Watching Moscow change in Moskva 1932

Is Moskva 1932 worth your time? If you like documentaries that feel like they were dug out of a shoebox in an attic, then yes, absolutely. If you want a plot or characters you can actually root for, you’re going to hate every second of it. It’s a mood piece, really. Pure, unadulterated history without the fancy narration to hold your hand.

Iosif Poselski isn't interested in telling you how to feel about the rapid expansion of the city. He just points the camera at the scaffolding and the massive crowds. Sometimes the camera lingers on a brick wall for so long I started wondering if I missed something important. Maybe I did. Or maybe it’s just that kind of movie.

There’s this one shot of a street intersection that feels totally chaotic. People are weaving in and out of frame like they have no idea they’re being filmed. It’s got that raw, messy energy you just don't get in modern, polished docs. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The World's Affair, though obviously in a totally different climate.

The pacing is… well, it’s not really there. It just happens. Sometimes it’s slow enough to be hypnotic, other times it’s just abrupt. There’s a specific cut during a parade sequence that felt like someone accidentally hit the wrong button on the editing table. It’s bizarrely charming in a way that feels very human.

It’s funny how much of this footage feels like a rehearsal for the future. You can see the ambition in the architecture, but the streets are still covered in the kind of grit that makes you want to wipe your screen clean. It doesn't have the polish of The End of the Tour, but it isn't trying to, either. It’s just showing you a world that was already halfway to being forgotten.

Small observations from the cutting room floor:

• The shadows in the morning shots are surprisingly long.
• The way people are dressed? Everyone looks like they are constantly prepared for a windstorm.
• I think I spotted the same guy walking past the frame three times.
• The silence is heavy. It makes the city feel like a ghost town even when it's packed.

Honestly, don't go into this expecting a history lesson. Treat it like a long, dusty walk through a place that doesn't exist anymore. Some parts drag on for a bit too long, and you might find yourself checking your watch, but then you see a face in the crowd that looks so real, so present, that you’re pulled right back in. It’s imperfect, but that’s exactly why I liked it. 🎞️