“Beauty, The”

USSR, 1989. Vera Ignatieva, director of the House of Culture, is organizing the first beauty contest in the country to help young girls believe in themselves and open up new perspectives. The idea looks pro-Western, and the officials of the old formation are putting sticks in Vera’s wheels, creating a lot of problems. But two years later, the dreams come crashing down: The Union is no more, and with it, the money. Vera has a hard time finding new sponsors to keep the contest going. And only then does she realize that her great desire to change the country with the help of beauty becomes a bargaining chip for rich merchants.