The Citizen

1

I don't want to go.

I say now.

All rise.

Please be seated.

Mr. Winston, you may

cross-examine the witness.

Good morning.

Prior to your arrival in 2001,

had you made any other visits

to this country?

No.

Did your duties as an auto

mechanic in any way...

necessitate a relocation

to the United States?

Sorry.

Would you please

repeat the question?

What brought you to

this country, Mr. Jarrah?

Why are you here?

So what brings you

to the States?

I won the lottery.

Well, congratulations,

Mr. Jarrah.

How long have you been applying

for the Green Card Lottery?

Twelve years.

Well, you're a lucky man.

I've never been lucky before.

You know, you speak pretty good English.

Do you understand me okay?

Yes, sir.

I will understand more when

I go to school here. Okay.

Now, I believe I have all

of your paperwork, correct?

No, I have something

very important.

One second.

That's the congratulation

letter.

All right,

I'll have a look at that.

Well, right now we're gonna

go over some of the details...

so you have a clear understanding

of the arrangement, okay?

You have been granted a visa through the

International Green Card Lottery system.

Now that means you'll have an opportunity

to become an American citizen.

Now, in order

to gain citizenship,

you're going to have to meet

certain eligibility requirements,

maintain a good standing

with the U.S. government.

If you meet all of these requirements,

after a period of about five years,

well, then, you'll be eligible

to take the citizenship test.

- Is that understood?

- Yes, sir.

Now I see here you moved from Beirut,

Lebanon, to Aleppo, Syria,

- when you were a teenager.

- Yes.

Why is that?

Because of the civil war

in Lebanon, you know.

So then, why did you move

from Syria to Kuwait in 1990?

I mean, Kuwait wasn't exactly a

peaceful place in the early '90s.

Okay.

You know, the economy

was so bad in Syria,

I couldn't find a job,

and I found a job in Kuwait.

Four months later,

Saddam invaded.

This is usually

how my luck goes.

No. But I will find work because

I have a business degree. Okay.

What about your living

arrangements?

I'll stay with my cousin,

and he's outside waiting for me.

- What is your cousin's name?

- Rashad.

Everything is written down here.

Yes, I see it.

How did your cousin

end up here?

Sorry, sir,

I don't know this.

You don't know?

No.

Well, I'd like to speak to him.

No problem.

I go outside,

and I bring him here.

- All right, that'll be fine.

- I go?

Yes. Just follow the officer.

He'll help you find your cousin.

Sorry.

I cannot find him.

Can I make a phone call,

please?

- You have reached Rashad.

- Please leave a message.

Okay, cousin. Okay. Okay, see you tomorrow.

Sounds good. Bye-bye.

Did you find him?

I'm sorry, sir,

my information is not right.

He's not coming today.

He's coming tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

Yes.

What about tonight?

Actually, he paid for me for a motel

to stay till he comes to the city.

Okay.

Your paperwork...

is being processed.

You'll find the rest of your

luggage out in the hallway.

Welcome to America.

Thank you, sir.

I'm sorry. I don't have

an address here.

Oh, don't worry.

Just fill in the rest.

Thanks for calling.

Where is he?

Thank you.

Here's your key.

Room 310.

Take the elevator to the third floor, make

a right, and it's on your right-hand side.

Thank you.

Goddamn it!

This whole time?

I just don't get it!

You swore that you

were done with this sh*t!

Sh*t!

What the hell do you think you're doing?

Get back here!

Diane!

Get in!

What? What? What?

- Get back here!

- Open up!

Come out!

- Goddamn it!

- Get out of here right now!

That means now!

Who are you

and who this crazy man?

He's my boyfriend.

Go on, get outta here.

Get your hands off me, now!

Get outta here!

You want water?

Thank you.

Have a seat.

Thank you.

So...

where you from?

- I'm from Lebanon.

- Like Gadhafi, right?

No. Gadhafi means Libya.

Okay.

So you speak Persian?

This would be Iran.

Okay, um,

welcome to New York.

Thank you.

Just arrived from overseas.

Oh, nice.

So, like, fresh off the boat. Boat?

No. I came on an aeroplane.

Yeah...

Yeah. Um...

what's your name?

Ibrahim.

I'm Diane.

You want, um...

Oh, sure.

Thanks.

Wow.

What is that?

Mella... what?

Lebanese candy.

You like it?

Yeah, it's great.

I can't get enough of it.

Have many as you like.

Here.

Thanks.

You know, I'm gonna go. I'm... sorry.

I'll let you get settled.

No, no, no, no.

Thank you for everything.

Just stay for more...

few minutes...

till we make sure

that your friend has left.

It's no problem.

Have a seat.

I don't get it. I mean, I'm a complete

stranger to you. Why are you helping me?

Because you need help.

You know what?

My father used to tell me...

How can I say it in English?

He'd tell me, "Brahim, to reach

your dreams plant your good deeds."

That's really pretty,

but I doubt a strategy like that...

is gonna help you

in the big city.

You might try it one day.

Have a seat.

No problem.

Thanks.

So what brings you here?

Many things.

I want to have a family and have

a business, become a citizen.

Well, it's America.

Anything's possible, right?

It's not because it's possible.

It's because I decided.

Oh. You decided.

You know what?

Let me...

Let me take you on a tour of the city,

show you around.

You're sure? Now?

Yeah, it'll be fun.

- Come on.

- I would love to. I, um, take my camera?

Yeah, bring your camera.

Okay.

Sorry, room 310,

there is no answer.

Yeah, would you

like to leave a message?

Rashad Batar.

You're his cousin, right?

Wrong airport?

You went to Newark?

The sun returns the heat

Burns the soles of my feet

I wasn't trying

to escape the sun

All I knew was I had to run

And so to find some shade

I grabbed all that I made

The wind is blowing

towards the west

My heart was beating

through my chest

Searching for a sky

Not too wet, not too dry

Wide and open, spacious

Free of the clouds

and not too sheltering

True joy,

balance, love

All you look for

from above

Let the rains

come down

I worried

I would drown

The taste of water,

strange and sweet

- Running down my tongue

and cheeks - That works.

It's good.

He's not for us!

He will never be for us!

The cowboy sittin' in the office at 1600

Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.,

is not my president,

he is not your president.

He is not the candidate that was voted

for by the majority of U.S. citizens.

Do you think that

we should stay here?

They are saying very bad things

about the president.

No, it's freedom of speech.

But it's now time for us to push him out!

He must go!

- He is a fraud!

- He must go!

He must go!

He must go!

He must go!

Now I can say I am New Yorker?

Not so fast.

I haven't even shown you

Battery Park yet.

Battery?

Yeah.

It's my neighborhood.

Um... give me a call...

if you want

another tour.

Your number?

Yeah.

They fly through Canada,

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