1972, near Paris
They burned the harvest...
They killed all the animals
The German army carried on retreating
We didn't hear any more guns on the road to Budapest
Everything was quiet for two days. Total silence
And then we heard that the Russians were coming
Everyone panicked, really panicked
- Why did they panic? - Why?
The Russian army was full of youngsters from the Caucasus and Mongolia
They were savages. Real savages!
I don't know how to explain it to you
My father packed our most precious belongings in crates
He walled up some of them in the cellar
and my uncles buried the rest in the woods
Isn't that your father's car?
Give it to me. Not like that
It was there yesterday!
So what?
You'll twist the aerial!
Pain in the ass..
Not bad
We can get it better
Shit...
There
Quiet!
Brilliant
She could at least speak to my father
Shit, it's not that hard!
Why bother? Your dad wants custody. The courts gave it him
I won't go back to that moron!
He can't make you. It's your choice, not your mother's
He'll get me back if he wants
How?
Actually, he wants to put me in a home. The Beausoleil clinic
- He thinks I need care like mom - You never said
- I don't tell you everything - I do
- Why are you smiling? - No reason
- Next time, tell me why - Give me a break
Last year, he tore down my posters
So I slashed his tires with a screwdriver
He chased after me in the street, dragged me back
and started thrashing me
so I bit his ankle until my mouth was full of blood
Is that why he sent you to Beausoleil?
I went there but they wouldn't let me see you
Then you told me the same rubbish you told the others
It scares me, Gilles, it really scares me
I know
I don't want to go back. Promise to help me
Yeah.
Don't say it like that, this is serious
I know
No, you don't know
You're still a kid but that's okay
Is that why you were smiling?
It's true. I've got my books, my records, my papers and no experience
- Can't your mother help? - Come on, she's useless
The young guy she lives with works in a betting agency
They really impress a court!
And he's an Arab, and they're both Scientologists!
No court's ever going to give her custody
- What will you do? - Nothing
The court judgment is final
We'll see We'll see what?
I can't tell you yet. It's a secret
But I'll tell you
I'll tell only you. I swear
Let go, assholes!
Jesus! Fucking grab her!
"The heat in my blood incessantly filled my mind
"with girls and women
"Yet, not knowing the true reason,
"I occupied them strangely in my mind
"on my fantasies for I had no idea of anything else
"These thoughts kept my senses in a troublesome state of activity,
"from which, happily,
"they never taught me to relieve myself"
"But the time was past when childish games were natural
"Shame, the companion of an evil conscience
"had come with the years
"It increased my shyness, making it invincible
"And never, at that time or since,
"have I made an indecent proposal
"to any woman
"who had not forced me to it by her advances,
"even knowing her immodest
"and likely to accept
"My agitation became so strong that, unable to satisfy my desires,
"I excited them by extravagant maneuvers"
Extravagant..
maneuvers
"I hunted out dark pathways,
"lonely spots,
"to expose myself to women from afar
"in the condition I would have liked to be in their company
"They didn't see the obscene object
"I never thought of that
"It was the ridiculous object"
Mr. Guersaint
Carry on reading
You weren't following
I'll help you then
We're at "the ridiculous object"
Start reading from "the ridiculous object"
Page 121
What's this?
Where's "The Confessions"?
I left it at home
Right,
since you can't read for us,
you can tell us what you've remembered
What happens next?
If you'd read it, you'd remember
What's he talking about?
What's this ridiculous object?
It should interest you
Is it his...
Or his...
What do you think, Gilles?
I'm sick of wasting my time on shits like you. You piss me off!
Go on, get out!
Go on!
Take your things,
since literature interests you,
and tell the supervisor I don't want you back
Go on!
Out!
Asshole!
Those assholes broke my bracelet and took my wallet!
Your wallet's here
Nothing missing?
You can check later
They had no right to keep me!
Where did they keep you?
In some shitty locker room
What happened there?
Is that all?
They tried to intimidate me, no such luck
You've done this before
- Maybe - You know you have
There's no proof! I never signed. Prove it!
There's their word
And their word says they saw you today
stealing records in the store with your boyfriend
Their word's worth fuck-all!
Why?
They're not sworn officers. That's why
If they play it that way, I can tell a few things too
Meaning?
Nothing
You're not at school
This is a police station. Answer my questions
Nothing. Ask them what happened in the locker room
It was the tall guy with short hair
We were alone together in there
He tried to ask me a few dumb questions
When he saw I wasn't answering,
he started feeling under my skirt
And then?
He took off my panties and then...
He put his finger in me. I was dry
And you let him?
I felt nothing. He doesn't exist
Did it last long?
No idea
Then he made me kneel down and took out his cock
Did he ask you to...
He didn't ask
He forced you?
No, he just pissed on me
Yeah, he pissed on me with his cock
That's a serious allegation
Dead serious
Right...
Christine Huart..
I've had your file here for three weeks now
Know what's in it?
A court order your father wants applied immediately
In other words,
they want me to send two officers
to take you to him...
of your own free will or not
Nothing to say?
Nothing
When they divorced,
did you want to live with your mother?
No one asked me
You prefer your father?
I'd rather croak than stay with that worm!
And now?
Now I'm waiting to be old enough to take off
Where to?
I know where
You won't say?
Your mother won't answer my letters
She's not stupid, she knows what you want
It's too late now
Maybe I could have helped
but it's too late now
Your father's here for you
I didn't have time for Chapon's delivery
It took me an hour!
Right, you...
take the van
There's the roll of fencing...
and the stakes. 250 of them
Count them with the customer or he'll piss us off again
You could have shaved!
Right... You unload the van...
No, you don't unload it... We gave him 10% off
He didn't pay for labor
It's from the site where my dad works
One of his pals sorted it out
Six, seven, eight...
It's okay to handle it
It only works with a detonator
These are the detonators
You stick the fuse in on this side
The stick goes on the other side
This is Bickford fuse
4 meters of it to cut up
It's string and gun powder
Remember, once you light it, you can't put it out
Who said come in?
Who said? Whose place is this?
- Is Madeleine here? - Answer me!
Whose place is this?
Show me some fucking respect!
See you, Mourad
They took Christine from her!
- Did you know? - No, I didn't
The store guards got her
I know that
You don't give a fuck about her when you steal your goddamn LPs!
It's fun, huh? Mom and dad can get you out of trouble
or cough up if they have to like last time!
You're drunk, I'm not listening!
Give me the key and sleep it off!
Give me the fucking key!
I said I'd smash your face in if you started again!
It's not a game for Christine. It's her life
Okay, Mourad, cut it out
Hands off, queer!
Last time, they told you they'd get the cops!
The cops called her dad
and he's sending her to Beausoleil
Oh fuck.
What now?
She'd left when Madeleine got to the police station
so she went to the ironmongery
The sales guy...
...threw her out Were you there?
No, she called from a phone-box
She was crying, her dress was torn, and she wanted me to fetch her
I've got to get to the betting agency, I'm already late as it is
There, your room's ready
Here
Take this before bed. It will do you good
It's not very strong
You don't have to take it but I'll have to tell Dr. Varennes
That's good
If you need anything, my office is down the corridor
Use the buzzer to call me. Okay?
Good night
Come and see
Remember the "Death of the Virgin" from the Louvre?
That character, at the Virgin's feet, remember him?
Hands over his eyes and at his throat, his head lowered
Few images of suffering move me more than this
What about you?
Does it move you like that
or not?
Once the painting was finished,
they said Caravaggio had used a drowned prostitute as his model
If you look closely, it seems plausible...
It caused quite a scandal
and Caravaggio's patrons refused it
He wasn't able to defend himself as he had to flee Rome
after killing a man in a duel
Are you listening?
Did you see that letter from school?
No, I didn't
Come on, I'm not stupid
It was on the table
I know you go through my papers
Yeah, I saw it
Okay
And what do you think of the letter?
What am I supposed to think? They can expel me next year
I'll pass the exam anyway
- What if you fail? - I won't
What if you fail?
I'll fucking pass!
Don't shout at me, please
I've had enough of these hassles
You were disciplined twice last year, for heaven's sake!
Mess about but don't let them catch you
I'm sick of seeing the head
and having to kow-tow to her
Two years ago,
we moved you to arts because maths was too hard
Then a class without Latin
because it was even easier
So what is it you want? Tell me, what?
Some private school full of idiots and daddy's boys?
The same as your moronic cousin
who's over twenty and still in high school?
Give me a break with that cretin!
I'm 16 and I haven't failed my exam yet, okay?
If you don't want to answer or see them, don't. It's my problem!
Change your tone. lf you don't mind, it's my problem too
I do mind!
That bitch has been after me all year!
Poor little martyr
Any graffiti, stealing or strikes and she sends for me straight away!
It's not me every time! I'm sick of being a scapegoat!
Now she's writing to you
What have I done now? I've had enough!
If she wrote to me, she had her reasons
I'm telling you there's no reason. She's obsessed!
She's just after me!
When you get like that, no one can talk to you
You won't even try to understand!
Stop it, Gilles!
Little jerk
Can I talk to you now?
It is my problem too
I just spoke to your mother
She had a copy of the letter
What did she say?
She wants you in a boarding school
She spoke to the head who thinks it's a great idea
A brilliant idea
What can I say?
Your grades are bad...
you've got permanent discipline problems...
at the slightest remark, you go crazy...
This proves it
I'm never home. I can't watch you all the time
You've got to stand on your own two feet
I know, I keep trying!
You'd never guess. Some kids your age already have jobs
You're lucky, you've never lacked money
It's no fun at your age being left to your own devices
But that's the way it is
That's life and you have to act like an adult
That's what you need to learn
These days, I'm...
I don't know what to tell your mother
I can't make any commitments
about your work or mental balance
She said she'd handle everything
She knows a very decent place in the south-west somewhere
She said it's for your own good. And I didn't say no
agreed
Gilles!
Come here...
Look how it works
- I'm doing my homework - Do it later
Show me after. I can't concentrate
You're just copying!
Okay, but it has to be neat, pain in the ass
I can't later
Have you got that?
Tell Maxime
Can't you? He's coming tomorrow after his riding class
- No, it pisses me off - Why?
I'm not interested. It's kids' shit
Give it to him. He doesn't owe me anything, okay?
Put the light out
Yes, yes...
Give me the scissors now
You'll do something dumb
Give them to me
It's not funny
You're out of your mind
- She's nuts! - Look what you did
Get the scissors off that bitch!
Come on, come on!
Let go of me!
Come on now!
You'll break her arm!
He's crazy!
- Stop him! - Back off!
I'll let her go
It's okay
It's over now
I was scared you wouldn't come
Thanks for worrying about me
It's not that. I'm talking about Christine
What about her?
She's here
- What's she doing here? - She ran away
- How? - I don't know
She must have said
She wouldn't. She turned up at dinner, dead beat
- Were your folks there? - Of course
What did you tell them?
A load of shit
- Did they believe it? - Not a word
- They'll call her dad! - No way
Says who?
I do. They're not sneaks
Yeah, sure
They spoke to her
She went to my room. I made coffee and then brought her here
- You should have let her sleep - At home?
Of course
I can't keep her
You've got room
What about my folks?
Tell them her mom went away
They'll buy that!
Make something up
No, you have her!
I can't! Same here!
You want her to go back to the home?
No, to her mother's
No, her father will go straight there
She might know
The cops will turn up and she'll panic
Why the cops?
He'll send them this time!
We can't let her down
You're crazy! You've seen her. She needs care
She was okay all year
Now look at her after a day in the clinic
They only gave her valium. It's normal
Electric shock treatment will be normal too!
Come on, you're raving
They use it at the clinic! My mom works there!
You want to be rid of her
Quitter!
Where's Christine?
I don't know. At the clinic
They said she escaped
He knows already
- I know what? - Don't fuck with me!
They thought she'd come home
Luckily, she's a bit smarter than that
Mourad remembered this party was on...
We haven't seen her
She must have taken a train to Paris
A train! You think I'm an asshole?!
Out of the way!
You and Mourad fought?
It's okay, I understand
No, he's a pain in the ass. He's losing his marbles
While he was still on the football team, it was okay
But since he started at the betting agency, it's hell
What does Christine tell you?
About what?
I don't know... About me... her father..
She must say something
She won't even speak to me
She's unhappy but I don't know how to help
- Does she want to live with her dad? - No way!
What then?
To be alone maybe
Alone? She's only 16, I can't let her go off!
I don't know! You asked me what she says. She wants to be alone
But that's ridiculous, right?
Maybe it's something she can't say otherwise
Like?
Like she needs attention
I know her
- She wants me to have a steady life - Maybe
A steady job, without Mourad
I don't think...
Mothers and daughters are like that!
She judges me! But I won't give up my life for her!
She's like her father
Always the center of attraction. Like at the store
Self-centered. And fussy too!
So I left. I won't let her pull the same act!
I'll live the way I want. I'm a Scientologist, that's my business!
Not here! We'll try your sister's and the station,
then back here in case she turns up
I didn't want to get uptight. I really care for her
I don't want to lose her
Swear you know nothing...
that you haven't seen her...
I swear
- We've got to go - One question first
What?
Wait
It's a secret
No time for dumb secrets!
It's not dumb. Promise?
I promise
Come on
Remember Chloé?
You know, in the 4th year
I wasn't in your class
I was always with her, a blonde girl
Oh, yeah. She vanished ages ago
No, she hasn't vanished
Her dad's a painter
They moved to an old farm in the Lozère region
The farm's full of artists
They did it up. It's great
How do you know? Maybe it sucks
She writes a lot. She's my best friend
You want to go there?
I've wanted to for a long time
I never told anyone
Except you
I want you to come
- When? - Right now
I haven't got my things
Neither have I
Wait!
What!
You hesitated. You shouldn't have
I'll go alone
Just give me a second
No, not one second. It's too late
I'm coming
We'll be all alone, you know?
We won't have a family...
money, or a home...
You'll have me..
and I'll have you. That's all
I know
You're coming anyway?
I thought they'd never go!
Will they be back?
No, they think you're in Paris, that you'll turn up tomorrow
They can screw themselves!
Here, it's Françoise's sweater. It's warm, you'll need it
And my jacket...
No, I'll be okay
I want you to have it
with you
Here...
It's not much but it can help you out a bit
Here
Has Chloé got a phone number?
No, there's no phone
No water or electricity either
The address then?
I thought you wrote a lot
We've never written
Gilles doesn't know. I don't want him to
I don't want to go alone
You do love him?
Yes, I love him
I love only him
Stop looking at the map!
I told you, it's on the Villefort road
Call them. Maybe they could fetch us
There's no phone, no water and no electricity
How do they wash then?
There's a well
And after?
You use a basin, you heat the water It's simple enough
Have you ever done that?
Got a light?
Did Chloé tell you all that?
We won't be there by dark
It doesn't look so far on the map
The road twists a lot. It's at least 20 km
20 km...
That's nothing
There's no cars on the roads
And it'll be dark soon
Subtitles: Ian Burley