How I Ended This Summer

Pavel (Grigory Dobrygin) and Sergei (Sergei Puskepalis) have been stationed at a meteorological station in the polar tundra for far too long. While veteran Sergei has mastered the art of survival in the barren landscape, approaching the monotonous work with diligent, routine care, it’s clear that his airheaded young partner can’t do the same. Easily distracted and quick to sulk when his co-worker scolds him, Pavel’s maturity is put to the test when Sergei leaves on a fishing trip. Receiving a message via two-way radio, the workers’ only connection to the outside world, Pavel discovers that Sergei’s family have been killed. But Pavel can’t bring himself to break the news, and a nerve-wracking waiting game begins as he fears the moment when Sergei inevitably discovers the truth.
In this tense anti-drama, director Aleksai Popogrebsky spends a lot of time not only focusing on the landscape itself, but the ironically claustrophobic inertia and tedium that the vast, desolate landscapes create. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, and the harsh surroundings become the perfect setting for – and indeed, believable cause of – the characters’ extreme journey.
Despite their largely mute roles, the two actors bring enough depth to their characters that their actions never seem hammy, though you don’t particularly want to empathise with them. Pavel in particular is so painfully of his time that he’s difficult to watch. His consistently bad decisions indicate the level to which his media-centric lifestyle has left him in a state of stunted adolescence, unable to deal with sensitive situations, and the heights of his paranoia are an embarrassing side-effect of his beloved (violent) video games.