Anna: from 6 to 18 [Widescreen] [NTSC]

This captivating documentary by award winning Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov (Dark eyes, Burnt by the sun) was filmed over a period of 13 years (from 1980-1993) in clandestine conditions due to the censorius and restrictive regulations imposed by the then Soviet leader, Brezhnev. Mikhalkov’s project involved his six year-old daughter Anna, and five simple questions which were to be answered by Anna, once a year, until she reached the age of eighteen. The questions were: What scares you the most? What do you want more than anything? What do you expect from life? What do you love the most? What do you hate the most? Anna at six is delightful with her warm smile and her typically childish answers but as the years progress it is evident how Anna’s life is being shaped by the impending collapse of totalitarianism and the Soviet Union and the eventual arrival of democracy following Gorbachev’s perestroika. Mikhalkov juxtaposes his annual interviews with his daughter against a spectacular montage of historical archival footage and never-before-seen newsreels depicting the Soviet regime from the days of Brezhnev through to Yeltsin. Anna’s part in the documentary is comparatively small when measured against the wealth of historical images and personal commentary by Mikhalkov but it is the central theme to the film and provides a unique insight into the emotions and thoughts of a young Soviet girl as she grows alongside a country that is going through tremendous political, philosophical and economical upheaval. In turn, Mikhalkov also puts forward his own personal thoughts and philosophies about the old Soviet empire and the new “westernised” state of Russia, reminiscing of his own days of family and childhood. An interesting concept, almost epic in its historical coverage, intercut with moments of poetic images of the Russian rural landscape and Mikhalkov’s family home. The hint of perhaps a sequel when at the end of the documentary Mikhalkov turns to his younger daughter Nadia (aged six) and proceeds to ask her the same questions. (Award: Best Documentary Feature, Hamptons International Film Festival 1996) In Russian with English subtitles.