Not Quite Paradise (1985) - full transcript
While working in a kibbutz (an Israeli voluntary farming collective community), a tourist and a female worker fall in love. However, he can't stay and she can't leave her work. Will love triumph?
[wind howling]
[boat horn tooting]
- [Male Announcer] El AL
announced that the departure
of their flight 308
to Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eastern Air Airlines,
flight number 305.
Now boarding at gate 42.
- [Female Announcer]
American Airways announces
the departure of flight
number 100 to London Heathrow.
Will passengers ensure they
have their hand luggage--
- I'm sorry.
- I'm sorry.
Fine.
[lively instrumental music]
[pleasant instrumental music]
[pleasant instrumental music]
[airplane whooshing]
- Excuse me troubling you.
I wondered if you could
help a damsel in distress.
- Volunteer, are you?
- For my sins.
- Me too.
- I'm trying to
get a cup of tea.
- Follow me.
- Have you only got
that little backpack?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
Aren't you the lucky one?
I've got all these encumbrances.
- Yeah.
Blood nuisance, aren't they?
- Sorry, mate, it's full up.
- You're form
London, aren't you?
- Oh yeah.
- Just got in?
- No, no, I come over
a couple of days ago
to do a bit of
sightseeing in Tel Aviv.
That took a good half hour.
And I went to the kibbutz
office and they said
did I fancy picking
watermelon, so I thought,
sod it, why not?
So, here I am.
- Can you smell the flowers?
Isn't it amazing?
That was the first
thing I noticed
when I stepped off the plane,
the incredible, overpowering
smell of flowers.
Well, one expects the
stench of gasoline.
[Pete mockingly stammering]
- Are you the volunteers
for kibbutz Kfar Ezra?
- Oh, I am.
- Yeah.
- Oh, yeah, yeah.
- Isn't that lovely, we're
all going to be together.
- [Menachem] Should
be five of you here.
- Yeah, well, there's only
three of us here, mate.
- Angus Ross, reporting, sir.
- Well,
that makes four, the
American is missing.
Okay, follow me.
- Do you see what
we're traveling in?
- Who's he then?
- [Menachem] He's just
arrived from New York,
let him sleep.
- Oh, careful, watch my--
- Yeah, give us that.
- No, no.
- Oh, come on.
- Oh.
Ah.
- Hey, Angus, close the tail
board and climb beam, okay?
There is one guy missing.
We can't wait any longer.
He'll have to make
his own way, let's go.
[lively instrumental music]
[camel grunting]
[men shouting in
foreign language]
- Trust me, yeah.
Only I could travel 2,000
miles in search of the sun,
step off the plane
and get pissed on.
I'm gonna love this
place, I can feel it!
[camel grunting]
[lively instrumental music]
[wind howling]
Bloody hell!
[dog barking]
Looked like a bloody
prison camp there.
- That guard with the Tommy gun.
I thought we were
going to be shot.
- Tight security, it has to be.
Siege environment.
[lively instrumental music]
- Why must they have those
stations all over the place?
I find them terrifying.
- What do you want for
guard dogs, poodles?
- Oh!
My nerves.
[lively instrumental music]
[birds chirping]
- Day one, I can't
believe I finally made it.
I'm home.
2,000 years it's
taken me to get here.
- Next time, fly El
Al, it's much quicker.
[people chattering]
- Hey, you guys go right
ahead, I gotta take a leak.
- [Menachem] Okay, relax now.
Soon somebody will come
and show you to your rooms.
- Day one,
an important moment for me.
My first leak on sacred soil.
[urination trickling]
- Oh sandwiches, fantastic.
[flies buzzing]
- Nobody said we
could help ourselves.
- Sandwiches.
I come 2,000 miles
to work for the sods
and they have the cheek
to offer me sandwiches.
I sweating jobs.
I didn't come here
to catch pneumonia.
I could've caught
that in England.
- Shut up moaning!
[flies buzzing]
- Ah, look at the flies.
Half of them are dead.
- No, they're not dead,
mate, they're kosher.
They just hang themselves
upside down, aye?
[airplane buzzing]
- Shalom.
- Shalom.
[phone ringing]
- Oh no.
Couldn't be my mother already.
- Well, it could be for us.
- You speak the lingo?
- Leave it then.
Don't wanna get tangled
up with some twat
talking sodding gibberish.
[phone ringing]
- Yes?
Well.
Sounded pretty bad.
Only 10 kilometers away
and getting closer?
Really?
Yes, I'll get my rifle.
Right.
Shalom.
Nobody is to move out of here.
Unless you want a
bullet up your ass.
Okay?
- Regret that, wouldn't they?
Getting shot on the
first sodding day.
- [Carrie] I've got
some tranquilizers
if anyone wants one.
[airplane rumbling]
- What's going on?
[airplane whooshing]
Oh, God Almighty!
Jesus Christ, what is it?
- Get down!
What's the matter with you?
You're gonna get killed!
[airplanes whooshing]
[group yelling]
[group whimpering]
- Why are you on the floor?
Someone lose his teeth?
[airplane rumbling]
- That, what is it?
- Oh, this.
They piss on melon.
- What's she saying?
- I speak English.
They piss on melon.
- She means the crop sprayers.
[airplane whooshing]
- Crop sprayers?
Well thanks a bunch for
telling us, you Scotch git.
- I knew it.
I sodding knew it.
- If you knew it, why
didn't you tell us?
- Idiots.
You think they're coming
to bomb your asses
into little pieces?
- It sounded so frightening.
- Don't worry.
Next war is not until August.
First we'll pick
melons for expert.
We keep you alive
until then at least.
After that, who knows?
[airplane whooshing]
Oh,
I'm Gila.
Welcome to kibbutz.
[Gila and Menachem laughing]
- I knew it.
The bastard was having us on.
I supposed that's
their idea of a joke.
- Excuse me, ma'am.
You're the first female
kibbutznik I've met.
My name is Rothwell T. Schwartz.
- Oh, you're with these.
- I've come to lend
a helping hand.
Being Jewish has
given me so much.
I just want to give
some of it back.
- You're Jewish?
- Am I Jewish.
- Being American is bad enough
but Jewish!
[airplane rumbling]
Who are you?
- Michael Clark.
- Michael Clark.
You were supposed to be
picked up on the airport.
- Sorry about that.
Listen, can I get a room,
shower, something to eat?
- It's not a hotel, you know?
Wait here, I'll get the others.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Morning, girls,
Pete's the name.
Remember that if you
want a good time.
- Don't bother.
They're from Finland.
They never smile all the
time they're in kibbutz.
- Finland.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Dave Armitage
and Pete Stanford,
second door on the right.
- Together.
- Oh yeah, right, terrific.
- Carrie?
- [Carrie] Elcock.
- Third door on the right.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Angus Ross?
- Yes, ma'am.
- And Michael Clark.
- Yep.
- The red door, over there.
- This ain't exactly the Ritz.
- Rothwell T. Schwartz.
Follow me, baby.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Shalom.
- I'll take this bed, okay?
- Sure.
[distant airplane rumbling]
Well that should make
you popular around here.
- I'm not afraid of suffering.
- How long were you in the army?
- 10 years and it
taught me nothing.
- You didn't enjoy it?
- Show me the man
who enjoys no other
and I'll show you a madman.
- I've been here
well over a year now,
having a great time of it.
Sewing a few wild
oats here and there.
Know what I mean?
Any hunky chaps in your group
who might be on the lookout
for a little bit
of sex education?
- I really don't know
about that kind of thing
I don't think in those terms.
- Oh, not yet you don't.
[Grace laughing]
So how long you planning
to stay, Carrie?
- I don't really
know at the moment.
It all depends on my fiance.
He's a doctor, you see.
- Oh, is this him, here?
- Yes.
- He's older than you, huh?
- A bit.
He's been called
to Africa, you see.
There, they've created a
place especially for him.
Well, obviously I couldn't
go along too so I'm...
Well,
filling in time.
More or less.
- What do you do back
in England then, Carrie?
- I'm a nurse.
- Yeah?
Are you really?
- What do you mean, am I really?
Yes, I'm a nurse, lots
of people are nurses.
What's so strange about that?
Why shouldn't I be one?
- Did I say you're not?
- Well, it's just the way
you said that, I mean...
Nevermind.
[cattle mooing]
- Shalom, Gila.
- You're late.
- I was told 7:30.
- 7:30 is gone one minute.
- So knock a carrot
off my paycheck.
- Put the boots on.
- Right.
[cattle mooing]
Brought my hat.
Don't wanna get sun stroke.
Nice day, I hear
it gets in the 90s.
Anything's better
than being cooped up
in that factory over there.
- Everybody's working
there sometime.
Don't worry, you're
nothing special.
- No, I didn't think I was.
[cattle mooing]
- You contemplate the universe?
- No, why?
- Come work.
This is hay.
This is what the cows eat, okay?
This is straw.
This is what the cows
walk on, understand?
- Hay they eat,
straw they walk on.
- Right.
Cut off the strings.
Kick it all over the shit.
Keep all the bits
of strings, okay?
Bring them to me.
- That's all?
- You do, okay?
- I think I can just
about handle it.
- So why you wait?
- I was just admiring your
command of the English language.
- This we can do
some other time.
Now work.
- Right, work.
- Gosh, I could eat a dingo.
- Beautiful weather, huh?
- Uh huh.
- You know, it's incredible
to see so many Jews sitting
together eating a meal.
- So many Jews?
You anti-Semitic?
- Anti...
Hold on a second,
fella, I'm Jewish.
My mother is Jewish,
my father is Jewish.
My grandfather, God rest
his soul, was Jewish.
Let me tell you a
story about my grandpa.
- So who's life in
the chicken shed?
- Oh, someone must've
told them, I reckon.
- Told them what?
- That I grew up
on a poultry farm.
It's funny, isn't it?
I grew up with
the little buggers
and here I am working
with them again.
I've been in and out of
chickens all my life.
If you pardon the expression.
- Put on for a transfer.
- No way, man.
Chickens are funny things,
they've got minds of their own.
They need a professional
looking after them
because they can tell when
there's an amateur about.
No, they need me there.
They need my expertise.
- Hey.
You guys mind if I join you?
My name is Rothwell.
Rothwell T. Schwartz.
Like you, I'm Jewish.
Yes, sir.
My father's money helped
build this country.
Gotta run.
Things to do.
Busy little bee.
Don't get up.
Shalom, Finland.
- It's nice bit of chicken.
- Yeah.
- It'd be nice if
they cooked it.
They do say raw vegetables
are good for you.
Can't see it myself, the
meat feels sodding ill.
I get more nourishment
biting my lip.
[Pete laughing]
Oh.
- Stomach?
- Agony.
My ass feels like
it's been burgled.
I had to sleep sitting
upright on the bug all night.
[Pete laughing]
- Volunteer's asshole, mate.
Trust you to be the first.
Three days they reckon
get rid of that.
- It's all these
bleeding salads.
It can't be good for
you, all this rubbish.
I've got salad poisoning.
- You know what you need,
a damn good vacation
away from it all.
[Pete laughing]
- Oh.
Oh.
[guys laughing]
Oh, no!
[tractor puttering]
- Hey, you!
What farm you grow up on?
Funny farm?
- What's the matter?
- For 20 years we give
the cows hay to eat
and straw to stand on.
We hear no complaint from them.
Do you know how
much this hay costs?
- What?
- Now you come to kibbutz
and what do you think?
They will walk on hay
like they were staying
in King David's hotel and eat
straw like they were Yemenis?
- Sorry.
- Sorry.
Sorry won't give us milk.
Sorry put no money in the bank.
What're you doing in kibbutz?
- I meant to get off
the plane at Stockholm.
This is all a big mistake.
- Huh?
How long you planning
to stay here?
- About another half an hour.
- You have much problem
back in America.
- No, why?
- So why you volunteer?
- I'm beginning to wonder.
- Thank you.
Of course, at home this
would be considered
very manual work.
But at least it's hygienic.
And naturally, being a nurse,
hygiene is important to me.
- What sort of nursing
were you doing?
- Oh, you name it, I've
done it sort of thing.
Actually, I've left
my manuals at home.
Well, if you're going
to take a break,
it may as well be a clean one.
"Clean break" being a
nursing term, of course.
- Yeah, sure.
- So...
You went to university,
weren't you, Michael?
- No, medical school.
- Oh.
- I plan on being a doctor.
- Well, I think I'll
just get these things
out of the way then, so...
- Wash these.
- Well, what's this?
You following me around?
- You're the last
person I would follow.
- I'm sorry I'm late, sir.
I was giving myself
a Hebrew lesson
and I was enjoying myself so--
- Work!
- Oh sure, okey dokey.
- These two there.
- Double time quick, sir.
[pleasant music]
[glass shattering]
I can explain everything.
[chickens clucking]
- Don't get so excited,
it's for your own good.
- Hey!
- Who is that?
Who spoke?
[chicken clucking]
Was that you?
Did you say something?
[Pete laughing]
- You know, you're beginning
to look like a chicken?
[Pete clucking]
- Come on, let's
get out of here.
Shit.
Was I smashed last night.
Tried to shut up those
two Finnish tarts.
Boom.
No go area.
They never smile.
It's against their
religion or something.
"Land of the Midnight
Sun" and all that
makes them fucking
miserable for some reason.
- You have a cigarette?
- No, I only got 19 left.
No wonder they're free.
I get cancer just
looking at them.
Hey, you know, I
phoned home last night.
Got through clear as a bell.
- Everything okay?
[Pete chuckling]
- Well it was until I
spoke to the old man.
I said I'm out here
for three months.
He said, "How much
are they paying you?"
I said, "Would you believe
"I'm working with
the chickens again?"
Hey said, "How much
are they paying you?"
I said I'm so knackered
by the end of the day,
I just sleep all evening.
Hey said, "How much
are they paying you?"
I said, "Nothing."
He said, "What?"
I said, 'Nothing."
They're burying him on Monday.
His last words were,
"Come home, Mosher, if that's
the promise land, come home."
- You're not Jewish, are you?
- Jewish?
If I was Jewish, do you think
I would be stupid enough
to work under these
conditions, aye?
Now I understand
why Jewish volunteer
is about as common as a
pork chop at a bar mitzvah.
Oh, Jesus.
I got to take
something for my head.
It's tension, that's what it is.
Sexual frustration.
- Come on.
You've got them on
their hands and knees.
- You're joking.
There's not a girl
on this kibbutz
I haven't tried it on with.
I'll tell you,
some of these cows are beginning
to look very attractive.
Hello, darling.
You doing anything tonight?
[cow mooing]
See what I mean?
[Michael laughing]
[tractor puttering]
- How long this is gonna take?
- Come on, God,
I don't mug old ladies,
I wear my seatbelt,
so why do you send me
her everywhere I go?
- You think God
listens to volunteers?
You're here because
I'm asking for you.
- And you wanted me?
- I'm asking for
you, not wanting.
The others are
worse, that's all.
What do you do?
You're here to work.
- Coffee break, 10 minutes
rest, it's official.
- Coffee break?
What's this?
- American custom.
Conversation, complaints
about the boss, tax evasion.
- [Gila] Huh?
- And jokes, preferably
something sexual
but few can handle it,
something about the wife.
- I don't believe my ear.
Are you Jewish?
- No, are you?
You wanna hear a
nice Jewish joke?
There's this Mrs. Mendel
talking to a Mrs. Bloomstein
and Mrs. Mendel says,
"My son's a homosexual."
And Mrs. Bloomstein says,
"That's nice, so
where's his office?"
Okay, you win.
- Listen, you're
here to make work.
So work!
- And what do you
know about work?
When I'm stacking hay,
you're driving the tractor.
When I'm walking
through cow shit,
you're driving the tractor.
As a matter of fact, if there's
any real work to be done,
you're driving the tractor.
- Volunteer not allowed
to drive a tractor.
You know this.
- That's right
because you keep all the
decent jobs for your damn self.
- Bullshit!
- Hey look,
let's get something
straight, okay?
I'm doing this for
nothing, remember?
I don't get paid.
I'm here because I wanna be
and if I don't like it,
I can just turn around
and take a hike, okay?
So just remember that.
- You're damn right!
I remember that.
Since I was so high!
[Gila crying]
[Gila laughing]
This joke, I like it.
"Where's his office?"
This is a good joke.
- Glad you like it.
- So what's your name?
Mike?
Okay, Mike, so no more bullshit.
- [Mike] Promise?
- Promise.
You wanna drive?
- You said volunteers weren't
allowed to drive the tractor.
- I make up the
rules as I go along.
So, you drive.
Let's go.
[tractor rumbling]
[Gila laughing]
- Now that's what
I come here for.
All those wet-eyed,
dark-skinned soldier girls.
- Not for us, mate.
Out of bounds.
- Yeah, all we get is volunteers
and they're enough to
put you off sex for life.
- Hey, look what's
coming though.
- Oh, that must be
the new Swedish girls.
- Great.
I've always wanted
to try a Swede.
[tractor puttering]
- Okay, girls, this
is where you get off.
- They're supposed to be Swedes?
Christ!
Swedes are supposed to be sexy.
All right, blondes never look
as good the morning after
but look at that lot.
And it's not even
the night before.
Oh volunteers.
Most are only here because
no one will go near them
in England or
Sweden or wherever.
The world's rejects and
we're supposed to screw them.
This is what gets me!
- [Man] Angus, come on, take.
- No, thank you.
- I don't want you collapsing.
It looks bad for me, take!
[gentle music]
Angus, don't work so
hard, there are no prizes.
Okay, so now take a
break, it's an order.
- Yes, sir.
[gentle music]
[Carrie singing tune]
- Heard from your
boyfriend yet, Carrie?
- No, haven't yet, actually.
- I reckon he's
abandoned you, Carrie.
Found himself a
foxy native girl.
- Oh, of course he hasn't.
- It's strange he hasn't
written to you though.
- Look, if I'm not
worried about it,
I don't see why you should be.
- Okay, okay.
The way you're going, matey,
the cows will have
more to eat than us.
- I'm not manually
very dexterous.
- No.
And you're not much good
with your hands either.
Hold on, I'll help you out.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- I'm wondering now
if she may be Jewish.
Her father could be something
big in the kimono industry.
[Rothwell gasping]
- Wow.
It's really pumping out.
- Oh my God!
I'm bleeding to death!
- Carrie!
Carrie!
Carrie, quick, we need you!
- What?
Well what do you need?
What's the matter,
what's going on?
Oh.
- So much for their
national health service.
[birds chirping]
[bull mooing]
- He looks pissed off.
- Absolutely.
He don't get to, you know.
- No, I don't.
- He not needed by
the ladies cows.
You see, it's like that.
If cow is not pregnant,
she wants to be
screwed every 21 days.
- My wife was just the same.
- You married?
- No, it was a joke, bad joke.
- I don't get.
- Sorry, a mistake.
So what's he so miserable about?
- Because on kibbutz,
we don't use him.
We use...
Um...
- An injection?
- It called insemination.
Artificial insemination.
Sex without man, okay?
What's this you look at?
[pleasant music]
Something wrong with me?
- No.
No, far from it.
- So, we inseminate cows
and if it's still zero baby--
- You send for the bull.
- Right.
- And that always works, huh?
- Maybe.
Maybe not.
Nice for the bull though.
[Mike and Gila laughing]
I made a good joke?
- Yeah.
Very good joke.
[bull mooing]
[dramatic instrumental music]
- That's it.
That's all there is to see.
- What's that?
- That you don't want to see.
- Why not?
- It means nothing to you.
- Come on, I'll race you.
[dramatic instrumental music]
Who's buried here?
- These are graves of people
who died defending kibbutz.
And some soldiers.
[wind howling]
- Most of them were
younger than I am.
[melancholy string music]
- To the world he was a soldier,
to us he was the world.
He was 19 years old.
- You knew him?
- He was my big brother.
Now his little sister is
older than her big brother.
I still miss him.
- I'm sorry.
- Why sorry?
You didn't know him.
- No, I meant I'm sorry to
have made you come here.
I didn't realize.
- It's okay.
There are so many things
about our life here
you don't realize.
Come on.
At least he's surrounded
by his friends.
[crickets chirping]
[dog whimpering]
- Hey, Angus, it's Friday night.
You coming to Shabbat meal?
- Later, maybe.
- Say, did you put this together
from all those bits and pieces?
- It's an old army trick.
Whales away the hours.
- Yeah, we wondered what
you were doing here
along every evening.
- I dare say.
People talk, I've heard.
Just like an army
camp, nothing changes.
- How long were you
in Norther Ireland?
- When I was discharged,
I had done three tours.
After the first one, I prayed
to God not to send me back
but He did.
Had His own reasons, no doubt.
I don't fully
understand, not yet.
- Understand what?
- All of it.
The troubles,
George being killed,
my discharge.
The whole thing's God's doing,
it's important to
understand that.
My priest explained it to me.
He said George's death...
was a test,
God's way of testing
my faith, you see?
- George was your friend?
- We were boy soldiers together.
We came from the same place.
He was my best friend.
[Angus crying]
- Sorry.
[people chattering]
- Got here, mate.
- Oi.
- What's the food like?
- Great.
- Fantastic.
- You missed the soup to poo.
- Oh, look at this.
Chicken.
No more bloody salad.
It's my first good meal in days.
What's the matter?
- Let me see that.
Yeah, I thought so.
- Aye?
- This is one of those
chickens that died of diarrhea.
- What?
- I told them not to use them.
- Are you sure?
How can you tell?
- Look, Dave,
I know about chickens.
- Yeah, but--
- [Pete] Good chance, of course,
that maybe this one's okay.
- No thanks.
I'm off chicken.
Bloody hell, trust me, yeah.
- Fancy a bit of salad?
[people chattering]
- Mama, Papa, I want you to
meet Mike, he's from America.
- Nice to meet you, ma'am, sir.
- Welcome.
- So, young man, where is
it that you live in America?
- I live in Boston.
- Boston, you hear, the
boy comes from Boston.
- So he comes from Boston.
- Yeah, we have relatives
in Boston, Yorum.
Our brother, he lives in Boston.
You know the Bochevskis?
- Would that be a Jewish family?
- That's right.
- Sorry, never heard of them.
- Boston is a very
big place, Dobush.
- Sure but Yorum's
is a very big family.
- And this young boy
doesn't look to me
like he's on first name
terms with a rabbi.
- This,
the leg.
- Leg?
- [Rothwell] Leg.
- Ah, so,
leg.
- In Yiddish,
the leg is called the vase.
- Vase.
- Good.
This is the neck.
In Yiddish...
Haldz.
- Haldz.
- That's good.
You're coming along really well,
it's very nice.
- Very nice.
This?
- Oh.
Well,
people, that is to say,
female people,
have two of them.
In Yiddish...
Titskis.
- Tis good.
- Tis good, yeah,
but it's pronounced
"Titskis."
- Tis good.
- Ah.
Oh.
[gentle string music]
- You must go.
It's no good to stay here.
People talk.
- So?
Let them.
- No, in kibbutz there's
200 people in 2,000 miles.
- Invite me in for coffee.
- No.
No.
[gentle flute music]
- What I'd really like is
for you to invite me to stay.
- No.
- Why not?
- I don't wanna get involved.
And, anyway, I
find you repulsive.
- Let me stay.
- I don't know you well enough.
- There's no better
way to get to know me.
- [Gail] It's not a good idea.
- Why not?
- You're not Jewish.
- I've had the operation.
- I have to be up
at five to milk.
- Tomorrow's a rest day.
- Not for the cows.
And I might get to like you.
[pleasant instrumental music]
Close the shutters.
I'm not on the pill.
- [Mike] Neither am I.
- So we'll be careful.
[Gila giggling]
[water splashing]
[Gila giggling]
Oh God, here comes
the Brothers Grimm.
- "You too could have
a body like mine."
- "If you're extremely
unfortunate."
- Okay, okay, you can laugh.
But I take pride in keeping fit.
This isn't just a body,
this is a fighting weapon.
It could be called
anywhere in the world
at a moment's notice.
- Good afternoon.
Would you like to, um?
[water splashing]
- You clumsy oaf!
- Sorry.
- Have you all seen the
notice up on the board?
[Pete stammering]
- What notice?
[people laughing]
- It's about Volunteers' Day
and the organizers have
address me to assist them.
- What's it got to do with us?
- It's an annual event.
Once a year,
the volunteers from all
the different countries
put on a show in
the Culture Hall.
[Carrie chuckling]
- What for?
- To entertain the
rest of the kibbutz.
- Bloody hell!
It's bugging off working
for them all day!
Now they're trying
to get us working
for all bleeding night as well.
- Don't know though,
be an excuse for one
hell of a piss up.
- It's supposed to
be a cultural event.
- That is a cultural event.
- Have you...
ever thought of getting involved
in the life of the kibbutz?
- No.
[Dave chuckling]
- Talking to people,
learning how it works.
Maybe we could give the
kibbutznik some idea
of what life is like
where we come from.
- They get our sport
on telly, don't they?
They've only got to watch
one bleeding football match
to know what England's like.
Cold, wet and full
of drunken sods
hitting each other
with broken bottles.
[people laughing]
- Spot on, mate.
- Put on a show?
All right, I'll
be a football fan
and Pete can be a copper
and stomp on my goolies.
[people laughing]
- Please, this is an
artistic entertainment.
Now why can't we show the
beautiful side of England?
Our music, our poetry.
Keats, Wordsworth.
- All right, I'll be Keats,
Pete can be Wordsworth
and then stomp on my goolies.
[people laughing]
- David.
Don't you care at
all about England?
- Look, if they wanna know
about England, the can go there.
I've just saved up for a year
to get away from
the sodding place!
- You're hopeless.
Grace.
What can you offer, huh?
What's a typical
Australian pastime?
- Screwing.
[people laughing]
- I mean for the show.
Do you have any special talent?
- Yeah, screwing.
[people laughing]
- Really.
[water splashing]
[people laughing]
[pleasant music]
- Angus!
[boy shouting]
- Ah, you wanna play
blind man's bluff, aye?
Okay, come on.
Let's go, come on.
[upbeat music]
[children laughing]
[Angus laughing]
[upbeat music]
[child yelping]
Um...
Uh...
Asher!
Yay!
- Angus.
Angus.
[children chattering]
You mustn't spoil them, Angus.
- No, ma'am, certainly not.
Discipline, that's the word.
- You enjoy working
here, don't you?
- Oh yes, ma'am, indeed I do.
- If you like, I'll ask Ami to
let you stay on working here.
- Thank you very much, ma'am.
Very kind of you.
Thank you.
- Can I help you?
- Ah, isn't that nice, Abe?
So hospitable.
Just like it says
in the brochure.
Sweetheart,
we're American,
from the United
States of America
and we're on tour here in
this lovely country of yours.
We have this wonderful
travel agency
on the corner--
- Honey, get to the point,
will you?
How should she be interested
where we bought the tickets?
- Of course she's interested,
she's standing here
listening, isn't she?
Anyway, sweetheart,
we've had three children.
Can you believe it?
Our eldest son came over here
and stayed for six months.
He was sorry he ever came back.
I was sorry he ever came back.
But that's motherhood.
- What my wife is trying to
say is we're dying of thirst.
- That's right and we
were told we could just
look around here and
refresh ourselves.
Free of charge.
- Oh yes, sure.
- Aw, you're an angel.
I could kiss you.
[camera snapping]
Abe.
Do you mind if a few
of our friends join us?
- Sure, why not?
I'll find somebody
to give you tea.
- Miriam!
Harry!
Come on in.
We can have a cup
of tea in here.
Isn't this wonderful?
Aw, they're terrific.
Come on with me, yes.
Come on in here, yeah.
Just take yourselves
a seat anywhere.
[tourists chattering]
- Mom?
Dad?
- Surprise.
[mom laughing]
- Oh, oh!
I can't believe!
It's good to see you.
What are you doing here?
- I...
I missed you.
You're not even
wearing your glasses.
[Rothwell snapping]
He isn't wearing
his yamaka either.
But he looks wonderful.
- Honey, come on, I want
you to meet my mom and dad.
- This girl is Jewish?
- I was gonna write and
tell you about her, Mom.
This is Yoshiko.
From Japan.
- So this is Yoshiko.
From Japan.
- I was gonna prepare you, Mom.
You see, what we were planning,
was after we leave here,
going first to Japan
and then making our
way home to New York.
- Home to New York.
Sure.
She can stay with us.
- Mom, the apartment's so small.
- [Mom] So she can have my room.
- Where will you sleep?
- I won't be needing to sleep.
Me,
I'm cutting my throat.
- What she say?
[wind howling]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Sorry I'm late.
[wind howling]
[birds chirping]
Who're you writing?
Your lover in America?
- My parents.
- You tell your mom, "I
sleep with nice Jewish girl?"
- No.
- She anti-Semitic?
[Mike chuckling]
- No.
What's the matter?
- Nothing.
It doesn't amount to nothing.
- What?
What?
Okay.
- Well, you tell me so
little about your life,
it makes me sad.
- What do you wanna know?
- Oh, come on.
Don't treat me like I
have a wood for brain.
For all I'm knowing, you
may have wife or girlfriend
back in United States.
- Don't be ridiculous.
- How am I to know?
I must believe
what you speak me.
- Tell me.
- Okay, tell me.
Mike on kibbutz is Mike
but in United States he
might be someone else.
- Come on, Gila, give me a kiss.
- No.
Absolutely, no!
And I tell you one thing,
until you tell me more, I
don't intend that you sleep
no more in the stupid,
bloody bed of mine!
It's too small for
two people anyway.
- What's the problem?
- When you sleep in it too!
It's having this
stupid, bloody...
In the middle?
- Dip?
- Dip?
Stupid, bloody word.
You don't sleep in it no more!
That's the fact!
[birds chirping]
- Hi, shalom.
- Oh, shit.
- Having a little tête-à-tête?
And why not?
Michael, could you
just give me a hand?
- Sure.
- Thanks ever so.
Oh.
I've just been talking to
some of the kibbutz women.
Very interesting.
If only one could
paint conversations.
Oh, I'm spoiled for choice.
So many good angles.
It's a bit of a sensual feast,
you know, Gila, your home.
[wood creaking]
Could you be a bit more
careful with that, Michael?
It was rather expensive.
Thank you.
- What's this?
- It's the trees and
shrubbery over there.
- This that?
- I'm just trying to
capture the spirit of it.
The essence.
- You have no feel for color.
- Oh, well, it's in
the early stages yet.
I'm just dabbling.
Playing with shapes and forms.
- Baby, you can sit here
for a million years,
you still have no
feel for color.
Your brush doesn't
touch your heart.
- Oh.
Well, that's telling
me then, isn't it?
You paint, yourself
then, do you?
- Oi!
Van Gogh!
Been looking all over for you!
- What is this?
Van Gogh airport?
- What's up with her?
- Never screw a woman first
thing in the morning, mate.
Makes them unbearable
the rest of the day.
They've got nothing to
look forward to, see?
Right, Carrie?
- Is that all you
can think about?
Sex.
- Except when I look at you.
Then I think about rice pudding.
- Hey, Carrie.
We came for our shop
tokens, you got 'em?
- I gave them out at lunch time.
- We wasn't around lunch time.
- Oh well, you'll just
have to come to my room
this evening then, won't you?
[Pete gagging]
[Dave laughing]
- Oi, Carrie!
Oh, where the hell is she?
Said she'd be here six o'clock.
Wow, tea bags.
- Hey.
Seen this picture
of her boyfriend?
He's a bit old
fashion, isn't he?
- Ah.
- "To my little girl, love Dad."
Aye, that's bloody weird.
- Why don't you leave her alone?
She's obviously not well.
- She's a pain in the ass.
[door clicking]
- Oh, hello.
What can I do for you then?
- We'd love our
shop tokens, please.
- All right.
- There is such a thing as
waiting outside, you know.
- What's the score with you, eh?
Coming here giving
yourself airs and graces.
[ominous music]
Well I know you.
I know all about you.
- What do you mean?
- Leave it out, Dave.
[ominous tempo music]
- That's not your boyfriend.
- What?
- It's your old man,
you sodding loony.
- I said, shut up!
What're you pick on
her for, you creep?
[Carrie crying]
Get up.
Go on, get up before
I drag you up!
You sniveling snot rag!
- I don't understand you, Pete.
What're you having
a go at me for?
You're not trying to
tell me she's not crazy.
[Carrie crying]
- Oh, nice one, Dave.
[suspenseful music]
[Carrie crying]
Oh, there's no
hope for you, Dave.
You're too far gone.
[distant people chattering]
[wind howling]
I'm sorry about what
happened back there, Carrie.
- [Carrie] Thank you.
- Dave often get on
my nerves sometimes.
- [Carrie] I wouldn't want
to come between friends.
- No, well he'll get over it.
You okay?
[wind howling]
- You know, don't you?
- Know what?
- Come on, you know, I can tell.
You know about my breakdown.
My being in a hospital,
who else knows?
- I don't know what
you're talking about.
- If they find out,
they might kick me off.
Not supposed to be here
without a medical certificate.
If you're not 100 percent fit.
- How'd you get your
certificate then?
- My sister's a nurse,
she arranged it.
It was stupid to lie,
I can see that now.
But I just had to get away.
You know, I haven't had
a tranquilizer for weeks.
I knew I'd be fine
once I got away.
- You'll be all right.
Anyhow, I'll see you.
[wind howling]
[pleasant instrumental music]
- The weather is
beautiful, isn't she?
- Yeah, she is beautiful.
- Listen, I talked to Ami.
He said, if we want, we
can have pads together.
We can have furniture.
Nothing special but some things.
The house is really for
long stay volunteers only.
It wouldn't be right to take
unless you can say for sure
that you plan to stay here.
Not forever, of course, but
for six months, at least.
Maybe three is okay.
- It's not so simple.
- Why not?
You're not happy with me?
- Of course I'm happy.
And I wanna be with you but...
- So what's the problem?
[pleasant instrumental music]
- So,
plan to spend the rest of
your life on a kibbutz?
- Sure.
I like very much this life.
I wouldn't like to
live in the city.
City people have
no quality of life.
- So that's it?
Your life mapped out, finalized,
you live on a kibbutz
and that's it?
- Sure.
I got my family, I got my work,
I've got everything I need.
- Well what if something
gets in the way?
- Nothing gets in the
way, I know what I want.
Come on, let's have a drink.
- Look, don't you see
what I'm trying to say?
There are other ways to live.
I want you to come back
to the states with me.
- That's not possible.
- [Mike] Why not?
- It's like asking
fish to ride a bicycle.
- Gila, I want us
to be together.
- That's also what I want.
But this is my home.
You please stay here.
- But this isn't my home.
- Wow,
Mike.
Doctors sure knows many
things about bodies.
- I knew all those
expensive manuals
would come in handy one day.
- I'm very happy to
be here with you.
- It's only because
there's no dip in the bed.
[Gil and Mike giggling]
- Next time we'll do it so
well, you'll wake up Jewish.
[Mike chuckling]
I speak English.
Not highly,
but I know there is being
something which you don't say.
You see, I'm not a philosopher
but I'm not a fool.
- No, you're far
from being a fool.
[melancholy music]
You've always said
all volunteers
come here to run
away form something.
Well I came for a good time.
But now something's happened
and I don't know
how to deal with it.
- Do you want to
talk to me about it?
- I'm in love with you.
- So what's wrong with that?
This is a nice feeling.
- It is a nice feeling
but for the past three
years, I worked so damn hard,
I haven't had time to
think of anything else.
- I don't understand.
- Gila, I can't throw away
three years of med school
and start all over again.
- Oh.
- If I go, I can
always come back.
- Sure, you mean it now.
But if you go home,
you'll miss me maybe
for a few weeks,
after, everything
will seem so far away,
you'll never come back.
[dramatic instrumental music]
So should I tell Ami
that we decided not
to take the house?
- No, just tell him...
Tell him I need
more time to think.
I wanna be with you.
But at the moment, I
just don't know how.
- So think of
something, Mike, please?
[children chattering]
- What's the matter, son?
[Asher speaking
foreign language]
What is it you're saying?
[Asher speaking
foreign language]
I don't know what
it is you're saying
but I think you
ought to be in bed.
Come on.
I think there's
something wrong with him.
[pleasant guitar music]
[singing foreign language]
- Oi, Menachem!
[Menachem shushing]
We got a little act
together, can we have a go?
- Well yes, I guess so.
- When?
- Rothwell is next.
You can follow him if you wish.
- Great.
- Good.
Only keep it short, we
gotta stick to a schedule.
- Come on, Dave.
[twins singing in
foreign language]
[audience applauding]
- [Menachem] Thank you, Finland!
- Okay now, remember--
- Thank you, Finland.
- You're recording
a future star.
The new Woody Allen.
The next...
Lenny Bruce.
- Lenny Bruce?
- Nevermind.
- And now, ladies and gentlemen,
will you please welcome,
Rothwell T. Schwartz from
the United States of America!
[audience applauding]
- I'm gonna kill 'em.
- [Menachem] Woo hoo!
[audience applauding]
- Thank you, Menachem.
A funny thing happened
on the way to synagogue,
ladies and germs.
I said, a funny thing
happened on the,
I know you're out there,
I can hear you breathing.
Two Jewish women are sitting
on the beach and they...
Oh no.
Excuse me.
Two old Jewish women
are sitting on the beach
and they kinda...
Grandmothers...
These two old Jewish
grandmothers are
sitting on the beach
and this kid runs by...
These two Jewish grandfathers...
Grand...
This kid, he's got a
humpback, it's terri...
[audience applauding]
- Well, that was certainly
an unusual performance
with a surprise ending.
And now,
an unexpected and welcome
addition to our program.
Here are two representatives
of the British group.
Welcome, Pete and Dave!
[audience applauding]
[audience booing]
[audience cheering]
[audience applauding]
- One, two, three, four.
♪ Rule, Britannia
♪ Britain's down the nick
♪ The way we acted in
today would make you sick ♪
♪ Rule, Britannia
[people laughing]
♪ There's never sod all to do
♪ Except for beating people
up and sniffing glue ♪
♪ Rule, Britannia
[people laughing]
♪ It rains all bleeding day
♪ It's only stupid, toddy
brats who want to stay ♪
♪ Rule, kibbutzniks
♪ We're ever so
glad we've come ♪
♪ If the Brits don't
like our little song ♪
♪ Then I'm their bum
[people chattering
in foreign language]
- And now ladies and gentlemen,
after that fine example
of western culture,
we turn to the east,
to your young
friends from India.
- Well I think it
went down very well.
- [Menachem] Who will entertain
us with some Indian music.
- You stupid boys!
You have upset so many people.
You have disgraced yourselves
and offended the old kibbutz!
- It was only a joke,
it's a bit of fun.
- We weren't getting at you.
- No, I'm sorry for
this, you'll have to go.
Both of you, we
don't want you here.
- Hey, you mean
leave the kibbutz?
- You can't chuck us
out just for this.
- There is no alternative.
You must leave by the weekend.
Come and see me in the morning.
- Here!
Can he do that?
[faint Indian music]
- That's great.
We've been kicked out.
That's really fucking
socialist, that is!
Socialism, you can't
call this socialism.
For a start, I
can't live on salad!
- You volunteers,
you make me sick!
You come into kibbutz
and you take, take, take!
You give nothing.
- We're just rubbish
to you, aren't we?
Well let me tell you something.
This system, here,
it don't work!
- You know nothing
about my country.
You know nothing
about my people.
So what're you doing here,
you ignorant bastards!
- You know, Gila,
it was only a joke.
They were just trying to tell
you how they feel about England.
Weren't you, Peter?
- Absolutely!
That was the whole point.
- It's not England you insult.
You insult us.
- Yeah, but if you kick them
off, your system fails them.
And you've always said
that people matter here,
that the kibbutz is different
because people are important.
- Why you apologize for them?
Do you know what I'm thinking?
I'm thinking all
volunteers are sick.
All blood is sick in the head.
In this, I include you!
[faint Indian music]
[wind howling]
- Oh.
One for you
and one for me.
L'Chaim, mate.
- L'Chaim.
[wind howling]
[wind howling]
[wind howling]
[fire crackling]
[fire whooshing]
- Right mess you've
landed us in.
- Oh, shut up.
- I didn't wanna do it.
I don't like showing my
ass at the best of times.
I don't mind on a
boat going somewhere,
pressed up against a
window for a laugh...
But not on a stage in front
of 200 gawking foreigners.
[ominous music]
- Bloody hell, there's a fire!
[suspenseful music]
Fire!
There's a fire!
[fire rumbling]
Right, there's a fire!
Fire!
- [Dave] Fire!
- Jesus!
Where is everyone?
[woman coughing]
Where is everyone?
- The children!
The children are all down there!
- Where?
- Where are they?
[woman shouting in
foreign language]
[fire rumbling]
[children crying]
- Take the children, I'm
going to raise the alarm!
[children shouting]
[fire crackling]
[glass shattering]
[siren alarming]
[fire rumbling]
[children shouting]
[siren alarming]
[people shouting]
- Wake up!
Wake up!
[board clattering]
- The roof's coming in!
- Come on!
[children shouting]
Go!
[fire rumbling]
[wood clattering]
[children shouting]
[fire crackling]
[wood clattering]
[woman shouting]
[child screaming]
[Asher coughing]
[people shouting]
[suspenseful music]
- God.
[woman shouting
foreign language]
[people shouting]
[fire rumbling]
- Asher's inside!
Asher is still!
[Ami shouting foreign language]
Asher!
Asher!
Get Asher!
[Ami speaking foreign language]
[fire rumbling]
[wood clattering]
- Get out of here, Dave!
[Asher coughing]
[fire crackling]
[men shouting foreign language]
[fire rumbling]
[Dave shouting]
[water hissing]
- Where is he?
[Asher coughing]
- There!
[fire rumbling]
[Asher crying]
[Asher coughing]
[glass shattering]
- Help me, we've
got another kid!
[fire rumbling]
[woman crying]
Take him, it's hot in here!
You okay?
- No.
You?
- No.
Let's have a drink.
- Hey, is everybody out?
- Yeah, Asher was the last.
[water hissing]
Dave, Pete!
You did a wonderful job.
You saved the children's lives.
Believe me, this won't
ever be forgotten.
- It's okay.
- No, wait.
The business with the concert,
I'd like to forget it.
- Aye?
Well, you mean...
We don't have to go, is
that what you're saying?
- [Ami] That's right.
We want you to stay.
- Yeah, well,
I mean, yeah.
- Fantastic.
- Well...
See you tomorrow.
- Yeah, great.
[wind howling]
- Angus?
[ominous music]
- [Angus] Dear Mike,
I'm afraid I started the
fire by being careless.
I'm so ashamed, I cannot stay
and face the kibbutzniks.
Please tell them I'm very sorry.
Angus.
P.S.,
I hope nobody was
injured or worse.
[people shouting]
- Strange time to leave.
They'll miss the trip to Masada.
- Volunteers, they have
no interest in anything.
- So many people
leaving the kibbutz.
- End of harvest is a sad time.
So many friends that
we'll never see again.
- Gila, you know,
I've been thinking
about this a lot.
About me staying here and
us taking a house together.
- Mike, you don't
have to say any more.
- I've got to go home.
Sorry.
[engine rumbling]
Just for awhile to
sort things out.
[dramatic instrumental music]
I'll come back!
Gila, please, try to understand.
[dramatic instrumental music]
[people chattering]
- Yeah, exactly how long
will this trip to
Masada take, you think?
- Well, about an
hour and a half.
- Oh, well we better break
open some beers then, eh?
- Hey, hey, no, no, no, no.
- Hey!
- You get into the coach.
We'll have them later.
- No way.
- It's all right.
Have a delightful time.
- Mike!
Gila.
Angus has been found
wandering around Jerusalem.
The police say he told
about having killed
some children in a
fire on this kibbutz.
- What?
- They think it will be good
if you came to the
hospital with me.
- Yeah, sure, of course.
- We can follow in my car
and catch up with you at...
Nabi Musa?
You'll take care of everyone.
- Right.
- You take care of yourself.
- Sure I do.
- Sure I will.
- Sure I will do.
Okay.
- Come on, cheer up.
- Come on, you're
going home next week.
You don't need to
sing and dance.
I see you later.
[suspenseful beat music]
[volunteers chattering]
[suspenseful beat music]
- Quiet.
- Quiet!
- Listen, everybody,
an hour lunch.
This is the holy
place for Muslim,
so everybody behave.
[Pete laughing]
- Peter!
- Stop it!
- Oh, sorry.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey,
let's cool it, okay?
[Pete shushing]
[wind howling]
[tires screeching]
[men speaking foreign language]
[suspenseful tempo music]
[men speaking foreign language]
[men speaking foreign language]
[suspenseful tempo music]
[gunshots booming]
[helicopter rumbling]
[rapid gunfire popping]
[rapid gunfire popping]
[helicopter whooshing]
[man speaking foreign language]
[suspenseful tempo music]
[man speaking foreign language]
[engine rumbling]
[engine rumbling]
[man speaking foreign language]
[gunshots booming]
[door thudding]
[man speaking foreign language]
- Don't move, don't move!
[Carrie screaming]
Go this way!
I said shut up, I said move!
[Carrie screaming]
- Go to the wall!
- Move!
Move!
[man speaking foreign language]
Sit down, sit!
Sit!
Sit!
Now, you obey my orders,
nobody will be hurt, understand?
[man speaking foreign language]
[wind howling]
- Trust me, aye.
Just my fucking luck.
[pleasant classical music]
[radio reporter speaking
foreign language]
- What is it?
[radio reporter speaking
foreign language]
What?
- There's been an
attack at Nabi Musa.
[suspenseful music]
[men speaking foreign language]
- We can't go through.
[wind howling]
[helicopter buzzing]
- Stand up!
Stand up!
[helicopter buzzing]
[soldiers speaking
foreign language]
[suspenseful music]
[man screaming foreign language]
[explosion rumbling]
[rapid gunfire popping]
[wind howling]
[engine rumbling]
[police sirens alarming]
[Ami speaking foreign language]
- Okay.
- Mike.
[police sirens alarming]
[people shouting
foreign language]
[police sirens alarming]
- Pete,
Carrie,
you okay?
Come this way.
[dramatic string music]
[Ami and Menachem
speaking foreign language]
[dramatic string music]
- Where's Gila?
[engine rumbling]
Where's Gila?
- I haven't seen her.
I'll ask the others.
[engine rumbling]
- [Mike] Just a minute.
[wind howling]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[people chattering]
- What're you doing?
Sorry, sorry.
- Sorry.
Sorry.
- That's nice, thank you.
- Oh Carrie, I shall
really miss you, you know?
Don't read all my playbills
at once, all right?
- [Man] Goodbye.
You look after each other now.
- What's the matter?
- I just got a talking
letter from my mother.
- What did she say?
- Listen.
"If ruining your
life makes you happy,
"keinehora, a fist in my mouth
I shouldn't say anything."
- Please?
[Rothwell speaking Japanese]
- "Keinehora..."
[Rothwell speaking Japanese]
- Oy vey.
- [Driver] All aboard!
- Oh here, look,
here's my address.
From back home.
- Here's mine.
- Great.
- Bloody hell, I hate this,
I hate saying goodbye.
Have a nice life.
- Yeah, you.
Listen, if you
don't get in touch,
I'll never speak to you
again as long as I live.
[engine rumbling]
- Shalom.
My name is Carrie...
Carrie, and I'm your
volunteer welfare officer.
So, if you'd like to
come with me, please.
This is David.
- Lots of delicious
sandwiches inside.
You'll love 'em.
- [Carrie] Bye!
- [Dave] Bye!
- [Carrie] Bye, everybody!
[dramatic instrumental music]
- I'm thinking I'll
never see you again.
- I'll be back.
- Sure.
- Say goodbye to
the girl, come on!
- I meant what I
said in Jerusalem.
- [Pete] We'll miss the plane.
- I love you.
- No, please,
don't say.
Just go.
- Shalom, Gila.
- Shalom.
[engine puttering]
- Oi, we'll miss
the plane, come on!
[dramatic instrumental music]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[pleasant instrumental music]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[boat horn tooting]
- [Male Announcer] El AL
announced that the departure
of their flight 308
to Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eastern Air Airlines,
flight number 305.
Now boarding at gate 42.
- [Female Announcer]
American Airways announces
the departure of flight
number 100 to London Heathrow.
Will passengers ensure they
have their hand luggage--
- I'm sorry.
- I'm sorry.
Fine.
[lively instrumental music]
[pleasant instrumental music]
[pleasant instrumental music]
[airplane whooshing]
- Excuse me troubling you.
I wondered if you could
help a damsel in distress.
- Volunteer, are you?
- For my sins.
- Me too.
- I'm trying to
get a cup of tea.
- Follow me.
- Have you only got
that little backpack?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
Aren't you the lucky one?
I've got all these encumbrances.
- Yeah.
Blood nuisance, aren't they?
- Sorry, mate, it's full up.
- You're form
London, aren't you?
- Oh yeah.
- Just got in?
- No, no, I come over
a couple of days ago
to do a bit of
sightseeing in Tel Aviv.
That took a good half hour.
And I went to the kibbutz
office and they said
did I fancy picking
watermelon, so I thought,
sod it, why not?
So, here I am.
- Can you smell the flowers?
Isn't it amazing?
That was the first
thing I noticed
when I stepped off the plane,
the incredible, overpowering
smell of flowers.
Well, one expects the
stench of gasoline.
[Pete mockingly stammering]
- Are you the volunteers
for kibbutz Kfar Ezra?
- Oh, I am.
- Yeah.
- Oh, yeah, yeah.
- Isn't that lovely, we're
all going to be together.
- [Menachem] Should
be five of you here.
- Yeah, well, there's only
three of us here, mate.
- Angus Ross, reporting, sir.
- Well,
that makes four, the
American is missing.
Okay, follow me.
- Do you see what
we're traveling in?
- Who's he then?
- [Menachem] He's just
arrived from New York,
let him sleep.
- Oh, careful, watch my--
- Yeah, give us that.
- No, no.
- Oh, come on.
- Oh.
Ah.
- Hey, Angus, close the tail
board and climb beam, okay?
There is one guy missing.
We can't wait any longer.
He'll have to make
his own way, let's go.
[lively instrumental music]
[camel grunting]
[men shouting in
foreign language]
- Trust me, yeah.
Only I could travel 2,000
miles in search of the sun,
step off the plane
and get pissed on.
I'm gonna love this
place, I can feel it!
[camel grunting]
[lively instrumental music]
[wind howling]
Bloody hell!
[dog barking]
Looked like a bloody
prison camp there.
- That guard with the Tommy gun.
I thought we were
going to be shot.
- Tight security, it has to be.
Siege environment.
[lively instrumental music]
- Why must they have those
stations all over the place?
I find them terrifying.
- What do you want for
guard dogs, poodles?
- Oh!
My nerves.
[lively instrumental music]
[birds chirping]
- Day one, I can't
believe I finally made it.
I'm home.
2,000 years it's
taken me to get here.
- Next time, fly El
Al, it's much quicker.
[people chattering]
- Hey, you guys go right
ahead, I gotta take a leak.
- [Menachem] Okay, relax now.
Soon somebody will come
and show you to your rooms.
- Day one,
an important moment for me.
My first leak on sacred soil.
[urination trickling]
- Oh sandwiches, fantastic.
[flies buzzing]
- Nobody said we
could help ourselves.
- Sandwiches.
I come 2,000 miles
to work for the sods
and they have the cheek
to offer me sandwiches.
I sweating jobs.
I didn't come here
to catch pneumonia.
I could've caught
that in England.
- Shut up moaning!
[flies buzzing]
- Ah, look at the flies.
Half of them are dead.
- No, they're not dead,
mate, they're kosher.
They just hang themselves
upside down, aye?
[airplane buzzing]
- Shalom.
- Shalom.
[phone ringing]
- Oh no.
Couldn't be my mother already.
- Well, it could be for us.
- You speak the lingo?
- Leave it then.
Don't wanna get tangled
up with some twat
talking sodding gibberish.
[phone ringing]
- Yes?
Well.
Sounded pretty bad.
Only 10 kilometers away
and getting closer?
Really?
Yes, I'll get my rifle.
Right.
Shalom.
Nobody is to move out of here.
Unless you want a
bullet up your ass.
Okay?
- Regret that, wouldn't they?
Getting shot on the
first sodding day.
- [Carrie] I've got
some tranquilizers
if anyone wants one.
[airplane rumbling]
- What's going on?
[airplane whooshing]
Oh, God Almighty!
Jesus Christ, what is it?
- Get down!
What's the matter with you?
You're gonna get killed!
[airplanes whooshing]
[group yelling]
[group whimpering]
- Why are you on the floor?
Someone lose his teeth?
[airplane rumbling]
- That, what is it?
- Oh, this.
They piss on melon.
- What's she saying?
- I speak English.
They piss on melon.
- She means the crop sprayers.
[airplane whooshing]
- Crop sprayers?
Well thanks a bunch for
telling us, you Scotch git.
- I knew it.
I sodding knew it.
- If you knew it, why
didn't you tell us?
- Idiots.
You think they're coming
to bomb your asses
into little pieces?
- It sounded so frightening.
- Don't worry.
Next war is not until August.
First we'll pick
melons for expert.
We keep you alive
until then at least.
After that, who knows?
[airplane whooshing]
Oh,
I'm Gila.
Welcome to kibbutz.
[Gila and Menachem laughing]
- I knew it.
The bastard was having us on.
I supposed that's
their idea of a joke.
- Excuse me, ma'am.
You're the first female
kibbutznik I've met.
My name is Rothwell T. Schwartz.
- Oh, you're with these.
- I've come to lend
a helping hand.
Being Jewish has
given me so much.
I just want to give
some of it back.
- You're Jewish?
- Am I Jewish.
- Being American is bad enough
but Jewish!
[airplane rumbling]
Who are you?
- Michael Clark.
- Michael Clark.
You were supposed to be
picked up on the airport.
- Sorry about that.
Listen, can I get a room,
shower, something to eat?
- It's not a hotel, you know?
Wait here, I'll get the others.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Morning, girls,
Pete's the name.
Remember that if you
want a good time.
- Don't bother.
They're from Finland.
They never smile all the
time they're in kibbutz.
- Finland.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Dave Armitage
and Pete Stanford,
second door on the right.
- Together.
- Oh yeah, right, terrific.
- Carrie?
- [Carrie] Elcock.
- Third door on the right.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Angus Ross?
- Yes, ma'am.
- And Michael Clark.
- Yep.
- The red door, over there.
- This ain't exactly the Ritz.
- Rothwell T. Schwartz.
Follow me, baby.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- Shalom.
- I'll take this bed, okay?
- Sure.
[distant airplane rumbling]
Well that should make
you popular around here.
- I'm not afraid of suffering.
- How long were you in the army?
- 10 years and it
taught me nothing.
- You didn't enjoy it?
- Show me the man
who enjoys no other
and I'll show you a madman.
- I've been here
well over a year now,
having a great time of it.
Sewing a few wild
oats here and there.
Know what I mean?
Any hunky chaps in your group
who might be on the lookout
for a little bit
of sex education?
- I really don't know
about that kind of thing
I don't think in those terms.
- Oh, not yet you don't.
[Grace laughing]
So how long you planning
to stay, Carrie?
- I don't really
know at the moment.
It all depends on my fiance.
He's a doctor, you see.
- Oh, is this him, here?
- Yes.
- He's older than you, huh?
- A bit.
He's been called
to Africa, you see.
There, they've created a
place especially for him.
Well, obviously I couldn't
go along too so I'm...
Well,
filling in time.
More or less.
- What do you do back
in England then, Carrie?
- I'm a nurse.
- Yeah?
Are you really?
- What do you mean, am I really?
Yes, I'm a nurse, lots
of people are nurses.
What's so strange about that?
Why shouldn't I be one?
- Did I say you're not?
- Well, it's just the way
you said that, I mean...
Nevermind.
[cattle mooing]
- Shalom, Gila.
- You're late.
- I was told 7:30.
- 7:30 is gone one minute.
- So knock a carrot
off my paycheck.
- Put the boots on.
- Right.
[cattle mooing]
Brought my hat.
Don't wanna get sun stroke.
Nice day, I hear
it gets in the 90s.
Anything's better
than being cooped up
in that factory over there.
- Everybody's working
there sometime.
Don't worry, you're
nothing special.
- No, I didn't think I was.
[cattle mooing]
- You contemplate the universe?
- No, why?
- Come work.
This is hay.
This is what the cows eat, okay?
This is straw.
This is what the cows
walk on, understand?
- Hay they eat,
straw they walk on.
- Right.
Cut off the strings.
Kick it all over the shit.
Keep all the bits
of strings, okay?
Bring them to me.
- That's all?
- You do, okay?
- I think I can just
about handle it.
- So why you wait?
- I was just admiring your
command of the English language.
- This we can do
some other time.
Now work.
- Right, work.
- Gosh, I could eat a dingo.
- Beautiful weather, huh?
- Uh huh.
- You know, it's incredible
to see so many Jews sitting
together eating a meal.
- So many Jews?
You anti-Semitic?
- Anti...
Hold on a second,
fella, I'm Jewish.
My mother is Jewish,
my father is Jewish.
My grandfather, God rest
his soul, was Jewish.
Let me tell you a
story about my grandpa.
- So who's life in
the chicken shed?
- Oh, someone must've
told them, I reckon.
- Told them what?
- That I grew up
on a poultry farm.
It's funny, isn't it?
I grew up with
the little buggers
and here I am working
with them again.
I've been in and out of
chickens all my life.
If you pardon the expression.
- Put on for a transfer.
- No way, man.
Chickens are funny things,
they've got minds of their own.
They need a professional
looking after them
because they can tell when
there's an amateur about.
No, they need me there.
They need my expertise.
- Hey.
You guys mind if I join you?
My name is Rothwell.
Rothwell T. Schwartz.
Like you, I'm Jewish.
Yes, sir.
My father's money helped
build this country.
Gotta run.
Things to do.
Busy little bee.
Don't get up.
Shalom, Finland.
- It's nice bit of chicken.
- Yeah.
- It'd be nice if
they cooked it.
They do say raw vegetables
are good for you.
Can't see it myself, the
meat feels sodding ill.
I get more nourishment
biting my lip.
[Pete laughing]
Oh.
- Stomach?
- Agony.
My ass feels like
it's been burgled.
I had to sleep sitting
upright on the bug all night.
[Pete laughing]
- Volunteer's asshole, mate.
Trust you to be the first.
Three days they reckon
get rid of that.
- It's all these
bleeding salads.
It can't be good for
you, all this rubbish.
I've got salad poisoning.
- You know what you need,
a damn good vacation
away from it all.
[Pete laughing]
- Oh.
Oh.
[guys laughing]
Oh, no!
[tractor puttering]
- Hey, you!
What farm you grow up on?
Funny farm?
- What's the matter?
- For 20 years we give
the cows hay to eat
and straw to stand on.
We hear no complaint from them.
Do you know how
much this hay costs?
- What?
- Now you come to kibbutz
and what do you think?
They will walk on hay
like they were staying
in King David's hotel and eat
straw like they were Yemenis?
- Sorry.
- Sorry.
Sorry won't give us milk.
Sorry put no money in the bank.
What're you doing in kibbutz?
- I meant to get off
the plane at Stockholm.
This is all a big mistake.
- Huh?
How long you planning
to stay here?
- About another half an hour.
- You have much problem
back in America.
- No, why?
- So why you volunteer?
- I'm beginning to wonder.
- Thank you.
Of course, at home this
would be considered
very manual work.
But at least it's hygienic.
And naturally, being a nurse,
hygiene is important to me.
- What sort of nursing
were you doing?
- Oh, you name it, I've
done it sort of thing.
Actually, I've left
my manuals at home.
Well, if you're going
to take a break,
it may as well be a clean one.
"Clean break" being a
nursing term, of course.
- Yeah, sure.
- So...
You went to university,
weren't you, Michael?
- No, medical school.
- Oh.
- I plan on being a doctor.
- Well, I think I'll
just get these things
out of the way then, so...
- Wash these.
- Well, what's this?
You following me around?
- You're the last
person I would follow.
- I'm sorry I'm late, sir.
I was giving myself
a Hebrew lesson
and I was enjoying myself so--
- Work!
- Oh sure, okey dokey.
- These two there.
- Double time quick, sir.
[pleasant music]
[glass shattering]
I can explain everything.
[chickens clucking]
- Don't get so excited,
it's for your own good.
- Hey!
- Who is that?
Who spoke?
[chicken clucking]
Was that you?
Did you say something?
[Pete laughing]
- You know, you're beginning
to look like a chicken?
[Pete clucking]
- Come on, let's
get out of here.
Shit.
Was I smashed last night.
Tried to shut up those
two Finnish tarts.
Boom.
No go area.
They never smile.
It's against their
religion or something.
"Land of the Midnight
Sun" and all that
makes them fucking
miserable for some reason.
- You have a cigarette?
- No, I only got 19 left.
No wonder they're free.
I get cancer just
looking at them.
Hey, you know, I
phoned home last night.
Got through clear as a bell.
- Everything okay?
[Pete chuckling]
- Well it was until I
spoke to the old man.
I said I'm out here
for three months.
He said, "How much
are they paying you?"
I said, "Would you believe
"I'm working with
the chickens again?"
Hey said, "How much
are they paying you?"
I said I'm so knackered
by the end of the day,
I just sleep all evening.
Hey said, "How much
are they paying you?"
I said, "Nothing."
He said, "What?"
I said, 'Nothing."
They're burying him on Monday.
His last words were,
"Come home, Mosher, if that's
the promise land, come home."
- You're not Jewish, are you?
- Jewish?
If I was Jewish, do you think
I would be stupid enough
to work under these
conditions, aye?
Now I understand
why Jewish volunteer
is about as common as a
pork chop at a bar mitzvah.
Oh, Jesus.
I got to take
something for my head.
It's tension, that's what it is.
Sexual frustration.
- Come on.
You've got them on
their hands and knees.
- You're joking.
There's not a girl
on this kibbutz
I haven't tried it on with.
I'll tell you,
some of these cows are beginning
to look very attractive.
Hello, darling.
You doing anything tonight?
[cow mooing]
See what I mean?
[Michael laughing]
[tractor puttering]
- How long this is gonna take?
- Come on, God,
I don't mug old ladies,
I wear my seatbelt,
so why do you send me
her everywhere I go?
- You think God
listens to volunteers?
You're here because
I'm asking for you.
- And you wanted me?
- I'm asking for
you, not wanting.
The others are
worse, that's all.
What do you do?
You're here to work.
- Coffee break, 10 minutes
rest, it's official.
- Coffee break?
What's this?
- American custom.
Conversation, complaints
about the boss, tax evasion.
- [Gila] Huh?
- And jokes, preferably
something sexual
but few can handle it,
something about the wife.
- I don't believe my ear.
Are you Jewish?
- No, are you?
You wanna hear a
nice Jewish joke?
There's this Mrs. Mendel
talking to a Mrs. Bloomstein
and Mrs. Mendel says,
"My son's a homosexual."
And Mrs. Bloomstein says,
"That's nice, so
where's his office?"
Okay, you win.
- Listen, you're
here to make work.
So work!
- And what do you
know about work?
When I'm stacking hay,
you're driving the tractor.
When I'm walking
through cow shit,
you're driving the tractor.
As a matter of fact, if there's
any real work to be done,
you're driving the tractor.
- Volunteer not allowed
to drive a tractor.
You know this.
- That's right
because you keep all the
decent jobs for your damn self.
- Bullshit!
- Hey look,
let's get something
straight, okay?
I'm doing this for
nothing, remember?
I don't get paid.
I'm here because I wanna be
and if I don't like it,
I can just turn around
and take a hike, okay?
So just remember that.
- You're damn right!
I remember that.
Since I was so high!
[Gila crying]
[Gila laughing]
This joke, I like it.
"Where's his office?"
This is a good joke.
- Glad you like it.
- So what's your name?
Mike?
Okay, Mike, so no more bullshit.
- [Mike] Promise?
- Promise.
You wanna drive?
- You said volunteers weren't
allowed to drive the tractor.
- I make up the
rules as I go along.
So, you drive.
Let's go.
[tractor rumbling]
[Gila laughing]
- Now that's what
I come here for.
All those wet-eyed,
dark-skinned soldier girls.
- Not for us, mate.
Out of bounds.
- Yeah, all we get is volunteers
and they're enough to
put you off sex for life.
- Hey, look what's
coming though.
- Oh, that must be
the new Swedish girls.
- Great.
I've always wanted
to try a Swede.
[tractor puttering]
- Okay, girls, this
is where you get off.
- They're supposed to be Swedes?
Christ!
Swedes are supposed to be sexy.
All right, blondes never look
as good the morning after
but look at that lot.
And it's not even
the night before.
Oh volunteers.
Most are only here because
no one will go near them
in England or
Sweden or wherever.
The world's rejects and
we're supposed to screw them.
This is what gets me!
- [Man] Angus, come on, take.
- No, thank you.
- I don't want you collapsing.
It looks bad for me, take!
[gentle music]
Angus, don't work so
hard, there are no prizes.
Okay, so now take a
break, it's an order.
- Yes, sir.
[gentle music]
[Carrie singing tune]
- Heard from your
boyfriend yet, Carrie?
- No, haven't yet, actually.
- I reckon he's
abandoned you, Carrie.
Found himself a
foxy native girl.
- Oh, of course he hasn't.
- It's strange he hasn't
written to you though.
- Look, if I'm not
worried about it,
I don't see why you should be.
- Okay, okay.
The way you're going, matey,
the cows will have
more to eat than us.
- I'm not manually
very dexterous.
- No.
And you're not much good
with your hands either.
Hold on, I'll help you out.
[pleasant instrumental music]
- I'm wondering now
if she may be Jewish.
Her father could be something
big in the kimono industry.
[Rothwell gasping]
- Wow.
It's really pumping out.
- Oh my God!
I'm bleeding to death!
- Carrie!
Carrie!
Carrie, quick, we need you!
- What?
Well what do you need?
What's the matter,
what's going on?
Oh.
- So much for their
national health service.
[birds chirping]
[bull mooing]
- He looks pissed off.
- Absolutely.
He don't get to, you know.
- No, I don't.
- He not needed by
the ladies cows.
You see, it's like that.
If cow is not pregnant,
she wants to be
screwed every 21 days.
- My wife was just the same.
- You married?
- No, it was a joke, bad joke.
- I don't get.
- Sorry, a mistake.
So what's he so miserable about?
- Because on kibbutz,
we don't use him.
We use...
Um...
- An injection?
- It called insemination.
Artificial insemination.
Sex without man, okay?
What's this you look at?
[pleasant music]
Something wrong with me?
- No.
No, far from it.
- So, we inseminate cows
and if it's still zero baby--
- You send for the bull.
- Right.
- And that always works, huh?
- Maybe.
Maybe not.
Nice for the bull though.
[Mike and Gila laughing]
I made a good joke?
- Yeah.
Very good joke.
[bull mooing]
[dramatic instrumental music]
- That's it.
That's all there is to see.
- What's that?
- That you don't want to see.
- Why not?
- It means nothing to you.
- Come on, I'll race you.
[dramatic instrumental music]
Who's buried here?
- These are graves of people
who died defending kibbutz.
And some soldiers.
[wind howling]
- Most of them were
younger than I am.
[melancholy string music]
- To the world he was a soldier,
to us he was the world.
He was 19 years old.
- You knew him?
- He was my big brother.
Now his little sister is
older than her big brother.
I still miss him.
- I'm sorry.
- Why sorry?
You didn't know him.
- No, I meant I'm sorry to
have made you come here.
I didn't realize.
- It's okay.
There are so many things
about our life here
you don't realize.
Come on.
At least he's surrounded
by his friends.
[crickets chirping]
[dog whimpering]
- Hey, Angus, it's Friday night.
You coming to Shabbat meal?
- Later, maybe.
- Say, did you put this together
from all those bits and pieces?
- It's an old army trick.
Whales away the hours.
- Yeah, we wondered what
you were doing here
along every evening.
- I dare say.
People talk, I've heard.
Just like an army
camp, nothing changes.
- How long were you
in Norther Ireland?
- When I was discharged,
I had done three tours.
After the first one, I prayed
to God not to send me back
but He did.
Had His own reasons, no doubt.
I don't fully
understand, not yet.
- Understand what?
- All of it.
The troubles,
George being killed,
my discharge.
The whole thing's God's doing,
it's important to
understand that.
My priest explained it to me.
He said George's death...
was a test,
God's way of testing
my faith, you see?
- George was your friend?
- We were boy soldiers together.
We came from the same place.
He was my best friend.
[Angus crying]
- Sorry.
[people chattering]
- Got here, mate.
- Oi.
- What's the food like?
- Great.
- Fantastic.
- You missed the soup to poo.
- Oh, look at this.
Chicken.
No more bloody salad.
It's my first good meal in days.
What's the matter?
- Let me see that.
Yeah, I thought so.
- Aye?
- This is one of those
chickens that died of diarrhea.
- What?
- I told them not to use them.
- Are you sure?
How can you tell?
- Look, Dave,
I know about chickens.
- Yeah, but--
- [Pete] Good chance, of course,
that maybe this one's okay.
- No thanks.
I'm off chicken.
Bloody hell, trust me, yeah.
- Fancy a bit of salad?
[people chattering]
- Mama, Papa, I want you to
meet Mike, he's from America.
- Nice to meet you, ma'am, sir.
- Welcome.
- So, young man, where is
it that you live in America?
- I live in Boston.
- Boston, you hear, the
boy comes from Boston.
- So he comes from Boston.
- Yeah, we have relatives
in Boston, Yorum.
Our brother, he lives in Boston.
You know the Bochevskis?
- Would that be a Jewish family?
- That's right.
- Sorry, never heard of them.
- Boston is a very
big place, Dobush.
- Sure but Yorum's
is a very big family.
- And this young boy
doesn't look to me
like he's on first name
terms with a rabbi.
- This,
the leg.
- Leg?
- [Rothwell] Leg.
- Ah, so,
leg.
- In Yiddish,
the leg is called the vase.
- Vase.
- Good.
This is the neck.
In Yiddish...
Haldz.
- Haldz.
- That's good.
You're coming along really well,
it's very nice.
- Very nice.
This?
- Oh.
Well,
people, that is to say,
female people,
have two of them.
In Yiddish...
Titskis.
- Tis good.
- Tis good, yeah,
but it's pronounced
"Titskis."
- Tis good.
- Ah.
Oh.
[gentle string music]
- You must go.
It's no good to stay here.
People talk.
- So?
Let them.
- No, in kibbutz there's
200 people in 2,000 miles.
- Invite me in for coffee.
- No.
No.
[gentle flute music]
- What I'd really like is
for you to invite me to stay.
- No.
- Why not?
- I don't wanna get involved.
And, anyway, I
find you repulsive.
- Let me stay.
- I don't know you well enough.
- There's no better
way to get to know me.
- [Gail] It's not a good idea.
- Why not?
- You're not Jewish.
- I've had the operation.
- I have to be up
at five to milk.
- Tomorrow's a rest day.
- Not for the cows.
And I might get to like you.
[pleasant instrumental music]
Close the shutters.
I'm not on the pill.
- [Mike] Neither am I.
- So we'll be careful.
[Gila giggling]
[water splashing]
[Gila giggling]
Oh God, here comes
the Brothers Grimm.
- "You too could have
a body like mine."
- "If you're extremely
unfortunate."
- Okay, okay, you can laugh.
But I take pride in keeping fit.
This isn't just a body,
this is a fighting weapon.
It could be called
anywhere in the world
at a moment's notice.
- Good afternoon.
Would you like to, um?
[water splashing]
- You clumsy oaf!
- Sorry.
- Have you all seen the
notice up on the board?
[Pete stammering]
- What notice?
[people laughing]
- It's about Volunteers' Day
and the organizers have
address me to assist them.
- What's it got to do with us?
- It's an annual event.
Once a year,
the volunteers from all
the different countries
put on a show in
the Culture Hall.
[Carrie chuckling]
- What for?
- To entertain the
rest of the kibbutz.
- Bloody hell!
It's bugging off working
for them all day!
Now they're trying
to get us working
for all bleeding night as well.
- Don't know though,
be an excuse for one
hell of a piss up.
- It's supposed to
be a cultural event.
- That is a cultural event.
- Have you...
ever thought of getting involved
in the life of the kibbutz?
- No.
[Dave chuckling]
- Talking to people,
learning how it works.
Maybe we could give the
kibbutznik some idea
of what life is like
where we come from.
- They get our sport
on telly, don't they?
They've only got to watch
one bleeding football match
to know what England's like.
Cold, wet and full
of drunken sods
hitting each other
with broken bottles.
[people laughing]
- Spot on, mate.
- Put on a show?
All right, I'll
be a football fan
and Pete can be a copper
and stomp on my goolies.
[people laughing]
- Please, this is an
artistic entertainment.
Now why can't we show the
beautiful side of England?
Our music, our poetry.
Keats, Wordsworth.
- All right, I'll be Keats,
Pete can be Wordsworth
and then stomp on my goolies.
[people laughing]
- David.
Don't you care at
all about England?
- Look, if they wanna know
about England, the can go there.
I've just saved up for a year
to get away from
the sodding place!
- You're hopeless.
Grace.
What can you offer, huh?
What's a typical
Australian pastime?
- Screwing.
[people laughing]
- I mean for the show.
Do you have any special talent?
- Yeah, screwing.
[people laughing]
- Really.
[water splashing]
[people laughing]
[pleasant music]
- Angus!
[boy shouting]
- Ah, you wanna play
blind man's bluff, aye?
Okay, come on.
Let's go, come on.
[upbeat music]
[children laughing]
[Angus laughing]
[upbeat music]
[child yelping]
Um...
Uh...
Asher!
Yay!
- Angus.
Angus.
[children chattering]
You mustn't spoil them, Angus.
- No, ma'am, certainly not.
Discipline, that's the word.
- You enjoy working
here, don't you?
- Oh yes, ma'am, indeed I do.
- If you like, I'll ask Ami to
let you stay on working here.
- Thank you very much, ma'am.
Very kind of you.
Thank you.
- Can I help you?
- Ah, isn't that nice, Abe?
So hospitable.
Just like it says
in the brochure.
Sweetheart,
we're American,
from the United
States of America
and we're on tour here in
this lovely country of yours.
We have this wonderful
travel agency
on the corner--
- Honey, get to the point,
will you?
How should she be interested
where we bought the tickets?
- Of course she's interested,
she's standing here
listening, isn't she?
Anyway, sweetheart,
we've had three children.
Can you believe it?
Our eldest son came over here
and stayed for six months.
He was sorry he ever came back.
I was sorry he ever came back.
But that's motherhood.
- What my wife is trying to
say is we're dying of thirst.
- That's right and we
were told we could just
look around here and
refresh ourselves.
Free of charge.
- Oh yes, sure.
- Aw, you're an angel.
I could kiss you.
[camera snapping]
Abe.
Do you mind if a few
of our friends join us?
- Sure, why not?
I'll find somebody
to give you tea.
- Miriam!
Harry!
Come on in.
We can have a cup
of tea in here.
Isn't this wonderful?
Aw, they're terrific.
Come on with me, yes.
Come on in here, yeah.
Just take yourselves
a seat anywhere.
[tourists chattering]
- Mom?
Dad?
- Surprise.
[mom laughing]
- Oh, oh!
I can't believe!
It's good to see you.
What are you doing here?
- I...
I missed you.
You're not even
wearing your glasses.
[Rothwell snapping]
He isn't wearing
his yamaka either.
But he looks wonderful.
- Honey, come on, I want
you to meet my mom and dad.
- This girl is Jewish?
- I was gonna write and
tell you about her, Mom.
This is Yoshiko.
From Japan.
- So this is Yoshiko.
From Japan.
- I was gonna prepare you, Mom.
You see, what we were planning,
was after we leave here,
going first to Japan
and then making our
way home to New York.
- Home to New York.
Sure.
She can stay with us.
- Mom, the apartment's so small.
- [Mom] So she can have my room.
- Where will you sleep?
- I won't be needing to sleep.
Me,
I'm cutting my throat.
- What she say?
[wind howling]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Sorry I'm late.
[wind howling]
[birds chirping]
Who're you writing?
Your lover in America?
- My parents.
- You tell your mom, "I
sleep with nice Jewish girl?"
- No.
- She anti-Semitic?
[Mike chuckling]
- No.
What's the matter?
- Nothing.
It doesn't amount to nothing.
- What?
What?
Okay.
- Well, you tell me so
little about your life,
it makes me sad.
- What do you wanna know?
- Oh, come on.
Don't treat me like I
have a wood for brain.
For all I'm knowing, you
may have wife or girlfriend
back in United States.
- Don't be ridiculous.
- How am I to know?
I must believe
what you speak me.
- Tell me.
- Okay, tell me.
Mike on kibbutz is Mike
but in United States he
might be someone else.
- Come on, Gila, give me a kiss.
- No.
Absolutely, no!
And I tell you one thing,
until you tell me more, I
don't intend that you sleep
no more in the stupid,
bloody bed of mine!
It's too small for
two people anyway.
- What's the problem?
- When you sleep in it too!
It's having this
stupid, bloody...
In the middle?
- Dip?
- Dip?
Stupid, bloody word.
You don't sleep in it no more!
That's the fact!
[birds chirping]
- Hi, shalom.
- Oh, shit.
- Having a little tête-à-tête?
And why not?
Michael, could you
just give me a hand?
- Sure.
- Thanks ever so.
Oh.
I've just been talking to
some of the kibbutz women.
Very interesting.
If only one could
paint conversations.
Oh, I'm spoiled for choice.
So many good angles.
It's a bit of a sensual feast,
you know, Gila, your home.
[wood creaking]
Could you be a bit more
careful with that, Michael?
It was rather expensive.
Thank you.
- What's this?
- It's the trees and
shrubbery over there.
- This that?
- I'm just trying to
capture the spirit of it.
The essence.
- You have no feel for color.
- Oh, well, it's in
the early stages yet.
I'm just dabbling.
Playing with shapes and forms.
- Baby, you can sit here
for a million years,
you still have no
feel for color.
Your brush doesn't
touch your heart.
- Oh.
Well, that's telling
me then, isn't it?
You paint, yourself
then, do you?
- Oi!
Van Gogh!
Been looking all over for you!
- What is this?
Van Gogh airport?
- What's up with her?
- Never screw a woman first
thing in the morning, mate.
Makes them unbearable
the rest of the day.
They've got nothing to
look forward to, see?
Right, Carrie?
- Is that all you
can think about?
Sex.
- Except when I look at you.
Then I think about rice pudding.
- Hey, Carrie.
We came for our shop
tokens, you got 'em?
- I gave them out at lunch time.
- We wasn't around lunch time.
- Oh well, you'll just
have to come to my room
this evening then, won't you?
[Pete gagging]
[Dave laughing]
- Oi, Carrie!
Oh, where the hell is she?
Said she'd be here six o'clock.
Wow, tea bags.
- Hey.
Seen this picture
of her boyfriend?
He's a bit old
fashion, isn't he?
- Ah.
- "To my little girl, love Dad."
Aye, that's bloody weird.
- Why don't you leave her alone?
She's obviously not well.
- She's a pain in the ass.
[door clicking]
- Oh, hello.
What can I do for you then?
- We'd love our
shop tokens, please.
- All right.
- There is such a thing as
waiting outside, you know.
- What's the score with you, eh?
Coming here giving
yourself airs and graces.
[ominous music]
Well I know you.
I know all about you.
- What do you mean?
- Leave it out, Dave.
[ominous tempo music]
- That's not your boyfriend.
- What?
- It's your old man,
you sodding loony.
- I said, shut up!
What're you pick on
her for, you creep?
[Carrie crying]
Get up.
Go on, get up before
I drag you up!
You sniveling snot rag!
- I don't understand you, Pete.
What're you having
a go at me for?
You're not trying to
tell me she's not crazy.
[Carrie crying]
- Oh, nice one, Dave.
[suspenseful music]
[Carrie crying]
Oh, there's no
hope for you, Dave.
You're too far gone.
[distant people chattering]
[wind howling]
I'm sorry about what
happened back there, Carrie.
- [Carrie] Thank you.
- Dave often get on
my nerves sometimes.
- [Carrie] I wouldn't want
to come between friends.
- No, well he'll get over it.
You okay?
[wind howling]
- You know, don't you?
- Know what?
- Come on, you know, I can tell.
You know about my breakdown.
My being in a hospital,
who else knows?
- I don't know what
you're talking about.
- If they find out,
they might kick me off.
Not supposed to be here
without a medical certificate.
If you're not 100 percent fit.
- How'd you get your
certificate then?
- My sister's a nurse,
she arranged it.
It was stupid to lie,
I can see that now.
But I just had to get away.
You know, I haven't had
a tranquilizer for weeks.
I knew I'd be fine
once I got away.
- You'll be all right.
Anyhow, I'll see you.
[wind howling]
[pleasant instrumental music]
- The weather is
beautiful, isn't she?
- Yeah, she is beautiful.
- Listen, I talked to Ami.
He said, if we want, we
can have pads together.
We can have furniture.
Nothing special but some things.
The house is really for
long stay volunteers only.
It wouldn't be right to take
unless you can say for sure
that you plan to stay here.
Not forever, of course, but
for six months, at least.
Maybe three is okay.
- It's not so simple.
- Why not?
You're not happy with me?
- Of course I'm happy.
And I wanna be with you but...
- So what's the problem?
[pleasant instrumental music]
- So,
plan to spend the rest of
your life on a kibbutz?
- Sure.
I like very much this life.
I wouldn't like to
live in the city.
City people have
no quality of life.
- So that's it?
Your life mapped out, finalized,
you live on a kibbutz
and that's it?
- Sure.
I got my family, I got my work,
I've got everything I need.
- Well what if something
gets in the way?
- Nothing gets in the
way, I know what I want.
Come on, let's have a drink.
- Look, don't you see
what I'm trying to say?
There are other ways to live.
I want you to come back
to the states with me.
- That's not possible.
- [Mike] Why not?
- It's like asking
fish to ride a bicycle.
- Gila, I want us
to be together.
- That's also what I want.
But this is my home.
You please stay here.
- But this isn't my home.
- Wow,
Mike.
Doctors sure knows many
things about bodies.
- I knew all those
expensive manuals
would come in handy one day.
- I'm very happy to
be here with you.
- It's only because
there's no dip in the bed.
[Gil and Mike giggling]
- Next time we'll do it so
well, you'll wake up Jewish.
[Mike chuckling]
I speak English.
Not highly,
but I know there is being
something which you don't say.
You see, I'm not a philosopher
but I'm not a fool.
- No, you're far
from being a fool.
[melancholy music]
You've always said
all volunteers
come here to run
away form something.
Well I came for a good time.
But now something's happened
and I don't know
how to deal with it.
- Do you want to
talk to me about it?
- I'm in love with you.
- So what's wrong with that?
This is a nice feeling.
- It is a nice feeling
but for the past three
years, I worked so damn hard,
I haven't had time to
think of anything else.
- I don't understand.
- Gila, I can't throw away
three years of med school
and start all over again.
- Oh.
- If I go, I can
always come back.
- Sure, you mean it now.
But if you go home,
you'll miss me maybe
for a few weeks,
after, everything
will seem so far away,
you'll never come back.
[dramatic instrumental music]
So should I tell Ami
that we decided not
to take the house?
- No, just tell him...
Tell him I need
more time to think.
I wanna be with you.
But at the moment, I
just don't know how.
- So think of
something, Mike, please?
[children chattering]
- What's the matter, son?
[Asher speaking
foreign language]
What is it you're saying?
[Asher speaking
foreign language]
I don't know what
it is you're saying
but I think you
ought to be in bed.
Come on.
I think there's
something wrong with him.
[pleasant guitar music]
[singing foreign language]
- Oi, Menachem!
[Menachem shushing]
We got a little act
together, can we have a go?
- Well yes, I guess so.
- When?
- Rothwell is next.
You can follow him if you wish.
- Great.
- Good.
Only keep it short, we
gotta stick to a schedule.
- Come on, Dave.
[twins singing in
foreign language]
[audience applauding]
- [Menachem] Thank you, Finland!
- Okay now, remember--
- Thank you, Finland.
- You're recording
a future star.
The new Woody Allen.
The next...
Lenny Bruce.
- Lenny Bruce?
- Nevermind.
- And now, ladies and gentlemen,
will you please welcome,
Rothwell T. Schwartz from
the United States of America!
[audience applauding]
- I'm gonna kill 'em.
- [Menachem] Woo hoo!
[audience applauding]
- Thank you, Menachem.
A funny thing happened
on the way to synagogue,
ladies and germs.
I said, a funny thing
happened on the,
I know you're out there,
I can hear you breathing.
Two Jewish women are sitting
on the beach and they...
Oh no.
Excuse me.
Two old Jewish women
are sitting on the beach
and they kinda...
Grandmothers...
These two old Jewish
grandmothers are
sitting on the beach
and this kid runs by...
These two Jewish grandfathers...
Grand...
This kid, he's got a
humpback, it's terri...
[audience applauding]
- Well, that was certainly
an unusual performance
with a surprise ending.
And now,
an unexpected and welcome
addition to our program.
Here are two representatives
of the British group.
Welcome, Pete and Dave!
[audience applauding]
[audience booing]
[audience cheering]
[audience applauding]
- One, two, three, four.
♪ Rule, Britannia
♪ Britain's down the nick
♪ The way we acted in
today would make you sick ♪
♪ Rule, Britannia
[people laughing]
♪ There's never sod all to do
♪ Except for beating people
up and sniffing glue ♪
♪ Rule, Britannia
[people laughing]
♪ It rains all bleeding day
♪ It's only stupid, toddy
brats who want to stay ♪
♪ Rule, kibbutzniks
♪ We're ever so
glad we've come ♪
♪ If the Brits don't
like our little song ♪
♪ Then I'm their bum
[people chattering
in foreign language]
- And now ladies and gentlemen,
after that fine example
of western culture,
we turn to the east,
to your young
friends from India.
- Well I think it
went down very well.
- [Menachem] Who will entertain
us with some Indian music.
- You stupid boys!
You have upset so many people.
You have disgraced yourselves
and offended the old kibbutz!
- It was only a joke,
it's a bit of fun.
- We weren't getting at you.
- No, I'm sorry for
this, you'll have to go.
Both of you, we
don't want you here.
- Hey, you mean
leave the kibbutz?
- You can't chuck us
out just for this.
- There is no alternative.
You must leave by the weekend.
Come and see me in the morning.
- Here!
Can he do that?
[faint Indian music]
- That's great.
We've been kicked out.
That's really fucking
socialist, that is!
Socialism, you can't
call this socialism.
For a start, I
can't live on salad!
- You volunteers,
you make me sick!
You come into kibbutz
and you take, take, take!
You give nothing.
- We're just rubbish
to you, aren't we?
Well let me tell you something.
This system, here,
it don't work!
- You know nothing
about my country.
You know nothing
about my people.
So what're you doing here,
you ignorant bastards!
- You know, Gila,
it was only a joke.
They were just trying to tell
you how they feel about England.
Weren't you, Peter?
- Absolutely!
That was the whole point.
- It's not England you insult.
You insult us.
- Yeah, but if you kick them
off, your system fails them.
And you've always said
that people matter here,
that the kibbutz is different
because people are important.
- Why you apologize for them?
Do you know what I'm thinking?
I'm thinking all
volunteers are sick.
All blood is sick in the head.
In this, I include you!
[faint Indian music]
[wind howling]
- Oh.
One for you
and one for me.
L'Chaim, mate.
- L'Chaim.
[wind howling]
[wind howling]
[wind howling]
[fire crackling]
[fire whooshing]
- Right mess you've
landed us in.
- Oh, shut up.
- I didn't wanna do it.
I don't like showing my
ass at the best of times.
I don't mind on a
boat going somewhere,
pressed up against a
window for a laugh...
But not on a stage in front
of 200 gawking foreigners.
[ominous music]
- Bloody hell, there's a fire!
[suspenseful music]
Fire!
There's a fire!
[fire rumbling]
Right, there's a fire!
Fire!
- [Dave] Fire!
- Jesus!
Where is everyone?
[woman coughing]
Where is everyone?
- The children!
The children are all down there!
- Where?
- Where are they?
[woman shouting in
foreign language]
[fire rumbling]
[children crying]
- Take the children, I'm
going to raise the alarm!
[children shouting]
[fire crackling]
[glass shattering]
[siren alarming]
[fire rumbling]
[children shouting]
[siren alarming]
[people shouting]
- Wake up!
Wake up!
[board clattering]
- The roof's coming in!
- Come on!
[children shouting]
Go!
[fire rumbling]
[wood clattering]
[children shouting]
[fire crackling]
[wood clattering]
[woman shouting]
[child screaming]
[Asher coughing]
[people shouting]
[suspenseful music]
- God.
[woman shouting
foreign language]
[people shouting]
[fire rumbling]
- Asher's inside!
Asher is still!
[Ami shouting foreign language]
Asher!
Asher!
Get Asher!
[Ami speaking foreign language]
[fire rumbling]
[wood clattering]
- Get out of here, Dave!
[Asher coughing]
[fire crackling]
[men shouting foreign language]
[fire rumbling]
[Dave shouting]
[water hissing]
- Where is he?
[Asher coughing]
- There!
[fire rumbling]
[Asher crying]
[Asher coughing]
[glass shattering]
- Help me, we've
got another kid!
[fire rumbling]
[woman crying]
Take him, it's hot in here!
You okay?
- No.
You?
- No.
Let's have a drink.
- Hey, is everybody out?
- Yeah, Asher was the last.
[water hissing]
Dave, Pete!
You did a wonderful job.
You saved the children's lives.
Believe me, this won't
ever be forgotten.
- It's okay.
- No, wait.
The business with the concert,
I'd like to forget it.
- Aye?
Well, you mean...
We don't have to go, is
that what you're saying?
- [Ami] That's right.
We want you to stay.
- Yeah, well,
I mean, yeah.
- Fantastic.
- Well...
See you tomorrow.
- Yeah, great.
[wind howling]
- Angus?
[ominous music]
- [Angus] Dear Mike,
I'm afraid I started the
fire by being careless.
I'm so ashamed, I cannot stay
and face the kibbutzniks.
Please tell them I'm very sorry.
Angus.
P.S.,
I hope nobody was
injured or worse.
[people shouting]
- Strange time to leave.
They'll miss the trip to Masada.
- Volunteers, they have
no interest in anything.
- So many people
leaving the kibbutz.
- End of harvest is a sad time.
So many friends that
we'll never see again.
- Gila, you know,
I've been thinking
about this a lot.
About me staying here and
us taking a house together.
- Mike, you don't
have to say any more.
- I've got to go home.
Sorry.
[engine rumbling]
Just for awhile to
sort things out.
[dramatic instrumental music]
I'll come back!
Gila, please, try to understand.
[dramatic instrumental music]
[people chattering]
- Yeah, exactly how long
will this trip to
Masada take, you think?
- Well, about an
hour and a half.
- Oh, well we better break
open some beers then, eh?
- Hey, hey, no, no, no, no.
- Hey!
- You get into the coach.
We'll have them later.
- No way.
- It's all right.
Have a delightful time.
- Mike!
Gila.
Angus has been found
wandering around Jerusalem.
The police say he told
about having killed
some children in a
fire on this kibbutz.
- What?
- They think it will be good
if you came to the
hospital with me.
- Yeah, sure, of course.
- We can follow in my car
and catch up with you at...
Nabi Musa?
You'll take care of everyone.
- Right.
- You take care of yourself.
- Sure I do.
- Sure I will.
- Sure I will do.
Okay.
- Come on, cheer up.
- Come on, you're
going home next week.
You don't need to
sing and dance.
I see you later.
[suspenseful beat music]
[volunteers chattering]
[suspenseful beat music]
- Quiet.
- Quiet!
- Listen, everybody,
an hour lunch.
This is the holy
place for Muslim,
so everybody behave.
[Pete laughing]
- Peter!
- Stop it!
- Oh, sorry.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey,
let's cool it, okay?
[Pete shushing]
[wind howling]
[tires screeching]
[men speaking foreign language]
[suspenseful tempo music]
[men speaking foreign language]
[men speaking foreign language]
[suspenseful tempo music]
[gunshots booming]
[helicopter rumbling]
[rapid gunfire popping]
[rapid gunfire popping]
[helicopter whooshing]
[man speaking foreign language]
[suspenseful tempo music]
[man speaking foreign language]
[engine rumbling]
[engine rumbling]
[man speaking foreign language]
[gunshots booming]
[door thudding]
[man speaking foreign language]
- Don't move, don't move!
[Carrie screaming]
Go this way!
I said shut up, I said move!
[Carrie screaming]
- Go to the wall!
- Move!
Move!
[man speaking foreign language]
Sit down, sit!
Sit!
Sit!
Now, you obey my orders,
nobody will be hurt, understand?
[man speaking foreign language]
[wind howling]
- Trust me, aye.
Just my fucking luck.
[pleasant classical music]
[radio reporter speaking
foreign language]
- What is it?
[radio reporter speaking
foreign language]
What?
- There's been an
attack at Nabi Musa.
[suspenseful music]
[men speaking foreign language]
- We can't go through.
[wind howling]
[helicopter buzzing]
- Stand up!
Stand up!
[helicopter buzzing]
[soldiers speaking
foreign language]
[suspenseful music]
[man screaming foreign language]
[explosion rumbling]
[rapid gunfire popping]
[wind howling]
[engine rumbling]
[police sirens alarming]
[Ami speaking foreign language]
- Okay.
- Mike.
[police sirens alarming]
[people shouting
foreign language]
[police sirens alarming]
- Pete,
Carrie,
you okay?
Come this way.
[dramatic string music]
[Ami and Menachem
speaking foreign language]
[dramatic string music]
- Where's Gila?
[engine rumbling]
Where's Gila?
- I haven't seen her.
I'll ask the others.
[engine rumbling]
- [Mike] Just a minute.
[wind howling]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[people chattering]
- What're you doing?
Sorry, sorry.
- Sorry.
Sorry.
- That's nice, thank you.
- Oh Carrie, I shall
really miss you, you know?
Don't read all my playbills
at once, all right?
- [Man] Goodbye.
You look after each other now.
- What's the matter?
- I just got a talking
letter from my mother.
- What did she say?
- Listen.
"If ruining your
life makes you happy,
"keinehora, a fist in my mouth
I shouldn't say anything."
- Please?
[Rothwell speaking Japanese]
- "Keinehora..."
[Rothwell speaking Japanese]
- Oy vey.
- [Driver] All aboard!
- Oh here, look,
here's my address.
From back home.
- Here's mine.
- Great.
- Bloody hell, I hate this,
I hate saying goodbye.
Have a nice life.
- Yeah, you.
Listen, if you
don't get in touch,
I'll never speak to you
again as long as I live.
[engine rumbling]
- Shalom.
My name is Carrie...
Carrie, and I'm your
volunteer welfare officer.
So, if you'd like to
come with me, please.
This is David.
- Lots of delicious
sandwiches inside.
You'll love 'em.
- [Carrie] Bye!
- [Dave] Bye!
- [Carrie] Bye, everybody!
[dramatic instrumental music]
- I'm thinking I'll
never see you again.
- I'll be back.
- Sure.
- Say goodbye to
the girl, come on!
- I meant what I
said in Jerusalem.
- [Pete] We'll miss the plane.
- I love you.
- No, please,
don't say.
Just go.
- Shalom, Gila.
- Shalom.
[engine puttering]
- Oi, we'll miss
the plane, come on!
[dramatic instrumental music]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[pleasant instrumental music]
[dramatic instrumental music]
[dramatic instrumental music]