fire bird × all too well : the short film

[@kemoyeto]

ROMAN WAS FORCED TO COMMİT SUİCİDE! I want to clarify two aspects of the plot - one minor, one major - which need to be taken into consideration. Roman's and Luisa's son is called "Serjozha" throughout the film. Serjozha is the diminutive form of Sergey: the boy is named after his father's lover. The final events pass rather quickly and are somewhat broken-up so the full narrative is far from clearly spelled-out. Let's revisit the events in the order in which they are presented in the film: The morning after after the New Year celebration, Roman reads Sergei's letter in which he explains that he has left him: he states that he will not take Roman away from his wife and son. As Roman is reading the letter, it is revealed that Luisa has discovered the relationship (from also reading the letter?) and verbally and physically assaults Roman. Sergey is seen sitting on a train and his voiceover of the end of the letter continues "Please, don't come looking for me". Roman is sitting alone on the bed in the guest-bedroom of the Moscow flat, to which he relegated Sergey when Luisa came to visit. (Shall we assume Luisa has left him?). He receives a phone call from Colonel Kuznetsov. We don't yet know the content of the call. We abruptly cut to "One month later" as Sergey is unpacking back at drama school in Moscow. He learns that Roman came to visit him when he wasn't there, and left a letter for him. Roman begins to read the letter, jumps up, goes to a public phone, and calls Kuznetsov. Sergey asks how he might reach Roman. Kuznetsov informs him that he left for Afghanistan shortly after the New Year, and says "Last Monday... Sergey, we lost him". Sergey is seen reading the letter alone in the darkened auditorium at the drama school. Roman's voiceover continues: "To speak and to do, to think and to live: they are not the same thing, Sergey. By the time you receive this letter, I will have left for Afghanistan. The three days that Kuznetsov gave me to consider are coming to an end. But what is there to consider? I can't choose for fear of hurting those I love. I can't divide myself any longer and belong to everyone at the same time". Sergey is next seen at Luisa's flat in Estonia. After this extended confrontation, Sergey visits the frozen-over lake where he and Roman swam and made love much earlier in the film, as Roman's voiceover of the letter concludes: *Sergey, I have to choose the only place where I still feel free. The sky. Please, don't wait for me. Forget me. I shall always think of you, Sergey. Mo matter what life may bring, I will always be there with you". These are the last words of the film. It seems pretty clear to me that Roman committed suicide, as did Sergey's childhood friend after his sexuality was discovered and he was beaten by his father on his 13th birthday. "By the time you receive this letter" is language commonly associated with suicide notes. If you didn't stick through the four-minute 30-second end credits, there is a final, silent scene lasting 15 seconds: the hateful Major Zverev, the first character to threaten Roman with charges of forbidden homosexual affairs punishable by five years of hard labour, is seen in the dark backseat of a car, as his face is illuminated by a match lighting his cigarette, he is smiling. Is it possible Luisa informed on Roman, cementing what Zverev suspected for years (it also came close to discovery at Roman's and Luisa's wedding when Zverev walked in on them to tell Roman "Your wife is looking for you"). This brings up the possibility that Roman was given two options by the Russian military: Go to Afghanistan and commit suicide - you will be regarded as a hero, your wife will receive your pension, no one will ever know you were a homosexual. Or... Stay and be tried and punished for homosexual relations, found guilty, serve your time, and live out your days a pariah and your family will live in shame. You have three days to decide. Let's read that farewell letter again: "The three days that Kuznetsov gave me to consider (consider what?) are coming to an end. But what is there to consider? I can't choose for fear of hurting those I love (choose death or degradation?). can't divide myself any longer and belong to everyone at the same time". I think it's clearly forced suicide, probably ordered by Zverev. Oddly, Tchaikovsky seems to be Roman's favourite composer. Tchaikovsky was rather flagrantly open about his homosexuality in Tsarist Russia. It has been theorised that Tchaikovsky was forced to commit suicide after his affair with the nephew of a nobleman, a duke, got too close to the royal family. The duke prepared a letter to be delivered to Tsar Alexander Ill accusing Tchaikovsky of sexual perversion; it was first shown to Tchaikovsky's fellow alumni of the Imperial School of Jurisprudence. Eight members met in a "court of honour" lasting five hours, ending in a recommendation that Tchaikovsky commit suicide. Tchaikovsky was dead six days later at the age of 53. One possibility is that he purposely and publicly drank a glass of unboiled water while a cholera epidemic was raging in St Petersburg, infecting himself. Theories about ingesting arsenic also exist. This still-controversial theory caused the Russian government to remove and deny access to Tchaikovsky's letters and diaries for the past several decades, and to remove all references to the great composer's sexuality.

[@curlyhairdudeify]

Also, Sergey was seemed to be infatuated with Shakespeare... He was Juliet and Roman was Romeo.

[@АнтонЛевчук-д8т]

you described the film very correctly, I am Russian. This love story broke my heart. I fell in love with ancient heroes, Roman is just sooo beautiful. I'm a heterosexual man, but this movie blew me away

[@CathieSoli]

Read the book. None of this is in the book. Everyone on the base knew Sergey and Roman were a couple. They conducted their affair openly. Their CO sanctioned their relationship. There was no threat by the KGB of putting homosexuals in prison. Sergey didn't meet Luisa till months after Roman died. They were separated for yrs . It was Sergey who broke it off as Roman was on his way to the airport to pick up his family. Sergey wasn't an actor. Neither one was into photograph. The movie is spun from whole cloth

[@АнтонЛевчук-д8т]

@@CathieSoli

[@jhenriquez31]

Can we get the 10 minute version? Either way…masterpiece !!!

[@_leonrdomedeiros]

That's the most perfect thing I've ever seen in my whole life.

[@asd7834814]

When the 'all too well' melody hip up, I'm just crying like a baby, and I can't help it.

[@charlottekaddon5610]

Der film hätte eigentlich einen Oscar verdient. Die Schauspieler, eigentlich alle, aber auch dem Regisseur einfach überwältigend. Ich habe endlich noch mal weinen können. Leider kann ich kein Englisch, deshalb habe ich viel zu lange warten müssen. Einfach nur schön. Habe ihn sofort gekauft. Danke

[@Almaz-d8p]

Ein schöner Film. Ich hoffe, eines Tages wird er im russischen Fernsehen und in den Kinos gezeigt. Und das neue Gesetz geändert wird

[@mrykv2258]

just finished this movie and now i'm emotionally devastated

[@tukni09]

where can i watch ?

[@mkray6489]

@@tukni09 it’s free on Amazon Prime (in the US at least), but I’m unsure about anywhere else.

[@АнтонЛевчук-д8т]

can i get to know you? I am devastated after this movie, crying. I'm ashamed that I'm Russian

[@jareksuek4547]

Great, great movie !, very good Aktors 👍👍👍 and a lot emotions ❤❤❤

[@poiuyt3193]

so so beatiful! the storytelling is absolutely flawless, you nailed it!

[@tohwane7364]

I’ve fallen in love with them already 😍

[@sunitatorne2638]

Beautiful Movie. ❤❤❤❤

[@ВиолеттаКоваль-р6ф]

Как похож Олег Загородний на Макрона!!! Игра актера свободна и естественна!!!

[@count8888]

Just saw the movie yesterday. It was kinda boring at the beginning. But it got very emotional touching on the last half. Sad ending tho :( Similar to Broke Back Mountain.

[@sahithibathala5001]

I walked through the door with you The air was cold But something about it felt like home somehow And I, left my scarf there at your sister's house And you've still got it in your drawer even now Oh, your sweet disposition And my wide-eyed gaze We're singing in the car, getting lost upstate Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place And I can picture it after all these days And I know it's long gone and that magic's not here no more And I might be okay but I'm not fine at all 'Cause there we are again on that little town street You almost ran the red 'cause you were lookin' over at me Wind in my hair, I was there I remember it all too well Photo album on the counter Your cheeks were turning red You used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bed And your mother's telling stories 'bout you on the tee-ball team You told me 'bout your past thinking your future was me And I know it's long gone and there was nothing else I could do And I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to 'Cause there we are again in the middle of the night We're dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light Down the stairs, I was there I remember it all too well, yeah And maybe we got lost in translation Maybe I asked for too much But maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up Running scared, I was there I remember it all too well And you call me up again just to break me like a promise So casually cruel in the name of being honest I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here 'Cause I remember it all, all, all Too well Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it I'd like to be my old self again But I'm still trying to find it After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone But you keep my old scarf from that very first week 'Cause it reminds you of innocence And it smells like me You can't get rid of it 'Cause you remember it all too well, yeah 'Cause there we are again when I loved you so Back before you lost the one real thing you've ever known It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well Wind in my hair, you were there, you remember it all Down the stairs, you were there, you remember it all It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well

[@mxp1807]

this movie emotionally damaged me

[@igormassessine]

How could Roman die, fucking unfortunate. Im still felling bad bad for Serguey :(

[@curlyhairdudeify]

Yeap, they never got to run away to the Netherlands.

[@manussapapuk8036]

Love love love

[@kianmartos]

the audacity of you to do this to me, I was completely destroyed by the movie and now this- double kill

[@yimybuelvas4667]

Me encanta alguien sa ve en qué plataforma la encuentro completa la película

[@natanielmacedo270]

Você encontra com legendas no Google

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Cool.

[@scarletreuben9215]

It hurts that this is true story

[@sarkarsubhadipofficial]

❤️

[@zoozth]

Great movie. Unfortunately sad ending

[@zoozth]

Thx

[@zoozth]

Thx

[@marie-andredesmurs5293]

👏👏👏🌹❤️💐

[@lazarussoibam4687]

"So casually cruel in the name of being honest." 😫💔

[@NadiaRABIA]

So casually cruel in the name of being honest 😅❤

[@xavii.t7421]

this was so uncalled for💔

[@NadiaRABIA]

This was so uncalled for ❤

[@hugoalarcon3362]

Firebird + all too well = 🥺😍🥰😭🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌👌👌👌👌👌

[@NadiaRABIA]

Firebird all too well😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@CrazyWatcher670]

Oleg ❤❤❤ 🥹

[@Skyy07100]

Where do I find this ;-;

[@ayushlimbu4468]

I am going to watch this movie this weekend even i know it will leave my heart broken in pieces 😭😭😭 god please help me and Roman fighter het pilot 👨‍✈️ is so handsome

[@NadiaRABIA]

Lam going to watch this movie this weekend even i know it will leave my heart broken in pièces 😅😅😅 god please help me and roman figher het pilot😍is so handsome

[@rwanzo1]

In Genesis chapter 19 verse 4 thur 15, Gomorrah and Sodom was destroyed because of Homosexuality.

[@adrianhodges447]

Lovely, keep it up!! Employ a company like P r o m o S M!

[@sarkarsubhadipofficial]

❤️

[@bituahmed197]

❤️