Full Description
1963, Moscow. A story of music, secrets, and love. In a cramped communal apartment where the neighbors are constantly interfering, the beautiful Orekhova and her 22-year-old son Yuri live together in one room. It is a time of dramatic, government-endorsed anti-Semitism in the USSR, and Orekhova is no exception. A rabid anti-Semite, she forbids Yuri to marry his fiancée Katya because she is a Jew. Obsessed with Yuri's success in a music competition, she fears that any association with Jews will hinder him. The Edith Piaf songs crooning on Orekhova's record player are a counterpoint to the hopeful Chopin preludes lovingly played by Yuri. Yuri's hope and independence grow as he defies his mother, whose obsession drives her to tragic lengths. Starring Tatyana Vasilyeva (see her also in COFFEE WITH LEMON); winner of the 1993 Nika (Russian ''Oscar") for Best Actress.
