Out in the Dark Page #3

Very impressive.

Very impressive indeed.

It's a lot of work,

but it's very satisfying.

Roy sweetie, will you give me a hand

in the kitchen?

Excuse me.

Haven't you had enough to drink?

Nimr can drive.

What?

Didn't you want

to meet my boyfriend?

You could have told us ahead of time.

Would it have made a difference?

I don't know.

You know,

I was in Ramallah,

as an army reservist,

on September 13th, 1993.

That was the day

Rabin, Arafat and Clinton

shook hands on the White House lawn.

Exciting times!

It was amazing.

Children came out of their houses

to hand us olive branches.

How old were you then?

In '93?

I was 5.

Then you probably still remember.

You could've been one of those kids

with the olive branches.

What are you trying to prove

with these games?

What games?

Don't play dumb.

Ever since you came out,

you find every opportunity

to shove it in my face.

By bringing my boyfriend over

for Shabbat dinner?

It's got nothing to do

with your boyfriend.

You may find it hard to believe,

but I've learned to live

with your choices.

Mom, it's not a choice.

When is this flag waving business

going to end?

It won't.

I'm sorry.

I didn't think

it was gonna be like that.

Tell me,

does this make any sense to you?

Do you mean us?

Yes.

Why?

Does it need to make sense?

Do you think we're making a mistake?

I don't know.

It doesn't feel like a mistake.

I asked around,

and there's this guy

who specializes in cases like ours.

What kind of "cases" exactly?

Gay Palestinians.

What happens when

you're done with school?

Off to Princeton for my PhD.

But,

what if you don't get in?

It's not an option.

Let's at least meet with him,

hear what he has to say.

For a lawyer,

you're not that convincing.

How's your father?

He's fine, busy.

Is he still working

on the Goldman case?

Yes, we're wrapping things up.

That's great.

Well,

about your situation,

Roy told me on the phone

that you have a permit.

Yes,

a temporary academic permit.

Okay.

And does anybody back home

know about you?

No, no way.

I see.

We know it's a complicated situation,

but we wanted to find out

what our options were.

I mostly deal with runaways.

Guys who got kicked out of their homes

and are hiding here.

So you basically handle their cases

with the authorities.

Exactly.

For political asylum?

Refugee status is out of the question.

Why's that?

It will create a legal precedent

for "the right of return."

I understand you knew

Mustafa Na'amna.

Yes.

I was sorry to hear the news.

Thank you.

I was working on getting him

a temporary stay permit,

but it's a long process

that usually involves house arrest.

Basically, it's a mess.

Well,

Nimr's set for now,

and down the line

we can explore other options.

What do you mean "down the line"?

Let's start the process today.

Do you think they just

hand out these permits?

That's not what I mean.

Roy.

Until a few years ago

things were easier.

Academically as well.

It's hard to tell,

these things change all the time.

What's up?

He just wasted our time.

Daniel?

What did you expect?

That he'd give us some options.

You gotta be realistic.

If we don't do something soon,

we won't have any options left.

Don't you think I know that?

I deal with this sh*t everyday

If there was something to do,

I would've done it myself.

But I'm Israeli,

my dad's connected.

Even if we buy more time,

we're not gonna change

the inevitable.

So you're just giving up on us?

No, I'm not.

Then what do you want?

I didn't plan

to fall in love with you.

All I know is that

I want to be with you.

Nimr Mashrawi?

Come, Nimr.

Sit.

Thank you for coming.

Are you hungry?

No.

I'll get straight to the point then.

Your academic permit

is hereby expired.

What does that mean?

No more permits as of now.

What do you want from me?

I need your help with something.

My help?

Look,

Bir Zeit is a big university.

Lots of students,

lots of activities.

It shouldn't be too hard.

What do you say?

That you came to the wrong guy.

Let's not forget Nabil Mashrawi.

What do you want with my brother?

Nimr,

do you like being here in Tel Aviv?

What?

What would your family say,

if they knew

what you do here at night?

What do I "do here at night"?

Nimr,

you know I can expose your secret,

and even spread rumors

about you collaborating.

Nimr, you're not stupid.

You strike me as a stand-up guy.

Unlike the junkies and whores

that I normally deal with.

It's a good deal for both of us.

A little bit of information,

for quite a lot of freedom.

Go home and think about it.

I'll be in touch.

What's up, baby? Where are you?

Home.

My permit got revoked.

How is that possible?

Your piece of sh*t government

doesn't want me there.

Nimr, what happened?

Roy, I don't know what to do.

Everything's gonna be fine.

My class, my trips to Tel Aviv -

it's all gone.

Relax, there's gotta be a mistake.

Don't you get it? It's over.

Nothing is over!

I'm not gonna see you anymore.

Let me ask around.

I can't really talk right now.

Wait, don't hang up.

What?

I'm gonna take care of this.

I promise.

I can't really think right now.

I'll call you later.

What the hell are you doing?

Get these guns out of here.

Keep it down.

It's not a game.

You're hysterical.

Don't you get it?

They know about you.

They can be here any day.

Should I worry?

If you said nothing,

they know nothing.

You're killing this family.

I'm saving this family!

You still doubt me after what

you've been through today?

You're ruining my life.

If you come down here again,

I'll break both your arms.

Now get the f*** out.

You'll never understand.

I've had enough of you.

I can't deal with him anymore.

He's your brother.

It's all for the best.

What do you mean?

You're better off not

going to that godless country.

You know how important this is to me.

I know.

And we'll get through this.

I have no one to talk to here.

Don't say that.

I'm going inside.

Roy:
"Call me when you can.

I love you"

I spoke to Yossi, like you asked.

What did he say?

That there's nothing he can do,

because it's a security issue.

What does that mean?

That they took his permit

for security reasons.

Did you ask him why?

That's all he knew.

Roy,

how well do you know the guy?

Dad, don't.

He could've gone

to some demonstration,

and they make it

a security issue.

So how did he manage to get

that permit in the first place?

Because they wanted him

for this course.

I don't know.

You have to admit

there's something fishy here.

Do you want some?

No.

You can't forget where you live.

What are you trying to say?

You know the kind of cases

we handle at the firm.

Are you worried about the firm?

I'm worried about you, Roy.

Don't you think about

what you're doing?

About your future?

About your career?

No, I'm not thinking about my career.

With a security issue on your record,

you can't get very far.

Dad, I'm talking about my boyfriend.

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