Gulag Eros of the Russian Mind: Sex in the Soviet Union

Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner Chad Gracia presents “Sex in the Soviet Union: Gulag Eros of the Russian Mind,” a new film that explores the ways authoritarianism warps human sexuality. The tale is told through the life story of Dr. Mikhail Stern, the first sexologist in the USSR. He worked at a small clinic and dedicated his life to fighting against the ignorance and sexual terror of Soviet society.

Dr. Stern was born with the Russian Revolution, was slated for execution by Stalin in the infamous “Jewish Doctors’ Plot” in 1953, was sent to the Gulag in 1974 after a famous show trial, and was eventually allowed to emigrate to Amsterdam after an international campaign led by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone De Beauvoir.

While serving in the gulag, Dr. Stern began collecting his notes on the history of sexuality in the Soviet Union, as well as focusing on individuals whose lives encapsulate the horrors of Soviet sexuality. These include Alexandra Kollontai, the first female ambassador of the modern era and an iron-willed general in the battle to create sexual utopia in the new communist state; a pair of gay men living openly as husbands during the 1920s; a young girl who fought back against KGB head Lavrentiy Beria’s attempted rape; a grandmother who attempted to save her granddaughter’s life after a botched illegal abortion; and the only sex spy ever to successfully turn the tables on her KGB handler and escape to the West.

We bring these stories to the screen through re-enactments that follow closely the primary sources and Dr. Stern’s notes, and which humanize stories that illuminate not only the totalitarianism of the USSR, but challenges confronting the world today.

After his release, Dr. Stern settled in Amsterdam to write the book which inspired this film. He was killed during a brutal sexual assault, a mystery our team will unravel in a subsequent film.

The arc of Dr. Stern’s life raises compelling questions about the persistence of tyranny in the minds of those who fight it as well as the complexities of the human soul.

Rosalie & César

In a small Mediterranean island village, it’s the last day, of the last summer, of Rosalie, 18, at her father’s, César, 80. With her baccalaureate in hand, Rosalie will leave in a few hours to continue her studies in London.
But that day, Rosalie and César lose their dog, Neptune.
As they set off together in search of him, the tensions and the unspoken resurface.

Edmond Albius

Bourbon Island, 1841.
Mr. Bellier-Beaumont, the owner of a small sugar cane plantation, has taken a liking to Edmond, a young slave of twelve. He shares with him his knowledge of botany and his research. The owner hopes to discover the secret of Vanilla fertilization. For the moment, as elsewhere on the island, the plant does not produce any pods.
When one of the property’s runaway slaves is caught, Edmond finally opens his eyes to his condition as a slave. He now has only one desire: to discover the secret of vanilla himself in order to change his own destiny.

Two worlds

A young graduate, deep in debt, receives a call on a sunny and busy morning in Chennai. Assuring that he’d reach within 15 mins, he begins racing in his motorbike through the traffic, risking his life even! The following sequence of events in the film unfolds the sad reality of today’s world.