"NO REST FOR THE BRAVE" "It starts out, you're on a cliff." "Well, I say cliff, let's say a height." "Then a vision appears." "No, that comes later." "First you hear music." "Maybe an old tune, a ballad, a sad ballad... sung by women with soft voices." "And then you see a series of images." "How can I explain?" "At first, you don't understand." "The images come from afar, but belong to your memory." "Like memories from before you were born." "But you can't grasp it, and the more you grasp, the more the images unfold, the more you connect them to yourself." "Until you understand all and you behold Faftao Laoupo." "How do you spell that?" "I didn't read it, I heard it!" "Faftao Laoupo." "The image of the ultimate sleep." "He arrives at the end and completes the vision." "This vision is the chain of eternity... and you realize that you're a prisoner of this story." "It's telling you this is your second-to-last sleep." "You can sleep one more time, and then you die!" "You understand?" "You sleep and then you die." "It's just a dream." "Yeah, but the funny thing is..." "Does Faftao Laoupo ring a bell to you?" "Do you know who he is?" "It meant nothing to me nor to anyone else." "It's like a legend that no one knows." " You're in another world." " Another world." "A world you've been to before and to which you now return." "See, there's our universe, and beside it, around us, there's another universe." "Another dimension." "Eternity." "That's it, eternity." "And that's where Faftao Laoupo is." "He's the image of the ultimate sleep." "He's also the link to everything." "Everything?" "What do you mean?" "Everything!" "I don't know." "Why you were born into one family?" "Why not someone else into yours?" "Why your spirit is in your body and not someone else's." "We say it's just by chance, by force of nature, but giving it a name doesn't explain it." "See what I mean?" "Yeah, chance, forces of nature..." "I don't believe you." "You sit here, listening to me, saying nothing, and then you make fun of me." "This is serious." "If I sleep again, I'm dead." "Understand?" "I have to sleep sooner or later." "Anyway, you piss me off." "You all do." "I'm going to find some people who aren't so stupid." "Something's wrong." "I make 5,800 a month." "I pay 1,500 in rent." "How much for food?" "Let's say 400 a week, which makes 1,600." "Plus 200 for electricity." "No, say 300." "Plus 400 for the phone." "Yeah, 400." "So that's 700 for both, plus 1,500, plus 1,600..." "So, 3,800." "That leaves about 2,000 to live on." "Even counting gas and a few expenses, 2,000 bucks should be enough." "But I guess it's just not enough." "Good Evening." "Do you know where Basile Matin lives?" "What's he done?" "I'm just looking for him." "Someone's always looking for him." "There's always some problem, or there's something else." " You're a friend of his?" " I just know him." "We all know each other around here." "Where are you from?" "Montcastin." "Just go to his house." "The one with the shutters." "Thanks, bye." "Good evening." "I'm looking for Basile." "I couldn't tell you where he is." " Are you a friend?" " Not really." "I ran into him earlier at the café." "He wasn't well." "I came by to see if he felt better." "If you start worrying about him, you'll never be finished." "He told me about a dream." "He has a lot of strange dreams." "It was some story about eternity and death." "Does Faftao Laoupo mean anything to you?" "What's that?" "The image of the ultimate sleep." "When you see him in a dream, you sleep one more time... and then you die." "The poor child just can't get it together." "Don't worry about him, it's not worth it." "God knows I don't." "Otherwise I'd fret my days away!" "Last year, at the beginning of summer... he says to me, Mom, I'm going for a drink." "What am I supposed to say?" "I won't keep him on a leash." "So he goes out for his drink." "He comes back at the end of August!" "He met a friend and they decided to go on vacation." "No post card, no phone call." "Nothing." "He comes back two months later as if nothing happened, as if he didn't notice." ""Two months?" "You're kidding."" "I guess time really flies!" "Is he making fun of us?" "It's always the same, coming and going." "So I don't worry anymore." "If he's here, great." "If not, we get by." "I can't believe how bored I am!" "If you're so clever, tell me what you'd do." "I don't know, you'd have time to react... before they kill people." "You wake up, call the cops, explain." "If you're lucky they get there in an hour." "In an hour I'd have killed people!" "What's going on?" "Last night someone killed everybody in Souleihes." " Who?" " Who?" "We don't know." "And for the moment it's not important." "A whole village is dead just a mile away." "We're not going to look for the killer." "Someone has to." "But right now, do you really want to know who did it?" "If you know that, you ask yourself other questions." "I just said it off the cuff." "With a thing like that, you want to know right away." "But you've got nothing to gain!" "Of course I do." "Yes." "You always look for the guilty one." "You know why?" "Because once you have them, you start to understand." "Understand what?" "Are you ever going to understand 20 dead in Souleihes?" "The day gets too heavy for him, he'll put a bullet in his brain." "Or he'll come see you guys." "Can't we go through?" "What do you want?" "I came to see exactly what happened." "Some degenerate killed everybody, exactly." " How do you know?" " I'm sure of it." "Someone lost his mind." "It certainly wasn't revenge." "Revenge in Souleihes?" "Don't make me laugh." "Who said anything about revenge?" "Unless the killer came for someone in particular and ended up killing all the witnesses." "What do you think?" "But from that to a whole village." "Not a single survivor?" "A few." "Where did you find the bodies?" "Mind your own business." "The survivors are an old couple and a baby, the only ones who couldn't move." "Do you have a list of the dead?" "Whom do you want to know about?" "Basile Matin." "Friend of yours?" "We don't have him." "We've got Jacques and Michéle Matin, but no Basile." "He's not among the survivors either!" "Right, two old folks and a baby." "Where were the bodies?" "Go run your investigation elsewhere." "We won't find our man here, but I'd like to know a little more." "You'll read about it tomorrow in the Montagne Libre." "Too bad, but I'm used to doing things by myself." " You know Basile?" " Why do you want to know?" "When I mentioned him, you asked if he was a friend." "I just know him to see him." "Why?" "It was in case you knew him well." "I don't know him well." "I'm gone." "You've got to look before you can find." "What are you looking for?" "Don't worry." "If he's capable of this, I'll spot him from miles away." "So, what do you think?" "What should I think?" "I don't know, I'm asking." "Shouldn't we just wait and see?" "Wait?" "Until it passes." "It takes time to digest what happened." "That's the only effect it has on you?" "What effect should it have?" "A whole village is dead right next door." "I never used to go to Souleihes." "Did you know anyone there?" "Just from around." "Me too." "I met a woman there two days ago, but we didn't really have time to talk." "Where did you get the idea that you have to know someone... for it to effect you?" "Yeah." "Carnage like that doesn't happen every day." "So?" "Other than waiting, I don't see what we can do." "You're here?" "Does it look more like I'm here or not here?" "More like you're here." "Does that answer your question?" "How's the investigation?" "Running its course." "I came to get a sense of the place." "You weren't familiar with it?" "Sure I was." "I wanted to see it now." "You're looking for a killer and you think;" "maybe if I take a look at Souleihes..." "Souleihes..." "dead, I mean." "I don't know." "Until you see it, you're in a strange position." "You're looking for some guy because someone has to, but you realize that you've got no motivation!" "Why should you look for him?" "And now that you've seen it?" "I see that a dead village is just like a living village, except with no one left." "It still hasn't hit me yet." "Twenty dead." "And then what?" "I was no better off with those people alive." "People come and go." "That's why I'm having trouble feeling involved." "You're still looking for Basile?" "I'm waiting for him." "Actually, I'm just hoping he'll come back." "And if he doesn't?" "It could mean he's the killer." "And you've come to see if he'll come back." "Yes." "And to see if he'll wait to see if you'll wait for him!" "There's always a calm before the storm." "I can't imagine him as a killer." "Well, your story makes no sense." "He thinks he's dying, so he kills everybody?" " Why?" " Why do you ask me?" "I thought you didn't want logical explanations." "But we're talking about Basile." "I can't see him shooting everything that moves, especially not in his own village." "Neither can I." "He couldn't have lost it because of a dream." "I don't know what makes someone lose it." "Well, neither do I." " Want another beer?" " Sure." "It was Jacques' sleepy side that bothered me, his background articles, his literary tracts... about things that nobody's interested in." "It wasn't that bad." "Sure, it was always well done." "But he'd write full pages about the rural world crisis." "You don't find that interesting?" " It's boring." " What do you mean, boring?" "Listen, I once wrote a paper on Paul Laturne." " Laturne?" " Yeah, Paul Laturne." " Really?" " You know the guy." "I did an investigation on all his schemes, on his treatment of workers." "Everything was going well." "Jacques got scared, the idiot." "He saw a lawsuit on his hands, and we never ran the article." "With the crisis of the rural world, you don't have to worry." "You can't say he was wrong." "Next to Laturne, you guys were lightweights." "You have to know what you want." "You've got to speak your mind." "Or go work for the Montagne Libre!" "You just didn't talk about the same things." "Of course I agree." "But they never liked my articles, so I left." "I'm a don at Montcastin college." "You're a student?" "I'm registered." "I did years in History but I stopped." "You didn't like it?" "I preferred the contemporary part, the Moderns, Louis XIII," "Louis XIV, but that was first year." "After that, it was the Greeks and Romans." "That's when I dropped out." "It annoyed me, especially the Romans!" "That's funny!" "The Greeks and Romans seem more interesting to me." "Yeah, some people prefer them." "Louis XIV, is that Versailles?" "This is OK." "I love goats." "The countryside, the trees, the birds." "But I've got kids and it's always the same." "Why don't we buy a VCR?" "That's their thing right now." "We're not buying a VCR because we're not buying a VCR." "You don't need one in the country." "They want to believe it." "Problem is, I don't believe it!" "You can live without one." "You sound like my father." "One can live without lots of things." "I could be talking about anything." "A nice car, for example." "Or just a car that works." "That's not a luxury." "My car's falling apart." "And why?" " Why?" " Because I don't have money." " But you have a house." " I could have both." "And a VCR..." "Don't say it." "Listen Hector, Annie and I haven't stopped working for years." "And we're always short of money." "But you're always at the café." "I go now and then." "What do you think I do the rest of the time?" "You've seen me milking the goats." "Yeah." "Sure, you've come once or twice." "But it's every day, morning and night." "On Friday, we're playing at Dédé's." " How do you think I'll manage?" " How?" "First I milk, then I go play." "And when you have a concert far away?" "Then Annie does it, but she hates it." "And it's not her job." "Luckily it doesn't happen often." "Why don't you try the thirteen?" "You see where it is?" "Don't be a loser, Julie." "Funny coming from you, Jean-Luc." "A refill, Dédé." "Coming." "Forget the two, try the thirteen." "But if I scratch, you'll chew me out." "No I won't." "Get in front of it." "Hit it right here and it'll go in." "The problem is getting there." "Aim here." "Move your finger!" " Are you coming?" " Just a minute!" "You say that, but you don't come." "If I say I'm coming, I'm coming." "I'm still waiting." "What's your problem, Jules?" "If this goes on, I'm going elsewhere." "OK, go elsewhere!" "So, pinhead, still losing?" " Come on!" " Unbelievable!" "Can't I play a game of pool in peace?" "I'm not paying for you to play pool." "No one's forcing you." "There are plenty of cafés." "Why come to mine?" "I'll serve him." "Can't you wait a few minutes, Jules?" "I'm not here to suck on ice cubes." "I noticed." " The same, I suppose?" " Yes." "You finished milking?" "It's about time." "Dédé, I'm having a pint." "Sure, no problem." "Anybody want something?" "I'll have a pint." "Me too, please." "You want something, Julie?" "A pint please." "That's it, we lost." "You're not very talented, Jean-Luc." "I can't be good at everything." " Hi, Lydie!" " How's it going, Daniel?" "It's going." " Did it work?" " Yes, very well." "But see how late it is?" "I'm fed up." "That's the game." " We're not playing again?" " No." "Are we rehearsing tonight, Jean-Luc?" "We could!" "That's no answer." "Either we rehearse or not." "I want to." "If you're pissed, find another job!" "So I'll change my line of work to please you!" "I'm going." "It's for your sake." " Coming by, Julie?" " We'll see." " And you, Hector?" " I don't think so." " Dédé, put it on my tab." " I'll get it." "Fine with me." "What time?" "How much?" "28." "I'll see you later." "It's 6:00 already?" "Don't worry, Julie." "I don't notice the days going by." "I'm going, too." " Want a ride?" " No, I'll walk." "Take it easy." "LEAVING LIVINGTON" "DEADSVILLE" "How's it going?" "Are you coming from Livington?" "I was playing pool at Dédé's." "There's salad in the fridge." "This is fine." "What did you do this afternoon?" "Not much." "What do you mean, not much?" "Not much." "You sure you can handle that chicken?" "It's crazy that you spend your days doing nothing." "Why?" "What do you do?" "I wander, I see people." "You call that doing something?" "I call it passing the time." "I'm not spending my life alone in a dead village!" "But I'm not alone, as far as I can tell." "Pass me the wine, please." "But I could be alone less often." "What do you mean?" "Oh, I see." "What do you expect?" "I like Livington." "I like playing pool and drinking with my friends." "Well, I won't put you on a leash." "And I spend quite a lot of time with you." "I said quite a lot, not too much." "I didn't say anything." "But you wanted to!" "Are you staying here tonight?" "I didn't come back to leave again." "We'll go to the garden." "Roger, just because you're old... doesn't mean you have to be bored." "You're not even old, you're... you're retired." "Retired doesn't necessarily mean old!" "But you don't want anything anymore." "Stop explaining the meaning of life, you're exhausting me." "Exactly, you're a very tired man!" "Night is the hardest to get through." "I'm still not allowed to sleep." "So I wait for the night to pass and I try to dream." "I don't care what anyone thinks, one can live without sleep." "Sleep isn't important." "It's the dream that counts." "Are you eating now or should I save it for tomorrow?" "What is it?" "I made you some chicken, some roast duck, some confits and a can of foie gras." "Foie gras at this time of year?" "Where did you get the idea that it has a season?" "With roast duck and confits?" "That's stupid." "But there's no dessert." "I still wouldn't have taken any." "You haven't answered my question." "Are you eating now or not?" " I'll take it with me." " And eat on the way?" "I've got to take off before dark!" "Why don't you take the boat?" "For a boat, you need a sea!" "But the river is right there, not to mention you could kill yourself." "Not if I stay awake." "Exactly." "It's not easy to stay awake in an airplane." "I've flown before, it's worse than the train." "Not when you're the one flying." " Hello!" " What'll it be, stranger?" "I need some gasoline for my aeroplane." "We don't have any extra." "It's only for the regulars." "But I'll pay." "It wouldn't have been free!" "Where are you going, beautiful stranger?" "Are you old enough anyway?" "For what?" "To be a pilot, stranger!" "I'll be at the end of the year!" "What's so funny?" "The stranger doesn't like our humour." "He needs to see the world." "And without gasoline!" "Can I at least get some food?" "And without food!" "I don't care anyway." "I've got plenty of fresh farm products in my basket." "I'll eat while I fly." "You're up early." " I came to see the heavy work." " I didn't say it was hard." "I said it was every morning and night." "Including Sunday." "Hi!" "I have to drive the kids." "It's A.M. You've got time." "They're always late with you." "With me, they'll be early." "Of course you're broke, you do nothing." "But I worked all summer." "All August, you mean." "All August." "August is not the whole summer." "Still, it's not bad." "Try working all year." "Or look for a billionaire, like Julie." "If you find one, we'll share him." "Hector's found one." "But he's a broke billionaire!" "I'll have a white too, Dédé." "A white for me too." "A drink, Annie?" "I'm not staying." "Hector, you know about electricity?" "Are you blacked out?" "I ran a line upstairs and when I plug it in, it trips the fridge." " Only the fridge?" " Strange, isn't it?" " Sure you have enough power?" " 9 kilos." "All my appliances add up to 8." "I don't get it, why only the fridge?" "I can't help you." "You have my cigarettes?" "Dédé, I'll have a beer." "A beer?" "OK." "You're not drinking, Annie?" "A strange junction box." "It has a 10cm long purple wire with yellow stripes." "Ever seen a wire like that?" "It must not go very far." "It barely comes out of the box." "Cal I an electrician." "Won't you sit down, Annie?" "I have to pick up the kids." " We said 7:00." " Yea, 7:00" "It's quarter of, we've got time." "With you, there's always time." "Do we change the clocks on Sunday?" "Don't scare me." "That's in 15 days, Anne." "I didn't notice the summer go by." "Of course it goes by fast when you work all August." "Are you teasing me?" "Not at all." "I thought you were." "Hi kids." "How you doing?" "I'm getting by." "Jules, do you know about electricity?" "I know about plaster." "But you know a thing or two." "Are you blacked out?" "I ran a line upstairs and when I plug in a hair dryer... it trips the fridge." "You dry your hair?" "It was a test." "But you have a hair dryer?" "Yes, I have a hair dryer." "And only the fridge." "Did you run it from the meter?" "From a junction box." "You're sure about the power?" "But why only the fridge?" "Talk to Chapourle." "Yeah, I'll call him." "That's it." "What about a purple wire with stripes?" " Dédé, a shot of whiskey." " OK." "In this heat?" "It won't stop me." "That'll be a change from beer." "One for me too." "Good evening everyone." "Good evening." "Is this your chair, Annie?" "You can take it." "You don't want to sit?" "We're going." "I have to milk the goats." "And the kids?" "We'll pick them up first." "Let's go." "It's ten to." "I'm having my shot." "Having a drink?" "No time." "I'm going to Mr Soandso's." "You've got five minutes, he never closes before half-past." "All right, a glass." "Hey idiot, we're playing here tomorrow." "It's all I think about, wanker." " We'll meet for a drink?" " Sounds good." " Dédé, put it on my tab." " OK." " Good night everyone." " Good night." "You know about cars?" "Has yours broken down?" "The starter's new, but when I turn the key...," " Nothing." " Nothing?" " Not a whisper." " It's electrical." "Don't go to Mr Soandso, he doesn't know anything." "I don't know." "We'll see." " Dédé, I'll take a guignolet." " Yeah." " I'll have one too." " Me too." "It's been a while." " How's Roger?" " He's OK." " Tell him to come by sometime." " I've told him already." " So tell him again." " But he rarely sees anyone." "I'm having a pastis for a change." "And a glass of beer." "You know about electricity?" " For cars?" " For houses." "Are you blacked out?" "I ran a line upstairs, and when I plug in a hair dryer, it trips the fridge." "Why do you need a hair dryer?" "If a hair dryer doesn't work, nothing else will." "It draws too much power." "Did you try with a TV or a radio?" " No." " Try it, you'll see." "OK." " How about that glass, Dédé?" " Oh, sure." " And a pastis!" " And a pastis!" " Good evening." " Good evening." "After he bought that house, he kept a hotel room for months." "It was a whim, but getting used to it... must have been another ball of wax." "He wanted to be with us." "Maybe he'd still be here if we hadn't pushed him away." "We haven't seen each other since." "If you threw him out..." "We just asked him to leave." "Dédé and I have our lives." "We can ask someone to live elsewhere without causing a big drama." "Not Roger." "To love people so much, then go languish in a ghost town." "Stubborn old mule!" "He's not languishing here more than elsewhere." "As long as you're there." "But does he think about you leaving?" "Why are you waking me up?" "I'm not waking you up." "Oh no?" "What are you doing?" "I'm caressing you." "Well, it's waking me up." " You don't like being caressed?" " Not when I'm trying to sleep" "I was looking for you." "I'm going down to the Mississippi." "You coming?" "What are you going to do there?" "Just wander around." "And sit by the water." "Of course you'll leave." "Not right away." "Not right away but one day, and I have to think about that day." "What's forcing you?" "If I don't prepare myself, it'll be terrible." "And if you're prepared for it?" "It'll still be terrible, but I'll be prepared." "On the other hand, I've already tried to prepare myself." "But it hasn't stopped me from loving you." "So I'm not really preparing myself." "Come on, I'll fix you a drink." "I'm going." "Are you coming home late?" "Most likely." "Can I have a few bucks?" "How much do you want?" "I don't know." "100, 200..." "It's all I've got!" "Thanks." " See you tomorrow." " Right, see you tomorrow." "He looks at me like an idiot, and says;" "so what do I do now?" "You guys are having a good laugh." " Two pints?" " Three." "What's up with you tonight, Hector?" "Where have you been?" "I'm talking with Lydie and Annie." "Annie's actually talking?" "Even as a kid, she would answer questions." " Really?" " I swear!" "Sometimes she'd say things without being asked." "Words?" "Whole sentences!" "Dédé, if you could spend the night with three people... out of everyone here, who would you choose?" "No idea." "Come on, think about it." "Three girls." "We know you wouldn't go with Annie." " Annie?" " Daniel's girlfriend." "The one that won't stop talking." "You wouldn't go with Lydie." "She's for when you're alone, right?" "Why are you asking me this?" "Because of Hector." "Guess who he's spending the night with?" "All right, I'm leaving you." "Later." "That's it, enjoy yourself." "Take advantage of it, not every day's a party." "Julie, you mind if we play while you talk?" "No, keep going guys!" "Just turn up the volume!" "We can't, the neighbours will complain." "We're not going through this again." "Not because of the old folks?" "Yes, because of them." "We're a little old to be keeping them up, Julie." "I'll shut up, promise." "Good evening." "A whiskey, please." "An adventurer!" "Tell me, have you seen a guy passing through here?" "His name is Basile Matin." "It's very likely he's changed his name." "Should we try again later?" "Tonight?" "Not in 6 months." "In 6 months, you'll be long gone." "But we can't stay like this." "Why don't we play some pool?" "What's this all about?" "Don't you think it's a little late for pool?" "I'm trying to sink the 13 but Lydie's in the way." "The 13?" "What an idea!" "Still, it's the prettiest." "If it's the prettiest, why make it disappear?" "I didn't think about it that way." "Wait, you'll see." "I'll help you." "We'll sink them all and save the 13 for the end." "Come on, time to go!" "It's hard enough to find people I can get along with." " I'm staying." " You'll find people elsewhere." "Elsewhere maybe, but not everywhere." "Fine." "He's coming, I can feel it." " Who's coming?" " There's no time to explain." "Don't worry, you're safe in here!" "I know you're there, you little faggot." "You're lucky." "For now, you're on the other side." "I can't touch you, I said for now." "Go ahead, you can run, but hurry... and go far." "As far as you can." "You'll never go far enough, I'll always find you." "And you know why?" "Because I'm Johnny Got." "Yes, Johnny Got, the king of hide-and-seek." "Go ahead." "Run!" "Funny finding you here." "Yes, very funny." "What are you doing here?" "I should ask you." "I'm waiting." "Waiting for what?" "No!" "You've no right." "I didn't sleep." "I just dreamed." "Dreaming isn't sleeping!" "Stop it, Basile, it's not for you." "Not for me?" "You knew and you slept?" "Of course I slept." "But why?" "That's how it is." "Every one knows and everyone sleeps." "And stop asking me why." "I didn't invent the world." "You're just searching for him with no idea where he is?" "If he knew, he wouldn't be looking." "He could have some idea." "You really don't have a clue?" "He was on his way to Buenauzères." "So why doesn't he go to Buenauzères?" "That's what he's doing." "Obviously not, if he's stopping here." "Maybe he doesn't stop at every gas station." "Do you stop at every gas station?" "You see!" "Not everyone stops in my café!" "You're sure he passed by this way?" "Yesterday he was in Oncongue, heading to Buenauzères." "Isn't this the road to Buenauzères?" "Unless you go through Memfisse." "But that's the long way." "But the road is better." "But this way is so much faster!" "Check, please." "How long have you been looking?" "Goodbye." "You wouldn't be going to Buenauzères?" "I'm stopping in Glasgaud." "Could I get a ride?" "Sure!" "So why are you looking for him?" "Goodbye." " Well, thanks." " Don't mention it!" " See you so on!" " Bye!" " You want to get a drink?" " I don't have time, thanks." "Too bad." " Goodbye." " Goodbye." "He asks me if it's a long way to Buenauzères." ""That depends..." "100, 120 kilometres." "For some it's far, for some it's not."" "He asks if he can use the phone." "I'm sorry, I'm not the post office." "I tell him he has to buy a drink." "He says;" "I'll have a Potemkin." "I've been selling drinks for years... and I've never heard of a Potemkin." "The drink, I mean." "I've heard of the boat." "What do you put in a Potemkin?" "Beer and black currant, he says." "Could you drink that?" "Anyway, to each his own!" "I serve him his Potemkin." "What about the telephone?" ", he says;" ""Okay, relax, I'm not that cheap."" "So I give him the phone, he makes his call, he pays," "I give him his change... and he says goodbye." "He leaves without touching his Potemkin." "Then he stops at the door, comes back and says," ""by the way, did you see a guy pass by?"" ""Young, a little smaller than me?"" "Like you!" "And you're looking for him!" "If you ask me, you should arrange to meet somewhere." "Don't you think that would be easier?" "Don't be shy." "Just look in on people." "As long as you're here, you want a drink?" "I didn't think anyone was here." "And I suppose the candle's burning by the light... of the holy spirit?" "But it looks so abandoned." "Nice of you to say." "The rest, maybe, but not my place." "This is your house?" "No, I live at the neighbour's house." "That way my place stays clean." "You're impossible to talk to!" "Well of course it's my house." " Well, you could have been..." " I could have been what?" "You know who's in their own home and who's not?" "You're not from around here." "From Buenauzères?" "No, from New York." "You could have meant the neighbourhood." "I know my neighbourhood, I don't have to ask." "I thought you were asking..." "It wasn't a question." "I can spot someone who's not from around here from miles away." "Good." "I'm looking for someone who's not from around here." "Big?" "Small?" "Young?" "Old?" "Young, bigger than me." "He's also looking for someone." "A young man who's looking for someone?" " That's right." " Wearing a jacket?" " Yeah." " A blue jacket?" "Maybe." "It depends on the day." "And a sailor's cap!" "That depends, too." "But often wearing a sailor's cap!" "Probably." "I know where your man is." "Come with me." " Who's this guy?" " How should I know?" " You could've known." " How?" "I don't know." "Go follow him, but discreetly!" " And then?" " Judge for yourself." "Either warn Johnny Got, or come back and see me." "I'll wait here." "Go." "Let's go." "You drink with Sorano but you don't know him?" "Of course I do." "I just didn't know his name." "And what do you call him?" "By his first name." "It's become difficult to have a drink with Sorano!" "Yeah?" "At least to have something to say to him." "In general, it's hard to drink with someone... you've got nothing to say to." "What do you and Sorano talk about?" "What do you think we talk about?" "What do I think you talk about." "I wouldn't want Sorano to think that I have his... little red balls, if you see what I mean!" "No, wait, I don't see what you mean." "Think for a second." "I'm here to buy." "Johnny Got's here to buy, you hear that guys?" "Either you've got the datebook of a priest, or you're trying to cover your tracks." " Tracks?" " What tracks?" "You expect me to explain everything?" "That might give you ideas." "I want to believe that you're innocent, but fix this fast, because you're going to wind up... with your nose in your own shit." "I'm really tired of your slaps and punches!" "No kidding!" "Stop." "Stop!" "It's only a matter of few little red balls." "Let's try to stay calm." "We'll stay calm, but stop answering my questions... with more questions, OK?" "Let's walk." "You'll catch a cold." "But I don't want to walk." "Okay, you don't want to walk." "You know, Johnny Got, Buenauzères is a small town, hardly any people." "Word gets around fast if you deal with both Sorano and me." "What makes you think I'm dealing with Sorano?" "I didn't ask a question, so you don't answer." "It was a question, not an answer." "So, you come to a town you don't know," "Sorano has kilos of little red balls stolen from him." "By chance, you want some from me." "Also by chance, you don't buy any." "And finally, by chance, you deal with Sorano." "What are you getting at?" "It seems like a lot of coincidences to me." "Would I be buying from you if I had something to hide?" "Yes, I think you would." "You think I'm that stupid?" "I wouldn't call it stupidity." "You're annoying me with all of your questions." "So, Bodowski, always in form after midnight!" "Oh, it's not how it used to be." "Untie him, Franck!" "What are you doing, Jack?" "Don't worry, Jack just thought he saw someone." "He wants to understand, you know how it is." "That said, now, do you want to explain?" "Explain what?" "This!" "Oh, that." "What's your guy looking for?" "Forget about Jack and talk to me about this!" "I'm trying to explain a thing or two to your friend." "Such as?" "Such as, I'm a nice guy, but don't make me out to be something I'm not, if you see what I mean!" "Who's making you out to be what you're not, Bodowski?" "Someone who wants to buy some little red balls with no money." "And says he'll have money so on." "And since you two have been seen together recently, you understand, I ask questions!" "I understand that you've got questions." "Get in!" "Hey!" "Come on, get in." "It's me." "Get in, it's me." " Shouldn't I drive?" " It's my car, I'll drive." "I don't know how this happened." "I must have fucked up somewhere." "Having a drink with Sorano wasn't brilliant." "I don't believe this!" "Can you be quieter?" "We can't hear ourselves talk." "One drink, one drink with Sorano in my entire life." "And I was there for an hour at the most." "Word couldn't have got around that fast." "He must have had me followed, which means he already knew." "You can keep talking." "You should know what you want." "I want less noise, but I'm not stopping you from talking." "You can't make people talk if they don't want to." "Everybody was talking a minute ago." "Now they've got nothing to say?" "Mind your own business." "But you're all listening and it's annoying." "No one's listening to you." "Is anyone listening?" "See?" "So if you're not listening, talk amongst yourselves." "Now, as I was saying, he must have had me followed, and if he had me followed, he already knew." "Maybe he was in the dark and just did it to see..." "Please, don't take him for a fool." "I did and you saw what happened." "He knows someone stole some little red balls from Sorano." "Why does he think that I stole them?" "I'm trying to buy some." "Logically, a guy that steals, wants to sell... and not buy more, right?" "Logically." "If it wasn't you who stole them, I don't see the problem." "Of course it was me." "So why did you want to buy more?" "I didn't." "Okay, I did." "But I really wanted to sell them, see?" "After that, I figured they'd talk, that Sorano would mess it up." "That gave me time to escape." "It was all sown up." "In that case, we're escaping right now." "Except they're on our trail... and the little red balls are in my trunk." "With Sorano and Bodowski getting together behind my back." "Other than that, we're escaping." "You could always give them back!" "And tell them it was just to see how they'd react?" "Don't tell me how to stay out of trouble." "Not you!" "You're lucky you've been useful." "I wasn't going to do you any favors." "Even now, you should watch yourself, or I'll tie you to a tree... with the little red balls and call Sorano." "Got it?" "I think it's best we go our separate ways." "I see what you're up to." "Of course it's best for you." "But not a chance." "Once I start hunting, I never let go." "You're never letting me go?" "Of course not." "Why?" "What do you mean why?" "What happens to me?" "I don't know." "I haven't thought about it yet." "Anyway, you were looking for me, too." "Well, here I am." " I don't know." " You already said that." "You go over all this foolishness... and then say you don't know." "Think about it, you can't go on like this." " What do you want me to say?" " That you didn't love him!" "That's got nothing to do with it." "I ask you if you loved him, and you tell me," "I don't know." "In other words, you didn't." "Otherwise you'd know." "Anyway, once he was dead, I had to leave." "I'm sorry, but he wasn't dead." "He gave me a beer, we talked." "And we talked for quite a while." "Pass me the bottle, please." "Pass you the bottle?" "Ah yes." "It's funny the way you repeat every question!" "Repeat every question?" "How's that?" "Ah yes..." "So, and then?" "I was just explaining." "You haven't explained anything." "You've been telling me that there are things going on... in your head, that you don't understand, that you don't know why or how... and that it doesn't seem too serious." "I can't take you home in this state." "Go on, and try to be clear!" "So after Roger died..." "He's not dead!" "All right, if you like." "So afterward, I had no direction." "Nowhere to go, nothing to do." "But I knew you were behind me... and it was annoying to not know... that you could jump me at any moment." "I'd rather have you out front... and I started looking for you, thinking it would keep you from finding me." "But I was just keeping an eye on you, and for a few days," "I was really close." "And then you disappeared, I lost you in another story." "I had to start over." "That's when I started thinking..." "It couldn't last forever." "Either I'd go far away and it would go on... for the rest of our lives, or I'd kill you, but I'm not really a killer." "So I decided to find you and sort it out, to give myself up." "But I didn't want to just wait for you." "No, my idea was to find you so that I could say, OK, here I am, but it's because I wanted it." "See the difference?" "And then?" "What do you mean?" "Then what would we do?" "How should I know?" "That would be your problem." "I'd have done my part." "I'd say it worked out better for you." "For me?" "Funny coming from you!" "Next time, I'll leave you in your shit." "Wake up, let's go!" "Perhaps you think we're going to kill you, but this is your last chance." "Come on, let's go!" "You all right?" "I'll be okay, save yourselves." "This way." "Hey, I'm tired." "Do you understand?" "I'm tired." "I can't sleep." "If I sleep, I die." "Yeah, I heard." "No, it can't be." "Not now!" "I have an idea." "I'll sleep a little, wake up, stay awake for an hour... and then go back to sleep." "That should work." "It's my last sleep, but if I sleep twice, I'm saved." "He'll have nothing." "I'm only his after my last sleep." "Understand?" "If I sleep after my last sleep," "I beat Faftao Laoupo's logic..." "and I become immortal." "Of course, that'd be best." "Have you seen an alarm clock?" "On the mantel." "And if I don't wake up, call out to me!" "Yeah, I'll call out to you." "And don't go too far." "If I have to go, I'll wake you up." "What's going on?" "I slept." "Great, you slept." "And?" "I wasn't supposed to sleep!" "You're still worried about that?" "But I'm going to die now!" "Listen, you little shit." "Do you know anyone who's not going to die?" "We're all the same." "It all has to stop one day." "And even if it's not fun, it's perfect that way." "So stop complaining and let me sleep, because I actually enjoy it." "Got it?" "He really pisses me off!" "Other than a few screws missing, he's actually a nice guy." "I simply don't know what to do anymore." "We're between Bairoute and Boggota, so it's still a long drive." "We won't be at your place before nightfall." "Until tonight then." "I don't know." "Say that one more time, you get the bottle in your mouth." "No, I don't know." "I don't believe it." "We rack our brains for you, and you still don't know." "Try to know a little." "I don't know." "What should I say?" "What do we do with you while we wait?" "Am I asking you to do something with me?" "You must understand we can't let little wankers like you run free." "No, I don't understand." "You don't understand!" "You don't understand that you risk spending your life doing nothing." "But even that doesn't scare you." "On your death bed you'll say, I did nothing, it was great!" "We just wanted to save you that." "I don't care, I'm immortal." "What should we do?" "I have no idea." "We'll see tomorrow." "But for tonight?" "I'm going to bed." "At this hour?" "What time is it?" "It's only 11:00." "But I'm tired." "It's a little early, but do what you want." "Isn't the Champion's League on tonight?" "It must be over by now." "But we can watch the highlights of the other games." "But it's Wednesday..." "So?" "It's on channel one." "I don't get it here." " Good evening." " Good evening." "We'd like to speak to Johnny Got." "Who?" "I should have expected that." "Who are you, anyway?" "We're some people who are looking for Johnny Got." "We know he's here and we want to talk to him." "I don't know anyone by that name." "This one's not bad either." "Listen, you're mixed up in this for nothing and..." "Although..." "Why do you say although?" "You know nothing." "That's exactly why I said although." "Are you aware that Johnny Got has created... a few concerns for us lately?" "You see, he's in the dark!" "We've got nothing against you." "But if you happened to help out some people who..." "How should I put it?" "...inconvenienced us." "What do you think, Sorano?" "Really inconvenienced us." "Then things might not go well between us." "Might really not go well." "How else could they go?" "I ask you." "But I don't see why you think things shouldn't go well." "Ah, you don't see!" "But we've surrounded your house... without even asking your opinion." "But he just asked me my opinion." "Yeah, but Sorano and I, we don't ask the same questions... because we see things differently." "You see the red Fuego behind Johnny Got's car?" "When he decides to talk, he can find us there." "It's nice out tonight." "I wouldn't say that." "For January it could be worse." "It's true that January's been very mild the last few years." "The problem is that we end up with a disgusting summer." "So, what else?" "He doesn't want to see you." "He thinks you're going to kill him." "You're a sensible boy." "Do we look like killers?" "He might at least trust you... but not you!" "That's news to me!" "Why should I want to kill him?" "For kilos of little red balls?" "I don't know why people kill... but it's true that you seem more, well, less..." "You seem meaner." "I seem what?" "Meaner?" "You're talking about something that's not... as simple as you think." "So you should watch what you say!" "Don't get excited, Sorano." "You asked, the kid's answering." "If you don't like the answers, don't ask questions." "I'm just asking why I should want to kill him." "There's nothing wrong with what I said." "That's how it is, at first glance, some people... seem nicer than others." "But it doesn't mean anything." "It's no secret that you can't be trusted." "Look Bodowski, I'd appreciate it if you didn't add your opinion." "Here we are, talking about it... but there's no doubt about whether we want to kill him." "You tell Johnny Got that if he doesn't come, we'll come get him." "And tell him it's better for him if we don't have to move." "And we don't want to kill him." "How are you going to escape?" "I've got a plan." "And then what do you do?" "And then?" "Then I run." "What else?" "And then?" "We're not there yet." "We will be so on." "I'll see when I get there." "You can't run your whole life." "So they say." "You'll have to manage by yourself." "I'll have to manage by myself?" "Because you started this mess, and you refuse to fix it." "You think I was counting on you to help me?" "Maybe you don't really understand the situation, but there's a group of gangsters outside." "Real gangsters!" "I know they look silly at first, but if I go outside," "I'm a dead man." "Jack, over here." "Stay there." "Who's he?" "Basile, a friend." "Since we're all friends here, where is he?" "I'm sure they'll answer that." "Okay, let's search the place." "I'll stay downstairs, someone go upstairs, and someone on the roof." "Franck?" "I have to go up on the roof?" "I'm just asking." "You don't want to?" "It's not that I don't want to, but I always get the crappy job." "So you don't want to." "I don't care." "I'll go up with you." "Wait, Sorano, you work with some really special people." "You see how he reacts?" "I want to, but I'm not exactly excited." "I'm going, I'm not going." "I can't stand that." "He's up there." "You go that way, I'm going this way." "Just so we understand each other," "Sorano, we're not partners." "Honestly, do we look like partners?" "You see!" "So get one thing straight, I'm mixed up in this... with you, but I'm the one who decides... what we do with Johnny Got and with Basile and Igor." "Is that clear?" "Is that clear or do we talk to Quibore?" "No, not Quibore." "As if I wouldn't." "All right." "So, little darlings, leave them alone." "We're here for Johnny Got and trust me, we'll deal with him." "What about him?" "He veered a car at me." "If you don't want to be veered at, find a new job." "You make money, you don't have to wake up early." "There are bound to be inconveniences." " All set?" " Yeah, all set." "Goodbye." "Put him in my car, we're taking him." "I thought you just wanted to talk." "It's getting late." "We'll talk tomorrow." "Where are you taking him?" "We'll bring him back when we're finished." "You can be funny when you try, Sorano." "I'm wondering if we didn't screw up." "Hi." "Mother couldn't help yelling at me." "It's always the same;" "Where have you been?" ""Can't you tell me when and where you go?"" "We've been looking for a year." "If they had really looked, they'd have found me." "But she's nice." "A little annoying, but I love her." "She's a mother!" "Otherwise, things are back to normal." "I sleep every night without any problem." "Well, I say no problem." "I never go to sleep before morning, so I never wake up before noon, and at night, I can't sleep at all." "It's a vicious cycle and I can't get out." "I admit that I'm not really trying to get out." "After all, I don't work, so I can sleep all day." "I'll eventually have to think about working." "It's good to earn a living... and it'd keep me from being so bored." "But it's always the same." "I eventually realize that I don't want to get up every morning." "I should be a night watchman." "The problem is, around here, to find a job as a night watchman, you have to get up early." "One thing's for sure, I'm not going to spend my life here." "I'll have to go away eventually." "But it's the same problem." "I say that and then realize that I'm too happy here." "Sure, it's full of fakes and ingrates, but I also meet good people." "And it's my country." "I like it here." "Finally, I realize more and more... that's there's really only one thing that gets me off, and that always will..." "People." "Every one." "Others!" "I hope that I'll want to meet people my whole life." "I say that now, but maybe someday I won't want it any more." "I'd like to do lots of things." "I'd like to change the world, because I don't really like it." "But who does like it?" "And I'd like to do something great." "I don't know what yet." "I'm looking." "I'll find something or I won't." "And even if I do, it doesn't mean I'll succeed, but the further I go, the more I realize that it's not important." "The important thing is people." "Even if they're a pain in the ass." "Because I have the feeling that on your death bed, if you haven't reconciled with others, you can't be happy." "But is it so important to die happy?" "I don't know." "But I know that the day you start to see things that way... is the day you stop worrying about dying." "Maybe I'm exaggerating." "I'm always a little afraid of dying." "And when I think of Faftao Laoupo," "I still get a chill up my spine." "It still seems like I'm touching the chain of eternity." "Except it doesn't hurt anymore." "It puts me in my place." "Because today, when I think of myself in the world, in humanity, I realize that the only thing that's eternal is others." "And then death..." "Yes, I'll die one day." "I think dying is the best thing that can happen... to a man at the end of his life." "And even to a dog." "As for the rest; work, the day-to-day stuff, all that, it should all work itself out, in time."