The film's script is based on Kunin's story «Neither Love, Nor Longing, Nor Pity». The story tells about a group of teenagers who became criminals and ended up in prison cells. They are taken from confinement and sent to a secret training camp in the mountains, where they are planned to be turned into paratrooper saboteurs capable of operating behind enemy lines. Filming began in 2006 and mainly took place in Armenia, on the slopes and summit of Mount Aragats. The film crew worked in winter conditions, which added an extra atmosphere of cruelty and harshness to the film, because the cold and windy peaks that the heroes faced became a real test not only for the characters but also for the actors.

Filming Locations:

Road to the Camp

In the Movie

The scene where a sabotage group consisting of 14-15-year-old teenagers arrives at the camp in a service truck. Their training will be conducted at a secret base in the mountains of Kazakhstan, and the trainers will be former prisoners released specifically for this task on the orders of Vishnevetsky.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at the foot of Mount Aragats, the highest peak in Armenia, located in the western part of the country. This volcanic massif consists of four peaks, each a separate summit, and reaches a height of 4090 meters above sea level. Mount Aragats is often used for filming due to its remoteness and isolation, which helps create an effect of seclusion.

The Camp

In the Movie

The scene where on the first day everything went wrong — the teenagers started a brutal fight over access to hot water. One of them was knocked out. Naturally, the dissatisfied camp commander came out to sort out the situation.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at a camp on the summit of Mount Aragats. Filming took place in extreme natural conditions — rocky slopes, snowy areas, and cliffs. The camp built at this location looks very grounded: wooden structures, barracks surrounded by a metal fence with barbed wire. This choice of location made the filming visually expressive and emphasized the harsh living and training conditions of the teenagers.

Underground Warehouse

In the Movie

The scene where the sabotage group is sent to the Carpathians to destroy an enemy rock ledge at the entrance to a strategically important underground warehouse. The main part of the group is dropped directly over the German base, where they come under intense fire from anti-aircraft machine guns, and almost all the saboteurs die. Only a few manage to survive — two of them, guys nicknamed Kot and Tyapa. Then they manage to infiltrate the base and destroy it by blowing up key targets.

In Reality

The scene was filmed in the vicinity of Lake Sevan. This is a high-altitude lake in Armenia at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level and one of the largest lakes in the world. It covers an area of about 1,240 square kilometers. The lake is surrounded by mountain ranges with high rocky peaks that form natural barriers from the north, west, and south.