Little Vera- Directed by Vasily Pichul

Little Vera, a 1988 film directed by Vasily Pichul, was a film that was set in the turbulent era of perestroika. It is the story of Vera, a rebellious Soviet teenager who meets a love interest named Sergei. From their first meeting, it is evident that Sergei does not like Vera's parents, her alcoholic father Kolya and her mother, due to his rude behavior during dinner. This animosity between the parents only escalates further as Kolya pushes Sergei's buttons, finally driving him to lock Kolya in the bathroom during one of his drunken tirades. The boiling point between Sergei and Kolya was finally reached when Kolya stabbed Sergei in the side with a knife, dealing him a nearly fatal wound.

The character of Sergei was one that I did not respect in the least; he was a womanizer, disrespectful of Vera and her parents, in addition to being a bad influence on Vera herself. I found it hard to believe that Vera's parents would deal with Sergei living with them, especially when he was so rude and boisterous. As unfortunate as it sounds, I was not exactly upset when he was stabbed. However, I think his character gave the film a whole new dimension because of these traits; the film being about Vera and her chaotic life.

Another thing worth mentioning would be the idea that Little Vera itself may represent the era of which the film was created: perestroika. The strained relationship between Vera, Sergei and Vera's parents may in fact symbolize the condition the Soviet Union was in at the time. This is of course only speculation, but it is still worth mentioning because the similarities are too numerous not too. Altogether, I liked Little Vera for its avant-garde, risque characters and plot line; the many aspects of the film fitting together very well for a Soviet movie made in the late 80's.