The historical fantasy series The Others, starring Irina Martynenko and Alexey Serebryakov, is slated to debut on Kinopoisk with a January 25 premiere. The project centers on a unique strand of the era, blending historical textures with supernatural elements in a way that aims to captivate fans of both classic drama and modern fantasy cinema.
The action unfolds in Leningrad during the 1940s, a period poised between the shadow of the Great Patriotic War and a city brimming with resilience. The core tale follows Anya, a young girl whose extraordinary gift reveals itself in dramatic, almost cinematic deeds. She exerts a prodigious force to save her brother, using a powerful shout to hoist a truck and even move a tram. This moment marks the emergence of a class of beings popularly known as Others, individuals whose unusual abilities shape the fate of the city and its people.
The narrative quickly intensifies as hidden services and a foreign operative named Neumann close in on Anya. Their pursuit suggests that Anya’s actions may catalyze far-reaching consequences, potentially altering the course of history itself. The premise invites audiences to watch how one girl’s extraordinary talent reverberates through a city already on the edge, weaving tension that could ignite larger conflicts on a broader stage.
Leading the project is director Vladimir Raksha, known for works such as KrisTina and Life Once. Elena Voitovich, whose career includes the project Trigger, Penumbra, and other dramatic titles, crafted the script. In a notable debut, model Irina Martynenko takes on the role of Anya, stepping into a demanding performance that blends vulnerability with extraordinary power. The ensemble cast also features Wolfgang Cherny, Ilya Malanin, Nikolai Fomenko, Alexey Serebryakov, Evgenia Simonova, and Linda Lapinsh in supporting roles, each contributing to a layered and textured portrayal of 1940s Leningrad and its uncanny undercurrents.
Raksha describes The Others as a retro-futurist spectacle dressed in a glittering, contemporary comic book aesthetic. He emphasizes that every character carries a distinct piece of the puzzle, a design choice that informs casting and performance choices alike. The aim is to deliver a series where personal accountability and individual arcs are central, allowing viewers to engage with a story that rewards close attention and patient, character-driven storytelling.
Voitovich notes that the decision to anchor the series in the 1940s is deliberate. The era offers a fertile landscape of mystery and unresolved questions, perfect for a fantasy framework. The setting provides texture, cultural nuance, and historical texture that shape the tone and the speculative elements, while giving the narrative room to explore themes of power, loyalty, and survival through a fantastical lens.
Audiences can anticipate a six-episode arc, with episodes released weekly. The pacing is designed to unfold gradually, allowing the world to breathe and the mysteries to deepen as the series progresses through January 2024 and beyond, inviting fans to speculate and discover along with the characters.
Meanwhile, news also circulated about other high-profile genre projects, including the release of the first trailer for Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, a separate cinematic venture described as a bold take on action and rebellion. This context highlights a thriving landscape for genre storytelling that blends historical flavor with speculative elements, offering viewers a spectrum of experiences ranging from grounded historical drama to expansive, visually driven fantasy epics.