Brussels - Belgium
Immigrant reception center
Next question.
France offered you asylum after your detention in Syria.
Now you work with Syrian refugees, for the European Commission.
What's your opinion of those who accuse Europe of hypocrisy?
They're right.
But who are the people making those accusations?
Where are they?
Who do they talk to? Who do they negotiate with?
The people we welcome here aren't hypocrites.
Last question.
What's the future of Syria, your country?
I'm working to make its future brighter.
Thank you.
Good bye.
- We're late. - I know.
I emailed your boarding card. Your bag is in the taxi.
Thank you.
"Rex" is at the airport.
Rex is boarding the plane.
Okay.
Rex is on the plane.
How long from Brussels to Istanbul?
3 hours and 30 minutes.
I'll be back late afternoon.
Rex is on her way.
When does she meet Shahanah?
Tomorrow or the next day. He's only there a few hours a week.
Are you planning to tell me who I'm meeting?
We wanted to avoid any leaks.
We can't negotiate Paul's release without total secrecy.
Shahanah?
He's in direct contact with ISIS.
He buys works of art plundered in the field.
He's the biggest art smuggler around.
He was the curator of the Damascus Museum.
I guess he didn't make enough money.
We knew each other when I taught at the university.
That's why we contacted you.
Shahanah is very cautious. But he might agree to see you.
Why would he help us with Paul?
For the money.
To buy himself protection, once ISIS is defeated.
Your attention please.
Please keep your seatbelt fastened. We are in a turbulence area.
Thank you.
To avoid a crisis between France and the US,
we gave you the name of your agent
who offered us his services.
Paul Lefebvre.
Some of us are wondering what will happen
once Paul Lefebvre is freed,
as we all hope he will be.
But it will be very difficult
to keep the media away.
What will you do with him?
How will you punish him without it going public?
We plan to do as you usually do:
we'll act first and think later.
According to our stats, a Western hostage held by ISIS
has a 25% chance of getting out alive.
And if the hostage is an agent?
Zero chance.
If Paul Lefebvre makes it back to France,
it'll be a miracle.
The question is: do we believe in miracles?
Never before has anyone suggested abandoning an agent in the field.
I'm not surprised. He's not their agent.
The Americans would love Malotru to be executed by ISIS.
They would be spared a scandal. Problem solved.
Ours too.
Once we've freed Malotru, what then?
- We drink champagne. - Then what?
We think.
If we don't get him out soon, the Americans will bury him there.
Hello?
What are you doing?
I'm returning to Brussels.
What's wrong?
As it turns out, I too have my price.
To help Paul?
To take the risk of meeting a dangerous smuggler.
Okay, we'll discuss it tonight.
No.
You always trap me at the last minute.
No more of that.
No more of what?
You want me to meet your guy? Do what I ask.
It's that simple.
What do you want?
Once it's done, we'll resume our trip.
European Commission Organizational Chart
Organization of the Commission Autumn 2016
She wants this job?
"Deputy Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid".
Why?
The Commissioner, Amir Mamoun,
is positioned to run Syria's future transitional government.
She wants to be near him?
- Pretty ambitious. - Very.
Who says she'll get the job, if the current Deputy is fired?
She's a woman.
The new quota policies are on her side.
She's Syrian...
Why must we get Malotru back at all cost?
He's one of us.
He's a mole.
So we should let him be judged by ISIS?
Some people think so.
Moule � Gaufres?
Amongst others.
What about you?
I thought he'd play suicide bomber over there.
Either he wanted to die and failed,
or he wanted to give himself a chance.
If he wanted to die,
he wouldn't have used a directional explosive.
So he wanted to give himself a chance.
A chance to do what?
Put himself through utter hell?
In English.
Who are you?
A hostage. French.
You?
A hostage. Italian.
In a box.
Same here.
Transfer.
Where?
We had no choice.
We should have turned left sooner.
Bring her to me!
Vienna - Austria
As you know, the Indian Ocean
has recently been the focus of a tremendous scientific effort:
the international Indian Ocean Expedition Two.
For 5 years,
under the auspices of UNESCO's Oceanographic Commission,
this expedition has been gathering oceanographic fleets...
Did you see them?
The private sector has also supported this effort
by providing cutting-edge technology and expertise
in deep seismic data acquisition.
They're going to look at a huge data set...
Yes, I recognize 2 of them
...collected over the only subduction zone in the Indian Ocean,
the Sunda Trench.
This is where many major disasters...
Do we attempt it?
...originated in recent years.
Our work allows imaging the subducting plate
as deep as 60 kilometers.
By doing so, we are able to understand the subduction process.
Any questions?
Marina Loiseau, seismologist.
I've been working for the Paris IPGP
and the IISR in Tehran.
It seems to me that the Makran subduction
south of Iran and Pakistan also bounds the Indian Ocean
and shows a large accretionary prism.
Could we use the methods to develop
and to understand the transition between subduction and collision?
Or are they tailored for pure marine seismic data?
That's a very good question.
You're right. The Makran area is
a short subduction zone in the wider zone
of the Eurasian and Arabian plates.
What are you doing? They're here.
Something's strange...
One of the Russians isn't on our list.
They've started downstairs.
Could he be new? Or an intern?
We should have something on him.
How do you know he's Russian, or works at the Bulgakov Institute?
You're right.
Over here?
Interesting question.
Sorry?
You're the one who worked in Tehran?
Yes.
I studied on the Caspian Sea.
How nice.
Let me introduce Claudia Senik, from the IPGP.
Hello.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Dimitri.
And my colleagues,
Vlad and Igor.
We're all from the Bulgakov Institute.
That explains the Caspian Sea.
Yes.
Marine seismology is our specialty.
Would you like to join us?
Thank you.
- This hotel is nice, isn't it? - Yes.
Apparently the restaurant is good.
You should try the shellfish.
- How come you speak Russian? - My grandmother was Russian.
Excuse me.
Marina, are you in there?
Are you okay?
The 3rd guy is their FSB chaperone.
Well, they wouldn't come here without supervision.
You're the one who told us that Bulgakov works with the FSB.
Excuse us.
No problem.
So, next year, Barcelona?
Have you ever been there?
Not recently.
Last time, it was full of junkies.
Did you know that in Syria, the war causes sandstorms?
The exodus of the farming population in the North,
the Euphrates drying up via Turkey,
the trampling of the ground, the movement of troops...
They all cause gigantic sandstorms.
We'll take advantage of the next one to launch an operation.
Do we know where Guillaume is?
We think so.
It's risky, but it's now or never.
He's here.
In a zone where ISIS is losing ground.
A joint operation with the Americans?
Nope.
With the Kurds.
Here it is.
Welcome to Beyadi.
The Peshmerga took it back from ISIS 10 days ago.
I was briefed.
This is where we'll wait for the sandstorm.
It's the closest safe village to the hostage.
100 clicks away.
We'll go, we'll get him, and we'll bring him back here.
Okay with you?
Great.
It's safe, but the towel-heads leave surprises
when they lose a town.
Home-made landmines and bombs, rigged bodies...
Hungry?
- Yeah. - You're lucky. Esrin cooked.
Today's her day. We take turns. We're not macho men!
No comments on her ass. She speaks French.
You idiot.
What is this?
I speak French.
What is that?
You smoke during combat?
It belongs to ISIS.
I study things, to understand them.
Where did you find this?
They wanted to burn everything.
But down there, it didn't burn.
Can we go down?
There's a passage. Don't touch anything.
Ask first.
This is everything?
No.
I'll be back. Don't move.
Where are you?
In some kind of headquarters, left behind
by ISIS before they were chased out.
Loads of archives.
Wow, what luck!
- Are you at lunch? - No, I don't have time.
I'll send you more soon.
- I'll let you work. - Don't go!
Are you alone in the office?
No.
Damn, I can't tease you.
I can't tell you I want to put my tongue...
Stop it!
- Gotta run. - Okay.
If you move, it goes off.
Don't move.
Breathe slowly.
I went to get this.
I told you not to move.
Why did you move?
I'm sorry.
This isn't Disneyland!
Here, everywhere...
it's a cemetery.
I'm not your babysitter.
Can you cut it, please?
We Kurds
freed the village.
If we don't want you here,
if you act dangerously, or stupidly,
we'll send you back and no one will argue.
Thank you.
I don't get guys who shit in the restroom.
Don't they have toilets at home?
Who shits at work?
Why not take a bath, too?
Whenever I go in, it's empty and it stinks.
As I leave, someone comes in and thinks I took a shit.
Why is that? Because I'm fat.
If I were thin, no one would wonder.
Fat people shit.
Fat people shit all day long, right?
Look at this.
From Raymond?
I want to go there. This is huge.
What on earth is this?
I have no idea.
It looks like a tactical diagram.
It's not in Arabic.
- It looks like a train switch diagram. - Really?
A French one.
Send it to me.
The French Railways
Is he dead?
Absolutely not.
We know that your father is alive and healthy.
And we know where he is.
Okay.
The president has authorized a rescue operation.
In addition to our negotiation efforts, of course.
That's why we called you in.
When will it happen?
I can't tell you exactly when, but very soon.
Hours, days, weeks?
Days.
Can I tell my mother?
Yes.
But no one else.
Yeah, I know how you work.
Have a nice day.
Amazing, Melody.
Thank you all for coming.
I am pleased to announce
that the next congress will be in Barcelona.
And now, the last act of our evening.
May I introduce to you a tectonics expert of the mind.
David Saurin,
a hypnotist.
I hate these things. I'm leaving.
Don't you like hypnotists?
No, I don't.
I haven't seen you this evening.
You didn't come to dinner.
There was an earthquake in Bushire, in Iran.
Did you know?
No, I didn't.
When?
Tonight.
Don't you follow the situation over there anymore?
I do, but not around the clock.
Especially during a congress.
I understand.
How long were you in Iran?
Five months or so.
Wasn't it hard? You're not Muslim, are you?
No.
What about you?
I'm a child of the Soviet Union.
Ever been to Russia?
No.
So why do you want to work at the Bulgakov Institute?
One of your colleagues asked me.
I still haven't said yes.
But the proposal is quite interesting.
- Ever thought about it before? - Never.
You're not a specialist in underwater seismology.
Why do you say that?
That's what I understood.
Where did you study that subject?
At the Paris Institute of Earth Physics?
The IPGP?
Let me tell you something.
I don't usually accept job interviews in bars.
And never without an appointment.
I apologize.
Really, that's not fair.
Excuse me, please.
- Hello? - What's up, gorgeous?
My return flight from Iran was legit, right?
Of course it was.
What airline?
Lufthansa.
And my notification of contract termination?
Perfect.
Everything's above board.
What if someone checks?
- We triple-checked. - Okay.
Thanks.
I just got a strange call from Marina Loiseau.
- What's wrong? - That's just it. Nothing.
She used an agreed emergency procedure.
I thought something was wrong. But there wasn't.
She just wanted to check something.
She freaked out.
Thank you.
Beyadi - Syria
I'm going to get some equipment.
Taste it.
Not bad.
What's wrong with your leg?
I walked too much.
Silicon.
A landmine?
No, a saber.
We're leaving in 20.
- I'll be ready. - I mean, 20 minutes!
Fuck you.
It's okay. Don't move.
See you later.
Yes.
Save me a plate.
And one for your friend.
See you later.
It's for old people, but it helps me focus.
Why are they here?
Soldiers from the Cham.
We can't drive around. We'll have to move them.
Be careful.
We're almost there. No noise.
Sheep equals a shepherd who might alert the enemy.
Move them gently to one side.
Come on, move it!
Come on, guys!
Damn, the things we do in this job!
We're almost there.
I'll help you.
Landmine.
Come back slowly. Watch where you step.
Esrin, the noise probably alerted the fighters.
You have to move faster.
Another sheep.
Keep moving.
Deputy Commissioner: Nadia El Mansour
What's your plan?
It's too long to explain.
The irresistible rise?
And why not?
What if they'd executed Paul in the meantime?
Did you ask yourself that when I was held captive?
Istanbul - Turkey
So...
Now it's the European Commission?
Yes.
- Aren't you bored? - No, it's interesting.
That's it?
It's enough for me.
Why did you want to see me?
Do you need something?
You could say that.
- What time period? - No...
It's not for me.
I'm here on behalf of someone else.
The DGSE.
The French.
They want to communicate with ISIS.
What does that have to do with me?
They know where your merchandise comes from.
They want to negotiate the release of a French hostage.
Paul Lefebvre.
Paul Lefebvre...
Why did they send you?
You're not easy to approach.
Why did you accept?
What's your angle?
- I have my reasons. - Which are?
They're personal.
You know him?
You know him well?
Or rather, you knew him well?
I have no business with the people you're referring to.
I don't know what you're talking about.
These works of art were in the museum reserves.
I spread them around to protect them.
You're accusing me of smuggling.
You have no right.
I'm not accusing you.
You're not?
What would you call it?
You want to spy on me?
Is that it?
You think I'll succumb to your charm,
Mata Hari?
They didn't dare check to see
if you're wearing a wire, those imbeciles.
Your bra isn't very sexy.
I'll buy some new ones.
I want 10%
of the ransom money.
I'll tell them.
That's not all.
One day, I'll ask for something.
And when I do,
I expect to get it.
You'll do that for me...
and for Paul Lefebvre.
Tell me.
We found this.
In Beyadi, the village deserted by ISIS.
What is it?
A French train switch diagram.
- Is there a train station in Beyadi? - No.
And this...
is a coding technique
French resistants used to communicate during World War II.
They used the switch diagrams.
In 1980, the DGSE had a mole in Saddam Hussein's secret service.
It used these diagrams to communicate with the mole.
The mole's alias was Cochise. Here's his file.
Continue.
What if Cochise were now a high-ranking ISIS officer?
Maybe he reactivated this code system to contact us.
Many ISIS officers come from Saddam's Ba'ath party.
He left this for us to find?
It's a clever way to get our attention without taking any risk.
Why else would the diagram be there?
Then we should answer him.
We'll need a secure channel.
We have one.
Marina, I have a question for you.
I'll only ask once.
Then we'll never discuss it again.
After Iran, you were assigned to a deskjob here.
You were bored,
so you offered to collect intel on the Bulgakov Institute.
You thought its seismologists
were probably working on underwater communications cables.
You convinced me.
I agreed to let you travel with Claudia.
Did I make a mistake?
No.
You can be honest.
It's not too late.
You can admit that you're spooked,
that you haven't gotten over your last mission.
In fact, you must tell me.
This time, you're not on your own.
I promise I'm okay. You didn't make a mistake.
You can go to Moscow with Claudia.
Your luggage, please?
I'm going to the restroom.
- You have your boarding pass? - Yes.
Boarding is now closed for flight KA 2306
to Moscow, at Gate M48.
This is a final boarding call for Mr. and Mrs. Imaniev,
Mr. Moreira, Ms. Sholova.
Please come immediately to Gate M48.
Where are you?
Turn your phone off, please.
A souvenir from your friends.
They shouldn't have come for you. They should have known.
Adaptation: Holly Diener
Subtitling: TITRAFILM