‘My Perestroika’ Opens in New York on 23 March.

“I can’t say that I wanted to be like everyone else,” says Lyubov Meyerson, drawing on her cigarette. “That’s not quite how it was. I simply was like everyone else.” Meyerson’s is one of five Russian classmates’ stories in Robin Hessman’s terrific documentary, My Perestroika. Each recalls what it was like to be born into Soviet-era Communism, and now contemplates middle age in Russia’s new market economy. Through thoughtful and absorbing interviews, the film shows the perpetual disjunctions between official history and lived experiences.

My Perestroika opens in New York 23 March and Los Angeles 15 April. Many other cities will follow.

See PopMatters‘ review.