This was the first Soviet film to depict graphic sexual intercourse on screen.
The film was the leader in ticket sales in the Soviet Union in 1988 with 54.9 million viewers and was the most successful Soviet film in the US since Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980).
The title in Russian, 'Malenkaya Vera', is ambiguous and can also mean "Little Faith," symbolizing the characters' lack of hope (or a sparkle thereof).