Alexander Sedov asked what kind of movies I like. There are a lot of types I like, but what first came to mind is how I like those that portray the countryside — roadsides, fields, and yards. I also like those that portray people’s homes and mealtimes. I’m one of those strange people who enjoys looking at other peoples’ photos from their vacation trips overseas, but what I’m often looking at is the edges of roads — where vegetation meets the road. I feel I’m getting to know a country when I see that. But I like seeing places of all kinds.
Anyone who has gone over to my Spokesrider web site probably has noticed that I spend a lot of time on the edges of roads. If I ever get to visit Russia, I’d like it to be on a bicycle tour where I can see these things.
Some movies that are memorable for the scenery are Vozvrashcheniye, Comissar, Sudba Cheloveka, Les glaneurs et la glaneuse (A French documentary, not Russian) and Vokzal dlya Dvoikh. And some that were fascinating in how they showed apartments and homes are Moskva slezam ne verit and Ironyia Sudby and (in a different way) Vokzal dlya Dvoikh.
I like movies that can show me these things, regardless of what sort of acting or story they contain.
That’s not a complete answer to Alexander’s question, and I’m not sure it’s completely accurate.
A couple of months ago I was talking to an old family friend who I hadn’t seen for several years. She now has a new Russian daughter-in-law. I told how I had been trying to learn some Russian and how my wife and I have found that we enjoy watching Russian movies together. At one point she asked why I was so interested in Russia. I mumbled something about how the scenery reminded me of Minnesota. She then asked, incredulously, “You like Russia because it reminds you of Minnesota?” Well, no, it isn’t just that. If it’s Minnesota I want, I can go there easily enough for the real thing. (It’s where my parents and some of my siblings live, and where one of our children was born.) I’m not sure I can explain myself what’s so fascinating about it. But I do enjoy watching the movies with scenes that show not just the grand vistas, but what the terrain is like up close and personal.