I don't believe this!
Where were you?
At work!
I was locked in. Someone took my keys!
It's very annoying, you know.
- Where were you? - At work, I told you! I'm tired!
What's keeping you so busy? I was here.
Nothing.
Your eyes look tired.
I said your eyes look tired. It's not pretty.
You can shrug all you like,
but it's important for a woman to be pretty.
It doesn't matter for a man.
You don't expect it of them.
Put your feet down.
How are we supposed to get on in life?
Is that how you ran the hotel? By being pretty?
It was your grandfather who ran it.
I was by his side, to support him.
I was pretty, oh yes. Everyone said so.
When you were small, you knew those things.
A little pint-sized princess.
Léa, darling.
You had your daddy wrapped around your little finger.
You know, it wasn't hard!
It's funny isn't it - you've forgotten everything now.
I'm talking to you!
It's Léa, isn't it? You're in Martinez' class?
What?
I've seen you at school. You work here now?
Looks like it.
- Gonna mop the floor, too? - I'll be right there.
Here, darling.
No way. Is that all?
You'd get more if you smiled.
It's not exactly hard.
Paris Institute of Political Sciences
Admission interview
When did this arrive?
You should find a husband.
Know what you are when you wear a hat
because you're too old?
Stop it Grandma. When did it arrive?
"Catherinette", that's what old maids are called.
It sounds nice but it's not.
Why didn't you tell me?
He took everything from me. Everything.
Yes, I know.
A whole life. Gone. Like that.
And afterwards, he moved on...
when he had no more use for us.
With you, just a kid.
Huh, darling?
Your father was very happy I took care of you.
I'm a very independent person.
Sorry?
After my degree?
I stopped everything.
Why?
I was sick.
I mean, I...
I had some problems to deal with,
family problems.
That's no good, sounds pitiful.
Well then.
As you see, I haven't followed a typical route.
I stopped studying to take care of other people.
And 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5, 6, 7, and 8...
And 1, 2, 3, 4...
Give it some heart! You're like a bunch of seals!
How about a hand?
Arch it. That's it!
Yes, heads up high!
Yes. And wiggle your hips!
All in time together.
Sexy!
Sexy, girls! We're selling dreams here!
That's it.
And here's scandalous Corinne,
in scandalous red from Salé Sucré.
Gift it, wear it,
buy it at Câline,
15 rue des Ruisseaux, just by the Grande Place.
That's good, girls. Go take a rest backstage.
In an hour, it'll be packed in here, so you better set it alight.
Gotta give it some.
OK, let's go, girls.
Pour me a glass of champagne?
Léa?
What?
Hey, I'm here.
Where are you?
I can't remember how to do it.
Who wins?
I don't know.
Who are you playing with?
Yes, but no... But...
Who's the strongest?
Look, it's Léa.
It's so annoying. They mix it all up.
You kept this?
I thought you threw out all the photos of him.
Who's that?
What do you mean, who? It's Dad.
No, throw that out.
Eric Arnaud elected
Throw it all out, get rid of it.
Doesn't he looks silly?
Proud, like he's in church.
- You know how he got his post? - Yes, I do.
He took it all from me.
Yes, Grandma. I know. It's OK.
I'll take this. They're no good. I'll send others
when I'm at PolySci in Paris.
I don't care! I don't care!
I'm a very independent person.
After my degree, I took a year off to discover the world on my own.
Traveling shapes your youth, right?
It was in Mauritania.
In Mauritania, I felt the need to be useful.
I felt the need to be useful,
so for two years... For...
So for two... So for three years...
So for three years, I worked for an NGO.
Which one?
Of course which one.
Which one, you big fat liar?
Ladies, we have a new member of the family!
Léa wants to taste the limelight?
Save it!
What a shame! It's a waste of some good stuff!
Careful, baby, or she'll kick your ass.
You know what I like, right?
On a personal level, three years
with a non-governmental organization
taught me autonomy and independence.
I wanted to challenge my knowledge in the field,
and it was quite a shock. That is to say...
it opened my eyes.
I wanted to be useful.
And I was. Well, we all were.
I have no regrets about giving up my time,
even if only because travel shapes one's youth, right?
Except I became aware of the ambiguity of that action,
from a geopolitical, moral and citizen point of view.
In some ways,
it's a "conscience without science",
and in itself, that's not enough.
Thank you, Miss.
Grandma?
Grandma!
I've been looking for an hour!
I was going to call the police!
- What are you doing here? - You must be frozen.
No, that's not mine.
Your hair's all mussed up.
What's this bag? Where are you off to?
Come on.
We've got quite a walk and it's time for bed.
Hold on to my arm. I'll take your bag.
Are you OK?
It's nice of you to come with me.
You forgot my bath.
Hello, Mrs Pérez. How are you today?
It's 15 square meters.
A little bathroom here,
and a nice view of the park.
- May I? - Yes.
It's the only one I've seen that suits.
Can I bring her furniture?
Of course.
Her bed, too? She wouldn't like a bed like that.
Is she incontinent?
No.
OK, but we'll see how it goes.
If it's no good, we'll have to use a hospital bed.
- Is early June OK? - Yes.
And if this room isn't free, I'll find an equivalent...
Is that OK for you?
Goodbye, Mrs Pérez.
Shall we?
CITY HALL
How are you, sweetie?
Hey, Dad!
- Are you ready? - I can't do it!
I can't do it!
OK, calm down! I'll do it for you.
Turn around.
It'll be fine.
Don't forget,
open the dress from the back or you'll get in a mess.
Undo the Velcro in one quick "rip" and pull it open.
It works every time.
Don't worry.
And most important is once you're naked,
there's not much more to do,
you just dance, OK?
You know how?
You bend your back, arch it.
Show them your butt. They love it.
- That's all. - Come on!
- Everyone ready? - Yes, we're good.
You better stick a smile on that face.
You're not here to sulk. You're on a trial.
You smile or you don't get paid, OK?
That's not a trial.
Fire me tomorrow but you have to pay for today.
Be an intern, then. And show the boss some respect.
Come on, girls, let's go! Come on!
If you get stuck, close your eyes and think of your boyfriend, OK?
Come on.
Gentlemen, for your stag night,
we're going to spoil you,
we're going to pamper you,
we're going to caress you...
Hands off, boys!
Tonight, it's just a feast for the eyes...
And that's already pretty good!
It's Max's crowd, for sure!
Shit, it's a revolution!
Excellent!
PolySci, yay!
Go on!
Hey, Léa, come see this!
That's great!
- Say you're coming tonight! - Stop it.
What's in it for me?
Alcohol?
Conversation?
Sex?
Vuillard, Itzinger, you're not above that, are you?
*
Revolution!
Go ahead!
PolySci!
There you go.
"Dr. Alain Attrache,
"personal advisor to the new management team in Central Africa."
That explains the leopard skin on the staircase. Sherlock.
Not very green, is it?
Hey, Alice!
Looks like medicine took your dad a long way!
You like shit stirring, right?
No, I don't care. Good luck to her.
It confirms my hatred for heritage and my "son of" theory.
You don't agree.
What does your dad do?
He's dead.
Not you, too!
What?
Itzinger, of course.
I thought you were above it.
But you don't know me, do you?
Who is he?
Come on!
No, really.
We'll have him next month.
Lots of time to find him brilliant.
- Alex! - Vitto!
It's what you wanted.
Be careful, I'm a prole.
I'll have you on the ground, I swear it!
Sorry. Takes a while to start the machine.
It's OK.
No music for you, then.
Thank you.
Hello.
You're living, my darling.
It's like that everywhere.
Where are you?
It's...
You're the same.
My name is Sonia.
I work here on Wednesdays.
And I live like you Mrs Arnaud.
Do I look like someone you know?
No. I'm the same as you.
Hello.
I'm an intern in speech therapy.
I'm Léa. Her granddaughter.
Aren't I?
Are you?
How long have you been sleeping here?
No, you've been here just over three months.
And you're eating well, right?
What does she care?
Does she still remember your name?
No.
She seems to recognize you, anyway.
I don't know.
May I ask a few questions about her?
I'd like to know about...
How long ago her husband died,
her children, her job...
So we can talk about her. You see?
She had a hotel.
She says it was her husband's but she ran it.
Listen, I can't stay long.
I'd like to spend some time with her.
Yes, of course.
I'll come back later.
Goodbye, Mrs Arnaud.
Goodbye.
Stop it, Grandma.
You don't need to pretend with me.
Look.
I missed an hour. Can I borrow your notes?
No.
Here.
Thanks! It's for a good cause.
I was at a meeting to stand up for your rights.
My bag's full of pamphlets now.
- Hand them out with me? - No!
I'd spoil your act. You love to play the martyr.
OK. I thought you might say that.
I'm older than you.
I don't have time.
I don't want you to anyway, you shark!
I don't talk to imperialist lackeys!
The photographer's relationship
of dominance, that can exist between photographer and subject.
Ah, Miss Arnaud!
Better things to do, I suppose?
I'm offended.
So, let's take a real example.
You see, Miss, you're giving me a negative message.
A negative image is taking shape in my mind.
We must fix this.
I'll be here for a month, reading and marking your work.
So, tell me
what's wrong with this picture?
The rain's bad for the image.
Not bad.
You're improving. Take a seat.
There is also a relationship of power that betrays itself.
In literature for example, in Koltès' work,
"In the Solitude of Cotton Fields",
how a drug dealer relates to his customers.
It seems he has the power
because he has something people want to buy.
But as the play goes on, we realize
that the one with the power is the buyer,
as the dealer can only exist in relationship to them.
Pierre buys you a lap dance.
You can't touch, you can only look.
Can't we go downstairs?
That costs more. But I'll take off my panties.
Later, if you like.
He was scared stiff! You should have seen him!
God knows what he'd drunk but he kept peeing his pants!
- How much did you make tonight? - 300.
- How about you? - 100.
Not bad for a beginner.
You surprised me.
Bitch!
You know, you should think about your...
You look a bit of a hick like that.
I'll think about it.
No, I'm serious.
Drop me at the corner please.
Are you coming with me?
No.
Don't worry.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
I owe you some money.
Thank you.
What is it? What's wrong?
Léa, are you OK?
Are you hungry?
I don't know.
Better now?
Much better.
Value is less about the actual object, than our opinion of it,
and that opinion is relative to our need:
It grows and shrinks
as our need grows and shrinks.
Rarity, utility, value.
I'm saying that things are useful
as soon as they can be used for something,
as soon as they respond to a need
and can provide satisfaction.
So it's not about how, in everyday language, we classify
usefulness vs. Appeal,
between what's necessary and what's superfluous.
Thus we can understand the words "rare" and "usefulness".
Their meaning is scientific.
Population...
Demography...
Dammit!
The first stages of economic cooperation are mainly based on...
What does that mean?
Why didn't you say you're Mr Arnaud's daughter?
He was very embarrassed.
I looked like an idiot.
He said he'd take care of everything.
He's her son, after all.
I don't want to get involved in your family business.
What are you thinking about?
None of your business.
Nothing, anyway.
The devaluation of the franc. Jean Monnet, 1952. OK?
I'm starting to like you, obviously.
I could almost take you out.
But one must have the means.
White wine...
Time to settle up, guys. My shift's over.
What are you doing here?
I don't know. Nothing.
Something to drink?
No.
Thanks.
Goodnight, guys.
I'm finished.
You staying here?
Take me with you?
Gently, gently... Take it easy.
Now get dressed,
and go home.
Nicely, calmly.
Don't start hassling me.
So if we open Libération today,
what do we find?
A double page spread of Sarah Palin.
She is, after all, in second place in the Republican party's race
for nomination as candidate in the 2012 presidential elections.
She has managed to raise over $2 million,
which means she has people's support.
She's turned her faults, so to speak, into qualities
and reverse the situation.
For example, in Nashville where she was interviewed,
journalists spotted she'd scribbled notes on her hand
to remember her priorities.
Last night, she was at a Republican convention in a black suit
with pearls to close her neckline as if naked under herjacket.
Sexy but serious, this Ms. Palin, isn't she?
Star and female politician, as one hack said:
"She's our most pretty and successful politician,
"the first clearly fertile female to dance with the big boys."
Really, dear American journalists,
your poetry never ceases to amaze!
Even her fans see her faults as qualities.
A certain number of people interviewed
indeed managed to say
that they saw themselves in Palin and would vote for her.
Miss Arnaud.
It seems your nights are more fun than my classes
since you are falling asleep if I'm not mistaken.
So let's take a real example once again.
Miss Arnaud, on a good day,
would be capable of selling you any commercial product
that you have absolutely no need for. Why?
Because you hope to grasp the image of Miss Arnaud
in the very act of purchase.
You need distance to arouse, maintain and sharpen the desire,
and you need to be able to incite hidden appetites.
So today, Miss Arnaud, what are you going to sell us?
What have you got to offer?
Not much there...
Apparently mute, apparently deaf and mute,
apparently struck lifeless like this example here before us...
You have to use what you have, when you have it.
Whatever that is.
Image is everything. The key is to master the image.
Apparently, Miss Arnaud didn't get enough sleep last night.
What does she have that she can use?
Precisely what has she that is usable?
See you soon, Miss.
Now.
St. Valentine.
Same subject:
Who is with, against or sleeping with whom and why?
You look beautiful.
See you in a minute.
See you.
Ah, Miss Arnaud.
Liar...
Liar!
You know nothing!
You know nothing, you got no life.
Go on,
prance about on your dumb stage, wiggling your ass!
You're nothing.
Yeah, you're nothing,
zip, just a hollow piece of shit.
I'm worried about you. Go wash your face.
Leave me alone!
Let go of me!
Marry me! Marry me... Marry me.
What?
I meant to say...
Forgive me.
Forgive me for disappearing.
And forgive me for having... At your place...
Everything. I mean, you know...
And there are some things I have to tell you.
But it's not important, OK? You'll understand.
But not now. Marry me.
No, calm down Léa. I don't know what you mean.
Nothing, nothing...
Just take me away.
You take care of everything.
You decide. I'll do what you want.
What's going on? What's up with you?
Nothing, dammit! Don't you get what I'm saying?
Are you going to answer?
What am I supposed to answer?
You arrive in my life like a whirlwind.
You don't even tell me who you are,
you jump on me, smash my stuff.
What you say has nothing to do with me.
Léa! Stop it! Tell me what's going on!
No!
It was yes or no! That's all!
Dammit, Léa!
How can I say yes like that?
You're screwing with me.
Yeah, that's it, I'm screwing with you.
What do you expect, you pathetic two-bit barman!
You're pathetic!
Go back to your hole!
I'm going now.
I'm not coming back, Grandma.
I'm leaving.
Far away from here.
Far from Paris, far from all this.
I'm leaving.
Subtitles: Anna McQueen