Original subtitles

Do you know? I remember one day when I was a child,

I was walking home in the rain and found a snail on the sidewalk.

I sat down and touched its horns

and it pulled back inside its shell.

But a few moments after I sat there,

it came back out again

as if it realized I wouldn't hurt it.

It understood.

That I was just watching it.

And for the first time in my life,

while we were contemplating each other,

I felt that someone was seeing me.

There was no one to witness

that small moment, which will stay etched in my memory.

And I wonder, if I don't tell about it...

did it really happen?

Sometimes all those little memories get lost,

everything that happens around us, and all those stories,

simply get lost over time.

Hello.

How are you?

Who is this?

Excuse me.

Dear Ahmed,

I saw your address in the magazine.

I'm also looking for a pen pal.

It's very strange for me to write a letter to Egypt

while I live in Austria.

Is that what you call it, "Austria"?

I want to know everything about your life.

I don't think it's very different from ours.

Family is the same everywhere.

Dear Elisabeth,

I love you.

Dear Elisabeth,

I was happy to get your letter.

I hope we become close friends.

Family is the same everywhere.

I have a twin brother named Hassan,

but we look nothing alike.

He's tall like a Soviet.

We call him Hassanov.

My other brother is called Sharaf.

He wants to become a soccer player.

His plan is to train alongside the team

so a coach will notice him.

But he isn't very good.

And my mother hates two things:

the stove, and anyone who asks her for her recipes.

My father is an employee at the Ministry of Agriculture.

He plants trees in the desert.

He was chosen Employee of the Year and took a photo with President Nasser.

He planned to use it for his promotion.

Our family.

We love football,

but our team, Zamalek,

has terrible luck.

We tried different seating arrangements to break the curse, but none of them worked.

The luck never changes.

There's someone who can't watch with us.

Uncle Mirai.

He has the evil eye.

I don't know how to explain it.

He looks at anything, and it brings bad luck.

My father says he's the reason Zamalek loses.

Nobody knows how we came to know Labib.

Everyone is always asking him to be quiet.

So he stopped talking.

My uncle, Hamada,

is the only one who never changes his seat

in any seating arrangement.

Because no one is allowed to sit in his seat.

He's always here because he lives alone.

His job is playing the violin in the Umm Kulthum orchestra.

One day I visited him at work at the music institute.

But instead, I enrolled in a classical music school.

My mother wanted me

to become a musician like my uncle.

But I became a different kind of musician.

It's the age of symphonies, military anthems,

and great patriotic songs,

huge, loud music.

Hassan said you're a spy.

I told him that's extremely stupid.

You're not a spy, are you?

Stay away from this area.

This isn't your place.

Do you understand me or not?

Dear Ahmed,

I was so happy to get your reply that I gave the mail carrier a tip.

I hope this means our letters will arrive faster.

I think we'll make wonderful pen pals.

You can tell your brother I'm not a spy.

Just as he isn't really a Soviet, Khasnov.

Dear Ahmed,

I imagine Egypt is very quiet this summer.

Your balcony must be full of flowers.

And your mother must spend a lot of time outside.

Shareek

You know? I live in the capital of classical music.

I've even seen her perform in front of an audience.

Let your team win.

Try this seating arrangement.

Sharaf! Labib! Your father! Your mother!

From left to right.

I'm sorry.

I traveled over the summer.

Perhaps all that remains of the world is a still moment.

I hope we meet someday.

I wonder whether our worlds will harmonize or collide with each other.

Dear Lisa,

The draft notice never reached me.

Maybe someone took pity on us,

but I think someone just made a mistake.

Perhaps.

Sometimes bureaucracy comes in handy.

My rival in the music world.

Shams Khabrawi.

He also fled the war.

Instead, he was sent to your country, Austria,

on a scholarship.

Piano.

Shams also has a photo with the president.

But unlike my father, he never stops talking about it.

Dear Lisa,

The government never came to take my father.

They must be very busy.

Our football team was disbanded.

They even sent the thugs off to war.

Everyone... except me.

My new brother's name wasn't Nader.

Mom used to call him

"Son of Defeat" at first.

I'm sure he'll forgive her one day.

I gave birth to him in a cellar.

The mail carrier didn't survive,

so I don't know if you'll receive this letter.

Peace negotiations can only take place within the framework of the United Nations.

As for views on how to settle the conflict,

they deserve attention, according to the Egyptian foreign minister.

Come here, please. I need your help.

I have to be at the train station in ten minutes.

Come until your mother arrives.

Very good.

So you're real.

Yes.

Understand?

No.

Why is he upset?

What's wrong?

The young Arab man

He's just a student.

He kept messaging our daughter until her heart got attached to him.

I'm not sure of his intentions,

but they seem to get along.

A bird and a fish can't fall in love.

A fish doesn't fly.

Stop using that comparison.

But it's real.

Who's this?

No, no, no, no, no, no. This is Alexander.

Alexander. Yes.

You look just like him.

You know? Seriously?

Yes.

And that's me at the wedding.

And that's the president.

Is it easy to get a photo with the president here?

Because I have a friend who built his entire career on it.

Good.

Your father is a very serious man. Yes.

That's just how he is.

Yes.

For example,

when I got interested in communism, he sent me to Russia for a month

to see what communism really looked like.

Yes, but...

I came back cured.

Maybe I should send you to Egypt to bring you back to your senses.

This...

Here... take it.

so you can take pictures

with the president.

Thank you.

What's all this noise?

You're the Arab boy?

Sit down.

I'm not your father.

Are you ready to play?

Yes,

then play.

Stop, stop.

What are you doing?

I wanted to study this with you.

Play a piece by Bach.

but I was hoping to play at a concert.

You're not ready.

Play Bach.

This is the only one I brought.

You're here on a scholarship?

Yes.

What would happen

if I went back to my country?

Go back?

If you're not serious,

I'll send you back to your country.

Egypt.

You ran away.

You ran away.

You play like someone who came here for fun.

No, no.

Did you come here for fun?

No, of course not.

Come back next week.

And then...

If you come back...

Play as if it means something to you.

Only a month late.

Don't read it.

Why not?

I don't know what I was thinking.

I wrote it before...

What are you doing?

I have to leave.

Are you giving up?

I can't compete here.

Don't try to compete.

Just be yourself.

Okay.

Then take your suitcase with you.

And tell your parents you gave up.

What are you listening to?

It's Austrian music.

Very melodramatic, you know?

Are all Egyptians like this?

Maybe if you quit the music, you'll quit the drama too.

You don't even know how to pack your things.

Don't give up so easily.

You know, after the war,

everything has become a matter of existence.

There's no longer any place for people like me.

For artists like us.

It used to be different.

Are you one of them? Look at this picture.

Who is this?

I don't think so.

Good.

My father doesn't like show-offs.

My father plants trees in the desert.

One day he'll take you on a walk and tell you a story about a bird and a fish.

And I'm only saying

that a fish can grow wings.

What?

And why?

It's a story she tells to every guy she dates.

No, I... I... I'm not...

You're not dating her?

Maybe.

Maybe. Yes, yeah.

Good.

So remember, the fish can grow wings for her.

Good, you're a nice man.

When will I know what to say?

Don't worry.

You'll know, in English or...

Or in German?

I don't speak German.

The country is changing.

The first Egyptian I ever fell for was Omar Sharif.

He's a handsome man.

You know I'm going to go bald...

Like my father.

Is that okay?

Yes... it's fine.

Please, remember me.

Okay.

Stop, stop.

Do you know I love it when you call me "Liz"?

Yes, yes.

My brother says it's like "Liz Taylor"...

How do you know Liz Taylor? In Egypt we have places

where we go to watch movies.

I was joking...

Okay.

Isn't it too late for me?

It's too late!!

Shams is the one who wins.

People gather around him

Because his playing is like...

Once upon a time...

You know, everything happens at the right time.

We have a saying in Egypt,

"Every delay has a blessing in it."

What do you mean?

Everything happens at its proper time.

Right?

I'd be much happier

if you two had stayed friends, but from a distance.

Don't forget who you are,

and who that man is.

The Bible says, "Birds of a feather flock together."

In other words, a fish may love a bird,

but where would they build a house together?

The world is changing, Dad.

No, my daughter,

some things don't change for us.

So... the cinema.

Do you like it? Yes.

Excuse me,

do you have a piece of paper?

Thank you.

A fish.

And a bird.

They can love each other, but a fish can't live on land.

And a bird can't live underwater.

The bird has wings.

Yes, the bird has two wings.

A fish could grow wings.

I mean... a fish could grow wings.

How is that possible?

Well,

a fish could have...

I don't know, sorry.

Do birds grow wings?!

Fish can grow wings too.

What barbarism is this?

Terrible restaurant.

How am I supposed to dry my hands?

Vladimir Horowitz (famous pianist)

Maestro, please.

It's not customary to stare like that,

especially in the bathroom.

Do you know the story of Saint Peter?

Do you know it? No.

He walked on water.

Not because he was able to,

but because he had faith.

If you truly believe in something,

it will give you the strength to get through the dark days.

And there are a lot of dark days in this world, a lot.

Gentlemen,

are you ready to play? Yes.

War has broken out again between Egypt and Israel.

The Egyptian army launched an attack

in the early hours of October 6th, crossing the Suez Canal

and shattering the fortified Bar-Lev Line, which had kept Israel safe

since it occupied the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt in the Six-Day War of 1967.

I got a concert.

What?

That's wonderful. Aren't you happy, Ahmed?

Yes, yes.

This is a letter for you.

From my uncle.

Shall I read it while you get ready?

Yes, of course.

Dear Ahmed,

We didn't meet under ordinary circumstances...

But perhaps if it had been ordinary, it wouldn't have been the same thing.

Sometimes I laugh a lot when I read your first letters.

And I ask myself the same questions you ask.

Why would someone be so distant?

Don't answer.

I don't think there's a rational answer, at least not one.

Dear Lisa,

The day after my graduation ceremony,

I'm going to become a music teacher.

A civil servant,

just like my father and my grandfather before him.

That's what my family always wanted.

When I gave up my scholarship in Austria,

I didn't realize it would take so long to reach my first concert.

I hope it's not too late.

My father is finally getting a promotion.

He'll become head of his department.

And one day, when my professor retires, I'll become head of the department too.

That's when life will really begin.

I have to warn you when you arrive.

Things aren't the way they were when we wrote our first letter ten years ago.

The country has changed now.

Even the music has changed.

I suppose so,

I don't know... oh.

You're here.

This is my mother.

She represented Egypt in stick throwing.

Yes.

She's an important person here.

I didn't want to tell you... wow.

- Amazing - Better than a photo with the president.

What does he say?

All the best.

I brought you something.

It's a suit

to celebrate your promotion.

Thank you.

I'm very sorry.

I don't think he's ever met a foreigner before.

Give me...

Give me a second.

Hello.

Hello, hello.

This party is for you.

Do you know?

I want to become a writer.

You write books?

No.

You don't want to?

Maybe.

What do you write about?

Life.

Hello, hello.

I don't want to interrupt.

No, no, I was saying we're a great country.

Want some sunflower seeds?

No, thanks.

After Umm Kulthum died,

he stopped working.

He just sits at home.

He doesn't do anything.

He's boring most of the time.

Can I help you?

It smells so delicious.

What's in it?

We're a family that never wins.

Even at football.

Sometimes.

The ball.

The ball, yes.

Yes, the ball, yes, the ball.

It's against you.

You understand me.

You worry a lot, don't you?

Everyone in your family does that too.

Hello

Thanks

Hello

Your husband plays really badly.

No, no, he's not my husband.

Yes, your husband.

I'm their neighbor upstairs.

Welcome.

Good morning.

Please.

Come in...

There's bad news on TV.

I'm sorry.

Something's wrong.

Protests in the streets and...

What's happening?

Prices are going up more and more.

You haven't met Hassan.

Hassanoff.

Yes.

He was very tall.

And very kind.

And he knows a lot of jokes.

Yeah.

I miss him.

Good.

Your Arabic is very good.

Why are they fighting?

Your father didn't want to accept the promotion.

And your father said there's

something wrong in the streets.

Oh, I...

I hope this won't cause the party to be canceled.

Liz

I'll meet you there.

I'll come with you.

- I'll meet you there. - No.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Dear Ahmed,

Life is sometimes clichéd.

You make a romantic movie

with the music and everything.

Please, come this way.

Right this way.

Yes, very good...

Right hand.

Say yes.

Yes, yes.

Yes, very good.

Very good.

It's very loud inside.

I love music.

I live upstairs.

I bang on the floor at them.

Because they're very annoying.

Annoying, I swear to God.

Annoying?

I was supposed to be in prison

because I said corruption...

Corruption in a TV show.

The war started and they forgot me.

It's hard to give up a child.

Family.

Family.

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

The story.

The story.

The story, the story.

Yes, yes, yes.

Yes. No.

In Jewish teaching, there is a tradition that says

the greatest achievement of a human being

is to turn his enemy into a friend.

And you are my friend.

Dear Ahmed,

I once heard your mother say, "If a writer enters a family, that family is finished."

But was she talking about me or about herself?

Is that why she hid her writing?

Because she was afraid of what she might do?

But then who will record those small moments?

The things between the lines?

Your uncles, your brothers, the football team,

the mailman, and your neighbor?

We have to sell the piano.

The era of the great masters is over.

She would have loved this.

He doesn't want to be here.

Are you all right?

Yes, I'm...

I feel a little dizzy.

Are you all right?

Yes.

What's wrong?

You're fine, you're fine.

This has become too big for me to fix alone.

I feel like I'm failing.

Did I make a mistake bringing you here?

I feel like I've ruined everything.

Be quiet.

I didn't want to tell you before.

The time wasn't right.

I'm pregnant.

Welcome to the Fun House.

Five.

Four. Three. Two. One.

Welcome to the Fun House.

Okay, I...

In Arabic or English?

Okay.

He's asking you to tell us

about the great Egyptian family

that faced many enemies

and triumphed over them.

Okay, that's...

not exactly what this book is about.

Let's get back to the book.

Is it about your family?

My husband's family.

Your husband?

What does he do?

He's a classical pianist. Oh, that's wonderful.

Beethoven... Mozart.

Does he perform at concerts?

Oh, but he's never performed at a concert before. Why?

Corruption.

I was nervous, Ahmed.

Don't worry.

Everything will be fine.

So it seems everything went well in the end.

Yes.

No, I don't know.

But I have...

I have a photo with

We should put it on top of the TV.