Just Imagine Things We Know Explained

Camera:Single-camera
Channel:KinoPoisk HD
Runtime:46-37 minutes
Num Episodes:4
Num Seasons:1
Language:Russian
Country:Russia

Just Imagine Things We Know (Russian: Просто представь что мы знаем, translit. Prosto Predstav' Chto Mi Znaem) is a Russian television miniseries about the inner workings of Moscow media industry directed and primary written by Roman Volobuev, that premiered on KinoPoisk streaming service on September 24, 2020. Initially planned as an anthology series, it was renewed for a second season in 2021.[1] Season 2 was written but never produced[2] as a result of director being blacklisted for opposing Russian Invasion of Ukraine and eventually emigrating from Russia.[3]

Premise

5 years after surviving an assassination attempt and fleeing with his family to UK a veteran investigative journalist Evgeny Malyshev returns to Moscow to find Russian media stifled by censorship and himself effectively blacklisted. Unable to find work he's forced to join a guerrilla news operation run on a banned Telegram messenger by three 20-something clueless tabloid reporters.

Production

Background

The show was inspired by a recent trend among Russia's news outlets to migratе to alternative platforms to avoid censorship and is loosely based on a real-life story behind founding of Mash[4] one of Russia's most popular Telegram channels[5] that currently boasts more than 895 000 subscribers.

Writing

The script originated from a series of in-depth interviews with media industry insiders[6] and is described by its authors as a cross between a journalistic procedural and a satirical roman à clef with most of it characters being based on a real-life personalities from Moscow's media world.[7]

Filming

Most of the first season's principal photography was done in March 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic allowing filmmakers to use empty exteriors of quarantined Moscow as a backdrop. The filming was halted only when city went into full lockdown.[8] During this forced hiatus the show's script was rewritten to incorporate pandemic and also some shifts in the political climate such as unexpected decision by the Russian government of to lift a formal ban on Telegram messenger which show's characters use.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Reception

Critical response

The first season's critical reception in Russia was mostly positive, with Kinopoisk reporting a 79% critical approval rating based on 29 reviews,[9] Iskusstvo Kino calling it «a smart and beautiful depiction of an ugly subject»[10] and Gazeta.ru going as far as dubbing it «the best Russian series about journalism».[11] Most of the criticism was directed at the small number of episodes, disorienting open ending and mentioning of real-life media figures that Snob Magazine called «a name dropping ad nauseam» and «the endless inside baseball nobody outside media crowd cares about».[12] The show's casual depiction of LGBTQ characters also caused a backlash with Russian conservative critics, who called the series «obsessively and pointlessly queer».[13]

Russian-Armenian media tycoon and founder of LifeNews media empire Aram Gabrelyanov on whom the character of Papa was based[14] posted a profanity-laden review of the show on his (now deleted) personal Telegram channel in which he unfavourably compared it to HBO's «The Loudest Voice» and nicknamed it «The Loudest Fart»[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Волобуев анонсировал выход нового сезона "ППЧМЗ". 2021-05-31. Газета.Ru. ru.
  2. Web site: 2023-09-06 . "Диктаторы не падают с неба». Как кончился «Последний министр»? Роман Волобуев в «Поживем—увидим" . 2024-04-29 . Новая газета Европа.
  3. Web site: 2023-09-14 . "Нам говорят: "Нахуя ты на Геббельса работал?" А мы: "Вы не понима-а-аете, там все сложнее!"" . 2024-04-29 . «Холод» . ru-RU.
  4. Web site: ПММЛ — "ППЧМЗ" Романа Волобуева. 2021-03-07. Журнал «Сеанс».
  5. Web site: Ryabikova. Victoria. 2020-09-14. 10 most popular Telegram channels to get inside the Russian mindset. 2021-03-07. Russia Beyound. en-US.
  6. Web site: "Просто представь, что мы знаем": Сценаристы сериала рассказывают, как сделать журналистов интересными персонажами. 2021-03-07. The Village. ru.
  7. Web site: Кто все эти люди: Краткий гид по "Просто представь, что мы знаем" — Статьи на КиноПоиске. 2021-03-07. КиноПоиск. ru.
  8. Web site: Телега и пятое колесо. 2021-03-07. Новая газета - Novayagazeta.ru. ru.
  9. Web site: Просто представь, что мы знаем (2020, сериал, 1 сезон) — критика. 2021-05-31. КиноПоиск. ru.
  10. Web site: Землемер В.: Роман Волобуев и неправильный прикус отечества. 2021-05-31. Искусство кино. ru-RU.
  11. Web site: "Просто представь, что мы знаем": сериал о жизни Telegram-канала. 2021-05-31. Газета.Ru. ru.
  12. Web site: Барченков. Дмитрий. Хоррор в психбольнице и Telegram-драма со стриптизом. 2021-05-31. snob.ru.
  13. Web site: Нувельваг. 2021-05-31. Telegram.
  14. Web site: "Просто представь, что мы знаем" — легкий и язвительный сериал Романа Волобуева о русских медиа. Кому он понравится и что с ним не так?. 2021-05-31. Meduza. ru.
  15. Web site: 2020-09-28. Вышел сериал "Просто представь, что мы знаем": Рецензия Metro. 2021-05-31. www.metronews.ru. ru.