Natalya Fyodorovna Merkulova (Russian: Ната́лья Фёдоровна Мерку́лова; born 19 September, 1979; Buzuluk, Orenburg Oblast) is a Russian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer and creator. Since 2013, she has been working in duo with her husband filmmaker Alexey Chupov (b. 1973). She is most famous for "Intimate Parts" (2013, codirected with Aleksey Chupov) that was a part of Kinotavr Film Festival and won an award for the best debut, and "The Man Who Surprised Everyone" (2018, codirected with Aleksey Chupov) that was a members for the Horizons (Orizzonti) section of 75th Venice International Film Festival. Her 2021 film "Captain Volkonogov Escaped" (codirected with Aleksey Chupov) was selected for the main competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 19, 1979 (47)
- Buzuluk, Orenburg Oblast, USSR (Russia)
- Writer and director
- 6 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Known for
What are Natasha Merkulova's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 3
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1
Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
A split, not a type: Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Natasha Merkulova's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Natasha Merkulova's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
25 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Winter Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Call Center (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Very Feminine Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Gogol(2017)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
The Man Who Surprised Everyone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Gogol. A Terrible Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Gogol. Viy(2018)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Gogol. Nachalo(2017)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Yana+Yanko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Crisis of Tender Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Rodchenko's Stairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Intimate Parts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Substance: Jam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Substance: Milk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Man In Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Residential District (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Wedding Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Traumatism (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Anna K (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Override (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 25 titles, 23 of them dated from 2008 to 2023.
Biggest box office
Gogol. Nachalo (2017)
Highest rated
Captain Volkonogov Escaped (2021)
Most popular right now
Salyut-7: The True Story of the Soviet 'Apollo 13' (2017)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Natasha Merkulova's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 25th to 49th4
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the plot and story 67/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Natasha Merkulova work with?
People who share at least 2 of Natasha Merkulova's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alexey Chupov shares the most, 5.
Directors
- Alexey ChupovShared titles: Captain Volkonogov Escaped (2021), Gogol. Viy (2018), About Love. For Adults Only (2017), Gogol. Nachalo (2017), Salyut-7: The True Story of the Soviet 'Apollo 13' (2017)See all 5 shared titles with Alexey Chupov
- Egor BaranovShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Egor Baranov
Writers
- Aleksey KaraulovShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Aleksey Karaulov
Actors
- Aleksandr PetrovShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Aleksandr Petrov
- Artyom TkachenkoShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Artyom Tkachenko
- Evgeniy StychkinShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Evgeniy Stychkin
- Sergey BadyukShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Sergey Badyuk
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Aleksandr IvanovShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Aleksandr Ivanov
- Ryan OtterShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Ryan Otter
- Sergey TrofimovShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Sergey Trofimov
Producers
- Evgeniy NikishovShared titles: Captain Volkonogov Escaped (2021), Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Evgeniy Nikishov
- Valeriy FedorovichShared titles: Captain Volkonogov Escaped (2021), Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Valeriy Fedorovich
- Artur JanibekyanShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Artur Janibekyan
- Ivan GolomovzyukShared titles: Gogol. Viy (2018), Gogol. Nachalo (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Ivan Golomovzyuk