Postzależnościowe ujęcie tożsamości zbiorowej Rosjan w filmie Ładunek 200 Aleksieja Bałabanowa

Abstract

Post-dependent Russian identity in Aleksey Balabanov’s Cargo 200

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how Alexei Balabanov constructs the image of contemporary Russian collective identity around the idea of the post-dependence on the traumatic Soviet experience in Cargo 200. The director shows in his movie a post-Soviet society that is paralyzed by traumatic past. The main context of the analysis is “postmemory”, a category introduced by Marianne Hirsch. The idea of postmemory is based on the belief that trauma can be worked-through by the reconstruction of the past events. On the other hand, it underlines the dangerous impact of repressed traumatic memories on the collective identity of the group. Another theoretical and methodological framework is Aleida and Jan Assmann’s concept of communicative and cultural memory, since the director based his film on the cultural traditions and texts widely known in Russian culture (primarily the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky). Balabanov, by the usage of historical costume, tried to force the Russian audience to work through the trauma of the past.