Character Relationship Map: Burial

Characters

• Brana Brodskaya (played by Charlotte Vega) — protagonist

  Brana is a Soviet soldier involved in secretly transporting and repeatedly concealing a heavily guarded corpse across the postwar ruins. She pursues the truck after Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov’s betrayal and l...

• Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik (played by Barry Ward) — protagonist

  Mikhail is a Soviet soldier and one of the corpse’s principal escorts. He explains that he earned the name “Tor” after killing Waffen-SS soldiers with a hammer during the Battle of Stalingrad. He disc...

• Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov (played by Dan Renton Skinner) — supporting

  Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov is a Soviet officer whose reckless conduct at a tavern helps trigger a violent confrontation and fire. When Werwolf fighters attack the group’s shelter, he bargains for his life by...

• Iossif Gulyaev (played by Bill Milner) — supporting

  Iossif is a Soviet soldier secretly transporting and repeatedly burying the guarded corpse alongside Brana Brodskaya and Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik. After the body is taken by fugitives and begins rapidly...

• Dimitry Makar (played by Niall Murphy) — supporting

  Dimitry Makar is a member of the Soviet group escorting the corpse through the ruins of Germany and Poland. After the tavern confrontation and fire caused by Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov’s behavior, Dimitry is...

Story Dynamics

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

• Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik → Dimitry Makar (Social Fellow Soldier) — Their connection is limited to the shared military setting and crisis.

  Dimitry Makar is found injured after the tavern confrontation while Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik is part of the surrounding soldier group.

• Iossif Gulyaev → Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov (Conflict Adversary) — Their shared mission is fractured by Vadim's disloyalty.

  Vadim Ilyasov's disclosure of the corpse's hiding place forces Iossif Gulyaev to flee and later recover the body under pressure.

• Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik → Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov (Conflict Adversary) — Vadim's betrayal places Mikhail in immediate danger.

  Vadim Ilyasov bargains for his life by offering information about the corpse, causing Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik and the others to abandon their shelter.

• Brana Brodskaya → Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov (Conflict Adversary) — Vadim's betrayal directly endangers Brana's mission.

  Cpt. Vadim Ilyasov's bargain with the enemy exposes the group's hiding place and forces Brana Brodskaya and the others to flee.

• Brana Brodskaya → Iossif Gulyaev (Alliance Teammate) — They are operational partners within the recovery group.

  Brana Brodskaya and Iossif Gulyaev participate in the corpse mission and later prepare to recover the deteriorating body together.

• Brana Brodskaya → Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik (Alliance Teammate) — They cooperate throughout the dangerous corpse-transport mission.

  Brana Brodskaya and Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik secretly transport and repeatedly bury the heavily guarded corpse together.

• Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik → Iossif Gulyaev (Alliance Teammate) — Their shared mission creates a close battlefield alliance.

  Mikhail 'Tor' Oleynik and Iossif Gulyaev secretly transport and conceal the corpse alongside Brana Brodskaya.

Story Analysis

A group of Soviet soldiers carries a politically important corpse through a devastated landscape while confronting trauma, revenge, betrayal, and contested historical truth.

Plot Progression

1. A Nation In Ruins — The film moves from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the devastation left by the Second World War. The soldiers and their secret burden are introduced.
2. Burden Of Revenge — The group repeatedly hides the corpse while discussing wartime trauma, death camps, and revenge. Mikhail's story reveals the violence behind his nickname.
3. The Body's Secret — Vadim's recklessness causes a tavern confrontation and fire. A Polish survivor warns of hidden fighters, while the group preserves and identifies the corpse.
4. Betrayal In The Forest — The enemy locates the shelter and attacks. Vadim trades information about the corpse for his life, destroying the group's security and forcing an escape.
5. The Final Proof — The corpse escapes by truck toward a church, but its deterioration creates a final deadline. Brana and Iossif prepare to recover it and document the truth.