Tip Top (2013) - full transcript
Farid, an Algerian turned informant for the French police, is found murdered in a small French town. Two offbeat and unethical female investigators (a fercely authoritarian Isabelle Huppert paired with an inquisitive and voyeuristic Sandrine Kimberlain) are brought in to investigate the possibility of police involvement with the murder. Meanwhile the seemingly degenerate cop with a heart of gold, Mendes, acquires an eager, albeit naive Algerian informant, Younes, who quickly gets into trouble. Serge Bozon's TIP TOP is a sharp and witty absurdist political farce that will leave audiences with more questions about modern day France than answers.
Let's take this outside.
You like asking questions,
so I'll ask you a few.
Traitor!
This looks like an Arab faggot bar.
Nothing but old people here.
I guess young people in your countries
prefer to screw tourists.
That's why you old codgers
have to screw each other.
I don't like wogs...
but queer wogs are worse
than the Holocaust!
Death to the wogs!
Hail Francois Bayrou!
Hail Nixon!
Hail Henri Emmanuelli!
Hail Harlem Désir!
You'll never pop my cherry!
Bunch of Taliban pussies!
You won't get to screw me,
don't you worry!
The Arab Spring
is a spring for faggots!
Algiers, Algiers, Algiers!
Sea, sex and sun!
Sex and sun!
What would have happened
without you?
Thanks.
I'm glad
nobody knows me around here.
If we were in Villeneuve,
I couldn't have helped you.
But it's the last time...
you moron.
I'm joking.
You need to learn
how to ask questions.
It's an art in itself, you know.
I might be a diabetic,
but that's not why I don't get it.
Come in!
The death of an informant
is always complicated.
We still don't know
if Farid Benamar was ratted out
by someone in the police precinct.
Who found the body?
Nadal, a television reporter.
He discovered it on a knoll
at Villeneuve, a suburb of Lille.
Nadal lives opposite the knoll.
Precinct reactions?
For 4 months, we didn't even know
that Benamar was their snitch...
until his wife finally told the judge.
Suspicions on precinct?
I don't really know.
We must find out if someone
at the precinct
gave up Benamar, either by
negligence or by treason. That's all!
Good luck, you have the intelligence
and the faculties it takes.
Thank you for the compliment,
Mr. Comptroller General.
And I won't be on my own.
Who is it?
Sally Marinelli,
she was demoted to Internal Affairs.
Why was she demoted?
Incompatibility with police ethics.
- Which means?
- I have no idea.
She was transferred
to I.A. in 2010.
I trust you.
You do the same.
I'm glad to work with you.
That's nice.
Walking into a police department
is so tiresome, such theatrics.
We'll keep the precinct in the dark,
let fear creep in by itself.
Don't give me that look, Sally.
We shouldn't let them
get to us that easily, right?
I've heard so much about you,
you know.
Sorry, excuse me,
I think it's my friend calling.
8 pm spot on. The hour for husbands
and television news.
Good night, Sally.
I'll call you back.
I don't know yet.
We didn't speak much.
I'll see how things turn out.
Be more self-conscious,
yes, I know, darling, but...
Agreed.
I kiss you goodnight.
It's prettier
with a sandbox and a swing.
I liked it more before.
You know there's been a murder here?
Does that ring a bell?
It does.
Always the same...
Harki or police snitch.
Always the same.
It is late, Madam.
You took up smoking again?
May I ask what you're doing here?
Why did they meet
Benamar at the lake beach?
- Why not directly on the knoll?
- I don't know.
You speak of a beach,
you speak of a lake.
If you all are above reproach
all will be well, Bontemps.
I'm not afraid of Internal Affairs.
So you never had any doubts?
No, with Farid Benamar
as with any informant,
there was a protocol...
Protocols are my department.
It's a passion of mine.
So our protocol...
Sorry I'm late.
You're kind of old!
Rozynski, Bontemps.
Where is Mendes, the third man?
They're all waiting for you.
Good morning.
It is important that
we get to know you.
These are our assistants,
Mr. Jean Marconi, Mr. Patrick Pais.
Our mission consists in understanding
how you worked with Farid Benamar
and to find out whether
there have been failures.
Lieutenant Delesne! Superintendent
Lafarge, Commander Marinelli!
Lieutenant Marsias! Superintendent
Lafarge, Commander Marinelli!
Esther memorized everybody's name
and rank in the precinct.
She really commands respect.
Officer Bastide! Superintendent
Lafarge, Commander Marinelli.
Are you done
with your trick and pony show?
Captain Robert Mendes...
at your service.
Farid Benamar's contact, his closest
collaborator in the precinct.
A silk blouse?
Am I mistaken or is that for me?
No, I always dress like this.
No special effort for your sake,
neither flattery nor contempt.
Madam likes sonnets.
"Neither flattery nor contempt".
Eeny... meeny...
miney... moe...
Catch a tiger by the toe
If it's an Arab, let him go!
ARE WE SERIOUS
IN OUR PRACTICE OF ISLAM?
Room service!
Esther, you tell me
when real work starts.
Did you like our visit
to the precinct?
No idea...
they looked a bit scared.
No kidding,
they're always scared when I drop in.
Scared, scared,
scared... of fairness, yes!
Is it a good thing?
To scare them?
No, fairness!
Truth, integrity.
Sally, this is
above your pay grade.
You'll be my little weasel.
Nosy, nosy, nosy,
gather all the tiny details.
My family needs me.
RIOTS IN ALGIERS
Straight on.
Take a right.
The road to the mosque.
I've been watching since yesterday.
So far, there's no one.
And Belkacem?
Still haven't seen her.
But I have a lot of patience.
I know, Younés,
that's a good quality to have.
You need to go on.
Your sister called me.
She thinks she's my mother.
She gets on my nerves.
Women deserve respect, Younés.
They need protection.
I told her not to worry,
that I got you
a doctor's appointment.
- You'll scream, but...
- Go ahead, what's up?
I'd like to go to Algiers.
Not for too long, understand?
I want to be part of it,
be there when things change.
No way, I need you here.
What the hell will you do in Algiers?
You haven't got a clue.
But you know what happens here.
You can go afterwards,
once you did what you had to do.
I'm not as clever as Benamar, right?
No idea, but we'll soon find out.
Belkacem will surely
ask you to do something.
Some kind of mission,
nothing complicated, messenger stuff.
A drop is going down.
How can you know? Who told you?
Where were you?
You have no idea how important
the person you question is.
It is our raw material.
That person must be emblematic,
unifying, pleasant, brilliant!
Anything but placid!
You must understand this!
And don't misinterpret things
you cannot see!
Go ahead, interpret me!
Come on!
What do I make you think of?
I don't know, chief.
You look like a pervert.
I'm no pervert, Younés.
I'm a professional,
and I'm teaching you to be one too.
We must see your mother.
My father painted them.
Mum!
Mother!
Mrs. Benamal?
Chief Superintendent Esther Lafarge,
Commander Sally Marinelli,
Internal Affairs.
- He got friends?
- Yes!
Good.
Most snitches live precariously.
Money, trafficking, jail,
money, trafficking, jail...
you could call it
Algerian roller coaster.
You liked Farid despite
the kind of person he was,
I get it.
Consider the fallout!
Fallout is our domain.
And protocol even more.
I don't understand you.
Protocols are very revealing.
Protocols?
- For snitches!
- How's that?
You knew your husband snitched?
Yes!
So how did the money come in?
5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 notes?
Used or new?
Did he tell you ?
Every time?
When did he tell you?
What was special
about these occasions?
Did you sometimes
count the notes ?
What was special
when you did count the notes?
I know people don't like explaining
how their husband was bribed.
Going into protocols
can be sordid...
even if he was paid
to help the police
which means the community.
My husband gave no details.
And he told you to say this.
To protect you.
We can admit that.
Back to the money.
I don't think...
Farid possibly came home after
meeting his contact, Mr. Mendes?
Farid calmly sat down
and then what was the protocol?
This could tell us
when the protocol changed
and the person who changed it.
That's our job!
I believe...
Let's take a step back here.
He comes home with the money
and you share a moment
of gratifying intimacy.
You show the kid the money
to prove that intelligence pays off,
the intelligence
of being well informed.
Maybe count the money on the table
to teach the kid mental calculation.
The beach at the lake.
You'd like to know who sent Farid
where he met his murderers.
So try to remember, Virginie!
Sally thinks it's important.
Is it you?
Yes.
The Lake Beach
We've been waiting for you.
Were you held up?
They are not leaving you alone, right?
Go sit with the others.
Look, this is Rachida Dati.
She changed her hairstyle.
Looks like plastic surgery to me.
Her bra sticks out a bit.
Sexy, isn't it?
The little devil!
Communication is essential.
When did you get your first cell?
I was 6, but that was late.
You need a cell at all times
even at a young age.
- When did you get yours?
- At 4 !
Great!
Mother is a Samsung person.
Older people here
prefer Korean brands.
Beautiful dress. It's a size 36.
You look fabulous.
I wish they all fell into the water.
Why?
I could use
my first-aid kit on them.
It contains everything.
I must lose a few pounds first,
I've put on weight.
Not easy to look fabulous
if you have my responsibilities.
Mother!
You wanted to scare your mum,
Aurélien?
Virginie, I guess you didn't
bring a towel.
Good that I am here.
Why did you choose this beach?
You need to get on with your life.
Move forward.
I did not want to come back here.
With my husband, we would stand
at the window after big thunderstorms.
The light is very special
after a big thunderstorm
the sky looks totally different
and you feel different, too.
I always loved that.
Amazing. Overwhelming.
I love you to pieces.
Well done, darling!
Thank you, my love.
Let me speak to Romain.
Romain, it's mum.
How are you?
I met a boy today,
a bit younger than you.
He looked sad.
I can't tell you why,
investigation secrecy.
So how are you then?
I'm sorry to hear that.
You too?
Back in my days,
we used to say...
there are more fish
in the sea.
I know,
it's an idiotic thing to say.
Esther!
Yes?
As a child, when I left the room,
nobody would notice.
Ok... so what?
I'd like the opposite, to enter
a room without anybody noticing.
- Be invisible?
- Yes!
Like Virginie,
the woman nobody notices.
You really threw her off.
How did the money arrive?
Were there 5, 10,
50 or 100 euro notes?
If so, every time or just sometimes?
And if sometimes, on what occasion?
Did you count the money yourself?
If only sometimes, on what occasion?
I've got work to do, Sally.
I've got one final question:
Virginie Benamar she's naive, isn't she?
She's even a bit stupid?
She understood things
but doesn't want to face them.
A bit like you.
I'd like to give you
your first assignment, Sally.
- Are you tactful?
- Very much so.
- With Algerians?
- Even more.
So find me Mendes's new snitch!
How?
I can't get a grip
on the two women you sent us.
What do you mean by "fairness"?
People always refer
to Esther's fairness.
Her fairness is distinctive.
I don't mean her work.
Tell me more intimate
details about her...
things that allow me
to adapt to her.
About her family?
Marital?
Private behaviour incompatible
with police ethics.
Incompatible with police ethics?
They're muff divers, aren't they?
I don't get it.
Give me details.
- They like hitting each other!
- What?
Esther needs more.
It's not a sentimental problem...
she needs new surroundings,
a change of set.
explain!
Does Sally also have problems?
Go ahead, give me details!
She peeps.
What do you mean "she peeps"?
She's kind of vicious
with her eyes.
Crap!
Stop freaking out.
Take it easy.
Those two will come up
with all sorts of theories.
Girls like that require
any number of possibilities.
Otherwise they feel fenced in.
May I have a moment?
I gathered some information
on Esther Lafarge and Sally Marinelli.
May I sit down?
It appears they're a bit weird.
What are you insinuating, Mendes?
I mean sexually...
one likes to hit,
the other one peeps.
What do you think
the police is doing then?
Mendes, draw graffiti in the toilets
if it makes you feel better.
- You want a beer?
- No!
- A little beer with me?
- I said no!
Your eyes are so blue,
I must buy you a drink.
I repeat - no!
- Ok, don't blow a fuse!
- Go ahead, rant louder!
Give me a break!
Stop that crap, for fuck's sake!
Women should be
respected and protected.
You throw a nice punch.
He might have
kicked your teeth in.
Such a gorgeous smile.
A woman's smile
can change a life.
That might be a banality,
but I like it.
Do you have a girlfriend?
Not at the moment.
Is it the first time you come here?
Yes, just passing through.
And you are...?
Look here.
Guess what this is?
A partner?
I never thought of it.
Why not indeed?
My syringe as a partner...
So?
It's true, we can't even
see the stars. Is that normal?
It's called light pollution.
It blocks everything.
What's the sky like in Algiers?
No idea,
I've never been there.
Pity, I'd like someone
to tell me about it.
What are you doing?
I don't know...
Being with you feels good.
It doesn't happen very often.
You have nobody?
You mean people who count?
Yes, people who count.
Maybe.
There's a guy who protects me.
He's asking me questions.
Your big brother?
I don't have a brother, just a sister.
Funny, I'm also with someone
who asks questions. A woman.
Does she protect you?
I don't know yet.
By coming here, you tried
to get away from your partner?
Maybe.
Maybe what?
A bit of fresh air.
That's the formula
Mendes is interested in.
I suppose you heard the rumors?
He's snooping around.
I don't care.
You want to leave
your partner...
He's called Ahmed, right?
Not making one's mind up
happens to anybody.
Maybe.
What kind of clothes
does Ahmed wear?
Quite simple.
Some velvet,
some spring colours.
What about Gérald?
He's a bow-tie guy.
How many of these
traffic lights are there?
"Incompatibility with police ethics"
says your file.
You want to know, don't you?
I could have phoned around,
like Mendes.
I prefer that you
tell me yourself...
when you feel like it.
The only person in the world
to understand me is my husband.
So much so that we hate to separate,
even for a few days.
Is that a good thing or is it bad,
I don't really know.
He shakes me
the way I need to be shaken.
Shake me all over.
Just like you, Sally, right?
What I really need is
to look less gawky.
If I tell you something,
will you return me the favour?
I can give you the name of a person
who's tailing you right now.
What's that shit-stirrer up to?
You must be Nadal?
No shady deals,
I'm not interested. Never!
I could be an ally
if you accepted to talk to me.
Your only ally, maybe.
I know about many things.
Nadal, you're upset,
you lost your job on television.
I get it.
I'm not upset at all. Are you going
after somebody in the precinct?
I know them all,
I've been seeing them for years.
I discovered Benamar's body.
Nadal, you are anguished!
We women know how to deal
with that, right Sally?
- Anguish doesn't scare us.
- No, not in the least.
For God's sake, I'm not anguished.
I could help you, shit!
That's enough!
Get out of my car!
Does working with a demoted
colleague make you act like this?
Don't listen to him.
He's...
He's jobless.
No, not jobless, he's a parasite.
No, he's not a parasite...
he's a Peeping Tom.
What do you mean by "Peeping Tom"?
Farid bringing home the banknotes
had to be a particularity
in your relationship.
Sally,
ask her what he looked like:
the way he talked,
his body language.
Body language?
It's a figure of speech.
They are important
in police work. Right?
I've taken an interest in body
language since I was six.
It's a language
Sally hasn't got a grip on yet.
We'll teach her
one step at a time.
What was his relationship
with his superiors?
He never talked about
the people he was working with.
He said:
"Do right and let them speak."
Another figure of speech.
Maybe the most beautiful of all.
It really says
"let them speak if it doesn't screw up
what's being done."
Right, Sally?
We're digging.
This is just the beginning!
We just want our lives back.
Digging it all up again
won't help us.
Help moving things along?
We're not here to move things along!
We're here to screw people,
we might as well screw the right ones.
Why do you use
such vulgar language, Madam?
Excuse me, I'll be back in a second.
That's my father.
He was a policeman
in Algeria before coming to France.
In France, he became
a policeman again.
Some story.
Not entirely, Aurélien.
He taught me how to draw.
I also have a son, Aurélien.
He's a bit older than you.
His name is Romain.
So what, I don't give a shit.
He must have liked your
"beautiful French woman" aspect?
You have hazel eyes, a firm body.
Not to mention other advantages.
He didn't marry me
to get a French passport.
Sally must be touched
by a mixed marriage.
Sally experienced one herself.
Wasn't your marriage more
of a romantic story?
I don't think Farid
found it romantic.
He believed France to be romantic.
He kept talking
about France's grandeur
its famous statesmen
and so on.
- And he betrayed for France.
- No, he didn't!
True believers must ignore
things not of their concern.
A Muslim doesn't care about
things which don't concern him.
Your husband did not follow
Mohammed's hadith, Virginie.
And I know he was a believer.
I don't speak Arabic.
Esther worked in Algeria
and speaks well.
Unbelievable the things she can do.
Your husband worked on the Belkacem
network. Does that ring a bell?
No.
"Belkacem network"?
Obviously, the worst is over now.
Pity if it started all over again.
What?
The nastiness.
In some situations,
you need to know where you stand.
You were the wife of a snitch,
now you are his widow.
It's not the same thing.
It's more delicate.
I do what I can.
It can't be easy to live
in fear and shame.
I've still got Aurélien.
Don't forget to keep a low profile.
Mum, what do we eat tonight?
What did Farid have to do
with Belkacem?
You have a beautiful son.
He looks more like
his father every day.
How is school?
I've heard you're a bit violent.
- Your dad wasn't violent.
- I know.
- What do you look for in violence?
- I dunno.
Forget about violence,
it doesn't help.
You're not exactly discreet.
3 days ago, a 35 year old blonde
with blue eyes had a drink here.
Lanky and underfed, with lots
of freckles. Ring a bell?
I don't know who you mean.
What about this then?
- What do you want of her?
- And you?
I fancy her.
She's a cop.
- Is that any of your business?
- Yes, it is!
She's here for Benamar.
- Are you scared of her?
- I need to protect us, that's all.
I'll buy you a drink.
The Lake Beach
What are you doing here?
The women can ask what they want,
but they won't understand.
My wife understood everything
from inside.
But she cost me a lot of money.
And she still costs a lot.
What is it that Lafarge
and Marinelli don't understand?
All of this.
People who are asleep
and who don't have a clue.
Or people who can help you
all of a sudden... like Farid.
What Farid really liked
was talking to Mendes.
I wonder if Mendes is really up to it.
He's unmanageable.
He'll do something
stupid with these two women.
Don't worry, I have a hold on him.
Did we screw it up with Farid?
I don't believe we did.
But I keep thinking about one thing...
that Benamar wouldn't last long.
You can sense it,
if someone will last or not.
I also sense it about Mendes
that he's not going to last.
I hope I'm wrong.
I sensed it about my wife, too.
There are 3 categories of men
Allah will ignore on Resurrection Day:
an adulterous old man,
a ruler lying to his people
and a poor man filled with pride.
Why are you so ugly?
Caroline!
I have my daughter this week.
Entertaining her isn't easy,
she's done it all with her mother.
Thanks for the info on Sally.
"Private behaviour incompatible
with police ethics."
What the hell
were you doing in their car?
You got scared, didn't you?
I'm not surprised.
I watch you lurk around
at dawn from my balcony.
What are you looking for?
So now you spy on me.
You're a shit-stirrer
and a Peeping Tom.
Just like me, no?
Struggling to get out?
Why read that?
Everybody knows you're lost.
No!
What, no?
I'm working.
We could write a great book
on the Benamar case.
We'd call it
"Until Death do us part,
Are we serious in our police work?"
You little shit!
I need a scoop.
What's that photo about?
You've never seen
someone like that.
I don't know. Who is it?
The most beautiful woman.
So the big day has come, Sally?
You're right,
this sweater calls for nail varnish.
Rozynski, were you
Benamar's pilot all the time?
Yes, Mendes proposed
to hire Farid Benamar
who turned informant.
Mendes was his contact
and he reported directly to me.
Benamar was an Algerian policeman
who had fled his country.
We saw him hanging around.
Hanging around the precinct, was he?
Many Algerian policemen turned
informant in France this way.
This way? Really?
Absolutely.
Another protocol?
Maybe...
he was missing his work.
Some people have a calling.
So Farid hung around the precinct
every night...
- Like a...
- No, not like a whore!
Couldn't he apply
for political asylum?
Islamist persecution doesn't qualify
for asylum, you know that.
So he couldn't.
How did you turn him?
Once you're terrorized,
you stay terrorized.
The things he witnessed
over there left him spooked.
Sally supposes your trio
operated according to the law.
Absolutely.
If the police works in the shadow
you must shed light
on them, right Sally?
Yet, because of required secrecy
and a certain reciprocity
snitches always need
shadow zones, right Sally?
- Reciprocity?
- Yes, reciprocity!
Sally is better
at explaining these terms.
Please Sally.
A certain amount of give and take
between informants and policemen.
A cop tolerating
misdemeanors as counterpart
one could call it shadow zone, no?
It would be highly questionable
as such actions were not approved.
Are you trying to make us believe
that Farid was beyond reproach?
Shady activities by Benamar
were mentioned. Drug trafficking.
- Protected activities?
- Yes!
Sally worries about informants
getting too powerful.
Powerful... in what sense?
Some just turn greedy.
Mysterious turn of events, right?
When does the suit no longer fit?
Why not yesterday
or even tomorrow?
Sally keeps wondering,
but she'll never put on weight.
Were there important drug dealers
Farid could or would not inform on?
Like Belkacem.
Belkacem's case is special.
Does your department
protect drug dealers?
Corruption?
Answer me!
You won't dig up a thing.
We'll see about that.
Did you follow
protocol on Farid?
I love talk or silence.
I've done nothing wrong to this day,
sincerely.
I followed protection protocols
by the book.
Rachida Belkacem,
you're up!
As your new President, I thank you.
Thank you for coming to celebrate
our association's 10th anniversary.
Our former President
was Farid Benamar.
I'm sure you haven't
forgotten his story.
In 1991, the Islamic Salvation Front
was winning the elections.
The military seized power
between the two election rounds.
The lslamists had been
robbed of their victory, yes...
so what were they left with?
Civil servants to be shot,
policemen to be executed?
Ironic turn of history.
Thousands of Algerian policemen,
Farid among them,
took the brave decision
to seek sanctuary in France
and to start
their lives from scratch.
I would like to honour his memory
acknowledge his wife, Virginie.
I'd like to add a few simple words.
I want to honour the memory
of Farid Benamar
And I feel like saying let's drink
and eat to his health.
You should know that Farid...
We've all read the papers
a snitch, a drug dealer,
what does all that mean?
Honest people should lead us.
Here we talk of fairness,
of integrity,
of totality, of impartiality,
we talk of national feelings
feelings on justice
of recognizing everyone's rights
and not about enforcing
existing territorial laws.
This couldn't be further
from our thoughts.
Yes Sir, you're offending!
I realised that,
by losing such a close friend
I lost someone
who was very important to me.
Benamar was open,
Belkacem is authoritarian.
She's very opinionated.
- There are cops among us.
- What do they want?
They must be here
for Benamar's widow.
She lives on what?
She should get to work
rather than doll up.
Her son turned violent at school,
my girl told me.
My God, why do you talk like this?
Virginie is a nice lady,
she has a big dog.
Qalb not kelb,
she has a big heart'.!
Kelb means dog,
qalb means heart.
- He speaks awful Arabic.
- He's still taking lessons.
Where did Rachida Dati's
elegance come from?
Who on earth is she?
Her elegance
comes from her mother.
But she doesn't want it known.
- Why?
- Because she's much prettier than her.
She's a real woman!
Rachida Dati is as old as you are.
Me old? Speak for yourself!
Don't say the contrary
of what you think or shut up.
I'm a very classy guy!
I only buy luxury stuff.
I know the greatest liars
in Paris, Rome.
Not liars but fashion designers!
I know how to dress,
I am very "chicos"!
"Chicos“?
Chikkour (a pimp), yes!
There's no pussy in that!
Go clean your pussy!
Hello Virginie.
Hello Mr. Rozynski.
You could have come
to my husband's funeral.
Yes...
You had another engagement?
No, that wasn't it.
I suppose your presence
wasn't part of the protocol?
Yes.
Rozynski worries me.
He looks fragile.
He'll keel over.
I hope in the right direction.
I think he's going to give us
some juicy stuff.
Gérald!
Hurry, I miss you.
We haven't seen each other
in ten days.
It felt more like ten years.
Did staying at your brother's
upset Romain?
I don't want to leave him
alone these days.
He needs to find
a new girlfriend soon.
Our son has his heart
in the right place.
Did you get
your strength back, darling?
I do want a lot of pleasure.
Not my balls!
Stop it!
Mrs. Lafarge!
800 wounded and 5 casualties
in Algeria since the riots started,
according to Le Monde.
Violence has rocked Algeria all year.
I spent my holidays in Algeria,
prices are sky high,
life in Algeria is almost
as expensive as it is in France
while salaries are 13 times
lower than in France...
Young people are rioting
just like in France.
They're unhappy
with their government and vice-versa.
Chief?
Careful with that dew!
Chief!
A knoll is beautiful at dawn, isn't it?
Pardon me, I have to do this.
You were always
my mentor, Rozynski
with your knowledge
about informants,
about their usefulness,
the rules of the game
and its twilight zones
as you kept saying.
I need to read to you
one last time.
Look at these faggots!
Sally, it's Nadal.
You'd better get in touch with me.
I'm out of here!
You must be Sally.
Esther warned me
that you keep appearing
out of the blue
like a big snooping badger
that lost its way.
You must be itching
to try this, right?
You want to patch me up?
Yes.
Is Esther hurt too?
You should ask her.
I leave you to it,
I have a train to catch.
Your leg!
We have to do something.
His leg must be looked after.
I can do it.
I've got mercurochrome.
Let's
- Died where?
- On the knoll!
Same place as Farid Benamar.
Spot on!
Doesn't it hurt too much?
My husband is no boxer,
he plays the violin.
The entire precinct will be there
seeing you like this,
can't be good for our investigation.
They have bigger fish to fry.
Their main problem is Rozynski.
Let's hurry, Sally!
Crap, they must have
gone over everything!
Now leave me alone, Sally,
I need to think.
I dreamt of Gérald.
It was pleasant but too short.
Let's
- Suicide?
- Yes!
- Who found the body?
- A lady walking her dog.
Thanks.
If I find out this is your fault!
Commissioner Lafarge,
you are out of your mind.
Don't stare at me like that, Mendes,
I'll recover.
You, maybe, but he won't!
What did you do to Rozynski?
Move over dear,
you're embarrassing me.
Isn't it nice to meet
among women?
Come help me.
I've been looking for you.
Did you love your husband,
Mrs. Belkacem?
Of course I did. A marriage of love,
just like yours, Virginie.
Farid was working your case
before he died.
The two police-women told me.
Farid was not working,
I'd say he was snitching.
I, for one, am working
but I'm not snitching.
Were you involved
in his death, Rachida?
Shame on you!
Excuse me?
You have no idea
who you're dealing with, Virginie.
Poor Aurélien.
Fasten your seatbelt.
Indicator!
Slow down!
I'll check on the wheel.
God bless you!
300...
Hey... Mohammed!
Where are you?
Chirac...
Napoleon...
Charles de Gaulle...
Joan of Arc...
Rozynski committed suicide.
It's confirmed.
Yes, I'm longing to see you again.
Thanks, it's nice of you
to tell me that.
Your surprise worked perfectly.
Very violent indeed.
Don't pass me Romain,
I'm not up to it today.
- Still not sleeping?
- No!
- Rozynski?
- Yes!
I've had enough of these
grand immolations on that knoll.
Your wounds have healed a bit.
Apart from the cut on the nose.
I'll buy a mason's hammer in case
my husband returns.
Short handle,
fits into the night-table.
Why a mason?
Way more violent!
Esther, I wanted to tell you something.
I'm listening, Sally.
About my "private behaviour
incompatible with police ethics"
I like to quietly watch people.
People doing what?
Your demotion
to Internal Affairs is unfair.
- Watching doesn't hurt anybody.
- I'm a compulsive peeper.
I can't help it,
it's stronger than me.
It's bad, isn't it?
I'll get you out
of that closet, you'll see.
I repeat my question:
You watch people making what?
Love.
Describe the man
with the envelope.
I told you I couldn't see very well.
It was too dark.
I didn't know him.
Describe him again.
Every detail.
I need to run.
Belkacem is expecting me.
There's a delivery at the hangar
in three hours.
Mendes,
as Rozynski is no longer around
we need to find a new pilot
for your new informant.
A snitch needs a pilot,
you know that!
There's no time to look,
so I'll take care of it myself.
I want to be
your new informant's pilot.
Set up a meeting, Mendes!
And fast!
What are you doing here?
Where is your master?
Where are the others?
Where is Younés?
Why is there nobody?
Where's Bontemps?
What's this mess?
It's me!
Your brother?
No idea where he is.
He doesn't pick up his phone.
Younés, it's me again, Robert.
It all went wrong at the hangar.
We can't reach you.
We don't know where you are.
Get in touch!
I'm at your sister's.
You don't pick up.
There's no trace of you.
Call me back.
It is complicated to find out
if treason came from inside.
Impossible, from inside.
- Anything is possible!
- No.
Ask Sally about it.
The attorney-general
called me in tomorrow.
Good evening, Younés.
I'm Commissioner Bontemps.
Mendes told me a lot about you.
Why isn't Mendes here?
He should have told me it was you.
It's the first time that...
I must see Mendes,
I need his advice.
Advice?
Are you panicking?
Yes!
It's called a vocation.
Farid Benamar
felt exactly the same thing.
I don't know what's going on.
Belkacem took away my cellphone.
Tell me, Younés,
your work with Rachida Belkacem,
tell me
all about it.
Here, in the car, straight away?
- No, we'll do it elsewhere.
- Where elsewhere?
At the lake beach.
The Lake Beach
Investigation or carnival?
I.A. finds it difficult to clear up
the sad case
of Farid Benamar's murder.
Lafarge's excessive private life
raises serious doubts
about her reliability.
The manager of the hotel
where she's staying has filed charges
for night-time disturbance
as well as sex disturbance.
Does this ring a bell?
This is a Punch and Judy show!
Internal Affairs in France
is sinking lower by the day.
The country of Human Rights
is no longer a country of police duty.
Nadal is back on Channel 3!
I'm not sure
I'm gonna get you out of that closet!
Do you know Commissioner Bontemps?
- Who are you?
- The law!
Arabic won't help
with our community.
To each his own.
No idea who you mean.
I lost my job
and you're about to lose yours.
Leave us alone,
I must talk to Aurélien.
Aurélien, I knew your father well.
You are surprised?
Why do you stare at me like that?
Mrs. Belkacem came by earlier on.
- She asked to see me?
- No.
She came for me.
She talked about her husband,
about being faithful to the dead.
When Dad was still around,
I was less scared.
Come in, Sally.
What were you doing
in your room?
I thought you just liked to watch.
I'm changing and I think it shows.
It's our last night in this place.
You go about it all wrong.
This is how you do it. Watch!
If he removes his jocks,
I'll have him locked up.
I wonder if that guy
is not unemployed.
You really don't get it, do you?
While I was showing off,
I got what I wanted... quietly.
Just like you.
Why did you not come to the hangar?
I wasn't at the hangar.
You're no longer on the case.
Your wife died two years ago.
Cancer.
I'll put her photo up
with Farid's in my office.
They'll make a nice couple.
You adored your wife?
Here husbands and wives
seem to love each other a lot.
Virginie loved her husband a lot,
I love mine a lot.
Sally loves hers a lot.
Belkacem loved hers a lot,
you loved your wife a lot.
It all fits.
But Gérald is alive.
Isn't it great to have
a husband who's alive?
You want the photo? Take it!
A wife, alive or dead,
is more important than a photo.
I asked myself...
why you would
possibly need money?
So I asked around.
Your wife was a gambler.
She was a compulsive gambler
as Sally would put it.
Why did she gamble that much?
She certainly accumulated
a huge debt.
And you are not even upset.
Solidarity to the bitter end.
Just like Virginie,
just like me and my husband.
- I love it.
- I love it too.
You're lucky,
I've got nothing on you.
I guess I'm lucky then.
You know Belkacem?
No.
- Want a beer or a tea?
- There's no time.
Let's
It's about time.
Is that all?
Farid Benamar's
Algerian police I.D.?
I think it's a lot.
Who saw me on that knoll?
Nadal
- I didn't think you would tell me.
- I trust you.
There aren't too many women
in Villeneuve.
What are you on about, Mendes?
- You know what I'm thinking?
- No.
We could go to Paris together, no?
I dream of Paris.
Just waited for the right person.
I hear Paris is a beautiful city.
Lots of sights.
- You do love Paris, don't you?
- Yes.
- Before you, I was afraid.
- Of what?
Of drowning in decadence.
You look like Younés's dog.
Slow down!
I have an idea, Mendes.
Belkacem will freak out.
I'm listening.
Imagine rather than Farid's police I.d.
there was a letter
in Rozynski's pocket.
- A letter telling it all.
- Oh yes!
Go to your mother!
This is for the TV report!
Audiences loved it.
Internal Affairs screwing up,
it turns them on like hell!
- You owe me something, no?
- I know.
You go see Rachida Belkacem...
and tell her exactly
what you saw on that knoll
between me and Rozynski, right!
Tell her I thought
you turned queer?
Tell her you saw me remove
a piece of paper on Rozynski's corpse!
A letter telling it all!
Are you there, Mohammed?
Oh, it's you?
Is booth number 2 free?
Yes, go ahead.
Hello... Algeria?
Excuse me, brother,
the phone doesn't work!
Can you help me?
I am trying to get a hold of
my family in Algeria.
I haven't heard from them
since the riots broke out.
The police hit them,
then they arrested them.
They took them to the jail.
Help me please!
I must speak to my family.
Help me please!
May God bless you!
Hello, Algeria?
We're starting our tour
of Villeneuve, welcome!
So when was the urban area
of Villeneuve developed?
The pavilions were built in 1975,
that's when the development
started to expand.
To put all this in context...
No idea they had
tour buses in the suburbs.
You're as beautiful as ever.
I'm here to help you,
not to listen to compliments.
On your right,
you see a harmless little street
were it not for a building
where a well known local lady
was found assassinated
three days ago.
Many flats built
on limited building ground...
Sally,
we have been reinstated.
We go on investigating.
Yes, the case is getting too big.
Whoever killed Belkacem
did us a favour.
I know you're thinking of Virginie.
Two benches, tiny garden
to preserve
the integrity of the knoll.
The revolutionary idea was leaving
nature as intact as possible.
Did we really understand Virginie?
I mean her love for Farid?
We didn't see it coming.
I missed the essential.
...close to nature. The apartments
have balconies facing the knoll...
Yes, yes, Esther!
Despite this revolutionary
natural aspect, I insist,
two gruesome discoveries
on the knoll.
Two men were found assassinated
in the same spot on top of it.
The people responsible
for Benamar's death.
We'll put them away, us two.
I need you.
...urban furniture
thrown on the slope...
Thank you, Esther.
Sandbox on the slope,
swing on the slope.
I insist on the word slope.
Where there is water,
there are animals.
If we listen and observe carefully,
we will spot on the lake beach
a wide variety of geese:
Alopochen Aegyptiaca,
Branta Canadensis
Anas Platyrhyncos, Anas Penelope,
also swans and common moorhens.
How did these birds
get to Villeneuve?
Simple answer.
As birds tend to fly
they immediately spot lakes
as the sky reflects in them.
Just like here
at the lake beach.
Hello, Esther, this is
Robert Mendes speaking.
I'm calling to leave a message.
I realise we didn't
always see eye to eye
our collaboration
hasn't always been... Abdullah!
What I'm saying is we really
need you here. Please call me back.
Widen your cheeks.
You should say:
Wipe off your tears!
Don't be pretty'.!
Not pretty, you mean sad!
I wonder where he could be?
It's only been four days,
not four weeks since he left.
There's not much we can do,
apart from eating balanced meals
sleep as much as possible and wait.
There's nothing else to do.
He's no idiot,
he's got a fifth sense.
That's why we worked together.
Thanks to the determination
of Esther Lafarge
this investigation will finally
pick up again. And speed up, too.
According to unofficial
and exclusive sources
we believe that Esther Lafarge
is following a solid lead.
Will we ever know who's...
responsible for Benamar's death,
5 months later?
Villeneuve is agog!
It should be noted that the murder
of Rachida Belkacem 3 days ago
revived the investigation.
Open that door right now,
for God's sake!
Is that bloody violinist
with you, Sally?
Gérald!
My love!
Gérald...
Subtitles:
jpthilges/Hatari Publishing
Subtitling by LVT - Paris
You like asking questions,
so I'll ask you a few.
Traitor!
This looks like an Arab faggot bar.
Nothing but old people here.
I guess young people in your countries
prefer to screw tourists.
That's why you old codgers
have to screw each other.
I don't like wogs...
but queer wogs are worse
than the Holocaust!
Death to the wogs!
Hail Francois Bayrou!
Hail Nixon!
Hail Henri Emmanuelli!
Hail Harlem Désir!
You'll never pop my cherry!
Bunch of Taliban pussies!
You won't get to screw me,
don't you worry!
The Arab Spring
is a spring for faggots!
Algiers, Algiers, Algiers!
Sea, sex and sun!
Sex and sun!
What would have happened
without you?
Thanks.
I'm glad
nobody knows me around here.
If we were in Villeneuve,
I couldn't have helped you.
But it's the last time...
you moron.
I'm joking.
You need to learn
how to ask questions.
It's an art in itself, you know.
I might be a diabetic,
but that's not why I don't get it.
Come in!
The death of an informant
is always complicated.
We still don't know
if Farid Benamar was ratted out
by someone in the police precinct.
Who found the body?
Nadal, a television reporter.
He discovered it on a knoll
at Villeneuve, a suburb of Lille.
Nadal lives opposite the knoll.
Precinct reactions?
For 4 months, we didn't even know
that Benamar was their snitch...
until his wife finally told the judge.
Suspicions on precinct?
I don't really know.
We must find out if someone
at the precinct
gave up Benamar, either by
negligence or by treason. That's all!
Good luck, you have the intelligence
and the faculties it takes.
Thank you for the compliment,
Mr. Comptroller General.
And I won't be on my own.
Who is it?
Sally Marinelli,
she was demoted to Internal Affairs.
Why was she demoted?
Incompatibility with police ethics.
- Which means?
- I have no idea.
She was transferred
to I.A. in 2010.
I trust you.
You do the same.
I'm glad to work with you.
That's nice.
Walking into a police department
is so tiresome, such theatrics.
We'll keep the precinct in the dark,
let fear creep in by itself.
Don't give me that look, Sally.
We shouldn't let them
get to us that easily, right?
I've heard so much about you,
you know.
Sorry, excuse me,
I think it's my friend calling.
8 pm spot on. The hour for husbands
and television news.
Good night, Sally.
I'll call you back.
I don't know yet.
We didn't speak much.
I'll see how things turn out.
Be more self-conscious,
yes, I know, darling, but...
Agreed.
I kiss you goodnight.
It's prettier
with a sandbox and a swing.
I liked it more before.
You know there's been a murder here?
Does that ring a bell?
It does.
Always the same...
Harki or police snitch.
Always the same.
It is late, Madam.
You took up smoking again?
May I ask what you're doing here?
Why did they meet
Benamar at the lake beach?
- Why not directly on the knoll?
- I don't know.
You speak of a beach,
you speak of a lake.
If you all are above reproach
all will be well, Bontemps.
I'm not afraid of Internal Affairs.
So you never had any doubts?
No, with Farid Benamar
as with any informant,
there was a protocol...
Protocols are my department.
It's a passion of mine.
So our protocol...
Sorry I'm late.
You're kind of old!
Rozynski, Bontemps.
Where is Mendes, the third man?
They're all waiting for you.
Good morning.
It is important that
we get to know you.
These are our assistants,
Mr. Jean Marconi, Mr. Patrick Pais.
Our mission consists in understanding
how you worked with Farid Benamar
and to find out whether
there have been failures.
Lieutenant Delesne! Superintendent
Lafarge, Commander Marinelli!
Lieutenant Marsias! Superintendent
Lafarge, Commander Marinelli!
Esther memorized everybody's name
and rank in the precinct.
She really commands respect.
Officer Bastide! Superintendent
Lafarge, Commander Marinelli.
Are you done
with your trick and pony show?
Captain Robert Mendes...
at your service.
Farid Benamar's contact, his closest
collaborator in the precinct.
A silk blouse?
Am I mistaken or is that for me?
No, I always dress like this.
No special effort for your sake,
neither flattery nor contempt.
Madam likes sonnets.
"Neither flattery nor contempt".
Eeny... meeny...
miney... moe...
Catch a tiger by the toe
If it's an Arab, let him go!
ARE WE SERIOUS
IN OUR PRACTICE OF ISLAM?
Room service!
Esther, you tell me
when real work starts.
Did you like our visit
to the precinct?
No idea...
they looked a bit scared.
No kidding,
they're always scared when I drop in.
Scared, scared,
scared... of fairness, yes!
Is it a good thing?
To scare them?
No, fairness!
Truth, integrity.
Sally, this is
above your pay grade.
You'll be my little weasel.
Nosy, nosy, nosy,
gather all the tiny details.
My family needs me.
RIOTS IN ALGIERS
Straight on.
Take a right.
The road to the mosque.
I've been watching since yesterday.
So far, there's no one.
And Belkacem?
Still haven't seen her.
But I have a lot of patience.
I know, Younés,
that's a good quality to have.
You need to go on.
Your sister called me.
She thinks she's my mother.
She gets on my nerves.
Women deserve respect, Younés.
They need protection.
I told her not to worry,
that I got you
a doctor's appointment.
- You'll scream, but...
- Go ahead, what's up?
I'd like to go to Algiers.
Not for too long, understand?
I want to be part of it,
be there when things change.
No way, I need you here.
What the hell will you do in Algiers?
You haven't got a clue.
But you know what happens here.
You can go afterwards,
once you did what you had to do.
I'm not as clever as Benamar, right?
No idea, but we'll soon find out.
Belkacem will surely
ask you to do something.
Some kind of mission,
nothing complicated, messenger stuff.
A drop is going down.
How can you know? Who told you?
Where were you?
You have no idea how important
the person you question is.
It is our raw material.
That person must be emblematic,
unifying, pleasant, brilliant!
Anything but placid!
You must understand this!
And don't misinterpret things
you cannot see!
Go ahead, interpret me!
Come on!
What do I make you think of?
I don't know, chief.
You look like a pervert.
I'm no pervert, Younés.
I'm a professional,
and I'm teaching you to be one too.
We must see your mother.
My father painted them.
Mum!
Mother!
Mrs. Benamal?
Chief Superintendent Esther Lafarge,
Commander Sally Marinelli,
Internal Affairs.
- He got friends?
- Yes!
Good.
Most snitches live precariously.
Money, trafficking, jail,
money, trafficking, jail...
you could call it
Algerian roller coaster.
You liked Farid despite
the kind of person he was,
I get it.
Consider the fallout!
Fallout is our domain.
And protocol even more.
I don't understand you.
Protocols are very revealing.
Protocols?
- For snitches!
- How's that?
You knew your husband snitched?
Yes!
So how did the money come in?
5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 notes?
Used or new?
Did he tell you ?
Every time?
When did he tell you?
What was special
about these occasions?
Did you sometimes
count the notes ?
What was special
when you did count the notes?
I know people don't like explaining
how their husband was bribed.
Going into protocols
can be sordid...
even if he was paid
to help the police
which means the community.
My husband gave no details.
And he told you to say this.
To protect you.
We can admit that.
Back to the money.
I don't think...
Farid possibly came home after
meeting his contact, Mr. Mendes?
Farid calmly sat down
and then what was the protocol?
This could tell us
when the protocol changed
and the person who changed it.
That's our job!
I believe...
Let's take a step back here.
He comes home with the money
and you share a moment
of gratifying intimacy.
You show the kid the money
to prove that intelligence pays off,
the intelligence
of being well informed.
Maybe count the money on the table
to teach the kid mental calculation.
The beach at the lake.
You'd like to know who sent Farid
where he met his murderers.
So try to remember, Virginie!
Sally thinks it's important.
Is it you?
Yes.
The Lake Beach
We've been waiting for you.
Were you held up?
They are not leaving you alone, right?
Go sit with the others.
Look, this is Rachida Dati.
She changed her hairstyle.
Looks like plastic surgery to me.
Her bra sticks out a bit.
Sexy, isn't it?
The little devil!
Communication is essential.
When did you get your first cell?
I was 6, but that was late.
You need a cell at all times
even at a young age.
- When did you get yours?
- At 4 !
Great!
Mother is a Samsung person.
Older people here
prefer Korean brands.
Beautiful dress. It's a size 36.
You look fabulous.
I wish they all fell into the water.
Why?
I could use
my first-aid kit on them.
It contains everything.
I must lose a few pounds first,
I've put on weight.
Not easy to look fabulous
if you have my responsibilities.
Mother!
You wanted to scare your mum,
Aurélien?
Virginie, I guess you didn't
bring a towel.
Good that I am here.
Why did you choose this beach?
You need to get on with your life.
Move forward.
I did not want to come back here.
With my husband, we would stand
at the window after big thunderstorms.
The light is very special
after a big thunderstorm
the sky looks totally different
and you feel different, too.
I always loved that.
Amazing. Overwhelming.
I love you to pieces.
Well done, darling!
Thank you, my love.
Let me speak to Romain.
Romain, it's mum.
How are you?
I met a boy today,
a bit younger than you.
He looked sad.
I can't tell you why,
investigation secrecy.
So how are you then?
I'm sorry to hear that.
You too?
Back in my days,
we used to say...
there are more fish
in the sea.
I know,
it's an idiotic thing to say.
Esther!
Yes?
As a child, when I left the room,
nobody would notice.
Ok... so what?
I'd like the opposite, to enter
a room without anybody noticing.
- Be invisible?
- Yes!
Like Virginie,
the woman nobody notices.
You really threw her off.
How did the money arrive?
Were there 5, 10,
50 or 100 euro notes?
If so, every time or just sometimes?
And if sometimes, on what occasion?
Did you count the money yourself?
If only sometimes, on what occasion?
I've got work to do, Sally.
I've got one final question:
Virginie Benamar she's naive, isn't she?
She's even a bit stupid?
She understood things
but doesn't want to face them.
A bit like you.
I'd like to give you
your first assignment, Sally.
- Are you tactful?
- Very much so.
- With Algerians?
- Even more.
So find me Mendes's new snitch!
How?
I can't get a grip
on the two women you sent us.
What do you mean by "fairness"?
People always refer
to Esther's fairness.
Her fairness is distinctive.
I don't mean her work.
Tell me more intimate
details about her...
things that allow me
to adapt to her.
About her family?
Marital?
Private behaviour incompatible
with police ethics.
Incompatible with police ethics?
They're muff divers, aren't they?
I don't get it.
Give me details.
- They like hitting each other!
- What?
Esther needs more.
It's not a sentimental problem...
she needs new surroundings,
a change of set.
explain!
Does Sally also have problems?
Go ahead, give me details!
She peeps.
What do you mean "she peeps"?
She's kind of vicious
with her eyes.
Crap!
Stop freaking out.
Take it easy.
Those two will come up
with all sorts of theories.
Girls like that require
any number of possibilities.
Otherwise they feel fenced in.
May I have a moment?
I gathered some information
on Esther Lafarge and Sally Marinelli.
May I sit down?
It appears they're a bit weird.
What are you insinuating, Mendes?
I mean sexually...
one likes to hit,
the other one peeps.
What do you think
the police is doing then?
Mendes, draw graffiti in the toilets
if it makes you feel better.
- You want a beer?
- No!
- A little beer with me?
- I said no!
Your eyes are so blue,
I must buy you a drink.
I repeat - no!
- Ok, don't blow a fuse!
- Go ahead, rant louder!
Give me a break!
Stop that crap, for fuck's sake!
Women should be
respected and protected.
You throw a nice punch.
He might have
kicked your teeth in.
Such a gorgeous smile.
A woman's smile
can change a life.
That might be a banality,
but I like it.
Do you have a girlfriend?
Not at the moment.
Is it the first time you come here?
Yes, just passing through.
And you are...?
Look here.
Guess what this is?
A partner?
I never thought of it.
Why not indeed?
My syringe as a partner...
So?
It's true, we can't even
see the stars. Is that normal?
It's called light pollution.
It blocks everything.
What's the sky like in Algiers?
No idea,
I've never been there.
Pity, I'd like someone
to tell me about it.
What are you doing?
I don't know...
Being with you feels good.
It doesn't happen very often.
You have nobody?
You mean people who count?
Yes, people who count.
Maybe.
There's a guy who protects me.
He's asking me questions.
Your big brother?
I don't have a brother, just a sister.
Funny, I'm also with someone
who asks questions. A woman.
Does she protect you?
I don't know yet.
By coming here, you tried
to get away from your partner?
Maybe.
Maybe what?
A bit of fresh air.
That's the formula
Mendes is interested in.
I suppose you heard the rumors?
He's snooping around.
I don't care.
You want to leave
your partner...
He's called Ahmed, right?
Not making one's mind up
happens to anybody.
Maybe.
What kind of clothes
does Ahmed wear?
Quite simple.
Some velvet,
some spring colours.
What about Gérald?
He's a bow-tie guy.
How many of these
traffic lights are there?
"Incompatibility with police ethics"
says your file.
You want to know, don't you?
I could have phoned around,
like Mendes.
I prefer that you
tell me yourself...
when you feel like it.
The only person in the world
to understand me is my husband.
So much so that we hate to separate,
even for a few days.
Is that a good thing or is it bad,
I don't really know.
He shakes me
the way I need to be shaken.
Shake me all over.
Just like you, Sally, right?
What I really need is
to look less gawky.
If I tell you something,
will you return me the favour?
I can give you the name of a person
who's tailing you right now.
What's that shit-stirrer up to?
You must be Nadal?
No shady deals,
I'm not interested. Never!
I could be an ally
if you accepted to talk to me.
Your only ally, maybe.
I know about many things.
Nadal, you're upset,
you lost your job on television.
I get it.
I'm not upset at all. Are you going
after somebody in the precinct?
I know them all,
I've been seeing them for years.
I discovered Benamar's body.
Nadal, you are anguished!
We women know how to deal
with that, right Sally?
- Anguish doesn't scare us.
- No, not in the least.
For God's sake, I'm not anguished.
I could help you, shit!
That's enough!
Get out of my car!
Does working with a demoted
colleague make you act like this?
Don't listen to him.
He's...
He's jobless.
No, not jobless, he's a parasite.
No, he's not a parasite...
he's a Peeping Tom.
What do you mean by "Peeping Tom"?
Farid bringing home the banknotes
had to be a particularity
in your relationship.
Sally,
ask her what he looked like:
the way he talked,
his body language.
Body language?
It's a figure of speech.
They are important
in police work. Right?
I've taken an interest in body
language since I was six.
It's a language
Sally hasn't got a grip on yet.
We'll teach her
one step at a time.
What was his relationship
with his superiors?
He never talked about
the people he was working with.
He said:
"Do right and let them speak."
Another figure of speech.
Maybe the most beautiful of all.
It really says
"let them speak if it doesn't screw up
what's being done."
Right, Sally?
We're digging.
This is just the beginning!
We just want our lives back.
Digging it all up again
won't help us.
Help moving things along?
We're not here to move things along!
We're here to screw people,
we might as well screw the right ones.
Why do you use
such vulgar language, Madam?
Excuse me, I'll be back in a second.
That's my father.
He was a policeman
in Algeria before coming to France.
In France, he became
a policeman again.
Some story.
Not entirely, Aurélien.
He taught me how to draw.
I also have a son, Aurélien.
He's a bit older than you.
His name is Romain.
So what, I don't give a shit.
He must have liked your
"beautiful French woman" aspect?
You have hazel eyes, a firm body.
Not to mention other advantages.
He didn't marry me
to get a French passport.
Sally must be touched
by a mixed marriage.
Sally experienced one herself.
Wasn't your marriage more
of a romantic story?
I don't think Farid
found it romantic.
He believed France to be romantic.
He kept talking
about France's grandeur
its famous statesmen
and so on.
- And he betrayed for France.
- No, he didn't!
True believers must ignore
things not of their concern.
A Muslim doesn't care about
things which don't concern him.
Your husband did not follow
Mohammed's hadith, Virginie.
And I know he was a believer.
I don't speak Arabic.
Esther worked in Algeria
and speaks well.
Unbelievable the things she can do.
Your husband worked on the Belkacem
network. Does that ring a bell?
No.
"Belkacem network"?
Obviously, the worst is over now.
Pity if it started all over again.
What?
The nastiness.
In some situations,
you need to know where you stand.
You were the wife of a snitch,
now you are his widow.
It's not the same thing.
It's more delicate.
I do what I can.
It can't be easy to live
in fear and shame.
I've still got Aurélien.
Don't forget to keep a low profile.
Mum, what do we eat tonight?
What did Farid have to do
with Belkacem?
You have a beautiful son.
He looks more like
his father every day.
How is school?
I've heard you're a bit violent.
- Your dad wasn't violent.
- I know.
- What do you look for in violence?
- I dunno.
Forget about violence,
it doesn't help.
You're not exactly discreet.
3 days ago, a 35 year old blonde
with blue eyes had a drink here.
Lanky and underfed, with lots
of freckles. Ring a bell?
I don't know who you mean.
What about this then?
- What do you want of her?
- And you?
I fancy her.
She's a cop.
- Is that any of your business?
- Yes, it is!
She's here for Benamar.
- Are you scared of her?
- I need to protect us, that's all.
I'll buy you a drink.
The Lake Beach
What are you doing here?
The women can ask what they want,
but they won't understand.
My wife understood everything
from inside.
But she cost me a lot of money.
And she still costs a lot.
What is it that Lafarge
and Marinelli don't understand?
All of this.
People who are asleep
and who don't have a clue.
Or people who can help you
all of a sudden... like Farid.
What Farid really liked
was talking to Mendes.
I wonder if Mendes is really up to it.
He's unmanageable.
He'll do something
stupid with these two women.
Don't worry, I have a hold on him.
Did we screw it up with Farid?
I don't believe we did.
But I keep thinking about one thing...
that Benamar wouldn't last long.
You can sense it,
if someone will last or not.
I also sense it about Mendes
that he's not going to last.
I hope I'm wrong.
I sensed it about my wife, too.
There are 3 categories of men
Allah will ignore on Resurrection Day:
an adulterous old man,
a ruler lying to his people
and a poor man filled with pride.
Why are you so ugly?
Caroline!
I have my daughter this week.
Entertaining her isn't easy,
she's done it all with her mother.
Thanks for the info on Sally.
"Private behaviour incompatible
with police ethics."
What the hell
were you doing in their car?
You got scared, didn't you?
I'm not surprised.
I watch you lurk around
at dawn from my balcony.
What are you looking for?
So now you spy on me.
You're a shit-stirrer
and a Peeping Tom.
Just like me, no?
Struggling to get out?
Why read that?
Everybody knows you're lost.
No!
What, no?
I'm working.
We could write a great book
on the Benamar case.
We'd call it
"Until Death do us part,
Are we serious in our police work?"
You little shit!
I need a scoop.
What's that photo about?
You've never seen
someone like that.
I don't know. Who is it?
The most beautiful woman.
So the big day has come, Sally?
You're right,
this sweater calls for nail varnish.
Rozynski, were you
Benamar's pilot all the time?
Yes, Mendes proposed
to hire Farid Benamar
who turned informant.
Mendes was his contact
and he reported directly to me.
Benamar was an Algerian policeman
who had fled his country.
We saw him hanging around.
Hanging around the precinct, was he?
Many Algerian policemen turned
informant in France this way.
This way? Really?
Absolutely.
Another protocol?
Maybe...
he was missing his work.
Some people have a calling.
So Farid hung around the precinct
every night...
- Like a...
- No, not like a whore!
Couldn't he apply
for political asylum?
Islamist persecution doesn't qualify
for asylum, you know that.
So he couldn't.
How did you turn him?
Once you're terrorized,
you stay terrorized.
The things he witnessed
over there left him spooked.
Sally supposes your trio
operated according to the law.
Absolutely.
If the police works in the shadow
you must shed light
on them, right Sally?
Yet, because of required secrecy
and a certain reciprocity
snitches always need
shadow zones, right Sally?
- Reciprocity?
- Yes, reciprocity!
Sally is better
at explaining these terms.
Please Sally.
A certain amount of give and take
between informants and policemen.
A cop tolerating
misdemeanors as counterpart
one could call it shadow zone, no?
It would be highly questionable
as such actions were not approved.
Are you trying to make us believe
that Farid was beyond reproach?
Shady activities by Benamar
were mentioned. Drug trafficking.
- Protected activities?
- Yes!
Sally worries about informants
getting too powerful.
Powerful... in what sense?
Some just turn greedy.
Mysterious turn of events, right?
When does the suit no longer fit?
Why not yesterday
or even tomorrow?
Sally keeps wondering,
but she'll never put on weight.
Were there important drug dealers
Farid could or would not inform on?
Like Belkacem.
Belkacem's case is special.
Does your department
protect drug dealers?
Corruption?
Answer me!
You won't dig up a thing.
We'll see about that.
Did you follow
protocol on Farid?
I love talk or silence.
I've done nothing wrong to this day,
sincerely.
I followed protection protocols
by the book.
Rachida Belkacem,
you're up!
As your new President, I thank you.
Thank you for coming to celebrate
our association's 10th anniversary.
Our former President
was Farid Benamar.
I'm sure you haven't
forgotten his story.
In 1991, the Islamic Salvation Front
was winning the elections.
The military seized power
between the two election rounds.
The lslamists had been
robbed of their victory, yes...
so what were they left with?
Civil servants to be shot,
policemen to be executed?
Ironic turn of history.
Thousands of Algerian policemen,
Farid among them,
took the brave decision
to seek sanctuary in France
and to start
their lives from scratch.
I would like to honour his memory
acknowledge his wife, Virginie.
I'd like to add a few simple words.
I want to honour the memory
of Farid Benamar
And I feel like saying let's drink
and eat to his health.
You should know that Farid...
We've all read the papers
a snitch, a drug dealer,
what does all that mean?
Honest people should lead us.
Here we talk of fairness,
of integrity,
of totality, of impartiality,
we talk of national feelings
feelings on justice
of recognizing everyone's rights
and not about enforcing
existing territorial laws.
This couldn't be further
from our thoughts.
Yes Sir, you're offending!
I realised that,
by losing such a close friend
I lost someone
who was very important to me.
Benamar was open,
Belkacem is authoritarian.
She's very opinionated.
- There are cops among us.
- What do they want?
They must be here
for Benamar's widow.
She lives on what?
She should get to work
rather than doll up.
Her son turned violent at school,
my girl told me.
My God, why do you talk like this?
Virginie is a nice lady,
she has a big dog.
Qalb not kelb,
she has a big heart'.!
Kelb means dog,
qalb means heart.
- He speaks awful Arabic.
- He's still taking lessons.
Where did Rachida Dati's
elegance come from?
Who on earth is she?
Her elegance
comes from her mother.
But she doesn't want it known.
- Why?
- Because she's much prettier than her.
She's a real woman!
Rachida Dati is as old as you are.
Me old? Speak for yourself!
Don't say the contrary
of what you think or shut up.
I'm a very classy guy!
I only buy luxury stuff.
I know the greatest liars
in Paris, Rome.
Not liars but fashion designers!
I know how to dress,
I am very "chicos"!
"Chicos“?
Chikkour (a pimp), yes!
There's no pussy in that!
Go clean your pussy!
Hello Virginie.
Hello Mr. Rozynski.
You could have come
to my husband's funeral.
Yes...
You had another engagement?
No, that wasn't it.
I suppose your presence
wasn't part of the protocol?
Yes.
Rozynski worries me.
He looks fragile.
He'll keel over.
I hope in the right direction.
I think he's going to give us
some juicy stuff.
Gérald!
Hurry, I miss you.
We haven't seen each other
in ten days.
It felt more like ten years.
Did staying at your brother's
upset Romain?
I don't want to leave him
alone these days.
He needs to find
a new girlfriend soon.
Our son has his heart
in the right place.
Did you get
your strength back, darling?
I do want a lot of pleasure.
Not my balls!
Stop it!
Mrs. Lafarge!
800 wounded and 5 casualties
in Algeria since the riots started,
according to Le Monde.
Violence has rocked Algeria all year.
I spent my holidays in Algeria,
prices are sky high,
life in Algeria is almost
as expensive as it is in France
while salaries are 13 times
lower than in France...
Young people are rioting
just like in France.
They're unhappy
with their government and vice-versa.
Chief?
Careful with that dew!
Chief!
A knoll is beautiful at dawn, isn't it?
Pardon me, I have to do this.
You were always
my mentor, Rozynski
with your knowledge
about informants,
about their usefulness,
the rules of the game
and its twilight zones
as you kept saying.
I need to read to you
one last time.
Look at these faggots!
Sally, it's Nadal.
You'd better get in touch with me.
I'm out of here!
You must be Sally.
Esther warned me
that you keep appearing
out of the blue
like a big snooping badger
that lost its way.
You must be itching
to try this, right?
You want to patch me up?
Yes.
Is Esther hurt too?
You should ask her.
I leave you to it,
I have a train to catch.
Your leg!
We have to do something.
His leg must be looked after.
I can do it.
I've got mercurochrome.
Let's
- Died where?
- On the knoll!
Same place as Farid Benamar.
Spot on!
Doesn't it hurt too much?
My husband is no boxer,
he plays the violin.
The entire precinct will be there
seeing you like this,
can't be good for our investigation.
They have bigger fish to fry.
Their main problem is Rozynski.
Let's hurry, Sally!
Crap, they must have
gone over everything!
Now leave me alone, Sally,
I need to think.
I dreamt of Gérald.
It was pleasant but too short.
Let's
- Suicide?
- Yes!
- Who found the body?
- A lady walking her dog.
Thanks.
If I find out this is your fault!
Commissioner Lafarge,
you are out of your mind.
Don't stare at me like that, Mendes,
I'll recover.
You, maybe, but he won't!
What did you do to Rozynski?
Move over dear,
you're embarrassing me.
Isn't it nice to meet
among women?
Come help me.
I've been looking for you.
Did you love your husband,
Mrs. Belkacem?
Of course I did. A marriage of love,
just like yours, Virginie.
Farid was working your case
before he died.
The two police-women told me.
Farid was not working,
I'd say he was snitching.
I, for one, am working
but I'm not snitching.
Were you involved
in his death, Rachida?
Shame on you!
Excuse me?
You have no idea
who you're dealing with, Virginie.
Poor Aurélien.
Fasten your seatbelt.
Indicator!
Slow down!
I'll check on the wheel.
God bless you!
300...
Hey... Mohammed!
Where are you?
Chirac...
Napoleon...
Charles de Gaulle...
Joan of Arc...
Rozynski committed suicide.
It's confirmed.
Yes, I'm longing to see you again.
Thanks, it's nice of you
to tell me that.
Your surprise worked perfectly.
Very violent indeed.
Don't pass me Romain,
I'm not up to it today.
- Still not sleeping?
- No!
- Rozynski?
- Yes!
I've had enough of these
grand immolations on that knoll.
Your wounds have healed a bit.
Apart from the cut on the nose.
I'll buy a mason's hammer in case
my husband returns.
Short handle,
fits into the night-table.
Why a mason?
Way more violent!
Esther, I wanted to tell you something.
I'm listening, Sally.
About my "private behaviour
incompatible with police ethics"
I like to quietly watch people.
People doing what?
Your demotion
to Internal Affairs is unfair.
- Watching doesn't hurt anybody.
- I'm a compulsive peeper.
I can't help it,
it's stronger than me.
It's bad, isn't it?
I'll get you out
of that closet, you'll see.
I repeat my question:
You watch people making what?
Love.
Describe the man
with the envelope.
I told you I couldn't see very well.
It was too dark.
I didn't know him.
Describe him again.
Every detail.
I need to run.
Belkacem is expecting me.
There's a delivery at the hangar
in three hours.
Mendes,
as Rozynski is no longer around
we need to find a new pilot
for your new informant.
A snitch needs a pilot,
you know that!
There's no time to look,
so I'll take care of it myself.
I want to be
your new informant's pilot.
Set up a meeting, Mendes!
And fast!
What are you doing here?
Where is your master?
Where are the others?
Where is Younés?
Why is there nobody?
Where's Bontemps?
What's this mess?
It's me!
Your brother?
No idea where he is.
He doesn't pick up his phone.
Younés, it's me again, Robert.
It all went wrong at the hangar.
We can't reach you.
We don't know where you are.
Get in touch!
I'm at your sister's.
You don't pick up.
There's no trace of you.
Call me back.
It is complicated to find out
if treason came from inside.
Impossible, from inside.
- Anything is possible!
- No.
Ask Sally about it.
The attorney-general
called me in tomorrow.
Good evening, Younés.
I'm Commissioner Bontemps.
Mendes told me a lot about you.
Why isn't Mendes here?
He should have told me it was you.
It's the first time that...
I must see Mendes,
I need his advice.
Advice?
Are you panicking?
Yes!
It's called a vocation.
Farid Benamar
felt exactly the same thing.
I don't know what's going on.
Belkacem took away my cellphone.
Tell me, Younés,
your work with Rachida Belkacem,
tell me
all about it.
Here, in the car, straight away?
- No, we'll do it elsewhere.
- Where elsewhere?
At the lake beach.
The Lake Beach
Investigation or carnival?
I.A. finds it difficult to clear up
the sad case
of Farid Benamar's murder.
Lafarge's excessive private life
raises serious doubts
about her reliability.
The manager of the hotel
where she's staying has filed charges
for night-time disturbance
as well as sex disturbance.
Does this ring a bell?
This is a Punch and Judy show!
Internal Affairs in France
is sinking lower by the day.
The country of Human Rights
is no longer a country of police duty.
Nadal is back on Channel 3!
I'm not sure
I'm gonna get you out of that closet!
Do you know Commissioner Bontemps?
- Who are you?
- The law!
Arabic won't help
with our community.
To each his own.
No idea who you mean.
I lost my job
and you're about to lose yours.
Leave us alone,
I must talk to Aurélien.
Aurélien, I knew your father well.
You are surprised?
Why do you stare at me like that?
Mrs. Belkacem came by earlier on.
- She asked to see me?
- No.
She came for me.
She talked about her husband,
about being faithful to the dead.
When Dad was still around,
I was less scared.
Come in, Sally.
What were you doing
in your room?
I thought you just liked to watch.
I'm changing and I think it shows.
It's our last night in this place.
You go about it all wrong.
This is how you do it. Watch!
If he removes his jocks,
I'll have him locked up.
I wonder if that guy
is not unemployed.
You really don't get it, do you?
While I was showing off,
I got what I wanted... quietly.
Just like you.
Why did you not come to the hangar?
I wasn't at the hangar.
You're no longer on the case.
Your wife died two years ago.
Cancer.
I'll put her photo up
with Farid's in my office.
They'll make a nice couple.
You adored your wife?
Here husbands and wives
seem to love each other a lot.
Virginie loved her husband a lot,
I love mine a lot.
Sally loves hers a lot.
Belkacem loved hers a lot,
you loved your wife a lot.
It all fits.
But Gérald is alive.
Isn't it great to have
a husband who's alive?
You want the photo? Take it!
A wife, alive or dead,
is more important than a photo.
I asked myself...
why you would
possibly need money?
So I asked around.
Your wife was a gambler.
She was a compulsive gambler
as Sally would put it.
Why did she gamble that much?
She certainly accumulated
a huge debt.
And you are not even upset.
Solidarity to the bitter end.
Just like Virginie,
just like me and my husband.
- I love it.
- I love it too.
You're lucky,
I've got nothing on you.
I guess I'm lucky then.
You know Belkacem?
No.
- Want a beer or a tea?
- There's no time.
Let's
It's about time.
Is that all?
Farid Benamar's
Algerian police I.D.?
I think it's a lot.
Who saw me on that knoll?
Nadal
- I didn't think you would tell me.
- I trust you.
There aren't too many women
in Villeneuve.
What are you on about, Mendes?
- You know what I'm thinking?
- No.
We could go to Paris together, no?
I dream of Paris.
Just waited for the right person.
I hear Paris is a beautiful city.
Lots of sights.
- You do love Paris, don't you?
- Yes.
- Before you, I was afraid.
- Of what?
Of drowning in decadence.
You look like Younés's dog.
Slow down!
I have an idea, Mendes.
Belkacem will freak out.
I'm listening.
Imagine rather than Farid's police I.d.
there was a letter
in Rozynski's pocket.
- A letter telling it all.
- Oh yes!
Go to your mother!
This is for the TV report!
Audiences loved it.
Internal Affairs screwing up,
it turns them on like hell!
- You owe me something, no?
- I know.
You go see Rachida Belkacem...
and tell her exactly
what you saw on that knoll
between me and Rozynski, right!
Tell her I thought
you turned queer?
Tell her you saw me remove
a piece of paper on Rozynski's corpse!
A letter telling it all!
Are you there, Mohammed?
Oh, it's you?
Is booth number 2 free?
Yes, go ahead.
Hello... Algeria?
Excuse me, brother,
the phone doesn't work!
Can you help me?
I am trying to get a hold of
my family in Algeria.
I haven't heard from them
since the riots broke out.
The police hit them,
then they arrested them.
They took them to the jail.
Help me please!
I must speak to my family.
Help me please!
May God bless you!
Hello, Algeria?
We're starting our tour
of Villeneuve, welcome!
So when was the urban area
of Villeneuve developed?
The pavilions were built in 1975,
that's when the development
started to expand.
To put all this in context...
No idea they had
tour buses in the suburbs.
You're as beautiful as ever.
I'm here to help you,
not to listen to compliments.
On your right,
you see a harmless little street
were it not for a building
where a well known local lady
was found assassinated
three days ago.
Many flats built
on limited building ground...
Sally,
we have been reinstated.
We go on investigating.
Yes, the case is getting too big.
Whoever killed Belkacem
did us a favour.
I know you're thinking of Virginie.
Two benches, tiny garden
to preserve
the integrity of the knoll.
The revolutionary idea was leaving
nature as intact as possible.
Did we really understand Virginie?
I mean her love for Farid?
We didn't see it coming.
I missed the essential.
...close to nature. The apartments
have balconies facing the knoll...
Yes, yes, Esther!
Despite this revolutionary
natural aspect, I insist,
two gruesome discoveries
on the knoll.
Two men were found assassinated
in the same spot on top of it.
The people responsible
for Benamar's death.
We'll put them away, us two.
I need you.
...urban furniture
thrown on the slope...
Thank you, Esther.
Sandbox on the slope,
swing on the slope.
I insist on the word slope.
Where there is water,
there are animals.
If we listen and observe carefully,
we will spot on the lake beach
a wide variety of geese:
Alopochen Aegyptiaca,
Branta Canadensis
Anas Platyrhyncos, Anas Penelope,
also swans and common moorhens.
How did these birds
get to Villeneuve?
Simple answer.
As birds tend to fly
they immediately spot lakes
as the sky reflects in them.
Just like here
at the lake beach.
Hello, Esther, this is
Robert Mendes speaking.
I'm calling to leave a message.
I realise we didn't
always see eye to eye
our collaboration
hasn't always been... Abdullah!
What I'm saying is we really
need you here. Please call me back.
Widen your cheeks.
You should say:
Wipe off your tears!
Don't be pretty'.!
Not pretty, you mean sad!
I wonder where he could be?
It's only been four days,
not four weeks since he left.
There's not much we can do,
apart from eating balanced meals
sleep as much as possible and wait.
There's nothing else to do.
He's no idiot,
he's got a fifth sense.
That's why we worked together.
Thanks to the determination
of Esther Lafarge
this investigation will finally
pick up again. And speed up, too.
According to unofficial
and exclusive sources
we believe that Esther Lafarge
is following a solid lead.
Will we ever know who's...
responsible for Benamar's death,
5 months later?
Villeneuve is agog!
It should be noted that the murder
of Rachida Belkacem 3 days ago
revived the investigation.
Open that door right now,
for God's sake!
Is that bloody violinist
with you, Sally?
Gérald!
My love!
Gérald...
Subtitles:
jpthilges/Hatari Publishing
Subtitling by LVT - Paris