Familiar Faces
by Nissan Mushiev
FADE IN:
EXT. A PARK IN LENINGRAD - DAY
In the heart of Leningrad, SOFIA PETROVNA walks through a park with many trees. She suddenly notices a set of eyes that give her a sense of peculiar familiarity.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Do I know you?
A man aged beyond his physique approaches Sofia Petrovna.
MAN
You also look familiar. Where are you from?
SOFIA PETROVNA
Leningrad. What about you?
MAN (hesitating)
My home… has been in a labor camp for the last 10 years.
Sofia Petrovna’s eyes widen. A tear flows down her cheek.
SOFIA PETROVNA (breathing heavily)
Son? KOLYA?
MAN (hesitating)
Um… You got the wrong person. My name is Ivan, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov.
SOFIA PETROVNA (sighing)
Oh, I am sorry! It’s just… My son too was in the camps.
Ivan Denisovich and Sofia Petrovna walk through the park in silence.
SOFIA PETROVNA (cont’d)
Won’t you sit with me for a couple of minutes?
IVAN DENISOVICH
Sure, I am in no rush. I’ve just arrived in Leningrad. What a beautiful city! At the train station, there was a legless statue of a man in bronze armor…
SOFIA PETROVNA
Oh! Peter the Great?
Sofia Petrovna and Ivan Denisovich walk towards --
A PARK BENCH
-- and sit down.
SOFIA PETROVNA
So, what brings you to Leningrad?
IVAN DENISOVICH
I came to visit a friend. His name is comrade BUYNOVSKY. I’m headed to Cruiser Aurora. I heard he works there now.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Was he in the camp with you?
IVAN DENISOVICH (nodding)
Yes. A close friend, although older than me.
SOFIA PETROVNA
You remind me of my son…
IVAN DENISOVICH
Was he also wrongfully arrested?
SOFIA PETROVNA
Yes. I love him so dearly.
She looks at Ivan Denisovich with pleading eyes.
SOFIA PETROVNA (cont’d)
He was a shock worker, so bright and talented. He was even featured on the front page of Pravda.
IVAN DENISOVICH
I’m sure he was.
SOFIA PETROVNA
I tried, tried so hard to get him out. I had no doubt he was wrongfully convicted. My faith in the Soviet Union has faded since then… I don’t know whom to trust anymore.
IVAN DENISOVICH
I understand.
SOFIA PETROVNA
What were you arrested for?
IVAN DENISOVICH (hesitating)
No one ever asked me that question… The Red Army accused me of treason.
SOFIA PETROVNA (frowning)
Oh, horror! Brave, patriotic, innocent – like my poor Kolya!
IVAN DENISOVICH
I’ve stopped trying to make sense of it all a long time ago.
SOFIA PETROVNA
And I… I couldn’t believe it! No one would tell me anything. Would you tell me how life was back in the camps? I must know what my poor Kolya went… has been through!
IVAN DENISOVICH
I’ll tell you. Only I’m not sure it’s what you want to hear.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Oh, what could be worse than never seeing him again!
IVAN DENISOVICH
Life wasn’t that bad in the camps, actually.
SOFIA PETROVNA (shocked)
Not that bad?! What are you saying?
IVAN DENISOVICH
We were like a family. Our job was to lay bricks with mortar.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Oh my poor Kolya! I just hope he had… or has… don’t mind me… enough to eat over there. I hope he was warm!
IVAN DENISOVICH
Food wasn’t a real issue either. And the cold – it’s is nothing you can’t get used to.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Food wasn’t an issue? What kind of camp was it?
IVAN DENISOVICH
We respected and trusted each other. I’d do a favor, like holding the line for a campmate of mine, and he’d give me his food ration.
SOFIA PETROVNA
But what did he eat?
IVAN DENISOVICH
He got parcels from home.
SOFIA PETROVNA
So, you didn’t go hungry? My poor Kolya didn’t go hungry?
IVAN DENISOVICH
I even hid some bread under my mattress for later. But there were good and bad days, you know.
SOFIA PETROVNA (sighing in relief)
And how did your campmates treat you?
IVAN DENISOVICH
We were like a family. When someone refused to work or went missing at body counts, we all suffered - dinner was delayed.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Didn’t you miss your family?
IVAN DENISOVICH (chuckles)
I was too busy. There was no time for letters. After a while, I wasn’t interested in life on the other side.
SOFIA PETROVNA (shocked, then yelling)
And what about us, waiting and holding our breath? Oh, the horrors of not knowing!
IVAN DENISOVICH
Has your son not sent you any letters?
SOFIA PETROVNA
One. But I burned it! What good would it do? The torment, the suffering, the false hope my poor Kolya would come back… I didn’t want it anymore!
IVAN DENISOVICH (clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath)
But how could you?! It could have been me, me – writing that letter!
SOFIA PETROVNA (crying)
I’ve spent years, years thinking Stalin would understand, that some mistake had been made! It’s all a scam! Scam!
IVAN DENISOVICH (still frowning, then shedding a tear)
You haven’t heard from your Kolya for years, and then you burn his letter?!
SOFIA PETROVNA
You just don’t get it! I had to move on… I thought… I had to come to terms… Kolya, son, where is he… He’s coming back… I know that… or not… here are you… where am I… Kol? The letter… is here… flames… flames… Stalin promised… kind sir… What a b-b-beautiful day in Leningrad, don’t you think so?
Ivan Denisovich gets up from the bench, shakes his head, and walks away hurriedly through the park gate and then to the bridge.
FADE OUT
THE END
EXT. A PARK IN LENINGRAD - DAY
In the heart of Leningrad, SOFIA PETROVNA walks through a park with many trees. She suddenly notices a set of eyes that give her a sense of peculiar familiarity.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Do I know you?
A man aged beyond his physique approaches Sofia Petrovna.
MAN
You also look familiar. Where are you from?
SOFIA PETROVNA
Leningrad. What about you?
MAN (hesitating)
My home… has been in a labor camp for the last 10 years.
Sofia Petrovna’s eyes widen. A tear flows down her cheek.
SOFIA PETROVNA (breathing heavily)
Son? KOLYA?
MAN (hesitating)
Um… You got the wrong person. My name is Ivan, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov.
SOFIA PETROVNA (sighing)
Oh, I am sorry! It’s just… My son too was in the camps.
Ivan Denisovich and Sofia Petrovna walk through the park in silence.
SOFIA PETROVNA (cont’d)
Won’t you sit with me for a couple of minutes?
IVAN DENISOVICH
Sure, I am in no rush. I’ve just arrived in Leningrad. What a beautiful city! At the train station, there was a legless statue of a man in bronze armor…
SOFIA PETROVNA
Oh! Peter the Great?
Sofia Petrovna and Ivan Denisovich walk towards --
A PARK BENCH
-- and sit down.
SOFIA PETROVNA
So, what brings you to Leningrad?
IVAN DENISOVICH
I came to visit a friend. His name is comrade BUYNOVSKY. I’m headed to Cruiser Aurora. I heard he works there now.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Was he in the camp with you?
IVAN DENISOVICH (nodding)
Yes. A close friend, although older than me.
SOFIA PETROVNA
You remind me of my son…
IVAN DENISOVICH
Was he also wrongfully arrested?
SOFIA PETROVNA
Yes. I love him so dearly.
She looks at Ivan Denisovich with pleading eyes.
SOFIA PETROVNA (cont’d)
He was a shock worker, so bright and talented. He was even featured on the front page of Pravda.
IVAN DENISOVICH
I’m sure he was.
SOFIA PETROVNA
I tried, tried so hard to get him out. I had no doubt he was wrongfully convicted. My faith in the Soviet Union has faded since then… I don’t know whom to trust anymore.
IVAN DENISOVICH
I understand.
SOFIA PETROVNA
What were you arrested for?
IVAN DENISOVICH (hesitating)
No one ever asked me that question… The Red Army accused me of treason.
SOFIA PETROVNA (frowning)
Oh, horror! Brave, patriotic, innocent – like my poor Kolya!
IVAN DENISOVICH
I’ve stopped trying to make sense of it all a long time ago.
SOFIA PETROVNA
And I… I couldn’t believe it! No one would tell me anything. Would you tell me how life was back in the camps? I must know what my poor Kolya went… has been through!
IVAN DENISOVICH
I’ll tell you. Only I’m not sure it’s what you want to hear.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Oh, what could be worse than never seeing him again!
IVAN DENISOVICH
Life wasn’t that bad in the camps, actually.
SOFIA PETROVNA (shocked)
Not that bad?! What are you saying?
IVAN DENISOVICH
We were like a family. Our job was to lay bricks with mortar.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Oh my poor Kolya! I just hope he had… or has… don’t mind me… enough to eat over there. I hope he was warm!
IVAN DENISOVICH
Food wasn’t a real issue either. And the cold – it’s is nothing you can’t get used to.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Food wasn’t an issue? What kind of camp was it?
IVAN DENISOVICH
We respected and trusted each other. I’d do a favor, like holding the line for a campmate of mine, and he’d give me his food ration.
SOFIA PETROVNA
But what did he eat?
IVAN DENISOVICH
He got parcels from home.
SOFIA PETROVNA
So, you didn’t go hungry? My poor Kolya didn’t go hungry?
IVAN DENISOVICH
I even hid some bread under my mattress for later. But there were good and bad days, you know.
SOFIA PETROVNA (sighing in relief)
And how did your campmates treat you?
IVAN DENISOVICH
We were like a family. When someone refused to work or went missing at body counts, we all suffered - dinner was delayed.
SOFIA PETROVNA
Didn’t you miss your family?
IVAN DENISOVICH (chuckles)
I was too busy. There was no time for letters. After a while, I wasn’t interested in life on the other side.
SOFIA PETROVNA (shocked, then yelling)
And what about us, waiting and holding our breath? Oh, the horrors of not knowing!
IVAN DENISOVICH
Has your son not sent you any letters?
SOFIA PETROVNA
One. But I burned it! What good would it do? The torment, the suffering, the false hope my poor Kolya would come back… I didn’t want it anymore!
IVAN DENISOVICH (clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath)
But how could you?! It could have been me, me – writing that letter!
SOFIA PETROVNA (crying)
I’ve spent years, years thinking Stalin would understand, that some mistake had been made! It’s all a scam! Scam!
IVAN DENISOVICH (still frowning, then shedding a tear)
You haven’t heard from your Kolya for years, and then you burn his letter?!
SOFIA PETROVNA
You just don’t get it! I had to move on… I thought… I had to come to terms… Kolya, son, where is he… He’s coming back… I know that… or not… here are you… where am I… Kol? The letter… is here… flames… flames… Stalin promised… kind sir… What a b-b-beautiful day in Leningrad, don’t you think so?
Ivan Denisovich gets up from the bench, shakes his head, and walks away hurriedly through the park gate and then to the bridge.
FADE OUT
THE END