To the Lake

To the Lake is a Russian post-apocalyptic thriller television series launched on the Premier platform on 14 November 2019. Its first season is based on Vongozero, a novel by Russian author Yana Vagner. Netflix acquired the first season and released it internationally on 8 October 2020.

Synopsis

Residents of Moscow are infected with an unknown deadly virus, the main symptoms of which are coughing and discoloration of the eyes; after three to four days, death occurs. As the disease becomes an epidemic, the Russian capital gradually turns into a city of the dead: there is no electric power, money has lost its value, chaos and lawlessness reign everywhere, and gangs of marauders gather. The media are panicking, and those who are not yet infected are desperately fighting for food and fuel. The city is quarantined, with all access points closed.
Fleeing from the epidemic, Sergey, along with his second wife, her autistic son, his own son, his ex-wife, his father, and a neighboring family, go to Karelia. There, on a small deserted island in the middle of Vongozero, they plan to hide from the threat of infection in a refuge ship that has been converted into a camping cabin.
Against the background of a terrible global catastrophe, a cruel family drama is also played out. People who normally would never have been under the same roof must now unite to try to escape a deadly disease. On the way, they will not only face various dangers, but also overcome family troubles, learn to survive, and try to forgive.

Cast and characters

Kirill Käro as Sergey
Viktoriya Isakova as Anna, Sergey's new wife
Aleksandr Robak as Lyonya, Sergey's neighbor
Natalya Zemtsova as Marina, Lyonya's partner
Maryana Spivak as Irina, Sergey's ex-wife
Yuri Kuznetsov as Boris Mikhailovich, Sergey's father
Eldar Kalimulin as Misha, Anna's son, who has autism spectrum disorder
Viktoriya Agalakova as Polina, Lyonya's daughter
Saveliy Kudryashov as Anton, Sergey's and Irina's son
Aleksandr Yatsenko as Pavel, an EMS doctor
Yura Borisov as Zhenya Korolev, a special forces sergeant who has gone AWOL
Victoria Drozdova as Nastya, an orphaned girl
Askar Ilyasov as Aziz, a tattoo artist
Julia Jendroßek as Sonya, a German sociologist
Nikita Elenev as Taras, a photographer and Alena's boyfriend
Victoria Klinkova as Alena, an illustrator and Taras's girlfriend
Darya Ekamasova as Lakka, a Sámi shaman and healer
Production

First season

Filming took place in 2018 in the Moscow Oblast and the Arkhangelsk Oblast. Lake Vongozero was represented by Onega Bay. After its release in Russia, Netflix bought the rights to the series for $1.5 million, according to Kommersant.

Second season

Directed by Dmitry Tyurin, filming for the second season began in April 2021. In October 2020, the producer of the series, Yevgeny Nikishov, announced that the plot would not be based on Living People, the sequel to Vongozero. Filming completed in early September 2021. The first episode was released on 21 April 2022, by Premier.

Episodes

Season 1 (2019–20)

Season 2 (2022)

Reception

To the Lake has an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on six reviews, and an average rating of 8/10.

Controversy

The fifth episode of season 1 disappeared from Premier's platform on 14 December 2019, just two days after its release. In it, hospital patients and other civilians are executed by men who appear to be security forces, prompting speculation that the episode had been censored. However, the company said the second half of the season was postponed until February 2020, due to the success of another series, and that the fifth episode was part of the second half. Director Pavel Kostomarov said the episode's removal came as a surprise and that he was not given a reason.
On 20 December, the episode reappeared on Premier. Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky denied media reports that he was involved in the controversy, saying, "there is no censorship in our country" and that the episode's removal was of a "technical nature". Premier said the season would continue to air weekly until its conclusion, at the request of viewers.

Awards and recognition

On 23 June 2019, the series received an award for cinematic achievement at the inaugural Chitka festival in Moscow.
On 13 September 2019 the series was presented at the 43rd "Cinema Symposium of the International Association of Film Commissions " in St. Petersburg.
On 11 February 2020, it was shortlisted for the VIII Award of the Association of Film and Television Producers in 15 nominations.
On 1 April 2020, the series received the Fresh TV Fiction rating of the Swiss research company the WIT, which highlights notable international projects.
On 7 October 2020, To the Lake took eighth place in series rankings on Netflix. By 11 October, it had climbed to fourth place.
On 12 October 2020, American horror writer Stephen King called the series "damn good".