Hüvasti, NSVL (2020) - full transcript
A coming of age story of Johannes, who is born prematurely to a premature single mother on the dramatic background of the collapsing Soviet empire.
For as long as l can remember,
my grandparents have told me
stories about my birth.
They tended to sugarcoat
the unpleasant events in life,
Living an idealised reality
was the only possibility.
In truth, the setbacks
already began at my birth.
I was born into an Ingrian family
by mistake.
Listen, young lady.
In the Soviet Union
women give birth in silence.
When I say "hop", everybody pushes.
It's no use crying.
And... hop!
Yes, it's coming!
Good heavens,
it's so small.
Listen...
Why is he so quiet?
He was born prematurely.
He has no immune system.
His lungs aren't fully developed.
Premature babies cry quietly.
Where are you taking him?
Mum!
- Johanna!
They took my boy!
RECEPTION
Stop. It's for doctors
and patients only.
Open the door!
Immediately!
Hurry!
Oh, come on. If he dies,
you don't have to be ashamed
of a fatherless child.
You ingrate!
What?
- Hey, don't start with this again.
You say all sorts of things
when you feel emotional.
He doesn't look dead to me.
He looks like Lenin,
sleeping in his sarcophagus.
Maybe his father
was a relative of Lenin. - Vaikki...
Are you drunk?
- A bit.
This is an important day
to be a bit drunk.
What do you mean
there are no incubators?
My daughter is going to die.
- Calm down...
Do something
or I'll call the higher-ups!
We're short on incubators,
so we are forced to use
your incubator.
My son has no immunity!
You have no right to do this.
- Open the door immediately!
I'll contact the authorities!
Calm down!
Please...
I beg you, miss. Help us.
We have no time to lose.
She's going to die.
Please behave yourselves.
We shouldn't allow visitors in here.
And comrade,
please don't contact the authorities.
Fine.
- Thank you.
Look at that.
A Soviet romance.
I don't know how to thank you.
Lidia Dzhoharevna Durdebayeva.
Johanna Vainovna Tarkkinen.
Now then, let's drink to love!
Tamerlan Ahmedovitch Durdebayev.
Vaino Eerovitsch Tarkkinen.
To love!
- To love.
From the comforting silence
of the incubator
I landed between
two warring women.
I instantly found myself
between freedom and discipline.
Tarakanin!
Tarkkinen, Tarkkinen...
It says here that
the child was due in January.
As you can clearly see,
he was born in October.
And why does it say "unknown"
under the father's name?
Well...
We don't know much
about the father.
You can put "arsehole" in there
for all I care.
You don't even have an apartment
where to bring up the child.
The child should be taken
by the Commission for Minors.
There's no need for that.
No need to call anyone.
Let's say he is Leninovitch,
son of Lenin.
Lenin was the father of all
Soviet children of single mothers.
So that's settled then.
I will also line you up
for an apartment.
Thank you!
- Thank you so much.
But it will take some time.
Five years,
as the houses haven't been built yet.
Five years?
- Five, maybe ten.
Your special relationship
with Lenin won't help you there.
My student mother wanted to bring me up
using experimental methods.
But Grandma wanted me to become
a decent Homo Sovieticus.
It was a battle of ideologies.
Oh, bloody hell!
SILENCE AT 11 PM
GOODBYE SOVIET UNION
My grandparents lived
in a closed town.
The border guards
not only kept foreigners out
but also local people in.
There you go.
This peculiar place
was called Leningrad 3,
which wasn't even on the map.
There was a secret
uranium plant in the town
that was never spoken of.
Officially it was just
a “fabric-dying plant”,
and it was forbidden
to swim in the sea.
The Soviet Union struggled
with permanent shortage,
but in Leningrad 3,
the only thing we lacked was freedom.
While Gorbachev's glasnost
hit the rest of the Soviet Union,
Leninism only got stronger
in Leningrad 3.
This is my first childhood memory.
I still had my bangs,
so I was an easy target
for the local kids.
Fortunately, Uncle Kolya taught them
who I was related to.
Run, you little bastards!
At home we listened to
the Finnish radio,
leaving the tap running
because of KGB.
That is how we learned
the truth about Chernobyl.
...the citizens of the nearby
residential areas have been evacuated.
Uncle Kolya avoided being posted
to ground zero
by going on sick leave.
Mother came to see me
once a month.
She brought her boyfriends with her,
but luckily also presents.
I vividly remember the day
I got my first friend,
Crocodile Gena.
You didn't run out on your friend.
Make room for me.
Crocodile Gena,
play us the accordion.
Usually people had to wait for decades
to get a private car,
but one of Mother's boyfriends
gave me my very own Moskvitch.
Hey lad, stop!
Call for backup!
Gena and I tried to drive
to Tallinn with it to see my mother.
Comrade Tarkkinen, it's the militia.
You're expected at home.
Stop!
But all we could do was wait
Stop!
Look at her.
Such a weird hairdo and everything.
Came here empty-handed
and with no boyfriend.
Quit being a fool!
Mum!
What did that border guard want?
He didn't like my badge.
What badge? What did it say?
"We oppose the Afghan war."
- You silly pheasant!
Have you told Grandma our secret?
Not yet, but I will.
Hands off!
Leave me be, this is important.
A small toast.
So they want to send you
to Afghanistan, Kolya?
But you're limping.
You must break your
other leg as well, then.
It's no use.
A proper heart attack is what I need.
How's that for a toast, Vaino.
I have a present for you.
The boarder guard confiscated one,
but it's a good thing
I have plenty of them left.
You can get punched
in the face for that in here.
Don't touch.
Is Afghanistan
as dangerous as Chernobyl? - No.
I'll take my magic suit with me.
It will protect me.
You can even swim
in Leningrad 3's waters with this.
Now you're telling stories.
- Really?
Am I?
Damn it, Vaikki. Are you taking
pictures of the plant?
That's enough, Mum.
I'm taking Johannes with me.
Taking him where?
- To Tallinn.
To Tallinn, huh?
And where will you live?
In that horrible student hostel?
Why can't you get
a normal hairdo and live a normal life.
Hairdo, hairdo...
Leave my hair out of this!
Johannes is missing nothing here.
All his friends are here...
Gena is coming with us.
He's the only friend I have anyway.
What?
You want to leave Grandma
after everything I've done for you?
Leave my child alone!
- Don't be such a pain in the neck.
I won't allow it.
- You've ruined my life!
I'll swim to Tallinn if I have to.
Johannes!
Mum!
This is all your fault!
Out of the way,
I'm a specialist.
He swallowed a lot of sea water.
We have a case of blue algae
poisoning. Department 3.
Mum!
You're not allowed
to take photos in here!
This is not blue algae poisoning.
I demand an investigation!
Good day.
What's going on, comrades?
This woman was taking photos.
Right. Hand me the camera.
This place need some glasnost.
What Glasnost?
Give me the camera.
Just settle down now.
Listen to your mother.
- So, give me the camera.
You want the camera?
You can have it!
Keep your hands off my boy!
Johannes, don't be afraid.
You were already in a sarcophagus
when you were born.
Grandpa promises that
everything will be ok.
Johannes,
grab the crocodile's hand.
As my mother demanded
an investigation into my poisoning,
the officials begun to doubt
her ability to raise me.
I lost half my hair to the Soviet Union
due to the radiation,
and my mother's haircut went through
perestroika in KGB's hands.
Uncle Kolya was sent to Afghanistan,
and my grandparents lost their home.
Only my radioactive friend
was left across the border.
CROCODILE GENA
(1985-1988)
That's not how you tie
a Young Pioneer's scarf.
You're not fit
to raise the boy by yourself.
Especially in a place like this.
Demobilising the Soviet soldiers
has proved difficult.
Any news from Uncle Kolya?
...some of them have had
to remain in Afghanistan.
Our young soldiers
will be rewarded for their courage...
Listen, Vaikki.
Hasn't the boy suffered enough?
From now on,
news about Afghanistan are off-limits.
And no beer in the morning.
You have to drive us to school.
Johanna Tarkkinen?
I've been expelled
from the university.
We have to leave this place, too.
Johannes, you have to go.
You're going to be late.
You are going to school
and I am finishing my studies.
Johannes darling.
If life in Leningrad 3
was stuck in the 1950s,
in my new surroundings
the pulsating '80s was in full swing.
Attention. We will gather
in the gym in a few moments.
Everything was different
And I mean everything!
Johannes Leninovitch Tarkkinen.
Stop defacing the statue.
You guys catch that?
No.
Do you speak Estonian?
You speak like some mongol.
You can't deface
comrade Lenin like that.
Stop that.
Shut up, fatty.
You were born here
yet can't even speak Estonian.
Goddamn idiots!
Let me teach you some geography.
We are from Chechnya.
We don't need to learn Estonian.
Estonians. Get away from there and fast.
Run, you cowards.
Thanks, you saved my skin.
I owe you one.
No, you don't.
Just ignore those kurat Estonians.
This is for you.
- Thank you.
What does kuratmml
It's Estonian for "damn".
They keep saying it.
I'm Gennadi Tamerlanovitch Durdebayev.
This is my sister Vera.
Gennadi...
Like Crocodile Gena?
Johannes Leninovitch Tarkkinen.
- Leninovitch?
Was your father really Lenin?
Grandpa says that Lenin is the father
of all fatherless children.
No wonder you got beaten up.
So you are not Estonian?
- I'm Ingrian.
Ingrian? Never heard of it.
I got my ass kicked
the very first day.
But my plastic crocodile friend
was replaced by a real Gena
and his sister.
Vera seemed uncannily familiar.
We had already met each other
in the incubator.
Come in.
This belongs to
Tamerlan's navigator Timofeyev.
Three rooms. A shared kitchen.
Our part with Tamerlan
is over there, also three rooms.
What do you say? Till my husband
gets back from Afghanistan?
It's better than
living in that overcrowded dorm.
Well, we got evicted
from there as well.
In that case you should
definitely move in here.
You helped me so much
in the hospital.
Let me help you in turn.
My new life in Tallinn
was like a dream.
As long as
the owner of the apartment
would never come back
from Afghanistan,
Vera's and Gena's mother had
a hair salon in the basement
and its by-products were
perfect props for our war games.
I always played the role
an Afghan enemy,
but it gave me the perfect excuse
to spend time with Vera.
Let's show them the meaning
of socialistic industry
That'll make them forget
their religious imagery
Afghanistan
Unfortunately, Mother wasn't able
to adjust to life under Grandma's rule,
Still no hair...
At first I thought it was hereditary,
but you have a thick, full hair.
Johannes had an accident.
That's what made him bald?
Poor boy...
Don't apply too much.
If only we had that Western stuff
that all the pros use,
Johnson & Johnson.
I'm sure the result
would be better.
Why so sad?
I have to find a job.
Otherwise we can't have a life.
I constantly argue with my mum.
And soon your Tamerlan will be
back home from the war.
Don't you understand?
The men will come back,
but not necessarily
straight back to their wives.
When is Dad coming home then?
How should I know?
As a woman, my job is to wait.
And yours too.
Good evening,; comrades.
The following is
on official announcement
The Soviet Union has decided
to pull its troops from Afghanistan.
No Soviet soldiers
will remain in Afghanistan...
Why are you listening to news
about Afghanistan again?
Grandma is coming soon.
You'll get us in trouble.
Have there been any news
about uncle Kolya?
Johannes...
We won't hear of him on the radio
nor see him on the TV.
We should prepare for the worst:
we might never hear from him again.
This is not acceptable.
- At least I'm helping Lidia.
Vaikki! I told you not to listen
to news about Afghanistan.
Look, he's not listening.
Switch to another channel.
...these people are real Finns
who were sent there
during the Swedish reign.
They should now be allowed
to move back to Finland.
Tarkkinen...
Have you heard
the Finnish president's call
for all Ingrians to return home?
You wish to return as well?
I'm not leaving,
I'm only getting a job.
I want to buy a flat.
What's wrong with the one
you have now?
I don't own an apartment.
We're temporarily living
in my friend's apartment.
Perhaps you are also to blame
for your unemployment.
Secret object. Leningrad 3.
That's why you don't have
an apartment. Look.
Radiation.
You wanted perestroika to come
to Leningrad 3 as well.
And now it is everywhere.
But you want to run away to Finland.
Tell me why you want to leave.
What's the problem?
Perhaps it was a mistake...
I mean with Glasnost.
Like I said, I need work.
I have to take care of my family.
Take it easy...
How much will you be paid
each month?
I don't know...
A cleaning woman gets
about five to ten thousand marks.
I can get you
a permission to travel abroad.
Permission...
On the condition that you pay
one quarter of your income to me.
Yes, of course, one quarter.
I understand...
And you'll be behind
the iron curtain.
You'll be there for two years.
Two years?
Therefore your son will stay here.
Why?
In that case I have to reconsider...
There's nothing to consider.
Do you want to lose your son?
You understand?
Johannes, look at me.
I'll come back.
My mother promised to bring
presents from West,
just as she did
when she lived in Tallin.
Johannes, you should
really start talking now.
At least smile a little.
You're breaking Grandma's heart.
Leave the poor boy alone.
He needs time to think.
Are you smiling?
- What are you doing?
It's called consoling, you idiot.
I'm the idiot? Let's see what
happens when dad gets home.
What's the problem?
- You're a girl and he's a boy.
Listen, little Crocodile Gena.
Johannes is a still a small boy
and he needs consoling.
Now take your sister's hand.
Go ahead, Gennadi Tamerlanovitch!
Good. Now everyone's happy.
Freedom to Estonia,
freedom to Estonia!
Other people wanted
things to change, too.
But not all of them.
Line up.
Because of these demonstrations,
our lessons will be held in the gym.
Victory Day, May 9,
is the most important day of all.
Attention! Right face.
The Western states consider themselves
freedom fighters, which is untrue.
In fact,
the Soviet army liberated Europe
and its people
from the concentration camps.
We can't forget this.
Johannes.
Johannes!
Perhaps you went too far,
comrade Ivanova?
A 10-year-old has no reason to see
dying people at a concentration camp.
Didn't you consider
the effect such thing will have
on a small boy's mind?
Johannes's reaction is normal.
I'm more worried about
the lack of reaction from the others.
Children this young are unable
to handle such imagery.
There you go,
an expert opinion.
What was it that scared you?
Was it the Jews and how they...
He doesn't understand.
Johannes, she asked
what scared you the most in this film.
Was it the Jews?
Or what?
Mother.
Mother?
His mother works in Finland.
Temporarily.
And she left her only child alone?
- No, she didn't leave him...
But Johannes hasn't cried once since.
It's okay to cry if you want to.
But if you can't,
then try to express
your feelings through games.
Have you ever heard of
special therapy dolls?
This here is your mother,
and this one is you.
"I love you."
This part is ok.
Rub this to the back,
both sides and temples.
Is your mother here?
Lidia...
Tamerlan was a brave soldier,
the best father, a true comrade...
The Fatherland
will never forget him.
We are mourning with you.
As navigator Timofeyev Viktor
Ivanovitch had no relatives,
headquarters decided
that you should have his remains.
Lidotshka, darling.
Calm down.
I'll take Timofeyev.
Gennadi Tamerlanovitch.
Look at me.
You are the head of the family now.
Straighten your back.
My dreams came true.
We got Timofeyev's flat.
However, Vera's tears
felt like a high price for it
What's that for?
Wrap it around your body
and blow yourself up.
Are you mad?
I'm not blowing myself up!
Coward.
Are you scared of fireworks?
I won't allow my sister
to play with a coward.
If I win this battle,
then Vera is mine.
Got it?
You've never won anything.
You don't even know how to fight.
Gena, this is not Caucasus.
I can choose who I play with.
Get off!
This is your last battle.
From now on you play alone.
Leave him alone.
And the price only got higher.
Gena said you came up with this.
How is Vera?
Answer me! Who came up with
this idiotic game?
It wasn't me. It was Gena.
It was you.
You wanted to impress Vera.
We'll talk about this at home.
Could you please go for a break?
The finger will be okay.
Johannes.
Do you understand
that you've ruined her life?
Who'd want her with only one eye?
I would.
My husband is dead.
My daughter might lose her eye.
What have I done to deserve this?
- Lidia...
Gena plays war games because he is
upset about his father's death.
Why on earth would Johannes
wear an explosive belt?
That's a completely absurd idea.
Gena, look at me.
Are you sure
that it was Johannes's idea?
That's it. I forbid you
from playing together anymore.
And tomorrow I'll decide
what to do with you.
Where did he get such an idea?
Johannes doesn't speak at all.
Your mother wants to talk to you.
This call is not free!
Johannes.
Listen to me.
Everything will be okay.
Mother loves you.
Vaikki!
Look! The boy lost his marbles.
Calm down.
Johannes!
You must hurry to school.
For heaven's sake...
You have to be ready
in two minutes.
Johannes.
Grandma said
that you're old enough
to dress up yourself
from now on.
Good news.
But Grandma will still tie
your Young Pioneer's scarf.
Now here is the bad news.
Lidia wants us...
...to move away from here.
Stop sulking.
I have a real surprise for you
this evening.
It will make you jump for joy.
Trust me.
Tarkkinen, late again?
From now on your place is
at the back.
We're just watching a documentary
about our city
where everything is wonderful.
Veraf I'm really sorry.
Get lost!
- Gena.
Shove off!
Don't you get it?
We can't play with you anymore!
You made those belts
because you were jealous!
No, I didn't!
Everybody loves you
yet nothing is enough.
Stay away from us!
Freedom to Estonia...
Freedom to Estonia...
Children... Vera, Gena.
Let's go home, quickly.
Take that damn monument down!
I would love to,
but I'm not authorised to do so.
This is a school. We're not
involved in politics in any way.
Not involved in politics, huh?
What are you doing?
Hey look,
that's Lenin's relative!
That's Lenin's relative!
Where are your
Chechen friends now?
Where's your grandfather?
Bloody hell.
We have to cut your hair again.
I'll cut it.
Johannes.
I must apologise,
I drank myself into oblivion.
And because of me,
Grandpa lost his sense of time.
Kolya, let's put on
our hazmat suits.
Let's go to the school
and tell who Johannes is related to.
Cheers, old men.
I'll be...
I know that I'm not
really Lenin's son.
Look who's all grown up.
Makes a toast and drinks lemonade
from a vodka bottle.
And doesn't believe
our fairy tales any more.
Johannes...
I'll ask you a personal question
while the tap's running.
Grandpa says
that you're interested in girls.
I'm not.
So you're interested in boys, then?
Then you must have
the taps running all the time.
Hey, Johannes.
Now we'll teach you how to dance.
Vaino!
The first step in love
is holding hands.
But before your first kiss,
you should know how to dance.
But remember to be tender.
Yes, really tender.
Come on.
Come, come...
Surprise!
Kolya!
Good heavens!
Where did you come from?
Dad?
What are you...?
What's happened to Johannes's hair?
This time I didn't come
empty-handed.
Mother, you already argued enough
on our way here.
Look who's come here
to play a mother.
Johannes.
If you manage to get a banana
in your mouth in the Soviet Union,
you eat it with your eyes closed.
Imagine we lived half our lives
before we got to taste this.
Don't worry.
And don't worry about your hair.
It will grow back eventually.
This is you.
This is Johannes,
and this is his family.
Nothing but dolls!
And Johannes hasn't
smiled once since you left.
We'll make Johannes smile again.
And another doll!
Keep on digging.
Is this...?
It's Soviet Ken.
And they, Johannes,
are your new friends.
They'll make Johannes
happy again.
This is kurat, damn it.
Look.
Oh my.
Look how Gorbachev
always sings the same song.
Mother's most amazing gift
was a satellite dish,
which warmed the mighty heart
of our small family.
Suddenly I was
the brightest star in our school,
Hello perestroika, democracy
Another country is free
from dictatorship
Hello perestroika, hello happiness
The red flag no longer
fills us with dread
The Soviet Union helped
its brother nations,
so do we have the right
to call them our occupiers?
Of course not.
Johannes Leninovitch Tarkkinen.
Come here.
You look like a traffic light.
Dumle... Nazi chocolate.
Your mother brings you presents
that a Soviet child does not need.
Please explain to your comrades
how the Western world
makes you happy.
Imagine a world where
people and robots live together.
And which has a whole mountain
of Dumles in it.
And cities where people
live in skyscrapers.
Ladies and gentlemen,
our perfect plastic world
presents our sponsor
Johnson & Johnson.
We are very worried
about Johannes
and his troubling behaviour.
He used to be proud of his
patronymic, Leninovitch,
but now he imagines that
the West is a heaven on earth,
sponsored by
Johnson & Johnson.
Johannes, come and sit down.
Do you think I'm a bad mother
because I work in Finland?
Is my son a moron
for dreaming of the wrong things?
This is not about ideology.
- What then?
Here we have a complaint
from Lidia Durder...
Durdebayeva. Lidia is an illiterate
from a backwater town!
Nevertheless,
her complaint is on my desk
and she writes that
your son has attacked her son.
It was Gena who attacked me!
Johannes, be quiet.
Johannes, would you want
your mother to stay here
and not go to Finland?
What do you want?
To move to the West!
What are you writing there?
How dare you?
- What are you doing?
THE BOY HAS NO FATHER...
How dare you.
- Comrades, calm down.
Wait, miss.
Think about what you're doing.
I warn you.
We'll be forced to contact
the Commission for Minors.
I don't have much of a choice.
Johanna!
Wait.
Johanna!
Try knocking your own head!
I'll tell the officials that you are
living here without a permit.
Wait, Lidia.
- I'm fed up with this.
I would like to pay
a few months' rent.
What?
- In cash.
I don't need your charity.
I get Tamerlan's pension and...
Are you serious?
The rouble is worthless.
It's as good as toilet paper.
But I will pay you.
In Western currency.
And as a bonus,
a few bottles of Johnson & Johnson.
I want to apologise.
I'm sorry it wasn't me
who lost the eye.
Fine.
But I still forbid our children
from playing together.
How is your finger?
Can you move it?
Everything is correct.
One fourth of my salary.
That's what they all say,
but you can't be too careful with money.
How much would it cost
to take my son to Finland with me?
Could it be arranged somehow?
"Lapin Kulta."
Foams just like in the Western ads.
Tastes like capitalism, too.
I think it can be arranged.
But it will be a bit more expensive.
Twenty thousand.
Twenty thousand?
Finnish marks?
Well, not dollars of course.
I'm not a huge arsehole,
just a small one.
Nothing was free
in the Soviet Union,
particularly friendship.
Hi!
What the hell's that gadget
on your balcony?
A satellite dish.
Do you use it to contact aliens
or American spies?
Americans speak to me through
thousands of channels.
Thousands?
And do you still have
those super Dumles?
Catch!
Are you an idiot?
Can't you throw properly?
I have plenty of them, don't worry.
You can take what you want.
You need to peel it
before eating.
Peel the rest yourself.
- Okay.
You know, in the Soviet Union
you eat bananas with your eyes closed.
I came here to watch TV,
not sit around with my eyes closed.
Wow...
Vera would love that.
True.
Vera, listen...
I'm begging you.
Let's play together for one last time.
Oh, how cool.
It's not a Sky Dancer Barbie,
but close enough.
But this is...
- Soviet Ken, yes.
Let's play father and mother.
Vera and I slept during the day
and played at night.
Not even Soviet propaganda
could keep us awake.
Being sleepy we never noticed
that the world around us
was changing quicker
than ourselves.
Good day.
I am from the Commission for Minors.
Galina Arbusova.
Could we talk about Johannes?
Johannes's problems started
immediately after his mother left.
Yes... what kind of problems?
He slept during classes
throughout last semester.
Slept?
Has he been sleeping during the day
on his summer holidays as well?
He runs through
fields and meadows during the day.
Johannes?
Of course I sleep.
What else would I be doing at night?
Yes, and he sleeps at night.
Well I'll be...
Lights and everything.
It's comrade Gorbachev himself.
Even dressed in
his yellow sportswear.
And who is that doll?
- This is my family.
This skinny Barbie is
from the West.
And this meatball Gorbachev
is from the East.
Your family, huh...
Poor child.
Okay then.
Let's play together.
Good day,
comrade Gorbachev.
Could comrade Gorbachev
introduce this American lady...
...to our Soviet country?
In the Soviet Union
people have to queue everywhere.
Nobody has sneakers.
We only have one type of
chocolate and beer.
Bananas are a luxury of the few,
and during the winter
we only eat pickles.
Comrade Gorbachev!
How rude of you to talk like that
about your home country.
You should be put
under house arrest.
You didn't let me finish,
comrade therapeutic doll.
We may have shortage of many things,
but love is not one of them.
When you're in love,
you need nothing but air to breath.
Well, that was nicely said.
What else does
a Soviet person who's in love need?
Dear heavens, no.
Nothing like that.
Look at me.
Before a kiss
you need to look a girl in the eye.
The eyes tell you
if a girl wants to kiss you or not.
Otherwise
you'll get a slap in the face.
You understand?
You are so sweet.
You have such a lovely boy.
- Thank you.
Hello.
Hi.
The boy is just in love.
And it's hard to sleep
when you're in love.
I think that you should
officially apply for
Johannes's legal custody.
Think about it.
Thank you for your hospitality.
See you.
Do you want to get Grandma
and Granddad evicted?
Hi.
- What's the situation?
Can we come?
- Grandma knows about us.
Here, catch.
What is this?
I'm sorry,
but the Dumles are finished.
I'll figure something out.
- You'd better.
And you can have
your crappy chocolate bar.
How are our children?
- They fell asleep to the anthem.
I want to see them.
Hey, what are you doing? Get back.
Are you crazy?
- Calm down, I'm just joking.
Gena is organising
some sort of "military exercise".
I need to go, they're calling me.
See you tomorrow.
- See you.
Even though the world around us
had changed so much,
Vera and I frolicked around
just like before.
We were sure that
nothing would change between us.
Your finger is almost healed.
Can you see anything?
I can see something.
Ouch!
Take a look at this.
My own troop carrier.
Death to Afghans!
Are you the two Afghan terrorists
these guys have been looking for
all over the Soviet Union?
Don't be afraid. Hop on.
You can show us the way to Tallinn.
Come on, youngsters.
Let's rejoice.
Hurray! Hurray!
Well, youngsters...
We have a slight problem.
We're out of gas,
so the war ends here.
The battle was shorter than expected.
I propose a toast.
It is sad how everything
ends without a battle.
The sun setting on the Soviet Union.
I think this is a perfect moment.
- For what?
Johannes!
What are you doing on a tank?
Where did you come from?
- Be quiet.
You can't begin to understand
what's going on.
Listen, not a single word
in Russian now.
Are you Estonians or Russians?
- We are Ingrians.
And a few Chechens
in the back seat.
And you?
- A Tatar.
What an international taxi you have.
See any Russian tanks on your way?
- Only a small one.
And it had run out of gas.
You happen to have
a can of gas in your trunk? - No.
Do you mind if I check?
Have a safe journey!
Where have you been?
Answer me!
I already called the militia.
Have you been...
...playing war again?
March! Go to your room.
Right this instant!
I see you're unable
to stick to what we agreed.
I want you gone
by tomorrow morning.
Lidia...
Have you been watching
the news lately?
What about it?
- You may be the one who is thrown out.
When Estonia becomes independent,
drunk Soviet soldiers and their families
will be the first to be thrown out.
Start packing.
We'll leave for Finland in the morning.
You're grounded until then.
I don't want to go to the West!
The president of the Soviet Union,
Mikhail Gorbachev, has been unseated.
...Is going to impose a curfew
on the areas where resistance arises.
The streets of Moscow are full of
tanks and crowds of people...
...Moscow is now
filled with war equipment.
Various tanks and troop carriers
have rolled into the city.
They are there to prevent
any illegal activities.
Meanwhile, Yeltsin has declared
the coup illegal
The Soviet army already prepared for
this show of force at Easter.
But this is no drill.
President Gorbachev has been overthrown.
the country is under martial law
and it is led by the Committee
on the State of Emergency...
People are stunned
by the presence of the tanks,
and some people
have blocked their path,..
We survived Lenin and Stalin.
And the Great Patriotic War.
We'll survive this as well.
What? Are you crazy?
A little.
- Did you climb here?
You're crazy...
Where is Gena?
- He's being punished.
Wonderful. Finally.
Give me a hand.
Vera, my mum wants to take me
with her to the West.
May I have this dance?
Have you packed already?
Johannes?
You dance pretty well for a first-timer.
This is not my first time.
Uncle Kolya and Grandpa taught me.
I'm sorry, but I need to see
both of your eyes.
Mum. Johannes has run away.
Where has he gone?
- To Lidia's place.
Vaikki!
You Estonians came to
drive us out already?
Johannes is here.
- How dare you!
Johannes, are you there?
- Damn.
Johannes?
Vaikki, come on, will you!
Hurry, break the door open.
- Let's not break anything.
Vera, open the door!
Johannes, listen to a specialist.
Listen to us. Open the door!
A war is about to begin.
Congratulations. Soviet romance.
Congratulations. Good boy.
Get the hell out of here.
What now?
I didn't come empty-handed
this time either.
I can't accept this.
- Listen...
Let me play a millionaire for once.
Soon I'll be just a cleaning woman
at a nursing home.
Although life in Finland was different,
it became clear to me
that people were the same everywhere.
Life remained pretty much the same.
If in the Soviet Union people
had money but nothing to buy,
in the West it was
the other way around.
Although I finally had
my mother to myself,
after my first kiss I realised
that I also needed a girlfriend
IN MEMORY OF
EERO "VAIKKI" VIROLAINEN