The Cinematheque

New Restoration

“[An] audacious portrait of two women on the cultural fringes pining after the same man … The texture of domestic items and the soft geometries of light and shadow enhance every frame of this wry relationship drama.”

Natalia Winkelman, The New York Times

Kira Muratova’s debut feature explores the effects of gender roles and societal pressures on women during the Soviet era by observing the complex relationship between three working people. The main character, played by Muratova herself, is a self-reliant woman with a successful job in the city. During a challenging phase of her marriage, she invites a young woman from the village to assist her at home. There, the guest proceeds to share her own story involving the same man. A touching vignette of life in the 1960s, Brief Encounters also provides insight into the political corruption that infiltrated every corner of life under the Soviet regime.

In Russian with English subtitles