U Pana Boga za piecem (1998) - full transcript

POLISH TELEVISION and
""OKO"" FILM STUDIO presents

WITH PARTICIPATION

a JACEK BROMSKI fiIm

... Heaven as it is on Earth

STORY

WRITTEN FOR THE SCREEN B Y

MUSIC

SOUND

EDITING

SET DESIGN

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER



PHOTOGRAPHY

DIRECTED B Y

I went around the fieIds and aII
the haystacks are done.

And not a drop of rain.
Just what I prayed for.

HaiI Mary, thank you.

It"s scary when things go weII.

Our peopIe are superstitious.

They sense troubIe when things
go too weII,

just to keep in baIance.

PIease, HaiI Mary,

Iet it be Iike it was.

In the name of the Father, the Son,
and the HoIy Spirit.

As usual?

Cough it up, people!



Again?

We"ve already paid twice!

The first time was to cross the border.

Then for the customs officers.

Now for the Poles.

Silly me, I already put my money
away.

What are you staring at?

Should I be staring?

Time is money.

Listen, I "ll pay for you.

You can pay me back later.

- Enough?
- Enough.

Thank you.

When is later?

When we stop in the woods
to take a leak.

- Is this your first time?
- Yes.

- What "re you selling?
- Everything.

Soft towels, meat grinders,
plastic salt shakers . . .

Kids" stuff. You"ll never make
a bundle on that.

I used to sell towels, too.

I barely broke even. But I switched
quickly.

The sooner you switch, the better
off you"ll be.

What "ve you got?

I have my stuff on me.

There isn"t a customs officer that
could take it away. Duty free!

I don"t know what you"ve got but
it sure is well hidden.

The main thing is to know how
to merchandise.

A man comes up, you"ve got to say:
""Good morning.

Do you want to take a look at these
fishing rods?

Real bamboo sticks. They don"t
make them like this in the West.""

Mention the West a couple of times
and they are sure to buy.

You can also say how civilized
they are.

Poles like to hear that, too.

Just give "em that civilized
nation crap.

Got it? The sooner you switch,
the better.

Stop the bus!

You hear me?!

Follow us!

Everyone. The goods stay.

Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.

Twenty dollars a head, is that
clear? Start collecting!

Get out your twenty dollars.
They aren"t kidding.

Why twenty? I t used to be fifteen.

Twenty dollars? What for?
Why twenty dollars?

Ready to set it on fire.

Everyone got it?!

Pay up or it all burns.

But we"ll protect you if you pay.

Protect us?

So that no one robs you, you fool.

We"ll be watching you.

Oh really? I can protect myself.

Twenty dollars!

That "s my monthly salary!

Sure, protect herself!

The money!

Comrades, that "s not the way!

We are not comrades.
Call me ""sir""!

Leave him alone. I "ll pay!

Here. Take it.

One, two, three. . . Two hundred
dollars! What a rich woman.

Now you can give it all.

Look! What a wreck.

You can smeII gas a miIe away.

The fueI pump must be broken.
It"s Ieaking gas.

Gas? This here is a dieseI bus.

How can it be a dieseI?
It smeIIs different.

Russian drivers fueI up on dieseI
and drink gas.

What"s with this one?
Did she stowaway?

Officers!

Officers!

Did you see that?

They threw me out even though my
ticket is vaIid. We got robbed!

They took aII I had,
two hundred American doIIars.

WiII you take me
to the nearest town?

You see this bus stop? The BiaIystok
bus comes by in an hour.

PIease, sir.

- We can"t take passengers.
- We wouId have to arrest you.

Go ahead and arrest me. I have no
money. The robbers took it aII!

PIease, sir!

What shaII I do? The robbers ...

The robbers! There they go!

Did you see that? Doing 90 right
through the viIIage!

Why are you so eager to catch them?

They robbed the bus and have
pIenty of cash.

We"II give them a speeding ticket.

Go! Don"t Iook back!

Don"t fooI with the poIice!
AII they want is a few bucks.

I"II scare them a IittIe.

Shit! What is he doing?

You idiot! What have you done?

You kiIIed them!
What"re we gonna do now?!

Get back in the car!

You bastard!
Go back to Ukraine!

Get in!

Sir, sir.

Officer!

Are you aII right?

Richie?

Jadzia!

HeIIo? Yes.

What?

I was out in the yard.

AII right. I"m coming!

Do the cabbage for another hour.

You"re fat so it onIy takes you
an hour.

I"m Iight as a feather!

I"ve got my own chores to do!

He had bIack hair.

He was wearing a brown Ieather
jacket and bIack jeans.

He was reaIIy thin.

Georgian?

No, he wasn"t Georgian.

He was Ukrainian.

I couId teII from his accent.

Georgian is a nickname.
Understand? He might be Ukrainian.

I don"t know.

The one who poured gas.
He was PoIish.

PoIish?

Yes, PoIish.

What did he Iook Iike?

I don"t know.
He was wearing a mask.

Shit!

Here I"m within range again.

In the name of the Father, and the
Son, and the HoIy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
haIIowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come, thy wiII be done,
on earth as it is in heaven ...

AII set.

Interesting how peopIe take their
time to sin.

They reaIIy enjoy every moment.

But the penance they do reaI quick.

This Iady says that you"ve been
attacked

by a man caIIed Georgian.

They threatened to set the bus on fire
and they wanted a ransom.

Do you want to fiIe a compIaint?

I know nothing.

What is it, are you crazy?
They beat you up.

The driver hit the brakes and
I bumped my nose.

I toId you! They won"t testify!

- What about me?
- Your testimony is not enough.

Five witnesses wiII say Georgian
was fishing.

For 70 years you got kicked in the
ass and you stiII take it!

Your whoIe nation Iikes to be
getting it in the ass!

What are you seIIing?

What?!

- What is this?!
- StoIichnaya.

Where is your excise sticker?!

Must have come off.
No, wait! Here it is.

Money? You"re trying to bribe me?

I can"t read PoIish. I thought
this ... was the sticker.

I"m confiscating it.
You want a receipt?

- I don"t need one.
- Good.

Anyway, I didn"t bring the receipts.

What"s this?

Bring him here!

What? What?

PeopIe, peopIe, where, what?

- Where did you get this?
- I bought it!

Here? Which shop?!

Not here. In Radom. Swear to God!
In Radom!

You worship God but read this?!

You bought it at the station?
Siemieniuk soId it to you?

At the station, but in Radom.

I"II make you confess!

Take him.
I"II charge Siemieniuk anyway!

PeopIe!

Then he took aII my money away.

Praise be to God.

Now and forever.

You got robbed, poor kid?

Georgian and his gang attacked
a bus, father.

- A PoIish bus?
- No, a Russian one.

So you"re Russian.
Where"s the prisoner?

Locked up.
I have a probIem, father ...

There are aIways probIems with
prisoners.

The ceII is occupied and I must
keep the girI somewhere.

She is ready to testify against
Georgian.

What do you have against Georgian?
He doesn"t hurt our peopIe.

This morning he shot down
a poIice car.

Henry, you can"t Iock her up.
She is onIy a witness.

Right.
I Iocked her passport in my desk.

I"m afraid she"II run if I Iet her go.

Think!

They took aII her money?
Where can she run?

To the Ponderosa?

She is not Iike that, Henry.
I know peopIe.

Otherwise I wouIdn"t be a parish priest
at such a young age.

Excuse me.

You know something, Henry?
Take her to the organist"s.

Let her sIeep in the guest room.

CouId she?

Maybe he"II agree.
It"s his house.

- This way.
- Why is it so hot in here?

I had them put more coaI in the
furnace for our African prisoner.

The third ceII.

Why a priest?

I don"t want a priest!
I didn"t do anything!

I don"t want to die!

Sit down!

CaIm down, son.
This isn"t Africa.

No one wiII hang you
without a triaI.

Then why a priest?

It is good to confess, purify your souI.
You beIieve in God?

AIIahu Akbar.

Is that what Mohammed taught you?

You have your women
cover up their faces

but when you come here you stare
at naked ass in pubIic!

Where did you buy the magazine?

I swear I bought it in Radom.

You"d better teII the truth.

We were suspecting Siemieniuk aII
aIong of seIIing such things

but we never caught him red
handed.

The mayor and the town counciI
prohibit the saIes of such things.

Confess and your Iife is saved.

May my chiIdren never see their
father again if I"m Iying!

I swear I bought it in Radom!

What"s going to happen to me?

After a whiIe they"II Iet you go.

You"II put on some weight.
They feed you weII here.

How are you, Witek?
I am bringing a guest.

Good evening.

Father said to take her in for
a coupIe of days.

She is our star witness.

Don"t Iet her out of sight.

She"s Russian.

- You couId profit a IittIe.
- Oh yeah?

A IittIe champagne and
they"re more than wiIIing!

- So this is the organist"s house.
- Right ...

The commissioner said it was the
organist"s house.

That "s right.

So this is the organist "s house,
right?

I told you already.

And you live here?

I do.

And where is the organist?

He died.

How come?

Five years ago.

What happened to him?

Nothing. He was old.

And you are the organist now?

- No. I am the organist "s son.
- You live here alone?

Alone.

Alone in a big house like this?

We all live . . .

in one room!

That is me, my dad, my mom, my
grandma, and my sister Lena.

And we always have lots of fun.

And your mom?
Does she live here?

Did she die, too?

She left when I was little.

Why?

Why did she leave?

Dad said he was too old for her.

Why do you ask?
Are you with the KGB or something?

You are not asleep yet? Good.
Let "s work a little.

- Tonight?
- There isn"t very much time left.

Come on!

Good evening.

Go on, sit down!

Witek writes music for our parish.

A composer?

Well, he writes for the organ.
He knows the organ.

Wait!

Put the dominant chord here.
Now try.

Good. Write it down.
Here, you can use this.

- What next?
- Like before.

Are you tired, my child?

Go to sleep.

We"ll work a little more.

Good night.

Look here, at the music!

After I write this
I can leave, right?

Just this piece and then I can go?

- I promised, didn"t I?
- Who will play the organ?

Sister Martha
can play it for a while.

- Word of honor?
- Yes.

I "ll go now.

Work a little more on this chord.

I saw a garden like this in my
dream and I danced in it.

I f the priest saw you dressed like
this he would . . .

give you hell.

I f the priest could only see me
in my dream, he really might.

VasiIisa is a cunning one.

And miserIy.

When I heard her cackIe this morning

I knew she wouId be hiding an egg
from us.

How much is an egg on the market
nowadays, Ratayova?

25 groshes.

Here we are making a quarter, then.

A good way to start a day.

Joseph,
take the animaIs to the feeder.

Be gentIe. A pig is God"s
creature, too, you know.

You must Iearn if you want
to keep the job!

A pig weII Ioved wiII grow tasty meat.

But if you shout and chase it with
a fork, what happens then?

I can teII a stressed out pig
even in a sausage.

Praise be to God.

Now and forever, mayor.

You"ve brought your wife, mayor.

You want to discuss your daugther"s
wedding ceremony?

Yes, father.

We must order her wedding gown.

WeII, you expIain it.

YoIka! Come here quickIy!

WeII, the point is, father ...

that the gown must be ordered.

The mayor has said so aIready.

Yes, but ... the coIor.

WiII you give permission, father,
to have a white gown with a veiI?

Otherwise the whoIe town wiII
witness our shame!

CooI it, mother!

Why shouId I refuse you a white
gown and a veiI, my chiId?

I wouIdn"t refuse it even to
Mary MagdaIene.

- God bIess you, father.
- No need.

Make sure your fiancee shows up for
confession.

I haven"t seen him yet.

Go, you oId bag!
Bring him right over.

The troubIe with this boy!
He is an idIe parasite! He won"t work!

And now he"s knocked her up!

- Hurry up now!
- Right now?

Yes, now. Come on!

What"s the matter?

Come see the priest!

As you wish.

The main thing
is he wants to get married.

A bride with a swoIIen beIIy.
What a shame!

No need to condemn him.
Young bIood.

She"s not the first one to get married
with a baby on the way.

But she managed to avoid the
greatest sin of aII.

She didn"t use contraceptives.

Why did you Iock the door?

Were you afraid of something?

Why did you try to come in?

I wanted to show you how to cIose
the shutters.

I managed on my own.

You Russians are the smartest!
You know who invented canned goods?

The Russian inventor Push-tin!

Did the priest aIIow her
to wear a white gown?

Sure he did. Why wouIdn"t he?

For pregnant girIs
we have bIue dresses.

- The white must be aItered.
- So we"II have it aItered.

Do you regret your sins?

I can see no sincerity in your grief.

But I am not here to pass judgment.

Come!

I"m giving you absoIution.

As penance you wiII say Our Father
three times a day.

Here"s a pager so I can make sure
you"re doing your penance.

I wiII caII you three times a day.

Then you wiII caII the sacristy
and say your prayer.

Now go see sister CIara and pay
for the pager.

I have the impression you wiII use it
for a Iong time.

See, it says Dior but our peopIe
can"t read.

They thought it was some kind of
medicine.

I thought PoIes were more civiIized.

We won"t have progress Iike here
for another hundred years.

How much is it?

A hundred twenty. It"s two hundred
in the shops. A great bargain!

TeII your friends to give
my money back!

I don"t give a damn about your
money.

And don"t even think about boarding
my bus again!

I f you don"t take me, I tell the police
you"re collaborating with the thieves!

Collaborating?
Go to hell!

I saw you speak to this guy!

I spoke to this guy?

You are antisocial. You don"t know
how to live among people!

I t "s because of people like you
that the Soviet Union fell apart!

You"d better give me back my money.

What money?

- Is this your merchandise?
- Yes, it is!

- Sell it, then you"ll have money.
- I want my money back!

I "ll let you have money!

What are you doing?!

I "ll report you to the police!

Better say nothing to the police.

Someone will always take your
money.

That "s the lot of simple folk.

- Who are you?
- A IittIe PoIe.

- What"s your symboI?
- The white eagIe.

- Where do you Iive?
- Among my own peopIe.

- And in what Iand?
- In PoIand.

I am having financiaI troubIe,
HoIy Virgin. What a shame.

The roof is Ieaking and there is
no money in the tiII.

PeopIe don"t give much during the
Sunday mass, but they are poor.

The five hundred I got for the Iast
year"s honey

was spent on trees and tomato pIants.

We must Iook after the househoId
or who wouId feed us?

What"s this now?

Oh, and Witek ...

He wants more paper ...

for his music.

Are you mad?!

The handsome bridegroom!

What do you want now?

She"s the youngest of us aII and
first to get married!

Hanka, Iet it be.

She is pregnant so she gets
married.

Any one of us couId be pregnant.
We aII sIept with you.

OnIy YoIka is wise enough to hook
a husband with her beIIy.

She onIy pIays naive.

Naive? The priest said in a sermon
that condoms are sinfuI.

Stop acting, you bitch!

Everyone knows that guys don"t
Iike condoms.

Stop it!
I"ve just been to confession.

SIavek, Iet"s go!

Don"t Iook yet!

Wait!

Now!

HoIy Mary! What is this?

- You Iike the way I Iook?
- I sure do.

I was shopping for a wedding gown.

So I bought it for our wedding night!

YoIka, you Iook more naked now
than when you are reaIIy naked.

Come, Iisten to how he kicks.

Does he kick?

He kicks so hard they shouId put
him on a soccer team.

Let"s work on him some more so
he"s properIy finished.

What is it!

I have to make a phone caII.

Go to daddy"s office. There is a phone
there. He is out working.

No, he might come back
aII of a sudden.

I better go to the post office.

Praise be to God!

Now and forever, amen.

Wait for me!

PIease, father. Let him return my
passport and I"II go away.

My ticket is not vaIid.
And I"II never get my money back.

How are you going to Ieave if your
ticket isn"t vaIid?

I don"t know.

Women"s Iogic!

I need you, understand?

We"II catch Georgian and then
you can go.

You"II catch a bee first!

I"m just wasting my time.

Perhaps you couId try to catch
the PoIish man

who was heIping the Russians?

How do you know there was a PoIish
guy, father?

Me? Oh, but you toId me yourseIf,
Henry!

I said so too.
The one who was driving.

Have some cucumbers with honey.

Come, chiId!

God had bees make honey to make
Iife sweeter.

Father, I"ve got a headache.

I can"t work today. What can one do
with an aching head?

I promised the mayor

that you wouId pIay Ave Maria
at his daughter"s wedding.

I can aIways pIay Gounod.

The counciI has paid for your studies
and not to Gounod"s.

What town counciI?

You wanted me to be the organist,
just Iike my father!

And what"s wrong with being
an organist?

I"II compose different music.
I"II Ieave here.

What"s the use of taIking?
You wiII stay or you wiII go

but you must compose a hymn
to praise the Virgin Mary.

But not today. I have a headache.

And you bought the champagne
to get rid of the headache?

Champagne,
Witek! Do you have no shame?

Get a gIass, Witek!

We won"t drink aIone.

He is gifted but he won"t stay put.

He"s bareIy back home from schooI

and he wants to go away again.

I"m young!
I won"t stay in this hoIe!

I want to see the worId!

Better pIay, and you check his text.

I toId you this chord is wrong here.

Do you hear what I hear?

Maybe I had too much of this here
champagne?

Sing, chiId, sing!

You must sing at the mayor"s
daughter"s wedding.

That wouId be it!

It wiII be the first performance
of Witek"s music!

The whoIe town wiII be there.

Sister Martha can"t sing
compared to you.

- Isn"t that so, Witek?
- Yes, she is sIightIy off key.

When is the wedding?
I have to go back home.

As soon as the poIice
catch Georgian.

That may take a whiIe.
Our poIice rareIy catch anyone.

What is it?
Did we drink the whoIe bottIe?

How are we supposed to raise
a toast to Virgin Mary?

LaIande de PomeroI 1 985.

For Easter.

And heavier wine for Christmas.

Chateau Margaux 1 990.

A good year.

Some say that Chateauneuf du Pape
shouId be used for the mass,

as it"s supposed to come from
the pope"s vineyard.

But that"s a superstition.
However, today"s occasion ...

I don"t know.
I am aIready a IittIe ...

Maybe some happier wine?

Sancerre is the best
I have it in white.

A ceIIar Iike this ...

A ceIIar Iike this is Iike
a treasure trove.

These are treasures!

Did you think that Jesus turned water
into some pissy oId wine?

I am sure he made good wine.

He wouIdn"t have bothered
otherwise.

Found it!

The ungratefuI thing!

It"s aII on account of the cocks
from BeIarus.

Fix it Viennese styIe for me.

- Funny side up?
- ExactIy!

- Did you study music at schooI?
- I did.

And singing?

I did.

But they didn"t have dancing cIasses?

No.

Wait, the poIice caIIed.

They caught one of the robbers.

And?

That"s him.

So you recognize him as one
of the bandits?

No. But I recognized everyone eIse.

They are poIicemen.
I saw them here before.

What do you say to that?

You can"t find peopIe here at seven
in the morning.

Beat it!

Do you pIead guiIty?

No.

You better admit it.

Better for whom?
For you, maybe.

For me? I know you did it.
You better confess.

I confess I"II never go to
confession again!

There goes your witness!

Do you fucking question my
methods?!

I didn"t do anything!

Enough joking!

TeII me where to find Georgian
or you"II go to jaiI!

And you know what our jaiI is Iike?

It"s a rathoIe.

I wouIdn"t keep my sauerkraut
in there.

I don"t know where he is.

I don"t know any Georgian.

Find out.
You have a day"s time.

""A day"s time"" is incorrect.

But that"s the way we taIk.

You say ""a roII of bread""?

It"s the same thing!

What do you want?

I want you
to give me my money back.

What money?

My money!

You didn"t recognize me!

I did, onIy I didn"t teII.

My money wouId be Iost if they
Iocked you up.

If you give it back
I won"t say a word.

I don"t have your money!

No?!

What about Georgian?

- I"II go to the poIice!
- AII right. Just shut up.

When?

- Later.
- Later when?

Tomorrow.

Eat, my chiId.

You don"t know it but it"s our
PoIish food.

PeopIe eat this aII over the country.

Sour miIk and potatoes are heaIthy
after the wine one drinks at mass.

AII Christian food is heaIthy.

Is pork and cabbage unheaIthy?

Today peopIe are crazy.
They don"t know what"s good.

They wouId onIy eat hamburgers.

This McDonaId wanted to open
a restaurant but peopIe didn"t Iet him.

The Town CounciI decided that the Jews
won"t turn our potatoes into French fries.

McDonaId ... He must be Scottish.

We have MacDonaId, too.

What did I say? Who is in charge
of the BoIsheviks?

It"s not the Scots!

Who do you think ruIes in Russia?

Ratayova taIks rubbish.
She never Ieft this viIIage.

I go to BiaIystok every year for
my patron"s day! Every year!

BiaIystok is hardIy the worId.

Why do you Iike the worId so much?

Disorder,
moraIity turned upside down.

We don"t need the worId, Witek.

It"s the worId that needs us.

I need your advice, Virgin Mary.

I toId the Choroszczuk men
to fix the roof

as penance after the father and
the son got drunk and had a fight.

Winter is coming but no cash.

They are good peopIe and they
didn"t ask for money.

They wouId do it for your gIory.

But now I think, Virgin Mary,

that you might Iike it better
if I paid them.

Is it right to ask for reaI work
as penance?

How Iong?

As Iong as it takes.

- Have you never gone fishing?
- Fuck fishing!

Do you know the one about
the goIdfish and the Russian,

the German and the PoIe?

- I do.
- Which one?

In each one the PoIe is the smart
one. I wonder why?

I don"t know.

I guess it must be true.

It"s him!

FoIIow him
but don"t Iet him see us.

What"s up?

Go!

Stupid me! You shouId have reminded
me to put in some gas!

Hi, there!

Drink up.
GaIina! Bring some sausage!

I"m not here to drink.
The poIice have got wind of us.

There is a Russian girI who"s
testifying.

The commissioner said he wouId get
you now.

Who is going to get me?

Get ready to work!
We need a driver!

I can"t, I swear to God!

My girI"s pregnant, I"m getting married,
and it"s dangerous here!

The girI wiII testify unIess --

UnIess what?

She wants her 200 doIIars!

Why does he want to Ieave?

Where is he going to Iook for
happiness?

That"s the way things are.

A man must find out what he
doesn"t know.

Witek is young and great things
attract him.

Is that bad?

If God had meant for man to be as
big as this tower here

He wouId have made him so.

But instead he made man a IittIe
bigger than a bee,

to keep order where he can.

SmeII!

And what?

That smeIIs good!
Better than ours.

I know.

Russian foIk are Iazy and they
never Iearned to make sausage.

We couIdn"t ceIebrate Christmas
without homemade ham.

It"s wrong to spoiI God"s gifts.

Do you think he wiII reaIIy Ieave?

Once the piece is composed?

He wiII if he wants to.
And he won"t if he doesn"t want to.

Can"t he be made to stay?
Our peopIe obey better.

In proper PoIish you shouId say:
""our peopIe obeys"".

- Thank you.
- PIease, taste our PoIish sausage.

Tasty.

Oh, it"s very tasty.

HoIy Mary!
What happened to you?

I spent my Iast night with friends.

Some friends you"ve got.
What happened?

They said you got around a Iot.

So you had to defend my honor,
right?

Why, wouId there be Iess of me?

And you got beat up.
Come on!

I say, Iie down.

We"II make sure it heaIs.
In time for the wedding.

I don"t want him here, father!

Keep back.
I don"t want any fighting.

He is threatening my son in Iaw
just before the wedding.

He says he"II Iock him up!

I had to do it.
He is a suspect!

He"s been a suspect since
he was born! So what?!

Maybe you"re trying to scare him
out of marriage?

And Ieave my daughter
with the baby?

I can do it after the wedding!

What a stubborn man!

You want peopIe to say the mayor"s
daughter married a criminaI?

He might just be one!

So what?

Do you know how many women there
are per one man in this town?

One and a haIf!

I know the statistics!
One and a haIf!

And I have two more daughters!

Why don"t you offer them to God?

Sister CIara and sister Martha
couId use the heIp.

We can turn them into nuns.

They"re about as fit to be nuns
as this guy is to be a baIIerina!

What can I say?

TeII him to Ieave my boy in peace!

I am not after him.
I want the Russians!

You never chased them!
Besides, they rob their own peopIe!

And who shot up my poIice car?

Forget it. I"II buy you a brand
new car after the eIections.

Is that so?
What if you"re not eIected?

Not eIected?

Father, who are they going
to eIect, if not me?

And I served onIy one term
in office.

Let us Ieave this matter open.

There are two months before
the eIection

and I have no other candidate.

That"s it!

The counciI wouId Iike to decorate
you with the Order of St. MichaeI.

Stop bothering me with your
decorations!

Am I a Christmas tree or what!

We have another probIem, but you
can"t see it!

If a stranger is doing harm to
another stranger in our town,

is this our worry or not?

So far we didn"t interfere, and
they didn"t want us to.

But eviI is aIways eviI and even
if we are not harmed,

our house suffers from this pIague.

That is why you, Henry, shouId
chase the bandits away.

And when you catch them I wiII come
to your jaiI

and taIk to them.

See? I outsmarted VasyIissa.

Don"t hide!

I can see you.

Come and sit down for a whiIe.

Excuse me.

Don"t apoIogize.
I see you every morning.

Witek says dancing cIose
to the church is wrong.

What"s wrong? If you dance and sing,
you are joyous.

You are praising God.
It means you feeI good here.

I do feeI good here.

Then how about staying on?

If you want to.

I mean ...

You beIieve in God ...

You are wearing a cross.

And God is Iove, everyone
knows that.

Here"s Witek!

Don"t forget to see SIiviak about
the pagers.

I am running out and peopIe sin
more than ever.

AII right, I"II go there.

He caught you.
I said he wouId.

You know nothing.
You toId me wrong.

You are so smart!

Do you know who was
the greatest mathematician?

Who?

The Soviet schoIar, Pyeta Goras.

- Praise be to God, VasiI.
- Praise be to God.

If I wanted to marry a Russian

Orthodox woman to a CathoIic man,

when couId I get your permission?

Permission?

In three weeks, I guess.

What? Three weeks?
You must be crazy.

You caII this ecumenism?
I couId get it in three days.

Then do it.
And I wiII marry them in my church.

You are ever so cunning, VasiI.
Your church?

One year passed and you can"t
finish the repair works.

Are the coIIections so smaII
or do you ...

spend money in some
other way?

Lousy music! Anyone couId write
music Iike this!

- Do you want a beer?
- What?

- A beer? You want?
- No!

- Is Mr. SIiviak here?
- What?

- Is Mr. SIiviak here?
- Yes!

TeII him I want a word with him!

- This is Witek!
- Witek?

Witek, this is Tanya!

- Tanya! What"s your name?
- Witek!

- This music sucks!
- The music is great!

We were traveIing together
on the bus.

She had no money at aII.

She was sitting next to me.

The priest needs some pagers.

Thank God!
That wiII be the Iast of them.

I"II send them in the morning.

He toId me to bring them tonight.

In that case
I wiII fetch them now.

HoIy Mary, he reaIIy saved my ass
with those pagers.

PeopIe warned me no one wouId buy
them when mobiIe phones came in.

If it weren"t for the priest
I wouId go bust. Wait here.

And? I can see you"ve switched
to the right kind of merchandise.

Are you mad?
I came here with a friend.

- Do you Iove him?
- WeII ... no. I Iive in his house.

- What?
- I am living with him!

That "s whoring, too, but more
monotonous.

I like something more interesting.

Commissioner?

This is Witek.

I"m at the Ponderosa. Yes!

Another Russian girI who witnessed
the robbery is here.

BIond.

Hair combed straight back.

BIack vest.

Red skirt.

Low neckIine.

What?

It"s seven aIready.
I"m not going out at night!

Tomorrow.
I am sure she"s there every day.

What? Tanya"s her name?

""Tanya"" means cheap, doesn"t it?

What is this?

You have deaIings with whores?

A poIiceman, a thief and a whore
ride the same horse.

Here they are.
The Iast dozen, thank God.

Good night.

- You kissed me in the car.
- So?

Do you know who was the smartest
schoIar?

The PoIish phiIosopher Stupidski.

And do you know who founded
the eIectric shaver?

The Soviet schoIar Lomonosov.

He found it in the garbage can
of the US ambassador!

Good hen!

Show me where the egg is, VasiIissa.

Show me where it is.

Where is the egg?

It"s aII so stupid.

I am just sitting here waiting,
and what for?

The poIice wiII never catch
Georgian,

and even if they do, no one is
going to give me my money back.

And nobody needs me here.

What about the priest? You are
supposed to sing ""Ave Maria"".

Someone eIse can sing.

But I began to compose for you.

There are parts which sister Martha
cannot sing.

Do you need me?

WeII, of course I do.

I am creating here and I need you.

OnIy for that?

HeIIo, Natasha.

You can caII me Natasha
if you Iike.

I am showing this to you before
you make a proposaI

That wiII force me to arrest you.

But why show it to me at aII?

To show my good intentions.

I think you are waiting for me
to show my good intentions now.

I have a kind heart.

Zbych!

Give me the key.
I have to interrogate her.

Here.

You are empIoying Russian whores.

Watch your Ianguage, man.

I don"t empIoy whores and certainIy
not Russian ones.

What about that one?

How shouId I know whether she is
a whore? Go away! Go!

If you empIoy Russian whores you
must have Russian protectors.

Five hundred doIIars a week.

That"s a fair price.

Where is she?

She is being interrogated by the
poIice.

You don"t know me, do you?

- You are seeing me for the first time?
- The very first time.

Write it down!

Witness testimony:

I haven"t seen

Siemion Zacharovitch Yeshin

ever before.

Sign it!

There goes your witness.

I"II get you, Georgian!

You have no proof.

If you Iock me up you wiII just
have to Iet me go.

This is for peddIing
your ass for free.

What did I teII you?

You were supposed to get me
Georgian, right?!

Go to the girI and teII her Georgian
wiII give her money back at the Ponderosa!

- Is that cIear?
- CIear.

Don"t Iet me repeat this or you
won"t Iast untiI your wedding!

What?

Georgian wiII be at the Ponderosa
with the money.

That"s aII.

- This message"s not for me, is it?
- Of course not.

It"s for this Russian broad.

Get Iost!

Georgian, remember me?
Where is my money?

What money?

My money!

There"s no money.

I "m drinking.

You"re drinking with my money!

What are you doing?!

Let her be!

Witek, call the police!

I "ll tell them all if you don"t pay me
back! You will rot in prison!

How much was there?

200 dollars.

All right.

I "ll pay you back.

- When?
- There, in the car.

Go get it!

No! I "ll go with him .
You watch the other guy!

Go on now!

Where"s the car?

Drunken pig! Go!

Forget it!

I have no money!

But if you report to the police
again, I will have you stuffed.

My friends will get you if I don"t.

And if they don"t catch you they
will get your family. Is that clear?

Georgian!

Let her go!

Drop the knife!

You run!

I haven"t done a thing!

Freeze!

Don"t you get it?

What?!

You tried to kiII me!

Give me the money!

Now get the hell out!

Get the fuck out of my town!

Out!

What shouId I do, Virgin Mary?

It"s easier for you.

You are aII charity and Iove.
I"m just a man, aIthough I"m a priest.

You are the Queen of PoIand and it
has gone to our peopIe"s heads.

You are too kind!

We teach them good and eviI when
they are IittIe.

Sister CIara and sister Martha
have aII but Iost their voices.

""Love thy neighbor!
Respect your feIIow man!""

And what of it? They hate the man
from the next viIIage!

I beg you, Virgin Mary, to heIp me
overcome my naturaI kindness.

God, if I am not strict with them
they wiII go astray compIeteIy!

You know why I caIIed you, Henry?

You shot at a man.
You couId have kiIIed him!

A Russian thief!
He attacked me!

A man shooting at peopIe can"t be
commissioner in my town.

You are dismissed!

OnIy the regionaI commander can
dismiss me and he gave me an award!

I am in command here!
I take aII responsibiIity!

You know that, Henry.
God is first, then me.

That"s why I must give you
hard penance.

Was I supposed to Iet him kiII me?

Maybe you shouId have. Maybe.
I don"t know, Henry.

What happened?
Did I not sing weII?

Was it aII right?
Say something.

It"s my music.

When I heard it, it feIt Iike
it wasn"t mine.

It"s yours aII right.

It"s very beautifuI music.

Here. The commissioner said to
give it to you.

My money!

So you are going to Ieave now?

Sure I am.

But you couId stay here ...

Why?

WeII ...

I couId be composing for you.

And you wouId be singing.

OnIy for that?

OnIy for that?

- No. Not onIy that.
- Then what?

Witek!

A man who writes music Iike this

cannot be so stupid that he cannot
utter three words.

I may not be stupid when it comes
to music. But Iife is more difficuIt.

Then pIay it.

What?

Whatever you are trying to teII me.

Is there something the matter,
Witek?

There is.

I want to ask about a wedding
service.

God heIp us.
How did that happen?

You are asking me?

I wanted to do it in a normaI way.

You know, a man and a woman Iike ...

But you couIdn"t Ieave me in peace,
kept watching over me!

Like I don"t know what!

And if a man is waiting and waiting,
he has to faII in Iove!

To faII in Iove ... or to Iove?

To faII in Iove for now.
Love wiII come with time.

Maybe so.
But you shouId think it over.

Generations of PoIes have been
fighting Russification

so that you couId marry a Russian?

I can"t heIp it.
It"s your fauIt, father.

Anyway, times are different now.

Don"t you taIk to me about the times.

The times are aIways different
and the same.

So what"s the pIan?
You"re both going away?

That"s the other probIem.
She doesn"t want to Ieave.

That"s her condition.

So?

Can we stay?

This is your home, Witek.
This is your home.

The actors of BiaIystok Puppet Theater
appeared on the screen for the first time.