title: Paper Soldier
text: # Paper Soldier
  
  Paper Soldier (Russian: Бумажный солдат) is a 2008 Russian drama film directed by Aleksey German Jr. For his film, German received the Silver Lion and Golden Osella for Best Cinematography from the 66th Venice Film Festival.
  
  ## Plot
  
  The film tells about the doctor Daniil Pokrovsky, who is preparing the squad of the first cosmonauts for spacewalk.
  
  The title is a reference to a Russian song about a soldier who bravely steps into a fire, unaware that he's actually just a toy made of paper.
  
  ## Cast
  
  * Merab Ninidze as Doctor Daniil Pokrovsky
  * Chulpan Khamatova as Nina, Daniil's Wife
  * Anastasiya Shevelyova as Vera
  * Aleksandr Glebov as David
  * Ruslan Ibragimov as Adrian Nikolayev
  * Fyodor Lavrov as German Titov
  * Polina Filonenko as Misha's Friend
  * Valentin Kuznetsov as Yuri Gagarin
  * Kirill Ulyanov as Garik
  * Ramil Salakhutdinov as Misha
  
  ## Reception
  
  Slant Magazine said that the film "harkens back to Russian cinema of the ’60s" and gave it 3.5 of 4 stars. The review called Merab Ninidze's performance (as Doctor Daniil Pokrovsky) "mesmerizing" and the cinematography "exquisite" in a "tightly paced drama."
  
  