THIS STORY AND ITS MAIN CHARACTERS ARE BASED ON TRUE EVENTS.
François.
Did you wash properly?
SUMMER 1955
Now get in the water. You can watch me.
You can be on your own for a minute.
François.
Yes? - Paul's here.
Go on in, Paul.
How are you this morning?
SUMMER 1985
Are you OK?
Want to open the door?
We can leave it open if you like.
So you went out with your mom yesterday?
Here... Come sit down.
I'm writing about you... doing your portrait.
Louise? Everything alright?
Not really. It's your father.
He took the dog out without its leash.
The poor thing got run over.
He was sick with grief.
He's been gone nearly three hours now.
Your mother didn't want to disturb you.
If you don't swim, you get cold.
Go play with the others and warm up.
Thirty all.
Maxime?
Fourty-thirty.
I'll join you at the beach soon. - We're going.
He's cold.
New ball.
Although an only child, I long had a brother.
In the courtyard of my childhood home,
neither my neighbors or parents were aware of this glorious brother,
better looking and stronger than me.
A phantom brother capable of overcoming every obstacle,
rising above my failures.
I'd invented him for myself alone, for my own ends.
What are you doing there? - Nothing.
Nothing?
Then come do the rings with me.
Give me your hands.
Rub them.
Now look.
Take a deep breath, pull on your arms,
lift your knees.
Touch the other side.
Come back up... and follow through.
Your turn.
Grab the rings, pull, lift your knees.
Lift. Start over.
Pull up, then lift your legs.
Go on, push.
Go on, lift.
That's it for today.
I walked in my phantom brother's shadow.
I floated on his footsteps.
I'd even invented a game so that he could share our meals.
Let me give you more.
First he wants more.
Who? Who wants more?
Look at me.
I said, who wants more?
He does. - Who is he?
My brother.
Now listen. Put that plate down.
There's no one else at this table.
Just you, Mommy and me.
You, Mommy and me.
Where you going?
I'm going to Louise's.
Louise had always been part of our life.
She'd known my parents for ages, I'd always known her.
She treated me several times a week.
Careful, don't burn yourself.
I spent less time in the shop than at her place.
Why the face?
I hate your shots.
But you like hot chocolate.
Aren't you sad not to have kids?
I have you. Isn't that enough?
One of your own, that you have with a husband.
I don't have a husband.
Give me that and lie down.
How come you don't?
There's no room for one.
Grow up fast. I'll wait.
You're not pretty enough. - Tough.
Don't start. It doesn't hurt a bit.
You're my little ganef.
You stink of cigarettes.
What's ganef mean?
It means 'my little rascal,' my little darling.
You're my little rascal.
Leave that alone.
Why? - Put that back.
It's full of fleas.
Stop.
Don't.
Mommy.
You going?
Stop it.
No. Don't, I said.
Stop it.
Where you going?
Stop. It's full of fleas.
Put that back.
Who are you talking to? Tell me.
Mommy's here now.
You had a nightmare.
Everything's alright, now. I'm watching over you.
François Grimbert?
Yes, Grimbert. With an 'M' and a 'T.'
Wait a second. Look at me.
You look nice like that.
Don't tell Grandpa you were baptized.
Why not?
Because
Talking about churches and cemeteries
might make him sad.
Boy, if ever Papa finds out.
If nobody tells him, he won't find out.
Stop staring at me.
It's just beyond belief.
Circumcision, then a goy baptism.
You must be nuts.
Eavesdropping?
You've got nerve, and you're a mess.
How'd you get so heavy?
The holy water seems to suit him.
You went to the ceremony
So? I'm not family.
I go where I like.
And I do what I like.
I cut hair for meshuggeners during the war.
They were really meshugge.
Not as bad as the Germans, but they wanted this and that,
they had to have a quiff just so.
And the Brylcreem.
A bit more here, a bit more there,
never enough Brylcreem.
So, fella, still leader of the pack?
Yep, honor roll.
So you're tops in everything?
Except gym, but he's exempt.
Until then, he's tops in everything.
Until what, we wonder?
Until he grows stronger.
The doctor says so.
Gym's useless.
Just kidding.
Can't be good at everything.
No apple pie for me?
Didn't I serve you?
Not in my house.
'Search the forest carefully. A secret is hidden there.
'Long under a spell, Sir Grimbert...'
'Grimbert,' like us. - Don't move.
Hear that? 'Sir Grimbert'.
That's neat. - It dates to the Middle Ages.
What's he going on about?
Head down. Don't move.
Bring me your puzzle.
Afterwards. If he moves again, I'll cut off an ear.
He's not back?
Come look.
Your dad came back to drop off the dog, then left.
That was three hours ago.
He wouldn't use the leash.
He said fox terriers were made to run, not be cooped up.
Guess what? They measured me at school.
I grew two inches.
Nice going.
You'll be taller than your dad, he'll be pleased for once.
Yeah, he'll be real pleased.
Tomorrow, I'm going to put flowers on Olga's grave.
What did your cousin Olga die of?
During the war, while traveling.
Give me your arm.
Was she sick?
The other arm.
What did she die of, then?
The Nazis killed her. I know they did.
Why are you asking then?
What're you up to?
Nothing. We're just talking.
You're tense.
I was long a boy who dreamed of the perfect family.
From the rare images I was allowed to glimpse,
a few uttered words, snippets of information.
I made up my parents' idyll, as if I were writing a romance.
I imagined they shared a love of sports
at a time when thousands of Germans
shared the same passion.
Playing sports made Dad hope he could erase his origins.
Mom modeled for designers,
and did sketches for a fashion magazine.
GENERAL MOBILIZATION FIGHTING ON THE GERMAN-POLISH FRONT
Oddly, my parents never talked about the Occupation.
They kept it from me like a shameful secret.
I was reduced to imagining the period.
Like I invented a brother, I devised my own improbable narrative.
1942
Due to the hardships my parents crossed the Demarcation Line.
I imagined their place of refuge, St Gaultier,
a memory of bliss.
That's where I wish I'd been born,
lovingly conceived after one of their walks.
Summer '44
For my parents, death, suffering, terror
all remained in the confines of the radio.
Tania pressured Maxime into having a child.
At last, the fruit of their union arrives: Me,
so different from the one they dreamed of.
4 pounds, 8 ounces. Not much.
It's a little baby.
My father's first gaze left its mark on me.
Time and again, I would catch that bitter glint.
Later, he said of my conception that I slipped out of him.
SPRING 1962
May I?
You go to Berthelot School, huh?
Me, too.
You're in 9th grade?
You're a real egghead. I'm repeating 8th grade.
My name's Rebecca Finkiel.
François Grimbert.
See that woman there?
Boy, you should see her swim.
She's so gorgeous.
That's my mother.
I have to go.
Who's the pretty girl?
I don't know. She's from school.
She's cute. - What's her name?
Rebecca Finkiel.
So, I hear you're seeing a certain Rebecca?
She's just someone I know.
Just someone you know?
Is she a Yid? - I didn't ask.
You're really not curious.
You're hurting. - You're annoying.
Next time, ask if she's a Yid.
All you do is talk about Jews.
I don't want to be Jewish. Understand?
They'll catch cold.
Ve have vays of making you tok, Jewish swine.
What'd you say?
Stay in your seats. Just stop this.
Calm down.
Go back to your seats.
You beat him up? - It was Jean-Paul.
He tried to swipe my pen.
Show Louise your eye. I'd feel better.
For a pen?
You really beat him up?
I think I wanted to kill him.
You wanted to kill him?
Didn't you wonder why?
I wanted to rub out his face.
Why?
I know why you're crying.
Simon.
That year, I would turn 15.
Louise finally told me what I'd always known.
Louise, who'd never had children or any true love,
loved me enough to betray my parents' trust.
Since she revealed part of the secret, she had to tell me more.
Simon, what are you up to? Decided not to eat today?
You should. Mommy made rutabaga.
You wonder what it is before you eat,
and especially after.
Look, Papa.
He's my son, I decide. No disguises.
It's no disguise. What do you mean?
You do what you like
I'm not doing what I like. We have to.
Maybe you do, but I don't. Nor does Simon.
Get in the house, Fuzzy. Right this minute.
Come on, Simon. One hand after the other.
But breathe, don't forget. Lift your knees.
Your knees. And look up.
Look up, Simon.
I am looking up. - Then why stop?
You're nuts.
Look at that.
He just ate.
Hannah, no smoking in the gym.
No smoking in the gym.
Come down, you monkey.
What she revealed stirred up rage and jealousy
for which I already felt guilty.
Dead people emerged whose names I heard for the first time:
Hannah, Simon.
Where are they now?
I'd never again think of myself as the first, the only one.
Then Louise told me about the others, Robert and Tania
I headed toward unknown faces along a road of whispers.
Everyone knew, everyone had loved Simon,
and no one had told me.
They'd struck his name from every list.
It wasn't on any stone. It was no longer uttered by anyone.
Stop your bragging.
Why not go get your daughter?
Excuse me.
You're Robert, the bride's brother.
A kiss?
You're Tania, Robert's wife.
Mama and Papa? - They went for the bride.
You drove from Lyon?
Had to. A railroad strike.
Just accordion players on the tracks.
He wouldn't miss this for Léon Blum, comrade.
What did Blum do to you? - He better not do anything.
You don't mind paid holidays.
Here comes the bride.
Your brother made it. My little girl.
Don't you look lovely.
You look like a flower... that needs to pee.
You're so beautiful.
Robert, my big brother.
Finally, the phenomenon. I've heard so much about you.
Tania, his wife.
Kiss each other. He's family.
Tania's an athlete.
Maybe more athletic than you.
What sport?
A little swimming.
A little. She's a champion.
I married a genuine mermaid.
After work... into the pool.
We have a fishbowl at home.
The bedding trade in Lyon is fine, but
Before we met, my wife modeled for Molyneux in Paris.
I was just a modeling salesgirl.
That's something.
Today, Thursday, May 6, 1936.
I declare you, Maxime Nathan Grinberg
and Hannah Golda Stirn,
man and wife.
A fine tomcat my sister's married.
Too handsome for his own good.
Your wife sure is pretty.
A real yiddishe mama.
A beautiful woman, that's all.
She'll give me lots of children.
Good night, all.
You take the rings and suddenly
To separate them, just snap your fingers.
We sell bedroom suites.
After closing, we can go down and choose:
17th century, Regency, Art Nouveau
Plenty of choice.
I think I'm a little
I think you are. Let's go.
Thanks for everything.
See you soon.
Drive safely.
Come on.
Wait. There are still guests.
Who cares.
8 pounds, 4 ounces.
He's a strong 'un.
Like his father.
There's not enough light.
Darling little Simon... You're as good-looking as your mom.
He has Hannah's mouth,
but his chin is yours.
Nonsense. My son has a determined chin,
not a protruding chin.
Let me hold him. Come here, Simon.
He looks like me. He has the Grinberg chin.
Like Esther, like Papa.
Look, darling.
Look, Simon, that's Paris, the capital of France.
What? That's a Citroen.
That weird thing there?
That's a bicycle.
HITLER AND MUSSOLINI MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN VENICE
There they are. - My dear brother.
How are you?
And you? Where's this baby?
My wonder child?
For Simon, from Tania.
That's sweet.
Hello, Mr. Grinberg.
Stop ogling my wife.
They get along well.
I bet they're good in bed.
I'm sure they are.
You're sure?
But not as good as we are. Impossible.
Papa, I'm going to Louise's.
I'm listening.
I'm looking for music.
Come drink your hot chocolate.
Don't burn yourself.
On September 12, Hitler said
that the Germans demand the right to self-determination.
Ten years before me, Simon had frequented the same places as me,
but unlike me,
he indeed saw admiration in his father's eyes.
It's rare for a kid to be so athletic. Maybe
He'll be an Olympic champion.
Why not?
A Yid Olympic champ. That'd show Hitler.
Next week, it's 'Tarzan and the Swiss Cheese Mines.'
Stop being so overprotective.
I don't feel like smoking.
Why the long face?
You sat next to me. You saw the newsreels.
It'll start all over, like before.
This is France, the land of freedom.
What about the Dreyfus Affair? - What misfortune.
Look at your face.
What about my face?
It's an 'oy, oy, oy' face.
Grampa's funny, huh?
What did I do to deserve an anti-Semitic son?
Don't be so confident. Loads of French hate Jews.
Don't bury your head in the sand.
Hear that? You married an anti-Semitic ostrich.
D'you love me anyway?
GENERAL MOBILIZATION FIGHTING ON THE GERMAN-POLISH FRONT
That's a cute coat.
A picture of Papa.
He's so handsome.
See how handsome he is?
There's a letter.
'Dear Nannah, 'There's not much action yet.
'We do maneuvers every day...'
'My darling, I write from the Breslau camp in Silesia,
'where I've been a prisoner for three weeks.
'Don't worry, whatever you do. The conditions are harsh,
'but you know I'll pull through.
'If you can't manage the store, feel free to write to Hannah.
'Or even leave Lyon and join the family in Paris.
'That would reassure me.'
'... There's a sense of camaraderie.
'Simon grows up every day. I hate to miss it.
'When I get back, we'll return to the pool.'
A wasp.
Leave my plate alone.
For what's in it... Egg without mayo.
It's demoralizing.
A wasp. - You're nuts.
Hannah the magician,
can't you conjure up a nice marrowbone steak?
No, too hard for me.
What's today's special?
Fried gudgeon for everyone?
It's fish.
I don't think I like it.
With ration tickets, could he have a steak?
No, only fried fish... No tickets, just a fishing rod.
So, fried fish?
Fried fish.
Fish is good for your memory.
Where are you off to?
As handsome as ever.
You're beautiful, too. You smell like apples.
How was the trip? You must be beat.
No, I'm alright.
How are you? - Fine.
Any news of Robert? And the shop?
Let her relax. She'll tell us later.
Tania, rest up, dear, and eat.
But still, any news?
A letter, two days ago.
You can read it. - No, it's your letter.
But how's he doing?
He doesn't complain.
He says life in the stalag is bearable. He also says
When he gets back, we'll have a baby.
I think I'll close the shop.
Alone I can't manage.
But I won't stay in Lyon.
I have no family there. I want to be here, with you.
My friend Antoinette, who works at Molyneux's
She says they'll take me back.
They take Jews?
I never told them I was Jewish.
She's right.
Her job is to sell dresses, not be Jewish.
Are we going to the beach?
Right now. Everyone going?
Tania hasn't finished.
Keep her company. You'll join us later.
Hurry up.
It won't work with me. With other women, maybe.
So stop wasting your time.
Hold it a minute.
Good, Simon.
Attaboy.
'Maréchal, here we are
'Standing before the savior of France'
There, don't move.
There.
Can't I give you a hand?
A present for me?
Today it's for your mama.
Tomorrow will I get one? - Tomorrow.
See my star? I have a star over my heart.
Me too. Louise sewed it on, but Dad doesn't like it.
Wait up, you two.
What beautiful flowers. Hello, Joseph.
How are you, pumpkin?
It's not for me.
It's for your Mom's birthday. Let's give it to her.
How can I reassure you? We've been French for years.
For them we're just Jews.
These new measures are for Poles, Hungarians, Czechs... Not us.
We don't have the look.
What look?
I'm playing host, they're too busy arguing.
There they go again.
I wanna see the fight.
That'll start rumors.
I do what I like. When I get to work, off it comes.
That's handy.
Don't ruin your nice goy suit.
Stop using that word.
Keep arguing, we're just passing through.
Get up, you're not dead.
I have a gift for Hannah.
She's in the kitchen.
It smells delicious. What a treat.
Help me put the candles on.
Happy birthday.
It's just a little trinket.
We're proud to wear this star.
I'm delighted.
Nothing to say? - You didn't hear me.
Use the best crystal.
Maxime, where's the crystal?
Laws are laws.
If you don't obey, you could jeopardize your family.
I don't give a damn.
It's a law for weaklings, for the herd.
What's he talking about?
He means sheep.
It's a law for Yids, like Simon, Hannah, and you.
Can anyone tell me why we should be so proud to be Jewish?
Isy, Sarah. Welcome, come in.
Isn't my Simon handsome?
The handsomest of them all.
The cake looks good. Almost real.
Wheat or bean flour?
Bean flour, of course.
Could you pass me the salad bowl?
It's a bowl, not a family member.
You didn't do it on purpose.
Daddy. Mommy's crying.
What is it, Nannah?
She didn't mean to.
Just a broken dish.
Are you hurt? Why are you crying?
What's the matter, dear?
Why are you crying, my little Hannah?
Did you tell him? I bet you told him.
That's how it is. She went with me to get her star.
Is that true?
Want to forbid her from being Jewish?
If he could... - Esther, shut up.
Nothing but talk in this house.
Then, let's ban Jews.
Enough.
We're leaving, for good.
Isidore, let's go.
You'll answer for this in the World of Truth.
There, no sinner will be absolved.
'Once the 40 thieves left,
'Ali Baba went to the cave with the treasure
'and spoke the magic words:
Open Sesame.
'And the two big doors opened,
'and Ali Baba entered the cave
'and then he said:
''And now, nighty-night'.'
They left 'cause you broke the bowl.
You said nothing about your gift.
You didn't even open it.
How'd you do it?
You smell nice.
Stop following me.
Stop, fellas. Off the mat.
Wrestle.
Down.
We went pretty fast.
It's far. - Yeah. We did at least 20 mph.
Is that a lot? - Not bad.
That's 'cause you're so strong.
Hi. Is it crowded today?
Mr. Maxime
NO JEWS
It's a village in the Creuse, a tiny place.
St. Gaultier. A friend of Louise's comes from there.
Tilt your head a little.
Cross a border again at my age... I don't have the gumption.
Look at my face, wrinkled like an accordion.
And my little Hannah
It won't be easy for her alone at the shop with the boy.
What is it? You want to tell me something?
Have you ever felt guilty?
Why?
Have you ever done something or wanted something that
I've been a barber all my life.
Get both of them down there fast. Wife and son.
Want some lotion?
Sure.
It's women who suffer the most in a war.
Women are the unknown soldier.
And they don't even get a veteran's pension.
Everything was decided fast.
Finding forged papers and a smuggler wasn't so hard.
At the station, he said?
Georges and Maxime would go first.
Esther, Hannah, Louise and Simon would join them soon.
Tania returned to Lyon to sell her parents' shop.
Once her business was settled, she hoped to join them.
I'm taking you across.
The line's there.
Are you sure? - I should be.
Aren't you hungry?
Stop saying that.
When I'm hungry, I repeat myself.
Maxime, right?
Come in.
Mathilde.
These are our guests. This is Mathilde.
You must be starved?
With the shortages in Paris, we're used to skimping.
A letter for you.
Mommy. A letter.
You got a letter?
Nannah darling.
Everything's fine. It's a great place.
Captain Béraud is a fine chap.
These are your rooms.
Your little boy can stay here.
You're on the next floor, Georges.
Make yourselves at home.
Our bedroom is wonderful.
It has a fine view of the river.
The Captain made some contacts for me.
I've found work.
Maxime, come look.
Georges has discovered country life.
I call him 'The Wheelbarrow King.'
St. Gaultier is heaven.
My next letter should instruct you to join us.
I'm so looking forward to it.
Tell Simon I'm waiting for him to build a tree house.
Have you any news of Robert and Tania?
My dear Maxime, Things at the shop are getting rough.
Customers are scarce now.
Same for my parents. Same for Louise.
Even loyal customers have stopped coming.
We'd rather not know why.
Can I sleep with you?
Why aren't you asleep?
Because I want to sleep with you.
I want Daddy's pillow and for you to do magic tricks.
Simon looks more and more like you.
I look at him, and I see you.
The way you knit your brow and sleep with clenched fists.
Maxime, my man.
I miss you so. You're my whole life.
In a few days, we'll be sharing a bed again.
You asked if I'd heard from my brother. I haven't.
I so wish Robert would come home so Tania could be with her husband.
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO BREAK THE SEALS
You scared me.
I want Maxime.
Denise Lambert, Germaine Lambert, Marie-Louise Mercier.
Aren't those good French names?
And you're Charles Mercier. Like that?
I like Simon Grinberg better.
Sure, that'll always be your name.
'Charles' is just to go see Daddy.
I'm taking the train.
Maxime was right: We shouldn't have registered.
And these, do we throw them out?
Anyway, that's it for me.
Me, too.
And this, too, done with.
That's it, Nannah, everything's ready.
The river will help you forget the anxiety and hardships.
Grab this.
Tania arrived yesterday.
With you, Simon and Esther, the family will be together.
Everyone's there now.
When I said I had no news from my husband, they sneered.
They only handle requests after 8 months' captivity.
In '17, I was a prisoner in the Ruhr, my fiancée was here.
She got my letters every Thursday without fail.
They treated prisoners decently then.
Did you see The Grand Illusion?
Esther did. She sees everything.
She told me about it. With Gabin, Fresnay and Dalio.
And Von Stroheim... Terrific.
They say he's not a Kraut. I'm not surprised.
See you tomorrow.
What sweaters do I pack for him?
Would you behave?
Can't you hear me yelling?
What sweaters do I pack? The jacquards?
All set? Do we have everything?
Let's move it, girls.
Simon and I are staying.
I'm not going.
I have to wait for Mama and Papa. They can't get in, with the seals.
If Robert comes home wounded, I have to tend to him.
It's better if we stay.
No, I want to go on the train and build tree houses.
And don't smoke in the gym.
Look up. How do you expect me to get it?
Look up. - I am looking up.
There, don't move.
What got in my eye?
Nothing. Just a bit of grit.
No one here?
Then I'm sitting down.
Are you the Parisians?
Get in quick.
The Demarcation Line was 1 mile away.
They had to wait for nightfall. Act like strangers.
Day after day, in episodes, Louise had told me everything.
All they'd told her, all they'd been through together.
Everything, but the main thing
Here, have some cheese. Eat.
A diabolo mint for the doggie?
He doesn't drink diabolo mint.
Still nothing for your mom?
Easy. Why drink so fast?
I have to pee.
I can go by myself. I'm not a baby.
'Evening, Antoine.
'Evening, Lucien.
How's it going?
'Evening, ladies. Your papers, please.
JEWISH
That's my son.
Esther.
Louise chose to say Hannah had been careless, she'd blundered.
She couldn't bear to mention a possibly deliberate act.
Even less so, Hannah's three words
that had been Simon's undoing.
He told me to take this.
Should I throw it away? - Of course not.
They'll come back.
They must be in a transit camp.
There's one in Pithiviers.
And Beaune-la-Rolande. Maybe they'll meet people we know.
The transit camps are only one stage.
But towards what
There's talk of concentration camps in Germany,
prison camps for resistance fighters and Jews.
I doubt women and children are treated well.
See what Brasillach wrote about the Jews?
'Mop all that up. Don't forget the children.'
I'm not imagining things. Their gazes are like touching.
Oh, come on.
They haven't done anything wrong.
Maybe, but it always seems they just have, or they will.
Esther, please.
You're the one who wrote Tania in Lyon.
That's right, lady, you gave her the address.
Some butter, children. The real thing.
Could you take this?
Do I just count the meat and wine?
The eggs and vegetables are free, right?
Thanks to Georges' work.
He doesn't push the barrow he sleeps in it.
No, that's not right. I hate math. If Hannah were here
Oh, stop it.
Cut the 'poor Hannah' act. You sure you want her to come back?
Well? Doesn't it make you sick?
I've seen worse.
You say that because you also... - Go on, say it.
I also think Tania's desirable?
It's true. She's beautiful and desirable.
So you excuse them?
No, I just don't judge them. - Great.
How lofty of you. Well, I'm much lower than you.
Ever think of Hannah?
All the time. And I don't judge her either.
I try not to.
Give me a cigarette.
This morning, I thought about what we'd cook:
Fish or chicken.
And I said to myself: Not fish. Simon doesn't like fish.
How stupid of me to send Tania here.
When I see them
I'm not religious, but I remember the rabbi's words:
'Without the Torah, a marriage is nothing.'
I feel outraged, understand?
Sure, I understand.
But you don't agree.
Where will it get us?
To be outraged. There.
So we're outraged. All our life.
It'll devour us and poison everyone else.
What do we do? I don't know what to think.
We think about Hannah and Simon. We hope.
And continue to make dinner.
I'd never seen my father so upset.
Mom tell you about the dog?
Yes.
I took care of it.
I went by the shop.
He'd gotten over Hannah and Simon.
But his dog's death crushed him.
How was Tania?
Worried about you.
Soon after returning to Paris.
Tania learned Robert had died of typhus in the stalag.
She barely mourned him. He was so far away.
Maxime now knows Simon, Hannah and her parents were deported.
He can no longer imagine them as prisoners or exiles.
No news of them.
Want us to call it off?
I don't know.
I don't know anymore.
You don't know anymore?
I know.
We'll call it off.
Even if they don't return, it's over.
For good.
4 pounds, 8 ounces. Not much.
It's a little baby.
It's very pretty, Esther. Thanks.
Move over, I can't see the baby.
He should grow up fast, I'm getting some nice merchandise.
For a change.
Can I hold him? - The doctor says he's too frail.
I'm not contagious, you know.
Are you OK?
I'm glad you came.
It's your life, Maxime.
And Tania's.
And now it's going to be his.
It took them time to imagine a life together,
but they finally married and worked together.
They never again spoke of the war or the deceased.
They changed the spelling of our name.
Now I could name them, the ghosts relaxed their grip.
Gradually they became allies in my attempt
to extract my patients from the dark.
PARIS - SERGE KLARSFELD'S OFFICE
Grinberg, Hannah Golda, née Stirn, and Simon Grinberg, is that right?
'August 10 to 17, 1942: A week at Pithiviers transit camp.
'The 18th, sent to Poland, Auschwitz.
'Gassed the day after arrival, the 19th.'
Who's Simon Grinberg to you?
I'm his brother.
And I thought
You're preparing a book on deported children.
I brought this photo.
He didn't die right away.
He must have suffered.
It's all my fault.
I said yes, he was to blame for his dog's death,
but for that alone.
I told him what Serge Klarsfeld had found:
the transport train, the departure for Auschwitz,
their death the next morning.
They didn't suffer the camp's daily horror.
Only Nazi hatred was to blame for their death.
I hoped I'd freed them of their secret.
A few years later, Mother lost the ability to speak or walk
after a stroke.
My father faced up at first,
but the sight of his paralyzed champion became too much for him,
and they decided to end it.
One June evening, I took my daughter, Rose,
to see an abandoned chateau near our house.
A village elder had given me its owner's name:
Josée de Chambrun, daughter of President Laval.
This is weird. What is it?
Looks like a little cemetery.
'Barye,' 'Pompey'... It's not a cemetery for people.
More like for dogs.
And cats, too?
Maybe.
'Brutus, 1908.'
These dogs are old.
What a dumb name.
'Vasco, 1979-1985.'
'Dying was all he ever did wrong.'
They must have loved their dogs.
Rose. François.
We're coming, Mommy.
You coming?
In that cemetery, lovingly kept by the daughter of Laval,
who had sent Simon, Hannah and all the others to their death.
I thought of telling our story
so we would at last emerge from the silence.
Brutus
Pompey
Madou
Soko
Vasco
Sarah
Nathan
Rebecca
Erwin
Misha
Ariel
Judith
Eliah