Messidor (1979) - full transcript
Two young women from very different backgrounds journey into the countryside seeking respite from unsatisfactory lives and relationships, but ultimately find that there is no way back to the world they once knew.
What's going on here?
We have no money.
But we'll work in the kitchen.
I'm not interested.
I have all the paid help I need.
This isn't the Salvation Army.
I don't understand you.
Sorry. I have to call the police.
Don't call the police over that.
Just as long as I get paid.
We'll pay for you.
Want a ride on a bike?
On a bike? Sure.
The hardest thing is
to live aimlessly,
not knowing where to go.
Forward, backwards, sideways...
The same thing over and over.
You know, people and places...
... all end up looking alike.
As if they didn't really exist.
- Want to quit?
- Absolutely not.
On the contrary. It's just starting
to get interesting.
We're moving through empty space.
I'll let you in.
I'm having dinner with some people nearby.
Then we'll play cards.
Till my husband gets off work.
He'll be late tonight.
He won't be home before 9 or 10 p.m.
Come in.
Make yourselves at home.
I told them to get out.
I had a good look.
They were dressed like that.
Pants, jacket, red sweater...
The jacket was too big...
I asked them who gave them permission
to sleep here.
A few days ago,
Mr. Lecomte, a farmer,
discovered the 2 girls
sleeping in his stable.
Mr. Lecomte tells us how it happened.
Details of the clothing
worn by the 2 girls
were supplied by several
witnesses who saw them.
The 2 young girls,
who don't seem to belong
to any terrorist network,
are armed and may make use of their weapon.
Here is a similar weapon...
It's not a toy. The one in
the girl's possession is loaded.
It was stolen from an officer
of the Swiss army near Bern.
The girls have been seen
in several parts of the country.
Let's watch TV.
Move over.
By observing their actions,
it doesn't seem like they have
criminal tendencies.
I don't understand any German.
What'll we do?
I'm falling sleep.
Thinking of anything specific?
Same thing as you.
Could it be a white bag?
It could be an ice-box too.
It's not fair to that woman.
She was nice.
I'm hungry. So hungry it hurts.
Shit, I guess you're right.
Hurry, she'll be back soon.
Now here are photographs
which may help you recognise
the two girls, if you
should run into them.
The girl on the left is
Marie Corren?on, 18, from Moudon.
The girl on the right is
Jeanne Sal?ve, 19, from Geneva.
Follow me, please.
To the police?
Please.
Drive on.
That way!
Get going.
Just keep driving.
Straight on.
Keep going.
Right!
Shit!
Take a right.
That little road in the woods.
Now get out.
Give me the keys.
Now you can go fetch the cops on foot.
Are you coming?
I've had it. I'm tired
of walking nowhere.
And I've got my period!
My pants will get all wet.
What will I do now?
It's all your fault!
That's how I ended up
in this shit!
- My fault?
- Yes, your fault.
The dumb game was your fault.
Nobody forced you.
Can you spare me two francs?
Can you spare me two francs?
Can you spare me two francs?
- What is it?
- I know you.
You do?
I know who you are.
You were on TV last night.
On TV? I doubt it..
I'm sure it was you.
Hey, Jeanne,
she saw me singing on TV last night.
She was on TV, too.
You both were.
Was I backing her on the accordion?
It was on the game show about
wanted criminals.
They showed pictures of you.
And how you threatened a farmer
with a big pistol!
You held up a store.
And you beat a man
almost to death.
- It's a game show?
- In a way.
Anyone can phone in.
People love to play cops.
Be careful from now on.
Lots of people watch that show.
Especially kids.
You'll be recognised.
You really did all those things?
No. We just stole a salami.
And we found the pistol.
In a way. Actually, we're playing
our own game.
What game?
It has to do with time
and empty space.
It's to see which one of us
drops dead first!
You know a place where we can
sleep tonight?
We must fix up our clothes...
My place. But it'll be a squeeze.
What's up?
You know them?
The two girls we saw on TV.
Are you sure?
Positive!
Let's take a look.
What do those creeps want?
Watch out! The cops again.
Shit! I refuse to move.
What a storm!
They have lots around here.
What are you doing here?
It's raining.
Can we sleep in the hay?
Sure. But don't smoke.
Right. No cigarettes.
The door to the hayloft.
You can sleep there.
We can sleep there.
Are you OK?
I'm OK.
I guess I'm not really OK.
Me neither.
It's odd: in some ways
I'm not OK,
in others I feel great.
That's 'cause you're flipping out.
But it's true.
I see things very clearly.
I remember things
from my earliest childhood.
Very clearly.
I'm aware of
every part of my body.
One part at a time.
Maybe it's for not eating too much
and walking so much.
A healthy life.
I'm sure the farmer has gone to the cops.
You think he's got a TV?
Did you see an antenna
on the roof?
I don't know.
They've all got TV.
What'll we do?
What'll we do?
Let's not move.
I'm fed up with moving.
So am I.
You got any leftovers
we could eat?
Don't you speak German?
We'd like your leftovers.
We don't have any money.
Leftovers?
No money? In my place,
people order food and pay for it.
Leftovers are for the pigs.
He says, that leftovers are
for the pigs.
Pigs!
We're not pigs.
We're people.
We're hungry, you bastard!
Leave me alone!
Can't you give us something
to eat, you bastard?!
Leave me alone, for shit's sake!
Get off my back!
Funny, isn't it?
You don't see that every day.
Leave me alone!
Calm down!
Calm down? I'm hungry!
Stop it! They'll call the cops!
Screw the cops!
Screw you, too!
OK, so scram.
Run home to mom. Get lost.
What a drag.
She's so dumb.
Where are you going?
- Calcutta.
- So are we.
Can you take us?
I never pick-up hitchhikers.
Especially girls.
Why?
Because you have to talk to them.
It's such a bore.
But every cop in the country
is after us.
In that case, get in.
But in the back.
Back to the mountains.
Fuck the mountains!
From way up there
you can see the sea...
Can we sleep in your car tonight?
As long as you don't snore...
Will you help me finish the whiskey?
Crossing borders.
They always hassle me.
Are you coming along with me?
Ok, if you won't cross the border,
I'm leaving.
Help!
I have to drop you here.
I'm going to put my car in the garage.
I hope you get another ride.
Where are we?
Near Z?rich.
Where are we heading?
Straight ahead, as usual.
We'll find a chicken coop
or a doghouse to sleep in.
Come, let's try out the gun.
With all that noise, no one will hear.
I want to fire it.
Be careful.
Or you'll kill 200 people.
I'll fire into the noise,
once it's passed.
OK.
Have you read the papers?
We don't read papers.
You don't know about the plane crash
in the Balear Islands?
It was on TV all day long.
We don't watch TV.
So you don't know about it?
It's terrible. There are no safe ways
to travel anymore.
Accidents have become inevitable.
All summer long,
all those charter flights...
Just think what would happen
if one of them
crashed into one of those suburbs
near an airport.
Too many cars,
too many planes...
That's our fate.
Sooner or later,
we'll all have to die.
So why not go out in style,
on TV?
Don't make jokes about
things like that.
- Have you got 2 francs?
- No.
Can you spare us 2 francs?
Want a drink?
Got a cigarette?
Do you know somewhere
we can sleep tonight?
Yes, it's OK.
I'm going to phone.
Who did you call?
The police.
No, I didn't call anyone.
No one?
I had to pee.
Where are you going?
To the countryside.
We hate cities.
Nothing like the countryside.
I'm going to Aarberg.
How does that suit you?
It's fine.
Didn't you want to be in the country side?
I'm sick of walking.
What do all those people do?
Where are they all going?
They're going somewhere.
It's so weird.
When I was a kid
it seemed incredible to me,
even fantastic,
that every person I saw
on the street had a bed.
It added up to a
huge amount of beds.
I feel the same way now.
What's that woman doing?
Where is she going?
We'll never know.
That's what's so maddening.
Never knowing.
Look at grandma!
We'll be like her someday.
And the girl with the baby carriage.
It's true, it doesn't
make sense.
And this is a most normal place,
full of normal people.
All that makes sense to me
is hunger.
I'm so dizzy, I can't stand up.
Can you spare 2 francs?
God will repay you tenfold!
I really mean it.
You're gone mad. Someone
will recognise us.
We've both gone mad.
I hate this village.
I hate the cute little houses.
I hate it all.
Do you have a light, please?
Do you have a light, please?
I'm so hungry I could eat
your thumb.
Shit, the police!
Let's wait till it's dark,
and then go.
See those people in the caf?
They are lucky.
Yes and no.
Shall we go?
What is it?
I'm cold.
The safety catch is on.
What makes you so sure?
I say it's on.
It isn't.
Where were you?
Want to know?
For 3 days we've been sitting here
on our asses sucking eggs.
You go stealing at night
from farmhouses.
Stop being a pain in the ass.
Let's hustle some money
and go eat in a caf.
I can't take it here anymore.
I'm depressed.
This place suits me fine.
And I love sucking eggs.
Why do you want to stop here?
We're starving. We want to eat.
In a dump for truck-drivers?
We don't care. We're starving.
Stick with me. Up ahead
there's a nice restaurant. OK?
Give us some money.
We'll eat here by ourselves.
Come with me. I know a little motel.
The food is good.
I've got all day.
Give us some money and get lost.
Go fuck yourselves!
- Dumb cunts!
- Asshole!
That guy is watching us.
He's recognised us.
Could be.
I'm sure of it.
He's gone to call the cops.
See those two girls? Those are
the girls with the gun,
that we saw on TV.
- You think so?
- I'm positive.
Those are the girls with the gun.
Yes.
Call the police.
Stand up.
Put your hands up.
Call an ambulance.
We have no money.
But we'll work in the kitchen.
I'm not interested.
I have all the paid help I need.
This isn't the Salvation Army.
I don't understand you.
Sorry. I have to call the police.
Don't call the police over that.
Just as long as I get paid.
We'll pay for you.
Want a ride on a bike?
On a bike? Sure.
The hardest thing is
to live aimlessly,
not knowing where to go.
Forward, backwards, sideways...
The same thing over and over.
You know, people and places...
... all end up looking alike.
As if they didn't really exist.
- Want to quit?
- Absolutely not.
On the contrary. It's just starting
to get interesting.
We're moving through empty space.
I'll let you in.
I'm having dinner with some people nearby.
Then we'll play cards.
Till my husband gets off work.
He'll be late tonight.
He won't be home before 9 or 10 p.m.
Come in.
Make yourselves at home.
I told them to get out.
I had a good look.
They were dressed like that.
Pants, jacket, red sweater...
The jacket was too big...
I asked them who gave them permission
to sleep here.
A few days ago,
Mr. Lecomte, a farmer,
discovered the 2 girls
sleeping in his stable.
Mr. Lecomte tells us how it happened.
Details of the clothing
worn by the 2 girls
were supplied by several
witnesses who saw them.
The 2 young girls,
who don't seem to belong
to any terrorist network,
are armed and may make use of their weapon.
Here is a similar weapon...
It's not a toy. The one in
the girl's possession is loaded.
It was stolen from an officer
of the Swiss army near Bern.
The girls have been seen
in several parts of the country.
Let's watch TV.
Move over.
By observing their actions,
it doesn't seem like they have
criminal tendencies.
I don't understand any German.
What'll we do?
I'm falling sleep.
Thinking of anything specific?
Same thing as you.
Could it be a white bag?
It could be an ice-box too.
It's not fair to that woman.
She was nice.
I'm hungry. So hungry it hurts.
Shit, I guess you're right.
Hurry, she'll be back soon.
Now here are photographs
which may help you recognise
the two girls, if you
should run into them.
The girl on the left is
Marie Corren?on, 18, from Moudon.
The girl on the right is
Jeanne Sal?ve, 19, from Geneva.
Follow me, please.
To the police?
Please.
Drive on.
That way!
Get going.
Just keep driving.
Straight on.
Keep going.
Right!
Shit!
Take a right.
That little road in the woods.
Now get out.
Give me the keys.
Now you can go fetch the cops on foot.
Are you coming?
I've had it. I'm tired
of walking nowhere.
And I've got my period!
My pants will get all wet.
What will I do now?
It's all your fault!
That's how I ended up
in this shit!
- My fault?
- Yes, your fault.
The dumb game was your fault.
Nobody forced you.
Can you spare me two francs?
Can you spare me two francs?
Can you spare me two francs?
- What is it?
- I know you.
You do?
I know who you are.
You were on TV last night.
On TV? I doubt it..
I'm sure it was you.
Hey, Jeanne,
she saw me singing on TV last night.
She was on TV, too.
You both were.
Was I backing her on the accordion?
It was on the game show about
wanted criminals.
They showed pictures of you.
And how you threatened a farmer
with a big pistol!
You held up a store.
And you beat a man
almost to death.
- It's a game show?
- In a way.
Anyone can phone in.
People love to play cops.
Be careful from now on.
Lots of people watch that show.
Especially kids.
You'll be recognised.
You really did all those things?
No. We just stole a salami.
And we found the pistol.
In a way. Actually, we're playing
our own game.
What game?
It has to do with time
and empty space.
It's to see which one of us
drops dead first!
You know a place where we can
sleep tonight?
We must fix up our clothes...
My place. But it'll be a squeeze.
What's up?
You know them?
The two girls we saw on TV.
Are you sure?
Positive!
Let's take a look.
What do those creeps want?
Watch out! The cops again.
Shit! I refuse to move.
What a storm!
They have lots around here.
What are you doing here?
It's raining.
Can we sleep in the hay?
Sure. But don't smoke.
Right. No cigarettes.
The door to the hayloft.
You can sleep there.
We can sleep there.
Are you OK?
I'm OK.
I guess I'm not really OK.
Me neither.
It's odd: in some ways
I'm not OK,
in others I feel great.
That's 'cause you're flipping out.
But it's true.
I see things very clearly.
I remember things
from my earliest childhood.
Very clearly.
I'm aware of
every part of my body.
One part at a time.
Maybe it's for not eating too much
and walking so much.
A healthy life.
I'm sure the farmer has gone to the cops.
You think he's got a TV?
Did you see an antenna
on the roof?
I don't know.
They've all got TV.
What'll we do?
What'll we do?
Let's not move.
I'm fed up with moving.
So am I.
You got any leftovers
we could eat?
Don't you speak German?
We'd like your leftovers.
We don't have any money.
Leftovers?
No money? In my place,
people order food and pay for it.
Leftovers are for the pigs.
He says, that leftovers are
for the pigs.
Pigs!
We're not pigs.
We're people.
We're hungry, you bastard!
Leave me alone!
Can't you give us something
to eat, you bastard?!
Leave me alone, for shit's sake!
Get off my back!
Funny, isn't it?
You don't see that every day.
Leave me alone!
Calm down!
Calm down? I'm hungry!
Stop it! They'll call the cops!
Screw the cops!
Screw you, too!
OK, so scram.
Run home to mom. Get lost.
What a drag.
She's so dumb.
Where are you going?
- Calcutta.
- So are we.
Can you take us?
I never pick-up hitchhikers.
Especially girls.
Why?
Because you have to talk to them.
It's such a bore.
But every cop in the country
is after us.
In that case, get in.
But in the back.
Back to the mountains.
Fuck the mountains!
From way up there
you can see the sea...
Can we sleep in your car tonight?
As long as you don't snore...
Will you help me finish the whiskey?
Crossing borders.
They always hassle me.
Are you coming along with me?
Ok, if you won't cross the border,
I'm leaving.
Help!
I have to drop you here.
I'm going to put my car in the garage.
I hope you get another ride.
Where are we?
Near Z?rich.
Where are we heading?
Straight ahead, as usual.
We'll find a chicken coop
or a doghouse to sleep in.
Come, let's try out the gun.
With all that noise, no one will hear.
I want to fire it.
Be careful.
Or you'll kill 200 people.
I'll fire into the noise,
once it's passed.
OK.
Have you read the papers?
We don't read papers.
You don't know about the plane crash
in the Balear Islands?
It was on TV all day long.
We don't watch TV.
So you don't know about it?
It's terrible. There are no safe ways
to travel anymore.
Accidents have become inevitable.
All summer long,
all those charter flights...
Just think what would happen
if one of them
crashed into one of those suburbs
near an airport.
Too many cars,
too many planes...
That's our fate.
Sooner or later,
we'll all have to die.
So why not go out in style,
on TV?
Don't make jokes about
things like that.
- Have you got 2 francs?
- No.
Can you spare us 2 francs?
Want a drink?
Got a cigarette?
Do you know somewhere
we can sleep tonight?
Yes, it's OK.
I'm going to phone.
Who did you call?
The police.
No, I didn't call anyone.
No one?
I had to pee.
Where are you going?
To the countryside.
We hate cities.
Nothing like the countryside.
I'm going to Aarberg.
How does that suit you?
It's fine.
Didn't you want to be in the country side?
I'm sick of walking.
What do all those people do?
Where are they all going?
They're going somewhere.
It's so weird.
When I was a kid
it seemed incredible to me,
even fantastic,
that every person I saw
on the street had a bed.
It added up to a
huge amount of beds.
I feel the same way now.
What's that woman doing?
Where is she going?
We'll never know.
That's what's so maddening.
Never knowing.
Look at grandma!
We'll be like her someday.
And the girl with the baby carriage.
It's true, it doesn't
make sense.
And this is a most normal place,
full of normal people.
All that makes sense to me
is hunger.
I'm so dizzy, I can't stand up.
Can you spare 2 francs?
God will repay you tenfold!
I really mean it.
You're gone mad. Someone
will recognise us.
We've both gone mad.
I hate this village.
I hate the cute little houses.
I hate it all.
Do you have a light, please?
Do you have a light, please?
I'm so hungry I could eat
your thumb.
Shit, the police!
Let's wait till it's dark,
and then go.
See those people in the caf?
They are lucky.
Yes and no.
Shall we go?
What is it?
I'm cold.
The safety catch is on.
What makes you so sure?
I say it's on.
It isn't.
Where were you?
Want to know?
For 3 days we've been sitting here
on our asses sucking eggs.
You go stealing at night
from farmhouses.
Stop being a pain in the ass.
Let's hustle some money
and go eat in a caf.
I can't take it here anymore.
I'm depressed.
This place suits me fine.
And I love sucking eggs.
Why do you want to stop here?
We're starving. We want to eat.
In a dump for truck-drivers?
We don't care. We're starving.
Stick with me. Up ahead
there's a nice restaurant. OK?
Give us some money.
We'll eat here by ourselves.
Come with me. I know a little motel.
The food is good.
I've got all day.
Give us some money and get lost.
Go fuck yourselves!
- Dumb cunts!
- Asshole!
That guy is watching us.
He's recognised us.
Could be.
I'm sure of it.
He's gone to call the cops.
See those two girls? Those are
the girls with the gun,
that we saw on TV.
- You think so?
- I'm positive.
Those are the girls with the gun.
Yes.
Call the police.
Stand up.
Put your hands up.
Call an ambulance.