May Allah Bless France (Qu’Allah bénisse la France)

Once upon a time,

every story begins like that...

Yes, yes, yes!

Too many brothers gone who we loved.

There's just cash and rage to forget.

We've run these blocks for years.

Nothing's left, nothing.

Too many brothers gone who we loved.

He fell for no reason, too! Just stupidly!

Totally!

Look at him. Look at that guy.

Always the same bastards I swear to God.

Hey, it's that same son of a bitch!

Wallah, it's always the same patrols, bro!

Fucking bums!

Son of a bitch... I swear on the Koran..

He's the guy who beat the shit out of you, Rachid!

Hey!

Guys, guys, guys! Get out of here!

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY ABD AL MALIK

Police!

You're going to calm down, OK? Hands back,

put your hands behind your back!

Did you see me throw stones?

- I saw the stone. - We didn't do anything.

It wasn't us, I swear!

MAY ALLAH BLESS FRANCE!

Are you nuts? We didn't do shit!

Oh, you didn't, did you?

We'll see about that.

AN ABD AL MALIK FILM

Get in, we'll see.

What the hell are you doing here again?

We didn't do nothing! Why are we here?

You've lost your shit!

Swear on the Koran, we didn't do it! You're nuts!

Taking us in for nothing. You nuts?

Cuffing us.

What you do now?

Hey, hey! Please!

Hey! Excuse me!

It's fine, ma'am, he's my brother.

- Answer me! - Swear to Mecca...

Hey, what's your name?

Pascal.

What's your name? Speak up, I can't hear you.

Pascal.

Can you speak up?

Fuck your ho ass mother, you hear that, bitch?

Leave me the hell alone!

Don't talk to me! What's your problem?

Oh, great, fine mouth you've got on you.

I talk how I want you filthy whore, get off my dick!

You not getting any? Get off my dick, what's wrong?

Fuck you saying? I'll kill you.

Swear to God, you're dead.

Hey, shut the fuck up!

He says whatever he wants.

- Chin up. - What a great new generation.

- That's right! - Yeah, well, long live France!

What'd you say? Long live what? Hey!

You crazy or what?

Don't talk to me about fucking France!

Go fuck yourselves. What's your deal? You into me?

It's taking a real beating.

Your France sucks ass, that's what's up.

Why don't you go elsewhere, then?

Because I'm crashing, here! Crashing your party, your food.

This shitty-ass country! If I could,

I swear to Allah, I'd leave, stay in the village.

Just cause you're in a uniform,

you feel balls grow under your thong.

- Shut the... - Hey!

Aren't you ashamed? You're my little brother!?

You must think you're the big boss now, don't you?

Talking to people like that, shaming me in front of everyone,

You're a nutcase, you are.

You just don't get it, do you... When will you understand?

Honest! At your age! You still don't get it?

POLICE

Unbelievable...

Always have to come pick you up from the same place.

And if you keep it up, you know, your mom's going to find out.

I mean, I pity her,

she's my sister, she's smart, don't go thinking she's dumb.

We really didn't do anything, Uncle.

- I know! - Rachid does crazy stuff!

It's always the others.

- It's never you! - Always!

Sure! But who's here now? You, bro.

Bilal, you must take care of your brothers,

I leave soon, you have to take care of them.

Uncle! Sorry, but they have to follow my lead.

I pray, I stopped all that nonsense.

I cut all that crap.

They should follow my lead.

Oh, when we were in the Congo, it was all,

"Oh, France is this, France is that..."

Do people not cry in this country? Do people not suffer?

And you have to be careful, really careful.

We love this country, but it doesn't love us.

You aren't at home here. You have to be able to behave.

Salaam-Alaikum.

Allah akbar.

Bilal!

Bilal, did you...

Hey, Pascal! Hey, you little shit!

I know you were at the junction, yesterday. Did you see Rachid?

I'm sleeping, bro.

Hey, Mom.

Oh, Régis, honey. Did you sleep well?

- Yeah, thanks, Mom. - Oh, glory be to God.

Hey, ma, what's up?

Leave me alone!

You good or what? Chill in?

- Number 1 Ma! - Leave me be.

My Mom kicks butt.

"Mommy, mommy..."

Yo bro.. You good?

Look, I'm sorry about yesterday, you know.

That cop pissed me though, you see how she was?

Acting like a big shot.

Honestly, she pissed me off, sorry.

Don't just write me off because of this thing...

I know you're pissed but bro, hey... Gizup...

For the band y'all putting together, you said I was a special guest,

don't write me off because of this, please...

You know what, please... I'm sorry, fam...

Really, I'm sorry, really.

Eat.

OK, uh, OK, OK, OK, OK...

It's raining on the projects Like it's raining in my heart.

Spleen grey reinforced concrete Adds to the bitterness

I read the letters to Lucilius Like I'm in the clink.

Escaping from the obstacles Of this tomb

I look out the window of my projects.

Is our world not George Orwell's?

My life was literary My life, prisonary.

In an environment where you Had to have to finally be... huh...

Had to have to finally be...

My library, my books Are my only bling-bling...

Imprisoned in a... Huh...

Yeah, go ahead.

- Hey, Nawel... - Hey.

You see Rachid this morning?

No...

And uh... How was your day, yesterday?

You know, yesterday was a rotten day.

Because of Rachid, actually.

- Oh, yeah? - Yup.

What you reading?

The revival of Sufism in Morocco.

Is it good?

It's beautiful.

So, where you headed?

Well... right now, I'm going to school.

Well, yeah... Right, of course.

Yeah, no I mean, yeah...

And, there you go, and, yeah.

Check out how ugly people from here are.

Yeah, they're ugly, but they've got money!

Who gives a shit, I'd rather be hot and out here like a dog.

You nuts?

I'd rather be ugly and have money.

Nonsense...

People come from all over the world, and we come from...

Neuhof.

It's taking him a year to show up, swear to God...

It's taking him a year.

Did you call him or what?

Yeah, I called him! He never picks up, though!

What am I, going to call him 50 times?

Top-up?

Top-up every 5 minutes

to land on his voicemail?

So, ever since Socrates,

Plato, and even since the Pre-socratic beginnings,

up until the dawn of Christianity,

philosophy always began

with the choice of a way of living.

Supported by a vision of the cosmos,

and carried out in the world with other people.

In communities, in schools.

From this conversion of the self flows philosophical discourse,

which justifies their existential choice

and provides an account of a worldview.

Alright?

Philosophy is therefore not a system,

it is a preparatory exercise for wisdom,

a spiritual exercise.

See you Monday.

Hey, that was good, Régis.

What you said about Sisyphus.

Thanks, Ma'am.

But when you reference Camus...

Don't forget to mention him.

But that was well-spotted, alright, great job.

Say, by the way, I wouldn't mind seeing your mother.

You go ahead and give her this, and I'd like you to come too,

because it's to do with you.