The Challenge (2023 film)

The Challenge, also known as Doctor's House Call (Russian: Вызов, romanized: Vyzov) is a 2023 Russian space drama film co-written and directed by Klim Shipenko and partially filmed aboard the International Space Station. Alongside Yulia Peresild, starring as a surgeon sent to space to help a sick cosmonaut, the film's cast includes Miloš Biković and Vladimir Mashkov. The film crew was accompanied by cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei.

The Challenge
2023 Russian stamp dedicated to the film
Directed byKlim Shipenko
Screenplay by
  • Klim Shipenko
  • Bakur Bakuradze (ru)
  • Ivan Zamorov
  • Nailya Malakhova
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byTim Pavelko
Music by
  • Nikolay Rostov
  • Sergey Cheremisinov
Production
companies
Distributed byCentral Partnership
Release dates
Running time
165 minutes
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
Budget₽1.155 billion
Box office
The Challenge
Cast launched to ISS for the film
Space career
A film shot on a space station
Time in space
11 days, 22 hours and 13 minutes (35–40 minutes of production)
MissionsSoyuz MS-19/Soyuz MS-18 (Expedition 65)
(Equipment launched on Progress MS-17[6] and returned on Soyuz MS-18)
Mission insignia

This is the first collaboration between the Russian space corporation Roscosmos and the public broadcaster Channel One, with an approximate budget of around 1.155 billion rubles.[7] It is also the world's first feature-length fiction film to have scenes shot in space by a professional filmmakers,[8][9][10] filming in orbit for nearly two weeks, and premiered on 12 April 2023 at the State Kremlin Palace in the Moscow Kremlin on Cosmonautic's Day, the 62nd anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to fly into space. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in Serbia and Russia on 20 April 2023 by Central Partnership, on an analogue version of IMAX called CosMAX.[11][12]

Plot

Cosmonaut Oleg Bogdanov, during a spacewalk, falls under a stream of debris from an emergency satellite and receives a serious lung injury and needs urgent medical care. Doctors on Earth come to the conclusion that the operation on the lung must be carried out directly to the International Space Station, otherwise, when returning to Earth, the victim is likely to die from overload.

Seven candidates were selected to perform the world's first operation under weightless conditions - seven volunteers, still quite young, but already experienced, highly professional surgeons, specialists in chest operations. But six are gradually weeded out during accelerated training by their space medical colleagues, and the seventh, before making a final decision, proposes a more suitable candidate, in his opinion.

As a result, a talented thoracic surgeon Evgenia Belyaeva unexpectedly goes into space for herself, whose initial task was to develop an operation plan and assist fellow surgeons in preparation for its implementation in orbit - she went through the entire training program with them almost by accident, in the course of work. Zhenya has enough problems on Earth - she, a single mother who lost her husband in a car accident ten years ago, does not have enough time to raise her teenage daughter; she needs to take care of her mother, who always forgets to take her medicine on time. And now she has only a couple of weeks to prepare for this unique mission.

Surgical intervention in weightlessness, especially carried out alone, without a team, without an anesthesiologist, is an unprecedented event in itself. Only crew members will be able to assist the surgeon: two cosmonauts, numb from the degree of responsibility, but who managed to retrain for a few hours into neat nurses. But when, during the operation, Zhenya faces objectively almost insurmountable difficulties, the Earth gives the command for an emergency descent - so Oleg Bogdanov may still have a small chance to survive. Cosmonauts are professionals, ready for anything, for them the order of the TsUP is not discussed and is subject to unconditional execution.

But Evgenia Belyaeva is not a cosmonaut, but a doctor, she did not give a military oath, but the Hippocratic Oath. No one can give her the order to leave the patient on the operating table. Neither the crew commander, nor the head of the department, nor the flight director, nor the chief physician.

And they are waiting on the ground. A daughter with growing up problems and first love. A mother with a sick heart, to whom dozens of people unanimously lie that Zhenya is on a business trip to the city of Irkutsk. And friend Doctor Vlad, as it turns out, voluntarily gave way to his beloved woman in a spaceship.[13]

Cast

Cameos

Other cast members
  • Maxim Stoyanov as Roman Biker, one of the surgeons selected as a candidate for the flight
  • Benik Arakelyan as Rafik, one of the surgeons selected as a candidate for the flight
  • Arthur Beschastnyy as Vasily 'Vasya', one of the surgeons selected as a candidate for the flight
  • Andrey Kuzichev as Valery 'Valera', one of the surgeons selected as a candidate for the flight
  • Sergey Godin as Pavel, one of the surgeons selected as a candidate for the flight
  • Simon Steinberg as Kirill, one of the surgeons selected as a candidate for the flight
  • Mikhail Troynik as Sergey, Zhenya Belyaeva's husband
  • Varvara Volodina as Masha, Zhenya Belyaeva's daughter
  • Danila Fedyunin as Borya, Masha's boyfriend
  • Sofya Skya as Tatiana 'Tanya', an anesthesiologist
  • Marianna Korobeynikova as Ksenia Bogdanova, wife of cosmonaut Oleg Bogdanov

Production

Background and pre-production

The screening process began on 15 March 2021,[14] as a joint project between Russia's federal space corporation Roscosmos, the state-controlled television network Channel One and production company Yellow, Black and White. The streaming service START is taking part in partnership with Tinkoff Bank and MegaFon is a company supported by the Cinema Fund Russia.[15][16] The filming equipment was launched on Progress MS-17[6] and returned on Soyuz MS-18.

According to Konstantin Ernst, Director General or CEO of Channel One, the motivation of the filmmakers is to confirm Russia's leadership in the space sector and to restore the prestige of the cosmonaut profession in the eyes of the younger generation (Yulia Peresild herself did not dream of space flight as a child).[13] The unique experience of express training for non-professional flight may subsequently be useful for the real need to send scientists or doctors into space.[17] The development of the project will be covered within the framework of the Evening Urgant program, whose members moved to the cosmodrome a week before launch.[13]

About three thousand applications were submitted for the main role, for which Peresild was ultimately chosen.[13] The number of which was reduced to 20–30.

“We selected 20 candidates, and Yulia was not included in this list, because she was filming in another project. And as a result, after all the tests of the medical board, all these actresses did not pass the selection. Not because they are ill, but because they are not suitable for flights.”

— said Konstantin Ernst reports during the end of the filming of the series of 2021's Gloomy River.[18] After that, he opted for the candidacy of actress Yulia Peresild. Also, the Russian singer Polina Gagarina was offered by the general director Konstantin Ernst and the producers of the film to audition for the main role in the film The Challenge in order to go into space.[19]

On 14 May, the Interagency Committee approved the composition of the ISS main and alternate crews for the period 2021–2023.[20] Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov was chosen to be the ship's commander, while Klim Shipenko and Peresild flew as spaceflight participants. The backup crew was cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, cameraman Alexey Dudin and actress Alyona Mordovina,[17] Mordovina being the first woman to pass the cosmonaut screening since 2012.[14] Due to the allocation of seats on flights to the International Space Station, the flight of the director and actress necessitated rearranging mission lengths of the professional astronauts and cosmonauts, including extending the mission length of the on-orbit crew, U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei and his Russian cosmonaut opposite number, from 6 months to 1 year.[21]

The crew members began training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on 24 May.[22] To prepare for filming, Shipenko trained intensively, dropping 15 kilograms (33 lb) of weight.[13] On 23 July, the prime crew participated in a four-hour simulation inside a Soyuz replica while wearing the Sokol suit,[23] and on 28 July, the back-up crew completed the same exercise. According to back-up commander Artemyev, the performance of the two back-up spaceflight participants was outstanding.

The dress-rehearsals for the movie happened after the scheduled spaceflight training each day.[24] On 30 July, the spacecraft had its pre-launch preparation started,[25] and on 31 August, the medical committee announced that both the main and reserve crew were healthy for space flight.[26]

On 12 September, First Channel aired a reality show called The Challenge: The First in Space, about the specifics of the selection and training of project participants.[17]

In Space
The ISS, where a portion of the production takes place.

"In space, there are a lot of nuances, the whole process is arranged differently. Therefore, many of the shots that we worked on the earth had to be rethought: to change the movements, the mise en scene."

— Klim Shipenko

Principal photography began on 5 October, when Shkaplerov, Peresild, and Shipenko flew to the ISS aboard the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle with the Soyuz MS-19 manned transport spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. While on the ISS, Klim Shipenko shot about 30 hours of material (30–40 minutes of film),[27] as well as performing the functions of director, art director, makeup artist, and production designer. Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov will appear in the film,[28] with Dubrov and Mark Vande Hei assisting in the production.[29] Shkaplerov will also appear in some scenes.[30]

Of all the footage filmed in space, about 30% was filmed in the Nauka module, another third was filmed in the Zvezda module, and the remaining 30% was shot on the rest of ISS modules.[31] It is planned that the footage filmed in space will be approximately 35 minutes of the final timing of the film.[13]

They left the ISS on 17 October, aboard Soyuz MS-18, with Commander Oleg Novitsky.[32][33] After the successful landing of Soyuz MS-18, Dmitry Rogozin revealed that Ernst had paid Roscosmos for Shipenko and Peresild's seats.[34]

Post-flight

The ground-based filming started in Moscow and the region of Moscow Oblast in mid-June 2022 and ended in October, the last footage filmed at the world's largest operating Baikonur Cosmodrome. Some of the locations the crew filmed were the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and the Voronovo sanatorium.[35] In addition, a pavilion was erected specifically for the film, imitating the RKA Mission Control Center of the Roscosmos State Corporation. Here, Miloš Biković, the star of Klim Shipenko's film Serf, joined the film crew.[36]

Reactions

According to Dmitry Rogozin, the then head of Roscosmos, the film was an "experiment to see if Roscosmos can prepare two ordinary people to fly in about 3 or 4 months".[37] The fact of filming on the Space Station was widely criticized by the Russian cosmonauts and space scientist for disrupting the Russian space program and misusing public money.[38][39]

Sergei Krikalev, director of crewed programs at Roscosmos, reportedly lost his position by speaking out against the project,[40] but was reinstated ten days later following protests from cosmonauts on and off active duty.[39][22]

Release

Marketing

On New Year's Eve, Channel One released the first musical number,[41] and the first teaser trailer was released on 1 January 2023.[42] The second trailer was released on 7 March 2023.[43][44]

On 6 April, the premiere took place at Okhotny Ryad Street, under the descent module of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft that was installed near Manezhnaya Square, Moscow.[45] On 10 April, the Pavilion No. 32 Cosmos at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy hosted the presentation and cancellation ceremony of an artistic postage stamp.[46][47]

The tagline is "Become a star, by flying to the stars!"[48]

Theatrical

The Challenge was released by Central Partnership, which is part of the Gazprom-Media holding in the Russian Federation. As reported by Vedomosti, Central Partnership has developed a new cinema format that contains technical characteristics similar to IMAX, called CosMAX.[49]

The film had a special screening on 12 April 2023 at a solemn event for politicians dedicated to Cosmonautics Day at the State Kremlin Palace,[50][51] as well as its world premiere at the Karo 11 October cinema center on New Arbat Avenue in Moscow.[52] The film had its Serbian premiere on 20 April at the Cineplexx Galerija in Belgrade,[53] and it was scheduled to be released theatrically at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on 20 April 2023.

Reception

In Russian media, reception was mixed, leaning towards positive.[54] Film critics praised the visuals and Peresild's acting, but were divided about the melodramatic parts of the plot, supposed ideology, and how the movie deals with representation of women in space. Some critics took issue with the very idea of a costly space filming, while others praised it as an achievement. The Challenge was praised in reviews by Nezavisimaya Gazeta,[55] KinoPoisk,[56] and Lenta.ru, among others, while reviews in Kommersant[57] and Film.ru[58] were less enthusiastic, and Afisha was sharply critical.[59]

Notes
  1. He paid for the seats of the film crew

References
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  2. "Вызов / The Challenge (2023)". KinoBusiness (in Russian). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. "The Challenge (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  4. "The Challenge (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
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  7. "На дофинансирование фильма «Вызов» продюсеры запросили 250 млн рублей" [Producers requested 250 million rubles to finance the film The Challenge]. Business FM (in Russian). 24 August 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
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  9. Alperina, Susanna (27 July 2021). "Ernst told the details about the film "Challenge"". Russian Gazette (in Russian). Russian newspaper.
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  38. Amirdzhanov, V. (15 June 2021) Крикалёву предпочли продюсерский талант Рогозина. Pravda.ru
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  48. Quine 2022, p. 27.
  49. Kostereva, Milena (30 March 2023). "In Russia there will be an analogue of IMAX technology called "Cosmax"". OopsTop. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  50. Gereykhanova, Aysel (12 April 2023). ""Вызов" принят: Владимир Путин назвал уникальным событием выход фильма, который был снят в космосе" [The Challenge accepted: Vladimir Putin called the release of the film, which was filmed in space, a unique event]. Russian Gazette (in Russian). Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  51. Kormilitsyna, Kristina (12 April 2023). "Песков назвал фильм «Вызов» прорывным" [Dmitry Peskov called the film The Challenge a breakthrough]. Izvestia (in Russian). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  52. Sidorova, Aleksandra (12 April 2023). "В Москве состоялась премьера снятого в космосе фильма «Вызов»" [The premiere of the film The Challenge filmed in space took place in Moscow]. BFM.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  53. Lane, Dmitry (20 April 2023). "Первый снятый в космосе фильм показали в Белграде" [The first film shot in space was shown in Belgrade]. Balkanist (in Russian). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  54. "Рецензии на фильм Вызов (2023), отзывы" [Reviews of the film The Challenge (2023), reviews]. kritikanstvo.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  55. Grigorieva, Natalia (13 April 2023). "Юлия Пересильд долетела до МКС / Кино / Независимая газета" [Yulia Peresild flew to the ISS / Cinema / Nezavisimaya Gazeta]. Independent Newspaper (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  56. Pasyugin, Alexey (13 April 2023). "«Вызов»: прошли ли Клим Шипенко и Юлия Пересильд испытание невесомостью?" [The Challenge: did Klim Shipenko and Yulia Peresild pass the test of weightlessness?]. KinoPoisk (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  57. Shagelman, Yulia (19 April 2023). "Космические куплеты" [Cosmic verses]. The Businessman or Commerce Man (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  58. Gorbachevskaya, Nastasya (17 April 2023). "Юлия Пересильд и Клим Шипенко в космосе: рецензия на фильм «Вызов»" [Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko in space: review of the film The Challenge]. Film.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  59. Tkachev, Yevgeny (21 April 2023). "Юлия Пересильд принимает «Вызов»: каким получился фильм, снятый в космосе?" [Yulia Peresild accepts The Challenge: how did the film, shot in space, turn out?]. Afisha (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2023.

Bibliography
  • Quine, Tony (2022). "Alyona's Adventures in Wonderland". Spaceflight. 64 (3): 27–31.
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