One of the last remaining figures of the classic Russian arthouse, Aleksandr Sokurov is at his bleak best in this oblique adaptation of the Strugatsky Brothers’ 1977 novel One Billion Years to the Ends of the Earth. In the dying days of the Soviet experiment, a young doctor finds himself posted to a remote Turkmen town. Attempting to research the relationship between religious faith and medicine, he finds his efforts confounded by a series of mysterious encounters and ill omens. Switching freely between sepia and colour and documentary footage and flights of invention, Sokurov paints an oblique portrait of the end of Soviet empire, imbued with the tragic history of the region and centred around a remarkable lead performance from Aleksei Ananishnov. In his hands, the Strugatskys’ account of alien interference in human affairs becomes a distorted reckoning with Russian colonialism and the limits of rational enquiry.
Pushkin House and Klassiki are delighted to present a film programme inspired by the pioneering science fiction of the Strugatsky Brothers. Running from 6-13 November, this special series will feature four screenings as well as a live discussion at Pushkin House, exploring how some of the most renowned Soviet and Russian filmmakers – including Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksandr Sokurov, and Aleksei German – drew on the Strugatskys as they explored the slow collapse of twentieth-century utopia.
