Barbie, in Russia people queue to see the film, but they are clandestine screenings

The Russian government tried to boycott it. But no one can stop Barbie: she can be whatever she wants, while he is “just” Putin. Thus, although the cult film of the year was defined by the Russian Ministry of Culture as «not in line with the goals and objectives established by our president to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian moral and spiritual values», Barbie is (clandestinely) a hit in cinemas.

Some Moscow cinemas sold tickets for Russian-produced short films, and secretly screened Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film instead. And that’s where the long queues of spectators formed. People attracted by the great international success of the film, but also citizens who don’t want the government to decide what they should or shouldn’t watch.

The problem with Barbie wasn’t just that it was a celebration of one of the most American products ever. As the Russian deputy Maria Butina said in an interview with Duma TV, the Barbie film could have promoted messages favorable to the LGBT+ world. Butina had gone so far as to ask for a ban not only on the film, but also on the entire Mattel universe. “I am categorically against the appearance of dolls promoting homosexual relationships in our stores,” she said.

But that censorship doesn’t get you far is a fact that history should have taught us. Thus, just as in the times of prohibition the cellars were full of illegal bars, today cinemas manage to circumvent the ban on showing Barbie, given the very high demand from spectators.