Sputnik
Directed by: Egor Abramenko
Written by: Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev
Starring: Oksana Akinshina, Pyotr Fyodorov, Fedor Bondarchuk, Anton Vasilev
Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi - 113 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 12 Aug 2020
Written by: Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev
Starring: Oksana Akinshina, Pyotr Fyodorov, Fedor Bondarchuk, Anton Vasilev
Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi - 113 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 12 Aug 2020
The United States and the Soviet Union didn’t much like each other in 1983. Granted, they don’t like each other much now (other than the President), but in 1983, Yuri Andropov was the new General Secretary of the Communist Party, Reagan labelled their entire apparatus as the “evil Empire”, and the U.S. invaded Grenada. It is quite understandable; then, when two cosmonauts crash land on Earth with a third entity on board, the USSR’s first inclination is to attempt to weaponize it rather than destroy it or even seek research suggestions from the greedy capitalists. Sputnik, a clever reference to the orb which catalyzed the space race, means “companion” in Russian. Like Sputnik’s obvious influence, Ridley Scott’s Alien, and the more contemporary Venom, director Egor Abramenko explores the “what now” scenario through a more psychological lens, but don’t worry, a fair share of heads still get ripped to pieces.
The first thing we notice, even though the vast majority of my readers have never been to the expansive Asian steppe, is how Soviet it all looks. The buildings and bare bones infrastructure are the epitome of utilitarian. The walls are pea green and the overhead lighting is straight out of the office in Joe Versus the Volcano. Never mentioned, the Soviet Politburo most likely wants results…fast. Unknown to the public who believe their hero cosmonauts are recovering from the deleterious effects of weightlessness, the top military scientists are trying to puzzle out what to do with the alien creature living inside the shuttle’s Commander, Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov).
The first thing we notice, even though the vast majority of my readers have never been to the expansive Asian steppe, is how Soviet it all looks. The buildings and bare bones infrastructure are the epitome of utilitarian. The walls are pea green and the overhead lighting is straight out of the office in Joe Versus the Volcano. Never mentioned, the Soviet Politburo most likely wants results…fast. Unknown to the public who believe their hero cosmonauts are recovering from the deleterious effects of weightlessness, the top military scientists are trying to puzzle out what to do with the alien creature living inside the shuttle’s Commander, Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov).
The observers keep Veshnyakov in a sort of glass-encased vault. All sorts of prods and probes poke him throughout the day, but he is in the dark as to why. Apparently, Veshnyakov is unaware he is now host to an uninvited guest. No-nonsense neuropsychologist Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) is plucked from the middle of her own troubles with the scientific establishment to examine Veshnyakov and figure out how to separate the two. Klimova’s techniques are unusual. She follows her instincts even when some would argue it causes harm to the patient. The operation's apparatchik in charge General is Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk). Semiradov is senior enough to know time is not on their side and there could be a promotion opportunity involved should results point to more robust offensive possibilities.
Klimova’s one-on-one conversations with Veshnyakov are more interrogation like than familiar considering the setting. They debate the concept of being a “hero” as Veshnyakov clings to his status as a famous Soviet cosmonaut while Klimova parries with how he was merely on a government-funded excursion. Both know Soviet heroes are who the state says they are and the label may be granted or removed with a head nod. The film’s second half contains the more visceral sections as Klimova uncovers secrets, argues about ethics, and plots her next moves as the body count starts to multiply. Abramenko does not play “hide the alien” very long, we get a good look at it soon enough which exchanges mystery for literal gut-wrenching action. Sputnik is a worthwhile genre mash-up of horror and psychological thriller both for fans of the Alien franchise and Silence of the Lambs with its verbal sparring sessions. It is nice to believe in 2020, an outer space encounter may encourage the globe’s adversaries to unite, but I have a hunch more of a bipolar, 1983 distrust would prevail.
Comment Box is loading comments...
