Nathan L A bunch of children strolling around during the first day of school : the beginning and the end of the movie are similar in form, but not in substance. Indeed, the whole movie is about how the Russian society was before 1991 and how the USSR collapse impacted people's lives.We follow Borya, Olga, Andrei and others through their childhood and present lives : it's funny how they were similar during the first period but how they differ now; through the film, you understand that although the perestroika allowed people to leave freer, it also gave them a sense of instability, or as one of the characters say, a sense of inutility.This movie may appeal to people interested in contemporary Russian history, but also those who are into psychology issues. There is a lot of thinking coming after you've seen Olga looking blankly at the window...

olga-day Life goes on. Political systems change. Economies provide wealth for all, or not. We ring the bell to start the school year, and life goes on.This documentary takes the five graduates of PS 57 in Moscow through the wild changes of Perestroika and the end of the Soviet Union. The "money" line for me was "No sausage, but we were happy". In the old days they had less but life felt good. The film addresses the complicated question of Socialism vs. Capitalism, but not directly. And that's a strength. The lives of the five subjects are sketched out., The huge drama of the Soviet Union collapsing is reported succinctly. We get to see the outline of these lives. We get to ponder the tense present of some, the placid present of others, and compare it to the stable and happy but less prosperous earlier life.A life on potatoes but without sausage seems grim to a materialist. A prosperous life without joy seems grim to a spiritualist. Both the Soviet Union and America were mixed economies. Both had socialist and capitalist elements. What's the right mix? This film is excellent background material for those pondering this question. It's also a great review of the last two decades of Moscow life.Minor complaint: though the entire film is in Moscow, and the "no sausage" line seems more like a description of Perestroika outside the major cities.

slopez-media 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.

JvH48 Documentaries are rarely powerful enough to let me watch to the end. Firstly, the voice over usually has an I-know-all, scholarly tone of voice that makes me cringe. Secondly, when famous scientists are invited to say a few words, they are commonly limited to (indeed) a few words, since too many long words may tick off the average viewer. Should I go on??This time I gladly make an exception to my rule. The chosen format is perfectly suited to bring the mixed message across. It does not "feel" like a documentary at all. The idea to round up a handful of average people, and letting them picture their own past, is very good. This is mostly due to the fact that a real cross section of the Russian people does the talking, supported by photos and film fragments, partly from their past and partly from television.The concept was not immediately clear from the start, and it required some time to take off. The talking heads (in the positive sense) were filmed in their own environment (home, school, their business, etcetera), and were just themselves telling us about their past and present ideas. This works perfectly, also providing us with some insight in the circumstances these people live(d) in.All in all, I'm glad that I overlooked the fact that this film was announced as a "documentary". This is a format for which new terminology should be invented.