On the surface, The Vanished Empire is a traditional student love triangle drama. In reality it’s much more. In Moscow of 1974, the Soviet Union is at its zenith, and the concept that the empire won’t exist one day is a fantasy. Sergei is a typical student; using what money he has to buy black market jeans and Rolling Stones records. Following a break up with his girlfriend, he turns to his archaeologist grandfather and through his teachings comes to the realization that maybe one day the USSR may not be there. Amid simmering social upheaval, Sergei recognizes his youth slipping by. Shakhnazarov’s faintly nostalgic and warm reflection on a, quite literally, vanished empire is an honest review of the ideological and personal questions of the time with the benefit of hindsight.