1967, Legnica (headquarters of the Soviet forces stationed in Poland from 1945 until 1990). The city, with the largest Russian army, is a Soviet enclave closed to outsiders, including Polish citizens, during this time. Yuri (Dmitry Ulyanov) is a young Russian pilot and failed astronaut posted to Legnica with his even younger wife Vera (Svetlana khodchenkova). Vera learns Polish and becomes fascinated with Polish music and poetry. At the Polish-Soviet "friendship song contest" she meets Polish officer and musician Michał (Lesław Żurek). The story inexorably leads to tragedy as Vera desperately tries to stop herself from falling in love with Michał, equally desperately tries to hide her infatuation when this fails. For starters I need to say that when I start watching Mała Moskwa I was not expecting the emotional ride that was ahead of me. As foreigner living in Poland for more than half decade I can say that only now I start to be aware of the background and story on this country, and It's obvious us that the II world war left scars that even time will not heal. When the great Wajda picked up the theme of "Katyn" I was anxious to see this emotional twirl of muffled hurtful feelings come on screen, but I was disappointed by how the excess of a big production made it look just an expensive visual document of an historical event, but washed of any human emotion, distant and cold. Now on the hands of Waldemar Krzystek, we have again the Russian occupation theme, but in such a deep poetic human way that your reaction watching it it's just speechless. Tears fall inside and outside as Krzystek leads you into an emotional reconstitution of what this times where. Trough is remarkable direction the "unreal" and poetic performances come so close to your heart and brain. Like a drug that Hypnotizes you, is the best way for me to describe the images that Krzystek produces. Mała Moskwa is for sure a high standard piece of cinema which for me it belongs only to master pieces and this is without doubts one of them. A special word for the stunning performances for all cast but specially for the unique Svetlana khodchenkova, which the word brilliant is not enough to define.
