Boyhood

2019-2020

In Russia today, there are several hundred single-sex schools. The approach has long been controversial. Supporters say it improves academic performance, supports students’ physical and psychological development, and reinforces “traditional values”. Critics argue it can limit personal development and doesn’t reflect real life in society. 

The 1990s in the village of Borogontsy were harsh, like they were across the country. A new world opened up, and with it came uncertainty and anxiety. Economic upheaval, combined with a widespread inability to make sense of this new “freedom”, pushed many communities into crisis.

When a new gymnasium opened in Borogontsy, it was decided that only boys would study there, partly as a response to that turmoil. The school focused on technical subjects, enforced a strict dress code, and operated with countless written and unwritten rules. Sports were treated as essential. The students were taught to become “real men”, held up as an example to others.

Nearly thirty years have passed. The gymnasium has moved into a new, impressive building, but its core values remain the same. I returned to see this place as an adult, and to look for answers to questions I first carried out of here years ago.