«Living Life» - Series Review by Kinoafisha

Anna, a 30-year-old woman with a successful marketing career, finds herself at a crossroads after the loss of her husband. The grief of her loss throws her off balance, but after six months, Anna realizes it's time to move forward. It is then that an attractive young plastic surgeon named Matvey enters her life, revealing himself to be a skilled manipulator. Anna suspects that it is not a coincidence that she attracts men inclined towards abusive behavior, and she begins to investigate the nature of her dependency on unhealthy relationships.

The premiere of the two episodes of the series "Living Life", dedicated to exposing manipulations and based on the bestselling novel by Anna Boginskaya, took place today on the online cinema platform START. It's worth noting that this is the hundredth, anniversary project for the platform. Artem Aksenenko, the director of the psychological thriller "Living Life", also known as the creator of "Mediator", another series about manipulations, helmed this production. The showrunners of the project were Darya Moroz and Irina Sosnovaya ("Alice Can't Wait," "Black Spring"), who also worked as producers on "Concubines." The screenplay for the series was written by Mikhail Zubko and Anna Boginskaya. At the premiere of the series, Darya Moroz emphasized that "Living Life" is a "project about longing for true love." And indeed, the "true" feelings in the show are nothing more than convincing performances by the manipulative characters.

The main heroine of the series, Anna Boginskaya, portrayed by Lyubov Aksyonova, is a successful marketer working with major brands. This beautiful and self-assured woman has everything to be happy: a well-paying job that allows her to indulge herself, loyal friends who will never leave her in difficult times, be it the loss of a loved one or health problems, and a good guy who takes care of her comfort and sends her bouquets and expensive gifts for no reason, without expecting anything in return. But Anna, who witnessed the tragic death of her husband Stas (Yuriy Chursin), cannot let go of him and come to terms with the fact that he is no longer here. However, the cause of the prolonged post-traumatic stress disorder of the heroine is not her love for the man, but a painful and destructive dependency on him.

Anna spent many years in an abusive relationship with her husband, who skillfully manipulated her emotions, thus traumatizing the young woman's psyche. Stas controlled who his wife interacted with, where she went, forcing her to repent for every extra glass of wine she drank during dinner with her friends. Anna could only be "good" if she dressed in clothes chosen by her husband and fully met his expectations. Stas's death was supposed to free the heroine from the chains of abuse, but the manipulative spouse had settled so firmly in her mind that even after losing him, Anna, the Goddess, feels guilty if she doesn't act as her deceased partner would have wanted. Returning to her empty apartment, Anna sees the "ghost" of Stas and, out of habit, reports to him in detail how her day went. Even after her husband's death, the protagonist feels his presence in the house, and all the horror of the tormenting psychological dependence in "Living Life" is conveyed no worse than in the 2020 film "The Invisible Man" with Elisabeth Moss.

It is quite expected that Anna does not see herself in a relationship with reliable, generous, and "predictable" Zhenya (Matvey Lykov). Unable to recover from the influence of her husband, the heroine subconsciously seeks drama and a lover with whom her life will not be monotonous. Anna, for whom conflicts, emotional roller coasters, and gaslighting have become the norm, considers only men who will keep her on her toes and never let her relax, constantly making her worry and think about what she did wrong. Those who seek will find, and the protagonist, played by Lyubov Aksenova, meets a young and promising surgeon, Matvey (Roman Vasilyev), who constantly appears and disappears from Boginskaya's life, making her apologize for "losing control" and being too arrogant, even though she is simply defending her boundaries.

Anna, whose professionalism is respected by men in the marketing field who often yield to her in meetings, despite her status and success, desperately avoids healthy and stable relationships and chooses partners who will manipulate her emotions. Psychologists say that abusers often see a "resourceful," self-sufficient, and vibrant woman with a brilliant career as their victim, someone whose personality they want to break. In "Living Life," the manipulative characters ironically refer to Anna as a "resource," confirming that this is a common scheme to destroy an independent and successful woman. Artem Aksenenko's series shatters the myth that only weak and insecure women fall for the tricks of abusers. In "Living Life," men who resort to psychological violence in relationships initially present themselves as romantic and sensitive heroes who fall madly in love with Anna and are willing to do anything for her. For example, plastic surgeon Matvey plays the role of a sensitive lover of Brodsky and Mandelstam's poetry and an innocent boy who doesn't know how to handle such a strong and wealthy woman. Unfortunately, many abusers, like Roman Vasilyev's character, wear attractive masks that can barely reveal their toxic and dangerous nature.

As for the women in the series, the most attention is given to the heroines Lyubov Aksenova and Daria Moroz. Anna, who is 30 years old, is friends with Rita, who is older and more experienced, so she often seeks advice from her mature colleague and receives her support in difficult situations. It was specifically the character Daria Moroz who pulled Boginskaya out of the depression she faced after her husband's death. Despite Anna's popularity and authority as a fashion industry marketer, she still tends to act impulsively and confuses fleeting passion with love. On the other hand, Rita, a woman who has seen it all in life, carefully plans every step and does not settle for "questionable" relationships. The differences between the heroines are also emphasized in their style of dress. While Anna prefers flowing dress combinations and lightweight textures, Rita opts for a more classy look with a touch of bourgeoisie - black jackets and vests embroidered with gold patterns, and lace blouses.

Despite the trust between Anna and Rita, their friendship shows signs of unhealthy moments involving pressure and manipulation related to work, but the heroines eventually work through these situations. The creators of the series do not delve as deeply into the personalities of the two other girls with whom the heroines have close relationships, Olya (Anastasia Krylova) and Katya (Yulia Julai), but they emphasize that the former quits her job because her "future husband" wants her to, while the latter has no desire to get married at all.

"Living Life" is an important project that, in the format of glossy drama, explores manipulations and codependent relationships that increasingly replace love in modern society. The series, based on Anna Boginskaya's book, is beautifully and stylishly filmed, and its "glamorous" approach to the visual aspect of the show creates the necessary contrast between the romantic dream world into which partners-manipulators successfully draw the heroine, and the traumatizing reality in which abuse cleverly masquerades as true love.

"Living Life" inevitably brings to mind "The Mistresses," as it was also worked on by Irina Sosnovaya and Daria Moroz. Therefore, their new project also possesses a certain refinement and retouching. However, it cannot be said that the essence of the series suffers from it, especially considering that one of the writers was Anna Boginskaya herself, who knows exactly how to adapt her text for the format of a "glossy" psychological thriller. The attractive and "dazzling" package makes "Living Life" popular among a wide audience, who would benefit from learning about the ubiquity of manipulations that have unfortunately become the foundation of human relationships today. Despite the seriousness of the topics covered in the project, for people accustomed to relaxing through watching series, a show with Lyubov Aksenova in the leading role will become another guilty pleasure with a hypnotic visual representation, from which important personal conclusions can still be drawn.

The series by Artem Aksenenko is not just a detailed guide to recognizing an abuser, but also an intriguing erotic thriller in which Lyubov Aksenova exposes partners resorting to psychological tricks. Her heroine, realizing that she has once again fallen under the spell of another manipulator, begins to play a double game in order to understand the plans of the plastic surgeon Matvey and other characters who want to use her for their own purposes. She also reflects on unhealthy relationships with her husband, working through her traumas.

"Living Life," in which there are enough explicit bedroom scenes, again in the spirit of 'Mistresses,' sometimes an unjustified display of female nudity, erotic fantasies about a doctor-patient romance, and occasionally excessive fervor, ultimately comes together successfully as a story about a strong heroine who managed to break free from codependent relationships. The series, albeit partly shot in a music video format, touches on those unsettling signs in the behavior of people who attract us, which we often turn a blind eye to, and encourages us to be more cautious with ourselves and always choose our own comfort. Perhaps intentionally playing with contrasts in "Living Life" will allow someone to reconsider a lot and recognize manipulators in their own environment.