Real politics is an area about which we will never know the whole truth. Too many combinations, too big stakes and too complex moral dilemmas have to be solved for anyone to dare to open up about them, even in memoirs, decades later.
All that remains is to watch a movie where, with the help of fictional characters, you can show more of the ugly truth about real politicians. Presenter Valeria Sergeeva named the five best TV series about the behind-the-scenes of political life.
Occupied
Who would have thought that while Ukrainians were living in a peaceful state and in perfect ignorance of their neighbor’s intentions, somewhere in Norway they were filming a series about the occupation of Crimea and the invasion of Donbass. I’m exaggerating, of course. But the plot of “Occupied” is very similar to our history. In some alternate reality and near future, Russia attacks Norway. First, it takes control of gas and oil production areas, and then spreads to other territory. At the same time, the Russian Federation acts at the suggestion of the European Union. Their goal: to force Norway to produce and supply this fuel to the EU in the same volumes. After all, the Scandinavians boldly decided to completely switch to thorium – an alternative energy source.
The style of behavior of Russia, like an arrogant “gopnik”, hiding behind the mask of virtue, is shown here in all its glory. And it is just as clearly visible what will happen if you try to come to an agreement with this “gopnik” and make concessions to him.
If you still haven’t wanted to watch it, here are two more arguments for you. The author of the idea and screenwriter is the superstar of Norwegian detective stories Jo Nesbø (he began writing the plot in 2008 and perhaps this was due to the Russian occupation in Georgia). And the Russian ambassador is played by the Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite, known to our viewers.
Borgen
Danish Kingdom. Election of the Prime Minister – the main political person in the monarchy. The two favorites of the race, carried away by the struggle of compromising evidence, destroy each other’s ratings the day before the vote. As a result, the victory goes to Brigitte Newborg, a woman with high moral principles and family values. But it’s too early to rejoice. All these assets go into a steep decline from the first day of trying to form a government.
The series perfectly shows the evolution (or degradation) from a candidate with bright goals to a politician who has become a full-fledged part of power circles mired in deception and manipulation. Why is it so difficult to remain good to everyone and to what extent are compromises with conscience possible? Let this question remain in the air.
Veep
This is a really funny series. When you are too tired of bad news, but still want something about politics, “Veep” is the perfect option. The plot centers on the attractive and stylish Vice President Selina Meyer. She really wants the best, but it turns out as always. Her team is trying with all its might to get the boss out of stupid situations without moral damage. And they come out brilliantly, like a comedy. Humor, it must be said, is often on the edge, and sometimes a couple of steps beyond it. But it’s very difficult to break away.
Carefully! In the middle of the season, one may get the impression that politics is theater and only idiots work in the offices of top officials. But who said that there is no truth in this?
Billions
One of the coolest series of recent years. It is not entirely about politics, but it absolutely shows how the schemes and “agreements” on which the entire political system rests work. And it will also answer your question, why is it so difficult to imprison someone for economic crimes?
The central line is the irreconcilable conflict between two lions in their case, billionaire Bobby Axelrod and New York District Attorney Chuck Rhoads. One is an eccentric genius, the other is a clever cunning man. One wants to earn billions, the other craves justice and high-profile imprisonments. And between them is the magnificent Wendy, the wife of a prosecutor and a close friend of the billionaire, who works as a coaching psychologist at his foundation. Excellent dialogues, parsed into quotes, perfectly written motivations of the heroes, three-dimensional characters and plot twists that always appear on time – this is what you miss in a series of monotonous stories.
I especially admire how, without the usual “black stuff” of popular TV series (in three seasons, not a single corpse, murder or blood), the authors managed to create such exciting and high-quality action. Must see.
Darkest hour
Yes, this is a film in the series selection. But I think that it is more important than any series that can be added to this place. Darkest Hour is a biographical drama about Winston Churchill and the difficult decisions he made as prime minister of a warring country. Remember his famous phrase “If a country, choosing between war and shame, chooses shame, it gets both shame and war”? This is exactly what the film is about. About dilemmas like: leave 300 thousand soldiers to certain death or save them at the cost of 4 thousand others? Or maybe even go to negotiations with Hitler, hoping to save everyone, but most likely losing an entire country and strengthening the enemy?
At the same time, you need to convince your ill-wishers that you are right, and the people that everything is not so bad and Great Britain will win (although the chances are frankly zero). Churchill himself wrote several biographies, and his famous speeches can be viewed and listened to in the original on YouTube. The film is all the more valuable because it is as reliable as possible, although not without the screenwriters’ inventions, such as the conversation with subway passengers. In general, I won’t create pathos, I’ll just end with two favorite quotes from the film:
You can’t negotiate with a tiger when your head is in its mouth
– What’s going on in the war? They say it’s hopeless.
– A lost cause is the only thing worth fighting for.