J'veux du soleil! (2019) Movie Script

Are we taking this vehicle then?

As you asked,

and due to your concerns,

the brake pads

and the coolant were changed.

It cost me 350 euros.

Now we can set off.

I don't even respect

EU regulations.

I don't have a yellow jacket!

There's no yellow jacket in this car!

I've never had one.

Sweet France

Beloved country of my youth

A tender carefree cradle

A PLACE IN THE SUN

My village

With its church tower and quiet houses

Where the children my age

Shared my happiness

A hateful crowd...

Dictatorship of the masses.

...attacks representatives and police.

A movement of mass destruction.

Seeking chaos.

A menace for democracy.

A rape of democracy.

Jews, foreigners, homosexuals...

They tick the boxes.

Conspiracy theories, xenophobia.

Homophobia, racism, anti-Semitism,

the rejection of others.

It is, quite simply,

the negation of France.

Sweet France

Beloved country of my youth

A tender carefree cradle

I kept you in my heart

"Heaven for the rich

thrives on hell for the poor”

Victor Hugo

What made me react

was that on my Facebook page,

there were lots of people,

union members,

leftist sympathizers and so on,

who wrote:

"I won't join the march on November 17,

it's a fascist event."

I found that catastrophic,

because if you tell people

they're fascists,

they become fascists

if that's all you offer them.

I just thought:

"I'll go see if they're fascists."

And on November 17,

I saw they weren't.

They were just people.

A shanty town has sprung up.

Wow, look at that!

They're out of the rain

with their parasols.

Hello there.

Got any demands for Christmas?

- I got lots.

-So have.

My wife makes

1,300 euros a month.

She works in a retirement home.

I do temporary work.

My fridge is empty for the whole month.

- My grandma buys me groceries.

- He's not the only one.

At 28 years old,

I have to ask my grandma for help.

That's really something...

We wouldn't eat without her.

I work when I get called.

My wife works 35 hours a week.

We can't enjoy ourselves.

We're young,

we never go out with friends,

because however little it'd cost us,

we couldn't afford it.

When friends ask us out for a drink,

we can't even do that,

we never go bowling or to the movies.

We couldn't even have a proper honeymoon

as we couldn't afford it.

Every year, I pay 800 euros

in local taxes.

That's a lot for a small village.

I have to pay in installments.

I pay the electricity

in installments too.

I haven't eaten properly for months.

I have to pay the bills.

I'm not the only one.

I'm speaking in general.

You can come to my house,

I can show my fridge

to the camera.

There's some mayonnaise, some ketchup,

and a bit of meat.

That's all there is.

Here's another young guy.

He's looking for work.

Well, I may have found employment

thanks to these

Yellow Jacket gatherings.

For a long time,

things have been going wrong.

We're not represented.

They can make all their fine speeches.

We may not have studied,

but we know when they try to trick us.

What's made you angry?

Well, when I started working in 2004,

I was better off than I am now.

Gradually I had to resort

to temporary work.

Then even that became

harder to find.

Gradually I've seen

my standard of living go down.

Now I don't even have an apartment.

l live in a trailer.

- What's your job?

- I'm in construction.

But I do a bit of everything,

I got a diploma in electronics.

I couldn't find work in that field.

I got a vocational qualification

in carpentry to learn another trade.

I couldn't find work in carpentry.

I got hired as a bricklayer,

then the firm lost business.

I was laid off, with others.

Then I started doing temporary work.

Things went downhill.

Life became hell.

You said you've found a job?

Yes, I met

a builder who has his own roofing firm.

I met him while building

this fine castle!

- You helped to build it?

- Yes.

l invite everyone

to come to our gatherings.

It works better

than the employment office!

It's about communicating.

We haven't had a chance

to talk in ages.

We're stuck in front of the TV,

we just go home and don't talk.

Here, we get to know each other.

It does everyone good.

Making friends with people,

having respect for each other

was really missing.

The entire French people

needed that.

Beyond the anger,

which was the source of all this,

there's a call

for harmony among people.

We'd like to live a happier life

by getting along better,

understanding each other better,

and talking to each other.

That's what I've felt

over the past 3 weeks.

We'll see in April

if it holds together.

People who've always hung their heads

hold them high.

That's what's fantastic

about this movement.

It's the ability of people

who are crushed

and are destined

to be put through the grinder

of Europe, of globalization,

who are destined to die out,

as it was envisioned

in the great plan for the future

that those in power

are preparing for us.

So dignity

is making a comeback,

along with the feeling

that it's now or never.

We're sick of the poor!

The poor make no effort

to become rich

- You'll catch your death.

- Too right.

You can see it's a movement

that's made of tough-nuts.

I mean it.

They're used to suffering in life.

Because they're suffering.

Their bodies suffer in that cold.

We stay for 2 hours,

we're numb with cold, our feet hurt,

our nose is running.

And they stay all day for weeks.

They aren't a bunch of amateurs.

It's a real movement of tough-nuts.

We're sick of the poor!

When they do the lottery

They don't even think first

We're sick of the poor!

It's the fault of the poor

If poverty exists

We're sick of the poor!

Oh, yeah!

Macron's memorial tour

to mark the centenary

of World War I

came here to Albert.

Macron, resign!

Don't touch me!

There were

about 10 peaceful Yellow Jackets

waiting

for Emmanuel Macron's procession.

They've just been thrown out.

People in wheelchairs

have been thrown out.

We're really angry

It's Macron's fault

We've got no money

It's Macron's fault

We're worried sick

It's Macron's fault

Then it went?

The council tax

It's Macron's fault

We had a whole list.

It ended with:

"We won't be your sheep,

King Macron."

So we were here, just singing

and we got stopped by the riot police.

We thought:

"He could come speak to us."

But no, it was too much to ask.

We really wanted to tell him

about our lives,

how the end of the month is hard

with loans and stuff,

and we couldn't stand it anymore.

Do you have consumer loans?

A lot for heating oil.

Every time I had to fill my tank.

You can't save any money,

once the bills are paid.

How much do you pay

to fill your tank?

I take out 500-euro loans.

Sometimes 700 when I buy 800 liters.

But I never fill the tank.

I do volunteer work.

I do the "lotto-quine”.

I help organize it

so I can play.

It helps make ends meet

when I have a few winning cards.

I can show you,

I've got some here.

What's the "lotto-quine"?

I'm on welfare. Once everything is paid,

I have 2-300 euros for 4 of us.

They're cards like this

you can win.

This one's for 10 euros.

They're very common.

These cards are

what let me make a living.

44.

You organize it?

I do volunteer work,

I help them prepare the room,

prepare the food

for the participants.

Then they let me play for free.

It's thanks to this

that I can make a living,

thanks to the winning cards,

and I can go and buy my groceries.

Do you declare this income?

No, I don't declare it.

Winnings don't have to be declared.

I'll inform the tax office in Paris!

When you spend 600 on rent

and 400 on the childminder,

what do you have left?

I don't have 100 to live.

And I got a son to raise.

Everything's going up,

it's getting impossible.

We're talking about food,

not leisure activities.

We don't know what holidays are.

We never go away.

- Just Albert.

- Right.

I've been in Albert for 45 years.

I've never been away.

- Staycation, then?

- I often say that.

This year, I'm staycationing.

4 weeks in our garden.

- Where do you work?

- In a pizzeria.

I've got a really fantastic boss.

I thank him everyday, because

when my son was born,

he was the first to help me.

He gave me bonuses,

he bought me stuff for the kid.

He's an exceptional boss.

But even with his help,

I can't get by.

For example, I got my free pizza

or I wouldn't have eaten for 3 days.

I'm allowed 1 free pizza a week

as an employee.

Without that,

I wouldn't have eaten for 3 days.

Do your family eat?

My partner and I split up 3 days ago.

Because

we can't make it work anymore.

There are tensions.

All these daily tensions

led me to break up with her.

She kept the kid.

I see my son once a week.

I was in the Sarthe region.

That's where I was

homeless for a year.

What were you doing there?

I went to find a job,

because I couldn't find anything here.

I took off aimlessly.

One day I took my car.

I don't know why I stopped.

I stopped in Alençon first.

There I managed to find

an odd job for 3 months,

as an apprentice chef

in a restaurant.

You filled the tank and...

Yes, I took off.

To end up in Sarthe,

fate can't have been working your way!

Yeah, right!

You could've headed for the Riviera,

but you went for rillettes country!

I stopped there, I don't know.

It was instinct.

You were sleeping in your car?

Did you feel it was heroic or what?

In a way, yes.

I think I was trying

to challenge society

in the sense that...

society had put me there.

At the same time...

I thought I could make it.

I'd make it,

even if no-one helped me,

but I'd make it.

That's what helped me cope.

So it wasn't only money,

it was about your place in society?

Yes, that's it.

It's already hard if you have a job.

But it's harder if you don't.

We're a family

on the roundabouts.

It's crazy.

We've been there

for 3 weeks. We didn't exist

and suddenly we find each other.

There's real fraternity.

Fraternity is in France's motto.

You find it on the roundabouts.

It's in our motto.

You find it on the roundabouts.

But you'd never found it before?

No. The friends I have now,

I hadn't had any like that

for 10 years.

Life of luxury

We spend a fortune on welfare.

People are still poor.

People in difficulty

need more responsibilities.

Some do well, some screw up.

Instead of raising hell,

they should see

if they can get hired there.

Some could.

Do you know how much a week

a person receives on welfare?

The world's 26 richest billionaires

now own as much

as half of mankind.

If you throw rocks at the leader,

the rest of the team falls.

Those who succeed,

those who are nothing.

Cross the street, find a job.

I want people who'll work.

True reform

comes with constraints.

To buy a suit, work!

This ain't open bar!

I won't give in on anything.

To the lazy,

the cynical or the extremists.

Sweet France

Beloved country of my youth

A tender carefree cradle

I kept you in my heart

My village

With its church tower

and quiet houses

Where the children my age

Shared my happiness

Hello.

You're right on time for a snack!

Here are 3 weeks of donations.

Every day, we feed the homeless.

When we have any leftovers.

We've been united for 3 weeks.

We put this hut up in one night.

Now we've reinforced it

against the wind.

Was there a childlike pleasure

in building it?

Yes, there was.

You bet. When we were kids,

we made huts.

A reminder of childhood.

Macron, resign

He comes and tells us things,

like welfare costs the state a fortune.

But he bought 500 grand of tableware.

He's refurbishing the Elysée.

Is it really necessary for France's

prosperity and foreign influence?

- You have carpeting at home?

- No, I can't afford it.

Not even basic stuff?

No, I can't afford it.

I get fucked over by the state

on my salary.

I can't afford to buy carpeting.

I have good old-fashioned tiles

that are cold in winter.

I bet it's nice carpeting

at 600 grand!

I reckon it must be made

of weasel ass hair!

Wow, 600 grand!

You have tableware?

Yes, I got 12 plates from Ikea.

It cost me 30 euros.

I can't imagine 500,000.

What is it?

Is it like those sake glasses

you get in Chinese restaurants?

When you're done,

inside the glass, there's a naked chick.

Maybe for 500 grand,

when you finish your soup,

there's a naked chick at the bottom!

I say we should go

up there with bulldozers,

weld together

2 by 4 meter metal plates

and drive up the Champs-Elysées.

They go down,

we push them the other way.

Then we'll win.

It's the only way.

- Tanks versus bulldozers?

- No choice.

Are they going inside?

The fools!

Is the violence uncontrollable?

Some Yellow Jackets

are becoming radicalized.

They're radicalized.

This radicalism is here.

The HQ of Grenoble's

radicalized Yellow Jackets!

The HQ

of my radicalization company.

- Your multinational?

- That's it!

It's Julien Terrier's turn

to be arrested

for "organizing an illegal,

undeclared demonstration”.

It's a surprise.

A looming clash, anger, insults...

So you have everything here

to be radicalized? You got hammers?

That's right. Saws, cordless tools,

everything you need to work

and do building work

from A to Z.

To be radicalized!

Radicalized, with these tools?

The hammers stay onsite.

The Yellow Jackets

stay with the flowers.

We protect our pacifist image.

The Yellow Jackets gave me

an opportunity to express

my anger

and concern for the future.

People are scared of their neighbors.

There's no solidarity.

But it's very important

to restore that attitude.

Is that something

that weighed upon you?

Did you feel hurt by it?

I'm convinced

man is good at heart.

I know no police

who attacked a Yellow Jacket.

I'll honk, too!

Khaled, you joined fascists?

When I heard "fascist movement",

I wanted to see for myself.

It's not.

In the 3 weeks I've been here,

I've heard a few things

and guessed some people's opinions,

but I never saw any misbehavior.

And yet, at night,

people sometimes drink a little.

But nothing nasty.

May I ask? You have a walking stick.

- What happened?

- My legs were amputated.

Paradoxically,

it's something I never mention.

I only told people here.

We've forged such strong bonds.

I've cried more than once.

Often on my own, but...

Yeah, there are

such strong emotions here.

We've all shed a tear

at least once, right?

On the movement,

what's happening, relationships...

We didn't think

it would go so far.

We're doing something crazy,

together. It's wonderful.

You meet people

you never thought you'd meet.

Khaled, for example, is an amazing guy.

They talk about fascists,

but people like that...

I see these "fascists"

and they're family to me.

We're one big family here.

Fellow citizens...

We are at a turning point

of our country and of our future.

At the beginning of all this,

I know there is anger.

The single, widowed or divorced mother

who can't make a living,

who can't afford to have

her children taken care of,

who has lost all hope.

I have seen them,

these brave women sharing

their distress for the first time

on so many roundabouts.

And yet we had, in a cowardly way,

become used to this reality.

My only concern

is you.

My only fight is for you.

Our only battle

is fought for France.

Macron, resign!

Gonna cross the street

to find a new job

He had both hands on the table.

It felt like a waxwork of Mr. Macron.

There was no expression on his face.

Housewives and retired people

are here during the day.

At night,

workers come to the rescue.

Who's 100% French?

I'm French from my dad

who was of Portuguese origin.

My grandmother came

from Portugal in the war.

And my mother was of Polish origin.

I'm not French.

My siblings are Algerian

and Moroccan. So what?

Their mom was French,

they're French.

So why am I called

a fascist on TV?

I've lost my family.

They think I'm fighting

to replace Macron with Le Pen.

That's not true.

I'm getting married in March.

Friends have said: "We won't come."

Why don't they want to come

to your wedding?

They say I'm a fascist and a hooligan

who stirs up shit.

Have you felt like this for long?

Years! Even though I'm only 31,

I've been waiting for this for years.

I thought:

"It's dumb, they're all complaining,

but no-one's making a move."

Go to sleep!

Ignore the mess.

I haven't lived here for a month.

I'm gonna end up showering

with this on, I swear.

I'm a Yellow Jacket

through and through.

- Even at home?

- Yes, people might visit at any moment.

I stand behind my convictions.

You crossed the street

and found a part-time job?

I took the first job I found

to get out of poverty.

We had nothing.

We went to charities

and food banks.

We had no choice

but to go to food banks.

We met while I was on vacation,

the day before I left.

Then I went back up north.

So you were camping?

No, I was staying with his ex's family.

No way! They should start

a guestroom business!

Actually, I met him and thought:

"Fuck, he's the man for me."

We had the same objectives,

same sense of humor,

same everything.

I thought:

"A man like that is my double,

I'd have a great life."

I went back up north, thinking:

"He'll call me."

And he did.

He took his time, but he called.

So I came back.

I had to take a decision.

My life was up north.

I had a job with a permanent contract.

I was renting. I had a baby.

I was getting divorced.

So I said to myself:

"I'm going.

I love him so much."

I didn't know him well, but I loved him.

So I came.

But I quickly understood

that he was busy with work.

He worked Monday to Saturday

from 8 AM to 11 PM,

sometimes midnight.

He hadn't warned you?

I quickly understood.

I was going crazy.

I was on the verge of a breakdown.

I didn't have my family or friends.

He's not here for me,

only for his job.

He said: "Sorry, it's getting so hard

with all the social charges."

He was self-employed.

He was working himself to death

till he got sick.

He lost his job.

They said:

"You need an operation.

But we can't close your company,

you have to wait and see

the medical advisor."

We said:

"OK, but it has to be quick."

There was the insurance,

everything was coming at once.

And they took everything.

Every month,

our professional accounts went down.

We said: "We've paid taxes on that.

Every month, they take our money.

He's worked and they take it all."

We were back at square one.

The Social Security said:

"Actually, you still owe us."

They came up with

another 3 or 4,000 euros!

I went crazy. I thought:

"I'm gonna kill myself."

We both had nervous breakdowns.

We helped each other out in turn.

We told the mayor:

"Help us, we can't take any more."

He paid my children's canteen expenses.

Back then, we had the two boys

and Léa.

3 children.

We had no money to feed them.

And the worst thing...

He made us contact

charities, the food bank.

We knew nothing about it then.

And we were also given 2 checks

from the local welfare center.

I don't remember its name.

After the 2nd check,

a week later,

I got a letter from the social worker.

It still sticks in my craw.

"Indeed, Mr. Dunier

has health issues and cannot work.

But Mrs. Decampas,

you must find a job."

I was 7 months' pregnant.

I was expecting Zoe.

I cried.

She was taking the piss.

I wanted to work,

but no-one wanted to hire me.

You don't hire pregnant woman.

I wasn't entitled

to unemployment benefit or anything.

I had maternity leave. Yes!

390 euros for the 5 of us to live on.

With a baby on the way.

390 euros to live on.

What can you do with that?

I gave birth, and Zoe was born.

I left my baby

and went right back to work.

I got back on my feet

thanks to the mayor.

He called me:

"There's a replacement job at school.

Do you want to come?"

I said: "Yes, of course."

I always lived with my mom.

She was poor.

I remember back then

that we all ate "Number One".

I went for groceries

as I was one of the oldest.

I'd only buy "Number One"...

What's "Number One"?

It's the cheapest of the cheapest.

There wasn't cheaper.

I didn't have enough money.

So I had to remove things.

I had to choose among the necessities.

In the groceries I bought for Mom,

there was no candy.

It was only things that...

I had to take the milk out.

It was crazy.

We lived like that with my mother.

I remember going to school...

At the start of the month

till the 20th, it was OK.

I'd get to school on an empty stomach.

My belly would gurgle.

I was so hungry, it hurt.

And I'd see rich kids

buying cigarettes and all.

I thought: "It's crazy.

We're not equal. I have nothing to eat."

They'd strut around with their money

and the latest sneakers.

I didn't care.

I just wanted to eat.

I thought: "I don't want

to live like that when I'm older.

I'll be in control of my life.

I won't live like this."

Yeah, right! We're in the shit again.

So it doesn't take much.

Who went to the food bank

and to the charity?

I did. He was too ashamed.

I went to fetch the parcels, pregnant.

I had to feed my family.

He was ashamed. Weren't you?

- Then I went.

- Yes.

I said: "Help me

or I'll give birth on the spot.”

I know my mother

is even poorer than before.

I have lots of younger brothers

and sisters. The youngest is 7.

They don't have enough to eat

at the end of the month.

I'm convinced of it.

But I can't afford to help them.

I'm sure they wonder why I don't.

It's not that I don't want to.

If I help them,

my family won't be able to eat.

When did you last

go back up north?

I went back last Christmas.

My car didn't pass

the vehicle safety inspection.

I can't be bothered with the car,

unlike with politics.

I can't buy another...

It's better that way around!

No, but...

Usually people can't be

bothered with politics,

but as for their car...

Seriously, I promise you

I want to live my life.

We weren't interested

in politics anymore.

We've been fooled for decades,

we lost trust in them.

They lied to us.

Now, with this small chance,

we think maybe we'll change

the course of history.

So now we want to vote again,

we want to... to learn.

Since the movement began,

I've read the Constitution,

I've gathered information.

I never paid attention to it before.

I look up words

‘cause it's not written in our jargon.

But it's interesting.

We want to.

Don't think we're not intelligent.

We want to learn.

But we've been fooled for so long,

we don't take the time.

So I don't want that anymore.

I know there's a chance,

there's a small door that was opened,

with a tiny light inside,

but I'm still going in.

I want to force that door open.

The door is fluorescent yellow.

It's the sun that I see behind it.

It ain't a storm.

I see the sun. I see yellow.

So we slept at La Souche's place

at Saint-Julien-du-Serre.

We're meeting his neighbor.

- La Souche is that guy.

- Pierre, yes.

‘Morning.

Hi, folks.

You stink of cigarettes!

So you have vines?

Yes and I have strawberries,

plums, and I used to grow cherries,

but it's complicated now

with the fruit fly.

Where are your yellow jackets?

They're in the car.

Ready to be used.

You've been to all

the Workers Confederation's demos?

No!

We used to be very quiet.

We woke up all of a sudden!

What made you wear the yellow jacket?

I got sick of all the humiliations

we've had to endure.

Our pensions were frozen.

That was the main reason for me.

And everything

that's happened to others.

- Can we look at your pension?

- I just calculated it.

We're far from...

Denis worked all his life.

So, the mutual fund: 473.58 euros.

He worked for 10 years

in a factory, so he also gets

161.26 euros.

Then, 60.56 euros.

It's a top-up pension

from the factory job.

In total, that makes

a pension of 759 euros.

- And 90 cents.

- And 90 cents!

I forgot the 90 cents, that's right.

So you're going on the roundabouts

to get an increase in your pension?

Yes but no. It's general.

It's not only for myself.

I didn't show up there with a sign

that read "Raise pensions!"

No, I go for everyone's sake.

They should at last consider

work, employees... and people.

They're not objects,

they're not... you know.

Anyway, in my work...

I'm a home help.

I used to be part

of an association,

now I'm independent,

but I've seen unbelievable things.

The person I used to help,

when I left the association,

she was all alone at home...

all day.

The nurse would come in the morning,

I'd go to give her lunch.

She didn't have her wits about her,

it was awful.

Once I found her

trying to climb over her balcony,

because she wanted

to go for a walk.

I quit after that as it was failure

to assist a person in danger.

At the association, we had

a 2-hour discussion, an endless meeting.

The nurse said to me:

“If this file...

is a problem for you,

give it to someone else."

She isn't a file,

she's a person.

- Hey, Alain is a fortune-teller!

- Oh, yeah.

He must be an astrologist.

It's a leftist pamphlet!

The mayor, Alain Lacoste,

writes this:

"My grandchildren call me out:

‘Grandpa, give us happiness again."

He asks after politicians

who bring happiness,

who look after the people,

who respect the workers,

who stop France's 500 richest families

lining their pockets.

I should order

my speeches from him!

Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

- All good?

- I'm fine.

Yes, I'm fine.

I'm just a little bit surprised,

because I follow you

a lot on the Internet.

When you read the mayor's newsletter,

it's usually "Have a good year,

the cherry trees are in blossom,

the harvest's going well."

Enough of the waffle and only

being interested in material things.

A mayor is there for that too,

but his real message

should be political.

Our society has lost its values.

The only value is money.

Man cannot find himself

in a society like that.

If I were Emmanuel Macron,

what would you tell me?

I have trouble understanding you.

I'd like to understand.

So come into my office, Mr. Macron.

- You're taking me to your office?

- Come this way.

Sit down.

We're going to talk.

I have trouble

understanding your choices.

Why did you stop the wealth tax?

Is that your main concern?

Well, it's not my main concern,

but I must admit that...

on the same day, I think,

you decreased students'

housing allowance by 5 euros

and ended the wealth tax,

it troubled me.

Because the rich

weren't asking you much.

I don't think

they were asking you much.

Or else it was behind the scenes.

It was a promise I made

during my campaign,

particularly when I was organizing

fundraising dinners.

I kept on promising

the suppression of the wealth tax,

and they gave me

big checks every time.

Yes, but was it really necessary?

They didn't need it.

They wouldn't have bothered you

as much as the Yellow Jackets.

What I find surprising,

Mr. Macron, you see...

It's funny to say that.

What I find surprising, Mr. Macron,

is that you have trouble,

like all the bourgeois...

You were born in another world,

you don't understand the people.

You don't understand their suffering.

It'd be exactly the same if I were

invited by the Prince of Monaco

to live with him in his palace.

I'd probably feel very awkward,

but I also think...

It's as if you didn't grasp a language.

You're from another world.

That's the gap

between you and the people.

It's never easy

to face poverty and suffering.

That's why I write this.

That's what I do.

Blaming people for being poor

is terrible.

Where did you work?

I shouldn't say it,

but I was an executive in a bank.

But it shouldn't stop you being human.

National 7

You take it to go to Rome or Sete

Whether there's 2, 3, 4,

5, 6 or 7 of you

It's a big success

En route for a vacation

It crosses Burgundy and Provence

It puts Paris within reach

of Valencia

And makes Saint-Paul-de-Vence a suburb

The summer sky

Fills our hearts with its clarity

Drives away heartburn and acidity

That are the misfortune of big cities

All excited

We sing, we celebrate

The olive trees are blue,

little Lisette

They make us look like fools,

those who earn 1,400 a month.

We are happy, National 7

I'm coming!

We spend days on the outskirts.

Palaces! That's what has to stop.

Social charges are just

deferred money.

My children and my grandchildren.

They tell us to be careful.

We've got nothing. Now what?

- Come on.

- Behind the yellow line!

FREE TOLL

- Thanks for the toll.

- It's free. Nice, huh?

A woman has to go see her son

every week, because he's sick.

We saved her

80 euros in a month.

I think it's symbolic

that it's the toll.

It's a remnant from feudalism.

You had to pay it to enter cities.

There was the salt tax,

but tolls were very important.

And secondly,

highways used to be public property.

They were sold off

for next to nothing,

probably 10 billion euros

below their real price.

Every year, 4.5 billion euros

go to the shareholders.

But you're quoting figures

we can't even grasp.

We don't know what billions are.

We'll never earn billions.

4.5 billion from the tolls

as dividends to the shareholders

would be enough to make

all public transport

in all France's cities free.

You can't. It's closed. Look.

THE PEOPLE ARE ANGRY

Go get something to eat.

We've got reblochon on bread.

- Really?

- Yeah!

Usually we get offered sausages!

We're vegetarian.

It's a 3-star here!

We're vegetarian.

We don't count.

It's just Paris, Paris, Paris.

If they offered to

move the Elysée Palace to Loriol,

would you accept?

We're OK with the palace

but not Macron.

The Elysée Palace, OK,

because it's a symbol of France.

But Macron's a symbol of nothing,

not the French.

It'd be a hell of an upgrade.

The Elysée in Loriol!

We don't want Macron.

I'm only trying to reconcile

the President with his country!

You're making it hard for me.

You're provoking us.

Me?

You're doing everything to make us say

we don't want him and we're telling you.

The best thing to do would be

to start with a blank page.

We erase everything

and start over.

That's funny. When I saw

the Yellow Jackets movement start,

it reminded me of Year 01,

a film by Gébé.

It was made right after May 1968.

The tagline was:

"Let's stop everything and think.

No joke!"

"Today we'll stop and talk."

- How did you hear?

- On the radio.

Let's stop everything.

I agree.

Me too. But when?

Hey, it's 3 o'clock!

What's happening?

Ask these people.

That's a General,

wondering what's happening.

There's a General,

wondering what's happening!

On the roundabouts,

there's a feeling of "Stop and think".

A blank page,

and we'll re-invent France.

It's great to talk,

without knowing each other.

To say what?

Anything.

Talk about ourselves.

Not interesting.

Books can do that a lot better.

Say, you don't sound happy.

l am.

I know we have nothing to say,

but I know we have time to look for it.

I feel we'll find things yet untold.

And that makes me happy.

I'm really excited.

Think we could come up with ideas

we don't have yet, nobody ever had?

I hope so.

Go through.

I'm going. No problem.

Let's park at the supermarket.

We're visiting

the best places in France!

Roundabouts, toll booths,

supermarkets, gas stations...

I wonder

whether people feel debased,

if it's not only fiscally, economically,

but it's also morally

with all this injustice...

as well as aesthetically.

Is all this crap

what we're making of our cities,

of our country?

Concrete, aluminum...

It looks like nothing.

I only get 900 euros

on disability welfare.

I don't work.

I have 2 kids to feed.

So it's complicated

for me to feed them.

With 900 euros, I have to pay

my rent, my charges, everything.

- How old are your children?

- They're 7 and 9.

I was forced to put them

in a foster family

so they could eat.

- A foster family?

- In Montpellier.

We saw our representative, Mrs. Dumas.

- Françoise Dumas.

- Macron's party.

She told me,

when I asked her how I could earn

a bit more money to get by,

she told me: "Just get to work."

She's disabled.

What did you tell her?

I couldn't say anything,

because I was stunned.

She knocked me on my backside,

to be polite.

But I felt...

belittled, really belittled.

Mr. Macron said:

"Cross the street and find a job."

I've crossed the street lots of times,

I haven't found anything.

Did you ask the supermarket?

Companies aren't hiring,

that's the big problem these days.

They'd rather pay a tax

than hire a disabled person.

I've been a mom since 2009.

Since 2009,

my life has been deteriorating.

I've seen this lady several times

behind a supermarket.

I know what she does.

I've seen her several times.

It's shameful to see someone

forage for food in the trash.

We have no choice.

We don't have a choice.

We no longer have a choice.

No, wait.

I'm not attacking you.

On the contrary.

I find it disturbing.

I'm out of work...

It's shameful

that it still exists in France.

We don't have a choice.

You can't do any more than your best.

My kids have clothes on their backs.

I rack my brains

to find ways to dress them

so they don't look like hobos.

I'm dressed like a hobo.

I've worn the same clothes

for the past 2 years.

2 years that I can't dress properly.

After 2 years, it gets to you.

I say to myself:

"Dammit, I'm a woman,

but I can't dress like a woman."

Life is so expensive.

It's the same for everybody.

Do you regularly glean things

from trashcans?

We do what we can.

You have to get dressed, to eat...

Kids are the future.

What'll they do?

That's the question.

What will tomorrow bring?

I think we've reached a point,

with the Yellow Jackets movement,

when everyone had

their private shame...

It was hidden.

We all had a hidden shame,

and now it's coming out.

- The anger's coming out.

- Anger's coming out.

And the shame is coming out too.

Until now, it remained

in the secrecy of apartments.

And in the secrecy of our nights.

Today, I feel that it's time

to reveal all that.

Not feel shame,

but put the shame on them.

You see?

- Did you make coffee?

- Yes, it's ready.

For once!

Got a plate for the croissants?

It's OK.

You've seen the state of my car?

I don't need a plate.

No plate...

I don't need any Elysée china!

So, every month,

I do permanent temporary work.

- You temp?

- I'm a permanent temp.

A permanent temp.

It's a bit weird,

it sounds a bit contradictory.

- You have a permanent contract?

- As a temp.

I've been a temp for 20 years.

In the region where I was,

there weren't many firms, not much work.

So they'd hire us for a day,

a week, 3 days, 1 or 2 hours.

So I've done temp work for years.

Now I work in logistics

for a supermarket chain.

I'm a forklift driver,

I load and unload trucks,

I drive pallets around.

We do several jobs.

How long have you worked for them?

8 years.

There were breaks,

because the company

implemented a part-time policy.

You work for 5 or 6 months,

then they dump you

for 2 or 3 months,

then take you back.

6 months later,

they dump you, and so on.

They're crooks. They underpay us

and make us work harder.

When you work for them,

you have to meet quotas.

I can show you.

I get quota bonuses,

productivity bonuses. 2.04, 9 euros...

But we fight

over this tiny little bonus.

Why don't they hire you?

I asked them 4 times to hire me.

I said: "Give me a permanent contract.

I'm all for it."

But I never got an answer.

I was told: "We'll see."

Then I found out why:

because I was too old at 50.

You pay 1,500 euros

in income tax.

You're stupid!

- Why?

- Well, look.

Your employers know

how to make it work.

They have companies in Malta

that save them 8 million euros.

Would you be a tax exile

in Jersey, the Caymans or Malta?

No! It'd have to be in France,

not abroad.

It isn't tax exile in France.

At least I know

what I'm paying my taxes for.

I'm not a crook, I pay my taxes,

I live and pay in France.

I don't pay abroad.

They're crooks, because they take

advantage of tax havens to get richer.

8 billion!

Even if they have 100 million left,

they still have enough.

If I were Mr. Macron...

- What'd you tell me?

- Many things.

- Hello, sir.

- Hello.

My dear friend, excuse my familiarity,

but with all due respect...

The tableware,

the carpeting, the swimming pool...

I don't agree.

It's my money you're using.

Do I have to pay

1,727 euros in taxes for you?

No, sir, I don't agree. At all.

You're like me, you go

to the bathroom every morning.

So, you live like us or not at all.

I'll offer you better:

take my job for 6 months

at minimum wage,

and I take yours.

6 months. We switch.

Our lives, our struggles.

We'll see who cries first.

- You wanna be a temp president?

- Yeah.

If I'm president, I get rid

of all the crap in the government.

I only keep the good ones who work

for the people. The rest, out!

Serge as President,

we'll see some results!

Yeah, I'd like to be in his shoes.

Fellow citizens...

In the current context, some want me

to go back on the wealth tax reform.

But for over 40 years,

this tax existed.

Were we better off

during this time?

Last year, companies

of the CAC 40 distributed

57 billion euros to their shareholders.

Does this distribution

take place at the expense

of the workers?

Yes... no!

21 billionaires

own as much as the poorest 40%

of the French population.

Long live the Republic.

Long live France.

Oh, shit!

See that thing?

I don't know who that guy is.

- Who's that?

- He's a retired guy. He's 77.

He's a Yellow Jacket.

He gets a miserable pension.

- Is he the leader of the roundabout?

- Not the leader.

He's our emblematic figure.

So is he here? What's his name?

Marcel.

He isn't here today.

- He's your totem, like Indians have.

- Exactly.

Why was Marcel chosen?

Because the painter saw

the wear and tear of life.

He's 76.

He was a bricklayer.

He has a small pension.

There's the wear and tear,

joy, sadness,

everything in his eyes.

If you look closely, it says it all.

Look at his eyes.

Look at the sadness, the pain...

It's all there.

In the olden days, it was saints,

princes, kings and queens

who were represented

on these big paintings.

Now who's represented like this? Brands.

Tires, everything you find in stores,

supermarkets,

everything there is to sell.

And this is like an anti-ad,

with Marcel being displayed instead.

And so, in a place like this,

someone puts up a painting

which gives back a man's beauty,

which gives it back to everybody,

I wonder if the fight isn't

against our aesthetic degradation, too.

We have a right to eat,

a right to dress,

a right to housing.

But we also have a right to beauty.

Beauty isn't just for the rich.

We have a right to beauty.

Has it been muddy for long?

Since yesterday.

Look. This was our camp.

We burned it down ourselves.

We ripped everything out.

We didn't want them to do it.

We came back this morning at 5.

At 8.30, everything was ready.

- So the camp was there?

- The camp was there.

Now there's only mush left.

Yes, we felt down in the dumps,

but it gave us the energy

to fight even more.

I'll tell you honestly,

it raised our spirits.

What happened with his lapdogs...

He let the dogs loose on us.

- The riot police?

- The riot police came. His lapdogs.

It was sunny,

so he took his dogs out.

You did what the Russians

did with Napoleon,

or what the Russians

did with Hitler,

you burned down your own camp

so they couldn't do it.

- It'll be rebuilt there?

- Yeah, stronger.

It gets more resistant.

and it'll be harder for them.

Before, it was the straw house,

then, the wood house,

next, the concrete house!

Next it'll be cinder blocks.

So you switched sides?

Yes, because that was the army's land.

That's the mayor's land.

- The mayor?

- The mayor's office.

Will you be better received?

No, just the same.

That's the mayor's office.

We're in Saint-Maurice-de-Cazevieille,

with Dédé... André.

- You're very biased.

- I'm not.

Yes, you are.

I was born here.

I've lived in this village

for 45 years.

The school was there.

The classrooms,

over there the playground.

There's no school anymore.

When they opened the doors,

you heard the kids shout at 4.30 PM.

The parents would come.

They'd shout: "Happy holidays!"

Now you don't hear that anymore.

At holiday time...

no more noise. Nothing.

That's the post office now?

Right. That's the post office.

We had the butcher's there.

There was the rotisserie.

It takes imagination to see that!

- So it smelled good?

- Very good.

You can still see where the sign was.

Now there's nothing.

And it hurts.

The old people used to buy

their chicken here.

Now they have to go

to the Lidl store to get one.

It ain't free range. It's packaged.

You got good chicken here.

There was another butcher's

over there.

The bank.

The baker's.

A hairdresser.

I've lived here for 45 years

and seen all this. It's crazy.

The small shops have all died out.

Because people come back,

eat at home, sleep,

go back to work.

On the way home,

they stop off in Nimes for groceries.

- What is there?

- All the supermarkets: Lidl, Casino...

We're going for a trip

Both of us on the road

In your automobile

We'll both be fine

And in the sky there'll be stars

It's hot.

It's pretty impressive to see

a little lady -

sorry to put it like that -

who's a carer,

who was a baker,

who raised her kids

and who ends up

in the dead of the night

at a toll booth, stealing cones.

What made you get into petty crime?

Petty crime? No!

I'm not a criminal.

I'm taking back power.

I'm not a petty criminal at all.

I'm a carer.

Always there to help when needed.

I do overtime,

sometimes unpaid,

it's not a problem.

But now I've had enough.

And...

You're divorced, end up with the kids,

you work, and you get no help.

No help at all.

You end up, you know...

Men don't pay child support.

Nobody gives a damn.

And you end up with your kids...

having to make do.

How did you do that?

I got by.

I did overtime and yet more overtime.

I've never demonstrated.

But now, at the toll booth,

50% of us are women.

To see women stand up,

it really has to be bad,

because usually, we take care

of the kids and the house,

we work, we say...

Usually, we're pretty docile.

So, for women to revolt...

Start putting down cones.

We met at the toll booth.

A kiss! A kiss!

And it was love at first sight!

So Macron did some good.

If we had to thank you,

it'd be just for that, you fucker.

Our carbon footprint

won't be good.

My ex wanted us to buy...

I had a small car.

It went fast

and used very little gas.

My ex wanted to buy a family car,

because we had 2 kids.

The week after, we broke up!

A citizen-based referendum!

Citizen-based referendum!

- Are you the only one who wants it?

- No.

Who's for the referendum?

Referendum!

Who's against it?

You won't express yourselves now!

Those against

can't express themselves.

They're afraid of the majority!

The bathroom is great. Marie...

The most artistic bathroom

I ever saw.

They're your creations.

That's right.

I didn't wear it till now.

I didn't go to the picket line.

And in the end,

after Macron's speech,

I cried.

When I cry, it's not good.

- Why did you cry?

- I thought about my kids.

Because I thought:

"They're not asking for anything."

It's Christmas now.

They don't want games consoles.

We're used to not having stuff,

so they're happy with simple things.

I thought I don't even have enough

to get them books or...

You know, gifts...

They don't care, they don't want brands.

And that made me sad because...

because I work,

I do shitty jobs,

because they're always insecure jobs.

And we end up getting charity

at the end of the month.

I owe 6 months of canteen,

1 month's rent,

6 months of water bills.

Aren't you worried

it'll be cut off?

In the winter, they can't.

But it's happened to me lots of times.

Yeah, with the kids,

we had no power for ages.

We had no electricity or water.

I'd go to my mom's to wash them.

A month ago,

would you have said the same?

I don't know.

You see, at the roundabout,

I've met people.

With one of the girls,

we talked about very personal stuff.

And there was no...

There was no shame,

because it was shared, I felt understood

and supported

by the movement around me.

"Did you cry too?

You felt touched because..."

- You weren't the only one to cry?

- No.

With the girl I talked to,

it was the same.

We felt the same things.

We're going to the seaside.

Do you want to come?

Yeah!

We've reached the end.

We've seen a lot of people.

If I were Macron,

what would I say?

What would I say?

To all the Corinnes, Carines, Loics,

Khalebs, Kamels, Maries:

I love you.

I love what you did this fall.

It's like an opening...

that you created.

An opening in our conscience.

An opening in the conscience

of those who experienced it.

An opening

in the conscience of all the French.

An opening in my own conscience

as President of the Republic.

A large opening

with the sun behind it.

As President of the Republic,

I want to say you all deserve this sun.

You all deserve this happiness.

I'll fight so that all of you,

all the Maries, Loics,

Serges, Denises, Alains

get this happiness.

How does the song go again?

"I want some sun"?

I want some sun, yeah.

I want some sun!

I remained a child

Who grew up too fast

In a super plastic world

I want to find mom

So she can tell me stories

Of Jane and Tarzan

Of princesses and kites

I want the sun in my memories

Sun!

I want some sun!

Nothing but sun!

I want to cross the oceans

And become Monte Cristo

Under the moonlight

Escape from the citadel

I want to become king of the swamps

Get out of my cage

A Santa for Cinderella

Without a shoe on

Sun!

I want some sun!

Nothing but sun

Young man

No bowling

The hut lover

Weasel ass hair

The bulldozer champion

The free toll girl

The BBQ man

The wooden house man

Subtitles: J. Miller, a.s.i.f.

Subtitling: HIVENTY

To all the Marcels...

J'veux du soleil! (2019) - full transcript