About the film
In 1958 Katerina, Lyudmila and Antonina share a workers' dormitory and big dreams. Lyudmila wants a rich husband, Antonina wants a quiet family, and Katerina, the serious one, falls for a television cameraman who leaves her pregnant and alone.
The second half jumps to 1979. Katerina is now the director of a large factory and a single mother, and she has stopped expecting anything for herself. Then she meets Gosha, a proud and stubborn metalworker on a suburban train, and the film turns into one of the most loved romances ever made in Russian.
Menshov's film won the Oscar in 1981 and became an international hit. It is often recommended as the best single film for understanding everyday life in the late USSR.
Did you know?
- Ronald Reagan is said to have watched it to understand 'the Russian soul' before meeting Mikhail Gorbachev.
- About 84 million tickets were sold in the USSR.
- Vera Alentova, who plays Katerina, was married to the director.
