""Ljiljan Vidic:" "May I Be a Chilly Brook."" ""May I be a chilly brook"" ""To flow through the village"" ""To stake the thirst of wheat fields To cut through the tillage"" ""To laugh at the shepherds Peering bubbly through the branches"" ""My ford shallow, my stream callow, Washing through the ranches"" ""And to fight my way down the bed And to pray to God"" ""To run to the sea ahead"" ""Far away from my home and hearth Dying rotten like a rancid apple"" ""Festering in the muds Of disgusting chattel"" ""Lo, ants now gnaw at it"" ""And worms at its flesh prey"" ""Black steeds of arrogance Over its open graves neigh"" ""Eyeless the infants scream The future is blind"" ""O, deaf Mother, don't you hear"" ""Your own soul's deathly bind"" ""O, Father, my homeland is despair"" ""To darkness, to darkness May death my fate forswear"" "SHOOTING STARS" "Have you drowned the kittens?" "I have." "I thought you said "Crown the kittens." So I, eh..." "But it's a good thing you sent me to the brook." "Because I got inspired to write a new poem." "May I Be a Chilly Brook." "May you be a brook?" "May you chop some firewood!" " Feed the chickens!" " All right!" "You didn't think of that!" "Get your ass to the co-op and get a can!" "Cans again." "All we eat is canned food." "Had you drowned the kittens as I said, we wouldn't, now, would we?" "Get going!" "Come, Freaky, come." "Let us go." "Come, come." "Let us go." "CHAPTER ONE THE SORROWS OF YOUNG LJILJAN" "Let us go." "Come, Freaky, let us go." "What's up, Ljiljan, you Bitch Butcher?" ""Hop, hop, hop!"" "Hop, move it." "Hop, let us go." "Come, Freaky." "Good day , Mask" Memo." "Oh, how's it going, Ljiljan." "How's Mama?" "I haven't seen her for two nights now." "She's fine." "A bit hungry, though, so I've come over." " Have you got any hare?" " Let's see." "Hen, duck, hen, hare..." "Here it is." "You're in luck." "We have hare." "It's our last one." "And it's on sale." "Here." "Thank you." "Mama will take care of it." " Oh, she will." " She said you should come by tonight." " For Homeland!" " Forever!" " For whom?" " For the Poglavnik!" " For whom?" " For the Poglavnik!" " For Homeland!" " For the Poglavnik!" "For forever!" "Momcilo?" " Are you making fun of the Poglavnik?" " God forbid." "The Poglavnik is the one." "Momo respects the Poglavnik." "Let's just put you on a train and see where it may take you." "Don't do it, for God's sake." "Perhaps we can make an arrangement." " I'll do anything that..." " Oh, what am I going to do with you?" "Come on, give me two jugs of schnapps." "Of course, no problem." " That's right." " Here's the schnapps." "There." "And a chestnut puree." "One chestnut puree, here." "That's right." "And you'll also give me 300 kuna." "I only have 250." "All right, all right, just get out of my sight." "Oh, I almost forgot." " Hare." " Oh, we just ran out of hare." "What's this, then?" "Butterfly?" "This is my hare, sir!" "Ljiljan!" "Are you..." "Don't mind him, he's delusional." "Come on, give Mr. Gendarme the hare." "This is my hare." "Look at him, all in heat." "Just like his Mama." "Sonny?" "Do you know the parable of the turtle and the hare, huh?" "Well..." "The turtle and the hare were racing." "And the hare went to have a..." "Never mind the tales!" "I'm late for dinner." " God and the Croats!" " God and the Croats." "Duck" "Stringy meat." "Really stringy." "All right, Mama." "They didn't have hare." " What could I do?" " You could have caught one." "I can't afford a gun." "We spend all our money on canned food." "You never cook anything!" "When am I able to cook?" "I slave at the workplace all day long." "I break my back for breadcrumbs so we can live decently." "It's hard, and it will be harder until we see that freedom must be fought for!" "I'm telling you again, you're not joining the Partisans, end of discussion!" "It's not the end!" "The discussion is just starting!" "Ljiljan, don't take that tone with your mother." "Shame on you!" "Sit down!" "I won't sit down!" "I can't sit down idly while the country groans under the oppressor's yoke!" "Bloody hell, be quiet." "You want to be arrested?" "You only care that we have hare for dinner!" " That's all you care about!" " Well, we don't have hare!" " Wants to go to war, can't kill a hare." " Not the same thing!" "Hares are neither oppressors nor quislings!" "Nah, you want the Chetniks to come." "You'd crown them too." "Quit moaning." "Sit down and eat." "Thank you." "I don't feel like it." "I've lost my appetite." "I really don't know whose son you are." "Ljiljan!" "What brings you here, girls?" "Well, actually, now that you ask." " We've come to ask you to a poets' soiree." " Where will it be?" "Well, here, in our Hollow Bottom." "Yeah?" "Just when I thought that nobody here cared for poetry!" "Oh, quite the contrary!" " Poetry is, like, so rad!" "It is, isn't it?" "I keep telling people that." "Where at?" "Tonight at nine, at Crone Kangrga's Meadow." "And keep it quiet, as we'll be having secret special guests there, secretly." "I won't tell anyone, I swear." "Who is it?" "Vladimir Nadzor." "Goran Kovacevic." "Ivan Goran Kovacic?" " That's the one!" "But they're colossi of our poetry!" "Both of them!" "But beware." "If the gendarmes get wind of it..." "They won't from me." "This I swear on my own grave." "Good." "Then I'll see you at nine." "God and the Croats." "God and the Croats, Ljiljan." "God and the Croats." "Hi, Ljiljan." " Good evening, Master Momo." " Where's Mama?" "In there." ".Hey- .Hey" "Where are you off to?" "Outside, for a walk." "To catch some fresh air." "Don't be home later than ten." "All right, Mama." "I'm no longer a child." "You are my child, and as long as you live under my roof..." "Hold your horses, bloody hell!" "Did you hear me?" "This is a decent house." "You will not be tardy here." "Oh, he's young." "He should be chasing girls." "You stay out of it." " Can I go, Mama?" " Go." "And beware the Chetniks." "They creep around the woods." "They've already raped three sheep." "All right, Mama." "Good-bye." "And you, calm down." "You were here last night." "No, two nights ago." "Who was it last night, then?" ""Ljiljan Vidic"" ""The Cow."" ""The cow!" "The cow!" "burning bright"" ""In the pastures of the night"" ""What immortal hand or eye"" ""Could frame thy docile symmetry?"" ""With whose distant ﬂow or rudder"" ""Flew the ﬂuid of thine udder?"" ""What the hooves?" "what the horn?" "In what vessel was thy milk born?"" ""When the stars threw down their spears, And watered heaven with their..."" ""...tears."" "Bravo ." "Three cheers for our guests!" " Guests, guests, guests!" " Bravo!" "Good evening." "I am Vladimir Nazor." " And this bloke here is Gogo Kovacic." " Hey." "I can tell you that we're pleasantly surprised by the turnout and by the quality of poetry." "Young man." " Your poem is excellent." " Like, way to go, buddy." "Thank you." "Mr. Nazor." "Mr. Kovacic." "I find your work exceptional." "Both as poets and as the Partisans." "I own all of your poems." "Although here, in Hollow Bottom, they aren't easy to come by." "There was just one problem I had with it, okay?" "Okay " "The poem told us what the cow is." "But, however the question remains:" "Who is she?" "What is it that moves your cow?" "His yells of "Hiya!" "Hiya!"" "The poem actually talks about the cow being a perfect creature." "In fact, a reflection of God." "In her horns, in her tail..." "Hold on." "The tail, the horns..." "What could this actually be about?" "God, or perhaps the Devil?" " Well, the cow." " No!" "This is poetry here." "And poetry is the toughest nut to crack." "I can see you're still green, young man." "Wandering without a voice of your own." "It's no good, dude." "But it can all be fixed." "How do you think Gogo and I became such masters of poetry?" "Lots of hard work and talent." "Hard work and talent, right." "Oh, come on, young man." "Don't be naive." "The most important thing that makes a man a poet?" "Love for his country." "Earthworms." "Earthworms?" "Earthworms!" "You have to eat earthworms daily." "Eat them alive, you mean?" "As if you could eat them dead." "What did you think, young man?" "It takes stomach to be a poet." "You can do it, Ljiljan!" "I have faith in you!" "I can tell, young man, that we made a mistake in our assessment." "Oh well, there's nothing to it." "You shall be eternally little beneath the heavens." "Eternally." "Little." "Let's be serious now." "Tell me, comrades." "Is there a true poet among you?" "I am!" " I can do it." " There he is!" "That's a poet." "That's what I'm talking about!" "Stop!" "If I am not a poet then I am a nobody." "I'll eat those earthworms!" "That's so great, dude." "Enjoy your meal, Vidic." "All of them." "Vidic, you're so lame!" "Ljiljan eats worms!" "Ljiljan eats worms!" "Look, buddy, I'm sorry." "It's nothing personal." "We were just doing our job, and stuff." "I thought your job was writing poetry and fighting for freedom." "Not demeaning your readership." "Wait, you still don't get it?" "Look, I'm not Goran." "Zrinko isn't Nazor." "We are itinerant actors." "We go wherever our job takes us." "So you're not them?" "Wait, so this means that Nazor and Kovacic don't eat earthworms?" "Look, they're Partisans now." "I guess they do." "Look." "If it means anything, I think your poem is great." "Yeah, right." " You said it was no good." " No, no, that was acting." "I'm serious now." " I really dig it." " Slobbing." "I'm off for a quick crap, and then we can be on our way." "Take it easy." "Nobody cares for an nowadays." "Was that acting also?" "Ooh, what up, fishies?" " Good evening." " Good evening." " Good evening." " Good evening." "Good evening." "Good evening, good evening." "Good evening." "Good evening." "We Chetniks, who you?" "The Chetniks, huh?" "So lame." "Ooh, brother, lame, so lame, but not as lame as you be." "Yes, very lame." "Fuck your aunt in her bottom cunt." "Right in Wormhole." "Come, claws in air!" "Partisan lice, come on, hop, hop!" "But I'm..." "This is a misunderstanding." "A misunderstanding." "I'm an actor." "Classically trained." "I'm just playing the role of a Partisan." "So he just act he Partisan, do he?" "We send you, brother, to eternal acting grounds!" "And you?" "Who you acting?" "Forest fairy, eh?" "I'm not acting." "And am glad about it." "Now that I see what your profession has come down to." "Yeah." "All right, go on, tell me." "What do I have to eat now?" "Kangaroos, rats, wolves?" "Just to end it all, bre." "Pals, you have impression that this cocksucker slowly Satanize us in head, eh?" "Guys, I understand him not at all." "That because you too sober, Dule." "That right." "We must drink until we blind from rakia." "Your words be music to my liver." "Long live rakia!" "Long live Void!" "Long live Serbia!" "Long live!" "Get ready, get ready You Chetniks all" "Hey, wait!" "I almost forget most important thing." "You've killed him." "Nah, we not, puppy." "No, what you talk about?" "That tomato juice." "Want to see?" "What's up with him?" "I didn't even touch him." "Oh, thank God." "One more bre and I'd have gone insane." "I'm fed up with this." "And I'm through saying bre and all the other Serbian hick bullshit." "The kid almost blew our co..." "Figured us out." "Listen, Bjelovar guy, don't bull..." "Shit me not here." " Take the kid and let's go!" " Let's slaughter him decently." ""Slaughter him, slaughter him." How will he advertise us, slaughtered?" "Do your job here, don't be smartasses!" "Isn't it enough that I support Uncle Draza and Serbia to Tokyo and I love slaughter more than God no, I have to pretend to be a redneck from Sumadija as well?" "No, come on." "No, no, no." "We have to keep our image in mind." "Good night my beautiful angel." "CHAPTER TWO LJILJAN IN THE CRUCIBLE OF WAR" "Good morning, cunts!" "This Radio Belgrade." "We sleep well?" "Enough fun time." "Dule, bre!" "Forget that rat!" "Lamb not slaughter on it own." "You very tiresome, bre." "Hey, pal." "Hey, it's cool." "I'm just your fellow captive." "Where are we?" "Here, in Priest's Hayloft, just above Hallowtown." " How many of them are there?" " By my count, around a dozen." "I know them all intimately." "Who has bladder problems." "Who has an inflammation." "Who eats fiber..." "Hey, hey!" "Hey!" "Give back our ball, neighbour!" " Bless you!" " Thank you, friend!" "Why haven't they killed me?" "So, who are you?" "A Partisan, or..." "I wish." "I'm a poet." "Ljiljan." "I'm Eugen, pleased to meet you." "Can you make a living off poetry?" "I live off agriculture." "Poetry is more of a hobby." "And passion." "Excellent." "Now that we're in the Third Reich, you can use their agricultural stimuli." "Here." "Yet, to make a quality application, you need to have quality consulting." "I offer complete support in project programme development." "To procure grants, not loans." "We're talking agrarian investment, of course." "For restructuring and meeting the Reich's standards." "In the sectors of poultry farming crop farming cow farming pig farming and..." "What is this?" "Why can't you let a fellow do his job in peace?" " What's going on?" " Eh, it's Maca Maximum." "Ever since I've been here, it's Maca Maximum this, Maca Maximum that..." "Maca is here." "What's up, bre, my Chetnik brothers?" "Let me hear it!" "Who likes song?" "Who likes rakia?" "That's right!" "Come on, my people!" "For King and country!" "Play it hard!" "My first uncle shoots a bullet Second uncle wears a mullet" "They all try to make them fly Finding ways to blow up railways" "My first uncle shoots a bullet Second uncle wears a mullet" "Aunts and cousins live in towers They're all Axis powers" "They're all Axis powers" "Our brandy is so tragic It is true black magic" "This is all Greater Serbia Just my kind of suburbia" "Bandoliers are my Mafia" "Playthings for whole Serbia" "The things that verse has to endure." "Rats and blankets and carrots!" "Come on, Salko!" "Live it up!" "I'll do it." "This is why I dislike turbofolk." "I mean, it's not just the music." "It always causes some trouble." "Shootings, riots..." "Don't do it, brother!" "Have mercy on me!" "This one is for your king." "And this one is for your country." "Don't do it, please." "I'm just a rascal." " A local boy, from Daruvar." " What was that?" "I'm just a rascal." "I can't hear you." "For fuck's sake, you could have left some for us." "There might be some left over there, in the pit." "Good day." "We're Tito's Partisans" "We're the true fighting force" "We're growing every day" "Streaming right from the source" "Death to Fascism Freedom to the people" "I have a question." "I'm wondering if I could somehow join this organisation of yours." "What are you?" "A poet." "Fuck, do you know how many such pansies we already have?" "That's because you haven't balanced your budget." "And who are you?" "Eugen Nenadic." "Financial counsellor." "Fuck off." "I'll fuck off, but at least let me explain briefly the advantages of..." "Listen, self-managing Socialism has no place for usurers, so fuck off." "Even self-managing is a form of management." "Of money, of funds..." "Kid." "Leave him alone, he's cranky." "Didn't get to kill anyone." "You want to join the Partisans, eh?" "I'd like to, if it's not a problem." "This is what you'll do once we return to the camp." "Go to comrade Zarko in HR and tell him that Miso sends you." "Miso." "I'm Ljiljan." "Pleased to meet you." "Ljiljan!" "Do you ever get laid with a name like that?" "Good evening." "Are you comrade Zarko?" "Comrade Miso sends me, about a job." "I'm listening." "I wish to join the Partisans." "What kind of experience with warfare do you have?" "Well, not exactly with warfare, but but I've written plenty of poems dealing with warfare." "Good." "What is your opinion of the oppressor?" " Why, my opinion is extremely negative!" " Excellent!" "Are you homosexual?" "No, I'm just..." ""sexual." "Purely." "Too bad." "We've just gotten an opening for a homosexual." " A guy kissed me last night." " None of that haggling." "Let's do it this way." "What do you expect from us?" "First of all, I expect us to liberate our country from the oppressor." "To spend quality time together." "To take pan in various offensives." "To walk down Tito's revolutionary paths." "To bleed for the freedom of our people, of ethnic minorities, and stuff." "What about health insurance, pension plan, those things?" "Nothing?" "Excellent!" "Well, comrade." "Congratulations!" "Thank you, comrade Zarko." "Thank you sincerely." "Hello, comrades." "Death to Fascism, freedom to the people!" "Who's this guy?" "Fellows, this is our newest member, Neven." "Ljiljan." "Ljiljan." "Ljiljan, meet Salko." "Our dynamite guy, our accordion guy, and our Bosnian guy." " The Bosnian guy will fuck your Momma." " Well, aren't you Bosnian?" "I am." "But fuck your Momma." "Bosnian humour." "The well-read guy here, that's our Nikola Tesla." "Okac, pleased to meet you." "Liaison officer." "Yessir." "He knows all about liaisons, except those with women." "Ask your Momma what I know." "What did you say?" " Never mention my Momma!" " Hey, Salko." "Don't "Salko" me!" "Don't "Salko" me!" "You want me to blow us all up?" "Take it easy, we're joking." "Don't overreact." "Nobody can fuck around with my dear departed Momma!" "That's not what he meant." "He just made a joke." "Didn't you?" " Of course I made a joke." " There." "Now just kindly give me this." "And this." "And let's have another drink, eh?" "All right, comrades." "Don't want to bother you." "I see you're busy, so..." "It's no bother." "Sit down." "Sit down." "It's good." "What did you say?" "You're a poet, eh?" "Well, someone has to be." "Did you write that song..." "..." "By the Cold Stream of Sutjeska?" " Salko, leave the kid alone." "Don't "leave the kid alone" me." "I asked him something, let him answer." "Did you write it, or didn't you?" "Well, I don't... um..." "No..." "No, I didn't, comrade." "Not that one." "All righty." "Come on, Salko, drink something." "You only live once, and you're dry." "Fuck you and fuck life!" " What a legend!" " He's the greatest." "What do you mean, a legend?" "He almost killed us." "Oh, Salko wouldn't hurt a fly." "But when he's not drunk, stay out of his sight." "And you, mentioning his Momma." "You see that we're low on rakia." "It felt appropriate at the time." "I don't know what I was thinking." "It's war, comrades." "It is hard to be smart when brother rises against brother." "You really are a poet, I'll give you that." "Do you write any romantic stuff?" "Sometimes, yes." "You should see how much romantic stuff I get." "I could write a whole book." "And you'll call the book Tall Tales." "What will you call yours?" "I'm Blind and Don't Get Laid'?" "Unlike you, I at least have a fiance." "One day, when this war is over, Marijana and I will buy a nice house." "And I'll open a prestigious electronics store." "I have to call her." "By the time you're back, Marijana will already have three kids and a pooch with the neighbour." "Such are the times." "Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring." "Eh, she's busy." "I do." "Tomorrow morning we go into action." "Okac, take your underpants off." "Now we'll see if you're a real Partisan, or not." "Hello, comrade!" "I brought underpants." "What have you brought?" "Underpants, for you to wash them." "That's a seriously retarded move." "No, no." "You misunderstand, I..." "I was ordered to do so." "What does Vesna say?" "Can't believe she refused." "She did." "Even better." "My balls will fall off in this cold." " I'll tell you something." " What?" "We can say this or that about the Germans." "But you have to give it to them sometimes." "Where would we be now without the Kraut's Unterzieger?" "We could give up fighting right now." "True that, they're a capable nation." "Diligent people." "Otherwise, they wouldn't be where they are today." "I don't know, comrades." "That's not a proper attitude." "I mean, they can be Germans in Germany." "Who they are in their own home, that concerns only them." "But for them to come here, oppressing us and raping us." " You think that's normal?" " What's normal today?" "Is it normal to work for months and not get paid?" "Is that normal?" "Of course not, but that is why we fight under Tito's banner." "To put it right!" "The famous Tito." "Kid, I'd tell you something about comrade Tito, but better not." "What is it that you'd tell him about comrade Tito, Miso but better not?" "Tito is a marshall, Tito is a genius." "Tito is the commander of a glorious army." "Of course he is." "Don't let me hear such counter-revolutionary bullshit again!" "You there, put the fire out and go to sleep!" "Don't let me see anyone nodding off in action!" "Wasn't I clear enough, kid?" "Scram!" "Comrade commander, I got a job." "I'm a Partisan like you now." "Fuck me sideways, HR officer." "Well, then." " I have a mission for you." " Yes, sir, comrade commander." "Get out of my sight." " Yes, sir, comrade commander!" " Fuck off!" "CHAPTER THREE COMRADE LJILJAN'S TRIAL BY FIRE" "To recap in brief." "It is World War Two." "We are the Partisans." "We fight against the Krauts and the local assholes." "Over there is the comms centre of the local assholes." "And it has to be gone." "There are two sentries." "Vesna and Miso, you'll take them from the front." "You open the path for me and Okac." "Okac sabotages the transmitter." "Salko installs the charges, we cut off their comms." "Good morning, NDH!" "You're listening to Dawnbreaking, the Croatian Wireless morning show." "Comrades." "Let's fuck up these motherfuckers." "Good hair." "Strong." "My Milica brought me a black beaver." "All it missed was a cleaver." " Look, look at these fancy folk!" " Stop!" "Who's there?" "Is this the Mile Budak Mews?" "What if it is?" "We're from the Statistics Bureau." "Performing the census." "Let me see your I.D." "Here." "This says it all." "I can read!" "You illiterate Horse, Long live Tito and the Party" "It's all right." "We could have shot you." "Why didn't you fly some banner?" "Good thing we found you here, in the middle of nowhere." "But tell me how many people live in this household?" "Well, there's the two of us, there's the cook the wireless broadcaster up there and Mirko, who went grocery shopping down at the Market Centre." "These two." "And the cook." "And the announcer." "And Mirko, off shopping for rations." "Let's go." "You, poet, stay here and inform us if anyone comes around, get it?" " Pardon, how do I inform?" ""Pardon, how do I inform."" "I don't know!" "Inform us using the signaling system." "And don't get carried away, but keep your eyes and ears open, get it?" "Yes, sir, comrade commander!" "Excuse me." "Hello?" "I can't talk now, darling, I'm working." "Marijana." "Let's go!" "You, cover him!" "We'll be quick." "Just a few questions." "Colleague, please take over." "We wouldn't complain if she wanted to take us over." "Your name, surname and nickname." "Ivan Kolesaric." ""The Hoof."" "Tomo Zirdum." "No nickname as of yet, but put "Pancho."" "Religion?" "Croat, thank God." "Lads, I'll go inside to do the others, and you watch after my colleague." "We'll watch after her like the most precious thing." "Tell me what are your sources of income?" "Well, guard duty, mostly." "An execution, now and then." "I don't know, deportations." "There is only a few days left before the stage spectacular..." "The X-Element!" "If you think you have talent, or that certain "it" it is not too late to register and win a performance at the Poglavnik's Reception of the Century!" "But more about that after the following tune." "For all you romantics out there." "Vilim "Johnny" Rebar and his beautiful ballad For Love Forever." "For love forever we were ready" "But the cruel fate didn't want us" "Now I'm in the Poglavnik's service" "And the thought of you Just makes me nervous" "Were you young as once you had been" "My love wouldn't wear so thin" "Do you remember, dear Natasha" "The sweet kisses of an Ustasha?" "I still love you with all my heart" "And in prayer to God I take part" "Asking him to keep you safe, Dear Natasha" "Even dear God is an Ustasha" "Look at you, little one." "A hare wouldn't be stringy." "Do you know the parable of the turtle and the hare, huh?" "Well, we don't have hare!" "Come on, give Mr. Gendarme the hare." "Wants to go to war, can't kill a hare." "No, look." "I'm a media professional." "I have a radiophonic voice." "That's why they hired me, not because of any..." "Shut your trap, we won't hurt you." "Just continue your broadcast as if we weren't here." "Good, good, I can do that." "Okac, how long would it take to knock out their comms?" " Around three minutes." " Do it." "Media professional?" "Get going and watch your mouth." "Comrades!" "...at the Poglavnik's..." ""Reception of the Century!" "But that is not all." "Rumour has it that the reception will be attended by a special guest." "I shan't say who, but let us just say that he is renowned for his mustache and for being the leader of the world's greatest empire!" "But not even that is all!" "The Partisans are here!" "Help!" "They have occupied the wireless!" "Our play, The Partisans Attack!" ", will be broadcast later tonight." "Radio U, your wireless." "Move!" "Listen up, you Ustasha scum!" "This is Tito's general Miljan "Struja" Zubovic speaking." "Long live People's Liberation Army!" "Long live comrade Tito!" "Death to Fascism!" "Freedom to the people!" "Death to the oppressors!" "Long live..." "Talk to you later." "Couldn't you have waited three minutes for me?" "Ask this bastard, not me." "So what do we do now?" " How far away are they from here?" "15 minutes, if they walk slowly." "Well, now we'll slowly run away like the wind." "Well." "Hands up." "I have a rifle." "And I have a pistol." "You've shot me." "I haven't." "I was aiming for the head." "Fuck your Momma." "Jesus Christ." " Salko!" "Have you laid out the charges?" " Yes, but I'll need more wire." "Stretch it and blow this place up!" "Come on, let's go!" " What happened to you, kid?" " Can't you see?" " I'm bleeding." "It's fine while you do." "Go, go!" " This is as far as it goes." " Blow it up from here!" "What are you waiting for?" " What happened?" "It doesn't work." "It must work." "It doesn't." "When I asked for better supplies, you said, too expensive." "You see?" " You get what you pay for." " What's going on?" "I left my wallet upstairs." " Miso?" " Huh?" " Please, go over and get it." " Why me?" "Because that's an order." " Because the salaries are in it." " Salaries?" " What salaries?" " Is it in your back pocket?" "What am I, an idio..." "Here it is." "Let it go!" "Wow!" "There are no salaries here..." "Oh, look what's here." "What is this, comrade Struja?" " This is..." "This isn't mine." " The bet is on the Nazis to win the war." "You've been lying to us about it for the last three months." "Good job, commander!" "I'm not lying at all, comrades." "I've smartly invested the money in your future." "So that, that, that that you all end up winning even if we lose the war." "How could the Partisans led by comrade Tito lose?" "Here they come." "Eyeballing the number, there's around 14 of them." "Salko." "Is there any chance for this to blow up?" "Yes, if someone goes inside and does it manually, fuck it." "And gives their life for the country and all that." "Hey, where are you going?" "Comrade commander!" " Stop!" " Come back!" "Hey!" "Oh, fuck, where's my sabre?" "We haven't even buried him." "We've left him outside to rot in the sun." "For the wolves to devour." "For the scavengers to..." " Motherfucking Ustashas killed them all!" "Quiet, or they'll kill us too!" "Hello!" "Hello, biscuit?" "Can you hear me?" "Hello?" " Hurry up, Miso." " Here we go." "What do you prefer, poet?" "Palms or penguins?" " Hello, pumpkin?" "ls everything all right?" "Yes, yes, yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Here we go." "Hope it fits." "You did say XXL, right?" " How will we take it out?" " Easily, wearing it as clothes." "Are you insane?" "You want them to alert the Ustashas?" "Does the comrade have a better idea?" "Yes." "To pay for it." "That would also work." "Please, enter your PIN!" "There you go." "Hey." "Hello?" "Motherfucker, I can't believe it." "Have you seen this?" "It took away my ledger." "They rob us wherever they can." "Eh, if Stjepan Radic were alive, they wouldn't get away with it." "You've entered the wrong PIN!" " What do you mean?" "It's not wrong." " And your ledger is a forgery." " A forgery?" " Is this your name?" ""Illiterate Horse"?" " Yes, it is my name. illiterate Horse." "Sir, without proper papers, you'll have to leave." "To leave, eh?" "Okay, I'll leave." "But you'll change your tune when I come to power and nationalise your bank." "Sir, don't make me call the gendarmes." "No, no, no, okay, okay." "I do have real I.D." "Here it is." "It's real." "100% forged steel." "And now, in the name of Tito and the people, give me the money." "Robbery!" "Robbery!" "Robbery in progress!" "Robbery!" "Oh, no!" "There was no way to go to the ladies', huh?" "The Ustashas!" "The Ustashas!" "Wait for me, hey!" "Come on, open up!" "Miso!" "Open up, Miso!" "I can't, I have to go." "Open up, fuck your Momma!" "Young Ustasha At the battlefield" "Lays bleeding to death" "He does not cry" ""Oh, poor me"" "He cries" ""For Homeland forever"" "Wait up, people!" "Where are you taking me?" " Do I look like a Jew?" " Move it!" "I was in there only because the gents' was occupied!" "It's all right." "They're gone." "We'd better go as well." "We're not going anywhere." "THE X-ELEMENT TALENT SHOW AUDITION" "Can we play?" "We do." "We play at The Element." "We win, play at Pavelic's, hit Hitler, and Auf Wiedersehen." " Child's play." " That's right." "But the most important thing is to have a good song." "But it has to be, like, like so good that even God can't get it out of His ear." "Well then, comrades good luck." "I'll be cheering for you." "Miso, come back here!" "Salko, I take orders from the commander only." "That's what I wanted to discuss." "No problem, then." "I'm always open for discussion." "Look here." "We need someone who still believes that we can win this war." " Someone naive." " Well, I happen to be very naive." "No, you're very primitive." "Not the same thing." "Listen, listen." "We need someone who's fiery." "And who knows how to write lyrics." "Salko, I do respect your Bosnian humour, but it's really not the time to..." "Poet!" "Do you want to be our commander?" "All right, I know you're joking now, but..." "Have you ever seen me joking?" "Kid, you're a born winner." "On your first mission, wounded, unarmed, you heroically killed the enemy." "Well, it wasn't exactly like that..." "What do you mean?" "Are you calling me a liar now?" "I'm a liar?" "Is that what you're saying?" "I did do it." "I really did..." "So, we're agreed." "Until the HQ sends us a new boss, he is the acting company commander." " Anybody has a better idea?" " I do." "Thank you." "Listen, buddy, how long would it take to write the lyrics?" "But listen up." "It has to be a hit song." "A real one, that goes like..." " Relevant to everyone." " Right on." " And it has to rhyme, no?" " Yeah." "Ljiljan." "Hey." "All right, comrades." "Let's end this damned war." "CHAPTER FOUR THE FEAT OF COMMANDER LJILJAN" ""Ljiljan Vidic:" "The Grave Did Not Make Itself a Grave"" ""The grave did not make itself a grave"" ""To be that dim nave That takes every knave"" ""The coward and the brave"" ""Hanged man, rich man, slave."" ""All kinds of men Does the grave ultimately save."" "And now for the refrain." ""The grave did not make itself a grave"" ""For man is hard"" ""For earth to pave"" ""Hey, pave, pave, pave."" "I don't know." "Personally, I'd neither add nor subtract from it." "Perhaps in this bit, "pave, pave, pa, pa, pave", but..." " Whatever." " All right." "That's just finessing." "So, how do you like it?" "I mean this is definitely a song, and not, like, a..." "...a song that..." " Wait, you think that that can be sung?" "It can, and it must be sung." " Look, Ljiljan, you didn't really get me." "We said that we needed a song that communicates with the audience." " Yeah." " Right." "You wanted a song that would be relevant to everyone." "We all die!" "Who is it not relevant to?" "We said, a song that would win." "That's what we said." "Look, Ljiljan, we need something cheery." "Do you understand?" "Flowing, romantic, uplifting." "Think in those terms." "I'm not so sure." "This is seriously compromised already." "Buddy, what you've written is seriously trashy." " A friendly criticism, don't get upset." " Of course I shan't get upset." "I mean, according to every measure, this is exactly trashy." "It's not that I'm upset, I just feel like I'm the leader of this project only on paper!" "And you've fucked that paper." "Go ahead, comrade Miso!" "You write the song, if you're so smart!" "Everyone is a critic these days." "All right, what did your mother feed you?" "Ljiljan." "Comrade, attention!" "At ease." "What do you want, comrade?" "To tell you one thing." "I'm listening." "You look great in that shirt." "It makes you look more mature." "Thanks for the compliment." "And I know how you feel." "I know how it is." "To be different among your peers." " But you dislike my lyrics." " Ljiljan." "You can't show weakness like that." "They'll trample you." "Like a puny ant." "Like dried poop on the road." "There." "That's what I wanted to say." "Death" "Death throws in the ditch man and COW." "...dear dad, I foresee the longing of an amputee." "A putrid tear is a herald of loneliness." "Why did you say I killed that Ustasha?" "I'll tell you." "I will." "But you have to tell me something first." "Why is the people's army losing this war?" "It's not." "It is." "It is, it's losing, trust me." "I'm asking you why." "Why." "The enemy has superiority?" "The enemy?" "Fuck the enemy." "Come here." "Come here!" "Tito is missing." "He's been gone for months, as if the ground swallowed him." " Missing?" " Missing." "Allegedly, he grew disappointed with the revolution, so he just up and left." "And the Partisans suck without Tito." "Well, then." "The people need a legend to believe in." "And who can be a greater legend than a hero who, on his first mission alone and unarmed destroyed an Ustasha batallion?" "Who?" "What do you mean?" "You, for fuck's sake." "A batallion." "Now it's a batallion?" "It's not a batallion yet." "But when the rumors start, off it goes." "Now, I know that you're just a pussy and, very probably, a virgin." "But that's a different ballgame." "Get it?" " I get it." " Well then, sit down." "And write the hit song the way God would." "Is that clear, commander?" " Crystal." " There." "A hit!" "Hey, commander, have you had enough?" "You've been staring into that hole for half an hour." " Let him be, he spent the night working." " And not only working." "What he did was outstanding." "Ljiljan?" "Way to go." "Guys, go take the instruments." "I'll get Ljiljan and take the costumes." "If the commander agrees." "Do you agree, commander?" "Follow your orders." "Come, let's clean you up a bit." "You're not going anywhere with me looking like this." "This is it." "That's an SS man." "Leave that to me." "Can you nod?" "Brilliant." "Whatever I say, you just nod, all right?" "Hello, Hans, my boy." "Oh, it is you, Miss." "I'm so sorry, I haven't recognised you." "Don't worry." "I haven't seen you for a long time." "Where have you been?" "On a student exchange, perhaps?" "No, no, I was in the Partisans." "In the Partisans!" "Good one, good one." "It is, right?" " Yeah, good one." "Is your boss in?" "Yes, he is, if you please." "Thank you, Hans, my boy." "Hi Hitler." "Come." "I didn't know you spoke Nazi." "Darling, there's so much you don't know about me." "Whose house is this?" "Mine." "Look who it is!" "Young lady, the prodigal daughter." " With compliments, o illustrious one." " So, what brings you back?" "Not a lack of inspiration, I should hope." "No, Gertruda." "A lack of you." "I see your sense of humour is as edgy as ever." "And who is this?" " A stableboy?" " Ljiljan is my fiance." "Ooh la la!" "Congratulations!" " You are a beautiful couple." " Thank you." "Just, tell me one thing." "What's exactly wrong with the young gentleman?" "He has Parkinson's?" "As long as you are in good health, Gertruda." " The music nourishes my soul." " Yes, yes." "You don't drink from the bottle anymore." "I guess he finally sent you to rehab." "Vesna!" "How can you talk to your stepmother like that?" "Hello, Daddy." "Don't you "hello" me." "Where are you?" "Gone for days, I'm sick with worry." "Days?" "I've been gone half a year." "You're apparently too busy to notice." "Yes, I am busy." "And thank dear God for that." "Who else can claim to be successful in these dark times?" "Nobody." "Just the one who sold his soul to the quislings." "The quislings?" "Where did you pick up such a loaded term?" "In the Partisans." " Way too edgy!" " What an uncomfortable eccentricity." "Have you gone insane?" "Do you wish to ruin all that I've created?" "Well, yes." "Since you ask, that is what we fight for." "What do you even know of fighting?" "What was your first thing?" "Women's rights, then eloping with that circus troupe." "Now the Partisans." " What comes tomorrow?" "Vegetarians?" " No." "Tomorrow I'm getting married." "This pauper here is her lover." "Pleased to meet you." "Ljiljan Vidic." "Listen, young man." "I don't know who or what you are." "But if you're here to cash in on the dowry you'll get it ad Kalendas Graecas." "Thanks, but we don't need your dowry." "I just want my money." " What do you mean, your money?" " Bequeathed to me by Mother." "You can only avail yourself of it after you have turned 18." "Yes, yes." "It's been six years." "How could I know your actual age when you're never home?" "I've given her everything." "Where did I go wrong, Gertruda?" "Here, darling, you went wrong here." "Your darling obviously didn't go deep enough on you." "For God's sake!" "How can you speak in such a tone to me?" "Vesna, I demand you apologise to Gertrude at once!" "Gertruda, you are a pig." "Rudi, if you don't say something right this instant, I'll..." "The night is tepid;" "The village's full of barking." " You're the fiance." " Good day." "I'm Ljiljan." "Go on, sit down, sit down." "Go ahead, sit down." "These are rattan chairs." "Do it." "Cognac?" "No, thank you." "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." "Yes, my sister told me about you." "But I still don't get how you do it." "How do you get them down your throat?" "Huh?" "What, you drink milk, or?" "Wait, you are the sword-swallower fiance?" "Yes." "No." "Yes, I'm the fiance." "The poet fiance." "The poet?" "There you go." "The pen is mightier than the sword." "LOL." "I'm Vatroslav." "You can also call me V." "V. Ljiljan, pleased to meet you." "Hey, Ljiljan." "Have I read your stuff?" "No, no." " But we're working on it." " Cool, cool, cool." "Poetry is cool." "Without poetry I would die." "Tell me, are you also a writer?" "I am." "Of course." "I just never jot stuff down." "By the way, do you have time?" "Now I'm waiting for Vesna to finish, and then we're off to..." "Get ready to wait, then, as they seem not to have broken anything yet." "So come, let me introduce you to someone." "To whom?" "Have you ever heard of the Croatian Intellectual Movement?" "The HIP." "No, I haven't." "Who are they?" "The hipsters." "Hepcat, they are people who will change your life." "What did you say you write?" "Modernism?" "Futurism?" "Well..." "A bit of everything." "Now I mainly follow in Goran's footsteps." "As far as I'm concerned, he's the greatest poet in the region." "Yeah." "Yeah." "IGK is a cool character." "He was, long ago." "Back when he was still just IK." "But this new Partisan stuff of his, that's, like, meh." "You know, it's totally, like nah." "I can't even." "The Partisans!" " What's wrong with the Partisans?" "They're totally mainstream." "Do we have another option?" " The Ustasha?" " Options!" "Options are mainstream." " Scorn all the options!" "All of them!" "The Germans, the Partisans." " The Ustasha!" " Ew." "All except the hipsters." "Bleurgh, just don't mention them." "They're lame to a" "Doing nothing all daylong, just listening to some jazz." "Dressing like a deceased aunt." "And acting as if they've drank from the fount of universal wisdom." "Wait, aren't you guys hipsters?" "We are..." "We are simply them." "The free ones." "How can you be free, when the country is oppressed?" "Oh, don't be so naive." "None of that who's in power the politics the war, blah, blah, blah, blah." " None of that has a role to play." " All right." "But someone has to think of the future." "What happens in 200, 300, in a thousand years?" "Hey, hey, hey." "Don't think of the future." "Think of the now." "Live in the moment." "Try the preserve." "It's good." "What is it made of?" "Hemp." "I grow it myself." "You're into agriculture?" "Me too." "This was intense!" "30?" "How about my pal, Ljiljan?" " Cool name, Ljiljan." " Fuckin' A." "And his poetry is brutal." "I mean, I haven't read it, but, like..." "Read something to us." "Just because." "Just because you insist." "I happen to have a new one for you." ""Ljiljan Vidic:" "The Grave Did Not Make Itself a Grave"" ""The grave did not make itself a grave"" ""To be that dim nave"" ""That takes every knave"" ""The coward and the brave"" ""Pave"" ""Pave"" "CHAPTER FIVE LJILJAN AND THE LILAC" "Easy, Tiger." "Good morning." "Are you hungry?" "I ordered food yesterday." "It should be here soon." "Until then, I can only offer tea." "Comrade Tito, tea is fine." "Forest berries?" "It's not exactly comfortable." "But for myself and Tiger it's more than enough." "Get out!" "Yes, yes." "It's nice." "Don't you wish to stretch your legs?" "Go on an offensive or something." "Or a march." "You know, comrade, when a man reaches a certain age gets to know himself a bit better reviews his life expectations, his achievements thus far..." "I'm writing a book about it right now." "Yeah?" "I'm a writer, too." " A poet." " Ah, no, no." "My book is something else." "My book is meant to help the people help themselves." "The Revolution Begins Within Me." "Comrade Tito." "Allow me to address you as a colleague would a colleague." "I allow it." " Not that the book won't be good." " It will be great." " No doubt." " Three publishers are interested already." "And Krleza has praised the strength of my sentence." "Get out!" "Go outside and admire me there." "All I meant was..." "It's not that Josip Broz wouldn't bring a certain quality to the literary scene." "But there are plenty of writers already, and the father of the revolution the leader of the free world, the master of the free locksmiths..." "I'm afraid that's not my profession anymore." "Comrade Tito, a war rages out there." "We will lose it without you." " The enemy overpowers us." " Wrong." " The enemy is within you." " Within me?" "But I'm a Partisan, body and soul." "Watching you is like watching myself, back when I was young." "Oh, dear comrade." "Just like you, I was a stupid little hick back then." "With such a burning wish to escape provincial life that he started a revolution." "What did I ultimately realise?" "That I was running away." "From myself." "It's easy to liberate a country." "But try and liberate a soul from its shackles." "That is the problem." "Do you understand?" "I understand." "You will get there, you are young." "Leaving that aside, what's going on out there?" "Is Hitler still alive?" "He is." "But we're planning to kill him." "Do it." "Just do it." "I can't bear that mustache of his." "He looks like a shaven pussy." "anyway- " "Hitler is coming to a party at Pavelic's." "At Dr. Ante's?" "The cunt." "The motherfucking cunt." "Such a, I mean, he's such a..." "He's, he's..." "He's not even human." "He's Hitler's condom!" "Breathe, Joza." "The enemy is within me." "The enemy is within me." "Master!" "Who goes there?" "Delivery!" "Ah, it's lunchtime." "Hello, my good man." "Anybody home?" "You are Lebedev?" " I am." " A pig head for you." "Jumbo-sized." "What took you so long?" "I ordered it yesterday." "Well, you know." "It's wartime." "It's not easy to reach every address." "There are crowds, barricades, minefields." "One somehow manages in the end." "Here." "Ta-da!" "But, to apologise for the delay, you get crepes free of charge." " On the house." "It's too much." "Ah, it isn't, it isn't." "Comrade Tito, your head is worth more than a thousand pig heads." " You mistook me for someone." " Broz." "Don't try that shit with me." "If I didn't know you..." "Look, sonny." "For starters, you must realise one thing." "I am not your enemy." "The enemy is within you." "I don't give a fuck whether you are!" "I'd sell my mother for this dough!" "It's all right." "It's all right, sonny." "It's all right, he gets it." "It's all right." "Hands up!" "Surrender!" "Never!" "I'm the indomitable commander Ljiljan!" "Surrender or I'll shoot!" "Bullets can't harm me!" "I killed a batallion of the Ustasha with my bare hands!" "And I ate earthworms!" "And I'll eat you for breakfast!" "Eat shit, Partisan scum!" "Drop dead, Ustasha!" "THE X-ELEMENT" "I carry the scent of you" "I want to be a part of you" "It's a bit tight." "There." "Is that better?" " He grew so big eating just salad?" " Yes." "Who'd have guessed it." "Have you seen his cute bunny?" "So nice." "I don't give a shit about the bunny." "Have you seen that crowd?" "What is it, Miso?" "Getting the shits, are we?" "Right, whatever." "As if I'd be afraid of some amateurs." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Listen up." "Are we professionals?" "Are we ready?" "ls the song great?" "Oh, the song is so good, you couldn't axe it out of your ear!" "Ljiljan!" "Good job, buddy." "I gave it my all." "That's true." "Our victory is all but guaranteed." "Go on." "I'm not retarded!" "Darling, they didn't mean it." "They said it in jest." "You know what a door is?" "Go ahead." "Folk band, you're up next." "Zeljac, see you later." " Okac, break a leg." "Hello, do I speak Jewish?" "Come on." "Bunny, we're performing soon." "Bunny?" "Bunny?" "Bunny!" "They say that a good horse will raise dust." "They say that good pods split open, and that love and eggs are consumed fresh." "They could say a great many things about our upcoming act." "But they shouldn't be talked about." "They should simply be seen." "They are the dancing troupe Tanzenbaum!" "These guys are good." "Yeah, fuck their Mommas." "They're, like, ridiculously good." "Wow." "Wow, wow, wow." "What can I say?" "The song, the Staling, the choreography." "WOW!" "As far as I'm concerned..." "WOW!" "Unlike my colleague, I wouldn't use animalistic parables." "And yet..." "I shall say this." "The melody moved me." "And as for the performance..." "Vulgar." "Sacrilegious." "Disgusting." "Sickening." "And yet, damned exciting!" "Perhaps you shall all burn in hell but if you ask me you get a pass!" "Oh, boys, boys." "Frankly..." "When you came on stage, I thought: "Otto."" ""Why did I get involved in this?"" ""I could have been at the front line, enjoying myself like a man."" "But no, I'm here, dealing with some insecure cattle boys whose only talent lies in their ability to milk a cow." "But nobody had the head to tell you." "Because you suffer from, shall we say, a mild form of mental retardation." "Now, speaking of retardation I can't say you've dissuaded me." "But as for that certain "it" I shan't call it "talent" but as for that certain "it", you do have it." "Go." "Get out of my sight." "So much for that." "Hey, don't we have a great song?" "We have a great song!" "Come on." "Thank you." "Thank you, everyone." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Tanzenbaum have set the bar quite high." "Shall our next act manage to clear it?" "Or will they trip over it and leave their skin on the board, like little Schlomo at the rabbis?" "We'll see." "I think it's the latter, but give them a chance." "For, as the proverb says:" ""Erst Mistus, dann Christus."" "Ladies and gentlemen, Violeta and the Quislings!" "One, two." "One, two, three." "The Partisans!" "The Partisans are in the room!" "It's the Partisan bandits!" "Comrades, retreat to our fall back position!" "Vesna!" "I told you, a woman in the company will be the death of us, eventually." "Vesna might be a woman." "But she's no traitor." "As if you knew women." "You know what?" "If this is it, it ended quite all right." "We had some good fun, we went around the entire Kingdom killed just about everyone and ended up alive." "As good as it gets." "If you say so." "And anyway, where did it say we had to win this war?" "Nowhere." "It's not like this is the last war." "There'll be a million more." "Comrades, aren't you ashamed to say such things?" "We're the People's Liberation Army!" "And the People's Liberation Army shall never surrender!" "Fuck that shit, Ljiljan." "It's too late." "I will not fuck that shit." "We can still turn things around." " I have a plan!" " Want to hear my plan?" "Catch the first express train back home, see my sister if she's still alive." "And try to find a job that I'm qualified for." " This one doesn't satisfy me any longer." " What's your profession, again?" " A teacher." " I'll go back home, too." " Marijana has waited too long." " Hello, did you hear what I said?" " I said, I have a plan." " Why would we listen?" "You and your plans." " Because I'm the commander here." " You're the commander?" "Come on, Ljiljan." "We really don't feel like laughing now." "I'm the commander here." "And I have a plan that changes everything." "Even if it fails, and we die." "At least we'll be able to look into our children's eyes." " And say: "Children..."" " Excuse me, how will we do it, if we die?" "If we die, we won't have children." "No." "Comrade Tito said it well." "You are your own worst enemies." " The enemy is within you." " When did Tito say that?" "Yesterday." "To me, in the cave." "I was with him." "He lives in a cave." "Along with Tigar." "Good thing I'm sitting here, as I'll piss myself." "Tigar?" "Does Cheetah live with them, too?" "With elephants that pick their apples, and then, like, turtles come over..." "Listen up now." "A barricade!" "Oh, dear me!" "Must be because of the party." "Can I help you?" "Thanks." "CHAPTER SIX ' BRING ME THE HEAD OF LJILJAN VIDIC" "We said we wouldn't kill them." "Good evening." "Enjoy the party." "Enjoy the party" "Good evening." "Mrs. Budimir, you look magical." "Mr. Budimir, I'm very pleased to see you." "I wouldn't miss this evening for the world." "Tell me, is the rumor true?" "That we'll have a surprise guest?" "That is a surprise." "Please, come in." "Enjoy the party." "Franjo." "Take over." "Good evening." "Please, come in." "Look what he sends me." "A Curtain!" "For ze Ustasha Headquarters." " Why, he mocks me!" " My Poglavnik, sir!" "Ze Fuehrer would never!" "He gave you a Motorcar, as well!" "I don't give a Fuck about ze Motorcar!" "What does he zink I run here?" "An independent State, or a Motorcar Dealership?" "Ze Fuehrer has had a Death in ze Family." "Nice of him to have remembered you in such dire Times!" "This is ze zird Time zat his Grandfazer has died!" "I give you my Word!" "It will all be sorted out!" "Hitler is ready!" "As I said!" "Let him enter." "For Homeland." "Who said you could speak?" "Well, nobody." "Zen shut up, Adolf!" "Or I'll shut you up." "How is your German?" "A moment." "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." "My name is Adolf Hitler, and I come from Germany." "My Poglavnik he was ze Best I could find at such shod Notice." "I will find you a Place in Jasenovac at ze shortest Notice!" "Let him fuck up but once!" "And what about ze Entertainers?" "Are zey ready?" "Good evening." "Where are you going?" "Good evening." "We're the performers." "What performers?" "The Tanzenbaum dancing troupe." "Oh, so you're the faggots?" "Yes, yes." "The faggots, the faggots." "Good." "Report to the Event Manager." "Go ahead." "Park inside." "Thank you." " What's an event manager?" " Can I take a pic, for the journal?" " Sure, sure, of course." " Say "cheese."" "Take it easy." "No, you can't go inside." "Excuse me!" "It's all right, pal." "We're the faggots." "Good evening." " So, this is what hell looks like." " What a place." "Gentlemen, may I offer you drinks?" "Sure, sure." "Scram." "Comrades, please, concentrate." "We must stay sober." "Sure, after a drink." "Ljiljan Vidic!" "Who's this Ustasha?" " Hi, V." " What brings you to the beach, amigo?" " Well, we're performing." " That's what I'm saying, yeah." "I knew you were going places." "And that outfit is bitching." "Thanks." "And your fiancee is here." "You know that?" " Where is she?" " Over there." "With her evil stepmother and her horsemaster." " Vesna!" " Vesna is your fiancee?" "You said, she might be a woman, but she's not a traitor, eh?" "Just a moment." " You won't finish this?" " And, ultimately God has created potatoes so that even the poor can skin something!" "Good evening." "Madam." " Gentlemen." " Mr. Pauper, I didn't recognise you." "Nice ensemble." "Very manly." "Mile, this is Vesna's Fiance." "Excuse us for a moment." "I just wanted to tell you that you look quite flamboyant." "Ljiljan, what are you doing?" "Why are you here?" "We're doing a dance number." "We're all here." "Whatever you're up to, this is neither the time nor the place." " This is the time and the place." " You'll ruin everything!" "You know how long it took me to convince them you're not a traitor?" "They still don't believe me!" "And I have my..." "Shut up!" "Listen to me." "Ladies and Gentlemen!" "We've all waited for this Moment." "Let a heavy Fog descend." "Our Host, ze Poglavnik." "Dr. Ante Pavelic!" "What the fuck is this?" "Miso, that's the future of car industry." "Croatian Men and Croatian Women." "Ustasha Brozers and Sisters." "It has been Three and a Half Years zat we have lived our Dream of Statehood." "Since we have in Spite of occupying Serb Tyranny started zis beautiful Story called ze Independent State of Croatia." "But zis Parable, wizout all of you would not have come true." "Zerefore tonight, as a Sign of my Gratitude, I have a Gift for you." "My esteemed always popular Novel, Beautiful Blonde." "Legibly autographed and at an affordable Price." "Croatian Men and Croatian Women." "Tomorrow belongs to us, and zis is what it looks like." "Zis Prototype of the Vehicle of Tomorrow modern, powerful, and as indestructible as ze Third Reich is a notable Indication of what Tomorrow will bring." "Are you Tanzenbaum?" "Come with me!" "And wiz us tonight is ze Man wizout whom we would not be here tonight." "Brozers and Sisters, the Ustasha and the Ustasha ze Leader of ze Free World:" "Ze Chancellor of ze Reich, ze Greatest among ze Great my dear Friend, Adolf "Dado" Hitler!" "Zank you, Dado." "We shall continue with our Programme." "It is dancing Time." "Back off!" " Back off!" " Back off!" " Where's the holdup?" " Come on, comrade, come on." "Yes!" "Good-bye." "Yes!" "How about it, Fuehrer?" "You didn't expect this, huh?" "For God's sake, people, you're mistaken!" "lam not Hitler!" "No, you're Churchill." "I'm just Zrinko!" "Zrinko Ruiic..." "Shut your mouth, you weasel." "Wait a minute." "How come Hitler speaks Yugoslav?" "The more you speak, the better." "It won't be better for him." "I'll shoot him as soon as we stop." "Make a right turn into the forest here." "Comrades, this doesn't add up." "You're slower than a crone!" "Step on it!" "I'm stepping on it!" "It won't go any faster!" " What's going on?" " I don't know." " Gearbox, clutch, battery." " What a great gift, really." " Comrades, I have to tell you something." "It'll have to wait." "He...this man..." "Now we're well and truly fucked." "Meaning, the fucker is fucked." " Salko, stop!" " Hold it, Ljiljan!" "Ante, stay there, I'll kill him!" "As God is my Witness, you shall not!" "I shall!" "And say Hello to Grandfazer!" "Zere." "I already feel a Betterment." "Go on!" "All of you, Hands up!" "Or ze Fat One gets it." "Guys, don't move!" "Shoot me in the chest, you Ustasha cunts!" "You heard ze Man." "Shoot him!" "Stop!" "What are you waiting for?" "Come on, let's go!" "A shod Address to ze general Public." "Your Performance tonight and I don't mean just ze Dance Routine, right." "It shows you have Courage." "You have my Respect." "So I shall not shoot you like Dogs!" "Instead, you shall be, with full Honours hanged tomorrow at Dawn at ze Central City Square." "End of Address." "I can take it!" "You may kill us, but you will never kill the people's revolution!" "The NDH is a shame of our nation!" "And it will end up on the scrapheap of history!" "And Beautiful Blonde is rubbish from the bottom of the literary barrel!" "An insult to any literate person!" "And any Croat!" "Beat us!" "Beat us, just beat us!" "Four men against the NDH." "It could have ended no other way." "If you knew that, why didn't you say so?" "Because someone had to be those four." "Someone had to try." "And who, if not us?" "They didn't even ask what our last wishes were." "Oh, I'd love to have a lick of brandy more than to see God." " And I'd love to..." " Yes, to have a lick of Marijana, we know." "Fuck you, Miso!" "Fuck you, really!" "Good, that'd be my last wish." " And you, commander?" "What's yours?" " Nothing." "Only darkness." "To darkness may death my fate forswear." "Oh, fuck that." "Well, this ain't gonna happen tonight." "I don't know about you, but Salko will not dangle at the end of a rope." "Who'll give me a hand up?" "Come on." "What?" "Even if you got up there, that grate is too thick." "Never mind the grate." "I unscrew the bulb, stick my fingers in, and so long." "Go on, give me a hand up." "Actually, the first one to get it is the one giving the hand up." "You have ten minutes!" " Praise the Lord." " You too, priest." "The Lord sends me to ask if you have any sins to confess." "Thank the Lord kindly." "There are some sins." "But we don't have time for it." " God has time and love for everyone." " Let me ask you something about God." "If he's so full of love why did the motherfucker sign up with the Ustasha?" "It is not up to us to question His will." "But to be virtuous." "And meek." "Oh, fuck you, priest." "Forgive him these words, o Lord." "No, it's a really good idea." "Pardon?" "You can fulfill my last wish." "Get naked." " Miso!" " What wish?" "Have some fun with the Poglavnik." "Give him his last rites." "My child, this is not how you want to come to the Lord's doorstep." "Nope, priest, but you do." "Get going." "Wake me up when I'm dead." "Come." "See how sweetly he looks at you." "Have some pity on him." " Guards!" "Guards!" " Be a pal, give him a hand now!" "Corps!" "Death to Fascism!" "Freedom to the people!" "Tito!" "Comrade Tito!" "Comrade Tito!" " You've come back after all." " What can I say, comrade Ljiljan." "You were right." "The world needs good locksmiths." "Well, then, if we're all done here I wouldn't want to impose." "Uh, this dump here is more damp than my cave." "Greetings." "Comrade Tito, we must hurry." "Don't trust a word she says, Tito." "She's a treacherous snake." "Wait, wait." "I know the mustache guy, and the other one, too!" "Quit bitching." "Had you listened to comrade Vesna, you wouldn't be here now." "Come, let's go, comrades." "The war will not win itself." "Go on!" " Stop, Vesna!" " What happened?" "Can you hear it?" "I can." "The fire is singing." "The flames of revolution are burning hot again!" "I know, Ljiljan, I know." "Take me out to dance" "For just this one last time" "Whisper that these things" "Were not all in vain" "Our sweetest love" "Has come now to an end" "But still, on this last night," "Give it all, my friend" "Who cares if we perish" "Let's dance into the night" "The stars were our first home" "And to stars we set our sight" "Life's an illusion" "But let's have no regrets" "Give me your hand now, my friend" "Just one more tango, then end" "Let us all be gone" "Let darkness cover all" "In dust we have started" "Into dust we fall" "Hey, let them hear it, hear it," "Hey, let them know" "We're still here tonight" "Tomorrow we may die" "Who cares if we perish" "Let's dance into the night" "The stars were our first home" "And to stars we set our sight" "Life's an illusion" "But let's have no regrets" "Give me your hand now, my friend" "Just one more tango, then end" "Who cares if we perish" "May Devil take it all" "Both Eastern and Western" "Let all proud countries fall" "Life's just a bad joke" "Death is no romance" "So this will be our last dance" "So this will be our last dance" "THE END" "Distributed by Blitz Film  Video Distribution"