Private Life (1982 film)

Private Life
Private Life
Directed by	Yuli Raizman
Written by	Anatoli Grebnev; Yuli Raizman
Starring	Mikhail Ulyanov; Iya Savvina; Irina Gubanova; Tatyana Dogileva
Cinematography	Emil Gulidov; Valentin Piganov
Edited by	Valeriya Belova
Music by	Vyacheslav Ganelin
Production; company	Mosfilm
Release date	1982;
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Soviet Union
Language	Russian

Private Life (Russian: Частная жизнь, translit. Chastnaya zhizn) is a 1982 Soviet drama film directed by Yuli Raizman. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1982.^[1]

Plot

After two manufacturing plants are merged into one, Sergey Nikitich Abrikosov (played by Mikhail Ulyanov), the former director of one of the plants, is compelled to retire. A classic Stalin-era manager, Abrikosov embodies a life wholly devoted to work, where his role and responsibilities have always provided his sense of purpose. Known for his demanding and unyielding leadership, he still operates with the same vigor that drove him as a young man, when he was promoted to director and awarded his first medal at age 20. However, now retired, Abrikosov struggles to find his footing outside of work, facing an unfamiliar void in his personal life. His relationship with his family proves challenging; his son, unlike him, lacks ambition and prefers leisure to study. His wife (played by Iya Savvina) respects him but shares little common ground, and even his daughter from a previous marriage has unresolved family issues of her own.

Gradually, shared experiences bring Abrikosov closer to his family, but his sense of identity remains deeply unsettled. When informed of his successor—a candidate he considers unworthy—Abrikosov heads to the ministry, where he learns of plans for a potential new role. The film ends ambiguously, with Abrikosov receiving a call to return to the ministry. As he stands before a mirror adjusting his tie, his movements slow, lost in deep reflection. Film critic Neya Zorkaya suggests this final moment hints at Abrikosov’s realization that he may have spent his life on pursuits he now finds empty and unfulfilling. Mikhail Ulyanov, the actor portraying Abrikosov, saw it differently, imagining that, whatever the outcome, this experience has profoundly reshaped Abrikosov’s inner world, transforming him into a different person.