The Soviet Sleep Experiment (2019) Movie Script
1
Love.
Kiska, your big day
has arrived.
The subjects are coming
in two hours.
Time to get up.
Krastka, you must get up.
Arise, Anastasia.
Mwah.
I heard you up and was hoping
you were sleepwalking again.
-One more hour.
-No more sleep.
Ah, Leo.
This will make you more sleepy.
You're a mad man.
I am the idiot.
And you are my mad
scientist woman.
-Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.
-No!
Yes, yes, yes. Come on.
-Oh, boy.
-What?
It says that
military intelligence,
our captain, is attached
to this experiment
because this technology,
if effective,
is meant to aid our soldiers
in the field in their fight
against all enemies
of the Soviet Union.
-The Red Army.
-I know, I know.
You're taking me
seriously this time.
What does it say
about the captain?
It says that he was
a regular infantryman,
born and raised in Donetsk,
fell back with his unit
to defend Stalingrad.
While there, was given
his officer's commission
after numerous acts of bravery,
was also awarded Za Boevye
Zaslugi for battle merit
and Za Otvagu for courage.
I thought they just sent
a lowly prison guard,
but a captain
of military intelligence?
-I know.
-War hero, no less.
This is big, Anna.
Leo, do you think this captain
knows what happened to you
at your clinic?
Love, I just want to know
if you think what happened
may have leaked.
-Uncle said he took care of it.
-Yes, yes.
I know that your uncle made
your paperwork disappear.
But maybe people
talked about it.
This is the Soviet Union.
Everyone talks,
and no one says anything.
Should we reach out
to your uncle to see
what he thinks about it?
Maybe I could
send him a note.
-Will they read it, Leo?
-I will send it to his home
and not KGB headquarters
in Moscow.
He will know how we should
handle this captain.
Or maybe, if need be, he
could assist us handling him.
There is no need
to worry, Anna.
They think this study
is important.
Hence this captain. So if --
when it goes well, the world
will be your oyster.
-Still doesn't ease my anxiety.
-It should.
Once the party sees
what an asset you are for them,
then only the sky
is the limit for you.
Trust me. I know
how these men think.
Yes, these men.
My advice, which is
the same advice my Uncle Oleg
has given to me many times,
is to play nice
with this captain.
Tell him whatever it is
he wants to hear.
You never know
what he can do for you.
For us. Time to go.
Let me finish.
Leo, did you take your pills?
Uh, no. Where are they?
I hid them. Take.
The Red Army.
Dear uncle, I hope
this letter finds you well.
As you know,
Anna and I are...
Hey, little guy.
Come on, come on,
come on, come on.
Come here.
Come here. Yeah.
Oh, you found a friend?
I am armed with the DWM 1906.
But we were told that these men
would not be violent criminals.
But they have all committed
crimes against the state,
which is just as bad
if not worse.
Better safe than sorry,
as the saying goes.
Regardless of the nature
of their crimes,
they may try and get
aggressive with you both.
These men are from the Gulag.
They are no doubt hardened
by that experience.
You must remember
that you cannot trust them.
Not even a little.
Look at this inkblot
and tell me anything
that comes to your mind.
Like a...
like a little...
What is the word?
Embryo.
This -- This embryo has all
elements of life in it.
It's like a massive sun
sitting on the head
of a magnificent pin.
And this embryo is fighting
to become a little fetus.
Angel fetus.
Did I get that right?
This is not
a pass or fail test.
I am simply recording
the time it takes
so that we have
a baseline measurement.
Which one is not
like the others?
Horse.
Dog.
Car.
And goat.
Goat.
No. Give it one more try.
I think it's the goat.
It is the car.
I don't understand.
You can ride the horse,
the car, the dog,
but you cannot ride the goat.
You can ride a dog?
If the dog is big enough
and the person small enough.
But you cannot
ride a goat?
Ride a goat.
That's ridiculous.
Dog.
Star.
Cloud.
Chicken.
A chicken?
Yes. Chicken.
-Anything else?
-No.
Just chicken.
Tell me
about this chicken.
It's a fucking chicken.
A rat.
Describe this rat to me.
The rat has been run over.
It lies in the street
with its guts hanging out.
And its tongue sticks
out of its mouth,
which is both disgusting
but funny looking, too.
Where was the rat going?
Home.
The parameters of this
experiment are as follows.
The subjects will be deprived
of sleep
for 30 consecutive days.
This experiment was designed
to test the limits
of mental endurance
and push the boundaries
of human evolution.
What is your name?
Serg--
Get him up.
What does that say?
-Subject 6.
-Subject 6. Correct.
That is your name.
-What is your name?
-Subject 5.
What is your name?
What is your name?
Subject 4.
What is your name?
Subject 3.
There are
simple rules for you
to understand while you're here.
You see those two people
over there?
They are the doctors
in charge of this experiment.
I'm here to make sure you comply
with every single request
of the doctors.
If you fail to comply,
you will go back to the Gulag.
If you do comply,
then after the 30 days,
thanks to the grace
and kindness of
the Secretary General Stalin,
you will be released from prison
and be able to go back
to the lives you left behind.
Do you understand?
-Yes, Captain.
-Yes, Captain.
Enter.
Anna.
These men
are not prisoners.
They are subjects in our study.
You cannot beat them.
It is very important
in situations like this
to set a very strong tone
with the prisoners.
You simply cannot beat them.
Leo, please.
Don't you have to clean up
the surgical area?
Yes, Doctor.
Right away.
Excuse me.
These subjects must be
in a controlled environment.
And if they are gripped
with an existential fear of you,
we will not be able to get
the most conclusive result
from this experiment.
I understand.
Since they are
only four subjects,
why did Moscow decide
to give them the numbers
3, 4, 5, and 6?
Life in Gulag can,
at times, be very hierarchical.
And so, the men will fight
to be number one or number two.
In my experience, no one fights
to be number three.
Fascinating psychology.
My job and your job
are very similar, Doctor.
You study the minds of men.
And I put it into practice.
You see, I must understand
how the minds of men work
in order to control them.
And by controlling them,
keep us all safe.
But what was it you said?
Better safe than sorry.
And, Capt--
Yegor,
you were the one who
said better safe than sorry.
Not me.
Did I?
Oh, you have your
little friend with you.
Yes. I like his company.
Anna, I think
I know Subject 3.
You know him? How?
I'm not sure. I --
He's just so familiar to me.
Don't mention it to Yegor.
You know how quick
they are to find someone
guilty by association.
Of course. I just can't place
where I know this man.
Doctors.
Do you have the blood
and urine samples ready?
The guard is about to leave,
and I want to send them
to Moscow with him.
They're right there.
You two must submit your blood
and urine samples, as well.
Excuse me?
That is highly unorthodox.
Since you're the observers
of this experiment,
they just want to make sure
that you're not
under the influence
of any substances.
Trust me,
this is just more bureaucratic
nonsense from Moscow.
No, thank you.
Can we have
some privacy, please?
Leo, we cannot
submit your blood.
Your medication will show up.
What choice do we have?
I will have to send
two vials of my blood.
Anna, that won't fool anyone.
I know. But at least
it will give us time.
-Time for what?
-To clean your system.
Are you sure you want me
to stop taking medication?
But we don't have
any other option.
Come on.
Are your nightmares back?
A little more.
I know, Anna.
Sorry.
As per the protocols,
they have been acclimated
to the new environment
for four hours.
Now it's time to introduce
the gas into the chamber.
Now.
Now, we observe.
If you could be any kind of
animal, which would you be?
I'd be a cat.
Ah. I'd be a bear.
A horse.
More like an ass.
I'd be...
I'd be a wolf.
Oh!
What are you doing, Leo?
You know this is not right.
We shouldn't be drinking.
Shh. It will be fine.
It's just a little bit.
And just this once.
To your success.
Day 1 went very well.
The subjects quickly got settled
into their new environment.
There was a general
sense of unease
when the gas was introduced,
but once the subjects realized
it was harmless,
they adapted very well.
As for the staff,
Security Officer Sokolov
has been very diligent
and thorough
in informing me of the security
protocols for the experiment.
His attention to detail
has been especially helpful.
My assistant, Dr. Leo Antonoff,
has performed admirably.
He implanted the shock devices
in all of the subjects
without incident.
If the patients don't cooperate
with our testing,
we will use the shock devices
to enforce compliance.
We can change
the shock intensity
and single out the patients
depending on the situation.
If you don't
mind me asking,
how long have you
and Leo been married?
Ten years this May.
-Pre-war.
-Yes.
I met Leo in university
after my parents
and I moved back
to the Soviet Union from Madrid.
And you, Captain?
Are you married?
I am married to my work.
I understand.
I could never
settle on just one.
What about you, huh?
You have a woman back home?
My wife.
Or at least I did.
-What happened?
-Stopped writing.
Not right away, but after
the first year,
she just sort of fell away.
Eh.
No loyalty.
It's not that.
She should live her life.
What about you, huh?
You have a woman back home?
The only woman in his life
is his mama.
-She write to you?
-Yes.
Nearly every week.
See?
A good woman, his mother.
You, tell me about
your woman back home.
The only woman
for me...
Mother Russia.
Been very difficult
when he was away in Stalingrad.
Yes, it was. But we all
had a part to play.
Yes, but to be pining away
when a loved one --
I wasn't pining away.
I was actively helping
with the defense of Moscow.
In fact, I was
in your line of work.
Were you?
Yes, I was fresh
out of university,
and they made me
an intelligence analyst.
I would go over
the intel reports
that came in and score
the veracity of the asset.
I had no idea.
Believe it or not, Captain,
I am not the Sonya Marmeladova
character you think I am.
I don't think you're Sonya
Marmeladova at all, Doctor.
Anna Karenina maybe.
Leo!
I'm so sorry.
He hasn't been sleeping well.
How ironic.
I got you more coffee.
Thank you.
Long day.
Long night.
Is Leo okay?
I want to apologize for that.
He hasn't been sleeping well.
If there's anything I can do.
Thank you. He's fine, though.
Looks like we're
losing number 4.
Number 5 and 6 don't
look too good, either.
I wonder if we should
increase the amount of gas.
That might be, but right now,
we have to wake them up.
You're right.
No. That should
be the last resort.
You only have to show one.
The rest will get the message.
Hello!
Do not fall asleep.
Do not close your eyes!
If you feel tired, get up!
Come on, get up!
Your freedom depends on it.
Due to the recent events,
the security protocols
have been increased.
If there are
any incoming letters,
they will all go through me
and be subject to my review
before being disseminated.
After 48 hours,
we observed that Subject 4
seemed less affected by
the gas than the others.
He was drowsy and on the verge
of falling asleep.
The other subjects
were sluggish, as well,
but not to such a great degree,
so we increased the amount
of gas being pumped
into the chamber by 12%.
Subject 3, please come
to the testing station.
Good morning.
Let us begin. What do you see?
It's like, um, seedling.
It's growing.
Expanding.
It can grow into a sun.
It's -- It's alive.
If it's cared for enough,
its potential is unlimited.
But for now, it's so tiny.
But it's...
It's determined.
I wonder if it is day or night.
-It's night.
-How do you know?
It feels like night.
It feels like night
because you are tired.
Doesn't mean that it is night.
Also doesn't mean it's day.
And I'm not tired.
You look tired.
No, I don't.
You do look kind of tired.
Just because he looks tired
doesn't mean he is tired.
Well, it also doesn't
mean that he isn't.
I'm not tired!
Subject 4 to the testing
station, please.
Food?
I am sorry, but that
isn't how it works.
Each subject is
only allowed one ration
that will be dispensed
after testing.
The tests are repeated
every eight hours.
You must complete the test in
order to receive your rations.
Well done, Subject 4.
Subject 6...
what do you see?
My mother's vatrushka.
I can still remember the taste.
It's funny.
The more time I spend in here,
the better my memory becomes.
It isn't vatrushka,
but it's all that we have.
What do you see?
Nothing.
Nothing?
You must see something.
Take your time.
Nothing.
If you see nothing,
then you eat nothing.
I see a piece of shit.
Bon apptit.
A tree.
Please describe a tree.
I had a swing on a tree
that looked just like this.
My uncle made me this swing.
He built it for my birthday.
I loved this tree.
When I would come home,
I would see the silhouette
of the tree,
and I knew I was home.
I felt safe.
One day,
I noticed there was
something different.
I noticed it was...
He was...
What is your name?
The security officer
is not present.
What is your real name?
Subject 3.
A change seems
to have occurred
among some of the subjects,
and they appear to be struggling
with the rigors
of the experiment.
I can't do this.
Just try to
tell me what you see.
Madness.
This is all madness.
I see a s--sickness
that grows inside of you.
With roots that spread
like cold, bony fingers...
...wrapping around your heart
and squeezing it until
all of the life is gone.
There is madness
in this picture.
There is madness
in this chamber.
And if I look close enough
into your face...
...I will see madness
there, as well.
The more serious issue
is with Subject 4.
His appetite is much larger
than the other subjects,
and he is
demanding more rations.
More food.
I do good on test.
More food.
I'm sorry.
That isn't how it works.
The rations are the same
for all participants.
This is ridiculous!
I do everything
you ask me to do,
yet you barely feed me!
My colleague Dr. Leo Antonoff
and I are contemplating
either increasing
or decreasing the gas
to see if that affects Subject
4's hunger and metabolism.
One thing that might be
a factor is that
Subject 4's physical strength
might have put him
in a position of dominance
in the Gulag where he could,
through intimidation
or violence,
increase his food intake
at the expense of other inmates.
That is not possible here,
and thus his reduced
caloric intake
and not the gas might be
the reason of his deterioration.
Get up. Move!
Move!
You're up,
you're up. Come on, get up.
It's time to be the animal, ah?
Go, go, go, go, go!
I'll be waiting for you.
What do you think...
Don't look at me like that!
What are you looking at, huh?!
Food, food!
Give me more food!
Barely feed me!
Give me more food!
See? A good woman, his mother.
Huh, huh?!
A warning!
You fucking touch me
one more fucking time!
Huh?!
I get out of here in 30 days.
You fuck your way through.
What is happening?! Help! Help!
There's something wrong! Help!
The subjects are
performing up to standard
in all of their
cognitive, psychological,
and physical tests.
Subject 4 is still having
some minor struggles, though,
which is surprising
since he was, by far,
in the most hardy condition
when he arrived.
It is worth noting
that physical conditioning
may actually be detrimental
when it comes to the gas.
Hungry. Please.
I-I-I'm starving.
I'm hungry.
Please.
Subject 3, please come
to the testing station.
Do you know that
I knew your uncle, Leo?
Who are you?
The question isn't who am I?
The security officer
is a poison pill.
Don't swallow
what he feeds you.
Is he giving you trouble?
No, not at all.
Because if he is,
you should not hesitate
to shock him.
I'm not going to shock
anyone, Yegor.
Thank you.
You and your wife are
two very different people.
Can you please tell me
what you see?
I don't see anything.
I know this is hard, but can
you please open your eyes?
Blank.
Blank, blank, blank,
I see blank.
I see dark.
I don't see anything!
I don't see anything!
I don't see anything, okay?!
I see nothing!
I see nothing!
I'm hungry.
Food, please.
Rations can only be dispensed
at eight-hour intervals after --
-I'm hungry now!
-At eight-hour intervals after
the testing --
-I'm not a lab rat!
I'm not a lab rat!
Give me some food!
Calm yourself.
Think of your freedom.
Don't throw it all away
because of the hunger.
You can eat
in another two hours.
Two hours?
Fuck you!
Two hours!
No! No! No!
Yegor, stop.
I'm just doing what
you should have done.
-It won't change anything.
-Yes, it will.
If you want to stop
being shocked, calm yourself
and sit quietly on the floor.
Yegor, stop.
I'm trying to save
your experiment.
This is over.
This whole thing is over.
No, it isn't.
See? The rest will
follow his lead.
What was that?
The device.
He tore the damn thing
out of his own neck.
Sokolov! Sokolov!
You did this to me!
You sent me in here as a spy!
Said I'd go to space.
You lied to --
Yegor, we need to
open the chamber.
No. This experiment is
still operational.
How is this,
any of this, operational?
One of the subjects
needs medical attention.
We have to treat him.
Open the chamber.
This experiment continues.
This experiment
is null and void.
That's not true.
This experiment is
even more vital now
that there has been a breakdown
in the chamber.
We came here to study
how sleep deprivation
and the gas affects men.
Well, it is affecting them.
We need to observe it
as best we can
and study their actions
and reactions.
Leo, this is science.
This is madness.
Subject 4 has had
a complete mental breakdown.
The subjects have barricaded
themselves in the chamber
and covered the majority
of the observation window.
Thankfully, we have
an obstructed view
and we can still observe
the subjects and listen to them.
Security Officer Sokolov
has assured me
that we are still in complete
control of the situation,
regardless
of the subjects' rebellion.
Stay here.
I have mail to look over.
-What are you doing?
-I'm doing my job, Leo.
-No, I mean with the captain.
-What are you talking about?
First, he tells me that you have
repeatedly shocked the subjects.
And now, after Subject 4
basically tells us
Yegor is a liar, you still
side with him over me.
You told me
to make nice with him.
I'm simply trying to get
on his good side
so he can be an ally to us.
To you.
They said that
if we clean the window
and we start the test over
again, we can still go home.
Do we believe them?
You think that they are lying?
What I think...
What I think is that
you are a fucking idiot.
What are you --
What are you going to do?
None of
your fucking business.
So we shock the patient
to keep them in line
and you let them suffer
in there with no food
and with need of medical
attention just to please him?
I'm in an impossible situation.
This is what he wanted me
to do, so I did it.
I did it for the experiment.
I did it for the science.
I am not a sadist.
And you know me well enough
to know that I am
a moral and ethical person.
-Do I?
-Oh, please stop.
You haven't slept for days,
and you're irritable
and looking for someone
to lash out against.
-I'm not looking --
-Can you please stop
and just support me
and my experiment for once?
For once? What does
that mean, for once?
It means that you understand
the compromises
that I would have to make
in order to get things
accomplished
in the name of science.
Anna, you're throwing away
your ethics,
your humanity, your integrity.
-I'm not throwing anything away.
-Yes, you are.
When reason fails,
the devil helps.
I'm trying to get ahead,
and I'm trying to
-protect you at the same time.
-Protect me, yes.
Not everybody has an uncle
to pull strings for them.
I'm sorry, Leo.
You know that
I didn't mean that.
Come on!
Come on, hurry!
-Show me.
-Take it!
Come on!
Take it. Come on.
Hurry!
Leo! Leo!
Come on.
Leo!
Take it.
You need to get some sleep.
Please.
You need to rest, kiska.
Go.
I have reviewed
the letters from Moscow.
Your uncle Oleg.
It says he's not expected to
live for more than two weeks.
I knew your uncle, you know.
I met him many times, have even
briefed him in his home.
He was a great man.
A true patriot.
He is.
You two were close,
were you not?
Didn't he raise you as his own
after your family died?
Great man.
A great man.
It must have been
a great advantage
to have a man as powerful
and as connected as your uncle
as your benefactor.
I've made my own way
in the world...
Captain.
It must be
a scary proposition for you.
It looks like that
for the first time,
you're all alone
in this world, Leo.
At least the deaths of our
loved ones were not in vain.
Cold comfort.
What?
Did you lose anyone?
I doubt you even fought
in the war.
-Who's watching the subjects?
-Leo.
What are you doing here?
Relax, Anna.
You should not be here, Captain.
Mm. It's Captain now?
There is no reason
to be afraid, Anna.
I just wanted to share
some news with you.
I got the report from Moscow.
Your blood test
came back positive.
You're pregnant.
It was a shock to me, too,
considering your history.
You worked so hard
to get this far.
It would be a shame if this
were to derail your progress.
Know this.
I can help you to take
care of this situation.
And Leo will be none the wiser.
I promise you.
And you and I know he wouldn't
handle the pressure
of fatherhood very well.
We wouldn't want a replay
of that ugly incident
at the clinic in Basmanny
to take place here now,
would we?
You understand?
I have to be honest.
I didn't think little Leo
had it in him.
Did you?
One more thing.
Stop interrupting me
when I am speaking.
Let me finish what I am saying
and then I will signal
with my hand like this.
I need to sleep.
Not everybody has an uncle
pulling strings for them,
you know.
Not everyone is fucking
their way to the --
to the top.
Looks like number 4
is not doing so well.
Come on! Come on!
"What do you see?"
and then you eat nothing!
They give you stinking nothing!
Are you going to do
anything about this?
You think you're a big man?!
Get out!
Tell the other subjects
that if they don't subdue
number 4 immediately,
you will shock them.
Don't look at me like that!
When are they coming for you?
Have I done anything to you?!
Have I done anything to you?!
Subject 3, 5, and 6,
subdue number 4 immediately
or we will be forced
to shock you.
Fuck you! Fuck you!
Well done.
-It's all over now.
-Did she take the children?
-I saw him.
-Who?
-What have you done, Anna?
-Leo...
-Tell me.
...you've been drinking.
What was Yegor doing
in our room with you?
-Tell me!
-Leo!
He was just sharing
some news with me.
I am pregnant.
How is this possible?
Do you need me
to explain that to you?
No, it's just so incredible.
-I know.
-I'm gonna be a father.
Leo.
That means you really
cannot drink anymore.
You cannot self-medicate.
You need to keep yourself
together until all this is over.
Okay?
-Okay.
-Okay.
Dostoyevsky once wrote
"The soul is healed
by being with children."
Do you have children?
Yes.
Yes.
Which is it?
-Yes.
-Yes.
What will you name this child?
My father's name was Pyotr.
I always liked Pyotr.
Nikolai, after my father.
Do you like Yegor?
What about Yuri?
-I like Yuri.
-Good.
Because my name is Yuri.
Yuri Antonovich Karlov.
Anna. Leo.
Do you want to go
to the heavens with me?
Leo. What's wrong?
Yuri, that son of a bitch.
That son of a bitch!
What happened?
Do you remember about
two years ago in April,
I think at my uncle's house,
a large dinner party.
Lots of bigwigs from
the Communist Party were there.
It was an unusually hot night.
My uncle had a party.
-Do you remember?
-No. Why?
Remember that fat bureaucrat?
-The one we call the Walrus?
-Golovkin?
Yes! Golovkin was there
and he got drunk
and fell asleep on the balcony.
And your uncle said
that his snoring sounded
like an air raid siren.
Mm-hmm.
What does this have
to do with anything?
At that party,
we talked to a man.
It was so hot.
We -- We talked on the roof.
He was working in
a space program
in research and development.
And he was going on about the
stars, planets and all of that.
-On the walk home, you said...
-He was a genius.
I remember.
His name was Yuri.
Karlov.
Yes.
What makes you think
of this man?
That is Yuri Karlov.
Are you crazy?
What are you saying?
-It can't be him.
-It's him.
I heard him saying
his first name days ago,
but none of it clicked
until now.
It's impossible.
-Anna, it's him. I know it.
-Leo.
Yuri Karlov is brilliant.
Subject 3 is a lot of things,
but I'm not sure brilliant
is one of them.
Watch him.
Attention, Dr. Yuri Karlov,
please report
to the testing station.
It's him.
-It really is him.
-I told you.
What is he doing here?
Do you think he got
caught up in a purge?
When Subject 4 went mad,
he was hearing something
about Yegor,
and he was saying
that he was a liar
and saying something about
space, going to space.
Yes. That was strange.
-What is it? Leo.
-Shh.
-Can you explain it to me?
-Shh, shh.
What are you doing?
Do you feel that you
are really pregnant?
What?
Do you think you're pregnant?
Yes.
Maybe. I-I don't know. Why?
A pregnancy. My uncle.
We want one to be true
and one to be false.
And now Karlov.
You don't find
any of this curious?
Hundreds of suspicions
don't make a proof,
-and you know that, Leo.
-Anna, this is not some
paranoid delusion of grandeur
or drunken fairy tale.
I know this world.
I know these types of people.
They are capable of anything.
I should have realized that they
were listening to us long ago.
My uncle taught me
better than that.
Okay, okay, just try and think
this through rationally.
Why would Yegor tell me
that I am pregnant
or that your uncle is dying?
If I am not pregnant
and your uncle isn't dying,
we will know soon enough
when this experiment is over.
I know that you don't trust
my judgment right now,
but ask yourself this question.
Do you trust Yegor?
No.
And I don't think
I trust myself anymore.
But that doesn't mean
that Yegor has lied
about me being pregnant.
None of this is
that what it seems.
You're the psychologist.
You know what is he doing.
For some reason,
he's flooding us with lies.
Drown the truth.
-The truth.
-Yes, truth.
Do you even want to be a father?
Of course.
Do you want to be a mother?
Honestly?
I didn't.
With the way things
have been with you,
with the incident at the clinic,
I didn't because I was scared.
And all of that didn't matter,
though, because I thought
that the possibility of me
getting pregnant
didn't even exist.
But now, I don't know.
It makes me feel happy
to think that I have
a child inside of me.
This child. Our child.
This is possibility.
This is hope.
This is everything.
Because I feel so irrationally
overwhelmed by hope and joy,
even in the face
of your sickness.
Even after all
we've been through,
even in the middle
of this madness.
Shh, shh.
That's how.
That's why I think
that I am really pregnant.
Leo, you're sure there isn't
another reason for you
to be so resistant to this news?
I am resistant to the lies.
I am resistant to half truths.
I am resistant to Yegor,
to the Red Army
and all it represents.
We live in the world full of
lies where truth has no meaning.
How can we even hope
to live our genuine life
with rational decisions
when we are forever kept far
from verifying
or knowing the truth?
All is quiet in the chamber.
The only visible signs of life
now are mere shadows.
Give me your key, Anna.
Anna.
Yegor, give me your key.
Give me the key.
What are you doing?
I'm taking control
of the situation.
The valve is set.
That door stays shut until
the 30 days are complete.
Subject 4 was yelling
that he knew you
and that you said
he'd go to space.
He's gone mad.
Just tell us the truth, Yegor.
Just tell us one true thing.
The truth is that
I'm still in charge here.
And this experiment
is still operational.
Things are deteriorating
quickly and everything
has become seemingly
impossible.
The experiment hangs
by a thread
and it's really difficult
to know what to do.
What if we should continue?
-This is not operational!
-Anna, stop!
Stop!
Yegor.
Before we go in there,
you need to tell us the truth.
We can't fix this if you don't
tell us what is going on.
When you do work for Moscow,
whether it be for the Committee
or the Red Army or the KGB,
everything is like
a giant Matryoshka doll
where little lies are
contained in bigger lies
and bigger lies and bigger lies.
So open up one of these dolls
and explain to us
why we would need internal
security for this experiment.
Subject 3 is
no ordinary prisoner.
In fact, he is
no prisoner at all.
His name is Yuri Karlov,
and he's a very powerful man
in the Space Exploration
division
of the Soviet Space Agency.
Is this just another
one of your lies, Yegor?
Subject 4 is in the chamber
to keep Karlov safe.
And now that this experiment
has failed, none of us are safe.
What do we do now?
We try and salvage
the situation...
and save our own asses.
Anna, help me.
Quick.
Bring me that medical bag.
-Mission failed!
-Captain, Captain, I...
Failed!
They cut out his tongue.
Please.
He's a monster.
Help me, Captain, please.
My eyes!
I didn't do this.
I swear I didn't do this.
What happened?
Subject 4 jumped me.
Aaah!
-Yegor. Yegor.
-No!
But what are doing?
Leo!
Remember what
Dostoyevsky taught us.
Man has it all in his hands
and it all slips through his
fingers from sheer of cowardice!
Well, I'm no coward,
and it's not going to slip
through my fingers!
Aah!
Aah!
Shock him!
Don't try to talk. Calm down.
Calm down.
Anna!
Ahh.
-Anna.
-The most offensive thing,
-Yegor, wasn't your lying.
-Anna, come here.
The most offensive thing
was that you lied
and you worshipped your lying.
One can often forgive lying,
don't you think, Anna, Leo?
Or should I say...
Subject 1 and Subject 2?
I found lying to be
a delightful thing.
For it often leads to the truth.
Anna...Leo...
would you like to go
to the heavens with me?
The parameters of this
experiment are as follows.
The subjects will be deprived of
sleep for 30 consecutive days.
These experiments,
this experiment,
this experiment,
the experiment is designed,
was designed to test
the limits of human endurance.
The parameters of this
experiment are as follows.
The subjects, the subjects,
the subjects, the subjects will
be deprived of sleep
for 30 consecutive days.
This experiment
is designed to test
the limits of mental endurance
and push the boundaries...
...of human evolution.
Ahh. Ah. Aah.
Love.
Kiska, your big day
has arrived.
The subjects are coming
in two hours.
Time to get up.
Krastka, you must get up.
Arise, Anastasia.
Mwah.
I heard you up and was hoping
you were sleepwalking again.
-One more hour.
-No more sleep.
Ah, Leo.
This will make you more sleepy.
You're a mad man.
I am the idiot.
And you are my mad
scientist woman.
-Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.
-No!
Yes, yes, yes. Come on.
-Oh, boy.
-What?
It says that
military intelligence,
our captain, is attached
to this experiment
because this technology,
if effective,
is meant to aid our soldiers
in the field in their fight
against all enemies
of the Soviet Union.
-The Red Army.
-I know, I know.
You're taking me
seriously this time.
What does it say
about the captain?
It says that he was
a regular infantryman,
born and raised in Donetsk,
fell back with his unit
to defend Stalingrad.
While there, was given
his officer's commission
after numerous acts of bravery,
was also awarded Za Boevye
Zaslugi for battle merit
and Za Otvagu for courage.
I thought they just sent
a lowly prison guard,
but a captain
of military intelligence?
-I know.
-War hero, no less.
This is big, Anna.
Leo, do you think this captain
knows what happened to you
at your clinic?
Love, I just want to know
if you think what happened
may have leaked.
-Uncle said he took care of it.
-Yes, yes.
I know that your uncle made
your paperwork disappear.
But maybe people
talked about it.
This is the Soviet Union.
Everyone talks,
and no one says anything.
Should we reach out
to your uncle to see
what he thinks about it?
Maybe I could
send him a note.
-Will they read it, Leo?
-I will send it to his home
and not KGB headquarters
in Moscow.
He will know how we should
handle this captain.
Or maybe, if need be, he
could assist us handling him.
There is no need
to worry, Anna.
They think this study
is important.
Hence this captain. So if --
when it goes well, the world
will be your oyster.
-Still doesn't ease my anxiety.
-It should.
Once the party sees
what an asset you are for them,
then only the sky
is the limit for you.
Trust me. I know
how these men think.
Yes, these men.
My advice, which is
the same advice my Uncle Oleg
has given to me many times,
is to play nice
with this captain.
Tell him whatever it is
he wants to hear.
You never know
what he can do for you.
For us. Time to go.
Let me finish.
Leo, did you take your pills?
Uh, no. Where are they?
I hid them. Take.
The Red Army.
Dear uncle, I hope
this letter finds you well.
As you know,
Anna and I are...
Hey, little guy.
Come on, come on,
come on, come on.
Come here.
Come here. Yeah.
Oh, you found a friend?
I am armed with the DWM 1906.
But we were told that these men
would not be violent criminals.
But they have all committed
crimes against the state,
which is just as bad
if not worse.
Better safe than sorry,
as the saying goes.
Regardless of the nature
of their crimes,
they may try and get
aggressive with you both.
These men are from the Gulag.
They are no doubt hardened
by that experience.
You must remember
that you cannot trust them.
Not even a little.
Look at this inkblot
and tell me anything
that comes to your mind.
Like a...
like a little...
What is the word?
Embryo.
This -- This embryo has all
elements of life in it.
It's like a massive sun
sitting on the head
of a magnificent pin.
And this embryo is fighting
to become a little fetus.
Angel fetus.
Did I get that right?
This is not
a pass or fail test.
I am simply recording
the time it takes
so that we have
a baseline measurement.
Which one is not
like the others?
Horse.
Dog.
Car.
And goat.
Goat.
No. Give it one more try.
I think it's the goat.
It is the car.
I don't understand.
You can ride the horse,
the car, the dog,
but you cannot ride the goat.
You can ride a dog?
If the dog is big enough
and the person small enough.
But you cannot
ride a goat?
Ride a goat.
That's ridiculous.
Dog.
Star.
Cloud.
Chicken.
A chicken?
Yes. Chicken.
-Anything else?
-No.
Just chicken.
Tell me
about this chicken.
It's a fucking chicken.
A rat.
Describe this rat to me.
The rat has been run over.
It lies in the street
with its guts hanging out.
And its tongue sticks
out of its mouth,
which is both disgusting
but funny looking, too.
Where was the rat going?
Home.
The parameters of this
experiment are as follows.
The subjects will be deprived
of sleep
for 30 consecutive days.
This experiment was designed
to test the limits
of mental endurance
and push the boundaries
of human evolution.
What is your name?
Serg--
Get him up.
What does that say?
-Subject 6.
-Subject 6. Correct.
That is your name.
-What is your name?
-Subject 5.
What is your name?
What is your name?
Subject 4.
What is your name?
Subject 3.
There are
simple rules for you
to understand while you're here.
You see those two people
over there?
They are the doctors
in charge of this experiment.
I'm here to make sure you comply
with every single request
of the doctors.
If you fail to comply,
you will go back to the Gulag.
If you do comply,
then after the 30 days,
thanks to the grace
and kindness of
the Secretary General Stalin,
you will be released from prison
and be able to go back
to the lives you left behind.
Do you understand?
-Yes, Captain.
-Yes, Captain.
Enter.
Anna.
These men
are not prisoners.
They are subjects in our study.
You cannot beat them.
It is very important
in situations like this
to set a very strong tone
with the prisoners.
You simply cannot beat them.
Leo, please.
Don't you have to clean up
the surgical area?
Yes, Doctor.
Right away.
Excuse me.
These subjects must be
in a controlled environment.
And if they are gripped
with an existential fear of you,
we will not be able to get
the most conclusive result
from this experiment.
I understand.
Since they are
only four subjects,
why did Moscow decide
to give them the numbers
3, 4, 5, and 6?
Life in Gulag can,
at times, be very hierarchical.
And so, the men will fight
to be number one or number two.
In my experience, no one fights
to be number three.
Fascinating psychology.
My job and your job
are very similar, Doctor.
You study the minds of men.
And I put it into practice.
You see, I must understand
how the minds of men work
in order to control them.
And by controlling them,
keep us all safe.
But what was it you said?
Better safe than sorry.
And, Capt--
Yegor,
you were the one who
said better safe than sorry.
Not me.
Did I?
Oh, you have your
little friend with you.
Yes. I like his company.
Anna, I think
I know Subject 3.
You know him? How?
I'm not sure. I --
He's just so familiar to me.
Don't mention it to Yegor.
You know how quick
they are to find someone
guilty by association.
Of course. I just can't place
where I know this man.
Doctors.
Do you have the blood
and urine samples ready?
The guard is about to leave,
and I want to send them
to Moscow with him.
They're right there.
You two must submit your blood
and urine samples, as well.
Excuse me?
That is highly unorthodox.
Since you're the observers
of this experiment,
they just want to make sure
that you're not
under the influence
of any substances.
Trust me,
this is just more bureaucratic
nonsense from Moscow.
No, thank you.
Can we have
some privacy, please?
Leo, we cannot
submit your blood.
Your medication will show up.
What choice do we have?
I will have to send
two vials of my blood.
Anna, that won't fool anyone.
I know. But at least
it will give us time.
-Time for what?
-To clean your system.
Are you sure you want me
to stop taking medication?
But we don't have
any other option.
Come on.
Are your nightmares back?
A little more.
I know, Anna.
Sorry.
As per the protocols,
they have been acclimated
to the new environment
for four hours.
Now it's time to introduce
the gas into the chamber.
Now.
Now, we observe.
If you could be any kind of
animal, which would you be?
I'd be a cat.
Ah. I'd be a bear.
A horse.
More like an ass.
I'd be...
I'd be a wolf.
Oh!
What are you doing, Leo?
You know this is not right.
We shouldn't be drinking.
Shh. It will be fine.
It's just a little bit.
And just this once.
To your success.
Day 1 went very well.
The subjects quickly got settled
into their new environment.
There was a general
sense of unease
when the gas was introduced,
but once the subjects realized
it was harmless,
they adapted very well.
As for the staff,
Security Officer Sokolov
has been very diligent
and thorough
in informing me of the security
protocols for the experiment.
His attention to detail
has been especially helpful.
My assistant, Dr. Leo Antonoff,
has performed admirably.
He implanted the shock devices
in all of the subjects
without incident.
If the patients don't cooperate
with our testing,
we will use the shock devices
to enforce compliance.
We can change
the shock intensity
and single out the patients
depending on the situation.
If you don't
mind me asking,
how long have you
and Leo been married?
Ten years this May.
-Pre-war.
-Yes.
I met Leo in university
after my parents
and I moved back
to the Soviet Union from Madrid.
And you, Captain?
Are you married?
I am married to my work.
I understand.
I could never
settle on just one.
What about you, huh?
You have a woman back home?
My wife.
Or at least I did.
-What happened?
-Stopped writing.
Not right away, but after
the first year,
she just sort of fell away.
Eh.
No loyalty.
It's not that.
She should live her life.
What about you, huh?
You have a woman back home?
The only woman in his life
is his mama.
-She write to you?
-Yes.
Nearly every week.
See?
A good woman, his mother.
You, tell me about
your woman back home.
The only woman
for me...
Mother Russia.
Been very difficult
when he was away in Stalingrad.
Yes, it was. But we all
had a part to play.
Yes, but to be pining away
when a loved one --
I wasn't pining away.
I was actively helping
with the defense of Moscow.
In fact, I was
in your line of work.
Were you?
Yes, I was fresh
out of university,
and they made me
an intelligence analyst.
I would go over
the intel reports
that came in and score
the veracity of the asset.
I had no idea.
Believe it or not, Captain,
I am not the Sonya Marmeladova
character you think I am.
I don't think you're Sonya
Marmeladova at all, Doctor.
Anna Karenina maybe.
Leo!
I'm so sorry.
He hasn't been sleeping well.
How ironic.
I got you more coffee.
Thank you.
Long day.
Long night.
Is Leo okay?
I want to apologize for that.
He hasn't been sleeping well.
If there's anything I can do.
Thank you. He's fine, though.
Looks like we're
losing number 4.
Number 5 and 6 don't
look too good, either.
I wonder if we should
increase the amount of gas.
That might be, but right now,
we have to wake them up.
You're right.
No. That should
be the last resort.
You only have to show one.
The rest will get the message.
Hello!
Do not fall asleep.
Do not close your eyes!
If you feel tired, get up!
Come on, get up!
Your freedom depends on it.
Due to the recent events,
the security protocols
have been increased.
If there are
any incoming letters,
they will all go through me
and be subject to my review
before being disseminated.
After 48 hours,
we observed that Subject 4
seemed less affected by
the gas than the others.
He was drowsy and on the verge
of falling asleep.
The other subjects
were sluggish, as well,
but not to such a great degree,
so we increased the amount
of gas being pumped
into the chamber by 12%.
Subject 3, please come
to the testing station.
Good morning.
Let us begin. What do you see?
It's like, um, seedling.
It's growing.
Expanding.
It can grow into a sun.
It's -- It's alive.
If it's cared for enough,
its potential is unlimited.
But for now, it's so tiny.
But it's...
It's determined.
I wonder if it is day or night.
-It's night.
-How do you know?
It feels like night.
It feels like night
because you are tired.
Doesn't mean that it is night.
Also doesn't mean it's day.
And I'm not tired.
You look tired.
No, I don't.
You do look kind of tired.
Just because he looks tired
doesn't mean he is tired.
Well, it also doesn't
mean that he isn't.
I'm not tired!
Subject 4 to the testing
station, please.
Food?
I am sorry, but that
isn't how it works.
Each subject is
only allowed one ration
that will be dispensed
after testing.
The tests are repeated
every eight hours.
You must complete the test in
order to receive your rations.
Well done, Subject 4.
Subject 6...
what do you see?
My mother's vatrushka.
I can still remember the taste.
It's funny.
The more time I spend in here,
the better my memory becomes.
It isn't vatrushka,
but it's all that we have.
What do you see?
Nothing.
Nothing?
You must see something.
Take your time.
Nothing.
If you see nothing,
then you eat nothing.
I see a piece of shit.
Bon apptit.
A tree.
Please describe a tree.
I had a swing on a tree
that looked just like this.
My uncle made me this swing.
He built it for my birthday.
I loved this tree.
When I would come home,
I would see the silhouette
of the tree,
and I knew I was home.
I felt safe.
One day,
I noticed there was
something different.
I noticed it was...
He was...
What is your name?
The security officer
is not present.
What is your real name?
Subject 3.
A change seems
to have occurred
among some of the subjects,
and they appear to be struggling
with the rigors
of the experiment.
I can't do this.
Just try to
tell me what you see.
Madness.
This is all madness.
I see a s--sickness
that grows inside of you.
With roots that spread
like cold, bony fingers...
...wrapping around your heart
and squeezing it until
all of the life is gone.
There is madness
in this picture.
There is madness
in this chamber.
And if I look close enough
into your face...
...I will see madness
there, as well.
The more serious issue
is with Subject 4.
His appetite is much larger
than the other subjects,
and he is
demanding more rations.
More food.
I do good on test.
More food.
I'm sorry.
That isn't how it works.
The rations are the same
for all participants.
This is ridiculous!
I do everything
you ask me to do,
yet you barely feed me!
My colleague Dr. Leo Antonoff
and I are contemplating
either increasing
or decreasing the gas
to see if that affects Subject
4's hunger and metabolism.
One thing that might be
a factor is that
Subject 4's physical strength
might have put him
in a position of dominance
in the Gulag where he could,
through intimidation
or violence,
increase his food intake
at the expense of other inmates.
That is not possible here,
and thus his reduced
caloric intake
and not the gas might be
the reason of his deterioration.
Get up. Move!
Move!
You're up,
you're up. Come on, get up.
It's time to be the animal, ah?
Go, go, go, go, go!
I'll be waiting for you.
What do you think...
Don't look at me like that!
What are you looking at, huh?!
Food, food!
Give me more food!
Barely feed me!
Give me more food!
See? A good woman, his mother.
Huh, huh?!
A warning!
You fucking touch me
one more fucking time!
Huh?!
I get out of here in 30 days.
You fuck your way through.
What is happening?! Help! Help!
There's something wrong! Help!
The subjects are
performing up to standard
in all of their
cognitive, psychological,
and physical tests.
Subject 4 is still having
some minor struggles, though,
which is surprising
since he was, by far,
in the most hardy condition
when he arrived.
It is worth noting
that physical conditioning
may actually be detrimental
when it comes to the gas.
Hungry. Please.
I-I-I'm starving.
I'm hungry.
Please.
Subject 3, please come
to the testing station.
Do you know that
I knew your uncle, Leo?
Who are you?
The question isn't who am I?
The security officer
is a poison pill.
Don't swallow
what he feeds you.
Is he giving you trouble?
No, not at all.
Because if he is,
you should not hesitate
to shock him.
I'm not going to shock
anyone, Yegor.
Thank you.
You and your wife are
two very different people.
Can you please tell me
what you see?
I don't see anything.
I know this is hard, but can
you please open your eyes?
Blank.
Blank, blank, blank,
I see blank.
I see dark.
I don't see anything!
I don't see anything!
I don't see anything, okay?!
I see nothing!
I see nothing!
I'm hungry.
Food, please.
Rations can only be dispensed
at eight-hour intervals after --
-I'm hungry now!
-At eight-hour intervals after
the testing --
-I'm not a lab rat!
I'm not a lab rat!
Give me some food!
Calm yourself.
Think of your freedom.
Don't throw it all away
because of the hunger.
You can eat
in another two hours.
Two hours?
Fuck you!
Two hours!
No! No! No!
Yegor, stop.
I'm just doing what
you should have done.
-It won't change anything.
-Yes, it will.
If you want to stop
being shocked, calm yourself
and sit quietly on the floor.
Yegor, stop.
I'm trying to save
your experiment.
This is over.
This whole thing is over.
No, it isn't.
See? The rest will
follow his lead.
What was that?
The device.
He tore the damn thing
out of his own neck.
Sokolov! Sokolov!
You did this to me!
You sent me in here as a spy!
Said I'd go to space.
You lied to --
Yegor, we need to
open the chamber.
No. This experiment is
still operational.
How is this,
any of this, operational?
One of the subjects
needs medical attention.
We have to treat him.
Open the chamber.
This experiment continues.
This experiment
is null and void.
That's not true.
This experiment is
even more vital now
that there has been a breakdown
in the chamber.
We came here to study
how sleep deprivation
and the gas affects men.
Well, it is affecting them.
We need to observe it
as best we can
and study their actions
and reactions.
Leo, this is science.
This is madness.
Subject 4 has had
a complete mental breakdown.
The subjects have barricaded
themselves in the chamber
and covered the majority
of the observation window.
Thankfully, we have
an obstructed view
and we can still observe
the subjects and listen to them.
Security Officer Sokolov
has assured me
that we are still in complete
control of the situation,
regardless
of the subjects' rebellion.
Stay here.
I have mail to look over.
-What are you doing?
-I'm doing my job, Leo.
-No, I mean with the captain.
-What are you talking about?
First, he tells me that you have
repeatedly shocked the subjects.
And now, after Subject 4
basically tells us
Yegor is a liar, you still
side with him over me.
You told me
to make nice with him.
I'm simply trying to get
on his good side
so he can be an ally to us.
To you.
They said that
if we clean the window
and we start the test over
again, we can still go home.
Do we believe them?
You think that they are lying?
What I think...
What I think is that
you are a fucking idiot.
What are you --
What are you going to do?
None of
your fucking business.
So we shock the patient
to keep them in line
and you let them suffer
in there with no food
and with need of medical
attention just to please him?
I'm in an impossible situation.
This is what he wanted me
to do, so I did it.
I did it for the experiment.
I did it for the science.
I am not a sadist.
And you know me well enough
to know that I am
a moral and ethical person.
-Do I?
-Oh, please stop.
You haven't slept for days,
and you're irritable
and looking for someone
to lash out against.
-I'm not looking --
-Can you please stop
and just support me
and my experiment for once?
For once? What does
that mean, for once?
It means that you understand
the compromises
that I would have to make
in order to get things
accomplished
in the name of science.
Anna, you're throwing away
your ethics,
your humanity, your integrity.
-I'm not throwing anything away.
-Yes, you are.
When reason fails,
the devil helps.
I'm trying to get ahead,
and I'm trying to
-protect you at the same time.
-Protect me, yes.
Not everybody has an uncle
to pull strings for them.
I'm sorry, Leo.
You know that
I didn't mean that.
Come on!
Come on, hurry!
-Show me.
-Take it!
Come on!
Take it. Come on.
Hurry!
Leo! Leo!
Come on.
Leo!
Take it.
You need to get some sleep.
Please.
You need to rest, kiska.
Go.
I have reviewed
the letters from Moscow.
Your uncle Oleg.
It says he's not expected to
live for more than two weeks.
I knew your uncle, you know.
I met him many times, have even
briefed him in his home.
He was a great man.
A true patriot.
He is.
You two were close,
were you not?
Didn't he raise you as his own
after your family died?
Great man.
A great man.
It must have been
a great advantage
to have a man as powerful
and as connected as your uncle
as your benefactor.
I've made my own way
in the world...
Captain.
It must be
a scary proposition for you.
It looks like that
for the first time,
you're all alone
in this world, Leo.
At least the deaths of our
loved ones were not in vain.
Cold comfort.
What?
Did you lose anyone?
I doubt you even fought
in the war.
-Who's watching the subjects?
-Leo.
What are you doing here?
Relax, Anna.
You should not be here, Captain.
Mm. It's Captain now?
There is no reason
to be afraid, Anna.
I just wanted to share
some news with you.
I got the report from Moscow.
Your blood test
came back positive.
You're pregnant.
It was a shock to me, too,
considering your history.
You worked so hard
to get this far.
It would be a shame if this
were to derail your progress.
Know this.
I can help you to take
care of this situation.
And Leo will be none the wiser.
I promise you.
And you and I know he wouldn't
handle the pressure
of fatherhood very well.
We wouldn't want a replay
of that ugly incident
at the clinic in Basmanny
to take place here now,
would we?
You understand?
I have to be honest.
I didn't think little Leo
had it in him.
Did you?
One more thing.
Stop interrupting me
when I am speaking.
Let me finish what I am saying
and then I will signal
with my hand like this.
I need to sleep.
Not everybody has an uncle
pulling strings for them,
you know.
Not everyone is fucking
their way to the --
to the top.
Looks like number 4
is not doing so well.
Come on! Come on!
"What do you see?"
and then you eat nothing!
They give you stinking nothing!
Are you going to do
anything about this?
You think you're a big man?!
Get out!
Tell the other subjects
that if they don't subdue
number 4 immediately,
you will shock them.
Don't look at me like that!
When are they coming for you?
Have I done anything to you?!
Have I done anything to you?!
Subject 3, 5, and 6,
subdue number 4 immediately
or we will be forced
to shock you.
Fuck you! Fuck you!
Well done.
-It's all over now.
-Did she take the children?
-I saw him.
-Who?
-What have you done, Anna?
-Leo...
-Tell me.
...you've been drinking.
What was Yegor doing
in our room with you?
-Tell me!
-Leo!
He was just sharing
some news with me.
I am pregnant.
How is this possible?
Do you need me
to explain that to you?
No, it's just so incredible.
-I know.
-I'm gonna be a father.
Leo.
That means you really
cannot drink anymore.
You cannot self-medicate.
You need to keep yourself
together until all this is over.
Okay?
-Okay.
-Okay.
Dostoyevsky once wrote
"The soul is healed
by being with children."
Do you have children?
Yes.
Yes.
Which is it?
-Yes.
-Yes.
What will you name this child?
My father's name was Pyotr.
I always liked Pyotr.
Nikolai, after my father.
Do you like Yegor?
What about Yuri?
-I like Yuri.
-Good.
Because my name is Yuri.
Yuri Antonovich Karlov.
Anna. Leo.
Do you want to go
to the heavens with me?
Leo. What's wrong?
Yuri, that son of a bitch.
That son of a bitch!
What happened?
Do you remember about
two years ago in April,
I think at my uncle's house,
a large dinner party.
Lots of bigwigs from
the Communist Party were there.
It was an unusually hot night.
My uncle had a party.
-Do you remember?
-No. Why?
Remember that fat bureaucrat?
-The one we call the Walrus?
-Golovkin?
Yes! Golovkin was there
and he got drunk
and fell asleep on the balcony.
And your uncle said
that his snoring sounded
like an air raid siren.
Mm-hmm.
What does this have
to do with anything?
At that party,
we talked to a man.
It was so hot.
We -- We talked on the roof.
He was working in
a space program
in research and development.
And he was going on about the
stars, planets and all of that.
-On the walk home, you said...
-He was a genius.
I remember.
His name was Yuri.
Karlov.
Yes.
What makes you think
of this man?
That is Yuri Karlov.
Are you crazy?
What are you saying?
-It can't be him.
-It's him.
I heard him saying
his first name days ago,
but none of it clicked
until now.
It's impossible.
-Anna, it's him. I know it.
-Leo.
Yuri Karlov is brilliant.
Subject 3 is a lot of things,
but I'm not sure brilliant
is one of them.
Watch him.
Attention, Dr. Yuri Karlov,
please report
to the testing station.
It's him.
-It really is him.
-I told you.
What is he doing here?
Do you think he got
caught up in a purge?
When Subject 4 went mad,
he was hearing something
about Yegor,
and he was saying
that he was a liar
and saying something about
space, going to space.
Yes. That was strange.
-What is it? Leo.
-Shh.
-Can you explain it to me?
-Shh, shh.
What are you doing?
Do you feel that you
are really pregnant?
What?
Do you think you're pregnant?
Yes.
Maybe. I-I don't know. Why?
A pregnancy. My uncle.
We want one to be true
and one to be false.
And now Karlov.
You don't find
any of this curious?
Hundreds of suspicions
don't make a proof,
-and you know that, Leo.
-Anna, this is not some
paranoid delusion of grandeur
or drunken fairy tale.
I know this world.
I know these types of people.
They are capable of anything.
I should have realized that they
were listening to us long ago.
My uncle taught me
better than that.
Okay, okay, just try and think
this through rationally.
Why would Yegor tell me
that I am pregnant
or that your uncle is dying?
If I am not pregnant
and your uncle isn't dying,
we will know soon enough
when this experiment is over.
I know that you don't trust
my judgment right now,
but ask yourself this question.
Do you trust Yegor?
No.
And I don't think
I trust myself anymore.
But that doesn't mean
that Yegor has lied
about me being pregnant.
None of this is
that what it seems.
You're the psychologist.
You know what is he doing.
For some reason,
he's flooding us with lies.
Drown the truth.
-The truth.
-Yes, truth.
Do you even want to be a father?
Of course.
Do you want to be a mother?
Honestly?
I didn't.
With the way things
have been with you,
with the incident at the clinic,
I didn't because I was scared.
And all of that didn't matter,
though, because I thought
that the possibility of me
getting pregnant
didn't even exist.
But now, I don't know.
It makes me feel happy
to think that I have
a child inside of me.
This child. Our child.
This is possibility.
This is hope.
This is everything.
Because I feel so irrationally
overwhelmed by hope and joy,
even in the face
of your sickness.
Even after all
we've been through,
even in the middle
of this madness.
Shh, shh.
That's how.
That's why I think
that I am really pregnant.
Leo, you're sure there isn't
another reason for you
to be so resistant to this news?
I am resistant to the lies.
I am resistant to half truths.
I am resistant to Yegor,
to the Red Army
and all it represents.
We live in the world full of
lies where truth has no meaning.
How can we even hope
to live our genuine life
with rational decisions
when we are forever kept far
from verifying
or knowing the truth?
All is quiet in the chamber.
The only visible signs of life
now are mere shadows.
Give me your key, Anna.
Anna.
Yegor, give me your key.
Give me the key.
What are you doing?
I'm taking control
of the situation.
The valve is set.
That door stays shut until
the 30 days are complete.
Subject 4 was yelling
that he knew you
and that you said
he'd go to space.
He's gone mad.
Just tell us the truth, Yegor.
Just tell us one true thing.
The truth is that
I'm still in charge here.
And this experiment
is still operational.
Things are deteriorating
quickly and everything
has become seemingly
impossible.
The experiment hangs
by a thread
and it's really difficult
to know what to do.
What if we should continue?
-This is not operational!
-Anna, stop!
Stop!
Yegor.
Before we go in there,
you need to tell us the truth.
We can't fix this if you don't
tell us what is going on.
When you do work for Moscow,
whether it be for the Committee
or the Red Army or the KGB,
everything is like
a giant Matryoshka doll
where little lies are
contained in bigger lies
and bigger lies and bigger lies.
So open up one of these dolls
and explain to us
why we would need internal
security for this experiment.
Subject 3 is
no ordinary prisoner.
In fact, he is
no prisoner at all.
His name is Yuri Karlov,
and he's a very powerful man
in the Space Exploration
division
of the Soviet Space Agency.
Is this just another
one of your lies, Yegor?
Subject 4 is in the chamber
to keep Karlov safe.
And now that this experiment
has failed, none of us are safe.
What do we do now?
We try and salvage
the situation...
and save our own asses.
Anna, help me.
Quick.
Bring me that medical bag.
-Mission failed!
-Captain, Captain, I...
Failed!
They cut out his tongue.
Please.
He's a monster.
Help me, Captain, please.
My eyes!
I didn't do this.
I swear I didn't do this.
What happened?
Subject 4 jumped me.
Aaah!
-Yegor. Yegor.
-No!
But what are doing?
Leo!
Remember what
Dostoyevsky taught us.
Man has it all in his hands
and it all slips through his
fingers from sheer of cowardice!
Well, I'm no coward,
and it's not going to slip
through my fingers!
Aah!
Aah!
Shock him!
Don't try to talk. Calm down.
Calm down.
Anna!
Ahh.
-Anna.
-The most offensive thing,
-Yegor, wasn't your lying.
-Anna, come here.
The most offensive thing
was that you lied
and you worshipped your lying.
One can often forgive lying,
don't you think, Anna, Leo?
Or should I say...
Subject 1 and Subject 2?
I found lying to be
a delightful thing.
For it often leads to the truth.
Anna...Leo...
would you like to go
to the heavens with me?
The parameters of this
experiment are as follows.
The subjects will be deprived of
sleep for 30 consecutive days.
These experiments,
this experiment,
this experiment,
the experiment is designed,
was designed to test
the limits of human endurance.
The parameters of this
experiment are as follows.
The subjects, the subjects,
the subjects, the subjects will
be deprived of sleep
for 30 consecutive days.
This experiment
is designed to test
the limits of mental endurance
and push the boundaries...
...of human evolution.
Ahh. Ah. Aah.