Original subtitles

It wasn't hard for Sara to convince Leo to get involved in the cannon deal.

A $5 million commission.

Even if it did come from an eccentric bohemian Iraqi,

it was just what the Farads needed to show their muscle.

So we went to war.

Colonel Patricio invited us to the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale

so we'd understand the situation his army was in

and could negotiate the details.

We're arriving.

We're approaching Cuito, so we're going to fly nap-of-the-earth.

-Fly what? -Nap-of-the-earth!

THE FARADS

Let's go!

To the trenches, quick!

The bombing starts in three minutes! Let's go!

Go, go, go! Hurry!

Move it!

To the far trench!

This way!

Welcome to Cuito Cuanavale.

Shit!

We've calculated the interval.

Three minutes.

South Africans?

Their G5 cannons.

We're on the front line.

The South Africans are there, two kilometers from the shore.

They're shooting from 20 kilometers away.

Our artillery doesn't have the range to reach them.

So we have to suck it up and take the beating.

Why are they shooting?

We shoot to raise morale.

Stop! Hold your fire! Don't shoot!

Hold your fire!

Shit.

Finally.

Look.

That's the only thing that silences them.

The sky is ours.

As long as we have gasoline.

We don't have enough fuel to keep the planes in the air long.

So you know what we do?

Put the pilots in the planes on the ground

and have them talk to each other

so the South Africans think we're flying.

No shit.

We need those G5s now, my friend.

-This man, right? -Yeah.

General Amin. He's close with Saddam.

He handles military exports.

His nephew, Habib, is helping us.

Since when do you work with the Iraqis?

That doesn't matter, Patricio.

Do you want the cannons or not?

We can close the deal this week.

And it's cheaper than with Iran.

-When can you deliver them? -Two months.

-Are you sure? -Oskar and I are going to Iraq tomorrow.

Can you hold out for two months?

If the napalm thing doesn't happen again.

The napalm thing worked out in the end.

How could you bring her to a war?

Nobody brought me. I came on my own.

And how's Mr. Napalm?

-All good. -Patricio.

What's the point of a battle here?

There are no cities or anything else around worth defending.

The official version?

If we win, it's goodbye to South African apartheid.

If we lose, the Yankees will keep Angola's oil.

And the unofficial version?

This is a tribal war that has fuck-all to do with us.

Good night.

Holy shit.

Tough, wasn't it?

But worth the trip.

Let me know when to prepare the transfer for Habib.

Relax.

There's no rush.

Really?

You're in no rush to make five million?

Are you guys okay, you and Oskar?

Why do you ask?

I don't know. You were going to go and live together...

Yeah.

We've put that off.

Mom is right.

León is still little and there's no hurry.

But Oskar has other plans, doesn't he?

It's only normal.

I get it.

Nobody wants to live with their in-laws their whole life.

But anxiety is a bad counselor.

It can lead you to believe in the wrong things.

I'm not sure I follow.

He might think he's ready to go into business for himself.

Dad, what are you talking about?

-Oskar would never do that. -Never?

He did it to his uncle, Manuel.

He left him for us.

True.

Because we made him a sweet offer.

And someone could make him a better one.

-Are you implying that... -He's setting us up with Mawad.

-Why would you think that? -Mawad works with Iraq.

It's his territory.

And now, all of a sudden,

you get a call from an Iraqi who needs our Cuban contacts.

Dad, you're being paranoid.

Oskar's a good kid, ambitious, fearless,

but he's like a fir tree.

When a fir tree sprouts, it sees the sun and starts growing like crazy

up and up.

So fast, though, that it doesn't mature.

And when it's 12 meters tall,

its shitty little trunk is so weak

that it rots in water.

Do know what the mother fir tree does to avoid that?

Covers it with her branches

so it'll grow more slowly.

Who's the mother tree here?

-You? -You're the one who has to stop him, Sara.

'Cause if you don't, when he goes down, he'll take you with him.

And I won't be there to protect you.

You are totally paranoid.

I know Oskar very well.

No. All I'm saying is that we need to be careful, Sara.

Everything Oskar's done so far has helped our family.

With the napalm, with Mawad...

Maybe that's the problem. He thinks he's clever.

So much so that it makes screwing up even riskier.

Really, I can do it myself.

Don't worry, it's no trouble.

So, how did you end up here?

I'm here on business.

-Business? -Yeah.

In Cuito Cuanavale?

Sounds absurd, doesn't it?

Oh, child, if you only knew...

Know why I'm here?

I came to Angola

because I want to buy a washing machine for my son as a wedding present.

And for my youngest, who just became a doctor,

I want to buy a Walkman, and maybe some sneakers.

You came to Africa for that?

Look, for a year here,

I get paid up to 3,000 kwanzas.

How much is that?

Sixty dollars.

11:50 a.m.

He might see us.

-Mawad knows this car. -I know.

We're too far away.

You're sure about this?

Am I sure?

We don't want to end up like Padilla.

If you're getting cold feet...

No, I'm not getting cold feet.

I'm just saying we need to be precise.

This is serious.

They'll be in front of us,

and if they try to back up, it'll take 20 to 30 seconds.

-Maybe a bit less. -No.

Twenty to 30 seconds.

That's what Padilla said.

Who's Padilla?

Good afternoon.

Hi.

Hi.

Padilla measured a dynamite fuse wrong.

I told him, "The charge is big enough for 80 meters."

He said it wasn't.

That 60 was enough.

But who the hell is Padilla?

A guy I worked with at the mine.

He was sure, too, until he blew himself up.

-So Padilla got fucked. -Yep.

Totally fucked.

So if you think they need 30 seconds, assume they can do it in 10.

So says the engineer.

I can leave and you can do it alone.

I'm joking, damn it.

This is serious, Hugo.

Okay, fine. Whatever you say.

Ten seconds.

This is going to change my life.

And if it goes wrong?

It won't go wrong.

I saw it clearly in Prague, Manuel.

If you want to break the old order,

you can't just sit around and wait or be afraid.

You have to have balls.

Because this is our moment.

Hey...

The war veteran is back.

Be glad you didn't go.

We had a terrible time.

I wasn't invited.

It sucked.

-Trust me. -Sure.

Where's Dad?

Handling stuff.

With your husband?

Are you out of the loop now?

Fuck off.

My love!

Hi, my darling!

Hello, my angel.

I could eat you up!

Hi, my love!

-Where are you going? -To take a leak.

Is everything okay, Leo?

There's something I can't get out of my mind,

and I've been thinking and thinking,

but, I don't know,

-it's really fucking weird. -What?

I don't know.

Why have we come to Iraq?

To buy cannons, sure. But all this...

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

I don't think I follow.

I'll explain it to you.

So Habib happens to need an intermediary to sell his cannons.

And, coincidentally, he calls you.

Of all his possible contacts in Angola, he chose one in Marbella.

Shit, Marbella!

And you just happen to work for me,

and I, curiously enough, get along great with Cubans and Angolans.

And what's more, with this so-called direct line thing,

you talk to Mawad a lot.

And, objectively speaking, this deal could benefit Mawad.

Doesn't that sound like too many adverbs to you?

-Too many adverbs? -Yeah.

It could just be a coincidence,

but it could also be

that someone's taking me for a fool.

-Are you accusing me of something? -No.

I'm not saying it's your plan.

-Someone else's, yes. -Whose?

Habib's? The Iraqis'?

You tell me.

I don't know, Leo.

Someone from Marbella

who works with the Iraqis,

but doesn't get along with Cubans and Angolans.

Do you want to call this off?

Just tell me the truth.

I know nothing about Mawad.

-You're lying. -I swear.

My daughter told me everything in Cuito, Oskar.

What did she tell you?

About the deal with Mawad.

I know nothing about that.

Just fucking admit it.

Be straight with me and admit it.

We'll still do this so you can get your commission.

But if you lie to me again...

Fine, then. We're going home.

I did it for the family.

Excuse me?

Someone had to fix things before Hugo made them worse.

You're sick, Leo.

You're dying.

We have to think about the future.

This is your war with Mawad.

And we're not going to inherit it.

You know something, Oskar?

My daughter didn't tell me anything.

But you just did.

It takes two days to get here. It's an isolated area.

I would try to sleep on the boat.

We can anchor in any of these coves until things calm down.

It'll be fun.

Sailing.

Fishing.

How long do you think that'll last?

A month.

Two at most.

My dad will make a deal with the Saudis to move on.

And then,

we'll come back

and take the places we deserve.

Hey, say that again.

The places we deserve.

You sound convinced.

Totally.

That turns me on.

Know what I feel like doing right now?

Friends!

Peace be upon you, Habib.

We finally meet.

It's about time.

-Oskar. -Habib.

-How about a beer? -Yes, please.

Great, thanks.

How was your trip?

Good.

I hope you aren't as feisty as your wife is about art.

Not even close.

As soon as you pay, we'll ship them.

When can you make the transfer?

-That depends on you. -On me?

Then let's sign right now.

And Amin? Where's General Amin?

-Sorry? -I want to see him.

I want to see your uncle.

He approved this deal,

which is the only reason we're here.

No offense, but you're not enough for me.

Leo.

-What are you doing? -Stay out of it.

We're supposed to close the deal.

The only one who'll suppose here is me.

Wait for me in the hallway?

My son-in-law is immature.

That's the problem with young people.

Thank you.

I need your uncle to give me an official guarantee.

Why?

Because the Cubans and Angolans are suspicious.

And I understand.

You're friends with the South Africans.

-You buy their G5s. -So?

Those are the same cannons we're going to use against South Africa.

Who can guarantee they won't be sabotaged?

Nobody sabotages a deal approved by General Amin.

Then he can come here and tell me that.

He doesn't have time, he's too busy.

Well, then, Habib,

let me know when he's free.

This is outrageous, we've talked about it for over a month.

You're going to ruin everything.

-Bye, Habib. -No, wait.

I'll call my uncle.

But I can't promise anything. It could be a week.

I'm in no hurry.

As long as there's plenty of beer.

Where's Hugo?

I'm waiting for him.

I think he's showering.

Sorry.

Your brother is too old for you to be checking up on him.

He seems wound up, Mom.

-That's just how he is. -Even more so lately.

Since he got back from Prague.

Then tell Oskar to talk to Manuel,

since they've been so inseparable lately.

And that's that.

You know why they're inseparable, right?

Because they get along.

Is that what you think?

Yes, I do, it's obvious.

Sara, honestly,

I'm not going to entertain what you're thinking.

-What am I thinking? -The cocaine.

No. I'm not thinking about the cocaine, Mom.

-You're not? -No.

-We need to talk. -About what?

Look, if something's going on with Hugo, I'll talk to him about it.

Or to his dad.

You're always meddling.

-I only want to help, Mom. -Of course.

You're Mother Teresa.

What are you talking about?

You love to judge.

Using yourself as the standard. You try to fix everyone's lives.

But you go to Angola and leave your son here.

-That's different. -How?

Risking your life for ambition is just as stupid as doing cocaine

-or whatever you think Hugo does. -My ambitions?

-My ambitions? -Yes, your ambitions.

You know why you do it, honey?

Why?

You're afraid Oskar will leave you behind.

Right. Of course.

Since you always played second fiddle.

Being a mother is playing second fiddle?

Taking care of your family,

-sacrificing yourself... -Sacrificing yourself how?

Giving away a watch?

Honestly, Sara, you're such a spoiled brat.

Okay, I'm going now.

I'll call you when we reach land, Mom.

I hope all goes well. Be careful.

-Take care. -Yeah, yeah.

Where are you guys going?

Ibiza, Corsica, Santorini...

We'll see.

So what are the Kalashnikovs for?

You've got such an overactive imagination, dear Sara.

Really.

Please.

I'll call you, okay?

-Have a good trip. -Bye.

I'm serious. He's got two rifles in the trunk.

-To let off steam. -What are you talking about?

He's been practicing. He told me so.

And you're okay with that?

I might join him.

The masgouf is delicious.

-Fish? -Yeah, like grilled carp.

There's also falafel, kubbah,

lamb, eggplant,

kafta... Everything.

-All for us? -There's nobody else here.

Isn't all this a bit weird?

It's a government protocol house.

They're used to serving people without disturbing them.

I want to apologize.

My reasons don't matter.

I should've talked to you before making a deal with Mawad.

You know, that isn't what hurts most.

What breaks my heart

is that you dragged my daughter into it behind my back.

I'm sorry, Leo, really sorry.

I thought we had the right

-to fix this on our own. -The right?

The right?

You know what my lawyer friend says?

Rights don't exist in a family.

Because when there are rights, when someone claims them,

then the family no longer exists.

So what do we do, Leo?

Hate each other's guts?

Or turn the page?

What are you doing here?

You tell me.

Tell you what?

I don't know.

How much coke have you done? Two grams?

Five, ten?

Look, Sara, fuck off.

I don't know what you're planning, just don't do it.

So are you the only one who gets to make plans here?

I'm serious.

You've already fucked things up for the family.

Your brother has every right to...

I'm not talking to you.

Manuel can say whatever the fuck he wants because he's my friend.

Your friend?

My friend, yes, my friend,

my accomplice, my confessor,

my companion, everything you've never been.

And yes, he fucks me, too, and it's glorious.

Oskar must not fuck very well,

because for the last few months you look like you're begging

someone in this fucking world to eat your pussy for once.

It's over, Sara. No more chasing you,

picking up your crumbs, bending over.

No more worrying about Dad ever showing me a tiny bit of empathy.

You ingrate. After everything they've done for you.

They've done fuck all for me, Sara. Fuck all.

But I'm going to do something for them.

Because it's what I have to do.

Because you have to know how to find your place in life. Get it?

It's doesn't matter how or where. You've got to have the balls,

Sara, listen to me, the balls to accept your destiny.

What destiny, Hugo?

Sacrificing myself for my people.

But not like a martyr.

That's not what I'm going to do. It's...

-Darwinistic. -Darwinistic.

I'm going to raise up a new species of Farad.

Stronger, more prepared,

more able to adapt. Understand?

What the fuck are you going to do?

Get the fuck out of here!

I see you coming a mile away.

I know everything about you,

what you do, what you've done and what you're going to do.

Know why? Because you're exactly like me.

Then how can you think I'd betray you?

Because that's what I did.

I betrayed the guy who helped me.

The guy that did for me what I've done for you.

He pulled me up out of the shit,

gave me a job and gave me back my last name.

-Your last name? -Yes, my last name.

My father was Algerian.

He took off when I was two.

He told my mom, "Bye-bye, sweetheart."

He left during the civil war and we never saw him again.

So I grew up using my mom's maiden name.

After the war, if people named Pérez and Rodríguez were starving,

just imagine a Farad.

I had no idea.

So I became Virgilio González, which is actually my real name.

Virgilio Leonardo Farad González.

That must have been hard.

Yes, it was very, very hard.

My mother's family were Republican,

so we had to take an unimaginable amount of shit.

So I found a way to survive.

I started slinging small-time stuff. First, tobacco,

adulterated wine,

then shoes, wheat, barley, gasoline...

Until I met an Arab in Málaga

who said, "Hey, you're one of us. "I'm going to help you."

He had me run errands, small jobs, then bigger stuff.

He became like a big brother to me.

He even convinced me to reclaim my last name, Farad,

because he believed it would open lots of doors for me.

-Did it? -Hell yes, it did.

Two months later I was in Algeria

negotiating my first weapons shipment with the Algerian Liberation Front in '59.

Just like that?

That guy had been arms trafficking since WWII.

So what did he do?

He made me his other hand.

If he was the right hand, I was the left.

Like you are to me.

-What happened? -Things went really well for me.

I connected with all the anti-colonial, anti-imperial fighting,

the romanticism of the left.

I met Monzer in Algiers,

Henry, then Khalid came along...

It was the perfect blend of business and idealism.

They provided the ideas and we provided the weapons.

But this brother of mine,

the son of a bitch was too conservative.

When he saw Algeria siding with the Soviets,

he told me to stop.

Because he was selling weapons to the other side.

-To the Americans. -The Americans.

I said I wouldn't.

-He must have taken it badly. -Horribly.

He threw it in my face,

the fact that he'd taught me everything and made me who I was.

That I was betraying him.

But above all, that I'd used him

to go into business for myself.

And he was right.

-Did you ever reconcile? -Never.

How come? Did he die?

He's a millionaire. He lives in Marbella.

His name is Nabil Mawad.

Mawad?

Car trouble?

Hurry along, ma'am.

Here he comes.

They're here.

What are those two idiots doing?

Let's go!

Let's go, damn it!

Hugo! Come on, Hugo, shit!

Take a shower. See you downstairs in three minutes.

-What's going on? -It's General Amin.

Come on, let's go!

Nabil Mawad.

Nabil Mawad?

The document could've been tampered with.

We've always trusted Mawad.

Let me read it.

If these people are right and Mawad fucked us,

I'll send you to the war

until it's over. And be thankful I don't have you shot.

Peace be with you.

Peace be with you.

I'm an asshole.

Are you ready?

The car's waiting downstairs.

So this was your plan, right?

Thank you.

For playing your part.

Without the cannons, I would never have had access to Amin.

So you use me,

you bring me all the way to Iraq to take your revenge on Mawad,

and I'm still a traitor.

Ma'am.

Some men are at the door asking for you.