Belarusian Partisans in Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinema: the View of a Student Audience

Abstract

The article analyzes some changes in the image of the Belarusian partisans in the post-Soviet cinematography under the influence of the dominant attitude to aestheticization and nostalgic play on the Soviet heroic narrative. The narratives formed in Soviet and post-Soviet historiography are compared with the dominant strategies of representation in contemporary cinematography. The perception of these strategies by the audiences of young people is analyzed on the basis of the materials of ten focus groups. It is proved that post-Soviet films are characterized by the inconsistency between the conservative political message and the aesthetic or entertainment line aimed at the commercial exploitation of the viewer's emotions.