#alexenk

Screenshot redraw (or rather repaint) I did a bit back of Henk and Alexey. Half way through the painting my sketchbook decided to fall apart, so the transition from one page to the other isn't the smoothest but still I'm quite happy with the result. I absolutely adore this film and ship :)

Close-ups under the cut

@gavimp  🥳 💗

March 31st 2024, Tetris' first anniversary of the worldwide release on Apple TV.

Commission for @gavimp

"I told you I'd be ba-ack."

A Cold War movie for a neo-Cold War generation.

Aaah so many scenes to choose from. There's the "I'm not for sale" scene where "someone" is playing hard to get 😏. Then there's the "Pascal or Assembler?" dinner scene where Alexey, with his unblinking eyes glued on Henk, begins to say "the power of Basic" nanoseconds before Henk does, literally reading his mind.

And Henk stares back at him widening his eyes as if he just met Elvis.

Alexey smiles back: he found his kindred spirit. His soulmate.

My second (or third) favourite scene is the one you described. They like each other too much to let their egos prevail, however it's always a struggle for both men to let the other "win".

Henk starts off with a compliment, trying to get that total stranger to warm up to him.

Next thing you know, he wants to put his hands on "The Original", how dare he play with Alexey's favourite toy?

His body language is so telling: he wants to be on top of things. On top of Alexey.

It takes Alexey a good few seconds to give Henk his seat, a thing he doesn't do wholeheartedly. But have you ever tried to say no to an American? Nievazmozhna.

Guess what: Alexey is not the only genius in the room. Henk's novel idea hits Alexey right where it hurts, in his well-burried ego. Look at the triumphant grin slapped across Henk's face: the Russian Master is finally acknowledging his genius too.

"We should allow up to four lines to disappear at once". Oh look, Henk is already thinking in "we" terms, what's next, appropriating Alexey's precious brain child??

Henk gracefully dismisses him by pretending he misunderstood the reason behind Alexey's cocked eyebrows. "C'mon it's a brilliant idea, doesn't matter who thought of it".

Then it's Alexey's turn to remind Henk who's the boss here, tapping him on the back to get his seat back.

Check out Alexey's hand resting on his thigh as well as his burning stare: you want this seat, baby? You're gonna have to sit on this first.

And then Henk interrupts his thoughts-again- but Alexey's like "Bitch please, I know what I'm doing."

But then... wait for it... Success! We did this together.

There's something warmer in Alexey's eyes now: admiration. It will turn into utter fascination in my other favourite scene, the Party.

And what's a budding friendship (or should I say romance) without The-First-Time-They-Touch part? Henk rocks Alexey back and forth like he wants to feel the strength and volume of this man under his arms. I'm sure this won't be the last time he does that. 👀

As for the second part of your ask, well, I never thought of that! (I said that in Alexey's accent, you can tell). It's... brilliant actually.

See, in my mind Alexey was avoiding eye contact because, like the traumatized brainwashed puppet he had become in that scene, he was reciting from memory the "poem" the KGB had taught him. "Say that to the American, drive him away and we will harm you and your family no longer." They're even watching him, making sure he's an obedient little soldier.

But then you're right: there's a change, Alexey is not avoiding Henk's eyes anymore, he means every word. He feels vulnerable, betrayed.

The KGB convinced him that the American cares only for his own profit, that he's going to trick him. His life has already been affected by Henk's behaviour: he lost his apartment and his job. What's the next thing the American wants to take, his heart? Oh, that's the one thing Alexey won't let him have.

So he finally explodes.

Now it's Alexey talking, not the KGB: he doesn't believe in Henk anymore. He doesn't believe in anyone.

Henk freezes because... because he's heard that phrase before.

In another place, in another life, Akemi told him the exact same thing: "Is that a promise you can keep?"

Funny how the screenwriter chose to put the words of Henk's wife in Alexey's lips, right? As if in Henk's mind Akemi and Alexey are one. Even their names sound similar. Keep in mind that in Russian Alexey is pronounced Ale-XE-E-y, not A-LE-xi like Henk keeps calling him. Just a thought.

"We come from different worlds": dear анон, it's too late, Alexey is already hurt, his red eyes are brimming with tears.

Can Henk keep his promise?

Alexey finds that hard to believe.