Original subtitles

SOUTHERN UKRAINE - SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ESCALATION OF THE WAR

Hello.

This area is restricted. Turn around.

You can't stay here.

Can you point us toward the dunes?

Turn the car around. Or we'll have to search you.

SEAGULL

They're all naked?

What's this all about?

I don't know.

Mykhailo, this doesn't interest you?

No.

The most important thing in life, even more so in science is…

No distractions!

If you want to achieve some success don't waste time on random events.

Good afternoon! Could you direct us to the sand dunes?

Let's go.

From this point we go on foot.

What are you looking for?

A steppe groundhog.

We're documenting all the rare flora and fauna in the region.

The groundhog is endangered in Ukraine.

It's already in the Red Book.

Yesterday, someone posted a photo of one online.

Some local guy.

Down!

Down!

Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight,

how to get from shore to food and back again.

Do you want sesame or parmesan on your porridge?

Parmesan…

For most gulls, it is not flying that matters,

but eating.

For Jonathan, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.

More than anything else, Jonathan Seagull loved to fly.

-Good morning! -Morning.

I am late for work because of your readings.

You could have joined us for breakfast.

I have a right to a personal life, don't I?

You do.

-But what does he want here? -Nothing. He loves me.

Loves you… Since you were kids.

Which is why he's been married twice.

Just not to you, somehow.

Life isn't as simple as you imagine it.

I married the wrong person, too…

So, now he's going to marry you?

So what is all this roaming about?

He comes and goes.

Do you know his whereabouts when he's not here?

He advises the mayor.

He's always busy… With this and that.

This and that.

Do you know the rumor about him and the Mayor?

Yura!

People at his level aren't good or bad. They're just… different.

More complicated.

Yura, do you know anything about cryptocurrency?

Currency of the future, they say.

An American is in town teaching how to earn millions with crypto…

Some are already making money, even retirees!

Ma, cryptocurrency is old news. Steer clear of it.

Businessmen, politicians are investing…

and they'd never go for it if it was risky…

I want to learn all about it.

What do you think?

And what does Ruslan have to say?

We don't talk about money.

What if he thought I was asking…

Fine. Go if you want.

It's at night. I'm afraid to go alone.

Let me think about it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Good morning, Ksenia!

Why are you all always pawing at these lions?!

Good morning!

-Is Mykhailo in? -No, he isn't.

He hasn't arrived yet.

Good morning!

-Mykhailo and I… -He's not at his desk today.

And the two of you are looking at a severe reprimand.

We got photos of the people setting the forest fires.

And then Mykhailo disappeared.

-Don't you want to see the photos? -I don't.

And you don't want to call the police?

I'll be informed if there's anything I need to know.

Wait!

Try and understand. I don't need any adventures just now.

Three times already they've tried to put me into retirement…

I had to call in a favor from Kyiv. You know how much my pension will be?

A whole hundred dollars a month.

Yura, dear boy, I need to be as quiet as a mouse.

No scandals, no forest fires, no police…

This place is a museum. Nothing more.

I don't want to hear, see, or know anything.

Not even about Mykhailo?

Don't get upset.

You're young. You can still take risks…

But don't go to the police just now.

This situation calls for wisdom.

THE TRUTH OF THE STEPPE

I need to see the editor in chief.

CULTURAL DEPARTMENT

Grab a chair!

Well,

I can publish it.

But what would be the point?

So, publish it then.

Some regional council deputies might see it.

This is their newspaper, after all.

Where'd you get the idea they read the newspapers?

Or that they read anything at all?

-My Director told me. -Who?

Ah!

Darling Nadia!

What a beauty she was!

So cheerful! And those dimples!

I tried for her…

Didn't stand a chance!

But you did publish that official who lay down in front of that truck.

That was a campaign gimmick he came up with prior to the election.

He aims the mayor chair!

Everybody wants to be a mayor these days.

DEPUTY BLOCKS TRUCK FULL OF ILLEGAL TIMBER

You've got a tough job.

Yes…

Nadia, poor girl…

Back when I was thinking about how I would ask her out, she went to Kyiv

to secure funding for the museum

and got involved romantically

with the Deputy Minister of Culture.

He gave her a pair of Adidas trainers. So hard to find back then.

Let's go!

Raiders! They want to take over the building!

I won't surrender!

I am the working staff here!

I've dedicated my entire life to this paper!

Get shots of the cars! The license plates!

Go to the editor at Pectoral with your forest fire story!

They have a decent circulation! Actual subscribers!

And tell them about this situation, too!

People will read it. That'll get people fired up…

The police will finally take action…

Without it, no one will ever do anything…

Film me!

This is an assault on journalism!

I'll crack myself with this crowbar,

Cover myself in blood and call the cops!

We have witnesses! You want to spend your lives behind bars, you bastards?!

Hello! I work with Mykhailo at the museum.

Tell me, please, do you know where he is?

I can hear you in there!

You can see I'm not here to rob you.

You could at least say "I don't know."

Here's a history teacher with his senior students.

Hundreds of thousands of views.

Went viral. Likes, shares…

They made him school principal.

Here we've got a shaman. Went viral.

This is to give you an idea what makes the buzz.

Programs, speeches and phony sincerity don't cut it anymore.

Words don't move. You need something primal, simple, powerful.

I'm proposing a strategy

to shape a fresh social media image for our candidate.

Vivid, sexy, and viral.

We'll need bloggers, influencers and celebrity astrologers.

-This this sexy? -Shut up.

Focus on how to win the election.

They say he's dead…

Fake.

That's our reality.

Well…

We published this one last year…

This one too.

This is just… creepy.

Start thinking about how to get it done.

He's our Mayor! Not in the best of health but we'll set him right…

Do your best.

We'll give it our best.

I say, we're publishing today. Just leave and I'll pass it on…

I've got a scoop.

Here's an influencer for you!

Waiting for the results.

Come on in.

CAUSE BEHIND ILLEGAL FOREST FIRES UNCOVERED

Have you shown this to anyone else?

Anybody seen these?

The Truth of the Steppe,

but the editor wouldn't take it.

Outstanding! I'll take it!

Do you have a blog?

No.

Just Facebook, Instagram… But I haven't posted it yet…

That's good. It's our exclusive now!

We don't publish what's already on Facebook.

Look out the window.

Come on.

What do you see?

A forest on fire.

Not so far. I mean, right outside the window?

Private homes… A broken-down fence…

-A curse word painted on it. -What does it say?

"Putin is a dickhead."

Hardly a curse word anymore, more like a folk song. What else do you see?

There's a flag.

But it's torn. They need to fix it.

Okay!

Everyone sees the forest!

And the curse word. But nobody takes notice that the flag is torn.

You want to work here?

We need a social media manager.

-No. I'm a researcher, actually… -Come on.

Give us a try. You'll like it here. We're a working paper! Journalism!

The fourth estate!

You can make some money here.

You can still write about science.

"Wife Flees Abuser. Jumps from High-Rise Balcony.”

M?

Pretty cool?

People will love it. A story to enjoy on the bus or at the hairdresser.

Now we give it some detail.

Readers love details.

What floor did she jump from? Fourth floor, maybe. Let's give her a chance.

Her dress catches on the balcony and tears as she falls.

Tree branches below the balcony…

Details need to be precise,

so we need to pick a tree… Chestnut or walnut…

-Or what do you think? -Maybe a cherry tree.

Or a maple.

The cherry branches slow her fall,

but strip off her dress completely.

A nearly naked woman lands in a children's play yard –

erotic detail always draws them in.

That's one possibility. But tragedy works even better.

She falls from the ninth floor and lands on a construction site…

An illegal, of course.

A metal rod pierces her heart. Her husband commits suicide.

But how?

Well, maybe he jumped too…

Boring!

Boring! We need a hook. A mystery.

So, let's say he shot himself.

-But where did he get the gun? -Aha! There's our mystery!

The closer: Police are now investigating where the man acquired the gun.

The word "police" here is like a kill shot,

nobody will ever doubt that the story is completely true.

But they can check it…

where it happened, when…

No one cares.

Nobody gives a shit about facts.

If you've hooked the reader emotionally, no one will check a thing.

No, thanks. I can't work like this.

Sorry.

Turns out we still have a few normal people here.

WITH PERFECT SPEED - YOUR FIRST MILLION

Do you know when the coach is supposed to come?

-It's almost 1 a.m.… -Don't worry! He'll be here.

You'll calm down just by looking at him.

He's got these blue eyes. Blue as the sky in springtime…

Good to see you! You work at the insurance, right?

And a few other places, too.

So many opportunities, can't miss any. Need to stay in the thick of it.

This is a circus act. You're not falling for it, right?

Let's get out of here.

It's 3 a.m.

Those really are some blue eyes…

And yet another kiosk owned by Dmytro Krasnyi on fire.

Krasnyi is running against the incumbent mayor in the election.

And leader of the More Action Party,

he wants to become mayor.

Everyone knows that fire safety rules

are ignored at his retail spots.

A fact just as obvious to Mr. Krasnyi himself.

Mr. More Action is Mr. No Action when it comes to customer safety!

Think about it: he knew this for years and did nothing about it.

Here we are:

a short circuit and a fire about to spread to nearby houses.

Is this the kind of Mayor our city needs?

THE NO LIMITS PARTY - SOLID MANAGERS

You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan,

in the moment that you touch perfect speed.

And that isn't flying a thousand miles an hour,

or a million, or flying at the speed of light…

Because any number is a limit,

perfection doesn't have limits.

Perfect speed, my son, is being there.

We just need to see everyone as they truly are.

No readings today?

Where's your boyfriend?

His name is Ruslan.

I asked you a hundred times: call him by his name.

Fine, Mom. Ruslan.

…This is what I call love.

Find the bird there who loves to fly.

Would you like a sandwich?

to feel the joy of flight…

Today's Pectoral, please.

Thank you.

Ksenia, what happened to the lion?

What could he have done that made she want to jump off the balcony?

Young men are all assholes these days.

Why so?

Because nobody educates them.

True.

So, did she survive?

Yura, dear boy,

Nadiia said that you and Mykhailo don't work here anymore.

She mentioned staff cuts…

What staff cuts?

I haven't heard a thing.

Based on what?

Yura, her dismissal slip is in front of you on your desk.

She's not in today.

Gone to Kyiv. Yesterday.

To the Ministry. Applying for money for the museum.

Hello? Ruslan, finally!

Listen, some people broke into our flat. They say they're police.

They're conducting a search.

No, I haven't been shown any documents.

Hang on. There's a Major Maksym Kovalenko here.

No, they haven't shown me a warrant.

They're accusing Yura of something.

-I couldn't read it… -Neither have I read the warrant!

Are you out of your mind? You're calling me an arsonist?!

Yes.

Please, come! I'm so scared.

Name and surname?

Yuriy Pidhainy.

Place of work?

I'm asking where you work. Where?!

I'm a journalist.

I work at the Pectoral newspaper.

Good morning!

Finished your search? Can we say goodbye now?

I haven't finished with my report.

Finish it later.

Your witnesses can sign it later.

They don't seem to be in any hurry, do they?

Thank you.

You forgot this. We don't need anything that isn't ours.

Gentlemen, turn out your pockets!

Anything else you might have left here?

You'd better check. In case something else fell out…

What about my phone? Give me back my laptop!

Don't you worry. They'll return everything.

Let's drink some tea.

I brought fresh doughnuts.

I've loved doughnuts since I was a kid.

My grandmother made them all the time.

So you quit your job at the museum?

I didn't quit. I was laid off.

What work did you do there?

-Looking for the steppe groundhog. -The groundhog?

Why?

They're endangered.

If we prove that it's still here,

we can list our steppe and forest in the Emerald Belt of Europe.

Interesting. And then what?

Then we're part of a European network of territories

of significant natural resources, home to rare plants, animals and birds.

If we can get our forest included, then it becomes a European Preserve.

Protected from forest fires.

My friend and I caught the guys setting the fires on camera.

Then he went missing and now they're trying to pin the fires on me.

Can you do something about the actual perpetrators?

The forest is on fire nearly every day.

Forest management is under the authority of the regional council.

-The city council handles… -Got it. You couldn't care less.

Even if the entire forest burns.

It'll make a desert out of the city. It'll be sandstorms and tornadoes!

Look up a tornado online!

And this is my "thank you".

The buffets were better ten years ago –

champagne, cognac, ham!

I like to cover the fishery inspectors,

they always serve crayfish!

With elections a month away we'll get buffets every day!

The Mayor's been in a coma for the last three months.

The election will be rescheduled.

You're a journalist. Read the law!

Elections can only be postponed during a state of emergency or martial law.

Who says the Mayor is in a coma?

-A credible source. -You've seen a photo?

No? Fake news!

THE NO LIMITS PARTY - SOLID MANAGERS

Our glory will arise!

The glory of Ukraine and the world of light.

Shining gently!

Brothers, embrace one another!

I implore you!

And now…

a few words from our representative, our deputy Vasyl Sirenkyi.

Dear compatriots!

You have dreamt about this gas line,

and today, you have it!

Another promise kept.

Gas for every home.

With your continued support for the With No Limits Party,

we will be the masters of our land.

We will live in the way handed down by our forefathers.

Following our faith

and our laws.

That's all I've got!

What, it's not staying here?

Seems so. They told us: put it up in the morning.

Then we saw that everyone left…

So, we thought:

why let it go to waste here in the field?

We can make good use of this.

No faces, and keep the plates out.

Fine. Nothing visible.

And the pipeline?

They ran gas into our village ages ago. We laid the pipe ourselves.

Can you drop me at the highway?

I need to get back to the city.

Yeah.

Stop! I'll get off here!

This is wild honey. From the forest.

Didn't get much, though.

You had to run away?

From the fires?

Yeah. From the fires…

The sunflowers are blossoming, so we moved.

My friend's gone missing.

The one who went to the forest with us.

Disappeared. No one knows where he is.

Or if he's alive.

He's alive.

He'll turn up soon.

How do you know?

The voices.

When I need to know something, I ask them.

What do you ask them?

About where to find honey.

Whether the bees are healthy.

Have you asked about the forests?

About the arsonists?

No. Why would I?

Let's turn in.

You want to sleep inside or outside?

I like to sleep outside.

I'll sleep outside.

Here, put this on your skin. Keeps the mosquitoes away.

Have you ever asked the voices…

when all this chaos will end?

And we get some order here, finally?

"Here"?

Well, here.

In Ukraine.

When will the government govern?

When will the war end?

I've asked.

When you see our flag raised on every home,

then it will be Ukraine.

And that's it?

Did they say anything else?

Nothing.

And when there's no flag?

What will be there?

I don't know. They didn't say.

Just some random piece of land.

I sent you on a press-tour to write a promo piece.

What's this?

You either work in our news team or you go be a freelance artist.

And I don't mean that as an insult.

Just that it means barefoot and naked. Got it?

The editor tells you "promo" then promo is what you deliver.

If an earthquake hits

and the client plunges into the abyss…

We make it a promotional piece! We were paid to produce this.

"Promo"?

It was a sham. There is no gas pipeline.

Not our business if there is or isn't a pipeline.

Damn it, Yura! Damn it!

I…

My head is splitting because of you!

Get out! I need to think about what to do with you.

Why hasn't my arson article been published yet?

It's very rare that you submit a story and it gets published immediately.

Especially with the elections. If there's a slot, I'll post it.

If not, then after the elections.

You're worried about your payment?

Here. Take it.

Enjoy.

I don't see my article listed in the editorial cloud.

Upload it with the photos, in case it's gone from your server…

No! No one – not even the author – gets anything until publication.

And, you've been paid.

Here. This is the Mayor's speech.

I need it to go viral.

Oh, boy. Technology is really something else.

-Are you trying to say something? -No sir, boss!

-Do you have a problem? -It's pure genius!

I'm excited for the Mayor. And for us.

May God grant him good health.

Dear friends, Ignore the enemies' lies! I'm alive, right here with you!"

THE NO LIMITS PARTY - SOLID MANAGERS

When my mother was ill

I dropped out of the university and started looking for a job.

My parents were against it, but I took a loan, and enrolled on Bob's seminar.

To afford my utilities, for years all I ate were potatoes.

Two potatoes at breakfast. Three at lunch.

One potato for dinner!

Living like that caused all my teeth to fall out.

Now, mom is the picture of health. And I've been able to buy my own flat.

You see this? I'm wearing a ten-thousand dollar watch!

I'm a regular at the most exclusive clubs alongside the richest people in Ukraine!

And I have the best dental implants money can buy. Check out my smile now!

…Volodymyr the Great, for instance.

One of his core traits, his leadership skills.

On the job, Volodymyr is a workaholic.

He pursues a task to its end.

Minor distractions irritate him.

He is a solid manager.

People who bear this name possess a rare gift…

And we are thus transformed into one enormous mind

possessing all knowledge.

We become incapable of error.

We simply know the correct path.

We possess a profound understanding of the nature of all things.

The same goes for elections.

People are united…

IT'S LADIES' CHOICE! THE LASSES DANCE FOR THE LADS

MORE ACTION! KRASNYI PROVIDES SOME STIFF COMPETITION.

GOD GRANT YOU HEALTH - CHRISTIAN PARTY DEPUTY'S CARDIO DANCE.

No, how could it be?

Vitalii! Where are feminine endings?

All the job titles in my article were gender specific.

I'm writing about gender equity among the parties.

And that requires gender-specific job titles!

Lera, we'll talk after lunch and I'll explain everything.

No! A woman is not "a candidate"!

She's a female candidate!

She isn't just "a photographer"! A female photographer!

Lera! We can't print "female photographer" in the paper.

The readers will laugh at us.

Not our female readers!

If not "female photographer", make it "woman photographer".

I am a female journalist, a female photographer or woman photographer.

That's how it should read in the paper.

I was trying to save column space…

Save space? It's two letters!

NIKA, WHERE ARE YOU? THIS PAGE IS NOT AVAILABLE

Stop shouting, you're a girl after all!

Here, a comb! Tidy yourself up!

-Do something with this mess! -You have no right!

It's a trusted newspaper! What would a reader say if they came in?

Lera, sweetheart.

If I'm writing about a robbery at a shop

if women were involved, do I need to write "criminals and female criminals"?

I get you're paid to give us a hard time gender-specific job title nonsense.

But what if I don't want to be called a "female journalist"?

I just want to be called a journalist. Am I within my rights?

You are.

I mean, who knows, maybe you identify as a man?

Or some other gender.

Am I right, Lera?

-Lera, dear. You're a specialist… -A female specialist.

Fine, a female specialist women's rights advocate.

Can you help me in advocating for the rights of trollists?

-The people who like three-way sex. -Screw off!

Lera, can we talk for a minute?

A friend of mine has disappeared from all her social media.

She was there yesterday, but now she's gone. She doesn't pick up the phone.

What do you think happened?

How old is she?

My age. We've been friends since university.

But I don't know where she lives.

This is Zhenia.

He's a makeup artist, a beautician, stylist and my friend.

He worked with your acquaintance.

-Hello. -Hi.

Huh.

The lion from the museum.

Yura?

My Yura?

Nika, are you alright?

I thought so! Domestic violence.

He…

took my phone…

"He said: you'll survive without a manicure or makeup artist."

Then he hacked my Insta!

He said: you will never… Never post on Instagram again!

Ok! I give up!

I give up!

What a man!

A drink for the best editor there is.

Happy birthday!

-Thanks! -Congratulations!

Friends…

Stop.

Lera,

Yura,

you know, it's my birthday today.

Congratulations, Vitalii!

We've prepared a gift for you! A front page splash!

Some bastard chained his victim to a pool ladder!

And he's in Parliament! A real gender-sensitive piece!

I'll write it today to get it in the next issue.

We've even got photos!

Happy birthday, Vitalii!

Thank you, Lera, my dear.

Did you know? They picked up Bob Trask yesterday.

Trying to escape to Crimea.

Fake. There's no restrictions.

-Nobody is arrested. -What do you mean, "fake"?

I'm writing about it for tomorrow's edition.

He made 160 million here and tried to run using a fake passport.

But…

The boys in Customs can sniff out a payday…

-Oleg's been working on it for a month. -I work like a dog.

-The man with the golden pen. -And I lay golden eggs, too!

Golden eggs, right.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the best editor of the best paper in Ukraine!

A little gift for you –

The regional council has approved your 'Transparent Government' project

with a budget of…

Whoopee!

500 000 Ukrainian Hryvnia!

The newsroom's getting a new water cooler!

A drink to the cooler!

Nika! Baby!

Dear girl, what are you doing here?

I rushed home with gifts for you…

And you found a length of chain inside the house!

My sense of humor… I apologize. There were no bad intentions.

Already this morning I went to get you some gifts.

I found this gorgeous dress for you! You've never had anything like it.

Accessorized it…

C'mon, I'll show you.

She's not going anywhere. I've called the police.

She will report domestic violence.

We have all the evidence. In tomorrow's edition, an article. With photographs!

Photographs? No "female photographs"?

Where do you propose she lives?

Do you have an apartment for her? A house?

Maybe a cot in a corridor someplace?

Sweetheart. Don't listen to her.

What does she know about family life? About love?

Think: what's she getting you into?

You didn't take your pajamas,

are you really going to get any sleep on a cot?

Imagine your morning.

Sure, they'll get you a toothbrush…

What about your skin creams?

You're going to stop wearing lipstick…

like this good girl here?

Toxic patriarchal misogyny!

-Hilarious, Lera! -That's our female gender scholar.

Dear girl, you don't understand a thing.

This isn't about money. I'm talking about love.

Oh!

-A toast! To love! -A sacred thing.

He'll just put her back in chains.

Nika, that's so wrong. I respect you deeply.

I've added you to our candidate list, you're in the top five!

Let's go, girl.

Nika, don't go.

And you, motherfucker, if I ever see your face again,

I'll tear you apart.

Good evening, everybody!

Hello!

-Hi, there. -Hi.

How's it going, Mykola?

Better with each day!

Let's count the donations.

Thanks for walking me down.

-I'll see you tomorrow! -Bye.

They asked to send the welding machine as well.

А gas cylinder

and eight shower stalls.

The Marines have ordered another 60 kits.

All right. Thanks. Goodbye.

Can I take some pics?

Don't open it!

-Why are you pounding on the door? -Liudmyla, is it your son?

Tell him that tomorrow you may lose your flat.

You signed a contract, right? So, open up! Let's talk!

Mom, what is this?

-Trask was picked up. -So what? He's your nobody?

-I gave him all our money. -We don't have any money.

I took a loan from the insurance manager.

What do you want?

-We need to talk. -Come back in the daytime!

Your mother's never here during the day.

-Where is Ruslan in all this? -He doesn't know anything.

I was trying to earn without depending on him.

Police: night desk. How can I help?

Police! Hello!

-Police! Some thugs are breaking in! -Who are they?

I don't know them.

Come now! We're at 8 Lytovska Street, apartment 5.

Are you nuts? Why are you involving the cops?

They'll take the flat, we'll be all left with nothing.

Police! Come now!

What are they saying? What reason do they give

for busting in?

I don't know.

They said something about a debt.

That they'll repossess our flat.

Well, debts need to be paid.

You didn't ask for my advice, not a word. This is absurd. Insane!

Who could I have talked to?

You?

You're 27. You…

don't bring anything in and aren't even trying to.

And I am terrified!

I lost my job. You lost yours…

What's next?

Ruslan is here today, but what about tomorrow?

I don't know what tomorrow holds.

I'm looking for work, but nobody will hire me!

Only as a cleaning lady.

I'm…

an experienced tourism manager who can't get hired.

Because I'm a woman and I'm 50.

Do you…

have any idea…

what it's like to be a 50-year-old woman

and unemployed?

No husband and a son with no ability to earn.

PUTIN IS A DICKHEAD

I re-wrote it myself like the promotional piece.

Take a look.

A NEW GAS PIPE WAS OPENED

I'll pay for the photos.

But the by-line and payment are mine. What else do you have?

-About volunteer corps. -Let me see it.

I've posted it on our page.

Okay, I see.

VOLUNTEERS AT FRONT FOR SIXTH SUMMER

Huh. I thought that was still only a thing up in Kyiv…

Look. Five years back we did this feature on this retired wounded vet.

Back then it got a lot of interest. He was this hero.

Because we thought the war would be over soon.

We're on the Crimean border… It can break out anytime.

And you think if we write about it every day it'll change something?

People won't think about the war until they see the Moscow tanks rolling in.

They want to eat, drink, fuck, pray.

They're just people.

Okay.

I won't delete this yet… But I'm not going to pay you for it, either.

Keep this in mind: All we need are

readers and ad buys.

Ad buys and readers.

-If we don't write about the war… -You won't get far in this job.

You don't care about money…

And you come and ask me to lend you some money.

Out of the blue!

I want to make money!

Okay.

Vitalii.

-Anton, my boy. -Yes?

Yura here says he'd like to earn some money.

Would you care to show him how it's done?

Okay, fine. Has he got something?

It's pretty easy.

You send the client a compromising article. Plus photos if you've got 'em.

Give him a few hours to think.

Then call him up and ask for a meeting.

Meet with him and make him an offer he can't refuse.

He pays you off.

Half goes to the editor, you keep the rest.

Easy-peasy!

Damn, what the…

Listen, how's it going with our feminist?

Feminists are so hot.

Can't control it. I see a feminist and I'm hard as stone. Instantly…

What about this Vasia we're going to? What's he do?

Don't worry about Vasia. He'll survive.

He did something stupid and needs to pay.

Journalists are all doing this.

How else we going to survive?

What we're doing doesn't even offend businessmen.

This is also a kind of business.

TWILIGHT FUNERAL HOME V.V. SIRENKYI - OWNER

Hello.

Thank you for finding the time to see us…

Hello!

A relative?

Not really…

The website reported that he died from Covid.

That's not a good idea.

DMYTRO KRASNYI

What's all the shooting about?

They're from Grief, our competitors.

Nothing to worry about.

Things don't always work out quite like you'd like.

What matters is be determined

and don't back down.

We'll send him a final warning tomorrow…

You did well. You didn't panic or get stupid.

You've got potential…

Good work.

Let me out, please.

THE ARSONIST: I WAS DRUNK.

WANTED TO GRILL MUSHROOMS

All my material – both photos and videos – it's all gone.

The thing is, who needs them?

There's no point.

What do you mean, no point?

We can take it to court…

You didn't set those fires.

There's no point.

It's not worth it.

That forest isn't worth the trouble.

It's pine.

Planted by some real half-wits.

They thought planting pine would preserve the wilderness.

But pines suck up all the water.

Kills all the other trees.

Grass won't even grow near a pine.

Let it burn.

Let them cut it down.

A new forest will grow.

You never mentioned it before.

I love this place, Yura. All of it.

So much I could weep.

It's so beautiful here,

Loved it since I was a boy.

I need to get those photos back.

THE TRUTH OF THE STEPPE

Witnesses, let's go.

Yura!

Over here!

I've lost the battle of my whole life.

Take this.

The whole truth is in there.

I've been collecting since the Communists.

Information on every one of them.

For when the occasion comes.

The truth can't be buried.

It'd be such a shame

if it gets lost.

Well…

Take care.

Hey, love your case! Where'd you get it?

Seriously. How much did you pay? I'll buy it off you.

It's an inheritance.

It's not for sale.

PEKTORAL

MYKHAILO PIDDUBNIAK IS NO ARSONIST! POLICE INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL COVERUP!

NEW NOTIFICATIONS

VASYL SIRENKYI'S PHONY PIPELINE

POSTING…

LIKES, COMMENTS

Oh, fuck me!

You! Who the fuck do you think you are?!

You think you're holding all the cards!

You've got nothing!

You'll be dead and buried by tomorrow! And we'll only be minus one asshat!

What have you done for the paper?

I've put 20 years of my life into this! Twenty years!

My entire fucking life!

-What are you holding there? -Should we make it go viral?

Fuck. I don't want to see your face here anymore!

Out! I don't ever want to see you here again! Never! You bastard!

Motherfucker!

SHARE

POSTING…

Сast your vote for our candidate!

Who will you vote for?

For a candidate.

-Which one? -Krasnyi.

Сast your vote for our candidate!

How do you think the Mayor's coma will affect his ratings?

Will the competitor's sudden death affect the election?

You're like a kamikaze. Vitalii was hospitalized… You know?

No. What happened?

He always checks into the hospital when he smells danger.

Look what I've found about the arson in the forest.

Take a look.

I've put together information from a range of activist groups.

Here we've got photo documentation of setting the forest fires.

Look.

Tire tracks.

Bottles.

This truck loaded with timber

even made the TV news.

A police report was filed and then they were released.

Look… that same truck.

This is…

where they stored the timber from the fire.

It's a drone shot.

Some local activists tried to block the road…

But they were cleared out fast.

They did manage to get some shots of the truck drivers.

Look at that.

You see?

You're like Bellingcat…

Where is this?

Forty kilometers from here.

Do you live here? In the workshop?

I like it here.

My parents' place is too cramped; two rooms, my brother.

Sit down. I'll make tea.

I need to hide this briefcase safe where nobody will find it.

Is it possible?

There's an empty locker in the corner,

move the crate in front of it.

That stuff in crates…

What's it for?

One day the war will end. The soldiers will return.

They won't want to live the way we do now…

I'll go check the posts.

Be right back.

I feel like for the first time in my life I'm holding on to something real…

I used to swim there with my parents when I was a kid!

My dad would pull me out of the water when my lips turned blue from cold.

And then we'd sit under a tree and bake potatoes. Eat them with pickles!

I haven't been there for a thousand years.

Like you've been around for a thousand years.

C'mon. Let me show you the best spot on the boat.

Hello-o-o!

Hello-o-o!

When I was a kid I wanted to be a ship's captain.

And now who do you dream of becoming?

I don't know.

I tried to be a biologist.

Then I tried to be a journalist.

Why a journalist?

It was completely random…

I wanted to get the photos of the arson in the paper.

And wanted to help my friend.

So you brought the photos to the paper. Randomly went back to the museum.

Were you were randomly laid off.

Then you were randomly offered a job at the paper.

And you accepted. Randomly. Have you ever considered why?

Journalists are supposed to bring the truth to the public…

The truth. What for? Why?

-These questions: are you trolling me? -Not at all…

Have you ever noticed how it's nearly impossible

to have a serious conversation with anybody in this town?

The truth… Whose truth?

I write my truth,

it gets published,

and then it drowns in a bottomless sea of a million lies.

And nothing happens.

And nothing happens for me.

My life passes by.

Less and less time for anything to change.

What do I do to keep my truth from drowning?

I think things are happening. Just not as fast as we'd like.

All we can do is keep putting the truth out there. Over and over…

If you don't speak your truth, it turns toxic…

I'm not sure how to do it right.

Maybe you are?

SAWMILL

Volodymyr!

Congratulations are due on our mutual victory!

Can he hear me?

Our party has come out on top! Again, you are our democratically elected Mayor!

And those bastards with the reforms can…

go pluck themselves!

The key to the city!

So, no more lying around.

Our city needs its Mayor!

Do you hear me?

-Congratulations! -To our victory!

Get well soon!

Hi, there!

How you feeling?

Where's Lera?

She's fine.

Safe and sound.

Your mother's here too.

She worries about you.

"Here" – where is "here"?

What is this place?

This is the Seagull Eco Commune.

A wonderful place.

Here, we learn to foster our consciousness,

respect the environment,

love one another,

and find happiness in an imperfect world.

So you're cutting down and burning the forest sustainably too?

Wasn't that your sawmill where I was nearly killed?

Don't show up uninvited, and you won't get beaten.

It's not your forest.

This is the European Emerald Network.

You're a good kid.

I like you.

But you don't understand the reality we live in.

We think we're living today,

but in fact, our conception of today

is already yesterday.

The sunlight we see now is really the sun of eight minutes in the past.

What is the reality today?

Chaos.

How is a normal person supposed to live in this savagery?

This ruin?

You know that our country is rich.

We have the best soil in the world.

Foreigners dream of coming here,

taking control of everything,

making us their slaves.

But while we're in a state of chaos,

they don't know what to do with us…

Hell. They just can't survive it.

Listen,

I want to tell you Something very important.

Especially for you.

You're a young man.

Vigorous.

People trust you.

You will be well paid. No one will lay a finger on you.

Keep exposing the things that you and the public consider to be wrong.

-But… -What if I refuse?

I'm giving you the best offer you'll get.

I have to go.

We have a big event today.

You should come too. I'm asking this as a personal favor.

Mom, what are you doing here?

I live here.

And who's living in our flat?

Mom, are you okay?

Brothers and sisters,

we understand why we've gathered here today.

Our consciousness is connected to this place,

Our objective is crucial.

We have assembled to heal our friend,

our brother,

our Mayor,

Volodymyr.

Yura Yurai!

Yura Yurai!

Join hands.

That there is no “I” among us, but “We” together as one.

Let go of all thought.

Feel your muscles relax.

Release the good and the bad that arises within you.

Eyes focused on the world around us

distract us from our inner world.

So, let us close our eyes

and view our inner world.

As if we were not here.

And yet, we are here.

And we are a part of everything.

We are surrounded by nothing.

Nothing, but this void.

We are the void.

Dear Yura!

We seek your mercy!

Release this bird

in whom abides the spirit of perfection and immortality

of Jonathan Seagull!

May the almighty innate joy of his wings in flight

fill the heart of our friend!

Open it. Open the cage!

Jo-na-than!

Jo-na-than!

Dear Volodymyr! May your wings fill with strength

and may you soar

like the immortal seagull Jonathan!

Open your eyes.

I am alive.

Alive.

I am a solid manager.

I am a solid manager.

Who's there?

SOUTHERN UKRAINE

SIX MONTHS AFTER THE END OF THE WAR

These legendary heroes of Ukraine

confidently move across our territory.

Look into their eyes! Recall the price we paid.

Recall the work they undertook

that we might all again walk

with confidence in these woods and dunes.

The demining detachment of the 24th division of the Emergency Service

has finished demining of the remaining 120 hectares of the Oleshky Forest.

This area is now ready for afforestation.

Thank you, boys!

Among us today, noted politicians, celebrities, and goodwill ambassadors

from France, the United States, Great Britain and Germany.

And see the crowd of my fellow journalists

here today to cover this event.

Many prominent male and female bloggers…

We've gathered here to plant a new forest on the site of that which was burned.

Shoulder to shoulder alongside our friends, and reliable partners

we have overcome

the greatest threat to our world.

My dear Ukrainians,

we resisted the enemy!

And now, tree by tree,

we will restore our place in the European Emerald Network.

And you can be certain

we will give our all to protect it!

-Glory to Ukraine! -And to our heroes, Glory!

…even in the 5th century BC, he visited here and wrote,

that he had never seen more beautiful forests.

…Scythians, come from Hercules…

and that Scythians often married Amazons

and the Scythian custom where a girl can't marry until she kills an enemy.

Bye! Translation please. It's very important, thanks.

-Am I digging holes right? -Not bad.

You know how to dig a hole.

I know you've mastered it, too.

Investments? Green energy.

Windmills, solar panels, sea turbines.

This is the future. Green bonds have replaced cryptocurrencies.

While you were jumping hoops around Englishmen, we're running out of saplings…

And all the journalists are leaving…

They won't be getting any shots of an empty field…

Excuse me! You don't see me standing here?!

-One for us! -Give it here!

Here you go.

WE DEDICATE THIS FILM TO THE EDITOR VIKTOR ONYSKO -

A HEROIC WARRIOR, WHO DIED FIGHTING FOR UKRAINE'S FREEDOM

IN BATTLE AGAINST RUSSIAN OCCUPYING FORCES ON DECEMBER 30, 2022.