Forsaken (, literally "Extraterrestrial") (a.k.a. Forsaken: Mission Mars, Mission Mars and Stranded On Mars) is a 2018 Russian science fiction psychological thriller directed by Aleksandr Kulikov. Originally known as "Martian", the movie bears striking similarities to Ridley Scott's 2015 film, and, despite having a different ending, was heavily criticized in Russia and worldwide. It received generally negative reviews.

Plot

In the near-distant future, a space expedition consisting of four astronauts is sent to Mars by Roscosmos. Three of the crewmembers return to Earth, leaving their captain, Alexander Chapaev, alone on Mars. He starts counting his days on the planet, aided only by a still working radio communication with Earth, as well as a robotic drone to keep him company. On Earth, all efforts to bring Alexander back home turn into quarrels between the government and the space agency, until a private investor proposes his help. However, it soon turns out to be a hoax, since the company sending Alexander subsistence for survival decides to turn his broadcast into a reality show, and is not interested in getting the astronaut back to Earth at all. Bereft of his family, Chapaev starts having mind-boggling hallucinations and meets an entity who is revealed to be a sentient Mars lifeform. The film ends with Chapaev not knowing what is real and unreal anymore, while it is hinted that the whole mission was staged only to raise TV ratings among viewers.