Love & Sex in Russia: A Country of Contradictions | Romance in Putin's Russia (Documentary)

[Music] the syriano family full of nostalgia watches one of the most important moments of their life the ceremony in which the head of state Vladimir Putin rewarded their family almost a year [Music] ago [Music] the serov are proud to be the new model to follow a stable couple with many children the ideal Russian family in a country undergoing an unprecedented demographic crisis [Music] this exemplary family honored by Putin lives 1200 kilm East of Moscow in UA a workingclass city of 1 million inhabitants they have been living for 15 years in one of these 20 story Towers with five girls and two boys the seran ofs are an exception in Russia where the majority of Russian women have only one child a family with a very traditional lifestyle valued by the government Lissa 46 is a stay-at-home mother for Alex the father is a private driver for a big boss he earns 800 per month twice the average salary in Russia with seven children they just managed to squeeze into their 55 squ met apartment Alexa and Lissa married at the age of 22 during the Soviet era at the time contraception was difficult to come by in Soviet times big families were frowned upon as they were the poorest today they are encouraged by the state offering bonuses of € 6,200 for the first child this is one year's average salary in Russia a compelling natalist policy to tackle a serious demographic problem since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the economic crisis Russia has lost 5 million inhabitants a demographic deficit that has led to an imbalance between the Sexes there are a lot less men than women 46% against 54% and their life expectancy is one of the lowest in Europe alcoholism drugs and tobacco are to blame as a result many women are eager to find love and start a family before the age of 30 today Zenia and kill are getting married in the pure Orthodox Christian [Music] tradition a newly wed couple with very conservative [Applause] ideas this patriarchal tradition shared by the majority of Russian men is also promoted by President Vladimir Putin himself he Advocates a return to moral order and often displays his masculinity in propaganda but Russian women pay a high price for the domination of men 70% of marriages end in divorce two out of five children are raised without a father and domestic violence is rampant 40 women die every day at the hands of their their Partners 30 times more than in France paradoxically the state is on the aggressor side in 2017 a law decriminalized domestic violence in Moscow and St Petersburg however a minority of the youth are rebelling against male domination in an effort to claim back their sexual and romantic [Music] Freedom despite what seems like a liberated femininity women remain under the control of men in Russia the largest country in the world where Sex and Love Remain synonymous with tradition and patriarchy 40 km from St Petersburg lies the small town of gachina famous for its Imperial Palace and Neo Byzantine churches it's in this middleclass neighborhood that CIA 27 and kill 28 have decided to settle he is a cook and she is a hairdresser the couple met 3 years ago and lived together in this comfortable apartment they are the [Music] [Music] owners a week ago CIA and kill signed their marriage contract but for them the most important thing will be the religious wedding that will take place tomorrow like 74% of Russians the newlyweds are Orthodox Christians and are very attached to Traditional Values kill is the epitome of Russian Macho [Music] [Laughter] for sexist comments that the bride to be seems to accept tonight she will follow the Russian tradition to the letter she will not spend the night with her fiance the night before the wedding CIA has booked a hotel room in downtown gachina she will be able to see her husband tomorrow 8:00 in the morning it's the bride to be's big day the hairdresser and the makeup artist have just arrived at 32 years old arena the hairdresser has already been married twice and can't help but give some advice to the future wife [Music] in Russia 60% of men admit to cheating on their partners [Music] the ceremony takes place in this 15th century wooden [Music] Church the couple is welcomed by the Orthodox priest who will officiate their [Music] Union amongst the guests senia's mother and father and kill's grandmother she raised him after the death of his parents according to tradition the guests have to stand and the women have their heads covered with a [Music] scarf in Russia the priest gives the wedding rings to the couple then comes the exchange of vows [Music] the couple is officially married once the priest places the crowns on both of their heads then they become king and queen of their future home [Music] since the fall of Communism which banished religion from public life Russians have returned to a spiritual way of life and the church is trying to establish its moral [Music] [Music] Authority today 60% of Russian couples have religious weddings the wedding party takes place in this guest house with about 40 guests the decor is modern but that doesn't mean the bride and groom are exempt from traditional [Music] rituals [Applause] this bread ceremony dates back to the Middle [Music] [Music] Ages [Music] by voluntarily giving the bread to her husband Zia wants to show the guests that she accepts her role as a submissive wife her father is [Music] happy in the eyes of her family and friends Zia must now do everything to keep her [Applause] [Applause] [Music] husband [Applause] [Music] this traditional vision of a couple shared by the majority of men and women in Russia is far from the reality of society 70% of marriages end in divorce one of the highest rates in the world and many women find themselves raising children alone as in ivanovo 350 kilm East of Moscow ivanovo is nicknamed the city of fiance the ratio of women to men is 6 to4 the majority are single mothers abandoned by their partner it's 4:30 a.m. and Elena 32 years old starts her day she lives in a hostel and shares the bathroom with the other tenants this room and bed are shared with her two children Dasha 5 years old and vasili just one year old Elena is a single mother in Russia one in three mothers are single compared to one in five in France at 6:00 Elena is the first to leave the hostel she has to drop her eldest daughter off at Nursery before going to work a 1-hour walk through the deserted and poorly lit streets of Ian noo a choice made out of love that changed Elena's life when she fell pregnant with her daughter her fiance left her and she never heard from him again her second partner the father of her son vasili didn't want to raise his child either since then Elena has been on her own [Music] when Elena finally arrives at work it's 7:30 in the morning she is a child care worker in a nursery where she can keep her son Vil with her half of the mothers who come here raise their children alone [Music] [Music] foree [Music] for in Russia 40% of children are raised without a father every day when it's nap time a group of single mothers meet in the nursery's kitchen [Music] Karina the director joins in their discussions which often involve absent fathers and Unfaithful [Music] husbands it is 700 p.m. Elena has finished her workday and picked up her daughter from school today she's meeting her friend Lena who has just gotten [Music] divorced at 30 years old the two young women despair in the struggle of finding a [Music] partner for in Ian noo women seem to be disappointed by love on top of this there is the demographic problem that has been affecting Russia for 30 years the lack of men some Russian women have no choice but to look for love elsewhere every year thousands of women leave for Europe or the United States some also find their soulmate at the Chinese border more than 5,000 km from Moscow Yakutsk in Siberia this city of 600,000 inhabitants is a real Melting Pot it attracts a large number of Asians who mostly come from China a border country where men outnumber women Aaliyah is 4 years old and comes from [Music] [Music] Yakutsk for Aaliyah living in this region has another Advantage she says that here it's possible to find a reliable and faithful spouse it's in this Posh residential neighborhood that Aaliyah lives with her husband and three children June is of Chinese origin Aaliyah's husband is the head of a trade company he makes sure the family leads a comfortable life a beautiful 150 meter house with one bedroom for each of the three children the couple met 20 years ago at a university in Utz but before getting married Aaliyah faced Prejudice from her parents in Russia mixed couples are still rare and often Taboo in the name of nationalism that is very much rooted in the country shock for [Music] singing by marrying June Aaliyah also became a business woman she runs a Chinese restaurant that the couple opened in downtown iut here Aaliyah is the boss she manages about 20 people Russian and Chinese the restaurant is a second home for the children and their Russian Nanny Vera June also organizes his business lunches there a big family with a faithful husband who earns a good living in Russia this is an exception [Music] soon there'll be a new addition to the family the couple is expecting their fourth child while Aaliyah has found her Ideal Husband others are freeing themselves even more from society's mold and are taking risks to pursue their Forbidden love affairs on a sleeper train that connects Moscow to St Petersburg a young couple wakes up from a night of [Music] passion anzol 35 is a blogger and Bela 29 is a security guard they have been together for one [Music] year but their family as they call it would not be complete without irin 22 years [Music] old for anzol ir and Bela are not a couple but what they call a trupal they Define themselves as polyamorous sharing their love between the three of them they are a tiny minority in Russia and around the world that claim their sexual Freedom with multiple lovers anzel lives in the center of St Petersburg in a former communal apartment transformed into a private home [Music] they live in a 100 square met space this is the room he shares with iren Bela hasn't moved in yet [Laughter] but in this apartment anzol is not alone this is anel's Mother Elena she is 62 years [Music] old this former tile Maker Now retired comes from a small village in the vulgar District she's very proud of her eldest son [Music] Elena would never have thought that anzel would become [Music] polyamorous [Music] [Laughter] for Elena who lived during the Communist era a time when sexuality was taboo doesn't understand her son's choices she never discusses the subject in public as she's afraid of what other people will think yet anzel Bela and irin fearlessly walk the streets while showing their love in a time when homosexuality is repressed in Russia and assaults are frequent since 2013 a law prohibits homosexual propaganda in front of minors and can lead to prison they even organize monthly meetings on the topic of multiple lovers the owner of the cafe where they frequent doesn't take offense to their lifestyle common knowledge that they're part of a small minority according to a recent poll 92% of Russians consider homosexuality a crime Vladimir Putin has even declared that he wants to include a ban on gay marriage in the Constitution faced with this conservative Society a part of moscow's educated and privileged youth wants to break free from taboos and openly campaign for greater moral freedoms like tan 28 years old a manager of an event agency and Gia 24 years old a graphic designer tonight they meet up with friends in a trendy bar in the city they all talk openly about sex marked by the Soviet era Russian Society is considered very prudish Tanya and her friends are an exception manages an event agency and has been organizing the most trendy naughty evenings of the capital for the past four years The Independent Newspaper the Moscow times even implies that she is at the origin of a real sexual Revolution in Russia Tanya's sensual party will take place in a few days a much awaited moment in the trendy Moscow youth scene the day before Gia joins Tanya at her place they have been together for a year now and they have no intention to move in together or get married unlike most Russian [Music] couples Tanya the business woman wants to be independent [Laughter] [Music] in Russia 63% of women work so Tanya is no exception Grecia on the other hand is no ordinary Russian man when they met gcia was seduced by Tanya reverse on rolles normal to the habits of Russian men but for the party that awaits them tomorrow this time it was gcia who took the lead [Music] for if your man beats you it's because he loves you goes a famous Russian saying a proverb that many men here follow in Russia 40 women die every day at the hands of their partner 30 times more than in France Arina Petrova 39 years old is a survivor this lawyer lives on the outskirts of Moscow with her two children zlat and gleb 12 and 7 years [Music] old 2 years ago she decided to buy this guard dog for over 6 years Arena was repeatedly abused by her husband in front of her children her son was only 5 years old at the [Music] time [Music] the mother and her two children had to move four times to escape this violent father today they live in this M squ studio in 2006 it all started well after 3 years of living together Arina married [Music] alexe alexe hit her for the first time when Arena was a few months pregnant then the violence became regular it lasted 6 [Music] [Music] years on the medical notes doctors note lesions hematomas and concussion evidence that does not convince the police Irena filed a complaint eight times in vain when her husband attacked the children she decided to leave him the divorce was official in 2016 but the man has never been punished in Russia aggressors like Arena's husband are rarely prosecuted this is State policy in Moscow 3 years ago the Russian Parliament the Duma even passed a law decriminalizing domestic violence only acts resulting in host hospitalization are now considered crimes in Vladimir Putin's party the deputy Oxana is the only one to speak out against this new law for Oxana p is regularly condemned by lobbies of the Orthodox church because of her stance [Music] yeah Oxana has just written a new proposal to counter this law targeting women a 2-hour flight from Moscow UFA in the urals faced with the scourge of domestic violence activists have decided to take action in this tattoo studio they welcome women from all over Russia to try and cover up their injuries [Music] this 43-year-old mother has been the victim of serious [Music] violence Pasha will cover her scars with a tattoo gulas has chosen a seven petal Rose a symbol of renewal zenya is the boss of this salon she set up these tattoo appointments calling them Renaissance to symbolize moving forward on her phone photos of the 300 women who came to her for help for the session is designed as a therapy Gaz tells her story while the tattoo artist covers up her scars [Music] fore a few hours later G sees her new [Music] body for as long as women like G n are feeling threatened in Russia the traditional family model defended by Vladimir Putin and his natalist policy will not be around for much longer the largest country in the world risks losing 20 million inhabitants within 30 [Music] years [Music]

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Id: FEmMcs4pS9U

Length: 47min 40sec (2860 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 12 2024