"Method" Series: How Not To Become A Victim Of A Maniac - Reviews

The series "Method", 2015

Director: Yuri Bykov

Cast: Konstantin Khabensky, Paulina Andreeva, Alexander Tsekalo The main character Rodion Meglin (Konstantin Khabensky) together with the assistant Ash (Paulina Andreeva) each episode investigate crimes committed by a maniac. To do this, they need to understand the psychology of the criminal. The secret of Rodion's detective abilities is that he himself is a maniac, obsessed with murder. Inner similarity helps him to find the culprit.

Indeed, this is a technique used by law enforcement agencies. There is a legend that this is how they were able to catch the serial killer Chikatilo. When psychiatrists and psychologists have compiled a psychological portrait of a criminal, they find a person with similar personal characteristics and ask them to predict the actions of the criminal.

The series is based on real events: every maniac has a real prototype that operated in the USSR in the 1970s – 1980s. But the action has been postponed to our time. The filmmakers show not only the horrifying present of the maniac, but also the past: the reasons why he went crazy and allows himself to knowingly commit atrocities.

To understand is not to accept

Our present is built on our past, and the future flows logically from the present. Everything has a reason. The tragedies in the present are largely predetermined by the tragedies of the past. The task of the investigators (and us, the spectators, who are accomplices in the investigation) is to understand the perpetrator. But "understand" does not mean "accept." Explanation and justification are two different things. Nothing relieves a person of responsibility for his actions. Each person is responsible for his own wrong choices - both the heroes of the film and us. Madness is a disease, a heavy cross. But it is everyone's personal choice to seek help from specialists or to indulge their illness.

How to avoid becoming a victim?

The realism of the created images of maniacs is scary. And this is the right fear - it warns the audience, encourages them to be more careful. Crimes are one of the negative facets of reality, not a story from a movie screen. In many cases, the victim knows and trusts the perpetrator. The series reminds of caution and gives hints: how not to become a victim?

There is the so-called "victim" or sacrificial behavior. It can provoke aggression. First of all, the victim is the one who does not feel entitled to stand up for himself. In childhood, such a child is forbidden to show aggression, even for self-defense. The aggressor unconsciously reads: who will not fight back? It is important to remember about your right to defend yourself: the means that the situation requires. So, in one of the episodes, an armed maniac attacks an unarmed Ash. Then the girl grabs a regular pencil … and gouges out his eyes.

Safety by rules

There are rules that help not to become a victim (although they do not give an unconditional guarantee).

• 1. Do not trust anyone 100%. We never fully know another person and the darkness of his soul. The question "Don't you trust me?" should naturally cause distrust: this is manipulation, an attempt to reduce vigilance. The victims of serial maniacs often became their acquaintances - colleagues and neighbors. The already mentioned maniac Chikatilo was arrested after his first murder in 1978, but his loving wife gave a false alibi to her husband, being sure of his innocence. The released criminal killed at least 52 more people in 12 years, and his wife did not believe in her husband's guilt until the last moment.
• 2. It is important to see the personality, not the mask, to get away from the usual social stereotypes. So, there are professions, the representatives of which we are used to trusting from childhood: we have to get out of the habit. The series shows the stories of the crimes of a doctor, a policeman, a teacher, the head of a children's club … A person with his own problems is hiding behind a social role.
• 3. Safety rules should never be neglected. In one of the first episodes, Rodion shows Yasene how the inhabitants of the city at night forget about caution, how many crimes an intruder can, if desired, commit. You can't leave children unattended, wander through dark streets, enter an elevator with a stranger.
• 4. At the first suspicion, it is better to stop, give an alarm signal, call for help, than later regret the imprudence.
• 5. In the event of an attack, the victim often does not offer resistance: he is lost or does not consider himself entitled to defend himself. It is important to feel your right to defend and defend yourself.
• 6. Any crime, even its attempt, must be reported to law enforcement agencies. Often this is hindered by shame, unwillingness to remember, fear of revenge … But the criminal who got away with it, in most cases repeats the crime. Your help in catching him is a debt to potential victims.