Film: My Perestroika

I saw My Perestroika (restructuring) last night and highly recommend it if you're inclined toward films about the Soviet era, or in this case the Soviet era and the chaotic mess that followed its demise.

The documentary follows five individuals from their idealistic Soviet-era youth at School #57 to their present as 40-somethings who have been forced to adjust to the new Russia. It's like Real Housewives of Whatever but instead of insipid, vain, awful, terrible, dreadful, self-absorbed housewife monsters you're watching real, likeable, normal humans reminiscing about their childhoods, the absurd propaganda they grew up with, and how their lives unfolded after the USSR finally called it a day.

It's very good stuff, and it really hit home with the chatty Russians sitting behind me as well as my wife next to me who grew up in communistic Poland.

And, if you think they smoke a lot in Mad Men, be prepared for some serious tobacco consumption. Director Robin Hessman deserves an Oscar for Exposure to Second Hand Smoke if there is one.

What you'll take away from this film is:

-Everyone had a happy communist childhood.

-Everyone now thinks Soviet times were absurd.

-Some people have been able to adapt, while others are lost and aimless.

-No one is particularly optimistic about the future, except perhaps Andrei who adapted quite nicely to free markets and a capitalist-ish system.

-Putin is scary.

You can find a trailer and more at myperestroika.com.