Hello there, and welcome to my review!
I'm super excited to share my thoughts on the new series 'Wild' 90s, which I've found to be really captivating. I've always associated the 90s with an incredible amount of amazing movies, songs, and books that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union, plus the mass availability of trendy fashion items.
But this 'Wild' 90s theme really speaks to me in the world of cinema.
Before watching the famous 'Word of a Thug', I stumbled upon a fantastic film called 'Bull' starring Yuri Borisov. If you're a fan of this genre, I highly recommend checking it out.
The 2019 film 'Bull' is seriously cool, and Yuri Borisov is absolutely phenomenal in the lead role.
I'm excited to share my thoughts on the new series 'Journey to the Sun...'
I'll give you the lowdown on what you need to know about this series to decide if it's for you and whether you'll enjoy watching it.
The series 'Journey to the Sun and Back', what's it about? No spoilers!
Ruslan often accompanied his father, a professional card shark and scammer, to sanatoriums where he would use his wife and son as a distraction. Over time, Ruslan's father becomes entrenched in the underworld. One day, he's invited to a lavish wedding where 9-year-old Ruslan falls in love with a girl he thinks will be his future wife. Ten years later, in the 1990s, Ruslan still can't shake off his memories of his first love. He thinks about tying his life to boxing, but ends up getting swept up in a world of crime with his friends.
The series starts with Ruslan, the main character, in a mental institution, talking to a psychiatrist. We quickly learn that this isn't his first time being institutionalized.
The conversation with the psychiatrist will be the main storyline, as we learn about his past life, childhood in the late 1980s, and youth in the early 1990s through this conversation.
The series immediately splits the plot into two locations.
First, I've got to say that the way they've mixed up the two locations - Rusan's youth and his childhood - didn't sit well with me. However, I'll give you a brief rundown of both.
But let's start with the youth.
Rusan's youth takes place in a small town, which is exactly what you'd expect from the 90s. The scenery's pretty bleak - closed-down factories, half-built houses, and a general air of decay. Kids are hanging out in groups, and there's a lot of drinking, smoking, and swearing. I mean, I get why they included it, but some of the full-blown phrases they use are a bit much. It's hard to follow the dialogue sometimes.
Rusan's mom is worried about him, tries to intervene, but it's clear she's fighting a losing battle.
It all felt a bit like 'Palt' from 'The Word of a Thug' to me, and Rusan's mom reminded me of that character's mom.
Watching Rusan's youth was tough, not just because of the dark themes, but also because there are a lot of intense scenes. I was getting ready to give up, but then the second location kicked in, and it was really interesting.
The second location is Rusan's childhood in 1986.
The story about his childhood is fascinating. We learn that his dad was a card shark who'd travel around with the family to resorts, sanatoriums, and other places where rich people would go to gamble.
Rusan's mom was in on it too, and she'd help his dad pull off the scams.
The storyline in this location is really engaging. It's great to see how Rusan's parents interacted with each other during this time, and how he perceived their actions as a kid.
The atmosphere of 1986 in the USSR is really well-captured - the music, the entertainment, the way people of a certain class lived. It's a great representation of the era.Rusan's life with his parents seemed pretty interesting, what with them traveling to places where rich people would go to gamble.
What's interesting is that the parents had a perfect understanding of each other. They got each other's drift without needing to say much.
I was curious to see how Ruslan's childhood would play out, especially since we'd already seen a glimpse of it at the beginning. It's really interesting to see what happened to his dad, and why Ruslan was living with his mom in a cramped apartment as a teenager. The way the story is constructed is pretty compelling.
Unfortunately, the second part of the show, which deals with Ruslan's childhood, is pretty short. The main storyline is really about his teenage years in the 90s, which is a pretty dark time. There's a lot of profanity, and it's not always easy to follow the conversations between the characters. It's like navigating through a dense forest.
There's not a lot of action in the first three episodes. The storyline gets lost in the characters' conversations, their parties, and their typical teenage activities from back in the day, like boxing and watching videos on their first VHS players. It's all pretty overwhelming.
The romance storyline originates from Ruslan's childhood, where he's smitten with a girl who takes a midnight dip in a pond. But it's hard to tell what's real and what's just a memory. This scene pops up throughout the storyline, and it's pretty confusing.
As far as I can tell, the romance storyline is all about Ruslan's childhood memories of this one moment, and it's not real (or at least, that's what I think - the scenes are pretty dark and confusing).
From what I can gather, the show is a psychological thriller, and my only question is how Ruslan ended up in a mental institution. The main storyline revolves around his conversations with a psychiatrist in the institution.
After all, the central plot is about his conversations with a psychiatrist in the institution.
I have to admit, the dark scenes, confusing dialogue, and lack of dynamics in the first seven episodes made me lose interest.
So, where was the series 'A Journey to the Sun and Back' filmed? I did some research.
According to official sources, the filming took place in
St. Petersburg, Shlisselburg, and its surroundings, as well as in Kaщenko (Psychiatric Clinical Hospital №1 named after N. A. Alexeev).
Honestly, I barely recognized St. Petersburg in the first three episodes, as they were filled with objects reminiscent of the 90s.
Old buildings, inaccessible, abandoned construction sites and enterprises.
So, it's likely that they filmed in Shlisselburg. Shlisselburg is a municipal settlement in Leningrad Oblast.
I want to note that the part of the filming without darkness was done very colorfully and interestingly.
The musical component of the series 'A Journey to the Sun and Back' is very strong, it starts to feel like a real table for that time.
The songs, soundtracks, and music in the series are simply geniusly selected from those years where the action of the series takes place,
Generally, the decorations are created simply perfectly. All items, clothing, hairstyles of the characters in the series are completely accurately convey the described era - this is the time of my youth, so I'm not in doubt. The immersion in the era is virtuosic.
Another plus of the series is the unconditional understanding of the era it's about.
Some moments simply scratch the soul. For example, the attempts of people of all ages to understand what's happening. Why only recently everything was different, and now it's like this?
Why many respected people are literally on the trash heap and have nothing to eat? Why the houses built for the workers of the factory were abandoned and it's already clear that they will never be finished, and the factory itself has long been idle and stands abandoned.
I have to admit, I'm a bit of a 90s kid, and this show really nails the confusion and discussion of the events that went down back then. It's like the writer is drawing straight from their own experiences. I think it's definitely going to find its fans, but it just didn't click with me.
And honestly, there are so many other great shows and movies out right now.
Check out these other shows and movies that are guaranteed to leave you breathless.
"Death of the Unicorn" 2025, a seriously unsettling fantasy horror flick.
"Shadow of the Dragon", a detective story with fantasy elements
The Hunters is an intense series starring Elizaveta Boyarskaya.
"Anna Medium", a gripping mystery series
"Deliciousness 2025, it's basically a thriller, but with scenes so graphic, you'll never look at food the same way again.
I'd only recommend it to those who are looking for that kind of experience.
As for my overall impression of the show, I don't see myself finishing it.
But I might give the book a shot. Is the series "Journey to the Sun and Back" based on real events? Who served as the inspiration for the main character? What book is the series based on?
The series is based on Roman Mikhailov's book "Wait for Summer and See What Happens", and Roman Mikhailov is also the screenwriter and director of the film.
The main character's image is a composite, so there isn't a specific person who served as the inspiration.
I just didn't connect with the show, maybe the book will be more interesting.