At another time, the premiere of the latest collaboration between MTS Media and the film company Mediaslovo Mutual Violence would have sparked lively conversation. Today, however, the project struggles to earn headlines or to reach viewers seeking something lighter to balance the mood.
The series, airing weekly since March 18 on the Kion online cinema, follows a woman who has been raped and chooses to confront her aggressors. The lead is Svetlana Ivanova, best known for the series Pregnancy Test, yet in this role she presents a starkly different persona. Her character is damaged, tense, and navigating a complex psychological landscape. She does not fit the traditional image of a victim defined by weakness and submissiveness. Anna Fedorova, a self-reliant and intelligent teacher of Russian language and literature, returns from Moscow to her hometown after years at a prestigious college. Yet her arc unfolds with a striking moment of upheaval: she appears on a sunlit beach in a bright red cocktail dress, and soon afterwards reaches a police station to report the assault.
This development holds little immediate interest for many—police, doctors, and school administrators alike struggle with the ripple effects as the narrative unfolds. A close friend of the protagonist becomes entangled in a maze of accusations, yet neither her parents nor her husband find themselves implicated in a gang assault. Silence might have stitched the worst up, but the script resists easy comfort. A former researcher, shrewd and wary, provides support, though his motives are unclear and his sympathy for the victim remains ambiguous. The rapists are portrayed as powerful urban elites intent on closing the case and shaping public opinion against the accused, yet the sentencing of control seems beyond their reach.
The assault on Anna Fedorova is implied rather than shown, which invites questions about trust and past behavior. Her contentious history includes showing a student a provocative image while reading a novel, a prior relationship with one of the alleged attackers, and a money request before the incident, along with a past move from Moscow tied to family tensions. The investigator tasked with gathering evidence is not portrayed as flawless, his own aims coloring the pursuit. By the third episode, the pace accelerates, with the plot stalling and then pushing forward as new revelations emerge. The story’s present grows more tangled as its history comes into sharper view.
Viewers have only seen three episodes so far, half of the first season, and already the narrative promises unexpected twists. The producers note a six-year development period and filming that began last August. The script credits include multiple writers under the direction of Valery Todorovsky, a filmmaker known for provocative works, and Anna Palchikova, who is making her debut along with the picture and screen projects in the program. Vladimir Mirzoev contributes, and the writers aimed to craft sharp, paradoxical turns that reveal a new layer of the tale with every progression. The most compelling aspect lies not in the familiar conflict of an innocent victim denied justice by indifferent authorities, but in the series’ willingness to push beyond convention and question the factors shaping truth. Germanika’s body of work, known for its bold approach to violence and moral ambiguity, is recognized for its visual clarity and a penchant for exposing fragile kindness through dramatic storytelling.
Anna Fedorova, a delicate figure who holds firm resolve, travels a destructive path that triggers inevitable changes, exposing lies, betrayals, and hidden motives. The cast—Svetlana Ivanova, Anna Snitkina, Olga Lapshina, Maria Golubkina, and the veteran performer Andrey Kozlov, who previously appeared in a major television game show—delivers convincing performances that keep the drama grounded. The forthcoming episodes are anticipated to upend assumptions, with the series preparing to test whether the survivors can find a path toward resolution or whether the world will endure further fracture.
There is a sense that the next installments will challenge long-held expectations, and speculation about the finale remains intriguing. In recent years, Valeria Gai Germanika has continued to explore themes of family, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation alongside the raw power of human conflict. Her most recent feature, a documentary titled The Pope, examines personal history with candor and reflective honesty, while preserving the sharp, kinetic style that characterizes her collaborations and dramatic storytelling.
The series sits within a difficult, distinctive genre that imposes its own moral questions and demands a resolution that feels earned. In the three episodes aired, the narrative has dismantled a familiar world, setting the stage for either a rebuilding or a dramatic unraveling. The promise of surprising solutions remains, and there is genuine curiosity about whether the writers will steer the story toward mutual consequences for the forces at play.
The author of this review offers a personal view, which may diverge from editorial positions elsewhere.