Don't Forget You're Going to Die (1995) - full transcript

Benoit (Xavier Beauvois) has planned out his life. Unfortunately he has forgotten the military duty. After he is called to duty he tries everything to get around. He goes to a psychiatrist who gives him medicine against depression. As this doesn't work out he tries suicide. The story gets even worse as he is told by a military doctor that he is HIV positive. Benoit tumbles down into the drug scene. Then he goes to Italy and meets Claudia (Chiara Mastroianni). Things seem to improve, but only for a short time...

DON'T FORGET
YOU'RE GOING TO DIE

for Alighiero

You're such an idiot.
You were expecting this letter.

You did your orientation 3 years ago!

You had time to find a psychiatrist

and build up a solid case.

-Don't cry now.
-Stop it. Okay, he's an idiot.

Don't rub it in.
We'll figure this out.

I have an idea.

Go on.

A friend once told me about this.



You have to take drugs.

You have to take heroin.

Can you imagine me shooting up?

Hold on.
You don't have to shoot up.

Heroin can be sniffed.

François is an expert.

Yeah, his dad's a dealer.

No, seriously...
You said you'd do anything.

One shitty week
and you're off the hook.

You do heroin
and go in totally wasted.

They'll notice immediately.

You fill out
some kind of questionnaire.

You say you have problems
and do drugs.

If they do a blood test,
they'll see it's true.



Then you see the shrink.

When he asks how you pay for it,

you say, without hamming it up,

real shy-like,

that you sell some
on the side, here and there.

And I promise you they'll kick you
the hell out of there.

They have to.

They'd never recruit a dealer!

They'd just call the cops.

No, I don't think so...

You don't think so,
or you're sure?

-I don't know, but I doubt it.
-Bullshit.

Stop acting like kids.

You think
you become an addict overnight?

He's clueless. So are we.

There are places to buy it, doses...

Even so, after a few

questions,

the shrink will know
you're full of shit.

They're not dumb.

Do you know how much
a gram of coke costs in Paris?

So you see what I mean?

Back to the shrink.

You don't know one?

We're more likely
to know their clients...

The Army will do you good.

Look at you.

Remember your cousin.

He messed up
and look what happened to him.

Yeah... the Marines.

And what's a year after all?

You're skinny, you never exercise,
you never go out.

It'll do you good.

How long does military service
last now? Ten months?

You don't know
what you're talking about, Mom.

With your diplomas, you can ask
to be a non-commissioned officer.

Learning to give orders
is a good thing.

If you want to be a curator,

even in a tiny museum,

you have to know
how to be a leader.

Cut it out, please.

You don't know what it's like,

who I'll be living with.

It'll be awful.

They won't like me being a student.

Let alone in art history.
They'll think I'm a wimp, a faggot.

I can't spend a year
with guys like them.

I have no time!

Everything's planned out.

I have my thesis to finish,
my presentations and my exams.

I've met people from museums.

I can't throw it all away
for the Army!

-Don't get upset, Benoit.
-I'm not!

We agree with you.

Be careful or you'll end up
doing more than 10 months.

We don't want you to suffer.

Of course we'd prefer to see you
in a museum or in college.

Rather than doing push-ups
in the Army. Of course!

Are you sure
you really don't know a psychiatrist?

The wife of a colleague,

an old classmate,
one of your students' parents...

No, no.

And could we find one
in one week

who'd agree to fake a letter
for a total stranger?

-It wouldn't be easy.
-No, unfortunately not.

I found your name
in the Yellow Pages.

In the Yellow Pages?

In the Yellow Pages.

Let me reiterate.
I can't write you a letter.

It doesn't work that way.

I don't want to lose my job.

If you want to have a chance,

don't stay up all night,

drinking like a fish,
as you've suggested.

That is exactly the kind of cliché,
and - excuse me - bullshit,

that will get you
where you don't want to go.

Your friends may have suggested that,

but it won't work.

Psychiatric patients
don't look like zombies.

They take anti-depressants,
tranquilizers, sleeping pills.

They often look chipper.
Understand?

So... When you get there...
Listen, this is important.

You can't lie to the psychiatrist.

If you lie,
he'll see right through you.

What you have to do
is exaggerate problems

you may be having

or may have had.
But don't invent a thing.

Tell them you're depressed,

that you're being treated
for a nervous breakdown,

and that your doctor soon intends
to start you in psychotherapy.

Only people in therapy talk about it.

For your depression,
take all of these.

The state they'll put you in
will be... interesting.

It will help you. Don't worry.

Rohypnol

is a hypnotic.

Not a sleeping pill.

That means
that you fall asleep immediately.

You take it in bed, not on the metro.
Do you understand?

Okay.

For the others,
follow the prescription.

Show it to the Army psychiatrist
if he asks.

That's all I can do.
That's already a lot.

That will be 400 francs.

I wish you the best of luck.

The sacred object depicted here
is Mary's body itself.

Her pregnant body.

Now look closely.

By means of her dress,

Mary becomes
a tabernacle within a tabernacle.

That which opens onto the Sacred
itself:

that is, the life of Christ.

This sinuous, delicate line

is emphasized by her very hand.

This echoing,
this sort of mise en abyme

of openings,
the opening of the tabernacle,

the opening suggested in the cloth

under the weight
and volume of the child,

and the opening,
fantasized of course,

of the female body,
is the genius of...

-Is it soon?
-In two days.

...the invention, which is respectful
of the dogma

and extremely audacious.

Come on, come on!

Get moving!

You're lagging!

Now let me introduce myself.
I am Staff Sergeant Poiccard.

I'll be in charge of you here.

You're Group 1.

So remember:
Group 1, Staff Sergeant Poiccard.

We'll go to the mess hall
for some food.

Some of you haven't eaten all day.

Then we'll go to the rec room,
which is pretty well-equipped.

Put your bags in the barracks.

Follow the red arrow.
Go on!

You have no bags?

I think I left them on the train.

Okay, it doesn't matter.

I said the red arrow.

Don't act like an idiot!

I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

Take one and pass it back.

Dizziness: yes

Color-blindness:

Recent HIV test: no

If yes, how long ago?

Drug addiction:

yes

Homosexual:

yes

Religion:

TESTING

I'm sorry...
I keep trying, but I can't.

It's no problem.

Come back tomorrow morning.
That'll be fine.

It's that way.

Tonight you'll sleep
in the infirmary.

I want to sleep with everyone else.

No one asked you.
It's an order.

Very well.

Very well.

Did your doctor give you a letter
for me?

Yes...

May I have it?

The problem is that
I left my bag on the train and...

I lost all my things.

Do you take me for an idiot?

No, no... I swear I don't.

Very well.

FIT FOR SERVICE

You may leave.

Be so kind as to send in
the next person.

Thank you!

PSYCHIATRIST

So?

You wanted to screw the doctor too?

You want to screw us all!
I'm onto you.

You're in deep shit,
so toe the line!

Asshole! I'll show you, shithead!

REC ROOM

Okay, boys.

The rec room is about to open.

You can also go to the TV room.

Remember that lights out
is at 22:30.

Wakeup is at 5:30.

Don't forget to go to the barber.

Assholes!

Shit!

Sergeant!

I don't believe this!
Come on, help me.

Is he going to die?

Don't be stupid.
Help me carry him.

So, Clermont,
you want to be a smartass?

We'll see who wins.

This should do it.

You got what you wanted.
Asshole.

Look at you.

''Watch me cut open a vein
and take medicine

''and grow a beard...''

I couldn't care less.
You're just a guinea pig.

I'm here to practice.

If only you'd stuck
a bayonet in your guts...

But a shitty little vein...

Son of a bitch!

You pricked me with his needle!

Hand me his file!
Hand me his fucking file!

Hello.

-Is your arm better?
-Yeah.

So is it true you're a drug addict?

I mean...

Yes.

Why do you ask?

You know, I don't care.

I'm a recruit just like you. So if...

If you want to be discharged,
I understand.

Yes.

Are...

Are you a homosexual?

No.

Have you had multiple partners?

Yeah, like...

Like everyone.

You're not a hemophiliac?

You haven't had blood transfusions?

Okay...

I have something to tell you.

No...

No, no, no...

AMBULANCE

What are you doing here?

You had them call me.
You gave them our number.

-I did?
-We were worried sick.

What happened?

I fainted because of that medicine,
but it's over now.

I'm not surprised.
The doctor said you took too much.

So what's going on?

Things didn't work out?

They discharged me. Don't worry.

Really?

That's wonderful.
You don't seem happy.

Aren't you happy?

Why didn't you call us?

You were supposed to.

What happened?
That's not like you.

I'm sorry.

That medicine
makes you go crazy, you know.

Now I'm fine.

Don't worry.

I threw it all away.
Everything's fine.

-Are you sure?
-Yeah, I'm sure.

Should I get your razor?

I was so scared.

Don't worry.

Everything's fine.
I'll be getting out today.

Thanks.

I'm fine.

I promise.

Don't move!
Put your hands up!

Slowly. Get out.

Get out.

Hands on the car!

Your address.

4 Boulevard Morland.

75004 Paris.

Fifth floor on the left.

Let me go!

I'll go in by myself!

You're hurting me!

No need to push!

-Get in there!
-You have no right to push me!

Get in!

Shut your face!

-Don't piss me off.
-Why are you pushing me?

-I hate punks like you.
-I didn't do anything.

Shut your face

or I'll smash it in!

Smash it in? There are laws here!

You don't make the laws, we do!

Tell me what I did.

-Shut your face!
-''Shut your face''...

That's all you can say.

Are you okay?

He busted my arm.

You see how he pushed me?

I didn't do anything.

Why'd they arrest you?

For no reason, I swear.

They stopped me three times today.
ID checks.

Checks for no reason.
The third time, I lost it.

They could see I had it bad,
that I was looking to score.

They kept pushing me

and then that asshole
hauled me in here.

He said, ''We'll lock you up.''

I said, ''Okay.''

Even after I said okay,
he pushed me real hard.

When the cops say they're locking
you up, you calm down.

So I calmed down.
Fucking assholes.

What's ''looking to score?''

Is this the first time
you got busted?

What are you, a student?

-Student in what?
-Art history.

Art history?

What kind of job
can you get with that?

You study the history of art
to become

a museum curator, a critic,
a professor, things like that.

Those are good jobs.
That's good.

Pay's good.

Average.

So ''score?''

-You don't know what to score means?
-No.

Are you fucking with me?

You don't know?

Looking to score
is when you want to buy drugs.

You look for the guy, for the money.
That's looking to score.

Damn...

Now you got me thinking about smack.

Those jerks made me forget.

Sorry.

No, I'll be okay.

I'll be okay.

-You're waiting for your parents?
-No, why?

At least they could come and get you.

You're a student, right?

It doesn't mean I'm a baby.

I'm a student, not a baby.

I'm an adult.

Why are you in here?

I went to get my car
at the impound lot.

I didn't pay.

I busted the barrier
when they came in.

You busted the barrier?

You're crazy!

They nailed you at the barrier?

You been here long?

I can't figure out the time.

They made a point of not telling me.

The time?

It's 8 o'clock. A little after.

I've been here...

-Six and a half hours.
-Not bad.

We'll be here all night.

-You're going to sleep here.
-You think so?

Yeah, you'll see.

They won't feed you until tomorrow.

You busted a barrier.
You'll be here two days.

You'll see.

And they confiscated my medicine.

They won't give it to me.

Medicine for what?

Medicine for what?

It keeps me calm while I'm waiting...

It calms me when I can't find smack.

-They confiscated it?
-Yeah, they took it all.

I asked for one before they locked
me up.

That's why I lost it too.

They don't care.

-What's your name?
-Omar.

I'm Benoit.

Nice to meet you.

Please! Come here!

Officers!

Shit!

If you don't shut your goddamn face
I'll shut it for you, got it?

I'm being polite! Get his medicine!

What's the big deal?

It's the law!

Stop it. I'm okay.
I'm used to this.

He'll smash your face in.

Sit down. Relax. I'm okay.

I can't believe
they're being such assholes!

Take this at least.

-No, I'm okay.
-You're shivering and I'm hot.

Thanks.

I've never seen anything like it.
They're unbelievable.

It'll pass.

-Thanks.
-For what?

For being so cool.
Believe me, it's pretty rare.

-Can I ask you a favor?
-Sure.

Lend me 200 francs.
Promise I'll pay you back.

You can even come along.

I have nothing on me.

There's an ATM nearby.

TRANSACTION DENIED

If that makes you smile,
you're either stupid or in deep shit.

-Did you study psychology?
-No, I'm an Arab.

-How much you got?
-100.

-Give it to me and come on.
-All I have is 100 francs.

Come on.

See what I do with your money.

Good, he's home.

-Well, it's Omar.
-Hey, Jean-Paul.

This is Benoit.

I wasn't expecting you.

Sit down.

What'll you have?

Whiskey?

Anyway, that's all I have.

No, we don't have much time.

Can I talk to you?

-Can he stay here? He's cool.
-Of course.

Here, keep the change.

-No, I lent you 100 francs.
-Don't be a pain.

That's one of three things in life
you can't refuse.

What are the other two?

Sex and drugs!

Drugs...

Lucky you,
you're going to meet Helen.

She's so good, so fucking good!

And Caroline!

She's a bitch in heat, Caroline!

I'm gonna stick Caroline
up your big fat nose!

Ali, what's up?

How are you? Hi.

This is Benoit.

Go sit down.

-I'll wait here, okay?
-Yeah, wait here.

It's cool. We'll wait.

He'll be back in a minute.

Thanks, honey.

Thanks.

Is this your place?

It belongs to a friend, Andre.

He's in that picture there.

I can introduce you to him.

-What does he do?
-He's a writer.

Oh yeah?

Light some cigarettes.

What is it?

You're surprised to see an Arab
living in a fancy neighborhood?

No... Don't get mad.

You said you'd explain that thing,
Helen and Caroline...

It's really stupid.

Helen is heroin and Caroline is coke.

So you can talk about it
in front of anyone

without any problems.

Even on the phone.

Oh yeah... C, coke, Caroline.
I get it. Yeah, that's dumb.

It's dumb, but it serves a purpose.
It works.

I didn't notice your tattoo.
It's nice.

What is it?

That's my Chinese zodiac sign.

The Chinese signs are animals.
Mine's the serpent.

It's mine.

It's not like some bitch's name
that I put on my chest

and once she's gone, you're like
an asshole with your tattoo.

I'll be a serpent as long as I live.

And your number...

Your number, I mean your...

What's your normal sign?

Believe it or not, I'm a Virgo.

I'm serious.

You're a virgin?

I'm no virgin. I'm a Virgo.
Big difference.

Okay, I'll do the pipe now.
Just watch me. That way,

you'll know how to do it
if you're ever alone.

You take some coke

and you take some baking soda

and you mix it with a knife.

You mix it up good.

You see?

You mix it up good with the knife.

Shit! I'm in too much
of a fucking rush.

Oh fuck!
Don't move, don't move!

It's cool.

You mix the coke and the baking soda

and then you heat it up.

You heat it and then it becomes

like soap. It becomes like foam.

Like, when you're at the beach,
the waves, you know?

It's like that.

It's like...

Pretty soon, this foam...

This foam becomes...

It becomes like...

like, like dots of oil on water.

Like tears.

And that's the coke.

It's the little dots.
Because you see...

The coke...

The baking soda and the water
remain liquid.

They remain liquid.

And now...

You take some paper towel.

You fold it up,

and you start sponging up the water
without touching the tears.

You add some water to cool it down.

And you wait a minute

and then you get the rock.

Now you have pure coke.
100% pure.

And...

Now is when you...

I make a hole in the bottle.

That makes the pipe.

This bottle,
if the narcs raid your house,

is just a bottle.

It's a bottle.

No hard evidence. No hard evidence.

With the bottle, you're cool.

Where's my...

And now...

This is why I lit the cigarettes,

to get ashes.

I need ashes.

Do you know why I need ashes?

You know why? You know why?

Know why I need ashes for the bottle?

You don't know why?

I put ashes on the neck
of the bottle. On the neck.

You don't know why?

No.

It's because...

They stop the rock
from falling down into the bottle.

Stupid, huh?
But it's very important.

If you do that...

See, like now... It's what you call
''the moment of truth.''

You're like an athlete.

The machine will get it.

You're like an athlete.

You're the black belt, concentrating,
and you take breaths.

You take deep breaths.

You empty out your lungs.

You empty yourself out.

You're the master now.
You're the one who...

You understand why I said
you have to keep cool?

Because now I'm blowing,
blowing on the ashes,

and on the rock, and some guys
freak out because of that.

They get down on all fours
and look for the rock on the floor.

They pick up breadcrumbs,
and those guys

are smoking toast
and don't even know it.

You hold it in.

Damn...

It's moments like these I live for.

And after, if you want, we'll smoke

some heroin in tin foil
with some hash.

I don't want to mix too many things.

I'm not used to this.

No, but that's the secret.
That's the secret.

If you smoke,
you're gonna smoke, smoke, smoke.

You're gonna shake.

You're gonna get down on all fours,

looking for the rock on the floor.

You're gonna pick up breadcrumbs
and smoke toast.

You can freak out.

You can freak out.

Later, to come down,
we'll take a sleeping pill.

We'll take a Rohypnol.

They're unreal.

You can't imagine anything better
in the world.

Or else it sucks. Or else it sucks.

You can't imagine anything better.

The rest all sucks...

Death has besieged
this pyramid-shaped scene,

and soon it will rule over it.

It attacks on the prince's order
from all sides,

from the perimeter of power,
as it were.

It will end up

at the summit
of this great mass of bodies,

which is Sardanapalos himself,

in the background, yet central.
Superb.

Also take note
of Delacroix's color range,

varying from gold to blood red.

Gold and crimson
denote power and glory.

But they also herald flames
and blood, or death.

Note the lines in the foreground
of the perimeter.

It's not chaos,
though it is about horror.

But what harmony!

The horses' manes, the women's hair,

the folds of the cloth.

Try to imagine the noises too.

The shouts, the shrieks,
the orders being barked,

the neighing of horses,

their hooves pounding on the marble,
the metal against metal.

And the smells.

The scents of the Orient.

Myrrh, incense, opium, sweat,

the smell of blood,
the smell of terror.

Every sense is mobilized.

All of our senses are mobilized,

but in a controlled panic
of linear rhythm.

Yes, controlled.

And I think
this is the power of Delacroix.

It is quite simply the power of art.

Sardanapalos,

at the top of the pyramid,
inscrutable,

wild-eyed, calm.

His own senses are saturated.

They have gone beyond paroxysm.

He is in a hereafter accessible

only to the initiated:

martyrs, madmen and drug addicts.

That is the quintessence
of Romanticism.

All aesthetic and philosophical
systems take death into account.

But Romanticism isn't sensible.

It isn't prudent.

It doesn't wait for death.
It anticipates it.

It speeds it up or slows it down

to savor it all the better.

Romanticism eroticizes death.

Baudelaire rightly saw it

as the double theme
of Eros and Thanatos.

The Romantic aesthetic harnesses
the staggering power of death,

like a drug
coursing through your veins,

infinitely dilating
your capacity to feel,

to take pleasure
and even to contemplate.

That is what Sardanapalos does.

He doesn't kill himself.

His pleasure already tinged
with nostalgia, he contemplates

the beauty of the bodies

and of everything
he is denying his enemy.

His pleasure is thus double,

in a perfection that is total
because it is final.

The final profusion of his seeing.

Only the certainty of death

can give one such visual
and sensory acuteness.

The sublime pleasure
in action and inaction.

Excuse me, but I tend

to believe that the era of Byron

who chose to go die in Greece
to help the Greeks

oust the Turks,

because England
and the House of Lords bored him,

I tend to believe that era
has become relevant again...

Yay!

Thank you!

It's Mr. Suicide!

Show your scar! Show your scar!

Show your scar! Show your scar!

Come on. Enough already!

Can I see your scar?
I haven't seen it!

If I ask to see your cunt,
will you let me?

Why'd you say that?

Cécile?

Cécile!

Cécile!

Cécile!

Where's your phone?

I had them disconnect it.

It got expensive
calling my parents in Bordeaux.

Now we use phone cards.

You know
how much you're spending.

How the hell
am I supposed to call then?

There's a phone downstairs.

On the street?

-Hello?
-Hello, Omar?

-Yeah.
-Hi. It's Benoit.

-Hey. What's up?
-How are you?

Listen, do you still have any...

Is Helen still there?

No, I was going to call her.

You want to see her?

Yeah, I'd like to.

Can I stop by?

Stop by?

No, it would be better
if we met somewhere.

Remember the street
where we were in the car?

Yeah.

There's a bar on the corner.
We were parked in front of it.

Wait there.
I'll get there soon.

But listen, Benoit.
I can't do like last time.

This time you'll have
to bring her a little present.

Yeah, sure.

How much?

I don't know... Bring two
of what I gave you last time.

We'll work it out afterwards.

I'm leaving now.

-See you soon then.
-Yeah, see you soon.

What are you doing?

That's not music. It's noise.

It's like a club in here.
We can't talk.

No one's dancing.

What's going on?
Is something wrong?

Yeah, I'm in trouble.

Is it serious?

Yes and no.

It's money problems.
I owe a guy some money.

He's giving me shit.

It's my... my landlord.

I haven't paid my rent.

Don't get so worked up.
He can't kick you out.

Tell him you'll pay next month.

My father co-signed the lease.

I don't want him brought into this.

I don't want that to happen.

I'd be too ashamed.

If it happens just once,
your father will understand.

That's not it.

My parents give me money for rent.

Like an ass, I spent it all.

I saw the psychiatrist,
bought the medicine.

And I was nervous,
so I spent like crazy.

It's hard for them.

I have to pay rent, buy clothes,

buy food.

Like an idiot, I spent everything.

This guy wants 1,000 francs
right now,

and I don't have it.

I can give you 150 francs
if you want.

That's great.
How many of us are there?

Ten? Twelve?

If everyone could lend me 100 francs,
just 100,

I'll make it.

Come on. Can't this wait a few days?

Are you deaf? I just told you!

He wants his money tonight!

I can give you 100 francs,

but that's all.

That's fine.

-I have 100 francs too.
-Great.

-Thanks.
-Here. Take it.

-I'll go get you 50 francs.
-Great.

-Don't worry. I'll give you 100.
-Me too.

I'll go now so he'll calm down.

-Will you come back?
-Yeah, sure I will.

I'll pay you back in two weeks.
Promise.

Two weeks. No problem.

They're so goddamned slow!

Is he kind of dumb, what's-his-face?

-Who? Ali?
-Yeah.

Are you kind of dumb?

Who are you to say that?

You don't know him.

Ali told me about his life.
It's like a movie.

He came to France, to Marseilles,
with just 111 francs,

a bottle of water and a sandwich.
He spent three days in a boat

full of sardines.

Get lost!

Get lost.

When he got to Marseilles,

there were 40 cats
following him everywhere.

The faster he ran,
the more cats there were!

Imagine a guy

who doesn't want the cops to spot him

and there are cats everywhere.

It takes guts to leave your country
with 100 francs.

A guy like that deserves respect.

Here he is.

You should trust me by now.

I do trust you.
That's why I taste it.

Good stuff.

Do you know two black girls
we can have fun with?

I'll see.
That shouldn't be a problem.

-Call me.
-No problem.

Bye.

Hey, Omar...

How can I make lots of money,
real fast?

That's no problem. It's easy.
But it's risky.

I don't care.

I can work it out for you.

What do I have to do?

We're gonna talk business.

-Move your ass! This is business!
-Okay, okay.

Pain in the ass!

Give me my money.

I didn't pay you?

I didn't pay you either?

-Omar, the next time...
-Don't start mouthing off!

I pay. I'm the client.

She's starting to mouth off.

She should can it.

Move your ass! Move your ass!
Here's your bag.

Thanks.

Bye, girls.

See you next time.

That's girls for you.

They stay, then you wake up
and your smack's gone.

Bitches!

-Now explain everything.
-Wait.

Now listen good.

We go to Holland.

Coke's a lot cheaper there.

Like 200 francs a gram.

Here it's 800 to 1,000.

With 10,000 francs,
we go and buy 50 grams.

Fifty grams at 800 francs,

that makes 40,000 francs.

40,000 francs.
We cut it and quadruple it.

That makes 160,000,

80,000 for you
and 80,000 for me.

-But what do I have to do?
-I'll do almost everything.

I'll find the 10,000 francs
and score the coke.

You cross the border with it.

If you make it, you're rich.

If you get caught,
you're in trouble, honestly.

I'm in.

Now listen. Let me make it clear.

On the train,

I don't know you.
I won't be by you. You'll be alone.

Just you and your shadow, get it?

If I understand correctly, you share
the money but not the risks.

What do you think?
That's business.

When we're done, it's 50-50.

If you don't want to, I understand.

-Your choice.
-OK. I'll do it.

-Is it a deal?
-Yeah.

I have to piss.
Maybe I'll feel something.

Now I need to find 10,000.

For the taxi.

I didn't do it for the money.

Why then?

To see.

So?

It was nice.

I like it here.

Nice change from Paris.

Could you live here?

I can't live anywhere.

I can't live anywhere.

Why do you say that?

We're going somewhere.

If you don't like it,
I won't talk to you anymore.

-Then we don't belong together.
-Okay.

I can't.

-I just can't.
-Shut the fuck up.

Shut up, shut up...
You're a pain in the ass.

You're making me lose it.

Now I lost it.

You're no goddamned fun. I knew it!

You suck.

What the fuck?

You're such a pain.

-I'm sorry.
-You're sorry. I told you so.

This really sucks.

We can change places.

Go ahead, because she's good.

Yes!

I still can't.

You're a fucking pain.

You're hell-bent
on making me lose it.

You suck.

You asshole.

-I've had it.
-You're stubborn.

How do you say "stubborn" in English?

The coke makes them paranoid.
You need a code.

It's Omar.

He's a guy I met...

He's my only friend in Paris.

You can trust him. We met in jail.

You make real friends in there.

It's closed today.

It's Sunday.

It's Sunday.

You don't trust me?

Give me the newspaper.

You're paranoid.

You're paranoid.

He wants to do the math.

You don't trust your brother?

Do the math if you want.

Come here whenever you want.

This is your home.

No. He comes when he wants to.

It's true.

Open your eyes when I talk.
Open them.

Listen to me.

When we get to the station,
remember what I said.

If you don't, you'll end up in jail.

One more hit,
then you smoke hash.

Open your eyes!

Give me the pipe.
No more hits.

Take the pipe from him.

Give him the pipe. That's enough.

Give him the pipe. Stop now.

You have to stop now.

-One more hit.
-No, there's none left.

One last one for the road.

-There's none left.
-There's tons on the table.

Omar!

-He overdosed!
-Cut the crap. Overdose...

Pull his pants up.

You're the one who overdosed.
He just needs to sleep.

You have to sleep now.

So you got it?

On the train,
we don't know each other.

I never saw you.
We'll meet at my place.

Even on the metro, we're strangers.

-Understand? You okay?
-Yeah.

It'll be fine. Inchallah.

Benoit, keep cool. Relax.

Benoit!

-Come here.
-One second.

Come here.

Listen to me.

It's a little less than expected.

He'll take it all for 100,000.
That makes 50,000 each...

A little less?

Hold on. This way,
we don't have to deal it.

He'll take it all.
Less hassle for us.

I told him yes. Is 50,000 okay?

Okay.

Not bad, huh?

It disgusts me to think
my dad earns this in 3 or 4 months.

What do you mean, it disgusts you?

Why does it disgust you?
Look at your life.

You'll go to school, take a job,
and make 12,000 a month.

That's good.
But don't be an ingrate...

I'm not an ingrate.

Because you're happy
with your 50,000.

I'm not an ingrate.
When's he coming?

Don't say, ''It disgusts me.''

-What time is he coming?
-In two hours.

That's great.

Sir! Excuse me.

What does... the inscription
on the pediment mean?

''M. Agrippa...''

It means,
''Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius,

''built this
in his third consulate.''

Bravo!
You seem to know it by heart.

The Pantheon is mine!

Excuse me?

I said the Pantheon is mine.

As a kid, I spent my afternoons
in my father's studio, up there.

I cut school there,
in that cheap cafe.

Now l cut college here.

But are you French?

Half. My mother is French.

Have you been inside?

Raphael's is over there.

Over here?

Two years ago, I woke up
with a start.

There was a snowstorm.

I'd never seen one in Rome.

It was 7:00.
I got dressed and came here

to see the snow falling,
like a column.

I've never seen anything
so beautiful.

You're a wonderful guide.

-Can I buy you a rose?
-You're worse than the Italians.

I'm alone in Rome,

you've been nice to me
and I want to be nice back.

Forget about the rose.

She steals them in cemeteries
and sells them to tourists.

We give money
but don't take the rose.

It brings bad luck.

Stop being so gallant.
You make me feel old!

In Italy, it's not easy
to have sex.

Kids live a long time
with their parents.

The mamma watches everything.
So they do it in cars.

In Naples there are people
who rent out big cars

with newspapers
for half an hour, an hour...

Why newspapers?

To put on the windows,
like curtains.

But this area is for prostitutes.

They park behind the tombstones.

Imagine how many people have screwed
here in the last 2,000 years!

Want to add our names to the list?

He says it's a small villa
with baths and the works.

Hadrian came here to be alone.

He went on the island.

He lifted the drawbridge
and he could meditate alone.

That's the romantic version.
But other people think

that he came here
to be massaged by women

before men fucked him.

They're not mutually exclusive.

Let's give him 10,000 lira.

He's nice,
but I'd rather be alone with you.

Okay.

-Thanks.
-Grazie!

Let's go this way.

Have you read The Memoirs of Hadrian
by Marguerite Yourcenar?

No.

The beginning takes place here.
Or at least maybe it did.

He's about to die, and he knows it.

He writes to one of his friends.

In fact, he's naked with his doctor,

and he writes,

''It is difficult to be Emperor

"when you are naked
before your doctor.''

You'll see. He painted
a woman who's bearing a child.

In fact, it's the face of his mother

who died shortly before,

and who is buried
in a cemetery nearby.

It's a portrait of his mother.

My father must have smoked
too much.

He built a theater
to contemplate nature.

Do you always make love
with a condom?

Yes...

I guess it's become a habit.

I think I'm falling in love with you.

It scares me.

I love you.

It doesn't seem ready.

Let me taste.

No, it's not ready.

-Yes, it is!
-Wait!

Wait, let me see.

I'll see if it is.

-We didn't add the oil.
-Yes, we did!

No!

-With the tomatoes.
-I put some in here. Look.

-No, you didn't.
-Keep this.

I'm trying to teach you a recipe
you can make alone,

which is really easy,
and you just...

Well, it would have been better
with a little more sauce.

...you see an instrument,
jewels, a mirror,

a mirror that reflects
not only beauty but vanity too,

and then suddenly a skull.

A skull to remind you
that everything is fleeting,

that at any time,
death can destroy everything,

taking everything away with it:
beauty,

the vanity of things.

''Vanity''...

That's what this should be called
instead of ''Skulls.''

That's what we used to do...

Now those traditions are lost...

We call paintings
"landscapes," "still lifes,"

"seascapes"...

You're not interested?
You think it sucks?

I just wanted to take advantage
of the view.

People study art history here.

You could apply.

You have plenty of time
until you're 35.

35...

These were the gardens of Lucullus.

Messalina was killed here.

Somewhere around here.

Historically charged places
really turn you on.

It's an unusual perversion.

I want you to make love to me.

There are lots of people
on the terrace. And it's cold.

Kiss me.

We have to stop.
I don't have a condom.

-It doesn't matter.
-Yes, it does.

I'll just go buy some.

Everything's closed,
except at the station.

I'll go to the station.
I'll take a taxi.

Wait for me with your mother.
We need some anyway.

Subtitling: Hiventy