It's the Boxer.
He's dead alright.
Pull over!
- Can I get in? - No.
- No room? - All full.
Climb up here.
I'll stay here, thanks.
Driver.
Papers.
- Where are you going? - Home.
Where is your home?
The coffee plantation further down, that way.
There used to be a roadblock here. Did you ever pay them?
Yes, I think I did once.
- How much? - I can't remember... 1 00 dollars.
To those thugs?
No wonder they act above the law!
I had to get through. Everyone pays.
That's what breeds corruption.
Because of people like you, this country is filthy.
Can I sit down, sir?
To those ensconced deep in the forest:
Wake up. Leave your hideouts.
Herbs that tone your muscles...
and render you
invisible
and invulnerable.
Madame Vial!
This is your last warning!
You have to leave immediately!
Madame Vial!
The French army is pulling out! We're leaving!
You'll be totally cut off!
Think it over, Madame Vial!
Think of your family!
We're pulling out!
You must leave immediately!
SURVIVAL KIT
These whites, these dirty whites.
They scorn us.
We risk our lives for them!
They're a bunch of upstarts!
Pretentious, arrogant, ignorant.
They don't deserve this beautiful land.
They can't even appreciate it!
GOD DOESN'T GIVE UP
What are you doing? Where are you going?
- Where are you going? - No way to stay.
You can't leave. We just started!
Let's go back.
You know it too! You can't stay. You heard it from above.
Just listen!
I just need one week. Five days or the crop will be ruined.
Five days is nothing. Things have been bad for months!
Your foremen... They're also leaving.
Ange and Maurice? I doubt it.
They are! And so are we!
This is getting bad.
Let's go! Before trouble catches up with us!
Hold on!
Stay here. Why are you leaving?
Suffering and war everywhere!
- One week! Just one week! - No.
Ange!
You can't go, Maurice. What will we do?
We need a week. You saw the crops.
One week at the most!
One short week.
All of a sudden you can't stay? It's too dangerous?
It may be less dangerous... In fact.
We don't have to be terrorized. We can fight back.
That copter didn't come for fun.
It came for you and your family. Not for us!
André is right.
Coffee's coffee. Not worth dying for.
Where are your kids?
Out of harm's way.
Out of harm's way! Open your eyes!
You have a son.
Get him out of bed!
Let him go pick!
You have no right to criticize Manuel!
Get lost! Never come back again!
Never! You hear me, Maurice? Understood?
André?
André isn't here.
André, André...
I knew it. They can't take you down.
Not you, not the Boxer!
I used to say...
if ever I could meet the Boxer
and fight for him...
I'd ask God for nothing else.
Where is it from?
- Where? - The plantation down there.
It's just white material.
Get up, Manuel, please. I need you.
Who's there?
What are you doing here?
Waiting for my uncle.
- Are you Jean-Marie's nephew? - Yes.
Does he know you're here?
He'll be glad to see me.
Are you thirsty?
You want something to eat?
Lucie!
- Where are you going? - To pick up José.
I'll go. I need to hire workers.
I'll get José after.
- You don't get it! - You let them scare you!
- You take it. - This is ridiculous.
Who opened the safe?
Why do you ask?
Look, it's a mess inside.
Ask André instead.
I don't have the keys.
Okay, man!
Leaving?
Just for the village.
It'll be 1 00 dollars.
You're my son's gym teacher.
I'm Maria Vial.
Never saw you. It's 1 00. Whether you go or not.
Cut it out. It's 1 0 if I go, zero if I don't.
You know who I am.
I know all of you.
Peter Nembo, François-Joseph.
Your father sells seeds.
Why mention his father?
You pay and you go. Or else you die.
If she doesn't pay,
I'll waste her!
Hello, Bernard.
Hello, Christine.
That's serious protection!
I'm not so sure... It's really not much.
Mr. Vial's medicine. I checked. It's all there.
Except for the oxygen.
André will pick it up later.
Got a pen?
We prefer cash now. Dollars.
I see...
Take this.
Can you break these bills for me?
Many things are to be found in Mama's and Papa's homes.
But go about it gently.
Everyone is entitled his share.
And don't ever forget...
what fate has in store for us,
no one can take away.
You should leave.
Beware of imposters, smooth talkers and thieves.
As for the white material, the party's over.
No more cocktails on shaded verandas
while we sweat water and blood.
They're deserting.
They're right to run scared.
Our rulers are already trembling,
their valises filled with booty they amassed
while you were starving.
Hello. Is your Daddy here?
Daddy's not home.
Goodbye.
THE MAYOR KEEPS HIS WORD
She'll be stunned that you tried selling the plantation.
You're betraying her.
I'm protecting her from herself.
We no longer turn a profit.
No use getting massacred over some coffee.
The plantation isn't worth a thing.
I'm glad to hear the plantation is worthless.
I keep you alive.
Without me, you'd be rotting on the Garonne.
Come on, don't overdo it!
André...
It's falling apart. Beyond hope.
In six months it'll be raining inside.
It was already too late when you built it.
That's when you should have left.
At least with your wife and José.
It's a nice piece of land.
But still...
If I add up everything you owe me,
I should, first of all, seize the plantation.
And second,
kick you out.
And you'd still owe me and the government.
Enough...
Get your father's signature.
Have your Fanta.
This is my Fanta.
Is this what you want?
These are my men.
They can take you to the frontier.
Pay them cash. Keep it between us.
Got any gas left?
Yeah, a little.
Where do they come from?
My personal militia.
Your personal militia... Come on, spare me.
Is that how you intend to stop the rebels?
- Everyone here? - Yes!
- Anything to say? - Yes!
- What is it? - Knock down the rebels!
I have work to be done, a harvest to finish.
Do you have any men?
To come and work at my place.
Wait here.
Wait.
So it's half up front,
the other half after.
Three meals a day... and cola nuts.
It's quiet. We've never had trouble. It's for a few days.
Shall we go?
TAKE DOWN THE BOXER!
Why "take down"?
They say they killed him. It's bad for us.
Now it will get even worse.
STAND FIRM
Start running, now.
Things are getting dangerous.
Get going now. It's bad.
We can't get caught between the army and the rebels.
How can he judge the danger?
If we start believing the radio...
After this job, I'm buying a motorbike and I'm off.
My daughter is sick.
She's too young.
No choice but to stay.
What's wrong with her?
I don't know. She's in bed. She doesn't move.
Did you try the clinic?
It's too late now.
I need to pick someone up.
Are you his mother?
- His stepmother? - Not exactly.
You have to tell me who you are.
I'm his father's ex-wife. José is my son's half-brother.
Listen, I'm in a rush. Can you go get him?
Go yourself.
I should go?
Thank you!
José, I'm taking you home.
José, gather your belongings.
José, hurry up!
Soon it will be empty here.
- Have many kids left already? - Yes.
Your mother wants you at home.
School's of no interest. Why would they come?
I don't know, José. I really don't.
I just hired some workers.
They're in the truck.
Will you help out too?
No problem.
No problem...
With you there's never any problem.
You make it all seem easy.
Why are you here?
I came to pick up José.
I didn't know you'd be here.
You had to hire workers...
Everyone left, even Ange and Maurice. There's no one.
I found the gate open.
Ange and Maurice are gone? Damn...
You don't seem upset. I wonder if you already knew...
Lucie said you could get gas.
That's right. I'll have some tomorrow.
Your son?
Not him, but I have a son too.
Are you the boss?
Yes, I mean...
In a way.
Nothing's mine but I'm in charge.
When it's not yours... it's just hot air.
You scared me.
I thought I'd die last night.
Don't say that.
Tomorrow we'll put you in André's room.
It's air-conditioned.
Maria...
I was born here.
That old place of yours is my home.
It's where I feel best.
The plantation is yours.
It's all yours.
See, I didn't need it.
Did Manuel come and help?
Your Manuel? He's a good kid.
A little sluggish.
A lousy picker.
Ripe or unripe, he doesn't care.
Don't badmouth my son, Lucie, please.
I don't mention yours. You do the same, okay?
Mine is a different story.
Manuel, get up. How can you spend all day in bed?
- Get up! - Lay off!
Watch your mouth!
I don't know what to do. You disappoint me.
School's closed anyway.
Nothing interests you. You hang around all day.
We can't even talk.
It's like we don't exist.
No need to talk. I'm sick of this blah-blah.
I'll send you to France. You'll see the difference.
Move it, Manuel! Get up!
I don't know what happened.
I can't believe you're my son!
I feel like a total failure.
If I met a woman with a son like you, I'd think...
"Lousy upbringing. Such a waste."
Okay, I'm coming.
I'll get dressed. Where's the fire?
Losing a crop is worse than a fire. In the end.
Letting yourself go, Manuel,
is the vilest thing a boy can do. It's loathsome.
Come on, get up!
Okay, I'm coming.
I'm coming!
Why did you scream?
I thought I saw something.
It'll be fine, my son. You'll see.
It'll be fine.
Listen up, rascals, wherever you are.
Listen to my words.
Fearless young rascals...
The Boxer is back. He's in hiding.
Go find him.
Get out there and find him.
Go on, Manuel. Get dressed.
We need to crack down. He's inert.
School's out of the question now.
They're all closed, and for good.
- You know what I just saw? - No.
Two kids with a machete and a spear.
I'll tell Jean-Marie tonight.
Where is Jean-Marie?
Anyway, I'm sure he hasn't left.
Help me down.
Those two kids... They were strange, threatening.
- I thought they'd... - What?
I don't know. Attack Manuel.
I'm going.
We won't even be able to sell the coffee now.
You're becoming defeatist.
If we harvest it, its value will increase.
What if we all went back to France?
Why did you see the mayor? I saw your motorbike.
He formed a militia!
I asked him for protection!
Why not tell me?
Tell me these things first!
And you can't take money without telling me!
Yellow dog.
Manuel? Manuel!
It came from here. Follow me!
Look.
We never check here. It's been broken for months.
There are footprints, right there.
Left by kids...
It must be young shepherds...
who wanted to...
run off with a sheep.
Armed young shepherds.
It's nothing. I hurt my foot.
Show me.
Ride on the tractor with me.
We'll get the trailer.
We'll manage. It's nothing.
Climb up.
Don't stand there, José.
What did you do to your hair?
He says happiness isn't enough for me.
I have nowhere to go. I won't give this up.
You're my son. I can't let you drift away.
You know I won't let you go.
Manuel?
From Sylvie S., for her parents and her sister-in-law:
"Leaving devil's lair. Will give you my new address. "
From François and Vincent M. for their sister, Elisabeth:
"We'll pry you from their dirty grip.
"Get ready. We're on our way. "
Drop the rifle. What are you doing?
Drop it!
You're crazy!
Go away! Beat it, filthy dog!
This isn't your home. Your father sold it!
Get lost, little shit!
Get lost.
You're sick!
The patriots will kill you all!
All of you!
Shut it off when it's full.
Is Manuel back?
Yes.
What are you hiding?
Let go!
You're insane!
Totally insane!
Know what this means?
Do you have any idea?
We'll all die.
Push it all to the centre.
Keep them out from the corners.
Not a good sign.
We often have power-outs. It's why we have a generator.
This always gets stuck.
You crank this...
Don't worry, I'll manage.
There's not much gas left.
We know everyone here. Getting gasoline won't be hard.
We've been rooted here for years.
Here we go...
They're dangerous, very dangerous, because they're hungry.
I saw the army of child soldiers.
Notjust boys, girls as well.
They're orphans. They saw their parents killed.
Some have walked 150 kilometres
in search of the Boxer.
Why did you lie to me? Why?
Manuel never came home.
He did something awful.
He hurt Elisabeth.
Did she say that?
What a liar!
She ran off.
She's not a liar.
He took my rifle. He's gone mad.
Shut up! I won't discuss my son with you either!
The wires were cut!
So I'm keeping the gas for the truck.
To leave.
Cherif will help us.
In exchange for what?
He's our friend.
Manuel?
There's everything you need. You can...
You can cook. There are beds...
You'll be safe here.
That's for us to decide.
Here's the flashlight.
See you tomorrow.
There's the water pump.
Okay?
We have lots of old bones here.
- You won't abandon me? - I've always tended to you.
Sign here.
And here.
And the money?
What money?
Who's paying?
Cherif's very smart, you know.
Smarter than you.
You okay, Jean-Marie? All well?
Fine.
Good to hear it.
You won't leave?
I'm too old to start all over.
I couldn't get used to anywhere else either.
For you, it's not the same thing.
Not at all.
You don't want anyone taking what you have.
Maybe you're right.
- I cooked some rice. - Thank you.
Shall I turn on the generator?
We need gasoline.
I saw a relative of yours today. Your nephew.
He needs some time.
Have you seen Manuel around?
Okay, I'm going.
Your son...
I can see he's changed.
It's hard to get through to him.
He's grown up.
It's not just that.
His mind runs all over the place.
He's become a dog.
Insane?
He's half-baked.
He's unfinished.
Half-baked...
Manuel?
You're here?
You're wounded.
What can we do?
Give me that bottle of water.
It's no longer safe here for someone like you.
For someone like you either.
This is my son's room.
Why didn't you leave with your son?
I'm a good fighter too.
How could I show courage in France?
It would be absurd, no rhyme or reason.
I'd slack off, get too comfortable.
You're hot.
I'll get medicine tomorrow.
We now have the situation under control.
The rebels no longer control the area.
The Northern sector has been purged
and we'll continue to clean house.
A reliable source has informed us
that the rebel soldier,
the Boxer,
is hiding out amidst foreigners
who rip us off and use our land
to grow mediocre coffee that we'd never drink.
Their accomplices will be eliminated.
What good is money if you're dead?
I paid in advance!
Yes but... you bewitched us with your words!
I hear you hide rebels!
It's not safe. We want our money!
- Plus a bonus! - I didn't make you come!
- We must finish! - Give us our money!
We want our money!
Hand it over!
- The money's gone. - No way!
Look, the safe is empty.
Someone stole all our money!
Rotten luck!
Can't you see?
I'll get more. Here's 200.
Is that all?
Give it to us!
I'll pay you tomorrow.
Take us home. We won't wait.
Everyone, get out! Out!
Get out!
No money. We're poor.
Empty your pockets.
Everything!
You can't! We're poor!
You're crazy! You're crazy!
Christine, Bernard!
Go away! He's dead now!
I know where the Boxer is!
He's at my place!
Wait for me!
I know where the Boxer is!
Please, sir! Can you pull over?
This is where I get off!
Driver, white lady wants to get off.
I'm not stopping here.
That's where I'm going. Please pull over!
I won't stop here.
It's dangerous here now.
Are you going that way?
Are you heading back?
How long till you leave?
I have to go home. Tell me how to get home!
- Where do you live? - The Vial coffee plantation.
I know it.
Marida!
- My son is there! - This way.
Take her to the Vial plantation.
- The old white guy's place? - Yes.
Can't you take me?
I'm tired.
Manuel took my bike and disappeared.
Help me find him. He can't cope.
He's defenceless without me.
Extreme blondness brings bad luck.
It cries out to be pillaged.
Blue eyes are troublesome.
This is his country. He was born here.
But it doesn't like him.
The Boxer is hiding at my place.
I know.
Stop the car. I want to go home alone.