You Heard It at the Berlinale
by Becky Tan

Every screenplay holds the potential for immortality. Perhaps the writer has sunk into oblivion, but guess who said “Hasta la vista, baby” or “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” or “Rosebud” or “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get” or “Play it, Sam” (Not: “Play it again, Sam,” as it is often misquoted). Which Berlinale film quote could go down in history?

“It’s open season on whites now.”
“Has the Christmas season gone so soon?”
“I told the truth and now I’m asking for amnesty.”
“It’s true what they say about the African sky. It’s big.”
“Even if the lie is not known, the effect is there.”
“A person is a person because of other people.”
Country of My Skull

“Silence about the war is a part of my childhood.”
“There is an abuse of religion for political goals.”
Texas-Kabul

“We only meet our friends at funerals.”
“This is not a revival meeting but a survivors’ meeting.”
“I played the same piece over and over, and still they danced all night long.”
“Men aren’t allowed to cry, so they sing the blues instead.”
Lightning in a Bottle

“Parisians are nice people but they stare.”
“He’s an intellectual, the most dangerous kind.”
“Like chess, the stupidest moves are the hardest to lose.”
Triple Agent

“Do you know what I always wanted to be: President of the United States.”
“I know how to work a rolodex.”
“Have fun at church.”
“Men must just line up to be with a girl like you.”
“So what’s Ohio like?”
“Some day, you’ll want a roof over your head, even if you have to sleep with a man to get it.”
“You can be as different as you like, but you don’t have to kill people.” “Says who?”
Monster

“Every line you draw leads to somewhere.”
“Have it cleaned before you wear it. Some perverts like to jerk off before they give it away.”
“It’s not easy to know friends from enemies.”
“In Europe everybody has a dog.”
“Real heroes just leave; they don’t ask for permission.”
“Real heroes never die because if they did, who would finish the mission?”
The Stratosphere Girl

“He came in and tracked dirt all over, and then he put up his big feet for everyone to see.”
“You’ll all be rich in America.”
Beautiful Country

“He’d like a younger secretary, but he keeps her out of guilt.”
“When you mention Poland, her whole brain seems to freeze.”
“They take them home and exchange them later: the panties.”
“What’s your favourite segment of time?” “Lustrum (five years).”
“Did you get my email?” “Don’t write in capitals. It’s hostile.”
“Grandchildren are a gift from God for not murdering your children.”
“You don’t go to war for moral reasons.“
El Abrazo Partido (Lost Embrace)

“My mother is the only one who takes off her glasses to see clearly.”
“What is the difference between E.T. and a Moroccan in Holland? E.T. wants to go back, wants to learn the native language, is alone, calls home and has a bicycle.”
“Plenty of women would love a husband like me.”
“I need a virgin when I marry – a virgin as hot as J-Lo.”
“Soon there won’t be any Arabs in America, but they will still want to make war films like Afghan Action I and Afghan Action II and III. You look just like Mohammed Atta, so you’ll be a big star there, rich and famous in Saving Private Saddam.”
“Young people today are soon tired.”
“Remember: it is daylight savings time. You might try to rob the bank when it’s closed.”
“Do people always show up to shop in a tiger-striped g-string?”
Shouf Shouf Habibi!

“Who put lipstick on the dog?”
“I did something bad in a past life, so now I suffer in this life. It’s my karma.”
“It’s your destiny. You may even get what you want in this life.”
“I never call myself a man.”
“Go and get the waterproof makeup. When you sweat, you grow positively ugly.”
“Do you want to throw away your future just because you don’t want people to see you naked?”
“Your son has been emotionally crippled for a long time.”
“It’s hard to be a man and difficult being a woman but more difficult not to forget what you really want to be.”
Beautiful Boxer

“Sad, I’ve never seen anything so sad.”
“I’m thinking of the pans in the kitchen.”
“This bronze bowl is so pretty.”
Die Nacht singt ihre Lieder (Nightsongs)

“Rememory is in two days, and we are still looking at footage.”
“My job is to help people remember what they want to remember.”
“Friends help you move; real friends help you move bodies.”
The Final Cut

“Joey was difficult. He used to put his brother’s records on the radiator.”
“That was the end of white flight from NYC; the parents left and the kids came back.”
“The Ramones are not an opening act.”
“You can tell it is pretty good if you have people lined up to fuck the roadies.”
“I was just a base guitar player living at my mom’s house.”
“It’s not easy being a rock and roll band.”
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

“I’ll send you to New Jersey, a little town near NYC.”
“We know exactly how much each of these pellets weighs.”
María, llena eres de gracis (Maria Full of Grace)

“Are you religious?”
“It’s not a man like you who can teach me morals.”
“A married woman can’t wander around without being a whore?”
Avanim

“A child’s success depends on the mother.”
“She is nobody compared to your family.”
“The faith of our fathers is not for the faint hearted.”
Ae Fond Kiss

“He thought his work could make a difference.”
“It’s a disgrace to weep; it’s a time to rejoice.”
Death in Gaza

“Your crying makes me depressed.”
“If you need anyone stabbed, I’m out in two days.”
Cachorro (Bear Cub)

“Without criminals there is no need for police.”
“I chose to become homeless. It’s a Ghandi thing.”
“I needed to be responsible for something, so I got a dog and it’s had all the shots, even the ones it doesn’t need.”
Trollywood

“Music is what joins them rather than what separates them.”
“Don’t let your energy go out through the mouth.”
“In my country we believe that everybody white can speak English.”
“Art is not a luxury but a necessity.”
“I smoke lights, because I wanted to smoke something healthy.”
Rhythm Is It!

“Destiny is for putting people together and not separating them.”
25 Degres en Hiver (25 Degrees in Winter)

“In case of war, the plan for the media is top of the list after the plan for the military.”
“Democratize or I’ll shoot you.”
“They were ruffling a lot of feathers, which is an important part of journalism.”
“History is written by the victors.”
“Once you are victorious, you don’t have to justify.”
Control Room

“Thoughts have the power to harm me; I write them down to defuse their power.”
“What’s a hot piece of ass doing on this old man’s body?”
Brother to Brother