Woman finds 30,000 negatives in her expired mother’s attic revealing soviet union’s mysterious past

Ten Years Of Torture

The following 10 years proved to be very disturbing for Masha. It became seriously difficult for her to cope with the system and discipline of the hospital. The strict regime of the hospital started breaking her slowly and the struggle was now of survival. Her mental health and broken confidence slowly made her lose her grip on life. It was about time when she would give up.

Yet Another Change

While Masha struggled to cope with situations, the world around her witnessed yet another change. Russia saw Mikhail Gorbachev rise to power and with him becoming the leader of the Soviet Union, the state of Russia embarked on a journey of political and economic reforms. The underground world of a literary bunch of people who had hidden away from the center of power gradually began to ease. 

The Change Clicked

The state was rapidly changing under the rule of Gorbachev and Masha kept on clicking everything she saw worth in. Masha’s photographs talk about the journey of dissolution of the Soviet Union and Leningrad changing to St. Petersburg and Boris Yeltsin taking over as the President of the newly formed Russian Federation. 

Passion Carried Forward

The Soviet Union had become a thing of past but Masha did not abandon her camera. She kept on clicking those photographs that today tell us a lot about the changing lives of people as the state was changing. The photos Masha clicked are the mirror of the then Russian lifestyle and culture. Every small detail that Masha focused her lenses on today are facts of the study. 

Random Jobs

Photography might have been Masha’s passion and she might have pursued it till the end of her days but passion sometimes does not pay for rent. She soon found herself doing odd jobs that would pay her for a square meal. Throughout her life, she relied on varied jobs as she could not stick to one accounting her physical health and mental issues. 

The Real Talent

Over a while, Masha worked as, a design engineer, a librarian, an elevator mechanic, and even a security guard. Her real talent was hidden from the world until her daughter found the reels that consisted of the brilliant photographs clicked by Masha. Aysa is now working on making sure that her mother’s work is shown to the world and she receives the recognition that is due to her.