"Put your right hand on the circle and your left hand on the square." "Are you sure?" "Right on circle." "Left." "That's it, good!" "Very good." "You were peeling potatoes at the picnic table." "They tipped into your lap." "The whole pot of 'em." "Dad hid out in the tent, he was laughing so hard." "Bernard, step away from the stove!" "That's Mireille and Andre." "I'll get it." "Merry Christmas!" " Sweetie!" "How's it going?" " Fine." "I'm so glad to see you!" "Daddy, let me place the presents!" "I'm glad you joined us, Isabelle." "Me too." " My big boy." " Merry Christmas, Mom." "I'd swear you've grown some more." "No, you're getting shorter." "Andre and Isabelle are here." "They brought good wine!" "Merry Christmas!" "Hi, Andre!" "Hello, Geraldine." " Merry Christmas!" " You too." "It's been a while!" "My favorite older brother!" "Merry Christmas!" " Hi Andre, happy Christmas!" " Same to you." " The whole gang here?" " Sure, it's Christmas Eve." "You're no better!" "Watch, right after this!" "The shrimp!" "Look." "Can't you adjust the color?" "No, the cameras were different then." "That's you when you were little." " No, it's Andre." " No, it's you!" "I wasn't born back then." "Who's the man with the moustache?" "It's Grandpa." "Why was he handsome then, and now he's ugly?" "Because he's old." "Do you always get ugly when you're old?" "No, silly!" "Come, Dad." "It's dinnertime." "Everyone's here." " Mom's cranberries!" "A Christmas tradition!" "Straight from the can." "They go so well with turkey." "Nothing like tradition." "We don't do this every night." "You eat too fast." "Sorry, I couldn't find a taxi!" "It's Jean-Maurice, ladies and gents!" " Merry Christmas!" " My husband..." "You could kiss your wife before your in-law." "It's only been a few hours, dear." "Merry Christmas." "This is Isabelle." "A pleasure." " Happy Christmas, Jean-Maurice." " Cheers." " Merry Christmas." " Enjoy!" " Good health!" " Happy Christmas." "A sack of potatoes for sale!" "Real cheap!" " How much?" " For you, it's free." "Who wants to taste my Himalaya salad?" " What's up?" " Hi, Sam." "And pink salt from Nepal." "Dad, have some vegetables." "No!" "Turn off the game!" "The game's almost finished." "No, he's right." "Come eat dinner." "You can play downstairs." "They were finishing up." "It doesn't matter." "Can we just...?" " When do we open the presents?" " Later, dear." "My ears, it's so loud!" "Turn off the TV, Dad." "My TV." "My house." "This is too much." "Can't hear yourself think." "Dad, you're scaring the kids." "The Homeopath!" "A hot flash, huh?" "I'd swear he does it just to piss us off." "Mom, he's eating more bread." "Bread's good for you, Mom." "For you it is, honey." "But not for your Grandpa." "Jean-Maurice, keep the Bordeaux by you." "He can't tell good wine from plonk." "Mom, two days at the center isn't enough." "He needs to be placed." "Leave that." " Let me." " Thanks, Pierre." "Grandma!" "Grandma!" "Grandpa's dribbling." " This can't go on." " I know." "Maybe we should give him a bib." "Here you go, little mice." "Natural medicine!" "The Homeopath..." "Mireille's the Homeopath?" "Does he always call you by your jobs?" "Mireille's the Homeopath." "Julie, the Tragedienne." "Geraldine, the Banker." "Bernard, the Geographer." "Thanks." "I'm the Actor or the Artist, it depends." "With Dad it's not his kids, but their professions." "Maybe because he never had one." "When you sell Weston bread or used cars, if you know about Ramses and the Renaissance, you keep it quiet." "Thanks." "Here, Dad." "Christ, Andre!" "Want to kill him?" "I want to make him happy, Bernard, to protect him..." "Who's right?" "Turkey." "Dark meat." "This is bad for you." "Here." "Some Bordeaux," "Geographer." "The Italian one is plonk." "He's right." " Jean-Maurice?" " Your dad's a hoot." "You're such a dick." "It's true." "Spare me your sermons." "Here, Dad." "Have mine." "The turkey's delicious, Madame." "Very good." "But there's no gravy." " Can't he have gravy?" " It's too rich for him." " My millionaire aunt is nuts." " Sam!" " Turkey without gravy?" " Mind your manners." "That's OK, I can defend myself!" " What are you doing?" " Cut it out." " You're so touchy!" " Stop it." "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Eat, maybe it'll calm you down." "Stop!" "You all call him Sam?" "I don't know why, we always have." "Except Mom, she still calls him William." "Dad, did you fall asleep while I was playing Hamlet?" "Mom told me." "Yes..." "You were terrible, Artist." "No, you were very good." "Homeopathic patches..." "Natural hot flashes!" "Mireille..." "Just ignore him." "Can I have some wine, please, Bernard?" "Your dad's not being mean." "He's just joking." "Yes, Mom, he is mean." "As you know all too well." "My own Turkish Delight." "Authentic recipe from Byblos." "My own Turkish Delight." "Authentic recipe from Byblos." "A traditional Yule log." "Baklava." "Almond wafers." "She found the recipe in a magazine." "Delicious, but I put on weight just looking at them." "When do we open the presents?" "It won't be long." "Presents!" "Presents!" "Presents!" "Presents!" "You'll get them at midnight." "Go play for now." "Silence!" "Dessert..." "Dad!" " You see." " It's his heart." " He can't stand the excitement." " Get the chair." " A little dessert." " Mom!" "Here we go...." " This can't go on." " I know." " This happens often?" " Quite often." "Thank you..." "He's had enough to drink." "Mom, can't you try to reason with him?" "He was always stubborn." "He won't change now." "That's a Puligny-Montrachet, $60 a bottle." "Dad, remember when we got lost at Mont-Tremblant?" " It was I who..." " Chee" "Cheese..." "It's pathetic." "Can I help?" "I'm going outside." "You smoke?" "Not really." " Don't tell Mom." " Course not." "Give it." "I can't anymore." "It's pretty heavy with Grandpa." "Fuck, if you can't look him in the eyes, then at least let him die." "What are you saying?" "If I were him, that's what I'd want." "Not have my own kids always dissing me." "C'mon, let's take a walk." "Your grandpa was unhappy and lost long before his Parkinson's." "He'd read so much, but he hadn't lived." "When Haitians moved into the neighborhood, he got paranoid." "He would never let Mom go out alone." "Then the Arabs arrived." "One day he said to me," ""The country's finished." "Foreigners are taking over"" "The funny thing is, for a year now, a Haitian woman has been bathing him twice a week." "Naked, in the bathtub?" "He likes you." "Ask him." "Are you crazy?" "What Grandpa needs is to die." "If I could, I'd help him." "You realize what you're saying?" "That's what I think." "Don't freak out." "I don't want to murder him." "I just want..." "to help him die." "He'd be better off." "Have you discussed it?" "You crazy?" "And you?" "But I once wanted to kill him." "I was 11 years old." " Who gets the next present?" " Me!" " A lovely present!" " Me!" "It's mine!" "It's mine!" "For Beatrice." "Here, sweetie." "Thanks, Daddy!" "That's some gift-wrapping, Bernard." "An artist at work." "A present for Amandine." "That's me." "Here, cutie." "It's from Grandma." "I'm not getting a present 'cause I wasn't good." "Who's this one for?" "Not for me." "We'll give it to him later." " Who's this one for?" " Not me, I wasn't good." "Sure you were." "This is for you." " It's from Bernard." " Thanks!" "Another one?" "What can I say?" "I had nothing better to do." "It's for babies!" "Guess what this is!" "Thanks." "Grandpa?" "Grandpa, will you play with me?" "Penguin." "Apple." "Find where it goes." "I'll help you." "You're warm!" "You're warm!" "You got it!" "Bravo." "Crocodile." "Try to find its place." "I'll help you." "You're getting warmer." "Bravo!" "You nearly did it by yourself." "Don't you want to play anymore?" "Dying to know what it is, huh?" " Thanks, Mom." " Merry Christmas, my son." "A present!" "A present!" "Who's it from?" "It's from Bernard." "Again?" " One more." " Don't open it now." "Geraldine!" "Leave it." "Don't bother, we'll do it." "Too noisy..." "Tired..." "Careful!" "Excuse me." "Pick up the wrapping paper." " Kids, you prepared a song..." " Yes!" "What have you prepared?" "That's good, Dad." "The... walleye..." "It's complicated." "It doesn't matter, Dad." "You two alright?" "You're not being reasonable." "We'll wash up." "If it's July, why is there snow outside?" "Because it's winter." "Come on, Dad." "You should go lie down." "Wait, Dad." "Go ahead." "The only time he's still Anatole is when he does the dishes." "He wants to be useful." " I'll take them off." " No!" "Piano." "Organ." "Jesus fucking Christ!" "Remember when you woke us up at 3:00 a.m." "with your Bach Toccata?" "The neighbor called the police." "Yes." "That was funny." "Bach." "It wasn't funny, Dad." "You fought with Mom." "You were screaming." "She couldn't stop crying." "You hit her." "Bach wasn't funny, Dad." "We remember the same things but not the same way." "You never thought of leaving?" "Yes, at one point I thought about getting a divorce." "I was about 50." "Andre thought I should leave." "I explained that I'd been my husband's wife for so long," "I'd never find another job." "So I decided to make the best of it." "And now?" "Oh, my god..." "I've turned into my husband's mother." "His accountant, nurse, cook..." "I have no right to abandon him now." "Not because he's my husband, but because he's the person on Earth I know best." "He has to accept his new reality." " He's not stupid." " Expect him to play dead?" "Mom?" "No, Mireille, be serious." "Dad liked three things in life:" "Bossing, talking and eating." "Now Mom's in charge." "He can hardly speak." "Fuck!" "Let the guy eat." "Yes, but food that's healthy!" "You're such an ass!" "Yeah, sure." "Look at Mom." "She's exhausted." "Think it's easy for her?" "I'm talking about Dad." "We've no idea what he thinks or wants." "None." "So let's stop treating him like the family idiot." "All the doctors Dad has seen agree that to stay alive, he has to eat differently." "So what's your problem?" ""Be serious!" It's you who's not serious." "You don't care about Dad." "You're right, I don't care." "I haven't cared about him for years." "But I won't add to the misery of a man awaiting his death." "Come on!" "You never cared about the family." "As soon as you became a bit famous, you disappeared." "Spare your sermons." "They're not sermons, they're feelings!" "Leaving?" "Sure, I'm not a family nut like you." "I don't often come." "But when I do" "Sure, you can write a play on Daddy Stalin!" "Your little sister can help." "Sorry if poetry isn't our thing." " You could use some." " Be quiet." "Why attack me?" "I'm not." "You've never seen anything I've written." "Julie!" "The soaps, mini-series, TV movies..." "Don't mix everything up." "Right." "You guys are having a blast." "That's not what she meant." " I hate that!" " You mix everything up." "Why do you take it personally?" "That's not what this is about." "Let's be practical." "Let's stick to the subject:" "Dad." "And Mom, too." "Her health is important, too." "You don't ask a child what he wants." "Or cater to his whims." "He can speak clearly, he's lucid." "He speaks clearly?" "He's like a child." "You don't ask if he's had enough chocolates." "You decide." "Dad is accepting his situation." "He's always had a temper, that won't change." "We can help him accept his situation and look after Mom, too." "It's high time we place him in an institution somewhere, where he'd be cared for by professionals and safe." " And Mom" " He has a degenerative disease." " The doctors" " Captain obvious!" "He refuses homeopathic treatments." " He says no." " OK." "You're wearing me out with all your talk." "William, are there any presents left?" "Yes, I think so." "It's Christmas, after all." " Sure, Mom." " Mom?" "When we talk this way, we're doing it for you." "We're concerned." "It's for you too." "This is for..." " For Grandpa." " He's sleeping." "Mom'll give it to him tomorrow." "I'll take it to him." "I don't think he's asleep." "It's so easy to suddenly show up..." " Sure, and take him the present." " Makes him look good." "OK, not behind his back." "Here." "Too small." "The letters." "Too small." "This..." "It's the first rock from when Earth was formed 4 billion years ago." "It's part of the Canadian Shield." "In that rock... there's gold, zinc, copper, iron..." "Your hook's made of iron." "The car's iron." "Electric wires are copper." "My ring's gold." "Here." "I want Henri Richard, Dick Duff and Beliveau for the rock." "Are you nuts?" "It's just a rock, dumbo!" "Andre?" "Andre?" "If you always run, you'll never see anything." "This is a Cesar's Mushroom, named after a famous Roman emperor." "It's an amanita, they're all deadly, except the Cesar's Mushroom." "It was a favorite of Ramses ll, the great Pharaoh of Egypt." "When the constellation of Cassiopeia..." "She was a Greek, who when..." "Ramses feasted on mushrooms, seated on a silver throne." "Know what's in that rock?" "There's silver." "It's got amanitas, too!" "Thanks." "Grandpa?" "Grandpa?" "Look, this is my gift." "It's a Minervois, vintage 2000." "Mom went to buy it with me." "Thanks," "Sam." "Any chips?" "So you have your little secrets?" "Yes." "Andre, want to lose at chess?" "OK, but first I'll beat you at Ping Pong." " He could sleep here." " Sam spoils him." "Dad went outside." "He fell outside." "Dad gets on better with them than with us." "I know, but he needs two nurses." "Two trained nurses to lift him into his chair." "Mom has to do everything." "He abused her like he did us." " It's killing you!" " Right." ""Abuse" is a big word right now, Bernard." "Mom's exhausted." "Let's call a spade a spade." "Show some consideration for her." "It's 1 :00 a.m." " You overpsychologize!" " What?" "Come on, Sam." "We're gonna..." "Alright, you won!" "Checkmate." "Andre, come upstairs!" "Please..." "Excuse me." "How's it look, Patrick?" "What do we write?" "Choked on chips?" "Where'd he get chips from?" "He loves chips." "Not a real smart move." "Organic chips, Julie." "Low in sodium." "Give him a sleeping pill." "Tomorrow he'll be good as new." "I'm here, Anatole." "I don't think he liked his present." "It's never right." "I try different colors." "We have to talk about what I said." "I'd like us to talk about the roof repairs." "Do you do it on purpose, Mom?" "Take care of yourself." "OK, let's go." "Sounds complicated." "It's not, I swear." "Two things will kill him:" "High fat and emotions." "We'll load him up on both." "Fat for his cholesterol, and porn films." "We prepare a huge meal." "After, we sit in front of the TV and watch a porn flick with Grandma and Gramps!" "All of us naked!" "Is cholesterol in grams or centimeters?" "Goodness, you're having fun." " What were you talking about?" " Lots of stuff." "About Grandpa dying." "We want to help him die." "He's still solid." "We don't know if he wants to die." "It's not that we're afraid he's going to die." " We just" " Look, Mom..." "We just want to help him die faster." "We think he should die, while he's still living." "While he's still well." "While he's still himself." "If he ate what he wasn't supposed to, he'd be happy and maybe he'd die faster." "You tried to kill him with chips." "What'll you use next?" "Bacon and eggs." " You've had too much to drink." " Mom!" "Lord, you two are dumb!" "Can't you keep your mouth shut?" "Thanks for everything." "Is this because you don't love him?" "Not at all." "It's because I respect him." "No one should die like that." "Get some rest." "As a boy, I so wanted him to cry." "Just once." "To let go ofhis pride." "And now..." "You can't bear to see him humiliated." "Maybe I'm scared of being like him." "Of dying like him." "Mom?" "What did you dream of as a girl?" "Having a big house, a husband, and lots of kids." "Just like almost every woman of my generation." "What's this costume, Mom?" "You didn't know, your dad saved me from the convent." "My father wanted me to become a nun." "Ready to start?" "Hello." "How are you?" "Grandpa's not here?" "He's at the clinic." "Andre's already here." "It's amazing." "She spread out all her pictures" "like she was searching for or telling us something." "We'll work on your balance." "Sit up straight and look at me." "Look at me, Anatole." "Straighten up." "Leave me... alone!" "You OK?" "Use the chair to pull yourself up." "There must have been true love between Mom and Dad." "See how she looks at her wedding." "Why not ask her instead of guessing?" " She'll never answer." " Why not?" "I'll ask her myself." "Grandma?" "Mom?" "When you made Andre, my Uncle Andre... did you French kiss with Grandpa?" "Sure." "Early on I French kissed." "What a dumb question." "Come eat." "Sam!" "My fish!" " Lunch is ready." " OK." " Do you mind eating leftovers?" " No." "Dad!" "Dad!" "I have a bite!" "It's biting hard." "Hook it and reel it in." "I'm busy." "It's a big one." "The contest is almost over." "I have zip." "No, it's my fish!" "You don't know how, you'll lose it." "The net!" "Grab the net!" "I'm going to win!" "I'm going to win!" "What a beaut!" "Get out of the way!" "Dad!" "He was so proud." "He showed everyone the trophy." "He had me fetch the neighbor to make him jealous." "You didn't eat that night." "Later he told me that he'd stolen your fish." "He confessed to you?" "He couldn't accept that you'd caught it." "If he'd asked, I would've given it to him." "Grandma?" "Have you always been happy?" "I've had a good life." "And wonderful children." "And Grandpa?" "Would you like some dessert?" "No thanks." "How about some coffee?" "No." "It would be better if he were dead." "For him, in my view." "But I don't think he wants to die." "He sees you, he's happy." "He's proud of his house." "He remembers." "He sees his memories alive in front of him." "Sam, let's forget it." "Yeah." "You're very kind." "I think that in your harebrained conversations, there's the desire to help me." "And maybe to give him some pleasure." "Pour me some wine." "Thanks." "I know why my husband doesn't want to die, even if his life has become hell." "And why I don't, even if I'm exhausted." "It's because we're afraid." "Yes, even good Catholics like us, that there's nothing afterward." "There, I said it." "He didn't have a great day." "He was very agitated." "They gave him a sedative to calm him down." "Did something upset you?" "Finished." "Stop." "Finished." "This isn't a life." "What do you mean, Anatole?" "Die." "Die." "And lots of wine." "A good death." "For a... bad man." "When I met yourfather, he made me laugh." "Remember how funny you were?" "Die while eating." "Drunk." "Never been drunk." "Grandpa?" "This is your other Christmas present." "To go with the wine." "Here, read it." ""Authentic recipe for Castelnaudary cassoulet." ""ln a saucepan," ""brown in lard or preferably goose fat" ""750 grams of pork chops" ""and 500 grams of lamb chops." "Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper." "Add 200 grams of bacon." "Grandma?" "For you, what would a good death be?" "Asleep in my bed." "With sleeping pills, maybe." "Calmly, for sure." "I'd like to be able to decide when." "To have time to say goodbye to everyone." "To look... one last time at the wall facing the bed and the photos on the night table." "And gently fall asleep thinking we'd lived enough" "and done everything we could down here." "But the best would be to leave together," "Anatole and me." "Is that what you really think?" "Yes." "For sure." "Is there anything you want before you go?" "A big TV." "I want a huge TV." "Is that all?" "Baskatong with Andre and Sam." "You want to go fishing?" "You haven't changed." "I'll lie next to you a while." "Yes." "For your birthday meal," "Andre and William will make you a cassoulet." "What else would you like?" "Oysters." "Lobster." "My anger, disguised as a desire for justice, trickled away with other childhood sadnesses." "All that remained was curiosity for the man who'd shaped me." "What if he were wrong about wanting to die?" "Imagine..." "He wants to die, you kill him." "You respect his wishes." "But what if he's wrong?" "And he doesn't really want it, has exaggerated his pain?" "You kill him." "You're a murderer, not a friend." "Careful, it's hot." "The seafood looks delicious." "Magnificent!" "Weird, cassoulet and lobster too." "What do we start with?" "I can't eat any of it." "Great TV." "I have a rice salad for the health-conscious." "You can eat what you like, but today's your father's birthday." "It's his choice." "So take your dish back home." "It's ridiculous." "Nobody asked you." " Hi, everyone." " Hi, Jean-Maurice." "The TV cost 3 grand and he could die in a week." "Bernard, come on!" "Give it a rest!" "For his 75th birthday, your dad chose the menu, together with William." "As you can see, there's oysters, lobsters." "A surprise:" "foie gras au torchon." "I've never had it, but I hear it protects against heart attacks." "And William's traditional cassoulet." "And a Saint Honore." " He won't survive the night." " Surely." "I have some news for you all." "Well, two bits of news." "First, Dad's doing much better since he eats what he likes." "And he's not going into a home." "Come on, Mom!" "It makes no sense!" "We want to die here, at home, in our house." "I'll pour the Minervois." "He did it all himself." "The recipes, the calorie count..." "But math's not his forte, right, Sam?" "Mind my tablecloth, Sam!" "Mireille, stop it." "Are you going to sulk all afternoon?" " I'm not." " Grow up!" "Some of everything, but less than him." "Smile, Jean-Maurice." "Smile." "They'll think you don't want to be here." " Enough." " You want to be somewhere else." "You'd rather be with someone else." "Stop!" "For 10 years I've obeyed you!" "10 years you've bossed me around." "You're worse than your father!" "Geraldine, it's over." "I'll stay at a hotel." "I'll get my things." "You tell me here?" "Don't get carried away, Jean-Maurice!" "Well..." "Happy birthday, Dad." " Happy birthday." " Cheers." "Enjoy the meal." "Sleep... at hotel?" "I think so." " I hate lobster." " Where are your manners?" "I'm allergic so he's not used to it." "You should raise your son better." "He offered pot to Sam." " What's this about pot?" " It's not even true." "Are you buying pot, now?" "He has been for a while." "It's no big deal." "No big deal?" "Easy for you to say." "Enough!" "Stop fighting about such stupidities!" " Sam, please!" " Let him talk." "Fuck, you just don't get it." "Grandpa wants to die." "May I have some wine?" "Aren't you exaggerating?" "Just ask Grandpa and Grandma." "Mom?" "What's going on?" "It's true." "I didn't want to upset you." "Your dad doesn't want to live anymore." "So we thought he could die happy, as quickly as possible." "And not live as if he were forced to go on living." " This is insane." " We're all forced to live." "This isn't open for discussion." "It's his decision, period." "There'll be no more family councils." "Saint Honore." "Dessert." "Funny, kids always think we want to leave them." "They never think that we want to go." "Hey there, campers!" "Hello!" "I didn't want to miss this!" "Andre glad to be going fishing with his dad..." "Ahistoric moment." "You said it." "Strange how life changes." "Thank you for loving my son." "Thanks to you, he came back to his family." "It's women who make families." "That's good." "Saint-Pierre des Lacs." "That's where we'd buy bread." "Remember?" "Our buns." "Look, the bakery!" "It's a cafe now." "Our buns." "Our buns!" "Our buns!" "Our buns!" "Some are big!" "Some are flat!" "Some are firm, some are slack." "For sitting or for fun..." "Our buns!" "Our buns!" "Like 'em or not, we wouldn't be here without 'em!" "Our buns!" "Our buns!" "Faster, Andre." "You haven't called me Andre in 40 years." "You're more an Andre" "than an artist, today." "Dad, why'd you steal my fish?" "I want you to tell me before..." "I... die." "Yes." "Because... all my life" "I never won anything." "Ever." "I'm sorry." "I remember now." "The first stone from the Canadian Shield that could tell all about glaciation and climate change." "I remember Bach's Toccatas and boring lessons about beavers and mushrooms." "To me as a child, it was nothing but forced lessons, lectures, weakness and humiliations." "But that's how I discovered the universe, became curious and maybe also an artist and proud too." "I wasn't spawned by his violence but by that stone on the path that led to our being lost." "You alright?" "How do you feel?" "Happy." "I feel... that you love me." "Sam?" "Damn... it's beautiful." "We haven't decided when, but it'll be soon." "Please..." "We'll take care of it." "Sure you won't come?" "It's your fishing trip." "I want to study." "A nibble." "I've got one!" "I've got one!" " What do I do?" " Reel it in." "Mom!" "You can't." "The fish swam off with my pole." " It doesn't matter." " I've got one!" "Dad, use the net." "Don't need it." "You've got your fish!" "Here..." "Anatole!" "Dad!" "Push me!" "Push me." "Subtitles by Robert Gray, Kinograph Processing by Vision Globale" "Subtitles by Robert Gray, Kinograph Processing by Vision Globale"