Pokot (2017) Movie Script
In our horoscopes, the date of birth
also points to the date of death.
It's a law of nature:
all who are born must die.
Some areas in our charts
can tell us when and how we'll die.
You just have to know where to look...
For Weronka
SPOOR
What is it, girls?
What are you after? Lea! Bialka!
You wake me up to take you out, huh?
It's unfair.
Who wants to jump? You jealous thing!
Jump!
Jump, baby!
Bialka!
Come on, girls! Get it!
Bialka! Lea!
I didn't know it was you.
Got a tow hook in that piece of crap?
Get in if you want. I'll take you home.
And what about my truck?
Too heavy for this piece of crap.
And no reception here either.
Shit!
Hello?
Hello?
I'm at the farmhouse.
So borrow it from someone!
Hurry up, will you?
I want to shoot today.
You're home.
You're not coming?
I'll go straight to the store.
Ms. Duszejko will take me.
I hope he at least pays you well.
It's a full time job with health benefits.
You'd get the same elsewhere.
Really? Like where?
In this hick town?
You can always leave.
- I can't leave.
I have to live here and work.
Why's that?
I called her "Good News."
She looked like she came
from a better world
to learn about all our sins.
It's true.
Her life was bitter and hard.
But she has a conjunction
of Venus and Jupiter
where law meets love.
And she's not a bad girl.
She's like Blake's apple tree,
who never asks the beech
how he shall grow.
Goodbye!
- See you Wednesday!
Lea!
Bialka! Girls!
I brought you a treat!
Bialka?
Lea?
Lea!
Lea! Bialka!
Lea!
Bialka!
Lea!
Come on, girls!
Girls!
Ms. Duszejko!
Ms. Duszejko, over here!
What do you want?
I'll report it to the police.
Get lost, you old bag.
I will report it!
Good morning.
- Good morning, Amela.
Ms. Duszejko!
What are we going to do today?
Did you bring sparklers?
She came back very late.
Shoes wet, coat filthy!
It won't happen again.
Yeah, right!
You follow like a sheep, like your mother!
Your name is Wolski, remember!
Did you find your dogs, Ms. Duszejko?
Janina!
Is it true? Children, go to the classroom!
Did you take them into the forest?
At night?
A field trip, in English.
It was early evening.
Are you crazy?
They got wet, tore their clothes.
The parents are livid. Unacceptable!
Mayor Wolski came to complain...
Anyway, he also took some pictures
of our performance.
Have the kids hang them up
instead of running around.
Some parents like field trips.
Children can learn everywhere.
Janina!
- Please, don't call me by that name.
There are limits. This is a warning.
You've been with us only for two semesters.
Don't ruin your reputation.
This is your chance.
It's not easy at your age.
Here you go.
Back to the classroom!
DECEMBER - hunting season for deer,
roe deer, wild boar, fox, hare, pheasant
My dogs are still missing.
Two months now.
I let them out at dawn, as usual,
but they never came back.
It's been very hard for me, you know.
I put up
tons of posters, looked all over.
They were my closest friends.
My family.
My daughters.
- Don't blaspheme.
Never speak of dogs as your daughters.
Stop crying and pray instead.
It will comfort you.
Let me show you something.
The resting place for my other animals.
Almost all killed by hunters.
My dogs...
Do you think...
? they could've been shot, too?
I wish I could at least bury them.
You can't treat animals like people.
It's a sin,
and those cemeteries: human pride.
God made animals subject to man.
That's the order of things.
But He didn't give us the right to kill.
Thou shalt not kill.
That refers to humans, not animals.
It doesn't specify that.
The commandments apply to people.
What should I do, Father?
Do you know?
Pray.
For them?
For my dogs?
For yourself.
Animals don't have souls.
They're not immortal and can't be saved.
Pray for yourself.
Open up!
Our neighbor is dead.
Come with me.
Which neighbor?
The one you call Big Leg.
Big Foot.
- Right.
Let me get dressed.
Let's go.
What do you mean, he's dead?
- It's not a pretty sight.
Look!
Roe deer!
What are they doing here?
From the Czech side.
Not scared at all!
Shoo! Go home.
I told you. It's not a pretty sight.
Call the police.
There's no reception here.
You need to climb up the hill.
Don't touch him!
Grab his feet.
- What for?
We can't leave a neighbor like this.
Let's lift him up!
Pull off his pants.
Quick.
Shit.
We've got to wash him!
Wait.
Something's stuck here.
What is it?
- A bone.
I'll go call the cops.
He's not worth your tears.
I once reported him to the police.
He was a cruel poacher.
And?
Nothing. They didn't respond.
You mean, it's good that he's dead?
Drink up.
You trust authorities too much.
You need to take matters in your own hands.
Come on, sing!
The priest says it's okay.
Okay to poach? He said that?
A priest can approve of hunting, at most.
You're good guys! How could you?
You get drunk and set snares.
Hello!
How are you doing?
- Hi.
Hi, Dad.
- Dad?
Prosecutor Swierszczynski.
Why did you move the body?
Should I have left him on the floor?
You would've done the same.
Never tamper with a crime scene!
Don't you watch TV?
He was a poacher.
You could be charged
with obstructing justice.
I'll need your statements.
Better prepare yourself, Dad.
No nonsense this time.
Sir!
- Excuse me.
What was your relationship?
- None.
Three times I reported him, and no reply.
Right. You reported him for...
? for...
? poaching.
- That's right.
I called him Big Foot.
He was my neighbor.
I picked up snares he set.
I wrote to you, too,
but you never responded.
He worked at Wnetrzak's farm.
You know what they do to animals there!
I wrote about that, too.
He was extremely dangerous.
Should've been rendered harmless long ago.
What do you mean, "render harmless"?
Arrested, of course.
That man was setting snares.
Set meadows on fire in spring.
Kept his dog locked in a shed
for weeks on end.
The dog howled,
it was freezing.
Later it starved to death!
I pleaded with the police in my letters
to seize the dog and punish him.
People go to jail for this!
It's true we were slow to react.
I can only apologize.
It was only a dog, you know.
You live in the country,
what do you expect?
We keep our dogs chained.
If it bothers you,
contact those animal rights groups.
Why involve us?
It's your job!
- Don't tell me what my job is.
I know the law!
To wrap it up, you had nothing to do
with this man you call "Big Foot"?
Right. It's all in my statement.
You only found the body, right?
He was a bad man, he set snares!
As a hunter, you should be outraged!
I am outraged, ma'am.
But you didn't even lift a finger.
We're done here.
Please wait outside to sign.
What's your birth date?
Why?
- I'm trying to understand you.
One's horoscope can be helpful.
I turned 45 on Sunday.
Is the police chief in?
Got me figured out now?
You have a minute?
- Sure. Come in.
Please wait outside, Ms. Duszenko.
Duszejko!
- Right.
Show the lady out.
Have a seat.
The chair fell over.
Coffee?
- Why not.
Make us some coffee, will you.
Shut the door!
You're here about the money.
You're broke, right?
HUNTER'S CALENDAR
? plan to meet outside town...
How can I make people
keep their mouths shut?
I want it all now.
- Give me a couple more months.
Forget it.
- I can't do it now.
Wait!
For what? Your fucking coffee?
Have I ever let you down?
What the fuck is this?
Don't yell at me, okay?
- Sorry, Jarek.
Where's that coffee?
Jarek, talk to me!
Watch it.
Or you'll regret it.
What are you doing here?
You told me to wait.
I thought you needed me.
No, you're not needed at all.
Hello there!
You're so thin. Do you ever eat?
Thank you.
Look, I tore my jacket.
Feathers are coming out.
I wonder what kind of ducks they used.
They pluck them alive, you know.
Try these stick-on patches.
Or I'll find you another one, without down.
No, I'll keep this one.
The ducks already suffered...
And the color is so vibrant.
Excuse me.
What do you want now?
Leave me alone, you hear me?
Oh, how beautiful!
You think it would suit me?
How much is it?
But what do I need a wolf costume for?
How about thirty?
You shouldn't go running to him
every time he whistles.
Do I have a choice? He's my boss.
And he's not so bad.
He helped me move house.
Brought my clothes and books here.
- You left home?
Yes, he lets me stay here, in the back.
Should I call an ambulance?
- No, wait!
What happened?
You had a seizure and fell down.
Do you want us to call a doctor?
I know a really good one.
No, no need.
I'm used to this.
See, my medication.
You'd better go.
Use the back door.
Come on, let's go.
Can I speak to Jasiek?
His sister.
To wish him a merry Christmas.
It's not a problem, is it?
What do you mean?
Impossible! It must be a misunderstanding.
Is your name Maria Cicha?
Yes, I'm his sister.
That's right.
Your name's on the court order.
Please! He's still a kid.
Out of the question.
All right. I'll clear it up.
Good. Call us then.
At least give him a hug from me.
Merry Christmas.
JANUARY - hunting season for wild boar,
polecat, marten, fox, muskrat, pheasant
Get out of here!
Get out or I'll call the police!
Stop!
- Get out!
Go away, we're shooting here.
You mustn't shoot at animals!
They're living creatures!
Please, ma'am!
We're just shooting pheasants!
You've got some nerve.
- Let go of me!
Where are your manners, lady?
At your age?
Poor woman.
She's off her rocker.
Enough.
I made it myself, to thank you.
For what?
I could've lost my job.
- Take off your coat.
I work for the police as an IT specialist.
They got EU funding for a system upgrade.
I've been there for only two months now.
They could fire me if they found out
about my seizures, ma'am.
Drop this "ma'am," will you?
I went to Berlin, right after college.
Got a great job there.
Call me Duszejko.
Duszejko?
Have a seat.
And your first name?
- I don't use it.
What kind of job was it?
Coding. Programming secure websites.
But I lied about my health.
I had a seizure at the office
and they found out.
People are afraid of people like me.
Tell me about it.
I heard you teach English?
Only part-time, but it keeps me busy.
I'm retired,
but I can't sit and do nothing.
I'm not actually qualified to teach.
I learned English in Syria and Libya.
I was building bridges there.
- Really?
One was a real work of art.
Let me show you.
Here it is.
Wow!
Impressive.
I'm pretty sure you could help me.
Ever heard of Blake?
- William? -Yes.
I'd like to translate him.
Three of his four Polish translators
lived in this valley.
Coincidence?
- Who knows? It's so...
gloomy in this area...
Listen, the English is archaic
and I'm clueless.
I travel'd thro' a Land of Men
This is what I have:
I traversed a land of people,
A land of men and women too,
hearing and seeing things more horrible
Than any human ever knew.
Why not "roamed" instead of "traversed"?
I roamed through a land of people...
And avoid repeating "land."
What rhymes with "land"?
Sand - hand - brand...
No, we're getting nowhere.
What's that?
What do you mean?
- Seems weird.
Where?
Look. It's not moving.
Maybe someone needs help?
Last week the mailman got snowed in.
Exaggerating as always.
Did you hear what he said?
That the wound on his leg was a hare bite!
It's the police chief's Land Rover.
Impossible. At this hour?
Look here, in the snow.
Deer tracks.
Somebody's there!
He may still be alive.
It's the police chief.
Call the station.
You have your phone?
I left it at home. Use yours.
No, I can't get mixed up in this.
- May I?
What are you doing?
Taking a photo of the tracks.
What tracks? He's dead!
What's the matter with you?
Animals.
Please sign here, Mr. Wolski.
This is for you, Mr. Wnetrzak.
Ms. Duszejko!
Did you find your dogs?
- Unfortunately not.
You want me to sign?
I've delivered lots of these.
One for Swierszcznski, too.
A bunch for the police chief's buddies.
Greedy mother fuckers!
Including Wnetrzak.
He got his summons too.
You really think he got rich
on that thrift store?
Or fox farming? Bullshit.
It's all a front!
He runs a casino-brothel at home.
Those guys gamble fortunes away.
The police chief did business with him
and visited his whores.
Girls from Romania, Chechnya, Ukraine.
He keeps them in his basement.
Local girls too.
Like the girl from his store.
Bastard, he must have something on her.
I know she's a nice girl.
You have an imagination.
- Yeah.
Well, we'll see.
How could the chief
afford that car on a cop's salary?
Power goes to your head
and you lose your sense of decency.
We used to be friends.
Even played soccer together.
But he became a big shot
and started ignoring me.
I was just a mailman.
My moped against his Jeep Cherokee!
Land Rover Discovery.
Whatever. Who gives a shit?
The poor bastard is dead.
Just a moment.
Take this for Swierszcznski.
And sign for him.
I'm in a hurry.
Thanks. Good day.
Damn.
Why not live on the freaking moon?!
Police summons.
You ever drive that car?
Never seen you at the wheel.
You crazy? On these roads?
Please come in.
Some coffee?
How about tea?
I have great coffee.
Fine.
Polish Mushroom Pickers Union?
Mushrooms are probably
the only thing that brings Poles together.
Individual activity.
Very competitive. Zero cooperation.
And everyone keeps their mouths shut
about the best mushroom areas.
That's right.
Your first name starts with the letter S.
What is it?
Swietopelk
- Holy moly!
My father's idea.
To spite my mother.
It's a bit of a tongue twister
and she was an ethnic German.
But from here.
They found traces
of animal blood on the chief's head.
Pretty strange, isn't it?
- Like I said!
Look, magpies!
Magpies can start fires.
They stash bright things in their nests.
Even cigarette butts.
The nest catches fire,
then it spreads to the house.
Better go. It's getting cold.
Thanks.
What are you doing here?
Fuckers turned me down again.
Six times! It's no accident.
What are you talking about?
- My brother. He's in an orphanage.
I want custody.
My dad's a drunk and abuses him.
Mother cries all day.
I almost got him,
but someone told the cops that I'm unfit.
What?
- My lifestyle, drugs, no place to live.
Nonsense. You're a good person.
It's true you have no place to live
but why don't you move in with me?
I'll confirm. Show me where to sign.
Thanks, but I can manage.
You're right, it was him.
Wnetrzak reported you twice.
I'll kill the bastard.
We can't talk here.
Stop by my place tonight, for cake.
I expected to see a policeman,
but it's you.
Well, it's nice to see you.
How's your dad? Very interesting man.
Get to the point, Ms. Duszenko.
- Duszejko.
Did you see anything suspicious
at the crime scene?
Yes. Tracks.
- What kind of tracks?
I already told the police.
Hoof prints from roe deer.
Barely visible when the policemen arrived
because of the sleet.
But I saw plenty of them.
Small, round prints.
What do you make of it?
Who might have left them?
Animals, who else?
It's a shame they can't be questioned.
I'm sure they would tell us quite a story.
I'm interested in astrology.
As a hobby.
I did a birth chart for the police chief.
Revealing stuff.
- Any footprints?
Not that I noticed.
The police chief's animal sign's in Saturn,
his ruling Ascendant in Aries.
That means death by a blow to the head
caused by an animal.
Come on in!
Hi.
This is my place.
I bought three glasses for the occasion.
Thank you.
Where do you sleep?
On this sofa bed.
I'm a minimalist.
Living a vagabond life has taught me
not to own too many things.
Just eighty items, no more.
It makes me feel free.
- Only eighty?
And what are they?
Please sit down.
I have an electric toothbrush,
a dental guard in a box,
a bar of soap, soap dish, nail clippers,
a fast-drying towel...
- I'm a magnet for stuff.
I keep everything I find.
The more useless, the better.
And Matoga is a collector.
- Who?
My neighbor. I call him that.
You all right?
- I'm okay.
He keeps his things well-organized
and knows what each one is good for.
For instance,
he has a strawberry stem remover.
Can you imagine?
And a lemon slice server. Stuff like that.
He may have
testosterone-related autism.
What?
Men develop it as they age.
They isolate themselves,
stop communicating,
lose their social skills.
Start reading about WWII and Hitler.
Yeah, that's quite common.
- That's right.
Tastes good!
Thanks.
I made it myself.
My grandma's recipe.
She taught me this rhyme:
"When I was a tot,
my hands smelled like snot..."
Good people, like Dyzio,
they grow up slowly.
Later from an extended childhood
they pass directly into old age.
That's the effect of Mercury
in their charts.
They are active, curious loners.
Is this what you do?
Wow, even my store's here!
I'm working on a remote control system
for the town's street lights.
It saves energy,
over 30 percent a year.
Let me show you something.
You have the world in your control!
I can even activate an alarm...
Wait! Zoom in on this.
...two meters of snow,
5 AM, cold as hell...
Wait, Duszejko's coming.
Watch, this'll be a riot...
I'd like to report a murder.
Murder?
- It's a young wild boar.
Off-season hunting.
- Some coffee?
Have a look.
This is March.
Boar hunting is forbidden.
Although logically it makes no sense:
You're allowed to kill someone
on February 28th,
but the next day you're not.
It's absurd.
He died an agonizing death.
Had been shot through the lungs.
Calm down.
What do you expect us to do?
Track down the perpetrators,
punish them, ban hunting.
They even shoot dogs.
Stray dogs can kill animals too.
It's legal to shoot dogs
if they are on the loose.
You have dogs, too, don't you?
Last year we had complaints about them.
I don't have them anymore.
I always wonder why old women, I mean...
why women your age are so
worried about animal welfare.
Don't they have enough people
to take care of?
My grandma has seven cats,
but she still feeds
all the strays in the area.
What's this?
What the hell are you doing?
These are the remains.
I keep them... in boxes,
neatly labeled.
Fur and bones.
One day it'll be possible
to clone all those murdered animals.
And that could be a form of reparations.
Holy shit.
You're a real trip, lady.
The sight of blood puts you off?
But you don't mind blood sausage, do you?
In the middle of the road?
Hello!
Ms. Duszejko? Wnetrzak has disappeared.
His guard called me. He moved his foxes.
Or someone stole them.
He'd never let them out himself.
Maybe he had no choice.
He should've been at the store
to do inventory this morning.
When he didn't show up
I tried calling him, but his phone was off.
He'll be back.
Maybe he's off hunting.
It's not like him to just disappear.
Maybe someone was after him?
JUNE - hunting season for roe deer,
wild boar, fox, raccoon dog
They printed it! Look!
Let me see.
What happened?
Oh, just too much sun.
A full-fledged translator!
Great!
Unfuckingbelievable!
I found a body.
Dead man in the forest.
Stay away from me!
Who are you?
A Czech entomologist.
I study the Cucujus haematodes...
What?
- Never mind. There's a dead man over there!
Cucujus is a kind of insect.
You have a phone?
We must call the police.
My battery died yesterday.
There's an old corpse in the forest.
My name? Boros Schneider.
Where am I? By the fox farm.
Off the road, in a ditch.
We'll wait. A woman is here too.
We have to wait here.
Do you want to see it?
Gladly.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Are you from the Valley?
I'm from Olomouc, from the university.
It looks like it's been here
a few months.
I know because I study insects
that eat saprophytes,
organisms that feed on dead matter.
Quite a profession you have!
Crushed to death.
Wild boars trampled him.
Did you know that you live
in Europe's southernmost habitat
of the Cucujus haematodes.
Really?
What does it look like?
Like this.
I've seen them before.
- Just imagine,
your state forest officials have no idea
that article 12
of the EU Habitats Directive
calls for all member states
to protect reproductive habitats.
They permit the logging of trees
in which insects have laid eggs.
Later, those eggs will hatch into larvae.
The larvae end up in a sawmill and die.
And all this destruction passes unnoticed.
Every log around these forests is full
of Cucujus haematodes larvae.
They log the trees,
then burn the branches
which are full of larvae!
It's a holocaust.
And nobody knows about it.
Call me Duszejko.
Schneider. Boros.
Hi.
Boros.
Well...
I'll come some other time.
What happened?
Nothing,
I'm going to pour
a concrete floor
and may need a hand.
No problem, we'll help you, Boros too.
Schneider.
Swierszczyriski.
- Matoga's my neighbor.
Drop by tonight. We're having a party.
What is it?
- A concrete floor.
Good heavens.
My first joint in twenty years.
I never finished
telling you about my name...
It's not such a bad name, Swietopelk...
It's a pretty name.
Maybe.
But my mother couldn't pronounce it.
Her father was forced to stay here
after the war.
He was an engineer and a mining expert.
When the Poles came after the war,
they had no clue how things worked.
So he had to work for them.
His family couldn't leave either.
My mother ended up marrying
a young Polish engineer,
and I was born.
One summer, she ran off to Germany.
Why?
My father had been in a concentration camp.
He hated the Germans
more than anything.
People usually marry for love,
but he married out of hate.
He was a difficult man.
Uncompromising, hard.
Next to him, we're as soft as jellyfish.
After my mother fled,
he mostly stayed in the cellar.
We had a big cellar in our house.
At work, he went down in the mines,
and at home, down in the cellar.
I didn't see much of him.
He just ignored me.
I lied.
My mother didn't run off to Germany.
She hanged herself at home.
I've never told anyone this before.
My head's spinning.
The mushroom pickers are having
a costume party in August.
Would you join me?
I have a wolf costume.
Wolf?
Come in!
Are you asleep?
Are you religious?
- Yes. I'm an atheist.
Religion is a myth.
A comforting ritual.
Yeah.
Cetonia aurata...
The rose chafer.
And here - a Dendroxena.
Pretty name.
What if children were named after insects?
May I introduce Mr. Aesalus Scarabaeoides.
Ms. Drosophila Novak,
Ms. Corvus Duszejko.
Certain chemicals are almost identical
to natural pheromones.
Look,
if you smear this on a piece of wood,
female beetles will rush here
from all over the area to lay eggs.
Just a few drops is enough.
As simple as that?
- Yes.
Insects have an exceptional sense of smell.
Why can't humans smell like that?
Who told you they can't?
- I don't smell anything.
Maybe not consciously.
Your human hubris
leads you to believe in free will.
But there's no free will in nature.
Just pheromones and hormones.
And God is called the Selfish Gene.
Do you believe in evolution?
Are you kidding me?
I'm surprised people believe that crap,
about determinism.
They don't believe in astrology,
that planets influence us,
but they believe micro-genes
determine our choices.
Duszejko!
They arrested her! She's in jail!
Get changed and let's go!
It was her text messages.
Evidently she was the last one
to see him alive.
What's going on? Who?
- They arrested Good News.
They suspect her of killing Wnetrzak.
That's insane! Oh, God!
I can't get involved. Can't go with you.
Why not?
The police can't know they're friends,
that Dyzio is involved.
But why her?
Can texts be evidence?
Everybody texts.
But she threatened him!
She asked for Nivea cream and Ibuprofen.
They found some material at the scene,
probably from her store.
You coming with? Is he coming?
What about her brother? And the store?
Who cares?
She could be charged with murder!
Shit.
I'll tell them that I killed him.
Take it easy.
It won't help,
and they'll think you're crazy.
They think that anyway.
Nobody will believe you.
Turn on your brain, okay?
Okay.
Stay cool. I'll drop off this stuff.
May I?
I'd like to add something to my statement.
Ms. Duszenko...
- Duszejko.
Right. As you see, I'm very busy.
I'd like to testify about Wnetrzak's death.
Please, come in.
Go ahead.
Remember those deer hoof prints
near the police chief's body?
Pretty odd, right?
Just like the circumstances
of Wnetrzak's horrible death.
I think
you should seriously consider
another hypothesis.
They were killed by animals.
Ms. Duszejko...
- Why are you opposed to the idea?
They were all hunters!
Wnetrzak skinned foxes alive
with the law on his side!
He made them suffer
until they could take no more.
And took revenge!
Please. Think about it.
Animals are being killed with impunity.
The law protects the murderers!
Hunters, butchers.
The crime was made legal,
so everyone just accepts it.
You walk past butcher stores and see meat.
But it's someone's quartered body!
Ms. Duszejko, please...
It's not unheard of.
This wouldn't be
the first murder by an animal.
I read a whole list on the Internet.
Back in 846, a swarm of bees
stung a man to death.
Those bees were then convicted
by a regular human court!
In the early 1300s,
pigs killed and ate a child.
Again, the sow was tried and executed.
History has seen many trials of animals.
In Italy caterpillars
ate an entire vineyard.
But why dig so far back?
Bird flu, does it ring a bell?
That pandemic spreading worldwide?
It's a sophisticated form of revenge
for what we do to animals.
For the way we fatten them
to satisfy our cannibalism.
For factory farms and assembly line murder!
Ms. Duszejko, please calm down.
We will give it some thought. Thank you.
You're not taking me seriously, are you?
You want to get rid of me,
just like the others did.
I keep writing you letters,
but you never reply.
Although you're legally bound to.
You don't even read them, right?
If you did, you wouldn't have
arrested Good News.
Who?
Why do you always punish the ones
who are kind and weak?
Your father was in jail too, right?
He never told me,
I figured it out from his horoscope.
And you didn't help him.
You know why he was in jail?
For terrorism.
He attempted to blow up
a health insurance agency.
Why?
He blamed them for my mother's death.
They refused to pay
for her expensive treatment abroad.
He should have known better.
Violence doesn't bring back the dead.
Your father is a brave, wonderful man.
No need to worry about him.
He means no harm, trust me.
You said that I didn't help him.
You think it was easy to convince the court
that it was just a nervous breakdown?
That he was legally insane?
Where were you?
I thought you got arrested, too.
So did you find out anything?
Is there any way to help her?
The way serial killings work,
they'll release her
as soon as the next victim turns up.
Yeah,
that makes sense.
Do you have to leave tomorrow?
Yes. I have exams.
Then field research all summer long.
Cucujus haematodes?
- No. I'm done with them.
AUGUST - hunting season for deer,
roe deer, wild boar, duck, pigeon
Maybe I need more color here.
Wait.
Now you'll have two red cheeks.
Let me see.
Super!
You'll be the Queen of the Ball.
What's that?
A cooler.
What for?
You're driving.
What's all this stuff for?
It looks like an army vehicle.
When you live alone,
you have to be self-sufficient.
I got stuck in snow too many times.
Wait, my tail!
Ready?
- Yes. Off we go!
Take the keys and get the fuck out of here!
Wait for me in the fucking car,
you hear me?
What the fuck you looking at?
Get lost!
Are you all right?
You're my daughter's teacher,
Ms. Duszejko, right?
She adores you.
She's a very gifted girl.
Didn't you find the police chief's body?
Weren't you scared?
- Of course.
They were all his friends.
They hunted together,
then drank to the game count.
Game count.
They always count the prey afterwards.
He brings home a quarter deer
and dumps it on the table.
When I walk past the fridge
I know there's a quartered body inside.
I know I'm neurotic
and I need medical treatment.
Not at all.
I remember a story from when I was a child,
about the Night Hunter.
Do you know it?
It's a local legend,
dates back to the German times.
The Night Hunter flew on a black stork
accompanied by dogs.
He hunted evil people.
Everyone was terrified
and locked themselves inside.
And there was a local boy
who as a joke shouted up the chimney
for the Night Hunter
to catch something for him.
After a while a quarter human body
fell down the chimney.
Then another quarter, and another.
Altogether four pieces.
They put them together
and buried the body.
The Night Hunter never showed up again.
And his dogs turned into moss.
They turned into moss?
Go home.
I'll keep an eye on your husband
and give him a ride back home.
Take a hot bath, get some rest.
You're a nervous wreck.
Good morning!
- Morning.
Here's a summons. You need to testify.
I'll drop by later this week.
No, you have to come with us now.
What do you mean, now?
You may be the last person
to have seen our mayor alive.
I have a warrant for your arrest.
- Wolski?
But I couldn't find him after the party.
All right.
I'll go grab my toothbrush.
Most people were already leaving.
I went inside to check on him.
I assumed he'd passed out.
I checked the restrooms,
looked and asked around,
but no one knew where he was.
Who did you talk to?
- I don't remember.
Everyone was tipsy.
Some people were still wearing masks.
I assumed someone else
must have taken him back home.
I found my Samurai and we left, too.
Who's Samurai?
A good friend.
His last name, please.
Samurai Suzuki.
Ms. Duszenko...
- Duszejko.
Duszejko.
What's a Cucujus haematodes?
Excuse me?
Oh right. It's a beetle.
How do you know?
From that entomo...
That insect guy?
He's got nothing to do with it.
I know a lot from horoscopes.
Wolski had negative aspects
in his third house.
Which includes small animals and insects.
Let me explain.
Humans are just sparks,
not from this world.
When a creature is to be born,
that spark begins to fall.
Ms. Duszejko, really...
As it falls, each planet it passes
contaminates it with qualities.
First Pluto...
This is irrelevant...
As it falls, it crosses...
Ms. Duszejko...
Obviously you're an expert, but...
Yes, I've studied astrology for years.
That's enough. Thank you.
What's your birth date?
July.
And the day?
- Twenty-first.
What time?
- Eight o'clock.
What minute?
- I don't know.
Did you see that roe deer,
roe deer running down the hill?
Let your greyhounds off the lead
to chase the roe deer at full speed
to get it in the end.
Did you see that badger,
badger trotting through the grass?
Let your greyhounds off the lead
to chase the badger at full speed
to get it in the end.
Bankers pump it into their secret accounts,
the secret weapon.
From my blood the secret weapon is made
so it can be incarnated even better,
even more beautifully, without pain.
From my blood guzzled by priests
on podiums and in discreet negotiations.
My blood, and your blood too!
Even better!
Ms. Duszejko!
The performance will start after mass.
I play a badger.
What's the play about?
- St. Hubert.
He meets a stag in the forest.
And gets converted.
Brothers and sisters.
We've gathered here today
on this special occasion.
The naming of our school after St. Hubert,
the first known ecologist.
Although the word ecology
didn't exist back then.
Inspired by God,
St. Hubert made it his mission
to protect nature.
What would become of nature
without man's wisdom?
It would be chaos.
It's no accident that on this special day
we're joined here by our hunters.
They are your older brothers, children.
Hunters are God's ambassadors
to His Creation.
Cull hunting helps to maintain
the balance of nature.
They also care for animals,
feed them, build feed racks for deer...
And they shoot them at those racks too!
The Lord spoke to us humans...
Get down from there! C'mon!
Get off that pulpit right now and get out!
Ms. Duszejko.
- Please calm down!
What are you staring at?
Are you all fast asleep?
How can you listen to this bullshit?
Have you lost your minds?
Let go of me! Murderers!
Brothers and sisters!
Please don't let this ruin our special day.
It's to us humans that the Lord said,
"Subdue the earth."
"Subdue the earth..."
Please, don't do this to me now.
We've been best buddies for years.
You may be old,
but you've still got it in you!
Come on! Please!
Hello? It's me Duszejko!
Near the police chief, I found
a package addressed to Wnetrzak.
It looked like it was money.
Is it much farther?
Over there, in that cave.
Why so freaking far?
Didn't want the cops to find it.
- Where?
Over there.
Get away! Quick!
Run!
The bugs on Wolski's body...
Bugs?
He was killed by insects.
His body was covered with forest beetles.
You never met Boros.
He spoke of scents
called pheromones that attract insects.
He had them with him.
She was always around too.
And all the victims were hunters.
I just can't believe it...
Hello?
The church is on fire. The priest is dead.
Call Matoga.
Are you there?
Janina!
Don't call me Janina.
Even
One more photo over here!
It's too dark over there.
Okay, the light is good.
God bless him!
- Everyone smile!
Cheers!
Applause for the mayor!
Cheers!
That's what happened?
I found it at Big Foot's.
After his death.
He was outside making a call.
What about Wolski?
How did that happen?
I feel sick, Ms. Duszejko.
You shouldn't drink so much.
It's bad for you and you hurt your family.
True...
Get me out of here.
Help me, please.
I'll get you out of here.
You shot my dogs, didn't you?
Yes.
But...
I didn't know they were yours.
I'll get you two more.
Why are you crying?
Over me...
Here, drink this.
What is it?
Pheromones. It'll soothe you.
I'll take you home now.
Home? What home?
All right.
Let's go!
What do we do?
Take Dyzio's car and drive
over the mountains to Wolf Crossing.
We'll meet there.
Cover her with a blanket, just in case.
What are you doing?
Don't worry. We won't abandon you.
It's not you who started this war.
Oh fuck!
They're behind us?
No.
You two alive?
- Yes. Keep driving.
00 to 19, over!
Try to call.
- There's no service.
Now watch this.
I grew up in a time when people
wanted to change the world
with their revolutionary vision.
Now we only see the status quo
and think it will last forever.
But things will change again.
They always have.
When Uranus enters Aries, or...
Never mind.
Something new will happen
that we cannot predict.
A new cycle will begin...
and reality will be reborn.
Lunch is served!
Come and get it!
We'll go together after lunch.
The bees swarmed.
Help me get them off the tree?
Sure. What should we do?
- Prepare the hive.
It's in the shed.
But it needs scalding.
What's that?
- Steam cleaning.
Have you washed your hands?
I was working with my gloves on.
This dirty corncob
doesn't belong on the table.
Directed by
Written by
Based on the novel
"Drive Your Plough Over
the Bones of the Dead"
Script Consulting
Produced by
Co-produced by
Cinematography
Music
Editing
Production Design
Costume Design
Makeup
Sound
Production Manager
Casting
Co-producers
also points to the date of death.
It's a law of nature:
all who are born must die.
Some areas in our charts
can tell us when and how we'll die.
You just have to know where to look...
For Weronka
SPOOR
What is it, girls?
What are you after? Lea! Bialka!
You wake me up to take you out, huh?
It's unfair.
Who wants to jump? You jealous thing!
Jump!
Jump, baby!
Bialka!
Come on, girls! Get it!
Bialka! Lea!
I didn't know it was you.
Got a tow hook in that piece of crap?
Get in if you want. I'll take you home.
And what about my truck?
Too heavy for this piece of crap.
And no reception here either.
Shit!
Hello?
Hello?
I'm at the farmhouse.
So borrow it from someone!
Hurry up, will you?
I want to shoot today.
You're home.
You're not coming?
I'll go straight to the store.
Ms. Duszejko will take me.
I hope he at least pays you well.
It's a full time job with health benefits.
You'd get the same elsewhere.
Really? Like where?
In this hick town?
You can always leave.
- I can't leave.
I have to live here and work.
Why's that?
I called her "Good News."
She looked like she came
from a better world
to learn about all our sins.
It's true.
Her life was bitter and hard.
But she has a conjunction
of Venus and Jupiter
where law meets love.
And she's not a bad girl.
She's like Blake's apple tree,
who never asks the beech
how he shall grow.
Goodbye!
- See you Wednesday!
Lea!
Bialka! Girls!
I brought you a treat!
Bialka?
Lea?
Lea!
Lea! Bialka!
Lea!
Bialka!
Lea!
Come on, girls!
Girls!
Ms. Duszejko!
Ms. Duszejko, over here!
What do you want?
I'll report it to the police.
Get lost, you old bag.
I will report it!
Good morning.
- Good morning, Amela.
Ms. Duszejko!
What are we going to do today?
Did you bring sparklers?
She came back very late.
Shoes wet, coat filthy!
It won't happen again.
Yeah, right!
You follow like a sheep, like your mother!
Your name is Wolski, remember!
Did you find your dogs, Ms. Duszejko?
Janina!
Is it true? Children, go to the classroom!
Did you take them into the forest?
At night?
A field trip, in English.
It was early evening.
Are you crazy?
They got wet, tore their clothes.
The parents are livid. Unacceptable!
Mayor Wolski came to complain...
Anyway, he also took some pictures
of our performance.
Have the kids hang them up
instead of running around.
Some parents like field trips.
Children can learn everywhere.
Janina!
- Please, don't call me by that name.
There are limits. This is a warning.
You've been with us only for two semesters.
Don't ruin your reputation.
This is your chance.
It's not easy at your age.
Here you go.
Back to the classroom!
DECEMBER - hunting season for deer,
roe deer, wild boar, fox, hare, pheasant
My dogs are still missing.
Two months now.
I let them out at dawn, as usual,
but they never came back.
It's been very hard for me, you know.
I put up
tons of posters, looked all over.
They were my closest friends.
My family.
My daughters.
- Don't blaspheme.
Never speak of dogs as your daughters.
Stop crying and pray instead.
It will comfort you.
Let me show you something.
The resting place for my other animals.
Almost all killed by hunters.
My dogs...
Do you think...
? they could've been shot, too?
I wish I could at least bury them.
You can't treat animals like people.
It's a sin,
and those cemeteries: human pride.
God made animals subject to man.
That's the order of things.
But He didn't give us the right to kill.
Thou shalt not kill.
That refers to humans, not animals.
It doesn't specify that.
The commandments apply to people.
What should I do, Father?
Do you know?
Pray.
For them?
For my dogs?
For yourself.
Animals don't have souls.
They're not immortal and can't be saved.
Pray for yourself.
Open up!
Our neighbor is dead.
Come with me.
Which neighbor?
The one you call Big Leg.
Big Foot.
- Right.
Let me get dressed.
Let's go.
What do you mean, he's dead?
- It's not a pretty sight.
Look!
Roe deer!
What are they doing here?
From the Czech side.
Not scared at all!
Shoo! Go home.
I told you. It's not a pretty sight.
Call the police.
There's no reception here.
You need to climb up the hill.
Don't touch him!
Grab his feet.
- What for?
We can't leave a neighbor like this.
Let's lift him up!
Pull off his pants.
Quick.
Shit.
We've got to wash him!
Wait.
Something's stuck here.
What is it?
- A bone.
I'll go call the cops.
He's not worth your tears.
I once reported him to the police.
He was a cruel poacher.
And?
Nothing. They didn't respond.
You mean, it's good that he's dead?
Drink up.
You trust authorities too much.
You need to take matters in your own hands.
Come on, sing!
The priest says it's okay.
Okay to poach? He said that?
A priest can approve of hunting, at most.
You're good guys! How could you?
You get drunk and set snares.
Hello!
How are you doing?
- Hi.
Hi, Dad.
- Dad?
Prosecutor Swierszczynski.
Why did you move the body?
Should I have left him on the floor?
You would've done the same.
Never tamper with a crime scene!
Don't you watch TV?
He was a poacher.
You could be charged
with obstructing justice.
I'll need your statements.
Better prepare yourself, Dad.
No nonsense this time.
Sir!
- Excuse me.
What was your relationship?
- None.
Three times I reported him, and no reply.
Right. You reported him for...
? for...
? poaching.
- That's right.
I called him Big Foot.
He was my neighbor.
I picked up snares he set.
I wrote to you, too,
but you never responded.
He worked at Wnetrzak's farm.
You know what they do to animals there!
I wrote about that, too.
He was extremely dangerous.
Should've been rendered harmless long ago.
What do you mean, "render harmless"?
Arrested, of course.
That man was setting snares.
Set meadows on fire in spring.
Kept his dog locked in a shed
for weeks on end.
The dog howled,
it was freezing.
Later it starved to death!
I pleaded with the police in my letters
to seize the dog and punish him.
People go to jail for this!
It's true we were slow to react.
I can only apologize.
It was only a dog, you know.
You live in the country,
what do you expect?
We keep our dogs chained.
If it bothers you,
contact those animal rights groups.
Why involve us?
It's your job!
- Don't tell me what my job is.
I know the law!
To wrap it up, you had nothing to do
with this man you call "Big Foot"?
Right. It's all in my statement.
You only found the body, right?
He was a bad man, he set snares!
As a hunter, you should be outraged!
I am outraged, ma'am.
But you didn't even lift a finger.
We're done here.
Please wait outside to sign.
What's your birth date?
Why?
- I'm trying to understand you.
One's horoscope can be helpful.
I turned 45 on Sunday.
Is the police chief in?
Got me figured out now?
You have a minute?
- Sure. Come in.
Please wait outside, Ms. Duszenko.
Duszejko!
- Right.
Show the lady out.
Have a seat.
The chair fell over.
Coffee?
- Why not.
Make us some coffee, will you.
Shut the door!
You're here about the money.
You're broke, right?
HUNTER'S CALENDAR
? plan to meet outside town...
How can I make people
keep their mouths shut?
I want it all now.
- Give me a couple more months.
Forget it.
- I can't do it now.
Wait!
For what? Your fucking coffee?
Have I ever let you down?
What the fuck is this?
Don't yell at me, okay?
- Sorry, Jarek.
Where's that coffee?
Jarek, talk to me!
Watch it.
Or you'll regret it.
What are you doing here?
You told me to wait.
I thought you needed me.
No, you're not needed at all.
Hello there!
You're so thin. Do you ever eat?
Thank you.
Look, I tore my jacket.
Feathers are coming out.
I wonder what kind of ducks they used.
They pluck them alive, you know.
Try these stick-on patches.
Or I'll find you another one, without down.
No, I'll keep this one.
The ducks already suffered...
And the color is so vibrant.
Excuse me.
What do you want now?
Leave me alone, you hear me?
Oh, how beautiful!
You think it would suit me?
How much is it?
But what do I need a wolf costume for?
How about thirty?
You shouldn't go running to him
every time he whistles.
Do I have a choice? He's my boss.
And he's not so bad.
He helped me move house.
Brought my clothes and books here.
- You left home?
Yes, he lets me stay here, in the back.
Should I call an ambulance?
- No, wait!
What happened?
You had a seizure and fell down.
Do you want us to call a doctor?
I know a really good one.
No, no need.
I'm used to this.
See, my medication.
You'd better go.
Use the back door.
Come on, let's go.
Can I speak to Jasiek?
His sister.
To wish him a merry Christmas.
It's not a problem, is it?
What do you mean?
Impossible! It must be a misunderstanding.
Is your name Maria Cicha?
Yes, I'm his sister.
That's right.
Your name's on the court order.
Please! He's still a kid.
Out of the question.
All right. I'll clear it up.
Good. Call us then.
At least give him a hug from me.
Merry Christmas.
JANUARY - hunting season for wild boar,
polecat, marten, fox, muskrat, pheasant
Get out of here!
Get out or I'll call the police!
Stop!
- Get out!
Go away, we're shooting here.
You mustn't shoot at animals!
They're living creatures!
Please, ma'am!
We're just shooting pheasants!
You've got some nerve.
- Let go of me!
Where are your manners, lady?
At your age?
Poor woman.
She's off her rocker.
Enough.
I made it myself, to thank you.
For what?
I could've lost my job.
- Take off your coat.
I work for the police as an IT specialist.
They got EU funding for a system upgrade.
I've been there for only two months now.
They could fire me if they found out
about my seizures, ma'am.
Drop this "ma'am," will you?
I went to Berlin, right after college.
Got a great job there.
Call me Duszejko.
Duszejko?
Have a seat.
And your first name?
- I don't use it.
What kind of job was it?
Coding. Programming secure websites.
But I lied about my health.
I had a seizure at the office
and they found out.
People are afraid of people like me.
Tell me about it.
I heard you teach English?
Only part-time, but it keeps me busy.
I'm retired,
but I can't sit and do nothing.
I'm not actually qualified to teach.
I learned English in Syria and Libya.
I was building bridges there.
- Really?
One was a real work of art.
Let me show you.
Here it is.
Wow!
Impressive.
I'm pretty sure you could help me.
Ever heard of Blake?
- William? -Yes.
I'd like to translate him.
Three of his four Polish translators
lived in this valley.
Coincidence?
- Who knows? It's so...
gloomy in this area...
Listen, the English is archaic
and I'm clueless.
I travel'd thro' a Land of Men
This is what I have:
I traversed a land of people,
A land of men and women too,
hearing and seeing things more horrible
Than any human ever knew.
Why not "roamed" instead of "traversed"?
I roamed through a land of people...
And avoid repeating "land."
What rhymes with "land"?
Sand - hand - brand...
No, we're getting nowhere.
What's that?
What do you mean?
- Seems weird.
Where?
Look. It's not moving.
Maybe someone needs help?
Last week the mailman got snowed in.
Exaggerating as always.
Did you hear what he said?
That the wound on his leg was a hare bite!
It's the police chief's Land Rover.
Impossible. At this hour?
Look here, in the snow.
Deer tracks.
Somebody's there!
He may still be alive.
It's the police chief.
Call the station.
You have your phone?
I left it at home. Use yours.
No, I can't get mixed up in this.
- May I?
What are you doing?
Taking a photo of the tracks.
What tracks? He's dead!
What's the matter with you?
Animals.
Please sign here, Mr. Wolski.
This is for you, Mr. Wnetrzak.
Ms. Duszejko!
Did you find your dogs?
- Unfortunately not.
You want me to sign?
I've delivered lots of these.
One for Swierszcznski, too.
A bunch for the police chief's buddies.
Greedy mother fuckers!
Including Wnetrzak.
He got his summons too.
You really think he got rich
on that thrift store?
Or fox farming? Bullshit.
It's all a front!
He runs a casino-brothel at home.
Those guys gamble fortunes away.
The police chief did business with him
and visited his whores.
Girls from Romania, Chechnya, Ukraine.
He keeps them in his basement.
Local girls too.
Like the girl from his store.
Bastard, he must have something on her.
I know she's a nice girl.
You have an imagination.
- Yeah.
Well, we'll see.
How could the chief
afford that car on a cop's salary?
Power goes to your head
and you lose your sense of decency.
We used to be friends.
Even played soccer together.
But he became a big shot
and started ignoring me.
I was just a mailman.
My moped against his Jeep Cherokee!
Land Rover Discovery.
Whatever. Who gives a shit?
The poor bastard is dead.
Just a moment.
Take this for Swierszcznski.
And sign for him.
I'm in a hurry.
Thanks. Good day.
Damn.
Why not live on the freaking moon?!
Police summons.
You ever drive that car?
Never seen you at the wheel.
You crazy? On these roads?
Please come in.
Some coffee?
How about tea?
I have great coffee.
Fine.
Polish Mushroom Pickers Union?
Mushrooms are probably
the only thing that brings Poles together.
Individual activity.
Very competitive. Zero cooperation.
And everyone keeps their mouths shut
about the best mushroom areas.
That's right.
Your first name starts with the letter S.
What is it?
Swietopelk
- Holy moly!
My father's idea.
To spite my mother.
It's a bit of a tongue twister
and she was an ethnic German.
But from here.
They found traces
of animal blood on the chief's head.
Pretty strange, isn't it?
- Like I said!
Look, magpies!
Magpies can start fires.
They stash bright things in their nests.
Even cigarette butts.
The nest catches fire,
then it spreads to the house.
Better go. It's getting cold.
Thanks.
What are you doing here?
Fuckers turned me down again.
Six times! It's no accident.
What are you talking about?
- My brother. He's in an orphanage.
I want custody.
My dad's a drunk and abuses him.
Mother cries all day.
I almost got him,
but someone told the cops that I'm unfit.
What?
- My lifestyle, drugs, no place to live.
Nonsense. You're a good person.
It's true you have no place to live
but why don't you move in with me?
I'll confirm. Show me where to sign.
Thanks, but I can manage.
You're right, it was him.
Wnetrzak reported you twice.
I'll kill the bastard.
We can't talk here.
Stop by my place tonight, for cake.
I expected to see a policeman,
but it's you.
Well, it's nice to see you.
How's your dad? Very interesting man.
Get to the point, Ms. Duszenko.
- Duszejko.
Did you see anything suspicious
at the crime scene?
Yes. Tracks.
- What kind of tracks?
I already told the police.
Hoof prints from roe deer.
Barely visible when the policemen arrived
because of the sleet.
But I saw plenty of them.
Small, round prints.
What do you make of it?
Who might have left them?
Animals, who else?
It's a shame they can't be questioned.
I'm sure they would tell us quite a story.
I'm interested in astrology.
As a hobby.
I did a birth chart for the police chief.
Revealing stuff.
- Any footprints?
Not that I noticed.
The police chief's animal sign's in Saturn,
his ruling Ascendant in Aries.
That means death by a blow to the head
caused by an animal.
Come on in!
Hi.
This is my place.
I bought three glasses for the occasion.
Thank you.
Where do you sleep?
On this sofa bed.
I'm a minimalist.
Living a vagabond life has taught me
not to own too many things.
Just eighty items, no more.
It makes me feel free.
- Only eighty?
And what are they?
Please sit down.
I have an electric toothbrush,
a dental guard in a box,
a bar of soap, soap dish, nail clippers,
a fast-drying towel...
- I'm a magnet for stuff.
I keep everything I find.
The more useless, the better.
And Matoga is a collector.
- Who?
My neighbor. I call him that.
You all right?
- I'm okay.
He keeps his things well-organized
and knows what each one is good for.
For instance,
he has a strawberry stem remover.
Can you imagine?
And a lemon slice server. Stuff like that.
He may have
testosterone-related autism.
What?
Men develop it as they age.
They isolate themselves,
stop communicating,
lose their social skills.
Start reading about WWII and Hitler.
Yeah, that's quite common.
- That's right.
Tastes good!
Thanks.
I made it myself.
My grandma's recipe.
She taught me this rhyme:
"When I was a tot,
my hands smelled like snot..."
Good people, like Dyzio,
they grow up slowly.
Later from an extended childhood
they pass directly into old age.
That's the effect of Mercury
in their charts.
They are active, curious loners.
Is this what you do?
Wow, even my store's here!
I'm working on a remote control system
for the town's street lights.
It saves energy,
over 30 percent a year.
Let me show you something.
You have the world in your control!
I can even activate an alarm...
Wait! Zoom in on this.
...two meters of snow,
5 AM, cold as hell...
Wait, Duszejko's coming.
Watch, this'll be a riot...
I'd like to report a murder.
Murder?
- It's a young wild boar.
Off-season hunting.
- Some coffee?
Have a look.
This is March.
Boar hunting is forbidden.
Although logically it makes no sense:
You're allowed to kill someone
on February 28th,
but the next day you're not.
It's absurd.
He died an agonizing death.
Had been shot through the lungs.
Calm down.
What do you expect us to do?
Track down the perpetrators,
punish them, ban hunting.
They even shoot dogs.
Stray dogs can kill animals too.
It's legal to shoot dogs
if they are on the loose.
You have dogs, too, don't you?
Last year we had complaints about them.
I don't have them anymore.
I always wonder why old women, I mean...
why women your age are so
worried about animal welfare.
Don't they have enough people
to take care of?
My grandma has seven cats,
but she still feeds
all the strays in the area.
What's this?
What the hell are you doing?
These are the remains.
I keep them... in boxes,
neatly labeled.
Fur and bones.
One day it'll be possible
to clone all those murdered animals.
And that could be a form of reparations.
Holy shit.
You're a real trip, lady.
The sight of blood puts you off?
But you don't mind blood sausage, do you?
In the middle of the road?
Hello!
Ms. Duszejko? Wnetrzak has disappeared.
His guard called me. He moved his foxes.
Or someone stole them.
He'd never let them out himself.
Maybe he had no choice.
He should've been at the store
to do inventory this morning.
When he didn't show up
I tried calling him, but his phone was off.
He'll be back.
Maybe he's off hunting.
It's not like him to just disappear.
Maybe someone was after him?
JUNE - hunting season for roe deer,
wild boar, fox, raccoon dog
They printed it! Look!
Let me see.
What happened?
Oh, just too much sun.
A full-fledged translator!
Great!
Unfuckingbelievable!
I found a body.
Dead man in the forest.
Stay away from me!
Who are you?
A Czech entomologist.
I study the Cucujus haematodes...
What?
- Never mind. There's a dead man over there!
Cucujus is a kind of insect.
You have a phone?
We must call the police.
My battery died yesterday.
There's an old corpse in the forest.
My name? Boros Schneider.
Where am I? By the fox farm.
Off the road, in a ditch.
We'll wait. A woman is here too.
We have to wait here.
Do you want to see it?
Gladly.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Are you from the Valley?
I'm from Olomouc, from the university.
It looks like it's been here
a few months.
I know because I study insects
that eat saprophytes,
organisms that feed on dead matter.
Quite a profession you have!
Crushed to death.
Wild boars trampled him.
Did you know that you live
in Europe's southernmost habitat
of the Cucujus haematodes.
Really?
What does it look like?
Like this.
I've seen them before.
- Just imagine,
your state forest officials have no idea
that article 12
of the EU Habitats Directive
calls for all member states
to protect reproductive habitats.
They permit the logging of trees
in which insects have laid eggs.
Later, those eggs will hatch into larvae.
The larvae end up in a sawmill and die.
And all this destruction passes unnoticed.
Every log around these forests is full
of Cucujus haematodes larvae.
They log the trees,
then burn the branches
which are full of larvae!
It's a holocaust.
And nobody knows about it.
Call me Duszejko.
Schneider. Boros.
Hi.
Boros.
Well...
I'll come some other time.
What happened?
Nothing,
I'm going to pour
a concrete floor
and may need a hand.
No problem, we'll help you, Boros too.
Schneider.
Swierszczyriski.
- Matoga's my neighbor.
Drop by tonight. We're having a party.
What is it?
- A concrete floor.
Good heavens.
My first joint in twenty years.
I never finished
telling you about my name...
It's not such a bad name, Swietopelk...
It's a pretty name.
Maybe.
But my mother couldn't pronounce it.
Her father was forced to stay here
after the war.
He was an engineer and a mining expert.
When the Poles came after the war,
they had no clue how things worked.
So he had to work for them.
His family couldn't leave either.
My mother ended up marrying
a young Polish engineer,
and I was born.
One summer, she ran off to Germany.
Why?
My father had been in a concentration camp.
He hated the Germans
more than anything.
People usually marry for love,
but he married out of hate.
He was a difficult man.
Uncompromising, hard.
Next to him, we're as soft as jellyfish.
After my mother fled,
he mostly stayed in the cellar.
We had a big cellar in our house.
At work, he went down in the mines,
and at home, down in the cellar.
I didn't see much of him.
He just ignored me.
I lied.
My mother didn't run off to Germany.
She hanged herself at home.
I've never told anyone this before.
My head's spinning.
The mushroom pickers are having
a costume party in August.
Would you join me?
I have a wolf costume.
Wolf?
Come in!
Are you asleep?
Are you religious?
- Yes. I'm an atheist.
Religion is a myth.
A comforting ritual.
Yeah.
Cetonia aurata...
The rose chafer.
And here - a Dendroxena.
Pretty name.
What if children were named after insects?
May I introduce Mr. Aesalus Scarabaeoides.
Ms. Drosophila Novak,
Ms. Corvus Duszejko.
Certain chemicals are almost identical
to natural pheromones.
Look,
if you smear this on a piece of wood,
female beetles will rush here
from all over the area to lay eggs.
Just a few drops is enough.
As simple as that?
- Yes.
Insects have an exceptional sense of smell.
Why can't humans smell like that?
Who told you they can't?
- I don't smell anything.
Maybe not consciously.
Your human hubris
leads you to believe in free will.
But there's no free will in nature.
Just pheromones and hormones.
And God is called the Selfish Gene.
Do you believe in evolution?
Are you kidding me?
I'm surprised people believe that crap,
about determinism.
They don't believe in astrology,
that planets influence us,
but they believe micro-genes
determine our choices.
Duszejko!
They arrested her! She's in jail!
Get changed and let's go!
It was her text messages.
Evidently she was the last one
to see him alive.
What's going on? Who?
- They arrested Good News.
They suspect her of killing Wnetrzak.
That's insane! Oh, God!
I can't get involved. Can't go with you.
Why not?
The police can't know they're friends,
that Dyzio is involved.
But why her?
Can texts be evidence?
Everybody texts.
But she threatened him!
She asked for Nivea cream and Ibuprofen.
They found some material at the scene,
probably from her store.
You coming with? Is he coming?
What about her brother? And the store?
Who cares?
She could be charged with murder!
Shit.
I'll tell them that I killed him.
Take it easy.
It won't help,
and they'll think you're crazy.
They think that anyway.
Nobody will believe you.
Turn on your brain, okay?
Okay.
Stay cool. I'll drop off this stuff.
May I?
I'd like to add something to my statement.
Ms. Duszenko...
- Duszejko.
Right. As you see, I'm very busy.
I'd like to testify about Wnetrzak's death.
Please, come in.
Go ahead.
Remember those deer hoof prints
near the police chief's body?
Pretty odd, right?
Just like the circumstances
of Wnetrzak's horrible death.
I think
you should seriously consider
another hypothesis.
They were killed by animals.
Ms. Duszejko...
- Why are you opposed to the idea?
They were all hunters!
Wnetrzak skinned foxes alive
with the law on his side!
He made them suffer
until they could take no more.
And took revenge!
Please. Think about it.
Animals are being killed with impunity.
The law protects the murderers!
Hunters, butchers.
The crime was made legal,
so everyone just accepts it.
You walk past butcher stores and see meat.
But it's someone's quartered body!
Ms. Duszejko, please...
It's not unheard of.
This wouldn't be
the first murder by an animal.
I read a whole list on the Internet.
Back in 846, a swarm of bees
stung a man to death.
Those bees were then convicted
by a regular human court!
In the early 1300s,
pigs killed and ate a child.
Again, the sow was tried and executed.
History has seen many trials of animals.
In Italy caterpillars
ate an entire vineyard.
But why dig so far back?
Bird flu, does it ring a bell?
That pandemic spreading worldwide?
It's a sophisticated form of revenge
for what we do to animals.
For the way we fatten them
to satisfy our cannibalism.
For factory farms and assembly line murder!
Ms. Duszejko, please calm down.
We will give it some thought. Thank you.
You're not taking me seriously, are you?
You want to get rid of me,
just like the others did.
I keep writing you letters,
but you never reply.
Although you're legally bound to.
You don't even read them, right?
If you did, you wouldn't have
arrested Good News.
Who?
Why do you always punish the ones
who are kind and weak?
Your father was in jail too, right?
He never told me,
I figured it out from his horoscope.
And you didn't help him.
You know why he was in jail?
For terrorism.
He attempted to blow up
a health insurance agency.
Why?
He blamed them for my mother's death.
They refused to pay
for her expensive treatment abroad.
He should have known better.
Violence doesn't bring back the dead.
Your father is a brave, wonderful man.
No need to worry about him.
He means no harm, trust me.
You said that I didn't help him.
You think it was easy to convince the court
that it was just a nervous breakdown?
That he was legally insane?
Where were you?
I thought you got arrested, too.
So did you find out anything?
Is there any way to help her?
The way serial killings work,
they'll release her
as soon as the next victim turns up.
Yeah,
that makes sense.
Do you have to leave tomorrow?
Yes. I have exams.
Then field research all summer long.
Cucujus haematodes?
- No. I'm done with them.
AUGUST - hunting season for deer,
roe deer, wild boar, duck, pigeon
Maybe I need more color here.
Wait.
Now you'll have two red cheeks.
Let me see.
Super!
You'll be the Queen of the Ball.
What's that?
A cooler.
What for?
You're driving.
What's all this stuff for?
It looks like an army vehicle.
When you live alone,
you have to be self-sufficient.
I got stuck in snow too many times.
Wait, my tail!
Ready?
- Yes. Off we go!
Take the keys and get the fuck out of here!
Wait for me in the fucking car,
you hear me?
What the fuck you looking at?
Get lost!
Are you all right?
You're my daughter's teacher,
Ms. Duszejko, right?
She adores you.
She's a very gifted girl.
Didn't you find the police chief's body?
Weren't you scared?
- Of course.
They were all his friends.
They hunted together,
then drank to the game count.
Game count.
They always count the prey afterwards.
He brings home a quarter deer
and dumps it on the table.
When I walk past the fridge
I know there's a quartered body inside.
I know I'm neurotic
and I need medical treatment.
Not at all.
I remember a story from when I was a child,
about the Night Hunter.
Do you know it?
It's a local legend,
dates back to the German times.
The Night Hunter flew on a black stork
accompanied by dogs.
He hunted evil people.
Everyone was terrified
and locked themselves inside.
And there was a local boy
who as a joke shouted up the chimney
for the Night Hunter
to catch something for him.
After a while a quarter human body
fell down the chimney.
Then another quarter, and another.
Altogether four pieces.
They put them together
and buried the body.
The Night Hunter never showed up again.
And his dogs turned into moss.
They turned into moss?
Go home.
I'll keep an eye on your husband
and give him a ride back home.
Take a hot bath, get some rest.
You're a nervous wreck.
Good morning!
- Morning.
Here's a summons. You need to testify.
I'll drop by later this week.
No, you have to come with us now.
What do you mean, now?
You may be the last person
to have seen our mayor alive.
I have a warrant for your arrest.
- Wolski?
But I couldn't find him after the party.
All right.
I'll go grab my toothbrush.
Most people were already leaving.
I went inside to check on him.
I assumed he'd passed out.
I checked the restrooms,
looked and asked around,
but no one knew where he was.
Who did you talk to?
- I don't remember.
Everyone was tipsy.
Some people were still wearing masks.
I assumed someone else
must have taken him back home.
I found my Samurai and we left, too.
Who's Samurai?
A good friend.
His last name, please.
Samurai Suzuki.
Ms. Duszenko...
- Duszejko.
Duszejko.
What's a Cucujus haematodes?
Excuse me?
Oh right. It's a beetle.
How do you know?
From that entomo...
That insect guy?
He's got nothing to do with it.
I know a lot from horoscopes.
Wolski had negative aspects
in his third house.
Which includes small animals and insects.
Let me explain.
Humans are just sparks,
not from this world.
When a creature is to be born,
that spark begins to fall.
Ms. Duszejko, really...
As it falls, each planet it passes
contaminates it with qualities.
First Pluto...
This is irrelevant...
As it falls, it crosses...
Ms. Duszejko...
Obviously you're an expert, but...
Yes, I've studied astrology for years.
That's enough. Thank you.
What's your birth date?
July.
And the day?
- Twenty-first.
What time?
- Eight o'clock.
What minute?
- I don't know.
Did you see that roe deer,
roe deer running down the hill?
Let your greyhounds off the lead
to chase the roe deer at full speed
to get it in the end.
Did you see that badger,
badger trotting through the grass?
Let your greyhounds off the lead
to chase the badger at full speed
to get it in the end.
Bankers pump it into their secret accounts,
the secret weapon.
From my blood the secret weapon is made
so it can be incarnated even better,
even more beautifully, without pain.
From my blood guzzled by priests
on podiums and in discreet negotiations.
My blood, and your blood too!
Even better!
Ms. Duszejko!
The performance will start after mass.
I play a badger.
What's the play about?
- St. Hubert.
He meets a stag in the forest.
And gets converted.
Brothers and sisters.
We've gathered here today
on this special occasion.
The naming of our school after St. Hubert,
the first known ecologist.
Although the word ecology
didn't exist back then.
Inspired by God,
St. Hubert made it his mission
to protect nature.
What would become of nature
without man's wisdom?
It would be chaos.
It's no accident that on this special day
we're joined here by our hunters.
They are your older brothers, children.
Hunters are God's ambassadors
to His Creation.
Cull hunting helps to maintain
the balance of nature.
They also care for animals,
feed them, build feed racks for deer...
And they shoot them at those racks too!
The Lord spoke to us humans...
Get down from there! C'mon!
Get off that pulpit right now and get out!
Ms. Duszejko.
- Please calm down!
What are you staring at?
Are you all fast asleep?
How can you listen to this bullshit?
Have you lost your minds?
Let go of me! Murderers!
Brothers and sisters!
Please don't let this ruin our special day.
It's to us humans that the Lord said,
"Subdue the earth."
"Subdue the earth..."
Please, don't do this to me now.
We've been best buddies for years.
You may be old,
but you've still got it in you!
Come on! Please!
Hello? It's me Duszejko!
Near the police chief, I found
a package addressed to Wnetrzak.
It looked like it was money.
Is it much farther?
Over there, in that cave.
Why so freaking far?
Didn't want the cops to find it.
- Where?
Over there.
Get away! Quick!
Run!
The bugs on Wolski's body...
Bugs?
He was killed by insects.
His body was covered with forest beetles.
You never met Boros.
He spoke of scents
called pheromones that attract insects.
He had them with him.
She was always around too.
And all the victims were hunters.
I just can't believe it...
Hello?
The church is on fire. The priest is dead.
Call Matoga.
Are you there?
Janina!
Don't call me Janina.
Even
One more photo over here!
It's too dark over there.
Okay, the light is good.
God bless him!
- Everyone smile!
Cheers!
Applause for the mayor!
Cheers!
That's what happened?
I found it at Big Foot's.
After his death.
He was outside making a call.
What about Wolski?
How did that happen?
I feel sick, Ms. Duszejko.
You shouldn't drink so much.
It's bad for you and you hurt your family.
True...
Get me out of here.
Help me, please.
I'll get you out of here.
You shot my dogs, didn't you?
Yes.
But...
I didn't know they were yours.
I'll get you two more.
Why are you crying?
Over me...
Here, drink this.
What is it?
Pheromones. It'll soothe you.
I'll take you home now.
Home? What home?
All right.
Let's go!
What do we do?
Take Dyzio's car and drive
over the mountains to Wolf Crossing.
We'll meet there.
Cover her with a blanket, just in case.
What are you doing?
Don't worry. We won't abandon you.
It's not you who started this war.
Oh fuck!
They're behind us?
No.
You two alive?
- Yes. Keep driving.
00 to 19, over!
Try to call.
- There's no service.
Now watch this.
I grew up in a time when people
wanted to change the world
with their revolutionary vision.
Now we only see the status quo
and think it will last forever.
But things will change again.
They always have.
When Uranus enters Aries, or...
Never mind.
Something new will happen
that we cannot predict.
A new cycle will begin...
and reality will be reborn.
Lunch is served!
Come and get it!
We'll go together after lunch.
The bees swarmed.
Help me get them off the tree?
Sure. What should we do?
- Prepare the hive.
It's in the shed.
But it needs scalding.
What's that?
- Steam cleaning.
Have you washed your hands?
I was working with my gloves on.
This dirty corncob
doesn't belong on the table.
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Based on the novel
"Drive Your Plough Over
the Bones of the Dead"
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