Tears for Sale (Čarlston za Ognjenku)

During the World War I, Serbia had lost two thirds of the male population. The women stayed, to start a new life, the best they can.

This is their story.

This is a sea star.

That little creature lives only in seas, and here in Boginja's pond.

Probably because the sea is salty and bitter, just like tears.

There is also a graveyard at the pond. The biggest and the most beautiful graveyard on the mountain.

This is where Ognjenka and Little Boginja spent the carefree days of their childhood and youth.

While the dead enjoyed the beautiful carefree days of their death.

What are you doing?!

Have you gone mad?

How many times must I tell you this pond is cursed!

You're saying I shouldn't wash myself because it's cursed? Right!

Little Boginja doesn't believe in witchcraft, but no matter if you believe in them - they believe in you.

Her sister, Ognjenka, knows well that it's bad to bathe in their great- grandmother's tears.

The Great- Grandmother cried out that pond when her husband didn't come home from the war. She was crying for eight days and eight nights.

Than the Great- Grandmother realised it was enough. And she swore that from that day on her heart will be tough like stone.

Since crying was all she knew to do, she became a wailer.

The best on the mountain.

Wailers are women who cry at funerals, and do it much better and more beautiful than the widows themselves.

And that is a gift which is always well- paid on this mountain. And so, from war to war, from generation to generation, this became a family business.

Here in the village, if a boy as tall as a rifle, he's ready for the front.

There were more and more wars, and rifles were becoming shorter and shorter.

Then dark days came for the wailers, too.

Fewer men - fewer customers. And without customers tears aren't worth a penny.

In 1918. the number went down to two.

Only Ozren and Jordan came back from the war.

But they too quickly joined the majority.

First who diead was Ozren.

Some say the drunk fool crushed himself.

Some say Jordan the caplar killed him, because of his wife.

Some even say his wife killed him, because of Jordan the caplar.

Then Jordan realised what he has got into.

He knew he couldn't defend the whole village full of women by himself.

That's why he set up a minefield in the vineyard.

He never marked down the position of the mines. He was afraid that such paper could come into hands of future enemies.

But he never needed it. He had a photographic memory.

While he was flying through the sky, Jordan was proud of himself and his mine field.

But he forgot that you can't sell shrapnels or make brandy out of bullets.

Vineyard, which supported the whole village, was now left covered in mines.

That's how Vineyard became Mineyard.

Now, the vineyard had to be picked. There's no escaping, you pick a straw... and may god help you.

Sometimes they survive.

Probably.

What are you looking at, I'd rather be cursed than dirty, like you!

- Hi Nada. - Hi.

Can I order a crying?

And who's the customer?... I mean the deceased.

I am.

I'm going to the Mineyard. So I thought I might pay in advance. For God forbid!

Just to tell you there's no money- back if you survive.

Well, actually, it's not wasted, I'll write you up, so you can die whenever you want.

Fair.

You know the prices: Average crying is 30 dinars. Hair pulling and face scratching without blood is 15 dinars more...

- Too much! - Well, if you're gonna save on your own death you can get wailers in Srbozje for 10 dinars.

But they scream like slaughtered pigs.

Ognjenka and I sing like angels.

I'm not giving a penny until you show me that 'singing like angels'. Then I can die.

Fair.

- What's wrong? - Ognjenka is slacking off.

- Not true... - Come on Nada, she's screaming like she's being torn alive.

Screaming, screaming... And tears?

But she's looking at me! How can I cry when she's still alive and looking at me?

Lie down Nada, like you will tomorrow. Take this and rub your eyes!

Amateur...

And think of something sad like we practiced.

Let's try again: 3, 4, now!

Sad, sad, sad, think sad, something sad, sad, sad... A- ha, there's the thing that happend to Sanja.

Your n... Are you crying already, Ognjenka?

Try now.

I just can't.

Listen now, Ognjenka, to help you...

You're gonna be 22 this autumn, a real grandma- girl.

Because you were never loved.

And the way things are now, you probably never will.

In a few years you're completely gonna wither. And everyone is gonna greet you with "Good day grandma Ognjenka!"

But you won't be anyone's grandma.

Because you were never loved. But old.

And you're gonna be 21... And that's also grandmagirl.

Almost.

That's right. I know that. That's why I can cry whenever I want. Let's go: 3, 4, now!

Your dark, never kissed eyes...

Enough!

It's great. Just without the 'dark, never kissed eyes'.

Well, they are pretty dark...

But they were kissed!

I've been kissed... by a man.

Mouth to mouth.

You're lying, Nadica!

- Mouth to mouth..? - Let me show you.

- Coward! - I'm not a coward!

Interesting....

- Who taught you that? - Does it matter? A man is a man.

Don't you tell me 'a man is a man', who kissed you like that?

- With grandpa Bisa. - Yuck! With grandpa Bisa?!

So what? Should I die as grandmagirl instead?

Grandpa Bisa...

The last man on the mountain.

Nobody really thought of him as a real man. Until all the others died.

But still, any man capable of loving is a man.

- And? Can you do anything with him? - I'm not sure... Just don't expect miracles, I'm just an ordinary witch.

Grandpa Bisa...

You're the greatest man who ever lay in bed.

You are the source of life, happiness and youth, for all us women here in Pokrp!

Infertile sloth!

...One cries from morning till noon...

...The other cries from noon till evening...

Enough with this funeral shit!

- Really, enough about crying. - There must be one...

I'm paying you to amuse the guests, Ratija, not to remind them why they are drinking!

I don't give a damn about your guests! I don't know any other songs anyway.

- Enough. - Come on, I know so many cheerful songs, there's one...

Zagorka, I think it goes like: "Blossomed flowers..."

- "...On my Dika's grave."? - That one's not very cheerful either.

I know the song! There is one cheerful, how it goes....

Yeah, yeah, there is one....

Ah well, let's go on with the funeral songs. Just a bit faster.

There, for Nadica's soul...

Give me a drink. It's my soul after all.

Don't you give me that crap. You don't die every day.

Give me spider brandy.

- Spider brandy! - Spider brandy!

Spider brandy!

Pour the spider brandy! Give it!

Zagorka, please don't.

Come on, Ognjenka, don't say that. It's for Nada's soul, you have to drink it.

Take it easy everyone.

Fuck this shitty life! When you're a grandmagirl not even magic can help you! Even vampires won't dance with me!

- This one is mine, bitch! - Fuck off!

Little Boinja, Ratija, what are you doing?!

You're fighting over air.

Hello.

Mineyard of Pokrp.

Ognjenka, stop crying!

Ognjenka! I paid enough for your tears! Save them for the funeral!

These are on the house.

- But it's so sad... - What is sad?

I'm going to hell today! There, it's hot, and there are plenty of naked men!

I feel like I should cry for you. Grandmagirls.

Zagorka...

You wouldn't lie to a dead woman, right?

- You know I wouldn't. - I put you under oath to take these two, Ognjenka and Little Boginja, to grandpa Bisa...

so he can cure them from virginity. I pay. - I'm not coming near that old goat.

He's not an old goat, dear Ognjenka. He's the real, old- fashioned man.

That's all you got! You know that choosers are no fuckers.

How about we just wait for the naked men in hell?

It's not that easy. To go to hell you first need to prostitute.

- To prostitute? - It's not 'prostituting'! Bad word!

'Loving' - nice word.

- OK, who's first? - Ognjenka! - Boginja!

- Ognjenka is older! - Let go of me! Let me go!

- Good day. - Take off your clothes.

- First you go out! - What's she said?

- She's saying that... We... We should get out?! - Hah, what were they thinking!

They don't know... They're young. They were never loved.

Listen sweetheart, that's not the way things work here.

Someone has to take care of grandpa Bisa. You see how soft and fragile he is!

We don't want something bad to happen to him.

Come on women, for the sake of your soul! We'll cry on his funeral for half the price! Face scratching on the house!

Disgusting witches! You'll see what we do with witches like you here, rot in hell!

Aren't you a witch too for fuck's sake?!

Yeah, really! How come we never set you on fire?

But I am OUR witch!

Ognjenka, say something!

Well, what you gonna do, if we're meant to go to the hell...

Selfish pig! You prostituted, you are gonna go to hell! And me? You don't give a damn about me?

Well, I didn't quite manage to prostitute...

- Murderers! - That's even worse, you killed a man while trying to be a prostitute!

Women, wait!

I can get you a real man! Real! Much better than grandpa Bisa!

A whole man with teeth!

- Where she got a man with teeth! - I swear by Ognjenka! By my grandma's grave!

I swear by the soul of my grandma the Great Boginja!

You have three days to come back! If not, you know what awaits you.

She's rising Great Boginja from the dead! Shut up!

Of course we are!

...Come to me with the night...

...Come to me quietly like a gentle breeze...

...Come to me when the sun sets...

If, on the third day, you don't come back and bring a man, the soul of your grandma will rot forever

In a place worse than hell - here!

In this cursed village of ours!

And there are no naked men here, only wraiths of dead children, and their crying which bites your heart!

Great Boginja will be very angry when she rises from her grave.

Se hasn't had much time to enjoy the death, and they already brought her back to this awful world, in which all she had known was crying and suffering.

Ognjenka remembers the day when grandma Boginja died for the first time. Her heart was broken by one scary funeral car.

Two years earlier...

My sympathies, miss.

The decendent is lucky today! Almost.

I am Boginja. The best wailer, if not, on the whole world.

And today, I woun't charge you for face scratching, nor pulling hair, nothing! Listen:

It's fine, thank you! But no need, you know, I ordered funeral car from Belgrade for my Milomir's funeral.

What is a car?

- It goes by itself! - And screams by itself! - And spites fire and smoke like a dragon!

My poor children! This thing can do everything by itself!

It can scream and frighten the hell out of you!

It will make us pennyless!

Grandma! Grandma! Little Boginja, she is not moving?

So Grandma Boginja became a customer.

Little Boginja, are you out of yur mind? How on earth could you promise them a man. How do we get a man?

What man? Those bitches will never see me again. Nor a man.