Shifting Ideologies in Russian Cinematic Representations of California: Astrakhan in 1995 Vs. Molochnikov in 2020

ABSTRACT In Russian films depicting the 1990s, the theme of emigration emerged as an escape from the unstable, uncertain, and unfamiliar political, social, and economic conditions of transition. Western destinations, especially California, represented an idealised alternative to life in transitional, unpredictable Russia. Through examination of two films, one from 1995, Dmitrii Astrakhan’s Everything Will Be Fine, and one from 2020, Alexander Molochnikov’s Tell Her, it is possible to trace shifting ideologies around emigration, the US-Russia relationship, and Russians’ perceptions of the US and California, in particular. Whereas Astrakhan reveals flaws in the Russian system as a rationale for emigration, conforming to popular culture of the 1990s, Molochnikov sees emigration to the US as a less viable option, aligning with politically-motivated anti-Western ideologies, which reflects a shift in views on emigration from the 1990s to the present. This interdisciplinary essay suggests that even though emigration was increased and viewed popularly in the 1990s, when emigration out of Russia soared into the millions, more recently, this view has fallen out of favour, owing to widespread Kremlin ideology.