Interpretation of Dreams

From 1929 until 1989, Freud's writings were banned in the Soviet Union. This Russian documentary for the first time reveals his basic theories about dreams, sexuality, religion, and the human ego. The central subject of this documentary is the question as to what proportions Sigmund Freud's propositions bear to each other in present-day Russia. The film has been constructed with archive material from between the turn of the century until the forties. The authentic shots of wars, disasters, and daily affairs give a lively image of the time in which Freud lived. His theories are supplied with social relevance by director Zagdansky. For instance, his explanation about private possession is directly put in a communist light. Freud's theses with respect to human aggression are immediately illustrated with fragments from films with Hitler, Mussolini, and Lenin. The maker of this film poses that the beginning of this century was a time of great changes; while the Lumière brothers made their attempts at filming reality, Freud wrote "The Interpretation of Dreams". Zagdansky wonders if the subconscious struggle is as real as the wars in reality which are perceptible to everyone. Although he, probably like the audience, is not able to directly put the matter Freud touches upon in the context of the film, INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS is a fascinating documentary that is open to the unanswered questions of life that everyone poses.

The experience the spectator has when seeing this film wholly depends on the individual. Its style could be regarded intriguing as well as hilarious. Thus, the film gets the form of a personal question to each viewer.