An Ordinary Woman
An Ordinary Woman
The Series
Trawling through the extensive offerings on SBS On Demand, I found this fascinating and original Russian television series.
An Ordinary Woman is a nine-episode series produced for TV-3 Channel Russia. It stars Anna Mikhalkova. Her performance, and the series as a whole, have been applauded and awarded prizes not previously accorded to a Russian television program shown in the West.
The Story
An Ordinary Woman tells the story of Marina, a 39-year-old working mother who lives in Moscow. Her husband is a surgeon, her elder daughter is at university, and her younger daughter is a junior student in a private school. Marina also has a meddling mother-in-law, whose portrayal will particularly amuse those familiar with typical older Russian or Eastern European female relatives. Marina runs a florist shop and, as we discover in the opening scenes, is pregnant.
This creates a picture of Marina as an ordinary, if somewhat privileged, woman. The series’ portrayal of normality is all the more convincing because we also see familiar flaws and problems.
However, the image of Marina, the ordinary woman, soon develops cracks. Most significantly, we discover that the flower shop is used by Marina to launder money she earns from running an online prostitution service. When one of her prostitutes is murdered, Marina’s life begins to unravel.
Alongside this aspect of her life, the series also introduces a list of other family members and more ordinary problems and issues. These enrich the series, creating a multilayered storyline, and serve to keep the overall story grounded in ordinary issues amidst extraordinary developments. For me, the exposure of each new crack in Marina’s ordinary life facade soon became a guilty pleasure.
What Makes this Series (Extra)Ordinary
The series feels realistic and believable because of the normality at its core. Just like the overall storyline, new revelations are introduced without fanfare or recourse to shock footage. Even the memorable black humour scenes involving a mattress are presented so skilfully that they don’t feel contrived.
What overshadows the gradual disintegration of the seemingly normal life of Marina and her family, is Anna Mikhalkova’s portrayal of Marina’s understated stoicism and determination not to allow her normal life to be destroyed, even as her problems snowball seemingly out of control.
Thankfully this is not presented in a Hollywood-style, unconvincing or unrealistic superhuman effort. The series doesn’t just portray Marina’s capacity not to be rattled by what is occurring around her. it also presents the stress, fear and grief that she feels but does not show and does not allow to influence her responses.
The Cast
The unpredictable plot and its multidimensional characters are presented believably by a memorable cast. A factor commonly mentioned in commentaries on this series, and one that I would like to echo, is the series’ cast of strong female characters. Perhaps, to challenge our preconceived notions of macho contemporary Russian society, it is the women who are in charge. The strong female characters, ranging from Marina’s young daughter, the university students, Marina’s associates, and a maverick detective, to Marina’s mother-in-law, are portrayed superbly and believably.
The Culture
There are, of course, cultural differences and similarities that provide much material for discussion. Russian society’s adoption of many of the trappings of western lifestyle serves to highlight aspects of life that distinguish Russia from the West. For example, the show emphasises just how ordinary and acceptable bribery and corruption of public officials and law enforcement officers remains in contemporary Russian society.
Like Marina, this series is anything but ordinary.