More than a quarter century ago, back in Soviet times, in 1988, the film “Little Faith” was released. For the young director Vasily Pichula, this was a film debut. For that time, the film turned out to be so scandalous that during the premiere screening, half of the audience left the hall with indignant exclamations: “Shame! This is not Soviet cinema! ” Serious passions flared up, nevertheless only in the Soviet Union about 50-55 million viewers watched this “shame”. Young actors ("Little Vera") after the premiere screenings woke up famous throughout the country and not only. Renting a movie in the United States brought more than a million dollars. It just so happened that this sensational project of youth cinema was the last one that managed to gather fifty millionth audience in cinemas.
Ordinary Soviet family in the film "Little Faith"
The plot is based on the war of fathers and children. Misunderstanding, bitterness, a sense of hopelessness, an eternal lack of money - these are all the reasons for the outbreak of “military” actions. In this confrontation everything is used, blows from below the belt come from both sides. The situation is tense to the limit ...
If you take a quick look, it seems that the actors of the film “Little Faith” play a simple banal story from the life of an ordinary Soviet working-class family. Problems exist, of course, but in our country people are strong and can overcome all difficulties, managing to go on a KamAZ truck to the beach on a rare weekend for the whole, at first glance, friendly family.
Actions take place in the port city, where young people have fun on the dance floor by arranging wall-to-wall battles, and then playing a game with the police "Try, catch up!" Vera (N. Negoda) is one of them, a simple girl who just graduated from school. She runs to dances, spends time with a not very good company, reluctantly accepts the courtship of the same simple guy (A. Fomin). Everything would be so monotonous and continue, if not for an accidental meeting with Sergey (A. Sokolov).
The girl falls in love with a guy, brings herself to live and informs her parents about the upcoming wedding. Vera’s family is similar to all Soviet families of that time. Nikolai (Yu. Nazarov) - the father of the family, is often sick, but just as often drinks, not forgetting to regularly swear with his wife. Rita (L. Zaitseva) is the mother of Vera, who was tortured by work and household chores. She is trying to maintain a family fire, which will soon turn into ashes. She has one aspiration: "That everything was like people have." Soviet people were not used to stand out and felt calm when everything went according to a long-planned plan. In a family, as in the State Planning Commission, everything is planned in advance.
A newly-born son-in-law suddenly breaks into this measured life, the guy is very handsome, far from stupid, but with an extraordinary thinking. He is not satisfied with a quiet, boring family life, he is trying to break this circle, while Vera is trying her best to enter the role of an exemplary and caring wife, not realizing that Sergey does not need this. He himself is not fully aware of his desires.
It all ends tragically: the gradually tense atmosphere leads to a major quarrel between Nikolai and Sergey, and his father stabs the guy who, fortunately, is saved by the doctors. Faith rushes between father and lover. During these troubles, the girl realizes with horror that there is no happiness, love has gone somewhere, only the disgusting boring life remains. The failed young wife is trying to commit suicide, her father could not survive the unrest and died of a heart attack. The final is quite logical ...
Cast
1. Natalya Negoda - Vera.
2. Andrey Sokolov - Sergey Sokolov, beloved of Vera.
3. Yuri Nazarov - Nikolai, the father of Vera.
4. Lyudmila Zaitseva - Rita, mother of Vera.
5. Alexander Negreba - Victor, the elder brother of Vera.
6. Alexandra Tabakova - Lenka Chistyakova, Vera’s friend.
7. Andrey Fomin - Andryusha.
8. Alexander Mironov - Tolik.
“Little Faith”: actors and roles of the first plan
The main youth roles in the film were lucky to play Natalia Negode (Vera) and Andrei Sokolov (Sergey). These are young and still inexperienced actors. “Little Faith” is a film that served them as a great start in the world of cinema.
Natalia Negoda before the star role of Vera, after graduating from the Moscow Art Theater, worked in the Moscow Youth Theater. She played there by no means the main roles, all she got was to portray animals on the stage. But experienced actors (Little Faith) were surprised at how easily Natalya got used to her role. That's just the discipline of the girl did not work out. Once Negoda and Sasha Tabakova disappeared from the field of view of the film crew for three whole days. Of course, the sea, the sun, the beach, how can you not forget about work in their years.
Natasha’s partner in the film Andrei Sokolov was much more responsible than frivolous girls, but, remembering the shootings, he also smiles dreamily. Still, I had a chance to play such a role and at the same time relax on the sea. Before this work, the actor practically did not act in film, but after the legendary film, Andrey's career went up sharply. Now he has a huge list of wonderful roles, which continues to grow.
Unlike young heroes, they decided to entrust the already generation of talented artists to play the older generation. Vera's parents were shown on stage by Lyudmila Zaitseva and Yuri Nazarov. The actress, after reading the script, flatly refused the role she did not like. Rita seemed to Lyudmila how unpleasant that there was no question of filming. Director Vasily Pichula convinced her to reconsider her decision and take a closer look at the heroine. Zaitseva suddenly saw in this hackneyed everyday woman some part of herself. Many mothers of families forget about simple human happiness in the cycle of everyday problems. Yuri Nazarov, recalling the film, also bitterly argues that even when the problem is clear, there is still no answer how to live on. The relationship between adults and children in this youth drama is so confused.
Other actors and roles of the film Little Vera
Among the supporting actors, I would like to mention the work of Alexandra Tabakova, who played Vera's friend Lenka Chistyakova. The girl’s surname, as they say, is noble! Sasha really has a daughter Oleg Tabakov. Actors ("Little Faith") appreciated the talent of the girl, who, apparently, was inherited from the star father.
An interesting role went to the young actor Alexander Mironov. His hero Tolik is a typical representative of the rampant youth of that time. Mironov, to the smallest subtleties, managed to convey that mood that swept the boys and girls who were striving for freedom of choice . What did his bold hairstyle and checkered pants cost ...
Without exception, all the actors involved in the filming of the film “Little Faith” claimed that it worked as easily as if they lived their own lives, and the filming was something secondary. Maybe this atmosphere of the port town of Mariupol inspired such a wonderful general mood ...