A SEVERE YOUNG MAN
Symposium
The story revolves around the household of prominent Dr. Stepanov and his young wife Masha, who share their large and richly adorned mansion with the parasitic Fedor Tsitronov, whose presence in the household is given only the most implausible of explanations. Equally implausible is the family's acquaintance with the proud and statuesque leader of the Young Communist League Grisha Fokin. The film, which treats the role of free love and free will within the Soviet social and political economies, was banned at the time of its release, as it failed to adhere to the aesthetic requirements of Socialist Realism. In retrospect, critics have noted an additional element which made the work unusual for its time and place – the film’s unmistakable homoeroticism.
The story revolves around the household of prominent Dr. Stepanov and his young wife Masha, who share their large and richly adorned mansion with the parasitic Fedor Tsitronov, whose presence in the household is given only the most implausible of explanations. Equally implausible is the family's acquaintance with the proud and statuesque leader of the Young Communist League Grisha Fokin. The film, which treats the role of free love and free will within the Soviet social and political economies, was banned at the time of its release, as it failed to adhere to the aesthetic requirements of Socialist Realism. In retrospect, critics have noted an additional element which made the work unusual for its time and place – the film’s unmistakable homoeroticism.
