LAIKA

By

Kate Balsley

A True Story

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1 EXT. NIGHT SKY.

Stars glitter in the dark sky.

We hear the official march of the Soviet Air Force, sung in

Russian.

SUPER: "We were born to make fairy tales come true/to

overcome distance and space. Our minds gave us wings of
steel, and a fiery engine instead of a human heart."

A soft BEEPING SOUND grows louder and louder. Suddenly a soft

speck of LIGHT appears and glides across the sky.

2 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT.

The march continues to play softly on a RADIO in a living

room.

ANNA, mid 30s, sits at the table helping KRISTINA, 6, with a

MATH WORKBOOK. ALEXEI, 4, lies on the floor looking at a
PICTURE BOOK.

A dog eared copy of PRAVDA lies on the couch, it's front page
blaring the success of Sputnik.

SUPER: "Moscow. October, 1957."

A key is heard in the front door lock and VLADIMIR, early

40s, enters holding a small ANIMAL CARRIER. A small brown and
white DOG peers out curiously. Anna looks at him, surprised.

VLADIMIR
We have a visitor.

He gently sets the carrier down as the children run to meet

him.

Vladimir hugs his children, but their attention is on the dog

and they wiggle out of his embrace. He opens the door of the
carrier. Anna rises to her feet.

ANNA
Careful-

VLADIMIR
Don't worry. She's very well behaved.

The dog cautiously steps out of the carrier and approaches

the children, who pet it affectionately.

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 2.

VLADIMIR
Be gentle.

KRISTINA
What's her name?

VLADIMIR
Laika.

ALEXEI
Can we keep her?

VLADIMIR
No, I'm afraid not. She can only stay
with us for one night.

He hangs his coat and hat on a nearby coatrack and stands

next to Anna as they watch the children play with Laika. The
dog BARKS excitedly at the attention.

ANNA
(softly)
Vladik, will you get in trouble for
this?

VLADIMIR
(softly)
It will be alright. Trust me.

ALEXEI
Please, can we keep her?

VLADIMIR
She's not ours to keep.

KRISTINA
Why not?

VLADIMIR
Because she has a very important
mission ahead of her.

Vladimir removes a NOTEBOOK and a PENCIL from his shirt

pocket.

He sits down at the table and beckons to the children. Anna

takes a seat next to him as he flips through the notepad,
looking for a blank page.

Alexei climbs onto his mother's lap, and Kristina climbs up

onto the chair next to Vladimir. Laika follows and obediently

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 3.

sits on the floor besides them.

Vladimir waits until his family is settled, then begins to

sketch a picture of the dog.

VLADIMIR
Where to begin...ah yes.

Through the children's eyes, the drawings take on a life of

their own.

3 EXT. CITY SIDEWALK - DAY - ANIMATION

SNOW and WIND blow. The little dog struggles against it,
shivering in the cold.

VLADIMIR (OS)
When we first saw her, she was just
another stray.

A CAR pulls up and two SCIENTISTS get out, each wearing white
lab coats. One is clearly Vladimir, and he is holding a large
NET. The other is thin, balding and wears glasses. Laika
tries to run away but Vladimir catches her.

VLADIMIR (OS)
But we soon found out that she was
very special.

They get into the car and drive away, disappearing in a puff
of SMOKE.

4 INT. FIELD - DAY - ANIMATION

Laika leaps into the air and catches a BALL in her mouth.

VLADIMIR (OS)
She was spirited...

Still holding the ball, Laika races through an obstacle

course with other DOGS, leaping through HOOPS and jumping
over HURDLES.

VLADIMIR (OS)
Intelligent...

Laika crosses the finish line ahead of the other dogs and
obediently places the ball at his feet, wagging her tail.
Vladimir makes a note on his CLIPBOARD and gives her a TREAT.

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 4.

5 INT. LAB - DAY - ANIMATION

Laika is covered with WIRES that are hooked up to a MONITOR

displaying her life signs: Heart, respiration, etc. Vladimir
and the other scientist carefully watch the monitor.

VLADIMIR (OS)
Healthy...

The scientist makes a note on his CLIPBOARD and walks away.

Vladimir waits until he's gone, then pats Laika on the head.
The HEART SIGNAL beats a little bit faster when he does so,
and she wags her tail.

6 EXT. LAUNCH PAD - DAY - ANIMATION

The scientists ride an ELEVATOR that takes them to the top of

an enormous ROCKET. Vladimir holds Laika, who is wearing a
tiny FLIGHT SUIT.

VLADIMIR (OS)
And brave.

They reach the very top of the rocket. Vladimir opens the
capsule door and places her inside. He kisses her on the nose
and she licks his face.

Vladimir shuts the door. Laika looks out of the one small
window and watches as the scientists begin their descent down
the side of the rocket.

The engines ROAR, and the rocket begins to tremble. SMOKE

billows out from beneath it like a giant tea kettle. The
rocket launches, slowly gaining speed.

ALEXEI (OS)
Will she go higher than the birds?

It passes flocks of BIRDS.

VLADIMIR (OS)
Higher.

ALEXEI (OS)
Higher than the clouds?

It shoots through CLOUDS.

VLADIMIR(OS)
Higher still.

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 5.

The scientists stand on the ground, watching it with a pair

of BINOCULARS as it climbs into the sky.

7 EXT. SPACE - ANIMATION

The rocket reaches space and begins to orbit the earth. FIRE
shoots out of its engines. METEORS blaze past.

ALEXEI (OS)
Wow!

KRISTINA (OS)
How will she come back down?

END OF ANIMATION

8 INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME

Vladimir pauses and fumbles with his pencil.

KRISTINA
Papa? How does she come back down?

VLADIMIR
Well, she will be...a...

He looks at Anna, suddenly speechless. She looks at him

curiously for a moment, and he shakes his head slightly.
Dismay clouds her face.

The children wait expectantly for him to finish the story,

and he slowly begins to sketch again.

9 EXT. SPACE - ANIMATION

The rocket glides over the earth. SPUTNIK floats past. The
nosecone of the rocket opens, and Laika jumps out to catch it
but misses. She falls to earth. A PARACHUTE opens and she
floats down.

She gently lands in Vladimir's arms as he stands on a stage

in front of a CHEERING CROWD. He is wearing the uniform of a
Soviet Lieutenant. OFFICIALS salute. BANNERS of Stalin, Lenin
and Laika unroll from buildings.

VLADIMIR (OS)
When she returns, she will tell us
what it's like up there in the stars.

Vladimir triumphantly holds Laika up to a MICROPHONE. She

barks into it as the crowd cheers.

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 6.

KRISTINA (OS)
Then can we keep her?

END OF ANIMATION

10 INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME

Vladimir closes the notebook with finality.

VLADIMIR
No. I won't tell you again.

He tussles her hair, and she jumps out of her chair to play
with the dog. Anna sets Alexei on the floor and rises to her
feet.

ANNA
You can play with her after dinner.
Now go wash up. You can tell your
father all about what you did in
school today.

VLADIMIR
Yes, I want to hear all about it.

Vladimir takes Kristina by the hand and follows Anna and

Alexei into the dining room. Laika lets out a loud, sharp
bark. Vladimir turns and looks at her.

VLADIMIR
Sit. Stay.

Laika sits obediently. Vladimir looks at her sadly. The dog

watches as he turns and leads Kristina to the dining room.

11 INT. DINING ROOM - LATER

The family sits around the dinner table, talking, laughing

and eating. Vladimir and Anna help the children with dropped
FORKS, and wipe off their messy faces with a NAPKIN.

The children tell Vladimir about their day at school, and try
to coax out more information about the dog's mission.

Each time, he playfully changes the subject. Anna looks at

him but he avoids her eyes, focusing on his children instead.

12 INT. KITCHEN - LATER

Vladimir stands at the sink washing the DISHES. Anna spoons

brown GELATIN out of a CONTAINER and puts it in a BOWL. The

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 7.

sound of the radio can be heard coming from the next room.

Anna gently sets the bowl on the floor in front of Laika, who
is waiting patiently. She watches as the dog eats the
gelatin, then she peers through the kitchen door towards the
living room.

13 INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME

The children are seated at the table. Alexei is looking at

Vladimir's drawings, while Kristina is filling out a page in
her math workbook, humming along to the radio.

14 INT. KITCHEN - SAME

Anna turns back to the kitchen and begins to scrape LEFTOVERS

off of a PLATE and into a POT. Laika looks up hopefully.

ANNA
Can I give her-

VLADIMIR
No. She needs to get used to eating
the gelatin.

Anna dumps the leftovers into the pot. Laika trots out of the
kitchen, leaving the rest of the gelatin uneaten.

Anna joins Vladimir at the sink and begins to dry the dishes.
They work silently for a moment, side by side, listening as
the children play with the dog from the next room.

VLADIMIR
(softly)
She will be a martyr. A martyr for a
noble cause. That's what we keep
telling ourselves.

ANNA
(softly)
This isn't fair to them, Vladik.

VLADIMIR
(softly)
I know.
(pause)
I just wanted to do something nice for
her. I wanted to let her play like a
normal dog, just for one night.

Anna looks at him quietly. He keeps his eyes on the dishes.

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 8.

VLADIMIR
(softly)
We had to make this date without fail.
There wasn't enough time for a return
plan.
(pause)
She has so little time left to live.

They continue to work quietly at the sink, listening to the

children.

15 INT. LIVING ROOM - EARLY MORNING

Wearing his coat and hat, Vladimir sets the carrier on the
floor. Anna kneels down and pats Laika one last time. Music
plays softly on the radio.

Vladimir opens the carrier case and Laika dutifully walks

inside. He closes the carrier door and locks it. He rises and
embraces Anna, and they hold each other tightly.

Vladimir picks up the case and opens the front door. He steps
into the darkness, closing the door behind him.

Anna goes to the window and watches as he walks away.

A NEWS BROADCAST begins to play on the radio.

ANNOUNCER
In one week, to celebrate the
anniversary of the Revolution, we will
launch a second satellite into orbit.

16 INT. BEDROOM - SAME

The children lay in their beds, fast asleep.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
(Con't)
This one will carry a passenger. The
first living thing to travel in space
will be a dog - a Russian dog, trained
by our scientists.

Alexei opens his eyes and sits up. He gets out of bed and
walks to the window, gazing out at the sky, filled with
glittering stars.

17 EXT. NIGHT SKY.

A SHOOTING STAR blazes through the dark sky.

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 9.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
(Con't)
Soon, our men and women will follow.
The Soviet Union will lead the world
into space...

STATIC crackles loudly. The broadcast breaks up, leaving

nothing but silence.

FADE OUT

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