No one knew where Mondo came from.
One day he showed up in our town
perfectly unnoticed.
We knew nothing of his family or his home.
Maybe he had none.
He had surely come from far away,
the other side of the mountains, the other side of the sea.
We could tell he wasn't from around here
and that he had seen many lands.
Not at school?
Wait, wait for me!
Do you want to adopt me?
I'd like to.
But you know, adopting a child isn't easy.
How old are you?
I don't know.
Where do you live?
I don't know.
That way.
See anything?
I did this morning.
People complained.
It's a kid!
Hey kid!
How pleasant to sleep like that,
at the foot of a strong-smelling tree,
surrounded by warmth and peace.
When you sleep, Mondo, you are not there.
You have gone elsewhere, far from your body.
You have left you body sleeping on the ground,
and you are roaming about elsewhere.
Your body stays on the ground,
breathing calmly.
The wind pushes the shadows of the clouds
onto your face and closed eyes.
But you have gone...
into the hot light of the sun...
into the scent of the laurel leaves...
into the moisture that rises from the ground.
Everyone is watching you
because your eyes are closed.
The insects are speaking to you,
calling you.
But you cannot hear them.
You have gone far away.
Watch out for the cars.
Hurry up, kids!
Daddy, come on!
Pastries!
What's that green stuff?
It's not good.
Daddy, I want cream cake!
Stop it, Benjamin.
I want this meringue!
Put it back.
Sonia, stop touching those pies.
Here.
You want some popcorn?
- Papers. - Got none.
- Nationality? - Italian.
- How did you come? - The mountains.
Turn around.
You're under arrest.
Come with us.
Good morning.
Here...
What's the name of that ship?
Erythrea.
Are your eyes bad?
I can't read.
Really?
What does the name of that ship mean?
Erythrea? It's the name of a country on the African coast,
on the Red Sea.
It must be a pretty nice place.
And the sea there is called the Red Sea?
- You think it's really red? - I don't know.
When the sun sets, the sea turns red.
The people who lived there before gave it that name.
I bet it's going to Africa.
It's far. It's very hot there.
Are there sharks in the Red Sea?
There are alway a few which follow the ships.
But everyone's used to them. They pay no attention.
They're not mean?
You know, sharks are like foxes.
They're after garbage that falls into the sea
or anything else they can steal.
But they're not mean.
The Red Sea must be big.
Oh sure, it's big.
There are lots of towns along the coast.
Ports with strange names - Ballul,
Barasali, Debba...
Massawa is a big city that's all white.
The ships travel far down the coast.
Sometimes as far as the Farasan Islands across the sea.
- Do you like islands? - I love islands.
During the rainy season, there are storms.
The wind blows so hard
that it uproots palm trees and takes off rooftops.
Do the ships sink?
People stay at home. They don't go to sea.
Back...
That's perfect.
Reel it in, reel it in a little.
Thanks.
You want an apple?
When are you going there?
To Africa? The Red Sea?
I can't. I have to stay here on the sea wall.
Why?
Because... I'm a sailor without a ship.
Come back and I'll teach you how to read.
What's this boat's name?
Oxyton.
Do you have a letter for me?
Oxyton, Oxyton, Oxyton
We're going to go fishing...
For sardines and shrimp
and tuna...
So long, Mondo!
Here.
Thanks.
Keep it for yourself.
It's for you.
What's written on it?
I don't know.
There are lots on the beach. The sea brought them here.
What's in your suitcase?
They're beautiful!
What are their names?
Him, Pilou.
Her, Zoé.
She'll sing at 8 o'clock on the dot.
Who's he?
My friend Mondo.
Here you go.
And today, do you have a letter for me?
Let's see...
What's your name?
No letters today.
Do you want to adopt me?
Don't you have a family?
- I don't know. - You don't?
It's that kid we heard about.
What do you want?
Can I go in the elevator with you?
Of course you can.
Come on.
Where to?
All the way up.
The sixth floor? Me too.
You don't live here, do you?
No, ma'am.
Visiting friends?
No, ma'am. I'm going for a ride.
It's high like in a plane.
Ever been in a plane?
Not yet.
It must be fun.
They're faster than elevators.
Higher too?
Much higher.
To go down, push the button
at the bottom. Not the red one, that's the alarm.
Who are you?
Drink a little. It's good for you.
More.
It's hot.
You didn't tell me who you were.
I'm Mondo.
I'm Thi-Chin.
- Are you Chinese? - No, I'm not.
I'm a traveler.
Jewish, born in Vietnam.
Is your country far away?
Yes, it's very far.
And where do you come from?
You're not from here, are you?
No, I'm not from here.
Stay a little longer. Don't go yet.
I shouldn't have come into your garden.
The gate was open and I was a little tired.
You were right to come in. I'd left the door open.
For you.
So you knew I was coming?
- Are you hungry? - Yes, ma'am.
It's beautiful.
What makes this gold?
It's the sun.
So you're rich?
This gold belongs to no one.
It's like that in my country.
When the sun sets,
the sky becomes like this, all yellow
with small gray clouds so light that they're like
bird feathers.
- Do you like my home? - Yes, ma'am.
It's your home too, whenever you feel like it.
Look! A beetle!
Look how pretty this leaf is. You can see all the veins.
There are sixty.
Sixty veins. You see?
Here.
This came for you today.
You don't know anything?
No, I never went to school.
A is like a big fly with its wings folded back.
B is funny, with its two bellies.
C and D are like a crescent moon and a half moon.
E and F look like a rake and a shovel.
G is a great, big man sitting in an armchair.
H is a ladder for climbing trees.
I dances on the tip of its feet,
and its little head comes off.
J swings.
K is broken like an old man.
L is a tree on the bank of a river.
M is a mountain.
N is for names, and people wave their hands.
O is the moon, full in the black sky.
P sleeps on one paw.
Q is asleep on its tail.
R takes big steps, like a soldier.
S is always a snake.
T is handsome, like the mast of a boat.
U is like a vase.
V and W are birds, birds in flight.
X is a cross, for remembering.
Y is standing with its arms in the air, screaming "Help!"
Z is always a flash of lightning.
They're for you, Thi-Chin.
Dadi, look what I have for Pilou and Zoé.
My little Pilou, my little Pilou...
Sit down, Pilou.
There you go, Pilou.
So Dove Man, your birds are sick?
She caught a little cold.
I'll give you something for her.
Twice a day.
One leg.
Stop. Don't walk. Look at the wire.
Very good.
That's your name there.
It's beautiful.
There's a mountain, a moon,
someone waving to the crescent of the moon,
and another moon.
Why all those moons?
It's your name.
Reading is good.
I'd like to learn all the letters.
Here, you write.
What did I write?
Ovo, Owo...
Otto, Izti...
It's a foreign land,
far away, on the other side of the globe.
A very big country.
The people there are handsome and gentle.
There are never any wars,
and no one
is afraid of dying.
There is a river
that is as large as the sea.
Can I come with you, Dadi?
Yes, I'll take you.
When can we go?
Soon.
A mountain.
A moon.
A man waving to the crescent of the moon.
And another moon.
- At night everything smells good. - Because we can't see.
We smell and hear better when we can't see.
They're beautiful tonight.
Do they say things, Thi-Chin?
Yes, they say many things,
but we can't understand what they say.
Even if we knew how to read, we couldn't understand?
No, we couldn't, Mondo.
Human beings cannot understand what the stars say.
Maybe they talk about how things will be a long time from now.
Yes, or maybe they're telling each other stories.
Or maybe
what roads to take
and what places to go to.
They're shining bright.
Maybe they have souls.
What's wrong, Thin-Chin?
Don't leave! Don't leave, Mondo!
What is it, Thi-Chin?
I'm not leaving. I'm not going to go away.
I'm sorry, I'm being silly.
Where is Dadi?
Who?
Dove Man?
They took him away last night.
Where to?
The hospital, I guess.
How about Pilou?
What's wrong? Are you sick?
Where is your family?
So long, Mondo.
Come back.
Stay with us.
Call.
Who?
Call who?
- Can you hear me? - Hold my hands.
Hold my hands tight. Go on.
Speak to me.
- Open your eyes. - He's breathing.
Are you a relative?
I am a friend.
Where is he?
In a State Ward.
In a State Ward?
That can't be!
What can't be?
Why? What did he do?
He said he had no family, so we sent him there.
That can't be! Don't you realize?
You're the one who doesn't realize.
A child with no home or family,
roaming the streets with beggars and bums!
He was a wild boy, eating anything, sleeping anywhere.
We'd received reports about him.
People had complained. We were looking for him.
But he was clever. He hid. This situation has to end.
Did you take care of him?
Listen, if you would like to care for this child,
if you would like custody, it is surely possible.
But he cannot stay in that ward.
He has to stay there until he gets better.
If you want to look after him, you have to apply,
build up a case. You can't do so overnight.
For the time being, let the State tend to him.
The child - what's his name again?
He's under observation.
He needs care. They'll take care of him there.
They'll set up his file. Do you realize at his age
he's never been to school?
May I see him?
No, that's impossible.
You can't see him for 4 or 5 days.
Please!
It's very important for him.
In 4 or 5 days.
Give me your name and address so we can contact you.
Your Mondo...
What happened?
He's gone.
Gone?
Gone. Disappeared.
Escaped. Vanished.
You haven't seen him? Is he here?
He set fire to his mattress
and in the panic he managed to run away.
That's why I thought you might have seen him.
We have to find him before he gets in trouble again.
Tell me if you see him.
You've got it all wrong! You've ruined everything!
I told you before, he's wild!
She knew the child would never come back,
not the next day, nor any other day.
Summer was about to begin,
yet it seemed as if it were cold. Everyone here
in our town felt it.
People kept coming and going, buying and selling.
Beggars kept begging against walls, at City Hall and at church doors.
But it wasn't the same,
as if an invisible cloud had covered the earth and stopped the light
from pouring through.
Years, months, days went by now without Mondo.
It was both a very long time and too short a time,
and many people in our town
await someone without daring to say so and without realizing it.
We've looked for him in crowds, on street corners, at doors.
We've looked at the white pebbles on the beach
and at the sea which looks like a wall.
Then we forgot little by little...
ALWAYS A LOT
Subtitles: Andrew Litvack
Subtitling: Quantum 03/2009