«ZUGZWANG OF OBER LIEUTENANT BRUNO THEVS» Page #8

46. INT. BIG YURT — DAY.

Three dozen Basmachi are sitting in a circle inside the yurt, drinking tea, eating pilaf, boiled mutton with their hands, breaking off flat bread and passing it to each other.

In the back, facing the entrance, sits kurbashi Ibrahim bek, statuesque, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned with a black beard in a white turban and a national robe.

A rider enters the yurt.

RIDER:

(loudly greeting)

"AsSalamu Alaikum!"

The rider disarms at the entrance, gives up his saber, goes inside, approaches Ibrahim bek, bends his knee, comes close to his ear, reports:

RIDER:

Venerable Kurbashi!

A detachment of the Red Army invaded Afghanistan this morning. Their strength is up to 500 sabers.

47. EXT. AFGHANISTAN — DAY

A large detachment of Uzbek kurbashi Ibrahim bek is moving to defeat Witmar's detachment.

48. EXT. AFGHANISTAN — DAY

The advanced patrol of Witmar's detachment discovers a picket of Ibrahim bek's cavalry. Witmar personally leads the patrol.

WITMAR:

(ordered to the assistant)

Put up 8 artillery pieces in the main direction!

Install two machine guns on both sides of the road. Take the nearest section of road under the sights.

Let the Basmachi cavalry get as close as possible. Open direct fire from artillery guns on my command.

Hit the head of the approaching basmachs column with three guns, three — at the end, two — in the center. Complete the defeat with machine gun fire from the flanks.

A battle ensued, Ibrahim bek's basmachi fiercely resist, but are completely defeated by Witmar's fighters. The Basmachi are fleeing from the battlefield in a panic. Witmar's warriors overtake and destroy the fleeing Basmachi. Only a handful of Basmachi with Ibrahim bek are fleeing.

49. INT. BRUNO'S ROOM — EVENING. LAMP LIGHT.

Bruno finishes reading the chapter, puts the book in the nightstand. Bruno remembers the beautiful Afghan doctor Ahmadzai.

THERE IS A VISUAL SERIES:

The hospital, Dr. Seeta Akhmadzai — her large dark brown eyes, long eyelashes, thick eyebrows against a light-skinned face, a thick black braid twisted into a ring. A neat green medical suit — trousers and jacket emphasize a thin waist, lean loins, beautiful breasts.

Bruno returned from his thoughts, extinguishes the floor lamp, goes to bed with a positive attitude.

50. INT. HOTEL SPINZAR— DAY.

TITLE:
KUNDUZ. SPINZAR HOTEL.

Bruno arrives at the hotel, enteres the spacious lobby and approaches the receptionist. The administrator has already been warned.

Bruno goes up to the second floor.

51. INT. HOTEL. OTTO'S ROOM - DAY.

Bruno enters Otto's room, takes a large travel bag out of the closet, puts it on the bed, goes to the bedside table where the notebook is, pulls the handle, takes out an old notebook in a brown leather binding with frayed edges, casually throws it inside the bag.

The edges of two yellowed photographs with streaks of dried blood protrude from a notebook that has fallen on top of things. Bruno notices something very familiar, native in these scraps of photos.

Bruno opens the notebook, sees on one of the pictures his young mother, nee Rosa Schmidt, on the other, six Soviet soldiers standing in an embrace. His father, Konstantin Thevs, who died in Afghanistan, is standing on the left, smiling.

NOTE:
A COPY OF THIS COLLECTIVE PHOTO IS FRAMED AT THEIR HOME IN FREIBURG ON THE SIDEBOARD IN THE LIVING ROOM. KONSTANTIN SENT THIS PICTURE IN A LETTER TO DZHAMBUL HOME IN EARLY 1985, DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF HIS STAY IN AFGHANISTAN.

In the corner on the back of the photo it is written diagonally: "To my beloved wife Rosa and our son, whom we will call Bruno, from Dad. Kunduz. Afghanistan, February 1985." Bruno is amazed.

52. INT. OTTO'S HOSPITAL WARD — DAY.

Frantic Bruno runs into the hospital Otto's ward. Bruno is holding an old notebook and photographs of his Father.

Otto is lying on a cot with a bandaged leg, peacefully having lunch, eating soup, thinking about something.

Bruno steps up to Otto, knocks him off the bed. There is a crash, the clink of broken dishes.

Otto is lying on the floor, terrified.

Bruno shoves photos under Otto's nose.

BRUNO:

From where?!

OTTO:

(indignantly)

Do you know, Ober-lieutenant, that it is indecent to rummage in other people's things?!

Otto guessed that Bruno's frenzy is connected with photographs that obviously have a direct relationship to him.

OTTO:

(sincerely)

From the Mujahideen!

BRUNO:

(persistently)

Get ready! Let's go... and show the one who gave it to you!

OTTO:

(serene)

First of all, it's not possible right now because I can't walk.

Secondly, I never disclose my sources, this is professional ethics!

Bruno's high—pitched speech startled medical staff and three Afghan civilians lying on nearby beds. The nurse on duty and doctor Seeta Akhmadzai enter the ward.

SEETA:

(in a firm voice)

What's going on?!

BRUNO:

(realizing the presence of the problem)

It's all right, Frau, we were clarifying service issues.

SEETA:

(in a firm voice)

This is not a military hospital; official investigations are not conducted here!

Please leave the ward!

Dr. Seeta Akhmadzai pretentiously points with her hand to the exit.

BRUNO:

(resigned)

Okay, I'll leave!

Bruno quickly leaves the room, walks down a long corridor. Otto jumps up from his bunk, leaning on crutches in a hurry to catch up with Bruno. Otto comes out of the room, shouts after Bruno who has reached the end of the corridor.

OTTO:

(loudly)

Wait, Ober-lieutenant!

Bruno stops. Together with Otto they leave the room into the hospital garden.

53. EXT. HOSPITAL GARDEN — DAY.

Otto and Bruno are sitting on a bench, having a conversation.

BRUNO:

(bitterly)

These are the things of my deceased father.

Bruno's eyes filled with moisture.

OTTO:

(astonished)

So your father was a Soviet soldier and died in Khost Wa Firing?!

BRUNO:

Yes!

(pause)

After his death, my mother and I moved to Germany.

OTTO:

(with empathy)

There it is!

(pause)

I promise you, as soon as I switch to the cane, we will certainly go with you to the village in Khost Wa Firing to the Mujahideen who gave me these photos and a notebook.

(pause)

And now, as part of my promise, I have two reciprocal requests to you.

First, you need to go to the brother of the deceased translator Sultan Mukhadi, Yahya, and give his family money from me. At the same time, offer Yahya to work as a translator on our trip to Khost Wa Firing.

Second, I strongly ask you to change from a military uniform to a civilian one during the trip. Or better yet, in traditional Afghan clothes. My personal experience in the tragedy in Omar Kheyl has shown that it is not necessary to arouse anger among the Taliban and poor Afghans.

54. INT. OTTO'S HOSPITAL WARD — DAY.

Otto and Bruno are back in the ward, Otto takes a sealed envelope from the brought travel bag, passes it to Bruno.

OTTO:

The envelope contains money for the family of the deceased Sultan Muhadi and the address where you will find his brother Yahya Mukhadi.

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