Austria, 1813
Morning.
So, you want to start off again?
- Had trouble sleeping again, anyway.
- You're always in such a hurry...
So you want to lie back down again?
It was such a great idea...
...to take you with me.
I don't regret it at all.
When was the last time you were here?
When I last visited my grandparents.
I must have been eight, maybe seven.
Are you sure
the cottage is still standing?
It'd better be!
If it's not, we're looking at a 3-day
walk back to the city.
Besides, it's not a town cottage.
It is somewhere up on the mountain.
Which direction?
- Good day!
- Good day!
Schartl. I'm looking for
the Schartl cottage?
- Why?
- I've inherited it. I'm the new owner.
- The Schartl boy?
- That's me!
That's impossible.
Before they died, the Schartls
lost their boy in the war.
That was my father.
I'm still here.
- Ah. The Schartl grandson.
- Precisely. Veith Schartl.
My comrade from the field, Jakob Trimm.
- Good day.
- Hello.
- So, you're back from battle?
- They're wearing uniforms, father...
...where do you think
they've come from, herding sheep?
Yes, we're back from fighting.
Large battle. More bloodshed
than we've seen in a long time.
And who won?
Well. We did.
So that French guy lost.
That... that Neapolitan.
Napoleon. You idiot!
Yeah. Well... right... the cottage.
I don't remember the way.
Up through the woods and then...?
Yeah. Keep to the right.
Past the Kranzler house.
But don't take the mountain
path, that would lead you
up too far,
up to the Hohenzinner house.
Thank you. Good day.
Good day.
Disgusting little person.
I've been warned that things are a bit
rougher in the Austrian empire...
Still, I officially
apologize for that wench.
Anyway. Thank you for giving me
a place to stay, Veith.
I'll be on my way in a few days.
Hm. Another strange Austrian phenomenon.
Namely?
It's very quiet in your woods.
Good day!
Hello!
Heinrich!
Heinrich, we have visitors!
Come on, Mirli, which visitors should we
have up here that have to be announced?
And your father? The Kranzler doctor?
Is he still...
- Fell in battle?
- No! He died right here.
And now I'm the Kranzler doctor.
You were lucky, with that wound.
Healing well.
Thing is, no ones tells you
that healing hurts more
than actually being wounded. Damn...
Down with the schnapps. Has healing powers.
And the lady of the house?
Mirabell?
...is your sister.
Exactly, neighbour.
Mirabell is my little sister.
Thank you.
Tastes good.
Spring Water.
About the leg, come by in two days,
then we change the bandages.
Allright. That will do.
Well, then, welcome here!
- Thank you.
- Yes. Same to you.
Good day.
I'm not used to normal people anymore.
You mean people that don't shoot at you...
My empire, Jakob. My empire.
Your empire.
See, Jakob.
This is the prize for all the horror.
That you can stand here, like this.
Joining a marching band tonight, Trimm?
Sorry.
We've arrived, Jakob.
You can rest now.
Tell me some more anecdotes
about your knees.
At least that will keep me from thinking.
What's all this thinking?
Talk, man. What are you thinking about?
About a young Hungarian.
You didn't see this,
you were already back in camp.
Tagyari.
Long after the battle had ended,
he was still...
running around the corpses, screaming.
Stabbing the dead with his bayonet,
again and again.
Talking to them.
Even warning them.
He couldn't be stopped.
He just kept going on and on like this.
Tagyari, right.
The guy they eventually shot.
Yes. They had to shoot him.
Because he no longer cared about
whom he was actually stabbing.
Although I don't think he really
wanted to kill us.
He just no longer knew how to stop.
He no longer knew if he could stop.
If he was allowed to stop.
Well, what can you do.
It was just too many people.
The Hungarian couldn't bear it, we could.
Anyway, that's all over now.
You'll see, Trimm, it will all
feel better in the morning.
Good night.
Good night.
First Day
Veith!
Yes!
What the
Are these woods used as hunting grounds?
I don't know. Maybe.
Take your rifle with you.
Did you find something?
No. Just this strange thing...
A thing like that one.
Kranzler!
Mirli, go into the parlor. Go!
Bring him in here.
Lay him down. Careful with his neck.
Take this. Press down. Hard.
You, go take care of Mirabell.
What...?
Whatever happened, she
shouldn't be alone now.
Further up.
There's no need to be scared.
We weren't followed.
Forgive me.
You... you shouldn't have seen that.
I know that man.
He was a stray gipsy.
Lived in the woods and begged
for food in the village.
Everyone hated them.
And now they've killed him, haven't they?
The woman. Is the woman alright?
We didn't find a woman.
But I can assure you that,
he was not attacked by villagers.
This was someone else.
Too late.
Nobody should be woken like that.
Maybe you should get men from
the village to join you.
No. If we did, they would immediately
accuse us of murder.
But you wanted to save him!
Yes, but we are the only
strangers around here,
and we just arrived yesterday evening.
I will take care of the word of mouth.
The gypsy had an accident, and I
found him in the woods. You can go.
Thank you.
It's not right
for them to go back up there.
It's not right at all.
It's madness.
Something this different
should not be touched.
Would you pass the water when you're done?
I don't want blood outside my house.
We are going to follow
the blood trail tomorrow.
Are we?
The girl mentioned a woman in the woods.
If a woman messed him up like that,
I'd rather not meet her out there...
Veith...
ls the door locked?
Who is it?
Who is it?!
Lights out!
What are they, Veith? Animals?
I don't know! Shoot!
Veith, ammunition!
They are huge. They are huge, Jakob.
On the roof! On the roof!
Do you see something?
Nothing.
Close it.
I'll be damned...
We nearly were.
They want something from us.
What?
Of course they want something from us.
Otherwise we'd be dead now.
Intimidate. Then demand.
What could these beasts
possibly want from us?
Women.
Jakob, what are you doing?
There! That's all you get,
you hear me?
The answer is no!
No!
No.
Not good, you idiot. Not good.
Precisely, Veith. Not good.
Not good!
Second Day
I need ammunition.
Ammunition?
Does Mr. Schartl also need some?
Yes, Mr. Schartl too.
Do you have knives?
Knives?
Where is Mr. Schartl?
Two more beers, please.
Two?
I'm expecting someone.
Thank you.
- Don't I know you, from the old days?
- I don't know you.
Well, I was smaller, back then.
Yes, and now you're all grown up.
- Precisely.
- Will that be all?
- Just wanted to talk.
- Yes, sure.
The women are lovely around here.
The store has decent weaponry.
- Could be useful.
- Useful for what?
There's been a fire! A terrible fire!
Where?
Behind the monastery, the orphans shack.
Someone set it on fire.
The children were still sleeping.
Everything burnt down.
We barely found any remains in the ruins.
There's nothing left.
We should stay out of sight, Veith.
The fire at the shack. They set it.
Why are the corpses in front of our house?
Third Day
Devils, is what they are.
Demons from the old tales.
I always laughed about those...
They are not almighty, or else
they wouldn't stay in hiding.
Not almighty...
Are you out of your mind, Prussian?
They are animals that think.
Animals that toy with us,
with heads like snakes...
Why the hell are we still here?
Why haven't we left already?
Because that's your empire, up there.
Your possession.
And these devils can be hurt...
Maybe not killed, not like this.
But our shots wounded them.
We just need to find a way.
This is no longer about enchant
and bonjour, Trimm!
Even tigers and lions would flee!
You don't want to see it,
but this is a battle we will lose.
So what do you want to do, run away?
I wouldn't know where to run.
Why else do you think I've
crawled up here to Pahlbach...
My family's gone.
Just like yours.
Apart from some scratched coins,
that cottage up there is all I have.
- We should follow their request.
- We most certainly will not.
We have to, Jakob.
They have clearly shown us what
the consequences are if we disobey.
Veith, they want something from us!
That's the only real advantage we have.
Fourth Day
Fifth Day
So, that's that.
That's that.
Then.. all we need now is...
- Well?
- Yes, I know, Veith!
Bait.
Screw all of you, you morons!
You wimps!
Screw all your tiny, shrivelled...
You think I'm not prepared for that, huh?
I can't wait for it to happen!
Shh! We don't want to harm you,
we just need your help!
If you can't get it up,
I won't be of much help!
Untie me, you fucks!
We shouldn't go too far away from her.
Our chance for heroics has
passed tonight, Jakob.
Come on! Hit me! Then you can
feel like real men again, huh?
You assholes!
What's keeping you?
Huh, little Prussian?
Are you jerking off?
Just you wait until I free myself!
I'll smash your dimwit brains in!
You freaks!
So? What's happening?
Are you scared?
Did a woman screw you up?
Help!
It stopped.
A trick!
Jakob!... Jakob, we won't find her!
It was too early. Too early, damn it!
Let it go! We've lost her.
What have we done?
You know what? Drop dead!
Whatever you want with me,
you fucking animal.
You can't be worse than those
jerks in the tavern...
You impotent, dumb... Elephant!
Sixth Day
My brother is not here.
He is visiting a patient.
Could I come in for a while?
Yes, of course.
Thank you.
Have a seat.
I don't really know why I'm here.
- Maybe I'd better leave.
- No, stay.
There must've been
a reason for your visit.
I cannot get rid of the war.
Because of your memories?
Yes.
But it's...
But it's mainly...
This anger.
In no time at all, they started
a victory parade.
They tap you on the shoulder, everybody
burns their blood-stained clothes,
and they let you go.
So you leave, go someplace, anywhere.
You don't know where to go.
Someone says: You'll get money somewhere.
You join a comrade, simply tag along,
it's what you're used to.
But then...
Once you stopped walking...
When you lay down...
It comes to you.
You feel it in your bones.
You're not here.
You're still back there.
War is all around you.
For a while, there was this relief. The
good times are supposed to start now.
Everyone is singing.
Now we can go back.
Now everything is gonna be allright.
But how do you go back?
How do you stop?
I don't know where I'm supposed to go.
So you just stay here, for now.
Everything is quiet and simple here.
Very quiet, believe me.
Boring, really...
if it wasn't for the war.
So, who knows?
If everything you went through
was so loud and cruel,
then maybe this is the place
for you to get better.
Maybe everything will quiet
down again here, and then...
you don't have to go anywhere else.
Do you believe that?
Yes, I do.
You just have to make sure
that peace is restored.
A test, Veith.
A test?
We believed they were animals.
I think they take us for animals, too.
An enemy pack.
So they observe us.
Drag a corpse to our doorstep,
to see how we treat our dead.
And they leave us a riddle, some
object, to test our intelligence.
We stuck the two pieces together, Veith.
We passed the test.
Now they believe we are capable of
serving them. Do you understand?
What is there to understand?
How much they underestimate us.
Where have you been the whole day?
YOU want to go back up there!
And we have nothing working in our favor!
You know this is the only way
to get to them. You know it!
Don't you dare touch her!
Who?
A girl from another village. I don't know.
How did you pick her, Veith?
Did you go on sympathy again?
Did you pick someone ugly,
for she'd be expandable?
How you did it, Veith?
I didn't pick her at all!
She was the first that came my way!
This is not something
I'm going to think through, Jakob!
What do you take me for?
I pulled a bag over her head
and took her with me.
I didn't even look at her face.
A mother?
She was alone.
Where will you go
with all your damn weapons, Jakob?
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
Where do want to go
with your goddamn weapons!
Where do you think I want to go, Veith?
I want to go where those beasts live!
Then we need the woman.
But I don't want to
lose the woman, Veith!
We fill that with dye.
We bind it to the woman.
Once the beasts come, we tear
it up and follow the trace.
We find them! We shoot them to shit!
And we're done!
If we lose that woman too, Jakob,
I'll shoot you to shit.
Veith!
Veith!
Veith!
The woman... the woman.
Morning!
How many, Veith? How many?
What are you talking about?
They tear them up, Veith.
They impregnate them and use them
as hatcheries. They eat their flesh.
- You've been where they live.
- Yes. And there were dozens of women.
Not two, Veith. Dozens.
The little waitress from
the tavern was there as well.
When did you drag her up there,
you asshole?
Is that what you've been doing
all this time, huh?
I have no idea
what you are talking about.
Liar!
What are you doing?
Go to your room, Mirabell.
And stay there.
- Heinrich?
- I'm serious, sister.
It's best if you leave, Mirabell.
You didn't ask any questions.
When we brought the wounded gypsy to you.
You immediately knew what happened.
I don't know what they are.
I don't dare to think about it.
But I've seen their grimaces.
And I know what they want.
And you brought them what they wanted.
I'll women. I brought them ill women.
- I thought about that, too.
- Shut up, Veith!
How long have you been doing this? Doctor?
- I don't know. A few weeks.
- How many have you seen?
There's a couple of them.
Hiding in the woods.
When you two arrived,
I thought we could...
That's what we first thought, too.
There's dozens of them.
They'll hide until they outnumber us.
When will that happen?
Well, since we lose someone every time
one of them is born, they won't be far off!
So... you've also...
Yes. Two.
10, 20 women. How can
you look her in the face.
20, what? No! Three. I brought
them three women, that's all.
And two were already on
their deathbed anyway.
So they've already made
their pacts everywhere.
The whole village is doing this.
We have to warn them. We have to take
them away from here. Everyone that's left.
Jakob...
- Right now?
- Yes, right now!
Please tell me what is going on, Heinrich.
Forgive me, Mirabell.
What happened?
The reason why I haven't let
you out of the house...
why I told you to lock yourself in here...
- Yes. The French vagabonds.
- Right. The Frenchmen.
They are really bad Frenchmen.
Horrible, horrible Frenchmen.
Jakob and Veith have met them, too,
and we've agreed
that we can no longer stay here.
We have to leave the house?
Will they wreck it?
I've no idea.
Maybe they'll just redecorate it...
Listen, I'm sorry I can't tell you more.
But believe me.
Our best choice is to simply run away.
We need to wrap up warm.
We need blankets. And food.
And you need to stop treating me like
a fool with your Frenchmen stories.
That's a waste of our time.
I just wanted to protect you, Mirli.
I know. But you no longer have to.
Let's go.
- I'll see what I can find downstairs.
- What about the Hohenzinners?
Johanna and her parents?
We have to let them know.
We'll take the mountain path.
That will take us by their house.
Hohenzinner!
Hohenzinner, come out! Hurry!
- How many?
- Three. The parents and their daughter.
Too quiet.
Looks abandoned.
Go look in there.
Mrs. Hohenzinner?
Visitors.
We have visitors.
Don't go down there.
They get angry
if I don't bring them food.
- I want to help you leave...
- Shhh!
I have a visitor.
It will hatch again soon...
Where is your husband?
Where is your daughter?
Downstairs. With the visitors.
Please.
- No.
- Everything's broken.
Help me. Please.
What about her parents?
Both of them?
- The house has new occupants now.
- If I had only known...
Light the way.
Are you hurt, Johanna? Johanna?
How many were up there?
Only a few. We'll get through this.
Bad sign, your smile.
You never smile.
We'll get through this, Mirabell.
Over there!
Let's get them.
- Johanna, we have to leave this place.
- I'm not allowed to leave.
Mirabell.
Mirabell!
Mirabell!
Mirabell!
Where are they?
They wanted to separate us...
Mirabell.
Take her to the village.
Gather them all.
All those village bastards who are
responsible for how few women are left.
And then talk to them, Veith.
Tell them what we have done.
And you?
Jakob.
Kranzler.
Kranzler.
Heinrich. We have to get to
the village as fast as we can.
We don't have much time, so listen closely.
We have been tested.
On how smart we are.
How obedient we are.
How dumb we are... and
that's what we've been!
We all know where our women are now.
Why are you always in such a hurry?
Why do you always take so long?
Greetings. I'm glad you have all come.
A few words about the beasts,
some of you may not have made
their acquaintance just yet.
These beasts are cowards.
Well, they don't need much courage,
since they're as tall as houses,
with claws like this, different than
anything we've ever seen, fast!
And intelligent they are.
That's what scared me the most,
in the beginning: Animals that think.
But you know what,
the same applies to us!
And we're better thinkers.
If we want to be.
In the end, that's probably
our greatest advantage,
this human part of theirs.
Because that is their greatest weakness.
They're just as scared as we are!
They hunt in herds, so we'll form groups.
One man walks openly, the
others follow in hiding.
Pay close attention to your sides,
they like changing their lines of attack.
Whenever they catch something,
they immediately drag it
back to their nest. Their Cave.
We need to go there,
that's our destination.
A hole where they run in and out,
like ants. Ideal for us.
Listen very closely in there.
They're loud as church bells,
they can't help it.
And once you have one
in front of you, don't hesitate!
Don't let them intimidate you!
They're animals!
Not from hell,
certainly not from heaven! Animals!
Well. That's that.
We meet back here at the break of dawn.
And please,
come back out there in one piece.
This is meant to be
the first night of many.
Let's go.