Atonement (2026) Movie Script
1
Shut the fuck up.
Stop acting like you know,
Bower.
Wave your M-16 around
all you want,
Iraqi civilians
aren't gonna care.
You wanna get 'em moving?
You gotta point a pistol at 'em.
That's what Saddam
used to murder Iraqis with,
you dumb hick.
- Suck my dick.
- Suck your dick, dog?
That's this guy's job.
This is my son.
Oh, that's your baby boy.
He's my baby boy.
- Keep grabbing
on that thigh--
- My baby boy.
Doesn't he look like me?
He does.
Nah, I can't, for real.
That's cuz I
fucked his mom,
then he came out--
- Go for six.
- -It was the best day of my life.
Solid copy.
Unit dismounting,
proceeding on foot northbound
on Sheikh Maruf. Out.
Hey, Marines! Listen up!
We're gonna ditch the trucks
in about 50 meters.
Too much city traffic.
We're moving to the
police compound on foot.
Again, this is a show of force,
but take your time,
talk to people,
keep your eyes wide open.
- Good to go?
- Yes, sir!
Get ready to dismount!
Whoo!
Get some, boys!
Spread out, guys.
Spread out.
- Hello.
- Hello.
My name is Leray.
-Ray...
-Yes. Um, where's...
Lou. Yo, Lou.
I gotta piss.
Now?
Hold.
Hold.
What the fuck is your problem?
One at a time.
One at a time. One at a time.
One second. Hold on.
Sir, hold on.
Now I gotta go.
Hi, uh, bathroom? Yeah, okay?
Hello.
Photo?
I'll go check.
Lou. Hey, we're hearing shots.
Hurry up.
- Hearing shots?
- Yeah.
Heard some pops.
We don't know
where they're coming from.
Was it enemy fire or ours?
I don't know.
Let's go, let's go!
We're southeast
of the Baladiyat intersection.
What's your pos? How copy?
Vic, keep eyes over here.
Anybody see
where that came from?
Fox 2, Fox 2. This is Fox 3.
Third platoon is on the
side street off Sheikh Marut
two blocks from
the police compound.
We're ready to move in.
How copy?
Nothing heard on radio.
Shit's going down.
Let's move.
Take your shit and move out!
- Go!
- Moving!
Moving!
We got a man down.
We're taking effective fire.
Man down on Baladiyat!
All units to the
southeast corner!
Check it with me.
I gotta start on the leg
right now, okay?
Gonzo, get over here.
I need a hand.
Gonzo, fucking right now!
Elevate his leg for me, okay?
Just keep it up.
I'm taking fire
approximately 100 meters
south of the police compound.
Hey! Where's cover?
- I need somewhere I can treat these guys.
- -I'm working on it.
Get down!
Hey! back up!
Hey, stop there!
Where the fuck you
going?
Get the fuck on the ground!
No shots!
Hold your fire!
Hey, Lou. Who is that?
Hey, hey, hey, he's fine,
- He'll be fine! Let's go!
- Lou, Vic! On me!
Here's what's going on.
We got elevated enemy fire
coming from across
that roundabout,
the compound and the mosque.
They're hijacking cars
trying to ram it into our line,
so I need a couple of guys
up on the roof.
What?
There's a fucking
ambulance headed towards us!
If it doesn't stop,
you fire on it!
Take one of these roofs!
We need guns on overwatch,
keep the cars back! Go! Move!
I need eyes
on that intersection,
make sure we're not
getting flanked.
Keep fire!
Hey, hey!
Bottom right!
Bottom right!
Right. Go right more.
Bottom right!
I'm out!
You see the terraces?
In the fucking far east side,
there's a guy on the balcony
with a red beach towel,
about fifteen meters
from the left side.
Hit it.
Taking effective fire
from the northeast.
We got a guy
popping out of a balcony
with a red beach towel.
I see him too.
Can't get a clear shot.
Fire!
Fuck that's accurate fire.
Pat, you got the rocket
over there?
-Yeah.
-Take him the fuck out!
All right,
everybody get down!
-Firing rocket!
-Get down!
-Clear!
-Clear!
Firing rocket!
-Rocket!
-Backblast clear!
Backblast clear!
Get down! Rocket!
- Everybody okay?
- Target hit.
- Second floor.
-You good?
- We need suppressive fire--
-Suppressive fire!
Up!
Got a car coming
through the intersection.
It's not slowing!
Fire if it gets too close.
Don't shoot, please.
- Nicky! Nicky!
- Don't shoot.
Nicky! Nicky!
Nicky!
Cease fire! Cease fire!
- Hey, stop firing!
- What?
What? I can't hear.
What is she saying?
What's the woman saying?
We are the peace people.
We are the peace people.
Oh, God.
What are they doing
driving through this
intersection?
Couldn't they hear us
fucking shooting?
- Hold your fire!
- Hey, hey, stop shooting!
I'm not fucking firing at them!
Are they fucking nuts?
Hey! We got civilians
coming through the intersection,
need instructions now.
All right,
we're going in
to retrieve the civilians.
Second floor,
prepare to give us cover.
Going up!
Miss,
is that your blood or his blood?
On the baby. Is that his blood?
Oh God, oh God.
Pat, get down man.
Shut up, Pat.
We just killed a baby.
We just killed a fucking baby
Shut up, Pat.
Shut the fuck up, Pat.
We shot it.
We shot the fucking baby.
It's moving.
We're going to run taxi, okay?
We're going to run to to taxi,
do you understand?
All right, get ready.
-My husband. My son.
-Go. On three.
- Where's Eddie?
- One, two--
- Where's Eddie?
- three.
Go, go, go!
Miss, I'll take care of it.
Go, go, I'll get her.
Go, go, go, go, go!
Mama!
Miss, come on,
keep going.
Keep your head down. Go!
Guys, let's go, you're good.
Let's fucking go!
Come on
All right,
you're all right,
you're all right.
Don't stop moving!
Guys,
I'm gonna need a medic.
Someone get me a medic.
Come on. Come on.
Sit down, sit down.
-Is she okay?
-Yeah, it's okay.
- She just hit her shoulder.
- Eddie!
Anna.
Eddie! Eddie!
Guys, I'm gonna need
a medic for her.
Get me a medic.
Guys, someone get me
a fucking medic!
Is there someone here
to tell me about
what went on last week?
Were you here?
Hi. Were you here during this?
How long have you had the store?
Many, many, many...
When they started all of it--
Looters or America.
Excuse me. Thank you.
Can I have five minutes?
Can I talk to you for--
I'm with the New York Times.
Can I have five minutes
of your time if that's possible?
Can you ask if he'll talk to us?
-Michael Reid?
-Yeah.
You are the reporter?
Yeah. Hi, New York Times.
Yasir, I'm a surgeon here.
Come with me.
It has been this way ever since
the Americans arrived.
There was a fight
in Baladiyat last week.
Saddam's forces fired
on the Americans,
and hell broke loose.
But these are the lucky ones.
They're still alive.
There's a tragic case
that sticks in my mind.
I'll show you.
This is the case
I told you.
How old is she?
She's 23 years old.
Let me check with them
if they will talk to you, okay?
Appreciate it.
Um, just trying to
piece this together.
I just want to ask,
was this a familiar route?
Was it a regular journey, or--
Our neighborhood was targeted
because near a police station.
My sister...
We went to live with her.
Then a bomb fell on us
yesterday.
So we decided to cross town
and go back to our house.
What did you do before the war?
I was a teacher for ninth grade.
I taught all three of my kids.
She lost her sons
and husband.
How do you grieve three?
Not one, three. Tell me how.
"For family in Iraq,
three deaths from moment
of confusion."
Yeah, Khachaturian.
Yeah, that's the
Iraqi family name.
I just spent the afternoon
at their home.
Getting background now.
I'll send the piece
from the hotel tonight.
Hey.
Hey, uh, were you guys
part of the company
that was engaged at Baladiyat?
Yeah.
Can you tell me what happened?
This was some firefight, yeah?
It was the
worst day we had here by far.
I mean, it was really
well coordinated on their end,
which is rare.
I mean, we lost three
of our guys in an hour.
I don't even--I don't even know
how many Iraqis.
You talk to that woman
who injured her shoulder?
Yeah, yeah, she's okay.
Oh, good.
How about the woman
with the baby?
She's fine, and the baby too.
And the drivers?
They all died.
Yeah, I knew that.
I don't even--
I don't know why I asked that.
Who were the ones
keeping the traffic away
from the roadblock,
the ones that were actually
shooting at the vehicles?
I mean, we were all shooting,
but at that time,
it was our guys on the roof.
Can I talk to them?
Yo, where's Lou?
OP.
Actually, wait, he's here.
Oh, hey, thanks.
I'm Michael.
Thanks for taking a minute.
How you doing?
Good, yeah, good.
So can you tell me
what you remember?
Not much, honestly.
A lot going on.
Sure, sure.
So-- so I guess there were
civilian casualties,
some deaths, they said.
- I don't know about all that.
- No?
We shot on vehicles trying
to break our line.
Okay.
Not sure why anyone would
drive through that intersection
if they didn't mean us harm.
They'd have to have
some fucking death wish.
Excuse me.
You're not authorized to be here.
Thank you.
I'm asking a few people about-- I just want to get this story right.
- I need you to leave, sir.
-Yeah, I'm Michael Reid
with the New York Times,
and I just--
You're not
authorized to talk to my guys.
I appreciate it.
Just wanted to get it right, sir.
- Okay.
- -Just wanted to get it right.
So I will--
Sir, grab your shit
and leave now.
- I will.
- That's-- -It's not a request, sir.
I appreciate it. Thank
you. What did you say
your name was, sir?
Sir, I'm not going to
ask again.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Hey! Get down!
Time to come down, bud.
Hey, I'm going to come up
and get you down.
Get down!
Hey.
Fuck!
Hey, come here!
Hey, we got a fucking problem?
Huh?
What are you doing?
You're not supposed
to be up there.
Let it go.
Let it go, Lou.
Stop.
- I'm fine.
Just see me
before you leave, okay?
Hello?
Hello?
Hey!
I was supposed to be out here
20 minutes ago.
No, they didn't tell me
nothing about this.
Well, I don't know, who--
call Tony or whoever
but I was supposed to be
out here 15 minutes ago.
I don't even know who he is.
Thanks, buddy. Appreciate it.
Fuck. Hey.
This fucking guy.
What's his fucking problem?
-Thank you.
-I'm Marci.
Marci, Lou. Nice to meet you.
You as well.
I'll give you
my transcripts and--
Oh, no, no, that's okay.
We have all that.
I'll just leave that there.
Okay.
So your girlfriend
and my sister know each other?
Yes, thank you
for squeezing me in.
So you graduated
undergrad last year?
Yeah, um,
so I went into the service
right after high school.
I wasn't able
to get my bachelor's
until I came back.
I did eight deployments,
so it took a while.
It says you were
discharged last year.
Other than honorably?
Yeah, well,
let's skip the appetizer,
get right into that.
I wrote about it in my essay.
When I got back,
I couldn't get the care
that I needed from the VA.
So a lot of guys will go to
the black market to get meds
to deal with the physical pain.
You're just trying
to get through a day, however.
So, um, yeah.
I failed a drug test
as a result.
And you're clean now?
Yes. Yeah.
Uh, I'm just eager
to get back into school.
Get things on track.
Keep things on track.
Your LSAT scores are excellent.
You're obviously very smart.
But what qualifies you
for law school?
Why here?
Again. Again. Again...
One. One.
One, two. One, two. One, two.
One, two, slip.
One, two, slip. Again. Again.
Move. One. One.
One, two. One, two.
One, two. One, two.
One, two. One, two, slip!
Slip.
Timeout.
I don't know, it felt like
as soon as they heard discharge
and drug test,
like, doors closed.
Maybe I'm the sucker
bending over
for these college
admission fags.
They don't care
that the government
would sooner give
my medical care
to some fucking welfare queen
or some invader.
They hear drugs,
they hear discharge,
and that's it.
I know. I know, I know.
I know, I sound like
a fucking scumbag.
Well, they asked about you.
You know, the admissions woman,
your friend's sister.
What did you say?
Nothing.
I'm not gonna tell them that
we're not together anymore.
Where's your espresso?
How's your new place?
It's good.
Where are you?
It's close.
It's close.
Wait, you're not going
to tell me where you live now?
Oh, now you're quiet?
Fucking speed talker
a second ago, and now--
Can we talk about
something else?
Why'd you even call?
Have you gotten help?
For what?
Are you serious
right now?
Your friend kills himself
and then you torched
your life, Lou.
Me, out of nowhere.
I haven't torched anything.
I have to take this.
Hello?
I got more stuff coming.
Mm-hm.
Not so fast.
Lou.
-Your hand.
-What?
You're shaking.
Lou.
Jesus Christ, what?
Did you just leave?
What the fuck.
Hey, where did you go?
Who in the fuck is this?
Hmm?
If you call me again,
I'm gonna fucking kill you.
Do you understand me?
Anna, hey! Hey, hey, Anna!
At the tone,
please record your message.
Hey, it's me. Why did you
just walk out like that?
Huh? Call me back.
It's me again.
Hello?
Call me back.
I didn't mean
for my last message
to sound so aggressive.
I just--I just really
want to talk, okay?
Call me, please.
--we'll have a guy inside
doing rounds
and two out front
with the valet.
This is a high-profile event,
so keep it classy, guys,
alright?
I don't want anyone
putting hands on guests.
Hey, Lou's going 10-1.
Who in the fuck is this?
Lou...
It's Vic.
Viccio.
Are you the one
who's been calling me?
Hey, can you talk
right now?
Not really.
I'm--I'm here in
South Carolina.
Okay. Where's Emily?
Um, yeah,
she's at her sister's
and she's, um,
she took the kids, so...
Uh, where are you?
Uh...
I'm in San Diego.
That's good, man.
That's good.
Um, so I went to--
I, yeah, I went to Pat's place
last month, and--
What's going on?
I--I was helping him
'cause it was a mess,
and he was mowing the lawn,
and then all of a sudden,
he was just
on his hands and knees,
and he was clutching this--
Hey, hey, Vic,
I really can't get into this--
...sobbing and I guess
he ran over a rabbit's nest
with the lawnmower.
And yeah,
he was beside himself, man.
Um, did you get the article
that Pat sent over
before he killed himself?
We killed those people, man.
That woman's boys...
Vic, Vic, Vic, listen to me.
I--I--
I can't get into this right now.
- Oh, God.
- Is Jordan, um,
Di--DiGaetano still living
near you?
Um, uh, yeah,
yeah, he's--
I can't--
I can't talk right now.
I'm at work right now,
and, um...
- Oh.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
- Oh, okay.
- Okay?
- Is that all right?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Listen, just--just do me
a favor and call him right now.
Okay.
You promise you'll call him?
- Lou.
- What?
I love you.
Hey, it's me again.
Where are you?
Are you working?
I need to see you.
Anna! Anna!
I'm working, Lou. What?
I don't know. I don't know.
Are you on something?
No. I don't know. I don't--
Something's wrong with me.
I don't know what to do.
I love you, Anna.
-Here. Oh, here it comes again.
-What's happening?
I think I'm having
a heart attack.
Can you call
an ambulance, please?
No, you're gonna be okay.
No, no, no,
something's not right.
You're gonna be okay.
Call an ambulance.
Call one.
-You're okay. You're okay.
-Okay. I gotta figure this out.
I can't keep fucking
hating myself.
-No, you're okay.
You're gonna be okay.
I keep seeing her face.
Who?
I don't know. I don't know.
I keep seeing her face.
- I gotta go. I gotta go.
- Stay, Lou! Stay!
Look, it's the big
question:
does sending
more military support
to the Saudis make us safer?
I think if you ask
a lot of people now,
the answer would be no.
The U.S. would of course
like to stop Yemen
from becoming
a weapon's testing ground
for Iran and a channel
to al-Qaeda.
But how do you weigh
the national security concerns
of this administration against
an ongoing humanitarian crisis?
That's the nub of this thing.
Well, Michael Reid,
I'm really sorry to say
we're out of time,
but let's talk on one
of your trips back to the U.S.
- Sure.
- -We appreciate your visits
to Fresh Air.
Yeah, thanks, Terry.
Michael Reid
is a staff writer
for The New Yorker.
His new article is titled
"Yemen: The Next Battleground."
You're welcome.
Yeah. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Hello?
Hey,
is this Michael Reid?
Sorry, who is this?
This is Lou D'Alessandro.
Hey, Olivia.
Hey. Oh my God.
I mean, cufflinks?
- So mortified.
- No, I'm joking.
Just here, take them.
It's just that
I've never seen you dress up.
I haven't.
I don't know what possesses me.
Whenever I do press,
it's like my father dresses me.
Uh-oh.
Are you getting soft
in your old age?
Uh, no, I'm not getting soft.
And you freed me,
so here, take them.
-Thank you.
-You're welcome.
We were talking
about your book, though.
No, don't deflect.
We're talking about you now.
Seriously, what are you
doing here?
Are you here on something?
Uh, you know,
always a few irons.
Um, it's just press this week.
Oh, well, when'd you get in?
A few days ago.
Actually, there was something
interesting that came up today.
But, I mean, we don't have to--
No, please.
Yeah, I have all night.
It's fine.
Tell me.
I think this is you.
Mariam and Nora.
It's taken me a long time
to find you.
I've written and re-written
you both so many times,
nothing really feels adequate,
so I'm recording something.
I was there that day
in Iraq when you lost...
I was firing at the cars.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
You know, a lot of guys
I was with that day,
they don't do too well.
And I think talking to you
will help me.
And I know it seems
really selfish,
but I hope it helps you, too.
I just can't keep going
not trying to say hello to you
when we live so close.
I saw on Facebook that
you live in California now.
Yeah, I would like
to talk to you someday
if you let me.
He sent this to them?
To this woman and her daughter?
Yeah.
Did they respond?
They wrote back a day later--
"We forgive you."
Hmm.
I mean,
I got to say, I love the idea
of a forgiveness story.
Uh, I can get the--
What did you--what did you
make of it?
Well, we don't have to talk
about this.
No, I want to hear.
I mean, he doesn't actually say
he wants forgiveness.
Yeah, he doesn't say it.
He says, "Sorry for your loss."
What?
I don't know.
You almost wish
he were more sympathetic.
He's kind of a mess.
He's just wandering around
talking off the cuff and--
Sorry, but it is selfish.
This woman and her daughter
are supposed to just
open up their home,
open up their old wounds
just so he could feel better?
It's--sorry,
maybe you don't want--
No, no, I do. I do. I do. I do.
Why is he reaching out to you?
He wants someone
to broker the meeting.
He's already been in touch
with them.
So, he probably wants the story.
"Marine seeks reconciliation."
He seems like
he's really suffering, no?
So is this woman.
I'm flying down
to San Diego tomorrow
to see this guy.
I'll obviously meet him
before I make any decisions
about whether
to introduce them all.
This is your last night?
You know, I'm supposed
to call the family.
Do you mind if I step up
for one second?
No, go ahead.
I have to go anyway.
You upset?
Should I have called
when I got to town?
It's just that the last time
we were together,
you said that you weren't sure
about things.
You weren't sure about me.
And then you sent your book,
and I guess--
I don't know what we're doing.
I can stay for a little while.
I will be right back.
Okay.
Anna?
-Okay?
-Yeah.
- Hi.
- Hi, I'm Michael.
-Come on in.
-Michael, come on in.
Thank you very much.
-Hi, Anna.
-Anna.
-Lou.
-Lou, thanks for having me.
Have a seat.
Okay.
Oh, this is just, uh,
to record our conversation.
It's for myself.
I just want to have
a record of what's said.
So I'll just, um--
How long have you two--
- Oh, sorry.
- I'm sorry. Go ahead.
No, I was just going to ask
how long you've been together.
For about five years.
Yeah, we just got engaged
last year.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
-Are you married?
-No. No.
And, uh--
Lou said you're a reporter
for The New Yorker.
Mm-hm. What do you do?
I'm in school. Psychology.
College, yeah.
Oh, I'm in law school. Now.
So did you--
Actually, um, I think I'll add
one more device
into the mix before we...
before we dive in.
I'll leave you guys.
Yeah. I'd love to speak
with you later too.
Yeah, of course.
Uh, where are you based?
I'm between places.
New York usually.
Mm.
Uh, so I'd love to talk
about the article a second.
If it's possible,
I'd like to co-write with you.
I think that might be
a good way to do this.
Well, first, I don't even know
if I'm gonna write anything yet.
And no, I don't co-write.
Is that what this is?
You trying to become a writer?
No. Uh, no.
No, I just thought it might be--
I just want to do this right.
I thought I might--
to tell this the right way.
Yeah, we all want that.
Well, maybe we just
talk first, yeah?
Sure.
How'd you end up
in the Marines?
Oh, yeah,
I was kicking around Vegas
after high school.
A cousin went in, and you know,
9/11 happened.
Your parents didn't serve?
No, my dad died
when I was a kid.
And your mom?
You know, I'd rather not
talk about her, if that's okay.
I don't want them involved
in this.
Sure. Okay.
Yeah, I think we may have
spoken when I was overseas.
I vaguely remember a reporter
coming by after Baladiyat.
God, I saw so many people,
I don't--
Yeah, I didn't put it together
until I saw the article.
Yeah, I was surprised
to get your call.
I wrote that so long ago.
Yeah, well, they discouraged us
from reading
what people wrote about the war.
It wasn't until
I was discharged,
other than honorably,
that I found it.
So you were
dishonorably discharged?
That sort of
set this into motion.
Got me thinking more
for myself, I guess.
Kind of like leaving home.
The longer you're gone,
the clearer you see.
And what did you see
with that distance?
Marine Corps
is like the police force
or the mafia or something.
It has its own sort
of moral universe.
They teach you or give you
the permission to kill
and then absolve you
of your sins.
That's interesting.
But I heard about your article
from a guy in our platoon,
and just, you know,
I never thought about that day
from another perspective before.
It never made sense to me, like,
why would they have driven
through that intersection?
There was so much gunfire.
After reading it,
it made more sense
of how confusing
it was for them.
And I got it in my head
that I had to meet them.
So you tracked them down,
and they responded?
Yeah.
So, why call me, Lou?
Well, Nora responded
with this Bible verse
in her response about...
It's part of a larger verse
about God being the only judge.
and I just started wondering
if that's what they're saying,
if that God will judge me
in the end.
My punishment
will be in the next life.
They're pretty religious, huh?
Uh, yeah, I think, yeah
they're Orthodox Christians,
I think.
Are you religious?
Not exactly.
You got to know them
fairly well?
Yeah, I mean, I guess I did.
I'd look them up
when I'd go back to Baghdad.
I thought they were
really good people.
Can I ask you--
what are you hoping to get
from all of this?
I mean, I want to explain
to them what happened.
I want to share with them
my side of things,
and it just feels--
it feels wrong not to say hello.
This is a family
that has suffered
because of something that I did.
Do you want forgiveness?
I mean, the only person
that can forgive me is me.
You okay?
Sorry, I, um, it's not
Parkinson's or anything.
I just shake sometimes.
Excuse me. One sec.
Sure.
Michael, you smoke?
Do-- uh--
I go back to that
intersection sometimes
when I'm in Baghdad.
Really? Why is that?
Yeah,
I don't really know, actually.
I think she made an impression.
Does it affect you
like it does us?
Well, I mean, I guess it
affects everybody differently.
There were people I saw there,
they were there for three days,
they had a nervous breakdown.
I was mostly okay.
Like sleep, I can't sleep.
I get a few hours most nights,
but I dream about them a lot.
You dream about
the Khachaturians?
Mariam, mostly.
Could I talk to some of
the other guys in your platoon?
Oh, sure, yeah.
We actually have a group thing,
a support thing.
The wives too.
Happy to come by if you like.
Well, that'd be great. Thanks.
It jumped out of the
tree?
Past through the tree.
- He said, "Pilot, you smell good?
- " -Huh?
Could you at least
smell the pine?
No, I smelled
burnt hair for like two weeks
This was in 2007.
So I was running security,
and I was up on the post
up top in the tower.
And a woman and a child
was walking toward us.
And she wasn't swinging
her arms at all.
So that was like
a telltale sign,
hey, something's probably
going on with this lady.
So she was getting really close.
We fired warning shots
at the feet.
The kid got scared
and kind of ran off,
and some other Marines
picked him up.
And as she got closer,
I was using my ACOG.
I could see like
a little bit of a wire
sticking up out of her
little dress,
whatever you want to call
what they wear
over there to cover up.
And she kept coming after
we kept telling her to stop.
So I shot her in the head.
And after that,
we discovered 85 pounds
of explosives strapped to her.
That image of the back
of her head just exploding
like a watermelon,
that comes up frequently.
But that image,
it stays with you forever.
I'm glad the boy ran away
because that would have
been even rougher.
Knowing that I did
something good though,
because if it was her or the 30
of us that was standing there,
she was going
to blow us all up, so.
I feel like a bad person
saying this,
but for a long time
it felt like our lives
were revolving around him
and his journey.
And...
and now--and now things
are changing.
I think there's more...
I think we've had
some victories.
I wish there was more support,
but people don't want
to know the truth.
They don't want to think about,
when you pick up a gun
and shoot,
I think the bullet moves
both ways.
And I think that part of Lou,
I can't--
I can't understand
and I'll never understand.
How could I?
And that makes me feel
all kinds of ways.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Hey, sorry I'm not in there.
Did you get a chance
to talk to people?
Yeah, I did. Yeah.
I'm gonna take off, but,
I'm headed to Glendale tomorrow
to see the Khachaturians.
You're seeing them?
I'll see if this is something
they'd be up for.
There's no guarantees, Lou,
but I'll ask them.
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Get home safe.
Stop, stop, stop.
Okay.
Any further
and you will fall in.
-There is a hole.
-Ah, I didn't see it.
Uh, hi. Nice to meet you.
I'm Michael.
-Asaad. Nora's husband.
-Asaad.
Oh. Hey.
-Hello.
-Hello.
Good to see you. And here.
I know. How many years?
And you're married!
Ten since we were in Iraq.
So before then.
And she multiplied.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
We have two children
there inside.
-Ah, congratulations.
-Thank you.
-Shall we?
-Yes, sure.
Thank you.
How did you two meet?
Oh.
Tell him.
We met at the hospital.
Asaad was there with burns,
and he heard me screaming
from pain,
so he bribed the doctor
to give me medicine.
Such a romance.
And you all came here together?
Yeah, first to Syria, then here.
And is your sister--
is she here?
No, she went to Jordan.
No, no, to Lebanon.
Oh, Lebanon.
And your grandson,
he was an infant, yeah?
He's a teenager now.
And what is it like for you
to live here in America?
It's nice.
It's good. It's good.
I mean, the children are happy.
It's safe, so I'm happy.
Good.
I'm going to work for Uber Eats.
Oh, we talk about that.
No, you will not.
No need for that.
I have money.
- No need.
- No need.
He says this, but I'm going
to do it anyways.
How's life for you?
I have the church, the children.
Do you go back to Iraq?
Not for a while.
It went from bad to worse.
It's okay. Enough of us.
How are you?
I'm busy with work.
And your wife?
Oh, we-- we divorced
years ago during the war.
I can't believe that you
remembered I was even married.
We were very surprised
to hear from you.
Yeah. As you know,
I was contacted by someone
who would like to meet you.
We sent him a message.
I mean, Nora did.
I know that really meant a lot.
Uh, but for what it's worth,
I think that--
he would really like
to meet you in person.
You know something?
These two are so nice.
They want to give him peace.
I'd rather kill him
than invite him to my house.
Why meet? What for?
What's more to say?
Honestly, when he first
reached out, I was afraid.
I think he wants to kill us.
Finish us off.
I sent him a message just so
he won't bother us anymore.
But after, I think about him.
I fear he could do something
to himself.
You have done enough,
and we talked about that also
Sorry, it hasn't been easy
to move forward.
We don't want to look back.
I don't know.
- Hello.
- Lou?
- Hi.
- Yeah.
I'm headed back
but I just heard from them.
They said that they'll meet you.
Oh.
Yeah.
Excuse me. Sorry.
Um, sorry.
Lou had to step away,
but he's glad.
Okay, I'll be in touch.
Okay, thank you.
See you. Bye.
...giving me this time,
I'm really sorry for your loss.
...unsure when to eat
or what to do.
I just care for Nora.
It's so quiet now.
Everything is so silent.
I used to like this.
Silence is the language of God.
Someone said this.
Yeah.
Not anymore.
I can't hear anything
anymore in silence.
Do you know this feeling?
You ready?
Ready.
Where is it now?
It's just down here
on the right.
-Is that it?
-Yep.
- Oh oh!
- Oh, Jesus.
Sorry.
-Ready?
-Yeah.
Mom.
Mom!
But it also reminds
us of the good news
that God has made it
possible for us
to be reconciled
to Him through Jesus.
The Bible says
that those sacrifices
are an annual reminder of sins.
- Hello.
- Hi, hi.
-Come in.
-Thank you.
Good to see you.
Hi.
Okay... okay. Come in.
Nice to meet you.
Hi, I'm Nora.
This is my husband, Asaad.
Thank you for having us.
Sit down.
Mm. Yeah.
Where should we sit?
Wherever. Here?
It's nice to see you again.
We will have some
tea and cookies.
Oh. Thank you.
You have a lovely home.
Thank you.
Have you been here long?
We've been living in this house
for the last 10 years.
Hmm.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much.
It's very good.
Where do you come from?
San Diego.
It's where I live now.
It's just a few hours away.
Um, how did you end up
in Glendale?
My husband has family here.
So after--
after we left Iraq,
we came to set up with them.
Mm.
Well, I would like
to thank you for allowing us--
me to be here today.
It means a lot.
I just wanted the opportunity
to just, yeah, to meet you.
It felt strange not to,
you know?
I guess I sort of said a lot
of it in that video,
but I hadn't been doing too well
after my time,
and after some especially
bad days,
I stumbled across Mi--
Michael's article about you all.
And I decided I needed
to find you so I could explain.
Excuse me.
I guess I just wanted
you to know that I hadn't--
I had no idea who was driving
the cars that day.
The Iraqi militia had been
hijacking cars,
so we were sent to a rooftop
and told to fire
on any vehicles.
If I had known,
I would have never--
I'm so sorry.
We've cried out all our tears.
We have none left.
Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry.
I'm just having trouble, uh,
pulling it together.
Listen.
We want to give you
everything you need
to move on.
So...
We forgive you.
Right, Nora?
We forgive.
We forgive you.
That's what you
need from us, right?
Is it better now?
Do you feel better?
We don't want you
to suffer over this.
We suffered enough.
No more suffering.
Yeah, I understand.
I know from the story
and everything,
but I would like to hear
what happened that day for you,
if you're open to it.
I lost my husband.
And my two sons.
One of them left behind a wife
with an infant boy
who will never know his father.
Nora's shoulder was shattered
by the bullet,
and she's been
taking medications ever since.
And I've been on sleeping pills
for the last 15 years.
Otherwise,
I will never sleep again.
That is what happened to us.
Sorry.
I'm not saying this
to make you feel bad,
but that's really
what happened to us.
I truly wish
I could trade places
with your husband and sons.
I wish I could too.
I'm so sorry.
I just need a minute to, um,
to pull myself together.
Is there a place
where I could smoke?
Yes. Follow me.
Yeah. Excuse me. All right.
Are you all right?
Yeah.
Might just borrow
the restroom if I may.
Oh, yeah.
Through there, to the right.
Sure. Thank you.
Sorry about that.
It's okay.
What do you do for work?
I have trucking company.
I drive.
Is that what you did in Iraq?
No. I worked with Reuters.
Took pictures.
You?
Oh, I'm in law school.
Baba, leave that alone.
Don't touch it, please. Yeah?
Such bad boys.
It's great you got the yard.
More projects. But I like it.
You building something?
Actually, I'm trying to plant
some cherry tomatoes.
We want to give him
what he needs to get better.
He's a sad person.
I keep thinking about Nicky.
He reminds me of him.
I don't know why.
There is something.
He... he reminds you
of your son?
Sometimes Nicky.
Sometimes the person
who killed Nicky.
Uh-- are you okay?
Yeah, yeah.
This is the neighbor
from next door.
Did he just come by?
Was that him?
Yes, he banged on the door.
I think he has a problem
with our presence.
Are you happy now?
- What is his issue?
- Are you satisfied?
We don't know.
I mean, he doesn't
like us here, I guess.
He's a menace.
Have you, uh,
considered a restraining order?
What is that?
We don't have this in Iraq.
Well, in American courts,
if a person is harassing you,
you can file
a restraining order,
and that means that they're
forbidden from coming
within a certain amount of feet
of you and your children.
He lives six feet
away from us.
Actually, I don't think
that matters.
If he breaks the order
just to bang on your door,
he could be arrested.
Have you done one before?
I haven't, no. Um, but I could--
could help you with it.
It's very kind of you.
I'll get you some tea.
Thank you.
They want to sit outside.
Going to be quieter.
- Please.
- Thank you.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
There's really lots
of good restaurants.
- You want more water?
- I'm good, thank you.
The one with the red awning,
what was it called?
Um, Hunters.
-Yes.
-Yeah.
Hunters,
I think, in English.
It's an Iraqi restaurant
that does fish.
The street fish
in Baghdad
is better than any
I've eaten in the world.
-It's amazing, really.
-I miss it so much.
Do you go back to Iraq?
No, not really.
It's gangsters in power now.
They're fighting.
They're fighting all the time.
Well, I read online
that Iraqi civil activists
are starting to call
for the end of a--
I don't know
if I pronounce it correctly.
-It's Muhas--?
-Muhasasa.
I read that too.
I mean, if they are talking
about it online
and no one stops them,
maybe the revolution will come.
- This man and his phone.
- Yeah.
Do you want the Wi-Fi password?
I can help you.
I leave for Yemen tomorrow so
they're calling about flights.
I'm sorry. Do this later.
What are you doing?
No, please, leave it.
- Is it all right?
- Sit down, please.
May I?
Thank you, thank you.
Michael, more tea?
Uh, the tea is good,
although this is really just--
You don't have to do this.
Oh, no. I'm happy to wash them.
But it's okay.
If it's all right, I'd like to.
Okay. I won't take that
from you.
You can go outside.
You don't have to stay.
It's okay. I'll take the moment.
Get some quiet.
- Do you--
- Please.
Don't say anything.
Why don't you go outside?
You don't have to dry.
Yeah, are you sure?
Yeah.
And when's the next flight?
Sure, yeah. I understand.
Call me back. Thanks.
Hurry up. Come on.
Hey, hey. Don't go.
Yeah, well,
you get so much sun.
It seems like the sun's
coming east to west here.
- Yeah.
- Joseph, Sam.
I made it.
Come on. Hurry up.
Here. Drink yours
and one cookie only, okay?
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
Uh, Michael...
Got a...
This is the shed
for the cherry tomatoes.
Yup.
Yeah. I'll have you--
Maybe... actually,
maybe just a tiny... yeah. Nice.
Okay, here we go.
And that was nice.
Let me just--
Please. Please. No more.
Okay.
Can I see the photo?
Oh, we have to take the kids
to their swimming lesson today.
Yes, take them.
I have some work.
Yeah,
I'm taking them at five.
So the car with you?
Yes, I have the car.
What about you guys?
What are you gonna do?
Well, I guess
we'll head out out
at some point, you know.
- Yeah.
- Going back to San Diego?
- Yep.
- Are you going with him?
Uh, yeah,
we're gonna travel back.
Drivin' right back
with Michael,
probably two and a half hours,
three hours' drive.
That's not long.
Got a couple of meetings
in the morning.
Yeah.
Always nice to see you.
Thank you. Nora, thank you.
Thank you for having us.
I have your number,
you have mine,
and I'll be in contact
next week about your neighbor.
Thank you.
Asaad, thank you so much
for having us.
- Welcome.
- Take care.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Michael.
- Be in contact.
- Thank you.
Sure, sure.
We'll keep in touch.
-Talk to you soon.
-Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- -I appreciate your visit.
...call or take the picture.
Sorry, it must have
fallen out somewhere,
maybe when I pulled
my phone out.
What happened?
He can't find his rental key.
Oh, he looked all over
the cushions. I don't know.
Come, we'll look for it.
Come, guys.
-Leave this here.
-Hey, buddy.
- Nothing in the bathroom.
- -Check over here,
- see if there's keys--
- Yeah, it could have
been when I pulled my phone out
to take the call
or take the picture.
Were you over here, Michael?
Uh, I think I was everywhere.
No keys.
What does it look like?
Uh, it was like a little fob,
a little plastic fob.
Come on, Michael,
if you want to stay more,
- just tell us.
- Yeah.
Nothing here.
Shut the fuck up.
Stop acting like you know,
Bower.
Wave your M-16 around
all you want,
Iraqi civilians
aren't gonna care.
You wanna get 'em moving?
You gotta point a pistol at 'em.
That's what Saddam
used to murder Iraqis with,
you dumb hick.
- Suck my dick.
- Suck your dick, dog?
That's this guy's job.
This is my son.
Oh, that's your baby boy.
He's my baby boy.
- Keep grabbing
on that thigh--
- My baby boy.
Doesn't he look like me?
He does.
Nah, I can't, for real.
That's cuz I
fucked his mom,
then he came out--
- Go for six.
- -It was the best day of my life.
Solid copy.
Unit dismounting,
proceeding on foot northbound
on Sheikh Maruf. Out.
Hey, Marines! Listen up!
We're gonna ditch the trucks
in about 50 meters.
Too much city traffic.
We're moving to the
police compound on foot.
Again, this is a show of force,
but take your time,
talk to people,
keep your eyes wide open.
- Good to go?
- Yes, sir!
Get ready to dismount!
Whoo!
Get some, boys!
Spread out, guys.
Spread out.
- Hello.
- Hello.
My name is Leray.
-Ray...
-Yes. Um, where's...
Lou. Yo, Lou.
I gotta piss.
Now?
Hold.
Hold.
What the fuck is your problem?
One at a time.
One at a time. One at a time.
One second. Hold on.
Sir, hold on.
Now I gotta go.
Hi, uh, bathroom? Yeah, okay?
Hello.
Photo?
I'll go check.
Lou. Hey, we're hearing shots.
Hurry up.
- Hearing shots?
- Yeah.
Heard some pops.
We don't know
where they're coming from.
Was it enemy fire or ours?
I don't know.
Let's go, let's go!
We're southeast
of the Baladiyat intersection.
What's your pos? How copy?
Vic, keep eyes over here.
Anybody see
where that came from?
Fox 2, Fox 2. This is Fox 3.
Third platoon is on the
side street off Sheikh Marut
two blocks from
the police compound.
We're ready to move in.
How copy?
Nothing heard on radio.
Shit's going down.
Let's move.
Take your shit and move out!
- Go!
- Moving!
Moving!
We got a man down.
We're taking effective fire.
Man down on Baladiyat!
All units to the
southeast corner!
Check it with me.
I gotta start on the leg
right now, okay?
Gonzo, get over here.
I need a hand.
Gonzo, fucking right now!
Elevate his leg for me, okay?
Just keep it up.
I'm taking fire
approximately 100 meters
south of the police compound.
Hey! Where's cover?
- I need somewhere I can treat these guys.
- -I'm working on it.
Get down!
Hey! back up!
Hey, stop there!
Where the fuck you
going?
Get the fuck on the ground!
No shots!
Hold your fire!
Hey, Lou. Who is that?
Hey, hey, hey, he's fine,
- He'll be fine! Let's go!
- Lou, Vic! On me!
Here's what's going on.
We got elevated enemy fire
coming from across
that roundabout,
the compound and the mosque.
They're hijacking cars
trying to ram it into our line,
so I need a couple of guys
up on the roof.
What?
There's a fucking
ambulance headed towards us!
If it doesn't stop,
you fire on it!
Take one of these roofs!
We need guns on overwatch,
keep the cars back! Go! Move!
I need eyes
on that intersection,
make sure we're not
getting flanked.
Keep fire!
Hey, hey!
Bottom right!
Bottom right!
Right. Go right more.
Bottom right!
I'm out!
You see the terraces?
In the fucking far east side,
there's a guy on the balcony
with a red beach towel,
about fifteen meters
from the left side.
Hit it.
Taking effective fire
from the northeast.
We got a guy
popping out of a balcony
with a red beach towel.
I see him too.
Can't get a clear shot.
Fire!
Fuck that's accurate fire.
Pat, you got the rocket
over there?
-Yeah.
-Take him the fuck out!
All right,
everybody get down!
-Firing rocket!
-Get down!
-Clear!
-Clear!
Firing rocket!
-Rocket!
-Backblast clear!
Backblast clear!
Get down! Rocket!
- Everybody okay?
- Target hit.
- Second floor.
-You good?
- We need suppressive fire--
-Suppressive fire!
Up!
Got a car coming
through the intersection.
It's not slowing!
Fire if it gets too close.
Don't shoot, please.
- Nicky! Nicky!
- Don't shoot.
Nicky! Nicky!
Nicky!
Cease fire! Cease fire!
- Hey, stop firing!
- What?
What? I can't hear.
What is she saying?
What's the woman saying?
We are the peace people.
We are the peace people.
Oh, God.
What are they doing
driving through this
intersection?
Couldn't they hear us
fucking shooting?
- Hold your fire!
- Hey, hey, stop shooting!
I'm not fucking firing at them!
Are they fucking nuts?
Hey! We got civilians
coming through the intersection,
need instructions now.
All right,
we're going in
to retrieve the civilians.
Second floor,
prepare to give us cover.
Going up!
Miss,
is that your blood or his blood?
On the baby. Is that his blood?
Oh God, oh God.
Pat, get down man.
Shut up, Pat.
We just killed a baby.
We just killed a fucking baby
Shut up, Pat.
Shut the fuck up, Pat.
We shot it.
We shot the fucking baby.
It's moving.
We're going to run taxi, okay?
We're going to run to to taxi,
do you understand?
All right, get ready.
-My husband. My son.
-Go. On three.
- Where's Eddie?
- One, two--
- Where's Eddie?
- three.
Go, go, go!
Miss, I'll take care of it.
Go, go, I'll get her.
Go, go, go, go, go!
Mama!
Miss, come on,
keep going.
Keep your head down. Go!
Guys, let's go, you're good.
Let's fucking go!
Come on
All right,
you're all right,
you're all right.
Don't stop moving!
Guys,
I'm gonna need a medic.
Someone get me a medic.
Come on. Come on.
Sit down, sit down.
-Is she okay?
-Yeah, it's okay.
- She just hit her shoulder.
- Eddie!
Anna.
Eddie! Eddie!
Guys, I'm gonna need
a medic for her.
Get me a medic.
Guys, someone get me
a fucking medic!
Is there someone here
to tell me about
what went on last week?
Were you here?
Hi. Were you here during this?
How long have you had the store?
Many, many, many...
When they started all of it--
Looters or America.
Excuse me. Thank you.
Can I have five minutes?
Can I talk to you for--
I'm with the New York Times.
Can I have five minutes
of your time if that's possible?
Can you ask if he'll talk to us?
-Michael Reid?
-Yeah.
You are the reporter?
Yeah. Hi, New York Times.
Yasir, I'm a surgeon here.
Come with me.
It has been this way ever since
the Americans arrived.
There was a fight
in Baladiyat last week.
Saddam's forces fired
on the Americans,
and hell broke loose.
But these are the lucky ones.
They're still alive.
There's a tragic case
that sticks in my mind.
I'll show you.
This is the case
I told you.
How old is she?
She's 23 years old.
Let me check with them
if they will talk to you, okay?
Appreciate it.
Um, just trying to
piece this together.
I just want to ask,
was this a familiar route?
Was it a regular journey, or--
Our neighborhood was targeted
because near a police station.
My sister...
We went to live with her.
Then a bomb fell on us
yesterday.
So we decided to cross town
and go back to our house.
What did you do before the war?
I was a teacher for ninth grade.
I taught all three of my kids.
She lost her sons
and husband.
How do you grieve three?
Not one, three. Tell me how.
"For family in Iraq,
three deaths from moment
of confusion."
Yeah, Khachaturian.
Yeah, that's the
Iraqi family name.
I just spent the afternoon
at their home.
Getting background now.
I'll send the piece
from the hotel tonight.
Hey.
Hey, uh, were you guys
part of the company
that was engaged at Baladiyat?
Yeah.
Can you tell me what happened?
This was some firefight, yeah?
It was the
worst day we had here by far.
I mean, it was really
well coordinated on their end,
which is rare.
I mean, we lost three
of our guys in an hour.
I don't even--I don't even know
how many Iraqis.
You talk to that woman
who injured her shoulder?
Yeah, yeah, she's okay.
Oh, good.
How about the woman
with the baby?
She's fine, and the baby too.
And the drivers?
They all died.
Yeah, I knew that.
I don't even--
I don't know why I asked that.
Who were the ones
keeping the traffic away
from the roadblock,
the ones that were actually
shooting at the vehicles?
I mean, we were all shooting,
but at that time,
it was our guys on the roof.
Can I talk to them?
Yo, where's Lou?
OP.
Actually, wait, he's here.
Oh, hey, thanks.
I'm Michael.
Thanks for taking a minute.
How you doing?
Good, yeah, good.
So can you tell me
what you remember?
Not much, honestly.
A lot going on.
Sure, sure.
So-- so I guess there were
civilian casualties,
some deaths, they said.
- I don't know about all that.
- No?
We shot on vehicles trying
to break our line.
Okay.
Not sure why anyone would
drive through that intersection
if they didn't mean us harm.
They'd have to have
some fucking death wish.
Excuse me.
You're not authorized to be here.
Thank you.
I'm asking a few people about-- I just want to get this story right.
- I need you to leave, sir.
-Yeah, I'm Michael Reid
with the New York Times,
and I just--
You're not
authorized to talk to my guys.
I appreciate it.
Just wanted to get it right, sir.
- Okay.
- -Just wanted to get it right.
So I will--
Sir, grab your shit
and leave now.
- I will.
- That's-- -It's not a request, sir.
I appreciate it. Thank
you. What did you say
your name was, sir?
Sir, I'm not going to
ask again.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Hey! Get down!
Time to come down, bud.
Hey, I'm going to come up
and get you down.
Get down!
Hey.
Fuck!
Hey, come here!
Hey, we got a fucking problem?
Huh?
What are you doing?
You're not supposed
to be up there.
Let it go.
Let it go, Lou.
Stop.
- I'm fine.
Just see me
before you leave, okay?
Hello?
Hello?
Hey!
I was supposed to be out here
20 minutes ago.
No, they didn't tell me
nothing about this.
Well, I don't know, who--
call Tony or whoever
but I was supposed to be
out here 15 minutes ago.
I don't even know who he is.
Thanks, buddy. Appreciate it.
Fuck. Hey.
This fucking guy.
What's his fucking problem?
-Thank you.
-I'm Marci.
Marci, Lou. Nice to meet you.
You as well.
I'll give you
my transcripts and--
Oh, no, no, that's okay.
We have all that.
I'll just leave that there.
Okay.
So your girlfriend
and my sister know each other?
Yes, thank you
for squeezing me in.
So you graduated
undergrad last year?
Yeah, um,
so I went into the service
right after high school.
I wasn't able
to get my bachelor's
until I came back.
I did eight deployments,
so it took a while.
It says you were
discharged last year.
Other than honorably?
Yeah, well,
let's skip the appetizer,
get right into that.
I wrote about it in my essay.
When I got back,
I couldn't get the care
that I needed from the VA.
So a lot of guys will go to
the black market to get meds
to deal with the physical pain.
You're just trying
to get through a day, however.
So, um, yeah.
I failed a drug test
as a result.
And you're clean now?
Yes. Yeah.
Uh, I'm just eager
to get back into school.
Get things on track.
Keep things on track.
Your LSAT scores are excellent.
You're obviously very smart.
But what qualifies you
for law school?
Why here?
Again. Again. Again...
One. One.
One, two. One, two. One, two.
One, two, slip.
One, two, slip. Again. Again.
Move. One. One.
One, two. One, two.
One, two. One, two.
One, two. One, two, slip!
Slip.
Timeout.
I don't know, it felt like
as soon as they heard discharge
and drug test,
like, doors closed.
Maybe I'm the sucker
bending over
for these college
admission fags.
They don't care
that the government
would sooner give
my medical care
to some fucking welfare queen
or some invader.
They hear drugs,
they hear discharge,
and that's it.
I know. I know, I know.
I know, I sound like
a fucking scumbag.
Well, they asked about you.
You know, the admissions woman,
your friend's sister.
What did you say?
Nothing.
I'm not gonna tell them that
we're not together anymore.
Where's your espresso?
How's your new place?
It's good.
Where are you?
It's close.
It's close.
Wait, you're not going
to tell me where you live now?
Oh, now you're quiet?
Fucking speed talker
a second ago, and now--
Can we talk about
something else?
Why'd you even call?
Have you gotten help?
For what?
Are you serious
right now?
Your friend kills himself
and then you torched
your life, Lou.
Me, out of nowhere.
I haven't torched anything.
I have to take this.
Hello?
I got more stuff coming.
Mm-hm.
Not so fast.
Lou.
-Your hand.
-What?
You're shaking.
Lou.
Jesus Christ, what?
Did you just leave?
What the fuck.
Hey, where did you go?
Who in the fuck is this?
Hmm?
If you call me again,
I'm gonna fucking kill you.
Do you understand me?
Anna, hey! Hey, hey, Anna!
At the tone,
please record your message.
Hey, it's me. Why did you
just walk out like that?
Huh? Call me back.
It's me again.
Hello?
Call me back.
I didn't mean
for my last message
to sound so aggressive.
I just--I just really
want to talk, okay?
Call me, please.
--we'll have a guy inside
doing rounds
and two out front
with the valet.
This is a high-profile event,
so keep it classy, guys,
alright?
I don't want anyone
putting hands on guests.
Hey, Lou's going 10-1.
Who in the fuck is this?
Lou...
It's Vic.
Viccio.
Are you the one
who's been calling me?
Hey, can you talk
right now?
Not really.
I'm--I'm here in
South Carolina.
Okay. Where's Emily?
Um, yeah,
she's at her sister's
and she's, um,
she took the kids, so...
Uh, where are you?
Uh...
I'm in San Diego.
That's good, man.
That's good.
Um, so I went to--
I, yeah, I went to Pat's place
last month, and--
What's going on?
I--I was helping him
'cause it was a mess,
and he was mowing the lawn,
and then all of a sudden,
he was just
on his hands and knees,
and he was clutching this--
Hey, hey, Vic,
I really can't get into this--
...sobbing and I guess
he ran over a rabbit's nest
with the lawnmower.
And yeah,
he was beside himself, man.
Um, did you get the article
that Pat sent over
before he killed himself?
We killed those people, man.
That woman's boys...
Vic, Vic, Vic, listen to me.
I--I--
I can't get into this right now.
- Oh, God.
- Is Jordan, um,
Di--DiGaetano still living
near you?
Um, uh, yeah,
yeah, he's--
I can't--
I can't talk right now.
I'm at work right now,
and, um...
- Oh.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
- Oh, okay.
- Okay?
- Is that all right?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Listen, just--just do me
a favor and call him right now.
Okay.
You promise you'll call him?
- Lou.
- What?
I love you.
Hey, it's me again.
Where are you?
Are you working?
I need to see you.
Anna! Anna!
I'm working, Lou. What?
I don't know. I don't know.
Are you on something?
No. I don't know. I don't--
Something's wrong with me.
I don't know what to do.
I love you, Anna.
-Here. Oh, here it comes again.
-What's happening?
I think I'm having
a heart attack.
Can you call
an ambulance, please?
No, you're gonna be okay.
No, no, no,
something's not right.
You're gonna be okay.
Call an ambulance.
Call one.
-You're okay. You're okay.
-Okay. I gotta figure this out.
I can't keep fucking
hating myself.
-No, you're okay.
You're gonna be okay.
I keep seeing her face.
Who?
I don't know. I don't know.
I keep seeing her face.
- I gotta go. I gotta go.
- Stay, Lou! Stay!
Look, it's the big
question:
does sending
more military support
to the Saudis make us safer?
I think if you ask
a lot of people now,
the answer would be no.
The U.S. would of course
like to stop Yemen
from becoming
a weapon's testing ground
for Iran and a channel
to al-Qaeda.
But how do you weigh
the national security concerns
of this administration against
an ongoing humanitarian crisis?
That's the nub of this thing.
Well, Michael Reid,
I'm really sorry to say
we're out of time,
but let's talk on one
of your trips back to the U.S.
- Sure.
- -We appreciate your visits
to Fresh Air.
Yeah, thanks, Terry.
Michael Reid
is a staff writer
for The New Yorker.
His new article is titled
"Yemen: The Next Battleground."
You're welcome.
Yeah. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Hello?
Hey,
is this Michael Reid?
Sorry, who is this?
This is Lou D'Alessandro.
Hey, Olivia.
Hey. Oh my God.
I mean, cufflinks?
- So mortified.
- No, I'm joking.
Just here, take them.
It's just that
I've never seen you dress up.
I haven't.
I don't know what possesses me.
Whenever I do press,
it's like my father dresses me.
Uh-oh.
Are you getting soft
in your old age?
Uh, no, I'm not getting soft.
And you freed me,
so here, take them.
-Thank you.
-You're welcome.
We were talking
about your book, though.
No, don't deflect.
We're talking about you now.
Seriously, what are you
doing here?
Are you here on something?
Uh, you know,
always a few irons.
Um, it's just press this week.
Oh, well, when'd you get in?
A few days ago.
Actually, there was something
interesting that came up today.
But, I mean, we don't have to--
No, please.
Yeah, I have all night.
It's fine.
Tell me.
I think this is you.
Mariam and Nora.
It's taken me a long time
to find you.
I've written and re-written
you both so many times,
nothing really feels adequate,
so I'm recording something.
I was there that day
in Iraq when you lost...
I was firing at the cars.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
You know, a lot of guys
I was with that day,
they don't do too well.
And I think talking to you
will help me.
And I know it seems
really selfish,
but I hope it helps you, too.
I just can't keep going
not trying to say hello to you
when we live so close.
I saw on Facebook that
you live in California now.
Yeah, I would like
to talk to you someday
if you let me.
He sent this to them?
To this woman and her daughter?
Yeah.
Did they respond?
They wrote back a day later--
"We forgive you."
Hmm.
I mean,
I got to say, I love the idea
of a forgiveness story.
Uh, I can get the--
What did you--what did you
make of it?
Well, we don't have to talk
about this.
No, I want to hear.
I mean, he doesn't actually say
he wants forgiveness.
Yeah, he doesn't say it.
He says, "Sorry for your loss."
What?
I don't know.
You almost wish
he were more sympathetic.
He's kind of a mess.
He's just wandering around
talking off the cuff and--
Sorry, but it is selfish.
This woman and her daughter
are supposed to just
open up their home,
open up their old wounds
just so he could feel better?
It's--sorry,
maybe you don't want--
No, no, I do. I do. I do. I do.
Why is he reaching out to you?
He wants someone
to broker the meeting.
He's already been in touch
with them.
So, he probably wants the story.
"Marine seeks reconciliation."
He seems like
he's really suffering, no?
So is this woman.
I'm flying down
to San Diego tomorrow
to see this guy.
I'll obviously meet him
before I make any decisions
about whether
to introduce them all.
This is your last night?
You know, I'm supposed
to call the family.
Do you mind if I step up
for one second?
No, go ahead.
I have to go anyway.
You upset?
Should I have called
when I got to town?
It's just that the last time
we were together,
you said that you weren't sure
about things.
You weren't sure about me.
And then you sent your book,
and I guess--
I don't know what we're doing.
I can stay for a little while.
I will be right back.
Okay.
Anna?
-Okay?
-Yeah.
- Hi.
- Hi, I'm Michael.
-Come on in.
-Michael, come on in.
Thank you very much.
-Hi, Anna.
-Anna.
-Lou.
-Lou, thanks for having me.
Have a seat.
Okay.
Oh, this is just, uh,
to record our conversation.
It's for myself.
I just want to have
a record of what's said.
So I'll just, um--
How long have you two--
- Oh, sorry.
- I'm sorry. Go ahead.
No, I was just going to ask
how long you've been together.
For about five years.
Yeah, we just got engaged
last year.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
-Are you married?
-No. No.
And, uh--
Lou said you're a reporter
for The New Yorker.
Mm-hm. What do you do?
I'm in school. Psychology.
College, yeah.
Oh, I'm in law school. Now.
So did you--
Actually, um, I think I'll add
one more device
into the mix before we...
before we dive in.
I'll leave you guys.
Yeah. I'd love to speak
with you later too.
Yeah, of course.
Uh, where are you based?
I'm between places.
New York usually.
Mm.
Uh, so I'd love to talk
about the article a second.
If it's possible,
I'd like to co-write with you.
I think that might be
a good way to do this.
Well, first, I don't even know
if I'm gonna write anything yet.
And no, I don't co-write.
Is that what this is?
You trying to become a writer?
No. Uh, no.
No, I just thought it might be--
I just want to do this right.
I thought I might--
to tell this the right way.
Yeah, we all want that.
Well, maybe we just
talk first, yeah?
Sure.
How'd you end up
in the Marines?
Oh, yeah,
I was kicking around Vegas
after high school.
A cousin went in, and you know,
9/11 happened.
Your parents didn't serve?
No, my dad died
when I was a kid.
And your mom?
You know, I'd rather not
talk about her, if that's okay.
I don't want them involved
in this.
Sure. Okay.
Yeah, I think we may have
spoken when I was overseas.
I vaguely remember a reporter
coming by after Baladiyat.
God, I saw so many people,
I don't--
Yeah, I didn't put it together
until I saw the article.
Yeah, I was surprised
to get your call.
I wrote that so long ago.
Yeah, well, they discouraged us
from reading
what people wrote about the war.
It wasn't until
I was discharged,
other than honorably,
that I found it.
So you were
dishonorably discharged?
That sort of
set this into motion.
Got me thinking more
for myself, I guess.
Kind of like leaving home.
The longer you're gone,
the clearer you see.
And what did you see
with that distance?
Marine Corps
is like the police force
or the mafia or something.
It has its own sort
of moral universe.
They teach you or give you
the permission to kill
and then absolve you
of your sins.
That's interesting.
But I heard about your article
from a guy in our platoon,
and just, you know,
I never thought about that day
from another perspective before.
It never made sense to me, like,
why would they have driven
through that intersection?
There was so much gunfire.
After reading it,
it made more sense
of how confusing
it was for them.
And I got it in my head
that I had to meet them.
So you tracked them down,
and they responded?
Yeah.
So, why call me, Lou?
Well, Nora responded
with this Bible verse
in her response about...
It's part of a larger verse
about God being the only judge.
and I just started wondering
if that's what they're saying,
if that God will judge me
in the end.
My punishment
will be in the next life.
They're pretty religious, huh?
Uh, yeah, I think, yeah
they're Orthodox Christians,
I think.
Are you religious?
Not exactly.
You got to know them
fairly well?
Yeah, I mean, I guess I did.
I'd look them up
when I'd go back to Baghdad.
I thought they were
really good people.
Can I ask you--
what are you hoping to get
from all of this?
I mean, I want to explain
to them what happened.
I want to share with them
my side of things,
and it just feels--
it feels wrong not to say hello.
This is a family
that has suffered
because of something that I did.
Do you want forgiveness?
I mean, the only person
that can forgive me is me.
You okay?
Sorry, I, um, it's not
Parkinson's or anything.
I just shake sometimes.
Excuse me. One sec.
Sure.
Michael, you smoke?
Do-- uh--
I go back to that
intersection sometimes
when I'm in Baghdad.
Really? Why is that?
Yeah,
I don't really know, actually.
I think she made an impression.
Does it affect you
like it does us?
Well, I mean, I guess it
affects everybody differently.
There were people I saw there,
they were there for three days,
they had a nervous breakdown.
I was mostly okay.
Like sleep, I can't sleep.
I get a few hours most nights,
but I dream about them a lot.
You dream about
the Khachaturians?
Mariam, mostly.
Could I talk to some of
the other guys in your platoon?
Oh, sure, yeah.
We actually have a group thing,
a support thing.
The wives too.
Happy to come by if you like.
Well, that'd be great. Thanks.
It jumped out of the
tree?
Past through the tree.
- He said, "Pilot, you smell good?
- " -Huh?
Could you at least
smell the pine?
No, I smelled
burnt hair for like two weeks
This was in 2007.
So I was running security,
and I was up on the post
up top in the tower.
And a woman and a child
was walking toward us.
And she wasn't swinging
her arms at all.
So that was like
a telltale sign,
hey, something's probably
going on with this lady.
So she was getting really close.
We fired warning shots
at the feet.
The kid got scared
and kind of ran off,
and some other Marines
picked him up.
And as she got closer,
I was using my ACOG.
I could see like
a little bit of a wire
sticking up out of her
little dress,
whatever you want to call
what they wear
over there to cover up.
And she kept coming after
we kept telling her to stop.
So I shot her in the head.
And after that,
we discovered 85 pounds
of explosives strapped to her.
That image of the back
of her head just exploding
like a watermelon,
that comes up frequently.
But that image,
it stays with you forever.
I'm glad the boy ran away
because that would have
been even rougher.
Knowing that I did
something good though,
because if it was her or the 30
of us that was standing there,
she was going
to blow us all up, so.
I feel like a bad person
saying this,
but for a long time
it felt like our lives
were revolving around him
and his journey.
And...
and now--and now things
are changing.
I think there's more...
I think we've had
some victories.
I wish there was more support,
but people don't want
to know the truth.
They don't want to think about,
when you pick up a gun
and shoot,
I think the bullet moves
both ways.
And I think that part of Lou,
I can't--
I can't understand
and I'll never understand.
How could I?
And that makes me feel
all kinds of ways.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Hey, sorry I'm not in there.
Did you get a chance
to talk to people?
Yeah, I did. Yeah.
I'm gonna take off, but,
I'm headed to Glendale tomorrow
to see the Khachaturians.
You're seeing them?
I'll see if this is something
they'd be up for.
There's no guarantees, Lou,
but I'll ask them.
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Get home safe.
Stop, stop, stop.
Okay.
Any further
and you will fall in.
-There is a hole.
-Ah, I didn't see it.
Uh, hi. Nice to meet you.
I'm Michael.
-Asaad. Nora's husband.
-Asaad.
Oh. Hey.
-Hello.
-Hello.
Good to see you. And here.
I know. How many years?
And you're married!
Ten since we were in Iraq.
So before then.
And she multiplied.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
We have two children
there inside.
-Ah, congratulations.
-Thank you.
-Shall we?
-Yes, sure.
Thank you.
How did you two meet?
Oh.
Tell him.
We met at the hospital.
Asaad was there with burns,
and he heard me screaming
from pain,
so he bribed the doctor
to give me medicine.
Such a romance.
And you all came here together?
Yeah, first to Syria, then here.
And is your sister--
is she here?
No, she went to Jordan.
No, no, to Lebanon.
Oh, Lebanon.
And your grandson,
he was an infant, yeah?
He's a teenager now.
And what is it like for you
to live here in America?
It's nice.
It's good. It's good.
I mean, the children are happy.
It's safe, so I'm happy.
Good.
I'm going to work for Uber Eats.
Oh, we talk about that.
No, you will not.
No need for that.
I have money.
- No need.
- No need.
He says this, but I'm going
to do it anyways.
How's life for you?
I have the church, the children.
Do you go back to Iraq?
Not for a while.
It went from bad to worse.
It's okay. Enough of us.
How are you?
I'm busy with work.
And your wife?
Oh, we-- we divorced
years ago during the war.
I can't believe that you
remembered I was even married.
We were very surprised
to hear from you.
Yeah. As you know,
I was contacted by someone
who would like to meet you.
We sent him a message.
I mean, Nora did.
I know that really meant a lot.
Uh, but for what it's worth,
I think that--
he would really like
to meet you in person.
You know something?
These two are so nice.
They want to give him peace.
I'd rather kill him
than invite him to my house.
Why meet? What for?
What's more to say?
Honestly, when he first
reached out, I was afraid.
I think he wants to kill us.
Finish us off.
I sent him a message just so
he won't bother us anymore.
But after, I think about him.
I fear he could do something
to himself.
You have done enough,
and we talked about that also
Sorry, it hasn't been easy
to move forward.
We don't want to look back.
I don't know.
- Hello.
- Lou?
- Hi.
- Yeah.
I'm headed back
but I just heard from them.
They said that they'll meet you.
Oh.
Yeah.
Excuse me. Sorry.
Um, sorry.
Lou had to step away,
but he's glad.
Okay, I'll be in touch.
Okay, thank you.
See you. Bye.
...giving me this time,
I'm really sorry for your loss.
...unsure when to eat
or what to do.
I just care for Nora.
It's so quiet now.
Everything is so silent.
I used to like this.
Silence is the language of God.
Someone said this.
Yeah.
Not anymore.
I can't hear anything
anymore in silence.
Do you know this feeling?
You ready?
Ready.
Where is it now?
It's just down here
on the right.
-Is that it?
-Yep.
- Oh oh!
- Oh, Jesus.
Sorry.
-Ready?
-Yeah.
Mom.
Mom!
But it also reminds
us of the good news
that God has made it
possible for us
to be reconciled
to Him through Jesus.
The Bible says
that those sacrifices
are an annual reminder of sins.
- Hello.
- Hi, hi.
-Come in.
-Thank you.
Good to see you.
Hi.
Okay... okay. Come in.
Nice to meet you.
Hi, I'm Nora.
This is my husband, Asaad.
Thank you for having us.
Sit down.
Mm. Yeah.
Where should we sit?
Wherever. Here?
It's nice to see you again.
We will have some
tea and cookies.
Oh. Thank you.
You have a lovely home.
Thank you.
Have you been here long?
We've been living in this house
for the last 10 years.
Hmm.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much.
It's very good.
Where do you come from?
San Diego.
It's where I live now.
It's just a few hours away.
Um, how did you end up
in Glendale?
My husband has family here.
So after--
after we left Iraq,
we came to set up with them.
Mm.
Well, I would like
to thank you for allowing us--
me to be here today.
It means a lot.
I just wanted the opportunity
to just, yeah, to meet you.
It felt strange not to,
you know?
I guess I sort of said a lot
of it in that video,
but I hadn't been doing too well
after my time,
and after some especially
bad days,
I stumbled across Mi--
Michael's article about you all.
And I decided I needed
to find you so I could explain.
Excuse me.
I guess I just wanted
you to know that I hadn't--
I had no idea who was driving
the cars that day.
The Iraqi militia had been
hijacking cars,
so we were sent to a rooftop
and told to fire
on any vehicles.
If I had known,
I would have never--
I'm so sorry.
We've cried out all our tears.
We have none left.
Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry.
I'm just having trouble, uh,
pulling it together.
Listen.
We want to give you
everything you need
to move on.
So...
We forgive you.
Right, Nora?
We forgive.
We forgive you.
That's what you
need from us, right?
Is it better now?
Do you feel better?
We don't want you
to suffer over this.
We suffered enough.
No more suffering.
Yeah, I understand.
I know from the story
and everything,
but I would like to hear
what happened that day for you,
if you're open to it.
I lost my husband.
And my two sons.
One of them left behind a wife
with an infant boy
who will never know his father.
Nora's shoulder was shattered
by the bullet,
and she's been
taking medications ever since.
And I've been on sleeping pills
for the last 15 years.
Otherwise,
I will never sleep again.
That is what happened to us.
Sorry.
I'm not saying this
to make you feel bad,
but that's really
what happened to us.
I truly wish
I could trade places
with your husband and sons.
I wish I could too.
I'm so sorry.
I just need a minute to, um,
to pull myself together.
Is there a place
where I could smoke?
Yes. Follow me.
Yeah. Excuse me. All right.
Are you all right?
Yeah.
Might just borrow
the restroom if I may.
Oh, yeah.
Through there, to the right.
Sure. Thank you.
Sorry about that.
It's okay.
What do you do for work?
I have trucking company.
I drive.
Is that what you did in Iraq?
No. I worked with Reuters.
Took pictures.
You?
Oh, I'm in law school.
Baba, leave that alone.
Don't touch it, please. Yeah?
Such bad boys.
It's great you got the yard.
More projects. But I like it.
You building something?
Actually, I'm trying to plant
some cherry tomatoes.
We want to give him
what he needs to get better.
He's a sad person.
I keep thinking about Nicky.
He reminds me of him.
I don't know why.
There is something.
He... he reminds you
of your son?
Sometimes Nicky.
Sometimes the person
who killed Nicky.
Uh-- are you okay?
Yeah, yeah.
This is the neighbor
from next door.
Did he just come by?
Was that him?
Yes, he banged on the door.
I think he has a problem
with our presence.
Are you happy now?
- What is his issue?
- Are you satisfied?
We don't know.
I mean, he doesn't
like us here, I guess.
He's a menace.
Have you, uh,
considered a restraining order?
What is that?
We don't have this in Iraq.
Well, in American courts,
if a person is harassing you,
you can file
a restraining order,
and that means that they're
forbidden from coming
within a certain amount of feet
of you and your children.
He lives six feet
away from us.
Actually, I don't think
that matters.
If he breaks the order
just to bang on your door,
he could be arrested.
Have you done one before?
I haven't, no. Um, but I could--
could help you with it.
It's very kind of you.
I'll get you some tea.
Thank you.
They want to sit outside.
Going to be quieter.
- Please.
- Thank you.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
There's really lots
of good restaurants.
- You want more water?
- I'm good, thank you.
The one with the red awning,
what was it called?
Um, Hunters.
-Yes.
-Yeah.
Hunters,
I think, in English.
It's an Iraqi restaurant
that does fish.
The street fish
in Baghdad
is better than any
I've eaten in the world.
-It's amazing, really.
-I miss it so much.
Do you go back to Iraq?
No, not really.
It's gangsters in power now.
They're fighting.
They're fighting all the time.
Well, I read online
that Iraqi civil activists
are starting to call
for the end of a--
I don't know
if I pronounce it correctly.
-It's Muhas--?
-Muhasasa.
I read that too.
I mean, if they are talking
about it online
and no one stops them,
maybe the revolution will come.
- This man and his phone.
- Yeah.
Do you want the Wi-Fi password?
I can help you.
I leave for Yemen tomorrow so
they're calling about flights.
I'm sorry. Do this later.
What are you doing?
No, please, leave it.
- Is it all right?
- Sit down, please.
May I?
Thank you, thank you.
Michael, more tea?
Uh, the tea is good,
although this is really just--
You don't have to do this.
Oh, no. I'm happy to wash them.
But it's okay.
If it's all right, I'd like to.
Okay. I won't take that
from you.
You can go outside.
You don't have to stay.
It's okay. I'll take the moment.
Get some quiet.
- Do you--
- Please.
Don't say anything.
Why don't you go outside?
You don't have to dry.
Yeah, are you sure?
Yeah.
And when's the next flight?
Sure, yeah. I understand.
Call me back. Thanks.
Hurry up. Come on.
Hey, hey. Don't go.
Yeah, well,
you get so much sun.
It seems like the sun's
coming east to west here.
- Yeah.
- Joseph, Sam.
I made it.
Come on. Hurry up.
Here. Drink yours
and one cookie only, okay?
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
Uh, Michael...
Got a...
This is the shed
for the cherry tomatoes.
Yup.
Yeah. I'll have you--
Maybe... actually,
maybe just a tiny... yeah. Nice.
Okay, here we go.
And that was nice.
Let me just--
Please. Please. No more.
Okay.
Can I see the photo?
Oh, we have to take the kids
to their swimming lesson today.
Yes, take them.
I have some work.
Yeah,
I'm taking them at five.
So the car with you?
Yes, I have the car.
What about you guys?
What are you gonna do?
Well, I guess
we'll head out out
at some point, you know.
- Yeah.
- Going back to San Diego?
- Yep.
- Are you going with him?
Uh, yeah,
we're gonna travel back.
Drivin' right back
with Michael,
probably two and a half hours,
three hours' drive.
That's not long.
Got a couple of meetings
in the morning.
Yeah.
Always nice to see you.
Thank you. Nora, thank you.
Thank you for having us.
I have your number,
you have mine,
and I'll be in contact
next week about your neighbor.
Thank you.
Asaad, thank you so much
for having us.
- Welcome.
- Take care.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Michael.
- Be in contact.
- Thank you.
Sure, sure.
We'll keep in touch.
-Talk to you soon.
-Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- -I appreciate your visit.
...call or take the picture.
Sorry, it must have
fallen out somewhere,
maybe when I pulled
my phone out.
What happened?
He can't find his rental key.
Oh, he looked all over
the cushions. I don't know.
Come, we'll look for it.
Come, guys.
-Leave this here.
-Hey, buddy.
- Nothing in the bathroom.
- -Check over here,
- see if there's keys--
- Yeah, it could have
been when I pulled my phone out
to take the call
or take the picture.
Were you over here, Michael?
Uh, I think I was everywhere.
No keys.
What does it look like?
Uh, it was like a little fob,
a little plastic fob.
Come on, Michael,
if you want to stay more,
- just tell us.
- Yeah.
Nothing here.