Anna was a powerful look into how one’s environment shapes their psyche and perspective.  A documentary shot over the course of 12 years, focusing on a single subject, Anna, was such a unique and personal way to reveal how the turbulent times throughout the end and eventual collapse of the Soviet Union impacted its citizens on a personal level.  I was particularly struck by the series of questions that were asked of Anna, such as “what are you scared of”, “what do you love/hate”, etc.  Although these are, on their surface, very simple questions, the responses that Anna gives throughout the course of her childhood and journey into young adulthood reflect the environment in which she is brought up.

During Anna’s first interview when she was six, she gave answers that most people would expect: she’s scared witches, talks about food she likes and dislikes, etc.  But, we experience a pretty drastic change in Anna as early as when she was nine years old.  Her fears and wants now revolve around war and the Soviet government–she is greatly impacted by the political events occurring in her country.  At first, this came off as surprising to me, as I couldn’t really imagine my nine year old self articulating my concerns around war, the economy etc.  But, I was then brought back to the amount of propaganda we have looked at this semester aimed towards children.  Anna’s perspective and her interview responses are such a great way to see how the effort of the Soviet government to engage the youth largely worked.  In other words, it seems that even childhood could not escape the uniformity of the Soviet Union–that coming of age during that time was largely dictated by the Soviet government.  In fact, I am quite confident that other nine year olds and children would have similar responses as Anna if asked the same questions during this period.

What I found most interesting and appealing about the movie “Anna”, and what I believe is the central premise of the entire film, is the transition of the narrator’s daughter’s beliefs over time and in the context within the events taking place around her, and more broadly, the Soviet Union. The yearly interviews begin with a naïve six-year-old girl answering four seemingly trivial questions. The answers they elicit are much less simple. In fact, they tell a much more important story.

Initially, the young six-year-old is most fearful of witches and hates borsch the most. This is certainly most in-line with what we, in the United States, would think a six-year-old thinks: fearing fictitious creatures, hating our mother’s favorite dish, etc. Interestingly, she is admitted into school two years later and her outlook drastically changes, she is overtly indoctrinated by the Soviet public education system. No longer is she fearful of these childhood demons, no longer does she hate mom’s favorite dishes. Instead, Anna now wants a leader approved by all and by the mere age of nine, Anna knows all the central tenants and doctrines of Stalin’s socialism. The transformation is both shocking and eye-opening: this is the influence propaganda and authoritarianism has on youth.

After outgrowing the brainwashing, admitting it herself, Anna matures and begins to think about what ordinary people might think others ponder. She is most fearful of losing the world close to her, and even when asked where she would choose to live, responds where she grew up. All in all, her documented upbringing sheds light on the grip the Soviet Authoritarians had on the youth of their country, and the love for their country that generations of Soviet children had and continue to have.