Original subtitles

Previously, on We Were the Lucky Ones...

You have been deemed an enemy of the state.

Wait! He's an enemy, then I'm a fucking enemy.

You will work in the fields, and we'll provide you three rations a day.

You presented no evidence of your wife's pregnancy.

- Evidence? Herta!

You play at war.

How does any of this make any fucking sense?!

Adam, you're the best forger we have.

Warsaw has been begging to get their hands on you.

They need you, Adam. I don't.

We have to get out of Casablanca immediately.

I told her I'm coming with you.

I'm sorry, I don't have a ring, but I love you, Eliska.

They just started grabbing Jews and beating them.

I'll be back. - Please stay. I'm begging you.

Anna, I can't.

Death squads.

- Taking them to the forests

where no one can hear.

But I was hoping to find Adam here.

The last I saw him, he was heading here to you.

May you be blessed in Eretz Yisrael.

That woman is your mother.

Then run, Felicia, now! Run!

Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection.

A time when we ask for forgiveness and seek to forgive others.

Though, frankly, I'm unsure of how we do that right now.

I pray that in this darkness...

we let our family be our light.

May it be Your will to renew for us

a good... and a sweet new year.

Take it. Very expensive.

Shanah Tovah.

Mama! Mama!

Thank you.

Think of the geese in Kosciuszko Park, my love.

- Can you do that for me? Yes.

Good.

Yeah, stay like this.

Passengers paid for tickets.

They sold us hope.

Hey, come, Fefe. Aye.

Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy. Oof.

I'll speak to the Judenrat. They need to be informed.

When they are asked to make lists,

- we must be certain what they're for. - They knew what the lists are for.

- I cannot believe that to be true. - Then you are lying to yourself.

The Judenrat are our last line of defense.

Wake up, boy! They are complicit, and you are their henchman.

We are intermediaries.

We're attempting to create some order in this chaos.

What order? You police us,

patrol the streets with your uniform and baton,

- and make your lists. - I-I didn't, I didn't know

- this would happen. - Who are the lists for, Isaac?!

I have, I have only ever tried to help you.

And it is my shame... for accepting it.

It is my shame...

for not stopping her getting on those tracks.

It's my shame I did not see.

Mila, please, you must know how much I care for you and Felicia.

I would never put you in--

All I ask is that you remain quiet for now.

Let us not draw any further German aggression.

- For your own safety. - Who's safe anymore?

Leave my home, please.

He's afraid.

We are all afraid.

Where do we stand... when the bottom keeps dropping?

I want to give you something.

Hm.

I know that this is not the same.

Thank you, but I don't need it.

Let it help you remember him, keep him with you.

Today I watched a husband and wife

and their two children be shot, one after the other.

How am I supposed to believe that Selim is still alive after seeing that?

Did you hear about Amelia?

Yes. Rafa told me.

Her milk stopped coming in.

Her little one is only two weeks.

I know.

Dangerously underweight.

What?

You're already feeding another baby, plus Józef.

Please just remember to take care of yourself too.

I'm fine... I feel good.

I found some mushrooms.

Lots of nutrients. Hm?

Good for you, good for your little man.

I think something is happening. Hitler has turned on Stalin.

Keep working!

- Who did you hear this from? - Vanya and the others.

They are bickering over what to do with us.

Otto... if this is true--

- They should liberate us. - They should replace us with Germans!

I can still think of many ways they could still make use of us.

Hey, hey, hey. This is good news, Genek.

Be happy.

I'll go to Adam's.

Once you've checked on Anna, we meet right back at the apartment, okay?

Go, go.

Slow down, Bella, slow down.

What's that smell?

A-Anna?

Monsters.

Anna?

Anna?

Anna?

Anna?

Bella, there's hardly anyone left in the building.

No, you don't know that.

They could be hiding in an attic or a crawlspace.

What is that? What does it say?

Jakob, tell me.

"Th-They are taking us away.

I think they're going to kill us."

- Oh, God!

Do you wanna wear your new sweater, Ze?

Hm? Yeah. Time for us to leave this godforsaken place. Yes.

Don't you see the paradox?

Herta, can you please? Of course.

Thank you.

We're getting out of here. Can't that be something good? Hm?

They call it "amnesty,"

but we've been mandated to conscript in Stalin's Red Army.

It's hard to imagine you in a Soviet uniform.

You'll need tighter pants.

I don't trust these people for a second.

Hmm. We've been instructed to pack for a train ride.

A train ride to where?

I have déjà vu.

Perhaps you traveled by cattle car with a different wife and child.

- The child part is new.

I just wish we knew where we were headed.

I wish I had some Rilke.

Ah, it's okay.

- Oh, it's okay.

Quiet.

At least it stopped raining.

They can't take that from us.

How is Felicia?

She makes do.

Mostly stays quiet at home while I work at the factory.

- She's so quiet now. - Good.

Quiet is good.

Isaac, you look terrible.

I appreciate your honesty.

Have you been sleeping?

Uh, Shimon snores like an ox.

Are you no longer living with your family?

Isaac... I didn't realize--

Please, Mila, I'm on duty.

Then, don't act so distant with me.

We've known each other since we're Felicia's age.

My father didn't mean what he said.

If you would consider leaving the police--

I can't just leave.

There would be a place for you in our home.

Even if I did stay with you,

what circumstances would it be under?

As your friend?

Felicia's uncle?

We care about you a great deal.

We?

Isaac.

It's okay.

Forget it.

How do women and children dance around at the gates of hell?

We don't exist to them.

I must be on my way.

I have to deliver some bad news to a family

whose son did not have his papers on him.

These killings are out of control.

It's only a matter of time for us all.

What are you looking for?

My sister's missing.

You don't want to go in there. The gunshots didn't stop for a week.

We need to go back to those woods.

- No, we can't. - No, Anna and Daniel, they might have run.

They might have found somewhere to hide.

Bella, you know how unlikely that is.

No, we've only been searching for a week, I don't know.

- I don't know anything. - Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes, you do. You do.

And we've already stayed here for too long.

It's time to go back to Radom.

No... I'm not ready to go back--

Wolf has arranged us a transport.

A delivery truck will be leaving for Radom at dawn

and we have to be on it.

Dawn?

But y-you waited, you waited to tell me until now?

It was just confirmed.

And, and you're ready?

Just ready to give up on Adam?

I'm not giving up.

He came back here for you.

I know that.

But, Bella, Adam would want us to be smart.

This city is unstable. Violence will erupt again.

- We know this. Another pogrom-- - And you want to get back to your family

to deliver their false papers.

But, Bella, your parents are there too,

so if you won't think of yourself, think of them.

I am thinking of them!

What am I supposed to tell them if I come back without her,

without being completely sure?

- I can't do that to them! - She's dead. She's dead.

- Okay? - Huh?

Anna... is dead.

Every Jew in her building was taken to the stadium,

and then those woods, and no one has come back.

Okay?

- Kuba. No.

Don't--

No, no, no, no, no, no! Bella.

Please get off. Please get off me!

The payment for the transport.

Sorry.

You're making the right decision, leaving.

I know.

So, why does it feel like I'm giving up?

Adam would want you to be safe.

Adam would have faith.

He always believed in me, in every way.

Who is that man?

Uh, he showed up earlier today. I believe he escaped from a labor camp.

Which camp?

The one on Janowska Street.

You mean the one where the Germans took all the able-bodied men?

That was just a rumor.

- You know we-- - He looks able-bodied.

Excuse me. Hi.

I'm Halina. What's your name?

Eryk.

Eryk... it's nice to meet you.

If you don't mind me asking... how did you escape?

The sewer.

Eryk... did you happen to

come across a man by the name Adam Eichenwald

while you were in there?

No? What about "Brzoza"?

Uh, he's tall, uh, has round spectacles.

This man, he's the best forger in the Underground.

- If you saw him-- - I heard rumors of a forger, but--

No, no. I-I can't say for sure. W-We didn't eat for days.

I understand.

Thank you.

Get in.

What is this?

The false papers.

Please give them to Father. I'm not coming.

Adam might be in one of those camps alive.

There's a rumor of a forger.

You're staying... for a rumor?

I know.

- I'm a hypocrite. - No, you can't stay.

- I have to. - But...

if you don't come back with us now, how will you ever get back to Radom?

You said... Adam would want us to be smart.

Is this smart?

It could be, if I rescue him.

And if you don't?

At least I will be able to live with myself.

If you live.

The city reeks of death.

I love him.

The sun is about to rise. We have to go.

Okay, just give me one more second.

Halina, just please--

Jakob... she needs to stay.

Fine... if that is your choice.

No.

One more step.

- Thank you. - There ya go.

- Ah.

Dare I say "welcome"?

What makes you so sure we're being welcomed?

We aren't being thrown around by the sea anymore, Eliska.

- Be grateful for small miracles. Hey, you two!

I mean it. Why did we dock on some island

when the port of Rio is over there?

Hey!

This side, your right side.

Come on. Hurry up. Here.

Go. Hurry up.

Please, come on. Hurry up.

This side. This side.

Is this a prison?

Will they accept our visas?

How long do you intend to hold us?

Please, allow me to explain.

I am Giorgio.

I'm a representative

of the Jewish Benevolent Association of Rio.

I regret to inform you that the renewal of your visas has been denied

- and that you have been detained.

I have a brother in Rio. He has sponsored us.

Yes, I-I will gather names.

You will be assigned to barracks, divided by gender.

Our visas were issued by Ambassador Souza Dantas himself.

There must be something that can be done.

Souza Dantas was forced into early retirement by Vargas.

I knew. I knew. I knew. I knew he couldn't help us.

- He's not our only resource. - What other resource?

- Your uncle, dear. - We can contact HIAS.

Do you think a Jewish organization has any power in a country that hates Jews?

My God, you're naive.

I'm not naive, but we have come too far to give up hope.

Hope? You want me to pin my entry into Brazil on your hope?

I'm going to throw your fucking

- hope in the ocean. - Eliska.

They're serving lunch.

There's Yerba Maté tea.

Your mother thinks it tastes like dirt. I rather liked it.

I'm not hungry, Addy.

Here I thought almost drowning on that skiff

crossing the Strait of Gibraltar would be our low point.

We didn't almost drown.

The old fisherman started praying.

Maybe he always does that.

You're right.

We can wave to them across the way,

they can know we're sitting here, and still, they don't want us.

My best friend, Teresa, she was so jealous

I was coming to Rio.

The beaches, the music, Copacabana.

She'd find it hilarious they put me in prison.

As far as prisons go, this one could be worse.

- My last one had a lot more scorpions. - Oh, right, I can never forget,

you've suffered more than me.

That's not what I meant.

It's fine. I'm sorry.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

- Nothing's wrong with you.

Talk to my mother, and she'll give you a long list.

Well, my mother will think you're wonderful.

Yeah?

- I wouldn't be so sure. - Nechuma? Are you kidding?

She loves a smart, worldly woman. She's one herself.

Halina, you two will get on so well you'll end up leaving me out.

- Genek will think you're beautiful

because you are.

And Mila. Mila will just want me to be happy and settled.

Jakob will love you because Jakob loves everybody.

Oh, Jakob can take pictures of our wedding.

Did I tell you? He's the most brilliant photographer.

I don't even know why he bothered with law school.

If your brother has to take pictures of our wedding,

I think I might be waiting a long time.

Oh. Well, uhh, oh, of course, eh...

It was just a thought, a stupid one.

I'm sorry. I don't, I don't know. Addy, I-I'm sorry.

- I-- - You don't need to be.

Top of my mother's list, I can be a brat.

You're not a brat. You're just honest.

Hallo... You.

My name is Halina Brzoza,

and... I'm afraid you have mistaken my husband for a Jew.

Have we?

He's inside.

I have come to collect him.

I will need to take these.

None here named Brzoza.

Perhaps you should recheck your lists.

You think so little of us?

It sickens me... that you have mixed up my husband

with these filthy Jews.

Forcing me to debase myself like this?

It's humiliating.

So, please, restore his dignity and mine...

and let us be.

Show us your silver.

Not until you bring me my husband.

Frau Brzoza... return after dark.

You still need to be prepared for an unhappy outcome.

If that officer wanted to arrest me, he would have done so already.

These sadists play mind games. You don't know what they're planning.

I'm joining some friends from the Underground.

We're retreating to the woods where it's safer.

Safer?

Safer in the woods? But you'll starve.

No, we'll get by.

Should your plan come up short, consider joining us.

I-I, I cannot think that far ahead.

These belonged to our great-great-grandmother...

-"Berghorst." - Like Brzoza. That's lucky.

It's so hard to believe that... three years ago...

we were celebrating Passover using this silver,

worried about such little things.

Always teasing our brother, Addy, for living the good life in Paris...

when really we all just wish we had half of his spirit for adventure.

Who knows? Maybe it... saved him.

Nobody thought much of this silver back then.

And now it is the most important thing in my life.

You say I'm lucky...

but maybe luck is relative.

I think Ze's readying his legs to crawl.

You want to go to Papa?

How do these Russians expect us to fight...

when I'm too weak to hold my own baby?

Holy shit.

Where are we?

- I don't know. Huh?

Greetings, towarzysze.

Who's hungry?

Soldiers. They're Polish.

Go, before it's all gone. Quick.

Restore your strength, my friend.

What is this? What is happening?

General Anders is assembling a Polish infantry in Wrewskoje, Uzbekistan.

You have been summoned to fight by his side.

We fight for, for Poland?

- Where are we? - Kazakhstan. Just a pit stop.

You have a long way to go until you conscript.

The bread is still warm.

Feed me. Feed me.

Mm!

Mm.

- Mm. - Coffee.

Mm, coffee.

Mm.

Hey, we're approaching.

Quick, quick. Come.

W-Where's Anna?

I'm-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

Jakob. Oh.

No, she's not--

She's not here.

This is yours.

And this is yours. This is yours.

My God, it's incredible.

Where is Halina?

This is delicious.

Are the leeks from your garden at the orphanage?

Yes, the, the children harvested them.

Getting their hands dirty, watching something grow...

I believe it helps them to forget where they are.

Well, that is very nice to hear.

Any word from Halina?

Not yet, but, um, but Halina, she's tough as nails,

she'll, she'll make her way.

Your poor parents, they must be beside themselves.

Um, by the way, uh, my family's planning

to celebrate Rosh Hashanah tomorrow night,

and they, they'd love for you all to attend.

- Is that safe? - Uh, others are doing it.

I overheard a group of men say they're planning to build a shofar,

and... my father feels it is important to acknowledge the day,

but we will do it discretely.

Thank you, but...

we cannot accept.

But you should go, my love.

No, Mom. I think I'll stay with you.

Sol is right.

These traditions matter, especially now.

Your mother seems better.

Does she? - Mm-hmm.

I had a moment with her earlier.

I heard a rumor today that the AVL factory needs workers.

The AVL factory?

- You mean-- - The one outside of town.

- The one with the barracks?

Wh-- Y-You already have a job.

- How is she today? - Still in bed.

It's not a good morning.

- Bom dia, Addy. - Bom dia, Felipé.

How can we get juice?

Any word on my telegram to HIAS?

The news from Vargas... it is not good.

You do not meet the requirements.

You are dismissed.

There must be a mistake. No, you are not eligible.

The Polish Army is not accepting Jews.

But I heard there was a quota. Please, sir, I just want to fight.

Who's next?

Step up. Next in line.

Have your papers ready.

Next in line.

They told you this?

No, it was some other poor soul. I left.

Okay, good, so no one has said no to you yet.

- It's an inevitability. - Well, it can't be.

- We need the army. - It's not an option, Herta!

- Don't yell at me. - Why, because of the baby?

- Because of the sleeping baby? - Fuck the baby.

Don't yell at me because it's awful and rude.

Oh, I'm willing to put my life on the line

- and they, they still don't want me. - Genek, I'm here. Can you talk to me?

- Screw them! - Screw who? Screw the army?

No, we don't have that luxury.

Without it, we are stranded in the desert with nothing.

- We go back to Poland, we die.

They send us back to Siberia, Ze may not survive another winter.

We can't spit on the army, Genek. We can't make that choice.

The choice has already been made!

- Are you not listening to me? - No! I'm tired of listening to you!

Tired of listening to you and your rants, and your decisions,

and your fucking pride. I'm sick of it.

Just as you refused to say we're Soviet on a form,

- and we're off to the gulag. - You didn't have to come.

Of course, I did.

Then, you insist on negotiating with the guards for more rations.

I say no, you do it anyway, and you miss Ze's birth.

- I was minutes late. - Beaten and near death!

You could've been fully dead, and therefore, very, very late.

Oh.

I lost you after Ze was born.

The asshole I fell in love with just slipped away,

and I can't handle that again.

I can't carry us by myself anymore.

I need you, so swallow your shit and figure something out.

I don't care the if Poles are not accepting people

with two testicles and a kutas,

we are getting into that army.

- Yes.

Yes, yes. I know.

I know, I know, I know.

Addy! Addy!

We're in! Addy, we're in!

We have been granted amnesty. They're letting us into Rio! Mm!

Aye! A boat is coming for us in an hour.

- What? That's impossible. - It's not. It's a miracle.

Uh, but-but-but-but Vargas just declared Jews, uh, "undesirable"

- and "non-assimilable." - That's exactly it.

We are the last ones to be let through. After us, Brazil's doors are closed.

- The last ones? - Part of a deal brokered.

Isn't that wonderful, my love?!

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

We fought for this for seven months.

- What no? - And m-many are still fighting.

I know that, but we're not responsible for all the world's problems.

Yes, but I am responsible for my family.

What does your family have to do with this?

Granted amnesty in a country that will refuse them entry!

You don't even know where your family is.

Addy, Addy... listen to me.

You must look at the problem that is being solved today.

You must celebrate it.

- Your mother would want that for you. - You know nothing of my mother.

You're right, but you clearly prefer her company,

so why don't you elect to go back to Europe?

- Ohh, I obviously don't mean that. - What do you mean, Addy?

Or do you just aim to punish me for your lack of control?

- Punish you? - Yeah!

You have been punishing me for being stuck here.

Oh, my God! Forgive me for not enjoying prison!

This is not even a real prison.

You wouldn't last a minute in real suffering!

- Because my mother has money? - Because you are spoiled.

Mm. Well, you don't seem to mind my money

when it gets you free passage out of Spain.

You think I enjoyed accepting help?

No, I think it hurts your giant-sized ego.

That's what I think.

And what do you know what I've suffered? You know nothing about me.

- What are you talking about? - Suffering!

No one suffers more than sad, sad Addy, right?!

I know sadness too, Addy.

I just don't make it your problem all the time.

Am I supposed to be endlessly upbeat?!

No. You're supposed to move forward.

That's what this is supposed to be, the next part of your life.

I'm supposed to be the next part of your life.

Eliska, you are.

Then stop dwelling in the past!

Rosh Hashanah... is a time for reflection.

A time when we ask for forgiveness...

and seek to forgive others.

Though, frankly, I'm unsure of how we do that right now.

I pray that in this darkness,

we let our family be our light.

Amen.

Many of our loved ones...

are not with us tonight.

We've experienced so much loss.

It's more than one heart can bear alone,

which is why we gather at this table together.

But... there is one of us who, while not physically here,

has found a way to make her presence known.

Just before we gathered, I received this letter from Halina.

What?

She and Adam are okay.

- How could you keep this from me? - I told you, I just got it!

- What? - What?

Let's see. Okay.

You are a beast. Oh...

- Your Auntie Halina, she's okay. - You are a beast.

We are happy because she's okay.

Okay, huh? Can we see it?

Where is she?

Okay, okay. "Dear Mama and Papa."

- Oh!

Oh. It's okay. It's okay. - Sorry.

- I'm so sorry. Bella.

'scuse me.

Bella. Wait, wait, wait.

Please, stop. Stop. It's okay.

It's okay, my love. It's okay.

My family, they understand.

It's okay. Hey.

They care for you so much.

Okay?

Let's come back inside, okay?

I'm pursuing that job.

- What? - The AVL factory.

I want to go work there.

I want to live there.

I'm providing no comfort to my family here.

- I'm a weight on my parents, on you. - You're not. You're not a weight.

You're not. Your parents, they need you.

I need you.

Anna... she's just everywhere.

- I'll pursue the job tomorrow. - No, Bella, please.

- Please-- - Stop. You make it worse.

Go be with your family.

Please enjoy your evening with them.

I'm so glad about Halina and Adam.

You want me to teach you... how to be Catholic?

Show me a few prayers. Make it seem believable.

It's the only way for me to join the Polish Army.

I-I could teach you, but won't that be difficult for you?

Believe it or not, I used to be valued for my brain.

- I think I can memorize enough to get by. - No, no, no, no. That's not what I mean.

If... if I was asked to pray to a different God--

- N-No, it-it would cost too much. - Look, I went to Hebrew school.

I did my bar mitzvah. I learned the prayers.

You know, it mattered to my father.

I liked making him proud, but it never--

I'm not sure it ever ran deep.

- That's too bad. - Why?

Perhaps it would bring you comfort.

I don't need comfort.

I need a paycheck.

George?! Oh, George!

Oh, George!

- Oh, my God!

You've waited a long time for this reunion. Go.

Be with your uncle. It's a wonderful day.

Would you like to come? I'm sure my uncle can make room.

No, no. I--

I'm gonna get myself a real coconut water, find a hotel.

Do you have the money?

Yes.

Yes, of course.

I saved my Francs.

I'll be okay. Go.

Go.

Call me when you're settled.

Do you have somewhere to go?

Come.

You will celebrate Rosh Hashanah with my family.

"To my dearest family.

"By some miracle, I was able to locate our dear Adam

"and secure his release.

"The horrors he endured at the hands of the Wehrmacht,

"it is unthinkable.

"Lvov no longer safe, we made our way to the countryside

"and found respite with some true friends.

"It took time for him to recuperate,

"but Adam's gentle, determined spirit never dimmed.

"I am in awe of him.

"I will never leave his side. He will never leave mine.

"We have much respect for our courageous friends in the woods,

"but we have a different path.

"You will find us in Warsaw starting something new.

"Please, if you can, find a way to join us.

"We are ready, waiting for you whenever you can make the trip.

"And to answer the question on everyone's mind,

"we have made it official in our way.

"Adam and Halina Brzoza.

Love always, Halina."

I need you to help me sew a coat.

What for?

I'm getting out.