"Maria Enders will not be doing Jakarta." "Or Lima." "No, no." "Yes, it's okay for Annie Leibovitz to shoot; but just for that one day." "And in New York, like we agreed?" "Yes, I know it will be tight." "I'm sorry about that." "Um..." "Hey, you... you're gonna have to excuse me." "I have to jump to another call." "Get, get back to me by tomorrow, alright?" "Okay." "Hello?" "Yes, this is Valentine, Maria per...uh..." "Maria..." "Maria Enders' personal assistant." "Yeah, we, we received the date of the hearing, but... she will not be in Paris that day." "We, we told the lawyer two times." "She's the one who filed for divorce." "Why would she be holding things up?" "That's, that's ridiculous." "Okay." "Well, we're gonna..." "Hel..." "Hello?" "I'm sorry." "We're, we're, we're in..." "Hello?" "I'm sorry, I can barely..." "We're, we're just..." "we're, we're on a train, and I'm not sure if I..." "Fuck!" "Hello?" "Aaahh." "No, I still can't." "I um..." "We're in the Alps." "There's tons of mountains and tunnels, and I..." "Yeah..." "Did you read this article about Google and users' private information?" "It's... disgraceful." "They're too powerful." "Thanks." "So, I have no service in here because of all the tunnels." "But, I did reach Gwen." "She said that she's gonna take the "X-Men" thing off IMDB." "I did one." "That was enough." "Nor am I playing Nemesis again." "Well, they have to do it now because uh... everyone's blogging about it already." "Yeah, I'm sick of acting hanging from wires in front of green screens." "I've outgrown it." "Fans are gonna be devastated." "Oh, did you speak to um..." "What's his name?" "Uh..." " Urs." " Urs, Urs Cobler?" " Yeah." " Is the genda set for tonight?" "Yeah, you're all set." "You have just the three interviews." "And then this presentation of the award, and the official dinner." "He's gonna meet us at the train station and starts to take us to the Dolder... der..." "Dolder." "That, that's where you want to stay, right?" "I've written the first draft." "Wanna hear it?" "Sure." ""I'm very honored that Wilhelm Melchior asked me to accept the prize you're awading him tonight." "As you all know, he decided a long ago to stay away from all public events." "Not because he's shy or proud, he's a modest and generous man." "But, he insists on protecting the peace and quiet he needs to write." "I wish that I could promise you all that" "I, myself, would place this prize in hands." "But, Wilhelm has forbidden me to do so." "He asked me to join him, tomorrow in Sils Maria, where he lives for part of the year, but on one condition:" "That I come empty-handed." "If I'm here tonight, it's because I owe everything to him." "He chose an unknown 18 year old actress for the lead in the play you've all known:" "Maloja Snake, and then for the film." "That unknown actress who played Sigrid was me." "In two months of shooting, he gave me everything" "I needed to build..." "build a career on:" "My career." "Up to here, it's fine and then it's all downhill to fragments." "You want me to finish it for you?" "No, I am the one who has to pay tribute to him." "I have to find my own words." "If I'm stuck, I'll ask you, okay?" "So, Mappy says it's gonna take about two and a half hours to get to Sils Maria from Zurich." "We have a driver." "Um..." "Also, I texted Wilhelm's wife." "She hasn't gotten back to me yet." "That's not like Rosa." "You sure I use, is it the right number?" " CREEP'S LAWYER" " Urgh!" "Perhaps, I should take this." "Good evening, dear master." "I told your client, my future ex-husband." "I can not come to the meeting, quite simply because I'm abroad." "I know he wants to buy my share of the apartment." "And I offered him a very reasonable price, right?" "Check-out the average price per square yard in the 7th district." "Yes, I am indulgent, but I'm not stupid." "I know that I'd lose out." "I have to talk to you." "You know the law better than I do, right?" "Nobody is being forced to stay in that area." "I know, I heard." "Just a second ago." "Um..." "I know, I know." "I haven't told her yet." "But, um..." "As soon as I can, okay?" "I got it." "Yeah." "If your client wants to sell and split up the money, I have no problem with that." "We'll give it to an agency tomorrow and see what the market's like." "WILHEM HAS DIED" "Yeah, there's really nothing on the net yet, Just..." "Just this press release, and um... comments." "What kind of comments?" "Hmm, you do not want to know..." "They're stupid." "It just says, you know..." "From Zorglub228:" ""I thought he died a while ago." "Besides, he hasn't written anything of interest in 20 years."" "WiseGuy666:" ""Nobody pays much attention to writers,"" ""People die all over the world and no-one ever mentions them."" "ZoraRose:" ""Didn't know who this guys was." But, offers her condolences to the family." "So, I-I spoke to Urs Kobler." "We canceled the press, obviously." "Menor can help me get it tonight." "It's, it's gonna be really... different." "It'll be gloomy" "Official and stiff." "Everything Wilhelm hated." "Yeah, people are gonna be sad." "What do you expect?" "He's..." "He's dead." "If I wanted to be true to him, I'd turn around and go home." "I think you'll find the words once you're there." "I think they'll come naturally." "I think..." "I know." "Who could do him justice better than you?" "A stranger?" "You love him." "That's different." "I love him." "I know so little about him." "Um, you know, you know what I mean." "If you want to be true to him,... you have to spear on." "Hello?" "Um... sure." "Yeah, we're on a train, so we might lose you, but I'll..." "I'll ask her." " It's France Inter." " Oh, God." "You kinda have to." "I'm sorry." "Yes." "Yes, with Maria Enders." "Yes, I know." "Thanks." "WILHEM MELCHIOR" "A sequel to Maloja Snake?" "Yes, he talked about it." "He wanted me to play Sigrid 20 years later." "But, I do not know what he had in mind." "He was very vague;" "so I dont really know his idea." "I regret it." "Of course, I am sorry." "Rosa just called." "I, I'll call her right back." "She's actually not gonna be available 'til tonight." "She's really busy." "She..." "She's supposed to go to the morgue." "You find out everything?" "Yeah." "Um..." "Wilhem was home..." "in Sils Maria." "Rosa went for a check-up in Basel." "She thinks that he was home all day writing, as usual, went for a late afternoon walk, but she called to check on him, and couldn't get through." "So she got worried, and sent the neighbors over." "Doors were locked." "The lights were out." "He wasn't home." "When did they find him?" "Late afternoon, like in the middle of nowhere..." "They think it was a heart attack." "It's so exciting having you here." "Nice." "The cockroaches must've taken a later train." "Join us at the hotel." "Yes, see you there." "You are uh..." "at a loss for words." "I have to say, my first reaction was to head right back." "I understand." "We were wondering is that should we move forward or... cancel everything?" "You know, here in Switzerland, we are not big on public displays of anything." "Especially grief." "This should have been a celebration." "And now it will be a posthumous homage." "It's gonna generate the kind of press that we do not want." "We'll try to keep them at distance." "Paparazzi are gonna be all over her." "You realize that, right?" "I have to think it over." "Everything's hitting me at once;" "so, I, I, I,..." "I don't know." "Of course." "That's why we invited Henryk Wald." "Henryk Wald?" "!" "Yes." "He's devastated as well;" "but, he agreed to hop on a plane to be with us tonight." "If you prefer not to accept the prize, Henryk can do it." "It's up to you." "He's associated with Wilhelm's theatre." "Most of the plays were written for him." "You don't appreciate him?" "We did two films together." "No, we didn't get along very well." "But, I'm glad he's here." "He and Wilhelm were very close and Rosa likes him a lot." "He's a..." "a great actor." "Yeah." "One last question..." "Oh God, I forgot to tell you these things, right?" "Chanel." "Chanel." "The press attaché from Chanel is waiting for you at the hotel, to try on your gown." " You don't have to." " No, you do not have to." "You can turn this off?" "And no fruit." "Thank you." "Okay, all good." "Thank you." "So, what do you think?" "Will she stay?" "Yeah, she'll... she'll stay." "Because if not, I have to change the tickets." "I know, she'll stay." "Trust me." "Thank you." "I can't deal with this." "It's impossible." "I'll never find the right words." "His body isn't even cold yet, and everybody wants a piece of him." "Starting with Henryk Wald, of course." "Of course he'd be happy to accept the prize." "The premier could just not see him." "Henryk?" "Why are you still so upset with him?" "I have no reason to have stopped being upset with him." "So, he was, like, in love with you or something?" "Not at all." "He was just uh... furious I didn't give in to him." "He's perverse, violent." "He hits women." "He likes to humiliate them." "Look it up on the internet." "I thought we despised the internet." "Caroline?" "Hey." "Valentine." "Hello" " Hi." " Hi." "Thanks for agreeing to do this." "I know this must be really difficult for you." "Uh, this is Berndt." " Oh, hi." " Hi." "Very pleased to meet you." " Nice to meet you." " You know, those really... thrashy photos I showed you of Lindsay Lohan?" "This guy's responsible." "But, I'll try to be more elegant today." "It's Rosa." "Am I bothering you?" "I just wanted to tell you... to thank you." "It's good that you are there." "It's good... that you're accepting the prize." "It's what Wilhelm wanted." "Henryk?" "No, he couldn't know." "What he thought of Henryk?" ""The less he understands, the better he is." "When he understands nothing, he's excellent!"" "I would like to give your a hug, but,..." "I'm leaving." "I can't stand being alone in Sils." "It's too difficult." "But, there is something I..." "want you... and... only you... to..." "to know..." "So, he knew about the illness for very long time?" "Did the autopsy say what he swallowed?" "Oh, I see." "He left nothing to chance." "Beautiful." "Turn your body a bit sideways, please?" "Yep." "Chin, chin up a little bit, please." "Thank you." "Great." "Yep." " Maria?" " Hmm?" "Sorry, it's uh..." " your future ex." " A little bit." "Alright." " Hold on a second." " Right, right." "Okay." "Hello?" "Hello?" "!" "Spare me the somber tone." "I'm not the one who died." "Yes, I know that Wilhelm's dead." "I'm in Zurich now." "Maria!" "Maria!" " This way!" " Maria!" " This way." " Maria!" "Maria!" " The press is all here." " I know." "Are we to put them all in?" "What you need to know is that we met very early at University, we proposed studying literature and theology." "Hey." "And I had the privilege of acting in all of his plays,... here and abroad." "He had become reclusive, mysterious, and inaccessible." "Wilhelm was the simplest man in the world." "He liked to ski in the winter, and go hiking in the summer." "Those are the fondest memories I have of him." "His later work depicts a bleak, destructive vision." "I acted in those plays." "It's true." "At times, I found them scary." "A sea of gray hair." "Completely." "So, uh..." "First, I say a few words." "I hope I'm up to the task." "And then I introduce Henryk." "Once he has finished, he asks you to join him on stage." "You introduce the film." "That's it." "I saw Wilhelm two weeks ago." "We went hunting." "He was his usual self." "There, but not there." "He mentioned the prize and said he wouldn't be attending." "I told him he'd miss an opportunity to see you." "I was on Long Island six months ago." "I spent a week with him and Rose." "I know." "I don't give a fuck that you know." "Henryk, you're almost on." " We should really go." " Would you excuse me?" "Of course, it's time." "We had an affair when we were shooting Maloja Snake." "Yeah, I couldn't tell." "Well, I was 18 and kinda dumb." "And he really took advantage." "After the shoot, I never heard from him." "It destroyed me." "I'm sure you've run into him since." "We made another film together afterwards." " Which one?" " Oh, you don't want to know." "Tolstoy adaptation." "German producers." "Who cares?" "Well ten years later, I was famous." "Then he was interested." "And he kept harassing me, calling me in the middle of the night." "I did not give in, and that he hated." "And he made me pay for it every single day of the shooting." "He was really amazing in that one movie, um..." "What is it called?" "He plays a..." "Soviet defector with, like, missile codes and shit?" " Um..." "You know?" " No Idea." "No, I don't know." "Never heard of it." "He's great in it." "He's so intense." "Especially, in the more physical scenes." "That stare..." "He is like, Ppp." "I like him." "Yeah, I kind of got it." "I mean, as an actor, I really like him." "And unfortunately, he has to leave tomorrow morning." "Henryk Wald!" "Thank you." "Ladies and gentlemen." "Four years ago, I was here on this stage... for the premiere of the Reichstag, by Wilhelm Melchior." "I did not know then that it would be his last work." "He sat in the third row and stared at me." "I had never acted so badly." "Maria, you're on in five minutes." "Wilhelm Melchior will always be with us,... through his works." " Maria, you wait in there." " I had the privilege to work for him... here in London and elsewhere." "So, I don't say "goodbye", only..." ""see you soon", Wilhelm." "Thank you, Henryk, for the beautiful tribute." "Let's now welcome an old friend of Wilhelm, who came just for this occasion." "Please, give your heartfelt applause for..." "Maria Enders." "Thank you." "Go get them, tiger." "Thank you very much." " Hi." " Good evening." "Welcome." "I'm honored to welcome you here." "I wish it had been under happier circumstances." "It's..." "It's great to celebrate his work, especially today." "I was eager that the city of Zurich pay tribute to him." "He was very grateful to you." "He told me so." "Hey." "She'll just be two seconds." "I'm sure she's gonna be thrilled to be relieved of officialdom." "You know that his last play was set in Zurich?" "Oh, yes." "He paints an idle portrait of our political class." "That's an understatement." "You should know." "Your character was evil." "Klaus Diesterweg is here to see you." "Excuse." "I'm sorry." "I already told him "no"." "He's here just to see you." "The project doesn't interest me, okay?" "He's a great director, just hear him out." "You don't have to do it." "He's probably the best for generation." "I know." "We saw the same production." "I mean, if you'd like to go on chatting with the Mayor and Henryk, then, be my guest." "No, thank you." "Hi, do you mind if I cut out for a bit?" " I'm just gonna go meet Berndt." " Berndt?" "The photographer." "I'm just gonna find somewhere a bit livelier." " This place hasn't had some." " Hmm." "No problem." "I don't plan to hang around." "Enjoy." "Thank you for finding some time for me." "It's a pleasure to meet you." " I hope you don't find me too insistent." " No, not at all." "I've seen quite a few of your productions." "I... enjoy them." "And..." "I know we'll find an opportunity to work together... in the future." "Give me one more chance." "Klaus..." "I played Sigrid in Maloja Snake... when he was 18." "For me, it was more than a role." "And... in some way, I am still Sigrid." "That's my point." "Sigrid seduces Helena..." "And it has nothing to do with being a lesbian, by the way." "I've always been straight." "That's not at all what I meant." "Sigrid is free..." "beyond everything, and... most of all, she's destructive," " unpredictable..." " I know." "And right or wrong, I've always identified with that freedom." "It's a way of uh... protecting myself." "Do you smoke?" "Uh, no, no." "I try not to." "And for you, Helena embodies the opposite?" "Helena's 40." "She runs a company." "She falls, head over heels, in love with a girl who doesn't love her." "And woos to suicide." "Yes, she's completely the opposite." "But, what is it that attracts Helena to Sigrid if they are so different?" "It's obvious." "Her youth." "Well, if you're telling me that I'm Helena's age now, yeah, you're right." "It's true." "But, that doesn't mean I can play her." "The way I see Helena is totally different." "Despite her Bourgeois life, despite her responsibilities, she's not the epitome of order." "And not at all, the opposite of Sigrid." "No, she is married, with children." "Her social life is a huge success," "And she sacrifices it all." "Yeah, she's destructive." "Sigrid reviles this hidden violence in Helena." "What a "hidden" or "tamed"?" "Time's gone by and she can't accept it." "Me, neither, I guess." "There's no antagonism." "It's the attraction of two women with the same wound." "Sigrid and Helena are one and the same person." "One and the same person." "That's what the play is about." "And because you were Sigrid, only you can be Helena now." "Hmm, how can you be so sure?" "You know as well as I do that Wilhelm Melchior... had been working on a sequel for years." "Yes." "But, it was about Sigrid at 40 years old." "No, it was about Sigrid, 20 years later became Helena." "So, who's gonna play Sigrid?" "Jo-Ann Ellis." "She did a super-hero movie that just opened in the States." "And besides that?" "Not much.." "She has nineteen." "She's a lot more interesting than her interviews and profiles." "She has a theatrical background." "She doesn't want to be swallowed-up by Hollywood." "She admires you and she's willing to pull out of her other commitments." "Well now, I've listened carefully." "But to be honest, um..." "the role scares me." "Helena scares me." "I'm in the middle of a divorce." "I feel alone and vulnerable." "Probably, too vulnerable to do this." "If you refuse, I understand; but,... it will be a missed opportunity." "Especially, for Wilhelm." "I should get going." "Must be nice..." "Excuse me;" "but, I won't be staying for dinner." "Good evening, Maria." "Klaus?" "I have another reason." "Susan Rosenberg." "She played Helena with me." "I remember Susan Rosenberg." "She died in a car accident a year after." "It's just a superstition, I've um... always associated her death with Helena's suicide." "She was a lousy actress who didn't understand a thing about the role," "And her conventional style of acting highlighted the modernity of your feal performance." "You should be grateful to her." "Please, sit down." "Excuse me." "Oh, is there a way of changing this?" "Put him uh..." "I'm, I'm sorry." "Oh, he's coming." "Thank you, sir." "You were with Klaus Diesterweg." "Are you going to accept his offer?" "What offer?" "You know." "He's a very good director." "If he offered me a role, I'd accept it on the spot." "So, that means, um..." "I should accept it?" "God, no!" "There's much talk about sequel of his." "Remember, he had never finished it." "Sorry for being brutal." "But, I am a simple man... and the play tells a simple story." "An older woman falls in love with a scheming girl that has her wrapped around her little finger." "The girl takes advantage of her,... squeezes everything she can out of her,... then dumps her." "Helena's love for Sigrid makes her stupid." "And blind to what everybody in the audience can see right away." "But then, that's really all she's ever wanted." "She's fascinated by her own downfall." "It's as clear as day." "That's why the play was such a hit." "It is still being performed today." "Why stage it..." " if you want to tell another story?" " I think your reading is simplistic." "I know Sigrid, and... believe me, she's more interesting than that." "Yes, she takes advantage of Helena." "Yes, she fascinates her, and she knows it." "Well, you can decide not to look in further, but, I had to, because I played her." "You're just talking about what's on the surface." "The play's about what attracts them to each other." "Hence,... it's harder to see, and it's more profound, and... truer." "The impossibility of their relationship is as cruel for Sigrid." "Cruel for Sigrid?" "I'm sure she'll get over it." "What do you know?" "Time." "Youth." "She has her life ahead of her" "Well, Helena's young too, I mean, she's not old." "She has her life ahead of her too." "But, she decides to give it all up." "Helena is not used to being turned down." "She's discovered her own frailty and she can't accept it." "We'll drop Mr. Wald off first, please." "Grand Hôtel du Lac, please." "So, Klaus has persuaded you?" "You're going to play Helena." "I didn't say that." "But, I'm considering it." "Yes." "Are you sure you don't want to have a last drink?" "I'm already drunk,..." "darling." "Henryk!" "Hold on." "ROOM 339" "HENRYK WALD" "JO ANN ELLIS" "PART TWO" "Wow!" "Hey." "I've just found the main road again." "I'm sorry." "I must've set the GPS wrong." "Like, in an hour or so, probably." "I had a um... dream um..." "We were rehearsing, and the... past and the present were blending together." "I'm confused." "No kidding." "I should not have said "yes" to Klaus." "But,..." "Wilhelm's death mourning, I couldn't refuse." "He is a "sick" director." "Jo-Ann is a super star." "It pays well." "I don't need the money." "Okay." "Hi." "Stay as long as you want." "I like the fact that you are walking in the part here where it was written." "You promised." "No ghosts." "No, there aren't any." "I was joking!" "No, it was half joking." "This is what I wanted to show you." "This is where Wilhelm killed himself." "But, that... that stays..." "between you and me." "Is that the Maloja pass, over there?" "Yeah." " The Snake, right?" " The Snake." " Why a "snake" in the play?" "It's uh..." " Yeah." "It's ambiguous." "The Maloja snake." "It's a cloud formation." "Fairly rare." "Virtually unexplained." "It's a sign..." "of bad weather." "And the clouds, they are coming from the Italian lakes,... over the pass,... and winding through the Valley... like a serpent." "Therefore, it's a snake." "They call it a snake." "THE CLOUD PHENOMENON OF MALOJA" "FORESHADOWINGS" "THE CLOUDS RISE OVER THE PASS OF MALOJA" "THE SO-CALLED MALOJA SNAKE" "Wilhelm was fascinated by this film." "He used to marvel at the fact that the true nature of the landscape... revealed itself in these images." "Yeah, um..." "But, the black and white creates a distance," "It sets the passing of time." "It's almost a century old." "Actually, it comes from very far away." "That's the beauty of it." " Thank you so much!" " Nice to meet you." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I won't promise to come and see you off in London." "I hope you change your mind, all right?" "It is only theater." "Oh, Maria!" "This belonged to Wilhelm." "Keep it." "Well, you were 18 years old." "You weren't a child." "There had to have been some kind of attraction in her." "Wilhelm was far from a saint, right?" " No." " Maybe." "Hmm!" "He did choose me; so, he must have felt something, but... that remains unspoken." " So you admit..." " And it's not very important." " It's not very important." " Uh." "If that's not important, what the fuck is important?" "All that matters is what's in the movie." "So you admit there was attraction?" "Stop." "Why?" "Was it mutual?" "Yes!" "No!" "I do not know." "I do not know." "You don't understand." "Yes, I was attracted to Wilhelm." "But,... it's normal." "I was fine with just feeling attracted, instead... with the intimacy." "So, there was intimacy too?" "Stop picking apart every word I say!" "Anything more would have endangered our relationship." "I was..." "My intuition told me that was far more valuable than desired." "I..." "I feel you." "You were in love with him." "Of course I wasn't." "Stop over-simplifying." "It's too easy." "I was less than that." "And I was better." "I don't know any more." "Maybe I only remember what suits me to remember." "Yeah, I think so." " The story changes every time." " Bitch!" "Do you want to christen a shopping mall in Nanking?" "No" "How about the series of commercials for eye glasses?" "No" "It's only in Latin America." "No!" "All right, um..." "There's a Spanish horror flick." "It's pretty gory," "You'd be playing a Mother Superior." "There are werewolves involved, for whatever reason." "No" "An interview with Italian magazine targeting active women seduction after 40." "No!" "But it's the cover..." "No!" "Mario Testino's shooting it." "I don't care." "Jo-Ann Ellis' movie is opening up in Europe." "She wants to meet you." "When?" "Next week." "Where?" "Wherever you want." "She'll come here if you like." "Definately not here." "Maybe, I'll tell her to book the Waldhaus." "When's the movie opening?" "It opened last week." "Have you read a paper lately?" "I'm sorry." "You want one?" "It's playing in St. Moritz if you wanna see it." "Uh, I'd rather wait until rehearsals started." "Keep the image of Sigrid as myself at 18." "I-I-I know, I know." "It's a little disturbing." "But, I find it more interesting." "Well, I didn't know you at 18." "But,..." "I'm almost positive Jo-Ann's a lot worse." "How can you be so sure?" "Have you Goggled her?" "Well, I just looked at the pictures." "Well, you should dig a little deeper." "Won't take you long to find all the naked photos." "The latest updates of her exploits." "Such as?" "Her breakup?" "Andrew Beltram?" "Any idea who that is?" "I don't know." "What world do you live in?" "He's like..." "He's the biggest star." "Says who?" " Pre-teens." " Oh." "Hey, there are a shit ton of them." "So, be careful." "Um, he broke up with her because she wouldn't stop getting wasted." "Cheating on him in public." "So, she went to his house with a gun, and he went bat-shit." "Threw her out." "But, like, violently threw her out." "Not exactly the way Klaus described her." "The neighbors had to subdue her." "She was, like, shooting up the place." "Apparently, it wasn't easy." "She went to rehab to get out of doing time." "She's better now." "According to the press releases." "Well, yeah." "And the..." "the classical training, the theater background, is that all..." " bullshit?" " No, no, that's all true." "She took off and just started really fucking up." "Um,..." "I think she probably got jealous of, like,..." "Hollywood... trash." "TMZ deemed her "The..." "A-List actress that dreamt of making it to the Z-List."" "You could have told me sooner." "You despise internet gossip." "This is not gossip." "It's information." "It's celebrity news." "It's fun." " I thought you liked her a lot." " I do." "I love her." "She's not... completely antiseptic like the rest of Hollywood." "Well, you just said she was a self-destructive, crazy girl." "I didn't say that." "Sorry, I must have misunderstood then." "Where are my fucking cigarettes?" "They're right in front of you." "Where ?" "!" " Hello!" " Ah!" "She's brave enough to be herself." "At her age, I think that's pretty fucking cool." "I don't see what's so cool about fucking around, getting wasted out of your mind, and almost killing your boyfriend who's sick of you." "I think she's got a bright future." "Actually, I think she's probably my favorite actress." "Hmm." "You mean more than me, huh?" "No, I..." " I didn't mean that." " Huh?" "I'm more..." "What?" "Conventional?" "Boring?" "And I can't reach her intensity?" "No." "I didn't say that." "Of course not." "Good night." "Hey!" "Motherfucker!" "Hey, stop fucking following me around or I'll fucking kill you!" "I'll fucking kill you!" "So, let me ask you a tough question." "You were fired from the "Forbidden Planet" remake." "I don't know about that." "You were supposed to play the old Anne Francis' role, Altéa?" "I don't know, maybe." "After your DUI arrest, your studio canceled the contract." "You know, even if that were true, that would have cost them an arm and a leg." "What if it were true, which I'm I'm not saying it is." "But hypothetically speaking, I wouldn't... be able to even talk about it right now, because I would have signed a confidentiality agreement with the studio." "Sure." "So, let's imagine..." "you were arrested for DUI." "And you had insulted the police officers." "No, no, no, no." "That's not hypothetical." "That's a verified fact." "I did get arrested on DUI, and I..." "I..." "I did assault police officers." "So, it's the studio's reaction that's hypothetical?" "Exactly!" "And their hypothetical batch of crazy response, would have cost them a hypothetical seven-figure sum, which I guess I wouldn't be able to talk about right now, right?" "So, will you be appearing on the remake for "Forbidden Planet?" "Ah..." "I would rather die... very, very slowly... of, probably, food poisoning." "Rumor has it that we'll see you on stage?" "Yeah, um..." "I'm admitted..." "I'm gonna do..." "do a play called "Maloja's Snake"." "Uh, with Maria Enders." "Um, she's gonna play the older woman, and I will play the one who drives her to suicide." "France is kinda rad, eh?" "Where in London will it play?" "They told me the name of it..." "this theatre." "It's still being negotiated." "Who's directing?" "Klaus." "Klaus who?" "Klaus, Klaus." "Like, you know, "THE" Klaus." "Klaus Klaus?" "Klaus Klaus." "Yeah, fucking Klaus." "You should do your job and look him up." "You're a fucking reporter for God's sake." "Well, you apparently don't know him." "Santa "Klaus"!" "Klaus Kinski !" "Klaus Barbie!" "Hey." "This is the armchair." "Um..." "Office door." "Desk." "Okay, go ahead." "Come in." "Sigrid, I asked you here because your internship is almost over." "And I want to congratulate you." "Personally." "Have a seat." "No, there." "In the armchair." "Everyone in my office sings your praises." "Including the nastiest ones." "The ones who think that I shouldn't have taken over the company after my father died." "That I'm running it into the ground." "The ones who consider me incompetent, not because I am a woman, but because they look at the figures, and the figures..." "aren't what they should be." "I know it's true." "It keeps me up at night." "It's been eating away at me." "They persuaded me and I think they're right." "Why are you telling me this?" "It's none of my business." "You want people to know?" "You think if you arouse their pity, they'll back off." "I've been around a lot less than you." "Then, my experience is quite the opposite, wouldn't you agree?" "When they tell me about you, how much they appreciate you, they're using you to humiliate me." "Shit!" "I messed up!" "Fuck!" "It's... what?" "To remind." "It's to remind me!" "Aw!" "Shit!" "I hate this fucking scene." "Ah, I have too many memories of Susan Rosenberg and the disgust she made me feel when she was slipping into the skin of this defeated woman." "She got such obscene pleasure out of it, night after night!" "Why-why "defeated"?" "Defeated by... by..." "Age, by... by... her insecurity." "Letting this kid lead her around by the nose." "But, that's not all there is to it." "There's..." "Let's start over." "This poor woman is ready to kill herself before the play even starts." "She's using Sigrid as a weapon." "That's all." "Let's start over." "When they tell me about you, how much they appreciate you," "is to remind me how happy they are to grant you what they never granted me." "They're using to humiliate me." "It's not just your youth, or your powers of seduction." "No, it's your aplomb, your unshakeable self-conscience." "You don't know me." "Nothing gets you." "You radiate... self-confidence." "And you don't?" "I wear a mask." "It works with some people, others see right through it." "I can tell which is which right away." "There's one thing I excel at, that's reading people's behavior." "And how should I be reading yours?" "How do you think?" "I don't know, I'm reluctant to say it." "But, that's pretty clear." "Tell me reluctant." "Helena crosses and uncrosses her legs, reaches for a cigarette." "You talk about your insecurities, your vulnerabilities." "You opened up to me." "I'm not exactly sure why." "It's as if you're expecting something." "Can I be frank?" "I don't think it's company figures that are keeping you up at night." "What's keeping me up then?" "Desire." "For me, I think." "I noticed it the second you hired me, and I'm sorry, but I've had fun playing with it." "You've let me play with it." "Fun?" "What a strange word!" "Not what I was expecting." "Ah, this text is impossible!" "Oh, my God!" "So now the play is bad?" "No, but everything's waited to make Sigrid look good." "I didn't mean it like that." "I see her arrogance, her cruelty... and Helena's humanity." "She's able to talk about her own pain." "It's moving." "Let's start over." "Fun?" "What a strange word!" "Not what I was expecting." " She's such a stupid cunt." " Oh." "And I didn't expect you to talk about desire, either." "Let me be frank, now." "It makes me uncomfortable." "And it forces me to see you... differently" "And that gets under your skin." "Pause." "You can tell me." "Stands, lights a cigarette." "In fact, it's exactly what you want to say, so say it." "Yes, it's true." "You get under my skin." "And I wanted to ask you to stay on, and... become my personal assistant." "She doesn't accept..." "I mean, she does accept." "Without hesitation, she accepts!" "Urg, I've been feeling sick all morning." "I feel dirty." "I don't like Helena, no matter how much humanity you see in her." " Want some?" " No, thanks." "Or maybe because that humanity," "I don't know, I don't care." "I don't feel good in her skin." "I don't know why I have to inflict this on myself." "Then don't do it." "That's what I'm saying." "I'm not doing it." "I'd like to take the car tonight." "Berndt rented a house on Lake Como with some friends." "That's pretty far." "It's... two hours by car." "If I left at six, I could probably be back by sunrise." "You'll be okay alone?" "Yeah." "No, just... just be careful on the mountain roads at night." "Are you involved with him?" "I mean, is..." "is there a thing now?" "I like him." "Ah, you like him." "That's all we'll get." "You're jealous." "Jealousy?" "I don't know." "My time." "My thoughts." "Maybe, my affection." "No, I'm not jealous." "I'm thrilled that you have a boyfriend." "There haven't been that many." "And when there is one, you burn through him pretty fast." " I'll tell you." " No, you won't." "And I never know if I should believe what little you do tell me." "It's you." "Why the fuck are we doing this?" "Can you pass me those?" "I'm a little late." "Sorry." "See you." "We can do anything." "But, you did sign a contract." "Pulling out will cost you." "You know, I thought it over," "I worked on the scene, I can't." "I mean, I can, but..." "It... it's too hard." "I feel too much resent for Helena." "I am Sigrid!" "I want to stay Sigrid!" "Sigrid is twenty!" "I don't care, I know I'm right." "It doesn't interest me anymore." "It spoils my memories!" "It's not constructive!" "They'll sue and it'll go on for months and months." "They can replace me." "It's too late." "Klaus doesn't want anyone else for Helena." "So, I'm a hostage!" "You'll be appearing in a prestigious production that's been waiting for you for twenty years." "I'm asking you to get me out of this." "Great!" "But, like I said, it won't be cheap." "Figure something out!" "There's no use getting upset." "We'll take care of it." "But, I'm giving you due diligence, okay?" "Wait!" "You have to stay with us." "We're mutants." "Just like you." "But, we all have doubts." "Doubt about our powers." "Are we worthy of them?" "Do we have the right to use them?" "After all,... what is good?" "And what is evil?" "And who are we to decide?" "Scarlett Witch and Dr. Pretorius both agree." "What you did was not treasonous." "Forgive yourself." "Don't judge your own actions so harshly." "Uyh!" "Don't you understand?" "This is no mistake." "I have been double-crossing the Alliance for a very long time now." "And reporting directly to Sargon." "And you know why?" "Because I am madly in love with him." "Do you remember when he attacked our Dohl's outpost?" "I tried to fight him then, but, I was alone and I failed." "You weren't there." "Neither was Doctor Pretorius, and neither was Scarlett Witch." "He led me into a gravitational field that neutralized my powers." "He bolted me." "We tried to find you." "I woke up alone!" "A prisoner in his fortress." "And I know that he raped you." "Yes" "He didn't rape me." "I fell in love with him." "I refuse to believe." "Sargon is not a mutant." "But, he understands mutants' desires." "I became his lover." "It's the only reason he set me free." "You are crazy." "Sargon loves no-one." "He used me and then he cast me aside." "But maybe if I obey him, maybe if I follow his orders,... he might just take me back." "And place your bets, please." "The last bet, thank you." "No more bets." "Feeling lucky." "28, black." "Place your bets, please." "9, red." "Last bets, please." "That's it." "Why, I stayed because of you." "But, I could feel my brain cells dying one by one." "Okay, but you don't find her amazing?" "I think she's totally fascinating." "It's such a stupid character, c'mon." "Because it takes place on a spaceship?" "I know, that if it was set on an assembly line or like a farm or something, you'd love it." "That's true." "I have a hard time taking bimbos in astronaut suits and Maliots and... generic pop psychology seriously." "Been there and done that." "I like it." "I know..." "I know you do." "I'm sorry." "There's no less truth... than in a more supposedly serious film." "She goes deep into the darker side of her character." "It's daring." "It's really daring." "In a... in a big movie like that, it's fucking cool." "Well, she's got a great presence." "But, I don't see what's so daring about it." "Despite her superpowers?" "Her superpowers?" " Yes, her superpowers." " Her superpowers?" "Yes, her superpowers." "So what if it's a convention?" "But, it's no dumber than any other convention." "Despite her superpowers, she's emotionally defenseless." "She's in love, but she's not loved in return." "This impossible love for Sargon, the Alliance's worst enemy, leads her to betrayal and manic..." "Fucking shit!" "Are you telling me there's nothing there, worth playing there?" "I don't know, I don't know, Val." "I don't know." "She knows that it means her downfall." "But, that is the ultimate truth of her desire." "It's fucking powerful." "Oh, my God!" "I hate you sometimes so much!" "You're making my head spin." "And Sargon, you find him interesting, too?" "Yeah, I do." "Oh!" "Good!" "No, Sargon sucks." "Jesus Christ!" "All of it?" "Did you see that?" "My magical door opening power?" "My door..." "Sure you can drive?" "I had the same drinks as you." "That's my point." "Go, go, go, go." "So... what you were saying earlier, what's that... unlike Jo-Ann," "I don't take that kind of role seriously." "Huh?" "What?" "No." " I don't know what you're talking about." " Hmm." "I have disdain for those characters and their... cartoonish psychology." "But, she doesn't." "Hhh, which makes her superior to me." "Oh-oh, don't get jealous" "It's not an attractive quality." "She dives head first into a character's ambiguities, but..." "I don't." "That's why you admire... what she does." "Yes." "You know, I think that when you watch her in a movie like the one we saw tonight, there is... there is no distance there." "It's normal." "It's..." "Cultural, right?" "Yes, agreed." "What's wrong with my acting?" "Nothing." "What do I need to do to make you admire me?" "Do I think too much?" "Huh?" "Am I too classical?" "Am I not liberated like Jo-Ann?" "You're here to talk to me, so starting talking." "Hmm?" "I do not know, you... you... you can't be as accomplished as you are and as well rounded as an actress that you are, and still expect to hold onto the privileges of youth, it just doesn't work like that." "Oh." "So, I'm allowed to not be old, as long as I don't want to be young, is that it?" "Yeah, I don't know." "I guess so." "Yes, totally." "Well put." "Fuck." "I think may be a goodnight." "Wait, wait, wait!" "You, you didn't tell me how it went with Berndt." "Yeah, well, you know, I fuck Berndt." "I thought you wouldn't believe me anyway." "Try me." "Maybe you'll manage to persuade me." "I'm... exhausted." "I don't know." "I don't have the energy." "All right." "Goodnight." "Oh, I spoke to Jay." "He, he doesn't think he can get me out of the contract." "Yeah, I figured." "Please knock when you enter my office." "You summoned me." "I didn't summon you, I asked you to come." "What's the difference?" "What?" "The difference is when I summon you, it's for professional reasons." "When I ask you to come, it's for personal reasons." " So, it's personal." " Yes." "All the more reason not to knock." "Everyone knocks before coming into my office." "I could have been in a meeting, or on a private call." "I'm surprised that Josephine let you through." "I told Josephine it didn't concern her." " She understood perfectly well." " Understood what?" "That we have a personal relationship." "Since when does Josephine know that... we have what you call a "personal relationship."?" "Not to be stupid, she has eyes." "You want me to draw a picture?" "Please don't draw me a picture." "I thought it was between you and me." "I'm appalled." "Who else knows?" "I don't know." "But in an office, word gets around pretty fast." "You hired me as your personal assistant." "I'm under qualified." "Everyone understood right away the I could come and go as I pleased and I created a vacuum around you." "To keep my hold on you." ""Created a vacuum."" "To keep your hold." "Don't you realize?" "No." "I don't see things that way." "Then everyone else got it before you did." "Shall we stop here?" "Sure." "Can you repeat Sigrid's last lines?" "Then everyone else got it before you did." "Helena pauses and stares at Sigrid." "What started at my place that night,..." "I won't deny a thing." "I probably wanted it, I don't know." "It's as if you put this idea in my head." "If you allowed yourself to be manipulated, it's because you wanted it." "I don't want anything." "Stop!" "I can't stand that condescending tone of yours!" "Do you want to be clear?" "This can't go on!" "Whatever you say." "It's..." "I, I thought it over, it's finished." "So, I'll leave." "No, you'll stay." "You do your job well." "I have no complaints." " I stay and it's finished?" " If we stop." " And act as if it never happened." " Yes." "Helena, you're not capable of that." "If I stay, nothing will change." "You'll be my lover." " No." " You will." "And I'll keep keep driving everyone else away." "And I'll have a tighter and tighter hold on you." " Is that what you want?" " No." "Not necessarily." "I'm just telling you how it is." "But if you want me to leave, just say so." "She doesn't speak." "Say it." "It's time." "End of Act Two." "You hungry?" "Yep." ""You'll be my lover."" ""I'll keep driving everyone else away."" ""I'll have a tighter and tighter hold on you."" "Honestly, you don't find this ridiculous?" "Why?" "Because she speaks brutally?" "No, because it's phony." "I don't believe it." "So you don't think people can be blinded by their own emotions?" "Yes, I do, but not to that extent." "It's too theoretical." "Even a little stupid." "It's theater." "It's an interpretation of life that can be truer than life itself." "Sigrid puts Helena's desires into words." "She says the unspoken, she... formulates it." "Cruelly." "Okay, cruelly." "Yeah, cruelly, because she's up to no good." "You're not in the character's skin." "You..." "I have no choice." "I have to be them." "I have to identify with them." "When it's phony, I feel it... viscerally." "It can be uh..." "literary, but still be true." "I can feel the difference." "I can hear it." " Maria?" " Hhh?" "We gotta go." "The Sun's about to go down." "I know a shortcut a little further up." "But, it's steep." "But, uh... it'll take us straight to Val Fex." " I htought Val Fex is that way." " No." "Are you sure this is the right path, huh?" "Uh...." "Actually, not really." "I'm not even sure it's a path." "Well, we might have pooped-up somewhere." "I don't know." "I think you're right." "I'm pretty sure Val Fex is um... not this way." "Anyway, we're heading down, we'll wind up somewhere." "I think this road takes us to Maloja." "What'll we do when we get to Maloja?" "We'll take a bus." "You know, you don't have to keep me on if you find my ideas simplistic." "What makes you say that?" "If you find my point of view... uninteresting." "I..." "Ah, I don't really know what I'm doing here." "I..." "I can run lines with you, but I don't really see the point, you can find anyone to do that." "No, all I'm saying is that thinking about a text is different from living it." "It's not against you." "You..." "You hate the play and you hate her." "You don't have to take it out on me." "I'm just doing my job." "Ready?" " You ready?" " Yes." "Don't lie to me!" "You received a confirmation for a flight to Tokyo!" "You're reading my mails now?" "Aren't you ashamed?" "I haven't felt shame in a long time." "I went through all your desk drawers, your notebooks, and I'm doing it because you want to leave me." "Now I know when and how." "Helena is restless, Sigrid remains poised." "All you had to do was ask." "Yes, I accepted a job in Tokyo." "A pharmaceutical lab." "I think it'll be much more interesting than the work I'm doing here." "More interesting than what you're doing here?" "Ha..." "Haven't I given... in to every demand you've made?" "No other company would have given you that kind of responsibility, and power!" "Exactly." "It's weighing on me." "I know this place in and out." "The world moves." "I wanna feel that." "I wanna be part of it." "I want to travel." "Switzerland is too provincial." "She takes a deep breath and regains her composure." "And with me you don't feel free?" "You've become too dependent on me." "It's unhealthy." "And what do I get in return?" "I give you whatever you want, you know that!" "Oh." "Like a job at a dead-end company that's about to go down the drain?" "How can you say a thing like that?" "Open your eyes!" "My poor Helena." "I'm not your poor Helena!" "Nothing I've learned here is of any use to me." "I'm not your poor Helena!" "It never lasts." "You should listen to what the bankers are telling you." "And your board members." "That's not true!" "God!" "This relationship with this..." "between these women... is disturbing." "is disturbing." "Nowadays, people say "disturbing" about everything, even the most conventional ideas." "It's a..." "it's a male fantasy." "Ah, no." "It's not." "I don't know why I should be helping to bring her to life." "I thought you weren't saying stuff like this when you're playing Sigrid." "Well, I was a kid when I was playing Sigrid." "I, I wasn't asking those kind of questions." "Like Jo-Ann in her science fiction film?" "Yeah, probably." "Well, don't you want to get that innocence back?" "You can't get innocent twice." "You can." "If you just accepted Helena the way you accepted Sigrid." "Obviously it's easier to relate to strength rather than weakness." "Youth is better than maturity." "Cruelty is cool." "Suffering sucks." "She..." "She's mature and she's innocent." "She's innocent in her own right, that's what I like about her." "I'll make some coffee." "You want some?" "Cruelty is cool and suffering sucks." "You didn't answer me." "You have your interpretation of the play." "I think mine is just confusing you." "It's frustrating me." "It's uncomfortable." "Not good." "Stay." "No, no." "Please, stay." "I need you." "Thank you." "I prefer 18th century music to any other." "It's so bright and lively." "Yes, me too." "Romantic music's so sad and depressing." "But, I'd rather listen to rock music any day of the week, though." " Even the worse." " Not me." "I've had too much of it, I'm sick of it." "Oh, you're such a snob!" "No, tastes can get worn out." "Kinda like desire." "I've never listened to Handel properly." "I think he's excellent." "I haven't been this moved by music in ages." "You're making fun of me." "I'm not." "But, I just..." "I find it really cute that you're trying to put up with my ideas." "You know I'm not a music whiz." "I mean, besides that my family practically spoon fed me which is incredibly specialized" "I don't know a thing about music." "Thank you." "So..." "How did it go with your wife?" "Very well." "No, I'm kidding." "It was horrible." "But you know, she... she's not the type to wear her heart on her sleeve." "I think she was expecting it." "Did you tell her about me?" "No, I said, you know,..." "I'd be going off on my own to write my book and wouldn't be back." "Then she must be suspecting something." "She has no idea you and I know each other." "Well, she will." "I mean, when it hits the tabloids." "They're not gonna find us here." "They can find us anywhere." "It's their job, you know." "Did you say anything to Maria Enders?" "Just that I'll be taking advantage of my press tour and come and say "Hi" to her." "She didn't find that strange?" "I talked to her assistant, nd she didn't seem to question it." "So, I guess not." "Hey, she's over there." "Hi." "Hi!" "Hi." " Nice to meet you." " Nice to meet you too." " Wow!" " What?" "I never would have recognized you." " Really?" " Hhh." "Well, I mean, if you've only seen me on the internet or in a movie," " that's not really a big surprise." " I apologize, it's a little weird." "Well, you, on the other hand, look exactly like all your roles." "I hope not all of them." "No, no, no." "Only the better ones." "Rest assured that you don't look like Nemesis." "This is Chris." "He's a... he's a novelist." " Hi." " Hi." "Nice to meet you, Chris." " My assistant, Kate." " Hi." "It's, it's so good to meet the both of you, seriously." "Yeah." "Hello!" "May I get you anything to drink?" " A cognac for me, please." " Yeah." " I'll have the same." " Okay." " I'm fine, thanks." " All right." "What herbal teas do you have?" "We have verbena, mint and chamomile." "I'll take chamomile, please." " Yeah, sure." " Thank you." "I don't think you understand how much of an honor this is for me." "When I was 15, I saw um..." "Oh, my God, the movie you did, with the CIA and Harrison Ford." " I'm so sorry, I'm blanking out." " "A Beetle on its Back"" ""A Beetle on its Back" with Harrison Ford." "You blew my mind." "You, you..." "You were the epitome of class." "You were everything I ever wanted to be as an actress." "And I mean the way that you battled those politicians and then the military brass men, it was, it was captivating." "It was my first Hollywood film I was in, and the last." "Um..." "Sydney Pollack was really nice." "But, sometimes I didn't understand what he was saying, so I was too shy to ask." "But fortunately, Harrison was there to help." "A lot." "Well, then, of course, after that I..." "I begged my parents to let me see you on stage, and the "The Seagull"." "And..." "They didn't know who you were before then because... well, they kinda hate movies." "Well, I hope they tolerate the theater." "No, no." "They don't just tolerate the theatre," "I mean, they, they're absolutely in love with it." "In fact, they see everything in." "And..." "And... um, you know, when they saw your performance, they said it was the best Nina they'd ever seen." "And that meant a lot to me." "Because that's uh, you know, before that I..." "I'd never been able to tell them that I wanted to be an actress." "But, because of you..." "I can pursue my vocation." "I, I prefer your early French films." "There was, there was a cycle at the ICA in London." " Uh-huh." " I, I saw almost all of them." "And you came." "You, you probably don't remember." "Oh, I remember it perfectly well." "I was fascinated by how freely you spoke about your work." "And um uh someone asked you um... if you had any regrets, and you said..." ""We're not allowed to regret anything." "If we're sincere, then we're the sum total of our experiences, with no exceptions."" "I said that?" "Well, not word for word." "Something like that." "And you don't think that anymore?" "Oh, uh..." "No." "Um..." "I..." "I completely agree with that, one hundred percent." "You know, I am, I'm incredibly intimidated to take on your role." "I mean, no-one's gonna be able to do it like you did, and..." "I hope you don't judge me too harshly." "Um, we'll all have our own way into a character." "They're all good." "Well, I cannot wait to do the re-do tomorrow." "We are working at Wilhelm's chalet, I hope that's okay with you?" "Yeah, sure." "As long as his ghost isn't watching over us the entire time." "I can't promise you that." "But don't worry, he's a well-meaning ghost." "Oh, "Well meaning"." "I don't know about that." "Nor do I." "You know, it's incredibly brave of you to take on the role of Helena." "It's..." "it's her way of dealing with time." "Yeah, it was." "I don't know, sometimes I..." "I tell myself that it's just a job." "And I'll be happy to move on when it's over." "Hey." "Thank you." "You still want to see the "Snake", you asked me the other day?" "Oh, yeah." "The weather they're predicting for tomorrow seems ideal." "So, you better make sure you're out there at daybreak." "It's wonderful to see it coming over the Maloja Pass." "Great!" "Awesome!" "That's amazing." " Thank you!" " Yep." "I thought they were really nice." "Yeah, it's true!" "I, I..." "She's a lot more interesting than the person you described." "I didn't know her parents were musicians, and I liked them too." "It's..." "What's so funny?" "Did I say something funny?" "They spent the whole evening flattering you, of course, you liked them." "That has nothing to do with it." "No, no." "Of course not." "Repeat that!" "What?" "What was that movie?" ""A Beetle on its back."." "I can't believe we got the scoop tonight!" "What scoop?" "She's with Christopher Giles." "Chris?" "His name is Christopher Giles?" " Yes." " Is he famous?" "He's..." "über famous." "I can't remember which major book prize he won, but... he's married." "He's with Dorothea Von Duisburg." "The German artist?" "Should've showed the serpentine monster." "Never heard of neither of them!" "Who?" "I mean, you should Google him." "How do you spell his name?" "Giles." "G-I-L-E-S." "Well, he's obviously with her." "Yeah!" "When word gets out, it's gonna be,... like,..." "a tsunami." "Oh, yeah." "On their planet." "Their planet has a name." "It's called the "real world."" "Welcome!" "Careful with that." "Come here." "Give that here to me." "Stop fighting!" "Here." "I spent all night thinking about Helena's death." "Her death?" "She doesn't necessarily die." "She just..." "She disappears." "That's your interpretation." "Well, it's..." "it's pretty ambiguous." "She goes out for a hike and never comes back, seems clear enough to me." "You don't know that." "She could reinvent herself somewhere else." "There's really no way of knowing." "You know, you can imagine whatever you want." "Are we going the right way?" "I mean, I don't mind waking up at the crack of dawn, but not to get lost in the mountains and miss the "Snake"!" "Well, we're basically here." "You happy?" "What makes you think we're here?" "I've got a map!" "You want me to show you?" "Come here." "This is the bend we just went around." "Ten minutes ago?" "And just around there is the view of the valley." " See that?" " How do you know?" "How do...?" "Pain in the ass!" "Jesus Christ!" "I don't know why you're so dead-set on making this play say the opposite of what it was meant to say." "At twenty,... you saw Sigrid's ambition and you saw her violence because you felt it in yourself." "So?" "So, what I'm saying is..." "the text is like an object." "It's gonna change perspective based on where you're standing." "I don't know..." "We should go." "we're gonna miss the "Snake"." "Won't be any "Snake"." "Ah, fuck it." "Whatever." "Look there!" "Is that the "Snake"?" "No." "No, it's just mist." "Oh, fuck." "When it breaks up." "It's still pretty beautiful though." "It's like it's gathering and pouring out into the valley." "Or maybe it is the "Snake"." "We have to be patient." "No, it's not the "Snake"." "It..." "Oh, yes!" "I think it's turning into the "Snake"!" "How about you?" "Val?" "What the hell are you doing?" "Val?" "Val!" "Val!" "Val!" "Val!" "Answer me!" "Val!" "Val!" "EPILOGUE LONDON, A FEW WEEKS LATER" "How's the hotel?" "The hotel's fine." "Oh, thanks for the flowers." "So, did you reach Klaus?" "He was really impatient to see you." "You have to return his calls, you know?" "He thinks you're avoiding him." "We're having dinner." "He's a half hour late." "Oh, so, you called me to kill time." "Just kidding." "I'm not avoiding him." "I..." "I want to talk to him one-on-one." "You know how reluctant I was." "I'm over that now." "You know, Klaus understands the risks you're taking." "I know he's sincere." "He's doing this for you and for Wilhelm's memory." "And for the publicity." "Twenty years after being Sigrid, I'm Helena." "That's all the press is talking about." "You know, he's like every artist of his generation." "He has a flair for P.R." "Oh, and is that a crime?" ""To excel and to know how to show it is to excel twice."" "Baltasar Gracian said that." "I have no idea who that is." "But, he was right." "The press is talking about you and your work." "Oh, I said "OK" to pictures, knowing of you." "It is too soon, too fragile." "Hold on!" "Yes?" "Uh, tell him I'm on my way down." "Thank you." "It's Klaus." "You'll be fine." "Hi." " Hi." " Hi." "Excuse me, I'm late." "But, something terrible has happened." "Dorothea tried to commit suicide." "She's in a coma." "Dorothea?" "Christopher Giles' wife." "Chris, uh, Jo-Ann's friend, you mean?" "Yes, but you're not supposed to know he's Jo-Ann's friend." "Well, they were together in Sils." "So..." "I thought it was more recent than that..." "Excuse me, sir." "We can go." "Well, she slit her wrists in the studio." "The housekeeper found her in a pool of her own blood." "Oh, that's awful." "She's a well known artist, right?" "Dorothea's an amazing girl." "Beautiful, talented, everything going for her." "I love her work." "I don't understand." "Jo-Ann is devastated." "She was at an exhibition." "She can't go back to the hotel." "The paparazzi have surrounded the place." "I suggested she join us." "You don't mind?" "No, of course not." "It's still just a rumor, but the press knew something was up." "Someone posted in her blog that it was the real reason that Jo-Ann had accepted to do a play in London." "And is that true?" "She doesn't need a pretext to act in London, but the paparazzi will never let go." "They need her picture with Christopher." "And they're going wild." "She's in her car." "She'll be here in five minutes." "You wanted to talk to me?" "I'm sorry, I'm confused." "I had a long conversation with Rose last night." "I told her that we were in London that we were about... to start rehearsals." "That made her happy, I think." "I know." "Now all we have to do is not disappoint you." "On thos tray, Chateau Laroze." "Thank you." "Rosa gave me fragments from Wilhelm's follow-up to "Maloja's Snake"." "A sign of her trust." "Some of the pages make no sense out of context, but... there are a few others that put the play in a new light." "How old was Wilhelm when he wrote "Maloja's Snake."?" "Thirty-five or so?" " Hmmm... 38." "38 ?" "!" "Yeah, a little older when he made the film." "Well, he was still a young man, all action." "Twenty-five years later, obviously, he was more analytical, trying to put the things in perspective, maybe, thinking about posterity." "Who knows?" "Isn't it better to stay faithful to his youthful energy?" " And forget the new scenes?" " Yes." "Wilhelm never had any distance or maturity." "On the contrary, his last texts got bolder and bolder, and more and more..." "enigmatic." "Here's another way of looking at it." "We think like him." "We, we project ourselves into the future, instead of freezing ourselves in the past" "Or if we..." "Jo-Ann!" "Hey." "What's happening?" "She's hanging on by a thread." "She's lost a lot of blood, but, uh... the doctors won't tell us anything." "I mean, Chris said she was really relaxed when he told her." "She was just getting used to the new situation." "Where is Christopher?" "Dorothea's family got in from Germany." "And so he... he told them to leave the hospital." "So they're gonna come join us." "Here?" "But, that's ridiculous." "He will have all the paparazzi from the hospital on his trail." "No, he said there were no paparazzi." "He'd know." "He's being naive." "Of course, they are tailing him." "They are just doing it discreetly." "Tell him absolutely not to join us." "Come on, Chris." "His voicemail's turned off." "I'll just text him." "If they're following you, we are stuck." " Do you have the driver?" " Yeah, he's outside." "Okay." "Tell Christopher to meet us at my club." "At least, we'll have some peace and quiet." " He's here." " Chris!" "Hey, hey." "Are you all right?" " Did you get my messages?" " Um..." "Klaus thinks that the paparazzi are following you from the hospital." "I don't know." "I didn't see any." "They can get a picture of us tonight, it'll be a total disaster." "I mean, it'll spread like wildfire." "I'm gonna call my driver." "Hey Emily, come pick us up." " All right." " Here..." "The address of my club." "We go first, wait 5 minutes, take a taxi and join us." "Oh, fuck!" "They're following us." "Hey, Ari?" "No, there's, there's no news here from the hospital." "Yeah, I could really use you right now." "Whatever the first plane out is." "I'm stuck here in London till the end of the year." "Rehearsals start tomorrow." "If she doesn't make it,... it's gonna be a nuclear fucking winter." "What do you want to do?" "Change hotels?" "No way." "Wherever I go, they're just gonna find me and chase me down." "I'll rather stay where I am." "You know, it's..." "I'm fine with it." "It must be hard for Chris." "The media is going to crucify him." "No, no." "I'll take the heat." "I'll be the home wrecker." "I'm used to the nasty shit written about me." "I can obviously care less." "Do you want us to cancel tomorrow's rehearsal?" "Maria, would you mind?" "Mmm, of course not." "No way." " Mmm." " No, I don't." "I'd rather work." "We didn't get to talk much?" "No" "I'll have the new scenes dropped off at the front desk." "And we'll talk about them seriously." "Yeah, we can do that tomorrow." "After rehearsal." "I'm drained after a work day." "It's not the best time for me." "I know." "It's the same for me." "And next weekend, I have to see my kids in southern Italy." "We'll manage." "Okay, good night." "Good night." "When I tell you about you, how much I appreciate you, it's to remind me, how happy they are to grant you what they never granted me." "They're using you..." "Hi." "I printed everything out." "If you want an English solicitor to take a look at the papers, tell me." "I know a bilingual girl who specializes in Paris real estate." "That's the sales agreement." "Your ex-husband is buying your half of the apartment for the price you agreed to." "Oh, no, I don't want to discuss it" "Maybe, I was wrong." "And that's the sales agreement for the Studio on the Rue du Chemin Vert." "Yeah, it's expensive, but it's worth it." " You say he's ready to sign?" " Tomorrow, as planned." "You take the Eurostar at 8:15, leave Paris at 5:00, and you'll be back in London in time for dinner." " Okay." " If you want, I can travel with you." "No, I'm fine." "What do I tell Piers Roaldson?" "Remind me who he is." "He's shooting a film at Sains called "Electric Shockwave"." "What has he done?" "Nothing." "He's twenty-five." "But, Jay says he's good and that has been "green lit"." "What's the part?" "They haven't sent it over yet." "It's the lead?" "I think your character will be some sort of hybrid." "Mmm, a creation of modern genetics, but with a soul." "It's set in the near future, the 23rd century." "On Earth?" "Maybe, I'm not sure." "Hi." " Where?" " Over there." "Thank you." "Um, tell Piers, I'm interested, and uh..." "I'll read the script next week, okay?" "And uh...there are the new scenes Klaus sent you?" "Oh, yes, I forgot." "Want to try the lines?" "No, I haven't read the pages yet." "He wants to know what you think." "Why doesn't he just call me?" "Maybe, he's waiting for your reaction." "You've had the scenes for two weeks." "Yeah, I understand." "But, I'd rather discover them at the last minute and not over-think it." "It's... it's the only way I can keep it spontaneous." "It's how I um..." "prepared Sigrid 20 years ago." "I'll do the same thing with Helena." "If he asks you, just tell him I think they're very good." "Very good." "But, it's still a little long." " Jo-Ann, can you hear me?" " Uh, yeah." "Do the same thing, but speed it up a little." "Okay." "Why don't you just forget one of the files?" "There are plenty." " We do it one more time." " Okay." "Excuse me." "Tomorrow is our final dress rehearsal." " I know, thanks for taking the time." " My pleasure." "I'll just switch this on." "Uh, may I have a cup of coffee, please." "Well, you can imagine my first question." "Will the media frenzy around Jo-Ann Ellis steal the spotlight." "All that matters is the show, the rest is of no importance." "And fortunately, Dorothea pulled through." "I know you have a new take on it, but... will the audience be receptive?" "Or might they be too distracted?" "I, I suppose that's my question." "I hope they'll be receptive." "So, so you think the shows are air-tight, no connection to the outside world?" "No" "No, each theatre goer brings his own subjectivity." "And it's generally not defined by tabloid headlines." "Some will go for the smell of scandal." "So will they see the show you had in mind, or something else?" "Jo-Ann!" "What's up?" "I wanted to ask you." "You know the scene at the beginning act three, when you tell me you wanna leave, and..." "I get on my knees and I beg you to stay?" "You're on the phone ordering pepperoncini pizza" " Uh-huh." " for your co-workers in accounting." "Well, you..." "you leave without looking at me." "As if I didn't exist." "Um..." "If you could pause for a second, you know, Helena's distress would last longer when she's left alone in her office." "Well, the way you're playing it, um... the audience follows you out, but instantly forgets about her, so..." "So..." "So what?" "Well, when I played Sigrid, I..." "I held it longer." "I thought it was... more powerful." "I mean, it really played well." "Well, no-one really gives a fuck about Helena at that point, do they?" "I'm sorry." "But, I mean, it's pretty clear to me this poor woman's all washed up." "I mean your character, right?" "Not you." "And..." "When Sigrid leaves Helena's office," "Helena's a wreck." "And we get it." "You know, it time to move on." "I think they want what comes next." "If you just held it, a few seconds longer." "It doesn't quite feel right for me, Maria." "You're right." "Yeah." "I, I um..." "I think I'm, I'm lost in my memories." "You, you think you've forgotten your old habits, but, they all..." "they all come back." "I have to break them." "I guess you do." " Hi, come in." " Hi." "Thanks so much for seeing me tonight." "I really appreciate it." "We're leaving early tomorrow morning for a location scout in the Ukraine." "That's where we're going to be shooting our exteriors, mostly." "So, I, I read your script." "Yeah, well, um..." "I know we've never met, but, I actually wrote it with you in mind." "As a mutant?" "I'm trying to consider genetics from a more human point of view." "When I was reading it, um..." "I imagined someone much younger." "Maybe, me younger, actually." "But, you were seeing me in movies that were made years ago, I..." "I've changed." "She has no age." "Or else..." "she's every age at once." "Like all of us." "Can I be frank?" "Maybe, because I'm working with her, but... as I was reading it, I..." "I kept thinking about Jo-Ann." "Yeah, well... personally, I never think about Jo-Ann Ellis." "You're wrong." "She's smart." "And talented." "She is modern." "Just like your character." "My character isn't modern." "Notin in that way, anyway" "She's... outside of time." ""Outside of time."" "I don't understand, it's too abstract for me" "Sorry." "I uh..." "I don't like this era." "You're wrong." "It's yours." "Amen!" "I didn't choose it." "And if my era is Jo-Ann Ellis and viral internet scandals," "I think I'm entitled to feel unrelated, aren't I?" "I mean, it's nothing against her." "I guess I just assumed you'd understand." "Curtain in five minutes." " How's the house?" " Full."