Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets

I'm rowing.

The waves are high.

The sun burns me.

I sweat.

I'm not moving forward.

Then I see a pretty woman waiting for me.

She looks at me, smiles at me.

I smile back at her.

She climbs into the boat.

I take her hand,

because the boat's swaying.

Suddenly the wind rises.

I hoist the sail.

And the boat takes off...

Then what?

That's all. I wake up.

How old are you?

Fifteen.

During the day, what do you do?

I watch over the city.

Ali, you said you'd be serious.

Your pals say you can pull cars with your teeth. Is that true?

Sure I can.

It's easy. I tie the ends of a rope to each mirror.

I stand in front of the car.

I take the rope in the middle.

I bite down hard on it

and I start to pull.

And then?

That's all, the car follows me.

When I was little,

they called me "Ali Steel Jaws".

Tell me, Ali, what do you want to be later?

A sailor.

Really? Why a sailor?

Because I love the sea.

Why else?

It's what I want to do.

How do you eat, buy clothes...?

I work, I dabble at things.

I don't live on anyone's back!

Why did you run away from home?

I didn't run away.

Why did you leave?

My mother...

She wanted to sell my eyes.

- She wanted what? - To sell my eyes.

Is that true?

When I was little,

I remember a big black car.

The guy spoke strangely. As if he came from another country.

My mother sent me on an errand.

But I'm not dumb, I listened at the door.

He told her: "He won't feel anything.

"Then you won't need to work, you'll be rich."

I really heard that.

I said: "Why stay with a mother like that?"

Where did you go?

On the streets.

Your parents didn't look for you? You never saw them again?

Where are they now?

They're dead.

Move in closer on him.

Fine. Cut!

Kwita...

I'm going to leave.

Where to?

You know very well.

To my island.

And us?

You'll get by without me.

Kwita!

Goal!

"Go, Raja, go! Let your pride show"!

Raja's a lousy team!

I'll show you something.

Swear you won't tell anyone?

I swear.

What is it?

A compass.

A what?

Wait.

Look.

Go play, you!

That's north.

The needle tells me that.

That way is west,

where the sun sets.

If I go straight ahead, I'll reach my island.

What's that thing for?

The sun sets in the west.

But with two suns, how will I manage?

- You're really leaving? - Sure!

Now that I have it, I can embark.

I've found a captain.

At first, I'll do all kinds of jobs,

scrub the deck, sweep.

That way, I'll learn.

And I'll become a real sailor, with a uniform.

Kwita...

Don't be afraid.

When I'm on my island, I'll think of you.

At night, you'll look at the stars. So will I.

We'll be like the twin towers. They see the same thing!

Those towers are tall...

So are we!

Goal!

Life...

Is a pile of shit!

"Steel Jaws"!

Steel, my ass!

Coming back?

No, we're not.

Dib, we're not coming back.

"My mother wanted to sell my eyes!"

So your mother's dead?

She died screwing!

Ali!

Is he dead?

He's not dead! He crapped!

Can't you smell it?

He crapped! Can't you smell it?

The security men!

The cellar!

Let go!

Let go of him!

You don't die because of a stone...

Like a dog.

Depends where it hits you.

Like a dog.

Is he really dead?

You dumped him like a dog!

So we wouldn't get caught!

At least, he's in his cellar.

Ali was a prince.

A prince?

I thought his mother was a whore!

We have to bury him.

We'll bury him today.

What? You crazy?

Kwita, are we really going to bury him?

We're going to bury him! Right!

My uncle says that when you die...

Screw your uncle!

We shouldn't have split.

If we'd stayed with Dib, we'd be better off.

You crazy?

Know why Ali took us down to the port?

He wanted to leave.

He'd found a captain! He was going to embark!

You want to go back to the bastards who killed him?

I'll bury him!

The whole world will cry! The whole city!

Even you!

Yeah, even you'll cry!

You can keep goofing off,

but I'm burying him today.

What'll it cost?

We don't goof off!

What do you want?

They're praying for the dead?

Why?

My friend just died.

Here, it's only for the Pure.

Ali was a prince.

Only the Pure, I said!

He needs prayers, too. We're burying him today.

You don't pray.

I know a surate. I can recite it, I swear.

Don't swear.

I went to the mosque once.

Can you pay?

Yes.

How much?

You know...

my friend Ali wanted to become a sailor.

To go to his island, the one with two suns...

Now that he's dead,

I think his island's in the sky...

There are no islands in the sky.

There's heaven or hell.

Your friend's up there. Playing with the angels.

With the angels?

You dirty fuckers!

Sons of bitches!

Scavengers!

Dib!

Dib, let me out!

I beg you!

I swear I was going to give it to you!

No point in shouting! He's deaf!

Omar...

We won't go back with them, right?

Madame...

I'm a good Moslem!

Sardines, you fucker!

I kept them for you.

Kwita, you're a pal. You gave some to...?

To who? The old hag?

No...