Richard Viktorov - Cherez ternii k zvyozdam AKA To the Stars by Hard Ways (20th anniversary edition) (1981)

Quote:
To the Stars by Hard Ways was first released in 1985, and the print being screened at Fantasia is the newly restored version that was shorn of 20 minutes and re-edited by the director’s son Nikolai Viktorov in 2001. Once given the Mystery Science Theatre treatment in a truncated version known as Humanoid Woman, To the Stars by Hard Ways has gained a cult-classic status among Russian youths who were attuned to the film’s blend of pop social commentary and stunning visual alchemy. The latter is a result of a varied cinematic style which incorporates poetic touches of Tarkovskian influenced naturalism (“earthy, organic” set design), shifting colour patterns (between sepia, monochromatic blue and saturated nature imagery), and simple yet inventive in-camera special effects (slow motion, reverse, dissolves, mirror shots etc.). To the Stars by Hard Ways functions marvelously well on multiple levels -- as a trippy science-fiction social critique of environmental neglect, as a campy treat of mod visuals and Star Trek-influenced human and alien characters, and as a retro Communist propaganda piece. Even with these at times radical shifts in tone, the film remains a genuinely moving existential space opera.

Aleksandr Ptushko - Skazka o poteryannom vremeni aka A Tale of Lost Times (1964)

Quote:
One day, four sorcerers appeared out of the blue in the streets of a small town. These evil old people had long been dreaming of getting back their former vigor and youth. But to do that, they had to find people who would aimlessly waste their time. And they were very lucky: four schoolchildren had proved ideal guinea pigs for the magicians. The kids and the old people changed their roles for a while. You can’t even imagine what happened! The schoolchildren had to hide for some time in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the town – they just couldn’t appear before their parents as bearded, bent, old persons. Meanwhile, the sorcerers had their fun at school in the guise of their victims. And only on a certain day and at a certain hour, time could be turned back again…
ruscico

Aleksandr Andriyevsky - Gibel sensatsii aka Loss of Feeling (1935)

Quote:
This Russian sci-fi film, an adaptation of the Czech classic novel that gave the world the term "robot," tells the tale of an idealistic inventor who designs strong and intelligent robots to do human work. Unfortunately, the machines are utterly soulless. When factory bosses begin attempting to replace all people with the new robots, the displaced workers revolt. allmovie.com

Marlen Khutsiyev - Vesna na Zarechnoy ulitse aka Spring on Zarechnoy Street (1956)

A young school teacher Tanya works at a night school for working people. But it's uneasy to get used to grown-up men, their constant attempts at flirting, their sometimes too manly jokes and comments. She is especially irritated by Don Juan-like behavior of Sasha Savchenko. She avoids his advances, and Sasha becomes so upset that he drops out of school. After a while, Tanya gets used to this new for her environment, finds in her heart an attraction to Sasha, and there comes Spring, exams time...

Mikhail Romm - Devyat dney odnogo goda AKA Nine days of one year (1962)

A 1962 Soviet black-and-white drama film directed by Mikhail Romm about nuclear particle physics, Soviet scientists
(physicists) and their relationship. The film won the Crystal Globe Award in 1962.

Plot:
Two young physicists, an afflicted experimenter Dmitri Gusev (Batalov) and a sceptical physicist-theorist Ilya Kulikov (Smoktunovsky) carry out nuclear researches at a Siberian research institute. Dmitri heads the researches begun by his teacher Sintsov who as a result of experiment had received a deadly dose of radiation. Gusev is irradiated also. Doctors warn that any more radiation will kill him. At that time his friend Ilya and Lyolya who loved Dmitri developed a romantic relationship. The enamoured couple prepares for a wedding and look for a possibility to inform Dmitri about it. When they meet, Dmitri already suspects this and coldly received Lyolya and Ilya. Lyolya is caught up in self-contradictions, and as she tries to establish his true feelings for her she learns about the terrible diagnosis. Realising that she still loves Dmitri, Lyolya cancels her wedding to Kulikov and weds Gusev.

Nikita Mikhalkov - Pyat vecherov aka Five Evenings (1979)

Quote:
Based on the play by Alexander Volodin. The set is the 1950s. The tangible world of an old communal apartment is recreated onscreen with an incredible accuracy, every thing capturing the flair of the time. The stylized visuals, the curious objects, the amusing inhabitants, so charming and exotic… There are all the marks of the ‘retro’ style, which is always ‘in’. The actors Ludmila Gurchenko and Stanislav Lyubshin succeeded in conveying everything that they couldn’t say openly. The finale allows for different interpretations. Hence the emotions evoked by this impeccably made melodrama appear to be even more poignant.Once Alexander and Tamara were in love. But the war had separated them… Twenty long years after, they meet again, but they lack the courage to admit that their feelings are still alive. Unable to overcome their pride, they try to convince each other that both are doing just fine…

Kira Muratova - Korotkie vstrechi AKA Brief Encounters (1967)

kinoglaz.fr:
Nadya (Nina Ruslanova) is a young woman who loves the geologist Maxim (Vladimir Vysotsky). She takes a job as a housemaid before discovering Maxim is romantically involved with town official Valentina Ivanovna (Kira Muratova). The heartbroken Nadya goes away before Maxim can return, leaving him and Valentina to pursue their romance.

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imdb:
Nadja, a country girl moves to the city and becomes Valya's maid. Valya, a member of the District Soviet, does not know that Nadja fell in love with Valya's currently absent husband, a geologist, when he was at her village on a recent expedition. Written by Erik Gregersen {erik@astro.as.utexas.edu}

Nikita Mikhalkov - Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino AKA Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano (1977)

Plot:
Early in the 20th century, family and friends gather at the country estate of a general's widow, Anna Petrovna. Sofia, the new wife of Anna's step-son, recognizes Misha, the brother-in-law of one of the widow's admirers: a few years before, they had been idealistic lovers and now she can't believe he has settled for a dim wife and a job as a teacher. Amidst parlor games and idle talk of women's rights and peasants' capabilities, Sofia and Misha rekindle their love. Will they flaunt convention, abandon families, and run away to pursue lost dreams? Rescue comes from an unexpected place.