Proekt «Anna Nikolaevna»

I read a few reviews and felt compelled to write another one. Most reviewers take this production too seriously. Don't. It is a comedy, a spoof on sci-fi Hollywood type piles of junk. Funny, light, excellent actors, easy to watch. Several times it makes attempts at depth that fail, hence -3 stars, but overall very enjoyable to watch.

This show has everything a good show needs: budget, good team of actors and technicians, interesting concept. Sadly, it serves as a perfect example that you can't have a good show without a good writer. There are some attempts at character development and a few good plot lines, which, unfortunately, end up being unintelligible mess. I couldn't really understand what authors were aiming for - this show lacks in motivation, depth and logic to be dramatic, but it also lacks in cruelty and sharpness to be a kind of an absurd black comedy. Either way, while a couple of first episodes are quite decent or at least tolerable, it all goes to hell towards the end. There's no rhythm or logic to characters or events, which makes it very hard to actually believe in the story and be empathetic with its heroes. The biggest problem of course is Anna Nikolaevna, who gets close to none development at all - we don't really see her recognizing emotions in herself and falling in love, but we also don't see her as a capable machine faking human reactions to fit in. Sadly, it's not a twist leaving you with a question "Did she really feel anything or was it just a play?", it's a bad writing leaving you with a question "What did I just watch?". And, towards the source of problems. The show is terribly sexist and quite homophobic, not slightly in the ironic way. When you start to get invested - BAM - good plot line or set up ends with some blatant sexism, which could be perceivable by 2000 standards, but in 2020 is just... Meh. Same with gay homophobic "jokes" - in 2020 without any sort of meta-commentary or irony it just seems awkward and boring. Or just plain awful, considering current political situation in Russia. And yeah, the biggest issue with the show is that it could've been good. It had all the opportunities to be good, but whoever wrote the script decided to spoil all the fun. I honestly wonder if it was written by someone capable and another someone completely incompetent or by a decent writer who gets blinded by his misogyny from time to time thus ruining whatever good he has already written, because the show has good premise and several decently started storylines - that unfortunately go nowhere or turn into irritating mess.

If you are expecting the "festival-style" product depicting Russian province as a place with permanent dark brown/blue color-filter filled by depressed alcoholics talking as if their monologues are written in some other language and then translated to Russian - continue your search.

This is a very light (in all the meanings) soft sci-fyish comedy that you could watch with half of your brain turned off (for example after sleeping 6 hours and then spending 10 hours on work and commuting) and still effortlessly following the story. Same if you need to turn on something for a background - while doing a light work/online shopping/drafting resumes etc. - that would "forgive" if you will miss some half a minute here and there. And with all the absurdist elements - you could still sense the overall natural communication style and humor of central Russia's Russians.

Will definitely never re-watch it, but it was sure worth to be watched once and looking forward for the season 2.

Btw, why are we writing comments in English if it is available only in Russian so far? {lol smile/}

Actresses are beautiful, they try to play. The storyboard is interesting. Sincerely so. Pay attention to the interns here they are generally unnatural very issue a Russian film. Furniture for 20 thousand dollars in the office of the head of the city police department for 60,000 people is not true. And so, not funny at all, but nice. Conclusion - you can watch.