- Hello Germain.
- Anouck!
- Are you okay?
- Yes, and you?
- You had good holiday?
- Yes, and you?
- I went to Britain, as always.
- Good.
Come on, we're late.
- You had your assignment?
- Yes.
- Like it?
- Yes I am a teacher leader in 2nd half C.
- All right, no?
- Yes, of course.
- You read the note?
- Yes.
"The triumph of republican equality"
What a demagogue!
- You look good pessimist!
- I read Schopenhauer's all summer.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Robert, how are you?
Dear colleagues, we can begin.
Move on please.
Come on, dont be shy.
- All I hear?
- Yes!
They received a note explaining
The big news for this year.
Were no longer a classic high school.
Were now a "pilot" high school
This is a cause for pride.
The opportunity to start a new basis,
to experience...
New teaching guidelines...,
handcuffed to the traditions...
The uniform...,
for all students...
...In a school with a public
socially diverse...
...The uniform is a symbol
bold.
Yes, bold, will finally be
the same for all students...
... a brand of equality.
IN THE HOUSE
How was it?
You could have come.
- It's been so long since I went to church.
- There was a mass. Bruno was buried.
I was neither family,
or a friend of Bruno.
I dont want to be alone.
I wanted to talk to someone.
I saw the twins.
They described Bruno to me.
I didnt know if I had to give my
condolences, but when I was...
...One of the two approached me,
impossible to know,...
...And told me they were going to come by the
gallery tomorrow to talk about the future.
Germain?
- You hear me?
- Yeah, yeah.
- Shall I change and go to the movies?
- Okay, we're going to correct and finish.
- Theyre so bad this year?
- The worst I've seen in my life.
- It's creepy!
- You said the same thing earlier years.
Listen to this:
Saturday ate pizza and watched TV,
Sunday I did nothing, I was tired.
He was given 30min. Two sentences!
Saturday: Tele-pizza, Sunday: Nothing!
I asked for a poem in verses,
just tell me your about weekend...
...To see if they could write more
than two sentences. And Theyre able!
Listen to this:
Not like Sundays.
On Saturdays I do like...
... but on Saturday my father would
not let me out, and I took my phone.
I wanted to convey the teaching
taste for literature...
And I find... what?
Cellular and pizzas!
The worst isnt ignorance.
It's the future. Theyre the future!
Reactionary philosophers
predict the invasion of the barbarians...
...But Theyre in our classes!
"My last weekend."
Claude Garcia.
On Saturday, I went to study where
Raphael Artol...
Thanks, honey.
I had that idea because the weather was
I wanted to get into your home.
Last summer, every afternoon, I went
to look at your home from the park...
... but one night, I saw your mother
peering from the sidewalk out front.
Friday, taking advantage of Rafa
had fared poorly in math,...
... I offered help with the workshops
and tasks.
Obviously, it was only a pretext, I knew
that if accepted, I would go to his house...
... since I live in a neighbourhood
where Rafa will never come.
11am touched the bell,
and finally the house was opened to me.
I followed Rafa to his room,
its just as I had imagined...
busy... I left with a problem
trigonometry...
... and on the pretext of fetching
a Coke, I explored the house,...
... this very house in which,
many times I had imagined being inside.
Its much larger
than I thought...
mine would... fit 4 times inside
everything is clean and tidy.
"Enough for today," I thought...
... and just when I was coming back
with Rafa, a smell struck me...
... a smell particular to
women of the middle class.
I followed the scent
to the living room.
There, sitting on the couch,
leafing through a decorating magazine...
... I met the hostess,
Rafa's mother.
I looked at her until she lifted her eyes,
which were the same colour as the sofa...
"Good morning, are you Charles?".
Her voice!
Where are these women taught to speak?
"No, I'm Claude," I replied,
holding her gaze...
- Looking for the bathrooms?
- The kitchen.
She accompanied me.
"You want ice?"
"Help yourself. Make yourself at home." She said.
And returned to the couch to read her magazine...
Back to Rafas room
I solved his trigonometry problem.
Youre going to need a lot of help
with math this year.
(To be continued..)
- Wrote "continued..."?
- Yes, in parentheses.
- You put a 17?
- There are no misspellings and is better than the rest.
- Who is this guy?
- It's..
Claude... Garcia.
Dont know them all yet.
You gave him a 17,
when he mocks his friend and his mother?
This year we will study the great authors
of French literature.
La Fontaine, the best example
between substance and form.
Above all to encourage them to write,
to defend a point of view...
...To express themselves, to tell stories.
Dont forget about the adjectives
homework, on Monday.
Try to read a little.
I like to see them with books sometimes.
Forget their phones.
I count on you books, books!
Some curiosity.
- You wanted to see me sir?
- Yes.
About your composition
on the weekend.
- You wrote it?
- Yes, why?
- I am worried. Can you teach me?
- Yes.
What's my mark?
I always get confused with semi-colons.
No, your mark is pretty good.
I know I'm better at science,
but this year I want to improve in French.
Actually, its the content.
You talk about a guy of course and his family.
They might take offense.
Why?
Has anyone else read my essay?
Not yet, but I might show it to
the Director, to see what he thinks.
I didnt write it for the Director.
I wrote it for you.
How do you think your friend
Rafa would feel if he read this:
The smell struck me...
... a smell particular to
middle class women.
But this isnt the worst.
It's what's between the lines!
Tone! If you do read in front of the class,
how would your friend Rafa take it?
I dont know. It was your idea, we
were asked to write about our weekend.
I dont know what you intended,
but lets forget it.
You can go.
Sir? I can give you my adjectives homework?
- Its not due until Monday, you have time.
- Yes, but I did it yesterday and...
...I understood that it was
fill in the adjectives from the list...
For composition... but didnt know
whether to follow the order...
- ... or if I could change it.
- No matter. Never mind.
And I didnt know if we could use
more adjectives than those on the list...
Give it to me on Monday.
Youll have time to go over it again.
Id prefer to give it now. This weekend
I want to concentrate on mathematics.
Goodbye.
"Write a composition using
the following adjectives:..."
... happy, different, normal,
well, focused, small, great...
Hello Rafa!
On I Monday offered to work together
with Rafael Artol again...
... trigonometry. He was delighted, and the
same evening he invited me to his house.
Want to come to my home,
this afternoon?
Rafa, why Rafa?
Why did I chose him?
This companion banal
and friendly.
Because hes different.
Hes a normal guy.
There are other as different,
but something made me notice Rafa.
Last year, I heard a story
his parents were waiting...
... after school, holding hands.
Many guys would be embarrassed
to be picked up by their parents.
Rafa wasnt.
He has no problem with it.
And I was wondering:
What would it be like if it were your home?
What is the house
of a normal family like?
- Good morning, Mr. Andr!
- Good morning, Rafa.
On the way, we talked about the usual
things that of kids our age talk about:
... Girls, sports, cars,
the jobs well do later...
we talked about these things
as we walked to his house.
In front of his house.
I think this art is sick?
I dont know.
It's what the twins said after
they saw reviews of the gallery...
...Of course, if it sells,
they dont say such bad things.
Two provincial who inherit
a gallery equals carnage!
You know what I think of this type
of installation...
...I need to see faces,
real people...
Here... I feel an infinite solitude.
Germain!
I'm about to lose my job...
Time... not your thesis
against modern art...
I need you to tell me... that those twins
are two unfortunate fuckers!
Well, these unfortunates fuckers,
want to close the gallery.
Give me a month. A month to show
that it can be viable.
You have to sell something,
or theyll sell the store...
...And that will be the end of the gallery.
- And you, how was your day?
- My day? Nothing in particular.
- Yes, I talked to this guy.
- And?
- We talked, and gave me a task.
- So what?
He returned it.
And gave me a 2nd chapter to write.
Id written:
"to be continued."
- Do you have it with you?
- Yes.
You dont want to read it?
- Dont know if it's a good idea.
- 10 years ago I read the work of your students.
When we entered, Rafas mother
was in the living room...
... a magazine in one hand,
and a tape-measure in the other.
Hi Mom!
She delayed us because
she was measuring a window...
Are you okay?
On top of the TV, next to a Chinese dragon,
a picture of the holy family.
A dragon that looked as
though it was going to devour all.
- Your friend?
- Claude.
- You worked right?
- I got a 14 in math.
- And thanks to Claude.
- A 14 is great!
Would you like a snack?
I bought a baguette
and no chocolate.
Im going.
We left the kitchen
and returned to the living room...
... your magazine in one hand,
tape-measure in the other,...
... floating like a ghost,
in a skirt that showed...
a middle class. Woman's body...
(To be continued..)
- It makes me uncomfortable.
- Why?
Dont you find it strange that a guy
of 16 years would write something?
With so much irony?
It seems no more strange
than your Inflatable dolls sex shop.
Its not a sex shop, Germain,
its an art gallery!
I know, Theyre deviant dolls:
Sex and dictatorship...
Sure it makes sense:
The dictatorship of sex!
Maybe you should talk to the Director?
Because the he speaks about the body
of a middle class woman?
Well, talk to your colleagues,
other profs and parents.
- You should talk to the parents.
- To keep him from entering their home?
No Rafa's parents,
with the writer, Claude.
Maybe this guy needs a psychiatrist,
he might be dangerous.
Hes just a naughty boy.
Angry with reality, nothing more.
There is reason, no? Its better to
vent his rage than to burn cars.
He may have a problem
and is trying to get your attention.
- How is he physically?
- I told you, nothing in particular.
- And in the class?
- No talking, no problems.
The only thing is that he always
sits in the last row.
- You too you sat in the back row.
- Its the best place, you know?
You see all
and no one sees you.
- Good morning.
- Good morning, Germain.
- Hello Anouck.
- Germain!
- Are you okay?
- More or less.
Yes, the return to school
is hard for everyone.
- I need information about a student.
- Yes, which course?
- 2nd half C.
- Here, 2nd middle C.
- What student?
- Claude Garcia.
He doesnt ring any bells.
Here, yes. Claude Garcia.
A shy blond boy, right?
Came here two years ago,
it seems theyve moved many times.
Only Son. Mother absent. Father unemployed.
Old workers, disabled.
Probably a work accident.
This modifies "Being". Its an adverb.
"As could be your home"?
Apart from that, not bad.
I brought some things for you to read.
Theyre not in the library, are mine.
Please dont crease them, dont double back
the pages or open them the wrong way around.
I have to read all this?
You dont have anything shorter?
Read the first few pages,
if you're not interested, I take them back.
If youre not interested,
give me them back.
Back in the average family home,
Rafa helped...
... my colleague friendly and banal...
... who doesnt understand anything
about mathematics.
- What?
- Here is "- infinity 0", and this is "0 + infinity".
Teamwork, eh?
Share information,
division of responsibilities...
...And delegate.
You pass it when you're under the hoop.
You pass it when I'm alone
and then boom!
Today the Grizzlies against the Clippers.
I ordered a pizza?
- 4 Cheese and Chicken Wings?
- 4 Cheese and Chicken Wings!
- Charles are you staying with us?
- I'm Claude.
- I'm taking a shower. Work well, guys!
- See you!
I accept the offer of the man
embedded in his sweatshirt.
- Is your father friendly.
- Yes, he's cool.
While Rafa fight with his X,
I imagine his father in the shower.
Both are called Rafa.
An hour later, we got together in the living
room and I could hardly recognize it.
No the sweatshirt, seems someone elses...
... but seeing him in control, I conclude
that yes, hes the head of household.
This is sneaky. The Chinese say
the Koreans are overlapping.
There is a Korean in the Clippers
allowing you to talk about China...
... that seems to obsess him.
Shit, no way!
You know, respect is
very important in China.
They take care of their parents, their grandparents.
However, in Korea, nothing.
I spent a week in China 10 years ago,
and know all about the Chinese.
At minute 15, a player for the Grizzlies
is sent off...
... and right now,
receives a call from his work.
Hello?
Maurice!
Boss Maurice. He asks to go to the airport
to find Wang Li, a Chinese customer.
"At this hour? Too bad!"
He tells his wife.
Rafa's father has changed,
and he fill find Wang Li...
... while the Clippers
are improving.
(To be continued..)
- You started a parody?
- A parody?
The way you describe Rafa's father, his
ridiculous way of speaking, his sweatshirt.
You exaggerate his character to
make the reader laugh, right?
- No, I swear its so.
- So is realism?
- Realism? Meaning?
- As if you have a hidden camera...
- ... As if you would look through the keyhole.
- No.
Then it's styling.
Do you write what you see or transform it?
I dont detail everything, like the colour of
the sweatshirt. Anyway that is green or blue.
Why the present?
Why did you change to the present?
For me, its a way
of staying in the house.
Oh yeah?
The first question from a writer must be:
"For whom am I writing?"
For whom do you write, yourself?
Its very easy to show the worst of
someone, so that the mediocre...
can feel superior
and make fun of it and find it ridiculous.
What is rare, is approaching the
characters, without "a priori"...
...Without condemning. Think of Flaubert,
hes the perfect example...
he doesnt condemn their characters.
- See you tomorrow at the same time?
- Yes.
- Why are you so helpful to me?
- Because I am a teacher and its my role.
But why me and not the others?
I dislike wasting my time
but I find that you write pretty well...
- ... And you deserve to be encouraged.
- Thank you, Sir.
- See you tomorrow.
- See you tomorrow.
- I dont understand what you want.
- This guy has a knack for writing...
...Sounds pedantic, but Im
just trying to teach literature.
- ... And through that, things in life.
- "That's life"!
- You know that literature teaches us nothing.
- Oh yeah?
You know what was in the pocket of
the madman that killed John Lennon?
"Catcher in the Rye."
You think I taught literature
to that crazy? Nothing!
- Of course, your exhibitions teach us more.
- Its exactly the same!
Art doesnt teach us anything, you know.
Well, it opens us to the beauties of the world.
Would you like some wine?
"Second version: Back in the house".
In his room I helped Rafa
for the next maths test.
"Enter".
Rafa's father enters the room...
wearing a green sweatshirt...
and invited me to watch a Grizzlies game.
At 2nd min of the game
with a three-point shot, the two crazy.
- How beautiful!
- All right, guys?
3rd minute, his mother comes to watch
the game, but without much interest.
7 "th minute opens No. 215
of the "Homes & Gardens"...
... and admires a dreamhome,
that she will never own.
8th minute. Rafa's father
talks about buying a plasma screen.
We will put the plasma at the front.
It will be better.
10th minute, Esther begins a sketch
for a home renovation.
Shes at home all day.
But doesnt like the decor.
12th minute, remains a void,
thinking about the big questions of life:
"Where to install a second bathroom?"
15th minute, the Grizzlies best forward
is sent off...
... father and son rise
and applaud.
Your score is amazing.
"Bravo!"
phone rings. Rafas father looks
at the time, doesnt answer.
Hello?
Maurice!
Not at all.
Tell me.
Yes, I wrote it.
Yes, of course, with your name!
Whang Li... With "H"?
Hotel Convention.
No, no. Take care and rest, Maurice.
Goodbye!
Ys changed and to the
Chinese airport...
... while the Clippers are improving.
Middle class woman arrives.
Of course, knows nothing about basketball.
- Who is winning, guys?
- The Clippers, then!
- And you're not happy?
- Mom, were fans of the Ggrizzlies like Dad.
- I thought you liked the Clippers.
- Mom!
(To be continued..)
You're right, he has a gift...
...But this version is even more ironic
and contemptuous.
- You think?
- Yes.
Youre being manipulated.
We want to teach literature,
but hes giving us a lesson.
You know the secret of Dostoevsky?
His genius?
He transformed normal people...
who were pathetic and ridiculous...
into unforgettable characters...
Understand?
But if your ambition is
to caricature them...
You want to look at them closely,
and to describe what you see.
If all you can see is ugly,
perfect, but transform it...
...Transform it.
But it may not be your thing.
I brought you some books.
Chekhov, Dickens,
and genius, Flaubert: "Madame Bovary".
- What do you think?
- Theyre very banal things, no?
A kitchen timer and a fan.
Theyre normal objects, but subverted
to cause astonishment.
You see, the clock has 13 numbers.
Not bad.
- And this, listen!
- What is it?
Listen.
"Oral Painting"!
The artist suggests that the headphones
hang on a wall or an empty box.
The painter's voice describes the painting.
The listener becomes co-creator.
Imagining the work.
It projects your imagination
into the empty frame.
The pictures were real, but the painter
destroyed them, after describing them.
There are 13 of them.
With that, the artist mocks
cultural industry...
...Obsessed with tangible objects,
when he offers something...
...Poetic, ephemeral,
stripped of materiality.
Look, I dont know if its sold.
Germain! I have three weeks before
the exhibition has to be...
The twins... will get
kicked into the streets!
Look, if exposing myself naked will save the
Gallery, I'm willing to make the sacrifice.
Want to read it?
I Rafa three exercises:
Easy one to begin with...
... another more difficult, and another
that Im sure he wont manage.
While you fight
with imaginary numbers,...
... go for a walk past the
house of the Normal family.
The Chinese drunk much wine last night.
He doesnt feel respected by Maurice.
Disagree with the odds.
He wants more. At least 15.
And I thought, why not throw me?
Be independent.
All is well in your world, Rafa.
Can you appreciate that.
I appreciate it,
but dont respect it.
Whenever I have an idea, I have
to tell to Maurice and he gets the credit.
- You always said that teamwork was your thing.
- Yes.
But in a team, there are those who pass
the ball, and those who shoot hoops.
The Chinese told me about a business
of dolls, Barbie type...
...3 euros. A toy that is sold here
is 10 times more expensive.
Ill mail you the designs,
for you to copy.
Even better: Send a photo,
and theyll make the copy.
Of course you have to invest at first.
I thought that with our savings,
we could...
And what about my redecoration?
Just when we decided to
convert the conservatory.
Esther, at my age,
I need motivation.
I need something to happen!
When I see what Maurice wins,
I think, why not me?
Could you help.
To choose the products, make contacts.
- You have a gift for that.
- Did I offer to work with you?
I offer to work together.
You know now that Rafa is great,
wanted to work on the decoration.
Yes, but it would be ours.
Ours.
If it is, and there is no reason
why it shouldnt be,...
You can do all the redecorating you want.
I dont know, I dont know.
You're tired!
- What are you doing here?
- I have to help Rafa with matsh.
Hurry.
Its late.
Suspects that I am spying...
... or thought that I really
admired Klee's watercolours?
Listen to this,
or did you imagine it?
Its not really there, its in the hallway,
seeing paintings, no more listening parties.
- Its rare, indeed.
- What?
Klee paintings,
in a middle-class home.
- I think Theyre reproductions.
- No?
The next week,
Rafa has a very important exam.
I feel that youre stressed.
Maybe we should hire a tutor?
- Doesnt his friend Claude help?
- He needs a real teacher.
I believe that together,
they dont do much work.
Rafa is so happy to have a friend.
To me, it makes me nervous.
When I saw him in front of the
watercolours, he seemed crazy.
I'm sick of him here every night.
I will tell Rafa not to invite him anymore.
(To be continued..)
- You know who remembers your student?
- Who?
My cousin, Andrew.
At a marriage or a baptism,
he enjoys telling family gossip.
There are people who are like that:
Peering through the keyholes.
It diminishes the surprise. You seem
like a cousin telling family gossip.
If I put myself in the place of someone
reading this in a novel...
Someone else read my stories?
Not at all. Isnt good enough yet.
Ive not shown it to anyone.
- Dont publish them theyre not good enough.
- Dont show them to anyone!
Im only saying, if someone were to read
this in a novel, I think youre missing...
conflicts...
Come on inside.
A character, needs something...
...but finds obstacles,
in his path.
On the way, there are rivals,
adversaries...
Ulysses... wants to go home,
but the Cyclops wants to kill him...
Sirens... hypnotize him,
the Maga kidnaps him.
Sometimes the conflict isnt between
the hero and someone else...
...But with himself.
Dont speak of conflict as:
"redecorating the living room"...
... "what to do with conservatory", or
traffic jams in China.
I'm talking about the character infighting.
Achilles! Achilles!
"I'm going to war against Troy,
or I'll take my sweet Deidamia?"
Heres something that engages the reader?
You wonder how...
The hero... will overcome these
difficulties, to achieve his objectives?
It's the million-dollar question. The one to
capture to the imagination of the reader:..
... "What will happen?"
To write a detective novel,
or a Shakespearean drama...
...There is only one question: "how do
Isolve the problem of what will happen?"
You must give the reader no respite,
he must be under pressure...
..its the equivalent of the
Sultan in Sheherazade:...
..."If I get bored, I'll
cut off your head!"...
...But with a good story,
the Sultan gives his heart.
The Sultan is the same as anyone.
People need to be told stories.
- Life is worth nothing without stories.
- Bravo Maestro!
Dont call me" Master "!
I dont know if I can keep writing.
- Why?
- On Thursday, there is a test, Rafa is going to fail...
and if he fails... his mother will
hire a professional tutor.
- So what?
- If you want me to continue going there...
...And to continue writing.
I dont know if you understand. You're
asking me to steal the maths test?
I didnt say that. But Rafa doesnt
understand a thing about numbers...
Sorry... and I feel that his
mother doesnt want me there.
To write, you dont have to go to this house.
Use your imagination..
I tried but I cant.
I need to see them, to be with them.
Go, go.
Hello Bernard!
Tell me, don't you have problems
with the 2nd years C average?
No, not particularly.
Rafael Artol, is not too bad
in mathematics?
Very patchy, but he tries.
- When is the next test?
- Thursday.
I guess you know
what Im going to ask.
Sorry, but since when does
mathematics interest you?
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Wait a second.
Come, come.
- You didnt come to give me a text yesterday?
- No.
- What is it?
- I said if I cant go to them, I cant write.
Go sit.
"Entry forbidden to students."
- What's next?
- Those of average 3rd D.
- Germain, you coming?
- No, I have a job to do.
Okay, see you later.
Goodbye.
- We have 10 minutes.
- No!
An 18! An 18 in maths!
- You see what you can do when you want!
- Sure.
- And you, Claude, what did you get?
- A 16.5.
My work with Rafa is beginning
to get results...
... and look at me now as a
possible member of your team.
Hostess leaves the kitchen
and comes with us, cloth in hand.
- Congratulations Rafa!
- Thanks Mom.
Esther...
Thanks Claude,
for helping Rafa.
Claude, you want to play basketball
with us on Saturday?
We play every Saturday,
at the municipal stadium, from 18h to 20h.
The others are very good players,
you'll love it.
- Do you know basketball...
- Never mind that you dont play well!
The important thing is to participate!
We have a drink after the game,
argue with the referee.
- This is basketball!
- Say yes, we will play gently.
Thanks, but Saturday
I dont know if I'm available.
I have other plans for Saturday,
but I feel that I disappointed Rafa...
... and take the risk of not being
his best friend.
- Hey, 18 with a 14 average is 16!
- Oh yeah?
- See you tomorrow.
- See you tomorrow.
You know that he speaks more and more
about your relationship with Germain?
- Do you stay with him after class.
- So what?
He helps me in French and I was never good.
- He gave you the maths test?
- Why do you say that?
Care is rare. It seems that his wife
has a shop selling pornography.
I can explain why
we appear in this story?
I have no idea, is wrong.
You have nothing to do
with this maths test?
- No way!
- What?
- I gave them the exam?
- It was on a table in the staff room.
You realize what you did?
Youre a professor, not a criminal!
I know it's not right, but it was the only
way Claude could continue to go to Rafas.
- In order to give you his voyeuristic stories?
- Yes, and so what?
- What you become bored!
- Germain!
I admit it was dangerous,
but no will ever know about it!
It happened once,
it wont happen again!
Saturday, 17.30. I'm in the park
where I looked at them last summer.
The way is clear. Touch the bell
which of course is in bad taste.
The door opens and shes there.
Good day, Claude.
Esther, the most boring woman
in the world.
They went to play basketball.
You want to call back?
Just passing because
yesterday I forgot my book.
It happened because now
we are going to find me.
Finally alone with Esther.
Yn the house.
Strange, I cant find it.
Of course, the book isnt here
I have it at home.
My mother had almost the same rings.
I say, pointing.
She left when I was 9.
I couldnt stand my father.
I think he only just put
up with me as well.
My words will come.
It never fails.
The story of my mother,
attracts the sympathy of all.
- Want a drink?
- Yes.
A link is established.
I want to be protected.
You want to be my mother.
She serves me a Coke, we talk about Rafa,
basketball, mathematics...
I left school early,
to look after Rafa.
Now that hes grown up, I'd like to go back
to study architecture or art...
I'm fine with it.
I feel that she wanted to talk.
Time passes and I think I will have to go
back next Saturday, to be alone with her.
The curtains, wallpaper, pictures...
- Dress watercolours?
- Yes.
- They're cute, right?
- Very nice.
Come, let's look at them.
"Rettung", "Unterbrechung", "Hoffnung".
- These angels are frightening.
- Are angels frightening for you?
I hadnt thought of that.
As both Rafa,
not speak German, of course.
Not know what you have in your home,
theyre only for decoration.
When you change the colour of the wall,
it will change the pictures.
"Rettung" is redemption, "Unterbrechung":
Ynterruption "Hoffnung" hope...
...And "Zerstrung" is destruction.
I should go.
Rafa will return with his party...
... what will they say if they find me,
at home, with Esther?
Rafas woman.
Rafa's mother.
(To be continued..)
- It's going to end badly, sorry.
- Of course not!
Imagine: The game is abandoned,
they return earlier, and see...
...Mother and son's friend,
sitting on the couch.
What couch? Where is it?
So far there is no couch.
- You imagine them on the couch.
- No matter.
- If Rafa sees them, kills them.
- The father or the son?
Both!
They kill Claude.
You take it too seriously.
They do nothing wrong.
- You realize that everything is invented, imagined?
- Imagined?
I imagine very well! It gets increasingly
credible, and increasingly dangerous!
Claude I dont want it simple. With a good
editor, you can be a good storyteller.
I'm must be hallucinating!
- Why?
- Youve found the new Kafka!
Listen, I hope youre not
thinking of publishing it...
Submitting it to a contest...,
or something.
Why not? Its much better
than anything thats been published lately!
- By God!
- Sorry Miss.
Theres good dialogue,
exciting situations...
After re-explaining calculus
for the umpteenth time...
... gave four exercises to Rafa and took
advantage of the absence of his parents...
... to explore further.
Entered the room of the parents.
Heady scent
of middle-class women flooded the room.
Photo of a Chinese smiles
on Rafa-fathers computer screen.
Project XianXian wrists,
XunXin jewellery project...
... attestations of ownership,
Rafa holiday post cards...
... and suddenly, an x-ray.
A backbone.
It seems to be a woman. Yes! Its a woman.
In the closet,
Esther. I imagine her walking
in the park with her red shoes.
Then, go to the bathroom.
Rafa-fathers: "Eau Sauvage".
Shavers, anti-stretch mark cream,
paracetamol,... Xanax.
Its me, honey.
- Good afternoon! Have a good day?
- You wont guess what the Chinese did!
- What now?
- They argued about the percentage.
- the contract wasnt signed.
- Too bad.
This afternoon, Maurice called me into his
office showed me the restaurant bill,
...challenging, questioning if there
was an even more expensive restaurant!
He insisted that the Chinese
stay happy.
- How much did the restaurant come to?
- 268 euros.
Pay it yourself and forget it.
Its not a matter of money, were
screwed because Wang Li didnt sign...
If he had... I would never
have been questioned about this shit!
- What will you do?
- Wait for it to pass.
When they sign up the Chinese theyll
forget about dinner and the 300 euros.
- 300 euros?
- Yes, with the tip!
(To be continued..)
- It doesnt ring true.
- Who?
- Esther.
- Why do you say that?
- Is it that bad.
- The Xanax is an antidepressant, no?
I took Temesta,
like half the teachers here.
How is it you know its hers?
It could be for him.
He seems more sane.
He has problems, its true...
...But hes obsessed with his work,
whereas she has nothing to think about!
He neglects her increasingly.
He no longer even notices her.
I wonder why Claude didnt
looked at the fathers computer?
Perhaps, deep down,
what interests him, is Esther.
- The secret of Esther.
- What secret? If its completely transparent.
Maybe its missing a scene.
To explain the change in Claude.
Dont say anything is missing. On the
contrary, theres too much, it overflows...
Theres too much of Esther... And this X-ray?
Its sentimental and manipulative!
Claude. Seriously,
youre not going to give her cancer?
Claude's character wants Esther.
But there are obstacles...
Rafa-father. Rafa-son. The million-dollar
question: "What will happen?"
And what happens next? Are you going
to put Esther in a motel room?
No, it has to be in the house.
Everything has to happen in the house.
I think you dont know
what youve got.
Do you want to write, Claude?
A satire of the middle class...
Fotonovela... a travesty,
or "Bildungsroman"?
- A what?
- I thought you knew German.
- You wrote "Zerstrung", "Hoffnung".
- I asked my father.
He lived in Berlin when he was young.
He also explained to me who was Klee was.
Really? Then what youve written is
a Bildungsroman account...
A coming of age story of a young man,
I thought that was what you wanted to tell.
The passage of a child to maturity.
Now, I dont understand what you want.
Claude, tell me what to do?
What I asked, Master:
You're the Sultan, I his Sheherazade.
I never asked you to mock the frustration
of a woman who could be your mother!
And stop calling me "Master"!
Go, see.
- Hello, Germain. Are you well?
- Yes, I'm fine.
- See you later.
- See you tomorrow.
Are you working overtime?
Yes, the boy needed a little help.
Claude Garcia, right?
- What you think of uniforms?
- Pathetic!
I seem to be facing
a flock of sheep.
And this Claude Garcia:
Black sheep or white sheep?
Good day. Glad you're here!
Come, come!
I wanted to talk about a Chinese artist
Im presenting next week.
We hear a lot about him, but he
hasnt exhibited in France.
- Hes Chinese?
- Yes, but he was born in Los Angeles.
Calligraphy Works
through a gender perspective...
Here... "Heaven Shanghai 1"
"Shanghai Sky 2",...
..."Shanghai Sky 3" and "Shanghai Sky 4".
- What is the difference between them all?
- There are no two identical works in the series...
...they all have minor variations,
made at random by computer.
- What is?
- For me, it represents the clouds, the horizon.
- Yes, it is above all a presence.
- Yes!
Presentation instead of representation.
I'm going to show you my favourite,
Its "7 Shanghai sky".
- What's up?
- I think they liked him.
- Your Chinese painter?
- Yes.
- I heard, they looked at everything.
- What did they say about the work?
Nothing in particular, but I felt
that they were interested.
Come to the opening. Rosalie or
Eugnie, I never know which one...
...said I could only ask 30 people.
I dont want to pressure you.
Perhaps the problem with the gallery isnt
what you think, perhaps its the name.
"The Labyrinth of the Minotaur" I always
thought that frightened people off.
Thanks to Rafas score of 18,
I was invited to dinner.
Chinese food of course.
In a restaurant at the foot of the wall,
they serves us a filet...
We didnt not know...
if it was meat or fish.
- You'll never guess what it was.
- What was it?
Membrane of ducks leg!
Germain, the French teacher,
lent me a book by Kafka:...
... "The Chinese Wall".
Rafa says this type is very rare,
a little bitterly.
I think he wanted to be a writer,
and French teacher.
One thing doesnt preclude the other.
I think he has no talent,
thats why hes bitter.
"Bitter". Doesnt it bother
you to talk like that?
Its wrong.
You masochist.
After the news on TV,
Rafa-father leaves to smoke on the terrace.
Yn the summer, I often watched
the three of them dining on the terrace.
And now I'm here, watching the park
from the house, with Rafa's father.
- You know, Claude? People are afraid of China.
- Oh yeah?
But China is our big chance.
Its population is growing.
His son only speaks of sports
cars, basketball...
... Im different.
The population increases by
more than 6 million a year.
Before, they had the one-child policy,
now they breed like rabbits.
In the light of the Lantern, I recognize
the drunk that feeds the birds.
If he raised his head and looked at us. I
believe that he could think I was Rafas son.
Youre a true friend to my son.
- Should I bond with this man?
- Of course, to take the place of the son...
...Which could make Rafa-son jealous.
So far, hes an uninteresting character
he lacks conflict.
In front of the TV dinner, we dont
know what he thinks, or what he feels.
It shows you dont know what to do with it.
I have to tell you the truth:
Have a big problem with the son.
- Do you have children?
- Why do you ask?
Tell me about your relationship with father
it could help with both of the Rafas.
I have no children,
but I have imagination.
- You didnt want to have children?
- Thats none of your business!
The important thing is to create
something strong with son.
Saturday afternoon, although he
dreamed of seeing Esther at the house...
... he decided hanging out with the
two Rafas at the municipal stadium.
Course theyre here, sweating
and running after the ball.
I was shaken for a moment
I tried to imagine myself...
... with my father, hitting a ball
into the hoop.
No. I cant imagine my father,
hitting a ball into the basket.
However, that is what they do.
Every Saturday afternoon.
Rafa-son and Rafa-father,
and theyre happy when they get a basket.
And suffer when they dont.
- Hey, Rafa! Look who's here.
- Great, you came!
I thought you didnt like playing
basketball.
I looked him in the eye
and said with a confident tone:
The day my mother left, my father
decided never to play basketball again.
- I liked it though.
- Ill take you on my team, Claude!
You're much better when you write about the house.
Why did you play basketball?
It sounds like a soap opera.
Is your ambition to write for TV?
Theres no need to spell out everything. Trust the
readers imagination to complete the picture.
I still worry about the son.
He exists only to add value to Claude.
At the same time, you want to take his place.
It's too easy.
You have to find something interesting,
to reveal it fully...
Your scene should start with the father
playing alone on the court...
...and finish with Claude him
telling the son in the locker room:
"The day my mother left, my father
decided never to play basketball again."
I liked it though.
This is the secret of a good scene:
Advance the plot gently
then suddenly take the reader by surprise.
The last paragraph is pure filler.
I dont understand, if you know how to
do it, why dont you write yourself?
I'll tell the truth:
I tried some years ago...
...It was not good enough.
In fact, you're not good enough.
But you could be. You have a gift. If you
work at it, one day you could be a writer.
Today I asked the class to do
a portrait of their best friend.
Who wants to read their piece
in front of the class?
Who wants to read their piece
in front of the class?
I see youre all very brave so
I will choose someone at random.
Let's see.
Rafael Artol.
You can read out
what you wrote?
- "My best friend, Claude Smith."
- A little louder.
We didnt know each other last year
we werent on the same course...
...This year, we became friends
thanks to mathematics.
He helps me revise and do exercises.
In "Meetic"!
Shut up, please.
I wanted him to play basketball
with me and my dad...
...But he doesnt like sports.
I respect him because in sport...
Respect for ones
opponent is important.
Please, please!
Before my best friend was my father,
but I understood that was weird...
Having a father... as a friend.
My mother says so.
She was jealous!
But last Saturday, Claude tried,
He came to play basketball...
...And then I knew that he really
was my best friend.
Silence!
Please!
I'll write on the board,
to correct the faults.
- I felt like crap.
- Forget this idiot, concentrate!
- 4i is an imaginary number?
- Yes, I think so.
How you think? Sure it's imaginary,
because its in the plan and not the shaft.
It's like I've kicked
ball the wrong direction.
Of course it went the wrong way.
- I only had to do this.
- Only correct their spelling and syntax errors.
He wouldnt have been so stressed when they
began to laugh. I had to stop it already!
I'd like that to relive it so that.
I could punch his face.
- Punch your face and burn your car!
- I dont have a car.
I dont drive,
but my wife does have an auto.
Punch your face,
the face of a disgraced teacher!
- Could do better.
- What?
Writing an article in "The Torch"
Tell what happened from your perspective.
- Youre encouraging me to write against you?
- Yes, why not?
Rafa's character
there must be more, right?
I never attack the independence of
"The Torch"...
...With its photos of school trips,
tributes to retired professiona...
And bad poems!
No one! Hear me?
No one can say that censor "The Torch"!
Why dont you talk to Rafa
to fix the situation?
I remind you that Im
supposed to know nothing.
For me, there is no article!
It doesnt exist.
Rafael, please!
You can stay? I want to ask something.
- Goodbye, Sir.
- Goodbye.
It seemed he wanted to talk,
but said nothing interesting.
Just gave me this.
"Dont underline it, not double, and dont
leave it open to misinterpretation."
- Perhaps you no longer need to
give my text to "The Torch" - Why?
Give me one of your books,
Its a way of apologizing. Its nice.
No. You must publish your story.
Good day.
Good day.
1 day I couldnt sleep
and I wondered...
... Why would Mr. Germain humiliate
me in front of the whole class?...
... forcing me to read my composition,
under the laughter my colleagues.
It was him who asked us to do a portrait
of our best friend.
Its as if his cruelty
had been unintended...
... in addition, you made me write my story
on the Blackboard, supposedly to correct it.
But once Id written up my text,
Mr. Germain undressed me...
... yes, I undressed. Erased every
sentence, one after another...
... to wipe the slate empty
desperately empty.
I wanted to share this story with you,
such humiliation...
It wont happen again... ever,
and stop being afraid...
...when I send you back
to the drawing board.
- Hes right to be angry with you.
- Why?
Because it's like undressing in public!
Take off his shirt, his pants,
underpants, socks...
For me, an apple is an apple.
To correct a bad text on the blackboard,
is to correct a bad text on the blackboard!
Its well written, well argued.
- This guy argues well.
- Claude wrote it, for sure!
What did the Director say?
Honestly...
I fucked up!
You know the rules stipulate
that "a teacher must locate..."
the taught at the heart of teaching"
Yes, I know!
It doesnt say "students"
but "the taught"...
do not punish the Student, sorry!,
do not punish the taught...
But... "take it gently"...
...and dont correct with red, but with
green because "red is creates anxiety..."
For teaching..."
I know these stupid speeches by heart!
But please dont give me this blabla!
This student wrote...
that I undressed them.
It's a joke, please, a joke!
Furthermore, in their uniforms of shit!
- Just tell me what happened.
- What?
Between ourselves: Why did you
humiliate this guy?
I didnt humiliate him!
I corrected his homework!
I get paid for this!
I get paid to correct homework!
I want you to know that its my duty
is send a report to the Inspector!
Go ahead.
Mr. Artol. Good day.
Have a seat, please.
This is my son's article
in the school magazine.
Dont worry;
And I havent forgotten it.
Rafa had not told me anything,
but he seemed strange lately...
...And when I read it, I could not believe.
I am your French teacher,
I just did my job and profes...
I mean my job...
of teacher...
What is important in education,
politics, sport...
Life... in general...
is respect!
Respect for your students! Their partners!
In your head! From their workers!
I fully understand your anger,
but I think it's no big deal...
...no need to over-dramatize
an uncomfortable situation.
Teaching is a team effort.
You have to share data...
Divide responsibilities...,
delegate!
The point when you're under the basket,
thats when youre alone.
He humiliated my child in public,
Mr. Germain!
My son deserves your respect,
and I want a public apology!
- They like the exhibition, Im pleased!
- Some people want to buy?
- They didnt do that, but I feel its a success.
- Congratulations dear.
- Dress up the twins?
- No, how are they?
Twin since. I hope you come and
see that there are people.
- No way.
- What?
- The couple there.
- Who?
- Rafa's family.
- No way!
- Are they?
- Yes
I never would have thought of that!
She has grace.
And you saw?
Yes, the father came to see me
at a meeting of trustees.
- Let's talk to them.
- Dont move, dont fuck!
- What are you doing here?
- The middle class is interested in contemporary art.
And according to your student,
the father knows China well..
Nah! Hes only a merchant wanting to
take advantage of the cheap workforce.
- I'm tired, I have to go.
- Already? Why?
- I start early tomorrow.
- Wait at least until the twins arrive.
- What's up?
- They didnt come.
- And the Rafas?
- They didnt stay long.
- Did you talk to them?
- Of course not!
- How did they come to be there?
- Do you think I give a shit about the Rafas!
It was my opening, Germain!
The twins didnt come...
...they will sell the gallery, and the only
thing youre interested in is the Rafas!
- Forgive me, darling.
- Enough with your hypocrisy!
It was I who invited them.
- The Rafas?
- Yes
I sent an invitation,
I didnt think that they would come.
I wanted to see them
and I thought that it would please you...
I failed... as always.
Theyre fictional characters, Jeanne.
I dont want them in your gallery.
- And I'm a fictional character?
- Of course not, darling.
Come, let me hug you.
Not at all.
What are you guys doing?
It's very late.
Its a complicated maths exercise.
- Claude, you can sleep here if you want.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Do you want to call home to let them know?
- Thats okay, I dont need to tell them.
Midnight comes and I'm finally staying
in the house for the first time.
We never use it,
except when my aunt comes for Christmas.
It's a strange room,
and suddenly I think:...
Here's your room.
... now I'm in the heart
of the Rafa family.
They were my mothers toys when she was a child.
I never wanted to throw them away.
Another headless, another one-eyed...
... all Esthers dolls are mutilated.
Poor them.
- You can sleep with them.
- Yes.
Thanks for the article. It helped
me in addition to the mathematics.
- Its normal to help.
- Yes.
Rafa lent me one of his
basketball shirts to sleep in...
... its too big for me,
and makes me laugh.
You're a true friend.
You know what I want to do
at night, at this hour?
I want to go out and do like
those guys who burn cars...
...Or anything,
when I'm tired!
Rafa is going to his room.
I dont want to sleep.
I feel something strange
and suddenly comes this question:...
... "During stormy nights,
will all children will have nightmares? ".
I walked blindly into the hall until
my eyes adjust to the darkness.
I entered the room of my best friend.
Rafa fast asleep,
but twitching in his dreams...
... with strange movements. What are
you dreaming, who do you dream about?
The image is strong.
Claude walking at night in the halls...
of the house... like an angel
or a vampire, whilst they sleep...
...Its very strong. Very strong
but totally implausible.
It may be unlikely,
but it's true.
But if its unlikely,
even the truth is worthless.
And this kiss for Rafa?
What does it mean?
Do you want to reveal a latent
desires for a normal family?
The father, mother,
the son... is Pasolini!
You challenged me to work harder on Rafa,
I thought you were going to like it.
- Do you think I like two teenagers kissing?
- I Dont know.
Stop thinking about my desires.
Think of yourself, what turns you on.
Smiles. Her skin is very white.
She has little feet like a girl.
Sitting in front of them, sleeping
in the dark, I imagine...
... a few hours earlier, them making love,
awkwardly, quickly.
Rafa thinking about work and the Chinese
and Esther, her eyes empty...
... feigning a desire,
that has long evaporated.
Maybe my mother also pretended.
So he left.
Left me and my father.
She didnt want to pretend.
Wanted to live.
I feel something strange
and suddenly comes this question:...
"... "During the nights of storms,
All children have dreams...
... at least once, we curl up
in bed between our parents? "
(To be continued..)
- He watched their lovemaking.
- Of course not.
He imagines it. Its normal to
have desires at their age, no?
And it's a pretty delicate evocation.
- Germain, do you desire Claude?
- What are you saying?
Since you started encouraging him to write,
we no longer make love.
Seriously?
Look, it's not so bad.
It can happen to any teacher
falling in love with his student.
But youre a girl, Jeanne.
I love women.
Perhaps with age,
you're discovering new desires.
But is hes 16.
Its just that this guy moves me...
I mean... he has talent,
I want to help him, nothing else.
We are together again
facing the park...
Esther eating an apple.
Look up at the sky.
I like this weather. It reminds me of a
exhibition I saw by a Chinese artist.
He paints wonderful things. Simple.
Only the sky, in different colors.
The park is very different
day and night.
I remember the Saturday afternoon,
when my mom took me to play.
Today, dealers do their business in broad
daylight, and retirees do Thai Chi.
See this bank?
I often looked at it last summer.
- Do you also like this park?
- Yes, I like to feel surrounded by houses.
Sitting on a bench,
looking around, many things happen.
It was love at first sight with this house.
Its near the centre
and in front theres all this nature.
The sky, the park.
Look at Esther,
and her skin seems smooth.
Just one block to eat.
- OK?
- It's my back.
I had surgery but there is
nothing they can do. It hurts.
I used to play in the park with Rafa.
But now I cant.
Its the same with dancing.
This afternoon, I imagined
dancing in the park...
... barefooted, in the yellow leaves
Autumn.
"In autumn yellow leaves"!
Im drugged with the peach juice?
And the apple is a symbol
of nothing more than an apple?
"Barefoot", "yellow leaves"...
Its a catalog of contemporary art!
- What do you mean?
- Dont know what that is? Let me show you.
Fen Tang: "Presence".
"What we see in his works?
Silence, born in a no man's land,
between East and West...
These presences silently fight...
the noise of the world...
"The deafening clamour... time.
His work is a sensory path..."
That may serve the words:
The worst of the literatures...
...A catalogue of contemporary art
an invention for selling!
Look at this, look at this!
No way!
Art for the sick!
I say "art" because its written...
...because you would call this shit!
- He says this to his wife?
- Of course.
"I imagine dancing in the park,
barefoot in yellow autumn leaves."
No, Claude, this is not the right approach.
You know it.
I didnt tell you...
the night after the restaurant, He went with
the Chinese to one place and he went crazy!
He was dead drunk,
assaulted a girl on the dance floor...
I got him away from there as soon as
I could to stop him being hit...
...And now they say that he disrespects
them and thats why they wont sign!
- So you went there?
- Never!
It works.
You have to please the customer.
There are some who want to go to the museum,
other to the stadium, and others who are pigs!
You took him to a clip joint?
Not a clip joint!
Its a bar, where there are women.
A bar where there are women?
Just so I understand better!
I was never there, Esther!
I dont go to those type of places!
Maurice, hes always does!
But I dont!
- It was for work, I couldnt refuse.
- Youre telling me you were forced?
That didnt you didnt drink or dance
with one of these girls?
I took two glasses, shit! Two glasses
do that he wouldnt drink alone.
Dont think so.
Dont think so.
- Honey.
- Dont touch me!
You disgust me.
Shit, I'm fed up Esther!
Its always the same, you never trust me!
Enough is enough!
Its time.
I know it's time,
but for once, Im afraid.
Take.
I couldnt sleep last night, Claude.
"Even barefoot, the rain was not
going to dance." What does it mean?
It means nothing.
It's what you feel.
The effect on the reader.
You helped my son a lot,
he loves you very much and my husband too.
Imagine you read this: "Even barefoot,
the rain was not going to dance."
I didnt write for them.
I wrote it for you.
The rest I think I understand.
But this rain, it doesnt make sense.
"Even barefoot, the rain
was not going to dance."
So that was, damn.
You gave him a poem?
- Yes, I wrote a poem.
- Congratulations. Nobody ever had it.
Were almost illiterate.
There isnt a drop of poetry in this house.
You will strip lines, metaphors.
It's like an atomic bomb!
- Now, I see it differently.
- I get it.
Our young iconoclast fell in love
with the middle class.
I wanted the look closely,
without prejudice. I did.
- And I'm gonna get this house Esther.
- Now you dont mind?
His speech, smell,
his desire decoration...
...Go find a job,
take a loan and buy a house?
The rest I think I understand,
but that of the rain...
"Even barefoot, the rain
was not going to dance."
Just missing him!
It seems like a bad comedy.
It's ridiculous.
- You're wrong, Claude.
- He asked me to follow my desires.
Id like to kiss her.
(To be continued..)
What do you think?
- It looks like a bag, right?
- Its a handmade bag, rubber.
Its "fair trade", also make
backpacks and purses top-noses.
Not bad.
It's nice.
- Its manufactured in China?
- Of course not! Obviously its from Africa!
It doesnt seem bad.
I think you can sell them.
You think I want to transform
my gallery into a bazaar?
This afternoon, the light shines
slide over her legs, her neck.
The most boring woman in the world slept.
I watch her sleeping peacefully.
I hear her light breathing...
again... and feel a desire
deep for her.
- What is it?
- I'll see.
Rafa. Why did I choose you?
Because I thought you were different...
... a normal guy.
So why? For a kiss?
- Good morning Sir.
- Good morning.
- Is Rafael Artol here?
- No, hes not here. Sir.
- Claude, do you know where he is?
- No sir, I dont know.
- Youre sure?
- Yes, Sir.
Then wait for 5 minutes.
- Anouck!
- What is it?
- Did you received a call from Mr. Artol, about his son?
- No, nothing.
Hello? Good morning Miss
Talk to the secretariat of the Lyceum.
We saw that your son was
absent today and...
Yes Yes Okay.
Thank you.
Goodbye, Mrs.
- And...?
- The flu.
- The class is finished, you can leave.
- But it's not time Sir
I dont care. Everybody out.
The class is cancelled.
Claude!
Stay a second.
I knew that you werent going to like
suicide Ive already changed it.
You've gone too far.
You came to the house, you cast
out the child, seduced mother...
Youre confusing your desires...
with your story.
And what? It's what you taught me!
If someone from the school, or
Rafas family read your texts now...
...It would be very dangerous.
For you and for me.
Do you want me to stop?
Yes.
Is it not a little late now?
It was you who encouraged me.
The exercise is ended. Sorry Claude.
Maybe I was wrong.
I remember that morning.
The day after the return to school...
...I was about to throw away all my books,
Leave this shit school...
...But we were asked for an essay.
I got a 17. And now I cannot stop.
You cannot stop writing?
Well write about you, your family...
...About anything,
but forget about Rafa.
I like these characters.
I learned to love thanks to you!
- I want to continue to write about them.
- So, I stopped reading.
Moron!
Rafa, we need to talk.
Maurice went on again about the Chinese food bill.
He humiliated me in front of everyone.
- Respect is important, right?
- Yes, Rafa.
- I burned his car.
- Whose?
- Maurices.
- But why?
I dont know.
I just had to!
I cant do this anymore.
Work kills me. I'm exhausted.
- Did anyone see you?
- I dont know.
Sorry, Esther. I know what you're gonna
say, but please give me another chance.
- I have something to tell you.
- What?
Im pregnant.
How nice!
Why didnt you tell me?
I was not sure, I wanted to wait.
I love you.
I love you.
- Rafa, do you feel better?
- I want to ask you something.
- Yes, what?
- I want to hire a real professional.
And Claude?
Dont want to see him any more.
Look. They smile.
The reconstituted perfectly normal family.
Come, come.
I managed to introduce myself...
Normal family... watch closely.
So I thought I could become one of them.
But today, I think
there is no place for me in the house.
(To be continued..)
What happened?
You know what happens in basketball when a
player injures another player on their team?
No, I have no idea.
When you hit someone on my team,
I return it blow for blow.
- I know that with my dad, we're a team?
- Yes, I know.
My mother, though doesnt play basketball,
Its the same.
You know what to do if someone
is ready to do you harm?
Give it a to go.
His father too!
And if all the smart features
kissed it and you're a fagot?
Eh? What are you doing?
I thought this family reconciliation
happy and reunited, cannot be.
We must put an end
to this story.
I stopped writing.
- You're not going to the Rafas house any more?
- No. It's what I wanted.
Too dangerous.
Im working alone now. I do maths.
Maths never disappoints.
Option A: Rafa kills Claude.
Option B: Claude kills Rafa
and stays with Esther in the house.
Option C: Esther's house burns down
with all three inside.
You can choose one of the three endings
and write the following yourself.
What you have to do it.
Its not my story... I'm not going to.
You know what the secret of a good ending?
The reader has to think:
I didnt expect that.
...And at the same time,
it couldnt end any other way!
Option D: Esther keeps on repeating: "Even
barefoot, the rain was not going to dance."
life becomes unbearable in this house,
with her horrible husband and son.
Nothing makes sense.
She feels suffocated.
Then she goes out to the terrace, and sees
him sitting in the park, waiting.
She runs to him, Theyre together.
They kiss.
Barbara Cartland style.
- Good morning, Claude.
- Good morning.
I knew it was coming.
He was waiting for her.
Heres your poem.
I dont know what to do with it
and I didnt want to throw it away.
I came to fetch her, Esther.
We must leave here. Ill take you.
- What?
- You have to run away from this life, this household.
- Its impossible.
- Why?
Youre a child, Claude.
What happened between us, never existed.
- Forget it. It was a moment...
- Magical!
Magic, if you want.
But unreal.
- You know it will hurt Rafa too much?
- What?
Both.
I didnt want to hurt anyone.
Simply, Claude.
- But I love her.
- No.
Its not me, you love.
Its an image.
An image in your head.
I have to finish packing
for the move.
- Youre leaving?
- Yes.
- And the conservatory decoration?
- Rafa left his job, we're going to China.
He has a partner there. Well try it.
Start a new life.
Come.
Dont be sad.
Goodbye, Claude.
Take care.
I really need.
Today is a different day.
I get up at 6.45 am as usual.
Prepared breakfast for my father as usual.
I leave the house at 8am as usual.
Today is Wednesday. I have English at 9 am,
History at 10am...
... French at 11am and then maths.
But today I decided to change direction.
I not going to school or the house of Rafa.
I go in search of an ending.
An end for Mr. Germain.
An end to my teacher.
Rafa? You think you were humiliated,
but you were only prodded, nothing more.
Youre young, you have a lot to learn.
Youre like the reed in the fable of
La Fontaine: You bend but dont break.
You remember: "The Oak and the cane"?
"He said to the oak:
You have reason to complain about nature".
"From over the horizon,
comes the most terrible raging hurricane...
spawned in the north."
"The tree resists, the reed leans..."
Yes.
Sit.
Germain, can you stop by my office please?
- Now?
- Yes.
- Is Claude Garcia here?
- No, hes absent.
Rafael Artol?
Can you also come with us.
Good day.
Here he is, his face tired.
I know what kind of man she is married to.
I know she has children...
... and that her husband believes that
everything she shows in her gallery...
... is bullshit, sick art.
- You Claude, right?
- Yes.
He looks me head to toe.
I imagined differently?
- Shouldnt you be in class?
- No. I decided to leave.
What will you do?
Most people have problems with
maths. I could teach.
- Are you sure?
- Yes
I can also write for
contemporary art catalogues.
- My French teacher said that I would be fine.
- Yes, I know.
Lots of imagination.
- Can I come in?
- Germain isnt here.
I know.
What a nightmare!
What a nightmare!
Bastard!
- Claude was not in class, right?
- How do you know?
He came here?
You let him in?
It's not for everyone.
Already I'm in you house.
- Going on holiday?
- No, it's full of her husbands books.
I went through the gallery to leave them,
but it was locked.
Opened the suitcases and book bags.
He helped me to sort them.
Yts not easy.
Theyre classified by age.
Tolstoy. Me, I dont like the Russians.
I read only 10 pages of Anna Karenina:
The first 5 and the last 5.
Suddenly, I see in the library
a book that catches my attention.
Jeanne took it and smiled.
"Children of the Storm".
Yes, Germain wrote it,
More than 20 years ago.
- Didnt he tell you?
- No.
- What is it?
- It's a banal love story.
It was a failure. He said so himself.
Not worthy of the writers he admires.
It's sad.
One of the few qualities
Germain, is its lucidity.
You look like him, at the same age,
but you have talent.
Look at her carefully. So different
from Esther, but equally desirable.
You can stay with him if you want.
She gave me Germains book
and invited me to lunch.
We talked about her gallery, mathematics,
of how she met Germain...
... of books you enjoy. We get along,
when suddenly:
Esther will never leave Rafa.
Theyre a couple with their problems...
...But there is a very strong bond between them.
Theyre very close.
Yes, they even want to have another child.
I didnt know.
And you, why have never had
children with Germain?
It was a possibility,
but we never really thought about it.
Me with my work,
him with his books.
At some point I asked myself
if the link that I had with you...
...Had something to do with it.
His desire for children.
- To him, would have liked to have a child.
- I said?
Above I said that you could not
have children, because she was barren.
- I told you?
- Yes.
Yes.
What?
No.
Who?
Oh, no!
Right.
The Director asked to speak to Germain.
- Why?
- Rafa denounced you for the maths test.
I just met Mr. Germain,
I wanted to know how he lived...
... how was your house, who was his wife,
what he did, if they had children...
... if you still wanted?
Jeanne, Jeanne.
Mr. Germains wife is in front of me,
lying on the couch...
... sleeping and I hear
her regular breathing.
Her skirt is between-open and I can see
the whiteness of her skin.
She has very cute feet.
Like Esther.
What am I doing here?
In front of my teacher's wife...
delivered in his sleep... my desire
of students sitting in the last row.
Seeking an end. My end.
You may find it here.
At home.
- What are you doing?
- Cant you see, Im packing my suitcase.
- Youre leaving?
- Yes.
The gallery closed
and nothing is going well between us.
- Where are you going?
- I dont know.
To my mother.
Youve gone crazy?
Today, the day m fired?
Germain, I'm like Esther,
unfortunately are not Rafa
and Claude will never be your son.
What are you saying?
- You slept with this guy?
- Its continuing.
You slept with this guy?
Miserable bitch!
- Germain, you're crazy!
- Say you slept with him!
- Good day, Claude.
- Good morning.
Does it feel good?
I feel better.
- Can I sit?
- Of course.
- And...? You found your end?
- No.
I left him.
But I brought him his book
His wife had given it to me.
You can throw away it if you want.
Its worthless.
Me, I liked it.
Its a beautiful love story.
Keep it then.
Strange, all these windows
can be seen from here, all these people.
Yes, it's awesome.
On the bench in Rafas park,
He was like a spectator in the front row...
He looked and thought...
..."What would life be
like in these houses?"
There, for example, these two women.
What do they do?
- You know them?
- No.
It seems theyre having a discussion.
Two sisters perhaps,
fighting over an inheritance.
Two lesbians on the verge of breaking up.
No, two twins, fighting over the house
Family...
One wants to sell... and the other not.
Two lesbian.
Because the blonde flirted...
with your rheumatologist.
The brunette says:
"Moreover, I introduced her!"
Look at your hands.
"Yes, I introduced you. Now understand
I didnt want you to go with her."
"No way, we can not sell this house,
Dad spent his life saving for it."
Do you really prefer them to be twins?
Not particularly.
It should be on the first floor, right.
Forget it, Claude.
I dont think they need maths classes.
Theyll need something, someday.
There is always a way to enter.
You can always enter any house.
Could you help me, no?
Mr. Germain had lost everything:
His wife, his job...
... but I was here, beside him...
... ready to tell a new story.
(To be continued..)