UCI’s Russian Language and Culture Club met Dec. 2 at 6:40 p.m. to watch the Soviet classic “Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath!”, directed by Eldar Ryazanov.
Debuted in 1976, the film follows Zhenya, a young man who recently proposed to his girlfriend, played by famous Polish actress Barbara Brylska, on New Year’s Eve. After she leaves, Zhenya’s friend takes him to a bathhouse to partake in a New Year’s tradition with friends.
The night goes awry after the group has too much to drink, and Zhenya mistakenly boards a plane to another city. When he arrives, still drunk, he finds an apartment with the same address as his own in Moscow.
Much to the amusement of audiences in Russia and abroad, Zhenya can enter the apartment with his own key, highlighting how similar Soviet cities, architecture and urban design were.
Russian Club president Jorgie Rodriguez, a third-year European studies major, explained the club’s interest in showing the film.
“I found out that like a lot of Russian people, it’s kind of like a whole tradition to watch “Irony of Fate” like every New Year’s, just kind of like a big thing,” Rodriguez told New University.
They were also inspired by previous attendees of the club.
“One of [the previous attendees] was just like, oh, how about ‘Irony of Fate?’ Rodriguez explained. “I was like, ‘oh, I’ve never seen it,’ and then they were all surprised.”
Despite this, Rodriguez and other attendees learned about the film and discussed its cultural impact.
“One of the girls explained to me how at the time, all of the buildings looked the same and uniforms and apartment buildings,” Rodriguez said. “And so for them, it’s really funny, like culturally. But to me, it didn’t make any sense.”
Her explanation gave other club members a better understanding of the cultural context behind the film’s humor.
Blossom Zhang, a lab technician working for the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at UCI’s Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences, also shared her thoughts on the film.
“I love watching the movies… and I love talking to some of the other people here because they have authentic experience living in Russia and they have a lot of cool cultural insights,” Zhang told New University.
She was impressed by the film’s depiction of enduring traditions and the universality of its themes.
“The kind of New Year celebration thing is universal to a lot of cultures,” Zhang said. “It’s wonderful to be able to see that even 30 years ago, [in] the Soviet Union, people [were] still carrying on some of the traditions that we are familiar with today.”
The film is so celebrated that The New York Times published an article in 2024 calling it “the Soviet holiday classic even Kremlin skeptics can’t stop watching.” The article also compared its impact to American holiday movies such as “The Grinch” and “Home Alone.”
Given its popularity among Russian speakers, viewers might be surprised to learn that the lead actress’ voice was dubbed over, as her Russian was considered too accented.
Despite this, Russian speakers and film enthusiasts alike continue to enjoy the “Irony of Fate” and its enduring relevance. The Russian Club’s event featured conversations and stories inspired by the film.
“A lot of the people yesterday were sort of like trading stories and it was cool to sort of watch the room kind of become friends with each other,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez hopes the club will continue hosting social events and potentially expand its scope.
“Russian is not only spoken by Russians, right? And just sort of like a space [for] that community because it doesn’t exist on campus,” Rodriguez said. “So I kind of just want to help build that space.”
Readers interested in UCI’s Russian Club can visit its Instagram account for more information.
Aidan Wyrough is a Features Staff Writer. He can be reached at awyrough@uci.edu.
Edited by Aditya Biswas and Joshua Gonzales