A 30-something high-school history teacher, Volodymyr Zelensky is like Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society or Richard Dreyfuss in Mr. Holland’s Opus.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I’ve been watching the witty political satire Servant of the People on Netflix. With a brilliant storyline and a fast-moving plot, Servant is like many outstanding international series. Like the political serial king, House of Cards, it is cynical and provocative. But it’s set in Kyiv, so it’s a strange military reality. It’s odd to watch a drama with a fictional (now real) Ukrainian President, but I keep watching, engrossed by the culture, the backdrop, and the diverse cast of people led by Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mini-bio: Zelensky was born in January 1978 to Russian Jewish engineers. At 17, he joined a comedy ensemble while studying law. He then founded Kvartal 95. From 2015 through 2019, Zelensky authored, starred in, and produced Servant of the People. It became a movie, then a political party. In December of that year, he won the Ukrainian presidential election with 73% of the vote. He was dubbed “the comic who became president” everywhere. A criminal probe of the Bidens in return for the release of $391 million in congressionally approved military funding made news on July 25, 2019. A whistleblower saved Zelensky and aided him. With his reform initiative stalled, his approval ratings fell. A Russian invasion made him a national hero.
A thirty-something high-school history teacher, Zelensky plays in Servant of the People. One of his students covertly tapes him insulting the government. It gets viral. Then he becomes President, fighting greed and institutional corruption that he must fight even at home with his parents.
Everyone eats the pie, from the construction forelady down the street to the Prime Minister. Unlike Al Capone, the Americans were not terrified of him. “They jailed him.” But this is Eastern Europe, post-Communist Slav. Instead of the West, the TV president wants to rehabilitate Ukrainian potholes. The characters are a hilarious mix of oligarchs, bureaucrats, diplomats, informers, and everyday folks attempting to make a profit, with a Slavic twist. I liked the various female characters with their own feminine style, and the breezy politically incorrectness that pervades much of their interactions. Nowadays, technology, especially social media, provides a continual second filter: someone is always filming/framing someone else. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have all helped Zelensky’s career. Both are Ukrainian nationalists who love their country and believe in its ideal.
Some viewers can’t watch Servant of the People since some of its sites are being bombarded live. I look. I appreciate the artistry and the real-life heroism. And I help the refugees.
— Helen Epstein has been a Fuse reviewer since the start. She was in Prague during the 1968 Soviet invasion.