Get out! Get out of the way!
- I have his coat.
- Open the door!
Get out of the way! Get out!
I told you, I have his coat.
Yes, sir. I'll report.
Come on, get out of the way!
Get back!
- Hey, get lost! Fuck off!
- Easy, easy.
Get back! Get out of the way!
Easy, easy!
There isn't enough room
for everyone!
- I'm a doctor!
- What's the matter with you?
- Easy, Rose! Give me that!
- Be quiet!
Use the stairway!
Nurse!
You can't get away from me!
We caught the rabbit!
ELECT LEM NIKODINOSKI
FORA SAFE FUTURE
Damn, damn me.
If seems like a thousand years
have passed since then.
My name is Lem,
Lem Nikodinoski.
When I was 72
I signed my name "M.
I cauldn't remember
the letter "L.
if reminded me
of something very bad.
Comrade soldier,
whom should I call?
Comrade soldier,
whom should I call?
How should I know?
Call whomever you want.
Just be quick.
If was the summer of 7.945,
the first summer after the War.
We were a bunch of hungry,
dirty children Without a home.
Branded orphans
and hunted like wild animals.
Hunted by soldiers
and all sorts of do-gooders.
Ariton is coming!
What did you say, you louse?
Get up!
- Stand straight, bastard!
- Swine!
To your left!
TO your right!
My command applies to the first
company only. Attention!
Attention! That means
you should get in line.
Do you see this line?
I don't.
You say you don't'?
Don't you see how long it is?
Straight as an arrow!
Do you see it now'?
- Well...
- Well, what?
Comrade...
Let's plant flowers.
Don't you see it'?
What are you looking at'?
Get lost.
- I see it.
- What did you say?
- I see it!
- Good.
Only our enemies can't see it.
Comrade Warden, we have
a new child. Lem Nikodinoski.
Yes, Comrade Warden.
Metodija.
Complete the admittance procedure
for the new one.
Come on, hurry up!
Same unknown genius
from the local government
had the bright idea to turn
the abandoned factory
into an orphanage.
At that time there were orphanages
for the children of fallen veterans,
but our orphanage was an orphanage
for fallen enemies' children.
Children of the Wealthy,
the traitors, the collaborators.
They had all sorts of names
for our dead parents.
Get undressed!
Damn me.
This... this was a dungeon.
A dungeon.
Pick them up.
That's my grandmother's cross.
God rest her soul.
The underpants too.
The underpants!
A BED FOR THE NEWLY ADMITTED
Get up, come on!
Come on, make your bed!
Get up!
Get up!
What gave birth to you? Hurry up!
I'll teach you, swine!
Get up, get UP!
Come on, what are you waiting for?
Clean them!
Running in place!
Running in place!
Salute the flag!
On the double.
Stop!
Side circles! Take the initial
position for the exercise!
And one, two...
For being late, 20 extra sit-ups!
I'm talking to you, boy!
Don't turn your head away!
For the lack of hygiene,
This is your place, monkey!
Stop!
Jumping and kneeling!
We were surrounded by Wall
an all sides.
One thousand steps high,
two thousand steps Wide.
A mountain of rack.
Damn me, life was so far away
from this place.
Do your exercise!
I was a scared little mouse.
Don't laugh, big ears!
I was lonely.
Klimovski! For disturbing
the harmony, three more laps.
Faster! Hurry up, you slime!
Hurry! Hurry up!
You'll sing, kitty.
Three! Klimovski, stop!
Run to the classroom!
The new kid, seven more laps.
Don't shorten the laps,
motherfucker! Circle wide!
Damn me.
Everyone In the orphanage knew
something was going to happen.
You had to check in at the gate.
I want to see the warden,
Comrade Ariton.
I'm Comrade Olivera Strezovska,
Deputy Warden.
Lenche, get back to your place!
Comrade Petkova, get back
to your place! Immediately!
Get back in line!
Comrade Warden, I have orders.
We caught the child with the monks.
The peasants reported him.
They say the child is a devil's seed.
Complete the admittance procedure
for the new one!
Isaac, His name was
Isaac Keyten,
Damn me.
I've asked myself
a thousand times
What was his power?
He had something in him.
How shall I put it'? He radiated
with some strange light.
Lem Nikodinoski!
Listen carefully. We eliminated
these "plus" signs long ago.
Once and forever,
and until further notice!
Damn me, we have fought
a bloody fight against those lies.
I personally...
A bloody fight.
Is there anyone here
who believes in the Lord'?
A great hero of the century.
Someone else?
L...
believed.
Before.
All right, wise guys.
Let's say, for the sake of argument,
that the Lord exists.
Can He, after you kneel
and pray to Him at night,
complete your math homework
for you?
Can He?
Can He? Come on!
Believe in work, not prayer!
No.
Of course He can't.
Let's see what you know
about religion. Metodija.
- Religion is the masses' opium.
- Exactly. Sit down. Spasko.
Priests are traitors who suck
the blood of the working class!
Klimovski!
Our village priest was
a womanizer and a thief.
Sit down.
We don't punish
because of religious feelings.
But our friends have done
wrong to the collective.
One night in the yard
without any sleep.
If I could only hear his voice.
If he would just speak to me.
Look at me.
What surname is that, Keyten'?
My Granny told me the Turkish
name for the devil was "sheytan."
Get up!
The punishment is over.
The Earth...
The Earth...
The Earth...
The Earth...
The sun...
The Earth... No, the sun
revolves around the Earth.
I'm certain about it, yes.
That's right.
Good, I see that you've learned.
Keep on learning.
It's not correct!
The Earth moves around the sun!
You're lying!
You just want to spoil my grade!
Comrade Copernicus proved it
in the 16th century.
Who is that Comrade Copernicus?
Teacher said the sun revolves...
I dreamt of getting close to him.
Bur he didn't even notice me
for days,
Take a break!
The youth, the pride
and the future of our people,
The youth, the pride
and the future of our people,
have all the conditions
for cultural and political learning.
- This is not edible.
- You won't eat it'? Give it to me.
Our youngest, the pioneers,
enthusiastically manifest that.
They see the great love and care
of our Party and our government.
Cheese.
In clubs, through practical chores,
the pioneers easily cope
with schoolwork and gain
greater skill and knowledge.
Tonight, I'll take you
to a secret place.
Finally, I asked him
if he Wanted us to be friends.
There was no answer.
It doesnt'? have to be now.
Later is okay too, I said.
Yet he kept silent.
My nightmare in those days
was called Lenche.
Lenche Petkova.
I kept sticking to them
like a leach.
I was as jealous
as a young bride.
"Why are you fallowing me?
he asked.
Are you angry at me'?
Friendship is to be earned.
I didnt understand
What that meant then,
but I remembered those Wards
for the rest of my life.
Comrade Strezovska's shorts!
That day Comrade Olivera
was leff Without the one thing
mast holy to her in her life.
The red sport shorts she was awarded
for winning the crass-country race
an the birthday of comrade
Stalin Visarionovich.
Ff would have been better
if she fast' her sour',
You, primitive bitch.
Look at your comrade.
Shame on her.
A socialist youth member, acting
as if we were in the Dark Ages.
- Please, don't, Comrade Olivera.
- Shut up.
Marija, did you ask for an advocate?
Did Marija ask for an advocate?
You won't get out until you tell me
who committed this awful crime.
Listen carefully.
Those shorts are not underpants,
comrades.
They are not ordinary shorts.
They are holy. A sacrament.
Are you aware how important
those shorts are for our collective?
They are a gift
from the Gymnastics Committee...
Shut up, bastard!
I'm talking now!
Those shorts acknowledge
a great respect for all of us.
We bear those shorts in our hearts.
They have social, political,
and moral meaning.
Those shorts filled me with pride.
I got goose bumps
when I saw Comrade Strezovska
in those shorts.
I have goose bumps now!
Fucking peasants,
the red shorts must be found!
Look under every tree!
Turn every stone! Is it clear'?
They didn't find
the sacred shorts
Our poor girls stayed for ages
in an icy cold roam.
The coldest roam in the orphanage
in the middle of winter.
Many got fix',
Same even started
coughing out blood:1.
While Lenche, our Lenche,
was taken to hospital.
"What is if with you?
Why are you fallowing me? he asked.
Maybe you're queer, kid?
What's a queer?
You're not a kid, but a devil!
You want to show off, don't you?
I'm going to report you
to Comrade Warden.
Comrade Olivera's shorts!
I found them!
Quite by accident
the red shorts' mystery
had been solved.
The kitchen ladies used them
as Washing rags.
Thai very next srping we heard
that Lenche Petkova, our Lenche,
died in hospital.
Damn me. We were already dead.
Just shadows.
It's a lie that she's dead.
I know who spreads such rumors.
That bastard.
- Queer.
- You want trouble, mouse?
Queer.
I'm going to stick your head
in the toilet! You won't know...
Exercise!
Not you! You are supposed
to control them!
Get in line, motherfucker.
Save soap.
You, swine, no bathing for you!
Lem, I told you the friendship
is to be earned.
If you Want to be my friend,
tomorrow you'll ask
about Lenche's death
at Olvera 's class.
At Comrade Olivera's?
Finally I got the chance
to became his friend.
Damn me, I was scared.
"I'll stand like a border post,
defending... " Klimovski, be quiet.
Macedonian, Turk, Vlach
And Albanian
Brothers side by side
Started a new life
With Tito as the guide
Good. Sit down.
What's important in what we heard?
Klimovski'?
- Brotherhood and unity!
- Good. Sit down.
And what else? Goce!
Sit down, Goce.
Sit down, you blockhead.
Lem Nikodinoski!
I wanted to ask...
I wanted to...
Comrade Tito...
He's important, isn't he'?
We are here to formulate
thoughts and ideas.
Not to speak nonsense.
Nikodinoski, aren't you listening
to me'? Repeat what I said.
Do you know the word "moron,"
or is "idiot" more familiar to you?
Is it true that our comrade
Lenche Petkova has died'?
Look, comrades.
Some people get sick.
Some stay healthy.
That's how nature works.
It's a dialectic.
How should I put it'? It's all
connected to materialism!
And our comrade
Lem Nikodinoski is provoking us!
While our country is attacked
by monarchs and fascists,
our comrade Lem Nikodinoski
is provoking us!
He's a saboteur! Sit down!
Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, one hour.
Isaac finally smiled at me.
There was a strange oath
Written with small letters
in the message.
I swear before my brother
and before Lord our God
that I'll use all my strength
fighting for the truth.
I'll accept any punishment
if I'm not faithfull
to the fallowing commandments.
Respect your awn free will.
That's the mast sacred thing
that you have.
Never lie. The lie is a Weapon
of evil powers.
Do not run. Running away
is no solution.
Remember, all things In the world
are interconnected.
Now we're brothers.
He gave me a present.
"With the box you see
the world's mirror image.
The future is the past.
That's What he told me.
You know what repentance is,
don't you, son?
You know what repentance is,
don't you, son?
I haven't done anything wrong.
Listen carefully.
Provocation is a bad thing.
Sabotage, even worse.
You're a smart kid. A hero.
Comrade Warden,
I just asked if Lenche had died.
Listen. Your village has
given people heroes. Veterans.
What is self-criticism
for a big man like you?
- You'll learn this by heart.
- But, Father...
I don't understand.
How have I sinned?
I didn't love Lenche.
She was even...
Beast!
I think the biggest mistake
is our comrade Lem,
who doesn't want
to admit his mistakes.
With that, he is not only
a provocateur and saboteur,
but a collaborator of our enemies.
A traitor!
Very good.
What punishment do you suggest?
To throw him into the cellar and
give him just bread and water.
Sit down. Someone else? Nikolche.
We all accept self-criticism.
Who does he think he is?
It's not right.
What punishment do you suggest?
The bellman should beat him blue
until he confesses.
Metodija.
Our former comrade Lem has
become an anti-people's element.
We gave him a chance to repent,
to be self-critical, but he refuses.
The beast would've
understood by now!
I suggest we throw him
into the cellar for life!
To clean toilets,
to sleep alone in the cellar,
and to clean our boots
for five years.
- No, seven years!
- And to wash our socks!
- To serve us lunch!
- To be castrated!
- Death to fascism!
- Freedom for the people!
Have Isaac cast a spell on him
and turn him into a pig,
and then out his throat,
so we can all have a feast.
Come on, comrades,
let's not go too far.
Get back!
Listen carefully.
For Keyten.
He's to be thrown down in the cellar
and be given only bread and water
until comrade Lem states
his comradely self-criticism.
Damn me, if seemed
Whatever I'd do, I do Wrong.
To safe Isaac,
if would have been simple
to read the self-criticism.
But that meant lying in public.
And I swore before my brother
and before Lord our God
that 2' wouldnt fie
I would have swallowed not only
raw potatoes but live snakes
just to get sick and to be taken away
from this cursed orphanage.
Like our Lenche.
You ran away?
"Running away is no solution,
said Isaac.
I'll have to go back.
I'll smear your mouth.
Then you'll be able
to utter the self-criticism.
This will draw your Wards
to Wipe them out
as if you uttered nothing.
The magnetic and strong force
of the collective
has got me back to my senses.
There's one force tough enough
to show me the right way.
Materialistic self-criticism.
That way, the victory will be ours.
- Death to fascism!
- Freedom for the people!
Three cheers for our comrade!
You'll be a Tito's pioneer
after all, won't you, son?
I'm not good at writing,
Comrade Strezovska.
Damn me.
Even when they proclaimed you
a model child,
they didn't fer your sould' rest
I'm not the one to write reports.
Peer evaluations.
You know it's an honor and
a privilege. A sacred pioneer's duty.
Our little comrades
who've gone astray
must be returned to the right path.
Metodija Glishkovski. Nikolche.
Spasko!
2' read my friends' names
My God', how they ?ed,
They've made things up,
told an others.
What about Isaac?
Isaac wouldn't write such a thing.
Was Isaac jailed here too'?
Quick, the cart!
The peasant!
He should take him to the hospital!
Klimovski! Klimovski! Klimovski!
Little brother.
Get up, little brother.
Get away from him!
"See? Running away
is no solution, said Isaac.
Maybe if was because
of poor Klimovski
that Isaac decided
to start a War.
Our world against theirs.
Little brother?
Kitty.
Sing, kitty, sing.
Yes, kitty, sing. Sing, kitty.
It died.
Get a grip...
I see dust! They're coming!
LONG LIVE THE SOVIET HERO
The kitty is alive!
Kitty!
The kitty came back to life!
Catch him!
Catch Comrade Bellman!
Don't look at me, you moron!
After him!
Come on! Hurry!
You must catch him
before they arrive!
Catch him! Hold him tight!
Carry him! Carry him away!
Come on! Come on!
May drought burn you.
Kitty.
Kitty.
Attention!
I greet the Yugoslav pioneers!
- Death to fascism!
- Freedom for the people!
Three cheers for a Soviet hero!
Respected comrade, people's hero,
knowing your heroic deeds
and achievements in the fight
against the fascist occupation...
Kitty!
Dear Yugoslav pioneers,
the eyes of your proud fathers and
mothers are filled with tears of joy.
They're orphans.
Who says you're orphans?
All of you have a mother!
The Party!
And you have a father!
The great Stalin!
Let's give a warm welcome
to your comrade Klimovski,
who looked the doctors straight
in the eyes and bravely said:
"Comrades,
I won't miss today's oath!"
Kitty! Father!
Today, when I become a pioneer,
I give a pioneer's word of honor
to diligently learn and work,
to respect my parents and adults.
Kitty!
Father!
May drought burn you.
This is for your own good.
For the fatherland with Tito,
forward!
For the fatherland with Tito.
- Someone should watch the bellman.
- Immediately.
Comrade,
this is the first time for me.
Nothing. Nothing.
In front of the enemy!
Charge!
I give a pioneer's word of honor
to diligently learn and work,
to respect my parents and adults.
All things In the world
are interconnected.
The case with our bellman
showed me too soon
haw true that gibberish
of ours Was.
The drought seemed to last
a thousand centuries.
The curse of the crazy Bellman
got us.
Deadly White heat
reigned everywhere.
In the Earth, in the stones,
in the air,
in our hands, Kips,
in our breath,
Damn me, even in our young souls.
Isaac, chase it away, old man.
He is a bad person.
Isaac, please, chase it away.
Damn me.
That night everyone
in the orphanage
knew that something
was going ta happen.
He told me, "Run, Lem,
go away.
Get back! Don't run, motherfucker!
Get back!
He stayed.
Gad knows Why.
Come on, tell us where you were.
We caught him in front of
your window, Comrade Warden.
Let him go. He has done nothing.
Will you tell me what you saw'?
Will you tell me what you saw'?
Don't fret. I won't tell anyone.
Party member's honor.
From the Warden they took him
to comrade Olivera.
We all knew
she was the master punisher.
My beautiful one. A man. A big man.
Damn me.
I started hating everything.
I was jealous.
Comrade Olivera
became my greatest enemy.
The culture is a front for sacrifices.
That is why today,
on this great holiday,
we uncover the bust of
our comrade Stalin, with pride,
a work made with our hands.
Hey, Olivera has fallen!
Speak up! Speak UP!
Speak up! Who's done it'?
Who's done it'?
Take him away.
Get him out of my sight.
The interrogation lasted
a day and night.
Come on. Slowly.
Cveta Eftimoska.
You want to buy my dead body?
My remains? My corpse?
Everyone was feverish.
Every single soul in the orphanage
was sick with fear.
If I knew
if would came to this...
It was engraved in his heart
from the earliest age.
Often, while playing with friends,
in the height of the game,
Joseph Stalin was known
to suddenly stand still
and stare at the setting sun.
He especially liked the heavy
red clouds in the evening sky.
He is a symbol of the fight against
the exploitation of the proletariat,
leader of all the diligent
and honest people in the world.
Let's see what you know about this.
Kid. Come over here.
May you be a great man.
- Long live generalissimos Stalin!
- Come on, you're free.
Who's next?
Dervutovski Blagojche.
Blagoja Dervutovski!
Keyten! You've crossed the line.
You go first!
Isaac Keyten, shut your mouth.
Leave him! Get away from him!
It was him! I knew it!
It was all his fault!
Come on. Come on, hush.
Isaac.
They accused him
of the mast terrible crimes
and lacked him in the cellar.
The transport was expected.
What future could he have now?
What future could I have?
CONFESSION
I, Lem Nikodinoski...
Father's looking for you. Hurry up.
I was the only one
who could save Isaac.
What's that in your hand?
Comrade Warden, I want to...
I have to tell you that...
Listen carefully.
You'll go to an all-federal
competition in Belgrade.
I have signed you in.
They'll let you go.
Read all the books you can find.
The life and work of Joseph Stalin.
This is your chance of a lifetime.
Don't miss it.
I don't have time.
They're waiting for me.
Come, now. Promise me
you'll be fit as a fiddle.
Comrade Warden,
I wanted to tell you that...
I Wanted to say,
lsaac is not to blame.
I should be lying in prison
insted of him.
Promise me.
I Wanted ta... but I didn't.
I just stead there with the Wrinkled
confession in my hand.
I promise.
Damn me.
Beat the hell out
of those regular pupils.
All the things In the world
are interconnected.
I'm not making an excuse
for myself I'm guilty.
Attention, attention!
This is the new Deputy Warden
speaking, Metodija Grishkovski.
Comrades, the crime committed
by the orphanage resident Isaac,
is proof that Warden Ariton
didn't perform his duties
and proved himself
unworthy of our Party's trust.
The authorities have decided to
appoint a new orphanage warden:
Comrade Olivera Strezovska.
An order from the new warden:
Every morning, the siren
will wake us up an hour earlier
to extend the time
for morning gymnastics.
Death to fascism!
Freedom for the people!
Fucking life!
Damn me.
Someone had to suffer.
Ariton, the Lord doesn't forgive that.
For my sake.
It's more vital that you forgive me.
Lord, forgive me.
What was that?
She made the gratest
sacrifice of all
to save his soul from a sin
that's unforgivable.
And I, damn me, what did I do?
That Sunday they sent me off
to Belgrade
to the all-federal competition.
Isaac would be transported
the same day.
But they found the cellar empty.
They proclaimed him dead.
Lem, the die is cast.
I never returned
to the orphanage.
Why did I tell this story?
Maybe because I have never again
been so close to the light.
Isaac, I hope
you will never forgive me.
Damn me.
Hand over that gas can!
The cameraman wants to shoot!
LEM NIKODINOSKI