The Kola superdeep well is the country's largest secret facility. After these events, the object was closed.
A small research team of scientists and the military goes underground to find out what secret is hidden in the deepest well in the world. Learn about the casting, plot and filming of one of the year's most anticipated thrillers.
A bit of history
Drilling of the Kola experimental reference superdeep well (SG-3) began on May 24, 1970 near the town of Zapolyarny, Murmansk region, near Lake Vilgiskoddeoayvinjarvi. The main difference between the Kola superdeep wells and other wells was that it was drilled exclusively for scientific purposes, in particular, to confirm the accuracy of theoretical models of the structure of the lower layers of the earth's crust.
Over the years, 16 research laboratories have worked here. All this refuted the existing theories about the origin of life and the version that oil and gas are of biological origin.
However, the drilling did not go smoothly. If the first 7000 meters were passed normally, then difficulties began further: the wellbore crumbled, the drill jammed, diamond bits and pipe strings broke off. One of the largest accidents happened in September 1984. At a depth of 12,066 meters, the drill string got stuck, and when trying to lift it broke off. Drilling had to be resumed several kilometers higher, with a deviation from the previous hole.
In addition, as David Guberman, director of the Kola Superdeep Research and Production Center, said, the temperature in the bowels was much higher than expected. Scientists could not explain such a sharp jump in temperature.
In June 1990, the well reached a depth of 12262 meters, and this allowed the Kola Superdeep to be entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the deepest human invasion of the earth's crust. But then a new accident occurred - the pipe string broke off at around 8,550 meters. The resumption of work required a long preparation, renewal of equipment and new costs. As a result, in 1994, drilling of the Kola Superdeep was stopped.
The closure of the well is also associated with the legend, which was picked up and replicated by the Western media. The unexpectedly high temperature in the depths of the earth's interior only fueled this idea.
And when one day David Guberman was asked to comment on these rumors, he replied:
“On the one hand, this is nonsense. A few days later, nothing like this was found at the same depth. "
The creators of the film "Kola Superdeep" offer their version of possible events at the unique facility.
About the film
The idea for the film belongs to screenwriter Viktor Bondaryuk. He shared his idea with producer Sergei Torchilin ("Brownie", "Dnyukha", "Inadequate People 2", "Walk, Vasya 2").
“Studying the history of the Kola superdeep well, I was surprised: the events that took place there attracted the attention of many world media. In my opinion, the legend of Kola is a great high-concept to make a solid genre painting. "
Over the next several years, the filmmakers carried out a lot of research work: they studied documents related to drilling a well and the activities of research laboratories, met with numerous consultants - historians, doctors, the military and even representatives of the special services. The accumulated material served as the basis for several scenarios at once, each of which was discussed in detail.
At the stage of preparing the final version of the script, director Arseniy Syukhin joined the project. He is known to the Internet audience as the creator of the striking genre short films "The Transition" and "Heavy Hangover".
“Directors working in the genre of comedy, drama, or, say, a sports film can be divided into three groups: top-end, those who sometimes succeed, and those who never succeed,” reflects producer Sergei Torchilin. All this is what was needed for Kola Superdeep to become an interesting film. "
Arseny Syukhin was especially happy to join the project.
“As a native of the Kola Peninsula, I could not have been unaware of such an attraction in my native land,” says the director. Therefore, it was interesting, starting from real events, to offer our own, albeit a fantastic story, which would not only meet the standards of genre cinema, but at the same time would be about our country, about our people and for our viewers. "
The actors involved in the film celebrate how much the director was "sick" with the project. "Different creative approaches and ideas help to constantly be in search of answers to each other's questions and achieve the best result."
“It is rare to see that a director can listen to a young actor, think over what has been said, and only then make a decision“ for ”or“ against, ”the actor Kirill Kovbas keeps talking about the director. "And if this decision is against, then explain why."
The final version of the script was finalized by the joint efforts of Viktor Bondaryuk, Arseniy Syukhin and Sergey Torchilin and Milena Radulovich. It was this version of the plot development that implied a minimum of implausible assumptions.
Casting actors, the director and producers were looking for performers who would look organically inside the events of the 1980s. To add credibility to what is happening on the screen, it was decided to abandon the involvement of recognizable persons in the project.
“Recognition is bad for a genre,” Sergei Torchilin is convinced. We wanted to make the movie clean, without unnecessary emotions. "
Actors and characters
Particular attention was paid to finding a leading actress. In modern cinema, women are increasingly becoming the protagonists of films of almost all genres, but the creators of Kola Superdeep argue that their central character (Anna) is not a tribute to the trend.
“In action films, despite the well-known exceptions, it is easier for the viewer to see a man in the lead role, and in thrillers and horror films - a woman,” explains Arseniy Syukhin. “It just so happens that a heroine who overcomes fear and pain evokes more empathy than a male hero.”
The filmmakers watched dozens of applicants for the role of Anna, before opting for the Serbian actress Milena Radulovic, known to Russian viewers for the film "Balkan Frontier".
“To be honest, Milena's high recognition after this tape was more likely a minus than a plus for us,” says producer Sergei Torchilin. It was a very difficult process, but it was a huge buzz. "
Speaking about her similarities and differences with the character, the actress notes:
“Responsibility is our common quality. In situations like ours in the film, I would immediately start to panic, I would not be able to be as cool as my heroine. "
The expedition to the Kola superdeep well, where inexplicable and terrible events take place, is led by a GRU colonel named Yuri Borisovich, whose role is played by actor and screenwriter Nikolai Kovbas. The actor had the opportunity to understand such people: he met with representatives of the special services, read their memoirs, and also played them in performances in the documentary genre verbatim (in which the actors reproduce the raw artistic direct speech of real people).
“If you start to take an interest in the history of the country, you immediately understand that we, men, are all born in case of war,” says Nikolai Kovbas. And in a bad and in a good way. "
Under the leadership of Yuri Borisovich, a team of special forces arrives at the facility, the eldest of which is a warrant officer, nicknamed Batya. And this love of his gave me "touches" for my role. "
At the facility, the team of travelers is met by laboratory staff. Moreover, he did it over the head of his immediate superior - professor of the laboratory Grigoriev (this role was played by Vadim Demchog).
“My hero is the person who summoned this Caudle to the site and doomed everyone to a not very favorable outcome,” says Kirill Kovbas. "A person is constantly scared and constantly uncomfortable."
Kirill repeatedly worked on the set with his father Nikolai Kovbas (Colonel Yuri Borisovich), but they will spend so much screen time side by side for the first time.
“Our current working relationship with my father is a happy moment in my professional life,” says the actor. “When we talk to each other about our roles, we adhere to a clear message: it might be worth doing this, but the choice is yours.”
Another employee of the laboratory of the Kola Superdeep, Nikolai, was played by TV presenter and actor Nikita Duvbanov. For Duvbanov, an indicator of the high potential of this story was the fact that after reading the script he wanted to see the Kola Superdeep not only as a film, but also as a game.
“The first thing I would do is play it,” says Nikita. It was a great Easter test! "
A word to the filmmakers
"Kola Superdeep", according to producer Sergei Torchilin, is a movie about survival.
“Being Russian authors, we could not resist and screwed one more idea into the cinema besides survival,” the producer admits. I hope it will be noticeable to those who want to see this idea. "
But, of course, everyone who worked on the film saw in the plot something of his own, exciting him.
Milena Radulovic:
"This is a movie about a choice: you either make it yourself, or if you miss this moment, life makes the choice for you."
Nikolay Kovbas: "For me, the main theme is a collision with an unknown, dangerous and an attempt to remain human."
Nikita Duvbanov:
“Our film is about the moment when a person finds himself in extreme conditions bordering on death; he often begins to work with primordial, deeply hidden, almost bestial attitudes.”
Hayk Kirokosyan:
“For me personally, this is a story about all of us - about people who believe that they have learned the basic secrets of nature, but in fact it turns out that the reality of the universe is far from being known. And now a person, finding himself on this Threshold, is trying to understand his place in this infinitely beautiful and sometimes frightening world. "
