Black Tide (2018) - full transcript

So...

No arguments?

No clashes with you or his dad?

No.

- When does his dad get back?
- In one month.

One month.

I tried calling, but there's no answer.

My son isn't like that.
He's not involved in anything.

When I leave a message for him,
he calls me back.

You said there's no girlfriend.

No.



He's 17, don't you find that...

Sixteen.

Right, 16 or 17...

At that age, things happen...

that a mother doesn't know.

- Maybe little Denis...
- Dany.

Yes, Dany.

Maybe little Dany
met a girl he liked and...

they decided to hang out.

You don't see
the hands moving around the clock.

And even if you do,

you forget about mommy at home
whose heart is pounding.

Even if that were the case,
he'd call me.

I'm telling you, I'm sure of it!



Shit.

Excuse me.

Hello?

Whose high school?

Where'd you catch him?

Go ahead, you can shake him up.

I'll be there in...

40 minutes.

Listen, ma'am,

good kids like your son
don't just disappear.

I want you to go home.

I've got everything.

If we have no news tomorrow,
we change plans.

BLACK TIDE

Hey, I got a life!

Hey, law dog, I'm waiting!

I said to sit down.

Sit down!

- Don't touch me...
- Shut up!

I said shut up!

Why the fuck am I here?

Yeah, you're here.

Bunch of sickos.

I put him upstairs, away from the others.

Thanks.

There he is.

He does his business with the guy there.

He says "no."

And he splits.

He's nothing, we want his contacts.

There's a new network on the boulevard.

A gang from the suburbs.

Heavy shit.

I can already hear his old lady.

What's he doing messed up in that?

Look at that. Little piece of shit.

Fucking hell.

Phone, wallet, keys... that's nothing.

Just his personal smoke.

It's crap on top of it.

Open the cage.

I'm keeping the phone, okay?

Pleased with yourself?

So what now?

Speak up, what now!

For the law,
you're a full-fledged adult.

You can go to jail,
be tried by a judge...

It's simple,

they want the names of your suppliers.

I'm listening.

I'm listening!

Talk!

I told them.

Told them what?

- What?
- They're from the burbs.

- From the burbs?
- We don't know them.

We bought it...

in the metro.

You think I'm a dumbass?

You know who you're talking to?

You idiot!

You got mixed up
in some very big organized traffic.

So stop playing moron
and give me their names.

Look at me when I talk to you!

We don't sell.

- We give it to our buds.
- Goddamn.

Look, dumb-fuck...

every school has cameras.

Your little game was filmed.

Stupid shit. What's with the haircut?

You look like a faggot
with your jeans halfway down your ass!

What's your number?

Have you told you mother?

No.

Here.

I'll let you announce the good news.

- Hi, François.
- You look wiped out.

You go riding last night?

Excuse me?

- François?
- Yeah?

A lady came by, Mrs. Arnault.

Her son didn't come home last night.

Coffee first.

Her son goes
to Benjamin Franklin High School.

The two kids
who joined the Jihad went there.

Call William.

Send him over to the school.

Have him ask each kid
if he ever mentioned the Middle East,

North Africa, Islam, the Jihad...

Okay.

- Where's Sadi?
- In the boy's room.

Call him right away.

- How's it going?
- I haven't found much.

Harmless online games.

Teenage stuff.

Can I question your daughter alone?

- I'd rather.
- No, I'll stay with her.

She doesn't know yet,
I don't want to frighten her.

Solange?

- It's my husband.
- Of course.

He wants to talk to you again.

What?

They're searching his room.

Nothing, no extremist propaganda,
nothing about arms.

School started at 9:00 am on Wednesday.

His books and bag are missing.

300 euros in a savings account
but I can't find the card.

François?

- They're waiting downstairs.
- I'm coming.

Make sure you get the statements signed.

Call me if you find
any relevant information.

Those who are done wait for the others.

Three kids in the same school,
there must be a recruiter.

Call the district attorney.

I'll go see the other two kids' parents.

I don't know,
see if they hung out together.

Fucking pain.

Okay, see you later.

What floor?

Fifth.

I'm going to four.

Is something going on?

Yeah.

- You live in the building?
- Yes.

Dany Arnault has gone missing.

What do you mean?

Missing. He's gone missing.

No one's seen him since last night.

- Are you leading the investigation?
- Yes.

- I know Dany well.
- Oh yeah?

I was his French tutor last year.

As a teacher,
you pick up on certain unspoken things.

If I can help...

You have anything
that could give us a lead?

A name, a place,
something about his family...

voyages, foreign countries?

No, nothing like that.

- You are?
- Mr. Bellaile.

I live upstairs from the Arnaults.

Okay...

Anything you recall could interest us.

Hello, Marie.

I'm a friend of Dany's.

I came to see him today, but...

The man is a friend.
He's going to ask you some questions.

Where's Dany?

Where is he?

Do you know?

Marie, don't play with your skirt.

Did Dany...

say he was going to see a friend?

Did he say he had a sweetheart?

He has a sweetheart?

You keep her at home with you?

She's never been
to a specialized school?

No, I take care of her.

I see.

Ever hear the name "Sécou"? Look here.

The youngest Aboubaka brother.
They run the boulevard.

We don't know how involved your son is.
Some kids deal a little,

others do real business
with the Senegalese.

You're a lucky kid, you're going home.

Who's this piece of scum?

We went away for the weekend.
I barely know him.

Fuck you!
What's he doing in your phone?

He's no one.

I don't know, shit!

Get out of here, you make me sick.

We'll have lunch tomorrow
and talk it over calmly.

We gotta get your ass
out of the shithole you got in.

Go easy on your mom,
she's pretty shaken up.

I'll pick you up tomorrow.

Hey, did you hear...

I'll pick you up tomorrow!

Little prick.

Nothing at school.

No known fascination for Islam.

The Jihadist trail seems ruled out.

No problems in the neighborhood,
no drugs,

no bad company.

Only one testimony
supports him running away.

A neighbor, Mr. Bellaile.

His former French tutor.

For him, Dany ran away.

He stated in a rather literary manner:

"Running away

aimed at loosening
the vice in which the boy lives.

Dany is a mysterious boy who...

has a certain dark side."

And we're up shit creek!

We've got nothing.

Yan, Lola and Frantz are out right now,

please leave a message after the beep.

Mr. Bellaile,

Commander Visconti.

I'd like to talk to you.

You were his teacher.

Maybe if we put our heads together,
you'll recall something.

Thank you.

Call us back.

Chérifa!

- Did the teacher call?
- No.

- What about his wife?
- No.

But Mrs. Arnault says he stopped by
and was acting odd.

You keep the good stuff in your panties?

Share a little!
Spread the thighs, give us all a piece!

- You can't talk to me like that.
- Oh, c'mon.

You should calm down.

- I'm not your girlfriend.
- Just being poetic...

At the end of the day,
the booze talks. It attacks the brain.

My day's over. I'm out of here.

See you tomorrow.

Sorry to stop by so late.

I needed to talk to you.

It's about your neighbor's visit.

May I?

Please, come in.

Oh, sorry.

Careful. Are you alright?

I don't feel...

- What's wrong?
- I thought you came with bad news.

Sorry, it's late.
I should have realized.

Let's go sit down. Nice and calm.

- I can't sleep...
- You must be exhausted.

Be careful.

There you go.

I'm sorry.

Can you tell me what happened?

Mr. Bellaile said
that running away was a sort of...

revolt.

An act of rebellion.

Rebellion against who or what?

He said that Dany
had a mental block of some sort.

I never felt that.

And he affirmed
that Dany would reappear.

Without any details?

I couldn't say if it was an affirmation
or if he simply hoped.

I don't know.

Would you mind
if I poured myself a drink?

I'm thirsty.

Of course not.

Don't move.

I can do it.

How long
did their classes together last?

Five or six months.

Then he needed help in math as well.

We couldn't afford two teachers.
Dany chose math.

So...

He gets home from school at 6:00 pm
and stays with his sister.

You and your husband
have dinner at your brother's place.

Your husband comes home
an hour earlier than you

to finish packing. Is that right?

Yes, that's right.

When you get home, the kids are asleep.

So you go to bed.

Your husband
wakes up at 5:00 am to leave.

And your son, Dany...

leaves for school at 8.

And that's the last time you saw him.

That's right.

No more Dany.

Excuse me.

- Eddy?
- Yeah, it's me.

We received an anonymous call.

C'mon.

The guy said:
"The corpse is in the woods.

Look there."

And he hung up.

The kid had to walk
through the woods to get to school.

- Did you localize the call?
- Not yet, we're working on it.

I'll let you know.

Okay.

Is something going on?

An anonymous call.

We'll organize a search...

early tomorrow morning.

Stop!

A shoe.

Mr. Bellaile.

Inspector.

Sorry about last night.
I only got your messages this morning.

I called the station

and they said
you were looking for volunteers.

Do you think he found something?

No idea.
We'll have to analyze everything.

Say there...

Mrs. Arnault said you stopped by.

Yes, this must be terrible for her.

I wanted to express my solicitude.

If she needs anything at all,
my wife and I are there.

About Dany...

I thought about your questions.

He has major learning difficulties.

Come on, move forward!

Let's go!

I'll walk with you.

So according to you,
what's the cause of Dany's mental block?

The family situation.

It's clear as day.

The father's never there...

She clings to her sick daughter,
eaten away by solitude.

Dany is forced to take on obligations
beyond his years.

His family is blind.

They smother him.

His parents adore him,
but they have no idea who he really is.

And he suffers from this.

So who is he?

A being...

who's inspired.

He has the capacity

of producing
extraordinarily gripping verbal images.

I identify with him.

I see something of myself in him,
when I was his age.

You didn't by chance

put ideas in his head?

I never speak so directly.

I encourage him, guide him...

the rest, I sense.

I never really formulated it.

So, for you...

he ran away?

I can't really imagine an attack,
in the morning,

on a short stretch
used by so many people.

But what do you think?

You really think we might find

his corpse in the woods.

Why do you say "corpse in the woods"?

To my knowledge,
we're only looking for signs.

No one's fooled.

May I make a suggestion?

If I were you,
the first thing I would do

is interrogate the people
who use this path.

We already have.

No one remembers seeing him
that morning.

Your profession is fascinating,
Inspector.

The intuition you need in this... fog.

What happened
when he decided to stop classes?

He didn't decide.

- Then who did?
- His parents.

He wanted to carry on.

She told me about
their financial problems.

They couldn't afford two teachers.
She said he chose math.

100% false.

I offered to give him classes for free.

Dany wanted to, but his parents refused.

I believe I counted for him.

Like a door
he might want to open one day.

We're done.

Okay.

I'll round up everyone
on the parking lot.

Okay.

Anthony! Everyone on the parking lot!

Come on, guys. We're done.

Mr. Bellaile...

When you left Mrs. Arnault last night...

you didn't notice anything
suspicious or unusual,

in the building or in the street?

She has the feeling
that someone's been watching her

ever since her son disappeared.

No.

No one.

I went straight home.

If there'd been anyone,
I wouldn't have seen them.

Okay.

Where does all this go?

We send it to the lab.

To be analyzed?

I want to check something.

- Don't touch.
- I just want to see.

I'm calm. I'm very calm.

He's my nephew!

You can see for yourself,
this is amateurish.

You all work together?

The crime squad
and other units collaborate?

That's right.

The call was localized 20 minutes away
but the videos are unusable.

Stay to the side
and watch from a distance.

That guy is lying.

Call him in for questioning.

You looking at me?

What are you drinking?

Are you dumb?

My name is Arielle.

Okay for the drink.

Lili!

Two more.

My wife used to hang out in bars too.

Then one day, she found one.

And she took off with him.

Gone!

Stabbed in the back.

You think I want to sleep with you?

You know what'll happen?

We wake up tomorrow
and you'll mean nothing to me.

You stink, I stink.

You'll have bags under your eyes.

Can you see us,
you with your sagging breasts

and me with my limp dick?

In the bed where I spent five years...

Five years!

With a fabulous woman.

Fabulous!

- Denis!
- Oh fuck!

Come here!

Come here!

Mr. Bellaile.

Thanks for coming by.

I hope it wasn't any trouble.

- Chérifa.
- Hello, Inspector.

I found someone for my classes.

In case you're interested
in police history,

my title was changed from
"inspector" to "commander" in 1995.

Very well. I take note, "Commander."

That's it. Have a seat.

Want some coffee?

No, thank you.

Then maybe...

Do you smoke? Go on, help yourself.

- It's not allowed, but...
- "No see no do."

Exactly.

At home, I have to sneak...

ever since the baby was born.

Here I can smoke in the open.

So...

I'm still concerned
about what worries Mrs. Arnault.

You left her place the other night
and went straight home...

I went straight home.

So you couldn't say
if anyone was lurking around outside.

Exactly.

I have a big problem.

A very big problem.

You were seen that night by a witness.

After 11:00 pm. Outside.

Outside... Meaning?

Maybe I got the nights mixed up.
Or the witness mixed up...

He didn't mix up anything at all.

The witness is categorical, it was you.

There's no reason for him to lie
for the simple reason

that the witness was a cop
and the cop is me.

So you're lying.
It's time to cough up the truth.

I'm listening.

What were you doing that night?

At exactly around 11:00 pm.

I'm listening.

It was the day before yesterday.

You're usually more talkative.

A real chatterbox and suddenly...

The cat's got his tongue!

Look at him. He's lost his memory.

What's wrong, Mr. Bellaile?

Come on, come on. We're listening.

That night, I...

Uh, yes...

It's true...

After my conversation
with Mrs. Arnault...

I needed some fresh air.

Her suffering affected me,
I felt oppressed.

I know her son.

But I didn't notice anything outside.

No shady individuals.

And your car?

Did you use it?

No...

You think I'm wet behind the ears?

That's your second line of BS.

I saw you in your car, Bellaile!

That means you were
coming back from somewhere.

Where?

- I didn't...
- What?

I mean, yes. Now I remember.

When I came back from my walk,

my car...

was badly parked.

I looked for another place.
That's all, I didn't go anywhere.

And when I got home,
it's true, my wife was asleep.

The anonymous call came from a booth

20 minutes from your home.

Where there's a booth...

there's a camera.

And camera means videos.

What do you mean?

Videos of what?

Videos, Bellaile!

We have images!

You think I called you in emptyhanded?

You think I advance blindly in the fog?

I've told you.

I don't know what these videos show.

I'm willing to take a look
at your images, but I won't talk until...

Sit your ass back down in that chair.

If you really had something on me,

you'd have taken me into custody,
which isn't the case.

I was convened as a character witness.

Why the anonymous phone call?

The corpse in the woods...

I believe I'm authorized
to leave your office.

I have a family, I have classes to give.

I'm going to get up and go.

Sit down!

I believe I have rights

that you choose to ignore.

I wish to be informed of my status

and demand legal counsel.

Where were you on the 10th at 8:00 am?

It was Wednesday...
I have a class at 11:00.

I left the house at ten...
I was at home with my wife.

There we go.

Sign your statement and you can leave.

No.

I don't have to sign a thing.

You never said
I was here to make a statement.

Sorry.

We all know it.

A teenager who disappears
leaves a trail.

Most of the time, they're kids
who play hooky or who've been expelled.

They keep bad company,
most of the time they drink

or do drugs.

But this is not
the profile of the Arnault kid.

For me, the runaway trail is out.

As for suicide,

a kid doesn't hide to commit suicide.

And you know why?

He wants to be found.

This investigation hasn't begun.

The Jihad was a false start.

We lost precious time with suicide...

We didn't lose time!

Assault was never excluded.

We focus on kidnapping or murder.

François.

Kidnapping or murder!

That's the dope.

Shit!

Asshole!

Oh fuck.

I'm taking a piss!
Stop busting my balls!

I don't know where your son is.

I walk your boulevard every day.

He comes from your balls too.

I found a list.
Names with big sums of money.

When he saw I had it, he shouted
and pushed me to the ground.

I'll put your brat behind bars!

- Come here, Blackie.
- Get out of my face.

Police.

- I didn't do anything, sir.
- You sure?

Aboubaka, shut your face.

I saw you and your pals dealing.

What's wrong?

- Listen...
- I was just walking down the street.

Your traffic on the boulevard
with your pals...

We're onto you
and we're gonna bust your asses.

- You're hurting me.
- I'll make it a personal matter!

Let go, you're hurting me.

Little asshole.

Get off my back, fucker!

Son-of-a-bitch!

You better watch your ass!

Bastard!

Denis?

Listen here...

Call me back.

I've got something
that belongs to your nigger friend.

Trust me, it'll interest you.

- Hello.
- Commander Visconti.

You asked to see me without Yan,
may I ask why?

We question people separately,
it's nothing unusual.

- May I come in?
- Of course.

Thank you.

So...

On the morning of the 10th,
what time did your husband leave?

The usual time.

On Wednesdays, he leaves at ten.
He has class at 11:00 am.

He must've left at ten.

I don't understand. Why "must've"?

I don't sleep well
since the baby was born.

Frantz was at my mother's on Wednesday,
so Yan let me sleep.

Your husband...

recently developed
a certain affection for Dany Arnault.

I'd say almost fascination.

Did you ever notice similar behavior

in the past with other students?

My husband takes
his educative role very seriously.

He often stays late after class,

he doesn't count his time.

But what you're describing, no.

Has your husband
ever talked to you about Dany?

I don't understand, why these questions?

What don't you understand?
It's a simple question.

Has he ever talked to you about Dany?

Not in particular.

No.

You don't have anything to drink?

Sure.

Like what?

Some whisky maybe.

Is that allowed?

I mean, on the job?

Mrs. Bellaile,

do you know how many hours
I spend "on the job"?

Make it...

neat.

Things are okay between you,
with the baby?

Exhausting at times, but...

We wanted a child for a long time
but it never happened.

Then one day it happened.

Right when...

right after we moved here.

Yan asked for extra classes at school
to help financially.

What about between you?

You have less sex?

What do you mean?

Do I have to answer that?

Yes, it's less often.

But it's often the case.

It's normal. All the books say so.

Thanks.

Where does he give lessons?
Does he have an office?

At the table here.
Or sometimes in the basement.

What do you mean, in the basement?

The storage room became his office.
His old one is the baby's room.

He takes his students there?

Sometimes, yes.
That's where he keeps his books.

Excuse me for insisting, Inspector,
but what are you getting at?

We ask questions.
We're the police, that's our job.

Can I see the basement?

Not without my husband.

You need permission
to go to the storage room?

I don't have the key, it's his space.

Do you have the right to be here?

When does he get home?

Late this afternoon. Why?

Do you suspect him of something?

I suspect everyone.

Family, friends and neighbors.
Even the victim.

That's what
we do everywhere, all day long.

We dig around, we stir things up.

It doesn't mean we suspect your husband.

It means we're doing our job.

Conscientiously.

Goodbye, Mrs. Bellaile.

Anyone here?

Marie, this isn't your room,
it's your brother's.

Come on,
it's the man from the other day.

Say hello to the gentleman.

Hello, sir.

Hello, Marie.

- Friend?
- How is "Mr. Friend"?

Yes, I understood.

Come sit next to me.

Come on, over here.

Sit down, sweetie.

What about your husband?

Your husband is...

Because...

His boat is caught in a storm.

We talk whenever I can get through.

He should be back tomorrow
or the day after.

Dany no here.

Go to your room,
I need to talk to the man.

Go to your room.

Mommy...

Okay, sweetie, go to Mommy's room.

Go on.

Dany no here.

I don't believe anymore
that he ran away.

Marie and I both have sensations...

It doesn't make sense,
he would've contacted me.

I'm very close to my children.

I can see that. It's wonderful...

The way you are with them.

It's beautiful.

I'll find him.

You must be starving. I'll make a snack.

The gentleman is leaving.

Thank you.

Do you often bring students here?

Günter Grass wrote his masterpiece,
The Tin Drum,

in the back of his cellar.

When students are gifted,

they can look through my books.
I read to them,

and we discuss.

Writing is a solitary act.

It demands withdrawal, solitude.

Total isolation.

What do you write?

Novels.

Are you published?

No, I take notes. I collect words.

But they don't yet...

form a full work.

Are you familiar
with Kafka's letter to his father?

It starts like this:

"You asked me recently
why I maintain that I am afraid of you."

In this phrase,

what's important is not the son's fear,

rather the choice of the word
"maintain."

The father denies the son's feelings,

saps his experience.

The father lashes out at Kafka,

because he refutes his very legitimacy.

The son is necessarily deceitful.

False!

The phrase is terrible.

Magnificent!

I see.

Your wife...

she was asleep
when you left on Wednesday.

So she can't confirm the time.

She must've fallen back asleep
or forgotten.

She mentioned your financial problems,
your overtime hours,

and you still offered free lessons.

Care to explain?

Do you treat all the neighbors
like this or only me?

I asked you a question.

Do you have children?

Then you must know,

one day they realize
they must find their place in the world.

And I'm there for them.

For the poor and the rich.
It's my vocation.

Despite what you claim,

I don't think you care
what happened to the kid.

You're quite mistaken.

Only I believe
he'd planned his departure

for quite some time, all by himself.

You've been outsmarted.

Assaults against minors
primarily take place in the home

by people who are close to them.

Strange isn't it?

So you're making no headway.

You still believe I made the phone call.

Even if I had,
for whatever absurd reason,

why continue pursuing me?

You never found
your "corpse in the woods."

I'll find him.

I'll find him...

and I'll sink my teeth into you.

How dare you come to my office
and interrogate my wife?

I recognized your car the other night.

You know what?
I have the odd sensation that I'm a bone.

The one you gnaw at to calm your nerves.

My wife said you drink on the job.

The liquor warps your judgement.

Want a photo?

What are you looking at? Get lost!

You dumb or what?

You took the wrong path, pal.

Fucking hell!

It's Denis. Shoot. Your turn.

That's right!
Don't answer, you little asshole!

You want to fuck with me?
I'll get the narcs on you!

You hear me you little fuck?

François here.

What's up?

He's up to his neck in this traffic!

- You sure?
- Yes!

He's got a list of names
and cash big time.

I'm gonna give you the dough.

And next time you nab him,
you make sure the judge gets it.

I want him to eat it!

He's your son...

That's the point!
You don't do this to your dad!

- Hello.
- I'm here to see Commander Visconti.

May I see your ID?

Thank you.

Mr. Arnault.

You're head mechanic on a cargo ship.

You're often at sea in the Atlantic.

- For a month or more at a time?
- Yes.

You sailed on Wednesday the 10th,
early in the morning.

My wife got up with me at four o'clock
and we had coffee.

We always have coffee together.

Then I left for Le Havre,
where we embark.

Very good.

So, moving on...

Your wife told us
that you had dinner the night before

at your brother-in-law's
and that you came home earlier.

Yes, it must've been around...

11:00 pm. I still had to pack.

The kids were asleep.

There was no light
coming from under Dany's door.

My wife must've come back...

one hour later.

- Then we went to bed.
- How is your relation with your son?

Are you close?

Do you talk?
Do you feel like you know the boy?

I'd say that...

my wife knows the kids better.

As Dany got older...

we grew apart

because of my job.

But he's a good kid.

I'm proud of him.

Sorry.

But at the same time,

I'm angry at him.

I think he wants to scare us.

At least I hope that's it.

Do you think...

Hang on, please.

Mr. Arnault, carry on.

The Naval Academy was his dream.
I agreed but...

Solange refused flat out,
but I can understand.

Alone at home,
with Marie's handicap and all...

It's not easy for her.

Maybe he thought it was unfair.

Are you very strict
when it comes to who he sees

or going out?

No, I'm pretty laid back.

He's free to go out with friends
or date girls.

But I don't think it's really his thing.

He goes out alone.

Where does he go alone?

In the woods.

There's a forest nearby he likes.

So...

You'll go.

If I go, they'll smell a cop.

Besides, no one will want to fuck me.

You're a babe.

As soon as they touch your wiener,
you ask questions.

About the kid
and especially about this guy.

That's my little boy!

Oh, it's yummy.

Mommy made it!

- Well?
- Looks delicious.

The little teacher is going to eat pie.

He's going to eat pie!

That must be Mom
about babysitting on Thursday.

Yeah, that's why I called.

He needs to be changed.

He's a charming man, but very private.

"Hello" and "good evening."
But that's all.

I don't know him much.

You don't see him taking walks?

Yes, sometimes...

but like I said,
people are discreet here.

Excuse me.

"Mom and Dad...

I went missing on Wednesday,

but the three of us know,
that's not the truth.

I went missing long ago.

I'm different and you'll never be able
to understand me.

This letter of anger
will surely hurt you.

You wanted to destroy me

so that my life
would not be better than yours.

So that it would mirror
your hopeless failings.

It would be impossible for me to become

the person I really am with you.

The son you lost.

Dany."

Well?

Nothing.

No one knows the kid.

Or your guy.

Hello?

Okay.

The kid's backpack was found.

No sign of blood or illegal substances.

There are unusable fingerprints.

And the schoolbooks
correspond to his Wednesday classes.

Thus, no new elements.

Except that, the city employee
who found the backpack

said he'd emptied the dumpster

the day before yesterday
and the pack wasn't there.

That means it was put there
over the past two days.

Maybe Dany tossed it himself.

A kid who runs away

doesn't schlep his schoolbooks around
for over one week.

For the moment,
the backpack tells us nothing.

Except that...

the bag miraculously reappears
when the dad comes home.

Dany disappears
one morning on the way to school,

several hours after his dad leaves.

But that's the mother's version.

She's the only one
who saw him that morning.

No one saw him in the forest that day.

Not one of the people
who take the path every morning.

We missed something from the very onset.

We believed the mother!

But if for some reason she's lying,

he could have gone missing

anytime between Tuesday night
and Wednesday morning.

And during that whole time,
the father was there.

I'm telling you she's not acting.

I saw her first, she was terrified.

We lose Dany's trail Tuesday at 6:00 pm
when he left school

and his dad was still there.

And when the backpack resurfaces,

the dad is back.

You saying the mother's interrogation
wasn't thorough?

Enough.

We get the parents' phone records
and focus on them.

In addition...

Are you listening, François?

You suspect a neighbor
who gave the kid private lessons?

Yes and no.

There's a guy.

He's far too involved in this relation.

He's odd.

- And we learn this now?
- I have nothing tangible.

What's "odd" about the guy?

And what's odd about you?

Why have you decided she's lying?

She's sacrificed her life
for her handicapped daughter.

She'd die for her kids.
She's aged 20 years in three days!

Empathy for a witness!
He's fallen under the mommy's spell.

François!

Get a grip,
you just hit Marc in my office.

The mom's not lying.

That's enough.

Marc's taking over the case
from here on anyhow.

Sorry to break the news like this.
It's orders, from above.

I did something wrong?

Yes, just now in front of us all.

Okay, let's get to work
on these new hypotheses. Meeting's over.

Marc, stay in my office.

Mr. Arnault.

My wife and I are sincerely sorry
about what's happened.

If you need anything at all...

don't hesitate.

Thank you.

Mr. Arnault... your keys.

You know, I was your son's tutor.

If I can help you to understand...

I summoned the dad,
he's coming this afternoon.

The mother can't leave her daughter
so you'll take care of her.

We question them thoroughly
and compare their statements.

Hey, Chérifa...

I'm gonna take a shit.
Don't forget to tell Marc.

I can explain.

The money...

We made it selling hash.

There are a few of us doing it.

The narcs have you all on file.

Stupid little shits.

- You can forget the bread.
- Dad...

"Dad?" Dad what?

The apartment you trashed?

That was "dad's" apartment,
you little hypocrite.

You don't give a fuck about your parents
so drop the word "dad."

Okay.

The narcs have the cash. So now what?

- You gave the cash to the narcs?
- Yes.

You guys are going to tell them
the whole story...

That money is ours!

Change your tone.

Fuck, what'll I do?

I just tell the guys the money's gone?

Exactly.

Maybe this will knock some sense...

This is none of your business!

None of my business?

Are you fucking with me?

You've never been a father to me!

You don't give a fuck.
I've always been a piece of shit for you.

If I'm not your son anymore,
then back off.

So you give me my money back!

Shut your face!

You get yourself out of this alone.

Alone.

All alone.

Mrs. Arnault.

I'm here because...

I need to hear your story again

from the moment Dany left school
until he went missing.

I apologize,
we have procedures to follow.

Okay, but I'm alone,
my husband was summoned to the station.

I know, I came to see you.

Maybe we can we sit down?

- Of course.
- Thank you.

Solange!

Forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I don't know what came over me.

I never do that.

Never.

I apologize.

Do you...

What?

Do you have children?

I have a son.

I have a son, but...

I can't seem to love him

like I should.

Protect him.

Keep him alive.

Whatever you do.

Yes.

Please.

So...

Tell me...

what he did... I mean you...

between the moment...

between school

and the moment he left.

Did you sleep well?

The Castle

I want your homework by Wednesday.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Bellaile!

Have a seat.

So.

Everything seems to indicate
that Dany...

prefers men.

Did he ever allude to that?

I don't know...

a name...

- Someone?
- What gave you that idea?

Bits of information we pieced together.

Well?

I never noticed.
No confessions of the sort.

You never felt
he was looking for affection?

Any out-of-place gestures?

Something that might have
made you uneasy?

It's true, certain students
seek approval from their teachers.

It's the case for Dany.

He surely noticed
the attention I gave him...

the signs of encouragement.

But no, I never noticed anything

out of place.

The woods behind your building
are a meeting place for men.

We learned that...

Dany liked going
for walks there at night.

He never told you?

No.

He could've met a man,
fallen in love.

And maybe this man helped him run away.

Helped him hide,

even now.

In this case,
running away would have been...

a response to a family

who couldn't accept his homosexuality.

The revolt you spoke of.

Impossible.

Why's that?

A man with influence over him...

Dany's in the middle of...

this search to find himself.

And this man...

opened a door for him.

I have a very keen sense of perception.

I dissect human beings.

I get into their heads.

That's part of being a novelist.

I necessarily would have seen.

You're no novelist, not in the least.

You've never turned out a book
let alone been published.

You're a petty teacher
who thinks he's a writer.

Come on.

Did you ever try to see him
once your lessons stopped?

No.

Mr. Bellaile...

Kafka.

The Castle.

And inside the castle...

Here it is.

"For my dear friend,

to accompany your first steps
in the labyrinth of life,

where one must nonetheless
find one's way.

Yan. February 15th, 2016."

That was what, two months ago?

I gave him this gift because

the manner in which
I'd spoken about this novel

had truly aroused his interest.

Do you often give your students gifts?

Why "my dear friend"?

Since when are 16-year-old students
"dear friends"?

If Dany stopped taking lessons with you,

even for free, like his mother claims,
and she has no reason to lie,

it's because something unsettling
happened between you.

You think you know him so well.

That you got inside his head.

Your gift...

he never read it.

What labyrinth was yours?

You tried to make contact with him.

And he turned you down.

Is that it?
And it hurt your feelings.

Tell me where he is.

Where's Dany?

I'm convinced you know.

Excuse me, I have a class now.

Come in, come in.

Take your seats quietly.

Good day, Commander.

"He who despairs
over an event is a coward,

but he who holds hope
for the human condition is a fool."

Albert Camus.
Have you thought about this?

"Mom and Dad,

my difference frightens you.

The love inside me

frightens you."

Solange... Are you alright?

It's me.

What are you doing here?

You'll catch cold.

Are you okay?

Is something wrong?

Tell me.

What happened this afternoon
was sincere.

I wanted you to know it.

I'll take care of you.

I'll take care of you.

I'll protect you.

I'll protect you.

Okay?

Here.

What are you doing?

What the fuck are you doing?

Do you want me to...

Do you want me to kiss you?

Yes.

You're...

You're reading my notebook?

It...

It talks about how Dany Arnault...

how he died.

He's...

he's one of the characters in my story.

I finally...

I finally found my story.

I used Dany,

and his father,

and his mother...

as writing material.

It describes the manner in which...

his throat was slit, he was mutilated...

It's horrible.

You're my first reader.

Then it's good? The effect works?

Why did you make him

a boy who does things to men
in the woods?

It sounds like it's with you!

He's attracted to men.

Okay? He meets them
in the woods right over here.

That's what the police think.

I'm trying to get into Dany's head.

And the killer's too.

I know I can write this story.

I feel capable.

It gives me strength... and daring.

I even went so far as to...

provoke certain things.

What?

I'm the one who called.

I made the anonymous call.

I provoked the search for Dany
in the forest.

I wanted to see
how the police would react.

How a search is carried out.

How it's organized.

You really called them?

It caused no harm to the investigation.

It was so incredible...

to spark something

and watch it take form under your eyes.

It's like the letters where...

Dany supposedly writes his parents.

I imitated his handwriting.

It's how I imagined

his relations with his parents.

And when the father read them...

I saw I'd hit the hammer on the nail.

I saw the blood drain from his face.

I thought... he would faint!

You sent them?

Yan...

did Dany's parents really read them?

Oh my god.

Wait, they don't know it was me.

What difference does it make?

Whether they know or not?

What you did was...

atrocious.

Horrible.

Why did you do it?

Calm down, I took every precaution.

Letters land in their mailbox
and you think the police will do nothing?

That they won't try to find out
who wrote them?

Yan...

they're already doing it.

You have to go see them.

You go see that commander...

and confess everything you did!

Are you crazy?

Would you rather wait
for the police to break down the door?

Search the apartment?

Arrest you in front of your son
and the entire building?

You must apologize.

Say that you're sorry!

That, I don't know...

Say that...

something took possession of you

and made you lose your mind!

If you don't go,

I'll go to the police tomorrow.

Please take your hood off.

From the top. What happened?

Chérifa.

Get the teacher in here.
I don't care what his schedule is.

- He's upstairs waiting for you.
- Where?

Upstairs with Anthony.

So, Mr. Bellaile.

I'm listening.

I...

What's wrong now?

Let me help you...

One, stop pretending you didn't know
about Dany's homosexuality.

Two, it will be hard to convince us
and everyone else

that your timely visits to the woods
weren't to fuck Dany.

No, the men in the woods...

that's nothing.

Excuse me?

When that guy had his dick
shoved down your throat, what was that?

A lollipop?

I'm not really like that.

I'm here for something else.

It's me...

I'm the one who wrote the letters.

I pretended I was him.

What letters?

Look at this.

- What is it?
- I need you to read this.

Okay, let's go.

- Mr. Arnault, can we come in?
- Sure.

- Is your wife here?
- Excuse me?

- Your wife?
- Yes, in the kitchen.

Ma'am, please come in here.

Can we know why you're here?

Do you have news of Dany?

No, sir.

It is 11:10 am.
You are both being placed in custody

for 24 to 48 hours
as suspects in your son's disappearance.

- Are you joking?
- You will be informed of your rights.

You may notify one person.

We will proceed
with a search of your apartment.

You will be interrogated separately
at the station.

And we want your mail.

Letters addressed to who?

Were they addressed to me,

or to my husband?

If they're his,
there's no reason for me to read them.

Yes, there is.

Considering the content,
he should've told you.

And he should've told us.

You don't know why he didn't?

Solange.

Talk to me.

I want to help you.

Commander, can you tell me...

who sent these letters?

Let me ask you...
Who sent these letters?

If I were to tell you

that Dany sent them?

Your son.

He wrote them for his parents.

What are you talking about?

I'm saying...

that Dany wrote you letters.
So he's alive.

And you didn't tell us. Why not?

Unless it was your husband?

He didn't show them to you?

You husband didn't tell you?

You're saying...

that my son wrote us letters?

Then where is he?

Where's my child?

Excuse me.

Okay.

Tell me the truth.

Dany...

never left home for school.

I caught Dany

in his sister's room.

He was doing things to her.

He had taken off all her clothes.

I went berserk.

So I pushed him away...

to protect his sister.

And then...

he attacked me.

I'd never seen him like that.

He wasn't himself.

Then he started hitting me.

Again.

So I pushed him,

and he fell backwards.

And his head...

his head hit the ground.

And then?

Then...

I stayed there for a moment.

Incapable...

of moving or understanding
what had happened.

And then...

my wife came home.

Okay.

What did you see when you got home?

We want to hear you.

You lied to us.

What happened when you got home?

Mrs. Arnault.

We need to know.

And the next day, you buried your son

on the way to Le Havre.

How...

How could you let your husband
do a thing like that?

Wait for me here, Commander.

- You can smoke outside.
- Thank you.

Hello, Commander.

What are you doing here?

I came to visit Mrs. Arnault.

To apologize.

My therapist suggested it.

What about you?

You doing better?

My convalescence period is over.

I'm returning to school.

Another school.

Soon.

I hope.

And the novels?

The novels?

You want the truth?

Yeah, you're a cop.

Cops always want the truth.

The goddamned truth...

is that I won't give up.

Even if...

my wife demands it
as a condition for negotiations,

even if it compromises
us getting back together.

If you want the bottom line...

I cannot give up.

Writing...

is my prison.

You sure that your convalescence period

is really over?

Allow me to point out,
it was my letters,

my words,
which led you to the culprits.

Without them,
you'd still be running around

in the woods chasing faggots,
on the verge of a stroke.

You underrate the power of literature

as a tool to investigate the world,

Mr. Policeman.

Commander.

Mrs. Arnault.

Have a seat, please.

So, uh...

The examining magistrate
has asked to hear you.

I'll accompany you.

Given the circumstances,
the fact that your husband wanted

to protect your daughter,

and that Dany's death was unintentional,

you have a good chance
of getting a reduced sentence.

Both of you.

But it all depends on the judge.

And I wanted to say...

when you get out, it won't be easy.

I'd like to be there to help you...

help you and Marie
reestablish a normal life.

Things didn't happen the way he said.

Then how did they happen?

Mrs. Arnault.

You started to tell me something.

Solange...

Why...

When Dany wanted
to enroll in the Naval Academy,

why did you refuse?

It would have been ideal.

It would have
got him away from his sister,

and you'd have protected her.

Why?

It was him.

My husband abused my daughter.

I know exactly what happened.

He went to see Marie...

he cuddled her...

told her he was going
on a long journey.

For his long journey...

he did everything he wanted to her.

Dany wasn't asleep.

Dany knew what happened
each time his father left.

He couldn't stand it anymore.

So he went to see his father...

He wanted to defend his sister,
so he grabbed him...

My husband pushed him,

and Dany fell.

He wanted to threaten his father,
denounce him...

but he couldn't,

he loved his father.

Did this go on for long?

She wanted him.

She liked it.

She says that...

that it's sweet.

She encourages him.

She wants her pleasure.

Marie doesn't see good and bad like us.

I wanted her to have a life.

I wanted to keep Marie.

And I didn't protect my son.

I killed him.

You know I'm a cop.

Everything you said...

as soon as I leave here...

I'll tell the judge.

At your hearing,

the judge will add complicity

in the sexual abuse
of your under-aged daughter.

What's your goal?

You'd rather never see her again
than let your husband touch her?

Solange?

Is that it?

When he gets out...

you will forbid him to come near us.

You'll tell him you know,
that I confessed everything.

You took advantage of me, Commander.

Of my grief.

My daughter saw
and she doesn't know how to lie.

You won't ever let him see us again.

Neither Marie,

nor me.

You want to love your son.

You can't take her away from me.

Commander.

She has to go to the Clerk's Office.
You can wait here.

Subtitles: Julie Meyer

Subtitling TITRAFILM