«Russian TV series seem better to me than Hollywood movies» - journalist 0 16

Journalist and assistant to the Saeima deputy Sandris Točs published a post on his Facebook page about Russian TV series that he prefers to American cinema.

"To disconnect, we watch Russian series. I think that Russian series are better than Hollywood movies - both in content and quality, as well as in humor and acting.

Right now we are watching 'Ivanovs', there was 'Fizruk', 'Home Arrest', 'Police from Rublyovka', 'Kitchen' and many others that really improve the mood and provide an opportunity to laugh. Or maybe I am just mentally close to this culture, which is all familiar and understandable to me. After all, I was born in the Soviet Union and lived in the same country with Russians until I was 21, watched the same (and the same) movies, told the same (and the same) jokes and lived in the same environment. Of course, Russian culture, with all its pros and cons, is much closer to me than Western culture.

When I visited Uzbekistan, which is still very far away, it struck me that Uzbeks, at least of my generation, are mentally much closer to me than Swedes and other Scandinavians. Of course, the younger generation is different. Personally, I often do not understand where to laugh in American comedies. Of course, there are good American films and bad Russian ones. I am speaking in general terms. And the younger generation probably won’t understand where to laugh in a Russian series. I am talking about myself.

It is completely clear to me, and I do not deny it, that I belong to a cultural space that is ridiculed and denied, but it is mine. Yes, I have incomparably more in common with Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, and Estonians than with Scandinavians, Germans, or Britons. Should I be ashamed of this? I am not going to do that! I am not going to deny myself! If someone tries to convince me that being Russian is something negative and being Western is positive, then, excuse me, that is not the case. This is the poison and negativity that comes through Netflix and all similar networks. And I am not even talking about transgender characters in every film, but about the overall atmosphere - with murders, horror films, and a depressive environment that pours out of these networks.

To be honest, I get chills when I see the Netflix logo over the LMT building. I want to protect Latvia from this. This is no longer the Europe and America that we wanted to emulate in the 90s and dreamed of in the 80s! This is some kind of hell, anti-Europe and anti-world, in which I do not want to be. How good it is that I still have Russian series. A Russian wife is happiness in the family!"

In the comments, people write: "Yes, and the younger generation too, like my daughters, who are 19 and 30, watch the old good films whenever possible. And they ask: 'Why were there such beautiful films before?' By 'before' they mean 15-30 years ago. Now a film that is worth watching is a rarity.