I Am the Other Woman (2006) - full transcript

Yes, Father. No, you know
I don't like going out much.

- Yes, you know me.
- Yes, I know you.

- Am I boring you, Father?
- No more than usual.

You can be so funny.

- Why are you calling me, Carolin?
- But I call you every Sunday.

- Why do you call me every Sunday?
- Because we're father and daughter.

I'm listening. Please concentrate.
My concert Is about to start.

Yes...

I wanted to tell you about Carlotta.

You know Carlotta?

Come In. My tea Is here now,
but some otherwise I'll be glad



to find out about Carlotta.
Your friend seems to be Interesting.

- Yes, Father.
- Come In, then.

- Your tea, Mr Winter.
- Please put it there.

Father?

Yes?

Please.

.. our concert will begin with Toccata
and Fugue In D minor by J.S. Bach.

Mr Fabry. Good evening.
Nice to have you with us again.

- Have a pleasant stay.
- Thank you.

Gentlemen, do you have a light?

- May I ask you to leave the house?
- Leave me alone, darling.

Do you have a light, darling?

- Please excuse me for a moment.
- Excuse me. You're not a guest here.

Are you a guest here, you wanker?
This is no way to treat women.



- Madam.
- Don't touch.

- Do you have a light? Erwin...?
- That's enough.

Alice!

What a pleasure to meet you again.

- Is there a problem?
- No. I beg your pardon.

How did you know my name?

Is it your real name?

Evening.

Thank you.

You want to buy me, right?

You have no idea what to do now.

You don't know what I charge
and whether to pay me before or after.

Right?

OK, I'll undress now, and then
you can do what you like with me.

You give me the money afterwards.

Do you want me naked... or dressed?

Naked.

Naked is extra.

Alice?

Nice to see you.

How's the art of engineering?
Will people be able to walk on water?

I want to build bridges.
I'd prevent that.

It's good that you technical people
are always realistic. How's Britta?

- I think she wants to get married.
- Avery smart woman.

Give her my regards.
I applaud her intentions.

- What's my contract doing?
- It's become an invincible weapon.

I wouldn't want to be your opponent.
Come and have a look.

- You could just mail it to me.
- But I want you to meet Dr Winter.

I didn't want to take anyone else
on board, but I couldn't resist her.

She's as sly as an old vixen.

- Dr Winter?
- Yes?

This is the man you're trying to please.

I promised you wouldn't
disappoint him. Mr Fabry?

Hi, Mr Fabry. Pleased to meet you.
Please have a seat.

OK, I received your fact sheet,

but in my opinion a joint venture model
would not be suitable.

I suggest choosing a local partner
as subcontractor.

That would give you more options,

potentially higher profits
and tax benefits.

This is a draft of your contract.
I listed advantages and disadvantages

of a joint venture
as opposed to a subcontractor.

However, I based the contract
on the latter. Please have a look.

Excuse me for telling you this,
but your notes were hard to decipher.

I was curious to see what a man
with such handwriting looks like.

And? What does he look like?

You can skim through the first two
pages. That's my preliminary remarks.

Look at paragraph 3.2.

You're not listening, Mr Fabry.

May I invite you out for dinner?
Not now. Tonight.

Would you be so kind as to go out
for a meal with me tonight? Alice.

- Do you mean me?
- Yes, you. The way you are.

The way I am.

My name is not Alice.

Very elegant.
You have good taste, Mr Fabry.

Did you choose this restaurant
because you're staying here?

How do you know I'm staying here?

I overheard you asking my secretary
to extend your stay by one night.

Not for my sake, I hope.

Well, what's one night?
If you can extend it, I mean.

That's what nights are for.
Because they're not days.

- Do you know what I mean?
- No.

I noticed earlier that your strategic
thinking is unusually progressive.

Do you keep a cat?

Not any more.

Maybe you noticed
that cats don't show it when they hunt.

Otherwise the victim would know
it was a victim and escape.

Mr Fabry, solicitors don't consider
clients or opponents to be victims.

How about prey?

The contract is excellent.
There's no need to be scared of me.

I'm scared of me.

Enjoy your meal.

I'd like to go home now.

You want me! I want you.
I am stronger. You better give up.

I beg your pardon. Excuse me.

Mr Fabry, what are you doing?
Please stop it. I want you to stop.

Leave it!

No! Oh, God!

Carolin Winter, answering machine.
You have one minute for a message.

- I have to...
- I didn't offer you a seat.

- Excuse me, I...
- And I didn't ask you to explain.

You need an explanation.
Dr Winter feels very ill.

They called me to say
that she's taking a few days off.

As far as your contract is concerned,
she can't deal with it at the moment.

I'll ask a colleague
to get in touch with you.

- Do you understand this?
- Yes, but I...

If you wanted to ask me
for Dr Winter's home address,

I'd like to tell you now

that I have an agreement with her
concerning her work

but not concerning her private life.

AII I know is that she is
a very sensitive, vulnerable

and sometimes defenceless person.

- Have you understood that, too?
- Yes.

If I may offer you personal advice,

you mentioned earlier
that Britta proposed to you.

My advice is,
take her up on it immediately.

Good night, Mr Fabry.

I'd like to have lived just for you.

I wanted to take you on a desert Island.

How long It takes...

And what's supposed to happen now?

We'll work together.

We'll go to bed together,
get up together. Like that.

Not with us, with her.

She's not for me.

- Robert? Bergmann for you.
- No, I'm not here.

I told you about the problem with the
trapezoidal frame in the first section.

What shall we do about it?

It won't work like this.

That's good.

This is where she is now.

Go and take her... or give her up.

But do something.

- How did you...
- It wasn't difficult.

You can hire people to find out for you.

I can't watch you pine away.

There you are.

Here I am, yes.

I grew up here.
Down there is my parents' house.

Do you see the open window?
That's still my room.

Over there is Rochusberg.

And this is Rupertsberg.

They're named after saints.
It's a blessed area.

Did you know
that schist gives wine a special taste?

My father is better at explaining that.

My father is an excellent vintner.

Where did you disappear to
the other day?

You left me all alone on
the dance floor. I felt a little lost.

That wasn't like you.

I wanted to apologise for that.

My father is coming.

Father? This is Mr Fabry,
one of my clients.

He wanted to come for a visit.
My father.

My pleasure.

I've been expecting you for a long time.

Your work involves
trying to change the world?

- Mr Fabry is an engineer. He...
- I think he can talk for himself.

Sometimes our jokes can be crude.
You'll have to get used to that.

No, he doesn't. They have to laugh
at my jokes. You're my guest.

- You only laugh when you want to.
- Thank you.

What was your question?

Did you hear that?
Our guest has backbone.

Improving the world. Let's say
since the invention of the wheel.

Must have been the birth of engineering.

Has the world become a better place
since then?

I'm not a moralist. I build bridges.

I knew you'd try
to talk yourself out of this.

But your opinion means nothing to me.

- Father is a headstrong man.
- But he's an interesting man.

I think the world is falling apart
at breakneck speed.

Its order is unraveling, crumbling.
The world is going to ruin.

No-one knows what to say
and no-one listens.

People don't trust each other any more.
You know...

When people stop trusting each other,
they no longer obey anybody.

Did you know that? That people
only obey someone they trust?

I trust in the laws of nature.
And I obey them.

Nature. What is nature, anyway?

Nature is there to be tamed,
not to be obeyed.

What a cowardly generation you are.
Dishes!

Miss Schafer is a qualified teacher...

but she's afraid of the city,
so she stayed with us.

Nonsense.
She has bouts of depression, that's why.

Isn't Mother remarkable
for still contradicting Father?

He doesn't think so,
but he doesn't dare say it out loud.

I take it you respect other people's
will as well as the laws of nature.

Yes, I do.

I prefer to break it. The will of others
can be influenced or bent.

- I prefer to break it.
- Father wants us all to obey him.

Mother has to obey him, Bruno,
Miss Schafer, and I must obey him.

- After all, I'm your daughter.
- Yes.

We're a very trying family, you know?

But you must have had one yourself
and know what I mean.

And if you want
to start your own family, let us know.

I'm sure we have something for you.

My wife just offered you my daughter.
She knows it doesn't help.

- Bruno, I want to go to bed.
- It's OK, Bruno.

Come, child. Let's go.

My husband is an interesting
and unusual man.

But aren't we all, right?

How do you like my daughter,
Mr Fabry?

- You're not from the area, right?
- Can you tell?

- At night, it's just long-haulers.
- So I'm one, too.

We're here, and the motorway is there.
And vineyards all around.

We usually only get people who know
our prices. We're the cheapest.

- Are you alright?
- I'm fine, thanks.

If you're tired, you should lie down
for a bit. The rooms are clean.

- Good evening.
- Good evening.

- Do you have any vacancies?
- Sure. 40 euros. Breakfast is extra.

- I'll pay now. I may leave early.
- No problem. But we're open 24/7.

- You can have potato salad at 4 am.
- Great.

Isn't it? Down the hallway, OK?

Your beer, gentlemen. Enjoy.

Schnapps.

There you are, my friend.
Do you have a light?

What brings a pretty lady
to a joint like this?

A man like you, who thinks up
indecent things to do with a woman.

If he had one.

- Aren't I lucky?
- You can say that again.

You look desperate.

Carlotta!

Carolin.

I don't do kissing.

OK.

So...

How much do you get now?

300? 500?

Is that enough?

Sounds like you've got the hots for me.

Stop it.

Don't touch me until I say so.

So, naked or dressed?

Naked is extra, right?

Come on, my friend.

Carlotta.

What's the matter?

- What's the problem? Carolin?
- No!

Go away!

- Thank you. Keep the change.
- Have a nice day. See you Monday.

- Excuse me. The bill, please.
- Yes.

You've paid for the room, breakfast.
There's our number. Come again.

I may come back, yes.

- Did she take money?
- Pardon?

She comes in every six months,
picks one and takes him upstairs.

She dresses like she'd take money,
but she doesn't take it.

She only picks the guys she likes.
I think that's OK for a single woman.

- If she charges, I'll kick her out.
- No, she didn't take any money.

You're not in love with her, are you?

Miss Schafer?

Where's Carolin?

- Mr Fabry.
- Yes, where did she go?

- Come with me. Explain something.
- Mr Fabry, please.

I had run away from home.
I wanted to be far away, very far away.

As you do when you're 15.

In Brindisi I promised a blow job
to a sailor if he'd give me a lift.

He bartered me up to three, but...
I made it all the way to Casablanca.

And in Casablanca,
Mr Winter picked me up.

In a bar at the harbour.

During the day, he looked
at the desert and at night at me.

He took me to his home
like a hunter takes his prey home.

"I brought a nanny," he told his wife.

It was one of his jokes, because I
was still a child but also a girl...

with all the bits.

His wife didn't get it.

She had her own affair with Bruno
the administrator, you know?

Back then he was a good-looking man.

We were all good-looking
back then... somehow.

I need a cigarette.

- That was about it, really.
- And Carolin?

- Why are you telling me all this?
- So you don't feel bad about it.

So that you know it's also love.

- Also?
- Like I said. What I just told you.

- That was a love story?
- What else would it be?

- I knew you wouldn't get it.
- You said he picked you up.

That sounds like exploitation.

What is love, if not that?

- Maybe she's just crazy.
- Maybe I am, too.

When I knew you, I wished
you were more crazy. But not now.

What do you mean by that?

I don't know you any more.

Maybe that's what interests you
about her.

- What interests me? About whom?
- You can't make me say her name.

As if she was our mutual acquaintance.

- You're a smart woman.
- Is that a good thing?

I meant her craziness. Something
in her is broken and you want to fix it.

And why not?

All men think women need fixing.

I don't mind you checking your watch.

It's sweet of you to spare me,
but I know desire.

I was only thinking of the traffic.

Left or right?

Left is petits fours,
right is blueberry cake?

Apple cake this time,
but you're right.

Your mistress
will have to practice hard.

I'll marry her.

May I invite you to breakfast?

- I beg your pardon.
- No, don't bother.

I don't like being touched.

Nobody likes to touch a cripple.

Even my wife avoids touching me.

As much as she can, of course.

Miss Schafer avoids touching me.

Even though
she was my mistress once. Before.

Cold and hot milk, scrambled eggs,
bacon, three and five minute eggs.

Here's coffee,
and hot water if you prefer tea.

You should pay attention to
how often I say "before"...

as opposed to "in future".

- You'll get to that point, too.
- May I go, Mr Winter?

Yes, please go.

Yes, sometimes I think
it disgusts her to touch me.

I have to pay her a lot
to keep her here.

The only person who likes to touch me...

is my daughter.

Here comes the sun, and I wanted
to clear up a matter first.

Please tell me,
what are your intentions with Carolin?

- I'm going to ask her to marry me.
- Why do you want to do that?

Because I love her.

- You love her?
- Yes.

You... love her.

I knew I'd be late
with what I wanted to tell you.

She may become your wife,
but she'll never be able to love you,

because she's already in love
with someone else. Close your eyes.

The sun...
You must never look at it, only...

You must only feel it.

- And whom does she love?
- She loves me.

Open that box. You as an engineer
should be interested in that.

If I rip out two particular wires,
the brakes won't work.

That means a free fall
into the wall down there.

Very practical. What's that good for?

You think I wish you misfortune.

But I wish you luck,
only you won't get it.

You want to control me, Mr Fabry.

You want a contract
whereby I belong to you, right?

Yes, forever and ever.

That's a very long contract.
Don't you think?

Considering you're buying
a pig in a poke.

I've seen the pig.

You have a pretty mouth.

I should have kissed you
a long time ago.

- You have kissed me before.
- Really?

Not so long ago.

You visited me in my hotel room.

"Naked is extra. " Don't you remember?

- You were dressed as a whore.
- Really?

- You're imaginative. And then what?
- You were there.

- Then what?
- Stop that game.

- Don't you remember? You ran away.
- No woman would ever run from you.

- Carolina
- Yes, Father!

What's the matter? Don't you want
to talk to me or can't you talk to me?

Why, of course, Father! I'm coming.

Has he proposed to you yet?

- And? What did you tell him?
- Nothing. I didn't say anything.

- Yes?
- You'd be the first to know.

- You know that.
- Sometimes you talk nonsense.

I'll tell you what I told him.
That he would never be happy with you.

The little bit of happiness
you can manage... you share with me.

There's none left for anyone else.
That's what I told him.

- Yes, Father.
- You are a monster.

Yes... Yes, that's what I am.

Don't you want to come down
and ask why I'm in this wheelchair?

She's gone.

Gone.

Disappeared.

You know more than you let on.
Why don't you tell me what you know?

Sit down there! There.
And stay there.

Until she comes back.
She'll be back tomorrow morning.

- There are 100,000 reasons why...
- Tell me what reasons!

Spotty skin for one.

Some women hide for days
because of that.

Here, drink this.

- You're scared, too.
- Yes.

Silly thing about daughters.
You worry about them.

Daughters? Tell me...

Stay where you are.

She was practically my daughter
for ten years.

As a child she went to boarding school.

She was a woman when she left.
Her mother was ill.

Her father didn't want her at home.
I was her family back then.

Excuse me...

- Where are you going?
- I'll try to find something for you.

My friend Karl,
when his legs were still OK.

His wife had a happy affair with Bruno,
who was the farm manager at the time.

He bit off his tongue. Miss Schafer,
Carolin's nanny and Carolin.

As you can see, she hates her nanny.

So much dislike, so many affections
in one single photograph.

Back then, people used to have feelings.
Today, nobody does.

This is the unofficial photograph.

This photo was taken when Schafer
had just become Karl's mistress.

Before that, she was the mistress
of Moroccan dockers.

- He bit his tongue off?
- The best way to keep a secret.

- Why did he do that?
- So no-one can ask him about it.

- Where are you?
- Here, I was the photographer.

- I'm in the middle and I have feelings.
- I know. You look like a fool.

- I'm sorry, I'LL...
- Leave it.

- She went to Casablanca.
- Why? What do you know about her?

She goes to Casablanca sometimes,
but she doesn't talk about it.

- You can ask this man.
- Thank you.

She's not good for you, Mr Fabry.
Love is supposed to be good for you.

May I ask a personal question?

Do you have
a close relationship with her?

Sorry, I didn't know you spoke German.

I was trained
at a German police academy.

To answer your question, yes.
You can probably tell.

I can take you for a relative, then?
That makes looking for her easier.

I think I can help you.
Come back tonight.

You could use the time to buy
the right clothes for this climate.

Thanks.

I must say, you really have everything
under control.

- Thank you.
- Because I don't really...

I have the information
that she's well.

How nice of you to come all this way.

Father?

Father?

Yes...

Forgive me.

I'd like a trip to the desert.

Wait.

She's alive. She's well.

Walt.

I took a trip to the desert
with Ms Winter, that's all I remember.

Was it your idea or Dr Winter's?

It was my idea.

- Did you rent the car, too?
- Is this an interrogation?

A conversation.
I'm talking to your memory.

Maybe your memory
doesn't want to remember.

The police often find that.

"What the heart doesn't want,
the head won't do. "

That's what they say in your country.

- Says who? The police academy?
- A German philosopher, Schopenhauer.

I rented the car.

I see Dr Winter's credit card
was charged.

That's enough.
Do you know why the car exploded?

We're working on it.
Maybe a faulty fuel pipe.

The petrol dripped onto the hot exhaust.

We'll find out. Inshallah.

- Maybe we won't find out.
- Good God.

Whose idea was it to walk
this far away from the car?

It was my idea.

Definitely my idea.

That saved your life.

That you walked
this far away from the car.

By the way, Dr Winter's skin
suffered worse burns than yours.

She must have thrown herself on you
to protect you.

That's how we found you.

I've brought you something.

"Have learnt to love you... "

Hello.

Hello.

I haven't seen you for a while.

- Do you still like me?
- I like you very much.

Did you think I wanted to kill you,
out in the desert?

No.

Yes.

My father advised me to take you
out of my life. I didn't obey him.

Do you still want me as your wife?

Yes.

Then I want to become your wife.

My question may be a personal one.

- But it's the last one I ask.
- Go ahead.

While searching for clues
for your disappearance,

the hotel gave us a letter
which was in the outgoing mail.

It was addressed
to a Mr Karl Winter in Germany.

He's Dr Winter's father,
as we know now.

- And?
- Do you know Mr Winter?

- Slightly, yes.
- The letter's sender is a Carlotta.

- Do you know anyone named Carlotta?
- No. What does she write?

She describes herself
as Mr Winter's former mistress.

The letter says
she wants to end the affair,

because another man
has come into her life, so she writes.

Why are you telling me this?
You should be telling Dr Winter, right?

We did, of course.

But she doesn't know
of any mistress of her father's.

She didn't recognise the handwriting,
either.

What will you do with the letter?
File it?

We sent it, of course.
This is a tidy country, Mr Fabry.

Give my regards to your notebook.

Alice.

Carlotta.

Carolin.

I love you.

I want everything
to be the way you want it.

Yes, I'm coming.

- Mother!
- Finally.

Father's down in the car,

but I wanted to see your flat once,
before you move out.

A nice place you've got here.

Would you pour me a small sherry?

Before we go
and choose your bridal dress.

Very pretty. And so bright!

Was it here where you made love
for the first time? What's he like?

Between you and me, woman to woman.

Nice doors!

I would never have expected you
to have such saucy lingerie.

Well, what do mothers know
of their daughters?

- Was that his idea? Is it his taste?
- No, it belongs to a friend.

I let her have the flat sometimes,
when she...

- Has plans?
- Yes.

Risque. I'm almost getting wistful.
They would suit you.

- Stop it.
- I'm just saying.

What's the matter?

- You look gorgeous, if I may say so.
- Thank you.

If we take it in a little...

And there... another centimetre.

Your future husband
will think you're stunning.

It's more for my father.

Not for the groom?

Until the wedding, a woman belongs
to her father, only then to the groom.

- Not many people think like that.
- But it's true. Look at any wedding.

The woman walks into the church
with her father.

She leaves church with her husband.

It's like an exchange.

Bruno, go.

Go!

What's her name now?

It varies.

That's a good swap.
You're getting several in one.

You can screw several women then.

- You've never said "screw" before.
- Sorry, I just felt like it.

I found out that it's curable.
It's called split personality

and is caused by problems
in childhood, but it's curable.

She needs to heal herself.

What does she need you for, then?

- To put a flannel on her forehead?
- Yes, for example.

- You just want to be God for her.
- So? So does everyone.

Britta, what should I do?
You can't just exchange a feeling.

I, the undersigned Robert Fabry,
known to the executing solicitor...

- Won't you change your mind?
- No.

I've thought it through,
thoroughly and calmly.

I'm not so sure...
Date of birth, address...

You can fill that in later.
Where do you intend to live?

I'll fill it in. Proceed.

Qualified engineer and sole proprietor
of Fabry Engineering...

hereby transfer ownership of the same
to qualified engineer Ms Britta...

- Can I put "former partner"?
- No, you can't.

It has no place here. We're dealing
with private law, Mr Fabry,

not with your muddled private life.

My life has never been more clear.

- All fools say that. Where were we?
- Qualified engineer Britta.

- What does Britta think about this?
- I haven't talked to her yet.

I want it all settled first,
so I can't turn back.

Your new life is not good
for your sanity.

It's only just begun.

Down there he made love to me,
every day around lunchtime.

I didn't know what love was,
but I had learned how to make it.

Then she saw us.

- Carolin?
- She was madly in love with him.

She wanted to make him happy. She
thought she was the only one for him.

Little did she know
he was happy with me.

She dressed up like she thought real
women do when they meet their man.

Then she sneaked in here...

and saw what her father was doing
with another woman.

And then... she lost her mind.

Why are you telling me this?

She ruined my life.

Did you like what Schafer told you?
She did tell you, right?

I mean, do you understand?
Do you understand I was the first?

And that you will always be
second best for her?

- You're overestimating yourself.
- You think so?

The first man in a woman's life
is always her father. It's nature.

But most people are embarrassed
by that, so they forget.

If it goes well, another man
comes along and the father is forgotten.

If it doesn't go well...

it's tough luck for the new man.

- I'm lucky.
- Go and marry her, for all I care.

But you'll only get a forgery.
The real woman will stay with me.

You'll get her body, I keep her love.

Without me, she'll be lifeless.

Without me, she'll be nothing.

She'll be...

I'll also be a lifeless nothing, a...

Would you be glad to see me die?

No.

For your daughter's sake
I would not be glad.

What do you know of my daughter?

Go on, then. Get it over and done with.
Don't look at me!

Don't look at me in my misery.
Go away.

She was only eight. What do you know
about relationships at that age?

I tried to tell her everything,
educate her about sex,

about what happens between lovers.

God knows it's not easy
to explain that to a child, and why.

You don't get most of it yourself.
She wanted to know how to do it.

How it is done exactly
between a man and a woman.

On the whole, you can describe
what goes on, but in detail...

You just don't know
what to do as a mother.

It's always mothers who have
to educate daughters about sex.

Hang on. Thank you. Cheers.

- Champagne?
- Yes, thanks.

They're coming.

She is pretty, your wife.

No!

We all are many people, not just one.

But we always wish
we were just one person.

She's allowed to be dead.
I must go on living.