Confidences pour confidences (1979) - full transcript

Listen to the angels' song…

One day, feeling down, I wanted to tell
the story of my family.

In the air

Let us also join our praises

To their sublime concert

Glory to God
Peace on earth

Today Christ is born

Jesus became our brother

Tomorrow is Christmas.

I remember this image of our silhouettes
trotting in the streets of Courbevoie.

Pierrette, our older sister,
watched over us



like the little mother hen she already is.

Is given to you

Brigitte, come back here, hurry up!

Come on!

From the highest God

He comes to us debonair
And is crowned with grace

Oh, dear!

At that price, I want exactly one kilo.

-Shall I remove one, then?
-Yes.

If you want exactly one kilo,
don't buy apples,

buy strawberries.

That's enough! Hello, everyone.

You arrived right on time,
we need you, give me a hand.

Those coats are great!



Yes, they are.

They didn't want to wear them!

-It's too long.
-You'll grow!

-In a year, it will fit perfectly.
-I won't wear it.

Me neither!

What is she up to tonight?

-Here.
-Thanks.

-Can you put it on my tab?
-Yes, goodbye.

And for you, Ms. Bourget?

I'm looking for turnips.

I'll get them for you, I sold a lot today.

I want to see them before buying.

What nerve!

I just want a can of peas,
I left my kid at home.

-Wait, ma'am!
-Oh, you can't…

-I'll help serve the peas.
-Fine!

-Can you believe it!
-You're too short, darling.

-I want those.
-I'm taking two tablets.

Put it on my tab.

Emile, come, your nap is over.

-I'm not taking a nap!
-All the more reason!

-It's my fault.
-No.

-Good evening ladies.
-Hello, Mr. Roussel.

-Ladies.
-I'll pay tomorrow.

There was a hurricane in here.

I'm off to see my little Gerard.

-Did you do this?
-Yes.

-You can put it on my tab.
-Of course, don't worry.

You see, baby, that's not business.

I liked working
on the table on the oilcloth.

Florence botched her homework
to go play the piano.

Come on, girls,
come help me set the table.

I didn't play the piano yet.

-What are you doing?
-Leave me alone, dad!

What's Pierrette doing in the corner?

Leave her alone, she's sewing.

-Go away, you're in the way.
-When I try to help, you yell at me.

It's in the store that I need you.

I don't like the way you do business,
it makes me depressed.

That's easy to say.

You didn't charge at least four customers.

Why are there ladies
who don't pay for what they buy?

They pay, but later. It's on their tab.

When I go to buy
Suzette's week from Mrs. Drum,

if I forget my money,
she doesn't give it to me.

She doesn't do tabs.

She doesn't do tabs
because she's not crazy.

Dad, what's a tab?

Ask your mother.

She'll tell you.

It's simple:

If a mother needs potatoes
for her dinner and has no money,

I give them to her,
the next day she brings the money

and everyone is happy.

Except me.

The next day, you give her potatoes again.

She understands!
The next day, your mother gives her more.

Or beans, or oranges,
and the customer doesn't pay.

When she comes back to pay them,
if she comes back,

we give her something else
and it never ends.

And we pay for it.
That's not how it works.

It's charity, caring for the needy,
but not business.

You don't understand.
It attracts customers.

The ones who don't have a penny.

It's time to eat! I'm tired of talking.

We have food,
there's nothing to complain about.

Once dinner was over,

the change process began.

In the room
that had been used as a dining room

five people had to
settle in for the night.

Six, if you count the dog Popeye
and sometimes even seven.

Brigitte's fiancé will be here soon.

He's not my fiancé, but I like him.
Right, Popeye?

Go to bed.

You stay on the landing!

You'll come home
when you decide to eat your soup!

-Come.
-I'm grounded.

I'm grounded.

-Good evening, Bernard.
-As if there weren't enough of us.

Good evening!

Let's go!

-Popeye!
-How are you?

-Bernard!
-Hide!

Bernard!

Bernard!

-You could say good evening.
-I know you're there.

Get out now!

Sleeping with a mutt is unsanitary.

She's not a mutt.

-Are you going to bed now?
-It's time for bed.

Madam, ask my son
to get out of your daughter's bed.

You grounded me until tomorrow,
come back then.

Don't be ridiculous, he's not in the way.
He's done it before.

You're sapping my authority.

I can't sap it, you don't have any.

A child is raised at home,
not on the landing.

I won't let you criticize
the way I educate my son.

Your girls are noisy
and not very well behaved.

You can keep your opinion!
Get out! We won't let you in anymore.

-Bernard!
-I said get out!

Get out! What does that mean!

Eventually, calm always returned
to the family dormitory.

Well, sort of, filled with whispers

as if the night served to express

what we had not known
or dared to say during the day.

"So," said the cricket, "you forgot to…

"…tap your finger!"

Florence told us about the dreams
she had to hide during the day.

And in this world,
she was always a rich, Russian…

…princess.

Pierrette would wake us up
with military songs.

Later my children
Will sing the Marseillaise.

I won't give my milk
To the son of a German!

-Is it Brigitte's gift?
-Yes, it is.

She'll be disappointed.

Maybe it will be for next year.

We really couldn't buy her crib?

Come on, hurry up!

Come, Popeye!

In the morning,
mom and dad get up long before us.

They go to the market at Les Halles.

Mom says, "You can tell a good shopkeeper

by how she does business at the market."

Dad follows, nods obediently,
the grocery store never interested him.

"Tomorrow, at dawn,
as the countryside whitens,

I'll leave."
"I know you are waiting for me."

"I'll go through the forest
and the countryside…"

It's time, we'll be late!

-Hurry up!
-Faster!

-Goodbye.
-Bye, Daddy.

-Goodbye!
-Be brave like your daddy.

And work well.

And for me, the work day

is almost over.
God, it's good to be back in bed.

Please write your dictation for tomorrow.

Brigitte, please come wipe off the board.

You'll recite your lesson to me.

-Miss?
-What are you doing here?

-Enough with your poems!
-But it's a letter, and it's long.

-Shall I start, mistress?
-Yes, dear.

When you have hiccups, the food,
instead of going through the stomach…

goes through there, the heart.

It goes on the heart's side,
that's why we get the hiccups.

Why do we say hiccups?

It is very simple. When we have hiccups,
we go: "Hic… cups."

What about the baby burps?

We don't know, Bernard,
we haven't figured it out yet.

Now I'm drawing the kidneys.

We have two, but some people have three.

They've got a third one transplanted.

The operation is called
a kidney transplant.

-Look, lovers!
-The lovers!

-Come see! Lovers!
-Look!

Oh!

Hey, you!

-Oh, stop it!
-Lovers!

Why don't the English wear
briefs under their raincoat?

-What? They don't wear underwear?
-No.

-Of course they do, they even wear pants.
-Mostly in tweed.

-No, they don't wear pants either.
-So what do the English wear?

They're all naked under their raincoats,
I saw one.

-You've seen one?
-Yes, so I know.

-An Englishman without underwear?
-Yes.

Where?

On the way home.
Martine and Jacqueline saw him too.

-It's true.
-What was he doing?

Nothing.

-What exactly did you see?
-That he was English.

-How did you know he was English?
-He had an English accent.

-What did he tell you?
-I didn't understand, he was in a hurry.

When you see a naked Englishman again,

congratulate him and say,
"Don't get dressed, I'll get my father."

He's not an Englishman,
but a Turk with an English accent.

-He's not bad.
-But he's an exhibitionist.

Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him.

What about work? That's what counts.

How's it going, Miss Delorme?

Quite well, Ms. Lefranc said
that Florence was dreaming in class,

but she does her homework very well.

Very good. And Brigitte?

We know after a month what a student
will be like for the rest of the year.

Good students stay good,
the bad ones rarely improve.

Right?

But Brigitte was seventh
and then thirty-second and then second.

And her grades vary
from 1 to 20 out of 20.

She's the exception.
She wants to try every spot.

Maybe to see which one is right for her.
She's good at drawing.

She never reacts like the others.

She's not attached to anything or anyone.

Yes, it's odd. The other day,
the school photographer came…

-Who wants to be a seamstress?
-I do.

Who wants to be an ice cream vendor?

-I want the quills.
-You want to be a writer?

No, Zizi Jeanmaire.

-What do you want to do?
-I don't know.

Yes, you do.

-She wants to be everything at once.
-Yeah!

In that case…

Children, look at me. Cheese!

Girl who doesn't want to do anything,
smile too.

Good!

She's a little anemic.

I'll give you a treatment,

but it would be best
to send her to the country.

-She can go to her grandparents.
-Perfect.

-My little darling.
-Don't be sad.

She'll heal quickly.

I was not to see Bernard,
my little boyfriend.

In the weeks that followed,
I found myself at my grandparents' house.

Brigitte, there's a letter
from Florence for you.

She has lovely handwriting.

I'll read it later,
I'm making food for my dolls.

You're in no hurry to read your mail.

Florence always writes
overly long letters.

You can read it to me if you want.

"My baby, a lot has happened
since you left Courbevoie."

"Mom and Dad finally understood

that I was right when I said
we had to move and go to Paris."

"It wasn't easy."

Easy!

"In three weeks, we're leaving."

"We've already started moving our stuff
to the new apartment

which is in the Batignolles district."

"It's much fancier than Courbevoie,
I assure you."

"We visited it, there are four rooms."

"Pierrette is worried,

she says we won't have enough money
to pay the rent."

"It seems like I'm the only one
who's happy to be going there."

"It doesn't matter."
"They'll understand later."

"The one who's most upset is dad."

"I think it's because he's working."

"He gets up at the same time as us

and he doesn't go to bed all day."

"He's selling catalogs, labels."

"He doesn't sell them to people like us,

but to stores who resell them afterward."
"It's very complicated."

"It was because of this job
that he and mom had an argument."

"But it's mostly because of the ring."

Because of the ring? What ring?

"A month after you left,
I was putting away my blotters…"

Have you seen my red notebook
where I note the purchases?

-Maybe daddy took it?
-No, he never takes it with him.

-Shall I look in his pockets?
-It won't be there.

What did I do with it?

It's so pretty!

-I think it's for your name day.
-No doubt. Put it away!

You mustn't tell daddy,
it would spoil his surprise.

Daddy loves you!

Get to work.

"Only thing is, Dad couldn't bring himself
to give her the ring."

This is going to get ugly.

No, look, the sun is shining,
there's no way!

I meant in the letter.

"He couldn't bring himself
to give her the ring."

Hello!

"Mom's name day came and went,
she got flowers but no ring."

Look, dad, shall we go and see this?

Cinderella? Sure, okay. Come.

"Then came her birthday."

"Dad came in all happy,
scented with perfume,

she got more flowers, but still no ring."

Here, honey, happy birthday!

"I asked Mom":
'When will dad give you the ring?'

"Two weeks ago,
it was Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary."

"They've been married for fifteen years,
can you believe it?"

"Dad still didn't give her the ring."

"He couldn't because he didn't remember
that it was their anniversary."

"That night, right after dinner…"

Mom, I wonder why dad is keeping his ring?

Be quiet.

Maybe he lost it.
He should have given you something else.

Will you be quiet?
Don't you have homework to do tonight?

-Why didn't he give you anything?
-Here, I'll give you this!

"Why would you want to be nice
and interested in others?"

"But I didn't cry."

I'm sorry, darling.
Don't be mad at me, please.

You're not nice.
I didn't mean to hurt you.

"I pouted because I wasn't happy,

and then, I don't know why,

Mom burst out in anger,
I had never seen her like that!"

After that, you'll be happy,
you won't bother me anymore!

Oh, you know, that story about the ring.

Émile! What did you do with the ring?

-What ring?
-You know which one!

-No, I don't.
-I'm fed up with you!

"They locked themselves in their room."

"Because of that, I couldn't hear well."

"But Pierrette said

daddy gave the ring to the lady
who's married to the gentleman

who found daddy his new job."

"Dad said it was to thank the gentleman,

but Mom is jealous of the lady,
or so I've heard."

"I know very well why,

it's that she would have wanted him
to give her a ring too."

"They talked about it all night."

How will I look like
in front of the customers?

If that's the case,
I'll close the store for good.

I should have done it a long time ago,
it was never a job.

-So, what? I'll have to work?
-Yes.

They ate well, now it's nap time.

Your father is a good man,
but he's very clumsy.

Here's your letter.

He should have hidden the ring better.

Yes, but he didn't think of that.

Come now, it's time for your snack.

I discovered in him a great person
who knew a lot of things

and who had time to tell them.

Another advantage was with him,
no subjects were forbidden.

No, I don't believe you,
you're making this up.

When babies are born,
they're not that small.

No, but they're very small.

You understand, to come out of a belly…

-How small are they then?
-Small like this!

It's still quite small.

-Were you that small?
-Yes, and so were you.

-And granny?
-Oh no, not her.

-Ah, you see!
-She was even smaller.

-Even smaller?
-Yes, she was premature.

She came at six months.

When babies are born,
aren't they zero months old?

No, before being born,
they rest in their mother's womb.

-Are they tired?
-No, they aren't tired.

But coming into the world
is quite a big deal.

It usually takes nine months.

Grandma didn't do like everyone else.

After only six months, she came out.

But she didn't have much strength
and was very small.

Her mom told me that.

Her head was smaller than my fist.

To walk her, they put her in a shoe box.

I don't believe you.

Why wouldn't it be true?

-We kept the shoe box.
-Let me see it.

-I'm looking for the shoe box.
-What box?

Your shoe box,
the one I never put shoes in.

There it is! There, I got it.

Here it is. Here you are, Brigitte.

Oh!

-Is that true, Grandma?
-So I've heard.

With grandma, I learned that
grown-ups can have bursts of joy…

-Why are you laughing?
-They all kill themselves!

And melancholy.

I never should have gotten married.

Your grandfather
hasn't always been nice to me.

Why do you say that? Aren't you happy?

-You have children and grandchildren.
-Oh…

If I hadn't had you

I wouldn't have known you.

-Granny!
-Come on, here!

Go inside.

-Fernande!
-Granny!

Will you pray with me?

You said you didn't like to pray alone.

-You know it?
-I heard it and haven't forgotten.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come

thy Will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. Amen.

I can't recall a single thing
about my return to Paris.

However, I recall
Pierrette's first fiancé's visit.

These mixed cakes are lovely, it's chic.

Yes, very chic.

My father knows a representative.
An aperitif representative.

He goes to the customers.

The representative we know
visits 10 to 15 cafes per day

so he's always drunk.

My father changed that.
He entertains customers at home.

Like doctors.

My father sells paper in bulk.
Well, see you later.

-Is your house big?
-Yes, we each have our own room.

There are eight rooms in our apartment.

I'll show you, I'll go in each window.

-Hello, madam.
-Hello, Florence.

There, very good.

He forgot his keys again.

You're late! Go fetch me some fruit.

-No, I need to get changed.
-What? You're staying here!

I'm invited for tea at Mrs. Bonneteau's.

Pierrette's bringing her fiancé.

-We must all welcome him.
-But you and Brigitte are here.

That's not enough,
he has to meet all of us.

-I can't.
-Florence!

-Is he rich?
-He's an insurance agent.

Oh…

-Leave it!
-I'm sorry, but I can't.

Annette, Pauline and I
are going to Mrs. Bonneteau's tea.

-They're waiting.
-You won't go.

I will!

My goodness, it's them!
Your father hasn't arrived yet.

My apron! Florence, open the door.

-I don't want to.
-Do you want a slap?

Don't worry, I'll be right down.

You came alone?

Yes, Paul has been retained by a client,
he'll come later.

How do you like my hair?
And my dress is well altered!

-Is everything ready?
-Yes.

There you have it.

Okay. Where's dad?

He's doing Ivry and Malakoff,
I don't know what time he'll be back.

He could have gone another day.

Why doesn't Daddy see his clients
at home like a doctor?

Don't ask dumb questions.

I just have to do my hair.

There's a man coming with flowers.

He's all in black, he looks sad.

He has gloves.

Oh, it's him!

Don't stand like that,
we can see your slip.

Brigitte, go open the door and curtsy.

Florence, don't stay at the window,
it'll seem like we're watching.

Paul has a small flaw.

If he just has one, he's a saint.

He repeats the beginning of words,
don't say anything.

You promise, Brigitte, you too.

-I can't stay.
-You're not going anywhere!

Go open the door! Come, quickly!

-Sir!
-Hello.

Am I at Madame Roussel's?

Yes, hello, sir.

The food is over here.

Come in.

This way.

-There you are.
-She's exquisite!

You have three daughters, right?

Yes, this is Florence, my second daughter.
Florence?

Here, dear. Florence!

-Here.
-Oh!

-Sir.
-Miss.

What are you doing? This isn't the time!

It will just take a minute.

I don't know what's wrong with her,
she always opens the windows.

She's right, the apart…

The apartments in Paris
are generally excessively…

Excessively heated.

You need to ventilate often to…

maintain a natural temperature.

Well.

Pierrette, you should serve your guest.

Florence, don't serve yourself!

It's not for me,
it's for the lady next door.

She has a good heart,
she's a good girl, it shows.

I'll serve the tea.

I'm watching you!

What's this? No one's there.

-I brought you some cakes.
-Oh, it's you, my dear!

-Are those caramel ones?
-I don't know.

I can't find my shoes, I have so many!

Their house is so big.

Yes, but you can't find your stuff in it.

You work in insurance?

I work at the generous
subsidiary of the Benefactor.

My husband.

He must have forgotten his keys,
he works so hard.

-What do you want?
-Florence.

She's not home.

I brought back her records,
can she lend me more?

She's not home.

She doesn't have time for fun,
she has work!

Oh yeah, when?

-It wasn't my husband.
-What a shame!

He's annoying. Stay there, I'm going.

It's very lively here.

I told you to…

Oh, it's you!

I said I'd air out the Pachards' apartment
while they were away,

otherwise, their plant will die.

She also airs out
other people's homes, that's good.

This time it's your father.

May I offer you a cookie?

-Hello, Daddy.
-Hi, sweetheart.

-Your cookies are exquisite.
-Do you like them?

Malakoff, what a place!

I'm not ready to go back there again.
Give me that.

I'm not going back.

They haven't even finished the streets,
there's mud everywhere!

My husband, Pierrette's fiancé…

Paul Maxime Bellemare.

Maxime is my middle name,
but I don't use it.

You're right to do so.

He works at the Benefactor.

No, the Generous,
subsidiary of the Benefactor.

-They pay you well at least?
-I can't complain.

And what do you do at this benefactor?

I'm in the field of marketing
and public relation.

You're certainly sponsored.

Oh no, I object! I'm a s…

s… self-made man.

Well, I'll put on my slippers.

Listen…

My husband loves to joke, but don't worry.

I'm not worried.

How clever of you
to make fun of his flaw!

I'm not,
I just don't understand a word he says.

What's marketing?

And then what did he say he was? A safe…

A self-made man, he made himself.

-Well, he messed up.
-Hmph!

He made himself. I wish I had been there.

Pierrette, don't cry.

Come on, Pierrette,
you don't want to marry him, do you?

I want to get married.

Leave it to me, I'll find you a husband.

I want someone great for my little girl.

Florence is making progress.
Still the same air, but progress.

-Do you want to leave us so badly?
-I want children!

-Does he want any?
-Yes.

-Does he like children?
-Of course, why wouldn't he?

Well, let's ask him right now to be sure.

Here, leave this and come.

Promise not to tease him anymore.

I promise. Come.

My dear Paul, I have a question for you.

Answer me frankly. Do you like children?

I love them.

-Wonderful!
-By the way…

He wasn't lying, he loved children.

He loved them so much
that he already had three.

Two at Porte d'Italie
and one at Asnières.

He also had two wives.

As legitimate as possible
in his situation.

One filed a complaint

shortly before he officially
got engaged to Pierrette.

He even had a trial that he won
thanks to his lawyer,

thanks also to his stammering
which made him sympathetic.

For her first choice, Pierrette,
apparently, hadn't chosen the right one.

Bravo, that's great!

Florence was also
going to have her big moment.

I'll pass you to my husband.

-It's the movie people for Florence.
-What do I say?

Hello? Yes, this is Mr. Roussel.

Yes, my daughter told me about it.

I know.

Ah, yes.

-Are you sure it makes your skin softer?
-Yes.

I'm sure she's good for this stuff,
I know her.

-Put it down there.
-Okay.

Yes?

Donkey milk would be better, but still.

-Hmm!
-Oh yes!

Yes, of course.

You met her in the streets, yes.

So it would be to make movies? Really?

I don't know if she'd want to.

Hold on, I'll hand her over to you.

-Pierrette, go get Florence.
-Florence!

-Someone wants to talk to you!
-About movies!

Tell them I'm taking a bath!

-She doesn't want to?
-She doesn't want to talk!

To the Sama, to the Sama…

What news for the Parisians

Cut, Max!

It's a disaster, there's no rhythm.

Only one of them does the movements well,

the girl with the pink ribbon.
Let's do it again!

Yes, sir. Kids, take a good look.

Stand up,
all together, and watch carefully.

Heads up.

Shoulders in front. And bam!

One more time.

-That's my girl.
-Okay.

-The one who's good is my daughter.
-That's great.

Thank you.

Max, we'll shoot!

To the Sama, to the Sama

What news for the Parisians!

To the Sama, to the Sama…

To the Samaritan!

The years have passed.

All hopes were now allowed

because at that time
even the future seemed better.

Little finger,
little finger, middle finger.

Little finger,
little finger, middle finger.

Little finger,
little finger, middle finger.

Use the little finger.

Don't look at your keyboard.

Ten years have passed.

I'm still in school,
but this time it's for a living.

It's not fun and games.

Damn, it slipped again!

To escape this monotony,
I enrolled in drawing classes.

That was the fun part of my life.

There were also the nights
when my friend and I

decided to sneak out.

On those days, she would pick me up
and sleep over.

I had noticed that Dad,
since he was working,

slept like a log.

And everyone went to bed early
except for when they came…

Rodolphe, my brother-in-law Rodolphe,
Pierrette's husband, and Guimauve.

Nice to meet you.
Don't go to bed, I have my movies.

Hey, Brigitte!

Ask Florence to come out
from the bathroom, it's been an hour.

Oh, there's our accountant,
what a nice surprise!

-Hi, Father.
-You have your equipment.

-Yes, I have everything.
-We'll set it up.

Can you tell me
if all fathers with daughters

are locked out of the bathroom
24 hours a day?

You're catching me a bit off guard.

Mine are young. But… I've heard it's true.

It's always the same thing.

When Pierrette gives birth,
he shows up with his movies.

How many children does she have?

-She has three and she wants eight.
-That's a lot.

If it lasts too long,
we'll just go to bed.

-How does it open?
-It's very simple.

-We just need to pull.
-That's great!

-Hello!
-He's here.

What's with the disguise? Take it off!

What? It's a mask from Elizabeth Arden.

-Leave her be!
-Don't have too many girls.

-Come!
-I put it all together.

-There's enough for at least three hours.
-How great!

She's sleeping here. How annoying!

Thomas and the ball I gave him.

-He's starting to walk.
-He's all dressed up.

-Who did his hair?
-I did.

-You failed.
-I'm not a hairdresser.

-Pierrette!
-And Lisa.

-She looks good.
-She's shaking her.

My poor Pierrette, she lost weight,
she used to be so plump.

-She's thin.
-She's tired.

-How are you in the film?
-I used a trigger.

You guys are cute, Rodolphe.

That's the end of the reel.

What did I tape? Oh yes,
my movies from Algeria during my service.

-Will it take long?
-No, an hour.

Well, we're going to bed.

Good night, Dad.

-These will be documented.
-That's for sure.

-Good night.
-Bye.

105, 106…

I hope it really makes
my nose slimmer because it hurts.

You have the weirdest ideas.

Come on, hurry up!

109, 110.

Come on, quick!

111, 112, 113…

114, 115…

Why take so many risks
to go to such places?

I thought we would never make it!

He made us wait,
he's going to accompany us.

-You're crazy!
-No, you'll see.

Okay, I'll take you, but be careful,
I'm watching you.

-You're nice.
-I'll stay with you.

That's when I decided
to be more independent.

I wanted to earn money

and while continuing my stenography
and drawing, I did temporary jobs.

At six o'clock,
the office workers appeared.

I remember Alain.

He couldn't wait more than five minutes
in front of the window

without hitting on someone else.

The next temporary job
brought me in contact with students.

I met François.

La la la la…

Oh, oh, oh…

La la la…

Cubans sing this while cutting sugar cane.

Go to Cuba, instead of folding envelopes
in La Motte-Piquet-Grenelle!

Let him talk about Cuba if he wants to,
what do you care?

I'm fed up! Every day at 4:30 pm,
he starts talking about Cuba.

It's true, François!

One day it's the agrarian reform,
then it's Fidel,

and now singing while working!

They work while singing,
they don't stop singing

and it pisses you off!

No, you're pissing me off!

You didn't even go to Cuba!

I'd like to go,
I hear the weather is always nice.

Ask Christian to take you,
you can sing a duet!

Don't argue! When I talk with Ariane

about the hit parade and we don't agree,

we don't argue,
we try to convince each other.

Are you that interested in Cubans?

I'm new to these discussions.
I don't understand everything,

but I like it. And I think it's good.

What do you do when you don't
erase the addresses I write?

Oh no!

It's okay, I'll do it again.

-So what do you do?
-I take drawing classes.

Are you going to be a drawing teacher?

I'd rather not think about the future.

Six o'clock, over!

I'm out!

-Goodbye.
-Goodbye!

Goodbye!

You'll get yelled at…

-Well, see you tomorrow.
-No, I won't be here tomorrow.

I'm replacing a friend
in a student placement office.

I'll find work for others.

François!

May I have your office's address
for some of my friends?

It's on Soufflot street,
at 2 Soufflot street.

Goodbye.

I'm distracted, I got on the wrong bus.
Where are you going?

I was going that way, but I was wrong,
I'm going the other way.

Well, goodbye.

Are you doing it on purpose?

What?

When people

are curious about you,
you could pretend to notice them. Goodbye!

-It's the least you can do.
-Brigitte, wait…

I'm sorry, but you're overreacting.

-How are you, darling?
-It's good and cheaper.

You could have found something else.

It feels like you're trying
to make me look ridiculous.

What's wrong with her?

Florence, what's wrong with your sister?

Do you know
what Mom made tonight for my guest?

-Mule!
-Oh, it's off to a bad start.

-What were you doing?
-I didn't see the time fly.

I have a friend coming for dinner.

Mom bought mule meat
because it's cheaper than horse meat!

-I'm in love!
-What?

-I'm very much in love!
-Brigitte, calm down!

Just don't say it's mule.

-It looks bad to serve donkey.
-It's not donkey.

-It's part donkey.
-And part horse.

Maybe, but I said that I don't like horse.

Hmm.

-This meat is excellent, ma'am.
-Thank you.

Hee-haw!

Hee-haw!

-Hmm.
-I've had enough.

-What's wrong?
-I don't know.

-Did you say something?
-No.

37,8, it's nothing, just a small cold.

-Come on, push, you can't?
-No.

It's okay, go into the playpen.

She's the one I'm worried about,
she's always fine.

One of these days,
what will happen to her?

Once, at school, there was a flu,
she was alone in class.

Can you believe it? I was worried!

-The bottle.
-Don't you think you're exaggerating?

-It's okay.
-Mommy!

-Wait a minute.
-Come!

With children,
we don't see the time go by.

I always said it.
You don't get married to have children,

you have children then get married.
That's what's natural, normal.

Is that what you'll tell your kids?

Yes! And as soon as possible.

In fact,
I'd love to be a young grandmother.

-Wouldn't it be great?
-Come here right now!

-You never change.
-I'm maybe expecting another one.

-No!
-Yes.

-You wanted to tell me something?
-No, it's nothing.

Mommy's coming with the milk!

Ladies, don't look at your keyboard!

-Who's this in the picture?
-That's my father.

There are so many books here.
Have you read them all?

It goes fast,
in two days I've read everything.

-There are only doubles.
-That's why, well guessed.

What is "Associated Scholars"?

It's a group of friends,
of scholars, I should say.

They made a co-op to publish their works,
and I keep their stock.

Florence ended up finding a substitute
for the prince of her dreams,

a kind of daddy's boy,
or rather an uncle's boy,

the nephew of the brother-in-law
of a great shipowner.

Later, I'll need a Rolls.

It's really the only car I want.

Yes, the other ones are more common.

Do you think we can keep it
for the weekend?

I don't know.

In a Rolls in Deauville,

we would be so chic.

-Come, Popeye, in the car!
-Paul-Louis, the papers!

And be careful.

You deliver it to me today,
no faster than 80,

and no romantic rides, understood?

We won't be able to enjoy it.

Just during the trip, it's a delivery.
Normally, he should be alone.

You're not gonna make a fuss
because she's coming.

What about the dog?
Don't let it mess up the car.

OK.

You see…

When you're in such a such a nice car,

it feels like nothing can happen to you.

-Yes.
-There are places like that.

The Ritz bar, Tiffany's entrance…

-Inside a Rolls!
-The terrace of Galeries Lafayette!

Grandpa, taking Granny for a ride?

-Can't you do something?
-If I could, I would.

-Can't you go any faster?
-I'm already at 60, I can't.

Fine!

They're crazy!

-Is it a Rolls?
-Yes.

-What year?
-It's recent.

It's great!

How much did you pay for it?

It's worth 17 million.

-Huh!
-Does it consume a lot?

-Not bad.
-How much?

A lot!

I use 10 liters, you have to count
13 liters with the caravan.

We use much more.

It's really great.

Can't you ask them
if they can lend us their dog?

-Without them, I can't film it.
-Okay!

Hello, we're shooting a scene for a movie,

would you mind lending us your dog
so we can film it?

Sir, Madam.

Do you mind if we take the dog?

-No, not at all.
-Thank you. Hubert!

Take it for a run.

-Can you come with me, sir?
-Yes.

Make it go play in the waves.

In the waves.

Further. Further in the waves.

What will your movie be called?

I don't know. It will be a love story.

-With dogs?
-Yes, that's right.

Go, Hubert!

Yes, that's good. That's it.

Wait, I'll tell you when to let go.

Just a second, here, watch out.

Go!

-Come on!
-Come on, girl, run!

She's a nice dog,
she doesn't bother anyone or bark.

I often take her to the cinema.

She's the star of the film,
She was in the paper.

-One more seat.
-No!

I'll take her on my lap,
she won't bother anyone.

-Fine, go ahead.
-Finally! Come on!

What were you doing?

-We'll miss the documentary!
-We couldn't park.

Come, Popeye.

Don't move, please wait for the usher!

Popeye, look! It's her!

She's so happy!

Sir, we're watching the movie.

Sit!

I will make her sit at the end.

Stop moving, ma'am!

-Oh!
-Stop moving!

These collective outings were rare.
Popeye had brought us together.

I never left François' side.

François!

-How are you?
-Hmm.

Some cream?

We tried to be together
as much as possible.

When Pierrette asked me to watch her kids,
he kept me company.

Close your pretty eyes…

-Be good!
-Yes, we'll be good.

Come, let's go play.

In the sweet land of dreams

Close your pretty eyes

Because everything…

Close your pretty eyes

For the hours are short
In the wonderful land

In the sweet country…

Close your pretty eyes

For all is a lie,
Happiness is only a dream

Close your pretty eyes

…having sung all summer…

…he found himself very disappointed…

when the wind blew.

-Why didn't you tell me?
-I wasn't sure.

I didn't think it could happen to me.
What will my mother say?

-She's so upset.
-Why is she so upset?

-Popeye disappeared!
-Who?

-Our dog, the one in the movie!
-It's not that serious.

-What will you do?
-I don't know.

Don't you know an address?

-No!
-Time's up, ladies.

Maybe Josette.
She knows a woman who comes to your house.

She uses a probe, waits for the hemorrhage
and calls the hospital.

-And they come?
-They can't refuse.

But you can't say who put the probe.

For Josette, it didn't go very well.

-What happened?
-Well…

She almost died.

That's scary. And I have no money.

Yes, it's expensive.

You have to tell François about it.

It costs 300 francs.

-Okay, we got it.
-Yes. That's it.

-That's not bad.
-Yes.

-Above all, demand the pay slip.
-Always.

If they don't want to give it to you,
phone me. Be very firm.

I'm done.

-Next!
-That's me!

-What are you doing here?
-I need to talk to you.

Excuse me, I'm busy. Please come in.

Hello.

Come in. What can I do for you?

Well, uh…

I would like to find a decent job.

-What do you mean by a decent job?
-A stable job.

-You don't like to change.
-Yes, I do.

On the contrary, I love to change,
because I'm an unstable person.

I need a stable job,
or it's not worth it, I can't keep up.

Did you have an idea when you came here?

To be honest, if it's possible,
I'd love a sitting job.

Because I've just done
two standing jobs, a moving job,

if I could try a sitting job,
I'd like that.

-What is a job sitting, standing and…
-A moving one?

Moving, yes.

It's the three categories
of Bernard Poyut.

Okay.

Based not on the skill of the worker,

but on the position of the worker
during the work.

Bernard Poyut, sitting,
standing and moving, it's easy.

Did you get the wrong office?

-Me, get the wrong office?
-Yes.

That's real funny because

I've been coming here since they
assassinated Stalin, on March 5, 1953.

You know he was assassinated?

I had not been able to talk to François.

But did I really want to?

What was I thinking going into this store?

Miss! Miss, stop!

Mr. Fernand!

-I didn't do anything! Ouch!
-Stop it!

There's no point in struggling.

Hold on, the bell is ringing.

-Sir?
-Ms. Roussel?

You've found Popeye, come in. Excuse me!

Pierrette, we found her, I love you.
Goodbye.

-Where is she?
-At the 9th district police station.

Oh, she's traveled a long way. Come on in.

Where did you find her?

In a store, she was stealing sweaters
when she was arrested.

She has always been a thief.

We were worried,
we thought that she had been kidnapped.

She had just run away from home.

-She ran away from home?
-For two days.

-Didn't you tell the police?
-Yes, and the whole neighborhood!

At her age, it's quite normal,
especially when you're in heat!

And the movies have gotten into her head.
She played in a movie, our Popeye.

Oh, she's a movie star?

Now I understand.

Was it a big role?

Not really,
but all the newspapers talked about her.

-Have you seenA Man and His Wife?
-No.

-How old is she?
-Two years old.

-Am I at Madame Roussel's?
-Well yes, why?

The mother of Brigitte, known as Popeye.

Oh no, Popeye's my dog.

Brigitte is my daughter.
She's grown up now.

-It's Brigitte who was arrested.
-What?

Yes, Brigitte.

Mr. Commissioner,
this is an administrative error.

You're not the first mother to say this
and you won't be the last.

We know well the illusion
that parents have about their children.

What I'm asking you to do
is to try to understand the situation.

Given your daughter's age,
the store manager didn't file a complaint.

It's because he is not sure he's right.

If he doesn't press charges,
the least you can do is thank him.

For having my daughter imprisoned? As if!

Let's go get the lady.

-Sir, we have a problem.
-Accompany the lady.

The gentleman's residence permit
has expired.

Come on, let's go.

What were you doing there at 3:00 pm
instead of being at your exam?

-The statement must be signed.
-More paperwork!

For the first time,
I felt like leaving them all behind.

Mom, dad, François, my sisters.

Yet, I went back home.

My dear,
aren't you going to give us a kiss?

It's over,
no need to look at me like that.

-They're making a big deal of it.
-It's not because of you.

-It's Florence.
-What is it?

She's like Pierrette
when she wanted to get married.

She isn't pregnant, is she?

A bit!

But…

Enough you two.

-I'm nervous!
-Oh, no!

-Are you amused?
-No!

One daughter's pregnant,
the other's been arrested.

I'm not amused! But what can I say,

there are days with so many problems
that one can only laugh.

I've never been able
to see the bad side of things.

-Say something!
-I have nothing to say.

I'm watching you in your father role,
it's a sight to behold.

Is your friend always like that?

We've known her to be more fun.

-Don't you think she's fun?
-No, there's fun and there's fun.

Keep the night going

For both of us until the end of the world

Keep the night going

For our hearts, in its wandering course

Hold me tight, against your body

At the time of the madness

Great love
Strikes out the day

And make us forget life

Keep the night going,
With you…

You're not at your drawing class?

You look cute today.

Dad, I need to talk to you.

I'm listening, my little girl,
I'm ready for anything.

That's what a father is for.
Except if you're pregnant, in that case.

Brigitte, what's wrong?
What did I say? Come back!

Brigitte, I said that as a joke.

Brigitte, you have to understand.

When your sisters asked me
for a serious talk,

it was to tell me that.
So when I hear the word serious,

I think,
"That's it, one more mouth to feed!"

And it's not sad.

But I'm interrupting you. Go ahead.

Go ahead, I'm listening.
Tell me what's wrong.

Well, tell me what's wrong!

-Well, that.
-What do you mean?

What you just said.

What I said…

Oh no!

I don't believe you.

Brigitte, not you!

Where's your mother?

If I'm telling you,
it's because she doesn't know!

-You don't know who's the father?
-Yes, I do!

Then all is well! Who is it?

-It's François.
-Well, then everything is fine.

You don't understand,
it's not fine at all.

That's the way it is.
What did your sisters do?

None of them got married in white,
neither will you.

-François, in my opinion…
-I don't want to.

I don't want to do
like Pierrette and Florence.

-What does François think of all this?
-He doesn't know.

-I didn't tell him.
-He doesn't know?

That's inconvenient.

You have to tell your mother and François!

Your sisters did it that way.
What do you want me to say?

Darling, do you realize
how you're behaving?

I don't blame you
for being pregnant before getting married.

It's the third time
this has happened in the family,

let's say you've been influenced
by their bad example.

Or that you thought
it was the normal procedure.

There's one thing I'd like to understand
with one of my daughters.

Why did you tell me first
and not François?

It's the father
who must be notified, not me…

He'll say like you,
I don't want to get married.

You don't want to get married?

-You don't want to get married?
-No.

-Are you sure you're pregnant?
-Yes.

And you want to… That's new.

It makes me want to thank your sisters
for not refusing to get married.

No, listen!
You can't just leave me in this situation.

You need to tell your mother.
And François.

I put myself in your shoes, François.

It's not funny.
She doesn't want to see you anymore?

What matters to me
is that she keeps the child.

The rest is just formalities, right?

They're nice formalities.

Yes, but try to understand her.

She thinks she's too young,
it will work out.

She's having a bad reaction, it's normal.

But she didn't refuse the child.

-No, it's you that she refuses.
-That's less of a problem.

She made the important decision.

The rest will get better in time,
I'm sure.

Our apartment will be the one
above your parents'?

No, another one, higher up.

-Let's take the elevator!
-No, it's broken.

Great, let's go. What a nice surprise,
I'm so happy!

-What floor is it on?
-The top floor.

When our parents meet,
we can have a drink at our place.

-Oh!
-Uh…

-Do you plan to invite a lot of people?
-Yes, quite.

I don't know if that's a good idea.
We'll see.

-We'll have to get a rug put in here.
-Yes…

-Come, it's this way.
-What?

For two or three,
it's comfortable, but more…

We'll be cramped.

Oh… It's a maid's room!

That's what they call them.

We can call it what we want.

We call it a maid's room
when it's a maid who lives there.

Otherwise, it's a bachelor's flat.

What's wrong?

Your nose is bleeding.

-It's a maid's room.
-Do you have a tissue?

Sit down, I'll get one from the car.

What does it matter whether you live here
or in the maid's room?

Do what you want.

Spend every other night in each apartment.

There are bigger problems at the moment.

You don't care what happens to me.

It's not my fault
that you lied to each other

and you're disappointed.

We knew he wasn't Rockefeller's son.
That's fine.

I'm the fifth wheel,
no one cares about my problems.

-Brigitte…
-Don't talk to me about her!

-She goes to a department store…
-Don't tell me about her!

-I'm homeless, no one cares!
-But you have two apartments!

-You're right on time, we need to talk.
-I don't have time.

Make some!

-Leave me alone!
-Hey!

I'm the last one to know
what's happening and I don't care!

But a good boy wants to marry you
and you're acting like an idiot!

What do you have against François?
He's perfect! Answer me!

-Mind your own business!
-I'm not your father!

Smart remark!

You know what?
François is too good for you!

-Yes, he's too good for me.
-Are you done being sassy?

I am what I am!

What's wrong with you?

I feel that misfortune
will fall on this house.

Guimauve found a job
for this unwanted baby.

A friend who had exhausted all means
of extracting money from his father

was looking for a pregnant girl
for a last attempt.

I didn't like the charade,

but I needed the money
and I could never say no to Guimauve.

So we agree.
We split the money I get fifty-fifty.

Guimauve warned you,
my old man isn't easy to deal with.

Expect to be insulted!
We must stay strong!

The less you say,
the more real it'll sound

it's just a rough patch to go through.

But if you get offended and respond,
I'm screwed.

She understands, she won't say anything.

-Shall we go?
-No blunders, please.

-I'm going home to change.
-He's suspicious.

Give me the pregnancy certificate,
the old man never believes anything.

Come. Don't panic, he's terrible.

Sir.

Come in.

The door.

Here, Dad, the girl I told you about.

The doctor said it's time to act.

He's open, he's willing to do it himself.

Only, it's quite expensive.

What's your name?

-Brigitte.
-Oh!

My son said Henriette, but that's normal.

When you're used to lying,
you lie about everything.

So, miss, you've known my son
for four months.

I'm amazed. I find you charming.

I don't know how my son came to meet you,

or to interest you.

He's a little prick.

-A perfect little prick.
-Dad…

Silence, you fool! Come.

I'll show you the place where you'll live.

You're at home here.

Don't be intimidated,
from now on I'll take care of you three.

Albert, prepare the Huguenot's room
and warm it up well.

-Twenty-two degrees.
-You, little bastard, can leave.

Go study if you don't want to flunk again.

In six months, you're a father.

But that's not why I brought her.

Right, Brigitte?

She'll stay here until the child is born.

Between the two of us,
we'll make my unworthy son work.

We'll try!

I'm trying to find a way
to turn this moron into an adult,

and here you are!

Thanks to you,
I can see a glimmer of light.

What would you like for dinner?
Marguerite is an outstanding cook.

You don't know! Okay.
I'll show you around the house.

Sit up straight!

I would quite like the little one
to be born here,

I was born here myself, my son too.

-I recognized your ringing.
-Hello.

Come in.

-Hello, everyone.
-Hello, Gabriel.

Hello, cousin, I'm thirsty!

-François, this is my cousin Gabriel.
-François is Brigitte's fiancé.

You're the little François. Follow me.

Is he good?

You miss judging the recruits.

-He was a sergeant.
-54th Regiment.

But all good things
must come to an end, he's retired.

You know what?
The recruits are no longer naked.

-They wear briefs now.
-Oh!

How can you judge a recruit
if you don't see him with your own eyes?

-With your own eyes?
-Yes, naked!

I've told you many times, Emile.
France is going to hell!

France is going to hell!

We'll lose everything as we lost Algeria.
Yes, we lost Algeria.

But…

We didn't lose the Arabs!

There are seven in my building alone.

It's easy, one of them rents,

he makes six keys
and gives them to his friends.

And they're spreading!

Don't worry, he's retired,
he's not dangerous anymore.

-Cousin!
-I'm coming!

I'm thirsty!

-François?
-I don't drink wine.

Serve Gabriel, he's fed up.

This will distract us for a while.

-Red wine doesn't hurt to the balls.
-Here.

I'll have some too.

Yes. Cheers everyone.

Gabriel, you're with your family here,
not in Indochina.

I never had a family, never!

You know what I don't like
about today's youth?

They're soft.

Some say they are ill-bred,
I don't think so.

But they're so soft!

They don't know what they want
or how to do it.

I apologize for speaking frankly

even if I don't know you,

but I know about Brigitte.

-Gabriel, shut up.
-They never let me speak.

But I would have a lot to say!

Anyway, it's all your fault.

-You're a pain.
-It's not your concern.

Let him speak.

It's your fault because a woman
needs a man with authority.

And that's not up for discussion!
It's what they like best.

It's not about taking, but marrying.

It's the same thing. Did I ask my wife
her opinion to marry her?

-Did I ask for her opinion?
-No, you didn't.

No, but she didn't ask for yours
when she left.

That's a mistake.

What she did there was a big mistake.

What she did there,
it's a mistake, you know.

You understand, you young people,

you reason too much, you discuss too much.

You don't understand women anymore.

Women respect authority.

Authority and justice. Like the Arabs.

-Goodbye, François.
-Goodbye.

Come see us when you're in town,
even for five minutes.

Old people love visitors.
Especially yours.

With pleasure.

-Goodbye, Gabriel.
-Goodbye.

See you soon.

-See you!
-Goodbye.

He's a good boy!

He speaks inappropriately,
but you have to forgive him.

He's been such a cuckold in his life.

She was a whore, if I had been a general!

Usually, when you're a general,
the wife stays.

I had spent
a delightful evening and night

in the most beautiful bedroom
I had ever seen.

I could have continued the charade

because Eric, poor guy,
was hopelessly stuck.

But I had a qualms
and I had slept out for the first time.

I left leaving a little note
to the charming Mr. Delorme.

I sometimes think
about the Huguenot's room

and thought that perhaps I missed out
on the best opportunity of my life.

But what worried me then

was the gigantic scolding
that I was going to get.

Say something, yell at me!
I slept over, it's not a big deal.

There was no need
to make Pierrette come for that!

Why didn't you bring your whole family?
Where's mom?

-Is she prostrate in her room?
-Here, read, my dear girl.

You have the right to know.

"I've done my best to raise my daughters
and be a good wife…"

Go on.

"I can't do it anymore, I'm leaving."

"Don't worry,

I'm in my right mind,
I've taken my responsibilities, mom."

"I'm in my right mind,
I've taken responsibility!"

That sentence worries me.

Is it my fault that she left?

No, it's my fault.
I couldn't raise my daughters.

I couldn't keep my wife.
It's written right here.

Dad, no one is responsible.
She ran away, that's all.

She's too old for that.

That's what torments me.
If only it was just that!

But it is, Dad.

-Right, Florence?
-Yes, surely!

-Right, Brigitte?
-Yes, of course!

But what do you do
when your mother has run away?

I am afraid, my children. I'm afraid!

But she says she's in her right mind.

Yes, it's true.
Your mother never knew how to lie.

Thank goodness you're all here.
Embrace me…

Play the piano, Florence,
play the tune we like.

We must stop him
from doing something stupid.

Trust me.

Halt! Who goes there!

Dad, where are you going like that?

-I'm going to find your mother.
-No!

Be good, go to bed.
Tomorrow morning, we'll do what we can.

Don't wake up your grandchildren!

Her grandchildren!
Your mother didn't think of them!

Waiting to be a grandmother
before running away isn't normal!

I don't give my milk
To a German's son!

-No way, she still sings that?
-Yes, at home too!

-Well, I'm off.
-No!

-Go to bed.
-To bed?

Come on, Dad.

There. Hmm.

So she ended up leaving, too?

-Yes, two days ago.
-Two days ago?

-She didn't come back?
-No.

-Where are they?
-There.

-Oh!
-No…

So, Emile, are you a widower like me?

He's not a widower,
mom went for a little walk!

-At her age, she's earned it.
-Yes, she did.

I'll kiss you.

Hello, miss.

I have to kiss you. I need to kiss you.

You smell like wine!

Who warned him?

We say a little walk…

And it lasts twenty years.

Well, it was bound to
happen sometime right, Emile?

At first, it's a bit hard,
but you get used to it.

If you want, I can move in here
to keep you company.

No!

And we'll talk about our wives,
who've forgotten us.

What did you do when your wife left?

At first, I didn't believe it.

For six months,
eight months, I didn't believe it.

I kept telling myself, she'll come back.

After that, I put her picture
in the newspapers.

But it didn't make her come back.

Everyone knew that she left
so I don't recommend it.

Don't worry, she'll be back.
She wanted some freedom.

-Indeed.
-Of course!

-Have you notified the police?
-Yes, this morning.

It doesn't help, but you have to do it.

That way, if there's an accident,
you're covered.

What are you saying? You've gone mad!

She wrote a note. She's going to think,
to have a good time.

Why did she leave? You didn't tell me.

I don't recognize the house anymore.
She left for a reason.

-She argued with Brigitte.
-And you didn't do anything to her?

No, not at all!

It doesn't take much
for them to get the hell out.

You must have done something.

-And you?
-No!

Brigitte, where did she go?

I too, throughout my life,

have had this impression
that everything always came too soon.

If I loved him,
it couldn't have come too soon.

-You didn't ask me if I loved him.
-No, because you can't know that.

When do you know if you love someone?

At the end of your life
you know if it was a mistake.

-I want to know now.
-You can't!

-Why?
-Because! That's the way it is.

-What should I do then?
-Don't get it wrong.

In life, we're always destined
to someone, my little Brigitte.

The misfortune,
is that we know it too late,

and sometimes we never know.

You pass by people without knowing
that they're made for you and you alone.

Do you think it's after living with people

that you realize
you were made to live with them?

You can never tell.

In any case, it is never in the beginning,
it's at the end,

when we lived together,
that we discover love.

-That's fun.
-Look at your father and mother.

What a great example, with Mom gone.

She's not gone.

I know her better than my son.
She needed some space.

She may already be back.

You know…
Your grandmother ran away once too.

-Granny?
-Yes.

I don't blame her, I cheated on her too.
Oh, yes.

Never in a bed!

You did ten and I did seven. One seven.

-Florence, stop!
-Don't get upset.

-I'm not getting upset.
-Yes, you are.

Dad, sit down,
don't be impatient, she'll come back.

Well, that's it.

I'm sure she won't come back.

Even if she wrote you a note.

She'll be back, she's just a bit late.

-She said four o'clock.
-It's past five.

There she is!

-So it wasn't her!
-Yes, it is. I'm going.

Stay there,
we said we're pretending nothing happened.

-Not me.
-Do like the others!

We're not going to pretend
she was getting groceries.

If you don't notice anything,
it's like what she did doesn't matter.

-She'll be disappointed.
-Let's not show we were worried.

-We can say that we're happy.
-Yeah.

-Like someone who's been sick.
-Oh well.

So…

-Where do I sit?
-Right here.

Let's pretend she's home from the clinic
and we're going to take care of her.

Yes, that's a good idea, Pierrette.

The worst is that you're given
a guilty conscience.

Yes, let's look natural.

I've never seen a woman come back,
I'm leaving. It bums me out.

Oh, my children, if you only knew…

Did you find your path?

-I must tell you…
-We don't want to know.

We said we don't want to know.

Yes, that's what we said, but I think

we should let people speak
when they feel like it.

Dad, when we're away,
I understand that you're worried,

but what can happen to Mom?

She wants to explain,
you're not going to stop her.

-You weren't too worried?
-No!

-Really, why?
-We were.

I'm glad you're here. Have a seat.

Tell us everything.

I would like to drink a little cognac.

An anisette.

I don't know what's gotten into me,
I crave anisette.

Really? She's getting drunk now?

In the following days,
dad had his little crisis too.

She doesn't love me anymore.
That's it, I'm sure of it.

But I won't admit defeat,
I'll do everything I can to win her back.

It will take as much time as it takes…

Oh no, not another one.

I won't find another one.

And I'm too tired right now.

-You can't answer me.
-You regret that your wife has returned.

-You regret it.
-No, I don't regret it.

I'm tired, God, I'm so tired!

I want to know
why she came back, that's all.

Is this for me or the apartment?

I think it's for the apartment.

And for the kitchen, it's well laid out.

Yes, it is great.

If that's what it is… She has to tell me.

You're right, she has to tell you.
She has to!

-She has to tell you!
-Are you there, Mom?

What are you doing here? Go away.

Wait, you have to… You have to…

You have to tell us why you came back.

Emile has the right to know.
He's the head of the family.

I'm also the head of the family.
So tell him! Now!

You must…

You must tell me.

You must tell me.

-Out!
-Out!

-Out! Out!
-Out?

-Go!
-Out!

-She'll say it outside.
-Out!

-But she'll say it outside.
-Out!

And you, stay here.

Don't worry, Brigitte.

Daddy is acting up, that's all.

Elisa finally has scarlet fever,
I'm so happy!

He's making her life unbearable,
he's obsessed.

He wakes her up to ask her
why she came back. He worries me.

She came back
because she had enough of the violinist

and changing hotels every day!
I understand.

I agree with Brigitte, something is wrong.

-You're anxious.
-You're always optimistic…

My windows…

I swear, it was a joke.

After three days,
she got tired of the violin.

Yes, and having to move every night.

Your turn. Here, hold my hand.

The whole family went through
a period of gentle calm.

Problems seemed
to have disappeared on their own.

François, adopted by the family,
no longer spoke of marriage.

He worked a lot.

That's when I met Dora
who would become my best friend.

She took me as her assistant.

Kids are fun,
but don't take it too seriously.

A little love, a little attention,
and voila! They grow by themselves.

Besides, if it were
that hard to raise a child,

most kids wouldn't make it past five.

You're not listening to me.

Yes, I am,
but I don't know if you're right.

I'm worried.

You're wrong.

Raising a child, the word is stupid.

We don't raise a child, we're there
and he grows up. That's it.

Yes, but his father won't be there.

His father is a father.

If there is one person who's useless,
it's the father.

We need him to make it, but that's it.

You say that, but you've never had kids.

I've never had kids,
but I had my sister's kid.

And he doesn't even know his father.

So there are no regrets, you know.

Do you want to feel it?

The baby?

-Who is it?
-I don't know, it's for you.

Yes?

When did that happen?

It's a boy?
I'll be right there! I have a son!

-What does he weigh?
-Eight pounds.

-He's fat. What's his name?
-Gilles.

We'll announce his birth in the booklet.

I have a son!

-I'll visit tomorrow.
-We're leaving too.

-So are we.
-Bye, Brigitte.

-Goodbye, Brigitte.
-Goodbye, Brigitte.

You'll have to make many others.
Just like us.

-Bye.
-He's a handsome boy.

He's handsome.

-You did great, darling.
-Thank you.

-Is he handsome?
-Very handsome.

This is nice.

It's already daytime.

It's just rising.

Will the weather be nice?

-There.
-Thank you.

-You didn't write the first name!
-Not in these cases.

You're going to write it anyway, Gilles.
Write it down! Gilles.

I'll take good care of you.

I'm taking you…

-Are you okay?
-Yeah.

I'd like to talk to her, Dora.

Brigitte, these past few months
I've been thinking…

I thought that when the child arrived,
we'd get back together.

-François, please.
-So…

Anyway, it's to tell you that…

That we can live together if you want.

No, I don't want to.

-You don't want to come home?
-No, I'm going with Dora.

My baby…

Goodbye.

Leave it, I'll take it down.

And two years went by.

George, please recite
the multiplication table.

You, sit down.

Don't run!

George, give me that.

Five times one?

Five.

-Five times two?
-Ten.

Five times three?

-Five times three?
-Ten!

We'll do something else.

We're going to sing.

Shh! We'll all sing the same song.

Miss Roussel, may I ask you
some details about your class?

-Of course, Mr. Director.
-How many students do you have?

-Twenty-two.
-Twenty-two, good.

Please count your students.

-Twenty! I'm missing two!
-That's right.

Bruce, Henri.

And the little Zacco, that makes 22.

This one was walking in the yard,
the other was getting ready to go home.

They must have left
after the health check.

-I'm sorry.
-Look, Miss Roussel.

You have one of
the least crowded classes in the school.

I know you're just starting out
and it's not easy.

But the least you can do
is to not lose any students.

Like many girls of my generation
who wanted to work

and had not prepared for a real job,
I was a substitute teacher.

There was a lot of demand back then.

I preferred it to being a secretary.

Florence came sometimes
to tell me about her misfortunes.

Don't touch!

-Why did you fight?
-Nothing, it's not interesting.

We often argue with Paul-Louis.
You've caught me at a bad time!

Don't worry, he's a jerk.

-Where's Dorothée?
-Mom's looking after her.

I leave her there twice a week,
she tires me, she's not easy.

You live far.
I've never been to this suburb.

-Don't you live in a complex?
-It's far, you have to walk.

I came when you moved in.
Who brought me? Dad?

You weren't there. Are you settled in?

We've changed a few things.

You don't mind the first floor?

It looks nice. But it's quite small.

-And there's not much light either.
-I know.

But René likes it, he finds it intimate.

There's laundry in the windows.

-He works in the same school as you?
-Yes.

Did your students draw these?
They're nice.

Dorothée also draws a little,
well, she scribbles!

Doesn't René's books seem boring?

-Is that him in the picture?
-Yes, during our vacation in Vendée.

-We went camping.
-You go camping?

-Well, yes.
-You sleep in a tent with bugs?

Even under the stars.

He likes to sleep under a blanket
in a pine forest and grill sardines.

During summer, we save up.

Oh!

And with camping, I avoid summer camps.

René would stay
with the kids all year long.

Do you like being a teacher?

It's too soon to say.

-Is it serious with René?
-He's nice.

He does everything, even the cooking.

-Do you want to marry him?
-No. I don't have any plans.

I didn't like it before, now even less.

We're so different. You can live anywhere.

I haven't seen Pierrette for ages,
do you still see her?

Yes, of course, I like her little Thomas.

Every Thursday, I take him for a walk.

She did well,
at least she got what she wanted.

It's funny, something here
reminds me of Courbevoie.

It wasn't so bad there.

-Are you done?
-Ow!

Oh!

Hello? Put it down, damn it!

Florence?

Ow!

Hello, Brigitte? Yes.

I can't talk to you right now,
I'm with Paul-Louis.

I'll get my revenge, you hear?
Do you hear me, you scum?

Bastard!

Mind your own business, you jerk!

You'll see! Hello, Brigitte.
No, it's just a domestic scene…

It's nothing! She's rambling.

-No!
-Are you done?

I'm sick of this!

Florence, cheated,
wanted to take revenge.

Classically, first…

So, are you happy?

Paul-Louis pretended not to notice,

she switched to another method.

I told him to introduce me to her.

For him, there's none better than her,
she's coming for dinner.

Isn't that a bit too modern?

I promised Paul-Louis to be up to it,
I'll tell you about it.

Florence?

Florence!

Hello, are you the colleague
Paul-Louis told me about?

I'm pleased to meet you.

Sorry, it's messy,
I haven't had time to clean.

You're a little early.

I've done great this week,
I haven't touched the household money.

The children ate gruel,

so we can make a dinner you like.

There's even salmon.

I'll see to the meal.

Is she always like that?

Not really. I'll be right back.

What's all this, are you crazy?

No, honey. Is something wrong?

Here, the salmon.

-It looks nice, huh?
-Are you coming?

I'll set the table.

Paul-Louis told me so much about you,

I was so afraid of screwing up!

I get nervous whenever we have company.

I can't eat, my stomach is in knots.

In case something is wrong.

Please, sit!

There.

-How was your trip to Switzerland?
-What?

Paul goes there often, I've never been.
I could have…

Many women go with
their husbands on business trips,

but I'd be so afraid of embarrassing him.

-I can't sleep.
-What are you doing here?

I already told you to leave daddy alone.

When daddy comes home,
you have to leave him alone.

Now you'll be at peace,
she won't bother you anymore.

She won't bother you anymore.

She won't bother you.

Spaghetti in a box isn't so bad,

you just have to cook it right.

You like everything.
You made spaghetti again?

Yes, to compare with the ones
that Blanchard brought back from Italy.

They're the same.

You didn't tell me how it went today.

Are you progressing?

-Do you know all of your student's names?
-Yes, I do.

-Say them.
-Please.

The other day, you didn't know them all.

Kids like to have their names known.

Put personalized annotations,
a different sentence for each assignment.

They like that.
I made the game list for Thursday.

Handball, basketball,
volleyball, dodge ball.

A different game every day.

We'll have a lot of fun!
You must take care of them all the time.

If I could, I would take them on Sundays.

When you see their faces on Monday,
you wonder what they did on Sunday.

I don't think I'm cut out for this job.

Come you, you just need to get started.

We'll see in five years,
I'll lend you a book.

The Good Teacher's Manual.

There are some old-fashioned things,
it's from 1890!

There are some interesting tips
that we can use today.

I'll lend it to you. Don't ruin it!

Well, let's eat.

In his own way, he was perfect.

He had only one flaw, I didn't like him.

I used the vacations to leave him.

I was starting my brief meeting period.

First, there was Jean-Claude.

I think his name was Jean-Claude,
or just Claude.

It doesn't matter.

On the other hand,
I remember Etienne very well.

He had an unusual trait,
he saw his wife everywhere.

-It wasn't her.
-What's going on?

I thought I saw my wife,
she has a gift for changing her hair!

-Are you eating alone?
-Seems like it.

Okay.

It wasn't her.

She looked like her. Where were we?

-Is that what you're doing?
-Ah!

You're a jerk!

Is that what you mean
when you say you work?

Let's not do this here, it's too crowded.

For the first time,
Florence really worried me.

Her act had hurt her more
than her husband.

She had to be put in a clinic.

She accepted her fate
with a strange passivity.

For the next few days,
she refused all visits,

even from her children,
then she asked to see me.

She barely eats,
we gave her sedatives, don't stay long.

Florence?

Florence?

It's Brigitte.

Are you sleeping?

No.

No, I don't sleep,
even at night, I don't sleep.

What's wrong?

-You don't want to see Paul-Louis?
-No.

Arnaud and Dorothée
will be sad without you.

I don't deserve to see them,
I don't have the right to see them.

I'm good for nothing.

I failed my life,
I shouldn't have gotten married.

I should have remained single.

I make everyone unhappy.

I want to die.

Why won't they let me die?

Now I live alone.
After all, it's not so bad.

Our family has spread out,

but I think that's how it is
with all families.

For now, I continue my work.

I ended up liking it
almost in spite of myself.

From time to time, on Thursday,
I go to Rodolphe and Pierrette's

to see my little godson.

-Hello, I'm taking your son.
-Okay.

I love you, Elisa,
next time, I'll take you.

-You're not coming?
-No.

-I'll meet you there, I have laundry.
-Okay.

We'll buy you a toy.

-Goodbye.
-Goodbye.

-Are you happy, Thomas?
-Yes.

We'll be together all day,
we'll go for a walk.

We'll go to the carousel, then…

I would like a plane.

Do you want this one, Gilles?

-But I said a plane!
-Little Gilles.

Little Gilles.

Why do you call me Gilles all the time?

Are you cold?

François?

Brigitte!

-This is Pierrette's son.
-Hello, Thomas.

You know him?

I saw him at your parents' two weeks ago.

You know, Mr. and Mrs. Roussel,
62, Batignolles street.

You could go see them.

-Especially your father.
-I know, but I can't find the time.

That's right, I forgot, you're too busy.

I have a job I like, you know.

-And you, what are you doing?
-I'm still at the newspaper.

So, what's up?

We're going to buy him a toy,
it's his birthday.

Pierrette was supposed to join me,
I'll go without her.

-Do you want to come with us?
-What time is it?

-4:30.
-I'm late, I have an appointment at 4:00.

Wait until the rain stops, you're soaked.

It's funny,
you look more boyish than before.

Would you like to go out sometime?

-Yes.
-I'll try to free myself.

Yes, I'll try too.

-Are you with someone right now?
-Yes, I am.

-How long has it been?
-A little while.

And you, what kind of people do you see?

People.

Well…

Well, I'll leave you to it.

If you ever want to chat
with an old friend,

you let me know, okay?

-François!
-Yes?

If I hurt your feelings,
it was meant to be.

-You're not mad at me?
-No, I'm not.

Don't think about it.

Tell yourself that it never happened.

-Promise?
-Okay.

Subtitle translation by: Alexandra Dormoy