It was not love at first sight... I don't need lilies.
Innocent white lilies,
Untouched by fate and raised in the wilderness.
Manufactured by people, they always kept
Cold love and isolation of the soul.
I want red roses, I want roses in love,
I want to be in a deep sleep.
First, I watched the series in amateur voiceover and I was not hooked, since the initial dialogues were completely meaningless. After some time she returned to this series, but with a professional translation and as if plunged into the atmosphere of Paris at the end of the 19th century. The series turned out to be a masterpiece!
We are talking about the “workers” of the brothel “Paradis” (French paradis, the name translates as paradise.)
The brothel is headed by Hortense Gaillac, a role perfectly performed by Valerie Karsenti. Whether this is a coincidence or, indeed, the idea of the authors of the series, but the name of the manager comes from the Latin hortensis - "garden". This is the “Paradise Garden” shown to us by the directors of this film.
Hortense became my favorite character, thanks in large part to the professional Valerie Karsenti game. Her Hortense is a complex and ambiguous hero, and not fully understood by me, which fuels interest in her story. The authors of the series talk a little about her past, once she shone in a brothel and was “very passionate”, but now she says about herself “I am old enough”. In one interview, Valerie Karsenti talks about Hortense - she terrorizes others as she was once terrorized and treats her girls as she was once treated. She fears her own inner darkness, but cannot resist it. It is worth noting that Valerie is a theatrical actress of the comedy genre, it is her play that gives the impression that you are a spectator of a theatrical production, not a series. I want to watch and watch her play, empathize with her heroine. What is worth her facial expressions, gestures, posture. She's not acting, she's living the life of her character in the series. And I want to shout, "I believe!" This project helped to reveal the actress’ dramatic potential. The first season features her relationships with the girls, her assistant Margaret and her brother. The relationship with my brother is quite strange, I would even say spicy. Pierre (brother) returns to Paris after a long departure, he is rich and occupies a high position in society. When asked why he came back, he said, “Because of you.” He likes to torture his sister, play with her, keep her in a "cage" -paradis and his love for her is not at all like brotherly. This gives us the right to assume that it was he who largely determined her current position, but the authors of the series do not disclose the “secret” of their relationship to us, offering only the opportunity to make assumptions.
Vera (Anne Charrier) is a star "paradis", but a star that due to age will soon go out. Vera passionately wants to leave the brothel, she even has a chance, but the way is blocked by Hortense, which is attached to her, sees her soul mate and does not want to lose her, but in fact Vera is a great actress, she does not feel mutual feelings for Hortense. According to Hortense, “You never loved, and now I’ve shown you that you have a heart.”
Rose (Jemima West) is a girl who, by the will of evil rock, becomes a prisoner of Paradis. She wants to find her mother, who once worked there. She is young, pure and innocent, but the abyss of debauchery engulfs her, leaving nothing of her former Rose. I was a little confused about her behavior and actions. But in general, the actress played believable.
I want to note the overall atmosphere of the series, the excellent work of the operator Pierre-Yves Bastard (by the way, he is the operator of the series “Versailles”), decorators and costumers. The soundtrack is initially discouraging, but then it even seems a kind of “highlight”. Paradise is a theatrical stage on which a fascinating drama is played. This series will not leave you indifferent, it is devastating and discouraging.
My assessment
10 out of 10