The Cranes Are Flying

Today was a rare day. I can feel the specialness. You know those days that are rough but somehow turn around, and you realize, it never really was a rough day in the first plac? Well, I had one of those. The rough stuff isnt even wirth talking about anymore. My day started off perfectly with Film History clas. We finished watching my new favorite film of all time: The Cranes Are Flying. If anyone is looking for a great classic movie to watch, please humor me and see this film. It won a Cannes Film Festival Award and was made in 1956. Film in Russia was changing rapidly at that time and this particular film is a prime example...and the woman who stars in it, Tatyana Samojilova, is brilliant. I won't blow it up anymore. It's just a wonderful representation of Russian film and there are English subtitles of course...but they are hardly needed...anyway. Enough bragging. All I know is, my heart and soul came flying open and I wept all morning thinking about it. But the good kind of weep. The hopeful kind. It's a movie about love and hope and war. And the way my awesome Russian teacher describes it in her broken English (but with a Yoda like quality) , "it's not war between, but war inside." so this brilliant actress should have gone on to have an amazing career right? But she didn't, because she as part of The Soviet and was not allowed to be in movies outside of the country. She was fortunate to do one more great project, Anna Karenina, but that was it. And that made me think- absolutely brilliant actors don't always get amazing careers. Am I willing to work the hardest I have and pour my heart and soul into a career that may end in me never being able to be known? And my answer came to me today - if she can, I can. If I can be an ounce of what I saw in that movie plus the one woman show of Medea I saw this evening...I will be more than willing. So I wept in the morning, had a humbling acting class in the afternoon, and wept in the evening while witnessing my favorite performance in Moscow thus far- a one woman Medea. I had no idea how touched I would be watching a woman, in an a room, with a chair. Talk about an Empty Space....this was a stak white room with windows, natural sunlight shinning through and our seats were pews, like church. Perfect for me because in my mind theatre=church, everything is art because God created life...this is my personal manifesto. So already I was ecstatic to be there. As she tells her story as Medea,I am weeping...all the while the sun is setting (ish, because the sun doesn't full set in Moscow, or so it feels)...it was a beautiful combination and when it was over (I was a mess), but I thought, I will never see anything like this again. And then it occurred to me...that goes for everything here in Moscow...or to take it even further...in life. There is beauty and amazingness all around us, and we will never witness these exact moments again. Everything is such a treasure. And no, I'm not high or drunk (for once) saying this. I feel so full tonight. Of joy. Of hope. Of happiness. The woman who was Medea tonight is Oksana Mysina and the show title is translated as, Theatre Medea (I believe). Again, it was all in Russian. I didn't understand a word she said. But I wept. The whole hour and a half. The power behind her eyes were captivating, human, honest, heartbreaking, thrilling, all at once. She makes me forget the biz oart of theatre and make worth the tough times...The tough times are gifts for us to become who we are meant to be. I promise I don't mean to sound like I know things, because I don't. I don't know anything except I love what I do. And I love being a student. I love and am grateful to have these opportunities. And I plan on packing every memory with me to take on my journey and passing them on to spread the word- life is grand. Want to hear a funny subway story? After the Magnificent Medea show we boarded the Metro per usual. And a very tipsy, ok, drunk, woman came onto the car...she came up to me and yelled some Russian, I believe she was asking me to get up and give her the seat I had. But I just smiled ( I was still stunned by the show and all hIgh on life), she didn't take my stillness for an answer and wedged her way into my seat, but I stuck my ground. The girls (and boy) I was with were laughing and looking on in shock as she continued to get comfy and elbow me in the face...she didn't hurt me, but what she did do is give me some great material for acting class tomorrow! We are doing observation etudes in class and boy oh boy, did I hit the jackpot. Thank you sloppy drunk and very rude subway lady! You just made my night!