Between death and love: what new TV series are waiting for us in May
The May TV program does not indulge in an abundance of domestic novelties — with the exception of the military series "Taganrog" dedicated to Victory Day, filmed with great attention to the details of pre-war and military life, increasing the reliability of the screen narrative. Izvestia tells about the main serial novelties of May.
Taganrog
May 3, Premier
NKVD officer Viktor Shvets, acting under the guise of a German officer, remains in German-occupied Taganrog to organize sabotage work. He manages to create an underground organization consisting mainly of young people — yesterday's graduates of Taganrog schools who failed to evacuate the city. They become friends, fall in love, dream of the future — and arrange sabotage, blowing up buildings occupied by the German administration, and preparing an anti-fascist uprising in the city. The underground is led by communist Vasily Afonov, who, at thirty, seems to be a wise old man next to his colleagues. But war doesn't look at age, and not everyone is destined to live to see Victory.
The series by Armen Nazikyan ("Chef. Men's Work") is based on the true story of the Taganrog underground. One of the most high-profile actions of the underground was the explosion that destroyed the German commandant's office in November 1941. The real Vasily Afonov was captured by a gendarmerie patrol in May 1943, three months before the liberation of the city. The oath that the young fighters against fascism take in the film completely repeats the real oath that the Taganrog underground fighters took. During the mass execution in Petrushina Balka, the Nazis killed more than 120 members of the underground. The creators of the series approached the story with the meticulousness typical of Soviet war films.
"Miss Austin"
May 6, Viju
The famous British writer Jane Austen has made generations of women cry over her touching love stories. Meanwhile, she herself, ugly and shy, never found the hero of her own novel and loved only her books and her sister Cassandra, with whom she lived all her life. Cassandra was engaged, but after her fiance, having gone to an overseas mission as a chaplain, died of yellow fever, she preferred a quiet life next to her great sister in search of love. However, after Jane's death, Cassandra also had 15 minutes of fame waiting for her: it was she who burned almost all of the writer's correspondence, leaving Austen's biographers without valuable factual material. Why she did this is still being speculated by both historians and writers who have seen an intriguing dramatic plot in Cassandra Austen's story.
One of them was Jill Hornby, whose novel of the same name was based on a new series. Jill herself is rather on Cassandra's side, so the film turned out not to be a detective story, but a dramatic one, telling about the women of Victorian England, about the choices they had to make, and about the sacrifices they made. Fans of historical costume dramas in the style of "Jane Eyre" and "Downton Abbey" will certainly appreciate the series: the unhurried narration, saturated with emotions, framed carefully, to the detail of elaborate interiors and costumes, goes with a bang. Starring Rose Leslie ("Game of Thrones") and Keely Hawes ("The Bodyguard").
The "Bid"
May 15th, Netflix
Today, few people will be surprised by animated sequels to popular movie sagas, but a feature series based on animation is much more unusual. Of the more or less successful projects of this kind, only "The Lion King" is remembered. Well, Netflix has always loved experimentation — the Bet series is based on the popular manga Kakegurui, which tells about the terrifying power of gambling in an elite Japanese private school. The gaming industry is run by an all—powerful school board - but a new girl named Yumeko, who knows how to spot any cheating in the game, can completely upend the school's gaming hierarchy.
A live-action series based on "Kakegurui" was released by Japanese filmmakers in 2018 — and, apparently, Netflix saw the potential for an international audience. The creators of Stavka rejected excessive exoticism: the school will be typically English, but the plot, based on how participation in dangerous games allows students to ascend to the heights of financial success or lose themselves by being enslaved by more successful classmates, has remained intact. The showrunner is Simon Barry, the creator of the very stylish "Warrior Nun." The scriptwriters are doing their best to send greetings to Quentin Tarantino: Japanese schoolgirls in a checkered mini and thick knee socks, a blonde on the tatami, an evil nurse with an eye patch — the images are just as cosplaying "Kill Bill" as the AI videos on social networks, and the young audience will undoubtedly like them.
The "Loser"
May 15th, Max
Southern USA, early 1970s. A rapidly developing crime syndicate is taking over the entire local crime scene, subjugating smaller gangs. Drug trafficking is on the rise, illegal weapons are flowing into the country, and shootouts on the streets are no longer exotic. The police and the FBI are trying to identify the syndicate's leaders, but they are having trouble. The first black female agent in the FBI, who recently joined the bureau, has ideas about this, but her superiors don't want to believe her. And then she finds a very unexpected ally, with whom she declares war on criminals.
"Loser" was directed by J. J. Abrams, the screenwriter of "Armageddon" and the creator of "Stay Alive," which in itself practically guarantees a decent and moderately insane movie scene. The creators did an excellent job of styling for the 1970s - from posters of musical groups to "night butterflies" outfits, from cars to models of glasses. But the most successful stylization was undoubtedly the lead actor, the handsome Josh Holloway ("Stay Alive", "Paranoia") with long hair and the smile of a professional seducer. Holloway is said to hate long hair, but ruthless producers regularly force him to grow his hair. Well, it's clear why: exalted ladies will cry their eyes out.
"Killerbot"
May 16, Apple TV +
In the distant future, androids will help people explore space safely. One of them, named Killerbot, accidentally hacked his electronic brain, as a result of which he gained consciousness, free will and the ability to reflect. The robot, which has acquired typically human features, is increasingly interested in people and introspection. He no longer wants to guard space expeditions, preferring to spend his time watching TV series of science fiction, detective stories and soap operas, and thinking about the human world and his own place in this world. The desire to return to his favorite characters helps him to work more effectively, reducing stress levels and the intensity of reflection, which he begins to suffer like people who previously seemed so incomprehensible to him.
The series is based on the Martha Wells bestseller "The Killerbot Diaries", directed by the very famous Paul and Chris Weitz ("Rogue One", "American Pie"). But the main find of the series, of course, was the Emmy and Golden Globe winner Alexander Skarsgard, who played the main role. The introverted robot with the impassive face of a professional killer makes an indelible impression.
"Sirens"
May 22, Netflix
Young Simone became the personal assistant of the billionaire's wife, socialite, philanthropist and animal rights activist Michaella Kell. Simone is happy to receive a pass to the world of the powerful, full of luxury and opportunities to make the whole world happy. However, Devon, Simone's older sister, is increasingly worried about her sister's excessive admiration for her new employers. Deciding to find out everything on the spot, Devon, along with Simone, goes to the Kell mansion for the weekend — and these two days completely turn the lives of all participants upside down.
The themes of power, big money and social inequality are being raised in movies more and more often — recall Ruben Estlund's "Triangle of Sorrow" three years ago. Worryingly, their popularity is also growing — the same film by Estlund won the Cannes Film Festival in one year and was nominated for a much more popular Oscar. The Marxists of the world can triumph. Well, the audience is waiting for another black comedy from the lives of the rich and famous, who turn out to be completely different from the superhumans they appear in front of the camera lenses. The Kells are starring Oscar—winning Julianne Moore ("Magnolia," "The Big Lebowski") and Kevin Bacon ("Mysterious River").
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