraternized with them! Tonya seemed a little more laid back, like Katya, but she was obviously the first one to get involved seriously with a man. And Katya seemed like she wanted to find the right guy in the right way, yet she didn't have the chance to do that. It was somewhat sad how her pregnancy came to be, but her daughter turned out to be such a blessing and motivation for her to work double as hard!
Katya's decisions to raise the baby and never let Rudolph have anything to do her was worth it. She stuck to her guns and kept her guard up. That guard was eventually let down when she truely realized how good of a guy Gosha was. He was a crazy guy! I didn't like how forward he was at first on the train, but he probably got the feeling that Katya was one to fight for. I thought it was interesting how they had such a difference in jobs, and was happy when Gosha accepted the fact that she made more money than him.
At the end of the movie, I realized that this film taught a great lesson. People should not only not worry about what a person is worth, but who they are. Even though Rudolph seemed to be a promising man in the TV industry, he turned out to be a terrible man and he learned his lesson (kind of). This film also taught me to let things happen, because at the end of it all, you will find everything in life you want. :)
To me this movie seemed less like "Irony of Fate" and more like a Russian dark version of "Sex and the City" or something like that or at least the first half of the movie. I do agree with your thoughts on the conclusion though.
ReplyDeleteI liked how they showed how women can be strong and independent even when they have gone through bad experiences, but based on their bad history that doesn't spiral them down. They learn from it, and make sure they can accomplish more and better for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe film definitely does an admirable job of weaving together the separate threads of the three girlfriends' lives...and giving us some very compelling male characters along the way as well!
ReplyDeleteAnd what's also really amazing about the film is the way it conveys both time periods so well without overdoing it. The director Vladimir Menshov and his crew were very deliberate about getting the details (down to everything we see on the walls and in the streets) just rest.
And haha, you're right, Izzy, we see more than just a single apartment, don't we!!!