Degradation. Why the domestic audience likes the Chiki tv-series so much

Alina Vitukhnovskaya, writer

How Russian literature desperately slipped into talentless socialist realism, how Russian literary criticism returned to the level of pre-perestroika magazines with their "what is good" and "what is bad"; as human journalism, which disappeared, however, back in the 90s of the last century, was replaced by a greyhound goat, with its special Komsomol-Komsomol sincerity, with brisk psychological pseudo-torment, which, however, can be easily confused with the onset of mental disorder, so degradation became an ode from the intellectual environment to the moronic serial with the vulgar and caressingly criminal name Chiki.

It’s about as if Intergirl was filmed in the 70s. Although, in a way, the 90s of Russian cinema are the 70s, if on a global scale. "Intergirl", by the way, the film is monstrously Russophobic, review.

In "Intergirl" we see for the first time the beautiful prostitutes whom everyone envies. Even from my childhood I remember these chic elite prostitutes, on whom the whole street turned around. If there was an aristocracy in Russia then, it was it. Prostitution is one of the first professions in the Soviet Union, which not only almost completely got out of state control, but also had huge incomes, while being condemned and deified at the same time.

I wrote that the film "Intergirl" is openly Russophobic. Chiki too. Unkempt, badly broken domestic whores-suckers suck dramas from the script of their own life, generously paid for with compliments from pseudo-intellectual viewers.

After all, the Russian viewer sees everywhere an allusion to a deep meaning, or to a revolution. And in the name of Jeanne there is a sacred prefix "d'Arc". The fact that Chiki is a Russophobic film would probably be well understood by the founding fathers of the late newspaper I Am Russian, where national patriots who beat themselves in the chest were indignant at the fact that Russian people were portrayed as morons in the cinema. I remember they were analyzing some kind of collective farm spilling "Love and Doves". Correctly indignant.

The main task of Soviet cinema, as the most important of the arts, was that the Russian person did not have money, but this long-suffering debility, turning into spirituality, on the contrary, was in abundance. It's like communicating vessels. If something decreases somewhere, then something will arrive somewhere.

By the way, decent European cinema is no longer seen here. Now Chiki.

The absolutely degraded viewer sings the praises of this cinematic stench:

“Too perfect. In general, it is not clear what to write. The film is flawless, with incredibly detailed portrayal, with frightening attentiveness to everyday life and with a great love for the province.

The film only has one flaw. At the beginning. This is a van driver who gushes vodka at the wheel. This is how the Americans used to portray the Russians: vodka, earflaps, felt boots on the dashboard of a spaceship. People in Russia do not drink from their throats at all, it is rather an element from the drama of Tennessee Williams. Viktor Shenderovich probably appreciated this image. Without looking up from the disinfected keyboard. Why give such a name to such an impeccable and full of love for poor Russia? I didn’t understand ... As for the rest, it is an unrivaled series. Probably the best so far".

There is no love for Russia in this film. Chernukha is observed, but not underground, bewitching, although also boring, but brutally swaggering. To the erotic oriental music that weaves an eternal nightmare Eurasian adat before our eyes. We also see what happened 30 and 50 years ago. People living in conditions close to military ones reproduce and multiply, not having lofty goals, but even the very desire to live normally. The primitive animal chaos of casual relationships, superficial feelings, again taken by the viewer for deep emotional experiences. In general, it is interesting that no one had the idea that mental tragedies are often the result of domestic or physical and genetic defects.

Humanism of the 20th century sacralized and heroized suffering, not allowing its physiology to be dissected, where that tangle of worms lurked. And not only humanism, but first of all Christianity, where the victim was chosen as the main carrier of the idea, and the victim is absolutely sado-masochistic in nature. Why exactly such images "enter" people? This is a question for psychologists and psychiatrists for decades, if not centuries. But I suppose that it is sexual psychopathology, generously seasoned with religiosity, and therefore permissible and legalized, that is the main reason for the success of such a radically commercial project as "Christianity".

Christianity is based on declarative love and fear of death at the same time, but at the same time offers salvation as a basic alternative to improving life in the here and now. Therefore, the pseudo-love that the viewer of the Chiki series sees is a big metaphysical scam, when we all know that nothing good will happen to the heroes of the series, however, something from the outside (and here the image of a fool-priest praying, so that his broken car flew right into the city) constantly hints to us about some posthumous (I'm not afraid of this word) blessing that a poor Russian person will be generously gifted with during his lifetime.

As it is often said that geniuses are loved after death, this is also appropriate for any layman. A person is loved here when he stops interfering. And he always interferes, occupying square meters, consuming resources, expressing inconvenient opinions, being completely uncontrollable. It turns out that Russia lives in death as an idea, in necroreality. That is why it is so difficult to make a thriller in Russia. Death is not feared here, because life is worse.