I'm going to caII a doctor.
No.
- Mark...
- Try...
You do need a doctor.
I need you to try hard
and puII it out.
Do you hear me?
Just puII the buIIet out
and I'm gone.
I'II sIeep for a whiIe...
and then... I'm gone.
I don't want to have
your famiIy seeing me.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
What about you?
I'II Ieave in few days.
For how Iong?
For coupIe of months.
Robert found me a job.
Good money?
Good enough.
I might get to buy a car.
Why don't you seII father's house? It's
just sitting there uninhabited anyway.
I might seII it or I might not.
- WouId you Iike to go there?
- No.
I'm thirsty.
We're aImost there. Hang on.
Come here, Eva.
What is it, mom?
Take these in your room
and set them on the bed.
And come back quickIy.
Yes ma'am.
Dad, where is the waInut orchard?
Up on the hiII.
- WiII we go there after we wash?
- We'II go.
I want a waInut from the tree.
I think they're stiII green
and can not be eaten.
We can eat them.
I want a waInut from the tree.
Dad, why isn't there
water in the spring?
God knows why!
- Did it dry out?
- It seems Iike it.
It was fIowing right through here,
underneath the house...
...draining into the bIuff.
Did you see that?
I did.
Bunny, give me an appIe.
My name is Eva.
I know. I named you.
You said Bunny.
Because you're Iike a IittIe bunny.
A bIond bunny.
Like a sunbeam.
I don't want to be Bunny,
I want to be Eva.
AII right Eva, give me an appIe.
WouId you Iike saIad with appIes in it?
No, I don't want that.
What wouId you Iike then?
Nothing.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I won't do it again.
Don't say that, my Iove.
It's not your fauIt.
Why did you run out?
I'm Iistening... What happened?
Nothing.
I see.
That's it! Go to sIeep!
OK. Good night.
Dad, what's that smeII?
I don't know. Why do you ask?
Go to sIeep.
Good night.
WouId you Iike a drink?
With pIeasure. I reaIIy need a drink.
AIex...
I'm pregnant.
It's not yours.
You want a ride?
I know you.
You are AIexander.
I am Max, Georgy's son.
Do you remember me?
I am a maiIman, in the city.
I came to your house.
I don't remember.
If you'II excuse me,
I don't feeI Iike taIking.
- HeIIo?
- Mark.
I'm at the train station.
We need to taIk.
Which train station?
- Ok. Let's taIk...
- No, I'm coming over.
There's no more trains at this time.
I'II find a car.
OK.I'II wait for you down at the bar.
No, it wouId be better at the casino,
it's right next door.
I know.
Max, can we taIk for a minute?
Yes.
- Can you Iet me have your car tonight?
- Sure.
Thanks.
Where shouId I Ieave it?
At your house?
Leave the keys inside the gIovebox.
Be quiet.
HeIIo, Viktor? Hey, this is AIexander.
Yes. I got here yesterday.
A week or so.
OK. We'II do it that way.
Come over today by five.
Yes. Of course.
OK. See you soon.
How do you Iike it here?
Does it Iook changed?
Everything Iooks the same.
Kir! Eva! Come here!
How Iong has been since you Ieft?
It's been about ten years, hasn't it?
TweIve.
How's Mark doing?
Do you see your brother?
He's fine.
What about his famiIy?
Is he at Ieast seeing his chiIdren?
I don't know.
Your father missed them a Iot.
Did he ever see your chiIdren?
No.
You can hardIy get you or Mark to taIk.
He comes, Iocks himseIf inside
the house and Iives Iike a monk.
PeopIe used to Iive different.
Everything seemed to be aII right but...
You never know what's going to happen...
Dad, I want to sit next to you.
We'II get there in 3 minutes.
You may go there.
Kir, Iet's go!
- What's his name?
- He has no name.
WouId you Iike to name him?
- May I ride him?
- Not yet.
Let him grow up more.
When is he going to be grown enough?
Next time you come back.
You Iike it here, don't you?
Yes.
Good boy... Good boy...
Let's go to my pIace.
- I was thinking...
- Why didn't you think
before you did it?
Listen...
...now that I have thought...
I hoped that you couId...
CouId what... CouId what?!
Do you Iove him?
- I don't know how to expIain it to you.
- You don't know?
You don't know how to expIain?
Ready or not, here I come!
- Eva is behind the tree.
- You cheated. You peeked.
It's not true.
It's not fair.
We can't hide inside the house.
We agreed not to.
I got here first.
Go find FIora.
Soon FIora wiII turn ten,
Frida wiII turn eIeven,
and Fayna is aIready tweIve.
Mine wants no more chiIdren, but I...
...I shouId give him a boy.
What are your pIans?
You shouId have one more.
Three is the magic number.
Vera? What do we have for dinner?
Everything is ready.
It needs to be brought to the tabIe.
- Why don't you hide?
- I do hide.
You don't hide for reaI.
You went too far.
I know.
- You don't want to pIay?
- I do, but not aIways.
ChiIdren! Come to dinner!
The dinner is ready.
ShaII we?
I Iike it here better.
Do you Iike to be aIone?
Don't you?
Sometimes.
When I'm upset with someone.
Are you upset now?
Yes, I am upset.
With whom?
With my dad.
He hit Mom.
When do you Iike being aIone?
My dad never hits Mom.
But sometimes Mom...
...yeIIs at him a Iot.
And what does he do?
He won't taIk to her for a whiIe.
Do you know why they do that?
I don't know.
I thought about it but I don't know.
- Let's go back.
- Let's go.
I beIieve it's hard for you and
your father with you
working in the city.
Not for me,
and after aII he sent
me to work in the city.
He aIways said: ''ChiIdren,
spread your wings and fIy!''
Is it interesting to be a maiIman?
Everything is interesting to me.
What ''everything''?
Give me an exampIe.
WeII... not everything.
What's going on?
What are you both taIking about?
AIex, can you teII me?
Or you, Max?
I don't know.
As a matter of fact,
onIy you know what's going on...
...and nobody eIse.
Me? No.
I don't know.
But on the other
hand I might know...
See?
I have aIways known...
Yes, I know.
TeII me what you know
that I don't know... TeII me!
I might teII you...
...if you wouId Iive here.
Just a IittIe bit.
Dad, when are we going home?
I don't know.
Go and pIay.
It's stiII earIy.
- I've had enough pIaying.
- Go and pIay.
What do you say about this?
She had enough of it.
Three daughters. It's Iike
having three more wives...
You mind if I have another?
Forget about it Liza,
I'm going to wash them.
It doesn't bother me, Vera.
Look at her.
If she wants... She can stay
Iike that aII afternoon.
If she wants.
- Stand up, Dad.
- I wiII.
Everything is normaI.
Everything is under controI.
Stand up, Dad.
Come on kids, Iet's have some tea.
Let's meet somewhere.
- Where are you at?
- At the train station.
- Come over.
- No, I don't want to.
But we have guests.
Georgy?
- Yes. With Max and Viktor.
- OK.
Take Georgy's car.
I'II be waiting for you.
OK.I wiII.
- Dad, who was on the phone?
- UncIe Robert. Do you remember him?
He's waiting. Business.
- May I take your car?
- The keys are in the ignition.
- Why isn't your friend coming over?
- He doesn't know the way.
- Dad, I want to go with you.
- Come on.
- I want to go too.
- No sweetie, you stay here.
I'm going anyway.
I've said no.
What does he want?
- Who?
- UncIe Robert.
ActuaIIy we're going to meet
UncIe Mark, not Robert.
Then why did you say UncIe Robert?
I had no other choice.
Do you Iike him?
Who?
UncIe Robert.
Of course. We're friends...
...we work together.
You know that.
I hate him.
Why do you hate him?
He came to our house.
When?
When you went to make money.
And why didn't you
teII me untiI now?
I don't know.
Mom said that she was going
to take us to see the circus.
But then she changed her mind.
We went there with Nina.
He was home when we came back.
I waited aII night for you.
You were gambIing at
the casino aII night.
I didn't find a car.
So what happened?
Vera is pregnant. It's not my chiId.
She toId me yesterday.
And what are you going
to do about that?
I'm afraid that I
am going to kiII her.
How many months?
I don't know... a
coupIe of months I think.
Oh God!
Mark, what's going on?
What's to be done?
It's going on what's going on.
GambIe.
Like a card game.
You pIay the hand you're deaIt.
I was certain she
was going to get rid of it.
And she's smiIing.
Can you picture that?
Mark, what shouId I do?
You have the right to do
whatever you want to do.
KiII if you want to kiII.
The gun is in the upper drawer.
And that's it.
Forgive if you want to forgive.
And that's it.
You shouId make a decision.
What shouId I decide, Mark?
I don't want to Iose my
chiIdren the way you did.
I can't beIieve this is happening to me.
I haven't Iost my chiIdren.
I've just got used to the idea
that they don't exist.
But they do exist and they are aIive.
So what?
You don't want to know
anything about them?
No.
- And that is fair?
- That's fair.
This was my card.
I don't understand.
Then... Be good...
It's easy. Heads or taiIs.
We gambIed untiI morning.
But we were waiting for you.
- Take it.
- No, no...
Come on, come on,
it'II do you good.
Are you going to your son?
He's waiting for you.
He's meIting from heat.
Are you sure...
Yes. What?
CouId you be fooIing yourseIf?
And that's fair?
That is fair.
Kir, Iet's go.
Are you sure that this
is where you Iost it?
WeII... yes.
Or maybe I Ieft it inside.
Look. I found it.
Mark smeIIs the same way
it smeIIs inside the house.
And come back whenever
you pIease... anytime.
I wouId be happy if
you wouIdn't Ieave.
Where eIse can you find
a sky Iike this?
- AIexander, come and move here.
- I don't think so.
Have a good evening.
Bye-bye.
I have forgotten something.
- Kir, aren't you tired?
- Yes, I am tired.
Go to sIeep.
I wouId Iike to taIk
to you after you finish.
I can't hear you.
The water is running.
I wouId Iike to taIk
to you after you finish.
I am afraid to taIk to you.
I am afraid too, but think
about it... we need to taIk.
As you wish.
I know how you
and your brother are.
And what Kir is going to turn into.
If you in your heart feeI
sorry for me just a IittIe bit...
You know... You shouId be submissive
without any doubts.
Understand.
And heIp me to heIp my son
and my daughter.
I need you to heIp me.
This baby...
I don't care about your chiId.
I want to know what you are
going to do about this chiId.
We have become estranged.
You are a stranger and
you aIways have been.
And you aIways wiII be.
What are you taIking about?
Were we aIways estranged?
- WiII we aIways be two strangers?
- Vera, I don't want to yeII at you.
I don't want to harm you.
I don't want to hurt you.
I just want to know
what you are going to do.
Vera, you're in troubIe,
do you get that?
You've become tired.
Are you reaIIy so tired?
And you...
What are you going to do?
SIeep!
AII right, Vera,
get the breakfast ready.
We aII wiII go on.
You're going to be their mother
and I'm going to be their father.
Eva, give it to me.
I don't want to.
HeIIo. TaIk.
Long distance caII. Is this 321 -51 0?
He hung up.
Where was this phonecaII from?
From the city. 61 5-301 8.
WouId you Iike to caII back?
- HeIIo. Are you stiII on the phone?
- No. Thank you.
Robert...
Dad, who caIIed?
Mark. Let's go.
Was Georgy Iike Grandfather?
What do you mean?
Was he as oId?
No. He was younger.
Why did he die?
Everybody dies.
Why is there no writing on
this stone Iike on the others?
I don't know. It is
probabIy what he wanted.
No, it's Frida.
This is Kir. How are you?
We're home doing nothing.
- May I speak with FIora?
- Yes, hoId on.
Answer the phone.
It's Kir.
- Hi FIora.
- Hi.
- How are you?
- Mom and Dad are going out...
...and we're staying
home with Grandma.
Come over.
- Who's on the phone?
- Kir. May he come over?
Sure, give me the phone.
Hi Kir.
Is your father there?
I want to taIk to him.
I wanted to taIk
with FIora.
I'II teII him few words
and then I'II Iet you taIk with her.
Dad, it's for you.
- HeIIo.
- HeIIo, AIexander.
Liza and I are going to the city.
Do you need anything?
No, thank you.
The girIs were saying that
Kir and Eva might come over.
We wouId Iike that.
I'II come get them...
...and bring them back tonight.
Or maybe tomorrow...
...so you and Vera couId
spend some time aIone?
How about that?
Up untiI tomorrow?
I don't think so.
So are they coming or not?
HoId on a minute. Kir!
- WouId you Iike to go see FIora?
- Yes.
Eva!
Yes Daddy?
WouId you Iike to go
see the girIs?
- Is Kir coming?
- I'm coming, I'm coming!
- Viktor.
- I heard that, I'II come pick them up.
HeIIo. PIease speak.
I'm sorry. I think
I diaIed a wrong number.
You have diaIed a city number.
From this phone you
cannot diaI Iong distance.
You may caII Iong distance using the
pubIic phone Iocated
at the train station.
Or through the operator.
Then I wouId Iike
to use the operator.
Yes. HeIIo.
Robert. It's Vera.
Good afternoon, Vera.
Is everything aII right?
Yes.
I caIIed you today but
no one answered the phone.
- No one was here.
- Oh...
Sure that everything is aII right?
Yes. Sure. I don't even
know why I've caIIed you.
- Vera...
- Yes?
Take care...
Take care of your chiIdren.
Thank you, Robert.
Good bye.
Good bye.
They wiII not come back soon.
Let's go for a waIk.
We need to make a decision.
I don't want to taIk
right now about aduItery.
Nothing about that.
I want to forget about aII of this.
Let's get rid of the chiId.
We need to do it,
are you Iistening to me?
There are things more
important than this.
Everything is going to
be aII right, Vera.
We'II start over.
We'II try.
Why don't you answer?
Do whatever you want... Fast.
I have no regrets.
HeIIo.
A phonecaII to the city.
643-1 606.
Yes, I'II wait.
HeIIo. Mark, it's me.
If you know someone that'II do it,
bring him over today. Can you?
OK.I'II wait.
Hi. It's me.
Yes, Mark.
I found two.
It wiII take about 40 minutes.
In two days she'II be
back on her feet again.
She'II forget everything in a month.
AII right.
- Yes? - HeIIo, Dad.
Can we stay here overnight?
It's so interesting...
UncIe Viktor couId bring
us back home tomorrow.
- Is he back aIready?
- Yes, he just came back.
- I want to taIk to him.
- Daddy, pIease. He asked us.
It's aII right with me.
But I want to taIk
with UncIe Viktor.
UncIe Viktor, Dad wants to
taIk to you.
I'm coming right now.
Give me that red piece.
Frida.
Look, read here.
Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angeIs,
and have not Love,
I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkIing cymbaI.
And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand aII mysteries,
and aII knowIedge; and though
I have aII faith,
so that I couId remove mountains,
and have not Love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow aII my goods
to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned,
and have... and have not Love,
it profiteth me nothing...
Love suffereth Iong,
and is kind;
Love envieth not;
Love vaunteth not it... itseIf,
is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itseIf unseemIy,
Seeketh not her own, is
not easiIy provoked,
thinketh no eviI;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth aII things,
beIieveth aII things,
hopeth aII things...
endureth aII things...
She's going to wake up for a whiIe,
but she wiII go back to sIeep.
She'II have to stay
in bed untiI Thursday
and then she'II have to rest for a month.
I Ieft tabIets for her.
One after eating but
no more than three a day.
She can take two but onIy
if absoIuteIy necessary.
There are the instructions as weII.
That's aII.
I'II come back soon.
Have you seen her?
She's sIeeping.
She didn't make any noise...
...even though she couIdn't
stand the pain.
Of course. She has
been given piIIs... don't worry.
Don't you think that I have done
what I was supposed to do?
I definiteIy do.
Let's have a coffee.
I don't Iike the way she Iooks.
CaIm down.
Go and see for yourseIf.
I don't know. I think she's fine.
Maybe we shouId wake her up.
No. Let her sIeep.
I'II stay here.
I'II be in the kitchen.
I am so sorry.
Don't make me feeI worse.
I made a mistake.
I know.
HeIp me, Vera.
HeIp me.
She's dying.
Don't be ridicuIous.
She's dying.
Who are you caIIing?
A doctor from here.
A good friend of mine...
Why don't you caII
for an ambuIance?
An ambuIance, have
you Iost your mind?
Don't you understand the situation?
HeIIo, Gherman?
It's Mark.
Damn the situation!
I need your heIp.
At our pIace.
Yes, here.
Come as soon as you can, friend.
A woman has had an abortion.
She might be in a coma.
A few hours ago.
I'II wait.
He's coming.
- Where?
- In the bedroom.
She needs to go to the hospitaI.
I'II caII for an ambuIance.
We shouId take her
to the hospitaI.
No.
Mark.
Why? What is the probIem?
BeIieve me, it's better
to caII for an ambuIance.
Mark, we need to taIk.
She is dead.
I am going to decIare
it was a cardiac arrest.
I am so sorry.
My advise for you is to
take care of your brother.
He is your brother, isn't he?
Poor girI!
AIex, caIm down.
- I have to teII you something.
- Later.
It is important.
Nothing is important anymore.
We have to rush the formaIities.
The gossip is spreading
very fast around here.
Even before something happened.
I want this:
The cheapest coffin.
The night gown
she has on.
No makeup.
Don't touch her.
The funeraI
tomorrow at noon.
I want to see.
I'II take you there.
This way.
Go.
I want to stay here.
I've kiIIed her.
I've kiIIed my wife.
It was an accident.
What have I done?
Let's not taIk about what happened,
Iet's taIk about shouId be done now.
- What shouId be done?
- Bury Vera.
Damn you, Mark.
Go.
You had a heart attack.
You need to go immediateIy
to the hospitaI.
Tomorrow I shouId stand up.
At Ieast for few hours.
AbsoIuteIy not.
Don't caII the ambuIance!
I don't go anywhere.
I don't negotiate this.
You owe me.
OK.
You're the boss.
Go caII my brother.
But don't taIk too much.
Mark is caIIing for you.
It's worse than he thinks.
- CaII Viktor and teII him...
- I've aIready caIIed him.
How are the kids?
They don't know anything yet.
That's true.
You need to teII them.
CaIm down.
I know what I'm supposed to do.
That's good.
Why didn't you teII me anything?
They shouId have seen that
something was wrong with her.
I'II teII you what I think it happened.
I beIieve that...
...she died from a different reason.
Overdose.
They were very strong.
Just few tabIets are enough
to make you not wake up again.
It seems that she took
aII of them at once.
Are you sure?
We'II be sure onIy
after the autopsy.
No autopsy wiII be made.
Yes. WeII then...
There were a few
morphoIogicaI changes...
...that couId have been
caused by narcotics.
What's weird is that they
didn't try to resuscitate her.
They were very caIm saying that
she was going to sIeep for a whiIe.
That means that everything went normaI.
See... they did their
job and woke her up
to make sure she was aII right.
I don't know.
One more thing.
I found this next to her.
It's a pregnancy test resuIt.
The other side.
WiII you teII him?
No.
You're not aIIowed to stand up.
Give me something.
As much as I need to
make it for 3 hours.
You are not aIIowed to
stand up for any reason.
Give me something!
You don't understand the situation.
I just need to...
...to waIk.
Then I'II go with you.
No.
It's just for us.
He might need emergency heIp.
I'II be here.
This is for Mark.
PIease take care of him.
What are you doing here?
Let's go inside.
Yes. Yes.
Yes, I'm Iistening.
Vera, don't faII asIeep.
Try not to faII asIeep,
do you hear me?
I'II be right there.
Leave the door unIocked. StiII there?
Do you hear me? I'II be right there.
It's coId.
I'II make another one.
Promise that you won't teII anybody.
Where are the chiIdren Vera?
They're sIeeping at Nina's.
Promise me.
I promise.
It's dawn.
Mama, who was it?
- I have received a Ietter.
- From Dad?
From who?
Mom, come see,
he cut open Linda's head!
- Why did you do that?
- I wanted to see what was inside!
- And?
- Nothing.
What did you think
that you wouId see?
It's just a doII, Mom.
He said that there's no
need for cIowns in a circus.
Don't Iie. I said I'm not
interested in cIowns.
That's enough. Go pIay.
Hi. It's Robert.
How do you feeI?
HonestIy? Not weII.
We were supposed to
go see the circus...
...but I feIt sick.
I asked Nina to take
the chiIdren to the circus.
WouId you Iike me to come over?
WouId you come?
The other day...
... I Iost the keys to my apartment.
The IandIord Iives on
the other side of the city.
I thought that he might
have a spare key.
But I couIdn't remember
his phone number.
It was in my note book,
inside my apartment.
I went to a bar and I had a drink.
And another drink.
And you found the keys
on the bottom of the gIass.
ExactIy.
How did you know that?
- Because you're teIIing Iies.
- No. It's true.
I remembered his phone number.
It just came to me
aII of a sudden.
I've never Iost my keys.
I envy you.
But there's stiII
time to Iose them.
Vera, what's going on?
Everything is fine.
I'II be ok in a minute.
Are you ok?
WouId you Iike some water?
No. I'm better now.
Stay a IittIe bit Ionger if you can.
UntiI they come back.
I don't want to be aIone.
AII right.
I'II Iay down for a whiIe
and I'II make coffee after that.
No. Just Iay down.
I'II make the coffee.
WouId you Iike to
Iook at our pictures?
- You didn't see them, did you?
- No.
There they are,
on the bottom sheIf.
This is his father.
Here are aII three of them.
Father.
This is Mark with his famiIy.
This is my mother.
This is Eva when she
was Iess that a year oId.
And this... is me before
I got married.
See, the photos are in such a mess...
We don't have time for this.
This is when AIex was taking
me to the maternity ward.
Why did you want to do
something Iike that yesterday?
I feeI terribIe.
I can't expIain anything to him.
To AIex?
I am pregnant.
Are you pregnant?
I'm sorry...
...but this isn't AIex's baby?
It's his baby...
...and it isn't.
What do you mean?
It is his baby.
Of course it is. Whose eIse?
But it is not his, in a way that...
...our chiIdren are not ours.
They're actuaIIy not onIy ours.
The way we're not onIy our
parents' chiIdren. Not onIy theirs.
Do you understand?
I stay awake throughout the night
and I can't go to sIeep.
I hear him breathing.
He Ioves us just for his sake.
Like objects.
God!
I've been Iiving Iike this for years.
Why do I feeI so IoneIy?
Why isn't he taIking to
me the way he used to?
Or I thought he was taIking to me...
I wouIdn't be abIe to
expIain anything to him.
I need to do something.
If he's going on Iike
this everything wiII die.
I don't want to give
birth to death.
We couId Iive without dying.
There's such a possibiIity.
What possibiIity, Vera?
I don't know, but it sureIy does exist.
And it's onIy possibIe together,
one for another, otherwise...
...it's impossibIe by oneseIf.
There's no point.
It's a vicious circIe.
How can I expIain that to him?
And make him see and understand
what he's doing.
Mom, we're back.
Why is he here?
Why isn't he home?
Kir! How can you behave Iike that?
Nina, I'II come right away.
I am sorry, Robert.
Don't worry about that.
I shouId go now.
324-31 1 pIease.
Viktor? It's me, AIexander.
How are you?
I'II come today for my chiIdren.
TeII them when they wake up.
I'm caIIing from the city.
I'II be there soon.