THE MINISTER
Ministry of Transport
Yes.
Yes, Mr Prefect.
Can you give me the location again?
Of course.
Right away.
Good night, Mr Prefect.
Sorry to disturb you, sir.
A coach.
Five minutes ago.
A road in the Ardennes. The D31.
I'm afraid so.
You did the right thing, Yan.
No, not yet.
Keep me posted.
Yes, Gilles?
A lot of casualties?
Oh, dear God.
No, call the prefect first.
We can't screw up again like at Le Perthus.
We have to go there.
Arrange it with the prefect and wake Pauline.
We'll be starving tigers in the dark night.
Hello, Tintin.
Thank you.
- Still nothing? - No.
When the baby arrives, take a week off.
The first few days count a lot.
That way your wife can rest.
If possible...
It's possible. I'm for fatherly love.
- See Gilles about it. - Thank you, sir.
Minister...
It'll be a rough ride.
Here already?
And I thought we were off to the Raphael for a nightcap.
2 am, the latest news.
The accident occurred on the D31 in the Ardennes massif,
near the village of Monthermé.
The casualties treated on site include many adolescents...
You handle the crisis unit.
I said, you handle the crisis unit.
Still not quite right.
Stress the State's role as a protector,
solidarity during this exceptional ordeal...
Regional TV got there first.
Radio news and the local press too.
I'll call you after.
- Minister... - Captain...
Mr Prefect...
- How does it look? - It's atrocious.
Two girls haven't been found yet.
- Eleven dead... - Nine, sir.
Nine dead, seven of them children, and two missing.
All of them local.
Three critically injured...
Could you swap ties...
What model was the coach?
An FR2.
The colour's wrong. Change it.
The latest one?
Exactly.
Thank you.
Keep the press on the road.
We'll call your families.
Where are we going?
Calm down...
Look at me.
Lift!
Higher!
Stop!
Stop everything!
Three or four minutes.
Sandra!
Sandra! No!
My daughter!
Let me see her!
Minister, over here, please.
The Ardennes are in mourning.
My first thought tonight is for the victims,
the too numerous victims.
I should like to express my support
for the injured, the parents,
the brothers and sisters...
Our fellow citizens join me in expressing
our affection and support
for the families struck by this tragedy.
The urgency now, the reason for my presence,
is that every department of the State should unite
to provide assistance, care and comfort.
Tomorrow's urgency will be
to understand how this appalling accident occurred
and learn from it.
What caused it? High speed?
Exhaustion?
I can't favour any particular theory.
Thank you very much.
Too bad I ended with a dumb line.
You did well. Really well.
- Morning, sir. - Thank you, Kenza.
Could you bring me the latest Accident Bureau reports, please?
Yes, sir.
And send Yan in.
Yes, sir.
How's it looking?
Here's the preliminary list of victims.
Thank you.
We've got Europe 1.
RTL is the better radio.
Peralta's on RTL for his employment plan.
Europe's giving us the 8:15 am slot.
RTL is better.
Maybe not.
Le Parisien... The Prime Minister doesn't say much.
Les Echos, Le Figaro... Libération.
The back page.
Look, here you are.
That's a great photo. You look wonderful. Look.
Wonderful, huh?
Léa does good work. I'll call her.
Let's see... "Transport's Male Man".
"In six months,
"he has settled the Marseille docks' conflict,
"imposed the Lille-Turin line
"and is pulling off the ports' privatization.
"Where does his tenacity come from?
"No doubt from the harsh lands around Besançon,
"that his grandmother left by bicycle for the big town..."
Pull over! Nemrod, quick!
I'm not a water-drinker!
Fuck this!
Europe 1, the morning show.
Marc-Olivier Fogiel.
Minister, do we know now
how a coach full of children took that ridge road
in such terrible weather?
First of all,
the snow fell after the accident.
Mechanical failure then? Have you called Renault's CEO?
What I saw last night
inspires mourning
and compassion.
Also in this morning's news, the Prime Minister's job scheme.
Can you tell us more about it?
A joint national effort.
Behind the symbol, government offices
are ready to step in.
You hire a job-seeker for a period,
then what happens? Isn't it just a PR exercise?
Listen, Mr Fogiel, every day,
some very simple yet very brave things
are done in anonymity and the shadows.
Sometimes the shadows bring light.
He's doing well.
Transport privatization is due in 2010.
Have you read
the interview with the railway CEO?
A 500-million-euro loss.
Freight is a disaster. So what now?
A station reform?
I'm in a government of action and change.
You privatized shipping terminals...
That doesn't mean we'll do the same with stations.
How else do you react to this huge loss?
Mr Fogiel, I listen, I consult.
Senator Juillet is delivering his report this morning
and we'll decide as necessary.
You have no vision?
Do you privatize French railways
or keep them under State control?
We'll launch a new State plan for stations.
An undertaking?
I confirm that is the government's pledge.
No one will be left on the platform.
Excellent news.
Will you be visiting those injured last night?
I'll be visiting the worst injured here in Paris.
- Have a good day, Minister. - Thank you.
He was good. You were right to insist.
Your colleague has just rejected station privatization.
Your view as Budget Minister?
Bertrand Saint-Jean has many talents,
including that of speaking for others.
Meaning?
I believe France deserves better than life with a perpetual deficit.
Privatization of stations and other operations
is under study for a future budget.
Thank you, Minister.
Privatization would be a huge screw-up!
You speak your mind.
You agree with me.
Peralta meant a planned budget.
Nothing final.
The day I'm due to get the report,
that lackey declares,
"We're considering privatization and getting ready."
He'll regret the day he was born!
You want a denial?
Sort it out with the PM's office.
After the emotion of last night,
you're as untouchable as the Virgin Mary.
Express surprise at Peralta's statement.
A clumsy one.
Very clumsy.
There are explicit rules...
Rules of government solidarity.
We need a TV interview.
I won't do the finance mandarins' dirty work!
The railway boss... Guillemot.
Dominique.
You did right.
That fox Peralta just wants to stir things up.
The unions are baying for blood.
The PM will calm things down by noon.
Can you see stations being sold off?
What a joke.
What a joke!
A corny one.
A corny one, Dominique.
Glad to hear it.
So that's settled?
That's settled.
You're welcome.
Gilles, get a move on...
We'll be judged on a feeling of justice or injustice.
We must start by helping the families.
Who understands a "feeling of justice"? No one.
For now, people need comforting.
New, stricter measures.
Listen to Pauline.
Take this morning...
We need to be firm.
Our majority doesn't need a "feeling of justice".
Loïk, shut up, please.
Last night, we were in a war zone.
It stank of death, with a host of unanswered questions.
We need a political view when language fails.
It's not hot air, it's what we're going to do.
Be just in these dark hours...
- You spoke to Morange? - Not yet.
I think they might be yanking our chain.
How's Fréjus looking?
One more hour...
We're dozing off here!
Our petty measures miss the goal.
We must work faster and anticipate. Be on the ball.
Occupy the whole field.
We're not in control,
we're being taken for a ride!
And now they're saying it loud and clear!
I'm sick of copters.
With a carton of Winstons.
In crisis communication, forget reality.
Only perception counts.
Perception means we win or lose...
With the Senate.
Can't take the heat? Leave the kitchen.
De Gaulle.
No, my dear. Churchill.
Thank you.
What'll you have?
A coffee, please.
A strong coffee.
Martin Kuypers, born April 16, 1971 in Tremblay-lès-Gonesse.
Married, divorced, remarried.
One daughter. Rosaline. Am I wrong?
You're a virgin where the law is concerned.
Your last boss ran a VIP transport firm.
He took off with all the money.
You've been in the wilderness since.
No work, no benefit, nothing.
You can't afford the work on your house. Life's tough.
You're trying to keep your marriage going.
A second divorce might cost too much.
Now, every day, you swim 3 km.
At 16, you were a regional finalist.
When the Job Centre wrote out of the blue,
you went along because you're a serious fellow.
And now you're here. Kuypers...
Be yourself.
We're the ones who need you.
It's on me.
Are we keeping the Fréjus visit?
Is the damn speech ready?
Just about.
Keep it simple. Simple works.
Look.
PM denies station privatization plan.
"It's not part of the programme."
Consideration for once.
Brilliant! Wonderful!
It doesn't really smell of roses.
Now the 5 billion needed for freight.
- And Fréjus? - See Gilles about it.
Yes...
Yes, Peralta.
Let's get this straight.
There is no project for the moment.
We're working on defining one.
On defining one. So I understood.
On defining one.
We need the report.
- We all do. - We'll discuss it in the House.
Till Wednesday.
He's weeping.
Fucking bastard.
15 minutes for the visit, not a second more.
Another death. 13 now.
13... Unlucky for some.
Gilles, I saw our job-seeker. Isn't he too...
too...
Too leather biker?
Too... See what I mean?
We wanted a long-term one.
Too much?
Is there anyone else?
Senator Juillet.
Senator...
A little report for you to read.
Thank you.
You'll excuse the Minister...
Absolutely.
It's terrible, those poor children sleeping peacefully...
I only hope they passed from sleep to death.
I hear odd things about stations.
What's your position?
Yours, my dear fellow.
No privatization?
We have no such plans.
Saint-Jean's position or his private secretary's?
The Transport Minister's position.
And mine too.
But in Finance...
At clinic. Waters broken
Come quick. Need you
Hurry it up.
Minister, over here, please.
Yes?
Mr Kuypers.
Good morning...
Your husband isn't here this morning.
When's your daughter's flight to Egypt?
Yes, I understand...
Before 4 pm. I'll do my best.
Don't worry. I'll call you.
Passport SEV
Any time, Séverine.
Things are clear:
I won't oversee station privatization.
- Yes, Bertrand. - A problem.
Tintin's having contractions.
How much?
Dilation 5.
A labour party.
He has to see his kid being born.
Can we get him there fast?
I may have a solution.
What paternity leave do you want? Two? Four?
- How long? Tell me. - Three days?
A month. It's your first.
Thank you, sir.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
So, what do we know about you? We've checked your background.
Have you heard of the Work Support Initiative?
No.
Please don't say "no", say "not yet", Mr Kuypers.
Do you know what we can possibly entrust you with?
Driving the Minister, being at his service.
The days can be long.
We don't run on flexi-time here.
What do we do?
I don't know. It's up to you.
No, Mr Kuypers, it's not up to me.
I won't be driving.
The only real question here is that of desire.
Your compelling desire to seize this chance.
Three or four weeks serving the State.
Come in, Yan.
The Fréjus speech.
Well, Kuypers?
I'm listening. This training course...
Yes.
There you go. That's perfect.
You'll be doing a quick course
in advanced driving.
Welcome.
Yes, Michel.
Excuse me.
We expect absolute confidentiality,
without fail.
Saint-Jean's daughter flies to Egypt tomorrow morning
and she's had her handbag stolen.
She'll fax it over.
No, he'll be away all week.
That's funny.
A bit more to the left.
Smile, please.
Look over here, please.
Now look this way...
Thank you, job-seekers!
Come on, you've found work.
12 seconds 32.
Remember the hand position.
You skidded a bit too far there.
Next exercise.
Get ready.
Three, two,
one, go!
11 o'clock...
Go!
1 o'clock... Go! 11 o'clock...
Go!
Dodging move.
Left! Right!
Accelerate. Brake hard!
That's good.
Prime Minister's residence
An ultimatum?
I'm just passing the information on.
If we don't sign by summer,
work won't begin until next spring.
Why on earth not?
The soil, the cold.
They can't dig frozen soil.
I'm surprised.
It's what the work crews tell us.
Morange, go over it. Let's not replay October 1812,
Berezina, the retreat from Russia...
Like millions of people, I listen to morning radio.
Europe 1, RTL...
The President hates leaks like that.
I totally agree, Prime Minister.
Bertrand is doing well. But he's alone.
He only has his portfolio.
That limits his impact.
If he held a seat, that would help him.
And help us too in future struggles.
I'll tell him, Prime Minister.
Maximizing flow, that's our goal.
Loads have fallen in 5 years.
A driver who puts his truck on a train feels devalued.
Our approach is killing off freight.
Brambles and weeds will soon take over.
We have to act fast.
So find a rogue trader with 5 billion.
See page 3.
The idiot thanks you.
4.2 billion, saving 15 over 5 years.
- If we raise tolls by 3%... - Use subsidiaries.
- Like the Swedes? - They subsidize.
The Germans?
They're privatizing their stations.
And who's buying them?
- Who? - The Chinese.
A guy in Singapore is raising cash.
We need our majority position.
- We'll increase subsidies. - How?
Even the private sector can't bear the cost.
When I go home, Toulouse to Auch takes 89 minutes.
89 minutes to do 77 km!
It doesn't work. Find something else.
- The coach? - We have the initial findings.
- Where? - On my desk.
- And? - It doesn't seem to be technical.
You do "seem" now?
Some girls couldn't sleep. They wanted a DVD on.
The accompanying adult couldn't start it up.
The driver leaned over...
The player's at the front,
to the driver's right.
Then came the bend...
It's horrific.
Are you ok?
A glass of water?
The wrong way...
That's dumb for a Transport Minister.
I nearly die and you're splitting your sides!
You morons!
Go to bed.
I have your tickets for tomorrow.
Your wife's birthday.
What is it again?
The Twilight of the Gods. You'll both love it.
Séverine will.
Will I have time?
Yes, you'll leave St Dizier before 5.
Remember, the sports paper goes on top. Always.
Should we advance official delivery of the report?
That's wise.
Do it. Peralta never attacks blindly.
Good night, sir.
Station privatization can wait until 2024.
The EU requires it but the opposition can inherit that headache.
Very good.
We'll do that.
I drive you home?
No. See you tomorrow. At 7.
Yes, Kuypers?
Do I bring the car back or...
The ministry garage. The badge in the front pocket.
Then take a cab home. Ask for a receipt.
Sleep little but sleep well.
Thanks. You too.
Happy birthday, my darling.
See you this evening.
Commission a study to get me ready if I stand.
How do I finance it?
See Gwenaëlle. Open a budget line on...
"Urban travel perspectives." How does that sound?
Shouldn't we find a seat first?
I don't want to do this, ok.
I hate retirement home visits.
Who are these jerks?
I'll call you back.
Gently! Gently, please...
Gently, please...
Calm down!
What is it you want?
What've you got to offer us, mate?
- Can I get a word in? - Go on then!
Please!
I promise, once I get to Paris,
I'll talk to my staff and I'll plead your case.
No way, pal!
Call the guys in Employment and Recovery right now.
We want a commitment!
We've got you, we're keeping you!
Not my suit! Anything but that!
Step back!
Get the hell outta here! Piss off!
Scum! Asshole!
French President's residence
Forestier?
Neither Forestier nor Canelli.
Dupuy-Najac?
And Woessner?
Anyone but Woessner. I prefer Dupuy-Najac.
Too soft. Not enough stature.
Canelli has stature. Why not Canelli?
What does Vinci say?
We'll back your choice.
Could Canelli suit you?
Canelli is...
friable.
Unlike Woessner.
He's excellent abroad.
But doesn't know the rail industry.
Let's move on from an archaic approach, please.
You know the Ethics Commission?
It's why Canelli...
The Commission only judges French matters.
Woessner works.
Woessner then.
I'm being conciliating.
We expect that from our railways' CEO. Conciliancy.
Our board is very keen to embark upon this new adventure.
Woessner's the man you need in the station deal.
I know Woessner...
Secretive, hard-working,
loyal.
You'll call him?
Yes, Mr President.
I have another problem. Saint-Jean.
Is he with us?
Just how far. That's the question.
Get close to the soil.
You have temperament, skill...
You're protected. Is it enough?
Didn't we just dirty our hands?
We did.
So?
Speak your mind. Go on.
Your only problem, Bertrand, is you lack background.
You're an unidentified political object. You're blurry.
I'm blurry?
You hate that but you are.
You have no image, no history.
It still has to be written.
What use are you then?
What have I paid you to do for two years?
I've watched you.
I should fire you, my dear. And start my story from that.
No, I couldn't find the files anywhere.
Ok, put them on my desk then. Thanks.
AFP: Strike at the Opera
You're spared Wagner.
What?
The Opera's on strike. No performance tonight.
What is this country?!
Sorry.
Gilles, it's me.
Too bad for the Wagner.
Can you call Séverine?
I'll sign the orders tomorrow.
Eating with us?
Some other time.
Who are you seeing?
Relax.
Have a good evening.
I'll remind my little family that I still exist.
Your daughter's in Cairo.
Since when?
Two days ago.
Really?
At Bercy?
If you'd said the National Stadium...
Give the King of Morocco all my best.
4,000 contacts and not one friend.
Yes, honey?
Never mind, we'll celebrate later. In Florence or Naples.
Say hello to your girlfriends.
No, I'll have a drink at the Winston or the Raphael.
You take care too.
I love only you.
And when the Allied breach was made,
one of the first armoured divisions of the Hitlerian empire,
the Das Reich division...
As Leclerc entered Les Invalides
with his train of exaltation from the sun of Africa,
enter this place, Jean Moulin,
with your terrifying train.
With the 8,000 French women who never returned from the camps,
with the last woman who died in Ravensbrück
for sheltering one of our people.
Enter with the people born of darkness and who died with it,
our brothers in the Order of the Night.
Today's tribute simply calls
for the song that will now rise up,
this Song of the Partisans that I heard murmured
as a song of complicity
then chanted in the mist of the Vosges
and the woods of Alsace,
mingled with the lost bleating of the Tabor sheep
as the Corrèze bazookas advanced to meet
Von Rundstedt's tanks launched once more against Strasbourg.
- Everything all right, sir? - Yes, thank you.
... resting with the long train of disfigured shadows.
Today, youth of France,
may you think of this man
as if you had held out your hands
to his poor, battered face on that last day,
to those lips that had not spoken.
That day,
it was the face of France.
He's expecting me.
Come in, Woessner!
- Are you hungry? - Starving.
Excellent!
Last night, I saw that Sustainable Energy wench.
She served maté, the stuff that smells like an old senator.
I risk my head seeing you here tonight.
I'm leaving the Budget. I had a call earlier...
Thank you, Kenza.
I'm joining Vinci. Heading the international division.
You think I'm wrong?
The wrong battle, at the wrong time and so on...
I'm betraying the cause!
The State! The pipedream of the private sector...
We're stifling, Gilles.
They've taken our territory.
We had the best skills and they've ruined everything.
There are 50 of us trying to exist on a pinhead.
And exist... in the name of what?
A wreck.
The State is a wreck.
It's an old, leaky shoe.
No money, no power.
We have a few prerogatives...
I'm not saying there's no power.
Look around you.
But power without the power to act?
What kind of legitimacy does it create?
I'm asking you.
I'm asking you because that question has haunted me since...
Since you joined the Budget with Peralta.
Since the beginning, since forever.
So what's your answer?
I'd answer that I'm getting ready to spend most of the night
rereading the maritime act decrees.
Bravo! I love you!
You little man!
You ghost! You lackey!
We play to the gallery with our reforms and laws...
You and I both know
2 out of 3 decrees are nipped in the bud.
And what happens to the one that gets through?
Amended or censured by the Council of State.
But if just one law...
I know. If there's a law,
just one law to draft
and impose on this tired and tiring country,
it would legitimate the rest.
It doesn't take 50 men to draft a law.
One man will do.
That place is occupied by you.
Masterfully too.
So what does that leave me?
You prefer the air of the private sector to this ditch?
- Of Vinci, yes. - Vinci...
Hold on...
In our year, you had the most talent.
Gilles, I came to tell you they're determined.
Station status changed today.
Who asked you?
Who cares? No one gives a damn! It's done now.
I launch a mixed capital subsidiary.
We want the stations, we'll get them.
- You only have a few hours. - To?
To persuade your boss to reform station status.
Otherwise...
you'll be ousted.
The party's over. Yes, the party's over, Gilles.
I'm doing this for you, not for Saint-Jean.
Still, he's been your choice for years now...
Here's why I believe in Bertrand.
He doesn't belong to the circle of elite officials like us.
He's not an heir.
He and our President have that in common.
And that counts a lot.
Saint-Jean heralds a new approach.
It's the end of our reign.
I don't think so.
Take the night off, Nemrod.
- Are you sure, Minister? - I insist.
Thank you, sir.
- See you tomorrow. - Good night, sir.
It's me. Where are you?
At the office.
On what?
Decrees, eggs and bacon.
With?
A 2000 Chevalier-Montrachet.
Good?
Pretty good, yes.
Very... surprising.
Bastard.
Want to join us?
No, I'm going out. Sleep well, Gilles pal.
What did you do 100 in?
1'11", sir.
Crawl?
Breaststroke.
1'11", breaststroke?
That's good.
- Where do you live, Kuypers? - Marne-la-Vallée, sir.
We'll improvise. Let's go. I'll call your wife.
No, we'll surprise her.
What woman doesn't like surprises?
- Do you mind if I smoke? - No, go ahead.
Give me 5 minutes and it'll be ready.
You don't need a hand?
Fetch me some water.
And offer the gentleman a drink.
I follow him?
When did you begin?
6 years ago. Or 5.
We did it all with my cousin.
Is your cousin a builder?
Maybe.
"Maybe." What an answer! Maybe I'm in the government.
- Where's the booze? - Through here.
Don't you have any children?
My daughter's with her mother.
You have to finish this place.
You have no choice.
That's the thing with houses.
They're hard work but they're good and solid.
- How much more? - 50,000 I'd say.
Quite a sum.
That's a lot in your situation. 50,000.
You have nothing but the caravan...
And Josepha.
She seems like a decent girl. I like Josepha.
And up there? I'm not going to fall?
So what d'you think? Of all this you're seeing?
Come on, drop the protocol.
You're playing at home.
What do you think?
Does it interest you?
Surprise you?
Revolt you?
What?
Are you curious? Disgusted? Stimulated?
What?
Maybe you're hungry?
Martin...
You see, Josepha,
before, politicians were treated with respect.
Respect for their efficacy.
What do you mean by before?
Before...
when unemployment was only 2 or 3%.
Now, they insult us, want us to be poor,
make fun of us, call us pathetic, puerile, grotesque.
I have a young man on my staff and, at dinner parties,
he doesn't dare.
He says he's in anything but a ministry. It's tragic.
It's easy to confuse the caricature and the model.
I know that but...
Our kings had their jokers too.
But the jokers never entered the cathedral.
Today, the jokers occupy the cathedral
and politicians ask them for forgiveness.
Have you done that?
Asked forgiveness.
I do nothing else all day.
Ask Martin.
He knows. He sees things.
Forget it. He'll never say a word.
Niente.
Mut parèj una pèsse.
- You're Sardinian. - Yes.
You see the light now?
Not at all.
Really? What do you know of my life?
You mean Sardinia?
I know the Sardinians a little.
Spend a week at the ministry...
Come to my ward instead.
I know...
- You have no idea. - I do.
Not what I experience.
You think like an accountant.
That's for sure.
You think like an accountant, never thinking of others.
I saw your colleague.
Falconetti is a joke!
He was flogging his hospital reform.
We listened but he has it all wrong.
We tried to explain:
a bed on one ward isn't the same as on another.
He doesn't care because he'll move on.
To the Post Office.
You will too.
There's no Postal Minister, Josepha.
You're all hot air with nothing to offer.
Just your measly ambition.
You fill up space on TV and radio,
flogging hospital reforms and fighting your petty wars.
It's pathetic.
Please, try to remain precise and factual.
You're mixing everything up.
We're dying in agony!
There are still some excellent hospitals out there...
The hospitals in Toulouse... Nice...
Lille...
In agony!
Ok, Josepha, we get the message.
You're talking now?
You're talking?
You're defending him?
For this short-term job?
Cut it out.
You don't know...
Why don't we all go to bed?
All of us?
You can sleep with him but I won't! No way!
The Orléans hospital...
- "Breast" hospital... - Only water now.
Wants to run a country
but he can't even hold his drink! No, I said!
He's crazy!
The Rouen hospital...
Rouen University Hospital is a good one.
Where's your glass?
- Do you vote? - None of your business.
Here, Martin, pal...
Do you vote?
This guy's priceless!
I agree...
Do you vote?
You'd love to know.
Let's get your damn house finished!
Thank you.
Josepha...
Not now!
The tension option won out.
The President will be a rampart,
the guarantor of unity in crisis.
That's what gets them hard!
The father of the nation, the protector...
But I won't back down!
It's a conflict of interests.
What about the Budget secretary moving to Vinci?
Woessner runs international development.
The domestic budget...
Is unchanged. It's tragic.
He's strung us along for a week now.
The stations mustn't be touched.
There's a study.
And?
Users seem ready to accept it.
- How ready? - 53%.
The President feels that if we sell it well enough,
we'll get it through.
We'll lose. Badly!
The reform is a unique opportunity.
With your qualities, you'll have the party with you,
you'll have Finance,
you'll have the opinion polls
and the Interior... You can't fail.
The "Saint-Jean reform" will mark the President's term.
This reform will be your birth.
After, anything will be possible.
You were with Woessner last night.
Yes, I was with Woessner.
So why didn't you call me?
I had questions.
I bet you did. What do I do?
Resign? Eat my hat?
I keep saying I won't oversee station privatization!
- Now what do I do? - Privatize.
Yan has the skills to see this through.
You want to dump me?
- Minister... - Drop that.
No Ministers or advisers. Just man to man.
- You want to dump me? - Minister, we're due...
Are you with me or against me?
...at the PM's. - For fuck's sake!
A few stations won't wreck a friendship like ours.
Not you, Gilles.
If you back down, who can I count on?
Who?
A few stations?
Yes, a few stations...
It's a transformation for the country.
There's no room for doubt.
I don't see it that way.
I see a friendship
that entails certain obligations.
You're right.
I think it's time to prepare for our meeting.
Yan, please.
Excuse me.
Either we reform the status of stations or I'm out.
What do we do?
What do you think?
Speak your mind.
This incomprehension is amusing and very worrying too.
It's mind-boggling how this country lives constantly
in a state of disaster and suffering.
With our help.
I accept it, why not you?
This reform raises you up.
It saddens me and kills me.
Never mind. Do what I do. Pretend.
Face the facts.
You'll succeed without me.
You mustn't dash the hopes that are placed in you.
You obey me. You stay.
You'll get used to it.
My dear man, politics is a wound that never heals.
A fly.
Good, I hate creatures on all fours.
Unless they're redhead lady journalists.
Sorry I'm late.
Our trains run on time.
This is all confidential.
So no texting under your files.
And you, gentlemen, tie a knot in that pink thing
you call a tongue.
The recovery is too tenuous.
In some fields, we've gone back 15 years.
With a debt of 1,000 billion,
it'll be 10 years of austerity and no second term.
What was a hypothesis is now an obligation...
We're privatizing stations.
With French Railways' agreement.
The users seem to be ready to follow us.
In their majority?
57%.
We can get that up to two thirds.
The President is convinced.
We have two options: partial privatization
or total with a transfer of control.
This is an historic opportunity to end an anachronism.
Bertrand...
You'll guide the bill through.
I suggest you name a high commissioner for this reform.
It could be Gilles
or some other fellow. Come up with a name by tomorrow.
Bertrand, any remarks?
It's perfect.
If it's perfect, that's perfect.
Concerning the schedule,
I'll announce it on Friday. In three days.
Until then, anyone who talks will be fired.
Don't be mistaken, the President's wish is clear:
we go for it with our swords drawn.
I need a word about the EU.
Shit!
The outline agreement... for the meeting.
Before dumping me, find me a fief.
The Health Minister...
I've had my colonoscopy.
What's going on?
We had it all in hand. Everything!
The first stirrings of growth, a cheaper euro...
You're screwing it all up!
Why privatize willy-nilly?
Why the hell did you go back on your word?
What's going on with Peralta?
Call Gilles.
Know what'll happen now?
Millions of users will side with thousands of strikers.
You'll have the whole street against you!
Gilles, trouble with Falco...
Can I get a word in?
How can you be so bloody stupid?
You're backing the opposition?
I don't have any information.
The office.
There's no reform underway.
Someone fooled you.
Who... Who told you about it?
Bertrand, I really resent this.
You can't treat people this way.
Someone in Finance?
Sure...
You must think I'm stupid.
But I'll tell you this:
you've had it. This reform won't happen.
It'll crush us all. And you know it.
Listen here, Falco, you're the one screwing up!
I actually thought you had balls.
But, like the others, you hide behind the suit.
I'll ask and...
Enjoy the suit for now, you won't have it much longer.
I'll call you.
Bastard.
Fucking bastard...
Excuse me.
Yes, Gilles.
All right.
No.
You're pissing me off, Gilles!
Just listen and do as I say.
One, settle the municipal election deal by Friday.
The commission needs our decision.
Two, move up Monday's meeting. I want everyone there.
And find me a new press officer.
Yes, I'm firing Pauline.
No, she doesn't know.
I've simplified it.
Yes.
Yes, ok. And?
Why would Prade give up the golden goose?
He's locked on Dijon like a leech on a haemophiliac.
Have you checked that?
Did you call our friend?
Personally?
What is this bullshit?
That's not minor!
I decide what's minor or not!
Will you do the rallies? Meet the elderly?
I want a clear path ahead of me.
You hear that? A path to glory!
So, what's the plan for the municipal elections?
Camille, it's Saint-Jean...
Very well, thank you...
My nephew keeps telling me
an elected official who's offered a Court of Audit position
can't refuse it.
He has to resign from his mandates?
All his mandates?
Obligation to secrecy for 5 years... Not 3?
And if he refuses?
No one refuses the Court of Audit.
Thank you, Camille. All the best.
Yes, Bertrand.
It's me. Listen.
Prade is the one.
National Assembly
There he is...
Saint-Jean!
Your ploy is cheap and unacceptable!
You're trembling, Prade. It's bad for your heart.
What do you mean?
The Court's president opposes my nomination!
Wrong president. Do I have to remind you of the law?
"On the proposal of the Prime Minister,
"the President nominates..."
I'll demand your head from the Party.
I know people who'll bring it to me on a platter.
Send me the list, Prade.
The great Saint-Jean's got no balls!
Gentlemen...
Pathetic.
I'd gladly kick the shit out of him.
I'll back you at the electoral meeting.
Thank you.
Get Louis-Do to call the commission. Then call me.
He's started.
- And? - They're keen to hear you.
They'll see a starving tiger appear from the night.
- What's the problem? - It's the toll.
Why not take the A37 A?
Is it open?
I'm due to open a section of it next week.
Then we can rejoin the A4.
Meeting moved up to 5. Prade in minority
Kuypers, I have to be back by 5 sharp.
Does this lead to Châlons?
The Minister is asking.
Do you have papers?
I'm the Minister. I'm Transport.
I'm picking up tools.
Can we go?
As far as Châlons...
Let them know we're coming.
If I side with Peralta, we can pressure the meeting.
What can you offer him?
We'll find something.
He hasn't been well-disposed to us so far.
Pauline's right...
Ambitious guys crowd the lower rungs...
Soil, roots, they...
Bertrand?
I'll call you back, Dominique.
Yan... Louis-Do! Kenza!
Launch plan red. On the A4, between Metz and Reims!
Immediately!
It's ok.
Hang on in there.
I'll come back.
Shit.
Kuypers, look at me.
Look at me!
Follow my finger. All the way to the right.
To the centre.
All the way to the left.
Very good.
Stand up.
Now...
I'd like you to close your eyes
very slowly...
There.
Now open your eyes. Slowly.
Everything ok?
Ok.
Follow this feeling like a thread in the night.
Here to see the miraculous survivor?
You wouldn't love me if you knew me.
- Show me the speech. - Here, Minister.
"I remember a remarkable man,
"with unique, singular qualities..."
Why are there so many adjectives?
It's false, jarring...
Begin with "I didn't really know..."
This is my most important speech ever.
It has to say something new.
The Unknown Job-Seeker...
It's not official against personal,
it's both at the same time.
"In his time with us, I frequented a silent man..."
A man, period.
Any more news about Nemrod?
He's improving.
Three cracked ribs, a crushed ribcage.
He'll soon be back.
And the reform?
The PM has postponed the announcement until after Cherky leaves.
What?
He forged a building permit.
Someone ratted on him.
The reshuffle won't change our plans.
"Committed to the task we gave him..." Lose that.
"Intense vitality..."
We said one hour and no more.
An hour isn't always 60 minutes.
It is.
Goodbye, Minister.
Since when have you practised civil disobedience?
Do you still want to fire Pauline?
Did I say that?
The President sent this for you.
That's kind.
Glad to see you back.
A speedy recovery.
From us all.
Falco.
He'll never leave Health.
I'm wagering on Big Jaja.
Big Jaja...
Still talking about her?
Just wagering on her.
You never change, Yan.
Excuse me...
Can I have a word?
About tomorrow.
I just spoke to his wife, Josepha...
She'd like us to keep a low profile.
You won't make a speech.
No tribute?
Just a wreath and our presence.
She asked, Bertrand. I couldn't really refuse.
You were right. The speech was a mistake.
How's our Saint Theresa?
High on neuro-blockers and trying to stay awake.
A death on an unfinished road. How can we spin it?
But the grim reaper spared you.
She took someone else.
The poor fellow, what a destiny.
We need you for the reform.
I've been thinking...
We can sell the reform as the second death of centralism.
I sense Gilles' touch.
It's not him.
With your new popularity, it'll work.
Till Friday.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
While the words heard here this morning
are words of comfort and faith,
they cannot dispel the grief we feel.
Martin has left us too soon.
Barely 40 years marked by hardship.
You are here, Josepha. And his daughter, Rosaline...
This large congregation shows how...
I didn't know Martin Kuypers well.
He was a man who was far too discreet,
a man unaware of himself,
the way good and noble beings are,
those who are incapable of coming to terms
with the fear that they have of incomprehension,
the fear of the absence of goodness in this world,
of falsehood
because they know in advance that this is a vain combat
and that the defeated enemy covers its vanquisher in shame.
Such men are rare.
Martin Kuypers was one of them.
I'm here to pay an official tribute to him.
There's the gratitude of the State
and there's the loss of a man,
the emptiness he leaves behind,
his absence.
All that forges unsuspected bonds.
Martin Kuypers...
Goodbye.
Look over here.
That's it.
Your chin a bit to the left. Look here.
Perfect. Don't move.
Eyes to the camera.
Look over here.
That's it. Thank you.
Let me focus...
Tilt your head slightly.
Back again. That's it.
Shoulders more in profile.
Place your left foot in front of you.
A little bit more.
That's it. Lean towards me.
Not so much. Bend your legs.
Another 18 months, then I'll quit.
It will be a different rhythm.
Before, when I closed my eyes,
it was always you who appeared.
Then it was the children's turn.
Now, I hear the wind
and a shutter banging.
I ought to get up to close it
but I can't.
Lille-Europe station...
Thionville is good for the first visit.
A union stronghold. It shows audacity.
I prefer Saint-Lazare.
The resuscitated get along.
Avoid Bordeaux Saint-Jean too then.
What do you think?
No idea. Nothing special.
We need to astound opinion.
This is our first visit.
Forget the station and city, the story is what matters.
The gesture before the great battle.
We're looking for convergence here.
Find it for me.
I'll be bored shitless without you.
Prade's nomination to the Court of Audit.
Dijon is yours.
After the stations, there'll be other reforms...
You already know what my position is.
- You won't change it? - No.
You never change?
The only guy I know who's worn the same shoes for the last 20 years.
Bertrand...
Possible personal secretaries to comfort you.
Know where you'll be?
I'm waiting for my posting as prefect.
I'm weak enough to think we did a good job.
Michel Mougins President's office
Yes...
You never disturb me, Michel.
All right.
Can I give you my answer right now?
Yes, unreservedly yes.
Tell the President...
I'm honoured by his trust in me.
I'll pay particular attention to that.
Thank you.
You! Call Corda and cancel!
The interview never happened. Confirm after you speak to him!
Give us a second, Benoît.
Minister...
You were right, I won't be the man to oversee station privatization.
We're moving, taking business elsewhere.
- You mean... - Cherky.
I'm moving to Labour and Solidarity. It'll be official in 10 minutes.
Congratulations.
Your resignation is no longer in order.
You're staying with me.
We're going to walk all over them.
We'll do great things.
We have an appointment in an hour for the roadmap.
In one hour.
Mr President...
Bertrand, my dear fellow,
loyal men are hard to find in these troubled times.
Guys, nothing's lost!
We'll continue the fight!
When you see all this,
us losing our jobs and unable to pay bills,
it's shameful.
No one gives a shit!
Have fun!
We've held back 5 weeks.
We've been good, we've said nothing.
Today, it's all over!
We're dealing with anger here.
Raw anger.
The people are wary
but they're allowed to be since they don't hold power.
You taught me that one.
Bertrand,
don't try to rebuild the world.
Just win back the 5% approval we'll lose with the stations.
I want reactivity and presence.
Work at it. Tackle any trouble head on.
We'll back you up.
We're drafting a bill
on mobility, balanced pay
and European grants.
Your sole obsession will be to defuse, defuse, defuse.
You're aware of it?
You're shifting gears.
I watch the road ahead, I try to stay honest.
That's not what I mean...
I mean the gifts the gods send us.
If we don't use them, the gods can take revenge.
I'll remember, Mr President.
Very good.
Get to work.
One last thing. I've been thinking about your staff.
A few ideas... Tell me what you think this evening.
Yes, Gilles isn't on the list. We want new blood.
Don't waste too much time in Dijon.
Mr President.