Emmett Pepper Combining vintage footage with modern interviews gives an informative glimpse into the everyday life of children in the Soviet Union and how different things are today for both the children and the adults. The interviews with the now-adults about their childhood were, in my opinion the most enlightening and interesting, as well as the portions about what it was actually like going through perestroika and glasnost. I thought it could have had a stronger theme tying the people together, but it may have just been a product of what the premise of the film was. Anyone interested in what Communism was actually like should definitely watch this.

mraydun I was blown away by how easy it was for me (as well as for my husband) to relate to this film but I don't think you have to be of similar background in order to find this film fascinating and enlightening.I loved that the film wasn't solely political, but focused more on these people's lives instead. This was an excellent little window into people's lives. Of course, this cannot be representative of all Russians, but these five people have very different lives and it was interesting to see what choices or happenings led them to where they are today. There is much nostalgia present in this film, although I do not think that this nostalgia is for the Soviet regime. Like all people, these subjects are nostalgic for their childhoods, when everything seemed better and one simply did not have to deal with any real, mundane problems. Their reflections are very heartwarming. All in all, I highly recommend this film.

MilladoN8 I was lucky enough to see "My Perestroika" at NYC's IFC Center, where director Robin Hessman answered questions following a screening of her film. She stressed that her documentary isn't so much representative of all Russians, but rather a cross-section of "ordinary Russians living in extra-ordinary times." Hessman focused her lens on five childhood classmates who entered school in communist Moscow but came of age during the fall of the Iron Curtain. She had incredible access to her five subjects: punk rocker Ruslan, single mom Olga, successful businessman Andrei, and married history teachers Borya and Lubya. By shooting solo (instead of relying on a cameraman), Hessman was able to develop a rapport with her subjects, prompting them to open up. Although they seemed nostalgic about their idyllic childhood, they also appeared to wish to leave it in the past. By the end, they all seemed nonchalant about the current government. The film's strength lies in its use of the subjects' own 8mm home movies (juxtaposed alongside vintage propaganda films). This film could easily have been constructed with talking heads waxing poetic about the fall of the USSR, but it wouldn't have been as compelling. By focusing on (relatable) characters, Hessman puts a face on the (last generation of the) Cold War, which until now had been a nebulous concept for me.By the end, I wanted to down vodka shots with Ruslan and Borya! My only gripe is that I wanted to see more interaction among the five childhood classmates. Olga lived around the corner from Borya and Lubya, but we never see them interact. We know Borya and Lubya still keep contact with Ruslan, but do any of them still keep in touch with Andrei and Olga? I suppose that is another strength of Hessman's storytelling...that she painted these protagonists in such a way that I wanted to know more about them. May I suggest a follow-up documentary?

JvH48 Documentaries are rarely powerful enough to let me watch to the end. Firstly, the voice over usually has an I-know-all, scholarly tone of voice that makes me cringe. Secondly, when famous scientists are invited to say a few words, they are commonly limited to (indeed) a few words, since too many long words may tick off the average viewer. Should I go on??This time I gladly make an exception to my rule. The chosen format is perfectly suited to bring the mixed message across. It does not "feel" like a documentary at all. The idea to round up a handful of average people, and letting them picture their own past, is very good. This is mostly due to the fact that a real cross section of the Russian people does the talking, supported by photos and film fragments, partly from their past and partly from television.The concept was not immediately clear from the start, and it required some time to take off. The talking heads (in the positive sense) were filmed in their own environment (home, school, their business, etcetera), and were just themselves telling us about their past and present ideas. This works perfectly, also providing us with some insight in the circumstances these people live(d) in.All in all, I'm glad that I overlooked the fact that this film was announced as a "documentary". This is a format for which new terminology should be invented.