Story of Judas (2015) - full transcript

Rabbi...

It's me.

Judas.

Recognize me?

- Ready?
- Yes.

I'm ready.

Come.

Climb on my back.

The path is very steep.

Forty days of fasting

and you're as heavy as ever.



Where are you taking me?

Home.

You have grit, Judas.

You have grit.

You're as light

as a butterfly.

If you say so, brother.

Rabbi!

Rabbi!

Have you seen that?

Judas!

Rabbi!

Wait for me.

Why go so fast?



I've been chasing you for hours.

Don't be in a hurry
to reach Jerusalem.

Because

you can't go there
without what I have for you.

Look at this cloak!

Beautiful, isn't it!

With this...

you'll be irresistible
to every woman in Jerusalem.

Look how handsome you are!

Like it?

It suits you wonderfully.

You look resplendent.

Thanks, Judas.

Turn around, let's see you.

You're the son of light, my brother.

Which way to Jerusalem?

That way.

Over there?

Thank you, brother.

Shalom, brothers.

Judas.

A joy to see you again.

Take a seat at our table.

- Are you hungry?
- No, thanks.

I already ate.

But I am thirsty.

It's been a long time.

Thank you.

Good of you.

Can you pour me some?

You're still following

the Galilean?

You mean the prophet?

From Nazareth?

Yes, still following him.

With him, my soul fills with joy.

Can he sway the people?

He can.

I need you men.

I need to guarantee his security,

so I thought of...

my former brothers-in-arms.

You can rely on us, Judas.

Hang on.

We trust you,

but tell us,
is he the Messiah?

Yes.

For his return to Jerusalem,
I want festivities.

Celebrations.

I want gaiety and rejoicing.

Can we make him our leader?

He's not here
simply to restore the kingdom

or expel the Romans.

- You listened to him preach?
- Yes.

You heard the flow of love?

Yes.

His weapons are secret words.

They gush
like a stream through the desert.

They are refreshing and pure.

Words to fight the Romans?

Well...

See you soon.

- Goodbye.
- Take care.

Horses the Romans won't have!

Here they come!

Your offerings
and smoking pyres displease me.

I am sickened
by the stench of the meat

and fat of rams.

The blood of lambs dispirits me.

The ewes' also.

When you raise your hands to me,

I turn my head away.

Your hands drip with blood.

Truly, by the words of the prophets,

it is knowledge
that is agreeable to me.

Not your burnt offerings.

Stand aside!

Remove all this from here!

Don't make this temple a marketplace.

What are you doing?

No living being

deserves to be in a cage!

Not even hens!

Definitely not pigeons and doves!

My brothers!

Unchain your hearts!

It's the way to freedom!

Let's smash every cage!

Yes?

Are you Carabas?

I am also the true vine.

Follow us.

We're taking you to the dungeon.

The dungeon?

Stand up, you madman!

Goodbye, my friends.

Move!

Do they realize what they're doing?

People will respond.

Might it be possible

for us to rouse

the people

in the opposite direction?

Conceivably.

But how?

Jurists

and Pharisees

must act using the law.

You must find

the right way to proceed.

Hatch a scheme?

Perhaps.

Scheme sounds too weak to me.

We need cunning.

Cunning with the Romans.

Carabas!

- Death to the Romans!
- Death!

- Death to the invaders!
- Death!

Death to the settlers!

Carabas!

I heard the news about Carabas.

Apparently, you've arrested him.

You know he's done nothing wrong?

Let me be very clear.

He's a poor halfwit.

It would be a great injustice
to consider Carabas

guilty of a breach of the peace.

He's incapable of that.

He wouldn't even shoo away flies

wandering across his face.

He's a poor fool.

He wanders
around the temple day and night,

whether it's hot or cold.

He's a poet.

He's a simpleton.

He's a rabble-rouser,
who claims to be King of the Jews.

There can be
no other king than Caesar.

Have it your way this time.

It'll be the last.

We will no longer tolerate
any contestation,

nor any dissent toward Rome.

Nothing happens in this city
without my knowledge.

Nothing escapes me.

I am perfectly informed.

Among you,
a rabbi incites the people to revolt

and claims to be the Messiah.

Jesus of Nazareth
is the man we want.

Keep your Carabas.

Take him.

As far as possible.

And make sure

I never lay eyes on him again.

Your God himself
could not save him from my justice.

Go now.

- Death to the Romans!
- Death!

Long live the palm trees!

Long live life!

Move!

I've done nothing wrong!

Let me go!

Let go!

Move!

We know that you are holy

and that you teach

the path

of justice

and the heart.

We have come
to ask you a single question.

This woman was caught
in the act of adultery.

And Moses

commands us

to stone this kind of woman.

And you, what do you say?

So, what is your opinion?

Whatever your sentence,

it shall be binding for us.

Her fate is in your hands.

Is she to be stoned or not?

May he who is without sin

throw the first stone.

Where are your accusers?

I don't know.

Has anyone condemned you?

Neither do I.

What is your name?

Bathsheba.

Go home, Bathsheba.

If only you'd heard his voice.

It was gentle.

It seemed so familiar to me.

I lowered my gaze.

As one must before men.

Suddenly, they all vanished.

One by one.

I was left alone with him.

It was on a day like today,

with the wind
blowing in from the desert,

forcing everybody to stay indoors,

that you were conceived.

Your father had not gone to work.

He approached me

in broad daylight.

And we lay together.

For the first time

not in darkness.

That's how you began your life in me.

In a room bathed in sunlight.

Carabas, wake up!

Come on, Carabas!

Children!

You want to play again?

Where are we going?

Thank you!

Thank you once more,
my loyal subjects.

I have braved hot and cold.

Wandered

day and night

through these streets,

where I saw you grow up,

so that today, at last,

you acclaim me.

Thank you for making me your king.

King of the Jews!

Is there a matter of justice pending?

Yes!

- Which is?
- The Romans!

The Romans.

I'll deal with them immediately.

Long live Carabas!

Why?

Why?

Why, Lord?

My Lord, why?

Why make me King of the Jews?

Good day.

- How are you today?
- Fine.

The family?

- Well, and yours?
- Fine.

- The children?
- Very well.

That's good.

Can I smell your perfumes?

I have the best perfumes.

I know.

Here's a perfume

all the way from Lutetia.

Made of roses.

A good scent.

Another?

This one's from Syria.

I see.

It's camphor.

You have any nard?

Nard?

It's my most precious perfume.
Expensive.

Let me see.

This is nard.

This is what I need.

Fine.

How much is it?

300.

Count it.

Thank you.

It's not enough.

Here...

This one too.

Still not enough.

It's expensive.

Very pretty. Where's it from?

A gift from my husband.

Really?

- Wrapped?
- No.

- Thanks.
- You're welcome.

Regards to your family.

Thank you.

Master...

Let her.

Thanks.

Brothers, let me conclude

with these verses
from the prophet Isaiah.

"I, the Lord,

"called you in righteousness.

"I took your hand and shaped you.

"I make you
a covenant for the people,

"a light for the nations,

"to open eyes that are blind,

"to release prisoners
from the dungeon

"and from prison
those who sit in darkness."

Teachers of the law and Pharisees
occupy the chair of Moses.

But all their deeds

are for the eyes of men.

They talk and do not act.

They pay the tithe on mint and cumin,

and neglect the essence of the law.

Why are you following us?

I'm sorry, I didn't ask permission.

I write the words of the prophet.

We need no trace,
nor a private secretary.

For future generations.

- Where are you from?
- Qumran.

- When did you start this?
- The beginning, in Galilee.

- Since Galilee?
- Yes.

- You wrote it all down?
- Every miracle, every cure.

- All my master's words?
- Yes.

- Who pays you?
- Nobody.

What do you mean, nobody?

Come back here, accursed scribe!

I'm not finished with you!

What I am doing now

is incomprehensible to you.

Soon you will understand.

Thank you, Rabbi.

Thank you for everything.

I caught a scribe.

This is his manuscript.

Look.

He's written everything down.

Tell me.

Tell me what to do?

Do what you must.

And do it fast.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Fine. As you wish.

I'll go immediately.

And be back soon hopefully.

Accursed scribe!

Son of a dog!

He wrote everything down.

Curse him!

Burn, as my master asked of you.

Why?

Judas!

Judas, wait!

Go away!

I understand now...

Stop there. Stay away from me.

I understand now what you meant.

What do you understand?

All my writing must be destroyed.

It's done.

You didn't destroy
this one parchment.

The words your master spoke
beside the Sea of Galilee.

Take it.

As proof of my goodwill.

You see how light his words are?

They're beautiful.

As light as swallows in flight.

Lord!

- My dear Menenius.
- My lord.

Another radiant day.

Undoubtedly.

A busy one, too.

We arrested the Galilean rebel.

I'm curious to meet him.

It's an inauspicious affair.

It wasn't easy to lay our hands
on him in a perfectly legal manner.

I wouldn't exactly
call his arrest above board.

Come to the point, Menenius.

This rabbi
is not any old Galilean rebel.

Yes, he's a known troublemaker
in Jewish ranks,

and sparked a revolt
against their leaders,

but in the towns and countryside,

the common people
believe he's the Messiah.

And crucifying him would revive anger
against us, the Roman oppressor?

It would be unfortunate.

Let's not make this fanatic

a martyr of the struggle
against occupation.

We have too few men
to put down unrest.

Rome chose
not to reinforce our garrisons.

If an uprising breaks out,

we won't be long for Judea.

It's better to give ground for now.

True, it involves a brief loss of face,

but it's a lesser evil.

This mystic must be sacrificed.

It's always helpful, a man
perishing for national salvation.

Any politician worth his salt
knows that.

Government requires foresight.

I would rather

have injustice over disorder.

In that case,
a final word of advice, if I may...

Make sure the chief priests are
implicated in the prophet's arrest

and have him crucified
with common criminals.

That way,
the execution seems unpolitical

and we don't immediately appear
to be torturers and murderers.

This sacrifice must be

elegant.

A flawless symbol.

I'm sick to the heart.

My heart, Lord.

Leave it me.

I don't want any affectation

of scorn for death.

I want resignation to it.

It's our duty.

Since everything
is shaped for destruction...

the only rule

is to accept suffering as inevitable.

I know we must all perish,

but I can't help
believing myself to be happy,

when I consider my fortune,

good health and privileges.

It pains me
to conceive of leaving that forever.

I confess
I continue to search in books

for explanations

or consolations.

Never mind books!

Never mind learning.

The wise man's memory
perishes just like the fool's.

A man's demise
is the same as an animal's.

Existence is the same for them.

They each pass on,
having both drawn breath.

Man has nothing over animals.

It's all vanity.

We all plunge into the same abyss.

So it's better to be

a dog and alive

than a lion and dead?

Yes.

Alive.

Let us go and break bread

with gladness.

And drink wine with joy,

my friend.

Can I talk to you?

I know you are innocent.

Better to sacrifice one man
than face a revolt.

Order means order.

I do my duty as a Roman officer,
as best I can.

You'll be tried as a criminal.

Don't consider me an enemy.

Do your duty.

Take him.

What charges
do you lay against this man?

This man,

Jesus of Nazareth,

is supposedly
a direct descendant of King David,

of the first Jewish dynasty.

But he is unable to prove it.

I, on the other hand,

can prove

that we were fortunate

to capture
this dangerous rebel leader,

who foments revolution
against Roman rule.

He attacks
the interests of the Empire

through breaches of the peace
and public order,

to undermine Rome's authority.

Beyond being a political agitator,

inciting popular unrest
throughout Judea,

from Galilee
all the way to Jerusalem,

it has come to our attention

that he openly
proclaimed himself the Messiah.

In other words, a leader
sent by God to free the Jewish people

from Roman occupation.

In Jerusalem,

he is acclaimed as a king.

Whoever declares himself king

is the enemy of Caesar.

It is our duty,

not only to track down

but also to punish

with extreme severity,

any attempt at insurrection.

We cannot show leniency.

It would be a sign of weakness.

And so,

in the name of Caesar

and the Roman people,

I accuse this man

of high treason

and demand the death sentence.

What do you say to that?

Are you King of the Jews?

So you say.

You're a king?

My kingdom is not of this world.

If it were, my subjects
would have fought for me.

And why not the legions of heaven?

I came into this world
to testify to the truth.

Whoever sides with truth
hears my voice.

What is truth?

The truth
is that your head is aching,

so hard you contemplate death.

You don't have the strength
to talk with me.

Nor even to look at me.

You are incapable of thought.

You dream simply
of having your dog at your side.

The only creature

you apparently hold in any affection.

Your torments will cease presently.

Your headache will go away.

There you go...

It's finished.

The pain has gone.

My advice would be
to leave your palace

and go for a walk nearby.

The stroll will do you good.

Admit it.

You are a great physician.

No.

I am no physician.

So, how did you know

I yearn to call my dog?

Very simply.

You moved your hand through the air,

as though to stroke something.

Well...

Did you not call for the people

to demolish

or burn down

or somehow destroy
the temple in Jerusalem?

I never called for anyone
to commit such acts.

Do I look weak in the head?

Certainly...

there's nothing simple-minded
about you.

So, swear all that is false.

Upon what must I swear?

Upon your life.

Now is the time.

It is hanging by a thread.

Don't you know

it's in my power to crucify you?

Or release you.

You'd have no power
not given to you from on high.

Your fate is sealed.

You shall be crucified.

Take him away.

Look all around you.

Your empire lies in ruins.

It's in my name
that nations will place their hopes.

They killed the prophet!

He's dead!

Flee! The end is nigh!

They killed the prophet!
The end is nigh!

Rabbi is dead!

What are they talking about?

I have to go!

Forgive me.

Please forgive me.

You've been here long?

I don't know.

I don't see time go by.

You were here for the execution?

Was there a crowd?

Yes.

Rabbi?

The prophet from Galilee?
You saw him?

On the middle cross.

It says here...

The King of the Jews is dead.

In three languages.

That proves nothing!

That means nothing!

Leave me alone!

You've always been with me.

Since the day I was born.

Thank you.

Thanks to you,

my life has a special taste.

Now it's reached

the final moments.

Protect my family.

Protect my children.

Protect all those I loved.

I don't know what comes after.

I don't know.

I don't know what comes after you.

But I'm ready now.

Adaptation : Simon John

Sous-titrage : Eclair Group