In the first film, OBRAZA (RESENTMENT), we meet 17-year-old Yasha coming of age in Ukraine while fighting several forces restricting his freedoms. Yasha rebels against authority and faces opposition from his father, who believes his son should learn to live within the system. Yasha wants to leave the country. Eventually, the father realizes that leaving the country is the only option they have to survive, and the family finds itself on an immigration path to the United States. The twenty-nine minute short has been produced and is debuting in competition in BERLINALE in February 2024.
OBRAZA (RESENTMENT) PLOT SUMMARY:
We meet 17-year-old Yasha during band rehearsal in a school auditorium. Yasha’s band is preparing to play at his high school graduation. Yasha is very passionate about his band, and rock music in general. He lives in a small apartment, with his parents (Saul and Anna), his little sister Vera, and his dog Baksan. The family is Jewish and antisemitism is a prominent feature of their daily life. For Yasha, his band is an escape, a window to a freer world.
The band practice is interrupted by the school principal who calls Yasha into her office for a conversation. It is obvious, this will not be a friendly chat. The principal accuses Yasha of forgery because he changed his name to John Lennon on a document. She tells Yasha that he and his band will no longer be permitted to play at the upcoming graduation concert. The principal also mentions Yasha’s “fifth column,” a place where nationality in Soviet documents is specified. For Yasha, it is yet another encounter with widespread, and state approved, antisemitism.
Yasha meets his girlfriend Lilya, who knows about Yasha’s plans to leave the country. Will you write to me, she asks? Yasha assures her that he will. Outside of his building, Yasha is attacked by a group of bullies, who once again single Yasha out for being a “kike.” Lilya tries to come to his rescue, but Yasha pushes her away. That night, Yasha overhears his parents discussing the possibility of leaving their country for America. Like Yasha, Anna wants to leave – there is no future for her family here. But Saul is against it - he has too many ties to his current life. His job is important to him and he believes his family can survive within the system.
The next morning, Yasha takes his dog Baskan for a walk and is confronted by his alcoholic neighbor Ivan, who insults Yasha and calls Baksan a “kike-dog”. Unexpectedly, Yasha’s father intervenes, but Ivan strikes Saul in the face with a stick. Saul is bleeding. For a moment, Yasha feels proud of his father for fighting back. But he is quickly disappointed later that night, when Ivan’s wife offers the family money as compensation for the attack, and Saul chooses to take the money.
After witnessing his father’s complacency, Yasha is pushed to the edge. He finds a smoldering cigarette on the floor outside Ivan’s apartment. He picks up the cigarette and sticks into a small hole in Ivan’s door. Yasha walks away, but soon he has second thoughts, so he rushes back to Ivan’s apartment. It’s too late - the door is aflame. The firefighters arrive. In the courtyard inside the apartment complexes, residents watch the fire. Yasha is among them. He observes his neighbors, trying to grapple with tangible consequences of his rebellion.
The fire is out. Two policemen come and accuse Yasha of arson. Afraid, but defiant, Yasha denies having anything to do with the fire. After all, Ivan is constantly drunk and always smoking, he could have easily started the fire himself. The police tell Yasha that they have a witness - Ivan’s wife. It’s not looking good for Yasha, but Lilya comes to his rescue. She lies to the police and tells them when the fire started, Yasha was at the band rehearsal.
After dealing with the police, Yasha has to face his parents. The family is trying to clean up the apartment from the smoke damage. Anna is afraid of retaliation from the neighbors, but she also understands her son’s frustration and tries to comfort him. She puts her hand on top of Yasha’s. Saul is angry. He blames Yasha for his refusal to accept their circumstances and thinks that his son’s rebellious attitude and actions are endangering their family. He accuses Yasha of being no better than Bycha and Ivan. Yasha resents his father for his betrayal. Once again, Yasha does not feel heard.
It’s the high school graduation party in the school’s crowded gymnasium. The event is a mix of celebration and formality. Yasha’s band has been replaced by another that plays in a style established by the famous Soviet band, Blue Bird (a mainstream pop music). But it is not the real Blue Birds, just a copy. Yasha can hear the band from the bathroom where he and Lilya are sharing a cup of vodka.
After high school, Yasha continues his education at a state run University. Once a week, Yasha has to take a daylong military class – it is the only option he has to avoid being drafted in the army and sent to a real war. On the day of the class, Yasha must wear a military uniform and behave like a soldier. In the military class, Yasha meets Dmitry. Dmitry has long hair, wears jeans, and has failed to hide the peace sign necklace around his neck. The boys quickly become friends and share stories.
The teacher of the military class is Colonel Rakitny. Rakitny confronts Dmitry and orders him to change into a military uniform and cut his hair. Dmitry tries to object, but Rakitny threatens to send Dmitry to the real army if Dmitry doesn’t comply. Does Dmitry want to die in a war? In solidarity with Dmtiry Yasha decides to cut his hair as well.
Yasha and Dmitry come to the next military lecture in uniforms, as ordered. During the lecture, Yasha slides under the desk and draws a peace sign on the military code brochure. Later brochures are collected.
During the next military lecture, the class has to take a test. The door opens and an infuriated Colonel Rakitny holds the brochure in his hand, demanding a confession from the students who vandalized government property. No one responds to his demands and Colonel storms out of the room. Yasha finishes his test early and asks to be excused. Soon, Dmitry follows him. Walking along the corridor, the boys notice a KGB poster on the wall. It is standard KGB propaganda, urging people to inform on one another and to watch for “enemies of the state.” The boys give each other a devious look. Dmitry acts as a lookout, and Yasha tears the poster off the wall. Yasha begins to fold the poster, once, twice, as he suddenly feels a tap on his shoulder. It’s Colonel Rakitny. “Why did you take the poster down?” he asks. “I found it very interesting,” Yasha replies, “and wanted to read what was written on its other side.” The Colonel orders Yasha to leave.
When Yasha comes home, he goes straight to his room, avoiding any interaction with his family. That night, Yasha has a dream. He dreams that he is in the military class, taking another test, when Colonel Rakitny orders him to pick a gun. Suddenly, Yasha is holding a gun to Dmitry’s head. Yasha is terrified. Rakitny is ordering Yasha to shoot, he tells him that if Yasha doesn’t shoot Dmitry, Ratkitny will shoot Yasha instead. Yasha wakes up shaken and in a cold sweat.
In the morning, Yasha tries to enter a university building and finds out that his ID no longer works. He seeks Colonel Rakitny walking toward him. Yasha is informed that has been expelled from the university and has to return his ID. Rakitny accuses him of being a spy and Yasha is going to be investigated because he has distant relatives in America and allegedly has been sending them secret information. Ratkitny leaves the classroom. Frightened, Yasha slides to the ground and leans against the building. Any young man expelled from the University will be drafted to the army and any man investigated can be put into a prison.
Dmitry sees distraught Yasha sitting on the ground. “Why didn’t you warn me?” Yasha asks. Dmitry tells him that the Colonel came from behind and Dmitry didn’t see him. He begs for Yasha’s forgiveness but irreparable damage has been done. Dmitry tells Yasha that he can help him. He has a friend who can provide Yasha a travel document that will allow Yasha to leave the country and go to Poland.
At night, Yasha throws a few clothes into a knapsack and writes a letter explaining why he has to leave and puts it on the dresser. With the travel document in hand, Yasha exit’s the apartment and closes the door behind him.
Yasha takes an old, crowded, rickety Soviet train to the Polish border, but the train only takes him so far. To cross the border, Yasha has to take a bus, but near the border, the bus encounters a traffic jam. All the vehicles are at a standstill and the road has been backed up for hours.
This is August 1991. A military coup has taken place in Moscow. There are tanks on the streets of the former capital of the Soviet Union, no one knows what happened to Gorbachev, but he is no longer in charge. The passengers on the bus are not aware that the coup is the reason for the traffic jam at the border. Two Russian border patrol officers come and begin to search the passengers for gold, diamonds, and any other valuables. They focus on the Jewish passengers, a man named Garik, who sits next to Yasha, is strip-searched in front of Yasha and other passengers.
Eventually, the bus is allowed to move and it crosses the Polish border. The passengers of Yasha’s bus come out and celebrate. Bottles of vodka are passed around, there is laughter and singing. The bus driver turns on the radio in search of music, but instead, Yasha and the passengers on the bus hear the terrible news about the coup and everyone freezes.
This might be the last bus that made it across the border. The border is sealed and border patrol does not let any people or vehicles through.
At the bus stop there is a payphone, Yasha calls his mother. After multiple tries he gets through. Vera answers, and screams Yasha’s name. Anna grabs the phone, she is crying. She doesn’t want Yasha to return and she wants him to stay safe in Poland. The call gets disconnected. Yasha stands on the side of the road feeling torn. Does he continue into Poland or should he turn around and go back to his family?
Yasha starts walking back towards the border. He reaches a customs officer who looks at him with suspicion, but checks his passport and welcomes him back home with a cold smirk.
At the train station Yasha sees panic. The buses are being turned around and passengers are told to unload. Terrified people are trying to get back on the train.
Yasha manages to board the train and squeeze into a seat. Yasha looks out onto empty fields and small shabby houses and falls asleep. A rude conductor shakes Yasha awake. He screams at the passengers and the boiler is busted. Steam fills the compartment.
Yasha lifts his feet above the ground to avoid being burnt by the boiling hot water.
Yasha walks up the staircase and tries to enter his apartment. The door is locked. Baksan barks. He knocks discreetly. Baksan barks again. His father is seen unbolting two locks from inside, and opens the door. Yasha is surprised to see Saul. Saul’s face is pale, tired, as if he aged in the period his son was gone. There is a small scar near Saul’s nose as a reminder of the incident with Ivan. Yasha can’t stop looking at Saul’s face. Saul pulls Yasha close to him and hugs him tightly. Yasha doesn’t pull away, he hugs his father as well. Anna watches father and son hug, overwhelmed with emotion. Vera runs out of her room feeling happy, but also angry, accusing Yasha of leaving her sleeping scared and alone at night in their room.
Yasha asks his father why he is still home and not at work. Saul looks down. He tells Yasha that after the incident with the colonel he has been fired. Despite the bad news, the family is happy to be united.
Saul and Yasha take Baksan for a walk. They pass Ivan’s door which is now sealed with plywood and the family is no longer there.
We next see several families sitting in the hallway of the American Embassy in Moscow. Jewish families hoping to immigrate to the United States as refugees had to pass an interview and prove that they were discriminated against for being jews. The atmosphere is tense. A family walks out of the interview room, they are visibly upset, indicating that the interview didn’t go well and they have been rejected.
A government matron comes out, and after a second, points to Saul. The four of them find themselves sitting across a large desk from the interviewer. The interviewer is a middle-aged man, bald, impeccably dressed, and with an air of cold arrogance around him. He asks the family to provide him with examples of how they were mistreated by the Soviet state.
Anna takes a turn to speak, then Yasha, then Anna again. Vera holds Anna’s hand and Anna squeezes it. The interviewer is openly hostile. He tries to discredit their examples and we can see contempt on his face. Saul is quiet and his face is expressionless. Anna tries to convince the interviewer with other examples, but it is in vain. Yasha becomes angry. He turns to his father, demanding that he says something, anything. But Saul remains silent, and Yasha storms out of the room, followed by Anna, who drags Vera with her.
Saul stays in the room. Saul slowly stands up and closes the door – now it’s only Saul and the interviewer in the room. Saul looks the interviewer directly in the eyes. The interviewer notices his scar.
This is Saul’s breaking point.
When Saul begins to speak, his voice is quiet, yet, it alternates slightly, up and down, from almost a reflective “whisper,” to a contained “shout,” as he smolders, and struggles to be heard.
He tells the interviewer that he has had enough. He is professional, highly educated, and worked hard all his life to support his family. Saul tells the interviewer this country crushes and destroys everyone, especially people like them. He means jews. But, he adds, will not let this country, or anyone, to destroy his children.
The interviewer’s eyes are cold and piercing from behind small glasses.
Next, we see the family on the streets of Moscow, they have just left the interview. Vera breaks the ice by saying the interviewer is a sloppy brute. Vera wants ice cream. Anna says ice cream will give her strep throat. Saul explains logically that even most Soviet citizens know that is not scientifically true, and it is also a well known fact that Americans can eat ice cream anytime they want.
The family’s apartment is empty. The furniture is gone, most of their belongings are packed, the walls are bare. Wind blows through open curtainless windows. Bags are scattered on the floor. Piles of paper, old photo albums, tools, a few dishes. Anna is having difficulty selecting a few last items to pack. Vera is busy packing her favorite toys, she grabs a box of paints and stuffs them into a bag. Baksan is laying on the floor following everyone with worried eyes. Saul is in the middle of the room putting some tools in a bag. The tools he may use in America. Yasha is smoking on the balcony looking at his family.
The entire family, including Baksan, are about to board a rented bus which takes people to the border. A group of people, neighbors, some happy, some sad are gathering near the building. This is the start of the journey to America. The bus moves. Yasha looks out of the window – behind him his house becomes smaller and smaller.
(End)