L'étudiante (1988) - full transcript
Three months before her final examinations, the ambitious teachership student Valentine concentrates herself completely on learning. When Jazz musician Edouard wooes her, she agrees on a date though - planning for one night of pleasure only. But when she comes to know him better, she realizes that he isn't as shallow as she thought... so lust turns to love. But between her examination preparations and a tournee with a jazz band almost no time is left to be spent together.
So, are we going?
Aren't we waiting for him?
There he is!
Are you ok?
Charly!
I crashed,
really crashed...
...unbelievable!
Charly, it's great...
...mono-skiing!
2 skis is so old now!
The blue ski run in
40 minutes!
Do you want a bit?
Your lipstick on the
chocolate is very...
...it's disgusting.
The Student
Thanks.
What does "youth
culture" mean?
It's such a cliché,
it doesn't mean anything!
It's like saying that an ad designer
is an artist...
...and a descendant of...
...Flaubert and Joyce!
That's crazy!
Come on, monomaniac,
hurry up!
We're doing the Marmottes ski run.
Let's regroup!
Over here!
Hey, are you coming?
I'm coming!
Les Halles
and the East Station?
Are you coming?
I'll explain, Charly.
I'll explain!
What's the matter?
Ok, let's go then.
So, clearly...
Excuse me?
Uhm no...
Apparently, without the...
lipstick, you...
Don't you recognise me?
Oh, yes.
Is it good what you're reading?
That speaks for itself.
Ah!
Excuse me.
Where are you getting off?
Pont-Neuf and you?
-Me too.
Ah? You live there?
Uhm... no, in the 9th district.
But I'll take...
...a cab.
-Did you follow me?
I looked for you, yes.
Because... uhm... I...
Ever since...
Since we met in the...
I kind of...
Because I...
I find that weird...
Do you ever finish
a sentence?
Not lately, no.
I told myself...
Even if it looks bad...
It's true that...
Because, with
my lipstick...
Then I said to myself:
"If you let this chance pass...
"...you won't get any
until the exam."
And then?
Mind you, it's been 8 months
since Jean-Pierre.
Quiet!
-Shut up yourself.
What's he like?
The opposite of Jean-Pierre.
-Ugly.
No, not really, no.
What a moment to start
something!
Not start,
check.
Whether you exist?
No, whether I can...
Fuck for the sake of fucking?
Yes, he's exactly
what I need.
Nice,
no conversation!
I hope he's the right guy.
-Me too.
Dinner at 8, his place at 10,
my place at 12, markings, sleep at 2.
Don't you allow for the unexpected?
Good morning!
Sit down.
You and you,
collect the papers.
...such as Toulouse,
Albi and Carcassonne.
Molière came under the protection
of the Count de Bijoux...
...lieutenant-general
for the Haut-Languedoc.
The comedians are paid...
from funds reserved...
...for lodging military troops.
Mr. Fortuné?
What time is it?
8:30 pm.
What time?
Oh oh!
Wait, Charly.
Nothing is going to happen tonight.
Because I know.
She's that kind of girl.
It takes a lot of work.
I'll tell you all about it, ok?
Ok, tomorrow, 9 o'clock in the studio.
Good evening, has Mr. Edouard Jansen
arrived?
Ned, I haven't seen him yet.
Cyril, have you seen Ned?
-No.
Please take the lady
to her table.
This is the answering machine of Edouard.
Leave me a message.
Hello, Ned.
Hello, Vicky.
Un whisky, please.
Was anybody looking for me?
-No, I didn't see anybody.
Hi, Ned, how are you?
Do you need a bass player?
Uhm, no.
Hello.
I apologise...
I hate being late.
Don't worry.
Excuse me.
Do you want to take off your...
What would you like to drink?
A Schweppes.
With gin.
A gin-tonic, I mean.
Shall we sit down?
I had a class at the Sorbonne,
I didn't have time...
...to get changed.
Are you taking classes or teaching them?
-Both.
I'm a high school teacher in Villiers...
...I have a permanent job
as a teacher in Courneuve.
And I'm taking classes
at the Sorbonne...
...on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I need to get up at 6...
There you are.
Great, the steak with shallots.
No shallots, no.
I'll have the lamb.
Is there garlic in it?
Very little.
The sole.
I'm also working on my qualification.
Substitute teacher,
qualification, all that...
It's easy.
Assistant teacher,
substitute sucks.
Qualified teacher, that's getting...
You didn't call me back
about the recording!
Excuse me.
Uhm...
I'm going on tour
for a month, I can't.
Nicolas, are you ok?
I'm fine.
Hello.
Are you leaving?
Uhm...
Yes, a tour
with a funk band.
Well, jazz-rock, you know.
I need money and
I love touring.
Which instrument do you play?
The guitar, the synthesizer.
I went to the conservatory.
Piano.
-Really?
I compose.
I'm a composer.
Well, I don't make a living
off it...
A bit of Jim Morrison,
a bit of Elton John.
You see?
Yes, of course.
Qualified teacher of what?
Classical literature.
So, trendy stuff?
She's a friend.
What does that mean?
"A friend"?
Is that like calling the steak
with shallots "great"?
Or is she really a friend?
She's a girl with whom...
I...
-What did you say?
Shall we go?
Yes.
Aren't we taking your car?
We'll go on foot, ok?
On foot?
Yes.
I thought he lived in the
9th district!
Did you notice...
...you damaged a headlight?
Who gives a fuck?
-And you're an asshole too!
No?
Shall we go in there?
Uhm... there?
-Yes.
Yes.
Come in!
You're welcome
in my house.
The little table in the back?
Or in the corner?
That one is fine.
Perfect. Make yourself comfortable.
Bachir, coats!
I'll bring you the menu.
Thanks.
Are you ok? Hungry?
Yes.
Well, not that hungry.
Who's Nicolas?
My ex-child,
the son of my ex-wife.
Of my ex.
Married?
Divorced.
The works.
What's the works?
Assorted...
We have faith in you.
Thanks.
Ok?
Your tour...
-Your qualification...
In April...
-A bit everywhere...
The written exams in April,
the oral in June.
I'd advise...
...the arak.
-Very good.
Is that ok...?
Yes.
I love Tom Waits.
You know Tom Waits?
Phil Collins, Keith Jarrett,
Coltrane...
I see.
I'm very picky.
Also with movies.
I have so little time!
I have no time at all.
-Not at all?
Well, just for the essential things.
- The mezze.
That's very strong.
And that?
-Very spicy.
What's that?
Brains.
And that, pasta?
No, spinal marrow of sheep.
It'll be a feast.
Have a nice meal.
Do you know what the
essential things are?
Sometimes, yes.
That's how we keep going, isn't it?
Taking life bit by bit.
At the moment, the essential...
Is the qualification.
Not tonight, no.
Arak, very sweet, aniseed based.
Tonight's
a distraction.
What I'm trying to say...
This is my last evening out...
...before the written exams.
-In April?
In 3 months?
Ok, I'll wait.
Never water after spicy food!
The difference between
the artist and the intellectual...
Is genius, madness!
No, it's commitment!
The concept of the intellectual
dates from...
What am I going on about?
It's midnight.
I'm getting up at 6.
-The artist is alone...
...with his work.
You have a beautiful mouth.
The media...
...kill the artists.
The intellectuals eat us alive.
But that's great!
An artist who looks beyond
his art!
And enters the great debates
of humanity...
...Sartre, Zola, Picasso...
I should stop.
I'll scare him.
Just because a guy has a talent,
he has to take a stand?
If I became famous...
...I still wouldn't know...
...what to think about
vivisection, nuclear energy...
...Islam. I don't know a thing.
And I change my mind
every 2 cups of coffee.
Something in a thirty-acre
thermal thicket...
...of thorns and...
...thistles thumped
and thundered threatening...
...the three-D thoughts
of Matthew the thug,...
...although, theatrically...
...it was only
the thirteen-thousand thistles...
...and thorns through the
underneath of his thigh...
...that the thirty year old thug
thought of that morning.
See? I can finish my sentences.
Are you seeing anybody?
I was, not anymore.
I have to get up early,
can we leave now?
Never?
No, never.
That's not possible,
you're joking!
How's that possible at your age?
How old are you anyway?
28.
You never voted!
No, never.
They're all the same,
anyway.
But where's he going?
Where's he taking me!
Is this it?
Yes, for the time being.
I'm looking for an apartment.
Or a room, really.
I'm Basque.
Did I tell you?
-No, I don't think so.
But we talked about so many
things that...
Well, I'm leaving tomorrow, so...
After the exams in April?
No?
I want a movie kiss.
Right away.
This is the answering machine
of Edouard.
Leave me a message.
Are you there?
Come in.
We're in the studio
until 2 in the morning.
So you're not going to bed as
early as you thought?
Tell me about it later. Bye.
That's...
Yes.
I recorded
"Star Wars".
But they showed
"The Night of the Hunter"!
I'll make us some
coffee, ok?
Uhm.
If you need to...
The bathroom's over there.
Yes.
No more coffee. Kisses.
Alexandra.
If you're still cold...
...I have an extra heater...
...thermal underwear...
...and an old fox...
...that belonged to my grandmother.
There's no more coffee.
I made some hot wine.
I put in some...
Cinnamon...
...some cloves.
That'll warm you.
But first of all, Valentine,
there's something that...
Before our relationship takes
a new turn...
It's not easy to say.
Here it is.
The Marx Brothers
never made me laugh.
May I have this dance, please?
Oh!
I'm coming!
Who is it?
It's me, Valentine!
What? Wait a moment.
I forgot my papers!
I have to return them
this morning.
Have a coffee.
What time is it?
7 and my class starts at 8!
I wanted to avoid...
The mornings are always
awkward.
Valentine!
I wanted to say that
yesterday means a lot to me.
And that...
Well, the first night is...
Maybe I wasn't that great.
Me neither.
You really don't want a coffee?
It's me. Are you asleep?
Are you still at the studio?
I'll see you at your place.
We're still leaving at 5?
See you tonight.
Kiss.
- Thank you, gentlemen.
We'll continue after the entr'acte.
Hey, are you coming?
-Yes.
It will take a week.
This one is more complicated.
Who do you think I am?
Did you look at yourself?
Did you listen to yourself?
Are you on tranquillizers?
Miss Ezquerra, please.
Still not there?
I'll call again later. Bye.
I did the math.
One call every 1/2 hour.
This will keep you going until dawn.
-You're a jerk.
This very white make-up...
...looks a bit like a mask.
The Infante of Spain
hides behind a mask.
I'll call you later.
Yes, I'll see you later.
We'll see each other a lot!
I'm very happy.
Me too!
Excuse me. Edouard Jansen.
Oh yes.
Was that Marie-Christine Barrault?
-Yes.
We met...
-At Daniel...
...Cauchy's.
-Yes.
Generally, I always work
with the same people.
But I don't mind a change.
Make a great score
and we'll meet to discuss it.
Dominique, give him
a scenario.
Right away!
We're leaving for Yugoslavia
for 8 weeks.
I'll decide when I come back.
So work on it, OK?
Ok, thanks a lot.
You're here already.
Did you know her?
Well, not her room.
This is how she left it.
But the room is available.
- I'll get the rest.
- When are her parents...
...picking up the rest
of her stuff?
Tomorrow.
I don't like
to move this quickly.
Hello!
You know Claire.
Welcome aboard.
Céline, I've got your valium.
She's the nurse.
The night shift.
The kitchen!
We take turns cooking
and getting the groceries.
For personal messages.
Momento!
My room is a mess.
And Serge?
In his room.
Serge!
He locks himself in
because of the cat.
- Crêpe?
- The housekeeper.
Her name is Suzette.
Serge Tessier. Valentine?
I would have preferred
to meet you in more...
Or rather less...
Anyway, the room is available.
Yes.
I had Sarah's parents
on the phone.
Tranxene and whisky.
Poor kid.
A good thing
it happened there.
About the cat, be careful when...
...you leave the apartment.
And about the phone.
no 16 and no 19.
I'll show you my room.
No details?
That's no way to move!
Tell her
Edouard Jansen called.
Thanks.
Chocolate with milk, with fruit...
...with nuts or with rum?
You like it?
We leave at 12 pm,
sound check at 6 pm.
Room 307.
200.
Shall we have a drink?
The bar's open.
Not me.
117.
Jansen, which room?
You're no fun.
Want a drink?
No, thanks. Goodnight.
Do you have a minute?
Yes.
Did you talk to Annabelle
recently?
Uhm, no, why?
I talked to her mother.
She's very unhappy.
She's depressed.
She left you, no?
I was all for it.
Her mother says she's not
in love with this guy.
Do you want me to call
the mother or Annabelle?
Annabelle.
Ok!
Continental or American?
Black coffee and orange juice.
One black coffee, one orange juice.
One tea...
...and soft boiled eggs.
Alexandra, I have to...
...go back to Paris.
-When?
Right away.
Now.
Because...
I lost somebody.
I need to find her.
Do you understand?
It's...
Well, it's important.
And the tour?
I was thinking...
Since I have to be in
Strasbourg tomorrow at 6 pm...
And what are your plans with me?
Laura isn't going to like this.
We haven't been together
for more than a year.
And she's still busting your balls.
I always told her
I wasn't...
...in love with you.
Is that so?
And what is this all about?
I don't know, it's...
It's strange, she's
not my type.
And when did this start?
Uhm... yesterday.
I didn't even realise,
at first.
This afternoon,
I started to feel...
... something was missing.
It almost felt as if
I had been dumped.
You understand?
-I understand quite well, so...
Good evening.
The cat!
Mr. Fortuné?
Valentine Ezquerra.
I wanted to say goodbye.
That could have waited.
Have there been any calls for me?
Uhm.
Yes, Mr. Jansen.
I told him
you left.
What did he say?
He said:
"That's no way to leave".
Thanks. Goodnight.
Drop me off at the café.
I can't tell my husband
that I came back from London...
...at this hour.
Do you forgive me?
That would be the limit.
If I don't get my
6 hours of sleep...
...I'm buggered.
I only slept 4!
See you later!
Can a teacher
skip a class?
Why didn't you leave an address?
I found a room
unexpectedly.
When are you free?
At 12 pm.
But I have to deliver a lecture
at the Sorbonne at 2 o'clock.
Didn't you leave?
I came back.
Tonight, if you like...
I have to be in Strasbourg.
I'll be back at 12 pm.
Ok.
However...
...comma...
...after dinner...
...comma...
...she returned to the...
...haberdashery's...
...shop.
Period.
She drew the plan
of the rooms...
...comma...
Shht, shht! Let's continue!
She drew the plan
of the rooms...
...comma...
...on the margin...
...of a newspaper.
Period.
Then, comma...
...Coupeau...
...urged her to rent.
Period.
Certainly...
...comma...
Quiet!
She would not find...
She would not find...
...anything under 500 francs.
Period.
"The challenge in teaching
is to reconcile...
"...the certainty of knowledge
with the literary sentiment...
"...the exactitude of the detail
with a broader outlook."
What is a lesson?
The major oral test
of the exam.
Her lecture
is only a repeat.
Don't you find that disgusting?
Excuse me?
Your dirty hankies.
Doesn't that bother you?
Would you mind
if I used one?
You're not too cold?
No, I'm fine.
I can't find my text!
I'm so nervous!
When I received the
Prix de Rome...
Prix de Rome, you?
-Yes.
Isn't that something!
My mother gave me
warm milk with egg yolk.
I puked it all out,
but that didn't stop me...
Well, from...
He never finishes his sentences.
Ok then, see you later.
Yes, see you later.
I can't go very far
with that lecture and all.
Is here ok?
It's worse in the weekend.
I've got school...
...papers...
The weekend's hard labour.
A convent!
Why?
Just because!
Normally,
the year of your qualification...
...you see nobody.
You don't live your own life!
5 years of preparation...
...that could go down the drain!
I want that qualification!
Oh, my notes!
In the car.
Look.
You have time.
It's ten to.
You know, the school,
that's because I'm broke.
Is something going on
between us, Valentine?
There's something, isn't there?
I don't know.
Yes.
I have to go. I have
to do 500 kilometres.
Wait.
After 8 in the evening.
I can't. I'm playing at 8.
Ok.
Bye.
Baudelaire said:
"I have put my whole heart,
my whole mind, my whole religion...
"...my whole hatred...
"...into this atrocious book."
Come on! We're starting!
So the girl says to me:
"What is it you do?"
I reply:
"I'm a teacher".
She never talked to me again!
Not even:
"What do you teach?"
No, nothing!
Valentine, we're starting!
Yes, I'm coming!
So you became a teacher
to impress women!
Yes!
I'll get it, I'll get it!
Hello?
Yes, hello.
Yes, just a moment.
Ah, there's the beauty!
Finalmente!
Frédéric on the phone.
Happy birthday.
Oh! Thanks!
But you're the one
who can't come!
Why do you get angry?
No, the rest of the week,
it's terrible!
What do you want
me to say?
Teaching is:
start of the school year, holidays.
Have some salad!
He doesn't understand.
Maybe it's because...
...I teach textural arts,
but literature teacher really impresses me!
The qualification's hard.
You work almost as hard
as my doctors!
Almost?
One day, you'll have
your qualification.
And you'll get a permanent
position and the salary of a garbage man.
- What you're saying sucks!
Why?
You're ashamed and you're
looking for excuses.
Excuses for what?
You're a very good teacher.
But you're secretly working to get out.
You're fed up teaching
Verlaine to North Africans!
You'd like to run
the Villa Médicis!
Absolutely.
We went to Uni.
Our goal was not
to become teachers.
How to get out?
Mallarmé and Pagnol
were high school teachers!
And you, you're
all assholes!
Come on now...
Where are you going?
I have to make a phone call.
I have to call him!
Careful with the cat!
Good evening, is...
...Edouard Jansen
there, please?
One of the musicians.
Is this the Sofitel
in Mulhouse?
They left last week?
Oh, ok.
Thank you, bye.
Oh! Machiavelli!
Hello?
Is this the Sofitel in Lyon?
Edouard Jansen, please.
Yes, one of the musicians.
Are they in the bar?
Yes, I'll wait.
No!
Hello? Yes? Hello?
Could you give me...
...5 francs?
I'll be cut off!
Quick! Because...
Oh, quick!
Thank you!
Hello? Yes, I'm here!
What?
He didn't come back?
Tell him Valentine called.
He can call me back tonight.
Valentine. Even if it's late!
Need the phone?
-No, no.
Hello?
Valentine?
I'm going crazy.
Will you be in Grenoble
on Sunday?
Take the train on Saturday,
at 11:05 pm.
You'll arrive in Dijon at 2:11 am.
That's halfway
between Paris and Grenoble.
I'll wait at the station.
I'm playing in Avignon at 5 pm.
Ok.
I'm longing for you!
Oh, and me for you!
Shall we go?
Ok.
We're about to arrive in Dijon.
Dijon, 2 minute stop.
Careful!
Hello?
Valentine isn't here.
- I am!
I'm here.
Hello?
Yesss!
I feel like I'm
about to die.
I'm always afraid
we'll lose each other.
That you'll leave me.
It was a beautiful night.
We played well.
The people were happy.
Afterwards I was on my own.
I think I've got my score...
... for the movie.
Hello?
-Yes, it's me.
Yes, I'm preparing
the written exam.
I'm nervous!
Since I once almost failed
an exam in Toulouse.
You did?
-I told you about it.
Because of somebody,
a teacher.
A what?
-A teacher.
A lecturer.
It lasted 2 years.
I was very much in love.
Hello?
Stop talking about it.
It makes me sick.
It's a long time ago.
-How long?
I haven't seen him for 8 months.
And you saw him again!
Once or twice. Wait.
Hello?
What are you doing?
-I'm sitting down.
What's that about your scar?
Is it over with the teacher?
Yes, of course!
I had a skating accident.
Are there women in your band?
Good evening, sir.
I'm about to close.
And?
It's good!
The start is good.
After that, I could
be wrong...
There's a glitch.
Shit!
I stress the importance...
...of the second edition
of Ronsard's "Amours"...
...published only 1 year
after the first one, in 1553.
To the author's sonnets,
comments were added...
...by a certain Marc-Antoine Muret.
The reason given...
...for this addition, was the fact that
Ronsard's poems...
...are deliberately
hermetic.
They can't be understood
by common men...
...who are not educated...
...or humanists.
I'll give you my notes.
In the state you're in...
Tired?
Bad timing,
Miss Ezquerra.
Yes, tell me.
Yes, tell me again.
And again!
Again!
Yess!
Did I wake you?
No, I'm working in my Latin.
The written exams started yesterday.
I'm scared!
- And Greek,
how did that go?
I don't know.
"Aeschylus and Pindar,
the triumph of lyricism."
Is it finished?
No! I have Old French on Saturday...
...and Latin on Monday.
- So you can't come
to Marseille?
It's a disaster!
A version of Virgil...
...and I interpret it
the wrong way!
When things go wrong like this,
I think of my mother.
She died 5 years ago.
That makes me even more unhappy.
I think, if she was here,
she'd comfort me.
And then I cry even more!
Talking to you about it,
makes me want to cry.
Tomorrow, I have French.
I didn't prepare well enough!
Where are you?
I'm in the kitchen.
But are you naked?
Of course not, I'm
in the kitchen.
Good evening, Claire.
It's Claire.
Oops, it's 3 o'clock.
Are you in bed?
-I'm laying on the bed.
An urgent call from Paris, sir.
Hello? Don't hang up, please.
-Valentine, I'll call you back.
Hello?
That was Laura, my ex.
At 3 in the morning?
It's about Nicolas,
Laura's son.
He's in hospital.
He broke his arm.
That's a problem
for his piano.
How old is Laura?
But Valentine!
You're crazy. It's 7:30!
7:30!
"I think the whole world...
"...is in love with you.
"That there's a guy hiding
everywhere...
"...handsome, intelligent,
who'll tell you...
"...that I'm a jerk...
"...and that you really
love him, not me."
And your crazy teacher?
He's not crazy!
Whatever.
Ok, are you ready?
It's nice.
It's unusual and
has a lot of charm.
Good evening.
Is there a bathing cap...
...in your bathroom?
-Check for yourself.
It's nothing,
a friend.
Who is it?
It's...
I found it.
Goodnight, Patricia.
-Goodnight.
See you tomorrow!
She's the girl from the band.
She plays the synthesizer.
Do you want to go to sleep?
You're not leaving anymore, are you?
When you come back,
you won't leave again?
Where do you think we'll
be around Christmas time?
Do you like foie gras?
Are you still there?
What time is it?
It's 4 in the morning.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
What time is it?
Didn't he call?
There must be good clubs
in Bordeaux.
Well, I got myself a great patient!
He had hepatitis,
but he's all recovered now!
He gets out tomorrow.
26 years old, he's in advertising.
Good body. A bit young,
but great.
Do you do that often,
patients?
It beats finding a guy
in a club.
I know everything...
...thanks to the medical report!
Do you have a valium?
I'm scared.
Hey, you two!
Insomnia, right?
I'm not sure
if I have any.
That's the one.
Oh!
A whole one!
You're going a bit
too far with those!
Me, I suffer from insomnia.
Valentine from unconsciousness.
-Céline!
I didn't say a word. It's your life.
Goodnight.
She's right.
I'm a mess.
Go to sleep. If he calls...
...I'll tell him you're asleep.
Besides, that'll teach him.
Ok, thanks.
Hello? Yes!
The concert was cancelled.
I came back.
-Where are you?
I'll be downstairs
in 10 minutes.
Oh!
Hello!
Get in.
I told you about Charly.
Hello.
Hello.
How are you?
-Fine, thanks.
In my series of
fatal errors...
...I said to her:
"Annabelle, for me...
"...making love,
is not a problem".
I'm right, no?
Are you ok?
I hate that term "to make love"!
Sounds like "living together"!
No, " my better half", that's worse.
Do you mind?
Thanks.
Excuse me.
Goodbye!
Is there something wrong?
I've been driving since
midnight, I'm beat.
Couldn't you drop him
off first?
Yes, but...
I just spent...
...5 magic minutes!
Waiting in the rain.
Not knowing whether you'd come...
-Well, I'm here!
And that guy's face!
You don't understand?
You don't understand?
-I do.
Actually, no, I don't understand.
-Alright.
Why are you crying?
I'm not crying. It's the rain.
Don't ruin moments of happiness.
Don't.
Are you quoting Baudelaire now?
I am?
I'm impossible, ain't I?
No, you're right.
I don't understand anything and...
But now I understand.
Stop, stop, stop!
That sounds wrong, Charly!
When you're working for a friend,
for free...
We'll try something else.
Straight into it,
with piano and synthesizer.
Stop, stop, stop!
That's better, but
it still need more depth.
Too much rhythm,
not enough contrast.
Ok, let's have a break.
What do you think?
What time is it?
2:20.
What?
I'm going home.
I'll call you a cab.
Is that you, Annabelle?
You're lucky.
We're about to leave.
Yes, yes, wait.
Don't hang up.
Can I take this there?
No, there's only one phone.
Hello?
Stop...
...calling!
Leave me alone!
The ball is in my court.
What do I do?
Victor!
Will you join us in the café?
Who is it?
The guy from the
record company.
Ok, you don't mind?
About tomorrow...
...I have to get up early for the
oral exam.
2 hot chocolate!
What's wrong?
What's this story about
the Sporting in Nice?
What?
- You refused 1 month...
...at 300 francs a night each.
Wait, guys.
The Sporting sucks!
You could have discussed it with us!
The Excalibur, 1 week in May,
that's better!
The Excalibur is history.
They signed with the Crabs.
We always start out...
...from a cultural base.
Where we come from.
Listen to Matisse.
"I said to my students:
'Do you want to paint? '
"Cut off your tongues.
That way...
"...you can only express yourselves
with your brushes."
Excuse me!
I don't agree
completely...
Do you have a light?
And for me too, please?
I'm white, you know.
Never mind.
A real fascist's face!
What?
Yes!
Isn't that unbelievable?
No?
-Yes.
Is that Nicolas?
Yes, he's early.
I'm taking him out for breakfast.
Are you coming?
But I get the results
of the written exam!
Oh yes, that's true!
How are you?
-Fine.
Nicolas, Valentine.
Hello.
She's a teacher.
Hello!
-Mommy's having breakfast with us.
Ok. Uhm...
Laura, Valentine.
Hello.
Hello.
Is the Fish and Fish ok?
-Great.
Will you call me tonight?
Oh wait, I'll be
in the Locomotive!
I'll call you, ok?
Shall we go?
See you. Maybe...
"Maybe..."
Stupid bitch!
Didn't I tell you?
I'm seeing Victor a bit.
What, my Victor?
-Well, yes.
Why didn't he tell me?
A turnover
and the bill!
There's nothing to say.
That's just how it is.
What does she teach?
French, Latin, Greek.
She's quite impressive.
-She comes across...
Comes across how?
Impressive!
What?
You know how your first impression
is often correct...
...this time...
Ok, let's go.
Say goodbye to your mother
and hurry.
Ezquerra Valentine!
You've got it!
Ok...
Prossimo.
Jacques...
Jolivet Céline!
Great! To us!
My poor children!
Time to prepare for the oral exam!
Let's dance!
Let's have a drink first!
Where's your Edouard?
In the orchestra!
Céline!
I can't stay.
Just 15 minutes
and then we go back.
I have to finish a report.
-The one time that...
Yes, exactly.
Come on...
And congratulations on your exam.
I haven't got it yet.
Hey, Céline, come!
Céline!
Did you see the bear with the violin?
That's a black panther!
Which one is Edouard?
The lion on the synthesizer.
Nice mane!
It's cool!
And Frédéric?
I've got it!
I'm in!
Charly, she's got it!
Only the written exam.
Come, we're all over there.
Let me get changed!
Where's the nurse?
Hi.
Ok, see you later.
Maybe!
What does that mean?
"See you later. Maybe..."
You should ask her...
...what that means!
It means:
"Bye bye, see you one of these days."
It's not that complicated!
It means:
"You're the 150th woman...
"...in my ex's life,
and I'll never see you again!
"I never saw the others again either!"
She's with Victor!
They were invited, at least!
He works with me!
Really, sometimes...
Actually, all the time!
You're always marking papers,
always on a schedule!
You'll never change!
It's all about you!
You don't give a shit
about my problems!
You're telling me that today?
You didn't even call for
my results!
Yes, I did. I called!
You weren't there!
Do I have to sit next
to the phone all day?
What an attitude!
-Yes!
And the banker woman,
does she know about me?
Not even!
What about the banker?
What does my mother
have to do with anything?
Valentine!
Where are you going?
She knows about you!
But it's like...
Oh no!
Not "it's like"!
Modern speak,
no thanks!
You make me feel as if I have
to pass those exams myself!
That's disgusting!
Valentine!
And my music,
are you interested in that?
Any problems?
No, it's ok.
We're arguing!
Is that forbidden? No!
Well? Ok!
-Let's go.
Is your music not going well?
I'm stuck.
I'm having a creative block,
I'm not ready.
My sample sucks.
But you never told me!
You never asked.
But that's because...
Because...
I'm unfair and...
And I'm jealous!
Hey, it's 2 o'clock!
Charly!
Where are you going?
-To finish the sample in the studio.
We have to finish it.
Synthesizer and flutes.
Less drums.
Pay attention to the drums.
A bit more piano.
Synthesizer.
Don't lose the strings.
Yes, that's good.
Thanks, guys.
Thanks!
Va molto bene!
Present!
Thanks.
I called a cab.
Can I drop you off?
This is the answering machine of Edouard.
Leave me a message.
Hallo, this is Charly.
Are you there?
Hello?
Did I wake you up?
No, I just got here.
-Oh, ok.
And?
Well, she's got big tits.
And you?
The nurse?
She just left.
Oh, yes, alright.
She'll call me.
I think she's on a roll.
Hello?
It's not going to work
with Valentine.
Because of Patricia?
I don't give a shit
about Patricia.
No, it's worse than that.
Don't miss out on a good thing.
Will you tell her?
Yes, she's too good
to keep her hanging.
Edouard Jansen,
Jean-Pierre Lussac.
Jean-Pierre is president
of the admission jury for philosophy.
You're from
Toulouse, aren't you?
Yes, yes.
You're looking great.
For the oral exam... I'll call you!
It's funny.
- Sir?
A coffee, please!
What?
To have met him.
By coincidence, yes.
What's wrong?
Oh, nothing.
You said:
"We have to talk."
So there must be something, no?
Yes.
I need to tell you something.
Tell me.
We can't go on
like this.
Spend tonight at my place.
Every night, if you like.
Ok with you?
No problems.
Ok, let's listen.
Let's listen to the tape!
Edouard Jansen is here.
Jansen?
The composer.
Didn't you tell him
about Cosma?
We couldn't reach him.
OK, thanks.
Hello, how are you?
-Fine.
Bad news.
I had a problem with
play-back.
I had Cosma come over.
I'm continuing with him.
That's it. I'm sorry.
Do we have the tape of...?
- It's ready.
Ok, let's listen.
Maybe we'll work together
some other time.
Let's listen.
What's happening?
Thanks!
Do you have a problem upstairs?
He took away the music.
Hello, Céline, are you done?
Ah! See him?
He looks cute
in his smoking!
No?
No, not completely.
I'll work at home.
I've got some stuff here.
Shall I call you tomorrow?
Yes, ok.
I'll turn the answering
machine back on, ok?
- Hello, this is Charly.
Are you there?
Did I wake you up?
- No, I just got here.
Oh, ok. And?
Well, she's got big tits.
And you?
The nurse?
She just left.
Oh, yes, alright.
She'll call me.
I think she's on a roll.
Hello?
It's not going to work
with Valentine.
Because of Patricia?
I don't give a shit
about Patricia.
No, it's worse than that.
She's great...
...but she's into her thing
and I'm into mine.
But she's got it all.
She's beautiful...
...intelligent, brilliant...
...but such character!
Real personalities...
...can be such a pain!
Be careful.
Don't miss out...
...on a good thing.
Will you tell her?
Yes, she's too good
to keep her hanging.
Caroline, that went quite well.
What about
your next concerts?
At the Touquet.
And in Munich.
All at the age of 14?
-Yes.
Do you think you've got it all?
No.
-Thank you, Caroline.
You're right, you
shouldn't keep me hanging.
And I don't have big tits!
Ezquerra.
Jolivet.
Translation of and commentary on
the "The Letter to Lucilius"...
...number 104, Seneca.
We're listening, Miss.
You can sit down.
-No, thanks.
"Non potest gratis...
"...constare libertas."
It is unavoidable that
there is a price to our liberty.
Man should free himself
of excessive labour...
...since zeal makes the individual...
Man should...
...free himself of excessive...
...labour...
That makes... man...
...have no more time to think
about himself...
When Seneca says...
"Nam, cum sciam spiritum
illius in meo verti..."
Are you not feeling alright?
Would you like a glass of water?
Excuse me?
Excuse me,
I didn't understand...
...your question.
Excuse me!
Céline!
What's wrong with you?
I got dizzy.
I didn't hear anything anymore!
I didn't see anything!
It's over!
In one second,
5 years down the drain!
I mixed up my first point
and my second!
But that's ok!
How would you know?
Leave me alone!
Where's Valentine?
She doesn't answer the phone!
She has her oral French exam
in 15 minutes!
She hasn't been eating
for 5 days!
So leave her alone,
asshole!
Sir!
It's a matter of life and death!
Valentine!
-Get out!
If you talk to them...
...like a robot,
you'll fail...
...like Céline did!
-Quiet!
Céline?
-Yes.
That's not what life is about!
Everything changes!
We fuck up
and we regret it!
You live like this!
You'll never change!
This is not allowed!
My friends, at least...
...they make fun of everything!
-I know.
Yes, I fucked a girl...
...I don't have anything to do with!
If I have a bad character,
I take responsibility!
Give in, Valentine,
for once!
I beg you!
This is really the time
and the place!
Excuse me, excuse me!
Silence, knowledge!
We don't fool around here!
Miss Ezquerra?
It's your turn.
He sure finishes his sentences,
your teacher!
The magic potion to get laid!
I want children,
even if they'll be unemployed.
I want them with you,
because I love you.
Talking about unemployed...
...there's no more film music.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Valentine!
Molière, "The Misanthrope".
Miss Ezquerra,
you'll present to us the following lecture:
Love and self-love,
tragic and comical...
...aspects in
"The Misanthrope".
We're listening.
Amongst the incoherences of love,
addressed by Molière...
...love of the inappropriate...
...is a frequent occurrence.
It's dramatic impact is timeless.
He raises the painful question
of the difficulty of love.
To love the inappropriate...
...source of mistakes and conflicts...
...leads to the crucial choice
of love...
...love itself or self-love.
Act IV, scene 3,
Célimène says to Alceste:
"No, you do not love me as...
"...you ought to love".
She imposes on him
her way of loving.
He replies that he wishes...
"That Heaven, at your birth,
had bestowed upon you nothing..."
"And that, this very day, ...
"...I might have the joy
and the glory ...
"Of seeing you owe
everything to my love."
A love that leads to the
denial of the person who's loved.
Pinnacle of selfishness:
He wants her to only exist...
...through him.
Sir!
Célimène has her personality...
...her surroundings, her money...
...her free judgment!
Here Molière discusses
before its time...
...a modern problem:
independence of women.
Both these characters
live in their own universe.
They confront these
uncompromising universes...
...with equal arms.
And this unreasonable passion...
...that Alceste tries to fight...
This passion is sometimes
deeply touching.
When Alceste,
the pure one, the intransigent...
...the enemy of lies...
...begs Célimène
to lie to him.
Act IV, scene 3...
"Endeavour to appear faithful...
"And I shall strive
to believe you such."
In act V, he still hopes
he can change her.
But one cannot
change another being!
One doesn't have the right!
While apologising
in the precious language...
...of the 17th century...
...Célimène tries to make
Alceste understand this.
"If you love me,
accept me as I am.
"I will not change!
"Accept me as I am...
"...and I'll accept you as you are!"
You're off-topic.
You think so?
Because I use my private
life, my emotions...
...in a didactical lecture?
If I speak of love
and self-love...
...it's because nothing has changed.
It is as difficult now
as it was in the 17th century...
...to combine love and
personal development!
I... can I continue?
Please do.
Alceste is intransigent...
...selfish, possessive.
Célimène is carefree,
irresponsible, unfaithful.
If they would accept
each other's shortcomings...
...that would be a victory...
...of love over self-love.
Only a great love is worthy
of these sacrifices.
And how does one
recognise a great love?
When the one person
who can comfort you...
...is the one who has hurt you.
Then you know you're a couple.
"The Misanthrope",
comedy or tragedy?
Musset said this about it:
"While it makes you laugh...
"...it should make you cry."
The downfall of a great love...
...is immensely sad.
These 2 characters, forever
imprisoned in their loneliness...
...are so sad.
I think that this is
Molière's message.
Yes, this lecture
is aimed at you.
Is there anybody among you...
...who loves the other
enough to prefer...
...their happiness to your own?
To let them live
at their pace...
...to cry and laugh with them?
I'll conclude with a quote by
Alfred de Musset.
"All men
are liars...
"...they're inconstant, fake,
they talk too much...
"..they're hypocritical, proud and cowardly...
"...despicable and sensual.
"All women are perfidious...
"...vain, artificial,
curious and perverted.
"But there's nothing as holy
and sublime...
"...as the union between these two
imperfect and hideous creatures!"
"No Trifling with Love",
scene 2, act V!
Have you finished, Miss?
Yes.
If you don't mind,
we'll deliberate.
I'm sorry
about your Latin.
No, you made me cry!
Sei stata brillante!
You've got them in your pocket.
I saw their faces!