I remember that day as if it was yesterday.
It was a peaceful spring...
here in the south of our empire.
The first World War was already raging
for almost a year now...
hundreds of miles away in the east.
But people were already talking about war,
even in our mountains.
That's when I had this dream.
Every night... the same dream.
I was on top of our mountain...
opposite an Italian soldier, a wolch.
Suddenly, the wolch ran at me...
as I pull out my rifle.
Back then, I wasn't baffled by the dream.
I couldn't wait to join the war
and finally get away from home,
fight for our country...
against the traitors.
But then, the soldier caught up again.
He was still alive.
Now, it was on me to finish him up.
But when I touched the trigger,
I saw that he wasn't carrying a rifle.
Take it in your hand.
It's your fault.
No, it's not.
Is the fuse out, Ander?
Uh-uh-uh. It's a dud, right?
It's a dud?
Lechner, you moron.
What did I do?
You let it get wet.
Oh! Hey, leave him alone.
It didn't get wet.
Ah!
Whoa!
Help! Lechner can't swim.
Help!
Come on!
Thank you.
Ander?
Ander!
Ander.
Have you lost your mind, huh?
Leaving mass... your sister's getting married. To a wolch!
I don't want anything to do with wolch!
Wolch? Italians are our family.
Not mine.
The folks in our village were outraged
that my father married off my sister Lisl to a wolch.
Most of us hated the Italians, but now everybody
was celebrating together as if they were best friends,
just like my father predicted.
One more stunt like this today,
and I'm gonna let you have it.
Your father will calm down soon.
I had never seen my sister Lisl so happy,
there with her new husband, Angelo Calzolari.
When I was four years old, my father built this hotel.
It was an instant success.
People came from all parts of the world,
but I hardly ever saw my father again.
The more foreigners, the more reputation
and prestige for my father.
Now, it was time for my father's most ambitious project ever,
the first mountain tramway in our valley.
And how convenient that Lisl's new husband Angelo
was the engineer he needed to compliment his dream.
We did it, Angelo.
Your father has big plans.
Want some?
I knew that my teacher was secretly in love
with my sister Lisl, and it didn't make things easier
that her husband was Italian.
He hated them more than anyone.
But your time will come.
You will see, Ander.
Times are changing.
I can feel it.
And then, your father will be proud of you.
He will see what you are made of.
Hm?
I see you do fancy her.
She's stunning, your new sister-in-law.
She's a wolch.
My grandfather was also Italian, from Piedmont.
Blimey, so you care less of me now?
Mm-hmm, not enough at all.
Mm.
May I cut in?
So you do like the wolch, huh?
Mm.
Francesca.
Excuse me.
Are you all right?
No... no... no partire?
Si.
No partire.
No... you are...
no partire, you... you... you don't want to leave?
Si.
No go.
No partire.
Well, um...
then, no partire.
Then... then... then, don't leave.
Ander?
They are looking for you.
For the family picture.
Ander!
What are you waiting for?
And now, quiet, please.
Silencio.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Attenzione!
Don't move!
The Italians declared war on Austria.
War, right here in our mountains.
The news instantly turned our two families...
into enemies.
We are cleaning up now.
No, another half an hour... half an hour.
Here, here! Follow me.
Quickly!
You have to hurry up now.
Angelo, take care of yourself.
I'll see you very soon.
Francesca's in the last car, I just brought her her suitcase.
Come on, let's go! Avanti!
You come back... promise?
See you soon.
It's a bit cold, but it... it... it'll be fine.
Don't, um... turn on the light
without covering the window... the windows.
Well, the local riflemen head to the front tomorrow.
That includes me.
They are... we will...
we will wait there until the Kaiserjãger arrive.
They're in the eastern Russia, but they'll get here soon,
and then we'll definitely win... win the war.
The Kaiserjãger, they are the strongest
mountain corps in the world.
I was reading a... a very, very interesting book, actually,
about the... uh, yeah.
We'll probably be cold at first,
but, um, there are other blankets underneath here.
And... and... and... and if you are... are hungry, then, um...
These bastards.
It's true.
Bastards are hunting the Italians.
Tell them to stop.
Where to?
We are on our way to Riva.
No Riva for you... get out now.
Where do you think you're going?
Go on, get back behind the wire.
Hey!
Hey.
Stop him!
Hey, get him!
This is our chance... let's go.
Stop! Halt! I'll shoot!
Si.
Milano? Mm-hmm.
No.
I... I can't go to Italy.
Italia partire me no.
Nueva York.
In America.
America? In America, si.
Hm?
Yeah.
I'll go to New York.
When?
I don't know.
No.
Soon.
New York.
Yeah.
We will go.
America.
We'll go to America.
Let's move! Hurry!
Let me through.
Everybody! Attention!
Every Tyrolean has the right and the responsibility
to defend his country.
In this hour...
as Italy has betrayed our Kaiser
and maliciously declared war on our homeland...
it is you who are the last line of defense
for our families and soil.
The Kaiser expects unconditional fulfillment of your duties.
Ten hut! Fire!
What's going on out there?
I solemnly swear by God the almighty.
A pure and sincere vow.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, I overslept.
To fight the enemy courageously and stoutly.
To preserve and protect our ordnance.
And to always stand by our flags.
The same as any brave soldier would for his country.
The same as any brave soldier would do for his country.
This is the biggest firework that exists.
The Red Eagle.
If you're in danger, you have a...
a problema... you have a problema...
You light the fuse.
You understand? You light the fuse.
It'll go up in the air.
And I'll see it, up there in the mountains.
And I'll come down...
and I'll help you.
You understand?
Capito?
Fire!
Fall out!
Rifleman Gruber reporting for duty, sir.
Close ranks.
Look after yourself.
It's good, I'll be all right.
I love you.
Everybody, attention!
Right face!
Company, march!
Hey, alpini.
What is it?
Oh, alpini.
Alpini! Alpini! Alpini!
Are you out of your mind?
Quiet down, for Christ's sake.
What's going on? I was just taking a leak,
and this idiot almost shot at me.
Ander said they were alpini.
Don't worry, you'll stop laughing soon enough.
Where would the alpini come from
on this side of the mountain, huh?
Get back in line.
I don't want the first one to die
before the war even starts.
Let's go.
Are you frightened?
You?
Eh.
When you go to war, you always have two choices.
You could get caught with your pants down,
or up and ready to go.
If it doesn't catch you, good for you.
If the worst thing happens, you still have two choices.
You either survive, or you die.
If you survive, that's great.
But if you happen to die...
You have two options again.
You'll either end up alone in a single grave
or in a mass grave.
Let's move! And...
Hurry!
What happens?
Come on.
What can happen?
Savoya! Savoya! Savoya! Savoya!
It's not easy for you, Gruber, huh?
What do you mean?
Fighting against your own family.
What is it, teacher?
Are you still having a hard time
because I wouldn't give you Lisl to be your wife?
Come on.
My daughter needed a man, a real man.
Men!
Out there, under that rock, we make camp.
Holy crap.
Look at them.
There are so many.
About 200 or 300 are sitting down there.
Well, it's a hundred times more men than we have.
Ten.
The alpini are better equipped and better trained than we are.
When do the Germans join us?
We can't wait for them.
But God is on our side.
All right, then, tell him to get us some more ammunition.
We can put more fires up.
Hurry!
Come on!
Hurry!
It's about time.
Let's unpack... quick!
Those first few days of the war
were like one big adventure.
We knew our mountain so much better
than the attacking Italians.
We made the wolch believe we were big battalions
instead of tiny platoons...
and the Italians retreated.
What's the matter, huh, Gruber?
He misses his old Gruber lady.
That's not funny at all, you morons.
This war has only just begun.
Come on, give it up.
Let Kofler play that box.
Yeah!
Today, we really showed them.
How long do you think this war will last?
Don't worry.
You will get to shoot some wolch.
Someone's coming!
Nobody shoot!
Those aren't alpini!
First lieutenant Sven Kornatz,
Bavarian Jãger Battalion One of the German Mountain Infantry.
Captain Karl Gruber,
Imperial and Royal Infantry Battalion Sexton.
We were waiting for you.
Hey!
Come on, you lazy bastards!
Everybody pull!
Pull!
Put your backs into it!
Come on, move it!
Brand-new equipment.
We just got it.
Modern times.
They'll see these all the way to Bruneck.
10,000 watt.
But how?
Generators.
Gruber, is the line still dead?
I want to have a line today.
A telephone?
In the mountains?
We have everything to win the war.
Ander!
Time to change guards.
Hurry.
Huh?
Ah.
I'm supposed to relieve you.
Good.
So what happens when you go to war?
Where were we?
Uh, the mass grave.
Mass grave, that's right.
Well, you either end up on top of the pile
or somewhere underneath.
If you're on top, well, then good for you.
But if you find you're underneath,
you'll be left with two choices.
Either you remain just as you are,
or you become a tree.
If you do stay as you are, well, good for you.
But if you become a tree,
you've got two choices again
because you either turn into a leaf tree
or a cone tree of some kind.
If you turn into a leaf tree, well, then good for you.
But if it's a cone tree you become,
you'll find yourself facing two options again.
You either grow and become a lovely piece of wood,
or you're stunted and you get...
If you grow and turn into a piece of wood, good for you.
But of course, if you're cut down,
you'll find there's still two choices.
You'll find you either end up in a sawmill
or possibly in a paper mill.
If you find you're in a saw mill, then good for you.
But if you end up in a paper mill,
you'll find you have two choices again.
You'll eventually turn into either writing paper
or possibly toilet paper.
If you become writing paper, good for you.
But if you turn into toilet paper,
you'll end up having your head in someone's ass.
That's our village.
What are we waiting for? We have to help them!
They are shelling the hotel.
And what are you guys gonna do about it?
Sir, if we run down now,
we'll be back by the morning.
You want to be court martial-ed?
We are at war!
Get used to it.
Good night.
The Italians will try to get up here.
If so, they will try to come
over the east or the south face.
Before we enforce our position on the plateau,
we have to secure the south face.
Nonsense.
You can't see this on the map,
but the south face is steep.
No one can make it up there.
You can see a lot of things on a map
if you read it correctly.
Are you saying that I can't read maps?
I'm saying that one battalion
is heading to the south face today!
The teacher, ugh.
What an idiot.
It's coming from over there.
By those rocks.
To the right.
There.
Ibex.
Don't shoot.
Alpini.
Shh.
Come on, Ander, this is ridiculous.
It's coming from down there.
It's a 100-meter drop.
123.
No one can climb up here,
not even ibex.
Alpini.
Those bastards.
I'll get my men.
Don't.
There's only the three of us.
One is enough.
Fire!
Shoot them, shoot!
Shoot it!
The Italian soldier returned.
He kept running, and nothing would stop him.
But now, I just couldn't pull the trigger
as he ran across the battlefield.
All I could do was wonder why
the wolch carried this teakettle.
Excusi.
Hey, stop it.
It won't get me out of here.
Apple pie, I made it.
Stop talking, someone could hear you!
Sorry. Stop!
Pronunciation's really good.
Get back... back in the kitchen.
Come on.
What do you have here?
Looks good.
That's an apple?
Mm-hmm. Yeah?
We will see if he has temperature.
Lisl!
Go... what are you doing here?
What happened? Ah, just a little alpini attack.
Who is she?
A kitchen head from Hungary.
How's my father? And Ander?
Here's a letter from him.
Your father doing all right... Ander too.
And I have orders to stay down here.
Mother!
Don't waste ammo!
Shoot straight, lads!
Lechner! Keep your tongue in!
Lechner! Come on!
Lechner, can you hear me?
Damn it, Lechner.
Open your eyes, open your eyes!
Lechner, come on, boy.
Stop it, he's gone.
Francesca.
What happened to you?
Your mother and your sister found me,
and have been helping me.
I thought you wouldn't recognize me.
You speak so well.
You are a hero.
Everyone says that.
You saved your father's life.
How long have I been here?
Only...
11... 11 days.
Look.
I love you.
I love you too.
Ander?
You feeling better?
You see, I told you.
Your time will come.
Everyone is talking about how many wolch
you killed out there.
They say you shot one right in the face.
A real hero.
A present for you.
You have to rest so you can return to the front soon.
Hm.
Beautiful folk songs.
Come back after the war,
and I'll show you a couple of other things you'll like.
After the war.
What's the matter?
It's moving.
It could be a boy.
You think so?
Oh... not again.
It'll go on in a second.
I'll go and light a candle.
What's Francesca doing down there?
I don't know.
Someone will recognize her.
I'll go get her.
Yeah.
Do you want to go to the military command?
You can choose.
Either me...
or an entire battalion.
Ander!
What are you doing?
The lightning!
Throw away your rifle, Ander, the lightning!
Ander!
Drop your rifle, Ander!
The finger...
I bit off.
He wouldn't let me go.
Understand?
He wouldn't let me go, so I bit off his finger.
Then I... swallowed it.
I swallowed... his finger.
His finger...
I swallowed his finger.
Ander.
Son.
Ander!
Hello, Lisl.
Hello.
I wanted to see how you were doing...
how the two of you are doing.
Thank you.
If there's something I can do...
Times are tough...
and we all have to stick together.
I want you to know...
I'm here for you.
And for the child, of course.
You need a husband.
I have a husband.
So you don't know?
What shall I know?
Huh?
Your husband.
He's dead.
That's not true.
My deepest condolences.
We confiscated the list...
with all the names of the full Italians.
I had a look.
His name was listed.
Calzolari, right?
Angelo.
I'm so sorry.
He'll be fine...
In the mountains.
What?
They are in the mountain.
Who is in the mountain?
R... right...
now.
They are in the mountain.
Mm.
Morphine, morphine.
It will come soon, it will come soon.
I'm really sorry, it will come soon.
Yes.
Congratulations for the little boy.
What's his name?
Angelo.
I'm worried about you.
Your child needs a father, you need a husband.
What do you think will happen when the boy is older?
Without a husband?
Go away.
And with that half-breed of yours.
Who will be running the hotel if your father dies?
Please, leave me alone.
If you have the marriage annulled, I'll say it's mine.
Just get out!
Shh.
I guess I'll have to tell the commander
that you're hiding a wolch...
who is spying.
You know what you will get
for collaborating with the enemy.
You have to leave.
Hold on!
There's another one.
Come on!
Pull! Pull!
And pull!
Don't shoot.
I know him.
Karl Gruber.
Go get Karl Gruber, come on!
Let's open the trap.
No, no, no!
Hey, Gruber.
Hey, we need you.
Come on... Gruber, let's go!
They can't just blow up the mountain.
You have to leave.
Return to your positions.
I'm going into the valley.
No way.
When will they blow it up?
Today.
Tomorrow.
Anytime.
I'm going.
I said return to your positions.
High command ordered all prisoners
to be taken to the valley immediately.
Flight risk.
Lieutenant Gruber.
Assign one of your men...
to take him down.
Everybody, back in position!
Understand?
We hold this mountain!
We hold this line!
You heard the man.
For you.
Thank you.
I will...
would have preferred...
to leave you a real cable car, Ander.
I know.
Ander.
You good to walk?
I will make it.
Listen.
Your sister's in grave danger.
What? Wha...
Shh!
What... Shh.
If you go this way, get to the... barn
just before you get to the village.
Wait there... then I'll come get you.
Good... take care of my sister.
Just go.
Halt!
Got matches?
Good afternoon, Commander.
Good day to you, sir.
You're a disgrace.
Just returned from combat?
Look at you, soldier.
We will never win the war like that.
Get another uniform.
You stink.
Yes, sir.
That's him, the wolch spy!
Get down!
You sorry little Italian bastard.
I wanted to see you on your knees.
On your knees, now!
Can't you hear me?
How dare you!
There! Down there!
There's another spy!
Run!
They're coming, they're coming!
Get out, you shysters.
You just ruin everything here.
There's a spy. Get out!
What are you looking for, huh?
All you do is mess things up, get out of here!
You need to step out of the way, ma'am.
You are not going anywhere.
Good luck. Let's go!
Get out! Come on, move it!
Get out from under there.
Get out. Get to the left.
Don't look!
Ander!
I am not angry with you!
Ander! Where are you?
It's gonna be all right, it's gonna be all right.
It's gonna be all right. Ander!
Did she seduce you?
She did the same to me, Ander.
Don't worry, we will sort it out!
Ander!
Francesca.
Not the worst place to die.
As the Italian soldier came closer, he stumbled...
as if he finally found what he was looking for,
and it was not me.
He held the kettle and poured.
There was nothing in it.
We didn't know where we were going.
We just knew it would be together.
But I still dream of the mountains...
with no soldiers...
just mountains.
Just silence.