Growing Vera

The movie Little Vera is a very interesting film. I liked how it showcased the common life, not the extravagant and rich life, of Russia. The film is very different from the previous ones that we have seen. It shows things for what they truly are and does not romanticize them or make them seem they are better. The only places that are shown are run down and dirty but they are all made out to be normal and a home to those living there. The apartments in this film are not as fancy and well made as the ones in Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. They are much smaller and much more lived in.

The main character in this film is Vera and the story goes through a small portion of her life. Vera is a very strong person and though her life has been hard, she keeps going. Her father is an alcoholic and she still takes care of him even after he just yelled at her. She truly loves him. Her mother is gentle but she is not afraid to be bold. Her brother Viktor is a coward at times, but in the end you can see how he truly does care for his family, and especially his little sister, as he sees that she took all of those pills and helps her throw up to get them out of her system. Her friend Chistyakova is nice to Vera and they are very close. I think that both of these girls are so used to pain and bad things happening in their life that they think it is normal. They both end up in a relationship that is not the healthiest and they stay in it. Sergei is very strong headed and he is not afraid to say what is on his mind, whether it be good or bad. Although I do not really like Sergei, I think that he is much better then Andrei. Andrei forces himself on Vera the whole time that we see him. He does not know how to take no for an answer.

I think that the story of Vera and Sergei's romance is important to Vera's story, but overall this story is about Vera and her family. They all have very strong personalities that constantly clash with each other, but they all, very obviously, love each other very much.

Another interesting thing that I noticed about this movie is the symbolism of the trains. There are train tracks next to a playground outside of Vera's family's apartment. There is also one outside of the hospital. Whenever something important happens you see the trains driving by or blowing their horns. Vera at one point in the film walks over a set of train tracks and Viktor eventually leaves by train.

Another aspect of this film I found interesting was at the end, when Vera was giving her statement about what happened between her father and Sergei. While she was giving her statement, her friend Tolik comes in and sits down next to her to give his statement. They both end up giving their statements at the same time, and while it was confusing to keep the two different stories separate, Both of the stories also told another story together. To finish up, this movie begins and ends with a view of the city while a song plays. I think that this is very symbolic, and shows how Vera is feeling.