Original subtitles

BRIEF CROSSING

Bloody hell

Damn

Your ID is torn. And it's not valid

- How old is it? - It was issued in 1990

It's just not strong enough

You have to use a plastic cover

- Is it OK? - Yes, it's OK

Captain Shutland and his crew...

... welcome you on board the Pride of Le Havre to Portsmouth

We'll be leaving the harbour in a few minutes

Children should not run on the ship...

... or use the lifts unless accompanied by an adult

We wish you a pleasant crossing

Excuse me, do you need a...

I feel stressed

I speak French

I only bought a packet with my mates, to show off

I didn't think I'd get hooked

At home, everyone smokes

My mum smokes with me in the evening. She likes it

- She likes it? - Yes, she does

She's been smoking since she was 14

She's never managed to quit

All my mates smoke too

Kids with uncool parents smoke in secret

They say their parents are stupid

- Your mum�s cool? - Yes, very cool

My dad always moans she's too soft on me

- What does he do? - He's an auditor

He's not cool, but he's OK

He's nice

But not as nice as my mum. She adores me

Still, she went mad when I fucked up my GCSEs

She wasn't happy

- Fucked up? - Failed

I didn't study. Usually I wake up in the last term and work like mad

This time I didn't wake up so I did nothing

That's not clever

You should have seen my teachers. All idiots

They can't all be idiots

Yes, teaching is a stupid job anyway

- Are you a teacher? - No, a photographer

Imagine going back to school to repeat the same crap to pupils who don't care

There are more exciting jobs

It doesn't even pay well

All our teachers suck...

- So we don't want to learn - You still have to attend classes

That's what mum says, but I still didn't study

So now I have remedial classes

It stinks, but it serves me right

- How old are you? - I'm 18

You�re 18?

No coffee?

It stops me sleeping

Nothing stops me sleeping. Not even ten cups. My problem is waking up

Life is so boring

Endless and boring

But, at the same time, it goes so quickly. Years pass like weeks

You don't have time for anything

The question is how can you be making a living since you�re not doing anything

I don't do anything

Any idea what you want to do?

Don't you wonder how adults finance their cars, flats and country homes?

They cost a fortune

You can't understand where all that money comes from. It's not from a job

It's not from the courses you can choose. There is no choice

Except teaching

Or being a doctor, a vet, a solicitor...

That's scary when you�re young, right?

You�ve no idea what you want to do

But everyone's determined to help you choose a career

By being pushed one way and the other, you end up nowhere

But you mustn�t worry. It comes naturally...

...with age

Just be confident and don't worry about the future

They make a fuss about the future as if it needed mapping out

But it comes naturally. It's given to you

You just need the gift...

...to know when opportunity knocks

Adults clip Your wings and sometimes you can't catch up with Your future

You�re born whole, but other people mutilate you with their fears...

...about security, full employment and sensible things

Isn't modern life horrible?

No, you just have to think very seriously about what you want to do

A well-paid job in a not too crowded industry. It's pointless...

...doing sociology or law just to get cast off

What matters these days is looks. It is

All women above 30 worry

It depends

Even men fear being thrown on the scrap heap

Plastic surgery is the way to go

All oldies want to have their faces done even if they say they disapprove

I don't know. When I need to, maybe...

Everyone wants a facelift sometime

And then I'll be the perfect, dedicate surgeon

Thomas Seigner

I'll take 10 years off you, but I'll take all Your savings

I'm joking, but you can make a lot. The prices aren't fixed by the NHS

�4,000 per operation

If I do two or three a week, it's OK. I can live on that

But studying until 30 isn't for me

That's because you�re so young. 30 isn't old. You get there very quickly

Another coffee?

- You�re right. Why not try the bars? - You want to drink?

We're on a ship for the night, so it would be a shame to go to bed early...

...and not do anything romantic

- Would you do something men hate? - What do men hate?

Everything, but most of all shopping

Ladies and gentlemen you have ten minutes left...

... to purchase spirits wine and cigarettes at excellent prices

- I thought I'd lost it - Now's not the time

Guaranteed to turn you into an alcoholic

Help me. All these wines are French

I've no idea. I only drink coke

They force us to buy wine...

...since you�re allowed two bottles instead of one for whisky

Moulton Cadet. That's very good

And for me, Champagne. Bubbly and tasteless. Perfect

It's twice the price in England

You don't care, do you? How about some mint chocolates?

It's a speciality

Marmalade. You can't get it in France

Don't bother to justify Yourself

You must think I'm a jerk

No, 16 is nearly 18

No, it's not. You must think I'm grotesque

It's pointless me talking

I'm going to ruin Your evening

Look, there are only teenagers. It's no coincidence

You�re wrong. Look behind me

That's even worse

Did I say the wrong thing?

Unforgivable

I don't find them young. They're just conforming

They're pretending to be posh. Even the girlfriend is just for show

But they don't give a shit

They just act posh. It's all part of the look

Did you hear their conversation? It's pathetic

I'll get myself a brandy

You shouldn�t have

Leave it

- Or I'll be cross - I'll get the next one

After this, I'll start feeling a lot better

You think I'm crazy because I drink?

When you�re young, you want to be old. When you�re old, you want to forget

- You�re not old - I am. That's why I drink

You don't drink a lot

Two neat brandies is quite a bit

You�d be on the floor

I'd have to carry you to bed

But I can hold my drink

I can drink a lot more without it showing

- It's the privilege of the old - You�re not that old

"Not that old," he says meaning not that young

Because disappointment is inevitable

Not always

Yes, always

We don't know what's better

The magic moment lasts only while men want to seduce us...

...and you frolic in green meadows

It's miraculous

But then you end up in the cowshed like a cow chewing old dry hay

It's over

The couple is in place. You�ve had it

That's a tough view

It's our fault as well

We women know men are as bad as each other. We shouldn�t get caught

We're too romantic. We can't help believing in love

We won't admit that once they've screwed us, men lose interest

Aren't I right? Aren't men like that?

Aren't you all like that?

You�re right. It's Your strength

Being in a couple is appalling

But you�d rather keep what you have than be alone

It's better for a woman to be married than alone

I don't know

I'm single. I made a mistake

I couldn�t find fault with my husband. He wasn't even unfaithful

That was even worse. He'd totally lost interest in me

I was part of the furniture, like a chair you sit on

Is it normal to treat a person like a thing?

Is it bearable?

Should I have stayed?

I should have stayed, but it was like a concrete screed. I was suffocating

Imagine the eyes of the one you love lighting up...

...only when they see someone other than you

And when they look at you, their eyes become terrifyingly opaque...

...hard and ugly, so they can ignore you

We're balls and chains to them

Men don't want to live with us as couples

It's unfair

But they're attached to us when they've made us like that

They never expect us to leave

I really got the bastard

It'll take him a while to get over it. I was the one who left

It's not in my nature to leave, though

But I dumped my husband yesterday

I should have done it sooner

Imagine wasting eight years...

...with a man who can't look at you after three months

Why do we do it?

We don't even have children

He always took precautions

A man who loves a woman doesn't take precautions

You see what it means? Isn't it sordid?

Why should you care? You�re young. Things might work out better for you

Things have to change. They'd better

- Will you have another drink? - No, thanks

I will. It's my first night as a single woman

No, I'll go

On the sea, we're above the law

You�re right

Shall we drink to Your studies?

- To Your love life - Nothing to boast about

- He didn't deserve you, that's all - Who?

Your husband. He must have been an arsehole

It's not that simple

Maybe they're simple and we're complicated

Bloody hell, not a stupid show

That's not enough. To prove you don't exist and take up too much room...

...the guy makes you disappear

He sticks the swords in Your body. That's a parable. A real one

Nothing is more real than parables

He bows...

...and we clap. He's as proud as a peacock

The bastard! Men really are cleverer than us

It doesn't bother him that she's suffocating in the box...

...and does all the dirty work

The man stays whole. He's magnificent

Life only mutilates women because they're more generous

Contrary to belief, they age better

Women never become bald, paunchy or full of themselves at 40, do they?

You�re protected by Your youth. You�re still safe

Watch out

It might not last

But Your hair is nice and thick

It's beautiful

It's an asset

But be careful. You can lose it at 25

No hair left. Only a smooth pink bottom

It changes everything

Still, you have a round skull, so it would be more bearable

Yes, but it would freak me out

You can lose Your hair and still be a great person

But you must escape the male condition

Men's contortions and arrogance. You must exist. Men don't exist...

...because they can't reproduce. That's their problem

So...

They invent ways to bring women down...

...and to make themselves feel powerful

Bureaucracy is a man's job

It produces nothing

No wealth

Just pathetic feeble power

Like a premature ejaculation

A fat belly and a chubby little smile

You think all men are like that?

All those we meet, yes

All those I've met anyway

They're all the same

Only strangers are remotely interesting

You�ve chosen very badly the men you�ve...

What?

Nothing

Let's dance

Not my style

Don't abandon me now

I fall in love

That's obvious since they're men

Are there really no good men?

Maybe very young ones who are still romantic like girls

Lips like ripe fruit

I'll really have to get used to it. It's not my thing

Usually, I prefer tough virile beasts

That's what I claim anyway

But I always go with the opposite

Boys who could be my sons aren't my thing

Why not?

I know it's silly

I should let myself go

It wouldn�t even count

I'd never fall in love with someone who can't hurt me

It would be exquisite, but I'm masochistic

You don't like kind men?

I prefer those who make me suffer

I suppose I like a good fight

I don't understand. I love tenderness

Cuddling is lovely

Cuddling is awful. It's pointless

That's not what excites you

It's better to be alone than with the wrong person

Don't you ever think it's lovely to be with someone?

Sometimes, but I'm wrong

You�re a hard woman. I thought you were sweet

When I saw you, I found you sweet. I wanted to take you in my arms

So men can be wrong too

You�re hard. You make fun of me because I love you

One day I'll be older

And you�ll be really old, sorry and alone

I'm sorry

It's OK

When the water's dark, I'm drawn to it and I fall in

When I was little I always fell in ponds watching goldfish

Be careful. I won't rescue you

- You won't rescue me? - I don't want to die for nothing

How dare you?

It's true. The water is 15�C and it's dark

We wouldn�t last 10 minutes

I can be chivalrous, but not stupid

It's OK. I'm not asking for a survival lesson

I'm asking you to be romantic

I want to sleep with you

Very romantic. You think you just say that to a woman and it works?

Sorry if I'm being crude

With you, I don't know how to be

Women like crudeness...

...contrary to belief

Women don't want subtlety

What are you looking at?

Nothing. I'm waiting

You need to learn it's up to men to make the first move

It's not for women to help them

It's exciting to disconcert them and see how they return to the attack

Let's go

Do you have a room?

This is the dreaded moment when you have to get down to business

Let's go to my cabin

We won't be disturbed

But there's always a risk we'll be interrupted...

...and we won't want to start again

Maybe we should stop here, with good memories

- It's great. There's a porthole - Yes, I have a porthole

It's silly. Even luxury cabins don't have double beds

- Maybe this isn't a good idea - Don't say that

I'm awful. I just can't make things easy

I'm feeling shy

It's incredible at my age

I can't bring myself to cheat on my husband

But it's over

Have you ever been in love?

But I've never been all the way

I can't go all the way. Something stops me

When did you split up?

Three months ago, but we were together for eight years

- I'm sure that doesn't stop him - Really?

- Three months... - You think he's cheated on me already

It's likely

The bastard

You really are all bastards

There's no love. Only words to get what you want

And we women are so stupid we take it at face value

You�re all bastards who take us for pieces of flesh

I dreamt of seeing Your breasts

I love breasts

Easy

Don't be fast like all the others

Easy. The best way to make love to a girl is with a slow rhythm

Gently quivering inside

I like Your soft skin

You�re soft all over

You�re just like a child. I can't believe how young you are

- You look like you�re 16 - Really?

It's amazing how young you look

But I have crow's feet

That doesn't matter. You look young anyway

Maybe because I'm very young in my head

- Stay - I'm too hot

Do you have lots of girlfriends?

Things are very different these days

They can't be that different

They are. We don't have steady girlfriends

No big dramas

No dramas?

No dramas

How do you love each other then?

You wouldn�t understand. It's much more casual these days

If Your girlfriend's not there, you can go out with another...

And then you can go out with Your girlfriend again

Go out? Go out again? Interesting vocabulary

Can you turn it off? It's unbearable

If I turn it off, you�ll go back to sleep

I want to say hello to you again

With you lot, it's all or nothing

You either wake up triumphantly or you go back to sleep instantly

It's bestial

I hate it when you say: "You lot." I like it when you�re sweet

I'm not sweet

I know I'm far too sweet. You only like nasty men

- That's not true - Yes, it is

Hurry up. You�re such a slowcoach

You men are so slow

Stop saying: "You men." It makes me feel I'm not me

Hurry up. Don't be like the others

I'm not the others

True. You�re much more charming

- Let's have our photo taken - No way

Closer together

Smile, please

We look good

Will you write something nice?

It's on me

Captain Shutland informs you...

... that we will be coming alongside Portsmouth harbour in 40 minutes

At 5.30 English time and 6.30 French time

You�re hungry?

We're arriving

We've got time

Can't you wait for us to part?

Passengers with vehicles...

Don't take any notice

You�d better go and get Your case. You must have one somewhere

Hurry up. Stop dithering

You�re not making things easy for me

Swear you will