THE ADVENTURES OF ELECTRONIK is a Russian TV miniseries made in 1979 about a synthetic boy who thinks he's a human. In fact he's a robot, made as a prototype model who just so happens to escape and hook up with the identical kid who he was modelled on. Soon the boys swap places at school and the teachers become amazed by their student's transformation into a model student.
I guess if you're Russian and you watch this, the themes and ideas will be less alien than this appears to Western viewers. A Western-themed TV series would focus on the special effects and comedy inherent in the premise whereas this miniseries instead explores psychological effects and the morality of the situation. It's a well-shot production that shows off everyday life in Russia at the time, but I also found it oddly unengaging and with a three-hour plus running time it feels padded out in places and more than a little repetitive.
I guess if you're Russian and you watch this, the themes and ideas will be less alien than this appears to Western viewers. A Western-themed TV series would focus on the special effects and comedy inherent in the premise whereas this miniseries instead explores psychological effects and the morality of the situation. It's a well-shot production that shows off everyday life in Russia at the time, but I also found it oddly unengaging and with a three-hour plus running time it feels padded out in places and more than a little repetitive.