Original subtitles

[Gabriel sighs]

[doctor] Good.

Take a deep breath.

Deeper.

Do you have chest pain when you breathe?

Huh? Uh, yes, yes, a little.

[doctor] Did something happen before it started? Were you running?

-He was angry. -A lot.

He was furious.

-What's wrong? -I'll tell you later. Not now.

No, no, no. There are too many people here.

I told Rachelika to go to sleep.

You can sleep if you want, but I'll stay up.

Doctor, shouldn't we have kept him in the hospital?

[in Ladino] The hospital is a club for all the viruses and microbes in Jerusalem.

[raps table, speaks in Ladino] No evil eye.

A sick person comes in, infects the person lying next to them, you know.

Anything they can give in the hospital, we can do at home.

I'll write a prescription.

I'll also give you something to give him when he's out of breath.

Yes, but what happened to him, Doctor?

[in Ladino] A heart attack.

[in Ladino] Holy God.

[in English] That's what killed Raphael, God bless his memory.

[doctor] Today, we believe heart disease is hereditary.

What's hereditary?

A disease that the father has can be passed down to the son.

Like an inheritance.

God forbid such an inheritance.

[doctor] You need to rest. Rest, and have a lot of it.

Someone come outside with me. I have a few more things to say.

All right.

What?

What what? What are you waiting for? Go with him.

No, I'm staying here.

Rosa.

I'm also staying.

[scoffs]

What happened?

Everything's all right.

[theme song playing]

[crows cawing]

[distant voices]

[sheep bleating]

[wind whistling]

[dog barks]

[knock on door]

-Who's there? -[Rachelika] It's me.

Come in.

Aren't you going to work?

No.

Why?

Because.

You had a fight with David?

Yes.

[Rachelika] What about?

Nothing. I got back late and he got angry.

And what?

What and what? What, Rachelika? We fought, that's all.

Luna.

Your cheek's red and swelled up.

Does he beat you?

Cut it out. Get out of here.

-[Rachelika] No, answer my question. -Leave me alone, Rachelika.

-Not before you answer-- -Quit trying to interfere.

-Where is he now? -Who? What do you mean?

I mean David, your husband, that's who.

He's in the backyard. Why?

I'm afraid to leave you alone with him.

Are you crazy or what? Have you lost your mind?

Do I have to throw you out of here?

Wait.

Can you call the store and tell Mr. Zacks I won't come in today?

Why don't you do it?

I don't feel like it, all right?

Can you or can't you?

How long will you be gone?

I don't know. Tell him I have the grippe or something.

What's this?

Rice and beef.

Hmm.

And where's the beef?

I only put a little bit in.

Well, I wouldn't even feed this rice to chickens.

It has no oil.

The doctor advised no oil and only a little bit of meat.

The doctor can come here and eat it if he wants to.

Look what I found.

The cane that belonged to my father, bless his memory.

Too bad he didn't take it with him to heaven.

[Mercada] Good thing he didn't.

The doctor says you're not allowed to exert yourself.

You may feel dizzy when you stand up.

I'll put it here.

Next time the doctor's here, I'll hit him with it.

He also said you shouldn't get aggravated. It's not good for you.

I really wish I knew what was good for me.

Resting, a lot.

And food too, that's what you need.

Eat.

[crow caws]

How late was she, exactly?

[David] Very late.

She said she'd be back in a few minutes. It took her two hours, even longer.

And did you hit her?

-What are you talking about, Mercada? -[Mercada] Shh.

I asked David.

Answer me.

She was also drunk when she got back.

What do you mean, drunk?

Drunk, drunk. She smelled like a borracha.

[Mercada] We know for a fact that Luna isn't a saint.

But where exactly did she drink?

At a British lady's home.

She went to measure her dress. That's what she said to me.

I said she's not going to work anymore.

You did good.

She should sit at home for a while, a long while, you know.

But you haven't answered my question.

Did you hit her or not?

I'm sorry for what I did.

What did you do?

I slapped her.

[in Ladino] Holy God.

David Franco.

In our family, in this house, a man doesn't hit his wife for any reason.

Do you understand?

In our family, a man does not hit his wife!

What are we, Arabs?

You should be ashamed of yourself for what you did.

Now I want to ask you both for one thing.

Gabriel must be kept in the dark about all of this.

I don't know what he'll do if he finds out.

[marketplace chatter]

MORDOCH ERMOSA DELICATESSEN

Oh, Rosa!

Welcome.

What a lovely guest.

"Mrs. Ermosa" to you.

And I'm not a guest, I am the boss.

Of course, of course.

How is Gabriel?

Tell him I forgive him for what happened.

You forgive him, huh?

[Mordoch] Mm-hmm.

Look, Rosa, things are awful.

Or, as your people would say, medra.

There's a war in Europe,

and they say the Nazis, damn their name in memory, will be here soon.

So people don't have the money, or the desire for that matter,

for… delicacies,

but they drink.

They drink to forget.

Come, come see.

Come on.

People come here to drink arak,

and the British drink the medra they like too. [chuckles]

And I…

Like they say in America, I am a businessman.

And this place is a business.

Lara, do you know Rosa?

Sorry. Mrs. Ermosa.

Half of this place is hers.

I tried to explain to Gabriel how much we make on a bottle of arak

when we open it and sell glasses.

The math is a little hard for a woman, but believe me…

What are you doing?

The math is hard, but I do know what a half is.

And half of this is ours, you said so yourself.

Have a good day, Mordoch.

[Mercada] Luna!

Luna, come to the kitchen.

Luna!

Luna.

Luna!

-What? -What's the matter, are you deaf?

What are you doing there?

-Nothing. -Come to the kitchen.

What for?

'Cause I say so. Come on.

[in Ladino] Cheeky.

What did you ask me to come here for, Savta?

-Boyos. -What?

Boyos. You don't know what boyos are?

Yeah, but I'm not hungry, thank you.

What does David like it with, spinache?

I don't know.

You should know what your husband likes to eat, though.

Do you know what we put on our boyos? Because you like to eat them well enough.

Spinach.

And if not spinache, what else?

-Meat. -Bravo.

So what does he prefer, what does he like better?

I don't know, we've been married for a few days, Savta.

[sighs] What would happen if your mother and I weren't here?

What would he have eaten these past few days?

Luna, listen.

A man, if he doesn't eat, he gets angry and mean.

You understand?

Now, you will make boyos con gomo.

-I will? -No, Queen Esther.

Yeah, you. Who will cook for your husband if not you?

Put on an apron.

Taste.

But it's raw.

Right. We taste it before we throw it into the pot.

We need to know if it needs more salt, pepper or whatever.

What's missing?

-I don't know. -Needs to be a little saltier.

What do I add if I want it to be saltier?

-Answer me. -You add more salt.

Bravo!

So now you add salt, but not too much.

A bit more.

And taste it again.

-It's fine now. -[dog barks]

[Mercada] The meat is ready.

What?

Nothing.

Then stop staring at me like that.

-Like what? -Like this.

I'll look at whoever I like, as much as I like, however I like.

Are you gonna hit me as well?

[softly] You're so stupid.

The dough can be thin and it can be thicker.

We're making it thin now.

Next time, make it thicker, and always ask him what he prefers

so you'll be able to cook it for him.

And what I prefer isn't important?

No. What matters is what your husband prefers.

Enough. I don't want to do this.

What's wrong, Luna?

You want to go out and get drunk, is that what you want?

You think David didn't tell us?

Make thin dough right now!

[sighs]

Then you take the pot, pour some oil into it, then place it on the flame.

You go and grab an onion,

chop it,

and fry it in the pot.

Then take all the meat, put it in the pot, and stir everything together.

Stir, stir, so it's really brown.

-Understand? -Yes.

If you don't understand, I'll stay to watch over you.

Savta, I understand.

Not like that. Not like that. Do like this. Thinner, thinner, thinner.

Good. Good, good, good.

[door opens]

[footsteps]

I went to the delicatessen.

There is no delicatessen.

It's gone.

[sorting paper money]

Somebody's gotta get our money from him, right?

You managed to get some…

money from that beast of a person?

I went to see him.

I told him you were really mad at him

and wanted to come take your nerves out on him.

He got scared and gave me our share right away.

[Gabriel] The way things are going at the delicatessen,

even half of nothing is nothing.

Those are pennies.

[sorting money]

[Rosa] You have to eat a little, get stronger.

The medications you're taking are weakening you.

Yeah.

On occasions.

With my two hands, I'll strangle that…

Shh!

…Kurdish…

that devil Mordoch.

[in Ladino] Enough, Gabriel.

[mumbling in Ladino] May God kill you.

[in English] May God bring all of Egypt's plagues upon you.

Oh.

David.

[inhales deeply]

[clears throat]

Look…

I'm really mad at you.

But when you're right, you're right.

So today you'll eat boyos con gomo.

Now guess who's standing in the kitchen making them for you?

-Luna? -That's right.

We didn't know how you liked the dough.

Thin, thick.

-So we'll make-- -Fire, fire!

[in Ladino] Holy God!

[Rachelika] Fire!

-[Gabriel] What? What's happening? -You stay there.

-[Rachelika screaming] -What's burning? Rosa!

[Luna] Fire!

[sobbing]

-[Rachelika] What's burning? -It's the pan!

[Luna] Oh, God, help me!

-[coughing] -[Mercada] Water! Get some water!

Water's no good for oil!

What happened? Let me in, Mercada.

[coughing]

Come!

No, no, no.

Get out, Becky. Don't learn from your sisters.

Get out! Ecch.

[coughs]

[sighs]

What happened?

[David coughs]

I was in the kitchen.

What were you doing there?

I poured oil into the pot that was on the stove.

Stupid. Who pours oil into a hot pot?

You're the one who told me to do it!

[Gabriel coughing]

What's this? What happened?

Your daughter made boyos con gomo. That's what happened.

Because I don't know how. And I don't want to know.

-[sighs] It's okay. -Abba, please tell them to leave me alone.

Tell them!

Shh! Everything's all right.

[crickets chirruping]

He leaves his house every morning at eight o'clock and gets into his car.

How do I connect this to the ignition?

You don't.

You connect it to the exhaust pipe. It's already set for 8:02.

It must explode when he starts the engine.

Forget about that.

This is what we have.

Good luck.

[mixer whirring]

Imma, what are you doing?

Rachelika, why are you awake?

Because of the smell from the kitchen.

Why are you cooking at this hour?

[sighs] I was going to talk to you in the morning,

but since you're already up, come.

Sit down.

When are you finishing your seminar?

In a couple of days.

Have you considered what you'll do afterwards?

I don't know, either study more or work.

Look, things at the delicatessen aren't good.

What you're smelling, that's the food the British eat back home.

I want to cook it and sell it to the British soldiers.

You want to sell that food at the delicatessen?

Of course not there.

Mordoch will take half and steal some of our half.

Rachelika, I need you to help save our family.

So where do you want to sell this?

[sighs] First promise me, you w on't say a word to your abba.

[rooster crows]

[dog barks]

-[sniffles] -[Luna] Abba?

[laughs]

What are you doing?

Exercise. It's, uh…

they say it's good for someone who's had a…

-Never mind. -[laughs]

Would you believe it, your father walking around with a cane?

Abba, stop it. You'll feel brand new in a couple of days.

Why didn't you go to work?

You like being at Mr. Zacks'.

Luna.

David and I had a fight. It was my fault.

On the evening you went to the delicatessen,

I went to see a wealthy English woman who commissioned a dress from me.

I got back very late.

Sounds like you were working.

Yes.

But I didn't tell David I'd be late and…

I drank there with the British.

What kind of liquor did the Brits drink at home?

-Whiskey. -Mm.

That was the men.

The ladies had champagne.

So did I.

And did you like the champagne?

-Very much. -[Gabriel chuckles]

So what?

You drank so much and you were so hungover

that you can't go to work three days later?

David asked me not to go.

He asked or…?

It's okay.

[bell tolling]

[Charlie] I'm off, my dear.

Well, I'm coming with you, darling.

We need to pick up Barbara, and I need you to drop us off at a shop in town.

Here's the address.

Now you're telling me?

Well, I do apologize for not sending you a bloody telegram about it last night.

To pick up Barbara and go here, which is in exactly the opposite direction.

So you'll be a little late to the station. You're the bloody colonel.

Who has to set an example.

If you'd have arranged for me to have my own car and driver like you promised,

then we wouldn't be having this argument now, would we?

I'm working on it, Stephanie.

So I've heard for months now.

I'll get to the station, send Stuart back, and he will take you where you wish to go.

Do no such thing, you'll take me right now.

Stephanie, it's already two minutes past 8:00--

[explosion]

[dishes and glass clattering]

What was that?

[crowd screaming]

-[Charlie] Damn! -[door opens]

-Sir! -What's happened?

[soldier] It looks like a bombing, sir.

The car's on fire.

[birds singing]

[footsteps]

[Mercada] What are you doing?

Clearing out the storeroom.

But who cares if the storeroom is messy?

I do.

[Mercada] You know what bothers me, Rosa?

The stench coming from the kitchen.

Are you cooking for the British again?

Did you forget we sold it to the Brits at the delicatessen and it was successful?

You think that beast Mordoch will let you sell it in the shop?

Mercada, we can complain all day, but some of us are trying to help somehow.

Fine. Tell that to your husband.

He lies in bed so much that the sheet has gone up his ass.

Did you forget about his heart condition?

Mercada. Por favor, not a word to Gabriel.

Say, did you have a heart attack or a leg attack?

Huh?

What's the cane for?

Well…

uh…

It's just that I sometimes get dizzy, you know?

So Dr. Algam said that, uh… I should have it just in case.

What else did Dr. Algam say?

What else did he say? Huh.

If the heart attack didn't kill me, then Dr. Algam will kill me.

You know what he said I could eat?

Give it to a goat, the goat would commit suicide.

Correct me if I'm wrong, your father died of heart attack,

bless his memory.

Some claim heart disease runs in families, you know.

Nonsense.

[snaps lighter, places it on table]

They say cigarettes aren't good for you.

You're just what I need. Enough!

Have you been to the delicatessen?

No.

But I did hear that Mordoch is a…

[in Ladino] May God take his head off.

I'm not like this because of Mordoch, Avram.

I've had worries for quite a while.

You know I have.

I thought you'd forgotten all about that nonsense, though.

There were five people who drowned. No one knows their names.

They were stowaways.

So that makes sense.

You did tell me once that they were poor, didn't you?

So they wanted to go to America and they snuck on a boat like thieves, that's all.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Eighteen years ago, a son was born to me, Avram.

And now… there's only one thing I want to know.

If he's alive or dead.

[Ephraim] When I said to connect the bomb to the ignition,

I knew what I was talking about.

It went off exactly like we planned it.

But he wasn't in the car. God damn!

We'll succeed next time.

I don't know when and I don't know how,

but Colonel Charlie Parker will go back to England in a coffin.

[peaceful guitar music playing]

[door creaks]

Do you remember Stella, Luna?

She's fat Laura's mother?

Yes. You know, the one who has the mouthful of gold teeth,

thinks it's attractive and keeps smiling?

What about her?

I met her today at the bagnio.

She said she'd gone to the clothes shop where you worked with Laura

to find your address.

I was uncomfortable telling her that Laura is as fat as a cow

and to find a dress for her, you need to connect four dresses into one.

-Savta, I'm busy. -Yes.

In short, she told me that she saw a dress there that cost £45 sterling.

That's the price for the dresses I make.

Forty-five pounds for a dress?

Sometimes 45, sometimes 50. It depends.

Fifty pounds sterling?

Savta, are you losing your hearing?

And how much money do you make from it?

I pay for the fabric and give Mr. Zacks his 5%.

About £35.

Hee-hee-hee…

That's a lot of money, Luna.

You know how things are at the delicatessen.

Hasn't it occurred to you to help at all?

It's quite hard since my husband forbids me from leaving.

You're still not talking?

Yes, Savta, we're not talking.

He won't allow me to leave the house.

Hmm.

-David! -[David] What?

Come, come here a minute. Come on.

-Savta, what are you doing? -You be quiet.

Sit down, please.

Until when are you going to keep this up, huh?

It's been a month since the wedding, so that's it.

All right, you fought. It happens.

Now make up.

Well?

First, he has to apologize.

You heard what she said.

I'm sorry, Luna.

I really am sorry.

You were in the wrong as well.

She came home late and drunk.

-Here David is right. -Yes, I drank, but I wasn't drunk.

And I went there to work, and nothing is reason enough to hit me

or shut me up at home.

[Mercada] Luna's right.

I told him too.

Okay, look, all right, so you're both angry, and rightfully so.

But, you know, anger is like the foam on the milk.

It takes time to go down.

I suggest in the meantime that Luna goes back to work in the shop

and you go there with her.

What will he do there?

What he does at home.

Nothing.

He'll sit there and look out for you.

What should he keep an eye out for?

Sweetheart, it's just for a few days, not for life.

He just wants to make sure you're not doing anything stupid.

Then he'll get bored. God willing, maybe he'll even find a job.

I've been looking.

Oh, that's good. You heard that?

David is looking for a job.

[pats lap]

And now I'll leave you.

And I expect you to do what me and Raphael, bless his memory…

used to do after fighting and making up.

[curtain rod rattles]

Savta, what are you doing?

I'm sprucing up this room.

Romantico.

I do everything for you.

In bed, there are no quarrels.

Ay, maybe I'll get a little great grandson out of you two.

[postman] Mail?

Mail!

Oh, Ermosa.

Thanks.

[postman] Mail!

Mail!

[man on radio] This is the voice of militant Zion,

the voice of liberating Zion,

the voice of Israel's freedom fighters.

The hands of British intelligence officer Colonel Charlie Parker

are awash with the blood of Itzhak Halevi and Yehuda Shmaya…

-They're saying my name. -…murdered after terrible torture…

They're saying your name.

I think they believe

that you killed the terrorists you interrogated.

…and revenge will come.

We will not stop until we have banished the British conqueror…

They're taking responsibility for what happened.

And we should assume they'll continue to try.

Continue to try what, exactly?

They've marked you, Charlie.

[militants singing on radio]

I think it proves what we already knew.

Ephraim Siton joined Lehi.

It's his style.

[singing continues]

Turn off the damn radio.

Yes, sir.

[door opens]

[footsteps]

[door closes]

-Gabriel. -[grunts]

Get up, get up, get up!

-What? -Let me sit down. Get up.

Tell me…

Do you know how much Luna charges for every dress she makes?

Guess. Guess, go ahead.

The more she makes, the better it is for her.

She got everything in this house, huh?

Since she was a little girl, everything she ever asked for.

-Bless the Lord. -So?

Isn't it time she gave back?

Gave back what?

What? Gabriel, don't they live, sleep and eat in this house?

They should pay. Pay rent.

You want me to take rent from my daughter?

Yes, rent money.

She's a big girl.

She's married, and she prices those dresses like they're automobiles.

She can give some to her family.

I'll drop dead before I take money from Luna.

-[raps cane] I will! -All right! [in Ladino] Calm down.

[in English] You know you're not allowed to get mad like this.

[dogs barking]

I'm sorry, Luna.

I'm sorry, I apologize.

I want you to swear that no matter what happens,

you'll never raise a hand to me again.

Do you realize how much I love you, Luna?

Please just swear.

It's just, without you, I have nothing.

Swear to me, David.

I swear, Luna. I don't know what came over me, I…

Yeah, I swear.

Do you forgive me?

Luna, do you forgive me?

Yes.

I missed you terribly.

Did you miss me too?

Then say it.

Say you've missed me.

You're getting worse than me.

[kissing]

It's quite hard to understand.

It's a letter for David.

Look what it's about.

"His Majesty's Army Medical Corps."

It's their medical team.

"The Department of the Mentally…"

"Handicapped."

That's the Department of the… locos?

Yes.

David.

And here the names of all kinds of drugs and treatments he underwent,

and they didn't help.

They did electric shocks to his brain too.

That explains why they discharged him in the middle of the war.

How did this get to you?

The mail.

In the mail.

And I opened it, even though I knew it was for David.

-Are you angry? -No, no, no, no, of course not.

We need to know something like this.

Remember the night before the wedding, when we heard him yelling at Victoria?

Could I forget?

And what about when he disappeared for a few months?

That whole time he was at an asylum.

Should we tell Luna?

Maybe he's already told her.

And if not?

They came back from their honeymoon so happy,

with such great love.

Maybe David is all right, maybe he's recovered.

It's not good. It's not good to intervene in their lives.

-There's something else. -What?

What, Rachelika? What? What? Talk to me.

He hit her one time.

When was that?

When you were at the shop, the evening of the event.

I'll be damned, girl. You're only now telling me such a thing?!

Did you forget how you came back from there? Where are you going?

I'm going to release my nerves on that psychopath!

-No, Abba, you can't fight with him. -Let go of me!

Are you going to hit him in front of Luna?

Abba, you just said you don't want to interfere with their lives.

What did he do to her?

-What? -[raps cane] What did he do to her?

He slapped her.

And what else?

What else?!

-He slapped her once, I swear. -That's not enough.

-Abba, that's enough! -That's not enough!

Talk to him tomorrow when you're calm, Abba.

I beg of you, wait until tomorrow!

Are you all right?

Abba, please, please calm down.

[theme song playing]