Films A-Z
pereSTROIKA - reCONSTRUCTION of a flat
pereSTROIKA - umBAU einer Wohnung
Christiane Büchner / Germany / 2008 / 84 min.
Being able to afford your own apartment in the centre of a Russian city is now a luxury. Consequently, those who are not well off are moving to apartments with several rooms or communal housing. Apart from being short of money, perhaps the only thing the people living in these places have in common is their dreams. Communal housing is a throwback to the time of the Soviet Union. It has now taken on a new tragicomic dimension against the backdrop of today's rampant Russian capitalism. Using a large dash of hyperbole and humour Christiane Büchner's PereSTROIK A tells the story of one such apartment in St. Petersburg. Four different families live in the four rooms of a dingy and dreary flat. They share a kitchen, shower and toilet. Their daily routine falls apart when the owner of one of the rooms decides to sell her share of the apartment. The others are then essentially forced against their will into the hands of an uncompromising estate agent who will stop at nothing to get a commission.
» Trailer