Original subtitles

Dear Father God,

make the boy strong,

make his blood strong,

make his seed strong.

Dear Lord,

help my son.

THE HARVESTERS

Hello, Papa.

Good morning.

- It's very cold. - Yes, it's very cold.

Thank You for this food that nourishes our bodies,

in Your name. Amen.

Janno, pass me the fruit, please.

Do you want fruit salad?

Hey, little man,

finish that. I need you in the field.

Yes, Pa.

Pa.

Dear Father God,

we ask you humbly send your Holy Spirit

to work through us.

Let the Holy Spirit help us save this child.

Janno.

My Janno.

Ma?

There's a child in the living room that needs your help.

Make him feel at home.

Open your heart to him.

He doesn't know us.

He doesn't know we just want to help him.

Janno,

open your heart to him.

Lord, Marie,

did you have to choose the roughest boy?

Jan,

there's no good or bad, there's only strength.

And this new boy has that.

He's not what we prayed for.

Janno will love him.

Janno will make him whole.

You're asking too much.

From who, Jan? From who?

That's my ma, pa and auntie in the other room.

That's my family.

I'm Janno.

And you're my brother now.

Come, we're not going to do anything to you.

That's it.

Take your shirt off.

Take your shirt off.

Auntie?

Why does he eat like that?

Is he Afrikaans?

Yes, he is Afrikaans.

Sis?

Bye.

- Strength. - Thank you.

Call me tomorrow.

Bye, Pieter.

It was really nice to meet you.

When you feel better, you can visit me and my husband on my farm.

Okay.

It's a start.

I can't sleep.

Wake up.

What do you think you're doing?

- It's just a butter knife. He's scared. - He's scared?

What's his problem? Is he sick?

It's the withdrawal. They said it would happen.

Jan, I've got it. Take care of the children.

Come on, go back to bed.

Our Father in heaven...

Janno.

I know I should be outside already.

At my age you were already dressed

and working in the fields by now.

- Where have you been? - Sorry, Pa.

Get to work.

Let us pray.

Dear Lord, we ask You to take all that is bad in us

and throw it away.

We are so pleased Pa has come to visit,

but we wish he'd consider living with one of us permanently.

No!

He doesn't want to live with you.

Pa?

Pa knows it's too dangerous to live alone.

They murder farmers every day and it's getting worse.

Alina, you understand?

No!

Soon we won't be able to take no for an answer, Pa.

Look who's come to say hello.

I hope Grandfather feels well today?

I don't know you.

Come.

Pa! Of course Pa knows him.

Don't mind him, he's senile.

When will Grandfather meet the new boy?

The new boy...

If you see him doing anything,

drugs or anything like that,

come tell me, okay?

Yes, Pa.

I'll keep an eye on him.

You still sick?

I wish I got breakfast in bed.

You look better.

Sleeping better?

I can speak Afrikaans.

I'm supposed to take you out.

You play rugby?

Okay.

Awesome!

Leave them.

Janno, leave them!

Are you okay to play now?

Are you fine now?

Fuck off!

Let it go.

Let's just have fun.

We ask you to guide us men when we are at man camp,

dear God, and also the women who stay at home.

Lord, help us pass our exams and tests this coming year.

And we ask for a very successful harvest.

Good day, mothers.

Good day, brother.

Is he really Afrikaans?

The boy.

I'm old enough to tell Ma how I feel.

Yes, you are.

It feels different

with him around.

I don't like it.

We've already decided, Janno.

He's not my brother.

He'll never be my brother.

There are so few of us left, Janno.

Afrikaners.

You'll understand when you're older.

Understand what?

You know what I think?

Why this boy came here,

to our house?

Here, to us?

Because God sent him.

Yes, Janno.

Open your heart to him,

like you did with your sisters.

God brought him to this house

and we can't choose which commandments to obey, can we?

Janno,

if we don't take in our own people, who will?

He's going to run away.

Then make him stay.

This is our test,

ours.

I can't let that child go alone into the dark night.

I won't face Judgment Day with that burden

in my heart.

Help me.

That's my wife with her father.

She was born in this house.

She's the posh one.

And that's her sister who's dead.

The girls were hers.

That's her grandfather.

This is...

This is our family.

That's me.

- I thought you said he was better. - He is, Jan.

Sarah, go to bed.

Wake up.

Pieter, wake up.

It's just a nightmare.

You're safe.

Today we begin like this.

We're doing this for you.

Sit down.

Sit down.

Dear Father God,

thank you for allowing us

to wake up as a family.

Every member of this family is important.

And we know for You too.

Sarah.

And thank you, Lord,

that You

have kept us together as a family.

And for making the maize grow,

so that we can harvest it,

and for keeping a roof over our heads.

And for all the cattle.

And for keeping us safe from all the farm murders,

and for all Your gifts.

And thank you for bringing Pieter to us.

Amen.

Put it here by the window.

He says he has nightmares alone in that room.

- Morning, Alina. - Morning.

Morning!

- Has he been waiting for us? - Not really.

Pa.

Say hello to the new boy.

This is Pieter.

Good day, Pieter.

Good day.

Pa.

Say hello!

Don't touch my stuff!

Got any food?

That's my best friend.

Hennie.

He'll be head boy of school this year.

Got any food?

Smokes?

Feels like jail.

That mutt is wild and dirty, they won't let you keep it.

Not on the bed.

What's your deal with the dog?

I don't know what Pa will think.

What will you call him?

- Dog. - Dog?

Where we going?

- It's cold. - Grab my jacket.

Come.

Everything okay?

How's Pieter?

Climb in one of those harvesters and get to work.

Slowly.

Slowly.

And just keep it steady.

Make sure the blades are straight.

Turn a bit.

Yeah, man!

What do we do with this kid?

He stands there

talking with those people, and he thinks he's a big man.

Jan, that's enough!

Now you're smoking in the bush too?

Forget it.

He can't be inside.

What were you and Ma talking about in the living room?

Pieter, wake up!

I thought we were done with this.

Get off me, fucker!

Stand up.

I'm going to pray with you.

On your knees.

Marie, I've got this under control, please!

If you pray at night before you sleep,

then you won't have these kinds of dreams.

Put your hands together.

Dear Father God.

Dear Father God.

May You turn Your gaze from us,

Your servants, to this boy

and open his soul with the light of Your love.

We give this boy over to Your strength.

Thank You, Father God.

Now listen carefully.

People will want to take a look at you.

Be polite.

Shake their hand if they greet you.

Call them Uncle and Auntie.

You hear me?

You're all brainwashed.

Do you swear to serve Him and to honor His name in this church?

How do each of you answer?

- Binkie? - Yes.

- Willem? - Yes.

- Martelize? - Yes.

- Hennie? - Yes.

- Herman? - Yes.

- Hansie? - Yes.

- Christo? - Yes.

Through the Laws of His Grace obtained by each of you

through your Christening,

and through your Confirmation,

you are now full members of the NG Church, Bethlehem.

Congratulations.

Here they come.

You seen this?

Tertia Brits,

arrested for prostitution at thirteen,

pregnant at fifteen.

Father of her baby is a Braam de Wet,

twenty-seven, her boyfriend and her pimp.

They left the baby named Pieter

with their landlady one day and never returned.

Five years later Miss Brits is found dead from an overdose.

She was found alone and she died alone...

Pa!

You're one of us now.

No way round that.

You don't have to end up like your ma and pa.

For us, inside here

is just as dangerous as it is out there.

Loneliness is

a sickness.

Not having a family is a sickness.

Not being part of a community that loves you

is a sickness.

I'm not lonely.

You were half-dead when we found you.

That city almost killed you!

Remember that

because tomorrow you're going to apologize to the pastor.

It's easy to be normal.

Hold out your hand and say, "Nice to meet you."

Call the men Uncle and the women Auntie.

I'm sorry about your mother.

Don't have a mother.

If God is love, then He doesn't exist.

Because He doesn't love me.

All you people clap your hands

Rejoice in the glory of God

Raise your voice and praise His name

In every city on earth

Sing and sing and sing together

Praise and praise His great name

For He is eternal King in Heaven and on Earth

Know that one?

Check this out.

Come on, don't be such a girl!

Come back later, can't you see I'm busy?

Aren't you supposed to be apologizing to the pastor?

Where do you think I met that girl? Just give me a bit of space.

Do you have any money?

She wants an energy drink.

Come on, brother.

Hey, guys.

Hi.

You went fishing?

- Looks like you had a good catch. - Sure.

Why didn't you call me?

We saw you at church yesterday.

See you later.

Are those your 'friends'?

It's you.

- It's because of you. - Me?

What did I do?

You cock-blocked me over there.

Check this.

Fuck you! You little pansy-wansy faggots!

Wanna stick your small Boer cocks in my hole, faggots?

Come and get it, faggots!

It's gay-for-pay here and I'm wide open.

Fucking freak, aren't you?

You want more?

I fucked your mother last night,

she was shit.

Stop it!

Let's go, guys.

You'll catch AIDS just touching him.

You think this is the real world, little farmers?

I've been in the real world.

This is fucking nowhere!

This is nothing.

You okay?

What's your story, little girl? I did that for you.

They're not your brothers, they're not your friends.

They don't know who you are. Catch a wake up.

He is my friend.

You okay?

I hate those guys.

They think they own this town.

You worried about me?

Let's find a place we can be alone.

Just go.

Janno, wait.

Jesus, that girl was into me.

Fucking cocktease!

Shit, man!

Almost!

My brother?

My bro?

What's your shit, man?

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Declare, if thou hast understanding.

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades or loosen the bands of Orion?

Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven?

Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

Canst thou send lightning, that they may say unto thee, "Here we are"?

Who hath given wisdom to the inward parts?

Who hath given understanding

to the heart?

The world is on fire,

and we are all burning, children.

Here, farmers have been dragged out onto the roads and murdered.

The farmer is an endangered species.

How do I know God exists

and that He will return?

Not because of the pastor or those people at church.

Who cares what they think?

Who cares what the outside world thinks?

No,

it's because of His one true gift,

the Word.

And if we obey His Word,

no one out there can judge us,

nobody can tell us who or what we are.

Even if they kill us, we will still be free.

Hello, Tienus?

Wait, Tienus,

I'm coming now.

Excuse me.

You two, come with me.

Come with me.

What's going on, Jan?

One there.

One over there.

You, little man,

I've heard about you.

You let that mutt into my field on purpose.

Enough, Tienus.

I'll make it right by you.

Come look.

I've seen it.

Come look!

I found that mutt here with my sheep.

I'll sort it out.

Get on the bakkie.

Pieter, don't!

He's mine.

He's mine.

I can do it.

Leave him, he's mine.

Please, leave him.

I can do it.

He's mine.

Not easy having kids.

I'll make it right.

- I liked the dog too. - Fuck off about the stupid dog.

Where are you going?

You don't know anything.

You're not awake.

Fucking farm town bullshit.

Pieter, where're we going? Let's go home.

Just looking for some fun. Relax.

Thanks, bro.

How is it, huh?

See, now this is real fun, huh?

These China chicks are fucking hot, bro.

Let's have some fun with them later.

300 for anything above the belt. 600 for below the belt.

How old are you, kid?

Thirteen.

Come.

No!

What are you doing?

Don't fuck this up for me, man!

- What are doing with this old man? - Fucking embarrassing!

Where you going?

When can we take him home?

You can take him today.

Thank you.

Jan, wait, let me do it.

Leave it, please.

Leave me alone.

Just go.

We have daughters to think about.

Lord, Marie.

What's wrong with you?

We have everything.

Please.

You're a coward, Jan.

He's just a boy.

A normal boy.

Dear Father God,

make the boy strong,

make his heart strong,

make his seed strong.

Make the boy strong,

make his heart strong,

make his blood strong,

make his seed strong.

I can't save him without you, Janno.

We have to save him.

Can you imagine his terrible life in the city?

He says he enjoyed it.

Maybe he had a good life,

a better life.

Maybe this is the bad life.

Maybe we're the bad people.

- This is not the Janno I know! - I don't understand why he's here.

Understand?

You think we're supposed to understand?

All we can do is believe, Janno.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I forgive you.

I love you so much.

I'm scared.

We're sending you to man camp

for a few days.

Like a holiday.

Hiking, training, prayer.

Take the time to think hard

because when you come back, everything needs to be different.

You hear me?

Man camp is where they send boys who can't be fixed.

Better to run away and save yourself.

Don't tell anyone you got into that man's car

or they might think I do that too. And I do everything right!

At least I know what I am.

What are you?

White meat. Just white meat.

When will you start doing this?

This is important work.

I didn't know Grandfather was here.

What a nice surprise.

Can I get Grandfather something? Should I call Alina?

I came to see you.

See,

I know you.

Thank you, Grandfather.

This land is all mine.

I spent my whole life working it and you're not going to get it.

You can't have it, so fuck off!

Go back to the streets.

You can't take what's mine.

You piece of trash!

Grandfather is thinking of the other boy.

His name is Pieter.

He's from the city.

You faggot trash!

- Let go of me, man. - Trash!

Let go of me!

I want to go home.

Take me home now.

First you must come here,

now you have to go home!

You're in a mood today, old man!

One day this will be my farm, Grandpa.

One day.

You look good!

Thank you, Auntie.

Country air is beginning to agree with you.

Come.

Did you know when I was your age,

at the half-way house,

I had to watch over the babies at night?

What were they like?

I loved them.

What were the babies' names?

Well,

there was Tebang,

Tebogo,

and there was Mandla.

And every night before they went to sleep,

I'd sing them a song.

Want to hear it?

Will you sing with me?

Will you sing with me?

That was nice.

With my sisters.

I don't need to stay in your room anymore.

So it was okay?

- What's that on your back? - Your friend did that.

What friend?

The boy scout, Hennie.

That cocksucker pastor made him pull down my pants

and whip me with his belt.

Why?

Just that kind of place.

I don't care.

I've had worse.

In any case, Hennie and I are now big buddies.

No, you're not.

Says he wants to show me things.

And he told me things.

What things?

You once asked me to pray with you.

Dear Father God,

thank you for bringing me to this house

and giving me a brother like Janno.

He'd never be friends with someone like you.

And Janno,

who has guided me and never lied to me,

he's loved me,

without judgment,

in a way I have not deserved.

Amen.

What you doing?

I learnt a lot about you at that man camp,

from your boy scout buddy.

Yeah, that idiot!

Your boyfriend,

the good Samaritan,

he and his friends told me about you and your ma.

My ma?

She's barren.

She's sterile, you never came out of her.

They found you rotting in some Free State orphanage.

God made her my mother.

Yeah,

you've never had parents.

You've never been anybody's son.

Fucking freak!

Dear Father,

we ask you humbly to guide us safely home.

Lord, thank you for bringing us together to learn new things.

Help us to put this new knowledge into practice

and let all go well for us.

Lord, thank you for this gathering tonight.

Let each of us take Your Word

so that we may understand.

Lord, keep us safe as we go home tonight.

Sleep well, girls.

I'm your only son.

You're pretending to love him.

Why are you being so childish?

If we leave the Path,

there is only fire and judgment, Janno.

You think I'm weak

and he's strong.

It's what we have to do.

Every night I ask myself,

is my faith strong enough?

Or am I a Judas?

Am I weak?

No,

God's will is that I love both my sons.

And you and I have to accept His decision.

He's not better than me.

There now.

Man, you're both so fucked up.

Still trying to get rid of me?

Yes.

She'll never love us.

No.

I thought you'd love me, my 'brother'.

You're supposed to tell me I'm okay just as I am.

I'd believe it from you.

But it's okay.

I let men touch me for money and I'm proud of that.

You think I'd have survived if I wanted love from them too?

I sold myself to them and they gave me cash,

so I can survive anything.

Even a shit brother like you.

So don't feel sorry for me.

Actually, I pity you.

You think I don't know how to show respect to elders,

how to shake their sweaty, perverted hands?

The city is full of boys saying "hello Uncle" to men in cars.

And now I've sold myself again

for food and a warm bed.

And it feels great.

She can hug me if she wants,

but I know she's dead inside.

And I don't give a fuck.

Not like you.

You're so selfish.

You want everything for yourself.

When the real world comes knocking,

you won't last two minutes, bro.

And she knows it too.

That's why she found me for her precious farm.

She knows I'm dead inside too.

Hit it!

Keep going!

Brother!

Brother!

Where are you?

Don't leave me with these people!

Fuck you too!

He's still your son.

I've tried to have a family, but I've failed.

You do.

He'll come back.

He'll come back.

I'm losing my children.

I'm losing my children.

Pieter.

Pieter.

Brother,

you think you were born to this place,

but your fate is to pass through it

and vanish without a trace.

It will never be a part of you like it's a part of me.

Brother,

everything you have

is mine.

The Harvesters