On War (2008) - full transcript

If I wasn't Bob Dylan,

I'd probably think that Bob Dylan

has a lot of answers myself.

Throughout the film, he wonders
if he should keep quiet or speak out.

If he should be humble or arrogant.

If he should keep in shape
or let himself go completely.

Love one woman or love 100.

Each day, he changes his mind
and so does nothing.

He's in the middle of everything.
Nowhere. He's nothing.

He just has the feeling
he's never where he needs to be.

Because of that, he's slowly vanishing,
he's becoming a ghost...



He's vanishing.

No, I can't come to the pool.

Because.

Because I can't swim, that's why.

Yes, it's true.

It's ridiculous but it's how it is.
I never learnt.

And I really have a lot of work on.

Yes, take care.

Take care.

Who's in the film?

- Laurent Lucas.
- Don't know him.

- Working with Laurent again?
- Well, yes.

Can we move the coffins?

I'm sorry?



- Can we move them?
- No.

Want to move them, Bertrand?

Not for now.

How much is a coffin?

It depends. Which one?

I don't know.
I like the location in any case.

Good.

Right, I have to be going.

- I'm closing.
- You're closing?

I'm sorry. I have to go.
I'm closing now.

- Excuse me...
- Yes?

Is there any way I could stay a while?

Could I lock up, for instance,
and bring you the key tomorrow?

I'd like to think things through.

Being here alone for a while
would be a huge help.

That way, I won't bother you.
I always can come back but...

What's it about?

What?

The film. What's it about?

I'm not sure yet.

What are you shooting here?

It's someone
who thinks a lot about death.

He's fairly young
but he thinks about it a lot.

So he spends time in funeral stores,
looking at the coffins.

He comes back regularly.

He says he's there for his father
but it's for him.

He comes often, buys nothing.

He asks questions. He looks at them.
He touches them.

There. That's all.

Louise, it's me.

You're probably asleep by now.
I wanted to talk to you.

Sorry I didn't call

but I'm having trouble
keeping on top of everything.

I miss you.

Lots of love.

Lots of love.

Anybody here?

Anybody here?

Anybody here?!

Let me the fuck out of here!

Are you ok?

I'm ok.

Are you ok?

You're ok...

Good evening.

I'd like to know
if Katia's free tonight.

And Sofia?

Yes, right away.

Is a duo possible with Igor?

No, if Igor isn't free,
I prefer Sofia on her own.

In cash.

8, Rue des Lions Saint Paul.

Ask her to call me on my cell first.

Thank you.

Hi, I just called about Sofia.
I'd like to cancel.

Something has cropped up.
Thank you.

Where R U, little fox?

Miss U. Waiting at yr place.

You want to go in?

I don't know.

No, not really.

Are you sure?

Why? You have the keys?

No, but we can open it if you want.

All right. Yes, please.

I had an incredible experience
the other night

and I feel totally lost because of it.

I don't know what to do.

You have to live it out again.

You have to go back.

No. I spent a whole night in there.

I don't want
to live through that again.

However, I'd like to experience
the state I was in again.

Return to that state but...

in the open.

Can you describe it?

Once I realized I could breathe

and simply needed
to stay calm and wait,

I sank down into something
that was totally sublime.

The sublime is hard to describe

but it's the only word I can find
to talk about it.

Delightful...

Ecstatic...
I don't know.

I understand.

I can't spend my life in a coffin.

I can't spend my life in a coffin.

Come, let's take a walk.

I'm no older than you
but I've had a good time.

I mean, a really good time.

I've met people
who were funny, intelligent,

deep and carefree.

And now?

Where are they?

These days, there's no more grace.

Everything is contrived.

If you see it all through,
you have to stand aside,

put up with loneliness,
sluggishness, defeatism,

give up.

And I don't want to give up.

I'm not dead yet.

It's just that our times
no longer permit joy.

Are there still things
that can bring us pleasure?

In this society of ours,

there are hardly any.

Yet the world is full of them.

I'll come back soon.

Book I
The Nature of War

What's wrong?

I don't know. I don't feel well.

You may be a lieutenant soon.

You'll carry the sword, Pierre.
You hear me? You'll carry it.

- You can't give it now.
- I know.

Wait outside, my brother.
I'll join you.

Maybe I should have left
a note or something...

No, frankly it's wiser.

For my mother...

You'll be back soon.

It's all right. Come on.

What happens now?

You'll stay with us for two weeks.
And then you'll go home.

No, I mean now. Right now.

Right now? You're going to rest.

I'm going to rest?

Either we take fulfilment or we rest.

I'll show you the dormitory.

Another thing...

I wanted to know...

How does this work?

I mean, do I pay?

No. You don't pay, you feel free.

Are you coming?

Yes, I'm coming.

Take this one.

Thank you.

What did "You'll carry the sword" mean?

If this is a military order,
I'm not into it.

It's a military order,
but not a belligerent one.

Carrying that sword is a fine thing.

When you manage it, it's beautiful.

You'll see.

See you later.

Remember.
Either we take fulfilment or we rest.

Yes, I remember.

Hello...

Are you ok?

It just went off.

I'm ok.

I've been told about joy,
the sublime, pleasure...

Ecstasy...

Let's just say I'd like to be...

dazed by life.

That makes you fierce.

I don't mind becoming fierce.

Fierce doesn't mean unsociable.
It means fierce.

Like them.

They're beautiful.

They seem so present.

It may sound stupid but...

I admire people who are present
when they're present.

A lot of the time, I'm not.

What's your name again?

Bertrand.

Come here, Bertrand. Come closer.

Come closer.

Come on...

Don't be afraid.

Today, pleasure

is something you have to win,
like a war.

So you have to fight like a warrior.

But I'll help you.

You don't bother about anything here.

You're going to think, make love,

drink, play...

You're going to win wars.

You want to be dazed by life?

You will be.

But you have to believe in me.

If you no longer believe,

then you leave.

All right.

You agree?

I agree.

Welcome to the Kingdom...

Near the river, there's a tree
that we watched daily at sunrise.

Still...

Bertrand?

Yes.

Come.

You have sad eyes.

No, I'm not sad.
I refuse to be sad.

I just want some peace.
I want society off my back.

No more forms. No more visits
to the bank or the post office.

I can't take anymore.

Joy, yes, I'm all for that.

I may not look it, but I am.

For instance,

I would like to film joy

but I don't think I'm capable of it.

At one point, I wanted to make a film

about a guy madly in love with a woman.

This guy, who's the gloomy type,

spots a stunning girl
who's unusually beautiful.

She has a weird little face

and a big nose.

They fall madly in love.

One day, when the guy is a bit drunk,

he dives into a pool
without seeing that it's empty.

He smashes his nose
and has to have it redone.

So he decides to get
the nose he loves the most.

Namely, the girl's nose.

And so he tells her:

"I love you and I think
it's beautiful to do this.

"We never do beautiful things

''because that means
doing something surprising

"and that means taking risks.

"I want to take risks with you.

"Besides, it's only a nose."

Of course, on him,
the nose doesn't work.

It's hideous.
He becomes very uncomfortable,

more and more obsessed with her.

So he wants to go even further

and have his whole face done
to resemble hers,

the face he loves the most.

And he tells her again,

"We never do beautiful things
because that means taking risks."

They do it.

And the guy vanishes

inside her.

I think you were right to come here.

I don't know. Maybe, yes.

Perhaps my one true misfortune

is that I can't sing.

A guy like Bob Dylan
can't be totally unhappy.

You make that sound...

That magnificent sound of your voice
when you sing.

The things he mulls over are sublime.

He can't be unhappy.

You neither.

Come with me.

We'll make love.

You'll come beautifully and powerfully.

Listen...

I think I'll carry on alone.

I think it's better.

Ok?

Fine.

You know...

I'm not sure this is right for me.

I wasn't expecting this kind of thing.

The exercises, the meditation, fine,
but it's just that...

I don't think I understand.

What did you understand in your coffin?

Nothing.

That's just it. Nothing.

We're not together for that.

That's it. I've never been
the community type.

What do you mean?
I'm talking about you.

All right. Maybe. I'll try.

Do you know where I can find a phone?

What for?

To make a phone call.

Is someone close dying? A friend?

No. Well, I don't think so.

For the first two weeks, no phones.

I need to call people.

Who?

My job. My mother. A few friends.
So they won't worry.

Forget that.

Disappearance.

Anonymity.
It's necessary.

No responsibilities. No fault.
No guilt.

I don't mean abandon it all,

just forget. For two weeks.
You'll see.

- I think I'll go and rest.
- No.

Not now.

"I'm squatting on my heels

"and Sophie bends down over me.

"She starts sucking my cock,

"spitting on it

"until it is covered with saliva.

"Then I topple onto my knees,

"keeping Andre's ass parted
with one hand

"'and lubricating my cock
with the other.

"I press the head of my penis
to his asshole

and grab him by the hips
to hold him in place

"as I slowly sink into him.

"I start fucking him hard,

"with my belly slapping his ass,

"while Sophie clings to me
to pull me back

"after each forward movement.

"She slips a finger up my ass
and it's delightful.

"And the pendulum motion
that we create

"makes my hand move back and forth

"and I start riding him faster

"as my breath quickens

"until I feel that my heart
is going to stop.

"I hear him moan:

"Slowly, slowly.

"Don't come just yet."

I'm a lieutenant.

Really?

I didn't understand the experiments

on the fragmentation of light
and dissolution.

It doesn't matter.

I see now that I Iike myself

but that I'd made the wrong choices.

My dreams are once again inhabited
by emotional presences.

I'm a lieutenant.

Look.

There. That's it.

All right.

Look. The cracks in the celling
form the shape...

of a dinosaur.

I mainly see a house falling in ruins

that we don't have
the money to renovate.

We hardly have money left for anything.

Do you have money?

A little.

Over the next three days,
we could not eat,

speak or sleep.

I didn't eat, speak or sleep.

I don't feel very well.

I won't make it.

Yes, you will.

You think you're here
because you're outside of life.

But you're in life.

The others are outside of life
but you're in life.

I want you to take from my eyes.

I want you to take from my hands,

from my breasts,

from my heart,

from my belly,

from my mouth...

Come, tonight we'll open doors.

I can't swim.

I can't swim.

I'm happy!

So am I.

There. It's been two weeks now.

You're going home.

Yes, I know.

You're not sad?

No, I'm pleased.

It's ok. I feel good.

I want to go home.

To do things.