Anna and the Other Train

On a snowy night, Anna Karenina arrives at a Moscow station. She is the Black daughter of an Abyssinian mother and a Russian father. She has lived in Russian high society since childhood, but people still stare at her. On the platform, she meets Officer Vronski. Nearby, a railway worker has died in an accident. A red scarf marks the place in the snow.

At a ball, Vronski asks Anna to dance. Kitty, a young woman, expected him to spend the evening with her. Anna wants to refuse, but she is attracted to his friendly, honest manner. She agrees, and they dance together. The guests enjoy watching them now. Anna knows these same people may blame her later.

Anna returns to Karenin in Saint Petersburg. Karenin speaks to her about rumours of her attraction to Vronski. He says he wants to protect the family. Then he reminds her that his family name gives her a place in society. Anna hears the warning clearly. Society accepts her only while she follows its rules. If she has an affair, people will punish her more severely than Vronski.

Later, Anna agrees to meet Vronski in a winter garden. He asks her to share a life with him. Anna warns him that a scandal will hurt her more than him. People may call his affair exciting, while Anna could lose her home and place in society. Vronski listens to her warning. Anna still chooses him. She kisses him because she wants to, and their affair begins.

During a horse race, Vronski falls from his horse. Anna cries out in fear, and her reaction reveals their affair to everyone. People call Vronski exciting and passionate because of the affair. They continue to invite him to social gatherings, but they stop inviting Anna. Newspapers publish cruel racist drawings of her. Vronski now understands their unequal treatment. However, he still thinks travelling together will solve everything.

Anna leaves Karenin for the countryside, where she lives with Vronski. For now, her children remain behind, and the separation causes her pain. Their beautiful house soon feels like a prison. Vronski visits friends and thinks about his career, while Anna spends long days alone. Anna turns to her trusted friend Lisa and asks for help. She wants to stage her own death at the railway station. Anna explains that she will stay alive and escape. Lisa agrees to help her.

At Moscow station, Anna leaves her black coat and the red scarf beside the tracks, where people can see them. Lisa waits nearby. When the train arrives, Lisa screams as planned, and steam hides Anna as she enters the underground passage. People see the clothes and wrongly believe the train has killed Anna. Instead, Anna crosses safely through the passage to the platform on the other side.

Anna boards a southbound train with false papers. She knows she has hurt Vronski and other people who love her. She has also left her children for now. Her freedom has a painful cost, so it does not feel like a simple victory. When the train guard asks her name, Anna gives her mother's name. Outside, the black night slowly turns blue.