THE POSTMAN’S WHITE NIGHTS

Russia, 2014, 90 minutes, Colour.
Aleksey Tryapitsin.
Directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy.

The Postman’s White Nights takes us to northern Russia, an area known to audiences from such forms as Leviathan.

This film is semi-documentary in tone, showing the life of a group of people in the village, on, waking in the morning, going about their business, the postman on his boat, goingto the post office, collecting the mail, flirting with the assistant, visiting various characters and delivering their mail. This is an interesting visual portrait of the postman and his life – but with no mention of what life was like during the time of the Soviet Union.

Amongst the variety of characters, where vodka is drunk plentifully, is a woman to whom the postman is attracted, and her young son, whom he takes into the city of Archangel on one of his trips, to her upset. She has decided to move to the city which makes it difficult for the postman although he helps her with the moving and going to the train.

The motor from his boat is stolen at one stage and he is critical of a family, finding them celebrating lavish meal, which he assumes is the proceeds of his motor.

There is another old character, vodka-sodden, but friendly to the postman.

The film was directed by Andrey Konshalovskiy, who began his career at home in the Soviet Union, moved to the United States during the 1980s, making a number of films including Maria’s Lovers, The Runaway Train, and the Sylvester Stallone vehicle, Tango and Cash.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, he returned home to make a number of films in Russia.

1. A Russian story, the north of Russia, the landscapes, the village, the city of Archangel?

2. The director and his career in Russia, the United States, internationally? His feel for place, people, way of life? The changes from the era of the Soviet Union?

3. The locations, the realism, the houses, the Post Office, the range of deliveries to different people? The city, the supermarket and the Plaza? The variety of landscapes? The musical score?

4. The portrait of the postman? His narrative about the photos, explaining them, the connections, the history of drink? His being alone, waking, the water from the lake, the pump and washing, his breakfast, the television? His boat and the motor, going, the Post Office and his flirting with the woman? pensions, letters? Chatting with people? The Bun? The sailor and his sisters? Irina and Tomko? Relating to people? The postman and his motor, accusing the sailor, the fight? Taking the boy into the city, ice cream, his not drinking alcohol, ice cream instead? The return, the bus, Irina and anger? His visiting, massage, leaving? The visit to his sister? An ordinary man and an ordinary life?

5. Irina, the son, ordinary life, the money, and the postman, his flirting, the massage, no sexual relationship? Move to the city with her son, a new job, at the station, asking the postman to look after the documents?

6. The boy, his mother, the friendship with the postman, his dancing monkey toy, the ice cream in the city, his not wanting to go to the new house?

7. The Bun, character, old, alcoholic, his pension, alone, the television?

8. The family, at the meal outside, the theft of the motor or not? The clash and the fight?

9. The range of locals, their interaction with the postman?

10. The Cosmos Centre, the visit? Russia and the past, space, the sending of the rocket, taking off over the ordinary landscapes and people? The future, modern? The heritage from the Soviet past?

11. The modern city, the Plaza, the shops, the ice cream, the alcohol and the uncertainty of the server?

12. The postman, staying at home, resuming his ordinary life?

13. Russia in the 21st century – no mention of the past, of the experience of the Soviet Union?