The architect Kalmykov from the polar circle accidentally met the female architect Maria at a party in Moscow, and he fell in love with her. In his persistent pursuit, Maria finally returned to the polar circle with him. They fell in love and established a family there. But the stubborn idealist Kalmykov was surrounded by love and hostility, and his plans were repeatedly blocked. Maria had to share these shocks and pressures, which also caused a little friction and conflict between them. Maria had to endure Kalmykov's childish jealousy for no reason. She is determined to have a child. Just when Kalmykov was fighting for the right to survive for his plan in Moscow, Maria almost died due to dystocia. She finally survived under the guardianship of her lover and friends. They will continue to live.
From the 1960s to the 1970s, in the Soviet Union, after the "thawing" was completed, after the breakthrough of the film and the rise of the new generation, the older generation of art masters began to tell their own stories and their own thinking. Those are heavy autumn fruits after tribulation. What Gerasimov dedicated to us is his quartet "The People of the Sixties". After "Man and the Beast", "Reporter" and "Lakeside", he filmed "Love People". In these four episodes, he resurrected the strong humanitarian flavor and a persistent and painful idealistic atmosphere in 19th-century Russian literature, an independent and confused literati and literary standpoint and method. He focused his attention on the reality of the 1960s and on the young people of the 1960s (to be precise, a group of not very young people). This is also the beloved theme of the French "Left Bank". The film shows a group of people who are crossing the "shadow of youth" (Kangladesh), who are still full of passion and delicate confusion that cannot be their own. If we say that for Aaron Renai, this is the generation at a loss after the sense of loss disappeared; then for Gerasimov, this is a group of young builders, a group of intellectuals who entered social life in the 1960s. In the film, the conflicts between people and society, ideals and reality, love and pain constitute the main part of the film. Compared with Gerasimov's first trilogy, "To Love People" expresses his beloved theme in a more beautiful and mellow style.
If Gerasimov’s tetralogy is based on its epic and broad historical vision, wide-screen and open modeling language, it presents an era gallery composed of loose, independent giant murals, then "Love People" is a relatively solemn and concentrated love story. Of course, it is not the sweet and greasy Hollywood serenade, or Antonioni's malaise and careless loveless love. It is not so much love as it is a deeper and broader love that is homogenous with life and health. Borrowing the dialogue between the protagonist Maria and a character, "love", that is "the most important genius", it is not so much the love of a man and woman, as it is only a "shrinked" human love; It is to condense human beings into one person and then love him (her). Although our male protagonist Kalmykov retorted: "No, it cannot be reduced, it is a sin." In this film, love is not used to create a small world for people in love, to avoid society and The storm and noise of reality; but it seems to expose everything to the world, bear and pass the storm.
But it is a love story after all. Full of genius and passion, but almost eccentric Kalmykov met Maria very accidentally. She was twenty-nine years old, married and divorced. Kalmykov was hit by her, and he began his weird and persistent pursuit. Just like Antonioni's lovers, they are just like a pair of wanderers, wandering in the crowd, in front of friends, in unfinished, unlocked buildings. The first act of this love ended with Maria's whisper: "Okay, let's try." This does not seem to be love, but just a surrender of the soul, the wandering soul. They bid farewell to Moscow and came to the northern region. Maria gave Kalmykov a home, and at the same time, she couldn't fall in love with him as if she was knocked down by lightning. But this huge, forbearing love seems to be tinged with pain, and tears of gratitude or fear because of its too heavy happiness. However, perhaps on Kalmykov, Gerasimov projected the most of his own shadow. This is an "extreme" and almost "incurable" idealist. But his idealism does not mean immersed in daydreamingDuring this period, he stubbornly wanted to turn his ideal—the ideal of perfection into reality, into the environment in which people live, into buildings, and he refused to give way.
Perhaps it is precisely because of being an idealist, Gerasimov omitted mediocrity and triviality in the film, omitted evil and numbness, only passion, only ideals, only warmth, only kindness, and only love. Pain comes from the damage of perfect beauty, not from trivial bitterness. Perhaps due to a certain political taboo, Gerasimov's realist world is full of a sense of nameless trauma, an almost suffocating embarrassment. This is the keynote and soul of the film, but it has not been studied and touched. It was just twists and turns reflected in Maria's tears and her face that suddenly became stiff in disgust, even ugly.
In this film, Gerasimov created these concepts with the passion of a knowledge-based artist, using beauty and wisdom to make them the spatial modeling environment of the entire film. The first scene of the film is in the house of the female architect Alexandra Vasilievna. It was a private gathering of international architects. In Gerasimov’s unique multi-center (above three centers) open, wide-screen composition, there are books everywhere, blueprints and models everywhere, old or modern artworks from all over the world, everywhere People, people who are talking and arguing. The multi-scene, centerless sound space is full of languages and music from all over the world. This is the gathering place of knowledge, beauty and creativity. A charming atmosphere of wisdom and imagination. Of course, there is love and pain. Our heroes and heroines will meet here, and meet and love each other in this harmony and dissonance.
And it is in this scene that Gerasimov expresses an advanced (though helpless and powerless) position on modern society and modern mode of existence with his unique wisdom. Everything in this scene is fascinating, but lacks individuality. This spacious, prosperous, disorderly yet orderly space can be everyone’s home, but it’s not like anyone’s (including Alexandra)’s home. Because it lacks a little lock, a little warmth, a little personal privacy and sentiment. It is not so much a private life scene as it is more like a palace of knowledge and a market. Here, we cannot distinguish between Balateyev, Algigliski, or Krykinv. Can't even distinguish Maria from Tania. And this beautiful, comfortable, open and non-personalized styling feature, we will see again in the next scene, in the unfinished residential building that was built by Alexandra: there are spacious houses, beautiful and charming Modern handicrafts, freely opening and closing screens, but there is no place to "boil a pot of red vegetable soup" at will. But Kalmykov's stubbornness and dissonance lies in his attempts to oppose and change this situation. His "extreme idealism", "seeking for complete blame", and "perfect perfection" are reflected in his concern beyond the "housing problem" and beyond the pursuit of housing and even comfort. What he cares about is people, who are reasonable (hence Known as the ideal living environment. From then on, the warm, locked, and personal atmosphere of his and Maria’s home will form a subtle contrast with Alexandra’s residence. It was a "two person country", an environment surrounded by nature (albeit harsh nature). Only there can people have, at least the ability to restore love, and only there can people sprout and enjoy true love. And in Moscow, in that completely artificial, cookie-cutter environment, people only have the love of "Tania and her shadow", and only the love of "touch and fly". There is also love, pain, but more Many are tired, numb and bored. Another set of contrasting modeling references is the apartment complex of Alexandra and the complex of Kalmykov. Although the latter is built in the snow and ice, it is full of lush green life and personal space. It is this underlying theme that makes Gerasimov's works overflow with a bewildering and warm atmosphere.
