1 00:00:39,458 --> 00:00:42,333 This film is adapted from the eponymous novel by Giuliano da Empoli. 2 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:44,500 While it is based on historical events, 3 00:00:44,667 --> 00:00:47,042 it remains an original work of fiction with artistic intent. 4 00:00:47,208 --> 00:00:50,048 The characters, as well as their statements and opinions, are fictional. 5 00:01:29,833 --> 00:01:32,208 Since Vadim Baranov stepped down as advisor 6 00:01:32,375 --> 00:01:35,458 to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the Tzar, 7 00:01:35,625 --> 00:01:39,125 the legends about him haven't waned, they've multiplied. 8 00:01:39,917 --> 00:01:43,500 Most men of power get their aura from the position they hold. 9 00:01:43,667 --> 00:01:47,208 When they lose it, it's like a plug has been pulled. 10 00:01:47,875 --> 00:01:50,375 Baranov was a different breed. 11 00:01:51,583 --> 00:01:55,125 Some say he retreated to a monastery in Mount Athos. 12 00:01:55,417 --> 00:01:57,208 Others swore they saw him in Ibiza, 13 00:01:57,375 --> 00:01:59,958 surrounded by coked-up models. 14 00:02:00,917 --> 00:02:05,042 Still others insist they spotted him on the front line in Donbas. 15 00:02:07,125 --> 00:02:11,042 Vadim Baranov went through life in a swirl of enigmas. 16 00:02:11,875 --> 00:02:15,292 The sole certainty was his influence on the Tzar. 17 00:02:16,750 --> 00:02:18,500 In his fifteen years of service, 18 00:02:18,667 --> 00:02:22,333 he contributed decisively to the growth of the Tzar's power. 19 00:02:23,292 --> 00:02:26,125 He was known as the Wizard of the Kremlin, 20 00:02:26,292 --> 00:02:27,958 the New Rasputin. 21 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,500 He'd Show up unannounced at the President's office late at night 22 00:02:34,667 --> 00:02:36,708 to handle urgent matters. 23 00:02:38,042 --> 00:02:41,667 Perhaps the Tzar himself would call him in on his personal line. 24 00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:46,792 Occasionally the two of them were joined by a prominent minister 25 00:02:46,958 --> 00:02:49,875 or the CEO of some state-owned conglomerate, 26 00:02:51,208 --> 00:02:53,792 but these witnesses shed no light on the Tzar 27 00:02:53,958 --> 00:02:56,708 and his advisors' nightly activities. 28 00:02:59,917 --> 00:03:03,625 When I returned to Moscow a few years after his disappearance 29 00:03:04,083 --> 00:03:06,708 Baranov's memory still loomed large. 30 00:03:07,708 --> 00:03:09,583 The press persisted in attributing to him 31 00:03:09,750 --> 00:03:12,125 the most baffling measures taken by the Kremlin. 32 00:03:12,958 --> 00:03:16,458 As for me, I had just published an essay in Foreign Affairs 33 00:03:16,625 --> 00:03:18,292 that created something of a stir. 34 00:03:19,708 --> 00:03:23,750 It was called: "Vadim Baranov and the invention of Fake Democracy". 35 00:03:29,583 --> 00:03:31,667 If you need anything, just dial 9. 36 00:03:31,833 --> 00:03:32,833 Thank you. 37 00:03:32,875 --> 00:03:35,417 - Have a good day, Mr. Rowland. - You too. 38 00:03:39,375 --> 00:03:41,250 I took a year's sabbatical from Yale 39 00:03:41,417 --> 00:03:44,250 to write the first biography of Yevgeny Zamyatin, 40 00:03:44,417 --> 00:03:46,083 one of Russia's great writers 41 00:03:46,250 --> 00:03:49,917 and an early antagonist of Stalin's communist regime. 42 00:03:52,458 --> 00:03:54,375 I walked in the pale winter light, 43 00:03:54,958 --> 00:03:56,875 leafed through old books. 44 00:03:58,208 --> 00:04:00,542 Zamyatin became my obsession. 45 00:04:00,708 --> 00:04:04,167 He was a visionary, and not just when it came to Stalin. 46 00:04:04,333 --> 00:04:06,625 All subsequent dictators as well. 47 00:04:07,208 --> 00:04:10,708 From Silicon Valley oligarchs to China's one-party state, 48 00:04:10,875 --> 00:04:13,750 from Mark Zuckerberg to Xi Jinping. 49 00:04:15,792 --> 00:04:17,917 His dystopian novel We 50 00:04:18,083 --> 00:04:20,958 inspired George Orwell's 1984. 51 00:04:24,125 --> 00:04:26,625 I didn't know you read Zamyatin in American universities. 52 00:04:29,917 --> 00:04:33,792 Zamyatin is the oracle of our times. 53 00:04:48,667 --> 00:04:50,125 How long are you in Moscow? 54 00:04:50,292 --> 00:04:52,083 I have something to Show you. 55 00:05:09,792 --> 00:05:11,667 Just outside the city 56 00:05:11,833 --> 00:05:15,917 gloomy, never-ending woods stretched all the way to Siberia. 57 00:05:18,167 --> 00:05:21,375 I felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension. 58 00:05:22,250 --> 00:05:25,542 In Russia, things generally go pretty well. 59 00:05:25,708 --> 00:05:29,000 But when they go bad, they go really bad. 60 00:05:52,792 --> 00:05:55,125 Please follow me, Mr. Rowland. 61 00:05:56,542 --> 00:05:58,167 May I take your coat? 62 00:06:01,375 --> 00:06:03,917 I will bring you some tea. Thank you. 63 00:06:35,292 --> 00:06:37,625 I didn't know you collected old books. 64 00:06:37,792 --> 00:06:39,625 I don't collect them, I read them. 65 00:06:39,792 --> 00:06:41,292 There's a major difference. 66 00:06:42,958 --> 00:06:44,667 So you're a reader of Zamyatin. 67 00:06:46,583 --> 00:06:49,625 I have something to show you that you will truly appreciate. 68 00:06:59,208 --> 00:07:00,917 Do you know what this is? 69 00:07:02,083 --> 00:07:04,083 A letter Zamyatin wrote to Stalin. 70 00:07:04,542 --> 00:07:07,625 Asking permission to leave the USSR. 71 00:07:07,958 --> 00:07:10,083 "Dear Iosif Vissarionovich, 72 00:07:10,250 --> 00:07:12,208 “just as the Christians created the Devil 73 00:07:12,375 --> 00:07:15,375 "as a convenient personification of all evil, 74 00:07:15,542 --> 00:07:19,667 "so the critics have transformed me into the Devil of Soviet literature." 75 00:07:20,792 --> 00:07:24,125 Zamyatin understood too much, too quickly, 76 00:07:24,292 --> 00:07:27,000 and made the rash decision to write about it. 77 00:07:30,542 --> 00:07:31,625 Please, 78 00:07:32,167 --> 00:07:33,417 have a seat. 79 00:07:34,733 --> 00:07:38,273 {\an8}Vladimir Baranov and The Invention Of Fake Democracy 80 00:07:36,375 --> 00:07:38,333 - You read it? - Of course. 81 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,208 You even took the time to make notes. 82 00:07:43,375 --> 00:07:44,500 I'm honored. 83 00:07:44,667 --> 00:07:46,708 Let's not get carried away. 84 00:07:47,667 --> 00:07:50,833 However, compared to the others, you did understand something. 85 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Not much, but something. 86 00:07:55,208 --> 00:07:56,208 Thank you. 87 00:07:58,292 --> 00:08:00,375 You said you consider yourself an artist. 88 00:08:01,208 --> 00:08:04,417 Let's just say I played a supporting role. I'm retired now. 89 00:08:04,958 --> 00:08:06,250 You don't miss the adrenaline? 90 00:08:06,417 --> 00:08:09,417 Trust me, there is no greater joy than waking up every morning, 91 00:08:09,750 --> 00:08:10,875 having coffee 92 00:08:11,042 --> 00:08:13,000 and taking your daughter to school. 93 00:08:13,792 --> 00:08:15,167 How did the others take it? 94 00:08:15,333 --> 00:08:16,125 My leaving? 95 00:08:16,292 --> 00:08:18,000 Badly, of course. 96 00:08:18,792 --> 00:08:22,375 Courtiers forgive everyone: thieves, murderers, traitors. 97 00:08:22,542 --> 00:08:24,000 But not deserters. 98 00:08:24,458 --> 00:08:27,375 “What? You don't want what we're willing to kill for?" 99 00:08:27,542 --> 00:08:28,542 And the Tzar? 100 00:08:29,667 --> 00:08:31,542 The Tzar is a different story. 101 00:08:34,292 --> 00:08:37,583 My father feared this library. 102 00:08:38,542 --> 00:08:39,958 It belonged to my grandfather. 103 00:08:40,417 --> 00:08:42,417 Custine, Gracián, 104 00:08:42,583 --> 00:08:43,583 Machiavelli... 105 00:08:43,708 --> 00:08:46,042 The skeptics, the disillusioned. 106 00:08:46,208 --> 00:08:47,958 Hardly the Soviet doxa. 107 00:08:48,292 --> 00:08:51,042 But to his credit, he never tried to deny me any of them. 108 00:08:51,208 --> 00:08:51,958 Your father? 109 00:08:52,125 --> 00:08:55,833 He ended up director of the Academy of Social Sciences for the Communist Party. 110 00:08:56,250 --> 00:08:58,458 His one goal in life was to avoid 111 00:08:58,625 --> 00:09:01,542 being awakened at dawn by the KGB banging on his door. 112 00:09:02,125 --> 00:09:05,042 In his position, he shouldn't have had to worry. 113 00:09:05,208 --> 00:09:07,458 No one was safe in the Soviet Union. 114 00:09:08,083 --> 00:09:09,625 No one is safe in Russia, 115 00:09:09,792 --> 00:09:10,792 period. 116 00:09:10,875 --> 00:09:12,000 Not me. 117 00:09:12,333 --> 00:09:13,708 Not even you. 118 00:09:16,500 --> 00:09:19,833 When I was young, the greatest privilege in Moscow 119 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,125 was the Kremlyovka, 120 00:09:21,292 --> 00:09:24,875 a food basket for the Party's senior officials. 121 00:09:25,042 --> 00:09:26,417 What are we eating today? 122 00:09:26,583 --> 00:09:28,292 Salmon piroshki, 123 00:09:29,458 --> 00:09:30,750 lamb cutlets... 124 00:09:31,083 --> 00:09:34,250 Ultimately, my problem is that I had a happy childhood. 125 00:09:34,500 --> 00:09:36,917 And in Russia, that's not normal. 126 00:09:37,083 --> 00:09:39,500 All the Russian elite experienced Soviet poverty 127 00:09:39,667 --> 00:09:43,083 before they gained access to villas on the Côte d'Azur. 128 00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:44,958 They still haven't gotten over it. 129 00:09:45,792 --> 00:09:46,833 Even the Tzar: 130 00:09:47,417 --> 00:09:50,000 "Me, the kid who grew up in a shoddy kommunalka 131 00:09:50,167 --> 00:09:52,250 "in a gloomy courtyard in Saint Petersburg. 132 00:09:52,417 --> 00:09:55,208 "Now I'm invited to Buckingham Palace!" 133 00:09:57,167 --> 00:09:59,583 - Things have changed. - Not that much. 134 00:09:59,750 --> 00:10:01,708 For you Westerners, money is essential. 135 00:10:01,875 --> 00:10:04,542 What matters in Russia is your proximity to power. 136 00:10:04,708 --> 00:10:06,750 The Soviet system was based on privilege, 137 00:10:06,917 --> 00:10:08,125 not cash. 138 00:10:08,500 --> 00:10:11,750 Yesterday there wasn't any. Tomorrow, who knows, so... 139 00:10:11,917 --> 00:10:14,208 you might as well just blow it all. 140 00:10:15,375 --> 00:10:17,625 Do you know what a vertushka is? 141 00:10:17,792 --> 00:10:19,583 It was a telephone without a dial 142 00:10:19,750 --> 00:10:22,917 that allowed Party leaders to communicate directly with you. 143 00:10:23,083 --> 00:10:24,917 Having one meant you'd made it. 144 00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:27,417 Look. This is a vertushka. 145 00:10:27,583 --> 00:10:29,875 Gray, like everything Soviet. 146 00:10:30,042 --> 00:10:32,500 You think Moscow's gray, try Washington. 147 00:10:32,667 --> 00:10:35,167 God, they're not gray there, they're dead. 148 00:10:35,333 --> 00:10:38,750 Anyway, I'm banned from entering the USA and Europe. 149 00:10:40,542 --> 00:10:42,042 - Is your father still alive? - No. 150 00:10:42,208 --> 00:10:44,708 He might have subsisted in this world for a long time. 151 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,333 But then along came Gorbachev and his glass of milk. 152 00:10:48,500 --> 00:10:50,042 Glass of milk? 153 00:10:50,833 --> 00:10:54,083 We could tell Gorbachev would destroy the Soviet Union. 154 00:10:54,250 --> 00:10:55,833 It was enough to look at him. 155 00:10:56,167 --> 00:10:59,375 He took to the rostrum, they handed him a glass of milk. 156 00:10:59,542 --> 00:11:02,208 And he proceeded to double the price of vodka. 157 00:11:02,375 --> 00:11:04,958 And try to get everyone on milk. 158 00:11:05,125 --> 00:11:06,250 In Russia! 159 00:11:06,417 --> 00:11:07,917 Can you imagine? 160 00:11:09,417 --> 00:11:12,375 No wonder everything spun out of control. 161 00:11:13,625 --> 00:11:16,708 That was it for communism and for my father. 162 00:11:16,875 --> 00:11:18,583 He lost everything. 163 00:11:18,750 --> 00:11:21,625 His job, privileges, reputation. 164 00:11:21,792 --> 00:11:24,500 What about you? What did you do in those times? 165 00:11:24,667 --> 00:11:27,333 My father wanted me to be a diplomat. 166 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:29,583 But I was never keen on studying. 167 00:11:29,750 --> 00:11:34,208 I did odd jobs. Found television sets, cassette decks, and resold them. 168 00:11:34,542 --> 00:11:36,292 Business was good. 169 00:11:37,375 --> 00:11:41,292 I started to make more money than my father. A lot more than my father. 170 00:11:41,750 --> 00:11:43,625 I was just a know-nothing kid. 171 00:11:43,792 --> 00:11:46,792 That's why I was better suited to the new world. 172 00:11:47,792 --> 00:11:49,750 THE NEW RUSSIANS 173 00:11:49,917 --> 00:11:51,667 In the early '903, 174 00:11:51,833 --> 00:11:53,500 Moscow was a dynamic city. 175 00:11:53,667 --> 00:11:57,208 The place was filled with hope for a few years. Just a few. 176 00:11:57,583 --> 00:11:59,792 Banned books were coming out every week. 177 00:11:59,958 --> 00:12:03,000 Solzhenitsyn, Pasternak, Bulgakov... 178 00:12:03,167 --> 00:12:06,083 Art magazines and literary revues were selling in the millions. 179 00:12:06,375 --> 00:12:09,000 The Russian appetite for freedom was insatiable. 180 00:12:11,958 --> 00:12:15,792 So I enrolled in the Russian Institute of Theater Arts 181 00:12:15,958 --> 00:12:19,208 and began living the messy life of a thespian. 182 00:12:27,917 --> 00:12:31,167 We were barely 20 and a whole new world had opened up to us 183 00:12:31,333 --> 00:12:34,583 just as we were finally strong enough to conquer it. 184 00:12:55,542 --> 00:12:56,708 Open the door! 185 00:12:56,875 --> 00:12:58,458 Open the fucking door 186 00:12:58,625 --> 00:13:00,000 or I'll bust you up! 187 00:13:04,125 --> 00:13:07,833 We were so excited we never slept more than 3 or 4 hours a night. 188 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,417 We were convinced it was finally our turn 189 00:13:10,583 --> 00:13:13,667 to rebuild society on new foundations. 190 00:13:44,542 --> 00:13:46,417 We could see plays from Europe, 191 00:13:46,583 --> 00:13:49,833 meet the actors and directors and talk all night long. 192 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,750 You really think freedom will change everything 193 00:13:52,917 --> 00:13:55,792 and you will live in a world of culture and poetry? 194 00:13:55,958 --> 00:13:57,792 Our generation rejected the system. 195 00:13:57,958 --> 00:14:01,292 Our parents kept their heads down, not us. 196 00:14:01,458 --> 00:14:03,458 You won't like what I'm about to say. 197 00:14:03,625 --> 00:14:05,875 Communism was the reign of culture and poetry. 198 00:14:06,167 --> 00:14:08,125 How can you say such a thing? 199 00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:09,917 Under communism, being a loser 200 00:14:10,083 --> 00:14:12,750 was the only way to be a decent human being. 201 00:14:12,917 --> 00:14:14,500 You were not complicit, at least. 202 00:15:16,333 --> 00:15:17,333 You! Fuck off! 203 00:15:21,250 --> 00:15:22,250 Fuck you! 204 00:15:31,458 --> 00:15:32,458 Perfect. 205 00:15:35,167 --> 00:15:36,208 You really impressed me. 206 00:15:38,417 --> 00:15:39,417 Yeah? 207 00:15:39,583 --> 00:15:42,792 I had to tell you because it doesn't happen often. 208 00:15:42,958 --> 00:15:44,000 Well... 209 00:15:45,167 --> 00:15:46,708 That's interesting... 210 00:15:47,250 --> 00:15:48,750 Guess you must be pretty important. 211 00:15:49,375 --> 00:15:51,958 - What exactly impressed you? - You. 212 00:15:52,208 --> 00:15:53,667 Your performance. 213 00:15:53,833 --> 00:15:55,000 What performance? 214 00:15:55,167 --> 00:15:56,667 Wasn't that you singing? 215 00:15:56,833 --> 00:15:58,333 You call that singing? 216 00:15:58,667 --> 00:16:00,083 What do you call it? 217 00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:02,167 Trendy... bullshit? 218 00:16:02,750 --> 00:16:04,208 I did that as a favor. 219 00:16:04,750 --> 00:16:05,833 For who? 220 00:16:06,833 --> 00:16:09,667 The KGB agents watching us. 221 00:16:10,333 --> 00:16:14,167 And I'm happy to give them something to spice up their reports. 222 00:16:15,167 --> 00:16:16,958 That's a shame, you have talent. 223 00:16:17,125 --> 00:16:19,583 Because I do what New Yorkers did 15 years ago? 224 00:16:21,417 --> 00:16:22,708 You're a real Soviet. 225 00:16:22,875 --> 00:16:26,375 You think the world's just waiting for you. 226 00:16:26,542 --> 00:16:28,542 And you're not a real Soviet? 227 00:16:29,375 --> 00:16:32,167 My parents were poor and crazy. 228 00:16:32,375 --> 00:16:34,333 They were hippies. 229 00:16:34,500 --> 00:16:37,250 They carted me around from commune to commune. 230 00:16:37,417 --> 00:16:41,375 Now they're old and don't believe in their old values anymore. 231 00:16:41,958 --> 00:16:45,000 I tell you, I'm not gonna end up like them. 232 00:16:45,167 --> 00:16:46,417 I'd like to discuss a role. 233 00:16:46,583 --> 00:16:49,250 Would you deign to take me seriously for a second? 234 00:16:49,417 --> 00:16:50,625 A role. 235 00:16:52,750 --> 00:16:53,792 What, 236 00:16:54,667 --> 00:16:57,000 you mean like the kind offered to actresses? 237 00:16:57,167 --> 00:16:58,500 The kind offered to actresses. 238 00:16:58,667 --> 00:17:00,208 Well, unfortunately, 239 00:17:00,375 --> 00:17:04,125 I'm not an actress. And I have no desire to be one. 240 00:17:04,292 --> 00:17:07,625 I might even say I've done everything in my power 241 00:17:07,792 --> 00:17:09,333 not to be one. 242 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:11,917 Do you know Yevgeny Zamyatin? 243 00:17:12,333 --> 00:17:16,792 An icon of the most conventional avant-gardists. 244 00:17:17,417 --> 00:17:18,833 I'm not into that stuff. 245 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:20,792 With all due respect, you're missing out. 246 00:17:20,958 --> 00:17:24,625 I'm putting on a version of his novel We at the Institute of Theater Arts. 247 00:17:24,958 --> 00:17:28,792 You take risks. I might be warming to you a bit. 248 00:17:29,750 --> 00:17:31,500 - Do you have a car? - Yes. 249 00:17:33,500 --> 00:17:34,708 Take me home. 250 00:17:34,875 --> 00:17:36,917 I'm done with this party. 251 00:17:38,167 --> 00:17:39,583 In a hurry? 252 00:17:40,417 --> 00:17:42,417 What? Too fast for you? 253 00:17:45,542 --> 00:17:48,833 I don't know how I managed to make contact with Planet Ksenia, 254 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,417 but I knew immediately that even if I lived a thousand years, 255 00:17:52,583 --> 00:17:54,833 I'd never meet anyone else like her. 256 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,958 Alright, take it again from the top. Places, please. 257 00:17:58,125 --> 00:18:00,833 Scissors, D-503, places. Let's go! 258 00:18:01,167 --> 00:18:02,500 Which scene? 259 00:18:02,667 --> 00:18:05,083 The scene we've been doing all night, the mirror scene. 260 00:18:05,250 --> 00:18:08,167 - Should I sit or lie down? - You should be lying. 261 00:18:08,333 --> 00:18:11,083 When you feel the lights from the Integral, sit up. 262 00:18:11,250 --> 00:18:14,333 Alright, it's all in the repetition. 263 00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:16,250 This was excellent, thank you ladies. 264 00:18:16,417 --> 00:18:19,667 The dinner scene was far too casual. I need something more mechanical. 265 00:18:19,833 --> 00:18:22,292 - Is the Integral ready? - Ready! 266 00:18:22,458 --> 00:18:24,583 Alright, keep your actions going 267 00:18:24,750 --> 00:18:26,833 until you feel the lights from the Integral, 268 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,458 at which point you all stand up and walk towards the windows. 269 00:18:30,625 --> 00:18:32,750 Milana, ready? 270 00:18:32,917 --> 00:18:33,917 Yes! 271 00:18:41,042 --> 00:18:42,708 This is a bad case! 272 00:18:43,083 --> 00:18:45,000 It appears you have developed a soul. 273 00:18:45,250 --> 00:18:47,417 Is it very serious, Doctor? 274 00:18:47,583 --> 00:18:48,833 Untreatable. 275 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,417 But what exactly is it? I don't understand. 276 00:18:52,583 --> 00:18:54,250 How can I explain? 277 00:18:54,542 --> 00:18:55,917 Take a surface. 278 00:18:56,083 --> 00:18:57,667 Here, this mirror. 279 00:18:57,958 --> 00:19:00,833 You know that a regular mirror reflects reality. 280 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,000 This one absorbs it 281 00:19:03,167 --> 00:19:05,792 and retains a trace of everything. 282 00:19:13,375 --> 00:19:14,625 My brothers, 283 00:19:15,042 --> 00:19:17,917 as you all know, down below in the city 284 00:19:18,083 --> 00:19:20,167 they're building the Integral Spaceship. 285 00:19:26,125 --> 00:19:28,958 Down with the Integral! Down with it! 286 00:19:30,250 --> 00:19:31,417 My brothers, 287 00:19:32,292 --> 00:19:35,458 the Integral must be ours. 288 00:19:37,042 --> 00:19:39,083 And she will be ours. 289 00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:43,667 When she rises skywards for the first time, 290 00:19:43,958 --> 00:19:47,083 we will be the ones aboard. 291 00:19:48,833 --> 00:19:52,875 For we have with us the builder of the Integral. 292 00:19:54,125 --> 00:19:57,083 He left the city and came here with me. 293 00:19:58,375 --> 00:19:59,750 To be with you. 294 00:19:59,917 --> 00:20:02,000 Long live the Builder! 295 00:20:20,958 --> 00:20:23,125 Her ambitions may have been vague, but... 296 00:20:23,750 --> 00:20:27,625 Muscovite avant-garde theater had little chance of satisfying them. 297 00:20:27,875 --> 00:20:30,083 I know, I lived in Moscow during those years. 298 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:31,750 There were no limits. 299 00:20:32,042 --> 00:20:35,750 Everything was collapsing and being rebuilt at once. 300 00:20:36,458 --> 00:20:39,375 It was a fascinating and terrifying time. 301 00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:41,625 Ksenia and I lived in our artistic bubble 302 00:20:41,792 --> 00:20:44,542 while life outside was rife with possibilities. 303 00:20:44,917 --> 00:20:48,167 Nearly every day, a former classmate would come with an idea, 304 00:20:48,333 --> 00:20:49,833 a business proposition. 305 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,500 First on his grandfather's bicycle, 306 00:20:52,875 --> 00:20:56,000 then in an armored Bentley, surrounded by bodyguards. 307 00:20:57,042 --> 00:20:59,167 That's pretty much how it happened for Dmitry. 308 00:20:59,458 --> 00:21:01,208 - Sidorov? - Sidorov, yes. 309 00:21:01,375 --> 00:21:02,875 Dmitry Sidorov. 310 00:21:03,958 --> 00:21:05,375 I'd known him in high school. 311 00:21:05,542 --> 00:21:08,417 Now he was head of the Young Communist League at the university. 312 00:21:08,583 --> 00:21:10,583 Don't think he was a Party apparatchik. 313 00:21:10,750 --> 00:21:11,833 In the late '80$ 314 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,542 the student cooperative was the incubator for Russian capitalism. 315 00:21:16,625 --> 00:21:18,625 I liked hearing about his adventures. 316 00:21:18,792 --> 00:21:22,042 I wanted to write a play about entrepreneurs like him. 317 00:21:22,208 --> 00:21:23,417 You seen Dmitry? 318 00:21:23,583 --> 00:21:26,042 Saw him 5 minutes ago. Check the bar. 319 00:21:26,208 --> 00:21:29,500 They were a new social class, emerging out of nowhere in just months. 320 00:21:30,083 --> 00:21:31,833 It was pretty remarkable. 321 00:21:32,583 --> 00:21:33,833 Vadya! 322 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:36,667 Good to see you. 323 00:21:36,833 --> 00:21:39,917 This café was my first business but I used it as a launching pad 324 00:21:40,083 --> 00:21:41,375 for more lucrative endeavors. 325 00:21:41,542 --> 00:21:43,000 Not all of which were legal. 326 00:21:43,167 --> 00:21:46,167 Vadya! Legality is over, forget it. I'll tell you a story. 327 00:21:46,333 --> 00:21:48,458 No writing, close your eyes. Pretend I'm your Mama. 328 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,083 Once upon a time, I come across a supply of cognac. 329 00:21:52,250 --> 00:21:54,750 - You mean fake cognac. - Who cares? Not the point. 330 00:21:54,917 --> 00:21:57,375 I put it on the market for $50 a bottle. 331 00:21:57,792 --> 00:21:59,042 You hear that? 332 00:22:01,042 --> 00:22:02,917 Nothing. No one wants it. 333 00:22:03,083 --> 00:22:05,625 I mark it up to $500, they're fighting for it! 334 00:22:06,708 --> 00:22:08,542 I'm sure you didn't stop at cognac. 335 00:22:08,708 --> 00:22:10,792 Computers, acid-wash jeans, souvenirs, software... 336 00:22:10,958 --> 00:22:12,875 all thanks to the Student Cooperative. 337 00:22:13,042 --> 00:22:16,292 A few minor cons. I struggle to believe you. 338 00:22:16,458 --> 00:22:17,833 Can't fool you! 339 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,625 Stories to make you and your audience laugh. 340 00:22:20,792 --> 00:22:22,083 It's a play! 341 00:22:22,667 --> 00:22:23,875 I came up with a scheme 342 00:22:24,042 --> 00:22:26,583 to facilitate payments between state-run businesses. 343 00:22:26,750 --> 00:22:29,125 I borrow money and lend it to others for a fee. 344 00:22:29,292 --> 00:22:31,750 Basically what is known as a bank, but... 345 00:22:32,833 --> 00:22:34,792 no one in this country knows what a bank is. 346 00:22:38,625 --> 00:22:40,542 Tough questions! 347 00:22:45,583 --> 00:22:48,875 Yes, you could say I created Russia's first commercial bank. 348 00:22:49,042 --> 00:22:50,792 I'll tell you how. I found a book: 349 00:22:50,958 --> 00:22:54,250 Commercial Banks of Capitalist Countries. 350 00:22:54,708 --> 00:22:56,000 Remarkable work! 351 00:22:56,167 --> 00:22:59,708 It explains simply and in great detail how the banking system works. 352 00:22:59,875 --> 00:23:01,958 And I said, hey, I like this. 353 00:23:04,667 --> 00:23:06,833 Would you describe yourself as greedy? 354 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:08,625 Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. 355 00:23:08,792 --> 00:23:11,000 I didn't use to be, but I grow greedier by the day. 356 00:23:11,167 --> 00:23:13,958 An asset in my line of work. I have a banker's personality. 357 00:23:14,125 --> 00:23:15,542 I love money. 358 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,208 - Nice suit. - Nice shirt. 359 00:23:22,708 --> 00:23:23,708 Good read. 360 00:23:23,875 --> 00:23:26,792 They're behind the times, you still had your mustache. 361 00:23:26,958 --> 00:23:29,792 Journalists are always behind the times. You know that, Vadya. 362 00:23:30,458 --> 00:23:31,667 Bloody hick mustache. 363 00:23:31,833 --> 00:23:33,292 You did well to shave it off. 364 00:23:33,458 --> 00:23:35,125 How's the play coming along? 365 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:37,583 - My play about you? - Yes. 366 00:23:37,750 --> 00:23:39,792 - I won't write it. - Why? 367 00:23:39,958 --> 00:23:42,542 Because it's over now. You can't tell me the truth anymore. 368 00:23:44,625 --> 00:23:45,875 You're right. 369 00:23:47,042 --> 00:23:49,208 But I never could tell you the whole truth. 370 00:23:49,375 --> 00:23:51,708 But you used to tell me a bit more. 371 00:24:07,167 --> 00:24:10,167 So, this is the famous Dmitry? 372 00:24:10,417 --> 00:24:11,792 I see no other. 373 00:24:12,167 --> 00:24:14,917 Vadim says you're worth 80 million rubles a year. 374 00:24:15,083 --> 00:24:16,958 - Is that true? - Could be, I don't know. 375 00:24:17,125 --> 00:24:18,833 He also says you're a thug. 376 00:24:20,083 --> 00:24:21,208 Is that so? 377 00:24:21,375 --> 00:24:23,000 Nothing wrong with that. 378 00:24:27,458 --> 00:24:28,708 Ulysse Nardin. 379 00:24:30,042 --> 00:24:32,542 A bit too flashy to be elegant. 380 00:24:32,708 --> 00:24:35,500 Flashy? Says the girl wearing a fucking bear! 381 00:24:36,417 --> 00:24:38,917 In the world I move in, it's better to be flashy than elegant. 382 00:24:39,083 --> 00:24:40,083 You get more respect. 383 00:24:41,792 --> 00:24:43,208 Explains your dreadful tie. 384 00:24:43,750 --> 00:24:46,750 Eugenio Marinelli from Naples, va bene! 385 00:24:46,917 --> 00:24:48,417 Bellissima cravata. 386 00:24:48,583 --> 00:24:49,625 Never heard of it. 387 00:24:50,042 --> 00:24:52,083 Of course you haven't, one tiny boutique. 388 00:24:52,250 --> 00:24:54,208 He travels the world to make ties to measure. 389 00:24:54,375 --> 00:24:56,042 They make ties to measure? 390 00:24:56,208 --> 00:24:58,292 In the world I move in, they can. 391 00:24:58,875 --> 00:25:01,042 You like champagne? Too flashy for you? 392 00:25:02,958 --> 00:25:06,792 I should have known from that first encounter that my fate was sealed. 393 00:25:06,958 --> 00:25:08,958 Ksenia would choose Dmitry, 394 00:25:09,125 --> 00:25:11,625 his vulgarity, his energy. 395 00:25:11,792 --> 00:25:13,625 He felt it immediately. 396 00:25:13,792 --> 00:25:15,250 And so did I. 397 00:25:15,417 --> 00:25:17,917 But for a long time I refused to believe it. 398 00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:23,667 Yes? 399 00:25:24,042 --> 00:25:25,583 Coming, coming... 400 00:25:27,625 --> 00:25:28,750 - Bad time? - Dmitry? 401 00:25:28,917 --> 00:25:30,542 I wanted to surprise you. 402 00:25:31,333 --> 00:25:33,375 Let's go, let's go! Are you hungry? 403 00:25:33,542 --> 00:25:36,042 I have some flashy things! Caviar! 404 00:25:40,417 --> 00:25:41,500 From that moment on, 405 00:25:41,833 --> 00:25:44,833 Dmitry became a frequent visitor to our house. 406 00:25:45,125 --> 00:25:48,042 There I was, thinking he came out of some deep-rooted respect 407 00:25:48,208 --> 00:25:51,833 for the art Ksenia and I had chosen to dedicate our lives to. 408 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:55,917 As if culture still had the power to exert any influence over the real world. 409 00:25:56,083 --> 00:25:57,542 I love that sound! 410 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,750 The sleek, shiny world of money was Dmitry's natural habitat. 411 00:26:05,917 --> 00:26:08,083 Nothing could turn him away from it. 412 00:26:09,875 --> 00:26:13,250 But he wanted Ksenia, so he was willing to spend a little time with us 413 00:26:13,417 --> 00:26:15,958 in the ruins of the city of the dead. 414 00:26:18,083 --> 00:26:19,625 As the months passed, 415 00:26:19,792 --> 00:26:23,500 Ksenia became increasingly receptive to his largesse. 416 00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:27,167 Everything that initially defined our friendship, 417 00:26:27,333 --> 00:26:30,792 books we shared, concerts, the all-night discussions, 418 00:26:31,333 --> 00:26:34,792 had fallen by the wayside in favor of more money-centric activities. 419 00:26:34,958 --> 00:26:37,208 Gallery and discotheque openings, 420 00:26:37,375 --> 00:26:39,833 dinners at White Sun or Ermitazh. 421 00:26:40,125 --> 00:26:43,500 Ksenia was getting higher by the minute on Dmitry's lifestyle. 422 00:26:43,667 --> 00:26:45,542 Vadya's dancing! 423 00:27:01,292 --> 00:27:02,958 Vadya! Smile! 424 00:27:03,500 --> 00:27:04,875 I'm smiling! 425 00:27:05,417 --> 00:27:07,708 Communism is dead. There's a whole new world to invent. 426 00:27:07,875 --> 00:27:09,667 You're gonna be a part of it. 427 00:27:18,667 --> 00:27:21,958 You know Vadya, he doesn't like to go out. 428 00:27:22,125 --> 00:27:24,792 What he likes is going home. 429 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,458 I remember waking up one night and gazing at her for a long time. 430 00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:52,708 I felt so tired, even though I hadn't accomplished anything yet. 431 00:27:52,875 --> 00:27:57,000 I nurtured the illusion that Ksenia would perceive my greatness. 432 00:27:57,250 --> 00:27:58,958 But as the days passed, 433 00:27:59,125 --> 00:28:02,042 I noticed that the way she saw me was changing. 434 00:28:02,208 --> 00:28:05,917 What began as a vague look of irony was morphing into contempt. 435 00:28:06,375 --> 00:28:09,417 "You're stronger than I am because you don't love me," 436 00:28:09,583 --> 00:28:11,083 I wanted to tell her. 437 00:28:12,375 --> 00:28:14,750 My pain only augmented her boredom. 438 00:28:21,042 --> 00:28:22,292 Stop the car. 439 00:28:22,708 --> 00:28:24,125 Stop the car! 440 00:28:25,417 --> 00:28:26,917 Stop the fucking car! 441 00:28:38,208 --> 00:28:39,792 You want some water? 442 00:28:45,167 --> 00:28:46,333 There you go. 443 00:28:56,375 --> 00:28:57,167 Dmitry, 444 00:28:57,333 --> 00:28:59,583 I've told you 10 times you drive too rough! 445 00:28:59,750 --> 00:29:00,542 I know no other way. 446 00:29:00,708 --> 00:29:03,083 Let Vadim take the wheel or I hitchhike home. 447 00:29:04,958 --> 00:29:07,375 Do you wanna, like, go in the back, or... 448 00:29:07,542 --> 00:29:10,833 That's sweet of you, honey, but I get even sicker in the back. 449 00:29:57,333 --> 00:29:59,458 There's something I forgot to tell you. 450 00:29:59,833 --> 00:30:01,042 I'm listening. 451 00:30:02,583 --> 00:30:03,583 I'm leaving. 452 00:30:08,625 --> 00:30:10,708 Is that all you can muster? 453 00:30:11,292 --> 00:30:13,542 You saw me in the car with Dmitry. Think I missed that? 454 00:30:16,917 --> 00:30:19,542 It's been over between us for a long time. 455 00:30:30,583 --> 00:30:31,625 Come in. 456 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:33,750 You're not disturbing me. 457 00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:35,750 I was afraid to wake you. 458 00:30:35,917 --> 00:30:37,167 Have a seat. 459 00:30:39,708 --> 00:30:43,417 Finally I have an excuse to stay in bed all day. 460 00:30:43,583 --> 00:30:46,917 Rereading the classics and dozing. That suits me. 461 00:30:47,083 --> 00:30:48,708 There's the illness. 462 00:30:48,875 --> 00:30:50,292 This may surprise you, 463 00:30:50,458 --> 00:30:53,208 but illness is not necessarily a serious thing. 464 00:30:53,667 --> 00:30:55,208 Serious things, 465 00:30:55,625 --> 00:30:57,208 like effort and work, 466 00:30:57,375 --> 00:31:00,083 are the burden of people in good health. 467 00:31:00,250 --> 00:31:02,167 The dying have nothing more to do. 468 00:31:02,333 --> 00:31:04,833 They can just enjoy their days. 469 00:31:19,250 --> 00:31:21,458 I left Ksenia. 470 00:31:22,625 --> 00:31:23,917 I know. 471 00:31:25,125 --> 00:31:28,167 You'll have a dozen opportunities to start over. 472 00:31:29,083 --> 00:31:32,125 I expected to suffer terribly, but... 473 00:31:32,875 --> 00:31:34,792 I feel lighter, and strong. 474 00:31:35,750 --> 00:31:36,750 You see. 475 00:31:36,792 --> 00:31:39,750 But theater is no longer enough for me. 476 00:31:40,792 --> 00:31:43,542 Losing Ksenia has made me ambitious. 477 00:31:43,917 --> 00:31:45,125 Ambitious now? 478 00:31:46,375 --> 00:31:47,958 That's unexpected. 479 00:31:48,667 --> 00:31:50,833 But all the better. I'll take it as good news. 480 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,250 I cannot bear the writer's failure to affect reality. 481 00:31:54,417 --> 00:31:56,917 I want to be part of my times, 482 00:31:57,083 --> 00:31:58,792 not just a witness. 483 00:31:59,125 --> 00:32:00,375 You know what? 484 00:32:01,917 --> 00:32:03,792 I'll leave your times to you. 485 00:32:04,250 --> 00:32:05,292 With no regrets. 486 00:32:10,208 --> 00:32:11,500 This is Sputnik. 487 00:32:11,667 --> 00:32:13,667 The only one allowed inside. 488 00:32:13,833 --> 00:32:15,792 Come here, Sputy, say hi. 489 00:32:16,083 --> 00:32:17,833 My daughter loves him. 490 00:32:18,750 --> 00:32:22,375 In the end, my father had an attack and died very suddenly. 491 00:32:23,125 --> 00:32:26,875 The ceremony wasn't exactly headline news. 492 00:32:27,958 --> 00:32:31,125 Four poor souls followed the hearse in a beat-up car 493 00:32:31,292 --> 00:32:34,500 while the shiny SUVs of the nouveaux riches sped past them. 494 00:32:34,667 --> 00:32:36,208 He died too late. 495 00:32:36,708 --> 00:32:39,167 He probably would have wanted a nicer funeral. 496 00:32:39,500 --> 00:32:41,333 But in the end he didn't give a damn. 497 00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:44,000 At least, I hope he didn't. 498 00:32:51,583 --> 00:32:53,542 I needed to get my mind off things, 499 00:32:53,708 --> 00:32:57,417 and Moscow in the mid-903 was the perfect place to do that. 500 00:32:57,875 --> 00:32:59,875 Imagine all those young men and women 501 00:33:00,042 --> 00:33:03,917 suddenly seeing a new world of possibility opening up before them. 502 00:33:04,083 --> 00:33:05,833 They could become whatever they wanted, 503 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:08,500 amass fortunes, travel the world. 504 00:33:08,667 --> 00:33:10,917 It was enough to make your head spin. 505 00:33:11,417 --> 00:33:13,458 It was a time of incredible violence. 506 00:33:13,625 --> 00:33:17,000 There was gunfire everywhere, for the most frivolous reasons. 507 00:33:17,167 --> 00:33:20,083 Men of no importance were escorted by private militia 508 00:33:20,250 --> 00:33:22,708 until the day they were blown sky-high. 509 00:33:26,917 --> 00:33:30,250 Turning my theater experience into a career as a TV producer 510 00:33:30,417 --> 00:33:33,917 was like going from a horse and cart to 3 Lamborghini. 511 00:33:34,167 --> 00:33:35,792 One day I was in a kitchen 512 00:33:35,958 --> 00:33:38,667 rhapsodizing about Mayakovsky and drinking hot tea. 513 00:33:38,958 --> 00:33:40,708 The next, I was nursing a latte 514 00:33:40,875 --> 00:33:44,042 in an open space designed by Dutch architects. 515 00:33:44,750 --> 00:33:47,708 Forget Channel One, forget state TV. 516 00:33:48,042 --> 00:33:49,917 We're a private company. Times have changed. 517 00:33:50,083 --> 00:33:52,250 We're going to do game shows and politics. 518 00:33:52,417 --> 00:33:53,458 But different. 519 00:33:53,625 --> 00:33:57,625 The Soviets tried to smother this country under a lid of boredom. 520 00:33:57,792 --> 00:34:00,667 First rule, don't be boring. 521 00:34:02,083 --> 00:34:05,458 There's one project that stands out from the others. This one. 522 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:07,375 Do you know why? 523 00:34:09,042 --> 00:34:12,208 Because it has all the Russian stereotypes, 524 00:34:12,375 --> 00:34:13,583 not a single one left out. 525 00:34:14,625 --> 00:34:16,167 The provincial Babushka, 526 00:34:16,333 --> 00:34:17,750 the nihilistic student, 527 00:34:17,917 --> 00:34:18,958 the ambitious slut. 528 00:34:19,125 --> 00:34:21,417 I read it. It stinks. 529 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,750 - I read them all, they all stink! - Especially that one. 530 00:34:25,917 --> 00:34:28,375 Except that it'll work. 531 00:34:28,542 --> 00:34:30,583 We're not just producing shows, 532 00:34:30,750 --> 00:34:33,375 all the other institutions have collapsed. 533 00:34:33,750 --> 00:34:36,042 It's now up to TV to show the way. 534 00:34:36,375 --> 00:34:38,500 Maybe a reality show about finishing schools 535 00:34:38,667 --> 00:34:42,083 that teach young girls to attract freshly minted millionaires? 536 00:34:42,542 --> 00:34:44,458 Not bad. Does that genuinely exist? 537 00:34:44,625 --> 00:34:47,917 It totally exists. It's big and it's getting bigger. 538 00:34:50,917 --> 00:34:53,500 My dream is to be an international superstar. 539 00:34:56,542 --> 00:35:00,083 My dream is to buy my mom the most beautiful house in Krasnoyarsk. 540 00:35:04,375 --> 00:35:06,708 My dream is to be the trophy wife 541 00:35:06,875 --> 00:35:09,750 of the richest oligarch in Russia 542 00:35:09,917 --> 00:35:12,500 and live my life in Monte Carlo. 543 00:35:12,917 --> 00:35:14,583 She's the one. 544 00:35:14,750 --> 00:35:16,875 No, seriously, she's the one. 545 00:35:17,250 --> 00:35:19,083 It's an excellent project 546 00:35:19,250 --> 00:35:21,833 and this girl rightfully belongs in it. 547 00:35:25,333 --> 00:35:27,375 At that time, the owner of RTP 548 00:35:27,542 --> 00:35:31,458 was a mathematician who'd become a billionaire, Boris Berezovsky. 549 00:35:31,625 --> 00:35:35,125 He bought an old palace on Novokuznetskaya Street. 550 00:35:35,667 --> 00:35:37,875 It was meant to be the headquarters of his business 551 00:35:38,042 --> 00:35:40,208 but Berezovsky did something else with it, 552 00:35:40,375 --> 00:35:42,125 something far more special. 553 00:35:42,292 --> 00:35:45,375 Made it a club of sorts, the LogoVaz Club. 554 00:35:49,292 --> 00:35:50,958 It was very exclusive. 555 00:35:51,125 --> 00:35:55,333 The crème de la crème of politics, big business, show biz and crime. 556 00:35:55,500 --> 00:35:58,667 So picture the scene: the Caucasus, we're in Chechnya. 557 00:35:59,417 --> 00:36:01,083 And I'm standing in front of a warlord 558 00:36:01,250 --> 00:36:03,875 who has taken Russian officers hostage. 559 00:36:04,042 --> 00:36:05,375 And it's no joke. 560 00:36:06,208 --> 00:36:08,542 He's already beheaded one of them. 561 00:36:09,125 --> 00:36:12,167 But it wasn't politics, it was business. He wanted cash. 562 00:36:12,333 --> 00:36:14,208 Right now. I don't have cash on me. 563 00:36:14,375 --> 00:36:16,417 I don't walk around with wads of cash. 564 00:36:16,583 --> 00:36:19,042 But I notice him eyeing my watch. 565 00:36:19,208 --> 00:36:21,458 A Patek Philippe Nautilus like this one. 566 00:36:22,375 --> 00:36:23,750 So I say to him, 567 00:36:23,917 --> 00:36:25,458 "You like my watch? 568 00:36:25,750 --> 00:36:28,708 "Know how much it's worth? More than your hostages." 569 00:36:28,875 --> 00:36:32,958 And he says, "I know exactly what it's worth: $800,000, used.“ 570 00:36:33,125 --> 00:36:35,667 That floored me. He knew the exact price. 571 00:36:35,833 --> 00:36:37,458 Rustam was no fool. 572 00:36:37,792 --> 00:36:38,917 He said, 573 00:36:39,208 --> 00:36:41,417 “If you take the hostages home, 574 00:36:41,583 --> 00:36:44,458 “the publicity you'll get on TV is worth more than $800,000." 575 00:36:44,625 --> 00:36:48,667 And he gave me this vacuous soldier's stare. Zero bullshit. 576 00:36:49,708 --> 00:36:52,292 "So you come out ahead. Is it a deal?" 577 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,917 I gave him my watch, took the hostages home. 578 00:36:56,083 --> 00:36:58,667 It was the opening story on the evening news. 579 00:37:00,292 --> 00:37:03,542 In those days my modest achievements as a TV producer 580 00:37:03,708 --> 00:37:07,000 got me the occasional invitation to LogoVaz club. 581 00:37:07,542 --> 00:37:10,792 Usually, Berezovsky would summon me for an update on some project 582 00:37:10,958 --> 00:37:13,917 or to suggest I hire some random relative 583 00:37:14,083 --> 00:37:16,417 or equally random mistress. 584 00:37:18,083 --> 00:37:19,083 Come in. 585 00:37:21,292 --> 00:37:23,042 - Vadya! - Boris. 586 00:37:25,250 --> 00:37:28,208 Our friend Vadya is a wizard. 587 00:37:28,792 --> 00:37:30,125 With his help, 588 00:37:30,750 --> 00:37:32,792 we pulverize our opponents. 589 00:37:34,208 --> 00:37:35,792 You happy where you are? 590 00:37:36,750 --> 00:37:38,208 I'm not sure I understand. 591 00:37:38,375 --> 00:37:42,708 In this country you run the same risk, dog in the fight or no. 592 00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:44,708 I'll tell you my story, 593 00:37:44,875 --> 00:37:46,417 you'll see what I mean. 594 00:37:46,833 --> 00:37:49,458 So I was perfectly content doing my own thing. 595 00:37:49,625 --> 00:37:53,208 I'd built a smart, modern, clean business. 596 00:37:53,375 --> 00:37:55,875 From what I hear your business was more of a scam. 597 00:37:56,042 --> 00:37:59,125 You resold stolen cars right off the assembly line. 598 00:38:02,125 --> 00:38:04,750 - I was doing what everyone was doing. - Only worse. 599 00:38:04,917 --> 00:38:08,083 You weren't choosy about your partners and their methods. No offense. 600 00:38:08,250 --> 00:38:09,333 Anyway. 601 00:38:10,500 --> 00:38:14,958 One day this bastard tries to steal my business out from under me. 602 00:38:15,125 --> 00:38:17,958 What do you think he does? Open a competing dealership? 603 00:38:18,125 --> 00:38:20,583 Try to beat me fair and square, like in the US or Europe? 604 00:38:20,750 --> 00:38:22,542 No Boris, that's not what he did. 605 00:38:22,708 --> 00:38:27,042 That son of a bitch filled an old Opel with TNT, 606 00:38:27,208 --> 00:38:28,708 parked it on my route home, 607 00:38:28,875 --> 00:38:31,833 and as I passed, he pushed a remote and boom... 608 00:38:32,917 --> 00:38:34,542 no more Berezovsky. 609 00:38:35,750 --> 00:38:37,083 At least that was the plan. 610 00:38:37,250 --> 00:38:39,833 Unfortunately, it didn't work out for him. 611 00:38:40,958 --> 00:38:44,542 And I ended up with my chauffeur's head in my arms. 612 00:38:45,458 --> 00:38:46,833 I survived. 613 00:38:47,833 --> 00:38:50,958 But that day I realized that if you don't grab power, 614 00:38:51,125 --> 00:38:52,292 power grabs you. 615 00:38:52,833 --> 00:38:55,458 So I went to Switzerland for two weeks to recover 616 00:38:55,625 --> 00:38:58,167 and do you know what I did when I got back to Moscow? 617 00:38:59,042 --> 00:39:00,708 You learned to play tennis. 618 00:39:00,875 --> 00:39:03,458 And it wasn't easy. I hate the sport. 619 00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:05,708 You hate all sports! 620 00:39:08,083 --> 00:39:11,292 The old President, Boris Yeltsin, was in decline. 621 00:39:12,083 --> 00:39:14,583 He overdid it on the vodka, they say. 622 00:39:14,750 --> 00:39:17,042 He had a sports club built on Sparrow Hills 623 00:39:17,208 --> 00:39:19,083 that looked out over Moscow. 624 00:39:19,542 --> 00:39:22,833 He spent all his spare time playing tennis there. 625 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,417 It was the only way to get near him. 626 00:39:27,667 --> 00:39:29,458 Let's face it, Boris was finished. 627 00:39:29,625 --> 00:39:32,000 Elections were coming, his numbers were in the dumps. 628 00:39:32,167 --> 00:39:35,500 His whole retinue of petty schemers were at rock bottom. 629 00:39:35,667 --> 00:39:38,208 They quickly understood I was their only hope. 630 00:39:38,708 --> 00:39:39,875 We hadn't lost yet. 631 00:39:50,042 --> 00:39:51,250 Listen to me, 632 00:39:51,667 --> 00:39:53,333 Boris Nikolayevich. 633 00:39:53,708 --> 00:39:57,458 Russia still needs you. Your courage and your... 634 00:39:57,625 --> 00:39:58,958 integrity. 635 00:39:59,542 --> 00:40:01,500 No one loves me anymore. 636 00:40:01,708 --> 00:40:03,333 I saved democracy, 637 00:40:03,500 --> 00:40:05,250 but democracy here means 638 00:40:05,417 --> 00:40:07,917 that everyone has become poor. 639 00:40:08,333 --> 00:40:11,250 Except for a few smart devils like you, 640 00:40:11,417 --> 00:40:13,542 who've gotten filthy rich! 641 00:40:15,667 --> 00:40:17,250 Well, if you give me 642 00:40:17,750 --> 00:40:19,583 control of state TV, 643 00:40:20,792 --> 00:40:24,167 I will give you an election campaign like you've never seen. 644 00:40:24,333 --> 00:40:27,958 You're in dire straits now, but in 2 months you'll be on top. 645 00:40:30,583 --> 00:40:34,375 This is how I took control of Channel 1. RTP, as it's now called. 646 00:40:34,542 --> 00:40:35,875 And for the record, 647 00:40:36,625 --> 00:40:39,208 I kept my word. I revived him in the polls. 648 00:40:39,375 --> 00:40:41,208 What you did was sink his rivals. 649 00:40:41,583 --> 00:40:43,750 A bunch of Communist nostalgics. A cinch. 650 00:40:43,917 --> 00:40:46,167 You defended your interests, those of oligarchs. 651 00:40:48,833 --> 00:40:50,833 True. 80 what? 652 00:40:51,208 --> 00:40:53,792 - All part of the democratic process. - Right! 653 00:40:53,958 --> 00:40:56,792 When you have a very loose notion of democracy. 654 00:41:04,625 --> 00:41:06,333 Over the course of the rallies 655 00:41:06,500 --> 00:41:08,333 the old man began to enjoy himself. 656 00:41:08,958 --> 00:41:10,083 Problem was, 657 00:41:10,250 --> 00:41:12,750 two weeks before the election he had a heart attack. 658 00:41:12,917 --> 00:41:14,167 That was a close call. 659 00:41:14,958 --> 00:41:18,958 The very day he was supposed to record his final speech to the nation. 660 00:41:19,125 --> 00:41:20,667 Obviously we canceled everything. 661 00:41:20,833 --> 00:41:23,792 But a few days later, the rumors began to spread, 662 00:41:23,958 --> 00:41:25,292 he had to show up. 663 00:41:25,458 --> 00:41:27,875 Except his doctor wouldn't let him leave his residence. 664 00:41:28,042 --> 00:41:31,708 Too risky. So we figured, to keep up appearances, 665 00:41:32,208 --> 00:41:34,458 we'd bring the Kremlin furniture to him. 666 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,500 OK, flags. Put the flags in the stands. 667 00:41:43,542 --> 00:41:46,708 Put the national flag on the left. Check the distance. 668 00:41:47,250 --> 00:41:49,500 The President is on his way down. 669 00:42:04,083 --> 00:42:06,292 Good morning, Boris Nikolayevich! 670 00:42:06,625 --> 00:42:08,333 Come see what we've done. 671 00:42:08,500 --> 00:42:10,750 A perfect copy of your Kremlin office. 672 00:42:10,917 --> 00:42:12,875 No one will notice the difference. 673 00:42:13,875 --> 00:42:15,542 Help him with the chair. 674 00:42:49,750 --> 00:42:51,833 Russian citizens... 675 00:42:52,833 --> 00:42:54,167 it's why... 676 00:42:56,458 --> 00:42:58,375 the motherland... 677 00:42:59,833 --> 00:43:01,167 Let's try again. 678 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:04,958 Misha, can you slow down the prompter? 679 00:43:09,958 --> 00:43:11,250 Once again, please. 680 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:13,917 Russian citizens... 681 00:43:15,250 --> 00:43:17,208 the 3rd of July 682 00:43:18,375 --> 00:43:20,250 elections day... 683 00:43:21,500 --> 00:43:22,500 you'll not... 684 00:43:22,875 --> 00:43:24,417 only vote for Yeltsin... 685 00:43:24,583 --> 00:43:26,750 This is not going to work. 686 00:43:30,417 --> 00:43:32,083 Just make him move his lips 687 00:43:32,250 --> 00:43:35,583 and we'll dub in bits from his old speeches. 688 00:43:36,500 --> 00:43:38,750 Yeltsin was reelected by a landslide. 689 00:43:38,917 --> 00:43:40,917 And then he fell back into lethargy. 690 00:43:41,083 --> 00:43:43,292 He had two more heart attacks. 691 00:43:43,458 --> 00:43:45,167 For four years of his 2nd term, 692 00:43:45,333 --> 00:43:47,958 Berezovsky was the real leader of Russia. 693 00:43:48,125 --> 00:43:50,917 The oligarchs raked in everything they could. 694 00:43:51,083 --> 00:43:55,667 That's how my old pal, Dmitry Sidorov, bought himself a fossil fuel giant 695 00:43:55,833 --> 00:43:58,375 for a mere 168 million. 696 00:43:58,583 --> 00:44:01,583 It would go on to make him 3 billion a year. 697 00:44:02,167 --> 00:44:03,250 Olya! 698 00:44:04,667 --> 00:44:06,958 Berezovsky sensed the winds were turning. 699 00:44:07,792 --> 00:44:10,417 The Russians were tired and needed order. 700 00:44:10,833 --> 00:44:14,958 They'd grown up in a motherland, now all they had was a supermarket. 701 00:44:15,125 --> 00:44:18,167 Our challenge was to come up with a solution before someone else did. 702 00:44:18,333 --> 00:44:19,542 So yes. 703 00:44:21,125 --> 00:44:22,875 I have friends in the Kremlin. 704 00:44:23,333 --> 00:44:25,417 And I lend a hand from time to time. 705 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:28,625 But the scenario has completely changed. 706 00:44:28,792 --> 00:44:31,833 It's no longer a matter of supporting the current regime. 707 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:33,875 We need to invent something new. 708 00:44:34,042 --> 00:44:35,875 Something and someone. 709 00:44:36,042 --> 00:44:38,083 The President won't make it to the end of his term. 710 00:44:38,250 --> 00:44:41,208 Someone to embody it, of course. That's the easy part. 711 00:44:42,208 --> 00:44:43,333 But what we need, 712 00:44:43,500 --> 00:44:46,750 first, is a party for everyone to rally around. 713 00:44:47,250 --> 00:44:48,792 The Unity Party. 714 00:44:52,167 --> 00:44:53,917 What do you think, Vadya? 715 00:44:54,833 --> 00:44:56,458 I already have an emblem. 716 00:44:57,542 --> 00:44:58,667 The bear. 717 00:44:58,958 --> 00:45:00,792 Symbol of the Russian soul. 718 00:45:04,042 --> 00:45:05,583 So, will you join us? 719 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:08,542 I don't know, Boris. I like my job. 720 00:45:08,708 --> 00:45:09,958 It's the same job. 721 00:45:11,833 --> 00:45:15,667 I'm merely suggesting that you graduate to the next level. 722 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:17,667 Stop making up stories, 723 00:45:17,833 --> 00:45:19,708 start inventing reality. 724 00:45:20,250 --> 00:45:21,250 With me. 725 00:45:27,250 --> 00:45:29,917 LUBYANKA HEADQUARTERS OF THE FSB 726 00:45:32,625 --> 00:45:35,458 The head of the FSB would make a good candidate. 727 00:45:36,708 --> 00:45:38,333 The old geezer trusts him, 728 00:45:38,500 --> 00:45:40,875 he's shown his mettle at decisive moments 729 00:45:41,042 --> 00:45:42,792 and he's a modest guy. 730 00:45:42,958 --> 00:45:44,250 You'll like him. 731 00:45:53,333 --> 00:45:55,500 Director Putin will see you now. 732 00:46:05,917 --> 00:46:07,292 Come, sit. 733 00:46:09,625 --> 00:46:10,625 Sit. 734 00:46:12,500 --> 00:46:14,000 I know why you're here. 735 00:46:14,417 --> 00:46:16,458 You're the best-informed man in Russia. 736 00:46:16,625 --> 00:46:19,292 I've been thinking it over, Boris Abramovich. 737 00:46:21,500 --> 00:46:22,708 You see, 738 00:46:22,875 --> 00:46:26,917 the Secret Service has all the advantages of politics 739 00:46:28,083 --> 00:46:30,083 without any of the drawbacks. 740 00:46:32,125 --> 00:46:34,083 I'm at the center of the system. 741 00:46:34,250 --> 00:46:36,875 I'm well positioned. I hear, I see everything. 742 00:46:37,208 --> 00:46:40,917 I can effectively intervene to protect the President, his family. 743 00:46:41,083 --> 00:46:43,250 I've done it before, I'll do it again. 744 00:46:45,500 --> 00:46:47,750 You take me out of here, put me in government, 745 00:46:47,917 --> 00:46:51,125 they chew me up, spit me out like every other Prime Minister 746 00:46:51,292 --> 00:46:53,875 these past years, these past months, right? 747 00:46:54,042 --> 00:46:56,792 And you lose the most loyal guardian of the State. 748 00:46:56,958 --> 00:46:58,500 If we don't act quickly, 749 00:46:58,667 --> 00:47:02,375 within a year there'll be no more President or family to protect. 750 00:47:03,333 --> 00:47:06,167 The first thing the new head of the Kremlin will do 751 00:47:06,333 --> 00:47:08,250 is replace you. 752 00:47:09,208 --> 00:47:10,500 Why me? 753 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:13,458 I'm a civil servant. 754 00:47:14,833 --> 00:47:16,917 Sure, I've given... 755 00:47:18,458 --> 00:47:20,333 a couple of speeches in public, 756 00:47:20,500 --> 00:47:22,833 but they were never earth-shattering. 757 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:26,458 The President steps into a room and sniffs the air, 758 00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:29,750 everyone's on his side in two minutes, laughing, crying, 759 00:47:29,917 --> 00:47:31,375 like chatting in his kitchen. 760 00:47:31,542 --> 00:47:33,833 I'm not that man. I'm not cut from that cloth. 761 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:36,583 If I may, Vladimir Vladimirovich, 762 00:47:37,417 --> 00:47:39,292 that's exactly what this is about. 763 00:47:39,875 --> 00:47:42,792 The President has a one-of—a-kind personality. 764 00:47:42,958 --> 00:47:45,625 His human qualities were essential for moving our country 765 00:47:45,792 --> 00:47:49,375 from the old Soviet Union to today's Russia. 766 00:47:49,917 --> 00:47:51,833 But he's all used up. 767 00:47:52,208 --> 00:47:53,917 We need someone different. 768 00:47:54,083 --> 00:47:55,417 A clean break. 769 00:47:55,917 --> 00:47:58,708 If the President names you Prime Minister, Vladimir Vladimirovich, 770 00:47:58,875 --> 00:48:01,458 you will represent legitimate authority. 771 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,042 Russians need stability and security. 772 00:48:05,250 --> 00:48:08,167 You're young, athletic, energetic. 773 00:48:08,333 --> 00:48:09,542 Something about you says, 774 00:48:09,708 --> 00:48:12,875 "I can handle the full responsibility of command.“ 775 00:48:13,708 --> 00:48:17,167 Your career in the secret services guarantees you're trustworthy. 776 00:48:17,833 --> 00:48:20,708 And being a man of few words will work in your favor. 777 00:48:21,292 --> 00:48:22,292 Not against you. 778 00:48:22,333 --> 00:48:24,333 Russians are tired of carnival barkers. 779 00:48:25,042 --> 00:48:27,542 And the campaign we have in mind 780 00:48:28,833 --> 00:48:32,750 won't be the usual rallies and empty promises. 781 00:48:32,917 --> 00:48:35,500 We want to take the risk of portraying you 782 00:48:35,667 --> 00:48:38,250 as a different brand of politician. 783 00:48:38,417 --> 00:48:41,875 Vladimir Vladimirovich, I don't know much about politics 784 00:48:42,042 --> 00:48:44,792 but I do know a few things about communication. 785 00:48:44,958 --> 00:48:48,042 There are two dimensions in a society. 786 00:48:48,208 --> 00:48:50,500 The horizontal axis that is daily life 787 00:48:50,667 --> 00:48:53,500 and the vertical axis, which is authority. 788 00:48:54,042 --> 00:48:55,917 The Soviet system was vertical 789 00:48:56,083 --> 00:48:58,333 then all of a sudden since the end of the Soviet period 790 00:48:58,500 --> 00:49:00,500 it has become horizontal. 791 00:49:00,667 --> 00:49:04,583 Too much horizontality is synonymous with chaos. 792 00:49:04,750 --> 00:49:07,167 Russians dream of verticality. 793 00:49:07,333 --> 00:49:08,833 A psychoanalyst would say 794 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:12,542 they're waiting for a leader to obliterate the language of the mother 795 00:49:12,708 --> 00:49:15,375 and impose the word of the father once again. 796 00:49:15,542 --> 00:49:17,708 Public opinion coalesces fast. 797 00:49:17,875 --> 00:49:21,792 We only have a few months to convince the Russian people 798 00:49:22,500 --> 00:49:25,208 that you are the man of the hour. 799 00:49:28,458 --> 00:49:31,583 And remember, you won't be on your own. 800 00:49:31,958 --> 00:49:35,750 I'll be there by your side to help you and to advise you 801 00:49:35,917 --> 00:49:37,333 whenever you need me. 802 00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:43,417 It's in the bag. 803 00:49:44,875 --> 00:49:48,083 He's no rocket scientist, but for now he'll do just fine. 804 00:49:50,625 --> 00:49:53,083 I nodded along and laughed with him. 805 00:49:53,250 --> 00:49:57,375 But things were a bit more complicated than Berezovsky seemed to grasp. 806 00:50:01,208 --> 00:50:04,375 When he addressed him with his own brand of chummy joviality, 807 00:50:04,542 --> 00:50:07,667 I sensed a hint of annoyance in Putin's gaze. 808 00:50:08,333 --> 00:50:10,000 And then there was that flash of irony 809 00:50:10,167 --> 00:50:13,167 when Boris promised to guide him every step of the way. 810 00:50:14,667 --> 00:50:17,333 It seemed the very idea of being guided by this man 811 00:50:17,500 --> 00:50:20,750 was wildly funny to the FSB chief. 812 00:50:24,750 --> 00:50:26,708 Hurry up, Vadim Alexeyevich. 813 00:50:26,875 --> 00:50:29,125 Vladimir Vladimirovich is waiting. 814 00:50:41,750 --> 00:50:43,208 Good afternoon, sir. 815 00:50:44,042 --> 00:50:45,125 Recommendations? 816 00:50:45,292 --> 00:50:47,583 Today we have excellent sea scallops 817 00:50:47,750 --> 00:50:49,208 with cauliflower mousseline... 818 00:50:49,375 --> 00:50:50,375 A bowl of kasha. 819 00:50:50,417 --> 00:50:52,500 - Two. - Certainly, sir. 820 00:50:55,500 --> 00:50:57,792 I have a lot of respect for Berezovsky. 821 00:50:58,542 --> 00:51:00,000 I'm grateful 822 00:51:00,500 --> 00:51:02,542 for his offer, but if... 823 00:51:03,583 --> 00:51:05,167 I embark 824 00:51:05,875 --> 00:51:07,125 on this... 825 00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:10,083 journey, 826 00:51:10,708 --> 00:51:12,958 I'll be relying on my own strengths. 827 00:51:13,125 --> 00:51:15,042 Not someone else's. 828 00:51:15,625 --> 00:51:17,750 The Russian president cannot 829 00:51:17,917 --> 00:51:19,792 and must not 830 00:51:20,208 --> 00:51:22,750 be subservient to anyone. 831 00:51:24,333 --> 00:51:25,833 It's unthinkable to me. 832 00:51:27,542 --> 00:51:30,333 Your analysis the other day was very interesting. 833 00:51:30,500 --> 00:51:33,667 But first we should clarify something. 834 00:51:35,458 --> 00:51:36,833 If you accept my offer, 835 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,750 you'll be working exclusively for me, 836 00:51:40,958 --> 00:51:42,125 Vadim Alexeyevich. 837 00:51:51,375 --> 00:51:53,958 I've been thinking about your concept of verticality. 838 00:51:54,583 --> 00:51:55,750 It's potent. 839 00:51:56,792 --> 00:51:58,833 But it cannot remain abstract. 840 00:52:00,792 --> 00:52:04,750 We need a well-defined arena where we can restore the verticality of power. 841 00:52:04,917 --> 00:52:08,500 Otherwise we'll appear helpless, like all politicians in this country. 842 00:52:08,667 --> 00:52:10,292 Indeed, Vladimir Vladimirovich, 843 00:52:10,458 --> 00:52:12,792 but we can't just snap our fingers. 844 00:52:13,458 --> 00:52:15,500 There is always the unexpected. 845 00:52:15,667 --> 00:52:18,042 Which is always a result of incompetence. 846 00:52:18,208 --> 00:52:20,583 - We're at the mercy of circumstance. - Circumstance? 847 00:52:20,750 --> 00:52:22,583 It's staring us in the face. 848 00:52:23,958 --> 00:52:24,958 Don't you see it? 849 00:52:28,042 --> 00:52:30,208 The Islamic fundamentalists 850 00:52:31,250 --> 00:52:33,958 are no longer content with just Chechnya. 851 00:52:35,750 --> 00:52:36,833 They want Dagestan, 852 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:39,792 Ingushetia, Bashkortostan. 853 00:52:41,917 --> 00:52:43,667 We let them have them, 854 00:52:44,917 --> 00:52:48,250 in a few years there'll be nothing left of the Russian Federation. 855 00:52:48,625 --> 00:52:51,833 I would think twice before getting involved in that mess. 856 00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:53,292 These past few years 857 00:52:53,458 --> 00:52:56,208 Chechnya has killed more political careers in Moscow 858 00:52:56,375 --> 00:52:58,250 than enemies on the battlefield. 859 00:52:58,667 --> 00:53:01,583 None of them have put enough energy into the issue. 860 00:53:01,750 --> 00:53:04,750 Those politicians want a war 861 00:53:04,917 --> 00:53:07,458 that dare not speak its name. 862 00:53:07,917 --> 00:53:09,833 A humane war, 863 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:11,792 like the Americans do. 864 00:53:12,708 --> 00:53:14,667 I'm talking about something else. 865 00:53:15,500 --> 00:53:18,083 I'm not interested in winning the Nobel Peace Prize. 866 00:53:18,250 --> 00:53:19,708 What interests me 867 00:53:20,708 --> 00:53:24,208 is restoring integrity to the Russian Federation. 868 00:53:24,375 --> 00:53:26,000 I won't comment on geopolitics. 869 00:53:26,292 --> 00:53:28,458 That's not my field of expertise. 870 00:53:28,917 --> 00:53:30,917 What I will say, however, 871 00:53:31,625 --> 00:53:33,750 is that it's political suicide. 872 00:53:34,583 --> 00:53:36,125 I think you're mistaken. 873 00:53:37,583 --> 00:53:41,250 You've let Westerners persuade you that an electoral campaign has to be 874 00:53:41,417 --> 00:53:45,500 two teams of economists discussing PowerPoint presentations. 875 00:53:48,667 --> 00:53:49,958 In Russia, 876 00:53:50,792 --> 00:53:51,958 power 877 00:53:53,042 --> 00:53:55,042 is something else entirely. 878 00:53:58,542 --> 00:54:02,250 That day, I didn't understand precisely what Putin meant. 879 00:54:02,750 --> 00:54:05,208 But I left the lunch with one certainty: 880 00:54:05,375 --> 00:54:08,750 Berezovsky had just made the biggest mistake of his life. 881 00:54:10,625 --> 00:54:12,250 In the early days of August, 882 00:54:12,417 --> 00:54:14,625 Boris Yeltsin chose a new Prime Minister, 883 00:54:14,792 --> 00:54:16,125 unknown to most. 884 00:54:16,458 --> 00:54:20,583 The choice of Vladimir Putin was greeted with general skepticism. 885 00:54:20,750 --> 00:54:24,750 He was the fifth head of government Yeltsin had enthroned in under a year. 886 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:29,417 Our offices were in the former House of Soviets, 887 00:54:29,583 --> 00:54:31,458 dubbed the Russian White House. 888 00:54:31,625 --> 00:54:35,333 A giant block of naphthalene on the banks of the Moskva River. 889 00:54:36,042 --> 00:54:38,833 A whole floor had been freed up for new hires. 890 00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:42,458 Putin knew there were only a few weeks left to harness public opinion. 891 00:54:42,625 --> 00:54:44,125 He had no time to lose. 892 00:54:46,667 --> 00:54:50,333 Tell that son of a bitch the Prime Minister wants results. 893 00:54:50,500 --> 00:54:51,875 Doesn't matter how. 894 00:54:52,333 --> 00:54:55,583 Sorry, but the media doesn't set our agenda, politics does. 895 00:54:55,958 --> 00:54:58,333 We're here to produce results, 896 00:54:58,500 --> 00:54:59,958 not limp excuses. 897 00:55:00,875 --> 00:55:03,708 I have the polls you requested. You must crunch the numbers. 898 00:55:03,875 --> 00:55:06,167 I'll meet you later. I have to see Gusinsky first. 899 00:55:06,333 --> 00:55:07,333 We're on the right track. 900 00:55:07,375 --> 00:55:09,792 Dmitry Anatolyevich, we shouldn't be on the right track, 901 00:55:09,958 --> 00:55:11,875 we should already be there. 902 00:55:17,250 --> 00:55:18,667 Where's Gusinsky? 903 00:55:18,833 --> 00:55:20,625 Unfortunately he couldn't make it. 904 00:55:22,042 --> 00:55:24,000 Are we not important enough for him? 905 00:55:24,167 --> 00:55:24,875 He's abroad. 906 00:55:25,042 --> 00:55:27,542 So who are you, his messengers? 907 00:55:27,917 --> 00:55:29,333 We run the NW network. 908 00:55:30,708 --> 00:55:33,583 Please give Mr. Gusinsky the following message: 909 00:55:34,042 --> 00:55:37,042 The policies of the Russian Federation 910 00:55:37,208 --> 00:55:40,792 are not to be decided in the offices of NTV. 911 00:55:40,958 --> 00:55:43,083 That never crossed Mr. Gusinsky's mind. 912 00:55:43,250 --> 00:55:45,625 I watch Kukly, your political puppet show. 913 00:55:45,792 --> 00:55:49,125 Sometimes I find it funny. I laugh, I do! 914 00:55:49,958 --> 00:55:54,000 Unfortunately the Prime Minister doesn't share your sense of humor. 915 00:55:54,375 --> 00:55:57,083 He suspects Mr. Gusinsky may have a bone to pick with him. 916 00:55:57,250 --> 00:55:59,542 No way, never in a million years. 917 00:55:59,708 --> 00:56:02,208 Shame he's not here to explain that himself. 918 00:56:02,375 --> 00:56:06,208 You represent Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as a midget. 919 00:56:06,375 --> 00:56:07,625 That's not correct... 920 00:56:07,792 --> 00:56:10,292 A deformed dwarf manipulated by oligarchs. 921 00:56:10,458 --> 00:56:12,917 In the minds of the gagmen, he's more of a child. 922 00:56:13,083 --> 00:56:14,375 Yes, exactly. 923 00:56:14,542 --> 00:56:17,917 And you see that as grounds for laughter, an infantile gnome? 924 00:56:18,083 --> 00:56:19,417 It's a satirical show. 925 00:56:19,583 --> 00:56:22,625 The Prime Minister determines the line between satire and insult, 926 00:56:22,792 --> 00:56:24,625 especially during election season. 927 00:56:24,792 --> 00:56:27,583 The PM has determined a line that must not be crossed. 928 00:56:27,750 --> 00:56:30,417 I believe Mr. Gusinsky can guess where that line is. 929 00:56:30,583 --> 00:56:32,667 If not, he'll find out at his own expense. 930 00:56:32,833 --> 00:56:33,958 Good day! 931 00:56:36,125 --> 00:56:40,167 Of course I was working 18-hour days. Back-to-back meetings with the PM, 932 00:56:40,333 --> 00:56:44,333 every single one of them involving decisions of major historical importance. 933 00:56:44,500 --> 00:56:47,375 The deeper I sank into the routine of governing men, 934 00:56:47,542 --> 00:56:50,167 the more the world seemed rife with misunderstanding 935 00:56:50,333 --> 00:56:52,042 and missed opportunities. 936 00:56:52,583 --> 00:56:54,833 And that's when the unexpected happened. 937 00:56:57,083 --> 00:56:59,375 One autumn night, just after midnight, 938 00:56:59,542 --> 00:57:02,667 a terrific rumbling tore through the darkness of the capital. 939 00:57:02,833 --> 00:57:05,375 On Guryanova Street on the outskirts of Moscow, 940 00:57:05,542 --> 00:57:07,208 hundreds of kilos of explosives 941 00:57:07,375 --> 00:57:10,333 literally cut a 9-story apartment complex in two. 942 00:57:11,958 --> 00:57:15,708 Dozens of sleeping families were swallowed up alive by the explosion. 943 00:57:15,875 --> 00:57:17,125 Four days later, 944 00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:21,583 a second explosion rocked the city at 5 in the morning, 945 00:57:21,750 --> 00:57:23,875 destroying another building in the suburbs. 946 00:57:24,208 --> 00:57:26,000 Over a hundred victims. 947 00:57:26,458 --> 00:57:28,292 It was our September 11th. 948 00:57:28,458 --> 00:57:30,917 Before that, the Chechen War felt remote. 949 00:57:31,083 --> 00:57:34,208 But when buildings started blowing up in the Moscow suburbs, 950 00:57:34,375 --> 00:57:37,375 Russians found themselves with a war at their front door. 951 00:57:38,542 --> 00:57:39,625 Of course, 952 00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:41,250 you know what... 953 00:57:41,750 --> 00:57:43,208 people say? 954 00:57:45,333 --> 00:57:47,333 They say we were behind it. 955 00:57:48,125 --> 00:57:50,417 By "we" I mean the FSB. 956 00:57:50,583 --> 00:57:52,250 It isn't just a rumor. 957 00:57:53,083 --> 00:57:55,375 There's serious evidence to back it up. 958 00:57:55,792 --> 00:57:57,125 Frankly, I don't know. 959 00:57:57,958 --> 00:58:01,833 If this is a bona fide secret, thank God nobody shared it with me. 960 00:58:02,333 --> 00:58:04,250 Why would we have done that? 961 00:58:04,417 --> 00:58:05,583 We were certain to win. 962 00:58:05,792 --> 00:58:07,417 To instill fear. 963 00:58:07,750 --> 00:58:11,167 So the Russian people would feel threatened by the Chechens. 964 00:58:12,708 --> 00:58:15,125 To justify the second Chechen War. 965 00:58:15,292 --> 00:58:18,083 Perfectly timed to warm public opinion 966 00:58:18,250 --> 00:58:22,125 to a coming authoritarian regime. 967 00:58:25,417 --> 00:58:27,042 I don't like public speaking. 968 00:58:27,208 --> 00:58:29,875 Right now the people need to hear your voice. 969 00:58:30,042 --> 00:58:33,208 Here, on a state visit, not from the Kremlin Palace. 970 00:58:33,792 --> 00:58:35,708 Give them a sense of urgency. 971 00:58:36,125 --> 00:58:37,500 I'm not an actor. 972 00:58:38,458 --> 00:58:40,625 I'll give them a simple statement. 973 00:58:46,500 --> 00:58:48,917 Word has it you've ordered the bombing of Grozny Airport 974 00:58:49,083 --> 00:58:50,708 in retaliation for the attacks. 975 00:58:50,875 --> 00:58:52,292 Don't you think such actions 976 00:58:52,458 --> 00:58:53,958 could aggravate the situation? 977 00:58:54,708 --> 00:58:56,542 I'm tired of this kind of question. 978 00:58:56,708 --> 00:58:59,542 We'll get the terrorists wherever they're hiding. 979 00:58:59,708 --> 00:59:01,708 If they're in an airport, we'll strike the airport, 980 00:59:01,833 --> 00:59:03,708 if they're in the shitter, excuse my language, 981 00:59:03,875 --> 00:59:06,083 but we'll get them in the shitter. 982 00:59:06,958 --> 00:59:09,625 You have no idea the impact that one sentence 983 00:59:09,792 --> 00:59:11,208 had on the Russian people. 984 00:59:11,375 --> 00:59:14,167 Finally, we were hearing a voice of command and control. 985 00:59:14,333 --> 00:59:16,792 Russians hadn't heard that in the longest time. 986 00:59:16,958 --> 00:59:18,375 Stalin's voice? 987 00:59:18,542 --> 00:59:20,042 Not Yeltsin's in any case. 988 00:59:20,208 --> 00:59:21,833 Or Gorbachev's. 989 00:59:22,542 --> 00:59:25,750 That day, Putin became the Tzar. 990 00:59:27,292 --> 00:59:30,333 THE POWER VERTICAL 991 00:59:39,042 --> 00:59:41,792 Mr. Prime Minister, we can't land at Gudermes, 992 00:59:41,958 --> 00:59:43,833 visibility is too poor. 993 00:59:44,000 --> 00:59:47,083 I planned to spend New Year's Eve with our troops. Understand? 994 00:59:47,250 --> 00:59:48,458 We must land! 995 00:59:48,792 --> 00:59:50,167 No, we must land! 996 00:59:50,333 --> 00:59:53,542 We need 150 meters of visibility. 997 00:59:53,708 --> 00:59:56,667 We've got scarcely 100. It's too dangerous. 998 01:00:04,042 --> 01:00:07,250 We have troops stationed in Dagestan. 999 01:00:08,125 --> 01:00:11,333 They're ready for inspection. Could serve as an alternative. 1000 01:00:17,875 --> 01:00:20,500 If the Tzar wanted to ring in the New Year in Chechnya, 1001 01:00:20,667 --> 01:00:22,250 well then, that's where we'd go. 1002 01:00:22,625 --> 01:00:27,250 At I am. we got into some jeeps and headed for the mountain passes. 1003 01:00:57,083 --> 01:00:59,917 33rd division, Lieutenant Colonel Fedorov. 1004 01:01:00,083 --> 01:01:02,167 Welcome on the base, Mr. Putin. 1005 01:01:02,958 --> 01:01:05,542 Men, what you're doing is so important. 1006 01:01:06,458 --> 01:01:09,125 People believe in you. I'm here to tell you that. 1007 01:01:09,292 --> 01:01:11,708 We're proud of you. You're working hard. 1008 01:01:12,875 --> 01:01:16,125 I know what you and your men have done. Very courageous. 1009 01:01:16,958 --> 01:01:19,583 I want you to know the Russian people 1010 01:01:19,875 --> 01:01:21,167 think of you 1011 01:01:21,333 --> 01:01:22,792 and are proud of you. 1012 01:01:23,292 --> 01:01:24,458 Happy New Year. 1013 01:02:40,292 --> 01:02:41,542 Wait, wait. 1014 01:02:43,750 --> 01:02:46,625 I would love to drink a toast to the health of the wounded 1015 01:02:46,792 --> 01:02:48,208 and to wish 1016 01:02:48,833 --> 01:02:51,625 everyone present here a happy new year, 1017 01:02:52,208 --> 01:02:55,083 but we have serious tasks ahead. 1018 01:02:56,375 --> 01:02:57,875 As you all know, 1019 01:02:58,917 --> 01:03:02,500 we're not only fighting for the honor and dignity of our country, 1020 01:03:02,667 --> 01:03:06,625 we're fighting to prevent Russia from disintegrating. 1021 01:03:09,375 --> 01:03:12,625 We can't afford one second of weakness, not one second. 1022 01:03:14,125 --> 01:03:15,958 If we let our guard down, 1023 01:03:16,625 --> 01:03:18,208 all those who died, 1024 01:03:18,833 --> 01:03:20,167 died in vain. 1025 01:03:21,583 --> 01:03:24,167 So I suggest we put our glasses down. 1026 01:03:27,542 --> 01:03:30,250 We will toast, but... later. 1027 01:03:38,000 --> 01:03:39,750 I am leaving... 1028 01:03:42,250 --> 01:03:45,000 Leaving before the end of my term. 1029 01:03:45,792 --> 01:03:49,083 I understand that it is necessary. 1030 01:03:50,250 --> 01:03:52,083 Russia must enter 1031 01:03:52,583 --> 01:03:55,750 a new millennium with new political leaders, 1032 01:03:56,625 --> 01:03:59,625 and I leave you all in the trusted hands 1033 01:03:59,792 --> 01:04:03,458 of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. 1034 01:04:08,875 --> 01:04:10,542 The Yeltsin era is over. 1035 01:04:10,708 --> 01:04:13,375 Your friend Berezovsky has to know 1036 01:04:13,542 --> 01:04:16,333 I'm fed up with his bullshit memos. 1037 01:04:16,708 --> 01:04:18,708 I thought he was our friend. 1038 01:04:18,875 --> 01:04:20,958 Boris is a very smart man. 1039 01:04:21,125 --> 01:04:24,333 But his intelligence is no safeguard for his stupidity. 1040 01:04:26,375 --> 01:04:27,375 Better bring him in. 1041 01:04:33,833 --> 01:04:35,333 Boris Abramovich. 1042 01:04:35,958 --> 01:04:37,042 Come. 1043 01:04:38,042 --> 01:04:39,042 Sit. 1044 01:04:42,542 --> 01:04:44,500 I've read your messages, 1045 01:04:44,667 --> 01:04:46,417 some Of your memos. 1046 01:04:47,042 --> 01:04:49,917 You've always offered good advice. I'm all ears. 1047 01:04:50,083 --> 01:04:52,292 Volodya, you made me wait an hour... 1048 01:04:52,458 --> 01:04:54,000 You asked for this meeting. 1049 01:04:54,583 --> 01:04:55,917 Here we are. 1050 01:04:58,083 --> 01:04:59,083 Go ahead. 1051 01:05:01,875 --> 01:05:03,417 Well, I'll be brief. 1052 01:05:05,000 --> 01:05:07,000 We're becoming too negative, Volodya. 1053 01:05:07,167 --> 01:05:09,458 Too dark. We're at war, fine, we get it. 1054 01:05:09,625 --> 01:05:11,375 You're a great general, 1055 01:05:11,542 --> 01:05:14,917 you'll lead us all to victory, but let's make an effort. 1056 01:05:15,375 --> 01:05:18,625 Give these poor Russians a little bit of hope, too. 1057 01:05:18,792 --> 01:05:21,917 Otherwise rather than voting for you, they'll jump out the window. 1058 01:05:23,083 --> 01:05:25,000 Rallies and concerts, 1059 01:05:25,167 --> 01:05:26,833 TV commercials, posters! 1060 01:05:27,250 --> 01:05:28,583 We need to make a splash. 1061 01:05:28,750 --> 01:05:29,583 Who'll pay for that? 1062 01:05:29,750 --> 01:05:30,750 I will, of course! 1063 01:05:31,542 --> 01:05:32,917 I heard you passed up 1064 01:05:33,083 --> 01:05:34,625 free public TV airtime? 1065 01:05:34,792 --> 01:05:35,875 That's correct. 1066 01:05:36,042 --> 01:05:37,917 It's our choice. Our strategy. 1067 01:05:38,083 --> 01:05:40,083 We'll see if the facts prove us right. 1068 01:05:40,250 --> 01:05:43,917 If you keep this up, people will forget you're a candidate. 1069 01:05:44,083 --> 01:05:45,667 Don't be ridiculous, Boris. 1070 01:05:45,958 --> 01:05:49,208 I've been interim President for 3 months. We're the government. 1071 01:05:50,708 --> 01:05:53,750 Our campaign is the news, what we're doing, 1072 01:05:54,667 --> 01:05:56,542 the history we're making. 1073 01:05:58,083 --> 01:06:00,458 Nobody believes advertising anymore. 1074 01:06:00,625 --> 01:06:04,042 Facts are the only advertising we're interested in. 1075 01:06:07,875 --> 01:06:10,083 The Tzar had reinstated the Power Vertical 1076 01:06:10,250 --> 01:06:12,625 and voters were grateful to him for it. 1077 01:06:12,792 --> 01:06:16,083 He was elected President of the Russian Federation with no runoff. 1078 01:06:18,125 --> 01:06:21,708 Berezovsky stopped bombarding the Kremlin with unanswered phone calls. 1079 01:06:21,875 --> 01:06:24,958 Naturally, his media mocked the pompous inauguration ceremony. 1080 01:06:25,667 --> 01:06:27,792 But Boris was waiting for something else: 1081 01:06:28,458 --> 01:06:31,792 a chance to Show the Tzar who was really in charge. 1082 01:06:38,750 --> 01:06:41,458 SOCHI SUMMER RESIDENCE OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS 1083 01:07:11,583 --> 01:07:13,208 - More? - Yes. 1084 01:07:16,000 --> 01:07:18,250 I remember, you like yours... 1085 01:07:18,958 --> 01:07:20,542 medium rare. 1086 01:07:21,625 --> 01:07:23,375 Thank you for remembering. 1087 01:07:34,833 --> 01:07:35,833 Sir... 1088 01:07:58,333 --> 01:08:00,667 On August 12, 2000, the Kursk, 1089 01:08:00,833 --> 01:08:03,208 one of the world's largest nuclear submarines, 1090 01:08:03,375 --> 01:08:06,542 sank during a training exercise in the Barents Sea. 1091 01:08:07,458 --> 01:08:09,000 There were a hundred crewmen aboard. 1092 01:08:09,958 --> 01:08:12,125 Some of them died instantly. 1093 01:08:12,292 --> 01:08:14,625 Others were trapped at the bottom of the sea. 1094 01:08:16,000 --> 01:08:19,708 This was the opportunity Berezovsky had been waiting for. 1095 01:08:27,375 --> 01:08:30,917 We rented a helicopter to keep an eye on the area where the sub sank. 1096 01:08:31,083 --> 01:08:32,750 - Has it been identified? - Yes. 1097 01:08:32,917 --> 01:08:35,750 The information just dropped, but no rescue team is on site. 1098 01:08:35,917 --> 01:08:38,625 Revolting, that's what we have to expose. 1099 01:08:38,792 --> 01:08:40,583 Russian experts won't go on the record. 1100 01:08:40,750 --> 01:08:42,667 - Find them abroad. - We have a crew in Germany. 1101 01:08:42,833 --> 01:08:46,000 They say NATO forces offered their help, 1102 01:08:46,167 --> 01:08:47,917 but the Russian navy turned it down. 1103 01:08:48,083 --> 01:08:49,500 They're spy ships. 1104 01:08:49,667 --> 01:08:51,958 Russia can't humiliate herself in front of them. 1105 01:08:52,458 --> 01:08:54,458 Can't humiliate herself in front of them? 1106 01:08:54,625 --> 01:08:57,875 Go find the families, ask them what they think! 1107 01:08:58,042 --> 01:08:59,922 - That's what we're doing. - TV's about emotion. 1108 01:09:00,083 --> 01:09:03,750 The emotion's with the families. Can you imagine their anguish? 1109 01:09:03,917 --> 01:09:07,458 Their loved ones may still be alive, trapped inside a watertight container, 1110 01:09:07,625 --> 01:09:09,625 waiting for a rescue that may never come! 1111 01:09:11,750 --> 01:09:14,000 How long will this last? 1112 01:09:14,167 --> 01:09:16,667 Our sons are paid 50 dollars a month, 1113 01:09:16,833 --> 01:09:20,125 and now they're locked in this tin can! 1114 01:09:21,042 --> 01:09:25,542 What good did it do me to raise my son? Do you have children? 1115 01:09:26,750 --> 01:09:28,583 Who can understand us? 1116 01:09:28,750 --> 01:09:31,625 You people in power never understand anything! 1117 01:09:31,792 --> 01:09:33,958 You only think about getting fat! 1118 01:09:34,125 --> 01:09:38,583 Our sailors have nothing to live on and you let them die. 1119 01:09:39,292 --> 01:09:41,458 The situation was out of control. 1120 01:09:41,625 --> 01:09:43,083 I rushed to Sochi. 1121 01:09:43,250 --> 01:09:46,292 I couldn't understand why Putin wasn't on the ground. 1122 01:09:48,542 --> 01:09:50,542 What would you have me do? 1123 01:09:52,625 --> 01:09:54,417 They're all dead, it's obvious. 1124 01:09:54,583 --> 01:09:56,708 We can't say it until we reach them. 1125 01:09:56,875 --> 01:09:59,542 According to all the experts, there are survivors on board. 1126 01:09:59,708 --> 01:10:01,958 That's a fact. We have to save them. 1127 01:10:02,125 --> 01:10:05,167 Whether they're dead or alive, Berezovsky's circus is about hurting me. 1128 01:10:05,333 --> 01:10:07,042 Everyone is waiting for you to act. 1129 01:10:07,292 --> 01:10:09,917 I act when I decide the time is right. 1130 01:10:11,083 --> 01:10:13,750 Your composure has enhanced your popularity thus far, 1131 01:10:13,917 --> 01:10:15,458 but it's becoming a liability. 1132 01:10:16,042 --> 01:10:19,375 The Russian people are suffering and you're not with them. 1133 01:10:19,542 --> 01:10:20,833 This is a serious matter. 1134 01:10:22,667 --> 01:10:25,542 Since the authorities are still refusing to budge, 1135 01:10:26,042 --> 01:10:28,833 RTP has created a fund for the families of the sailors. 1136 01:10:29,000 --> 01:10:30,542 Call this number to support... 1137 01:10:31,500 --> 01:10:32,667 Do you realize? 1138 01:10:33,375 --> 01:10:37,417 They destroyed the State, pillaged it for ten years, 1139 01:10:38,000 --> 01:10:40,417 bankrupted our army, now they're raising money! 1140 01:10:40,583 --> 01:10:41,583 Fucking bastards! 1141 01:10:41,708 --> 01:10:43,083 Why don't they sell 1142 01:10:43,250 --> 01:10:45,833 their fucking chalets in Saint-Moritz! 1143 01:10:48,042 --> 01:10:50,042 Get that son of a bitch on the phone. 1144 01:10:59,833 --> 01:11:01,625 Do you realize what you're doing? 1145 01:11:02,208 --> 01:11:05,250 Your network is giving round-the—clock airtime 1146 01:11:05,417 --> 01:11:07,833 to whores pretending to be sailors' wives. 1147 01:11:08,000 --> 01:11:09,920 What are you talking about? You out of your mind? 1148 01:11:09,958 --> 01:11:11,667 They're not whores, they're the real wives! 1149 01:11:11,833 --> 01:11:14,708 You're State television, Boris, 1150 01:11:14,875 --> 01:11:17,042 and you're conspiring against the Presidency! 1151 01:11:17,208 --> 01:11:18,833 What does that mean? 1152 01:11:19,167 --> 01:11:22,083 What does this mean, exactly? I'm asking you a question! 1153 01:11:22,250 --> 01:11:24,333 I have a question for you, Vladimir Vladimirovich. 1154 01:11:24,500 --> 01:11:27,625 What the hell are you doing vacationing on the Black Sea? 1155 01:11:27,792 --> 01:11:30,000 Shouldn't you be in Murmansk running operations? 1156 01:11:30,167 --> 01:11:31,250 Where are you? 1157 01:11:31,750 --> 01:11:33,583 Fucking laughing! Where are you? 1158 01:11:33,750 --> 01:11:35,583 Côte d'Azur, right? What are you doing there? 1159 01:11:35,750 --> 01:11:36,458 C'mon! 1160 01:11:36,625 --> 01:11:38,958 I'm not the President, nobody gives a damn where I am! 1161 01:11:39,125 --> 01:11:41,500 Plus, it so happens I am in Moscow! 1162 01:11:42,083 --> 01:11:44,208 Just think about it, Volodya. 1163 01:11:44,375 --> 01:11:46,500 If you go and console the sailors' wives, 1164 01:11:46,667 --> 01:11:48,625 your ratings will go through the roof. 1165 01:11:48,833 --> 01:11:52,750 And our network will put its full firepower behind you. 1166 01:11:53,208 --> 01:11:55,250 And you know that's substantial. 1167 01:12:01,000 --> 01:12:02,083 Well? 1168 01:12:02,875 --> 01:12:05,667 We're going back to Moscow. Set up that fucking meeting. 1169 01:12:05,833 --> 01:12:07,125 We have no choice. 1170 01:12:15,292 --> 01:12:17,625 And once this mess is behind us, 1171 01:12:18,375 --> 01:12:20,708 we'll take care of your friend Boris. 1172 01:12:23,833 --> 01:12:26,458 How could Boris have deluded himself into thinking 1173 01:12:26,625 --> 01:12:29,167 he'd tolerate a relationship of equals 1174 01:12:29,333 --> 01:12:30,958 with one of his subjects? 1175 01:12:31,125 --> 01:12:33,208 All the oligarchs got it wrong. 1176 01:12:34,208 --> 01:12:36,708 When they decided to bet on Putin, they... 1177 01:12:37,917 --> 01:12:41,250 thought they were changing straw men and not the whole system. 1178 01:12:41,417 --> 01:12:44,917 Taking over Berezovsky's network was a piece of cake. 1179 01:12:45,333 --> 01:12:49,208 He wasn't the majority shareholder. He only had 49%. 1180 01:12:49,542 --> 01:12:52,792 All it took was a call to the CEO of RTP 1181 01:12:52,958 --> 01:12:55,917 and he was now to take his orders from the Kremlin. 1182 01:13:05,708 --> 01:13:08,792 He doesn't mean you any harm. He respects you. 1183 01:13:08,958 --> 01:13:12,500 You stay safely in Moscow, do whatever business you like. 1184 01:13:12,792 --> 01:13:15,625 But you must stay out of politics once and for all. 1185 01:13:16,042 --> 01:13:18,042 Politics is his business. 1186 01:13:18,833 --> 01:13:22,333 Putin is the pure product of the KGB. 1187 01:13:24,125 --> 01:13:26,083 Its fiercest species. 1188 01:13:26,542 --> 01:13:29,958 He will put Russia in shackles. 1189 01:13:30,125 --> 01:13:33,875 And all we've done in the last 10 years to turn it into a normal country 1190 01:13:34,042 --> 01:13:35,750 will be swept away. 1191 01:13:36,125 --> 01:13:37,833 Even you, Vadya. 1192 01:13:38,000 --> 01:13:40,625 You're creating a regime worse than the Soviet Union. 1193 01:13:40,792 --> 01:13:42,125 At least back then, 1194 01:13:42,333 --> 01:13:45,917 the Party could muzzle the KGB guard dogs. 1195 01:13:46,083 --> 01:13:48,250 But now the Party no longer exists. 1196 01:13:48,417 --> 01:13:50,750 The FSB is worse than the KGB. 1197 01:13:50,917 --> 01:13:52,750 Who's gonna stop them, you? 1198 01:13:52,917 --> 01:13:55,583 Certainly not. You've become one of them. 1199 01:13:56,208 --> 01:13:58,667 They're vicious animals. 1200 01:13:58,833 --> 01:14:00,833 They come from the void. 1201 01:14:01,208 --> 01:14:03,500 They've cleared their path with a Sledgehammer. 1202 01:14:03,667 --> 01:14:05,875 No rules, no limits. 1203 01:14:06,042 --> 01:14:09,750 They're hungry. It's brutish hunger. 1204 01:14:10,333 --> 01:14:12,250 They were humiliated. 1205 01:14:12,458 --> 01:14:15,625 They're descended from centuries of humiliation. 1206 01:14:16,875 --> 01:14:20,125 They have to grab everything right away. 1207 01:14:20,875 --> 01:14:23,708 Because they know the tables will turn. 1208 01:14:23,875 --> 01:14:25,125 Maybe, Boris. 1209 01:14:25,500 --> 01:14:26,917 I don't know. 1210 01:14:27,958 --> 01:14:32,042 What I do know is that Russia has always been forged this way. 1211 01:14:32,583 --> 01:14:34,167 With an axe. 1212 01:14:34,333 --> 01:14:38,083 UNITED NATIONS HQ NEW YORK 1213 01:14:38,250 --> 01:14:41,292 Cautiously, Berezovsky chose exile in London. 1214 01:14:41,458 --> 01:14:44,417 Meanwhile, we were taking off for New York. 1215 01:14:44,583 --> 01:14:45,708 When you reach the top, 1216 01:14:45,875 --> 01:14:49,375 politics propels you onto the world stage with no preparation. 1217 01:14:49,917 --> 01:14:52,125 The world's greats become your peers. 1218 01:14:52,417 --> 01:14:54,000 But they're a closed circle. 1219 01:14:54,167 --> 01:14:56,750 They've had time to get acquainted, learn the ground rules. 1220 01:14:57,667 --> 01:15:00,958 However much you may be feared and respected in your own country, 1221 01:15:01,125 --> 01:15:04,000 here, you're just the new kid on the block. 1222 01:15:04,667 --> 01:15:06,667 The Waldorf Astoria is the best hotel. 1223 01:15:06,833 --> 01:15:10,042 Protocol has booked us a whole floor. 20 rooms. 1224 01:15:11,917 --> 01:15:13,167 Penthouse? 1225 01:15:13,750 --> 01:15:14,750 No. 1226 01:15:15,583 --> 01:15:16,583 Why not? 1227 01:15:16,917 --> 01:15:20,167 Top 3 floors are booked by the year for the Saudis. 1228 01:15:21,708 --> 01:15:23,167 Won't take more than an hour. 1229 01:15:23,333 --> 01:15:27,333 15 minutes to the TV studio, half-hour interview, 15 minutes back. 1230 01:15:29,250 --> 01:15:30,833 It's a good hit for us. 1231 01:15:42,083 --> 01:15:43,250 What's this? 1232 01:15:44,208 --> 01:15:45,500 It's the freeze. 1233 01:15:46,875 --> 01:15:49,750 The US President's motorcade is on the move. 1234 01:15:49,917 --> 01:15:51,667 No one else can budge. 1235 01:15:54,958 --> 01:15:56,417 How long does it last? 1236 01:15:58,208 --> 01:15:59,250 Depends. 1237 01:16:04,542 --> 01:16:07,083 So what's it like being a spy? 1238 01:16:07,250 --> 01:16:09,750 Not very different from being a journalist. 1239 01:16:10,458 --> 01:16:14,375 Your job is to gather information, to synthesize it. 1240 01:16:15,083 --> 01:16:19,000 You show it to the decision makers who can use that information. 1241 01:16:19,167 --> 01:16:20,500 Did you enjoy it? 1242 01:16:20,667 --> 01:16:23,917 Working in intelligence allowed me to broaden my vision. 1243 01:16:24,250 --> 01:16:27,000 To acquire certain skills. 1244 01:16:28,125 --> 01:16:31,333 Skills of management, focusing on priorities. 1245 01:16:32,542 --> 01:16:34,417 A learning experience. 1246 01:16:35,292 --> 01:16:38,458 The Kursk tragedy shook everyone. 1247 01:16:38,750 --> 01:16:41,208 Can you tell me what happened? 1248 01:16:41,708 --> 01:16:44,292 What happened to the submarine? 1249 01:16:45,667 --> 01:16:47,083 It sank. 1250 01:16:56,417 --> 01:16:57,708 If fucking Martians 1251 01:16:57,875 --> 01:16:59,958 were to seize power in Moscow, 1252 01:17:00,125 --> 01:17:03,208 the US would immediately see them as a legitimate government, 1253 01:17:03,375 --> 01:17:06,000 just as long as they didn't go near their interests 1254 01:17:06,167 --> 01:17:09,500 and deferred to them as the big boss. 1255 01:17:10,167 --> 01:17:13,375 The trouble is, they think they won the Cold War, 1256 01:17:13,542 --> 01:17:15,417 but the Soviet Union 1257 01:17:15,708 --> 01:17:17,042 didn't lose it. 1258 01:17:17,375 --> 01:17:21,333 The Cold War ended because we freed ourselves from a dictatorship, 1259 01:17:21,500 --> 01:17:23,458 which is not the same thing. 1260 01:17:23,875 --> 01:17:25,708 We dismantled the Warsaw Pact. 1261 01:17:25,875 --> 01:17:27,792 We offered them an olive branch. 1262 01:17:27,958 --> 01:17:29,208 Not surrender. 1263 01:17:30,542 --> 01:17:32,458 They should bear that in mind. 1264 01:17:33,083 --> 01:17:34,333 Just once in a while. 1265 01:17:52,708 --> 01:17:54,458 Limonov respects you. 1266 01:17:54,625 --> 01:17:56,292 I thought he despised me. 1267 01:17:56,542 --> 01:17:58,042 He's a visionary. 1268 01:17:58,500 --> 01:18:01,333 Everyone has a place in his party. 1269 01:18:02,583 --> 01:18:06,417 So what do you think of my revolutionary avant—garde? 1270 01:18:06,583 --> 01:18:09,500 The Kremlin isn't exactly quaking in its boots. 1271 01:18:09,667 --> 01:18:12,208 The Kremlin is very wrong. Sit down. 1272 01:18:13,667 --> 01:18:16,167 So, how was the trip? 1273 01:18:17,000 --> 01:18:18,792 You know what it's like over there. 1274 01:18:18,958 --> 01:18:20,917 Always fairly amusing I guess. 1275 01:18:21,792 --> 01:18:25,250 New York can be fun, as long as you avoid the Americans. 1276 01:18:26,458 --> 01:18:28,333 Which one do you prefer, Eduard? 1277 01:18:29,917 --> 01:18:30,917 This one! 1278 01:18:32,500 --> 01:18:35,333 Have you ever been to one of their posh dinners? 1279 01:18:35,500 --> 01:18:37,708 All the men have been to Princeton or Yale. 1280 01:18:37,875 --> 01:18:40,542 They all have children who go to the same schools. 1281 01:18:40,708 --> 01:18:42,083 At least when I was younger 1282 01:18:42,250 --> 01:18:45,917 I could screw one of their buxom blonde wives in the bathroom. 1283 01:18:46,083 --> 01:18:49,875 The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie. It's the same everywhere. 1284 01:18:50,417 --> 01:18:53,667 Vadya, America has destroyed the bourgeoisie. 1285 01:18:53,833 --> 01:18:55,333 The bourgeoisie had values. 1286 01:18:55,500 --> 01:18:58,375 These people only believe in numbers. 1287 01:18:58,542 --> 01:19:00,500 They're boring as hell. 1288 01:19:02,167 --> 01:19:04,042 Imperialism isn't the problem, 1289 01:19:04,208 --> 01:19:05,708 American culture is. 1290 01:19:05,875 --> 01:19:10,125 You were attracted to it, until it swallowed you up and spat you out. 1291 01:19:10,292 --> 01:19:11,417 Watching Yeltsin 1292 01:19:11,583 --> 01:19:15,333 turn Russia into a cheap version of the American nursing home 1293 01:19:15,500 --> 01:19:18,083 prompted me to form the National Bolshevik Party. 1294 01:19:18,250 --> 01:19:20,292 And you know why I called it that? 1295 01:19:20,458 --> 01:19:21,708 To infuriate you! 1296 01:19:22,042 --> 01:19:23,417 Nazbol! 1297 01:19:24,000 --> 01:19:26,625 We bring together former Stalinists, 1298 01:19:26,792 --> 01:19:29,500 homosexuals and punks, 1299 01:19:29,667 --> 01:19:31,375 anarchists, skinheads, 1300 01:19:31,542 --> 01:19:33,000 religious fanatics 1301 01:19:33,167 --> 01:19:35,083 from Buddhist to Orthodox! 1302 01:19:35,250 --> 01:19:39,042 The hardest part is keeping them from smashing each other's heads in. 1303 01:19:39,208 --> 01:19:40,958 You can be sure they will sooner or later. 1304 01:19:41,125 --> 01:19:42,625 You don't understand. 1305 01:19:42,792 --> 01:19:46,292 These young people want to escape the boredom of ordinary life. 1306 01:19:46,583 --> 01:19:48,292 They crave heroics. 1307 01:19:49,083 --> 01:19:51,167 It would be a shame to waste that. 1308 01:19:53,083 --> 01:19:54,625 May I burn a cigarette, Sergei? 1309 01:19:54,792 --> 01:19:55,792 Yes. 1310 01:19:55,833 --> 01:19:57,333 I need a walk. 1311 01:20:01,333 --> 01:20:04,292 I'd always seen Eduard Limonov as a brilliant sociopath 1312 01:20:04,458 --> 01:20:07,250 with no political acumen whatsoever. 1313 01:20:07,417 --> 01:20:10,583 So I wasn't yet ready to recognize that he was right. 1314 01:20:11,625 --> 01:20:14,958 But for the first time I saw his reasoning for what it was. 1315 01:20:15,750 --> 01:20:18,250 Not the result of rigorous analysis 1316 01:20:18,417 --> 01:20:20,792 but far more than casual intuition. 1317 01:20:28,000 --> 01:20:29,333 END OF THE OLIGARCHS 1318 01:20:29,500 --> 01:20:30,500 Come in. 1319 01:20:31,292 --> 01:20:32,792 Vladimir Vladimirovich, 1320 01:20:33,000 --> 01:20:35,000 Vadim Alexeyevich is here to see you. 1321 01:20:35,625 --> 01:20:36,792 You may come in. 1322 01:20:41,750 --> 01:20:45,042 How are my ratings? Elections are coming, Vadya. 1323 01:20:45,208 --> 01:20:46,208 No need to worry. 1324 01:20:46,375 --> 01:20:49,458 Around 60%. Closest candidate gets no more than 12%. 1325 01:20:49,625 --> 01:20:51,518 I'm not interested in them, they're insignificant. 1326 01:20:51,542 --> 01:20:53,417 One Russian is more popular than I am. 1327 01:20:54,667 --> 01:20:55,792 Stalin. 1328 01:20:56,958 --> 01:20:58,792 I believe he's been dead for some time. 1329 01:20:58,958 --> 01:21:01,833 You intellectuals insist on denouncing the horrors of the Gulag. 1330 01:21:02,000 --> 01:21:05,750 You think Stalin was popular in spite of the killings. Wrong. 1331 01:21:05,917 --> 01:21:08,167 Stalin was popular because of the killings, 1332 01:21:08,333 --> 01:21:11,958 because he knew how to handle a thief, a traitor. 1333 01:21:13,375 --> 01:21:17,667 Know what Stalin did when the Soviet-run trains started to derail? 1334 01:21:17,833 --> 01:21:18,667 No, I don't. 1335 01:21:18,833 --> 01:21:21,250 He had the head of the railway shot for sabotage. 1336 01:21:21,708 --> 01:21:24,917 It didn't solve the problem, possibly aggravated it. 1337 01:21:25,083 --> 01:21:28,458 But it allowed an outlet for fury. 1338 01:21:29,375 --> 01:21:30,958 Fury is a structural given. 1339 01:21:31,125 --> 01:21:33,583 No point fighting it, it must be managed. 1340 01:21:34,708 --> 01:21:36,708 - You want to feed the fury. - Yes. 1341 01:21:36,875 --> 01:21:38,542 People want a head to roll. 1342 01:21:39,500 --> 01:21:40,500 Whose? 1343 01:21:40,625 --> 01:21:42,583 The most arrogant oligarch. 1344 01:21:43,375 --> 01:21:44,458 Dmitry Sidorov. 1345 01:21:46,208 --> 01:21:47,708 Your former friend. 1346 01:21:48,500 --> 01:21:50,667 I'm told he ran off with your woman. 1347 01:21:51,250 --> 01:21:52,375 Must make you happy. 1348 01:21:52,542 --> 01:21:55,417 Didn't last long. Let bygones be bygones. 1349 01:21:55,583 --> 01:21:58,792 He's planning to sell a majority share of his fossil fuel empire 1350 01:21:58,958 --> 01:22:00,167 to Exxon Mobil. 1351 01:22:00,333 --> 01:22:01,833 Been at it long enough. 1352 01:22:02,292 --> 01:22:04,333 He'll make himself 20 billion dollars richer 1353 01:22:04,500 --> 01:22:08,292 by putting our fossil fuel giant in the hands of American investors. 1354 01:22:08,458 --> 01:22:11,083 You could say a Russian company will acquire international status. 1355 01:22:11,250 --> 01:22:12,750 I won't say that, it isn't true. 1356 01:22:12,917 --> 01:22:16,667 He's gathered a huge war chest to run against me in the 2007 election. 1357 01:22:16,833 --> 01:22:17,833 How do you know? 1358 01:22:17,917 --> 01:22:19,750 How do you think? We tapped his phone. 1359 01:22:24,875 --> 01:22:26,208 "Nonentity." 1360 01:22:27,500 --> 01:22:31,083 That's what he calls me when he speaks to his friends in DC. 1361 01:22:31,250 --> 01:22:33,083 "A nonentity." 1362 01:22:33,250 --> 01:22:36,917 He explains that when elected, he'll change the constitution 1363 01:22:37,083 --> 01:22:40,042 and dismantle the nuclear arsenal. 1364 01:22:40,250 --> 01:22:41,542 “Nonentity!” 1365 01:22:42,750 --> 01:22:43,833 “Nonentity!” 1366 01:22:45,917 --> 01:22:47,125 This man... 1367 01:22:47,833 --> 01:22:50,542 has fed me more mud than I can swallow. 1368 01:22:55,208 --> 01:22:56,375 So I've ordered 1369 01:22:56,542 --> 01:22:58,542 Dmitry Sidorov be arrested 1370 01:22:58,875 --> 01:23:00,458 tomorrow at dawn. 1371 01:23:00,625 --> 01:23:03,208 He's heading to Siberia, has to stop to refuel. 1372 01:23:03,375 --> 01:23:04,583 That's where we'll take him. 1373 01:23:04,750 --> 01:23:07,625 Cameramen, photographers, they'll all be on site. 1374 01:23:07,792 --> 01:23:10,375 Your job is to orchestrate it for the media. 1375 01:23:24,000 --> 01:23:25,375 OK... 1376 01:23:28,917 --> 01:23:30,042 This is it. 1377 01:23:31,625 --> 01:23:32,625 Here we are. 1378 01:23:32,708 --> 01:23:34,208 The news went all around the world. 1379 01:23:34,750 --> 01:23:39,083 The immediate effect was to remind people money can't protect you from everything. 1380 01:23:39,458 --> 01:23:42,458 Of course for you Westerners, this is totally taboo. 1381 01:23:42,625 --> 01:23:45,000 A politician arrested, why not? 1382 01:23:45,500 --> 01:23:47,750 But a billionaire? Unthinkable. 1383 01:23:48,208 --> 01:23:50,375 Your society was founded on the principle 1384 01:23:50,542 --> 01:23:52,500 that there is no power greater than money. 1385 01:23:54,292 --> 01:23:59,042 My job was to fit Dmitry's fall from grace into a successful TV format. 1386 01:23:59,208 --> 01:24:00,917 This wasn't difficult. 1387 01:24:01,250 --> 01:24:04,458 The masses have always loved to watch a powerful man's head roll. 1388 01:24:04,625 --> 01:24:07,417 There's no bloodier dictator than the people. 1389 01:24:09,083 --> 01:24:10,458 Once Sidorov was arrested, 1390 01:24:10,625 --> 01:24:12,917 Putin's reelection was a mere formality. 1391 01:24:13,667 --> 01:24:15,042 From that point forward, 1392 01:24:15,208 --> 01:24:18,542 the Russian government began undergoing a profound change. 1393 01:24:18,708 --> 01:24:21,292 The power struggle shifted from the public stage 1394 01:24:21,458 --> 01:24:22,667 to the Tzar's inner circle. 1395 01:24:23,333 --> 01:24:26,708 The State once again depended on court intrigue. 1396 01:24:27,375 --> 01:24:29,268 There are those with an office close to the Tzar's 1397 01:24:29,292 --> 01:24:31,583 and those with a direct line to him. 1398 01:24:31,750 --> 01:24:33,917 Those who accompany him on overseas missions, 1399 01:24:34,083 --> 01:24:36,417 and those who vacation with him in Sochi. 1400 01:24:36,958 --> 01:24:40,250 No detail can be overlooked, no matter how trivial. 1401 01:24:40,583 --> 01:24:42,417 From seating plans at gala dinners, 1402 01:24:42,583 --> 01:24:45,250 to waiting times in the President's antechamber. 1403 01:24:45,417 --> 01:24:48,042 Nothing escapes a courtier's attention. 1404 01:24:50,583 --> 01:24:53,833 I adapted to the new regime as I adapt to everything. 1405 01:24:54,000 --> 01:24:56,167 Some were far better at it than I was. 1406 01:24:56,333 --> 01:24:58,000 Like Igor Sechin. 1407 01:24:58,958 --> 01:25:01,250 Especially Igor Sechin. 1408 01:25:02,250 --> 01:25:03,500 Like many men of his kind 1409 01:25:03,667 --> 01:25:06,417 he drew his strength from being underestimated. 1410 01:25:06,917 --> 01:25:10,667 When the period of the courtiers came, he was in his element. 1411 01:25:10,833 --> 01:25:13,625 Indeed, he was head courtier. 1412 01:25:15,417 --> 01:25:17,000 With Dmitri Sidorov in prison, 1413 01:25:17,167 --> 01:25:19,208 the problem was what to do with his company. 1414 01:25:19,625 --> 01:25:21,958 Sechin gobbled it up in a single bite. 1415 01:25:22,125 --> 01:25:25,792 Judicial receivership, public auction with just one participant, 1416 01:25:25,958 --> 01:25:29,083 and it ends up in the hands of a financial group so opaque 1417 01:25:29,250 --> 01:25:31,083 it doesn't even have a phone number. 1418 01:25:31,250 --> 01:25:33,417 Well, did you get what you want? 1419 01:25:33,583 --> 01:25:34,917 Got what the Tzar wanted. 1420 01:25:35,083 --> 01:25:37,083 He wanted Dmitry's business for himself? 1421 01:25:37,250 --> 01:25:39,667 What he wants is to destroy the oligarchs. 1422 01:25:39,833 --> 01:25:42,042 And replace them with siloviki like yourself? 1423 01:25:42,208 --> 01:25:44,917 Russia has always needed strongmen. 1424 01:25:45,292 --> 01:25:47,958 Soldiers, spies, police. 1425 01:25:48,542 --> 01:25:49,833 That's how I got where I am. 1426 01:25:50,000 --> 01:25:52,042 And why you take what you want. Well done. 1427 01:25:52,208 --> 01:25:54,958 If that's how you wish to put it, Vadim Alexeyevich. 1428 01:25:56,875 --> 01:25:58,125 Watch out. 1429 01:25:58,708 --> 01:26:02,250 He's back from the G20 in Berlin. Tired, bad-tempered. 1430 01:26:05,083 --> 01:26:07,250 It's always the same, they treat me like I'm... 1431 01:26:07,417 --> 01:26:09,375 the president of Finland. 1432 01:26:09,917 --> 01:26:13,500 They better watch out. They need to be very careful. 1433 01:26:13,958 --> 01:26:17,458 The ability to inspire fear is a poor man's sole weapon 1434 01:26:17,625 --> 01:26:20,625 when he's defending his dignity. I learned that on the street. 1435 01:26:21,042 --> 01:26:23,500 Trouble is, Mr. President, by spooking our enemies 1436 01:26:23,667 --> 01:26:26,042 we're in danger of spooking the markets too. 1437 01:26:26,208 --> 01:26:27,417 We can't afford that. 1438 01:26:27,583 --> 01:26:30,250 The markets never ruled Russia, Vadya. 1439 01:26:30,417 --> 01:26:31,917 Maybe once. 1440 01:26:32,667 --> 01:26:34,417 Maybe once under Yeltsin. 1441 01:26:34,583 --> 01:26:37,208 What was the result then? Law of the jungle. 1442 01:26:39,042 --> 01:26:40,500 We need... 1443 01:26:40,833 --> 01:26:41,833 to take control. 1444 01:26:42,292 --> 01:26:44,875 Take control of all the wealth of the country. 1445 01:26:45,167 --> 01:26:49,292 The forests, the mines, the gas, and the petrol. 1446 01:26:50,417 --> 01:26:53,125 We'll see to it that it serves the interests 1447 01:26:53,375 --> 01:26:56,125 and the glory of the Russian people. 1448 01:26:58,667 --> 01:27:00,208 Like with Dmitry. 1449 01:27:00,375 --> 01:27:01,375 What about Dmitry? 1450 01:27:02,167 --> 01:27:04,417 Well, the oil monopolies 1451 01:27:04,583 --> 01:27:07,833 went directly from Sidorov's pocket to Sechin's. 1452 01:27:08,958 --> 01:27:12,542 What's that got to do with the interest and glory of the Russian people? 1453 01:27:41,458 --> 01:27:44,292 Lovely weather, you should have a dip before you leave. 1454 01:27:44,458 --> 01:27:46,417 Thanks, another time. 1455 01:27:46,708 --> 01:27:47,917 You prefer Sochi? 1456 01:27:48,958 --> 01:27:50,333 You know why I'm here. 1457 01:27:52,125 --> 01:27:54,000 I'd like to hear you say it. 1458 01:27:54,417 --> 01:27:57,125 - There's a rumor... - You didn't come about a rumor. 1459 01:28:03,792 --> 01:28:05,500 We have very reliable intel 1460 01:28:05,667 --> 01:28:08,458 that you're one of the Ukrainian protesters' main supporters. 1461 01:28:08,625 --> 01:28:09,458 Since you know... 1462 01:28:09,625 --> 01:28:11,000 Putin is spitting mad. 1463 01:28:11,167 --> 01:28:12,167 I was worried, 1464 01:28:12,208 --> 01:28:14,792 but in fact you come bearing good news. 1465 01:28:14,958 --> 01:28:18,583 Ukraine has been an integral part of Russian territory for centuries. 1466 01:28:18,750 --> 01:28:21,042 - You genuinely believe that? - I'm just the messenger! 1467 01:28:22,375 --> 01:28:23,750 Know what he said? 1468 01:28:24,375 --> 01:28:26,167 "Go and see that fucker! 1469 01:28:26,333 --> 01:28:28,042 "Tell him he's gone too far 1470 01:28:28,208 --> 01:28:29,792 "and try to reason with him.“ 1471 01:28:31,292 --> 01:28:33,708 - Know what his problem is? - I know what you think it is. 1472 01:28:33,875 --> 01:28:38,292 That he's not your regular politician, that he's KGB, a spy. 1473 01:28:38,708 --> 01:28:39,708 He's not a spy. 1474 01:28:39,833 --> 01:28:43,667 A spy's job is to gather accurate intel, but he's a counterspy. 1475 01:28:43,833 --> 01:28:46,667 A counterspy's job is to be paranoid, 1476 01:28:46,833 --> 01:28:49,167 to see conspiracies everywhere, 1477 01:28:49,333 --> 01:28:51,000 and to invent them if necessary. 1478 01:28:51,167 --> 01:28:53,125 You've been in exile too long. 1479 01:28:53,417 --> 01:28:54,542 You've lost touch. 1480 01:28:54,708 --> 01:28:57,583 As if the poor Ukrainians don't have every reason to revolt 1481 01:28:57,750 --> 01:28:59,667 against a pro-Russian government. 1482 01:28:59,833 --> 01:29:03,000 You know who the main supporters of the Ukrainian protesters are? 1483 01:29:03,167 --> 01:29:05,667 The CIA, the US State Department, 1484 01:29:05,833 --> 01:29:07,583 major American foundations, 1485 01:29:07,750 --> 01:29:09,833 George Soros and you, 1486 01:29:10,000 --> 01:29:12,375 to the tune of 30 million dollars! 1487 01:29:12,542 --> 01:29:13,708 Or so I've heard. 1488 01:29:13,875 --> 01:29:15,125 Well, that's politics, Vadya. 1489 01:29:15,625 --> 01:29:17,125 Do you know what else it is? 1490 01:29:17,458 --> 01:29:18,708 It's democracy. 1491 01:29:19,417 --> 01:29:22,167 You forgot the meaning of that word long ago. 1492 01:29:27,667 --> 01:29:29,667 Remember, I'm not here by choice. 1493 01:29:29,833 --> 01:29:32,333 I'm living in exile here, Vadya. 1494 01:29:33,042 --> 01:29:36,792 If I even set foot in Russia, I'll end up in Siberia like Sidorov. 1495 01:29:38,375 --> 01:29:39,375 Boris, 1496 01:29:39,542 --> 01:29:42,667 despite our differences, the Tzar is still your friend. 1497 01:29:42,833 --> 01:29:45,208 You were permitted to sell your Russian assets. 1498 01:29:45,375 --> 01:29:47,792 1.3 billion, correct? 1499 01:29:47,958 --> 01:29:49,158 Far less than they were worth. 1500 01:29:57,500 --> 01:29:59,292 What if I keep on at it? 1501 01:30:01,750 --> 01:30:03,417 You gonna send hit men for me? 1502 01:30:06,833 --> 01:30:07,833 Look. 1503 01:30:08,125 --> 01:30:09,750 I've got some of my own. 1504 01:30:11,375 --> 01:30:13,125 And they're better than yours. 1505 01:30:13,750 --> 01:30:15,958 Because I pay them ten times more. 1506 01:30:17,708 --> 01:30:20,333 I didn't come here to threaten you. 1507 01:30:21,292 --> 01:30:23,500 I understand your resentment. 1508 01:30:24,292 --> 01:30:26,333 But you can't turn against your country. 1509 01:30:26,500 --> 01:30:28,583 Putin's Russia isn't my country. 1510 01:30:29,542 --> 01:30:33,292 In spite of all our flaws, we managed to build a free country 1511 01:30:33,458 --> 01:30:35,833 where you could do what you want, say what you want 1512 01:30:36,000 --> 01:30:37,667 for the first time in Russian history. 1513 01:30:37,833 --> 01:30:40,708 And you have wrecked all that in just a few years. 1514 01:30:42,208 --> 01:30:45,250 You turned Russia back into what it always was... 1515 01:30:46,708 --> 01:30:48,375 a prison the size of a country. 1516 01:30:49,667 --> 01:30:51,708 Just like in the Soviet times. 1517 01:31:34,625 --> 01:31:35,667 Hello. 1518 01:31:38,292 --> 01:31:39,625 Is this your boat? 1519 01:31:40,125 --> 01:31:41,583 Nothing is ever mine. 1520 01:31:42,542 --> 01:31:44,500 At least not in the way you mean. 1521 01:31:45,458 --> 01:31:47,000 Oligarch money? 1522 01:31:47,792 --> 01:31:49,167 Are you afraid? 1523 01:31:50,333 --> 01:31:52,125 Afraid your masters will find out? 1524 01:31:52,292 --> 01:31:53,417 Masters? 1525 01:31:53,708 --> 01:31:54,875 From what I hear, 1526 01:31:55,042 --> 01:31:56,750 you're in the service to power now. 1527 01:31:56,917 --> 01:31:58,500 I suppose so. 1528 01:31:59,458 --> 01:32:02,458 You don't like Vladimir Vladimirovich very much. 1529 01:32:02,625 --> 01:32:03,917 No, you're right. 1530 01:32:04,083 --> 01:32:05,542 I don't like power. 1531 01:32:05,958 --> 01:32:09,042 I like it even less when you pretend it's modern art. 1532 01:32:09,208 --> 01:32:11,500 Sorry Vadya, but I find you despicable. 1533 01:32:11,667 --> 01:32:12,708 Despicable? 1534 01:32:13,792 --> 01:32:14,792 That's a bit harsh. 1535 01:32:14,833 --> 01:32:16,167 You've earned it. 1536 01:32:17,667 --> 01:32:18,875 You dodged my question. 1537 01:32:19,042 --> 01:32:21,833 Are we being bankrolled by oligarchs as we speak? 1538 01:32:23,208 --> 01:32:26,917 This boat belongs to a businessman from Portland. 1539 01:32:27,083 --> 01:32:29,667 He invented some software when he was 24, 1540 01:32:29,833 --> 01:32:31,375 was a multi-millionaire by 26 1541 01:32:31,542 --> 01:32:34,500 and sold his company to Microsoft by 28. 1542 01:32:34,667 --> 01:32:37,083 Been bored stiff ever since. 1543 01:32:38,292 --> 01:32:42,292 He'd like to have another idea in his lifetime but it's slow in coming. 1544 01:32:42,792 --> 01:32:44,042 You sleeping with him? 1545 01:32:45,208 --> 01:32:46,500 Absolutely not. 1546 01:32:47,417 --> 01:32:49,417 When I have an idea of a line of jewelry, 1547 01:32:49,583 --> 01:32:51,000 he funds it. 1548 01:32:51,333 --> 01:32:53,167 Sometimes he makes a bit of money. 1549 01:32:53,333 --> 01:32:56,042 I mean, clearly chump change to him. 1550 01:32:56,417 --> 01:32:58,375 He lends you his boat when you fancy it? 1551 01:32:58,667 --> 01:32:59,667 Yes. 1552 01:33:00,167 --> 01:33:03,833 When I'm bored of this world, which is often, 1553 01:33:04,000 --> 01:33:06,167 I take refuge here. 1554 01:33:06,583 --> 01:33:08,083 A gilded cage. 1555 01:33:08,250 --> 01:33:09,750 Your comfort zone. 1556 01:33:11,750 --> 01:33:13,458 I loved Dmitry. 1557 01:33:15,292 --> 01:33:17,625 We had fun for a few months. 1558 01:33:17,792 --> 01:33:20,625 I loved the crazy wind that was blowing. 1559 01:33:20,792 --> 01:33:22,375 Then you got rid of him too. 1560 01:33:22,542 --> 01:33:23,875 I wasn't cruel. 1561 01:33:24,042 --> 01:33:25,417 Not that time. 1562 01:33:27,333 --> 01:33:28,583 We grew apart. 1563 01:33:28,750 --> 01:33:30,583 Dmitry got interested in oil. 1564 01:33:30,750 --> 01:33:32,958 That didn't bring him much luck. 1565 01:33:35,333 --> 01:33:38,208 But for a few years I preferred Los Angeles 1566 01:33:38,375 --> 01:33:39,458 to anywhere else. 1567 01:33:39,708 --> 01:33:41,792 Was Hollywood up to your standards? 1568 01:33:42,083 --> 01:33:43,583 Hollywood! 1569 01:33:44,083 --> 01:33:48,000 I stayed away from Hollywood. It's like Moscow. 1570 01:33:48,333 --> 01:33:52,500 Only power relationships count, the rest is insignificant. 1571 01:33:52,667 --> 01:33:53,917 I liked the desert, 1572 01:33:54,083 --> 01:33:56,750 I liked the ocean waves, 1573 01:33:58,000 --> 01:34:00,958 driving along the Pacific Coast Highway... 1574 01:34:02,042 --> 01:34:05,333 and when I felt like going to Japan, I went to Japan. 1575 01:34:18,625 --> 01:34:20,667 This is the prettiest cove. 1576 01:34:22,667 --> 01:34:24,208 Your plane awaits. 1577 01:34:29,042 --> 01:34:30,708 Tonight I'll be in Moscow. 1578 01:34:32,000 --> 01:34:33,542 How miserable. 1579 01:34:42,208 --> 01:34:45,458 ORANGE REVOLUTION 1580 01:34:46,708 --> 01:34:49,208 MAIDAN INDEPENDANCE SQUARE UKRAINE 2004 1581 01:34:49,375 --> 01:34:51,542 The following autumn, as expected, 1582 01:34:51,708 --> 01:34:54,042 the situation in Ukraine worsened. 1583 01:34:54,208 --> 01:34:57,333 The protesters refused to accept the election results. 1584 01:34:58,083 --> 01:35:00,542 Hundreds of thousands of them occupied the Maiden, 1585 01:35:00,708 --> 01:35:04,125 Kiev's central square, with songs, orange ribbons, 1586 01:35:04,292 --> 01:35:07,458 multicolored tents and pro-Western slogans. 1587 01:35:09,292 --> 01:35:10,625 Don't disperse! 1588 01:35:11,458 --> 01:35:12,958 Stay on the Madam! 1589 01:35:13,417 --> 01:35:17,667 Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are joining us! 1590 01:35:18,750 --> 01:35:20,958 Suddenly, international observers 1591 01:35:21,375 --> 01:35:24,667 came out of the woodwork to dispute the results of the election 1592 01:35:24,833 --> 01:35:28,000 which were won by pro-Russian candidate Yanukovych. 1593 01:35:29,042 --> 01:35:32,792 Those elections were notoriously rigged. I happened to be there. 1594 01:35:32,958 --> 01:35:34,292 Really? 1595 01:35:34,792 --> 01:35:36,625 There'd just been a vote in Iraq 1596 01:35:36,792 --> 01:35:39,167 with American soldiers controlling polling stations, 1597 01:35:39,333 --> 01:35:42,708 and everyone thought that was fine. But not in Ukraine. 1598 01:35:43,083 --> 01:35:45,208 No, in Ukraine there had to be another vote, 1599 01:35:45,375 --> 01:35:47,542 because the result wasn't right. 1600 01:35:47,708 --> 01:35:50,417 They called that farce the Orange Revolution, 1601 01:35:50,583 --> 01:35:54,083 and the previous year in Georgia it was the Rose Revolution. 1602 01:35:54,250 --> 01:35:58,583 Another poetic revolution, all pretty girls and lofty ideals. 1603 01:35:58,750 --> 01:36:03,083 Yet another stooge of the Americans is catapulted to power. 1604 01:36:03,500 --> 01:36:07,583 Do you seriously believe it takes a CIA conspiracy 1605 01:36:07,750 --> 01:36:09,833 to make Ukrainians want to flee Russia's orbit 1606 01:36:10,000 --> 01:36:11,792 in favor of the European Union? 1607 01:36:11,958 --> 01:36:13,667 What people do you mean? 1608 01:36:13,958 --> 01:36:17,583 Do you really think everyone finds your Europe so attractive? 1609 01:36:17,750 --> 01:36:21,125 We don't need a crystal ball to see that Russia's turn is coming. 1610 01:36:21,292 --> 01:36:24,250 The next lovely color-coded revolution will be in Moscow. 1611 01:36:24,417 --> 01:36:28,667 The future president of Russia will have a degree from Yale. 1612 01:36:29,333 --> 01:36:31,958 That process seemed inevitable. 1613 01:36:32,333 --> 01:36:35,250 The young people were fed up with us, and the Americans 1614 01:36:35,417 --> 01:36:37,583 were making the most of that rebellion. 1615 01:36:37,750 --> 01:36:40,750 We'd have to be stronger than them to survive. 1616 01:36:41,125 --> 01:36:43,458 Now the old methods had outlived their usefulness, 1617 01:36:43,625 --> 01:36:46,083 locking up agitators, expelling diplomats... 1618 01:36:46,250 --> 01:36:49,667 If we were in a bad mood that day, eliminating opponents. 1619 01:36:49,833 --> 01:36:51,292 I don't believe in any of that. 1620 01:36:53,167 --> 01:36:56,333 So I took a chance and tried a different tack. 1621 01:37:09,833 --> 01:37:13,625 The President has been informed of your arrival. He sends his greetings. 1622 01:37:19,542 --> 01:37:21,417 Alexander Sergeyevich, 1623 01:37:21,792 --> 01:37:25,292 I've been following you and your Night Wolves for a few years. 1624 01:37:25,458 --> 01:37:27,167 I'm impressed. 1625 01:37:27,333 --> 01:37:30,625 You take those lost souls and... 1626 01:37:31,208 --> 01:37:34,375 give them a home, a sense of discipline. 1627 01:37:34,542 --> 01:37:35,583 Our group 1628 01:37:35,750 --> 01:37:37,667 gives them two things they lacked: 1629 01:37:37,833 --> 01:37:40,208 fraternity and strength. 1630 01:37:40,792 --> 01:37:44,167 You aren't just a biker gang, you're true Russian patriots. 1631 01:37:44,333 --> 01:37:45,375 We have values. 1632 01:37:45,542 --> 01:37:47,083 Russian values. 1633 01:37:47,250 --> 01:37:50,750 Those of our Holy Mother, the Orthodox Church. 1634 01:37:50,917 --> 01:37:54,667 I understand, Alexander Sergeyevich, and so does the President. 1635 01:37:55,000 --> 01:37:57,292 Wolves are not merely predators, 1636 01:37:57,458 --> 01:37:59,875 they're also the guardians of the forest. 1637 01:38:01,000 --> 01:38:03,083 Did you see what happened in Ukraine? 1638 01:38:03,250 --> 01:38:04,708 Yes. Revolution. 1639 01:38:04,875 --> 01:38:06,250 A coup. 1640 01:38:07,708 --> 01:38:09,167 Do you know who took power? 1641 01:38:09,333 --> 01:38:11,375 - The Americans. - Spot on! 1642 01:38:12,125 --> 01:38:16,708 They set up a youth organization, paid for free concerts in Maidan Square. 1643 01:38:17,292 --> 01:38:21,083 I bet even the orange ribbon was thought up by an adman. 1644 01:38:21,292 --> 01:38:23,542 Everything is geared to the young 1645 01:38:23,708 --> 01:38:27,042 because their energy is the most precious commodity out there. 1646 01:38:27,208 --> 01:38:30,875 Their frustration, their desire to change the world. 1647 01:38:31,042 --> 01:38:32,542 Young people need a cause. 1648 01:38:32,708 --> 01:38:34,083 And an enemy. 1649 01:38:34,958 --> 01:38:37,042 We need to find them a cause and an enemy 1650 01:38:37,208 --> 01:38:39,875 before they choose those things for themselves. 1651 01:38:40,042 --> 01:38:43,292 Or worse, the Americans choose for them. 1652 01:38:43,458 --> 01:38:45,417 Except we can't do that. 1653 01:38:45,583 --> 01:38:47,292 Look around you, Alexander, 1654 01:38:47,458 --> 01:38:49,917 all we have here are bureaucrats in suits. 1655 01:38:50,083 --> 01:38:51,458 We're the adults, 1656 01:38:51,625 --> 01:38:54,542 we're in power. We're their true enemy. 1657 01:38:55,250 --> 01:38:57,000 You're younger than me, I believe. 1658 01:38:57,167 --> 01:38:59,083 You've taken a different path. 1659 01:38:59,292 --> 01:39:02,667 You embody freedom and adventure. Your vitality is undimmed. 1660 01:39:02,833 --> 01:39:04,458 Young people can feel that. 1661 01:39:05,042 --> 01:39:07,500 The Tzar is with you. He's your brother. 1662 01:39:07,750 --> 01:39:09,250 He's no bureaucrat. 1663 01:39:09,417 --> 01:39:11,875 He likes speed, he does judo, he hunts. 1664 01:39:12,042 --> 01:39:14,833 He is of the race of conquerors. 1665 01:39:15,000 --> 01:39:18,125 Do you think he'd join one of our rallies? 1666 01:39:18,292 --> 01:39:19,292 Of course. 1667 01:39:19,375 --> 01:39:21,333 The Night Wolves will be honored. 1668 01:39:21,500 --> 01:39:24,083 We'll hold a rally for all the young patriots. 1669 01:39:24,250 --> 01:39:27,000 We'll kick off the struggle against our true foe: 1670 01:39:27,167 --> 01:39:29,917 the decadent West and its false values. 1671 01:39:30,083 --> 01:39:32,625 Maidan, but in reverse. 1672 01:39:32,792 --> 01:39:33,917 Exactly. 1673 01:39:34,083 --> 01:39:36,917 Russia must become a place 1674 01:39:37,083 --> 01:39:39,958 where people can vent their rage against the world 1675 01:39:40,125 --> 01:39:42,833 while remaining faithful servants to the Tzar. 1676 01:39:43,000 --> 01:39:43,750 Basically, 1677 01:39:43,917 --> 01:39:46,875 you want to make revolution impossible. 1678 01:39:47,292 --> 01:39:50,500 Let's just say we want to remove the need for one. 1679 01:39:53,333 --> 01:39:54,667 Without a drop of vodka, 1680 01:39:54,833 --> 01:39:58,083 Zaldostanov left the Kremlin intoxicated. 1681 01:39:58,250 --> 01:40:01,750 Little did he know my next meeting was with the intriguing spokesperson 1682 01:40:01,917 --> 01:40:04,500 of an Orthodox renaissance movement... 1683 01:40:06,833 --> 01:40:11,292 Followed by the head of a group of strikingly crusty young communists... 1684 01:40:12,625 --> 01:40:15,667 And the leader of the Spartak supporters. 1685 01:40:15,833 --> 01:40:17,625 I recruited them all: 1686 01:40:17,792 --> 01:40:19,208 bikers and hooligans, 1687 01:40:19,375 --> 01:40:23,042 anarchists and skinheads, communists and religious fanatics, 1688 01:40:23,208 --> 01:40:25,917 from the far right to the far left and beyond. 1689 01:40:26,208 --> 01:40:27,792 After what happened in Ukraine, 1690 01:40:27,958 --> 01:40:31,042 we could no longer leave the forces of fury unchecked. 1691 01:40:31,500 --> 01:40:34,000 Monopolizing power was no longer enough, 1692 01:40:34,167 --> 01:40:36,750 we needed to monopolize subversion. 1693 01:40:42,542 --> 01:40:44,833 So who didn't I bring on board? 1694 01:40:45,417 --> 01:40:49,458 The technocrats responsible for the disasters of the '90s, 1695 01:40:49,875 --> 01:40:51,667 the remaining oligarchs, 1696 01:40:52,208 --> 01:40:54,583 the politically correct banner-wavers. 1697 01:40:54,875 --> 01:40:56,292 The vegans... 1698 01:40:56,458 --> 01:40:57,625 Actually, 1699 01:40:58,500 --> 01:41:01,292 I needed those characters in the opposition. 1700 01:41:01,833 --> 01:41:03,333 They were my best players. 1701 01:41:15,167 --> 01:41:17,125 Virgin Mary, Mother of God 1702 01:41:17,292 --> 01:41:19,250 Banish Putin, banish Putin! 1703 01:41:19,417 --> 01:41:21,208 Black robes brag, gold epaulettes 1704 01:41:21,375 --> 01:41:23,083 All parishioners genuflect! 1705 01:41:24,750 --> 01:41:26,667 Freedom's ghost has gone to heaven 1706 01:41:26,833 --> 01:41:28,458 Gay Pride's chained and in detention! 1707 01:41:28,625 --> 01:41:31,625 When Pussy Riot marched into the Cathedral of Christ the Savior 1708 01:41:32,000 --> 01:41:35,333 yelling Obscenities against Putin and Patriarch Kirill, 1709 01:41:35,583 --> 01:41:38,000 we went up five points in the opinion polls. 1710 01:41:38,500 --> 01:41:40,542 I thought they were heroic, personally. 1711 01:41:40,875 --> 01:41:42,500 They go about it the wrong way. 1712 01:41:42,667 --> 01:41:45,792 They score against their own team. In politics, the sanction is swift. 1713 01:41:46,167 --> 01:41:47,875 The sanction cuts both ways. 1714 01:41:48,458 --> 01:41:50,667 It gave them worldwide recognition. 1715 01:41:51,667 --> 01:41:54,000 I'd love to come, especially if she's not. 1716 01:41:54,167 --> 01:41:55,833 Wait, I will be back. 1717 01:41:56,958 --> 01:41:58,458 Vadim! 1718 01:41:58,875 --> 01:42:00,167 Miss Chekhova. 1719 01:42:00,333 --> 01:42:03,083 I'm so flattered you blessed us with your presence. 1720 01:42:03,250 --> 01:42:06,583 Don't mock me. You know how influential your salon is. 1721 01:42:06,750 --> 01:42:07,792 Love, 1722 01:42:07,958 --> 01:42:11,250 society gossip has never had much influence on power. 1723 01:42:11,750 --> 01:42:15,375 Thanks to you I can rub shoulders with my opponents. 1724 01:42:15,708 --> 01:42:16,875 Indeed. 1725 01:42:17,875 --> 01:42:20,500 Garry Kasparov is here. 1726 01:42:24,042 --> 01:42:27,000 Chess champions have never gone far in politics. 1727 01:42:27,167 --> 01:42:28,542 Vadim Baranov. 1728 01:42:29,208 --> 01:42:30,958 The Wizard of the Kremlin. 1729 01:42:31,125 --> 01:42:31,833 That's me. 1730 01:42:32,000 --> 01:42:34,000 I hear you've given your doctrine a name. 1731 01:42:34,167 --> 01:42:36,458 Indeed. "Sovereign Democracy." 1732 01:42:36,625 --> 01:42:40,375 Russia needs to be a democracy to benefit from globalization. 1733 01:42:40,542 --> 01:42:44,417 I see no traces of democracy in our society, but do carry on. 1734 01:42:44,583 --> 01:42:47,250 Sovereignty is politically synonymous with stability. 1735 01:42:47,417 --> 01:42:50,708 The more stable the regime, the more competitive it is. 1736 01:42:50,875 --> 01:42:54,125 You know what people say of your "sovereign democracy?" 1737 01:42:54,292 --> 01:42:55,958 That it is to democracy 1738 01:42:56,125 --> 01:42:59,083 what an electric chair is to a chair. 1739 01:43:02,333 --> 01:43:04,792 A bit of clever wit! At least it's funny. 1740 01:43:13,083 --> 01:43:14,833 You left the Côte d'Azur. 1741 01:43:15,375 --> 01:43:17,167 I never stay anywhere for long. 1742 01:43:17,792 --> 01:43:20,000 You know me, it's not one of my attributes. 1743 01:43:20,167 --> 01:43:21,625 Are you living in Moscow? 1744 01:43:22,417 --> 01:43:25,250 When I'm here, I stay at the Hotel Metropol. 1745 01:43:25,417 --> 01:43:26,708 I rent a suite year-round. 1746 01:43:26,875 --> 01:43:28,042 Are you inviting me? 1747 01:43:32,958 --> 01:43:35,667 Do you remember my dear friend, the dog-man? 1748 01:43:36,042 --> 01:43:37,167 Of course. 1749 01:43:37,333 --> 01:43:38,333 Arseny. 1750 01:43:38,458 --> 01:43:40,000 He's an acclaimed director now. 1751 01:43:40,333 --> 01:43:43,042 He's putting on Monteverdi's Orfeo. 1752 01:43:43,625 --> 01:43:47,958 He's turning the whole theater into a pagan basilica. 1753 01:43:48,792 --> 01:43:50,583 He calls it a space liturgy. 1754 01:43:51,708 --> 01:43:53,750 I was his high priestess in Paris. 1755 01:43:55,125 --> 01:43:56,250 You want to come? 1756 01:43:57,042 --> 01:43:59,917 Maybe that kind of provocation no longer interests you. 1757 01:44:07,250 --> 01:44:09,500 I'm not sure I remember who you are. 1758 01:44:09,667 --> 01:44:11,458 I get lost in all your mazes. 1759 01:44:11,625 --> 01:44:12,875 It's a game. 1760 01:44:13,708 --> 01:44:16,417 Politics is really the only game worth playing. 1761 01:44:16,833 --> 01:44:18,125 You've become cynical. 1762 01:44:18,750 --> 01:44:21,500 You've reached the limit of your intelligence. 1763 01:44:21,667 --> 01:44:22,792 Cynical. 1764 01:44:23,625 --> 01:44:24,792 Possibly. 1765 01:44:26,000 --> 01:44:27,000 But not only. 1766 01:44:27,083 --> 01:44:28,375 I don't know. 1767 01:44:30,250 --> 01:44:32,250 I'll have to get back to you on it. 1768 01:44:35,625 --> 01:44:38,000 As for now, I'm not sure. 1769 01:44:38,958 --> 01:44:40,667 Come with me to the opera. 1770 01:44:42,917 --> 01:44:44,750 We'll dine at the Metropol. 1771 01:45:17,792 --> 01:45:19,875 I'm tired, Ksenia. 1772 01:45:20,333 --> 01:45:21,542 What of? 1773 01:45:23,458 --> 01:45:25,917 Using your black magic in the service of power? 1774 01:45:26,833 --> 01:45:29,667 The other day I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror, 1775 01:45:29,833 --> 01:45:31,458 only it wasn't me. 1776 01:45:32,000 --> 01:45:33,458 It was my father. 1777 01:45:33,750 --> 01:45:35,667 My father's face imprinted on mine 1778 01:45:36,042 --> 01:45:37,958 despite my best efforts. 1779 01:45:39,958 --> 01:45:41,167 Let's go in. 1780 01:45:42,417 --> 01:45:43,792 I'm cold. 1781 01:45:47,625 --> 01:45:50,208 Last time you asked me a question. 1782 01:45:50,792 --> 01:45:51,958 Remember? 1783 01:45:52,458 --> 01:45:54,042 You told me you needed some time. 1784 01:45:54,208 --> 01:45:55,708 Now I can answer. 1785 01:45:55,958 --> 01:45:58,250 You aren't just cynical. 1786 01:45:58,667 --> 01:46:00,625 You have chosen 1787 01:46:00,792 --> 01:46:02,333 to espouse your times. 1788 01:46:02,500 --> 01:46:05,125 You could just as easily have run away from them. 1789 01:46:05,292 --> 01:46:06,333 Do you like these times? 1790 01:46:06,500 --> 01:46:07,833 They're ours. 1791 01:46:09,958 --> 01:46:12,500 We're no better or worse than they are. 1792 01:46:12,917 --> 01:46:16,542 I don't think I'm kidding myself. I embody the worst of them. 1793 01:46:17,125 --> 01:46:20,000 You think you're gonna have to answer for them one day. 1794 01:46:20,167 --> 01:46:21,875 Do you believe in the future? 1795 01:46:22,542 --> 01:46:23,708 I don't. 1796 01:46:24,083 --> 01:46:26,708 The future doesn't give a shit about us. 1797 01:46:27,750 --> 01:46:31,625 “Our wound is raw beneath the yoke of these times. 1798 01:46:33,500 --> 01:46:34,667 “See, 1799 01:46:35,583 --> 01:46:38,042 "behind the forest we walk, 1800 01:46:38,208 --> 01:46:39,583 "trembling, 1801 01:46:40,375 --> 01:46:42,708 “how a castle already lit 1802 01:46:42,958 --> 01:46:44,667 “in the evening awaits." 1803 01:46:44,833 --> 01:46:46,000 Rilke. 1804 01:46:46,875 --> 01:46:48,125 I'd forgotten. 1805 01:47:09,667 --> 01:47:12,458 I've never been fascinated by St. Petersburg. 1806 01:47:12,625 --> 01:47:14,958 It's a museum city, stuck in the past. 1807 01:47:15,458 --> 01:47:18,500 The Tzar, on the other hand, can only fully relax there 1808 01:47:18,667 --> 01:47:20,500 with his oldest, truest friends: 1809 01:47:21,083 --> 01:47:25,125 3 motley crew of former FSB agents, black belt judokas 1810 01:47:25,458 --> 01:47:28,250 and real-life thugs who have hit the big time. 1811 01:47:28,417 --> 01:47:31,917 They, it must be said, were straight out of Richard ”I. 1812 01:47:32,333 --> 01:47:35,417 In just a few years, the shady provincial dealers 1813 01:47:35,583 --> 01:47:38,667 had amassed wealth worthy of Gulf emirs. 1814 01:47:46,667 --> 01:47:47,792 Remarkable! 1815 01:47:50,542 --> 01:47:51,875 Delightful. 1816 01:47:57,250 --> 01:47:58,417 OK, guys. 1817 01:48:15,458 --> 01:48:16,708 Our new chef's 1818 01:48:16,875 --> 01:48:19,500 specialty is truffle risotto. 1819 01:48:22,708 --> 01:48:26,417 Let me know if I should keep him or send him back to Italy. 1820 01:48:27,542 --> 01:48:28,792 Bon appétit. 1821 01:48:30,167 --> 01:48:32,625 Genia, you let us down. 1822 01:48:32,792 --> 01:48:36,583 You serve us truffle risotto, but where is the arugula? 1823 01:48:37,583 --> 01:48:40,208 Shall I remind you that our ice hockey team 1824 01:48:40,375 --> 01:48:43,250 finished the last championship in sixth place? 1825 01:48:45,500 --> 01:48:48,208 We moved up seven spots in the ranking 1826 01:48:48,375 --> 01:48:50,375 and overtook Dynamo Moscow. 1827 01:48:50,667 --> 01:48:52,250 Wait till next year, 1828 01:48:52,417 --> 01:48:53,458 you will see! 1829 01:48:53,625 --> 01:48:56,875 Well then, you'll have your arugula next year. 1830 01:48:58,083 --> 01:49:00,292 You can't find decent arugula in Russia. 1831 01:49:01,042 --> 01:49:04,292 But I've just bought an estate by the Black Sea in order to grow it. 1832 01:49:04,458 --> 01:49:07,250 It will be magnificent, but there's a wait. 1833 01:49:07,625 --> 01:49:08,833 Keep the chef! 1834 01:49:09,375 --> 01:49:11,042 He knows what he's doing. 1835 01:49:12,292 --> 01:49:15,042 His flight home to Pisa was already booked... 1836 01:49:15,208 --> 01:49:16,458 on Ryanair! 1837 01:49:21,417 --> 01:49:24,500 Yevgeny clearly has high standards. 1838 01:49:24,667 --> 01:49:28,792 But his talent goes beyond food. It touches on geopolitics. 1839 01:49:30,125 --> 01:49:32,667 Even some subjects we've been discussing lately. 1840 01:49:32,833 --> 01:49:36,208 It would be good if you two had a word, Vadya. 1841 01:49:39,792 --> 01:49:42,625 I didn't know Prigozhin well. Except as a restaurateur. 1842 01:49:42,792 --> 01:49:45,083 But I did know Putin had been shepherding his ascent 1843 01:49:45,250 --> 01:49:47,333 with unwavering benevolence. 1844 01:49:48,167 --> 01:49:49,750 A 5-minute flight. 1845 01:49:49,917 --> 01:49:51,208 Shortly after taking off 1846 01:49:51,375 --> 01:49:54,167 we began maneuvers to land on Kamenny island, 1847 01:49:54,458 --> 01:49:57,417 where the Tzar's close friends lived in the grandest palaces 1848 01:49:57,583 --> 01:49:59,417 of the imperial aristocracy. 1849 01:50:03,583 --> 01:50:07,458 I'm not an intellectual like you, but life has taught me a few lessons. 1850 01:50:07,625 --> 01:50:09,333 And not only in jail! 1851 01:50:10,292 --> 01:50:11,833 I don't doubt that. 1852 01:50:12,333 --> 01:50:14,125 Do you know how I started out? 1853 01:50:14,292 --> 01:50:17,292 My partners and I obtained Saint Petersburg's 1854 01:50:17,458 --> 01:50:19,208 first-ever casino license. 1855 01:50:19,375 --> 01:50:22,708 Or the Tzar gave it to you, when he was deputy mayor there? 1856 01:50:22,875 --> 01:50:24,292 Know what a casino is? 1857 01:50:24,667 --> 01:50:27,542 A monument to human irrationality. 1858 01:50:27,875 --> 01:50:32,333 Why the hell throw away your money when all the odds are against you? 1859 01:50:32,667 --> 01:50:35,375 When you bet on human irrationality, you always win. 1860 01:50:35,542 --> 01:50:36,625 Sure. 1861 01:50:37,000 --> 01:50:39,042 Sure. Take an average guy. 1862 01:50:39,208 --> 01:50:41,083 As long as he's comfortable, 1863 01:50:41,250 --> 01:50:44,958 has a safe job, can take family holidays at the seaside, 1864 01:50:45,125 --> 01:50:46,917 has a retirement plan... 1865 01:50:47,083 --> 01:50:48,625 he stays put. 1866 01:50:48,792 --> 01:50:51,042 But if things don't look so good... 1867 01:50:51,375 --> 01:50:53,667 If he loses his job, his house, 1868 01:50:53,833 --> 01:50:56,208 if the future is less certain... 1869 01:50:56,500 --> 01:50:58,167 will he play it safe? 1870 01:50:58,750 --> 01:50:59,750 Hardly! 1871 01:50:59,833 --> 01:51:04,083 He'll prefer risk to a hopeless status quo. 1872 01:51:04,250 --> 01:51:06,958 Chaos becomes more attractive than order. 1873 01:51:07,125 --> 01:51:11,125 Westerners see China, India, thank God, Russia, 1874 01:51:11,292 --> 01:51:13,958 making great strides while they're stalling. 1875 01:51:14,125 --> 01:51:17,042 And they're willing to make the most unreasonable bets. 1876 01:51:17,208 --> 01:51:18,958 Our job is to encourage them. 1877 01:51:19,125 --> 01:51:20,458 The Internet. 1878 01:51:21,208 --> 01:51:23,750 It's the battleground of modern warfare. 1879 01:51:23,917 --> 01:51:25,125 I built the tool. 1880 01:51:26,042 --> 01:51:28,583 Now the Tzar wants you to take over. 1881 01:51:34,333 --> 01:51:37,208 "Internet Research Agency." I thought up the name. 1882 01:51:37,375 --> 01:51:39,792 Sounds good, right? What do you think? 1883 01:51:40,625 --> 01:51:41,792 Anton! 1884 01:51:42,542 --> 01:51:44,333 Our managing editor. 1885 01:51:45,083 --> 01:51:47,292 He has a PhD in international relations 1886 01:51:47,458 --> 01:51:50,000 and speaks every language you can think of. 1887 01:51:50,250 --> 01:51:51,833 Pleased to meet you, Anton. 1888 01:51:52,000 --> 01:51:54,042 Tell him what you guys are doing here. 1889 01:51:54,208 --> 01:51:55,750 Influence. Information. 1890 01:51:55,917 --> 01:51:59,250 The Russian point of view on the West, for Westerners. 1891 01:51:59,417 --> 01:52:02,208 They're convinced their media and elites lie about everything, 1892 01:52:02,375 --> 01:52:04,500 so they'll buy alternative versions. 1893 01:52:04,667 --> 01:52:07,792 The message we're sending is that we tell the truth. 1894 01:52:08,083 --> 01:52:10,083 Russia tells the truth. 1895 01:52:10,458 --> 01:52:11,625 Like Russia Today. 1896 01:52:11,792 --> 01:52:14,375 Except that we work in social media, not TV. 1897 01:52:15,250 --> 01:52:16,750 Shall we get some coffee? 1898 01:52:17,000 --> 01:52:19,958 We have a nice little break area. Sofas, houseplants. 1899 01:52:20,125 --> 01:52:21,708 And ping pong tables. 1900 01:52:21,875 --> 01:52:24,083 You go on. We'll catch up with you. 1901 01:52:27,708 --> 01:52:29,250 Yevgeny, you'll... 1902 01:52:29,917 --> 01:52:32,750 have to explain because I don't quite get it. 1903 01:52:32,917 --> 01:52:34,000 Something wrong? 1904 01:52:34,708 --> 01:52:35,917 Can we talk? 1905 01:52:36,083 --> 01:52:37,083 Sure. 1906 01:52:42,542 --> 01:52:46,042 I thought our goal was to affect mindsets in Europe and the States. 1907 01:52:46,208 --> 01:52:47,958 Get into people's heads. 1908 01:52:48,125 --> 01:52:49,750 And now you bring me Anton? 1909 01:52:49,917 --> 01:52:53,000 - He's the best. - That's exactly the problem. 1910 01:52:53,333 --> 01:52:57,167 Don't you realize that Westerners aren't interested in politics anymore? 1911 01:52:57,333 --> 01:53:00,917 If we want to screw them over, we should talk about anything but politics. 1912 01:53:01,083 --> 01:53:02,708 We don't need Anton. 1913 01:53:02,875 --> 01:53:05,000 - Who do we need? - We need idiots. 1914 01:53:05,167 --> 01:53:07,583 Highly addictive ones. 1915 01:53:07,917 --> 01:53:09,625 (“Fiber-dependent otakus, 1916 01:53:09,792 --> 01:53:12,667 beauty-advice bimbos, YouTube conspiracy theorists... 1917 01:53:12,833 --> 01:53:14,792 Anything that generates clicks. 1918 01:53:14,958 --> 01:53:18,333 But we have to get our message through at some point. 1919 01:53:19,458 --> 01:53:21,333 Who do you think we are? 1920 01:53:21,500 --> 01:53:23,125 The Komintern'? 1921 01:53:23,292 --> 01:53:26,458 I regret to inform you that the Soviet Union is gone. 1922 01:53:26,625 --> 01:53:30,875 No more party line, no message to get across either, Yevgeny. 1923 01:53:31,042 --> 01:53:32,458 Just wire. 1924 01:53:33,000 --> 01:53:35,750 Come on, let's go. We're wasting our time here. 1925 01:53:39,083 --> 01:53:40,917 What wire do you mean? 1926 01:53:41,333 --> 01:53:43,167 How do you break a wire? 1927 01:53:43,500 --> 01:53:46,083 You twist it one way, and then the other. 1928 01:53:46,250 --> 01:53:48,125 That's what we're going to do, Yevgeny. 1929 01:53:48,292 --> 01:53:50,083 And how do you do that? 1930 01:53:50,917 --> 01:53:54,083 Build your network and see who takes the bait. 1931 01:53:54,250 --> 01:53:58,042 They'll all have an obsession. Which? The clicks will show us. 1932 01:53:58,208 --> 01:54:02,208 One will be an anti-vaxxer, another will be pro-life or pro-choice. 1933 01:54:02,375 --> 01:54:05,875 It doesn't matter. We won't convert anyone. 1934 01:54:06,042 --> 01:54:08,917 We just need them all to have something that drives them nuts 1935 01:54:09,083 --> 01:54:11,625 and someone who enrages them. 1936 01:54:11,792 --> 01:54:12,958 It's infallible. 1937 01:54:13,125 --> 01:54:16,083 No preferences, no arguments. 1938 01:54:16,250 --> 01:54:17,458 Just wire. 1939 01:54:17,625 --> 01:54:21,083 We twist it one way and then the other until it breaks. 1940 01:54:21,542 --> 01:54:23,333 I got it. Wire. 1941 01:54:24,208 --> 01:54:26,708 But everything is traceable on the Internet, 1942 01:54:26,875 --> 01:54:29,292 and sooner or later we'll get caught. 1943 01:54:29,958 --> 01:54:32,542 Yes, we will. And that's what we're after. 1944 01:54:32,708 --> 01:54:35,333 Serving our allies is predictable. But how will they react 1945 01:54:35,500 --> 01:54:38,958 when they realize we're also supporting our own opponents? 1946 01:54:39,125 --> 01:54:40,875 They'll think we're fools. 1947 01:54:41,042 --> 01:54:44,083 They'll go insane! Lose their bearings. 1948 01:54:44,250 --> 01:54:46,583 All they'll know is that we've gotten into their heads 1949 01:54:46,750 --> 01:54:49,625 and are playing with their neural circuits as we please. 1950 01:54:50,458 --> 01:54:52,792 The Americans wrote the algorithm. 1951 01:54:52,958 --> 01:54:54,083 We'll use it too, 1952 01:54:54,250 --> 01:54:55,792 only better than them. 1953 01:54:55,958 --> 01:54:59,542 Anyone accusing us of plotting against democracy will be an ally. 1954 01:54:59,708 --> 01:55:02,250 They'll build the myth that we're all-powerful. 1955 01:55:02,417 --> 01:55:05,958 It'll be the greatest of all secrets because everyone will know it: 1956 01:55:06,125 --> 01:55:09,542 the Russians are controlling the modern world. 1957 01:55:09,708 --> 01:55:11,292 They are its masters. 1958 01:55:12,750 --> 01:55:15,625 That's the interesting thing about politics, Yevgeny. 1959 01:55:15,792 --> 01:55:18,083 Anything that makes you seem strong 1960 01:55:18,250 --> 01:55:20,958 actually increases that strength. 1961 01:55:26,792 --> 01:55:28,833 LONDON 2013 1962 01:55:38,000 --> 01:55:39,000 Borya. 1963 01:55:39,333 --> 01:55:40,333 Vadya. 1964 01:55:43,167 --> 01:55:45,167 Do you come bearing a message? 1965 01:55:45,333 --> 01:55:47,500 Sorry Borya, no message. 1966 01:55:47,750 --> 01:55:49,417 So, to what do I owe this? 1967 01:55:49,583 --> 01:55:50,750 Purely pleasure. 1968 01:55:53,208 --> 01:55:55,667 You're in London to see the British Olympic Association? 1969 01:55:57,375 --> 01:55:59,250 You're well informed, as ever. 1970 01:55:59,417 --> 01:56:02,500 The Sochi Olympics seem to be all the Tzar cares about these days. 1971 01:56:02,667 --> 01:56:07,167 The President was kind enough to let me supervise the opening ceremony. 1972 01:56:07,333 --> 01:56:10,542 I hope you'll be giving out medals to the best political assassination. 1973 01:56:10,708 --> 01:56:12,292 I don't know, Boris. 1974 01:56:12,458 --> 01:56:15,125 The main thing is for Russia to come out on top. 1975 01:56:16,792 --> 01:56:18,333 I'm not worried. 1976 01:56:19,333 --> 01:56:20,750 You'll find... 1977 01:56:21,000 --> 01:56:23,000 the worst possible solution. 1978 01:56:23,625 --> 01:56:25,042 You always do. 1979 01:56:36,917 --> 01:56:40,583 Well, you may not have a message for me, but... 1980 01:56:42,375 --> 01:56:44,083 I have one for him. 1981 01:56:47,500 --> 01:56:49,417 Come on, there's no polonium in it. 1982 01:56:49,917 --> 01:56:52,917 It's a letter to the Tzar. I wrote it from the heart. 1983 01:56:53,250 --> 01:56:55,000 You can read it if you want to. 1984 01:57:00,625 --> 01:57:03,125 "I beg you to grant me your forgiveness as a Christian..." 1985 01:57:03,292 --> 01:57:04,708 Are you serious? 1986 01:57:04,875 --> 01:57:08,375 I'm appealing to his faith, and I'm offering my services. 1987 01:57:08,542 --> 01:57:11,375 “Based on the experience I've gained..." 1988 01:57:16,250 --> 01:57:19,042 Listen, honestly, no way! 1989 01:57:20,792 --> 01:57:22,042 Times have changed. 1990 01:57:22,208 --> 01:57:24,833 You're not in the running anymore. Sorry if I'm being cruel. 1991 01:57:25,000 --> 01:57:26,833 I'm appealing to his humanity. 1992 01:57:27,708 --> 01:57:29,208 Who are you kidding? 1993 01:57:29,375 --> 01:57:31,542 "The hardship of exile?" 1994 01:57:31,708 --> 01:57:33,125 "The passage of time..." 1995 01:57:33,292 --> 01:57:36,250 "Death drawing near.“ I get it. 1996 01:57:36,833 --> 01:57:38,583 But I don't think it'll make him blink. 1997 01:57:38,750 --> 01:57:42,625 The comfort of spending my final days in our motherland. 1998 01:57:42,792 --> 01:57:44,833 You don't think he'll understand that? 1999 01:57:51,500 --> 01:57:53,000 I have to go now. 2000 01:58:00,875 --> 01:58:03,250 Just give him the letter, anyway. 2001 01:58:04,542 --> 01:58:06,125 I think it might cut it. 2002 01:58:07,000 --> 01:58:08,583 I genuinely do. 2003 01:58:11,292 --> 01:58:13,750 I wish I could've told him it would work. 2004 01:58:13,917 --> 01:58:15,250 That the Tzar would be moved 2005 01:58:15,417 --> 01:58:19,208 and we'd all sit together at the Olympics in the WP box seats. 2006 01:58:20,208 --> 01:58:21,625 I was fond of him. 2007 01:58:21,792 --> 01:58:25,417 He wasn't a saint, but there was a childlike joy about him. 2008 01:58:25,667 --> 01:58:27,792 Ever since the Tzar had banished his kind, 2009 01:58:27,958 --> 01:58:31,750 all that was left were strongmen and their grim determination. 2010 01:58:32,458 --> 01:58:36,458 Worst of all, I'd played a part in making it happen. 2011 01:58:38,667 --> 01:58:39,667 So... 2012 01:58:39,875 --> 01:58:41,167 Did it go well? 2013 01:58:41,542 --> 01:58:43,292 How could it possibly? 2014 01:58:43,458 --> 01:58:46,375 He helped you. You could give him a hand. 2015 01:58:46,542 --> 01:58:49,375 Boris sees the Sochi Olympics approaching. 2016 01:58:49,542 --> 01:58:51,875 There's still plenty of money to be made, 2017 01:58:52,042 --> 01:58:54,708 even if everyone's already lined their pockets. 2018 01:58:55,125 --> 01:58:57,125 Present company included. 2019 01:58:58,625 --> 01:59:00,083 Do you like those? 2020 01:59:00,250 --> 01:59:02,292 They're the main costumes for the Opening Ceremony. 2021 01:59:02,458 --> 01:59:03,667 Most importantly, 2022 01:59:03,833 --> 01:59:06,333 does the British Olympic Association like them? 2023 01:59:06,500 --> 01:59:07,792 Who cares? 2024 01:59:08,042 --> 01:59:11,708 They've already had to swallow a Winter Olympics at a balmy seaside resort. 2025 01:59:12,000 --> 01:59:14,917 Totally devoid of athletic infrastructure. 2026 01:59:16,083 --> 01:59:18,000 Have you seen the others? 2027 01:59:19,083 --> 01:59:21,042 No. Not really, no. 2028 01:59:27,958 --> 01:59:32,042 Look. Each island represents a period in our history. 2029 01:59:32,208 --> 01:59:34,750 They're animatronic and float in midair. 2030 01:59:34,917 --> 01:59:38,542 Our entire literary history will go marching by. 2031 01:59:38,708 --> 01:59:41,375 All the domes of Saint Basil's will fly away. 2032 01:59:41,542 --> 01:59:43,958 And then... Swan Lake. 2033 01:59:46,708 --> 01:59:47,958 Like it? 2034 01:59:51,583 --> 01:59:54,250 Vadya, that Russia doesn't exist. 2035 01:59:56,708 --> 01:59:58,333 At least not anymore. 2036 01:59:59,375 --> 02:00:02,417 But they're the ones who inspired us back then. 2037 02:00:03,042 --> 02:00:04,542 It's too late now. 2038 02:00:06,625 --> 02:00:07,875 You know that. 2039 02:00:12,583 --> 02:00:14,458 You won't save your soul. 2040 02:00:16,875 --> 02:00:20,125 The ceremony is just a mask for the dictatorship, 2041 02:00:20,292 --> 02:00:21,125 and the rest... 2042 02:00:21,292 --> 02:00:23,250 is just empty pretext. 2043 02:00:26,083 --> 02:00:27,667 I see through you. 2044 02:00:31,292 --> 02:00:33,417 It doesn't mean I don't love you. 2045 02:00:34,917 --> 02:00:37,500 But I'm not gonna be your partner in crime. 2046 02:00:44,125 --> 02:00:46,708 - Can I offer a drink? - Champagne, please. 2047 02:00:47,250 --> 02:00:48,917 Same. Thanks. 2048 02:00:56,167 --> 02:00:57,667 The Tzar is... 2049 02:00:59,292 --> 02:01:01,208 going to free our old friend Dmitry. 2050 02:01:04,625 --> 02:01:08,125 Are you sure? It isn't the first time you've told me that. 2051 02:01:08,292 --> 02:01:10,500 He'll do it two weeks before the Games start. 2052 02:01:11,917 --> 02:01:14,333 Western media will have a field day. 2053 02:01:14,833 --> 02:01:16,125 That's the idea. 2054 02:01:29,500 --> 02:01:32,167 You never asked me what I did today. 2055 02:01:32,458 --> 02:01:34,167 Not shopping... 2056 02:01:35,292 --> 02:01:37,083 that's not like you. 2057 02:01:37,625 --> 02:01:39,875 Something edgier. 2058 02:01:40,042 --> 02:01:41,875 Drop the sarcasm, will you? 2059 02:01:42,042 --> 02:01:43,875 I was trying to guess. 2060 02:01:44,042 --> 02:01:45,875 I went to the gynecologist. 2061 02:01:50,833 --> 02:01:51,833 I'm pregnant. 2062 02:02:03,667 --> 02:02:04,500 You look... 2063 02:02:04,667 --> 02:02:06,667 I'm a little shocked, yes. 2064 02:02:11,375 --> 02:02:13,458 Actually, I'm blown away. 2065 02:02:15,542 --> 02:02:17,125 I have no words. 2066 02:02:25,875 --> 02:02:28,917 WAR IN CRIMEA 2067 02:02:29,083 --> 02:02:30,917 According to early police reports 2068 02:02:31,083 --> 02:02:33,958 Boris Berezovsky's death is consistent with hanging. 2069 02:02:34,125 --> 02:02:37,625 Berezovsky was found dead last night in his Ascot residence. 2070 02:02:37,792 --> 02:02:40,500 Pathologists have found no signs of a struggle. 2071 02:02:40,667 --> 02:02:42,833 Access has been closed until the results of the tests 2072 02:02:43,000 --> 02:02:46,083 for chemical, biological and nuclear agents. 2073 02:02:51,708 --> 02:02:53,667 It had to end this way. 2074 02:02:54,125 --> 02:02:55,708 Exile was too painful for him. 2075 02:02:57,792 --> 02:02:59,042 I'll miss him. 2076 02:02:59,458 --> 02:03:01,750 He painted an appalling image of the opposition. 2077 02:03:01,917 --> 02:03:03,625 That was priceless for us. 2078 02:03:04,792 --> 02:03:07,625 This is the program for the opening ceremony. 2079 02:03:08,792 --> 02:03:10,917 Updated according to your notes. 2080 02:03:17,917 --> 02:03:19,875 What is “Daft Punk“? 2081 02:03:20,042 --> 02:03:22,000 Electronic music. 2082 02:03:22,167 --> 02:03:23,667 No. 1 worldwide. 2083 02:03:24,833 --> 02:03:27,708 Two Frenchmen who never remove their robot helmets. 2084 02:03:27,875 --> 02:03:30,292 This setup wasn't in the previous draft. 2085 02:03:30,458 --> 02:03:33,917 They won 5 Grammy awards last week. We have to get up to date. 2086 02:03:34,083 --> 02:03:36,208 You've asked the police choir to sing their song? 2087 02:03:37,208 --> 02:03:39,625 He's turning the whole ceremony into a farce. 2088 02:03:43,000 --> 02:03:45,208 Explain your rationale to Igor. 2089 02:03:45,875 --> 02:03:49,500 Today it's what people want to dance to. It's that simple. 2090 02:03:49,667 --> 02:03:50,917 It'll be ridiculous. 2091 02:03:51,083 --> 02:03:52,250 It'll be kitsch. 2092 02:03:52,417 --> 02:03:55,042 The entire world, three billion spectators 2093 02:03:55,208 --> 02:03:57,500 are waiting for the greatest show they've ever seen. 2094 02:03:57,667 --> 02:04:00,792 It can only be the apotheosis of kitsch. 2095 02:04:01,792 --> 02:04:05,125 Kitsch is the only language available to us 2096 02:04:05,292 --> 02:04:07,792 if we are to communicate with the masses. 2097 02:04:07,958 --> 02:04:11,167 - We want to show them our Russia. - They don't want to see your Russia. 2098 02:04:11,333 --> 02:04:14,917 Besides, you have nothing to show and everything to hide. 2099 02:04:15,500 --> 02:04:18,208 We want to paint the picture of an open Russia. 2100 02:04:18,625 --> 02:04:21,833 Sure-footed, but also capable of smiling. 2101 02:04:22,000 --> 02:04:24,583 Today's world requires self-deprecation. 2102 02:04:24,750 --> 02:04:27,375 Not your balalaikas, Igor. 2103 02:04:27,542 --> 02:04:30,750 Do you understand what I'm saying or is it gibberish to you? 2104 02:04:31,708 --> 02:04:32,708 What can you do? 2105 02:04:35,000 --> 02:04:36,208 Vadya... 2106 02:04:36,708 --> 02:04:38,125 is an acrobat. 2107 02:04:38,583 --> 02:04:42,042 An artist for politicians, a politician for artists. 2108 02:04:42,208 --> 02:04:43,750 Be careful, Vadya. 2109 02:04:44,083 --> 02:04:46,583 Sooner or later you might miss the trapeze. 2110 02:04:46,917 --> 02:04:48,917 Fall flat on your face. 2111 02:04:52,625 --> 02:04:53,917 I declare 2112 02:04:54,083 --> 02:04:57,083 the 22nd Winter Olympic Games 2113 02:04:57,250 --> 02:04:59,417 of Sochi open. 2114 02:05:02,000 --> 02:05:04,333 That was probably the night I should have left. 2115 02:05:04,500 --> 02:05:07,708 Closed the book at that page. It was a good ending for me. 2116 02:05:22,000 --> 02:05:25,208 The Ukrainian independence movement seized on the Olympic ceasefire 2117 02:05:25,375 --> 02:05:27,542 to occupy Maidan Square again. 2118 02:05:29,083 --> 02:05:31,167 Two days before the end of the Games 2119 02:05:31,333 --> 02:05:33,792 they ousted pro-Russian President Yanukovych, 2120 02:05:33,958 --> 02:05:35,667 who fled the same day. 2121 02:05:36,750 --> 02:05:38,667 The chaos that ensued gave the Tzar 2122 02:05:38,833 --> 02:05:41,333 a golden opportunity to invade Ukraine. 2123 02:05:44,833 --> 02:05:47,708 Russian snipers killed over a hundred protesters. 2124 02:05:48,250 --> 02:05:49,958 They say you were in charge. 2125 02:05:51,875 --> 02:05:53,167 Who says? 2126 02:05:53,333 --> 02:05:54,625 Ukrainians. 2127 02:05:55,458 --> 02:05:57,083 From your own emails. 2128 02:05:58,417 --> 02:06:01,000 They say you have Ukrainian blood on your hands. 2129 02:06:09,792 --> 02:06:12,000 The night before the closing ceremony 2130 02:06:12,333 --> 02:06:14,333 following his grand plan, 2131 02:06:14,833 --> 02:06:17,375 the Tzar decided to annex Crimea. 2132 02:06:19,458 --> 02:06:22,000 Crimea was part of Ukraine. 2133 02:06:23,208 --> 02:06:27,208 We weren't about to send regular troops to invade a sovereign country. 2134 02:06:28,750 --> 02:06:33,167 You sent in Russian soldiers who weren't wearing any national insignia. 2135 02:06:33,333 --> 02:06:37,042 "Little green men", as your fellow journalists used to say. 2136 02:06:37,208 --> 02:06:41,000 When Zaldostanov and his Night Wolves brought their circus to Crimea, 2137 02:06:41,167 --> 02:06:42,625 you were pulling the strings. 2138 02:06:42,792 --> 02:06:43,792 True. 2139 02:06:43,833 --> 02:06:46,042 I gave them a supporting part. 2140 02:06:47,042 --> 02:06:49,000 Supporting actors are important. 2141 02:06:50,542 --> 02:06:52,542 As long as they don't get too carried away. 2142 02:07:16,875 --> 02:07:18,792 Have you seen our flags? 2143 02:07:19,375 --> 02:07:22,167 We're not using the Federation ones anymore. 2144 02:07:22,667 --> 02:07:24,708 We have something else in mind. 2145 02:07:24,875 --> 02:07:29,000 We're no longer a federation, Vadya. We're conquering new lands. 2146 02:07:30,833 --> 02:07:34,083 We have taken back Crimea from the Ukrainians. 2147 02:07:34,542 --> 02:07:36,833 Soon all of Donbas will be Russian. 2148 02:07:37,000 --> 02:07:38,833 It's high time to take stock. 2149 02:07:39,292 --> 02:07:41,042 Take stock. Truly. 2150 02:07:41,417 --> 02:07:43,125 I'm a man of action. 2151 02:07:43,292 --> 02:07:45,667 We're here to support the Russian army. 2152 02:07:45,833 --> 02:07:47,917 Help them bring you victory. 2153 02:07:48,083 --> 02:07:50,000 Who said anything about victory? 2154 02:07:51,375 --> 02:07:54,167 What we want in Ukraine isn't conquest. 2155 02:07:54,542 --> 02:07:55,958 It's chaos. 2156 02:07:57,167 --> 02:07:58,917 The Ukrainians fooled themselves 2157 02:07:59,083 --> 02:08:01,917 into thinking their Orange Revolution would get them into Europe, 2158 02:08:02,083 --> 02:08:05,042 but it's going to take them back to the Middle Ages. 2159 02:08:05,208 --> 02:08:08,583 If you listen to Westerners' promises it always ends like that. 2160 02:08:08,750 --> 02:08:10,458 They drop you at the first hurdle 2161 02:08:10,625 --> 02:08:12,792 and you're left alone, your country in ruins. 2162 02:08:12,958 --> 02:08:14,667 That's the moral of the story. 2163 02:08:15,667 --> 02:08:18,500 You see, Alexander? This war isn't fought in real life, 2164 02:08:18,667 --> 02:08:20,500 but in the people's minds, 2165 02:08:20,667 --> 02:08:22,167 on the TV news. 2166 02:08:22,333 --> 02:08:25,125 In Moscow, Kiev, Berlin. 2167 02:08:25,500 --> 02:08:29,500 You're actors in a play that goes over your heads 2168 02:08:29,667 --> 02:08:32,333 and resonates far beyond these borders. 2169 02:08:37,750 --> 02:08:41,583 Either you agree to be a pawn in my game, with the attendant advantages, 2170 02:08:41,750 --> 02:08:42,458 or you don't. 2171 02:08:42,625 --> 02:08:45,500 But remember, I can pull the plug on you whenever I like. 2172 02:08:46,000 --> 02:08:49,375 And then things will get a great deal more complicated for you, 2173 02:08:49,542 --> 02:08:52,792 your Wolves and your little business ventures. 2174 02:08:53,667 --> 02:08:54,708 Which are flourishing, 2175 02:08:54,875 --> 02:08:56,333 from what I gather. 2176 02:09:14,500 --> 02:09:16,833 Can I bother you for a moment, Vadim Alexeyevich? 2177 02:09:17,125 --> 02:09:18,250 Go right ahead. 2178 02:09:20,125 --> 02:09:22,792 How did your trip to Lugansk go? Well? 2179 02:09:22,958 --> 02:09:25,792 I'm sure you've read your services' reports. 2180 02:09:27,500 --> 02:09:29,833 We have news from the Americans. 2181 02:09:30,417 --> 02:09:31,417 What news? 2182 02:09:31,542 --> 02:09:33,417 Seems they've drawn up a blacklist 2183 02:09:33,583 --> 02:09:35,833 of people forbidden on their soil. 2184 02:09:36,000 --> 02:09:37,583 Your name is on it. 2185 02:09:38,500 --> 02:09:41,208 You'll have to forget about going to New York for a while. 2186 02:09:42,542 --> 02:09:45,708 Their sanctions for the takeover of Crimea. When do they start? 2187 02:09:45,875 --> 02:09:47,000 This Monday. 2188 02:09:48,292 --> 02:09:51,208 Good thing I stopped liking New York a long time ago. 2189 02:09:52,167 --> 02:09:54,458 I've heard something else, too. 2190 02:09:56,708 --> 02:09:57,750 Go on. 2191 02:09:58,417 --> 02:10:00,125 It'll be official tomorrow. 2192 02:10:00,458 --> 02:10:04,208 Your name is also on the Europeans' shortlist. 2193 02:10:05,375 --> 02:10:06,500 Paris, 2194 02:10:06,792 --> 02:10:07,833 London, 2195 02:10:08,292 --> 02:10:09,292 no more. 2196 02:10:10,417 --> 02:10:12,375 I'm told you'll miss Naples. 2197 02:10:16,167 --> 02:10:18,625 I won't bother you any longer, Vadim Alexeyevich. 2198 02:10:19,042 --> 02:10:21,333 I'm sure you have arrangements to make. 2199 02:10:21,500 --> 02:10:22,542 And fast. 2200 02:11:05,750 --> 02:11:07,333 Lionia, have you heard? 2201 02:11:08,083 --> 02:11:10,333 Yes, tonight or tomorrow at the latest. 2202 02:11:11,208 --> 02:11:13,583 No, no interviews, just a press release. 2203 02:11:13,750 --> 02:11:15,583 Can you take this down? 2204 02:11:17,625 --> 02:11:19,583 "I see this sanction as an Oscar 2205 02:11:19,750 --> 02:11:22,458 "awarded for my entire political career. 2206 02:11:23,250 --> 02:11:26,625 "It means I have served my country honorably." Full stop. 2207 02:11:27,792 --> 02:11:29,042 No, that's all. 2208 02:11:29,208 --> 02:11:30,292 Thank you. 2209 02:12:05,208 --> 02:12:06,250 Ksenia, 2210 02:12:07,500 --> 02:12:10,500 pack your bags, I'll be over in 15 minutes. 2211 02:12:12,667 --> 02:12:15,250 A few hours later we landed in Stockholm 2212 02:12:15,417 --> 02:12:17,750 for our last European weekend. 2213 02:13:00,625 --> 02:13:02,750 I suppose it was bound to happen. 2214 02:13:04,083 --> 02:13:06,000 Only you could avoid it. 2215 02:13:06,167 --> 02:13:07,333 By resigning. 2216 02:13:07,500 --> 02:13:08,583 For instance. 2217 02:13:11,208 --> 02:13:15,042 Power is addictive. It's a tough habit to kick. 2218 02:13:15,208 --> 02:13:17,417 Before, when you spouted that kind of truism, 2219 02:13:17,583 --> 02:13:19,333 I could hear the irony. 2220 02:13:20,042 --> 02:13:21,083 Not anymore. 2221 02:13:21,250 --> 02:13:22,375 There was none. 2222 02:13:23,583 --> 02:13:25,625 The war in Ukraine is like the rest. 2223 02:13:26,167 --> 02:13:28,583 I never wanted it. I even opposed it. 2224 02:13:28,875 --> 02:13:30,000 If you say so. 2225 02:13:30,167 --> 02:13:31,292 Indeed. 2226 02:13:31,917 --> 02:13:33,333 I do say so. 2227 02:13:34,000 --> 02:13:37,458 And I also say that once the Tzar had made up his mind, 2228 02:13:38,042 --> 02:13:40,667 I did everything I could to see it succeed. 2229 02:13:40,917 --> 02:13:42,333 Out of habit. 2230 02:13:43,667 --> 02:13:44,917 Out of pride. 2231 02:13:46,083 --> 02:13:47,458 And because I could. 2232 02:13:47,625 --> 02:13:48,833 With no compunction. 2233 02:13:49,000 --> 02:13:50,042 That's true. 2234 02:13:50,208 --> 02:13:52,083 That's how it's always been. 2235 02:13:52,750 --> 02:13:56,333 With the Moscow bombings and the war in Chechnya. 2236 02:13:57,042 --> 02:13:59,500 With Dmitry's arrest and Berezovsky's fall. 2237 02:13:59,667 --> 02:14:03,000 And now the murders on the Maidan. 2238 02:14:03,875 --> 02:14:06,417 I never wanted any of those things, yet... 2239 02:14:06,583 --> 02:14:09,292 each depended on my tireless labor. 2240 02:14:09,750 --> 02:14:11,417 And now you're tired. 2241 02:14:12,375 --> 02:14:14,500 Russia devoured my grandfather. 2242 02:14:15,750 --> 02:14:18,583 You met my father, it devoured him too. 2243 02:14:19,458 --> 02:14:22,042 I don't know about me. I don't know if I'll be saved. 2244 02:14:22,208 --> 02:14:23,458 Probably not. 2245 02:14:25,125 --> 02:14:27,125 In any case, it's too late. 2246 02:14:30,500 --> 02:14:32,458 But our child will be saved. 2247 02:14:56,292 --> 02:14:57,375 Ksenia? 2248 02:15:00,875 --> 02:15:02,042 Ksenia! 2249 02:15:45,583 --> 02:15:48,750 Going to Novo-Ogaryovo was never much of a thrill. 2250 02:15:48,917 --> 02:15:51,083 The bleak, sporty mood pained me. 2251 02:15:51,250 --> 02:15:55,417 After I got back from Stockholm I almost never set foot there again. 2252 02:15:55,583 --> 02:15:59,167 A prince's trust is not a privilege, but a conviction. 2253 02:15:59,583 --> 02:16:03,042 I had played my part. I was no longer of any use. 2254 02:16:03,667 --> 02:16:06,625 I let him get out of the habit of seeing me. 2255 02:16:06,792 --> 02:16:07,958 That's all. 2256 02:16:09,208 --> 02:16:11,292 He gets up early and breakfasts on fresh eggs 2257 02:16:11,458 --> 02:16:14,042 sent by Patriarch Kirill from his farm. 2258 02:16:14,208 --> 02:16:17,083 If there's an emergency, he reads his confidential notes 2259 02:16:17,250 --> 02:16:19,125 and makes his wishes known. 2260 02:16:19,708 --> 02:16:20,708 Next, 2261 02:16:20,792 --> 02:16:22,375 he swims a kilometer. 2262 02:16:22,667 --> 02:16:24,917 His first visitors wait by the pool. 2263 02:16:25,083 --> 02:16:28,083 Ministers, advisors, CEOs. 2264 02:16:28,500 --> 02:16:32,542 The presidential motorcade only leaves for the Kremlin in the early afternoon. 2265 02:16:33,208 --> 02:16:35,583 The streets are closed half an hour prior. 2266 02:16:35,750 --> 02:16:38,292 Putin drives from Novo-Ogaryovo to the Kremlin 2267 02:16:38,458 --> 02:16:40,125 through his frozen capital. 2268 02:16:40,833 --> 02:16:42,708 And his real day begins. 2269 02:16:44,125 --> 02:16:46,542 Sometimes only ending at dawn. 2270 02:16:49,625 --> 02:16:51,458 One man stays awake 2271 02:16:52,792 --> 02:16:56,583 while everyone else who matters in Moscow shares his vigil. 2272 02:16:57,208 --> 02:16:59,125 Like in Stalin's day. 2273 02:17:01,167 --> 02:17:04,000 Who's that? Who's this? 2274 02:17:05,750 --> 02:17:07,167 Hi, my sweet one. 2275 02:17:08,208 --> 02:17:09,792 Can I play with Machka? 2276 02:17:09,958 --> 02:17:12,083 Of course you can. You're not bothering us. 2277 02:17:13,458 --> 02:17:14,750 Where is she? 2278 02:17:15,083 --> 02:17:16,625 Where's that Machka? 2279 02:17:16,792 --> 02:17:18,167 - Is she under the table? - No. 2280 02:17:18,333 --> 02:17:19,833 - She's not under the table? - No. 2281 02:17:20,000 --> 02:17:21,333 - Is she under the cushion? - No. 2282 02:17:21,500 --> 02:17:22,792 - Are you sure? - No. 2283 02:17:22,958 --> 02:17:24,583 - Is she under the piano? - No. 2284 02:17:27,083 --> 02:17:28,583 There she is. 2285 02:17:38,708 --> 02:17:42,125 All the happiness I've known in the world is concentrated in her. 2286 02:17:42,958 --> 02:17:44,042 Daddy, 2287 02:17:44,208 --> 02:17:47,333 what do you think Machka would say if she could talk? 2288 02:17:47,792 --> 02:17:49,250 I think she'd say, 2289 02:17:49,417 --> 02:17:51,292 "I'd have more fun with a real rabbit." 2290 02:17:51,458 --> 02:17:52,458 Daddy! 2291 02:17:53,250 --> 02:17:54,458 She'd say, 2292 02:17:54,792 --> 02:17:56,958 "I like you best of all, Anya, 2293 02:17:57,292 --> 02:17:59,375 "I only want to play with you." 2294 02:18:01,250 --> 02:18:02,958 Cats aren't my favorite thing. 2295 02:18:03,125 --> 02:18:05,792 But how much longer will I be able to make her happy? 2296 02:18:06,917 --> 02:18:09,375 I never felt fear before Anya. 2297 02:18:09,583 --> 02:18:13,292 From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I've been living in terror. 2298 02:18:13,458 --> 02:18:16,375 I realize my life is in her hands, not the other way around. 2299 02:18:17,333 --> 02:18:19,750 My daughter doesn't count the hours or the days. 2300 02:18:21,000 --> 02:18:22,958 I've always lived in the future. 2301 02:18:25,375 --> 02:18:27,458 And she has given me the present. 2302 02:20:11,750 --> 02:20:14,000 THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN 2303 02:24:47,083 --> 02:24:49,792 Subtitling: Trans Perfect Media France