"I died at the end of summer." "What day?" "I can't remember." "Death by fire." "That was how I decided to end my life." "It all started the day I got lost." "I was driving around aimlessly." "At least that's what I thought." "In fact, I was looking for you." "It was somewhere in the south." "But was it really the south?" "For you!" ""For the praying mantis"" ""killing the male is a question of survival..."" ""Fabre, 1864"" "The Feast of the Praying Mantis" "Who you were, and where you came from was of no importance." "You came north with me." "That is all that mattered." "You seemed happy, even relieved to be far from your home." "I built you a greenhouse in the big garden surrounding my house." "Everything was so simple back then." "Sylvia?" "Julien!" "Look at this!" "See?" "I see." "And I see you're not ready." "Look closer." "It's in bud." "I can see the buds." "And I can see we're going to be late." "Let's go." "You don't get it." "It's going to flower." "For the first time." "It'll bloom just as well if you're not here, won't it?" "We ought to celebrate." "Yes." "What better way than to go to a concert?" "I'm not going." "You can't stay in this greenhouse." "It's like an oven in here." "You can't breathe." "You've got to meet people, get out and about." "You never speak to anyone." "I speak to my plants." "Excellent conversationalists, I bet." "You're wrong." "They have a lot to talk about." "Listen." "Ah, yes!" "They can talk." "They're saying:" ""Come with me, Sylvia." "The concert will be great..."" "And Sylvia replies:" ""Yes, pretty plants." "I will come."" "I love you." "Did you enjoy it?" "Yeah." "Not bad." "I've seen worse." "Ouch!" "You've just shattered a moment of pure poetry..." "The cellist was incredible." "You say that because he really knows how to use his bow, eh?" "Right, I'm off to climb your mount of Venus." "Hey!" "What's the matter?" "What's the matter?" "Are you thinking about home?" "Is that it?" "Know what I feel like?" "No..." "I feel like a holiday." "Tomorrow we'll pack our bags, and head south." "I don't want to go back there." "What do you mean?" "Don't you want to see your mountains?" "Your garrigue?" "The sun?" "There's too much sun down there." "I don't need that much sun." "A little kiss on the cheek?" "No..." "On the nape of your neck?" "Well, maybe." "Maybe?" "Come on, let's go to bed." "Go without me." "And now for the weather report." "The coming heat wave could well go down in history." "Temperatures will reach record highs, starting today..." "How about we up the tempo?" "A waltz to wake the old biddies up?" "You're on!" "He's completely reckless!" "He's out of his mind!" "That was Patrick." "He spent most of his time on the rooftops, chatting up the birds." "He had a taste for the extreme that might have made him likeable... to others perhaps, but not to me." "Sylvia?" "What are you doing down here?" "What time is it?" "Don't tell me you've been here all day." "The sun was too bright." "My head was aching." "Poor darling!" "You've been in the cellar all day?" "My little flower." "You'll wilt if you stay down here." "Come on, let's go out." "Hold onto me." "How did you do that?" "He just wanted to play." "Play?" "Eat us alive, more like!" "No." "You don't get it." "He was just pretending to scare you." "Well, he managed that alright!" "I've had enough." "I'm going home." "Alain." "How about it?" "Eh?" "Wow, it's great!" "Something else, eh?" "Like in the old days, eh?" "Wait." "You don't mean...?" "Let's jump." "Come on, Patrick." "Hand in hand." "Together." "You can't do this!" "Have we got enough run up?" "Come on, snap out of it!" "It's too dangerous." "Can't you feel... a prickle of..." "No." "Hey!" "What are you doing here?" "Haven't you done enough for one day?" "Enough of what?" "We're just getting started." "Count me out, pal." "Wait!" "I'm coming too." "You're mad." "Get off!" "Go on, get off." "You can't make me!" "Claudine, don't." "He'll do it!" "Not without me!" "Get off, Claudine." "I can't do it with you." "I'm fine, OK." "Have it your way, bitch!" "How could you?" "In front of all my pals." "Enough of your bullshit, OK!" "Never embarrass me like that again, Claudine." "Never!" "What's up?" "Having a rough time?" "He's like a spoilt brat who's had his rattle taken away." "It's worse than that..." "Oh dear." "My sweetheart!" "What's wrong?" "You don't want to sleep with me?" "No." "It's not that." "Leave me alone tonight." "Alright?" "Our bed's big." "I won't touch you." "It's not that..." "Just for tonight, OK?" "Alright." "Goodnight." "I mean to say..." "What?" "I found you in the cellar yesterday." "What do you want on your toast?" "Apricot, or strawberry?" "Then there was that mad dog..." "He wasn't mad." "Yes, I know." "He was just playing." "You should try the apricot jam." "And you, Sylvia?" "What were you playing at?" "Putting him under my spell." "It worked." "Just like with you." "Of course..." "What I saw is..." "Never mind what I saw." "Here!" "Eat this." "I've put strawberry jam on it." "Hurry up!" "You'll be late." "Jean will be cross with you again." "Let him get cross." "I don't care." "I'm staying with you this afternoon." "OK?" "No way!" "Why did I leave?" "I was determined not to leave you alone." "You weren't well." "Strange things were happening..." "But my resolution seemed to fade away in an instant." "I was supposed to be going to Jean's." "But I went the other way." "With no particular aim in mind." "Shit!" "Mister?" "Mister?" "Mister?" "No!" "Are you crazy?" "Wait..." "Hey, take it easy." "I fell because of you, and look at how you treat me..." "Because of me?" "No, please." "It hurts." "Let go of me!" "Please wait." "I'm badly hurt." "You must take care of me." "I'm not a nurse." "Fuck you!" "Asshole!" "Hey!" "Wait for me." "I'm in pain." "Terrible pain." "Hi, there!" "Patrick!" "Alain!" "Supplies!" "What are you doing here?" "I've brought the mortar." "Where's Patrick?" "He's not here." "I mean, he's gone." "Gone?" "What do you mean, gone?" "He's gone, that's all." "But he knew I was coming." "Where did he go?" "I don't know." "Shopping maybe..." "Alain..." "You know him." "He forgot." "Yes, I know him." "He forgets when it suits him." "Get out!" "Let me in." "I won't eat you." "Go away!" "I didn't come all this way for nothing..." "Oh yes you did, asshole." "You're crazy." "You could have killed me." "Oh dear!" "So you're having me on?" "No, not at all." "Not exactly a warm welcome." "Nice house." "A bit gloomy, but..." "What a welcome!" "What an attic!" "Very nice." "I've never ever seen such a great attic." "And attics are my specialty." "I love attics." "I always enter through the attic..." "You should use the door." "It's more polite." "Oh no!" "Not that, not that!" "It's too pretty." "I may not be polite, but I do appreciate pretty things" "You're right though." "Polite people introduce themselves." "Pleased to meet you." "I'm Patrick." "Who is this guy?" "Stop it!" "Are you crazy?" "Get out of here!" "Hello?" "Hello, Jean?" "It's Sylvia." "Is Julien there?" "Yes, he's here." "I'll hand him over." "No, don't bother." "Tell him..." "Just tell him..." "I love him." "Hello?" "Hello?" "What did she say?" "That she loved you." "What happened?" "Did you have an argument?" "Something like that, yes." "It'll blow over." "She said she still loves you." "Here." "She was..." "She was with another man." "What did you say?" "You heard me!" "You just up and leave?" "You leave the other guy to it, like a jerk?" "No." "I slapped her." "So you slapped her!" "So what?" "I'm sure you wore kid gloves." "Poor little thing." "She's so fragile." "You have to be easy on her." "Pretty little hothouse flower." "But if I were you" "I'd have blacked both her eyes, then sent her back, where she came from." "Where are you going?" "I've had a few girls in my time, but never one as warped as you." "What was all that carry-on?" "What carry-on?" "Oh, nothing." "Your man comes home, to find us fucking." "You send him packing, then you phone him, to tell him you love him." "Nothing much." "Everything's fine." "Just fine." "That's the way things should be done!" "What exactly are you looking for?" "Nothing." "I'm not looking for anything." "You're the one who's looking for something." "That's a good one!" "So, tell me..." "what am I looking for?" "Me." "And you've found me." "Was I running away?" "Was I leaving the field clear for Patrick to steal you away from me?" "That wasn't it." "I drove south to try to understand, to go back to that first moment, that first look." "I wanted to find the place, the roadside, where it all began." "The further I moved from my everyday life, the nearer I came to you." "I was an explorer, discovering a mysterious land." "A world where dream and reality became one." "I was entering your world." "I was entering the unknown." "Is that you?" "Where did you spring from?" "The guest room." "You needed to rest." "And now, you need to build up your strength." "What happened last night?" "Nothing special, why?" "So, playing with glow worms all night is nothing special for you?" "Glow worms...?" "They were flying all around you." "And they were spinning round you." "You must have had too much whisky!" "It can give you nightmares." "I never dream." "Everybody dreams." "Ciao, Giorgio!" "He's not here." "When did he leave?" "He didn't come in." "He slept somewhere else, you mean." "I hope nothing's happened to him." "Yeah, right." "Same old story:" "He's either with someone else, or he's in the hospital." "But he's not in the hospital, is he?" "Hello?" "Yes, it's me." "What's wrong?" "Your voice sounds funny, not like your normal self." "Something very important has happened." "I've got a new contract." "No, wait, this one's something special." "She's crazy and she's hot." "I've never seen anything like it." "She's got it all:" "Money, an incredible house, she's a real looker..." "She says I'm her stallion." "Nobody ever said that to me before." "She's out of this world." "It's fucking amazing!" "Listen, you've got to do something for me." "If you see Claudine, smooth things over, OK?" "I haven't seen her for a while." "Tell her I passed by the bar, that I send her my love." "Tell her I've got a lot of work, that I love her, that I'm thinking of her..." "You get the picture, don't you?" "Yeah, right." "I'll tell her." "A new contract, right." "That's it, very good." "That's exactly it." "OK." "I'm a lousy bastard." "So what?" "So nothing." "You're absolutely right." "I give you this..." "And you give me that!" "He says he's got a new job." "Is this job darkor blonde-haired?" "He didn't say..." "Bastard." "I made a right mess of that, didn't I?" "Don't worry." "I knew as soon as I saw your face." "What can I do?" "I'm not his father, just his landlord." "That's enough for me." "Sit down." "Let's have a drink." "I've already been jilted," "I might as well become an alcoholic, too." "This is the good stuff." "Thanks." "You'll have a drop, won't you?" "Just a drop, then." "I'm sorry about earlier." "You're sweet." "It doesn't do any good, but you're sweet." "I wish I could do more, but I'm not sure you'd want me to." "I didn't realize." "What didn't you realize?" "What a bummer!" "You're in love with someone who doesn't love you." "And I'm in love with someone who loves no one, not even himself." "It's enough to make you blow a fuse." "Hello." "Hello." "You're exactly as I imagined..." "Excuse me?" "But you don't know me..." "Yes, I do." "You knew I would come?" "I've been waiting for you for a long time." "Had I gone back in time?" "Or was it a waking dream?" "I had no idea." "I no longer knew where I was, when I was." "But I knew that it was here, at the very place of our meeting, that I would find the answers to my questions." "What did you want?" "What were you asking of me?" "You needed me." "All of me." "To really love you, I must hold nothing back." "I came back to you, willing to give you everything." "Nothing would remain of me." "Oblivion." "Wait, wait." "Give me a break, will you?" "No." "You had a contract, remember?" "Back to work!" "Poor jerk!" "Bastard!" "You're not up to it when the real work starts, are you?" "Hey, calm down." "I've had enough of this crap." "An angel." "I was carrying an angel in my arms." "An angel whose wings had been clipped." "I was like a tightrope walker, high above a deep abyss." "I must not fall." "I must carry Sylvia to safety." "So she could live again." "My God!" "Let her live!" "You're here." "I'm glad." "Stop!" "Stop it, Julien." "Please!" "Why?" "You don't understand." "You're wrong." "I don't understand everything, but I know..." "And you still came back..." "I'm ready." "No." "No!" "No, not you!" "Stop." "Stop!" "Then there's only one thing to do." "Get you someone else." "But it's the worst thing you could ever ask of me." "I ask nothing of you, Julien." "You have already given me more than enough." "I'd like to talk to you." "Can't it wait?" "No, it can't." "Come down, please." "We've met before, haven't we?" "Maybe." "I know what brings you here." "I fucked your woman." "I didn't force her, pal." "She came looking for me." "Keep the bitch on a lead if you don't want her fucking around." "It's over between her and me." "Get it?" "Over!" "Case closed." "But if there's a problem between you and me..." "Yes, there is a little problem." "OK, let's sort it out right now..." "Not like that." "That wouldn't solve anything." "What do you want, then?" "You must come back." "Is that all?" "You want me to come back!" "That's right." "I get it." "You get off on seeing me fuck her?" "You like it when...?" "Is that it?" "I won't be there." "What?" "I won't be there." "No doubt about it." "You're both completely crazy." "You're worse than she is!" "I don't care what you think." "Come back." "That's all." "Don't talk to me like that!" "I don't want to come back." "Why the hell should I?" "For her." "She's sick." "What she needs is a psychiatrist." "I don't mind she's sick." "A psychiatrist?" "Doctors can't help." "She needs you." "Don't you get it?" "She needs me?" "She's sick." "She's slipping away." "She's going to die." "It's over between her and me." "Get it?" "Over!" "I don't give a shit about your girlfriend." "OK?" "You're lying." "You're lying." "Look at me." "You're scared of her." "Me?" "You don't dare come back!" "Let go of me!" "I'm scared of her?" "Me?" "Yes!" "Scared of her?" "You're a coward." "No, you are." "Keep an eye on your whore!" "You're just a coward." "Here, have an apple, peasant!" "What did you do on Saturday, Alain?" "Guido took me to a lousy party." "The theme was "pigs in space"!" "Any women?" "Yeah, all disguised as Miss Piggy." "Yuk!" "There's a new club opening." "Yes." "La Discoteka." "When?" "On Saturday." "Fancy going, Patrick?" "Patrick, the new club opens Saturday." "Fancy going?" "Patrick?" "Can you hear me?" "Do you want to go or not?" "Are you with us?" "Ate shit for breakfast, did you?" "Patrick?" "Get the fuck off my back, Alain!" "I knew I would find you here." "You've got somebody else, haven't you?" "Leave me alone, Claudine." "My head's fit to burst, I swear." "Don't worry." "I won't make a scene." "It's not my style." "I know it's not." "I don't know what she's done to you, but you're in a fine state!" "That's part of it..." "But it's not what you think." "I know you're crazy and a skirt-chaser." "I prefer it when you're with another woman." "At least then I know you're not in hospital." "Don't even try to understand." "Leave, now." "I mean it." "Please." "You don't understand." "I can't bear it anymore." "I spend hours sitting by the phone, wondering if I've really lost you." "Tell me straight!" "Is it over?" "Sylvia?" "Sylvia, can you hear me?" "My love, please answer me." "I won't let you down." "I'll find someone else." "Then you'll come back." "Hello." "Do you mind if I sit here?" "Please do." "Can I offer you a drink?" "No, thank you." "I'm fine." "I wanted to ask you something." "Anything you like." "It's not easy." "I know." "It's always hard at first, but you'll get used to it." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Pity!" "I can't sleep, Georges." "That's not like you." "You're usually snoring fit to wake the dead by now." "I snore?" "Like a pig!" "Ask Claudine." "Give me a break." "Pour me some of your special stuff." "The strong stuff?" "OK." "Excellent choice!" "Does this insomnia have anything to do with your new contract?" "I'm in a real mess here, you know." "I don't understand this girl." "Everything's different with her." "When I'm with her, I feel like a stud." "When we make love, it's great." "Sparks fly." "When it's over everything calms down." "She spoils me, strokes me, brings me breakfast in bed." "The whole caboodle." "Everything to make me happy." "When everything's going fine, when I feel, not exactly in love, but... you know... she suddenly blows a fuse." "She attacks me, pulls my hair." "She strangles me, hits me..." "It's as if she's possessed." "I don't understand what she wants." "Usually when that happens, I just leave." "I don't want to hang around." "I just grab my things and go." "But not with her, Georges." "Why can't I sleep?" "She's inside my head, inside my brain." "She's everywhere." "I can't shake her off." "She's always there." "Giving me a hard-on night and day." "She's a bitch, no mistake." "A real bitch." "Poor you." "This is true passion, isn't it?" "You've got it bad." "You'll see, you'll get over her, like all the othe" "But there's someone else you'd do better not to ignore." "Who do you mean?" "Are you interested?" "Yeah, right." "How much?" "It's free." "Free my ass." "Got the clap, has she?" "I don't get it." "Claudine is a great girl." "I know she is." "I know." "You know she's great but you still let her down." "I'm not letting her down, Georges." "Stop saying that." "I don't understand you." "She's got everything you need." "Doesn't she mean anything to you anymore?" "She's a great girl." "She's fine." "I know she's great." "Don't tell me how great she is." "She's my girl." "You say that, but you let her down." "Forget what I just said." "Make yourself useful." "Give me a refill." "This won't have a happy ending." "You won't live long!" "Live long?" "Why would I want to?" "Seriously." "What for?" "Let go of me..." "Shit!" "Get out!" "You've come back?" "I just happened to be passing." "I felt peckish so I came to see you." "Let's go." "And we're off!" "Wait, wait..." "Playing tricks on me, eh?" "Did you hurt yourself?" "You're alright?" "Ah, you can breathe here." "You can really fill your lungs." "Look." "What?" "It's beautiful." "Doesn't it make you want to..." "Want to what?" "Bite into it." "I don't like the look of it." "Are you scared?" "No, but stop..." "Tasty?" "I'm not very hungry." "Sylvia!" "Spit it out, Sylvia." "Open up, open up..." "Shit!" "I told you not to touch it." "Oh shit... spit it out." "Please, open your mouth." "Goddamn it!" "Come here." "What now?" "That way." "We'll never make it through." "Go for it!" "Where is he?" "Where the hell is he, Alain?" "What do you think?" "Do you know something?" "You both get on my nerves." "You deserve better than this." "Wake up!" "Do I know this girl?" "Who is she?" "I've only seen her once." "What's going on?" "How should I know?" "I've had enough too, Alain." "I just want everything to work out." "I love Patrick." "Get it?" "No, I don't." "Fuck you, then!" "I didn't push him into it." "He just went." "Went where?" "Where the fuck is he?" "She lives near the site." "What are you doing?" "We're going there." "Take me!" "What difference will it make?" "None at all..." "I didn't invite you in, Johnny." "Did I invite you in when you burst into my place like a madman?" "Stop that crap." "Who gives a damn?" "I brought this back for you." "You needn't have bothered." "I'll never play again." "Never thought I'd hear you say that." "What's wrong?" "What's it to you?" "I don't want to play anymore." "Find another partner." "What?" "We've been playing together for years." "We've been through shit together." "We're like brothers, and all you can say is:" ""Find someone else"?" "It's a pity Sylvia is so busy." "I'd like to thank her for her role in all this." "And maybe spit in her face while I'm at it." "She's unfaithful to you, and all you do is run away." "She's out there fucking in your greenhouse, and you do nothing." "You're dressed up like a prince." "Are you going to play a serenade for them?" "You're finished." "You're nothing but a worm..." "A worm dressed up like a butler." "Get the fuck out of here." "Message received, loud and clear!" "Snow." "Snow." "You wanted this white summer, this hallucinatory pureness." "It was beautiful." "It was good." "The party could begin at last." "The show would be magnificent." "You had given him everything he wanted." "My God, how I envied him!" "I envied him for having gone all the way with you." "I wanted the same." "To go with you to journey's end." "No matter what theoutcome." "Patrick!" "You could no longer live among us." "So, we left together." "I to oblivion, you elsewhere..." "Forever elsewhere." "Stop, you rogue!"