Maria Lemesheva: "Contemporary Russian cinema is interested in strong heroines."

      International Women's Day is not just about the feeling of celebration, warm words, and the anticipation of a spring miracle. It is also a great reason to seek answers to the question: what is a modern woman like? How does our society perceive her, what demands does it place on her? And what does the ideal of femininity look like today? Answering these questions is easier than it seems. You just need to go to the nearest cinema. Film always reflects reality, so most screen heroines are a composite image of our contemporaries. We decided to talk about women on screen with the well-known film expert, editor-in-chief of the magazine "KinoReporter," Maria Lemeshova.

      — What are female characters like in modern cinema?

      — They are diverse. Although, of course, in Russian films, "strong-willed girls" take center stage — they are more interesting to our filmmakers than any others. But this is a global trend: while in the past the "damsel in distress" type was common, now it has been replaced by the "strong heroine" — a woman who does not wait for a savior but finds her way out of the most difficult situations herself. A striking example in this regard is Robert Rodriguez's blockbuster "Alita: Battle Angel," for which James Cameron was the screenwriter and producer. Here, the female character is so much stronger than the male that at the climactic moment, it is the girl who carries the young man in her arms, not the other way around. It is simply impossible to imagine something like this in films from fifty years ago: in them, women most often played the roles of "objects of rescue," "love interests," or "friends." In the Russian film "The Call," the heroine Yulia Peresild is chosen to carry out a complex and dangerous space mission, having passed all pre-flight tests better than the men.

      — But it seems to me that in Soviet cinema, the heroine was never a "pale weakness"...

      — Absolutely! Just remember "A Simple Story" (1960) by Yuri Egorov with Nonna Mordyukova: here, the woman becomes the chairperson of the collective farm, and any man could envy her strength and will. Or one of my favorite films, "Come Tomorrow" (1962) by Evgeny Tashkov: isn't naive Frosya Burlakova the one who controls her own fate? And how much inner strength does the small and fragile-looking Tosya Sinitsyna from "The Girls" (1961) possess? Moreover, even if we talk about seemingly very fragile and sensitive heroines from that period, they also exhibit remarkable resilience. A classic example is Nastya from Alexander Rou's fairy tale "Morozko" (1964). This is a girl-child, almost a teenager with a crystal voice. But it is she who stands up to evil forces — and breaks the magical spells.

      — Are there such heroines in modern Russian cinema?

      — Russian cinema is a direct heir to Soviet cinema, so we have adopted many traditions. Of course, today, girls on screen do not look like chairpersons of collective farms or Frosya Burlakova: they have become more sophisticated and feminine. But behind the external playfulness and flirtation, a strong character is always present. A great example is the undeniable hit of last year, which triumphed at the "Golden Eagle" awards, winning in seven (!) categories. This is the blockbuster "The Prophet. The Story of Alexander Pushkin" by Felix Umarov. Here, there are three strong heroines: Natalia Goncharova (Alyona Dolgolenko, who received the "Advance" award for this role, established by the magazine "KinoReporter"), Elizabeth Vorontsova (Anya Chipovskaya), and the socialite Avdotya Golitsyna (Svetlana Khodchenkova). All three not only fulfill the role of "the hero's love interest," but literally orchestrate his fate, unafraid to go against public opinion — and at the same time, they are very feminine and sexy. As we know, the audience appreciated this concept: "The Prophet" grossed over 1.6 billion rubles at the box office. Another example is the colorful film fairy tale "The Wizard of the Emerald City: The Road of Yellow Brick" by Igor Voloshin (3.3 billion rubles at the box office). Here, the central character is a little girl — it is she who drives the plot forward, and it is from her that the fates of the heroes depend. Or "Kraken" by Nikolai Lebedev (1.1 billion rubles): in this seemingly absolutely brutal blockbuster, an important role is played by a strong girl with a degree (Diana Pozharskaya), who does not get lost in a male-dominated environment and is capable of challenging a centuries-old monster.

      — Regarding monsters, that's clear. But not all heroines save the world. What character traits do female characters have in other genres? And how will female characters change in the near future?

      — Screen heroines — like many girls and women around us — are caring and patient. They seek love, take care of their families, and raise children. This is characteristic of all genres — both comedies and melodramas, as well as serious dramas like Anna Kuznetsova's series "Breathe." At the same time, they do not go with the flow but choose the path they consider necessary and do not deviate from it for anyone. So, screen heroines have to fight not only with monsters but also with bandits, corrupt officials, and simply stubborn relatives who do not understand their goals. As for the future of screen heroines... I think they will definitely not become weaker. But I would like to see more films where girls or women are at the center of the plot. Look at the list of projects that crossed the 1 billion rubles mark last year. There are eight of them. Of these, only two (!) place a female character at the epicenter of events. These are "The Wizard of the Emerald City" and "Alice in Wonderland" by Yuri Khmelinsky. The other films ("The Prophet," "Gorynych" by Dmitry Khonin, "August" by Nikita Vysotsky and Ilya Lebedev, etc.) focus on male characters. It would be nice if the situation changed and there were more films where a female character takes center stage.