Wanderers of the Desert (1984) - full transcript

WANDERERS OF THE DESERT

How old are you?

What have you come to this desert for?

I'm a teacher.
They've appointed me to the village.

The village, which village?

The bus does go through the village?

There's no village, I tell you.

Don't worry.

It's not far from the road.
I'll show you the way.

Don't listen to him!

There is no village!



A film written and directed by
NACER KHEMIR

Peace be with you, uncle!

Are you planting palm trees?

I'm the new teacher.
I'm looking for the village...

Hey, everyone! People of the village!

You're most welcome here.

Here's the village...
At least, what's left...

They say everything
that you see over there used to be green.

An oasis!

There were almond,
fig and pomegranate...

medlar and date trees...

Let us go on!

We're most remote
in these forgotten places...

- Be most welcome...
- He's the teacher.



But there's never been school here!

What are you going to do, Si Abdesalem?

Why did they appoint me here, then?

I'll ask the authorities.

What authorities?

- Is there a sheikh, at least?
- I'm the sheikh.

If you like,
you can use the old Koran school as a
schoolroom.

But it's only walls.
As for the rest, you're my guest.

What about us?

Here we are, Si Abdesalem...

My daughter...

Temporarily,
you'll use my son Boubakr's room.

The Bourak!

For now, Boubakr is away, far away...

- Hajji sends for you...
- 'Who is Hajji?

Hajji is... Hajji!

- What's your name?
- Houcine.

Good day, Hajji.

Don't let me disturb you.

- You are the new teacher?
- Yes.

You are exactly as I imagined you.

You see, my son, for some time now...

I've been holding death's hand.

But there is still one thing...

I must do.

I was waiting for you.

You were waiting for me?

Not necessarily you...

But I'm happy that it is you.

I don't understand.

How can I explain?

A man is waiting in the desert.

He's waiting for someone.

As soon as one man arrives...

the others follow.

Come back whenever you like.
I'm always here...

AND ONLY GOD
WILL DEFEAT YOU

Good day, my son,
I've come to welcome you.

Here, all are my children.
What's your name?

Abdesalem.

May peace be in your heart.

I'm pleased...

that you've come to educate the children.

I have a grandson.

He's a devil, bright and intelligent.

But the poor boy is an orphan.

His father, my eldest, my only son, is
gone.

Where has he gone?

To the desert.

Where the curse leads them.

Has Boubakr, the sheikh's son,
gone with them?

Boubakr followed them.

May God protect you!

Prevent my Houcine from following them!

I don't understand...

Read, my son,
what Boubakr wrote before he left:

"Do not blame me,
worry over blame scarce touches me.

But rather, as I am alone now,
Lord, protect me.

May those who so desire
take note of these my words.

Read them,
and know I am a martyr!"

And that's all that remains,
this image of Bourak.

Whoever leaves with the wanderers
never returns.

If only I knew how to write!

- I can write for you.
- Not now.

I'll come back.

The girl here in the house
has a carpet I have to see.

They're passing by!

The life of wanderers
is one of endless roaming.

They'll only see sand...

they'll only beget dust.

Who are the wanderers?

Every day brings its own burden.

I know they're your children.

Later, my son,
When the time comes.

- Are you looking for someone?
- Yes, the teacher, to write a letter.

Will you let go of those poor animals?

They're not animals,
they're djinn to protect our garden.

- Now what do you want?
- I want to see my ponytail.

You good-for-nothing!

You're old,
you don't need it anymore!

And why won't I need it, you beast?

Are you there, Si Hassan?

Listen, Si Hassan...

The teacher doesn't have a school yet.

To make the garden,
we'll break all the mirrors in the
village.

I've just broken my grandmother's.

If you leave,
I'm still coming with you.

Who are you talking to?

Get away from that well,
I've already told you it's haunted.

One minute, Si Hassan...

Someone's asking for you in the well.
What should I answer?

For God's sake!

Leave this place
or misfortune will befall you.

He's waiting... So?

Get away from that well!

It's the angel of death...
He can come, I'm ready.

What are you doing here?

We're here, so...

Shut up!

- Why?
- You must respect the chief.

Who's the chief?

- The one who caught 10 chameleons.
- Excuse me, but that's not all!

There's still the test
of the biggest lie.

And who could lie better than me?

The Koran teacher believed
my story about the teapot.

Not everyone's like the Koran teacher.

- Today's Friday.
- You can't lie on Friday.

- We still need many more mirrors.
- Shall we make a garden of pearls?

We'll sell your grandmother
to buy pearls.

And yours too!

Forget it!

One minute, I'll be back.

- What does your father do?
- I don't know.

- He has no work?
- Yes he has.

So what does he do?

I can't tell.
Besides, he's far away.

- When is he coming back?
- He'll never come back.

- What will you teach us?
- Grammar, history...

- History of the garden?
- The garden? No, the country!

- History of our village?
- No, of the entire country!

Listen, Si Hassan...

Since our teacher's been living
with the sheikh, his daughter...

doesn't go to
the gate any more!

The teacher?

No, he sometimes stays indoors all day...

and when he goes out, it's to ask
questions about the wanderers.

Do you think he'll be seized too
by the malediction?

Come closer, my son.

Don't be afraid!

Close your eyes.

Go, my son, go play.
The curse won't get you.

Hajji! Hajji! Listen to me!

You, who know...

the location of the ancient gardens,
tell me...

where the treasure is buried!

Talk, Hajji! Tell me!

My uncle!

What's a garden like?

Go away, you good-for-nothing!

I'm speaking seriously!

Then come dig with me!

I don't need any treasure.
What's a garden like?

Go away, you stupid ass!

You don't even know
what a garden is, do you?

You'll never find your treasure!

- What's he doing?
- He's looking for treasure...

He'll never find it,
even if he digs all his life.

Tell me...

is the treasure like this gold coin?

They say in the village
that you found it and hid it.

Goodbye, uncle!

He found it! He found it!

Look what he gave me
so I'd keep quiet.

Go tell the sheikh.

He's found the treasure!

What now?
Watch where you put your feet!

Assam found the treasure,
I wanted to tell grandmother.

- Where?
- To the east, at Bir El Fay.

- You're running after the treasure, too?
- They believe it, Si Abdesalem.

It's a coin of my grandmother's.
Just a bet between my friends and me.

What a devil!
He's upset the whole village!

Where have our lovers gone?

Say... where have they gone?

Where is he?

What's he done, now?

Assam almost killed
Hanifa's son with a pickaxe.

He's upset the whole village.

- Explain.
- Later.

You're gonna get it!

Where did you get the gold coin?

He's going to kill my son!

If someone frees him,
I'll put him in his place!

Grandmother, take back your coin!

Greed will ruin them all!

Look what a child's made them into!

What is this treasure, Hajji?

It's not a treasure, it's a belief.

For Assam, it's fate.

Maybe fate is just a belief?

But who are the wanderers?

Our children...

They go one by one,
in the prime of life.

The curse draws them to the sands.

I've been thinking for a long time...

But I need someone.

Maybe you can help me.

Me, Hajji?

Come quickly!

- You saw Assam's treasure?
- Free me first!

She's talking in her sleep.

Who thinks he can do better than me?

From now on, I'm no longer "Teapot",
I'm the chief.

- Listen, Teapot...
- Want me to hit you?

Chief, no one stayed in the village.

What a laugh
when Assam charged with his pickaxe!

I knew it was a lie.

- Who gave me the coin?
- How would I know?

Poor Assam,
he swore he hadn't found anything!

Si Hassan!

I won! We need a lot of mirrors
to make the garden.

Tomorrow is the hairdresser's turn.

He's got plenty.

But how do we make the garden?

Make your garden
in the image of the sky.

- You won't cry!
- You'll get your ponytail!

Otherwise, how will you go to heaven?

It's by their ponytails
that children go to paradise.

- Adults, too?
- No, they go by foot.

Hold on, no secrets!

It's nothing, it's for the garden.

You have a beautiful voice,
come sing with us.

- His mother's sent him to be shaved.
- Come in!

Damn! He's broken
my mirror from Samarkand!

Leave it alone!

Let me help you, uncle.

- Hide the mirrors well!
- No one ever comes here.

We don't have any more mirrors!

- Go get one at your house.
- There's just my father's.

- So go get it!
- Go yourself!

Let's choose for it.

Full or empty?

- Full.
- You lose. Go get the mirror!

I'm telling you to go!

Go on!

It's the last one.

Oum Salem is carrying her letter.

Poor Oum Salem,
she's still waiting for her son...

He left with the wanderers.

The teacher writes the letters,
and the others deliver them to the desert.

Let's go to the garden.

Hurry, grandmother's ill!

Feeling better, Grandmother?
The neighbor's coming.

Are you leaving?

Are you leaving me alone?

Houcine!

Did you at least eat something?

I'm not hungry.

I'll be back, Grandmother...

Is she better?

Still up, Hajji?

Ah it's you! It's already night...

You said you'd need me...

- What can I do?
- Listen, my son...

Each year, the villagers
leave for 3 days...

on a pilgrimage.

I know that during those 3 days...

the wanderers come back to the village.

I have a book about the curse.

I've spent my life deciphering it.

It would suffice that
the wanderers read it...

to undo the curse.

But how to give it to them?

None of us can approach them.

It'll soon be the pilgrimage.

Stay in the village, my son...

You will give them the book.

Do you need me?

Hurry, Grandmother's ill.

I'll put on my turban
and come right away.

Hassan, Grandmother is very sick.

You'll be better, Grandmother.

Houcine wants it, and so do I.

A dream must remain a dream...

One can't touch the book
without seeing fate's manifestation.

It'll soon be the pilgrimage.

You'll give them the book.

Help a poor beggar!

Where are you from?

From far away.

What do you want?

A bit of bread.

Grandmother!

Hassan, the beggar
stole grandmother's soul!

It won't do any good.

The angel of death
is faster than time.

Come with me, leave this village.
Your grandmother has left it.

Come with me,
we'll go far away from here.

I'm afraid of the wanderers,
let me down!

Don't be afraid...
I'm with you.

Stay with me!

Not now, help me down!

I must go. Farewell, Houcine...

Don't forget me...
Farewell, Houcine.

My God, I don't want
to become like them...

I don't want to share their fate...

wandering endlessly
in that sandy desert.

They wander day and night,
they wander forever.

The village merely waits
for their return.

My God, I don't want
to become like them!

May peace be with you!

I'm going to die soon...

And the treasure, Hajji?

The treasure is not
what you think it is.

Many centuries ago...

Several days before...

the Spanish took Cordoba...

our ancestor, the calligrapher,

was young.

At the town's gate,
an old man entrusted him...

with a casket
containing ownership deeds,

the keys of the palaces,
the mansions and the gardens.

He had him swear to return some day...

if not he himself, then his son...

his grandson
or great-grandson.

Before his death...

the calligrapher buried the casket
at the foot of a fig tree.

Years passed,
the promise was forgotten.

Then the curse struck!

- The curse?
- Yes. Listen...

I'm listening, Grandfather.

It's notjust a tale. Go away!

And the curse?

That's what takes our children away.

The youth leave...

one after another,
to wander in the desert.

"Three days after he has
opened the book...

the old woman will come for him.

She will take him by the hand...

and lead him through the desert
to his beloved."

On the garden gate,
it is written:

"For lovers only"...

I've come to ask you if you'll
go on the pilgrimage with us.

I don't think so.

We'll be gone three days.

The elders say:
"Three days when anything can happen."

Today...

the house is empty.

- It's you? You frightened me!
- What's the matter, Si Abdesalem?

- Is this where he used to live?
- It's Boubakr's room.

He's been gone for 3 years.

Who's Boubakr?

My oldest, my only son.

Has he lived here
ever since he came?

Si Abdesalem?
Yes, since the beginning.

He was Boubakr's age.
I finally adopted him.

- Did you know him before?
- No, not at all.

And you accepted him
without knowing him?

There wasn't anywhere else,
and being the sheikh...

- Who lives here?
- Me, my wife and the girl.

- How old is the girl?
- Almost 15.

Does she take care of the house,
the meals, the clothing?

Yes, she does.

- So, she knows where he is!
- What?

If she took care of him,
he must've told her.

Si Abdesalem,
tell my daughter?

What could he have told her?
May God forgive you!

In 3 months, he never went into
the courtyard of our house.

I brought him his lunch,
his dinner and his clothes...

- Sergeant, we're not...
- Officer!

Not sergeant!

If he didn't talk to your daughter,
he must've talked to you.

He didn't tell you
where he was going?

He must not have planned to go,
all his things are here.

We weren't here
during the pilgrimage.

Okay, we'll go on later.

- First name?
- Hedi.

- Last name?
- Garnati.

- Age?
- 50.

- Profession?
- Sheikh.

Now, tell me everything
from the beginning.

We left the teacher at home.

When he came back,
he was gone.

Who was the first one to notice?

This is how it happened...

A boat!

It's only a boat!

It's them!
The teacher did it!

It's the wanderers' sign.

Your children are back!

Let's go see the teacher.

Your children are back!

And then?

What did you do?

We looked for him everywhere,
until nightfall.

The sand showed prints
leaving the boat.

I sent two trackers,
but they came back empty-handed.

And then?

I informed the authorities,
and we waited for you.

Good, let's go see the trackers.

You can rest.

For God's sake!

What's your name?

Are you mute?

What do you want?

I want to go to Cordoba.

To Cordoba?

Why Cordoba?

Is Cordoba very big?

- Very!
- Is it far?

You've never been to Cordoba?

Never.

- And the teacher?
- He's gone.

Oh, will our past...

come back to us one day?

Don't go too far away...

I'll surely be needing you.

Don't worry.

It's sweet.

Now, let's get back to the boat.

Tell me what happened.

On the sheikh's order,
we set out.

The prints were easy to follow...

because the wind
hadn't effaced them.

We walked...

3 days to catch up
with the teacher.

We caught up with a splendid man
who had a pepper-and-salt beard...

He was the boat's captain.

We asked him all sorts of questions.

He didn't know
how he'd ended up in the village.

He said he'd met the wanderers...

who'd wanted to help him
drag the boat to the sea.

But they fled when we returned
from our pilgrimage.

The man was in a hurry
to return to the sea.

He promised to come back one day...

and he entrusted the boat
to us until then.

What's his name?

So who does the boat belong to?

Sindbad! Sindbad!

That's not all, Si Sheikh...

Sinbad put down a bag
he was carrying.

He took something out of it...

Let me carry it!

Give it to me,
you didn't inherit it from your father!

God was right to silence your tongue.

Wretched figure!

Jackal!

You can carry it,
and I'll tell them everything...

Look what he gave us,
the Chinese bird...

- Does the hajji know anything?
- I don't know, sir.

- Who are the wanderers?
- Our children.

- What do they do?
- God only knows!

I will know!

By the way, I need gas.
Send someone to wait for the bus!

Go wait in the hall. And you,
place yourself at the court's disposal.

Your name?

Mohamed.

My ancestor...

is Ali lbn Mahmoud,
lbn Hani, lbn Othman...

the calligrapher of Cordoba.

A while ago you said
that you no longer have the book.

First, where is it?

And second, what's in it?

The book no longer exists.

It wasn't a book like others.

It was the wanderers' book.

As for me,
it's been quite some time...

since light has gone out of my eyes.

I could no longer
decipher the text...

but it was enough
just to turn the pages...

and thousands of dots
glittered in the night...

like the great cities:
Cordoba, Seville...

Malaga, Grenada...

Stop speaking in riddles!

Where is the book?

When the teacher disappeared,
I buried it in the cemetery.

- You know where?
- Yes.

Then let's go!

Think!

Try to remember!
Maybe you buried it somewhere else?

I can't be wrong!

There was a hole dug in the center,
that's where I put it.

The center of what?
Of this pile of stones?

What are you waiting for?

Keep digging!

Stop!

This isn't a game, Sheikh.

Go on!

Sergeant, you won't dig up
our dead for a book!

It's an offense to God!

First, I'm not a sergeant,
but an officer!

Furthermore, it's not a book,
but a piece of evidence.

And last, I know what I have to do.

What do I have to do, Officer?

Keep digging.

Come back here and dig!

Sheikh, this is disobedience!
You're a witness, clerk.

Go home. If there's anything new,
I'll let you know.

Excuse me for keeping
watch on you, Hajji.

It's the officer's orders.

Tell me about the wanderers' book,
noble Hajji.

I've always lived among books...

but fate...

A disaster, Hajji...

Fire...

Fire reduced everything to ashes...

and now, I've discovered human company.

Excuse me for staying here, Hajji.

If you want, I can go away.

But first, tell me what the book is...

and if the teacher
disappeared because of the book.

The hajji's not talking anymore,
he's going to die.

Be careful with the clerk's head!

I'm a good hairdresser.

The clerk will judge,
he's travelled a lot.

It's true, I've travelled.

Tell us about one of your trips.

Ah, it's so long ago...

Memory is painful!

I've lived in foreign cities.
I'm still nostalgic.

So sing a song for us...

Sit down,
the officer is practicing.

Come here!

Come on!

Is this yours?

You like this Bourak!

It's just that it reminds me
of the story about a young man who...

Don't you think we've had enough
stories, you want to add more?

You're all there... Good.

So, did the bus come by?

A bit more patience...

I've got patience!
I need gas.,

By the way, don't have the car
disappear like the boat...

I'm warning you,
it's state property!

Where's the boat?

Speak up!

It really seems to be
a madness in this village!

It's hopeless, Officer.

He sometimes sings,
but he never talks.

Then answer for him!

Sindbad, Sir...

Sindbad!

What Sindbad?

The boat captain...
he had said...

if he wasn't back in 2 months,
the village could have the boat.

So we shared it...

- Did he really say that?
- Yes.

- And the sheikh supervised?
- No, he wasn't there.

- Where was he?
- With Assam and the hajji.

- Who is Assam?
- Assam...

He's the man who was digging.

Who was digging what?

Digging holes... holes!

What for?

He thought...
He was looking for a treasure.

A treasure?

Well, yes, the treasure!

You're making fun of me!
What treasure?

I don't know.

I wasn't even born
when he started digging.

- Did he dig by himself?
- In the beginning, yes.

And afterwards?

The village dug with him.

- And then?
- Nothing.

- What do you mean, nothing?
- They didn't find anything.

Not even a few coins?

Anyway, that's not
so important.

At last, the key to the story!

A treasure,
and the teacher disappears...

Take down their names and addresses!

What's going on?

I know who killed
the teacher, and why.

Someone killed the teacher?
Why?

For the treasure.

Be indulgent,
it's no use scaring the whole village.

I'm going to tell you
the story about the treasure.

Assam - may he be with God -
dug for 50 years.

The entire village made fun of him.

With the discovery of the boat,
everything seemed possible.

They all became
somewhat crazy...

and started digging with Assam...

to find the treasure.

May God make me die
at this moment of happiness...

May God grant your prayer!

If I catch you, you mongrel!

First, catch the treasure!

They dug for a long time
without finding a thing...

So they left Assam...

and took the boat
and divided it up.

As for Assam,
he never got over it, and died.

No one knows
anything else about the treasure.

The wanderers are coming!

Where are you going?
Stop! Nobody move!

We all have a son, a brother,
among the wanderers...

whom we've never seen again.

Death would be kinder
than not seeing them again.

Understand us, sir.
Understand me.

My son Boubakr is among them.

That's just it,
I want at last to understand.

Where's Giafar the Mute going?

He's going to join the wanderers?

First, tell me where Cordoba is.

In Andalusia,
on the other side of the sea.

- Is the sea far away?
- Yes.

Will you take me to the sea?

At my age, one doesn't leave anymore.

This is a beautiful place to die.

Is it a trap?

When'll that damn bus get here?

It will come, Officer.

When? When it'll be too late?

Who knows what they're plotting now?

They're honest people.

Honest? But where've you been!
They're all bandits!

Did you see how the mute ran away?

He's gone with the wanderers.
It's fate!

Fate, my eye!

The wanderers! Brigands,
that's what they are!

To convince you, clerk...
You like this Bourak, don't you?

Look, he says:
"Know that I am a martyr."

"Martyr."

It's clear now.

I've already heard that, but where?

I've made my decision.
I'm taking the sheikh before justice.

Welcome, Sheikh...
What about that bus?

Si Yussef, I've got to talk to you.

Sorry, I must
go perform my ablutions.

Gas, at last?

No.

Things are getting worse.

I fear for you.

For me?

I'm notjust anybody!

I'm the State's representative!

But where on earth are you!

Order, security...
don't they mean anything to you?

What century do you live in?

And you, Sheikh,
do you advise me to flee?

You're preaching anarchy!

So you're joining in too?

You'll regret it,
the whole bunch of you!

Get your things together,
we're leaving.

- Tonight, sir?
- What do you think? Next year?

Of course, by foot!

The sheikh must have an idea...

This riffraff, these mangy dogs!

They'll get it, I swear!

Soon they'll have
a taste of modern discipline.

I'll make a clean sweep
of this village.

Be lenient...

with those whom fate
has already wounded.

What? Think of setting an example!

Think of the State's authority!

An example in this sea of sand?

Leave them to the pain,
of their children wandering endlessly.

And what about
the teacher's disappearance?

The teacher must be fine where he is...

even if you're not able to understand.

They have their order,
and it's worth yours.

You're wrong,
they killed for the treasure!

It's clear... Didn't the teacher write:
"I am a martyr"?

I know that poem:

"Do not blame me,
worry over blame scarce touches me.

But rather, as I am alone now,
Lord, protect me.

May those who so desire
take note..."

Shut up!

That's it, I know:
Hallaj wrote it!

Now who's that?

The great saint Hallaj!
Lt'd take an eternity to tell!

I talk about murder,
and you recite poems!

I've had enough
of these cavemen!

I'm going back to civilization.
I'm fed up with riddles.

Goodbye.

Riddle...
The only riddle is time...

The only riddle is time...

Come, my son.

And the sea?

Come closer!

And the sea?

Grandmother, can you hear me?

The village is all topsy-turvy.

The officer has disappeared.

He wanted to put us
all in chains, Grandmother...

You see, this time,
I've nothing to do with it.

You're not angry anymore, Grandmother?

I'm going away.

I've prepared everything.

I'm going to Cordoba...
To Cordoba...

Don't forget to wake me
early, Grandmother...

earlier than usual.

Don't forget to wake me early.

Oh, my people...

You have abandoned me.

For you, my death was licit.

You left me to fate...

and raised your weapons.

Adaptation: Paul J. MEMMl/Mary Staehelin