Character Relationship Map: Garpastum

Characters

• Andrei (played by Evgeniy Pronin) — protagonist

  One of the two football-loving brothers at the center of the story, Andrei lives with Nikolai after their parents die and helps pursue their dream of building a football field. He becomes Anitsa's lov...

• Nikolai (played by Danila Kozlovsky) — supporting

  Andrei's brother and a central figure in the story, Nikolai shares his passion for football and their ambition to create a field. He becomes close to Vita, who proposes marriage, and leaves for the fr...

• Anitsa (played by Chulpan Khamatova) — supporting

  A young widow who came from Belgrade, Anitsa becomes Andrei's lover and receives poets at her home, including Osip Mandelstam and Vladislav Khodasevich. She is also friends with Alexander Blok, whom N...

• Tolstiy (played by Aleksandr Bykovsky) — supporting

  Tolstiy is the nickname Andrei and Nikolai give to Misha, the goalkeeper on their football team. He is part of the group of players who share the brothers' interest in football and their efforts to pu...

• Vita (played by Iamze Sukhitashvili) — supporting

  Vita is Anitsa's sister, who arrives in St. Petersburg with a little boy she calls her brother. She grows close to Nikolai and proposes that he take her as his wife. When Shust brings the money for th...

• uncle (played by Pavel Romanov) — supporting

  The brothers live in their uncle's apartment after their parents die. He is a doctor, and the family home later also shelters Andrei, Nina, and their child. By the time Nikolai returns from the front,...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Anitsa → Vita (Family Sister) — The sisters' connection brings Vita into the brothers' circle.

  Vita arrives in St. Petersburg as Anitsa's sister, accompanied by a little boy.

• Nikolai → Vita (Romantic Interest) — Their developing relationship is interrupted by violence.

  Vita becomes close to Nikolai and suggests that he take her as his wife.

• Andrei → Anitsa (Romantic Lover) — Their romance is one of the principal emotional threads.

  The plot states that Andrei becomes Anitsa's lover after she arrives from Belgrade and hosts literary gatherings.

• uncle → Nikolai (Family Uncle) — The uncle's home serves as a shared family base for Nikolai.

  Nikolai also lives in the apartment belonging to his uncle, a doctor.

• uncle → Andrei (Family Uncle) — The uncle provides the family residence where Andrei lives.

  Andrei lives in the apartment of his uncle, a doctor, after the collapse of his family circumstances.

• Andrei → Nikolai (Family Brother) — They are brothers whose shared football dream anchors the story.

  The plot explicitly centers on two brothers, Andrei and Nikolai, who live together and share a lifelong interest in football.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Nikolai → Anitsa (Social Family Connection) — They belong to the same intimate social network.

  Nikolai is connected to Anitsa through his brother's relationship with her and is acquainted with people who visit her home.

• Nikolai → Tolstiy (Alliance Teammate) — Their relationship is defined by shared team play.

  Tolstiy serves as goalkeeper for the team organized around the football-playing brothers.

• Andrei → Tolstiy (Alliance Teammate) — They cooperate as members of the same football team.

  Tolstiy is identified as the goalkeeper on the football team that includes Andrei and Nikolai.

Story Analysis

Two brothers pursue a football dream while war, poverty, love, and loss reshape their lives.

Plot Progression

1. A Family Shaped By Football — The film establishes the brothers' damaged family history and their shared passion for football. They live with their uncle and begin forming a team.
2. The Field They Cannot Afford — After rejection by the British teams, Andrei and Nikolai decide to create their own field. The team plays local matches to raise the required money.
3. Love And Dangerous Hopes — Andrei's relationship with Anitsa develops while Vita arrives and grows close to Nikolai. The football project and the brothers' private lives become increasingly intertwined.
4. The Price Of The Dream — The land payment brings the team into contact with violence and debt. Vita's death destroys the possibility of a peaceful future and scatters the surviving characters.
5. A Ball In The Ruins — War, famine, death, and the loss of the uncle transform the brothers' world. Their return to the wasteland and renewed play preserve a fragile sense of continuity.