On Thursday, May 19, the first two episodes of the drama series Patient Zero were released on the Kinopoisk video service.
The directors were Sergey Trofimov (Devyataev) and Evgeny Stychkin (Contact), and Oleg Malovichko worked on the script - he previously had a hand in creating such popular projects as Major.
Film”, “Yolki”, “Method” and “Attraction”.
The main roles were played by Askar Ilyasov and Nikita Efremov.
Also in the tape starred Pavel Maykov, Evgeny Stychkin, Ivan Dobronravov, Vladimir Steklov, Alexei Maklakov and other actors.
The plot of the series is inspired by real events that took place in Kalmykia in 1988 - then in Elista, 75 children and four adults were diagnosed with HIV.
Many did not believe in the possibility of an outbreak of the disease, because they believed that it only threatened residents of capitalist and African countries.
The authors of "Patient Zero" emphasize that all the characters in the series are fictional.
In the story, Kirsan Ayushev (Askar Ilyasov), a young doctor at the children's hospital in Elista, notices that some of his patients have symptoms that are characteristic of HIV.
He reports his suspicions to a more experienced colleague, but he only laughs in response - in the USSR this disease does not exist and cannot exist.
Ayushev, however, does not give up and secretly sends materials for analysis to Moscow.
The results confirm that the doctor was right.
Then the metropolitan scientist Dmitry Goncharov (Nikita Efremov), who is researching the virus, arrives in Elista.
Together, the heroes will try to save the lives of infected people.
© Photo from the filming of the series "Patient Zero"
Without delaying the exposure, filmmakers almost immediately move on to the main issues of the plot, and short sunny and positive episodes are replaced by a tense narrative.
At the same time, there are no drawn-out conversations and excessive chewing of events.
Politicians, scientists and ordinary people declare with full confidence that in the USSR there is not and cannot be a virus called the “American infection”, because there is supposedly no drug addiction and prostitution in the country either.
In this regard, all the specialized laboratories of the Union can be counted on the fingers, which does not bother anyone - the production of drugs necessary for the treatment of the disease is still unprofitable and unnecessary.
At the same time, the screen shows that there are plenty of opportunities to catch HIV in the USSR.
The attitude of others towards those who are supposedly sick is also horrifying: one colleague is bypassed, fearing to become infected, probably by airborne droplets, passengers are seated from another on the bus, and acquaintances on the street prefer not to approach and not talk.
While working on "Patient Zero", the authors of the series, among other things, pursued an educational goal.
According to Evgeny Stychkin, many people treat the disease as before, not understanding many of the nuances.
“Nobody still understands exactly how it works.
The vast majority do not know, for example, that people, even being HIV-positive, if they are on therapy, can be with a zero viral load and are completely safe for themselves and for others.
They can have unprotected sex, have children, and so on.
We are very poorly educated, ”said the cinematographer in an interview with RT.
© Photo from the filming of the series "Patient Zero"
The series has well-developed key characters - Kirsan Ayushev and Dmitry Goncharov - masterfully played by Ilyasov and Efremov.
Their characters are completely different.
Doctor Ayushev, simple and open, immediately captivates with his good-natured attitude to everyone around, especially to children, whom he tries his best to cheer up and distract.
He does not reflect on what is happening and wants one thing - to help everyone who succeeds.
The hero is ready to go towards his goal despite the prohibitions of the leadership and the threat of dismissal.
Goncharov thinks more broadly, more globally, and better understands what the emerging outbreak can lead to.
He communicates with others more sharply and straightforwardly, in his personal life, not everything is going smoothly, and his colleagues do not take him seriously.
At the same time, looking at the world in his own way and approaching the problem from a completely different angle, he pursues the same goal - to help people.
The tandem of two such different specialists seems to be the most encouraging in the situation unfolding on the screen, it is interesting to watch both characters and experience completely different emotions at the same time.
The secondary characters in the first episodes are not as well developed.
The hero of Stychkin, the fearless journalist Igor Karakhan, turned out to be more or less bright and ambiguous, but his influence on the overall plot in the first episodes is not obvious.
The audience learns little about the rest of the characters, but their fates do not arouse much curiosity.
Secondary lines, connected mainly with the personal relationships of such characters, complement and enliven the story without diverting attention from the main plot.
Some moments may seem exaggerated, but in general, the tape does not slip into excessive dramatization and does not contain exclusively entertaining twists.
About HIV and people infected with the virus, the authors of the tape talk carefully and restrainedly, at the same time without downplaying the importance of the problem.
Patient Zero has seven episodes.
The last one will be released on June 23rd.