Dear God, my Lord,
You bring light into this world
and promise eternal life.
Help me behave so that the day be filled with good,
and since I've chosen You as my guide,
with your blessing, let me follow your commandments.
Amen.
Excuse me for barging in.
Sister Agnes needed the bathroom. It's her cystitis.
- Were you drawing? - Yes.
It's a pink phylamen.
It's very rare.
It's beautiful. Like always.
You have so much talent.
I only reproduce God's talent.
Wouldn't you like to go away from here,
maybe enrol in art school?
You would Iearn so many things.
Yes, I might enjoy that.
But Mother Mary Joseph is right,
God wanted me to spend my Iife here.
He wants this, He wants that... My eye!
You renounce the world without knowing it.
You could always come back.
There are so many things to see and do,
you can't even imagine.
I'm too afraid.
I Iike our isolation,
the silence.
I know, it protects us from everything.
But imagine your flower preferring its glass of water.
Why not wish me the Iife you chose for yourself?
Who said I chose it?
Good night.
It's best to sleep on it.
Sisters, over these past months I have prayed very much
bearing one of us in mind.
God heard my call
and He whispered that the moment had come.
Novice Avril, come here.
Novice Avril,
God put you in our care.
I am merely the instrument of His will
and I announce with enthusiasm
that the time has come for your two-week retreat
in the Holy Chapel.
At the end of this purification ritual,
I shall have the immense joy
of allowing you, with His blessing,
to take your eternal vows.
Are you happy to hear this good news?
Yes, Mother, I am happy.
But I'm not sure I'm ready to be numb...
Be a nun.
It's not a question of being sure,
but of following the destiny God Iaid out for you.
Yes, Mother.
Thank you for your kindness.
I shall fulfil my destiny with joy.
Novice Avril,
do you agree to abandon all possessions from your past Iife?
Yes, Mother, I agree.
After your vows you will become
Sister Mary Angel of the Immaculate Conception.
Blessed Virgin, Immaculate Mother of God,
you who know the weaknesses of poor sinners,
Mary, you who appeared here in the holy year of 1602,
please receive our novice today.
Mother Mary, please receive me.
Bestow her with ardent thirst for sacrifice.
You will fast and take a vow of silence.
You will repaint the holy walls in pure white,
as if washing your soul at the fountain of goodness.
Mary, comforter of the suffering,
pray for her, pray for us.
Amen.
Mother, I shall stay here alone and become one with God
to no Ionger obstruct His Iight.
Start by correcting your flaws and not offending the Lord.
Isn't she too young?
God gave her to us to stay here.
Avril?
Come here.
Are you there?
I need to tell you something no one ever told you.
The morning we found you, you were not alone.
There was a Iittle boy too.
Mother Mary Joseph decided to raise you,
to make you into what she dreamed of being - a saint.
But as for him...
She decided his place was not here.
She turned him over to a Jesuit orphanage.
I don't know where he is,
nor what he's become...
But somewhere in this world,
you have a brother.
The orphanage is at St. Claude.
Take these two weeks to Iook for him.
I'II Iet them think you're doing your retreat.
I Ieft the door to the bicycle shed open.
Avril?
Hello.
Can I help you?
Do you need some help?
You OK?
No, doesn't Iook Iike it.
Here, eat this.
It'll raise your blood sugar.
Thank you.
I took a vow of silence and I'm fasting.
They still do those things?
I have to go.
Where were you heading?
To the Jesuit orphanage in St. Claude.
By bicycle?!
I can take you if you Iike.
I have a delivery, it's on my way.
No, thank you.
I'm going to return home.
My tire didn't burst by chance.
God is telling me I strayed from His path.
Maybe I didn't show up by chance either.
Are you an artist?
No.
I don't have enough talent.
I'm an apprentice at Edouard's.
The paint shop?
- You know it? - Yes.
Sister Bernadette bought my paintbrushes there.
I still have the catalogue with the names of all the colours.
Ultramarine, azure, Prussian blue...
Cobalt blue, cerulean, phtalocyanine...
I Iike the reds,
cinnabar, Mars red, Venetian red, vermilion...
And my all-time favourite - alizarin.
So what if I dropped you off?
My name's Pierre.
Avril.
Do you take care of the orphanage children?
No.
I'm going there because I just found out I have a brother.
I'd Iike to find him.
Some music?
No, thank you. I Iike the silence.
WELCOME TO MOUTHE
She was careful never to mention you.
It's a very serious error.
The bishopric will be thrilled to put her in an asylum.
Do you still have to bury your belongings?
Yes, it's the ritual.
A "Mary Josephine" ritual.
- You know, your Trappistine Order... - ...of Strict Observance.
It doesn't officially exist?
The Trappist congregation was annulled by Rome in the Iate 1800s
and replaced by the Cistercians.
Until your Superior came along and did her own thing.
What about my brother?
He was adopted the year after he arrived.
Lovely people. We'll give them a call.
Montferrand...
Montferrand David.
Here you go, Sister. you can continue on your way.
He's in the Camargue.
On holiday with his girlfriend.
Do you know where exactly?
Near a Iighthouse...
The Gacholle Iighthouse.
On the hood, Iike true adventurers!
There it is.
A godforsaken hole.
Not even a real road to get there.
I'II take you, if you Iike.
Thank you, but I'II just wait until he comes home.
I don't want to waste your time.
Hey, I'm on holiday now.
I could use some fresh air.
This is all going too fast for me.
Then I'II drive slowly.
Do you see that? A dog is driving!
No, they're English. The wheel's on the right.
I didn't know that.
May I?
You Iike it?
I Iove singers from this era,
Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and the Crickets...
You don't know them?
You must find me very ignorant.
333 kilometres!
- You know the 333 km tradition? - No.
At the 333-kilometre mark, I can call you Avril.
I'd rather not.
It's better to keep your distance with boys.
Could you stop?
Need to pee?
No, I need to pray.
Please overlook my errors today
and give me strength during the night
that I may awaken with joy, ready to serve you.
Amen.
- Good night. - Good night.
Thank you for your help.
Not too uncomfortable?
No, I'm fine.
It's the first time anything's ever happened to me.
Avril?
"Nurse accidentally kills her fiancé and disappears"
You forgive me as always.
But I cannot forgive myself.
There's a psalm that says,
"What a Iovely garden, Lord, yet you shared it with us
"that we might know the pleasure of gardening too..."
And you?
What do you say?
I Iike the smell of the air.
Look over there.
The Iighthouse...
Where exactly are they?
Behind the dunes.
The path starts at the Iighthouse.
Are you scared?
A Iittle.
I'II Iet you go alone.
I'm sure it'll be fine.
Duck!
- Was he there? - Yes.
He's sleeping with someone.
- His girlfriend? - No, it was a boy.
Then you don't know who it was?
Yes, I think I know. But I'd rather come back Iater.
Are you sure?
I need more time.
When I draw a flower, I Iook at it first for a Iong time.
That's my way of making its acquaintance.
You're right. It should always be Iike that.
It's easier with flowers.
There he is!
What are you going to do?
I have an idea.
Hello.
Could you help me, Sir? I need a model.
Do I have to get up?
Just stay in that position! It's perfect.
Is this your first time...
- Hi. - Can't talk.
Now you can, I'm finished.
- Hello. - Jim.
You're talented.
I try to do my best.
And I have a nice model.
True, she almost made you handsome.
Disappointed? Did your plans just fall through?
No, not at all.
- I'II get going. - Stop it, you're embarrassing her!
Besides, I don't see why her plans should fall through.
I've been with girls before.
I'm momentarily homosexual.
- What's your name? - Avril.
Original name.
Not really, I was born in April.
Me too... on the 24th. How about you?
The same.
What year?
- 1968. - No way!
It's fate, we were meant to meet.
You're right. It was God's will.
I have to go now.
See you Iater maybe.
We're here every day.
- He didn't believe you? - No.
Can we go now?
your pencil!
Thank you.
I'm a nun. And I'm your sister.
I mean your real sister.
I knew about the pink blanket.
You've got to be sick to abandon a baby.
Two babies...
You never heard from her?
No.
May I ask you...
Relax, I'm your brother.
Sorry.
Would I want to meet her?
Yeah, maybe.
Just out of curiosity.
Certainly not to be my mother.
Father Diard said that...
that you can talk to monkeys.
I'm an ethologist, I study how the Bonobos transmit Ianguage.
They're monkeys that resemble us. Or I should say, we resemble them.
- A funny job... - I always dreamt of it.
My parents have a small animal park with monkeys.
I'd say you're the one with a funny job.
Thank you Lord for this meal
and the pleasure of sharing this bread.
Let us thank the Lord.
Thank you, Lord.
Uh, thank you, Lord,
for the brunch and the pleasure of being together.
He's not the one who went to get croissants.
Blessed be David for getting the croissants,
Pierre, for squeezing oranges,
and me for having prepared this pure Arabica coffee...
which "helps Iocal populations make a decent Iiving
"without being exploited by the colonial food industry."
And thank you Avril for passing the raspberry jam
and salted butter, please.
Thank you.
Praise be to us!
Some coffee?
- Is it empty? - No, it's Henri's place.
- The old Iighthouse guard. - But he stopped coming, he's dead.
It's all automatic now.
They made it into a day camp for kids.
I work here on Wednesdays.
- How old are the children? - Four to six.
Just Iike him.
Electrical schooling comes in handy.
- You're an electrician too? - Yes, Sir!
As well as bartender, pizzaiolo and ski instructor.
Can you give me a hand?
So how do you Iike it?
The silence here is nice.
"Every house is His house."
I feel good here.
I'II be able to continue my retreat.
You'll spend some time with us?
Of course, I'm allowed recreation.
Two hours a day, one at midday and another in the afternoon.
You could stretch it a Iittle.
Two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon!
Pierre, where will you sleep?
There's a camp bed.
If it's possible, I'd rather sleep alone.
Me too.
I can sleep in the truck.
I'II park right outside, Sister.
You call her "Sister"?
It's better to keep your distance with girls.
Two fish while the other one prays. Some holiday!
Grilled bass flamed with absinthe!
I'II just have bread and water.
I started my fast again.
You can start tomorrow.
Taste it. To make me happy.
It's fabulous.
We'll show you what Iife's all about.
Thank you, God...
Don't pray, it kills the vitamins.
I don't want to eat with you.
It's Iate. I'm going to bed.
Don't take it wrong,
I just need to be alone. See you tomorrow.
"Go directly to jail, do not pass Go."
Bad roll.
Pierre?
Sorry.
I found some pyjamas.
I Ieft a pair for you on the table.
I found them. Thanks.
Sweet dreams.
You too.
David?
What time is it?
Eight-thirty.
Eight-thirty? It's the middle of the night!
I've been up since six.
You're worse than Jim.
I ran into him.
He said he was "spaced out".
If you want to spend time with me, get up now.
I want to paint the birds.
Look...
I'II pose and you paint me.
No.
See, it's Iike a dance.
The male approaches,
he struts around and shows off his stuff.
But the battle's not won.
It's the female who decides. Like with us.
You've never been in Iove with a boy?
No.
Not even a Iittle crush?
Once. His name was Sebastian...
The hero of a book Sister Bernadette read to me in secret,
"Belle and Sebastian".
Me too! I was in Iove with the actor who played in the TV series.
Later on I fell in Iove with another, with the girl, too, so hot...
Veronique Jannot!
I was in Iove with both of them!
Why does your mother think you're with a girl?
It's none of her business.
Doesn't it shock you?
No.
What shocks me are Iies.
I thought I knew the women I Iived with.
I can't seem to forgive them.
Hearts...
Don't tell her what to play!
- And I go out. - Yeah!
We wiped you out.
- We'll beat you tomorrow. - Tomorrow we fish.
No, tomorrow it rains.
And then it rained.
On this beach,
In this storm,
She disappeared.
And I cried out, I cried out.
Aline! Please come back!
And I cried, I cried.
Oh, it hurt me so bad...
- You don't know it? - No, no, I only know canticles.
Then we'll teach you.
- Then I drew... - Then I drew...
- In the sand... - In the sand...
- Her sweet face... - Her sweet face...
- Smiling at me... - Smiling at me...
- And then it rained... - On this beach...
Yeah!
In this storm...
- Disappeared. - She disappeared...
And I cried out, I cried out, Aline...
Avril! Avril!
Avril, please come back!
And I cried...
I cried... Oh, it hurt me so bad...
Bravo!
What about this one? You know it?
Please don't cry.
Goodbye, bye, I'll be back...
- I Iove it. - You must be the only one.
It's very pretty.
Honestly, I Iike it too.
Please don't cry.
Goodbye, bye, I'll be back.
I dream, dream of the sweet life.
Riding on horsepower,
Riding to the ends of the Earth,
Riding faster than light.
I dream, dream of the sweet life...
- It was fed up too. - Don't Iaugh, I Iiked that record player.
Come on, Iet's go fishing.
I have to go back.
No, come with us.
- It's relaxing. - My recreation's over.
You haven't had any recreation in 20 years!
It wasn't worth coming to see me if you stay cooped up all day!
What? What are you Iooking at?
Go on, you might get Iucky.
That's what you came for, isn't it?
You're right. You weren't worth coming to see.
What did you do there?
Christmas... roller skates... radiator...
And you?
Marmot... climb... rocks...
naughty... punishment...
It's strange,
the only time we spent together
was nine months in the womb of a woman we don't know.
Pierre!
Jim's preparing a surprise for us.
What are you making? A painting?
A canvas.
Had to make do with what I found. It's an old sheet.
It has to be stretched very tight. See, you can feel it.
Touch it.
It's for you.
A big format changes everything.
I couldn't, it's far too overwhelming.
And it would be pretentious.
It's just an old sheet with four sticks of wood.
David?
Come here, I need you!
Why be with a guy if he's a bigger pain than a girl?
What?
Where's the waffle iron?
No idea, don't know if we have one.
You said it would be nice to make waffles.
I didn't say we had a waffle iron.
I can't make waffles without an iron.
What's the big deal? Make crepes.
Crepes? Waffles are nothing Iike crepes.
Did you check the game closet?
No, I didn't Iook for the waffle iron in the game closet.
Shit!
Look what I found.
No way, we're not watching that!
I'm filming.
AIready Iiked dominant males?
How 70s!
Ah, the Camargue!
Will you teach me?
How to pray? What do you say?
- There are Iots of prayers. - Teach me a basic one.
"Our Father who art in Heaven
"May your reign reign above and below?"
Don't Iaugh. I told you I didn't know much.
Here.
It's a dress and a bathing suit.
They belonged to my mother. She's great, you'll see.
My father too, in another way.
You'll meet them one day.
If you want.
There! You need to remind them who's boss.
Today, we're going to paint...
- Vegetables! - Yes!
What are you making?
Pink.
- You're not drawing the artichoke? - No.
- What's that? - Leaves.
- What colour is it? - Green.
OK, green.
Green... Where did I put the green?
you put the green in the white.
It's all yours.
- Happy? - Yes.
It's nice to take care of children.
I could make you one, as an exception.
Jules! Stop pinching Catherine!
Oh my God!
Avril!
Come with me!
Clean up that filth!
Do you know what you'll paint?
I might Ieave it Iike that.
The white is beautiful.
This is completely nuts!
They make Iove every hour
and perform every sexual act, even fellatio. They're sex maniacs!
Another point you have in common.
Stop it.
Not when people are around.
Hello there.
It's already five o'clock?
I'm a Iittle early, I have a surprise for you.
It Iooks great on you.
But I'II have to Iend you my razor, that's not classy.
- I've got her, you can Iet go. - No, it's OK.
Nothing will happen to you, I'm here.
It's cold.
You don't have to crush my knuckles.
OK, we'll stay here.
Are you OK? Everything's fine.
Breathe, that's the secret!
Sister Rebecca is waiting for you.
I remind you, Iunch is at twelve sharp.
How is our novice?
The Iast days are always the most trying.
I bet you weren't able to resist talking to her.
I don't need to talk to her to know how she feels.
And?
What does your feeling tell you?
I think all is going very well for her.
Great! you'll be fine!
You're Iooking for flowers.
Go on, you pick the flowers, you give the flowers.
Go on, go on.
Look for the flowers!
You pick the flowers!
You give the flowers away!
I Iook for flowers, I pick the flowers!
I give the flowers away!
I Iook for flowers, I pick the flowers,
I give the flowers away...
I Iook for flowers...
I pick the flowers!
AIizarin pink,
my favourite.
you take an egg...
and separate the yolk.
Hold out your hands.
Pass it from one hand to the other.
That's it, separate the white.
That's it.
Now put it in the bowl.
A bit of Iinseed oil
to make it Iiquid.
And now...
the secret.
It smells good.
Here.
You have to stir it.
Like this.
It's beautiful.
You're all pink.
- Think you can fix it? - Yes.
I don't drink alcohol.
Come on!
Well?
It's better than communion wine.
I was hot earlier and now I'm freezing.
Oh, yeah?
Thank you for walking me back.
No problem.
Only who's going to walk me back?
- You can sleep at the Iighthouse. - Oh, yeah?
Must be a sign from God, I'II sleep in the truck.
You can sleep with me.
I mean...
Hey, I'm harmless.
Wow...
What?
Sleeping with a boy...
Can I come over?
Have you thought about what you'll do?
Yes.
They're delivering the new windmill the day after tomorrow.
It was high time we changed that old thing.
It's not the only old thing that needs changing.
God can hear you.
You've been glum Iately.
Is the girl worrying you?
Yes.
It's horrible to have raised her here.
We should've given her to the orphanage,
with her brother.
Her brother?
There are many things I never said.
We all know that you're her mother.
AII of you?
But we never said a word.
Certain things
are best Ieft unsaid.
Then it's...
worse than I imagined.
Sister Bernadette, we're not here to daydream.
Please return to your cell and get some rest.
I've been resting for twenty-two years,
I think it's time for me to wake up.
I would Iike to say...
thank you for having taken me in,
for having helped me at a time when I needed it.
But now I must find the courage
to Ieave.
I must find my son and my daughter
and tell them the truth.
Your daughter!
I raised her too! I forbid you to return to the chapel.
Go back to your cell!
I came to ask your forgiveness,
forgiveness for myself and for the others.
Having a child to take care of
was a dream come true for all of us.
God's Iove
cannot replace everything.
You shouldn't have repaired it.
Jim! Stop the car!
I missed you.
So did I.
You got some sun.
Hello, I'm Pierre.
- Hello. - Pleased to meet you.
He helped me... with many things.
- I'm Jim. - Hello.
This is David, my brother. Sister Bernadette...
Hello, Avril told me all about you.
You're going to the village?
Yes, I... Please excuse me, I'm a Iittle...
We're going to the chapel.
- To the chapel? You're going back? - Yes.
Meet us there.
I have so much to tell you.
The son-of-a-bitch is heavy!
You're back already?
We've started.
I was there when you were born.
I am...
I brought you into the world.
After what I've done, I can't keep the child.
You're not going to...
No. I want to put the child up for adoption.
And then, if you agree, I'd Iike to stay here. Forever.
If such is His will,
you will wash your sins.
Go in peace, Flora Romano.
I'II take care of everything.
But it's best if the others know nothing.
She sent me into retreat
for the Iast two months.
She helped me give birth.
Right there, at the foot of the altar.
Then she took you both away.
But she brought you back.
You grabbed her finger and she took it as a sign
of "His will".
It's horrible, but at the time I was happy.
I Iost my two children, but I was given one back.
I ask you for forgiveness.
Forgiveness for everything.
That's too easy.
What you did was pathetic.
These are the Ietters I wrote you,
but never had the courage to send.
Read them or throw them out. They're yours.
What about the ceremony?
Don't say a thing.
We'll go ahead as planned.
- Is that good? - It's fine.
This chapel is freezing.
What's that doing here?
It's a surprise.
Mother, Novice Avril has completed her canonical novitiate
by carrying out a retreat of silence.
Let us thank the Lord.
When the time comes for her threefold vows,
may she receive the fraternal welcome of the community?
Let her come forward.
I said to repaint, not do all this silliness!
Who are these people?
I'd Iike you to meet my brother, David, his fiancé Jim,
and Pierre,
the boy I Iove.
I wanted them to be here, for us all to be together,
to tell you that I'm starting a new Iife outside.
What was our father's name?
Vila. Marco Vila.
As a symbol of this new Iife,
I take the name of Avril Romano-Vila.
You asked me to renovate this chapel...
Now get out! Get out of here!
Heaven is not for you.
Jim!
You!
My God!
Thank you.
Some coffee?
"Consolation, November 14, 1972."
"For my son, born on April 24, 1968."
Not a day passes without my thinking of you.
Every day I send you thoughts of love and light,
and to your adoptive family too.
I hope you form a happy and united family,
where joy, confidence, communication and love reign.
I hope they were able to bring themselves to tell you the truth.