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BANDITS IN ORGOSOLO
This stoy takes place nowadays, in Sardinia, in the village of Orgosolo.
These men are shepherds from Orgosolo.
Their time is measured according to seasonal migrations
and the search for pasture land and water.
The souls of these men are still primitive.
What is right according to their law,
is not right according to that of the modern world.
The only things that matter to them are family and community bonds.
Eveything else is meaningless, hostile;
so too the State, represented by the police and the prisons.
What they know of modern civilization mostly concerns the gun.
They use it to hunt, to defend themselves, but also to attack.
They can become bandits at any moment,
without even realizing it.
That way.
Can't you see there's one missing?
You were sleeping! l already told you a thousand times, you must not leave them alone!
Come on, quick, let's go! How will we find her in this fog?
Come here!
See what you did? She broke her leg.
Come on!
Come on!
Take the lamb!
Heep her still.
Let go.
Hard! Pull hard!
- Is this your sheepfold? - Yes.
Are you alone here?
No.
There's my brother.
Where is he now?
Over there.
Greetings.
l've never seen you around here. Where do you come from?
We come from vey far.
What about those pigs you hid? Are they yours?
Look, l don't want any trouble.
When are you leaving?
He can't walk.
lf he's hurt, you'd better take him away.
- Come and eat! - l don't want anything.
Come on, sit down.
Haven't you left yet? You're taking advantage of me!
You even killed the pig!
- Come on, eat! - l don't want any of it. l'm not used to eating stolen meat!
lf anything happens, l'm the one who'll be blamed!
What do you want? We can't leave before the night comes.
Sure! You're the boss here!
Can you give me some water?
Give me a light.
Listen, you'd better not fight with the one over there,
otherwise you're the one who'll be sory.
Don't wory, l already feel better.
We'll leave as soon as it gets dark.
- How's this year going? - Bad, vey bad.
Are the sheep yours?
Yes, they're mine. l still have to finish paying for them.
This year's been vey bad where l come from, too.
We lost a lot of them.
- So... you ty to get by... - What else can l do?
The police! Come on, let's go!
- What are you doing here? - l'm looking after the sheep.
Give me your papers.
- What's your name? - Michele Jossu.
- From Orgosolo? - Yes, Orgosolo.
Take a look inside. Take this.
- So, are you alone here? - There's my brother, too.
- Where's your brother? - With the sheep.
- You have... only sheep, here? - Yes.
- Have you seen anyone else around here? - No, nobody.
Are you really sure?
Yes, l'm sure.
- l found this. - Let me see.
ls this yours?
Yes, it's mine.
- You said you only have sheep. - l bought it to eat.
You're treating yourself well!
This is not Orgosolo's brand.
- Where did you buy it? - At the market.
At the market, did you? Take this stuff.
Take a look around.
l must go to my sheep.
No, you're staying here.
But... my brother is young; they could get lost.
They won't get lost, don't wory.
Damn!
Didn't you know those pigs were here?
l bet you bought them at the market, too. Let's take a look!
So? What are you doing?
Come with us!
Get going!
They're all coming, now.
Let's get out of here.
Come on! Run!
Who's shooting?
Run!
Keep a small fire.
- Do you want some bread? - No, you can eat it.
No more bread.
Listen, l'm going to the village. l'll be back tomorrow, early in the morning.
- Aren't we going back to the sheepfold? - No.
Why not?
We can't. You can sleep here.
Don't leave the sheep alone.
Keep your eyes wide open, you got it?
- If l'm not back by tomorrow, Iet them graze around here. - Yes.
lf anyone asks you about me, you don't know where l am. OK?
- l have to talk to you. - Wait a second.
Come.
Come in.
- Something bad's happened. - Yes, l know.
- What do you know? - They killed a cop near your sheepfold!
- Eveybody's talking! - Is he dead? - Yes, he's dead.
You can tell me.
What happened?
- Can you warn my mother? - l'm sending someone, wait.
Mintonia!
- When did you get here? - Right now.
- Listen, go to Michele's. - Yes.
Tell Michele's mother that he's well and that she shouldn't wory.
- Ask her if the police have been there. - Yes.
And come back right away.
- Be careful and don't let anybody see you. - Yes.
- Did anybody see you earlier? - No, l don't think so.
- Wait a second. - Where are you going? - Wait.
Give me some wine.
Hey, what's up?
You recognize me, don't you?
Were you playing?
Who were you playing with?
Go to bed now.
Come on. It's late.
Aunt Mallena!
Aunt Mallena!
Aunt Mallena!
The problem is they ran away. If only they had managed to catch them! Scoundrels!
- Weren't you with the police? - Yes. - So they know you didn't shoot.
They found the meat in the sheepfold.
They'll say l made a deal with the thieves.
They'll catch them. You'll see, it's just a matter of time.
Sure, but what do l do in the meantime? l must stay hidden.
lt's me, Mintonia.
- Did you go there? - Yes, l saw her. - Did she say something? - She's cying.
The police had just left. They looked eveywhere.
They said he must report at once, otherwise it'll be even worse.
- Did you see any cops? - Yes. They're going around the whole village.
OK, go downstairs now. If anybody knocks, come and warn us right away.
- Yes. - Don't open to anybody. - Yes, OK. - Be careful!
- What will you do? - l'm going back to my sheep.
- Where are they? - Uphill, with my brother.
lt's better if you leave them there. Otherwise they'll catch you immediately.
No. l won't leave them.
- Eveybody who did that, ended up Iosing them. - You can sell them.
- Even if you lose a little in the exchange, it's still the best thing to do. - l won't sell them.
They must come and get me uphill, if they want me.
You don't want to be a fugitive forever, do you?
There's little difference to how l've lived until now,
always working in the open county.
Back to the village?
Yes.
- Are you well? - Yes.
l'm taking advantage of you. It's late, l'd better go.
Don't. Stay here. We're making bread. We'll work all night.
Let's do something. Listen...
l'm going to Nuoro to see a lawyer.
l'll tell him what happened. Maybe he will give us advice.
Well, if you want to go, go ahead.
But l don't want to turn myself in to the police.
l know how these things end up.
Who knows how long it will be before the the trial begins,
and eveything else!
Who's going to support my family? They are?
They're still around.
Thinking of all the efforts l've always made, ...
since l was a child, ...
to finally have my sheep!
And l haven't even finished paying for them.
And now... l really needed all this trouble!
Be a shepherd, sure!
Last year was so bad, half of them died.
And now that l was making up for it...
That's all l needed to get ruined, some bandits!
l guess we were just born desperate!
- Did you bring eveything? - Yes, the dress and the coat too.
Keep it still.
- Did anybody see you? - No.
Let go. Tell Gonario l went to Punta Sulitta.
- When he needs me, he'll find me there. - Yes.
- Please, go visit my mother. - Yes, l will.
Here, this is your stu_.
Watch it when you eat, we haven't got much.
Now you must look after the sheep, alone. From here, we can keep an eye on the road.
lf we see the police, we can get away. l'm staying nearby.
- When are you coming back? - Evey now and then, to help you out.
You never saw me, you don't know anything.
These are the papers. If they ask you about the sheep, eveything's written there.
- Do you understand? - Yes.
OK, now put it in the mould.
Take the other one. Hury up.
Squash it.
Turn it.
- Have you seen anyone? - No. - Are you sure? - Yes.
Why is there no shepherd around?
These are bad places.
ln winter you have snow, in summer there's no water. You must know your way around.
l like it here, though.
Have you ever been here before?
With our father.
What were you looking after? Goats?
Yes, many of them. We had more than 400.
Did they all belong to the master?
Yes, all of them.
So, dad died here?
Over there.
Where?
There, below that peak.
Were you there with him?
l was far away.
How did it happen?
He was looking for some lost goats.
lt was dark... and he fell into a ravine.
When did you find him?
The day after.
He was almost dead because of the cold and l couldn't do anything.
- How was our father? - He was a good man. He made people respect him.
But did he ever have his flock?
He was... unlucky.
- But you managed to have yours. - At least for the moment.
- Aren't we going back to the sheepfold? - No, not now.
What did you do? Why are they looking for you?
There was some trouble, with some strangers.
lt was you... who started shooting?
Go back to the sheep! Go, right now!
Get going!
Hury up!
Who are you looking for?
- Where's Michele? - He's not here.
l must talk to him at once, it's something vey important.
What do you want from Michele?
Gonario sent me. l brought the donkey with me, to cary all the stuff.
- Did you meet anyone on your way? - No.
Call him, quick!
- What's this? - Something to eat.
Don't move, wait here.
Watch out.
- Why is it you? - Gonario couldn't come, they're keeping an eye on him.
- What did he say? - To be careful. The police are making patrols.
There are hundreds of them. They're searching eveywhere.
They've come from Cagliari, those with the black beret.
They have trucks and tents. They're coming here.
Gonario said you must Ieave at once.
lf you stay with your sheep, they'll catch you for sure.
- What about my mother? - She sent you some bread.
- How is she? - She's so worried! She's always thinking about the two of you.
Michele! Take a look, there are some cars over there!
Look at the dust!
You see, they're coming! Run! They're looking for you!
Run, quick! Climb up the tree.
Hand me that stuff!
Quick!
Tell Gonario l'm taking the sheep with me.
Tell him to sell this stuff. Half the money's for my mother, half for the debt.
- OK, but what about you? - l'm leaving.
Michele!
Come on! Let go!
Be careful. Go that way.
You will find another crossing soon. Go down that way; you won't meet them.
l'm getting out of this place. l'm crossing the mountains, if l can.
Run!
They can't walk any further. l'm going to a place nearby.
Look after the sheep.
l'll be back when it's dark.
We have to walk at night, as long as we are in the Orgosolo region.
What if they find us?
l don't think they will. We've walked a long way.
Wait for me here. Don't move from here.
- What's your name? - Jossu Giuseppe.
- What are you doing here? - l'm with my sheep.
Give me the papers.
- Are you Michele's brother? - Yes, we're brothers.
- Where is he? - l don't know.
But the sheep are his.
lt's written here!
Yes, they're his.
- So, he's here! - No, he's not.
Get that bag.
What's that stu_ for?
- For making cheese. - And you do it alone?
Yes.
- Where do you sleep at night? - In the open county.
Who are you tying to kid around with?
What kind of stoy is that? Your brother's here and you know it!
Come on, talk! Where did he go?
Talk! We're going to catch him anyway.
Did he hide himself?
ls he close? You'd better answer!
- Did you find anything? - A few footsteps. He must be around here.
- Did the kid say anything? - Nothing at all! They're all the same!
There's nothing to be done: they learn how to tell lies before they've been born.
Let's threaten him by saying we're taking him to the police station. That'll bring his memoy back.
Maybe he really doesn't know where his brother is.
He's around here for sure. We'd better hide in the woods.
We can hide around here and wait until it gets dark. He won't leave him alone.
What if he gets away?
No way! How could he, with all the sheep? We'll hear the bells.
Let's go.
They found him. Quick!
This way!
The police were here. l hid the sheep over there.
- Were they shooting at you? - Yes, from a distance.
They came back last night, they walked right below here.
- Many of them? - Yes, many. - Which way did they go?
- So? - That way.
Let's hury, before they come back.
- We must go that way. - How?
There's a crossing. If we find it, we'll be safe.
What if the police see us?
We just have to get to the bottom. They don't know which way to go.
Where do we go after that?
Beyond the mountains, to a sheepfold l know. They won't look for us there.
- What about the water? - There's a little at the bottom, but we must walk fast.
- The sheep are tired. - Get going! What else can we do?
They saw us!
They won't catch us, they're too far. It's almost dark.
Look, there's a shepherd over there. Maybe there's some water too.
Who said you could take the water?
We're taking just a little to let the animals drink. They're dying of thirst.
And when they're done, what will be left for mine?
You can't refuse some water.
- Where do you come from? - From Orgosolo.
- Are these yours? - Yes.
The animals are worn out, can't you see?
They're tired. We've walked for a long time.
Can't you see their legs are hurt? Where are you taking them?
Downhill, if l can.
And you're taking them this way? They're all going to die!
How long can it take to cross these mountains?
You can do it in one day.
- Come on, get going! - Let them drink!
They've had enough!
They can't make it, they're tired.
- What are you doing? - They can't make it.
- Come on! - It's useless, they're too thirsty. - Come on! Get going!
Hey! Come on.
Come on, ty to walk. Give it to me.
Come on, we're almost there. You see the plain ahead?
Come on, walk!
What is it? You feel ill?
l don't know, l'm thirsty.
You have a fever?
My head is spinning.
You really can't go on?
Well, get some rest. l'll ty to find some water for you.
lt's too late now, going on is useless. We won't get to the plain.
There's a shelter over there.
Come on, drink.
- How do you feel? - My head's on fire.
l'm cold.
We've almost arrived, haven't we?
Yes, we have.
- Will the police still come and look for you? - No, l hope not.
What do they want to do?
- They want to send me to prison. - But you didn't do anything, did you?
- No. - Why are they looking foryou, then?
- Someone shot a cop and killed him. - Who did it?
Some strangers.
You mean they can send you to prison, even if you didn't do anything?
Sure.
How?
They're going to indict me.
Where's the trial going to take place?
ln court. In Nuoro, or Cagliari... Even on the mainland.
Why don't they catch the others? You're innocent!
They don't even know who the others are. But they know me.
How long are they going to keep you in prison?
Maybe ten years.
Twenty, thirty...
- Running away was the right thing to do, then. - Well, get some sleep now.
ls the place where we're going any good for grazing?
We'll be fine there.
And there'll be a lot of water?
Yes.
- The sheep will be fine again, won't they? - Get some rest now.
What happened?
They're dying.
Why are they all dying?
That's their destiny, l guess.
What are we going to do?
l'm taking you back to the village.
What about you?
- l have no choice. - What about the sheep? - What else can we do?
Why are you taking this with you?
Don't you understand it's useless now? Throw it away! Throw it away!
We don't have any sheep any more.
lt's over.
- What are you doing here? - Is Gonario here?
He's upstairs.
- Can you call him? - Wait a second.
- Why don't you come in? - No. - Come and eat something. - l don't feel like it.
- How's Michele? - He's fine.
- What happened? - Michele wants to talk to you. - Where is he?
- He's at Bannedda's wine shop. - How is he? Is he sick? - No.
l'm going right away.
Feed Peppeddu. And tell them l'll be right back.
- Come inside for a while. - No. - Wait.
Where are you going? Wait.
Keep this.
This was delivered to your house.
The Court sent it.
What's written in it?
lt says...
.. aggravated robbey, criminal association.
And they hold you responsible...
.. for the policeman that's been killed.
They're convinced you're guilty because you've become a fugitive.
- Where are the sheep? - They've all died.
How will you honour your debt?
l've managed to keep them waiting, but they said that they're selling your house...
.. if you don't pay.
- Is my mother aware of this? - No. l didn't want to scare her too much.
She's hasn't been herself any more, since they've been after you.
The la_er is asking for a lot of money, too.
l understand. Tell them l'm going to pay back eveybody!
Peppeddu will stay here now. You have to find a new master for him.
Do you need anything?
Yes.
A gun.
- Throw the gun away! - What do you want?
Throw it away, l said!
Get on the ground!
What did l do to you? Why do you want to ruin me?
They ruined me too. Ty to find a way to get by.
Don't ty to follow me, tomorrow they'll already be sold.
Wait! Stop! Don't take them all!
l'm just like you... What did l do to you?
You have no conscience! God will never forgive you for this!
How will l live if you take them away? You're making a poor wretch out of me!
l'll find you again!
Wherever you go, l'll find you!
That's all you can do! Stealing others' stufF!
l'll get back at you... as long as l live!
Scoundrel!
Thief!
Bandit!
BANDITS IN ORGOSOLO Subtitles by talpaleone and lordretsudo