On Saturday, June 27, the online movie theater KinoPoisk HD begins showing the eight-series detective thriller Whirlpool. The director of the project was Andrei Zagidullin, known for the quest and sensor tapes. The script for the series was written by Andrei Stempkovsky (“Wake me up,” “Peddler”). The main roles in the film were played by Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Aristarchus Venes, Vladislav Abashin, Alyona Mikhailova and Julia Melnikova.
According to the plot, a group of police officers detains a man who pumps drugs and rapes underage girls. Contrary to the expectations of investigators, the detainee is soon released, and his case is closed (although the last victim at the hands of the rapist is in a coma).
The main characters, however, are not ready to put up with such a turn. They ignore the instructions of the leadership and follow the trail of the criminal. In the course of their investigation, the police find in the city collector - a gloomy place, decorated with occult symbols - a lot of corpses of teenagers.
Andrei Zagidullin, who has repeatedly worked with horrors and thrillers, will not allow the viewer to gradually plunge into the world of the series and mentally prepare for the “chernukha”: from the very first shots we find ourselves in a nightmare whirlpool of drugs, violence and hopelessness.
- © kinopoisk.ru
Perception is greatly enhanced thanks to dynamic shooting and dark, contrasting and at the same time very juicy due to the abundance of neon light in the picture. Several promising references come to mind at once: the drug scene, obviously, refers to Darren Aronofsky’s already cult cult tape “Requiem for a Dream”, and the visual side of the series as a whole resembles the projects of another neon lover - Danes Nicholas Refn.
In this style, not only the spectacular first scene is sustained, but also almost the entire series: the main (including the most terrible) events in it unfold mainly at night and certainly with stylish lighting. Thus, due to the light, “Whirlpool” can be conditionally divided into two universes: the daytime, relatively calm, but gloomy real world, more or less clear to any viewer, and the nightly neon hell. The ray of light in this “underworld” is precisely the police. And this is not only about specific investigators fighting for justice and justice, but also about the organ as a whole: a huge luminous sign with the inscription “Police” directly illuminates the cruel and terrible city with the light of hope.
The plot of the series is intriguing and quite consistent with the spectacular setting: here is a detective story, and action, and drama, and a thriller with elements of horror and (at times) a hint of mysticism. All these genres are intertwined quite harmoniously, primarily due to the deep and successfully revealed characters.
The main characters are not impersonal investigators, but ordinary complex people with their injuries and tragedies.
So, the wife of the hero Vladimir Vdovichenkov, the head of the Krasnov operative group, dies of cancer, and their teenage daughter believes that it is his father who is to blame.
Mark, played by Aristarchus Venes, all his childhood was one continuous nightmare (largely thanks to his father, who chose a rather dubious methods of education). In addition, as a teenager, the guy had serious drug problems. Mark's detailed and emotional story about the past and present makes him empathize so much that it seems as if the main victim in the entire series is he, and not the teenagers killed in the collector.
The psyche of Kirill’s opera performed by Vladislav Abashin was strongly influenced by the war, from which he could not fully recover. Interestingly, the hero suddenly knows a lot about occult practices. After Cyril twice demonstrates his knowledge in the frame, the viewer may seem - for good reason.
- © kinopoisk.ru
Empathizing with positive characters is always easy, however, the authors of the series went further and continued to put pressure on pity in the case of negative characters. A detainee in the first series of the rapist reveals a sick mother, whom he loves and cherishes. In the completely dissected (by the way, frighteningly naturalistic) apartment of another criminal, a guy with epilepsy (apparently a relative) lives. As a result, obviously, it would seem, negative characters cannot be treated unambiguously. Even they have to feel sorry!
The viewer, having seen enough of these constantly accompanying detective story drama, may experience a feeling of complete despair and hopelessness. Probably, he will even think that there is no kindness, love and understanding in the world, and all without exception suffer on this mortal planet.
In addition, the authors of the series touched on several important, suggestive topics. In some places, the theme of attitudes toward women is traced: here, from the only investigator in the team, they hide the terrible record found at the crime scene - so, according to Krasnov, “right.” By the way, viewers are shown part of this scene regularly - so that no one misses anything.
But the creators of the picture paid much more attention to the difficulties of mutual understanding between representatives of different generations. The filmmakers tried to show parents what their children think and feel in their teens, and to convey to the children that mom and dad do care. Even if it seems otherwise.
Vladimir Vdovichenkov said that the work on the project had already helped him understand the desires and moods of his own 15-year-old daughter. Perhaps, for other parents, after watching the Whirlpool, something will become clear.