"North Sea, Texas"
It is...
good.
Agreed.
A, b, c, d, e, f, g,
h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o...
Open your eyes.
Put it on the chair, Marie.
And help me undress.
Lily of the valley.
Thanks, Marie, you can go.
What are you doing in my room?
Hey, Pim...
Come down, you fool. Mama's not angry.
Look what I found, kids. A little boy.
Hush, it's over now.
Get Pim a glass of water, you fool.
It's ok.
Here you go, sir.
You smell good.
- You smell really nice.
- It's uh, fragrance of Yvette.
It's time to go home, now.
But the puzzle's not finished yet.
Your mother doesn't care about that.
I don't want her...
Just one more bike.
Go.
Bye, Pim.
Here.
Hi, Mirza.
Here. That's pretty good.
"My left hand is the maid"
You'll see when I turn eighteen.
It'll be a shiny motorbike
instead of a bicycle.
Eighteen.
Look. A Suzuki 380 GT.
- You can ride on it.
- Me?
It's hot.
Pim, just imagine. 380cc.
When you turn fifteen,
you can have my bike.
For your birthday.
Thanks, Gino.
Wow.
Pimmie. You bastard.
The door.
The bell's ringing.
For you. From me.
A boy needs a knife.
tienne.
Wasn't yesterday your birthday?
It's tomorrow. Fifteen.
- Is that you, tienne?
- Yvette.
Here. It's yours.
A boy needs a knife.
What do you say?
"Thank you, tienne."
Nice dog.
Have a can of sardines later.
- I will.
- Yes, thanks.
Behave yourself. Lock the doors.
You're a big boy.
We'll be back tomorrow.
So do you like it?
Your knife?
Thanks a lot, tienne.
It's me.
Hello, "me".
You want a glass of lemonade, Pim?
The latest news.
The latest news of the
day before yesterday.
Your boss is taking my mother to Lille,
to the Accordion Festival.
They're staying at a hotel.
When you tempt the devil...
My mother doesn't like this fat guy.
She's only interested in his car.
Silence is golden, Pim.
That's why we're so rich.
Mom, can Pim can sleep over?
Can he?
Of course. It's not good to sleep
alone at night in an empty house.
You can sleep in my bed.
It's summer. We'll sleep out in
the dunes. In a tent, Pim and me.
A gift from my mother.
From my boss.
Not bad.
Now we both have a knife.
It's my birthday tomorrow.
That's why.
No one needs to know about this,
Pimmie. It's just between us.
- Hip hip hip.
- Cheer.
- Hip hip hip.
- Cheer.
For your birthday.
Pencils. Thanks, Sabrina.
I didn't have 4B yet.
Coffee?
Pim?
Yes.
Dreamer.
Could you sleep in the tent?
We should do it more often.
Mom made fries, can you believe it?
Of course, like always.
Can Pim come to Aunt Ginette's?
No, he cannot.
Right. It's a different
audience, those French.
I'm going to lie down.
No kiss from you, either?
You're making fries? I could...
When I learn the steps, I'll show you.
- Pim?
- Yes?
Dreamer.
I use a glue stick. It's cleaner.
The bike!
- Beauty and the Beast.
- Watch what you say, man.
What are you thinking?
You forgot the tent.
- Well?
- Wait.
Here. Happy birthday.
Thanks.
- It's me.
- Hi, "me".
- You want a glass of lemonade, Pim?
- We gotta roll, Pim and me.
- Not on the highway.
- Ok, mom.
- Come on.
- Already?
- I gotta go.
- Where?
La Panne.
- Can I come?
- No.
- Why not?
- Because.
Not together?
- We'll go together next time.
- Promise?
Of course. Come on.
Not a word to anyone, ok?
- Back already?
- Yeah. Gino's bike had a breakdown.
- tienne, couldn't you...
- Of course, what's the problem?
Oh, well, it's the carburetor.
The carburetor? We'll just
change it. I'll take a look.
- Is Gino at home?
- Yes... Uh, no.
It's not necessary. Don't go.
- It's no problem...
- It's not necessary.
- Gino can do it himself.
- Pim?
What you have got against tienne?
Little ingrate.
Well, I'll just pick you up on
Saturday for the Accordion show. Yvette.
We're going to Texas later.
We'll be there around eleven.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
A, b, c, d...
E, f, g...
Gino.
It's me.
Greetings, my boy.
A button on my dress...
Gino went to Dunkerque.
Why don't you find a
friend who lives closer?
The missus wanted to
go dancing. In La Panne.
Her name is Franoise.
You want a glass of
lemonade? It's orange.
Gino and dancing.
Kids, they grow up.
Should I open the white? There's
no more fizz in the orange.
He might bring her
back early. Franoise.
Franoise. She wears white sandals.
The bike?
Don't tease the boy, Sabrina.
Even used, it's expensive,
a bike like that.
And the salary for an
apprentice, it's not much.
All mom does is work. But hey,
it's always been Gino's dream.
And you can save money
on so many things.
- Packets of sugar.
- Mom.
Just between us, Pim...
The sugar packets...
I take them from trays in the cafeteria.
The doctor forbids me sugar, but...
Mom.
They throw them away, those packets.
Even when they haven't been opened.
Do you want a sandwich, Pim?
And yesterday, for
the first time, Gino...
...worked at the fast-food restaurant.
Friday nights and all day Sunday.
It pays rather well.
And tienne says he's
doing well at the garage.
He learns quickly, our Gino.
And if there's a problem with
the bike, he can fix it himself.
He has golden hands, that boy.
Gino will be back late.
What do you expect? He's eighteen.
And that girl loves to dance.
The paperboy has to go.
Me, I'm going to bed.
I've been tired lately.
You don't want anything to drink?
- You're going to Caf Texas?
- Yeah.
When the cat's away...
Your mother's not here yet.
Did you take her the newspaper?
Is Marcella still just as crazy?
Where's your mother
playing tonight? Is it far?
La Panne.
From now on he can bring
me the old newspapers.
That's a good boy.
Something to drink?
Well? Still no girlfriend?
Grenadine.
Oh, her name is Grenadine?
Certainly not from around here.
No no no, he doesn't
know yet. Right, my boy?
So, you don't look at girls?
Tell us. Which of us two
do you like? Go on, tell us.
Go on, flip through Le Libelle.
Or draw a little, silent boy.
- Ta-da!
- Better late than never...
Everything ok, my boy?
- He can draw you later.
- Sure.
Come on, Pim. Who haven't you drawn yet?
Me, he hasn't drawn me yet.
It's too hard. You're too beautiful.
- Was it crowded in La Panne?
- Oh la la!
Hey! Stop it!
Here. A beer for a big boy.
Your mother agrees.
It... She...
Forget it.
Gino.
I'm gonna tell Mom.
Keep quiet, ok?
Not like this.
It takes two. Come on.
Don't be shy.
It's... wait.
What's the matter?
I'm no dancer.
Do you think I'm pretty.
Yes.
Then hold me.
Sabrina, I...
Odd boy.
Thank you, Pim.
Tell me, what's her name,
that little French girl?
Gino's girlfriend.
I don't know.
Maybe he'll bring her to the fair.
tienne says that she's cute.
Tell me. Are you going
to spend all night drawing?
Normal boys your age go
out with their friends.
Or with a girl.
Oh la la.
Women your age no longer go out.
"Room for rent"
Sabrina.
Yes, water is included in the
price. Electricity and heating, too.
The bell.
The doorbell rang.
- I didn't...
- I'm sure it rang.
One moment.
Nobody there.
- Here, have one.
- I don't smoke.
Very wise.
Have you heard from the gypsy
who rented the room here?
Zoltan? No.
He disappeared one day.
Flew off, like a bird.
With the fair.
That's happiness, my child.
North in summer, south in winter.
Venice, Paris, Le Pire, Lima, Capri...
Countries and foreign people.
Do what you want, no worries...
No children.
The room is fine.
- Where's Pim?
- A party. That's all he said.
Is he quiet at home, too?
- You think he's quiet?
- Yes.
I don't think so.
I often hear his voice.
That boy lives in another world.
I try to read his thoughts.
Draw, draw, that he can do.
But I almost never see his drawings.
Sometimes I worry, Sabrina, you know?
I only have one son.
Pim is a dreamer.
Tell me... What's her name?
Franoise. But it's
not certain that she...
Well...
Tell her you liked the room.
Why didn't she come to
see it herself? Is she shy?
What kind of work is
she looking for here?
There's no more work here
than in the north of France.
Oh yes, no visitors in the
room. Tell your brother.
Does she speak Dutch?
You don't even know that?
Plenty of rest, say the doctors.
Get Pim a drink.
Fortunately I still have my
daughter, now that Gino has left.
The house has become so very big.
He moved in with her.
They both work at a
restaurant in Dunkerque.
Washing dishes? Mopping the floor?
I don't know.
- He didn't even come to the hospital.
- Gino doesn't like hospitals.
Well, I'm off.
Pim.
That tienne. What was he
thinking, bloody idiot?
At the hotel in Lille, I
gave him a little pleasure.
I was in good spirits.
But it mustn't happen again.
When we came back from Dunkerque,
he parked his car in a picnic area.
He couldn't keep his hands to himself.
I bit him.
Mom, come inside, you'll catch cold.
Yes.
Mirza. Mirza.
Zoltan.
You're here.
Hello, Yvette.
I'm back.
Pim will show you the room.
You can hang your clothes
here, on the hooks.
You grew.
That's normal, I'm sixteen.
Did you give Zoltan a clean towel?
A bath towel, yes.
The money is welcome.
He's already rented the room.
He was only a boy then.
He's a man now.
Finally we can take
down the damn posters.
The room is rented, Franoise.
You still drink red wine?
- Zoltan.
- Pim.
Pimmie.
I remember.
Pimmie.
Shall I play a tune for
you gentlemen? A waltz.
Mirza!
Where were you all night?
Well, friend. Little rascal.
You can have bread.
There's still some jam.
I'll clean it up.
It's Friday. I'm going out.
Hush.
He'll be back.
Hi, Pim. Your mother works today?
She works.
What do you want to
drink? Some grenadine?
He's probably a Romanian.
No, he's a Bulgarian
in search of happiness.
Grenadine.
Why doesn't he sleep in the caravan,
near the bumper cars?
Oh, what does he know about it, Pim?
Here. It's on the house.
And when the fair leaves,
is he going to stay?
Better a big car than a big guy, Julien.
Life's short enough as
it is. You be quiet, now.
Tonight, spaghetti.
Then you know more than me.
Pimmie? A towel, please.
Ok.
There's vanilla ice cream for dessert.
- Dessert?
- Yes, dessert.
The Cologne Fair, it's worth seeing.
Pimmie, you wouldn't believe your eyes.
It's very large, there's always work.
We'll play this tomorrow.
You are my audience.
Yeah?
Gino.
Yeah.
Ok, what...
Sabrina.
Sabrina is smitten with you.
I can see it. She's crazy about you.
But you already know that.
You're going to be seventeen, Pimmie.
Seventeen.
You gotta...
We both gotta...
Sometimes you have to make choices.
I was going to tell you about Franoise.
Pimmie, wait.
We can still be friends.
We were children. Kids.
It was a game.
Imagine: You and Sabrina.
It would be fantastic.
I'm leaving. The next fair in Cologne,
Zoltan will take me with him.
The gypsy?
- You're beautiful when you're jealous.
- Who's jealous?
You think I was in love with you?
Pim.
Be quiet.
Bring me a drink, Pim.
No no no, wine.
Wine.
Zoltan, you look sharp.
Yes, for going out.
Some wine, Zoltan?
Thank you, Pimmie.
Thank you.
- Pimmie, see you later.
- See you later.
Bye.
Fool.
He certainly did wander.
He slept the whole
afternoon on the sofa.
He just woke up.
You don't need to tell me, I live here.
Here.
You can sleep in Gino's room tonight.
And tomorrow. And the
day after tomorrow.
Your soup's getting cold, Sabrina.
Pim really can't come to live with us.
He's always been part of this family.
Yeah, I'd noticed.
- That had to bother you a lot.
- That was before.
Little Pim found his way back.
When the gypsy was living with
them, we almost never saw him.
- You knew that Pim and Gino...
- He's staying here.
That boy has never had a true home.
Some mother. Gone with the wind.
Yvette.
Even your father wasn't
immune to that man-eater.
That rhymes.
Yvette Mimosa. With her
manners and her accordion.
That blonde thought
she could have them all.
If one left, he was
immediately replaced.
She was unfaithful, Miss
Provocateur. That hasn't changed.
Oh, my handsome Stefano.
You don't have a picture, Mom?
All women have a picture of...
You don't have to ask me every time.
I should check my kidneys.
I have the right to know
what my father looked like.
Sabrina, I ... I can...
Is he still alive, at
least? I just want to know.
No, I don't know. And I'm not
going to take orders from you, ok?
I was more agile before.
Shall I make tea?
Where are you going?
Nowhere. Out for some air.
- Put on your coat.
- It's summer, Mom.
But it feels like autumn. And stop
at the butcher's on the way back.
- Who said I was coming back?
- A half-pound of thin bacon.
So fast.
My bag.
Where are you going?
What are you looking for?
Can I help you?
Your father.
Look.
Mom?
Mom.
A, b, c, d, e,
f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m,
n, o, p, q, r,
s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.
The sea.
Where's Franoise?
She didn't feel well.
What a bitch.
Want some water?
Sure.
"House for rent"
Ms. Desmet said there are still
belongings of your mother's,
and asked what to do.
Pitch them.
Make yourself a sandwich.
I can maybe bring you something later.
Dreadful weather.
Can I come in?
Hush, Mirza.
Dreadful weather. You can say that.
Your sister's not here.
On Monday, Tuesday and...
I came to see you.
Here.
- What do you want to drink?
- A beer.
I'm living here temporarily.
So you know.
It's temporary.
What do you want from me?
I waited for you.
Here. A gift is a gift.
Make a bow tie.
That way you'll never forget me.
Stay.