The woman behind the man who ended the Cold War finally gets her close-up.
Raisa Gorbachev, Nancy Reagan, Jacqueline Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher. Their names have been in the same row for a long time. This film is a bold attempt to rethink the role of Raisa Gorbacheva in the history of modern Russia. How did a girl from a simple village grow into one of the main humanists of the 20th century, revolutionizing many areas of the country's life? Why exactly do we owe reforms in education, medicine and culture to Raisa Maksimovna? What thoughts and ideas voiced by her are still relevant?
Direction
Chepel's archival excavation feels genuinely revelatory.
Writing
Reframes 'first lady' as policy architect, not accessory.
Director
Rodion Chepel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Raisa was the first Soviet leader's wife to have her own press secretary—a scandalous Western influence that Kremlin hardliners never forgave.
Her public embrace of Gorbachev after his 1996 presidential humiliation—captured in rare footage here—redefined post-Soviet political spouse behavior entirely.
RU
