Torn Apart (1990) Movie Script
(birds chirping)
(adhan softly chanting)
(rustling)
(rocks clattering)
(dirt skidding)
(brushing)
(rustling)
(blows)
- [Voiceover] "Dear Laila,
"I feel like today is
the last day of my life.
(gentle oud music)
"Writing to you now I remember
"many years ago when I first saw you.
"The day your family moved
into the house next to ours.
"Arabs coming to live with Jews.
"I was confused Laila,
"and afraid.
(romantic symphonic music)
(men chatting in Arabic)
(speaking Arabic)
(goat bleating)
(murmuring in Arabic)
(gentle oud music)
(men chatting in Arabic)
(sweet music)
"I tried everything I could
to get your attention.
(skids)
(yells)
"Finally you noticed.
"My head hurt for a week,
"but we were friends.
(gentle flute music)
(rustling)
(laughing)
(grass rustles)
"I'll never forget those days.
"We thought they would last forever.
(gentle music)
"I realize now how wrong I was."
(crowd murmuring)
(upbeat music)
- [Man] Shalom!
- [Crowd] Shalom!
- On behalf of the Jewish Agency,
welcome to Israel.
Once I stood where you are now,
so I can guess what's in your hearts.
(ship horn blowing)
Many of you have suffered, struggled.
You've been persecuted for your beliefs,
but now at long last
(vehicle rumbles)
(laughing and screaming)
you've reached the promise land.
(ship horn blowing)
This I promise.
You will be equal citizens,
and your children
and your children's children
(ship horn blowing)
will find brotherhood and acceptance
in your homeland.
(upbeat traditional Jewish music)
Ben, where are you going?
- To the movies.
- So early?
- In Jerusalem.
I got to go to Ze'ev.
- You mean you're leaving
me to handle this myself?
- I trust you.
(seagulls calling)
(ship horn blowing)
- Go.
Go!
(pand plays "Hava Nagila")
(seagulls calling)
(kiss smacking)
- Come on if you are coming. (laughs)
Come on.
Come on here, Ben.
(slaps)
(thuds)
Oh, oh, oh!
(laughing)
Let's go.
Up, up, up, up, up!
(radio show chatters in Hebrew)
- [Voiceover] This is the BBC.
In the South, Egyptian
troops have begun to mass.
In response Israeli forces
have been put on full alert,
and as mobilization continues,
citizens have been cautioned
to prepare for an attack,
which officials fear
may occur at any moment.
(dramatic film sounds blasting)
- Everything okay?
- Fine.
- No problems?
- No.
(film voice wails)
- Your parents didn't say anything?
- [Laila] No.
- [Soldier] All soldiers,
report to your units!
Quickly!
(men murmuring)
- [Laila] I'll meet you later,
Salaam Shalom.
(film gunshots blasting)
(door creaks)
(crickets chirp)
- [Laila's Mother] Laila!
Where have you been?
Your cousin Moustapha
has come from Jordan.
(footsteps echo)
- Laila.
(kiss smacks)
(radio voice speaks Arabic)
- Laila,
cousin?
Do you think our fathers
will make a contract for our marriage?
- No.
I don't think so, Moustapha.
Mother says I must complete my education,
nothing's more important.
- I can leave here the guns with you.
- Fawzi!
- [Fawzi] Just for a while!
I'm not a fanatic.
(dishes clatter)
- [Fawzi] Neither am I.
- What sort of a man
blows up a school bus?
A normal man murders farmers
and cuts off their ears?
- My father was killed by Jews.
My land, your land, was taken by Jews!
How you can sit here in Israel
and write about this?
What this?
(soft romantic music)
- I'm worried, Laila.
We have to promise!
- Promise?
Promise what?
- That we'll stick together.
No matter what.
- I can't make such a promise.
It wouldn't be fair.
But we'll always be friends.
(airplanes roar)
(tanks rumble)
(blasting)
(helicopter blades chop air)
(gunshots blasting)
- Baba, please come with us!
(booms)
- You better take care of your mother.
I'll write you when it's safe.
Okay?
(patting)
(sobs)
(car engine rumbles)
(brakes squeal)
- [Soldier] Ilana Arnon,
I regret to inform you--
- [Ilana] Ze'ev! (sobs)
(mournful music)
- [Ben] "Now, Laila,
"my father has been
transferred to America.
"My sister's staying,
"but I must go with my parents.
(men muttering)
(clattering)
"I don't wanna go.
"But there's nothing I can do.
"I don't know when you're coming back,
"but when you find this,
"I know you'll understand.
(rustles)
"And maybe you won't be angry with me.
"I wish we could have seen each other
"one last time.
"Maybe this is the best
way to say goodbye."
- [Ilana] Shalom, Ben.
(car trunk slams)
(car door slams and engine revs)
I'll miss you.
(car door slams)
(birds singing)
(melancholy oud music)
(airplane engine roars)
(loudspeaker voice murmurs in Hebrew)
(cars beep)
(engine rumbles)
(brakes squeal)
(door slams)
(banging)
(speaking Hebrew)
- [Ben] Hi.
- [Girls] Hello. Hi!
(romantic music)
Shalom!
I'm looking for my sister,
Ilana Arnon.
- Ilana, I know her.
Okay, you follow this road
through to the village path.
(cows low and birds sing)
- Ilana!
(hoofbeats clatter)
(laughs and claps)
- [Ilana] Look at you! (laughs)
(murmuring and laughing)
(crickets chirping)
- It's not like Jerusalem, is it?
- You'll get used to it.
- I'm glad you're happy.
- (laughs) You will be, too.
You'll see.
(sighs) You're home now.
- (sighs) Yeah.
- Yeah.
(razor buzzing)
- What do they do in America?
It's good you got dropped here, Habibi.
(men chanting)
(military music)
(men chattering)
(shouting)
(groaning)
(coughs)
- Yonni, Leonid, come on, we're moving.
- You are moving.
(laughing)
- [Ben] No jokes, Leonid.
We're moving, we've got trouble.
(truck rumbles)
(clicks)
(men shouting)
(thuds and glass shatters)
- [Soldier] Let's go!
Move it!
- [Ben] Move it out, move it out!
Go!
That's enough!
(gunshots blasting)
(gunshots blast)
(fire crackles)
(gunshots blasting)
- [Soldier] That's enough!
(gunshots blast)
Move on!
(gunshots blast)
(shouts)
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting)
- Dov, look out!
Dov, come back, you son of a bitch!
Wait!
(gunshots blast)
Dov!
(gunshots blast)
Dov!
(muttering and gasping)
(bangs)
Get off of him, go!
That's enough!
Dov, come on, come on!
Let him go!
That's enough!
Just stop!
That's enough!
Dov!
He's just a kid!
- So what?
What am I?
(thuds)
(muezzin calls adhan)
(goat bleats)
(speaking Arabic)
(thuds)
(muttering)
(speaking Arabic)
- Laila.
- What's the holdup, Arnon?
(speaking Arabic)
(chanting echoes)
(girl calls out)
- That's very good!
In pink?
Nice.
And now we all keep working.
(chickens clucking)
- So nice here!
You want to tell me
what we are doing here?
(bell rings)
(speaking Arabic)
(children cheering)
(children chanting and laughing)
- Leonid!
Leonid!
Hey, cover for me at the base!
(chickens cluck)
(clattering)
(children singing)
- [Laila] So, are you excited, cousin?
- If I don't please him--
- He is marrying you!
- He liked my picture.
- Did you like his picture?
- He's not bad.
(laughing)
- What does your mother say?
- That he's an engineer
what has a Cadillac.
(laughing)
Moustapha!
(chickens clucking)
Look at you.
- Forgive me.
It's not right for what I've come to ask.
- Laila doesn't mind.
Do you?
- Of course not,
but this is not the place.
- When, Laila?
- At the wedding!
Her father will be there!
- And the sister.
- Let's got to the shouk.
(pensive oud music)
- You know I like Moustapha.
- I just don't understand.
(goat bleats)
Is it because his politics?
- No.
I do not agree to terrorism,
but I understand his position.
- He is very clever!
If you would sit with him,
you'd see how much he understands--
- Jamilah!
I very much respect him.
- So--
- But he is not my preference.
- If the families agree,
isn't that more important?
- But they don't.
(people speaking Arabic)
(chickens clucking and bells ringing)
- Laila.
Laila.
(men shouting)
Laila!
(frantic oud music)
(shouting)
Hey!
Laila!
Laila!
Hey!
(footsteps pounding)
Laila!
(gasping)
Laila!
(gasps)
Laila, wait!
What's wrong with you?
- (gasping) Why do you come?
- To apologize.
- For what?
You think I haven't been
harassed by a soldier before?
(gasping) Huh?
- You never got my letter.
I left it there when we moved.
- Moved?
Where?
- To New York!
Look, I'm sorry about the checkpoint.
That's just the way it is.
- The way it is.
- Laila, wait!
How's your father?
Is that why you teach?
I remember what he said.
That education
was the future for the Arab world.
Right?
Think you'll remember me?
- This is not America.
You forget where you are--
- I don't forget, I
know exactly where I am!
And I also know
(shushing)
that we should be friends.
(stammers)
And we can be again.
- I could be killed for
just speaking to you!
- All right, go.
I'll leave you now.
Just promise me that tomorrow
you'll check the tower
at 3:00 at the stroke.
Promise!
Promise.
(celebratory music)
(sings in Arabic)
- Will you dance with me, Laila?
- You know why I--
- Oh, leave her alone!
Princess needs a rest.
- Laila,
you dance with us!
- Laila is very independent,
but surely she seeks her father's consent.
- She's not bound by it.
- What about tradition?
- I have taught her what I know, Fawzi.
She answers now to herself.
- Perhaps she should answer to a husband.
- I think it's her wealth
that interests you, Fawzi,
not tradition.
- With respect, uncle,
in the West Bank, we are more concerned
with freedom than with money.
- Don't talk to Mahmoud about freedom.
He's been bought like all Arabs in Israel.
- The Jews improved our lives, Fawzi.
We cannot escape from that.
- Baba, they wanted your vote.
- Still, it was progress.
- For you.
For me, it is history.
I cannot be happy with
what you got in '48.
A Jewish girl my age,
she makes good money
for the work she does.
She has no curfew to go home for at night.
She is not treated with
disrespect in her own country!
Why should I be?
- Perhaps Laila has recovered
sufficiently to dance.
You have insulted him.
- I did not mean to.
- He knows that.
Maybe it is time.
- For what?
- To leave your father's house.
(ululating)
(motors rumble and horns beep)
(thuds)
(slaps)
(car door slams)
(slaps)
(engine revs)
(car door slams)
- Go!
Can I ask you a question?
- (laughs) Yeah, anything!
Humiliating us.
You enjoy it?
- What?
- How can you serve in an occupying army?
- I don't believe this!
(brakes squeal)
You don't know a thing about me!
- I know what you are.
- No.
You don't.
You know what I do.
Not how I feel.
Not how any of us feel.
You don't,
look, maybe I was wrong.
Sorry, I made a mistake.
- And what's that?
- Nothing.
- Come on, what did you bring?
- Hummus, and, uh... (mumbles)
- [Laila] You went to trouble?
- No, I didn't!
No trouble, really!
You
(rustles)
picked these?
- So I picked them.
- So I like them.
- So good.
I mean,
I picked them for you.
- Thank you.
(car door slams)
(gentle piano music)
(crickets chirping)
(car whooshes)
(water splashing)
- Come here, sit!
- It is for me to do that.
- No, no, no, no!
Today you relax.
Don't do a thing!
- I'm not sure I approve of that.
- Not right yet.
So, you don't want a family?
- I want many things!
- Like what?
- To study!
Travel!
Teach university!
- [Ben] That's all?
- Then I don't need a husband.
- So what about that?
- What?
- About everybody else being married?
- Is it a crime?
- No, it's just that,
by your age,
most Arab,
most girls marry.
- I know.
- I've insulted you.
- No.
- I'm just tired of the question.
Ben,
be careful up there!
- Here, thank you.
I'll do this.
- Ben, be careful!
(screams)
(splashes)
Ben!
Ben!
Ben!
Ben?
(splashes)
- God, you don't have to scream so loud!
- Are you all right?
(grumbles)
(gentle piano music)
- You were angry, weren't you?
- [Laila] Yes, because you scared me!
- No, I mean when we moved away.
When we left.
Do you think the war
turned us against you?
- I was hurt.
Our household was so serious.
To enjoy life just was not acceptable.
The only happy times I remember
are the ones I had with you.
And then you were gone.
- Yeah, you know all the
time that I was gone,
it was like I was just,
like I was waiting.
When I got my army notice,
I had a big party
and all my friends thought I was crazy.
And I, I mean, to them I
was joining the army and
for me it was coming home.
- I'm glad for you, Ben.
- It's more than that.
When I came back, I thought
that everything had changed
so much.
It was so different.
I felt something was wrong.
Until the checkpoint.
I realized that what I missed
most about being home was you.
- Ben.
- I know.
- No.
You don't!
There is someone I want you to meet.
Come.
(music echoes)
(child shouting)
(door creaks)
- Laila, Laila.
(speaking Arabic)
- Laila.
- Are we disturbing you?
- Yes, of course.
(laughs)
Laila.
- Professor Mansour,
this is Ben Arnon--
- Franklin!
Franklin.
Ben Franklin.
- Pleased to meet you.
Please come in.
(door creaks)
(latch clicks)
Who is this man?
- My name is Arnon.
I'm a soldier.
- So,
this is official?
- Ben has been away since the war.
Would you give him some of your time?
He is my friend.
- Oh.
Your friend.
Mister Arnon,
I will assume that you are
who you now say you are,
and that Laila knows what
she is doing as she does
usually.
But I must ask you to leave.
- We just want to ask you some questions.
Please.
- This is trouble I don't need.
And neither, may I say, does he.
So, there is the door.
Take my apologies
and go through it.
- Professor Mansour,
a Jew wants to listen.
Shouldn't you be willing to talk?
- That is my decision.
- I respect that.
I only mean, how often
does one of us come along?
(tapping)
- You see, the Jew says,
"This land was ours
"2,000 years ago."
And the Arab says,
"Hm? But while you were away,
"we were living here!"
And the Jew says,
"But you did nothing with the land!
"We came back here to the desert,
"and in 30 years, we made it bloom!"
And the Arab says,
"It's very nice.
"It's blooming.
"But we are desert culture.
"We like a little sand
here and there." (laughs)
Look.
What does that represent to you?
- [Ben] Those metal rods?
Looks like bad construction.
- When this man's children are grown,
and they want to start their own family,
he will build for them another floor
so they will all be together.
To a Jew,
it's bad construction.
To an Arab, it's the future.
(strums oud and sings in Arabic)
(groans)
(tea splashes)
- Stay!
- Please, Laila.
It's not your...
(children chatter softly)
(clatters)
It's trouble, the way she spoils me.
Cigarette?
- Please.
Good coffee, though.
- Arab coffee.
- Arab coffee?
My mother makes this!
(laughing)
- You've no doubt noticed
other such Arabic influence
on Jewish culture?
The architecture.
The food.
The music.
More important, however, are
the personal similarities.
You see, we Palestinians are
a small race
of educated men.
Arrogant.
Ambitious.
Financially astute nomads.
Sound familiar?
We are engaged here
in a balancing act, my friend.
To keep hold of our identity.
To live beside the Jews.
Now, if we fail,
we are lost.
Both of us.
(rumbling and hammering)
(sawing)
- Colonel Arnon?
- [Arie Arnon] Ben!
(speaking Hebrew)
- How are you?
(kiss smacks)
(speaking Hebrew)
- Look at you!
Turn around!
(laughs)
(machines buzz)
- Pass inspection?
- I wouldn't change a thing!
(kiss smacks)
(calls out)
- Your son?
- Yes!
Ben, my son!
- Hello.
(speaking Hebrew)
- Six months ago, we brought him here.
He is already making buildings.
- Terrific.
- Come.
Let me show you around.
- [Arie] Bennie!
- [Ben] Home at last, huh?
- This time for good!
I spoke with Moishe.
He's taking two soldiers from your unit
to officers training.
Guess who's one of them?
Ben, it's an honor!
(birds singing)
- I know.
- So?
Why the face?
- Dad, right now
I feel more like a cop than a soldier.
So maybe it's not such an honor.
(metal tinkles and clatters)
Do you know what we're doing in there
in the territories?
- Defending the country.
- No, no.
We're searching fruit baskets.
- [Arie] Yes, for bombs!
- Bombs!
Hell!
It's old women and children!
- Look.
You see there?
I was there in '48.
I was frightened and confused
as you.
I never knew which one of these
innocent-looking Aravim had
dynamite in his donkey cart.
- But you knew who you were fighting!
- Yes, but it's the same!
- No, it's not the same!
It's different!
- Oh, it's different.
But the same!
I mean, one is,
one is a war!
And then the other is a,
a war.
It is.
- (sighs) Dad,
these Arabs in the territories.
You know,
they're suffering.
They're suffering, they're
suffering at our hands.
They're suffering at my hands.
(stutters) How do you
expect me to live with that?
- You have to remember where you live.
And what you are.
Nobody wants this.
But we don't have a choice.
- Don't we?
- No.
The Arabs
can lose 100,
1,000 wars,
and they will still be there.
But we lose one!
One!
Our dream is over.
(sighs)
This kind of thinking.
The army's no place for it.
(sighs)
You hear what I said?
Huh?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
I hear you, Dad.
Look,
(smacks kisses)
I'll see you on Shabbat, okay?
Say hi to Mom for me.
(tractor rumbles)
(birds sing)
(chattering)
(brakes squeal)
- [Woman] Everybody, all the way down!
(laughing and chattering)
(shouts)
(speaking Hebrew)
- How are you?
(laughing)
- What are you doing here?
- I live here, right?
- You wanna work?
- [Ben] Sure do!
Okay!
I brought a friend.
- [Ilana] Laila.
- Hello, Ilana.
I would like to work.
- Here.
(thudding)
(thoughtful music)
(chatting and engine rumbling)
- Laila, catch!
(laughs)
(chattering)
(murmuring and laughing)
Come on!
Come on, here, here!
- Ben!
- [Ben] Bite.
- Want more?
(motor rumbles)
(laughing and cheering)
Laila.
Come on.
- Okay.
- Yes.
(laughing and shrieking)
(shouting and waves crashing)
(motor rumbles)
- Ben, look.
A checkpoint.
What do I do?
(clicks)
- Take this.
Take it.
Cut us a mango.
Go on, get down.
(beeping)
(speaking Arabic)
(motor revs)
(oud music)
- Here, the Arab woman.
(seagulls caw)
The resident of the occupied territories
have a very special sensitivity
to the behavior of others
towards their women.
And so, you must observe
the following rules.
A, you are forbidden to touch
the body of the woman!
B, you must refrain from any connection,
overt or covert,
with Arab women!
- It is not funny, all right?
- You're telling me?
(radio announcer chats in Hebrew)
(whistling)
(shouting in Hebrew)
There's no room for
what you are doing here.
- Just be my friend, all right?
- I'm more than a friend.
I'm a soldier, and so are you!
(waves crashing)
(people chattering)
(seagulls cawing)
(shouting in Arabic)
(dramatic oud music)
(shouting)
- Leonid!
We need a helicopter.
I'm going to get one, all right?
(splashing)
(shouting)
- Okay, all right, okay!
Okay, I'm going!
(splashing)
(coughing)
(helicopter blades chop air)
(seagulls caw)
(ululating and cheering)
(child gasping)
- Hey, hey!
Where's the gun?
Where's the gun?
Where's the gun, huh?
Where is the gun?
Where's the gun?
Huh?
The gun!
(motor rumbles)
- [Soldier] Yeah, we have
the suspects lined up.
We're waiting for the
local police to arrive.
I said we're waiting for
the local police to arrive!
- Hey.
- What?
- I found out who took the gun.
- What?
- I know who took the gun.
- Then who's your source?
- I can't tell you.
I promised--
- What do you mean you can't tell me?
Why did he talk?
- He's a friend of the kid I saved.
- Hey, hey.
Nice job, huh?
- Shut up, you!
Get out of here!
- Cut it out!
Cut it out!
Right now, Arnon,
I trust you about as
much as I like you, okay?
(seagulls caw)
- Look, I'm sorry, all right?
If you have a better idea,
I'm willing to hear it.
Come on, let's go.
Let me ride with you.
- Come on.
- [Ben] All right.
(engine revs)
(soldiers mutter)
(engine roars)
(clattering)
(donkey whines)
(banging)
(shouting in Arabic)
(banging)
(shouting in Arabic)
(guns clicking)
(shouting in Arabic)
(screaming)
- We're looking for a boy.
We're looking for a boy.
We're looking for a little boy.
A little boy.
A little boy!
(screaming)
A little boy!
(shouts)
- You saved his friend, eh?
Okay, let's go!
- Hey, Shlomo!
You haven't even searched the house!
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting)
(shouting in Hebrew)
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting in Hebrew)
(gun clicks)
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting)
- Ben, wait!
(clattering)
(gunshots blast)
(dogs barking)
(gunshots blasting)
(gunshots blast)
(shouting)
(gunshots blasting)
(thuds and clatters)
(wind blowing)
(clatters)
(footsteps scuffle)
(clattering)
- [Ben] Sir, the boy was drowning, I had--
- He was drowning.
So,
you desert your post,
abandon your weapon.
What possible reason could there be
for such
wildness, huh?
- I don't know, sir.
- I want to know now.
Who is the girl?
I understand.
You are confused.
Maybe upset.
You meet someone.
Seems like a coincidence.
You talk.
She understands.
What's her background,
this girl?
(mumbles), maybe?
- You don't understand.
She's just a friend.
That's all!
- Two men hit!
A boy dead by your own hands.
And still your eyes are closed.
You are more than a disgrace, boy.
You are a fool!
You are confined to
base until the hearing.
- Yes, sir.
- Dismissed.
- Thank you, sir.
(clock ticking)
(door lock clicking)
- Laila.
Sit down.
Have you been with an Israeli soldier?
(dishes clattering)
- I was stopped by a soldier.
He recognized me.
- Recognized you?
Who?
- It was Ben Arnon.
(sighs)
- There cannot be friendship?
I've asked you a question.
Listen, Laila.
I am not a conventional
man, you know that.
- But, Ben is not what you--
- Did I make a contract for you?
Did I?
- Of course not.
- I could have.
When you were 13,
I had many offers for you.
Have I restricted you?
- No.
- [Mahmoud] Kept you at home?
- Baba, please, I--
- Listen to me!
In our society,
everything, everything is against
such a situation!
The difference between us,
Arab and Jew,
will not so easily turn away,
not even from you.
I have addressed you as an equal.
I speak now as a parent.
I forbid you to see him again.
You hear?
My Laila.
Your heart moves faster than your head.
- Area you sorry, Baba?
- For what?
- That you did not make a contract?
- Laila, please!
- I never believed in--
- Baba, I believed
in what you and your work have stood for!
- Then you must trust me now!
- How can I?
All my life you have
spoken to me about peace,
about faith,
about the future!
I lived on those words.
Now that I have a chance
to make them real,
you are ashamed of me!
- No!
Afraid.
- I am not afraid.
- [S'ad] Where are you going?
- [Laila] You are wrong, Baba!
You are a conventional man.
- Sa'd, stop her!
- Laila!
You come back!
- [Laila] No!
You come back.
Now come.
You come back with me--
- Let me go!
- No!
You come back now!
- [Laila] No!
You come back home!
- Mama!
I love him!
(slaps)
(shouts)
(slapping)
(sobbing)
- Fawzi came
with his son.
They will kill the soldier.
You
and your father,
so smart.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on,
(metal thudding)
come on, my darling.
Come on.
(sobbing)
(birds sing)
(motor rumbles)
(water hissing)
- Shalom.
(water hissing)
I, uh, sat down with Moishe,
and he's agreed to
(thuds)
speak at your hearing.
Ben!
Don't push me away.
It's not the time.
(water hissing)
I understand.
You were trying to save a life.
- What would you have done?
- [Arie] In your situation?
- Yeah!
- I'd have let the boy drown.
- Great.
- That's right.
And I say it as a man with two children.
I'm a human being, now--
- First, you're a soldier!
You don't leave your God-damned gun
for the Arabs to shoot your friends with.
This isn't like you!
- What do you mean?
- You know God damn well what I mean!
You're out of control!
What is it?
You gonna trust me?
- Laila.
- What?
- Laila, Laila Malek.
- What's she got to do with this?
Oh, God!
- Dad, I never thought
it would get this far--
- Don't you know what the
family's going to do to you?
They'll kill,
they'll kill both of you!
Don't you understand?
Answer me!
Answer me!
(voice drones over speaker)
- I never wanted to hurt you.
You taught me to care.
All I ever wanted was to be like you.
And the only way I can do that
is by being honest with myself.
I love Laila.
I know the danger.
And she does, too.
- Laila.
- Please, I need you.
- Now you need me?
(sighs)
You didn't think of your country?
Didn't think of me?
- I couldn't.
There was no--
- You couldn't what?
You're a child?
Couldn't help yourself?
You lose your weapon.
You love an Arab girl.
And we can all go hang.
All go hang.
You know what?
Now you go hang.
You wanna be a man?
Be one.
You're on your own!
(chanting in Hebrew)
(crowd murmuring)
(murmuring)
(boots skidding)
(paper rustles)
(clattering)
- [Laila] "Ben,
"it is impossible for us
to see each other again.
"Please do not try to contact me.
"I'm glad we got to spend some time.
"Salaam Shalom.
"Laila."
(alarm wails)
(shouting)
(engines rev)
(motors roar)
(helicopter blades chop air)
(gunshots blasting)
(explosion blasts)
(explosion blasts)
(gasping)
(dramatic music)
(blasting)
(explosion blasts)
(blasting)
(grunts)
(motor roars)
(blasts echo)
- (shouting in Hebrew)
Down here!
Let's go boys!
Let's go!
(explosions blasting)
- I know you sent for me, sir?
- [Officer] At ease.
- Thank you, sir.
(explosion booms)
There is no way to say
it except to say it.
Your father was killed by a mine
on the road to Qonita.
We just heard.
(explosions blast)
I am very sorry, Ben.
(shouting)
(guns click)
(gunshots blasting)
(dramatic music)
- [Voiceover] There is a long population
of dead men in Israel.
But, in some way
they seem to live on
in the memory of the survivors
and the influx of new immigrants
and the flowering of the land itself.
Every Jew who has fallen
in defense of Israel
clings defiantly to life
because it was for life that he died.
How one dies makes a difference.
Life has a way of recognizing
those who loved it.
(birds sing)
(stomping)
(laughing)
(speaking Hebrew)
(applauding)
(chattering)
(celebratory music and laughing)
- May I invite the
beautiful lady to dance?
- Well, I appreciate the compliment.
But thank you, no.
- Please, it would make me very happy
if you would dance with me.
(clapping)
(mumbles)
(speaks Hebrew)
(exhales)
- Drink up, handsome!
Come on, I want to dance!
Drink up!
- For you, huh?
- Mmm. (laughs)
Come on!
(crowd applauds)
(slow rumba music)
You're sweating.
Where are you going?
(adhan call echoing)
(children chatter)
(oud strumming)
(gate creaks)
(children chatter)
(vehicle rumbles)
(romantic music)
(sighs)
(rumbling)
- [Ben] Laila.
- What?
- It's gonna rain.
(rumbling)
- Then take me home.
What am I going to do?
- Come away with me.
- (scoffs) Where?
- New York.
From Cypress we can take a plane--
- Ben!
- If we got married there--
- It isn't fair!
- Isn't fair to who?
- Ben, this is my home.
- It's my home, too.
But it's not our home.
And it never can be.
I love you.
I always have.
- I love you, too.
(rumbling)
I will tell my family.
(birds call)
(pensive oud music)
(engine revs)
(crickets chirping)
- You don't want me to come?
- No.
- Are you sure?
It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be all right.
Meet me at the clock tower, okay?
In an hour.
(kisses smacking)
It's gonna be okay.
Come on.
Go.
(motor rumbles)
- I will not believe this,
nor will I judge till
I hear from her lips.
Not yours.
My daughter's telling of this incident.
- I warn you, Mahmoud.
Our family's honor cannot go--
- Nothing has been proven, Fawzi!
- She went with a soldier,
and I'm less concerned with honor
than collaboration, uncle.
If we find that she told him--
(clattering)
- Laila, run!
(frantic oud music)
(door slams)
(clattering)
- [Moustapha] That school.
(banging)
- Ibrahim!
(banging)
(bangs on door)
(muttering)
Inside!
(door creaks)
- [Soldier] Arnon, telephone.
(speaking Hebrew over radio)
(telephone clicks in receiver)
(motor rumbles)
(engine roars)
- Hey!
(splattering)
(door creaks)
- [Ben] In the back.
You gonna be all right?
- [Ibrahim] You go south.
It's the safest way.
- Thanks, Professor.
- Take her away.
(rumbling)
(oud strumming)
- [Ben] Stay down.
- Hey, hey, hey!
Hold it, hold it!
Hey, hey!
- Is something wrong?
- I'm afraid so, lieutenant.
Your gas cap's off.
You are streaming fuel!
(thuds)
- Funny.
- No, no, no!
(speaking Hebrew)
(clattering)
- [Moustapha] Good evening, Professor.
- All set!
(speaks Hebrew)
Hey, hey!
Good night!
- Good night.
(motor rumbles)
- What you've done is obscene!
But you will redeem yourself!
Perhaps, you will even die a hero!
Now, where has he taken her?
- Picnic.
(gasps)
Talk!
(dramatic oud music)
(shouts)
(banging)
- [Soldier] Army, open up!
(bangs)
(gunshot blasts)
(birds singing)
(motor rumbles)
(brakes squeal)
(kisses smacking)
(speaking Hebrew)
- Okay, come on, get out.
(gasps)
(shouting in Hebrew)
- Lieutenant Arnon!
I'm sorry.
Your weapon, please.
(exhales)
(truck rumbles)
(adhan echoes)
(chanting in Arabic)
(wailing)
(motor rumbles)
- The goat.
The one in the yard.
What happened to him?
- Boris?
- (scoffs) That was his name?
- He had a Russian beard,
and Baba called him Boris.
(shouting)
(adhan call echoes)
- What's going on?
- A funeral.
- Some radical and the professor.
(shouting)
- Baba!
Let me go!
- Laila!
- Baba!
- [Ben] Laila!
(shouting)
- No!
(grunting)
- No!
(gunshot blasts)
(mournful oud music)
Ben...
(gasps and whispers)
(sobbing)
(dramatic music)
(wailing)
(screams)
- Baba.
"Maybe this is the best
way to say goodbye.
"But my father promises
that we're coming back.
"And I know there will
be peace someday, too.
"Because our families did
"what everyone says can't be done.
"We shared the land.
"So, goodbye, Laila.
"I don't know if we'll
ever see each other again.
"I only know one thing.
"You will always be my friend.
"Whenever I think of home,
"I'll think of you.
"Salaam Shalom.
"Ben."
(dramatic romantic orchestral music)
(adhan softly chanting)
(rustling)
(rocks clattering)
(dirt skidding)
(brushing)
(rustling)
(blows)
- [Voiceover] "Dear Laila,
"I feel like today is
the last day of my life.
(gentle oud music)
"Writing to you now I remember
"many years ago when I first saw you.
"The day your family moved
into the house next to ours.
"Arabs coming to live with Jews.
"I was confused Laila,
"and afraid.
(romantic symphonic music)
(men chatting in Arabic)
(speaking Arabic)
(goat bleating)
(murmuring in Arabic)
(gentle oud music)
(men chatting in Arabic)
(sweet music)
"I tried everything I could
to get your attention.
(skids)
(yells)
"Finally you noticed.
"My head hurt for a week,
"but we were friends.
(gentle flute music)
(rustling)
(laughing)
(grass rustles)
"I'll never forget those days.
"We thought they would last forever.
(gentle music)
"I realize now how wrong I was."
(crowd murmuring)
(upbeat music)
- [Man] Shalom!
- [Crowd] Shalom!
- On behalf of the Jewish Agency,
welcome to Israel.
Once I stood where you are now,
so I can guess what's in your hearts.
(ship horn blowing)
Many of you have suffered, struggled.
You've been persecuted for your beliefs,
but now at long last
(vehicle rumbles)
(laughing and screaming)
you've reached the promise land.
(ship horn blowing)
This I promise.
You will be equal citizens,
and your children
and your children's children
(ship horn blowing)
will find brotherhood and acceptance
in your homeland.
(upbeat traditional Jewish music)
Ben, where are you going?
- To the movies.
- So early?
- In Jerusalem.
I got to go to Ze'ev.
- You mean you're leaving
me to handle this myself?
- I trust you.
(seagulls calling)
(ship horn blowing)
- Go.
Go!
(pand plays "Hava Nagila")
(seagulls calling)
(kiss smacking)
- Come on if you are coming. (laughs)
Come on.
Come on here, Ben.
(slaps)
(thuds)
Oh, oh, oh!
(laughing)
Let's go.
Up, up, up, up, up!
(radio show chatters in Hebrew)
- [Voiceover] This is the BBC.
In the South, Egyptian
troops have begun to mass.
In response Israeli forces
have been put on full alert,
and as mobilization continues,
citizens have been cautioned
to prepare for an attack,
which officials fear
may occur at any moment.
(dramatic film sounds blasting)
- Everything okay?
- Fine.
- No problems?
- No.
(film voice wails)
- Your parents didn't say anything?
- [Laila] No.
- [Soldier] All soldiers,
report to your units!
Quickly!
(men murmuring)
- [Laila] I'll meet you later,
Salaam Shalom.
(film gunshots blasting)
(door creaks)
(crickets chirp)
- [Laila's Mother] Laila!
Where have you been?
Your cousin Moustapha
has come from Jordan.
(footsteps echo)
- Laila.
(kiss smacks)
(radio voice speaks Arabic)
- Laila,
cousin?
Do you think our fathers
will make a contract for our marriage?
- No.
I don't think so, Moustapha.
Mother says I must complete my education,
nothing's more important.
- I can leave here the guns with you.
- Fawzi!
- [Fawzi] Just for a while!
I'm not a fanatic.
(dishes clatter)
- [Fawzi] Neither am I.
- What sort of a man
blows up a school bus?
A normal man murders farmers
and cuts off their ears?
- My father was killed by Jews.
My land, your land, was taken by Jews!
How you can sit here in Israel
and write about this?
What this?
(soft romantic music)
- I'm worried, Laila.
We have to promise!
- Promise?
Promise what?
- That we'll stick together.
No matter what.
- I can't make such a promise.
It wouldn't be fair.
But we'll always be friends.
(airplanes roar)
(tanks rumble)
(blasting)
(helicopter blades chop air)
(gunshots blasting)
- Baba, please come with us!
(booms)
- You better take care of your mother.
I'll write you when it's safe.
Okay?
(patting)
(sobs)
(car engine rumbles)
(brakes squeal)
- [Soldier] Ilana Arnon,
I regret to inform you--
- [Ilana] Ze'ev! (sobs)
(mournful music)
- [Ben] "Now, Laila,
"my father has been
transferred to America.
"My sister's staying,
"but I must go with my parents.
(men muttering)
(clattering)
"I don't wanna go.
"But there's nothing I can do.
"I don't know when you're coming back,
"but when you find this,
"I know you'll understand.
(rustles)
"And maybe you won't be angry with me.
"I wish we could have seen each other
"one last time.
"Maybe this is the best
way to say goodbye."
- [Ilana] Shalom, Ben.
(car trunk slams)
(car door slams and engine revs)
I'll miss you.
(car door slams)
(birds singing)
(melancholy oud music)
(airplane engine roars)
(loudspeaker voice murmurs in Hebrew)
(cars beep)
(engine rumbles)
(brakes squeal)
(door slams)
(banging)
(speaking Hebrew)
- [Ben] Hi.
- [Girls] Hello. Hi!
(romantic music)
Shalom!
I'm looking for my sister,
Ilana Arnon.
- Ilana, I know her.
Okay, you follow this road
through to the village path.
(cows low and birds sing)
- Ilana!
(hoofbeats clatter)
(laughs and claps)
- [Ilana] Look at you! (laughs)
(murmuring and laughing)
(crickets chirping)
- It's not like Jerusalem, is it?
- You'll get used to it.
- I'm glad you're happy.
- (laughs) You will be, too.
You'll see.
(sighs) You're home now.
- (sighs) Yeah.
- Yeah.
(razor buzzing)
- What do they do in America?
It's good you got dropped here, Habibi.
(men chanting)
(military music)
(men chattering)
(shouting)
(groaning)
(coughs)
- Yonni, Leonid, come on, we're moving.
- You are moving.
(laughing)
- [Ben] No jokes, Leonid.
We're moving, we've got trouble.
(truck rumbles)
(clicks)
(men shouting)
(thuds and glass shatters)
- [Soldier] Let's go!
Move it!
- [Ben] Move it out, move it out!
Go!
That's enough!
(gunshots blasting)
(gunshots blast)
(fire crackles)
(gunshots blasting)
- [Soldier] That's enough!
(gunshots blast)
Move on!
(gunshots blast)
(shouts)
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting)
- Dov, look out!
Dov, come back, you son of a bitch!
Wait!
(gunshots blast)
Dov!
(gunshots blast)
Dov!
(muttering and gasping)
(bangs)
Get off of him, go!
That's enough!
Dov, come on, come on!
Let him go!
That's enough!
Just stop!
That's enough!
Dov!
He's just a kid!
- So what?
What am I?
(thuds)
(muezzin calls adhan)
(goat bleats)
(speaking Arabic)
(thuds)
(muttering)
(speaking Arabic)
- Laila.
- What's the holdup, Arnon?
(speaking Arabic)
(chanting echoes)
(girl calls out)
- That's very good!
In pink?
Nice.
And now we all keep working.
(chickens clucking)
- So nice here!
You want to tell me
what we are doing here?
(bell rings)
(speaking Arabic)
(children cheering)
(children chanting and laughing)
- Leonid!
Leonid!
Hey, cover for me at the base!
(chickens cluck)
(clattering)
(children singing)
- [Laila] So, are you excited, cousin?
- If I don't please him--
- He is marrying you!
- He liked my picture.
- Did you like his picture?
- He's not bad.
(laughing)
- What does your mother say?
- That he's an engineer
what has a Cadillac.
(laughing)
Moustapha!
(chickens clucking)
Look at you.
- Forgive me.
It's not right for what I've come to ask.
- Laila doesn't mind.
Do you?
- Of course not,
but this is not the place.
- When, Laila?
- At the wedding!
Her father will be there!
- And the sister.
- Let's got to the shouk.
(pensive oud music)
- You know I like Moustapha.
- I just don't understand.
(goat bleats)
Is it because his politics?
- No.
I do not agree to terrorism,
but I understand his position.
- He is very clever!
If you would sit with him,
you'd see how much he understands--
- Jamilah!
I very much respect him.
- So--
- But he is not my preference.
- If the families agree,
isn't that more important?
- But they don't.
(people speaking Arabic)
(chickens clucking and bells ringing)
- Laila.
Laila.
(men shouting)
Laila!
(frantic oud music)
(shouting)
Hey!
Laila!
Laila!
Hey!
(footsteps pounding)
Laila!
(gasping)
Laila!
(gasps)
Laila, wait!
What's wrong with you?
- (gasping) Why do you come?
- To apologize.
- For what?
You think I haven't been
harassed by a soldier before?
(gasping) Huh?
- You never got my letter.
I left it there when we moved.
- Moved?
Where?
- To New York!
Look, I'm sorry about the checkpoint.
That's just the way it is.
- The way it is.
- Laila, wait!
How's your father?
Is that why you teach?
I remember what he said.
That education
was the future for the Arab world.
Right?
Think you'll remember me?
- This is not America.
You forget where you are--
- I don't forget, I
know exactly where I am!
And I also know
(shushing)
that we should be friends.
(stammers)
And we can be again.
- I could be killed for
just speaking to you!
- All right, go.
I'll leave you now.
Just promise me that tomorrow
you'll check the tower
at 3:00 at the stroke.
Promise!
Promise.
(celebratory music)
(sings in Arabic)
- Will you dance with me, Laila?
- You know why I--
- Oh, leave her alone!
Princess needs a rest.
- Laila,
you dance with us!
- Laila is very independent,
but surely she seeks her father's consent.
- She's not bound by it.
- What about tradition?
- I have taught her what I know, Fawzi.
She answers now to herself.
- Perhaps she should answer to a husband.
- I think it's her wealth
that interests you, Fawzi,
not tradition.
- With respect, uncle,
in the West Bank, we are more concerned
with freedom than with money.
- Don't talk to Mahmoud about freedom.
He's been bought like all Arabs in Israel.
- The Jews improved our lives, Fawzi.
We cannot escape from that.
- Baba, they wanted your vote.
- Still, it was progress.
- For you.
For me, it is history.
I cannot be happy with
what you got in '48.
A Jewish girl my age,
she makes good money
for the work she does.
She has no curfew to go home for at night.
She is not treated with
disrespect in her own country!
Why should I be?
- Perhaps Laila has recovered
sufficiently to dance.
You have insulted him.
- I did not mean to.
- He knows that.
Maybe it is time.
- For what?
- To leave your father's house.
(ululating)
(motors rumble and horns beep)
(thuds)
(slaps)
(car door slams)
(slaps)
(engine revs)
(car door slams)
- Go!
Can I ask you a question?
- (laughs) Yeah, anything!
Humiliating us.
You enjoy it?
- What?
- How can you serve in an occupying army?
- I don't believe this!
(brakes squeal)
You don't know a thing about me!
- I know what you are.
- No.
You don't.
You know what I do.
Not how I feel.
Not how any of us feel.
You don't,
look, maybe I was wrong.
Sorry, I made a mistake.
- And what's that?
- Nothing.
- Come on, what did you bring?
- Hummus, and, uh... (mumbles)
- [Laila] You went to trouble?
- No, I didn't!
No trouble, really!
You
(rustles)
picked these?
- So I picked them.
- So I like them.
- So good.
I mean,
I picked them for you.
- Thank you.
(car door slams)
(gentle piano music)
(crickets chirping)
(car whooshes)
(water splashing)
- Come here, sit!
- It is for me to do that.
- No, no, no, no!
Today you relax.
Don't do a thing!
- I'm not sure I approve of that.
- Not right yet.
So, you don't want a family?
- I want many things!
- Like what?
- To study!
Travel!
Teach university!
- [Ben] That's all?
- Then I don't need a husband.
- So what about that?
- What?
- About everybody else being married?
- Is it a crime?
- No, it's just that,
by your age,
most Arab,
most girls marry.
- I know.
- I've insulted you.
- No.
- I'm just tired of the question.
Ben,
be careful up there!
- Here, thank you.
I'll do this.
- Ben, be careful!
(screams)
(splashes)
Ben!
Ben!
Ben!
Ben?
(splashes)
- God, you don't have to scream so loud!
- Are you all right?
(grumbles)
(gentle piano music)
- You were angry, weren't you?
- [Laila] Yes, because you scared me!
- No, I mean when we moved away.
When we left.
Do you think the war
turned us against you?
- I was hurt.
Our household was so serious.
To enjoy life just was not acceptable.
The only happy times I remember
are the ones I had with you.
And then you were gone.
- Yeah, you know all the
time that I was gone,
it was like I was just,
like I was waiting.
When I got my army notice,
I had a big party
and all my friends thought I was crazy.
And I, I mean, to them I
was joining the army and
for me it was coming home.
- I'm glad for you, Ben.
- It's more than that.
When I came back, I thought
that everything had changed
so much.
It was so different.
I felt something was wrong.
Until the checkpoint.
I realized that what I missed
most about being home was you.
- Ben.
- I know.
- No.
You don't!
There is someone I want you to meet.
Come.
(music echoes)
(child shouting)
(door creaks)
- Laila, Laila.
(speaking Arabic)
- Laila.
- Are we disturbing you?
- Yes, of course.
(laughs)
Laila.
- Professor Mansour,
this is Ben Arnon--
- Franklin!
Franklin.
Ben Franklin.
- Pleased to meet you.
Please come in.
(door creaks)
(latch clicks)
Who is this man?
- My name is Arnon.
I'm a soldier.
- So,
this is official?
- Ben has been away since the war.
Would you give him some of your time?
He is my friend.
- Oh.
Your friend.
Mister Arnon,
I will assume that you are
who you now say you are,
and that Laila knows what
she is doing as she does
usually.
But I must ask you to leave.
- We just want to ask you some questions.
Please.
- This is trouble I don't need.
And neither, may I say, does he.
So, there is the door.
Take my apologies
and go through it.
- Professor Mansour,
a Jew wants to listen.
Shouldn't you be willing to talk?
- That is my decision.
- I respect that.
I only mean, how often
does one of us come along?
(tapping)
- You see, the Jew says,
"This land was ours
"2,000 years ago."
And the Arab says,
"Hm? But while you were away,
"we were living here!"
And the Jew says,
"But you did nothing with the land!
"We came back here to the desert,
"and in 30 years, we made it bloom!"
And the Arab says,
"It's very nice.
"It's blooming.
"But we are desert culture.
"We like a little sand
here and there." (laughs)
Look.
What does that represent to you?
- [Ben] Those metal rods?
Looks like bad construction.
- When this man's children are grown,
and they want to start their own family,
he will build for them another floor
so they will all be together.
To a Jew,
it's bad construction.
To an Arab, it's the future.
(strums oud and sings in Arabic)
(groans)
(tea splashes)
- Stay!
- Please, Laila.
It's not your...
(children chatter softly)
(clatters)
It's trouble, the way she spoils me.
Cigarette?
- Please.
Good coffee, though.
- Arab coffee.
- Arab coffee?
My mother makes this!
(laughing)
- You've no doubt noticed
other such Arabic influence
on Jewish culture?
The architecture.
The food.
The music.
More important, however, are
the personal similarities.
You see, we Palestinians are
a small race
of educated men.
Arrogant.
Ambitious.
Financially astute nomads.
Sound familiar?
We are engaged here
in a balancing act, my friend.
To keep hold of our identity.
To live beside the Jews.
Now, if we fail,
we are lost.
Both of us.
(rumbling and hammering)
(sawing)
- Colonel Arnon?
- [Arie Arnon] Ben!
(speaking Hebrew)
- How are you?
(kiss smacks)
(speaking Hebrew)
- Look at you!
Turn around!
(laughs)
(machines buzz)
- Pass inspection?
- I wouldn't change a thing!
(kiss smacks)
(calls out)
- Your son?
- Yes!
Ben, my son!
- Hello.
(speaking Hebrew)
- Six months ago, we brought him here.
He is already making buildings.
- Terrific.
- Come.
Let me show you around.
- [Arie] Bennie!
- [Ben] Home at last, huh?
- This time for good!
I spoke with Moishe.
He's taking two soldiers from your unit
to officers training.
Guess who's one of them?
Ben, it's an honor!
(birds singing)
- I know.
- So?
Why the face?
- Dad, right now
I feel more like a cop than a soldier.
So maybe it's not such an honor.
(metal tinkles and clatters)
Do you know what we're doing in there
in the territories?
- Defending the country.
- No, no.
We're searching fruit baskets.
- [Arie] Yes, for bombs!
- Bombs!
Hell!
It's old women and children!
- Look.
You see there?
I was there in '48.
I was frightened and confused
as you.
I never knew which one of these
innocent-looking Aravim had
dynamite in his donkey cart.
- But you knew who you were fighting!
- Yes, but it's the same!
- No, it's not the same!
It's different!
- Oh, it's different.
But the same!
I mean, one is,
one is a war!
And then the other is a,
a war.
It is.
- (sighs) Dad,
these Arabs in the territories.
You know,
they're suffering.
They're suffering, they're
suffering at our hands.
They're suffering at my hands.
(stutters) How do you
expect me to live with that?
- You have to remember where you live.
And what you are.
Nobody wants this.
But we don't have a choice.
- Don't we?
- No.
The Arabs
can lose 100,
1,000 wars,
and they will still be there.
But we lose one!
One!
Our dream is over.
(sighs)
This kind of thinking.
The army's no place for it.
(sighs)
You hear what I said?
Huh?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
I hear you, Dad.
Look,
(smacks kisses)
I'll see you on Shabbat, okay?
Say hi to Mom for me.
(tractor rumbles)
(birds sing)
(chattering)
(brakes squeal)
- [Woman] Everybody, all the way down!
(laughing and chattering)
(shouts)
(speaking Hebrew)
- How are you?
(laughing)
- What are you doing here?
- I live here, right?
- You wanna work?
- [Ben] Sure do!
Okay!
I brought a friend.
- [Ilana] Laila.
- Hello, Ilana.
I would like to work.
- Here.
(thudding)
(thoughtful music)
(chatting and engine rumbling)
- Laila, catch!
(laughs)
(chattering)
(murmuring and laughing)
Come on!
Come on, here, here!
- Ben!
- [Ben] Bite.
- Want more?
(motor rumbles)
(laughing and cheering)
Laila.
Come on.
- Okay.
- Yes.
(laughing and shrieking)
(shouting and waves crashing)
(motor rumbles)
- Ben, look.
A checkpoint.
What do I do?
(clicks)
- Take this.
Take it.
Cut us a mango.
Go on, get down.
(beeping)
(speaking Arabic)
(motor revs)
(oud music)
- Here, the Arab woman.
(seagulls caw)
The resident of the occupied territories
have a very special sensitivity
to the behavior of others
towards their women.
And so, you must observe
the following rules.
A, you are forbidden to touch
the body of the woman!
B, you must refrain from any connection,
overt or covert,
with Arab women!
- It is not funny, all right?
- You're telling me?
(radio announcer chats in Hebrew)
(whistling)
(shouting in Hebrew)
There's no room for
what you are doing here.
- Just be my friend, all right?
- I'm more than a friend.
I'm a soldier, and so are you!
(waves crashing)
(people chattering)
(seagulls cawing)
(shouting in Arabic)
(dramatic oud music)
(shouting)
- Leonid!
We need a helicopter.
I'm going to get one, all right?
(splashing)
(shouting)
- Okay, all right, okay!
Okay, I'm going!
(splashing)
(coughing)
(helicopter blades chop air)
(seagulls caw)
(ululating and cheering)
(child gasping)
- Hey, hey!
Where's the gun?
Where's the gun?
Where's the gun, huh?
Where is the gun?
Where's the gun?
Huh?
The gun!
(motor rumbles)
- [Soldier] Yeah, we have
the suspects lined up.
We're waiting for the
local police to arrive.
I said we're waiting for
the local police to arrive!
- Hey.
- What?
- I found out who took the gun.
- What?
- I know who took the gun.
- Then who's your source?
- I can't tell you.
I promised--
- What do you mean you can't tell me?
Why did he talk?
- He's a friend of the kid I saved.
- Hey, hey.
Nice job, huh?
- Shut up, you!
Get out of here!
- Cut it out!
Cut it out!
Right now, Arnon,
I trust you about as
much as I like you, okay?
(seagulls caw)
- Look, I'm sorry, all right?
If you have a better idea,
I'm willing to hear it.
Come on, let's go.
Let me ride with you.
- Come on.
- [Ben] All right.
(engine revs)
(soldiers mutter)
(engine roars)
(clattering)
(donkey whines)
(banging)
(shouting in Arabic)
(banging)
(shouting in Arabic)
(guns clicking)
(shouting in Arabic)
(screaming)
- We're looking for a boy.
We're looking for a boy.
We're looking for a little boy.
A little boy.
A little boy!
(screaming)
A little boy!
(shouts)
- You saved his friend, eh?
Okay, let's go!
- Hey, Shlomo!
You haven't even searched the house!
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting)
(shouting in Hebrew)
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting in Hebrew)
(gun clicks)
(gunshots blasting)
(shouting)
- Ben, wait!
(clattering)
(gunshots blast)
(dogs barking)
(gunshots blasting)
(gunshots blast)
(shouting)
(gunshots blasting)
(thuds and clatters)
(wind blowing)
(clatters)
(footsteps scuffle)
(clattering)
- [Ben] Sir, the boy was drowning, I had--
- He was drowning.
So,
you desert your post,
abandon your weapon.
What possible reason could there be
for such
wildness, huh?
- I don't know, sir.
- I want to know now.
Who is the girl?
I understand.
You are confused.
Maybe upset.
You meet someone.
Seems like a coincidence.
You talk.
She understands.
What's her background,
this girl?
(mumbles), maybe?
- You don't understand.
She's just a friend.
That's all!
- Two men hit!
A boy dead by your own hands.
And still your eyes are closed.
You are more than a disgrace, boy.
You are a fool!
You are confined to
base until the hearing.
- Yes, sir.
- Dismissed.
- Thank you, sir.
(clock ticking)
(door lock clicking)
- Laila.
Sit down.
Have you been with an Israeli soldier?
(dishes clattering)
- I was stopped by a soldier.
He recognized me.
- Recognized you?
Who?
- It was Ben Arnon.
(sighs)
- There cannot be friendship?
I've asked you a question.
Listen, Laila.
I am not a conventional
man, you know that.
- But, Ben is not what you--
- Did I make a contract for you?
Did I?
- Of course not.
- I could have.
When you were 13,
I had many offers for you.
Have I restricted you?
- No.
- [Mahmoud] Kept you at home?
- Baba, please, I--
- Listen to me!
In our society,
everything, everything is against
such a situation!
The difference between us,
Arab and Jew,
will not so easily turn away,
not even from you.
I have addressed you as an equal.
I speak now as a parent.
I forbid you to see him again.
You hear?
My Laila.
Your heart moves faster than your head.
- Area you sorry, Baba?
- For what?
- That you did not make a contract?
- Laila, please!
- I never believed in--
- Baba, I believed
in what you and your work have stood for!
- Then you must trust me now!
- How can I?
All my life you have
spoken to me about peace,
about faith,
about the future!
I lived on those words.
Now that I have a chance
to make them real,
you are ashamed of me!
- No!
Afraid.
- I am not afraid.
- [S'ad] Where are you going?
- [Laila] You are wrong, Baba!
You are a conventional man.
- Sa'd, stop her!
- Laila!
You come back!
- [Laila] No!
You come back.
Now come.
You come back with me--
- Let me go!
- No!
You come back now!
- [Laila] No!
You come back home!
- Mama!
I love him!
(slaps)
(shouts)
(slapping)
(sobbing)
- Fawzi came
with his son.
They will kill the soldier.
You
and your father,
so smart.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on,
(metal thudding)
come on, my darling.
Come on.
(sobbing)
(birds sing)
(motor rumbles)
(water hissing)
- Shalom.
(water hissing)
I, uh, sat down with Moishe,
and he's agreed to
(thuds)
speak at your hearing.
Ben!
Don't push me away.
It's not the time.
(water hissing)
I understand.
You were trying to save a life.
- What would you have done?
- [Arie] In your situation?
- Yeah!
- I'd have let the boy drown.
- Great.
- That's right.
And I say it as a man with two children.
I'm a human being, now--
- First, you're a soldier!
You don't leave your God-damned gun
for the Arabs to shoot your friends with.
This isn't like you!
- What do you mean?
- You know God damn well what I mean!
You're out of control!
What is it?
You gonna trust me?
- Laila.
- What?
- Laila, Laila Malek.
- What's she got to do with this?
Oh, God!
- Dad, I never thought
it would get this far--
- Don't you know what the
family's going to do to you?
They'll kill,
they'll kill both of you!
Don't you understand?
Answer me!
Answer me!
(voice drones over speaker)
- I never wanted to hurt you.
You taught me to care.
All I ever wanted was to be like you.
And the only way I can do that
is by being honest with myself.
I love Laila.
I know the danger.
And she does, too.
- Laila.
- Please, I need you.
- Now you need me?
(sighs)
You didn't think of your country?
Didn't think of me?
- I couldn't.
There was no--
- You couldn't what?
You're a child?
Couldn't help yourself?
You lose your weapon.
You love an Arab girl.
And we can all go hang.
All go hang.
You know what?
Now you go hang.
You wanna be a man?
Be one.
You're on your own!
(chanting in Hebrew)
(crowd murmuring)
(murmuring)
(boots skidding)
(paper rustles)
(clattering)
- [Laila] "Ben,
"it is impossible for us
to see each other again.
"Please do not try to contact me.
"I'm glad we got to spend some time.
"Salaam Shalom.
"Laila."
(alarm wails)
(shouting)
(engines rev)
(motors roar)
(helicopter blades chop air)
(gunshots blasting)
(explosion blasts)
(explosion blasts)
(gasping)
(dramatic music)
(blasting)
(explosion blasts)
(blasting)
(grunts)
(motor roars)
(blasts echo)
- (shouting in Hebrew)
Down here!
Let's go boys!
Let's go!
(explosions blasting)
- I know you sent for me, sir?
- [Officer] At ease.
- Thank you, sir.
(explosion booms)
There is no way to say
it except to say it.
Your father was killed by a mine
on the road to Qonita.
We just heard.
(explosions blast)
I am very sorry, Ben.
(shouting)
(guns click)
(gunshots blasting)
(dramatic music)
- [Voiceover] There is a long population
of dead men in Israel.
But, in some way
they seem to live on
in the memory of the survivors
and the influx of new immigrants
and the flowering of the land itself.
Every Jew who has fallen
in defense of Israel
clings defiantly to life
because it was for life that he died.
How one dies makes a difference.
Life has a way of recognizing
those who loved it.
(birds sing)
(stomping)
(laughing)
(speaking Hebrew)
(applauding)
(chattering)
(celebratory music and laughing)
- May I invite the
beautiful lady to dance?
- Well, I appreciate the compliment.
But thank you, no.
- Please, it would make me very happy
if you would dance with me.
(clapping)
(mumbles)
(speaks Hebrew)
(exhales)
- Drink up, handsome!
Come on, I want to dance!
Drink up!
- For you, huh?
- Mmm. (laughs)
Come on!
(crowd applauds)
(slow rumba music)
You're sweating.
Where are you going?
(adhan call echoing)
(children chatter)
(oud strumming)
(gate creaks)
(children chatter)
(vehicle rumbles)
(romantic music)
(sighs)
(rumbling)
- [Ben] Laila.
- What?
- It's gonna rain.
(rumbling)
- Then take me home.
What am I going to do?
- Come away with me.
- (scoffs) Where?
- New York.
From Cypress we can take a plane--
- Ben!
- If we got married there--
- It isn't fair!
- Isn't fair to who?
- Ben, this is my home.
- It's my home, too.
But it's not our home.
And it never can be.
I love you.
I always have.
- I love you, too.
(rumbling)
I will tell my family.
(birds call)
(pensive oud music)
(engine revs)
(crickets chirping)
- You don't want me to come?
- No.
- Are you sure?
It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be all right.
Meet me at the clock tower, okay?
In an hour.
(kisses smacking)
It's gonna be okay.
Come on.
Go.
(motor rumbles)
- I will not believe this,
nor will I judge till
I hear from her lips.
Not yours.
My daughter's telling of this incident.
- I warn you, Mahmoud.
Our family's honor cannot go--
- Nothing has been proven, Fawzi!
- She went with a soldier,
and I'm less concerned with honor
than collaboration, uncle.
If we find that she told him--
(clattering)
- Laila, run!
(frantic oud music)
(door slams)
(clattering)
- [Moustapha] That school.
(banging)
- Ibrahim!
(banging)
(bangs on door)
(muttering)
Inside!
(door creaks)
- [Soldier] Arnon, telephone.
(speaking Hebrew over radio)
(telephone clicks in receiver)
(motor rumbles)
(engine roars)
- Hey!
(splattering)
(door creaks)
- [Ben] In the back.
You gonna be all right?
- [Ibrahim] You go south.
It's the safest way.
- Thanks, Professor.
- Take her away.
(rumbling)
(oud strumming)
- [Ben] Stay down.
- Hey, hey, hey!
Hold it, hold it!
Hey, hey!
- Is something wrong?
- I'm afraid so, lieutenant.
Your gas cap's off.
You are streaming fuel!
(thuds)
- Funny.
- No, no, no!
(speaking Hebrew)
(clattering)
- [Moustapha] Good evening, Professor.
- All set!
(speaks Hebrew)
Hey, hey!
Good night!
- Good night.
(motor rumbles)
- What you've done is obscene!
But you will redeem yourself!
Perhaps, you will even die a hero!
Now, where has he taken her?
- Picnic.
(gasps)
Talk!
(dramatic oud music)
(shouts)
(banging)
- [Soldier] Army, open up!
(bangs)
(gunshot blasts)
(birds singing)
(motor rumbles)
(brakes squeal)
(kisses smacking)
(speaking Hebrew)
- Okay, come on, get out.
(gasps)
(shouting in Hebrew)
- Lieutenant Arnon!
I'm sorry.
Your weapon, please.
(exhales)
(truck rumbles)
(adhan echoes)
(chanting in Arabic)
(wailing)
(motor rumbles)
- The goat.
The one in the yard.
What happened to him?
- Boris?
- (scoffs) That was his name?
- He had a Russian beard,
and Baba called him Boris.
(shouting)
(adhan call echoes)
- What's going on?
- A funeral.
- Some radical and the professor.
(shouting)
- Baba!
Let me go!
- Laila!
- Baba!
- [Ben] Laila!
(shouting)
- No!
(grunting)
- No!
(gunshot blasts)
(mournful oud music)
Ben...
(gasps and whispers)
(sobbing)
(dramatic music)
(wailing)
(screams)
- Baba.
"Maybe this is the best
way to say goodbye.
"But my father promises
that we're coming back.
"And I know there will
be peace someday, too.
"Because our families did
"what everyone says can't be done.
"We shared the land.
"So, goodbye, Laila.
"I don't know if we'll
ever see each other again.
"I only know one thing.
"You will always be my friend.
"Whenever I think of home,
"I'll think of you.
"Salaam Shalom.
"Ben."
(dramatic romantic orchestral music)