It's funny how you lose track of time when you get sick. Anyway...Little Vera. I liked the soundtrack of this movie. It was interesting to hear a contemporary soundtrack for one of our movies. It really helped establish this movie as a movie in late 80's Russia. Sometimes I think this movie was more about the time that the movie took place in then the characters themselves. Noting that, I in particular liked the imagery of the movie. The overarching themes of decay and disrepair are constant in this film. The beached ship, the dock area, the playground next to the train track, they all add up to make a film that shows that people survived in whatever life threw at them, even if it was not the most pleasant of surroundings.
As for the characters, the relationship between Sergei and Vera upset me, because jerks should not get the girl. Actually, all of Vera's relationships with men, minus her family, are tragic. It seems that men are just out to use her. This movie also had an interesting perspective on the father. His drinking problem is mentioned throughout the film, even during the times (and there were actually a decent amount of times) where he was sober. His drinking makes him lose his calm and reverts him to an almost useless state, like a toddler. No one says he is an alcoholic, they just say that they wish he didn't drink as much.
That's a very nice point you make about how often he is sober throughout the film--whereas it is easy to simplify and reduce him as an "acoholic." Part of the problem is vodka--there is no middle ground with that beverage!!! One instant you're completely sober and then just a shot or two later and your drunk (forget buzzes...we're not talking Miller High Life here!!!). But back to the father--much of the time he clearly has very good intentions for his daughter...and I really do find the scene touching at the airport when he and his wife want to make sure Sergei doesn't forget to take the watermelon onto the plane.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes: the beached ships, the docks, the playgrounds right next to railroad tracks...gosh this film gives a good feel for the way much of Russia is. And I don't mean this entirely critically...these types of settings really do have their peculiar charms and it's possible to become horribly attached to them!