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Plot Summary
When the USSR broke apart in 1991, a generation of young people faced a new realm of possibilities. An intimate epic about the extraordinary lives of this last Soviet generation, Robin Hessman’s feature documentary debut tells the stories of five Moscow schoolmates who were brought up behind the Iron Curtain, witnessed the joy and confusion of glasnost, and reached adulthood right as the world changed around them. Through candid first-person testimony, revealing vérité footage and vintage home movies, Hessman, who spent many years living in Moscow, reveals a Russia rarely seen on film, where people are frank about their lives and forthcoming about their country. Engaging, funny and positively inspiring, MY PERESTROIKA shows that politics are personal, honesty overshadows ideology and history progresses one day, one life at a time.
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
92%- Reviews Counted: 25
- Fresh: 23
- Rotten: 2
- Average Rating: 7.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: There are no dry talking heads, no droning lists of Soviet leaders and events, just raw experience.
Fresh: "My Perestroika" reminds us that no matter how repressive a government, no matter how entrenched attitudes may seem, underneath the surface there are countless individuals very much like us.
Fresh: A fascinating portrait of life in Moscow -- behind the Iron Curtain and after its fall.
Fresh: The subjects, plainspoken and insightful, attempt to extract the objective lessons of the political past from their subjective fortunes.
Customer Reviews
My Perestroika
My Perestroika offers an honest, warm and balanced look at the fall and remnants of the soviet empire. As a part of the last generation of soviet babies, I was very moved by this documentary. For those of you who are in the same demographic, this will no doubt be a nostalgic watch. I have recommended the film to many of my Russian-American friends, as well as anyone else who has the slightest interest in Russian history and geopolitics. It was unanimously enjoyed by all. Hessman has a way with showcasing both factual and emotional components of this complex time, never manipulating the emotions or conclusions of the viewer. I would highly recommend this documentary to anyone.
Brilliant, timely documentary
A story so well told; I have watched it several times to let the reality sink in of what the cold war did to ordinary people behind the Iron Curtain . I cannot image how different and better the world would be if there had not been Stalinist policy at play after WW2…recovery is still playing out violently each day, witness Ukraine now. I tell everyone seeking to understand human nature under a tyrants boot to watch this film.
multifaceted view
Very interesting subjects, ordinary and extraordinary at the same time, telling their stories of growing up during the dissolution of the USSR. Their stories not only illustrate the disillusionment of Soviet government, but the harsh realities of the transition from childhood to adulthood.
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