Reconstruction of the Body: Teenage Corporality in Soviet and Russian Cinema (1986–1996) as an Indicator of Cultural and Social Changes

This work is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of teenage physicality in Soviet and Russian cinema of 1986 - 1996. as an indicator of sociocultural changes. Period 1986 - 1996 was a time of dramatic changes in Soviet society and the formation of the Russian state. On the one hand, it was a time of democratic reforms, “glasnost”, the breaking of the Iron Curtain and the development of a capitalist economy, which became ground for the development of a new, freer cinema. On the other hand, at the same time, when the USSR was entering a period of “risk society” (U. Beck), full of crises and global risks. Against the backdrop of all these events, a new perestroika and post-Soviet cinema is emerging, where teenagers are the main characters and exponents of the ideas of global change. In accordance with the terminology of G. Deleuze, their physicality expresses “kino-pravda” even to a greater extent than verbal acts. The novelty of my work lies in the fact that despite the global nature of the changes, the turning point decade of 1986 - 1996. remains insufficiently reflected. The purpose of this study is to examine how social and cultural changes in Soviet and Russian society were demonstrated through images of adolescent physicality in cinema. The main methodological framework of my work is the systemic film analysis of Helmut Käutner and discourse analysis of Michel Foucault. Sources - Soviet and Russian cinema of 1986 - 1996, where teenagers were significant characters. Based on the results of the work, several important theses can be presented: 1) the hypothesis about adolescent physicality as an indicator of sociocultural changes and a source of film truth was confirmed; 2) a teenager in cinema before perestroika acted as an ideological sign, so his physicality was strictly limited; 3) teenage physicality in cinema 1986 – 1996 years reflected the transition and instability of the period.