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ALTHOUGH INSPIRED BY REAL FACTS AND CHARACTERS, THIS IS A FICTIONAL STORY.

The same year a Cuban went to space,

my dad, the best looking guy in this photo,

started studying Marxist philosophy in Moscow.

Back then our friendship with the Soviet Union seemed indestructible.

But as soon as I was born, history

started moving at light speed.

The invincible socialist camp was falling apart

without the need for a war.

The heroic USSR was our only friend left

but they were too busy with their own problems.

Cuba was left alone in the middle of a crisis

that was getting worse every day.

A catastrophe.

But the worst was yet to come.

And Dad was trying to make sense of the tsunami.

"I'm sitting on the side of the road.

The driver is changing the tire.

I don't like where I've been.

I don't like where I'm going.

Why am I watching impatiently?"

And this was written eight years before the Wall was built.

All we have left...

is "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.

That's why when Brecht suggested

that more than change a tire, we needed to change what?

To change the government.

To change course.

SERGIO & SERGEI

And if tomorrow or any other day

we were to wake up to the news

of a large civil uprising in the USSR,

or even if we woke up to the news

that the USSR has disintegrated,

something we hope will never happen,

even under those circumstances,

Cuba and the Cuban Revolution

would keep fighting and keep resisting!

Red Square was empty.

Natalie was walking in front of me.

She had a pretty name, my guide,

Natalie.

Red Square was white,

the snow made a carpet.

And that cold Sunday I followed

Natalie.

She spoke in sober phrases

about the October Revolution.

I was already thinking...

Mom!

...that after Lenin's tomb

we'd go to the Pushkin café

to drink hot chocolate.

Mom!

Red Square was empty.

I took her arm, she smiled.

Mom?

She had blonde hair, my guide,

Natalie.

-Mom, I'm home. -Yes, son.

Where's Mariana?

Don't worry, I'm going to pick her up at school right now.

Is there really a coup happening in the USSR?

The tanks are...

in Red Square.

Sergei.

Can you hear me?

Sergei.

Yes, I'm here.

How are things up there?

Everything's in order. Hello, Igor.

Have you got my return date?

We're checking everything.

Any more changes?

Yes. You might say that.

What's the problem now?

My dear, Seryozha...

it's official.

Our USSR doesn't exist anymore.

When we get you down,

you'll be returning to Russia.

Sergei?

Seryozha!

For Dad...

Daddy, did you see me?

...it was like telling Newton that gravity didn't exist anymore.

Hurry up, they'll see you!

Fucking amazing!

The tsunami...

had arrived.

SOCIALISM OR DEATH

And we weren't even safe on the roof.

The world was upside down.

And Cuba had been left isolated in a different dimension.

Luckily, Dad had his radio and managed to stay informed.

U5MIR.

U5...

At nine in the morning

there will be blackouts in Centro Havana and Old Havana.

From 1 P.M. to 7 P.M. there will be blackouts in Plaza and Cerro.

Things couldn't be more complicated, comrades.

We've been left alone to face the biggest empire in the world.

And in such a context,

we radio hams are the only ones

who can communicate directly

with the enemy.

As soon as we're finished, Sergio.

This officer joining us today

has been assigned to our area.

Her name is Lia

and she has specific instructions for us.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Lamote! Lamote, come here.

I'd like to hear what the comrade has to say.

You know perfectly well Ramiro that we don't care

if we contact someone in China, Belgium or America.

We spend months with this nonsense

until one day a contact solves a problem or saves a life.

-It's happened to everyone. -That's right.

That won't be affected.

We're fully aware of how important your work is.

But let's not be naive.

The Americans are monitoring all the radio frequencies,

and we're going to do the same.

Yeah,

but there are people here who use the radio

to talk to their families,

to have them send something...

and even to find out if someone who left

on a raft arrived safely.

How can that crony know that?

They're watching us.

Here.

Good morning, ugly!

-What's up, uglier! -You're uglier than me!

Daddy, come on, it's getting late!

Sergei.

Seryozha!

Are you awake?

What are you doing there at this hour?

There are things I can't tell you in front of my superiors.

Are you going to surprise me and say I can make it to Natasha's birthday?

The meeting to adjust the schedule

has been moved to next week.

Again?

Seryozha, everything is changing here.

Igor, be straight with me. What's happening?

The way things are going,

if we abandon the station now, we could lose it.

What do you mean?

That even if they give you a return date,

you have to be prepared to be up there longer than they say.

How much "longer"?

We don't even have a budget

to pay people's salaries.

It won't be easy to prepare your return.

Were you expecting a package?

A package?

No.

Open it, please.

Customs intercepted it at the airport.

This is the delivery address.

Oh, right, Peter sent me this.

A radio ham in New York...

-who contacts me. -Why?

Why did he send me the package or why does he contact me?

Well...

both.

Look, my radio is homemade.

I can barely communicate in Morse Code.

This will make things easier...

The equipment has been confiscated, Sergio.

Of course.

Is this Peter you mentioned...

the author of this book?

There's information in there that only the CIA has access to.

I'd have to read the book to tell you.

-You know that illegal possession of... -No, no.

If you confiscated it, there was never any possession.

In fact, you put that money there and I never touched it.

We agree about that.

How big was the package?

Marianita, don't run!

Remember what happened to your eye?

I don't get why they let you keep this.

Something fishy is going on.

I think they're stringing him along.

Me too.

I like this microphone better.

Give me a hand, Ulises.

Let's see if the bastards can monitor me now.

Scram! Scram!

Let the boys work, sweetie.

Daddy, is this cosmonaut a boy or a girl?

Plug it in over there.

All set.

Thank God Dad never threw anything away.

This is from World War II.

Do you copy, Peter?

Do you copy, Peter?

Capricorn One here.

Finally I get to hear you!

You have the voice of a radio announcer!

You had me worried, man.

I didn't get you in any trouble, no?

Come on, what do you think Cuba is, huh?

By the way, the money wasn't necessary. Really.

How do you like the equipment?

It's amazing! What a great surprise you gave me.

I owe it to your father.

So many years of typing back and forth, you know?

I never even got a chance to hear his voice.

Even the day he told me he was sick.

How about those Mets?

I'm not talking about baseball any more this fucking season.

You know, I'm reading your book.

It's quite interesting, man.

Do you really think they stepped on the moon?

Of course they did.

But it's even shadier than that.

I have evidence that even President Nixon was involved.

But, um...

Let's change the subject, Sergio.

Even the walls they have ears.

Hey, does your friend need me to check on the Coast Guard reports?

No, no, I'll let you know.

Listen, Peter, I've got to go.

Talk to you soon, friend.

And thanks again.

W3PJ...

Now that the USSR isn't the enemy anymore,

the enemy of the Empire...

All we have is ice.

...is us.

If I drink coffee I can't sleep.

Our country faces a Special Period.

The devil knows more the older he gets.

A difficult, special time.

This is going to get worse.

Our task is not only to survive,

but to develop even further.

And we're penniless.

It looks like another world.

There's still no volcanic activity on the surface.

Who knows what's really happening in there?

I'll continue observing.

The tranquility could be deceptive.

What's happening, my queen?

Sergio's doing his best, the poor guy.

But you know his head is always in the clouds.

Help him.

Enlighten him.

Mother of good will,

help us.

Protect us,

in the name of God.

Oh, God.

If the light of redemption calls you, blessed being,

and it calls you to Earth with love,

I'd like to see that being

singing praise to glorious Immanuel.

Blessed being,

march forward and come.

Your daughter is calling and says to come.

Blessed being,

march forward and come.

Your daughter is calling

and says to come.

With your permission, my queen.

Better times will come.

You know I'll give it back.

Marianita, I'll be right back!

Don't open the door for anyone!

You know I'll give it back.

CQ.

CQ, the X.

From U5MIR.

U5MIR, in the orbital station.

Who's talking there?

CQ.

Daddy, there's a man talking weird on the radio!

Yeah?

This is U5MIR.

Here CM2CU.

Please repeat your call sign.

Okay. This is U5MIR,

In the orbital station.

Did you say the Mir Space Station?

You speak Russian!

I'm Cuban, comrade! And I speak Russian.

You know...

I also speak a little Cuban.

Really?

I had a Cuban cosmonaut friend

and a Cuban girlfriend who studied in Moscow.

I studied in Moscow too!

Great!

Engineer?

No.

Philosophy.

Marxism.

Marxism?

Wow!

And how is Marxism doing in Cuba with everything that's going on?

I can't hear you!

QSB, QSB, CM2CU.

I can't hear you!

-Unbelievable...! -Who is that man?

He's a Russian cosmonaut and he's in space.

Incredible, huh?

Cover your ears, Mariana.

Fucking amazing!

Hey, those aren't your ears.

When you're a child and you're loved,

fantasy takes care of the rest.

So no matter how bad things were,

I remember those years as the happiest of my life.

The cosmonaut seemed magical to me.

And I still think that Dad and the Russian

met thanks to Grandma's prayers.

It put a smile on Dad's face again.

In the middle of so much trouble.

Paula, you're behind on your thesis.

Professor, my sculpture has no meaning

if I give you the written essay in advance.

In other words,

the tutor and the opponent won't know until the last minute.

I know I won't convince you,

but you're the head of the Thesis Committee.

Let me talk to them.

What are you afraid of?

Afraid?

Afraid of what?

I'm not the official who closed your exhibition.

No, you're the teacher who plays with the chain,

but never with the monkey.

-Hello. -Hello.

Were you looking for me?

Yeah.

The check didn't come this month either.

Sergio, there's not even paper for the school magazine.

They're paying for books that went to print after mine.

Yeah? Well none of them propose updating Marxism.

Sonia, who do I have to see?

Theoretically, me. I'm the dean.

But it's up to the publisher.

CQ, CQ,

CM2CU.

I have news for you, Peter.

Peter?

Peter...

You looking for this?

I bet there's nothing in here.

That's why they send you to look through my dirty underwear, huh?

You know, you have the ability to piss off my bosses, so...

I'll give you credit for that.

You're a man that's solitary...

That makes you real easy to get rid of.

A college professor.

I try to be.

You studied in the Soviet Union

and served in Angola.

We're interested in your friend Peter, Sergio.

Can you help us feel him out?

I'll explain.

We could try to get close to him

to see what kind of information...

I'm not a good choice for that.

I'm very absent-minded. I'd screw everything up.

Look, boss, here it is.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

It looks like you've been operating outside the authorized frequency.

I had some problems with the antenna, but I'm fixing it.

Did you make contact with anyone

on unauthorized frequencies?

Your friend Peter, for example.

Did you make contact or not?

That's your job.

I hear you badly.

Is that better?

A little.

We didn't have time for introductions.

My name is Sergio.

No way!

My name is Sergei!

I read it in the newspaper!

Sergei?

Sergei?

Sergei!

Now you're going to tell me your wife's name is Natasha.

No, her name was Mariana,

like my daughter. And you?

-Have you got kids? -Yes, I have two.

They must be very proud their father is a cosmonaut.

They are.

But they won't forgive me for being away so long.

Imagine how crazy the Mir would be if they were there with you.

We have a dog too!

My Cuban girlfriend said Havana is the happiest place on Earth.

How long has it been since you talked to her?

Sergio?

Sergio!

Sergio, are you there?

I'm here.

Did I wake you?

I've been trying to reach you for days.

You won't believe what happened. I spoke to an astronaut!

Are you smoking too?

Before I forget...

I have friends covering a competition in Havana.

I can get you anything you need.

Thanks, but you don't need to.

I know you're going through a little bit of a rough time right now.

We're going to get through this.

-Don't worry. -Sure.

When you knock your wall down.

I don't think we have the same exit in mind.

For a communist country, Sergio...

I think that's the only way out.

You studied in Moscow, right?

Remember I got a master's degree in Marxist philosophy, Peter.

Peter?

Marxist... Leninist philosophy.

Peter?

Can I be honest?

I never understood that.

Were you sent to Moscow

or was it your decision to go?

It was my decision.

Peter?

I'm Polish... Sergio.

I've been living in this country for fifty years.

But I'm Polish...

and a Jew.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

My family was massacred.

Not by fucking Hitler and the Nazis.

By Stalin.

I know everything there is to know about communism. Peter?

Peter was a friend from way back.

But Morse Code had never let them talk politics.

Cuba isn't easy to explain.

And it was very hard for Peter to understand.

Grandma never talked politics.

She had both feet firmly on the ground.

Trouble at the university?

Hey.

Eat.

I don't like it.

It's all we've got.

Eat one more spoonful.

You can have a glass of milk before bed.

Hey, come here.

Swallow.

Open.

Milk?

I'm talking to you.

I pawned a jewel from the Virgin.

Don't do it again.

Give me a few days to come up with something.

I went to the cigar factory.

I'm going back.

You know you can't do that anymore.

What happened with the book?

And the translations?

Nobody translates from Russian anymore.

My classes are all I have left.

Distribute the weight, gentlemen.

You see, I told you it was easy.

Go for it or they'll starve you to death.

When you get there let us know you made it okay.

You sold another raft.

Hey.

The best raft since the Kon Tiki!

I'll give you their names so the American can let us know when they get there.

How's Paula's thesis coming along?

Fine.

Sergio, all eyes are on her since the problem with her exhibition.

You know how things are right now.

Do you need a Russian professor?

Russian?

Actually, we don't need the one we've got.

Russian was taken off the curriculum.

I had no Santa Claus,

no Christmas tree,

but I still came out normal.

And that's how I lived,

having to invent my toys once a year.

How many people are up there with you?

I'm alone.

Alone?

My substitute felt sick

and he had to return with the other crew member

who was with me.

Is that a cow?

Where do you think we get our milk from?

It's background sound to relax us.

I read that the Mir is still flying the Soviet flag.

Sergei?

I live on an island in time, Sergio. Believe me.

I know what that's like.

How do you explain all this to your students?

My job has become harder than yours, Sergei.

I believe you.

There are things they can't understand.

And they're very impatient.

Do you know the experiment with the boiled toad?

You have toads up there?

If you take a toad

and you put it in a pot of boiling water,

the toad leaps out and hops away.

But if the water is cold and you heat it slowly,

the toad doesn't react

and gets boiled alive

slowly.

We got boiled slowly,

but young people...

Excuse me...

Sergei?

I can't hear you, Sergei.

Sergei?

To a Russian?

That's right.

To a Russian.

They were talking about cows and toads.

It could have been code.

-Was he off the frequency again? -That's the other thing.

It's getting harder to monitor him.

-Why is that? -I don't know.

It shouldn't happen.

You think they're using some camouflage technique?

"Of proletarian origin,

son of a cigar factory reader,

six-year-old daughter, lives with his mother, 64..."

-And his wife? -Graduated in the USSR, like him.

She died giving birth.

I remember it well because

it ruined our local health figures that year.

Don't get me wrong.

We have to keep working.

Yes, I know, but something tells me

that we can't wait much longer.

CQ, CQ, U5MIR, CM2CU.

Sergei?

Can you hear me, Sergei?

Sergei?

Two damaged panels and one out of service.

Energy levels?

Seventy percent.

I don't know if we're out of danger.

Igor,

I don't want Natasha to know anything about this.

Every news agency in the world will bother her on her birthday.

Why is that?

That's the day you'll break the space endurance record.

Hell of a birthday present!

For Dad it wasn't the best of years.

Between his books they wouldn't publish and the debates in his classes,

they accused him of being a reformist and a pro-perestroika.

Nearly the worst thing you could be at the time.

But the problems that worried him the most

were waiting for him every day when he got home.

What's that?

Mom...

Don't scold me, Sergio.

Making cigars is the only thing I know how to do.

If Dad were here...

Your dad believed anything they said on the news.

I'm the one who put food on the table.

And now I'm the one who should be doing it.

You live on the same moon as him, sweetie.

It's a gift you both have.

He was so proud of you when you graduated.

But I told him:

"Get ready to sing The International with an empty stomach."

What are you complaining about?

You've had a great life.

Then let me finish it my way.

I listened to you and didn't go back to the factory.

But stay out of this.

Where are the kids? I don't hear them.

I need to talk to you alone.

Is something wrong?

Seryozha...

I'm going to sell some things from the house.

Why?

The shops are empty.

Prices are so high your salary won't even start the month. So...

Are you going hungry?

Natasha.

Tell me, are you going hungry?

The return to draft animals

has helped farmers reach 120% of the seed plan.

In international news,

Sergei Asimov, the cosmonaut from the former USSR

who has been on the Mir space station since March of last year,

is about to set a new record

for time spent in space,

surpassing the mark set by his countrymen...

They present it as a triumph,

but if you're in trouble, the world should know.

That's not how it works.

I know how it works.

Problems don't exist until you talk about them

in public, but then it's too late.

You know who really cares?

My wife,

my mother, my children.

That's why I don't want them to know.

Silence, Sergei,

can do you more harm than a meteorite.

Where are you going with this?

I don't know, Sergei.

All I have is this radio and it's at your service.

Tell me if there's anything I can do.

This is Red Vanguard.

Who?

Ramiro.

Boss, I need to see you.

Sergei,

the Program Director and Chief Engineer are here with me.

Igor,

excuse me, but...

I have something to say to them.

What?

Listen closely.

While I'm up here, my family is struggling.

I don't care what the situation is like,

there will be food on the table in my home. Is that clear?

I can communicate with the world

and I'm willing to take action to protect my wife and children.

Are you sure about this?

Look, boss. I admit that

my English and Russian are very basic,

but I'd bet anything it's related to outer space.

And think about it.

Think about it.

We're talking about an American and a Russian.

A Russian!

In the present context,

we can't tell who is worse.

Stop by the technical department, they'll give you a recorder.

Increase the surveillance.

And when you've finished your report,

come and see me.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Excuse me, Lia.

Just one question.

The high command knows about my work, right?

-Professor. -Hi.

Now when they cut our Marxism classes,

you can become a cyclist.

I'm considering my options.

What's that?

And your thesis?

I'm going to finish my sculpture.

The rest is your problem.

You're pushing things and you know it.

Professor.

They say you're leaving the university.

You guys wish.

Don't say that. You're our favorite dictator.

If I lend it to you will you give it back?

I was a pretty bright kid.

And that notebook told me things maybe Dad didn't even know.

But his mind was worried about other things.

Sergei, your toads are keeping me up at night.

Why is that?

Some day my little frog will grow up

and realize that her daddy was lost.

That he didn't know what he had to do.

She'll understand that you took care of her,

that you made her happy

and that you taught her to leap out of the pot.

Wow, you sure know how to turn things around!

Everything turns around, comrade!

Like in a waltz!

A waltz?

Sounds more like a bolero to me.

A bolero?

My Cuban girlfriend sang boleros.

Not your Cuban girlfriend again!

They're going to see you some day.

Maybe your cosmonaut...

Caridad asked me to help her sell the cigars.

I'll do whatever you say,

but better me than someone else.

Does your proposal still stand?

You have to watch the gas.

If the temperature isn't constant,

the alcohol will smell like shit and nobody will drink it.

The other one is the cooling coil.

To create condensation, the water has to be cool the whole time.

And careful with the bottles.

Not even a drop of alcohol can be lost.

You look like you have no clue what I said.

You understand, Caridad?

You're the one I really trust with this.

Don't worry, cooking is harder.

What's that over there?

Mariana,

I said to stay out of the kitchen.

Hey, one second.

Sergio, the girl needs to know or she'll open her mouth at school.

That's true.

Marianita, sweetheart, look.

The main thing here

that you can't say a word about anything you see here.

Like the radio station in Miami?

It's even better than the rum they export.

Man, it's too strong.

Listen to this, gentlemen.

The Pilón beat.

The Pilón beat.

So nice...

It drives me crazy.

It drives me crazy.

It drives me crazy, the Pilón drives me crazy.

It drives me crazy, it drives me crazy.

I've learned,

I've learned.

I've learned there's nothing poor about the Pilón...

What have you gotten me into, Ulises?

Brother,

Karl Marx had Friedrich Engels,

but if you don't move your ass, you're screwed.

It's all stolen.

The coils,

the bottles,

the sugar, the spirits...

And even my mother is mixed up in this.

Well...

The proletariat can't live on 200 pesos.

Doesn't it say that in "Capital"?

Damn it, I don't want my daughter to grow up seeing this.

Not Mariana.

Is that rum you're drinking?

Kind of.

Call it a "generic" brand.

I'm sucking down the alcohol from the experiments.

You sound sad, Sergei.

You broke a record today, right?

Yes.

And it's my wife's birthday.

But I know they're having a rough time

and I feel sad.

Very sad!

Are you crying?

No, comrade.

Cosmonauts don't cry.

The tears would float all over the place.

It would be pathetic.

How interesting!

Damn!

Now you're going to ask me

how I go to the bathroom.

How do you know?

It was the second question I asked myself

when I saw Gagarin come back from space.

How does this guy manage to take a crap in that suit?

And what was the first question?

What do I have to do to be like him?

That's beautiful.

The Earth looks beautiful from up here.

I dream about returning every night.

It hurts so much to wake up that I don't want to sleep anymore.

We have such a beautiful home, Sergio.

What idiots we are!

Well,

you're a philosopher.

You must know that better than I do.

But yes,

I feel very sad.

Vodka never made me feel like this.

Remember, it's not vodka.

Yeah.

That must be it.

Comrade Sergei,

let me insist.

How can I help you?

You already are.

Damn it!

What the...?

What is this?

The main panel connector is damaged.

We know.

It's not hard to repair,

but you have to go outside.

When your substitute arrives, it's the first thing you'll do.

I can't sit here waiting.

I can't risk freezing up here.

I'll try to do it myself.

You know that without backup inside the station

I can't authorize that.

Imagine

I run out of power and you have to evacuate me immediately.

That's just the excuse they need

to kill off the Mir.

You're right, but I still forbid you to do it.

Igor, I don't want that weight on my shoulders.

Seryozha, you're an experienced cosmonaut,

but you're not the captain of the Titanic.

For us, your life comes first.

Understood, Igor.

Peter? Peter?

Sergei was in trouble.

Are you there?

And Dad knew nobody better than his old friend Peter

to talk about a cosmonaut.

I haven't heard from you in weeks.

I just want to hear from you, man.

But he was still ashamed of that stupid argument over politics.

The tarp for the sails.

You call that discreet?

They'll see you from Canada.

It's the only color I could find.

It's okay, he can be trusted.

Okay, are we all set?

I'll try to have the raft ready on Monday.

I'd never thought about leaving.

But my brother is right.

That's why we went to see the raft.

I think it's crazy to try it that way.

You know who helped me decide?

The officials who shut down your exhibition?

The toads from your last class were more convincing.

You could make a book with these.

Know anyone who might want to publish it?

Some people have already shown interest in your work.

We've never been able to talk like this.

Don't leave without graduating.

It will haunt you forever.

What if you run out of power?

That would be the end.

But it won't happen.

I'm taking all the necessary measures.

I read that the Americans want to buy the Mir.

I don't know if with me or not.

If that's the case, the space race is over.

Perhaps,

but we still have our pride.

Pride?

It's a very old word.

It's old,

but maybe still useful.

Pride, useful?

I don't think so.

Sergei, there's no power here

and my battery is running out.

Sergio,

I have to leave the ship

to fix this.

I'm going to need company.

I don't understand.

I'm going to try as soon as I'm ready.

Can you be there?

I don't understand.

But you can count on me for anything, Sergei.

Thank you...

comrade.

Peter!

Peter, it's an emergency.

I need your help.

Peter,

can you hear me?

-Are you okay, my friend? -Hi, Peter.

I know we have an unresolved matter,

but I'm in another blackout here

I need to ask you something really important.

Coast Guard reports.

No, this time it's for another friend, a Soviet friend.

A Russian friend, you mean.

Calm down, man.

He's just a KGB agent and member of the Communist Party, by the way.

Well, all is forgiven. He's a radio ham?

I told you.

I made contact with an astronaut.

You were serious?

Serguéi Asimov!

You're fucking playing with me now, right?

You made contact with the MIR?

He just broke the space endurance record!

Listen, I've been thinking...

You're almost like a detective.

Well, you could put it that way.

Specialized in space frauds, right?

Where are we going with this, Sergio?

You must have good connections then.

It depends...

NASA, maybe?

Yeah, I mean... Doesn't everybody?

Peter,

listen up, because the battery will die any minute now.

Serguéi is in trouble and I think we can help him.

Like all good plans,

Dad's plan was very simple.

I'm telling you you're going to love this.

No! This has nothing to do with the Apollo program.

But he needed to make it all the way to the FBI.

Peter's old friends.

You know what your fucking problem is?

You just don't have the fucking balls to do anything on your own.

Wake up, Pete.

Space race is over.

NASA

comes to the rescue of the last Soviet cosmonaut

abandoned in space.

Could there be a better ending?

It sounds good, but...

my bosses aren't going to go for it.

Yeah, but how about your bosses' bosses?

I bet you they'd see the gold in them there hills.

Put a pork chop on your face.

I still don't have a clear idea of my mission.

I need an assistant for this

and I can't involve my friends at Mission Control.

They'll only notice if something goes wrong tomorrow

and it would be nice if someone told my family

I did everything possible to save the Mir

and return to them.

You'll tell them yourself soon.

Perfect!

He's an animal.

He distilled it all.

Son...

Son, hey.

You'll be late.

I'll take her to school if you want.

Everything okay?

We haven't had this much booze since Prohibition.

I'll handle the rest.

I'll take a quick shower.

Brother.

You just made more in one bad night than in a whole year teaching.

Grandma.

There's no more milk?

Of course there is, my love.

That's what I'm saying!

He must be doing some trick with the antenna.

And he's getting technical support from the enemy.

-We're not ready, Ramiro. -Look.

He left the authorized frequency again,

using camouflage techniques,

he's in direct contact with the enemy...

And all of it

has to do with space.

All the more reason to not act rashly.

But they can do anything to us from up there.

Spy on us

or even feed us enemy television on the evening news.

Subpoena him

and make a copy of the report.

The moment of truth has arrived, Sergio.

Dad, I'm going to Laura's for a notebook.

Sergio!

I copy you loud and clear!

I wish you could see this.

Everything okay?

As long as you hear me breathing, we're fine.

The first spacewalk

was a crazy thing, Sergio.

Are you outside now?

The scientists were afraid

that our eyeballs would pop out

from the lack of gravity.

By the way,

what is this thing floating in my helmet?

Are you outside?

I'm orbiting at 27,000 kilometers an hour.

The temperature...

Good afternoon!

...is over 120 degrees Celsius.

If I'd put on my suit wrong,

my blood would be boiling.

Wait...

I think I just got caught.

Yes.

It's a bolt on the panel.

Don't rush, don't rush!

I'm going to take off my glove to make it easier.

Your hand will turn into a steak.

Focus on what you're doing.

Sergei!

I'm free now.

I'm almost finished...

but give me a few minutes.

You'd make a good cosmonaut, Sergio.

This is a great place for a philosopher.

Look at this!

I just want to know that you're okay

because it's going to be difficult to help you from here.

Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!

Sergei?

I caught you, fucker.

Is everything in order?

And talking to the Russian.

The panel is working again.

Then can you go back to the station?

I already am!

Sergei?

The antenna!

Sergei?

Do you realize

we just went on a spacewalk?

Here, take this.

With rum?

Nothing works better.

Grandma.

If he's dead will you go to jail?

The devil looks after his own, sweetie.

They cleaned everything up while I was unconscious.

They probably hit me twice to gain time.

Your back was turned, I thought you were a thief.

-Don't mock me, Sergio. -Who let you in?

-You're worse than I thought. -Sergio.

Did you contact the Russian space station?

-Is it forbidden? -I knew it!

I knew it!

What does your friend Peter have to do with it?

Nothing.

Confess, damn it!

Sorry, boss. Forgive my outburst.

You're up to something with the Americans and the Russians.

Nobody can trick me.

Confess for your own good.

You know how things are right now.

Who do I work for then?

The KGB?

The CIA?

Or am I an undercover Cuban Secret Service agent?

Sergio...

If you think you can play with us, you're mistaken.

For the moment, your license is revoked.

You can do anything you want,

except enter my home without me letting you in.

You're under investigation.

If we detect another communication, your radio will be confiscated.

Electricity service will be cut tonight between 7 and 12 P.M.

in Boyeros, October 10th, Arroyo Naranjo and zone 133 of Guanabacoa...

You're so stubborn!

Let's let things cool down.

That guy is onto us.

Give me the clip.

Hey, do your homework.

Go on.

Damn it.

What's going on, son?

Nothing, Mom.

How is everything, Sergei?

The repair was successful, Sergio.

But the news isn't good.

What's wrong?

My communication with Flight Command is affected.

The antenna ships have returned to port.

There's no money to pay them.

But you're still there!

I know.

Don't lose hope, Sergei.

I have a hunch that something will happen.

Yeah, maybe another meteorite.

No, I mean something good.

You'll see.

Bravo!

Bravo!

Very nice, Paula, congratulations.

Okay, we can move on to your dissertation.

It's inside the piece.

What do you mean, inside the piece?

Well, then?

Look, Paula.

Professor Sergio suggested that we accept your terms.

But we had an agreement.

And I've kept it.

This is my thesis.

The dissertation you need is inside.

Bravo!

The Americans wanted to bring you down!

NASA?

We had to consult the Kremlin

and Yeltsin himself met with us.

"Who do these damn Americans think they are?"

In short,

he wants you back in 48 hours.

But that's impossible.

Agreed.

Comrade Yeltsin knows nothing about space.

But he's the boss.

And you guys are ready?

Less ready than when we sent Laika the dog.

But that's okay, Sergei.

We're coming up to get you.

Oh, by the way, the relief mission is bringing

cans of Coca-Cola.

What?

It will be your last task on the Mir.

Advertising.

We have to cover expenses.

Sergei Asimov is the last member

of a race of space heroes.

He left a great nation on course for the Mir,

but he's returned to a different country.

In Russia today everything is uncertain.

Even for the space program

that brought so much glory to Lenin's fatherland.

Those people brainwashed you.

He offers extensive experience

for future flights of long duration

that are unlikely to ever take place.

Several missions have been canceled...

Daddy, are you crying?

No, don't be silly, it's my allergy.

The return of Serguéi Asimov signals the end of an era.

He is the last hero of the space race.

A Robinson Crusoe of the cosmos

who symbolizes the resounding collapse of communism.

You know, Peter?

This could be the start to a real beautiful friendship.

So do you think we're the ones that got him back?

I think we will never know.

And nobody will believe us anyway.

By the way...

My respect.

You were the...

You were the best commander this mission could have ever had.

The commander was the Russian, whether you like it or not.

Well...

he's a ham radio guy, it doesn't matter where he's from.

Peter, I won't be in touch for some time.

How come?

Work commitments.

I'll be away for a while.

The tanks float just like tire tubes.

But I'll do whatever you want.

Whatever you say, brother.

You never learn, do you?

They're bringing the iron for the fence around the stairs today.

They'll have to drop down in parachutes to catch us.

-You'll see. -Daddy!

I think it's the Russian.

Remember they're watching you!

Sergio!

Comrade Sergio!

Gotcha!

Comrade Sergei! It's great to hear your voice!

They brought you down so fast we heard it on the news!

It was incredible!

NASA offered to do it,

but like I said, we still have our pride!

So that was it.

I'm holding a glass of real vodka this time.

Here's to your health, Sergio.

And to your family's.

And to yours, brother!

There has never been and there will never be a spacewalk like ours.

You said it!

Thanks for everything, comrade!

I got him! I got him!

It was an honor to meet you, Sergei.

A great honor!

I got him! I got him!

I can barely hear you...

I've got him, I've got him! Finally!

Ulises! I know what I want to be when I grow up.

Yeah? What, a foreigner?

No, silly, a cosmonaut!

What?

A cosmonaut!

Then tell that Russian

to send the blueprints, we'll make the rocket right here on the roof.

Well, it's been 25 years.

Today my dad is turning 60.

We have a surprise planned for him.

Some friends he's not expecting

are coming to see him.

So today I'll hear this whole story for the umpteenth time.

Oh, and in three languages.

Goodbye, goodbye, little girl.

One last kiss

and then I'll lose you forever.

Like a fable,

love passes.

Once upon a time

and then it's gone.

What is that trembling on your face?

Is it rain or tears?

Tell me what it is.

I wish I could find

new words,

but it's raining

on our love.