Orgy, repentance and a lot of Nastya Ivleeva: Is it worth watching the series "Monastery".

The story of a slutty girl on her journey to faith promises to be one of the most talked about projects of the season.

On November 19, the premiere of the series “Monastery” will take place on Kinopoisk. The main roles in the project were played by Nastya Ivleeva (“Bloggers and Roads”) and Philip Yankovsky (“Mirror”, “Afghan Break”). The director was Alexander Molochnikov (“Tell Her”). He also worked on the script together with Alexandra Remizova (“Tell Her,” “Patient Zero”).

Critics were given the first two episodes.

“The Monastery” tells about a Muscovite Masha. A friend of a billionaire's wife, she spends all her time partying, having casual sex and drinking alcohol. One day Masha has group sex with her friend and two men. One of them films what is happening on camera and posts the video on the Internet. Later, Masha learns that her accounts have been blocked, and her partners have already been “punished” by the billionaire’s security. Fleeing from his punishment, the main character finds herself at the walls of the monastery. For her, this is a chance to save her life.

Superficial characters

The main character leads a dissolute lifestyle - this is clear from the first 15 minutes. The writers then report this several more times. It’s as if the authors of the series are telling the viewer something like “No, you don’t understand, she’s a whore!” The climax of the “revelation of the character” is the scene in which Masha tries to seduce the priest so that she will be left in the monastery.

But while the main character shouldn't be complex (at least not at first), Yankovsky's character implies depth. In one of the scenes, Father Barsanuphius talks with a man who came for advice. The parishioner claims that he really wants to beat his wife, and even shows a pistol with which he is ready to scare his wife. All because she doesn’t take the man seriously. At this moment, a flashback begins, from which we learn that Barsanuphius once had a large family that fell apart because of his wife - yes, she also did not take her husband seriously.

Sad? Hardly. The writers are trying to tell a dramatic story in a minute and a half, so they simplify the situation to the point of impossibility. It turns out that a wife can say “well, if anything happens, I’ll find someone else” as if in passing, and also slap a man in the face when he doubts. Of course, such a relationship is possible, but the flashback looks like satire - everything is so direct.

At the same time, Father Barsanuphius is far from the worst character. This is the merit of Philip Yankovsky, or rather, his charisma. But even this is missing in a situation where the hero’s emotions and past are as superficial as possible.

Repeating the same jokes

The main character makes three jokes per minute. She behaves like a schoolchild on an excursion - absolutely any person and any event forces her to leave a caustic comment.

The problem is not only the quality of the jokes (this is subjective), but also their constant repetition - everything is either about sex or religion. For example, she regularly hints at her past. Or every 40 seconds he “remembers God in vain.” Each such episode ends with an awkward pause due to the inappropriateness of the lines, which in theory should make you laugh. But the tenth time it’s not funny at all.

Questionable visuals

“The Monastery” has a very bright and varied video sequence. Expensive life in Qatar, beaches, bustle at the airport, monasteries, landscapes, portraits - an assortment for every taste. The cameramen did a great job, but the editing table turned the beautiful footage into a kaleidoscope.

Perhaps the pace of the story will slow down from the third episode, and then the peaceful landscapes and beautiful frescoes will last longer on the screen. In the first two episodes they serve only as an interruption between different scenes with Nastya Ivleeva.

Speaking of the visual side, it is worth highlighting the episode from the first series in which Maria dances while high - a bunch of effects and duration make the scene as disgusting as possible. If the goal was to create hatred for drugs or heroin, then it failed - only the desire to turn off the series and forget about what he saw appeared. It's kind of reminiscent of the basketball game scene from Catwoman.

Frankly bad music

Playing some terrible song about religion in the background for a touching moment in a monastery is a questionable decision. The upbeat tracks within the church also resemble a base for free music on YouTube. Perhaps it's a matter of economy, but the musical sequence turns out to be so inexpressive that you want to turn off the sound.
It’s interesting that Daria Charusha is responsible for the soundtrack. In Ilya Naishuller's "Hardcore" she managed to put together an assortment of tracks suitable for the film, but in "The Monastery" there are too many misses.

There is a lot of Ivleeva

Nastya Ivleeva has a huge fan base, so it’s understandable why the series becomes her benefit. It is more difficult to understand the reasons why the project should be of interest to a person who is not in love with the actress. She grimaces, exposes herself, talks - and all this is more reminiscent of her sketches, and not part of a separate project.

Bad music and boring characters make The Monastery a weak drama. At the same time, the comedy component also fails - due to the meager range of topics for jokes. A slutty girl and monks, tears and laughter, skirts and robes - images that do not fit together in any way.

It is quite possible that the series will change from the third episode. The sinner will understand that she lived wrong, and the abbots of the monastery will help her find herself. The problem is that such a complex topic requires a careful approach with a lot of detail. They may appear, but it is unclear why they are not in the first two episodes. The viewer, longing for the spiritual rebirth of the heroine, simply cannot tolerate the transformation. But if you love Nastya Ivleeva, then be sure to watch “The Monastery” - there are a lot of actresses here.