THE ANT'S PATH
735, 736, 737, 738, 739...
... 777, 778, 779, 780, 781...
They can't read the omens.
From the very start.
Nobody notices the little stabs in the back.
Sometimes I think I'm the only one left...
who hasn't lost all his feeling.
See what I mean?
'Afternoon, Alfred.
Red again, isn't it!
Come on!
Mr Freitag, you'd only have...
yourself to blame if something happened.
And I won't bear false witness for you.
There's nothing coming!
It makes no difference how punctuall...
I leave the office. The lights always turn red.
Maybe they have it in for you.
I've wondered about that myself...
The Waneceks.
Uncle and nephew.
The nephew...
A despicable creature.
The flowers were beautiful.
Yes...
That's how your aunt wanted it.
A plain stone slab.
Dark.
Name and date on the gravestone,
a few flowers on top, and that's all.
He did a lovely job, the gardener.
Aha, coming back from the cemetery.
The nephew all over him! Of course.
His birthday's coming up.
He has to visit his rich uncle...
and drive to the graveyard.
Will you have dinner with me?
I'm sorry but...
Okay, okay. You've got plenty on your plate.
The hairdresser's clock. Three minutes slow.
No wonder he's short of customers!
Mrs Haslinger, and that's it.
Wash and perm twice a week.
Cigars and whiskey!
Dr Breithofer would call that...
an attempt on my life.
Well, Happy Birthday again! -Thanks.
Cigars and whiskey!
What a kind thought!
The crawler!
The aspiring heir to the house.
That's it: the house!
The same people for years on end.
Let's hope the old man...
stays alive lots longer!
Hello.
Right. Just carry that down.
O God, I've got to get the laundry ready.
I'll do that right away.
Laundry.
Oil stove.
And the pharmacy.
Pharmacy first...
The pharmacy's closed.
You can do that tomorrow.
But my prescription's still at the pharmacy...
Come on, let's have a drink, us two.
I was just going to cancel it.
Thursday.
Much better.
Franz, did you put the coffee on? -Yes.
Greek island, six letters.
Lesbos.
Let me read.
Stop it, you're spoiling my hairdo.
A fine person, old Wanecek.
Heart in the right place, good taste...
and sarcastic when he wants to be.
A true Viennese of the old kind.
There aren't many left.
A dying race.
He says he counts his steps every day,
from the office to the traffic light.
And it always turns red when he gets there.
Rubbish!
It's true!
Your crazy friends get on my nerves!
He isn't my friend.
I'm not stupid.
I don't count my steps when I walk.
It's okay, Ernsti.
You can never be too careful, Freitag's right.
Otherwise, though, he's a coarse person...
with no idea of what it's really about.
Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet.
My name's Navratil.
Alfred Navratil.
Civil servant at the Office of Statistics.
I don't have much to do...
with the people here. Why should I?
Except for Mrs Gerhartl.
Now that's an amazing woman!
She collects whatever she finds.
You could call it stealing.
But see for yourself.
Apart from the clockmaker's shop...
and the hairdresser...
there are thirteen apartments,
eighteen tenants,
a Yugoslav concierge,
three children,
and one dog.
Stop it, Willi! That's enough.
Hey, the Weinbergers are going on vacation.
Peace and quiet at last!
Now everyone's happy.
Hi.
What is it?
Shut up!
Yes, yes...
dumb creature!
Hello, Mr Freitag. Off to work again?
Right.
Mr Freitag,
what do you think about poor Willi?
He'll get over it.
You think so?
Sure. It'll get better.
Ignaz, leave that alone!
You're mother will be angry.
Hello, Mrs Gerhartl. -Good evening.
Back already?
Yes. I've had dinner. You too?
Me?
A stew. With potatoes.
What do you want, Alfred?
You've got so much stuff there...
I urgently need a large quantity of matches.
Do you... Could you help me out?
Of course I can help.
Antal!
Can't you hear? Can't you see?
Can't hear, can't see...
Why do I have to put with this?
Has everyone gone crazy in this house?
Hello, Mrs Haslinger.
I'm sorry, we didn't hear you ringing.
Mrs Zwokic, is this necessary?
It's making the glasses rattle in the cupboard.
You know what it's like...
How about that!
The Americans...
flat as a pancake over there.
Even our old steam locomotive...
could pull 210 cars when it's that flat.
Bet that thing couldn't make it...
over the Semmering Pass, though.
What are they so proud of, then?
Thank you, Mrs Gerhartl. Many thanks.
If I'd known...
Come on, come on.
You won't believe your eyes.
I don't know what to say, Alfred.
It's lovelier than the real thing!
And how's it glued together?
With synthetic resin lime.
It's rock solid.
What an artist you are!
Tell me,
how much work has gone into this?
It will have been a good 650-700 hours' work.
The things you do!
My word, it's so beautiful.
It should be in a museum.
The time is twelve o'clock.
You are hearing the bells of the parish church.
Talk to me when I talk to you!
Come on, that's right.
Eat up.
Willi,
what's wrong?
Don't you like the rice?
Wait.
Do you want a piece of meat?
Look, Willi.
There you are, a piece of meat.
What's wrong, Willi.
The doctor said...
you have to wear it, you know.
An imperceptible movement...
a destiny.
God be with me.
Off you go and that's that.
Peace at last.
Hello, Mr Halbgebauer. -What do you want?
Do you stock stop watches?
Only precision chronometers.
With a built-in alarm?
You'd be better off buying an alarm clock.
But I need a stop watch...
with a dual time-keeping function.
Why would you want...
a dual time-keeping function?
Ignaz! Did you just buy something in there?
Yes. A digital stop watch.
Quartz precision with its own memory.
Programmable, and dual time-keeping function.
Sounds more like a Swiss army knife!
Are you such a keen sportsman?
No, I need it for a scientific experiment.
Hey, Alfred, I almost forgot.
Mr Halbgebauer's really angry...
that everybody has to go through his shop now.
But... but that's...
It's just for a week or two,
so the new landlord says.
The new landlord?
Have they all gone raving mad?
Furniture removers turn up,
surveyors start measuring the street.
And what does Halbgebauer do?
He winds his clocks up!
As if nothing was going on.
But I know him,
the fox!
Doesn't bat an eyelid.
What will happen,
if he ever manages to get all his clocks...
to chime at the same moment?
The concierge.
I'll sound her out.
Perhaps she knows more.
What's going on here,
what are they doing here?
The front door is broken.
Ah, I see. And what do we do at night?
He sleeps all night with his clocks.
He's in love with his clocks.
But at night... how do I get in?
Dear friends. The electricity and the post...
have been working again since yesterday.
I hope you will get this letter.
We received your parcel.
Many, many thanks.
God bless you and your wife.
Things are better now.
We all want to stay here if we possibly can.
The Djordjevics' son is dead.
He was the same age as our Zorica.
Last year he took his driving test here.
I can remember it exactly.
Now all our cars are gone, and he's dead.
His parent weep a lot.
8 minutes and 37.3 seconds.
What?
It took you 8 minutes...
and 37.3 seconds to make my meal.
You want me to be faster?
No. I'm just collecting statistics.
You like it?
It's fine.
Nobody seems to have noticed anything.
I have an alarming premonition.
I must be on my guard. And take precautions.
So that the danger...
doesn't catch me unprepared.
The appropriate course of action...
seems to be: first,
to draw up a careful plan for each day,
to think clearly and keep calm...
I'll write everything down;
I have to keep...
a careful watch over everything...
if I'm to draw the right conclusions.
Second:
I must be specially watchful.
Whatever happens,
I'm be prepared.
Old Wanecek had a stroke.
You don't say!
What do you care?
They carried him out three days ago.
Feet first.
One less.
Who does the house belong to now?
How should I know?
The next asshole, probably.
There are three pictures in there.
One like a Stubbs,
the others are a bit more conventional.
Where's the suitcase?
Over there. At the back.
Yes? Sorry, no. Yes, of course.
We'll be here till about five, five-thirty.
Yes, fine.
Hello. Is that the Classified Ads department?
There's a stain on it.
I'd like to put an Ad in your paper. "See this!
"Stylish renovated apartments.
"Architect will consult.
"View May 5,
"7 to 10am."
Yes, that's fine.
Tell Sighart to send us round some workmen...
from Brünnerstrasse tomorrow morning.
What's the problem?
Five minutes aren't five minutes,
they're shorter. -Shorter.
You see, Ernsti doesn't like...
the white of his boiled eggs runny.
Runny.
Fool!
Those are the fuses.
No.
Bloody hell! What's going on?
Rosi!
Where is the bitch?
Are you crazy?
Why've the lights gone off?
What's wrong, Ernsti?
Rosi? What're you doing?
Where's that idiot of a concierge,
the old bitch?
Why's the electricity gone off?
Franz! What's wrong down there? -Look!
Right! Now screw it in!
What's going on?
Gerlinde! Ring the police!
Mr Haslinger, please!
I'm here. Come on. -Thank you so much.
They're Polish.
Let me... I worked in Prague once.
Who are you?
We live here. Number 6.
Mr Wanecek's apartment.
What kind of trash are you?
Burglars, that's what you are, sons of bitches.
Switching the electricity off!
Breaking in, huh?
And what have we here? -About time.
Mr Neumann is hungry.
He goes into a restaurant.
Here he meets a gentleman.
Waiter, kindly bring me a plate of cold meat...
and a slice of bread...
Waiter,
kindly bring me...
What's that?
Our new car.
What?
Our new car!
Are you crazy? -Come and look!
What's this idiot up to? Shit!
Just what the hell is that? -Well, it's a car.
A car! A car? It's falling apart!
Mrs Morgenwind, what are you doing?
You're blocking the road. -What do you want?
Come on, I'll take you upstairs.
So now that trash have bought a car!
Of course!
And it has to be a Mercedes!
Mrs Helbe...
What's wrong with you, Mrs Halbhofer?
Mr Freitag, if only you knew...
what my poor Willi is suffering.
Look at him.
But in your profession...
you see so much suffering yourself.
You can say that again, Mrs Halbhuber.
I don't trust the vet any more.
Mrs Halbhofer... -Look at this!
What's wrong, the poor little doggy.
And Mr Freitag, be kind to your patients.
Yes, yes, there's plenty of patients around.
These oldtimers are worth a fortune!
And how do we get rid of these Poles...
afterwards?
We didn't put anything in writing.
No problem.
Hello, Mr Wanecek. -Hello.
I've heard the house is being renovated.
Yes. We're going ahead with it.
Goodbye, Mrs Wanecek.
Didn't I know it.
Haslinger's bootlicking.
I'm here, Antal.
It was over there...
I know, Mrs Morgenwind.
Over there, and I saw them at it.
The old bastard.
And with that Hinteregger woman!
I know, Mrs Morgenwind.
The past is catching up with Mrs Morgenwind.
The Weinbergers, though, are still on vacation,
blissfully unaware...
of the horrific present that's engulfing them.
I officially declare this apartment to be sealed.
They didn't even take the trouble...
to answer my letter.
Hey, clear all this up in the evening.
I don't want tools disappearing...
or paint being used.
It's a blessing that old Zwokic...
can't hear anything.
Just imagine what a fuss he'd make...
if he also found out what's going on!
Merciful silence envelopes him,
and thus us too.
Great boss, your husband.
If you say so. -Yes. Work is great.
He's rich, your husband, huh?
Ask him next week.
From now on he must pay a hundred Schillings.
Isn't too much.
Is too little still.
The old woman lives there?
Which one?
The one with the coat and the purse?
The very old woman?
No.
She looks like a weasel.
She must be crazy.
There are at least six TVs there.
Mobile phones, answering machines,
sports equipment.
And it isn't even unpacked. You understand?
She hasn't touched it... still packed.
What does she need it for? -No idea.
Okay, let's get going.
I don't believe it.
You hear that, Gerlinde?
Antal, not again!
They're going down one after the other.
We're all mortal.
The doors open,
Death enters.
The clocks chime.
Did you hear it?
Damn it!
Loses 3 minutes a day.
That's precision too in a way.
You know something?
I put it forward three minutes every day.
I know I shouldn't.
Sometimes I think people sense...
there's something wrong with it.
Gerti, I know what you think of me.
But honestly, I can't slow it down.
Help! Help!
Behind the wood!
I don't believe it! How do they do it?
The three biggest idiots in Kolbuszo!
They have an aunt in America.
In Oklahoma.
But I'm going to go there.
Without an aunt. I'll bet you!
There's a recession over there too.
You know how difficult it is to get a job?
They're all out of work.
Not if you work illegally.
What d'you mean, illegally?
They don't have insurance over there.
Everyone counts the same. Poles and Americans.
I'll marry an American woman.
And then I'll be an American myself.
New York. America.
Can't you see them standing in line already.
Yes. Specially for me!
Women everywhere just want to get laid.
Top quality!
What's going on?
Don't get excited.
Everything's being renovated.
This our apartment.
We live here. Legal!
Pay rent to Mr Wanecek.
1,500 Marks. -Schillings.
What do I care?
Go to the caretaker.
Where are we supposed to shit?
Have to shit.
Go and fuck yourselves. If you can.
Go and shit wherever you want.
Assholes.
When my dad gets home, he'll get you for this!
I've had enough. -That's disgusting!
Hey, can't you hear... ?
This sandwich is disgusting.
Makes you want to throw up.
Can't you hear someone whimpering?
Yes, I can hear it too.
There are the workmen. Well, gentlemen?
What are they doing?
Didn't you read the notice on the board?
He's renovating the house. -What a mess!
Can't make an omelette...
without breaking an egg!
Don't overdo it, gentlemen...
it's only our house, you know!
God, what's happening there?
Our Mr Wanecek is having the house renovated.
Yes, Mr Wanecek is having...
a few necessary repairs done.
Kindly allow me to voice...
my profound condolences.
I was a great admirer of your husband.
What did you say?
I have no idea what's going on here.
It was Mr Zwokic who died, not Mr Halbgebauer.
He's still alive.
He's down in his shop, with his clocks.
It can't be helped, Mrs Sliskovitz.
Just think how beautiful it'll be afterwards.
Take a look at that!
I don't want to see it.
It's a necessity!
Nearly as good as yours.
In the old days,
when Antal went everywhere by train.
Come on, Franz, let's go.
What are you doing here? -Carrying pipes.
Not into my apartment! -I do what I'm told.
What do I care, anyway...
You're disturbing the peace!
Please, don't be insolent.
It was only later that we discovered...
Mrs Vymlatil had been unable...
to leave her apartment.
But when the renovation work just stopped,
some of us should have reacted with more...
than just the predictable indignation.
But the day that is starting...
in the house is a day like any other.
Good morning, Mrs Haslinger.
Good morning, Mrs Zwokic.
I'm so sorry.
You see,
you see!
Can't you see what I mean? -What?
The markings!
They're making their next move.
They're going to launch a war on us.
Against us?
They're just digging up the road.
The summer's coming!
And why are they digging up the road?
Cable TV.
Let me tell you: they're very clever.
You can see it. -Me?
You fall for every trap.
But we're skating on thin ice, young lady.
When people dig things up,
they're looking for something.
Or trying to undermine it.
They are trying to undermine...
the very cornerstones of our existence.
Quite frankly,
I don't dare even to be afraid...
of what I'm afraid of being afraid about.
Goodbye, Alfred.
"How are you?
"I'm sick, like you.
"My right hip...
"and both knees.
"Unfortunately I can't visit you.
"Anni is a widow now.
"She is sad.
"Mr Zwokic also died,
"he was 82.
"She weeps a lot.
"I never get to visit the grave these days.
"Poor Eddi...
"has been lying in it for 19 years now,
"Walter for 2 years.
"How are you?
"Write to me some time.
"Fondly,
"Johanna Morgenwind."
Are you ready?
There we are, my little ant.
I'm a harvest ant.
Although this looks more...
like an Anomma arcens.
Come on, Ignaz.
Come, honey. Recite it once more for me.
I'd like to hear it again.
You mean that? -Yes, honestly.
They call us Formicidae...
But you know us as ants.
We run around and work hard...
Building our ant nest...
Our purpose is to build our colony.
We run and pant in our ants' nest...
And hustle and bustle along our ants' path.
Guess who's coming to dinner!
Protect yourself with Vandal.
It makes a difference...
which insecticide you choose.
Ignaz,
what kind of a bee are you?
I'm a Pogonomyrex barbatus.
A worker from the family of the harvest ants.
Isn't he cute?
But my mandibles are wrong.
Mummy didn't have the right wire.
They should look like this.
Let's see.
It stinks here! -You stink!
Shut up!
The whole vacation was a disaster.
Stop it now, we're all tired.
Do you have to behave like animals?
Then you're monkeys!
What did you say to me?
You're monkeys!
Günter! -How dare you!
Your father is not a monkey,
kindly remember that!
I thought so:
the Weinberger crowd are back,
with their snivelling kids.
Bang goes the peace and quiet.
I don't believe your cheek,
calling your father a monkey!
Günter, what's this seal doing... ?
Hello, Mr Weinberger. -Hello.
What's going on?
I thought you'd moved out.
Moved out! The new landlord threw them out.
What? The landlord?
Günter, what are we gong to do?
Should've paid the rent, shouldn't you!
Marie,
take the children and to your mum's.
To Grandma.
I told you...
we should've gone to Grandma right away.
I'll handle things here.
That's what I expected of you.
It would have been the first time...
hadn't licked somebody's boots. you
Let me tell you what you are:
a trouble-maker.
Stop that!
Okay, okay.
Weinberger is arming himself.
Fine.
Nobody else seems to realise...
that we're being threatened, though.
Great cooking, Rosi.
Really?
How much worse does it have to get?
Hurry up, it's time you were in bed.
Camponotus herculaneus.
Popularly known as "termites".
Alfred, I'm so glad at least you're here.
You're the only person I can talk to.
I can't even go to the police.
Nobody in their right mind goes to the police.
I won't either.
But they were only things.
The world's crammed with things.
Who needs them?
Look inside the shops...
packed with rubbish.
It's twofold exploitation.
They pay people a pittance to make garbage,
then they sell us the garbage for a fortune.
Do I need to change?
Of course not, Mrs Gerhartl.
It was over there...
We know, Mrs Morgenwind.
Son of a bitch.
With that Hinteregger woman...
We know, Mrs Morgenwind.
Oh Lord, I forgot my glasses.
Don't worry, Mrs Morgenwind.
I forgot my glasses...
when I was in the hospital too.
I'll go and fetch them.
Wait, I'll give you the key.
There.
But Mrs Morgenwind, not my own people!
When I'm in the grave,
I won't need my glasses any more.
I can't see the stairs properly. No light.
Look at those insects!
No wonder, with the door...
wide open day and night!
It has nothing to do with the door.
In the old days, before the war,
we had bed bugs.
As big as that.
Each morning we looked terrible!
Bitten to death, we were.
Things could be the same again soon.
And the lice!
They rubbed our hair with petroleum...
and then went through it with a nit comb.
That hurt!
We screamed like stuck pigs!
If that didn't help, they cut our plaits off.
Thank you very much.
When Hitler came, things got better.
Oh Jesus!
Where's Mrs Zwokic got to?
On the john, probably.
They've been out of order for 3 days now.
Not mine. Mine works.
You see!
Notice.
What's wrong? -How's that possible?
Because he never married her.
I don't know, Alfred. I don't know.
It's a blessing that the meeting's today.
We'll tell everybody what's really going on.
'Afternoon.
My husband was registered in the apartment.
And he always paid the rent.
Imagine: Mrs Zwokic has been given notice.
Who?
The one with the cap.
They've given her notice. How could they?
Oh, her.
The old bags all look the same to me.
Got your wallet with you?
I don't know what it is about you.
Willi's crazy about you. He adores you.
Let's go.
Well, Ignaz!
And your husband?
Does the kid have everything?
Yes, three cases full.
What, the kid's coming along too?
Yes. Ignaz has collected important evidence.
That's the main thing. -Shut up!
What's that?
Two, four, six, eight, one, two, three.
And all good stuff. Look at that!
Vodka, vodka, vodka.
I can see a bottle of Metaxa.
Come on, pull yourself together.
What for? -Because I say so.
You know what you can do...
If you make a laughing stock of me...
Then what?
You know what!
You think I care? I'd be happy.
There was a terrible noise.
We were frantic.
The boy couldn't concentrate!
They were singing chorales.
The concierge was there too.
The concierge! I'm not surprised.
They're allowed to live here,
jump around and sing,
and we have to move out!
If only the Iron Curtain was still there!
It's like after the war.
The Russians also brought lice with them.
There's been a nasty smell there.
Come, let's go.
Maybe we can get a drink.
On May 7, 1992...
I saw an exotic-Iooking beetle on my desk.
At first I couldn't classify it.
It later turned out...
to be an Anaglyptus sexcuttatus.
I originally thought it was a coincidence.
But when several Staphylindae appeared...
and I knew they couldn't have...
reproduced in our climate...
I became sure they'd been...
deliberately planted.
We must all realise that,
if we are to succeed,
it will take perseverance.
As for all the evidence presented,
we must first put it in context...
so that we can take...
the appropriate legal steps.
The proceedings with regard...
to the excessive service costs...
have been submitted...
to the Arbitration Office.
A footnote on the tenants' meeting:
no chance of forming a united front.
Confusion about the legal implications.
Young Ignaz made his point succinctly.
Well done.
A boy with a shrewd eye for the essentials.
They are utterly disregarding my warnings.
But the time has come to fight back.
Watch out, Wanecek.
We're going to beat you at your own game!
What the hell's going on here?
Come here, Günther!
Let me talk to him.
I think I know him.
Who are you?
The owners.
Our villa in Döbling burnt to the ground.
Don't worry, we're insured.
We need it ourselves.
Welcome home.
Come on, we've got to get rid of it all.
Where'll we put it all? -No idea. Anywhere.
So what do we do now?
A little job.
And 5,287...
for the two small TVs that are missing.
Less the commission.
I hope that's right.
Oh, Mr Bogdan, don't be angry any more.
It was the shock of finding everything gone.
Who's have thought...
the things were worth so much?
Bring the stuff to us,
and we'll take care of it.
What a character you are, Mr Bogdan!
Now I must sure...
everybody's got something to drink.
Mrs Gerhartl?
But don't get up to any mischief!
It wasn't easy collecting all of this.
I'm afraid I have to...
Work on the car a bit.
Never a moment's peace for Mr Bogdan!
Slowly does it now.
First a bowl of soup,
then off to bed.
You're my only friend.
Did you hear what a fuss they made,
those idiots in the bar?
Jealous...
Brief record. Point one:
First operation successful.
Point two: Mrs Gerhartl is doing business.
Point three:
a new resident...
homeless.
If we took this partition wall out,
the room wouldn't seem so oppressive...
Who are these people?
They're looking at the apartment.
Are we disturbing you? -Of course not.
Not at all.
Which idiot put this ad in the paper?
"Stylish apartments. Architect will consult."
What an idiot I am!
Wanecek, you bastard! Be careful.
The cops could come looking for you.
You and your hangers-on.
In the foundations of one of your houses.
In the concrete.
Hello, Mr Wanecek.
Settled in okay? -Where is he?
Where's he gone? -What do you want?
Did he come through here? Go away!
Go away,
or I'll call the police!
I'll get the police here!
You're trespassing.
Psycho-terror.
I'm the owner. -I'm calling the police now.
You're crazy!
Leave my apartment immediately!
A broken pipe!
Mr Freitag! A broken pipe!
It's all running into my apartment!
Rosi!
Please send a patrol car.
There's a madman in my apartment!
What are you screaming for?
Rosi, turn the water off.
Turn it off, will you! -Wait, Ernsti.
Oh Christ, the pipe's burst!
There's no water turned on!
Turn it off anyway!
It's running through my ceiling.
Somebody help me!
Just a moment, I'm coming.
The landlord's forced his way...
in my apartment!
My dolls are spoilt!
Priceless porcelain and historical costumes!
That's too much! -It'll cost millions!
The whole house is ruined.
I can't stand it any more.
I'm going in there.
I'll wring that fuckwit's neck.
I'm glad you're here. Come in,
I have to show you something...
See what it's like living without a toilet.
One thing's for sure:
admiration for Mrs Sliskovitz' attempts...
to get the landlord to renovate her apartment.
Sign this, saying my apartment...
will be repaired, and I'll let you go.
Of course more carefully laid plans...
would have been preferable.
Well, are you ready?
Mrs Sliskovitz, the pen's smudged.
The name's Weinberger.
Drop your gun! -That's him!
Where is he?
Shithead! I'll teach you...
to mess around with our tenants!
Mrs Wanecek takes matters...
into her own hands.
Her husband has made...
an utter fool of himself.
That doesn't enhance his personal charms.
So she's considering other avenues.
How's the car business?
Hi.
I have the same car.
I thought you might have.
I just wanted to take a look...
at the suspension.
It's fascinating,
I agree with you.
Nice car.
You want to see mine?
Must be much like this one...
parts of it, at least.
Better!
Try it out?
Are you a mechanic? -Of course!
I mean, by profession.
Are you a pro?
A real professional.
As a mechanic?
At any job.
Is that so?
Real estate too?
Mercedes. The best cars.
Germans do best work.
Let's go. Faster. Heil Hitler.
It was over there...
She won't give up.
Complaining even at her age.
Tough old bitch.
Wait, I've nearly talked her into it.
You think so?
Sure. Can't you see how she looks at you.
She's playing hard to get.
She's after you.
You really think so?
Look!
Look,
the notices.
Now he's launching the big attack.
Everything up to now was just a prelude.
So you see.
In three days it'll start.
But I can't see anything, Alfred.
What's supposed to be there?
Not even Mrs Gerhartl realises...
how serious it is.
At least there are some people...
who have assessed the situation.
Franz, I have to go out again,
we're out of beer.
Bring me a pack of cigarettes, will you?
Ignaz!
Goodbye, honey.
Bring me some glue!
Hello. Are you going on vacation?
No, just going to my mother for a few days.
Leaving the men alone?
I've cooked. Franz just has to heat it up,
and Ignaz goes to school anyway.
Vaccination certificate? -I have it.
Let us wish Mrs Haslinger every success...
with the hairdresser.
A life filled with exciting hairdos.
Nobody will be surprised to hear...
that the abandoned hairdressing salon...
is being put to good use.
Quiet!
Quiet up there!
Trash!
Nobody's lived up there for ten years now.
So what? Are you deaf?
No,
nor stupid.
For my part, I feel obliged...
to turn the world upside down...
to get it straight.
First and foremost for Mrs Zwokic.
Can't you let people sleep?
I'll teach you!
Right is...
where your thumb's on the left,
and left where your thumb's on the right.
Are you hurt?
You could have broken your neck.
You could have been killed!
Look, it's simple.
That's Mrs Zwokic's apartment,
and this apartment is mine.
This one belonged to my mother.
Wait.
The apartment that's been vacant for years?
Nobody ever took any interest in it.
I'm unmarried.
I would have sold it to old Wanecek,
but now I rent it to Mrs Zwokic.
You know old people hate change.
But before she was out on the street,
we moved her furniture...
in there.
A stopgap solution, true.
But what do you think.
Will anybody notice?
Mrs Zwokic won't have a clue what's going on.
You still here, Ernst?
One day you'll forget your head,
I know it.
At least you'll know something.
What's wrong?
I think I'll stay at home today.
Maybe not.
We run an ambulance,
not a crematorium!
You have to do something.
Look at that! Poor Willi!
I've been paying for the animals' ambulance,
and now they won't even come.
But Mrs Halb...
It's not worth it.
Your little doggie's snuffed it.
He's had it.
You'll have to buy a new one.
Oh, I know, you get fond of them.
But it's only a dog, after all.
Workmen?
No, a sad occurrence.
Somebody else died?
Yes and no.
We have a corpse on our hands but...
how shall I put it - it's not too tragic.
What's wrong?
Let me go!
I cried like a baby when my hamster died.
But I have to go to work.
I can't lose my job just...
because of a stupid animal!
How long is Mrs Vymlatil on vacation?
I've got a letter from the caretakers.
Mrs Vymlatil's on vacation?
Rubbish. Give it to me.
The old bat's deaf. She can't hear you.
You now what it's like...
they're all deaf as a post.
Christ Almighty!
Another corpse!
Mrs Vymlatil.
She was buried yesterday.
In Ottakring. Next to her husband.
So she's in good hands.
What's wrong? Look at my hand.
It hurts so much!
A tragic coincidence:
at the moment of his greatest triumph,
Mr Halbgebauer...
is caught up in an accident...
involving a taxidermist's delivery van.
His shop is destroyed.
The ultimate cause was his wife's love...
of her pet dog.
Lost in time,
forced to fall back on himself,
he has no other course...
than to marvel at the intruder...
like something from outer space.
Mrs Sliskovitz!
What do you want? -Be careful!
On the street. The beasts are running wild!
My little Willi.
I hope nothing's happened to you...
Stop! Leave that alone!
Impertinence! This is my dog!
Police! Construction vehicles! Intruders!
The war against us all...
is finally shaping up.
The closed front of evil.
I shall withstand violence.
You have the heating on still?
It's nearly summer!
You can never tell.
It can suddenly turn cold.
And then...
And I don't want to have...
to go running for oil.
Where are you going, Mrs Zwokic?
For ten years I've been going...
to the same shop.
And now I can't find it.
It's that way. Right,
not left.
Where did this creature come from?
I could have sworn...
He looks fine.
Even got his hair back again.
Our doctors could learn a thing or two...
from the vets.
All our physicians can do...
is cancel your sick leave.
Well, this way I can keep my Willi...
although it isn't the same as it was.
Nothing's the same as it was.
Go fuck yourselves!
I'm going to fucking America anyway!
To be perfectly honest, Mrs Halbhauser,
I can't handle as much as I used to either.
He's very quiet.
He used to bark his head off.
Good dog.
Oh, Mr Freitag.
He always liked you best.
God bless him.
That's nice.
Animals are clever,
aren't they.
It was always people who let me down,
never animals.
I know what you mean.
Bye now.
A dream comes true for the Poles.
Not all of them.
Shitheads!
It's a severe blow for me that Mrs Gerhartl...
has decided to go with them.
I thought I had found a bosom friend in her.
I spent happy years here.
Adieu!
And the neighbourhood too.
Off into the blue!
What a mess!
Elvira!
Why are you doing this to me?
It's for you.
You promised... Promises are promises.
The first floor burned for hours.
I had foreseen it years ago.
The old man and his heating oil.
It was luck that he didn't burn all down.
A terrible death. May he rest in peace.
People crowd into the house.
Gradually we began to realise just how...
insidious our landlord's plans had been.
The apartments had been sold...
each one to several different buyers.
The schemers outwitted.
None of those who stayed dares...
to leave the apartment.
Sold down the river!
We've been sold down the river.
They can't read the omens.
From the very start.
Nobody notices the little stabs in the back.
Sometimes I think I'm the only one left...
who hasn't lost all his feeling.
Tonight we're going to stay out late.
Dead right.
You're coming with me, Roland.
Let me tell you:
I...
Ernst Freitag, am your friend, understand?
Believe me.
You can count on me.
Rosi and me have plenty of room at home.
If ever you need anything,
you can count on me.
Roland, let me tell you.
Rosi'll make the spare bed for you.
I don't need...
Really!
Because at my place I'm in charge.
I'll ring her. -What for?
I'll tell her to cook something for us.
By the time we get home it'll be on the table.
I'm not hungry.
But thirsty I am. Landlord. Another two...
No more tonight. We're closing.
What d'you mean, closing?
Come on, let's go.
What d'you mean, I'm a regular here.
Come back tomorrow.
Tell me something,
tell me something.
Who does the house belong to now?
Presumably the next asshole.