Moscow, 1982
“Berezka”
Calm down.
Moscow KGB.
Close the shop, send the buyers away but make the personnel stay.
Aye-aye!
Why without knocking?
Moscow Department of the KGB, Senior Lieutenant Shershov.
This is the search warrant for your office.
Is this foreign currency yours?
Star Media presents
Sergey Makovetskiy
Mikhail Porechenkov
Maria Shukshina
Daria Mikhaylova
Yulia Peresild
Yevgenia Simonova
VLADIMIR SIMONOV, IGOR CHERNEVICH VLADIMIR AFANASYEV
in TROUBLE IN STORE
Created by Vladislav Romanov and Yevgeniy Latiy
with Sergey Ashkenazi
Directed by Sergey Ashkenazi
Director of Photography Vladimir Klimov
Music by Alexei Ashkenazi
Production designer IRAIDA SHULTS Costume designer REGINA KHOMSKAYA
Makeup artist OLGA MATVEYCHUK
Editing OLGA GRINSHPUN & YEKATERINA KIRILLOVA
Sound supervisor PAVEL PODLESNY Casting TATIANA STATSMAN
Executive producer ANDREY ANOKHIN
Produced by Vitaliy Bordachev and Vlad Ryashin
Episode 1
Good morning.
Good morning. To the Trade Department.
Are you leaving in the morning?
I don’t have classes today.
I want to go to the summer cottage with my parents.
Will you go with us?
Today is not a Sunday. What shall I tell my general?
I don’t know.
Tell him that you will think the operation plan over in the open air.
He’ll say that I’m a madman
and send me to the madhouse for examination.
Then tell him that you love your wife and want to spend some time with her.
In the middle of the working week?
I don’t know. He is a human too and he should understand.
I bet he plays truant a lot.
He is General and I’m still Major.
It makes no difference for me.
Forgive me, I’m just being capricious. What are you doing now?
Are you hunting somebody down?
I am. Why are you asking? You were never interested.
Right. But I have to talk to you about something.
‒ Hello. ‒ Hello.
‒ Good afternoon, Georgiy Petrovitch. ‒ Hello.
Hello, Georgiy Petrovitch.
Right on time, as always.
Yes. I’m on time.
He is sick.
But later I’ll send some papers to him to sign at home.
I may bring him something if you need me to.
This is a trifle.
I’ll send a courier.
Sure, we’ll do everything.
How are respected Lidia Alexandrovna and Anechka doing?
Thank you, they are fine.
Pay my respects to them.
We’ll be waiting for your courier.
Durer.
Is that an original?
It’s a copy.
Eduard Dmitrievitch, we have no doubts
that you have great money in foreign currency.
We’ll find it, believe me. It’s silly to ask you to open your hiding place yourself.
But I’ll still do it, because honest admission of guilt mitigates the sentence.
Am I already accused?
No, but you’re arrested.
And there is only one step between the arrest and the court.
Especially with currency deals.
We’ve already found 2,000 dollars. How will we live now?
We’ll live as we used to live.
Here you go. This is your order.
Take the change, please.
The aroma is heavenly.
You know how to please a soldier. Thank you.
You’re welcome.
Do you know what I noticed, Georgiy Petrovitch?
Every Thursday when we visit your superiors you’re pretty upset.
Look at yourself.
You’re right. I’m talking nonsense.
Shall we go to the City Council?
Right.
Hello.
Is Vera Ivanovna here?
She is. How may I help you?
It’s a personal matter.
Vera Ivanovna, may I?
Hello.
Sit down, Georgiy Petrovitch.
Thank you. I have little time.
The three boxes are for the secretaries and the biggest one is for Grishin.
Very good. Starshinov told me that Nicolay Ivanovitch is sick.
He is.
It’s OK. I was musing about something, Georgiy…
We shall give some bonuses to the departments’ chiefs.
What do you think?
We’ll do that, Gennadiy Fedorovitch. Next week.
Good, for they are working hard…
Any problems or requests?
I have only one request — about a room for my driver.
He’s been working with me for long and we’ve written a letter to you about that.
I believe we’ve already sent the papers to the Moscow City Council.
It’s good to be a priest. Everybody tells them the truth.
But to me… everyone lies to me. This is very bad.
The fact that we failed to find currency in your apartment doesn’t mean anything.
There is a summer cottage, apartments of your relatives and this office.
Why not hide it here?
A husband and a wife are one Devil, forgive me for this saying.
The search warrant will be brought here in half an hour,
and we’ll start… after a prayer.
Your colleagues-communists will be happy.
May be we’ll fail to find anything.
But the shame is long-lived.
What do you want from me?
Nothing in particular. Just tell me where.
Start the engine.
Take me to my office and then go to the Moscow City Council for an order.
You were given a room. So say goodbye to your hostel.
What’s wrong? Are you happy?
Yes I am. You know, I’ve lost all hope.
I even changed my mind about marrying. Thank you so…
Stop it! I helped you, yes. So what?
I had such an opportunity. Go, Kolya!
So… can I use your phone?
No need to call anywhere.
The money is here.
Where?
Here.
How original!
On the other hand, it’ll always be popular in Russia to hide
the most valuable things behind the icons.
Open it, don’t be shy.
I’ll tell you something, Georgiy Petrovitch.
Please don’t interrupt me. You’re a good man.
They are rare nowadays. And thank you very much.
I owe you… for the rest of my life.
Stop it. Work well. I don’t need anything else.
Watch the road. You?re happy enough to get into a crash.
Never!
So, there are 10,000 dollars is every package.
Four packages. 40,000 dollars, right?
I admitted my guilt because I don’t want innocent people
to get in trouble and ruin their honest name.
Do you mean the director of the store?
Yes. My superiors have nothing to do with it.
It was noble. I can’t make your happy, though.
40,000 dollars is a serious theft.
Vera Ivanovna, you’re under arrest.
What are you doing? Georgiy Petrovitch might see it!
Vera Ivanovna, we quarreled with our linen keeper!
She took my glue, I scolded her for that,
and now she won’t starch my uniform!
Not now, Tamara.
I’ll come tomorrow.
What kind of music does Andropov like?
Chamber music.
Andropov was awarded with a Nobel prize for physics.
He proved that knocks spread faster than sound. Good.
General Poltakov is here. Shall I let him in?
Yes. I am already waiting for him.
Did you hear?
I did. Who could be making up such silly stuff?
If people make up stories about you it means
that they consider you to be one of their kind.
And we shall be one with the nation.
We shall see to their interests.
Tell me, Anatoliy… do people make up jokes about you?
No, Yuriy Vladimirovitch. At least I haven’t heard any.
It means you don’t deserve it. Well…
How is Anilin’s case going?
We confiscated 40,000. The money was in his wife’s safe.
Let me remind you that Vera Ivanovna is the deputy director
of the director Central Food Shop.
The money was in the safe behind Lenin’s portrait.
How cynical!
Everything is clear with him.
Did he admit his guilt?
He is asking for a lawyer! How cheeky!
Explain him where he is.
He is in the internal prison of the KGB.
We’ll remind him about that, have no doubts.
But Anilin is not our main hero.
You’re right, Yuriy Vladimirovitch. His wife is a thread leading to…
Berkutov. He is the main character.
He has spoilt all the government officials with his stolen sausages.
He is hiding behind his defenders like behind the Chinese wall.
Shchelokov, Grishin,
Churbanov and his wife, the General Secretary…
But mind — one wrong move, and we’re done.
What about Rimin?
Something strange is going on. We were on his tail
when the OBHSS moved in and spoilt it all.
They confiscated all his papers.
They must be covering him up.
Hello. Do you need anything?
I don’t. I was just passing by and decided to see a friend.
This is Zara, my assistant.
Zara, smoke here, while Georgiy and I have a 10-minute walk.
But I still have to work today.
You’ll have enough time.
What do you want?
The people from the OBHSS are my people.
They covered up for me.
But the KGB won’t leave me alone.
I’m not thinking about myself. I’m a nobody,
just a director of a small storehouse.
But… stop him!
You shall press all buttons
but get that guy in glasses under control.
You can do anything.
You shall help save not only me, but everybody.
If all our people are caught, they’ll catch you too.
My boss will be the first to name you.
Tell your guys, and they’ll talk to Brezhnev.
He’ll stop KGB on its tracks.
But don’t wait for too long, or we’re done.
Maybe you worry too much. Boris, I like you.
But I always tell you — less noise! No parties with whores.
I agree. But we shall talk of other things now.
This campaign was planned. I can feel it.
And our enemy is very obstinate.
He won't leave us alone until he gets us.
Anilin has already been arrested.
How? When?
Today. And where does his wife work?
With me.
You look beautiful.
Thank you.
Brew me some tea. And send a courier to Kostikov to get a paper for me.
Is Vera Ivanovna in her office?
She is not. Three men came to her and took her away.
She was arrested. They found foreign currency in her safe.
Zoya Sergeyevna knows more.
They took two buyers as witnesses. I talked to them afterwards.
They were people from the Moscow KGB.
They found 40,000 dollars in Vera’s safe and arrested her.
She opened the safe and gave the money herself.
She told them several times that the money belonged to her husband.
“He asked me to keep it here”. What nonsense!
Nonsense? It was no nonsense. It was very clever.
But he didn’t think about us.
Who?
Who? Anilin, that’s who. He was arrested in the morning.
He didn't tell them anything. That’s why they came to Vera.
I’m sure that they scared her with a search in her office,
and so she surrendered. Or maybe she decided to save us
by taking the blame.
Thank her for that! But this is still ungrateful.
If something happens to you I’ll die.
She doesn’t know about my affairs.
What about the surplus?
Why would she talk about that?
She was arrested for her husband’s case and not for mine.
What “your case” are you talking about?
Anyone is trade might potentially be arrested.
It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not. Hello.
Hi.
How terrible!
I hope there is no currency in your safe.
A fool!
Good bye. See you tomorrow.
See you.
Bukin? Again! I’ll fire you, I promise!
I beg your pardon, Georgiy Petrovitch! This is my acquaintance.
Walk away from here!
Georgiy? Don’t you recognize me?
Korney?
Korney.
I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you at first.
I’m fighting the loaders. They’ve gotten used to…
Bukin, get out of here!
One moment!
Different people come here, so…
Come up to my place. Come, come!
Do you work here?
I do. I’m a guard.
Is that Brezhnev?
Help yourself. Did I tell you about my benefactor?
Here is Korney.
I toast you!
Georgiy often talks about you.
I didn’t do anything special.
After the war everybody was trying to help others. Is that right?
It is. But not everybody succeeded.
I was driving the division commander during the last war year.
I have his recommendation.
Recommendation is a good thing. But I have no vacancies.
We have few cars. Sorry, friend!
Give me the light, please.
Why are you so upset?
They didn’t take me. No vacancies, they say. Few cars.
They didn’t take you despite all your medals, did they?
What front were you fighting at?
The Second Belorussian Front.
The Second Belorussian Front? Minsk, Mogilev, Visla, and Oder?
Not “aha”, but aye-aye, Comrade Junior Soldier.
I was fighting at the same front, but we didn’t meet there.
I think I’ll go.
Wait. But don’t go anywhere.
Just don?t go anywhere!
This is how I became a taxi driver. Korney gave me his place.
He became a mechanic instead.
I’d work as a mechanic anyway. It’s my profession.
Call me in case of need!
I toast you! Don’t be modest.
Any other man would bypass me, and you stopped.
So you knew that your husband was stealing money.
May be he was forcing you to keep it?
It mitigates your fault. But think well before answering.
Our party and all the Soviet people are grieving...
Here are 5,000. Put it in the same place.
Suslov, a great son of our nation
and a passionate communist died…
So he died after all, old scum!
He killed so many people, bloody idiot!
Talk quieter. The children are not sleeping yet.
Hide the money. The kids might come out. It’s not good.
I want you to take the money from the safe.
You promised! I agreed to keep it for one month,
and now six months have passed.
Very good. They were guarded by Berkutov
and our dear Leonid Ilyitch…
I give you a week.
What will you do then?
Will you throw the money away?
I will.
Father has an anniversary in a month.
I’ll take the money to his place. They won’t find it there.
And as for the divorce, if you insist I agree.
Comrade Major, General is asking for you.
I’m coming. Guard, take Mrs. Anilina to her cell.
Great! I always knew that you’ll become a big boss, Georgiy!
I didn’t know about that.
You didn't, did you?
Don’t be shy. Come any day starting from tomorrow.
We’ll help you with what we can.
I’ll drive you home now.
No. I live nearby.
Are you still in the same communal flat?
Of course I am. But the children live separately,
so my wife and I have two rooms all for ourselves.
Do you have grandchildren?
Of course I do.
My granddaughter is going to marry soon.
I’ll help you with the wedding.
I still owe you, remember?
Will you give me this?
Not only this. Not everything is on the shelves.
Yes?
Are you having rest, General?
I am. Did you call for Skachko?
He is already here.
Let him in.
Aye-aye!
Did you call for me, Comrade General?
I did. Come in. Sit down.
Thanks.
I can’t look at your unshaven face.
I don’t like it myself. One magician told on the TV
that after his seance all the scars heal.
I was sitting by the TV-screen like this three days in a row. It didn’t help.
It didn’t, did it?
You’re easy to remember.
Not as easy as with a scar from ear to nose.
Stop it! What about Anilina?
She gave us the money.
But she says she didn’t take part in her husband’s crimes.
They are all thieves. Frankly speaking,
we got lucky with her. I didn’t count on that.
She brought us a lot of money.
Money is not the main thing.
But it is a direct path to Berkutov, director of the Central Food Store.
He is the head of the Moscow gang, and she is his deputy.
So we can start working on Berkutov.
But we have nothing on him.
Then we’ll find something.
He is not working in the library. He is a director of the Central Food Store.
Work with Anilina and make her name Berkutov.
Tell her what you want. Promise her to set her free,
but make her name Berkutov.
We’re expected to deliver. He expects us!
I see. May I be free?
You may.
I only got one copy. I asked for two. Did you forget?
I didn’t. You’ll get the second one next week.
Can you get it tomorrow?
My friend has a birthday the day after tomorrow,
and she loves Bosch.
All right, I’ll get it tomorrow.
Anka is pregnant.
What?
Let’s go to the forest this Sunday
and have a walk… like before.
Like before? When was that?
I wanted to go to the Pushkin museum on Sunday.
They have a new exhibition of impressionists.
Why don’t you invite me?
Stop it! I invited you to the cinema and to the theatre many times.
And you always tell me to go on my own for you’re busy.
I wonder how you found time for our wedding.
I was on a sick leave then.
Funny! But sad.
The decision will be the following — the wedding.
We’ll arrange a huge banquet.
Anka doesn’t want to.
Why is that? Is she afraid of talking to him?
I’m not that shy. He’ll marry her at once!
She doesn’t love him. She says it was a mistake.
A mistake! Who will answer for it?
You know Moscow. People will start talking.
I want things to be right.
They will be. Anka will have a baby.
We’ll have a grandson or a granddaughter…
Don’t talk about sexual revolution.
Thanks God we’re not in America.
Thanks God we’re not. But you have problems here.
They are my problems and I’ll solve them.
What is so important there? The cases, the investigation…
But detectives have life too!
They have families, wives and children.
As for the children nobody is prohibiting you from having them.
Nobody is prohibiting but nobody is insisting too.
And I’m scared. I’m scared to always be alone.
Vera let you down.
And you’re still grateful to her — “she didn’t want to stain me”!
Let’s not talk about that. I understand everything
and I’m acting. The main thing is that you’re with me.
I’m with you. But who is against you?
I don’t care about them.
Your life used to seem so romantic to me like in a movie.
And now I’m like Maigret’s wife — you call me and you’re free.
Or sometimes you don’t even call.
Stop it! By the way, Maigret and his wife lived together for 40 years.
And we’ve only lived together for 5.
You know that I love you, don’t you? I never…
Stop it! This is not what I was talking about.
Though this too…
Well…
How do I know where you spend nights?
Don’t start.
This is a start with no end.
By the way… this is what you asked for.
Did you read it yourself?
I leafed through it in the office.
He is a bad guy, of course… but a talented one.
Don’t take it out of the house.
Aye-aye, Comrade Major.
Stop tickling me.
Do you like it?
Very much. Why is it prohibited?
It’s not only prohibited.
One may get in prison for that.
Do you send people to prison too?
Me? No, this is not my job.
Others would do that with pleasure. Stop reading!
Shall we go to the OBHSS?
As far as I know, bribes and thefts are none of our business.
Anilin’s case — I can understand that. The currency!
But the food store!
It’s our business now. And the bosses’ orders…
You know it yourself. We may nail down the director
of the Central Food Store Berkutov through Anilina.
But we shall try other ways too.
What ways?
Platonova Zoya Sergeyevna, the head of the orders placement desk.
She is an important person. She knows a lot.
The order placement desk!
Are you crazy? 40,000 in the working office,
and plus behind a portrait of…
I know that it was not your fault. But people are saying:
“Where was Berkutov looking”? You said yourself
that we have mutual protection and mutual responsibility.
It’s silly to justify myself. It was my fault,
but I have no idea how that could have happened!
Shall I not trust anybody?
Right, you should trust no one!
What will you sing when they come to you?
I visited Grishin this morning. He is very angry.
What do we do in case of anything?
Brezhnev is very sick. That’s why He is stirring.
Andropov?
Who else?
Can he be displaced?
It’s too late. We only start acting when it’s too late.
It’s all right, though. Grishing is acting too. We’ll manage.
Tell me… does Anilina know much?
I didn’t inform her of our affairs. But she could have heard something.
Who else is in the know?
Zoya Platonova.
She is not a fool. And people say she is in love with you.
Who knows these women?
I’m trying to be on good terms with everybody.
All right, this is none of my business.
Who will you take in Vera’s place?
I was thinking about Zuyeva.
You’re right. Send me the papers, and we’ll approve the candidate.
I brought you some honey. A small jar.
Thank you, Georgiy. I’m pleased. Thanks.
I don’t understand.
I’m arrested on account of assisting my husband.
And you’re talking mostly about our food store and Berkutov.
Berkutov has no connection either to the money
or to my husband’s affairs. Or do you want him to have it?
Do you want to put Berkutov in prison?
You know, we never arrest and moreover imprison people
without a reason. Of course we’re interested in your food store.
We got many signals about back-door trade,
fraud and bribery.
People who come from the back door
make their orders at the order placement desk.
Everything is done according to the law, and we have the invoices.
The difference is in the fact that they don’t wait in queues,
but they pay for that additionally. What is criminal?
What relations do you have with Berkutov?
We’re colleagues. We respect each other.
Did you take part in his fraud operations?
I repeat — there were no cases of fraud in our food store.
What can you say about Lidia Berkutova?
Or about Zoya Sergeyevna Platonova?
Nothing of what you’d like to hear. They are good people.
They work well. Berkutov loves his wife and protects her.
He always says: “Don’t tell Lidochka. Don’t upset her”.
Honest, honest…
I think Zoya Sergeyevna has an eye on Berkutov.
This is none of my business. I never noticed it.
It’s strange that you’re interested in rumors.
Berkutov was at the war. He has awards.
Yes he has.
Vera Ivanovna, let’s go into the open.
We know that there were cases of fraud in your store.
We’ll find the proofs for sure.
But unfortunately they won’t help you. Do you understand?
No I don’t. What do you mean?
I offer you to come out clean.
I’ll make you a witness in your husband’s case.
Or at least a forced accomplice.
But for that you’ll tell me everything about Berkutov.
Everything! Otherwise you’ll get 10 years of imprisonment.
But stop singing about his crystal cleanness.
Stop it! I’ll give you time… until tomorrow.
Think about it.
Guard!
Mind, Vera Ivanonva — from this moment on
your fate and the fate of your children is in your hands.
I beg your pardon.
Captain Glukhov, Moscow Department of the KGB.
You’re Platonova Zoya Sergeyvna. Right?
What’s the matter?
Nothing. I’ll just ask you a few questions.
What questions? Why do I have to answer?
Because we ask you about it.
You may consider it to be an ordinary talk.
Though I could have summoned you to our department for that.
What do you want to talk to me about?
About Vera Ivanovna Anilina.
I am thinking about you all the time. I can’t help it.
What do you think of me?
Different things. I recall your smile and your look.
Do I smile to you so often?
Not often, unfortunately. But sometimes…
It’s time to part. Anton, I have to go home.
Is your husband strict? He doesn’t like you being late?
This is none of your business. Good bye.
Good bye.
If Vera Ivanovna and her husband were on the brink of divorce
why would she keep his money in her safe?
Something is wrong here.
Maybe she considered a part of this money to be hers?
I don’t think so. However I don’t know anything about that.
Did you know Anilin?
Of course. He was a boor and a womanizer.
We used to be friends with Vera, but he wanted to land me in his bed.
What did you do?
You may skip this question.
Why? I can answer. I told him to buzz off and threatened to tell Vera about it.
Then he left me alone.
Did Vera know about her husband’s behavior?
Of course she knew. But she never told him about that.
Why?
For the sake of the children.
The younger one is in the third grade and the elder one is in the sixth.
The elder one is in the sixth grade…
Tell me…
Were there any deals for supplies of delicacies
between your store and Anilin’s “Berezka”?
We’re separate entities. We could have no deals.
Damn it!
Why are you so late?
I’ve forgotten the keys.
Here they are! I’ve almost come home!
What are you doing here?
I have a reason. And it is an interesting reason.
Berkutov Georgiy Petrovitch