1
BES ACRESS - CANNES 1 991
lNERNAlONAL FlLM CRllCS' AWARD
ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD
That's the star we're waiting for
to start Christmas Eve. You see it?
And there...
Iook at aII the haze there beIow.
It's not haze.
It's reaIIy
millions of little stars.
Show me.
Here's the first Ieaf.
It's springtime, and soon
aII the trees wiII have Ieaves.
Look.
Here, on the Iighter side, there are
IittIe veins and a very fine down.
TE DOUBLE LlFE OF VERONlQUE
You sang beautifully.
Thanks.
- You should change.
- Come.
Show me.
l'm ashamed of it.
ow did it happen?
My girlfriend's father
slammed a car door on it
right after high school exams.
l'd just passed
my piano exam that day.
l fainted.
Papa.
What are you listening to?
The usual.
l woke up -
Tell Antek l have to leave.
e'll be sad.
And you?
l'm sorry Auntie's not well,
but l'm glad she called.
- You want to go see her?
- Yes.
l like Krakow.
Did you ask her to call?
No.
l have a strange feeling.
l feel like l'm not alone.
Alone?
Like l'm not alone in the world.
You aren't.
l don't know.
What do l really want, Papa?
l don't know.
Probably quite a lot of things.
A blond boy?
Yes.
You slept with him?
Yes.
Tell me about it.
The last time...
there was a downpour.
We were in a passageway.
l was soaked to the skin.
And right in that passageway,
l wanted to -
Who's that?
My lawyer.
I have some
business matters to settle.
- What business?
- LegaI matters.
Yesterday you were surprised
to find me aIive.
Everyone in our family died
whiIe in good heaIth.
My mother, and yours too.
lt's about my will.
Auntie!
Weronika, get up.
The lawyer is here.
Weronika?
Yes, it's Weronika.
My God! You're here?
l'm here.
- In Krakow?
- Yes. l've been here a week now.
ReaIIy!
WiII you come see me?
Of course.
Can you come
to my rehearsaI today at 2:00?
Rehearsal?
Listen.
See how she trains them?
AImost.
Stay in tune.
Once more, please.
Thank you.
See you tomorrow.
You have to put more energy
into your playing, Marta.
- You sing well.
- Thank you.
You heard me?
- lt was beautiful.
Thank you.
l'd like to audition you.
You have...
a very unusual voice.
ow are you feeling?
Fine, thanks.
ave a seat.
l don't mind standing.
ave a seat.
You have no real
performing experience.
You onIy have
a high school music diploma.
ln piano, no less.
Our vote was not unanimous...
but you are the winner
of this competition.
My congratulations.
You look beautiful, Auntie.
Really.
Beautiful.
lf you'd played cards
and drunk vodka all night,
you'd look like this too.
ow did things go?
- Well.
Even too well, l'm afraid.
l wondered
when you would notice me.
Were you following me
a long time?
Yes.
My aunt told me you'd called.
l spoke with my father.
e said you were doing okay.
l'm okay.
l thought
l'd bring you a present.
Christmas is coming.
l didn't call because -
You didn't.
Actually, l came
to tell you l love you.
l'm staying at the oliday lnn.
lf you have anything
to teII me, caII me.
Room 287.
Antek!
Give me a ride home.
l'll call.
l'll call you.
Ma'am!
Shall l come help you?
Weronika,
are you getting dressed?
Yes.
She's dead.
The last time
we saw each other was -
At graduation.
Was it really?
Yes.
What's wrong?
Are you sad?
l mean yes.
l don't know why.
lt's as if l were grieving.
For someone?
l don't know.
l'll tell you something funny.
Are you all right?
May l stay a while?
Vronique!
You've got either the wrong time
or the wrong day.
Or is it my mistake?
l came...
l came to say
that l'm quitting.
- What?
- l'm quitting.
Why?
l don't know.
But l know l have to quit now.
You're wasting your talent.
You have no right.
You deserve
to be dragged into court.
lt's true. l have no right.
Vronique...
l won't see you again?
Excuse me.
l have a class in here.
l wasn't told.
Sorry.
You smell so nice.
You're beautifuI.
l love your chimes.
- Thank you.
Did you sleep well last night?
lf you like, l could help you
carry the chimes home.
We're finishing early today.
- Why?
- You don't know? The marionettes.
- What?
I reaIIy Iike this piece.
lt's by a very interesting composer.
e was discovered only recently,
although he lived in olland
over two centuries ago.
Ready?
One...
two.
Who is it?
Please answer.
l'll hang up.
Then you hang up.
You hang up first.
l was sleeping.
l bought a milling machine.
Look.
27,000 rotations per minute.
l'm in love.
l'm really in love.
Do l know him?
No...
and neither do l.
l don't get it.
Can you explain?
Yes, once l figure it out myself.
Not long ago,
l had a strange sensation.
l felt that l was alone.
All of a sudden.
Yet nothing had changed.
Someone disappeared
from your life.
That's right.
When Mother died...
didn't you feel that way?
But something
really had changed.
And I had you.
You were so little.
l had to hold your hand.
Yes.
You held my hand.
My Iawyer asked
five or six of his girIfriends.
I'm sure he had dozens,
but I onIy knew a few of them.
They all refused, of course.
l can't do it either, Catherine.
l've given it serious thought.
l just can't.
l understand.
l'm sorry.
l understand.
l can do it.
You?
Why not?
You'll come to court?
You'll say, "l slept with that man
1 3 times last year, and this year too"?
Yes.
But l need to know something
about him. l don't know him.
You saw him once.
But l should know the things
a woman would know if she's -
Relax.
l'm frozen.
l can't stay long.
Yesterday you told me...
you hardly noticed that man.
The puppeteer?
- Yes.
- Did you notice him?
Yes.
Do you remember his name?
lt was on the van.
is first name began with an A.
Antoine... Alexandre.
l don't remember.
Do you remember the story
of the puppet show?
A dancer...
A ballerina.
She lives in a box. She wants to dance,
but she breaks her leg.
So she turns into a butterfly.
Wait a minute.
All along l kept feeling
I knew that story.
That's it!
l read it to Natalie once.
e must have stolen it.
Don't move.
e didn't steal anything.
e wrote it.
Alexandre Fabbri.
There's also a lovely story
about a shoeIace.
Forgive me for getting you
mixed up in all this.
All what?
My situation.
Someone told Jean-Pierre.
Anything for me?
Do you know what it is?
No idea.
l'm sure it's an empty box
of "Virginia" cigars.
You knew?
l guessed.
There's no return address.
MaiIed from Paris.
Thank you.
Jean-Pierre, what are you -
Why are you doing this?
Are you really set on it?
Say something.
At least say something.
Oh, God.
lt's all so complicated.
What's wrong?
l'm turning myself in.
That's all.
l'm sorry.
Daddy?
I'm in the bathtub.
Don't touch the chairs!
Smell this.
lt's nice.
The other one was nicer.
This is late autumn.
The other was early autumn.
l don't know if people will need
this fragrance, but we'll see.
l'll get dressed.
So did you finally figure it out?
There's a letter for you.
Beautiful handwriting.
ere.
Stay. We'll fix lunch.
l have to go.
l have a music class.
l must have been dreaming.
l saw a drawing.
Very simple, even primitive.
A sloping road in a small town...
with houses on both sides,
and a church
in the background.
Chagall?
No, not Chagall.
A tall, narrow church of red brick.
Stop.
Nicole, you're playing off-key.
Yes, l know.
AII right.
Let's start again.
Nicole!
Stop.
Your attention, pIease.
Miss Sandrine Ekar,
please come
to the information counter -
Excuse me, excuse me.
Attention, pIease.
Train number 331 6
from Cherbourg
is arriving on pIatform 1 8.
Who's there?
Excuse me.
ls there another caf in this station?
Over there.
Can you hear the departure times
over the loudspeaker there?
l don't know.
l've never been inside.
Excuse me, excuse me.
Would you like some tea?
Coffee.
- Excuse me.
- Tea with lemon?
And a coffee.
ave you been waiting long?
Forty-eight hours.
Maybe longer.
But it was worth it.
l have to apologize.
- For what?
l was afraid you wouldn't come.
I was afraid
you wouldn't be here.
l had to be here.
l'd have waited two more days.
Or three.
l wanted to be sure.
l wanted to see if it was possible.
Be sure of what?
Whether it was
psychologically possible.
lf what was
psychologically possible?
Since you're here, you must know
that I write chiIdren's books.
But now l want to write...
a real book.
ln this book there's a woman...
who answers the caII
of a complete stranger.
So I wondered
whether it was possible.
Whether, psychologically,
a woman -
Anyway, whether it was possible.
You're not saying anything?
Why me?
Why did you choose me?
Because...
l don't know.
Thanks for the coffee.
Wait, please!
Are there any rooms
on the courtyard? l'm exhausted.
Yes. What floor?
Any floor,
as long as it's quiet.
Room 287.
You want a wake-up call?
No, thank you.
l'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
For what?
As I was faIIing asIeep,
l saw a sheet floating down.
l love you.
What else do you want
to know about me?
Everything.
What's this?
lt's for when
my lips are chapped.
Shit!
l've been looking
for those for a year.
Now I know
why you were the one.
lt wasn't the book.
l knew that.
What?
Why you were doing it.
Since the first night
you called me.
Even before that.
You knew?
Everything.
Maybe this has nothing to do with it,
or maybe it does.
All my life l've felt like
l was here and somewhere else
at the same time.
lt's hard to explain.
But l know...
l always sense what l should do.
Where is this?
lt's not in France.
That was on a trip
to Czechoslovakia, ungary and Poland.
That must be in Krakow.
That's a beautiful picture.
And you in that big coat.
That's not me.
Sure it's you.
That's not my coat.
ls that me?
Of course it's you.
Why...
Why two?
l handle them a lot
when l perform.
They get damaged easily.
You try it.
Shall l read it to you?
"November 23, 1 966,
was the most important day
of their Iives.
That day,
at 3:00 in the morning,
they were both born,
each in a different city
on a different continent.
They both had dark hair
and brownish-green eyes.
At two years oId,
when both knew how to walk,
one of them
burned her hand on a stove.
A few days later,
the other one reached out
to touch a stove
but pulled back just in time.
Yet she couldn't have known
she was about to burn herself."
You like it?
l think l'll call it
The DoubIe Life of...
l haven't decided
what to name them.