The film "Little Faith": plot, review, scandal, the fate of the main actress

Considering how much scandalous reputation has this film, it is not surprising that such a huge number of reviews have been written on it and probably all possible facts about the shooting and not only have been told. We are sure: we are not the first, but we will not be the last to touch upon the subject either "Little Vera." - a symbol of Perestroika, a film that became the last box-office hit of the USSR: in total, more than 50 million people watched it! The excitement is hard to describe in words, and the criticism is so varied - from masterpiece to disgrace - that it is difficult to call the film "a classic that everyone should see".

And yet it became a classic... Even if not for everyone, "Little Vera" found its audience, and even today it is revisited from time to time. What's the secret "longevity." of Vasily Pichul's paintings?

"Gorbachev just kept silent": scandalous plot and criticism

This film broke all records for its scandalousness, because it was the first film in the USSR, where it was shown. "that racy scene."The old directors were afraid to even think about the existence of such a thing! In the era of the good old Soviet Union, maximum liberation on the screen was manifested in short skirts or open shoulders, and a scene from "The Diamond Hand" was considered the height of madness. However, in 1988, Perestroika was underway in the country: censorship was pushed to the back burner, as no one cared about it any more. The directors had their hands free, and this led to the emergence of very provocative everyday images, as in the case of Little Vera.

The story centres on an ordinary working family, neither worse nor better than others. The father spins a luggage truck and likes to have a drink, the mother is always making pickles, and the daughter... the very one "fancy high school girl from the '80s"Vera is a woman who likes to party, gets into unpleasant situations and is popular with the opposite sex. As a result, Vera meets that very, one and only handsome (and also intellectual) Sergei, who is not very good with her father. We will not spoiler (perhaps after reading this article someone will want to discover this previously avoided film), but only say that the charm of the tape is the everyday realities of the province.

Upon its release, this film harshly criticised: it was called a shameful stain on the reputation of the USSR, a sick fantasy of the director... In general, many people refused to accept such an unpleasant picture, because people were used to the fact that everything was fine and everyone was happy. And here is such a thing ... Of course, not all families in the USSR lived like Marinina in the film. However, such exceptions were not rare either, and many reviewers and ordinary viewers who grew up in the 80s agree.

But the one that made the most noise "the very scene."In most cases, people bought tickets to the cinema just because of it. And then they left the cinema either in a state of culture shock or in a certain elevated state... Everyone went to see the drama "Little Vera": the young and even the old! Gorbachev could not fail to appreciate such a scandalous masterpiece, who, according to eyewitnesses, simply remained silent without saying anything.

Actors and filming

For such provocative cinema masterpieces of the Perestroika era, the long selection of actors was normThe main roles were offered to artists known from Soviet classics, but they refused because they were afraid of tarnishing their reputations. For example, the role of Vera was initially offered to Jana Poplavskayabut she didn't want to tarnish Red Riding Hood's image. Then the role was passed on to Irina ApeksimovaShe was invited to appear in the film "The Tower" and opted for a more promising project. For Vasily Pichul, who had previously worked on Yeralash, this was his feature debut....

I ended up having to take Natalia Negoda. Why did I have to? Yes, because initially during the trial actress proved herself as a zany and hysterical nature. She immediately criticised the script, behaved impertinently and slightly inadequate ... In general, to get in touch with her Pichula did not want. But had to. Negoda and herself is not very eager to star in this creation. She was attracted by 3 factors: a few months near the sea (filming took place in Mariupol), a friend at her side (we are talking about Alexandra Tabakova, aka Lenka on the film), and a handsome partner - a beautiful partner. Andrey Sokolov (aka Sergei). Subsequently, the actress said:

"When I saw him, I knew it was him. Handsome, intelligent, well-mannered, strong... That was the kind of man Vera could love..."

Strangely enough, everything went smoothly with the young actors. What I can't say for the more mature ones, they were the ones who performed of Vera's parents. Lyudmila Zaitseva (Vera's mother) had to be persuaded for a long time: the woman refused for a long time, because she thought that this was not a film, but a real disgrace for the whole Soviet Union! In her opinion, there was too much of everything in this film. But not even the script was the main obstacle: Yuri Nazarov - That's where the apple of discord lies! The thing is that Zaitseva had a personal dislike for the actor, who was known among her friends as a real ladies' man and a lover of playing on the strings of other people's souls... He was unpleasant to Zaitseva, and then it so happened that in the plot they are husband and wife! In general, it is hard to imagine what sacrifices the director had to make to persuade Lyudmila Vasilyevna (perhaps she also agreed because of the sea?).

Natalia's fate

It's been almost 40 years since the film's release, and "Little Faith" has been a long time coming grown up. Or rather, Natalia. How did her fate turn out after such a provocative role?

At the time of filming, Natalia was 25 years. She already had experience in cinema, but after "Little Vera" shot, woke up a real star - even though the fame was bad. With the director they still found a common language, and a year later Natalia appeared in his next film "It's dark nights in Sochi.". But the former success could only be dreamed of... .

With the onset of the 1990s, Natalia left the country: she settled in U.S.A.From time to time she appeared in small projects in episodic roles... Her only notable role was Lena in the American drama "Back to the USSR.". That's pretty much it....

When in 2007 Negoda returned to her homeland, no one remembered her. There were roles, but small and unnoticeable. Basically, the public remembered her only for "Little Vera" - the only character with which the actress is associated. Today Natalia is 60 years old - in November 2023 she celebrated her anniversary. The woman has no children, and as for the favourite person - about personal life actress prefers to keep quiet.