Out of the Present
The story of the last Soviet cosmonaut, who spent nearly a year in orbit while his country dissolved below him.
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
1996 IFFR
2002 IDFA
2014 Doclisboa
2019 IDFA