Original subtitles

I have never known this before.

Me neither.

I'm not very experienced, you know.

I'm your first?

Yes.

I mean, almost.

Oh well, who cares.

I didn't know this could exist.

What?

This.

Will I see you again?

You don't live in Villeneuve?

I do.

But...

Is it your affair with that German that scares you?

A little.

Excuse me. I'm sorry.

No, no...

We are...

Any news

on the militiamen?

No.

Actually...

One of them got beaten up.

Alban is his name.

His ribs hurt.

He didn't get much sleep.

And Suzanne was looking for you.

Alright.

I'll see you later.

I'll send your replacement.

Who's Suzanne?

She's...

One of my comrades.

A partisan of the Resistance.

Sounds like she couldn't resist you, though.

Listen...

Suzanne

is a problem for me.

You're really with her?

What about you?

Are you free?

Yes.

We're going to see each other again.

I mean...

If you want.

Of course.

But...

I need to tell you something.

Alban is my brother.

Leave!

Antoine!

It doesn't change what I feel for you.

What we both feel.

Yes. It's the...

beginning of a love story.

- Antoine... - Get the hell out!

After the court-martial,

if I see you again in the area,

I will have you arrested.

A French Town

We need one shooter per prisoner, right?

No.

- At least 3. - 3?

Some of them will miss, some of them will crack...

45 people for 15 prisoners.

We'll never find 45 shooters.

We need to make groups.

Of 4 or 5 each.

A nice burst would've been better.

Then find 45 men.

What if we pay them?

They will probably miss.

Besides, if they're not used to shooting, they won't make it.

Would you do it?

It's not a prefect's job.

What we need is tough partisans,

who have killed before. There must be a few.

Yes, but not 45.

Sort out the details.

Let's talk about provisions. We need...

That's my wife.

Shall I come with you?

No, no.

Prepare a food stock report for 10 AM.

What happened?

I don't know...

I found him like this,

all cold and...

My alarm clock didn't go off.

Poor little thing. I'm so sorry for you.

It's my fault.

It's my fault.

I should've slept in his bedroom.

I knew this would happen.

I knew it, but I was so tired.

Don't say that.

It's not your fault.

I should've stayed here.

He was very weak.

I should have stayed.

Lucienne.

You know, now that...

Now that he's gone, I have to tell you...

Dr. Larcher told me he stood no chance.

His lungs were very damaged.

Why didn't he tell me?

He wanted to spare you. I understand his position.

You've been through a lot.

I can't...

believe it.

Tell me he's going to wake up.

Do you want me to leave you alone so you can...

stand vigil over him?

Yes.

I'll bring you candles and some incense.

I'm going.

My thoughts are with you.

Did you sleep well?

- Wonderfully. - How's David?

He's asleep.

- Can I go see him? - Let him sleep.

There's no coffee. Just two apples.

- Shall we share? - Thank you.

What does your prayer say?

I don't speak Hebrew.

I learned these prayers phonetically last year.

Why pray if you don't understand?

He understands.

You really believe in that?

I don't know. I like praying in Hebrew.

Besides, I'll have to speak the language in Palestine.

You're going to Palestine?

As soon as I can.

What an amazing journey.

A land with no people for people with no land.

I'd like to grow fruit in the desert.

Can you imagine?

Fruit in the desert.

Sounds tempting.

You could come.

To Palestine?

Why not?

You're alone with a child,

I'm alone too.

We could be a family.

But I barely know you.

We can get to know each other.

I don't believe in God.

He doesn't care.

I don't care either.

In fact, I didn't believe in Him 2 years ago.

Don't believe in God.

Believe in fate that reunites us.

Dad! David is hot.

Very hot, I think.

He has a fever. More than 39 degrees C.

All the pharmacies are either empty or closed.

Here's the list of the accused men.

We can start with Maruani.

Planchon doesn't look so good.

He's the youngest.

He must have prayed too hard.

Where the hell is Antoine?

He's coming.

Yes, but...

Edmond!

Where is Antoine?

What do I know!

Alright. Go.

Has Bériot's secretary told you

what's going to happen after the trial?

It's not the right time.

The Yanks are here. They're taking notes.

Here you are!

- Where were you? - In the Maquis.

They want to know if it's over.

- If what is over? - The war.

Where did you sleep?

At a friend's.

What about Christine?

Yes, well, she'll be fine.

I'm glad I did it. I'd been wanting to do it forever.

That's the girl you saw yesterday.

You keep eyeing her up.

She's eyeing you up, too.

You know her or what?

I must have seen her somewhere.

Well, go tell her you're taken.

Hello, doctor.

Do you have an aspirin?

Aspirin is rarer than gold these days.

Lord have mercy.

Right.

The hearing of the court-martial is now open.

Victor Maruani,

born on December 23, 1924.

I'm innocent.

And I'm sorry about what I did.

Excuse me.

Before we go on, I have something to say.

It's not your turn yet!

- The clock is ticking. - And?

Is there a time limit?

Nobody wants this to go on and on.

Starting with your clients, I suppose.

My clients!

Whatever they did, they had a right to a fair, democratic trial.

That's what Prefect Bériot promised.

That's why I agreed to defend them.

What's your point?

This is a democratic court-martial.

How do you dare say that,

knowing that the death sentence has already been given?

What are you talking about?

I state here, loud and clear,

in front of the American army representatives,

that Prefect Bériot ordered 14 coffins from the Schwartz sawmill!

14 defendants,

14 coffins.

And you dare say this is a democratic trial?

It's nothing but a maneuver to delay the trial.

Mrs. Schwartz told me this herself.

You mean the widow of Chassagne?

Why should we listen to a notorious collaborator?

I can confirm that the Prefect ordered 14 coffins

that he must pay at 10 AM with gas.

It's easy to verify.

This isn't a real trial.

It's more of a tragic play,

a denial of justice.

You want to kill them all? Well, go ahead!

You don't need a lawyer for that.

- Larcher's a traitor! - Yes. Traitor!

I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding

that we will clarify with Prefect Bériot immediately.

This hearing is adjourned.

Schwartz was with you.

But not Jeannine. She probably got scared.

Why coffins? The mass grave is more than enough for those bastards.

The families will claim the bodies.

Larcher is a goddamn traitor!

I think he's a very honorable, humane man.

Go to Schwartz's.

If they don't confirm that I ordered boards

for a wall, she goes to prison

and he loses the sawmill.

Try to get there before Larcher.

- Should I take the boards? - Of course.

The carpenter needs them at 11 sharp.

That might calm some people down,

but not Larcher and the Americans.

You are right.

There's only one way to convince everybody.

We need to absolve some of the accused men.

What?

That's how we'll show them that the verdict wasn't fixed.

You want a real trial?

No. The execution must take place at 1:30.

So?

So, you choose 3 or 4 men

who won't be executed.

This is getting out of control!

Killing them all was a good option.

But we can't choose. They're people.

We have to convince the Americans.

There's always a choice. I won't be a part of this.

Have you learned nothing from the Occupation?

I've learned that we must be wary of preconceived notions and big ideals.

You have room to maneuver.

But I'm out!

Anselme!

You can't abandon the ship.

We gave our word. We have to go through.

Honestly, I don't know.

Can't you see what's at stake?

It's not just the lives of a bunch of men.

We're building a new France.

Is it the France of scheming, political tricks

and dishonorable behavior that lead us to disaster?

Or is it the France that we dreamed of,

for which we risked our lives?

I quit.

Anselme, please stay!

Go to hell!

Right.

The president's resignation is provided for in the law.

Antoine, you replace him. Hector Dupuis will be my deputy.

He will sign the statement.

You give in to American pressure quite easily.

They are liberating France.

With the help of the Soviets.

Of course.

The Americans liberated us and will help us start over.

Democratic appearances are key. We don't have a choice.

We must spare 3 or 4 men.

But which men?

In the name of what?

In this case, we just act.

And we try to justify our decision.

Listen,

let's start by seeing who we're going to spare,

and then we'll decide. Let's just take a look.

The more logical and defendable choice

would be to spare the youngest militiamen

who haven't killed.

Why didn't we do this before?

The context has changed. Politics.

No offense to Anselme.

We need to adapt.

Yes.

There are limits.

Four of the defendants entered the Milice a month ago.

A. Durand, E. Grans, U. Mankowski, V. Maruani.

They're under 20 and haven't killed.

So...

We spare those four?

Yes.

We need another one. We can't just take seniority into account.

Too mechanical.

Honestly, the other ones...

They're not savable.

There's the famous...

Alban.

Alban? He killed two children right in front of our eyes.

But he also saved us all.

You, me and a hundred more people,

including 40 partisans.

- He wanted to save himself. - I don't care. He saved us.

He killed on order but he saved many people too.

That's defendable.

You should've been a lawyer.

OK for the 4 young men, but not for Alban.

We can't spare a child killer!

Hector doesn't vote. We've heard you.

We need a majority to give a death verdict, so...

Alban's destiny depends on you, Antoine.

Does he die or not?

Dr. Larcher's busy with the trial.

There are 50 people waiting for the other doctor.

- What about the Americans? - They treat themselves.

They say David is a child who was born in the middle of a war,

but he has a fever and he can't breathe.

They told me he should drink a lot of water, so I gave him some.

But he threw it up.

And...

he can't stop coughing.

I don't know what to do.

Sophie, get the bed ready.

Come.

We need to reduce his fever.

Maybe we could pray.

Yes.

You're right, Sophie.

Let's pray.

I don't believe in that.

There's nothing to lose.

If there's nothing up there,

it'll only be a waste of time. That's all.

- Does he have time? - Calm down.

Try to believe in the prayer.

But, Dad...

We don't know a prayer for sick people.

The New Testament. There has to be one here.

It's the life of Jesus.

Jesus was Jewish.

Sophie, start with the evening prayer.

- In French? - Yes, in French.

"Blessed are you, our God,

"King of the Universe,

"who makes sleep fall upon my eyes

"and slumber upon..."

"My eyelids".

"My eyelids.

"Oh Lord, God of my fathers,

"let me lie down in peace".

Here, I've found one!

I need his father's name.

His full name?

Or just his first name.

- Jean. - Jean?

An evangelist. That's good.

Prayer for David, son of Jean and Rita.

"Is anyone among you in trouble?

"Let them pray.

"Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

"Is anyone among you sick?

"Let him call for the elders of the Church

"and let them pray over him

"anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

"The prayer will save the one who is sick,

"and the Lord will raise him up.

"If he has committed sins,

"he will be forgiven..."

This court,

after deliberation

and taking into account articles 32, 35,

36 and the following of the ruling of June 22, 1944,

issued by the provisional government of France,

as well as article 75 of the Penal Code,

finds guilty of collaborating with the enemy:

Alain Planchon,

Anatole Galtier,

André Ploumanach,

Serge Gerbisier,

Rodolphe Gerbisier,

Sauveur Cartier,

Désiré Dupont,

Basile Dumesnil

and Atanase Champolski,

and sentences them to the death penalty.

This sentence will be enforced today.

Alban Lubac,

Victor Maruani,

Anatole Durand,

Emile Grans

and Ursule Mankowski

are found not guilty of the charges

and will be judged subsequently

for collaborating with organized crime.

This hearing is over.

Do we have everything?

You did order those 14 coffins, didn't you?

What does it matter now?

I wanted to thank you for everything you've done.

- Is that a joke? - No.

You're one of the few who thinks

about the general welfare. I need people like you.

- You should've delayed the trial. - Impossible.

The people need you to give them something.

You're giving them blood.

- A feeling of justice. - All this is anything but fair.

Larcher, all that matters

to the people, is the feeling.

Would you accept

to work with me

in the reconstruction of Villeneuve?

I'm a collaborator, Bériot.

I'm even surprised I haven't been arrested.

No one is arrested without my consent.

Think about it.

Don't think about Hortense. We're talking about your life.

I bless you, my son.

Go in peace.

I bless you, my son.

- Go in peace. - Gentlemen.

Amen.

Aim at the torso,

not the head.

Understood?

Amen.

Now is the time to step back.

I bless you. Go in peace.

I don't understand why you saved Alban.

You were with him last night.

- Is he your friend? - I want talk about it.

But I want to talk about it.

We need to talk about it.

- You hate him in particular? - No.

- No, really. - What's wrong then?

I don't care about him. I'm interested in you.

- I need to understand. - Excuse me.

We're done, guys.

I wanted to thank you.

I'm not particularly happy.

That's even more commendable.

- Can I speak to you? - Is it a secret?

Just like the party!

As you wish.

Would you accept to be Villeneuve police chief for a while?

This gets better all the time!

Cops are like garbage collectors.

Nobody wants to be one of them.

Your mission is really important:

re-establish the rule of law.

We don't want your rule of law!

We want a Republic

in which there are no intermediaries.

Deep down, Anselme is right.

You're a legitimate choice and you're made for this.

I accept.

What?

Unbelievable! You want to be a cop?

When do I start?

Right now. Guide the squad.

Very well.

What's wrong with you?

- I want responsibilities. - Not like this!

Squad!

Attention!

In position!

Charge arms!

Do you have a last wish?

Militiamen!

On my command!

One,

two,

three!

What do we do? We wait for them to finish?

I don't know!

- It's their last wish. - Go ahead, Antoine.

Antoine, do it!

We can't shoot at men who're singing!

It's the Chant des cohortes. Too long. We can't wait!

They're singing, damn it! We can't shoot!

We need to do it.

Come on, Antoine!

Squad, on my command!

They can't hear you.

Squad, on my command!

Make France pure again

Let's just wait.

Israel, execrable rot

France throws up at you

On our knees, we took an oath

The militiamen will die singing

I can't do it!

If it is necessary for the new France

Give me that.

Take aim! Are you deaf?

United by the same fervor

Where's the Resistance?

Squad, take aim!

- On our knees we took... - Not a woman!

Bériot, you can't!

Take aim, for Christ's sake!

Bériot!

We want to die like men!

It didn't bother you to kill women.

You know what?

The women of the Resistance have a message for you.

On my command!

Fire!

"Is anyone happy?"

The fever's reduced.

"Let them sing songs of praise.

"Is anyone sick?

"Let him call for the elders".

You can stop, Sophie.

David's doing better.

He's even smiling!

See?

Don't you believe now?

In God?

No.

In you...

maybe.

- Alright, darling? - Yes.

He needs to eat.

We have nothing left.

I'm going to see if I can find some food.

- Sophie, are you staying? - I'm coming with you.

Here.

Give him some water.

Holy water!

See you later.

Let's go.

I don't know what to do.

It feels wrong not to talk about you.

But if I do,

I screw everything up.

He says it's not that.

That kid is hard to understand.

Why did I even fall for him?

You're probably laughing at me.

You're hard to understand, too.

Are there any girls where you are?

Or group meetings?

Oh, yes.

That must be your paradise.

A pretty girl in a nice group meeting.

Right?

Hello there.

What's your name?

So, here we have the dactyloscopic records.

What?

The fingerprints of the prisoners,

convicts or suspects.

Is this actually useful?

Well, yes. In criminal cases, it is.

I won't take care of criminal cases.

I know nothing about that.

You're supposed to take care of everything.

Yes.

Well...

you'll take the criminal cases.

Sometimes, criminal and political cases are alike.

Hey, Fernand!

Feeling better!

You're the chief of police? I'm in.

Out of the question. He is wounded.

He's more worthy than anyone.

One of the first partisans.

There are only a few left.

I think I've seen that girl before.

I haven't.

Probably before the war.

- May I help you? - I want to talk.

I'm very busy.

Come back in a year or two.

Do you want me to make a fuss?

I just want to talk.

It's not much to ask for.

Where can I have a meeting?

Well...

In the chief's office.

Your office.

It's the other door.

What do you want?

- You saved Alban. - No, I didn't.

- I don't believe you. - I don't care.

Anything else?

I wanted to see if it was still there.

There's nothing between us.

Except for lies.

I couldn't tell you who I was.

Clearly.

That's why I lied to you.

You remind me of someone.

I can still feel your hands on me.

Geneviève,

you approached me so I'd save Alban.

Yes.

But what really matters is what happened next.

You need to forget me.

- I can't do that. - Forget me!

And hide away.

The sisters of militiamen will have a hard time.

The exit's at the end of the hall.

I'm sorry to bother you.

I need to talk to you about his burial.

Well?

We can't bury him under his real name, of course.

Of course.

I was wondering if you had a favorite name.

Larcher will issue an inhumation permit. We need to hurry.

I don't know.

I thought of "Wheeler".

- Wheeler? - Yes, with two Es.

That's what his name means.

Wagner means "wheeler".

A wheeler works with carriages.

I know what a wheeler is, Jules.

His first name could be Christian.

It sounds like Kurt.

I mean, Christian, Kurt.

I have a cousin named Christian.

I don't like that name.

What about Christophe?

Christophe Wheeler.

It doesn't sound nice.

Remember when we were expecting Françoise?

Yes.

We didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl.

Of course I remember.

I liked the name Etienne for a boy.

Remember that?

Because of your uncle who died in 1914.

I didn't know him but I had a photo of him in my room.

I would talk to him at night.

Tell him my secrets.

Etienne, yes.

That's good.

I will be happy to read his name when...

When I go to his tomb.

Yes. Etienne Wheeler sounds very good.

Very good indeed.

That's good.

Do you want to sleep?

There you go.

Go on.

Have a rest. That's very good.

Ezéchiel?

- Who is it? - Rita, open the door!

They will kill me like a dog. Let me come in.

A man lives here.

He's going to come back.

Yes, I know.

Ezéchiel Cohn.

I saw you leaving the school.

I spent the night in the basement.

Why did you come to Villeneuve?

You can enroll in Delattre's army B.

- They acknowledge the ranks. - Really?

- Are you sure? - That's what he said.

- Sounds tempting? - I'm not sure.

The pay is awful, and the uniform...

I don't know.

Tonight, while we were sleeping,

someone broke into the lodging office.

Nothing serious, I suppose.

Fifi recognized Marchetti.

- Marchetti? - He had drunk too much.

He was a police officer in 1942-1943. He's positive.

What is he doing in Villeneuve?

Why the lodging office?

He's probably looking for a place to hide.

You were friends.

Colleagues.

And...

Would you be capable of arresting him?

We'd need to find him first.

I tried to go to Switzerland. It was impossible.

I didn't want to wait months to see you again.

We've been separated for too long.

Everybody's looking for you.

What are we going to do?

Servier's nephew

is organizing a passage to Spain.

That scares me.

What are you scared of?

You.

Rita, I love you.

I love you. You know that?

Hurry up.

Rita?

Rita, are you alright?

I locked the door. I heard gunshots.

Gunshots?

I think so. An hour ago.

Everything's calm outside.

That's good.

- How's David doing? - He looks fine.

- Did you find something to eat? - Yes.

- And no. - I won't eat that!

- Yes, you will! - No.

I have four slices of ham.

I exchanged them for my watch.

Your watch?

You shouldn't have done that.

You know, I'm hungry too.

But the problem is...

Quite big.

My grandfather was a rabbi. He would've known.

What's the problem?

Imagine that our prayer saved David. It's possible.

Let's suppose it did.

Can we feed him pork?

I won't eat that!

If we do it,

what is he going to think?

- Who? - Him!

I really don't know.

Why the hell did you talk to Larcher?

Are you like Chassagne?

- Watch your tone. - Bériot and I had a deal.

You screwed it up!

Bériot's word is worthless.

Remember the guys last night.

What if they had found me?

You think this will do you any good?

He's got the power now!

Not necessarily.

What does that mean?

I talked to Dad.

About time.

Dad's friend can replace him.

- He has friends in the Resistance? - Everybody does!

We need to get Bériot kicked out.

You're getting me in trouble. I won't get my gas.

Bériot is just a deputy. Esay to get rid of.

You haven't changed. Your dad is all you care about.

This is over. I'm sick of you. Go back to your dad's.

What do you...

I'm taking you to the station. You'll see your daddy.

And say hi to your son. He's been waiting for you.

- Get out of here. - Get off me!

Thank you for bringing her.

You didn't have to.

What do you want?

We want to judge the traitors.

Bériot schemes. He doesn't go fast enough.

You want to judge them yourselves?

We want to take them to court.

Mrs. Chassagne is the first on the list.

I won't let you do it.

You don't have to get involved.

She's the mother of my son.

My mother was hanged, Raymond.

I don't even know where you buried her.

- And you want me to let her go. - She's innocent.

She didn't pull the trigger.

She sold guns to those who did.

And you tell me she's innocent?

I saved your life, Raoul,

and I saved you, too.

Why am I your enemy now?

You're not our enemy. She is.

You don't have a gun. Back off.

Anselme!

Raymond! Raymond!

Anselme!

Raymond!

These reports are as boring as hell.

They're necessary, sir.

You'll get used to it.

We should lose the "sir" thing.

Like we did in the Maquis.

Formality is for parents and priests.

OK, alright.

We cops, like in the Maquis,

are less formal.

Hello, Alain. Goodbye, Alain.

Well, I...

I'll go to Marchetti's. You never know.

Listen.

I think we should start from scratch.

We were doing fine

until I left with Gérard and Christine.

That's what's bothering you?

You think I was too hard on her? I was exhausted.

- It's not that. - What then?

Is it because you...

That's not important. We'll sort it out.

Everything's happened so fast.

I need some time.

Time for what?

To think.

To think?

Ouch...

Then it's over.

Antoine!

Antoine!

I know where I saw her.

She was with the Kraut

in that lake, naked.

What?

When you captured the two Krauts.

This whore was swimming with one of them.

We'll show her how it's done.

What beautiful hair you have, sweetie!

- Why did she want to see you? - You saw her?

Hey, you have a nice body.

You were giving all this to the Krauts?

- Let her go! - We're just having fun.

A Kraut girl must be hot.

- I said let her go. - Fine.

You too, Fernand.

Who is that girl?

Answer me, Antoine.

Antoine!

She's with me.

Subtitles: Eclair Media