En amont du fleuve (2016) - full transcript

We arranged to meet at two,
where is he?

He'll be here.

Hello, gentlemen.
- Hello.

Dobar dan.

Is that the boat?

Hvala.

That one, OK?
I'll give it a go.

Thank you.

Did you hear that?

What's that?

No, no, no. No, wait.
I can't take it with me.



What is that?

What the hell are we going
to do with that? Eh?

Pretty, isn't it?

I've never done any fishing.
- Haven't you? Never even tried?

Did he teach you?

No, no, he didn't fish.
Well, maybe for sharks.

He didn't teach you to fish, never to
you about me... What the hell did he

Right, here goes.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

Do you know anything more
about his death?

No.

All I know is
a monk found his body on the mountain

near a hermitage, with a bullet
in his head, and he told the police.

A short time before
he'd sent a letter to his lawyer



asking him to inform us of his death
and that was it.

Suicide.

Probably but not definitely,
no gun was found.

The police launched an investigation
soon closed it due to lack of evidenc

Too many people dying and disappearin
in this country.

How do you know all that?
- I went to see the lawyer two days a

Did you?

We could have gone together.
- Maybe.

Hey, get me a beer.

I'm not very talkative,
I hope you don't mind.

I don't talk much either.

Well?

It's really beautiful
but a bit scary as well.

Do you scare the hell out of people
in your books?

Yes.

A lot?
- I don't know.

A bit, it depends.
I don't know.

Can you feel the water
flowing under the boat?

Yes.

There is one thing I'd like to know.

Go on.

I'd like to know

if he were a good father to you.
I mean, was he worth having as a fath

When I was young, other kids had a fa
who was worth having.

I wouldn't want to have spent so long
thinking about a nasty guy, d'you see

He was a good father.

I'd like to read one of your books
when we get back.

I'll give you one.
- No, no, I want to go and buy it.

How many have you written?

About a dozen.

It's the wind.

Right then.
Have you found the waterfalls or not?

They are there
but I don't know exactly where we are

Oh, well, who cares?

As long as we're on the water,
we aren't lost.

We'll carry on upstream till we see
the waterfalls and leave the boat the

That's OK.

Did your mother ever tell you about h

No, never.

When I tried to talk about him
it brought tears to her eyes.

He walked out on her
just before I was born.

So I didn't ask anymore questions,
I was scared of hurting her.

She wouldn't even tell me his name
before she died.

She kept loads of postcards
and photos in a box.

I used to look at them when things
weren't going well, which was quite o

There was a photo of a young man
wearing a sort of beret

with just a signature on the back,
the name "Ivan".

I never knew if it were him.

Do you still have it?

We don't look like him, neither of us
Right, let's get going.

What do I say if I didn't like your b
- You don't say anything.

Then you'll know I didn't like it.
- Yes. Of course.

Shit.
- Yes, shit.

Joé.

Yeah yeah.

What?

Fuck, what's that?
- What's the matter?

Shit...

Shit. Shit.
- What did you do?

Nothing!

Try again.
- No, it's no use. It won't start.

Fuck, we're in deep shit!

Have we run out of diesel?
- The guy said he'd filled it up, eh?

Yes, the guy said he did.
- He said so, didn't he?

Fuck, we're going to drift onto
the bank. Get the boathook.

I'll go to the stern.

Fuck, out of the way, you.

Joé, Joé, come back here. We're going
to hit the rock! Come back here. Hurr

Oh! Push it away, push it!

That's not working, move.
Move, let me do it.

Hold on, hold on.

Hold on, look out.

That's it.

Hold on. Slowly, slowly.

Well done!

Pooh, that stinks.

There.

You should think of a name
for your mutt.

He's no more mine than yours.
- Yes, he is. Yes, he is.

I shouted a bit just now
but we had to get rid of that tree.

Yeah, I noticed
you've got a quick temper.

Brothers shout at each other
sometimes, eh? That's life!

That's what family does!

It's stuck. Shit.
I can't get them off, dammit.

Why did you have to go and
have a piss in the rain? Eh?

Hey, don't have a go at me.
- You said we should shout sometimes.

Yes, but me, not you, I'm the oldest.
- Oh, so that's how it is.

Hold on, let me help you.

Argh, it's stuck.

Wait, I've caught something.
- What? Have you caught a fish?

Yes, yes, hold on, slow down a bit.

Yes, yes, yes! Look.

Yes. Look.

Push that puppy away,
push it away.

It's as slippery as an eel.

Give me a hand.
- No, I'm not keen on it.

Neither is this.

What the hell are you doing?

Why are you putting it back in the wa
- It's too difficult to cook.

I'll catch something else.

Homer.

Dobar dan.
- Dobar dan.

Hvala.
- Thank you very much.

Nice fish.

And you can speak Croatian.
Well done.

Do you know how to cook it?
- Yes. Well, more or less.

More or less... Hold on.

Go on, out of the way.

Where did you learn to do that?
- In Alaska.

In Alaska?

Goodnight.
- Goodnight. Sleep tight.

Are you asleep?

What?

I always dreamed of telling him
how many lorries I had.

It's silly, the first thing I thought
to myself when I heard he was dead

was: Damn, now he'll never know.

What's the point of my lorries now?

So tell me, how many have you got?
- 14.

I'm the boss and
I've got 14 guys who drive for me.

Just because he's dead
doesn't mean you can't be proud.

Don't worry,
he didn't read my books either.

You're not asleep, eh?

You can't get to sleep.
Neither can I.

What's up? What's up, eh?
Tell me. Go on.

Go on, tell me.
You're not saying anything?

You don't want to say anything?
You're not going to tell me?

In Alaska.

I think we should stop there.

We're there. The first waterfalls are
here, there are two others after that

We have to cross to the other side of
the third one and enter the gorges th

Not there. Come here. Up you come.
- I've forgotten to lock up.

You mustn't forget to lock up.

There you go.

Come on then. Come on.
Good dog. Up you come.

There you go. Go on.

What are you laughing at, damn you?
I'm soaked.

You just had to follow me.
- Smart Alec!

Fuck. What am I supposed to smoke now
- Hold on, hold on. Look, look...

See?

Joé!

Find somewhere where we can camp,
I'm hungry.

Do you like beans too?
Right, off you go.

Want some?

What did he do, in fact?

I don't know,
we hadn't spoken for fifteen years.

I was travelling, heard nothing from
I didn't even know where he lived.

And before?

He joined the Foreign Legion
when I was a kid.

He was in Africa, South America,
Afghanistan.

He didn't come back very often.

Everything OK? D'you know where we ar
- We should reach the gorges soon.

Really? I hope you've got
a good sense of direction.

I wouldn't count on it.

Are we going to be in here much longe
- No idea.

You're the one who's supposed to know
- Yeah, yeah, I know.

It's just that I feel hemmed in.

What's that?

Can you take your headlamp off?
I can't see anything.

It's bats.
- Bats?

I've only ever seen them a few times.

It's not bad here.

At least if there's a rockfall
it won't be on our head.

What language did you speak?
- Who?

Your mother and you.
- Spanish.

And when he was there?
- The same.

He taught me some Croatian
but I've forgotten it all.

Is she dead?
- My mother? No, no, no.

She lives not far from me now,
in Mexico.

What's up with him?
- He's thirsty. Or maybe he needs a p

Shouldn't we go right a bit further a
to go up to that plateau?

Yes.
- Where are we now?

Go on, get the map out.

Where are we?

It's a crap map.

It's not very clear. We've gone too f
- No, I don't think we have.

What do you know about it?
- Nothing!

Wait, Homer, this is crazy.
We've been walking for hours.

Hey!

What are you doing?

Hey!

Dobar dan.
- Hello. Do you speak French?

Can I help you? Are you lost?
- No.

Yes.
- Where are you going?

We're going to the old monastery.
- Why are you going there?

It's a long way and hard to find.
- Well, because...

It's said to be very nice
and it's where we're hiking to.

You need to go back the way you came
for 3 or 4 kilometres

and take a little path on the left
that climbs up through the rocks.

I told you.
It would be nice if you could show us

There are other places that are close
- It'll be fine, I'm telling you, it'

We have to go to the monastery. It wo
be nice if you could. Name your price

120 euros.
- Fine.

Alright.

OK. Let's go.

Are you OK?

Have a bit of a rest, I'll go and
look for a spot to spend the night.

Weird guy, eh?

What d'you mean, weird?

What was he doing on top of the cliff
with that other guy?

Ask him.

There's a good spot to sleep
not far from here. Shall we go?

What's your name?
- Sean, like Sean Connery. But I'm Ir

What's yours?
- Mine's Joé and his is Homer.

And you're friends who go hiking toge

Yes, but we're not friends.
He's my brother.

What about you? What do you do?
- I work in animal conservation.

I observe and count lynx
and wild cats.

They are still around
but there are fewer and fewer of them

There are also some wolves.

Is that why you've got a shotgun?
- Yes.

Brother Vedran and Brother Mirko
live here.

They'll feed you and
let you spend the night here

but unfortunately they don't speak
French or English, only Croatian.

I'll leave you now.
- You're going?

Yes, I'll sleep at the hermitage,
it's not far from here.

At the hermitage?
- It's a good spot for observing lynx

One question.

A man's body was found
near the hermitage not long ago.

Do you know where exactly?
- Yes, everyone knows.

Can you show us?
- Why?

He was our father.

I'm sorry.

I'll take you tomorrow morning.

Goodnight.

Who is that guy?

I don't believe his story
about observing animals.

What's he up to at that hermitage?
- I don't know.

I need a piss. Any idea where?
- No.

It was guns, I'm telling you. I'm not
but I think they were Kalashnikovs.

I knew it. I was sure. I told you
that Irish guy wasn't above board.

He was gunrunning when we saw him ear
- Probably.

What do we do now?
- Nothing, we go to sleep.

We've been waiting two hours.
I've had enough.

There he is.
- Hello, did you sleep well?

Yes.
- I didn't.

Can we go?
- OK. Yep.

That's where he was found.

Who found him?
- Brother Vedran.

Did you know him?
- A bit. He lived at the monastery.

Why did he live at the monastery?
- I don't know.

You knew him but don't know
why he lived there?

How did he die?
- He shot himself in the head.

Shot in the head and the gun wasn't f
Someone killed him. Maybe it was you!

Me?
- Yes, you! Yes, you!

Homer, Homer!
- Watch out, it's loaded!

You're going to tell us
what really happened to our father.

I told you.
- Talk!

I told you.
- Who killed him?

He killed himself. OK?
- Why was no gun fund?

I'll explain...
- Talk!

I am talking!
Listen to me, I am talking!

I took it, OK? It was me.

Why?
- I found him. I took it, alright?

I took the gun because I couldn't bea
the thought he'd killed himself.

He was my friend.

Then I told the Prior.
But he was my friend!

What do you mean, he was your friend?

I met your father many years ago
in Ireland.

I was young.

I was a member of the IRA.
He helped our organisation arm itself

And later?
- Later...

My brother was killed in a bombing in
Belfast. Ivan stayed in contact with

At the end of the war here
he suggested I joined him.

He was my friend, he wanted to help m

Help you? Help you how?

I'll show you.

You go first.

Don't do anything stupid.

Your father bought stocks.
There are weapons everywhere here.

I organised transport.

It will stop now Ivan is dead.

He was the one with the contacts.

This was his gun.

Where is he buried?
- I don't know.

The police took his body to Zagreb.

Shall we stop here?

Do you really believe
what that guy told us?

Yes.

You don't think he killed him?
- No.

No.

I want to sleep on my own.

I'm scared of heights.

Hold on, don't move.

Oh, fuck. Oh! Fuck!
- Joé!

Are you OK?
- It's my ankle. I think it's broken.

I need to remove your shoe.
- Ow! Gently. Gently.

Don't move, don't move.
I'll be gentle.

Hold on.

Does that hurt?
- Ow, yes, yes. Wait.

And that?
- No, that's OK, that's OK.

It's not broken.

I need a drink of water.

Hold on. Hold on.

Carefully.

Come on, come down.

Wait, wait.

I can't go any further.

I'm dying of thirst.

I'll go and look for some water.

Homer, the dog, the dog.
Oh, fuck! Shit!

How long did we have it?
The dog?

I had a dog for twelve years.

I watched it die.
It took days and days.

I stroked it till the end.

It was called Buddy.

Come on.
- Hold on, hold on, hold on!

Want me to remove your shoe?
- No, please, don't. I'll do it mysel

I'll do it. Thanks. Thanks, Homer.
- At least put this behind your back.

Thank you.
- I'll make you something nice to eat

Don't. What are you doing? What are
you doing? Stop it, Homer. Stop it.

I'm like him. Aren't I?
- What?

I'm like him.
Your father, my father, dammit!

What do you want me to call him?
I'm like him, aren't I?

Yeah, you're like him. When you behav
like that, you really are like him.

At least he will have given me that.
He was a drunk too.

Stop drinking.
- Hey! Don't!

Calm down, what's the matter with you
- Shut your mouth. I'll do what I lik

You'll do what you like? You too?
What's the matter with you?

Is that what you like doing,
thumping people? Do you enjoy that?

You want to know what he was like? Lo
yourself and you'll know what he was

Homer.

I'm sorry about last night.
- Don't worry about it, it's fine.

Did he hit you?

What?

Did he hit you?

Yes.

Often?

Every time he came back.
Mum and I were scared of him.

Why did you tell me he was a good fat
He was a right bastard.

I didn't want to disappoint you.

I was waiting.
- For what?

I don't know,
till we knew each other better.

So it was worth having a bust up
last night.

Right, do you want me to take the hel
- No, I'm fine.

I don't think I'll read your books.
- Oh. Why not?

I don't like reading.
- That doesn't surprise me.

And I don't give a shit
how many lorries you've got.

I don't give a shit either.
The whole world doesn't give a shit.

It's not bad
without the sound of engines.

Why don't you write a true story
one of these day?

So you think the ones I write aren't
- I don't know.

What are you laughing at?

Because...

by a true story you mean
one with you in it, is that it?

Oh, that's it.

What's funny about that?

It's not funny but...
it doesn't work like that.

Aren't I good enough to be in one?
- No. I said it doesn't work like tha

Shame, I might like that.

Have you ever wondered where you were

Where I was?

No, no.
Imagine you lose your memory.

You look around you and what do you s

Nothing that tells you to go that way
or that way to get home.

Why do you write?

I don't know.

We always know why we do things,
don't we?

Really? Do you think so?

Yeah. Well, I did think so.

Have you always written?
- No.

I... fished for herrings in Alaska.

Actually, I think...

I write because then I don't have to

What are you thinking about?

I was wondering...

whether to write a true story

about a guy who sels his lorry busine
because he longer gives a shit.

What do you think?

I don't think anything.