Original subtitles

MERAB NINIDZE

CHULPAN KHAMATOVA

ANASTASIYA SHEVELEVA

No man in the world has ever flown higher

than a plane or a balloon can reach.

No man has yet reached space.

They�ve only sent dogs there before, but dogs don�t count

because any which survived and returned

couldn�t tell us how our planet looked at a distance.

The first manned flight was a few trial runs away.

It was eagerly awaited in Moscow and Kazakhstan,

all around this country from Europe to Asia.

Young pilots waited.

One of them was fated either to go where no man had ventured before,

where even your words don�t turn into sound,

or to die in the attempt.

The doctors and the scientists prepared them.

There was only one complex and painful step left.

SPRING 1961

Recently, Doctor Daniel Mikhailovich

had been tormented by an intense dream.

He had it every night.

Yet every time Dania woke up he�d forget that dream.

The only thing left was the sense of a coming disaster

that rested heavily on his soul.

So it went, day after day.

Doctor, I also had an awful dream. Now it�s weighing me down.

- Right... - My nose is bleeding.

And this stupid trifle... cost us half a year.

The catapult malfunctioned.

On that day, the re-entry module

that a human was supposed to use in six weeks

had yet another accident.

The rocket reached its orbit

but later, on re-entry, the catapult refused to work.

The parachute didn�t open.

It reeks of smoke. Something was burning in there.

- This is it. - This dummy is broken.

Doctor, the equipment failed, but that�s what happens.

You look a bit unwell.

I�ve got a headache.

This place has a horrible climate.

You should... cover your head with your hands to warm it up.

Yes, you look quite sickly.

But soon a man will fly to the stars like an angel and our sorrows will end.

These berries are tart.

This wind... it makes my eyes water.

Daniel Mikhailovich, the parachute might fly away.

It didn�t work now, but so what? It�ll work in six weeks.

A man will fly where only God has been before.

PAPER SOLDIER

week six

Dania, don�t worry, I�ll wait for you to return from Moscow.

I�ll follow you like a tail. A tail.

- Do you hear me? - I do.

Can I be your furry tail?

- Honey, why are you always cold? - No idea.

When my mum was exiled here she was always cold.

She said that in Moscow she thought Kazakhstan was the south.

I grew up in Georgia. It�s in the south, the real south.

Vera, don�t see me off. No need.

You�re imagining something again.

You�re going to miss the train.

We lived in Tbilisi in an old house on Mtatsminda.

There was an orchestra there too. I was six.

- Give me my hat, scum! - An orchestra.

When we finish the launch site we�ll have more orchestras here.

What�s got into you? What�s got into you?

What are you doing? What are you doing, hey?

- What is it? - Crazy kid...

It smells of some kind of burning.

Something charred... Burnt skin.

- No, it doesn�t. - Doesn�t it?

All right, it doesn�t.

- You�re going to miss the train. - No.

It�s the eighth anniversary of the Leader�s death. 25 roubles.

He killed millions and he�s smiling so happily.

I�ll give you 15.

Well, 16.

I can trade it for a chihuahua dog.

Another eight years and we�ll build our first moon base.

At first it�s going to be tiny, then it will grow huge.

There�ll be factories with hundreds of workers there.

And the ships going there will also start small,

but by the end of the century there�ll be huge liners.

- Cities on Mars. - A smoke?

Stations... I don�t smoke.

Our own space stations.

Like this.

Then we�ll reach Jupiter and its moons, Callisto and Ganymede.

In six weeks the first human will go into space. Our Soviet man.

- Everything will change. - Ganymede was killed, right?

They chained him to a rock or...

No, that was Prometheus.

Bring me a book on how to draw horses.

You�ll go away and I�ll draw a horse every day

and think that you�re with me.

Get lost! Get out of here! Scram!

I said, get lost!

It�s just circles of existence.

It�s chilly today.

Dania, don�t play cards.

Even with very good people.

In Moscow, I�ll have a proper hot bath and get warm.

In Kazakhstan the wind is so cold it blows my thoughts away.

Let�s go.

Dania!

Stop. Take my suitcase.

Krasnov!

All aboard.

All aboard! I said, all aboard!

Don't dawdle!

We�ve arrived. Some launch site.

It�s desert all around and the site isn�t ready.

Got a light?

Sell me a bathtub.

What do you need it for?

It�s a good officers� tub. 30 roubles.

I�ll write a complaint against you. My fianc�e is from Moscow.

Write your fill, scandalmonger.

I�ll give you 15.

- 16. - I�ll take 17.

- It�s heavy. - No matter. I�m strong.

What are you carrying?

Your cow gobbled up a pail of soap.

How are we going to wash? We have no soap left.

My fianc�e is from Moscow. So thank you very much.

They�ll give you more soap in the canteen. Don�t get upset.

I�m not upset. I�m not upset at all.

It�s all just circles of existence.

Life is great and full of surprises. I bought a bath.

Why so sad?

I�m all right. I�m not upset at all.

Vera, do give me back my mugs.

Didn�t you give them to me when you were leaving?

It�s a beautiful cow, and a rare breed, but what a fool...

- Give me the mugs back. - All right.

They test rockets and those rockets fall on us.

Where will I put this bath, and why?

week five

Today it�s cloudy in Moscow and the region.

Temperature is minus 25, wind is S-W, 5 to 7 metres per second,

air pressure is at 750 mm...

You stole my chocolate bar.

You came from Kazakhstan, a stranger.

No complaints, everything�s fine.

Is everything fine?

Of course.

I just had a dream.

I don�t remember what it was about.

Nina, let�s leave. Let�s forget all this and just travel and travel...

Yes, we sure will. I love Moscow.

If you say no, it�s no. And you call yourself my wife.

- I love Moscow, not Kazakhstan. - Who needs you?

- The third folly today. - I�ll remarry.

You�ll weep and beg but it will be too late.

I�m tired.

On the train, I dreamed I had two Orders of Lenin.

I was a Hero of the Soviet Union. My workmates wept with joy.

- Optimism is the basis of everything. - Tell me as a doctor...

Valentin, check the temperature.

- Where�s the scary doctor? - We�re here on serious business.

Comrade pilots, though you�re more than pilots.

I thought you just needed lieutenants for vivisection.

You�ve been checking and testing us for a year and guess what?

I spent the night barking, and I answered when called �Blackie�.

- Let�s go, Blackie. - Next.

I remember numbers but forget words, all but the ones I need most.

- Does it happen to you? - I forget numbers.

Once on a bus I forgot if I needed No 3 or No 13.

Why are you all so sad, gloomy and dull?

We don�t choose who will fly. Not me, for sure.

I don�t, and I don�t want to.

Nina, have you ever tried oysters?

- Yes. - Why laugh? You ignorant fool.

You idiot, I�ve read about them.

People eat them alive. They say oysters squeal.

- A horrible thing really. - Your record book?

It�s all terrible. These working conditions be damned.

I wonder how soon we�ll be able to pilot planes mentally.

Break your tooth and you�re out.

- I�m warning you. - Mentally? That�s not for you.

- Here. - If they send you up...

- They won�t send you. - Wait and see.

Who smoked?

I didn�t.

Two chocolate bars for that lie.

It�s serious business, pilots. And we do check-ups in a corridor.

If they really sent you into space, you�d wet your pants.

Not even if I went through the Sun! Then I�d spit on you from above.

Basically, space is not for you.

Little one...

It really shouldn�t matter, but these trifles are important.

Nowadays everything depends on trifles.

Why do you yell at me all the time?

Today you yelled at me three times. I counted.

At dawn, at noon, and you�ll yell tonight.

I won�t do it at night.

Put the bike back or Rudyakov will never forgive you.

He will.

A catastrophe... A cataclysm.

- You should join a circus. - I wanted to. They refused.

Nina! Nina, have you seen my bicycle?

- No. - How weird...

Everything�s in place but they took the bike. Nonsense.

Well, please tell Daniel I�m eagerly awaiting his thesis.

I hope he�ll be worthy of his father and get a doctorate.

Certainly.

He�s already refused several times.

Being a physician and the wife of a physician,

you surely must understand.

I never carry this key with me...

but I did today, as if I felt something.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

- Nina, hello? - You got caught, oaf. I told you so.

Crouch, will you?

I�ll push a straw through the keyhole.

I can�t hear you. What?

It�s cognac. Try it. I�ve never tasted anything so good.

Enough.

�Yes, I�ll take you to my domain, I�ll carry you to the realm where...�

No... �Earth looks like any star and any star seems to be Earth.�

�Mute with surprise you�ll see new words,

�Stunning visions I play with.

�Then, fearful and helpless, you�ll whisper �Let go.�

�I�ll open my wings and smile �Fly�.

�And crumbling under that divine smile,

�You�ll fall like a trembling stone into a shining emptiness.�

Dania? Darling, take the tea, please.

I smell something burning. Do you?

Don�t do it with a spoon in.

In my shoes, an officer of the Tsar�s guard would shoot himself.

I said I needed that doctorate so now I can�t refuse them.

It won�t work. I�ll never be a Doctor of Medical Science.

I�ll never get the Order of Lenin. So be it. Nina, let it burn.

Why are you trying to work yourself up?

And what did you prove? It will have to be retyped.

Give me a cigarette.

- What was it... - I taught the dog a trick.

Zhenya, the light!

Zhenya!

I can do that as well.

week four

On that day Dania surprised himself

by getting a science doctorate instead of a Ph.D.

All his friends gathered at his old mate�s dacha

to celebrate with him.

The dacha was closed for the winter so the stove took a while to heat it

but the damp smell remained.

- Got paint on my coat in the theatre. - So be it.

�And Commissars in dusty helmets...�

And Dania felt uneasy in his soul.

�I�ll perish in the Civil War...� Let�s swap.

Our intelligentsia has been divided for 200 years

so our Motherland is a mess.

Could you shoot me? Right. In the back.

The first shashlik of the season will be ready soon.

I thought your place used to be bigger.

Want me to carve you in marble?

It would be an anti-abstract magnum opus.

- In marble? - You don�t care?

A white lion was found in Africa. It was put in a zoo but it escaped.

Funny. And suddenly we realised we�re over thirty.

We�re the first generation in years

for whom there are no obstacles to life being beautiful, free and happy.

Have no illusions, we�ve been thirty for ages.

- Seen my cigarette case? - I found this.

Don�t laugh. Or the injection will hurt you.

I�ll run through the snow...

with a syringe in my backside.

You have the body of a baby.

It�s a joke. Bitten by a squirrel...

Me, a Ph.D., bitten by a squirrel. I�m probably getting old.

Yes, that�s it.

If you want a pregnancy, time it to ovulation. I�ll get you the pills.

In your case it�s better to try on those days.

A telegram from the forest.

Squirrel�s mother apologises, saying she had her period,

that�s why she was so irritable...

Listen, I came to this hole to tend to your wife in your place.

And you mock me. You have a party? Go party.

- David... - It�s all jokes to you.

- You�re a pig, brother. - Listen...

What�s got into him?

Try to think.

Nina, wait, was it sincere? Reflecting on it? Tell me.

- On reflection, it was sincere. - Tell me the truth, it�s vital.

Look into my eyes... yesterday at Defence, was it sincere?

What a horrible disposition you have.

Look into the mirror, put on a smile and say

�I�m smart and gifted. I made a divine presentation.�

- Smart... - �I stunned them.�

Are you serious? Did they appreciate my commitment?

�I�ve got a wonderful wife.� Say it.

�We have no children, but we will. It will be fine.� Enough!

Smile. Wider. Wider!

Wider, or I�ll move to my mother�s.

Wider yet. That isn�t enough.

More. Wider yet.

Like this?

- Like this? - That�s more like it.

Garik�s here.

Garik�s here. Smile.

What a car.

- Hi. - Hi.

Imagine, they got paint on my coat at the theatre.

My watch is fast again. It�s in a hurry.

I had it fixed twice, but it�s fast. My life�s an adventure.

- How fast? - It depends.

It used to be precise, you see. And now it�s ahead.

It�s in a hurry.

Your trenchcoat�s too clean.

- Garik�s here. - Wait.

I see the Revolution differently. Those iron people...

- Congratulations, Doctor. - Thanks. This is for you.

They improved a horrible vast world, deep in sweat and dirt.

A commissar doesn�t look like you or like me.

A different breed. You have kind eyes, but you don�t think.

- The nerve! - I wanted to call you.

But I was told you only take gifts. So I had to cover 50 km.

- Wives take gifts. - Kiss my hand, please.

- I�ve not got down to my thesis. - You will.

Listen, something has changed inside you, subtly.

See?

- Sound the horn. - Very subtle.

- An electric drill? - Why did you insult David? He�s hurt.

Listen, my Ph.D. was taken as a D.Sc.

Rudyakov himself gave me a coffee pot and kissed my hand.

A beauty. Why is everything in this country called �Sputnik�?

A Sputnik shaver, a Sputnik bike...

My hands always smell of brandy.

Did you hear David was bitten by a hamster?

It chased him for an hour. David screamed.

Now he can�t work because he keeps shaking.

A spooked gynaecologist unnerves his patients.

- Isn�t that so? - Give it a break.

Let�s do something special. Let�s drink vodka.

David!

- If he doesn�t want to, so be it. - David!

- Your squirrel is here. - Yep!

David! Shame on you, really.

�And the kind word of your daily cares...�

It must be stolen...

- A thief. - A conquistador.

- That�s our historical role. - Let�s finally have a drink.

�Whichever way, I�m going to die in the one and only Civil War,

�And Commissars in dusty helmets...�

There�s no real intelligentsia left.

- Let�s... - Who are you?

I�m not an intellectual. I reject these Russian complexes.

An intellectual is seen as a weak and vulnerable creature

that can only lament and whine.

Like a beautiful but meaningless vase.

Beauty can�t be meaningless or meaningful.

It exists and that�s enough, right?

I also reject bourgeois values. We�re above conventions.

What matters is the sacrifice.

- Matches? - An idea I can commit to.

- I�m a man of the �60s... - My liver hurts.

I live in the best and freest country on earth.

I think to reject one�s nature is obscene.

It�s shameful.

It�s an act of cowardice, really.

Isn�t it cowardly to be an intellectual?

At least you say �That�s what I am.� No sham.

Tell me please, Daniel. Do we need these rockets of yours?

I�m an actor.

We have the first Sputnik up, but so what?

It�s a chance to change everything, to get free from the past.

It�s also a matter of pride. We did it, not them.

They�re building something. What?

I want to go to Lake Seliger...

Remember Chekhov�s Three Sisters?

�A man must work by the sweat of his brow... a train driver...�

I wonder what happened to the three sisters under Stalin.

Who was their daddy? A vice-colonel in the Tsar�s army?

So they�d be in a camp or cutting trees in Siberia.

Right?

- Want some shashlik? - I�m full.

Have you seen my cigarette case?

- Where did you drop it? - Somewhere here.

Daniel, I�ve got liver ache...

Make it respect you. Drink. An eye for an eye.

Listen to the good doctor.

We got a letter from a young pilot who wants to go into space.

�I can stand wind and cold, and hold my breath for 10 minutes.� Barbarism!

- And why him? - I�ve got a constant headache.

- The doctors say I�m fine. - You must be cold.

I�ve got a degree, my nightmares are over.

- It�s not summer. A fine hat... - Today a new life begins.

- I�ll bear a girl for me, a boy for you. - The case... got it.

- If you only... - No �ifs�.

You�re a doctor, you know it all. Enough. Leave me alone.

Prokopov, I found your cigarette case, see?

- Thank you. - Be my guest.

- A bourgeois. - My work is in a world expo...

Don�t drink any more.

Do you know about watches? Mine is fast and it�s a problem...

- Fuck your watch... - Misha!

- Oh, you�re fearsome. - Are you okay?

- Dania, let�s go home! - Leave him alone.

Hush, hush.

Only I have nowhere to go. Svetlana booted me out.

Don�t break the skewer.

- You�re drunk. Stay with us. - Thanks.

�... he was a paper soldier.

�He wished to alter everything and be the whole world�s helper,

�but he was puppet on a string, a soldier made of paper.�

Tonight, at 2 a.m. sharp,

we�re going to make a baby.

�He cursed his fate, he called it names and wanted no safe harbour.

�He kept on asking for the flames, forgetting he was paper.

�He dreads the fire? Not at all! One day he cut a caper

�and died for nothing; after all, he was just made of paper.�

What is he doing?

- Don�t peep. - Here.

- May I? - Yes.

What�s got into you?

Nina, I just said it for a laugh.

There�s something bourgeois about it.

Something sinful and bad. I�m afraid of that, Nina.

- Pour me some wine. - An alcoholic.

I read that kisses should be tart.

You�re insane.

- Put rouge on my lips. - No.

- I said I liked the idea. - Like in France.

- I didn't say I wanted that. - It�s gone numb from lack of use.

- There's something wrong about it. - I agree. Paint my lips.

What grade are you in?

And I'm a teacher� gym, or maths.

Dania!

What do you want?

Dania, I'm dying.

- What? - My heart stopped.

What stopped?

Get out of here! Out.

Is it bad?

Well, it's really not that good.

Come on. Calm down, don't breathe.

Let me feel your pulse. It's not beating. Nina, listen.

- What isn't beating? - The heart.

The pulse is there.

Personally, I'm scared.

- How can it be? - It's not beating.

Your fingers. Can you feel them?

- I can feel. - Try the other hand.

- Here? - Yes.

- Why did you sleep with shoes on? - I'll take them off.

- Feel that? Fingers? - Yes.

- And here? - Yes.

- Sure? - Give him a shot.

- Of course. - No!

- No, give me pills. - Pal, there are no pills for this.

We have nothing to offer.

- This one. - Please, no shots, I beg you.

Garik, look me in the eye.

- It�s a heart, not a finger, got it? - I do...

Inhale, exhale and calm down.

Let me listen.

- Nina, this is terrible. - Wait, check here!

I can feel something here.

- It's a kidney. - Does a kidney beat?

It's giving you signs that it's not feeling well either.

- Go on. - Wait! It�s beating on the other side.

- It's a trick. - It changed sides, look.

No, it's a trick. Lie down and calm down.

- Just don't hurt me! - I'm scared too.

I don't like giving people injections. See?

So... one, two, three!

- All done? - Give me a cigarette, please.

Idiot! I�m such an idiot!

- A murdering doctor! - Garik!

There's something psychopathic about your theatrical ways.

No, I'm probably just ticklish. I was so scared! You bastard!

- Why have more vodka? - I'm sorry.

What did you inject?

A dormitive and a laxative. So you'll sleep.

I missed my door. Left or right is such a trifle.

- I'm off to bed. - I'll be right there.

- You're a doctor. - I know.

- And you scare a friend! - I like biomechanics.

And all your Stanislavskys, Nemiroviches - Danchenkos,

they�re all laxatives� Please, forgive me.

Dania, why are you still up?

I think that we�re all...

quite cute but senseless.

People used to live� I mean, they used to have a life.

- They... - Let's go to bed.

They were heroic, they knew what they lived for.

- Let's go� - Look at us.

What do we do? We prescribe pills,

measure blood pressure and temperature... All the best!

- You think nothing awaits us? - The bed does!

Let's go to bed.

Leave me alone, please. Don't take offence, honey.

I think there's something awaiting us.

But where do we get this slackness from,

this desire to think and speculate and muse,

to run from doing important and necessary work?

We must use an iron fist to create this new life.

Not like it was under Stalin, no prison camps and all that.

A different, fair life where people are not enemies

and there�s no humiliation, no racism.

All right, art�s not for sale. And neither is science.

They�re not done for money, but for their own sake.

Come on, eat. Another one.

I'm sure we�ll be able to do it. We will.

Not some Germans or Americans, not imperialists.

It will be us. We can do it and we will.

- Lenin was right. - Lenin was a bloodsucker.

And a German spy.

Perhaps your ideas are right...

people are brothers, and nothing is for sale.

Yet what comes from this regime is disgusting.

Even its poetry. It�s nothing but ideology.

Why is nobody interested in people? Why is it only ideas? Tell me.

The intelligentsia has greater responsibility.

Mum and Dad believed, even when jailed under Stalin.

Why am I always listening to you?

Whenever you need to talk, I'm there.

What about me? You don�t care what's going on with me.

Dummy, David said I have to conceive on one of these days.

It's strange training in an old church.

Feels like you�re just born or just dead.

Hi.

Strange, all the bells are gone but they keep tolling...

for somebody.

- Hi there. - Hello.

Come on, think.

Marry me, Tanya. I�ll give you a fur coat.

I�m Anya.

- No one likes him. He�s a boozer. - You�ve sunk so low.

Anya�s an officer and can carry a gun.

Anya, use your gun to shoot him.

Why are we surrounded by soldiers? Anya, tell me as a fellow officer.

You�d better warm up.

- Let's go get warmed up! - Yes.

All right, get working. Warm up your shoulders first.

Someone�s lost a scarf.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

I loved and respected your father. An amazing man, a genius!

The best surgeon in Moscow at 25, the best in Russia at 30.

When I was a student I watched him work.

I watched his fantastic hands. He saved so many.

It's great that you're a doctor.

Pity you aren�t a surgeon, but a physician isn't bad either.

I broke my fingers at ten.

Your mother was a wonderful woman.

She helped your father a lot.

He was a difficult man, of course, but that was entirely justified.

It's a pity they�re both gone.

- Thank you. - Goodbye.

It's terrible that they perished in the camps.

- I was at a store yesterday. - Move!

Lots of rotten cheese. It's called Roquefort.

It's not rotten, it just has an awful smell.

The French invented it and now they suffer.

Try it, maybe you'll like it.

Thank you.

- Idiot! - What of it?

Why react this way? He didn't say anything.

If you were a surgeon, they�d compare you to your father.

- You'd be more upset. - I got his temper.

But I'm a useless, worthless man.

Sir, did you read my letter?

No, I threw it out. Listen.

Two doctors, Petenkoffer and Emmerich,

drank pure live cholera cultures.

Our Mechnikov did the same. They weren�t afraid.

So forget all these useless thoughts

and go exercise, please.

- Nothing changes. - What?

We always find excuses.

You speak of scientists, but this is different.

Listen, Nina. Tell me, am I talented or is it all...

You keep talking about great scientists.

This is a different tune altogether. They sacrificed themselves.

If these boys burn...

I'm cold. Where's that scarf?

They�ll burn... and there won't even be any ashes left,

or they'll turn into charred black little lumps.

What right do we have to do this?

Don't take it off, please.

What right do you have�

No, I haven�t seen it.

Give me...

You're so pitiful. You look like a teeny-weeny rat.

Only mice can be this tiny.

- It starved for a while. - And shrank.

Nobody will burn. Anyway, others will follow.

I will follow.

- No one will do it but us. - Don�t give me a hand...

- We have to believe. - Sure.

Or we�ll fail. I see it, I know it.

Dad loved slogans. They justify anything.

Don't compare me to your father. That's unfair.

I don't understand how you can do it.

Two years ago I applied to be sent to outer space.

- So? You're a good doctor. - They refused.

- Giving no reasons. - You won't fly. I�m dirty all over.

- These operatic passions� - Sending kids up out of pride.

I'm human. It's hard for me.

Your rockets are really meant to deliver bombs.

It's mean of you to say that.

- Mean. - So be it.

I'm flying to the launch site in Kazakhstan tomorrow.

Congratulations.

Now get away from me.

Get away from me.

Or I'll start crying.

Crying? Why? For something good, or bad?

It's not civil to cry in front of strangers.

- I don't know... - I want nothing to do with you.

I�ll figure out why.

- You don't cry, anyway. - Never.

I have nightmares every night. I feel nauseous after them.

But I�m ready. I want to fly into space.

I'm willing to sacrifice myself.

I wanted to talk to Daniel Mikhailovich

and apologise for my weakness.

I know they call us "space dogs",

and what happened to them can happen to us.

I have nightmares every night. I feel nauseous after them.

But I�m ready to fly into space. I really want to.

I'm willing to sacrifice myself.

Valya, tell me, can you see the stains on my skirt?

- Not really. - Great.

- Why aren't you running? - I'm a bit tired.

I'll be off soon. I can rest when I become a marshal.

Are you sure you�ll become one?

Yes.

�Marshal� sounds good.

Well, a marshal, then.

Borya the Swan spends winters on this pond.

The newspapers say he�s very nice and sociable,

friendly with lots of Muscovites.

A friend to lots of Muscovites.

Borya the Swan.

Daniel Mikhailovich asked me to give you this letter.

Thanks.

He thinks I'll hang myself. A hysteric.

I never lose any bets. Get that into your nut!

- Are you ready? - I am.

- We ruined this state property anyway. - Let�s go.

Let's go!

- Come on! - Hold on!

Look at him rolling!

Quiet. Hush.

Hush.

Why so nervous today, brother?

I hate compression chambers too. They stink.

Open your mouth.

Let�s go for a drive.

Open your mouth.

Thank you.

- These birds� - Don't forget about Thursday.

- Things keep falling today. - Get into the chamber.

The tea's getting cold.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name...

week three

When they finish building the launch site,

it will be a fine white city that�ll stand for 1000 years.

The firewood�s damp today.

I think it was a tragic accident.

It�s sad but it can�t be helped. What do you think, Daniel?

That�s what I think as well.

Sign the paper. It's been waiting for you for three days.

... dropped cotton on the hot plate that was switched on.

The chamber immediately burst into flames.

The gym suit on the patient caught fire.

The future cosmonaut couldn�t be saved.

- Open the door! - He said no one was to blame.

How could he just� die like this?

He didn't even crash� It�s so stupid.

He left... a wife and a kid.

He just went up in flames. And burned.

I was on a train once, looking out of the window.

Beyond the glass there were small villages,

ugly villages, the ones Chekhov described.

The people were angry, unkind and hungry.

And lots of them were sick.

Nothing changes there and it never will.

Maybe this thing, this flight,

will change something?

We can't give up,

we can't ask questions, we can�t afford doubt,

we just have to go forward.

Soon one of us

will fly to the stars and everything will be fine.

Daniel Mikhailovich, is something wrong?

Tanya, let me show you a wonderful place.

I'm Anya.

Anya.

Something wrong with your wife?

No, everything's fine. We're divorced...

Anya.

Daniel Mikhailovich, we�re all very upset.

But it�s done now. He knew what he was in for.

Do you agree?

Do you have a key to the office? I have to make an urgent call.

Of course I do.

Who�s that you keep calling?

Comrade Doctor, Marat is very afraid of wolves.

He sees them everywhere. I can't do anything about it.

Why be scared? They should be scared of us.

Just spit on them, like that.

Go ahead, spit.

Comrade Doctor, I can�t do anything at all.

week two

The train to Moscow is leaving Tyura-Tam station.

The train is late again.

Could you tell me how to get to the site

where they launch rockets?

Good day.

Comrade, can you tell me how to get to the launch site?

Is that a no?

- Do you have a travel order? - No, but my husband is there.

They won�t let you in without an order.

We have nice Bulgarian skirts, for women of medium height.

Reasonable price. You won�t buy them in a store.

We also have good Yugoslavian glasses.

They use Italian designs.

They�re cheaper but still good quality.

Yugoslavian glasses are always better than Italian ones.

Your boots are out of fashion. Why wear boots like that?

All right.

I know a place, we�re going that way.

I can take you along if you wish.

- When? Right now? - We�re going in that direction.

As the ancients used to say, �physical curatical.�

Shall we? Off we go.

- Physical what? - Something like that sweater.

Here�s a nice sweater. Foreign made. I can recommend it.

I�ll buy this sweater if you take me to the site.

We�ll get you there. I�ll help you, just a moment.

- Is this your wife? - Yes, this is my wife.

I like her.

I�m Paul, a former pilot.

So I had to stay here.

Well, shall we go?

Off we go.

Foreign sweaters are rare. I wear one myself.

Want Czech Fashion magazine? My wife loves it.

She says Czech fashion is second only to the French.

But the French are capitalists, so their fashion won�t work for us.

- So where is he? - There he is.

- The sky�s unusually beautiful. - The sky is its usual grey self.

I woke up rested. My appetite is fine.

- A good appetite is great. - Birds look at me. Interesting.

Use your slingshot.

A grown-up man and a slingshot.

- They�ll serve stewed fruit today. - Yes, birds are a good sign.

- What did you do to my book? - What book?

I gave you a book of poetry. You laughed half the night over it.

- The blue one? Under the bed. - It's not blue, it's dark brown.

- You�re mistaken. - You are.

When this is over let�s go to a restaurant.

I don�t like them. I'm scared of waiters.

But if I come back, I�ll have to get used to them.

And there's a long road ahead of me.

If it�s no, it�s no. I�m not upset really.

Maybe it will work next time.

Yuri�

Please, tell me...

do you feel anything at all?

And all this?

Is this thing worth it?

Of course, I do worry a little...

but my mood is good.

They put you in a box and off you fly.

Then again, what would I be if not for this?

Nobody. That�s what I believe.

We serve our country, and mankind.

You serve and I serve.

You talked me into staying here.

Now you have to choose who�s the best.

Why is your face so sad, Comrade Doctor?

- It�s very cold. - It's the wind of time.

I hear some nut drew pictures all over the staff carriage.

Indecent pictures, I mean.

Mum� Dad�

I�m so confused.

Well, eat me now.

Citizen, cover your ears with your palms very tightly

and follow me.

Sergeant Pashintsev at your service.

This used to be a huge prison camp,

a city, really.

Now we�re putting things in order.

We set on fire

the remnants of our recent Stalinist past.

- Don�t push me. - I said, we burnt the remnants

of the recent Stalinist past.

Stop pushing me!

- Over here. - Why kill the dogs?

- Don�t you pity them? - Why? All they can do is guard.

Just like me. Remnants of the past.

You must be an actress. We�re expecting a theatre.

I came to see my husband at the range.

- It got lost. So I thought... - Sir!

- What do we do with the dogs? - Pashintsev...

I should rename you my aide-de-camp. It sounds better.

I need to get to the range...

- Where they fire rockets. - What about the dogs, sir?

Do you have a travel order?

I have a letter, there's a stamp here.

Your husband hasn't written for quite a while.

I�ve got a funny piece of literary grassing here.

�While speaking about literature...�

There�s no need. Go.

�I said we needed constructive,

�patriotic, future-oriented literature.

�N.V. claimed it was rubbish

�and the importance of Soviet authors� is exaggerated.�

I can�t make out the signature. Like to read it?

No, I wouldn�t.

I�m sorry.

My father was in the camps.

Why be scared now? It wasn�t me.

What does your husband do?

My husband is a doctor.

Do you know what this place is? You don�t.

It�s a camp for the wives of traitors.

You went the wrong way. Let me see what I can do for you.

�It�s not America, Mr Tom, it�s Africa...�

Actually, I�m supposed to detain you.

Let�s go. Don�t stand there.

Let's go. Come on...

- I do. - Then keep doing it.

My crippled husband and I were arrested by the gendarmes.

But we didn�t die because...

the poisoning wasn't fatal and I agreed to work at the police office.

My late husband and I were punished,

beaten with rubber clubs. He was really sick after that.

I think I deserved to be put here.

- It�s been my home for 15 years. - You've served your term.

Where can I go now? I�m used to this place.

Anywhere. It�s a big world. We�ll get you a voucher for a room.

I'll write to Comrade Khrushchev.

I�m quite fine where I am.

- This is folly. - You can't live in a prison camp.

It's for serving appropriate sentences.

Why not let them stay and live here?

They�ve been here since the �30s. Where would they go?

We live in a different free country.

- I don't think so. - I don't know.

It's too big a price.

- What do you want from me? - Just send me to my husband.

This is our local power plant.

It�s almost as big as the Dnieper HPP.

These tracks lead nowhere.

So nobody could ever escape.

It�s like a dream.

Yes, like a dream.

This is the former camp warden.

He�s in charge of electricity here.

Comrade, sir, I need new felt boots. I�m flat out.

- It will be done. - Good.

- We�ll provide. - Fine.

Oh, it�s cold here.

I used to think Kazakhstan was in the south.

My suitcase is broken.

Oh, damn!

Here�s a truck that will take you there.

It�s like you�re made of raw iron. I�m scared and you�re not.

That�s funny.

I�ll give you the papers so you know there are decent people around.

Are you tired?

Last summer I was very sick but now I�m fine.

And the captain...

What do we do with the dogs?

He�s sick too. He�ll die if he stays here.

Is it bound for the launch site?

- Yes. Go to that car. - Thanks.

A dog. A wet dog...

Thanks.

My bum is all wet now!

Quite nice. Subtropical.

In think in 100 years we'll all turn into rain or rainbows.

I like it, there's some harmony in it.

It will be so sad.

Why sad?

If we turn into rain, the rain dries up and nothing is left.

Water evaporates.

Recently I dreamt that you came here.

- Hello. - Want some salad?

- I do. - It�s very good.

- Dania, who is this woman? - She�s my wife.

The wife�s name is Nina.

The U.S. is behind us where jet engines are concerned,

but they�re ahead of us in communications and I.T.

Don�t whine. I'm the one who should be crying.

- You could've said I'm your sister. - You don�t look alike.

- It�s embarrassing. - It is.

Greetings!

I agree with him.

Why do you hurt him?

You have unkind eyes.

He tried to leave me.

So I tailed him around. I followed him like a tail.

- And I kept him. - Good for you.

Charades...

What Italian city means �love� when read backwards?

- Roma. - Good!

What river�s name is also a fruit?

Orange.

It's no fun, you know everything.

Name the cape that�s a musical instrument.

I want to smoke but I can�t...

Vera, dear, what is it?

Vera, what�s got into you?

Vera, tears are good. But not right now.

Let�s get out of here.

Let�s go.

She�s a charming person,

but a bit weird, isn�t she?

But who's normal nowadays?

- It could affect children, though. - It�s rude, Nina.

Now it�s my fault. Wasn�t it you who left me for her?

I didn�t leave for her... I just left.

Last night... Last night I woke up...

I wrote in my diary

that in a few days we�d be sending a man to his death.

Dania, may I at least spend the night here?

Our worries are transient. Our descendants will laugh at us.

- At our petty feelings. - You've gone mad.

And I became part of your madness.

What should I do?

- Greetings, Doctor! - Good evening.

- Why are you out in the rain? - Just sitting here.

You must be nervous about the launch.

A man flying for the first time.

Five out of seven got into orbit.

Three landed perfectly, one crash landed.

It will be fine.

If something happens, doctors will be helpless anyway.

I�m a bit worried, of course.

I had a whole harem in Kazakhstan.

They went on strike and left me. Only a donkey and a eunuch stayed.

I have nowhere to live, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

I understand all the reasons, of course.

More harmony.

More harmony!

All right, comrades.

Let�s rehearse the funeral march.

Hi. How do you do?

- Buy the portrait, 40 roubles. - Wow, it�s gone up�

Stop! Where are you going?

- Get out of the way! - Leave!

- Out of the way! - Go!

Step aside. Bloody move!

He�s not ill, he�s drunk.

- Is Mum home? - Come in.

- Dad, how are you feeling? - Side pains, short of breath.

This place is absurd and stupid.

You know, I want to die

so I don�t have to see all this.

But I'm dead already, what can I do?

You look tired, son.

Dad, I�ve got headaches.

My hands don�t always obey me.

It's called a clash.

- What? - A clash.

Two opposite impulses sent by the cerebral cortex.

The inner impulse orders you to do one thing.

But you force yourself to do something opposite.

It happens to all of us in daily life

but sometimes, rarely, this clash gets really serious.

And illness results.

Like in a cybernetic machine.

If a machine gets two contradicting orders, it breaks down.

- So what should I do, Dad? - Calm down.

I tried, but I couldn�t do it.

You might be acting against human nature.

- A doctor can�t take lives. - Mum...

You don�t answer the phone. I keep calling, wanting to ask you...

My little one, I just can�t. Understand?

You know, don�t you?

You�ve changed so much. Are you angry with me?

No, I just gave up.

It�s like I�m living somebody else�s life.

Everything is working, but it�s not my life.

- You�ll talk your fill soon. - Why is that?

Because you'll die soon.

We�ll all live together as a family again. Just so.

- This is nonsense. - Nonsense?

- Aren�t we happy here? - You fool.

So we died, so what?

You seem so lonely�

Yes, yes.

Look! What are you doing?

Get up! Jumping under the train!

I�ll hit you with the can.

Get lost! Don�t you look at me!

You pathetic drunk! Get lost! Get out of here!

Go! I said get out of here. Walk!

week one

I swear...

that whatever I achieve, I will never stop...

that I will keep...

that I will never stop striving and working

working...

to bring to life

the great dreams of the leaders of the proletariat...

the great dreams... of the great leaders...

of conquering outer space.

I will proudly carry the flag of the first man...

to orbit the Earth.

- Show me your throat. - Damn it! I forgot the words!

Conquering space...

I will proudly carry the flag of the first man to reach...

You need to hand in your reports. They yell at me and I just shrug.

- They�re threatening to fire us. - I�ll hand them in.

You can't conquer space without taking risks.

Fear of fatalities will impede space exploration.

Do your reports. They want to check. It�s okay.

I�ll hand them in.

He won�t burn. Yuri will do really well.

A new era will arrive tomorrow.

Look, I found a book.

That must be Yuri's.

- Just hand in the papers. - I will.

They complained...

Daniel Mikhailovich...

- Why is it you don�t look at me? - I just don�t.

Yuri...

Yuri, is this the book?

I thought it was blue.

Baratashvili�s poems translated by Pasternak.

Please, tell me...

Did you think it over?

Daniel Mikhailovich...

- Let's tell our fortunes. - Sure.

- Fifth stanza from the top. - Here.

It's about distant countries. I�ve never been there.

Why are they tormenting me with that text?

I�m here just in case. Cosmonaut Number 2.

- Good day. - Hello.

- Stop this nonsense, please. - Time to go.

- Let's try again. - I don�t want to.

- For luck. - There's one stupid poem. No.

There is no fate.

It�s imaginary.

Goodbye, Daniel Mikhailovich.

Yuri, are you sure?

That�s fate, Daniel Mikhailovich.

My victory is the victory of our nation...

Yes, of course, it�s fate.

New conquerors will follow in my footsteps...

Just a moment.

Don�t be upset, brother, you�ll fly next time.

Who knows what�ll happen to me.

- Should I kick you? - You think it's funny?

Just a joke in your style.

Isn�t it too subtle?

You�re going deaf, pal. Keep joking.

- Well? - Jokester's broken. Later.

How about a shashlik?

- Lamb? - Yes.

Sure.

- How about a ride? - Great.

Lads, can we borrow your bikes?

- Thanks. - Thanks.

It�s all broken.

- It�s so muddy. - You�ll be our referee.

- Watch out for the truck. - Go, go, go!

Go!

From this spot.

Let�s do a bow from the pole to that bonfire.

- Let�s go. - Ready?

- I'll beat you. - Go!

Go. Onwards!

I�m on.

- Come on, forward! - Here we go!

Come on!

- Forward! - Bloody thing.

- My chain is off! - Thanks.

Go!

- Go! - Wait!

- On! - Wait for me.

Go on!

Daniel Mikhailovich...

All of us are going to celebrate tomorrow.

It�ll be fun. Are you coming?

What if there�s no cause?

Next time then, and tomorrow we�ll cry.

- Someone has to fly one day. - Think what you say, fool.

You do know I love you.

I follow you around like a dog. And you�re so important, aren�t you?

As if you don't care about me.

You have a weak heart, you're afraid for your life.

You imagine you�re someone else.

But you aren�t like that.

You could have given me flowers.

But no, I can give myself some, because I can�t wait anymore.

It will be fine because I�m very nice and I know I�ll be happy.

- Don�t you lean on me. - Save me.

I feel like I�m a character in a movie.

This is all so absurd.

- You�re weak, you�re a weak man. - Shoo!

Go away! Shoo!

- Leave it alone. - So many dogs around here!

It�s a new thing...

A great event is coming, and these dogs...

It would be nice to get rid of them.

He came last night, drunk or ill.

- Want some tea? - No.

You look hysterical, you should see a doctor.

- I am a doctor. - Is this his coat?

- Fool, what did you prove? - Help me.

We spent the night looking for you.

She kept running around, crying and calling you.

I just met Sasha. He forgave you, he said�

Really? Did he forgive me? What�s to forgive?

What? Nina...

Did you lose your voice again?

He�s not upset.

Vera, tell him.

- Tell him what? - That he�s not angry with you.

- Sasha forgave you. - So what� He forgave me...

I didn�t cry. I didn't cry, I didn't cry.

I didn't cry...

Sergei... What if he burns too? I can't do this any more.

But we really must build this bright new life at some point.

I don�t understand� I do not...

- Sweetheart� - I don�t understand�

We will leave, do you hear me?

- I�ll take you away. - I don�t get it.

We�ll get on a train and we�ll just keep going.

We can take her along. Do you want us to? We will.

Sweetheart�

You can�t just stay here, do you hear me?

I�m all alone, Nina, in this empty field in the heart of Asia.

You just don�t understand, Nina.

You don�t get that I believe in this.

- I understand. - And that I always will believe.

- You will. - In all this.

I�ll never, ever leave my homeland.

- This world is mad. - For better or for worse.

- Leave me! - Get into the car!

- Your generosity is useless. - I�m alone...

- You don�t understand. - Get in.

Where�s the driver? Bundle up. Where�s the driver?

Put the shawl on.

My hand, my hand�

Where�s the driver?

Over there.

Come back!

What are you...

What are you doing?

If I stand on one wheel, everything will be fine.

Everything...

will be fine, it will be fine.

It�ll work.

He�ll come back.

Yuri will succeed!

Once more!

Everything will be fine�

You... Do you have a mirror?

Do you have a mirror?

Hide.

Hide! Hide!

Who... What?

Everything is okay.

Here I am.

It worked. Don�t�

Stop, it�s all right.

- Nobody could do it, but we did. - Yes, we did it.

Let�s throw you up... To celebrate the great event!

Hooray!

Comrades, enough, thank you!

He flew right to the stars and came back.

He flew and came back like an angel.

Get the hell out of here! Leave!

Get bloody lost!

You broke my china. Rare, fine china.

- We drove carefully. - It�s broken.

Really? Did the plates break on their own?

- They did. - My china�s broken.

- That china was too fragile. - What�s life without a china set?

It feels the same, but it�s just not right.

It�s just a type of clay, really. Fragile clay.

The vases broke. They�re useless.

- You can�t tell from outside. - But beautiful.

- China is fragile. - It brightens your life.

It�s 10 o�clock Moscow time.

We transmit the TASS report

about the first human to fly

into outer space.

What are you doing?

Are you insane?

Oh, God� It�s all dirty.

Show me your palm.

... able to orbit the Earth.

It�s the first manned spaceship.

- I�m so happy. - It�s a great day.

He flew down like an angel.

Thank you, Lord.

Oh, Zhenya...

Ten years passed.

Not long ago a plane crash took the first man who flew into space.

He died horribly, by accident. He burned.

Nina continued to work where she used to work with Dania.

When on occasion her co-workers looked at old photos

of all the famous cosmonauts and their doctors

they�d ask if that man on the photo was her late husband.

But every year that question came less and less often.

It�s fate.

- May I stay? I don�t want to go. - You should go.

Why don�t you marry Garik?

I don�t like him.

You don�t like him. And who do you like?

Why did you take that poor dentist

and pour a plateful of soup all over his head?

What did he do to you?

He was stupid. He was a stupid fool.

- A fool. - Nina, dear, let�s go.

And you�re smart.

You read too much,

you�ll read your life away.

When I die... what will you do?

Imagine, I was offered a new job.

I�ll travel and travel

and observe people�s lives.

Different lives. The light bulb's gone.

Garik bought a new car.

- Everything�s breaking again. - Hi there.

- Don�t kiss her. - Let me help.

- She�s so mean. Unbearable. - Okay.

And she�s a terrible nag.

Good girls.

Thanks.

Vera, did I take my medicine today?

- Take some warm clothes. - We must get the dog out...

Go ahead, write...

�I, Sergei Prokopov,

�affirm that when the Baltic plants reach capacity,

�prices for Soviet-made TV sets will drop

�and reach 50 to 100 roubles for a Taurus TV.

�If I'm right, Arkhangelsky will treat Prokopov

�to a 30-rouble meal.�

- 20 roubles. - Don't be stingy.

Today�s my birthday.

Are you scared? Hush.

It�s so tight. Try it.

Open it.

- Hello. - Is it raining?

Hello.

I�m off to Czechoslovakia as a cultural attache.

- How are you? - I�m in the movies.

I play generals and marshals. I wanted to play Pushkin...

But then I thought �I�m no Pushkin.�

- They didn�t cast you. - And it�s dull.

Don�t be so upset, brother. Sign it.

- How are you? - I was sick.

I had three operations. I�m okay now.

- David hanged himself. - Yes, I heard.

- My new watch stopped. - Something warm?

- Leave me alone. I�m not cold. - My brand new watch stopped.

- Hello. - Then buy a new one.

Component-wise, Soviet beer is fine but it tastes awful.

What else don�t you like about our Motherland, tell me?

I bought a fridge for my dacha. Did I invite you to drink to it?

- You�re a bourgeois. - A cool dacha.

- Yes, he is. - Buy my china set. It�s too heavy.

Why leave? Many emigrants pine away abroad.

What do you need in the west?

I�m just leaving. I�m tired of all this.

Nothing will happen here.

I strongly object. Read the papers.

The country is moving on! I state this as a Leninist!

You know, sometimes I feel we invented this era for ourselves.

It seemed to us that just a few steps would make it work,

but it didn�t work.

Sure, thanks.

Cooperation between despotism and freedom,

enlightenment and slavery...

A dog will never be a horse.

A horse will stay a horse.

Vera...

- We need to buy curtains... - Squaring the circle.

- Where? - The kitchen.

A puzzle we�ve been unable to solve since Peter the Great.

It�s the least we can do.

- These boots are ugly. - Slavery can�t be justified.

You�re free or you�re not.

Does it look like him? The first man in space.

Yura�s just died, and there�s a monument.

His death was so awkward and absurd....

He was a man and now he�s stone.

An idol. Disgusting.

What do you say?

He looks as if he had no soul.

He was a man, and he became�

Yuri burned and turned to ash.

It�s fate.

Don�t be sad, all will be well. My wife left me.

- Can you bring some firewood? - Just a moment.

I like it.

Good for you.

Not afraid to buy a car from a friend? It�s old and rickety.

There's some stuff in the trunk.

It�s old scarves. I forgot all about them.

- Here you go. - This car is for my mother- in-law.

This is for you.

Hurray!

Listen, take it. Hurray!

- Give me more! - Here!

Take some more.

Who wants more?

Dear Nina Vladimirovna...

When I talked to you today, it felt like talking to Dania.

Remember that play? �We shall live, Uncle Vanya.

�We�ll live through a long procession of days.

�We�ll bear patiently the trials that fate imposes on us.

�We�ll work for others, now and when we are old.�

- Done? - I don�t remember.

Don�t remember...

�And then we�ll die...

�and we�ll calmly�

�we�ll humbly accept death when it comes.

�Beyond the grave we�ll say we�d suffered...�

- �And wept and were bitter�� - What?

�Together we�ll see a bright and beautiful life.�

Look at that!

Thanks. What the hell!

We�ll have to fix the umbrella.

And we�ll renovate our apartment in a year.

We�ll do it for sure. Right?

Let's hang yellow curtains...

I saw some the other day, with horses on them...

Director Aleksei German Junior

Producer Artem Vasiliev

Producer Sergei Shumakov

Associate Producer Yevgeni Lebedev

Script Aleksei German Junior

with Vladimir Arkusha and Yulia Glezarova

Camera Maksim Drozdov Alisher Khamijojarv

Music Fedor Sofronov

Dania - Merab Ninidze Nina - Chulpan Khamatova

Vera - Anastasiya Sheveleva

Subtitles Ausmanx for KG