Beyond the Edge
Short description
Set in modern Moscow, this action fantasy follows Michael, a skilled gambler who assembles a team of individuals with supernatural abilities to execute a major casino heist. The plan is disrupted by a powerful mystical rival who uses magical abilities to thwart the group. Michael and his companions must then face this adversary and navigate a mysterious subconscious realm to save themselves and recover their losses.
The film was co-directed by Aleksandr Boguslavskiy and Francesco Cinquemani. For Boguslavskiy, this was the first in a series of four directed works, followed by Abigail, Forgotten Experiment, and See You Yesterday. For Cinquemani, it followed his 2015 film Andron and preceded The Poison Rose in 2019. The cast features Miloš Biković in the lead role, alongside Lyubov Aksyonova, Antonio Banderas, Evgeniy Stychkin, Aristarkh Venes, and Yury Chursin.
Produced by Ares Film and Kinodanz, the movie earned 2 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audience reception was mixed, as shown by a 4.5 rating on IMDb from 3,800 votes and a 5.5 rating on TMDB from 194 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of Eric was written specifically for Aristarkh Venes. He was also the first actor confirmed for the film.
- On the first day of filming on a foothill plain in Georgia, a curious incident occurred. Everything was prepared for the shoot, but when the crew arrived at the location early in the morning, the entire plain was covered in a dense fog – so thick that the director, cameraman, and actors could barely see each other at arm's length. Filming had to be postponed for half a day while they waited for the fog to clear.
- The members of Michael's team possess various supernatural abilities: Veronica is a telepath (reading and transmitting thoughts), Eric is a telekinetic (moving small objects), Kevin is a hypnotist (suggestion through direct eye contact), Tony is an electrokinetic (controlling electrical devices with the power of thought). Only the team leader – Michael – has no paranormal abilities.
- The plot revolves around characters with a paranormal gift who can travel to a shared subconscious space. Scenes in the subconscious space were primarily created using computer graphics. The basis for these scenes was footage shot on location in the mountains and on the old streets of cities in Georgia.
- To ensure the authenticity of the scams depicted in the film, a casino fraud prevention consultant was hired.
- The main character, adventurer Michael, uses disguises and prosthetic makeup for his scams. Michael appears in the film in five different guises.
- Kevin, played by Yuri Chursin, has Asperger's syndrome (a mild form of autism) in the story. As part of his preparation for the role, the actor studied medical reference books with detailed descriptions of the symptoms of this disorder to better embody the character.
- The film's clapperboard was taken by director Alexander Boguslavsky after filming wrapped, as he collects clapperboards from all of his projects.
- The casino scenes were filmed in the operating "Oracul" casino in the "Azov-City" gambling zone (on the border of the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region), as well as in Moscow – in the former "Golden Palace" casino and in the "Kosmos" hotel.
- During filming on the streets of Rome, passersby recognized Antonio Banderas, and crowds of onlookers gathered around the set, hindering the filming process. The owner of a scooter parked at the filming location was so interested when he saw Antonio Banderas that, while driving away, he couldn't take his eyes off him and crashed.
- Antonio Banderas' character mentions Herbert Wells' story “The Door in the Wall.”
- During filming at the casino, actor Miloš Biković won a line from director Alexander Boguslavsky at roulette, a line he wanted to include in the film. It's the phrase Miloš's character says to Antonio Banderas's character: “Do you remember what happened in Belgrade?”. It was included in the final version of the film.
- For filming the underground casino, located in a decommissioned aircraft in a 'permanent parking lot' in the forest near Moscow, a real Il-76 military transport aircraft was used. Inside the aircraft, a real gaming hall was equipped, including tables for poker, blackjack, and craps, roulette, and even hamster racing.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
