Sergio y Sergei

The world turned upside down for many countries as well as people when the Soviet Union dissolved in the early 1990s. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev on the Mir space station was literally left to drift in space. Cuba shared his fate in more ways than one. As chance would have it, and based on real events, an amateur radio operator in Havana reaches the cosmonaut. Having spent some time in the country, Sergei "speaks Cuban" and the two marginalized men discover they have much in common. At first the friendship is based purely on the pleasure of talking to a stranger, but soon it morphs into much more. As Sergei and Sergio risk censorship and worse for speaking up about their respective plights, they realize the worth of having friends in high, low and different places.

Gazing upon a meteor shower from above earth's atmosphere, listening to a father and daughter talk about the stars and more, I was delighted by the film's many perspective shifts, contrasts, and cool little tech and art additions. Different genres including politics, humor, fantasy, drama and documentary, are combined in an eclectic and satisfying way. The romance, if there is intended to be one, is clunky and could, along with other aspects of the film, have been better developed, yet altogether the film is a whimsical, appealing and enchanting mediation about the benefits of reaching out to strangers. Seen at the Miami Film Festival.

A Russian Cosmonaut called Sergei Krikalev (Héctor Noas) is stranded on The Mir Space Station during the fall of the Soviet Union ,1991 , while governs the leader Boris Yelsin . Meanwhile , a Radio-afficionate in Cuba capital , Habana , named Sergio (Tomás Cao) contacts the desperado astronaut , and both of whom share confidences and suffer extreme situation . Having spent some time in Cuba as an allied country to Russia , Sergei "speaks Cuban" and both , Sergio and Sergei find out they have too much in common , living impossible and twisted happenings . By the way , an American former member of Nasa (Ron Perlman) and a colleague (A.J.Buckley) are tangled in the troublesome issue and attempting resolve it in a satisfying way .

Enjoyable dramedy with emotion , sensitive moments , agreeable friendship, family relationship , brief doses of humor and state-of-art FX . The picture realies heavily on friendship between two marginalized men : Sergio and Sergei , both of them sharing his fate in more ways than one , but this one doesn't make boring , but entertaining . This haunting picture also deals with interesting and engaging issues such as : disemployment , economic crisis , politics , bankrupting downfall , Russia collapse , family relationship and anything else . Adding brief drama , hilarious touches of humor , fantastic elements when a Communist spy suddenly flying , and documentary , all these aspects are competently mingled . Héctor Noas as the cosmonaut driving the Mir space station literally left to drift in space , gives a decent interpretation , as well as Tomás Cao playing the good amateur radio operator who contacts him . And special mention for two guest American stars : A.J. Buckley of CSI NY and Ron Perlman also producer .

It had a great success at Miami Film Festival and at International Film Festival of Panama (IFF Panama) 2018 . Achieving numerous Awards and Nominations, such as : Winner IFF Panama Best Film of Central America and the Caribbean to Ernesto Daranas . José María Forqué Awards 2019 Nominee : Best Latin American Picture to Ernesto Daranas. Miami Film Festival 2018 Nominee Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize Best Film : Ernesto Daranas . Mill Valley Film Festival 2018 Winner Audience Award ¡Viva el Cine! to Ernesto Daranas. Málaga Spanish Film Festival 2018 Winner Award Ernesto Daranas . Premios ACE 2019 and Winner Premio ACE Cinema . Being announced to be the official submission of Cuba for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019 , but this selection was not included into the official final list of submissions by the Academy . This "Sergio & Sergei" had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

This is a Cuban/Spanish co-production , financed by great producers as Gabriel Beristain , Jaime Roures and Eva Garrido who produced a lot of successes , such as : A perfect day , Nidnight in Paris , Vicky Cristina Barcelona , Carnage , Endless Night , La torre de Suso , Salvador , Chef's Special and many others . It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography by Alejandro Menendez . This enchanting motion picture was well directed by Ernesto Daranas Serrano. Ernesto is a multi-awarded Cuban filmmaker. His three feature films have won hundreds of international awards and they have been Cuba's official submissions to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. His documentary "Los últimos gaiteros de La Habana" won the King of Spain Award. "Bluechacha" was nominated to a Latin Grammy , "Conducta" was nominated to the Goya Awards for Best Latin American Film and this ¨Sergio and Serge¨ is considered to be his best film .

This is a charming and light-hearted Cuban film that explores the radical changes the world (and particularly Cuba and Russia) suffered in late 80's and the early 90's. The characters are great, dialogues are well written, actors and actresses do a good job. The narrative is interesting, in the girl's first-person, and the way the lives of the Cuban professor and the Soviet Cosmonaut interact (besides the amateur radio operator from the United states). Politically, the film is critical to some lack of freedom in Cuba and its bureaucratism, unfortunately not mentioning consistently the embargo against the island and not being as critical to CIA spying as it is in relation to Cuba spying. Anyway, the movie is also fierce in portraying the chaos Perestroika and the end of Soviet regime threw Russia in. The end is nice and fulfilled my expectations.

Elements I am long interested in: Ham radios and shortwave radio - I had a shortwave radio in the 70's growing up. Before the Internet ham radios were the Internet Space - I am the son of a NASA engineer that worked on the IU on the Saturn V. I grew up listening to the sound of the F-1 engines being tested. The end of Communism - the largest change in my life. it is hard for those who do not remember it how it seemed impossible the Cold War would end, and then in a flash it did. There are really only 2 Stalinist states left: Cuba and North Korea.

One VERY minor spoiler at the end of this review.

Each of the interesting characters work through these changes in their own way. It dables in Apollo Conspiracy nonsense but it does not detract from the tale. The actors are likable, and the circumstances of both Sergio's and Serguei's lives are fascinating. Serguei was literally a man without a country for a while: he entered space as a member of the USSR, he landed as a member of the Russian Federation. One element of the tale is Serguei's ingenuity in fixing his craft. The Russian space program was very good at this, in part because they had to be, but that doesn't make the ingenuity any less real.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the movie is Sergio's encounters with the Cuban police. Their interference is presented as almost comical, but it is no less real. One wonders, of course, about what the filmmaker was and was not allowed to say. It is possible that the events depicted are old enough that the censors say no need to change anything. In any event the politics of the film are never heavy handed enough to interfere with the story.

The special effects are quite good. This is not, say gravity, but they special effects are certainly better than seen say in the original Star Trek.

An irony alert: Serguei returned to space in 1992: on the US Space Shuttle.

Use an extraordinary imagination, this film from Ernesto Darana showed that the human being despite uncountable differences can help each other when need it. Using an impossible situation a Cuban a Russian ( communist) and American, former member of Nasa are tangled in an extreme situation. Every character have their own personal-social- political problems which can affect the other, but all of them find the way to work together for the best solution of the major problem. I found the photography , the special effects amazing, considering that the film is Cuban. I am still surprise, waiting to get it in the market in zone 1 to buy it. I love the previous work of Ernesto Darana. All the crew and staff related to the film deserve the recognition of the film system, this film is marvelous. Great Job!!!