*** Some Spoilers ***
I guess one thing you have to remember is when this movie was done. It was a weird time as the country was going through changes and this film was that: different. It's not that it's the best movie ever made, or even a finer one, but what is important is not what it was, but what it wasn't: and that is it was not like all other soviet movie to date. It was commenting on the reality in a different way and to some degree was far more open than movies of the past. Case and point, when bananan argues with a cop about his earing. It was an argument of "I want" vs the old and tried soviet "Not Allowed". The Victor Tsoy song, in the end, asking for change, was again commenting on the same theme, that status quo is just not possible any more. Even the two lovers: the old vs new somehow relate to the theme. The plot itself is very shakespearean: older man, younger woman... younger man... younger woman falls in love with younger man... older man kills younger man... younger woman kills older man. It's really simple but yet it doesn't truly explain why people like this film. Overall, I think it became popular because it came at the right time, rather than anything else. I think a person, even who is not from soviet union can easily enjoy the film. I give it a 6 out of 10.
I guess one thing you have to remember is when this movie was done. It was a weird time as the country was going through changes and this film was that: different. It's not that it's the best movie ever made, or even a finer one, but what is important is not what it was, but what it wasn't: and that is it was not like all other soviet movie to date. It was commenting on the reality in a different way and to some degree was far more open than movies of the past. Case and point, when bananan argues with a cop about his earing. It was an argument of "I want" vs the old and tried soviet "Not Allowed". The Victor Tsoy song, in the end, asking for change, was again commenting on the same theme, that status quo is just not possible any more. Even the two lovers: the old vs new somehow relate to the theme. The plot itself is very shakespearean: older man, younger woman... younger man... younger woman falls in love with younger man... older man kills younger man... younger woman kills older man. It's really simple but yet it doesn't truly explain why people like this film. Overall, I think it became popular because it came at the right time, rather than anything else. I think a person, even who is not from soviet union can easily enjoy the film. I give it a 6 out of 10.