8.30 pm, 6 November, Friday. Followed by Q&A with producer Artem Vasiliev
6.00 pm, 7 November, Saturday. Followed by Q&A with producer Artem Vasiliev
It is the early 1960s. Space travel is still nothing more than a dream and the race to be the first into space is running at full throttle. Aleksei Germans multi-award winning film tells the story of a man for whom that dream becomes a nightmare, as he finds himself increasingly at odds with the ambitions of the Sputnik programme.
A highly personal and intimate take on an epic moment in 20th century history, this film is the story of Daniel Pokrovsky, an idealistic young medical officer charged with looking after the health of Russias future cosmonauts. When one of the cadets on the programme is killed, Pokrovsky finds that he cannot believe in a programme that sacrifices its young men in the name of their country.
Pokrovskys unconventional principles lead him not only to question his work, but ultimately to endanger his life.
In Pokrovsky, German has created a highly unconventional hero, a man isolated from his country, society and emotional commitments. He is an extremely fragile almost cowardly character thrust into a situation way out of his depth a Paper Soldier. A genius in his own right, he has little understanding of social interaction leaving him lonely and isolated, demonstrated by his confusing entanglements with two different women over the course of the film. He is far from the traditional romantic hero, ready to fight for his country.
This beautiful, complex film resembles the work of Tarkovsky, portraying the pursuit of a distant dream, away from the politics that enshrouded Russia during this space race.
