Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a life story of three girlfriends from youth to autumn ages. Their dreams and wishes, love, disillusions. Different careers. And big late love.Allegedly, US President Ronald Reagan watched the film several times prior to his meetings with the President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, in order to gain a better understanding of the "Russian soul". What is so odd about this is the idea that the Russian soul is all that different from the American soul, or any other country's soul. The women featured here could just as easily been American in most (if not all) of their adventures.That being said, I was a bit surprised about how "free" everything seemed. Russia gets a bad rap as a strict, awful place, but we actually get a very feminist vision in this story... and touch on some questionable subjects like abortion. Perhaps Soviet Russia was not what we think? (at least not by 1980.)

I did not love "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" but did like it and appreciate it. I am confused, however, that it is apparently the second biggest Russian film ever according to IMDb--it didn't seem THAT good. Regardless, it's a film where the second half if MUCH better than the first and so my advice is to stick with it--it's worth the lengthy running time.The film begins in 1958. Three women share a tiny single room in a dormitory for folks working lower-paying jobs. Two of the ladies take a vacation, of sorts, to a nice fashionable apartment--they are apartment sitting. During this time, they make a fateful decision--they pretend that they are higher-class ladies. Soon they attract a couple men who think they are professional ladies--not women from blue-collar jobs. When one of them, Katia, becomes pregnant and her working-class roots are exposed, the man refuses to marry her and they go their separate ways.About 20 years pass. Katia has a daughter and she never has married. Her prospects for love are bleak--especially since she now has risen way up the ranks and it's even harder for a successful career woman to attract a man. What will happen next? Tune in and see.Overall, this is a very good film that unfolds VERY slowly. It's a film you've just gotta stick with, as the acting and eventually the story pay off. Worth seeing...but the second highest grossing Russian film?!

This may be the first Russian movie I saw that did not end tragically. There were the normal problems of living in Moscow, particularly for the 3 young women trying to make it under very difficult circumstances. The things they do (particularly Lyudmilla) are funny and yet give us a glimpse into how difficult it must have been for them. Katya, the main character, goes through her trials but comes out on top. She does better than anyone else (out of the 3), even raises a daughter (without a husband), but she secretly longs for a man in her life. After many failed attempts are relationships she accidentally meets the man who turns out to be the perfect one for her. However, they too go through some struggles before coming to the final realization that they belong together. It is a wonderful story of struggles, successes, and life in general. The acting was wonderful, particularly the actress who played Katya. Her young daughter (Alexandra) was adorable. The scene I liked the most was Gosha invites Katya and her daughter to a picnic, to get to know each other better (after declaring that he is going to marry Katya). Katya is tired and she just falls asleep in a chair in the fresh air. Gosha gently puts a blanket on her. Very simple, but very caring and touching. There are many wonderful moments in the movie. The humor is sprinkled throughout and it is very refreshing to see a movie like this one. The most valuable thing to me was it gave a glimpse into life in the USSR, and yet we can relate to the story and the characters on a human level.

This is a tribute to the Soviet era some people in Ukraine still consider to be the best years of their lives.I saw the movie in my child years, but didn't pay much attention to it. Now, when I study film history and techniques, the movie revealed to me some dark sides. "Moskva sliezam nie verit", I guess, tells a story of a humble Soviet woman in pursuit for happiness with a beloved man. This woman does not care about feminism. True love of a man-"stronghold", a man who is ready to comfort her any time she needs--that is what she is searching for in life. The movie shows some cloudy moments in the way to happiness three female friends go along. And the movie ends up where it should--an "island of placid" I watch it in original. Have to say, many phrases from the movie are cited in Ukrainian and Russian-speaking communities these days.