Russian Immigration

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The film also implies that whether the superficial patriotism in the United States truly exists in everyone's heart is doubtful and worth further analysis. In the gym, an old man explained that the reason why he chose to become a boxer was that he wanted to be stronger both physically and spiritually. The scene deliberately portrayed his motion: he threw a sharp jab and a hard right hand, and moved his body back and forth with rhythm. Then the perspiration beaded his face. The wallpaper of the boxing room was an American flag, and the man used a towel with an American flag pattern to wipe his sweat away[7]. Laden with grief, the old man narrated in a deep whisper: "I see Odessa in my dreams. I knew every stone there, I even know how to throw them, where to go, how to go. I might have returned to Odessa if I didn't have a son here."[8] He dreamed of Odessa, the place where he grew up, started to know the world, and played care-freely. Though he lived in America even longer than he did in his homeland - he got married and raised his children in the US - he still experienced nostalgia for Odessa. This abnormal phenomenon demonstrates the difficulties he experienced while integrating into his new life. The filmmaker used an ironic filming technique in which she intentionally incorporated the bitterness and harshness that the man complained about into a patriotic atmosphere full of American elements, like American flags and towels. This visual contrast further illustrates the paradoxical encounters that result in everlasting pain and homesickness in immigrants' day-to-day life.

Moreover, this film connotes that the first ultimatum that America gave to the new immigrants burst their bubble of fantasy prosperity and relentlessly pushed them into fierce and everlasting competition. After the social with Russian immigrants, the old singing lady sat alone in a subway with a scowling expression on her face. She murmured that "nothing is really like it seems at first sight. And money doesn't grow on trees or lie around.”[9] As one of the immigrants who were misled by the illusory propaganda of America before coming to the States, she was submerged in the bubble of delusion that opportunities would easily fall down from the sky. Staying in America for years, she was forced to face the harsh reality and survive in the fierce competition, which gave her sense of frustration and defeats. Even if she can enjoy herself in parties and make “small talks” with random people during her free time, the overwhelming sense of loss will never disappear after these momentary distractions. Inevitable obstacles and competition will make her life intolerable all the time.

Finally, the film suggests that despite the bitterness in their hearts, immigrants guard their self-esteem by pretending to be indifferent, narcissistic and detached when experiencing ridicule from both Americans and better-assimilated immigrants. During summer, an older Odessan Jewish immigrant in a white turban who slowly pushed a shopping cart expressed her gratitude towards the United States, since America accepted her without asking for returns, and provided her with money and an apartment when she first arrived[10]. The lady walked from a grocery store to a beach, where she was treated with derision and disdain. A group of Russian-American boys nearby mocked her, "Hey granny, what's your name? Doesn't she know it's warm now? She thinks it's Siberia. You're in Brighton now!”[11] This quote demonstrates these better-assimilated immigrants’ disrespectful attitude towards these immigrants who still maintain Russian traditions. Though the old lady could not speak English after living in America for decades, she must have understood the words the boys shouted at her. She behaved very apathetically without turning back to see what was happening. She possibly had become used to these scorns and tried to ignore them to protect her self-esteem and make herself mentally stronger. Being mocked frequently reveals the immigrants’ difficulties to blend into the new culture and be truly accepted other than getting the basic “material needs,” like money and an apartment. These gifts cannot eliminate immigrants’ sorrows completely because they suffered more from spiritual torments, such as cultural barriers and nostalgia, than from physical needs.

In conclusion, the loneliness and frustrations that foreign immigrants experienced in America in the second half of their life resulted in a profound and melancholic longing that cannot be eradicated. These immigrants are wandering between two banks of "the river of assimilation," unable to go forward or backward to either side. They neither have ways to leave this new land nor are able to thoroughly forget their homeland. On the other hand, contemporary people are unable to summarize the main reason of this dilemma, since two factors are proceeding simultaneously. Americans refuse to understand immigrants and even exclude them; meanwhile, these immigrants resist integration due to homesickness and eventually fall victim to their own nostalgic fantasy. Though being incapable of estimating how many years the torment will last for, we can say with certainty that the bitterness will gradually fade away with every new generation, and the immigrants will have a bright and prosperous future before long.

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WORKS CITED

Odessa…Odessa! Directed by Michael Boganim. Paris, France: Moby Dick Films,

2005), .

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