Ali Zaoua, prince de la rue

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I'm rowing.

The waves are high.

The sun burns me.

I sweat.

I'm not moving forward.

Then I see a pretty woman

waiting for me.

She looks at me, smiles at me.

I smile back at her.

She climbs into the boat.

I take her hand,

because the boat's swaying.

Suddenly the wind rises.

I hoist the sail.

And the boat takes off...

Then what?

That's all. I wake up.

How old are you?

Fifteen.

During the day,

what do you do?

I watch over the city.

Ali, you said you'd be serious.

Your pals say you can pull cars

with your teeth. Is that true?

Sure I can.

It's easy. I tie the ends of a rope

to each mirror.

I stand in front of the car.

I take the rope in the middle.

I bite down hard on it

and I start to pull.

And then?

That's all, the car follows me.

When I was little,

they called me

"Ali steel Jaws".

Tell me, Ali,

what do you want to be later?

A sailor.

Really? Why a sailor?

Because I love the sea.

Why else?

It's what I want to do.

How do you eat,

buy clothes?

I work, I dabble at things.

I don't live on anyone's back!

Why did you run away from home?

I didn't run away.

Why did you leave?

My mother...

she wanted to sell my eyes.

- She wanted what?

- To sell my eyes.

Is that true?

When I was little,

I remember a big black car.

The guy spoke strangely.

As if he came from another country.

My mother sent me on an errand.

But I'm not dumb,

I listened at the door.

He told her:

"He won't feel anything.

"Then you won't need to work,

you'll be rich."

I really heard that.

I said:
"Why stay

with a mother like that?"

Where did you go?

On the streets.

Your parents didn't look for you?

You never saw them again?

Where are they now?

They're dead.

Move in closer on him.

Fine. Cut!

Kwita...

I'm going to leave.

Where to?

You know very well.

To my island.

And us?

You'll get by without me.

Kwita!

Goal!

"Go, Raja, go!

Let your pride show"!

Raja's a lousy team!

I'll show you something.

Swear you won't tell anyone?

I swear.

What is it?

A compass.

A what?

Wait.

Look.

Go play, you!

That's north.

The needle tells me that.

That way is west,

where the sun sets.

If I go straight ahead,

I'll reach my island.

What's that thing for?

The sun sets in the west.

But with two suns,

how will I manage?

- You're really leaving?

- Sure!

Now that I have it,

I can embark.

I've found a captain.

At first, I'll do all kinds of jobs,

scrub the deck, sweep.

That way, I'll learn.

And I'll become a real sailor,

with a uniform.

Kwita...

Don't be afraid.

When I'm on my island,

I'll think of you.

At night, you'll look at the stars.

So will I.

We'll be like the twin towers.

They see the same thing!

Those towers are tall...

so are we!

Goal!

Life...

Is a pile of sh*t!

"Steel Jaws"!

Steel, my ass!

Coming back?

No, we're not.

Dib, we're not coming back.

"My mother wanted to sell my eyes!"

So your mother's dead?

She died screwing!

Ali!

Is he dead?

He's not dead!

He crapped!

Can't you smell it?

He crapped! Can't you smell it?

The security men!

The cellar!

Let go!

Let go of him!

You don't die because of a stone...

Like a dog.

Depends where it hits you.

Like a dog.

Is he really dead?

You dumped him like a dog!

So we wouldn't get caught!

At least, he's in his cellar.

Ali was a prince.

A prince?

I thought his mother was a whore!

We have to bury him.

We'll bury him today.

What? You crazy?

Kwita, are we really

going to bury him?

We're going to bury him! Right!

My uncle says that when you die...

screw your uncle!

We shouldn't have split.

If we'd stayed with Dib,

we'd be better off.

You crazy?

Know why Ali took us

down to the port?

He wanted to leave.

He'd found a captain!

He was going to embark!

You want to go back

to the bastards who killed him?

I'll bury him!

The whole world will cry!

The whole city!

Even you!

Yeah, even you'll cry!

You can keep goofing off,

but I'm burying him today.

What'll it cost?

We don't goof off!

What do you want?

They're praying for the dead?

Why?

My friend just died.

Here,

it's only for the Pure.

Ali was a prince.

Only the Pure, I said!

He needs prayers, too.

We're burying him today.

You don't pray.

I know a surate.

I can recite it, I swear.

Don't swear.

I went to the mosque once.

Can you pay?

Yes.

How much?

You know...

my friend Ali

wanted to become a sailor.

To go to his island,

the one with two suns...

Now that he's dead,

I think his island's

in the sky...

There are no islands in the sky.

There's heaven or hell.

Your friend's up there.

Playing with the angels.

With the angels?

You dirty f***ers!

Sons of b*tches!

Scavengers!

Dib!

Dib, let me out!

I beg you!

I swear I was going

to give it to you!

No point in shouting!

He's deaf!

Omar...

We won't go back with them, right?

Madame...

I'm a good Moslem!

Sardines, you f***er!

I kept them for you.

Kwita, you're a pal.

You gave some to?

To who? The old hag?

No...

You dumb? We got nothing to eat.

We can't feed the rats.

Rosa! Go inside, cat!

Don't hang out with glue-sniffers.

Can Aicha the witch

get into the cellar?

No, she lives in the water.

And she's nine feet tall.

If she lived in the cellar,

her head would stick out!

Why haven't you gone down?

She may kill him all over again.

We can't leave him in there!

Are we still burying him?

You should've seen

what Omar did to them!

It was wild!

You destroyed that guy, Omar!

A stone...

right in his balls!

In the end, they all ran away!

- Is it true?

- Even Dib ran away!

You're a pain!

OK, I forgot!

What?

We're eating in the toilet!

Where are you now?

In the living room.

That's simple!

When you want to rest,

you go to the living room.

To piss,

in the toilet.

To eat, in the kitchen.

I must tell his mother.

She is his mother...

Omar, you gonna come?

Why? Ali was your friend.

Our friend!

I'm coming, Kwita!

We'll all go!

Hey, kids!

Where's the cabin-boy?

Where's the cabin-boy?

Where you going?

Come back!

Come back!

Cigarettes by the unit!

By the unit!

Let go of me!

Get out!

Omar!

You, stay there.

Stay there!

Will it last long?

I don't know.

She spreads her legs, I don't.

What does a cabin-boy do?

Beats me!

Nuredin, you OK?

My name isn't Nuredin.

WINSTON's PLAYCE

You can't spell!

What did you learn in school?

My uncle can crush ten

with one foot!

Then go home to him.

Remember the pot of glue

Ali stole from me?

No.

A full pot.

Brand new.

I said to him:

"Give it back,

you son of a whore."

You knew about her?

You told me.

And then?

He punched me.

And then?

I was furious.

I didn't have time to tell him...

Let me look.

Go on, let me look.

Weird!

I see nothing.

Buy one?

You dirty glue-sniffer!

Mrs. Zaoua.

You know my name...

I'm a friend of Ali's.

Come in.

You enjoyed the show?

What do you want?

To say I'm sorry.

Is Ali sorry too?

Why did he tell

those lies on TV?

Give me a cigarette.

What do you do all day?

Does Ali work?

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