It takes place in the 70s, when Soviet Russia started to stumble on the footsteps to global dominance the Americans had put a man on the moon, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were breaking the music scene wide open, and productivity in Russia was faltering to the demands of the population.
We see Sergey, a well dressed, slender young man, stuck in college but only interested in one thing: girls. Despite the difference in ideology between the East and the West, this one point seems to be universal young men couldn’t care less about politics, as long as they have the means and the time to chase after the objects of their affection.
Shakhnazarov’s film comes across like a fond memory. Shot in wonderful detail, with nostalgic, soft lighting, and a bright, cheerful disposition, “The Vanished Empire” is a mesmerizing look inside a country that most of us were brought up to believe were the ‘bad guys’.
Sergey’s grandfather is revealed to be a famous archaeologist his parents, too, were academics. Naturally, they would like Sergey to follow in their search of intellectual knowledge, which Russian society has a strong tradition in.
Instead, however, Sergey takes his grandfather’s books, piled high in his apartment, collecting dust, to a second hand book store, where he pawns them for cash, which he uses to buy Wranglers, Pink Floyd albums and beer.
Here it is:
The Vanished Empire once a country of respected intellectuals, the politics of the global stage have pushed the youth to desire the other side. Shakhnazarov’s film feels incredibly personal, as we understand that he grew up at this time, desperate to taste the fruits of the modern world.
Even stranger as we see these Russian kids, playing rock music, dancing strangely to music that they are forbidden to hear, we realize that they enjoy it so much more than we ever did. While Pink Floyd sold millions of copies of “Dark Side of the Moon” in America, for Sergey to buy one copy on the black market leads to indescribable pleasure when listening to it for the first time. “The Vanished Empire” is absolutely sublime.
I say:
An excellent, excellent film, one that encourages me to check out the Shakhnazarov Retrospective at the festival this year. There’s a whole world of Russian cinema to explore don’t miss it!
See it for:
This film is one of the most charming that I’ve ever seen, with Sergey using his sincerity and confidence to approach girls with casual ease.
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