I think this is more of a three-part film than a series, but anyway, the title is perfectly fitting. In my opinion, the film is especially relevant to young audiences (up to about 25 years old). It tells the story of opportunists who climbed to power due to the political impotence of the president-Soviet and Komsomol officials who loved nothing but money and were willing to cooperate with organized crime, eventually leading it for hard currency rewards.
After the release of the first and second episodes, the film was widely criticized: "Why bother?", "Enough already," "This isn't the main issue," and so on. However, I agree with the filmmaker's statement: "Fair or not, it is our generation, our lives, that bear the greatest responsibility to end this madness, stretching over two decades-to end the oppression, lawlessness, and suffering, and to wrest from its grasp everything that is dear to us: our freedom, our people, our future. And we must never, under any circumstances, let this happen again."
That's why Maria's film is timely, and she managed to stir the public by raising important questions that mainly make us reflect on moral values. After watching, I also had some thoughts:
1. "Family." The year 2024 has been declared the Year of the Family-but whose family exactly?
2. The Yumashevs. If Tanya and Valya believe they did everything right, why don't they live in Russia?
One quote feels particularly fitting here: "I could have become president, but the truth is that someone from the intelligence services cannot govern a country without destroying it or terrorizing its citizens, and I understand this." - J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI.
