Poliegon

There is plenty of space in the nuclear polygon of Kazachstan. It is five times as big as France. It is even too big for time. Compared to Europe and other parts of the world, nothing ever happens or changes here. Things move at a snail's pace. These circumstances have caused the greatest conflict in local history. Without asking its inhabitants for permission, army people chose this area to do nuclear and other tests, and to launch rockets. It was extremely suitable because of the immense space available and the low population density. However, the people who were living there did not bother about what was happening to their land and obediently packed their bags, dismantled their light huts, and moved away with their cattle. They pitched camp again not far away from the testing grounds. Years went by. Life changed. Pictures of smiling astronauts filled the newspaper pages after having succeeded in their endeavours. The first TV sets and transistor radios appeared. The Vietnam War raged. Vodka, tea and sugar were readily available. Army officials visited the area in green jeeps and became more and more respectable over the years. Sometimes they announced date and time of a certain military exercise taking place on the steppe, or they pointed their index finger upward with a solemn and strict expression on their faces, to remind people that they should be proud to have these things happening in their neighbourhood. From time to time the sky glowed brightly, the earth shook and thunder struck. This went on for almost 40 years. Decades went by. The world was changing: haircuts, fashion, governments, cars, shop windows, moral principles, the air, the water, the soil, the blood, the soul, the children, the songs. They seemed to become worse day after day. The feeling of irreality became stronger and stronger. And then came the day when all these small changes interwove and became one. It started to break through the crust of life, like grass growing through asphalt. This was perestroika. POLYGON was born from perestroika. It contains the temperament of social upsurge, but this is not its main characteristic. Historicism and the time aspect are the chief elements. This documentary is the result of furious protest on the one hand and sober consideration on the other. It brings across the emotions which resulted in the Nevada-Semipalatinsk movement. It includes the screaming Luzhniki in the summer of 1989, it absorbed the rattle of machine guns in Vilnius, as well as the memorable events in Alma-Ata in 1986. These emotional events are analysed intellectually and philosophically through talks with academics Velikhov, Khariton and last but not least Andrey Sakharov, who supported this film from the beginning and actively took part in it. Sakharov gave his final interview to the team of POLYGON. In addition, many formerly secret archive films were put at the team's disposal, so that now people can witness the diabolic abilities of nuclear and hydrogen bombs. The film begins with a quotation from Apocalypse, but it does not deal with the collapse of the world. The film ends with words Sakharov said on the last day of his life: "Mankind will always have an exam. An exam in the ability to survive."