Place - English Transcript

A PLACE ON EARTH Girls, in place for the picture! I'd like you all in the shot. Could you move... On with the funeral! Just a sec, I'll do another. Thank you. All done. Margot! I can hear the sound of boredom. - I'll leave you to it. - See you later. I thought something happened to you. Unfortunately not! I wish something would. You know you're a week late? I was kidnapped by a gang. They tried to *** me. Get a cell phone, ok? What if I have an emergency? I need an advance, Julia. You always need one. But you can't keep a deadline. - You're not living in reality. - No loss there. Just put yourself in my shoes a minute. And where would you go? Stop it. Your jokes don't work anymore. Pity. You're the only one who makes art with a potboiler. How do you manage to be so talented and not care? I don't manage. That's exactly my problem. I need a drink. Pretty please. Still not coming tonight? Chopin. It was Chopin. What about Chopin? I'll explain later. What were you saying? Everyone will be there. François, Max... You like François. To hell with New Year's. Do it for me. Ok? No. Not anymore. - Please! - No, it's too much for me. I know exactly what will happen. They'll talk about their kids, their vacation. I have neither. And I can picture their pitiful vacation. Not even a sea view. The seagulls... Give me my glass! Plus, the missus had her tubes tied! I swear. No more smoking in the house! You wise-***. Do I get my advance? Isn't your mum home yet? Nice little costume. - Did Santa bring it? - Yup. Come with me. "A wine grower produces 450 hl of wine. "If he wanted to put his wine in 1-litre bottles, how many bottles would he need??" I don't get it! Let me have a look. Which one is it exactly? This one? Easy peasy! 450 hl of wine... in 1-litre bottles. How much is one hectolitre? 100. It's 100 litres. That makes 4... 4.5 bottles, right? That doesn't sound right. I thought I'd find you here. Here are your shirts. You're an angel, Maria. Still ok for tonight? No problem. Just the 2 of us, right? Tonight's New Year's. Really? Carriages turn into pumpkins! This time, I'll pay you. No need. I earn a living. What's that? A guinea-hen, my boy. Poor thing. Poor thing! Why's that? It's very happy to be here. It looks weird. Hold your horses... I have to pretty it up! First, a bit of self-tanning cream. Next... its little towel. And the magic touch... A little bouquet up its ***! And what does it say? "Put me in the oven!" I'm goofing around but... did I forget anything? No! - Don't answer. - Why not? The first of our freedoms is not answering. That's stupid! No, it's not. Help me set the table. Please do not leave a message! In the solarium it goes! Matéo, keep an eye on the guinea-hen. It's not flyin' away! You never know with them. They take off just like that... Guinea-hens can't be trusted. ***! Matéo, you stay put. Wait for me here! Miss... can you hear me? I'll call for help. You'll be fine. It's gonna be ok. Could you step out, please? This lady fell from about 10 meters... Answer, Matéo! Answer, dammit! Youth Worker Camille Claudel Community House Come on, man! Loosen the cuffs! How are you feeling, sir? I'm ok... Do you remember where you live? Yes. You have to walk up a narrow street. Then, you turn left. And then, it's on the right. Do you have a cigarette? Sir? François Challard. I'm the intern on duty. Sorry. So? She has multiple fractures and a cerebral haematoma. What about her spine? The lesion is superficial. But only time will tell. Hopefully, she'll recover fully. Your friend was very lucky. May I see her? Tomorrow. Bring us some of her things. ***. It's ok. Come on. Scoot. For my little sister Roman Good morning, Elena. "One fine morning, they broke their rope, took to the mountains and..." Matéo! Don't forget to breathe! "Neither fear of the wolf nor her master's affection..." Comma. Come help me. Put the pictures in that box there. From biggest to smallest, ok? Ok. Do you believe in Seguin's goat story? Yes. Why's he afraid for his goat? Because of the wolf. And he loves her. You think? - You believe that crap? - Yes. I'll tell you why. If he loses her... old man Seguin will be out of cheese. And if he's out of cheese... He can't sell it at the market. He can't sell it, which means bankruptcy. Which means ruin... foreclosure... crushing debt and seizure. The works, for old man Seguin. What's "crushing debt"? Ask your mother. Shouldn't you be gone by now? You should be home. Say hi to your mum! See you tomorrow. Are you bored, kiddo? Yup. Wanna come run an errand? Why don't you ever smile? Because I'm thinking. What about? Let's go. So many questions! Hello. May I? I came with you in the ambulance. I'm your neighbour. I mean, I live across the courtyard. I know it's none of my business, but... I understand. It was an accident. Thank God you're alive. Don't you think? You seem angry. You'd do the same for me, right? I wouldn't pretend to be your friend. That's a shame. We could've played jackstraws. Here. It's for you. The difficulty in being unhappy is keeping modest. Have a nice lunch. I'll have... coffee and Calvados. - May I? - Go ahead. Thanks. You serve baby shots. Times are hard. Sure. I'll have another. I wanted to thank you. For what? For intervening? Is that it? You're welcome. One man's unhappiness, another's solace. I don't agree. Neither do I. I wanted to thank you for your silence. For not saying anything. Especially to my family. I swore I'd tell you if we saw each other again. If we saw each other again? My father would like to invite you to dinner, to thank you. Your father would like to invite me to thank me? How about you? What would you like? Elena, this is Matéo. Matéo, this is Elena. Hi. You're prettier with your hair down. - Is he your son? - No. He's... my best buddy. I'm visiting my father next weekend. Would Sunday at 7 suit you? No. 8 o'clock. - May I ask you something? - Yes. Why didn't you tell anyone? Out of respect for you. I don't know why you wanted to go. But it's your decision. The address. And my cell, in case you get lost. Bye. Why'd you say 8? You never do anything. Thanks for reminding me. Shall we? So, what do you produce exactly? Sterilisation equipment for hospitals. The privatisation of public services. Goods belong to those who sell them. The world's a mess of useless objects. Elena is an idealist. Like you once! Life has simply made me pragmatic. Elena works, doesn't she? 3 nights a week with delinquents. - They're not delinquents. - Really? I still support you. Hey, little sis'. What's the matter? I took an earlier train. Ditched those ***. You quit your job? As usual. What did you expect? - Nothing. - We always expect something. What are your plans? Having a glass of wine. Saint-Emilion. Only the best, eh? I'll join you. Antoine Dumas. Like the "Three Musketeers". Giorgio, the prodigal son. - I gotta say... - "I have to say". Give it a rest, Judith. To my new fall! Excuse me. Marc and Louise get married the same day we do. I don't give 'em a year. Isn't that what love is? "Unavailing courage?' Louise is lovely! Isn't that what love is? I know what you're thinking. "Claire cheated on you. Big deal! These things happen." Exactly, Roman. "Your wife just had a moment of weakness. That's life. What can you do??" Get off our backs with your unhappiness. Did you say that to Mum when she was sick? "Get off my back with your unhappiness." You haven't changed. Neither have you. Got a new wife to start over? Mum had to get used to it. It even killed her! You can't replace people! You stupid ***! Roman needs you, Dad. - It's torn him apart. - It's torn me apart too. He's lost without you. And I'm lost because of you three. Each in your own way. 23 + 17? 37! No, 39, I think. You need to know for sure. It's 40. What about 80 + 40? 120? And 100 + 23 + 12? 100 what? Apples or pears? You'll do fine, Matéo. Concentrate and you'll do well. I know it. Ok? Off you go. I could eat pasta every day. Which isn't your case, I see. Not hungry or not yummy? Not hungry. And I don't like Italian pasta. You don't like Italian pasta... Eat what's left, then you'll finish the rest. Ok? Can you lend me your cell phone? Got a smoke? Smoking is prohibited, Margot. Got one anyway? Still working on your thesis? - Kinda cool. - You think so? Like a Picasso. - Want to go outside? - Do you mind? I have to get off this ***. ***'s good at first, but you get badly hooked. I tried rehab, but it didn't work. I'll try again, soon. I don't want to drop dead at 25. You never did drugs? Ever ask yourself why you didn't? And why others do? Maybe I was luckier. How about lunch? Not interested/ Can't come / Cool - No honey, then? - No, thanks. About school vacation... Don't you want to go to day camp with your friends? I don't have any and I don't like day camp. How's that? Why not? They're all after me. They make me play. How many is "they"? - "They" is one. - One? One kid picks on you? What's his name? Raymond. Raymond? Sounds like a winner! He's never scared. Know why Raymond isn't scared? Because he's strong? Because he's dumb. Dumb. He uses strength because he lacks imagination. But you don't. Look at that beautiful pyramid! Keep that in mind. You're smarter. I'm not dumb and I have imagination. There! Eat your toast. Dumb-*** Raymond! Tell him at school. And if that doesn't work, hit him. Thank you. Have a nice day! Showdown! Hello! Can you manage the step? Perfect. - Are you comfortable? - I'm fine. - Should we bolt the chair? - No. Just asking. I only bring disabled people. I get a discount. A chair discount. Are you always like this? Like what? Well, you're no average joe. I'd say the same of you. I start the day off... very, very low. Never knowing how I'll make it to the next day. I wait it out. Something always happens, and it's already tomorrow. I don't project much, but I always have the secret hope something will pull me out of my humdrum. Something... exceptional, like... having lunch with you. Look behind you. The table over there. A blonde's getting dumped. Be discreet. How can you tell? He's boozing and she's bawling. Tragic! Can I tell you something? I love the way you play Chopin. Do you mind my saying so? I can hear you. You play without a safety net. As if you'd promised yourself never to backtrack. Have you made your choice? - Do you like oysters? - Yes. - 6 or 12? - 12. You'll kill it. Never use lemon. Oh... Oysters are best without lemon. So? I prefer them with lemon. Me too. I was kidding. Although, there is a debate. Both schools exist. What do you do for a living? What's your profession? Does it matter? Yes and no. Work can be very personal. Let's say I dabble in photography. What do you take pictures of? Commissions. Commissions. I mean it. Commissions. Weddings, communions... birthdays. How did you become a photographer? Thanks to biology class. I loved examining stuff under the microscope. I'm serious. Breaking down movement, the metamorphosis... of butterflies, and the like. I was into that. One thing led to another and... I took interest in the art of movement. Things like that, see? - You don't believe me. - No. I promise it's true! It's really... Wouldn't want to waste it. Cheers. Careful now! Commencing descent! Apologies! Sure you're in control? Put your weight on it. Heel... Put your weight on it. Let me help you! Push on your toes. Small steps. Heel first. Heel, weight... Push on your toes. Turn around. Great. Give me the crutches. Time for you to walk without them. This part here... is sunken land. The remains of Heraklion. A city that disappeared under water. Disappeared... like Pompeii under lava? If you like. It took 3,000 dives to draw this. 3,000. Can you imagine? No, I can't. Depth... I can't... Depth scares me. On the contrary, you'd be freed of your own weight. Really? And finds are very different under water. Land excavations offer information on gods and kings, everything else was destroyed. Whereas, here, the ocean protected the site. It preserved traces of the Egyptians. Diving will reveal what official history hasn't. My only concern, about exploring the past, is that excavation is destructive. You modify things, upset the past. True. Is this a long-standing interest? Rather, yes. I remember a mummy exhibit my father took me to. They were presented in glass cases. One particularly struck me. I expected it to move. It looked alive. My father told me I could wait forever for it to move; it was dead. I asked him why. Why wasn't it in a cemetery? What did he answer? That he had no idea. And that, someday, I'd find out. I didn't come empty-handed. I love Spain. I love Toledo! Do you know the city? The swords... The Alcázar? The ceramics? I'm crazy about Spain... and El Manuel. I go to Toledo every year. Come on! Let's try. Let's try! Toledo... - Beautiful, Suzi! - Think so? - Hi. - Hi, Antoine. Can you fetch Matéo on Friday? Not this Friday, no. - Ok, I'll manage. - Sorry. Are you pouting, Matéo? I've seen your kind before, Margot! Wreck your own life but leave the girls alone. I'm not your *** scapegoat! What's going on? I can't keep her. Rose was almost clean. It's not easy for Margot. It's not easy for anyone. Margot will never make it. She doesn't want to! That's not true. What's this, then? You searched her things? Haven't you noticed? What are you asking me? To tell me what you know. No. I won't help you throw her back on the street. She wouldn't hesitate. It's between you and me. No one will know. I will. I'll know. I won't let her down. Take care of yourself, knucklehead. You too. How does it work, then? The heart is placed on one of the scales, opposite a feather. If the scales balance, the soul is vindicated. Vindicated? Declared "true-of-voice". Freed. What if... What if the heart's heavier than the feather? It's for you. Thanks again! Snow White Dumas? Why not the Queen of England? What's going on, Matéo? You're never around! Look at me, you. Are you jealous of Elena? Is that it? You're jealous of Elena. Matéo... you're my favourite little boy, aren't you? Give me a smile. Show me your funny lynx face. ***! Find someone else. I didn't have a choice. Elena! Margot, it's Elena. Elena! Go around the bar. Let me introduce a friend. Temperature's rising! The same with an extra glass, please. Let me offer you a cigarette. Down the hatch! Rose! Hi. - Grab a chair on your way back. - Ok. Don't give me that look, drink up. Come on, don't... Don't be angry. Here's to you. What you're doing is useless. Margot had her chance. I didn't have a choice. We always have a choice. Try to understand, at least! Understand what? If you have time for more, you can bite mine. You're always sad about someone's sadness. The other night, it was Roman. Today, whose sadness are you sad about? Do some people never get used to it? I think we always get used to it. And that's what kills us. What is it you're trying to forget? I don't like explanations. I find them... distasteful. You know what Samuel Beckett wrote in "Endgame"? You have to scream. Like that. Matéo? What a magnificent forest! That's right. I never brought anyone here before. Is this where you grew up? In part, yeah. - Excuse me, who's being buried? - Maxime Chauveau. - Damn. - You knew him? No. How about a funeral? Sure, why not. I'm game. Maxime Chauveau... Follow me. Please be seated. My brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, human life does not end in the grave. It continues in God. To weather the bereavement that has befallen us, the Holy Spirit offers three keys... Fresh one. Roger Godin was an all-time pain in the ***. And that's my school teacher. "Life separates loved ones. Slowly, without a sound." No kidding! "Without a sound"? He was the noisiest boy in the class! I love hearing... I love hearing you laugh. Come on, Matéo. Wait! Matéo, put your head there. On the tombstone. Hug it tight. Hug. It'll work. You'll feel it. Come see up close. I have something for you. What is it? A girl falling from a roof. Where did you take these? From my window. First, I wasn't sure what she was doing and I kept shooting. Is she dead? Rather romantic model. She's not my model. Her name's Elena. It's like a film with only a few frames left. I'll tell Massy about it. He'll love it. You need a title. That's not why I took them. Why did you then? - Why show them to me? - I wanted your opinion. I've been busting my *** for years. Supporting you. And you've produced nothing personal. Stop running away from your talent. I'll never get what makes you tick. Don't disrupt people's lives in vain. You know what? You're a failed, alcoholic photographer. You're right. But you know, I've never felt as alive as I do today. The first time I heard Elena play piano, the piece didn't move me, her interpretation did. The way she... struck the keys, progressed, She progressed... freely. And with an audacity I've lost, that's left me a failed, alcoholic photographer. But by taking those pictures, I regained something I lost long ago. My self-confidence. And ambition. Not dinner-party ambition, Julia. Personal ambition. It's called having a soul. Excuse me. - Help yourself. - Ok. Hi. - Am I disturbing you? - No. My thesis is on Thursday. Still want to come? Of course. Thursday. I'll be there. Around 4 PM. 4 PM. Excuse me. Elena! Wait. Are you busy tonight? The jury has decided to award you, unanimously, your doctorate with highest honours. You've chosen to begin by field work, on a field of choice: the sunken archaeological remains. We all hope that your trip to Egypt will not mark a break with theory. - Good luck. - Thank you. I'm so proud of you. Well done. - That's very pretty. - Thank you. I don't want us to part like this. Say something. I'll miss you. I'll miss you too. Would you like me to walk you? I thought you'd say that. You have talent, Antoine. Make something of it. She had two sisters. Total blimps. Two big fat blimps. Ugly as sin and jealous as hell. Cinderella's this thin... One day, a prince, - that's what they're called - not the brightest of princes, mind you, decides to hold a huge ball to meet the love of his life. The village beauty. Of course, the step-mum, who's a ginormous tart, wants to try to marry off her two blimps. Not Cinderella; she's too pretty. So she makes sure Cinderella can't make it. But... - and this is the great part - her godmother gives her a pair of heels. A super pair of heels. Cinderella's heels. Awesome heels. Haven't you outgrown this kind of story? No. I like that story. It's time for bed. I don't want to go to bed. I get bored when I sleep. Dear Antoine, I miss you. I'm writing from Alexandria, where I arrived 10 days ago. The heat is oppressive. They say that to taste the Nile is to come back always. I think I'll never leave this country. Forgive me for not being able to accept what you tried to give me. Tenderly, Elena What? When did it happen? Where is she now? What did you do, Elena? You can talk to her, you know. Will she be like this for long? It's hard to say. Do you think she can hear me? Maybe. I have to bathe her. Would you mind stepping out? Remember when we went to the country? You asked me something. You asked me, "Does everyone get used to it?" I answered, "Yes, everyone does. And that's what kills us. " I didn't tell you the whole truth. I mean, I didn't tell you everything. Not getting used to it kills us too. Remember when we went to the country? Remember when we went to the country? I almost forgot... He asked me to... give you this gift. He would've liked to do it himself but... the doctors don't allow children. I'll read it to you. "Antoine and I have had it. "We want you out of the hospital "so we can go to the country. "I love you with all my heart, Matéo." He drew a hospital, with you walking out. There. Shall I serve you, Antoine? What happens... if the heart's heavier than the feather? I miss you Elena. I hope you can hear me. I miss you... completely. I have something to confess. I've never been to Spain. Antoine? Yes. I saw her. What did you see? Under the water... She was looking at me and smiling. Subtitles: Mariette Kelley Subtitling TITRA FILM Paris