“I am interested in being in tune with the times”: Peter Fedorov about the film “Outpost” and the director's experience

- “Outpost” was released , where you played the main role . Has this film become a new stage in your work ?

- You know, it’s more interesting for me to become a certain stage for Russian cinema. It seems to me very important that our fiction genre develops. Fiction is a Russian fairy tale of our days.

The fact that little is done on this topic of good, a lot of bad is a big mistake. Fiction is consonant with meaning. Fiction does not reflect the future, it reflects the present, and this has always been important. The fantasy that is invented from scratch does not work, trying to lure and offer some kind of stupid entertainment.

Only semantic fiction works, which does not imply agitation, not some political speculation, but a certain meaning, inspiration. And it contains, if not some semantic “salads”, then the energy of our generation, of our days. It seems to me that cinema - if we are talking about cinema - is primarily absorbent, such a large electric battery. Cinema should absorb our energies. It should contain and broadcast them, rhyme with our day and our minds.

“Outpost” is a hooligan picture. In the “hooligan” I put a good meaning: a departure from the usual canon and the boldness of fantasy. I like the roughness of this project, some kind of its viciousness. I am talking primarily about the component of the plot, a certain sharpness of character, situationality in which the heroes found themselves.

If we talk about the canon of the previous decade, then, of course, the film about the brotherhood in a difficult situation was supposed to end with a cheerful song in unison. What we have here is a seemingly fragmented story that speaks, it seems to me, about the path to the primeval zone. The fact that such extreme situations unite a certain number of people, but in this thing everyone becomes lonely. Any extreme situation gives rise to a primitive reflex in you that speaks of what kind of person you are. This, it seems to me, is the most interesting in our picture. If we succeeded.

- The film has a lot of computer graphics and special effects . Have you had enough on-site filming and live acting ?

- Yes, enough. Believe me. I don’t know how much has entered.

- Do you think the apocalypse is possible in our lifetime ?

- Of course. Maybe a couple of times in our century we escaped it. They just did not inform us about this.

- In your filmography there are a lot of tapes of gloomy stylistics , tragic heroes . Are you interested in comic roles ?

- Very interesting. In fact, I am a typical comedian. They just perceive me wrong!

- That is , would you like more such roles ?

- I would like more real comedies in principle, both in our market, and with my participation as well. We will try.

- Today, many successful actors pay attention to multi-series projects , although before this was by no means so prestigious . What about you ?

- I already had experience with the series “Club”, after it I didn’t fit in much. Although I understand that some series have also become high-quality now.

In principle, Outpost is also a series. Six episodes. I like the format of the mini-series - six to eight episodes. Nowadays, indeed, the entire cinema - as we see in the West - has jumped onto television. For me, the issue of approach and the question of who will do it are important.

- And what about your experience in the series "You Enrage Me All" ?

- The last one was. He is not the most successful, unfortunately. This is the experience that just taught me that I am more of a movie actor.

- I know Your mother is worried if tragic events happen with your on-screen characters . Does it bother you if the character is injured or dies in the scenario ?

- Of course, it bothers. I play it. I treat my characters the same way I treat myself.

- You come back to directing over and over again . If I am not mistaken , the first film you released back in 2005 , then there was Electric Current, and - finally - your recent premiere , Last Quest. One of the central themes of this picture was the functioning of darknet . Why did you decide to cover this topic ?

- There was no idea to cover, it makes sense to reflect in the movie about things that are not crafty, adequate to our generation. About what is happening in our world. It seems to me that this is one of the topics that, in exactly the same way as a “glass of vodka on the table”, has entered our lives — the purchase of drugs through it will also darken. The world has changed, legislation has changed, it makes no sense to pretend that this is not. The people shuffle through the woods in search of any Mr. ***, the cops are trying to lie in wait for customers, the children work as cloisters - in general, everything is cool.

To everything else, this huge shadow industry, like many other topics, somehow in Russian cinema somehow gets by ... not by the side - just have not yet learned how to handle it. I am interested in being in tune with the times. And I gladly took up this work together with Metrafilms, wrote the script and said what I thought was necessary. This is a meaningful statement. Although I insist that Last Quest is not about drugs at all, but about other, more important things. The topic of drugs is just a guide.

- How did you prepare for the shoot , collect information ? Perhaps they learned some unexpected facts about this criminal environment ?

- Alas, this knowledge is available to almost everyone. Not everyone, but very many, and not only drug addicts. And to close your eyes and pretend that this is not - is pointless. From somewhere these legs grow.

Each of us has examples of how someone went to prison. The guy’s 14-year-old sister, who is repairing the car, got in because 70 grams of amphetamines were found in her backpack. He then learned what a "kladmen" is.

When I was little - it was the 80s - huge posters hung in the clinics depicting a terrible monster, a demon with a skull, bending over a small child’s bed. If I did not see this garbage, I would not know what AIDS is in principle.

But we are filmmakers. Other people must make social videos, and we must make films adequate to ourselves and our time.

- Do you , a person with directorial experience , have no temptation to argue with the vision of the director in those projects where you are just filming ?

- My duty and my calling is to accurately convey, feel and convey the thought that the director lays down. This is my job. I get high from this, I get money for it, and they taught me that. And my right to evaluate the result is as subjective as any viewer's assessment. Here we are equal.

- Many actors talk about working with democratic directors who allow you to bring your vision . Is this not your option ?

- I don’t know which directors are talking about, and which actors are talking about it. A lot of powder boxes, believe me, a lot of "Cheshire cats." Actors generally love to bend everything for themselves. If the director is not self-confident and the material is not self-confident, then the actors are unlikely to fix it. Rather, they will simply make it more convenient for them to execute it.