Hi there, it's Minami.

What kind of image do you have of Russia?

The most commonly heard words are "cold country," "Matryoshka," "country with many beautiful women," and "Soviet Union. I, too, had a hard time finding a film that was not mainly about the Soviet Union.

But, you know, there are so many great Russian and Russian movies, many with themes other than the ones listed above!

As a note to myself, I have compiled a list of my favorite Russian films. Please refer to it if you want to watch something!

We have compiled a list of films that are mainly shown in Russian, which we think will be useful for Russian language learners, but let us also include some interesting films that you can learn about Russian and Soviet culture in relation to them. Because there are some masterpieces.

I will introduce only those films that are available with Japanese subtitles. You don't have to be in Russia to watch them!

ガガーリン　世界を変えた　１０８分（2013）Гагарин. Первый в космос

Synopsis

On April 12, 1961, Yury Gagarin flew alone into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok 1 to attempt an unprecedented manned space flight.

During his 108-minute lonely space journey, Gagarin looks back on his own life--and his life's work.

Born in a poor farming village, he dreamed of the sky as a boy.

He endured rigorous training as one of 20 elite candidates selected from more than 3,000 Air Force pilots.

And until he was selected as the world's first astronaut.

At that time, on earth, people were rejoicing at the birth of the "Hero of Mankind" and the dawn of a new era. ...... (excerpt from the Amazon product page)

Recommendations

Not science fiction but a drama of one person and social change. It was interesting.

The film recalls the life of Gagarin and the moment he became the world's first astronaut to go into space alone.

Of course we learned about Gagarin, but what impressed me personally was the training for the selection of astronauts.

I knew that the training was tough, but I really feel that the training at that time could even cause deaths if you were careless, what a deadly profession!

I think it is a good live-learning material for students because of the friendship between men, the history of Russia, and the fact that it is in Russian.

I was also quite surprised by the explanation of what happened to Gagarin after the video was over and before the message was played. (I won't say this because it would be a spoiler.) It seems to me that Gagarin was also a person. It's a shame he died so young, but I'm sure there will be many more new challenges/life dramas for mankind in the world's space exploration in the future!

It is one of the works I would like to see again if I have the chance.

バタリオン ロシア婦人決死隊VSドイツ軍(2017)

Synopsis

Fight - until this life is over.

It was 1917 during World War I. The Russian army was devastated by poison gas and trench warfare by the Germans. The Russian army was devastated by poison gas and trench warfare by the Germans.

In this context, a women-only secret unit was formed as the nation's ultimate weapon - women of various statuses volunteered, including aristocrats, students, and workers.

These women endure tremendous training and are immediately sent to the front lines of battle.

Against the men who had lost their will to fight, the women's unit bravely stood up to the Germans, but one by one they lost their lives as the battle raged on.... (Excerpt from the Amazon product page)

Recommendations

Russian women do not have a very strong image, but this film transfers people with a variety of emotions, from those powerful enough to have had to go into the military to those who seem to be ordinary people who do not want to go to war after all.

I've found a good Russian movie! I thought.

A bit comical at first (or so I felt). The interaction with the commanding officer, who is fumbling with a serious but still innocent female training corps member. It was really a bit amusing to see him giving orders and compliments with his typical Russian expressionless face.

Anyway, each soldier has his own drama and is interesting.

The acting, especially of the captain and commander, was gut-wrenching.

With female members, after all, if a man is on top of her, she can't do anything because of the absolute difference in size.

Such scenes make me cringe as a female viewer.

It was a good movie that showed us a surprising part of war that is not only fought by men in general.

When I saw that the name "Ullah" is still in common use to this day, I thought that it is difficult to get rid of the impression that Russia is a group of strong warriors who have risen in the military.... But that's another story.

シルバー・スケート　Silver Skates (2020)

Synopsis

In St. Petersburg, where people skate to and fro on frozen rivers and canals, a young man who lives by stealing meets a nobleman's daughter. Will fate tear them apart? (Excerpt from the Netflix introduction page)

Performers :HYODOR Fedotov, Sonya Pris, Yury Borisov

Recommendations

This ～～～～ is my very favorite movie.

It's very Russian and the story is really neat. ～～～～!

I think a lot of girls like it:！！！！

It's a love story between a thief and a young lady, so it's tumultuous, but really heartbreaking. The story is not shallow, as is often the case with love stories of this type. The story is not shallow, as is often the case with this kind of love story, but rather it is a well-developed story with no contradictions and is really interesting until the very end! You need a handkerchief.

This is honestly something I would like to return to regularly in the future. I have become a fan of the main actor. LOL!

I am insanely grateful to Netflix for letting me come across this work.

とうもろこしの島(2017)

Synopsis

Georgia (Georgia) and Abkhazia, which claims independence from Georgia, have been in a state of intense war since 1992.

The Enguri River flows leisurely between the two.

This river carries fertile soil from the Caucasus Mountains as the spring snow melts, creating a mesa.

While enemies glared at each other on both banks and bullets flew, an old Abkhaz man, accompanied by his granddaughter, crossed over in a small boat to a sandbar, built a hut, tilled the soil, sowed corn seeds, and raised seedlings, as has been the custom since long ago.

But the fighting intensifies, and one day they find a young Georgian soldier wounded in a corn field...

The deep forests, the lazy flow of the great river, the occasional gunshot, the old man silently raising corn, the granddaughter growing up forced to live with her grandfather--these are just a few examples.

With minimal dialogue, this allegorical masterpiece contrasts the dizzying forces of nature with those of human activity and questions the meaning of war. (Excerpt from the Amazon product page)

Recommendations

Depends on the viewer.

A film of silent life, with almost no dialogue.

A father and his two daughters live there, and often military personnel pass by on their boat.

They both grow corn, which is probably how they make their living.

It might be a good movie for those who like to see things that look at landscapes and people's lives.

At first I thought from the title that they wanted to show civilian life in the war, but I realized that it was actually the climate that was scary.

No, I wonder if there is a message of irresistible things that we have to go through hard times in these situations because we are civilians, or if there is some irony towards the military. There is almost no dialogue, so it really could be interpreted differently by the viewer. I like the last part.

サラエボの花(2008)

Country of the work: Bosnia and Herzegovina Austria Germany Croatia

Running time: 95 min.

Genre: Drama

Synopsis

Esma (Miljana Karanovic) lives with her 12-year-old daughter Sara (Luna Mijovic). Life is hard, and she works late into the night as a waitress at a nightclub. Sara, who is at an impressionable age, often clashes with Esma because of her loneliness. One day, the lively Sarah gets into a fight with a boy classmate, Samir (Kenan Chatichi), while playing soccer with the boys. When the teacher asks her parents to come, she says, "I don't have a dad. He's a shaheed (martyr)," Sara beams. Samir also lost his father in the conflict, and their shared sense of loss gradually brings them closer together. Meanwhile, Esma, who has a phobia of men due to painful memories of the past, finds the nightclub an unbearable job, but she opens her heart to the kindness of her colleague Perda (Leon Rochev), who also lost his family in the conflict. Soon, Sarah's school trip is approaching, and although she is exempted from paying for the trip if she has a certificate of her father's death in the war, Esma continues to offer the painful excuse that it is difficult because his father's body has never been found. As if to push back Sara's growing disbelief, her classmates begin to tease her that her father is not on the list of war dead, and when they learn that she has financed the entire trip for her daughter Sara, they hold a gun that belonged to her friend Samir's father against her mother Esma and seriously demand that she tell them the truth. In the ensuing struggle, Esma finally reveals the secret she has been keeping from her for so long. Esma cries as she tells her story in a group therapy session that she usually just participates in. She tells how she was raped by an enemy soldier in the camp, how she was pregnant, how she kept beating her belly to try to make the baby miscarry because she could not tolerate its existence, and how when she saw the baby, she thought, "Is there anything more beautiful in the world? On the morning of the school trip, Esma saw Sara off with her head cut off. They did not exchange words, but just before they left, Sarah smiled and waved a small hand from the window. Esma smiles and gives a big wave. The children's song echoed through the bus.

Recommendations

It made me wonder how I would think and live my life if I were in my daughter's shoes or how I would live my life if I were in my mother's shoes.

The child's innocence is really realistic and draws you into the world.

Daughters especially must have been told by their parents that they are the daughters of martyrs ever since they were born. The shock that the biggest reason for their pride was a lie must be unimaginably great.

This story ends shortly after the discovery of the lies the mother had told, but they would have gone from strength to strength in the future.

I was also thankful once again that I am able to live with so few health problems. It gave me the strength to continue to do my best.

オーケストラ！(2009)

Release date: April 17, 2010

Country of the work: France

Running time: 124 min.

Genre: Drama music

Synopsis

Andrei Filipov (Alexei Gushkov), a dull middle-aged man working as a theater janitor, was once the principal conductor of the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra in Russia. At the height of his fame, he was dismissed from the orchestra because he refused to exclude all Jewish musicians, who were called "Jews and enemies of the people" during the communist era. One day, while cleaning, Andrei saw a fax. It said that he wanted to find an orchestra to replace the San Francisco Symphony, which had cancelled its performance, to appear at the Paris Playel within two weeks. At that moment, he had the idea to gather his former colleagues to form a fake orchestra and ride to Paris as a representative of the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. Andrei first approaches Sasha Grossman (Dmitry Nazarov), a former cellist and now an ambulance driver. Sasha is taken aback, but Andrei's enthusiasm gets the better of him, and before he knows it, he is driving Andrei in the ambulance to visit his old friends. Most of them, a cab driver, a flea market vendor, and a sound effects supervisor for pornographic films ...... barely making a living in a corner of Moscow, accept Andrei's ridiculous invitation with two words of assent. The piece to be performed is Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, and the soloist is a young star, Anne-Marie Jaquet (Mélanie Laurent). A gypsy violinist procures fake passports for all the musicians in 24 hours, and the orchestra finally sets off for Paris. Upon arrival, Anne-Marie's manager, Guilaine de la Rivière (Mieux-Mieux), appears at Andrei's doorstep and, apparently an old acquaintance, she strongly discourages him from telling Anne-Marie anything. Anne-Marie and Andrei have dinner together before the concert. There, Andrei begins to tell the sad fate of Léa, a violinist who could have reached the ultimate harmony. ......　(Excerpt from the Amazon product page)

Recommendations

I was personally moved by the fact that I am studying Russian.

Let's do orchestra! I really liked the people who were burning with faith. I was energized watching them.

Extra: Russian language and culture in such movies

The following list may not be all in Russian from beginning to end, but I would like to introduce some of my favorite films and other movies in which I could hear Russian.

ガザの美容室（2016）

Release date: June 23, 2018

Country of the work:Palestine France Qatar

Running time: 85 min.

Genre: Drama

Synopsis

Gaza, Palestinian territories. Christine's beauty salon is bustling with female customers.

Christine, the owner, is an immigrant from Russia. Widat, the beauty salon assistant, is in a troubled relationship with her boyfriend, Ahmad, a member of the mafia.

Efthikar is in the middle of a divorce settlement due to her husband's infidelity, and is getting ready to meet her lawyer.

Safia, whose husband is a soldier wounded in war, is an addict who regularly uses drugs prescribed by her husband.

A devout Muslim, Zeinab has never had her hair cut and never takes off her hijab, even in women-only beauty salons.

Salma, whose wedding is tonight, Fatima, a pregnant woman in her last month of pregnancy, Wafa, who suffers from severe asthma, and Sawsan, who is divorced... all of them are unique women with their own circumstances.

As they are enjoying a four-way conversation in the only women-only place of rest in the midst of war, a gunshot rings out across the street, and the beauty parlor is left in a blaze of carnage and destruction.... (Excerpt from Amazon product page)

Recommendations

The main character is a Russian hairdresser and you can hear a little Russian.

There are a lot of commands for children, which might be easier to listen to. I can't say that my Russian is at a very master level either, but I thought it was pretty easy to understand.

The main language is another language, so it is not an all-Russian program from beginning to end, but it is interesting to learn about this aspect of the Russian-speaking world.

みかんの丘(2013)

Release date: September 17, 2016

Country of the work: Russia, Georgia, Estonia

Running time: 87 min.

Genre: War

Synopsis

South Caucasus. Violent conflict erupted as Abkhazia sought independence from Georgia. Many of the Estonians in the Abkhazian settlement return home, but Ivo, whose oranges are about to be harvested, decides to stay behind. Margas, who makes crates of oranges, also decides to stay. As the fighting approaches the village, the two men take the wounded soldiers home and care for them. However, the soldiers are Chechen Ahmed and Georgian Niko, who are supporting Abkhazia, and the two enemies end up spending time together under one roof.

Recommendations

I love this so much!!!

I would like you to take a look at it.

A work that strikes a chord. I am glad to have encountered this work.

This film looks at a corner of war. Instead of the front lines, an injured man is saved by a kindly old man, and the Georgians and Estonians, who are enemies, are forced to live together.

Margos, an old friend of Grandpa's, has his house burned down and is shot by Chechens with a stray bullet to top it off.

It is a work that makes you think about the identity of who you are. I can't give too many spoilers, but if you are interested in folklore, anthropology, or history, I think you will find it especially interesting.

What I thought about this whole piece was the importance of ingratitude. Even in our daily lives, the majority of things are now give and take, but I will never forget those who helped me when I was in need, and I thought that I must help those in need more and more in the future.

Russian Dolls (2005)

Director/Screenplay:Cedric Klapisch

Cast: Romain Duris, Odorei Tautou, Cecile de France, Kelly Reilly, Kevin Bishop

Language : French

Synopsis

Thirty years old. I am 30 years old, a respectable adult in the eyes of society. But life has not yet reached its full maturity.

Sequel to "Spanish Apartments"!　(Excerpt from Amazon product page)

Recommendations

Maybe when I get to a certain age, I will understand more about the goodness of it.

It was kind of a realistic romance!

I heard somewhere that men instinctively want to have relationships with various people. Maybe this kind of thing is actually realistic European love.

Russian Dolls (why not Matryoshka?) is also a very nice title. ), but it is quite a nice title.

それほどロシア～な内容ではなかったがまぁよしとしましょう！よかったですよ！ロシア語以外にもいろいろな言語が出てきます。

Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween(2022)

Synopsis

Shibuya, Tokyo is bustling with the Halloween season. A wedding ceremony was being held at Shibuya Hikarie. There, Detective Sato of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is dressed in a wedding dress. As Conan and other guests look on, a gang of thugs suddenly bursts in and attacks, endangering Detective Takagi, who was trying to protect her...?

The situation was resolved and Takagi was safe, but in Sato's eyes, he saw the image of the Grim Reaper that he had seen when Detective Matsuda, whom he had had a crush on, was killed in a serial bombing incident three years earlier. At the same time, the perpetrator of the serial bombing case escaped from prison. Is this really a coincidence?

Rei Furuya (Toru Amuro), a member of the Public Safety Police, tracks down the man with whom he has a history of burying his former colleague, Detective Matsuda, only to have a mysterious costumed figure appear and attach a collar bomb to him. Conan visits the underground shelter where Amuro is hiding to disarm the collar bomb, and he hears about an encounter he had three years ago in Shibuya with an unidentified costumed bomber named "Pramya" with his now deceased classmates from the police academy.

Soon after, a disturbing shadow appears to be targeting Conan and his team as they proceed with their investigation.

A scramble for destiny lit by fire. Now, the festive Halloween turns into a frenzied nocturne-! (Excerpt from the Amazon product page)

Recommendations

I didn't expect this. I was looking at it casually and was surprised to see so many Russian words~!

I haven't seen a Conan movie in a long time, not since the Dumb one, but it was just plain fun.

The Russian pronunciation of the film was very beautiful. I was impressed because I was umming and ahhing at Golden Kamuy. But I was also impressed because I had been having a hard time understanding the Russian pronunciation of "Golden Kamuy". I was a little bit worried about that...

I was impressed to learn in this movie that "damare" is similar to "damarch" in Japanese.

Could it be that the Japanese word "shut up" comes from Russian?

Conclusion

How was the article?

If you'd like to see some non-Russian speaking movies, such as movies about the environment or Spanish-speaking countries, please click here to check them out!

Articles about Russian can be viewed here.