Original subtitles

A construction project in West Africa

THE GUARDS' CRY

Adapted from the play "Combat de nègre et de chiens" by Bernard-Marie Koltès

How are you?

Everything's fine.

Have a good rest.

Get some rest.

May God be with us.

Nouofia,

Tell me.

Would I be afraid of a dog?

In the dark, it looks like a white spot running toward us,

toward you and me,

barking like a demon.

His bark is as fierce as a lion's,

or as tiny as a mouse's.

Nouofia, if he's big, we'll have to run away.

If it's small,

One kick will be enough.

Do I have to fight?

Or should I run away?

I'm just standing here watching.

I'm just sitting here wondering.

It's too late to run away, brother.

Are you going to bite my toe?

Or the thigh?

Or would you rather die, you little mutt?

That's how a white person imagines a Black man's nightmare.

The wind picked up,

I'm with you, Nouofia.

Moses, take this.

Moses.

Yes?

I need you.

I don't get it.

It's in Chinese.

Help me figure this out. I need to get changed.

I'll take care of it.

I knew I had seen someone.

My name is Alboury, sir.

I'm here to claim my brother's body.

Are you with the police?

Or sent by the village?

I've come to retrieve Nouofia's body.

My brother.

My name is Alboury, sir.

In the middle of the night?

Her mother will wander around the village all night long

if she can't recover her son's body.

What a sad night, sir.

A terrible incident.

A terrible...

incident.

That's true, it was a terrible accident,

a bulldozer racing at full speed.

The driver will be punished for his recklessness.

Our workers are often careless,

despite our instructions.

You'll have the body by tomorrow— I promise.

They had to take him to the infirmary,

to spruce it up a bit,

out of consideration for the family,

to help him get over his grief.

I'm sorry,

It's an unfortunate accident.

Unhappy? Yes and no.

They say the construction site is going to close,

and my brother would have lost his job.

After all, that's one less mouth to feed.

The construction site isn't going to close,

He might change direction.

I've never seen you around here before.

Come have a whiskey with me.

Don't stand behind the fence. I can barely see you.

I'm going to have the gate opened,

Let's sit on the porch.

We have an excellent relationship with the police and local authorities.

Everything should work out.

Since the start of this project,

I've heard a lot about you.

I took the opportunity to see this white man in person.

Your English is remarkable.

You Africans, you're so good at languages!

Are you working?

for the government?

In the government?

You've got style.

And I think you know more than you let on.

That's a lot of compliments.

Compliments are helpful at first.

That's strange.

Usually, the village sends a delegation,

and everything is quickly taken care of.

Usually, it's more formal,

but faster.

Eight to ten people,

nine or ten of the deceased's brothers.

I'm used to it

a prompt resolution.

If the family seeks compensation,

We'll pay, of course,

to the extent reasonable.

But you,

You, sir,

I don't think I've seen you here before.

I'm only here for the body, sir.

I'll leave as soon as I get it.

The body,

Yes, of course.

You'll have it first thing tomorrow.

Please excuse my nervousness.

My wife is coming tonight,

and I'm afraid that the presence of a woman might cause some disruption.

It's a nice change of pace to have a woman here.

You see,

I got married recently.

Very recently, actually.

It hasn't been made official yet.

There are so many...

So many formalities...

I'm not used to it.

Come have a whiskey with me while I wait for him.

I'd be delighted to introduce her to you.

Show yourselves!

I can barely see you.

That's impossible, sir.

Look at the guards up there.

They're watching me,

are watching me.

If they see me sitting on the porch,

They'll be wary.

They opened the first portal for you.

Normally, you need a pass.

Unless...

You are a member of the government

and they know it.

Sir, they know we can't let a mother cry

all night long and all day tomorrow.

That it is only by returning his son's body to him

that we'll be able to calm him down.

They know why I came.

Our mothers are all struggling to recover the bodies of their sons

killed on your construction site,

buried in the ground.

All right.

We will return the body to you tomorrow.

You don't seem to understand.

A man like me with a woman— that's crazy.

There's nothing crazy about a woman.

Being in a relationship will do you good.

I've never shared my life with anyone.

I've always worked, worked.

Don't just stand there, lurking in the shadows.

I prefer the softness of the shade.

Really?

I need some light. Come in.

I can't, sir.

My eyes can't stand bright light.

They aren't used to your bright lights.

It would be an honor for me, sir,

to introduce you to my wife once she's finally here.

I'll see her from a distance, sir.

Oh my God...

Holy shit...

My head is about to explode.

You just had to pick the very night my wife arrived!

I'm picking someone up at the airport.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Hi. Is that you, Léone?

Yes, what about you?

Cal. I've come to pick you up.

Horn isn't here?

He's getting the house ready for your arrival.

Champagne, fireworks.

The whole shebang.

Come on.

That smell of warm earth!

Belt.

Damn it!

No AC, so you have to roll down the window and breathe in the dust.

Okay.

Here, nothing goes to waste.

I had imagined you differently.

Any other ideas?

You're short.

Bunch of idiots!

All those cows!

They're called zebu cattle.

They're so beautiful.

"Baby"?

Can I smoke?

Would you like one?

How did you meet Horn?

In London.

Recovering from his accident.

At the hospital?

Yes, I'm a night shift nurse.

You're kind of like a maid.

Horn's Little Slave.

There you go.

His slave. He bought me.

I'm finally here!

You'll need some real shoes here.

I blew all my money at the duty-free shop.

- You hit him! - Damn it!

You drive like a maniac.

It's okay, I didn't kill him.

He fell.

Damn!

Who are these guys?

The assholes who build the pipelines.

He's alive.

Not anymore.

Come on, baby.

I know, it looks like the Last Judgment.

- Move it, baby. - He had blue feathers.

Don't push me, and don't call me "baby."

It had blue feathers.

I feel like a grain of sand here.

You're one of them.

The curfew is at 6 p.m.

Inside the construction site, you have nothing to worry about.

I'm tired.

You'll see just how fast this latitude drains your energy, baby.

I hear an engine.

I can't hear anything.

Listen carefully.

A pickup truck is coming.

That's your wife.

See you tomorrow in my office.

I'll leave when I'm ready.

Welcome home.

- Are you all armed? - We've had some trouble around here.

Horn will tell you more—he's the boss.

Spotty!

You're late. The cook put dinner in the pantry.

- Moses, have you seen my dog? - No.

Is there a doggy here?

Yes.

It's mine.

Spot!

Where are you hiding?

Good evening.

I missed you—I missed you so much.

Sorry I didn't come to pick you up.

I wish it had been you, but it doesn't matter.

I'll show you around. It's much nicer during the day.

You'll see tomorrow—it's huge.

Nice to meet you.

There were no curtains.

I hung that up.

I made some room for you. I put everything in my office.

That's ridiculous—I brought everything.

You did the right thing.

You know...

We don't have to, if you'd rather...

to sleep alone tonight.

I have a couch in my office.

There is only one bathroom.

Do you think you'll like it here?

I'm sure of it.

That really makes me happy.

I feel dizzy; everything's spinning.

- I have to unpack my bags. - You have plenty of time.

That little plane killed me.

- Don't you want to lie down? - No, I'm fine.

It happens to me.

I get a knot in my stomach every night.

That's silly.

I bought you...

champagne.

That won't help you.

How about a whiskey to cheer you up?

No whiskey. I have to take my meds.

What's all this about?

My meds!

There's a whole pharmacy's worth of stuff in there.

You won't need the clinic!

I'll bring you some water.

The reception is bad here.

Thank you.

I packed a ton of useless stuff, but nothing I'll actually need.

People don't like me at first.

Stop it!

That's not true.

We're not going to spend the rest of our lives here, right?

And there aren't many of us, except for Cal, who lives here.

You may never see the others.

Can you smell that?

That's the smell of Europe.

It's going to take me a long time to air out these clothes.

You'll have plenty of time.

I can hardly believe I'm here.

You'll see tomorrow.

It's awesome here.

I was looking forward to seeing you again.

What is it?

The guards.

They call out to each other all night long.

That's their code.

That's scary.

No.

That means everything's fine.

I have something to tell you.

Before boarding the plane,

I walked around my neighborhood one last time.

All of a sudden, I felt

overwhelmed with wild joy at the thought of joining you here,

But sometimes, I don't like feeling too happy or too good,

as if it were a sign of impending misfortune.

It's kind of like a hunch.

Nothing's going to happen to you here.

Me and my dark thoughts.

I have to trust you.

You're going to trust me.

We all have dark thoughts.

I'm going to leave you for a minute— it won't take long.

I have something to settle with one of my guys.

Next, we're going to have dinner, and then there will be fireworks.

Don't leave me alone for too long.

I hope Cal doesn't take all the water.

I'm going to love sleeping here with you.

What?

I'm moved—sorry.

My life has changed so much.

I know.

Mine, too.

It's surreal here.

No.

It's very real.

You'll see.

Is everything okay up there?

That's bad equipment.

Bullshit.

Where were we?

That's it—it's coming back to me.

A worker has died.

That's unfortunate

But, sir, that happens all the time.

Workers are dying on construction sites.

Work comes at a price.

There's one thing you should know,

Here, on my construction site,

We're about average.

I want to make that clear.

I can't hear you.

I didn't say anything.

My patience has its limits.

Honestly, admit it,

You're difficult; we can't negotiate with you.

You're not going anywhere, if I understand correctly?

Is that really what you want?

That's your right.

You're welcome here.

Enjoy the fireworks.

I'm not expecting fireworks, sir.

Please, sir,

Please understand me.

I don't have a say in the decision-making process.

That's up to management.

The site manager doesn't make any decisions.

I'm not responsible for anything— do you understand that?

Take a good look at me.

I started at the bottom, and I've spent my life on construction sites.

A life not so different from that of this young man.

Sorry, I forgot his name.

Nouofia—that was the name she went by.

Where are you going?

I'm leaving.

No way. There's still an hour left to work.

I'm leaving anyway.

Wait.

"You're not leaving," I said.

It smells really good.

- Dinner is in the pantry. - I saw it, thanks.

Does anyone want a cigarette?

This little garden is sad.

If she sees you...

to pace back and forth here,

She's going to be scared.

Your wife isn't going to be scared.

I just want to return the body to the family.

Tell the family that I'm offering $150.

And I'll give you 200 tomorrow.

This is surely the last workplace accident

which I will manage on this project.

When the Chinese have recovered,

You will no longer trade in dollars,

I guarantee it.

I'll tell them 150.

I'm bringing the body back tonight.

Tell them 300.

Do you think they care about the body?

It matters to me.

Okay,

I know it's serious.

A worker has died.

I don't take this lightly.

Not at all.

But it can happen at any time on a construction site.

If it hadn't been him, it would have been someone else.

I know this is a serious matter.

But deaths on construction sites are inevitable.

I told you...

Don't worry about it.

You sure brought a lot of junk.

Get out of my room.

Your room?

You left this in my car.

Say thank you.

Thank you.

You know all about his injury, I suppose?

Yes.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

But he hit the jackpot with his insurance.

You know that, too.

Yes.

You know what he lost.

Yes, I know.

That's a really great move.

A great hookup without sex.

I left you some water, baby.

Enjoy your shower.

You idiot.

Moses!

Moses!

Can you serve dinner?

We're waiting for the boss.

I'm staying.

I'll force you to leave.

You won't do that, sir.

I want to keep working, Horn.

Have you forgotten everything we've done?

Does it mean nothing to you anymore?

You know what you owe me, damn it.

That's enough.

Give me that.

Come this way, Cal.

There is a man, either from the police or from the village.

Maybe even worse.

I've never seen him, but he's got a score to settle.

Listen to me carefully. I'm not going to get involved, got it?

She won't last long here, you know.

A woman like her.

Honestly, just look at yourself.

At least go change your clothes. She's no ordinary woman.

Oh, really?

I'm not an ordinary man.

I saved your skin because of your "work-related accident."

You owe me that much, OK?

Not this time.

My mission here is complete.

This is no time to be divided.

Really, no.

Go file a report with the police, sign the report,

They'll take your word for it.

Sit down.

They saw your gun, I'm telling you.

They'll listen to you.

Come on, Horn!

Come on!

Take me where you're going, to your next construction site—keep me with you!

Listen to me! There won't be any other construction projects.

That's enough.

Without me, you wouldn't have gotten the insurance money.

And without that, do you think that woman would have followed you?

Help me, Horn.

Please.

I can hear him breathing.

I can feel his breath.

I'm going to fuck that guy.

- The kiss? - Yes.

I'm really going to fuck him.

Trust me.

If you tell me you're going to sleep with him, I'll believe you.

You can also tell him the truth.

The truth?

We were looking at the sky,

the workers and me.

My dog sensed the storm coming.

A man ran across the construction site.

When the storm broke out.

I called my dog:

"Spot! Come back!"

He wasn't coming back.

He lifted his nose, and the hairs on his nose stood on end.

He could sense death.

It turned him on.

I see him running toward the guy in the pouring rain.

I run after him, calling out to him.

And then,

in the midst of all that commotion,

I see a huge flash of lightning, a damn flash of lightning.

We can all see it.

And you see the guy fall.

You couldn't make this up, Horn.

In the pouring rain, he was struck by lightning.

I see.

And you can hear the bulldozer rushing toward him.

He fell.

That's right...

It was a gunshot.

Everyone heard it.

No, Horn.

That noise was thunder. We were blinded by the rain.

I didn't go to college,

I may not have an engineering degree like you do.

But I know that no one's going to fall for your bullshit.

Shut up!

All you do is babble.

With your flowery words, you're confusing people.

Yes, I can speak.

Didn't they teach you that in school?

Everything you know how to do,

It's pulling out your gun, and look where that got you.

He wanted to leave an hour earlier, so I told him: no way.

You always say that an hour is important.

So I told him no.

And you shot him for that?

He spat on me.

I said, "Did you see that? He's leaving before I even blew the whistle."

The guys said: "Yes, before the whistle."

"I don't see his helmet—does he have it?"

"No, boss."

No helmet.

And already, the bulldozer is barreling toward the guy without a helmet.

That damn guy wasn't wearing a helmet!

He wasn't wearing a helmet!

Give me the body without the helmet.

Why won't they listen to anything?

Who can hold us liable for a worker not wearing a hard hat?

Give it to me—without the helmet.

Stay if you want, but stop playing your little games.

It's very unpleasant to feel your presence here.

Really.

Come have a drink,

Otherwise, go ahead and come to my office tomorrow,

to settle this in broad daylight.

Actually, I'd rather you leave.

I offered you hospitality, but you refused it.

All right.

Come to my office, and we'll sort this out over coffee.

I'm here for the body. That's all I want.

I'll leave once I have my brother's body.

Your brother wasn't wearing a helmet,

and there were witnesses.

He ran across without a helmet.

The insurance company will not pay out.

No.

Tell the family.

I'll tell them when I bring the body back.

No helmet, no money.

I wanted to see your office.

Do you like it?

He's nice!

I can't open the infirmary at night.

And my wife is waiting for me inside the house.

Give me the night!

It's no big deal.

A night of waiting—not much to it?

Exactly.

A night of waiting,

It's no big deal, sir!

Often, ordinary people want a little something.

Something very simple.

But they really want it, and nothing will make them change their minds.

And even if someone killed them, they would still want her.

Even in death,

They still want her.

This man,

Your brother,

Why do you care so much about him?

Not long ago,

We were in a courtyard,

My brother Nouofia and I.

I told him I was cold.

He told me that he was freezing, too.

I told him

that the culprit was the cloud between the sun and us.

I asked my brother:

"When will this cloud disappear so the sun can warm us?"

And my brother told me...

Your brother, your brother, that's all you ever talk about.

Why are you afraid of that word?

Tell me what your boss wants.

I don't have a boss.

You know,

I'm going to order the guards to shoot you,

if you don't leave right away.

They won't shoot me.

You refused...

to have a drink in honor of my wife,

to come to my office tomorrow, and to leave now.

You declined

everything I've suggested to you.

It's Nouofia's body that I'm waiting for,

Sir.

My brother's body.

The people at the ministry are going to be furious,

But please understand

As for me, I have no say in the decision-making process.

I'm just a site foreman who has no say in the matter.

Nothing!

No liability.

You're falling for it, Horn!

I can't hear you, but I know you're ratting me out!

He's bluffing. It's politics.

You talk and talk...

But it doesn't work on him, can't you see?

You're such an idiot.

Me too, but at least I'm doing something about it.

Stop it!

I'll talk to him; go get the body.

Don't argue—just go ahead.

Go get the body.

There's too much light.

The guards are going to come see me and turn me in. I can't do that!

The guards won't do anything; they won't move.

They won't see a thing.

Prove that it was an accident.

Please help me prove it.

You're my guest.

For me, hospitality has always been a golden rule.

You're on neutral ground here.

Don't be afraid.

Give me my brother's body

and I'm leaving.

I'm not afraid.

Another wasted evening, Horn.

Another evening spent doing nothing.

What a great party tonight.

The only fireworks tonight were those swarms of dead insects.

He's not armed, Cal.

Go get the body while I buy us some time.

Don't argue—just do it.

Figure it out yourself.

Otherwise, the whole damn village is going to come down on us.

We'll have the cops, a riot...

Go ahead,

Bring me the body while it's still dark.

The day is about to break.

Please, Horn.

Don't let go of me,

Don't abandon me.

Is it going to start up again outside?

I don't know.

The lights are off.

What are they saying?

Our lights are off.

They say everything is fine.

Let's just get this over with.

Take advantage of the power outage to bring the body back.

You owe me at least that much.

Do I owe you that?

I don't owe you a thing.

You owe me everything.

I gave you everything, Horn.

I should have stayed in the oil business.

Oil is classy.

The guys who work on the platforms,

They look down on us; they're the bosses.

I've always loved oil.

Anything that comes from underground turns me on.

Do you remember?

Our roads, our bridges—I don't care.

It leaves me cold, it disgusts me now.

What are we? What does "public works" mean?

Compared to the guys in the oil industry, we're nothing.

We crawl across the surface like worms.

Who cares about oil and bridges— just do what I tell you!

Léone!

That's her, Horn!

She ruined everything. Why did you bring her here?

Léone.

She ruined everything.

We don't need a woman here.

Why did you bring him here?

Bring me a body—any body! That's an order.

- Obey. - You, on the other hand, obey a stranger.

I can hear him grinding his teeth.

I'm going to kill him—he's driving you crazy!

You're a wrecker— that's all you learned in school.

Demolition!

As for me, I'm a builder.

You hurt me.

You really hurt me, damn it.

It's me! It's Cal!

Please don't just stand there.

I need to be alone.

Horn, can I come in?

How are you?

I didn't come here just to be kicked out.

Say something, please.

Come have a drink with me.

I want to drink some water.

All by herself.

Just ask.

I used to drink nothing but milk.

Don't touch me.

You killed that worker.

No one knows him, so there won't be any questions.

He kept insisting on leaving, so I said: "You can't just leave whenever you feel like it."

So, did you kill him?

Sweetie, are you going to keep those shoes?

My shoes?

Are we going to talk about my shoes?

He was lying on the ground, and the bulldozer ran over him.

Did he get run over?

Do I scare you?

No.

But this man says you killed him.

Here, a good shoe should provide ankle support,

baby.

Poor baby.

I ended up here, too

full of illusions, just like you.

I know how disappointing that is.

I'm not disappointed.

You disgust me.

I'm dripping with sweat.

I know you're here for the money.

Good job. He's going to hit the jackpot; you did the right thing by following him.

You're transparent.

You're jealous.

Did you really come here for him, baby?

Stop calling me "baby."

You got him into trouble.

I heard what that man demanded.

Oh, really?

All right, baby.

I'm going to do what Horn says.

I'll do as I'm told.

The satisfaction of a job well done.

That's a real sense of satisfaction.

A sturdy bridge,

a road that doesn't turn to mud during the rainy season.

Moses!

Moses is gone.

That's a bad sign.

I don't hold it against them.

I'm not blaming them.

But we're building something magnificent here,

that will last over time, that will stretch all the way to the ocean.

But they don't always get it, and they slow us down.

You're sick.

Horn is very brave, you know.

During the events, he stayed,

to store the equipment.

He fought against the Wagner militias.

And he took that machete blow.

Cal!

Who's responsible for fixing the messes?

What about the others?

You.

And who's supposed to keep track of every little thing here,

of the smallest room of the smallest vehicle

at the slightest hint of a bottle of alcohol in the pantry?

You.

That's right.

And who acts as a cop, a mayor, a boss, a general,

as a father and a ship's captain?

You!

And...

Who's had enough?

Who's honestly sick and tired of this?

You, boss.

See?

I'll do as you say.

You touched me.

Good evening, guys.

I'm looking for my dog.

- He's gone. - Okay.

Go ahead.

I can't see you very well.

It's no big deal.

The girl has to stay inside!

Did the killer take the car?

Yes.

What were you saying?

That you shouldn't go out.

Is that your language?

Yes, our language.

When the road was lit,

I saw you.

I've been watching you.

I saw the scars on your face.

Not scars— they're marks that protect me.

What?

You're the ones attacking us.

You should go back inside.

What did you think when you saw me?

I thought:

a coin that fell on the floor,

which doesn't shine for anyone.

Léone!

Léone!

Moses!

Get out of there!

Why did you go out?

What are you doing here?

Tell me, you.

Why am I here, Horn?

Why am I ashamed? I don't want to feel ashamed.

Don't be ashamed!

Come on...

No tears.

The night isn't over yet, sir.

Sir,

The sun is rising.

Take this.

I'm going to carry the body to the village.

My arms are waiting.

I don't understand you.

I promised you the body today, and you'll get it.

Here, take this money

and go.

That's not what I want.

Be reasonable.

Before it's too late.

Please take the money.

I can hear him coming.

Who?

My brother's killer.

Give me your rifle.

Cal...

Why didn't you stop?

Baby...

Baby.

Poor baby.

I'm glad you came.

I'm happy.

I know you're judging me unfairly.

Soon, I'll be nothing but a bad memory.

Thank you for taking the time to share our perspectives.

Good luck.

There's a car leaving for the city in a few hours.

Go home and pack your bags, and wait there.

That will be safer.

There must be a life where I can truly live.

Subtitling: TransPerfect Media France