简介：Discord,distress,thethreatofdissolution.SuchistheprevailingspiritintheSoviet　　Uniontodayasvividlycapturedby"Soviets".Throughstrikingphotographsandprobing　　interviews,JurisPodnieks,aLatviandirector,conveysthemisery,resistanceand　　flickeringhopesofpeoplewhoaredemandingmuchmorethantheGorbachevreforms.　　Theveryexistenceofsuchawork,whichwasmadein1988and'89andwhichhas　　beenshowninsomeSovietmovietheaters,isofcourseevidenceofhowmuchhas　　changedinrecentyears.YetasHedrickSmith,theauthorof"TheNewRussians,"　　observes,thereformshavereleasedambiguousandoftenhostilefeelings.　　1redhot　　Inthefirst,impressionisticprogram,Mr.Podnieks,anoteddirectoroffeaturefilms,　　heightensthefactswithscenesofthenucleardisasteratChernobylandtheaftermath　　ofthe1988earthquakeinArmeniaandwiththeangryfacesofstrikingworkersatan　　enginefactoryinYaroslavlincentralRussia.Hehasacasetomakeandknowshowto　　usehiscameratomakeit.Donotlookto"Soviets"forjournalisticbalance;eventhetone　　ofthevoice-oversseparatesearnestprotestorsfromstuffyofficials.　　Unfortunatelyfortheviewer,Mr.Podnieksappearstobemuchtakenwithafellow　　Latvian,themusicianandpoetAlexeiRybnikov,whobeginsthefirstprogramwith　　broodingbanalities--"Wearelostbecausewehavelostourbeliefs"and"Myweakfeet　　aremadeofclay"--asherecordshislatestopera,"HolyCommunionforNonbelievers."　　Thesynthesizedmusicandsyntheticphilosophy,accompaniedbynewsreelsofLenin　　andStalin,makeforanarduouslyartyopening.　　ThroughMr.Podnieks'slens,theYaroslavlenginefactoryisstraightoutofDickens.One　　ofthewomen,whoseemtomakeupmostoftheworkforce,asks,"Withonlyonefree　　dayaweek,whendoweseeourchildren?HowmuchhousekeepingcanIdo?"　　Mr.Podnieks,doinghisinterviewingoutofcamerarange,pinsdownaunion　　representative."Whystrike?"thismanasks."We'refreetotalkaboutanything."ToMr.　　Podnieks'sobservation,"Theairisstillpoisoned;theworkisstillheavy,"theunion　　officialcounters,"Ifthereisalittleanger,takeitasanaturalfemaletrait."Acranedriver　　commentsthatalthoughtheworkersmighthavelostsomeoftheirfear,"wearen't　　capableofmuchafterthesemanyyearsofsilence."Thepicturesoftheold-fashioned　　factoryaddasmokyatmospheretothewords,leavinganimageoffrailhopechokedby　　decadesofresignation.　　Mr.Podnieksdemonstrateshisdirectorialtouchashemovesevocativelyfroma　　commentbythecranedriverthatshelikessciencefictiontoeeriescenesofthe　　clean-upafterthe1986explosionatChernobyl.Thedirectorhasaneyeforsymboland　　alikingformoralitytales.Anarthistoriantellshimthatpeoplehavebeenstealingold　　iconsfromtheregion,eventhoughtheyareradioactive.Theholyitems,takenforgain,　　maybringdeath.Mr.Podniekscanbeobviousbutinhishandseventhe　　obvioushasstrength.　　Thefirstprogramendswithinterviewswithwomenwho,despitewarnings,have　　returnedtotheirhomesnearChernobyl.Mr.Podniekscatchestheirmixofdefiance　　anddesperation.Itisamixture　　that"Soviets"findseverywhere.　　2awakening　　ThesecondprogrambringsinterviewswithaRussianOrthodoxpriest,intheshellofhis　　destroyedchurch,wholongstoreturntoanearlierRussia,andwithAndreiSakharov,　　whodiedinDecember1989,lookingaheadrealisticallyandnotveryoptimistically:"Idon't　　knowwhetherwewillbeabletorunthewholecourse,becausewehavefailedso　　manytimes."　　Mr.PodniekspaysparticularattentiontotherisingnationalisminhisownLatvia,focusing　　especiallyonValdisTurins,aschoolteacherwhomweseebeingcartedawaybypolice　　duringademonstration.Mr.TurinsisnomoreoptimisticthanMr.Sakharov,butheclings　　tothefaiththatnowthereisachanceforhispeople.　　TheprogramfindsasimilarspiritamongtheArmeniansinthedistrictofNagorny　　KarabakhwhoaredemandingindependencefromtherepublicofAzerbaijan.A　　newsreelshowsacrowdlisteningtoamemberoftheCommunistPartyCentral　　Committeeofferingthiscomfort:"DearComrades!TheCentralCommitteeoftheparty　　lovesyou!Honestly!"TheensuinghootsandthepicturesofArmenianswhohavebeen　　beatenbyAzerbaijaninationalists,perhapsabettedbythepolice,portendmoreviolence　　andpossiblyanendtowhatisnowknownastheSovietUnion.　　3doyouhearus?　　Theseriesalsocontainsinterviewswithdisenchantedveteransofthewarin　　Afghanistan,withappealingyoungmembersoftheDemocraticFrontandwith　　less-appealinganti-Semites.　　4thewall　　Anotherprogramcontainsachillingaccountofthedesperatefightbyawomaninthe　　republicofUzbekistaninCentralAsiaagainsttheaccusationthatshewasnotavirginat　　marriage,anoffensethatamongtheUzbeksrequiresself-immolation.Mr.Podnieks's　　camera,neverobjective,catchestheinsularityandsuspiciousnessinaregionwhere　　2,500womenayeartrytoburnthemselvestodeath.　　ThisepisodecontainsinterviewswithresidentsofatownnearLeningradwhoare　　protestingagainstafactorythatemitsnoxiousfumes.　　ThereisalsoacandidconversationwithBorisN.Yeltsin,theheadoftheRussian　　Republic,whoseestheincreasingpowersofMikhailS.Gorbachevas"thebeginningof　　anewcultofpersonality."TheaccompanyingpicturesofMr.Gorbachevlooking　　authoritarianleaveslittledoubtastowhereMr.Podnieks'ssympathieslie.　　5facetoface　　Inthefinalprogram,hereturnstotheBalticStatestomeettheleadersoftheLatvian　　People'sFrontandalsoreturnstoArmenia,anditsfightagainsttheMuslimexpansion.　　"Soviets"givesimmediacytotheeconomic,political,religiousandethnicdemandsnow　　roilingthecountry.Itoffersinspirationintheformofpeoplestandinguptostatepower,　　butleaveslittleprospectforaquietresolutiontotheclashingpassionsthathavebeen　　unloosedbythefirstbreathsoffreedom.…