„Я почти запил, но не забыл тебя”. O sentymencie do ZSRR na przykładzie Lata Kirilla Serebrennikova
„Я почти запил, но не забыл тебя”. Fondness for the USSR on the example of the movie Leto by Kirill Serebrennikov

Author(s): Karolina Sobik
Subject(s): Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; fondness; cinematography; Kirill Serebrennikov; Leto
Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the fondness present in Russian popular culture for the period of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The author references articles by other writers who analyze its presence in literature and describe the general state of Russian cinematography after 1991. The author concludes that the sentiment towards the socialist period is indeed a desired phenomenon, and the reckoning with the previous regime is rejected by both the public and the establishment. The author refers to myths highlighted by A. Kustarev – those criticizing the USSR era – and countermiths that glorify it. In relation to the latter, the author analyzes the movie Leto, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, a Russian theater and film director, long-time director of the Gogol Center. According to the author, one can identify clear traces of rehabilitating the Soviet period present in this work, based on the story of two Leningrad bands (Zoopark and Kino). The film portrays the reality of 1981 as attractive, culturally vibrant, politically stable, and filled with goodwill. Any elements that might indicate the shortcomings or inconveniences of life in the USSR are pushed to the background or countered in dialogues. The use of these countermiths was likely not a deliberate move by Kirill Serebrennikov, a critic of the contemporary Russian government and the previous system. The fact that they appear in his film, however, may suggest a high level of their internalization by Russian society.

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