"It is, we're told, at the fatal instant when we realize we're dying, that we discover who we really are and who we were during our life." "The guy lying there is me." "That night, nature was unleashed, and the weather bloody." "Yes, it rained blood." "And I'd just left a man dying." "Admittedly I was very young when my soul was plunged in tragic and utterly twisted stories." "I was 13 when my father gave me a collection of Greek tragedies." "A king who plucks out his eyes because he's killed Dad and slept with Mom..." "That marks you." "Read your book!" "I don't know where he found it, but he said that every story imaginable was contained in these books, and that I must study them if I wanted to understand mankind." "That's how I became a solitary child who preferred reading to running in the sun with friends." "Fifteen years later, all my travels and love affairs, all my adventures had the same musty odor of used books." "You don't have what I'm looking for." "I knew if I stayed on, one day they'd find my consciousness in a puddle around the stacks." "HELP WANTED" "My life had to be waiting somewhere." "A real life with real sex, real blood and real tears." "And so it was." "One day you decide to act, you open a door by chance and your destiny changes forever." "THE BEAUTIFUL ANGEL OF DEATH" "The mission of our agency," "DVE" " Development, Ventures, Empowerment - is simple:" "help young people in need, and you to earn a living." "For every coupon pack sold, 20% goes to a community group," "10% to DVE for rent and administration, and the rest goes to you." "How much are the coupons?" "We'll come to that later." "At that moment I realized Einstein was right." "YesI" "The universe is curved." "Lightning comes before thunder." "And love at first sight strikes the blind." "Let me introduce Roxane." "Now, people often ask why I decided to devote myself to DVE." "It's very simple." "If you're not ready or have better things to do, fine." "See you, and good luck." "Anyone else want to leave?" "I'll ask our instructors to come up here so that we can form our teams." "You all gave Sylvain your names?" "We'll let chance decide which recruit and instructor are paired." "First we have Homer." "Homer who?" "Angelopoulos-Lacroix." "So, Homer, you'll pair up with" "Roxane!" "She'll be your instructor." "She'll take your info and explain procedure for tomorrow." "What was happening was incredible." "Why did I sense that with her, it could go further?" "Perhaps when I saw her stealing a pen," "I understood she had a hidden flaw." "I think it was only the next day..." "Yeah, we'd been given a course on sales and then..." "Nice car." "It was my grandfather's." "Thank you for the lift." "That's ok, it's on my way." "Angelopoulos-Lacroix." "Where's Angelopoulos from?" "It's Greek." "My dad's Greek." "Mom's a Lacroix from Lac St-Jean." "That's the result." "Straight here?" "Yes." "See that?" "It was" "Dad's restaurant." "One of them." "He had a real knack." "You weren't interested?" "No, I have other plans." "Know what truffles are?" "Yes." "The real ones, not chocolates." "Truffles are tiny, mysterious beasts." "Neither plant nor animal." "They're not found here, they're hard to grow." "So my idea is to develop a technique to grow them." "Where, if they don't grow here?" "When my dad died, he left me some land in Greece." "You own land in Greece?" "Yeah, well, a small plot." "Perfect climate for truffles." "We're nearly there." "I turned 8 the day my parents decided to separate." "I don't know if that's why, but I never believed in love." "Valentine's Day, red roses, romantic movies, were all invented to make us spend money." "Human attraction was biological, a reflex to reproduce the species." "But now I wished it were February and I could give her a heart-shaped box of chocolates." "Hi." "Hi." "Get in." "I'll just lock my bike." "We'll wait a bit, but if it keeps up, we're out of luck." "This is all I have." "Is it ok?" "They'll take pity on you, it's perfect." "Why does a woman like you work with them?" "Like me?" "I saw from the start you're a brilliant woman." "Really?" "You notice right away." "And a brilliant woman can't do community work?" "Sure, of course." "But..." "Well you sure don't match the standard profile." "I don't?" "I saw you have a B.A., you were an assistant in a biotech lab," "you have business plans..." "The reason I showed up today was mostly for you." "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not really free." "Not really?" "Really not." "Really not." "Ok, that's fine." "You don't have to stay." "I have other things to do." "I'm entitled to my try-out, aren't I?" "I may discover a passion for sales." "Who knows?" "My try-out was postponed a day." "And I learned she had a boyfriend." "So what?" "Even if she'd said he was Brad Pitt or Patrick Huard, it wouldn't faze me." "But tomorrow was too far off." "I couldn't wait." "I had to see her." "It's ready!" "It smells good." "I'm ok, thanks." "Like some wine?" "No, just water please tonight." "I'll just have some salad." "I made a tofu lasagna for you." "Since my colonic irrigation, I've stopped eating starch." "You should try it, Isabelle." "Thanks." "Roxane, they called about your computer." "There's not much they can do." "Shit." "Do you need money?" "Mom!" "Can't I help my granddaughter?" "Is this organic?" "I only buy organic." "I wanted to say..." "With all the toxic muck they spread in the fields..." "Your water's at 2 o'clock." "Thanks." "I found an apartment." "Forgive me, but is this the time to abandon us?" "Where is it?" "Not far from here." "Your mother needs you." "Me, with all my obligations..." "We'll manage." "Jacques is attentive, but he's not home very often." "I'm not helpless!" ""The optic nerve is intact." "We've no idea."" "Doctors are incompetent!" "Solange, please." "Please what?" "The accident was two years ago!" "Two years!" "Is that normal?" "Mom, please!" "I know what you think." "That it's a psychiatrist I need!" "Being blind suits you!" "Come on." "What's with her?" "Jacques, just leave her be." "That was inappropriate." "No, I don't want to talk now." "Go away." "It's crazy how some things should be obvious, but we see them only later." "It's not just people who lie." "Reality often misleads us." "Our eyes mislead us constantly." "We find a frozen frog, its body rock hard." "We're sure it's dead." "But if we warm it up, its heart starts to beat and it revives." "It was only hibernating." "What are we to believe?" "Roxane, are you asleep?" "Crammed into my Communion suit" "I waited for lunch to invite her over to watch an old Truffaut movie," "Jules and Jim, which I'd just downloaded." "Hello madame." "Sorry to bother you, but if I can have two minutes," "I'll show you how you can help needy youths while saving money." "We're from DVE" " Development, Ventures, Empowerment " "Lovely as the dawn, bright and with an ironic bent, she could have sold Hummers to the most fervent ecologists." "Think of it as a game." "Well you sure are talented." "You even seem to like it." "Selling people something they don't need is a trip." "You get this rush afterwards, you'll see." "Yeah, what?" "Are your parents home?" "They're never home!" "You'll see, I've a talent for sales." "Hi, sorry to bother you." "I want to give you the chance to help youths who need... help... while saving money on coupons, I mean restaurants..." "Would you mind if I used your bathroom?" "Come on in." "I know him!" "Marc-Antoine, the comedian." "What's your game, handsome?" "DVE has existed for 20 years." "Its spokesperson is the great star I'm sure you know, Isabelle, I forget her last name." "There are two types of coupons." "These ones give you up to 20% off in certain fast-food restaurants." "But I also have others, these blues, which give discounts in restaurants of higher quality, and even in some hotel chains." "Oh yeah." "Another thing." "If you pay cash now, you don't pay tax." "You do make a lovely couple." "A couple in love is so touching." "Sure I can't offer you a drink?" "You, my lovely young beauty?" "Scotch, vodka, beer?" "Life is short and pleasure so ephemeral." "You must sieze it when it comes." "Especially when it knocks at your door in the flesh." "We should be going." "Ok, enough fun and games." "Know what you just broke?" "A 1 7th century Chinese porcelain, fuck!" "She goes to the john while he does his spiel." "Robbed many people?" "Too bad for your charity." "It'll make lousy publicity." "No, look." "How much do you want?" "Name it." "Well, I mean, you can make it up another way." "I always need models for my photos." "Don't touch her!" "Get off him!" "Do you see that?" "I'm calling the cops." "No, look." "Don't do that." "Let's forget the whole thing." "I'm really sorry." "Look, let me go." "I'll bring you a cheque for whatever you want." "My grandmother's rich." "Take me for a fool?" "He won't shoot us for an old teacup." "Not the police!" "Ok, but we make a deal." "You both get undressed, grope each other, and I take some pictures, ok?" "What do we have to do?" "Nothing hard." "Just a few artistic poses." "Then you go and it's over." "What if we tell?" "Think of your reputation." "What planet do you live on?" "Don't you read the papers?" "Or watch TV?" "Or listen to the radio?" "It's not funnyI" "On all the posters it's marked:" "Cancelled!" "So fuck my reputation!" "My agent left me." "My girlfriend too." "My two girls won't speak to me." "I may have prostate cancer." "So tell the reporters." "Like I give a shit." "Is that clear?" "Enough psychologizing." "Get undressed and start necking!" "Roxane." "I know, I'm so dumb!" "I have to tell you..." "I know it's a weird time for this, but..." "I couldn't sleep, I kept thinking of you." "It's like I've always known you." "This is crazy!" "Don't stop!" "Are you ok?" "What's wrong?" "Wait!" "Be strong." "Women like men who are strong and brave." "Are you ok?" "Yeah." "Are you sure?" "I'm better now." "Great, an epileptic thief." "Are you ok?" "I'll service the chick if you can't." "He's breathing." "He's just unconscious." "Hey, funny man, open up!" "I know our memory plays tricks on us, and it's hard to believe, but that's how it happened." "What do we do now?" "You go home, I'll drop by the office." "Will I see you tomorrow?" "I guess." "So till then." "It'll be ok." "Ok, hitting a comedian from behind with a bust of Dostoevsky isn't very glorious." "But I didn't hit him that hard, the pervert." "He'd wake up with a headache that'd make him meditate on his sins." "It served him right." "Of course, that's not how I planned to get closer to her." "But now we were bound." "We'd become accomplices." "Maybe not Bonnie and Clyde, but still..." "Excuse me, I have a question." "Not working?" "I need Roxane." "I was curious, how's Roxane related to Jacques Dupire?" "His daughter-in-law." "Jacques lives with her mother, the actress Isabelle Paré." "That's what I figured." "The product you're selling is you!" "And don't forget, an original lie is often more effective than a tired truth." "Have faith in yourself." "Good luck." "Roxane, you have two messages." "Hi." "Hi." "Get any sleep?" "Not much." "Here." "I found this in my room." "For me?" "Crete!" "Isn't it Greece?" "Crete's in Greece." "Sorry, I thought you'd like it." "Thanks, it's very nice." "A present after one day?" "What'll it be after a month?" "Want some?" "No thanks." "I'm really sorry." "What happened yesterday's my fault." "I just seem to screw up." "Hey, I'm no better." "Some time to confess my feelings!" "Don't worry." "If he'd laid charges, we'd know." "$825 for a one-bedroom, unheated." "That's robbery!" "A pal of mine rents places." "Maybe he has one." "Oh yeah?" "But you might not like the area." "I can't afford to be picky." "I really have to move out." "Shall we check?" "Didn't you quit?" "Gimme a break." "At least I cut down." "So as soon as a place is free, call me." "It took a while, but it was worth the wait." "A ways to go." "Don't tell me she's taken." "So it seems." "We can have him eliminated." "After I find out who he is." "Did you bake my cookies?" "Yeah, they're in the kitchen." "Wear gloves, and wash your hands after." "Don't forget." "Ok." "Roxane, Michel..." "A pleasure." "Me too." "Know what?" "Until the lady finds a place, she could stay with you." "With some rearranging it's big enough for two." "Thanks, Michel." "It's ok." "Tell me what you think." "Don't eat it, his gravy's awful." "You're a connoisseur?" "Maybe it's nothing to brag about, but my dad invented poutine." "Poutine's from Drummondville." "It sounds far-fetched, but that's where he opened his first restaurant." "People thought he was Russian and called him Rasputin." "He accidentally dropped some cheese on fries and added some gravy." "People went," ""Gimme a Rasputin."" "Hence Rasputin's poutine." "You should write." "No, it's true." "Yes?" "Who's the boss here." "Your name, Homer... that for the Greek tragedies?" "Well Homer wrote epics, not tragedies." "The Iliad, The Odyssey." "Tragedies came a bit later." "Apollo, enlighten me, was I right to kill him?" "The deed I cannot deny." "But the murder in your eyes was it justified?" "Theater major, St-Hyacinthe College." "I dropped out in my third year." "It feels like another life." "Why'd you quit?" "Everyone wants to act and I hate to be like everyone." "To your truffles!" "Angelopopoulos..." "Angelopoulos-Lacroix." "I think I saw him earlier." "I don't know if he's planning to stay on." "We have a high turnover." "He was with a girl." "A girl?" "I think he was the only rep in that sector." "We're a charity." "Our license is on the wall." "And what exactly are your responsabilities here?" "I'm the director." "I keep things running." "We have a board..." "Isn't she...?" "Yes, Isabelle Paré, the actress." "She's our spokesperson." "Didn't she go blind?" "Yes." "And she is also my wife." "5 years now." "Bye, Michel!" "Look!" "Yeah, I saw." "So here we are." "It's very close." "Antoine, the comedian." "You must know him?" "Not personally, why?" "Your wife's an actress, one big family." "What is this about?" "That's Athena, my sister." "My half-sister." "Athena?" "Yes." "My dad's idea of course." "She died when I was young." "That sucks." "My dad brought that back from a trip." "I don't remember how to open it." "Have fun." "What's inside?" "I don't know." "These are the truffles I told you about." "Know what 100 grams of white truffle costs?" "A lot." "Between $600 and $1000." "This mysterious beast is going to make me rich." "And this one?" "That's Amanita phalloides, also called the Death Cap." "Are you interested?" "Sure." ""The Death Cap has a lovely curved shape." ""With its rose scent, it tastes wonderful," ""and its deadly intentions emerge long after ingestion." ""Extremely lethal, even in small doses." ""Perfect for eliminating rats."" "I took magic mushrooms once, but I didn't feel anything." "If you want, we can go pick some psilocybin." "That should give you a buzz." "Shall I call my dealer?" "John had dated Athena for 10 years." "He knew me well and that mushrooms weren't for me." "With my epileptic's brain," "I had to stay clear of them." "Don't take them all." "I know." "If he thinks you're ready for them..." "Yes, she knows." "Depending on the dose, you can trip for 10 hours." "The key thing is mood." "If you're down..." "Ok, John, we understand." "Do you trust him?" "Sort of." "I'm serious." "Yes, I trust him." "I'll be in the lab." "Was it your boyfriend?" "No, he's out of town." "What does he do?" "You want to talk about him?" "Not really." "Really not." "So then... 1 , 2, 3 go?" "It tastes awful!" "It tickles!" "Come on." "It's cool, huh?" "Are you sure it's ok?" "It's Michel's boat." "Breathe deeply." "Are you ok, Roxane?" "I'm not a good person." "I'm not a good person." "Yes, you are a good person." "Of course you're a good person." "Come here." "Can I sleep on your couch tonight?" "Just tonight." "As a friend." "Hi." "Did you sleep ok?" "I could've slept on the couch." "Is it late?" "It's 9." "Don't touch, they're poison." "Michel has rats in his cellar." "Don't worry, there are none here." "What's wrong?" "Antoine." "That jerk." "He's dead." "When we left he was still alive." "There were people at his door." "Our fingerprints!" "So?" "We don't have a police record." "If I'm arrested how can I prove I'm innocent?" "We won't get arrested." "Shit, I have to go help my mom." "Look, go in." "Ask Sylvain to assign you a street." "Just act normal." "I'll see you later." "Roxane?" "Where have you been?" "Did you take your messages?" "Where did you spend the night?" "That's my business." "What do you mean?" "Look, I have to see you." "We have to talk." "I can't forget you, I keep thinking of you." "Let's go away again, the two of us." "Stop itI" "I feel so ashamed." "What happened is stronger than us." "We didn't choose this." "We're not responsible." "Wait!" "We need to talk!" "After that," "I'm not really sure what happened." "It was like Destiny was coming for me." "And those damn Greek tragedies Dad made me study were leeching into my life." "You and I have to talk." "I'm not so sure." "Antoine, the comedian, ring a bell?" "No." "Well, sort of." "Don't play dumb." "You visited his place and stayed a while." "I've nothing to hide." "The cops are on my back." "I need to know what happened." "Nothing, leave me alone." "Why didn't you come to the office after?" "Did Roxane spend the night here?" "I don't have to tell you." "If you've done anything to harm me or Roxane, you're in trouble." "If I am, so are you." "I figured out your scam." "Roxane told me." "What?" "What did Roxane tell you?" "Is there a problem?" "No, only a slight misunderstanding." "Nothing serious." "I was just leaving." "Good idea." "See you." "Forget it." "I'll explain." "What are you doing?" "Why'd you come here?" "I want to talk to you." "There was this girl once." "Really pretty." "Brilliant too." "We saw each other a lot." "I liked her a lot." "But I wasn't sure if I was really in love." "I was attracted but..." "Then she asked me if I loved her." "And?" "I think I found her a bit too... chubby." "Why are you telling me?" "You see, instead of telling her the truth," "I told her to forget me because" "I had a cancerous brain tumor." "Rotten of me, huh?" "What I mean is, I know that when you lie, it's not to hurt the other person." "It's to protect yourself from something." "I don't know what, but... something." "Tell me, do you feel anything for me?" "Please!" "Roxane, I may end up in jail." "I won't ask you again." "I feel" "great friendship." "I thought I was clear." "I'm not free." "Roxane, there are two men here who want to see you." "I knew it." "What's going on?" "They're detectives." "Do you hear?" "Yes, one minute, I'm coming." "Don't worry, I won't talk." "We weren't at Antoine's." "Go home, I'll call you." "Why are you here?" "Let go!" "Tell me what happened at Antoine's!" "He wasn't interested." "He shut the door and we left." "You're hiding something." "And you're not hiding something?" "Does your wife know about you and her daughter?" "You have to tell her how you feel." "It's too complicated." "Maybe you're too complicated." "Another." "You've had enough." "Gimme another one!" "Calm down." "You're not my father!" "Richard!" "Be a man, I thought." "Turn yourself in so Roxane's not implicated." "Yeah, be a man." "Easy when you don't know who you are." "A Quebecer for Dad's Greek pals." "A Greek for Quebecers." "Son of an immigrant from St Jean." "Mother split when you were 8." "A nobody in a country that's not one." "An outsider." "Always." "Ulysses trying to get home." "Are you ok?" "Need something?" "No." "But me," "I don't have a home." "Where were you?" "Tomorrow I'll turn myself in to the cops." "You won't be charged because of me." "Stop it." "They just asked me if I'd seen anything unusual." "That's all." "Remember, Antoine was still breathing." "I'm sure someone else killed him." "I hear he had huge drug debts." "You ok?" "You can't love him." "Give me a break." "Come on." "He doesn't deserve you." "He doesn't deserve you." "But I'm not judging you." "I'm not judging you." "Lie down." "You're just in time, we were going to look at some photos." "Don't search for her, she's gone." "Your sister." "Your big half-sister." "And your first big passion." "She taught you their names, uses, properties." "She also warned you about poisonous mushrooms." "Night was falling." "The road was very slippery." "Driving was hard." "Dangerous." "She'd just told you she was leaving home." "She was getting married." "You didn't want her to leave." "Ajoke." "Making her believe you poisoned yourself." "Was it a harmless lie, or evil?" "Pure evil?" "Dad will never forgive me." "We're helpless against destiny." "Take me with you." "Take me with you." "Be strong." "Women like men who are strong and brave." "Feeling better?" "Not even a headache." "I'm out of coffee but there's some OJ." "Thanks." "You sure talked a lot in your sleep." "I have to go, so..." "Stay as long as you want." "Make yourself at home." "See you soon." "She would've turned 40 this week." "My sister was your last love?" "Your last real one?" "This was the last time." "I'm not coming back." "I'll come alone." "What's done is done, Homer." "You can't change it." "You have to accept it." "Accept what you've done." "Your sister won't come back." "Homer, this morning when you left I felt a huge emptiness." "You must know that I feel more than friendship for you." "But life is rarely simple." "Perhaps you should accept that we won't meet again." "You deserve better than me." "With time things might change." "But for now it's best we part." "Take care of yourself." "You're a good person." "I asked for time." "I know, but I wanted to tell you I'm leaving with Michel on his boat." "I want you to come." "Come." "As a friend, but come." "You can think things over, you'll have your own cabin." "Stop it." "I asked you to give me time." "Go away." "Please." "I can't, I dream of you constantly." "I see you everywhere." "You don't understand." "It's the first time I want to help someone." "I'm pregnant." "Maybe now you'll realize I'm not free." "That's it?" "You're leaving with him?" "I'd find it easier if he weren't such a loser." "Is that all you have to say?" "Do you love him?" "I'm crazy about you." "You're a magnificent woman." "Hello?" "Jacques Dupire is a fraud." "Be careful." "Be careful." "Does he owe you money?" "He's an abuser." "He abused your daughter's trust." "He manipulated her." "Had I really done that?" "Aphrodite must have bewitched me." "Yes." "She must have envied my Roxane's beauty." "I don't understand." "Does it have to end like this?" "Of course not." "You'll come visit me in my place." "You'll have it all." "My mom for her star power," "Grandma for her money and me for sex." "You're so unfair." "You've no right." "Doesn't it mean anything to you?" "Sure." "It means I was stupid." "It never should've happened." "You need to tell my mother it's over." "I can't do that." "Course not." "But it could be worse." "For example, I could be pregnant." "You should see your face." "May I know what's going on?" "What's going on is Roxane's moving out." "I just got a strange call about you." "What?" "Roxane, is there something I should know?" "Isabelle, what's this about?" "Why did a stranger call to say you abused my daughter?" "You're smarter than that." "I know the guy, he's mad at me for..." "Let her speak." "Did something happen that I should know about?" "Answer me, please." "Forgive me, Mom." "Forgive me." "I'm not a victim." "I was willing." "Jacques didn't force me." "It happened at work." "But it's over now, Mom." "Over." "Isabelle, I can explain." "Disappear!" "Calm down." "I'll explain what happened." "There's nothing more to add." "Leave." "To go where?" "Wherever you want, I don't know." "I don't know why it happened." "I'm so sorry." "Are you ok?" "Mom?" "You can see!" "Mom, you can see!" "Please, Mom." "Forgive me." "I sometimes wonder how my life would be if my father had given me skates or even a dart board or a BB gun, instead of those Greek tragedies." "And if my sister hadn't died?" "What would she be now?" "And my father?" "He might still be alive, not killed by booze." "To what extent are we truly responsible for our actions?" "But stupid choices that destroy a life occur every day." "People think Greek tragedies always end badly, but no." "I had a great ending for my story." "It wasn't tragedies Dad should've given me, but boxing gloves." "Did someone send you to ruin my life?" "You thought I'd just sit back?" "That I wouldn't react, you little twit?" "Do you know what you've cost me?" "Eat that and you're dead." "Very funny, wise guy!" "No, wait!" "Wait!" "Roxane... will never forgive you for calling her mother." "What is it?" "I lied to you." "I don't have a B.A. or a plan to grow truffles." "Dad never owned land in Greece." "Or even his own restaurant." "Homer's my surname." "I'm really Richard." "I called your mother." "Why do we do all kinds of stupid things just to get a little love?" "Why?" "Do you know?" "Let me come get you." "I need to be alone for now." "Take care of yourself." "I remember," "Dad, never one to follow the herd, bought an old ferris wheel in the middle of nowhere." "It reminded him of his childhood on his island." "I was 6 or 7." "I cried, I didn't want to get on." "I was scared." "There." "I'm dead." "Not dead, but hanging by a thread." "So there is something afterward." "Shh..." "Just breathe." "Life is a beautiful angel of death." "Not all tragedies end badly." "Athena died by accident, but it was my fault." "I knew what I was doing." "Why did I do it?" "You were never the same afterwards." "You adored each other." "Was I jealous of that?" "Stop." "What do you want me to say?" "That you forgive me." "Forgive what?" "It was an accident." "Say it anyway." "Stop it!" "There's nothing to forgive." "You don't understand." "I need you to say it." "Once." "I forgive you, my son." "I forgive you." "And I love you." "Will he make it?" "He's fighting." "He's fighting hard." "Hang in there, girl!" "Is your daughter pregnant?" "It might be a miscarriage." "Code 8, 109 to despatch." "In addition to neck wound, possible miscarriage." "Stay with me, Roxane." "Stay with me." "I beg you." "It's only at the hour of our death that we discover who we really are and who we were during our life." "But if that's true, it's kind of dumb, isn't it?" "Unless... we get another chance." "Like a frog that thaws in the spring and revives." "Just imagine if we could start all over." "Start over even a single episode of our life." "Yeah." "Just imagine." "Translation:" "Robert Gray, Kinograph" "Subtitling:" "CNST, Montreal"