The Vanished Empire
There is a striking similarity between this film, and the Italian film, My Brother Is An Only Child. Both films involve period settings, a sense of nostalgia, and a love triangle, in stories infused with a mixture of humour and pathos.
It is probably because of its release relatively soon after My Brother Is An Only Child, that The Vanished Empire, at first glance, seems to tread this very familiar ground, with only the socio-political setting to differentiate it from its Italian counterpart. The portrayal of women as merely objects of sexual desire doesn’t help; nor does the under-development of the main character’s mother’s role.
However, the political backdrop is of great interest (look for a telling scene in which a lecturer looks and speaks quite differently out of the University setting), and in fairness to this film, it does evolve into something more substantial.
The Vanished Empire has a lot to say about the waning Soviet empire by setting the story during a time in which there was a reasonable degree of social harmony, and in which the black market was able to provide tantalising symbols of western culture. However, while Shakhnarazov has clearly pursued his interest in the changing Russian political landscape, he has also imbued the film with a gentle charm.
The main criticism would be that the film does suffer a little from under-developed female characters. As with many films portraying men in their youth, the main female character is a fairly one-dimensional object of desire. Moreover, we only gain a glimpse into the life of the main character’s mother, whose story, was worth more time and greater development.
In fairness, though, the story is told from the perspective of the young men in the film. Perhaps it’s fitting that, we are privy to mere glimmers of their elders’ pasts, since just as empires are lost, so are vestiges of our respective cultures that die with the passing of our parents. Just as the characters in the film are blithely unaware of the impending decline of the Soviet era, we tend to let fragments of our families’ pasts and cultures slip through our fingers.
The Vanished Empire – an entertaining and broadly appealing film - is a good choice for audiences looking for pure entertainment, or curious to see easily accessible contemporary Russian cinema.