Can you conserve these mushrooms?
Of course.
But we have to work fast. Dryness and rot have already set in.
Okay?
The heat is becoming unbearable.
Just don't move.
Hello! STOP! What are you doing here!
Looking for work.
NO! That's too dangerous here.
Work
Go! Go away. No work here. Go away, go!
Evening.
Do you have a room free?
We're fully booked.
Excuse me...
I've already told you, we're full.
I'm looking for work on a ship. Do you know where I can register?
You're in the port here. You have to go into town for work.
You all right?
I haven't eaten all day.
Would you like something to drink?
Yes, thank you.
I'd rather have water, please.
Still.
You're not from here.
No.
Perhaps I can help you out.
But you have to share with another guest.
With a man?
A sailor who works nights on the docks.
Leave the room at 7, okay?
Toilets and shower on the landing. Room number 5.
Thank you!
Office help required for the preparation of specimens.
Ring here.
Hello, it's about the advertisement. I'm not too late?
No, no. Come in.
Please sit down.
What did you do before?
I worked in a lemonade factory.
What would you say to 25 percent more than your wages there,
plus two months wages for the summer holidays?
What exactly is the work?
This is a very unusual laboratory.
You'll need a while to understand.
Let's say, our work consists of preparing specimens and storing them.
Like in a museum?
No. We neither research nor exhibit.
I need someone for the office.
My last employee left a month ago. It's getting awkward.
But what are these specimens for?
People come to us for their own different reasons.
They have a personal problem.
Our role consists of solving these personal problems.
Do you understand?
I'm sorry, I think the work is more difficult than I imagined.
No, it's very simple.
A visitor brings us an object he wants to have conserved.
After the usual formalities
you accept it, and I make a specimen.
Then we receive a fee corresponding to the work involved.
That's all.
Do many people come here?
It depends on the time of year.
It's irregular and unpredictible.
But people who really need it find their way here blindfold.
Is it always so quiet?
Yes. Preparing specimens is quiet work.
The hours are 8.30 to 5, with an hour's break for lunch.
Sundays and public holidays are free.
You can start tomorrow.
Thank you.
Hello.
I've been waiting for you. Did you sleep well?
Very well, thanks.
I've written down everything you need to know in this note.
How a planning looks, how to set up a dossier.
The price you can give, the delivery times.
But...
Don't worry. Take as long as you need to adjust.
If you have the slightest problem, I'm not far away.
Office supplies are there.
If you need me, ring this bell and I'll come.
Okay?
The main thing is to reassure people. That's the most difficult thing.
The people who come here are always worried about their objects.
We mustn't judge them, but help them.
It's a very delicate task, mademoiselle I hope I can rely on you.
Don't panic, you'll be fine.
In the kitchen you'll find cake and refreshments,
and everything for making tea and coffee.
Welcoming people is part of your job. They have often come a long way.
Do you have any questions?
Hello?
Ponchardieux speaking.
Yes, what's this about?
Don't you remember me?
You must have a wrong number. This is a laboratory.
I know, mademoiselle.
Two months ago I had a kidney stone conserved.
I've been very busy and I haven't had time to come by.
But I've been thinking of you. I'd like to ask you to dinner.
The person who dealt with you no longer works here.
I'd be grateful if you wouldn't call again. Thank you.
You do that very well.
Three mushrooms.
Would you like to see them?
I didn't hear you come in, sorry.
So, you've arrived at last.
I missed the boat.
Come along. I'll show you our specimen.
That's a specimen?
It looks like a primitive deep-sea organism.
They're just mushrooms.
A young girl brought them a few days ago.
I had to hurry before they decomposed.
Mushrooms... Why mushrooms?
They were growing on the ruins of her burned house.
She wants to presereve within them everything lost in the fire.
Did she lose everything?
Yes, everything.
Want a closer look?
When will you give them back to her?
I'm not going to.
We archive and keep all specimens. That's the rule.
Our customers can visit them whenever they want.
But most of them never come back.
The point of these specimens
is separation, preservation and closure.
No one brings objects to remember them with growing nostalgia.
Bye.
Hello. Number five please.
Come in. A moment please.
Would you like some tea, coffee, lemonade?
No thanks.
Please sit down.
So.
Is it possible to preserve this?
Of course, no problem.
I heard about you from a distant relation.
Having you prepare a specimen is said to bring real relief.
That's true.
My enquiry doesn't concern the score itself,
but the music it contains. The sound, if you like.
Would you mind if I took the score for a moment?
No, of course not.
I'll take your details.
Your name?
Lea Benoit.
It'll be ready in a few days.
You have to come in person to authenticate your specimen,
then you pay, and that's it.
It's much simpler than I thought.
Yes, it is.
Something to drink.
My boyfriend was a composer.
He wrote this piece for my birthday.
It's as tender as being wrapped in velvet.
At Christmas he gave me some watercolours and a cameo, on a hatpin,
that he had brought back from a journey.
After our separation, I flushed the watercolours down the toilet,
and burried the hatpin.
But I just couldn't get rid of the music.
I understand.
Thank you.
Is that everything?
Yes.
It's an order for a specimen of the music written in this score.
It's too hot in here.
We must get an electrician to install some air conditioning.
Do you have a moment? Come with me, I need to talk to you.
It's nice and cool here.
It's my secret place to relax.
I come here after work and think about nothing.
Conservation is hard work, you know.
Don't you think this is an ideal place for a rendezvous?
No one to disturb you.
And because of the echo
you have to talk quietly. And sit close together.
Why all these golden butterflies?
Why not? You're also wearing a skirt with butterflies.
How old are you?
Twenty-one.
Something is bothering me.
I think your shoes aren't elegant enough for your age.
I think so every time I look at your feet.
I think a different type of shoe would suit you.
Do you?
Yes.
I'd be delighted if you would allow me to give you a new pair.
These are for you.
I can't accept.
Don't you like them? I chose them for you.
I'd like you to wear them. Don't you want to try them on?
They fit perfectly.
Made to measure.
How did you guess my shoe size?
Remember, I'm a conserver.
I only need to look at a foot to guess its size.
Walk a little to show them to me.
One or two steps up and down.
Go on.
I'd like you to wear them every day from now on.
All the time.
On the boat. At work. During your breaks.
Whether I see you or not. Agreed?
Password.
Brat.
I don't want you to get a cold. Here.
It's good, thank you.
Come with me.
Shall I take them off?
It's not necessary.
Are they hurting you?
No, they're fine.
Have you thrown away my old shoes?
I can't receive the customers like this.
I'll ask the lady from number 223 to iron your clothes.
Who's she?
An old guest from the time
this was a young ladies' boarding house
She was living here when I bought the place for my laboratory.
And she stayed on.
She's the piano player?
No, that's the lady from number 309.
Thank you, Iris.
Come in.
Hello.
I've brought you a score.
We'd be grateful if you would play it to us on the piano.
I don't know if I can play this piece.
Please. We need your help in the preparation of a specimen.
I'll fetch the lady from number 223.
Thank you.
Tell the customer her specimen will be ready in a few days.
What's that?
The bones of a Javanese sparrow.
We spent nearly ten years together. He died of old age.
That's life, what can you do?
They're incredibly light.
I'd like to have burried them, but I live in a flat.
If they were preserved, he could finally rest in peace.
My word, mademoiselle, those are pretty shoes.
They're simple and unpretentious.
And they seem to have a strong will.
But above all they fit you perfectly.
As if you were born with them.
You know a lot about shoes.
You can say that again.
I've worked as a shoe-polisher for fifty years.
I'll give you some advice.
Even if they're very comfortable, don't wear them too often.
Otherwise you risk losing your feet.
Look. There's almost no space between your feet and the shoes.
That proves that the shoes are taking possession of your feet.
Possession?
Yes, exactly.
But it's really none of my business.
Please forget what I've just said.
But I'd be delighted to polish your shoes for you if you like.
My stall is just behind the central station.
I'll use a special type of polish.
You'll love the shine.
I'm relying on you for the specimen.
Please don't worry. It will be ready in a few days.
Thanks. See you.
Hello
Yes, what is this about please?
Pardon?
A shadow?
What?
I'm terribly sorry, but we only conserve concrete things.
No, the laboratory is unable to prepare a specimen from a shadow.
Or an evil spirit. Sorry.
Are you still working? It's late.
You've changed your hairstyle.
I'll wait.
He's not there?
Monsieur Rota was supposed to install the air conditioning last week.
Today is Tuesday, and he still hasn't come.
It's impossible to work. This is a laboratory.
Sorry?
Yes, it's really very urgent.
Thank you.
Okay, thank you very much.
Was there no one here today?
No one.
No one comes when it's too hot. That's how it always is.
As soon as it rains, or the temperature drops,
they miraculously turn up again.
Are your shoes making you suffer?
No.
I don't want you to suffer.
The storerooms for the specimens need to be cleaned and tidied.
I didn't hire you for this type of work,
but I'd like it very much
if you would help me to get things in order.
Would you like to?
I'd like to very much.
I like being here with you when everything is asleep.
The taps, the showers, the sinks.
Can you hear the echo?
The panes used to be covered with droplets.
The pool was full of steam.
And there were lots of different noises.
Laughter, flowing water. Falling soap dishes.
And the young girls lined up in front of the showers. Naked.
And among them the ladies from numbers 309 and 223?
Yes, they must have been around your age then.
One of them carefully washes her hands.
She has taken a lot of soap
and rubs it into each finger until they are completely clean.
With the other it's her neck.
She's been talking all day.
She's so hoarse she needs to warm herself under the shower.
It's difficult to believe that time really happened.
It's all dry now.
There's not a drop of water. Not a trace of soap.
The pianist's hands and the telefonist's voice have aged.
There's only the two of us.
Have you anything to conserve?
I don't know. I don't think I need a specimen.
Everyone needs one.
Me too? Even you?
Yes.
Think about it.
There must be something you'd like to have conserved.
Let's try to look at it another way.
What is your most painful memory up to now?
The most painful?
There must have been a situation in which you felt wretched.
In which you felt ashamed. In which you felt ridiculous.
Go on, think.
Think about your most painful memory.
Something that doesn't let you go. Something appalling.
Unbearable.
That was when I lost the tip of my left ring finger.
Where?
In the lemonade.
Lemonade?
Yes,
it got caught in the conveyor belt of the drinks factory
where I was working.
And then what happened?
Nothing.
The lemonade turned pink and I fainted.
And your ring finger has never been the same since?
Hello.
Hello Iris.
How pretty you are today.
Your name, please?
Olivier. Voyd.
With a Y.
There, that's all.
Thank you.
Mademoiselle,
My ship departs tomorrow.
I would like to meet you before I leave.
I'll be in the Rose Bar, four blocks from here.
I'll wait for you. Costa.
Hello. I want a drink, please.
No, thanks.
Come on, buddy. Give me a drink.
A drink.
Leave me alone.
Good morning.
I've been waiting.
Do you have time to help me clear up the new storeroom?
What if customers come in or phone?
None will come today. The weather's too changeable.
And if they come, they'll ring the bell.
You could get yourself dirty. You should wear an apron.
How many rooms does the building have?
75, to be exact.
From number 101 to 302 they're all in use.
Except for number 223.
The room where the telefonist used to live.
Yes, except for number 223.
Won't the number of specimens decrease?
Not at all. It's increasing all the time.
And what will happen when all the rooms are full,
and there's no space left?
There's still the loft and the bathroom.
And when the bathroom becomes a storeroom,
what will become of us?
Hello.
Excuse the interruption.
Not at all. Please sit down.
I've made some tea. Would you like some?
It's actually not my first time here.
Have you come to see your specimen?
No.
Is it possible for one person to have two specimens made?
You want to order a second one. Is that right?
I'd like to know if it's happened before.
What is the new specimen you'd like to have made?
This burn.
The laboratory director will come.
He'll tell you what he can do.
Thanks for coming despite the rain.
You'd like a specimen of your scar.
Is that right?
Yes.
Preparing specimens and healing wounds are two different things.
Are you clear about this?
Yes, I am. I'd like a specimen, nothing more,
to free me from it once and for all.
Then I can agree to your request.
Come to the lab.
You're going to the laboratory?
Please take care of the form and write out the label.
Goodbye. Thanks.
Come in.
Do your feet hurt?
No, they're fine.
Hello.
Mademoiselle.
Mademoiselle, please come in.
I have something to tell you.
Would you like some tea?
Yes please.
Please sit down.
Do you take sugar?
No thanks.
How long have you been working here?
I don't know. Perhaps two or three weeks.
Strange, I thought it was longer.
And you're not thinking of leaving?
No, why? I like my work very much.
Most of the girls who worked here left very quickly.
Well, I don't know if "left" is the right word.
How do you mean?
They just disappeared over night without even saying goodbye.
What was the girl before me like?
She was about your age.
I remember her well, because I saw her on the day of her disappearance.
I went outside to see to my plants,
and I met her in the corridor. Her eyes were down, she didn't see me.
It was the sound of her shoes I noticed above all.
A small, soft, regular sound. A light clacking of the heels.
I was a telefonist. I'm very sensitive to sounds.
Do you remember her shoes?
No, it was too dark.
Where did she go?
That's just it...
But I hope you won't be leaving us as suddenly as she did.
I have to go now. Thank you for the tea.
A Chinese man just brought this, but he didn't say anything.
Do you know what it is?
It's a mah jong set.
It represents the Chinese philosophy of the universe.
This is a rare, extremely valuable object.
Put it on the shelf.
They all have to be picked up.
Every piece must be returned to its original position.
Everything has to be tidy before the first customer comes.
Finished?
They're all back in place.
Is it morning already?
Yes.
We made it to the morning together.
Take me to the laboratory.
I'm the only one allowed in there.
The girl with the burn could go in.
Yes, but that was because of her specimen.
The specimens come first here.
But I could come down to the basement with you
if I asked you to prepare a specimen inseparable from myself.
Hello.
The young lady from the laboratory. What a nice surprise.
I've come to have my shoes polished.
You've come specially. Please sit here.
How is the specimen of my Javanese sparrow?
We're storing it with great care.
The conservation fluid really brings out the whiteness of the bones.
Lovely.
This is my special polish.
You'll soon see them shine like jewels.
Did someone give you these shoes?
Yes.
And are you in love with him?
I ask myself that. I don't really know.
I'm only sure of the feeling of not being able to leave him.
I don't understand these things,
but I can assure you it's because of your shoes.
If you don't take them off immediately, you'll never get away.
Why not have these shoes conserved?
That way, mademoiselle, your feet would be free.
I don't want to free them.
There we are, finished. They're perfect.
Do you really intend to go back to the laboratory?
Yes.
Well, I won't be seeing you again.
Take care.
You too. Goodbye.
Goodbye.