"IN TOWN" "Look at this." "There's writing on the glass." "Yes." "Do you often go to the cinema?" "Sometimes." "What do you prefer?" "Comedy?" "Action?" "Horror?" "She loves porn films." "Are you inseparable?" "We go together well." "I'm in good company tonight." "I was junior foil champion of France." "What's foil?" "Fencing." "Yes." "You can come to my place if you like." "I can't stand his airs." "I'm going home." "Really?" "St Iris is going home to bed?" "This is a seedy place." "I don't believe it." "Don't you want to have adventures?" "You shouldn't die an idiot." "I won't die in an idiot's bed." "We don't know him." "He could be a psychopath." "You think he'll bring out his little sword..." " Let me do it." " OK." "Keep still." " What are you drinking?" " No idea." "You remind me of somebody famous, an actress, or maybe a singer." "Scarlett Johansson?" "No matter, you're perfect." "You're really perfect." " You ticklish?" " Your hands are cold." "Is that better?" "I'd like to dance." "You're beautiful like that." "Get out." "I gave it all back." "All of it, I tell you." "Put the light out, will you?" "OK." ""Gave it all back"..." "Whatever!" "You're not asleep?" "I took a pill, but it didn't help." "Poor old man!" "Why is he here?" "I'm helping him out." "Why do you let him stay here?" "He's disgusting." "Listen here, Iris." "It's true, he's disgusting." "I don't like this selfish side you show." "You weren't like that." "This kind of talk annoys me." "I'm going to bed." "What did you do tonight?" "Nothing special." "You can talk to me." "You don't want to know how I spend my nights." "Why not?" "Feel free to tell me." "You're not right." "This is not a hotel." "Are you leaving, sir?" "In a way, that's all I'll say." "Are you fed up?" "A bit, but not that much." ""Victor Hugo said:" ""'Grass must grow and children die.'" ""I think that cruel art says people must die," ""and die after great suffering," ""so the grass can grow," ""grass not of forgetting but of eternal life," ""grass of fruitful work," ""on which generations can happily sit," ""not caring who sleeps beneath," ""enjoying a picnic lunch."" "I got your message." "Forget it." "I shouldn't have sent it." "Why?" "Didn't you mean it?" "I know you don't want to." "I didn't say that." "You didn't say otherwise either." "Let me think about it." "Alexandre?" "Can I have a word with you?" "Someone you should meet." " Hi." " Hi." " Where are you from?" " Wuppertal." " What?" " A little town in Germany." "A seedy place." "What do you do?" "I drink vodka." "Must you do this?" "What do you mean?" "You say nothing." "What can he say?" "You're a pain." "You don't realise it." " Coming?" " I'm fine here." "I can see that." "You burned my hair, you..." "What was that guy's name?" " Don't know who you mean." " You do." "You're being awkward?" " Hector?" " Thanks, Isabelle." "Of course, "Hector"." "So?" "He was Brazilian." "You need a hand?" "Yes, please." "Never eaten chicken before?" "You think that's clever?" "There's always a first time." " You from round here?" " Yes." "No." "I'm not from this area." "I'm not from here." "Oh." "Do you like it here?" "Yes." "There's plenty of sun." "It died" "The sun died" "When you left me" "The summer died" "Love and sun, it's all the same thing" "Isabelle, do you have plans for next year?" "Thanks." "I'm moving to Paris." "I've had an offer." "Where are you going?" "Philippe's place." "He has a flat in Montmartre." "Who's Philippe?" "You're talking rubbish." "Maybe." "You need money to live in Paris." "Depends who you're with." "You've no ambition." "You'll stay in your hole." "Get married in your hole." "You think you know?" "With Alexandre." "You're crazy." "You can have him." "He's not my type." "He took me to the top floor of a modern block." "We sat on the sofa." "He asked if I wanted to watch a film." "He put the TV on." "I went to the bathroom." "He put some music on." "We started dancing." "I held on to him to take my shoes off." "He said I could go, that I was free to do so." "But he found me attractive." "Did you stay?" "He told me he'd become a slave to his work, that it wasn't easy for him." "And that he had trouble with girls." "He has to use the Internet, when before he had no such problem." "I started feeling dizzy." "I was hot, I took my sweater off." "My head was still inside it..." "I felt him kissing my stomach, undoing my jeans." "He stayed on his knees." "It was as if he was praying." "You know what I mean?" "Yes, I see." "I closed my eyes." "The music went on playing." "I lay down on the floor." "He lay on top of me, arms out." "You weren't asleep?" "I was." "I wanted you to come and wake me up." "It's OK, I know the way." "Bye." "I don't know what to say." "I don't want to lie." "I want to ask you something." "I don't want to go home." "I want to stay here." "It doesn't mean we're an item." "What can I say?" "Yes or no?" "I can't say no to you." " How's the revision going?" " Not so good." "Iris is coming to stay for a while." " Any coffee left?" " I'll make some." "I need an extra hand tomorrow." "Are you free?" " Not really." " Come on, make an effort." "No." "I really can't." "Could you help me out?" "Why not?" "You walk along, you empty the bins, gather rubbish from the seats, the bins, the luggage racks..." "Look under the seats too." "Put all the armrests down." "They must all be down." "You need a regular rhythm." "Look at all the bins to see if they are full." "When your bag is full, take it to the platform." "Is it clear?" "You finish this carriage, I'll do the one behind." "Excuse me." "Do you know this place?" "I'm looking for the town centre." "Me too." "Show me and I can take you there." "I can't see where I am on the map." "We're there." " What does ZAC mean?" " I don't know." "But Z is for zone." "Sorry." "No problem, it's a mess anyway." "Where can I put this?" "Anywhere..." "In the glove compartment." "A glove compartment that actually has gloves in it!" "It's a mess, but a tidy mess." " Do you want some?" " Yes, please." "And what's that?" "Photos from a film." " What do you do?" " I'm an artist." " Famous?" " A bit." " Are you a painter?" " No." " A sculptor?" " Not that either." "Next: "Can you live off art?"" "I just wondered... can you live off it?" "What are you doing?" "Stopping for petrol." "Those sandwiches make me hungry." "Really?" "What do you photograph?" "Places, roads, ports, things like that." "You enjoy it?" "They say... they're places many people pass through, they say they have no soul." "I don't agree." "You never photograph people?" "Hardly ever." "I'm tired." "I worked all day." "What do you do?" "Something a bit like you." "I work in a place many people pass through." " You like it?" " It's temporary." "And later?" ""Later"?" "I don't know." "I envy you." "But it's a bit frightening." "Yes, its hard to know what to do." "You just keep wondering." "I can't imagine my future life at all." " It seems like science fiction." " Why?" "Do you think youth is a privilege?" "It's old age that's a privilege, as we don't all get there." "I think it's a privilege no one wants." "Do you feel privileged?" "You have to answer no to that sort of question." "Even if you think yes." "Me too, I sometimes answer the opposite of what I think." " About what?" " Ask me something." " Can I use your first name?" " No." "She's really beautiful, Iris." "You're lucky." "But you don't seem to realise it." "OK, know-all, tell me what this means:" ""Woman is the future of man."" "It's a bit obscure." "I think it means nothing." "Wait a minute." "Let's use deduction:" "what's the past of man?" " Apes." " Exactly." "So logically speaking, man is stuck between apes and women." "We're a compromise in evolution, doomed to disappear." "One day there'll only be women." "What are you doing?" "We're discussing our future." "You'd be a nice girl." " What are you thinking about?" " Nothing." " Just floating." " Floating?" " Yes." " Floating where?" "I don't know." "Over there." "I've been thinking." "It's no good you staying here." "You want me in the street?" "You're not in the street." "It's not for long." "That's not what I mean." "It doesn't make sense." "It's a nonsense situation." "You're here but you're not with me." "What do you want?" "I thought it would bring us closer." "It's ridiculous." "I was right." "You're a funny girl." "This town makes you soft." "In Paris, 50 people push me to make me walk fast." " I'm ready." " I see." " What's the phone for?" " I want to cancel." "It's a bit late." "It's never too late." "Make that your motto." "They've done so much, and we'll be off in a week." "I don't want to go out." "Oh dear!" " They admire you." " Why say that?" "Because they told me so." "And then you live in such a nice flat." "The idea of going to their lousy pretentious restaurant..." "Shaking hands with the boss, so what?" "Oh, come on..." "I've neglected the media." "What do you mean?" "I've got..." "I'm stuck with prejudiced views of communication." " Is it time to talk about that?" " It is." "Well, at least you produce things." "No one stops you doing what you like." "At least, I don't." "We live by your rhythm, so we have to choose." "Between what?" "Between your work and whatever I could do." "You always said you could adapt to anywhere." "All I do is follow you and play the assistant." "I thought you liked travelling around with your dictionaries." "Yes, but it's not me they invite." "You still get the advantages." " Did you think of me?" " Of course not." "What brings you here?" "I borrowed an apartment so I could work here." "A change from Paris." "You find it exotic here?" "In a way, though I'm not looking for exoticism." " What are you looking for?" " Boredom." "I know it sounds strange, but sometimes I need to be alone in inhospitable places to be able to work." "I need to be worried." "Sometimes I almost feel like I can't do it." "A negative impetus, from emptiness." "You handle emptiness like an old enemy, making it think you'll let it win." "I came here to find my old enemy." "But that's not what I found." "I'm off to have a bath." "You always hide in hot water." "Here's to life." "No death without life, no life without death." " We brought some shellfish." " What are they?" "They're abalones." "A neighbour sold them to us." " You eat them like that?" " No." "You cook them like escalopes." " Can you put them in the kitchen?" " I'll cook them." "We've all we need already." "Yes, but we don't get to eat these every day." "They take a while, but they're delicious." "They're very rare." "Actually, it's illegal to catch them." "Who'll give me a hand?" "Alexandre?" "OK." "My husband's given you a job?" "That's good." "You must be pleased." "Yes." "But I won't last more than 5 days." "She's right, it's not very exciting." "It's good of her to accept." "Apart from that..." "You have family?" "Yes." "They're in a caravan just down the road." "Waiting for a word to come and live here." "You have to beat them to make them tender." "They're all muscle." "What's this crap?" "You'll see, they're good." "Do you have a frying pan?" "Come back as soon as you're done." "Your fiancée looks lost." " I'm fed up." " You smell of wine." "4 hours of drinking." "Be patient." "You offer me no hope." "You give me an answer next week, or get out." "What's the film about?" "A woman who leaves a man, after a night of talk." "Then she meets a stockbroker." "She spends evenings with friends, listens to music, dances." "She sees the stockbroker again," "2 or 3 times." "In the end she goes to his office." "They spend time together." "Then they set another date." "Neither of them comes." "That's it." " That's all?" " It's enough." "One day, my father told me he met a girl in the street, when he was a student." "He took her to a bar and they talked non-stop all day." "In the end they'd used up every topic of conversation:" "cinema, politics, music, countries they wanted to see, their future plans." "They went round and round but neither dared make a move." "The girl had a train to catch." "Then he said:" ""I don't know what else to say."" "And that's when they kissed." "Did they meet again?" "I'd like to say yes, but no, they didn't." "He was already engaged to my mother." "No hope then." " Your place is huge." " I know." "It's my mother's." "She's never here." " What does she do?" " I'm not sure." "She's in business." "Whatever!" " How are they organized?" " Not at all." "I don't like organization." "How do you find them?" "I don't look for them." "They come to me." "What d'you mean?" "I pick one at random, open it and find exactly the right phrase, the one that fits my thoughts." "Often it's something about death or disappearance." " You think about that a lot?" " Yes." "Right now it's a bit vague, but later it'll get clearer." "I met a guy who takes photos." "Interesting." "They say primitive people hid their faces when photographed to protect their souls." "They were wrong." "The film steals the photographer's soul." "I promise you." "See?" "Did you feel something?" "No." "But I did." "But their souls were stolen by other means." " A drink?" " Yes, please." "Alexandre asked me to go and live with him in Paris." "What would you do?" "You can ask me anything, but not that." "Does that trick with books work?" "Try it and you'll see." ""Love: giving what you don't have to one who doesn't want it."" " It doesn't work." " I told you it works." "I don't like questions." "Why not?" "It's like being attacked." "I spend my life answering questions." "People don't care what I say." "It's tiring." "Sometimes I feel like falling asleep." "Discussion is good." "What if people spoke in perfect sentences like exam questions?" "Hi, Iris." "Is self-awareness always liberating?" "Can an experiment prove something?" "You'd be even more tired." " You laughing at me?" " No way." "Tell me one of your characteristics." "Curiosity... imprudence." "The proof:" "I'm here." "What's your favourite quality in a man?" " Timidity." " Why?" "When they can't express themselves, they seem sincere." " And in a woman?" " Resistance." "Your worst failing?" "My parents." "Your dream?" "Some purple boots I saw in a shop window." "Your greatest misfortune?" "It would be to realise I've become what I hate the most." " Favourite occupation?" " Doing my homework." "I'm joking." "What do you hate most?" "People who are always in a good mood." "Why?" "They're either lying or blind." "The gift you'd like to have?" "To be always lucky." "How would you like to die?" "Full of happiness." "See you tomorrow." " You work here?" " As you can see." " What will you do for the holidays?" " The wine route." "I don't like beaches, but I like getting drunk." "I want a film but I don't know its name." " A recent film?" " I don't know." "What's it about?" "A missed appointment." " Can't think of one." " Never mind, forget it." " Good luck." " Have you seen it?" "You joking?" "I've given you 10% off." " Will you come for a coffee?" " OK." "See you later." " Have we forgotten anything?" " No." "OK, let's go." "Amazing." "There's no one left." "We're still here, luckily." "Could you say something?" "Are you afraid of me?" "Oh no, not at all." "My sons have always made me sound like a monster." "They don't realise I've been through a lot." "I'm not yet past it, but there was a thing they call the war." " I know." " Maybe." "There were always lots of people here." "It was full of joy." "Only nice people." "Close the window." "It's cold." "It's stifling." "I don't mind." "Is there a salad?" "No, I thought that was enough." " No problem." " But there's dessert." "Thank you." " I'm going to lie down." " See you later." " She doesn't like sweet things." " I didn't know." "Must he arrange social events even when he's here?" " He works so hard." " Poor thing." "What do you see?" "A line of pylons with wires, drawing lines on the landscape." "A worker in overalls over there." "There's a mark," "I don't know, maybe an animal or a plant." "Unless it's an old plastic bag." "There I see nothing at all." "I don't know what it is." "And there..." "She's looking at me." "Her eyes... are hungry, naive." "Maybe she's challenging me." "Or asking me something." "I'm not sure what she wants." "She doesn't know either." "That's why she looks restless." "No, I know what she wants." "Shall we go out?" " What for?" " A walk." " No, thanks." " I don't know what you want." "I'll watch television." "I've nothing else to do." "Hello, I'm Jean." "Everything's fine." "Monika and I are happy." "Been together for 10 years." "We love each other." "Carry on." "Building a lasting relationship is the most powerful thing you can experience in life." "You realise you haven't fallen in love for years." "At first it seems silly to think of that." "You have to look far and wide, to rediscover what it's like." "And you remember, it was different, it swept everything else away." "Nothing like end-of-evening mischief." "It just comes over you without your planning it." "You look for her face, you can't quite see it." "You try to remember her expression, and all the time you spend imagining fires you up more." "Soon that's not enough." "You need to see her." "You want the whole of her, but that doesn't yet exist." "You know there's a way to go, you don't know where." "One day when you get that look, no one's there." "All doubts and hesitations are gone." "I hear her murmur." "I read her lips." "Your face too, I imagined it all night long in the dark, trying to see you but you always escaped." ""Perfect head, perfect diadem."" " What?" " Paul Valéry." "A genius." "He was understood, at least." " You're not understood?" " You're a genius?" "She's delightful." "Tell us of your love life." "It must be exciting." "Nothing to tell." "What do you talk about at 18?" "What did you talk about at 18?" "Oh, times were different then." "There were ideals." "It was much more interesting." "That sounds reactionary." "I don't see why." "We experienced more things." "We tried everything:" "sex, drugs, politics, commitment." "What do you know about?" "If you were my age today, what would you do?" "Start a revolution?" "I doubt it." "You'd be like everyone else." "It's the same for me." "It's easy to criticize us as we're not the same." "You don't understand what interests us." "Watch that cigarette." "In the end, it's not a lot." "7 minutes from school to the park," "12 to cross the mall, as you always meet someone." "At 7.30 pm the lights will come on." "No more traffic." "We'll live together, but we'll have our own lives." "It won't necessarily be love," "but it'll matter, because we'll go all the way." "That's what will stay with us." "We'll replace everything important without noticing." "There'll be other places, other cafés, other parties." "It'll always be irreplaceable." "In the end it'll all be mixed, confused." "I want to remember this time later." "But now is never good." "Seize the day - that's rubbish." "Like picking rotten fruit." "Let's go and leave all this." "I'm happy, I'm not sad." " When did you come here?" " What?" " How long have you been here?" " A while." "It's complicated, but I'll tell you about it." " And you?" " I'm sharing a flat." " What?" " I'm sharing a flat." " Good." " You're deaf." "A good start." "What?" "Won't you introduce me?" "Iris, a friend of mine, this is Gérald." "Gérald is my stage name." "My parents named me Claude." "You're beautiful." "Look at me." " You've got some makeup there." " No, stop it." "Subtitles:" "Eclair Group"