Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears (1979)

While watching this movie, I noticed a striking difference between the way each time period in Soviet history (The Thaw and The Era of Stagnation) was portrayed in the movie. The Khrushchev thaw period of the the late 1950's is were the movie opens. This era in Soviet history was a time of great optimism and hope. These feelings of optimism and hope are reflected in the first part of the movie. The three girlfriends, Katerina, Lyudmila, and Antonina have all come to Moscow to live, study, and work for a better future. The girls are all different by nature and yet still share the same believe that Moscow will help give them the future they want. Katerina is working in a factory and trying to enter the university at the same time, while Lyudmila and Antonina are more interested in the social status of their boyfriends. Each girl has a different hope and idea of what their future should be like. This aspect of the movie best conveys the spirit if the Khrushchev thaw period. The movie later takes place in the era of stagnation, a time directly opposite of the thaw period. This was a period of economic recession. Both the Soviet state and people were worried about the outcome of the future. This is again reflected in the three girlfriends. Though Katerina now has a daughter and has risen to a prominent position at the factory, she at times seems unhappy and empty. Lyudmila divorces her athlete husband Sergei and still believes that "luck" will bring her true happiness. Only Antonina will have a lasting relationship with her husband Nikolai. The bright future the three girlfriends once hoped for would, at least for now, not be. This reality of the three girlfriends reflects the era of stagnation.