A Rough Draft (2018) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A game creator loses his place in his former life and confronts an unfamiliar society whose rules do not resolve his grief or explain his purpose.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Life Losing Its Witnesses

Kirill begins as a celebrated game creator, but familiar people deny knowing him and photographs that should establish his presence disappear. His father's failure to recognize him makes the loss unmistakable.

Key Events

• Anna Challenges Kirill — Anna criticizes Kirill for treating life like a rehearsal and says she has a new job and boyfriend. Characters: Kirill, Anna Location: Unspecified setting
• Celebrated Game Creator — At work, Kirill is celebrated for creating new worlds. Characters: Kirill Location: Kirill's workplace
• Familiar People Deny Him — People Kirill remembers deny knowing him, undermining his confidence in his life. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting
• Photographic Proof Vanishes — Photographs that should show Kirill's presence seem to have vanished. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting
• His Father Does Not Recognize Him — Even Kirill's father does not recognize him, confirming the loss of his former connections. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting

The Functional World Revealed

After a violent incident, Kirill wakes in a strange place and hears Kotya's explanation of the functionals and their assigned roles. The claim that Kirill has been erased from his loved ones' memories leaves him resisting this new existence.

Key Events

• Violent Incident — After a violent incident, Kirill wakes in a strange place. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting
• Kotya Explains the New World — Kotya tells Kirill he has entered a world of functionals with assigned roles and unusual aging. Characters: Kirill, Konstantin "Kotya" Chagin Location: Strange place
• Kirill Learns He Was Erased — Kotya says Kirill was erased from his loved ones' memories and will not die. Characters: Kirill, Konstantin "Kotya" Chagin Location: Strange place
• Kirill Rejects the New Existence — Kirill resists treating his new existence as a gift and wants to know why he lost his former life. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting

A Past Anna Cannot Recall

Officials question Kirill as he learns that conventions govern the new world. His reunion with Anna brings no restoration: she does not remember their past, despite Kirill's admission about opening a door to a reserve while thinking of her.

Key Events

• Officials Question Kirill — Officials question Kirill, and he learns that conventions govern the new world. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified official setting
• Anna Does Not Remember — Kirill meets Anna again, but she does not remember their past together. Characters: Kirill, Anna Location: Unspecified setting
• Kirill Reveals the Reserve Door — Kirill admits he opened a door to a reserve while thinking of Anna, but cannot restore their shared past. Characters: Kirill, Anna Location: Unspecified setting

Rules and Unresolved Enforcement

Kirill is drawn further into functional society and learns about pollen, retreats for rule-breakers, and the branding of newcomers. The excerpt ends with an order to stand still during an apparent enforcement action, leaving the consequences unresolved.

Key Events

• Kirill Enters Functional Society — Kirill is introduced to other functionals and drawn further into their society. Characters: Kirill, Konstantin "Kotya" Chagin Location: Functional society
• Vasilisa Explains Pollen and Retreat — Vasilisa explains pollen's effect on ordinary people and says rule-breakers may be sent to her retreat. Characters: Kirill, Vasilisa Location: Unspecified setting
• Newcomers Face Branding — Kirill learns that newcomers can be branded as the society's troubling practices become clearer. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting
• Order to Stand Still — People are ordered to stand still during an apparent enforcement action, and the excerpt ends unresolved. Characters: Kirill Location: Unspecified setting

Story Breakdown

• Fraying Ordinary Life — Kirill's personal and professional life gives way to evidence that his existence is being denied.
  • Anna's Criticism — Anna says Kirill treats life like a rehearsal and tells him she has a new job and boyfriend.
  • Vanishing Recognition — People Kirill remembers deny knowing him, and photographs that should prove his presence disappear.
• Erasure Confirmed — Kirill discovers that even his closest former connections no longer acknowledge him.
  • Father's Denial — Kirill's father does not recognize him.
  • Life Taken Away — Kirill realizes that his old life and the people in it have been taken from him.
• Kotya's Explanation — Kotya introduces Kirill to the world of functionals and describes what has happened to him.
  • Assigned Roles — Kotya says functionals have assigned roles and do not age normally.
  • Erased Memories — Kotya says Kirill has been erased from his loved ones' memories and will not die.
• Kirill Resists Fate — Kirill questions the meaning of his new existence rather than accepting it as a gift.
  • Demand for Reasons — Kirill wants to know why he had to lose his former life.
  • Unwelcome Immortality — The promise that he will not die does not resolve his resistance to what he has lost.
• Anna Without Memory — Kirill's reunion with Anna shows that the past they shared cannot simply be recovered.
  • A Changed Reunion — Anna meets Kirill again but does not remember their past together.
  • Reserve Door Admission — Kirill says he opened a door to a reserve while thinking of Anna, but cannot restore their former connection.
• Functional Society's Rules — Kirill learns more about the conventions and practices governing the society he has entered.
  • Pollen and Retreat — Vasilisa explains pollen's effect on ordinary people and says rule-breakers may be sent to her retreat.
  • Newcomer Branding — Kirill learns that newcomers can be branded.
• Unresolved Enforcement — The excerpt ends at an apparent enforcement action without revealing what Kirill or the others will do.
  • Stand Still Order — People are ordered to stand still.
  • Consequences Unclear — The excerpt leaves Kirill's next choice and the consequences unresolved.

Directed by

Sergey Mokritsky

Key Cast

• Nikita Volkov — Kirill
• Yulia Peresild — Rosa Belaya
• Evgeny Tsyganov — Anton
• Andrey Merzlikin — Felix
• Evgeniy Tkachuk — Konstantin "Kotya" Chagin