Podróże w czasie do epoki ZSRR we współczesnym filmie i serialu rosyjskim (w latach 1992–2024). Część 1: Radzieckie rozrachunki i reminiscencje

Abstract

The article discusses nine Russian films and television series employing the theme of time travel to the USSR era. The protagonists of these films, released between 1995 and 2019, are ordinary, contemporary Russians. The authors use the characters’ juxtaposition against the backdrop of the 1960– 1990 Soviet Union as a pretext for assessing the positive and negative aspects of the period. Early examples marked by a nostalgic tone, offering largely uncritical portrayals of the communist past. Later ones attempted more nuanced, broader depictions of the USSR’s the social realities, highlighting both its appealing and problematic elements. Only the most recent works raised deeper issues such as individual freedom, the right to make autonomous decisions about one’s life — and the absence of these under the previous regime. The circumstances in which time travel occurs are varied — ranging from purely fantastical occurrences ones, through simulated journeys — during which the characters participate in carefully staged ‘visits to the USSR,’ guided by actors posing as ‘ordinary citizens — to actual traversals through time using a time machine. In terms of genre, these films generally fall within the realm of drama, but individual examples of adventure or crime stories also appear. Others include utopian or dystopian themes, such as a vision of a hypothetical future USSR. The article argues that the analysed cultural texts should be recognised as legitimate contributions to the discussion about the feeling of systemic collapse that prevailed in the final years and aftermath of the Soviet state, as well as the perceived gains and losses experienced by Russian society during that time