Overview
Three young women chase their dreams of love and happiness in the bustling heart of Moscow.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- warm
- wistful
- sincere
- quiet evening
- classic film night
What critics said
The film is a hugely popular Soviet audience favorite with strong cultural resonance, though its limited critical sample received it coolly.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Katerina, Lyudmila, and Antonina pursue different forms of love, security, and fulfillment while remaining connected.
The protagonists arrive from the provinces seeking love, happiness, and prosperity in Moscow.
Katerina's later relationship with Gosha develops amid professional and family responsibilities.
The film follows the women's destinies from their early arrival in Moscow into later adulthood.
Films like Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, and why
The Women on the 6th Floor
Shared romantic drama, female-centered life journeys, social realism, and an expansive sense of time.
A Woman Is a Woman
Shared warm ensemble storytelling, working-class aspirations, romantic disappointment, and bittersweet comedy-drama.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Shared multi-character romantic drama, changing social circumstances, and emotionally observant relationship storytelling.
The Best of Youth
Shared female friendship, love and ambition, and a sweeping portrait of ordinary lives shaped by a major city.
Movie Details
- Director
- Vladimir Menshov
- Release Date
- 1980-02-11
- Runtime
- 142 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (301)
Cast
- Vera Alentova
- Aleksey Batalov
- Irina Muravyova
- Aleksandr Fatyushin
- Raisa Ryazanova
- Boris Smorchkov
- Yuri Vasilyev
- Natalya Vavilova
- Oleg Tabakov
- Yevgeniya Khanayeva
Common questions
- What is Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears about?
- Three provincial women build radically different lives in Moscow as friendship, ambition, and enduring hopes for love carry them through adulthood.
- What is Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears.
- What did critics think of Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears?
- The film is a hugely popular Soviet audience favorite with strong cultural resonance, though its limited critical sample received it coolly.
- Which films are like Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears?
- Films with a similar feel include The Women on the 6th Floor, A Woman Is a Woman, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and The Best of Youth.
- How long is Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears?
- Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears runs 142 minutes.
