Actor Vladimir Garin died on 25 June 2003 (shortly after the shooting of the movie was completed) in the lake not far from the one in which the movie was shot. The news of his death was postponed until much later after the movie's premiere and subsequent success in the Venice Film Festival.
The budget of the film remains a secret, though in an interview the director and the producer hinted that it was well under $500,000. Director Andrei Zvyagintsev also mentioned that the producers made their money back even before they went with the movie to Venice where it was "discovered".