Reviews

It's easier to say who or what had't been suspected to cause the death of the skiers' group led by Igor Dyatlov: fugitive criminals, UFOs, the Bigfoot, local aborigines- all of them seemed to be somehow connected with this mysterious tragedy. Nevertheless, the real truth is still not revealed. I liked an approach of BBC - when its journalists tried to logically justify the incident in their documentary film, partially blaming the death of Soviet students on weather conditions, but then it turned out again that nothing was that simple and straightforward. This understatement has tortured me for a very long time. I would like this case to be solved in every single detail. It is strange to expect the fiction series to cast the light of truth on the old classified case, but still I hoped to get at least some answers to the questions in my head. So, I started watching "Dead Mountain. The Dyatlov Pass Incident"

The series opens up with magnificent views of the snow-covered Northern Ural Mountains. We arrive in Sverdlovsk by helicopter with major Kostin, an elegant, stylish man who is in no hurry to talk about himself and generally asks his colleagues not to spread the news about his arrival. Kostin must investigate the case of Igor Dyatlov and find out the truth. But something about his acts and dark, Poker-style look suggests that it is quite possible that the purpose of his arrival in the Urals is not to find but rather to cover the truth forever. All in all, there are a lot of riddles and we have an opportunity to see how they will be handled.

If you have heard nothing about the structure of the series before, let me indicate the SPOILER ALERT to come. The second episode comes as a total surprise - as it brings up a different storyline. The second, fourth and each even episode is the hike itself with Igor Dyatlov as a central protagonist! And they have a completely different shooting stylistics, but I don't want to steal this "AWE"-factor from you completely. All I can say is that I really did not expect such a twist. In these episodes we are invited to become witnesses of a real reconstruction of the events that had taken place before and during the expedition. I consider both storylines equally fascinating, but still the story of Dyatlov and his friends on a ski trip evokes much more emotions in me.

The thing is that the casting director did a truly titanic job! It should have been so hard to choose the actors. They all look like they just came from old Soviet photos. The guys are smiling, full of hope, the whole world opens up to them, they have no time to be sad. If to believe parents, who grew up in the Soviet Union, back in time the youth was just like that: real, honest and cheerful. The authors of the series were trying to convey through the screen this long-gone spirit of that ambiguous, but at the same time alluring, nostalgic era. Honestly, it sometimes hurts follow the story of Igor Dyatlov because you know that everything will end tragically for them, but now on the screen they are all still alive and so overwhelmed with excitement, enthusiasm, and plans for the better future...

The first episodes of "Dyatlov Pass" keeps you on the edge of your seat. The project's greatest strengths include a tense, eventful plot, as well as an excellent selection of actors who become your family by the third series. I expect something unusual from the denouement, which can bring the 60 years of searching to the truth. For some reason, I have no doubt that the authors of "Dead Mountain. The Dyatlov Pass Incident " will surprise us. The investigation continues!