I, a Russian soldier


I, a Russian soldier is Russian film about the famous episode of the Eastern Front — the Defense of Brest Fortress, based on the novel by Boris Vasilyev His Name is Not in the List.

Plot

The film begins on June 21, 1941, one day before the German invasion. Lieutenant Nikolay Pluzhnikov, a former cadet in the border guards school, is posted at the border in Brest. Nikolay and his fellow traveler, a young Jewish woman named Mirra, slowly going along the streets of the Brest. She was a cook in an officers cafeteria so she decided to show him his new service place—Brest Fortress.
The next morning, Lieutenant Nikolay Pluzhnikov joins other Soviet soldiers in defending Brest Fortress, which is being attacked by a large Wehrmacht force. He, Mirra, and a group of soldiers under his command begin to fight the attacking Germans inside the fortress.
All attempts to break out failed, and no reinforcements arrive. The defenders of the fortress are outgunned and outnumbered. Although the Soviet soldiers in the opening hours of the battle were stunned by the surprise attack, outnumbered, short of supplies, and cut off from the outside world, many of them held out much longer than the Germans expected. Multiple hand-to-hand fightings take place all around the fortress.
Pluzhnikov and his men receive an order to reoccupy the headquarters and defend it. A former cadet armed with only TT pistol, took several men under command and successfully reoccupied the headquarters and one of the German machine gun nests. Within the hours he passed an exam for combat training. Moreover, he learned to subordinate and make decisions:

The outnumbered Soviet soldiers are killed one by one. Border guards, soldiers, and civilians are killed in Pluzhnikov's eyes. His friend, Private Salnikov, saves Pluzhnikov from certain death twice but was also killed. During the artillery barrage, Pluzhnikov took cover in the basement where Mirra and three soldiers waiting until the combat above will finally ends. There are a lot of food, ammunition and even water inside the basement. Pluzhnikov harshly rebukes them for inaction and took them under his command. He leads them above to make a recon mission. During the first combat Stephan Matveevich get wounded. Fedorchuk wants to give up and put his hands up. Pluzhnikov catch and shoot him as a traitor. Young private Volkov see the Pluzhnikovs cruelty and decide to leave him during the night. Mirra and Stephan Matveevich do not wake Pluzhnikov to save the young private`s life.
Stephan Matveevich heroically died after he recognized the inevitability of gangrene. He jumped with a grenade in a group of Germans from one of the fortress towers.
Pluzhnikov stayed with a Mirra alone. They lived together for a long weeks. Pluzhnikov continue to make his attacks on Germans and learn how to move silently along the fortress corridors. Pluzhnikov and Mirra fell in love and decide to be married in their basement.
Once Pluzhnikov captured the German soldier and after interrogation he had to shoot him. Soldier fell down and began to beg to save his live. He told that he was from Austria and had a wife and three children. Pluzhnikov failed to shoot the man who did not have any weapon and could not even stand up.
During one of the raids, Pluzhnikov found the last survivors in the basements: sergeant Nebogatov and yefreytor Klimkov. They wanted to left the fortress for Białowieża Forest and join the partizans operating there. Pluzhnikov allow them to grab some ammunition and suggested to go to partisans together. He brought them to his and Mirra`s basement. Nebogatov knew Mirra well before the war and said that she will not make this hard way. When Pluzhnikov said that he would not go without his wife, they began to insult him and say a lot of cynical words about his and Mirra`s sexual relations. Pluzhnikov furiously kicked them out from their basement but Mirra managed to give them ammo before they left.
In autumn of 1941, Mirra gets pregnant. Pluzhnikov persuades Mirra to leave the basement for child sake. He planned to send her inside a group of local women, mobilised by Germans for works inside the fortress. Mirra trying to join them but despite half of them decide to hide Mirra inside a crowd, some of them called for Hilfspolizei. One of the collaborator realize that Mirra hid in the basement because of the basement smell of her clothes. He beat her to death by his rifle stock.
In winter 1941, when German general arrived in the fortress, Pluzhnikov tried to shoor him but kill only two of his guards. Pluzhnikov`s eyesight is deteriorating because of his long life in the basements. Germans comb through ruins of the fortress but still don't dare to get down to the basements.
Germans decided to send a Jew-former violinist Ruvim Svitsky from the local ghetto inside the basement. He offered Pluzhnikov to surrender and said that if he refuse all Svitsky`s family will be shot by Germans and the basement will be burned out by flamethrowers. He began to beg Pluzhnikov to surrender. Half-blind,exhausted,ran out of food and ammunition Pluzhnikov decided to surrender to save the Jew and his family. Jew also said that there are a lot of rumors circulating inside a ghetto about big German defeat near Moscow but also added "but this still only a rumors. Pluzhnikov realize that his own war was not useless and the country is still not defeated.
Lieutenant Pluzhnikov leave the basement together with Jew. German soldiers surrounding them. German general asked Pluzhnikov about his name and rank on German and ordered a Jew to translate it into Russian. Jew translated the question. Half-blind, exhausted and hoarse Pluzhnikov answered: I`m a Russian soldier. Jew begged Pluzhnikov to say his real name and rank but he repeated these words. He said that he is Russian soldier Jew finally said on German.
German general ordered his soldiers to salute the last Soviet defender of the fortress.

Cast