"Excuse me." "Did I miss something?" "Excuse me..." "Excuse me." "Got it." "That's it, I'm there." "That's it." "Lopez, don't move." "You're a prison guard, not a choirboy." "OK, come on." "It's an execution, not a wedding." "Ready?" "Yes, I'm ready." "Thank you." ""Beatus..." "Qui..." "Potest..."" ""Qui..."" " Amen, thank you." "Lopez..." "A journalist, that's all?" "We tried to reach the family but they didn't answer." "Are you OK?" "Comfy?" "William Pascal Lamers, you've been found guilty of a homicide and sentenced to poison to death." "Would you like to say anything?" "To who?" "There's nobody here." "You can talk to me, if you want." "I don't know what to tell you." " Well, talking to me is like..." "talking to God." "I don't know what to tell him neither." "Well, I don't know..." "Talk to yourself." "Like a kid?" "When you were young, you used to talk to yourself?" "Not really." "I used to talk to my recorder." "A recorder?" "A tape recorder my brother offered me." "What did you record?" "I was telling stories." "What kind of stories?" "Pirates tales." "This kind of stories." "Kids tales." "I spent hours recording myself." "And then, hours listening to myself." "I had hundreds of tapes." "It was my treasure." "My brother used to decorate them." "He was a good drawer." "I used to hide them from my mum in the basement." "I was scared of her." "She didn't like me too much." "I was scared to get sick because "I was disgusting" for her, because of my sweat." "She refused to touch me and wouldn't change my clothes for days." "At the end, it was smelling like cat's pee." ""No need to wash them, we'll burn them when you'll be cured."" "Yeah... "Burn"..." "This is how she used to solve her problems:" "the letters she wouldn't open, the bills she wouldn't pay, the pictures she didn't like, she used to burn everything." "One night, she came into my bedroom... with a bin bag." "She woke me up and brought me to the basement." "Then she forced me to put the tapes in the bag." "She came back up with the bag." "I ran behind her," "I begged her to give me my tapes back but she didn't care." "She went to the garden and emptied the bag on the grass." "She always had a bottle of alcohol with her." "She spread it on the tapes." "She said: "Stop blubbering." I tried but I couldn't." "She took a match... and rubbed it on the box." "I saw the flame starting from her hand." "Then I felt the fire." "I looked at my mother." "I looked at the fire." "I imagined it was her burning." "Then I stopped crying." "That night, for the first time, I wanted to kill somebody." "When my brother died..." " What?" " ..." "I just turned 7..." " What are you doing?" " I'm talking." " You're not done?" " No." " You'll tell your life story?" " It's short." " How long?" " How long can I talk?" "Sorry?" " How long can I talk legally?" " Well..." "How long can I talk?" "I don't know." "I'm a man of faith, I'm not a man of law." "How long, M. Raven?" "Lopez, follow me." "The door..." "How do you usually do?" " The prisoner is allowed to talk." "When he's done, I give a sign to the executioner." " When do you know he's done?" " When he's done." "How do you know he's done?" "When he's not talking anymore." "Great..." "OK, listen..." "Can you leave us?" "Miss Wilford is deaf, Sir." "You want to fuck?" "Great." "A deaf nurse and a retired priest." " This prison is old." "So let's do this fast." "Get back there and tell the executioner to do his job even if he's not done." " It's out of order." "It's just between us." "There's a witness." "We should let him talk." "I don't have the time to let him talk." "It's my daughter's birthday." "And she's waiting for me." "Now, let's go and give your sign." " And the procedure?" "I don't care about it!" "I'm the new" "Director, I change it." " Only the Governor can change it." "The Governor..." "Get back there." "Governor's office?" "The Governor is busy." "What is the problem?" "He's telling his life?" "You don't stop anything, especially in front of a journalist." "I don't care about your daughter's birthday." "I'm busy too." "I don't know how long it can last." "I'm a Communication Advisor, I don't know about the law." "Hold on, I'll check that." "I hope you like Vivaldi." "Stieg loves you, vote for Brodeck, whether you're young or old!" "Take a balloon." "Stieg loves you, vote for Brodeck, whether you're rich or poor!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Stieg loves you, vote for Brodeck, whether you're ugly or nice." "Very nice." "Is it your real hair?" " Yes, Sir." " It's nice." "Stieg loves you." " Thank you, Sir." " Vote for Brodeck." " OK." " What is your perfume?" " I don't use any." "It suits you." " Can I have a balloon?" " Sure!" "Bob, balloons for..." " Marvin." " For Marvin." " Can I have a balloon?" " A balloon for the ugly one." "Can I have a balloon?" "And candies?" "Sir, I have to leave, a small matter to settle." "No problem Bob, I'm in control here." " I'll be back soon." " Sure, go ahead." "M. Raven?" "We need some time to find an answer." "In the meantime, no initiative, OK?" "The elections are approaching, the Governor is not popular, so we don't need a procedural error scandal." "So, let him talk and wait for our call, OK?" "Good." "And I don't want to rub it in, but beware of press." "I guess you don't want to hit the headlines again." "Have a good night." "Raven hit the headlines?" "Yes, six months ago, because of his wife." "Keep on searching." "I'll be with Brodeck." "Call the prison when you're done." " OK." ""I'm going to go fishing!"" ""I hope I'll catch a big fish!"" "Hang your worm on the hook, and..." "Ouch!" "Hello?" "Who?" "Oh, hello Sir." "Yes." "Hold on, I'll check." "Yes, I see it." "OK, I'll tell her." "You can count on me." "Good night, Sir." "Miss Raven?" "And when I turned 17, I left home and I found a job in a theatre." " As an actor?" " No, as a prompter." "Too bad, you should have been an actor." "It's better to be on the ring than below." "At 8, I wanted to be a boxer." "At 8, I wanted to be a policeman." "At 8, I had an execution." "Let him talk without telling your life." "At the theatre, there was a comedian, Florence." "I liked her." "Sometimes, she was pretending to have memory lapses to let me help her." "Or she was looking at me, so it was like I was on the stage." " Yes, but you were below." "Yeah, I was below." "Her in the light and me in my hole." ""Madam, under your feet, in the shadow, a man is there, who loves you, lost, the night veils him, suffering as a worm in love with a star." "He would give his soul if it was necessary." " He's dying and you're shinning."" "It's too late for Victor Hugo." "Hello?" "Good evening, M. Raven." "I'm M. Gayland, the governor's personal assistant." "I've heard about your little problem." "I have two important clarifications you may find interesting." " I'm listening." " First, the laws indicates, I quote:" ""The guardian responsible for the execution orders the executioner to execute the prisoner by giving him a discreet hand signal a few seconds after the end of the declaration."" "I still don't know how long he can talk." "Well, if he stops talking a few seconds, you can legally consider he's done and execute him." ""A few seconds"?" "How long is it exactly?" "It's not specified." "How about 20 seconds?" "This man is a chatterbox." "He won't stop for 20 seconds." " 15 seconds." " 15 or 20, it's the same." "10." "But I can't go below." "OK, 10 seconds." "Good." "We have an agreement." "Second point:" ""In case of technical or human failure, the execution can be delayed as long as necessary, provided that it takes place on the day decided by the judge."" ""Otherwise, it will be interrupted at midnight and postponed to the next day at the time originally scheduled."" "In concrete terms, I quote, what does this mess mean?" "It means that if the prisoner is still alive at midnight, you have to postpone the procedure to tomorrow." "That's it." "Call us when it's done." "And, as Miss Lacroix said, don't rock the boat." "Good night." "Lopez." "The door..." "What is your sign?" " Virgo." "No..." "Your sign." "What kind of sign do you give to the executioner?" "I discreetly take my hat off and I discreetly wipe my brow with my tissue." "Like this." "Discreetly..." "Great." "OK, as soon as the prisoner is quiet, you count to 10 and you do your discreet sign." "You know how to count to 10?" "Yes Sir, I used to be a boxer." "Sorry?" "The referee..." "One!" "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" "Five!" " Can you count faster?" "No, I count slowly to help the guy who is down." "It gives him time to recover." "OK, but not there." "If he stops talking, you quickly count to 10 and you do your discreet sign." "He'll recover later." " OK Sir, but if..." " Don't ask so many questions" "Lopez!" "If this guy is still alive at midnight, we'll have to do it again tomorrow." "So you go back there and you do your job, is that clear?" " Yes, Sir." "I liked this job." "At the end, I knew every role." "What are you doing here?" "My legs hurt when I'm standing too long," "M. Raven." "Come back here." "You can't stay there." "I prefer staying seated." "I'm like the paralytic." " So arise and walk, fuck!" "Should I speak Latin?" "Take your seat back." "Are you OK?" "You're having fun?" "Can I seat here?" "Lopez, the door." "Go ahead, Lamers." "End of the intermission." "One night," "Florence invited me." "It was the first time for me with a girl." "I was feeling good." "We kissed and... she got undressed." " You want to know more?" "More than ever." "There's not much more." "I wanted it to last one life but it lasted one hour." "She told me to get back home and to not tell anybody." "That she would deny it anyway." "She was disgusted by me too." "One..." "Two..." "Three..." "Four..." "Five..." "After that," "there were no more smiles, no more memory lapses." "No more nothing." "The more time passed, the more she hated me." "It was like I wasn't there anymore." "Like I was nothing." "Like I was emptiness." "I couldn't stand that." "Madam, I'm dying." "I ate poison." "Poison?" "God, I'm the one who killed him!" "Ruy Blas..." " Thank you." "It is said that we all have a guardian angel which prevent us from mistakes." "Well, on that day, mine went to piss." "End of the story." "Come on." "One..." "Two..." "Three..." "Four..." "Five..." "Six..." "Seven..." "Eight..." "Nine..." "Ten." "An angel can't piss." "Angels don't have a sex." "That's what they say, but I don't know for sure." "What are you doing here?" "Well, I'm listening the story." "How did you get in?" " A guardian came to the car and told me you were late." "So he let me come in." " He just let you come in?" " Well, yes." " He didn't ask for anything?" " A piece of cake." " Cake?" "I can't believe it." "Who wants some?" "Why not." "No!" "Nobody wants cake!" "It's an execution, not a show!" "Sarah, you can't stay here." " I want to know the story." " The story is over." "Get back to the car." " I'm thirsty." " You'll drink after." "Lopez." "Come on..." "The execution is cancelled and postponed to tomorrow." "Stay seated until someone comes get you." "I said "seated"." "Lopez..." " Yes, Sir." " Bring this outside." "Muck-raker." "Say hello to your wife." "They don't answer." "You told him to call back?" " Yes." "I'm pretty sure it's done." "He must be in bed now." "Civil servant..." "I don't know what we should do." "I guess M. Lopez will be back soon." "Are you OK?" "I'm thirsty." "It's not water." "But it's blessed." "I'll ask Miss Wilford to walk me to the door." "That's it." "I'm exhausted." "OK..." "See you tomorrow." "Why did anybody come to your execution?" "Why did anybody come to your birthday?" "There will be others." " What are you doing?" " I'm unwrapping my present." "It's not a good idea." "I don't care." "No..." "You should go now." "I like your story." "I like the way you tell it." "I want to be part of it." "Those who are part of it died." "Would you like me to kill you?" "No." "I just would like to be part of it." "That's all." "Why?" "To exist in a different story than mine." "Go away." "I'm part of your story now." "And I'm still alive." ""A sentenced to death plays the role of his life." "As he should have died, William Lamers finds a failure in the judicial system."" "They all talk about that today." "Is that good or not?" "What does the polling tell?" "Not that good: 21 %." "So?" " Excellent swing, Sir." " It smells like "Eagle"!" "It smells like "Eagle"!" "21 %, it's better than last week." " No Sir, it's not as good." "Gautier said if he's Governor, this kind of things won't happen." " Who's Gautier?" " John John Gautier, your opponent." "Oh yeah, Gautier, my opponent..." "Hello!" "Hello Governor." "Stieg loves you!" "Vote for Brodeck!" "21 %..." "Your polls tell anything Elisabeth." "100 % of these people will vote for me." " All the people don't play golf." " Too bad, it's good for health." "So, should I execute him?" "You can't decide this." "Lamers has the right to talk." "Let's change the law." "It's not possible, not before the elections." " So we must let him talk?" " We have no choice." "A sentenced to death..." "He's saving his life telling his story, it's..." " Sheherazade." " What?" "The "Thousand and One Nights" tale." "It's about a king who swore he'd marry a virgin every day and kill her in the morning." "So Sheherazade asks the permission to tell him a story." "As the story never ended before sunrise, and as the king wanted to know the end, he let her live for thousand and one nights." " What's the relation with me?" " The electors are like this king." "They like stories." "So, give them stories." " What story?" " William Lamers' story, the sentenced to death who talks to save his life." "If we can't stop him from talking, we could stage his execution, offer it to the people and increase your popularity ratings." "Bob is right, it could work." "We contact the medias and feed the electors with Lamers until he's their daily bread." " For 1 000 and one nights?" " 30 days, until the elections." " Then we'll execute him?" " It won't be very important." "Bob, in "Charade" tale, does the king execute her?" "No, he has a baby with her." "I'd rather execute him." "Well..." " Go Bob!" " OK, Sir." "I don't care about the elections." "It's a prison, not a TV set!" "Don't get angry, the Governor took his decision." "I will change his mind." "The Governor can't come, he's working." "Oh really, he's working..." " Yes, he's repeating his speech for tonight." "Are you going to show the execution?" "It's the best." " Who are you?" " Godwin." "Leonhardt Godwin, the producer of the show." "Call me God." "Fine, God." "If you're interested by Lamers' death, go film his execution in a stadium and have people pay for their seat." " The execution room is perfect." "The audience will love it." "And you'll become famous." " I'll become famous?" " Yes, you'll play your own role." " What?" " The priest, the guardian, the nurse and of course the prisoner." " See this with Lamers." " What's this bullshit?" "I won't play in your show!" " We can blur your face." " You want me to blur your face?" "Call me God!" " Fuck you, God." " M. Raven," "I'm doing what the Governor say." "So you will do what the Governor say, even if you don't want to." " Miss Lacroix is right." "you have no choice, M. Raven." "If I can give you any advice, when you'll be on the screen, try to watch your language and to smile." "You'll look nicer, more human." "Now listen to me," "Bob..." "I sent more 30 guys to hell or to heaven." "And you know what?" "It never made me smile." "This is human." "So let me work and have the face I want, OK?" "I'll give you five minutes to convince Lamers." "If he's OK, I'll play the game." "If he's not OK, you'll leave." "Miss Raven!" "You come here every day now." " My dad doesn't want me to stay home alone." " Are you going to stay with us?" " Yes." "You can wait in my house, it's very close." "My dad already found me a baby-sitter." "Oh, Louis." "What a man..." "He's the former executioner of the prison." "Only one execution." "He cried for two days." "Then, he refused to eat and... he tried to commit suicide." "Well, It's been a long time since it was that crowded here." "My name is Elisabeth Lacroix." "I'm Governor Brodeck's Communication Advisor." "And this is Robert Gayland, his personal assistant." " Who's him?" " Leonhardt Godwin, TV producer." "Hey son, call me God." " Why is he here?" " The Governor heard about your performance and think a lot of people would like to see this live." " My execution?" "Not your execution." "Your executions." ""My executions"?" "If you do again what you did, you'll save your life again." " Can you picture it, son?" "If you talk from 8:00 to 0:00, you can come back the next day." "You'll be executed in 30 days, after the elections." "And in the meantime?" "We'll do temporary executions?" "No, every night, the procedure will be respected." "The needle, the poison, it's real." "But you don't die." "The law is on your side." "You can talk for years." " Change the law and get rid of me." "It's not that simple." "The law can't be changed during the last 2 months of the mandate." "This is the last month, we can't do anything before the elections." "But don't worry, as soon as he's elected, we'll kill you." "You'll be executed." " But more slowly." " In episodes." "So, if you want to live, talk." "If you want to die, stay quiet." ""If he talks, he'll live if he doesn't, he'll die", that's very good." "I love the concept." "This is the "Dead man talking show"." "The dead man talking." "Fantastic." " I'm not sure the audience will like it." " Death will captivate the audience, son." "We'll increase the pressure every night for one month." "And bang, last episode:" "the apotheosis." "What do you say?" "What's the goal for me?" "With a syringe in my arm every day for a guy who doesn't want to kill me?" " It's a reprieve." "And you decide the duration." " And then, I'll die." " You're already dead." "Really?" "So, why are you here?" "3 people to negotiate with a dead man, it's a lot." "It's not a negotiation, it's an offer." "Here is mine:" "ask Brodeck to free me if he's elected." "And I will push a syringe in my arm for one month and sing his praises" "24 hours a day." "You've been sentenced to death." "He can't free you." "Well, enjoy the show." "It'll be the last one." "If you accept, you'll be more watched than Neil Armstrong on the moon." " Not interested." "M. Lamers, do you know what I see looking at you?" "I see emptiness." "This allowed you to get one more night and have this talk with us." "So, you agree to do this and you try to become somebody or you refuse to do it and you stay an empty man." "That's because you're on the right side that you feel safe." "Hey son, you wouldn't hurt a woman..." "In the city's cemetery where we used to live, there were some prisoners my dad had executed." "Sometimes, I was going to talk to them, seated on their tomb." "What did you tell them?" "I used to apologize for my dad." "I used to think that when he'd die, the ones who he executed would like to take revenge." " You were scared for him?" " Yes, that's why I talked to them." "To have them leaving him alone when he'd be in hell." "Why would your father go to hell?" "I don't know." "This is where you go when you kill people, isn't it?" "You really think that?" "There are dozens of murderers, Miss Raven, here, below our feet." "And I don't think any of them is in hell right now." "You just need someone to love you, here below, and the Kingdom of God belongs to you." "Do you think someone loves these people?" "Yes, me." " And you like William too?" " Of course." "But I liked him before I knew him." "It's my profession." "And you love him because you met him." "Is it better?" "Definitely." "My dear electors, good evening." "I am Stieg Brodeck, your Governor!" "A man, a criminal, must be executed tonight." "Good!" "Will say some." "Serves you right!" "Will say the others." "At this time, this man should be already dead." "So why is he still alive?" "Because he's going to escape justice?" "No!" "Here, nobody escape justice!" "Because I'm weak?" "No, I'm not weak." "I'm Stieg Brodeck." "Because I'm an idiot?" "No, I'm not an idiot, I'm a Governor." "This man is still alive because law has to be respected before we can change it." "Don't worry, this criminal will be executed." "Tonight, tomorrow or another day." "I promise you." "But before waiting to be dead, this man is still alive." "So we must consider this dead as alive." "If you understand that, then you are clever men." "If you are clever men, then you will vote for me." "And when I say "men", I also mean "women", of course, and all the foreigners who have the right to vote." "Stieg loves you, vote for Brodeck." "Very good, Sir, very good." "William Pascal Lamers, you've been found guilty of a homicide and sentenced to poison to death." "Would you like to say anything?" "Come on, Lamers." "Go ahead, son." "They're all watching you." "It was someone's birthday yesterday." "Nobody gave her a hug." "No friends, no party, nothing." "I don't know if this will replace the presents she didn't get, but I'd like to tell her she's part of my story now." "I was seven when I had a birthday party for the last time." "My brother offered me a cowboy disguise." "I was pulling a wheelbarrow, pretending it was my diligence." "And him, shirtless on his moped, was an Indian on his horse." " What do you want to be?" " Like you." " I want to be a magician." " Me too." "You want to be a magician too?" " How did you do that?" " It's magic." "What?" "You want to try?" " Are you going to smoke now?" " Well, yes." " You're going to die!" " No, I won't die soon." "Get out, fucking kid!" "You..." "Get out of here!" "Come on, to the house!" "William, come!" "William!" ""William Lamers, the famous unknown."" ""William, the prompter gets out of his hole."" ""Dead man talking"," ""from the shadow of his cell to the light of glory"." "The machine is in motion." " What about the numbers?" "Excellent." "According to the office, 34 % of people will now vote for you." "34 %, it's good!" "What about Gautier?" " 66 %." "It's better." "Another one!" "I'm really lucky today!" "Congratulations, Sir, nice catch." "Go ahead Bob, reload it." "I'll empty this lake." "Ah Bob..." "I win at golf, I win at fishing, I want to win the elections." "You will." "You'll get more voices with the show." "But if Lamers becomes an idol, people will hate me." "No, you promised an execution so give them one." "Don't worry, people always kill their idols." " Like Jesus." "Hip, hip, hooray and bang, on the cross!" "Look Bob!" "Another one!" "Unbelievable!" "It's like I'm attracting them!" ""Trout farming"" ""Dead man talking"," ""from the shadow of his cell to the light of glory"." "Wow..." "That's a good title." "Hey, look." "You received all this." "People left these letters this morning." "They all talk about you." "Would you mind giving me an autograph?" " An autograph?" "For my wife." "She already has some autographs." "They're all from boxers, but I'm sure she'll like yours." "You'll be her first comedian." "Her name is" "Maria." "Make a dirty joke, she likes that." "Like..." ""Hey Maria, I'm muscular, everything is muscular on me." "Want to check?"" "It's funny, isn't it?" " Yeah, that's funny." " A boxer wrote this." ""Hey Maria, I'm muscular, everything is muscular on me." "Want to check?"" " There you go." " Thank you." ""Hey Maria, I hope I'll see you after my execution, because I'll be hard as a rock."" "Oh!" "Oh yes!" "OK!" ""I'll be hard as a rock!" "That's a good one!" "She will love it!" "Sex is funny for Maria and at home, we laugh a lot!" "Trust me!" " I trust you." "What's so funny, Lopez?" "You get it?" "It's funny, isn't it?" "Yes, it's funny." "You should ask one for your wife, she will love it." "Sure." "She died six months ago." "It will take her mind off death." " I'm..." "I'm sorry." "It's OK." "Put this box back in its cell and wait for me." "Fine, Sir." "Is there a problem?" "It depends." "I've found this today." "You search in your daughter's pockets?" "No need to, it was on the table." "She wanted me to see it." "What happened?" "Nothing." "She untied you, it's not nothing." "I'm ready." "That's good, Lopez." "You can leave us." "Do you want one?" "No, smoking kills..." "I took her in my arms." "That's what happened." "I told myself that if you'd take her in your arms, she wouldn't have come in mine." "Her mother was a photographer." "It was a way for her to meet people and she did." "Her last conquest was a kind of a rich painter." "The guy could piss on a canvas, sign it, sell it and buy a house with the profits." "Six months ago, he had a party at home to present his new collection to the press and a favoured few." "My wife was invited." "Not me." "She took a cab to go there and she came back in a hearse." "It was a high-society reception, with Champagne and caviar." "After a few glasses, my wife and her painter felt like they wanted to have fun." "So they got laid in the garden where nobody could see them." "Nobody, except... the two Doberman who didn't know the difference between an attack and a shag." "My wife liked..." "to be on the top." "Maybe the guy made weird noises." "The dogs thought their master was in danger and they attacked her." "I hope she had the time to have fun, because the dogs left her no opportunity to live." "The photographers enjoyed it wholeheartedly." "The next day, her body was splashed over the papers." "And..." "muck-rakers started to... prowl around my place." "I sent one of them to hospital, in a serious state." "Trial, suspension, transfer and that's how my daughter and I ended up in this hellhole." "So, I'm not the best father in the world, but I'm the only one she has." "I didn't want this child." "But now that her mother is dead," "I realize how much I love her." "Don't wait too long to tell her." "Imagine..." "You're stuck on the roof of a burning building." "In front of you, emptiness." "Behind you, flames." "What do you do?" "You stay and you burn or you jump and you crash?" "They offered me to jump, because they say you're interested in my fall." "I'm more sure that you're interested in my crash." "The difference between the guy who jumps and me, is that his fall lasts 3 seconds." "Mine could last 30 days." "So, what should I do?" "Should I jump?" "Or should I stay and burn?" "My name is William Pascal Lamers." "I'm the guy who jumps from the roof to not die burned." "Congrats." " Nice gesture." " Thank you." "My dad taught me that." "We should do a duel, Bob." "I'm sure I would beat you." "No doubt, Sir." "I'd like to propose a toast to Elisabeth, her charm, her intelligence and her efficiency." " Thank you Governor." " And to you Bob." "For your imagination, your fidelity and your excellent foot massages." "Thank you, Sir." " To your 60 %!" " It still can increase." " To your victory!" " Yes, to my victory!" "And to Gautier's defeat." "Governor's office?" "Are you sure?" "Good, see you later." "We have a problem." " Who was it?" " Godwin." "Gautier is going to make a statement after the show." " To say what?" "He's going to pardon" "Lamers if he's elected." " To pardon him?" "Shit!" "Can he do that, Bob?" " If he's elected, yes." " I can pardon him too." "No." "We won't change everything the day before the vote." "We must get rid of Lamers tonight." " What?" "We have no other choice." "If he dies, Gautier can't pardon him." "A dead man can't be pardoned." "Well, if he wants to talk, he will." "I know, but if Gautier makes his statement, nobody knows how the voters will react." "We must move first and get rid of Lamers." " We can give him money." " He won't be interested, Sir." " A large sum..." " Not even, Sir." "Elisabeth, what should we do?" "Excuse me?" "Excuse me?" "Can I help you?" "Ah, M. Lopez, I'm Elisabeth Lacroix, the Governor's assistant." " I know who you are." "What are you doing here?" " Can we talk a bit?" " I've got to go to work." "5 minutes, that's all." "M. Lopez, first I'd like to be sure" "I can count on your discretion." " Why?" "If the Governor knows I'm here, I can be in trouble." "It has to stay between us." "OK?" "It's about William." "You know the Governor said he will execute him." " I know." "He changed his mind." "I shouldn't tell you, but unfortunately, he wants to pardon William as soon as he will be re-elected." "I don't understand." "Why did you say" ""unfortunately"?" "He said that death is too sweet for him and that he needs to rot in jail." "I hope you don't agree with him." "No..." "But... being pardoned is a good thing." "So you agree with him?" "No, no..." "But... staying alive is better than die." "What do you call "live"?" "Being forced to live his last days in prison?" "Alone?" "Like a dog?" "That's what you call "live"?" " No." "That's what William is going to get." "If he's still alive after tonight, he'll stay in jail for ever." "Why don't you tell your boss to execute him, like he said?" "I tried, but he took his decision." "The only way to save William is to execute him before the elections." "Today." "Is there a problem?" "No." "I'm fine." "Did William write this?" " Yes." ""Hey Maria..."" "Maria?" "Maria is your wife, is she?" "Yes." ""...because I'll be hard as a rock." That's funny." "Yes, she likes this kind of jokes." "Is that her on the picture?" " Yes." "She looks like she likes jokes." "Yes Madam, she likes jokes." "She enjoys life." "Yes Madam, she does." " You're lucky." " Yes." "Go ahead, Julius." "Your wife needs you." "Thank you Madam." "Get back in, you shouldn't be here!" "You know what it is to be locked in." " Get back in!" " To be alone, doomed..." " Go away." " Is it what you want for William?" " Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Go away..." "Go away." "Go away." "William needs you, Julius." "I can't do anything for him, Madam." "I don't want him to be locked for ever, but I can't help him." "There might be something you can do for him." "Sorry." "One day, I'll give a sign to the executioner." "I'm sorry for that." "Don't say sorry." "You're just doing your job." " Yes." "But now, it's hard." "I am accustomed to you." "Don't worry, you'll be OK without me." " Would you like to be pardoned?" "I would like to eat in peace." "If you have problems of conscience, untie me, hide me in your trunk and bring me away from here." "I can't do this, I'm a guardian." "So, be a guardian and I'll be the prisoner." "The roles are clear." " I don't like my role." "You want mine?" "This is your fault." "What?" "If you didn't kill these people, I wouldn't have to give the sign." "You should have died on the first night." "Go away Lopez, you're saying bullshit." "You're the one who say bullshit." "M. Raven was right." "We should have got rid of you right away." "People come to listen to you, but all this... is fake, it's bullshit." "Every day, we have to execute you." "Every day, we pretend to do it." "You pretend Lopez, not me." "Look at me..." "Look at me!" "Do I look like I pretend?" "And this?" "Is this pretending?" "Look at it." "Look at my arm!" "I talk for four hours every night, with a fucking needle sunk into the veins." "Do you know how many seconds it is?" "No, you don't know." "You only can count to 10." "I'm not pretending." "Do you think the people would come if I was pretending?" "I don't care if they love me or not." "They're there, that's all." "They're real, these letters are real, I am real!" "Look at me." "Look at me, fuck, I am real!" "I'm not nothing, I'm not emptiness." "I'm something." "I'm someone, I'm alive!" "I'm their best friend, their worst enemy," "I'm the dead man talking!" "I'm going to walk on the moon!" "I'm William Pascal Lamers and I fuck you, Julius "nothing at all" Lopez!" "I'm not pretending." "So, do the same." "At the right moment, count to 10 and give your fucking sign as you learned to do it." "And don't say sorry to relieve your conscience, like you'd piss on the side of the road." "Now, I'd like to finish my diner, so leave me alone." "The unfortunate accident suffered by William is due to Governor Brodeck's incompetence." "It's time now to focus on a future full of hope and justice." "I am that hope." "I am that justice." "I am John John Gautier!" "If William gets through this and if you vote for me," "I promise to pardon him!" "John John loves you." "Vote for Gautier." "Now let's pray for William." "If Raven didn't move, it would be set." "What do we do now?" "You heard Gautier." "We pray for William." " For his survival?" " No, for his death." " So?" " He's fine." "He's sleeping." "It's late." "You can go back home if you want." "I don't mind staying here." "I'll leave tomorrow, when Lopez will be back." "He won't come back." "Lopez will never come back." "My daughter is here." "She asked me if she could come." "It's weird." "30 days ago, your daughter saved my life." "Tonight, it's you." "And tomorrow, it could be Gautier." "He said he will pardon you if he's elected." "Do you think he can win?" " It's possible." " And you?" "Who are you going to vote for?" "You tell me." " What time is it?" " 11:00." "It gives us one hour." "To do what?" "The last act." "Hello?" "It was Raven." "Lamers is in the execution room." " What?" "The procedure is still running." "Lamers must be aware of Gautier's intentions." "He'll ask people to vote for him." "We got to go there." "Sir, we're leaving." " Can you go without me?" "It's late." "Let's go." "Are you OK, son?" "Glad, you're all right." "You scared us." "You see God, I didn't abandon you." "So what do we do?" "Should we go?" "Thank you, son." "William Pascal Lamers, you've been found guilty of a homicide and sentenced to poison to death." "Would you like to say anything?" "Someone has a cigarette?" "Can I have one too?" "Me too." "Thank you." "Lamers, stop this, we have to talk." "Go ahead, we're all listening." "I have to talk to you in private." "Now." "I don't know what you're doing but I've good news:" "the Governor will free you if he's elected." "He will make a statement when you'll be done." "I don't know how, but these people listen to you." "So, tell them to vote for Brodeck and in a few minutes, you're free." "Now, if you want to tell them to vote for Gautier, go ahead." "Brodeck will lose the elections, but you will rot in prison." "Otherwise, be convincing." "Stieg loves you." "Make them vote for Brodeck." "All right..." "On stage." "You judged me." "You condemned me." "You enchained me, you locked me in." "Yesterday, you wanted to execute me." "Today, you want to pardon me." "But did you ever wonder what I wanted?" "Freedom Lamers, freedom." " Freedom." " That's it, perfect." "Get ready, Sir." "Yeah..." "Being free." "I want to get out of here." "Walk in the fields, lay down on the grass, gather fruits, walk, run, open my arms and fly." " What is he saying?" " I want to glide above oceans, plunge in, fight against sharks, get rest in wrecks..." "I'd like to be a child." "to become an Indian again, to be a pirate, to invent the time-machine, to become invisible, to be friend with a dragon, to talk to animals, to read people's minds and change everything I touch in gold." "Resuscitate my brother, know my father, have a mother." "Seduce a woman." "Look at her in the eyes and tell her I love you without having her laughing." "Have children..." "Three girls." "Know they are happy." "And die... with them by my side, and hear them saying:" ""You're a good man, Dad."" "That's what I would like." "I had so many dreams." "Nothing is accomplished." "30 days ago, they said I'll be more watched than Armstrong on the moon." "The truth is I really don't care who's watching." "All that I want is to walk on it." "Go ahead, give your sign." "What?" "I'm ready." "Not me, please." "What are they doing?" "They're going to do it!" "Tell them to vote for Brodeck!" " They're not happy to see you go." "Brodeck!" "It's going to be hard to go voting tomorrow." "M. Raven said it's going to be hard to go voting tomorrow." "If you don't know who to choose..." "Tell them to vote for Brodeck!" "Vote for him." "Have you lost your mind, Lamers?" "Karl loves you, vote for Raven." "Yeah, vote for Raven!" "Raven!" "Raven!" "Raven!" "Raven!" "Raven!" "No!" "You let her watch?" "She decides." "When you'll meet God, tell him your story." "He will like it." "Doesn't he know it?" "He does, of course." "But he'll like the way you tell it." "See you soon." " Are you ready?" " Yes." "A message for my daughter?" "Yes, tell her I kiss her." "A message for your wife?" "Yes, tell her I fuck her."