Kardec (2019) - full transcript

NETFLIX PRESENTS

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Stop what you're doing.

Pay attention.

What are books for?

Nothing,

if we don't know how to use them
for thinking...

for feeling.

Doubts? Questions?

Curiosities?

Listen to your hearts



and understand for yourselves

how far intelligence can take us.

"I think,

therefore I am."

That's it!

That's perfect, Bernard!

But the exact words of
our great philosopher René Descartes were,

"I doubt, therefore I think,
therefore I am."

What we see

is not what rules the world.

Where is he? Have you seen him?

Where did he go?

What matters

is what we do not see.



Each one of you

can go further.

So much, much, much further!

I'd like to go, Professor.

Where do you want to go? What are
your dreams? What do you wish to discover?

I'd like to go to the bathroom.

Go ahead, because one can't
change the world in wet pants.

Good morning, Professor Rivail.

Good morning, Father.

Children, say good morning
to Father Baudin.

Good morning, Father Baudin.

It's time for catechism.

How could we let this happen
in a private lyceum?

What chances do we have of
appealing against this preposterous law?

Every good teacher knows
there are questions that go unanswered.

A disciple of Pestalozzi
should know this better than anyone.

Pestalozzi's view on education

promotes the affection
between teachers and students,

not the upholding
of empty rules and dogmas.

What's happening in the schools is proof
of how education in France has failed.

The French institutes
must obey the orders of their rulers.

- You are supposed to know that.
- Didn't we use to live in a republic?

Not anymore, Professor.

We now have an emperor.

Isn't this how we learn
to keep our heads above our necks?

Our heads are still being cut off,

and so are the students'.
No longer by guillotines,

but by dogmas and rules

that tell us heaven
is for a few good people,

while hell and purgatory
are for the evil and the sinners.

It's merely a question
of using some common sense,

looking around us and admitting
once and for all that we have failed.

That it's not a punishing and vengeful God

who will get us out of this situation.

- What happened?
- He is gone!

- He disappeared!
- He threw himself over!

- Where is he?
- I can't see him!

Can you see him?

CATHOLICISM MANDATORY IN SCHOOLS

I've read it.

In 30 years of teaching, no one
has ever invaded my classroom like that,

especially with such petulance!

Catechism at schools, Léon?

What can we do about it?
Better yet,

what will you, my husband, do about it?

Religion and education should not mix.

Faith should not be imposed on anyone,

let alone on children in classrooms.

Where are our professed
liberty, equality and fraternity?

Should we so quickly burn the principles
of the Revolution?

"Having a free conscience in the light
of reason is everyone's right.

Educating is teaching by example,
shaping citizens as a whole,

and not manipulating
by preconceived notions."

What gives you the right to write such
falsehoods of the French institutions?

The right our fathers and grandfathers
fought for, Father Baudin.

We recognize all of your contributions
for the remodeling of French education,

but we cannot denounce an order
from the emperor.

I will reconsider,

if I may teach my classes
free from Father Baudin's interference.

Do you ignore the world we live in,
Professor?

Don't you know there is no salvation
outside the Church?

Think about the students.

You cannot try to change the world.

I've put a lot of thought into this.

I cannot condone it.

Retirement?

You cannot abandon the school!

It takes courage to change the world...

but also to accept what cannot be changed.

I'm wise enough to understand this.

Excuse me.

In cafes, salons, in all of Paris,
or, rather, in all of Europe,

people are going mad over these tables,

and now they come to us for explanations.

We must vehemently disavow this fad
to prevent more serious consequences.

Let's end this farce
in the name of science.

Can't people understand
we must now let reason rule over us?

For example, they say
that tables have minds of their own.

Poor tables!

False beliefs and superstitions
from ignorant people, my friends.

Despair in this dark world.

It's the only explanation
for the belief in other-worldly spirits.

What is happening here?

Won't you ask the tables a question?

Apparently, they can answer everything.

Honestly.

These are all I have for now, Professor:

arithmetic, grammar, astronomy...

"Proposal for the Improvement
of Public Education"?

I think that was
one of the first that you wrote.

It'll be enough for now. The basics.

Can you survive on private tutoring alone,
my friend?

We have some savings,
and I can start translating again,

or write new books.

I'm also well versed in accounting.

Voilà!

You need someone to organize

the massive profits
of this publishing house.

Here you will only ever work
signing your own books, my friend.

Rivail, what a nice surprise!

Good evening, gentlemen.

Life is full of coincidences!
I was talking to Mr. Didier

about writing another book,
and who comes in?

- The greatest linguist in town.
- Well...

So, Mr. Didier, I'm looking for something
about spinning tables.

Are there any publications about it?

Because people talk about it
all over the world.

Have you also surrendered
to this bourgeois fad?

I must confess
nothing has ever attracted me like this.

Monsieur, there are no academic books
about this.

I hardly believe there is
any serious research about this theme.

I am indeed part of a serious group

that studies this theme.

I prefer tables
with wine and cheese on them.

Have you by any chance
witnessed the phenomenon?

No, no.

I'm not talking about the salons
and theaters.

Have you been to a serious séance?

I know enough about magnetism
and electricity to imagine what happens.

I can guarantee you it's neither magnetism
nor electricity that moves the tables.

People ask,

and they answer.

I'd only believe it if someone proved
to me that tables have brains to think

and nerves to feel.

Otherwise,

this subject will bore me to sleep.

Well, let us allow
the professor some rest.

Professor,

who am I
to try to convince you of anything?

But we believe the tables communicate

due to another cause.

What cause?

Spirits.

GRAMMATICAL CATECHISM
OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

The door, the students!

Sure.

Come in!

It's one student.

His parents asked us for help,
but they can't pay for now.

I'm waiting to hear
from two other students.

They will come.

Have a good class!

I failed grammar.

To change the world,

one must know how to read and write.

THE SPINNING TABLE

I understand, monsieur,

however, you need a bookkeeper,
and here I am.

I have a degree in accounting.

Professor, please!

- This makes me uncomfortable.
- But...

My children studied in the lyceum
up to when you decided to leave.

I can tutor them, if you'll allow it.

That's fine.

You can come tonight.

If you want to watch the shows,
be my guest.

The table spins and answers all questions.

It's insane!

The unknown,

the imponderable.

Who in this theater would like to know
about the future,

about love?

Does anyone have a question
for the talking table?

I do!

Sir?

Should I do what I am thinking about?

It seems this question
can change your fate.

And the table's answer is...

- Monsieur...
- Yes!

I've updated your accounting.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, Professor.

I'm sorry.

I must confess

that I prefer this to Molière's plays.

The table that answers all questions.

The table that knows all secrets.

Who else?
A question for the talking table.

Sir?

I like to think
that stars are holes in heaven's drapes,

letting infinity's light shine through.

Stars are merely celestial bodies
with their own light, milady.

That's not very poetic, Professor.

It's not poetry, it's science.

But there could be a poetic science.

Isn't it poetic to you,
a celestial body emitting its own light?

It is possible

there are double stars

drifting together across the universe.

Like a couple in love forever.

That's beautiful!

Léon,

I miss our soirees.

Nowadays, people only get together
for frivolous matters.

Signs of the times.

Soon enough there will be another fad
and, who knows,

people might start
reciting the classics again.

Or, who knows,
maybe they'll look at the skies again,

searching for inspiration
in these strange times.

My dishes!

How could this happen?

Could it be our table
joined the spinning tables fad?

Oh, no. No, no, no.

Not in my house!

Hey, mister.

You bad boy!

You scared us!

Mystery solved.

Go open the door!
The students must be here.

Sure.

It's one student.

The piano student.

- Sit down, darling.
- Thank you.

Léon, she is a private pupil.

Do you want the table or not?

Besides, Mr. Carlotti is here,

and another gentleman
called Charles Baudin.

I'm sorry, my friends.
There is a class starting.

I won't take much of your time, Rivail.

I have no interest in this conversation,

especially because it involves
taking money from innocent people

and ulterior motives,

if you see what I mean.

Rivail,

do we look like illusionists to you? No.

Do we look like merchants of faith?
We are investigating the phenomena.

Intelligent phenomena, Professor.

There is no intelligent effect
without intelligent cause, my friends.

Exactly.

Besides, we have confirmed it is them,
the spirits of the dead, that answer.

Spirits of the dead?

So, is this already a conclusion, then?

Do you have any idea of the consequences
of such affirmation nowadays?

The second stanza, please.

We develop rudimentary methods
in the beginning.

We would say the letter A,

and the table would emit
a strong tapping sound.

Twice for the letter B,
thrice for C, and so forth.

Intelligent communication
was established, Rivail.

That would be an A.

So, you gentlemen mean... What?
A telegraph from the beyond?

- Would that be a B?
- Yes, exactly.

Good Lord! It would take a week
to complete a paragraph.

Exactly, madame. It takes a lot of time.

But we think we could employ
the mediums better,

who are now developing
other forms of communication.

Mediums?
But you said the tables were speaking.

Dearest, the third stanza, please.

However, are we talking about
rational, controlled experiments,

about the observation of facts,
about natural laws?

No serious institution
would want to publish this.

I mean, a scientific institution.

Could we at least leave
the results of our research with you?

I'll come to collect them in a few days.

If you cannot help us, so be it.

But these notes will stay here,
in the middle of my living room?

- Where shall we put them, madame?
- No, no, no.

Don't worry, milady.
I will take care of this.

If you want to join one of our meetings...

Sure.

We will meet
at Madame De Plainmaison's house.

I believe you know her.

It is a meeting just for those
who want to consider and learn.

- Excuse me, madame.
- Excuse me.

Welcome, invisible friends.

We are ready.

We need the basket with the pencil.

Yes, of course.

Concentrate.

Here it is.

Our first message.

Lights, please.

Professor,

it is for you.

"Hail, dear pontiff.

Three times hail

to Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail."

I am the pontiff.

This is a familiar spirit.

Our friend and protector.

He always gives us sweet monikers.

Great! So...

greetings, my fellow from the beyond.

"Son of Jean-Baptiste and Jeanne,
graduated from Yverdon,

married to Amélie-Gabrielle Boudet,

recently retired."

What great biographical research.

"The stars you gaze at

are also eternal lights
drifting across the universe.

Many of them have died already,

but are born before our eyes.

Dying and being born

are part of the same journey.

Lo, the divine science.

Your table didn't turn by accident.

Analyze, think, conclude.

Who writes to you
is a friend from past lives,

since you were a druid in ancient Gaul

named...

Allan Kardec."

On one side, so much power and wealth.

On the other, so much pain and suffering.

Could this have
a supernatural explanation?

What about these spirits
that return from their graves?

Would they have an explanation
for such injustice?

The phenomenon is really impressive, Léon.

How could they have known of our
conversation about a poetic science?

I must confess, I'm not convinced.

My mind is like a sea of doubts.

But there is one thing
that made me curious.

I wish I knew more
about this Allan Kardec,

because if you, my husband,
were really a druid...

I might have been a priestess.

Who knows?

THE DRUIDS

We believe that using the electric arc

might help us develop ways of lighting

that could replace the use
of oil lamps and candles.

We are about to leave
the Dark Ages behind.

Better than Molière!

Isn't it, Professor?

- When was this written?
- Two nights ago, Professor.

It looks like a small narrative,
a short story, maybe.

I thought you might want to know,
my friend.

"There was once in Baghdad
a woman from the times of Aladdin."

Who wrote this?

Frédéric Soulié.

Are you talking about
the deceased novelist Frédéric Soulié?

- Yes.
- And how can you

be so sure he is the author?

We cannot, or rather, we don't know how.

We hope the short story
will be finished soon.

Even the mediums are curious
to know how it ends.

Could we meet these women
who are so important for these phenomena?

This is Professor Rivail
and this is his wife.

These are my daughters,

Caroline and Julie.

Enchanted.

Darling?

- Forgive me.
- Can we start, Professor?

All in order.

Of course, you have every right.

Be silent.

We wait for our invisible friends
to come to us.

We thank them in advance
for the help they provide

in establishing the connection

we ask for.

They are here.

It is him,

Soulié...

The handwriting is the same.

- The story continues.
- Thank you, Mr. Soulié.

Does it take too long?

It does.

A little.

But it is just a signature.

Voilà!

It's real.

- Are you sure?
- Without a shadow of a doubt.

The signatures are the same in both cases.

Here, in this case,
it was Mr. Frédéric Soulié.

So, then, this is all about

an unpublished text, Professor?

Yes,

an unpublished text

written...

- yesterday.
- Yesterday?

So, I'd say
your eyes witnessed a true scam, Rivail,

and that you must be more careful.

Or this person might be considered

the greatest forger in French history.

After all, Soulié is dead.

Great news!

Tomorrow we'll have a new grammar student

and another who wants to learn arithmetic.

Léon?

Léon...

did you hear me?

Listen to this, Gabi.

Question:

"What is our relationship
with the spiritual world?" Answer:

"The spirits influence us
more than we can imagine.

Many times, they are the ones
who guide us.

There are spirits everywhere."

Heavens! What a terrifying idea!

How can we be sure

these messages are not forged
by the mediums themselves?

Maybe not consciously.

Maybe moved
by their own fears and anxieties.

Those beautiful, naive young girls
forging complex ideas?

Well, anyway, it's not pleasant to think

that the spirits might be here,

or in our living room,
or even in the bathroom.

Spirits everywhere!

Léon,

this is hard to believe.

I don't know
if I want to be a part of this.

Did you see that?

Did you see it?

I'm sorry, Professor.

We were not expecting you tonight.

I'm sorry, but this is urgent.

Why is nothing happening?

Aren't they always ready?

They were sleeping, Professor.

We do not have answers for everything.

Sometimes, they just do it.

Julie...

Caroline...

Something happened in my house today.
I need explanations.

They are here!

Wow, there are so many of them!

They want to write, my hand is warm.
The pencil, Daddy. Hand me the pencil.

A page written by Julie

and another by Caroline.

"There will be an organized invasion.

The dead will talk
to change the lives of the living.

The research must be rational,

careful and silent,

so as not to alarm the opposing forces.

In time,

it will all come to light.

The reformer's mission

is full of obstacles and dangers."

You'd better read it yourself.

"I warn you

that your mission is tough,

because it entails rattling

and transforming the world.

You have the right to refuse it.

Others are ready to do the work,
should you decline.

You will have our assistance,

but you will also arouse
terrible hate against you.

Enemies shall plot your loss

and you shall face evil,

slander and betrayal.

You must face a constant battle

at the expense of your rest,

your health

and your life.

Regards,

Spirit of Truth."

Doesn't rattling the world

sound a little daring to you, Gabi?

Daring, yes,
but if you act with caution...

Darling,

our world

does need some changes, don't you think?

What I need is a method

and scientific, rational criteria.
That, indeed,

can rattle the world.

Professor,

meet Mademoiselle Ruth-Céline Japher.

Because of her, we had the possibility
of writing most of those notebooks.

A formidable work

that will surely go down in history.

Enchanted, Mademoiselle Japher.

In the name of the work that we now begin,

I deeply thank you for your help.

To be completely honest,
I don't do anything.

I lose my senses and everything happens.

They use my voice and my arms to write.

A perfect somnambulism, Rivail.

Still, my friend,

to be willing to do this kind of work
with no personal interest

must be considered a great virtue.

So, monsieur,

let us talk to the dead.

What is God?

What is God?

I've found many individuals

who have shown aptitude
to serve as intermediaries,

and the answers
have been quite interesting.

My dear Rivail,

your retirement
has definitely not done you any good.

I suggest you take a long trip.

I must explain this method I'm developing.

"Method"?

The one from the theaters or the salons?

Babinet, please.

For the sake of our Society,

do not turn your back on a hypothesis.

Rivail,

in the name of science,

do not turn your back on our Society.

Farewell.

I must confess that, initially,

I was moved only by my personal curiosity.

In time, however, I came to understand

that I was facing a body of knowledge...

Something that needs to be understood
and codified.

Humans are fallible.

When used as links to other dimensions,

it is necessary to work with caution,

and with criteria.

I understood

that the more channels
we had for communication...

or research...

the safer we would be.

I asked the same question

to different mediums.

If the answer was the same,
coming from different sources,

we would have to assume

the answer comes from the same origin,

or that we are facing some kind of

universal knowledge.

I can't control the processes, of course.

So, it was necessary to use
rationality, exclusion...

common sense.

And did it work, Professor?

God

is

the supreme...

intelligence.

The prime cause

of all things.

God

is the supreme intelligence.

The prime cause of all things.

From a medium in Brussels:

"God is the creative cause of everything,

an amorous

and supreme intelligence."

From Nantes:

"Not only is He love, God is intelligence

in its expanded conscience.

This intelligence leads to supreme love."

We're facing knowledge

that can change everything.

Simply...

everything.

All we know about life

and about ourselves.

Where we come from, where we're going,

who we are,

what we live for.

A treasure to be codified.

The life of the spirits.

He is coming! He is coming!

Let us wait for the good spirits
to guide us.

It is good to hear you say that.

To know someone is trying to understand
everything that surrounds us.

The problem...

is that not only
the good spirits are around.

Actually,

we're the same after we die.
You told us that.

Unfortunately,

we can confirm this
in the harshest way possible.

What was she writing?

It was for you.

Heresy!

Sin!

Do not touch that book!

Witches! Witches!

Burn those immoral books

against the Catholic faith!

Witches! Burn them!

Witches!

May they all be excommunicated!

Others came.

Witches!

Your death is our triumph.

Who could it be this late at night?

Do not open the door, Gabi!

But if I don't open it,
how can I know who it is?

I've received this.

Who sent this message?

"We are in your path day and night,

until you fall.

We are present in everyone who hates you,

fights you, attacks you.

We are many

and our goal is only one:

That you die,

and darkness wins.

The war has merely begun."

Someone followed me yesterday.

The subject we're dealing with
bothers both the living and the dead.

Do not open this door
unless we have an appointment.

Léon,

for someone who didn't believe
in spinning tables,

it is surprising
that you tremble like this,

because of words
written on a piece of paper.

Gabi.

Gabi!

It is indeed spirits, Léon.

Incarnated spirits who are
thirsty and hungry, like every day.

Come!

Do you go to school?

Thanks, madame.

- I don't think they will come today.
- What do you mean?

We've only just started.

I...

I don't feel very well.

But Mademoiselle Japher,

I am in the middle of the research,
and the answers...

Professor, please do not insist.

I need to have my moments...

of privacy.

You don't know what it's like
to be always surrounded by spirits

trying to communicate.

Ever since I was a child,
I've lived my life serving others.

I need to have some of my life back.

Mademoiselle.

Excuse me.

They cannot do it today, Professor.

Forgive us.

Girls.

You are very brave.

You are the one who must be brave,

Professor.

Professor...

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

It must be the students.

Part one:

Elements of language.

Shall we?

Allan Kardec?

Are you sure, Professor?

If the name was once mine,

it is my right to use it again.

Voilà!

If you were once a druid,

then I must have been
a Celtic slave at the time.

Let's publish it.

- There is no time to lose.
- Professor,

we have been friends for a long time,

but we must evaluate
the cost and the impact

of a book as unprecedented as this
with such different content.

Don't worry, my friend.

All I need is a printing budget.

I will edit the book myself.

I will budget it.

Did the spirits
at least tell you if it will sell?

Sorry, sorry, sorry.
I understand that, in this case,

I'm just a sales medium.

APRIL 18, 1857

Ready for war, Professor Rivail?

No.

Maybe Allan Kardec is.

Maybe.

I am ready, though.

After all...

we are twin stars, are we not?

Stars...

drifting together forever.

THE SPIRITS' BOOK

Messieurs, dames,

your attention, please.

I'm very proud

to announce that the first edition
of The Spirits' Book,

is almost sold out.
Well, I will stop talking.

Professor Rivail.

The Spirit of Truth is right.

We are facing a new...

and definitive revolution.

We are not born condemned,
in a countdown towards the grave.

We are continually...

being born and reborn...

so we might grow...

and evolve.

This...

is the law.

So, we might learn to forgive...

and be forgiven.

To love...

and to be loved.

Madame De Plainmaison,

Mademoiselle Japher,

Caroline, Julie...

and all of you

who helped me in this work,

this is...

the result.

The Spirits' Book.

A toast...

to Professor Rivail.

Or rather...

from now on...

to Allan Kardec.

To Allan Kardec!

How are you, monsieur?

I've come here today

to ask you to read this book.

Analyze this research...

with the zeal
that has always guided our work.

Who is Allan Kardec?

This work...

is the result of a method of observation
of natural phenomena...

and the postulation
of the laws that govern them.

There are realities

beyond this reality.

There are lives beyond this life,

and we must understand them.

Don't we conduct the train of history?

Must we not stay firm
on the rails of reason?

What is the objective of incarnation?

How to recognize real progress in humans?

What can we understand
by "guardian angel"?

In a new existence,

can the spirit that resided
in a man's body

live in a woman's body and vice-versa?

How can we define matter?

At what moment
is the spirit embodied in reincarnation?

Of all the virtues,
which has the most value?

How effective is prayer?

What is free will?

Are we all equal before God?

Are there spirits in different planets?

Heresy!

Sin!

This and much more!

Stay away from this book

and from all these people
who summon the dead

and give room for demons!

May they all be excommunicated!

Our Church
shall overcome all of these attacks.

The playwright Victorien Sardou
congratulates you for the work, saying,

"It's the most interesting book
I have ever read."

The Marquis of Toury, from the University
of Geneva, is still speculating

the existence of a magnetic fluid
that runs through the fibers of the body

- causing the communication...
- No, no, no.

The fluid is real,
but it is used exclusively by spirits.

There are accusations about the book
supposedly causing

mass hysteria in young mediums.

In a city in Switzerland, some were sent

to an asylum a few days ago.

Do you want to know
about the critics' reviews?

It was never a literary exercise.

And about the reaction of the clergy?

Tell me.

They wrote a letter denouncing the book.

We've learned the Holy Office
has published an internal document

condemning the work.

There is a chance they will prohibit
the gathering of mediums.

There are also those accusing you
for using a pseudonym.

They say if the research
was really serious...

Professor Rivail would take credit for it.

THE GREAT PROFESSOR'S NEW CLASS

Which reminds me...

we have another issue to address.

You haven't even written
a dedication to me.

It is all the newspapers talk about.

Spirits, spirits, spirits.

And only you seem to matter in this work.

That is not true.

What matters is the book,

- the study we conducted.
- So, why haven't you mentioned my name?

You mentioned the spirits' names,
every single one,

but who really did all the work
here on earth?

No one will ever know.

I had to use discretion.

Do you know how much of my life
I've given to your work?

What do I get in return?

I'm not talking about money, Professor.

Especially as you no longer
have to worry about it.

I'm talking about respect.

I'm disappointed.

- Mademoiselle...
- Please...

leave!

I hope time will explain
my choices to you.

I hope time won't crucify you.

Witches!

Witches!

Leave the school!

Burn them!

Witches!

We'll burn you!

Witches! Witches!

You are witches!

Witches! Witches!

You talk to the dead!
Leave the school! You're haunted!

I'll have you burned! Burn them!

Stop it! They don't like it.

- Witches!
- Witches!

Leave this school!

I'm not a witch. Stop this!

Witches!

Witches!

Leave!

We can no longer help you, my friend.

I am grateful for all you have done,

for Spiritism, for my daughters.

How do they know
they helped me write the book?

It is not just that.

All this intolerance
seems to be out of hand.

I fear for them, monsieur.

They're my daughters!

My friends, don't leave like that.

We must trust the good spirits
for the continuation of the work.

Because we trust them,
we've decided to leave.

I'm very sorry, Professor.

We cannot expose our daughters like this.

I understand.

Where are you going?

To the countryside.

Caroline will soon be old enough
to marry, then Julie.

And it will all be behind us.

One day,

people will stop throwing rocks
at each other

because of religion and beliefs.

But it won't be today...

nor tomorrow.

Please, take care.

Please, Professor.

Don't let them win.

The flame that has once been lit

must not be extinguished.

Let's go.

Burn!

Witches!

Witches!

Burn them!

Burn!

Witches!

Gentlemen, gentlemen!

- Burn!
- Please, gentlemen!

There is no one left inside!

Enough!

There is nothing left to do!
Go back to your homes!

- Liar!
- What do you want?

You want the return of the Inquisition,
is that it?

- Do you want to burn people?
- They deserve to die!

There is nothing left to do here!
Go to your homes!

Enough!

Get out!

Die, you witches!

Who do you think you are?

I never thought you'd be able to do this.

Do you want the notebooks back?

They are mine. I wrote them
through my mediumship.

We just lent them to you for your work.

I also have the right
to publish a book if I so choose.

This material belongs
to Spiritism from now on.

Go to court and prove they are yours.

Otherwise, they will remain here.

This will not stand.

You shall never have a second of peace.

Your death is our triumph.

That wasn't her talking.

What's the difference?

Good morning.

Madame.

Thank you.

One more.

That's all, madame.

You barely touched the food.

Maybe...

this is all a result of my vanity.

Maybe they are right.

Ruth-Céline,

the fellows
from the Society of Natural Sciences,

the journalists,

the priests.

All of those people
who rage against the book...

They might be right.

Stop it.

This isn't the man I married.

Or the man who accepted this mission,

and even changed his name...

to bring this...

revelation to the world.

Gabi.

I'm not some wise venerated druid.

You know what?

From now on,

I'll answer the letters, too.

I'll help you.

Are we expecting someone?

Gabi, answer, please!
Are we expecting someone?

Calm down!

Come in, please.

Léon,

this is Mr. Dufaux
and this is his daughter, Ermance.

They are nobility from Fontainebleau,

friends of Napoleon III.

They requested an audience,

but they didn't know
if they'd get here in time.

Ever since Ermance started
delivering these messages,

our lives haven't been easy, Professor.

She would wander about the castle.

I called a court doctor

and he said she suffered from a nervous
disorder, common among women in America

and Britain, and that it would go away.

Only it didn't.

She wrote books...

signed by Joan of Arc

and Louis IX, Professor.

They were forbidden by the government.

How have you...

been feeling, miss?

Watched.

All the time.

It is understandable,

with a mediumship as strong as yours.

I hear screams, too...

of despair.

Can you help me stop this, sir?

Honestly,

I'd rather you continue, miss.

Continue...

in the right way.

I'm even scared to listen.

Sometimes,

I don't know
whether they are dead or alive.

The people who I see or who talk to me.

Right now,

at this moment,

can you see or hear someone?

And what are they saying?

That you must take care...

and carry on.

Persist.

Because there are many things...

Many things are yet to be revealed.

There are

many opposing forces, my brother.

What you are showing the world today...

is just the tip of the iceberg.

And will I have time to finish the work?

Am I not failing?

The girl will work with you.

Others will come.

Here...

and in other countries,

forever.

Until...

until they understand,

accept

and change.

Next thing I know, you'll be telling me
He is sending you messages.

Are you here to confess, Professor?

No.

I'm here to ask for peace.

Are we at war?

Are we?

Your book...

I've read it, if you must know.

I know.

The spirits told me.

Where are you going with this?

Is it a personal vendetta?

I gather you miss your students.

If it was personal,

it wouldn't have lasted a day.

Your book

is a foolish attack
against the supreme power of the Church.

We are fighting disbelief,

not the Church.

You shall have to face the consequences.

Man is nothing without faith.

Unwavering faith

is capable of fearlessly

facing reason,

through the ages.

Faith and reason.

Do you not fear the wrath of God, sir?

What if God is reason,

the supreme intelligence
capable of explaining all things?

"My father's house has many rooms,"

He said.

The spirits have said it, too.

They also said we must love

and forgive.

Materialism kills every day.

Society out there is agonizing,

hopeless.

I'm sorry, Father,

but salvation is not in the Church.

With no kindness, there is no salvation.

Blasphemy! Heresy!

All enemies of the Church
perished in time,

if not by the strength of the sword,
then by the strength of the facts.

Think carefully,
because it is time to stop it...

or be stopped!

How are you, General?

The book I gave you,
have you looked at it?

What did you think?

Doesn't it make complete sense?

Tell me.

Please, my friend, don't do this.

I am very fond of you.

That's why I gave you the book.

We've known each other for so long,
and you have never...

have never talked to me.

Please, my friend, don't do this!

I understand that things
might not have happened as you planned,

but life is a learning field,
and it does not end.

Believe me, it does not end.

What you intend to do won't help.

I beg you, please!

General, no.

No! No!

The motion for your removal
from this Society has been approved.

Professor Rivail
has stopped coming to our meetings.

We do not wish to know this Allan Kardec.

I'd like to start this séance...

in a different way.

Set aside the reason...

that guides our work.

That we might all...

pray...

for suicidal people.

Forgive me, Professor!

Forgive me!

Yes, I have read your book,

but words are no good
when they are just words.

Knowledge...

must be lived with an open soul.

I suffer a lot.

I live the same pains.

I took my life,
but I didn't leave it behind.

Here I am,

and I thank you for all the food
you've provided my body with...

and now...

my soul.

And I ask God,

"Have mercy on this man
who has never been a general,

but who was...

suicidal."

The Book on Mediums.

Do they need a book?

They need to understand their abilities

and not fall into the poisonous traps
set by pride and vanity.

It is for the good of our doctrine.

It's a work guide,
a conduct guide, that's all.

Professor,

do you know what

these boxes are?

Hasn't any spirit told you?

Barcelona, our greatest order yet.

Soon, we will be shipping your books
all over the world.

I will take this opportunity
and put this one in the shipment, too.

After all,

you are becoming a great medium
of transportation.

I call to order today's séance of
the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies.

Hold it there.

On behalf of the government
of Napoleon III

and the Paris Police Prefecture,

I declare this meeting forbidden.

Mr. Hippolyte Rivail,

also known as Allan Kardec,

you're summoned to accompany me
to the police prefecture.

Could you leave us alone for a minute?

Sure, madame.

The superior spirits
must be preparing a counter-strike.

There is no counterstrike,
my friend Carlotti.

Superior spirits do not go to war.

We shall go to the emperor
and apply for your release, Professor.

Calm down, gentlemen. Please, calm down.

My husband will be released.

It is not me they wish to punish,

it is the doctrine.

I am not the doctrine.

Madame,

there are spiritists hidden everywhere.

We can use this strength.
We can submit an appeal to the prefecture

to suspend the prohibition
of our meetings.

We need to handle
the professor's situation right away.

It is inconceivable
that he is in that place.

Why didn't the spirits warn us?

We have fallen into a trap.

Mademoiselle Japher.

I am afraid this is not a good time.

Please,

give this to him.

In spite of everything, Madame Rivail,
I have a lot of respect for the professor.

He will go down in history

and I won't.

The tears of the innocent are silent.

And blessed, when followed by repentance.

Are you here to demand
my confession, Father?

I did not ask for your arrest, Professor.

I'd never do this,
out of respect for your history.

Your book, your ideas,

they will go away.

We will continue to live our dogmas
and to admire our miracles.

Write an article. Refute it all.

Admit that this talk of spirits and souls
from another world was a mistake.

The persecution of medium gatherings
will probably follow soon.

And the tables

will spin again in all of Paris.

We all soon shall be part of the past.

Save your soul, Professor.

You have a point there, Father.

We soon

shall meet in the spiritual world.

All I ask is that you help me

in case you find me among the shadows.

I'll ask the police commissioner
to get you out of here.

Léon...

Léon.

Léon!

Léon!

These are for the newspapers.

We must answer the skeptics' critiques,

and keep giving them
some food for thought.

And this is mine

to the spirits.

- It is from me to them.
- Yes.

"Spirit of Truth,

I ask for your protection
to keep moving forward.

So that the darkness
won't prevent me from working.

I ask for peace,

health

and forgiveness should I fail."

Yes?

It is an unparalleled tragedy, gentlemen.

If this becomes a legal precedent,

we will no longer be able to send
our books to other European cities.

We will no longer be able
to promote our work.

It is over.

We're done for.

Gentlemen,

could you give us a moment?

Do you remember that meeting

in which you received the mission
to rattle the world?

I knew then

that our lives would change completely.

The Spirit of Truth needn't have asked you
if you would accept it or not.

I would have said yes.

We do this for truth

and in its name.

And for the love I have for you,

I ask you,

fight for our books.

Monsieur Dufaux,

the emperor apologizes.
He holds you in the highest regard,

but he won't be able to see you.

Napoleon also gives your daughter
his regards

and hopes her mind has recovered.

Is it possible, monsieur,

to alert the emperor that this concerns
matters of national security?

French books were apprehended
while going through customs in Barcelona.

The emperor said
there's nothing he can do.

What do you mean, nothing?

- It is an outrageous act of censorship!
- Don't...

Our emperor asks
that the matter be addressed

and settled by diplomacy.

It is impossible!

Shall we remain passive in the face
of a foreign country's aggression?

- What kind of emperor have we got?
- Sir,

do not insist.

The matter has been argued.

What has been argued?

Was it argued
that we must no longer argue?

Monsieur Dufaux,

please.

Excuse me.

We must go, Professor.
We have nothing left to do here.

Darling, calm down.

We will find another way. Come on!

Madame Rivail is right.
We can print other copies,

send them to our bookseller friends,

off the record, at least
until we overcome this prohibition.

But our books... I can't believe it.

Let's have faith. We are not alone.

Have a nice day, gentlemen.

- God bless you.
- Professor, let's go.

Léon.

BARCELONA, OCTOBER 9, 1861

By order of the Holy Office,

in a decision abided by me,

the Bishop of Barcelona,

I hereby sentence these immoral books
against the Catholic faith to burn!

That these pages
sullied by lies and heresy

no longer circulate,
not here nor anywhere in the world.

Therefore, they shall burn!

- This is censorship!
- We want freedom!

Say no to the Inquisition!
We want freedom!

Freedom! Freedom!
Say no to the Inquisition!

Say no to the Inquisition!

We want freedom!

Freedom!

- Professor, are you all right?
- Calm down, Professor.

We are your friends.

- We are here to protect you.
- Thank you.

We shall accompany you home.

- Come.
- You need to rest, sir.

We will make a representation
against the Spanish government.

We will use all of our forces
so that no other book will be burned.

We will go to the international courts,
Gabi, to defend our freedom of speech.

What is it?

Mademoiselle Japher
brought this a few days ago.

I didn't give this to you
so I could spare you.

Forget all I said, Gabi.

"You might even fight for the books,

but there can be no better publicity.

Let them burn,

and the bonfires will be extinguished.

The immortal thought shall survive.

- From the Spirit of Truth."
- Léon,

the burning of the books
attracted the world's attention.

Do you remember, Gabi?

The Spirit of Truth

alerted us to the difficulties
on our journey.

THE SPIRITS' BOOK

The mission,

the traps...

the opposing forces.

He was right about all of it.

There is just one thing he didn't tell us.

Something that makes all the difference.

That it would be worth it.

That is the simple truth.

PROFESSOR RIVAIL DISINCARNATED
ON MARCH 31, 1869,

AFTER PUBLISHING FIVE BOOKS

AND PRESIDING OVER THE SOCIETY
OF SPIRITIST STUDIES FOR 11 YEARS.

THE SPIRITS' BOOK HAS BEEN TRANSLATED
INTO MORE THAN 20 LANGUAGES.

IN BRAZIL, IT SOLD OVER 30 MILLION COPIES.

FOR H.L.D. RIVAIL, AKA ALLAN KARDEC,
AND AMÉLIE-GABRIELLE BOUDET