Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
Seen it?1980 | 142 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
Weeknight WatchWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With middling reviews (40% on Rotten Tomatoes), it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics and anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Carnal Knowledge or Sense and Sensibility, start here. Audiences love it more than critics do: a crowd-pleaser first.
- The mood
- Funny with heart, romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 22 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Critics were cooler on it than audiences.
Living together in a workers' dorm, Katerina and her friends are determined to make it in Moscow. But when a boorish cameraman forces himself on her, Katerina finds herself pregnant and alone as her friends move on. Twenty years later, Katerina is a factory director, outpacing her old roommates career-wise, yet still alone but for her daughter. Love seems possible again when she meets a genial mechanic.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsBelow par
40% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.5 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 Oscar: Best International Feature Film.
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$3 million worldwide on a $900K budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 57K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Vladimir Menshov
- Vera AlentovaKaterina
- Aleksey BatalovGosha
- Irina MuravyovaLyudmila
- Aleksandr FatyushinGurin
- Raisa RyazanovaAntonina
- Boris SmorchkovNikolay
- Yuri VasilyevRachkov
- Natalya VavilovaAleksandra
- Oleg TabakovVolodya
- Yevgeniya KhanayevaRachkov's mother