Letter to Brezhnev: rehabilitating romanticism :

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'THE ONLY thing I dream about,' from Kirby at the end of Letter to Brezhnev, drinking Vodka, getting chickens. ..that's all.' capitalist progress, ever onwards and upwards along the yellow brick road of mass consumption, is 10 years dead. Visions take unexpected forms.

Reviewed by Paul Atkin There's nothing nostalgic about Letter to Brezhnev. Elaine, a life Seyeeace in kiroy.

SCuLClICC Liverpool - like millions ot us do, in dead ends from Hartlepool to Stoke on irent her ship comes in literally with a soulfull Russian sailor called Peter Mayakovsky.

With a name like that, he has to be a poet: Peter stares at stars and ponders deep InouCnLs aDoul seegulls. His 24-hour shore enve oluc luwil tulls Liverpool into a different place for Elaine.

becomes a city of which glows in the ulyslel y dark. They watch the petty rows in the alley and the late night chippy, between couples who fight each says Teresa is fucked stuffing The dream of postwar of the future turn nasty, nostalgia becomes a cultural language, and dreams other to pass the time, with new eyes.

Peters' departure on, it's a question of having the bottle to live the oreza Elaine must over come the resistance ot family, friends, cynical journalists, creepy Foreign Office officials 1o gel 1o Russia her freedom.

The idea of trying lo escape ine dead end of decaying industrial Britain by fleeing 10 the Soviet union is nol widesprcad 'In Russia, says Peter, if vou don't work vou don't eat.' 'Its a bit like that here 100.' This is not a hymn 1o Mother Russia, the promised land in the East. emphasises emotion between the wo centa characters.

It is also a comment on the widespread notion that whatever else you do with Russians, faling in love with one is just not socially acceptable do think Brezhnev SCLL LIIC the minitr the man dom don't HILISLI V care,' replies Elaine.

Brezhner Lellel isn'l just a story of 'passion conquering frontiers' Il's about not accepting the way we - not accepting the lies they tell us, not accepting that we have Wildl we ve away. been because we're for nothing else. This film is about dreaming our own dreams 110 l getting ground down. It is done with a sharp humour that rehabilitates the romanticism.

Letter to Brezhnev, directed bv Chris penaru, wars niexallura Pigg, Margi Clarke, Peter Firth and Alfred Molina. It is currently on general release across Britain.