July Rain

The rapid-fire dialogue lacks Shpalikov's wit, but Khutsiev nevertheless offers a rather remarkable plea for the USSR to continue trusting in the intelligent and virtuous autonomy of its citizens rather than requiring them to cynically and ironically conform to the dictates of a meaningless machine, at a moment when the thaw was already at an end. Drifting increasingly into melancholy, this is a beautiful film made by filmmakers with the sense to ask themselves what cinema is for. Quite tragic.

Seems to be signaling a fair bit of social & political/historical context which is lost on me; in particular some of the characters feel like they are intended as archetypes of a sort that 60s Soviet citizens would presumably recognize. My takeaway is mainly a human drama about people uncertain about their place in the world and the future. Very reminiscent of Antonioni.

human landscapes from post-war, post-Stalin Soviet society; a living experimentation in Utopia. (btw, director watched a bit much French movies beforehand I guess)