Giza: what is the best teen series of 2022 about

On August 11, streaming platforms will host the premiere of episode 3 of the TV series Zhiza, which has become one of the most significant discoveries in Russian cinema this year. We figured out why the show about the orphans attracted the audience so much, why its actors became the loneliest people and when new episodes will be released.

The plot of the series “Zhiza”

Zhiza is a Russian teenage drama mini-series about the difficult fate of orphans. Its premiere took place on June 23rd. Immediately after the release, Giza gained incredible popularity with the public and became one of the main hits of 2022.

The plot tells the story of two pupils of the orphanage – Yakut and Polina. Yakut experienced a very tragic story: his mother was brutally murdered by a maniac. The boy’s father, unable to contain his anger, committed lynching of the criminal, but for this he himself went to prison. And Yakut was left without parents.

Polina lived in the orphanage almost all her life. She fell head over heels in love with her music teacher, who was her only beacon of light and a guide of hope in this gloomy institution for orphans. They had an affair, the girl became pregnant.

The teacher turned out to be a vile coward: he hired a hitman to kill Polina and save him from all the problems with the child. Yakut, who cannot stand his new life, and Polina, who is just trying to escape the killer, by chance unite and flee to Moscow in the hope that they can find justice there.

The series was directed by Arseniy Robak. He sees his plot as a very multifaceted story with many hidden meanings: “When I watched the series 50 times during editing, I always found some new meanings that no one even thought about. This is a movie about love, about youth, about drive. As one of the critics wrote, this is a “driving drama” – some kind of our new genre.

For a young man, this is the first experience as a full-fledged author of the project, before he appeared on the site only as an actor. At the age of 27, he was able to achieve the realization of his own big idea. This result is really very impressive. For himself, this success has become an occasion to comprehend the enormous responsibility that now lies on his shoulders: “The more you know and understand, the greater the responsibility. I was terribly excited, because you guide everyone: do this, do that. And sometimes you are required to show how it is done right on the spot. And at that moment you really realize the whole burden that has fallen on you.

Who played in the series

In the case of a show with such a plot, one would expect that the main roles would be played by young, yet unknown actors. And the performers were really chosen young, but surprisingly well-known.

The role of Yakut went to Maxim Saprykin. He is only 20 years old, but he has more than 60 films and series in his acting record. Most viewers may know him from the film adaptations of Anna Malysheva’s detectives A Doll’s House and Black Widow. Maxim took the preparation for the role of a lonely orphanage very seriously: “I did not communicate with anyone, did not sit on the phone, plunged into myself. On the eve of filming, I watched a bunch of films on a similar topic. And after filming, I drove home for an hour and a half without emotions, music – I just silently looked in the seat.

The image of Polina on the screen was embodied by the rising star of Russia Valentina Lyapina. Many may know her thanks to the recent film The Young Man. About Giza, Valentina says that this project is intended not only to let difficult teenagers know that they are not alone, but also to allow parents to get to know their children better: “This is definitely a movie not only for young children. I think Giza will help parents understand how their children sometimes feel. We tried to play believable, fought very hard for the text, for every word, concept.

On secondary roles in the show, you can see Nikita Kologrivovoy, the star of the recent series “Two Hills”, a legend of Russian cinema and part-time father of director Alexander Robak, Grigory Vernik, son of Igor Vernik, and many others.

Viewer reviews

This is not to say that the series left the audience completely delighted, but after watching they leave quite positive reviews.

Commentators attribute the plot and characters to the strengths of the project. The story turned out not so much believable as exciting and full of drive. The characters are very lively, vibrant and, most importantly, it is very easy to fall in love with them and begin to empathize. Also, many highlight high-quality camera work, beautiful scenery and musical accompaniment. In other words, the show turned out stylish.

To the negative points, many attributed the feeling of hopelessness from the finale and some monotony of events in the middle of the series. Although the creators did not want to shoot the usual Russian “chernukha”, which our film industry really produces in huge quantities, but obviously their craving for harsh realism still prevailed in the end.

Release dates of the series “Zhiza”

August 18 – Episode 4

August 25 – Episode 5

September 1 – Episode 6

September 8 – Episode 7

September 15 – Episode 8

Whether the series will receive a second season is still unknown.