MOSCOW, September 24, Anastasia Silkina. Admitting that you were not at the “Unprincipled Readings” will cause surprise in a social circle. Films and TV series based on books and scripts by Alexander Tsypkin open the door to relationships between people who, although they are high in status, are so similar to the viewer on the screen. The writer spoke about new projects, the benefits of humor and censorship in an interview.
— Alexander, first of all: what about the continuation of the series “Unprincipled”?
— The fourth season is already being filmed. There will be many new characters and lines. The characters of the feature film — a married couple with a daughter — will move to Patricky. There will be a collision of worlds — the village and the “patriarchal”.
— In general, are the characters fictional or what is commonly called “random coincidences”?
— «Unprincipled» has four seasons of eight episodes, each with five completed stories. This is, in fact, one hundred and sixty short films! Of course, there were some real stories. But you have to come up with a lot.
— It happened that those who look like the characters in the series , approached you with complaints?
— Fortunately, this did not happen. I have an ethical code, although unprincipled, and if they tell me a story, I will definitely ask if it can be used in the work. Moreover, if such a story can cause pain to someone, I will not take it. Karma is more expensive.
— Interest in how the “rich and famous” live will fade away someday, do you think?
— Never. Only if social stratification disappears. People are interested in spying, including on the rich. It seems to them that they will see reasons not to become such: everything is so terrible there, we won’t go there! And of course, for many, a reason to laugh at a wealthy person is a way of psychotherapy. The heroes of «Unprincipled», by the way, also see themselves and laugh. We try to show the characters in the series as humane, they are not disgusting: liars, but good-natured, there is no cruelty or some kind of inhuman betrayal.
Plus, what happens in the series on the Patricks could happen to the poorest person somewhere in the province. They are also able to tell their wife that they went fishing and bring purchased fish.
— And yet you, as the author, are probably narrowly within a specific metropolitan area?
— Of course, that’s why I have a lot of other topics. For example, in the dystopia “(Un)ideal Che” about 2037: theaters are closed, actors are playing a performance in prison that offended the feelings of 28 groups of citizens. This is a satire on the fact that today you can't laugh at anything. Here in Russia, by the way, this is still good.
Or the play “Intuition” in Sovremennik — a drama. Thirteen monologues of people who have fallen into the other world and strive to return one minute ago. The viewer chooses one, and such a choice is always difficult. I hope we turn this into a movie.
The series «The Ministry of All Good» will be released soon — a philosophical fantasy where the fate of humanity depends on the actions of one girl. We will show the structure of the universe: with angels, demons and all related attributes.
— Fantasy and science fiction are on the rise right now. Why do you think?
— Interest in everything mystical in life has increased: people go to fortune-tellers, read books on esotericism. First of all, they are scared. We lived for three years in fear of Covid, when two lines on the test meant not life, but death, moreover, random. Now there is a military conflict plus a civilizational one: we read about migrants who are destroying something in Europe, about Black Lives Matter in America, and we also have problems. People don't understand what's next, and they want to hope that someone has a plan.
Secondly, it's an escape from reality. Fantasy often suggests an otherworldly life — this helps with the fear of death. And third: such projects allow us to talk about today’s society between the lines, bypassing censorship. There is no place in the world now where you can write whatever you want. The same new ethics and cancel culture are a form of totalitarianism.
— What hot topic do you raise in The Ministry of All Good Things that might be of interest to the censors?
“Here we are not trying to discuss any specific political topics, but, for example, we are touching on the issue of attitudes towards abortion. The main character is a pregnant girl who has been abandoned by everyone and is faced with a choice. Everything depends on her decision. In general, we are talking about the importance of the actions of each person from the point of view of the whole society.
— Works are already appearing about the Northwestern Military District and other events that we see in the news. Don't you have such plans?
— Today is the time for war correspondents, those who record what is happening in the moment. Yes, there are living people there, there are deeds and low deeds, but in order to realize this, time must pass. Today, if you live, you can do harm. In the hot stage of a conflict, you need to do everything so that it ends as soon as possible, and then analyze it.
It seems to me that there is a huge layer of works on this topic ahead. If you remember, the main books about the Great Patriotic War also did not come out immediately; the key films were shot five, ten, or twenty years later.
My friend, special forces veteran Mikhail Petrov and I are now slowly writing a book about the Chechen war.
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— What advice would you give to aspiring writers and screenwriters?
— First: ask yourself why you want to write. There is nothing wrong with the answer: “To become famous.” Or: «To save the world.» I don’t think that this or that motivation is worse or better.
Secondly, you don’t need to dump your neurosis on others. This is a regular story: there is a lot bubbling inside you that needs to be worked through with a psychologist, and you bring it out to the public. The important question is: will the world be a little better after people read the book or watch the movie? Will they think differently, change themselves? If they laugh for a long time, it will already make the world a better place.