Matroesjka's

In Eastern Europe, a group of hopeful, poor women are asked to sign a contract that they will dance in clubs in Belgium(which is where this was produced... note that hooking appears to be illegal there). They are being tricked, however, and find themselves victims of human trafficking. Let me make it absolutely clear that this is a subject that demands attention, and I applaud their intention. I wish I could say the same unreservedly for their execution. Honestly, if they had made this as a documentary, perhaps with, if possible, real testimonies from those who have made it out and are safe(names kept secret if need be), I think this would have been spot-on. Part of the problem is the exploitative use of the girls(who remain naive throughout, disbelieving that they may be forced to prostitute themselves, *even after one of them IS*)... you don't need to constantly show what they are being forced to do merely to establish that it's happening, and the amount and presentation of nudity and sexuality in this is counterproductive. The very intro, with the theme tune of half-heartedly thought out lyrics, is one long display of erotica. Did I mention that it takes up several minutes(who told these people that credits can't run over early scenes?) of the 43 minute running time of all ten(that tend to contribute to the overall events as well as be reasonably separate) episodes(and that's after each one starts with a 3 minute summary of, well, most of the time, only the one immediately preceding it, even showing things that have no impact on what we're about to see)? Do I hear you calling that a nitpick? No, what I mean to point out here is that they did not have enough story(why ten episodes? Several of them could easily have been excised), and the stretching of it is obvious and grating. I fear that the script-writers lack experience, because they make rookie mistakes(other than believing that sequences of people yelling at one another constitute drama, or that audiences will tolerate one anti-climax after another), leaving countless plot(and don't get me started on the holes, it's like Swiss cheese) threads dangling(or have them be cancelled out rendering them useless), introducing characters that make no impact to "keep the pot boiling", and seeking to have *every awful thing that happens(and a few that I am quite certain hardly ever do) to those trapped in this situation happen to this one small group*. We don't know enough about what's going on, including motivations(I cannot overemphasize the importance of that), they make a big deal out of money and passports early on, then they disappear and aren't brought up again, and the utterly untrustworthy(seriously, no one would go along with what Count Dracula and Grinning Psychopath ask them... and why are they always making ridiculous mistakes, how could they have lasted this long if they forget such obvious, basic aspects of their "business"?) keep getting away with doing things in broad daylight? There are too many roles in this, and you find yourself forgetting even names and what little personality they do have. This has some incredibly unrealistic things take place. The dialog tries to be clever, and sometimes really succeeds(this can be pretty funny). With all that said, this does present vital issues at the heart of this problem, such as the corruption, the stigma, the mafia methods utilized by the men in charge, etc. And when this goes for psychological accuracy, it tends to hit the mark. It can really surprise you, and that along with the tension it musters up at times does have you watching closely, a good deal of the way. And not only are the actors actually from the countries their parts are supposed to be, they speak their native tongue when it makes sense(meaning, Lithuanian, Russian, Dutch and English)... and the performances are outstanding. I'm not even sure I could say that anyone didn't live up to the rest. And this is filmed well. I would love to catch something else from some of these immense talents(the only ones that I don't extend that to are the authors). The grittiness of the environment comes across. There is a moderate amount of brutal, disturbing and violent content, as well as a tiny amount of gore, in this. I recommend this to those looking for a manipulative piece on something where we shouldn't need this kind of mini-series to get infuriated and demand action be taken. 7/10

I normally don't comment on TV-series but I'm gladly making an exception for our highly prestigious Belgian series "Matroesjka's". This unquestionably is the greatest, most ambitious project ever in this country and I dare to say that it could easily compete with world-class series such as "The Sopranos" or "Alias". A common mistake Belgian writers usually make is that they try very hard to make their premise look Hollywoodian, yet "Matroesjka's" isn't like that. On the contrary, the sex industry is a typical Belgian issue and our country often serves as the turn-table for this kind of crimes. And this series is an intelligent and detailed portrait of it all: raw, often shocking and thought-provoking. "Matroesjka's" centers on a criminal organisation that yearly travels to the poorest ex-Russian countries in order to recruit young girls as dancers for their Antwerp nightclub. The girls are promised big money and a more bright future, but in reality they'll serve for erotic dance-acts and even prostitution. Tired of their pitiable life conditions, ten attractive young girls sign a false contract that literally makes them the property of Ray van Mechelen and his relentless gang of small thugs, deranged psychos and violent aggressors. The rest of the carefully constructed screenplay focuses on the gangsters' interactions with each other (blackmail, betrayal, executions…) as well as with corrupt police detectives and the attempts of a sole journalist trying to publicly unmask the crime network.

"Matroesjka's" exist out of 10 episodes, which comes down to approximately 500 minutes of footage. Yet, there is not one dull moment and every episode becomes more fascinating. The series obviously disposed of a large budget but every cent is well-used! The detailed preceding research to the plotting is flawless while the set pieces and costumes and highly efficient. Most of the chapters are entirely filmed in Belgium, but the actual recruitment of the girls takes place in pauperized Russian wastelands and one episode is filmed in Cyprus where the girls received their "training". The makers put a lot of effort in making their series appear real! The unfortunate girls are actual Russian actresses that only speak English when necessary and with heavy accents. Even the Belgian actors are allowed to speak in their ugly Antwerp dialects and that only increases the naturalness and credibility of the series. Can you imagine dangerous thugs talking correct and without swearing?? Talking about the cast: every Flemish actor that ever meant something in the world of theater or cinema is involved in this project. It's an all-star cast, world famous…in Belgium. Most of them play the roles of their lives, more particularly Peter van den Begin as the head of the organization and Tom Van Dyck as the deranged, trigger happy lunatic.

"Matroesjka's" contains several sequences that are stuffed with exploitative violence and gratuitous nudity…But what else do you expect from an allegory focusing on mafia crimes like this! It's a tough world and if you have the ambition of telling a story about it: you better make it realistic. Luckily, the whole production was realized without having to worry about censorship or ratings which are very important in a shock-portrait like this. Our country doesn't mean that much in the field of television or cinema but "Matroesjka's" undeniably is a brilliant piece of instant cult-entertainment. The news got out that the series already has been sold to several other European countries and TV-stations so, in case you soon encounter it dubbed in French, German, Spanish, English or whatever; please remember where it originally came from.

Following the huge success of the first series, mostly in its native country Belgium but on the international export market as well, a second series of "Matroesjkas" was inevitable. Most of the story lines were even readily written when the first series still aired on TV, for that matter. But still, the last thing anyone can claim is that this second series is simply a continuation and cash-in on the popularity of the original. The second – and undoubtedly final – series has a much more internationally orientated character, more convoluted plot outlines, the atmosphere is even more disturbing and there's a lot more violence (especially when approaching the finale). Several characters of the first series return, but there are also numerous new ones that get introduced; often even viler and more malignant than the original crime syndicate members. If you haven't seen the first series, it isn't of much use to watch part two. Even if you don't necessarily require the main characters' backgrounds and previous crimes, there still are loads of references towards stuff that happened in the first season.

The story picks up again three years later, with the earlier than expected release from prison of Ray Van Mechelen and Eddy Stoefs, two of the gang's most prominent members. They meet up to search for their former pal Jan Verplancke, who stole all their money and disappeared towards Thailand to open a sex club. They also intend to boost new life and energy into their former activities, but the Belgian sex industry has changed severely during their three years of absence. There are new and relentless players on the market (Belgian as well as Russian mob organizations), docile and "cheap" girls can only still be found in poor Eastern European countries and the relationships between the former partners have watered down into sheer hostility and complete distrust. The Antwerp police continuously try to disable the organization but perhaps they don't even have to, as they are likely to kill off each other first. The carefully researched and elaborated scenarios, courtesy of Guy Goossens and Mark Punt, still pay and extended deal of attention to character development and human emotions. It's a remarkable and highly praiseworthy accomplishment – especially for a Belgian production – how the numerous and often extremely versatile story lines and sub plots merge together throughout all ten episodes. Whether it concerns the hopeless situation of the girls or the downwards spiral into utter madness of the villains, everything is near perfect to the greatest detail. Even more the case than in series one, part two of "Matroesjkas" isn't always suitable for viewers with a sensitive nerve system or easily upset stomachs. There's a lot of misogynic violence, brutal executions, rape, extortion, excessively foul language, mental agony and revenge. But, as I stated in my review of the first series already, what else do you expect from an allegory focusing on the sex industry! If you want it to come across as realistic and plausible, extreme violence and exploitative sleaze are fundamental.

Wow!! The first Belgium TV series I've seen & i'm already impressed by the 1st episode. The production standards were indeed high. And the subject matter...Wheewe! Heavy stuff. Now that is what television should do, educate, while entertain (for want of a better word). We always read about the European slave trade with girls vanishing from Eastern European countries & I've seen a few documentaries on the subject, but to see it scripted as a drama is altogether another thing. I must express my ignorance in that i didn't realise that criminals from Belgium were involved, I thought it was mainly a Russian mafia thing.

Very impressed & I'm glad we have a station like SBS that show intelligent programs like this from around the world. I definitely will track down the DVD & lend to friends too lazy to watch it late on Friday nights.

The Danish crime show, Rejseholdet is also screening & is also of high standard. The stories are more realistic & don't necessarily end upbeat like the US shows. More meat & potatoes than fairy floss.

Do these kind of programs ever show on US television?

Fantastic, I just had to vent my approval somewhere... Ha!

This fine Belgian series deals with an issue that has become so common in today's Europe. Eastern European girls and women are promised a decent job in the West, but they end up as prostitutes. Girls' credulity and and poor conditions in homeland lead its victims into modern slave trade business. It will be very easy to guess where the word 'slave' has come as it did not originally mean 'slave'.

Girls who have ended up into business have no other chance than to obey their masters and this is also shown in the series. There are however some cunning girls who attempt to escape their fate, but not much is there to do. Girls also have different attitudes towards their work. Yes - there are some, like a Russian girl named Kalinka, who don't think it's eventually bad to become stripper, if they have it no way better at home. But there are also girls like Lithuanian Daria, who is totally against the business and only wants to get back home. Some girls think they have found a boyfriend in their pimps, but are unfortunately mistaken. They all realize before long that they are just used for the business like batteries and then thrown away.

I've never seen anything like this on television and it may well be my first Belgian series I ever seen. Matroesjka's category is crime, but it presents the crime from victims viewpoint. It gives a completely different view to the world of prostitution than Boogie Nights does., though both are great in their own sense. Matroesjka's does not contain moralizing overtones, for it just tells a plain story of these women. There are even found 'goodies' in the pimps too, or lesser evils anyway. Everything in Matroesjka's is very enjoyable viewing, for some of the girls are really cool when they try to rise above their inhuman conditions.