The Geographer Drank His Globe Away
Short description
Viktor Sluzhkin is a biologist who takes a job teaching geography at a school in Perm due to financial necessity. He struggles to navigate the demands of educating teenagers and managing conflicts with school administration. Outside the classroom, he deals with a strained marriage and the responsibilities of being a father. To cope with the monotony and frustration of provincial life, he relies on alcohol. His relationship with his students evolves as he leads a group of high schoolers on a rafting trip through the Ural mountains, an experience that forces him to confront his own reality.
Directed by Alexandr Veledinsky, this Russian drama features a screenplay co-written by Veledinsky, Valery Todorovsky, and Rauf Kubaev. The film stars Konstantin Khabenskiy in the lead role, alongside Elena Lyadova, Aleksandr Robak, Agrippina Steklova, Andrey Prytkov, and Anfisa Chernykh. Produced by Marmot Film and Red Arrow Film Company, the production earned 4 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audiences gave the film a 7.2 rating on IMDb based on 6,200 votes and a 6.7 rating on TMDB from 131 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was shot in 2011–2012 in Perm (Kirovsky District, 19 Kalinina St., School No. 1), Zakamsk, the Nizhnyaya Kurya microdistrict, and the village of Usva in the Gremyachinsky District.
- In total, there were 34 filming days, two expeditions, and a planned five-month break: for the river trip scene, they had to wait for the water levels that only occur for two weeks in May, as the river is shallow the rest of the time. Therefore, the winter block was filmed in November 2011, followed by a wait until April to film the school interiors, where spring was seen 'peeking' through the windows. After that, the crew moved 200 kilometers away from Perm to film the trip.
- Viktor Sluzhkin's date of birth is May 24, 1975 (as seen on the passport page at the beginning of the film), but in the movie, his birthday is celebrated in winter.
- In the novel, the main character, Sluzhkin, is 28 years old; in the film, Khabensky's character is older. The choice of actor for the lead role was approved by the novel's author, Alexei Ivanov, who noted that Khabensky's character resembles the depiction of the hero on the cover of the novel's first edition.
- The film is based on the novel "The Geographer Drank His Globe Away" by Alexei Ivanov (written in 1995, published in 2003).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
