# Totems (2022)

> A French scientist turned spy falls for a KGB-coerced pianist in 1965, unsure whether their love is real or political.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/100852

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, thriller
- Created by: Olivier Dujols, Juliette Soubrier
- Network: Prime Video
- Cast: Niels Schneider, Vera Kolesnikova, José Garcia, Lambert Wilson, Ana Girardot, Aleksey Guskov, Mikhail Gorevoy, Tim Ahern
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11269180/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, paranoid, restrained, tense

## Synopsis

Totems (2022) is a French espionage drama series created by Olivier Dujols and Juliette Soubrier and produced by Gaumont Télévision for Prime Video. Set in 1965 during the Cold War, it follows scientist Francis Mareuil (Niels Schneider), who is drawn into work for the French Secret Service and the CIA. His path crosses that of Lyudmila Goloubeva (Vera Kolesnikova), a pianist forced to work for the KGB, and the two begin a romance neither can trust. Their relationship is the emotional engine of the story, with each meeting shadowed by the question of whether their feelings are genuine or simply the product of political maneuvering. Around them, handlers and officials including Virgile Hiriart (José Garcia) and Charles Contignet (Lambert Wilson) push both characters through a web of surveillance, obligation and quiet betrayal. The show plays out as a single self-contained run of eight hour-long episodes, a limited series built on patient tension rather than action set pieces. Its tone is melancholic, restrained and paranoid, with a softly cinematic European look that suits the Paris and Cold War atmosphere. Viewers who enjoy the marital espionage of The Americans, the period paranoia of Deutschland 83, or the romantic intrigue of The Night Manager will find a familiar appetite for divided loyalties here.

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