A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories

I'm not given to watch series or mini-series, but sometimes I give them a chance. And I was very happy to have done that with this mini-series of two seasons, each one with four short episodes. It was very slightly based on tales, deeply sarcastic and a little self-biographical, by Mikhail Bulgakov, a very little-known Russian author who graduated in medicine and became a deeply critical voice to the Russian communist regime, characteristics that we can see very well in this series.

The series focuses on the figure of Dr. Vladimir Bomgard, a young doctor recently graduated from the best medical school in the Russian Empire, with an academic curriculum to make anyone envious, but who is sent to run a hospital in the middle of the Siberia in 1917, months before the outbreak of the Russian Revolution. In addition to missing the civilized world that Moscow represents, the young doctor will have to face the rivalry of his predecessor's memory, the late Leopold Leopoldovich, forcing him to fight to establish himself and be accepted. At the same time, we will see events that take place decades later, when the already prestigious Dr. Bomgard is investigated by the communist authorities and will reread the pages of his youth diary. On a mental journey, the mature doctor goes back to the past in order to confront or help his younger self in the difficulties he went through, especially his terrible addiction to morphine.

The series is very good, despite its dark and deeply sarcastic humour that, decidedly, does not please all audiences. Many people will consider it simply barbaric or even in bad taste. Each episode reveals how inhuman medicine could have been a little over a hundred years ago, in a place where everything was lacking to the point of a doctor, no matter how good his intentions might be, compared himself to a butcher. I also liked the way in which ego and alter-ego argued and sometimes fought, as the mature doctor tries to prevent the young doctor from making mistakes or being, simply, an insensitive idiot.

The cast is dominated by Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm, in the role of the two versions of the main character. Radcliffe is perfect for his character and knows very well how to be sarcastic and cruel without letting that stop us from sympathizing with his character. On the other hand, Hamm is not so uniform... if in the first season he shows rudeness in the things he says and in the brutal and insensitive way in which he faces reality, but in the second season he will prove to be more sensitive and palatable. From the supporting cast, I would particularly highlight the good performances of Adam Godley and Rosie Cavaliero. I also liked Margaret Clunie's in the second season.

Technically, its a series that does not stand out. It has a good cinematography and makes good use of excellent sets and period costumes. I thought that the character Natasha's costume was beautiful, but also something imaginative and unlikely, as the character is too elegant and well dressed for an aristocrat who has lost everything and is fleeing her country. CGI images, in particular the landscapes, did not seem very realistic. The soundtrack, in turn, is really good, is in the ear and has a sound that really reminds us of Russia and Russian culture.

I was watching this mini series of only four episodes, each only twenty minutes long, and wondering. First, why am I watching this? Why am I enjoying it? It is the tale of an inexperienced doctor, fresh out of school forced to work in a small village. Set right after the first World War, or maybe even during it, in a region of Russia so remote that the war would not have counted anyway, it shows the barbaric medical practices of the time, the horrible transformation of a naive and idealistic doctor into a desensitized morphine addict.

But I did enjoy it. It is both comedy and terrible drama. The actors are perfect for their roles, the atmosphere is despondent and the Russian theme of the story gives an air of surreal to it all (even if for me personally, it is at least geographically closer than to an American audience). Even if about terrible things, the film is really quite quite good.

My second reason to wonder is how can a such a good show that is this dark and full of hopelessness even make the screen? Audiences will be shocked and disgusted by a period in human's history that they don't want to acknowledge and a character that is both very close to one's heart, but impossible to accept as similar to one.

I can only surmise that, just like the original short stories escaped the Russian censorship, the show also somehow managed to escape audience's democratic censorship of shows that are too real to watch. Quite hard to bear so much reality, in fact, but found myself immediately looking for clues for a next season. I doubt there will be one, but I would watch it if it were.

The history of the crew that got together to place on screen such an obscure collection of short stories is also fascinating. Do search for it, you will understand more about the background of the series and maybe even make you read the original material, why not?

I utterly adored this little series. So far three episodes have been shown and I have laughed uncontrollably at them all. It won't be for everyone, being a little too black humored in places for some people's tastes however it had me in bits. Daniel Radcliffe is really maturing as an actor and rarely puts a foot wrong in this, gamely throwing himself into the role of the younger Doctor and his counter from John Hamm gives pathos to his older version and the supporting characters are excellent too, adding to the bleakness with a strong sense of sarcasm.

If you like bleak comedy with some unexpectedly gory moments, I recommend and wholeheartedly hop for more.

A young doctor's notebook is based on the book with the same title by Mikhail Bulgakov. It tells the story of a young doctor from Moscow who is send to a village a day's ride from 'the middle of nowhere in 1917's Russia. First of all, I really loved the atmosphere of the series and it's the main reason why I gave it an 8 out of 10. On the other hand, I cared little for the personal problems of the main protagonist. They seemed a bit forced but nevertheless added some depth to the story. I don't share the problem that most people seemed to have with the difference in appearance of Daniel Radcliff and John Hamm. For me those could be seen as the director taking artistic liberties with the story. Both actors do a fine job in communicating to the audience the distinctions that could be made between a young doctor fresh out of medical school and a more seasoned practitioner with his fair share of personal problems.

Having watched all the 4 episodes have to at this one was superbly made. The story itself is quite a simple one but wonderfully narrated , hence the most accolade should go to the author.Mostly dark humour but will be liked by most and hopefully will have a sense of humour to laugh about some medical topics. The editing is good too especially considering the number of episodes they were aiming for. The direction does justice to the story and the story and plots essence is never lost. Radcliffe is almost made for his role with the boyish looks and is very well supported by Jon Hamm. All the the supporting actors are very good and offer comic support just with their superb expressions.The half hour episodes make it quite easy to watch too . An easy watch but very entertaining.