"The Bitter Taste of Freedom"

A film by Marina Goldovskaya. In memory of Anna Politkovskaya

Today Anna Politkovskaya is 60 years old. We are showing a film by world-famous documentary filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya "The Bitter Taste of Freedom" about Anna, her family, her life

Marina Goldovskaya

director

- For a quarter of a century under Soviet rule and all the years of the post-Soviet period, I have not made a single picture that I would not want to do. I realized that I was interested in obsessed people. There is conflict in the very nature of such a person. Under the Soviet system, documentary films were like an honor roll, and in such indomitable characters, I felt the possibility of drama. In Anna, I did not immediately feel this obsession.

She certainly influenced me. I felt that you can be yourself without looking back. Muster up the courage to hit in one spot. I asked her: “Anna, are you tired?” “Who will go there? Is it dangerous. I already have contacts. She kind of inspired me. I didn’t formulate for myself, but I also continued to do only what I want.

When tectonic shifts began in the country, I thought: I need to shoot this seething life with events, at least with an amateur camera. In 1991, I made the film Taste of Freedom commissioned by the Americans. They were interested in the fate of perestroika. They liked my idea of ​​making a film about a family that would reflect the changes in people's minds. I started making films about the Politkovsky family. Sasha was a public figure, traveled a lot on business trips. Anya stayed at home with the children. In a small apartment on Herzen Street, I spent a lot of time with her. Very friendly.

It was different in the early 90s. But even then, I really liked it as a person. A very loyal person who expresses his thoughts clearly. Wholly devoted to his children, to his husband…

She was beautiful. Sincere. Shared with me thoughts, troubles. For example, Sasha had problems with alcohol ... We thought: what to do? She really believed me. Then it was still a happy family.

That picture is one of my favorites. But I had doubts whether it was worth showing it in Russia, because in the film Anya talked about a possible divorce. They asked not to show the film here yet. Nine years after that job, I found out that the Politkovskys had broken up, Anya was working as a journalist, reporting from Chechnya. It struck me - she is so homely, warm. Not military. I called and she invited me over. When I arrived, I saw a changed person. She became collected, purposeful, fanatically passionate about work. “Anna, aren’t you afraid to go to Chechnya, were you arrested?” “When you work, it’s not scary. Coming here - oh-oh-oh, was that really it? I started recording our conversations. Not an interview, we just talked about life. You know, two women are sitting and talking in the kitchen. And I recorded not only her. I have about two and a half thousand hours of material in my archive. I used to shoot all the time.

There is a current of perestroika euphoria in Taste of Freedom. After Anya's death, such bitterness remained ... And "The Bitter Taste of Freedom" is a picture of unfulfilled aspirations.

A lot of pictures have been made about Anya, there are good ones. I decided to talk about the fact that she was not a soldier. She herself repeated: “I am absolutely not a military man, I am afraid of everything that shoots.” And now such a peaceful person is at the forefront in order to explain to us what kind of war this is.

I wanted to make the portrait more voluminous. Hear different points of view. One day I ask a famous photojournalist if he has a photo of Anya in the war. He retorted: “I never intended to take it off!” Then I realized that the attitude of journalists towards her is ambiguous. Perhaps because she was a straight person. She did not hide her passions. In addition, she wrote gloomy reports. People get tired of reading about the hopeless, latently accumulating dislike for the author, depressing them: well, how much can you talk about the same thing! So, if nothing changes, we must remain silent?