Pera Films proudly presents "The Sky Sparkles in Praise of Chekhov," a film program that investigates Russian writer Anton Chekov's accomplished works through the lenses of predominantly Soviet and Russian filmmakers. Russian director Andrey Konchalovskiy brilliantly adapts Chekhov's story; titled "Uncle Vanya," breaking down the story of a family held together by a web of lies and self-deception and bringing it to the silver screen. In the film, a retired professor returns with his new, much younger wife in tow to the estate that he inherited from his deceased first wife. The estate is still managed by his former brother-in-law, Vanya, a man who has learned to suppress all his personal desires and dreams. The delicate balance that defines the world of this fading clan is decidedly upset by the arrival of the professor's new wife, and once the balance is broken it proves impossible to restore. Konchalovsky effectively captures the mood of a world coming to an end through images of the family's ram shackled home covered in peeling paint, which signal the future of the characters even more succinctly than their actions.When: Jan. 30 and Feb. 20Where: Pera Museum