Fugitive Pieces

I did not witness the most

important events in my life.

My deepest story must

be told by a blind man...

from behind a wall...

from underground.

Hey, open the door.

Open up!

The second legato...

should be slower.

We have to hurry,

I can hear them coming.

- Come on.

- Bella...

Under there.

Go, go!

This isn't a joke, Jakob, listen.

There are 32 cans in the cuboard.

Long before you run out,

we'll be back.

Don't open the door to anyone.

Understand?

Wait for us.

Promise!

- Yes, I promise.

- And be quiet.

Stay where you are!

Go, check the upstairs!

Check over there!

- Please don't...

- Be quiet!

Shut up! Shut up!

You're coming with us.

You'll get us killed.

You understand?

You should have thought of that.

Damn it!

Stop!

Where are you going?

He works at an archeological dig,

he's sick.

- You come from Krakow?

- Yes.

It may be typhus.

I'm taking him to a hospital.

Passport.

- Athanassios Roussos. Greece.

- Yes.

What's the matter with you?

A infection...

- much bleeding, hospital across border.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Drive on!

By:

Athos Roussos & Jakob Beer

BEARING FALSE WITNESS:

HISTORY AND MEMORY

Jake... can you get me a towel?

Here you go.

I've been thinking about paper.

Paper or china?

China or paper?

- I think it's paper.

- What?

First year anniversary.

- That's next week.

- I know.

I think we should celebrate.

Why wait?

Hmmm.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Maybe we should just get ready.

Okay.

You ready to go?

This woman at Birkenau...

she kept an image of

her husband and daughter...

cut from a photo, underneath

her tongue for three months.

She could've been killed at any moment.

Incredible.

Yeah.

That a person would die

for a photograph.

You don't wanna come, do you?

Everyone will miss you.

They're starting to think

you don't like them.

You can't work on

this all the time.

You'll drive yourself mad.

Actually, Ive finished it.

Why didn't you say anything?

It's great, Jake.

You can move on now.

Start your own book,

do whatever you want.

- We could take that trip.

- What trip?

To the island.

To Greece.

Yeah. I...

Maybe.

Oh, Jake.

Come on. They'll be waiting for us.

- We can share the good news.

- No, I...

I'm not up for it.

- You go.

- Or...

- maybe I could just stay here.

- No, no.

Go alone.

Say hello to everyone.

Okay.

It's great, Jake.

A new beginning.

Hey...

We're here.

My son...

There it is...

Home.

What am I going to do with you?

When we were married...

I hoped that if I let Alex in...

if I let in a finger of light...

it would flood the clearing.

And at first, this is

exactly what happened.

Mingus, Mendelssohn,

Mozart...

Mantovani.

- That's an odd selection.

- I'm on the "M's".

Ha...

Crash course?

Huh, yeah...

Something like that.

I really don't know

that much about music.

My sister used to play.

- Did she?

- Yeah.

- What?

- The piano.

- Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann.

- She had good taste.

- Yeah.

- Does she still play?

No... No, she's...

she doesn't play anymore.

Do you know about the

concerts at the conservatory?

No.

Ah... W.E.A... The Workers

Education Association.

The union...

Every Sunday afternoon at two.

It's all amateur stuff, really...

but a lot of my friends go.

Who do you hang out with?

Uh... I don't really

have any friends.

- No?

- Well...

A few.

Well, I could probably

afford to be...

more discriminating myself.

Oh!

Oh, look at those.

Those are perfect.

You need a pair of galoshes.

No, I need those...

It's the color.

They'll look brilliant

on the wet pavement.

Hee... haw!

What?

- You're so...

- Why you're laughing?

You're so...

- You're so serious.

- I'm sorry.

No, don't be sorry.

Okay, Im not sorry.

I brought you back your books.

- Hi, Ben.

- Hey.

I really liked "the stranger"...

"seven days in may"...

not so much.

I don't know... I'm not really

into political thrillers.

You're a little early, Ben.

What time is it?

Uh... I don't know.

Ben?

Oh, there you are.

Leave Jacob alone... he probably

hasn't even had his breakfast yet.

- That's all right.

- Come on.

How about I bring you a

new batch of books later?

Okay.

You've always spoiled him.

Oh... Hello.

Oh, this is Alex...

and this is Joseph.

- Joseph, um...

- Nice to meet you.

- he... he lives down the hall.

- Ha...

I've known Jakob

since he was a boy.

Really?

Oh yes... yes,

he was a lovely boy too, huh...

so quiet, so polite.

You're embarrassing me, Joseph.

Oh, well...

I'll, uh... I'll leave

you and... uh, your friend.

Bye... huh.

- What are you doing?

- Nothing.

So, you've lived in

this place a long time.

Yeah.

I've never lived anywhere

for more than two years.

Well, it's comfortable.

Hmm.

Mmm, what's that?

You're not too big

on change, I'm guessing.

Oh...

Jacob and I came

here on our first date.

That wasn't a date...

we'd just met.

Date or not, I thought you'd had taken him

to some horrible underground jazz club.

Or some god...

awful lecture by Marshal McLuhan.

Or to some very worthy, but also

very dull meeting on the joys...

of the Labor Progressive Party.

And now you're making

fun of my politics.

Well, we know you come

by them honestly.

Oh!

Hey!

Thank you.

- Hey, where's mine?

- There you go, it's right over here.

They liked you.

Hey, hey...

I learned some Jewish.

Uh'huh?

I have a yellow dog?

You don't even have a dog.

Is that what I said?

That lady in the

market tricked me.

Oh, I...

I think we should get married.

- What?

- And I don't wanna wait too long...

for you to ask.

I'm just saying,

I think it looks...

pretty inevitable.

You think so?

Yeah, I do... I think

we can make each other happy.

Mmm.

Alex never understands...

thinks that she's doing me good...

snatching me from the jaws

of despair, rescuing me.

But each time a memory

or a story slinks away...

it takes more of me with it.

Everything is wrong.

The bedroom,

Alex beside me, my panic.

How will Bella

ever find me here?

Beside this strange woman...

speaking this language...

eating strange food,

wearing these clothes...

- Hello.

- Congratulations on your book.

- Poppy seed.

- Poppy seed.

Elaine, you're a goddess.

- Give me your coat.

- Okay.

Alex... they're here.

- How are the children?

- Ah, who cares?

As long as someone else

was taking care of them.

- Hi.

- There she is.

- Hello.

- Mmm.

- Hi.

- Hi.

How are you?

Aha!

- Poppy seed.

- Your favorite.

Be right back.

So, Maurice, how's the museum?

Oh, you know,

It's paleontology.

It's not a very glamorous...

Not that much to say.

Well, never mind...

I get more than enough

history right here at home.

- Alex?

- Yeah.

Maybe I could give you

a hand in the kitchen.

Sure.

And there was this Czech woman,

a farmer's wife...

- Mm-hmm.

- she hid a family of Jews...

people she barely even knew.

Seven of them, for the entire war...

almost two years, feeding them.

- At the end of the war...

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