Test

Aleksandr Kott : 2014
Ispytanie

In a modest house in the midst of the Kazakh steppe lives Tolgat and his gentle, beautiful daughter, Dinara. When he sets off for work she is left behind, and in the evenings she takes care of her weary father. They live a quiet life in the vast plain until two young men fall for the girl. This love triangle will lead to a wholly unexpected turn of events. In August 1953, Muscovite Maxim Smirnov, an assistant cameraman, travels to Semipalatinsk as part of a film crew with a secret mission. Here, in the open spaces of the steppe, he encounters his first love, the young Dinara. Celebrating the simplicity of a secluded life, the film's imagery gently follows the change of seasons, but amidst these idyllic scenes, the signs of Soviet interference appear with the visit of a Russian patrol. The girl discovers a barbed wire fence, which hides a forbidden zone in the middle of the desert. The young people do not know that very soon they will be at the epicentre of events which will forever change not only their lives, but also those of mankind. Here, in Semipalatinsk, in this hot summer, the test of the first hydrogen bomb will take place. A visually stunning and poetic work, shedding light on a dark chapter of Soviet military history. Aleksandr Kott's feature was winner of the Grand Prix and the prize for Best Cinematography when it premiered at Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival 2014, and was named Best International Feature at Altın Portakal Film Festival 2014.