What did the collapse of the 20th century’s largest empire look like from space? Andrei Ujică, one of the world’s most renowned documentary filmmakers, answers this question with a film celebrated for its masterful editing and remarkable ability to reveal hidden meanings. "Out of the Present"—arguably his best-known work—stands as a milestone in non-fiction cinema. It follows the astounding story of Sergei Krikalev, who is known as the "last citizen of the USSR," after spending nearly a year in space as the nation that sent him there ceased to exist. Shot aboard the "Mir" space station, the film draws on footage captured with a 35mm camera, operated under the remote guidance of "Solaris" cinematographer Vadim Yusov. The result is a tale of profound isolation and a one-of-a-kind chronicle of the end of an era, conveying the final tremors of a disintegrating political system against the haunting beauty of cosmic emptiness.

Konrad Wirkowski