Perestroika (2009)

54% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
33% of users liked it
(83 ratings)

Moscow. 1992. Sasha Greenberg, an astrophysicist, returns to the city of his birth after 17 years of exile. Formerly reviled as a traitor, he is now welcomed back as a hero. The period of "Perestroika" (restructuring) has turned everything upside down. In the midst of all this turmoil Sasha is… More Moscow. 1992. Sasha Greenberg, an astrophysicist, returns to the city of his birth after 17 years of exile. Formerly reviled as a traitor, he is now welcomed back as a hero. The period of "Perestroika" (restructuring) has turned everything upside down. In the midst of all this turmoil Sasha is expected to deliver a theory about the coherence of our universe. But, what he's feeling is overwhelming chaos, and the suspicion that man is the bane of a world in peril. With all he knows about the world and the devil, is there any redemption for humanity?

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Slava Tsukerman
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Special Interest

In Theaters: Mar 20, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Oct 27, 2009
Studio: REF Productions

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Perestroika races back and forth between the Soviet past and non-Communist present. The result is highly personal, talky, clunky and somehow engrossing.
Nathan Lee, New York Times
Perestroika is a curious combination of documentary and fiction, politics and science, sophisticated structure and incompetent drama.
Andrew Barker, Variety
The film, which opened March 20 in Los Angeles, is unwieldy, overstuffed and at times hopelessly clunky, yet it's also touchingly funny, visually arresting and somehow a consistent joy to watch.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Perestroika asks, with a philosophical shrug of the shoulders: Why not try to be optimistic?
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Has stylish visuals and a provocative, imaginative screenplay, but occasionally drags and feels convoluted with too many irritatingly awkward moments that lack an emotional core.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
Too much science-babble obscures the truth of Perestroika. The tragedy of the aftermath would have made a better story unvarnished.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
The Russians have a word for it: Nyet.
Lewis Beale, Film Journal International
Alternately fascinating and boring, ultimately confusing, yet heartfelt film by a Russian expatriate about returning to the homeland after Gorbachev.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A nuanced and fascinating film about a Russian scientist's journey home to Moscow after living in the United States for 17 years.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Thought-provoking, if not wholly satisfying, "Perestroika" is a deconstructionist filmic stew to be savored without expectation in order to enjoy its laissez-faire reality.
Jay Antani, Filmcritic.com
one of the year's strangest and most compelling narratives.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
On the evidence of his new movie, Slava Tsukerman, who made the 1982 cult movie Liquid Sky, would make a brilliantly entertaining dinner guest.