(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
MAN: Bravo! Bravo!
(MUSIC PLAYING)
MAN: Coming through.
Uh, I have the carriage ready, sir.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Hi.
Where's my sister?
DR. DORN: Shamrayev went to the theatre.
She'll be here any minute.
SORIN: I'm gonna miss this old world.
(COUGHS) I wish...
I wish I had seen more of it.
No, don't talk nonsense.
Well, you've seen more of it than I have.
- (HORSE NEIGHING) - Oh, I think they're here.
Masha, come with me.
- POLINA: Ma'am. - Oh, Polina.
- Sir. - BORIS: Good evening.
IRINA: Masha.
- Kostya. - KONSTANTIN: Hello, Mother.
IRINA: (GASPS) Look at you.
- How is he? - SORIN: How am I? (CHUCKLES)
They found it necessary to write for you to come,
so I must be seriously ill.
BORIS: Konstantin?
Your mother tells me you're not angry with me anymore.
Boris brought the magazine with your new story in it.
Show him.
That's very kind of you. Thank you.
MASHA: While Sorin is resting, why don't we play a game?
- Should I get the lotto set, Mama? - POLINA: Yes, dear.
You have many fans in Moscow. Everyone's always asking about you.
And did you like the story?
I'm planning on reading it on the train back to Moscow.
So you'll be leaving soon?
Tomorrow, probably.
IRINA: Polina, how can I help?
POLINA: I think we're ready.
MASHA: (SIGHS) Yes.
IRINA: Boris, come.
We never played when you were here in the summer.
We usually play lotto when the long nights set in.
This is my mother's old set.
It's a stupid game, but after a while, you don't notice.
Kostya. Shut the window. It's drafty.
You should have heard the reception they gave me tonight.
- Oh! - (SORIN CHUCKLES)
My God. My head's still spinning from it.
Are you in, Konstantin?
KONSTANTIN: No, Mama. If you don't mind, I'm gonna work for a bit.
(IRINA SIGHS)
The stake is ten kopecks. You'll put in for me, won't you, Doctor?
DR. DORN: Certainly.
- Have we all put in? - POLINA: I'm in.
MASHA: You ready? Here we go.
Twenty-two.
- (PIANO PLAYING) - Konstantin's playing.
He must be unhappy, poor lad.
MASHA: Seventy-seven.
BORIS: They've been having a go at him in the newspapers.
He can't seem to find his own voice.
DR. DORN: Well, I believe in Konstantin.
There's something there. He thinks in images.
His stories are striking. I'm affected by them. Aren't you?
MASHA: Eight.
Eighty-one.
Oh, Papa.
(STOPS PLAYING PIANO)
One more time, from the beginning.
No, if I don't get home now, my father won't let me come back later.
Ride with me.
I can't. There's too much work to do.
I'll see you tonight.
Don't be late, and study your lines.
Hey.
I love you.
MAN: Kostya!
I'm putting the puppets over here.
Want one?
Uh, no. (CHUCKLES) Thank you.
Why do you always wear black?
I'm in mourning for my life.
Why?
You're healthy. You have enough money to get by.
Life's a lot harder for me. I'm a schoolteacher.
I hardly make anything.
You don't see me all in black.
It's not about money.
Even a poor man can be happy.
Every day, I meet with nothing but indifference from you.
Stop it, Medvedenko.
I'm touched by your love.
I just can't return it. That's all.
(SIGHS)
- Now, this is a theatre. - MEDVEDENKO: Masha.
Masha, wait!
The curtain will go up at 8:30 sharp, when the moon is rising.
- Exciting. - Of course,
if Nina doesn't get here soon, the whole effect will be ruined.
God, she's already late.
SORIN: Don't be impatient.
You know what her father is like?
IRINA: I have one thing to ask you. I have one word to say to you.
Champagne. Did I not ask for champagne
- this morning in my... - Sweetheart, sweetheart.
- Did I not ask for it last night? - Sweetheart, we're out.
IRINA: No, I wanted it upstairs in my bedroom.
Why is my sister in such a bad mood?
KONSTANTIN: Why?
She's bored.
Jealous.
She's already set against me and the play
because she's not acting in it, and Nina is.
She already hates it.
Your mother adores you.
She also knows I have no respect for her theatre.
She thinks she's dedicated to serving humanity
with her sacred art, but as far as I'm concerned,
the modern theatre is trite and riddled with cliches.
When they take cheap, vulgar plots
and cheap, vulgar speeches and try to extract
- some easily digestible moral, - (CHUCKLES) Oh, God.
I want to run out of the exit and keep on running
the way Maupassant ran from the Eiffel Tower
because its vulgarity was crushing his brain.
- We need the theatre. - What we need are new forms,
and if we can't have them, then give us nothing!
(IRINA CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)
IRINA: Boris!
Come. Come here.
- (HUMMING A TUNE) - (CLAPPING RHYTHMICALLY)
MAN: Hey!
What's the gossip on him?
He's smart, actually.
Unpretentious.
Kind of melancholy. Pretty decent, really.
Not even 40, but he's already a celebrity.
(SCOFFS)
Maybe a little full of himself.
These days, he drinks a lot of beer and makes love to older women.
Well, when I was young,
I passionately wanted two things.
I wanted to get married. I wanted to become an author.
I never managed either one.
POLINA: Nina, hello!
Even the thought of her makes my heart race.
I am insanely happy.
My muse, my dream.
- Please tell me I'm not late. - No.
I've been worrying all day. I rode like a madman to get here.
- It's all right. We're alone. - (OBJECTS CLATTERING)
KONSTANTIN: Is that you, Yakov?
Yeah.
We'll start when the sun sets. Get everyone ready in their places.
- Is the moon rising? - Yep.
- (GROANS) - Arise, fair sun,
and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief.
(SIGHS)
Why are you so nervous?
I'm not.
Well, I'm not afraid to perform for your mother,
but Boris Trigorin, he's so famous.
I'm embarrassed to act in front of him.
He looked young.
He is young and accomplished, don't remind me.
His stories are incredible.
- (GAGGING) - (CHUCKLING)
Well, his stories are full of life.
In your plays, everyone's dead.
My goal is to show life the way we experience it in dreams,
not the way it is or the way we think it should be.
Yes, but nothing happens in your play.
It's all talk.
I think there should be a love story.
"A country place," they called it.
And I was standing in the back...
It's getting damp.
Go back before the play starts. Put on your boots.
- I'm too hot. - (CHUCKLES)
You're too stubborn. Your feet will get wet.
You're a doctor. You should know better.
IRINA: Oh, look at that. We're gonna be sitting in the woods.
You like her. Admit it.
Who do you like?
(CHUCKLES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(DOG BARKING)
SORIN: Masha, please ask your father to unchain his dog.
Otherwise, he'll be howling all night.
MASHA: Ask him yourself.
POLINA: Shall I sit next to you, Doctor?
Darling son, when do we begin?
KONSTANTIN: In a minute. Please be patient.
Gentle son, upon the heat and flame of thy distemper, sprinkle cool patience.
- MAN: Mmm. - (ALL LAUGHING)
KONSTANTIN: O gentle Mother, let me wring your heart
- if it be made of penetrable stuff. - (GASPS)
Look here upon this picture.
You cannot call it "love," for at your age,
the heyday in the blood is tame.
It's humble.
O you honourable ancient shadows,
which drift among us
as night descends upon this lake,
lull us to sleep, and let us dream
of that which will come to be in 200,000 years.
(CHUCKLES) In 200,000 years, there'll be nothing.
KONSTANTIN: Then let them show us nothing.
Yes, let them. We're already asleep.
(BEATING DRUM)
Oh.
(IRINA LAUGHS)
(SQUEAKING)
(SPECTATORS GASPING)
NINA: Humans,
lions, eagles and partridges,
horned deer,
geese,
silent fishes dwelling in the water,
starfish, and those that cannot be seen
- with our eyes. - IRINA: Oh, thank you.
In a word, all lives, all lives,
having accomplished their doleful circle,
have died out.
Already, thousands of centuries have passed
since the Earth has borne one living creature,
and, in vain, the poor moon shines her light.
(SPECTATORS GASP AND CHUCKLE)
- (SORIN SNORING) - Cold, cold,
empty, empty,
horrible, horrible,
most horrible...
My thoughts exactly. (CHUCKLES)
Mother!
IRINA: Sorry.
(WHISPERS) Keep going. Go on. Go on.
The bodies of living creatures have vanished into dust,
and their souls have fused into one.
- The universal soul. - (SNORING)
- Sir. - NINA: It is I. I!
In my soul is Alexander the Great,
and Caesar, and Shakespeare,
and Napoleon,
and the lowliest of leeches.
I think this is supposed to be high art.
- Mother! - (LAUGHTER)
NINA: I am alone.
I am alone.
Once in 100 years, I open my lips in order to speak,
and my voice is heard in this cheerless emptiness.
And no one listens. And the devil,
the father of eternal matter,
determined to keep life from springing up in you,
causes a constant transmutation of atoms.
Like a captive cast into a deep, hollow void,
I do not know what waits for me.
In this stubborn, cruel struggle with the devil,
I can see clearly
- that I am destined to vanquish him. - Uh, it smells like something's burning.
- Mother! - IRINA: Yes, I smell smoke.
And until that time...
Horror! Horror!
Horror!
- My powerful adversary, - (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS)
- the devil, comes closer. - IRINA: Oh. Oh, I see.
- Oh. It's a special effect. - I see his terrible crimson eyes.
- He is bored without man. - Put your hat back on.
- You'll catch a cold. - IRINA: No, the Doctor
has tipped his hat to the devil, the father of eternal matter.
All right, that's it! The play is finished! Enough, enough.
- Curtain! Curtain! - (MURMURING)
Bring up the curtain! Bring down the curtain!
I've had enough!
- Enough! No, enough! - Why are you angry?
I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I forgot that writing and acting in plays
is reserved for the chosen few!
I've defied the monopoly!
- DR. DORN: Hey, Kostya. - What is wrong with him?
What did I do?
(PANTING)
(HORSE SNORTS)
SORIN: For heaven's sake, he wanted to please you.
IRINA: And I was willing to listen, even to his ravings, but...
His claims to new forms, they're pretentious.
Since when has the exhibition of a morbid personality
been a new art form?
Everyone writes what he wants and as best he can.
Well, then let him write what he wants and as best he can.
Just tell him to please leave me in peace.
When Jupiter's angry, Jupiter's wrong.
(LAUGHS)
IRINA: I am not Jupiter.
I am a woman, and I am not angry.
I'm disappointed that a young man should spend his time so foolishly.
Thank you.
You know, someone should write a play
about a schoolteacher and how he lives.
- It's a hard life. - Hmm.
It's very, very hard.
(FIREWORKS POPPING)
(IRINA GASPING)
(EXCLAIMING)
Boris, come. Come sit by me now.
Oh...
You should have been here ten, even five years ago.
We listened to music and singing all night long, almost every night.
Remember all the laughter and the noise?
(CHUCKLES)
And the love affairs... So many love affairs.
Guess who was the romantic idol of the town.
None other than the Doctor.
You're handsome now, but then you were irresistible.
(IRINA GIGGLING)
(IRINA SIGHS)
Why did I hurt him?
(SIGHS)
Konstantin!
- I'll go and look for him. - Would you? Thanks.
Konstantin!
(SNIFFING)
(POLINA SOBBING)
SHAMRAYEV: Polina.
- MASHA: Mama? - SHAMRAYEV: Polina.
Papa.
Excuse me.
(DOOR OPENS)
It's nothing.
(DOOR CLOSES)
Don't worry. I just felt a little sad.
NINA: Excuse me.
MASHA: Konstantin!
(PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)
(LAUGHTER NEARBY)
IRINA: Oh, come in.
Come in.
(IRINA CLAPS)
Oh...
Is our playwright still in hiding?
- Well, I can't find him. - IRINA: Oh.
- SORIN: Brava. - Ah, yes. Brava.
- Brava. - Brava.
Well, we all adored you. You were wonderful.
Such a face, such a marvellous voice.
It would be a shame for you to stay in the country.
You must go on the stage.
Well, that's my dream, but...
But what? It could happen.
Oh, allow me to introduce you.
Boris Trigorin.
No, no. Don't be shy.
He's a celebrity, but he has a simple soul.
- Irina. - (NINA SIGHS)
A pleasure.
I'm honoured. I've read all your work.
IRINA: You see? He's shy, too.
(IRINA AND NINA CHUCKLE)
Konstantin!
(SNORING)
MASHA: Konstantin!
Irina?
IRINA: Oh.
Thank you.
BORIS: Oh.
- Hello. - Hello.
It was a strange play, wasn't it?
- I didn't understand a word of it. - (BOTH CHUCKLE)
But I enjoyed watching it.
Uh, you were... You were so sincere.
And the scenery was so beautiful.
Are there fish in the lake?
Yes.
I love fishing.
I can think of nothing more enjoyable
than an evening on the bank with a fishing pole in my hand.
Ah.
There you are.
(CHUCKLES)
I hope you're not flattering him.
He doesn't know how to behave when people say nice things to him.
(IRINA CHUCKLES)
Excuse me.
SHAMRAYEV: And there was another time...
This was in Moscow at the opera.
The celebrated Silva sang a low C.
(CHUCKLES) And, um...
But as luck would have it,
a bass from our church choir was sitting in the gallery,
and all of a sudden, to our complete amazement,
we hear from the gallery,
(DEEP VOICE) "Bravo, Silva."
(NORMAL VOICE) A full octave lower!
(CHUCKLES) Like this,
(DEEP VOICE) "Bravo, Silva."
The angel of silence has just flown over.
Well, it's time for me to go.
Oh.
It's so early. We won't let you.
Oh, no, my father is waiting for me.
Oh, well, it's a shame. It's just a shame.
- Just for an hour. Really, stay. - NINA: Oh, no.
I'd really love to, but I can't.
I'm sorry. Good night.
(IRINA SIGHS)
Poor girl.
Literally.
Her mother died and left everything to her father,
but when he dies, he's leaving everything to his new wife.
Nina won't get a cent. She'll have nothing.
It's scandalous.
DR. DORN: Yes.
To be frank, her father is a monster.
Well, I'd better move before I freeze in this position.
- Your legs are like stiff boards. - (GRUNTING)
Let's get you some fresh air, you unlucky old man.
- SORIN: Madame? - (DOG BARKING)
SORIN: Be a good man. Unleash that dog.
Can't do that.
I'm worried thieves will get into the barn.
I'm telling you, it was a whole octave lower,
like this,
(DEEP VOICE) "Bravo, Silva."
And he wasn't a famous singer, just a church choir member.
How much does a singer in a church choir make?
DR. DORN: Maybe I've lost my mind, but I liked the play.
No one's here, are they?
I'm here.
Move over.
There was something about it.
A feeling of loneliness.
And then, when the eyes of the devil appeared,
my hands were shaking.
MASHA: (IN DISTANCE) Konstantin!
- (SIGHS) - Konstantin!
Masha's looking for me everywhere.
Konstantin,
I liked your play very much.
It's definitely strange.
And I didn't hear the end, of course,
but it made a strong impression on me.
You're a talented man. You need to continue.
You know, I've had a pretty interesting life.
I'm content, but...
If I ever got to experience the spiritual high
an artist feels at the moment of creation,
I bet I would abandon my current life, leave it all behind.
Chase new highs,
never let myself get weighed down in this earthly existence.
Where is Nina?
She went home.
I should go to her.
MASHA: Konstantin!
Hey, Kostya.
Kostya, stay here.
- MASHA: Konstantin. - No, I've got to get out of here.
MASHA: Will you please go back to the house?
- Your mother is very worried. - Tell her I left.
- Wait, Konstantin. - What do you want?
- I know you're upset, and I'm sorry. - No.
- Masha, please. Listen to me. - I'm trying to help.
No, I'm saying that I understand. What can I do?
You can leave me alone.
Come on. Don't be like that.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
(SIGHS)
Youth. Youth.
When people have nothing better to say, they say, "Youth. Youth."
(OPERATIC SINGING IN DISTANCE)
(SNIFFING)
It's a filthy habit.
Masha.
- What's wrong? What's wrong, Masha? - (MASHA CRYING)
Nobody knows how much I'm suffering.
I love Konstantin.
Oh, God.
Oh.
The spells cast by this lake.
Aw.
Well, what can I do, my child?
Hmm?
What?
(OPERATIC SINGING CONTINUES)
IRINA: Konstantin.
Konstantin.
(SCOFFS)
(SIGHS)
Masha.
Why is my son so depressed?
He's heartsick.
(DISHES CLATTER)
My foot's asleep.
MEDVEDENKO: Masha?
BORIS: Always in black, smokes, drinks vodka.
The schoolteacher loves her.
All right. Come stand next to me.
You're 28, yes?
I'm almost twice your age.
Come.
Sergei, which of us looks younger?
Well?
Which of us looks younger?
You do, of course.
Ah.
There, you see? And why?
Because I work. I'm constantly doing something.
I experience life.
You just sit still in one place, not really living.
Yes?
And I have a rule.
I never think about the future. I never think about old age or death.
What will come in life will come.
I always hold myself straight and tall, and I'm dressed
with my hair comme il faut.
Would I ever go outside, even here to the garden,
in my working clothes, without my hair perfectly coiffed?
Never.
And I stay out of the sun, naturally.
That's why I look so good at my age.
(LAUGHS)
I just never let myself go like some people.
See, Masha?
Look at me. See?
Light as a feather. I could play a girl of 15.
(CLEARS THROAT QUIETLY)
Guess whose father and stepmother
- have gone to Yalta for three days. - Ah.
I'm yours until they've returned.
Isn't she adorable? Give us a turn.
- Ah! - (IRINA CHUCKLES)
Simply adorable.
Yes, and nicely dressed.
You're a clever girl. Well, sit down. Join us.
I think we'll start with the croquettes, Eugenie.
Yes, ma'am.
I ache all over.
But the Doctor here won't treat me.
You're an old man.
Even old men want to live.
(IRINA LAUGHS)
Where is Boris?
He's down by the lake, fishing.
Have you spoken to Konstantin?
Uh, no.
- I don't think he wants to talk to me. - Oh?
You should recite more from his play later.
I'd love to hear the ending.
Really?
Why?
(LAUGHING)
I think it was 1873 at the Poltava Fair.
She was amazing. Gave an incredible performance.
Quite wonderful.
Do you happen to know what became of the comedian, Chadin?
He gave an incomparable Rasplyuyev.
Better than Sadovsky. You have my word, ma'am.
What is he doing now, ma'am?
You keep asking me about people from before the flood.
How should I know?
How about some music after our meal?
- You'll sing for us, darling, won't you? - No, no.
- Oh, yes. - IRINA: No, no. I couldn't.
Yes, yes, just one song.
Absolutely not.
Singing is hardly my forte.
Well, then perhaps Nina.
Won't you sing for us?
♪ Eyes that haunt me so Eyes that taunt me so
♪ While they smiled at me Life was ecstasy
♪ I'm in love with you
♪ I'm afraid of you
♪ Since I saw you go Now my spirit's low
ALL:♪ Eyes of destiny While you beckon me
♪ I must follow still Over plain and hill
♪ Love, where'er I be
♪ I shall always see
♪ Stars of hope for me
♪ Your dark eyes ♪
(LAUGHTER AND WHOOPING)
Ah, I haven't sung like that in years.
I sounded so good.
(CLOCK TICKING)
(SIGHS)
(EXHALES)
It's hot. It's quiet.
No one does anything. Why does no one do anything?
- Well, I'm trying to read. - Yes, well, good for you.
I'm considering going into town.
Polina. You'd join me, wouldn't you?
- I'd be happy to escort you. - IRINA: Ha!
Then it's settled.
You'll arrange the horses to take us into town
in about an hour.
- I think it's a grand idea. - SHAMRAYEV: Ma'am?
It's a good plan, but how will you get there?
Excuse me?
Well, forgive me, ma'am, but we're carting rye today.
Which horses were you thinking of using?
"Which horses"? How should I know?
Don't we have carriage horses?
(LAUGHS) "Don't we have carriage horses?"
Sir, with the greatest respect, you don't seem to understand
- a thing about farming. - IRINA: No.
You don't seem to understand how to do your job.
- I'm sure we can resolve this. - No, no, no.
He pulls this every year.
Because every year, you lack any sense of how this farm operates.
- Don't lecture me. - Please.
I am going to Moscow, and I'm going today.
Would you please be so good as to hire horses in the village?
Well, I cannot conjure horses out of thin air.
Absolutely incompetent!
Every year, it's the same excuses.
(GRUNTS)
Well, if that's how you feel, I resign!
Every summer, I come down here, and I am insulted by you.
Then you can find yourself another manager.
Fine. I'm going into town, and I'm not coming back.
Farewell. My deepest apologies
for being unable to magically conjure horses out of thin air!
IRINA: How hard is it to find a horse?
- My kingdom for a bloody horse! - (POLINA WHIMPERING)
- (DOOR SLAMS SHUT) - POLINA: Apologise to her!
Oh, God!
(WHIMPERING)
What did I miss?
Irina is upset, Polina is crying, and Shamrayev is resigning.
(SIGHS)
I'll offer to tranquillise all of them.
(GUNSHOT)
What's that supposed to mean?
I sank low enough today to kill this seagull.
I lay it at your feet.
What's wrong with you?
Soon, I'm gonna kill myself in the same way.
Don't follow me.
- I don't know you like this. - I don't know you like this!
You look at me as if I'm a stranger...
Are you embarrassed by me?
Well, lately, you've become so...
You keep talking in symbols or...
I mean, look at that seagull. What does that mean?
Because, I'm sorry, Konstantin, but I have no idea.
Maybe I'm too simple to understand you.
What don't you understand?
My play was a fiasco.
Now you think I'm some insignificant nobody
just like the rest of them do!
Nina!
(SOBS) Oh, Sergei.
- Oh. - Oh, Sergei.
(SOBBING)
(SIGHS)
Let me come and live with you.
We're not young anymore.
Let's end our days together without having to hide.
I'm 55.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
It's a little late to change my life.
It's because you have other women, right?
(SIGHS)
I'm not the only one.
You can't invite all of us
- to come and live with you. - Oh, Polina...
Oh, don't cry.
I'm sorry.
BORIS: The actress' brother sleeps often, needs a haircut.
Perpetually unhappy.
The actress' son, wildly jealous, fame-seeker...
You're always writing.
Yes, well, I am a man possessed.
I must write. I must write. I must write.
He's still upset about the play.
Well, I'm a little bit upset myself.
Due to an unexpected event, it seems we're leaving today.
No.
I wish I had more time.
It's not often I have the occasion to meet young, interesting women.
I mean it.
I've already forgotten what it's like to be 18 or 19.
That's why the young women in my books and stories
don't ring true.
I'd love to be in your shoes for just an hour,
know how you think,
what kind of little creature you are.
Well, I'd love to be in your shoes,
to know how it feels to be a celebrated writer.
(CHUCKLES)
Well?
"Well," what?
Are you coming?
(SIGHS)
Eugenie?
Something nicer for this evening, I think.
You wanted to be comfortable for the journey back.
Something nicer, I think.
The lavender?
Perfect.
What does it feel like to be famous?
What does it feel like?
Feels like not being famous, probably. I never think about it.
Well, what about when you read about yourself in the newspapers?
What does that feel like?
Well, when they're flattering notices, I like it.
And when they're nasty, I'm depressed for a day or two.
If I were great like you, I'd dedicate my whole life to my public.
I'd let them pull my chariot through the streets
because I'd know that it's the...
They're reaching up to me.
That's what makes them happy.
And in a chariot, no less.
So you're Cleopatra now?
To have that feeling,
I'd put up with family and friends turning against me.
I'd endure poverty. I'd live on rye bread in a garret.
But in return, I would demand fame.
Real, resounding fame.
Have you seen Nina?
She went to the lake with Boris.
(PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC)
Konstantin!
NINA: I know every little island.
I've spent my whole life on this lake.
You live in a magical place.
I envy you.
Some people can barely crawl through their dull, obscure existence,
but you get a life that's brilliant,
interesting, meaningful.
- You're happy. - (CHUCKLES)
Am I?
Here you are talking about fame, happiness...
To me, you sound a bit naive.
Well, to me, you sound jaded and pompous.
All right.
Wait. Come back.
Wait.
All right.
Let's talk about my beautiful, brilliant life.
How do I begin?
Day and night, I am haunted by a single, obsessive thought.
"I must write. I must write. I must write."
No sooner do I finish one story,
then, for God knows what reason, I have to write another,
and another, and another.
What's so beautiful and brilliant about that?
It's a ridiculous life.
Here I am.
I'm talking to you. I'm getting all riled up...
You see that cloud over there?
Looks like a grand piano.
I'm thinking, I must fit that into a story sometime.
"A cloud drifted by, looking like a grand piano."
I catch a whiff of heliotrope.
I instantly make a mental note.
"Cloying smell, colour of widow's weeds.
"Must refer to that next time I'm describing a summer's evening."
Go on.
(KNOCKS ON DOOR)
Konstantin?
KONSTANTIN: Go away!
(CONTINUES PLAYING PIANO)
- Ah! Beautiful day... - Go away!
(SIGHS)
(NINA CHUCKLES)
We should get back.
Well, we are going back.
Yes.
- That's what we're doing. - Right.
I should be able to relax on a lake, forget myself.
But even here, I'm never left in peace.
Well, we don't have to talk if you'd prefer to...
Konstantin is constantly in his head, dreaming about his next work.
Well, when I was his age, many years ago,
when you're starting out, unknown and ignored,
the work is sheer agony.
But even then, even when you're a lesser writer without any luck,
you still want to be part of the literary scene.
NINA: But when you're inspired, actually in the thick of creation,
doesn't that give you, just for that moment,
a feeling of being lifted up, of sublime happiness?
IRINA: Boris!
I'm being summoned.
To pack, no doubt.
I wish I could stay.
IRINA: Boris Alexeyevich!
(SIGHS)
What's this?
NINA: Konstantin shot it.
Beautiful bird.
Can't you convince her to stay?
Boris?
What are you writing?
An idea for a short story.
A young girl who spent her whole life on the shore of a lake.
A lake that she loves,
where she feels happy and free,
like a seagull.
And?
And by chance, a man comes along,
sees her.
And with nothing better to do...
IRINA: Boris Alexeyevich!
(GUNSHOT)
Foolish, foolish boy.
MASHA: I'll be honest with you.
If he had seriously hurt himself,
I couldn't live another minute.
I have decided
I am going to tear this love out of my heart.
Just going to rip it out
by the roots.
How are you gonna do that?
I'll get married
to Medvedenko.
I think that's overdoing it.
(CHUCKLES)
Is it?
Loving without hope.
Waiting for years for something that will never come.
You don't know what I've been feeling.
At least, when I'm married,
I'll have new troubles to blot out the old ones, right?
MEDVEDENKO: Whoa, whoa.
- Anything for a change. - MEDVEDENKO: No, no, no.
MASHA: The schoolteacher's not very smart.
- MEDVEDENKO: No, no, no! - MASHA: But he's a good person, and...
- Well, he doesn't have any money, but... - No, no, no. Stay.
- (DOG BARKS) - Good boy. Good boy.
He loves me very much.
(SNIFFLES)
Don't look at me like that.
A lot of women drink.
Just not as openly as I do.
Here's to you.
You're a good person.
I'm sorry you're leaving.
Me, too.
I don't want to go.
- Then ask her to stay. - No, no.
Not while her son is being a...
(SIGHS)
Not content with ruining his own life, he's hell-bent on ruining mine.
He's challenged me to a duel.
Oh, no.
Why?
Because of my writing?
There's room enough for all of us.
Of course.
But he's jealous.
You must know that.
Not that it's any of my business.
Until next time, my friend.
Send me your books, and be sure to write a dedication.
And none of that "deepest regards" or "fond wishes."
Just write, "To Masha,
"who has no clue where she belongs
(SIGHS)
(CRYING) "or what she's doing on this Earth."
(DOG BARKING)
NINA: Excuse me.
Pick a hand.
(SIGHS)
This one means no.
I'm trying to decide whether or not to go on the stage.
I wish someone would tell me what to do.
Well, that's not something somebody can decide for you.
I have a little gift for you.
What is it?
Something to remember me by.
I've had your initials engraved on it,
and, on the other side, the title of one of your books.
That is very sweet of you.
IRINA: Boris!
Give me two minutes before you go.
- Why lines 11 and 12? - IRINA: Boris!
Just two minutes in the solarium, please.
♪ Two grenadiers were riding to France
♪ Home from their prisons in Russia ♪
(SORIN LAUGHS)
I once started to sing like that.
One of the assistant prosecutors said to me,
"You have a very powerful voice, Your Excellency."
Then he stopped for a moment, and he thought,
"Powerful, but horrible."
- IRINA: Mmm-hmm. - (LAUGHTER)
Who was that that you were talking to? Nina?
- Yes. - Ah.
Why do you keep hobbling around everywhere
if your joints are aching?
(SORIN GRUNTS)
So what's that?
Oh, it's just a...
(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)
Do you have any of my books in the house?
I need to look something up.
Uh, in the study. Corner bookcase.
(SIGHS)
You don't have to travel with us. Why don't you stay here?
You'll feel better.
No, no, no. Not with you going away. It's depressing here without you.
Well, what are you going to do in town?
(CHUCKLES) Nothing much.
How is the patient?
IRINA: He's better. He's resting.
He's unhappy, you know.
I know he's unhappy. He shot himself.
I know he's not well. How do you think that makes me feel?
- All right, relax. - I'm going away,
and I still don't know why he tried to...
(SIGHS)
I think jealousy's the main reason, but I...
So the sooner I take Boris away from here, the better.
It's not the only reason.
He's a young, intelligent man.
He's living in the country with no money of his own,
no clear occupation, no future.
He's... He's frightened.
- You're going to upset me. - Listen to me, Irina, honey.
He thinks he's unwanted.
Even here, he feels like a charity case. Give him some money.
I see. If only I weren't so stingy, and if only you were living in town,
then we'd all be happy.
I'm the reason for your misery these past 20 years.
It's all my fault. Right?
I've only been miserable the past 10.
(SCOFFS)
My son is capable of getting a job on his own.
- A desk job or something. - Give him some money!
Let him go abroad for a bit, enjoy himself.
Going abroad would cost a fortune,
and I'm not even sure I could afford a new suit for him.
(LAUGHS) Of course, I believe you.
Stop that!
Oh, you're a generous, magnanimous woman.
I have no money.
If I had money, I'd give it to him.
I know. You're destitute. Generous, but destitute.
I am an actress. My costume bills alone
- are enough to ruin me. - I respect you.
(COUGHS)
Petrushka?
(SORIN CONTINUES COUGHING)
Help! Someone, help!
Help!
Are you all right? Wake up. Help! Somebody.
KONSTANTIN: It's all right, Mama. It's okay.
- He's... He's... - He's all right.
Uncle has these fainting spells.
- It's nothing serious. - He's all right.
He should go lie down. Will you take him?
Yeah.
IRINA: Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.
Here's a riddle for you.
What goes around in the morning on all fours,
at midday on two, in the evening on three...
SORIN: And at night on your back. It's all right.
I can walk. I can walk!
IRINA: Don't look at me like that.
Living in the country isn't good for him, Mama.
For God's sake, why won't you give him some money?
I am an actress, not a banker.
Mama, living in the country gets him down.
I heard you.
But I...
The Doctor's late. I'm...
Will you change my bandage?
No one does it better than you.
(LAUGHS)
Get the box with the dressings.
"If you ever have need of my life, come and take it."
(IRINA LAUGHING)
You look like somebody in a turban.
Last night, Olga saw you walk by.
She wanted to know what country you were from.
(BOTH LAUGH)
Oh, well.
There we go.
There we are.
Oh.
It's practically healed.
Barely a week, and there's just a tiny bruise left.
Now, promise me there'll be no more of...
Of this, while I'm gone?
Promise?
Promise.
I just went mad for a moment. It won't happen again.
All right.
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
- (WINCES) - Oh...
Sorry.
You remember when you were working at the Imperial?
I was a little boy, and there was...
There was a fight in the courtyard where we were living.
Do you...
A washer woman in our building got badly hurt.
Do you remember that?
Mmm, no.
She was out cold when they picked her up.
Hmm.
You were always going in to see her.
You used to bring her medicine,
and you used to wash her children in her washtub.
You don't remember that?
No.
There were two ballerinas living in our building at the time.
They used to come in and have coffee.
Oh, that, I remember.
They were so religious.
(IRINA SIGHS)
These last few days,
I've loved you as tenderly and as honestly as I did when I was little.
I have nobody but you now.
I just don't understand why...
Why do you let that man have such a hold over you?
You don't know him, Konstantin. He's noble.
- "Noble"? - And you might not like
the fact that we're lovers, but you're intelligent and cultured.
I'm sorry.
But we're practically falling out over him,
and right now, he's in the garden with Nina,
trying to convince her that he's some sort of genius.
You seem to take pleasure in being horrible to me.
I have the greatest respect for that man,
and I will thank you not to speak of him like that
- in my presence. - But I don't respect him.
I'm sorry, I can't.
His books are...
They make me sick.
That's envy.
People who lack talent spend their time insulting those who have it.
It's their consolation prize.
Is that why you spend all your time
- insulting me? - No.
- Because you have no talent? - You're just being a baby.
Why? Because I'm not taken in by either of you?
Oh, yes, yes. My son, the radical.
Yeah, then go on, that's it. Run away.
Run away just like you always do.
Run off to your cozy little theatre
and act in your pathetic, stupid little plays.
(SCOFFS) I have never in my life appeared in a play of that description.
I do as many celebrated classics as I do silly comedies.
This winter, I'm touring in Macbeth.
Are you one of the witches?
I'm Lady Macbeth.
Snide little nonentity. Get away from me.
You, you can't even write a wretched little comic sketch.
Why don't you just go back to Kiev and open a shop?
- Parasite. - Miser.
- Rat's nest! - Has-been!
Nobody! You're nobody!
(KONSTANTIN CRYING)
Crybaby.
(SNIFFLES)
(IRINA SIGHS)
Please don't cry.
Please don't.
There's nothing to cry about.
He's going away.
I promise.
I am taking him away.
And then she'll love you again, and it'll be all right.
I promise.
There.
(SOBBING)
You're all right?
All right?
We're friends again?
I'm sorry.
It's okay, Mama.
And you'll make up with Boris.
I mean, there's really no need to fight with him, is there?
Mama, please. Please don't make me see him.
- All right, all right. - I'm... I can't.
All right.
I'll be by the lake until he's gone.
"If you ever have need of my life, come and take it."
How was your morning?
Oh.
(SNIFFLES)
Irina? You upset?
I'm fine, my love. It's just time to go.
That's all.
Well, what if we...
What if we what?
What if we stay one more day?
Darling, why can't we stay?
(CHUCKLES)
Because, darling, um, I know why you want to stay,
but get control of yourself.
(CHUCKLES) You're a little drunk.
Sober up.
No.
Be reasonable.
You're capable of sacrifice.
Be a true friend.
Please, be generous.
Let me go.
"Be generous"?
What, are you that infatuated with her?
I'm attracted to her. I...
This could be what's missing in my life.
What?
The love of a little country girl?
That's how little you know yourself?
I can't stop thinking about her. Even now,
I'm talking with you,
- but it's as if I'm asleep. - No.
- Stop, please. - I'm possessed by the thought of her.
This could be my last chance at a love like this.
Please, I am begging you.
- Let me go. - No.
- Let me go. - No, no, no.
You can't say those things to me, Boris.
I'm just a woman like any other.
This is your chance to be a woman unlike any other.
You're torturing me. Please, you're scaring me.
I've never known love like this before.
When I was young, I spent every minute struggling to survive,
and now it's in front of me, a love I've never known,
and you want me to run away from it?
- You have lost your mind. - I don't care!
- Please, let me go. - Oh.
(SNIFFLING)
My dear,
my darling, wonderful man.
My life's last page.
If you leave me even for an instant,
I just won't be alive at the end of it.
(IRINA CRYING)
My magician. My prince.
My king in all his glory.
- Somebody could come in at any minute. - Let them.
I'm not ashamed of loving you, and I am not setting you free.
You are the most brilliant writer in Russia.
Your work has such integrity and simplicity and humour.
Your characters are alive.
Do you realise that it is
impossible to read you without getting swept up?
What? You think I'm flattering you.
Look at me.
Look into my eyes.
Am I lying to you?
I'm the only one who always tells you the truth.
Always.
You'll come with me, won't you?
Don't abandon me.
I have no will of my own.
(IRINA CHUCKLES)
Never have.
I'm spineless, weak, submissive.
(SIGHS)
(IRINA CRYING)
Is that what women really want?
Take me. Take me away.
Just don't relax your grip for an instant.
(IRINA CHUCKLING)
You're mine.
(LAUGHS)
(SIGHS)
Of course, you should stay if you want to.
I can always go into town,
and you could come in a week or so.
There's no hurry.
No, no, no, we'll go together.
Whatever you want.
Goodbye, my lady.
If anything was not as it should be, please forgive me.
IRINA: Everything was just right.
Don't cry.
Our days are passing.
What's to be done?
Hmm?
Well, if we live, we'll meet again next summer.
Don't forget me.
Goodbye, ma'am, and may God bless you.
IRINA: Aw.
Remember me fondly. Here's a ruble.
It's for the three of you.
My lady, for your trip.
Oh!
Thank you. Thank you.
Oh, I think I forgot my walking stick. I know where it is. Excuse me.
- Excuse me. - Don't be long.
Excuse me.
(SIGHS)
We're leaving.
- I'm sorry. - It's all right.
We'll see each other again.
I've made up my mind once and for all.
I'm going on the stage.
Tomorrow, I'll be gone from here.
I'm leaving my father. I'm leaving everything.
I'm going to start a new life.
I'm going to Moscow.
SHAMRAYEV: Sir, the carriage is waiting!
Stay at the Slavyansky Bazaar.
Let me know as soon as you arrive.
- I have to go. - Just another minute.
You're so beautiful.
(BOTH PANTING)
(NINA GIGGLING)
(APPLAUDING)
MAN: Coming through.
Uh, I have your carriage ready, sir.
Hi.
It's your brother.
MEDVEDENKO: Haven't we done enough already?
Come on. He didn't ask you to stay.
MASHA: I need to help Mama. I'm not leaving.
Please, let's go home, Masha.
No.
- I'm staying the night. - Masha, let's go.
The baby's probably hungry.
Go yourself. The nurse will feed him anyway.
I'd rather spend the night.
Again?
- So you'll come tomorrow, then? - Yes.
Yes. Tomorrow.
(SIGHS)
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
(DOG BARKING)
My heart aches for you.
I'm not blind.
Please don't.
It's all ridiculous.
Unrequited love.
It only exists in novels.
You can't sit around always hoping that something will happen.
If you start to feel love in your heart,
you've got to rip it out.
(KONSTANTIN PLAYING PIANO)
(KNOCKS ON DOOR)
POLINA: Who would have thought, Konstantin,
that there was a proper writer in you?
- (PIANO MUSIC STOPS) - And now, thank the Lord,
you're starting to get money from the magazines.
What do you want, Polina?
I want you to be nicer to my little Masha, please.
MASHA: Leave him alone, Mama.
- She's a good girl. - MASHA: Mama!
Women only require a kind glance
- now and then, Kostya. - Leave him alone!
- I should know. - Now you've annoyed him.
What did you have to bother him for?
(SORIN COUGHING)
POLINA: Sorin asked that we make up his bed in here.
- He wants to be close to Kostya. - YAKOV: Yes, ma'am.
POLINA: Thank you, Yakov.
Where's my sister?
DR. DORN: Shamrayev went to the theatre. She'll be here any minute.
I'm gonna miss this old world.
(COUGHS) I wish...
I wish I had seen more of it.
No, don't talk nonsense.
Well, you've seen more of it than I have.
What city did you like best of all your travels?
Hmm.
Genoa.
KONSTANTIN: Why Genoa?
Oh, when you walk out of your hotel in the evening,
the streets are swarming with people.
You drift along with the crowd this way and that, back and forth.
It's got a life of its own.
You become part of it, body and soul.
You start to think there really might be a universal spirit,
like the one Nina acted in your play.
Where is Nina now, Kostya? How's she doing?
She's all right, I think.
I heard she'd been leading a somewhat untidy life.
Nina's, uh...
It's a very long story.
Well, make it brief.
Well, she left home
and went to live with Boris, so that much you know.
They had a baby,
who died.
Not long after, Boris got tired of her.
He went back to his old ties, as you might expect,
or rather he never let go of them.
Having no backbone, he was able to bend both ways.
And what about the stage?
She debuted in a theatre outside of Moscow,
then left for a tour of the provinces.
She took on all the big roles, but she acted coarsely.
Tastelessly.
Lots of shrieking and big, ugly gestures.
There were moments when you could see her talent,
when she was crying or dying.
I tried to see her once after a performance.
I waited at her stage door like a beggar,
but she won't see anyone.
(SORIN COUGHS)
- (HORSE NEIGHING) - Oh, I think they're here.
Masha, come with me.
- POLINA: Ma'am. - Oh, Polina.
- Sir. - BORIS: Good evening.
- Masha. - You recognised me.
- You're married now? - Yes.
- You're happy? - I'm married.
- IRINA: Kostya. - KONSTANTIN: Hello, Mother.
IRINA: (GASPS) Look at you.
- How is he? - SORIN: How am I? (CHUCKLES)
They found it necessary to write for you to come,
so I must be seriously ill.
Konstantin, I have an idea for your next story.
A good title for it would be, "The Man Who Wanted To."
Years ago, when I was a young man, I...
I wanted to become a writer.
I never did.
I wanted... (COUGHS)
I wanted to be a good speaker. I was terrible.
I wanted to be married.
I never married.
I wanted to live in town,
and now I'm dying in the country. (COUGHS)
And there you have it.
Konstantin?
Your mother tells me you're not angry with me anymore.
Boris brought the magazine with your new story in it.
Show him.
That's very kind of you. Thank you.
MASHA: While Sorin is resting, why don't we play a game?
- Should I get the lotto set, Mama? - POLINA: Yes, dear.
You have many fans in Moscow. Everyone's always asking about you.
And did you like the story?
I'm planning on reading it on the train back to Moscow.
So you'll be leaving soon?
Tomorrow, probably.
IRINA: Polina, how can I help?
POLINA: I think we're ready.
MASHA: (SIGHS) Yes.
IRINA: Boris, come.
We never played when you were here in the summer.
We usually play lotto when the long nights set in.
This is my mother's old set.
It's a stupid game, but after a while, you don't notice.
Kostya. Shut the window. It's drafty.
You should have heard the reception they gave me tonight.
- Oh! - (SORIN CHUCKLES)
My God, my head's still spinning from it.
Are you in, Konstantin?
KONSTANTIN: No, Mama. If you don't mind, I'm going to work for a bit.
IRINA: The stake is ten kopecks. You'll put in for me, won't you, Doctor?
DR. DORN: Certainly.
- Have we all put in? - POLINA: I'm in.
Twenty-two.
IRINA: The ovation went on and on.
MASHA: Eighty-eight.
IRINA: Three baskets of flowers, two bouquets.
MASHA: Thirty-four.
IRINA: And how about this marvellous ensemble?
SHAMRAYEV: Sunshine.
IRINA: If I know nothing else, I know how to dress.
(LAUGHTER)
- (PIANO CONTINUES PLAYING) - Konstantin's playing.
He must be unhappy. Poor lad.
They've been having a go at him in the newspapers.
MASHA: Seventy-seven.
BORIS: He can't seem to find his own voice.
There's something oddly unfocused about his writing.
DR. DORN: Well, I believe in Konstantin.
There's something there. He thinks in images.
His stories are striking. I'm affected by them. Aren't you?
IRINA: Can you believe I still haven't read a word of his writing?
There's just never any time.
MASHA: Eight.
Eighty-one.
Twenty-eight.
(INDISTINCTLY SPEAKING)
(NINA PANTING)
(PIANO CONTINUES PLAYING)
MASHA: Twenty-six.
(STOPS PLAYING PIANO)
Lock the doors in case anybody comes in.
Don't worry. No one will come in.
I know your mother's here. Lock the door.
MASHA: Fourteen.
- IRINA: Oh, come on. - MASHA: Twenty-six.
BORIS: Twenty-six! Wait.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- it's my game. - IRINA: Aw.
(BORIS LAUGHS)
IRINA: One away. I was just so close.
Your mother brought him with her?
BORIS: You know, if I lived on a lake like this,
I might never write again.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Nina.
Nina, don't cry.
(IRINA LAUGHING)
IRINA: Ah!
So,
you're a real writer now.
And I'm an actress.
We both jumped into the fire.
I dreamed of glory, and now look at me.
(CHUCKLES)
First thing tomorrow, I'm off to Yelets.
Booked there for the winter season.
Traveling third-class with the peasants.
Why wouldn't you ever see me?
I thought you hated me.
I did.
Hate you.
I cursed you.
If you had any idea of what my life has been like...
I do.
And none of that matters to me.
I don't have the power to stop loving you.
Even now...
Now I've had success.
Without you, my life has been...
Please.
Stay here with me.
- Or let me come with you. - No.
- Nina, what's wrong? - You shouldn't still love me.
I should be killed.
Don't say that.
(CRYING) I'm so tired.
I need a rest.
I'm the seagull.
No, I'm an actress.
Nina...
(LAUGHTER IN OTHER ROOM)
You know, he laughed at me.
He made fun of my acting.
When I started onstage, I...
God, I didn't... I didn't know what to do with my hands.
I didn't know where to stand.
I couldn't... I couldn't control my voice.
You have no idea how it feels to be onstage
and know how badly you're acting.
You're a wonderful actress.
No, I'm the seagull.
I'm the seagull. I'm the seagull!
- No. - Nina. Nina...
No, it's not me. That's not me.
I've been walking and walking and thinking,
and I know now that, for us,
what counts isn't dreaming about fame and glory,
but it's about endurance.
It's about knowing how to keep going in spite of everything.
Having faith in myself, that's helped.
But what if
I have no faith in myself
or any clue where I'm going or what I'm doing?
I have to go.
- I'm coming with you. - No.
- Well, then stay here, please, Nina. - No.
Nina, please, stay here.
- Stop asking me. I can't! I can't. - Nina, please.
- I can't. - Why?
Because I love him!
Because I still love him.
I love him more than before.
(SNIFFLING)
I have to go.
Remember how good it was before?
Everything was so simple and clear.
Humans.
Lions.
- Eagles and partridges. - Eagles and partridges.
- Horned deer. - Deer.
(CHUCKLES) Horned deer.
Yes.
Don't give me that look.
No, no, no.
You'll be scared, too, when it's your turn.
The only people who can fear death rationally
are those who believe in life hereafter,
because they fear retribution for their sins.
But you...
First, you don't believe.
And secondly, what sins?
You haven't done anything,
except spend 25 years in the Department of Justice.
Twenty-eight.
(IRINA LAUGHING)
MASHA: All right, I have to hand the cards out.
Sixteen.
BORIS: Great.
MASHA: Thirteen.
- Six. - BORIS: Thank you.
- MASHA: I won. - BORIS: You won?
MASHA: Yep.
(CLAPPING)
- Thirty-seven. - Don't go so fast.
MASHA: Oh, Papa.
- Forty-five. - IRINA: Aw!
- Forty-five? - Finally, some luck.
- This game is rigged. - Ooh, going around again. Thirty-three.
- DR. DORN: Lotto! - SHAMRAYEV: Hold on.
MASHA: Thirty.
- Eighty-one. - BORIS: Eighty-one.
MASHA: Twenty-two.
Sixty.
Ah. This one will be mine, sir.
BORIS: We'll see about that.
Let's have another round, shall we?
IRINA: Yes.
BORIS: Thank you. Thank you.
- (GUNSHOT) - (GASPING)
DR. DORN: Probably a little explosion in my medical bag.
Nothing to worry about. Happens all the time.
I'll go see.
Just as I thought.
A small bottle of ether exploded.
- (SIGHS) Oh, for... - My apologies.
Everything went black for a moment.
I thought...
DR. DORN: Sit down. I'll get the drinks.
Boris, can you help me?
I just... I wanted to ask you,
there's an article in this magazine
that I'm curious to get your opinion.
NINA: All lives, all lives
all lives,
having accomplished their doleful circle,
have died out.
Fourteen.
Already, thousands of centuries have passed
since the Earth has borne one living creature.
And in vain, the poor moon shines her light.
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)