Reality and a story

Last night we were watching and discussing The Russians Are Coming! documentary with Moscow students – which is a quite light and easy film (unlike some other stuff in our “heavy” documentary package) – but nevertheless it provoked some serious thinking.

Some viewers said that the impression is that Russians came to the States and are astonished by almost everything. In comparison to Russian realities, American realities are always better, more cheerful, easier, friendlier, etc. etc. Even though the film is not about that.

I’ve been analysing (that’s what I like to do) long after the discussion, and figured that reality itself is pretty chaotic – and when we perceive it, moreover when we make a story out of it – we structure it – and we structure it OUR OWN way. That’s why sometimes when you see stories produced by others – about the same places and people you’ve been at the same time – it gives an impression that you’re watching something else – not what you saw there and then being on the scene.