Farewell, our affectionate bear: Review of the “Games” series that has so far talked more about politics than the Olympics

On August 3, Kinopoisk will release perhaps the most nostalgic project of 2024 – the series “Games” about preparations for the first Olympics in the USSR. This is a significant event not only for our country, but also for the world. Because before, competitions were not held in social bloc countries, and we did not accept many foreigners. And, of course, it is no coincidence that the premiere of this summer’s sports hit will take place in the midst of the Olympic Games in France, which involuntarily forces us to draw parallels between these events. But first things first.

The Fashion Vibes editor attended the premiere and watched the first two episodes. We will tell you why the series will make you cry tears of sadness and joy. You can read the brightest moments of the red carpet here.

Director Evgeny Stychkin shifted the focus from athletes to politicians, showing impartially all the behind-the-scenes difficulties and bureaucracy that had to be faced when creating such a large-scale international event. Despite the courage, it is clear that the USSR had little experience: deadlines were running out, and out of 97 facilities, only 44 were operational, and the general’s daughter Irina Svetlova (played by Maria Karpova) had to deal with all this, and the officer’s son Igor Zorin (Grigory Vernik) was imposed on her as his assistant. The relationship between the characters did not work out right away: the frivolous and irresponsible Igor was used to getting away with everything, and his father (Alexey Serebryakov) would scold him for any oddities.

He also volunteers for the Olympic Games Committee under the patronage of his father, just to avoid going to the army. “I don’t respect you,” Irina throws in the face of the man who is not going to forgive her future subordinate. And it’s understandable: the stadium turned into a dirty mess because of the rain, drainage was not taken into account during the design, instead of oaks, as required by the standard, there will be larch on the bike path – and he will be to blame for all these mistakes.

Meanwhile, the same confusion reigns among the nomenklatura elite. Leonid Brezhnev, played on the big screen by Yuri Stoyanov, does not seem to be interested in what is happening at all and is much more interested in hunting than in sports. After all, on paper, the process is in full swing! Meanwhile, ministers dissuade him from participating in the Olympic Games with the USSR, despite the reputational risks, reminding him that “the treasury is empty.” In addition to the rather amusing discussion of the Olympics’ closing mascot (the same bear), there are also alarming reports of sabotage in Afghanistan. Brezhnev promises to support the regime economically so that there is no coup.

Oddly enough, no one speaks out loud about their love of sports. Even foreign journalists who came to the USSR to film training and asked athletes what they dreamed of received the following answer: “We have no time to dream.” But after thinking about it, the athletes still add: “It would be great to go to the ice rink at least once.” Another champion cannot lift the barbell when family troubles weigh on him: his son is about to be taken away by guardianship authorities. All these scenes of the film form a triad: politics – sports – family.

And if athletes perceive the Olympics simply as an overcoming, then for other Russians this event is a breath of fresh air. “Foreigners will come to us! Look, we will soon go abroad!” – says the hero of Vyacheslav Chepurchenko dreamily. At the same time, foreigners are also happy with another opportunity. “It’s like Cuba here! Girls will agree to anything with you for nylon tights,” they say in the hotel lobby, where, by the way, you can meet the “foreign hunters” Katya and Marina (Sasha Bortich and Alexandra Kiseleva).

But as we know, other events – the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan and the beginning of a protracted war – overshadowed promising hopes. The Olympic fairy tale came true, despite a boycott from 60 countries, and we will learn how the Soviet government and athletes coped with it in the new episodes.