The Abandoned

My mother never told me about her parents.

She regretted having to hide such a pretty Russian name like Milla

between the ones her foster family gave her.

But she told me the past was another country now,

best forgotten.

It was in her nature to grow away from the motherland,

just as it was in my nature to grow away from her.

Sometimes I wish I could go back myself,

to warn her that it wouldn't be so easy, so simple...

that just because you're through with your past

doesn't always mean your past is ever

really through with you.

Yeah, what time is it over there?

No.

That's fine.

No. No, not yet.

Yeah, is Emily there?

Put her on, please.

Hey, sweetheart.

Yeah, Russia's...

Russia's beautiful...

kind of.

I'm... Well, I don't now just yet.

A couple of days.

What do you mean?

What, with Alex? I thought...

No, I thought you weren't seeing him anymore.

No, I don't have an... I don't have an issue with him.

It's just... Can you let me finish? Okay?

I don't have an issue with him.

It's just that I don't want him staying over.

No, I don't care what you guys do

in your own time, just not in my house.

Hey, mind your language!

Yeah, because he's five fucking years older than you!

Well, of course it's my business.

I'm your mother.

Yeah, I... Can you just let me finish?

Emily?

Shit.

Mr. Misharin?

- I'm, uh, Marie... - Marie Jones from America.

It's nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, finally.

Make yourself at home.

Tea?

No, thanks.

- You produce movies, don't you? - Yeah.

Big movies?

Well, probably big here.

You should see my daughter. She's very pretty, you know?

Good for the movies.

I'm sure she's great.

You don't sound very American.

I was born in Russia, raised in England,

and divorced in the States.

But your roots are here, aren't they?

At least what's left of them.

Your mother's death certificate.

Can you read Russian?

No.

Her name was Olga.

Olga Kaidanovsky.

Apparently, she was murdered just after you were born.

I tried to dig up everything I could, as you requested.

You never knew about her?

No.

And my father?

Any brothers or sisters?

Sorry, no.

No records of anyone else.

Just the property you mentioned on the phone, right?

Yeah, the Kaidanovsky place.

Now it belongs to you.

Look, I appreciate your efforts on my behalf,

but it's been 40 years.

Forty-two.

Forty-one, if you insist on accuracy.

It's still another two days till my birthday.

Yeah, so...

this is a present for you now.

Well...

Sign here, please.

Look, I didn't come all the way out here

for the real estate, Mr. Misharin.

I've spent half my life knee-deep in bureaucracy

trying to find my parents.

I've looked around, trust me,

but no one ever told me a damn thing.

It was like they never existed.

Our country has been through a lot, Ms. Jones.

Governments change.

Things gets lost. Sometimes people get lost.

So how did you find me?

I got your phone from the Moscow office.

Took me six months.

You know, adoption was a tricky business in the '60s.

Please. I'm sorry.

I just... I don't...

I don't understand you.

You'll find this town is not much good for postcards.

I didn't hear you pull up.

You must be Anatoliy.

You said 8:00 on the phone.

Right.

I can pay you now if you want.

It's impossible to go at night.

They think we'll die out there.

But I'd rather be dead than live like them.

Is everyone is this country so friendly?

What?

Do you know anything about my mother's place?

Kaidanovsky Farm.

They call it "The Island".

The only way to get there is by a bridge.

A river surrounds it...

in a circle.

Great.

Ican't even swim.

Hello? Anybody here?

We're almost there.

We already crossed the bridge.

I was dreaming.

No one has been here for more than 40 years.

What do you expect to find in those ruins?

I don't know.

Some clue perhaps,

something to make sense of my life.

You really think so?

What are you doing?

You asked me to take you to the Kaidanovsky Farm.

Well, here we are.

The house is just behind those trees.

I'll go ahead to make sure it's safe.

Hey, wait a minute.

The river is in flood.

You don't want to be wandering around out there,

not if you can't swim.

Anatoliy?

Anatoliy?

Oh, no.

Shit.

Oh, no.

Jesus, not now.

Come on.

Shit!

Come on.

Shit!

No...

Anatoliy?

Oh, for God's sake.

Anatoliy?

Hey, where the hell are you?

Kaidanovsky.

Anyone here?

Hello?

Who's there?

Hey.

I'm not going to hurt you.

Oh, shit!

Oh, shit.

Anatoliy.

Wait! Come back!

Shit.

Hey. Please, calm down.

Just stay the fuck away.

Who the hell are you?

My name is Nicolai.

What are you doing?

I got you out of there.

You almost drowned.

Listen.

Who are you?

I think we are here for the same reason.

So what else did you find in my bag?

She's my mother.

You were adopted, weren't you?

I've been trying to find my birth parents for years,

but it was like my records were erased or something.

Then a week ago, I get a call from the notary Misharin.

He gave me that.

At first I thought it was a joke.

But it wasn't, was it?

Look, if this is about the property,

you can keep it; I don't want it.

- I thought we've been through that. - Right.

Do we look like brother and sister to you?

Twins, actually.

We were born the same day

according to your driver's license.

Don't you want to know what happened to her?

I've been here for a couple of days now.

You were lucky I found you.

Another few minutes and that would have been a different story.

I saw something here when I first arrived.

What?

Hey.

Come on.

Are you okay?

Yeah.