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Beaufort (2007)
The Beaufort Castle,
a twelfth-century Crusader fort, has passed from hand to hand, from army to army, for hundreds of years. Bloody battles have turned it into a mythological symbol of bravery. In 1982, on the first day of the Lebanon War, the Israeli flag was raised on the mountain at the end of a fierce and controversial battle. Eighteen years later, in the wake of public protest, the Israeli government decided to leave Lebanon. Incoming, incoming. Impact, impact. Get in, it's not over yet. Did you come to save us? I'm Oshri. The company sergeant. This is Liraz, the outpost commander. Welcome to Beaufort. Ziv Faran. Bomb Squad. - Nice to meet you. Is it like this all the time? - It was quiet until you arrived. Impact. Impact. See that doorway, over there? That's the entrance to the protected area. Sprint to it and don't stop for anything. Even if you hear, "Incoming, incoming," keep running. Got it? Let's go. Get up. Go. Run. Got stuck? Want to wait a moment? No, it's okay. Let's go. Incoming, incoming. Impact, impact. Bardelas Leader, what a guest! Meet Ziv from the Bomb Squad. He'll hang around here for a few days, to open the road for us. Pavel, Robbie. Pavel, go to the J-curve. Right. J-curve. Have a seat. That's the road... - Can you see the device? Not really. It's around here. Well hidden. Bomb camouflage. They got that from us. It's IDF. - May I? Yeah, sure. They put them there under our noses. Ballsy bastards. I don't know what blew up on you, but this looks hot to me. Impossible. I was there. There was an explosion, I saw it with my own eyes. Could they have come back and reset the device? No. Impossible. Robbie and Pavel have been observing it since the event. We have tapes. Anything's possible. We're ineffective in fog. We had a few hours with no visibility. Wait, what's the problem? I don't get it. The device has looked like this for two weeks. Your people have seen all the pictures. You drove us nuts in debriefing. There's nothing new here. Look, no one has actually seen it. We know nothing about the parameter. Chances are there's more than one device. It's really dangerous. Is that what they sent you for? To tell us it's dangerous? I know it's dangerous. Believe me, I know. I want to talk to my commander. I think we should cancel the operation. What do you mean, cancel? We can't stay here with a blocked road. We waited a month for you only to hear that it's dangerous? Look, I'm sorry I have to disappoint you. I know you guys want to go home. But... Kabarnit Procedure isn't appropriate here. I'm not doing it. What do you mean, you're not doing it? Where did that come from? It's dangerous. It's not a game. - Listen, Ziv. You want to talk to your commanding officer, fine. Check with him, consult, that's cool. But "I'm not doing it?" Where did that come from? Who's asking you? Liraz... If you don't do it, they won't cancel it. They'll just bring in someone else to do it in your place. Do you have a red phone here? Talk to whoever you want. They know everything you do, and they sent you here anyway. Can I have a moment alone? Come on. Why don't they just send in a D9 armored bulldozer? Seriously. Why send in a man on foot? They want to investigate the device, not blow it up. It's rare, to find a whole device. Even so, it seems totally crazy to me. That's his job, Oshri. Disposing of bombs. What do you want? They'll send him back home. Wanna bet? No way. - I'm telling you. Okay. We're on. Cigarette? I don't smoke. Want to start? Ziv. Ziv. You awake? Come on, let's go up to the observation post. Okay, give me a minute. Ziv, this is how you sleep at Beaufort. I'll wait for you up top. No, thanks. Don't let him get to you. What was your name again? Koris. What's he like? Do you guys like him? Does it matter? You're right. Doesn't matter... Liraz is exactly what the army needs here now. Someone who can't believe they actually gave him the job. Who's there? - Ziv, bomb squad. Ziv the bomb squad. Come here, let's have a look at you. Have you seen Liraz? I'm looking for him. Liraz? Not here. Are you lost? Where am I? - Far away. As far as you can get. If you're here, it's by mistake. Are you alone on watch here? Shpitz, Ziv the bomb squad wants to know if I'm here alone. What's up, Ziv the bomb squad? - Have you seen Liraz? Why do you want Liraz? What for? Stay with us. We'll make you a deluxe Beaufort toast. Make you one? Pesto, cherry tomatoes, Dijon mustard. You like? - No, thanks. He's waiting for me. Good, because we're fresh out of pesto and cherry tomatoes. And mustard. Say, bomb squad, do they really teach you to dismantle bombs? How did you get to that unit, anyway? Did you get there by mistake, or did you want to go there? Mostly by mistake, but I'm not sorry. You? Are you here by mistake, or did you want to be here? I wanted to be here. That's the mistake! Get it? And what's it like? Interesting? What do you do here all day? - Guard the mountain. So it doesn't escape. Have a nice shift. Excuse me, have you seen Liraz? Soldier. Soldier? Soldier... What happened, buddy? What's that thing there? There's a dummy there. Yeah, reinforcements. "Spooks." There are six of them dispersed over the guard posts, to attract fire. Are you serious? What happened? Did you talk to it? That's good. It means they're doing their job, no? Okay, let's go up, I'll show you the road. A bit to the right... Arnoon. The device exploded exactly in the middle. On the curve. Can you see it? Sorry about earlier, at the observation post. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It's okay. What did your commander tell you when you spoke to him? That it has to be done. There's no alternative. And that I should be careful. Look, I wasn't trying to get out of the job, earlier. I spent a year at HQ, waiting for this. Yeah, but come the moment of truth, your balls start shaking. That's the way it is. No way around it. My balls aren't shaking. I said what I did because it's really dangerous. What exactly are you going to do there? We go together to the evaluation point, I observe the device and then go in, with a medic behind me. I make sure there's no trip wire or device that could explode, and if not, I go to the device, dismantle it and take it with me. Did they drill you on this? Dozens of times. And what if the device explodes? It's not supposed to. Tell me, do your parents know you're here? Of course not. What for? They know I'm on the northern border, but not inside Lebanon. My mother hasn't known where I am since I was nine. Afraid to ask. And you? If my dad knew I was here, he'd come and take me out by force. I'm serious. He wouldn't let me out of the house. So you guys are serious lefties, then? Did you know they didn't even need to take this mountain? Had they waited until morning, the terrorists would have run. They could've come up without battle or casualties. You could say that about any battle. The fact is that the troops fought here like men. They even issued an order not to conquer, not to come up here. Oh yeah? So why did they? No one knows to this day. Somehow the order disappeared into thin air. Impossible. My uncle was killed here in '82. My mother's brother. What, in the conquest battle? From what I gather, fifty meters from where we stand now. Caught a bullet as he entered the fort. So what are you doing here? Are you insane? If I was your father, I wouldn't let you out of the house either. I'd tie you to the refrigerator, or something. I've been hearing stories about this mountain my entire life. I had to see it. To be able to say I was here, before we leave Lebanon. You should have told me. I'd have sent you pictures. Relax, we're not leaving so soon. I bet your kids will still be here. Maybe, as tourists. - Maybe. What is it? - Liquorice. My mother brings it from Holland. It's salty. A little strong. Bardelas from Leader. Roger, over, Leader. Copy stand down. - Copy that. Stand down. Good morning. - Good morning. Panther, Bardelas, move to Tomato. Roger. Tomato. Ziv. Identify it? Send in the dog. Nadav. Thanks. Okay, I'm going in. Send me Koris. I'm going in with you, not Koris. No way. That's not what we agreed. I don't care. I've decided that I'm going in with you. That's not procedure. - That's the way it's going to be. It's a shame we're standing here, exposed. If you have a problem, you can go back to the outpost. Keep your distance, kid. Go on, boy. Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet; the inner light of Shabbat, let us greet. To welcome the Shabbat, let us progress, for it is the source from which to bless. From the beginning, chosen before time, last in deed, but in thought - prime. Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet... You know, they told us to start getting rid of equipment. When the convoy arrives tonight, anything unnecessary, goes. Bit by bit. Until the evacuation. No one gets rid of anything. Not even a water boiler. Not without my authorization. Got it? I'm telling you what they told us. Anything that's not vital, goes. What's not vital? Show me one thing that isn't vital here. The television, for instance. Why isn't it vital? Why? Are you being punished? Don't you deserve to watch TV? There's no such thing as not vital. Everything's vital. If one thing's not vital here, then everything's not vital. I don't understand. You don't have to understand. You're early. You have nine more minutes. I saved you the drag of the nine last minutes. There's food. Go eat. A feast. The cook outdid himself. Idiots. Who prepares a meal at midnight? We also have permission to shower. Well, did you? I'm on the ready team. I'll shower tomorrow morning. Also, they brought new sleeping bags. Brand new, from the factory. I put one on your bunk. What's up, Koris? Everything okay? Great. Perfect. I'm not touching their food, their sleeping bags or their water! It's like dancing on the blood. Next time they should leave the road closed. Shouldn't send anything. It's killing me. A man died here. He came, said "Hi," and died. And what for? To open a shitty road that only we use. For a year I've been keeping my batteries upside-down. Like an idiot. So I don't waste them. Turn them back only before operational activity. Fuck them now. Stop it. What, night alert procedure? Think they can't see this post? Think they don't know you're here? Bullshit. On the contrary. You're here so they can see you. What are we here for? So that they know we haven't run away yet. Stop it, Koris. This isn't a game. What's this, Pavel? Why is this on the truck? I told you, that's the order. Really, I didn't make this up. Take it off. Forget the order. Are you nuts? What do you mean? Where are you going? They told me to leave. No more clearing roads on foot. - Said who? Command. Okay. Take it off. I don't care what they told you. Get him down. What are you doing? The dog isn't leaving. Understand? I don't care what they told you. File a complaint. He's not leaving! What's it to you? Who are you? My orders are to leave and no one sent a replacement for me. The dog doesn't stay without me. You're not my commander. You can't make me stay. Does it make sense to evacuate a dog, but leave soldiers? This dog stays here. Understand? Stop it, Liraz. Stop it. Move. - It's not Nadav's fault. He hasn't been home in a month, and has no replacement. There's no more road clearing on foot. So why keep him here? What for? This is it. It's over. Done. We're holding up the convoy. In a minute there'll be missiles. I don't care what they told you. The dog stays, understand? He's like a weapon. I can't abandon him. No way. So tell Command it was my order. Now get your stuff. Get on the truck and fuck off. Fuck off. Go. Get out of here. I don't want to see your face. Get out of my sight. You don't deserve to be here. Crazy bastard. Go. Go on, back to the protected area. Incoming, incoming. Impact, impact. Incoming, incoming. Impact. Impact. Wait, buddy. Give it a few more seconds. Incoming, incoming. How many days do you have left here? Eighteen. Including today. Okay, listen. Why should you dry out here for 18 more days? Next convoy, go back to Israel. You've done your share. Where did that come from? If you have something to say, Liraz, say it. I have nothing to say. You've done your bit, man. Get out. Go say goodbye to the kids before you leave. Give them a tour a the fortress. You sure? - Yeah. Sure. Come with me? We'll bring them some goodies. Let the kids run loose a little bit. Like Kalimi did to us on our first tour of duty here. Impact. Impact. - You go. At this point I don't belong there. But you go. It's important. Hold on a minute. Put down the camera, Shpitz. Photograph the landscape. Not the people. We don't want to be in tomorrow's newspaper. Wow. This was their bunker. And this, their guard post. Soldiers have been on this damn mountain for a thousand years. But no mortar shells fall here, right? Never. The fortress is sacred. The Hezbollah respect the Crusaders. It's so quiet here. Who's Michael? - What? Michael. Is there something you want to tell us? Michelle. Michelle, asshole. My girlfriend. Lives in New Jersey. I'm on a plane a day after I'm out of the army, land on her doorstep twelve hours later. Are you sure that's how you spell Michelle? Don't mess with my head. I'm sure, I checked a million times. One more word and I'll have you studying English all night. If you checked, it's cool. Doesn't matter. She'll leave you after a week anyway. You're not cut out for an American. Watch it, Kundalini! Besides, her dad's Israeli. Even worse. Say, what about Liraz? Does he have a girlfriend? Lilach. Six years together. You seen her? Do you guys hang out together? - Sometimes. Not much. What's he like? Not much of a dancer. I can't see him dancing, with his M16... What, are you making fun of him? I just can't imagine him being romantic. Dunno. I just can't. Truth is, he's not all that big on romance. How could he be romantic? Last year I saw him on the street, in Tiberias, in jeans, with his gun slung around his shoulder. What kind of jerk carries his weapon on leave? Did he see you? Did you say hi? He pretended not to see me. Crossed the street. What did you expect? For him to stop and give you a hug? - No. But he could have nodded. He knows me, after all. At the outpost he doesn't say hi, either. Why does he keep such a distance from us, anyway? What's the deal? Are you guys short of friends? Leave him alone. What kind of a soldier was he? Devoted. A real workhorse. From Day One he knew he wanted to be an officer. Took the test three times, but was rejected. They wouldn't let him in. Said he wasn't officer material. So he drove the battalion commander crazy. Sat outside his office every day, begged him for a chance. In the end they let him take the course. He graduated with the top marks. They couldn't figure him out. Was he liked in your company? Sure. King of the world. The soldiers, mind you, not the commanders. Why, don't you like him? Sure. He's a good officer. You can tell he cares. You're lucky they didn't stick you with some faggot officer. If something happens here, you know you can count on him. They didn't send him here for nothing. I'm here just because of him. If he weren't here, I could have finished my service easy. Every night out in Nahariya. Everyone knows that if something serious happens here, he's the only one who'll know how to function. Like he functioned with Ziv? Stop the bullshit, Koris. What could he have done? The guy died for nothing. I swear. And the next day, suddenly they cancel Kabarnit Procedure. Two days later they bring in the D9, plow over the road. So what did he die for? I still don't get it. Am I the only one who thinks it's weird? A good officer, who can function, wouldn't let that happen. Koris, he takes orders just like you, okay? He doesn't decide when to send in the D9. Think he makes those decisions? And why aren't we allowed to talk about the evacuation? As if we were 3-year-olds? - What do you want him to say? about the army are brainwashing the whole country with their bullshit. What's it got to do with you? What do you want him to say? - I want him to stand up like a man and tell us that Hezbollah will be here in two weeks. And that all the IDF is doing now is for nothing. That's what. Okay, forget politics. No, it pisses me off! Someone died here. How can you say it was for nothing? You know what? Not for nothing. You got your chow, okay? Koris, I'll throw my helmet in your face. - Okay, enough! Suddenly the landscape seems different. I don't know why. It's a well-known phenomenon. When you're here long enough, the view changes. Suddenly you see new things. It's just a new angle. No, something changes in your head, believe me. You end up missing this place. So when are you running away from here? I'm not running away. Don't say that. My time has come. - You're right. That's cool. Sorry. When are you getting out of here? In two days. Come here, give me a hug. Come on, don't be afraid. You come to me. When you're in New Jersey, every night, before you fuck Michelle, think about us here for one minute. Picture this moment. Swear you won't go a day without thinking of us. One minute. That's enough. Cool. It's a deal. Take care. - Okay. Sure? - Sure. What? Good luck. - Thanks. Hang in there. Want me to cry? Come on. Get your gear. Let's get the hell out of here. Noah! - What? In the ark gather the forest animals... In 21 days I'll kiss Michelle on the lips, do you believe it? Are you with me, Honey? Ever hear of Kundalini meditation? It's a kind of snake that lies coiled in your pelvis. And you have to awaken it from its dormant state. If it awakens inside, it can actually bring salvation. And it calms your soul, mends the broken pieces in your heart. True spiritual life. Want me to demonstrate, Honey? Kundalini, stage one: stand with bent knees and shake your body. Shake it, shake it. Relax, from the earth to the sky. I'm afraid, Master Shakura. I can't relax. Have no fear, I'm with you. We're together. Let it out of you, naturally, freely. Don't lead, let yourself be led, carried away. Yes, shake hard. Shake hard. Now, shake hard, shake deep... Impact. Impact. Missile at Green Post. Missile at Green. Zitlawi! Get an extinguisher. And get the ready team with a doctor. Koris, get the ready team. Come on, snap out of it! Impact, impact. Zitlawi! Zitlawi! Incoming, incoming. Impact. Impact. Tell them we have an injury or a casualty. Where's the ready team, why aren't they here? Where's the doctor, fuck it?! Caesar from Bardelas medic. We have an injury here. Copy? We got hit by a missile. Liraz, here's the extinguisher. Clear, clear! Go in with you? - Wait outside. Oshri, get me Caesar. Caesar from Bardelas Leader. Incoming, incoming. Caesar from Bardelas Leader, we have an injury, copy? A serious injury. I need a helo ASAP. Do you copy? Over. Zitlawi, can you hear me? What's the status? Helo. Get a helo. Don't tell me to calm down. Motherfucker. - Got to get him onto a stretcher. Get him down. Support his head. Get him up. Get him up. Impact, impact. Support his head, Liraz. Zitlawi, can you hear me? Be strong, kid. I love you, man. Take over for me on the stretcher. I'm on duty here until the ready team arrives. Stay here. Keep your eyes peeled. It could be a combined attack. Where's the ready team? Fuck. Must be waiting for the shelling to stop. Go with Zitlawi. Go. I'll be back soon. Keep your eyes open, Oshri. Get up there, quick. What are you doing here? Go! Up! Ready Team B, go to the helipad. Team B, status. What about the helo, Caesar? How's he doing, doc? When can we evacuate him? I'm ready whenever the chopper arrives. Will he be all right? I don't know, Liraz. I don't know. Liraz, get me in! Liraz! Liraz, get me in! Liraz! Doctor! It'll be okay. Hear me, Oshri? It'll be okay. Talk to me, Oshri. Talk to me. The chopper will be here in a moment. This is the alleged image of the hit to the outpost. We're seeing several tapes here. I'm not sure they were all shot today, but these were released by the Hezbollah. The IDF is hardly ever active outside the outpost now. The soldiers are shut in. They rarely go out to the roads. Hezbollah understands that if they want to cause losses, they have to hit harder within the outposts themselves. And that's what we've seen today. For the first time Hezbollah fired advanced anti-tank missiles towards a few guard posts inside the outposts. Defense sources estimate that in the next few months Hezbollah will attempt to cause the IDF losses so that the retreat planned in a few months will appear as the flight of a beaten, defeated Israeli Army. The name of another casualty in this attack was released: Sergeant Tomer Zitlawi, aged 19, from Afula. God rest his soul. More of today's news: In the non-profit organizations affair, the State Comptroller, Judge Eliezer Goldberg, clarifies that he'll call in for questioning anyone he sees fit, including Knesset members, ministers and the Prime minister. In spite of the Lebanon events, this affair is still very much... It's a TOW missile, made in the USA. Six kilogram warhead. Penetrates over 800 mm of armor. And most importantly: accurate to the centimeter. Can be launched from a vehicle or a folding tripod. Probably manned by a Russian sniper who trained in Iran. Bottom line, at the moment we have no solution for it. What do you mean, no solution? That's not true. We'll have to change our method of guarding at our posts. If the current protection isn't sufficient to stop this missile, we'll thicken the protection. Wait. What's the solution got to do with protection? Why aren't we hunting down the shooter? Or a deterrent action? We know where they're firing from, don't we? Ten hours later and we... This discussion is at outpost level. - I don't understand. Other activity is taking place but that has nothing to do with the soldiers on guard at the posts, including tonight. We've become an army of pussies. We're getting shafted. They're wasting our men. And your answer is protection? One more layer of concrete? Let us go to Arnoon, we'll show them. So at least we feel that we're doing something. What, nothing? Zilch? The IDF doesn't respond? If we're retreating, then let's go! Give the order, we'll get on the vehicles and get the fuck out. But if we're staying, and I don't see us leaving, then let us do the job. I can't send a guard up and tell him: Sorry, I don't have a solution for you. Who do I put in Green tonight? If he sees that the IDF is responding, shooting, trying to kill whoever's out to hurt him, he's part of a battle. But this? You stand there like a idiot and get hit by a missile? So shut down the army! The four old ladies defeated us. They're right. On principle, you're right. Whoever shot that missile won't last long, I promise you. But listen to me now. Retreat or not, the IDF can't afford any losses now. Period. We're not taking any risks. I don't want a hair sticking out of the protected area. You don't leave the outpost. You definitely don't go attacking some village. If another layer of concrete saves the life of one soldier, then that's what we do. From now on you guard from the rear, in front of a monitor. No more standing exposed. How long till Green can be rebuilt? Reinforce all of it, install thermo vision? It means a crane, a building crew. It's a lot of work. How long? - At least two days. Come on, Liberti, I want to talk to you. Ziv's father wants to see you. He wants to talk to you. I've nothing to tell him. - Maybe he has something to tell you? Go. Talk to him. Give him that much. It's important. He's a smart man. How can I leave here? Rossman will come up here, to replace you. Regardless, I think you should get out. Just for a few days, have a breather. Go visit Oshri. The families. I'm not leaving the kids with Rossman. How can I? This isn't a normal situation. Don't you want to visit Oshri? I'm not leaving here. That's how they looked at us when we first came here. Saw us preparing for battle down there. When you're up here, you're sure no one can touch you. We weren't all that smart back then. Yeah, but you conquered it all right. They did. I stayed down there. I was wounded even before the battle started. I lay in the APC. Listening on the radio how my friends were being killed. At least you fought. There was an enemy. A goal. A purpose. You took the most important mountain in Lebanon. Not like dying in a guard post, and being called cannon-fodder. Being told it's worthless. We're leaving any minute, anyway. They said the same thing then, too. That we shouldn't have taken Beaufort. So what? Before he died, Ziv told us that there was an order not to conquer. Is that true? I don't know. It's possible there was such an order. But it never reached us. It got stuck somewhere along the way. We didn't ask questions. We were determined to conquer in spite of plans going wrong. The APCs got stuck? So we went up on foot. Main thing was to carry out the mission. To take Beaufort. At any cost. And now I have to take you out of here. It's final? We're leaving? It's final. Where do I sleep? Put me on the guard list, too. Enough. I'm not doing the list anymore. Can't do it. How can I put anyone in Green? Put me up from four to six. And who do I put up from twelve to two, two to four, six to eight? I'm not doing this list. I'll do six to eight. Better replace me on time, Shpitz! Twelve to two. What's left? Two to four? Bastards. Gave me the shittiest watch. From now on we guard in the ditch, outside the post. Sitting down. No standing up, exposed. Until they get us thermo vision and rebuild the post. Every few minutes you get up and patrol. When you're done, you sit down again. Bring up any goodies you like. I don't know. Anything to keep you awake. It'll be okay. We'll get through this night. Where's your toy, Shpitz? Play something for Zitlawi. Come on, play something. In a minute I'll want you to leave So that I can fall in peace So you don't see the gaping wounds So we can be alone And break down slowly. Give up already and go away So I can finally scream in peace Without your torn look. So we can be alone And break down slowly. Fathers and sons, Grandmothers and grandchildren Mother's heart is bursting Who's to blame for her, who's to blame for me? Who'll be separated from whom? Father cries over son, cries over father. In a minute I'll want you to leave I won't be afraid to fall, won't be afraid to grow, To sink or swim, To live or die. You're early. Never mind. Must be a long time since you counted off minutes on watch. It went quickly. You play well. Where did you learn it? My parents forced me to take piano lessons from age six. Good investment. Shitty, as far as they're concerned. They wanted me to play classical. To go study more seriously. Why do you say "shitty?" You'll get out of the army and conquer the world of music. I'm not good enough. I don't have what it takes. Those who make it are unbelievably talented. Geniuses. Besides, you have to practice for hours daily. I'm lazy. I know you, Shpitzer. You're not lazy. You just don't give a shit. It's pretty quiet here today. Have a look once in a while. I'll get someone to bring you breakfast. Don't be afraid, Shpitz. You're a good musician. Go all the way. Fuck the geniuses. Keep your eyes open. Nemroushka. Anything interesting? Shitty visibility. That's good. Means they can't see us, either. Coffee? What? - Coffee? No, thanks. I'll just rest my head for ten minutes. If I'm wanted on the radio, tell them Leader can hear. That's no mortar shell. Shpitzer. Shpitzer! Shpitzer! Our guest tonight is Amos Faran. Eighteen years ago, on the first day of the Lebanon War, His brother-in-law was killed while taking the Beaufort. Last month, at the same place, Amos's son, Ziv, was killed by an explosive device on the road to the outpost. So Amos, who was active in the Four Mothers Movement, became, against his will, one of many bereaved parents who are now at the height of the campaign to leave Lebanon. Good evening, Amos. - Good evening. Are you angry? Looking for someone to blame? No. I blame only myself. What do you mean, yourself? Why you? You can blame the army. The generals. But these generals aren't really responsible for my son. They don't even know him. I'm responsible for him. He's my son. I educated him. Apparently I didn't educate him very well. What you're saying surprises me very much. In Israeli society it is usually accepted that a son who volunteers for an elite unit, is the result of a good education. When I was a kid, my parents made me feel like the most valued thing on earth. A precious stone that should be wrapped in cotton wool. At this moment, I've no idea where my sons are. One went on a trip to South America. The other is still a soldier, an officer. And Ziv, I do know where he is. In a grave. I didn't make them understand how important their lives are. That if something happens to them, a whole world falls apart. Collapses. That's the job of a parent. I feel I have abandoned my child. But Amos, what do you mean by "abandoned your child?" How can you protect a child, as you say, and also give him the freedom that he deserves? Just like you teach a child not to run into the street. You instill an instinct of fear. Are you Liraz? - Yes. Get some guys over here, help us unload. What is this? Come on, let's get this stuff down. Where do you want it? We'll take them to the bunker. Put them in the bunker. Hey, driver guy! No smoking! The cigarette, come on! Leave him alone. After this drive, he deserves it. The scariest hour in my life. Drive into Lebanon with 6 tons of explosives? It's insane! Let him smoke in peace. What's this for, Liraz? For the day of evacuation. Come on, come on... Deploy to the bunker. Has a lot changed since they last drew this outpost? Sure. Every year they pour 100 tons of concrete fortifications. You've got eighteen years worth of concrete here. It'll be quite a job, blowing all this up. I just can't imagine it. What's the problem? Imagine a mountain with no outpost. Can't. You got a girlfriend? Why? - Answer me. I asked a simple question. Yes, I do. Imagine yourself with her, here on the mountain. Sunset. The most amazing landscape on earth. You're holding her hand, walking around with her. Showing her: Here was Green, here, the observation post. Here was the gate. She looks around, and all she sees is nature. A tourist attraction. No sign of any of this. Paradise. I just can't picture it. It'll come, don't worry. The detonator that will lift up this whole mountain is already in my pocket. It's happening, man. The poison's already in the tube. Now we're just waiting for the go-ahead to open the tap, let the poison flow into the vein. Top secret. Subject: Changes in deployment. Update: Activation of operation "Back to the future." Incoming, incoming. Impact, impact. Bardelas from Leader. Roger, over. Roger. Stand down. Roger that. Good morning. Good morning, Bardelas. Wait, guys. Listen up. Pay attention. There's a good chance that we leave in the near future. The very near future. It could even happen tonight. Amazing! Where did that come from? We don't know anything yet. There are many questions and until I get the order, I won't believe it, either. But the South Lebanon Army is collapsing around us. That means that at the moment we're on our own here. What we need to do is quickly clear out the outpost, as fast as possible and as safely as possible. We leave nothing for the Hezbollah. We also have 980 landmines to set. Meir is in charge of that. Meir... In less than two hours a convoy will get here. All personal equipment, anything not critical for fighting, goes. Also, as many soldiers as possible go with the convoy. Back home. Twelve men stay here, with me. At 23:00, if all goes well, we blow up Beaufort. Didn't you hear? Get moving! Up here. Come with me. Put it here. Faster. Anything that doesn't go on the truck, stays. Meir, how long do you need from the moment I get the final okay? Two hours. But I could use more time. Right now the mines are very badly distributed. Right, so get back to work. Don't connect anything until you get a final go-ahead from me. Whoever isn't helping Meir, replace men at the posts. And be alert. We're not out of here yet. Koris, come with me. Hey, Meir. If a mortar lands here now, what happens? - It's not healthy. Go ahead, Koris. - No way. This one's yours. Stop it. Don't argue. Caesar Leader from Bardelas Leader. Roger, over, Bardelas Leader. Roger, ready in half an hour, awaiting your clearance, over. Roger. Change in schedule. No clearance at the moment. You're staying another night. Copy that? Over. Bardelas Leader, do you copy? Repeat. You're staying put for now. No clearance. Repeat, no clearance. Roger. Do you realize what that means? We're twelve men here, and the whole outpost is mined. Roger. I realize what it means. You have air support. Nothing I can do, Liraz. Hang in there. The Cabinet hasn't approved yet. Bardelas Leader, do you copy? Copy that. Get everyone. Anyone not in posts, to the mess hall. Liraz, this is insane. There'll be a massacre. They know what they're doing. The fuck they do! After we all get slaughtered here, they'll say they shouldn't have left us exposed. Exposed to what? The whole of the IDF is on highest alert. If needed, they'll send up a whole army to get us out. Don't worry. They must be cooking up some political agreement. They wouldn't desert us like this. What political agreement? What political agreement?! Think anyone gives a damn about us? That anyone gives a damn about me? - What do you want, Koris? What? Want me to blow up this mountain on my own initiative? Want me to run away? Yes. I can't. - Why not? Get us on the vehicles, push the button and get us the hell out. I can't. You know what? I deserve a commander who can. We all do. Ziv, Zitlawi, Shpitzer, Oshri. They deserved a better commander than you. Koris. I don't deserve it, either, Koris. I don't deserve to freeze up like some pen-pusher and see my best friend in a pool of blood, yelling, "Help, Liraz." I don't deserve it. If it hadn't been for you, Oshri would have died. Think I don't know that? I do. I wish someone else was there. I wish. Someone better than me. I wish I had the balls to get the hell out of here now. To blow up this mountain by myself. To get you out. But to tell the truth, forget my rank, forget I'm your commander, I can't abandon this mountain. I can't. Something's physically stopping me. I don't deserve to be the one who fled from Beaufort. Koris. Liraz. Liraz, Liraz! Emilio, what are you doing here? Emilio, wait a minute. I thought you had gone. No. We're still here. We're staying till tomorrow. But the generator broke down. Till tomorrow? - Yeah. Still no final clearance to leave. I'm on watch in Green now. Good. Get up there. I'll come visit in a while. You got a radio there? - Yes. But it doesn't work properly. Can't hear. Antenna's fucked. Okay. Take another from there. You okay? It's hell there now. I'm scared to death. I know. It'll be over in a day. Can you handle one more day? You don't have to go up there if you don't want to. Emilio. I can't go up there again. I can't. I can't. Okay. Don't. Stay here. Who'll be in Green? - No one. You sure? - Yes. Emilio, you're the last guard in Green. For 18 years there's been a soldier there. You're the last. Come on, give me a hand here. Meir, use me. There must be something I can do. Know how to make coffee? Forget it, I'll do it. No, Beiliss. It's okay. Just make it strong. And bring me something to eat. Shit. Do like this. Turn. Fingers on your nose. - On 6.6.82 the Beaufort fort was conquered by the Golani Commando Unit - - Died in battle: - Beiliss. Beiliss. Leave it. I guess they want to stay here. Go get the guards. Tell everyone to come down. Tell them to come down and bring their radios. That's it? Head count. - Head count. One. - Two. - Three. - Four. - Five. - Six. - Seven. Eight. - Nine. - Ten. - Eleven. - Twelve, last. Get in. In. Caesar Leader from Bardelas Leader. Copy, we're in the vehicles, awaiting clearance. Clear to move out of Bardelas. Wait there for orders. Copy. Copy that. Emilio, go. Get out of here. I'll join you in a minute. Get inside, inside! Get in, get in. What, are they crazy?! Puma from Bardelas Leader. We need a smoke screen. Smoke screen over the road, now! Over. Meir, what's up? You ready? Give me two more minutes. - No go. There'll be missiles. Puma from Bardelas Leader. Stop smoke. Puma, it's too close. It's on top of us. Stop smoke. I repeat, stop smoke. Come on, Meir. There's no time. Caesar Leader from Clover. Okay to arm? Over. Roger. Affirmative. Ready! What? I didn't hear. You ready? Ready, ready! Puma from Bardelas Leader. Ready for Papa. Is that a go? Liberty, it's Kimhi. Hear me? - I hear you, Kimhi. Give it a last look for me. And get it over with. Out. Meir. Go. Get in, everyone. Get in, Liraz. Come on, push the button already. Caesar stations, copy Papa in... Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four... three, two. Emilio, step on it. Come on, let's go home. Mom, it's Idan. I'm home. I know, I know. Yeah, me too. |
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