Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (Parts 1 & 2)
Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! was the first Russian film I have ever seen. Up until this point, the only foreign films I can recall from memory are a handful of Japanese dramas and horror films, and a few Chinese/Taiwanese films. Besides the obvious language difference (and subtitles), foreign films often feel very different to those made in Hollywood. For example, Japanese horror films are notorious for leaving viewers with an uneasy feeling as the movie comes to an inconclusive ending, and of the Chinese films I have seen there are many cultural aspects of the film that would not be understood here in the west. The same can be said for this Russian film as well. Without some background of the film some parts may seem weird or out of place to a western audience, or at the very least out of the ordinary and unexpected.
One of my first observations of this film was that all of the buildings (high rises) look identical, and a little bit of historical context assures that this isn't just a phenomenon found in The Twilight Zone but rather this was a common sight at the time. Tokyo, Japan is similar in that most people live in apartment buildings rather than actual houses, and while this is somewhat uncommon to us here in the Midwest it is everyday life for many in Asia. The fact that many of the high rises are identical (even across hundreds of miles in different cities) sets up the plot for this film and makes for quite a comical premise.
Another key element in the plot of this film comes from the bathhouse that Zhenya goes to and gets drunk at with his friends. Once again, to compare with Japan, going to a bath house (in Japanese sentou or onsen) is completely normal and actually very refreshing! Yet here in the west, the concept of getting undressed and chatting with your friends in a bath is almost unfathomable.
Perhaps this next point is unrelated to Russian culture, but I noticed how focused the film was on music. Not just the music in the background, but the song that played in the beginning and at the end, as well as the songs both Zhenya and Nadya sang while playing the guitar. I wonder if this is how a lot of traditional songs in Russia sound or if the film selected these songs on purpose, and if modern music relates at all to them.
Overall this film was very entertaining and started to give me a good glimpse into Russia in the 70s and into the lives of the Russian people and their culture as a whole. There were parts of the film that were somewhat odd (like how quickly Nadya forgave the main character for ruining her New Years), however this did not take away from the overall film. I am excited to see what movies come next.
Andrew
I think it is interesting that you bring up the Midwest when talking about the high rises in Russia (and Asia) because I always hear from people from other places (and even some people who live here as well) that everywhere in the Midwest looks the same. Maybe not to the same extent as a slightly satirized communist Russia. But i find it interesting that you say the flat, suburban, Midwest is different from the hulking copies of high rise apartments. I kind of feel that the Midwest has the same effect of never feeling lost when everything looks the same. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteTrue! I think in certain suburban areas where mostly houses exist, they always feel a little more personal than highrises. Interestingly, in more countryside parts of Japan where houses are more common, all of the roofs look different! In fact, there is almost no similarity. Yet in Tokyo everything feels the same.
DeleteReally enjoyed hearing about the comparisons to Japanese living. I'm interested if you noticed any comparisons between the humor of Russian film vs. that of Japan? or have any comments on how the humor in Japanese culture usually compares to American humor?
ReplyDeleteGood question! I think some of the same Russian humor that overlaps with our humor also overlaps with Japanese humor, especially irony (in japanese "hiniku"). But there is another aspect of Japanese humor that is way more slap-stick and outrageous, that would make anyone else just confused haha.
DeleteI need to look this up and see if anything came out of it--but I remember hearing many years ago that someone in America had bought the rights to this film and were going to make an Americanized version of it. And I could actually see it being done in the Midwest! Imagine two identical housing developments (perhaps each named something like "Bubbling Brook"?) built by the same developer...one in greater Cleveland...the other in Minneapolis. And why might they not have the same layout...the same street names...the same McMansions...the same addresses...and yes! the same keys! Only, with Homeland Security these days, it'd be a bit harder to get the wrong fellow on the plane! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it could definitely work!! It would make for an equally interesting movie I think!
DeleteI agree and also thought that the film gave a good glimpse of what the 70s was like in Russia.
ReplyDelete