Directed by Kate Winslet, the new HBO miniseries “The Regime” portrays a somewhat disturbed dictator in dire straits and humorously analyzes the functioning of authoritarian regimes through the fictional depiction of a modern country in Central Europe.
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After “Mildred Pierce” and “Mare of Easttown”, the Oscar-winning actress has once again chosen the prestigious American channel for her return to the small screen, focusing on a political satire created by a screenwriter of “Succession”. and was co-directed by Stephen Frears (“The Queen”).
She portrays Elena Vernham, a populist and hypochondriac chancellor who is well protected in her palace until she falls in love with a violent soldier (Matthias Schoenaerts) whose growing influence will hasten her downfall.
Guillaume Gallienne as a submissive husband and Hugh Grant as an imprisoned political opponent complete the cast of the six-part series, which was partly filmed in Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace.
Its creator Will Tracy, an avid reader of works dealing with totalitarian states and dictators, does not target any specific states.
But “The Regime,” which follows a small country between the United States and China, closely reflects current events. In addition, he often adopts post-Soviet accents, which British director Stephen Frears does not deny.
“I always thought that it was somewhere between a Soviet country and a small, picturesque European country,” explains this “great admirer” of Ernst Lubitsch, director in particular of “Ninotchka” (1939), a satire on the Stalin regime starring Greta Garbo, during a video conference.
“History is littered with terrible dictators” and “we still have them today,” adds his New Zealand co-director Jessica Hobbs (“The Crown”). The idea was to “use as many different sources of inspiration as possible to create something that is unique and original, but also credible today.”
Deliberately “uncomfortable to watch,” the series suggests rather than shows the violence of the regime and the deprivations of the population, and adopts “Elena’s point of view,” reinforced in its “illusion” by “her entourage” and a whole “system of accomplices.” , emphasizes Jessica Hobbs.
Certain tragic scenes remind us of the “hoped for” role of a political satire: “Make you think about dark topics while laughing at them,” adds the director.
“The Regime” will air in the US from March 3 and will be available the next day in France via Warner Pass on Prime Video, Amazon's platform.