Original subtitles

Faster than the wind!

THE KITE

They're flying! They're flying!

We're flying too!

Hey! You here already?

Yes, the kite's up.

It's way up in the sky!

Did you spend the night here?

It's climbing, climbing!

Hold the line loosely.

You're doing all right.

If it doesn't take off, I'll help you.

It's flying now. Thanks.

Higher!

Pull on the line!

Nabil!

Come help me! The wind's too strong.

Help me!

There's too much wind.

Lamia!

Don't! There are mines!

Come back! Come back!

What's she doing?

- Stop her! - There are mines!

Stop her!

Lamia!

Mines!

Lamia!

There are mines!

That's Israel over there!

They'll shoot at us!

I'll try to scare her off.

They're taking their time about it.

Don't add to my pain.

Sister, don't be so sad.

It's Lamia's destiny to go.

Lamia was pledged to Samy. She must marry.

They've decided!

Let her go, get married and have children.

Bye, Youssef, it's your turn.

Out of my way!

This pain is too great to bear!

Sister, sister!

How are you?

Did your daughter give birth?

How are you, brother?

Come what may, you'll always be present!

Mabrouke!

Youssef here. Youssef here.

Do you read me?

I read you!

They're here.

Write down the names, how many there are, what they say...

Listen good! I want complete details.

Yes, Lieutenant.

Mabrouke!

What color is your headscarf?

You hear me, Mabrouke?

Tell me...

the color of your headscarf?

It's blue!

She can't hear.

Amira, my cousin!

Praise the Lord, she's there!

How are you?

Mabrouke!

How's your sister?

Be quiet, Mabrouke!

In the Prophet's name, be quiet!

Swear you won't interrupt me! Swear it!

...He haunts my nights.

You swore to be quiet and you keep talking!

He says: "Mabrouke, my daughter..."

Listen, Mabrouke,

my daughter Lamia is going on 16.

We must marry her off.

She has brown eyes,

and brown hair.

Her skin is white.

She is a good, well-behaved girl.

She has everything one could ask for,

from her toes to her fingertips.

She's been menstruating...

for two years now!

Amira, what good news!

Cousin!

I miss you all!

It's her destiny.

My heart's broken.

Is it better to become an old maid like me?

Let us sit in the shade

This shade belongs to no one

Love me, think only of that

It's so sad!

Let her go, Amira.

She's still just a child.

My poor Lamia...

You don't realize my pain.

You're wrong.

Don't be angry, Jamile.

You were also pledged to someone.

But the village was annexed. They occupied the region.

Your man remained on the other side.

My man?

Woe is me!

Don't make the same mistake. Your daughter was pledged to Samy.

Let her go.

Let her become a woman, learn what a man is.

Let her bloom,

develop a taste for life.

It's no better here. Not a single decent man around!

I'll never see her again.

Lower your eyes!

Shame on you! What will he think of us?

She is better without you

Better without your love

Stop your moaning

Everyone is laughing at you

Idiot! Where are you?

Where are you, you moron?

Call him.

Soldier!

Soldier!

Follow me.

What're you doing? Sleeping?

You idiot!

You guarding the tower with music?

What's the matter?

What genius!

It closes, you know.

We thought you were dead. Name and rank!

Youssef Chaal, reservist.

You listen to music on your back?

With a radio?

No more radio!

Another brilliant Druze!

You're a special case.

That's not an insult.

Okay, so you're all Druze.

Chief, he just started yesterday. He's a physicist.

If he's a physicist, then I'm Einstein.

At least he was a Jew... Einstein.

Now listen good.

The rest of you too.

Over there is the border.

That village is your enemy.

I know they're your cousins and relations.

But now they're your enemies.

That's the Border. This is Israel.

Even if you're Arabs and Druze,

you're Israelis and soldiers now. That's what they want.

No one understands anything.

Me, least of all.

Relax. Have a cigarette.

Zalfa!

- We'll be late! - Coming!

She's still in her sleep.

Hurry or we'll be late.

Why study!

You're young girls now.

You'll just end up in the kitchen.

That Jamile!

- We have to talk. - About what?

Didn't you hear the megaphone yesterday?

- No, you know I live far. - What are you talking about?

- I'll tell you tonight. - Them and their megaphones!

Telling their life stories!

But this time it was about me.

Because of the kite yesterday?

Yes. The men held their council at our home.

Such an honor!

But still,

going into Israeli territory to get your kite back...

That takes nerve!

Those men only care about drinking coffee and chatting.

You didn't start a war.

What's the matter?

It's weird...

What's weird?

An abandoned box.

- But it's new... - So what if it is?

Don't! It may be booby-trapped.

What a goose! Bobby-trapped, is it?

C'mon, Lamia. Let's go.

Don't touch!

It's moving. It's still warm.

I'm going back for it.

C'mon, Lamia, forget about it!

Think it's still alive?

Don't be stupid.

Whose is it?

To a woman in love.

You're talking nonsense.

To kill your baby, you have to be in love.

No, a criminal whore and married, rather.

Maybe she was scared.

I'm scared of the principal. How do we explain our absence?

You always worry afterwards.

How do women give birth?

First, how do they get pregnant?

Everyone knows how.

Then explain it to me.

In the first place, you sleep with your husband.

Naked!

You dummy!

I read it in a book my Canadian cousin has.

Spit it out!

You stick in things.

What kind of things?

I can't tell you.

You know since you read it.

So tell me.

I can't.

You have to tell me,

because I...

I'm getting married.

Liar!

No, I'm not.

My mother and Shirin said so yesterday.

I'm to marry my cousin Samy, on the other side there.

I'm going to move.

You're accepting it?

Do I have a choice?

No.

So tell me.

Once upon a time

a lovely girl and her charming brother

awaited their destiny together.

It's your story, Lamia!

All stories are alike.

Look...

They waited, eating pomegranates.

Suddenly, the prince arrived,

caught sight of the beauty,

and fainted from happiness.

Don't pull!

Will you come back?

Sure I will.

That's not what the men say.

They're wrong.

So I'll see you again?

Of course.

Tania.

Tania.

What's she called? Tania?

What's her name?

Your name's Tania, right?

You asleep or awake?

Let's say you're asleep,

let's say your name is Tania...

and let that be that!

Great, "Tania"...

The name is...

Polish...

Ukrainian... Russian...

Me... Romania!

Even if you are "Romania,"

let's stick to the name Tania,

because it's hard enough for me tonight

to remember another name.

Okay?

A beer?

I'll go get a beer.

For me.

Stay here. Don't move.

Where are you, Jamile?

You left me alone with "Romania."

There's no one there.

Every day, coming and going

to the "exchange" gate!

Jamile, must you sway your hips?

Is she or isn't she a virgin?

How should I know? You have the binoculars.

The binoculars?

You can tell with binoculars if Jamile's a virgin?

Virgin or not, take a look at Jamile.

Jamile?

Take a look.

The only woman in the world.

Which one's Jamile?

Why doesn't she see me?

Amira, this is Mabrouke!

Everywhere, speed is the thing.

You wanna pick up a girl,

you wanna sleep with her,

you gotta act fast.

You hardly have the time

to buy a rubber...

The girl's already in your bed.

Or else...

you're already finished, but as for her,

she's still...

just getting started.

A red headscarf! She has a red headscarf!

That's right! It's red!

She bought it from the Jews!

In Tel Aviv, even!

Why not in Haifa! It's more chic!

Well, my principle

is to defend, to preach...

...slowness.

Keep your mouth shut!

And you, you have to decide...

My daughter Lamia is...

You gonna keep looking?

You're not listening.

You never listen.

Mabrouke!

Shirin!

Go see the army E.N.T. Specialists.

Shirin, my little vixen!

I miss your slaps, cousin.

As pretty as ever?

- I told you to shut up! - Yes, yes, I beat you.

But I swear I loved you.

Be quiet! You talk like a broken faucet!

- You rascal, you sweetheart... - I told you to be quiet!

I won't be buried next to you!

Otherwise, every night it'll be Knock! Knock!

Shut up and listen to me.

My niece Lamia is a jewel!

A glittering diamond!

A pearl!

She is polite,

sensible,

educated.

She can read and write French.

She spent two years in a convent,

learning to sing and sew,

and pray and embroider in French.

If your son speaks the language of those wretched Jews,

tell him Lamia speaks the language of De Gaulle!

And how!

How is Samy?

Does he have what it takes?

"What it takes"?

How dare you ask that!

He has more than what it takes!

My son Samy

is the mightiest of men.

At seven, he mounted a nanny-goat,

because he had such a hard-on!

Who will you send the photos with?

The photos of his cock?

Your tongue should be cut off!

The photos of his face. Idiot!

What for?

He resembles me and you know me.

That's what I was afraid of.

May God preserve us!

Send me a detailed videotape.

If not,

he can go marry the goat!

Goodbye, Mabrouke!

Wait up, you two!

Stop it!

That's enough of your kite!

Lamia, he's filming you.

Stop! I don't want to get married!

She's not pretty.

That's not true. You're no better.

A rose!

Who's Samy?

Turn off the camera!

I don't want to get married.

Samy is an ass!

An ass!

My heart's wound

Your pain is my pain

Here.

Yes. A pass for a marriage.

Okay, okay.

Thank you.

The pass is good.

Thank you.

The white flag... it's the signal!

Lamia, don't go!

She has to cross.

Enough, Nabil!

Come back!

Welcome.

Don't be afraid.

Damn your passport!

Ignore them, child.

This is my son.

This is your husband.

Move closer!

Tell these stories

These tales are romances

The story of these people

The story of a Thousand and One Nights

The story of the ogress

Or that of the Sultan's daughter

Jamile!

Come here! Don't be afraid.

I'll help you.

Annexed by Israel!

Does that mean we can go into Israel?

Come and go as we like?

Visit anyone we like?

Leave her alone.

We have to wait.

Then I'll wait.

If I can go see her.

Israeli authorities announced an end to the annexation

of the Lebanese village of Deir Mimas,

following negotiations by representatives of both sides.

An Arab am I Be afraid of me

Beware should you fall in love with me

My heart is a golden cage...

Those planes are flying over to your side.

Don't look at me like that.

I don't deserve that look. I don't deserve all this hatred.

I didn't force you to come.

It was to help you.

I didn't do anything to you.

I didn't want you here.

I married you

so that you could escape.

I don't love you.

I don't love you either.

I love someone else.

Great.

I don't love you.

I heard you.

No need to repeat it.

I got the message.

I want to help you leave.

Help me?

Help me how?

I leave my family and everything.

And now you want to help me go home?

Do you think I'm a toy?

To do with me as you like?

"Come here, go away, come here."

I'm no toy!

I'm staying here.

I'm not leaving.

I hate you. I don't love you.

What?

No one can explain a feeling.

What do you mean?

I mean...

Especially if the feelings are...

in the plural.

It gets complicated.

A feeling...

is already a sum of feelings.

That's why a feeling is always in the plural.

This feeling is for a group...

of feelings... a sum...

of feelings.

Here we go again!

No, we're just starting

a rescue operation

of an outstanding citizen like you,

so that you don't fall into the circle

threatening every human being

to crush him.

And he becomes...

You listening?

Unsteady and in love.

Circle, lover, unsteady...

All this preaching

because I happen to like a girl!

But which girl?

Where is she? Show me where she is

in the binoculars.

All I see is something jumping about.

I know everything about her.

Like what, for instance?

Why are you eating Lamia's food?

I'm not eating her food!

I see it in your mouth!

She's not here!

What do you mean?

Liar! Get out of here!

I hate her. I don't love her.

No one asked you to love her. It's for Samy to love her.

Get out of here!

I brought you some food. Rice, beans and meat.

And grapes.

Shut up!

We'll wait under the tree.

When you finish, we'll take it all back.

At night, she turns and turns, like a wheel.

A car wheel or a truck wheel?

What brand?

Okay, don't believe me.

It's been 20 days since she ate or drank anything.

She pees, at least?

She's not dirty or smelly.

She hides under the slide. Your uncle beats her?

He doesn't touch her.

If he did, she'd melt!

Melt?

She'd melt into water.

Your uncle didn't do anything?

Like what?

Married people do things.

He kissed her on the mouth. That's all.

She didn't melt?

She doesn't melt every time.

Let's get out of here. He's making it all up.

Shirin, my cousin.

Thank God, you're there.

I'm losing my mind.

I'm at my wit's end.

Since she arrived, everything is topsy-turvy.

No one eats or sleeps.

This girl has a problem.

You there, watch out!

She doesn't talk to anyone.

She runs away and hides

under the toboggan slide!

Under the what? Hides under what?

Calm down! I'll ask her.

She hides under what?

Toboggan slide!

You speak Hebrew like the Jews!

Speak Arabic, or I'll break every bone in your body!

I'm speaking Arabic!

It's a board of wood and metal.

What?

Made of wood and metal!

Wood and metal?

Both at once?

Lamia under metal and wood?

Listen to me!

Tomorrow, bring her here.

I want to see her with my own eyes!

Otherwise, I'll come right over.

And the hell with Israel,

the occupation,

and the Red Cross!

Understand?

Tomorrow!

Metal and wood!

You still there? Get down!

I'll get down if I want to.

And I don't want to!

Want me to tell Samy to go?

Since she left, we spend our life here.

Leave me alone with my pain.

There's your mother, Lamia.

Wave to her.

Stop suffering

and making me suffer.

Give me the glasses.

Can you see us?

We're all here waiting for you.

Talk to your mother.

She weeps day and night, and so do I.

What's this toboggan slide?

Talk to your mother, I said!

Give me that!

Lamia!

Have you gone mad?

Don't look over there!

Stop looking at the soldier!

Talk to your mother, you idiot!

You're making me yell myself hoarse!

Talk to your poor mother!

And you laugh!

That's an Israeli soldier!

Talk to your poor mother!

Give me that.

Enough with the glasses!

You've done enough!

You want to start a war?

Stop, Shirin!

Don't be afraid.

Speak to the men's council.

Don't be afraid of the toboggan.

Be afraid for Lamia!

The officer's here to see you.

- Good evening. - How are things?

I did what I could.

Praise the Lord.

This girl's destiny is complicated.

The rumors keep spreading.

She has to come back. No one wants her there.

We must get her back.

Things are tense between them and us.

What are you doing, Lamia?

Lamia, enough!

Tania?

Do you hear me?

Listen.

Either you're asleep...

in which case you're not listening...

or you're pretending to sleep.

That must be it...

You Poles...

It's a typical Polish trick.

The Pole pretends to be asleep,

when, in fact,

he's not sleeping.

Tania?

What a jerk I am!

From Ukraine to Poland

to Jamile... Not one worked out!

If you want, we'll divorce.

They'll have no more excuses.

But if we divorce,

no one will want you anymore.

You'll be alone.

My mother says you're a good girl.

Go back.

I can't stand seeing you like this.

I can help you.

I don't want to go back.

I want to stay here.

Too bad.

Myrna?

What?

Can I sleep here?

Why?

I'm afraid of tomorrow's "crossing."

Where's Samy?

Next door.

Wake up.

The pass is here.

Get dressed.

You're going to see your mother again.

Lamia is going today.

Why wasn't I told?

She's going back for good,

or else she'll get the Oscar for "crossings."

Why's she going?

Did you know?

She's going because she's going.

They don't want her here anymore. She's going.

Understand?

I don't want to let her go.

I want her

to stay with me here.

I want to stay with her here.

If she goes back there,

that means...

it's all over.

That's possible!

I won't see her again.

It's possible,

if we annex

the rest of the plain,

right up to the outer limits

of their village, at least.

It's possible.

What you can do

is submit a request...

a letter...

to the head of the army and the government.

Maybe they'll consider it.

Idiot.

Day after day...

Stop going back and forth!

You're making my head spin!

And you, you good for nothing!

She caught your eye?

You'll get nowhere.

It's screwed for you.

Clear off!

If you so much as talk to her,

look at her, move or breathe,

I'll throw you in prison for the rest of your life!

Got that?

I'm fed up with all this!

Tomorrow this is all over.

Look at me!

Don't be sad, Lamia.

That's life.

Hold your head up high.

Don't be sad.

I'm always with you.

I love the sky

Tolerant as you are

Star-filled and joyous

And so distant

As you are

And so close

As you are

I love the sky

I love the road

Witness to our meetings

To our happiness

To our youth

To our tears

And the loss of our friends

- You kissed Zalfa when she left? - She kissed me.

Really?

And she left?

Wait over there.

Hello.

Yeah...

A package of bread.

Woman, give her bread.

Don't accept the money of dishonor.

Why "dishonor"?

What's "money... dishonor?" What is it?

Where are you, Mabrouke family?

This business is unending.

A curse on the occupation and injustice!

The village is unhappy with Lamia's homecoming.

Victory to you and the Arabs! We greet you all!

Dishonor? Dishonor?

Dishonor, is it?

Do you mean Lamia?

I'll be back, son of a...

I'll be back!

And you plug your ears! Coward!

Move!

Put a pebble here,

slide it along here,

and bring it back here.

Can you hear it?

The wind becomes water.

I have a kite over there.

You see where?

Beyond the border.

Under the tree.

Over there?

I don't see anything.

Someone gave it to me.

Someone? Your husband?

Not my husband. Someone else.

Who's this someone else?

Someone else.

Someone who?

What for?

For my birthday.

When's your birthday?

When I decide it is.

Birthdays aren't like that.

You need a year, a month and a day.

I'm not playing with you anymore.

If I leave you, Nabil, don't be afraid anymore.

I'm not afraid if you stay with me.

You're a big boy now.

Where are you going?

It's doesn't matter where.

Don't leave me.

You don't look 17.

How old do I look?

Eighteen.

What's so funny?

Sorry. I wasn't laughing at you.

Don't be sorry.

You can't understand.

Even if you explain it to me?

Even then.

You wouldn't understand.

Do I look 18 and stupid?

No, not stupid.

Weird.

What do you mean, weird?

First, the Jewish costume.

It's not a Jewish uniform.

It's an Israeli Army uniform.

It's the same thing.

No, it isn't.

It's not the same thing.

You see,

you don't understand.

Yes, I do... but I don't want to.

What do you want?

I want to be with you.

So you won't be afraid anymore.

I stopped being afraid long ago.

Because I know I'm going to die.

Maybe I'm already dead.

I want to unbutton your shirt.

I want to take off this star.

I want to take off these shoes.

Especially these shoes.

Subtitles: Lenny Borger

Subtitling TVS - TITRA FILM Paris