"What it is to live day after day - not knowing what is true and what is not." "A TIMO KOIVUSALO FILM" "THE LEANING TOWER" " Hi." " Hi!" "Your mum's in the office." "This is for you." " Here you are." " Thank you." "Here you are." "Here you are." " Hi." " Suvi!" " Hello, sweetie." "Where's Granny?" " Outside." "Hey..." "We've agreed that you don't come to the ward alone!" "Go outside and wait there, I won't be long." "Don't leave the yard, okay?" "Stay right there." "That's nice." "What is it?" "Leaning tower!" "The Bell tower of the Pisa cathedral, 55 meters." "They started building it in 1173, began to lean, to lean right away." "Has a leaning problem." "14,453 tons, 296 steps." "Leaning, leaning, leaning tower!" "Have you been there?" "I have!" "Beautiful tower of Pisa, tower of love, unforgettable!" " What language was that?" " Italian." "Do you know Italian, too?" "Yes." "It's the language of music." "Of music and love." " Have you lived in Italy?" " Many times, in many cities." "For as long as the performing season would last." "Where else?" "Paris, Berlin, Venice..." " Is it true that the streets of Venice are water?" " Yes!" "The streets are water and the cupolas are golden." "Hundreds of bridges, dozens of palaces, dozens of churches." " I'll have to take you there some time." " When?" "When you're a bit older and will get a little more out of it." " Promise?" " I promise." "Okay, let's go, I've got some shopping to do." "Granny promised to take me to Italy some day." " Yes, yes..." " You did, didn't you?" " Yes, we'll see about that." "See you tomorrow, Johannes!" "Good God!" "You frightened me." " Take me with you, take me." " Take you where?" "To Italy." "I have money, take me with you." " But we're not going anywhere, I just..." " I have money." "I can pay for everyone, flights and all." " Suvi, eat your meal first." "Put the ice-cream in the freezer." " Yes." "Mustn't tell, not allowed to come here." " Good morning!" " Morning." "Good morning, Johannes." "We have a date in an hour, remember?" "At nine." "Morning." "Leo said that you're getting along fine - and he'd gladly have you as his roommate." "You'll get a personal doctor from the outpatient system." "It's the best thing to do, since your treatment period was so long - that you lost your place in the halfway house." "What do you think?" "Johannes?" "Couldn't one... stay... in here?" "You sought out treatment voluntarily - and you've been here for quite some time." "You're feeling a lot better - and since the number of beds here is what it is..." "If one leaves next Thursday, it'll be a week." "Then there's Tuesday." "On Tuesday, one knows one leaves on Thursday - on Tuesday, one knows one leaves on Thursday." "Of course, of course!" "Hello civilian living, hello Leo's lodgings." "We'll be fine." "They managed to live before, with a ditch in front of the door." "It's not just Leo's lodgings but yours as well." "We'll have two weeks for organizing things before you move." "Move where?" "Leo, you could participate, too." "Don't take this so seriously." "Can't a loony have a moment's peace!" "One should be like a goddamn idiot!" "Easter chicks and May Day whisks!" "One could just go with the flow for a while." "When I was at sea, some guys would take seashells - and make all kinds of trinkets and knick-knacks." "I said that if I ever fall for that sort of thing - you can throw me in the nuthouse." "And since I'm already here " "I bloody hell won't start making little people with pipe-cleaners!" "I've been seeing enough of those as it is!" "Well, this is a voluntary thing." "What's this?" " Where did you find it?" " In the newspaper." "Oh, I see." "They don't cost too much, these last-minute holidays." "Granny, let's reserve a trip!" "What would your mother say?" "Well, we'll see." "So, what do you think?" " There's a lot of light." "Nice." " Suits us 'cause we're so dim..." "We'll be living here just fine..." "Won't we?" "Fine, just fine." "Good." "Then we'll just make a lease agreement and arrange the removal." "Hello." "She's infected me with travel fever, that little girl." "What if we left, the three of us, for a long weekend?" "There's no way I can make it." "I have no weekends off during this rota." "Besides, I have the removal of that personal patient of mine." "What kind of case is it?" "Well, you know I can't talk about them..." " Why?" " Just wondering." "He builds up all kinds of towers at the hospital yard." "He's interesting." "He's more than an interesting persona." "But you don't need to worry for me, if that's what you meant." "He's a good-natured guy." "And you had to tempt your mother-in-law with Italian wine..." "Do you think you could manage a weekend with Suvi?" "Why couldn't I?" "Familiar places, familiar language." "Besides, it's just a weekend." "I won't start boozing - and lose the girl, if that's what you meant." " I didn't mean that..." " That's exactly what you meant." "Well, I won't mind." "Suvi will be thrilled if you do it." "...the frailest of dreams Vanished up in the air" "They were not strong enough They could not bear" "The weight of the years And their burden" "It is all in vain That I hurry and yearn" "No one's waiting there For my return" "Even sweetest of moments That came my way" "Were they true Or was I just dreaming?" "Have I ever searched For anything?" "Have I just been Aimlessly wandering?" "If I've chosen the wrong Destination too" "Has my journey been all in vain?" "Every moment that comes You just want to rush" "When you're made of dust And the winds blow on" "It is all too easy To fill up the glass" "For drinking There's always a reason" "Not an inch of slack In the rope of life" "So heavy the toll Of not sleeping" "If at times Life rubs you the right way" "With that hand It will soon be beating..." "So you found yourself a final disposal site, eh?" "I'll come behind." "We all come from a behind, head or feet first." " Well, I can't help..." " Johannes Piipari." "Just feel a bit dizzy, the world goes black for me sometimes." "Well, enough about me." "I'd reserve a weekend trip for three to Italy." "Started building it in 1173, leaned right away, about to fall..." "Finished in 1360, 200 years later, 1173 - the other passengers, Elsa Aarni and Suvi Aarni." "Elsa and Suvi Aarni?" " We just made such a reservation." " That's the way the ships sail!" "They got ahead of me, so now we'll just need one trip." "The same flight and hotel?" "Same old story!" "Same..." "All right." "A true perpetual motion machine:" "After you eat, you feel sleepy, after you wake up, you feel hungry." "So you up and reserved a trip!" "A trip, yes." "Hey, mambo, mambo italiano..." "Well, start packing your pants then." "Tell me again what we'll do." "Well, after we've packed our suitcases - and checked that we have our passports..." " And Happy the Chap!" " And Happy the Chap." "Mummy takes us to the airport." "They check our tickets - and we get into the airplane." "No matter how hard it rains down here - it's just "weeooo" and the plane rises above the clouds - where the sun is shining." "Then we get some food and next, we're in Italy." "There, we wait for our luggage to appear on a belt - then we girls grab a taxi, drive to the hotel and settle in." "Don't stay at the hotel." "Take a taxi, taxi." "Meter-car, cab, hack." "Taxi." "Meter-car, cab, hack, taxicab, horse cab." "Taximan, cabby." "Hack driver, driver." "Coachman, motorman." "Wheelman." "Chauffeur." "Räikkönen." "Kimi Räikkönen." "Vatanen." "Selänne, Koivu, Selänne." "Kummola, ice-hockey boss." ""Driver, don't you hurry." Sung by Topi Sorsakoski." "You know the Eurovision song contest?" "Tipi til, tipi tipi til..." "Or this:" "We're just hanging at the station, we'll never go to sleep..." ""Reggae, OK." Timo Kojo." "Bomb out, bomb out..." ""The flute and the fluteman." Sibelius." "You're from whereabouts?" " Where am I?" " "Where am I?" Where do you think you are?" " What's that?" " What's that?" " Where's my stuff?" " Where's my stuff, eh?" "Whose is this?" "What's going on?" "Mister Pipari!" "Your suitcase." "Your suitcase." "Later?" "Okay." "They've confiscated my suitcase." "What's going on?" "What am I going to do?" "Me?" "Hey, you!" "My money, twenty euros!" "Nationality?" "Where you come from?" "Spitting gibberish out of his mouth..." "Do you speak English?" "Look, if you don't start to speak, we have to arrest you." "Capisce?" "He's going to put you in prison." "Joyless, joyless jail." "Joyless jail, joyless jail." "Albania?" "Bosnia-Herzegovina?" "Macedonia?" "Croatia?" "Serbia-Montenegro?" "Albania, albino." "Herzegovina, govina-ment." "Child of Finland, never leave your fatherland Croatia..." "Tell him where you come from!" "Kalevala, Karelia, Kainuu..." "Swaziland, Lapland, Thailand." "Sahara, Samoa, Spain!" "Goddammit!" "Rwanda, Russia, road to Raate!" " Pardon?" " Dolly Parton!" "Dolly the Sheep." "They clone people here!" "Finland?" "Finnish?" "No, no, I don't think so!" " If you don't think so, we can..." " Stop this bullshit." "Name." "Write your name." "Johannes Piipari." "Go on, draw him a picture..." ""Pi" - "pair"." "Piipari." "Baguette, baguette." "Well-stretched wheat bun." "Well-stretched wheat bun!" "Macaroni for everybody..." "Karelian pasties, sultsinas." "Vatruskas, with eggbutter..." "Macaroni, macaroni, macaroni..." "Why not meat pie, meatloaf, fish loaf." "Ever eaten mämmi?" "Ever eaten mämmi, anyone?" "Mämmi?" "I've eaten mämmi." "Ever eaten mämmi?" "Meat pie, meat pie." "Mr. Piipari!" "Okay, you are from Finland." "We are very sorry." "We know your hotel now." "I will write some papers, you know." "Hello..." "My name is Sara." "I hear you speak Finnish." "Finnish is spoken in Finland..." "Can you help me, please?" "My family goes another place to wait for decision on refuge." "But my boyfriend not know." "Here is his address." "I can't send mail, because it's a hiding place." "The attic, room, upstairs." "My family not want this boyfriend." "Different religion..." "We speak Finnish, 'cause you speak Finnish?" "She does." "Yes, I speak." "In Finland three and half years, refugee." "Not grant asylum for family, but I learn some language." "Can you take letter today?" "You help me?" "Mail in the morning, emptied at 12, received tomorrow afternoon." "Mail in the evening, emptied in the morning, received the day after." "Of course, of course!" "Thank you." " Mr. Piipari." " Johannes Piipari." "Okay, have a happy holiday in Italy." "Okay?" "Okay, okay, happy." "We've had such fun here, the two of us." " Let me!" " We're just about to eat." "Okay, I'll put Suvi on." " Hi, Mum!" " Hi." " I'm glad you're having fun..." " Mum?" "Tomorrow we'll take a train and go to Venice!" "We do!" "Sweetie, I'm so happy for you that Granny took you there." "Mister Pipari!" "Good evening, Mr. Pipari." "I understand." "Later." "Have a nice evening, Mr. Pipari." "Sara..." "Come in." "Wait a moment." "To Sara..." "To Sara." "Please." "Okay?" " Okay." "Please." " Thank you." "Yes..." "Yes." " Good evening." " Good evening!" "Thank you." "Johannes!" " How come you're here?" " I took the same flight as you." " Do they know...?" " No, and don't need to." "A free one to wander, a loony loosening up." "We're going to Venice tomorrow!" "Can I take the same train?" "The same train..." "The same train, with you?" " Why not." " Yes!" "I thought you were totally different - from what thought, seeing you at the hospital yard." "You see, Elsa, we all have two sides at least." "With some people, those sides are separated." "Separated?" "Yes, I thought you were a silly old woman." " And?" " But you're not a silly old woman   you're a senile, age-old hag!" " I'm glad you changed your opinion." "In the hospital, you were shy, silent, withdrawn..." "Maybe it wasn't me." " Maybe it was someone else." " Who?" "Someone who looks a lot like me." " Hey, let's not get into that..." " Getting scared?" " No..." " You're scared..." "One changes." " No!" " One does change." "One doesn't change." "One can get wiser and learn from experience - but one never changes, at least I don't." " When I look in the mirror, I see..." " A hag!" " An age-old hag!" " Yes, but inside, there's that same young Elsa - just like Suvi." "It's so hard to understand that the body can't keep up anymore." "When I was young, I would dance in the ballet of this town - as if gravity had never been invented." "Young men would look at me out on the street." "Sometimes in the morning, when my mind is clear after sleep " "I forget my age and jump up from bed like a wild filly." "But then gravity kicks in." "The joints snap and the limbs cry out in pain." " And in the mirror, I see..." " A hag!" " Age-old hag!" " Thank you, prompter, I almost forgot." " And inside you, a young Elsa?" " Inside all of us!" "All ages are present in an old person." "What if it's the same with me - that the man's the same age as I, but a different man?" "Really?" "Is that so?" "That he is... no..." "I said "if"..." "It can be, can't it?" "Well, why not." "What's hardest about it - when there's a young Elsa inside the old skin?" "Giving up, that's hardest." "I wish I'd learn to give up." "Life's not long enough for learning that." "Either I'm drunk or you're a philosopher." "Not me, but this other guy." " You're crazy!" " Exactly!" " Aren't you going to sleep at all?" " I don't think so." "It's just one weekend..." "It may happen - and it will   that when I go to sleep and wake up, I..." " You what?" " It may happen to me, too..." " That when you wake up   you realize you're a young woman?" " Yes..." "A comedian!" "A comedian!" "That you're a different man when you wake up?" "Really?" " Yes, that..." " Good for you you're not married." "You might think that your wife has another man!" " You're... a drunk comedian!" " Exactly!" "The letter." "The letter, the letter." "You promised..." "You promised..." "You promised him." "He can't be that fast asleep." "Well, let's go." "Get up, wiseguy." "Haul your ass off the chair." "Haul your ass..." "Leather boots." "Get up now!" "The heels are clacking." "And then, a leather briefcase." "A leather briefcase..." "Straighten your back!" "Look!" "Her fly is open!" "Can't see the knickers - but the mound is there!" "Remember the night of the mounds..." "Get up, get up now..." "The flowering mounds, the last resting grounds..." "A pair of sandals..." "A man scratching his groin..." "All but a memory..." "Don't just stay there - they're staring at you, thinking you're the Pope!" "Nipples approaching from the right..." "Barrister's garments of grey..." "Get up from that goddamn chair!" "Be a goddamn Irish setter not an Italian sitter!" "Get up now!" "Get up!" "Italian sitter!" "Golden cupolas!" "What are you saying?" "He went to Italy!" "Polished his shoes at least three times." " When's he coming back?" " On Monday." "He'll be home on Monday, Brother Slantwise." "Venice is a vanishing city, it keeps sinking." " Have you danced there?" " Yes, I have!" "The opera house is called La Fenice." " I swallowed an apple seed, is it dangerous?" " No." "If you swallow an apple seed, an apple tree grows in your stomach." " A bluebird will build a nest there." " What?" "Builds a nest, little bird." "The bluebird is singing." "They think it's the stomach growling because of hunger." "It's not the stomach growling, it's the bluebird singing." "Ever had butterflies in your stomach?" " Sometimes when I'm nervous." " They're not butterflies." "It's the bluebird teaching her young to fly." "Wings flapping." "Flap, flap, flap..." "At night, when you sleep with your mouth open, the baby bird flies out." "Where did you get that from?" "Nowhere, ask your Granny where she got it   that she's a ballerina!" " She has been one!" "She's no ballerina." "She's the bearded strong woman of the circus, a living cannonball." "How else would she look so lumpy?" "That aroma!" "Someone's cooking mussels in white wine." "I want some!" "I've always dreamt of this!" " Not the leaning tower?" " That, too." "Why haven't you made that dream come true?" " I've existed for such a short time." " What?" "I've existed for such a short time at a time." "Why doesn't Elsa answer her cellphone?" " Since when did he not take his medication?" " Since last week." "Let's wait until tomorrow evening." "Maybe they'll call soon." "Okay." "How do your seasons go?" "Spring, summer, autumn, winter." "No, I mean visually, as a picture." "How do you see them..." "Everyone sees them as a vision of some kind, in a certain order." "In what order are your seasons?" " What?" " Draw it, show it to me." "Here's summer." "Then there's autumn - and winter - and here it turns into spring." "So they go in a linear way   so that then comes the next spring, summer and winter?" " Yes." "The circle never closes?" "Closes?" "You see, for me it goes like this:" "Here's spring - and it curves towards summer, there's May   then it goes up towards autumn" " September, October, November - and winter is here, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year - and then back towards spring." " It can't go like that!" " That's exactly how it goes." "When spring comes, the next spring is on top of it - as if in layers." "Everything's in layers, time is in layers - then it's summer again." "I've never thought about it, but now that you say it " "I've always perceived it the way I drew it." "People never think about the basics, that's madness." "Does everyone have a different notion, then?" "A mental picture?" "Suvi, how do your seasons go?" "They go like this:" "Here's spring, here's summer - here's autumn and here's winter." " Good, but summer's not here." "That's Christmas." " No, summer." "No, Christmas." "Your system's not right." " Even the clock goes that way." " Yes, but the seasons go like this:" "Spring, summer, autumn, winter..." "You're crazy, both of you!" "Okay, I will, yes..." "To call you, and name is Laura." "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "Hey..." "This is..." "I wonder if..." " I wonder if..." " What?" "Nothing." "Let's go and see." "Unbelievable." "All these years..." "What was his name?" "Paolo." "Paolo Cavallini." "What happened?" "He was a violinist, played like a young god." "We left from here and walked to the bridge." "The parapet had been repaired and the cast was wet." "First, Paolo pressed my hands in it and then his." "He said that if there was God - one day, we'll press on these dents an old person's frail hands - hands that the violin no longer obeys - hands that no longer spread magically like the wings of a swan " "on stage, in the glare of the limelight - because the swan is exhausted from its flight." "And we find that time is an illusion - and that life is a dream within a dream - and we just happen to wake up in the middle of it - not even realizing that we'd fallen asleep." "Was there God?" "Paolo went to perform in South America - and there was a railway accident." "He was declared dead." "The train was badly burned and some victims were never identified." "But his violin remained intact and was sent to his parents." "Years later, when I'd already married Suvi's grandfather " "I heard that Paolo was not dead." "He had lain unconscious in the hospital for months - and had slowly recovered." "He could no longer play the violin - and after returning here in Italy, he became a winegrower." "You never saw him again?" "Your grandpa was a jealous man, so I never dared to contact him." "He sent me a letter, though." "I answered it, telling that I was married - and I never heard from him since." "If you hadn't met Grandpa, I wouldn't exist." "Darling!" "I would never change you for anything!" "Maybe things went the way they did so that you could be right there." "Did you love Grandpa a lot?" "Yes, I loved him a lot - in the beginning and... in the end." "Where am I?" "Don't you remember?" "Personal nurse's daughter, Laura's daughter, personal nurse..." "Do you remember that we are in Italy?" "I woke up in the morning, gloomy room." "It was cold." "I woke up on the floor." "On the bed, a young woman in her underwear - and a young man too, didn't know them." "Where was that?" "I went out, empty streets, strange streets." "At a sidewalk café." "We are in Venice." " Isn't that a dream?" " No, this is real." "We were at a café and you suddenly turned withdrawn." " Is this a dream?" " No, this is real." "I was in Italy, at a refugee center and I was..." "I was questioned there." " Was I?" " I don't know, you never told me about such a thing." "Is this a dream?" "!" " No, this is real." " At a refugee center, I was questioned..." "Was I?" "You said nothing, you were just standing there - and I brought you here to the hotel." " Is this a dream?" " No, this is real." "Our flight leaves in the morning - and I don't think we'll catch it." "I couldn't leave you here alone." "All our luggage is in Florence and I left my cellphone there - and I don't remember Laura's cellphone number." "Well, let's sleep overnight - book new flights in the morning and call Laura." "There's nothing to worry about." " Is everything all right?" " Everything's all right, I promise." "You're sure?" "No, I've never been to the harbor, really." "The police came for you at the harbor, Johannes." "You climbed into a crane." "What was in the crane?" "They keep sending me..." "They send me keys in letters." "They said they were keys to the attic." "Mustn't let..." " Who?" " The house manager said - no one is to go to the attic because of the asbestos men." "The asbestos goes to people's apartments - and nobody must go there with the keys I've been sent." "I mustn't give those keys to anyone." "That it's forbidden..." "and they poison the entire house - and there goes everything." "You get to the harbor with those keys and a guy called me from up there..." "You get to the harbor with those keys... you get..." " So you..." " There's a..." "There's a crane with a booth up there..." "There are radio transmissions and we listen to them..." "The patient was videoed with his own permission - and although he has seen the video - he can't connect the other persona to himself - and seems to be unaware of its existence." "The stronger, bolder persona seems to protect the weaker one - and to appear in socially stressful situations." "The stronger persona is aware of the more timid one - and seems to despise his weakness." "The more timid persona is motorically clumsier - his body language is slower and more rigid - and he is prone to depression - whereas the other persona is distinctly manic - and occasionally paranoiac." "The patient says he hears commanding voices inside his head." "They appear to be commands, advice and reprimands - from the stronger persona to the more timid one." "The voices often seem to precede the appearance of the other persona." "The patient lost his parents in a fire when he was under school age." "The patient has since then suffered from violent nightmares." "After the death of his parents he was raised - by an elderly Evangelic Lutheran pastor and a missionary - together with his wife, a nurse." "Both of them are deceased." "The patient's personality first began to split - after his graduation from high school." "The plane landed on time, but they weren't on board." "They knew nothing at the airport." "I booked a flight to Florence." "I'll go home to pack." "Elina will arrange a substitute for me." "You think you can do something there?" "Maybe, maybe not, but I can't just wait at home." "I understand." "Keep me posted." "Okay." "Bye." " We are in Venice." " Yes..." "Granny, look!" "Laura." "Hello?" "She's at work of course." "I'll try to get the hospital number." "Yes..." "Laura will be there this afternoon." "Yes." "Go back to Florence." "As long as everything's all right..." "We're all right..." "I'm just worried about Johannes." "Leave that to Laura." "Everything will be fine." "Just enjoy your vacation." "Yes, and..." "Say hello to Suvi for me." "I will." "Thank you very much." "Bye-bye." "Olavi sends his best." "Now, we'll leave a message for Johannes at the reception - and go to Florence." "Of course..." "and thank you once again." "Mummy!" "Sweetie!" "Goddammit..." "Laura!" "Laura!" "You blab in Italian, I speak Finnish..." "It's silly, not understanding each other, isn't it?" "We are the Kalevala people!" "I understand Italian!" "Ayrshire is a cow." "Don't you rip my rags!" "Fish-ass cleaner!" "Yes, yes, Johnny-dear, Peter was pretty too." "Get lost!" "Get lost, now!" " Go to hell!" " Get lost, you!" " Yes, yes, Johnny-dear..." " Bastard!" "Go to hell!" "Get lost!" "Bastard..." " Are you okay?" " Okay, okay." " Do you have any place to go?" " Not, not right now." " You speak English?" " Sometimes." "Okay." "Come with me." "Hello?" "Laura." "Hello." "Any news of Johannes?" "Oh, hi!" "No, I'm searching here near the hotel - but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack." "It's a pity I'm not there with you." " You're smiling." " No, I'm not." " You are." "I can feel it all the way from there." " Right..." " I'll call you if I hear something." " "Don't call us, we'll call you"?" "Okay, good." "Bye-bye." "Hey everybody, this is Johann..." " Johannes Piipari." " Hi." "Is John okay?" " Piipari." " Piipari..." "John, is John okay?" " John okay." " All right." "Ciao." "Ciao." "Sorry... when?" "Maybe three days ago." "Do you want to buy it?" " No." " Okay." " Yes, I do." " Well, great." "Okay, thank you." "Oh, Finnish." "Finland, yes yes!" "You've been banging in bed!" "Who was the partner?" "Where's the passport?" "With no rubber." "Pox and aids." "Aids will rot your brains!" "Who was it?" "Bang the door!" "Bang it!" "Your brain will rot." "Well it's your brain, no business of mine." "You stay here, but get your goddamn passport so I can leave!" " I'm very sorry, it's late..." " No, it's okay." "It's okay, okay..." "I'm very sorry, it's okay." "We met in refugee center in France." "Tell him, my brothers." "Brothers, tell him." "Juan was tortured." " Three brothers... tortured and killed." " It's true." "My two brothers, killed." "Father, in prison for no reason." "All childhood and youth as a refugee." "No going back to home country." "I was eight when mother hide me in a closet when soldiers came." "They raped mother and big sister." "They forced brothers to look, with a gun." "Brothers could not take it - they attacked soldiers." "They shot brothers." "Big sister killed herself in Sweden, could not live no more." "Not get asylum." " Hello?" " Who is it?" "Is it Johannes?" " Yes." " Johannes, where are you?" "Tell me where you are." " I don't know." "I don't..." " Oh, okay." "Hello?" "Johannes, talk to me!" " Answer me!" " Johannes Piipari." "Has something happened, Johannes?" "Yes, something..." "Tell me what's happened!" "Yes, yes..." "Something terrible has happened here." "I don't know." "He hung up and won't answer anymore." "Send me an SMS with Elsa's number in it." "I'll arrange it through the Embassy." "The local teleoperator can trace the cellphone." "Wait for my call, don't keep your phone busy." "Okay, bye." "There!" "Stop!" "Johannes!" " Johannes, what is it?" " She's blaming you..." " You know me?" " She doesn't believe you, goddammit..." " Talk to me!" " What happened?" "I don't know, I don't know." "You said on the phone that something's happened." " It's nothing..." " I don't know..." " It wasn't you!" " Johannes, tell me what has happened!" " It wasn't you!" " It wasn't me... wasn't me..." " Look at me." "Where have you been?" " Nowhere." "You don't know..." "I don't know." "Sara..." "They raped his mother and sister!" " The goddamn soldiers, tortured them!" " Be quiet!" " Let's sit down." " Don't sit down, don't!" "She doesn't believe you." "Don't say anything!" " Johannes, where have you been?" " In Venice, she doesn't believe you." " In Venice." " She doesn't believe you..." " What has happened?" " Nothing..." "Railway accident." " Railway accident..." " Paolo, Paolo..." "Thought he was dead, was never identified..." "The train was badly burned, but Paolo didn't die." "Didn't die..." " And you were on that train?" " You were not..." "I wasn't." "Elsa said..." "If there is God, they will press their wary hands on the parapet." "Johannes, Elsa and Suvi are all right." "Everything's fine." " Fine..." "Sara and Juan..." " She's blaming you!" "Don't know if they were dead, there was blood..." " Who?" " Sara and Juan." " Who are they?" " My friends, refugees... friend refugees..." "I see." "Where?" "Near here... near..." "I took the suitcases there." "Johannes, take me there." "Where?" "What is it?" "Johannes?" "Okay, come and have a look." "Come on." "Well, Brother Slantwise is back in this world." "Morning!" "Soon we can start planning that supported accommodation." "Mother, don't worry." "Everything is fine at home." "The main thing is that you get well." "Juan comes to see you in the evening." "Serbia-Montenegro?" "Albania?" "Bosnia-Herzegovina?" "Macedonia?" "Croatia?" "You sought out treatment - because you'd stopped taking your medication - and weren't feeling well." "Johannes?" "Are you awake?" "Now, you must trust me and take these." "You know they've helped you before." "Don't take them, she thinks you killed Sara, this is a plot!" " No she doesn't!" " She'll drug you and call the police." " No one believes you!" " She does!" "What are you talking about?" "She's accusing you, suspecting, lying..." " She's not lying!" " Are you hearing things again?" "Suspecting, cheating, pretending to be a friend..." "She's not cheating!" "The only one I can trust." " She kills you with pills." " You don't exist!" " The hell I do, here I am!" " You're me." " Don't flip out, goddammit!" " You're me, I'm you." " Take these." "Take them." " You don't exist!" "You don't exist!" "Don't say that aloud or she'll fill you up with pills again!" "And as much as I've helped you!" "That was smart!" "I'll handle things from now on - and you keep your mouth shut." "Got it?" "You keep your mouth shut!" "Look at that goddamn plot of hers!" "You need temporary passports so you can leave the country." "You have no idea where the suitcases could be?" "They had just disappeared." "I know I took them there - but they'd disappeared..." "If they had..." "They're lost, so I don't know where they are." "If they weren't lost, I'd know." "But they're not." "Mummy, look." "Johannes's days of the week go like this." "Here's Monday, and here's Tuesday - and Wednesday's here, then it starts curving towards weekend." "There's Thursday and Friday." "Saturday and Sunday are bigger." "Mummy, how do your days of the week go?" "They go like this:" "Weekend, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday..." "You must have the wrong number." "I don't understand what you mean..." "That's okay." "Some woman, spoke bad Finnish." "I had no idea of who she was looking for." "Elsa." "This is the same number you called a minute ago." "It's okay." "Did she say her name?" " Sara, she said." "I don't know any..." " Sara!" "She called Johannes!" "The number doesn't show." "How come she called your cellphone?" " What?" " It's true!" "It really happened!" "The suitcases are lost..." "but I'm not!" "It really happened!" "Suvi was just thrilled about going to the ballet." "Had you forced me to the ballet, I'd sue you for malpractice - for malpractice, right away!" "Olavi is arranging those passports back in Finland." "He says it takes a few days." "Olavi, eh?" "Isn't it quite pathetic that a doc falls for a nurse?" "What...?" "Olavi, Olavi, Oh-love-ii..." "What's really pathetic is that a patient is jealous for his nurse." "Olavi said, Olavi arranges, our Olavi..." "OK, OK." "He has demonstrated his interest, but..." "A Rottweiler demonstrated his interest to the lamp post." "Not answering his feelings, the lamp post was soon in a shitty situation." " What am I explaining to you anyway?" " You know who Paolo Cavallini is?" "No." "An F1 driver?" " I don't know." "Who?" "Why?" " Just asking." "If we're stuck here, we could go to Venice." " You've been there." " But you have to see it - and Elsa can take Suvi to the opera there." " Isn't it an expensive city?" " I'll pay!" "I will pay." " You're such a man of the world..." " We go, yes?" "It's a deal." "Come on, I can lend you some money." "They're withholding people's money, goddammit!" "You don't have to pay for our hotel rooms." "What's promised is promised." "I have promised." "You can pay first, then I'll pay it back to you." "You'll have to explain that one more time." "Yes, wait a moment..." "It's that woman, Sara." "Laura Aarni." "Hello." "Yes, no, I'm Johannes's... friend." "A friend!" "You got no money from the bank because of her!" "She gave them a secret sign!" "Okay, send me an SMS, too." "Yes, of course we'll come, with pleasure." "Good." "Okay, thanks." "Bye." "You helped them into a taxi and took them to the girl's mother." "You gave them my phone number." "And the suitcases are there." "Johannes, you're a hero!" "Father wants to thank you from his heart for helping us." "He also wants to thank the fellow countrymen - who opened their doors for us - and let us in to wait for the decision on refuge." "That a stranger helps another stranger in a foreign country - gives us hope that miracles can happen." " You don't know who those attackers were?" " No." "Juan and I were walking - when they started following us." "They shouted at us and were aggressive." "When we were sleeping, someone knocked the door." "I opened." "They attacked us." "I guess they didn't notice Johannes." "Father says he gives permission for Juan and I to get engaged - though we have different religions." "The main thing is that we are both alive and love each other." " Congratulations!" " Thank you." "Johannes!" "Why do you drink that?" "Remember those apples?" "They have maggots." "This is the only way - to drive out those maggots and save the apples." " What?" " Nothing..." "The servant of a big house - ran to wake up his master in the night." ""Help me, Master", the servant said " ""I saw Death in the garden."" ""You must help me."" ""Lend me a fast horse, so I can run away."" ""If I ride real fast - in the morning I'm far away, in Sarajevo."" ""The master lent the servant a horse - and he rode away with great speed." "The master got curious and went to the garden too." "He saw Death there and scolded him:" ""What are you doing in my garden, scaring my servant so badly?"" ""Yes", said Death" " ""I too was surprised to see him here" " ""for I was to meet him tomorrow morning in Sarajevo."" " Unbelievably beautiful!" " Good morning!" "Is there a young lady there - who is going to La Fenice Opera today?" " Yes!" " Are you sure you don't want to see that splendor yourself?" "No, no." "You go ahead." "I'd better take care of Johannes." "That's a good idea, a nice thing to do." "Of course I'm with you." "That's not crazy at all." "That's a bunch of lunatics swimming in a circle: "crazy atoll"." "What if the headlines said that a diabetic burned a house down?" "Or that a varicose patient stole a car?" "Or that a man was brawling outside a bar - and according to the police sources, he has psoriasis!" " Do you believe in horoscope fortune-tellers?" " No, I don't." "All the statesmen of the world go to a fortune-teller - and the position of the stars affect their decisions." "And they make worldwide decisions." "Isn't that quite scary?" "Quite scary, isn't it?" "They make worldwide decisions." "Doctors and teachers and such, they're all psychopaths." "So you're saying - that one can't believe or trust anything   except for oneself?" " I wish one could trust oneself." "I knew a man who wanted to know everything in advance - like what kind of coffin he'd be put in." "He bought himself a burial place and a coffin and put it in the attic." "Then he suddenly got really fat - and once a week, he went to see if he still fitted in that coffin - and he didn't!" "So he went on a diet, didn't eat at all - and he went to see if he fitted in and was very happy when he did." "Stopped eating altogether and wilted away." "I heard that his relatives knew nothing about the coffin - so they cremated him." "Put him in an urn." "That kind of story..." "Doesn't it bother you that I know - that it's the livelier part of you who's talking so vividly   and the other part won't remember anything of this?" " Not at all." "In a hundred years, none of us will remember anything." "Time is a cruel thing." "Malpractice!" "Malpractice..." " It can start to haunt a patient..." " What about a nurse then?" "Can I ask you a nurse-like question?" "Of course, go ahead." "Don't you remember anything else about your parents   than what you've told me?" " Just little glimpses - and that I was happy." "And the guilt about their death?" "They'd never let me forget..." "They just kept hinting..." "You mean your foster parents?" "It's too easy an explanation for all this." "It's not that simple." "Sometimes I'd just like to get rid of all this." " What do you mean?" " I mean once and for all." "My mother wrote poems." "I've been reading one of them." "I've been thinking that there's a solution - or advice for me - although it's about a South African girl..." "Mother wrote it behind a photo that she took - and I've always kept it with me." ""To the sad-eyed child."" ""Too heavy is the burden for shoulders so frail" " ""ever since it was given to carry and not fail" " ""to this little child whose wings, just there and then" " ""were not strong enough to fly, but will carry her once again."" "I'm sorry." "Malpractice." " You're coming down for breakfast?" " No, I'm not." "Mummy, I'll go downstairs." "Go ahead, we won't be long." "It's almost unnatural that - the ex-mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law - get along so well." "Yes, it is." "It's a pity that my son inherited my drunkenness." "Come on, that's not your fault!" "Everyone's responsible for their own actions." "Well, we lost quite enough because of that guarantee for his loan." "It really looks like him!" "All the prevalent features are captured there." "Yes, isn't it funny that a caricature like that - shows both sides of Johannes." "I do understand that a man like that is no male role model for Suvi." "I'll have to file for a restraining order." "I can't let such a violent man near my child." "Although Suvi does miss Antti." "What did I tell you?" "Friends indeed!" "Suvi's wearing a mask because that man is a policeman!" "Suvi gave him a sign, didn't you see?" "A secret sign!" "Suvi, too!" "Why?" " What is it?" " They still think you're a murderer, they do!" "I'll go and see, I won't be long." "Why Suvi, too?" "Don't trust her, don't believe her!" "That man is a policeman!" "If someone follows you, I was right." "Run away, run!" "No one believes you, run!" " What's the matter with him?" " I don't know." "Wasn't feeling well, I guess." "I hope he finds his way back to the hotel." "Johannes!" "Johannes!" "Where are we going?" "Tell me." "Johannes told me about those dents on the parapet." "He's asked a portrait painter there, 'cause he had a wonderful idea - of having you painted on that bridge with your hands on those dents." "Oh, no." "What do I have to do?" "Nothing, just stand on that bridge - press your hands on the dents and smile." "No one can be as much in love as I was back then." "The whole life ahead of me and the world wide open." "Elsa!" "There is God." "Yes!" "There is God!" "Did you know about this?" "No." "No, I didn't." "Johannes!" "Johannes!" "Johannes!" "Is everything all right now?" "Yes, everything's all right." "You're sure?" "I'm sure." "Everything's fine." "Paolo was a widower for 10 years, and now Elsa is moving in with him." " That's enviably sweet." " You know who I envy most?" " Happy the Chap!" "I wish I was Happy the Chap." " You can say that again." "What happened there on the roof?" "Suvi was so touched - because you'd arranged for Elsa and Paolo to meet - that she wanted to thank you and hug you." "She ran towards you and you panicked - thinking that she was going to jump down from the roof - and you grabbed her and yelled:" ""Don't jump, don't ever jump, no matter what, don't jump!"" " You're sure?" " I'm sure." " You were a bit confused, I guess." " A bit..." " What's the other one like?" " Olavi?" "Oops, a slip." "Mr. Freud just popped in." "The other one..." "Well, he's quite a talkative one." "Lively, funny..." "Quite a character." "Do people like him more?" "I mean, do you think anyone will miss him?" " Miss him?" " Like if you never saw him again, would you miss him?" "But it's you, the same guy." "I wish I was just one, whole." "I wish I remembered." "Johannes, you're off to a good start." " Haven't seen nightmares for two weeks..." " That's a beginning." "Munch away, I brought it just for you." "I heard you'll be returning to the home base in a week." "I made you a little something, had nothing else to do..." "It's nothing much, but..." "In case you have any use for it..." "What?" "Have you been doing arts and crafts?" "The hell I have!" "Just some junk, a knick-knack." "Bought it from a street vendor." "This is for you." "Happy the Chap, are you sure?" "Thank you." " So..." " Hope you'll be fine - and remember: our doors are always open for you." "I'll be fine, but I don't know about a drunk moving onto a wine farm." " Drunk." " Crazy." "Crazy drunk." "Could it be...?" " What?" " Malpractice." "You remember!" "Do you remember?" "You remember!" "One, two, three, go!" "It started tilting so badly - that people were afraid it would fall down." "There were all kinds of plans for straightening it - but the soil wouldn't have allowed it - and who would care, anyway?" "A few years back its base was filled with casts of lead." "It will never be straight, but now it will not fall either." "It will stand upright, a little tilted, but still standing."