"is related to the fact that life is short, sweet, and fleeting." "Blues prove the strangeness of each individual's destiny." "Charles Simic" "They start giving you grades at birth." "If you come out with everything in place, if you cry loudly and if you're over 4 kilos you can get a 10, if not, it gets lower." "start 1" "If you're precocious and if you start walking or saying "mama" before ten months, you can even get a 9 and a half." "start 2" "As soon as you begin nursery school, grades start pouring in." "start 3" "In school you have to face up to the festival of scores." "The worst is when they score you on the girls you date, the car you have, your house, your job." "We exist to get and give grades, there's nothing wrong with that." "If there's nothing wrong with quitting what you like to do to only do things which will assure you good scores." "On a scale from 0 to 10, my present is a 6... ..minus... ..minus." "I have an 85 sq m apartment, stand up shower with Turkish bath, Japanese bed." "My ulcer gets an 8 and a half, just like my distant past." "My recent past gets a 6." "My brother Ivan was a legend, he's gone now." "For 20 years I've had 3 friends." "If you take'em, I'm offering a nudie calendar." "I have a wife." "I have an '82 van." "I have an ID card that I occasionally consult." "Lucky you if you always know who you are!" "There's more, but I'll spare you a W2 report." "My future ranges from a 9 to a 4, depending on how I wake up." "Today, my future's a 9 coz I'm going to Rimini tomorrow." "Now you're pissing me off, if I have to go I'll go, if you have to go, you go." "But I won't croak in a hospital." "So tell me how much longer I have." "What do the tests say?" "Biccio, tell me!" "Are you my friend or not?" " What did you say?" " Nothing." "No, tell me what you fucking said." "How much longer?" "Ten." "Ten months?" "Ten days?" "Ten what?" "Ten..." "Nine, eight, seven, six, five seconds of life!" "Piss off!" "You're a total fool!" "Easy, this is a doctor's office!" "No, it's a dickhead's office!" "It's the oldest joke in the book!" "You and those who come to you are dickheads." "The results have improved since the last time." "We can start considering the transplant." "I just jerked off." "So, what?" "It's good, it exercises the erection." "In your times, they said it'd make you blind." "What's wrong?" "It bugs you that I still do it at the age of 37?" "You would have too, but you died at 27 , and I outlived you." "37 to 27!" "I've already outlived you by ten years." "What's wrong?" "Wanna play the staring game?" "Come on!" "Beach towels?" "Bathing suits?" " Guitar?" " Got it." "Weed?" "What weed!" "Can't forget this Mary Jane!" " It's impossible to find..." " Sure!" "Let's tell the world we use heavy drugs!" "Heavy to digest." "Run in a single file line, fools!" "Condoms?" "Number of condoms Baygon will use this weekend?" "Zero!" "Incompetents!" " Juvenile enthusiasm?" " Piss off!" "Everything we didn't do that weekend?" "Everything." "Ever hear someone going to Rimini say "I'm going to the beach"?" "No, they always say "I'm going to Rimini"." "Because this is the beach." "And this is Rimini." "Rimini, Riccione and Cattolica, 16 million people each year," "80,000 hotel rooms that pant together during the summer." "They are Rimini's breath." "The densest concentration of discos in Europe." "There's ballroom and hard-core techno." "It's like a mirror, you see what you ask for." "There are kiddy rides and all sorts of sexual opportunities." "Various spiritual revival groups and all kinds of drugs, old and new." "There's a dolphin pool and all types of casinos." "Pedal boats and internet access in the bathrooms." "There are solariums on the beach, aquatic games 100 meters from the water," ""Baywatch" style lifeguard towers, radio and TV from all over Italy, there for the entire summer." "This and more, coz Rimini's like the blues:" "inside, there's everything." "THURSDAY:" "FIRST DAY" "Zanni is the best." "Same shit hole as always!" "He hasn't even changed the layout of the beds." "I'll take the one by the window again coz you guys have no clue what hygiene means." "You love our smell, you joker!" "Baygonian stink is incompatible with the human race." "They could have put up a nice plaque:" ""Here on July 31, 1980" "Benassi Giovanni AKA Giove consummated for the first time."" "Maybe Zanni hasn't changed the sheets since then." "What about the second time?" "Was it the first or the first and last?" "Gentlemen, Baygon, the greatest comedian of the year 2000." "I'm in the company of a herd of geniuses." "We have to relive it all like we did." "All in the same room again." "I say it's unlikely, but what if we get some action..." ""Me first", "No, me first!" and the others?" "Sleep on the pedal boat!" "I wonder what the girls are like after 20 years." "Lara no problem, but I don't know if I'd recognize the other three." "When they see what dumps you've become!" "They'll head right back to Rome." "One won't go back coz she's from Rimini." "There's a problem, auntie Fabrizia." "Marta, after doing what she did with Baygon..." "Rocco Siffredi, you lucked out!" "You're lucky I never managed to get into the porn world!" "If I had... ..I would have made a laughing stock of you!" "Where are we meeting the girls?" "Don't know , Napoleon made all the plans." "Beer at Angelo's?" "Beer at Angelo's." "It's still Angelo's but it's not the same anymore." "The beer isn't the same either." " The bill, please." " Right away." "One..." "Two..." "Three." "These forty year olds!" "YOU HA VE NO FUCKING F AITH!" "SCORE: 4." "Same place where we met them." "Don't make me cry!" "Same place..." "everything's changed!" "We've become everyone's uncles." "Can we get some Gloria Gaynor and Barry White?" "Hot Chocolate, a slow song!" "I'll pay for a slow song by Chicago!" "Cindy Crawford, get over yourself!" "I was doing you a favor!" "You're the worst here!" "Here he is!" "Wait..." "Caterina, Lara and Carmen." "You won the doll!" "What are you wearing?" "We're dressed in... athletic gear." "You're babes!" "Better than 20 years ago." "Yes, but hands off." "And Marta?" "She didn't come." "What?" "Did she know I'd be here?" "Yes, she knew." "I'm unforgettable." "Betta." "This is Betta." "She's private property!" "An epic beginning." "I have all of Rimini at my feet." "It's crazy here, want to go to the beach?" "I'm good for the beach." "Libero's on his way out anyway." "In Rimini, there's always a longing for California." "These are the surfers." "They're kind of nuts, as if there are waves here?" "They're nice though, they sleep in this old campsite." "Occasionally they host parties like this one, as soon as they see a tiny wave, they catch it!" " This is Cosmo." " Hi, Caterina." " Everything fine?" " Yes." "These are some friends." "Cosmos's the head surfer." " You all surf?" " Naturally!" "Wanna drink?" "Surf is possible in Rimini." "We'll show those bastards who don't believe us." "Us surfing..." "like hell!" "Finally!" "Now that we're comfortable..." "First off," "I want to say something important:" "you're assholes." "20 years ago, we spent some fun days together." "Then all of a sudden..." "you disappeared." "You dissed us on Saturday," "I remember it well, without even saying goodbye." "We didn't hear from you for 20 years." "Not a letter, a call..." "Now you plan another weekend, you call us to celebrate the twentieth anniversary," "as if we were ready and waiting." "She's saying we're presumptuous shitheads?" "Are apologies sufficient after 20 years?" "No?" "We'll apologize anyway." "We didn't think you'd accept our invitation." "But the whole point is we're here to do everything we didn't do back then." "Because that weekend needs to be completed." "Planned middle-aged getaway." "Really cute!" "Give me your picture, I'll make a poster of it." " To use as a dartboard?" " No, I had something else in mind." "We don't know each other, we hung out for a few days" "Let's keep it that way." " I have a proposition." " No!" "Giove's scoreboard, no!" "Let's not tell morbid stories about the past 20 years, of what was and what was not, or what should have been." "Let's skip these 20 years." "We'll make it brief." "Each of us says:" "marital status, job, and the score you give your present life." " The score?" " From 0 to 10." "I wrote him a prescription, but, no use." "Family, job, score." "I've been married for 8 years," "I have two kids, one is 6 and one 2." "Nursery school teacher." " Score?" " Yes." "7..." "I've been married for 4 years, no kids." "I handle automobile claims." "Score... 7." "Minus... minus." "I'm divorced," "I have a 13 year old daughter and I'm a social worker." "Score... ..9." "I'm the same as 20 years ago." "And since I'm unforgettable, you already know my story:" "I'm still a workman, others rate me, especially the ladies." "Besides for one stupid friend who didn't return to Rimini, it's usually a high score." "I..." "I still like men." "I live with a guy who's more a friend than a partner." "I'm a general practitioner." "Score... ..8!" "Minus." "8 minus, please!" "Unlike Biccio, I still don't like men." "I live with the present, Betta Mancini," "I cook for a company cafeteria." "My score?" "Between 6 and 7." "I like men also." "At the moment I live with Carmen Fiorilli." "I study, rarely, Literature." "My score is... ..definitely a 10." "Bullshit!" "A bunch of bullshit, not one zero?" "Bullshit or not, let's toast with donuts!" "Give us this day our daily warm donut, freshly baked... from Loris?" "From Loris, every day." "Sir General, when will you fill us in on the plans?" "On your beds you'll find the first informative memo." " Where are you staying?" " What do you mean?" "!" "Pension Ambra, where else?" "And you?" "Pension Fiorella, where else?" "Guys, where should we sleep?" "Here!" "FRIDAY:" "SECOND DAY" "Martino?" "Excuse me, are you Martino?" "Who are you?" "You're the greatest!" "After 20 years, still searching for things with a metal detector." "Why, you do something better?" "Find anything?" "Two bracelets." "A Rolex yesterday." "Some fool went swimming with a Rolex on!" "Nowadays they have night events so I have to get up early to search before the hoards wake up." "I've gotta go, I have to reach Riccione." "Stay cool." "What?" "Stay cool." "Youths!" "Actually, ex-youths!" "Speak for yourself." "Good morning." "Where did we leave off?" ""11: 00 PM, Giove's birthday." It's your birthday?" "No." "It's Libero's memo." "You're invited too." "I was saying" "I expected to find a plaque here." "For my first time." "Didn't you notice?" "Kind of, but it was almost my first time too." "Is it morbid for us to talk about the past 20 years also?" "Very morbid and lengthy." "I think it'll be quick." "That?" "Still important?" "Yes, very." "Did you do anything, a CD, a recording?" "I played for me." "Did that suffice?" "I made it suffice." "I play the blues." "How come?" "A guy in my group says the blues are like peyote, you don't find it, it finds you." ""The blues were born from oppression, it's a means of escape." "When you sing it, daily miseries are less felt." "Billy Boy Arnold."" "Are you sure about that 7 you gave your life?" "It was 7 minus, minus." "I don't know why I make this music." "No one listens to it." "But to me it's like the most complete music that exists." "It's simple music, three cords in twelve measures." "But just playing it, doesn't make the blues." "It really bores me." "Just like 120% of the world population." "Usually people carry photos of their kids in their wallets." "Why didn't you have any?" "You can't?" "Everyone always asks if we can't!" "Yes we can, at least I think so." "But we're happy this way." "Sorry." "And you?" "You and your husband?" "Are you in love?" "Not a good topic for 2 people who are about to make love." "Sorry, you're right." "By the way... ..would you mind if we didn't do anything?" "We saw "Suspiria" at the outdoor theater, hand in hand!" "Two real perverts." " 2,200 liras." " No inserts, thanks." "It's still 2,200 liras." "Without inserts, it costs only 1,500 liras." "Give me 2,200 liras or leave." "I want to keep myself informed, "Ia Repubblica" pays for the inserts," "I don't want them, I pay for the paper only." "There's another newsstand nearby." "Leave me in ignorance." "1,950 liras and only one insert." " Goodbye." " 1,700 liras just the paper?" " It's the end of July for me too." " Deal, 1,800 liras." "Are you absolutely sure?" " About what?" " About what's her face..." "About Carmen..." "She's a great gal." "But...?" "You don't know what you're missing!" " Know why they call me Baygon?" " I bet you'll tell me." "Because they say that my reproductive organ is like a can of insecticide." "It's not a merit, it's a fortune, I got lucky." "They made Viagra from my saliva." "You're breaking my concentration, you're making me laugh too." "You're sold, huh?" "You want me." "But it's true, you're assholes." "You never got in touch and you live an hour away." "You made an effort to not come back." "You and I had a lot of fun." "Well..." "Just kidding!" "Virile pride, you're so touchy!" "Silly." "You weren't there last night." "You have to tell me about your job, marital status, and the score you'd give your present life." "I remember we had fun." "It's all set, today, tomorrow." "You made me work like crazy." "Thank you." "Here we are." "It's perfect." "My stomach's working well." "I want to start smoking again." "I need surprises occasionally." "I have a shitty sensation, but I won't let it ruin the party." " How much longer?" " The time it takes." "What fun being the only one not knowing what's happening." "Thanks." " Birthdays should be like this." " It's not my birthday!" "Every day's your birthday in Rimini." "Stop." "Happy Birthday." "This huge stage is my gift?" "Thanks, you could've wrapped it." "How will I bring it home?" " What are you doing here?" " We came to play golf." "What do you think?" "Grab your tool." "Now I can say that at least once in my life" "I was a rock star too." "Thanks." "Why this gift?" "Everything we didn't do that weekend?" "Everything we didn't do." "Listen," "I watched you as you played your blues and something came to mind." "Do you think we were present enough?" "Did we make enough noise?" "Did anyone turn to look as we passed by or did we just pass by?" "Ciccio." "We haven't passed by." "We're still passing by." "Come on!" "We're here, you just gave me the concert of my life!" "Let's get depressed again." "We never got applause like that." "How much did the claque cost you?" "I only paid 30 of them, the rest clapped voluntarily." "We were free." "Good job, but boring music!" "Don't say that, or he'll start with the purity of the blues, the completeness of blues, then it'll really get boring!" "How about a score for Giove?" "Thanks, shitheads!" "The show of my life and you don't even give me an average score!" "Now, 20 years later, can we have a rematch?" "Want to be humiliated again?" "We'll talk about humiliation after." "Our team is Carmen and Betta." "The team of the century!" "Ours is still the same." "I'm wearing flip flops!" " Let's give them a doping test." " Give yourself one!" "Did you eat a brake?" "Your friends make us look like losers." "Enough now." "Enough what?" "Enough." " Biccio!" " What is it?" "Consolation prize." "Look out, I'm getting old." "Strong emotions are bad for me." " It's not my birthday either." " You're so pathetic!" "What's this supposed to mean?" "Giove's birthday was on a cool stage and mine's in that shit hole, Pension Ambra?" "Tell me it's a joke." "Tell me you're kidding, guys!" "You'll be beautiful." "Libero?" "I bet you seized the opportunity to kiss me." "Fuck you!" "We'll leave now..." " This is serious!" " No!" "Every single thing we didn't do that weekend, huh?" "Knock it off?" " Shut off the light." " My ass." "SA TURDAY :" "THIRD DAY" "We can do it!" "At age 35 you realize something:" "until 30 you're part of the talked about generation." "You always hear about what you and your generation think." "What you ingest, listen to, read, believe in." "But especially, what you buy." "After 30 you're no longer part of a generation, you're just one of the others who's guilty of something." "You've merely become a less interesting consumer." "Are you two glued together?" "Can't detach yourselves?" " You're so old." " Talk about molasses." "Old..." "Midway this way of life we're bound upon." "Too bad the more amusing part has already gone by." "Prescription time." "Prozac for Baygon." "Do you mind if we don't do anything?" "From 0 to 10." "Zero:" "life took you where it wanted." "Ten:you took life where you wanted." "Zero:" "life took me where it wanted." "Ten:" "I took my life where I wanted." "Seven." "Four." "I'll admit, you're not that bad." "But I have a theory." "Let's hear it." "You're trying to flee from real life." "This is my real life, baby girl." "Real and perfect." "You're in good shape considering you spent 20 years in Rimini." "But you... ..not as good." "How sweet." "Hey, Libero, jokes aside..." "Are you sure you're okay?" "Why, are you sure about anything?" "Actually are you still sure about anything?" "That you'll never get ill, and neither will your parents?" "Are you still sure you're of use to someone?" "You haven't held up well at all." "Zero:" "nothing went as planned." "Ten:everything went as planned." "It's obvious there's something wrong." "I know a lot of people your age, all jaded." "Maybe you do this to cover up the fact that you're jaded." "Isn't my girl a jewel?" "Enough of this Peter Pan stuff!" "Never grow up, stay young forever.." "Maybe they're all excuses to lay it on heavy." "We lay it on heavy!" "I'm almost 40, I pay ta'es." "Who represents me?" "Who'll speak for me?" "Who'll even listen to me?" " You don't pay ta'es." " Piss off!" "Why does the sun set over the houses in Rimini?" "It should set over the fucking sea!" "Why do you always turn things upside down?" "Zero: the world is against you." "Ten:you and only you are your worst enemy." "Nine." "Nine." "Zero: we'll meet again in 20 years." "Ten:this weekend will never end." "Alright!" "See, we are still passing by?" "Do they still have those buses that take people to the clubs?" "There are ten lines." "The one that goes to the "Cocorico"?" " What do you want to know?" " The route it takes." "And if you can sweet talk the driver." "Then you'll have to host me when they banish me from here." "We're going to "Cocorico", the trendiest disco of the Riviera." "This is a preparatory trip and it's free only if you let us help you." "Or else we'll toss you out." "To start, I'll introduce you to the twins of the village, who will prepare you by teaching you some new steps." "The twins of the village!" " Baygon." " What is it?" "I get to have a birthday, when it's not my birthday too." " Happy Birthday, Baygon." " At the Ambra again." " Let me see." " What is it?" "You're fine." "Go ahead..." "Happy Birthday Baygon." "It's not my birthday." "What should I do?" "Fuck you, the scores, and me for hanging out with you!" "He's all nervous." "Carmen and Betta have never been to Venice together." "Venice it is." "What are you doing with that guitar?" "Joking!" "What a sweet pest." "That Baygon..." "Four's a lot!" "Wonder how it feels." "Speaking of which, is the nickname story true?" "Curious kid!" " Marta said no." " He's convinced, though." "It should always be like this." "Nothing..." "Time for scores." "No, please, you're a pain!" "They inoculated me with the virus when I was young." "Okay, scoring!" "What moment in your life would you give a 10 to?" "I'll be going..." "Who says we're telling the truth during these games?" "No one, but no one's forcing you." "The one thing I'd give a 10 to in my life, and I know you'll boo me," "are my kids." "I knew it." "But it's true, 10 to my two kids." "Mr. Scoreboard, I refuse to explain." "Don't have to." "I give a 10 to the day I hit my father." "I was 16," "I was dating Milena, she was 19." "My father hated the fact that I was a lesbian." "Once he found out, he tried to control me, when I'd come home at night" "he'd smell me to see if I had a woman's scent on me." "If I did, he'd let me have it." "With a belt." "He was pathetic." "He tried to set me up with these losers from my neighborhood." "I found him more pitiful than frightening." "One night, he smelled Milena's scent on me." "He started beating me with a belt, really hard, with the buckle and all." "Then I ripped the belt from his hands and started hitting him." "You know , he started crying." "But from that day on he began to respect me." "He considered me the son he never had." "All I know is right now , I want to give a nice 10 to this lady." "I give a 10 to my birth date." "I love my birth date, I was born on April 1st." "I'm an April fool's joke." "My mom told me that when she was having contractions dad wasn't there." "The grandparents brought her to the hospital." "They called him, but he didn't show up." "He thought it was a joke." "It actually was!" "I give my cancer a 10." "Sorry, what did I say!" "I mean, I don't have it anymore." "I'm cured." "But I did have it." "Beside for the fear and the physical pain, the chemo you see yourself in the mirror" "with thinning hair, disgusting skin, with expressions" "that you'd rather not have." "Basically, you feel like shit." "To top it off, as a morale booster, I was fired." "What did my saint of a husband do?" "He left me." "He said he couldn't deal with it, poor thing." "He got together with a bitch who's making his life hell." "He still doesn't know what he lost." "Because... ..when I was cured, bit by bit, slowly, growing closer to my daughter," "it's like... ..as a kid, when you have the world to discover." "First I was caged in, not really living, just getting by, not realizing the beauty of things, not seeing them." "But now, I do realize it, and I remember it." "They won't fuck me over again!" "I give a 10 to September 9, 1979." "That day Ferrari won its eighth championship with Jody Scheckter." "That same day, Valentina Ferrari, note, homonym," "Political Science student, weaned this 16 year old, bringing him into the world of men." "Not before having given me the umpteenth politics lecture." "That day," "9-9-'79," "I was absolutely sure, that with politics, with a political idea," "you could change the world." "The idea that we could be happy only if others were too." "That day, I was so sure of this idea, that I remained convinced for many years." "Giove, play us some blues." "Play us the blues about things that don't happen." "Whatever you have in mind, please don't do it." "What?" "I can't celebrate my friends' birthdays?" "Birthdays are fine, you know what I'm talking about." "I don't know , why don't you tell us?" "Please don't do it." "Weren't you gonna play the blues?" "I'm sick of Venice, let's go back to Rimini?" "I think I know why you always run, why you always jog." "Because you don't want it to catch up with you." "They won't get us." "The big 40 won't get to us." "Bill Gates won't get us." "They won't get at us with surveys that don't get us." "And old bullshit won't get to us." "Not even new nostalgia." "They promised us a great future, and then took it from us, and said "sorry"" "and that's it." "They don't take us seriously but they never really have." "They've always taken us for April fool's jokes even when expected, even when you know." "They won't easily get us, not with their haste, or with their "silence means yes", we've never been silent." "They won't get us." "They won't try to anymore." "They won't ask what we're doing here anymore, in our running shoes." "Roaming free in a free world." "Free will to say on my own how I make use of myself" "how..." "..how." "They won't put us in costume and they won't steal our energy." "We think still believing in it, is not a horrible sickness." "They won't change our ticket, they won't change our mind, we've always been the ones they said "had already gone"." "They won't get us and they won't try to anymore, they won't ask what we're doing here anymore, in our underwear." "Roaming Free" "in a free world." "Free will to say on my own how I make use of myself." "Roaming free with no head start," "free will to say on our own what we've lost if anything..." "The big 40 won't get to us and Bill Gates won't get us and they won't get at us with surveys that don't get us." "And old bullshit won't get to us, not even new nostalgia, they promised us a great future, then took it from us and that's it." "They don't take us seriously, but they never really have, they've always taken us for April fool's jokes..." "Fabiana!" "For over 20 years I've played the blues, and only written 1 song which has nothing to do with the blues." "Good night." " Don't start acting like auntie." " How are you?" "Take a guess?" "What do you think?" "From 0 to 10?" " How many were there?" " One, but well built." "I wouldn't have hit on him if he weren't well built." "Happens more and more, hitting on the wrong guys." "Happens more and more that I hit on guys period." "Pimp stick?" "Since when do I smoke?" "If you don't start now , you never will." "You're dumb enough to have started again?" "Today." "I have to tell you something, I never have." "You're awesome." "You have to be, to show who you really are in a small country like ours." "Years of idiotic jokes, insults, mockery." "Knowing that it'll never change, and they'll never stop." "It must have been tough work-wise too." "Well... ..I admire you." "What did you say?" "What did you say?" "You heard me." "Thank you." " Can we finally kiss?" " No." "Just the tip of the tongue, a little one, come on I'm hurt." "Know when it gets tough?" "When you feel 40 nearing." "And you know that young guys need a reason to be with you." "Then you get the urge to have a family, to have someone to grow old with." "It's really tough when you start wanting a child." "You can't imagine how much I want one." "You have no idea." "Now, before I become a grandfather." "You can, why don't you have one?" "Or can't you?" "Everyone asks if we can't." "If you don't have one by 35, you can't have them." "I don't have one, it's a choice." "It's a choice." "It'll be morning soon." "Are you ready?" "No." "Let's try to sleep on it." "Easy." "Will you be okay?" "Our bodies are touching." "Are you trying to hit on me?" "I'm cold." "Even on August 2." "Even in Rimini." "10:15 TV ROOM, AM BRA" "SUNDAY :" "LAST DAY" "Twenty years ago, at this time, the Bologna train station was gutted by a bomb." "One of the darkest moments in our country's history." "It was 10:25 of August 2 1980, the entire peninsula, while relaxing and vacationing, was struck by an utterly violent act." "For the last time, don't do it, Libero." "Haven't you hung up enough photos?" "Stop with this performance." "Birthdays, photos..." "What is it?" "Are you very subtly saying that Mirko's always with us?" "Fuck you!" "You can't make me feel guilty, not even on this anniversary." "It's not our fault." "Get it in your fucking head!" "If they planted a bomb, if Mirko was there," "if we were here, it is not our fault." "You're right, it was his own fault." "It was his fault he was 16, had no driving license," "had a job already and was responsible." "That's why he could only come to Rimini on Saturday." "It was Saturday that day." "Whoever did the job, planned it well." "Because on August 2nd it was a given that the Bologna train station would be packed." "Maybe he was there on a bench, with those hideous sandals, with his bathing suit under his pants." "Thinking that maybe he too, even though he was a loser, would have made love for the first time." "I spoke with his parents." "They brought him to the station." "His mother, as always, said "take care..."" "His dad told him to not be too much of an ass." "They kissed him and know what he said to them?" "He said:" ""Don't worry"." "After an hour on the highway, in southern Modena" "they heard an enormous explosion." "In southern Modena!" "What do you think?" "You have the exclusive on his friendship?" "We all spoke to his parents." "We all felt the way we felt." "It's been twenty years." "Twenty years!" "What do you want from us?" "I thought we were here to complete that fucking weekend." "That it'd be easier to forget while here." "Nothing can be forgotten!" "Nothing can be forgotten!" "But you can't allow a bomb to slowly kill you." "Fine," "Mirko was there alone." "What would you have wanted?" "That we'd have been there too?" "Happy Birthday, Mirko." "The biggest loser I was with, a guy from Ferrara who said:" ""Honey, I feel it rising!"" "This happened a long time ago, the only time I was with a guy." "All he said:" ""I'm ejaculating!"" " No way!" " I swear!" "He said "Baby, I'm ejaculating!"" "Enjoy your lunch!" " Give me a glass of wine." " We don't have any." " We have over 40 types of beer." " You drink it, I asked for wine." "I don't have any." "Why beer and not wine?" "Liverpool, put your hands elsewhere." "Actually, why don't you put yourself elsewhere?" "What did you come here for?" "You could go drink your beer in Portobello." "Nothing's fucking alright!" "We speak Italian here, we drink Italian here!" "Go get air." "Go back to Manchester, sponges." "No fighting here, got it?" "You haven't answered me yet." "What are you fucking doing here?" "11:00 PM:" "MISANO RACE TRACK LIBERO'S BIRTHDAY" " Get dressed, let's go." " Who do you think I am?" "Someone you can call once every 20 years and masturbate with like that?" "You think that's what I am?" "Lara, please, let's go." "Why did you disappear 20 years ago?" "Why are you different today?" "Was that cheap sex before, trying to convince me that's all we have?" "Well it didn't work, because I know what we have." "Please..." "Excuse me." "Come with me, I'm worried." "Is this a goodbye?" "We'll meet again in 20 years?" "Tell me." "At Misano they hold a Russian roulette with cars." "A guy named Festival organizes it, he bribes the guards and then hosts this event which is more of a show than an actual race." " Like a rave." " What kind of race is it?" "They call it Russian roulette just for folklore, no one's ever gotten hurt." "Each contestant is given a battle name." "My friend told me that a 35 year old from Reggio Emilia signed up, they named him "Grandpa", usually they're younger." "He called us to Misano, it's him." "That's why I came to get you." "I hadn't heard from him all day, an hour ago he called and said:" ""Hi"." "I said: "What's up?"" "He said: "Bye" and hung up." "Can't you go faster?" " Faster?" " You wanna drive?" "Festival!" "Caterina, you're here too?" "Let them through." "In tonight's race there's a skinny, 35 year old named Libero." " "Grandpa"." "He's next." " He can't race." "You're the blues player." "I saw you the other night, you're not bad." "But that music sucks ass." ""Grandpa" can't race, sure he can!" "He can't even ride a tricycle!" "He'll screw it all up!" "We run a check on the contestants." " "Grandpa" can race." " He'll kill himself!" "He'll crash your car, you'll lose out." "Do you know that bets are placed from all over the coast?" "Hundreds of cell phones are relaying the results, real money." "Not spare change from these losers..." "A crashed car?" "We can afford it." "I'll race instead of him." "I don't know who the fuck you are." "In Rimini, a show has to be worth the price of the ticket." "Your friend didn't tell you anything?" "He signed up four months ago and bugged me every week for a confirmation." "Can't you make an exception?" "Just this time!" "Everyone has his own reason for doing this." "To race on a real track, to get 15 minutes of fame, or some babe's phone number." "They don't come here to die." "We call it Russian roulette to attract more people but no one's ever gotten hurt." "When it gets too intense, they ease off the accelerator." "Your friend's been old enough to decide for himself for 20 years." "So what the fuck do you want from me?" "If anything happens, I'll get you." "Libero!" "Look at me!" "Don't move." "Don't move, quit being an ass, let's go!" "What are you doing there?" "That's no place for you!" "No fucking place for you!" "We're doing "The Deer Hunter"." "Ten!" "Enough, come on!" "Don't be an ass!" "Kick ass, "Grandpa"!" "Four curves, then we'll buy you drinks for a year." "Three curves left, then you're free to crash." "Shut up, jerk!" "Who the fuck is this?" "James Dean-in-my-ass, what the fuck do you want?" "207!" ""Grandpa" is about to take off!" "Take your foot off." "Take your fucking foot off the gas!" "You're an ass!" "Fuck you!" "You're a dickhead!" ""Dear Giove, if you're reading this, it means the Russian roulette went badly, someone looked in my bag, found this letter and gave it to you." "I promise I'll try not to crash, but Russian roulette is what it is." "I deserve to be a rock star for a night too, right?" "Is it more courageous to face death or life?" "Depends." "Hard to say if you've played Russian roulette for 20 years." "When they hook you up to a dialysis machine two times a week, every week, it's hard to plan ahead." "Imagine, my parents even called me Libero, "free"!" "Pretty funny." "Isn't it?" "According to Chinese medicine, energy comes from the kidneys." "I was supposed to have another transplant." "Should I accept another transplant of someone else's energy?" "Somebody, maybe Oscar Wilde, said that being immature means being perfect." "You grow up, you can do it, I'll keep my 10." "I'll go see where 16 year old boys who get blown up by a bomb, end up." "If I find him, I'll tell him how these last 20 years were and he'll decide if he missed out on anything." "Say bye to the others." "Don't bring me flowers, if anything, bring beers and tell me about the latest bullshit you've done." "Have a good life, partner!"" "Rimini's about an hour away, but I don't go there often." "It's better to take it in small doses, because there's everything, but frankly it's too much." "With Lara..." "I don't know." "With Carmen, Betta and Caterina, we may meet again in 20 years." "We'll be over 50." "It's funny and creepy." "I guess we'll keep in shape and who comes, comes." "I've got many friends, but only have two real ones left." "The third one left like a dickhead, after the night of our lives." "He wanted to make sure we wouldn't forget him." "We never would have, shithead." "Those other two are still here." "If you take'em, I'm still offering a nudie calendar... ..from last year." "I have a hand made English hi-fi." "American speakers." "I have a '67 Telecaster, recently acquired." "It's cost me loads, but I seem to play the blues better with it." "I have 42 days of vacation." "I still have my ID card in my pocket." "You know why." "I need to rest." "I have a few things to tell my wife, if I manage to." "Sometimes I'm afraid, like we all are." "I'm 35 years old, fuck!" "I'm entitled to just"