All language subtitles for Women.Talking.2022.1080p.BluRay.x265-RARBG

This sic/y ends
before you were born.

Mother.

Again.

When we wake up feeling hands
that were no longer there,

the elders told us that it was
the work of ghosts or Satan.

Or that we were lying to get attention.

Or that it was an act
of wild female imagination.

It went on for years.

To all of us.

It felt I/ke weightlessness.

It felt like drifting over
what used to be real.

It felt like a banishment,

as though we had no in vitation anymore
to be a part of the real.

I used to wonder who I would be
ifit hadn't happened to me.

I used to miss the person
I m/ght have been.

I don't anymore.

Because it's doomsday
and a call to prayer.

It's bath.

We caught one of them.
I saw his face.

And then he named the others.

Eventually the attackers were taken

to the police in the city

for their own protection.

Almost all of the men of the colony
went to the city

to post ball for the attackers.

We were given two days to forgive
the attackers before they returned

if we did not forgive them,
we would be ordered to leave the colony

and be denied entry
into the kingdom of hea ven.

Do nothing.

Stay and fight.

Leave.

Girls in our colony
had very little schooling.

We hardly knew how to read
or to write.

But that day, we learned how to vote.

The vote was tied between
staying and fighting, or leaving.

80 three families,
including yours and mine,

were elected to decide what the women
of the colony would do.

Your mother had asked a ugust,
the schoolteacher,

to take the minutes of our meeting.

August came back to the colony
just recently

his family had been excommunicated
years ago.

A ugust had lo ved your mother
since he was a boy.

Before we began, your grandmother, agata,

told us we had to honor
our service to each other.

We had to represent it.

Just as the disc/pies were washed
by Jesus at the last supper,

knowing that his hour had come.

We only had 24 hours to imagine
what world you would be born into.

It is a part of our faith to forgive.

We have always forgiven those who
have wronged us. Why not now?

Because now we know better.

We will be excommunicated,

forced to leave the colony in disgrace
if we do not forgive these men.

And if we are excommunicated,
we forfeit our place in heaven.

How could any of you live
with the fear of that?

These are legitimate fears.
How can we address them?

The only important thing to establish
is if we forgive the men

so that we will be allowed
to enter the gates of heaven.

You can laugh all you like, salome,
but we will be forced to leave the colony

if we don't forgive the men.

How will the lord, when he arrives,
find the women if we aren't in the colony?

If Jesus was able to return to life,
live for thousands of years

and then drop down to earth from
heaven to scoop up his supporters,

surely he'd also be able to locate
a few women who left their colony.

- Let's stay on track.
- All right. I'll stay on track.

I cannot forgive them.
I will never forgive them.

I... I can't either.

But we want to enter
the kingdom of heaven when we die.

We have everything we want here.

- No.
- Want less.

Does entering the kingdom of heaven
mean nothing to any of you?

Surely there must be something
worth living for in this life,

not only in the next.

Autje!

- See you soon. It'll be all right.
- Sorry.

Your grandmother used to say,
”find out where you can be of help

and leave what you can't help behind ”

I think that's easier
when you're old like her.

So we must decide now
to stay and fight, or leave.

Those are the options in front of us.

We will not do nothing.

I want to talk about my horses,
Ruth and Cheryl.

When Ruth and Cheryl are frightened
by dueck's dogs on the mile road

that leads to the church,

their rn/t/al instinct is to bolt

These horses don't organize meetings
to decide what they will do.

They run.

But, Greta, we are not animals.

We have been preyed upon like animals.
Maybe we should respond like animals.

In my lifetime,
I have seen horses confront angry dogs

and try to stamp them to death.

Animals don't always flee.

Is this how we want to teach our daughters
to defend themselves? By fleeing?

Not fleeing but leaving.
I was talking about leaving.

I would rather stand my ground
and shoot each man in the heart

and Bury 'em in a pit than flee.

And I'll deal with god's wrath
iflhaveto.

Salome, aunt Greta is talking
about leaving, not fleeing.

The word "fleeing"
wasn't what she meant.

Please forgive my mother
for using the wrong word.

It's a sin so outrageous
that salome has taken it upon herself

to rectify for the sake
of all humanity.

"Leaving" and "fleeing"
are different words

with different meanings.

They each say something about us.

August, what do you make of all of this?
Do you have an opinion too?

I think...

I think that it is possible to leave
something or someone...

In one frame of mind

and arrive elsewhere in another...

Entirely unexpected frame of mind.

I want to stay and fight.

But won't we lose the fight to the men
and be forced to forgive them anyway?

I want to stay and fight too.

No one's surprised that you do.
All you do is fight.

Is this really how we are to decide
the fates of all the women in this colony?

Just another vote
where we put an x next to our position?

I thought we were here
to do more than that.

You mean talk more about forgiving the men
and doing nothing.

Everything else is insane.
But none of you will listen to reason.

Why are you here with us?

Why are you still here with us
if that is what you believe?

Just leave with the rest
of the "do nothing" women.

She is my daughter
and I want her here with us.

Is forgiveness that's forced upon us
true forgiveness?

Keep nonsense like that
to yourself, please.

- Autje, get down!
- Autje, listen to your mother!

Behave yourself.

Don't you hear the rafters creaking?

Do you want the roof to cave in?

Ll/lan y of us saw ourselves
from abo ve.

I'm not sure if it was god and we were
seeing ourselves through his eyes...

Or /f we just couldn't be there...

In our own bodies.

- How'd you get up there?
- It was a miracle.

A miracle from god.

Of course. Where else?

Where lcome from,
where your mother comes from,

we didn't talk about our bodies.

So when something like this happened
there was no language for it.

And without language for rt,
there was a gaping silence.

And in that gaping silence
was the real horror.

Neizy'e's mother hanged herself
after the attacks had gone on for a while.

It made us wonder, why did our feet keep
moving forward when hers just couldn't?

What sets us apart
from the ones who get left behind?

This is never going to end.

We'll be dead
and they'll still be talking.

Or worse, we'll have to live through it.

August, I think you should make lists
of the pros and cons of both options,

"staying and fighting"
and "leaving."

Post it on the wall.

Make sure and write large.

Why? We can't read it.

No, but we'll keep it here
as an artifact for others to discover.

I think the first heading should say,
"staying and fighting"

and under that write "pros."

Who will go first?

We're starting with
staying and fighting, pros.

I think we should make a list...

That's what you believe,
not what everyone believes.

How many times
do I need to say it?

Excuse me. Forgive me.

Um, may I request
that you take turns speaking

so that I can understand each of you?

It takes me a second to transcribe.

Should we put up our hands as though
we are children in your schoolhouse?

I... I apologize.

We won't have to leave.

- Sorry.
- Will you just write it down?

Under pros.

Salome has had a brilliant idea

that if we stay,
we won't have to leave.

We won't have to figure out
where we are going

or experience the uncertainty of
not knowing where we are going.

- We don't have a map.
- That's absurd.

The only certainty we'll know
is uncertainty, no matter where we are.

Neitje? Autje?
Do you have something to add to the list?

We won't have to leave
the people we love.

Well, we could bring our loved ones
with us if we leave.

How? What does that mean?
That we move the whole colony?

What could that possibly mean?

We could create the possibility
of a new order right here

in a place that is familiar to us.

Not simply familiar,
but a place that is ours.

Do we need to write the cons?
Isn't it obvious we must stay and fight?

Cons. We won't be forgiven.

May I say something?

Please.

Would it be a good idea, before we list
the pros and cons of staying and fighting,

to talk about exactly what it is
we're fighting for?

It's obvious. We are fighting for our
safety and for our freedom from attacks.

But what would that mean to us?

Perhaps we need
a statement which describes

what we want the colony to be like
after winning the fight.

Perhaps we need to understand more
what it is we are fighting to achieve,

not only what we are fighting to destroy.

Are we staying or are we going?

Ona, please tell us more about
the statement you're thinking about.

Men and women would make
all decisions for the colony collectively.

Women would be allowed to think.

Girls wrll be taught to read and to write.

The schoolhouse must display
a map of the world

so that we can begin to understand
our place in it.

A new religion, taken from the old
but focused on love,

would be created
by the women of the colony.

Our children would be safe.

"Collectively."

You sound like August's mother.

Ona, you're a dreamer.

We're women without a voice.
We have nothing to return to.

Even the animals are safer in their homes
than we women are.

All we have are our dreams.

So of course we are dreamers.

And you want to hear my dream?

I dream that people who speak nonsense,
who have no grasp on reality,

are not put in charge
of making statements.

What if the men refuse
to meet our demands?

Sorry.

We'll kill them.

No, ona.

What if the men who are in prison
are not guilty?

Mother?

A... a... autje.

- Why are you asking if they're...
- Shush.

We caught one of them.

I saw him.

But only one.

Yes, only one,
but he named the others.

But what if he was lying?

We must consider this.

No, that is not our responsibility

because we aren't in charge
of whether or not they are punished.

We know that we've been
attacked by men.

Not by ghosts or Satan,
as we were led to believe for so long.

We know that we've not imagined
these attacks,

that we were made unconscious
with cow tranquilizer.

We know that we are bruised,
and infected,

and pregnant, and terrified,
andinsane,

and some of us are dead.

We know that we must protect our children,
regardless of who is guilty.

All right, salome. Thank you.
Please, sit down, mmm?

Mmm.

Shall we move on?

It is possible the men in prison
are not guilty of the attacks,

but are they guilty
of not stopping the attacks?

Are they guilty of knowing
about the attacks and doing nothing?

How should we know
what they're guilty of or not?

But we do know.

We do know that the conditions
have been created by men

and that these attacks have
been made possible

because of the circumstances
of the colony.

And those circumstances have been
created and ordained by the men.

But wait, aren't you suggesting
that the attackers are as much victims

as the victims of the attacks,

that all of us, men and women,
are victims of the circumstances

from which the colony has been created?

In a sense, yes.

So then, even if the court
finds them guilty or innocent...

they are... after all, innocent.

Yes, I would say so.

- The elders called them evil.
- That's not true.

It's the elder's quest for power
that is responsible.

- Because they needed to have those...
- Those they'd have power over.

And those people are us.

And they have taught the lesson of power
to the boys and men of the colony

and the boys and men
have been excellent students.

Don't we all want some sort of power?

I think so. But I'm not sure.

But we caught them.
We caught them.

Yes, you did.

Then why are you making it
so complicated?

This is very, very boring.

We could ask the men to leave.

Ask the men to leave?

None of us have ever asked
the men for anything.

Not a single thing.

Not even for the salt to be passed.

Not even for a penny,
or a moment alone.

Or to take the washing in,
or to open a curtain,

or to go easy on the small yearlings.

Or to put your hand
on the small of my back

while I try again,
for the 12th or 13th time,

to push a baby out of my body.

Isn't it interesting
that the one and only request

we women would have of the men

would be for them to leave?

Asking the men to leave
is not an option. Oh.

I'd like you to imagine Ruth and Cheryl.

Oh, no! Not again!

Please stop.

Look. August is still taking the minutes.

Can you believe
August is still taking the minutes?

Sometimes I think people laugh
as hard as the y'd like to cry.

August,
you must think we're all lunatics.

I don't.

And it doesn't matter
what I think, anyway.

Is that true? Do you really think
it doesn't matter what you think?

How would you feel if in your entire life
it never mattered what you thought?

But I'm not here to think.

I'm here to take the minutes
of your meeting.

But if in your entire life you truly felt
it didn't matter what you thought,

how would that make you feel?

When we've liberated ourselves,
we will have to ask ourselves who we are.

Will we be done by suppertime?

I have to give little miep
her antibiotics.

Where did you get antibiotics?

She walked

she walked for a day and a half
to the mobile clinic

with ll/liep on her back

The lord is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger,

rich in lo ving-kindness and forgiveness.

The lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,

rich in loving-kindness and forgiveness.

The lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,

rich in loving-kindness and forgiveness.

I have to hide the antibiotics in miep's
applesauce or she won't swallow them.

The lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,

rich in loving-kindness and forgiveness.

The lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,

rich in loving-kindness and forgiveness.

The lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,

rich in loving-kindness and forgiveness.

The lord is gracious and compassionate...

Slow to anger...

Forgive me.
They're too big for my mouth.

The lord is gracious
and compassionate...

The lord is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger,

rich in loving-kindness and forgiveness.

Well, let's take a break.

Melvin.

You're it. Uh-oh.

Not one word about my smoking.

Honestly, I'm sick of it.

Coming over here. Watch out!

Is she always going to be
like this now?

Like what?

A man. Is nettie always
going to be a man now?

Later, we understood
that nettie didn't become a man

because of what happened

nettie had never felt like a woman.

Now pretending had become rmpcssib/e.

Is my brother listening?

Hello, little brother.

I don't know if the baby was yours

or if it was one of your friends'.

I think it was likely yours though
because“.

There was something wrong with it.

Ilovedil

I think.

Isn't that strange?

I... I won't speak of it

or anything else...

Ever again.

But...

- But what?
- She doesn't speak anymore.

You all right?

She speaks to the children.

Kind of.

I think they call her Melvin.

You know,
during the second world war in Italy,

civilians would hide in bomb shelters.

Volunteers were needed to power
the generators that provided electricity.

They rode bikes.

And when you were swinging
from the rafter earlier,

I was, uh, reminded of this.

You would have been the perfect volunteer.

If we were in a bomb shelter.

Where would I ride the bike to
in such a small space?

Oh, well, uh,
the bike would be stationary.

I have to get the water to the horses.

Watch this.

I'll bet you didn't learn how to do things
like that when you went to university.

Only facts about stationary bicycles
in far-off places.

I suppose I shouldn't be too sad, then,
that I won't ever go.

Why were you forced to leave the colony?

My mother questioned things.

She questioned god?

Not god. Power.

The rules made
in the name of god.

And she encouraged others
to question things too.

- Like ona?
- Yes.

Ona knew her well.

Did she die?

But sometimes, listening to you all
speaking today, I can hear her so clearly.

Why did the elders let you come back?

Well, I went to university, so I could
serve a purpose and teach the boys.

Too late.

I... I want to help.

And I don't know how.

You came back for ona, didn't you?

The way you look at her is... funny.

I don't know why
she won't just marry you.

You both say so much
that doesn't make sense.

J” oh, lccu/d hide 'neath the wings j”

j” of the bluebird as she sings... j“

J” the six 0 'clock alarm
would never ring... j”

shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Away! Away!

J” but it rings, and / rise... j”

Please come out and be counted now.

Please come out of your homes
to be counted for the 2070 census.

J” ll/ly sha vin'razor's
cold and it stings... j”

J” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean... j”

All residents
must come out of their homes

to be counted for the 2070 census.

J” and a homecoming queen? J”

j” you once thought of me j”

J” as a white knight on his steed j”

j” now you know how happy I can be... j”

all right. You want to try this one?

J” and our good t/mes start and end... j”

This is the 2070 census.

Please come out of your homes
to be counted for the 2070 census.

J” but how much, baby,
do we really need? J”

tickle, tickle, tickle.

J” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

Here to collect data
for the 2070 census.

Please come out of your homes now
to be counted

j” oh, what can it mean... j”

- let's go.
- Why?

Let's just... let's go.

J” and a homecoming queen? J”

J” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

J” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

j” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

J” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a home... j”

Where is autje?

Well, we must begin without her.

Thank you.

Were you smoking?

- Is that any of your business?
- Please.

I can't live a second longer!

Autje?

No, autje!

Autje, wait until I get a hold of you.

The census-taker told us one of our men
is returning from the city late tonight.

They need more bail money
for the attackers.

Which man?

Your klaas.

So time is of the essence.
Everyone, get back to your seats.

August, please. Pros for leaving.

Pros for leaving.

We will be gone.

We will be safe.

Maybe not. The first is most definitely
a fact that if we leave, we will be gone.

Do we really need to state
the obvious over and over?

Yes, autje.

We will see a bit of the world.

Let's move on
to the cons of leaving.

We, the women, will decide
what happens in these meetings.

Not a two-bit failed farmer
who must teach.

You have been invited here.

You have been invited here to listen
to what we have to say and write it down.

Nothing more. Just listen!

Mariche.

Klaas will be returning soon
and you are wasting time.

He will come to your house
just long enough

to take his animals
in order to sell for bail money

that will see the rapists
return to the colony,

and he will lay his hands on you
and on your children.

And you, as always,

do nothing but fire away at us
with all of this rage.

I would like to apologize
for wrongly attempting

to nudge the proceedings.

That's not my place.

Mejal.

I'll stop.

Mama.

What's the matter?
What's the matter? Oh.

What is it? Hmm?

Miep, what is it?

I hurt.

Miep.

It's all right.

It's all right.

It's all right.

There are no cons of leaving.

It's all right.

Not to worry, nettie.

J” ch/ldren of the heavenly father j”

J” safely in his bosom gatherj”

j” nestling bird nor star in heaven j”

j” such a refuge e'er was given j”

j” though he giveth or he taketh j”

j” god his children ne 'er forsaketh j”

j” his the loving purpose solely j”

j” to preserve them pure and holy j”

j” ch/ldren of the heavenly father j”

j” safely in his bosom gatherj”

j” nestling bird nor star in heaven j”

j” such a refuge j”

j” e 'er was given j”

if we do leave the colony,
how will we live with the pain

of never seeing our brothers
and our sons again?

The men.

77me wrll heal.

Our freedom and safety
are the ultimate goals.

And it is men who prevent us
from achie ving those goals.

But not all men.

Perhaps not men, but a way of
seeing the world and us women,

which has been allowed to take hold
of men's hearts and minds.

So if we leav... if we leave,
I w/ll never see my brothers again?

Who will take care of them?

Of them all?

We can't know
if we will stay or leave

before we've resolved
these last-minute concerns.

I wouldn't call
the future of our relationship

with the boys and men we love
"last-minute concerns."

Here we go.

It was all waiting to happen
before rt happened.

You could look back
and follow the bread crumbs

along the path that led to violence.

When we looked back,
we could see that it had been everywhere,

whether it was happening yet or not.

Hi!

Hi!

I'll get you some water.

There is no cup or anything.

It's good that you're here, August...

To remind us of what's possible.

Because it's easy to forget.

I'm so sorry, ona.

Yeah.

One day I'd like to hear that
from someone who should be saying it.

Why does love,

the absence of love,
the end of love, the need for love,

result in so much violence?

Ona...

Ona...

I could take care of you
and your child.

I would like to.

- I, um...
- I know.

You don't have to say the words.

If I were married, I wouldn't be myself.

So the person you love would be gone.

Your child...

If we stay and we don't win the fight,
my child will be given to

another family here.

Maybe even the family of my attacker.

If we stay and don't win the fight...

But you won't let that happen. No.

No, I won't.

August,
we need to discuss options

for the men and the older boys
if the women decide to leave.

Which is a waste of time,
because we're not leaving.

The men should leave with us if they wish.

Then what on earth
is the point of us leaving?

Well, they could be allowed
to join the women later,

once the women have established
themselves and are thriving.

Should we add thriving
as a collective, literate community?

"Literate" is your word, not ours.

We don't need your university language
to make our plans.

Put it in. We know what it means.
Continue, Greta.

Uh, young boys,
simple-minded boys of any age.

Cornelius, who's confined to a wheelchair,
will accompany the women.

I vote for the first option.
The men should leave with us if they wish.

The first option is ridiculous
and should be crossed off the list.

Why are some ideas written down
and considered, and others crossed out?

I'm gonna leave.
I'd like to strangle myself.

Mariche, it's possible that all the men
would choose to leave with us,

and then all we'd be doing is
recreating our colony,

with all of its dangers elsewhere.

And the men would
definitely leave with us

because they can't survive without us.

- Not for longer than a day or two.
- We have not decided to leave.

- I'd like to remind everyone of that.
- And how can we leave at all

if we've never been allowed
to even see a map of the world?

I can secure a world map for you.

I also have, um,
a map of this specific region.

Well, that will do. It's not like
we're planning to travel the planet.

Perhaps we are.

Did you know that the migration period
for butterflies and dragonflies is so long

that it's often only the grandchildren
that arrive at the intended destination?

Yes. So it...

Yes.

Perhaps if we went beyond
where the map showed us,

we could create our own map as we go.

So now you wanna leave, ona?

Are you all right, mejal?

No. She's having one of her episodes.

Father almighty,
in all humility and supplication

we ask thee for thy abundant
kindness at this moment.

We beseech thee to have mercy
on our sister mejal.

Please, in your beneficence, heal her.

Please, we ask of thee,

envelop her in your strength
and everlasting love,

and please drive out the sickness
which afflicts her now.

- Help me up.
- Oh, praise be to god.

- Why is it only mejal has these...
- Be quiet.

We were all attacked.

Not all of us need to draw
so much attention to ourselves.

What attention?
I speak less than all of you put together.

- How have I offended you?
- You have these attacks.

You smoke!

Why? Why is it so much harder
for you than for us?

We were all attacked, all of us.

We are wasting our time by passing
this burden, this sack of stones

from one to the next
by pushing our pain away.

Let's absorb it ourselves.
Let's inhale it, let's digest it.

Let's process it into fuel.

Speak, mejal.

We are listening.

They made us disbelieve ourselves.

That was worse than...

Mejal.

Klaas, when he returns, may take horses
or livestock we would need along the way.

Along the way?

We're not leaving.

You are changing your mind, ona.

I don't believe that's a sin, is it?

How will we be forgiven for all this?

How will we be forgiven,

if not by the elders
whom we have disobeyed?

Perhaps there will be
other elders or men of god

who will be able to forgive our sins.

We do not need to be forgiven
by the men of god

for protecting our children
from the depraved actions of vicious men

who are often the very same men
we're meant to ask for forgiveness.

If god is a loving god,
then he will forgive us himself.

If god is a vengeful god,
then he has created us in his image.

If god is omnipotent,

then why has he not protected
the women and girls of this colony?

I will destroy any living thing

that harms my child.

I will tear it limb from limb.

I will desecrate its body

and I will Bury it alive.

I will challenge god on the spot
to strike me dead

if I have sinned
by protecting my child from evil

and by destroying that evil
that it may not harm another.

I will lie, I will hunt, I will kill.

I will dance on graves
and I will burn forever in hell

before I allow another man
to satisfy his violent urges

with the body of my four-year-old child.

I suggest we think about what is good.

"Whatever is true..."

"Whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,

whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence

and if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things,

and the peace of god be with you."

I will become a murderer if I stay.

I know what these are. These are letters.

But what are these?

They're commas.

They signify a short pause
or a breath in the text.

There's also a butterfly called a comma.

- Is that so?
- Mm-hmm.

Salome.

If you will become a murderer
by staying here in the colony,

side by side with the men
who are responsible for the attacks,

then you must...

To protect your own soul,

leave the colony.

- We are not all murderers.
- Not yet.

I have done what the verse
from philippians instructed,

which is to think about
what is good, what is just,

what is pure, what is excellent.

Pacifism.

Pacifism is good.

Any violence is unjustifiable.

By staying here,
we women will be betraying

the central tenet of our faith,
which is pacifism...

Because by staying...

We will knowingly be placing ourselves

in a direct collision course
with violence.

Either by us or against us.

This colony is the only home
I've ever known.

And I don't want to leave.

But by staying, we'll be inviting harm.

We will be in a state of war.

We will turn this colony
into a battlefield.

We cannot become murderers,

and we cannot endure anymore violence...

Which is why we must leave.

I've also been thinking about
the verse from philippians...

And I've been thinking about what is good.

Freedom is good.

It is better than slavery.

Forgiveness is good.

It's better than revenge.

And hope for the unknown is good.

It is better than hatred of the familiar.

What about security?

And safety and home and family?

What about marriage...

And lo ve, ona?

I don't know about those things,
any of them...

Except for love, and...

Even love is mysterious to me.

And I believe that my home
is with my mother and my sister

and my unborn child, wherever that may be.

Will you not hate that child?

That child is the child of a man
who inspires violent thoughts in you.

I already love this child
more than anything.

He or she is as innocent and lovable
as the evening sun.

So, too, was the child's father
when he was born.

But if you're saying that forgiveness
is better than revenge...

Aren't you saying that we must
stay here and forgive the men?

We cannot forgive
because we are forced to.

But with some distance,

perhaps I'm able...

To understand how these crimes
may have occurred.

And with that distance,

maybe I'm able to pity these men.

Perhaps forgive them

and even love them.

Not fighting, but moving.

Always moving, never fighting.

Always moving, never fighting.
Just moving.

Never fighting. Just moving.

- Never fighting. Always moving.
- Would you snap out of it?

- You snap out of it.
- All of you snap out of it.

Have you lost your minds? The sun is gone.

I want to tell another story
about Ruth and Cheryl.

I was always frightened
of the northern read out of the colony

there are so many gull/es
on either side of the road.

The buggy used to lurch side to side.

Ruth and Cheryl were srmply
fol/o wing my commands of the reins,

but they were jerky and frenetic,

and it was dangerous.

It was only
when I/earned to focus my gaze

far down ahead of me,

and not on the road immediately
r'n front of Ruth and Cheryl,

that I started to feel safe.

Leaving will give us

the more farseer'ng perspective
we need to forgive...

Which is to lo ve properly...

And keep the peace according to our faith.

Therefore, our leaving wouldn't be
an act of cowardice or abandonment.

It wouldn't be because we were
excommunicated or exiled

it would be a supreme act of faith.

A step towards love and forgiveness.

Leaving is how we demonstrate our faith.

We are leaving because our faith
is stronger than the rules.

Bigger than our life.

I'm sorry, but I think I might be dying.

Mother, you're not dying.

Your glasses need cleaning.

Why are you laughing?

We cannot leave.

We... w...

It would be better
to stay and fight than leave.

Do you really mean that
you wanna stay and not fight?

Because when was the last time
you had the strength

to stand up to the aggression of klaas,

to protect your children
or to get out of harm's way?

Who are you to tell me
what kind of wife and mother to be

when you are neither one yourself?

You are a spinster. A whore.

- An unwed mother.
- Stop.

Ona was made unconscious
and raped like the rest of us.

How dare you call her a whore.

Are you not afraid your own sweet boys
will become monsters like their father

because you do nothing to protect them?

- Stop it.
- Nothing to educate them.

Nothing to teach them
the horror of their father's ways.

I have heard enough!

Do you women realize
we are talking about leaving?

We are a large group.

Many things could go wrong
and time is fleeting.

For the love of our lord Jesus Christ
and precious savior,

shut your pieholes, please!

How dare you pass judgment on me.

It wasn't a judgment. It was a question.

Tell her you're sorry.

I'm sorry.

- I'm sorry that what I said hurt you.
- Oh, fuck it off!

Sit down, mariche!

- It's "fuck off," I think.
- Shh!

I am sorry.

I'm saying sorry,
not just to leave the hurt behind,

but because I feel truly that I should not
have said something harmful to you.

And, mariche, I'm sorry

because you do not need
or deserve any more harm.

Who are you?

Who are any of you

to pretend I have had a choice?

I am also sorry, mariche.

I didn't try to protect you
or your children from klaas.

And what you say is true.
You had no choice.

You forgave him, again and again,

as you were told to.

As I told you to.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

It's not only the men and boys
who have been excellent students.

I think, mariche,
we are all very sorry.

What you were required to endure was a...

Misuse of forgiveness.

Is there such a thing,
a forgiveness that is not good?

Well, perhaps, forgiveness can,
in some instances,

be confused with permission.

What in heaven's name?

What is it? Julius, what is it?

Nettie, please, make an exception
and tell us what is happening.

What has happened to him?

Nettie, be realistic.
Tell us what has happened to Julius.

Speak, just this once.

What's wrong, sweetheart?

My nose.
There's a cherry up my nose.

Okay, well, blow.

Harder. Again.

Oh. There you go.

We have no cherries
in the colony.

Klaas sometimes brings them back
from the city.

Who gave you the cherries, Julius?

Papa.

Why don't you...
You go and play with nettie, all right?

Have... have we made a decision?
Are we leaving?

Yes.

- We are leaving because...
- We know why we are leaving.

We are leaving because we cannot stay.

Mmm.

We will take young boys of 12 with us

and allow the men to join the women
later under certain conditions.

Aaron. I know.

Aaron is just over 12. Just barely.

Why would boys of 13 and 14 be left
behind? Why wouldn't they leave with us?

Surely we don't have to be afraid
of the boys of this age.

August, you're the boys' teacher.
What is your feeling about this?

Do boys of that age pose a risk
to our girls and women?

Yes, possibly.

Boys of 13 or 14 are capable

of causing great damage
to girls and women...

And to each other.

It is a brash age.

They are possessed of reckless urges,
physical exuberance,

intense curiosity
that often results in rnjury.

Unbridled emotion,

including deep tenderness and empathy,

and not quite enough experience
or brain de velopment

to fully understand
or appreciate the consequences

of their words or actions.

They're like the yearlings.

Young, awkward, gleeful, powerful

they're tall, muscular,
sexually inquisrtive creatures

with little impulse control,

but they are children.

They're children and they can be taught.

I'm a two-bit schoolteacher,
a failed farmer

and, above all, a believer.

And / belie ve that with guidance,

firm lo ve and Patience,

these boys are capable of relearning
their roles as males in the colony.

I believe in what the great poet,
Samuel Taylor coleridge,

thought were the cardinal rules
of early education...

”To work by love...

And so generate lo ve.

To habrtuate the mind
to intellectual accuracy and truth.

To excite rmaginative power."

He sard, "little is taught
by contest or dispute.

Everything by sympathy and lo ve. ”

I believe the boys should be
allowed to leave with the women...

Providing the women choose to leave.

It was a yes or no question.

You shit like any other man.
Why don't you talk like one?

Sorry.

I have a proposal to make.

We have to protect all of our children,
not only our daughters.

Every boy under 15
and the ones who need special care

must accompany the women.

How do you mean "must"?

What if they refuse?
What if they don't wanna leave?

We can't carry teenagers
on our backs.

We will try to influence our sons,
but we cannot force them.

And they might refuse, it's true.

August.

You would stay
and teach the boys who remain?

Of course.

He's right outside.

Klaas?

He has Ruth and Cheryl.

Everybody,
back to your houses and pack up.

If anyone asks, we were quilting.

August, uh, get the map.

Neitje and autje,
you must run right now to every house

and tell the women we are leaving.

Tell them to pack up
everything they can

and to meet us outside the washhouse
an hour after sunrise.

We need to get
an early start in the morning.

Let's all meet back here at sunrise.
All of us.

An hour after sunrise, we congregate
on the road by the washhouse.

- Do we bring...
- Everything.

- Bring everything.
- Why?

- After sunrise, all right?
- Wake up.

- Tomorrow, one hour after sunrise.
- We're leaving after sunrise.

We meet an hour after sunrise
on this road.

- Bring your buggies.
- Thank you, sister.

Who can get home the quickest, huh?

She has a cricket in her hands.

You do?

Can I see? Okay.

Yes. Bedtime.

Yes.

Don't go.

Stay with me tonight,
or I will go with you.

If I don't go home,
it'll draw attention to all of us.

- Mariche.
- Go home, mother.

I'll see you at sunrise.

They said later, it should have
taken longer to pack up a whole life.

It was disappointing to realize that
everything that ever mattered to you

could be gathered up in a few short hours.

We would leave only traces of ourselves.

Go. Go.

Psst. August.

Come sit with me.

Here's the map.

Where are we?

Here.

- Here?
- Mm-hmm.

This is where we are.

This is north, south,
east and west.

But the map moves. How do you know
which way it should be facing?

Celestial navigation.

I can show you.

Do you know of
the southern cross?

Mm-hmm.

You and the women can use
the southern cross to navigate.

If you make your right hand
into a fist...

Align the first knuckle
with the axis of the cross...

And then the tip of your thumb here
will indicate south.

Will you show the others?

We will have a lesson in navigation.

Did you already know
about this little trick?

Of course I did.

I wish there was something I could
teach you that you didn't already know.

What will become of you
when we leave?

You make a fist with your right hand

and you point your two knuckles
to the southern cross.

It's called celestial navigation.

Point these two knuckles.

- Like that?
- Mm-hmm.

And wherever your thumb
is pointing, that's south.

We like to put frames
around things,

even when they are spilling out the edges.

So we gathered one last time
r'n the ha yloft,

where so much had been sa/d,

so much that your grandmother
would have told you, had you ever met.

Is he gone?

He's sleeping. Dead to the world.

He was very drunk.

And he caught me sneaking
back into the house late.

And then he went to the barn
and found we had taken the horses.

Mariche, did you tell him
what we were planning?

She did, but only because
he wouldn't stop hitting me

and she was trying to distract him.

I don't think he believed me.

And even if he did,
I don't think he'll remember.

He'll be passed out all morning,
I'm sure.

But I also told him
because I suddenly felt very...

We have decided that we want...

That we are...

We are entitled to three things.

What are they?

We want our children to be safe.

We want...
We want to be steadfast in our faith.

And we want to think.

Yes.

Praise god.

Yeah.

We all want that.

J” nearer, my god, to thee j”

J” nearer to thee j”

j” e 'en though it be a cross j”

j” that raiseth me j”

j” still all my song shall be j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer to thee j”

j” though I/ke the wandererj”

j” the sun gone down j”

j” darkness be over me j”

j” ll/ly rest a stone j”

j” yet r'n my dreams I 'd be j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee... j”

J” nearer to thee j”

J” there let the way appearj”

j” steps unto heav'n j”

j” all that thou sendest me j”

j” in mercy giv'n... j”

let's go!

J” angels to beckon me... j”

J” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer to thee j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer j”

j” to thee j”

Just...

August, you can speak whenever you want.
You don't have to raise your hand.

It's all right.

It wasn't important.

Oh.

Are the children clean and ready?

Thank you, Melvin.

Thank you for saying my name.

We hid Ruth and Cheryl for you.

- They're ready to go.
- Really?

Well! Oh, my girls.

Has Aaron readied the horses for us?

What? Well, where is he?

Where is he?

- Speak to me.
- You're safe, Melvin.

- I won't harm you. I'm not your enemy!
- Calm, salome. Aaron will be found.

I'm not leaving without him.

Salome, come back!

What if she doesn't convince him?

Mother?

Breathe.

Breathe.

We are going to go now.

I'm all right. Please go.

Come on, let's go.

- Now?
- Yes.

Make a list, August.

- A list of what?
- Of good things.

Of plans, of memories.

Whatever you feel goes into a good list.

What we, the women, will want there.
Please write it down.

August.

Thank you for all you've done.

We are all so proud of you.

And your mother would be proud too.

I'll make a list.

This is going to be a difficult trip.

"Today is the day the lord hath made.

Rejoice...

And be glad in it."

Go join the others.

Please.

I will not be buried in this colony.

Get me into a buggy now
and let me die on the trail.

But what about August?

Oh...

Stand. Stand.

He'll be fine.

He'll be fine.

Hang on with both hands.

Ona!

I will always love you.

She loves you too, August.

She loves everyone.

Sun.

Stars.

Pails.

The harvest.

Numbers.

Window.

Straw.

Sounds.

Beams.

Love.

All right. We'll go.

Language.

Wind.

Women.

Salome?

We may need to protect ourselves.

Where is Aaron?

He's in the buggy, waiting.

You convinced him to leave?

You may need this...

For protection.

Did you...

- Did you have...
- Yes!

He's coming with me.
He's my child.

Goodbye, August.

Good luck.

Please take care of ona
and her baby.

Of course. I promise.

- Wait. I need to give you something.
- No. I have to go!

Here.

Why have you got a gun, August?

Don't kill yourself, August.

You have important work to do.

You are the boys' teacher.

Don't come back.

Don't ever come back, any of you.

Oh, wait. I need...

No...

Please. Please, salome,
give these to ona.

Oh, no. But she can't read them.

Her child will read them.

No, August,

the purpose was for you
to take the minutes.

We'll meet again.

We'll meet again.

We have more room back here.

Melvin, thank you.

Do you have anymore room?

We have room for one more.

She can sit on my lap.

Up, up.

Autje!

All right. Come on.

Hup.

Your story
will be difi'erent from ours.

J” oh, lccu/d hide 'neath the wings j”

j” of the bluebird as she sings j”

j” the s/x 0 'clock alarm
would ne ver ring j”

j” but rt rings and / rise j”

j” wrpe the sleep out of m y eyes j”

j” m y sha vin ' razor's
cold and it stings j”

j” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

j” you once thought of me j”

j” as a white knight on his steed j”

j” now you know how happy I can be j”

j” oh, and our good times start and end j”

j” without dollar one to spend j”

j” but how much, baby,
do we really need? J”

j” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

j” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

J” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

j” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

j” oh, what can it mean j”

j” to a daydream belie verj”

j” and a homecoming queen? J”

J” cheer up, sleepy Jean j”

J” there let the way appearj”

j” steps unto heav'n j”

j” all that thou sendest me j”

j” in mercy giv'n j”

j” angels to beckon me j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer, my god, to thee j”

j” nearer j”

a to thee j”