Sergey Solovyov's 'Assa': The Origin of 'LETO', Which Unleashed the Energy of Rock to the World

A legendary film that shines brightly in the history of Soviet cinema as the "most important rock film," and is even called "the film that collapsed the Soviet Union." While there may be no direct connection, the rock scene in the late Soviet era captivated young people to that extent. And one can see that Kirill Serebrennikov's “LETO”, which depicts Viktor Tsoi and the couple Mikhail "Mike" Naumenko, is a work that updates this film—in which Tsoi himself and Boris Grebenshchikov, a member of "Aquarium," appear—for the modern age. By the way, while Serebrennikov's work splashes the "anti-authority, anti-establishment" aspect of rock into the cinematic world, this film claims it didn't have that much political ideology (though that is surely feigned ignorance). Solovyov, knowing that his previous film 'The White Dove' was not a big hit and that soldiers were being forcibly mobilized to fill empty seats, aimed to create a film that would be a massive hit without such measures. What he referenced for this was the essence of Indian cinema, which was hugely popular in the Soviet Union at the time for its abundant use of melodrama, music, and dance.

This film centers on a love triangle between Andrei, a gang leader; Alika, a nurse and his young mistress; and Bananan, a rock singer she falls in love with. Alika, played by Tatyana Drubich—who makes one feel as if they are seeing the innocence of Virginie Ledoyen, the fragility of Marie Trintignant, and the beauty of Christina Lindberg all at once—is truly adorable, but the main plot of Alika coming to a summer resort, falling in love with Bananan, and Andrei getting jealous, etc., is honestly crude, and I find no particular novelty to praise. Perhaps the only surprise is that there is a photo booth in a park in this era, and that is the reason the young couple's secret meeting is discovered. Also, it includes clichés that are very Soviet, such as being arrested for wearing earrings from a photo booth. It is a tragic scene, but one cannot help but laugh at its absurdity.

However, this film is not one that moves the love triangle in a new direction; rather, it explodes the potential power of rock within the film by repeating the structural contrast between the old generation and the new generation in various forms, such as classical versus rock, and outdoor opera theater versus indoor dance hall. And the film plays freely with subplots that branch off at nonsensical timings (though it certainly drags), emphasizing another aspect of rock: freedom. Evidence numbers are stamped on the screen, a glossary of rock terms appears in the subtitles, the aftermath of the arrest of a drunkard in military uniform is added, the novel being read appears as a visual, and it even includes a production where colors overflow like "...ere erera baleibu izik subua aruaren...". And naturally, I am reminded of 'Leto'; the two works, which are similar beyond just their framework, seem to have even similar roles to play.

After everything comes to an end, it is Viktor Tsoi himself who succeeds the late Bananan as the singer at the dance hall, and his practice session transforms into a concert hall before one knows it. It seems 10,000 extras crowded into this. The audience, watching Tsoi shout, "Change! That is what our hearts are seeking," holds up lighter flames (is this similar to today's glow sticks?), and a beautiful scene reminiscent of the night sky spreads out. This film, which dragged rock—forced to operate underground—out into the sunlight, delivered rock to all of Russia with an influence unimaginable in the era of sharing audio sources via open-reel tape. Three years later, Tsoi would mobilize 70,000 people at Moscow's largest stadium, Luzhniki. Tsoi would not live to see it, but one year after that, the Soviet Union would collapse.

Afterword
Given that bands central to the rock scene at the time, such as Kino, Aquarium, and Bravo, all participated, the preview screening was apparently a lavish affair that could be called a show. The preview, which lasted for nearly three weeks, was surrounded by various events including merchandise sales (including records), exhibitions of new-generation fashion and art, and concerts by Kino and Aquarium, making it the first film in Russia to be promoted on such a large scale.

・Film Data

Original Title: Acca / Assa
Running Time: 153 minutes
Director: Sergey Solovyov
Release: April 1988 (USSR)

・Rating: 80 points

I referenced this article quite a bit. While Russia Beyond has many wonderful articles, they are sometimes deleted, so I wrote this here as a memorandum.

・Related Articles: Kirill Serebrennikov's Works

★ Kirill Serebrennikov's Career and Complete Works
★ Kirill Serebrennikov's 'Playing the Victim'Is the Lazy Hamlet a Victim or a Perpetrator?
★ Kirill Serebrennikov's 'The Student'One Person's Discomfort is Everyone's Discomfort?
★ Kirill Serebrennikov's 'LETO'The Anarchism of Visuals: Rock Music Videos in a Controlled Society

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