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Animals with the Tollkeeper (1998)
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Animals with The Tollkeeper It has been almost three years, Since I first heard the story of the tollkeeper. At first, the tale seemed too unimaginable to be true. But as I heard more and more rumours of this contemporary phenomenon, the myth became a source of great intrigue. Finding the exact location of this man required true detective work. But after months of trekking the deserts of Southern Utah, We have found our quarry. Hello! I am a film-maker. Interested in talking with you. I would like to talk to you on film. Are you gonna go on? No. We came to talk with you. Go on, Fillmore. Go inside. An unexpected snag. Our subject appears to be apprehensive. This first day was not so successful. This man has shown a strange resistance to us. Our concerns have now turned to the weather. A storm is on the way. We must prepare for its arrival. We shall stay in the truck, except for Henri, our sound-man, who has volunteered to stay in a small tent with a camera. Felipe thinks Henri is insane. I agree. We are happy to see Henri. We are happy that we have survived the brutality of the desert night. But now, we must get back to work. Please! I have searched for you for three years. Give me one minute of time. We have run into an immovable object. We must try an unorthodox approach. Look at Felipe! Look, what he can do! Look at us! Isn't this amazing. Come on. You can stand on Felipe's stomach. Felipe's years in the circus have paid off. At long last, we have made a friend. This is the toll-gate. What is wrong? I feel kinda naked without my tuba. This is the toll-gate. It's the most essential part of the toll-gathering mechanism. On this day, we were treated to a feast of prairie dog, cactus wine, and what looked like the meat from a small bird. His initial unwillingness to talk to us, seems a distant memory. Now we could not keep him quiet if we tried. When I was a young man, I played third horn in the Milbert and Gilmore all-marching band, out in San Francisco. I love playing the horn. But I didn't play too good. Not for the marching band. I play good enough for out here. One day after we gave a real bad performance, I got an idea. It was gonna be a gold-rush town. It sprang up from nowhere, about 50 miles to my right down here. And another gold-rush town spring up to my left. And it only made sense that people were gonna go back and forth. So I said, 'If I put a toll-gate between the two, I could make a fortune!' So I packed my wagon up. Here I am! As time went on, my horse died, two towns died. But I still have a feeling that someday somebody's gonna build a big road right through here. It's just a matter of time. Has anyone ever passed through your toll-booth? No, not yet. You have been here fifty years? Yes, that's right. The second and most important part of this toll operation, Is this coin-deposit facility. Filmore came to me eight years ago. Just wondered up one day. Never taught him to dance. He just does it. When he sleeps, the toll-keeper's dreams are filled with effigies of romance he could only only in the silence of a desert night. This morning's sunrise was accompanied by a strange humming sound coming from the distant horizon. A spectacular event will occur. After fifty years of waiting, an automobile will pass through the toll-keeper's gate. Preparations have begun. I see it! L'arrive! Gotta get it ready for the next folks that come by. There'll be others. Too many broken people today. No place to go. No hope. So they'll come to me because I'll be waiting for them. with my tuba, and they'll stop. They'll stop at my gate and they'll be still like the wind. And they'll hear my music. That'll fix them. And it'll only cost them a nickel. This day we said goodbye to our strange new friend. Whether our expedition was successful, I do not know but I am satisfied. Today, I feel less a film-maker than an archaeologist. Who has stumbled across a rare but fragile relic. who marvelled at its beauty momentarily, and must walk softly away. leaving no footprints. Henry, can you hear me? Where are you, Henry? Where are you? Out of sorrow we walk in the language of a dream. You must have heard it somewhere? Stuck in his head and it rolls around and around. I hate to rush you, but I've been half a fart behind all day. Where are you going again? Under the bridge, where all the old Mafia dudes used to hang out. You think he's an idiot, don't you? You're not one of those guys that's that's gonna yap the whole time, are you? 'Cus I don't like yappers. No, I'm not like that, I keep to myself. You happen to bug me too. It's a popular misconception, the idiot thing. He butchers his words, but they're always well chosen. He's clean, compulsively Show him your nails, friend. That was a close shave. Sorry. You're in your own little world today, aren't you? Got your own little symbiosis going with yourself. Talk to your friend, will you? He's got his own little world, himself. Smiles all the time. Even at his mother's funeral, he smiled. Must be a nice life. Easy navigation for perpetual bliss. 7-25 Imagine a guy like you with a guy like me. ending up alone together under a bridge like this. Pretty romantic, huh? Necessity makes strange bedfellows. All lovey-dovey. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you In the parlance of the tough-guy world To stick 'em up. This is perfect. You don't know how perfect this is. You're a real son of a bitch, you know that? but you come at me just at the right time. Don't blame me. I'm not inventing this kind of thing, I'm just part of a trend. This can't be your first time. Part of the job. Still, kind of makes your colon twitch. To tell you the truth I don't feel a thing. Nothing. I'm numb. You know, I prefer to do this with a sense of poetry. If I had to shoot you, I'd feel real sad. Go ahead, blast away. Who's stopping you? It's a real gun. It has bullets and everything. I'm afraid the prognosis of you surviving with this attitude of yours is fairly remote. You're making a very unfortunate choice. The last fellow who resisted now suffers from a severe lack of breath. It's not a matter of resisting. I want you to shoot me. Go ahead! Do it! I don't give a fuck anymore. I don't wanna be part of your world anymore. There's no future in nobility. You're going to die for $23? My friend, I'm not one to judge another man's bible but I'm afraid your brains aren't all in a row. I'm sorry I had to take your money. You seem like a nice guy. but I couldn't sleep at night knowing I let it slip by. It's just the beast of the nature. Are you mad at me? Bonjour! Thank the Lord we found you! Hit the road, I'm not in the mood. This address. I'm not gonna take you anywhere, so just get out. I don't think it's too far away. Look, you see this vein? It's about to explode like a fucking geyser. I'm this far away from committing acts of extreme violence! I can't be responsible for my actions. Perfect! You are a man of adventure. Our bags are over there, merci. We are going to surprise a friend we haven't seen in some time. Herve Breton. Hey, what's with those two? They're giving me the creeps. Just act natural. They're students of anthropology. You have a nice picture. Henry! You have the same name as my friend here. Look, in this country we don't talk to people we don't know. It's dangerous. We're a dangerous people. Unfortunately, he's deaf. I am Laurent and he is Felipe. We spent most of our lives together, along with Henri making documentary films. Now that we are coming to end of our journey in this world We want to be together again, for the last time. Look, buddy. I'll take you where you're going, but no yapping. You got that? I got this. This is us in 1933. Utah. Magical. In the desert, when it is so quiet that the wind seems to shout one can hear the earth-conscience. In such a place, anything is possible. This is where I saw my first glimpse of paradise. Not in my heart and mind, but in my eyes. I shock you? I'm a cab driver, every unemployed sideshow freak and festering dreamer has crawled through that door one time or another. It's nothing personal. Half my life is spent with wackos like you. So you know everything? Enough. Enough to know what is and what isn't. One man's cesspool is another man's paradise. But to me, it all smells the same. Let me tell you something, Henry. A cynic is the architect of his own abyss. It takes nothing to be a misanthrope. But to devour life with all it's seeds takes courage. I feel terrible, Henry. In all the excitement, we have forgotten to exchange our currency. Yeah, well you're lucky I had some spare cash. When we find your friend I want my money. I'm no schmuck. Last guy that tried something like this now suffers from a severe lack of breath. - We are men of honour! - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you like driving a taxi? Pays the rent. What do you do at night? I drive. I usually don't pick anybody up. Just drive around in circles until the sun comes up. You have a girl? You know, we got an expression in this country 'Curiosity killed the cat'. So you prefer the man? I don't go for that other stuff. I got plenty of women. I got more women than I know what to do with. I think you have nobody. This is no good. You must find a companion. You know, Laurent, you seem like an alright guy to me, really. You know, but I don't like people trying to run my life. Nothing personal, but to me you're nothing more than $62 and some change. Don't worry, Henry. I'm willing you a heart full of romance. Thank you. You do that. Tell me the truth. When you saw me carrying on like that back there What did you think? You must have thought I was crazy, right? Felipe suspected you were an imbecile, but I saw a soul who had the suffering of a condemned man. Oh, Maryland, The pine tree state! I'm afraid we must stop again. We've been stopping every ten minutes. We're nearly one hundred years old, Henry. I mean, come on. So we pee a lot. Alright, we find a place to stop and everybody pees together. He says he's dry. Everybody! You see! He's completely dry. I'm afraid it's time for Felipe's nap. - He's a man of strict regiment. - No. Just one hour. One hour! I promise, I cross my heart. You're a very kind man, Henry. Not an imbecile at all. The subject sleeps peacefully as rays of the afternoon light warm him. What thoughts occupy his slumber? What memories does he conjure up and relive? Do the endings change or remain the same? What are you doing? Don't do that. Don't do that. The subject grows hostile. His unpredictable nature presents a danger to us. Such is the risk of shooting in the wild. It's a good day to be alive. Get in the fucking car. Pardon me for saying, Henry I think you're being a bit of a tight-ass. I imagine it squeak when you make the fart. No, I know your kind. You hold it inside. The pressure builds. You become a raging furnace. This is not good for the disposition. Go on, free yourself! Present your case to the world. Make with the fart. Where do you get these ideas? Here! So, what is the big deal? Now your turn. You don't ask a complete stranger to fart, Laurent. Please, Henry. Just the littlest one. You're a very disturbed man. Come on, amuse me. What weird, it just a little wind. Unbelievable. Can't. Not when you're looking at me like that. Go ahead. You do not even exist in my mind. Sensational! The best one I heard in years. Who are you people anyway? We are crusaders of the heart. Conquerors of the impossible. We carve in stone the heartbeat of the imaginary. Left! Turn left! Henri will die soon. He has emphysema. I was hoping that you may let him drive a little. Are you kidding me? You'd make him feel like man again. He can't even see over the wheel. You'd make him feel like man again. He can't even see over the wheel. Do this one favour and I will personally reserve you a seat in heaven. Absolutely not. Watch out for the dog! Break! I'm afraid He's no good. Do you have a crowbar? Is he OK? He's doing a dance to honour the dog. It reminds him of a dog we once knew in Utah. Sometime it's easy to get lost in the past. You know, I don't remember having a past. There must be something you remember. It was a vision, not a dream. This was real. I used to climb this mountain. It's peak was so high, it went through the clouds It was silent up there. It was still. It was like a threshold into another world. A world of grace. It was barely out of sight. I knew that I could fly out there. It was an amazing feeling. A feeling of peace, freedom. I would always resist. I always regretted not taking that chance. But it was real. It was real. A perfectly ordinary man goes to sleep one night. He has normal dreams. The one he rehearses time and time again. Everything is well. The next morning, he wakes shattered. During the darkest hours of the night something has performed a vivisection on his soul. A sudden disillusionment. An unexplainable sense of betrayal. The fantasies of youth petrify. He falls way from the rest of the world. His pure heart begins to mortify. What does he do? Mend his ruptured spirit. How? With nature. With the love of another. Together, they will unveil the ancient mysteries that continue to haunt us all. The way only lovers can. You make it sound so easy. Embrace the struggle, Henry. I let you know a secret. The world is filled with magic. It is all around. You just have to believe in it. Are you an angel? I'm only a man, but I am a friend. I cannot say it was completely unexpected. You must continue alone. I can't just leave you in the middle of nowhere It is the way it must be, Henry. Felipe and I will continue our own journey. Our final adventure. Perhaps, the greatest of all. Can I come with you? You have your own ??? to begin. Follow this road. It will take you to your destiny. Someone to love. Do not let her pass by. Together You will find the beginning of his creation. I feel very strange. You are now a crusader. Trust your heart. Believe in the impossible. Strange things sometimes happen, no? So this is paradise. Please stop! Who are you? I need to talk to you. Essie, you come here. Give me that. Give it. I'll kill you! You can't kill me if you don't have it. Give it, give it to me. Don't steal a man's honour. Dumb little ass. Bastard! You all right? I'm alright. You want me to take you somewhere? No, I'm married to that son of a bitch. I'll stay. Essie! Coming! - Get your ass in here! - I'm coming! You ain't got no class, woman. You ass cancer. He's gonna die, at least that's what he says. His family got a knack for knowing when their time's up, and he says it's now. Where's he going? This is the cemetery, we don't keep no rubble around here. We usually bury the dead naked in a fistful of birch seeds. Except for if they're coloured, then it's acorns. These trees is all headstones. About this woman? She left this behind. Fatima Chu. She works the graveyard shift over at the yarn factory. Pisspot knows her. Hey get a move on, old man. I ain't got all day. - You know where she lives? - Here I am, Lord! I don't know what you want with me. It's gotta be crowded up there by now. Man's got the heart of a lion. Might as well sit down. This could take a while. Will you just let me stay down here a little longer? We hadn't heard from him in a while. You dead yet? I'm working on it. Well, hurry up. It's getting chilly. Is it always like this between you two? Pretty much, except for the dying part. Why do you stay together? Guess we just a couple of crazy romantics. We're supposed to be going to Miami. He's got this big plan to become a bell-hop. He sold everything off. Got us all packed up. We've been in the waiting mode. For how long? 25 years. But, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life, right? How about now, pisser? I'm still here. Tell me about Fatima. Keeps to herself. Thinks she's too good for everybody else. Even though she barely owns the filth in between her toes. Listen If he dies, you want to stick around? I don't like being by myself. I can't stand it. Nah. Wouldn't be right, with us watching him like this. Only said it to piss him off anyway. She married? Fatima? Who'd have her. I don't know why you'd want to waste your time with a woman like that. You ever looked into a stranger's eyes And knew you were destined to be together? Felt the whole world changed in that very instance. And your heart fill with uncontrollable force. And somehow you knew that together you could go places you only dreamed of. Yeah, once. He's laying in that hole over there. Well, you've got a sense of humour, God. A hell of a sense of humour. Just a minute! Thank you. Take the sword. Take the sword. There's an old pig shack down by the river by Fatima's mommas house. There ain't nobody using it. Just keep an eye out for her little brother. Boy's afflicted with schisms. Got the curse on him. Anybody here? In the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. Easy does it now. Take it easy now. Wait! I'm not a nut, I'm from New York. I just wanna talk to you. There's really no reason to be afraid. We're supposed to be together. I think you know that too. I saw it in your eyes, yesterday. I think you've been waiting for me, just like I've been waiting for you. At first, I didn't think you were real. But when you left that yarn for me to find. You knew I wasn't going crazy. I think you should come with me. The boy said you were with a man this morning. He's lying again. I wasn't with nobody. I don't don't want you ever talking to a man. Ever. You hear me? Yes, mama. What's heaven like? White. Silent. A place where people's tongues are tied in knots. What's hell like? Boiling, with huge piles of shit everywhere. Now, go home sweetie. I mean it. I see a black swan that eats nothing but pearls. I see a dead fat lady on her back, with her legs in the air. Tell me where I come from again. The one where you come out of a fire I burned for seven years? Another. - You're made of the wax from 362 burned-out... - Seven Seven burned-out candles that I found in the wood-bin behind the magpie church I kneaded them all together and blowed you dry. Kid's say I come from you fucking a box-turtle. Them kids are likely to wake up one morning with their tongues sewn to the roofs of their mouths. Draw my bath. Yes, mama. And my pisspot's full. Yes, mama. Why are you doing this to me? What'd I ever do to you? I know you and I don't wanna know you? Leave me alone. Go away. Go bother somebody else. It's not loaded. Then what good is it? Your hands are dirty. I was burying Laurent. I see. How would you like to die? I would prefer to fall from a great height. To get as high as possible. Rocket to the sky. And let the earth pull me to it and crash me. You're not afraid? Everything must die, even the earth. But not even death is everlasting. Winter slaughters autumn. And the world disintegrates. Digs itself a shallow grave. And relinquishes itself to slumber, only to reappear. In the same way, our souls must be recalled. To become grist for the mill once again. There is no mysteries in death. Only life. Are you sure she is the one? You don't know? Sometimes, when you look into a woman's eyes You find a labyrinth of your own invention. It's easy to get lost. Because it is make believe. It's her, you know it is. I know a nice girl for you. She has one leg made of wood. She does not swim, but she floats remarkably well. Oh, Soul brother number 2! I don't wanna girl that floats. What's that man doing on our property? That man only wants to be fed once a day. He practically begged me for work. You're short. A dollar fifteen. I accidentally stained some yarn. You be more careful. I don't trust him, he looks dangerous I don't want you going near him. He looks evil, like a serial killer. I bet you he his. I think we should get married. Why are you doing this to me? I know we're supposed to be together. We'd been exiled into limbo, but now we've awoke. I'll tell you a secret. There is magic all around us. You just have to look for it. Henry Berst. Cab driver. Until recently, I found myself crying for no reason at all. As if somebody else lived inside of me. And thought about the things I tried desperately to forget. All the fears and all the desires I had lost a long time ago. At some point, that solemn stranger took over. I began to slowly disappear. I was a simple, lonely, man with a crippled destiny. But all that changed the moment I saw you. I am filled with hope. I now see my future through the prism of your heart. Please stop. I'm not the woman you think I am. Get as far away from here as you can. This place will pull you into itself. Attack! As a child I had a vision of paradise. A place high atop a mountain. Quiet. Peaceful. Innocent. I thought it was lost forever, but now I know it is still out there somewhere. Hidden just out of site, waiting for us. I believe God makes hearts in pairs. Then jumbles them up and scatters them all around the world. It's up to us to find each other. Most of the time we never do. Sometimes we pass, inches apart. And never realise how close we really are. Please open your heart. Don't let this chance slip away. No. See me in your mind. But I wanna touch you. You'll ruin it. I don't know why I'm here. I'm confused. That's alright. Just take your time. Why do you want me so bad, You come all the way from nowhere and hit me so hard and break me down. Just trust that it's right. Be patient. This is hard for me. Come with me. Together we'll find paradise. And what will it cost me? Your faith and a single kiss. Look where that got Christ. How can I trust you? What can I do to prove myself? Dig me a hole. A hole? A hole. I'll dig you a thousand. Just one'll do. How deep? Until I say stop, or until you fall out of love. If that's what you want. And the kiss? I had a dream. A fantastical vision. It's a man and a woman. floating high into the sky. Two pioneers of bliss. Relieved of gravity. Henry, can you hear me? Lifting, higher and higher. Until they disappear into themselves. Come to me, Henry. Sometimes, I come out here late at night and watch the stars shiver. Listen to them rip tiny holes in the sky. Feel the world wobble off its spindle. What do you believe in? Milwaukee Where is it anyway? I don't know. One day this old telephone book fell out of the sky and nailed me on the head. I looked down and there it is. Milwaukee. I believe in signs like that. Before we do anything, there's something I should tell you. I got a little stream of hair, running down from my belly-button to my pot-holder. I don't mind. What are you doing? When you leave me, you'll take away a scar. Tonight I'm gonna dream that you devour me in my sleep. So tomorrow, I'll wake up inside you. You think you're so smart. Find another one to climb in your sticky web. I'm going to fix you. I'm going to have a talk with your friend. You hear me? I'm going to tell him the truth about you. What you did to your daddy. What you did to this family. What kind of poison courses through your veins. You hear me? We'll see how long he sticks around. I'll tell him. Mama? I said I'll tell him. Mama? Henry, there's something I got to tell you. My daddy hurt me when I was little. My daddy hurt me when I was little. Fatima? Fatima? You let that poor thing out of there. That poor thing's got distemper. Fatima! She doesn't want anything to do with you, mister. Where is she? She is not here. You don't want her anyway. She's a whore. Poison. Rotten right through, It was a small hammer. A ball-pein, I think. I like a ball-pein. Take me away from here. You alright? You don't look so good. Maybe we should go to a hospital and get you a head check. Let me know if you see an old French guy. Holy shit! Everything's so tiny in here. Midget's must have lived here. Take your clothes off before you come in. What are you doing all the way over there, Henry. You weren't never shy before. I feel unusual. There's nothing to be scared of. We're giants in here. The man and his wife were both naked and not ashamed. Henry, can you hear me? Henry, can you hear me? Where are you, Henry? Where are you? Who's watching you sleep? You're pretty ugly when you sleep. Sorry. You can't help it. I don't mind anyways. Just reporting a fact, though you'd like to know. Thanks. Something pissed all over my clothes. Where'd you like to spend the rest of your life? And if your wish could come true. In a house. Doesn't have to be big. Yeah, a trailer would be alright. Just you and me. That's it, nothing else? Maybe a dog. Unless you don't like dogs. It doesn't matter to me, but a dog would be nice. I want to take you to a place beyond your wildest imagination. You got any money? This is a stick-up. Don't make any sudden moves. I'm a very dangerous man. There's no future in nobility. Ed, you know that you got a naked man out there pumping gas? Yep. Stay where you are. Count backwards to 100. Thank you very much. Do you even know where we're going? I know where we're going, I just don't know how to get there. Not yet. Trust me, OK? I trust you, Henry. I think we passed that water tower already. 'Erma loves Ricky'. It's the same. We're going in circles. We're not going in circles, it's all working out. Just got to have faith. We're here. Where? This is what I saw when I was a kid. What would you say if I told you an angel will come for us? You mean the ones you told me about before? Nah, they were French. This one is from a cigar ad. It's out there. And we found it. We found what? Paradise. We have to go. We go up there, we die. Plain and simple. The first time in my life I understand everything. This is a joke, right? We can stay up here for a while if you want, but we got to go back down sometime. It's chaos down there. Me and you are different. We don't belong with them. Henry! For a long time, we were both broken. That's all changed now. We've found paradise. It's in your eyes and my eyes. But only when we're looking at each other. There's nothing out there. It's empty. What's wrong, Henry? Henry? Surface dive. Sunfish. Accordion float. Torpedo. Splash kick. Henry, what are you doing here? You are ruining my film. Where am I? You are in my film. What's going on, Laurent? I was following the angel, there must be some kind of mistake. You are telling me. You should know better. You and your large automobile are in my shot. Can you swim? What? Swim? Swim? No. Another snag. The subject does not swim. What do you want from me. Where am I? Where have you taken me? You followed me. For what reason, I don't know. You promised me paradise. You've wasted your life for something that only exists in your mind. You wanted more. You people always want more. I want to go back. You're being very silly. You'll enjoy the solitude. Sit down and relax. Listen to the music our friend makes. He plays rather well, don't you think. |
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