Assa

I can hardly believe that this incredible film, directed by Sergey Solovyov, was produced by the Soviet state film agency MosFilm! Set against the backdrop of the decaying seaside town of Yalta...

This film is truly a cult classic... a countercultural anthem that reflects significant sociopolitical shifts in a country undergoing profound change. Back in 1987, writer-director Sergei Solovyov and co-writer Sergei Livnev's bold and experimental rock-crime film "Chernukha" Assa or ACCA played a pivotal role in bringing the Soviet underground rock scene and the Perestroika film movement into the public eye. It's also notable for being one of the few films featuring the legendary Russian rock artist Viktor Tsoi, and it quickly became a symbol of protest, with its emotional resonance still felt by film and music enthusiasts today.

The film opens with an underground Russian rock concert in Yalta, where we meet the curious and open-minded Bananan (Sergei "Afrika" Bugaev), who plays one of the drummers. The acting is phenomenal - the chemistry between Bananan and Alika (Tatyana Drubich) is palpable. Her "boyfriend" Krymov (Stanislav Govorukhin), an intellectual who secretly leads a criminal organization under the watchful eyes of clueless KGB agents, is oblivious to their growing bond. As Alika and Bananan develop a close friendship that flirts with romance, introducing her to the world of Soviet counterculture, the tension builds!

Enough said... just watch it! No words can do this film a favour... it is above the description.

"Assa" gained a cult following in Russia upon its initial release, and I suppose that it still can be considered so. The movie is not very easy to get into. It's long, very slow-paced, and quite dark in terms of actual colors as well as atmosphere. Artistically, it has some good things going for it including the soundtrack, the actors' performances and some arty injections. I still don't think that the movie is as great as some people paint it out to be, although, one could probably argue that it, in a way, strided to fill a gap, one way or the other, for the young, subculture-oriented Russian 80's generation. Using the Soloviev connection, I'll say that if "Chernaya roza - emblema pechali..." was an, inverted, absurdistic take on later-period Soviet life, then "Assa" portrays a tragic clash between idealistic innocence and harsh Soviet reality.

"Assa" would have made a better vehicle for Stallone, but considering the taste of the average Soviet moviegoer........I guess my real objection to movies like this is that they waste the time and talent and money that could be spent making better movies or feeding the poor.

Assa is considered one of the greatest films of the post Soviet generation. The soundtrack is not very far from what we call hipster nowadays - divergence from the mainstream. There are many underground musicians that either contributed musically or artistically. Also, it focuses on a major issue that existed among the "perestroika youth". How to choose a life of honesty and civility, when corruption promises "white mountains". Who can we trust if not our government? What will be the future, what is important in a life? These are all the questions that this movie focuses on.

Assa is a film for and by the youth and by the counter culture of its time. Aside from relevant problems being raised in the movie (a rare thing of its time), the film has notable music (that is still remembered and loved today by the grown up counterculture) and hipster style that existed and lived in Soviet Union before it became popular in US.

If pre-perestroika and the mindset of different people during that time interests you, as well as learning about non-mainstream music and counterculture, this is the movie for you.

"Assa" was a film that I was eagerly waiting to see after all the positive reviews. It is an important film as it represents the changes within Russia on the choice of subjects to film. It is a brave film for its time. One of the major characters in the film is an admirer of the music of Nick Cave, at a time when few would have known who he was.

But the film has a major problem. The director introduces a strange fact that Noah of the Bible uttered the word Assa after the floods receded--and there is no such evidence in the scriptures.