My Perestroika (2010)

A Disappointing Continuation

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The acting in this movie is really good.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The documentary centers on 5 characters who were classmates for many years and belong to the last generation of Russians having spent their entire education in the soviet system. Through the sometimes very different outlooks of our 5 characters and inter weaved propaganda archive documents the viewer can see the contradictions of the life in USSR, but also the hardships of the brutal transition to a capitalist society. This film is truly objective in this sense that it narrates several divergent points of view, without imposing an editorial line, and we can see these points of view meet on many subjects. The Russians I know who watched the film (including my wife) all agree that it portrays accurately their society and their parents. I think anyone even remotely interested in Russia should watch this.

Combining vintage footage with modern interviews gives an informative glimpse into the everyday life of children in the Soviet Union and how different things are today for both the children and the adults. The interviews with the now-adults about their childhood were, in my opinion the most enlightening and interesting, as well as the portions about what it was actually like going through perestroika and glasnost. I thought it could have had a stronger theme tying the people together, but it may have just been a product of what the premise of the film was. Anyone interested in what Communism was actually like should definitely watch this.

My Perestroika successfully portraits personal impressions about the Soviet Union offering a refreshing counterpoint of ideas between characters. Perestroika can be understood for many as a Russian word connected with an important moment in Russian history. I can say that after following the stories of these 5 friends in Moscow I have a deep sense of human connection and respect for people who was dramatically affected in the process that Russia held around the 90s. I have an understanding of what Perestroika meant for them.Parallels between how these characters grew up and how their children are growing up nowadays allow audiences to perceive the contrast between communism and capitalism. This humanist film is a refined documentary full of cinematographic details and relevant opinions about an important historic issue.

I like this documentary, which recalls my memory in China. In some level, Russia is the big brother and father of China. We have the same faith, the same society mode, the similar party history and the similar memory about the past at once. Although the opening day of school in China is not as special as Russia's, it's also very important for every kid who is ready to begin their school life. We have the same red scarf, the young pioneer, the group activity out of campus, and a heart that is ready for constructing our country and socialism. We also have the firm faith of socialism, the three-years difficulty period, and finally have to learn how to confront the history and the collapse of the faith. Every September is the time for school to open. Every year, countless students come to school and begin their new life. Every generation has their difference and shares the similar experiences. They are the hot-blood young people at once. The school life for them is the perfect memory forever. Although society is changed, the leader is not the same one yet, they grew up, became rich or poor. They have suffered the pain and happiness. Their youth has been past as well as the heavy history. But the life is going on and the youth is going on.