Original subtitles

In the last period, the atmosphere in the office was all messed up.

We lost a lot of important cases.

There was a lot of tension.

But I never would have guessed that this tension...

would cause him to depart from us.

I am still unable to understand what happened.

There was nothing wrong with him.

He never complained of anything.

I am so remorseful.

I wish I had spent more time with him.

Lately, our life had become a routine.

I don't even remember the last time we went out for dinner together.

AIRPORT SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

So, the death certificate was issued two weeks ago?

Almost.

And now you have come to bury him in Lebanon?

-It is his will. -And?

-It's a bit of a long story. -Let's hear it.

I lived with my husband in Canada.

When I met him, he had already cut all connections with his parents.

Have you tried to learn anything about them?

Yes, I did, when I had my son.

But Adel insisted that must we keep our distance.

And I respected his choice.

When he died, I tried to search for them, but with no result.

After a while, I found my husband's will.

And in it, he had left his parents' address.

Here, in Beirut.

He had also left the number of his brother.

So, I called him, and we came here.

Is it possible for somebody to not know anything about his relatives?

I live in the other side of the world.

And if my husband didn't want to talk to his parents, then what can I do?

Anyway, that is the story.

His brother, Jabal, is supposed to be waiting for us outside.

Do you know Mr. Jabal?

No, I don't know him. I only saw him in pictures.

So, you don't know anything about him?

Is there a problem, sir?

No problem at all from our part.

The papers are ready, and you can take the body.

Is there something that we should know?

Please accept my condolences.

Let's go, son.

I knew that Adel was hiding a secret.

But I never expected him to have no family ties whatsoever.

-What? -Strange, I am losing the coverage.

I don't know, maybe there is no connection.

He said the funeral will be outside Beirut, right?

Didn't he tell you whether he is coming or not?

He didn't say anything, but he is supposed to be here.

Every time I ask him, he answers, "Don't worry about anything."

Actually, we are going to worry indeed.

I'm really sorry, Naim, for making you come here with me.

I wish you had listened and buried him in Canada.

We would have saved a lot of time going through all these procedures.

We could have come and met his parents on some other occasion.

What am I supposed to do, Naim?

It is his wish, and I shall fulfill it.

It's the least I can do for Adel.

I never met his parents. I really want to meet them.

Actually, "This book can be judged by its cover."

It's a strange number. Maybe it's them.

It's me, excuse me, ma'am.

Hello.

I apologize, really, but I was working on securing the cars.

I'm sorry for being late.

I am Chahine, Jabal's cousin.

You must be Alia.

That's right.

-My condolences. -Thank you.

Come on, let's go now.

This won't do you any good, ma'am.

There is no coverage in the area up there.

And if Jabal wants to talk to you,

he has to cross a distance of around four kilometers.

-What do you mean, "up there"? -Up there, ma'am, means in Al Hayba.

Jabal will meet us on our way. Don't worry.

Welcome, Jabal.

My name is Joe.

Your name there is Joe, but here, your name is Jabal.

How long will it take us to reach the village?

That depends on the traffic, ma'am.

Sometimes it takes six hours, and sometimes just two hours.

Pray that the road would be empty.

Anyway, we have to start our trip.

This good fellow will be with you.

And I will be ahead of you.

And who is he?

"He" is the one who will drive you there.

-Please get in the car. -Hold on a second.

I am not leaving this place before I talk to Jabal.

I told you that he will meet us on the road.

I said I'm not moving until I talk to him.

There is no coverage, ma'am. What is the matter?

Well, this is not my problem.

Just a second. Is there a landline?

-I mean, a fixed line? -No, there is none.

Do you think that I'm lying to you?

Or perhaps I might kidnap you?

I would be so stupid to do such a thing.

No, mister, that's not what we meant.

We need to know how to communicate with Jabal and reason with him.

Your phone is working, ma'am, right?

Then keep trying until you get hold of him.

I have to go now.

There is a coffin that I need to deliver before the night falls.

I just... Can't I reach him on another number?

You have the only number. So, keep trying until you're satisfied.

Debb will stay with you.

If you want, he can take you to the hotel or to any other place. No problem.

But there are things I need to get done. I am not staying here.

So, excuse me.

So, what's it going to be, ma'am?

What are your orders?

CUSTOMS

Don't take a lot of luggage with you. You might cause them to notice us.

Talk to your brother and have him bring you here to the gas station.

Don't argue with me! I am waiting for you.

Don't move!

Put him in the car.

Hello.

No, there's no traffic.

But I don't feel good about the atmosphere, cousin.

I will take the other road. It's faster and safer.

All right. I hope all will go well.

You are finally busted, Mansour.

I beg you, sir, have mercy.

-Shut up, bastard! -As you wish.

-Be quiet! -As you wish.

I swear to you, ma'am. I am just a taxi driver on commission.

And I had agreed with that good fellow on a $100 payoff.

So, don't you already know this good fellow?

Ma'am, do you expect me to know all those who ride in my car?

That wouldn't be reasonable, right?

He told me to go to Al Hayba, and I said okay.

And I am taking you there. That's all.

This is the first time you'll go to Al Hayba, right?

Something like that. I have been near the place.

It's true that they say it's a very dangerous area.

And that there are some kidnapping cases and so on.

But it's just empty talk.

Nothing will happen, God willing, right?

It seems the situation is terrible.

I hope nothing bad happens today.

Take it easy, ma'am.

It's all good.

Mom, where are we going?

Don't you want to come down?

Mona, why are you crying?

I can barely hold my tears.

I can't help it.

It's true that I got used to him being away from us.

But I feel as if he travelled only yesterday.

After being so distant, we only know of his death. Is that possible?

Help me, God.

Oh, God, how afraid I was of this day!

How I wished

that the day of my death would come before I hear this news.

God forbid.

May God bestow long life upon you, and may He keep you for us.

He died alone in a foreign land.

No brother, no cousin.

As if he had no one at all.

May God have mercy on his soul.

Jabal won't be coming to the house.

He went directly to receive Adel's family.

And why aren't you with him?

Don't you know your own son?

He is carrying the whole world on his shoulder.

Even so.

Many people are watching you closely.

But they're watching Jabal the most.

From now on, you have to stay with him.

I don't want to lose another one.

Go on, son.

Go down to receive the people.

Our house will soon be filled with them.

And those who shame us are more than those who love us.

They are waiting for us to make a mistake.

Come on now. Go now, son.

Come on, let's go.

Look, Mom, there are three cars behind us.

Get back.

-Greetings, officer. -Welcome.

I pray for God's mercy on your dead ones, officer.

I am in a funeral procession, and it's a huge convoy.

Go back and park to the right.

Sir, the convoy is big, and people are waiting for me up there.

Go back and park to the right and have the car's papers ready for me.

Come on now.

-Sir, I am telling you, I have a convoy. -Come on now, get back.

Hold on, just a second.

What is the matter?

What are you bringing with you?

The body of my cousin, officer.

And these are the legal papers approved by the airport's authorities.

Ask them to send me his police record.

Officer, you checked it this morning and it was all clean.

I beg you to let us go.

What's up, Chahine?

You had your record fixed.

With all due respect, sir.

What do you have in that coffin?

I know it's a checkpoint, but why did they stop us?

They want to verify the papers.

This is the standard procedure, ma'am.

Here, you have to get used to the checkpoints.

And you have to get used to everything.

Yeah, sure. Get used to all this.

Yes, Master Jabal.

Perfect.

Yes, she is by my side.

A call for you.

At last, we were able to get hold of you.

Sorry, I was in a place out of coverage.

We got busy preparing for the funeral.

So, what now? We've stopped at a checkpoint, and something's wrong.

I am really starting to worry.

All will be well, God willing.

I will meet you on the road.

-How is Jabal? -Good.

He's by my side, counting the cars that appeared out of nowhere behind us.

Good. Have a safe trip.

God bless you.

I don't know how this day will end.

Don't worry, ma'am.

Your papers, please.

Here you are.

Sir, this is a coffin and not a car trunk. You can't keep telling me to open it.

You have the papers, and they are 100% legal.

And if you'd like, you can come with us.

But what might happen there is totally your responsibility.

Sir, there are also Canadian passports.

Uncle Abu Said.

Thank you for coming to express your condolences.

Please come in.

Uncle Abu Ghaleb.

Thank you for coming. May God grant you many years.

Please come in.

-Suleiman. -Yes, sir.

Look after our cousins.

-Welcome, come in. -Thank you. God bless you.

Thank you. God keep your family.

May God protect you. Thank you.

May God keep you from all evil.

Yes?

Yeah.

And what are they doing at the checkpoint?

May you have many years to come.

Does Jabal know about this?

Yeah.

Thank you. May God protect you.

Okay. Whatever happens, let me know. I am with you the whole 24 hours.

Peace.

-Your son? -Yes.

His name is Jabal.

He was named after his uncle?

Yes. What's the matter?

Don't you know Mr. Jabal?

Oh, gosh. No, I don't know him.

Would you tell us why you're holding us?

We are not holding you.

But we're following some procedures, and they need some time.

What procedures, sir? These people have come from Canada.

And the people up there have been waiting since morning.

It's you who knows about these procedures the most.

If you want us to finish soon,

let Jabal come and receive his brother's body.

Or you can open the casket so I'd see what's inside,

whether it's a corpse or something else.

You know very well that Jabal can't come down from up there.

Good, and I have procedures that I need to complete.

They rather take some time.

So, that's what you have to say?

Let me pass.

I don't know what is going on right now, all right?

And I can't recall the way things happen in this country.

I don't know what the problem is, and I don't care.

But I do know that we've come from the ends of the earth,

on a 12-hour flight, because I must bury my late husband.

So, please, let us go.

We're trying to make things easier.

Then let us go.

We're not in a situation that allows us so much leeway.

There should be some respect to the deceased and his soul.

Seriously? What you're doing is unbelievable!

We will let you go.

You can go now.

-These are your orders, Chief? -Yes.

But we will go with you. We have to pay our respects.

Yes. You're a man of protocol.

Come on, guys!

Let's all get into our cars.

Sakher, tell me the truth.

I swear it, Mom. I told you.

And I am not calling Jabal.

Because if I call him, he'll tell me to stay here and not to go to him.

No, you must go.

And when he comes back, I will talk to him.

-Take a few men with you. -As you wish.

Let me know your whereabouts and take care.

-Wish me luck. -May God be with you.

As for the people who haven't arrived yet, let them follow us to the cemetery.

God be with you.

Yes, Jabal.

We are escorted by a police squad.

They said they want to pay their respects.

No. I don't know whether they have backup or not.

What would you have us do?

All right.

Do you have children?

He's only been married for less than two months.

I beg you, Master.

Good.

This way, his wife will become a widow, and we won't have traitorous children.

Where is Jabal?

You know that I don't take advantage of those who are weak.

But your spirit is defiled.

And your spirit is that of a betrayer.

I won't cut your throat today,

because, today, I am burying my brother.

But, as of tomorrow, old man...

I want his head on one side of Al Hayba and his feet on the other side.

Will do, Master.

So that those who forgot would remember...

that, for me, betrayal and mercy do not go together.

Put him in the trunk.

What brings you here?

Do you know that the police squad is on its way?

I thought something had happened to Mom.

She asked me never to leave your side.

So you left her and came here?

I didn't leave her in the wilderness.

What are they going to do?

They're paying their respects.

The lame man is the rat, isn't he?

Why do you wear this outfit as if you are going to war?

Look who's talking.

Also, this is better. One can never know what might happen.

Nothing will happen.

What will happen is that, today, we're going to bury our brother.

And we'll receive his family and show them that we are people

who are upright and who go by the rules.

I'm here.

They have just arrived, Master.

Roger.

As soon as they get here,

take Adel's wife and his son. And you go home.

Their safety is your responsibility.

And what do you want to do?

What must be done.

Sir, it seems we are now in their territory.

The coverage is very weak, and we are losing the network.

What would you tell the Captain?

The rule is that we must not enter their field.

But there are exceptions to every rule.

AL HAYBA VILLAGE

As you wish, Master.

Bye.

Where are we going?

To meet Jabal.

I hope it wasn't a tough ride.

It was okay.

Welcome among us. Please accept my condolences.

And I extend my sympathy.

How are you, nephew?

Is this weapon real?

These are your folks, and this is your land.

-Don't be afraid. -I am never scared.

You are so genuine, Jabal.

How far until we get there?

About five kilometers.

My brother, Sakher, will stay with you. You must go before us to the house.

Hello, my brother's wife.

Surely, we will attend the funeral.

Anyway, the gentleman will stay with us.

-You are Naim, right? -Correct.

I thought you had forgotten me.

No. Sorry to bother you.

It is my duty.

And God willing, we will treat you as we should.

Please, let's go.

What's wrong?

I told you not to worry.

Let's go.

-Open it and get the casket down. -Hold on.

No one will get anything down.

Accept my condolences.

Thanks. You shouldn't have bothered.

It is our duty.

You're never short of paying us your respects.

You're always doing your duty with us and more, officer.

You shouldn't bother yourself any longer.

From here onward,

only the family will attend the funeral.

I hope to see you on happy occasions.

Is this possible, Mr. Jabal?

-This way, we wouldn't be completing... -What is going on?

Calm down, my brother's wife. Everything is well.

What's with you and this coffin, man?

Why won't you open it?

We'll open it as per our rituals.

Calm down, Chahine.

The officer knows that the casket...

won't be opened.

What if I tell you that I want to see you opening it?

Steady!

No one wishes to gamble with his own blood.

The police officer knows our traditions.

We will get the casket down and will go to the cemetery on foot.

Some men are waiting there to do their duty.

If you wish to come with us then there's no problem.

But you should be careful where you walk.

Pay your respects.

There is no other god but Allah.

-There is no other god but Allah. -There is no other god but Allah.

-There is no other god but Allah. -There is no other god but Allah.

-There is no other god but Allah. -There is no other god but Allah.

-There is no other god but Allah. -There is no other god but Allah.

-There is no other god but Allah. -There is no other god but Allah.

Subtitle translation by Fadi Hayek