Original subtitles

Turn the engine off.

Dear comrades and friends.

I have summoned you here to bring to your attention

a matter that is of the utmost importance.

A matter that worries me.

And if it is serious enough to worry me,

then it most certainly should worry you too.

We are besieged by smugglers and offenders

trying to corrupt our nation that we worked so hard to protect.

Many comrades here are faithful and devoted...

and committed to the Party's ideals.

At the same time, there are some of those among us...

who choose to betray this country's interests.

Those who attempt to infiltrate the structures of the Party

and the country's institutions for foreign agencies.

I promise you this right here, right now.

We will severely and harshly punish those who choose to betray the Party,

as well as our great nation!

I'll catch up with you soon.

We have a problem.

A truck was found at the border earlier

filled with illegal goods.

Traveling under diplomatic seal.

The driver's name is Lari Bogdan, said he worked for the DIE.

And why would a DIE agent be involved in smuggling goods into Romania?

That's exactly the question we're asking.

That is, myself and the Central Committee.

I don't know any Lari Bogdan.

But I'm sure you'll find out if he's lying.

Well, he is dead now, so I guess we'll never know for sure.

Hung himself in his cell.

- He had issues, apparently.

Comrade Godeanu, I'm assuming you're aware that the Party

is taking this very seriously.

I would expect nothing less from them.

Good. So then you're willing to cooperate with us, completely.

Absolutely.

Good morning, Comrade Godeanu.

Good morning. I'm Carmen Popescu, director at the Ministry of Interior.

It is a pleasure to meet you, finally.

You as well.

You know, I had actually tried to reach you in Bucharest,

however, you left earlier than planned, I guess?

I've been assigned to help you in the negotiations.

Yesterday, how was it?

Well, the Germans added some new names to the list.

We're going to need time to review it.

Okay, but Sorin told me

they already offered us three million Deutsche Mark,

which to me is a great deal.

We should just take it and head home, in my opinion.

I think it's best not to rush it.

Comrade Ceaușescu expects much more from us.

I need to pick up a gift for my daughter.

Drop me off here. I'll meet you at the Ministry.

Oh, we'll just wait for you. It won't take long, right?

Of course not.

The shop is on the corner. You can pull over here.

I think I'll go buy something for myself too.

- Can I ask you something? - Yes, of course.

No, miss. Only the front door.

So where did my colleague go?

I'm not following, sorry.

There was a man that just came in.

Tall, dark hair. You can't have missed him.

Oh, there you are.

Thought you disappeared.

I was just trying on a shirt.

Well, we're running late.

I'll just get this scarf for my daughter,

if that's okay with you.

Comrade?

Right.

Lari Bogdan hanged himself in his cell.

I bet Godeanu had a hand in it.

If he went that far, he must be running scared.

As he should be.

If you do what I tell you, we can take that bastard down within days.

I got the photo, but that is not enough.

Why? It's exactly what we were waiting for.

- Don't you wonder when? - I need to time it right.

Make sure I hold all the cards.

Especially since I don't have the best relationship with the president.

He will warm up to you when we find the warehouse.

Victor, did you know the term "checkmate"

comes from Persian, and it means "the king is dead"?

More or less.

The phrase "checkmate" in Farsi actually means,

"the king is helpless."

Farsi?

I was thinking.

What if that smuggler was working with someone in the DIE?

Impossible.

We're watching all of my people.

I know.

But sometimes we forget to look in our own back yard.

I think I should talk to counterintelligence.

I'll tell Mircea to look into it.

There's no need to make waves.

I can take a closer look at my agents' moves over the past year.

Victor!

Checkmate!

Elena.

What is it?

I haven't told Nicolae this yet, he has enough on his mind right now,

but I feel you should know.

It appears that Comrade Mircea Voinea has a fondness for redheads.

Redheads are dangerous by default. So is he fucking one?

It's very possible.

I thought you'd want to know she's of Russian origin, it would seem.

She's Russian? Is this true?

- It is. - Mircea is dating a KGB agent?

Hard to tell for sure yet.

All I can say is she's very beautiful.

Mircea is not the sharpest,

but he's also not stupid enough to fuck a Russian.

Or maybe he is.

Keep an eye on them.

Sew this inside the lining and have someone give it to his wife.

- Here's the dress. - Oh, it's lovely.

And before I forget, this is for you. A present.

A present? For me? How sweet.

Albescu managed to get his hands on Godeanu's records.

From what I understand,

he got it from the head of Foreign Intelligence.

It's only a matter of time before he finds that warehouse.

We need to get these to every Party member on this list.

I want you to take this to Comrade Gheață's wife, okay?

- Should we empty the warehouse? - No. Not yet.

This one goes directly to the palace.

Hello, Peter. How are you?

Glad to hear it. I'm in a bit of a rush.

Can you trace a number for me?

It's the last call that was made from the cloakroom on the second floor.

Eight and three. That's perfect. Thank you. Bye.

We should have signed that deal.

I mean, three million is more than appropriate.

I'm sure they will contact us with a better offer.

It's obvious they want those Germans a lot more than we need the money.

Yeah. Well, it feels like we're stalling.

Our job here is to get the best possible offer we can,

not to be fast.

Comrade, you got a message.

Everything all right?

Comrade Ceaușescu wants us to return to Bucharest. Tomorrow.

Ileana?

Do you want a drink?

Is there any left?

Do you know why I drink?

Um, because you can? Because you're always bored?

Ah. Because I'm bored?

So whose fault is it that I'm bored?

Look, I'm not in the mood.

Yeah, I get it. You aren't, ever, huh?

- I've tried everything. - You haven't tried once.

You didn't try standing up for me once.

You have never taken my side over hers.

- Hers? Elena Ceaușescu? - Yeah.

Your wife is right here.

Don't forget that.

She's not coming?

Um... No.

I love you, Dad.

- Good to see you. - You as well.

I took care of everything.

Good evening.

Comrade Godeanu.

I have to say I never pegged you for a fan of the piano.

I thought your wife was the one with the artistic sensibilities.

And I have to say I'm sad to hear

that you don't know everything about me.

Comrade Voinea. Looking lovely, as always.

Thank you, Comrade Godeanu. Is Adela not joining us?

Unfortunately, no. It's just me and my daughter tonight.

- She's also an artist. - So nice to finally meet you, Ileana.

You're so beautiful, just like your mother.

Yes, and just like you, she's always carried herself with such grace.

We miss seeing her up on stage.

Could you get a bit closer together?

Don't be shy now, Comrade Godeanu.

You are very photogenic. You should smile.

Thank you.

It must feel pretty good, thinking you are on top.

What are you trying to say, Comrade Voinea?

Oh, nothing.

I happen to know one of your former friends.

They were a classmate of yours from college.

Tells me you were top of your class

and how you once got a bunch of lazy professors fired

by invoking a "revolutionary vigilance"?

Oh, yes. My revolutionary phase.

I have to say, I don't really miss it at all.

- Who is this--? - If I were you,

I would miss that former vigilance.

To vigilance.

Victor.

I don't really give a shit

about how many of these people you think you own. I know...

about your warehouse.

Is that a new bag?

Yes, the seamstress gave it as a gift.

What are you doing?

- You should've said it was a gift. - What's wrong?

Hey, Victor.

How long does this damn thing take? I'm already sweating.

- Two hours. - What?

That's too much. Tell them to make it one.

I'm afraid that is not possible.

Okay then. Let's begin.

Is that Mircea's redhead?

She's not as pretty as I assumed.

But I'm not surprised. He's got terrible taste in women.

A man his age who has no children,

there's got to be something wrong with him.

Did you enjoy the concert?

Yeah, I loved it.

And everybody who was there was so nice to us.

When I grow up, I wanna be just like you.

You should be like you, not like me.

Yeah. I'm gonna be a famous artist,

but with your power and your influence.

Power is a hungry animal, you realize, Ileana.

You'll teach me how to control it, won't you?

Are you tired yet?

I want to show you something.

What are we doing here?

The people who live here live on a fraction of what you have.

Do you think they don't want more? Of course they do.

Do you know why they don't go for it?

Not because they are powerless.

It's because they don't know how to work the system.

I don't get it.

This is where I was born.

I need you to understand.

You can't travel when you want, you can't buy everything you want,

and you can't draw anything you want.

"He who bows his head misses the sword."

I need you to remember that. Even when I'm not here with you.

- It's important. - But you don't bow your head, Dad.

Actually, I had to at first.

The only reason I have power now

is because I learned the limits of the system

and how to push them without overstepping.

Because if you overstep, it's over.

Goodbye. Off to prison.

Or even worse.

Sweetheart, I'm not trying to scare you.

But you have to learn these things if you want to survive.

And all I want is for you to survive.

Fancy a drink? Whiskey?

Um, sorry, I'll have to pass for tonight. I'm pretty tired.

I've booked our flights home already.

We're leaving at 9:00 tomorrow morning, so...

Perfect. Thanks.

Wait for me here.

- Good day, General Shakarov. - Good day.

How are you? Always an honor.

- Tea, coffee? - Vodka.

I'm kidding.

Good day, comrades.

General Shakarov, we have a situation.

We think that Victor Godeanu is defecting to the Americans.

Look at it. All these riches. This is it.

This all goes straight to the Security Commission.

Good evening, comrade. Sorry about the late hour.

I wanted to tell you I found it.

You were right. He had it hidden in plain sight.

I knew it. I'll go see the Ceaușescus.

Understood.

That goddamn son of a bitch.

We got confirmation today about the warehouse. It's Godeanu's.

And there in the picture is Shakarov, the KGB general.

He met Godeanu in Vienna.

Shakarov?

When were all these taken?

In May.

The meetings have been going on for about six months now.

None were ever reported.

Are you sure these photos aren't fake?

I'm sure they are real, Comrade Ceaușescu.

Victor is not only a smuggler.

It looks like he's our KGB mole as well.

Impossible.

I know Victor is not a saint. This is madness, though.

I know you have a vested interest.

- I do? - You do.

What do you mean?

He's having an affair with a Russian student.

Is that who gave you these photos?

Comrade Elena Ceaușescu, respectfully,

I am not having an affair with any Russian.

You're a liar!

We received these photos from one of our most loyal agents on our team.

Leave these here.

You may go.

Don't say anything.

Not a word of this nonsense to anyone.

I want to assure you, Comrade Ceaușescu.

I have no other interest than serving the Party and Romania.

Albescu found the warehouse. It's all been seized.

You have influence with the Ceaușescus.

You need to do something before Mircea exposes us.

Hello, Elena. It's important. I need to see Nicolae right away.

Later. He has a migraine.

He can't be disturbed.

I'll give him that.

Oh. Wait here a moment.

I don't like these pearls.

[man on TV] Reports from eyewitnesses coming in shortly.

Good evening, Victor.

Why don't you get in?

How are you, Victor?

How is life treating you?

I can't really complain.

This won't take long.

I know you have a rendezvous.

I hope it can wait.

How was your trip to Germany?

Did you manage to do some work too?

Or did you just spend time chatting up pretty German girls?

I've negotiated the repatriation of German Romanians.

It's always touching when one can bring families together.

Got news to share about our common friend?

In a few months, Ceaușescu will be visiting the Queen of England.

Mm, yes.

I have a feeling that you won't be joining him, will you?

I have to say that after all this time,

I expected more loyalty from you, Victor.

I have been loyal for a long time.

You want to know something?

Here in our world,

loyalty is an allegiance that lasts forever.

Or it's nothing at all.

There's nothing that lasts forever.

Yes, there is.

Because for the right price, anything can last.