One of the effects of drought
is the disappearance of a wide variety of insects.
Those that survive
are only interested in finding one thing:
Water.
The diversity of the very small,
is dying out.
With the death of the smallest...
Write to S'lim ?
"I want to see you, love of my life,
"3 months and 6 days without holding you close.
"I should see you, feel you. Why don't you come ?
"I came into your village. I couldn't do more"
Not so fast.
"You pretended not to see me. Was someone watching you ?
"I want to see you my love.
"Ever so much, S'lim.
"I wait for you in our hiding place, Every day.
"Esmeralda."
Are you crying ?
No... dust in my eye.
What's it like... making love ?
Is it bad ? Is it like an orgasm ?
Is it strong ? Is it beautiful ? What does it do for you ?
Shush ! You should be ashamed !
Why ? I just want to know everything !
The Mexican women cry out loudly when they do it,
but I never hear you !
Isn't Sami good ?
Where are you going ? Answer me !
Pour me some tea.
Sit down.
Don't make war on men, don't put them down.
My grandfather, and my father have made war
on the colonists and other tribes
to defend our tribe and our family.
To defend our water supply too.
While the women and children were in a safe place.
Many died.
The men travelled far
to make enough to support the community.
It's never been easy.
They were fighters.
Brave, courageous fighters.
They risked their lives for their families.
Then I and those of my age travelled further,
because of drought, to make a living.
Nobody made us do it.
So, why ? Because it's our tradition, the cycle of our life.
Today, because of the drought,
nothing grows, animals have barely enough to eat,
there's no work.
And more war.
Trying to find work and money
is a war for us men.
You think men go out of their way
to make war ?
Do you ?
You just need to protect your family and your home
Not make war.
We should just live in peace.
We women aren't afraid of peace.
Leave me...I'm tired.
If the strike continues, I'll have to dismiss you.
All the parents are accusing you of bad influence on their children.
Prove you're a man.
- Your wife...
I understand.
I have a degree, Mr Benghazi, I can take on anything.
Accounting, stock control, sales.
You'll never find an employee like me.
Look at your hands ?
You've never worked. And your shoulders are like a woman's.
Sami.
How's things ?
OK...you ?
Thanks be to God.
Mr Benghazi.
I'll leave you.
No, stay, I...
It's OK...we're finished.
What are you doing with Benghazi?
He's a crook.
We were just talking.
Sami, we're friends.
Maybe not as close as we once were.
You used to be my best friend.
I never would've said anything,
but I'll say it now.
There was a time when I didn't talk to you
because you made me look like an idiot.
Who'd forget your arrogance. You were top of the class,
Mr Know-it-all... 'I know the answer'.
You put me down in front of everybody.
I wanted to be a writer...
did you know that ?
I wanted to be like you, and do better than you.
But you managed to put me down so much
that my parents didn't think I'd amount to anything.
They decided I should quit school.
Just like that.
One morning my father said a few words
and took my satchel off my back.
He said: "You've finished school !"
And that was that.
Not another word.
I've never forgotten those words.
The next day he sold my satchel and my books at the market.
I feel better now I've told you.
Is the strike over?
What's up ?
Nothing.
I'm happy to see you.
I'm being sacked from school.
I feel sick !
Stop complaining. Come and help me.
- I feel sick, don't you understand? - It's just your periods.
I don't WANT to be sick OR have my periods,
OR be in a bad mood. I'm fed up !
Shut up !
You're a woman...you're supposed to put up with pain without complaining.
It's shameful to talk about it.
You made the love-strike and you...?
You just don't get it !
I'm talking about our intimate condition...
Get out.
I hate being a woman.
Thirty women of good faith
are ready to come and marry the men of the village.
We have informed the Grand Mufti
of your wisdom and collaboration,
and that it has been our pleasure to meet such a brother,
a community leader, truly faithful to the Prophet.
I'm very honoured by your visit and by our collaboration.
My house is yours. May Allah guide us.
May it please Allah.
Help yourselves.
Let me help you.
What do you want of me ?
Haven't you done enough to me already?
Leila...
I love you.
- I've always loved you. - No !
Still on strike ?!
You'd said it was over !
Papa, please stop !
Shut up ! Get to sleep !
If you don't stop the strike, your troubles have only begun !
Come on.
What is it ?
You lied to me !
All these years you lied to me !
And to all my family !
You were tarnished when I married you ! Not a virgin !
A whore !
And on top of that...
Who are you ?
I'd been promised to someone else.
I loved him, Sami!
I loved him ! He was the most beautiful thing in my life.
Before he left me. Before I should meet YOU.
I was 15 years old, we saw each other in secret.
I refused him for a long time. We only kissed.
- I don't want to hear it ! - Yes, you have to know !
I want to tell you everything.
We were in love. We wanted to do it. Day after day we suffered.
Shut up !
He promised to marry me.
Six months later he was married to someone else.
Chosen by his mother. A rich girl from town !
Job opportunities !
Important family ! Lots of money !
I was a nobody !
Stop.
Shut up.
You're finished.
It's over.
I lied because I was afraid you'd reject me.
The same with your family.
Through loving you,
you understand ?
What do you believe ?
That it was easy for me to drag up this shame ?
To make myself feel dirty ?
I regret I lied to you, Sami.
I love you.
I'll always love you.
Do you still love HIM ?
Love...love...
I was also in love with a boy
when my parents gave me to my husband.
I regretted all my life that I didn't run away with him.
He must have suffered.
What young girl isn't in love before she gets married ?
Even Fatima...
Fatima was in love with...
but her parents preferred Hussein.
Didn't you know that ?
After the wedding, she refused to eat for a week.
She was 13.
A year later, Mohamed was born.
Her first child.
By giving birth so young,
her own childhood was stolen from her.
Fatima has always acted
as if it was his fault.
Mohamed never really had
a mother's love.
Right now I love Sami.
And I've lied to him.
You've had the chance to be loved
twice in one lifetime.
Is he going to leave me ?
What ?
You can't come in.
- What are you talking about ? - You're forbidden !
Since when ?!
Ask your brother Mohamed !
Friends !
Listen to me.
Come here my boy.
You all know Nassim, old Flintlock's son.
He's become somebody of importance
If a solution is not found soon, they have one!
Go on, lie down.
Starting tomorrow, you'll be wearing the veil.
I'm fed up with having you flaunt yourself to the world.
Mama, tell us the story of the snail.
Nassim!
I don't need your money.
I thought you were working on a construction site,
that you earned your money honestly...
it seems I was mistaken.
That's not all you sent me,
but we didn't spend much.
Don't send any more,
we won't accept it.
You aren't getting rid of her.
And you say nothing to anyone.
OK ?
Not pleased ?
My little kiss ?
It isn't S'lim who gives you the letters. It's Leila.
Why ?
What are you talking about ?
Kissy-kiss...I'm in a hurry !
No kiss...tell me the truth, I've seen you together !
Why is it you who gives him those letters?
It's you who writes them... not S'lim !
Tell me !
Stop screaming !
He gives them to me, because his mother saw him with the pedlar.
That's why he avoided you in his village.
Why don't you give them straight to me ?
What about
the kiss for the pedlar ?
Come on, we're going into action.
Hurry up!
There they are !
At last !
Hurry up !
Now !
Come here, Karim.
What's the writing say ?
"Your hearts are as dry and thorny
"as this well."
Burn this well !
Take that !
Auntie Fatima.
What do you want ?
The Imam asks for Leila to come and see him at the Mosque.
I'll tell her.
Take care.
Say hi to your family for me !
To act against procreation, love
and the authority of the father and husband, is a sin !
You will appreciate that this has gone on long enough.
Sourate... chapter 4, verse 34:
"To be virtuous, a woman must be obedient.
"Any whom you believe to be insubordinate,
"admonish them,
"lay them on their beds
"and beat them.'
What if the drought persists
or one day the insect finds water
elsewhere ?
Sit down.
Also :
It is legal for a husband to beat his wife.
But the blows should not be violent.
Allah is saying to the husband:
The correction should be
of an educational and affectionate nature,
as a father who smacks a child
or a teacher who slaps a pupil.
How did all this come about ?!
Flintlock, I've known you as responsible,
wise and sensible.
Your irrational action confuses children's minds.
Our village has been ridiculed.
I am the guarantor of order, compliance with the law, and the Koran!
I remind you of your duties as women,
and of our traditions.
Know that the men of the village, headed by the sheik,
have proposed a radical solution:
To divorce all of you and bring in other women, if you persist.
Stop this strike.
Go home, and tonight,
open your hearts and your arms to your husbands.
And all will be forgotten.
Your son said you are in a jihad against men.
He took the righteous path of Allah.
You should lead by example.
A jihad against men?!
We're in a jihad against ourselves,
against our condition and against injustice.
To improve things.
My son wants to replace you, lmam,
Are you aware, Imam, that my son is out to replace you ?
He's paid the sheik and will pay all the others
to get what he wants !
I don't know where all that money comes from.
You... are going to kill me.
because we loved the same woman?
And when I'm dead,
do you think Leila will love you more ?
What are you after ?
Why did you come ?
I don't know.
Maybe I secretly hoped she didn't love you,
that she'd want to come away with me
But the whole village says Leila loves you
and that you...
you love her too much.
"That you love her too much!"
That's right...that's what they say.
So...what am I doing here ?
I don't know any more.
What is lslam
and the holy wisdom of the Prophet Mahomet,
that we must hail Him and pray to Him ?
Is it religion ?
It's the happiness from communion with Allah.
Islam gives us the rules for living together,
of respect and love for one another, and fulfils our desire for spirituality.
It raises us !
All of us, men and women !
All the rest is just interpretation,
twisting the holy scriptures for personal interest, lmam!
Let's start at the beginning. The Almighty said:
"In the name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful.
"O peoples ! Fear your Lord
"Who created you from a single soul
"and created therefrom its mate
"and from them twain
"spread many men and women."
Listen to the hadith narrated by Tirmidhi:
"Women are the sisters of men."
The Prophet, may prayers and salutations be upon him,
has wished that men and women be equal.
Equal, Imam!
Equal doesn't mean men at the top, giving orders, deciding,
and women at the bottom, obeying, procreating.
Equal doesn't mean women beaten.
Yes I read, lmam. And not only the Koran.
And I'm not the only one in the village that thinks this way.
Why shouldn't I have the right
to read, write, think, interpret ?
Koran 58, 11:
"And God will raise up those who believe
"And those who will have received the knowledge.'
Who wouldn't want women to be raised by God ?
Aren't WE Muslims, the same as the men ?
Imam, the drought saps our earth and our hearts.
That's our only problem.
As the fertile earth makes us and it's we who give life.
Why do only men
get to decide our future
The men should be carrying the water !
So...have you put those witches in their place ?
Sometimes I ask myself if you're really a woman.
Why do you only stick up for the men ?
Fucking shit !
Is this the only path ?
There's a highway nearby.
And a cable-car.
So...have you joined the strike ?
And some sweets for the kids.
Thanks.
Have you seen the way he looks at you ?
Watch out, even his donkey's better looking than him.
- He's a nice man. - So what ?
He thinks he can "open sesame" with 3 bonbons !
Where'd you get all that money from ?
Don't say anything, OK? I sold a to S'lim's wife.
S'lim? Which S'lim?
S'lim d'Ajdir. He's a cutie, eh ?
All the girls dream about him.
His mother got him married to the richest woman in the valley:
Rhim...Hassan the accountant's daughter.,
You alright ?
Yes...
- When were they married ? - Three months ago.
All I need is my Koran and enough to eat.
Good day to you.
Imam, have you conquered them, then?
Are we allowed back in their beds ?
Yes.
But I don't know when.
Maybe when the drought breaks.
Look at me in the eye, Nassim. I'm your mother.
Why should I have to wear the veil?
You're a woman.
Who brought you the world, you and your beard?
Get up!
Why the veil ? Why hide me ?
Am I an object of lust ? An instrument of Satan ?
If your father hadn't wanted me, you wouldn't be here.
The veil came in in the old days
to distinguish free women from the slaves,
so as to recognise them.
In those days, the woman with no veil was a slave,
easy to own.
There aren't any slaves any more.
All women are free.
And no woman, you hear me,
should be easy to own!
And if Man desires Woman, it's the will of Allah.
But it doesn't make us either slaves nor objects to cover...
...just to stifle men's lust.
You close your eyes !
Be strong... control your satanic desires yourself,
Cover your eyes, not our faces.
"Flies only crawl into open mouths ! '
Don't let yourself be manipulated, my boy.
You're responsible for everything you say and do.
You have a brain, you can reason, you don't have to join the mindless mob.
Allah is great,
and He expects us all to be responsible for one another
and to the Prophet.
We should be proud, upstanding
respecting ourselves and our community.
If you hate just one man,
you hate everyone in the community.
And leave our Imam alone.
If you replace him,
I swear before God... I'll kill you myself !
Maybe you're right:
We can't continue.
The imam is destabilized, and the sheik and the Islamists are delighted.
They'll take power.
You shouldn't start a war unless you know how to stop it.
I didn't start the war. It was already there.
I don't understand:
Do you want to stop or not ?
What do you want, my love ?
Water ?
Just the water, or much more ?
Are you out to challenge everything ?
Destroy all tradition ?
What IS a woman ?
What IS a woman as far as you men are concerned ?
Are you saying I don't respect you ?
That I underestimate you ?
So what ARE you saying ?
That I exist !
I exist !
You OK ?
OK.
- You here to kill me today ? - No, not today.
I think I know why you're here.
Tell me.
In three days, come to Ouria, the largest village in the area.
Everyone 'll be there for the Harvest Festival.
And...?
Nothing. You'll understand down there.
You wanna write to S'lim ?
Not today.
If you're go out you'll get some more.
They want to humiliate us in front of the world.
They want to talk about their strike at the Harvest Festival
And convince other women to do the same.
Nawal told me everything.
The other women will be here in a week.
Ours shouldn't be allowed at the Festival !
There'll be nobody there to stop them...
...but I have a plan.
Thank you.
They know everything. They're going to stop us going to the Festival.
There is only one solution...
All of us veiled !
Free men salute you
Vigilant and alert day and night
The dove bids you welcome
Face with work I never flee
Sleeves rolled up Perspiring brow
Peace and quiet Reinforce my heart
So ?
You'll see.
Men, O root of truth and reality...
I savour your shoulders' sweat on a beautiful morning
The harvest is good What a blessing ...
The woman is a bird That announces the day
And turned the trees green
Woman is the root Who binds the roots
She is the energy Who advances time
Thanks to her Time does not disappear
Nor falter.
They say the year has been good
The year is good For the harvest is too
Here is the news from our village
Our men spent their time drinking tea
Purses full, but with empty hearts
Isn't it sad that flowers wither ?
Even when men have always watered them
Men water them with relish.
Lend me your ears and listen carefully :
No water to the village ? Then let there be no truce...
A strike will be our woman's ruse !
The tourist income Should pay for water to the village
Right S'lim ?
It's over...we offer no cheek to kiss
If you approve, write what's happening in your paper.
Women, you'll become goats
And who wants to see a goat in their bed ?
We must never admit defeat.
The infinitely small can sometimes be
more majestic than anything supposedly great.
Water,
fresh air,
life,
even love
can gush forth at any time.
It's been a long time since I wrote to S'lim.
Don't you want to help me anymore ?
I didn't think you wanted to.
I'm going to write.
Look.
What's he saying, Leila, what's he saying ?
"Te quiero, mi amor!"
"Te quiero", Esmeralda!
Urgently, please! !
Sami !
We're eating. Sit down.
We won.
I've been summoned to the prefect's office.
A committee's being set up.
Sofiane's article created a terrific debate in the Assembly.
It accused the government of keeping water from its own people.
They're worried it'll be catching,
and that women all over the country will join the cause,
and demand other rights besides water.
The government wants a swift and unpublicised solution.
We've always supported the women's approach.
They themselves appreciated our going by the book.
Water had to be piped in order to relieve them.
- A submission was submitted. - Correct.
The work starts tomorrow. The whole village has to help.
We must settle this quickly !
- And the budget ? - That's all taken care of.
Hussein, how're things ?
Join us.
Later thanks, lmam.
I gotta pull up some daffodil roots.
Allah be with you.
Get out of my sight !
Clear off !
Who are those two men ? What's going on ?
They aren't from the village. This way.
My princess...
You OK ?
God didn't make men and women the same
Don't make a love-strike
Rock your babies and dress them
You didn't expect it ?
O men, it is shameful !
Everyone in the village knows
We've seen men down in the wadi...
...washing the clothes !
"Thanks for everything, Big Sister.
"For me learning to read and write.
"Do you realise I'm writing this myself ?
"Don't worry, the pedlar got his little kiss.
"Leila, I know you wrote those letters in the name of S'lim.
"In the beginning I wanted it,
"But I hated you for lying to me...
"Then I realised I probably would have done the same
"I would have saved the idea of love even if the man had shied away."
Warmer than the sun
The man
A true lion
Full of strength and spirit is the man
Strong in all things is the man
In my dreams he comes to me, the man
And bares his secrets all to me, the man
He promises to dwell deep inside me, the man
Cherishing my sighs and my body.
"I decided to leave. I said nothing to anyone.
"I didn't know where I was going, or what sort of life I might have
"but I'll be free
"and I'm sure I'll find love again.
"Goodbye, Leila, my sister.
"Te quiero, Loubna."
The earth says it can't give life without water
A woman's divine spring
isn't water
"La source des femmes" is love.
Subtitles: FatPlank [RLB] for KG