One Question

If I could ask one person from the film a question, it would be Andrei. I would wish to know why western capitalism meant a lot to him than the communist principles that governed USSR for nearly a century. Given that this is an individual who was present during the communist era, and given that he has also embraced western capitalism to the extent of sending his son abroad, it would be interesting to learn what aspects of communism he did not like(Hessman, 2015).

Insight from Film

The film provides an insight towards the ordinary Russian person, far removed from the media and government’s propaganda. In essence, the film allowed me to understand Russian life from the perspective of a Russian, who in this case has often been vilified to the outside world as an individual who only loves war and weapons. On the other hand, My Perestroika condenses the profound changes that rocked the USSR into just under two hours, making one understand Russia in a depth that would require numerous books and classes in only one sitting.

Surprise

The film, in general, was a surprise package, given that as opposed to other films, this film is presented as it was filmed without editing it to fit certain perspectives. Additionally, the use homemade 8 mm video footages from the protagonists helped push the points home, that the lives of these people were almost just as normal as those of other countries.

Disturbing Scene

The most disturbing scene is a scene from 1977 where there is a massive pageant saluting the then Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. While this would be a typical course elsewhere the red-capped children, with scarves and white shirts who are spouting propaganda, indicates a leadership that is more concerned with its power, rather than that on the people to a point they willfully use children.

References

Hessman, R. (2015). My Perestroika [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlpsIrOHG_k