"As far back as I can remember, I associate this time with words,... simple words now drained of their blood, and their sense scrapped." "Once hard and straight to the point, clear as the sky above the roofs,... like a bike race run across the fields,... words and images as once pertained to my childhood." "Now I know what happiness means to me, that's all." "¤ THE LITTLE BOY ¤" "Hey, don't go so fast, I can't keep up..." "Will we take the shortcut?" "No, it runs better here." "Hey, wait for me." "Come on, move it!" "Let's go!" "You're again last." "You cheated." "Oh, you should look where you put your feet." "Sorry." "And don't drink anything cold, you're swimming." "Hello, Cécile..." "Hello, Dora." "Oh, God!" "Clumsy ox." "Leave that alone, you." "There's no more jam?" "Down in the cellar." "Have you seen the white tablecloth, Cécile?" "The round one that Aunt Augustine gave me last year." "I can't find it anywhere." "No idea." "Oh, I'll work it out." "Who in the world's coming tonight?" "Friends of your father." "I broke the carafe." "It's nothing." "Well, then, I guess we don't attend the dinner table tonight?" "No." "Oh, I'm stupid, it's still in the trunk,..." "I'd stored it while taking down the candelabra." "Don't set my place, Cécile, I'll dine in town." "With what money?" "He'll do fine in the café." "In Warsaw, they say "Keep your chickens, I'll use my cock."" "Francois, how many times have I told you to go around by the courtyard?" "Dora waxed all over the floor this morning." "Come on, scram..." "Germain, Germain!" "Have you thought about my tree, Germain?" "Oh, sure, I've thought." "Then?" "But then, so.. .I haven't found the right one." "Ah, good." "Patience, little buddy, I'm reflecting, I'm reflecting on it, that's for sure." "A fir tree, a fir tree would be nice." "Not for this type of landscape." "Flowers, then...that's almost the same." "In that case, I should make flowers." "You know, you like flowers, right?" "Back there, too, it's you who grew flowers?" "No, not me, in my country I was making phrases." "Phrases?" "Yes, I wrote stories." "Funny stories?" "Oh, no, mine were rather more serious." "Maybe I could tell some jokes, but you see,..." "I don't think I could have written." "I'd like to know how to write funny stories but I can't." "That's something that must come to you all alone, you know." "That is poetry." "Francois, Francois, come quickly." "Give us a break from your Juliette's songs." "Come in, please." "It's very kind of you to receive us." "Very nice." "Christina, Christina!" "Christina!" "Just a second." "They arrived, the guests, I saw them." "~ What are they like?" "~ They talk like Dora." ""It's very kind of you to receive us."" "They're all foreigners, anyway." "The dark man, he wasn't there." "Who cares, get some sleep." "The dark man, this is still etched in my memory." "This mysterious figure who arrived on foot at night." "London calling." "He wore a black hat that hid his face." "I felt that he had no face at all,... which added to the mystery of his sudden appearances and disappearances." "And then there was Madame Roussel." "Francois, words ending in UAE and AU,... as you know, always an X in the plural." "X, x, x, and x." "Are you listening to me, Francois?" "Yes." "What I am saying?" "I should remember better." "Try to think about the envelope next time." "Yes, yes." "Oh, damn, it burst." "Well, you took your own sweet time." "It's not that, my tire went flat." "Mom..." "Oh my darling!" "What on Earth's the matter?" "I can't listen to her." "Are you talking about Madame Roussel?" "Did she scolded you?" "No." "But then, you see." "I'm afraid she won't teach me more." "If you continue to make mistakes in spelling,... don't you worry, she'll take the chicken." "Antoine, I forbid you to speak like that." "You don't even know what you're saying." "What are you reading there, anyway?" "Where did you find that book?" "Papa's library." "But anyway, it's not for people your age." "How do you know, have you read it?" "Enough." "I hope it's just a matter of taste." "Keep your chickens, I'll use my cock." "~ Where did you get that from?" "~ From Warsaw." "I found it in the pine forest." "Will it have time to grow?" "Not for this Christmas, but for the next one." "And if you're gone?" "If you've already returned to Paris?" "I could be already dead, who knows." "~ Hey, hey, I'm kidding." "~ Don't joke with me alike that." "...being rounded up by the Germans." "~ So he says." "~ Why this one in particular?" "Because...yeah, yeah." "It's becoming unbearable." "In addition, there's this Madame Roussel." "I haven't seen the report." "How is it that I've never been presented in Paris?" "It was under consideration, a complicated process, and I barely knew her." "You were lovers, no doubt?" "Oh, Christina, if only you'd get undressed instead." "Don't look at me with those eyes of a greedy cat." "How do you think I look?" "It must be for me, I don't have much time." "~ What are you doing here?" "~ I forgot to flush." "Come on, back to bed." "That's it." "Good evening." "Good evening." "Sorry, I wasn't able to warn you earlier." "Forgive me." "If you go to the dance tonight, is that what you'll wear?" "Huh, huh." "Shall we dance, Miss?" "Most beautifully." "This is your first time at Maxim's?" "Yes, I'm celebrating my fifteenth birthday." "What's Maxim's?" "This is the most beautiful place in Paris after all the beauties were present." "Obviously the country folk here are better." "He wasn't being serious." "When you join with one's spirit, make sure you're ready." "Ex nihilo, nihil." "What's so funny about the spirit?" "Hello." "Hello, sir." "Half full, is that possible?" "Yes, of course." "You accept petrol coupons?" "Yes, thank you." ""NEWS:" "On various fronts." ""The Battle of Stalingrad." ""After crossing the Don, the troops of Marshal von Block reach Rostov." ""North of the city a division of the German army launched an assault..." ""reaching to the edge of the Volga." ""For several days troops remained isolated from their base,..." ""and the vanguard set up their positions on the west bank of the river." ""While that they thus control the traffic of the Volga, the German forces also..."" "~ Mom!" "~ Yes, dear." "I need to pee." ""They have successfully cut the rail link between Moscow and Stalingrad."" "You know there's no toilet in the cinema." "I really need to..." "Go to the café." "Ouch!" "So what's the word?" "Here it is: the Germans crossed the line." "There's no more free zone." "They may be here tomorrow." "Shit --- what about the Halsbergs?" "What about the Halsbergs?" "They're arriving tonight, right?" "Look, let them come, you just get busy hiding them,... because it's not your place the Krauts will search first." "There's Germain, Dora." "We've finished laughing anyway, right?" ""You are the vanguard in the fight against misfortune." "Persevere!"" "Antoine and Juliet, you're adorable, but small fry's falling asleep." "Let them enjoy themselves a bit longer." "~ Excuse me." "~ To be sure." "~ Hello." "~ Good evening, ma'am." "And you, are you well?" "Fine." "Did she muss you?" "Oh, she's had a drink too many." "Look, there's a little boy with them." "Yes, it's Halsbergs themselves." "Halsberg --- that's a mouthful, that name." "Hey, it's over here..." "That's him, the dark man who always has a hat over his eyes." "So what?" "It's him!" "He always dresses the same." "We never see his face, he always hides himself." "In any case, we'll end up laughing." "How old's the child?" "Oh, 8 or 9 years old, Francois's age." "My poor dear!" "~ Come on, hurry up!" "~ We'll be late again." "~ Hurry up, Francois!" "~ I'm coming." "They're here, they're here, we saw them, we saw them!" "That's it, they German have shown up." "~ Oh, my God!" "~ Where's Mom?" "I don't know." "Mama, mama, it's the war, it's here." "All right, we know, we know." "There's hundreds." "Soldiers with huge guns,... they washed in the fountain." "There's even one that wanted to take my bike." "We saw their tanks." "Not tanks, armored cars." "The guns themselves are 105 mm." "All right, go on." "Perfect, you go play." "You, young man, you stay with me, I want to speak with you." "Come on." "What have I done?" "Nothing, have a seat." "Don't look so confused, I won't eat you,..." "I just want us to put things straight." "Sure." "Fine." "First, I'd like to know where you heard the name Halsberg." "~ Halsberg?" "~ Yes." "I don't know." "You heard that name somewhere, since you've been repeating it to the twins." "In the café, I think." "When we went to the movies, I had to pee and..." "And what?" "~ Well, when I goed to the bathroom..." "~ You went..." "When I went to the toilet, there was you and the dark man." "The dark man?" "Yes, a big man with a hat." "Ah..." "And you overheard our conversation, is that it?" "A little." "What else do you know about the Halsbergs?" "They came last night." "And who else knows?" "You, Bastien, Michel..." "Anyone else?" "Who else has heard the name Halsberg?" "I don't know of anyone else." "Did you talk about this with your classmates?" "No." "Francois, listen to me." "I won't scold you." "But it's very important that you tell me the truth." "If you've mentioned this to anyone, you should tell me." "I haven't told anyone except Bastien and Michel." "You're sure?" "Yes." "Because it's a matter of life and death, you know?" "Yes." "Don't tell anyone that we sometimes get foreign friends,... not even your best friend, not a grown up,... not even your teacher, no one." "Not even Mom?" "I mean any person outside the family, of course." "If ever I learn that you haven't been able to hold your tongue..." "I will be ruthless." "What would you do, you'd kill me?" "Don't be a fool, but beside that, someone could indeed die." "Who are they?" "People you don't know, who are courageous, who are our friends." "So the war is for real?" "If you move again, you've been warned..." "Bang, bang, bang!" "But no, it's not like that." "Look." "Bang, bang, bang, bang!" "Oh, oh!" "So, I'm really dead." "Listen to my heart." "Wait, I'm not sure." "That's not right, you have no right to tickle me, you're cheating." "~ Stop, stop!" "~ Francois?" "Francois, come along, Mom's waiting." "Now I understand why you always want to pick up eggs with us." "Why?" "To meet your lover, of course." "She isn't my lover, we were playing war." "Oh, tell me, you've seen a lot of soldiers who were tickling people." "Francois, what?" "Georgi, come and see." "Look at me." "Listen to me well:..." "In a country far, far away from here,... there was a queen." "She was the Queen Lisa." "She had a tender heart, but her heart was sad and lonely." "But far away in another country,... a king was awaiting his queen." "He was King Gustav." "He looked around and shouted into the wind." "The queen loved the king and came running... of this union between the king and queen, a beautiful child was born." "Sorry to bother you, do you mind if we go over things?" "No, no, no, on the contrary, here we can exchange ideas." "Well, on my signal. do what I said." "Are you ready, Georgi, pay attention." "And voilà." "Wait, wait, not like that, especially not... jerkily, you'll see, it normally slides easily,... like that." "You see?" "It's as simple as making a dove appear under a hat." "Francois." "This is what you do at night, you sleep or you wander around?" "If you're looking for your room, it's upstairs." "Go on." "When my mother tells me about Warsaw... it's as if I were there." "I was there, unfortunately." "Dora, go on, drink!" "You're here." "We were talking about first love and a bakery in Warsaw." "Dora lived in the same neighborhood as my mother." "It's funny, I hope it was spared...the bakery." "These are old memories, I'll tell you more tomorrow when my head's a bit clearer." "You're a little fried, yes." "A little." "This is the story of a young woman who drank,... who sold her soul to the devil because her man has left." "You keep your soul." "Wait, wait, I can walk." "But I don't think so." "Dora, you, too, you should go to bed." "I can't sleep since they got here." "They won't come for you here at our house." "Get up, Bad Influence, the world belongs to those who get up early." "It's already 7:00?" "Move, move, move." "I didn't get a wake-up call." "What's wrong, Mom, is she sick?" "She got pickled with the Pole, Mom did." "You, you're going to hop into the shower, it'll wake you up." "Get cracking, Juliette, we're always waiting on you." "Francois isn't yet there, though." "What are you doing?" "I can't find my history and geography homework." "Wait for me, it's not nice." "That's it, they're gone." "Let them go, if you want." "What are you doing still by the window?" "Nothing, I was gazing at the moon." "You'll come back after the jewelry?" "Yes." "For you." "After the war." "We won't be Jewish anymore?" "There will be stars." "In any case, there is a little boy... who nobody knows exists, and well, I've seen him." "Where did you see him?" "~ In the night." "~ In your dreams, yes." "Murielle!" "Murielle..." "Francois, you know what?" "Was it in the jar that you saw the little boy?" "No." "Hey, in there, wake up." "What are you doing?" "The little one's awake, the others, too." "Mandrake the Magician... the Phantom of Bengal...with his panther." "Francois, Murielle?" "Go on home, Murielle, your mother's waiting for you to care for the animals." "~ Now?" "~ Yes." "Go the back way, quickly." "You run to the basement, tell them to hide quickly." "You go through the side door." "OK?" "That's not right." "Mom said..." "You're a girl..." "Mom said you've got to hide quickly." "He says the house looks very big." "Tell him that my family is very big, too." "That's always true." "What will they do?" "Nothing, they just want to visit the house..." "What if they want to settle in here?" "They can't move in like that on just anyone." "Anyway, this region's filled with houses." "There's Dr. Lepine's,... the Autezacs'... they're spoiled for choice." "This is the most beautiful." "But, no, there's no heating on the ground floor." "And the others are too far from the city." "But such pessimism!" "Say, it's a pity that there's no downstairs bathroom." "It may not be practical for the general." "There are toilets, he can at least wash his feet?" "Dora, take that soothing orange blossom tea right this minute, go on." "What are you laughing at?" "You're too cute sometimes." "Oh, they left." "You see, it wasn't worth getting yourself in a state!" "The fleet was scuttled at Toulon." "The allies have been bombing everything in sight." "It's indeed not worth it putting us into such a state." "You sometimes, I regret that you're not old enough to work in Germany." "Mom!" "I beg your pardon." "You can say whatever you want, darling." "Are crying, Antoine?" "No, he's not crying." "How are the people in the cellar?" "The boy's a girl." "Who do you think they are, the Résistance?" "In my opinion, if there's a kid, it must be they're Jews." "Jews?" "Isn't that dangerous?" "Not a bit." "Dora's just as Jewish." "Dora?" "Empires always eventually collapse, you know." "I remind you of the Etruscan empire, the Roman empire." "By trying to spread so far... they weakened their base and caused their own downfall." "Look what's happening... with the Nazi empire." "They are everywhere." "In Russia, to Stalingrad, and in Africa." "And if it were the first empire to endure?" "Hey, check out the housewives!" "They must have the day off." "Come on." "Chicken." "Prove you're not chicken." "The basket, splash." "You'll give him something if he does?" "Soldiers, the British colony, even the toilet." "What do you say?" "~ Everything?" "~ Everything." "They can't see you." "Can you imagine when you tell about it?" "You cover me, right." "Obviously." "Oh, the fuckers." "The Huns saw you, the bastards." "~ You think so?" "~ You bet." "War, we can't laugh about it until it's over." "When someone risks his skin." "Suppose they'd shot you, huh, with real bullets." "Go on, get the hell out of here..." "Come on, beat it..." "Mom?" "What is it?" "Have you seen a ghost?" "Ah, it's you, I can't get rid of this damn cold." "They came to me." "They'll probably requisition part of the house." "This I tell you, that's for sure, by the end of the week." "There's a good chance." "General Stadler selected as your home as his base of operations." "~ Are you kidding?" "~ No." "I believe he plans to has move in on Saturday." "Talk about a disaster." "But no, it's an amazing misdirection." "Who could imagine that you sheltered Jews... under the boots of a German general?" "This is great." "Isn't this a bit risky?" "Yes." "Georgi, I brought you a soldier." "This man lost his leg in the trenches." "If you want, you can keep him to heal him." "Why do you have short hair, like boys do?" "Because of, you know, butterflies, I had a head full." "Can I touch your cheek?" "This will scare away my clients." "Do you think the farmers will stop coming by... for all the notary work you do for them?" "Hardly!" "She's not wrong." "Cécile's never wrong?" "Even when she was tanning my butt with a hairbrush!" "Sir..." "I've pampered you much more often than beaten you." "Pampered?" "Exactly, pampered." "Go on, eat, Antoine, it'll get cold." "I was with Madame Roussel, I couldn't extricate myself." "Madame Roussel?" "It's my fault, I forgot to give her the envelope." "I asked Antoine if he could..." "The next time it would be preferable if you, Pierre,... to take an envelope to Madame Roussel." "You can certainly extricate yourself better." "Who said: "To be loved more than we love is one of the crosses of life..."?" "Henry Montherland: "Les Jeunes Filles"... in Pierre Costals's letter... to Andrée Ribaud." "I just wanted to ask whether you have a hot water bottle." "No, sir, we don't have a hot water bottle, a caravan, a casserole, or a bauble..." "Thank you, enjoy your meal." "Oh, scary, huh?" "They gave it to me when we were in Paris." "You have a funny nose, like in a masked ball --- I wouldn't have recognized you." "I had one of Columbine with a wig --- I wore it all the time." "I loved him more than my real face." "It's not always fun to be the same person all the time." "Who would you be?" "You." "~ Me?" "~ Yes." "Why?" "Because you have a bicycle and you're cute." "~ You think I'm cute?" "~ Yes." "Completely." "Francois!" "I think you're cute, too." "I like it short...this is as sweet as chicks." "Francois, come quickly!" "Hide this quickly, otherwise my mother'll go nuts." "If we get back before dark, I'll come see you, OK?" "Sure." "~ Are they going to kill it?" "~ Yeah." "You're not going to the festivities?" "No, I'm on duty." "A very young guard." "Anyway, they won't be there, the Germans." "It's rather symbolic." "Like the little tree I planted the other day for your brother." "There was so much to his tree." "It was a symbol?" "A tree, it always is, right?" "Where is this tree?" "In a rectangle near the orchard." "Well, he has already forgotten it at his age, you get interested and then you move on." "A guardian angel painted your bicycle color of the sky." "I tell you that there'll flow around sunset... the breasts of young fighters." "It rhymes." "You're going to the party, Germain?" "Yes, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going..." "It's over." "It's over." "They're forced to smash its skull before slaughtering it." "But every time the knife pierces in the flesh, that awakens it." "Georgi!" "Georgi..." "Come eat dinner, don't wait for your friend any longer." "~ It's not nighttime yet." "~ Come on." "It's the pig's nose, right?" "And his nose, taste his nose." "Pigs, they're good enough, but me, I prefer the vine." "The beautiful vineyard's quite noble." "He's right, look at that color." "~ Health." "~ Health." "Are there just 13 at that table?" "No, Germain's on the way, they've saved him a place." "¤ Tuesday morning, the Emperor with his wife and little prince... ¤ came to me to shake my hand... ¤ Since I wasn't there, the little prince said hi, hi... ¤ In that case, we'll return on Wednesday. ¤" "Francois, turn off the lamp, you'll flatten the battery." "There was something on the grass there." "It looks like Germain's bike." "Yes, it's his stuff." "His poems." "Here's a knife." "What's all that?" "What are you doing out at this hour?" "Hurry back, you'll catch your death." "We will ever see Germain again?" "Was it the Germans who did this to his bicycle?" "She entrusted her necklace to Maxime." "M-A-X..." "I know, my brother's already told me about eating there." "But, no, we don't entrust her necklace to a restaurant." "Maxime is a name, a male name." "Think about it, Pierre." "Me, Francois, Pierre is the name of my Dad." "No matter." "Names don't matter?" "Yes and no." "There are hundreds named Pierre." "Yes but Roquier Pierre, there's only one of them." "~ Unfortunately..." "~ Why unfortunately?" "I said that for a laugh." "It doesn't matter." "A teacher finally said something... by repeating over and over the same thing to boys whose heads were elsewhere." "I was saying, Maxime,..." "M-A-X-I-M-E... is not a restaurant, but a lover..." "I mean, a name." "~ Hello." "~ Hello." "Damnit." "Hi, there." "It's nice out, it's all white." "Here, for you: the scent of Paris." "Thank you." "It smells nice, huh." "I'll do it, it'll give me less pain than it will you.." "No, I'll have too much fun spit shining!" "Oh, I've had enough, I never get a dry towel." "Tell me, Antoine, have you started nicking my perfume to baste your girlfriends?" "You're crazy, I've never touched it.." "The stock in my bottle's visibly down, don't take me for an idiot." "Treat me like a liar, if you dare!" "Look around you --- who else?" "It's not these boys who go to court Madame Roussel." "In any case you have more interest in delving into my business." "Next time use a pair of scissors, it will be faster to shave." "What a character!" "Oh, it's sad we left the angels behind in Paris." "Father Christmas's so handsome, right?" "Where were you, Francois, you'll miss your class." "Hurry, your father's waiting in the car." "Put it like that." "Dora or Cécile, there should be some balls there." "Wait, you give her that." "She was already paid last week." "~ This is a letter." "~ OK." "I completely forgot, but it doesn't matter." "Come in, I'll get dressed right away, just give me 2 seconds." "~ My father gave me a letter for you." "~ Oh?" "Is there an answer?" "No, no answer." "You have the same eyes as your father." "Yes, I know." "I'll be right back." ""I think, Claudine, it would be wise that you plan to go back to Paris." ""This separation costs me as much as you, believe me." ""If since leaving Paris, I have changed the nature of our relationship..." ""it was by the force of events and also a kind of respect for my family."" "You haven't taken your coat off?" "What's wrong with you?" "Would we say that you've fallen from the moon?" "Go to work." "You were doing card tricks?" "~ No, I was playing Patience." "~ Ah." "~ You know some tricks, do you?" "~ A few." "Show me, it will distract me." "I'm not very good, OK." ""I just wish that you understood me." ""We understood each other so well in the past."" "Gustave, him, he's the best." "Gustave?" "From the people in the cellar." "It's a secret." "We can't tell anyone." "They have a daughter, Georgi." "She's the same age as me." "If the Germans knew that, they could kill them." "Already they got Germain, we've never seen him again." "Jews, they hate them." "I promised Dad not to tell anyone." "I won't, I promise." "This is a secret between you and me." "How long have they been there?" "Two months, I think." "But they're not in the house, it wouldn't be possible with the general." "In the basement's less risky." "Especially since Dad invented a hiding place for them if the general went down there." "Do you know any Jews, do you?" "I had Jewish friends, yes." "Come on, show me your card trick before we get to work." "Ten of spades, 5 of hearts." "Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Diamonds..." "I think I've already said too much." "If he knew, Dad would kill me." "Francois, I swear on the head of my children, I'll say nothing." "Do you have any children?" "On the head of my mother, if you prefer." "Well, I'm giving pledge, with my hair." "Does that suit you?" "If I betray you, may I become bald." "Her hair is the best asset for a woman... like a lion's mane." "Georgi." "Shh, she's asleep." "I was afraid she was dead." "What made you think that?" "I don't know." "Listen to me, your fears, you can keep them to yourself." "You'll bury them out there in the park." "There's no place for them here, you understand?" "Wait, excuse me, excuse me." "You know, these days are a long time for children in a cellar." "Fortunately, there are dreams..." "Right." "Yeah." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "~ You couldn't sleep?" "~ No, I was too scared." "~ What are you scared of?" "~ The silence." "Ah, good." "~ What's that?" "An owl?" "~ No." "For an owl, the cry of an owl, that's more piercing." "Come on." "Look, there it is, your owl." "~ And that, what's it?" "~ A mouse?" "A dormouse, once a big favorite of the Romans." "And now, that's barn owls and other owls." "That one, that sounds like a cry of distress." "Listen." "Can you hear the river flowing?" "Do you think I can hear the lapping of the water over the pebbles?" "Yet there are thousands of other noises." "Frogs jumping, trout leaping out of the water to catch an insect." "Is that a train?" "A fox?" "No, these are Logarec's dogs." "Nightingales, we can hear them at night, too?" "Yes, but nightingales, they do require more light from the sun." "~ Oh." "~ Yeah." "You can see that by putting in some effort, you can hear everything at night... everything we can't see." "This is why sometimes it's important to remain silent." "Get cracking, we'll still going to be late because of you." "Strange how they look just like everybody else, huh?" "Looks aren't everything." "You coming with me?" "No thanks, I've got my bike." "Georgi?" "We're just finishing up the Christmas tree." "Wait for me, I'll just be a quarter of an hour." "The star hit the ceiling, it's so tall, the fir... and then there are balls of all colors... red and gold and silver garlands." "I haven't counted but there are at least a hundred." "When we lived in Paris,... they were hung with Father Christmases hanging from the branches,... and lots of gifts beside the tree." "I'll bring you a Father Christmas." "And then I have a gift as a surprise, you'll see." "What are you doing here?" "Just talking with my friend." "Friend?" "Yes, he who dwells under the house." "Under the house?" "Yes, he's dumb." "He lives with the mouse." ""Often laugh"?" "Animal!" "Bigger, like Mandrake the Magician or the Ghost of Bengal." "A magician or a ghost?" "A ghost, who no one ever sees." "Invisible." "Yes, there is only me who can see him, at night he runs into the woods." "At night, no one can see anything." "Yes, he can see." "He has phosphorescent eyes, as big as headlights." "Come on, you're cold." "~ What time is it?" "~ The master isn't here, he's out." "What time will he come back?" "At times the master's hours are as fanciful as his clock's." "Chard again?" "This is war." "You're still very lucky, your war is pretty relaxed." "If only you had known the Great War, that of '14." "We're not waiting for Dad?" "No, he asked us not to wait." "He must have an appointment with the dark man." "Who's that?" "Hush?" "Dora, don't talk, you're deaf and dumb." "Francois, get back to your place, please!" "Stay there." "One moment, Madame." "I need to talk to your husband." "Hello, sir." "Good evening." "What did he say to you?" "There was a leak, someone spilled the beans." "Oh, dear." "He advises me to disinfect the basement within 48 hours." "These are his own words." "Someone let it slip." "Good Sunday." "Yes." "It's cold here." "Yes." "What are you looking at?" "Nothing." "Just seeing how far you could see." "Not very." "No, not very much." "I'm not dressed yet... and I'm wearing my father's sweater." "They are less afraid now." "They say your father is our Santa Claus." "They also say that when you sleep in the house of Father Christmas... you should no longer be afraid." "And you, are you scared sometimes?" "Sometimes, but not all the time." "We'll have to leave." "I'm sorry, I'll take you to the border." "What are you doing here?" "No, Francois, you stay, you'll be helpful." "Well, I brought the car to the door." "I'm sorry to upset you like this." "Georgi, what are you waiting for." "Get dressed, quickly." "It this where you hide your birds?" "My birds...they're well hidden, all right." "We can't take any luggage." "My wife will look after your stuff." "We'll keep it in a safe place." "Don't worry." "Let's go." "You couldn't ask for a more comfortable ride, right?" "~ Is it a long trip?" "~ Roughly three hours." "The little one --- she can't stand being confined like that." "She'll ride with me." "With two children, I will be even better." "Goodbye, sweetheart." "Keep your eyes peeled." "And enjoy the countryside, OK?" "You'll tell us all about it." "Here, you can keep it, I'm giving it to you." "Thank you." "Could I see Mom, just for a minute?" "Come on, let's go." "~ There they are again." "~ Shit." "~ Ouch!" "~ Are you crazy, Dad?" "She's your sister, you argue." "We're going to see your grandmother." "When you arrive at the checkpoint, you pull her hair." "You start screaming." "Go on, Francois, quickly." "Ouch, stop, ouch!" "Stop, stop!" "Your papers." "These are your children?" "~ Unfortunately, yes." "~ "Unfortunately"?" "A three hour trip and they're driving me crazy." "They hit me..." "On My nefVeS." "They drive me crazy." "Where are you taking the kids?" "To Hell, and they'll stay there." "To Hell." "This is fine, let them pass." "You've really hurt us, Dad." "I had to come up with something, all right?" "You also hurt my hair." "Next time, I'm shaving my head." "If you do that, you'll look more like a boy." "Oh, oh." "~ Did you hear that?" "~ What?" "Hello, hello." "Hello, echo." "It would be nice when I'm in Spain... if I could call out to the echo:..." ""Hello Francois, it's me, Georgi." "How are you?"" "You reply to the echo: "Hello Georgi, I'm very well, thank you." ""Isn't Spain beautiful?"" "It would be like a phone, a magic phone." "Really?" "Maybe they invented the telephone from that." "But no, you're stupid." "Children, it's time." "I thought we were going to sleep at the farm." "This is where we separate." "Go back and wait at the farm with the kid." "How much farther is it?" "2 to 3 kilometers." "If all goes well, I'll be back in less than an hour." "Good luck, Gustave." "Thank you very much." "~ Goodbye." "~ Goodbye." "Come on." "Don't forget the echo." "Ours are already across." "Do you know who squealed?" "No." "We'd hardly say that this is wartime." "No, we wouldn't." "Come, follow me." "The bicycles." "Ah, sir...." "Good evening." "Yes, I know." "They are youngsters in a foreign land,... and it's Christmas." "Do not worry, tomorrow we will be gone." "Far away." "But we'll be replaced." "I warn you,... the replacements will be those who are more picky... about the health of this land." "The SS doesn't hand out presents." "Welcome to the front." "The situation is in hand." "Civilians are in your room." "You took your time." "I'll take over." "And assure your mother we're back." "Shit, I'm sure they just shot up the clay kiln." "Francois... my little boy,... my very blond son, my Jesus." "He was born the divine child... the woods resound from the bagpipes,..." "He was born the divine child... ~ And Papa?" "~ He stayed on the stairs." "I saw naked men in the garden and a lady in a chandelier." "~ Huh?" "~ Yes." "It was so nice here,... there was plenty of time for each other... and for the children." "It's so nice to grow along with the trees." "I don't know, but I always dream..." "About a large family, like in picture books." "And why not?" "Because children grow up... and I want them to learn to think,... so no ideology can hold sway over them." "They need the capital." "It sharpens the mind's muscle." "So why are we here?" "To escape the war." "Today, it's everywhere." "It spreads like a nasty oil stain." "The house is now debauched." "But I'll repaint the house, I'll straighten it up." "You can't repair a rape." "That, we hadn't planned for, not quite." "Amazing cover, you said." "Me, did I say that?" "We're going back to Paris." "Good idea, maybe I could stay with you?" "Isn't this a bit risky?" "Really, why?" "Georgi, Georgi." "Georgi." "Georgi." "Mom, she won't know how to drive the car." "It would have been better if we all went back together." "They have to close up the house." "And then someone has to stay behind... to pick up whatever you left trailing behind you." "I didn't leave any trail." "Yes, yes, yes." "~ Dad?" "~ Yes." "~ The Halsbergs, it was me who told Madame..." "~ I know." "It happens to us all to sometimes say too much under the beautiful eyes of a beautiful woman." "Just because they're nice doesn't mean they know how to hold their tongue." "Madame Roussel isn't the informer." "She's a good woman." "Maybe a little flirtatious, but this..." "Dad, who betrayed them, then?" "I have no idea." "A bastard." "In wartime, they grow like mushrooms." "We'll learn eventually." "I'm not a bastard?" "No, just a little boy who experienced his first heartbreak and returned to Paris." "Do you remember Paris?" "Not much." "It's beautiful, you'll see." "The most beautiful city in the world." "Georgi, do you think we'll see her again one day?" "Yes, she'll come back." "After the war, she'll come back." "When after the war?" "That I can't tell you." "Come on, you'll see, at 9 years of age... the joy of living, it shouldn't be that hard to find." "He was right, Father." "At 9 years old, it's not so difficult to find the joy of life." "But I knew I was leaving my childhood behind me." "In Paris, I went to school." "Antoine left to end the war in Germany." "Of the Halsbergs, we never found a trace." "Georgi..." "The other day I met a young woman who resembled her amazingly."