Litsid: The Whores

This series really carried me away, the storyline is captivating and the execution of the production is on point. The specificity of the details and historical accuracy blows me away. I really enjoyed watching this and recommend it!

This series tells the story of a small country in the turmoils of WWII through the eyes of the employees of an elite brothel. The premise is quite interesting, and as I like unconventional heroes, I was sold. Plus, the show got plenty oh hype about the extensive research and preparations to capture the essence of that period. And yet, the show doesn't live up to its hype, although with interesting setting and subject matter, the show feels uninspired and unimaginative most of the time. The first couple of episodes were quite dull and boring, with wooden acting and static directing (throughout the show there were moments were camera sat still, and then suddenly started to move, almost like the director got a sudden flash of, oh we got to move the camera or the picture feels static). The characters developed over time and became more lively changing the wooden dolls with real humane characters, but still, only a few characters got some more extra layers added to them, while the rest stayed as talking heads with trivial conversations. The story also developed, but many plot devices and nuances were underused, or not used at all. Most of all, the show failed to create any proper mood or atmosphere. Too many important events weren't shown but told instead by other characters' unpassionate newscaster's manner. I understand that low budget set some restrictions, but that's why the show feels safe (and here I don't mean lack of raunchy scenes considering the placing of the bulk of the story) and uncreative. I guess the creators of the show could have spent more energy on script and atmosphere than historical accuracy of some minor knick-knacks - beauty lies in the details, I know, but sometimes you have to hone those things that are not always visible at first sight.

Not the greatest historical shows in television history, and despite its many flaws, the show still manages to build some mild interest and sympathy. But if you are not very into the political situation of WWII, then it is very easy to move on as the show simply isn't that exciting. There are rumors about the second season, and how the last episode ended, one can expect the continuation of the story. The only hope is that the makers will be more bold with the second season (if they ever decide to make it).

I'm not sure why this receives such strong rating. As other reviewers have noted, it's an interesting premise. But, as others have complained, it is also quite slow. In many ways, it is quite old-fashioned, almost like a kind of quasi-melodrama, with many declaimed and over-acted lines. I'm not sure whether this is deliberate, artistic effort to give a sense of stage-plays of the time or whether it's just over-acting and cumbersome directing. Most episodes have a heavy-handed pedagogical slant, with the actors being used to declaim key events at the beginning of the war, particularly in regard to Russia's invasion of Finland. Obviously, they need to find a way to communicate this to many viewers, but it adds to the slow pace and sense of clumsy direction. The final episode leaves a sense that further series were anticipated but not shot, so viewers are also left with a sense of being left hanging.

A pity. Promising, but it never quite works.

This serial explains much about history. But you also need to know history. It's very anti communist, but you are wrong if you think it's anti Russian. There are several Russian characters in film, who suffer from communism and hate socialist regime. Stalin killed millions and millions Soviet citizens and you were still obliged to love him and the party. Then when the war begins, you're in between these tyrants, so you either have to love Hitler or love Stalin, even when you hate them both and want to be left in peace. I think more people in Russia should see this, because we were taught history differently in school and we think that small countries around us are very mean to us. We have countless films about nazi army occupying countries, but Soviet army did the same thing in Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and other places. History can be very painful to accept, but this serial is very humane and you can feel empathy for most characters, regardless of their nation.

We've been waiting for a good history series in Estonia for quite a long time. This one is different, not your typical heroism tale but from a view point of hookers, who are drawn into political games. It's been compared to Babylon Berlin and Dawnton Abbey, even as the budget is like thousand times smaller. It takes off slow but once it gets going, it's an exiting tale of spies and murder but first of all a story of a country drawn slowly into war and losing its independence. Very good actors.