Conceived as a "single extended tracking shot" making literal use of the Trans-Siberian railroad, The Soviets Plus Electricity is an eccentric and touching chronicle of Rey's long voyage by train from Paris to Pacific, across the length of Northern Russia.

Seeking an alternate poetry and rhythm within the cinematic image and the idea of a film diary, Rey shot on Super-8 which he then slowed down to an average of nine frames per second while also blowing it up to 16mm to expand the swirling dance of grain and movement within the frame. Rey's own non-synchronous cassette diary is laid down as a soundtrack that only roughly accompanies his lyrical imagery, offering an insightful, introspective and often deeply personal form of voiceover companion, a fellow traveler on his ciné-voyage, rambling on gently beside the viewer. A meditation on the failed promise and lingering fantasies of the Soviet Union, The Soviets Plus Electricity is Rey's most personal work.