So I was going to write this post about the Menshov film Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, but then I watched Cheburashka and fell in LOVE. Hear me out, because I have concocted a very positive analysis of this precious animated creature that I think will be a nice break from our usually (although beautiful) heavy and serious fodder.

Cheburashka is an adorable misfit. Overwhelmed with oranges, he toppled into a box, fell asleep, and was shipped to a grocer in what I assume is Moscow. He is brought around the city, trying to find a job. First of all, the fact that the film depicts Che and his soon-to-be-new-friend Gena as “working” in their jobs is so underrated — how civil is that?? But then again, these are fully functional walking, talking, pipe-smoking hybrid animals. The animals leave their jobs at the Zoo, which is a beautifully disillusioned idea that I am choosing not to pick apart.

When Gena puts out an ad for a friend, he is met with not one, not two, BUT THREE! I had the biggest smile on my face when Che confirms his fear (he doesn’t know what he is; neither does Gena’s big book), but he can still be their friend! On the surface, the newfound friends are just playing, but looking deeper, they are accepting differences and overcoming homogeneity.

The evil woman with the pet rat is clearly the moral antagonist, and yet, even she cannot stand in the way of the House of Friends being built. The end of this film absolutely wrecked me.

No matter how silly this short was, I absolutely adored it. This might not be the most serious post on the blog, but I certainly needed Cheburashka this week. We can talk about the gender roles of Moscow in class.