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Do you still think that the world is vast?
That if there is a war in one place,
it has no bearing on another?
And that you can sit it out in peace...
ignoring all that you see?
We continue to slumber
as if the war being fought within our borders
was not already in its fifth year.
As if Chechnya was as far from Europe
as the moon.
Come on. Let's go.
Anna Politkovskaya.
I want to see the test results.
That's not our normal procedure.
Well, she's not a normal patient.
Sorry, are you a relative?
No, I'm her boss.
The results should be here.
I know, because I printed them out earlier.
You think they got deleted somehow?
Not only her test results...
there's no record of her ever being admitted.
You're gonna be okay.
She's a fighter.
Your mother will live.
- What is it? - We need to get her out of here.
Her records are missing.
You sure about this?
We don't have a choice.
It's not safe here.
They're gonna let her die.
Where are you?
Huh?
Two minutes.
Careful. Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Is she okay?
- Now hurry. - Go.
Careful!
Seats.
- Okay. - Easy, easy.
It's all right.
- Come on, come on. - Come on now.
Okay, 1, 2, 3.
Watch her head. Watch her head!
What are you doing?
The hospital in Likhovskoy is almost 12 hours away.
If something happens, are any of you trained?
Let's go.
You're gonna be okay, mama.
Transmission's been slipping, but it should get you there.
You're paranoid.
Goddamn right I am.
Alexei, thank you.
- Thank you. - Of course. Right.
Let's get her inside, ICU!
Quick as you can.
1, 2, 3, 4.
- Ca-- careful. - Okay.
Okay.
Mind her head.
Papa, they've run a thousand tests
but they know less than when they started.
Stupid, stupid woman.
I told you you cannot keep poking a bear
and expect him not to bite back.
So, this is mama's fault?
No, no, it's mine, it's mine.
Should've fought harder.
Should've stopped her going to the fucking country.
- I practically cheered her on. - No.
Hey, sweetheart, listen.
Your mum makes her own mind up.
All you've ever done is loved her,
just like she loved you and your brother.
Okay? You think about that.
Darling?
You, you okay?
- Vera? - Yeah, you um...
you said, "loved".
Sorry. No, I-- I-- what I meant--
I'll call you if anything changes.
Is it okay if I pray?
Hello.
I'm Anna.
Who would like some pencils?
Can I give you those? Thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
So, what happens to the ones
who don't get adopted?
If we can't place them in a home before they reach 18,
they're transitioned.
So, forced out just in time to get drafted.
No one's saying the system is perfect.
The system doesn't work.
Hello.
My name's Anna.
She won't speak.
We call her "Angela", for angel.
Russian soldiers found her wandering the outskirts
of Grozny not long after the invasion began.
They thought she looked Russian, so they had her brought here.
So, you're Chechen?
Shh.
Sorry.
I like your doll, Angela.
Hmm?
Did something bad happen to your doll in Grozny?
- Oh. - Angela!
No. It's--
I'll-- I'll get the director.
No, please, please, it's um-- it's all right.
Don't-- don't punish her.
Oh.
It was my fault.
I was being too nosy.
Sasha, I-- I know. I'm just saying.
I may be a little--
Yes. I know you're busy.
I'm busy, too. Okay.
Yes, we're busy people. Right. Yes.
Bye, Sasha, bye, bye, bye.
- CO-WORKER 1: Morning. - Oh, morning.
Bye.
- You're report. - Oh, thank you, Pavan.
Thank you.
Relieved.
No. Whoa. Wait, whoa, whoa.
No one is accusing anyone of corruption, all right?
Our reporters just want to ask you a few simple questions.
What kind of questions?
Well, uh, for example, how does 21⁄2 billion rubles
allocated for public building projects
end up being used to build villas
in the south of Spain for a bunch of rich guys?
You know what pisses me off?
Everything?
Well, besides that.
What, besides everything?
- Oysters. - Huh?
There's a restaurant in the Italian Alps,
it caters for wealthy Russians.
I've interviewed the owner.
I thought you were writing about orphans.
Do you realize they have eight kinds on the menu?
- Orphans? - Oysters.
Flown in from all over the world.
Well, what's that got to do with the article?
Well, the budgets for state-run orphanages are being slashed.
Kids are going hungry.
No one gives a damn,
and least of all, the nouveau riche
- who are getting fat off-- - Exotic shellfish.
Yeah, I get it.
What happened to your nose?
Well, doesn't it piss you off?
Well, yeah, it pisses me off, but what am I gonna do?
I can't find the Berezovsky file.
And don't let the things you write about upset you.
They don't.
I start off upset, then I write.
Where did I put that bloody file?
- Where was it? - Mm.
What's this?
- Toffee. - Ugh.
- You don't like toffee? - I like toffee.
I don't like rat turd.
Well, you should work for a state-run paper.
I hear the toffees there are excellent.
Yeah.
I hear the reporters' salaries are, too.
Why are you here?
I just love spending time with you.
You want an extension?
Two, three days?
One.
Thank you.
- And it better be brilliant. - Yeah.
And don't slam the door.
Now, you must be aware
a lot of critics are calling your book
flagrantly nationalistic.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
I'm saying like the Soviet Union dissolved in 1990,
and most people have since moved on
from the idea of a grander Russia.
If they have moved on from land won
and fought for by the blood of their forefathers,
then they are weak and they are traitors.
That is an opinion, isn't it?
If you like it,
The Grander Russia by our guest tonight,
Professor Vorobiev.
Something different tomorrow. Look forward to seeing you then.
Goodnight.
And wrap.
Holy shit.
Thanks.
Phew.
Where did they find him?
- You were wonderful. - Oh, yeah?
Your new friend looks so particularly jolly.
Who, Frankenstein's nephew?
Secret police stamped on his face?
I don't know why we get all the attention.
It's not like I'm calling for regime change live on TV.
Why not?
Because, darling, the man has only just come to power
and-- and it would be impolite.
Well, then-- then call him out for what he is,
an ex-KGB goon obsessed with lining his own pockets.
That's a great idea.
I remember a time when you wouldn't have thought twice.
I remember a time when you knew how to duck a punch.
So, how was your day at the cold face of truth, my darling?
Well, no one knows what happened to her parents.
I mean, dead probably.
And she won't say.
And you couldn't drag it out of her.
One-nil to the orphans.
Not funny, Sasha.
I feel for the girl. Just being impartial.
You should try it sometime.
Then you wouldn't be you, would you?
Let's have a look.
Ooh.
She's got a hell of a jab.
Yeah. Well, Putin hit her first.
Apart from your amazing rapport, how's the piece going?
Oh.
Well, I've got one more interview, then I will write,
Dimitri will publish, and nothing will happen.
When Putin was assistant mayor of Saint Petersburg...
he was banking 25% commission
on thousands of unauthorized contracts
for food shipments, most of which came back short
in the middle of a food shortage.
Well, maybe look for any links with the local mafia.
Uh, Nestor, anything new in Chechnya?
I was thinking,
would it hurt to give him some credit once in a while?
The Chechens started this thing.
What, so they invaded themselves?
He put down a rebellion.
Barely 12 months later, all that's left is some mopping up.
In my book, that's a success story.
Sounds more like a fantasy.
Except I've sat down with three of Putin's top generals.
Generals? Wow.
Then did you have his mother on background?
And I was there.
In Grozny?
Wasn't on the list.
So, the army dictates where you can go
and what you can see.
I mean, why pay someone to go down there?
Maybe we should publish the army's press releases
every week. I mean, whoa.
- Think of the savings. - All right. All right.
- Ignore them. - Dmitry, I um...
Well, I personally think our whole approach to Chechnya,
it's-- well, it's wrong.
I'm listening.
Well, maybe we should vary our point of view.
I mean, right now, it's-- it's the Russian army's.
What if it was the Chechens?
Look, I-- I don't mean the rebels.
I've tried.
The-- the few civilians I've met won't talk to me,
because I'm Russian.
What am I supposed to do?
Pretend I'm from Bolivia?
How's your Spanish?
All right.
That's it. Thank you.
She's right, you know?
About Nestor?
He's naive. He'll learn.
He's fucking useless.
And he's left his facts.
He's cheap.
No, if our readers want to be fed propaganda,
they can read Tass or switch on the TV.
That's not what we're about. You know who'd agree with that?
Oh, here we go.
The reason why Gorbachev set up this paper in the first place
and spent his Nobel Prize money doing it is
so there'd be at least one source--
Of honest reporting.
I know.
I'm taking that photo down.
We don't need a war correspondent down there,
Dmitry.
Everyone's got one of those.
So, what do we need?
Sorry to interrupt.
I read your orphanage piece.
You did a great job.
Thank you.
Oh, wh-- I...
I've just been chatting with Yuri.
Hmm.
And we agree with you.
We don't think we need a war correspondent in Chechnya.
We need a people correspondent.
Oh, good.
Someone who's um, sensitive, empathetic,
but also tough-minded and uh, willing to confront
the powerful by asking hard questions...
even if it means pissing them off.
Well, it'll be a week at most.
And-- and look, it's my job.
I think it's a great idea.
- Thank you. - How is it a great idea?
I mean, how is going to a war zone even close
to a great idea?
Maybe Ilya doesn't like Chechens.
Who said anything about Chechens?
What, do you think, because she's a woman
she can't handle herself?
Oh, and you think a bullet cares?
I'm going to talk to people,
some of whom happen to worship Allah,
and write about them.
And papa?
I mean, he's okay with this?
Absolutely.
That's the stupidest fucking thing
I've ever heard in my life.
Did you know that the war between Russia and Chechnya
is the longest ongoing conflict in the world?
- I didn't. Did you-- - Fuck's sake. Hey!
- Oh, God. - I'm your husband, okay?
I'm the father of your kids.
I love you.
And I-- I-- I-- I need you to stick around.
So, no, it's not happening.
You call Dmitry tomorrow,
you tell him you've changed your mind.
Right? Right?
Have you finished?
I'm going, Sasha.
I'm going.
Oh, fuck. Christ.
Come on then, listen.
Listen, you give a copy of your passport
and your itinerary to Dmitry.
No. In fact, to both of us, and you don't go anywhere,
not-- not one yard off,
where we've seen written down that you're going.
- Yes? - Yes, right.
Okay?
Jesus Christ, you're not going to fucking Disneyland.
People are killing each other. Do you understand?
They're shooting each other. They're blowing each other up.
You get in the middle and then you're fucking dead, too.
Right.
- No, don't-- - Sasha, I--
No, don't Sasha me.
You promise me you'll be careful.
I promise you that I'll really be careful.
Shh.
Oh.
Captain Turgenev,
you know as much as I'd like to submit an article
about the back of your head, it-- it-- it would be helpful
if we could stop and talk to people.
Yeah, it would be, but we stop in Khiris, not before.
Yes?
You know, maybe we don't stop at all.
Anna, get out!
Come on!
Stay down!
First time in action?
Pretty cool, huh?
What's happening?
- Stay down! - Okay, okay!
Stop shouting.
Moving clear!
- Good. - Thank you.
...the battle in Grozny is now underway.
The Russian Army Commander has declared
that anyone remaining in the city will be considered
a legitimate target for artillery and air strikes.
Uh, come on, not again.
You can ignore him if you want to.
Well, she's not the only one
who's been to a war zone, you know?
Hmm, dad.
We were all lined up behind a church wall.
- It's blowing up bit by bit. - Come on, dad.
- Papa, come on. - Excuse me.
How many times?
It's fine everybody's heard it, it's a classic.
I have heard this story nine times now.
So, and the machine gunfire's like coming
through the belly of all that.
And they stopped and this guy jumps out
and he goes, "Don't shoot, man, we're journalists!
I'm from the New York Times."
And the guy says, "Oh no, I hate your crosswords!"
- Blows the whole place up. - There you go.
I would be so frightened.
You probably weren't frightened at all.
Uh, I think I actually pissed my pants.
- Sasha! - I did.
So, who is the scariest person you've ever met?
Um, I wonder...
Asshole.
Was it? I thought it was pork.
- Oh, no. - I bet you're all glad
she isn't going back to Chechnya.
Awkward.
No.
What's this? We need this moving now, faster, come on.
Come on, people! Let's move it along!
Let's go, now!
Come on! Faster, guys, faster!
The entire city is being emptied.
They go to camps near the border.
Excuse me?
Excuse me, would you talk to me?
Uh, where were you...
Look, I'm a journalist. Could you talk?
I'm just try-- Why won't anybody talk to me?
Look.
What's happened?
The Russian Army.
What? Could you explain?
- What? - Mm.
Please, what...
I just want to help.
I'm just-- Look, I'm-- I'm--
Fuck this. Fuck.
- Hello? - Dmitry?
- Anna? - Dmitry?
Can you hear--
It's--
Oh, shit!
Hey, can I ask you something?
I thought a reporter's job was to report and not help, huh?
In the case of Russian reporters,
to spoon feed whatever version of the truth
the Kremlin deems fit.
Well, that might be true for some.
But not all.
The paper I work for believes that people deserve the truth,
not lies.
They're choking on lies.
Oh, you think the truth will go down easier?
Would you talk to me?
I took the word of a Russian reporter once.
I swore never again.
Please!
Politkovskaya! Let's go. Time to go.
Go without me.
What did you say to me?
I'm staying.
There's one thing lies between you
and these vicious Chechen dogs...
...the Russian Armed Forces.
The forces concerned for my welfare,
you know, it's touching.
But I don't see any dogs on this road,
vicious or otherwise.
What I do see is people desperate to flee Grozny.
Now, why?
I don't know.
Suit yourself, but you're on your own.
In the vehicle, let's go!
I am-- I could do with a drink.
Look, I have to be sure what I've just done
isn't gonna get me killed.
As I can't be sure, I have to assume the risk.
I'm Anna Politkovskaya, by the way.
Anzor.
If you really want to report the truth...
I'll show you difficult things for you to see.
Great.
Can we go now?
You've entered the black hole
of the world, Anna.
No light or truth escapes from here.
Hello.
How do they survive?
This is...
Hi, hello.
My name is Anna.
What's your name?
Please, who are you?
What you do here?
It's okay. This is Anna Politkovskaya.
- She wants to tell our story. - Russian?
Yes, I'm Russian.
I'm a journalist from the Novaya Gazeta.
I know people like you are liars.
She's different.
What is your name?
Fatima.
Would you talk with me, Fatima?
Please?
If I talk, you tell my story and no lies.
I promise.
Thank you.
Come.
Would it be okay if I recorded you?
Yes.
Okay, thank you.
Just put that there.
Vakha loved me.
Never in his life did he hurt another human being.
I could always make him laugh.
That's what he loved about me, my sense of humor.
Most men, they want to be the funny one but...
Vakha didn't care.
When they found his body...
he had been shot several times.
Both ears cut off and kept as trophies.
I'll tell you who does this.
Russians.
I'd go home immediately.
But everything's gone.
They destroyed my house.
There's nowhere I can go.
They killed my husband.
My kids have no father.
I am freezing and terrified.
No one cares about us.
No one will help us, we're here all alone.
The war's taken everything.
"When they find out you're a reporter,
they cling to you, as if you are a magician,
as if something essential depended on you.
This war is not being fought to rein in a rogue republic.
This war is being waged
to advance the interests of one person...
a president intent on becoming the type of leader
that Russia thought it had left in the past,
a vain, brutal, power-hungry authoritarian."
Jesus.
Well, you said you were gonna be tough on him.
You've dropped a bomb on his doorstep.
I was aiming for his lap.
You're set on blowing up the whole damn operation.
Oh, well, then I'll add something about
what a good father is
and how much his generals give to charities.
The hospital burns ward.
Move it up to the first paragraph.
Tone down the gore.
Other than that, don't change a word.
We're gonna publish part of your report each week.
Thank you.
Before Putin, you know how Russians felt about themselves.
He made it okay for us to love our country again.
Some of us never stopped.
We are hurtling back into a Soviet abyss.
An information vacuum that spells death
from our own ignorance.
If you choose to be a journalist in Russia,
you have to accept the risk.
Happy birthday.
I'm sorry, I-- I can't be--
What, something...
Uh, Ilya, sorry.
Really bad, bad signal.
Did-- did you get the present I sent?
Yes.
It's a Sufi saying.
It's beautiful, mama, but I um,
I don't know what it says.
"Only from the heart can you touch the sky."
What's that noise?
Are those bombs?
Howitzer fire.
The 120th are making a push
so Putin has something to brag about before the election.
Well, it sounds close.
I don't know. I'd say it's 5 kilometers away.
Yeah.
Uh, hold on.
There we go.
Step out of the car.
Is there a problem?
Step out of the car.
- Let me call you back. - No, mama, wait.
- Sorry. - Move. Come on.
Please, can you explain what the problem is?
- Hey. - So, where are you taking us?
Shut the fuck up!
Journalist.
Yes, I'm a journalist and I'm certified to be here.
But please, please read.
Can you not touch--
Oh!
Oh, oh, God.
Oh.
Fucking bastards.
You should write a report. They could've killed you.
They're nobodies.
I'm not gonna open people's eyes by feeding them nobodies.
Well, next time, Anna, some nobody is likely to break more
than your tape recorder.
Hey.
- Great ratings last night. - Yeah.
Best of the series.
Yesterday's news now.
Your wife, she's making quite a name for herself.
Pfft.
Well, she raised the kids
while I made a name for myself, so...
Yeah, it's only fair.
A bit reckless, don't you think?
She says she's well aware of the danger she's in, so.
But are you?
What's gonna happen to me?
She could poke my eye out with a brush.
Have a great show.
Sorry.
Stuck at work.
She's on a mission.
Uh, it's not easy for any of us.
No, all right, well--
Well, what if you'd found out that for the past year
instead of running off to Chechnya all the time,
she was running into the arms of another man?
I mean, h-- how, how would you feel then?
Like sharing?
They shouldn't have sent her to a conflict.
She's a people correspondent.
She loves people.
It's who she is.
- Finished, sir? - Thank you.
You know, today in her column, you know what she called him?
A gangster.
That's your mum.
Beautiful, tender,
and with all the tact of a T-90 tank.
People are starting to notice how much she hates him.
She hates what he's doing.
She hates the war.
Almost as much as she loves Chechens.
Hey, we're here to enjoy ourselves, remember?
Drink.
Were you never tempted to join the rebels?
You know, Anna, one day I'd woken up
and a war had broken out.
Yes, most of my friends, they joined the rebels,
but I didn't hate the Russians enough to kill them, so.
You know, some people think the only way to end the war
is by winning it.
May I say you end the war by ending it.
Oh, oh.
We can't talk about something else?
We have a guest in our home.
The war can wait.
- I didn't give you a drink. - But I was--
Come, come, come. I told him to give you a drink.
Mama, you said do the plate.
This is Amina, Zarina, Amir, and Khava.
Come, come, come. So tonight, as a family, we eat.
- Oh. - And we drink.
Oh. Thank you.
You know, it smells amazing.
Oh, Anna, you're in for a treat.
My mother, she makes the best jijig-chorpa in Chechnya.
Hey, hey. Who raised you, huh?
- Wolves? Leave it. - Mama.
Ah.
Oh, Natalya.
- Delicious. - I picked it.
I cleaned it. I cooked it all by myself.
Mama. I did nothing.
You did nothing. You never do anything.
I'm the one who picked it,
- so I don't know what-- - That's a lie.
All right.
Don't listen to them.
They're liars.
Well, I want to make a toast to Anna.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
For bringing hope and light to the Chechen people,
for keeping your promise.
And I promise that I'll continue to keep it.
To Anna.
- To Anna. - Mm.
You see?
My cousin, Anzor, is her personal driver.
They are very famous.
Isn't the target on my back big enough?
Time for sweet things, huh?
Yeah.
Have you ever met any of these men?
Never.
They're Chechen civilians who disappeared on
or around January the 2nd.
Now, I've been in contact with people from their village
who allege that members of your militia unit detained these men
and then over a series of days,
and under your strict supervision,
subjected them to torture.
Do you know this man?
Salambek Turamov.
Our sources allege that you tortured Salambek,
before you dragged him to a cell
at the October district offices and killed him.
Do you care to comment?
You're accusing me of murder?
Salambek's parents are.
Take down this statement...
"I am an officer in the army of the Russian Federation...
not a murderer."
But write your little story.
No one will read it beyond a few liberal faggots in Moscow.
It's true,
we don't have the number of readers of other papers,
but you see,
there's only one number that matters to me,
and that's the number of prosecutors needed to bring
charges of first-degree murder
against an officer of the Russian Army.
And that number is one.
I think we're done here, aren't we?
You do know I could slit your throat
and let you bleed out like a pig?
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Major.
Now, if you don't mind, my driver is expecting me.
- Good morning. - Morning.
Uh, what happened to my desk?
It's well-- well, it's neat.
Oh, it's uh, probably the new intern.
She just showed up.
She was a cub reporter for a local newspaper.
Says she wants to be a proper journalist.
Yeah, well, she wants to stay away from my desk.
I like you pissed off.
That's how I want you to address the Security Council.
Oh. Thank you.
I'm Anna.
I know.
What are you doing right now?
Um, I'm making coffees.
Well, you're not gonna learn how to be a journalist
doing that. Okay?
I want you to help me draft our statement to the UN.
Call Natalya, tell her that you work for me.
I want a list of every complaint against Russian troops
in Chechnya in the last six months,
and then plan to spend the rest of the day making calls.
Oh, and uh, I'll have a tea, no sugar.
I dislike Putin, because he despises his people.
He sees us simply as a means to his ends,
a means for the achievement and retention of power.
He believes he can do with us as he sees fit.
"Because we are nobody.
While he who chances and able to clamber to the top.
is today Czar and God.
In Russia, we have had leaders with this outlook before.
Led to tragedy, to bloodshed on a vast scale,
and to civil wars."
"I do not want that.
So, I dislike this typical Soviet Chekist."
Or a member of the old secret police.
I know what Checkist means.
Only no one else outside Russia will.
Well, if-- if I'd have known the Associated Press
were gonna pick it up,
well, then, I would have phrased it differently.
"I don't like this typical Soviet Chekist
as he struts down the red carpet
of the Kremlin throne room as if he actually owns it.
The gold is polished and shines.
Servants smile obediently.
Comrades, former KGB colleagues
promoted way beyond their limited talents
by his, assume a dignified air."
Jesus Christ.
Well, it's powerful, Putin as emperor.
Someone had to say it, I suppose.
Maybe someone in a position of power
will take five minutes out of their busy day
and look up Chechnya on a map.
What? What are you looking at?
Hmm?
Nothing.
Oh, thank you.
Excuse me, do you mind?
Nope, nope.
You're a writer.
Hmm.
It's just a guess.
You've got that haunted look of someone with a deadline to meet.
I wish I could write.
I'd write about history.
The old czars, Ivan, Peter.
I mean, nowadays, you can say what you want about them
and no one seems to care, but back then...
And you had to be bloody careful what you said about the church.
It was all in the Stoglav.
Do you know what that was?
It was a record of the czar's questions to the clergy
and their responses.
It established the code of canon law.
And what writers were allowed to express.
These are amazing.
I can see why you come here every morning.
What are you?
You need to stop.
Stop what?
Criticizing the czar?
Understand, it makes no difference to me.
Me, personally, I enjoy your column.
I look forward to it.
Your passion, your concern for humanity,
your fondness for the Chechen people,...
all of that is commendable.
But it doesn't change your situation.
And what is my situation exactly?
Been nice to meet you.
Morning.
- Good morning. - Hi.
Oh, come on.
Oh, Gregor. Hi.
Yeah.
- I'll be a minute. - Sasha.
- What have they done? - Sasha?
Yeah.
I need to have a little chat with you.
Well, now? I'm late.
Come with me, my friend,
because this is completely out of my hands.
- Hey. - Hey.
- What's wrong? - Nothing.
- Who is that? - He--
It's no one.
- Leave it, Ilya-- - But why is he staring at you?
I-- I don't know.
Just come on. Ilya.
Ilya, leave it, please.
Hey!
Oi!
Oh, Ilya, he's gone.
Ayi, yai, yai.
Oh.
This place is a mess.
I've been back a week. I-- I can't get into it.
No, it's his mess. He should clean it.
Your father, well, he's-- he's having a hard time.
He hates not working.
Look, stop making excuses for him.
Look, look, look, Ilya.
Hey.
It's okay.
No, it's not okay, all right?
It's-- it's-- it's not.
None of this is okay.
Not papa, not strangers stalking you in the street.
Oh, oh--
Probably the unhinged subject of some article
you've written who now has it in for you
or the fact that, for the past two years,
I've woken up every morning
and wondered if today is gonna be the day
that I get a call from someone telling me
my mother's been found in a ditch, right?
It-- it-- it is all so not okay.
Ilya...
Oh.
Thought it was you.
Hi.
Hello. Welcome home.
Are you uh, you gonna stay for dinner?
No.
Oh, Ilya.
Ilya!
Why is he upset? What did you say?
What'd you say to him?
You know, as much as I love working all day then,
oh, doing the shopping and then, ooh, making dinner,
it would be nice
if maybe you did it for a change.
Yeah, I'm busy! I'm doing something.
- Doing what? - I'm logging the death threats.
Why?
Oh.
- Sasha. - Talking of which,
your favorite war criminal called today.
I saved it for you. Here you go.
Hear that?
You're dead.
I'm gonna cut your tits off and feed them to the beast dogs.
Yeah?
Last time, it was your uterus.
Something tells me mad Major Lapin's
got serious mommy issues.
No one's asking you to do this.
We need a record.
And anyway...
what else am I gonna do?
Have you written any more query letters?
I've written plenty of letters, all right?
No one's writing back.
You will. It's just a matter of time--
- It's-- - And it will happen.
It's just like the old days.
Can't you feel it?
It's like someone's pried open Stalin's crypt
and the stench is in the air.
What about Vasily?
- Have you called him-- - Please don't.
Just...
They're all shit scared of him.
Big joke. They're not even trying to get to me.
- Sorry. I'm so-- I-- - No, no. No.
I've got to make dinner.
Sorry.
Excuse me, can I help you?
I need to speak to Anna, Anna Politkovskaya.
One minute.
Excuse me? Hey.
You can't go here.
Stop him.
What's going on?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You need to have an appointment here.
You can't just barge in here.
- You're s-- - Hold on, hold on.
It's okay.
You know this guy?
I've seen him around.
Can I help you?
Army?
Lance corporal. Semenov, Ivan.
5th Army, Motorized Rifle Brigade.
You fought in Gudermes?
You guys took heavy casualties.
They took more.
Look,
I know you want to tell me something,
because you've been following me.
They lied.
They said it was for rubbish.
Right. Ivan, come with me.
- It's okay. Please. - Anna--
Let him go.
Dmitry, I'm okay, honestly.
Please, this way.
Follow me.
- You sure? - Positive.
Take a seat.
We dug the trench, me and some guys from my squad.
It was the staff sergeant who said they planned
to bury rubbish in it.
I had no reason not to believe him.
The next day, a bunch of special forces showed up at the camp.
They were ethnic Chechens
who'd fought against the Russians at first,
then switched sides.
I couldn't figure out why they were there.
Then a large group of non-combatants
was herded out of the camp
and marched towards the edge of the trench,
the one we'd dug to bury the rubbish.
The special forces were waiting with their rifles.
The camp was dismantled a week later
and went away without a trace...
an entire camp.
Do you um,
do you think you could draw a map?
You promise not to publish my name?
If you promise you're not lying.
Anna.
You know, the whole time it has been right under my nose.
What?
The camp that Corporal Semenov was assigned to, you know?
He reckons there's over two hundred bodies buried there
and according to him,
the same thing is happening all over the region.
You know, if this checks out, you know what this is?
Yeah.
- You're not going down there. - Why not?
Because you're due to address the Security Council
in five days.
Well, that can wait.
Oh, for God's sake, Anna!
You have been invited to bear witness
by the British delegation to the United Nations, right?
It is not some nail salon you can call up
and change an appointment anytime you want.
Look, Semenov came to me,
because I'm the only one he can trust.
No. He trusts this newspaper!
And that is who you work for,
not the other way around.
Oh.
Okay. I-- I get it. I get it, okay?
Chechnya's your baby.
Well, this newspaper is mine.
And it certainly isn't because of the money.
I could earn twice as much anywhere else, right?
But then I'd be in the bullshit business.
And that is why I was so happy
when the invitation came from the UN.
I saw Kofi Annan's signature and I thought, "Okay.
Maybe we are doing something right." Okay?
And by we, I don't mean you and me.
I mean every single person who has ever walked through
that door and given a damn.
Okay?
Hey, hey, hey!
- Hey, hey, hey. - Someone-- there's someone here.
I came here with a speech
about an illegal occupation
and its devastating effects on civilians in Chechnya.
But in the last 48 hours, I have received evidence
that confirms systematic mass killings
on a scale I could never imagine.
The site contains over a 150 murdered civilians,
many of whom were found with their hands tied
behind their backs with barbed wire
and many showing signs of torture.
We expect many more mass graves to be found.
Now, the Kremlin is doing everything possible
to keep this a secret.
It wants the world to believe that Russia is waging a war
against terrorists, when in fact
its real purpose is a dedicated campaign of genocide
against the people of Chechnya.
Yes, sir. I saw it.
Understood, sir.
Yes, thank you.
People can pay with their lives
for saying out loud what they believe.
Just talking to me can put someone in danger.
Where is he?
He's not here.
No. No, no, no. He's not here.
He's in Regita.
Come back. He's not here!
Where are you going?
Oh my God. Leave him. Leave him.
Don't go after him.
Leave him alone!
Please!
On your knees.
Mm.
Hey, The Godfather's on in a bit.
Ah. Well, shame we'll miss it.
Well, we could always get room service,
stay in like the old days.
Well, um, and when they ask me
why I didn't turn up to receive my award,
I'll say, "Oh.
Well, there was an old movie on the TV
- and I wanted to watch." - It's not an old movie.
It's The Godfather.
You love The Godfather. I've just been pretending to.
Now, get ready.
Hi.
Anzor has been arrested.
What?
They have taken my son.
Well, where have they taken him?
What?
Everything all right?
Let's go.
Yeah.
Thank you.
No, it's not like the old days, is it?
When we started out, if you won an award,
you had to get yourself killed
or at least, lose a couple of legs or something, right?
They'd put a picture up on the newsroom
of a coffee machine that said, "Never to be forgotten."
Next person in they'd be, "Who's that?"
Right?
And now for the final award of the evening.
The Global Award for Human Rights Journalism
was established to recognize the immense importance
of journalists around the world.
This year, the award goes to Anna Politkovskaya.
Yeah!
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
War has two sides.
I say it has three.
The innocent civilians caught in the middle
of what I can only describe as a medieval, brutal war.
And I would like to dedicate this award
to those extraordinary, brave people.
Sorry, if I embarrassed you, all right?
I'd had a few glasses of wine.
Oh, good, Sasha. Blame the wine.
Jesus, everybody loved you, all right?
Everybody loved your speech.
How long are you gonna stay angry for?
Look, it's stained on it--
No, this is not about the dress!
- With the water. - This...
this is about you
and how you wallow in your self-pity.
Oh, uh, uh, uh, when I try and help you,
you resent me like you resent everything I do.
I have no idea what you're--
- what are you talking about? - Look, you-- you were a star.
You got the treatment everywhere you went, including at home.
And then the unthinkable happened.
Your wife stopped playing second fiddle.
Yeah, the-- this, it's so far from the mark.
- It is so wrong. - I'm right!
Yeah. Uh, you're right about anything.
I mean, you're always fucking right about everything,
aren't you?
I mean, you're right about not liking sitting
at home doing nothing. You're right.
I don't like sitting about with nothing to do for years.
And whose fault is that?
Uh, it's not mine, is it?
- Obviously-- - I mean, is it?
- It's not. - So...
So, you're blaming me like you blame me for everything.
Who the fuck else is to blame?
- No. - No, I'm-- I'm-- I'm sorry.
Look, Sasha, Sasha, I-- I don't care anymore.
May I take your bag, sir?
Yes, please.
I um, I spoke to Vasily.
He's gonna let me crash there just for a little while.
That's good for Vasily.
How long you sticking around?
I think a few more days.
There's people here.
I, uh...
Listen...
you're a better writer than me.
I know that's not easy for you to say.
Hello?
They uh, beat him...
and then left him to die like a piece of rubbish.
Oh, Maaret.
They've taken everything.
A brother, my husband, my children.
That's all war does, takes.
And it's never enough.
Two centuries of taking, it still wants more.
I'm so sorry.
You know, if you two do get tired
of watching this extremely long costume drama
in which literally nothing actually happens,
I think there's a football game on.
No?
Okay.
No one is reporting on the terrible impact
of the war.
The tactics employed by the Kremlin
to suppress so-called terrorism
is itself creating a wave of violence
the like of which has never been experienced.
Get the fuck off the stage!
Move it fucking now!
You're all going to die
unless you do exactly as we say.
Call your loved ones.
Tell them you have been taken hostage
by the Reconnaissance and Sabotage Battalion
of Vedeno.
Right, does anyone want anything?
- I'm good, thank you. - Ilya?
Nikolai Agapov reporting live
from the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow,
which has been taken over by Chechen terrorists.
- Oh my God. - ...to detonate bombs.
Just after 9:00 p.m. this evening,
- dozens of heavily-- - Turn it down.
...Chechens stormed the theater--
So, who is this?
Egorov, the Russian Federation.
What do you want?
I'm calling to tell you what the terrorists want.
And that is?
You.
Me?
Yeah, to mediate negotiations.
According to their leader, you're the only Russian
that the entire Chechen population trusts.
I need you to come to the Dubrovka Theater immediately.
When you get there, you will ask for me,
and one of my men will escort you
to the command center.
Okay.
Mama?
They um, they want me to help with negotiations.
Over the phone, right?
No.
- Oh my God. - A woman in her 40s
murdered while attending a theater show.
So, these are the people you're supposed to talk sense to?
A-- a-- and you're supposed to go in there and do what?
Make them see the fucking light?
Ilya, if there's anything I can do to help, then I will.
Of course.
That's all I've ever heard my entire life.
The innocent, and the powerless
- and how much they need you. - Ilya, Ilya.
- Yeah, it never ends, ma. - Ilya, Ilya, listen to me.
No, because this is the world!
And the world will never run out of victims no matter what you
or anyone else does to change it.
So tell me, mama, where do we fit in?
- So, no, no-- - This is not about you!
So, tell me!
I mean, granted, we're only your flesh and blood, right?
Yeah, we're not full fucking members of the Wretched
- and Exploited-- - Oh.
- Ilya, I-- - No, no.
Ilya.
You're not going.
You're not.
You're staying right here.
- It's her choice. - No, no.
I'm not watching you die!
Listen to yourself.
Mama, please be careful.
I've sent Marta and the metro team.
I'd love to assign you, but it looks like you're busy.
Now do me a favor, try not to piss anyone off.
I know it's hard for you.
Oh, I'll try.
You'll never get a cab.
That was a friend in DC, it's all over the news there.
My contact in London says the same.
Well done, lads. You hit them big time.
Why are you doing this?
You're not a parent.
Maybe someday you'll have children
and-- and when you do,
your children will look at the world
that you have handed them
and-- and they will judge you, not whether you,
you succeeded in making the world a better place
or didn't make the world a better place,
but it...
They will judge you on how hard you tried.
This is as far as I go.
Said I'd take you to them, but I'm not handing you over.
Go, mama.
No one interrupt.
Sir?
Thank you for coming, Anna.
So, you're not going in there to report or observe.
No public statements, no interviews.
You keep your mouth shut and you keep your opinions
to yourself until the situation is resolved.
And then I'm free to say whatever I like, hmm?
Lieutenant Colonel Egorov.
Well, that's entirely up to you.
The leader's name is Musa Barayev,
a well-established Chechen separatist.
We estimate 30-plus terrorists and 800 hostages.
The children are still inside,
getting them out should be your main priority.
We've also been able to tap into the theater's CCTV cameras,
mainly focused on the entrances and exits,
so we should have visual on you most of the time.
But if anything does go wrong, there's not a lot we can do.
Oh, we have a flak jacket.
There's no need.
They've killed two hostages already.
They're savages.
You trust savages?
Well, if they are savages, then a flak jacket
isn't gonna be much help to me, is it?
Shall we?
Ma'am.
She's going in.
She's completely alone.
She'll be fine.
How much time do your men need?
Two to three hours.
Copy, she's in.
Give the order.
Sir.
Hello?
Hello.
I am Abu Bakr.
I'm Anna.
It is an honor to meet you, Anna Politkovskaya.
Back home they write songs about you.
One claims you are the bravest woman in Russia.
I'm here to see Barayev.
Of course.
Come with me.
What the fuck? What-- what the fuck is this shit?
Are you guys stupid?
Take this...
Fucking imbeciles.
Tell your readers we are not jihadists, okay,
in spite of what some would have you believe.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
They're children under 13.
You made a deal.
You need to let them go.
Okay.
All children under 13 years old,
line up on the stairs with me now.
- Is this your wife? - Yeah, she's diabetic.
- There we go. - Thank you.
Children.
Come.
We've gone past the point of no return.
Either the war stops now or we blow up the hostages.
Well--
And that's your message?
Look, I understand.
I know the situation in Chechnya is intolerable.
Let me help you make a deal.
There must be an immediate halt to all security sweeps.
If he agrees, the older children can go.
And what's to stop him resuming sweeps in two days, huh?
If you let the children go, it's a gesture, Abu Bakr,
and I'm telling you, it's an important one.
She wants to talk to you.
Thank you.
He says you need to call off the security sweeps.
First he releases those 13 and over,
then I'll order a halt in all districts except Vedeno.
First, he says you have to let the older children go.
Anna.
Fatima.
Ah, we've come a long way.
On very different paths.
You choose words, I choose action.
These men...
...they're using you.
You're wrong.
These are good men.
They fight for a great cause.
Your husband, if he was alive, well, he would--
would he stand with them?
Men who prey on the vulnerable, who--
who give them no choice, but what,
to murder innocent people in the name of what?
Peace?
Cover your face, Fatima.
Leave with me now.
Beg the court for mercy.
It's the only way you're gonna get out of here alive.
All right.
The rest of the children can go.
And the women?
Maybe.
You need to go.
And you need to keep on talking.
Otherwise, how is this going to end?
When Chechnya is free.
That's when this will end.
Goodbye, Anna.
What the-- No. What-- not that--
No. Get, get--
The fuck is going on?
Alpha team storming the building.
Christ, the war has come home.
What was that?
No, what?
- No, get, get-- - It's all right.
- Get off!
Let her go.
Wh--
What the hell have you done?
You used me.
You used me to stall for time.
We each have a job to do, Anna.
We saved a lot of innocent lives
and a few Chechens are put to sleep.
Job well done.
I understand it was the president
who came up with the idea, but don't quote me.
Look, you're maniacs.
You're-- you're all fucking maniacs.
So, you're accusing
the president of murder?
Last month he ordered the use
of chemical weapons on civilians,
a 170 people died.
So, w-- w-- what, what would you call it?
It was an opioid-laced gas, correct?
Fentanyl.
A tranquilizer used to make people fall asleep.
Not to kill them.
You see these people?
Now, they're civilians, not terrorists,
and they are not sleeping.
Fentanyl causes respiratory depression.
Now, the victims should have been turned on their sides in--
in order to keep their airways open.
Instead, they were left on their backs,
ensuring they asphyxiated.
Now, as you can see, the ER personnel
are completely caught by surprise
at the number of victims needing their care.
Now, if they had been informed ahead of time--
- Wh-- why weren't they? - Secrecy.
See, our team uncovered
that the operation was classified
under need-to-know restrictions.
And that, well, then that included people
who could have saved lives.
And the fact that 30 terrorists took hundreds hostage?
The only terrorist
that the Russian people need to fear...
is their own president.
You have to see this.
Reports just coming in
from the town of Beslan in North Ossetia.
The Chechen separatists have entered the school
and taken many hostages.
It's a terrible reminder of the Dubrovka Theater scene
with hundreds of staff and people still trapped inside.
Oh, no.
Anna, this is not your war.
Uh, uh, listen, D-- Dmitry, uh, someone needs to negotiate.
I have to try.
Last time I checked,
you were supposed to be a journalist.
But-- but I-- I am and you know that
and why I need to be there on the ground.
Just be careful.
My contact on the ground will meet you
and take you to the school.
The government is saying 200 to 400 hostages,
but my contact in Ossetia is saying it's more like 1100,
700 children.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Be careful!
Welcome aboard.
Thank you.
- Tea or coffee, madam? - No, thank you.
- Tea or coffee, madam? - Tea, please.
Your tea ma'am.
Oh, thank you.
Miss?
Mama.
Mama, you're awake.
Here water, water.
Ilya?
Yeah, she's awake.
Okay.
Ilya's on his way.
Okay, I'm gonna go and get a nurse. Okay?
Wha-- what happened?
The hostages?
Mum.
What happened?
The rebels set off a bomb inside the gymnasium.
That is if you believe the Kremlin.
There were casualties, mama.
How many?
The number keeps changing, but...
at the moment they're saying over 300 dead.
Huh?
Including all the separatists.
Huh?
How many children?
- Mama, you need to rest. - Vera, how many children?
The majority.
You were right.
You said she would fight to live.
God is great.
Garry Kasparov was on TV yesterday.
He called you, "the conscience of the nation".
Yeah, well, Garry Kasparov should stick to playing chess.
Good morning.
Have you seen this?
Anna!
I'm no saint.
Far from it.
Ask the mothers of Beslan.
Well, don't tell them.
Mother Russia.
- Far from it. - Anna!
Anna!
- Anna! - Thank you.
Anna! Anna! Anna!
Okay, stay back please. Stay back.
- Anna! - Anna!
Excuse me, thank you.
- Anna! - Anna!
Careful, careful.
Anna! Anna! Anna!
You all right?
Yeah.
- Let's go home. - Okay.
A reporter should never be the story.
I am not a politician.
I am just another face in the crowd in Moscow,
St. Petersburg, and Chechnya,
doing my job.
And I do not intend to stop.
- Hi, how are you? - Good.
What are you doing tomorrow?
Tomorrow?
Planning on coming in to work.
Why?
Well, I was thinking of taking the day off.
You wanna join me?
Okay.
All right.
Uh, 12:00, the bandstand, Drewsbury Park.
Right. See you then.
See you there.
Bye.
My feet got fat.
When was the last time you wore them?
Oh, 30 years ago.
Used to go to Gorky Park on Saturday afternoons
to dance the cha-cha.
What?
- The cha-cha? - Yeah, the cha-cha.
I was quite a hoofer.
Ask my wife.
You know, I met Sasha at a tea dance.
- You're kidding. - Mm.
And he kept stepping on my feet.
Luckily for him, he was so good-looking.
- You see, I like this. - Hmm?
We're hanging out.
We never hang out.
It's always work, work, work.
Voulez-vous danser?
All the other papers have a travel writer.
How come we don't?
Because we can't afford one.
Not according to our accountant.
According to him, we've had our best quarter ever,
thanks to you.
Mm.
So, do you know anyone who can write a bit
and doesn't mind sleeping in strange beds?
What's wrong, Dima?
Do you want me to stop stepping on people's toes?
They never come for me.
All the years I've been doing this,
I've had plenty of threats, but not once.
They just...
killed my reporters, my friends.
Anna, please.
I'm not asking you to stop,
just step out of the firing line
and you keep the column.
You just shift the focus
from murder and corruption to bed and breakfasts.
I'll think about it.
Right.
Natalya sent it.
It's a video of two men killing Chechen civilians,
possibly on the order of Chechen regional leaders
or, or quite possibly Putin himself.
You'll need to authenticate it.
I don't understand.
Knock yourself out.
But it's your lead.
And you're ready.
Hello?
Egorov.
Oh, h-- hi.
I understand you wanna meet.
Y-- yes.
But in public. I want lots of people around.
As you wish.
Tomorrow, 11:00, the art museum.
Um, o-- okay.
I'll-- I'll-- I'll-- I'll see you then.
Sleep well.
Goodnight.
Sorry, I'm late.
There was a queue.
Black tea, no sugar.
You just wasted a perfectly good untainted drink.
And you almost wasted a perfectly good reporter.
Look, I know this may sound disingenuous,
but I am glad you're alive.
So, that means I don't have to worry
about you putting another wet team onto me?
Not my call.
Well, whose call is it?
I can't answer that.
Can't or won't?
The reason I ask is because I've been reassigned
to the travel desk.
That's why I'm asking you to speak to someone for me.
I can pass along the information.
Pass along wh--
Look, I'm middle management.
These decisions they, um...
My mandate is circumscribed.
Ah.
In other words, I'm screwed.
- I don't make the rules. - No, you just follow them.
So, can I ask you something?
You know,
out of all the paths you could have chosen in life,
why did you choose this one?
I could ask you the same question.
Well, I chose the path that I believe in.
I didn't.
You know all this, this was a slum,
until Ivan the Great kicked out the residents
and built a palace.
Not because he was cruel, but because he had a vision.
He saw a shining city rising from that hell hole,
and beyond that, a mighty empire
straddling two continents.
And here we are, 500 years later,
a journalist pleading for a life in a--
in a country run by a glorified thug,
celebrating the opening of its first Starbucks.
I don't expect you to understand.
Do you have children?
Why do you wanna know?
No, I don't have any children.
But you're married?
I'm single.
And in case you're wondering, both my parents are dead.
What's your point?
So, you have no one?
What you mean, no one who gives a shit
if I live or die?
I'm...
You what?
Sorry.
I'm on good terms with the director,
and he's on good terms with someone
who's in a position to help you, so I'll make a request.
Thank you.
Goodbye, Anna.
- Find anything? - Mm.
You?
Oh.
Don't yell.
- Vera! - Yeah?
Oh.
She's having a baby.
Oh.
Sasha, of course, I'd be happy if it was a boy.
Wouldn't you like a granddaughter?
Oh, well, girls--
Yeah, well, they're sweeter, especially when they're younger.
I'll bet.
I know I was.
You still are.
- God, we're old. - Yeah.
We're gonna be grandparents.
I know.
We should talk about it.
- I mean-- - Okay.
Like, get it right. You know what I mean?
Right. Oh.
You want me to get me off the phone?
I got a lot of shopping, Sasha, that's why.
You mean fur coats?
No.
Well, Ilya's coming for dinner this evening
- with his new girlfriend. - No.
- I know. - Oh God.
- Are you cooking up a feast? - Yeah, Vera's coming, too.
Great.
Why don't you come?
- What time? - 8:00.
- All right, great. - Yeah.
- Yeah, I'd love it. - Okay.
I'll bring some wine, yeah?
- Yeah. Well-- - Okay, love.
Okay. I'll see you then. Bye, bye.
Bye.
Oh.
Let go.
- Let go. - No!
Is journalism worth the loss of life every time?
Is the price of truth how much a society cares?
No.
There is nothing of value apart from the truth.
♪ I'm on a roll ♪
♪ I'm on a roll this time ♪
♪ I feel my luck could change ♪
♪ Pull me out of the air crash ♪
♪ Pull me out of the lake ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm your super hero ♪
♪ We're standing on the edge ♪
♪ The head of state has called for me by name ♪
♪ But I don't have time for him ♪
♪ It's gonna be a glorious day ♪
♪ I feel my luck could change ♪
♪ Pull me out of the air crash ♪
♪ Pull me out of the lake ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm your super hero ♪
♪ We're standing on the edge ♪