Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
Secrets Unearthed
Journalists investigate classified documents and uncover the existence of a secret 1938 Soviet lunar program. The sensational story reveals that cosmonauts were selected and trained for a moon mission.
Key Events
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Journalists Discover Secret Archives — Journalists uncover classified files about a 1938 Soviet moon plan.
Location: Archive Office
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1938 Lunar Program Revealed — The sensational story of the USSR's secret orbiter mission is published.
Location: Newsroom
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Cosmonaut Selection Begins — A small group undergoes rigorous selection for the secret mission.
Location: Training Facility
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Kharlamov Emerges as Front-Runner — Kharlamov outperforms peers, becoming the clear candidate for launch.
Location: Training Facility
Launch and Silence
Kharlamov is chosen as the primary candidate, suited up, and launched toward the Moon. Contact is abruptly lost, and the program is dissolved amid political purges.
Key Events
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Kharlamov Emerges as Front-Runner — Kharlamov outperforms peers, becoming the clear candidate for launch.
Location: Training Facility
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Space Suit Preparation — Kharlamov is assisted into his suit and loaded into the capsule.
Location: Launch Pad
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Rocket Launch to Moon — The rocket lifts off, heading for the Moon with Kharlamov aboard.
Location: Launch Site
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Contact Lost in Orbit — Communication with the capsule abruptly cuts off during the journey.
Location: Space
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Program Dissolves Amid Purges — The space program is abruptly shut down, likely due to Stalin's purges.
Location: Moscow
The Long Return
The capsule crash-lands in Chile, and Kharlamov embarks on a perilous journey back to Russia. His wife covers for him during interrogations, and he is eventually found in Mongolia with severe injuries before vanishing after treatment.
Key Events
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Program Dissolves Amid Purges — The space program is abruptly shut down, likely due to Stalin's purges.
Location: Moscow
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Capsule Lands in Chile — The capsule returns to Earth, crash-landing in a remote Chilean region.
Location: Chilean Desert
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Journey Through Polynesia and China — Kharlamov travels overland and by sea toward the Russian Far East.
Location: Pacific Ocean and China
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Wife Covers for Husband — She successfully deceives interrogators about Kharlamov's whereabouts.
Location: Home
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Discovery on Mongolian Steppes — He is found near Khalkhin Gol, suffering from severe traumatic brain injury.
Location: Mongolia
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Psychiatric Treatment in Chita — Kharlamov undergoes treatment for his injuries before vanishing.
Location: Chita Sanitorium
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NKVD Criminal Investigation — Authorities probe the program's leadership and members for treason or failure.
Location: Moscow
Footage Revealed
Years later, recovered film from the Chilean landing site is discovered. It shows Kharlamov's lunar approach, the surface landscape, and the crew in a hangar, confirming the historic mission.
Key Events
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Psychiatric Treatment in Chita — Kharlamov undergoes treatment for his injuries before vanishing.
Location: Chita Sanitorium
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Wife Remarries — After Kharlamov disappears, she moves on and remarries.
Location: Home
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Footage Found in Chile — Recovered film from the landing site is brought to light by researchers.
Location: Antofagasta Museum
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Lunar Approach Footage Shown — A clip shows Kharlamov piloting the vehicle on final Moon approach.
Location: Museum Screening
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Lunar Surface Panorama — The camera captures a panoramic view of the lunar landscape and lander.
Location: Moon Surface
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Cosmonauts in Hangar — Recovered footage shows the crew walking through a hangar with the director.
Location: Hangar
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Mission Confirmed as Historical Fact — The documentary concludes that the Soviet crewed lunar program was indeed first.
Location: Archive
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Kharlamov's Final Disappearance — After treatment, Kharlamov vanishes without a trace, ending his public life.
Location: Chita
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Archival Evidence Compiled — All recovered materials are cataloged, cementing the mission's legacy.
Location: Museum
In spring 1938 in the mountains in the north of Chile a fiery UFO, later named "Chilean Sphere ", fell down. The investigation of this episode, made by a film crew, has led to a sensational discovery. It appeared that before the Second World War (in the thirties) in the USSR a secret space program had been developed. The Soviet scientists and military authorities managed to launch the first spacecraft 23 years prior to Jury Gagarin's flight! "The First on the Moon" tells about everyday life, heroic deeds and tragedy of the first group of the Soviet cosmonauts. It is the first Russian film shot in a very rare genre 'mockumentary' or 'documentary fiction'.
