Little Vera
Encyclopedia
Little Vera produced at the Gorky Film Studio
and released in 1988, is a film by Russian film director Vasili Pichul
. The title in Russian is ambiguous and can also mean "Little Faith," symbolizing the characters' lack of hope (or a glimmer thereof).
The film was the leader in ticket sales in the Soviet Union in 1988 with 54.9 million viewers, and was the most successful Soviet film in the US since Moscow Does not Believe in Tears
. Part of its popularity was due to being one of the first Soviet movies with explicit sexual scenes.
The movie's main character and namesake is a teenage girl, who just having finished school feels trapped in her provincial town. With its pessimistic and cynical view of Soviet society, the film was typical of its time (perestroika
), during which many such films, collectively known as the chernukha , were released. However, the film's popularity did not prove long lived.
The film received 6 awards and was nominated for 8 more. Among its wins, it received "Best Actress" for Natalya Negoda
at the Nika Awards in 1989. The film's director, Vasili Pichul
, received the Special Jury Prize at the 1988 Montreal World Film Festival
and FIPRESCI Prize at the 1988 Venice Film Festival
.
The soundtrack's main theme consists of two songs performed by Sofia Rotaru
"Bylo no proshlo" (It Was, But It Has Gone) and "Tol'ko etogo malo" (Only This Is Not Enough), "the leitmotif
of the perestroika
classic Little Vera".
Young Vera lives with her mother and her alcoholic father, Kolya, who are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with her choice of friends and what they consider her decadent lifestyle. They wonder why she can’t be more like her brother Victor, a doctor living in Moscow. At an underground dance party that is broken up by police, she meets Sergei, and they immediately fall in love. It turns out Sergei is an old friend of Victor, who, in town for a visit, calls on his friend only to find him alone with his sister.
Vera and Sergei decide to marry, but her parents object. Vera convinces them to accept the planned marriage by falsely telling her mother she is pregnant. Sergei’s first meeting with her parents is disastrous, and he leaves with Vera without finishing dinner, but he soon comes to live with them.
The tension between Sergei and Kolya increases and comes to a climax on Kolya’s birthday. Fed up with the drunken Kolya, Sergei locks him in the bathroom, where he breaks the basin. When he is let out of the bathroom, he stabs Sergei in the side with a knife, the wound requiring a long convalescence in the hospital.
Vera’s mother tries to convince her to tell the authorities that Sergei accidentally caused the wound to himself, to avoid Kolya being sent to prison. Victor, visiting from Moscow, prescribes tranquilizers to calm the despondent Vera. The family goes to the beach for a picnic, ostensibly to help take Vera’s mind off the situation. Vera believes, however, that it is a ruse to persuade her to lie about the stabbing. A storm suddenly comes up, and as the family prepares to leave, Vera is nowhere to be found. Kolya searches for her and the two are seen embracing on the beach.
Vera testifies that her father was not to blame for what happened to Sergei. She visits him in the hospital and explains that the family needed Kolya to survive. Sergei now seems disinterested in her, and tells her to go away.
Back in her apartment, she finds herself alone and starts drinking and taking the pills. Victor arrives and rescues her. Sergei escapes from the hospital and soon arrives on the scene.
At the end, Vera asks Sergei if he loves her, but the question remains unanswered.
A subplot involves Andrey, a former classmate of Vera, who is infatuated with her and wants her to marry him. At the beginning of the film, Andrey is about to leave for naval training and attempts to persuade Vera to come home with him, but she spurns his advances. Later, she meets him on her way home from the hospital after visiting Sergei. He explains that he is on leave for only one day and again tries to arrange a tryst, only to have Vera resort to physical violence to fend him off when he attempts to force himself on her.
Gorky Film Studio
Gorky Film Studio is a film studio in Moscow, Russian Federation. By the end of the Soviet Union, Gorky Film Studio had produced more than 1,000 films...
and released in 1988, is a film by Russian film director Vasili Pichul
Vasili Pichul
Vasili Vladimirovich Pichul is a Soviet and Russian film director, best known for his film Little Vera , released in 1988...
. The title in Russian is ambiguous and can also mean "Little Faith," symbolizing the characters' lack of hope (or a glimmer thereof).
The film was the leader in ticket sales in the Soviet Union in 1988 with 54.9 million viewers, and was the most successful Soviet film in the US since Moscow Does not Believe in Tears
Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears
Moscow Does not Believe in Tears is a 1980 Soviet film made by Mosfilm. It was written by Valentin Chernykh and directed by Vladimir Menshov. The leading roles were played by Menshov's wife Vera Alentova and by Aleksey Batalov. The film won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in...
. Part of its popularity was due to being one of the first Soviet movies with explicit sexual scenes.
The movie's main character and namesake is a teenage girl, who just having finished school feels trapped in her provincial town. With its pessimistic and cynical view of Soviet society, the film was typical of its time (perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
), during which many such films, collectively known as the chernukha , were released. However, the film's popularity did not prove long lived.
The film received 6 awards and was nominated for 8 more. Among its wins, it received "Best Actress" for Natalya Negoda
Natalya Negoda
Natalya Negoda is a Soviet and Russian actress probably best known for her portrayal of Vera in the film Malenkaya Vera .-Selected filmography:* Tomorrow Was the War * Little Vera...
at the Nika Awards in 1989. The film's director, Vasili Pichul
Vasili Pichul
Vasili Vladimirovich Pichul is a Soviet and Russian film director, best known for his film Little Vera , released in 1988...
, received the Special Jury Prize at the 1988 Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
and FIPRESCI Prize at the 1988 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
The soundtrack's main theme consists of two songs performed by Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage....
"Bylo no proshlo" (It Was, But It Has Gone) and "Tol'ko etogo malo" (Only This Is Not Enough), "the leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
of the perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
classic Little Vera".
Plot
Vera and Sergei decide to marry, but her parents object. Vera convinces them to accept the planned marriage by falsely telling her mother she is pregnant. Sergei’s first meeting with her parents is disastrous, and he leaves with Vera without finishing dinner, but he soon comes to live with them.
The tension between Sergei and Kolya increases and comes to a climax on Kolya’s birthday. Fed up with the drunken Kolya, Sergei locks him in the bathroom, where he breaks the basin. When he is let out of the bathroom, he stabs Sergei in the side with a knife, the wound requiring a long convalescence in the hospital.
Vera’s mother tries to convince her to tell the authorities that Sergei accidentally caused the wound to himself, to avoid Kolya being sent to prison. Victor, visiting from Moscow, prescribes tranquilizers to calm the despondent Vera. The family goes to the beach for a picnic, ostensibly to help take Vera’s mind off the situation. Vera believes, however, that it is a ruse to persuade her to lie about the stabbing. A storm suddenly comes up, and as the family prepares to leave, Vera is nowhere to be found. Kolya searches for her and the two are seen embracing on the beach.
Vera testifies that her father was not to blame for what happened to Sergei. She visits him in the hospital and explains that the family needed Kolya to survive. Sergei now seems disinterested in her, and tells her to go away.
Back in her apartment, she finds herself alone and starts drinking and taking the pills. Victor arrives and rescues her. Sergei escapes from the hospital and soon arrives on the scene.
At the end, Vera asks Sergei if he loves her, but the question remains unanswered.
A subplot involves Andrey, a former classmate of Vera, who is infatuated with her and wants her to marry him. At the beginning of the film, Andrey is about to leave for naval training and attempts to persuade Vera to come home with him, but she spurns his advances. Later, she meets him on her way home from the hospital after visiting Sergei. He explains that he is on leave for only one day and again tries to arrange a tryst, only to have Vera resort to physical violence to fend him off when he attempts to force himself on her.
Principal cast
- Natalya NegodaNatalya NegodaNatalya Negoda is a Soviet and Russian actress probably best known for her portrayal of Vera in the film Malenkaya Vera .-Selected filmography:* Tomorrow Was the War * Little Vera...
– Vera - Andrei Sokolov – Sergei
- Yuri NazarovYuri NazarovYuriy Nazarov is an Russian film and television actor.He was born Yuri Vladimirovich Nazarov in Novosibirsk, Russia. His father, Nikolai Aldomirovich Nazarov , was an ethnic Chechen Lieutenant of the Red Army, who served in the Eastern Front and the Crimean Offensive in 1944.In 1989, Nazarov was...
– Kolya (Vera's father) - Lyudmila Zajtseva – Rita (Vera's mother)
- Aleksandr Negreba (billed as Aleksandr Alekseyev-Nyegreba) – Victor (Vera's brother)
- Andrei Fomin – Andrey
External links
- Review, New York Times