All language subtitles for A Siege Diary (2021) HD

FILM STUDIO 'SEPTEMBER'

WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY
OF CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

CINEMA FUND

THE RUSSIAN MILITARY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

On June 22 1941

Nazi Germany
invaded the Soviet Union

In 3 months German troops
completely surrounded

one of the biggest
Russian cities – Leningrad.

2,5 million civilians

found themselves in a closed trap.

The German commandment decided against
storming the city

to avoid extra losses

The order was instead
to suffocate Leningrad

with bombings, shellfire
and, most importantly, hunger.

Ration depots were destroyed.

Due to complete siege,
it became almost impossible

to either supply food
to the city or to escape it.

The Germans had no doubt
that after the first siege winter

the city would surrender

as there would be nobody left
to defend it:

most would die of hunger
and the survivors

wouldn't have any power to resist.

This film is based on the memories of
Olga Berggolts and her novel Day Stars

as well as on numerous memories
of the siege survivors,

including the Russian writer
Daniel Granin

All the events and characters are true.

They happened to be
and are not work of fiction.

February 1942.
The first winter of the siege.

Schaper!

Yeah, right on time!

Gunter!

Good morning, bridegroom!

How was the night?

Today is shooting the same
as yesterday? Mozart?

- Yes.
- Then we're waiting for your shot.

Franz! Mozart!

Mozart!

Freulein Ilner, hip-hip-hooray!

Hip-hip-hooray!
Hip-hip-hooray!

Thanks!

Thank you, Schaper!

Do you like it?

Are you out of your mind, Gretchen?

It's at least -20 here!

You'll catch a cold.

Schultz!

Yes, herr lieutenant!

Bring a Russian sheepskin
and a hat for freulien Ilner

Hurry up, only 5 minutes left.

Yes, herr lieutenant!

Gretchen, this is not Dresden,
this is Russia.

Don't get angry, my love.

I just wanted to please you
and your soldiers.

You're homesick, as the colonel said.

That colonel - dirty old bastard.

Don't be jealous.

This night I felt really great.

You're my hero.

You're my hero.

Stop it, Gretchen.

Thanks, Schultz.

- Thanks, Schultz.
- You're welcome.

Schultz.

Who do I look like?

You're... You're my snow queen!

Oh, I've got a surprise for you.

What kind of surprise?

Remember you told yesterday

you'd love to try shooting a cannon?

So, now you can do that.

- Me?
- Didn't you want it?

Yes but what if it hurts?

No, it doesn't.

Just pull the bell rope,

like in a fairy tale.

What's that?

Wait and you'll see.

Let's go.

Ready!

- Schaper!
- Please!

Thanks, Schaper. I'm so afraid.

Open your mouth.

Why?

Not to get deaf, sweetheart.

- I am scared.
- Don't be.

Just open your mouth

and wait for my order.

Fire!

Did you like it?

I can't hear.

Hold it. And now look in there.

Is that from my shot?

Yours as well.

Attention! Attention!

The district is under artillery fire!

Stop all movement

and find shelter!

A SIEGE DIARY

Hello, could we have one ice cream
for this piglet, please?

What's your name, pumpkin?

I'm not a pumpkin, I am Lyalya

Sure thing, Lyala, that I can see.

And your full name?

Olga.

<i>Olga.</i>

Eat, Lyalya, as long as you can.

Thank you!

<i>No pasaran!</i>

- See you later, alligator, what't your name?
- Lyalya!

You're not Lyalya, you're tru-la-la.

I'm not tru-la-la, I'm Lyala.

I guess, you're a taradiddle.

I'm not a taradiddle, I'm Lyalya.

- May be an artichoke?
- I'm no artichoke, I'm Lyalya.

May be an Eskimo?

Not an Eskimo.

- I'm Lyalya.
- Then really a pumpkin.

Just as the wise ice-cream seller said.

A secret! When I grow up
I want to become an ice cream seller.

- Really?
- Yes.

- May be a pastry seller?
- No.

Though pastry is also nice.

I love you so much, daddy!

I love you too, my sunshine.

My nice daddy.

I love you so much.

My dear daddy, the kindest,

the most handsome.

Daddy, I love you so much.

My daddy...

God, please.

I'm begging

you if you exist,

you if you exist, help me please.

Give me force to walk to daddy.

Give me energy, please.

God, I need to get to him.

God, I need to see him.

God, I'm begging you, please,

I need to say sorry to him.

God, please, give me force
just to see him.

Just to see him
and then you can take me.

Just for one day, one day only,

and then take me.

I miss him so much,
I want to see him so much.

God, give me force and one day

Please, only to get to daddy, please.

I need to walk to daddy.

I need to say sorry, God.

God, give me force

and one day, please.

Please, only to get to daddy, please.

All clear signal!

All clear signal!

I clearly remember that morning

when I woke up from that dream.

I was a little girl again,

and my father was next to me.

It was February 17th 1942.

Judging from the nearby explosions the
Germans had bombarded our neighborhood.

I got out of bed
to have breakfast and boil some water.

I ran out of matches long ago,

so I had to get fire
from kids' gunpowder caps.

They were old and didn't explode.

But on that morning everything
worked out right away.

It was the 5th month of the siege

and we were million years back
in to the past.

I was feeling myself like a primitive man

who woke up in his stone cave
in the Ice Age.

We were living in a small room,
which was easier to heat.

The windows were broken by the bombings,
So we covered them

with clothes and ply

not to lose warmth.

And we made ourselves a potbelly stove.

When all wood ran out
we had to heat it with furniture.

When we ran out of furniture
we would throw into the fire anything

that could burn, even books.

First, we threw the least valuable ones,

Then, we heated with novels
by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky,

Chekhov and now Pushkin.

But it didn't help –

the stove would heat up
just as quickly

as it would get cold.

So, the temperature in the room
was always below zero.

I remember that I was absolutely sure

I was going to die soon.

I had no more wish

or energy to live.

But before that

I had to walk to my dad.

I hadn't seen him since
when the siege began

and didn't know
if he was dead or alive

but I had to find him to say good bye

and, most importantly, to say sorry.

I had started getting ready
for that trip 2 weeks ago

after my husband died of hunger.

All these days he was in the next room.

I had no energy
to take him to the cemetery.

But I couldn't leave him
behind here either.

I agreed with the neighbor
that she'd help me

to bring his body to the morgue.

And after that I will go to daddy.

I put aside 4 slices of bread,

3 corn grains

and 2 cigarettes – to give to my dad.

Electricity in homes had been cut
for 2 months already

and no water was running.

Life stopped and stood dead,

and at times it seemed it was forever

The real salvation was the radio

which still worked in a destroyed city.

Sometimes it would broadcast
music or read poems.

But even when there
were no programs on,

the radio wasn't silent,
it was pacing with a metronome.

So people understood
that they weren't alone,

that there were still survivors,

that the city was still holding
and not giving up.

All transport in Leningrad had stopped

so I had to walk

through the whole city.

Dad worked as a surgeon
at a factory Hospital

and lived on the outskirts.

I'd planned my route in detail

but I wasn't sure I would get there.

I had no strength left,
it was freezing outside.

But I decided that better I die
on the way to dad

than in that tomb.

Get in.

Here you are.

Lyuba.

I didn't want to ask her for help

but she was the only one in our house

my husband's body to the morgue

who could still help me drag.

Now she had decided to stop
giving food to her daughter.

She realized she wouldn't
survive with 3 kids

and had to sacrifice one of them.

She chose the youngest daughter.

The baby was in the next room
screaming for a day already.

I'm leaving.
This bread is for the whole day!

Don't eat it all at once!

When the hand is here, eat one piece,

When it's there – eat the rest.

Nina will be splitting the bread,
all right?

Don't open the door to anybody!

No matter what they say.

Clear?

Valera, if you, little bastard,
take the bread away from Nina,

I will kick you out to the street!

Cannibals will make burgers out of you
and sell them in the street.

Do you get that?

Got what I said!? Got what I said!?

Mommy, no, please, not to cannibals!
I won't do it again! I got it! I got it!

Enough, shut up!

Don't open the door!

Lock it up.

- Where is he?
- Over there.

Put it down.

Don't just stare – help me.
Hold him by the legs.

So heavy

and he was thin as a match.

Hold it.

My yard.

People would throw corpses
right out of the windows.

People didn't have energy
even to carry them down.

The dead would lie there for weeks
in frozen apartments like in a fridge.

Relatives would get their bread tickets
as if they were still alive.

Then relatives would dump them
into the yard.

While our yard cleaner remained alive,

he would collect the corpses
and pile them up like wood.

Soon they would really
look like wood.

One couldn't tell from a distance.

Leningrad. My Leningrad.

It's never been as beautiful

as that first winter of the siege.

A totally empty city

veiled in white snow,

with crossing wires covered
in thick ice hanging above.

It looked like
a fairy underwater kingdom.

In this kingdom
there were no sounds,

no voices, no car noises, no barking,

no tweeting, nothing.

The transport stood still,
almost no people in the streets,

cats, dogs and even birds
had been all eaten up.

Dead still silence

where you could hear
only your own steps

and the squeak of the sledge behind.

Rare people with dirty dark faces

were crawling towards us.

We would use machine oil in lamps

and it smoked a lot.

So many people had faces
dark from dirt.

They were like ghosts crawling
slowly towards us

all covered with clothes from feet to head

and you couldn't even tell

if it was a man or a woman.

Water pipes in the houses
didn't work

so people would bring water
from the Neva river or the canals.

But in our neighborhood
there was a stand-pipe nearby.

People were spilling water and soon
this place turned into an ice mountain.

It had a crater at the very top.

I remember several corpses

lying at its foot.

They fell down and couldn't stand up,

gradually covered by water

and soon totally frozen into the ice,

like moths in amber.

In about half an hour
we reached the morgue.

We were lucky –
it was pretty close to our house.

They placed it in
the yard of the sports club

which used to be a pre-war shooting range.

I used to go there as a school girl
with my classmates to exercise.

Now they would bring there
corpses from all our district.

Sorry, for God's sake.

Hello!

Hi, dear.

We need to bury him.

Put it right there,

undertakers will take it.

But in a row.

Sorry, for God's sake,

but we need to be sure,
they will bury him.

You never know what can happen.

Ok. Then go to the undertakers,

they're taking them to the cemetery.

Damn.

Sorry, for God's sake. Hello.

Could you take our baby to...

There is no God.

Take it.

Come on.

That's it.

What?

That's it.

Here you're.

Take whatever you like.

You won't be back?

No, I won't.

And if your dad's dead?

I told you, I won't be back.

Wait.

I'm just begging you:

feed your baby.

None of your business.
You think you're the best?

Want everyone to die out like you!?

I remember

I looked at my husband

and couldn't recognize him
among other similar bodies.

I felt nothing.

Nothing broke in me
when I was saying goodbye,

not even a prick of emotion,

though I'd loved him very much.

That awful exhaustion
and hunger left me

with no human feelings alive.

My consciousness was deaf,
like muffled in dirty cotton wool.

I had only one fixed idea:

I need to walk to dad,

come what may.

And I walked on.

Nobody was cleaning the city,

it was all wrapped in snow,

so the streets seemed extremely wide.

It felt like walking in the field

with houses around somehow.

I decided I would walk slowly

in baby steps, saving energy.

And I would set small goals.

First, I should walk to the phone box

where a man was lying.

He wanted to hide from strong wind,

get some rest, warm himself,

but he got asleep and died.

Then I should walk to that corpse
at the end of the path.

There were foot wraps but no snow boots.

The city was flooded with corpses,

so volunteers couldn't
collect them in time.

The corpses would lie at the path borders,
their feet towards us.

People were walking, then would drop
in the snow and die.

Most of them had no boots on –

they would be taken off right away.

I remember seeing an old woman

right after the morgue,

she was dragging a sledge
with her grown up son.

For some reason,
I realized it was her son right away.

His face showed
that he was going to die soon.

He had a vacant, mindless look.

He was in the last stage of dystrophy.

I wondered where she was taking him?

To the morgue?

May be to a hospital

to save him.

But he was doomed:

at that stage of starvation the body goes
through irreversible process of destruction,

which no doctor could stop.

Then I met two old women

who were pulling a corpse
on an iron sheet.

Only a few people could
afford coffins that winter.

Coffins were too expensive
and cost several loafs of bread.

So, people would wrap corpses in
bed sheets or covers, tie them with ropes

and carry in double sledges to the morgue.

Those who didn't have sledges would
carry them on plywood

or iron sheets.

The coffin with a corpse
would be also very heavy

and exhausted people weren't able
to bring it all the way to the cemetery.

They would often just drop it half way
in the street with the dead inside.

That's why I was so surprised

to see a woman on Nevsky avenue

dragging a heavy coffin.

Nevsky avenue was just as empty
and quiet as the whole city.

No trams or cars.

From the Admiralty
to Moskovsky Rail Terminal,

a maximum of 10 people were
slowly crawling along it.

The woman was crossing
near Griboedov canal,

walking from Kazansky cathedral
to the Church of the Savior on Blood.

When she approached I saw

she was pulling not a coffin
but a big wardrobe serving as a coffin

put on skis.

What are you staring at? Walk on.

Hunger came very fast.

In December 1941 you could get only
125 gr of bread a day per person.

It was too little to survive.

Men started dying first.

Their organism proved not adaptable
to long hunger.

They had fewer fat deposits than women.

Men would burn out fast in 2-3 weeks

turning into living skeletons.

And then they would die painfully,

often losing their mind and human look.

I remember passing by one such man.

He was sitting in the snow

with glassy mindless eyes.

He was chewing his glove like a cow

because it was made of leather.

And its fingers were moving in
his mouth as if they were alive.

And by February 1942 people
started dying out massively.

Trucks stuffed with corpses

were like ghosts haunting the city.

On top of the corpses would
sit young girl volunteers

picking them from the streets.

People would line up for bread
through the night,

Standing all day

and hoping to get bread
against their tickets.

That day I passed
by several lines for bread.

Next to one of them a man
with a boy crossed my path

dragging heavy sledge
covered by a blanket.

Bread...

Bread... Bread...

That's for ...inkids!

Inkids!

That's inkids!

No!

You can't!

That's inkids!

For inkids! Inkids...

You can't!

That's inkids!

You can't! You can't!

That's for inkids! Inkids!

Comrades,

that's FOR KIDS!

- You can't!
- That's for kids, comrades!

You can't!

That's for kids, comrades!

You can't!

That's for inkids! Inkids!

Comrades, that's FOR KIDS!

Don't you hear? That's FOR KIDS!

For the orphanage! For kids!

That's for kids, comrades!

- That's for the orphanage!
- Come to your senses!

That's for the orphanage!

For the orphanage!

That's for the orphanage!
For orphans!

That's for the orphanage!

Let's pick the bread!

Call the policeman, please!

Police!

- Sir!
- Police!

Call the policeman, please!

Police!

Sir!

Stop! Oh, my God!

Police!

Stop! Stop!

Stop, comrade!

Give the bread back.

Give the bread back.

You can't. Give the bread back.

Miss.

Give the bread back, please!

Please... Give the bread back.

I beg you.

Please... Give the bread back.

Please... Give the bread back.

Please... Give the bread back.

I'll say I ate it. Ah?

I'll say I ate it.

That'll be all right, yeah?

That it was me.
That it was me.

That it was me.

I clearly remember

that after having held
a whole loaf of bread,

for the first time during the siege
my mind blacked out.

I was walking to that house
with only one thought -

– to quickly eat up all my bread.

I didn't care if I would reach
my dad or not,

if he was alive or not,

bread was the only thing I needed.

Look, it's going to rain.
Look at that storm cloud, wow.

Beautiful!

- We need to run back home.
- We do.

- But it's not raining yet.
- It's going to.

Then we'll run when it starts.

- Aren't you afraid to get soaked?
- No, I love when it rains.

Do you think trees have eyes?

- Leaves.
- Leaves.

- Do they drop eyes?
- Yes, a leave drops –

an eye lost.

And in autumn they
change their eye color?

And in winter they can't see at all?

They can't see in winter, like blind.

They can only hear and that's all.

Have you ever talked to trees?

Sure, all the time!

As soon as I wake up in the morning
I rush to talk to trees.

Why do you think we don't talk much
to each other? I mostly talk to trees.

I'll tell them everything and then
there isn't much left to tell you.

Attention! Attention!

The district is under artillery fire!

Stop all movement

and find shelter!

To the shelter! To the shelter!

To the shelter!

Why are you sitting here?
Hurry up, to the shelter! Hey!

I'm not going anywhere.

Stand up, I said!
I'm going to call the police!

You want to stay here?!

Fine, I don't care!

Hey, comrade!

To the shelter! To the shelter!

Run! To the shelter!

Why are you still standing here?

Run away!

To the shelter!

Where's my hand?!

I had bread tickets in that hand!

Can anyone see my hand?

All my bread tickets were there!

Comrades!

I can't find it, where's my hand!?

With all the bread tickets!

With all the bread tickets!

I can't see it anywhere! Nowhere!

Found it! Got it!

Got it!

Let you all die out, bastards!

Fucking scum!

Rot in hell!

So that your filthy bastards
would die out, like you!

Let your hands rot, filthy bastards!

Assholes! Scumbags! Monsters!

I can't stand it any more! I can't!

I needed to leave that place asap.

The Germans started a new technique:

they would first bomb a place with
a lot of people there,

like a bakery.

Then they would wait 15 minutes

until volunteers and police would come

and bomb the same place again.

To have more victims.

I walked on for a long time

but a blizzard was starting.

I understood I was going

to drop from tiredness and wouldn't
be able to stand up again.

In the middle of the street

I saw a row of trams

and walked to them.

Trams had stopped in December 1941

when the electricity got cut in the city.

I knew I shouldn't enter them.

It was a trap just as phone boxes.

Frozen exhausted people would
crawl into trams, warm up a bit,

get asleep and die there.

I had no power left,

feeling extremely sleepy.

I decided to eat the bread I had left

and corn grains

and to rest a bit.

I remembered that before the war
it would take 10 minutes

to get to dad's hospital on that tram.

So it means 3 more hours
walking today.

I decided

I would have a bite,
rest a bit

and then walk on.

But I mustn't get asleep!

- Give me a hand.
- Gladly.

Yeah!

- How many?
- 23.

- 22.
- Stop it.

Really, 22.

Have a look: one has revived.

Girls, you have a taxi,
not a catafalque.

- No way.
- Really, look for yourself.

Woman is lying there, blinking.

Help me.

Take her out.

Open up!

What are you staring at?

You're lucky we put you by the edge.

Let's pull her together.
Move that corpse over there.

Get up, get up!

Look at yourself!

Hold her up.

Come on. Over there.

So heavy.

Sit here!

Have a drink.

Good thing you revived,

or we would dig you in alive.

How shall we know?

Looked totally like a dead one.

One couldn't tell.

And here you are – alive again.

You're really lucky.

We can't be checking everyone

if you're still alive or not, can we?

We have 3 trucks full of corpses
every day.

How can we check everyone?

And there're only 2 of us here.

And with the same food rationing
like everyone.

Let's go?

We're leaving now.

We're going to unload and leave.

We can give you a lift to the city.

Where to?

To Nevskaya Zastava, Telman factory.

Ok, it's on the way.

Let's go!

Hurry up!

Come on!

Help her in.

I've told you, no way!

She'll soil everything here.
Back to the truck bed! She won't melt!

- What are you staring at?
- Ok.

The boss will see to it.

I don't give a shit about your boss.

I have my own.

Let's get back.

Let's have a fuck, shall we?

Get lost.

Such bores you're.

In the Kirovsky district,
the ladies are nice.

Then paw those ones!

I do.

Hey, give me your hand.

So boring you're, ladies.

You are no fun.

Let's close it.

See you, ladies.

Bye.

See you soon.

What?

She needs to get out.

There's your factory.

Give it back to her.

- Why should I?
- Give it back.

Why?! Remember how long
we've carried her?

Here you're.

I took it off you
thinking you were dead.

What are you staring at? Go!

Why so fucking long?

She's already getting out.

To hell with you.

Leningrad city speaking!

Leningrad city speaking!

Attention, comrades!

We're starting a concert
of classical music.

Comrade!

Could you help me to get up.

How can I help you, comrade?

I'm...

I need to see doctor Ivashov.

I'm listening.

What are complaining about?

What's your trouble?

Dad,

That's me, Lyalya.

Alive.

Alive.

My little girl.

Let's go, quicker, we'll warm you up.

Let's go, come on.

Ladies, give me a hand.

Lyala, is that you?

Stop moaning.

Medicine, quickly!
Boiled water!

- Lyalya, open your mouth.
- Faster, please!

Come on, honey!

Please, open your mouth.

Good girl.

Come on, Sasha, take her bag off,

lift her elbow.

Lyalya, dear,

have a drink.

Good girl. That's it.

Good. Come on. Unbutton it.

Ladies, quicker, my dear.

Oh my God, she's all frozen.

Let's go down.

Let's go down.

Pull it.

I'll help you.

Let's go.

Quicker, please.

Look how much she's put on,

my little girl.

See, how she got all ready
for her trip. Take it all off.

So skinny.

Quiet! Over there.

Silence!

Sasha, go help.

That's it, my girl, here we're.

Let's unwrap our girl.

Let's sit her down there.

Quietly. That's it.

I'll put some cream on your face
or you'll lose your cheeks.

Lose your cheeks?

You won't lose anything.

Gently, it won't hurt.

Little by little. Carefully.

Lyalya, our girl.

Don't you recognize her?

That's Matryosha, our nurse.

She used to play with you when you were
a little girl. Don't you remember, Lyalya?

Come on, ladies, organize something
for her to eat

and boiled water.

Look at this little princess
coming to us all the way

from the Snow Queen's kingdom.

Stop making jokes, doctor.

Look at how frozen she is.

It's freezingly cold outside.

That's the coldest winter I remember.

I'll bring you some presents now.

And we'll boil some water.

And we'll boil some water.

And we'll boil some water.

We'll do it in no time.
And not just boiled water.

Look what we have here.

Look what we have here.

These're pork leather belts,

genuine.

Patients bring them for the doctor
and he refuses,

gets angry with them even.

Why to be angry?
They bring them with all their heart.

Dear, let me wrap you up.

- And I take them,
- Let me cover you.

because they love him.

You can't imagine
how much people love him.

I've put the belt into the water
to soak and soften.

Look how long it is.

We'll now mince it

and make burgers from it,
yammy ones.

Wait, we'll feed you very soon, dear.

Look! You know what it is?

It's 'siege' soil.

Remember how Germans
bombed the depots?

There was sugar and it was burning

and melting into the ground.

Now they dig this soil out,

mix with water and drink.

And that's the very first meter,
the most precious one,

pure calories.

Matryosha'll make tea out of it,

and it'll revive you at once!

- Right, Matryosha?
- Yes! Yes!

We'll brew some tea –
strong, dense, true tea.

Just let me bring a cheesecloth.

I'll do it now.

I'll do everything, doctor.

Alive.

- Alive.
- Alive.

The burgers will be yammy.

Your hand's still so cold.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Papa's gonna buy you... what?

What?

What papa gonna buy you?

What papa gonna buy you?
A mockingbird.

A mockingbird.

Stop crying.

Mama mocking bird...

What?

Mama mocking bird...

- Fed her babies.
- What?

- Fed her babies.
- Yes, right, fed her babies.

Yes.

- The first one?
- She fed.

The second one?

She fed.

And the third one?

She didn't.

And the third one she did.

She fed them all, because she was kind.

Right, my girl?

Yes.

- We gonna make burgers.
- Alive.

- Alive.
- That is good.

It's so good.

Who's that?

That's Matryosha.

Whenever she's sad, she sings.

She saw you
and remembered her own kids.

Like mom used to sing.

Dad,

in my bag there're bread tickets -

mine and my husband's,

for a whole month.

Take them.

It's for all of you.

Why should we take them?

- Because I am not alive any more.
- Wrong! You're alive.

If you weren't alive, you'd lie down

and wouldn't come here.

No, dad, really, I'm not alive.

Or rather I don't feel like living.

Don't want to live.

My stupid girl.

You don't understand yourself at all.

You will live. Because you're brave,
you're strong.

Nobody could walk so far away
and you were able to.

If you walked here, you're strong,

and if you're strong,
you need to help the weak ones.

Those who have no energy left.

Until you drop down yourself,

there's no other way.

Can you hear me?

Do you understand what I said?

Yes.

You see,

I've been thinking...

I can't sleep.

I think we've had this siege
for a reason.

Either we elevate through this suffering.

And get rid of all empty shell.

And become real Humans.

Or if we don't understand anything
and forget this war and suffering,

We'll disappear forever,
like dinosaurs.

And for the better.

As we'll deserve that.

Do you get what I mean?

I do.

So you don't want to live, right?

And I do!

I awfully want to live!

You won't believe me
but I even became a collector.

- You?
- Yes.

May be it's a psychosis,
because of hunger.

I don't know. Well, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

I just started collecting everything.

Buttons...

Pencils...

Some gift boxes.

Anything...

Would you like to see?

Yes, I do.

Look.

Look. See?

May be it's not right to collect things?

Especially now,

during the siege of Leningrad.

But you see, I've got such
a will to live.

Like first love!

Not a love even, a passion!

I collect it all because I want
to have it all afterwards!

I don't want all these things
to disappear!

I want to keep all things around!

To press them to my heart!

To let them stay!

All of it around! Even people.

To keep hold of them all. Right?

Look.

Look what I found yesterday.

Just look at it.

What a beauty.

Wonder. Miracle!

Look, look!

Look, what an ornament, what color!

You see? Like it just got asleep.

Like it's still alive.

And it remembers everything about itself.

And it will fly away in a minute!
You see, like it's going to fly away.

It even has its eyes and antenna.

How can people not love
such a wonder?

Tell me. How can people destroy
such a miracle?

Now we'll put it back to sleep.

And you know what else?

They promised me to send
flower seeds – of a fantastic rose.

You know how it's called?

The Glory of Peace.

A big rose.

This big.

And it opens very slowly.

Very slowly.

It grows in the south

but I want to plant it right here.

Next to the dispensary.

I'll plant it in May.

And in 2 years it'll grow and blossom.

And you'll come and see my roses.

Will you come?

- In 2 years?
- Yes, in 2 years.

And trams will be going in 2 years?

Of course they will!

Sure. Why shouldn't they, my girl.

I will come.

Of course, I'll come, daddy.

Forgive me, please.

My dear Lyalya, sweetheart,
My dear girl, my sweet daughter.

What's the matter?

What's the matter?

Forgive me, please.

Forgive for what? Stop it.

Come on.

Dad, I'll come to see you more often.

I promise you,
I will be coming here on your tram.

- Sure, sweetheart.
- I will.

- I promise I will!
- There, there...

Just forgive me.

Stop bad-mouthing yourself.

I can't hear what you say.

And I love you
and can't hear those things.

You'll get asleep now, you'll sleep.

Then you'll wake up, get strength

and will become
the strongest in the world.

And then spring will come,
trams will run.

Will get off the tram,
come to my hospital.

You'll look and think: what's that?

And that will be roses. My roses.

Yes or no?

That's it!

And now to sleep.

That's it.

Let's get asleep now.

We'll just sweep away the tears,
all the tears.

That's it. Here it is,
my love, deep breath.

Now you'll get sleep, my darling.

And you'll see my roses.

Give me your hand,
you put it uncomfortably. That's it.

Good night, my girl.

Good night, daddy.

My Lyalya.

My joy.

I got asleep at once and I saw
in a dream our house in the village

which dad rented for summer.

I saw our big old room
with log walls,

then I saw mom

who was praying passionately in the corner

though I never saw her
going to church.

Holy Mary, help those in need,
give strength to the weak.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Hole Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Glory to Thee!

Our God!

Glory to Thee!

Have mercy upon us.

Mom.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Hole Immortal.

Mom.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Hole Immortal.

Sleep, my kitten.

Close your eyes.

It's still early.

Holy Virgin, soften our evil hearts

and the hatred of our enemies

towards us, turn Your eyes

of mercy towards us.

I remember I listened

to my mother's prayer.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Hole Immortal.

And it seemed to me she was praying
not to God but to some fairy flowers.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Hole Immortal.

Have mercy upon us.

These flowers which could help her
and protect us.

And then when no one saw me,

I found those fairy flowers

not far from our house

and also started praying to them
passionately, asking for help.

And then I thought in my dream

that they must look very much
like these flowers

which my dad had told me about.

Holy Flowers, Holy Mighty,
Hole Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Flowers, Holy Mighty,
Hole Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Flowers, Holy Mighty,
Hole Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Flowers, Holy Mighty,
Hole Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Flowers, Holy Mighty,
Hole Immortal,

I stayed with dad for 2 days

and on the third one

started getting ready
to get back to Leningrad.

It had been snowing all those days
and the river looked so different,

all covered with snow.

I was getting back to the city knowing

that I will survive, despite anything,

despite all our enemies.

I knew that I was strong

and had to go back

to help those people who were weaker

and who needed my help.

I wasn't either proud or happy

about my strength.

I was just walking to do
what I had to do.

"I'll see dad's roses",

I thought simply and clearly,

like of a fact,

like my father had told me.

Dad died 2 years after
the siege of Leningrad was over.

His organism was
too cut up by hunger.

But I did come to him

in May 1944 by tram

and saw his roses

the Glory of the World

blossoming.

The siege of Leningrad
lasted 3 years

It was completely removed
only in January 1944.

About 1 million civilians

died of hunger during that period.

To the dead and survivors
of the siege is dedicated.

No one is forgotten
and nothing is forgotten.

Olga Berggolts is reading her poem

written on the first day of the war.

About the Homeland.

We were foreseeing
the fire of that tragic day.

He came.

Here's my life, my breath

– my Homeland, to Thee I bring them!

I still remembered on that day

the
bitter years of the evil torture,

but in that blinding flash I understood

To you it happened –

you were standing it and waiting.

I did remember everything!

But even if I were already
dead or charged,

I'd answer still your call from grave.

As all we would, not only me.

I love you with a new kind of love,

bitter, forgiving and alive.

My homeland in your crown of horns

with a dark rainbow over your head.

It came, our hour,

and what it means

just you and I, we know.

I love you my homeland
and I can't do otherwise,

as we're still the same

– you and me.

THE END