And in accordance with the rules of ancient tragedy, participants of A Film about Anna Akhmatova, aside from the heroine herself and the Narrator are: Apollo and the muses, Dido and Aeneas from her beloved record of Purcell, fate, witches, audiences, tour guides and groups, statues, sovereigns, the theatrical decoration of Petersburg/Leningrad, and an eternal chorus of milling crowds.
Nonetheless, “Akhmatova was always not who you thought she was. Because she had such a tragic fate, people always approached her wearing tragic, suitably doleful expressions. But at any moment she might say or do something that completely refuted all their preconceptions,” says Naiman.
A Film about Anna Akhmatova was created in that spirit.