L'Arracheuse de temps (2021) - full transcript
In 1988, in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, an eleven years old boy is worried for his grandmother's life. Worn out by illness, the old storyteller tries to convince her grandson that the Death no longer exists. Her story will bring back to life the extraordinary people from the village in 1927 who, by using rocambolesque tricks, will eliminate the Death that threatens them. From now on, death will coincide with the birth of legends.
DO NOT PASS
THE TIME THIEF
Where are you going?
To see Grandma.
You spend all your days there.
You'll be the death of her!
For a long time now,
I've been haunted by the idea of death,
of the end.
Selfishly, I'm not as worried about mine
as other people's,
because those are the ones
that will cause me the most suffering.
It's consumed me since childhood.
Incidentally,
if I became a storyteller,
it's because this fear of death
lived inside of me.
- Hi, Fred!
- Hi!
My grandmother is the one who taught me
how to keep people alive.
Grandma? Grandma?
Are you OK?
Yeah.
I thought you were dead.
No, no. I'm here.
Give me a hand.
What happened? You got short of breath?
Did you trip on your tank's tubes?
I was resting.
I'm allowed to rest from time to time.
My grandmother was a woman of words.
She would often recount legends,
epic stories from 50 years ago,
or the day before yesterday,
that carried our imaginations
far and wide.
The church bell rang.
How many times?
Just one.
Did it ring on its own?
All alone. Just now.
You're worrying for nothing.
You told me it means
someone in the village will die.
Right?
How do we find out who's gonna die?
That superstition
doesn't hold up anymore.
You feeling better?
I'm fine.
You can be scared if you want,
but the story says
that death doesn't even exist anymore.
How's that?
That's not coming from me.
- Then who?
- The legend.
The legend?
A story from way, way back.
I'll put on my glasses
to see it as clearly as possible.
It happened a long time ago,
but I remember it like it was tomorrow.
Back then, the village of
Saint-Élie-de-Caxton was in its golden age.
Everyone was alive.
We hadn't put ourselves on the map yet,
but it didn't matter.
We didn't have to exist to others,
as long as we existed for each other.
Was it like in an old movie?
A bit, but in colour.
APPLE PIE
All right! Let's get down to baldness.
Am I mistaken,
or are those whiffs of cinnamon
dancing in my nostrils, Mr. Bellemare?
You're on the right scent, Father.
That's my apple pie in the oven.
I whip one up every week.
Don't I know it, Méo!
Your pie is no secret to anyone.
The whole village can smell it.
On that note, do you have
any apples left from last year?
- Not a one, Father.
- Oh, really?
They're a rare commodity nowadays.
And we almost lost
our apple tree last night.
You saw that flash of lightning too?
Of course.
Apple tree or no apple tree,
nothing will stop me
from baking apple pies.
Come on, Méo!
Apple pies without apples?
Don't make me laugh.
Since when do you need apples
to make apple pie?
You just add more cinnamon.
That's the secret.
Whatever the fruit you have in your hand,
just stuff that pie
with cinnamon and brown sugar,
and you can't go wrong.
They can take our apple tree if they want.
Fruit, Father, is just a state of mind.
Voilà!
Come on, Méo!
- What is it?
- Well...
Well, look!
You asked for a little snip.
It's snipped.
This isn't a little snip!
It's circumcised!
Well, for the clergy,
we go for a more Judeo-classic look.
Jeannette!
Tell me if the banner is straight.
Ms. Gélinas had 472 children.
Come on, boys!
We don't want to be late for church.
472 children?
Yep! She was miraculously saved
at the sanctuary.
After that, she ovulated
six or seven times a day!
The limit is 12!
Oh, Toussaint.
OK, look at it carefully.
Tell me if it's straight, OK?
But don't look at the store.
It's not level.
ALL SAINTS' DAY AT TOUSSAINT'S
There?
A bit higher.
It's good of you
to organize the cards night, honey.
Higher. Careful!
50 cents per person?
Come on, Toussaint!
You raise the fee every year.
It reflects the cost of living.
And don't forget
that includes the free beer!
Like this?
Too high.
What do you think?
That it's too high.
I'll have to lower the other end too.
What?
Come, we'll be late for church.
Come.
Huh.
I was 20 years old.
I was a clerk and delivery girl
at the Brodeurs' store.
Hello!
Didn't you have glasses?
No, I had good eyes.
- Hurry back!
- Yep.
I had good lungs
and a bicycle with pedals.
You lived in the village?
I've always lived in the village.
I'm a native Caxtonian, like you.
Riopel the blacksmith was
the scrap-metal tinkerer and dabbler.
He invented solutions.
Sometimes, when you saw the solution,
you'd say: "Things will get ugly
when that problem comes!"
Hello, Bernadette!
Hello, Blacksmith!
Are you shoeing a chicken?
Yes, ma'am!
You're full of surprises.
One of these days, I'll shoe your bike!
The blacksmith was a widower.
He lost his wife far too young.
He lived alone?
No, before leaving,
his wife left him a daughter.
Thanks to her,
his life hadn't lost meaning.
He was a widower, but mostly,
he was a father
to the lovely Lurette.
She was my best friend.
Lurette, you won't believe
what I saw last night.
Is the white dress OK for church?
Yes, it's perfect.
What did you see?
I was on my way home from you-know-who's.
You went to see the Stroop?
Shush! Your father can't know.
He wouldn't like it.
What's the hold-up?
We're gonna be late.
Go on, Dad. We walk fast.
It always takes the priest awhile
to get some wind in his sails.
Yeah, but hurry anyway.
- And?
- OK.
It must have been about 11:00.
The church bell tolled once,
so I stopped nearby.
It wasn't raining or anything.
A lightning bolt struck the apple tree
right in front of the church.
Was it uprooted?
No.
It's still standing.
Phew!
"Phew, phew..."
Not really!
It's practically split in half.
A 100-year-old apple tree!
You'll see.
It looks like a big capital Y.
Maybe it'll grow apple halves.
That's not it.
It's like the apples burned.
They're all black.
They might be bad now, dangerous even.
What makes you say that?
I don't know.
It wasn't just the lightning.
I saw something leaving the tree.
Don't be mad!
I'll make it up to you with a pie.
You've promised me at least 15 pies, Méo.
How many have I gotten?
None!
This time, you'll get one.
I promise, as I live and breathe.
Am I breathing?
Yes.
Then I promise as I live and breathe.
Don't worry about your haircut.
Hair is just a state of mind!
But...
What on earth happened here?
What's this?
Must have been hit hard!
Boys! Get down from there.
I don't know if it's a parasite,
but the apples look like they were bitten.
They're more unsettling
than before, anyway.
In terms of market value,
they've definitely depreciated.
They're not all for you, you know!
Let him be. There's no danger.
It's not about danger.
We have one apple tree for everyone.
It'd be nice if we got some too!
It's because of the lightning!
What lightning?
Come on! Can't any of you hear?
You should make an appointment
to have the fuzz cut out of your ears.
When the lightning is strong enough
to split a tree in two,
you'd think people would notice.
Or at least hear it.
What did I tell you? Get down!
My God! Is that his third?
Don't touch the apples. Are you deaf?
Come, children. We're going to church.
Don't shut the door.
My daughter is coming with Bernadette.
Of course!
No, no, no! Don't, Lurette!
Why not?
Were you there when it happened?
Bernadette, the tree
was struck by lightning.
Worst case, we'll find a baked apple.
We ate them last year
and never got sick.
That doesn't matter.
The branch of death grows
on the same trunk as the branch of life.
You're always worrying.
Come!
Oh, jeez...
Then what, Grandma?
Mass had just started.
Did she change her dress?
What?
Her dress! She had a white dress on
two minutes ago.
Didn't she?
I forgot. You're right.
Her dress was white.
Her dress was white.
But that didn't stop her
from putting on a little blue sweater.
Like the lightning bolt
that chose last night
to strike a mature apple tree
bearing sweet, ripe fruit...
death strikes without warning.
It's divine justice.
On that note...
who here wants to go to Heaven?
Who among you wants to go to Heaven?
That the kid who
stuffed his face with apples?
Yeah. I don't know how many he ate,
but he didn't hold back.
No manners at all.
The journey will be one way only.
Eternal and all-inclusive.
Our departure date hangs over us
poor, poor travellers without luggage.
Be it tomorrow...
this month or years from now,
we will all take that journey.
It's divine justice!
It's divine justice.
Life hangs on by a hair.
Mr. Bellemare!
Don't you want to go to Heaven?
Honestly, Father,
I'm getting a little sick
of organized trips.
Saint Peter is wise.
You won't enter
through double garage doors.
Heaven's gate isn't wide.
If you drink too much
and stumble your way there,
you'll knock your head
on its ornate frame.
And you, young ladies?
Heaven?
When I say I saw something yesterday
and that the church bell tolled once,
I think it was death, Lurette.
Death? Bernadette!
Was it mine?
I don't know!
Let's try them and find out.
We shouldn't.
Come on! Don't play the witch.
Friendship is stronger than death.
Well done, Bernadette!
I don't know what got into me.
I took a bite.
But I couldn't swallow.
Lurette, death is the same for everyone.
You always have to be careful.
- Hello!
- Hello!
So...
One pair, size 18.
OK, one, two, three rolls of pennies.
Fifty cents a roll makes $1.50.
The boots are a buck apiece.
One, two. That makes...
That makes?
Two bucks.
Exactly!
So you're missing?
Fifty cents.
That's all I have left.
That's too bad.
Surely, there's a way...
For you to figure it out.
Toussaint! He'll have to spend the winter
in slippers by the wood stove.
If only. Right now,
we don't even have wood for the stove.
That's true, Mom.
Well, I happen to have
some nice logs for sale!
OK.
Are you planning to have children soon?
- Yes.
- No.
Not right away,
but we're thinking about it.
No, never, Jeannette!
You never recover the costs
of having children. Never!
If you help me get shoes on his feet,
he could work as a lumberjack.
He's strong.
It would save us.
OK, I'll help you out.
Listen, I'll take the money
and give you one now.
When you pay in full,
you can have the other one.
How does that sound?
Now, which one do you prefer?
Whichever you want.
Do you use the right
or the left more often?
- That one.
- That one.
- Good choice!
- Toussaint...
I'll save you the other one.
It's yours.
It'll be nice and toasty under the counter.
See you a-boot town!
Have a nice day!
Credit?
When the credit union
starts selling boots,
I'll do credit.
Until then, they'll make do.
You know, Toussaint Brodeur,
it takes a village to raise a child.
I'm not running a free boot store.
OK, Bernadette, grab a box.
We have shelves to stock.
Do I shelve these?
Toussaint, those are the cards
for your 50-cent Black Lady tournament.
No, those stay in the box.
They aren't for sale.
- Really?
- Nope.
These are for rent.
The Stroop!
Who?
I never told you about the Stroop?
The Sprout?
Not the Sprout, the Stroop! Here.
She was a foreigner
who just turned up one day.
She moved into a huge estate
on Leech Lake.
She owned acres of land,
jewelry, a luxury car and lace curtains.
Her house was full of
stuffed furry beasts
and pillows stuffed
with feathered beasts.
Some said she was a rich German noble
whose dreams of wide open spaces
brought her here.
Some said she had invested
in the Val-D'Or gold mines
right when they found the vein.
Others said she was a hockey champion
who dressed up as a man
to tend goal
for the New York Rangers.
She was a woman
who had many things,
but mostly, a lot of knowledge.
It was plain to see
she could see things we didn't see.
You see?
OK, but where was she really from?
Charrette? Saint-Paulin?
Not Shawinigan?
People made up so many stories about her,
we never found out the truth.
All we know is she wasn't there,
and then she was.
Spontaneous existence.
Just like popcorn!
Is it true you shoot guns?
Sometimes.
I hear you can aim from miles away.
They say you always hit the buckeye!
No, no, I'll get it.
And I hear you host illegal game nights?
Oh, it's nothing.
Black Lady, is that right?
Don't do that, Madam Stroop!
Black Lady, yes.
Some people call it "the pisser".
You're all settled up.
For the cards.
You have your gun on you?
What's going on?
Was that a gunshot?
I told you!
That woman ain't one of us.
Yeah, but she's not a bad person.
We're not saying she is.
We're just saying she has strange powers.
One time, she came in
and bought six mousetraps.
Six mousetraps.
We figured the mice were coming.
So the blacksmith did the same.
He bought six traps.
Méo did too.
Then, Ms. Gélinas.
But there was no infestation.
Of course not!
With all those traps out there,
we averted catastrophe.
Something similar
happened the week before.
Yes!
She came in and bought six pints of milk.
Six pints of milk!
For a woman living alone.
When Méo saw that, he knew she was
stocking up for a milk shortage.
So what did he do?
He bought six bottles that day.
Then Ms. Gélinas bought, what?
At least thirty.
- At least!
- Yep, yep.
And wouldn't you know it,
that very day, we ran out of milk.
- She sensed it.
- She sensed it...
Yeah.
She bought three shovels just now.
We can expect record snowfalls this year.
That, or she has bodies to bury.
My God!
She always pays!
I have no complaints there.
All I'm saying is...
she's a witch!
People are scared of her.
It's none of my business
if you want to see her.
I prefer to keep my distance.
My relationship with her
is strictly business.
You're not scared of the Stroop?
Not one bit!
The village has needed a woman like her
for a long time.
I bet she'd have liked
an invitation to the tournament.
You didn't invite her?
Over my dead body!
That's one way to make sure
no one else comes.
"IRENE HAS HARVESTED HER POTATOES"
"OPINION - IS THE ELECTRIC BULB HARMFUL?"
Coming to bed soon, sweetie?
I'll be up in a while.
You don't want to join me?
I want to, but not right away.
I have to close up shop.
Go to sleep. I'll be there soon.
Goodnight, sweetie.
Hey...
No way.
No way!
I'm gonna give you one more chance.
If you don't want to lock, don't lock!
Hi, Méo!
I may not have the fortune you have,
but I'm not saying I won't pay.
We don't have a fortune.
It's just that maybe there's some way
you could make me a deal...
I'm not asking you to give it away.
I understand, Ms. Gélinas.
I'll say it again,
even if my words fail me:
When your child is sick,
you'd give what you don't even have...
to bring him back to health.
I hope you understand that someday.
Good day.
Bernadette, you wouldn't happen
to need logs at home, would you?
No, we're not heating yet.
It's unimaginable!
What is it this time?
One of the Gélinas boys
is in Paleolithic care.
No!
Paleolithic, huh?
Yes, Paleolithic care in his room.
OK. She didn't mention that.
She was here to buy pills, Toussaint.
True.
Which boy did you say it was?
I don't know his name.
I recognize him by his hair.
The one with a unibrow.
They all have unibrows, Méo!
I know.
Poor kids! One has a stomach ache too.
No, it's the same one!
Junior!
Yes!
The apples.
We should have cut down the apple tree
right after the lightning.
- Oh yeah?
- The tree, the apples, everything!
To spare us the consequences.
Is the apple tree still there?
Come, let's go for a walk.
Wait for me!
Each year, everyone drooled over
the apples from that tree.
They all wanted their share.
How did they divide them?
Divide them?
They dreamed they'd be divided,
but the priest ate them.
That's how it was.
That's unjust.
It was divine justice.
The apple tree was right here.
The priest said:
"We'll plant a lamppost,
modernize this village."
And the apples?
The apples?
Everyone still wanted them,
despite their black peels.
Especially since it would be
the last time we had them.
We'll just have to cut it!
We can't cut a tree with ripe apples!
The priest said to think on it.
We don't want to regret anything.
Blacksmith, your daughter
is always cold, isn't she?
Yeah.
You must be burning logs already?
Are you saying I want to
cut this tree for firewood?
What? No.
If you give me the apples,
I'll make pie for everyone!
Everyone!
I promise as I live and breathe.
Méo, you can stick
your pie promises in the oven!
It was the tree!
It was the tree!
The tree poisoned my son.
Cursed apples!
They're poison!
Misfortune!
Ms. Gélinas, calm down.
Maybe we should chop it down.
You're right, Bernadette!
Come on!
We can't chop down a 100-year-old tree
over a superstition.
You're right, Toussaint!
Méo, they're saying opposite things!
They can't both be right.
You're right, Jeannette.
But everyone is right!
Blacksmith! Go get your chainsaw.
I condemn this tree...
to the chopping block!
Thanks for your help gathering
these potentially poisonous apples.
I think it's safest if I keep them here,
away from hungry mouths.
With all due respect, Father,
for 20 years, I've been drinking
at Toussaint's every night, right?
- Right.
- Right.
A piss-up a day,
seven days a week.
I guzzle all that booze,
and I hold it all in,
at my own risk.
And at the end of each evening,
I stop by the church on my way home.
And every time,
I take a piss on the apple tree.
Every time!
For 20 years, I've offered up my bladder
to fertilize your branches, Father!
Those juicy apples
have my nitrogen to thank!
I'll take on the risk,
but I think I deserve
half of these apples.
You're right, Méo.
It's divine justice.
So, one for me,
one for you, one for me.
One for me, one for you, one for me...
Uh, Méo!
The beer you're pissing,
it's my beer, right?
Yes.
Well, I think I deserve
a third half then.
One for me, one for you,
one for him, one for me.
One for me...
Toussaint!
The mare you take
to get your beer order in Shawinigan...
- She's mine, isn't she?
- Yes.
A quarter for me.
One for me, one for you, one for him,
one for the other, one for me.
I felt like I was the only one to know.
Know what?
Well, to know, to doubt, to imagine.
I still didn't have all the evidence,
but logic was already
sending me down the path to worry.
And because no one seemed to realize
what was afoot,
I had to act.
I felt like the only one who could help
was the Stroop.
- There!
- I pissed too.
That's true, ma'am.
I saw you from my window.
But it's different for her.
She has to squat.
I hold my willy in my hands
and aim my piss at the thirsty soil.
I nourish, ma'am. I nourish!
She's flying blind!
She's pissing any which way,
with collateral damage
right down to her shoes.
It's not the same.
My wife is a straight pisser, OK?
You're a straight pisser, sweetie.
If we were to believe your lies, Méo,
I'm spraying wide enough for two shares.
It's the Proust!
Not the Proust, the Stroop.
The Stroop.
Madam?
You couldn't ask for a more impartial judge
to divide the apples.
I don't mix with anyone in the village.
I have no favourites.
Let me do it.
Of course!
No one is better placed than you, Madam...
Stroop.
I know.
What are you plotting now, Bernadette?
I don't understand.
Don't you want any apples?
No, I don't want apples, Lurette.
We'd love to submit ourselves
to your wisdom and clairvoyance
and let you handle the matter,
but we're hoping the division...
will be guided by divine justice.
What?
Divine justice.
Perfect!
Madam...
It's just that the division
isn't exactly fair.
Fair? You didn't ask
for a fair division, Father.
You asked me to
let divine justice guide me.
There you have it!
This is your fault!
That's not what I meant.
Bernadette!
Bernadette!
I don't want apples, Lurette.
And I don't think anyone here
should want them either.
It's not up to you.
The apples are jet black!
It's just the peel.
You obviously weren't there
when it happened.
I saw everything.
And I agree with the Stroop.
We have to get rid
of that fruit, fast.
Bernadette!
Are you coming, Lurette?
The Stroop wasn't stealing.
She was just being cautious.
She didn't know it,
but she saved just about everybody!
Well, without you,
she may never have known about the apples.
You could have been scared
to have people angry with you.
Anger!
Anyway, the truth would
come out in the end.
I think some apples are missing.
You counted?
Just a feeling.
A few people ate them.
The Gélinas boy had two or three.
What are his symptoms?
He's crying, writhing.
They say he has cramps.
He needs something to heal him.
Yeah. A doctor, maybe?
You said a few people ate them?
So that means the Gélinas boy
wasn't the only one.
Who are the others?
My friend Lurette had one too.
But she's fine.
No pain, nothing.
Here.
To heal the boy.
It's not designed for black apples,
but it's a good potion.
It should help.
I'll tell them it's from you.
No! Definitely not.
Don't say a thing.
What made you come get me, Bernadette?
Well, the apples.
But it's not just the apples, is it?
Did something happen?
Did you see anything strange?
You mean the lightning bolt?
Not the lightning bolt.
- A person?
- A person.
Yeah.
Yeah, I saw her.
Am I right to be scared?
Scared, not scared,
it won't change a thing.
She's the one who decides.
And who's "she"?
The Time Thief.
There was nothing I could do.
I was too late.
That's what I was saying.
People are still dying.
That's just appearances.
And all this?
All these people.
You're gonna tell me they're alive?
These are all people who will never die.
Grandma?
Oh no! I'm gonna go get someone, OK?
Don't move!
The doctor said you could come back home,
but you have to promise
to obey his orders.
You'll have to get used to
using your wheelchair at all times.
You'll be happy here, Mom.
You won't have to climb
the stairs to your room.
You don't have the strength
to go up and down stairs.
The doctor said you'll have to use
your oxygen tank as much as possible.
We'll come by from time to time
to check your vitals
and make sure you're OK.
The doctor said he'd come by too.
OK. Am I still allowed to speak?
It's gonna be OK.
If your grandmother is careful,
her dear little heart
will keep beating for a long time.
Don't worry.
She obviously hasn't heard
death doesn't exist anymore.
- Lurette?
- Yes?
Did you hear?
Death rang the bell again.
Death is crazy
to have taken a child.
What's happening to you, sweetie?
I don't know. It comes and goes.
Want me to get the doctor?
No, no. They're just cramps.
Don't worry.
I can't help but worry.
You're my beloved daughter.
You're my little bird.
A father comes with an organ
just for worrying.
He sees his child
and measures her every day.
He studies any change in colour,
bags around the eyes.
He spies on her plate
to make sure she's eating.
He kisses her forehead
to take her temperature.
You're sweet, Dad.
It's not because I'm sweet.
I'm built that way.
That's how it works.
Things are never the same
after you become a father.
You think and you act...
like you're consumed.
You don't want anything bad to happen.
I love you, Dad.
Goodnight, sweetie.
I was looking for clues
that would tell me who was next.
Then it came to me.
I remembered what the priest
said at church.
You're not very chatty, are you?
No.
What did you say your name was?
But who are you?
Méo!
Are you OK?
The beautiful Bernadette!
What was she doing here?
Who?
Her! Do you know who that was?
She didn't tell me her name.
That was Death, Méo!
Remember when the priest said
life hangs on by a hair?
Yeah.
Who do you think he was talking to?
I don't know.
Méo!
He didn't say it hangs on
by a horseshoe
or it hangs on by a pair
of shearling-lined boots.
Life hangs on by a hair!
You're a barber!
He was talking about me?
What do you think?
Stop it, Bernadette!
Stuff like that makes me nervous.
If you came here to scare me...
The priest also said
the gate to Heaven is small,
and if you stumble your way up there,
you might hit your head on the frame.
He didn't say it like that.
And the church bell tolled just once.
Did you hear it, Méo?
You need help.
What are you doing here?
Death paid Méo a visit.
I don't want to die.
I'm too thirsty!
You have two choices, Méo.
Either you quit drinking now,
until the hour of your death.
Or you learn the hour of your death
and quit drinking a few days before.
The hour of my death?
What's that?
Iron supplements, vitamins,
dopamine, demulcent, albumin,
glucosamine sulfate
and cod liver oil.
How much?
$9.25.
And you?
Me? Well, it's a gift.
How generous.
Well, yeah. It's not from me.
Anyway.
You said her name was the Snoop?
The Stroop.
She saw into the future.
She had a sixth eye.
It was a fontanelle that never closed up.
Like babies have on their head,
that soft spot
right here on the noggin.
Apparently, she didn't get enough calcium.
She was given a choice
between having teeth
or closing up her dome.
She chose teeth,
so she always had a crack in the attic.
I'll tell you the hour of your death.
In return, you must promise
to bring me an apple pie
15 minutes before you die.
An apple pie?
Yes.
Why a pie?
Why do you want to know
the hour of your death?
An apple pie, Méo.
Yes, ma'am.
Promise, Méo,
15 minutes before you die.
I promise as I live and breathe.
Look me in the eye.
In three days, at 7:00 p.m.
In three days, at 7:00 p.m.
In three days, at 7:00 p.m.
Three days, 7:00, Saturday.
Dying during a card tournament!
Father, I confess to drinking every day
for the past 20 years.
And, listen...
I went to see the Stroop.
- The Stroop?
- Yes.
Méo, how many times
have I wasted my breath
telling you not to go see her?
You'll bring misfortune to the village.
Don't tell me you're in cahoots with her!
No, no, it's just that...
I promised her an apple pie.
An apple pie?
An apple pie.
Méo, she's got all the apples.
Let her make her own pie!
Yeah.
Now promise me you won't bring her a pie.
Promise!
I promise as I live and breathe.
I promise as I live and breathe.
See, Méo.
See, Méo, what good will it do
to tell you the exact hour of your death?
You can't even keep your word!
Méo!
Sweetie?
It's cold upstairs.
Come snuggle with me.
I can't right now.
Don't stay up too late.
Tomorrow is a big day.
You don't look so good.
It depends. I'm up and down.
Sometimes, I feel OK.
I go about my day.
Then all of a sudden,
it hits me in the stomach.
It's the apples.
You really think they were poison?
I signed you up for the card tournament.
I don't know if I'll
have the strength, Bernadette.
But the vial!
The potion the Stroop gave you.
Didn't you still have it?
Oh yes, yes.
Take this. It'll help.
What is it?
You didn't listen last time,
and look where we are now.
Drink it.
They're beautiful!
They're all even sizes.
Just even sizes?
Yessir! I'm done with odd sizes.
What about the people
whose feet can't be divided in two?
I'll sell them one size up
and stuff them with newspaper.
But for me,
it's half the inventory.
But if someone absolutely
wants an odd size, you'll order it?
That's out of the question!
If they want odd sizes,
they can buy them
in Saint-Boniface or Charrette.
Here, starting now,
we're selling even.
So?
I'll think about it.
Toussaint, your employee Bernadette,
have you noticed
she's been acting strange lately?
Well, the Stroop might be
rubbing off on her a bit.
I'm worried that rubbing
will rub off a second time.
Because she's friends with your daughter?
Bernadette may take different paths,
but she's not going to a bad place.
You're right, Jeannette.
I'm worrying about nothing.
Bye!
I was this close to a sale.
He came in to buy a hammer.
I don't have any!
But he's here with cash in his pockets.
What can I do?
Tell him you don't have a hammer.
No way! The other day,
the priest came in to buy matches.
I didn't have any matches.
He left with a pint of molasses,
happy as a clam. Barely noticed.
At a certain point,
the clients just have to adjust.
Are you feeling better, Lurette?
Yes, much better.
What's that?
An antidote for poison.
Why do you have this?
It's fine, Dad.
Where did you get it?
From the Stroop.
You didn't think to ask
before playing doctor with my daughter?
But I'm better, Dad.
I'm the dad.
I know what's best for my daughter.
Here. You have plenty of time
to practice for the tournament.
She invited me to the tournament.
And you, don't let her out alone
and don't leave her unsupervised.
It's just that no one else knew.
She didn't have a choice.
She had to act.
I understand, but I don't have
the science for miracle potions,
so I'll ask that
you keep following my advice.
Dr. Cossette, listen...
You have to avoid physical activity
or sudden movements
that could cause an accident
or put stress on your heart.
Basically, I want you to stay in bed.
You'll keep an eye on her?
I'll keep an eye on her.
She had seen Death.
But people don't always
believe in that stuff.
Yes, yes.
Now let her rest a bit.
I'll be back tomorrow morning.
OK, thanks! Wait, I'll walk you out.
Thanks, Dr. Cossette.
See you tomorrow!
Tell your wife I said hi!
Yes, see you tomorrow!
What are you doing, Grandma?
Come. Follow me.
I have to show you something upstairs.
You can't go upstairs.
The doctor said.
The doctor...
He doesn't know everything!
If you want to hear the rest of the story,
follow me.
You don't have the strength!
Come!
He said to rest!
Up!
Come.
I didn't even know anymore which one
of Méo or Lurette was in danger.
Or even me.
Or maybe it was all three of us.
Death seemed to be everywhere at once.
Sit.
I sensed that she was hungry, very hungry.
REVOLVER CARTRIDGES
Come on, Bernadette! Leave it.
Go help Jeannette. I'll clean this up.
He's been acting strange lately.
Hear ye, hear ye, ladies and gentlemen!
Tonight is the night of all nights.
Don't miss the Black Lady tournament.
It's All Saints' at Toussaint's!
Tonight at 7:00 p.m.!
Hear ye, ladies and gentlemen!
Tonight is the night of all nights.
Don't miss the Black Lady tournament.
It's All Saints' at Toussaint's!
It takes a certain type
to run a general store.
What type is that?
All the energy
he puts into crunching numbers,
that he invests into
each penny that comes in...
Yeah. Sometimes, I think
it's a bit too much energy.
It's gonna be cool tonight.
We advise you to put
one small log on the fire
before coming to the tournament.
Just one small log will suffice!
If you're out of logs,
we have plenty in stock.
Beautiful, dry logs!
I'm away from the shop for the next hour,
but after that,
I'd be happy to sell you some.
I repeat, for the next hour,
I'm not there.
I'm not there!
Attention, Mr. Méo Bellemare!
The tournament organizer
is presently outside your home
to officially register you.
How's that for service?
We wish to inform you
that pretty much the entire village
is registered for tonight's tournament.
Even the priest is playing!
It'd be a shame to miss it, right, Méo?
What's going on?
Méo?
What's going on with you, Méo?
We never see you anymore.
It's a lot more fun when you're around.
Look, take your time.
Whenever you're ready.
I saw you.
Why won't you leave Méo alone?
What's going on with you, Bernadette?
I asked if he wanted to register.
Well, he's registered. It's settled.
No, he has to sign
and pay for the registration.
Also, as a store employee,
you should stop telling Méo
to quit drinking.
What will we sell if Méo quits drinking?
This is about the store's well-being.
That's more important
than your friend's well-being?
And no credit for a child with cold feet?
No, no, no...
Your wife plays organ at church for free.
Should she get a donation receipt
for your taxes?
Good idea!
As for Méo's registration fees,
just take them off my next paycheck.
What's gotten into her?
It's a miracle
how much better you're doing.
Must have been a passing bug.
I'm gonna take a nap
before the tournament.
A champ like me might be out late!
Definitely! Get some rest, Dad.
OK.
Yes!
There you go.
Hi, Méo!
You haven't started yet?
The pie, Méo!
The pie...
What good will that do?
I won't be any less dead with a pie.
Have you been drinking?
No, not a drop.
I won't drink until I'm dead.
Where do you keep your baking stuff?
There.
OK, we have everything we need.
Did Méo change his recipe?
What?
His recipe. Didn't you say
he used lots of cinnamon?
Oh yeah!
Méo, do you have any ground cinnamon?
Méo, do you have any ground cinnamon?
I'm all out.
He said it was
the most important ingredient.
Dammit.
It's OK. I brought a little bag
from the store.
To get him to help, I said:
"Méo, we're not baking a pie."
We're setting you up for eternity.
Eternity is a long time,
especially if you're hungry.
Turn on the stove. Whisk two eggs.
Then I said:
Where are the apples? I'll peel 'em.
The apples?
An apple pie, Méo.
I'll take care of it.
No one's here yet?
Not yet, but it won't be...
Good evening!
Some card players! Good evening, ma'am!
Welcome! Come in.
It's going to be an explosive evening!
Take off your coats!
I'm telling you...
Quarter to seven...
Hurry, Méo! You promised to bring it
15 minutes before you die.
Come on, scoot, Méo!
It's time!
To think I'm missing the tournament
due to personal mortality...
Get on the bike, Méo!
You're not coming?
No, Lurette is waiting for me.
Now hurry!
Hurry, hurry...
Easier said than done.
Who's there?
Is someone there?
Lurette?
Lurette?
Are you there, Lurette?
You won't have taught me
the hour of my death, ma'am,
but you'll have taught me to keep my word.
You'll escape death, Méo,
because you kept your promise.
Oh yeah?
If you had eaten this pie,
you'd have died on the spot.
Now hurry!
Go play cards.
Yes!
Bernadette?
Come!
Ladies and gentlemen,
once again this year,
we're celebrating All Saints' Day
to enter the Month of the Dead
through the doors of pleasure!
I'll remind you that last year,
we held a beanbag toss,
and the year before, we played darts.
Today, by popular demand,
we're going to play Black Lady!
Yessir!
Now, Black Lady,
also known as "the pisser",
is not always played the same
in different households, I know.
Tonight's rules are clear:
It takes three cards to start.
You'll form teams of two
with the person across from you.
And the queen of spades
is worth 100 points!
Yes.
I'll also remind you
that your entry free
includes one entry
into the big draw to win...
the free beer!
Jeannette and I are so happy you're here.
Thanks for coming.
Let the annual tournament begin!
Can someone tell me
what's going on under my roof?
We're going to see the Stroop.
You are not to leave this house.
Your daughter saw Death, Blacksmith.
She saw her!
I froze, Dad.
She was a foot away from me.
She looked like...
like she knew me.
It was like she came for me.
Exactly.
Things are bad enough as it is!
Let's not also get a witch involved.
Well, you go too!
Take your daughter to see the Stroop,
and hurry.
Bernadette, don't make me
forbid my daughter from seeing you.
The only person I'll go see is...
the priest.
And you two stay here.
Trust me, Lurette. OK?
We have to go now.
Friendship is stronger than death.
Here you go.
And voilà!
Voilà! Have a great evening.
Méo! Where were you?
The whole village was worried!
Were you sick?
The only pain I feel
is the one that just hit me
here in the stomach.
It hurts. It's a thirst cramp!
Thirst is retroactive. Voilà!
It's good to see you.
He's drinking again?
He quit until his death.
But his death passed,
so he could start again.
That's how it goes.
People wait until they're dead
to really start living again.
Listen, Father, things are bad.
My daughter is wasting away.
And she saw Death, Father.
Death. In the charnel house.
My little girl...
Save us.
- Save yourselves.
- No, save us!
No, save yourselves!
If Death came here for your daughter,
get her out of here.
Leave! Go far away.
Go to Shawinigan, get out of the village.
I'll take care of
the charnel house's occupant.
- Thank you.
- Godspeed.
- Stay strong!
- Yes.
Not on foot!
She should take her bike.
Doesn't Méo have it?
No, Méo's back in the village.
He's at Toussaint's.
Listen, Madam Death.
With all due respect,
the girl just turned 20.
She's beautiful and brilliant.
She has a bright future ahead of her.
He's a widower.
He'll never get over it.
If you take her, make sure there's
room in the car for him too.
You have to stop this, Bernadette.
We did everything we could.
She saw her.
She grabbed her by the wrist.
And hard too.
One of these days,
we'll go too far
and we won't be able to get back.
Come on. Get in.
Hurry!
How long do I have to stay in here?
As for you, Bernadette...
Give me a hand.
Listen to me.
Go back to the village.
Pretend everything is fine.
Everyone's at All Saints' at Toussaint's.
Yes, go join them.
Act normal.
And above all, don't tell a soul.
It's the only way to avoid catastrophe.
Go, fly!
Go, go!
Lurette! We have to go to Shawinigan.
Lurette!
No, no, no! I told you to wait!
Listen, Death...
we think you came for her,
because apparently,
you were so surprised,
you froze when you saw her.
If I was surprised,
it's because she came here...
while my mission today
was to capture her...
in Shawinigan!
Oh my God!
What have you done?
I brought her to safety.
You left her alone with the Stroop?
Trust me, Blacksmith.
You're crazy, absolutely crazy!
She ate an apple, Blacksmith!
The same day as the Gélinas boy
with the unibrow.
Death came for your daughter today.
What?
But no one can know, OK? No one.
Don't go to Shawinigan!
Don't go to Shawinigan.
Don't go to Shawinigan.
I had to defy the Stroop's trust.
I didn't really know it yet,
but I had a plan.
She would understand.
Well, hello!
Some impulsive gamblers!
You're not with your daughter?
My daughter?
It's true. Your daughter's not here.
She'll get here later.
That's right.
She's at home primping.
You know how it is.
Gotta wipe yourself clean
for a game of pisser.
Put it on my tab, Jeannette.
Blacksmith, Father,
the teams are already chosen.
You're late.
We'll put you in the reserves
in case someone gets injured.
Have a good evening!
Bernadette, you'll help with service, OK?
Here you go.
T. BRODEUR GENERAL STORE
More people?
Can you get the door?
Ah, must be Lurette!
I think it's a beggar.
Another hungry mouth
knocking at my door.
Ma'am?
Tell her to leave, Toussaint.
Ma'am, we have a full house here.
We met at the charnel house earlier.
Can I warm you up a bowl of soup?
Some leftover soup?
Leftover soup?
Have you given any thought
to our conversation?
Don't I know you from somewhere?
Look away!
The apple...
OK, Bernadette...
I'm ready.
Anyway, the girl I'm after isn't here.
Everyone's here.
The entire village is here.
The only one missing...
The only one missing is the Stroop.
The Stroop.
Yes.
We don't invite her.
She's clairvoyant.
You don't invite a witch to a card game.
And we're playing pisser.
The queen of spades is 100 points.
She'd draw it every time!
She would need a Brink's truck
and bodyguards to get home, so...
Anyway, we didn't invite her.
She sees the future in the cards...
The Stroop is at home tonight.
The Stroop.
Madam Stroop.
If you don't believe me...
go play cards with her.
She not only reads cards,
but mostly...
she draws at them too.
She hits the queen of spades.
Every time.
OK, well...
I think I'll go have my cards drawn.
It's like she has caterpillars
under her boots.
I'll check with my supplier.
If they have boots like that
in even sizes, I'll order some.
Jeez, did you want Death to find Lurette?
I've got it!
OK, well, I'm gonna go.
Blacksmith!
You can't abandon your team
in the middle of a tournament.
I'll go.
What now?
Maybe the scarecrow forgot something!
- You?
- Yes.
I won't bother you for long.
It's just that while everyone is here,
I wanted to say...
thank you to the kind person
who helped my children and I
by bringing us warmth.
I don't know who that person is.
I guess they want to be discreet,
and I respect that.
But I want that person to know
they're dear to my heart.
They're not just giving me wood.
They're giving me hope.
And thanks to them,
the world is...
a little kinder.
The world is...
a little warmer.
Won't you join us
for a round of cards?
While you're here.
I'd like that.
Yeah, come take a seat.
Was it you?
Stay back!
Stay back!
Stay back! Stay back!
The Stroop was standing at her door,
rifle to her cheek.
Stay back or I'll shoot!
The legend is great, Madam Stroop.
Since you arrived in the village,
few have died.
They say...
you save people from death.
Stay back, Death.
I'll shoot you right in the face.
The Stroop...
What a lovely name you have!
No! Oh my God!
So they all died?
The whole lot? All the kids died?
No, because Death was otherwise occupied.
OK!
Phew!
Hey, Death!
After all this time
chasing and skirting each other,
come get acquainted.
People say you draw cards...
that you renovate the past...
that you build the future.
They say you draw
at the queen of spades,
Madam Stroop.
Don't do this to me, Death.
Don't test me, Death.
Enough, Madam Stroop.
Lurette is mine.
I know she's hidden in the trunk.
Don't test me, Death!
Draw, Madam Stroop,
and fire at the queen of spades.
Go on, Madam Stroop, fire!
Fire! You're cheating!
Fire!
At the queen...
of spades!
Fire! Fire at the queen of spades!
Fire!
You're cheating, Death!
Grandma?
Grandma? No...
No! Grandma...
Grandma...
Grandma...
My grandmother lost her life in 1988.
Bernadette, asleep in her coffin.
She was beautiful, calm.
Did death cease to exist?
We'll never know the whole truth.
The Stroop was never again seen
in Saint-Élie-De-Caxton.
She evaporated.
Popcorn wrapped back up in its husk.
Spontaneous nonexistence.
A few people dared to snoop around
the house by Leech Lake.
There was nothing left.
Gone were the luxury car,
lace curtains,
the stuffed animals.
It was like she was never there.
All the witnesses of that fated night
have vanished.
But their stories persist, whole.
Did death cease to exist?
My grandmother never lied.
And she was right about one thing:
The dates engraved on the tombstones
mark the birth of legends
in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton.
THE TIME THIEF
Where are you going?
To see Grandma.
You spend all your days there.
You'll be the death of her!
For a long time now,
I've been haunted by the idea of death,
of the end.
Selfishly, I'm not as worried about mine
as other people's,
because those are the ones
that will cause me the most suffering.
It's consumed me since childhood.
Incidentally,
if I became a storyteller,
it's because this fear of death
lived inside of me.
- Hi, Fred!
- Hi!
My grandmother is the one who taught me
how to keep people alive.
Grandma? Grandma?
Are you OK?
Yeah.
I thought you were dead.
No, no. I'm here.
Give me a hand.
What happened? You got short of breath?
Did you trip on your tank's tubes?
I was resting.
I'm allowed to rest from time to time.
My grandmother was a woman of words.
She would often recount legends,
epic stories from 50 years ago,
or the day before yesterday,
that carried our imaginations
far and wide.
The church bell rang.
How many times?
Just one.
Did it ring on its own?
All alone. Just now.
You're worrying for nothing.
You told me it means
someone in the village will die.
Right?
How do we find out who's gonna die?
That superstition
doesn't hold up anymore.
You feeling better?
I'm fine.
You can be scared if you want,
but the story says
that death doesn't even exist anymore.
How's that?
That's not coming from me.
- Then who?
- The legend.
The legend?
A story from way, way back.
I'll put on my glasses
to see it as clearly as possible.
It happened a long time ago,
but I remember it like it was tomorrow.
Back then, the village of
Saint-Élie-de-Caxton was in its golden age.
Everyone was alive.
We hadn't put ourselves on the map yet,
but it didn't matter.
We didn't have to exist to others,
as long as we existed for each other.
Was it like in an old movie?
A bit, but in colour.
APPLE PIE
All right! Let's get down to baldness.
Am I mistaken,
or are those whiffs of cinnamon
dancing in my nostrils, Mr. Bellemare?
You're on the right scent, Father.
That's my apple pie in the oven.
I whip one up every week.
Don't I know it, Méo!
Your pie is no secret to anyone.
The whole village can smell it.
On that note, do you have
any apples left from last year?
- Not a one, Father.
- Oh, really?
They're a rare commodity nowadays.
And we almost lost
our apple tree last night.
You saw that flash of lightning too?
Of course.
Apple tree or no apple tree,
nothing will stop me
from baking apple pies.
Come on, Méo!
Apple pies without apples?
Don't make me laugh.
Since when do you need apples
to make apple pie?
You just add more cinnamon.
That's the secret.
Whatever the fruit you have in your hand,
just stuff that pie
with cinnamon and brown sugar,
and you can't go wrong.
They can take our apple tree if they want.
Fruit, Father, is just a state of mind.
Voilà!
Come on, Méo!
- What is it?
- Well...
Well, look!
You asked for a little snip.
It's snipped.
This isn't a little snip!
It's circumcised!
Well, for the clergy,
we go for a more Judeo-classic look.
Jeannette!
Tell me if the banner is straight.
Ms. Gélinas had 472 children.
Come on, boys!
We don't want to be late for church.
472 children?
Yep! She was miraculously saved
at the sanctuary.
After that, she ovulated
six or seven times a day!
The limit is 12!
Oh, Toussaint.
OK, look at it carefully.
Tell me if it's straight, OK?
But don't look at the store.
It's not level.
ALL SAINTS' DAY AT TOUSSAINT'S
There?
A bit higher.
It's good of you
to organize the cards night, honey.
Higher. Careful!
50 cents per person?
Come on, Toussaint!
You raise the fee every year.
It reflects the cost of living.
And don't forget
that includes the free beer!
Like this?
Too high.
What do you think?
That it's too high.
I'll have to lower the other end too.
What?
Come, we'll be late for church.
Come.
Huh.
I was 20 years old.
I was a clerk and delivery girl
at the Brodeurs' store.
Hello!
Didn't you have glasses?
No, I had good eyes.
- Hurry back!
- Yep.
I had good lungs
and a bicycle with pedals.
You lived in the village?
I've always lived in the village.
I'm a native Caxtonian, like you.
Riopel the blacksmith was
the scrap-metal tinkerer and dabbler.
He invented solutions.
Sometimes, when you saw the solution,
you'd say: "Things will get ugly
when that problem comes!"
Hello, Bernadette!
Hello, Blacksmith!
Are you shoeing a chicken?
Yes, ma'am!
You're full of surprises.
One of these days, I'll shoe your bike!
The blacksmith was a widower.
He lost his wife far too young.
He lived alone?
No, before leaving,
his wife left him a daughter.
Thanks to her,
his life hadn't lost meaning.
He was a widower, but mostly,
he was a father
to the lovely Lurette.
She was my best friend.
Lurette, you won't believe
what I saw last night.
Is the white dress OK for church?
Yes, it's perfect.
What did you see?
I was on my way home from you-know-who's.
You went to see the Stroop?
Shush! Your father can't know.
He wouldn't like it.
What's the hold-up?
We're gonna be late.
Go on, Dad. We walk fast.
It always takes the priest awhile
to get some wind in his sails.
Yeah, but hurry anyway.
- And?
- OK.
It must have been about 11:00.
The church bell tolled once,
so I stopped nearby.
It wasn't raining or anything.
A lightning bolt struck the apple tree
right in front of the church.
Was it uprooted?
No.
It's still standing.
Phew!
"Phew, phew..."
Not really!
It's practically split in half.
A 100-year-old apple tree!
You'll see.
It looks like a big capital Y.
Maybe it'll grow apple halves.
That's not it.
It's like the apples burned.
They're all black.
They might be bad now, dangerous even.
What makes you say that?
I don't know.
It wasn't just the lightning.
I saw something leaving the tree.
Don't be mad!
I'll make it up to you with a pie.
You've promised me at least 15 pies, Méo.
How many have I gotten?
None!
This time, you'll get one.
I promise, as I live and breathe.
Am I breathing?
Yes.
Then I promise as I live and breathe.
Don't worry about your haircut.
Hair is just a state of mind!
But...
What on earth happened here?
What's this?
Must have been hit hard!
Boys! Get down from there.
I don't know if it's a parasite,
but the apples look like they were bitten.
They're more unsettling
than before, anyway.
In terms of market value,
they've definitely depreciated.
They're not all for you, you know!
Let him be. There's no danger.
It's not about danger.
We have one apple tree for everyone.
It'd be nice if we got some too!
It's because of the lightning!
What lightning?
Come on! Can't any of you hear?
You should make an appointment
to have the fuzz cut out of your ears.
When the lightning is strong enough
to split a tree in two,
you'd think people would notice.
Or at least hear it.
What did I tell you? Get down!
My God! Is that his third?
Don't touch the apples. Are you deaf?
Come, children. We're going to church.
Don't shut the door.
My daughter is coming with Bernadette.
Of course!
No, no, no! Don't, Lurette!
Why not?
Were you there when it happened?
Bernadette, the tree
was struck by lightning.
Worst case, we'll find a baked apple.
We ate them last year
and never got sick.
That doesn't matter.
The branch of death grows
on the same trunk as the branch of life.
You're always worrying.
Come!
Oh, jeez...
Then what, Grandma?
Mass had just started.
Did she change her dress?
What?
Her dress! She had a white dress on
two minutes ago.
Didn't she?
I forgot. You're right.
Her dress was white.
Her dress was white.
But that didn't stop her
from putting on a little blue sweater.
Like the lightning bolt
that chose last night
to strike a mature apple tree
bearing sweet, ripe fruit...
death strikes without warning.
It's divine justice.
On that note...
who here wants to go to Heaven?
Who among you wants to go to Heaven?
That the kid who
stuffed his face with apples?
Yeah. I don't know how many he ate,
but he didn't hold back.
No manners at all.
The journey will be one way only.
Eternal and all-inclusive.
Our departure date hangs over us
poor, poor travellers without luggage.
Be it tomorrow...
this month or years from now,
we will all take that journey.
It's divine justice!
It's divine justice.
Life hangs on by a hair.
Mr. Bellemare!
Don't you want to go to Heaven?
Honestly, Father,
I'm getting a little sick
of organized trips.
Saint Peter is wise.
You won't enter
through double garage doors.
Heaven's gate isn't wide.
If you drink too much
and stumble your way there,
you'll knock your head
on its ornate frame.
And you, young ladies?
Heaven?
When I say I saw something yesterday
and that the church bell tolled once,
I think it was death, Lurette.
Death? Bernadette!
Was it mine?
I don't know!
Let's try them and find out.
We shouldn't.
Come on! Don't play the witch.
Friendship is stronger than death.
Well done, Bernadette!
I don't know what got into me.
I took a bite.
But I couldn't swallow.
Lurette, death is the same for everyone.
You always have to be careful.
- Hello!
- Hello!
So...
One pair, size 18.
OK, one, two, three rolls of pennies.
Fifty cents a roll makes $1.50.
The boots are a buck apiece.
One, two. That makes...
That makes?
Two bucks.
Exactly!
So you're missing?
Fifty cents.
That's all I have left.
That's too bad.
Surely, there's a way...
For you to figure it out.
Toussaint! He'll have to spend the winter
in slippers by the wood stove.
If only. Right now,
we don't even have wood for the stove.
That's true, Mom.
Well, I happen to have
some nice logs for sale!
OK.
Are you planning to have children soon?
- Yes.
- No.
Not right away,
but we're thinking about it.
No, never, Jeannette!
You never recover the costs
of having children. Never!
If you help me get shoes on his feet,
he could work as a lumberjack.
He's strong.
It would save us.
OK, I'll help you out.
Listen, I'll take the money
and give you one now.
When you pay in full,
you can have the other one.
How does that sound?
Now, which one do you prefer?
Whichever you want.
Do you use the right
or the left more often?
- That one.
- That one.
- Good choice!
- Toussaint...
I'll save you the other one.
It's yours.
It'll be nice and toasty under the counter.
See you a-boot town!
Have a nice day!
Credit?
When the credit union
starts selling boots,
I'll do credit.
Until then, they'll make do.
You know, Toussaint Brodeur,
it takes a village to raise a child.
I'm not running a free boot store.
OK, Bernadette, grab a box.
We have shelves to stock.
Do I shelve these?
Toussaint, those are the cards
for your 50-cent Black Lady tournament.
No, those stay in the box.
They aren't for sale.
- Really?
- Nope.
These are for rent.
The Stroop!
Who?
I never told you about the Stroop?
The Sprout?
Not the Sprout, the Stroop! Here.
She was a foreigner
who just turned up one day.
She moved into a huge estate
on Leech Lake.
She owned acres of land,
jewelry, a luxury car and lace curtains.
Her house was full of
stuffed furry beasts
and pillows stuffed
with feathered beasts.
Some said she was a rich German noble
whose dreams of wide open spaces
brought her here.
Some said she had invested
in the Val-D'Or gold mines
right when they found the vein.
Others said she was a hockey champion
who dressed up as a man
to tend goal
for the New York Rangers.
She was a woman
who had many things,
but mostly, a lot of knowledge.
It was plain to see
she could see things we didn't see.
You see?
OK, but where was she really from?
Charrette? Saint-Paulin?
Not Shawinigan?
People made up so many stories about her,
we never found out the truth.
All we know is she wasn't there,
and then she was.
Spontaneous existence.
Just like popcorn!
Is it true you shoot guns?
Sometimes.
I hear you can aim from miles away.
They say you always hit the buckeye!
No, no, I'll get it.
And I hear you host illegal game nights?
Oh, it's nothing.
Black Lady, is that right?
Don't do that, Madam Stroop!
Black Lady, yes.
Some people call it "the pisser".
You're all settled up.
For the cards.
You have your gun on you?
What's going on?
Was that a gunshot?
I told you!
That woman ain't one of us.
Yeah, but she's not a bad person.
We're not saying she is.
We're just saying she has strange powers.
One time, she came in
and bought six mousetraps.
Six mousetraps.
We figured the mice were coming.
So the blacksmith did the same.
He bought six traps.
Méo did too.
Then, Ms. Gélinas.
But there was no infestation.
Of course not!
With all those traps out there,
we averted catastrophe.
Something similar
happened the week before.
Yes!
She came in and bought six pints of milk.
Six pints of milk!
For a woman living alone.
When Méo saw that, he knew she was
stocking up for a milk shortage.
So what did he do?
He bought six bottles that day.
Then Ms. Gélinas bought, what?
At least thirty.
- At least!
- Yep, yep.
And wouldn't you know it,
that very day, we ran out of milk.
- She sensed it.
- She sensed it...
Yeah.
She bought three shovels just now.
We can expect record snowfalls this year.
That, or she has bodies to bury.
My God!
She always pays!
I have no complaints there.
All I'm saying is...
she's a witch!
People are scared of her.
It's none of my business
if you want to see her.
I prefer to keep my distance.
My relationship with her
is strictly business.
You're not scared of the Stroop?
Not one bit!
The village has needed a woman like her
for a long time.
I bet she'd have liked
an invitation to the tournament.
You didn't invite her?
Over my dead body!
That's one way to make sure
no one else comes.
"IRENE HAS HARVESTED HER POTATOES"
"OPINION - IS THE ELECTRIC BULB HARMFUL?"
Coming to bed soon, sweetie?
I'll be up in a while.
You don't want to join me?
I want to, but not right away.
I have to close up shop.
Go to sleep. I'll be there soon.
Goodnight, sweetie.
Hey...
No way.
No way!
I'm gonna give you one more chance.
If you don't want to lock, don't lock!
Hi, Méo!
I may not have the fortune you have,
but I'm not saying I won't pay.
We don't have a fortune.
It's just that maybe there's some way
you could make me a deal...
I'm not asking you to give it away.
I understand, Ms. Gélinas.
I'll say it again,
even if my words fail me:
When your child is sick,
you'd give what you don't even have...
to bring him back to health.
I hope you understand that someday.
Good day.
Bernadette, you wouldn't happen
to need logs at home, would you?
No, we're not heating yet.
It's unimaginable!
What is it this time?
One of the Gélinas boys
is in Paleolithic care.
No!
Paleolithic, huh?
Yes, Paleolithic care in his room.
OK. She didn't mention that.
She was here to buy pills, Toussaint.
True.
Which boy did you say it was?
I don't know his name.
I recognize him by his hair.
The one with a unibrow.
They all have unibrows, Méo!
I know.
Poor kids! One has a stomach ache too.
No, it's the same one!
Junior!
Yes!
The apples.
We should have cut down the apple tree
right after the lightning.
- Oh yeah?
- The tree, the apples, everything!
To spare us the consequences.
Is the apple tree still there?
Come, let's go for a walk.
Wait for me!
Each year, everyone drooled over
the apples from that tree.
They all wanted their share.
How did they divide them?
Divide them?
They dreamed they'd be divided,
but the priest ate them.
That's how it was.
That's unjust.
It was divine justice.
The apple tree was right here.
The priest said:
"We'll plant a lamppost,
modernize this village."
And the apples?
The apples?
Everyone still wanted them,
despite their black peels.
Especially since it would be
the last time we had them.
We'll just have to cut it!
We can't cut a tree with ripe apples!
The priest said to think on it.
We don't want to regret anything.
Blacksmith, your daughter
is always cold, isn't she?
Yeah.
You must be burning logs already?
Are you saying I want to
cut this tree for firewood?
What? No.
If you give me the apples,
I'll make pie for everyone!
Everyone!
I promise as I live and breathe.
Méo, you can stick
your pie promises in the oven!
It was the tree!
It was the tree!
The tree poisoned my son.
Cursed apples!
They're poison!
Misfortune!
Ms. Gélinas, calm down.
Maybe we should chop it down.
You're right, Bernadette!
Come on!
We can't chop down a 100-year-old tree
over a superstition.
You're right, Toussaint!
Méo, they're saying opposite things!
They can't both be right.
You're right, Jeannette.
But everyone is right!
Blacksmith! Go get your chainsaw.
I condemn this tree...
to the chopping block!
Thanks for your help gathering
these potentially poisonous apples.
I think it's safest if I keep them here,
away from hungry mouths.
With all due respect, Father,
for 20 years, I've been drinking
at Toussaint's every night, right?
- Right.
- Right.
A piss-up a day,
seven days a week.
I guzzle all that booze,
and I hold it all in,
at my own risk.
And at the end of each evening,
I stop by the church on my way home.
And every time,
I take a piss on the apple tree.
Every time!
For 20 years, I've offered up my bladder
to fertilize your branches, Father!
Those juicy apples
have my nitrogen to thank!
I'll take on the risk,
but I think I deserve
half of these apples.
You're right, Méo.
It's divine justice.
So, one for me,
one for you, one for me.
One for me, one for you, one for me...
Uh, Méo!
The beer you're pissing,
it's my beer, right?
Yes.
Well, I think I deserve
a third half then.
One for me, one for you,
one for him, one for me.
One for me...
Toussaint!
The mare you take
to get your beer order in Shawinigan...
- She's mine, isn't she?
- Yes.
A quarter for me.
One for me, one for you, one for him,
one for the other, one for me.
I felt like I was the only one to know.
Know what?
Well, to know, to doubt, to imagine.
I still didn't have all the evidence,
but logic was already
sending me down the path to worry.
And because no one seemed to realize
what was afoot,
I had to act.
I felt like the only one who could help
was the Stroop.
- There!
- I pissed too.
That's true, ma'am.
I saw you from my window.
But it's different for her.
She has to squat.
I hold my willy in my hands
and aim my piss at the thirsty soil.
I nourish, ma'am. I nourish!
She's flying blind!
She's pissing any which way,
with collateral damage
right down to her shoes.
It's not the same.
My wife is a straight pisser, OK?
You're a straight pisser, sweetie.
If we were to believe your lies, Méo,
I'm spraying wide enough for two shares.
It's the Proust!
Not the Proust, the Stroop.
The Stroop.
Madam?
You couldn't ask for a more impartial judge
to divide the apples.
I don't mix with anyone in the village.
I have no favourites.
Let me do it.
Of course!
No one is better placed than you, Madam...
Stroop.
I know.
What are you plotting now, Bernadette?
I don't understand.
Don't you want any apples?
No, I don't want apples, Lurette.
We'd love to submit ourselves
to your wisdom and clairvoyance
and let you handle the matter,
but we're hoping the division...
will be guided by divine justice.
What?
Divine justice.
Perfect!
Madam...
It's just that the division
isn't exactly fair.
Fair? You didn't ask
for a fair division, Father.
You asked me to
let divine justice guide me.
There you have it!
This is your fault!
That's not what I meant.
Bernadette!
Bernadette!
I don't want apples, Lurette.
And I don't think anyone here
should want them either.
It's not up to you.
The apples are jet black!
It's just the peel.
You obviously weren't there
when it happened.
I saw everything.
And I agree with the Stroop.
We have to get rid
of that fruit, fast.
Bernadette!
Are you coming, Lurette?
The Stroop wasn't stealing.
She was just being cautious.
She didn't know it,
but she saved just about everybody!
Well, without you,
she may never have known about the apples.
You could have been scared
to have people angry with you.
Anger!
Anyway, the truth would
come out in the end.
I think some apples are missing.
You counted?
Just a feeling.
A few people ate them.
The Gélinas boy had two or three.
What are his symptoms?
He's crying, writhing.
They say he has cramps.
He needs something to heal him.
Yeah. A doctor, maybe?
You said a few people ate them?
So that means the Gélinas boy
wasn't the only one.
Who are the others?
My friend Lurette had one too.
But she's fine.
No pain, nothing.
Here.
To heal the boy.
It's not designed for black apples,
but it's a good potion.
It should help.
I'll tell them it's from you.
No! Definitely not.
Don't say a thing.
What made you come get me, Bernadette?
Well, the apples.
But it's not just the apples, is it?
Did something happen?
Did you see anything strange?
You mean the lightning bolt?
Not the lightning bolt.
- A person?
- A person.
Yeah.
Yeah, I saw her.
Am I right to be scared?
Scared, not scared,
it won't change a thing.
She's the one who decides.
And who's "she"?
The Time Thief.
There was nothing I could do.
I was too late.
That's what I was saying.
People are still dying.
That's just appearances.
And all this?
All these people.
You're gonna tell me they're alive?
These are all people who will never die.
Grandma?
Oh no! I'm gonna go get someone, OK?
Don't move!
The doctor said you could come back home,
but you have to promise
to obey his orders.
You'll have to get used to
using your wheelchair at all times.
You'll be happy here, Mom.
You won't have to climb
the stairs to your room.
You don't have the strength
to go up and down stairs.
The doctor said you'll have to use
your oxygen tank as much as possible.
We'll come by from time to time
to check your vitals
and make sure you're OK.
The doctor said he'd come by too.
OK. Am I still allowed to speak?
It's gonna be OK.
If your grandmother is careful,
her dear little heart
will keep beating for a long time.
Don't worry.
She obviously hasn't heard
death doesn't exist anymore.
- Lurette?
- Yes?
Did you hear?
Death rang the bell again.
Death is crazy
to have taken a child.
What's happening to you, sweetie?
I don't know. It comes and goes.
Want me to get the doctor?
No, no. They're just cramps.
Don't worry.
I can't help but worry.
You're my beloved daughter.
You're my little bird.
A father comes with an organ
just for worrying.
He sees his child
and measures her every day.
He studies any change in colour,
bags around the eyes.
He spies on her plate
to make sure she's eating.
He kisses her forehead
to take her temperature.
You're sweet, Dad.
It's not because I'm sweet.
I'm built that way.
That's how it works.
Things are never the same
after you become a father.
You think and you act...
like you're consumed.
You don't want anything bad to happen.
I love you, Dad.
Goodnight, sweetie.
I was looking for clues
that would tell me who was next.
Then it came to me.
I remembered what the priest
said at church.
You're not very chatty, are you?
No.
What did you say your name was?
But who are you?
Méo!
Are you OK?
The beautiful Bernadette!
What was she doing here?
Who?
Her! Do you know who that was?
She didn't tell me her name.
That was Death, Méo!
Remember when the priest said
life hangs on by a hair?
Yeah.
Who do you think he was talking to?
I don't know.
Méo!
He didn't say it hangs on
by a horseshoe
or it hangs on by a pair
of shearling-lined boots.
Life hangs on by a hair!
You're a barber!
He was talking about me?
What do you think?
Stop it, Bernadette!
Stuff like that makes me nervous.
If you came here to scare me...
The priest also said
the gate to Heaven is small,
and if you stumble your way up there,
you might hit your head on the frame.
He didn't say it like that.
And the church bell tolled just once.
Did you hear it, Méo?
You need help.
What are you doing here?
Death paid Méo a visit.
I don't want to die.
I'm too thirsty!
You have two choices, Méo.
Either you quit drinking now,
until the hour of your death.
Or you learn the hour of your death
and quit drinking a few days before.
The hour of my death?
What's that?
Iron supplements, vitamins,
dopamine, demulcent, albumin,
glucosamine sulfate
and cod liver oil.
How much?
$9.25.
And you?
Me? Well, it's a gift.
How generous.
Well, yeah. It's not from me.
Anyway.
You said her name was the Snoop?
The Stroop.
She saw into the future.
She had a sixth eye.
It was a fontanelle that never closed up.
Like babies have on their head,
that soft spot
right here on the noggin.
Apparently, she didn't get enough calcium.
She was given a choice
between having teeth
or closing up her dome.
She chose teeth,
so she always had a crack in the attic.
I'll tell you the hour of your death.
In return, you must promise
to bring me an apple pie
15 minutes before you die.
An apple pie?
Yes.
Why a pie?
Why do you want to know
the hour of your death?
An apple pie, Méo.
Yes, ma'am.
Promise, Méo,
15 minutes before you die.
I promise as I live and breathe.
Look me in the eye.
In three days, at 7:00 p.m.
In three days, at 7:00 p.m.
In three days, at 7:00 p.m.
Three days, 7:00, Saturday.
Dying during a card tournament!
Father, I confess to drinking every day
for the past 20 years.
And, listen...
I went to see the Stroop.
- The Stroop?
- Yes.
Méo, how many times
have I wasted my breath
telling you not to go see her?
You'll bring misfortune to the village.
Don't tell me you're in cahoots with her!
No, no, it's just that...
I promised her an apple pie.
An apple pie?
An apple pie.
Méo, she's got all the apples.
Let her make her own pie!
Yeah.
Now promise me you won't bring her a pie.
Promise!
I promise as I live and breathe.
I promise as I live and breathe.
See, Méo.
See, Méo, what good will it do
to tell you the exact hour of your death?
You can't even keep your word!
Méo!
Sweetie?
It's cold upstairs.
Come snuggle with me.
I can't right now.
Don't stay up too late.
Tomorrow is a big day.
You don't look so good.
It depends. I'm up and down.
Sometimes, I feel OK.
I go about my day.
Then all of a sudden,
it hits me in the stomach.
It's the apples.
You really think they were poison?
I signed you up for the card tournament.
I don't know if I'll
have the strength, Bernadette.
But the vial!
The potion the Stroop gave you.
Didn't you still have it?
Oh yes, yes.
Take this. It'll help.
What is it?
You didn't listen last time,
and look where we are now.
Drink it.
They're beautiful!
They're all even sizes.
Just even sizes?
Yessir! I'm done with odd sizes.
What about the people
whose feet can't be divided in two?
I'll sell them one size up
and stuff them with newspaper.
But for me,
it's half the inventory.
But if someone absolutely
wants an odd size, you'll order it?
That's out of the question!
If they want odd sizes,
they can buy them
in Saint-Boniface or Charrette.
Here, starting now,
we're selling even.
So?
I'll think about it.
Toussaint, your employee Bernadette,
have you noticed
she's been acting strange lately?
Well, the Stroop might be
rubbing off on her a bit.
I'm worried that rubbing
will rub off a second time.
Because she's friends with your daughter?
Bernadette may take different paths,
but she's not going to a bad place.
You're right, Jeannette.
I'm worrying about nothing.
Bye!
I was this close to a sale.
He came in to buy a hammer.
I don't have any!
But he's here with cash in his pockets.
What can I do?
Tell him you don't have a hammer.
No way! The other day,
the priest came in to buy matches.
I didn't have any matches.
He left with a pint of molasses,
happy as a clam. Barely noticed.
At a certain point,
the clients just have to adjust.
Are you feeling better, Lurette?
Yes, much better.
What's that?
An antidote for poison.
Why do you have this?
It's fine, Dad.
Where did you get it?
From the Stroop.
You didn't think to ask
before playing doctor with my daughter?
But I'm better, Dad.
I'm the dad.
I know what's best for my daughter.
Here. You have plenty of time
to practice for the tournament.
She invited me to the tournament.
And you, don't let her out alone
and don't leave her unsupervised.
It's just that no one else knew.
She didn't have a choice.
She had to act.
I understand, but I don't have
the science for miracle potions,
so I'll ask that
you keep following my advice.
Dr. Cossette, listen...
You have to avoid physical activity
or sudden movements
that could cause an accident
or put stress on your heart.
Basically, I want you to stay in bed.
You'll keep an eye on her?
I'll keep an eye on her.
She had seen Death.
But people don't always
believe in that stuff.
Yes, yes.
Now let her rest a bit.
I'll be back tomorrow morning.
OK, thanks! Wait, I'll walk you out.
Thanks, Dr. Cossette.
See you tomorrow!
Tell your wife I said hi!
Yes, see you tomorrow!
What are you doing, Grandma?
Come. Follow me.
I have to show you something upstairs.
You can't go upstairs.
The doctor said.
The doctor...
He doesn't know everything!
If you want to hear the rest of the story,
follow me.
You don't have the strength!
Come!
He said to rest!
Up!
Come.
I didn't even know anymore which one
of Méo or Lurette was in danger.
Or even me.
Or maybe it was all three of us.
Death seemed to be everywhere at once.
Sit.
I sensed that she was hungry, very hungry.
REVOLVER CARTRIDGES
Come on, Bernadette! Leave it.
Go help Jeannette. I'll clean this up.
He's been acting strange lately.
Hear ye, hear ye, ladies and gentlemen!
Tonight is the night of all nights.
Don't miss the Black Lady tournament.
It's All Saints' at Toussaint's!
Tonight at 7:00 p.m.!
Hear ye, ladies and gentlemen!
Tonight is the night of all nights.
Don't miss the Black Lady tournament.
It's All Saints' at Toussaint's!
It takes a certain type
to run a general store.
What type is that?
All the energy
he puts into crunching numbers,
that he invests into
each penny that comes in...
Yeah. Sometimes, I think
it's a bit too much energy.
It's gonna be cool tonight.
We advise you to put
one small log on the fire
before coming to the tournament.
Just one small log will suffice!
If you're out of logs,
we have plenty in stock.
Beautiful, dry logs!
I'm away from the shop for the next hour,
but after that,
I'd be happy to sell you some.
I repeat, for the next hour,
I'm not there.
I'm not there!
Attention, Mr. Méo Bellemare!
The tournament organizer
is presently outside your home
to officially register you.
How's that for service?
We wish to inform you
that pretty much the entire village
is registered for tonight's tournament.
Even the priest is playing!
It'd be a shame to miss it, right, Méo?
What's going on?
Méo?
What's going on with you, Méo?
We never see you anymore.
It's a lot more fun when you're around.
Look, take your time.
Whenever you're ready.
I saw you.
Why won't you leave Méo alone?
What's going on with you, Bernadette?
I asked if he wanted to register.
Well, he's registered. It's settled.
No, he has to sign
and pay for the registration.
Also, as a store employee,
you should stop telling Méo
to quit drinking.
What will we sell if Méo quits drinking?
This is about the store's well-being.
That's more important
than your friend's well-being?
And no credit for a child with cold feet?
No, no, no...
Your wife plays organ at church for free.
Should she get a donation receipt
for your taxes?
Good idea!
As for Méo's registration fees,
just take them off my next paycheck.
What's gotten into her?
It's a miracle
how much better you're doing.
Must have been a passing bug.
I'm gonna take a nap
before the tournament.
A champ like me might be out late!
Definitely! Get some rest, Dad.
OK.
Yes!
There you go.
Hi, Méo!
You haven't started yet?
The pie, Méo!
The pie...
What good will that do?
I won't be any less dead with a pie.
Have you been drinking?
No, not a drop.
I won't drink until I'm dead.
Where do you keep your baking stuff?
There.
OK, we have everything we need.
Did Méo change his recipe?
What?
His recipe. Didn't you say
he used lots of cinnamon?
Oh yeah!
Méo, do you have any ground cinnamon?
Méo, do you have any ground cinnamon?
I'm all out.
He said it was
the most important ingredient.
Dammit.
It's OK. I brought a little bag
from the store.
To get him to help, I said:
"Méo, we're not baking a pie."
We're setting you up for eternity.
Eternity is a long time,
especially if you're hungry.
Turn on the stove. Whisk two eggs.
Then I said:
Where are the apples? I'll peel 'em.
The apples?
An apple pie, Méo.
I'll take care of it.
No one's here yet?
Not yet, but it won't be...
Good evening!
Some card players! Good evening, ma'am!
Welcome! Come in.
It's going to be an explosive evening!
Take off your coats!
I'm telling you...
Quarter to seven...
Hurry, Méo! You promised to bring it
15 minutes before you die.
Come on, scoot, Méo!
It's time!
To think I'm missing the tournament
due to personal mortality...
Get on the bike, Méo!
You're not coming?
No, Lurette is waiting for me.
Now hurry!
Hurry, hurry...
Easier said than done.
Who's there?
Is someone there?
Lurette?
Lurette?
Are you there, Lurette?
You won't have taught me
the hour of my death, ma'am,
but you'll have taught me to keep my word.
You'll escape death, Méo,
because you kept your promise.
Oh yeah?
If you had eaten this pie,
you'd have died on the spot.
Now hurry!
Go play cards.
Yes!
Bernadette?
Come!
Ladies and gentlemen,
once again this year,
we're celebrating All Saints' Day
to enter the Month of the Dead
through the doors of pleasure!
I'll remind you that last year,
we held a beanbag toss,
and the year before, we played darts.
Today, by popular demand,
we're going to play Black Lady!
Yessir!
Now, Black Lady,
also known as "the pisser",
is not always played the same
in different households, I know.
Tonight's rules are clear:
It takes three cards to start.
You'll form teams of two
with the person across from you.
And the queen of spades
is worth 100 points!
Yes.
I'll also remind you
that your entry free
includes one entry
into the big draw to win...
the free beer!
Jeannette and I are so happy you're here.
Thanks for coming.
Let the annual tournament begin!
Can someone tell me
what's going on under my roof?
We're going to see the Stroop.
You are not to leave this house.
Your daughter saw Death, Blacksmith.
She saw her!
I froze, Dad.
She was a foot away from me.
She looked like...
like she knew me.
It was like she came for me.
Exactly.
Things are bad enough as it is!
Let's not also get a witch involved.
Well, you go too!
Take your daughter to see the Stroop,
and hurry.
Bernadette, don't make me
forbid my daughter from seeing you.
The only person I'll go see is...
the priest.
And you two stay here.
Trust me, Lurette. OK?
We have to go now.
Friendship is stronger than death.
Here you go.
And voilà!
Voilà! Have a great evening.
Méo! Where were you?
The whole village was worried!
Were you sick?
The only pain I feel
is the one that just hit me
here in the stomach.
It hurts. It's a thirst cramp!
Thirst is retroactive. Voilà!
It's good to see you.
He's drinking again?
He quit until his death.
But his death passed,
so he could start again.
That's how it goes.
People wait until they're dead
to really start living again.
Listen, Father, things are bad.
My daughter is wasting away.
And she saw Death, Father.
Death. In the charnel house.
My little girl...
Save us.
- Save yourselves.
- No, save us!
No, save yourselves!
If Death came here for your daughter,
get her out of here.
Leave! Go far away.
Go to Shawinigan, get out of the village.
I'll take care of
the charnel house's occupant.
- Thank you.
- Godspeed.
- Stay strong!
- Yes.
Not on foot!
She should take her bike.
Doesn't Méo have it?
No, Méo's back in the village.
He's at Toussaint's.
Listen, Madam Death.
With all due respect,
the girl just turned 20.
She's beautiful and brilliant.
She has a bright future ahead of her.
He's a widower.
He'll never get over it.
If you take her, make sure there's
room in the car for him too.
You have to stop this, Bernadette.
We did everything we could.
She saw her.
She grabbed her by the wrist.
And hard too.
One of these days,
we'll go too far
and we won't be able to get back.
Come on. Get in.
Hurry!
How long do I have to stay in here?
As for you, Bernadette...
Give me a hand.
Listen to me.
Go back to the village.
Pretend everything is fine.
Everyone's at All Saints' at Toussaint's.
Yes, go join them.
Act normal.
And above all, don't tell a soul.
It's the only way to avoid catastrophe.
Go, fly!
Go, go!
Lurette! We have to go to Shawinigan.
Lurette!
No, no, no! I told you to wait!
Listen, Death...
we think you came for her,
because apparently,
you were so surprised,
you froze when you saw her.
If I was surprised,
it's because she came here...
while my mission today
was to capture her...
in Shawinigan!
Oh my God!
What have you done?
I brought her to safety.
You left her alone with the Stroop?
Trust me, Blacksmith.
You're crazy, absolutely crazy!
She ate an apple, Blacksmith!
The same day as the Gélinas boy
with the unibrow.
Death came for your daughter today.
What?
But no one can know, OK? No one.
Don't go to Shawinigan!
Don't go to Shawinigan.
Don't go to Shawinigan.
I had to defy the Stroop's trust.
I didn't really know it yet,
but I had a plan.
She would understand.
Well, hello!
Some impulsive gamblers!
You're not with your daughter?
My daughter?
It's true. Your daughter's not here.
She'll get here later.
That's right.
She's at home primping.
You know how it is.
Gotta wipe yourself clean
for a game of pisser.
Put it on my tab, Jeannette.
Blacksmith, Father,
the teams are already chosen.
You're late.
We'll put you in the reserves
in case someone gets injured.
Have a good evening!
Bernadette, you'll help with service, OK?
Here you go.
T. BRODEUR GENERAL STORE
More people?
Can you get the door?
Ah, must be Lurette!
I think it's a beggar.
Another hungry mouth
knocking at my door.
Ma'am?
Tell her to leave, Toussaint.
Ma'am, we have a full house here.
We met at the charnel house earlier.
Can I warm you up a bowl of soup?
Some leftover soup?
Leftover soup?
Have you given any thought
to our conversation?
Don't I know you from somewhere?
Look away!
The apple...
OK, Bernadette...
I'm ready.
Anyway, the girl I'm after isn't here.
Everyone's here.
The entire village is here.
The only one missing...
The only one missing is the Stroop.
The Stroop.
Yes.
We don't invite her.
She's clairvoyant.
You don't invite a witch to a card game.
And we're playing pisser.
The queen of spades is 100 points.
She'd draw it every time!
She would need a Brink's truck
and bodyguards to get home, so...
Anyway, we didn't invite her.
She sees the future in the cards...
The Stroop is at home tonight.
The Stroop.
Madam Stroop.
If you don't believe me...
go play cards with her.
She not only reads cards,
but mostly...
she draws at them too.
She hits the queen of spades.
Every time.
OK, well...
I think I'll go have my cards drawn.
It's like she has caterpillars
under her boots.
I'll check with my supplier.
If they have boots like that
in even sizes, I'll order some.
Jeez, did you want Death to find Lurette?
I've got it!
OK, well, I'm gonna go.
Blacksmith!
You can't abandon your team
in the middle of a tournament.
I'll go.
What now?
Maybe the scarecrow forgot something!
- You?
- Yes.
I won't bother you for long.
It's just that while everyone is here,
I wanted to say...
thank you to the kind person
who helped my children and I
by bringing us warmth.
I don't know who that person is.
I guess they want to be discreet,
and I respect that.
But I want that person to know
they're dear to my heart.
They're not just giving me wood.
They're giving me hope.
And thanks to them,
the world is...
a little kinder.
The world is...
a little warmer.
Won't you join us
for a round of cards?
While you're here.
I'd like that.
Yeah, come take a seat.
Was it you?
Stay back!
Stay back!
Stay back! Stay back!
The Stroop was standing at her door,
rifle to her cheek.
Stay back or I'll shoot!
The legend is great, Madam Stroop.
Since you arrived in the village,
few have died.
They say...
you save people from death.
Stay back, Death.
I'll shoot you right in the face.
The Stroop...
What a lovely name you have!
No! Oh my God!
So they all died?
The whole lot? All the kids died?
No, because Death was otherwise occupied.
OK!
Phew!
Hey, Death!
After all this time
chasing and skirting each other,
come get acquainted.
People say you draw cards...
that you renovate the past...
that you build the future.
They say you draw
at the queen of spades,
Madam Stroop.
Don't do this to me, Death.
Don't test me, Death.
Enough, Madam Stroop.
Lurette is mine.
I know she's hidden in the trunk.
Don't test me, Death!
Draw, Madam Stroop,
and fire at the queen of spades.
Go on, Madam Stroop, fire!
Fire! You're cheating!
Fire!
At the queen...
of spades!
Fire! Fire at the queen of spades!
Fire!
You're cheating, Death!
Grandma?
Grandma? No...
No! Grandma...
Grandma...
Grandma...
My grandmother lost her life in 1988.
Bernadette, asleep in her coffin.
She was beautiful, calm.
Did death cease to exist?
We'll never know the whole truth.
The Stroop was never again seen
in Saint-Élie-De-Caxton.
She evaporated.
Popcorn wrapped back up in its husk.
Spontaneous nonexistence.
A few people dared to snoop around
the house by Leech Lake.
There was nothing left.
Gone were the luxury car,
lace curtains,
the stuffed animals.
It was like she was never there.
All the witnesses of that fated night
have vanished.
But their stories persist, whole.
Did death cease to exist?
My grandmother never lied.
And she was right about one thing:
The dates engraved on the tombstones
mark the birth of legends
in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton.