Original subtitles

This film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli.

Although inspired by historical events, it remains an artistic work.

The characters, as well as their words and opinions, are fictitious.

Since Vadim Baranov was no longer an advisor...

...by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the Tsar...

...the legends on his account, far from dying out, had multiplied.

Most men of power draw their aura from their position.

When they lose it, it's like a plug is being ripped out.

Baranov was of another race.

According to some, he had withdrawn in a monastery on Mount Athos.

Others swore they saw him in Ibiza...

...surrounded by cocaine models.

Still others supported having spotted him on the Donbass front.

Vadim Baranov moved forward in life in a whirlwind of enigmas.

The only certainty was his influence on the Tsar.

In fifteen years in his service...

...he had contributed decisively to extend its power.

They called him the Mage of the Kremlin...

...the new Rasputin.

He arrived in the President's office in the middle of the night...

...to handle urgent matters.

Perhaps the Tsar himself he summoned him to his direct line.

Sometimes joined them a prominent minister...

...or the boss of a large state enterprise.

But these witnesses shed no light...

...the nocturnal activities of the Tsar and his advisor.

When I returned to Moscow a few years after his disappearance...

...the memory of Baranov hovered like a shadow.

The press persisted in attributing...

...measurements the most obscure in the Kremlin.

As for me...

...my recent essay in Foreign Affairs had created a stir.

It was titled: “Vadim Baranov and the invention of Fake Democracy."

If necessary, dial 9.

Have a nice day, Mr. Rowland. -To you too.

I was on sabbatical from Yale...

...to write the first biography by Yevgeny Zamyatin...

...great Russian writer...

...and early adversary of Stalin's communist regime.

I was walking in the paleness of winter...

...leafed through old books.

Zamiatin became my obsession.

He was a visionary.

Not only about Stalin, but of all the dictators to come.

Silicon Valley oligarchs to the Chinese single party.

From Mark Zuckerberg to Xi Jinping.

His dystopian novel, We...

...had inspired George Orwell for 1984.

We read Zamyatin in American universities?

Zamiatin is the oracle of our time.

Are you staying in Moscow for a long time?

I have something to show you.

Leaving the city...

...endless, dark forests stretched as far as Siberia.

My curiosity was mixed with apprehension.

In Russia, things are generally going pretty well.

But when they go wrong, they go very wrong.

Hello.

Please follow me, Mr. Rowland.

Can I take your coat?

I'll bring you some tea.

Do you collect old books?

I don't collect them, I read them.

Big difference.

Do you read Zamyatin?

I have something to show you that you will appreciate.

Do you know what it is?

A letter from Zamyatin to Stalin.

He asks for permission to leave the USSR.

“Dear Iosif Vissarionovich.

"Like Christians invented the devil...

"...to personify all forms of evil...

"...criticism has made me the devil of Soviet literature."

Zamyatin understood too many things, too quickly...

...and was imprudent in writing it.

Sit down.

Have you read it? -Of course.

You took the time to annotate it.

I'm flattered.

Let's not get carried away.

But unlike the others, you understood something.

Not much, but something.

Thank you.

Do you consider yourself an artist?

Let's say I played a supporting role. Now I am retired.

Don't you miss the adrenaline?

There is no greater pleasure than waking up in the morning...

...to have your coffee...

...and take his daughter to school.

How did the others take it?

My departure? Badly, of course.

At court, everything is forgiven: thieves, murderers, traitors.

But not the deserters.

"You don't want what for Are we ready to kill?"

And the Tsar?

The Tsar is something else.

My father was afraid of this library.

It belonged to my grandfather.

Custine, Gracián, Machiavelli...

...the skeptics, the disillusioned.

Not really Soviet doxa.

But to his credit, he never tried to deprive me of it.

Your father?

He ended up director of the Academy of social sciences of the Party.

Its only goal was to avoid to be woken up at dawn...

...by the KBG knocking on his door.

At his post, That shouldn't have worried him.

No one was safe in the Soviet Union.

Nobody is in Russia, period.

Not me.

Not even you.

In my childhood...

...the most sought-after privilege was theKremlyovka...

...a basket of food reserved for apparatchiks.

What are we eating today?

Pirojki with salmon...

...lamb chops.

Basically, my problem is to have had a happy childhood.

In Russia, this is not normal.

All Russian elite experienced Soviet misery...

...before accessing the villas of the French Riviera.

She still hasn't come back from it.

Even the Tsar:

"Me, the kid growing up in a kommunalka...

"...at the bottom of a filthy courtyard from St. Petersburg...

..."here I am received at Buckingham Palace!"

Things have changed. -Not so much.

In your home, money is essential.

In Russia, what matters it’s proximity to power.

The Soviet system was based about privilege, not cash.

Yesterday there was none. Tomorrow, who knows?

Might as well slam it right away.

Do you know what a vertushka is?

A phone without a dial...

...allowing the Party pundits to communicate directly with you.

have one was a sign of success.

Look. Here is a vertushka.

Gray, like everything Soviet.

If you find Moscow gray, try Washington.

There they are not gray, they are dead.

Either way, I'm banned stay in the USA and Europe.

Is your father still alive? -No.

In his world, he could have existed for a long time.

But Gorbachev arrived with his glass of milk.

His glass of milk?

No need to listen to Gorbachev to know that he would destroy the USSR.

You just had to look at him.

He went up to the podium and we brought him a glass of milk.

Then he doubled the price of vodka...

...and tried to put everyone on the spot.

In Russia!

Do you realize?

No wonder that everything went into a tailspin.

It was the end of communism and my father.

He lost everything.

His work, his privileges, his reputation.

And you ? What were you doing at the time?

My father wanted me to be a diplomat.

But I didn't want to study. I did odd jobs.

I was reselling TVs, cassette decks.

It worked well.

I started earning more than my father, much more.

I was an ignorant kid.

That's why I was better suited to the new world.

THE NEW RUSSIANS

In the early 1990s...

...Moscow was an electric city.

There were a few brief years full of hope.

Banned books were released every week.

Solzhenitsyn, Pasternak, Bulgakov...

...Art and literature magazines were sold by the millions.

The Russians' appetite for freedom was insatiable.

I registered at the Moscow Academy of Dramatic Art...

...and I dove in the dissolute life of theater people.

We were twenty years old and a new world opened up to us...

...just at the moment where we had the strength to conquer it.

Open the door!

Open the door, bitch...

...or I'll explode you!

We were too excited to sleep more than three or four hours a night.

We were convinced that our turn had come...

...to rebuild society on new bases.

We could see pieces from Europe...

...chatting until dawn with the actors and directors.

Do you really think that freedom will change everything...

...that you will live in a world of culture and poetry?

Our generation has rejected the system.

Our parents bowed their heads, not us.

At the risk of displeasing you...

...communism was the reign culture and poetry.

How can you say that?

Under communism, being a failure...

...was the only way to remain dignified.

At least we weren't making a deal.

Get out!

Kiss my ass !

Perfect.

You impressed me.

Oh yes ?

I wanted to tell you because it rarely happens to me.

It's interesting.

You are not just anyone.

What impressed you? -YOU.

Your performance.

What performance?

Didn't you just sing?

Do you call that singing?

What do you call that?

Anything trendy.

I did it to be of service.

To whom?

To the KGB agents who are watching us.

I am delighted to give them enough to spice up their relationships.

It's a shame. You have talent.

To do what New Yorkers were doing 15 years ago?

You are a real Soviet.

You think the world just waiting for you.

And you are not a real Soviet?

My parents were poor fools.

Hippies.

They carried me around from community to community.

Today they are old, sick and no longer have faith in their values.

One thing is sure, I won't end up like them.

I have a role for you.

Will you deign to take me seriously?

A role.

How do we offer it to actresses?

Like we offer to actresses.

Alas...

...I'm not an actress and I have no desire to be.

I would even say that I have always done everything...

...not to be.

Do you know Evgeny Zamyatin?

An icon of the avant-garde the most conventional.

It's not my thing.

With all due respect, you are wrong.

I am going to direct his novel Nous at the Institute of Dramatic Art.

You take risks. You're starting to interest me.

Do you have a car? -Yes.

Take me home.

I've had enough of this evening.

In a hurry?

Am I going too fast for you?

I don't know how I make contact with the planet Ksenia...

...but I knew immediately that, even if I were to live a thousand years...

...I will never meet someone like her.

Everyone in starting position.

Scissors, D-503, in position.

What scene are we doing?

Always the same, Yuri. The mirror scene.

Am I sitting or lying down?

You're lying down, and when you feel the light of the Integral, you sit down.

Above all, be repetitive.

It was excellent, thank you.

Dinner was too casual. Be more mechanical.

Is the Complete ready? - Ready!

Continue your actions...

...and when you feel the light of the Integral...

...you all get up and walk towards the windows.

Milana, ready?

Yes !

A nasty case!

Obviously, you have developed a soul.

Is it very serious, doctor?

Incurable.

But what is it exactly? I don't understand.

How to explain?

Take a surface.

Here, this mirror.

You know that an ordinary mirror reflects reality.

This one absorbs it...

...and keeps track of everything.

My brothers!

You all know it...

...over there in town, we build a spaceship: the Integral.

Down with the Integral! Down!

My brothers.

The Complete must belong to us.

And it will belong to us.

When for the first time she will ascend to heaven...

...it's us who will be on board.

Because we have with us the Integral Constructor.

He left the city, he came here with me...

...to be among you.

Long live the Builder!

His ambitions were perhaps vague...

...but the Moscow avant-garde theater was not likely to satisfy them.

I know. I lived these years in Moscow.

There were no limits.

Everything was falling apart and rebuilding itself at the same time.

It was fascinating and frightening at the same time.

Ksenia and I lived in a bubble...

...when life around was full of possibilities.

Every day, a former comrade came to me with an idea...

...a business to develop.

First on the bicycle of his grandfather...

...then in an armored Bentley, surrounded by bodyguards.

It's more or less what happened with Dmitry.

Sidorov? -Sidorov, yes.

Dmitry Sidorov.

I knew him in high school.

Now he led Communist Youth at university.

Don't imagine an apparatchik.

At the end of the 1980s...

...the student cooperative was the incubator of Russian capitalism.

I loved that he told me about his adventures.

I wanted to write a play on entrepreneurs like him.

Have you seen Dmitry?

Five minutes ago. Try the bar.

A new social class, out of nowhere.

It was quite astonishing.

Vadia!

Good to see you.

This café was my first business...

...but it served me to launch more lucrative activities.

Not all legal.

There's no more legality, forget it. I'll tell you.

Stop writing. Listen. I'm your mom.

Once upon a time.... I picked up a stock of cognac.

Fake cognac. -False, true, who cares.

I'm putting it on sale for $50 a bottle.

Do you hear?

Nothing. Nobody wants it.

I put them at $500, we fight to buy them.

You didn't stop at cognac.

Computers, faded jeans, memories, software...

...thanks to the student cooperative.

A few little scams. I find it hard to believe you.

We're not doing it to you!

These are anecdotes to entertain your spectators.

It's a room.

I invented a trick...

...to streamline payments between state enterprises.

I borrow money, I advance to others.

In fact, it's called a bank, but...

...in this country, Who knows what a bank is?

Dirty questions!

Indeed, I created the first bank trade of Russia.

How? I had found a book.

Commercial banks capitalist countries.

A remarkable work.

He described simply and in detail the functioning of the banking system.

I said to myself: not bad!

Would you say you are greedy?

Absolutely, yes.

I wasn't, but I am more and more.

It's an asset in my game. I have a banker's personality.

I like money.

Nice costume. -Nice shirt.

You have good reading!

They're one subway late. You still had your mustache.

Journalists always have a metro late. I'm not telling you that.

What a redneck mustache.

You did well to shave it.

Is your piece progressing?

My piece about you? -Yes.

I won't write it. -For what ?

It's over. You can't tell me the truth anymore.

You're right.

But I could never tell you everything.

Anyway, you told me a little more.

So, are you the famous Dmitry?

I don't see any other.

Vadim says you weigh 80 million rubles per year.

It's true ? -Maybe, I don't know.

He also says that you are a thug.

Oh yes ?

There's nothing wrong with that.

Ulysse Nardin.

A little too flashy to be elegant.

Flashy? Said the girl with a bear on her head.

In my world, it's better to be flashy that elegant to be respected.

Hence that horrible tie.

Eugenio Marinella of Naples, go bene!

Bellissima cravata.

Don't know.

Obviously. It's a tiny shop.

He moves to make custom ties.

Do we make custom ties?

In the world I live in, yes.

Do you like champagne? Too flashy?

I should have known. From this meeting, my fate was sealed.

Ksenia would choose Dmitry...

...his vulgarity, his energy.

He felt it immediately.

And me too.

But for a long time I refused to believe it.

Yes?

I'm coming, I'm coming.

Am I having a bad day?

I wanted to surprise you.

We hurry!

Are you hungry?

Flashiness galore!

Caviar!

Since that moment...

...Dmitry started to frequent us assiduously.

And I thought that it was out of deference to art...

...to which Ksenia and I we decided to dedicate our lives.

As if culture still had a hold on the real world.

I like this sound.

The flamboyant world of money was Dmitry's natural environment.

Nothing could have dissuaded him.

But he wanted Ksenia, so he accepted to linger with us...

...in the ruins of the city of the dead.

As the months go by...

...Ksenia became more and more sensitive to his largesse.

Everything that had marked the beginnings of our relationship...

...the readings, the concerts, discussions until dawn...

...had given way to activities more focused on money.

Gallery inaugurations and nightclubs...

...dinners at White Sun or Ermitazh.

Ksenia was more intoxicated every day by Dmitry's lifestyle.

Vadia dances!

Vadia! Mouse !

I smile!

Communism is dead. There is a whole world to invent.

You will be part of it.

Vadia, he doesn't like going out.

Everything he loves, it's coming home.

I remember waking up one night and looked at it for a long time.

I felt so tired, yet I hadn't done anything yet.

I had cultivated the illusion that Ksenia would perceive my greatness.

But, day after day...

...I noticed that the way how she saw me changed.

Which took the form of irony turned into contempt.

"You are stronger than me because you don't love me..."

I wanted to tell him.

My suffering only increased his boredom.

Stop.

Stop!

Stop, damn it!

Do you want some water?

Dmitry, for the tenth time, you drive too roughly.

I can't do anything about it.

Let Vadim drive or I hitchhike home.

Do you want to sit in the back?

You're cute, but I'm even sicker in the back.

I forgot to tell you something.

I'm listening to you.

I'm leaving.

Is that all it does to you?

You saw me with Dmitry. Do you think I missed that?

Between us, it's been over for a long time.

Approach.

You don't bother me.

I was afraid of waking you.

Sit down.

I finally have an excuse to stay in bed all day.

I reread the classics and doze off. That suits me.

There is illness.

This will seem paradoxical to you...

...but the disease is not necessarily a serious thing.

Serious things...

...like effort, work...

...are people's burden in good health.

The dying have nothing more to do.

They can enjoy their days.

I left Ksenia.

I know.

You will have the opportunity to rebuild your life.

I expected to suffer a lot, but...

...I feel light. And strong.

You see.

Theater is no longer enough for me.

Losing Ksenia made me ambitious.

Are you ambitious now?

It's unexpected.

But I take it like good news.

I can't stand helplessness anymore of the writer facing reality.

I want to be an actor of my time...

...not a simple witness.

You know what?

Your time, I leave it to you.

And without regrets.

It's Sputnik.

The only one who has the right to enter here.

Come here, say hello.

My daughter loves it.

Finally, my father had a stroke and he died very quickly.

We cannot say that the ceremony made the news.

Four clampins followed the hearse in a battered car...

...rushed past by the SUVs of the nouveau riche.

He died too late.

He would undoubtedly have preferred a beautiful funeral.

But in the end, he didn't care.

Well, I hope.

I needed to take my mind off things...

...and Moscow in the mid-90s, it was the ideal place.

Imagine all these young people...

...who suddenly saw the opening before them the paths of the world.

They could become what they wanted...

...make a fortune, cross the planet.

It was enough to lose your mind.

The level of violence was incredible.

We were shooting from all sides and for the most futile reasons.

Private militias escorted insignificant men...

...until the day where they jumped in the air.

Converting my theater experience in a career as a TV producer...

...was like passing from the cart Lamborghini style.

One day...

...I was discussing Mayakovsky while drinking tea.

The next day, I was sipping a latte...

...in an open space designed by Dutch architects.

Forget the First Channel, forget state TV.

RTP is a private company.

We're going to play games and politics.

But otherwise.

The Soviets tried to suffocate the country under a blanket of boredom.

First rule, don't be boring.

There is a project above the rest. This one.

Do you know why?

Because it contains all the Russian stereotypes...

...without exception.

The provincial babushka...

...the nihilistic student...

...the ambitious little whore.

I read it. It's rubbish.

I've read them all, they all suck. -Especially this one.

Except it will work.

We do not produce only broadcasts.

All other institutions collapsed.

It's up to TV to show the way.

A reality show about schools...

...where we teach young girls to attract the nouveau riche?

Not bad. Does it really exist?

It's serious. And it works with the fire of God.

My dream is to be an international superstar.

My dream is to buy from my mother the most beautiful house in Krasnoyarsk.

My dream is to be the trophy wife...

...of the richest oligarch in Russia...

...and live in Monte-Carlo.

She assures.

Seriously, she assures.

This is an excellent project...

...and this girl has her place there.

At that time, the RTP channel...

...belonged to a mathematician became a billionaire, Boris Berezovsky.

He had bought an old palace on Novokuznetskaya.

It should have been the seat of his company...

...but Berezovsky did something much more special.

A kind of club, the LogoVaz club.

It was a very select club.

The elite of politics, commerce, entertainment and crime.

Imagine the scene.

We are in the Caucasus, in Chechnya.

I have before me a warlord...

...who took Russian officers as hostages.

It's not a joke.

He's already decapitated one.

But it's not politics. He wants money.

Right away. I don't have any cash on me.

I don't walk around with bundles.

But I see him looking at my watch.

A Patek Philippe Nautilus like this one.

So, I said to him:

“Do you like my watch?

“Do you know what it’s worth? More than your hostages."

He said to me: "I know exactly what it is worth. $800,000 used."

It blew me away. He knew the exact price.

Roustam was far from stupid.

He said to me:

"If you bring back the hostages...

...."the advert you will have on TV will be worth more than $800,000."

The soldier's fixed gaze. Zero bullshit.

“You win. Are we doing business?"

I give him my watch, I'm bringing back the hostages.

It was the opening news for all the news.

At that time, my modest exploits as a TV producer...

...meant to be invited sometimes at the LogoVaz club.

In general, Berezovsky summoned me to talk about a project...

...or to recommend me a vague cousin...

...or a no less vague mistress.

Come in.

Vadia! -Boris.

Our friend Vadia is a magician.

Thanks to him...

...we crush the competition.

Do you want to leave it there?

Not sure I understand.

In this country, you run the same risks whether you're in the game or not.

I tell you my story...

...you will understand.

I was quiet in my corner.

I had built a small business modern and clean.

To my knowledge, your business wasn't so clean.

You recycled cars stolen from the factory.

I did like everyone else. -Worse.

You weren't very attentive on your associates.

Pardon. -Brief.

One day, a bastard shows up and wants to steal the business from me.

What does he do? He opens a competing box...

...to fight in the market like in the USA or Europe?

No, that's not what he did.

This son of a bitch loads an old Opel from TNT...

...and the station on my way.

When I pass, he presses on the remote and boom.

More Berezovsky.

Well, that was the plan.

Unfortunately for him, it didn't work.

I found myself with the head of my driver in the arms.

I survived.

But that day I understood that if you don't take care of power...

...power takes care of you.

I went to Switzerland for 15 days to heal me.

And you know what I did when returning to Moscow?

You learned to play tennis.

Not without difficulty. I hate this sport.

You hate all sports.

The old President, Boris Yeltsin, was in decline.

Vodka abuse, they said.

He had a sports club built on Sparrow Hill.

He spent his time playing tennis.

It was the only way to approach him.

Let's be clear, Boris was done.

Elections coming soon his polls at their lowest...

...His whole little court of schemers had them at zero.

They quickly understood that I was their only hope.

All was not lost.

Listen to me...

...Boris Nikolayevich.

Russia still needs you. Of your courage and your...

...integrity.

Nobody loves me anymore.

I saved democracy...

...but democracy here means...

...that everyone has become poor.

Except a few smart guys like you...

...who picked up the stake.

If you give me...

...control of state television...

...I'm setting up an electoral campaign for you like we've never seen before.

There you are in the hole. In two months, you will be at the top.

This is how I took control of the Première Chaîne, RTP.

But be careful.

I kept my word. I resurrected it in the polls.

You rather sunk his rivals.

Nostalgic for communism, easy to dezincify.

You defended your interests and those of the oligarchs.

Yes.

It's true. And what?

This is the democratic process. -Yes.

According to a very vague conception of democracy.

Throughout the meetings...

...the old man started to have fun.

Only problem:

...two weeks before the vote, he's giving us a heart attack.

It was hot.

The day he was supposed to record his last appeal to the nation.

Obviously, we canceled everything.

But after a few days, rumors were circulating.

He had to show himself.

But the doctor refused let him leave his house.

Too risky. So we decided, to create an illusion...

...to transport Kremlin furniture in his home.

The flags, on their supports.

That of the Federation on the left.

Watch out for the gap.

The President comes down.

Hello, Boris Nikolayevich!

Come see what we did.

It's the perfect copy from your office in the Kremlin.

Nobody will see the difference.

Help him sit up.

Dear compatriots...

...That's why...

...the homeland...

We're going to start again.

Misha, can you slow down the teleprompter?

Again.

Dear compatriots...

...July 3rd...

...election day...

...you don't...

...not just vote for Yeltsin...

We're not going to make it.

Make him move his lips.

We will put together bits of his old speeches.

Yeltsin was re-elected hands down...

...then he fell back into lethargy.

He had two other heart attacks.

During the 4 years of his 2nd mandate...

...Berezovsky was the real boss of Russia.

The oligarchs have picked up everything they could.

This is how my comrade Dmitry Sidorov...

...has acquired an energy giant fossil for only 168 million.

He was going to bring him 3 billion per year.

Olya!

Berezovsky felt the tide turning.

The Russians were tired and needed order.

They had grown up in a homeland and found themselves in a supermarket.

The challenge was to find a solution before someone else does.

So, yes.

I have friends in the Kremlin.

I sometimes lend a hand.

But the scenario has completely changed.

It is no longer a question to support the current regime.

You have to invent something new.

Something and someone.

The President will not finish his term.

Someone to embody him. That's easy.

But we need...

...first of all, of a party that unites everyone.

The Unity Party.

What do you think, Vadia?

I already have an emblem.

The bear.

Symbol of the Russian soul.

Do you want to be there?

I don't know. I like my job.

It's the same job.

I simply suggest to move to the next level.

Stop making up stories...

...and invent reality.

With me.

THE LUBIANKA FSB Headquarters

The head of the FSB would make a good candidate.

The old man has confidence in himself.

He has proven himself in decisive moments.

He is a modest man. You will enjoy it.

Mr. Putin will receive you.

Enter.

Sit down.

I know why you are here.

Of course. You are the best informed man in the country.

I thought about it, Boris Abramovich.

You see...

...the secret services have all the advantages of politics...

...without any of its drawbacks.

I'm at the center of the system here.

I'm in a good place. I hear and see everything.

I can effectively intervene to protect the President and his family.

I have done it before and I will do it again.

If you take me out of here to put me in government...

...I will end up crushed like the other Prime Ministers...

...in recent years, of recent months.

And you will lose the most faithful guardian of the State.

If we don't move quickly...

...in a year there will be no more neither President nor family to protect and...

...the first measure of the new head of the Kremlin...

...will replace you.

Why me?

I am a civil servant.

Okay, I did...

...some public speeches...

...but it was never earth-shattering.

The President enters a room, sniff the air and everyone...

...is conquered in two minutes, laughing, crying...

...as if they were chatting in his kitchen.

I am not made of this wood.

If I may, Vladimir Vladimirovich...

...this is exactly what it is.

The President's personality is unique.

His human qualities allowed to move our country...

...from the old Soviet Union to today's Russia.

But it's worn out.

We need someone different...

...which marks a break.

If the President appoints you Prime Minister...

...you will embody a legitimate authority.

The Russians need stability and security.

You are young, sporty, energetic.

Something inside you says:

"I can take full responsibility of command."

Your career in the secret service is a guarantee of reliability.

Be a man of few words will work in your favor.

Not against you.

The Russians are tired barkers.

The campaign we have in mind...

...there will be no gatherings and empty promises.

The bet will be to make you appear...

...like a politician of a new type.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I don't know much about politics...

...but I know a couple of things on communication.

There are two dimensions...

...in a society.

The horizontal axis is everyday life.

The vertical axis is authority.

Soviet society was vertical...

...and suddenly, by ceasing to be Soviet...

...it has become horizontal.

Too much horizontality is synonymous with chaos.

Russians dream of verticality.

A psychoanalyst would say...

...that they are waiting for a leader which makes one forget the language of the mother...

...and again imposes the father's word.

Public opinion is formed quickly.

We are only a few months old to convince the Russian people...

...that you are the man for the job.

And don't forget, you won't be alone.

I will be by your side to help and advise you...

...when you need it.

It's in the pocket.

It's not a Nobel Prize in science, but it will do the job.

I nodded and laughed with him...

...but things were more complicated...

...than Berezovsky perceived them.

When he spoke to him with his usual joviality...

...I had perceived a shadow of annoyance in Putin's eyes.

And there was this flash of irony...

...when Boris promised to guide him step by step.

As if the only idea to be guided by this man...

...was of the highest comedy in the eyes of the head of the FSB.

Hurry up, Vadim Alexeyevich.

Vladimir Vladimirovich is waiting.

Good day sir.

What do you recommend?

We have excellent scallops...

...with cauliflower mousseline.

A bowl of kasha.

Two. -Good, sir.

I have a lot of respect for Berezovsky.

I am grateful to him...

...of his offer, but if...

...I'm embarking...

...in this...

...adventure...

...it will be by counting on my strength...

...not on someone else's.

The President of Russia cannot...

...nor should...

...be submissive to anyone.

This is inconceivable to me.

Your analysis from the other day was very interesting...

...but first we must clarify a point.

If you accept my offer...

...you will work exclusively for me...

...Vadim Alexeyevich.

I thought about your concept of verticality.

He is powerful.

But it cannot remain abstract.

We need a well-defined scene where to restore the verticality of power.

Otherwise, we will appear helpless...

...like all the other politicians.

Indeed, Vladimir Vladimirovich...

...but it is not enough to snap your fingers.

There are the unexpected.

The unexpected is always the fruit of incompetence.

It depends on the circumstances. -The circumstances?

They are before our eyes.

Don't you see them?

Islamist fundamentalists.

They are no longer satisfied of Chechnya.

They want Dagestan...

...Ingushetia, Bashkiria.

If we let them...

...in a few years, there will be nothing left nothing from the Russian Federation.

Sorry, but I would think twice before getting into this quagmire.

In recent years...

...Chechnya killed no more political careers in Moscow...

...how many enemies on the battlefield.

None put enough energy into it.

All these politicians wanted to wage a war...

...who didn't dare say his name.

A humanitarian war...

...like the Americans.

I'm talking about something else.

The Nobel Peace Prize doesn't interest me.

What interests me...

...is to restore integrity of the Russian Federation.

I'm not talking about geopolitics.

It's not my part.

What I can say, however...

...is that politically, it's suicide.

This is where you are wrong.

You are designing an electoral campaign Western style:

...two teams of economists discussing PowerPoint presentations.

In Russia...

...the power...

...it's something else entirely.

That day, I didn't understand precisely what Putin was insinuating...

...but I left this lunch with certainty:

Berezovsky had just committed the biggest mistake of his life.

The first days of August...

...Boris Yeltsin appointed a new Prime Minister, unknown to most.

The appointment of Vladimir Putin was greeted with skepticism.

He was the 5th head of government inducted by Yeltsin in less than a year.

Our offices were located in the former Palace of Soviets...

...nicknamed the Russian White House.

A huge block of mothballs on the banks of the Moskva.

A floor had been freed for new recruits.

Putin knew he had little time to impose itself on public opinion.

He didn't plan to lose any.

Tell that son of a bitch...

...that the Prime Minister wants results on the ground.

No matter how.

We are not in media time, but politics.

We are here to produce results...

...not fluffy excuses.

I received your surveys. Help me dissect them.

I join you. I have to see Gusinski.

We are on the right track.

Dmitri Anatolievitch, who cares...

...we should have arrived by now.

Where is Gusinsky?

Alas, he couldn't come.

We're not important enough to him?

He is abroad. -And you are? His messengers?

We run the channel.

Then you will tell Mr. Goussinski the following:

The policy of the Russian Federation...

...is not defined in the NTV offices.

It wouldn't cross the mind by Mr. Goussinski.

I look at the Kouklys...

...your political puppets.

Sometimes I find it funny. It makes me laugh.

Alas, the Prime Minister doesn't share your sense of humor.

He suspects Mr. Goussinski to want to harm him.

But no, never in life.

Too bad he's not here to explain it.

You represent the Prime Minister like a dwarf.

This is incorrect...

...A runt manipulated by the oligarchs.

In the minds of comedians, he's more of a child.

Exactly.

And is that a cause for laughter? An infantile mogul?

It's a satirical show.

The Prime Minister defines the line between satire and insult...

...especially during election periods.

The Prime Minister defined a red line.

Mr. Goussinski will guess without difficulty where she is located.

Otherwise, he will learn it the hard way.

Good day !

I worked 18 hours a day, continuing meetings with the PM...

...each involving so many historic decisions.

But the more I fell into the routine of the government of men...

...no longer the world seemed to me full of misunderstandings...

...and missed opportunities.

It was then that the unexpected happened.

An autumn night, shortly after midnight...

...a huge roar tore the darkness of the capital.

Guryanova Street, on the outskirts of Moscow...

...hundreds of kilos of explosives...

...cut in two a nine-story residential building.

Dozens of sleeping families...

...were swallowed up by the explosion.

Four days later...

...a second explosion shook the city at 5 a.m....

...and destroyed another building from the suburbs.

More than a hundred victims.

It was our September 11th.

So far, the war in Chechnya seemed distant.

But when the buildings started jumping around Moscow...

...the Russians found themselves with the war at home.

Of course...

...you know...

...what they say.

They say we did it.

Finally, us: the FSB.

It's not just a rumor.

There are serious and consistent clues.

Frankly, I don't know.

If this secret is one, Thank goodness no one confided it to me.

But why would we do it?

Our victory was acquired.

To instill fear.

So that the Russians feel threatened by the Chechens.

And to justify the second Chechen war.

Which came at the right time to prepare the opinion...

...the coming of an authoritarian regime.

I don't like speaking in public.

The people need to hear your voice.

Here, on a state visit, not from the Kremlin.

Give them a sense of urgency.

I'm not an actor.

I will stick to it to a simple declaration.

You would have ordered to bomb Grozny airport...

...in response to the attacks.

You don't think that...

...risks making the situation worse?

I'm tired of these types of questions.

We will hit the terrorists wherever they hide.

If they are at an airport, we will hit the airport.

If they are in the toilet, excuse my language...

...we will go and kill them even in the toilets.

You have no idea the impact of this sentence...

...on the Russian public.

Finally, the voice of command and control...

...that the Russians had stopped hearing.

Stalin's voice?

Not Yeltsin's, anyway.

Nor that of Gorbachev.

On that day, Putin became Tsar.

THE VERTICAL OF POWER

Mr. Prime Minister, we cannot land in Goudermes.

Visibility is insufficient.

I plan to spend the New Year with our troops.

We have to land.

We have to land!

We need 150 m of visibility.

We barely have 100. It's too dangerous.

We have troops stationed in Dagestan.

They are ready for review. That could be an option.

If the Tsar wanted to celebrate the New Year in Chechnya...

...that's where we would go.

At 1 a.m., aboard jeeps, we took the pass route.

33rd division, Lieutenant-Colonel Fedorov.

Welcome to the base, Mr. Putin.

Gentlemen, what are you doing? is very important.

People believe in you. I came to tell you.

We are proud of you. You work hard.

I know what you did, it was very courageous.

I want you to know that the Russian people...

...think of you...

...and is proud of you.

Good year.

Wait.

I would like to drink to the health of the wounded and wish...

...to all present a happy new year...

...but we have serious tasks in front of us...

...you all know that.

We don't just fight for our honor and dignity...

...but to end to the debacle of Russia.

We can't afford a second of weakness.

If we let our guard down...

...those who died...

...will have died in vain.

So I suggest you to put down our glasses.

We will toast, but later.

I'm leaving.

I am leaving before the end of my mandate.

I understood that it was necessary.

Russia must start...

...this new millennium with new political leaders...

...and I leave you with complete confidence...

...with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

The Yeltsin era is over.

Your friend Berezovsky must understand...

...that I'm fed up of these stupid memos.

I thought he was ourfriend.

Boris is a very intelligent man...

...but his intelligence does not protect him of his stupidity.

Bring him in.

Boris Abramovich.

Approach.

Sit down.

I read your messages...

...some of your memos.

You have always given good advice. I'm listening to you.

Volodya, you made me wait an hour.

You wanted this interview.

Here we are.

Go ahead.

I will be brief.

We become too negative.

Too dark. It's war, we understand.

You are a great general...

...you will lead us to victory. But let's make an effort.

Let's give a little hope to these poor Russians.

Otherwise instead of voting for you, they will throw themselves out of the window.

Meetings, concerts...

...advertising spots, posters!

We must make ourselves heard.

Who will pay? -Me, of course.

You gave up to free advertising space?

That's correct. It’s a choice, our strategy.

We'll see if the facts prove us wrong.

If you continue, people will forget that you are a candidate.

Don't be ridiculous, Boris.

I have been interim president for 3 months. The government is us.

Our campaign is the news, what we do...

...the story we are writing.

Nobody believes in advertising anymore.

Facts are the only advertising which interests us.

The Tsar had restored the vertical of power...

...and the voters were grateful to him.

He was elected president of the Russian Federation in the 1st round.

Berezovsky stopped overwhelming the Kremlin of unanswered calls.

Certainly, its journalists mocked the splendor of the induction...

...but Boris expected something else:

...the opportunity to show the Tsar who was in charge.

SOCHI Summer residence of Russian Presidents

I remember that you prefer...

...on point.

Thank you for remembering that.

Sir...

...On August 12, 2000, Kursk...

...one of the greatest nuclear submarines...

...sank during an exercise in the Barents Sea.

There were a hundred men on board.

Some died instantly.

Others were trapped at the bottom of the sea.

It was the opportunity what Berezovsky was waiting for.

We rented a helicopter to monitor the sinking area.

Was she identified? -Yes.

The information has just come out. No help on site.

Scandalous. This is what must be denounced.

Russian experts refuse to get wet.

Look elsewhere.

We have a team in Germany. NATO offered to help...

...but the Russian navy refused it.

They are spy ships.

Russia cannot humiliate itself in front of them.

Can't humble yourself in front of them?

Ask the families what they think about it.

That's what we do. -TV is emotion.

The emotion is the families. Can you imagine their anguish?

Their loved ones, perhaps still alive, enclosed in a waterproof compartment...

...and help that doesn't come!

How long will it take?

Our sons are paid $50 per month...

...and they are stuck in this can!

What was the point of raising my son? Do you have children?

Who can understand us?

Not you, the people in power. You never understand anything!

You only think about getting fat!

Our sailors do not have enough to live on and you let them die!

The situation was out of control.

I rushed to Sochi.

I didn't understand why Putin was not there.

What do you want me to do?

They're all dead, that's obvious.

We'll know when we reach them.

According to all the experts, there are survivors.

It's a fact. We must save them.

Whether they are dead or not, Berezovsky seeks to harm me.

Everyone is waiting for you to act.

I will act when I see fit to do so.

Your composure did a lot for your popularity...

...but it turns against you.

The Russian people are suffering and you are not with him.

It's serious.

Like the authorities still do nothing...

...RTP organized a subscription for families of sailors.

Call this number to help...

Do you realize?

They destroyed the state, they plundered it for ten years.

They ruined our army and they organize collections!

These bastards just have to sell...

...their chalets in St. Moritz!

Call me that son of a bitch!

Do you realize what you're doing?

Your channel gives voice 24 hours a day...

...to whores playing sailors' wives.

What are you talking about ? You're delirious.

These are their real wives.

You are state television, Boris.

And you're plotting against the presidency.

What does that mean?

What does that mean, exactly? I ask you a question!

I have a question for you, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

What are you doing on vacation on the Black Sea?

Shouldn't you be in Murmansk?

And where are you?

He laughs... Where are you?

On the French Riviera? What are you doing here?

Finally ! I am not the President. Who cares where I am.

And I happen to be in Moscow.

Think, Volodya.

If you are going to console sailors' wives...

...you will explode the ratings.

And our channel will put all its firepower at your service.

And you know it's considerable.

So?

We return to Moscow. We're having this fucking meeting.

We have no choice.

And as soon as we got out of this quagmire...

...we're taking care of your friend Boris.

How could Boris have imagined...

...that he would tolerate a relationship of equals...

...with one of his subjects?

All the oligarchs were wrong.

By deciding to bet on Putin...

...they thought they would change straw man, not system.

Taking TV to Berezovsky was a piece of cake.

He did not control the majority, only 49%.

It was enough to inform the general director of RTP...

...that now, he would take his orders from the Kremlin.

He doesn't mean you any harm. He values ​​you.

Stay quietly in Moscow and do whatever business you want.

But forget about politics.

Politics is his business.

Putin is a pure product of the KGB.

Of the most ferocious species.

He will put Russia in irons.

And everything we've done for ten years to become a normal country...

...will be swept away.

Even you, Vadia.

You build a diet worse than the USSR.

At least back then...

...the Party was muzzling the KGB watchdogs.

Now the Party no longer exists.

The FSB is worse than the KGB.

Who will stop them? You ?

Certainly not. You became one of them.

They are ferocious beasts.

They come from nothing.

They carved out a path for themselves with a club.

Without rules, without limits.

They are hungry.

An atavistic hunger.

They were humiliated.

They come from centuries of humiliation.

They have to take everything, right away.

Because they know the wheel is turning.

Maybe, Boris.

I don't know.

But I know that Russia has always been done like this.

With an axe.

UN HEADQUARTERS New York

Carefully, Berezovsky chose exile in London.

Meanwhile, we were flying to New York.

When you get to the top...

...politics propels you on the global stage without preparation.

The greats of this world become your peers.

But they form a narrow circle.

They had time to learn the basic rules.

You may be feared and respected in your country...

...here, you're just the new kid.

The Waldorf Astoria is the best hotel.

The protocol reserved a floor for us. Twenty rooms.

Penthouse?

No.

For what ?

The last three floors are reserved year round by the Saudis.

It will take less than an hour.

15 min to go to the studio, 30 min interview and 15 min return.

It's a nice move for us.

What is this ?

It's the freeze.

The procession of the President of the USA is in motion.

No one else can move.

Does it last long?

It depends.

So, what's it like to be a spy?

Not much different to act as a journalist.

We collect information, we summarize it...

...and we present it to the decision-makers who can benefit from it.

Did you like doing that?

The information allowed me to broaden my field of vision...

...to develop certain qualities...

...management qualities. To focus on priorities.

An apprenticeship.

The Kursk tragedy moved the whole world.

Tell me, what happened?

What happened to the submarine?

It sank.

If the Martians...

...took power in Moscow...

...the USA would immediately recognize them as a legitimate government...

...provided they don't touch to their interests...

...and continue to process them in patterns.

The problem is that they believe having won the Cold War.

But the Soviet Union...

...did not lose it.

The Cold War has ended because we put an end to a dictatorship.

It's not the same thing.

The Warsaw Pact was dissolved.

They were offered peace...

...not surrender.

They should remember that.

From time to time.

Limonov values ​​you.

I thought he despised me.

He is a visionary.

Everyone has their place in their party.

So what do you think of my revolutionary vanguard?

The Kremlin does not tremble in his boots.

The Kremlin is very wrong. Sit down.

So how was the trip?

You know how it is there.

Still pretty fun, I'd say.

New York can be fun, if we avoid the Americans.

Which one do you prefer, Édouard?

This one.

You went at one of their social dinners?

All men have studied at Princeton or Yale.

Their children go to the same schools.

At least younger...

...I could have a little wife blonde in the toilet.

The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie.

It's the same everywhere.

No, Vadia.

America has destroyed the bourgeoisie.

The bourgeoisie had values.

These people don't believe than in the numbers.

Boring as death.

The problem is not imperialism...

...it's American culture.

You were interested in it before she swallows you and spits you out.

When I saw Yeltsin...

...transform Russia into a version low cost of the American hospice...

...I decided to found the National Bolshevik Party.

You know why I called him that?

To make you angry!

Naz-Bol!

We bring together ex-Stalinists...

...homosexuals and punks...

...anarchists, skinheads...

...religious fanatics...

...from Buddhists to Orthodox.

The most complicated thing is to avoid let them kill each other.

Trust them, it will come.

You don't understand.

These young people want to escape the boredom of a banal life.

They are in search of heroism.

It would be a shame to ruin that.

Will you pass me a cigarette, Sergei?

I need to walk.

I had always considered Limonov like a brilliant sociopath...

...completely devoid of political meaning.

I wasn't ready yet to prove him right.

But his arguments appeared to me for what they were.

No not the fruit of a rigorous analysis...

...but much more than a chance intuition.

THE END OF THE OLIGARKS

Vladimir Vladimirovich...

...Vadim Alexeyevich is here.

Enter.

Where is my popularity? The elections are approaching.

Nothing to worry about.

Around 60%. The next candidate tops out at 12%.

They are negligible.

There is a Russian more popular than me.

Stalin.

He's been dead for a while.

You, the intellectuals, you denounce the horrors of the gulag.

Do you think Stalin was popular? despite the massacres. Fake.

He was popular because of the massacres.

Because he knew how to treat a thief, a traitor.

You know what he did when Soviet trains...

...started to go off the rails? -No.

He had the director shot for sabotage.

That didn't solve the problem, It may have made it worse...

...but it gave an outlet for the rage.

Rage is a structural fact.

No need to fight it, it must be managed.

Do you want to feed the rage? -Yes.

The people want a head.

Which ?

That of the most arrogant of oligarchs.

Dmitry Sidorov.

Your ex-friend.

It seems he stole your wife.

You should be happy.

It didn't last. It's far from me.

He is preparing to cede the majority of his oil company...

...to Exxon Mobil.

He's been working there for a long time.

He will get rich 20 billion dollars...

...by placing our energy giant fossils under American control.

A Russian company would acquire an international stature.

No, that's not true.

He is building up a war chest to face me in the 2007 elections.

How do you know? -In your opinion? He's being tapped.

“Non-entity.”

That's what he calls me with his friends in Washington.

A “non-entity”.

Or when he explains that once elected, he will change the constitution...

...and dismantle our nuclear arsenal.

“Non-entity”!

“Non-entity”!

This man...

...made me eat more mud that I can swallow.

I gave the order...

...to have Dmitry Sidorov arrested...

...tomorrow at dawn.

He goes to Siberia. He needs to refuel.

We'll pick it there.

Cameramen and journalists will already be there.

It's up to you to orchestrate all of this for the media.

That's it.

We are there.

The news went around the world.

With the effect of reminding that money does not protect you from everything.

For you, Westerners, it is an absolute taboo.

A politician arrested, why not?

But a billionaire? Unthinkable.

Your company is founded on the principle...

...that nothing beats money.

My job: make Dmitry fall a successful TV show.

It wasn't difficult.

The masses have always loved see the head of a powerful man fall.

There is no more bloodthirsty dictator than the people.

Once Sidorov was arrested...

...Putin's re-election was a formality.

From then on...

...the nature of Russian government has changed profoundly.

The struggle for power left the public square...

...for the Tsar's entourage.

The State was once again dependent court intrigues.

There are those whose office is close to the Tsar...

...and those in its direct line.

Those who accompany him abroad...

...and those who go on vacation to Sochi.

No detail should be overlooked, however small it may be.

From the table plan at a gala dinner...

...waiting time in the President's antechamber...

...nothing escapes to the vigilance of the courtier.

I adapted to the new regime as I adapt to everything.

But others were much better than me.

Like Igor Seshin?

Especially Igor Seshin.

Like many men of his kind, he drew his strength from being underestimated.

When the time of the courtiers came, he was in his element.

He was even the chief courtier.

With Dmitry Sidorov in prison...

...what to do with your business?

Sechine made short work of it.

Judicial receivership, public auction with only one participant...

...and she ends up in the bag of such an opaque financial group...

...that he doesn't even have phone number.

So, did you get what you wanted?

What the Tsar wanted.

He wanted Dmitry's box?

What he wants, it is to destroy the oligarchs.

And replace them by silovikilike you?

Russia has always needed of men of the force.

Soldiers, spies, police.

That's why I'm here.

And you take what you want. Well done.

If you want to phrase it like that, Vadim Alexeyevich.

Be careful.

He is returning from the G20 in Berlin. Tired, in a bad mood.

It's always the same, I'm treated like I'm...

...the president of Finland.

But be careful! They should be careful.

The ability to inspire fear...

...is the only weapon of a poor man to maintain his dignity.

I learned it on the street.

Except that by scaring the enemy...

...we risk scaring the markets.

We can't afford it.

The markets never ruled Russia.

Maybe once.

Maybe once under Yeltsin.

And for what result? The law of the jungle.

We need...

...to take control.

Control of all the wealth of the country.

Forests, mines, gas, oil.

We will put them serving the interests...

...and the greatness of the Russian people.

Like with Dmitry. -What, Dmitry?

The oil monopoly...

...went from Sidorov's pocket to that of Sechine.

What does this have to do with interests? and the greatness of the Russian people?

The weather is nice. You should take a swim before you leave.

Thanks, but another time.

Do you prefer Sochi?

You know why I'm here.

I want to hear you say it.

-According to rumor... -You wouldn't come for a rumor.

According to very reliable information...

...you are a fervent supporter Ukrainian demonstrators.

Since you know... -Putin is mad with rage.

I was worried. In fact, you are the bearer of good news.

Ukraine is an integral part of Russia for centuries.

Do you really believe it? -I am only the messenger.

Do you know what he said?

“Go see that bastard.

“Tell him he’s crossing the line...

"...and try to reason with him."

Do you know his problem? -I know what you think.

That he is not a politician, but a KGB man, a spy.

He's not a spy. A spy gathers accurate information.

He's a counter-spy. His job is to be paranoid...

...to see conspiracies everywhere...

...to invent them if necessary.

You have been in exile for too long.

You're no longer in the loop.

As if these poor Ukrainians there was no reason to revolt...

...against a pro-Russian government.

You know who the main supporters are Ukrainian demonstrators?

The CIA, the US State Department...

...the major American foundations...

...George Soros and you...

...to the tune of $30 million...

...so they say.

It's politics.

And you know what?

It's democracy.

You forgot the meaning of this word for a long time.

I am not here by choice.

I live in exile, Vadia.

If I set foot in Russia, I will end up in Siberia, like Sidorov.

Boris...

...despite our differences, the Tsar has kept his friendship with you.

You were able to sell your Russian assets.

1.3 billion, right?

They were worth much more.

What if I persist?

Will you send me killers?

Look at. I have some, too.

And they are better than yours...

...because I pay ten times more for them.

I didn't come to threaten you.

I understand your resentment.

But don't turn against your homeland.

Putin's Russia is not my homeland.

With all our faults...

...we had succeeded in building a free country...

...where we could say and do what we wanted.

A first in Russian history.

And you fucked it up in a few years.

You brought back Russia to what it has always been:

...a prison on the scale of a country.

Like in Soviet times.

Is this your boat?

Nothing is ever mine.

Not in the sense you mean.

At the expense of the oligarchs?

Are you afraid?

Let your masters learn it?

My masters?

From what I hear...

...you put yourself at the service of power.

If you want.

You don't like it very much Vladimir Vladimirovich.

No. You're right.

I don't like power.

Even less when you tell yourself that it is modern art.

Sorry Vadia, but I find you vile.

Vile?

The word is strong. -You deserve it.

You didn't answer me.

We profit from the money oligarchs?

This boat belongs to a Portland entrepreneur.

He invented software at 24 years old.

Multimillionaire at 26.

Sold his company to Microsoft at age 28.

Since then, he has been bored like a rat.

He would like to have another idea in his life...

...but it is slow in coming.

Are you sleeping with him?

No way.

When I have the idea for a jewelry line...

...he finances it.

Sometimes he earns a little money.

For him, cherry stems.

And he lends you his boat when do you like it?

Yes.

When the world bores me, that is to say often...

...I come to take refuge here.

A golden cage.

Your comfort zone.

I liked Dmitry.

We had a great time for a few months.

I loved the wind of madness at the time.

And you dumped him, too.

I wasn't cruel.

Not this time.

We moved away from each other.

Dmitry was interested in oil. It didn't bring him luck.

And for a few years, I preferred Los Angeles...

...to the rest of the world.

Has Hollywood met your requirements?

Hollywood!

I stayed away from Hollywood.

It's like Moscow.

Only power relations count.

The rest is negligible.

I loved the desert.

I loved the ocean waves...

...driving on the Pacific Coast Highway.

And when I wanted to go to Japan, I was going to Japan.

This is my favorite creek.

Your plane is waiting for you.

This evening I will be in Moscow.

How sad.

ORANGE REVOLUTION

MAIDAN, INDEPENDENCE SQUARE UKRAINE - 2004

The following fall, as planned...

...the situation in Ukraine has degenerated.

The demonstrators refused to recognize the results of the elections.

By hundreds of thousands, they occupied the Maidan...

...the main square of kyiv, with their songs, their orange ribbons...

...their colorful tents and their pro-Western slogans.

Don’t disperse.

Stay on the Maidan!

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians join us!

Suddenly, international observers...

...came out of the woods to contest the election results...

...won by the pro-Russian candidate, Yanukovych.

These elections were notoriously fake.

I happened to be there.

Oh yes ?

We had just voted in Iraq.

American soldiers controlled the polling stations...

...and everyone thought it was very good. But not in Ukraine.

No. In Ukraine, we had to vote again...

...because the result was not the right one.

They called this prank the “Orange Revolution”.

The previous year, in Georgia, it was the “Rose Revolution”.

Another poetic revolution...

...pretty girls and noble ideals...

...but it's still a vassal of the Americans...

...who is propelled to power.

Are you seriously thinking it takes a CIA plot...

...so that the Ukrainian people moves away from Russia...

...for the benefit of the European Union?

What people are you talking about?

Do you believe that everyone finds your Europe so desirable?

No need to be a soothsayer, It’s soon Russia’s turn.

The next color revolution will be in Moscow.

The future president of the Russian Federation...

...will graduate from Yale.

The process seemed inevitable.

The youth couldn't stand us anymore and the Americans...

...exploited this revolt.

To survive, we had to be stronger than them.

The old ways had served their time.

Stop the agitators, expel diplomats.

And if we were in a bad mood, liquidate opponents.

I don't believe in any of this.

So I took the risk to adopt another tactic.

The President has been informed of your arrival. He sends you his greetings.

Alexander Sergeevich...

...I've been following you for a few years, with your Night Wolves.

You impress me.

You take these losers and...

...you give them a home.

A discipline.

Our group brings them two things they lack:

brotherhood and strength.

You're not just a gang of bikers.

You are true Russian patriots.

We have values.

Those of Russia.

Those of our Blessed Mother the Orthodox Church.

I understood that well, Alexandre Sergeyevich, and the President too.

Wolves are not only predators...

...they are also the guardians of the forest.

Did you see what happened in Ukraine?

Yes. A revolution.

A coup d'état.

Do you know who took power?

The Americans. -Well done !

They created a youth organization...

...funded free concerts on the Maidan.

I bet even the orange ribbon, It’s an advertiser’s idea.

Everything is custom made for young people...

...because their energy is the most valuable commodity.

Their frustration...

...their desire to change the world.

Young people need a cause.

And an enemy.

We must give them a cause and an enemy...

...before they choose them themselves.

Or worse, than the Americans don't choose them for them.

Except we can't do that.

Look around you, Alexander.

Just bureaucrats in suits and ties.

We are the adults...

...we are the power. We are their real enemy.

You're younger than me, I think.

You followed another path.

You embody freedom and adventure. Your vital energy is intact.

Young people feel it.

The Tsar is with you. He is your brother.

He is not a bureaucrat.

He likes speed, he does judo, he hunts.

He is of the race of conquerors.

You think he would come at one of our gatherings?

Of course. -The Night Wolves would be honored.

We will organize a gathering young patriots.

We will start the fight against the real enemy:

...the decadent West and its false values.

The Maidan, but in reverse.

Exactly.

Russia must become a place...

...where you can vent your rage against the world...

...while remaining a faithful servant of the Tsar.

In fact, you want make revolution impossible.

Let's say we want abolish the need for it.

Without a drop of vodka...

...Zaldostanov left the Kremlin intoxicated.

But he didn't know that after him...

...I received the intriguing spokesperson of an Orthodox revival movement.

Then the leader of a group of young people particularly stingy communists.

And the leader of the Spartak supporters.

I recruited them all:

...bikers and hooligans...

...anarchists and skinheads, communists and religious fanatics...

...from the extreme right to the extreme left and beyond.

After the events in Ukraine...

...we had to contain the forces of rage.

The monopoly of power was no longer enough...

...we needed a monopoly of subversion.

Who didn't I hire?

Responsible technocrats disasters of the 90s...

...the residual oligarchs...

...the standard bearers politically correct...

...vegans...

...To tell the truth...

...I needed these characters in opposition.

They were my best actors.

Virgin Mary, mother of God

Hunt Putin, chase Putin!

Black cassock, gold epaulettes

All parishioners on their knees!

The ghost of freedom is in heaven

Gay Pride is sent to Siberia

When Pussy Riot invested the Cathedral of Christ the Savior...

...yelling obscenities against Putin and Patriarch Kirill...

...we won five points in the polls.

I found them heroic.

They're doing it wrong.

They score against their side. In politics, that is unforgiving.

It's a double-edged sword.

It made them famous worldwide.

One second, I'll come back.

Vadim!

Miss Chekhova.

Very flattered that you honor me of your presence.

Don't make fun. You measure the influence of your salon.

Darling...

...worldly chatter never influenced power.

Thanks to you, I can rub shoulders with my opponents.

Indeed.

Garry Kasparov is here.

Chess champions never get far in politics.

Vadim Baranov.

The Kremlin mage. -In person.

You made up a name for your doctrine.

Sovereign democracy.

Russia must be a democracy to benefit from globalization.

I don't see a trace of democracy in our society, but continue.

Sovereignty is politically synonymous with stability.

The more stable a regime is, the more competitive it is.

You know what they say of your “sovereign democracy”?

That she is in democracy...

...what the electric chair is is in the chair.

It's just a good word, but he's funny.

You left the Côte d'Azur.

I never stay still for long.

You know me. It's not one of my qualities.

Do you live in Moscow?

When I'm here, I live at the Metropol Hotel.

I rent a suite all year round.

Is this an invitation?

You remember my friend, the dog man?

Of course. Arseni.

He is a renowned director.

He staged Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.

He transformed the theater in a pagan basilica.

He calls it a spatial liturgy.

I was his high priestess in Paris.

Do you want to come?

Unless this kind of provocation you are no longer interested.

Not sure I remember who you are.

I get lost in your labyrinths.

It's a game.

Politics is the only game worth playing.

You have become cynical.

You have reached the limit of your intelligence.

Cynical.

It's possible.

But not only that.

I don't know.

I'll tell you.

Right now, I'm not sure.

Come with me to the opera.

We'll go to the Metropol for dinner.

I'm tired, Ksenia.

What ?

To put your black magic in the service of power?

The other day, I saw my reflection in the mirror...

...but it wasn't me...

...he was my father.

My father's face printed on mine...

...despite all my efforts.

Let's go back.

I'm cold.

Last time, you asked me a question.

Do you remember that?

You said you needed time.

Now I can answer.

You're not just cynical.

You chose...

...to embrace your time.

You might as well have run away from him.

Do you like this weather? -It's ours.

We are neither better nor worse than him.

I'm not blinding myself. I embody the worst of it.

And you think you'll have one day to respond?

Do you believe in the future?

Not me.

The future has nothing to do with us.

"Our wound is raw under the yoke of this time.

“See...

"...behind the forest where we walk...

"...trembling...

"...like an illuminated castle...

"...evening is already waiting."

Rilke.

I had forgotten.

I have never been fascinated via St. Petersburg.

It’s a museum town, petrified in time.

The Tsar, on the contrary, is only fully at ease there...

...with his true lifelong friends...

...mixture of former FSB agents, judo black belts

and authentic gangsters who had hit the jackpot.

One and the other seemed to come out ofRichard III.

In a few years, these obscure provincial schemers...

...had accumulated wealth worthy of Gulf emirs.

Remarkable!

An enchantment.

It's okay, guys.

The specialty of our new chef:

...truffle risotto.

You tell me if I should keep it or send it back to Italy.

Enjoy your food.

Genia, you disappoint us.

You serve us a truffle risotto. Where is the rocket?

Should I remind you...

...that our ice hockey team finished sixth in the championship?

We moved up seven places in the ranking...

...and overtook Dynamo Moscow.

Wait until next year.

You'll see.

Well you will have your rocket next year.

No proper rocket in Russia.

But I bought a domain on the Black Sea to cultivate it.

She will be magnificent, but you have to be patient.

Guard the leader.

He knows his stuff.

His ticket to Pisa was already booked.

On Ryanair!

Evgueni is very demanding.

But his talents go beyond cooking and touch on geopolitics.

Even to certain questions which we are discussing.

It would be helpful if you two talked.

I didn't know Prigozhin well. Except as a restaurateur.

But Putin had accompanied his rise...

...with unalterable kindness.

A 5 minute flight.

Shortly after taking off...

...we began the descent on Kamenny Island...

...where the Tsar's relatives...

...inhabited the most beautiful palaces of the imperial aristocracy.

I am not an intellectual like you...

...but I received some life lessons.

And not just in prison.

I don't doubt it.

Do you know how I started?

With my associates...

...we obtained the first license Saint Petersburg casino.

Or rather, the Tsar gave it to you when he was deputy mayor.

Do you know what a casino is?

A monument to human irrationality.

Why throw away your money...

...when all the probabilities are against you?

By focusing on irrationality, we always win.

Exact.

Take an average guy.

As long as he's comfortable...

...that he has a secure job, family vacation at the sea...

...retirement on the horizon...

...he keeps quiet.

But if things go wrong...

...If he loses his job, his house...

...if the future becomes uncertain...

...will he play it safe?

No way.

He will choose the risk rather than a hopeless status quo.

Chaos becomes more attractive than order.

Westerners see China, India and Russia...

...take giant steps while they stagnate.

They are ready to take the bets the most unreasonable.

Our job is to encourage them.

On the Internet.

This is the battlefield of modern warfare.

I built the tool.

The Tsar wants you to take over.

Internet Research Agency.

I found the name. Sounds good, right? What do you think?

Anton!

Our editorial director.

He has a doctorate in international relations...

...and all speak the languages imaginable.

Nice to meet you, Anton.

Explain what you are doing here.

Of influence. Information.

The Russian view of the West. For Westerners.

They think their media and their elites lie about everything.

They are customers alternative versions.

Our message: We tell the truth.

Russia tells the truth.

Like Russia Today.

We are on social networks, not on TV.

A coffee?

We have a relaxation area with sofas, green plants...

And ping-pong tables.

Go ahead, we'll join you.

Evgueni, you will have to explain to me...

...because I have difficulty understanding.

Is something wrong?

Can we talk to each other?

Of course.

I thought we wanted to act on mentalities in Europe and the US...

...infiltrate people's minds.

And are you bringing me Anton?

It's the best. -That's the problem.

Westerners no longer interested in politics.

To fuck them, we have to talk everything except politics.

We don't need Anton.

From whom, then? -Idiots.

Very addictive.

Cyber-addicted otakus...

...sluts with beauty tips, conspiracy youtubers...

...anything that generates clicks.

At some point, we will have to get our message across.

Who do you take us for?

The Comintern?

I regret to inform you that the USSR no longer exists.

There is no longer any Party line, no more message to convey.

Only wire.

Come on, let's go. We're wasting our time here.

What wire are you talking about?

How do you break a wire?

You twist it one way, then in the other.

That's what we're going to do, Evgeni.

Explain to me how.

Build your network and see who takes the bait.

They will all have an obsession. The clicks will tell us which one.

One will be anti-tax, the other pro-life, or pro-choice.

Never mind. We don't want to convert anyone.

It is enough that everyone has something that drives him crazy.

And someone who makes him angry.

It's foolproof.

No preference, no arguments.

The wire.

We twist it in one direction, then in the other until it breaks.

Got it. The wire.

But everything is traceable on the Internet.

Sooner or later, we'll get caught.

Of course. And that's what we're looking for.

Supporting our allies is predictable. But how will they react

when they see that we also support our adversaries?

They'll think we're stupid.

They will go crazy! They will be lost.

They will just know that we got into their heads

to tweak their neural circuits.

The Americans created the algorithm.

We're going to use it too.

And better than them.

Those who will accuse us of plotting against democracy will be our allies.

They will build the myth of our omnipotence.

It will be the biggest secret because shared by all:

...the Russians control the modern world.

They are the masters.

See, that’s what’s interesting. in politics.

Everything that gives the illusion strength...

...truly increases this strength.

LONDON

Borya. -Vadia.

Are you carrying a message?

Sorry, Borya, no messages.

So, in what honor...

...For pleasure.

You come to meet the British Olympic Association?

Always well informed.

The Tsar is no longer interested than at the Sochi Olympic Games.

The President tasked me with supervising the opening ceremony.

You planned the medal of the best political assassination?

I don't know, Boris.

The main thing is that Russia comes first.

I'm not worried.

You will find...

...the worst solution.

As always.

You may not have message for me, but...

...I have one for him.

It's okay, there's no polonium.

It's a letter for the Tsar. It comes from the heart.

Read it if you want.

"I beg you to give me your Christian forgiveness..."

Are you serious?

I appeal to his faith and I offer him my services.

"Based on experience that I have accumulated..."

Listen, honestly, no!

Times have changed.

You're no longer in the race. Sorry for being cruel.

I appeal to his humanity.

Who are you kidding?

"The harshness of exile..."

"The passage of time..."

“The coming death…”

I understand.

But that won't make him blink.

The comfort of ending my days in our motherland.

Can't he hear it?

I have to go.

Give him the letter anyway.

I think it can work.

Sincerely.

I would have liked to tell him that it would work.

That the Tsar would be moved...

...that we would find ourselves side by side for the Olympics, in the grandstand.

I liked him.

Without being a saint, he had retained the joy of a child.

The Tsar having banished his fellow men...

...only the men remained in Moscow strength and their bleak determination.

The worst part is that I contributed to it.

So? Did it go well?

How could that have been?

He helped you. You could reach out to him.

Boris sees approaching the Sochi Olympic Games.

There is still money to be made...

...even if everyone has already lined his pockets.

You included.

Do you like it? The main costumes of the opening ceremony.

More importantly...

...did you like it to the British Olympic Association?

We don't care.

They have already swallowed the Winter Olympics in a seaside resort.

Devoid of the slightest sports infrastructure.

Have you seen the others?

No. Not really.

Look at. Each island represents a period of our history.

They are on the move, they float in the air.

All our literary history will scroll.

The domes of Saint-Basile will fly away.

And then Swan Lake.

Do you like it?

Vadia, this Russia does not exist.

At least not anymore.

But they are the ones who inspired us, formerly.

It's too late.

You know it.

You will not save your soul.

This ceremony is only the mask of dictatorship.

The rest These are empty excuses.

I see clearly in you.

That doesn't mean that I don't love you.

But I won't be your accomplice.

Can I get you something? -Champagne.

Madam ? -The same.

The Tsar...

...will free our friend Dmitry.

Are you sure?

You've often told me that.

He will two weeks before the Games.

Western media will have a blast.

That's the idea.

You don't ask me what did I do with my day?

Not shopping.

It's not your type.

Something sharper.

Forget the irony.

I was trying to guess.

I was at the gynecologist.

I am pregnant.

You seem... -I'm a little in shock, yes.

In fact, I'm upset.

I have no words.

WAR IN CRIMEA

According to initial findings...

...hanging would be the cause of the death of Boris Berezovsky.

Berezovsky was found dead this night at his residence in Ascot.

The forensic doctor did not find no trace of struggle.

Access has been prohibited time to check...

...the absence of chemical poison, biological or nuclear.

It had to end like this.

He suffered from exile.

I'm going to miss him.

He gave a detestable image of the opposition.

It was precious to us.

Here is the program of the opening ceremony.

Updated according to your instructions.

What is “Daft Punk”?

Electronic music.

Number one in the world.

Two French people who never take off their robot helmets.

This table was not in the previous version.

They have won five Grammy Awards. You have to get up to speed.

Police choruses will resume their tube.

He turns the ceremony into a farce.

Explain your reasons to Igor.

This is what people want to dance. As simple as that.

It will be ridiculous.

It will be kitsch.

The whole world, three billion spectators...

...wait for the greatest show never seen.

This cannot be as the apotheosis of kitsch.

Kitsch is the only possible language

if we want to communicate with the masses.

We want to show them our Russia. -No one wants to see your Russia.

Besides, you have nothing to show, and everything to hide.

We want to give the image of an open Russia...

...sure of herself, but also able to smile.

The world today calls for this self-deprecation...

...not your balalaikas, Igor.

You understand what I'm saying Or is it gibberish?

What do you want...

...Vadia...

...is an acrobat.

Artist for politicians, policy for artists.

Be careful, Vadia.

Sooner or later, you risk missing the trapeze...

...and crash to the ground.

I declare...

...the 22nd Olympic Games Sochi winter...

...open.

I probably should have left that night.

Close the book on this page, a good ending for me.

Ukrainian separatists took advantage of the Olympic truce...

...to occupy Maidan Square again.

Two days before the end of the Games...

...they overturned pro-Russian president Yanukovych...

...who fled the same day.

The resulting chaos gave to the Tsar...

...a golden pretext to invade Ukraine.

Russian snipers killed more than a hundred demonstrators.

They say you are responsible.

Who says it?

Ukrainians.

From your own emails.

You would have Ukrainian blood on the hands.

The day before the closing ceremony...

...following his great design...

...the Tsar decided to annex Crimea.

Crimea was part of Ukraine.

We weren't going to send troops invade a sovereign country.

You sent Russian soldiers not wearing a national badge.

"The Little Green Men", said your fellow journalists.

When Zaldostanov and his Night Wolves...

...landed in Crimea, you were pulling the strings.

It's true. I gave them a supporting role.

It's important, the supporting roles.

As long as they don't get upset.

Have you seen our flags?

We no longer use those of the Russian Federation.

We have something else in mind.

We are no longer a federation. We are conquerors.

We took back Crimea to the Ukrainians.

Soon all of Donbass will be Russian.

It's time to take stock.

The point. Really.

I am a man of action.

We are here to support the Russian army.

We will bring you victory.

Who talks about victory?

Our goal in Ukraine is not conquest.

It's chaos.

The Ukrainians told each other...

...that their orange revolution would bring them into Europe.

She will take them back to the Middle Ages.

The promises of Westerners, it always ends the same.

They let you go at the first obstacle...

...and you stay alone in your country in ruins.

That's the moral of the story.

This war cannot be fought in reality...

...but in the minds of the spectators...

...on the television news.

In Moscow, in kyiv, in Berlin.

You are actors in a drama which surpasses you...

...and which resonates far beyond these borders.

Or you agree to be a pawn in my game, with all the advantages...

...or not. But know that I can unplug you whenever I want.

And there things will become more complicated for you...

...your Wolves and your little affairs.

Who thrive...

...from what I hear.

Can I bother you for a moment, Vadim Alexeyevich?

Please.

How did it happen your trip to Lugansk? GOOD ?

You must have read reports from your services.

We have news from the Americans.

What news?

They would have established a blacklist...

...undesirable personalities.

Your name is there.

You're going to have to forget New York for a moment.

Sanctions for annexation of Crimea. When do they start?

Monday.

That's good that I don't like New York anymore.

I also heard something else.

Go ahead.

It will be official tomorrow.

Your name is also on the list of Europeans.

Paris...

...London...

...finished.

You'll miss Naples, I'm told.

I won't bother you anymore, Vadim Alexeyevich.

You have arrangements to make.

And quickly.

Lionia, do you know?

Yes, tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

No interview, just a press release.

Do you notice?

"I consider these sanctions like an Oscar...

"...crapping the whole of my political career.

"It means I served my country honorably." Point.

No, that's all.

THANKS.

Ksenia?

Pack your bags. I'll arrive in fifteen minutes.

A few hours later, we landed in Stockholm...

...for our last European weekend.

I guess it had to happen.

It was up to you to avoid it.

By resigning?

For example.

Power is an addiction. It is difficult to wean yourself from it.

Before, when you said those platitudes...

...I heard the irony.

Not this time.

There wasn't any.

The war in Ukraine, it's like the rest.

I didn't want it. I even opposed it.

You're the one who says it.

Indeed.

I say it.

And I also say that once the Tsar decided...

...I did my best to see her succeed.

Out of habit.

Out of pride.

And because I could.

Without any scruples.

It's true.

It's been like this from the beginning.

With the bombs of Moscow and the war in Chechnya.

With the arrest of Dmitry and the fall of Berezovsky.

And now, the killings on the Maidan.

I didn't want any of this...

...but every time, I devoted my tireless work to it.

And now you're tired.

Russia devoured my grandfather.

You knew my father, she devoured it too.

I don't know if I will be saved.

Probably not.

Either way, it's too late.

But our child will be saved.

Ksenia?

Ksenia!

I have never been to Novo-Ogariovo with cheerfulness of heart.

The austere and sporty atmosphere depressed me.

Once back from Stockholm, I hardly set foot there anymore.

The confidence of a prince is not a privilege...

...but a conviction.

I had played my part, I was no longer useful.

At one point, he lost the habit of seeing me.

That's all.

He gets up early, breakfast of fresh eggs...

...from Patriarch Kirill's farm.

It's there that he reads the confidential notes...

...and transmits its provisions.

Then he swims a kilometer.

Its first visitors waiting near the pool.

Ministers, advisors, business leaders.

The presidential procession does not set off until early afternoon.

The streets were closed half an hour earlier.

From Novo-Ogariovo to the Kremlin, Putin crosses his frozen capital.

Then his real day begins.

Sometimes ending at dawn.

Only one man does not sleep...

...and everyone who matters in Moscow share his vigil.

Like in Stalin's time.

Who is this?

Hello my dear.

Can I play with Matchka?

Of course. You don't bother us.

Where is she?

Where did Matchka go?

Under the table? -No.

Not under the table? -No.

Under the cushion? -No.

Are you sure? -No.

Is she under the piano? -No.

There ! -There she is!

All the happiness I've known is concentrated in it.

Dad...

...what would Matchka say if she could speak?

I think she would say:

“I would have more fun with a real rabbit."

Dad !

She would say:

“I love you more than anything, Anja.

“I only want to play with you.”

Cats are not my passion.

But how long Can I make her happy?

I didn't know fear before Anja.

Since the first time I saw her, I live in terror.

My life is in his hands, and not the other way around.

My daughter doesn't count neither the hours nor the days.

I have always lived in the future.

She gave me the gift of the present.

THE MAGE OF KREMLIN

Based on the novel by GIULIANO DA EMPOLI