How I Ended This Summer

Colour, 35 mm
Russia, 2010, 124 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

The film is set at a polar station on a deserted island in the Arctic Ocean inhabited only by two human beings and a few polar bears. Seasoned meteorologist Sergei and recent college graduate Pavel are spending months together taking careful readings of the meteorological conditions. Then Pavel receives an important radio message for Sergei but hasn’t got the guts to tell him, at which point their lives are changed forever. Rising star Grigori Dobrygin and well-known actor and director Sergei Puskepalis turn in compelling performances as two men who initially try to find some kind of mutual understanding, and then ultimately forgiveness, amidst desolate surroundings deep within the polar circle. This visually stunning existential drama about survival was screened in competition at the Berlinale, where both actors garnered Best Actor awards (ex-aequo), and Pavel Kostomarov’s excellent camerawork won an award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. After his successful film Simple Things, talented Russian director Alexei Popogrebsky returns to the Karlovy Vary IFF not only with a new film, but also as a member of the jury.

About the director

Alexei Popogrebsky (b. 1972, Moscow) was born into the family of screenwriter Pyotr Popogrebsky. He graduated in psychology from Moscow State University. During his studies he made two short films with Boris Khlebnikov, and years later they gave their debut with Koktebel (2003), which was a success the Moscow IFF where it won the Silver St George Award, and the 2003 Karlovy Vary IFF (East of the West section) where it received the Philip Morris Award. Popogrebsky completed his independent debut in 2006 with Simple Things (Prostyye veshchi), which was screened in its international premiere in the main competition at KVIFF 2007, taking away various awards: Best Actor for Sergei Puskepalis, Special Mention for the performance given by Leonid Bronevoy, the FIPRESCI Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Award.