Last Ashes, The (2023)

[bunniefuu]

Luxembourg 1838

Under Dutch occupation,

three famines, w*r and disease

have k*lled one quarter

of the population.

A majority of people leave

the country. A few remain.

In the north, the Graff family

reigns over a remote high castle.

People loyal to Graff

are fed and protected,

but their survival depends on the

sacrifices they're willing to make.

A thief! A thief!

Where?

- They steal from us!

Where?

- Down by the river!

Where are you running to?

I must tell Graff!

- Helene, come back!

Father, father!

Why did you ring the bell?

Thieves... they are close...

four of them!

Go back to your mother!

- I must tell him!

Thieves! They steal our food

for the celebration.

Fetch your brothers!

Thieves! Pier, Luc!

Father is calling!

Did they see you?

I caught the thieves.

Out of the way!

Clear the way!

A loaf of bread, nothing else.

We do not eat cake

before we eat the roast dinner.

We work hard for what we have.

Gather your family and get...

My daughters need help.

Thieves who get caught

must be punished.

Are your girls ripe?

Give us one of your daughters.

I do not understand.

One daughter for all your lives.

Helene!

Bring bread!

You choose for him!

Choose!

Or none of them will survive.

She stays.

She is my youngest,

I want the entire loaf.

Now get lost!

Your name?

What is your name?

Marie.

How old are you?

Twelve.

Do you bleed?

One day, I will be

as strong as my father.

Hush! We will never

catch it like this.

I will be stronger.

Impossible, you are just...

- What?

- A girl.

- So what?

I will still be stronger than you!

Really? Prove it!

Go on, catch it!

Jon... go help Meyers!

He needs your swift hands with his bees.

- Yes, father.

I am swifter than him.

You do not know your place, Missy.

Only male fireflies can fly.

Females have no wings.

Come along.

You want to burn the place down?

Get lost!

Push!

You must be stronger for this!

Those grains... are our daily bread.

Our bread... is our life.

Every grain that is lost

is one less bite of bread.

Everyone here has his duty,

so that all of us

can live a decent life.

Pushing the wheel

of the mill is not your duty.

Your duty is to bear

strong sons to my Jon.

Everyone gets his ration.

Go back to your father.

Open the gate.

Now you are the main man

on the farm.

Next year I will go hunting, too.

I will come along.

I also want to see what is

on the other side of the mountains.

You are not allowed.

What else should I do

all those days without you?

You have a new sister now.

She does not say much.

She's pretty, though.

Lust is a mortal sin.

Soon, you will no longer

be able to hide behind this.

Maybe you will not even

recognise me.

Always.

Today, lent has come

to an end for all of us.

Not one of you

shall go home thirsty.

None shall go home hungry!

This will be the Easter of

Helene and Marie,

and it must be celebrated.

We survived a tough

winter together.

Together, we escaped

death yet again.

Together

we shall forge our own destiny.

Eat until your belly bursts.

Meyers... shall we go!

Gospel according to Luke...

And every year his father and mother

went to Jerusalem

at the feast of the Passover.

And when he was 12 years old, they

went up to Jerusalem, to the feast.

And when the days of the feast came

to an end and they were going back,

the boy Jesus was still in Jerusalem

but they had no knowledge of it.

But they supposed him to have

been in company...

Letter to Galatians, 5:16

walk by the Spirit,

and you will not gratify

the desires of the flesh.

For the flesh has desires

against the Spirit,

and the Spirit against the flesh,

because these are opposite

the one to the other,

so that you may not do the things

which you have a mind to do.

Do you understand?

Helene...?

You must stay.

I don't want to.

Those are the rules...

to each his duty.

I should not even be here.

I brought you fresh bread.

I must get out of here!

- That's impossible.

It is not over yet.

You are stronger than me.

I really must get out of here.

Wait... what about Marie?

We cannot leave her here.

She is with father. Come now!

What have you done?

What did you do?

Helene?

It is not your fault.

Your grandmother also saw herself

in this mirror for the first time.

And me too, many years ago...

no one can take that away from us.

We go back now!

No!

We will leave.

What about you, boy?

What says the village?

Your brothers...?

Your sisters...?

We want to seek our own happiness.

Death is no one's happiness.

We will not stay here!

- Death awaits out there!

You choose death

over our village?

We choose our own destiny.

So be it.

My boy stays here!

No... no!

No!

You shall never run away again!

Kremer... punish him!

Jon... no!

Your flesh is all you get to keep!

The rest does not belong to you!

Come...

No... Mother! No!

Father!

My father did warn you...

Death awaits out here.

THE LAST ASHES

15 years later

After centuries of foreign

occupation, Luxembourg is free.

To end the chaos, country and

city folk must come together.

Tracks of iron are being laid right up

to the north of the country.

Where no one dared to tread

for decades.

Fire!

Fire!

That fire will not stop us.

We need to get to Clervaux

by the end of next week.

How much damage is there?

We break our backs laying tracks,

but they fear for their lives.

Are you sure you saw

someone on horseback?

We are not wanted here.

This is... is nothing...

nothing but,

but a fairy tale.

On the far side of the river,

buried in the dark

haunting faces made of wood,

are praising their patriarch...

It is... a

a children's song.

Just a song

to scare the children and keep

them from going into the woods.

Fairytale or not,

the tracks must be laid.

We cannot tolerate another attack.

Give it to him.

One is for me.

You have one shot, old man.

Out here death awaits, Kremer.

It is his carriage.

Here lies a body.

Bring a torch.

It is Kremer!

Blood... everywhere.

Dead... Pier, his throat was cut.

Tracks! Several people!

On horseback!

What shall we tell the others?

The truth. Kremer was attacked.

Whose horse is this?

Father!

Father! One has survived.

For a wh*re is a deep pit,

an adulteress is a narrow well.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners,

and purify your hearts,

you double-minded.

You are not simple minded.

Ill?

You are not warm.

You are not afraid of me, are you?

Get dressed and come with me.

Your name?

Oona.

You are not from around here.

I was born in the chief town

and raised on the New Continent.

You all come home,

sooner or later.

Who marked your body

in this manner?

My travels.

You were among the savages.

Settlers traded me for cattle.

The natives told me their tales

and showed me their ways.

They gave me my freedom.

Your family?

Taken by the breath of Death.

Yet you believe in God?

I believe what nature shows me.

Ungodly ramblings.

Who attacked you?

Men in uniform.

Who attacked you?

Choose your words carefully!

Men in uniform.

Lies...

But... they did not cut your throat?

They were not after me.

Why were you in that carriage?

Your man promised to take me in

and to give me food.

What did you promise him?

That he would not die alone.

Are you barren?

Or can you still bear children?

Good.

Good.

Wait here.

Come with me.

No need to be afraid of me.

I do not want to tempt the Devil.

I cannot get ill.

Why don't you rest?

A Graff knows no rest.

We must carry out our duties.

Are you sisters?

We are related by marriage.

Your neck looks all messed up.

It tells my story.

My name is Oona.

Sidonie... I'm Sidonie.

And you?

Marie.

I don't... trust them.

They are Luxembourgers, like us.

Who says it was not them...

them who attacked us.

We will find out soon enough.

There was a fire

at the railway tracks.

We need workers.

They will be paid.

You need us?

We need everyone.

The country doesn't build itself.

We have always been free.

And we shall remain free.

Every Luxembourger

must do his part.

Those are not our laws.

Now get out of here!

The railway will lead to change.

Are your children ill?

It is not... not a fairytale.

Why are their faces hidden?

They are not... not fairytales.

Enough!

One of our men

was attacked last night

his throat was cut.

There must have been several men,

one guy alone could

not have overpowered Kremer.

Tom saw the arsonist.

He w..was

was on horseback.

Just

just like him.

He is still green under the gills.

He... he... he...

probably still wets his pants.

Easy, easy!

This one is loaded.

That one too.

We do not want

we do not want

unnecessary skirmishes.

Crawl back under your rock

and stay in your fortress.

None here shall

lift a finger for you.

Stay off our land.

This goes for our water, too.

Water belongs to everyone.

My babies

time to wake up.

Honey wine...

Honey wine

oh, you blessed honey wine.

Who is it?

Who, then, is the greatest

in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Who is there?

And Jesus called

a little child unto him,

and set him in the midst of them.

Show yourself!

Who is it?

But who so shall offend one of these

little ones which believe in me,

Come here

it were better for him a millstone

were hanged about his neck,

and that he were drowned

in the depth of the sea.

Meyers?!

Meyers?!

- Meyers?!

- Jon!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Jon!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

Meyers!

What are you doing here?

Meyers has vanished.

I looked everywhere...

in his chambers at the chapel,

where he keeps

his honey and his bees.

There is no trace of him.

And our father?

Leave him be... he must rest.

Ring the fire bell.

I do not think father

would want that.

The fire bell.

The fire bell... now!

What happened?

Meyers has disappeared...

Where is Graff?

- But we will find him!

Who attacked Kremer?

A g*ng of...

- The same who attacked Meyers?

Listen up!

Kremer was m*rder*d.

He gave his life to protect us.

From whom?

People from outside.

Hungry people.

In here, you are safe.

What about Meyers?

Meyers is an old man

who flagellates himself.

He is happiest when he's drunk.

Together

we are strong

together, we are free,

and together

we forge our own destiny!

You will take over Meyers's duties

until he sobers up.

Nose bleeding again?

What about the child?

I still feel it.

Go wash your face,

no one should see you like this.

What are you doing out here?

I need no help.

Follow me.

I must show you something.

Where are we going?

Help!

Marie... Marie!

You must help me!

Go fetch the others!

Who are you?

Do not listen to her...

she's just spewing lies.

Tell me your name.

Helene.

- Do not believe her!

Helene?

Faster, Marie! Dig faster!

Have you forgotten

what they did to us?

Do not look at her!

Do not look at her!

They saved my life!

Dig, Marie, dig! Hurry!

Graff broke us!

It was you who chose me, you!

Not Graff!

Hurry!

Marie... hurry!

What if it is a girl?

Faster!

Should she suffer the same fate?

Hurry!

And her daughter?

And her daughter's daughter?

Dig, Marie!

Why have you stopped?

Dig!

Why don't you?

You simple-minded woman

you wretched wh*re!

wh*res, both of you!

Your child

Your child will not need

to hide its face.

Get me out of here!

It does not need to face any Graff.

You cannot k*ll them all.

Yes, I can... one after the other.

Even Jon?

I cannot lose another child.

A Graff grows inside me too!

The pain will never end

no matter what you do!

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit

of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners now,

and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Is it a boy?

We must wait.

What is she doing here?

Go, lock her up!

Go!

It is a boy.

You did it.

It is a boy.

Marie, a boy.

Listen to him screaming.

He is strong and lively.

He is a Graff, Marie!

I want to see him.

Soon, the curse is over.

Rest now.

Rest.

Pier...

- Yes, I'm here.

Pier, our boy.

I want to see our boy.

What?

What is happening?

I'm sorry

he was not strong enough.

My boy...

Give him to me.

Marie?

Marie, come back.

Marie!

- Come, Marie...

- No.

Go home!

The stench of Death

shall not remain here.

Give me back my baby.

Marie!

Give him back!

Marie!

Marie, come...

Get your brothers!

The bread must be shared.

Stay with your wife today.

Give me the stranger.

And you shall get

the heir you deserve.

Her blood is my blood,

her blood is my blood.

Her blood is my blood,

her blood is my blood.

Let me do it.

No, I must do it.

Her babies are mine too.

She wiped my blood, I wipe hers.

Her blood is my blood.

Come with me.

You, stranger, come.

Her blood is my blood,

her blood is my blood...

Where were you last night?

Marie and you?

- In the woods.

- Why?

She was scared.

She was in pain.

She couldn't breathe.

Why did you not call for help?

I did not need help.

Did Marie come get you

in your room?

She came to tell me

why you rang the bells.

She was bleeding from the nose.

Odero!

Your horse is not well.

Odero!

Odero!

Ojibway [ Hello Odero.

He must get out.

He is not used to being locked up.

You will not get beyond

the inner courtyard.

You did say "you".

What?

Earlier on, you said

"you" rang the bells.

If you want to be one of us,

you must behave like one.

You call me "the stranger",

you lock me up.

You are not my prisoner.

Death awaits out here.

Are

are you from

the castle?

The water is ours.

Did you

mark those trees?

Lambs' blood.

Innocent blood.

The thing you carry

is it... your sorrow?

What is it to you?

My name is...

Tom.

You... you do not

have to go back

if you do not

want to.

My name is Sidonie.

The mill was your responsibility.

It was no accident.

You are the only one responsible!

I found this in the ashes.

You miserable cr*pple

soldiers did it.

Enough!

How many days of food have we left?

Flour for two dozen days,

more or less.

Until the damage is repaired,

grain must be ground by hand.

I have it all under control.

- No, you have not!

Do I have to spoon-feed

you every single thing?

Wall up the aqueduct first.

The castle must be secured.

No one enters, no one leaves.

And get rid of my piss!

That is the cr*pple's job.

Pier does not have your foresight.

Neither does he have my vices.

Your brothers are tough lads,

you could have been one, too.

And yet... they lost

all their newly-borns.

Not one was strong enough.

Wash them again.

Wash my feet again!

Everyone has found his place.

Apart from you.

Especially you.

They share their wrong

thoughts and say:

Short and sad is our life;

There is no cure for the end of man

and no one is known to

deliver from the underworld.

By chance we came into being

and afterwards we shall be

as if we had never been.

Smoke is the breath in our nostrils

and thought is a spark

at the beating of our heart;

When it is extinguished,

the body turns to ashes

and the spirit flies away

like thin air.

Kremer was not of our blood.

Yet he always dedicated his blade

to the Graff family.

In spirit, he was one of us.

Our time passes like a shadow.

Our end will not be repeated;

It is sealed and

no one is coming back.

Our name will be forgotten in time,

our works will not be remembered.

Our life passes

like the trail of a cloud

and dissipates like a mist

chased away by the sun's rays

and pressed to the ground

by its warmth.

Let us oppress the righteous

who live in poverty,

not sparing the widow

and not shrinking from

the gray hair of the aged!

Let our strength determine

what righteousness is,

because the weak prove useless.

You must not remain unmarried.

Your life must be tied

to the life of your offspring.

You shall be Jon's wife.

Each and everyone

must do his share of work.

Today you rest.

Tomorrow we cut down trees

and build the wall.

We carry Death outside our walls

and shall never let him in again.

Life always finds a way.

I planted a flower

for every baby that left us.

The last one is not blooming yet.

No mother can take such grief.

And no father deserves it.

As a little girl,

I also wanted to be a mother.

Bear strong children.

This is what they expect of you.

Our children.

They are Graff's children.

Is no one waiting for you

at the place you came from?

Is there someone you love?

There was one...

Did anyone try

to force one on you?

The way they do it to us.

You must endure a lot

if you want to survive.

Since my last child died,

Luc doesn't even look at me.

I became invisible.

We take care of the food,

you rest.

I stared long enough

at the ceiling in my room.

There is a lack of life

at this table.

Am I right, Oona?

We are in mourning.

What about shame?

You should be ashamed.

Your mother brought

you into this world.

She lost her life, not you.

She survived us.

He is the scourge.

Jon was stillborn.

But he was strong,

he fought for every breath.

You still suck on my tit

as if I was your sow.

You would have starved

without me!

The cr*pple and the stranger could

bring back life to this shack.

You wanted the stranger

for yourself.

I wanted to...

- You wanted to plough her like a fallow field.

I am sorry.

You gave me everything,

and I gave nothing back.

I am sorry!

Father...

He can't breathe.

Breathe, father...

Get out...

Get out!

So I am your prisoner after all?

My father can still change his mind.

I am no match for you.

Good night.

I want to confess.

Follow me.

When did you last confess?

I stole...

I lied...

I took lives,

and I will do so again

until I can rest my soul.

You promised you would

always recognise me.

Look at me, Jon.

You saved my life.

Kremer?

Kremer?!

He got what he deserved.

And Meyers?

Where is he?

They should suffer

the way we suffered.

Not all sufferings are equal.

There is no place for you here.

What have they done to you?

We should never have grown old.

The soldiers are stealing our water.

They should not be here.

Let's get them

here and now.

Soon.

Take the bread!

This is not enough.

You do not believe in me.

So you do not believe

in my bread either.

We broke our backs working.

We deserve this bread.

I never saw them this upset.

Hey!

Throw him in a cell!

You belong to us!

Do you want to be spoiled?

When an infection spreads,

the rotting limb must be cut off

before everything dies.

Spare her.

She made a mistake.

Everyone makes mistakes.

She wants to confess.

Our Lord is merciful.

- Shut up!

When Our Lord floods the land,

he puts to the test

those who doubt Him.

When He contaminates our animals,

He wants us to fast.

And if one of us

does not submit to that,

he must be punished.

No, wait!

She's not the infection!

No! It is not her fault!

No! It is not her fault!

It's the stranger!

What do you believe in?

I believe that

I will take your life.

You cannot escape your fate.

I make my own fate.

You could have been a strong Graff.

I am not like you.

No, I am like you!

An orphan.

Our childhood suffering

has made us proud.

You destroyed families,

ended lives...

So did you.

Without me, your parents

would not have survived starvation.

Without me, you would not exist.

I gave before I took.

You take wantonly

just like a child.

Children are afraid of Death indeed.

Dying is easy

living less so.

Death cannot harm me.

Lies...

Not a day passes

where you do not think of Death,

of that small moment

that feels like eternity.

That thought lurks

behind every moment of joy,

behind every sorrow,

behind every gaze.

I already saw it

in little Helene's eyes,

a fear that lasts forever.

My blood shall last forever.

In my dream no monster survives.

Who says you are

not a Graff too?

Before you, I made

a woman of your mother.

We are searching for one of our own.

We saw no one and

want to see no one here!

He is here!

Shut up.

Enough with the hiding.

We locked him up,

he deserves punishment.

What happened?

He assaulted one of our women.

Return him to us, we want

no unnecessary bloodshed.

None of this would have happened,

if your men had respected us.

Let him go

or we get him ourselves.

Never.

If you want to risk your lives

we are waiting!

Back to work!

We will be back, but not alone.

We will not let it happen.

Together we are strong, brother.

The wall is done we are ready.

They cannot hurt us.

Good.

Jon told the soldiers off.

He can, if he wants to.

Do not hesitate to fire.

No one gets in.

If one goes down,

the others will run.

Now go.

Find your destiny.

Time has come, father.

She is stronger than us.

You

you are my curse.

I am the last Graff.

Helene... Helene!

We are under attack.

I told them who you are...

to save myself.

Come...

I want to make amends.

Keep it... to protect yourselves.

What about you?

- I take care of the Graff.

Cover!

sh**t!

I need more arrows!

I hit one.

The three of you,

move over there!

I am hit!

sh**t!

We need more men.

Make sure father is safe!

Sidonie, keep away from her.

Luc, don't do it.

Sidonie...

Sidonie... Sidonie...

Come out... come out.

No need to hide from me.

Here I am...

Helene... Helene!

One at the time.

They deserve no better.

They deserve it.

Helene!

Helene... Helene.

Soldiers will be here soon.

I want to get Graff!

It is over!

You are too late.

You had no right.

I have every right.

He was mine.

You are not done yet.

I want you to do it.

We are free.

Come with me.

Away from this place.

I am a Graff.

The name means nothing,

you are not like him.

His blood runs in my veins.

We are both like him.

I too have taken lives.

Not just you.

Innocent lives.

Graff's heirs

my brothers' flesh

children...

I took away their breath...

I could not let them live...

I deserve to die, just like them.

Oona

listen to me.

Helene

deliver me.