Cooperative production by FILM.UA and channel Ukraine of the two-part melodrama «The Last Goodbye» is over. The first run of the film will take place this autumn on the "Ukraina" TV channel. Now – some interesting facts about the project.
The main female character. The main character, Vera, in the film was played by two actresses – Maria Trepikova and Ksenia Romenkova. Since the time of the story covers 16 years, it was important to find not just talented actresses, but those who would look similar. The role of the young Vera (16 and 19 years old) was performed by Maria Trepikova, and already reincarnated, successful business woman was played by Xenia Romenkova.
"My character, young Vera, is a tender, sympathetic, sincere girl with a bright soul. She knows how to love selflessly and believe in better future. In real life, I'm not like her at all; I have a proud, Nordic character. Though, it was not difficult to be a "young Vera", the character is close to me, I understand her actions and behavior. But what makes us absolutely similar, it is the desire to be loved," –Maria Trepikova said.
"I like the sense of purpose of my character, that she can achieve all by herself, and her faith in a happy future," says Ksenia Romenkova.
Themain character. Kostantin Samoukov, who played the role of Andrew, had to use the magic of cinema for traveling through time. Thanks to magicians – make-up artists and costume designers – it was quite simple to turn out 16 years younger in the film. It was much more difficult to swim upstream in clothes in ice-cold water, but about this – a little bit later.
The star of the film. There is another important character in this story – the true friend of the main female character Jim. By the way, the role was played by three actors: an adult dog named Dark, a teenager Yard and a puppy Arnie. "Arnie is my love for life! When the team saw this tiny whelp, it became clear to everyone that he was the star of our cinema! He not only decorated the screen, outshining the principal characters by his ingenuousness and natural manners, but also demonstrated his courage to the stuntmen, as he had very difficult time in the river," – Maria says.
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"Frankly, after production completion, I would have called the film differently, because our four-legged actors were so good, – said director Andrei Chernykh. – It's always difficult to work with animals, but thanks to the handler Victor and his dogs we have succeeded – they are real professionals. Dark did what many actors do not do on the court – obediently performed all the commands, worked for the camera, knew his working point."
Jokes on the court. "The most difficult for me was the scene in the jacuzzi. When Andrey Fedinchik and I came to the court and were ready to get into the water, we saw that there were two lighting devices in the jacuzzi, which shone under water, which meant that they were connected to something ... We panicked, the actor's imagination immediately painted a picture of us being electrocuted", – says Valeria Khodos, who played the role of an adult Katya, a childhood friend of the main character. – And when we frightfully asked our director of photography Aleksey Lamakh why dedolights were in the water, he said: "It’s all over, they noticed!" I answered that I would not get into the water before him, and for a long time Lyosha assured me that those were special lighting devices which he ordered for that scene to illuminate the water beautifully, and that everything was safe, but we did not believe ... Time passed, it was necessary to go on shooting. And Andrey decided, like a real macho, to take a chance and try: he got into the water and, of course, played me up, as if he was hit by an electric current. I felt fear and horror, but then I realized that it was all just a joke, and we got into the water and were alive. "It was both scary and fun and this scene will be remembered for a long time".
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The most difficult scene. One of the most difficult scenes was a rescue of Jim the puppy. It was filmed on the Desna River, which is famous for its strong current. "I was very worried about this scene; it was extremely difficult to shoot it. Returning home after the shooting, I was completely confident that we had failed. But now, after having a look at the material, I can say that it turned out even better than we expected, – the director says. – There was a strong current on the river, the water was very cold, and in close-ups the actors worked without stuntmen, and the dog was only 3 weeks old. But it is always like this - what you are afraid of turns out to be OK. I was impressed by Masha Trepikova, who took a risk and dived into the water with her lenses, although it is not allowed, and Kostya Samoukov, who swam desperately upstream in heavy wet clothes to save our characters".
"The scene on the river did not bother me at all! I swam professionally when I was a child and I'm not afraid of water at all, so a few hours in the water at work raced by. It was not cold, I warmed-up swimming actively. The whole group was worried about us and the puppy, thanks them for their support and warming us up. Our sound engineer sacrificed his warm clothes, we were buried under five plaids at the same time! So, it was even hot, – Masha Trepikova recollects. – As for the cold, I already had a November night bathing experience for five hours in Maryssya Nikityuk film "When the trees are fallig," so after that nothing can scare me!"
What is the movie about: On a hot summer day, 24-year-old Andrey (Konstantin Samoukov) saves a drowning schoolgirl Vera (Maria Trepikova). The girl falls in unrequited love with her savior, but he looks at her only as a small shy girl. Soon Andrew leaves for the city and marries his peer. And Vera keeps his drawings, medallion and Jim the puppy, whom they saved together. Years passed, from an awkward girl Vera turned into a successful and bright woman, started her own business, got married. Nevertheless, she was not happy. One day, Vera (Ksenia Romenkova) meets Andrey in a vet clinic, but does not admit that she is the same Vera. However, problems with business and unfaithfulness of her husband (Andrey/Andriy Fedinchik) ruin her peaceful life soon. And in a difficult moment, like many years ago, Andrew comes to help her.
Do not miss the first run of the melodrama "I say goodbye for the last time" in the autumn on the "Ukraina" TV channel
Director: Andrey Chernykh
Producer: Viktor Mirsky, Natalia Strybuk, Irina Chernyak, Elena Malkova, Tatyana Nosenko
Director of photography: Aleksey Lamakh
Scriptwriter: Olga Kulagina
Cast: Ksenia Romenkova, Konstantin Samoukov, Valeria Khodos, Malvina Saliychuk, Maria Trepikova, Andrey Fedinchik, Aleksandra Polguy, Igor Petrusenko, Nina Antonova, Inna Kapinos, Andrey Romaniy, Lyudmila Ardelyan, and others.
Genre: melodrama
