Social activist Mikhail Ivanov, a deputy in the Bryansk Regional Duma, has publicly criticized the latest film adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. The remarks were reported by NEWS.ru and have sparked a broader discussion about how classic literature is reimagined for contemporary screens. Ivanov questions not the novel’s enduring themes but the choices made in the film, arguing that the translation of the era, tone, and moral questions into a modern cinematic context risks eroding the work’s philosophical core.
He objects to the dialogue and vocabulary, saying that the speech patterns assigned to 21st-century characters in a 19th-century setting feel incongruent and distracting. According to Ivanov, phrases like “right now” and “fullness” alongside references to a “seven-pound merchant’s wife” do not fit Dostoyevsky’s world and undermine the gravity of the situations. He believes such language breaks immersion and obscures the social constraints and psychological pressures that shape the characters’ actions.
The activist also notes the violence in the adaptation unsettles viewers. Ivanov points to the most graphic moments—the lead character washing himself in blood, the act of strangling a pregnant woman, and then singing a lullaby—hitting the audience with an abrupt intensity that clashes with the novel’s more restrained exploration of guilt and conscience. He asks where the film reveals the circumstances driving Raskolnikov to such thoughts and whether the portrayal acknowledges the moral ambiguity that makes the character compelling, or merely revels in blood and chaos.
“The brutal depiction of the main character washing himself in blood, strangling a pregnant woman, and then singing a lullaby is completely incompatible with the image of a hero with a complex and torn conscience. Where are the circumstances that lead Raskolnikov to such thoughts and cloud his mind? Now it seems he only needs blood and chaos,” Ivanov said.
According to the Bryansk legislator, the absence of Marmeladov in the early episodes omits an opportunity to convey compassion and forgiveness, which he views as essential to appreciating the novel’s moral landscape. He also critiques Razumikhin, Porfiry Petrovich, Marfa Petrovna and Avdotya Romanovna, arguing the changes are inaccurate and border censorship.
Shortly before Kinopoisk unveiled the Crime and Punishment series, anticipation built as teasers circulated and fans debated how faithfully the adaptation would track Dostoyevsky’s original vision. Kinopoisk released the project after the third installment, according to reports, and the platform’s coverage sparked lively discussion about language choices, violence, and fidelity to the source material.
Earlier, actor Tikhon Zhiznevsky spoke about new aspects of Dostoevsky’s heroes in the same series, suggesting that the portrayal offers fresh angles that may challenge or enrich viewers’ understanding of the characters. The conversation around the adaptation continues to evoke a broad spectrum of opinions, reflecting the timeless tension between literary fidelity and cinematic reinterpretation.