Outsource

Set in 1996 in a remote Kamchatkan town, just before Russia’s moratorium on the death penalty, Outsource follows prison guard Konstantin Volkov, a recent transfer from Kimry, who believes that the families of murder victims should have the right to personally execute the condemned. Driven by this belief, he and his fellow guards launch an illegal operation that allows grieving relatives to take justice into their own hands.

The series was filmed in the 4:3 aspect ratio to reflect the look and feel of 1990s television and to enhance the sense of confinement, echoing the prison setting.

Many characters have animal-related surnames like Volkov (“wolf”), Rybkin (“fish”), Lisitsyna (“fox”), and Kotov (“cat”), which subtly hint at their personalities or narrative roles.

The series was shot in diverse regions including Moscow, Kamchatka, the Caucasus Mineral Waters, and the Elbrus region. In the town of Tyrnyauz, where the weather was too warm, snow had to be brought in from Mount Elbrus to maintain the winter setting.

The creators drew inspiration from directors like Alexei Balabanov (Brother, Cargo 200), Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Roy Andersson, aiming for a bleak, morally complex atmosphere.

The series features a baroque-style cover of a song by the iconic punk band Grazhdanskaya Oborona, creating a striking contrast and deepening the emotional tone.