Hey Nisso, what's up?
- Everything's cool.
Cool. -What's new?
- It's all bullshit, I tell you.
There's no beginning and no end!
It's all bullshit.
The British Empire is passing by.
Salute, Shimon Yosef, Salute.
Didn't I tell you
It was all bullshit?
The House on Shlush Street
Are you sure this is the house?
Yes, mom brought me here
plenty of times.
Come on, don't be scared.
Mom, I brought Sami.
He couldn't believe
I knew how to get here.
He wanted to see you.
- See me? What's to see?
Why didn't you tell me?
What did you think I was doing?
Go on, go home.
Mrs. Goldfein is coming, and
I don't want her to see you here.
Sami, dear,
take your brother with you.
Come on. Take your brother.
Sami.
Hello, Clara.
These are your kids, aren't they?
Such a big boy!
He's a young man!
And you are so young, Clara.
OK, let's go. -Clara, are you
not done in the living room yet?
In a minute. -What about
the laundry? -Already done. -Good.
Look how low we've sunk, Sultana.
Stop that, Mazal.
Such is life.
Life? What life? In Egypt
we lived in a palace.
We had servants and maids.
And here in Israel,
my daughter Clara is a maid,
cleaning other people's houses!
You call this a life in Israel?
There's no doubt, Mazal,
everything here is different.
We have to adjust.
- Woman, life is like a pie.
Some have it baked,
and some have it unbaked.
You win some, you lose some,
Mrs. Mazal. That's how it goes.
How's everything in the
carpentry shop, Halfon?
Just fine, man.
- Mom, you're hurting me!
Sit quietly.
Stop fidgeting.
Wow, hot mama,
ain't she, Sami?
Jacko, stop, get off your mother.
I'm not a horse! Get off...
Leave your sister alone.
Sami, take him away.
Mazal, did you hear
about the butcher's wife?
Her husband caught her
with his brother,
and killed him in that
bath house on Pinnes street.
Just like Cane and Abel.
Oh my God!
It's her fault,
driving them both crazy.
She's got worms down there.
Women are the source of all evil.
- No, Mazal,
men are!
Men are the source of all evil.
Right, Clara?
- What are you asking me for, Nisso?
Ask your girlfriends.
What's that, mom?
Too much talking...
So? We're just taking a break.
Mazal, Mazal.
Life is like an onion.
If you try to peel it,
you end up in tears.
That's enough, Rafael.
Life is a pie,
life is an onion...
When are we going
to play some poker?
We will, don't worry. -This one
thinks of poker day and night.
That's what kids
are like these days.
Clara, my sweet.
My beloved.
You sit in the corner all day long,
lighting up this yard.
Why don't you make me
a cup of coffee, my sweet?
Geez, Nisso, you are so spoiled.
Better you should get a wife
to make coffee for you.
Don't rub it in.
Where will I find someone
as good as you?
Don't worry, I'll get you
your coffee. -You're a sweetheart.
Such a womanizer!
Sultana, the world
is like a cucumber.
Sometimes you have it
in your hand...
If you want to touch it,
than only above the shirt.
Ziona, where are you?
- I'm here, mom.
What are you doing over there?
Come home now. It's late.
Coming, mom.
Sami?
Is that you?
Life is hard, isn't it, Sami?
Stop reading.
The light...
I can't sleep like that.
Turn away then.
Mom, the light.
Sami, Sami, enough with the
books. You'll ruin your eyes.
In a minute, mom.
Let me just finish this page.
Jacko, you poor thing.
I hope you don't
have an attack tonight.
Sami.
The light.
Sami, you need
to get up early tomorrow.
You can't be late for work
on your first day.
Baby,
It's not for long.
Maybe next year you could
go back to school. -Yeah.
I'll go back to school and
you'll go back to mopping floors.
"Clara, are you not done
in the living room yet? "
Why are you talking to me
like that?
You don't get it.
I do get it.
You're ashamed of your mother.
That's not it.
What's "not it"?
Are you embarrassed by my
cleaning other people's homes?
Well, yes. But I agreed to go
out and work, didn't I? I did.
Yes, you did.
But that's how it goes, Sami.
You're my first born and head of
this family, because dad is gone.
Sami, baby.
Mr. Goldfein?
Yes, boy.
What do you want?
My mom... I...
I'm Sami.
Clara is my mother.
Sami! You're Clara's boy.
How could I forget?
Your mom is a great lady.
Good worker. Come in, come in.
Grossman!
Grossman, come here!
Grossman.
- What? -This is Sami.
He'll be working for us.
Make sure you train him well.
Teach him things.
Have you ever had a job, kid?
No.
That's all we needed here.
What are we going to do
with the dirty little Frenk?
Stop that.
Come over here.
Come here.
See this guy?
This is Max.
He's top notch.
Would you like to be
as good as he is?
Don't worry, Mr. Goldfein.
He'll do just fine.
Kid! Kid!
Come here.
Come look at your son, Clara.
He's as black as an Arab!
How was it?
- Fine.
Did Mr. Goldfein see you?
- Yes, he did.
Did he talk to you?
- Yes, he did. -What did he say?
He didn't say anything.
Jacko.
Why does he get meat? -He works
hard. He needs his strength.
I work hard too.
Eat.
Two.
Three.
How many, Halfon?
What's the rush, man?
One card.
One special one.
I'll see that.
One cent.
- Son, they'll clean you out!
Don't worry, mom...
Pass.
His majesty's police...
- Leave him alone.
One cent...
and a penny
to call.
Did you hear that, Clara?
A cent and a penny.
The great Halfon
puts in a penny.
Halfon, what do you do
with your money?
Where do you get
all your money from? Jerk.
Where do I get
all my money from?
From the governor.
I get a monthly salary.
Go on, get out of here.
For the kids,
You're a big hero, Nisso.
What do you say, Clara?
How do you like me now?
I'm a hero only for the kids?
Leave me alone, Nisso.
What do you want from me?
You know what I want,
right, Sami?
Some mother you've got there.
Say, Sami,
am I a hero or what?
T ell the truth.
Tell him, Sami.
Tell him what a mouse he is.
People on death row
keep singing the national anthem.
And he's sitting at home.
Slacker!
Slacker. That's what you are!
You see this guy from Beirut?
Sasson.
He's better than you are!
No shit, Halfon...
If you weren't my best friend...
I would...
Go play with the kids.
If I was on death row...
I would tell them:
"Stop!
"I have one final request.
"I want to see Clara. "
And I'll be standing there
handcuffed,
ready to die.
And they'll be bringing
my honey in.
My sweetheart.
And I'll be looking
into her eyes
and she'll be standing up,
all honest and whole.
Look at her, guys.
Look how she's standing there,
proud
like a mare.
And then...
I'll sing to her, very softly...
Stop it, Nisso. Stop.
Stop the bullshit.
Clara, he's really
crazy about you.
That's all I need,
at my age...
Stop it, Nisso.
Enough!
Why stop, Clara?
You can give me a kiss,
can't you?
After all, you're not a virgin.
- Stop that, Nisso. Enough.
Get back to the table, jackass.
The game is here.
Come on, Halfon.
Put your money
where your mouth is.
Cough it up.
Here's a dime.
Here's my salary.
See that?
Watch and learn,
cub scout.
Sit down. Sit down.
Here's your dime.
And your salary!
Full house.
Full house, man!
Is your hand better?
Cheater!
Wait, Nisso...
Mine's better.
Four jacks.
Say, mom,
do you like Nisso?
- Nisso?
Nisso, the king of show-off.
Just like your dad.
My dad?
- Your dad.
Who would drive everyone
in Alexandria crazy.
But the horses would
drive him crazy.
He would bet all his wages
on the horses.
But he loved you.
- Of course he did.
He loved me so much...
He was crazy about me.
He would get so jealous...
You know, I used to love dancing.
The foxtrot, the Charleston.
After our wedding,
he saw me dancing once...
He didn't talk to me
for three days after that.
After that time,
I never danced again.
I never even went
to the movies after that.
He was worried I would be
looked at and pinched in the dark.
You know, the first time
I saw him he was wearing a cap.
He'd stand at Blordi's window
for hours. That's where I worked,
waiting for me to come out.
You have his eyes.
My mother would tell me:
"Why are you going with him?
"He's broke. He doesn't have
two cents to rub together. "
When we got married, he didn't
even have a change of underwear.
You loved him.
It's been six years
since he died.
It's been six years
since I let a man touch me.
Aren't you...?
Don't you think...?
Don't you want to?
- Get remarried? -Yes.
No. I've had enough.
I've got you kids.
I have you.
But you're still young.
You...
It's your life.
- My life?
Do you know how old I was
when I married your dad?
Eighteen.
A month later, I was pregnant.
You. And then it was your sister
Esti, before I could even flinch.
And I...
I know, a mother shouldn't
speak like that to her son.
But Sami, you read books,
you know what life is like.
I withheld your father from
touching me for four years.
How he must have agonized...
After that...
came Helena,
and then Jacko.
And then...
Me, Sami...
I haven't had
any other joys in my life.
You are my only joy.
Olives, onions.
Just like an Arab.
With your money,
you can eat Caviar.
With his money,
he eats olives and onions.
Max, how are things in Russia?
Frenk, you know
why I don't like Arabs?
Everybody knows. You can
skip the rest of your speech.
Besides, it's not funny any more.
Sami, how much do Grossman
and Goldfein pay you?
Already you're teaching him
capital issues? The little Frenk?
That's it, Sonya.
We're closing.
Can you close without me today?
- Fine. -Thanks.
See you.
- See you.
Jackass!
You know,
I also...
I also used to read books
on the street
until one day an electric pole
ran into me.
That man was probably softer,
right?
OK, you got me.
- I got you back at the store.
So why did you let me take it?
- So why did you take it?
I wanted to read it.
I would have returned it.
This was the first time.
- That you would have returned it?
Gorky...
It's French.
- And in Hebrew?
When...
while...
earning my keep.
In Russian: Velogech.
OK, look. You got the book.
Can I go now?
Well...
I was curious to find out
which book you took.
Now I'm even more curious.
How about a cup of tea?
You don't like tea.
Maybe...?
Is this how they drink it
in Russia?
Do you approve?
- Not bad.
Were you born there? -I was born
here. My parents came from there,
and we used to speak Russian
at home.
How about you?
Egypt.
And you spoke French at home?
- Ladino. -Not Arabic?
We only spoke Arabic outside.
So where is your French from?
- We also spoke French.
And in school.
- Hebrew, Ladino, French, Arabic...
And a little English.
- English?
And some Italian.
Some Greek.
And I also speak Armenian.
- No way!
I picked up English
from movies.
Italian from the neighbors,
Greek from my dad,
and Armenian from my best friend
who was from Armenia.
Do all Egyptian Jews
speak that many languages?
Most of them do.
You know,
this is the first time I've...
had a cup of tea with...
A "frenk".
Is that how you pronounce it?
I didn't know this word
until I came to Israel.
I used to think a "frenk" was
a German tribe that conquered France.
That's not what
I was going to say.
What were you going to say?
- I wanted to say that...
This is the first time
I'm having a cup of tea
with a Sephardic guy, who...
speaks 25 languages,
reads Gorky, and...
How old are you?
- I'm 15.
No, Older.
You can take a book home
if you want.
Just let me know
when you do.
I can't read at home.
- Why not?
Well, you can read here
any time you want.
I'll leave you a key
under the doormat.
You wouldn't mind?
- I don't think so.
If I mind, I'll tell you.
I have to go.
Wait a minute.
What's your name?
- Sami. -Sami.
You forgot something, Sami.
This is yours.
Thanks.
What's your name?
- Sonya. -Sonya.
Sami!
Sami!
Hold on.
Good evening, Rafael.
- Good evening, buddy.
Are you just coming home
from work?
No.
Way to go.
You're becoming a man...
Great. Listen.
Sami, do you remember
what I told you about the thing?
Oh, that!
- It's... It's...
I don't know. -What do you mean?
Where else would you go?
Join the Hagana? With all
those people? Forget about it.
look, come around sometime.
If you like it, great.
If you don't, you don't.
Have we got a deal?
Deal.
- Give me your hand.
OK, now go wash up.
Clara, my sweet. I don't know
what I would do without you.
Nisso,
I don't know what you would
do without me either, but...
You asked me to sew, I sewed.
But I won't have this.
Won't have what, Clara?
- Don't pretend you don't know.
I don't know
what's in this mattress.
You didn't tell me. I don't
want to know. No, don't tell me.
Nothing to tell, Clara. It's better
you don't know what it is.
The more you know,
the more you worry.
But what I have in my heart,
my sweet, my life,
is an entire ocean.
English soap.
- English what?
That's what we used
to say back in Egypt.
That's what you are.
English soap.
You make a lot of foam.
- You're right, Clara.
I make a lot of foam.
You don't want any of that.
Stop it, Nisso.
Nisso, stop it.
Why, Clara?
You're here, I'm here.
The mattress is here.
The night is young
and you are young.
No moon, but who needs it
when you're here, Clara. My moon.
Nisso, stop it. I'll scream.
- Why scream, Clara?
Do you want to wake
the neighbors up?
Tell me why not. Quietly.
Nisso, I'm not your sweetheart
or your moon.
I'm not your love.
I'm a widow with four kids.
Don't I have enough trouble?
You are all I need now. -Yes, Clara.
I'm what you need.
You've got kids and problems,
but no love.
I'm through with love.
- Are you, Clara? -Yes.
Really?
- Really really.
I've been a widow for six years.
Many called, I never answered.
Why? Because I need a ring
on my finger first.
And you are not one to marry.
Clara, my love, a ring?
A thousand rings.
I would give you a ring for each
finger. I would give you my life.
But I don't own my life.
And I don't know
what will happen to me tomorrow.
You're right. You shouldn't.
You have enough trouble.
Nisso, trust me.
Come on.
Your wish is my command.
You don't want to? Fine.
I'll try again tomorrow.
What is it, Sami?
I think the drill is broken.
It's bent.
Hold on, OK?
How is everything, Sami?
Shit.
- No change?
Yes, there's a change. In the hole.
- Which hole?
The drill hole.
Sami, if you don't fight them,
they'll shit all over you.
They'll end you.
Do you hear me?
I can see you here,
sitting by the same drill,
making holes.
What's with that chanting
over there, max?
Sorry, sir? -Stop playing
your games. Do you hear me?
Grossman... -Shut up! I don't want
to hear another word from you!
I'm sick and tired
of your jokes.
You're affecting my workers here.
I don't know what you
want from him either.
And you, if you don't
go back to your job,
you can go home,
and don't bother coming back!
Come on!
- Stop yelling, Grossman.
You're not scaring anyone.
Stay there.
Stay where you are, I said!
Don't yell, Grossman.
This is not a sweatshop.
Shut up
and get back to work.
This isn't the workers' union,
either.
Not the union?
We'll make it the union.
Max, Are you organizing
a strike?
I'll kick you out, Max.
I'll kick you out like...
like a dog!
What are you doing, Asher?
Get back to your grinder. Now!
This will not end well, people.
Get back to the grinder, I said.
I'll call the police!
The police?
What are you doing in there?
Get out! Join your friends!
Sami, are you coming with us?
Where to? -We're going to the
union building. The Brener House.
Do I have to go?
Only if you want to.
Should I stay?
- You don't have to, Sami.
Hello.
- Hello.
Am I interrupting?
No. Come on in.
You told me I could come here
if I wanted to.
Sit down.
Are you not working today?
We're striking.
- Striking?
I'm going to have lunch. Want
some? -I already ate. Thanks.
And then?
- And then I left the Kibbutz.
And your husband? -Stayed there,
growing corn and his own belly.
Do you ever see him?
- Not for a long time now.
I thought of moving to a Kibbutz
once. -Maybe. Why not?
But you left after 10 years.
- I did, yes.
The sense of camaraderie.
- Huh? -A sense of camaraderie.
Sonya doesn't have a sense
of camaraderie. She's a loner.
I didn't love them enough,
so they didn't love me.
And you prefer being alone?
- I don't know. Right now, I do.
I can do what I please, and not
what the members' assembly decides.
Alone.
No family of 200,
no husband. And they all know what's
best for me, how I should live.
Who I should love,
who I should talk to.
Our back yard
is just like a Kibbutz.
A family of 50, and a mother.
And you can't read at night,
or have even one moment to yourself.
There's no where to run.
And everyone's giving you advice.
Yes, but I don't know.
- What's that?
What I want to do with my life.
- I don't know yet, either.
And I'm 25.
When I was little,
I wanted to play the piano,
But there wasn't one in the Kibbutz,
so I played the violin.
I played it for 10 years,
and...
When it's time, you'll know.
Maybe.
And if you don't,
that's fine, too.
For instance, I know now
that I have to go to work.
Finally...
it's over.
What time is it?
- Six o'clock, I think.
It's late.
I thought I'd be able
to finish the book.
Finish it tomorrow.
Did you like it?
Not so much.
Why not?
I didn't get it, I think.
How can she sell herself
to all those old geezers for money?
She'd be better off
working in a book store.
No, I mean,
I get the money part, but...
How could she,
without loving them?
How could they,
without loving her?
It's not the same thing.
If it were me, I couldn't do that.
- Couldn't do what?
Have you ever been in love?
I don't know.
Do you have a girlfriend?
I used to,
but now I'm abstaining.
Abstaining?
I don't care about that anymore.
I mean...
Going out, watching a movie,
walking on the beach,
and then all that...
I'm not interested
in the girls I know.
Well, I would stay,
but I have to go.
My mom will be worried.
She...
Yeah, you'd better go home.
"Warning: A Jewish soldier
imprisoned by the enemy
"was sentenced by the British
conqueror to a flogging.
"If the punishment is executed,
British officers will suffer.
"Signed: The Nationalist
Army Organization. "
Sami.
What are you doing here?
Think of your mother! Running
around in the dead of the night.
Jackass! Camel!
Sasson, where are you?
I'm here, Abu Jaber.
Through there, quick! Run home!
Who were these people, Sasson?
What do I know?
Nobody. Let's go.
Go to the pharmacy tomorrow
and get everything on my list.
Don't worry, Clara.
Jacko will be fine.
- I hope so, Doctor. I hope so.
He's such a good boy.
How's he doing, mom?
- How's he doing?
If you were here,
you would know.
But mom, I...
No buts. I know where you were,
and I don't want any of this!
I don't want that.
Leave that for others.
All I need now
is for you to get caught.
Where are you going?
Come on, sit down.
I want to talk to you.
Mr. Goldfein said you haven't
been to work for two days.
That's right.
And you didn't tell me anything?
Where do you go every morning
with your backpack?
What do you do all day?
I go to the workshop.
- You go to the workshop.
And you don't work?
We're on strike.
- On strike?
What strike? Do you want
Goldfein to fire me too?
But everybody else... -You're not
everybody! Don't be like them!
But how can I not?
- You can, Sami. You can.
If I can,
you can also stand it.
Think about your mother.
- But what do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do?
You told me to get a job, I did.
I didn't decide on this strike.
- Don't yell at me.
I can't do this anymore, Sami.
I don't have the energy for this.
You're not helping me, Sami.
What's going to become of us,
max? -I truly don't know.
This strike has gone on too long.
That can't be good.
You don't think we'll win this?
Look, we want Goldfein to sign
an agreement with the union.
That much would be
an accomplishment. Winning...
look, even if Goldfein gives us
a raise of a dime a week,
you'll keep drilling holes,
Asher will forever cut metal
and me...
No, Sami. At least you can leave
and get a high school diploma.
You can go to night school
or learn a profession.
But what will I do for bills?
There's plenty of Goldfeins
out there. You'll find something...
The face!
Punch him in the face!
In the face, in the face!
- Communist!
Go back to Russia!
You want more?
No.
Take off your shirt.
Go get cleaned up.
That's what you look like.
Are you sure I can stay here?
- I'm sure.
Unless you'd rather go out
on the street during curfew,
and be thrown in jail
for the night.
With a mug like yours...
the Brits will never let you go.
Sami.
Sami.
Sami.
Mom?
Where were you?
I asked where you were.
That's for keeping me
up all night worried.
That's the last time
you slap me, mom.
Do you hear me?
The last time!
Don't touch me.
Your sandwich
is in the kitchen.
Go, go ahead.
Go have a strike in the workshop.
I'm not going back to Goldfein's.
I don't want his charity.
- Don't want it?
Fine.
Do as you please.
I don't want it either.
You hear me?
I don't want it either.
I'm done. From now on, you take
care of your brother and sisters.
I did my share.
Do you hear me?
I've sacrificed enough.
I won't do it any more.
If you're a man, you don't need
your mother any more.
A man should take care of his
mother, not the other way around.
A man...
See for yourself. What's to lose?
He's got a heart of gold.
A real, educated man.
Did you tell him I have four kids?
- Sure I did.
I don't know about this,
Madam Koka. -What's to know?
Go out with him a few times,
maybe you'll get lucky. -Maybe.
At least take your feet
off of the bed.
Today it's not for you, Nisso.
- When will it be for me, Clara?
Here you go. Jab out my eyes
so I don't have to watch this.
Madam Koka,
When is he coming here?
He should be here any minute now.
He is a punctual person.
Mazal, Mazal. What's going
to become of you, Mazal?
What's going to become of me,
Clara?
Your old mother. Will you
throw me out on the street?
I'm not getting married yet,
mom. Not yet.
Koka, where did you find this guy?
Does he have any money?
Do you think I would
bring a beggar to meet you?
He has a house,
a land, some chickens.
May God give him
whatever he is lacking.
God help us. What will you do now,
go work in the fields?
Stop it, mama.
Be a farmer?
Hello.
Hello, Mr. Haim.
Clara, Mr. Haim Zinger.
Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Please, sit down.
- Thank you.
Here you go.
- Thanks. -You're welcome.
I'm Rafael.
I'm Clara's cousin.
Nice to meet you.
And this is Sasson, my cousin.
- Nice to meet you.
This is Mazal, Clara's mother.
- Nice to meet you. -Likewise.
And this is Sultana, my wife.
Won't you drink some Arak?
- No, no. Thanks you.
Have an olive.
A cucumber.
It's nice here.
What's nice? Nice...
It's a dump.
It used to be nice.
What did he say?
What's his name?
Zinger.
- What does Zinger mean? -Singer.
Singer? Have him sing something,
so we can hear...
Why didn't you say he was like that?
- Like what? He's a man!
I looked for him high and low.
How will I get rid of him now?
- He's just right for you, Clara.
Meshulam.
- What's up? -Nothing.
What's going on here?
- A celebration.
See you later.
For that?
You're leaving me for that?
I was nine when I arrived in
Jerusalem. I studied in the Heder.
And when I was 16
I joined the Jewish regiment.
Did you hear that, Clara?
He's from Russia.
A friend of Ben Gurion's...
Where are your kids?
Out walking.
They'll come home soon.
Sami, come here.
This is Sami, my eldest.
Some coffee, Mr. Zinger?
You don't have to call me
Mr. Zinger.
Haim is fine. Just Haim.
- Sorry, I'm not used to this.
And he's Ashkenazi.
So? We're all Jewish.
Thanks to our forefathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
He's too old.
He's my husband's age.
Enough, mom!
How old was your husband,
may he rest in peace?
Old age, Mrs. Mazal,
isn't measured in years.
Nissim Hudara.
Well said.
What did I say?
No, really.
If they hadn't told me you were...
Clara's mother, I would say
you were her big sister.
God forgive me.
- Don't worry about it.
To your health.
Cheers.
Sephardics and Arak
always go together...
Sami!
How are you holding your drill?
Move over.
Sami, when's the wedding?
Halfon! -What?
- Where's the key to the chainsaw?
In that box. How many times
do I have to tell you? In the box.
Here, put your hand here,
clutch the handle and turn it.
You see?
Here you go.
Say, Sami,
can I count on you tonight?
Halfon. -What? -The glue
is spilling into your coffee.
Oh my God!
There goes my coffee.
"Halfon"
Go to sleep. Sleep...
All of you, get up!
You! Get up!
Me no good.
No good. Sick.
No, no.
My husband! Father!
Four children!
Four children. sick...
Leave me alone!
Me, No good...
- Jacko!
Get up, you bloody jew!
Me, no shoot.
Me sick.
Me English.
No shoot...
Take those two bastards.
- No!
No! Children!
Me mama! Shoot here!
Shoot here!
Me! Mama!
My children!
Damn them.
Are they planning to kill us?
It's been three days!
I'm going out.
I don't have any medication
for Jacko, no food. I'm off.
My God, Clara, where are you
going? They're shooting people!
Shooting? Fine.
You only die once.
It's okay.
Stop!
Go back.
Go back home!
Food! Children... food.
I want food.
No eat children.
Stop or I'll shoot.
Shoot shmoot.
I go doctor. Children sick.
Children sick, I go doctor.
Burn in hell...
Come with me to the police.
- OK, police. OK.
Bastard...
Clara, are you nuts?
What are you doing here?
Sasson, quit annoying me.
I need food and medication
for Jacko. Let me go now.
Clara, you're a hero.
Going out on a day like this?
Even on a day like this
we need to eat.
I need food and medication.
Let me see if I can arrange
a "pass" for you.
Wait here.
- A pass? What's a pass?
What is it?
I know this woman.
Her son is very ill.
She has to see a doctor.
She needs food, medicine.
Thank you.
Here you go. You could have
gotten me in a lot of trouble.
Go home, quickly.
Here, look. A pass! Idiot.
I was so scared...
To hell with all of them.
Sit down. -Mom...
- Your mom was so worried.
We have some food, mom.
Thank God you're back safely!
- We have eggs, some oil...
weren't you scared?
- I was frightened.
No fear.
- There was fear. Lots of fear.
Hello.
Sami! What a surprise.
Where were you all this time?
I was busy.
I was looking for a job,
and then there was the curfew.
How are you?
- I'm good. I'm real good.
And you?
I was worried about you,
you know?
You used to come every day,
and then you vanish for two months.
I didn't even know
where to look for you.
I thought you'd understand.
- Understand?
Why I didn't come.
- I don't.
I wasn't exactly busy.
I mean, I was busy, but...
that's not why.
You know why.
- No. Why?
After what happened.
- What happened?
You know, I really missed you.
- I missed you too, but...
after what happened, I didn't know...
I didn't see how we could...
How we could have a future.
- A future?
Yeah, after that night.
- A future? After that night?
I don't understand.
That night, like you call it,
I enjoyed myself.
Didn't you?
- Yes.
I did, but after
what happened later...
I realized we had
no future together.
We're not the same age,
and I thought you might...
- Look, Sami,
we were friends, right?
We had fun together.
We were glad to see each other.
At least I was.
No, I was too.
I...
You know our friendship
was very special to me.
I could talk to you...
about things
I never told anyone else, ever.
But after it...
after what happened,
I don't know.
OK, fine. Goodbye.
But I came here to...
- You came to return the book.
No, I...
I don't know why I came.
Look,
it was nice.
Past tense.
Now it's over.
Too bad.
That's how it goes.
Like an engine.
He had a store.
When?
- In 1925.
Where did they live?
On "Shaarei Shamaim" St.
In shelters,
in the Ashkenazi lot.
How much is that?
- Two pennies.
Hello.
How many are two plus two?
Four pennies.
- Good.
Where is it?
- Here. -Are you sure?
Yeah?
Count to three.
One, two, three.
Here. -No.
- Yes. -I'm telling you it's here.
See that?
- I saw you put it in your pocket.
He's a little devil.
What have you got there?
- Here? Nothing.
If you don't resemble your family,
you're a bastard.
Going out?
- yes.
The food is in the kitchen.
You just have to heat it up.
Like Abed-El-Wahab wrote
in his poem:
"What's written in the sky
the eye must see"
This dress looks good on you.
- Yeah?
It makes me look younger,
don't you think?
Yes. Younger.
Haim would like it.
Sami.
Excuse me.
- Of course.
Sami! Sami!
Come here, Sami.
Sami, why are you running away?
I'm trying to talk to you.
Are you mad at me?
No, I'm not mad.
You know, I look at you,
and it reminds me
of when I first arrived here.
I was about your age.
Those were different times.
It was during the Ottoman Empire.
I took every job
I could get my hands on.
But what's interesting is that
I always wanted to get married.
To have a family.
A wife, kids.
I almost got married once.
She was a nice girl...
good family.
But it didn't work out.
Never mind.
Sami,
your mom is a great lady.
I don't have to tell you that.
You know her better than I do.
Besides, she's giving me
a great gift.
My mother?
- Yes.
A gift?
She's giving me you.
You see, Sami, I don't know
if I'll ever have kids of my own.
And even if I do,
they'll never be like you.
My father gave me this watch.
That's the only thing
I have of his.
His father gave it to him.
I'd like you to have it.
- Haim!
Take it
and take good care of it,
like I did.
Hello.
- Yes, Hello.
May I have one, please?
- Yes.
Some pepper?
- Thank you. -You're welcome.
Sami!
- Thank you.
Sit down.
Would you like a drink?
That's right.
You don't drink or smoke.
You're an all around good kid.
Sit down.
Maybe I will have a drink.
- Macho man.
The first time always hurts.
How's life, Sami?
Life?
What do I know about life?
Are you still not speaking
to your mom?
I don't know
what's going on anymore.
Who's not talking to whom.
How's Haim?
That Ashkenazi screwed us over,
didn't he?
Screwed you over, maybe.
He gave me this.
On account of my mother
giving him a gift.
A gift?
Never mind.
He's not right for her.
Sami, right, not right,
let her live her own life.
And you start living yours.
It's about time, Sami.
...from nothing.
Look at me.
Why do I have a bike?
Because it's a big world,
Sami, and life is short.
What?
Baby, what's the matter with you?
Wait a minute.
I asked Haim
not to come here again.
Why?
- I don't know.
It didn't feel right.
He would open doors
and hold them for me.
He would take me to the cinema
and out to restaurants.
Once, while we were walking,
he even bought me a flower.
He wanted to kiss me,
but I couldn't.
Besides, Sami, you're not
that crazy about him either.
If you had loved him,
maybe I would have, too.
I know that, Sami.
Sami.
Sami.
Go see who it is.
Is Nissim Hadera home?
Nissim Hudara doesn't live here.
- What is it? Who's there?
Where's Nissim Hadera?
Nissom Hudara's not here.
He doesn't live here.
We won't bother you, lady.
We just want to look around.
Sorry, lady.
You can go back to sleep.
Sleep.
Nisso, run!
Sami, the bike.
Take care of the bike.
It's a shame about the workshop.
What are you going to do if they
burn it? -If they do, so be it.
This is just plywood, isn't it?
We'll finish this thing,
and lock up.
We need a few hours of sleep.
This shooting.
They're crapping all over us!
What do they want?
They got their state!
Man, Jabotinsky was right.
OK, Halfon, enough with the
speeches. They got, we got,
They shoot, we shoot...
you're leaving this neighborhood,
just like everyone else.
What do you want us to do?
Get killed? What do you want?
And you were teasing Nisso.
"People on death row keep
singing the national anthem".
You're flapping your gums here,
and he's on death row.
Halfon, you're a good carpenter,
but if you'd just shut up...
if you only knew
how to shut up.
Are you going to stay here, Sami?
- Where else can we go?
What about Haim?
- Hasn't been around for months.
Since before the UN proclamation.
Too bad.
So he didn't want Clara
after all?
Enough, Halfon. Enough.
Albert, watch your manners!
God, Albertico, get up!
What's wrong? -The Arabs are
taking over Tel Aviv. Get up!
I heard them on the street,
speaking Arabic. -What's wrong?
They will kill us all!
- Are you nuts? I can't hear a thing.
Alberto, get up.
- Go to bed.
Go to bed. I hear nothing.
- Oh God. I'm going to Clara's.
They were speaking Arabic.
Yelling: "slaughter the Jews!"
They left us here to die.
- Mom, stop it. Go to sleep.
Go to bed.
I'll go check it out.
I don't like this silence.
- Stay here. I'll take a look.
No, I have to see for myself.
Who's there?
Why are you shouting,
Shimon Yosef?
Shitrit, I saw someone over there.
You must be delirious.
I see nothing.
I swear to you on my kids
I saw someone go through there.
If you don't trust me,
go. I'll cover you.
You're crazy.
What's the matter with you?
You saw it, you go.
I'll cover you.
We'll go together.
If we both go,
who's going to cover us?
Shimon Yosef?
- Who's there?
Sami.
Sami, what are you doing here
in the middle of the night?
What's with the entourage?
You scared the daylights out of me.
What's going on?
- What's that? God!
It's a quiet night, thank God.
There's nothing going on.
Look, this silence...
Clara, come on, don't worry.
Our boys are all over this place.
If, God forbid,
something happens, we're here.
Right, Shimon Yosef?
- Right, Shitrit. No fear.
The kids.
The kids!
Mom...
Are you all right?
Wait a minute.
we can't stay here, mom.
Where am I going to go?
Where?
Where everyone else goes.
They'll take care of us,
like with all the other refugees.
I don't want to be a refugee.
This is my home.
I want to stay here.
I'm... I've had enough
of strangers' homes.
So go get Haim.
Go get him.
- He doesn't want to see me.
He will.
He loves you.
He will.
I can't make a laughing stock
of him, Sami. Don't you see?
Yes, I do.
Go get him.
Clara.
Clara.
Don't tease me.
You will not throw me
out of here again?
Do you know what you want?
Are you sure?
A wedding?
Immediately.
"Enlist!"
Plaster stains
on the right ventricle.
Have you ever heard of such
a thing? That's what he told me.
I said:
"Doctor, what is that? "
He said: "It's OK. Many people
have lesions on their lungs".
I thought "I have TB.
I'll never be drafted. "
Do you think they'll let us
join the Palmach?
I don't know.
First let's make sure we are drafted,
and take it from there.
Go.
Sami,
remember to tell them
you're 17, otherwise...
Ziona, clean over here.
Faster.
Sami,
do you hear that?
Yes.
Don't worry, Clara.
There was no alarm.
Those are probably ours.
I don't know.
I sent Jacko to school.
Maybe those are ours.
I just hope they don't
draft you both.
It's bad enough
Haim was drafted.
What does he write?
- He writes...
He's...
He's a good man, Sami.
A really good man.
Jacko!
Mom!
Jacko!
Jacko, my baby!
No! Jacko is in there!
Jacko!
I saw... Where's my baby?
- No, hold her.
My boy, my boy...
Your brother.
Your brother...
Give me my baby.
My boy...
Let's go home, Sami.
There's nothing left to do here.
Leave me alone.
Jacko, Jacko...
- Patience, my dear. Patience.
Sami!
Patience, my love, Patience.
Sami, come to me.
- You don't need to cry so much.
Sami, come to me. Sami!
You're leaving too, Sami.
My baby. Don't forget me.
From now on,
nothing will ever be the same again.
They say the world is big
and wide, and has...
beautiful things in it.
I never saw them.
Maybe you will.
Go now.
Just go now.
How are you, Shimon Yosef?
- Hey, Sami.
What's new? -I already
told you. It's all bullshit.
Take care now.
- Goodbye. Goodbye.
Translation: Shaily Giveon