Anastasia

In 1928 Paris, Anna Koreff, an ailing woman with amnesia who resembles Anastasia, comes to the attention of General Bounine, the former White Russian now running a Russian-themed nightclub. He suspects she could be Anastasia and begins testing her. She flees his pursuit and attempts to throw herself into the River Seine, but bystanders intervene.

Bounine privately reveals to his associates that he has eight days to produce Anastasia for eager stockholders who want a share of the czar’s fortune. He has already raised funds by claiming he has found Anastasia, though privately he admits the plan is a scam. The clock is ticking as pressure from investors increases.

Bounine begins coaching Anna to pass as Anastasia, shaping her demeanor, appearance, and speech to resemble the grand duchess. As they work, a complicated attraction grows between them, entangling personal feelings with the deception. The stakes rise as Anna's performance must withstand scrutiny from those who knew Anastasia.

Anna meets a series of former familiars and imperial courtiers in carefully arranged encounters, gradually gaining confidence and style. Some interlocutors begin to accept her resemblance, but no one with real credibility endorses her claim. The deception intensifies as she convinces some while failing to convince others.

With time running out, Bounine takes Anna to Copenhagen to present her case to Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Anastasia’s grandmother, hoping for a decisive endorsement. The trip marks a shift from private staging to a high-stakes royal audience. The stakes lift from a scam to a matter of legitimacy.

The Empress refuses to grant Anna an audience at first, dismissing the claim as melodrama and skepticism. Anna’s resemblance alone proves insufficient to persuade her without concrete proof. The refusal creates urgency for the next demonstrations of authenticity.

After seeing Anna at a Tchaikovsky ballet, the Empress’s suspicion gives way to curiosity. Anna’s nickname Malenkaya (Little) and her obvious fear-induced cough begin to stroke a sense of real connection. The Empress’s reserve starts to crack as the possibility of Anastasia returns truly within reach.

The Empress visits Anna unannounced and tests her further, eventually deciding that Anastasia might indeed have come back. She remains cautious, balancing reverence for family lore with the danger of a public scandal. The decision tightens the bond between Anna and Bounine through shared secret.

At a press conference announcing Anna as Anastasia, Mikhail Vlados, who encountered Anna in 1920, accuses her of being Anna Koreff and a fraud. Anna acknowledges using the Koreff name and recalls a train explosion memory, suggesting she may have been wounded in more than one incident. The public spectacle tests her claimed identity under cross-examination.

Bounine condemns Anna’s desire to marry Prince Paul for money and nobility, noting his own money-driven motives. Anna, in turn, questions who she really is beyond wealth and status. The tension deepens as their personal ambitions threaten the illusion.

At a grand Copenhagen ball where Anna’s engagement to Paul would be announced, the Empress privately speaks with Bounine and sends him away, then directs Anna toward the Green Room. She then orchestrates an encounter between Anna and Bounine, staging the illusion anew in front of the court. The emotional stakes are high as real feelings collide with performance.

When the moment comes to reveal Anastasia, the girl goes missing from the ball and the Green Room. The Empress declares that Anastasia and Bounine have disappeared and tells the crowd to go home, leaving the question of Anastasia’s true identity open. The film closes on an unresolved note, leaving the audience to wonder if Anna is truly Anastasia.