Same Same But Different (2009) - full transcript

Based on the true story
of Benjamin Prüfer and Sreykeo Sorvan.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

You shoot

So now you shoot the tree

Peace, folks!

Ben, I have a cool idea

We'll take LSD

at the Killing Fields. War tourism with ambition

Shit man. They'll rip us off

Shit, I have no money on me

Got any water?



Why would I have water?

It's not my fault the fucking tuk-tuk died

Look

Somebody's there

It's called Phnom

Look, Ben

Pretty women

Wave

You need to open up

Reach out to women

Here

you're unaware of time

Time's aware of you

and catches you



and you float in time

We take time

and hack it up

You can't bank time

Gnarly!

Marie is sweet, eh?

She never talks

I mean visually

Go in with me

We're in Phnom Penh!

The question is, my place or yours?

I'm going to eat

Thai chicken micken

You coming? Yes

You bought her a ring?!

Are you nuts?

They invest in gold jewelry

For a rainy day

They don't do that here

Yes, they do

No!

They want you to marry them

That's all

You have no choice

No choice, how?

I didn't mean you, doobie doo

Speaking of doobie

What's up?

Are you in love?

Are you in love with Regula?

I don't love somebody who's not there

We're going home tomorrow!

Hamburg, Germany - 6 weeks later

Ed! Open the door!

Who are you?

I'm Ben. I live here

Who are you?

Lilli

We expected you yesterday

What happened?

Bicycle accident

We study together

We had a welcome party for you

The mattress is in the basement

Or you could just...

sleep on the sofa

How does it work?

Do you pay her?

I send her money

so she won't sell her body

Can you afford that?

No, he can't

What's a hooker like in bed?

It's nice

What does that mean?

She does the work and you enjoy it?

With her it's nice

Like us

I see

What'll you do now?

An intern job

What else?

Lunch is in the cafeteria

On the ground floor

Here comes the boss

Excuse me, Mr. Behr, just briefly

This is my brother Ben

Great. Hello

It's a pleasure

If you need anything

just say so

The door is always open

Don't hold back

I'm here for you

I mean for

questions, suggestions

Speaking of which

my brother spent 3 months in Asia

Really?

Cambodia

Good

This is Mr. Miillerhofen

Who?

Please come in

This is Mr. Miillerhofen

He thinks his building society

has been embezzling

from tenants for 15 years

G' day

Coffee or water?

I've had my daily water quota

Please...

Right, a chair

Thanks

Miillerhofen!

He killed me

Miillerhofen is

totally nuts, of course

But if he's right, it could be a big scandal

That would be great

How're things at home? Sybille's well?

If you mean Claudia

she doesn't affect my home life

Ah. No gray area

I keep office and home separate

So only during office hours?

It's none of your business who I'm banging

Got it?

I get you a job and you fuck with me?

No worries

I've got other problems

Claudia is only here 'til Christmas

I know it. So does she

We're all adults

So it's all under control

I met a woman in Cambodia

You send her money?

She's my girlfriend

Those women have lots of men

who send money

Bet she does too

She can't afford love

sorry

Tell me about Cambodia

What?

How do people live there?

They constantly eat

and offer you food. Food's important

They're never alone

They're always in a group. Even asleep

The whole family sleeps in one room

If they had to sleep alone

they'd feel weird

They even use

the same toothbrush

I send her 150 a month

In return, she got a new job

Doing what?

Working at a beer garden

On commission

If more customers drink her brand

she earns more

And no men?

No. That's our contract

Ah. Contract

Your head back in Cambodia?

What does life cost in Phnom Penh?

In a factory

she'd earn n 50 or 60 a month

But she takes care of her family

What does her mother do?

She gambles

Cards

What's up?

Did something happen?

Could you have caught it?

Yes

You have to get tested

I know

Listen, your 3 months are almost up

You'll get Claudia's editor's job

Sign the contract today

Then we'll insure you against disability

You want to hire me as a staff editor?

You're mixing private life and the office again

You're my brother

It doesn't get any more private

I don't care

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!

How are you?

Haven't seen you in ages

I'm fine. You?

Not bad

Tandem training program

3 months office, 3 months school

I'm in comptrolling

at Hapag Lloyd

A great company

You know logistics

is growing 10% per year?

So they need people badly

The money's right too

1000 euros a month

They want people to look good

When I finish my degree

I'll have a job waiting

And you?

I'm getting an HIV test

I'm sorry

No worries

I'll cross my fingers

All the best

See you

What's that?

For my new visa

You're going back?

Sreykeo is HIV positive

And you?

I get the results in 5 days

Then I go to Cambodia

What if you're positive?

I'll still go

That's just so romantic

Just romantic or plain stupid

Should I get tested?

The toothbrush

I don't think so, but I'll let you know

Did I miss something?

Think about it

Once she starts the meds

she has to keep taking them

Forever

If she stops

the virus could become resistant

But in Cambodia only Stavudine

is available

With 1000 side effects

Nerve damage to the arms and legs

It's not even used in Germany anymore

It's well tolerated at first

but less effective and those side effects

Trust me, AZT is much better

AZT is not available in Cambodia

I want the supplier's name

All the many HIV cases here

take Stavudine

Why should this girl

get anything else?

She's my girlfriend

We'll gladly enroll your girlfriend

in our program

but if our drugs aren't good enough

I know you can get AZT from the supplier

Be reasonable

Stavudine is always available

but AZT...

That's why I need a reliable source

I'll buy them but where!

That's not our job

I don't give a shit!

Give me the damn address

We're building wells in rural areas of Cambodia

so our aid worker

can't join your HIV program here in Phnom Penh

No problem

You can buy the drugs for her

directly from our importer

That's possible?

Of course

Oh, shit

Your boyfriend can't work any more

He has stomach ache very weak

But...

I love him. And he loves me

We'll keep that in mind

Okey dokey in Cambodia?

More or less

This is Vanessa

Hello, Vanessa

You two study together?

No. Why?

Whatever

I'll just close this

What about Lilli?

Vanessa is less stressful

And you?

UN ambassador for human rights and
development aid?

How's things in Phnom Penh?

Thanks, Dr. House. Everything's fine

Her viral load is dropping

Her family wants me to

marry her and farm rice

So now you don't know what to do?

No, I just don't know

I thought

it would work out, but there's no solution

I go there, I come back

I go again. I'm out of money

Right

What do you think?

Make a list

What's on the pro side?

Life with her will never be boring.

Sex?

Really?

Yes

She's special, that's a fact

What else?

She loves me as lam

All women say they love you

for who you are

OK, one plus. Con?

She lives in Asia, I live in Europe

That could be a pro...

So, con?

You can barely communicate

She costs money

She can't, or rather shouldn't, have children

She's a Cambodian ex-prostitute

who is going to die of AIDS. That's a fact

Current medical lore says

she'll live another 25 years, max

if she gets the right medication

Now consider your age

Damn, I don't believe it

German?

Good in Phnom Penh?

You speak German?

Yes. Good

Happy

Happy

Your turn

Listen, Ben

I'll send you to Asia at the magazine's
expense

You'll do an article on luxury hotels

and meanwhile, you write your story

Young backpacker meets fallen girl...

You know, AIDS and so on

All for good reason

We'll pay separately

and you keep the copyright

You should invest

to get ahead

I can't do that

Of course you can

Sell it elsewhere and cash in

I have to ask Sreykeo. It's her story too

Do that. But don't wait long

BTW those are mine

Yeah. Got it

Shit

Want to watch?

otherwise we'll watch porn

During Advent?

Especially during Advent!

From a German

You speak German well

And the German man lives here?

No

She opens the door to the disco

looks around, sees a man at the bar

goes right to him, says buy me a glass of bubbly

I thought, OK, two glasses of champagne

Then she drank it down

in one gulp

and said, now I want to dance

I don't like to dance

But we danced. We even danced well

And ever since I've held her close

Two years later, Henry came along

We got married and soon you arrived

That's our story

Your mother always knew what she wanted

It's for you

She called me poppa

Why is he going outside?

For privacy. Let him be

You're beautiful

Thank you

Your French is excellent

I'm a teacher

Would you like to sleep with me tonight?

Take the money!

I've got lots of money

Why won't you look at me?

You agreed to come with me

So don't make a fuss now

What's wrong?

I gave you money

Don't make me use force

Or would you rather go with foreigners?

It's the best hotel in Kuala Lumpur

Wear something nice, write the article

and don't forget the hotel is paying for
everything

While you're there

you can figure out how to write your own story

Got it?

Loan hand in expense receipts?

Receipts for AIDS drugs would not go
over well here

Get it?

I can't do it

We just split up. I can't just go and
pretend it's fine

and then cash in on our story. That's bad

Break-ups happen

but it's a good story

You can't just leave her behind

You'll feel guilty your whole life

that you just cut her off

as if it hadn't happened

First promises, then bam

I didn't make promises

So you think

like big brother here

But she might see it differently

Be honest

You really made no promises?

I promised I'd help and I did that

What do you think?

Me?

I don't see that as a promise

More...

like an agreement or a contract

I see

And then one side just cancels it?

She still works as a bar-girl

although I send money. She broke our
contract

It was your contract

By German law. Hamburg jurisdiction

That contract applies to her?

What security does she have?

Should she wait for you all her life?

At least be real

Go lay your cards on the table

This to and fro is pointless

End the relationship with dignity

Then everybody knows what's what

that's her right

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Heitmann speaking

Ditto

Are you mad?

Totally?

First you want to go, then you don't

Now you break off the trip?

I need time to for my book

I'm writing our story

The hotel asked where you are

It's totally embarrassing

including for me

They'll fire you

I don't care

I'll find a job in Cambodia

Today Benjamin and Sreykeo
live in Cambodia and Germany.

They have a son. He is healthy.

4