The Childhood of Maxim Gorky (“Detstvo Gorkogo”}
Directed by Mark Donskoy
Written by Mark Donskoy and Ilya Gruzdev based on books by Maxim Gorky
1938/USSR
Soyuzdetfilm
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] “…I couldn’t believe any longer that all this was in earnest and that tears came hard to them. All those tears and shouts, and all the suffering they inflicted on each other, all those conflicts that died away just as quickly as they flared up, had now become an accepted part of my life, disturbed me less and less, and hardly left any impression. Long afterwards I understood that to Russians, through the poverty and squalor of their lives, suffering comes as a diversion, is turned into a game and they play at it like children and rarely feel ashamed of their misfortune. In the monotony of everyday existence grief comes as a holiday…” — Maxim Gorky, My Childhood[/box]
I have a fraught relationship with Soviet films in general, but I love this coming-of-age biography.
Twelve-year-old Alexei Peshkov (later Gorky) is brought by his single mother to live with her parents and brothers in the country. From the first day, Alexei is surrounded by chaos. His grandfather, who runs a dying business, is in a constant rage and lashes out at anyone who crosses his path with beatings. His two uncles fight non-stop over who will get the bigger share of the business from their father, who, in any case, does not seem willing to part with it any time soon. Alexei’s mother can’t bear the situation and soon departs for the city, leaving Alexei to cope on his own.
Alexei is blessed with a loving grandmother and forms warm relationships with a young apprentice, an old employee who is losing his sight, and an intellectual who rents a room in the house. The family’s lot worsens as its financial situation grows more and more desperate. All these forces seem only to make Alexei stronger.
This film is superbly acted and shot. I can’t understand why it is not better known. The story is told without any sentimentality or hyperbole and seems very real. There is no overt political content. While it is not for the faint of heart, it has my enthusiastic recommendation.
Clips from The Childhood of Maxim Gorky and J. K. Tham’s Scavengers of Antang, Makassar (first 5+ minutes are from “Childhood”)
