Paper Soldier (Bumaznyj soldat) (2008)

The men and women who helped make heroes of the Soviet Union's first men in space are shown with all their flaws and insecurities on display in this psychological drama from Russian filmmaker Alexey German Jr.. It's the spring of 1961, and Dr. Daniel Pokrovsky (Merab Ninidze) is a physician who monitors the health of Soviet cosmonauts during the early days of Russia's manned space program. With Vostock 1 scheduled to send Yuri Gagarin into orbit in a matter of weeks, Pokrovsky is a busy man, and while he's outwardly confident, inwardly he has grave doubts about the safety of the upcoming mission. As Pokrovsky's professional life becomes increasingly difficult, his personal life begins to show signs of the strain as he turns his back on his wife Nina (Chulpan Khamatova), another doctor working with the space program, and begins an affair with Vera (Anastasya Sheveleva), a member of the Vostock 1 ground crew. Bumazhny soldat (aka Paper Soldier) was an official selection at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi