35 mm | 1988 | Directed by Vasily Pichul | Soviet Union | 135 mins | Russian with English subtitles
The most sensational film of the glasnost period, Vasily Pichul's grittily realistic Little Vera casts a demystifying gaze upon Soviet myths of the working-class family. The script by Maria Khmelik, written years before the movie was made and initially considered unfilmable, depicts aspects of Soviet life - alcoholism, hopelessness, and sexuality - with unprecedented candor and deep sensitivity. (Print courtesy of the Yale Film Archive.)
Sponsored by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Film and Media Studies Program, Yale University.
