Two tickets

Sinopsis

September 2022, Russia. For seven years, Yury has lived as a fugitive after his political opposition activities led to a ban on leaving the country. His public condemnation of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its war against Ukraine has only deepened the danger. He has lost his business, his livelihood, and the possibility of living with his loved ones. Now he is hiding alone in an abandoned house deep in the forest, separated from his young son, who remains with his mother.

Then, at last, a chance to escape emerges: French visas for both father and son. But they are valid for only three more months, and Yury has no money to buy the two plane tickets they need to leave Russia. If he fails to raise the funds in time, their only remaining chance at freedom may vanish—and the FSB may eventually find him.

With little more than an unstable internet connection and a phone, Yury desperately searches for a way out. Every attempt to secure money brings new uncertainty, while every contact or journey risks exposing his hiding place. The countdown becomes increasingly unbearable.

Each day, a phone call connects Yury with his son. From a distance, the boy experiences his father’s hopes, efforts, and repeated disappointments. As the days pass, the emotional strain begins to erode their bond. The father struggles not only against an apparently impossible situation, but also against his son’s growing disillusionment with his inability to change their fate.

Set almost entirely within the confines of the isolated property, the film builds tension through waiting, fragile communication, and the constant threat of discovery. Beyond the urgent struggle to escape, Yury faces a more intimate question: what must a father sacrifice to secure his child’s future, and what does his struggle teach the child who is watching from afar?

DEUX BILLETS (TWO TICKETS) is an intimate thriller about exile, fatherhood, and survival, inspired by autobiographical events. Against the backdrop of political persecution and war, it tells the story of a man fighting against time and seemingly insurmountable odds to give his son the chance of a new life.

 

PROJECT STATUS & DEVELOPMENT

DEUX BILLETS is currently in development, and I am seeking a producer and co-producers to join the project for its further development and production as an independent feature film with international potential. The screenplay is based on the same autobiographical material as my novel Deux Billets, whose French-language edition is currently available for pre-order through a campaign supporting its publication with Éditions Maïa. The literary project and the film share the same personal roots while offering distinct ways of exploring exile, fatherhood, political persecution, and the fight for freedom.

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