On October 15, the first two episodes of the new Russian mini-series “Unprincipled” about the life of the Moscow elite became available at the Kinopoisk HD online cinema.
The tape is based on the stories of the writer Alexander Tsypkin (they, together with his wife, Oksana Lavrentieva, are part of the capital's "get-together" and are not by hearsay familiar with the seamy side of social life).
The series is a collection of stories from the inhabitants of Patriarch's Ponds - "a magical country inside Moscow", as the narrator sees this place, the guide of the audience to the world of money and luxury Slavik (Pavel Derevyanko).
According to the plot, the hero Derevianko shares stories about the beau monde with a certain writer.
The identity of the latter is still kept secret from the audience.
Slavik is the perfect guide to the world of the rich and powerful.
He lies to those around him every second, but he himself knows the whole truth about friends and neighbors.
The hero "confesses" his endless sins as well.
He, the father of the family, leads the life of a gigolo and, under the most plausible pretexts, lures money from wealthy women.
However, on "Patrick" no one is sinless.
Not a single character can be called something that is unambiguous - even predominantly positive.
General Khadyakov (Pyotr Fomenko) returns from river fishing with sea bass (of course, bought in a store).
His wife, a high society lady performed by Kristina Babushkina, is distinguished by the manners of a bazaar woman.
The head of a large company, Kostya (Maxim Vitorgan), for the sake of business, almost enters into a relationship with a partner whom he in vain suspected of homosexual inclinations.
It is not easy for beginners to adapt to this world.
So, the new assistant to Khadyakov Seryozha (played by the charismatic Sergei Epishev) is surprised to learn that he is entitled to a mistress by his position.
Also, the Patriarchs are storming visitors from St. Petersburg.
The heroes of Pavel Tabakov and Aglaya Tarasova rent an apartment together in a prestigious area.
They successfully and happily spoil each other's personal lives, agree not to fall in love and from time to time, solely out of friendship, share the bed.
© Press service of KinoPoisk
Finally, another newcomer in high society, Vera (Nadezhda Mikhalkova), gets a job as a sales manager, having found out very personal information about him from the friends of a potential leader.
"Nothing sacred", "our man" - this is the characteristic Vera receives from her colleague (Maria Shalaeva) and the boss performed by Yuri Kolokolnikov.
The apogee in this theater of the absurd is a ridiculous detective investigation.
Another recipient of a rolling gift - a bottle of elite cognac - finds out that the contents have been replaced with tea.
The embarrassed Ira (Ingeborga Dapkunaite) unravels the chain of donors and learns a lot about her environment.
Such a selection of characters will disillusion anyone who would like to get into high society.
With all the external well-being, the heroes are more likely to cause pity: they are shackled by a kind of mutual responsibility, including a lot of unpleasant conventions.
Is the “sweet life” worth (let's refer the viewer to another Russian TV series about the rich and beautiful) such victims of moral order?
But watching the misadventures of the heroes is fun.
"Unprincipled" is a comedy of characters and positions.
It looks easy, and the change of stories adds dynamics to the narrative.
Yuri Kolokolnikov, Nadezhda Mikhalkova and Alexander Tsypkin on the set of the series "Unprincipled"
© Press service of KinoPoisk
In the series, the influence of the literary basis is strongly felt: the development of the plot takes place mainly in dialogues, and the time and place of action are not so important (although the crew did manage to find reliable luxury interiors).
Slavik, as befits a narrator, supplements the stories with everyday wisdom like “You have to pay more for principles than for their absence” or “Your environment should be on the same moral and ethical level with you”.
Tsypkin cleverly adorns some phrases with a play on words - so that the content of "18+" is hidden behind harmless conversations.
The "unprincipled" are also curious from the standpoint of culturology: the series examines in detail all aspects of life on the Patriarch's, from the details of everyday life to trends in human relationships.
But attempts to diversify the action with bed scenes seem extremely inappropriate - the fact that some of the dialogues are related to sex does not carry any semantic load.
The characters turned out to be characteristic, and in this way there is simply no need to make their stories even more piquant.
For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that "Unprincipled" will appeal to viewers with different preferences: some will amuse embarrassment with a touch of vulgarity, while others will appreciate the subtle irony of the writers.