"I'm scared of the shadows." "Show me your dick." "I've never see a circumcised dick." "Will you show me yours?" "Alright." "Your turn." "I'm going away soon." "Where to?" "Back home, to my village." "They say I'm too big to be an apprentice now." "Anyway, get lost." "They tell me you can't be my friend anymore." "~ Because I'm a goy?" "~ Because you're a goy!" "* IVAN  ABRAHAM *" "Somewhere on the Polish border in the 1930s." "Aaron..." "It's open." "Don't make a sound on your way out." "There's a guard." "Your clothes are downstairs." "You've got three minutes." "After that, I'll be raising the alarm." "And then?" "To get your papers, go where we said." "And then?" "You leave the country immediately." "I know." "But..." "After the alert, what will they do?" "They'll shoot." "And you?" "The party wants me to stay." "How about money?" "Did you get me some money?" "That's it, they're out of the way." "Go!" "Are you OK?" "Are you sick?" "No, it's nothing." "Do you want some soup?" "No, that's all right.." "You don't have any money?" "Rachel!" "Get out of here." "Get out of here." "Listen..." "I don't want to get married." "I'm sure of that." "Get out of here." "I'll never marry." "That's they way it has to be, little girl." "I'm your grandfather." "I've chosen a decent boy for you." "Don't even tell me his name!" "I'm warning you..." "I'll never let anyone else have you." "Did you go... horse-back riding again today?" "As long as I live, I'll keep you from riding." "Back to bed." "Papa..." "Why didn't you leave for Palestine with my brothers?" "You say that to me?" "I believe..." "Where would God feel more at home... than in Poland?" "I was sure... you'd be back someday." "Papa..." "I have to leave again." "Oh, yes." "Do you want to see Rachel?" "You don't want to see Rachel?" "Abraham... go and pray." "I don't want to, Mama, it's still dark." "So?" "All the kids go." "Your grandfather will punish you again." "Why don't you hide your hair?" "Abraham..." "You'll never hide it,... promise me, Mama." "It isn't right to talk about that." "Asshole...cunt...dick...bum hole..." "Speak Yiddish." "You know I don't understand... when you don't talk in Yiddish." "Go and pray, Abraham." "Come on." "We'll talk, Ivan." "I'm like your grandmother." "You've lived with us for a long time." "And... for the others, you've become like one of us." "I understand... it bothers you.." "Why don't you want to go home?" "I don't know what it's like there anymore." "You want to stay here?" "No, but I don't want to go home, either." "Ivan... can I tell you something?" "You're talking to a goy?" "Do you recognize me?" "I recognize you." "Come on, I want to smoke." "Can you give me one?" "You're not with Abraham?" "Are you still friends?" "Where's Rachel?" "At school." "Have they married her off?" "They're working on it." "Go, I want to smoke alone." "You've gone completely mad." "Abraham!" "Yeoshua!" "I'm sick... of being insulted just because I can't pray!" "Yeah..." "A man didn't know how to pray." "Everyone made fun of him." "He ran off into the forest." "And there, he shouted up at the sky... all the letters of the alphabet." "He begged God... to put them in the right order... and to make them... his prayer." "This man,... he was my master." "So what?" "So go screw yourself." "Run along, kids." "Run along." "Papa... why is it such a burden for you?" "I don't know, I can't manage it." "We'll talk about it at home." "Ivan has to go away." "Have you got a gift?" "Yes, I brought you back a tune." "No, that's wrong --- listen carefully." "Ivan has to go away." "Have a good Shabbat, Mardoché." "Have a good Shabbat, Reyzelé." "You have brought our son back?" "What happened this week?" "I'll tell you later." "Leave me, Mardoché !" "Repeat after me in Russian,..." "What do you want with me?" "Only to speak Russian with you now." "You're crazy, speak Yiddish." "We'll go to the city, to restaurants, to the theatre --- we'll breathe!" "I don't understand a word." "I'm cold." "You're almost naked." "You pretend to understand nothing,... but you understand it all." "I can't explain it." "The world is full of wonders... but it only takes... one tiny hand... to hide them from us?" "How are you, Rachel?" "I'll tell you a story." "A Jew in New York goes into a travel agent's..." "Speak Yiddish, Mardoché." "Why have you got my dress on?" "Aaron !" "Are you wounded?" "A bit." "Does it hurt?" "No." "This is for you." "Thanks." "What is it?" "You know... don't tell anyone that I'm here." "Rachel?" "The same for Rachel." "OK." "I've got to go." "Run to the coachman's, someone's waiting there for you." "Who?" "He's hurt, I can't tell you his name." "Take me with you." "~ I can't." "~ Why not?" "I can't." "What am I supposed to do if I can't?" "I thought that waiting was enough, that I only had to wait." "So now, tell me." "Tell me... to marry someone else." "Why won't you take me?" "I can't tell you why I can't, but I can't." "It's not like before." "You're family's against it." "Aaron... let's sleep together." "You don't know what you're saying." "Yes, I know." "They're repudiate you." "My Lord!" "My Lord!" "I spew you up!" "I'm better than any one of you!" "I'm a school teacher." "But you, you're nothing but shit!" "I spit on you!" "All of you!" "You goddamn lunatic!" "What does he want?" "~ Chill out!" "~ You idiot!" "Let him be." "Let him go." "Give me my wife back." "I'm not stopping her." "If she wanted you... it would be obvious." "Laugh." "I know I'm the puppet." "Let's laugh together!" "I'm not the first your wife's had." "I'll screw your mother." "Scumbag!" "Andrej!" "You don't bring your harvest to the prince anymore?" "You already have it all." "You're there, sitting on the prince's money." "You're bleeding us dry." "We can't escape... your eyes." "Nachman, the prince is calling for you." "What are you made of, Jew?" "He's the prince's manager?" "Nachman..." "Nachman..." "That mean "Man of the Night".." ""The Man of the Night"." "Come closer to me." "I've been expecting this for a long time." "Closer." "Here." "Do you love this country, Nachman ?" "I've always hated it." "You're similar." "I mean...your grandson resembles you." "Or maybe not." "I stink." "I saw your grandson today." "He was on horseback." "Have a good Shabbat." "Shabbat's tonight." "I know." "I still need you." "This time, I've lost everything." "Kiss your grandfather." "Have a good Shabbat." "Have a good Shabbat." "Where's Abraham ?" "Play hide-and-seek?" "Yeah, but you'll search for me." "Nahum !" "Why aren't you looking for me?" "Why didn't you look for me?" "What's wrong, Abraham ?" "I'm playing hide-and-seek with Nahum, but he's not looking for me." "He went to play with the others." "God also hides, but no one wants to look for Him." "That's got nothing to do with it!" "Pray." "No, I don't want to." "One day, you'll pray." "Aren't you bothered... by witchcraft on the tables?" "What are you on about?" "Nachman's son, the fat one, works as a dancer..." "Dancing towards God,... on tables, around plates and glasses." "No breakage means good luck!" "What are you?" "Our priest?" "We've lost everything." "The prince has fled." "I'm scared!" "The prince has fled!" "He sold our land, everything!" "~ How do you know?" "~ I know!" "I know!" "Did you see him?" "Ask forgiveness for what you just said!" "Who will own us?" "Don't listen, she's ignorant!" "I'm telling you, it's true!" "For three days now... for three days, the crows have been flying over you!" "And who brought you... those omens of misfortune?" "You're the one who turned up three days ago." "So you know what's going on." "No." "There's someone who knows yet says nothing." "What do they want?" "What are we waiting for?" "Come on, let's play." "You've all gone mad." "Where were you?" "Do you know what time it is?" "You haven't even changed." "I don't know you anymore." "What's going on?" "Slut." "Have you seen her...?" "You scare them." "You stay out of this." "They're my kids." "You're never here, but as soon as you come home... they're no longer scared of anything." "You're being punished, too?" "If you want, I'll get you some food." "I'm fine." "It's over." "I'm not playing anymore." "I'm not a child anymore." "Leave me alone." "You don't understand anything." "I'm a woman." "You're so alive, Rachel." "Have you ever loved a man besides Papa?" "What would you say if I said... that I've loved all men except for your father?" "Tell me, Aaron,... without God,... what would we be, you and I?" "What we are." "Two poor Jewish workers." "No, not during Shabbat." "Where's Nachman ?" "I need him." "What's going on?" "Do you know what time it is?" "Today's Shabbat." "What's wrong with you?" "What did he say?" "Who?" "The prince, yesterday." "Nothing." "So why did he send for you?" "Look, what is it you want?" "He's fled." "Everything's sold." "We've got no work... and no one tells us anything." "Don't tell me he didn't warn you?" "He didn't warn me!" "We saw you go to the castle." "You're on his side." "You know that's not true." "Maybe.." "But I'm not crazy." "I came to warn you..." "I don't know why I came." "Our people are afraid... of what you get up to here on Shabbat." "Otherwise, they'd already have... left, Nachman." "You leave now." "It's going to be...it's going to be terrible." "I want to see your home!" "The prince really didn't tell you?" "He's broke." "I already lent him everything." "All I have is Rachel's dowry." "He grabbed everything else." "We're just as poor... as our ancestors." "You've got to find the prince again." "I'll take Abraham with me." "He has to...get away from here.." "He's turning into a handful." "Hanging around with Ivan all day... he's getting to be worse than a goy." "Go to sleep." "Get up!" "Come on, get up!" "What's going on?" "My grandfather wants to take me far away." "Where to?" "I don't know." "Come on, let's run away." "You're nuts." "We don't have any money, nothing." "I know where to find some." "Where?" "They empty their pockets downstairs before Shabbat." "Didn't you think they'd blame me?" "I promise, if they catch us,..." "I'll say you didn't know anything." "Look at you, we'll run into trouble everywhere." "What's wrong with me?" "Yarmulke, curls, caftan, everything." "Let me sleep." "Now am I OK?" "Can I have one of your sweaters?" "Here!" "Wait for me, Ivan!" "Where's Abraham ?" "No idea." "What do you mean?" "I just don't know." "How long ago did they leave?" "I spent the night here...with Aaron." "My daughter Rachel... is dead." "If all the dead ones were that much alive!" "I want my son." "I want my son." "Tell me, Aaron,... what has he put in place of your heart,... your Karl Marx, Shmarx ?" "I'll go fetch Abraham." "Why did you act as if we'd slept together?" "So they'd repudiate me." "You gave me the idea." "But we didn't sleep together!" "If you want, we can." "Wait, stop!" "You came back." "But not for you." "I don't believe you." "~ I didn't even think about you." "~ I don't believe you." "Can't you see, I'm finished,..." "I've got nothing, I'm not for you." "Did you sleep with other girls there?" "So why not with me?" "You're too little." "I'm not little." "Should I marry you because I said I loved you... when you were tiny?" "I don't know you." "You don't know me." "I don't believe you." "You came back for me." "Over there, you thought of no one else." "You're trying to scare me." "But me..." "I only want to be with you." "No, that's not it..." "No." "No." "You're not from here." "What do you know about us?" "They took everything from me, too." "From me and my village." "Who?" "The landowners." "But the landowners and the Jews, they're the same thing." "Except the Jews are Jews." "It's true I'm from a long way away." "But I'm a teacher.," "I know." "Believe me." "Why are you doing all this?" "I don't know." "Do you want to stay here?" "What do we have to do?" "We'll go see Nachman... and pose him a few questions." "Don't go there." "Don't go there." "Leave me alone." "I'm waiting for my children." "Hey, Gypsy!" "Get up!" "Maybe you can dance for us?" "Come on, dance!" "You want us to go home?" "No." "Warsaw spittle!" "Get on!" "We don't know who owns it!" "Just run, then!" "Let's go to my cousin's." "It's better there!" "~ Better than what?" "~ Never mind." "Haw did you dare?" "What were you up to with my horse?" "Where were you off to?" "I'm the only one... who can even get near that horse." "I was going to bring it back." "Remount." "We'll go for a ride." "I'm with a friend." "~ Follow me." "~ Yes." "It was unbelievable!" "Why didn't you come?" "This is Mania, my cousin." "We ran away and we need work." "But you're not Christians!" "I am, a little bit." "And him?" "What's your name?" "Pavel." "His name's Pavel." "He's a worker just like me." "What's on your mind?" "You." "So, will you help us?" "He's kind of small." "I'm not little, I just look little... but I'm not little." "Have you seen your parents?" "~ You think I should?" "~ No." "Stop staring at me." "Don't worry, there's no pork." "They think you're a gypsy, but I know you're a Jew." "Even though you're the first I've ever seen." "They say that before there was earth,... nothing but water,..." "God moved around in a boat" "One day, He heard a voice from under the sea:" ""Take me with You." It was the Devil." "God brought him onto His boat." "The Devil asked Him:" ""Why not create something solid?"" "God threw a handful of earth and made an island... just big enough for the two of them to lie down." "That night, the Devil decided to get rid of God." "He pushed Him into the sea, to the left... but the more He pushed,... the more the land grew under God, and thus... the West was born." "Then He pushed him to the right, and the east was born." "He pushed Him down and made the South,... up and made the North." "This is how the world was created." "You Jews came from the Devil." "You make the earth grow but you drink our blood." "There's a picture in the church... showing how you kill Christian children." "I won't go see it." "I'm sick of your tales." "It's not the Good Lord Who painted it." "An old man has died." "They believe the Gypsy means bad luck." "They want him to leave." "Right now?" "No, tomorrow, during Mass." "You can stay here." "Why do you want me to stay?" "Like that?" "I don't know." "Let me see." "What?" "You." "Don't you want to see me?" "Have you already kissed someone?" "No, how about you?" "No." "But I know how to." "Don't look at people's eyes or mouth." "How come?" "Your eyes have the Devil's color, they cast spells." "You see some guy's tooth... and he has a year less to live." "I didn't know that." "Here." "~ Where are we going?" "~ To Mass." "What for?" "I have to speak to her." "~ I'm scared." "~ Of what?" "Of Mass." "I'm so sick of you." "Mania!" "Go away!" "Look at my hands." "They're all dirty." "We've been walking for days and there's nothing for us." "The kids you mentioned..." "I haven't seen them." "We met some,... but it wasn't them." "Drink, child." "It's the last bottle." "Are we scaring her or what?" "A little." "What did you think?" "That we'd only meet Rabbis?" "Are they communists, then?" "And you --- why are you a communist?" "Why are you a communist?" "What's wrong --- does it bother you?" "No." "Well..." "I'm scared." "Listen..." "I'm going to leave." "The police are hunting me." "As soon as we find those kids, I'll head off." "Far away?" "France." "And me?" "Would you be ashamed of me there?" "Say it in French." "Say something else." "Is that French?" "You've got an accent, I can hear it." "A strange accent." "I'll have an accent, too." "We'll always have an accent from now on." "I mean --- as soon as we really leave." "Just think:... in my language..." "I already find it hard... really hard... to say what I feel." "In Warsaw, I met up with Haim." "He's a communist." "He wore side curls and a black caftan... so as not to hurt his mother." "One day, the police were after us." "Haim couldn't run in his long caftan" "They arrested him." "Afterwards..." "I had to eat at his mother's house every day." "But I don't even feel that I'm part of the world." "Where do we go now?" "No idea." "What if we went to see the man with the horses?" "~ I don't like horses." "~ You're scared." "No, I'm not scared." "Ivan, do you think we can lose our shadows?" "What?" "Non, it's true --- we can lose our shadows... if we wander too far from home." "I heard that can make you crazy." "Come on, sit down." "I don't even want to know your names." "names only bring trouble or get you enlisted." "They're not important." "Shall we try some of this?" "Drink up!" "My horses come from Hungary." "I bought them from some Gypsies." "They follow... their horses everywhere." "For Gypsies,... a horse, that's better than a woman... because a horse... will never let you down." "He senses danger... before you do." "And you, do you respect horses?" "Come on, you little genius." "I'd spit in a snake's mouth... so save one of my horses." "This one here is sick." "I don't know how to cure him." "If you save him, he's yours." "What's wrong with you?" "Get some sleep." "Take this, boy." "Eat." "How can you do that?" "It's disgusting." "He's crazy, this horse-man of yours." "Crazy or not,... he's giving me the foal." "Which you'll save with a bit of straw?" "Give me some string." "Where do I get string?" "I know what the foal needs." "What are you doing?" "What did you tell me yesterday? "Never mind."" "What do they want?" "Help us, Stephan!" "They don't want her in the hospital... because we're Gypsies." "She wants to die... near the madman with the horses." "She's going to die." "Dear God, please understand it's for my foal." "I love you." "Now you're like my husband." "We should have warned my father." "He'll beat us black and blue." "Unless maybe... you wake him up and say to him:..." ""Papa, come drink to our health." ""Tonight,..." ""I'll marry your daughter"" "I can't marry you, I'm fourteen." "And how old do you think I am?" "It's the custom among our people." "We have to respect it." "Otherwise we go crazy." "My father would kill me." "May the blue devil devour both you and your father!" "I'm sorry, Bada." "Speak in our language!" "In our language!" "Give us our alfalfa back!" "It's one of your children, we saw him!" "Thieves!" "The alfalfa is ours!" "I'm the one who stole it!" "It was me!" "Let her go!" "It was you, you filthy Gypsy!" "I'm the one who stole it." "It wasn't them." "It's for my sick foal, so he could be mine." "That alfalfa,... belongs to us, the poor people." "The peasants leave it for us... and you steal it on the Lord's day!" "Filthy race!" "You ruin everything." "~ Who did you steal that from?" "~ It's my grandfather's watch!" "As if you knew who your grandfather was!" "Child of the Devil!" "I've never seen the Devil!" "I don't have the evil eye." "I don't cast spells." "Give me back my grandfather's watch!" "I didn't kill Christ!" "I don't drink peasants' blood!" "I'm not a Gypsy, I'm a Jew!" "It's over now, child." "Get lost, all of you!" "If I see any of you again,..." "I'll kill you!" "~ And our alfalfa?" "~ Get lost!" "What's your name?" "And you, what's your name?" "Ivan and Abraham." "There are people looking for you." "They're coming." "My foal!" "I want my foal." "Hello." "Hello." "I've been looking for you for a long time!" "Go away." "Ivan and I aren't going back home." "Get out of here." "What do you think?" "That I'd keep you here?" "I live alone." "Let's go." "We're going away, Rachel and I." "Where to?" "We'll go to my father's house." "He'll tell your father... that we're alright, that we've gone away... and that we're getting married..." "Is that true?" "We have to go back, but you're leaving." "Take us, too." "We can't." "I'm scared." "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Are you going away for long?" "Stay with me, Rachel!" "Go!" "Rachel !" "You're not going for long?" "I'm going to France!" "But you'll be back?" "Rachel!" "Aaron said... that everything's alright." "He's going to marry Rachel... and that you should tell my father." "Who is it?" "Don't come near me!" "Don't come near me!" "I don't know who you mean!" "I want to sleep." "Sleep." "Where are they?" "They're all dead." "Open your eyes, Abraham." "Abraham, we're leaving." "We're going away." "I beg you, please open your eyes." "We're going away together, you and me, Abraham." "Please open your eyes." "Abraham, please... open them, we'll really leave." "They're the ones who'll never leave you." "That's not true." "It's the two of us together." "We're Ivan and Abraham."