Original subtitles

Are you okay, my love? Are you nervous?

Remember what we said:

You are still small and in your room.

Grandfather is with you. Everything is alright.

Good evening and thank you for being here.

We are definitely here to help you.

No, Mom, that's embarrassing. Put them away!

Excuse me. Sun, it's your turn.

Now, please welcome the young winner.

of this year's special jury prize for "The Book of the Desert".

Sun Del Renaque.

Good evening.

Sun, I'm happy to meet you.

We are very happy to have you with us.

I know there are journalists here.

Do you have any questions? Yes, sir.

Yes, Sun, you're only 15 years old.

and you won a truly prestigious award.

Your writing style is mature, vibrant, and full of poetry.

Where do you think your talent comes from?

I don't think it's talent.

My grandfather told me this story when I was little.

As he spoke, he moved his arms like butterfly wings.

The desert wind blew into my room.

He brought the characters to life as if they were standing next to me.

I didn't want to be the only one who benefited from it.

I only wrote down the story.

- As soon as I had the right to do so. - The right?

I had to promise not to do it before his death.

Thank you.

Now we have the pleasure of

To hear Mademoiselle Del Renaque read from her book. Here you go.

Come on, my blue fairy, it's time for the story.

- Yes! - Which one should I tell you?

"Hadara, the desert child," Grandfather!

Every superhero has a superpower.

Except for one.

Please.

My little Hadara, my only son.

You are as beautiful as the stars over the Sahara.

He was a perfectly ordinary little boy,

a desert child who lived the life of his nomadic family,

which was dedicated to the search for water and food for their animals.

Nobody suspected that a special fate awaited him.

This story took place a long time ago in the Sahara.

A very long time ago.

Down!

No!

No!

Stay here, understand?

In the desert, a lost dromedary is like a lost treasure.

It was their duty to capture it.

So Fatma left Hadara behind,

as she had done a hundred times before.

Mama?

Mama.

Hello.

Like Fatma's dromedary, the ostriches had also sensed danger.

and wanted to protect their nest.

Her instincts had not deceived her. Seconds later, a storm arose.

Desert storms are merciless adversaries that sweep everything in their path.

Please!

Please!

Please!

Hadara sensed that the ostriches would flee.

His instinct warned him not to stay alone.

So he did something that no other child would have dared to do.

Please!

Please!

Please!

Please!

Please!

He was two years old.

Hu Hu!

No!

My only son.

You are as beautiful as the stars over the Sahara.

Mama.

My only son. You are beautiful like...

Fatma!

Mom, I have...

- Fatma! - Said!

My only son.

Fatma, where is Hadara?

- I've lost Hadara. - We'll find him.

- I lost our son. - Don't worry.

My baby.

Cherif, Hayeb, Hassan.

- I have lost my son. - We are looking for Hadara.

We're going south.

Hadara tried to eat like an ostrich. Without success.

But the next day, out of sheer hunger...

Good luck!

After days of fruitless searching, they accepted their fate.

Everyone was convinced that he was dead.

Everyone except her.

After the first ostriches had accepted him,

The whole herd accepted him.

He had never seen a desert fox before,

But he immediately felt that he had found a friend.

That's a friend.

He is a friend.

Like him, the ostriches also adopted the orphaned desert fox.

Without remembering that he had heard the word from his mother,

He decided to call it Sahara.

These moments of joy were precious, because Hadara's life was hard.

The ostriches traveled long, arduous distances to find food,

But above all, they didn't know

that the little human needed water much more urgently to survive than they did.

There is no place for the weak in the desert.

Hogg, the black and white rooster,

Hadara was too slow.

He had become an unnecessary burden that he wanted to get rid of.

Mako, the grey hen, was sure,

that she had to save the small, fragile creature.

He almost died that day.

Mako had saved him against Hogg's will.

and would protect him like one of her chicks.

Even though Hogg never accepted him,

Hadara embraced the desert, and the desert embraced him.

Gradually, he became their king.

And he lived to be 160 years old.

Thanks to him, nature continues to have faith in humanity.

- Congratulations! - Well done, little one!

So, this is what the rest of the program looks like:

You're giving an interview for the 1 p.m. news.

Immediately after that, you have to go to a reading at the cultural center.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

And I have another surprise.

What a?

- You two are invited to the Sahara. - Excuse me?

Can you sign my book?

- Yes, for whom? - Tom.

In the Sahara, there is one cultural NGO for all settlements.

She organizes an event every year.

And this year you were chosen unanimously.

Sun, if you agree,

You and your mother have been invited to the Sahara.

We are fully in favor of it.

And it's definitely not a mistake?

Absolutely not. They want you.

They said it was important that you come.

- Are you excited? - Yes, that has always been my dream.

That's what I wanted to hear.

- That's crazy! - Thank you.

- This is Sun! - Sun is here!

She's here!

- Hello, Sun. - Hello.

Welcome!

- Hello, Sun. - I'm so happy. I love your book.

I invited you. My name is Kharouba. Welcome.

Thank you for the invitation. I'm glad to be here.

- I'm Sun, and this is my mother. - Mandy.

Shall I read something to you?

No, I'm going to tell you something. You don't know the whole story.

I do not understand that.

You should write the sequel. Are you interested?

My grandfather invented the story.

No, the story of Hadara is our story.

- But... - Okay. Sit down.

I understand that you have many questions.

You'll get all the answers, but things work our way here.

Stories are either told well or not at all, okay?

Okay.

At the end of your book, you talk complete nonsense.

The King of the Desert, who dies at 160?

- Okay, that was made up. - I advise you to take notes.

Hadara had to fight to reach the age of six.

Hogg had often tried to get rid of him.

But he had persevered and thought he was an ostrich.

Hogg realized that it was thanks to Hadara,

that all the chicks survived.

From that moment on, Hadara, the child without wings,

the extra child, the one who didn't belong, became the favorite son.

Nothing stood in the way of his happiness.

It was the happiest and most carefree time of his life. He had everything.

He enjoyed life and learned from it, such as this lesson:

Ostriches never leave one of their own behind.

They adapt to the pace of the slowest. That's their law.

Only one thing distinguished him from his siblings:

He loved to draw.

The dunes told him their secrets,

which time had whispered to them.

They advised him,

to tame the shadows of his past.

The little boy had grown up

and enjoyed every moment.

Because he had understood,

That's life.

He had in the wind

He found his truth.

He was the sole master

about his fate.

Because he had dared to

just to take a small step forward,

a tiny giant leap.

He had discovered sunsets with Sahara.

And he hasn't missed a single one since.

He took the time for it.

He loved as one loves,

when you are a child.

Then they wandered through their secret paradise.

He was the sole master

about his fate.

They didn't miss a single sunset.

and never separated while growing up.

Sahara was twelve years old, just like him.

He was now an old desert fox.

Hadara sensed it and wanted to savor every moment.

To protect his clan,

Hogg made sure that the cheetah only chased him.

Was the cheetah really dead?

Yes. Hogg's long claw, sharp as a knife blade, had defeated him.

Hadara had been cowardly and felt a terrible feeling for the first time:

Shame.

He was so ashamed that he didn't dare return to his clan.

The exile that followed would lead him to some shocking discoveries.

In our culture, fairy tales are not meant to be...

The goal is not to put children to sleep, but to wake adults up.

You tell a story almost as well as Grandfather. It sounds like a true story.

What is?

Nothing. Come with me.

I have something to show you.

She's about to dance.

- Fascinating, you look like... - ostriches?

- Yes, exactly, ostriches. - That's obvious.

That's how they dance, too.

- You can all dance like ostriches. - How come?

- That's what we were taught. - By whom?

From my grandfather.

Please.

- Wait a minute, what did you say? - You heard right.

Hadara was my grandfather.

The whole story is true:

the lost child, the storm,

The ostriches, his survival in the desert, it's all true.

And Hadara was my grandfather.

This can't be true.

Hadara doesn't exist. My grandfather invented him.

Omar? Come here.

Tell me, where do you know this dance from?

From Hadara, of course. You ask some really strange questions.

- Saoussène? - And?

Tell me, who was my grandfather?

- Hadara or the other one? - Hadara was correct.

- And was he related to you? - Yes.

He was married to my grandmother's sister.

- Where did he grow up? - In the desert, with the ostriches.

- You know that. What's wrong? - Nothing. Go and have fun.

That's incredible! But how is that possible?

I want to know everything.

Tell me everything.

Hadara had been traveling in the desert with his old friend for days.

He had drunk from cacti, eaten scorpions, the usual stuff.

Then he saw something he had completely forgotten.

His heart began to race, but he didn't know why.

He felt magnetically drawn to the place.

My little Hadara, my only son.

You are as beautiful as the stars over the Sahara.

After that, he had the impression that he had crossed a line.

and to have to investigate further.

"Don't leave me," he said to Sahara.

But it was time for the final dance, and Hadara understood.

They had been through a lot together.

But he didn't know if he would survive it.

He felt the need to find Mako,

the one that was irreplaceable.

And only now did he dare to ask her:

"Why don't I have wings? Why am I not like the other chicks?"

Mako replied: "I raised you."

"You are my son, but not an ostrich."

Hadara was shocked.

"I am not an ostrich."

"I am not an ostrich."

She kept repeating the words: "Your mom."

But she was his mother.

Do you know what stars are?

The laughter of the sunbeams.

To us, they are ostriches searching for their watering place in the sky.

My watering hole is my land.

I was born here and know nothing else.

But I will do everything I can to get out of here.

I will work to finance my studies.

I will succeed and help my family and my country.

And what is your watering hole?

I don't know it.

Hadara didn't know either. He didn't even know exactly who he was.

Hogg wanted to keep Hadara away from these things he distrusted.

But to him, they were treasures.

So he confronted him for the first time, and they argued.

Come on, let's go! Will it be soon? Let's go!

Are you finally going to obey? You stupid camel, move! You bastard!

I'm warning you, if you don't run, I'll lock you up.

Come on, get moving!

Come on, what are you waiting for? You will obey now! Go on, you bastard!

He was not proud to resemble this creature.

Come on, hurry!

And at that moment he arrived.

Who?

The man who changed Hadara's fate.

- Where did you put the green box? - Thank you.

- Here, take the film reel. - Yes.

- Here, catch! - Ernie?

- Yes? - That's the projector.

I need the accessories. Give them to me.

Okay, John, I'll bring it to you.

- Where does this go? - Give it here.

You can give that to the cook.

A vegetable soup!

Does anyone have a turban?

Do you know where I can find a scarf like that?

Careful, don't put it here. Better over there.

Exactly, there's still room for a tent.

Over there.

Should we move the cars or leave them here?

- Christian? - Yes?

- Can you come here for a moment? - Yes.

These are not cameras, but toys.

Show me.

That works.

Do you know where I can find a turban?

Nice and slow.

Slowly? Look at me.

I'm sweating, but you're dry, under the same sun.

That's crazy.

- What are you doing? - Filming can begin tomorrow.

Seven gazelles. Two males, five females.

One has a broken horn and darker fur.

You don't believe me, do you?

Yes, because I've seen so many crazy things here.

Besides, isn't that what you're called, the desert detective?

At your service.

- What is that? - Yes, what is that?

A small bouquet has gotten caught.

Come on, let's get him out of there.

No, we are not interfering with nature here.

Ibrahim, please. Take my water bottle.

We're just getting him out of there.

- He would die alone. - Perhaps, but that's nature.

Okay, I'll save him. You can do what you want.

- Okay. Come on. - Christian. You don't do that here.

- So what? Come on. - Christian.

Look at this.

May I introduce you? The Desert Detective.

- But we'll let him go. - Yes, we're just taking him up there.

- We're not taking him with us. - No, we're not doing that.

- He has a family. - I know. I'll let him go.

- Leave him here. - I'll take him up the hill and that's that.

It's nothing.

What's up?

Worth it.

Wait a minute.

Worth it!

Come back!

Why aren't you saying anything? I don't understand.

I'm not crazy. He was there.

He was like an animal.

It was clear that he was different.

- He didn't speak, he only whistled. - Like an ostrich?

So you did see him after all! I'm not crazy.

He wanted to fetch his relative.

He lives with the animals, that's for sure.

That's insane, unique, and special, you understand? A wild child.

If I report on this, it will be the report of the century.

I can't let an opportunity like this pass me by.

Nothing happens by chance.

You're annoying me with your platitudes.

"Nothing happens by chance." "The truth lies at the end of the river."

He left behind a diary.

Here, read it with me.

- Take it. - Go ahead.

"I told them about it"

and convinced her to search for him with me and bring him back."

But after several days of searching, there was still no trace of the child.

There are traces.

There are traces everywhere.

They are still here.

I have the proof. Ibrahim, look at this!

Look. Read the clues there.

Tell me where they went.

I can't see anything.

What, you don't see anything? You're not even looking.

You're supposedly the desert detective.

You are lost, Ibrahim.

No, you're getting lost.

Come on, let's go.

I managed to get a Hollywood producer on board.

Until now, he had financed us remotely.

But he really wanted to see more and came to us.

When we're in New York. Hey, Chris! Great to see you.

- Thank you. - Cheers.

I have good news.

We found traces of the child and ostriches.

That means we'll definitely find him soon.

Great, Chris. I did a good job too.

I think we can make two films out of it.

The first film is about us and the search for the boy, okay?

And for the second film, we're bringing him to New York.

And there he discovers all the wonders of modern civilization.

Okay?

And in the third part, he becomes a normal person.

- We'll dress him. - Yes.

We are teaching him good manners and sophisticated language.

- And how to give interviews. - An excellent idea.

- Chris? - Yes, good idea.

Very good.

Cheers, gentlemen.

Okay, I'm going for a walk. See you later.

See you later. Cheers.

The project developed differently than I expected.

- A third film... - And a fourth.

I felt uncomfortable.

We show him how he pays taxes, walks a dog...

Or plays golf.

He could return to the desert and be reunited with his ostrich family.

We could film his whole story as a musical.

He could get married here.

It's actually so simple.

Where are we going?

I had never seen anything so beautiful.

For the first time, I saw a free being, an untamed human being.

When he ran away, I was left confused.

What should I do?

For weeks I wasn't sure if it was possible to capture and study him.

or should leave alone.

Worth it.

That's when I understood.

I had no right to destroy this harmony,

and to turn such an extraordinary being into a circus monkey.

Christian?

- Hey, Christian! - And?

- Yes? - What was the outcome of the trip?

On me...

We found nothing, not a trace.

- We should abandon the search. - Excuse me?

I'm sorry, that's out of the question.

Listen, Christian, we've been stewing in this desert for three weeks.

The film's budget has run out. Where is that boy?

We absolutely have to take him with us, understand?

He never existed.

- Excuse me? - What?

The night I thought I saw him, I was drunk.

Since then, Ibrahim and I have searched for him everywhere in vain.

And the footprints and all the stories you told?

Can you explain that to me?

- I lied. - Lied?

- What? - I lied.

Damn it, Christian! I trusted you.

You know what? I regret meeting you.

You're a liar, a pathetic guy! You'll pay for this!

You will never work again!

You're dead! You're finished!

I had ruined my career.

But I knew I wouldn't regret it.

- Thank you, my friend. - I will never forget it.

I will never speak about this child.

Make inquiries about his family.

If he still has one, let his mother know that her son is alive.

And that he is something special.

- Promise me that. - I promise, brother.

One last thing:

If you find the desert child one day, give him this from me.

See you soon, Ibrahim.

Here's why you know the story too.

This is a photo of Ibrahim and ...

Christian on the day of their departure.

This is Dad.

Christian was my grandfather?

- Grandfather... - Do you understand now?

"I had a dream and wanted to achieve fame."

"I wanted to tell stories as a journalist."

But I decided to remain silent to protect a child.

I sacrificed my career and my good reputation.

I lied to save an innocent person.

I would rather be considered a fraud than lose my honor.

Because a little boy without principles and norms

had shown me what it truly means to be human.

Why are you stopping?

Because I don't know what to do

and whether I have the right to tell this story.

On the contrary, you must tell them.

Grandfather kept them secret. Why should I tell them?

You don't understand. The story was never hidden.

It was passed on orally.

At least that way you knew who was listening.

That's how we protected Hadara.

But now Hadara is dead.

For a long time now.

One by one, the witnesses die, and with them, his legend.

So please keep my grandfather's legend alive as best you can.

Write them down.

Okay.

Continue the story.

Also ...

From that day on, Ibrahim kept his promise.

and let the voices of the desert speak.

Over time, nomads, shepherds, and camel drivers spread the news.

Hey, come back! Stop!

I don't want them to capture Hadara.

- You should have been in bed long ago. - I can't sleep.

- Me neither. - Me neither.

Please finish the story.

- Me neither. - But you know them by heart.

- But you've never told them like this before. - You tell them so well. Please!

They followed him for two days.

Then they let him go.

Mohammed!

Come on, stay here.

There, just a few meters away from him,

There stood the woman who appeared in all his dreams.

Hadara? Mein Sohn?

One word echoed ever more strongly in his head.

"Mom?" - It's him! This is Hadara.

- "Mama." - Hadara?

"Mama."

- It's him! - Hadara.

He was in an unfamiliar environment,

confused and frightened.

But he made no further escape attempts.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

He had been an ostrich

and now had to become a human being.

- Did he succeed? - It was difficult.

For a long time, he couldn't settle down between himself and his rediscovered mother.

and decide on the lost freedom.

But suddenly everything changed.

When he felt his heart beating harder than ever before.

As soon as he saw my grandmother,

the girl whose eyes sparkled like stars,

He knew he would stay.

They married and had five children.

This is the only photo of Hadara.

Come on.

Look how beautiful it is here.

Is that still the plan? Will you write the sequel?

My grandfather always said this story could change lives.

I thought he meant my life, but I was wrong.

You have to write it down because it's your story.

No, I wouldn't know how.

Yes, you just did it, Kharouba.

This is how you reach your water source.

After he found his parents again,

Hadara often visited his ostrich family in the desert.

The ostriches never forgot him. He never stopped loving them.

It's a true story. His name was Hadara.