Original subtitles

Dora? Dora?

What? What?

Come on.

- Okay. - Be quiet.

Shhh...

Come on. We gotta get Niizh.

Niizh, get up.

- Huh? - We gotta go, Niizh.

- Uh-huh? - We're gonna go see Mama.

Okay.

Hey!

You have reached Golda and Esther Rosenblum.

We're not at home, please leave a message.

At the sound of the tone.

Mom?

Bezhig!

You have reached Golda and Esther Rosenblum.

We're not at home, please leave your message

at the sound of the tone.

I am so proud of you.

What's Ma gonna do when I tell her?

She's gonna be really proud, really proud.

She... she's gonna cook.

Lie down, Leo. Now.

Don't move.

Stay in the truck no matter what.

- Yeah. - They took the kids.

Patti is inside.

What the fuck they do to you?

Morris? Where are you going?

I'll be right back.

Morris. Morris.

Oh! Oh!

They're gone.

Oh, they're gone.

They think you don't feed the kids

because you don't have a fridge.

Stay here.

- Please take those cuffs off her. - Did she calm down?

- Yeah, she is. - She fought with us.

Hey, you think we don't feed our kids?

- That's the social workers. - The kids aren't going hungry.

There's no fridge in the house because we keep it out back.

You want to take it up with the social workers, that's fine,

if that's what you're saying.

I'm saying we don't need the fridge!

Okay, step back.

I'm trying to tell you we're taking care of our kids, fuck!

That's my wife in there. Why did you put those handcuffs on her?

She ran off on us, okay? We had to chase her down.

How long were you gonna leave her like that on the floor?

- Are you gonna keep yelling? - Where the fuck are my kids?!

- Don't fucking come off on me! - Okay.

- Calm down. - Don't fucking touch me!

- Hey. - Get the fuck off me!

- Nooo! - Get back!

Back in the house!

- NOOO! - AAH!

Oh, Morris, no...

Okay.

There you go.

No!

Oh, my Morris.

Please.

So where are you taking him?

No.

No, no, they're not gone.

I've heard they take 'em to that...

that big building on Albert Street.

That's where they take them.

We're gonna go there. You're gonna go there.

It's gonna be okay.

Look at me.

It's gonna be okay, Patti. I promise you.

Hey. Hey.

Your boy needs you.

Leo needs you right now, come on.

Come on, let's go.

...morning in Regina, but things are looking up

for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

Here's another hour

of classical FM to soothe you more.

Esther Rosenblum?

We're just this way.

- You're from around here, Esther? - No. Montreal.

Ah. Hope you like prairies.

So you've come about your adoption?

This is me.

I'm looking for family members.

Well, the thing is your adoption file is sealed.

All adoption files are.

But why am I not allowed to be in contact

with the siblings that I remember having?

I flew here from Montreal.

Well, you should have called first.

I did call. This morning. They told me to come in.

- I am sorry about that. - But I must

be able to access something.

I was advertised

publicly in the newspaper; I don't get the sense

this department's overly concerned with privacy.

I'm sorry.

Where was I born?

The place of birth

on my birth certificate is Montreal,

but I wasn't born in Montreal. I was advertised

for adoption out of Regina.

That's a legal document that's been falsified.

Look, do you want a coffee?

I will go and I'll pull your file,

and I'll double-check. Okay?

So, Esther, I checked with legal,

and your file is sealed.

But there is a note on your file

that you have a sister, a Dora Mueller,

who wishes to be contacted.

Would you like it?

Your sister's number?

Yeah. I... Yes.

I'm sorry, this is all I can release.

Hey! Open the door!

Open the door! I want my kids!

Madam! Why are you yelling? Are you drunk?

My kids. I want my kids.

If you push your way past me,

all that's gonna happen is I'm gonna call the police,

and you still won't have your kids.

Is that what you want?

- I want my kids. - Then stop.

Because all you'll get is jail.

I appreciate you're upset,

but this is not how you go about things.

You should be going over to child protective services

over on Broad Street. You go in there,

tell 'em you'll do better from now on.

You might want to get yourself calmed down

before you go on over there.

You still got a fever.

Where is Mama?

At home probably.

You should eat some food.

Where is Mama?

At home, Dora.

- When is she coming? - Come on, you gotta eat up now.

She'll come when she can, okay?

Listen. Listen to me, Niizh.

Everything's gonna be okay.

Now, you should eat some food.

Sit up straight.

Sit up straight.

Don't play with that.

Aaaaah!

Your call c.

Please check the number and dial again.

Hi. I'm looking for a Dora Mueller.

Okay, thank you.

My children were taken yesterday,

and I'm here because I want them back.

Well, okay.

- Your name? - Patricia Little Bird.

How can we help?

Didn't know it would be you.

Well, we're the child case workers on your file,

- so who else would it be? - You took my kids yesterday.

Apprehended.

Your children were apprehended.

I want to see if I can get them back.

What you're saying is you would like to be notified

once the protection hearing is set?

- Yes. - You coming in today so soon

really shows how much you care.

The post-apprehension hearing will be in a few months.

A few months?

With court delays even longer.

I can't see them for a few months?

Are they being looked after?

They are.

Mrs. Little Bird...

were you looking after them?

Do you understand that they were removed

from your care because we deemed you unfit?

Once we apprehended your children,

you forfeit your right to know anything

about their circumstances or their whereabouts.

They are temporary wards of the Crown.

Do you follow?

They are under the care

and protection of the government now.

- If it was your children... - I wouldn't neglect

my children.

Adele, would you... would you neglect your children?

I-I don't have...

I... I don't...

- No. - I don't think.

I didn't say it properly

when you were in the house...

but they are my children.

I look after them.

I feed them.

I'm their mother.

I came today to say

I will do better. Please.

Mrs. Little Bird,

don't you have a fourth child?

A 12-year-old named Leo?

- Yes. - Yes.

If I were you, I would be trying

to hold onto the one child that I have left.

Mrs. Little Bird, are you leaving?

What are you doing?!

Ha!

Well, I guess this meeting is over.

Ha!

Where's Leo?

Yeah.

You gotta take him somewhere else,

Asin's house. Take him there.

I'm hanging up now.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay. Okay.

Take Leo now.

Hi. I'm looking for a Dora Mueller.

Yeah.

But this is where she lived?

Do you know where I can reach her?

You don't have a phone number?

A forwarding address?

And you're... her mother?

I'm her sister.

I was adopted too.

That's why I'm calling.

Do you have any sense of where I could find her?

Well, I appreciate your time.

You're the first person I've talked to who knows her.

Um, do you maybe have a photograph of Dora?

You should get yourself ready.

The cops brought him in late last night.

They said he kept slamming his head

against the doors in holding.

The doctor hasn't been in this week yet,

but... we got him all cleaned up.

Morris? You have a visitor.

I'm sorry.

Shhh, shhh, shhh, shh... It's okay.

I'm so sorry.

They... they fucked me up and...

- You gotta get the kids back. - I will.

Don't worry about that.

You gotta do it now.

Shh, shh, shh, shh...

I'm gonna get them back.

Hi.

Hi.

I'm Esther.

We spoke on the phone about an hour ago.

I'm Dora's sister.

Uh, I... I...

I didn't know she, um, had a sister.

Are you her brother?

- Yeah. Yeah, yeah. - I was thinking

that if I came in person,

you might want to talk to me a little more,

- maybe show me a photo of her. - Yeah,

well, I think there's a... whole pile of them

up in the attic actually. Isn't there?

I doubt it.

Well, a photo would

really mean a lot.

Why don't you, um... Why don't you leave a number.

Yeah, sure.

I'm staying at a motel in town.

You said she ran away. Why did she do that?

She was a good little girl.

And then she turned bad and...

- There was no turning her back... - Mom, that's not...

- it's not it went... - Get inside. Go back inside.

Well, what did the police say when she went missing?

What, you didn't report it to the police?

I did not, no.

Weren't you worried about her?

Wait, are you closing the door on me?

Well, hey, I'd really like that photo!

I'm gonna call you, okay?

Okay.

Oof...

Bezhig, come with me.

Stand up. What's that?

We'll sew the inside.

It'll just take a minute.

- A minute. Take it off. - Smile.

I know you don't want to come out. I'm gonna...

Just for a second. It's okay, okay?

- I don't want to come out. - I know you don't want to,

- but it's gonna take one second. - I don't want to come out.

- Don't want to. - Okay.

My goodness me. What's the matter with you?

Come here.

Now stop it, okay?

All we want to do is take your photo.

We just want to make you look your very, very best,

so that people will see your photo and say,

"Oh my, what a handsome little guy that is.

"I'd like to take him home with me and look

after him and make him happy." Okay?

There we go.

Well, are you gonna quit?

Girls who are gonna quit all have that same look

Melodramatic.

My brother, he has a carwash,

and he said that I could work the till.

Jesus, Adele.

You're gonna let all that education go to waste?

I'm just finding it...

What?

Difficult.

All of the crying.

You're not gonna be able to do this job

unless you can go beyond being nice.

You have to think to yourself,

I'm saving these children...

...from a life of poverty.

Hmm?

You know,

the best thing to do at the end of a long day

is do what men do.

Go home, kiss that handsome husband of yours

or better still, wrap your legs around him,

pour yourself a drink, kick your feet up,

and watch something on television.

Not the news.

You know, something funny.

Hmm!

And try not to think about the office too much, okay?

Okay, you're all done here,

so we're gonna go sit over here, okay? You did

really, really well. Good boy.

- Don't move. - Was that fun

- getting all dolled up? - We're back, Dora!

Getting your photos taken like movie stars?

Where is my sister?

Oh...

She's gone to a foster home, sweetheart.

- She's gone home? - What's a foster home?

Um, a foster home?

Um, to a nice new family.

But she's my sister.

I know. I know.

But look, your brother,

you still have him.

But she's my sister!

Oh, sweetheart! We didn't want to interrupt you

in the middle of your photo shoot.

- But she's mine! - Shh, shh, shh!

- You're next, don't worry. - I need her! Go get her!

- She's mine! - Don't push me.

Don't push me. Hey. Don't hit me.

- Go get her! - Better watch out, young lady.

You better calm down. Stop it, stop it right now.

- She's mine! - Stop it, she's not yours.

She's mine!

David?

I'm sorry about my mother.

That's okay. I know she probably...

I am in Regina.

Regina?

You're not in Montreal?

Why?

I've been thinking a lot about my real family.

I have memories of them that... come.

But you're in Regina?

Like in a... in a...

Your mother's been calling me every 10 minutes.

And you walked out of our engagement party,

and then you flew to Regina?

You know, I've been losing my mind.

Look, I know, it doesn't make a ton of sense.

I don't know what I'm doing, David.

because the last time I brought it up with my mom

on my 16th birthday, she was...

very upset.

So, you wanna find your family?

That's...

That...

I mean, of course you do.

I want that for you.

Fine! I'm sorry. I knew you'd get all pissed off.

Yeah!

before you or anybody else could talk me out of it.

Are you planning on coming home at all?

Of course I'm coming home!

I'm going to look for them,

and then... yes.

That meeting we have with the rabbi,

I'll be home for that.

And your mom?

Yeah, okay.

Wait. In the meantime...

...just don't forget you love me.

I do love you.

Sunset Motel.

Room 17.

Call me again soon.

Hi.

It's... whatever I could grab.

Thank you.

My mom's at work, so...

Do you have any sense of where Dora might be?

I... I don't.

Could she have stayed with a friend?

No.

We would have heard about that.

What was she like?

She...

She was...

...just a really cheerful kid.

And really pretty and popular and...

Dora...

she didn't run away from home.

She was... kicked out.

Why?

You know, um...

My mom and dad... dad,

they're really strict.

You know like, "Don't talk back.

Don't... kiss boys."

There was a, uh, bad... bad fight.

If you find her...

...would you be able to

tell her that I...

I still think about her all the time.

- Yeah. - I miss her for sure.

I can do that, yeah.

Thank you. Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah. Good luck.

Well...

Please don't go.

Stay with me.

Esther Rosenblum?

I'm Adele Halpern. Please.

Thank you for agreeing to meet me.

Happy to.

So, Esther,

tell me, do you work? Study?

I am in law school.

That's wonderful.

And you look... so put together.

Hmm.

I realize this is out of the ordinary.

I was adopted in 1968,

and I got this

from my sister's adoptive family.

And there's your name on it,

so I was hoping you might remember something about us.

Dora and I have two brothers,

and me, I was Bezhig then.

I, uh...

Hmm...

1968.

I would have just been starting out.

I'm sorry.

I've seen so many children.

Well, I was hoping for something small,

even a sense of...

where I might have been born.

Even if I did remember, it wouldn't be legal

for me to tell you. But I wish you luck.

Thank you for your time, Mrs. Halpern.

I'm happy to see you're doing so well.

Now, just one signature, certainly you...

Your family crest? I love it.

We're gonna take you home. We're gonna take you on an airplane.

Oh, we got a gre.

- You're gonna love it. - You're gonna love it.

Let me ask you something, you like ice cream?

Is there something that you would like to say

to Mr. and Mrs. Rosenblum,

Bezhig?

Are you going to be my mom and dad?

Of course. Of course. We're so happy.