STAR MEDIA PRESENTS
Sergey Makovetsky
Mikhail Porechenkov
Maria Shukshina
Daria Mikhailova
Yulia Peresild
Yevgenia Simonova
Vladimir Simonov, Igor Chernevich, Vladimir Afanasiev
In Trouble in Store
Script by Vladislav Romanov and Yevgenii Latii
With the participation of Sergey Ashkenazi
Production Director: Sergey Ashkenazi
Director of Photography: Vladimir Klimov R.G.C.
Music by Aleksey Ashkenazi Production Designer: Iraida Shultz
Costume Designer: Regina Khomskaya Makeup Artist: Olga Matveichuk
Editing Directors: Olga Grinshpun and Ekaterna Kirillova
Sound Producer: Pavel Podlesny Casting Director: Tatiana Statzman
Executive Producer: Andrey Anokhin
Producers: Vitalii Bordachev and Vlad Ryashin
Episode 5
Two! Two calls, do you see? One for the City Committee.
“Pressuring the suspect for evidence,
“causing an honest man to commit suicide.”
They call Arimin an honest man. But this doesn’t matter,
because there was the second call.
Come on, Anatoly Vasilyevich, it’s 2 AM.
After those windbags, Yuri Andropov called and said,
“Enough of pussyfooting around those bastards
“to humor Grishin.” You understand what it means?
We do. Berkutov!
That’s my boy.
And forget bloody secrecy. Go ahead.
Yes.
What’s up? Where are you?
They came around 11. And then…
I see. Yes.
OK. I said, I got you.
Anything else? I don’t know. Anything!
No, I guess that’s it. Right! There was Doctor Zhivago book,
published by the Posevy.
Why didn’t you tell me before? This is something.
OK, stay there and call me again in 30 minutes.
I need to think.
Roger.
Sit down.
Is she with him?
Yes.
Did they do it?
Yes.
Anything else?
Doctor Zhivago, foreign edition.
That’s good.
At least we have something to hold on.
I mean, samizdat.
Thank you for clearing it out. Where’s his mother?
She left to Kostroma on business yesterday.
We need to take him quick, while he still has the book.
Just make sure she leaves first.
Of course.
Good morning, Miss.
Hello.
Masha? Where are you going?
Kapustin at the entrance, Shirshov, follow me.
Can we swap places? I’ve been here all night.
I’m freezing.
OK. Oleg, come with me.
Can I have a cigarette?
Sure, Liosha.
Thanks.
Hello.
Hi.
Gennady Romanovich, can I have a word with you?
Give me light. If you don’t need me, I’d rather go home.
It’s not far from here. I’m on my last legs.
OK, go.
Thank you. See you tomorrow.
I am in big trouble. I don’t know how to understand it,
how to forgive myself for what I have done.
But it can’t be undone, and I’m not looking for excuses.
I’m leaving to my parents’ house.
I’m the only one to blame. Masha
Are you coming? It’s time!
Yeah, I’m ready. I’m coming.
Who’s that?
Yes.
Well. That’s it.
Shall we go?
Wait.
Take a seat.
Something’s wrong?
Yes.
Boris Arimin was arrested again last night. He died today, at dawn.
Died?
He hung himself. In his cell in Lefortovo.
Oh God. But Starshinov said…
Yes, he said the case was closed, and Boris believed it.
Well, now it’s closed, now it’s reopened.
I think they released him on purpose, to catch him off guard.
Bang, the trap slammed shut.
Now it’s my turn.
They wouldn’t dare.
You’re a Party member, Moscow City Council deputy.
You’re a war veteran. The city knows and respects you.
Boris was a party member, too.
But not a deputy.
Are you really this naive?
Aren’t you? You’ve been working for them all these years!
You sold yourself, your soul! And what have you got?
Nothing! No guarantees. I know!
Today you will submit your resignation.
No use. I tried it twice.
Try it again! The situation has changed. Don’t they understand it?
They do! But you don’t. The system will collapse.
The flow will stop.
They are used to getting their money every week.
It will take time before they find a replacement,
train him, start to trust him like they trusted me.
It will cost them many rolls of 10-rubles bills.
I don’t care. Your life, your fate are at stake!
You’re exaggerating. Fate! Arimin brought it on himself.
He made his last choice, too. He could have kept fighting!
But he chickened out. He snapped.
And you won’t snap, will you?
You think you’re tougher than him?
At least I’m smarter.
They’ve broken many people smarter than you.
Stop this! It’s too early to plan my funeral.
Why don’t we get a divorce?
What?
Yes. What? Who?
Maybe that’s for her…
Who’s speaking?
I’m listening.
If they arrest me, I’ll keep silence.
They’ll start pressing you, like they did with Vera Anilina.
And if we are divorced, they won’t dare.
Oh yes, they will. Besides, I won’t divorce you
even if it means they’ll shoot me. Do you understand?
Making out? You need to go to work.
Mom knows everything.
About what?
Kostia called.
Yes, Ania, Dad has a natural son.
He was born before Dad met me.
Which means he’s not guilty.
OK, you go to the store and go on rounds.
Where are you going?
I’ll be there later.
Now we’ll have to wait till the daughter leaves.
What if she stays in till tomorrow?
Is that her?
Yes.
Don’t smoke here. I’m trying to exercise here.
Are you scared? Shit your pants? You’re a veteran!
You were in Berlin.
What if they killed your comrade in arms?
Will you get out of the trench and surrender?
Or will you attack the enemy? I think you will!
OK, they killed your friend.
He died a hero’s death, so to say.
You think it’s easy to go like that,
without betraying anyone?
You need a great courage for this.
How much did they find on him?
$55,000. In the boiler house basement.
God knows where he got it. It’s bad for us, of course.
What’s with this paper?
A letter of resignation, eh?
Maybe it’s time.
How long have you been working here?
10 years.
Sounds like a term.
I’m kidding! I’d love to escape, too.
I’m so tired. But what will people say?
You don’t have any formal excuse. You’re a good director.
You’re in the Hall of Fame.
Maybe because of poor health…
No, Georgy, we won’t give up.
We’ll fight together, like Russian warriors used to.
You’ve betrayed Arimin, Nikolay Ivanovich. I’ll be the next.
It’s better for you now that I stayed in my place,
covering your ass until you get rid of all evidence.
I’m fed up with your rhetoric.
Who do you think you are? I made you!
I turned a blind eye to your jail time!
I charged you less than anybody. You covering my ass!
I thought I was covering yours.
Remember, you’ll stay here until I say you can go.
Get out of here. And stick this paper up your ass.
May I?
Come in.
I heard about Arimin. It’s horrible.
How is your branch doing?
OK.
Anything changed?
Take it away.
Can I go?
Go back to work, Sasha.
What about this?
I’ll tell you later.
What’s up with him?
Georgy?
Who else? Arimin?
Isn’t it enough?
Quite enough.
Tell him it’s Georgy Berkutov, and it’s urgent.
Viktor Vasilievich is very…
Tell him it’s Georgy Berkutov, with an urgent matter.
Long time no see.
Hello.
What’s up? Any problem?
I… Viktor Vasilievich, I…
Enough with this I. This is called individualism. Talk.
Tell me everything that’s in your heart and soul,
the way I like it.
My heart aches, and so does my soul.
I probably shouldn’t have come. But it’s so hard.
They’re sniffing for something, pecking me from all sides.
And now Arimin…
I know. It’s very sad.
But don’t jump to conclusions.
Everything went wrong.
He was not a very smart man, too.
Viktor Vasilievich, Leonid Ilyich for you.
Don’t panic. Everything will be fine. I’m at watch.
Georgy Petrovich. I prepared everything you asked for.
Pavel, it’s all for the best.
You’re neither the first nor the last.
In 1955, when I was a young Captain, I fell in love.
It seemed that she loved me back. We almost got married.
And then I found out she was messing with two other guys.
I went ballistic. I even wanted to kill her.
What if I did? I’d landed in jail for 20 years.
Women are twisting us round their little fingers.
She will tell you anything you want to hear
and do her business at the same time.
The Ukrainians have this saying,
a male dog won’t cover a bitch if she doesn’t want him to.
Are you listening?
I don’t understand Ukrainian.
You understand everything.
Life will put everything in its place.
Time is the best cure. And so on.
I wish I could go somewhere far away.
That would be nice for a change.
By the way, where’s our hero’s mother?
That’s why we arrested him, right?
She’s in Kostroma, trying to get summer sausage.
So she’s there on Berkutov’s business,
and she has no idea that her son has been arrested.
What if we arrest her right there?
Where there’s no Berkutov around to protect and coach her.
You want me to go?
Yes. You’ll do what we need and have a little distraction.
Nobody will ever see this, I promise.
Neither will her name be mentioned in the case.
Anyway, she has nothing to do with it.
Thanks.
What’s up?
Liosha, come here.
What happened?
Sit down.
OK, I’m sitting. Now what?
Oh, Liosha, stupid was the priest that baptized you.
Give me a cigarette.
Here. May it not be your last.
So he ratted me out, that samizdat bastard.
Oh yes he did.
What’s going to happen to me?
What do you think? How could you? Are you an idiot?
Yes, I’m an absolute idiot.
Who knew it will end up with this?
What if it didn’t? How would you live with yourself?
Others do.
Who do you mean?
Nobody. I just blurted it out.
I’ve been dreaming about a car all my life.
I thought there was no hope. And then an occasion presented itself.
Naturally, my judgment was clouded.
Abuse of authority, jobbery, bribery…
Stop it.
I won’t even see my baby when it’s born.
Why, you’ll see him in 7 years, when he starts school.
I appreciate this.
Don’t mention, Stepan Nikolayevich. We’ve just got fresh halibut.
Will you wait till they unload the truck?
No, thanks, this is more than enough. See you.
Keep in touch.
These are the letters you need to sign, Georgy Petrovich.
My friend has left for a week. I have keys to her apartment.
Ap. 15, 43 Starobasmannaya St.
Liusia, please.
You kissed me. It was a real kiss.
You imagined it.
When will you be there?
I think in 5 hours I’ll be in Kostroma.
So what’s the verdict for that fool?
Court martial, what else. He’ll get 7 years.
There are no mitigating circumstances.
Seven years.
He deserves it. The black sheep must leave the flock.
I thought you were friends. His wife is pregnant.
Yes. She’s in her seventh month.
You should go on this trip.
No, you go. Maybe you’ll have some luck.
You’re the brain around here.
Right. Maybe we shouldn’t make haste.
How about house arrest for him? Let him think about it.
And who’s going to convict him, us?
Why not? We can make a decision and go through with it.
Without telling anyone?
Of course he needs to be punished.
But you know the court martial. It’s a one-way street.
You want him to serve 7 years and then
sell carrots in the marketplace for the rest of his life?
That’s where he belongs.
OK, OK. Calm down.
We’ll figure it out when I’m back.
Meanwhile, let him stay at his dacha. Bye.
Bye.
What’s wrong with you?
To hell with it.
Why? First you dote on it, and now you spit on it!
I’ll go to court martial because of this thing.
What happened? Liosha, what’s wrong?
What court are you talking about?
They’ll give me 7 years. 6, at best.
Six years? Why? What have you done?
I took a bribe and bought this car with it.
Idiot!
Me? You didn’t complain when you were riding this car.
And now Liosha is an idiot!
Because you got caught.
We should have taken Ania with us.
Why?
It’s a beautiful evening. We could have had a family outing.
Why can’t we be together, just the two of us? Do I bore you?
You don’t.
Do you still love me?
Yes, and no stills here.
To you.
To our happiness. We’re still…
This word again! We’ve been using it more often lately.
What’s so bad about it? We’re still alive.
We’re still together. We still love each other.
Isn’t that enough?
Yes, of course.
But yesterday there were this other word, already.
And I was scared for the first time in my life.
I felt so alone.
He’s a good guy, though.
He said everything will be OK. “I’m at watch.”
I wish I could believe him.
You should. Believe in all good things.
You shouldn’t offend me, though.
What did I say?
You didn’t even notice. How can you say that you’re alone?
I’m with you.
I’m an idiot. Sorry.
Here you are, Zoya Sergeyevna. Welcome.
Thank you. How are you?
Great.
This is from Georgy Petrovich.
The usual. Your favorites.
You see… In the wake of the latest developments…
We already heard about that. We just can’t.
What developments?
He hung himself.
Who?
Boris Arimin, head manager of the vegetable warehouse.
Where did it happen? When?
In jail, where else.
What jail? He was released!
And then rearrested. So, with all due respect…
And please apologize for me to Georgy Petrovich.
Right now it’s impossible.
Take it away! Take it please!
Are you sure?
Open your purse.
God!
My precious, I wouldn’t say that if I weren’t sure.
I’ve got a word from the local Committee.
So don’t even doubt it. You know how it works.
First they’ll put all your people in jail, and then it’ll come to us.
Don’t even bother bringing it to our guys. Trust me.
I’m speaking from experience.
I can give you some summer sausage, though.
Not as much as we used to, but still.
Here’s you passport, card and the key.
Thank you. Is Zoya Platonova in her room?
What number?
325.
No, the key is on the board.
Thank you.
What have you done with the old man?
You almost gave him a heart attack. You have to think for yourself, Georgy.
Why did you go to Grishin? He called the old man.
He said, “your guys should do something about their nerves.”
The old man turned green around the gills.
What are you so afraid of, Georgy?
Nobody’s going to touch you.
I don’t know. I freaked out. I felt like I lost firm ground.
It happens. Never mind.
I’ll tell the chief that you freaked out, but now you’re OK.
Right.
OK, I should get going.
I’ll see you out.
He’s a tough cookie. He obviously wanted to say something
but didn’t want to speak in the office.
Drop a hint to Nikolay Ivanovich that I’m prepared
to deliver the entire reserve stock to him.
Not again! Georgy, stop it!
We cherish you like an apple of our eye, and that’s how you’re paying us.
This is not the way to behave. Be a man!
I don’t want to hear it. I’m not going to talk to anyone.
You’ll go to him and confess,
and everything will be the way it used to be. OK?
OK.
Good. Bye.
Zoya called. She said she’d call back.
OK, I’ll be waiting.
What a nightmare. I can’t wrap my head around it.
Will they let the family get the body?
This is inhuman.
This isn’t a law, this is brutality.
Me? I’m not so good, Georgy Petrovich.
Your chief shit his pants because of Arimin.
No, he didn’t take anything. He said nobody will.
Yes, he wrote me an order. About half of what we asked for.
What am I doing next? Coming back?
No, don’t change anything. Come back the day after tomorrow
as you planned.
Prepare papers for mushroom and cheese deliveries.
No more gifts. They give us what they give. Good luck.
They’re getting nervous.
Let’s prod our young genius.
Keep recording.
Blizzards were blowing everywhere Throughout the land.
A candle burned upon the table,
A candle burned.
His poetry is great, but his prose — not so much.
To tell you the truth, I don’t know why they banned it.
But they know better.
And for you this means 4 years in high security prison.
5, considering perjury.
Are you OK with that?
You’re silent. This is an old tactics. Sometimes it works.
But quite rarely, believe me.
Listen to yourself.
I, Anton Platonov, have no idea how the banned book
Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak got into my house.
I’ve never seen or read it. Neither has my mother,
Zoya Platonova.
The above is an accurate record of my statement.
Anton Platonov.
Are you going to sign this bullshit?
Yes.
Well, go ahead. But I strongly advise against it.
If you sign it and I file it to the court,
along with incontrovertible evidence,
there will be no going back for you.
Well, well, well.
To hell with everything.
Your youth, your college, your career.
Here’s what we’ll do.
I’ll give you this record, and you’ll sleep on it.
Think it all over again.
I already have.
No, you haven’t.
Your mother is a merited retail worker.
You’ll ruin her reputation and make her lose her job.
Why?
Because you live together.
It means you stored and distributed banned books together.
What if I tell the truth? Will it change anything?
It wasn’t your mom who gave you this book, right?
So she’s out of this, which is something already.
We can work it out, Anton.
Think about it.