The Journey is the Destination Page #5

What are you gonna do

about it, corporal Chuck?

Just here to do my duty, sir.

Feed the people.

Are you gonna quote him

in the papers?

Nah, just taking pictures.

Long time, long time.

Good to see you, man.

You got a dead body

here. Nice shot.

Where's the metaphor?

What you need is

a living juxtaposition.

Someone grieving.

I took thousands of shots

before I got my first play.

Don't worry.

It'll happen.

Why do you say

don't trust the locals

if theirs is the story

we're trying to tell?

That's not what I meant.

Are you gonna eat

the rest of this?

Yeah, but it's what you said.

I meant in purely

practical terms.

Don't get too close.

The idea that the press

is neutral,

is immune somehow,

is a thing of the past.

Get to one of us as an example,

as a hostage even,

you get attention

if someone is desperate

to be heard,

and the Somalis are desperate.

So you can't trust them.

All of them?

Are you listening to me?

Ah, man, this sucks.

Get off the street now!

Go! Go! Go!

Hey! Stop! Get down!

Who were you gonna

use this on, huh?

Who were you gonna use this on?

Hey! Hey!

Hey! Hey!

Are you all right,

you little twit?

Is he okay? Look out.

Look out. Let me see.

Yeah, you're all right.

Come on, up you get.

Come on. Hey,

you know where he lives?

Where's your home?

Is it straight or is this...

This way, yeah?

Hello.

Abdi, what are you doing?

My dear son.

Who beat you, my brother?

The same guys who

beat me yesterday.

Go and find your father.

Go! White man

waiting for him.

Come inside, please.

Come. Come. Let's go.

Wait for me one minute.

I'm coming, guys.

Does he work with them?

He helps them

only in the afternoon

after his lesson.

Don't you worry?

I fear for his safety.

I wonder if he will come

back or whether he will die.

We let him go

because he's useful.

He can protect us

from the other clans.

Come, Issa.

You must go to work,

but you must also think

about going to study.

Let's go, Waraya.

Ah, Benvenuto.

Journalist. Do you

speak Italian? French?

No. Swahili and English.

Well, welcome then.

I see you have met my family.

Yeah. You know, your

English is very good.

Two years studying in Boston,

three in Germany.

Please take a seat.

Oh, you are welcome.

Dan:
Thanks.

Geeri waa oggolnahay.

It means "I accept death."

All Somalians accept death.

My uncles all die in clan war.

Father no longer accepts death.

He meets with other men

in different clans

to try for peace.

And what about you?

Geeri waa oggolnahay.

Go! Get inside.

Go! Stay down!

Dan, you okay?

Yeah.

Loudspeaker:

Shaffi:

All right. Hang on.

Okay, I got you.

You go, John Wayne.

You ready? All right.

There's a new sheriff in town.

Come to clean up these streets.

You're the wrong kind of Indian

for this movie, kemosabe.

I need someone else.

Did you get it?

Oh!

Hey, crew.

I would like to propose a toast

to baby Dan Eldon,

who lost his virginity today

with his first European play.

Applause, applause, applause.

Cheers.

Salud.

I, William Jefferson Clinton,

do solemnly swear...

Dan:
Dear Saba,

Somalia is a crazy place.

Though they call it

operation restore hope,

it seems not even a superpower

can bring it fast enough.

These are beautiful,

you talented little sh*t.

Defend the constitution

of the United States...

So help me, god.

So help me, god.

What's going on?

The new man Clinton

has it in for Aidid!

He's trying to show up

old man bush.

Careful!

Hmm.

I can't believe

you could be so stupid.

Oh, come on, duff.

This is a great shot.

F*** you, Dan.

I'm not jealous.

I didn't mean that.

I'm just not gonna

compliment you

on something that could

have gotten you killed,

'cause I don't want

to feel responsible.

Does this look like

a humanitarian mission to you?

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Why do you want to shoot at me?

I shoot the enemy.

Have you ever met a boy

from the Darod clan, Abdi?

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Dan the man! Dan the man!

Where are all the kids, Chuck?

Ambush!

Who is firing?

It's one of Aidid's!

Treat a warlord

like a statesman,

and he will behave

like a statesman.

Treat him like a warlord,

and he will behave as one.

I saw Aidid's men

shoot at his own people.

Who could be that ruthless?

He would consider that

a small sacrifice.

There is a Somalia

saying, which is,

"a millipede doesn't limp

from a broken leg."

Aidid needs his people

to turn against America

if he is to remain

the man in power,

and the only way

for him to do that

is to draw Americans in,

provoke,

force them

to do something terrible

to prove his propaganda right.

But the worst possible thing,

the day you must dread,

is if it works.

If Americans are led to attack

innocent Somali people,

then it will be a war of all

Somalians against all others,

and no one will be safe.

How do you see it?

The future?

I'm an engineer.

In all this,

I see possibilities.

Loudspeaker:

Allahu akbar.

Loudspeaker:

Allahu akbar.

Dan:
Saba, the wonder girl.

Saba, the magnificent.

Loudspeaker:

Allahu akbar.

The last sunset

before my first new breath.

Loudspeaker:

Allahu akbar.

Mmm.

Hey, you. Is that

why you're back?

To show me how clever you are?

I think that might be proof

of the opposite.

You look 100 years older.

I know you're angry.

I was trying to apologize.

You didn't answer my letters.

My father doesn't

want me with you.

You're still letting him

tell you what to do?

You're not Somali.

You do not understand.

People can change.

Not my father.

Not my people.

If that's what you think,

why did you go there?

Why not?

Why not think that?

Because you'll turn your backs,

and it will zoom

right back into chaos.

They don't want it to end.

They don't want a government.

And the warlords,

they make their fortune

from the disorder.

I'm not planning

to turn my back.

Saba, there are possibilities.

I see them every day.

I know this kid.

He's never even met the enemy.

He doesn't hate anybody.

Not yet, not till

somebody teaches him.

There's no hope for that kid.

Until they do, he is the hope.

And what do you think

you can do about it?

I don't think that an

entire race is born cruel.

Survival forces them into it.

Ignorance keeps them

from seeing the way out,

but starvation, violence...

Saba, so many

of the people I've met,

they've never known it

any other way.

And somehow if there's

anything I can do

to open people's eyes,

to force the subject

to the top of the heap,

then that's what I'm gonna do.

That's the only thing

I can think of to do.

I miss you when you're away.

We should make a plan.

Yeah?

A safari.

Yeah, I'll go back

one more time,

and then we can meet

in the bush, you and me.

Where to?

Coo-ee!

No.

Dan!

Oh, the buzzer's broken.

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