Mjeteconer Just perfect...

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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...

mraydun I was blown away by how easy it was for me (as well as for my husband) to relate to this film but I don't think you have to be of similar background in order to find this film fascinating and enlightening.I loved that the film wasn't solely political, but focused more on these people's lives instead. This was an excellent little window into people's lives. Of course, this cannot be representative of all Russians, but these five people have very different lives and it was interesting to see what choices or happenings led them to where they are today. There is much nostalgia present in this film, although I do not think that this nostalgia is for the Soviet regime. Like all people, these subjects are nostalgic for their childhoods, when everything seemed better and one simply did not have to deal with any real, mundane problems. Their reflections are very heartwarming. All in all, I highly recommend this film.

MilladoN8 I was lucky enough to see "My Perestroika" at NYC's IFC Center, where director Robin Hessman answered questions following a screening of her film. She stressed that her documentary isn't so much representative of all Russians, but rather a cross-section of "ordinary Russians living in extra-ordinary times." Hessman focused her lens on five childhood classmates who entered school in communist Moscow but came of age during the fall of the Iron Curtain. She had incredible access to her five subjects: punk rocker Ruslan, single mom Olga, successful businessman Andrei, and married history teachers Borya and Lubya. By shooting solo (instead of relying on a cameraman), Hessman was able to develop a rapport with her subjects, prompting them to open up. Although they seemed nostalgic about their idyllic childhood, they also appeared to wish to leave it in the past. By the end, they all seemed nonchalant about the current government. The film's strength lies in its use of the subjects' own 8mm home movies (juxtaposed alongside vintage propaganda films). This film could easily have been constructed with talking heads waxing poetic about the fall of the USSR, but it wouldn't have been as compelling. By focusing on (relatable) characters, Hessman puts a face on the (last generation of the) Cold War, which until now had been a nebulous concept for me.By the end, I wanted to down vodka shots with Ruslan and Borya! My only gripe is that I wanted to see more interaction among the five childhood classmates. Olga lived around the corner from Borya and Lubya, but we never see them interact. We know Borya and Lubya still keep contact with Ruslan, but do any of them still keep in touch with Andrei and Olga? I suppose that is another strength of Hessman's storytelling...that she painted these protagonists in such a way that I wanted to know more about them. May I suggest a follow-up documentary?

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.