Sex in the Soviet Union
Directed by Chad Gracia
Documentary Feature
Ukraine | 100 min | 2024
A cinematic journey through seven decades of sexual ignorance, oppression, and suffering, brought to life through the words and experiences of the first Soviet sexologist. Ukrainian survivors of the regime recount the harsh realities they endured, from the pervasive suppression of sexual expression to the rampant exploitation and abuse that plagued Soviet society. Delving into the darkest corners of the regime, the film sheds light on the underground worlds of pornography, prostitution, sexpionage, gay life, the gulag, abortion, rape and the daily terrors of searching for intimacy in a totalitarian regime. Through archival footage, powerful personal testimonies, and the insights of leading experts, this documentary offers an unflinching exploration of the sexual mores and brutal repression that defined life in the USSR. It serves as a poignant reminder of the grave consequences of suppressing fundamental aspects of human existence and warns of the personal toll behind the global spread of authoritarianism.
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