Understanding the dire consequences for them both, Roman eventually marries Sergey’s friend Luisa (Diana Pozharskay), a lovely girl with medical school ambitions. Greasy and heavyset, the major is a broad caricature of a Russian bureaucrat, and his heavy presence, while necessary, lacks much subtlety or creativity. The threat of a Russian jail looms large over Roman, who feels responsible for Sergey as well. The prying major (Margus Prange) has his eye on Roman, and never misses an opportunity to remind him the KGB is watching. Pressed breathlessly against each other in a forest trench, they erupt into a passionate kiss once in the clear.Įach rapturous high is followed by a heart-stopping low, and as soon as they consummate their love they are interrupted by an ominous knock on the door. After a trip to the opera, which gives the film its title, the couple is almost caught at a checkpoint, though it’s unclear by whom and why they must hide. Another swimming scene, this one more erotic, is shot from afar, under the watchful eye of an unknown meddler who brings an anonymous report up the line. The opening scene’s drama repeats itself almost cyclically, with the stakes climbing higher each time. The film runs on a steady rhythm of danger and pleasure, or tension and release. After many charged glances and rousing brushes with danger, they give in to their desires with little resistance. Intrigued by Roman’s skillful flying and smooth confidence, Sergey is invited to his private dark room when the men discover a shared interest in photography. He shows promise as a pilot, however, and is assigned as convoy to a newly arrived, hotshot lieutenant named Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii. A fresh-faced recruit with his head in the clouds, the gentle Sergey ( Tom Prior) nurses dreams of becoming an actor. The horseplay is interrupted when two uniformed men point guns their way, a stark reminder that a military base is no place for fun. The film’s tragic throughline won’t break any molds, but with smoldering performances by its two strapping young leads, the target audience is unlikely to care.ĭespite the heat of its title, “Firebird” begins in the water as three lithe bodies splash playfully in a dark sea. Taking an altogether different tack, the stately period drama “ Firebird” tells the true story of an ill-fated military romance between two men in Soviet-occupied Estonia during the late 1970s and early ’80s.īased on a memoir by Sergey Fetisov, the steamy Cold War drama honors this lost chapter of gay history with a handsome rendering that only occasionally stumbles under the weight of historical accuracy. David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” documented the horrific genocide being waged against LGBTQ people in what is now a Russian Republic, a terrifying sign of what could lay in store for LGBTQ Ukrainians.
"I was wrong, I was stupid, I lost sense of mind," he said, adding that he was making a "total full apology" for his actions.Not that we needed a reminder, but Russia’s recent human rights violations - while flagrant - are sadly not a new phenomenon. He appeared emotional as he said he was standing down after seeing the furore and damage it was causing his family, his constituency and local association. "I was wrong what I was doing, but this idea that I was there watching it, intimidating women, I mean I have 12 years in Parliament and probably got one of the best reputations ever - or did have," he said.Īsked about why he decided to watch the material in the Commons, Parish said he did not know and that he must have "taken complete leave of my senses" and "sense of decency".
He said it was a "moment of madness" but denied watching the material in a way where he hoped other people would see it, saying he was trying to be discreet. I made a huge terrible mistake and I'm here to tell the world." Parish said what he did "was absolutely totally wrong", adding: "I will have to live with this for the rest of my life. He admitted that second time had been deliberate and that it happened in the House of Commons while he was sitting waiting to vote.
"But my crime - biggest crime - is that on another occasion I went in a second time." "I did get into another website that had a very similar name and I watched it for a bit, which I shouldn't have done. In an exclusive interview with BBC South West, Mr Parish said: "The situation was that funnily enough, it was tractors I was looking at. Two female colleagues claimed they had seen him looking at adult content on his phone while sitting near them. He was suspended by the Conservative Party on Friday over the allegations. He said the first time was accidental after looking at a tractor website, but the second time - in the House of Commons - was deliberate.
Parish, who has represented Tiverton and Honiton in Devon since 2010, said it had been a "moment of madness".