Original subtitles

Halt! Where are you going?

Go on! Move along!

No!

Belorussians!

Each of you has a mission

to assist in the reconstruction of your region.

You must be aware

that this cannot be accomplished without support from the Germans.

Any resistance to German orders

will be considered sabotage,

comparable to incitement to riot.

There are still individuals

who do not understand the path that they should follow.

These partisans who attacked the German Wehrmacht

shall be punished according to justice.

Look at what happens to enemies of the German Reich.

Do not support the partisans.

Their situation is hopeless.

All those who support the partisans

will meet the same fate.

Now is the time for grand solutions.

Take an active part

in the reconstruction of the Belorussian state

for the Belorussian people.

Hang them!

IN THE FOG

from the novel by Vassil Bykov

Come on!

Damn!

Don't just stay there!

Move on. It's not very deep.

That's the last thing I need!

What a pain!

See it?

Over there.

I see it.

We'll wait.

We'll go at nightfall.

D'you think he's expecting us?

Probably not.

Maybe he already ran off.

To join the German police.

Wait here.

If anything's wrong,

I'll shoot.

Don't be long.

I won't be. Not long.

Nice little paws...

We need to give her eyes, then some ears.

Pointed ears, like a fox.

What should we call her?

Belka.

We'll make her little ears very pointy.

Hello.

Look at the horse that my daddy made.

It's a nice horse.

He also made me this doggy with a tail.

With a tail?

That's nice. What's your name?

Grisha. My father is Sushenya.

So you're Grigorij Sushenya.

How's life?

Sit down, don't stand.

I didn't recognise you.

You've changed.

You seem different, too.

My friend plays with a bullet.

Really?

That's not for children to play with.

It's not a real cartridge, only the casing.

The casing...

I've really come for you, Sushenya.

Where's your wife?

Milking the cow.

I heated up some bathwater.

We were going to wash up.

To wash...

That's nice.

I knew you would come.

You did?

That's good.

You acknowledge your guilt.

There's nothing to acknowledge.

I am guilty of nothing.

That's the thing.

Nothing?

Nothing.

And those men?

The ones that were hanged?

They were hanged.

Hello.

Hello...

Anelya.

Well...

I'll prepare some food.

You must be hungry.

There's no time, Anelya.

Do you have cloth wraps for my feet?

Mine need replacing.

Your mother, is she still alive?

She died.

Six months ago.

And your sister Nyura?

She's dead, too.

Killed last spring in Lisichansky forest.

Let's have a drink.

No.

I don't want to.

What a pity.

I will.

May I?

Go on.

But make it quick.

This is not what people do.

And it's just not true.

It's not true!

What's not true?

We didn't wish for this. We didn't want it!

I was so afraid when they arrested him.

I couldn't sleep. I cried my eyes out.

Then they released him.

And what were we meant to do then?

He didn't ask for any of this!

He didn't do anything wrong to them. He tried to protect them!

But they were hanged.

And he was freed.

Why?

Who knows why?

No.

There's a reason.

Go on, Anelya.

There's nothing to discuss.

It's fate.

Come on, let's go.

Where are you taking him?

I must go. Not for long.

Don't cry. Calm down.

We have... something to take care of.

- He'll be back soon. - That's right.

Fine, but it's still...

Why not take something with you?

At least take some lard.

You need something to eat.

Don't leave without food.

- Let me give you an onion. - No, it's OK.

You like onion with lard.

Go ahead and take it, if you like it.

Fine, give me one.

Everything tastes better with onion.

Especially lard.

It will be good with a drink.

In case I'm late, wash up without me.

Which way?

Over there.

Should I take a shovel?

Yes.

Go on.

You know what happens.

If you betray others...

I betrayed no one!

- Then who did it? - I don't know.

You were freed, right?

Yes, those bastards.

I wish they would have hanged me.

Move along!

How could you, brothers?

This river floods in springtime.

It's like a swamp.

What were you expecting? Sand?

Well, not this.

Sand would be better.

You might face this someday, too.

Sand?

Fine.

Let's move on.

There's sand amongst the pines.

There's higher ground up ahead.

Go on, move!

Stop.

So?

As good a place as any, right? For any occasion.

Occasion?

If you had told me...

Anything can happen in this kind of war.

- This is savagery! - Shut up!

Voitik, stand guard over there while we take care of this.

Go.

It would be better not to tell Anelya about this.

About what?

That you shot me.

Tell her the Germans killed me.

Of course, later...

...she'll find out.

Keep digging.

We'll see.

Maybe that's enough.

It will take too long to fill it back up.

Do it, as a favour to me.

This coat...

You must give it to Anelya.

Your coat?

Fine.

I'll take care of it.

It's a good coat.

She's not likely to find one like it.

A widow...

Voitik, is that you?

Don't move!

Halt!

Missed!

Stop, bastard!

Take him from the right!

Are you alive?

Where are you wounded?

What? What do you want?

Where...

Where are you taking me?

I don't know.

Voitik...

I'm not Voitik. I'm Sushenya.

I... am...

...hurt badly?

Who knows?

But you were shot.

And I didn't...

...kill you in time.

No time.

The police appeared suddenly out of nowhere.

Take me to Zubrovka.

I must go to Zubrovka.

Over there,

look for Kienya.

Kienya? Fine.

Burov?

Comrade Voitik?

What happened to Burov?

Well, they shot him.

This is what you get!

Into the barn!

What were you doing?

Nothing.

What are you plotting?

Nothing!

What are you plotting?

I didn't build this truck with my own hands

so that those bastards could drive it!

Don't be foolish!

Haven't I had enough grief?

- Haven't I had enough? - Go to sleep, Mother.

I know you're plotting.

You want justice!

I've suffered enough.

I'm sleeping.

You're sleeping?

I know how you sleep.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, deliver us from evil.

O Lord Jesus Christ, deliver us from evil and forgive us our sins.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Save and protect us.

Aunt Anisya, is Kolya home?

- Is Kolya home? - Don't shout. I'm not deaf.

You're dressed fancy!

Hello, Kolya.

What do you want?

Mikitionok sent me.

We need your help.

We can't do anything with that dodgy truck.

It won't start. But you can get it running.

Come and give us a hand.

Mirokha, I once knocked one of your teeth out.

And?

Looking at you now, I should have knocked them all out.

You fool!

So?

Are you coming?

Get the hell out of here!

That's how you want it?

I could order you to do it.

You're asking for it.

Come closer and I'll spit in your face.

I've had it with you! Get out!

I'll get you one day! Count on it!

He's upset because they took his truck.

I'll have your backs to the wall someday!

You'll regret this, Kolya!

You were a fool before and you're still a fool today.

Say I went to my aunt's.

Where are you going?

I'll hide out until the dust settles.

You shouldn't have done it.

Idiot...

I sent you to stand guard.

And you...

I did stand guard.

But they sneaked in from the other side.

The other side...

You're so sly.

Oh, yeah.

Sly, yourself!

Why did we go into the pines?

You really don't understand anything.

Where is Sushenya?

Sitting over there.

Don't harm him.

As you wish.

What do I care?

What will the Commander say?

What do we do now?

Just sit here?

Wait to be shot like rabbits?

From where?

Babichi?

Probably.

There's no way I'll make it.

You can't carry me.

We need a cart.

If not, then he's...

Where are they shooting?

Who knows?

Over there.

Babichi?

Probably.

Stay here.

We'll go and find a cart.

Hurry and do your best.

Sushenya...

You know your way around here.

You know if there's a village nearby?

Babichi is over there.

Near the virgin woods.

- Near the gunfire? - Yes.

Go and find a cart.

Wait.

I'll go.

You stay here.

Stand guard.

Give me my gun.

Your gun?

Here.

I'll try to be quick

if it's not far.

Why didn't I...

...kill you at the house?

If I had done it...

...there...

...I wouldn't be dying now.

In my own home?

My boy was there.

The boy...

Yes...

And why...

...haven't you escaped, Sushenya?

Escape to where?

To the Germans?

I've been with the Germans.

Here.

Look.

It was you...

You betrayed them...

...those three men.

I betrayed no one.

Then why...

...didn't they hang you with the others?

If they had hanged me,

I would be grateful.

But no...

...they freed me.

I thought they'd come back for me.

But no.

I sat at home for two weeks.

Where should I have gone?

Then, little by little,

I began to understand why they'd freed me.

They used me as bait.

You fell into their trap.

I was a railroad worker for 13 years.

Surely you already knew that.

I almost quit when the Germans arrived.

But the station master came by.

You must know Tereshkov.

He told us to go to work

or the Germans would kill him.

What could I do?

I went.

What a bastard!

He was a bastard under the Soviets, too.

His kind adapts to any regime.

If I ever cross him in a dark alley...

Bastard !

Give him a punch during inspection.

Surprise him!

That's it! And I'll say it was your idea.

I won't be alone in front of the firing squad.

That's it. Don't say a word.

Keep your mouth shut and put up with it.

Until the right moment comes.

The right moment?

Well...

We can loosen a joint and send everything flying.

We can do it on a bend.

Who is responsible for maintenance? That bastard.

The Germans would execute him.

A joint, you said?

Good idea!

The Germans are not stupid.

They'd figure it out.

They would discover that the joint had been sabotaged.

Not at all!

When a train goes off the tracks, all the joints become dislodged.

Everything will be destroyed.

Remember last month?

Not far from the Lemeshev post,

there was an accident or sabotage.

A total mess. Impossible to detect.

If anyone were to suspected, it would be the partisans.

Nothing to do with us.

We just do our job.

We go back, put away our tools,

and then go home.

Why suspect us?

And the nearby village?

If the partisans are suspected, they'll raze the village.

They'll shoot everyone. All those innocent people.

It has happened many times.

Which village?

Only a few old women live there.

And are they not human beings?

You must not do this.

So you're afraid?

The train runs at night. We won't even be there.

Or maybe he likes being punched around.

Will you help us?

You must not do this.

You want to call the Germans?

Let's speak like friends, with open hearts.

You seem like a reasonable person.

Yes.

And we want to help you.

Tomorrow, we will hang the others.

But we are offering you life.

Except...

Yes?

You will live.

Except...

You must sign a collaboration agreement.

What collaboration?

A secret collaboration, of course.

With the German authorities.

Then we'll organise your release.

You will return to your people,

the ones who dispatched you on this mission.

We will stay in close contact.

Secretly, of course.

No.

You know...

I can't.

I can't do that.

What?

What did you say?

I can't do that.

Are you an idiot?

You're refusing to live?

You want to die?

Of course not, but...

Then sign the agreement.

We will take every precaution.

No one will suspect a thing.

I can't do it.

So...

...you want to die.

The hanging is tomorrow.

Give it some thought.

You have until tomorrow.

Move it!

Let's go...

Not Sushenya.

Why not?

Get up.

Did you think about my proposal?

You still want to dangle from a rope with your friends?

I mistook you for a clever fellow.

But you're an idiot.

You want a noble death?

You want everyone to honour your memory?

Want them to write pamphlets about you?

No...

That's not going to happen.

I will arrange another sort of death for you.

For the last time.

Yes or no?

I can't do it.

Fine.

You can't.

Get out of here.

Go away.

Go.

What could I do?

I envied them immediately.

Everyone honoured them.

Their children were proud.

Neighbours helped their families. But I was hated.

I sensed...

...that even the person who loved me most...

...my wife Anelya...

...no longer looked at me...

...like before.

One day, she burst into tears and said...

..."Hanging you would have been better!"

I started to wonder

if I might even hang myself.

But even that...

People would say, "It was his guilty conscience."

"He was a traitor."

How could I live like that, Kolya?

Kolya...

Do you hear me?

Kolya!

Don't forget to ask about the tobacco!

He promised.

I won't forget.

How is he?

He's resting. He has a very high fever.

The guys asked about tobacco.

Halt!

Come here!

Where are you going?

Where are you from?

Where did you get this?

I don't know. I stopped by some guy's house.

He gave it to me.

Where?

I don't know.

Take us there.

Damn!

You still here?

But him...

I knew it.

When?

Yesterday afternoon.

Well...

No need for a cart.

They're all there, waiting.

Since yesterday.

So?

There's no cart?

No cart.

The Germans are in Babichi.

The Germans?

So what now?

What now?

We hide the body and leave.

We might get through.

To go where?

Each goes his own way.

I'll go to my platoon.

You'll probably go back to the Germans.

I'm not going to the Germans.

Take me with you.

To my platoon?

Yeah, they're waiting for you.

We must take Burov.

We can't just leave him here.

Did you see all those crows?

But you carry him.

Yes, I will.

Understood.

Then get up.

You know where to go?

If we want to avoid Babichi,

then we must head left.

Lead the way.

Be careful!

Steer clear of Germans.

Where's that coming from?

The main road, I think.

The main road?

Yes.

Where are you taking us?

Where else can I go?

You said the Germans are in Babichi.

They are.

Then this is the only option.

We have to cross the main road.

What do we do now?

Do we cross?

We should wait until the darkness of night.

That's a long wait.

But it would be better.

You knew each other well?

Since childhood.

We lived on the same street.

He was younger than me.

He always loved cars.

Yes...

That was his downfall.

And yours, with him.

His downfall, maybe.

Mine was something else.

What?

That I didn't die back there,

in the police station. That's what.

Why the hurry to die?

Burov was in a hurry. He couldn't wait.

His foolishness is to blame.

Yes...

He died too soon.

He was still young. A pity.

What do you care?

It was kind of my fault.

But then, it wasn't at all.

I didn't wish it.

I just didn't want to die in that swamp.

If you had, Burov would still be alive.

Isn't that right?

Yes, probably.

You'll tell your commander everything?

Tell him what?

Everything about me.

If I don't make it.

After all, I have a wife,

a son...

Oh, that!

Yes, I'll tell them.

I'd better write it down.

Writing it down would be good.

It would be documented.

You rely on documents?

Well, yes.

Maybe they'll sort it all out someday.

But they did enlist you, didn't they?

Go on, confess.

If only!

But no.

They tried.

But I couldn't.

I just couldn't do it.

You really couldn't?

You must be lying!

You know that's impossible.

Not in this situation.

We cause our own ruin...

...but also our family's.

What kind of life would they have?

If they remained alive...

Anything can happen.

This is wartime, of course...

You refer to war, how anything can happen...

But did everything change in a year and a half?

Do people really change so quickly?

Does war really transform us to that extent?

I've lived here for 37 years.

Everyone knows me.

I was always respected.

I never had any trouble with anyone.

So why not trust me any more?

Why do we trust the Germans,

but no longer our neighbours?

No one believes me. Not you...

Not even my wife...

She has her doubts.

Did I change?

How, if I was born with this character?

People can change a lot.

They are unstable by nature.

Especially if they want to survive.

Exactly.

If you want to live, why choose to betray others?

In the face of death, everything looks the same.

But when you want to live,

you live with hope.

If not for yourself,

then maybe for your children.

Maybe they... will be lucky to survive.

So, you go first.

Wait for me on the other side.

Halt!

Halt!

I just saw him all of a sudden.

Damn it to hell!

There's no way I missed him!

- Where is he? - Hold on.

There he is.

He has rifles.

- I knew he was a bandit. - Is he dead?

Seems that way.

The holster...

It's empty. So where's his pistol?

Search him.

Look at those boots.

Hurry up.

Damn!

He's still alive.

Finish him off and let's go.

Adaptation Richard LORMAND, Maria BAKER

Subtitles TITRA FILM Paris