Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears

“Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears” left me with mixed emotions. In this movie, we see the different lives of three women, all friends. Antonina is the least interesting character, but also appears to be the happiest in her life. She marries Nikolai, who is unextraordinary, but is kind. They have a few children and both continue working in a factory. Antonina certainly fits the role of the Soviet Woman, unassuming and hardworking, both in and out of the home.

On the other hand, we have Lyudmila and Katarina, who both rebel against the roles assigned to them, albeit in different ways. Lyudmila is obsessed with landing rich husband, someone who will lift her out of her meager existence and into a glamorous life. However, this does end well for her, as her big ticket, a famous hockey player, eventually drinks all their money away and she divorces him. She works in a laundry, still convinced she will somehow meet the “right” man.

Katarina, our main character, also does not fit into the stereotypical image of a housewife. In her youth, she studied to enter an institute to become a chemical engineer, but failed the exam. She hoped to re-take the exam, but her pregnancy puts off those plans for good. However, she highly capable and works up through the ranks of a factory, even as a single mother, eventually becoming director.

On the surface, this movie is about women, but it is really about the relation of women to men. All three main characters are defined by their relations with the men in their lives. However, I found the movie’s message unclear. Our main character, Katarina, does eventually find happiness, in a man she says she waited all her life for. This is a man who left her once he realized that her economic status was higher than his, although he does return. A man who expected to be the unquestionable head of the household, even prior to their marriage. On the other hand, he does seem to genuinely love her and he does adhere to a moral code, although I might not agree him on everything. Such consistency seems hard to find in any of the men we see in the film, Antonina’s husband excluded.

Although I have mixed feelings about the film’s message, one thing that was loud and clear was the unhappiness of the women of Moscow.