Closer to the Moon Page #6

I've already been

a party member.

Amazing! When?

From 1945 to last year.

Would you like to listen

to some music on the radio?

Since 1945?

But at the end of the war

the party

had less than 1000 members!

And 3 quarters

of them were Jews.

That's why they say the Jews

brought the Bolsheviks to power.

- Are you Jewish?

- Yes.

And the Bolsheviks kicked you

out of the party!

It's a bit

more complicated than that.

Uh, I wouldn't expect

it to be simple.

And did they cut

your hair like that too?

When the Rosenthal gang

attacked that bank car

the Voice of America

said they were all wearing

Patriot Guard uniforms.

And that car parked outside,

a Soviet-built Zis

if I'm not mistaken, copied

from the 1939 Packard model.

Does that belong

to the Patriot Guard too?

Don't worry,

I know how it works.

They won't do anything

before tomorrow morning.

It's only surveillance.

And tomorrow morning?

Tomorrow morning I surrender.

We're shooting the hold-up.

It's my big scene,

for crying out loud.

Ha!

We used some of these that day.

It is one of those.

You were there?

I was a waiter

in the canteen on the square.

We all thought

it was a real film shoot.

It was so exciting,

I decided to change my job there and then..

I'll-I'll leave you

to go and sleep.

I'll be downstairs

if you need anything.

Come over here.

- Come.

- Where?

I know we're skipping

the bits where we hold hands

walk in the park and recite

poems to each other.

But this is the last

chance I'll have.

No, no no. Please, please,

you-you'll regret it.

I smell.

Don't make any moves.

Just keep an eye on them.

Yes, sir.

I wasn't very good, was I?

No, you were great.

You were great.

But you were so quiet.

What?

Oh, don't worry about that.

That's just one of my quirks.

I first started going out

with the boys during the war.

I was already in the Resistance

and sometimes made love

in conditions that were, uh..

If I made the slightest sound,

it was..

So I trained myself to avoid

any loud displays of pleasure.

I've never seen

you smoke before.

It's not my only first tonight.

Was that your first?

How did it happen?

No, no... the robbery, I mean.

Do you really

want me to tell you?

Oh!

1959 had got off

to a good start.

And I was back home again,

with my old friends

after 10 years away.

Oh.

Hey. This is where I live!

- Oh!

- Hey, really?

I had been sent

to Moscow on a scholarship

with a promising future

in political science.

Only it wasn't

so easy to be a student

and to bring up

a child at the same time

alone in a foreign country,

and without the father.

In the meantime,

the party had insisted

that Max acquire a marital

status worthy of his rank

and new social position.

My rebellious anti-bourgeois

ex-lover was now a married man.

Mirel?

Do you remember this gentleman?

See? He's forgotten you.

Are you a captain?

Colonel.

Your daddy's a colonel.

In the following weeks

Max started to take serious

charge of Mirel's education.

He was determined

to win him over.

Mirel Radoiu,

you're under arrest!

Hey, everybody,

I'm going to jail!

I wasn't too happy

with all that play-acting.

I would have preferred

to keep Mirel as far away

from the gang spirit

as possible.

You won't get anything from me.

Well, we'll see about that!

I'll never talk.

Well, when we get to the

rifle range, then you'll talk.

Yeah! Ha ha ha.

But I didn't stand a chance.

It was the most

fascinating world

anyone could offer

a 12-year-old boy.

Very good!

I hit 14 out of 20.

- Hey,

never point a loaded gun at daddy.

You never know when

you might need him.

Besides, he can still give

you a clip around the ear.

Do it again.

One evening,

Max invited us to his house.

He was the only one

to own a television.

Got everything?

Our guest today

is Comrade Dumitru Dorneanu

astrophysicist

and space missions' expert.

- Good evening, comrade.

- Good evening.

You're an expert, give 'em hell.

Well, when Lunik 1 was launched

in January of this year

it reached escape velocity of

11.2 kilometers per second..

Per second! Just think!

Yeah, faster

than your police cars.

Which will carry

the, uh, Soviet banner

all the way to the shining

surface, uh, of the moon..

Dinner's ready!

Later, Sonia.

We're listening to Dumi now.

On September 14,

at precisely 7:
30 am

Moscow time, uh, just east

of Damaris or Antartus..

Max, please, ask your

guests to come and sit down.

I don't want to have

to reheat dinner.

Yeah, be patient. Come and

listen to the man for a moment.

- Max, for the last time...

- Shh. God!

...to demonstrate

to the whole world that this

is not really

necessary to explode

a nuclear bomb on the surface

of the moon in order to..

Sonia..

Sonia, we were watching

the television.

It was our friend Dumi.

He was talking

about interesting things.

He was talking about

flying to the moon.

Now you're gonna

fly to the moon.

No! You, no, ah. No!

So, who's hungry?

The next day,

Max sent a copy of the divorce application

to his brother-in-law,

the minister.

It wasn't long

before he paid the price.

Very good.

Boris, sit down.

Talk to me.

Not here.

Word is, they're

going to boot you out.

Not right now, a few months..

Wait for you to finish up

the cases you're working on.

I thought you deserved to know.

Do you know who they're

gonna get to replace me?

Yes.

You?

Yes.

Congratulations, Boris.

Word of advice, the bottom

left-hand drawer of the desk

it doesn't close properly.

What's that got to do with it?

The idea came on the night

of Dumi's 40th birthday.

We bought him

a little telescope.

Though Max was the one

playing with it.

Look at her.

What a beauty!

Reach out your hand

you can almost touch her.

You poor romantic fool!

There's no place

for that kind of thinking

in our new society, Max.

Don't stare up at the moon,

but down, down at the people.

Look inside

the worker's paradise!

When I am in your arms..

Wow!

When we walk hand in hand

The world becomes

a wonderland

It's magic

How else can I explain..

Would you stop playing

with that thing for a moment

and come raise a glass to Dumi.

It's magic..

Our boys at work.

Anybody wanna come and see

the revolution in action?

Poor sap. You know him?

Uh. No, not really.

I mean, he's a drunk.

Always in the local bar.

A bit of a big mouth.

The magic..

It reminds me

of my first arrest.

I almost envy him.

When they first nabbed me

away, I was thrilled.

Finally they knew who I was.

A heroic life awaited..

...investigation,

interrogation, detention..

Remember your first time?

"Shoot me now! Shoot me

right here on the street!"

- You were what? 14? 15?

- I was 16 actually.

Now are we gonna drink

to Dumi or not?

To the good old days!

The good old days.

Happy birthday.

Madam, may I have the pleasure?

Oh, my mother always said,

he was a wonderful dancer.

Yes.

What do I tell myself..

40 years old.

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