RENFILM
Dmitri Lesnevsky
Presents
Maksim Sukhanov
Justine Waddell
Danila Kozlovsky
Daniela Stoyanovich
Vitaly Kishchenko
Nina Loschchinina
In a film by Alexander Zeldovich
TARGET
No, that's not rudeness, Tsao, that's corporate ethics.
So, my morning?
MOSCOW, 2020
The alarm goes off at 7:30. Vivaldi's Four Seasons, January.
Then a contrast shower.
Screenplay by Vladimir Sorokin and Alexander Zeldovich
The water's very cold or very hot. Then 5 drops of ginseng,
Director of Photography Alexandre Ilkhovski
fern shoots, and a glass of pure spring water.
Production Designers Yuri Kharikov and Vladimir Rodimov
What's spring water?
No, it's not from an artesian well. It's different.
"Spring" in Chinese? You should know that.
It's spelled the same as the season.
No, it's simpler: a natural underground source of pure water.
In a word, a spring.
No, not a metal spring, a water spring.
Look it up in the dictionary.
So, a glass of pure spring water.
After that, at 7:45, I have breakfast.
What do I eat for breakfast?
Steamed oats, ribwort seeds...
Yes. and Altai honey.
Editors Neil Farrell and Andrey Nazarov
I believe in ribwort and I've been using it for almost 8 years.
Composer Leonid Desyatnikov
What?
Green tea?
I stopped drinking green tea in the morning long ago.
Producer Dmitri Lesnevski
I drink only hot water. By the way, I recommend it.
So, only hot water.
Director Alexander Zeldovich
I'll answer your questions about the quotas for rare-earth metals
on my way to work. Right now, I'm going to eat.
Maybe you'll take it off a bit earlier today?
That mask has kept you silent in the morning for two years.
What, you're unsatisfied with the results?
No, I'm satisfied.
In two years you haven't aged one bit.
I do it because everyone does it. You know that.
Listen...
I really want everything back.
I want it all to be the way it was then.
Sure, things break.
But they can be put back together. It's possible.
- Like a mirror? - I love you.
Always. I did then, and I do now.
I'm afraid to talk about this in the morning.
I love you too. You didn't sleep well?
I slept fine.
Listen, I think it's great.
At last you've found someone to talk to.
But I'm not married to a Chinese journalist.
Besides, he's the one who found me.
It's strange that the Chinese are writing a book about you.
It's not strange at all. China has a billion readers.
And after all
I'm King of the Mountain.
The King of the Mountain.
You've read Lao Tzu:
"Governing is like conducting an orchestra of mosquitoes."
A Russian quotation? Here's one:
"All miserable people are miserable in the same way,
but all happy people are happy in their own way."
In my own way, Tsao, I am certainly happy.
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Tsao, I'm glad you've touched on the ethical aspect of our work.
If I hadn't given it thought, I wouldn't be who I am now.
Who am I? Guan Shan, King of the Mountain.
CHELISHCHEV VIKTOR GEORGIEVICH
Good morning.
It needs to say "Timbuktu 2020".
Let them suggest something else. That's all for today.
Look, there's one thing that can change everything. Seriously.
Only a contrast shower.
You're being evasive because you don't love me anymore.
I can't hear you!
That's why you haven't been able to conceive for two years already.
I can't hear you!
We'll become who we were 8 years ago. This is for real, Zoya.
What will help?
A Spa?
Ayurveda? Shamans?
Don't be surprised. We'll need to go for two days.
Everything's been arranged for me. This will definitely help.
Will it help me conceive?
It will help with everything.
And what kind of place is it?
You'll see.
- But what is it? - You'll see.
Listen...
- What? - Have you been there?
No.
Is it a dangerous place?
No, it's not dangerous.
Everything's extremely simple there.
- Two days and that's it. - What's it?
You won't need the mask anymore.
How much?
Seventy-four. You don't change.
Will you touch me?
May I?
Better not.
You already touched me in the shower.
- How much? - Sixty-nine.
1.5% more than yesterday.
I still don't believe it.
What don't you believe?
That it's possible to make a metering device like this.
I'm not going to argue about it.
The people working on it are smarter than we are.
There's nothing in the world that can't be quantified.
Do I have to wear a hat?
Good evening viewers and friends! Welcome to the Moscow Hippodrome!
Today I'm happy because I managed not only to persuade my shy sister,
Zoya, to join us, but her husband, the famous Viktor Chelishchev.
For those who have fallen from the moon,
we are here at The Onward Russia Derby.
I hope those of you back from work, and those tired from idling,
are ready to release their pent-up energy over the next 90 minutes.
Tonight's jackpot is over thirty-four million rubles!
It's quite impressive!
Viktor, long time no see!
It's been almost a week, but it seems like ages!
I'm happy to introduce our second couple.
Andrey is a dispatcher at a nuclear power plant,
and his charming wife, Katya, is a postal clerk.
It's so symbolic that two of our contestants
work in areas vital to our homeland:
natural resources and nuclear energy.
This brings to mind a tricky question:
Do we need natural resources if we have nuclear energy and vice versa?
I think we need one and the other.
That's a terrific answer!
Tonight, fast horses are more important than nuclear reactions.
No less than twelve thermonuclear reactions will be controlled by
the experienced hands and legs of these jockeys!
I'm already trembling and you should be too!
Place your bets! The jackpot is snowballing!
Andrey!
Are you ready?
Ready. We're betting five thousand on Rubin.
That's a risky bet! Rubin is 16 to 20.
Zoya and Viktor, which nuclear reaction have you picked?
We decided to bet on Razgon to win or place.
That's an even riskier bet! Just insane!
Eighty million people are playing in our derby.
That's more than 365,000 bets for a total of 800,000,000 rubles.
It's quite impressive!
Ladies and gentlemen, don't forget,
you can't lower your bets, you can only raise them!
Ready? Set!
Go!
This is the button. Andrey, tell me,
- Do you love your wife? - Absolutely.
Who'll be doing the betting? Who'll be taking the risk?
- I think Katya. - A matriarchy?
I trust my wife completely. That's why we live in harmony.
"Horses be nimble. Horses be quick,
Horses jump over the candlestick."
Andrey. Katya. Your horse has a commanding lead!
Oh, look, I've jinxed it.
My God! Razgon finishes second. Congratulations!
Andrey and Katya, you've lost!
Wow, my head is spinning!
Viktor and Zoya, congratulations! You've won 50,000 rubles.
What will you spend it on?
I decided to give half to Andrey.
Let's give Viktor a round of applause.
384,000 rubles. Is that a lot of money for you?
It's all we had.
What, you've lost your life savings?
Six months ago we sold my mother's apartment,
and we were hoping... Well...
What will you say to Katya when you leave the TV studio?
I'll tell her she did the right thing.
As for the money, we'll earn it back.
That's the power of true love.
Love stands above money!
Viktor, Zoya, here's the man you should thank tonight.
This is Nikolai Trofimov.
- Were you riding Razgon? - Yes.
- Are you a professional jockey? - No, I'm still an amateur.
Nikolai is a Lt. Colonel in a mobile customs unit.
- Which one? - On the Route.
- Guanjou - Paris? - Yes. East-West.
So you are riding high.
- Here's to victory! - And to our acquaintance!
Brother dear, how are you?
I want to set off with the Creator of Things
climb on the Light-and-Lissome bird,
and soar beyond the six directions into the Boundless field.
By the way, Nikolai's flying with us tomorrow.
Really?
Why didn't you tell me?
I'm like a cuckold, always the last to know.
- Will we all fit? - You don't want Nikolai with us?
- No, it's just a... a practical... - We'll fit. He's brought you luck.
Let him come. I don't mind.
And why do YOU need it?
I'm a thrill seeker. It's my life, my calling.
I still don't really understand what it's all about.
Zoya, you'll see for yourself, people come back like newborns.
- They stop aging? - Isn't it a bit early for you?
And you?
If things go really badly, call this number.
Things that are hard to get cause harm.
Everything will be OK.
See you tomorrow.
Viktor, why did you give money to that loser?
Mitya, you don't like people.
But twice a week they really love me.
"Ni Hao". Hello.
Joining you again, it's me, Anna, your hostess for our program...
"Chur Ji Hanyu" "Chinese for Dummies"
Before we start the next chapter,
I suggest we share a cup of Chinese tea.
And then, as Lao Tzu said,
"Tian di xiang he yi xiang gan lu min mo zhi ling er zi jun."
So, we walk into a "cha guan".
It is located at "guinea shu".
We sit down at a "zhouzi".
We are approached by a "xiaojie" who asks a typical question:
"Ni yao shenme?" What kind of tea do you prefer?
"Hongcha? Molihuacha? Lucha?"
Choosing tea is not only choosing your mood, but also "jieguo".
- Who is that? - A woman.
She hosts the program "Chinese for Dummies".
You like her voice?
Very much.
My Viktor is fluent in Chinese.
Well, not quite. (Speaks Chinese)
And you, Nikolai?
It depends on the situation. (Speaks Chinese)
I thought that with them you...
Things can always be explained without throwing punches.
Zoya...
When was the last time you were rated?
Mitya, I don't need one because I'm a wife.
Mine's the highest for life.
- What about you, Nikolai? - First.
That's not bad, either. I didn't get the highest until last year.
It's the cream of the crop here.
And so what do we all need?
Freedom, youth, and happiness.
Hello!
It's chilly!
Yes, it's cold and dry here.
But the sky is the clearest in the world.
- No one's waiting for us? - There's no phone connection here.
- Are you coming? - Yes.
Get in. Pay in advance.
- How much? - Fifteen grand.
- Are you crazy? - Find another car if you want.
OK, it's a deal.
Do you have electricity here?
We have a generator. We fire it up sometimes.
- How do you live like that? - How did people live before?
Are you a local?
No, there are just two local families here. I'm from Kazakhstan.
- Been here long? - Twenty-two years already.
Did your parents bring you?
What parents! By that time I already had two sons.
- How old are you? - Sixty-four. Why?
It's open. The room's twenty-five grand a day.
Again, you need to pay in advance.
- Do we pay you? - Who else?
- When do you want to go? - When should we?
Go now if you want. There are no lines here. You can go right now.
Then let's go now.
You have to eat beforehand.
I'll pick you up.
- Hello! - Hello!
Did you pay Valerka?
We paid.
Then get settled in.
Here,
and at the other end of the corridor.
Here's a washstand. The toilet's outside.
I'll go check out the facility.
Thank you so much. You really helped me out.
We don't have a hospital or pharmacy here.
- The nearest pharmacy's in Tashanta. - It was no problem.
Could you read the directions? I can't see without glasses.
Of course.
"...is a synthetic equivalent of the pineal gland hormone.
It normalizes circadian rhythms,
and regulates the sleep-wake cycle,
daily changes in locomotor activity, and body temperature.
Contradictions:
Kidney dysfunctions, autoimmune diseases, leukemia, lymphoma..."
That's not really important.
"Maximum daily dose: two tablets."
Hello! Pardon my intrusion.
I think I know you.
And I think I've seen you somewhere too.
You host the program "Chinese for Dummies".
Yes.
You're Anna Zivers.
I'm Anna Zivers. And you're Dmitri?
Yes, I'm Dmitri.
I listen to you over and over. Every day.
Why over and over? You need Chinese that badly?
It's not that. It's just that you have a remarkable voice.
- So you're on the radio? - Yes.
We don't even have a radio here.
- Have you been here long? - No, since morning.
You came from Moscow?
I was at a resort in Belokurikha.
Some friends there told me about this place.
Strange.
- Why is that strange? - It's strange that I met you here.
You look very much like your voice.
Listen,
I'm famished.
Go to the restaurant.
- Where is it? - Up on the hill.
Hello!
Today we have vegetable soup.
And fried rabbit.
Cute girl.
I almost fell.
- Let's switch seats. - Thank you.
I was about to suggest the same, but I was too late.
Anyway, mine's wobbly too.
- How's yours? - Well...
- Mine's perfect. Want to switch? - It doesn't matter.
Take your hat off the table.
What's your name?
Taya.
That's a pretty name.
Pretty mysterious.
How many people are living in your village?
About fifty.
Does this place even have a name?
It used to be called "Urban Village B-114".
Now it's Bombay.
- Bombay? Why? - Because it starts with "B".
I thought it was because it's overpopulated.
Thank you very much.
Valera, who drove us here, said he's sixty-four. Is it true?
It's true. He has two grandchildren.
Taya, and how old are you?
I'm fifty-two.
Your carriage awaits.
So what is it, guys?
It's an astrophysical facility
for accumulating and recording space particles.
There wasn't another one like it in the USSR.
And why at this particular place?
First, it's the clearest place in the world.
Second, it's high up with almost no precipitation.
In '92 the guard was disbanded, and in '93 everybody left.
Then we came.
- Where are you from? - From Kazakhstan.
Is this radiation dangerous?
It's not dangerous, just the opposite.
There it is.
Here it is.
What is it?
The thing. The detector. The Target.
When everything was working, they called it the Target.
The retention layer was called the Target. So that's why.
Their AVIDA ratings are total nonsense.
According to AVIDA, I'm some kind of compenstated sociopath.
And my brand is "Agressive Ranger".
Can you imagine? And according to ALMATRA I'm a "Zoo Lion"!
Is that better?
I guess you could say yes.
Actually, that's what I feel like.
They keep rating us every year.
- Viktor's personal core is "Minister". - Really?
I'm joking. Everything about him is classified.
And what's your class? Highest?
Highest. Why?
I'm fourth class. I don't take the tests. I don't care.
- And the discounts? - I don't buy expensive things.
Do you know what I am? An "Anxious Marine Pilot".
- And I'm a "Fisherman"! - Sometimes they get it right.
Listen, how does this thing work?
I'm no astrophysicist,
but I think these are layers.
Of graphite, I believe.
I don't get what this cosmic radiation is.
What does this Target accumulate?
It's Chi.
Prana. Primal energy.
The energy of the void.
Now all of you will fall asleep.
When you wake up, you'll be itching to laugh.
The well - the forty-eighth hexagram of the "I-Ching".
"The town may change, but the well can not.
It neither decreases nor increases.
You come and go, but the well remains a well.
If you run out of rope, or break the jug, it brings - misfortune."
So far, I don't think we've broken any jugs.
And what is this?
- It's Tihkeybow. - What?
Tihkeybow, like it says on the jar.
It's regular Tihkeybow, only a bit watery.
Cold Tihkeybow.
Is this local coffee?
No, it's a very popular coffee.
Tihkeybow! Never tried it.
Me either.
I can show you the jar.
Tihkeybow isn't a brand of coffee, it's an adjective.
Why am I so tihkeybowey?
- We might die laughing! - People very rarely die here.
Last time was twelve years ago.
Vitya Semenov drank a bottle of vodka, drove a car, and hit a rock.
- And what? - He died.
Take me with you.
Where?
To Moscow. I have some business there.
Zoya?
Wonderful! Of course we'll take you. The flight will be more fun.
- Now it's my turn. - Pay Vitalik, he's over there.
Fifty for the well, and seven for the coffee.
All together, fifty-seven.
You owe me three thousand.
I don't have change.
Go look for it. We gave some to that driver of yours.
- I don't want to break a sweat. - Go break a sweat.
You break a sweat.
Sorry, old man, something...
Everyone has a stressful life.
Listen, why don't you all get out of here?
What for?
We've got everything.
Like what?
Well... food... a place to live, some money.
And we're healthier than all of you put together.
Zoya, look!
Look!
I only felt this way once before as a child in Crimea, in Sudak.
It was pouring,
then the clouds seemed to split open,
and a shaft of light burst through.
Just like this. It's a miracle! Right on my mom and I.
Mom broke into tears of joy and suddenly
she started reciting a poem by Lermontov:
"Alone I set out on the road; The flinty path sparkles in the mist;
The night is still. The desert harks to God.
And star with star converses.
The sky is solemn and miraculous!"
Miraculous and solemn...
Let's never part.
What a beautiful column of light. Russia's such a beautiful country.
- Let's at least have some coffee. - Alright, let's drink some coffee.
Champagne! Pineapples in champagne!
Deliriously tasty, sparkling and bright!
I'm in something from Norway! I'm in something from Spain!
Pineapples in champagne! Pineapples in champagne!
From Moscow to Nagasaki! From New York to Mars!
- To our love. - To love.
- Russia's a beautiful country. - Here it is, a new happiness.
- Vitya, let Taya stay with us. - Everything will be tihkeybow.
How are you?
- You seem to be... - What?
- Not yourself. - I'm yours, Vitya, yours.
You know what my dream is?
To be the worst of bums,
I would be...
...a nobody.
An absolute nobody.
I'd wallow in the dirt, like the worst of dogs.
And you'd come to me.
To no one but me.
And that's all.
I don't need anything else.
Nothing at all.
I'd probably die.
There's a long story that goes with that Target.
I'd forgotten it, but later it came back.
I was about twelve,
we were living in Volgograd, on the bank of the Volga.
Our roof needed repairs, so my father hired a man.
A very strange man.
He moved in with us and worked on the roof.
He was a very young guy.
Somehow my parents instantly fell crazy in love with him.
They took care of him like he was their son.
It drove me totally mad.
One day, there was a party around the table for my dad's birthday.
The guy was sitting next to my mother.
I was learning guitar and I sang a song I'd prepared.
But I sang it badly and goofed off to spite my parents
because they loved that outsider so much.
I swung my guitar and broke a jar of juice.
Mother sent me away from the table.
I sat in my room and listened to them talk.
That guy told them he was forty-two.
He served at a secret facility with this dish.
He had climbed in there with some girl and that was it.
He had stopped aging and had already done time in prison.
Then he suddenly vanished before he finished the roof.
I didn't remember it until this journalist told be about that place.
So I believed it right away. And you?
I learned about it at a resort in Belokurikha.
I go there every year for treatment.
When I was young, I had a rare illness
called glass bone disease.
It's a metabolic disorder that follows the flu.
For almost seven years I sat at home.
I learned Chinese.
But I lost a piece of my life.
Lost it beyond recovery.
That's why I believed it right away.
So I saved up money. There you have it.
I still don't understand why you went there.
Well, I'd gotten old somehow.
Very quickly.
I'm old. I live alone.
I can't wake up together with someone in the same bed.
It makes me sick to my stomach.
I hate people.
I disdain them.
I only love...
"Chinese for Dummies"
Before we start the next chapter,
I suggest we share a cup of Chinese tea.
And then, as Lao Tzu said,
"Tian di xiang he yi xiang gan lu min mo zhi ling er zi jun."
Oh no, again with the electric ovens.
It's nothing but these electric ovens lately.
Who needs them?
What can you bake in them?
- Hello, Zoya. - Hello, Nikolai.
I have a feeling you and I are thinking about the same thing.
Could be. What are you thinking about?
I'm thinking about you.
And what are you thinking?
I'm thinking, "When?"
In principle, I'm free this afternoon.
- I have a great idea. - Tell me.
- Better it be a surprise. - Agreed.
Tell me, what are you doing right now?
Why, can't you see?
I'm on the veranda, reading, and drinking tea.
May I ask you not to turn off your cell phone?
I'll drive and look at you.
Of course it will distract my reading, but if you really want it...
I really want it!
Nikolai, we've spotted three semis. We can peel one off.
- Are they insured with us? - No, with Lloyd's.
- Got something to ram them with? - We've got an empty one.
- I'll be right over. - Where are you?
I'm at 532.
That's 120 kilometers.
That's OK, I'll make it in 40 minutes.
Have one of our guys ram them over to the shoulder.
But make sure their truck can still run.
Don't do a thing without me. And treat them properly.
- What's in there? - Ovens, Nikolai!
- Ovens won't do. - I'm kidding. Memory chips.
Memory will do. I can dump them in half an hour.
You need an invoice.
And where's the insurance for the cargo?
What date was it issued? And where's the Carnet?
The weight is off.
Hello.
Obviously, we need to take your vehicle to the service area.
- Do they have transit visas? - No.
Take it away!
Go!
The main thing is you got your insurance at the wrong place.
If you were insured with us,
you wouldn't need a transit visa.
I'm tired of repeating this to your colleagues.
Everything's fine. Don't worry. It's not your fault.
Go over to the other side.
Stick out your hands.
And hitch a ride.
- I can't see you. Which way now? - Now to your right.
OK...
And now along the field.
Ah, yes, now I see you!
Him? Eight years ago, at a brides fair, in Moscow.
You've been married for eight years already?
Yes. He proposed to me forty-four minutes after we met.
Eight years and only one master.
You're wonderful. You have lively eyes.
Eight years on, and the thing is gone.
And lively hands.
Beautiful fingers.
Are you married?
No, I got divorced back at the Academy.
Have you had many lovers?
I haven't had a lover in two years. Only fantasies.
Like what?
Well, for example,
I'm naked, on all fours.
Two men have just brutally raped me for a long time.
I am on the sand.
I sink my hands into the sand and cry.
And at that moment one of those pigs cums on my back.
Viktor! Come sit with us!
Have a seat, make yourself at home.
We've barely seen each other lately.
Rarely and formally. Tell me, how's your life?
- My life? It's fine! - I can see that.
And inside? What kind of thoughts have you been having?
Thoughts?
Everything we could say to each other we said a long time ago.
And we're not able to say anything new.
Why's that?
Because we've been saying the same things year after year.
Over and over, like machines.
Let's not be like machines. Let's say something new to each other.
Look at me and look at yourself.
Eyes are imperfect instruments. You can't trust them.
But if I squint like this, I can tell that you've got about 86%.
86% of what?
Of shit!
- If I'm 86 then what are you? - 74.
- How can you be so precise? - I look in the mirror every morning.
You're not five years old. There has to be a limit.
No, there doesn't.
No limits at all.
There should be no limits at all.
Taya!
Are you bored?
- And you? - Just the opposite.
I feel kind of good and cheerful. I've never felt like this.
Lately I've been crazy cheerful. Have you had this feeling?
I did. I got used to it and then it passed.
Have you seen Zoya?
Give me your hand.
Why not?
Taya, you're too stable!
Viktor, you've got to get up.
- Why? - It's not right, there are guests.
Mitka, then you! Get up!
What an extraordinary feeling...
youth, freedom, happiness.
It feels like you've been set free.
Everything around is new and different.
Everything is open. There's no need to hold yourself back.
You're flying, soaring, growing.
It's like when you seem to be asleep, but you've already woken up.
- Taya, what's happening to us? - It makes everything grow.
Like after a rain. Not just hair, but everything.
But it doesn't always grow right.
Sometimes good and sometimes not. You feel like you can do anything.
Runium can only be found in the mantle.
It's content in the earth's crust is negligible.
It's essential in the production of lasers and for managing reactors.
Although what's the point of me telling you all this?
You started as a volcanologist, didn't you?
You probably know all of this perfectly well.
I do. I dreamed of becoming a volcanologist since I was ten.
It's almost funny.
I loved watching things boil over onto the stove like
milk or soup.
When my parents weren't there,
I would crank up the heat to speed up the moment of "eruption".
And when I saw a real eruption on TV,
I understood that I couldn't help it.
So, this unique, one in the world plant
was constructed...
...solely for the production of
this extremely rare element,
extracted from an inexhaustible source,
volcanic gas from our native Kamchatka.
It is processed in steel drums
lined with calcium oxide,
or in tantalum crucibles, in a medium of pure argon.
To produce 10 grams of runium, we have to process
nearly 400 billion cubic meters of volcanic gas.
Your shoelace is untied.
The outpost, once every five months,
is about seventy grams,
or around 30% of the annual
global demand for this unique element.
Viktor Georgievich,
welcome to our inner sanctum!
The Press can't enter. It's a highly classified facility.
Before your eyes, within a few seconds,
three twenty gram nuggets of runium will be cast.
You'll see what this whole thing was thought up for.
These few seconds will complete
a five month cycle of the enrichment process.
And now you can actually touch the nuggets.
- Careful! They're hot! - I feel it.
By the way, it's malleable and easily processed.
If desired, it can even be used to make jewelry.
Although one nugget's worth more than half a ton of gold.
It's not the cheapest element in the periodic table!
Well, then, let's go.
Yes, the reception's about to begin.
- Viktor Georgievich, excuse me... - You're excused.
How am I going to report this?
To me, you've already reported it.
Hello, my heart! I have an excellent idea!
Let's go hunting.
"I love animals"
No animals will get hurt.
Well, that's better. It looks like a torch.
Let it be a torch.
Natasha, pass the goggles around.
Gentlemen, I have a small presentation to make.
Irina, bring the samples.
On your computers I want you to open the file "Project Posolon".
Now, let's put the goggles on. Ready?
Now look at these samples of aluminum sponge.
The left piece is from mine "A" and the right from mine "B".
The two mines are 120 kilometers apart.
Now tell me, what is the predominant color of the left piece?
It's blue. Blue...
Yes, and in the right one it's red.
Therefore, the blue piece has a left-sided kerility,
and the red - right-sided.
The red sponge is a useful mineral.
The blue sponge carries a natural destructiveness.
Simply put, it's a harmful mineral.
Viktor Georgievich, I don't quite get it, what's the main idea?
The main idea, my dear Anton Platonovich,
is that in nature there are no ethically neutral substances.
In simplest terms, every substance accumulates either good or evil.
We have a wonderful country.
Take a look.
Over there the sun has risen.
And 7000 kilometers in that direction is the Yellow Sea.
3000 kilometers that way is the Atlantic Ocean.
And there's the Arctic Ocean. And it's all ours.
Can you believe it? It's yours and mine!
- Do you love this road? - It's not just a road.
It's the circulatory system of the continent.
To the west - an artery. To the east - a vein. Understand?
The semi's carrying illegals for sure. It's waybill says six tons,
but it drives like it's empty.
- Where? - Forty kilometers ahead of you.
Let them go into the field, just not into the woods.
Or it will be like last week.
Look.
- What do you see? - The red rock is turning blue.
Right, it means the evil is infectious.
We don't want our kids to curse us for our ethical insanity, do we?
The main idea of the project is...
...that we should mine only the good, only the useful minerals.
This way we will turn our country into a source of positive energy.
These goggles are my gift to you.
I hope we'll continue discussing this topic further.
Nothing bad ever happens to me. I'm unsinkable.
Really?
Once I was on an An-22 flying from Chita after a bridge had collapsed.
We'd taken a sauna, drank, and then drank some more on the plane.
And I bet this guy, Golosov, I could land that plane.
I bet him a thoroughbred stallion.
I sat behind the wheel. The pilot was next to me for help.
It was the first time I ever took the controls of a beast like that.
And I landed it!
There was no need for that pilot at all.
- That's what I am. - A lucky bastard!
A lucky bastard.
CONNECTING... ZOYA IS UNAVAILABLE
- Vanshan hao, Viktor Georgivich! - Ni hao.
- We agreed to continue. - I can't. My hand is blue.
- I don't understand. - It's hard to explain.
Pavlenko, you brought your wife again?
Why not? She likes it.
Aim and fire! It's automatic!
And it's like this at least once a week.
I really want it.
Right now?
Yes. Right now.
- Where? - Right here.
Get up. That's all, it's affixed.
So really, how old are you?
Fifty-two.
- No. - Fifty-two years old.
And when did you stop?
- At nineteen. - And we'll stop, too?
You already did.
Already?
So, that means there's no death?
I don't know.
I won't die, right?
And I won't die?
- It's a little scary! - And a little hairy!
- A scary hare! - Yeah, a soft little hare.
Hoppity Hare. Hoppity-hop! Hoppity-hop!
Well, where is she?
Taya! Taya! Well, she fell behind.
Stop! Don't go anywhere. Everything she says is a lie.
Where is that dummy?
- Here she is. - My buckle broke.
My God! Why are you here? Who are you?
I'm nobody.
Why are you nobody?
Because everything in me was blown away.
Everything, and it's good.
How can I explain... It's like there's a cork inside.
Unless you're hollow, you can burst after the Target.
And I'm empty. And that's very good, because it's... pure.
Natasha, you answered the last question wonderfully.
It's the final stretch.
The two super dishes are almost ready. What remains to be done?
To add prunes and ail.
- You mean garlic? - Yes, I forgot the word.
Crushed garlic! Pardon me, I'm salivating.
For a long time you've been away from your native land and cuisine.
Why did you choose a Russian-Ukrainian dish?
- I just remembered Grandma's recipe. - Isn't that fabulous?
This is something more than a show of patriotism.
Olga, you went for a complex dish from the French cuisine.
How many times have you been to France?
I've been to Paris twice. Unfortunately, not too long.
The French oyster bliss didn't last long.
Once the poet's wife,
desperate from poverty, cried out, "Osip, I'm unhappy!"
The great Osip Mandelstam replied, "Why should you be?"
Today, I'd like to ask this very difficult question to you.
Is it true that all people have the right to be happy?
Natasha, you're 25, a beautiful star with a charming boyfriend.
Last year you made $4,500,000. You're ranked No 4 by the WTA.
But there are many people who work with their legs no less than you.
Many women pluck chickens 8 hours a shift and live much worse off.
And they don't buy Bentleys for their boyfriends.
And so, why's Natasha happier than some girl from a chicken farm?
Mitya, I don't give a hoot about the other girl.
What has the chicken-plucking girl got to do with this?
In the Duma we can contribute to her happiness
by passing a law, but no one will take responsibility for her happiness.
Olga, you are so magnanimous and indulgent, too.
But while she stands at a conveyor, you sit on your butt in the Duma.
You've been to Paris, and she's never even left her village.
Look at Natalia. She's a star! Here's HER CHARMING boyfriend!
The happy owner of a Bentley! And here's your husband.
There's envy in your eyes. You envy her.
And the whole world envies her!
Sally Graham envies her, Christina Boyle does, I envy her, and so do
our viewers!
She's got more rights to be happy than you do, though you worry
about the happiness of others, while she worries only about her muscles.
Yes, I do worry about my muscles, because they tear sometimes.
Yes, I am happy, and yes, I do make a lot of money.
I don't care about your losers on the farm. And I don't eat chicken.
So you are a winner, and all others are losers.
- And I don't give a damn about them! - Am I jealous of Natasha's happiness?
I'm never jealous.
I am happy in my way, I have
a great husband, wonderful children,
a fantastic job and loyal friends.
It's my own happiness!
I don't need any billions of millions!
And why must the girl on the farm be unhappy?
She's happier than we are!
Why are you stuck on that chicken farm? I'll never be there.
I don't care about it! I was, I am, and will be happy!
There can be no simple answer to that question!
- Our goal is to make... - The dishes are ready!
everybody in our country happy.
They have the right to be!
And we'll never know if everyone has that right to be happy.
Now I'll really get my tongue working!
And judging by the dazzling look of your borscht
I'll do it with great pleasure.
Natasha Sokolova has made a Ukrainian borscht,
Olga Bek made a lobster souffle.
Different dishes and cuisines.
Different forms and content.
White and red, hot and cold,
spicy and mild, melting and burning.
Great! Here it is, the unifying Eurasian taste. Burning, yet tolerable!
Before your very eyes, a real meeting of East and West.
This souffle-borscht is a symbol of the new world order!
I am holding happiness! I am happy!
I wish to share my happiness with all of you.
We all shall be happy, taste it!
Souffle-borscht is happiness!
What did I cook this for?!
Next week in our kitchen we'll talk about freedom of conscience
and a conscience of freedom!
Happiness for everyone! And for you! And for you!
Mitya, what the fuck have you made?
A souffle-borscht, Andriusha. Souffle-borscht.
- Are you high or something? - No, he's not high.
No. It wasn't planned. It was impromptu.
No, Yevgeny Borisovitch, it was...
You know, I've started feeling good in some way.
Not just good, but somehow unexpectedly peaceful.
But what's strangest is that inside I've been waiting for this.
I've begun feeling terribly peaceful.
Terribly good. So good that it's bad.
Something's coming, but from the other side.
I can see it all very clearly now.
Myself, you, and us.
And far off.
I've gotten carried away.
You asked why I never had kids.
For some reason it didn't work out.
Not because I didn't want them, or I had abortions.
No, I was ready to give birth,
but children didn't come my way for some reason.
And now I want neither kids nor a husband.
I don't need it.
I feel very good with you.
As if I had sailed, and sailed...
and I landed.
You'll ask who you are to me. And I don't know who you are.
My darling...
- Viktor. - Yes?
What should I fill the heart with, cherries or strawberries?
Cherries.
Zoya, it's already seven minutes off!
You were born already.
This is dedicated to you!
Oh, how beautiful!
- Is this platinum? - No.
It's not even close to platinum.
It's pretty heavy. What is it?
It's runium!
- Runium? - Runium!
It's almost non-existent on earth. It's extracted from volcanic gas.
These two drops took 5 months to condense.
They're fabulous,
but they tug a bit.
- They look good on you. - Oh, Viktor!
- Are they really pretty? - Pretty. They look good on you.
I know what I should wear.
Just give me ten minutes! Nine minutes, Viktor!
I bought this dress for her in Paris.
It's the first dress I bought her as a gift.
Yes, in Paris. Before the wedding.
And the perfume's hers too.
I forgot it's name.
"Askap".
"Escape".
I wasn't even thinking.
I just saw her, and that was it.
I didn't think.
Right away I saw her and decided.
Like with the dress.
Usually I need a while to choose, but I took a look and that was it.
I made the purchase.
You know, it happens. Like a flash.
Just reach out your hand and everything's yours.
Now everything is right.
Absolutely right.
I want to give her one. May I?
Of course, they're yours. Do as you please.
- You're reflections of each other. - Viktor, this is delicious!
I haven't checked you two yet.
You haven't changed a bit on your birthday.
- And Taya? - Nothing unusual in Taya.
Fifty-fifty.
What is it?
- What education did you get? - Middle school.
What grade did you get in physics?
I don't remember any more.
Viktor's obsessed with this.
Want to take a look?
Red is good, blue is evil.
Pretty, it's all glistening.
Which do you like more? The red or the blue?
It's like good and evil.
Like light and shadow.
- Is there more red? - There's more.
Oh, God, at last.
I wanted to be with you so badly!
Wow, my head's spinning!
I almost had an accident. I thought I'd run someone over. It's scary.
I feel good, I feel so scared!
I woke up at 5:30 this morning.
I was lying there closing and opening my eyes.
You know, it's this new feeling.
It started after our trip to Bombay, after the well.
And so fast, so very, very fast.
I'm falling all the time. Falling, falling, falling and flying,
like in a child's dream.
It's an unbearable, painful feeling,
and I want it to stay the way it is, the way it is, the way it is!
Like an avalanche, like a wave! Forever! With you!
It will be.
It will!
I want it to stop and go on. Stop and go on!
And more and more!
What is this?
Stables.
I feel the same way.
I can't be without you.
I want to push everything aside, put it away,
grind it down, so it's all new, and only with you.
- So there wouldn't be anything. - So there wouldn't be anything.
Show me the horses.
Open it!
Wait.
Go on, get out of here! Go, go, go!
Where are you going? Get a move on!
Go on, go!
- I'm with you. - I'm so happy.
Nikolai, your Corsair's a great horse. I haven't ridden in ages
but with him it came right back.
- Anya! - Yes.
Anya, try a gallop.
Turns out we're almost neighbors. It's only eighteen versts.
It's really good for them. Come every day if you'd like.
It's wonderful. This is a wonderful birthday.
Thank you.
What are you celebrating?
Our Holy Virgin is crying.
- They say the Holy Virgin is crying. - Pray.
The icon of the Holy Virgin is weeping.
Anya, the icon of the Holy Virgin is crying.
- The Holy Virgin is crying. - What?
The Holy Virgin is crying. Let's go look.
- Let's go look. - Mitya, we can't.
- Why? - We're not dressed for it.
- Our well is like a jug. - I still don't get it, what jug?
The well is like a jug. Invisible light pours into it,
and it remains when you get out and starts blowing through you.
- It's impossible to stop it. - Taya, what's that for?
These are my things. What if I get lost in Moscow?
What are you afraid of? We're downtown.
- Near the Bolshoi Theatre? - Yes, not far.
"I entered this world to see the mountains.
And the splendid color of the dales.
I take in the worlds in a single glance.
I am the Ruler!"
All gone.
Is this far from the Bolshoi Theatre?
No, not really.
Can you walk there?
Sure. It's about ten minutes. Why?
I have a meeting there in fifteen minutes.
Is it that business of yours?
Are you nervous?
Maybe I shouldn't go.
When did you plan the meeting.
Long ago.
Thirty years ago.
He was guarding the Dish.
When the garrison disbanded, he stayed in Bombay.
He was my first man.
We climbed into the Target. Into the well.
We made love down there, inside.
Then, when everything started, well, like with you...
He went to Barnaul.
Hijacked a plane for some reason.
They gave him seven years.
And I waited for him there.
I missed him terribly.
Later... when he go out, we went back to Bombay.
At first it was good.
Really good. Sparks were flying.
Then we became consumed, consumed, consumed with jealousy.
We were insanely suspicious of each other.
He about me, and I about him.
A couple of times I almost killed him.
And he broke my finger.
He wanted to break my neck,
but I ducked. He broke my finger.
And then we sat down,
did some thinking,
and decided to part for 30 years. To break the habit.
We agreed to meet by the Bolshoi Theatre.
Why by the Bolshoi Theatre?
Because we thought it would still be there after thirty years.
And we were right.
- Why after 30 years? - To break the habit.
What do you mean "break the habit"?
So we wouldn't know for sure whether or not to go there.
Are you thinking of going or not?
I'm thinking... I'll go.
What's this for?
Take it.
Where is Taya?
She left.
Where to?
She left. For good.
She gave me this.
What did she say?
She said, "Take care of yourselves."
I'm glad you understand me, Tsao.
At least I think you do.
This feeling,
presses your temple like a gun,
the feeling of "I must, I must, I must..."
But what I must do... I don't know.
It's like when you're young,
you feel you have to change the world.
And not just change it,
but change it right now, immediately.
In times like these, women usually begin maniacally moving furniture.
And it's like furniture.
It's like moving stone wardrobes.
You push and push...
Viktor, goodbye. I love Nikolai and can't be without him. Zoya.
P.S. I don't need the mask anymore.
I'm here, but you're not. Where are you? Why aren't you here?
Darling, calm down, I'll be right there.
I didn't know you were coming.
I wrote him that I'm leaving, that I'm leaving for you.
I'm on my way. Wait for me.
Mikhail will let you in. Wait, I've got a call.
Trofimov! Get here quick! The whole thing's falling apart!
Yuri, I can't. I've got to go straight home.
- They're demanding the shift supervisor. - Where are you?
- At 152. - Wait.
I'm scared without you.
- I feel awful. - Get a hold of yourself.
Pour yourself a whiskey, drink as much as you can, and wait for me.
I'm so scared for some reason.
I feel like my heart is about to stop.
Do you know what will happen in fifty years?
And in eighty years?
Do you?
What eighty years?
I'll be there soon. Wait for me.
Are you the shift supervisor?
I'm "Sir" to you. Show some respect.
Sir... Whatever...
It doesn't change the situation.
On the fourteenth, did you pull over our semi hauling memory?
Was that your shift?
Was it in transit?
In transit. On the way to Antwerp.
The truck had no deposit.
Do you know whose transit it was?
Suvorov's.
What do you want?
Give it back.
Why didn't you speak up before? It's been a week already.
- It's been confiscated. - Then buy the same kind.
It had one million two hundred thousand in memory.
Now you're really pushing it. You fucked up, and we have to pay?
They'll have you on all fours, you moron.
What have you done?!
What have you done, what have you done... What have I done?!
Are you out of your mind?
I was forced into it. You saw it. They forced me.
They forced me, the bastards!
And what should we do now?
Put 'em in the car, stage an accident, and torch it.
You're ordering us? Torch it yourself!
He's out of his mind! Fuck.
Remember, once you promised your help
in some delicate affair?
Of course I remember. You don't forget a thing like that.
Are you still in shape?
Yes, I still can work with people.
I this case it's not exactly work with people.
Did something happen to you?
For the first time in my life something happened.
- Something bad? - Yes, bad. I killed.
What's going to happen to us?
I exploded.
Happiness is when there's you.
But I swear, I promise you, we won't have anything bad.
Never and nowhere. Nothing bad.
Nothing.
Nothing bad.
Welcome the Curator of the Russian Pavilion at the World Expo,
Minister of Natural Resources, Viktor Georgievich Chelishchev.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
You're expecting me to report on our preparations for this event.
You're expecting sums and figures. And that's understandable.
But I'd like to start by asking for your forgiveness.
Forgiveness for years and years of blindness.
The truth is, it's only in these past few years I began suspecting...
that there are no ethically neutral substances in the world.
Now it's a scientific fact. I'll try to explain what I mean.
The thing is, any substance can be constructive or destructive.
Simply put, it can transmit good, but it can also transfer evil.
It can be easily seen by observing how a substance polarizes light.
It turns out, there's nothing easier than telling good from evil.
It also turns out that good and evil literally exist.
They're literally everywhere: in soil, water, glass, oil, coal...
It's in everything we mine.
And by digging it out, we extract either good or evil.
And another thing.
Good and evil substances are highly active and highly infectious.
They constantly interact with each other, engaged in a decisive battle.
We must ensure that evil stays in the ground forever,
and mine only the good. We mustn't think about short term profits,
but rather about the health of the whole country.
About the future of mankind, about what it will be - bright or gloomy.
Understand?
Mr. Chelishchev, that's poetic, but we came for specifics.
Poetic?
- We'd like something concrete. - Concrete?
And what I told you isn't concrete? And what do you know?
What do you know about shady licenses?
About tenders for depleted mines? About the black budget?
Do you have any idea of the scale of that black budget?
You don't know anything! Thank you for your attention.
Did you see that, Tsao?
Tsao, did you see?
It's just like standing on the roof.
Like this. Look, like this!
And it's absolutely the right thing!
And that's it...
- Track me by my scent. - You smell of me.
I can't distinguish your scent anymore.
You smell of me.
Nikolai Anatolievich!
It's... the horses... all of them...
- Lyosha, what is it? - The horses... all of them...
Don't leave me.
Where should we put it?
Thanks. We'll do it ourselves.
Why did you sleep on this before?
It's very convenient.
When I'm alone I deflate the other mattress and there's more room.
To sleep on air?
Yes... to sleep on air.
We won't get any closer.
Now I understand it all.
What?
I understand it all.
We don't need this bed.
Why?
We can't get any closer, only further apart.
We feel so good together it can't get any better.
So good that it's bad?
Yes! I feel it so clearly and so strongly.
We'll be eating each other, like too much chocolate.
We'll be covered in it. It's coming like a wave.
- A wave? - Yes, and it will smash us to bits.
We have to wait it out, wait it out, wait it out!
- And if we wait, it'll be better. - I understand that.
- To wait it out. It'll be better. - It'll be better. You know why?
- Why? - Cause waiting's better than taking.
To wait till it passes in order to survive.
Right, not to let it collapse.
- It'll be better... - Just gotta hang on. It's so simple!
- We'll outsmart it. We can do it. - We need to part.
- We need to stop. For a long time! - For a long time!
- We have to part. - Yes.
- For how long? - For how long?
Twenty? Thirty? Forty? Fifty?
- Forty? How many? - Twenty. Thirty.
Right.
Twenty?
Right?
- Twenty? - Twenty.
Twenty.
Yes.
Viktor Georgievich, good evening!
Good evening, Pyotr Stepanovich.
What's going on with you?
They showed me your speech. I watched and listened to it.
- Has something happened to you? - Yes, it has!
My wife left me.
So your wife left!
My sympathies.
But what's that got to do with good and evil?
And black budgets?
Is there anything besides good and evil?
I see.
Look here, Viktor Georgievich...
Don't worry. Calm down. Our lives are in our hands.
Take a vacation. Spend some time alone. Get some rest.
And then we'll decide about good and evil.
We'll sort it all out.
Today in our kitchen, demonstrating their gastronomic mastery
and political maturity are Andrey Maksimovich Kolesov
and his opponent, Boris Leonidovich Lesin.
Andrey, what's going on with our bull steak?
Four more minutes, and it'll be ready.
Before our break we said a true politician is a public servant.
So what is public service? As Leonid Borisovich stressed,
public service is the search for a path to a harmonious society.
Is that what you said?
Andrey Maksimovich, what's your opinion?
I agree with Mr. Lesin, but our recipes for such a society differ.
I'd say our recipes are radically different.
Let's go into this point in more detail.
Andrey Maksimovich, what's in your recipe?
A special harmony in the society we'd like to live in,
a society none of us would be ashamed of. It's very simple.
What we've been striving for, and what's already been largely built,
is called an ecological democracy.
Finally, Russia has found in its own intellectual history...
the secret of an ideal social order.
We all well remember the names of our great scientists.
Their portraits are displayed today in every classroom.
Ecological democracy is just inequality,
a social order based on the most humane and well-balanced principle
tested by nature for eons. It's the principle of an ecosystem
where each person occupies a niche according to his abilities.
He gives what he can to society and gets all he needs in return.
This is the great balance of nature.
This is our Russian know-how
This is our national idea we've been searching for.
This is that Third Path that stands in contrast to the
disharmony, envy, and social jealously raging around our borders.
You wanted to say something?
I have a question for my respected opponent.
Tell me, why should some own more than others?
The fair distribution of goods is at the heart of a healthy society.
Equal rights means no rights for anybody.
Stratification is real fairness.
What? Fairness and equality are the foundation of a healthy society!
- May I ask you a simple question? - Yes.
What is freedom?
It's an acknowledged necessity.
I agree. Freedom's an acknowledged necessity.
What necessity?
A necessity the state should be dealing with.
Yes, a man is free because the state takes responsibility for him.
Citizens mustn't hinder the state. That's the necessity.
Yes, and that's freedom!
In order to unite the two, we need new blood.
- And you're the new blood? - Yes, I'm the new blood.
I want to bring new people into politics, new political blood.
I feel the support of many young, ambitious donors.
Society's immune system needs new erythrocytes and leukocytes.
It needs to be strengthened and rejuvenated.
New blood. That's a good idea.
This is promising.
Your social system is based on unadulterated blood-sucking.
Under true socialism nobody drinks anybody's blood.
But plenty is shed.
Under true socialism there are no vampires.
But there are werewolves.
I see everything's ready. Wonderful.
Complements of our chef, a non-alcoholic cocktail.
What is it?
A little aperitif before the tasting.
I recommend adding a bit of Tabasco for flavor.
What is it? What shall we drink to?
To Russia of course!
- To Russia. - To Russia.
It's an interesting taste. Reminds me of a Bloody Mary.
- Close, but not quite. - Then what is it?
It's what we've been talking about.
New blood. In this case mine.
New blood, Andrey Maksimovich! New blood!
New blood.
What're you staring at? Get out of here!
Leonid Borisovich, did you see Kolesov?
- Leave me alone! Idiots! - Forgive me.
Get out! Out!
Get over here!
Here's the deal. I'll give you until tomorrow morning.
You'd better be gone by 7am!
- Disappear forever, understood? - New blood...
You got that?
Come here for a talk.
Enjoy your leave, Viktor Georgievich!
Enjoy your vacation. Goodbye.
Hey.
You wanna eat or have a drink?
- You treating? - I'm treating.
Right now?
Why now? Better tonight. Around eight.
- Is it a charity dinner? - Something like that.
Should I come alone?
Bring anyone you want. Bring him if you want.
I can't get through to Zoya. Here, give this to her.
I can't get through to her either.
I have to leave too.
What happened?
I'm forced to.
I'm also forced to.
In two weeks everything has changed.
I don't know what's happening to us.
- You look terrific. - You too.
See you later.
See you.
What time is it?
Ten to nine.
Don't mix it up.
Right here. July 7, at ten to nine.
In twenty years.
We're happy to congratulate you.
With admiration we must say,
that meeting you is such an honor.
We idolize you night and day.
Do not kneel down before life's troubles.
And don't be sad in the still of night.
Today's a day we congratulate you,
wishing you happiness and delight.
- Oh, it's you! - It's me. Hello.
Well, how are you? Did something happen?
And the money? It wasn't enough?
It's not that. I went to a casino with your money and blew it all.
- And the job? - I got fired. Bad nerves...
You shouldn't have given me that money.
Probably.
- Want a drink? - No, thanks.
What's wrong? You're not doing well? Can I help?
No. I'm fine. We're getting it together bit by bit.
- And your wife? - She's working.
Everything's fine. Everything will be fine.
Yes, it'll be fine.
Fine...
Actually...
the reason I became a volcanologist, Tsao.
I never told you about that. It started when I was a kid.
When soup is boiling on the stove, you have to quickly add heat,
and everything boils over.
Red spilling over. It's beautiful.
Red overflowing. It flows beautifully.
Is that a bruise?
Oh, you're one of us from Kursky, aren't you?
Come on, let's go hump.
You came back.
Came back.
We couldn't torch it. The waiter testified.
They won't close the case.
No one can close it now.
So you've got to choose right now. This way or that way?
For the road.
Don't be angry.