Le Kiosque (2020) - full transcript
Ready.
Yeah.
Okay!
Here we are
on Place Victor-Hugo, in Paris.
In the 16th arrondissement,
to be exact.
It is 5 o'clock in the morning.
For the needs of the film,
my colleague Loïc has locked me
inside the kiosk.
And I'm afraid I won't be able
to hold the camera steady,
because I'm perched
on a wobbly pile
of 15 slippery magazines,
thrown in by the night delivery men.
KIOSK
The FIP morning traffic update:
two accidents are reported,
one on the Outer Beltway,
near Porte de Chatillon,
the other at the Bercy junction
with the Eastern Highway,
closing three lanes.
Slow down, please.
Let's fill out the dailies list together.
You check them off.
Good.
Cool, huh.
Sick cool, for the film.
5 País,
5 Hayats.
3 Mails.
The Daily Mail?
3 Bilds, at €1.30.
2, 4, 5, 6 Repubblicas.
3 Handelsblatts, at €3.20.
€ 3.50, even.
Hello?
Hi, Mom.
An extra copy of Le Monde. Okay.
Okay, see you later.
I'm taking two minutes
to show you around my workspace.
It's quite narrow, I'must say.
One, two!
And I'm a small person.
One... two meters.
Next, here,
we have delivery chutes
That's were the merchandise
comes in and goes out.
These are called "alveoli."
To help make change faster.
The special thing about these alveoli
is that you can see
fossils of our fingertips.
My parents' fingerprints,
my grandparents' fingerprints,
And maybe even
those of my great-grandmother.
It's less visible here,
because our fingers have dug it out.
You can feel it.
In all the other alveoli,
you find our four fingers.
We really dug at this one,
giving out the 20-centime pieces.
Fifty-centime pieces,
one-euro coins...
That's also eroded by our hands.
Since we never work together,
we leave each other notes.
This is the list of press services
we deliver to every morning.
How to use the credit card machine.
Identities in search of people...
I put up the ugliest stickers
I can find, to annoy my team.
And I'map the preferences
of our regular customers,
who keep our newsstand alive.
Damien spends his time
losing his cat,
the cat whose spots match Damien's.
Such a cute cat! I see why
you stayed in Paris to find him.
- It's his birthday.
- Today?
No, the 5th.
- The same day as you.
- Right!
You turned your head.
What's up, Marcel?
You turned,
right when I took the picture. Look.
I can't see you at all.
Shucks.
That's no good!
- Do you think that worked?
- I heard it, but...
There's no flash.
The light isn't working. That's odd.
"Automatic: On."
- Flash...
- On the right.
- Like this?
- That's right.
It'should work now, I think.
- Did you see the light?
- Yes.
Now you have to open "Photos."
Or "Gallery."
I'm going to keep you.
I enjoy seeing you.
- I'm filming you, Madame Piou-Piou!
- I'm so glamorous.
- You look fine.
- Right.
- Why?
What's wrong?
A bad-hair day?
- You can stop making fun of me.
- I'mean it!
Listen, I haven't washed my hair
for ten or twelve days.
It looks clean!
- How do you keep it clean?
- I brush it.
- It can wait until next week.
- Do you use rice powder?
No, I'm not like Karl Lagerfeld.
- No, I don't do any of that.
- Well, you look just fine.
That's right.
I broke my tooth!
A tooth?
Yes. Look.
It gives you lucky gap teeth.
I already had lucky gap teeth.
But this...
Show me your tooth!
No, I look ugly enough as it is.
- Madame Piou-Piou!
- I'm getting tired.
She'll show that to her mother.
Say... are you done?
We stop when we want.
Here is the news kiosk.
I should say
the saga of the news kiosk.
Four generations!
Unlike everyone else in my family,
I never planned to sell newspapers.
But, as it happened,
my mom needed help,
and after 10 years of art school,
I had to face facts.
Art wasn't exactly the easiest way
to earn a living.
I'm ready, Mom!
You can come out of the bank, now.
You're all dark. There!
The camera!
She's unique, you know.
- A jewel.
- She's unique!
- A jewel.
- You neak up on her.
Those mischievous eyes!
It's true! They are.
Look at her.
She's teasing her mother!
Excuse me, I'm looking
for Place de l'Etoile.
Straight ahead.
At that end? Thanks.
I'll take this one, madam.
€2.90.
- Here you are.
- Thank you.
By the way, Alexandra...
a word to the wise:
When you make change for a bill
Don't put it in the till right away.
Keep it out, while you make change.
That avoids any arguments like
"Hey, I gave you a 50-euro bill!"
"No, sir, the bill is right here, see?
No problem. Thank you!"
There you are, sir! Thank you!
Time for "Listen in Good Health".
In autumn,
the common cold and flu return.
We cut back on outdoor activities,
and eat fattier foods, instead of salads.
Tell us how you stay in shape
when the weather turns chilly...
Business is slow right now.
I'll take advantage of the lull
to tell you the history of our kiosk.
This is where we're located.
Here, to be exact.
In the heart
of the 16th Arrondissement.
One of Paris's fanciest
neighborhoods.
The kiosk has been established
here for quite a while.
Before, news kiosks
were the property of city hall.
One day, city hall decided
to stop managing them.
They asked a private company,
MédiaKiosk, to take care of us.
MédiaKiosk
is owned by JC Decaux.
Jean-Claude Decaux makes his living
from advertising.
He sells the billboard space
on the walls of the kiosk to advertisers.
The more billboards there are,
the more he makes.
So Decaux increases the number
of distributors.
That's why there are two kiosks
on Place Victor Hugo.
Decaux doesn't care
if we sell papers.
The billboards still make money for him.
So far, so good...
For Jean-Claude Decaux, anyway.
- Nothing falls out!
- Even if you eat it from the bottom...
The roll stays fluffy!
You're right, it's picture perfect.
Especially before you bite in.
The burgers from other McDonald's
drip all over.
Show me the hamburger.
Cooked through.
- It puffs up again!
- How do they do it?
- 'Cause it's the 16th.
- Avenue Victor Hugo!
Eat at Châtelet and they drool.
It just doesn't drip.
Ready, Mariouch.
- Is that good?
- Yes.
That's so pleasant!
- You look handsome.
- You're kidding.
Your scarf is so becoming.
Chic!
This is a weekday outfit.
Not my Sunday best.
- I have a gift!
- What could it be? Oh! What luck!
How about some coffee
to go with the cake?
It's not fair.
You always buy me coffee.
Here, take 3 madeleines.
3 madeleines.
3! You can even take 4,
if you like.
- Only 2.
- No, 3.
Or I'll never give you
anything again. Ever.
You're not kidding, Mariouch.
3, then, to make you happy.
- They're good!
- Delicious.
"Pastry Shop Madeleines."
I like them at breakfast.
With tea? Or coffee?
Coffee. Or a little glass of wine.
- Wine is good.
- At what time?
In the afternoon. At 4.
No, I have coffee in the morning.
No wine before...
Not before 4 PM.
- That's wise.
- Then, one glass.
- But it's only 2 now.
- I didn't eat this morning.
Just buttered toast.
That's all.
Do you haveLa Revue des Vins de France?
I'm looking for Le Point, please.
Le Point comes out tomorrow.
But the new Express is out today.
It comes out on Wednesdays now.
L'Express, please,
and L'Officiel des Spectacles.
So what's up with you today?
Today, I went to my ballet lesson.
But pretty soon,
my ballet school will close.
Then I'll go
to a different ballet school.
I can do this.
Wait. Now look. Look!
Tomorrow, I babysit you
while your mother is at the bank.
It'seems simple, to sell newspapers.
You have to be polite, quick,
helpful, friendly...
Efficient...
But you also have to become
a machine.
Memorizing the 3,000 titles on sale,
having them at your fingertips.
You have to know what's in them,
the day they come out,
the price,
and where they're kept.
You don't choose this merchandise.
But you pay in advance.
And it's very hard to fit it all
into our little cabins.
3,000 different titles,
all selling dreams.
I sell dreams!
The funny thing
about a newsstand
is that the day of the week
determines the customers.
On Mondays, the TV viewers
pick up the guide.
On Tuesdays, the grannies come in
for their society magazines.
On Wednesdays,
cinema- and theater-goers...
I'm back to pay
for the birthday card.
The one for Benjamin.
- 3 and how much? 35?
- €3.35, Christiane.
It's good for someone
who plays pétanque.
- Isn't it?
- With the little measuring string?
- I'm not mistaken, am I?
- No, it's a funny card.
- 3.40, 3.50, 4...
- I always like your cards.
Kate Moss's butt!
- Kate Moss! Oh, la la.
- Little butterflies. Tattoos.
You should get little butterflies
tattooed on your butt, too.
You have to keep up with the times,
Christiane.
Granny knows how to rock.
She rocks out!
- This butterfly will flutter by.
- A social butterfly!
- In my apartment, yep.
- Have fun!
PARIS XI: KILLED
FOR ATTACKING A POLICE OFFICER
COPYRIGHT LAW
FLOUTED BY PIRATES
You brought your big thing
to film me at work.
To frame the whole kiosk.
With the wide-angle?
- The motorcycle magazines, please?
- I have them in here.
I'll climb up and get you what you want.
Moto-Mag, please.
This one?
That was a good shot.
I brought a gift.
How'sweet!
'Cause there's no bathroom...
"Go Girl!"
What is it?
Do you have a thermos?
Put it on tight...
And then...
And then, very carefully...
- I pee.
- You pee.
You'll have to experiment
to get it right.
I need a container to pee into.
- A bottle.
- Definitely.
See, when I hold the phone,
I shake, for one thing,
and sometimes my middle finger
covers up the mic.
- Shucks!
- I have to be really careful.
Islam sells fruit on the square.
He hides his stock here.
The cops kept raiding it all from him.
That's neat,
that the kiosk is a hiding place.
- You have Vanity Fair...
- Yes. Okay, just a minute.
€3.95.
3.95, 4...
6.50... 6.45.
6.45...
10.45... 10.25.
10.25, 12.25...
€12.45, please.
I need €2.45 more.
You want more!
Need a bag?
Here, I'll put this in the trash.
What do they say?
"To present additional evidence,
"to comply with
Administrative Justice Code article...
"it must be filed by..."
Boy, is that complicated!
BANGLADESH: X-Ray of a War
BANGLADESH
Between Terrorism and Repression
SURVEY
The Undocumented Alien Crisis
IMMIGRATION The French Programm
France's Mosques
BURKA The Right Wing Attacks
NATIONAL IDENTITY
Supplement: Lower Your Taxes
RECORD NUMBER
of Undocumented Aliens Deported
I'm going to try something.
When you're a salesperson,
you see hundreds
of customer profiles.
I've noticed that people's clothing
is a clue to their magazine preference.
I'm trying to become a saleswoman
who is an expert on behavior.
Customer profiling.
For instance...
Black down jacket
and a black cap...
I was sure this customer
wanted L'Equipe, the sports daily.
Do you want a cookie?
No, that's fine, Mariouch.
1 cookie or 2?
It's good with a coffee!
I'll share some with you.
I love these lady's finger cookies.
A package lasts only two days.
Here, help yourself.
Take 4 or 5.
Take 4.
As I was saying...
Fur coat, handbag...
She'll want Voici, lifestyles.
Is it this week's Match?
Yes, it came out Thursday.
Thursday. Okay.
With Voici...
It's standing up.
I took this photo yesterday
of a customer who bought Le Figaro
or Les Echos de la Finance.
This customer was buying
flea-market shopping mags.
Last week, this guy boughtGuitariste Magazine.
Easy: Classica, or Le Monde de la Musique.
I don't remember too well...
His hobby is either aviation
or horseback riding.
An expensive one: Paris-Turf
ou L'Eperon magazine
But my mother's the champ.
She can guess what a customer wants,
before he opens his mouth!
All the way up there!
Yes, I brought you the thing
about the computer guy.
Maybe he buys his paper here.
He's my neighbor.
He still gives lectures.
I know that guy.
Hello, Alice.
Live from the news kiosk,
I learn that Christiane lives next door
to the inventor of the French Internet,
Mr. Pouzin is your neighbor?
He went to Lapland...
He went to Madagascar.
I'm filming him, too.
Maybe you'll find his name,
on the website.
Of course!
Especially if he's one of the co-founders
of the Web, in 1970.
- Don't you want the clipping?
- Yes, I do!
I've filmed it,
and now I want to read it.
I'll come back for it tomorrow.
I'd like a copy of Mickey.
It's way over on the right,
Christiane.
The online press is more popular
than the page.
The classified-ads weekly PAP
no longer publishes a print edition.
Simply because the classified ads
it printed
were already obsolete
when the weekly came out.
Printing takes too long.
As a result, readership is declining.
In order to survive,
we provide new services.
In other words, daily delivery
of newspapers and magazines
to nearby shops and cafés.
The APS press agency takes a copy
of every periodical daily,
to compile clippings for corporate clients.
Thanks to APS,
we can make ends meet.
I'd better go. If I don't...
It's your lucky day.
I'll make you go bankrupt,
if I stick around.
People are generous,
aren't they?
Or you have the right stuff...
See for yourself!
Two customers out of three.
We made them smile!
I need to fry my sausage.
Could you help me, please?
Ah, la la! What a smash hit!
Do you happen to sell metro tickets?
No, we can't get them.
Just go down to the window
in the metro station.
The problem is, I don't have cash,
and they won't accept my card.
I can help you, ma'am.
I'm not joking,
for Heaven's sakes.
Do you need a metro ticket, ma'am?
I'll manage, thanks.
What do you need?
A 2-euro coin, to buy one ticket?
It's silly, I have an Amex card,
but they don't accept it.
Listen, here's enough for one ticket.
No, thanks. I feel guilty.
You're embarrassed. You're too proud.
No, it's not pride.
Look, here's the rose he gave me.
He's a generous man.
Thanks. It's horrible!
No, it's not horrible. It's humane.
Excuse me for rectifying you.
In any case, I feel awful about it.
When people give me spare change,
I'm glad to pay it forward.
Céline Bayt-Darcourt reports
this morning, the daily
La Croix published its annual poll
on the credibility of the press.
No surprises: freefall everywhere.
Oh, no! Another title to stock.
Peps magazine.
The price is €1.90. Cheap.
Accounting for unsold papers
is time-consuming.
This morning, like every morning,
we're sending back 90% of what we bought,
because it didn't sell.
We'll be reimbursed. At last!
I'm beginning to catch on.
It'll take another year
before I'm really a solid player.
Playing and singing.
- You don't sing here.
- No.
I played "Happy Birthday" for her
and a folk song from...
For your girlfriend?
And I played her "Hotel California."
She was really surprised.
And I gave her a big, colorful bouquet,
with five red roses among the flowers.
So that's it, Alexandra.
Such joy.
- Thanks for the songs!
- See you later.
Have a good day.
You and your mom.
You have a beautiful smile.
It always reminds me of the sun.
Rolling!
Business is slow!
The streets are closed
on both sides.
Because of the protest.
In this Friday's headlines:
Activists against gay marriage
are still on the warpath,
even though the law
is about to be voted in.
They march Sunday.
"Every child needs a Mama and a Papa"
Everybody's coughing!
This is awful! I can't stay.
- You too?
- It's awful.
Those assholes sprayed tear gas.
"All together,
Let's repeal that law!"
The mic's here.
Don't cover it up.
Just go have a look around.
- A shot of the kiosk?
- No, the street.
I'll film a sensational story for you.
I've watched enough 24/24 news.
That sensational news story flopped.
Loïc had a little accident
with my phone.
I don't know how he did it,
but he crashed.
On the other hand, the anti-gay rally
really boosted sales.
People bought postcards
and special-interest magazines.
The far-Right press.
The usual extremist papers:
Présent, the Catholic far-Right...
Minute, mainly anti-Arab...
And Rivarol...
mainly anti-Semitic.
The most eccentric ones, too:
L'Action Française,
for National Front royalists.
Today was...
a tough one.
I'll finish the water,
and pee in here.
You have to stand like a man,
legs spread out.
Oh, shit! Damn it.
This morning, I'm selling
postcards and magazines,
but almost no newspapers.
The reason why is simple.
In France,
two companies distribute the press.
MLP, the Messageries
Lyonnaises de Presse,
and the number one,
Presstalis.
Today, the chute on my left
is empty!
Unusual.
There's a strike at Presstalis.
So things are a mess.
Strikers have blockaded
the printing plants.
No newspapers are being printed
or distributed.
We have fewer newspapers to sell,
but just as many bills to pay.
I'm losing money.
If sales rise again, it'll be okay.
My retirement pension is tiny.
I put money away for my old age.
Now I'm spending my savings
to keep the business afloat.
It's crazy.
I can't keep sinking my savings
into it.
Otherwise, I won't have anything left
for my old age.
I wanted to work
for another year or two.
But I think it'll be hard to do.
I'm doing the math.
We'll see.
We've got worries.
- It ups sales.
- Which magazine do you mean?
It's the only thing selling.
I've never seen...
In my time,
but I'm just a corny old lady...
Nonsense!
I don't care. I'm just saying...
I don't have e-mail,
but news gets around anyway.
My son was saying to me...
Excuse me a second...
Le Canard...
I'm sold out, sir!
You're all out?
- Are you Mr. Pouzin?
- Yes.
The Internet star!
The lady showed me the article.
Well done, sir!
I wanted to ask...
Are you and Catherine still available
to come have a drink,
in early February?
If Chantal wants...
If Chantal wants to come,
that's fine.
Not a bad-looking guy!
He's not my type.
I thought he was your type.
I was going to match you up.
He's a very nice man.
- He didn't realize!
- He was with his wife...
She's not even his wife.
- Right, you told me.
- Whatever!
But you did specify
she's not his wife!
Only one week left
to shop for Christmas gifts!
You refereed the contest between
shopping online and in stores.
For some time now, the market share
of Internet retailers has been rising.
Currently, e-commerce accounts for
about 10% of total retail sales.
Sales of certain products are steadily
migrating from stores to the Web.
You made a gift for me?
For Christmas?
It's a Christmas gift.
Mama cut it out.
She cut out the big circle.
Show me.
I stuck them on.
These are little sparkles.
Very fancy!
We made a big ball, and then
we put it in a big piece of paper.
A piece of waxed paper?
And then we put it in the refrigerator.
You make such good cookies!
You can do it more often.
You look like an angel
in this light!
Oh, la, la, you're teasing me.
I can even see your halo.
You're such a kind man.
That's so weird!
When you're on camera,
there's a divine glow,
and when you go away, it dims.
Duck out again, so we can see?
Incredible.
- Again...
- But true!
Incredible but true. A saint.
Mariouch, you always
share your goodies with me.
Now my sister is practicing
baking macaroons.
- Please taste one.
- What a pleasure!
I'll eat it right away.
- Do you like macaroons?
- I like all sweets.
Very good.
You deconstructed it!
I took it apart.
Eat it all at once, dummy!
Delicious!
- You like it?
- I do.
I wanted to show...
Have another, or I'll never
give you anything again!
Last one. I don't want to spoil
my appetite for my rillettes.
This is nutritious.
- With a little wine...
- A little wine.
I finally repay you
with something homemade.
You can'tell...
- You can'tell it's not...
- Not phoney.
- You ate it in one bite? Good!
- Finished!
I think I broke Grandpa's clock.
INTERNET has changed everything
THE BILLIONAIRES
who own the French Press.
FRANCE
The Economic Crisis Hardens.
70,000 Companies at Risk
Retirement Age Raised
UNEMPLOYMENT RISING
Faster than Ever
CRISIS Big Protests
92% are Worried
Macaroni for lunch!
It's the 30th day of the Presstalis strike.
DOWN WITH DEPOT CLOSING
AND PERSONNEL CUTS!
Without any newspapers to sell,
we're caught in a vise
between the publishing industry,
the big firms,
and print-industry workers.
ON STRIKE
Basically, we're a little like bakers
to whom no flour is delivered.
We can't sell bread.
Without bread, we have no income.
Without income, we can't pay bills.
Unfortunately, when a news kiosk
can't pay its bills,
because it has no papers to sell,
the same company Presstalis
"cuts off our paper."
They don't deliver anymore.
We can't get back in business.
We close.
Did you read the first article?
What did It'say?
It talked about our problems.
It was pretty accurate.
Here's a second article.
"Press distribution crisis: continued."
"Newspaper vendors are still tense.
"Presstalis, France's biggest
newspaper distributor, did not sink.
"Its print media empire endures.
"Once again, it was saved
at the last minute.
"A bail-out plan evaluated
at between 230 and 250 million euros
"was signed by the firm,
the publishers, and the government.
"Opinion is divided,
but my news vendor
"is sick of breaking his back
moving papers
"that no one buys,
and over which he has no control.
"Caught between the publishers
and the distributors,
"which bill for trucking unsold papers,
the vendors are fed up.
"In cold weather, the vendor freezes.
In hot weather, he boils."
It's a good article, isn't it?
Usually... Thanks, ma'am.
When the dailies write about us,
they usually get it wrong.
But this time...
They seem to know the score.
I understand.
Now, could you film both of us,
please?
Okay, I see you, but...
hold your hand higher.
A little bit higher, so I can see it.
Near my heart.
Speaking as a friend.
Everything okay today?
- No.
- What's wrong?
I lost my cat again.
Newsstand prices of certain dailies
increased by 10 to 20 centimes:
Les Echos, L'Humanité,
L'Equipe, and Le Figaro.
They cited rising paper
and distribution costs.
France Info news...
Newsstand newspaper sales are down 8%.
But PDF sales are booming.
Downloading a paper as a PDF file
is exactly the same...
At least this strike gives me time
to read the magazines I sell.
Today, I learned that Tutankhamun
didn't die of a disease after all.
Actually, he got run over by a chariot.
I also learned
that the way these small cicadas mate
has not changed
in 165 million years.
The proof is this fossilized couple.
You sure can learn a lot!
My buddy just forgot an envelope here.
- Is this it?
- His photo is inside.
I didn't look. Yes, that's it.
Thank you. Having a good day?
The weather's terrible, isn't it?
Before, we wrestled plastic tarps
onto the papers.
It was awful. So I took pictures.
"Do you like this?
I had the awning installed.
I was one of the first.
They told me I wasn't allowed.
I did it anyway.
Then Médiakiosk said,
"Nice awning! Who made it?"
This way, people can at least come in
and look around.
When it rains really hard,
I put plastic there,
to protect from drippy umbrellas.
"My umbrella isn't wet."
They all say that.
"I just opened it."
Look at him! He has a big parasol.
He's protected.
Did you see that woman's umbrella?
Could you close your umbrella,
please?
That gets water all over.
Okay.
Excuse me, I'm a little lost.
- Which one is Rue Boissière?
- Third right.
The third street.
Going which way?
Thank you. Sorry for the umbrella.
I've made an umbrella trap.
I've created a door
using the postcard racks.
Now they'll be forced
to close their umbrellas
before they come into the kiosk.
But I didn't think of that!
The stroller and the big dog.
Sorry!
My fifth cold so far this year.
I can't stand it.
It's best if I hand it to you
personally.
Thank you!
Better than having it delivered.
I'll give you the remedy tomorrow.
The Tiger Balm?
I'll come out and thank you.
So it's jade.
So, the jade...
The yin and yang,
the negative and positive.
Gets rid of the bad stuff.
It brings health and prosperity.
Wonderful!
This is what I see...
Money.
I see people giving us money.
I see betrayals.
I see... red.
I see...
bad international relations
until late June or July.
I see a big storm brewing
over France.
Water.
De l'eau de pluie,de l'eau de là-haut.
TV magazines...
I see Asian newspapers.
A big hat.
Paths...
People who may have
lost their way...
I'm looking for Rue Léo Delibes.
I know it's nearby.
- Sorry, I don't know it.
- And Boissière metro station?
Follow Rue Boissière down
from the Place.
It's the third right.
Some people are struggling.
I see...
A terrible, crazy accent in English...
I'm looking for Rue Mesnil.
NEWS AGENCIES
APS GOES BANKRUPT
The print industry is in recession.
Hang on a second... Hi. Do you have
the Panini soccer album?
- There it is. I see it.
- Last one.
I've got it!
Honey, I got the last one!
Please put it aside for me?
Or could I charge it?
Only if you buy 15 euros' worth.
Will you save it for me?
I'll be right back.
- Hide it.
- Don't worry, I won't sell it.
To sum up...
APS stuck to the paper road.
It was in the business
of compiling clippings for its clients.
It would track any given subject
in the news.
Its sly new competitors
went down the digital road.
They provide the same service directly,
tracking digital media,
bypassing the newsstand.
My mother is losing
her biggest customer...
The first blow...
But that's not all.
APS owed my mother some money.
A total of 30,000 euros.
Obviously, my mother can forget
about getting paid.
- Hello, Mr. Chatty. How are you?
- Who are you?
- I'm chatty, too.
- Mr. Chatty!
- Not blotty. Chatty.
- Buvard and Bavard.
What a pleasure!
- The name's Bouvard.
- Boss!
- Thank you!
- Pretty girl.
A devil for a man.
A new model?
What do you want her to do?
Be a supermarket cashier? No way.
She'd only make minimum wage.
So she uses her charms
to make lots of money in record time.
- She models designer fashions.
- Not in that picture.
Phone card, please.
That's almost pornographic.
Come on! What a prude!
That's not pornography!
It's borderline pornographic.
The Devil on Earth.
That's Woman.
Look at the spider.
What does the lady spider do?
Once her little male
knocks her up, she kills him!
Is that so?
Spiders, too?
Not just praying mantises?
Spiders do that, too.
There are spider species
that kill the male after mating.
- Generally.
- Right afterwards?
A woman's excuse is childbearing.
Instinctively, at birth,
she wants to be safe from harm.
Later,
she needs to protect her young.
Now, female equality and parity
are all the rage.
But I don't think equality
and parity are realistic.
Controversy rages.
Women have taken all of our laws,
all of our male prerogatives,
yet they've kept
their own advantages.
Women are more complicated
than computers.
Not even two meters of space.
Even though we salespeople smile
when we don't feel like it,
even though I'm surrounded
by women's magazines
featuring smiling supermodels,
happy to be there,
there are times when I'm weary.
From the ethology magazines,
I learned that the smile
is an instinctive grimace.
It is not all kindness.
It's much more aggressive
than people think.
We show our teeth
to bite the interlocutor.
It's an animal instinct,
to scare the enemy away.
The smile stakes out your territory.
A survival strategy.
You were one of the first
to investigate programmed cell death.
Scientists call it "apoptosis."
Is it good or bad?
Death was always thought to be
the opposite of life.
Studies of programmed cell death
have shown us
that each cell in our body
has the ability to self-destruct.
When a cell is isolated...
Today, finding this little note
brought tears to my eyes.
It'says Damien paid us
for his newspaper.
Living is preventing self-destruction.
A living body
is a body that is partly dying.
A funeral will be held
for Damien Fourmeaux
1:30 PM Cochin Hospital
On Saturday, a kind woman visited,
to tell me about Damien's death.
She was looking for people
who had been close to him.
And I found out there's a cemetery
for the homeless, outside Paris.
I'll be honored to attend his funeral.
I want to show my respect
for the man.
He was somebody
who was really special.
So full of vitality.
He had a big heart. And a big mouth.
But he was so sweet.
I think a lot of people are sad...
It was so sudden.
The Figaro.
It's been a while, yes!
Do you like that cheese,
Tomme de Savoie?
You don't like cheese.
Mariouch, I have news for you.
Wait!
- What is the news?
- I'm leaving you on July 1st.
- Oh, la la!
- I've finally decided.
- Why so suddenly?
- I've been thinking about it.
- You're not retiring, are you?
- Yes, I am.
You can afford to? Sorry...
I don't know. I was worried about it.
But I decided to retire anyway.
The thing that changed my mind
was the fact you told me
this was holding you back.
That you were so busy here,
you couldn't work on anything else.
I had two reasons for staying.
For you, and for my pension.
I wouldn't have been able to stand
leaving at the end of the year.
- So this is a relief?
- Yes. It certainly is.
I phoned Papa and told him.
You decided at the kiosk?
In this lousy weather.
I just can't stand it anymore. No way.
So Papa and I go to the bank...
Spontaneously,
we started talking about...
the average age in life...
What do you call it?
I don't remember.
Life expectancy?
It's coming up fast.
For a man, it's 77 years.
He's already 63.
Ten years, fourteen years,
go by fast.
So maybe he suddenly realized
it's time to enjoy life.
Work for two more years,
hoping to make a little profit?
What if I fail?
To hell with it.
Yes, your mother had mentioned
it to me before.
Maybe bad news
always comes in threes.
A friend of mine told me today
she's retiring in April.
I'm speechless.
She has a mail-forwarding service
on Rue Mesnil.
Everything's changing.
It's good to be dynamic.
I'm a woman who loves routine.
This upsets me.
I'm sad.
Let's see your pretty scarf.
I was just counting change
for the piggy bank.
Keep your change, Christiane.
It's so sudden. I knew
it was going to happen, but still.
It's a bitter pill to swallow,
but a beer will help.
Yes, I think
I'll have the smallest one.
Quite a change.
1 x €1.10.
1 x €1.30.
2 x 90 centimes.
1 x €1.30.
2 x €1.50.
2 x €1.40.
- I don't like water.
- I don't either.
Well done! That looks very pretty.
Do you need a paper clip?
Cheers, everybody!
Cheers, everyone!
Why isn't your camera working?
I'll take the picture of you all,
and send it.
Cheers!
Thank you! Nice photo!
I was afraid to retire...
How many years has it been?
I've been here since 1990,
and it was my parents' business.
We've been on the Place forever.
It's silly to be nostalgic.
But it's part of me.
Everyone's quitting the trade.
It's not easy to replace us.
The job is physically more demanding,
and less lucrative,
so it's not attractive.
A disappearing trade.
Homeless Person
German Embassy Chauffeur
Newspaper Vendor
Volunteer
at Notre-Dame Cathedral
Principal Dancer
Retired Person
Cook and Fruit Vendor
Yeah.
Okay!
Here we are
on Place Victor-Hugo, in Paris.
In the 16th arrondissement,
to be exact.
It is 5 o'clock in the morning.
For the needs of the film,
my colleague Loïc has locked me
inside the kiosk.
And I'm afraid I won't be able
to hold the camera steady,
because I'm perched
on a wobbly pile
of 15 slippery magazines,
thrown in by the night delivery men.
KIOSK
The FIP morning traffic update:
two accidents are reported,
one on the Outer Beltway,
near Porte de Chatillon,
the other at the Bercy junction
with the Eastern Highway,
closing three lanes.
Slow down, please.
Let's fill out the dailies list together.
You check them off.
Good.
Cool, huh.
Sick cool, for the film.
5 País,
5 Hayats.
3 Mails.
The Daily Mail?
3 Bilds, at €1.30.
2, 4, 5, 6 Repubblicas.
3 Handelsblatts, at €3.20.
€ 3.50, even.
Hello?
Hi, Mom.
An extra copy of Le Monde. Okay.
Okay, see you later.
I'm taking two minutes
to show you around my workspace.
It's quite narrow, I'must say.
One, two!
And I'm a small person.
One... two meters.
Next, here,
we have delivery chutes
That's were the merchandise
comes in and goes out.
These are called "alveoli."
To help make change faster.
The special thing about these alveoli
is that you can see
fossils of our fingertips.
My parents' fingerprints,
my grandparents' fingerprints,
And maybe even
those of my great-grandmother.
It's less visible here,
because our fingers have dug it out.
You can feel it.
In all the other alveoli,
you find our four fingers.
We really dug at this one,
giving out the 20-centime pieces.
Fifty-centime pieces,
one-euro coins...
That's also eroded by our hands.
Since we never work together,
we leave each other notes.
This is the list of press services
we deliver to every morning.
How to use the credit card machine.
Identities in search of people...
I put up the ugliest stickers
I can find, to annoy my team.
And I'map the preferences
of our regular customers,
who keep our newsstand alive.
Damien spends his time
losing his cat,
the cat whose spots match Damien's.
Such a cute cat! I see why
you stayed in Paris to find him.
- It's his birthday.
- Today?
No, the 5th.
- The same day as you.
- Right!
You turned your head.
What's up, Marcel?
You turned,
right when I took the picture. Look.
I can't see you at all.
Shucks.
That's no good!
- Do you think that worked?
- I heard it, but...
There's no flash.
The light isn't working. That's odd.
"Automatic: On."
- Flash...
- On the right.
- Like this?
- That's right.
It'should work now, I think.
- Did you see the light?
- Yes.
Now you have to open "Photos."
Or "Gallery."
I'm going to keep you.
I enjoy seeing you.
- I'm filming you, Madame Piou-Piou!
- I'm so glamorous.
- You look fine.
- Right.
- Why?
What's wrong?
A bad-hair day?
- You can stop making fun of me.
- I'mean it!
Listen, I haven't washed my hair
for ten or twelve days.
It looks clean!
- How do you keep it clean?
- I brush it.
- It can wait until next week.
- Do you use rice powder?
No, I'm not like Karl Lagerfeld.
- No, I don't do any of that.
- Well, you look just fine.
That's right.
I broke my tooth!
A tooth?
Yes. Look.
It gives you lucky gap teeth.
I already had lucky gap teeth.
But this...
Show me your tooth!
No, I look ugly enough as it is.
- Madame Piou-Piou!
- I'm getting tired.
She'll show that to her mother.
Say... are you done?
We stop when we want.
Here is the news kiosk.
I should say
the saga of the news kiosk.
Four generations!
Unlike everyone else in my family,
I never planned to sell newspapers.
But, as it happened,
my mom needed help,
and after 10 years of art school,
I had to face facts.
Art wasn't exactly the easiest way
to earn a living.
I'm ready, Mom!
You can come out of the bank, now.
You're all dark. There!
The camera!
She's unique, you know.
- A jewel.
- She's unique!
- A jewel.
- You neak up on her.
Those mischievous eyes!
It's true! They are.
Look at her.
She's teasing her mother!
Excuse me, I'm looking
for Place de l'Etoile.
Straight ahead.
At that end? Thanks.
I'll take this one, madam.
€2.90.
- Here you are.
- Thank you.
By the way, Alexandra...
a word to the wise:
When you make change for a bill
Don't put it in the till right away.
Keep it out, while you make change.
That avoids any arguments like
"Hey, I gave you a 50-euro bill!"
"No, sir, the bill is right here, see?
No problem. Thank you!"
There you are, sir! Thank you!
Time for "Listen in Good Health".
In autumn,
the common cold and flu return.
We cut back on outdoor activities,
and eat fattier foods, instead of salads.
Tell us how you stay in shape
when the weather turns chilly...
Business is slow right now.
I'll take advantage of the lull
to tell you the history of our kiosk.
This is where we're located.
Here, to be exact.
In the heart
of the 16th Arrondissement.
One of Paris's fanciest
neighborhoods.
The kiosk has been established
here for quite a while.
Before, news kiosks
were the property of city hall.
One day, city hall decided
to stop managing them.
They asked a private company,
MédiaKiosk, to take care of us.
MédiaKiosk
is owned by JC Decaux.
Jean-Claude Decaux makes his living
from advertising.
He sells the billboard space
on the walls of the kiosk to advertisers.
The more billboards there are,
the more he makes.
So Decaux increases the number
of distributors.
That's why there are two kiosks
on Place Victor Hugo.
Decaux doesn't care
if we sell papers.
The billboards still make money for him.
So far, so good...
For Jean-Claude Decaux, anyway.
- Nothing falls out!
- Even if you eat it from the bottom...
The roll stays fluffy!
You're right, it's picture perfect.
Especially before you bite in.
The burgers from other McDonald's
drip all over.
Show me the hamburger.
Cooked through.
- It puffs up again!
- How do they do it?
- 'Cause it's the 16th.
- Avenue Victor Hugo!
Eat at Châtelet and they drool.
It just doesn't drip.
Ready, Mariouch.
- Is that good?
- Yes.
That's so pleasant!
- You look handsome.
- You're kidding.
Your scarf is so becoming.
Chic!
This is a weekday outfit.
Not my Sunday best.
- I have a gift!
- What could it be? Oh! What luck!
How about some coffee
to go with the cake?
It's not fair.
You always buy me coffee.
Here, take 3 madeleines.
3 madeleines.
3! You can even take 4,
if you like.
- Only 2.
- No, 3.
Or I'll never give you
anything again. Ever.
You're not kidding, Mariouch.
3, then, to make you happy.
- They're good!
- Delicious.
"Pastry Shop Madeleines."
I like them at breakfast.
With tea? Or coffee?
Coffee. Or a little glass of wine.
- Wine is good.
- At what time?
In the afternoon. At 4.
No, I have coffee in the morning.
No wine before...
Not before 4 PM.
- That's wise.
- Then, one glass.
- But it's only 2 now.
- I didn't eat this morning.
Just buttered toast.
That's all.
Do you haveLa Revue des Vins de France?
I'm looking for Le Point, please.
Le Point comes out tomorrow.
But the new Express is out today.
It comes out on Wednesdays now.
L'Express, please,
and L'Officiel des Spectacles.
So what's up with you today?
Today, I went to my ballet lesson.
But pretty soon,
my ballet school will close.
Then I'll go
to a different ballet school.
I can do this.
Wait. Now look. Look!
Tomorrow, I babysit you
while your mother is at the bank.
It'seems simple, to sell newspapers.
You have to be polite, quick,
helpful, friendly...
Efficient...
But you also have to become
a machine.
Memorizing the 3,000 titles on sale,
having them at your fingertips.
You have to know what's in them,
the day they come out,
the price,
and where they're kept.
You don't choose this merchandise.
But you pay in advance.
And it's very hard to fit it all
into our little cabins.
3,000 different titles,
all selling dreams.
I sell dreams!
The funny thing
about a newsstand
is that the day of the week
determines the customers.
On Mondays, the TV viewers
pick up the guide.
On Tuesdays, the grannies come in
for their society magazines.
On Wednesdays,
cinema- and theater-goers...
I'm back to pay
for the birthday card.
The one for Benjamin.
- 3 and how much? 35?
- €3.35, Christiane.
It's good for someone
who plays pétanque.
- Isn't it?
- With the little measuring string?
- I'm not mistaken, am I?
- No, it's a funny card.
- 3.40, 3.50, 4...
- I always like your cards.
Kate Moss's butt!
- Kate Moss! Oh, la la.
- Little butterflies. Tattoos.
You should get little butterflies
tattooed on your butt, too.
You have to keep up with the times,
Christiane.
Granny knows how to rock.
She rocks out!
- This butterfly will flutter by.
- A social butterfly!
- In my apartment, yep.
- Have fun!
PARIS XI: KILLED
FOR ATTACKING A POLICE OFFICER
COPYRIGHT LAW
FLOUTED BY PIRATES
You brought your big thing
to film me at work.
To frame the whole kiosk.
With the wide-angle?
- The motorcycle magazines, please?
- I have them in here.
I'll climb up and get you what you want.
Moto-Mag, please.
This one?
That was a good shot.
I brought a gift.
How'sweet!
'Cause there's no bathroom...
"Go Girl!"
What is it?
Do you have a thermos?
Put it on tight...
And then...
And then, very carefully...
- I pee.
- You pee.
You'll have to experiment
to get it right.
I need a container to pee into.
- A bottle.
- Definitely.
See, when I hold the phone,
I shake, for one thing,
and sometimes my middle finger
covers up the mic.
- Shucks!
- I have to be really careful.
Islam sells fruit on the square.
He hides his stock here.
The cops kept raiding it all from him.
That's neat,
that the kiosk is a hiding place.
- You have Vanity Fair...
- Yes. Okay, just a minute.
€3.95.
3.95, 4...
6.50... 6.45.
6.45...
10.45... 10.25.
10.25, 12.25...
€12.45, please.
I need €2.45 more.
You want more!
Need a bag?
Here, I'll put this in the trash.
What do they say?
"To present additional evidence,
"to comply with
Administrative Justice Code article...
"it must be filed by..."
Boy, is that complicated!
BANGLADESH: X-Ray of a War
BANGLADESH
Between Terrorism and Repression
SURVEY
The Undocumented Alien Crisis
IMMIGRATION The French Programm
France's Mosques
BURKA The Right Wing Attacks
NATIONAL IDENTITY
Supplement: Lower Your Taxes
RECORD NUMBER
of Undocumented Aliens Deported
I'm going to try something.
When you're a salesperson,
you see hundreds
of customer profiles.
I've noticed that people's clothing
is a clue to their magazine preference.
I'm trying to become a saleswoman
who is an expert on behavior.
Customer profiling.
For instance...
Black down jacket
and a black cap...
I was sure this customer
wanted L'Equipe, the sports daily.
Do you want a cookie?
No, that's fine, Mariouch.
1 cookie or 2?
It's good with a coffee!
I'll share some with you.
I love these lady's finger cookies.
A package lasts only two days.
Here, help yourself.
Take 4 or 5.
Take 4.
As I was saying...
Fur coat, handbag...
She'll want Voici, lifestyles.
Is it this week's Match?
Yes, it came out Thursday.
Thursday. Okay.
With Voici...
It's standing up.
I took this photo yesterday
of a customer who bought Le Figaro
or Les Echos de la Finance.
This customer was buying
flea-market shopping mags.
Last week, this guy boughtGuitariste Magazine.
Easy: Classica, or Le Monde de la Musique.
I don't remember too well...
His hobby is either aviation
or horseback riding.
An expensive one: Paris-Turf
ou L'Eperon magazine
But my mother's the champ.
She can guess what a customer wants,
before he opens his mouth!
All the way up there!
Yes, I brought you the thing
about the computer guy.
Maybe he buys his paper here.
He's my neighbor.
He still gives lectures.
I know that guy.
Hello, Alice.
Live from the news kiosk,
I learn that Christiane lives next door
to the inventor of the French Internet,
Mr. Pouzin is your neighbor?
He went to Lapland...
He went to Madagascar.
I'm filming him, too.
Maybe you'll find his name,
on the website.
Of course!
Especially if he's one of the co-founders
of the Web, in 1970.
- Don't you want the clipping?
- Yes, I do!
I've filmed it,
and now I want to read it.
I'll come back for it tomorrow.
I'd like a copy of Mickey.
It's way over on the right,
Christiane.
The online press is more popular
than the page.
The classified-ads weekly PAP
no longer publishes a print edition.
Simply because the classified ads
it printed
were already obsolete
when the weekly came out.
Printing takes too long.
As a result, readership is declining.
In order to survive,
we provide new services.
In other words, daily delivery
of newspapers and magazines
to nearby shops and cafés.
The APS press agency takes a copy
of every periodical daily,
to compile clippings for corporate clients.
Thanks to APS,
we can make ends meet.
I'd better go. If I don't...
It's your lucky day.
I'll make you go bankrupt,
if I stick around.
People are generous,
aren't they?
Or you have the right stuff...
See for yourself!
Two customers out of three.
We made them smile!
I need to fry my sausage.
Could you help me, please?
Ah, la la! What a smash hit!
Do you happen to sell metro tickets?
No, we can't get them.
Just go down to the window
in the metro station.
The problem is, I don't have cash,
and they won't accept my card.
I can help you, ma'am.
I'm not joking,
for Heaven's sakes.
Do you need a metro ticket, ma'am?
I'll manage, thanks.
What do you need?
A 2-euro coin, to buy one ticket?
It's silly, I have an Amex card,
but they don't accept it.
Listen, here's enough for one ticket.
No, thanks. I feel guilty.
You're embarrassed. You're too proud.
No, it's not pride.
Look, here's the rose he gave me.
He's a generous man.
Thanks. It's horrible!
No, it's not horrible. It's humane.
Excuse me for rectifying you.
In any case, I feel awful about it.
When people give me spare change,
I'm glad to pay it forward.
Céline Bayt-Darcourt reports
this morning, the daily
La Croix published its annual poll
on the credibility of the press.
No surprises: freefall everywhere.
Oh, no! Another title to stock.
Peps magazine.
The price is €1.90. Cheap.
Accounting for unsold papers
is time-consuming.
This morning, like every morning,
we're sending back 90% of what we bought,
because it didn't sell.
We'll be reimbursed. At last!
I'm beginning to catch on.
It'll take another year
before I'm really a solid player.
Playing and singing.
- You don't sing here.
- No.
I played "Happy Birthday" for her
and a folk song from...
For your girlfriend?
And I played her "Hotel California."
She was really surprised.
And I gave her a big, colorful bouquet,
with five red roses among the flowers.
So that's it, Alexandra.
Such joy.
- Thanks for the songs!
- See you later.
Have a good day.
You and your mom.
You have a beautiful smile.
It always reminds me of the sun.
Rolling!
Business is slow!
The streets are closed
on both sides.
Because of the protest.
In this Friday's headlines:
Activists against gay marriage
are still on the warpath,
even though the law
is about to be voted in.
They march Sunday.
"Every child needs a Mama and a Papa"
Everybody's coughing!
This is awful! I can't stay.
- You too?
- It's awful.
Those assholes sprayed tear gas.
"All together,
Let's repeal that law!"
The mic's here.
Don't cover it up.
Just go have a look around.
- A shot of the kiosk?
- No, the street.
I'll film a sensational story for you.
I've watched enough 24/24 news.
That sensational news story flopped.
Loïc had a little accident
with my phone.
I don't know how he did it,
but he crashed.
On the other hand, the anti-gay rally
really boosted sales.
People bought postcards
and special-interest magazines.
The far-Right press.
The usual extremist papers:
Présent, the Catholic far-Right...
Minute, mainly anti-Arab...
And Rivarol...
mainly anti-Semitic.
The most eccentric ones, too:
L'Action Française,
for National Front royalists.
Today was...
a tough one.
I'll finish the water,
and pee in here.
You have to stand like a man,
legs spread out.
Oh, shit! Damn it.
This morning, I'm selling
postcards and magazines,
but almost no newspapers.
The reason why is simple.
In France,
two companies distribute the press.
MLP, the Messageries
Lyonnaises de Presse,
and the number one,
Presstalis.
Today, the chute on my left
is empty!
Unusual.
There's a strike at Presstalis.
So things are a mess.
Strikers have blockaded
the printing plants.
No newspapers are being printed
or distributed.
We have fewer newspapers to sell,
but just as many bills to pay.
I'm losing money.
If sales rise again, it'll be okay.
My retirement pension is tiny.
I put money away for my old age.
Now I'm spending my savings
to keep the business afloat.
It's crazy.
I can't keep sinking my savings
into it.
Otherwise, I won't have anything left
for my old age.
I wanted to work
for another year or two.
But I think it'll be hard to do.
I'm doing the math.
We'll see.
We've got worries.
- It ups sales.
- Which magazine do you mean?
It's the only thing selling.
I've never seen...
In my time,
but I'm just a corny old lady...
Nonsense!
I don't care. I'm just saying...
I don't have e-mail,
but news gets around anyway.
My son was saying to me...
Excuse me a second...
Le Canard...
I'm sold out, sir!
You're all out?
- Are you Mr. Pouzin?
- Yes.
The Internet star!
The lady showed me the article.
Well done, sir!
I wanted to ask...
Are you and Catherine still available
to come have a drink,
in early February?
If Chantal wants...
If Chantal wants to come,
that's fine.
Not a bad-looking guy!
He's not my type.
I thought he was your type.
I was going to match you up.
He's a very nice man.
- He didn't realize!
- He was with his wife...
She's not even his wife.
- Right, you told me.
- Whatever!
But you did specify
she's not his wife!
Only one week left
to shop for Christmas gifts!
You refereed the contest between
shopping online and in stores.
For some time now, the market share
of Internet retailers has been rising.
Currently, e-commerce accounts for
about 10% of total retail sales.
Sales of certain products are steadily
migrating from stores to the Web.
You made a gift for me?
For Christmas?
It's a Christmas gift.
Mama cut it out.
She cut out the big circle.
Show me.
I stuck them on.
These are little sparkles.
Very fancy!
We made a big ball, and then
we put it in a big piece of paper.
A piece of waxed paper?
And then we put it in the refrigerator.
You make such good cookies!
You can do it more often.
You look like an angel
in this light!
Oh, la, la, you're teasing me.
I can even see your halo.
You're such a kind man.
That's so weird!
When you're on camera,
there's a divine glow,
and when you go away, it dims.
Duck out again, so we can see?
Incredible.
- Again...
- But true!
Incredible but true. A saint.
Mariouch, you always
share your goodies with me.
Now my sister is practicing
baking macaroons.
- Please taste one.
- What a pleasure!
I'll eat it right away.
- Do you like macaroons?
- I like all sweets.
Very good.
You deconstructed it!
I took it apart.
Eat it all at once, dummy!
Delicious!
- You like it?
- I do.
I wanted to show...
Have another, or I'll never
give you anything again!
Last one. I don't want to spoil
my appetite for my rillettes.
This is nutritious.
- With a little wine...
- A little wine.
I finally repay you
with something homemade.
You can'tell...
- You can'tell it's not...
- Not phoney.
- You ate it in one bite? Good!
- Finished!
I think I broke Grandpa's clock.
INTERNET has changed everything
THE BILLIONAIRES
who own the French Press.
FRANCE
The Economic Crisis Hardens.
70,000 Companies at Risk
Retirement Age Raised
UNEMPLOYMENT RISING
Faster than Ever
CRISIS Big Protests
92% are Worried
Macaroni for lunch!
It's the 30th day of the Presstalis strike.
DOWN WITH DEPOT CLOSING
AND PERSONNEL CUTS!
Without any newspapers to sell,
we're caught in a vise
between the publishing industry,
the big firms,
and print-industry workers.
ON STRIKE
Basically, we're a little like bakers
to whom no flour is delivered.
We can't sell bread.
Without bread, we have no income.
Without income, we can't pay bills.
Unfortunately, when a news kiosk
can't pay its bills,
because it has no papers to sell,
the same company Presstalis
"cuts off our paper."
They don't deliver anymore.
We can't get back in business.
We close.
Did you read the first article?
What did It'say?
It talked about our problems.
It was pretty accurate.
Here's a second article.
"Press distribution crisis: continued."
"Newspaper vendors are still tense.
"Presstalis, France's biggest
newspaper distributor, did not sink.
"Its print media empire endures.
"Once again, it was saved
at the last minute.
"A bail-out plan evaluated
at between 230 and 250 million euros
"was signed by the firm,
the publishers, and the government.
"Opinion is divided,
but my news vendor
"is sick of breaking his back
moving papers
"that no one buys,
and over which he has no control.
"Caught between the publishers
and the distributors,
"which bill for trucking unsold papers,
the vendors are fed up.
"In cold weather, the vendor freezes.
In hot weather, he boils."
It's a good article, isn't it?
Usually... Thanks, ma'am.
When the dailies write about us,
they usually get it wrong.
But this time...
They seem to know the score.
I understand.
Now, could you film both of us,
please?
Okay, I see you, but...
hold your hand higher.
A little bit higher, so I can see it.
Near my heart.
Speaking as a friend.
Everything okay today?
- No.
- What's wrong?
I lost my cat again.
Newsstand prices of certain dailies
increased by 10 to 20 centimes:
Les Echos, L'Humanité,
L'Equipe, and Le Figaro.
They cited rising paper
and distribution costs.
France Info news...
Newsstand newspaper sales are down 8%.
But PDF sales are booming.
Downloading a paper as a PDF file
is exactly the same...
At least this strike gives me time
to read the magazines I sell.
Today, I learned that Tutankhamun
didn't die of a disease after all.
Actually, he got run over by a chariot.
I also learned
that the way these small cicadas mate
has not changed
in 165 million years.
The proof is this fossilized couple.
You sure can learn a lot!
My buddy just forgot an envelope here.
- Is this it?
- His photo is inside.
I didn't look. Yes, that's it.
Thank you. Having a good day?
The weather's terrible, isn't it?
Before, we wrestled plastic tarps
onto the papers.
It was awful. So I took pictures.
"Do you like this?
I had the awning installed.
I was one of the first.
They told me I wasn't allowed.
I did it anyway.
Then Médiakiosk said,
"Nice awning! Who made it?"
This way, people can at least come in
and look around.
When it rains really hard,
I put plastic there,
to protect from drippy umbrellas.
"My umbrella isn't wet."
They all say that.
"I just opened it."
Look at him! He has a big parasol.
He's protected.
Did you see that woman's umbrella?
Could you close your umbrella,
please?
That gets water all over.
Okay.
Excuse me, I'm a little lost.
- Which one is Rue Boissière?
- Third right.
The third street.
Going which way?
Thank you. Sorry for the umbrella.
I've made an umbrella trap.
I've created a door
using the postcard racks.
Now they'll be forced
to close their umbrellas
before they come into the kiosk.
But I didn't think of that!
The stroller and the big dog.
Sorry!
My fifth cold so far this year.
I can't stand it.
It's best if I hand it to you
personally.
Thank you!
Better than having it delivered.
I'll give you the remedy tomorrow.
The Tiger Balm?
I'll come out and thank you.
So it's jade.
So, the jade...
The yin and yang,
the negative and positive.
Gets rid of the bad stuff.
It brings health and prosperity.
Wonderful!
This is what I see...
Money.
I see people giving us money.
I see betrayals.
I see... red.
I see...
bad international relations
until late June or July.
I see a big storm brewing
over France.
Water.
De l'eau de pluie,de l'eau de là-haut.
TV magazines...
I see Asian newspapers.
A big hat.
Paths...
People who may have
lost their way...
I'm looking for Rue Léo Delibes.
I know it's nearby.
- Sorry, I don't know it.
- And Boissière metro station?
Follow Rue Boissière down
from the Place.
It's the third right.
Some people are struggling.
I see...
A terrible, crazy accent in English...
I'm looking for Rue Mesnil.
NEWS AGENCIES
APS GOES BANKRUPT
The print industry is in recession.
Hang on a second... Hi. Do you have
the Panini soccer album?
- There it is. I see it.
- Last one.
I've got it!
Honey, I got the last one!
Please put it aside for me?
Or could I charge it?
Only if you buy 15 euros' worth.
Will you save it for me?
I'll be right back.
- Hide it.
- Don't worry, I won't sell it.
To sum up...
APS stuck to the paper road.
It was in the business
of compiling clippings for its clients.
It would track any given subject
in the news.
Its sly new competitors
went down the digital road.
They provide the same service directly,
tracking digital media,
bypassing the newsstand.
My mother is losing
her biggest customer...
The first blow...
But that's not all.
APS owed my mother some money.
A total of 30,000 euros.
Obviously, my mother can forget
about getting paid.
- Hello, Mr. Chatty. How are you?
- Who are you?
- I'm chatty, too.
- Mr. Chatty!
- Not blotty. Chatty.
- Buvard and Bavard.
What a pleasure!
- The name's Bouvard.
- Boss!
- Thank you!
- Pretty girl.
A devil for a man.
A new model?
What do you want her to do?
Be a supermarket cashier? No way.
She'd only make minimum wage.
So she uses her charms
to make lots of money in record time.
- She models designer fashions.
- Not in that picture.
Phone card, please.
That's almost pornographic.
Come on! What a prude!
That's not pornography!
It's borderline pornographic.
The Devil on Earth.
That's Woman.
Look at the spider.
What does the lady spider do?
Once her little male
knocks her up, she kills him!
Is that so?
Spiders, too?
Not just praying mantises?
Spiders do that, too.
There are spider species
that kill the male after mating.
- Generally.
- Right afterwards?
A woman's excuse is childbearing.
Instinctively, at birth,
she wants to be safe from harm.
Later,
she needs to protect her young.
Now, female equality and parity
are all the rage.
But I don't think equality
and parity are realistic.
Controversy rages.
Women have taken all of our laws,
all of our male prerogatives,
yet they've kept
their own advantages.
Women are more complicated
than computers.
Not even two meters of space.
Even though we salespeople smile
when we don't feel like it,
even though I'm surrounded
by women's magazines
featuring smiling supermodels,
happy to be there,
there are times when I'm weary.
From the ethology magazines,
I learned that the smile
is an instinctive grimace.
It is not all kindness.
It's much more aggressive
than people think.
We show our teeth
to bite the interlocutor.
It's an animal instinct,
to scare the enemy away.
The smile stakes out your territory.
A survival strategy.
You were one of the first
to investigate programmed cell death.
Scientists call it "apoptosis."
Is it good or bad?
Death was always thought to be
the opposite of life.
Studies of programmed cell death
have shown us
that each cell in our body
has the ability to self-destruct.
When a cell is isolated...
Today, finding this little note
brought tears to my eyes.
It'says Damien paid us
for his newspaper.
Living is preventing self-destruction.
A living body
is a body that is partly dying.
A funeral will be held
for Damien Fourmeaux
1:30 PM Cochin Hospital
On Saturday, a kind woman visited,
to tell me about Damien's death.
She was looking for people
who had been close to him.
And I found out there's a cemetery
for the homeless, outside Paris.
I'll be honored to attend his funeral.
I want to show my respect
for the man.
He was somebody
who was really special.
So full of vitality.
He had a big heart. And a big mouth.
But he was so sweet.
I think a lot of people are sad...
It was so sudden.
The Figaro.
It's been a while, yes!
Do you like that cheese,
Tomme de Savoie?
You don't like cheese.
Mariouch, I have news for you.
Wait!
- What is the news?
- I'm leaving you on July 1st.
- Oh, la la!
- I've finally decided.
- Why so suddenly?
- I've been thinking about it.
- You're not retiring, are you?
- Yes, I am.
You can afford to? Sorry...
I don't know. I was worried about it.
But I decided to retire anyway.
The thing that changed my mind
was the fact you told me
this was holding you back.
That you were so busy here,
you couldn't work on anything else.
I had two reasons for staying.
For you, and for my pension.
I wouldn't have been able to stand
leaving at the end of the year.
- So this is a relief?
- Yes. It certainly is.
I phoned Papa and told him.
You decided at the kiosk?
In this lousy weather.
I just can't stand it anymore. No way.
So Papa and I go to the bank...
Spontaneously,
we started talking about...
the average age in life...
What do you call it?
I don't remember.
Life expectancy?
It's coming up fast.
For a man, it's 77 years.
He's already 63.
Ten years, fourteen years,
go by fast.
So maybe he suddenly realized
it's time to enjoy life.
Work for two more years,
hoping to make a little profit?
What if I fail?
To hell with it.
Yes, your mother had mentioned
it to me before.
Maybe bad news
always comes in threes.
A friend of mine told me today
she's retiring in April.
I'm speechless.
She has a mail-forwarding service
on Rue Mesnil.
Everything's changing.
It's good to be dynamic.
I'm a woman who loves routine.
This upsets me.
I'm sad.
Let's see your pretty scarf.
I was just counting change
for the piggy bank.
Keep your change, Christiane.
It's so sudden. I knew
it was going to happen, but still.
It's a bitter pill to swallow,
but a beer will help.
Yes, I think
I'll have the smallest one.
Quite a change.
1 x €1.10.
1 x €1.30.
2 x 90 centimes.
1 x €1.30.
2 x €1.50.
2 x €1.40.
- I don't like water.
- I don't either.
Well done! That looks very pretty.
Do you need a paper clip?
Cheers, everybody!
Cheers, everyone!
Why isn't your camera working?
I'll take the picture of you all,
and send it.
Cheers!
Thank you! Nice photo!
I was afraid to retire...
How many years has it been?
I've been here since 1990,
and it was my parents' business.
We've been on the Place forever.
It's silly to be nostalgic.
But it's part of me.
Everyone's quitting the trade.
It's not easy to replace us.
The job is physically more demanding,
and less lucrative,
so it's not attractive.
A disappearing trade.
Homeless Person
German Embassy Chauffeur
Newspaper Vendor
Volunteer
at Notre-Dame Cathedral
Principal Dancer
Retired Person
Cook and Fruit Vendor