Original subtitles

Excuse me.

Hello?

Hi. Is anyone sitting here?

Uh, no.

-You're new here, aren't you? -Yeah.

You have anything on Wednesdays?

My friends and I started this new club

and we're always looking for new members.

Even if it's not totally your thing,

it's a good way to meet new people.

Right now, we're organizing a trip to D.C.

for this big human rights rally.

Thanks anyway.

Well, if you change your mind...

Hey.

You're Julian, right?

I'm Dillon.

My mom plays tennis with yours.

She told me to look out for you.

Oh. Okay.

Hey, didn't you used to go to Beecher Prep?

Yeah. Long time ago.

I switched to Union Tech for middle school.

Union? Man, we used to crush you guys in the regionals.

Well, we sucked, so...

Anyway, um,

if your mom asks, I found you, okay?

And, word of advice, this is the loser table.

If you want, you can come sit with us tomorrow.

Oh, okay. Maybe I...

Hey, how's the new school?

Hello?

Boo!

Grand-mere, you scared the crap out of me.

Aw.

Je suis desolee, mon cher.

I couldn't resist.

So, viens ici! Allez, allez!

I come all the way from Paris

and that's the best you can do?

You weren't expecting me?

No. I knew you were coming, I just forgot it was today.

Mm.

I just saw your parents.

They had to go out for some fancy soiree

with your father's colleagues.

Yeah. What else is new?

Alors, c'est une table pour deux.

Uh, Dad said they're doing an exhibit

-of your paintings at the Met? -Mm.

"Retrospective."

It's a polite way of saying I'm old.

-Grand-mere, I'm only 15. -Mm? Mm-hmm.

So, tell me about you.

What about this new school of yours?

Well, it's only been a week.

So I don't really know anyone yet.

Well, I met this kid today who seems okay.

Like, he's into sports and stuff.

He said that I could hang out with him

and his friends if I wanted to.

Mm, well, that's good, no?

I don't know. I guess.

Right now, I'm just trying to fit in.

It's kind of been my motto

ever since I left my old school.

Mm.

What?

Julian, you did not leave your old school.

You were expelled.

For being cruel to another boy.

Whatever. You know what I mean.

If I learned anything from back then,

it's to just mind my own business.

Don't be mean, don't be nice.

Just... be normal.

And this is what you've learned?

To be normal?

What's wrong with normal?

Nothing.

And everything.

I, too, wanted to be normal when I was your age, but...

But what?

I'm sure your father has told you stories

about what happened to me when I was a young girl.

Some.

He says you don't really like to talk about it.

I don't.

But now, I think, for your sake, I must.

Do you see that glass paperweight over there?

Will you fetch that for me?

Do you know the name of the village

that I grew up in, in France?

Uh, Auberdeen-something-something?

Aubervilliers-aux-Bois.

It's in the Margeride mountains

surrounded by this ancient forest called the Mernuit.

The Mernuit was a dark and scary place.

People would tell legends about the giant wolves

that roamed the woods during the long winters.

But in the spring, the leaves filled the trees,

the birds returned, and the forest came alive.

Then, in early May,

the most wondrous thing would happen.

The bluebells would come into bloom.

Oh,

it was magical.

Magique.

To see it was to feel like

you had stepped into a fairy tale.

It is perhaps my most beloved memory of my childhood.

Picnics with my parents amongst the fairy flowers.

Make me a bird, Papa.

Again?

-But faster this time. -Okay, okay.

♪ Little bird, little bird ♪

♪ How high will you fly? ♪

♪ As high as the sky ♪

♪ As the sky above ♪

♪ Little bird, little bird ♪

♪ How fast will you go? ♪

♪ As fast as a crow ♪

♪ As fast as a dove ♪

♪ Little bird, little bird ♪

♪ How far will you see? ♪

♪ As far as I wish ♪

♪ For now I am free ♪

We lived in a beautiful flat

in a lovely part of town.

My father was a doctor, a surgeon,

and my mother taught mathematics.

We were not rich,

but we were certainly not poor.

I admit I was a bit spoiled.

Although, of course, I did not see it that way.

Slowly, girls.

When life is as good as mine was,

there is much you do not see.

It has been two years

since Paris fell to Germany.

And to mark the occasion,

our beloved city was paid a visit

by none other than Herr Hitler himself.

Okay, he just looked at you.

He did not!

He just did it again.

We'll be in the cellar.

If anyone asks for me, I went home, sick with cold.

Okay?

Sounds better now.

I... I replaced the pressure roller.

Oh.

Hey.

Well?

Wait. Your new jacket? I love it.

It looks so expensive.

Here comes gimp with a limp.

Take his stick.

That's it.

Hop like a bunny.

He ought to be in the circus. Boy, fetch.

Ugh! Even his crutch reeks.

Hey, Tourteau, let's race.

Poor Tourteau.

They're so mean.

It's not his fault his father gave him polio.

That's not how he got it. It was just bad luck.

Well, my mother says he got it

because his father works in the sewers.

It's definitely why he smells so bad.

I didn't even know his name.

We all just called him Tourteau,

which means "crab," because of how he walked.

The truth is, I didn't think about him at all.

I cared only about my clothes,

my social life,

and my passion secrete.

My artwork.

"Let us enjoy the transient delight

"That fills our fairest day.

"Unhappy crowds cry out to you in prayers.

"Flow, Time, and set them free.

"Run through their days

"and through their ravening cares.

"But leave the happy be."

Thank you, Claude.

That was very well read.

Lamartine is one of our Romantic poets.

He was part of a new movement that created a new tone

and feeling to French poetry.

Let's try to pay attention, Sara.

Yes, Mademoiselle Petitjean.

The poem is about man's frustration with time.

We want to control it, but of course we can't.

All right, see you all tomorrow.

Sara, could you stay a moment?

Sorry about the note.

The drawing of the bird...

May I see it again?

Have you shown these to anyone?

Just my parents.

When I was your age,

I loved to write.

Poems, stories...

but I kept them to myself.

I thought if my friends knew,

or, God forbid, boys,

they'd tease me.

It wasn't what popular girls do, you know?

A gift is to be treasured, Sara.

Never stop drawing.

Okay?

You sound just like my father.

I consider that quite the compliment.

The world of reality has its limits.

The world of imagination

is boundless.

See you tomorrow.

Hi, Madame Ballou.

Hi, Pierre.

One pain au chocolat, please.

Here.

Thank you.

Just take it and go.

What?

When?

Today.

This morning.

Don't worry.

I'll find another job.

I was getting a little bored of the university anyway.

How could they do that?

You're the best math professor they have.

It's complicated, Sara.

Not really.

Max, don't.

What?

There's a sign in the window of the bakery this afternoon.

It said "No Jews."

There's probably going to be more signs like that.

You said that wouldn't happen here.

That this was the unoccupied zone.

The free zone.

I'm afraid I was wrong.

It's like a bad storm, Sara.

We just have to weather it,

and eventually, it'll pass.

Last month in Paris,

the police arrested almost 13,000 Jews.

Many of them children.

Rounded them up in the velodrome,

shipped them to Drancy, to a labor camp.

Max, enough!

The French police?

There is no France.

Vichy takes its orders from Germany now.

You're scaring her.

Of course there's a France.

We're French citizens with papers to prove it.

I'm sorry,

but she needs to know what's happening.

In Lyon, Jews are made to wear yellow stars

like they do in the occupied zone.

Only foreign-born Jews. Religious Jews.

No, Rose, listen to yourself!

Do you think these bastards care where we were born?

Or... Or... Or whether we go to synagogue or not?

In their eyes, we're not French.

We're vermin, a disease to be wiped out.

Enough!

Maman?

It'll be okay, Sara.

This is our country, and it always will be.

Tell her!

Tell her it's going to be okay.

It's going to be okay.

The wildlife in Africa

is very different to ours here in France.

They have gazelles, hyenas...

All right, make sure to memorize

the information on the board

and we'll continue next week.

Sara?

Excuse me.

Oh, God, what is he doing?

Is he coming over here?

I saw this under your desk.

I figured you must have dropped it.

Thanks.

You're welcome.

Somebody has a crush.

Is that a friend of yours?

Huh? Um, no.

I... I... I left something in class.

What was it?

Nothing.

May I?

Uh, no, don't, man.

Tourteau touched it with his crab claws.

Jerome, you're terrible.

Can I?

You drew all of these?

Uh, just when I'm bored.

It's stupid stuff.

You shouldn't say that.

Is this me?

Um...

I like it.

You shouldn't be so shy about your talent.

These are really good.

For a Jew.

There! There he is, Officer.

The Jew who tricked us out of our money.

Jew? What Jew? I'm no Jew.

Give them back their money, Jew.

This will teach you not

to steal from honest people.

Filthy Jew!

France must be purged of every Jew,

every communist, every Gaullist.

It's time we rebuild our country,

so that we too may know the pride they feel in Berlin.

In Munich...

It's from Marseilles.

Aaron and Lucie were arrested.

What?

But that's the free zone.

There was a roundup.

Apparently, they were taken

to a camp up north near Compiegne.

Petain is putting Darnand

in charge of the National Police.

A fascist in league with Hitler's SS,

in charge of the police.

It's time, Rose.

We need to get out while we can.

Like Rabbi Bernstein and his wife.

So, what, we just...

abandon our home?

Everything we own, everything we worked for?

-No, I just... I know. -Rose.

I just want to give it a little more time.

Get our things in order...

and say our goodbyes.

There can be no goodbyes, Rose.

You know that.

No one must know.

That's beautiful, Sara.

Why do people hate us so much?

Not all people.

You need to remember that.

But some do.

Some. Some, yes.

What I believe

is that all people have a light inside them.

And that light lets them see into other people's hearts.

But some people have lost it.

They have darkness inside them,

so that's all they see in others.

They hate us because they can't see us.

As long as we shine our light,

we win.

We're sorry, Sara.

We know this is going to be very hard for you.

When do we need to leave?

How soon?

Soon.

By next week, the latest.

It won't be forever.

Do you promise?

Promise.

Now I need a promise from you.

I want you to keep wearing your winter boots to school.

What?

I've been waiting to wear my new shoes all winter.

Oh, please, little bird.

Why?

Because I want you to.

Okay?

Fine.

-Promise? -Yes.

Thank you.

Good night, Sara.

We love you.

-Morning, Pastor Luc. -Morning, Ms. Blum.

So then, A squared

plus B squared

equals C squared.

Come in.

Mademoiselle Petitjean, may I have a word?

Of course.

Yeah.

Children, I have to leave for a few minutes.

So I want you all to behave until I'm back.

Sara, Ruth,

I need you to come with me. Quickly, please.

And bring your coats.

Come on.

Why?

I'll explain everything outside.

To the rest of you, stay in your seats.

There's been a roundup of the Jews

in Aubervilliers-aux-Bois.

We believe German officers

-are on their way here now. -Here?

A maquisard is going

to take you and the other Jewish children

to hide in the woods.

Sara, where's your coat?

I left it in the art room.

Here, take this.

Okay.

-I'm scared. -Me too.

I know you are, but it's gonna be all right.

Quickly, you two. Come.

Children, this is Antoine.

He will keep you safe.

But you must do exactly as he says.

Do you understand?

I need you all to stay very quiet

and to run very fast.

Can you do that?

Move into the next courtyard!

Hurry! Hurry!

Now!

Oh, I'm sorry.

None of these children came to school today.

Someone must have tipped them off.

They were taken away by the teachers.

They're still on the ground somewhere.

Thank you, young man.

Your teachers could learn from your example.

Find them.

Get off her!

Behind you!

There goes another one!

I got one here!

Little girl!

Did you see one come this way?

Right, now go back to your classrooms.

Come away from the windows right now.

Go back to your classroom right now.

Vive I'humanite!

-It's all right. -Absolutely.

We're taking you to your parents.

Everybody in, please.

For the love of God, let them go, I beg you.

Lying scum.

I should shoot you right now.

Don't, please!

Don't do this. They're only children.

They're Jews.

We have our orders.

If you have any brains, you'll go back inside

and mind your own business.

These children are our business.

No, these are my students. I'm staying with them.

Marie...

One of the children is missing.

There are 14 names on our list,

but only 13 children accounted for.

One's missing.

Sara.

The soldiers are still searching for you.

You need to come with me right now.

I know a way out.

I'm sorry. It's the safest way.

Where are we?

My father showed me this once.

He's worked in these sewers for years.

It... It only goes down about as deep as your knees.

I think.

Here.

I'm... I'm fine.

You're freezing.

And it's another six kilometers to Dannevilliers.

What's in Dannevilliers?

My home.

What about my parents?

What if something bad happened to my parents?

I'm sure they're fine. Okay?

Sara, please, we really need to keep moving.

See that house past the barn? That's ours.

Only I'm thinking it might not be safe for you to stay there.

There's a nosy old couple who live right above us.

My father thinks they're Nazi informants.

Don't worry.

You'll be safe in the barn.

Sorry.

A mouse.

If it was safe to stay at my house, you...

It's fine. Really.

This is nice.

What is that?

That... That sound?

Um, that would be the bats.

They nest in the rafters sometimes.

They're harmless, I swear.

Oh, there's the hayloft.

I was thinking that's where you could hide.

Um...

Oh, it's fine, really.

I'm stronger than I look.

We'll stack some hay bales along the edge

and you'll be hidden completely.

All right?

I'll be right back.

You're leaving?

Just to tell my parents what's going on.

Tourteau?

I...

I just wanted to...

Well, if you hadn't...

It's okay.

You're safe now.

There is one thing, though.

Yeah?

Maybe call me by my real name instead of Tourteau?

I... Of course.

See, I know your last name is Beaumier

'cause they always sit us next to each other, but...

It's Julien.

Sorry.

Thank you, Julien.

-Julien? -Mm.

Your father knew how special that name was to me.

So what happened next?

Next, I met his parents.

Vivienne and Jean-Paul.

We'll do everything we can to find your parents.

And until then, you stay with us, okay?

It's not the Ritz,

but, uh, we can spiff it up a little.

Can't we, Julien?

Here.

Try to eat something.

I'll, um... fix you up a bed.

Maman, Papa, where are you?

I was instructed not to leave the barn

under any circumstances.

For fear of being found out by the nosy neighbors.

The Lafleurs.

No one could know of my existence.

Sara?

I, um...

I brought you something.

I remember how you like to draw.

Here.

Thanks, Julien.

I also brought, um, some books.

And your schoolwork so you don't fall behind.

I could teach today's lesson if you want.

Or not.

You're being so nice to me.

I was never very nice to you.

At least my friends certainly weren't.

I guess I always felt you were...

I don't know...

different.

Maybe you're wrong.

I doubt it.

I'm really smart.

Is that so?

I mean, I don't like to brag, but...

Oh, no, of course not.

Vivienne and Jean-Paul tried their best.

But as days became weeks,

there was still no word of my parents.

I could feel myself losing track of time.

Every day, the same.

There was only one thing I could look forward to.

My lessons with Julien.

So if A and B are distinct points,

and AC plus CB equals AB,

then C must lie on...

AB.

Not bad, Blum.

Okay, so what we can get from that information

is that CAB is a right-angled triangle.

-And that information... -Hey, what's this?

...means that C... Oh.

I, um...

I thought you might like to hang it up.

Make the place feel a little more like a bedroom.

I love it.

Charlie Chaplin's my favorite.

I know.

You do?

Well, I mean, he's everyone's favorite, right?

We should get back to the lesson.

In a minute.

You promised me a gossip report first.

Remember?

So I did.

Ah, let's see. Uh...

Well, you were right about Jean-Marc.

He does have a crush on Simone.

I heard him telling Luc in biology.

I knew it. What else?

Let me think.

Yvette and Agnes are still fighting

over the solo in the spring recital.

-Of course. -Of course.

Christophe got in trouble for snoring

in Madame Lucienne's class.

Oh! And they finally figured out who hid

that sardine in Monsieur Gillot's desk.

-It was... -Eugene.

You told me last week

he flunked Gillot's surprise test.

Plus, his father works in the cannery.

Impressive.

Simple maths.

Speaking of which...

Fine.

Okay, so if angle A and angle B

are complementary

-and angle A is twice... -Julien...

Thank you again for this.

I'm glad you like it.

In town, the situation

was only growing worse.

Vincent and some other boys from the school

had been recruited to join the Milice,

a local Nazi militia.

They were given guns and areas of town to patrol,

with instructions to report any suspicious behavior.

As resistance groups

continue to grow across France,

Germany warns that it will crush

any efforts to undermine the occupation.

Julien,

if anyone asks for me,

you know what to say.

In the countryside, we have the advantage.

We know the terrain, the best roads to ambush.

My contact in Toulouse says

they're shipping us more ammunition.

But it'll take a few more days.

No, it has to be sooner.

The answer is no.

The underground is only for those

willing to die for freedom.

That's not why I need to see you.

Then what?

I need your help.

Are you sure you can trust him?

I'm positive.

So he said it'll take a few weeks

for the woman he knows to forge the identity papers.

But once we have those,

Georges will arrange to take you

to an abbey in Le Moustier.

The nuns there have been organizing

crossings into Switzerland.

Switzerland?

It's five days on foot through the Alps,

but they've gotten a lot of Jews out that way.

You wouldn't be alone.

Honestly, I feel safer here.

Oh, my sweet.

I'm not sure you are.

After her victory in Orleans,

Joan was able to convince Charles VII...

Managed to convince Charles VII

to let her join the Army.

...led by the Duke of Alencon.

...led by the Duke of Alencon.

...with the aim of recapturing

bridges along the Loire.

...with the aim of recapturing

the bridges along the Loire.

Joan then led a small...

Have you ever been there?

The Loire?

Switzerland.

I've never even been to Paris.

You know I'd go with you if I thought

I wouldn't slow you down.

You've really never been to Paris?

I've never even left Dannevilliers

except to go to school.

What?

What?

Where are you going?

Sara?

Well?

How do you like Paris so far?

It's, um...

It's great.

Up ahead is the Place de l'Etoile.

Do you see it?

Yes?

Julien. Here, take the wheel.

Come on.

Just use your imagination.

Just picture it in your mind's eye...

the Arc de Triomphe.

It's a beautiful archway,

over 50 meters tall.

And there,

the Place de la Concorde.

Do you see all those lovely cafes?

The flower shops?

Julien?

You really want me to say yes, don't you?

It's only fun if you try.

The world of reality has its limits.

The world of imagination is boundless.

Keep trying.

We're driving down a quaint little street

in the sixieme arrondissement.

And now we're turning...

...along the banks of the River Seine.

That's the Saint-Michel bridge.

Just up there.

-Wait, I kind of see it now. -You do?

-Really? -Really.

And there, to the left, there's Notre-Dame.

Isn't it incredible?

It really is.

Can I admit something embarrassing?

I do this at least three times a week.

You try spending every single day alone in a barn.

Watch out for that lady!

Just for that, we're skipping the Eiffel Tower.

No.

Please. Not the Eiffel Tower.

Fine.

The next three weeks

passed very strangely.

Time seemed to crawl.

And yet, it also seemed to move very, very fast.

Almost too fast.

See that leopard over there?

See how its spots are all circular?

Yeah.

That's because we're in East Africa.

In the south, the spots would be square.

-You're making that up. -I am not.

Dang.

Wait, Sara, Sara, see over there?

See them? They're zebras.

Oh, they're beautiful.

What's up there?

I was anxious about leaving for Switzerland.

I knew I would miss those evenings with Julien.

It was as if

we had created our own little world,

even as the world outside grew darker and darker.

Georges, it's me.

I'm here for the papers.

They were up to something.

What have we here?

Look at this.

We're gonna send a message.

This is what happens to traitors.

Come on.

Hurry up!

Let's go. Let's go.

Whoo!

Whoo!

Look out!

I hate them.

I hate them so much.

I'm so sorry, Julien.

I just...

I just can't believe he's gone.

Remember the bird I told you about?

I drew her for you, so you can meet her too.

She always comes when I need her.

She brings me hope.

♪ Little bird, little bird ♪

♪ How high will you fly? ♪

♪ As high as the sky ♪

♪ As the sky above ♪

♪ Little bird, little bird ♪

♪ How far will you see? ♪

♪ As far as I wish ♪

♪ For now ♪

♪ I am free♪

Thank you.

My plan for being smuggled out

disappeared with Georges.

The attack on the cinema was only the beginning

of a much darker phase of the occupation.

The killing had begun.

Attention!

The Germans set up new headquarters

right in Dannevilliers.

Jean-Paul.

Now we had far more to worry about

than just the nosy Lafleurs.

Nazis were everywhere,

on every road in and out of the village.

There was no way I could reach Switzerland now.

The Beaumiers tried to make my life

as bearable as possible.

Vivienne continued to keep me fed,

bring clean clothes

and of course, keep me company for an hour or two.

But as summer came and went,

it was Julien's nightly visits that sustained me.

The barn had become my whole world.

And Julien, its center.

Damn. Here.

We had in common one crucial thing.

We had both seen how much hate people are capable of.

And how much courage it took to be kind.

Because when kindness can cost you your life,

it becomes like a miracle.

It is the light in the darkness

that Papa talked about.

I began to see Julien as more than my rescuer

or even my friend.

He was my light.

Special trip tonight, Mademoiselle Blum.

How lovely.

Where to this time?

You'll see.

Close your eyes, okay?

How would you like to visit New York tonight?

What?

Sure.

Okay, then.

Open your eyes.

Oh, Julien.

It's so beautiful.

Oh, look at the theaters.

What's that?

That's the Empire State Building.

Tourteau.

Don't you ever bathe?

I thought crabs liked water.

Monsieur Beaumier...

May I have a word in my office?

The teachers and I have been talking,

and we've decided to place you in advanced mathematics.

You will be with the older children.

But I suspect they'll be the ones trying to keep up.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Julien.

There's not much brings me joy these days.

You can go back to class now.

Bye.

Bye.

It's early.

Is everything okay?

My sketchbook!

I was in Pastor Luc's and I saw it on the shelf.

Thank you!

I was so stupid back then.

I'm just telling you.

-What... -Shh!

Go back up and hide.

And don't come out no matter what. Go, quick.

He's in there.

Tourteau?

Hey, Tourteau.

What's going on, Tourteau?

What are you... What are you doing here?

Uh, I was just working on my father's car.

I saw you sneaking out of Pastor Luc's office

with something.

What?

Don't play dumb with us, cripple.

I left my book there. So what?

-Yeah, bullshit. -I swear.

Please, it's in my house. I can show you right now.

-They asked me to fix it. -You're a bad liar.

Please. No.

What'd you steal from Pastor Luc?

Nothing. I just left my book.

You think you're smarter than everyone, don't you?

No.

You're pathetic, you know that?

Weak, deformed, useless.

Do you know what Nazis do with people like you?

Do you?

They exterminate them like Jews.

I should do the human race a favor...

and put you out of your misery right now.

All right, he's learned his lesson, Vincent.

Shut your mouth! He hasn't!

The hell are you looking at, freak?

Vive l'humanite.

What did you say?

What...

The hell is that?

They're bats! Let's get out of here!

It's okay, you're okay.

Go back to the loft.

-They could come back soon. -It's okay.

-They've gone. It's okay. -I said, go to the loft!

-What? -What are you, stupid? Go!

-I just wanted... -I don't care what you want.

It's not always about you.

You know what happens if they find you here?

Do you? They'll arrest my parents.

They'll execute them! Do you understand?

-I didn't think... -Yeah, of course you didn't.

All you think about is yourself.

You're still the same spoiled brat

that sat next to me for five years

and didn't even know my name.

Please.

Please. I'm sorry.

Please.

Julien.

Just... Just go back to the loft, Sara. Please.

It's been days since he's come by.

He just needs more time to heal.

He got so mad at me.

He was just as mad at himself.

The truth is, he should never have taken your sketchbook.

It was too risky for all of us.

He did it for me.

Well, in dark times,

those small things remind us of our humanity.

Vive l'humanite.

Vive l'humanite.

Another week passed,

then another.

And still, Julien stayed away.

Go around the middle,

through, up, and over.

Through, around...

You.

-Can we talk about... -I'd rather not.

Okay.

I hate...

I hate that you saw me like that.

Like what?

Like some weakling.

A helpless, pathetic weakling.

-Julien... -I know it's hard to believe,

but I used to run fast.

Before I got polio, I was the fastest kid

in my whole class.

And I still remember what it felt like

to run like that.

-To be strong. -You are strong.

You are.

And brave.

You're the bravest person I've ever met.

Why? 'Cause I walk with a crutch?

A crutch doesn't make me brave,

it makes me walk.

That's not what I meant.

Could you stop talking, please?

I thought about what you said.

-How I'm selfish. -I was just upset.

-I didn't mean it. -It's true.

The truth is, had you been the one that needed saving,

I probably wouldn't have done it.

-You don't know that. -No, I do.

And I'm sorry.

But you did try to save me, though.

I would have gotten us both killed.

Probably.

Still, it was brave of you.

-Take a compliment. -Fine.

-Thank you. -There we go.

Um, should we get back to the game now?

Okay.

Can I just say one more thing?

What?

Belote.

Look who finally won a hand.

I wouldn't get too used to it.

Winter came, and with it, many changes.

More and more soldiers arrived.

The main roads became more dangerous.

So, Julien started taking the long way to school.

There were other changes, too.

Before I knew it, it was spring again.

Impossible as it seemed,

I'd been in hiding for over a year.

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday, dear Sara ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

I didn't even realize it was today.

Happy birthday, my sweet.

Is it really chocolate?

Vivienne has been saving ration cards

for months.

Make a wish, Blum.

Thank you.

It's beautiful.

Right, let's eat some cake.

How'd you get it past the Lafleurs?

We did something a bit naughty...

God forgive us.

Last week, I had a tooth pulled.

My doctor gave me sleeping powder for the pain.

I had a little extra.

So maman put it

in their milk this afternoon.

We could hear them snoring through the walls.

Mm. Now, I was told there'd be dancing.

Mm. But of course.

Madame.

Monsieur.

Thank you for my present.

-It's a bird. -I can see that.

Radio London interrupts

this broadcast to bring you developing news.

Monte Cassino has been liberated by the Allies.

The 1st German Parachute Division

has been destroyed...

...clearing the path to Rome for the Allies.

France will be next.

That means the war will be over soon.

...occupied Europe to be rescued

from Hitler's grasp.

And now,

your regularly scheduled program.

Sara.

What are you doing here?

It must be after midnight.

I got one more present for you.

A walk?

Are you okay?

Yeah.

I just haven't been outside in...

Come on.

I'd never been there at night before.

All those stories of giant wolves

would've scared me away.

But that night,

I felt no fear.

The Mernuit.

Happy birthday.

There's, um...

There's something I've gotta say,

and I feel like if I don't do it now,

then I'll never be able to.

Here's the thing...

If the war is really going to end soon...

Well, when it does,

I want you to know that in the future

that I see for myself, I...

Well, you're a part of it.

-And I'm wondering if maybe... -Yes.

I haven't even asked the question yet.

I know the answer.

Yes.

You should go.

The sun will be up soon.

Yeah.

Oh, wait, I have something for you too.

Really?

Yeah.

I left something for you.

It's in the middle.

See you tomorrow.

Vive l'humanite.

"I used to be afraid of the night.

"But now I see it as my time for listening

"to the soul of the world

"telling me its secrets, over and over,

"like a song,

"'You love Julien.

"'You love Julien.'

"'Yes,' I answer. 'I know.

"'I love Julien.'"

I did.

I loved him.

I wasn't brave enough to say it that night.

But I decided, the next night, I would.

And maybe he would say he loved me too.

I love you, Sara Blum.

Julien, you'll be late for school.

Good morning, maman.

Someone's in a good mood.

Why not? The sun is shining, the bluebells are blooming.

Bluebells?

See you tonight, maman.

I'm not sure what made Julien take

the main road to school that morning.

Perhaps he was feeling brave.

Perhaps he had other things on his mind.

In order, ma'am.

...much shorter than they...

You there! Cripple!

Papers.

I'm just on my way to school, the Ecole Lafayette.

We can take you.

Wait. My bag.

Come on, move. Let's get in.

Up, come on.

Jean-Paul.

It's your son, Julien.

What? What happened?

The police took him away.

It's Sara, right?

Little missing Jewess.

No, don't, don't, don't!

So that's where you were this whole time,

hiding in Tourteau's barn?

His name is Julien.

Put your hands up. Put them up!

Please.

Turn around.

Turn around!

Coward.

Halt!

Stop the truck!

Where are you going?

-Check the load. -Why are we stopping?

Vivienne? Jean-Paul?

Vivienne? Jean-Paul?

Stay where you are.

Not another step or I'll shoot.

Okay, but please...

What are you doing here?

I'm a friend of Julien Beaumier.

What do you want with us?

Nothing. I just need to find Vivienne.

Please.

-Don't make me shoot you. -Stay there.

Sara?

Rabbi Bernstein?

Bernstein, you know this girl?

This is Sara Blum.

Her family lived down the street from us.

I don't understand.

Lafleur, please,

put the gun away.

Sara, what are you doing here?

The Beaumiers were hiding me in their barn.

They thought you were informants for the Nazis.

Sara, the Lafleurs have been hiding us

in their attic for almost two years now.

Today, we're being smuggled out

by the Armee Juive.

You should come with us.

No, I can't. I have to find Vivienne.

Julien's been arrested.

I just told you.

There have been no arrests today.

You are lying.

No, he's just upset.

-He's... -I'm sorry.

It's okay.

Madame. Madame.

I know your son.

He was taken this morning.

They put him in a truck

along with some patients from the hospital.

They're heading to a prison camp

-in the mountains. -Oh!

He can still be saved...

for the right money.

That poor boy.

Bernstein, we haven't got much time.

He's waiting downstairs.

We'll look after the girl till the Beaumiers return.

Good luck, old friend.

You write to us when you get to Jerusalem.

God will remember your kindness.

It's Vivienne.

Vivienne!

-Sara! -Vivienne!

It's okay.

The Lafleurs have been hiding the Bernsteins there.

We need to go.

How much money do you need?

So much more than we have.

We'll take my car.

Sara, you should go up to our attic.

Let's go.

Everybody, out!

Come on! Everybody, out!

Get out! Let's go!

-Get out. -What's going on?

This road is closed so you're being diverted.

Better take a little break now.

Come on! Out! Let's go!

-All out! -Move!

-Out! Come on! Move! -Quickly.

Out, everybody, come on. Follow him.

-Let's go! -Up the side.

-That's all. -Let's go.

There's nine of us, three of them.

Tell the others. On my word.

Come on, quicker.

Please.

My son is on that truck.

Please.

Not anymore. They continued on foot.

No, no, no. No.

Please.

Please. I have money.

Money for his release.

Come on.

♪ Little bird ♪

♪ Little bird ♪

♪ How high will you fly? ♪

♪ Just as high as the sky ♪

♪ As the sky above you ♪

Move.

♪ Little bird ♪

♪ Little bird ♪

♪ How fast will you go? ♪

♪ As fast as a dove ♪

♪ As fast as a crow♪

Run!

They're getting away!

♪ Little bird ♪

♪ Little bird ♪

-♪ How far will you...♪ -No! No!

♪ ...see? ♪

♪ Just as far ♪

No!

♪ As I wish ♪

♪ For now I am free ♪

♪ For now I am free ♪

No!

Julien!

-Vivienne! -Get her back in the car now!

Get her back, or I'll shoot.

No, no, no! Please, no! No.

Please.

Vivienne.

Get back to the car.

Please. We'll leave.

Quick, quick, quick.

The Beaumiers returned to the woods...

Julien!

...once the soldiers had moved on.

They searched for Julien all through the night

and for many days that followed.

Julien!

They continued to cling to the hope

that perhaps Julien had gotten away.

Julien?

But deep down, they knew better.

Still, somehow, they put aside their immeasurable sorrow

to take care of me.

I stayed with them through the end of the war.

Hidden, of course.

But not in the barn.

I could never set foot in there again.

The final capitulation

of the Nazi state...

In August,

the Nazi occupation finally ended.

The Germans were driven out of France.

And when the Allied troops gathered

at the Arc de Triomphe,

you could hear the whole world cheer.

I continued to live with the Beaumiers,

who'd become like family.

I was glad to be back at school.

But nothing was the same.

The weeks passed in a fog.

I couldn't stop thinking about all that had happened to me.

And to Julien.

Then one day in early November...

It was Papa.

He was back.

He said he was still looking for maman.

That he and another doctor had evaded the roundup

by hiding in the morgue.

I introduced him to the Beaumiers,

who he could not stop thanking.

That night, Papa took me aside.

Somehow, I knew it was about maman.

Sara...

He had tried to keep the truth from me,

but he realized he could not.

He explained that on the day of the roundup...

You!

...maman had been arrested.

Stop! Stop right there!

She was put on a train to Drancy.

And from there,

sent to the concentration camp in Auschwitz.

He didn't know how long she was kept there.

Only that this is where she was put to death.

I think a part of me knew she hadn't survived.

In the white bird, I had always felt her spirit,

gifting me hope when I had none.

Papa and I stayed with the Beaumiers

for a short while,

until he found work at a hospital in Paris,

the city that would become my new home.

You will always have a mother in me.

I love you.

I came back to visit the Beaumiers often.

Throughout my life.

And when I married your grandfather,

they, along with my papa,

walked me down the aisle.

Mazel tov!

You forget many things in life.

But you never forget kindness.

Like love...

it stays with you forever.

And I suppose that, mon cher, is the end of my story.

Did I upset you?

Yeah, but in a good way.

And do you understand why I needed to tell you

this story now, Julian?

Oh.

-It's okay, I've got it. -Ah!

Merci, mon cher.

You know her

for her incredibly influential body of work

found in museums all over the world.

But today,

it is our great honor to celebrate her life's work,

as part of our series devoted to activism in the arts.

Will you please join me in welcoming

the one and only

Sara Blum.

Have a nice day. Thank you for coming.

Bonjour. Merci.

Bonjour, mes amis.

It is my privilege to be with you today.

You know, I have made speeches like this before.

I've told versions of my story.

But for most of my life,

I have much preferred to let my art speak for me.

I think that is why I became an artist.

To fly away from the pain that I have known.

But I was talking

with my young grandson last night,

and I realized something.

I realized

I do not want to fly away anymore.

You see, my life was not normal.

Hatred is not normal.

Cruelty is not normal.

My bad.

Love is normal.

Kindness is normal.

But simply knowing this is not enough.

It must be shared.

It must be practiced.

Excuse me.

Hi. Uh...

I just wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday.

I was kind of a jerk to you.

Kind of. Whatever. It's cool.

-My name's Julian, by the way. -I'm Rahmiya.

Sometimes the smallest gestures...

Join our club.

...can lead to the greatest change.

So, you wanna come to D.C. with our club?

Uh, yeah.

Yeah.

A very wise man, Martin Luther King, once said,

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness.

"Only the light can do that."

Now, this is what my father believed.

We must, all of us, use the light within ourselves

to stop the injustices of today.

For only then can we be certain

that the darkness of the past will never be repeated.

And that those...

And that those who gave their lives to defy it

did so for a brighter tomorrow.

Vive l'humanite!

Vive l'humanite!

Vive l'humanite!

Vive l'humanite!

Vive l'humanite! Vive l'humanite!

Vive l'humanite! Vive l'humanite!

Vive l'humanite! Vive l'humanite!