I and Others / Ya ta inshi

The documentary film comprises recordings of seven real-life psychological experiments conducted by psychologist Valeriia Mukhina. The narrator’s voice guides us through each experiment, delving into participants’ reactions. These experiments vividly illustrate the ease with which people succumb to influence, fabricate details to bridge gaps in their memories, and shed light on the very quandary of subjective perception.

This groundbreaking film not only elevated popular-science cinema to new heights but also showcases that such cinematography can captivate not only professionals and scientists but also engage the average viewer. The inception of this film was sparked by the research of American psychologist Solomon Asch. During the 1950s, Solomon Asch, along with colleagues, conducted a series of experiments with the aim of studying the impact of group dynamics on individual behavior.

Despite Soboliev and his colleagues’ intention to challenge this premise and demonstrate that Soviet people exhibit heightened independence in both thought and behavior, their experiments yielded results strikingly similar to those observed by their peers, underscoring the inherent conformist tendencies ingrained within human nature.