| Sasha Enters Life | |
| Native Name: | ru|Саша входит в жизнь |
| Director: | Mikhail Schweitzer |
| Music: | Veniamin Basner |
| Studio: | Mosfilm |
| Runtime: | 97 min. |
| Country: | Soviet Union |
| Language: | Russian |
Sasha Enters Life (ru|Саша входит в жизнь) is a 1957 remake of the 1956 film Tight Knot, a Soviet drama film directed by Mikhail Schweitzer.[1] [2] In 1988 the original film was restored under the original name, Tight Knot.
The film tells how a young man, Sasha, challenges the ruthless ambitions of a district party leader, whose manipulative tactics disrupt the lives of a farming community and entangle Sasha in a conflict that tests his values and personal relationships.
After the death of the district party committee's senior secretary, the energetic Pavel Mansurov (played by Viktor Avdyushko) assumes leadership of the district. Initially, the heads of the region's large collective farms welcome his efforts. However, they soon realize that Mansurov is more focused on advancing his own career than addressing the farms' needs.
Conflicts escalate as Mansurov sets unrealistic production quotas, which the collective farms cannot meet due to insufficient infrastructure. A veteran leader commits suicide following a harsh exchange with Mansurov, and in an effort to undermine another chairman, Mansurov orchestrates a damning newspaper article. Among his critics is Sasha Komelev (played by Oleg Tabakov), the son of the district's former secretary.
A secondary plot centers on a love triangle. Sasha courts Katya Zelentsova, a member of a youth brigade, and their relationship seems headed for marriage. However, Katya abruptly ends their engagement, confessing her love for Mansurov. Despite the villagers' negative opinion of him, she views Mansurov as a misunderstood, lonely figure. In the film’s conclusion, Katya overhears Mansurov scheming during a party meeting and, devastated, cannot hold back her tears.