Film Review: SPUTNIK (2020): Duty vs. Responsibility in a Tale that Offers a Unique Angle on Human Morality

Sputnik Review

Sputnik (2020) Film Review, a movie directed by Egor Abramenko, and starring Oksana Akinshina, Pyotr Fyodorov, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Anna Nazarova, Anton Vasilev, Vasiliy Zotov, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Vitaliya Korniyenko, Aleksey Demidov, Aleksandr Marushev, and Pavel Ustinov.

The year is 1983. In a Post Cold-War Russia two cosmonauts in outer space are making re-entry to land after a research mission. An unexplained fatal malfunction occurs which the audience is left to speculate about. We cut to the lone survivor of the crash-landing, Konstantin (Fyodorov) bleeding and dazed. Konstantin is then quarantined in a military facility for questioning and monitoring of his behavior and progress. He is suffering from amnesia and has no memory of the crash.

A controversial and steadfast psychiatrist, Dr. Tatyana Klimova (Akinshina), is recruited by the director of the quarantine project Colonel Semiradov (Bondarchuk). On the surface, Dr. Klimova is tasked with leading the psychiatric evaluation of the uncooperative and arrogant Konstantin. Konstantin is kept in around-the-clock supervision as his physical strength grows boundless and as daily medication must be administered to him to help him sleep at night. Dr. Klimova soon discovers the sobering activities at the secluded military base and realizes that Colonel Semiradov is hiding, from the rest of the world, the scope and threat of the quarantine project at the military base.

As an extraterrestrial life force threatens human mortality, a dance between life and death unfold on the military base. Attempts to contain and study the alien quickly grow out of hand. Dr. Klimova and Colonel Semiradov clash in principal and approach as Colonel Semiradov resorts to the most extreme measures to feed the alien’s growing appetite.

The humanity of the film receives a much needed boost from the subplot, told in flashbacks, about a young, secluded orphan in a orphanage. We see the young, neglected, and frail orphan in a wheelchair. He or she is always seen alone and with one mission in mind: reaching for a box or a key that is always kept out of reach. The plot twist at the end of the film reveals the true identity of the missing orphan.

Although there have been many sci-fi films about encounters with extraterrestrial life, the prominent themes in Sputnik reward the audience for its patience. On one hand, there is the duty to country and/or profession. And on the other hand, there is the moral responsibility to oneself and one’s family. This dueling tension between duty and responsibility is explored in each of character. For instance, Colonel Semiradov justifies his relentless motive in keeping the alien alive (rather than just killing it) and transmitting fabricated reports to Moscow because he believes weapons win war and saving Konstantin’s life would preserve Konstantin’s standing as a national hero. For Colonel Semiradov, his duty to Russia trumps any personal responsibility he may feel. In contrast with Colonel Semiradov is Dr. Klimova who, from the start, has a strong sense of moral responsibility to those placed in her care. The tension between these two characters lead to an escape from the military base and show down at the end of the movie.

The character with the biggest burden to bare is Konstantin who shares a symbiotic relationship with the alien. Unbeknownst to the scientist and military personnel, Konstantin is fully aware of the existence of the alien and his relationship with it. To become a national hero, Konstantin abandoned his responsibility of raising his son and neglected the care of his mother. His ultimate sacrifice in the end of the movie could be interrupted as karma or self-punishment at the very least.

While alien invasion movies are nothing new, fans of this sci-fi genre will be rewarded as Sputnik offers a unique angle on human morality.

Rating: 6/10

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