Inheritance, Deconstruction, and Construction in 1990s Russian Cinema

After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Russia, as its main successor, faced various political, economic, social, and military challenges. The trauma from this dissolution plunged Russia into a state of extreme chaos both materially and spiritually. The breakdown of the planned economy and its not-so-smooth transition to a market economy resulted in a sharp rise in unemployment and a serious deterioration in social order. Meanwhile, after Russia abandoned communism as its official ideology, public thought entered a state of confusion, with communism, liberalism, and fascism all occupying varying degrees of prominence in people's public lives. In Perestroika-era and early 1990s Russia, a trend emerged in the film industry to shoot movies that reflected contemporary social anxieties. Particularly, when Russians were confronted with both material and ideological dilemmas, this form of realism in film resonated deeply with audiences.