Forsaken (2018 film)


Forsaken is a 2018 Russian science fiction psychological thriller directed by Aleksandr Kulikov. Originally known as "Martian", the movie bears striking similarities to Ridley Scott's 2015 film, and, despite having a different ending, was heavily criticized in Russia and worldwide. It received generally negative reviews.

Plot

In near-distant future, a space expedition consisting of three astronauts is sent to Mars by Roscosmos. Two of the crewmembers die on impact, leaving only their captain, Alexander Chapaev, a surviving member. He starts counting his days on the planet, aided only by a still working radio communication with Earth, as well as a robotic drone to keep him company. On Earth, all efforts to bring Alexander back home turn into quarrels between the government and the space agency, until some private investor proposes his help. However, it soon turns out to be a hoax, since the company sending Alexander subsistence for survival decides to turn his broadcast into a reality show, and is not interested in getting the astronaut back to Earth at all. Bereft of his family, Chapaev starts having mind-boggling hallucinations and meets an entity who reveals to be sentient Mars lifeform. The film ends with Chapaev not knowing what is real and what isn't anymore, while it is hinted that the whole mission was staged only to raise TV ratings among the viewers.

Cast

The film was a clear box office bomb, grossing out only around 15 million Russian rubles on a 350 million ruble budget. It was considered the worst grossing movie in Russian film history, until it was surpassed by Spitak within the same year. Fond Kino has released a statement in 2019 in which it officially apologized for having allocated taxpayer income money for the production of this film.