All language subtitles for The Far Side of the Moon (2003) -- Robert Lepage

Before the telescope,

people thought the moon
was a huge mirror,

and the mountains and oceans
on its luminous surface

were merely the reflection
of our own mountains and oceans.

Later, in the 20th century,
when the first Soviet lunar probe

sent back images
of the far side we never see,

the world was stunned to find
the moon had a second visage,

more deeply scarred
by the pounding of meteorites

and other celestial debris.

NASA liked to call it
"the disfigured face of the moon. "

This irony mostly reflected
the fact that from then on

all craters on that side
would be named

after Soviet cosmonauts
and great Russian writers.

The first crater
was named Tsiolkovsky,

after Konstantin Tsiolkovsky,
the great engineer

who originated the formula

that allows us to break free
of Earth's gravity.

Tsiolkovsky also conceived
the first liquid-fuel rocket

that detached in stages

during its ascent, allowing
the Russians, 50 years later,

to launch...

Sputnik, the first official satellite
emitting a signal

that could be heard on radios

all around the world.

Tsiolkovsky's
greatest prediction...

was that, one day,

man would walk and live
in weightlessness on the moon:

the ideal refuge, he said,
for those who find life heavy.

[buzzing]

[indistinct radio communication]

The Far Side of the Moon

- May I speak
to the lady of the house?

Hello, Mme Raynald Brochu.

Le Soleil is currently
soliciting subscriptions.

We're offering
a free 2-week trial period,

after which,
if you're still interested,

you'll get 15%% off
the normal price.

Would you be interested?

Pardon me?

No,
that's the Journal de Qu�bec.

This is Le Soleil.

No, they're a tabloid.

We're a real newspaper.

The big format.

Doesn't fit in your mailbox...

That's no reason
not to subscribe!

We'll take note of it.
Thanks, goodbye.

Hello, Andr�?

Philippe.

Where were you last night?

No, I waited half an hour
at the laundromat.

You never showed up.

You can't give a dead person's
clothes to charity

without washing them first.

Do me a favour?

Adopt her goldfish?

It's a little fish in a bowl.

You're allergic when you eat fish,
not when you feed fish.

It's the last living thing Mom had!
I can't flush it.

When do we meet
about the will?

Would you mind
showing up this time?

- Going somewhere?

It's not even 1:00.
- Well...

I thought, since I sold
my quota, I'd leave.

- If you hadn't made personal calls,
you could've sold 13.

- I didn't make calls, plural,
I made one...

to my brother.

- He was verbose.
- Family stuff... you know?

- No.
- You have a family?

- No, 2 dogs.
- Are you married?

- No.

- Never wanted to have kids?

- A dog's housebroken at 3 months.
At 10 years, it's dead.

In a rush?

- My thesis defence is at 2:00
at Laval University.

- Thesis? What's it about?

- Narcissism.

The theory of my dissertation

tries to demonstrate that space
exploration in the 20th century

was motivated by narcissism.

To support my theory,
I'll refer to the work

of the Russian engineer,
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

If you go to page 25
of the paper

I sent you last week,
you'll find

a photo of Tsiolkovsky

visiting the Eiffel Tower
in Paris.

Tsiolkovsky had conceived
a structure...

tall enough to exceed
the stratosphere,

and reach into space.

This structure

had a small elevator
to carry people

to an observation deck
located at the top.

He called this
"the space castle."

So, we clearly see
the influence

of fairy tales

on his engineering.
The only thing

hindering construction
of such a structure,

is that there exists
no material strong enough

to support its weight.
But if this problem were solved,

it would cost approximately...

40 U.S. dollars

in electricity for each ascent,

compared to the $400,000,000 U.S.
it currently costs

for every space-shuttle launch.

Tsiolkovsky is famous

for saying,
"The Earth is the cradle of Man,

but Man can't spend
his whole life in a cradle."

With these fine words,

I proceed to the main argument
of my thesis.

Careful.
This vanity's an antique.

Cover the mirror
and carry it separately. OK?

No, leave this here.

My brother will get it later.

- Sign here.

[wind howling]

- Our satellite picture
shows the storm system

prevailing over most
of North America,

bringing heavy rains
to the American west coast,

changing to blizzards
once they reach Canada.

This will move east overnight,
changing into freezing rain.

If you live in the Gasp� region,
you should take tomorrow off,

and be careful on the roads
in eastern Quebec.

Closer to home, as expected,

temperatures are way above
seasonal norms,

starting with a high
of-8 for Toronto,

- 10 in Ottawa,
a little colder in Sudbury at -15,

- 14 in Chicoutimi,
- 10 for the Montreal area,

and a cozy -12
for the Quebec City area.

That's it for now.
On behalf of all of us,

I'd like to wish you all
a very happy holiday season.

Use the money to go to Florida!
It's only $5,000.

What can I do with that?

You're 42, you've never flown.
It's weird. When I try to help,

it's always the same story.
You thwart me.

Know what your problem is?
Pride. Too much self-esteem.

Where do I sign?

That's it?
- She had nothing:

about $5,000 in savings bonds

and no life insurance.
- Did her fish have a name?

- She called him Beethoven.

- He's deaf, or plays
the Ninth when he's fed?

How did your defence go?

- Badly. I was rejected again.

- Really? What will you do?

- I dunno, find a sympathizer
and appeal. What else?

- You got more guts than me.

Two rejections,
I would've given up.

Know what?
The problem isn't the content.

I'm sure it's the way
you present yourself.

Whenever you address a group,
you get flustered, you mumble,

you babble. Try the exercise
we did in announcer school.

Every day, we stood
in front of the class and said,

"I speak loudly,
and I'm not ridiculous!"

"I speak loudly,
and I'm not ridiculous!"

Repeat this
until you muster the volume

and energy for your delivery.

What if you don't get
your Ph.D.?

Planning to live forever
on loans and bursaries?

- What else?
- You're so chicken.

There's this amazing woman...

- I don't need financial advisors.

- She's not an advisor,
she's a financial medium.

She reads wallets
like tarot cards.

To see if you respect money.
Otherwise, it won't respect you.

She examines your wallet.

Is it real leather or vinyl?

Is it wrecked? Are 5's with 5's,

10's with 10's, 20's with 20's?

She helps you get rid
of things you don't need,

to make room for new money!

She thinks money
is like a guest.

If it doesn't feel welcome,
it won't stay.

- I don't have a wallet.

- How do you carry credit cards?

- I don't have any.

- Your money?

- Easy. I have none.
- You would,

if you took the 5 measly grand
Mom left me

as my Christmas gift to you.

Mom's dead, Philippe.

She'll never know
her last wishes were adjusted.

Everything she owned...

clothes, furniture,
and goldfish...

Instead of having a yard sale,

you bring it all here
where there's no room to breathe.

You don't make room in your life
for new things to happen.

It's unhealthy to stay
in your childhood home!

Where did you put my coat?

- In the closet on the left.

- Would you look at this?

If I were money,

I could never fit into this.

Bye!

Call me when you're not moody.

- Now, a serious question.

Are we alone in the universe?
Or does there exist

another form of intelligence
asking the same question?

With us this morning
is Marie-Madeleine Bonsecours

from the Canadian bureau
of SETl,

who'll outline a new approach
to this question

of extra-terrestrial life.
Welcome, Mme Bonsecours.

- Hello, Monique.
- What does SETI stand for?

- SETI

means Search for
Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.

- Excuse my rudimentary English.
- Mine's the same!

- It's an organization devoted
to the search for intelligence

or forms of intelligence
beyond Earth.

It was created in 1959

by 2 physicists from Cornell
who thought

that by transmitting
radio waves

we could communicate
with other solar systems.

- And now you're soliciting
the public's participation.

- Yes. So far, our program
has focused on listening

for messages sent
by extra-terrestrial civilizations.

Now, we're asking
the public to send

their messages on home video,

intended
for unknown civilizations.

- Really? I could send

a tape of my son falling asleep
in his ice cream?

[laughter]

- No, not really...

The selection will be quite serious.
This is a contest.

We'll choose 10 videotapes,
convert them to binary code,

and send them into space.

- To participate,
here's the address:

Project SETl,

267 Cactus Drive, Box 105,

Phoenix, Arizona, 95020.

Again, those who wish
to participate

should send their tapes

to Project SETI...

Stay tuned. After the break,

chef Alberic de Tiers will be
demonstrating Norwegian cooking.

We can already smell
the salmon!

- When we Earthlings seek
protection from the elements,

we take refuge in "houses."

We less fortunate ones take
shelter in "rented apartments."

So, this is my rented apartment.
We're in the "living room."

Entire families
once lived in such places.

They'd gather here at night
around the fireplace

telling stories,
talking about their day.

Of course, TV has now
replaced the fireplace.

TV tells the stories.
TV talks about the day it had.

This is what's called a "sofa."

It's very practical,
especially for guests.

If you visit, you'll sleep here,
so keep that in mind.

Unfortunately,
there's only 1 bed in my place.

We have all kinds of beds:
single, double, twin.

But sleeping in a single bed
doesn't mean you're single.

Sleeping in a double
doesn't make you a couple.

And twins
are rarely slept in by twins.

It's often a couple,
bitterly wishing they were still single.

Here, we have the kitchen.

This is a very important room
where we prepare

the vital elements of nutrition.
Hence, the appliances.

But in my kitchen,
the best appliance

is the phone.

It's essential to my nutrition.
It allows me to order food.

Then, we have...

the toilet. Some think calling
it a "bathroom" is more elegant,

but when it's dirty, leaky
and unrenovated for 40 years,

I would call it a "toilet."

There's also a storage room
but it's pretty boring,

except for some
of my parents' furniture.

There are boxes of old clothes,

women's shoes.

My mother had dozens of them.
She found it very important

to have a pair of shoes
for each dress.

She loved showing off her legs,

the anatomical part
she was most proud of.

But in the end, she couldn't
wear her pretty shoes.

The doctors started
by amputating her toes.

Then, it was her feet.

Then they had
to amputate her legs.

It was a catastrophe.
My mother had gorgeous legs.

[1950s music]

[music]

[heart beating]

- Even though

he was preordained
to be a painter,

his interest

in aviation
led to piloting jets

and studying engineering.

Among his many exploits,
he executed,

on March 18, 1965,

the first walk in space,

and, in 1975, he participated

in the Apollo-Soyuz mission,

the first one to join together

Soviet and American spaceships.

That was when I had the pleasure
of meeting Alexei Leonov,

and I had the good fortune
to be his interpreter.

[applause]

- You cannot get any closer, sir.

- Um, do you think that, uh,
afterwards,

it would be possible
for me to, uh, to meet him?

Just for a few minutes.

Because I have a document
I'd like him to, uh, to read.

- You can leave the document to me,
and I'll pass it on to him.

- Yes, that's very nice of you,

but I prefer
that nobody else than myself...

- We have to inspect
all suspect parcels.

- Yeah, but it's...

- Is it compromising material?

- No, no, no, no, no.
It's just a th�orie.

- A theory about what?

- Just... just give me back my document.
Give me back my document.

Would you give me back
my document?!

- Sir, please...
- But my document.

- Come on. Come on, come on.
- Yeah, but...

[applause]

I'm often asked

about the difference

between a cosmonaut
and an artist.

But for me, it's the same thing.

Both must have curiosity...

and a sense of adventure.

[applause]

- I just wanted him
to read my thesis.

If he agrees with it,
I'll ask him to endorse my Ph.D.

That's all. I'm not a terrorist.

- Yeah? And what's all this?

- Those are receipts.

- Ever heard of a wallet?

- Mr Leonov has agreed
to meet you Thursday night

at 10:00 in the bar of his hotel

to discuss your theory.

- In that case,
he should keep it.

- It's fine.
We made a photocopy.

- Hey!
You photocopied my thesis?

- You can go.
- That bozo Xeroxed my thesis!

[phone ringing]

[phone ringing]

- Hello.

- The lady of the house, please.

No. Mommy.

Go get Mommy!

Mommy.

Go get Mommy.

- Hello, Daddy?

- Wait, sweetie. I'm coming...
- Mommy.

Mommy. Go get Mommy.

- Coming...

Here...

Hello. Hello, hello.

- Hello, I'm calling
from Le Soleil.

We're soliciting subscriptions,
and our special offer

is a free 2-week trial period.
After this,

if you're interested...
- Philippe?

- Excuse me?

- Is that you, Philippe?

- Yes, it is. Who's speaking?

- Don't you recognize me?

- No, sorry...

Who is it?

- Nathalie.

- Nathalie?

I'm really sorry.
I'm trying to reach...

I'm confused.
I was calling Mme...

- Rodrigue Brochu.
- Right.

- That's my name.
- What do you mean?

- It's my husband's name.

- When did you marry?

- It's been... 3 years at least.

- Really? I had no idea!

- Why not?
- No one told me.

- No, that's impossible. We sent
you an invitation. Did you move?

- No, same address
and phone number.

- Yes, 692-5400, I remember...

- No,
that's not my phone number.

That's my mother's number.

I mean,
it was my mother's number...

She died 2 weeks ago.

- Really?

My God.

Forgive me.

Sorry...
I don't know what to say.

- You don't have to say anything.
That's how it goes.

Anyway, her quality of life
at the end wasn't great...

- Was she sick?
- Her kidneys were shot.

She had dialysis
3 times a week.

She had to calculate the amount
of water she could drink daily.

She probably miscalculated,

and the excess water
filled her lungs and heart.

When your kidneys don't work,
water builds up.

- Oh...

- But... are you OK?
- I'll be fine. Don't you worry.

It'll be fine.

Listen, this is really
an incredible coincidence!

- Listen, Philippe...

You're not soliciting
for a living?

- Right now, yes,
but it's temporary.

- But I heard you were teaching
at Limoilou College.

- God, I haven't taught there
for at least 2 years.

- It must've paid well?

- Substitute teaching,
not very lucrative.

And I never had any authority
over the class.

It took them 5 minutes to realize
they could walk all over me.

Do you still teach?

- Oh, no, no, no.

No, I... No. No.

- Well, if you're living at...
57225 St. Louis Road in Sillery,

you sure don't need to work.

- What are you insinuating?

- Nothing. It's just that...

you needn't feel guilty
about hitting the jackpot.

- Are you saying
I'm a kept woman?

- I didn't say that.
- That's what you meant.

- You're misinterpreting again.
- How should I interpret it?

- You're being paranoid.

[dog barking]

- I was waiting for that.

- Let's just stop.
- Why, you want to cop out?

- I know how this'll end.

Getting shit from my ex
wasn't on my agenda today.

Listen...

I'm sorry...

I'm glad to catch up with you.

- Sure, but I won't be
taking a subscription.

- Fine.

Nathalie,
I wish you all the best.

Bye.

- Bye.
[dial tone]

[bell ringing]

- Coffee break. Ten minutes.

Second time I catch you
making personal calls.

One more time,

and you're out. Get it?

- It's almost like baseball.

- Hey! Cut the crap and make up
the time you already wasted.

[beep!]
- Ignition sequence start.

Six, five, four,

three, two, one...

zero.

Liftoff! We have a liftoff!

- Roger.

- And we're getting the picture
on the TV.

Okay, Neil, we can see you
coming down the ladder now.

- Hope you have a good picture.

- Ah, there's a great deal
of contrast in it.

- What's on?

- Go back to bed.
- Turn it off!

- Getting back up to that first...
- Hey!

Gimme that!

- That's one small step

for man...

- Philippe?

...one giant step for mankind.

- Mommy!

- Good.

Look up.

Down.

What happens when I do this?

- It's a little blurry,
but I can see.

- And this side?

- I can't see anything.

- Listen. We got the results
from this morning.

On the X-ray,

we spotted

a lump developing under
one of his cerebral lobes,

pinching the optical nerve,

and obstructing the circulation.

That's why he has trouble
seeing from that eye.

There's a new treatment.

It's called chemotherapy.

It shrinks the tumour
before removal.

Of course...

it's still quite experimental,
and the operation is delicate.

- The welcoming parade

for Apollo 11...

- You collect rocks?

You'd make a good astronaut.
That's all they did up there:

pick up rocks.

- It occurred to me
that if you wanted to visit us,

you'd probably
have to locate us.

So I prepared
this little demonstration.

First, according to scientists,

our solar system
is inconspicuous,

Iocated somewhere in the suburbs
of our very ordinary galaxy,

which is in the suburbs
of the universe.

Take a left after the mall
and you'll find us.

But if you hit a planetary
alignment like this,

we live on the third planet

from the sun. In any case,

you can't miss it.
It's a blue planet.

It's marbled, from the maelstrom

of organic elements
that foster life on Earth.

The planet's overpopulated,

with over 6-billion inhabitants.

So you should park
on a nearby planet.

It's crowded here.

Here on Earth,

we know the universe is infinite,
yet we live as if in a fishbowl.

We simply can't accept
that the universe might contain

a superior intelligence.

So we swim in circles,
contemplating our navel.

Man is so convinced he's the most
complex and perfect of creations,

he seeks mirrors everywhere

to gaze at himself.

He's always measuring
and comparing himself.

In his search for perfection,

he pushed his narcissism so far
as to create God in his own image.

[techno music]

Excuse me,
is that the right time?

- Yes, it is.

- Is this the only bar
in the hotel,

or are there
other meeting places?

- This is basically it.

- I was supposed
to meet someone at 10:00.

Obviously, he's not coming.

- Maybe you missed him.

- I would've recognized him.
I was meeting Alexei Leonov.

- Who?

- Alexei Leonov.

- Who's that? A hockey player?

- No!

A cosmonaut.

He's probably...

one of the most important
in the Soviet space program.

- The Russians
had a space program too?

- Of course!

- When?

- The same time
as the Americans.

- How do you know this?

- Because everyone knows it!

- Good night.
- Good night.

- And the guy
I was supposed to meet tonight

is very...

inspired. He's an artist.

A painter. He paints.
That's why I wanted...

to have a chance
to talk to him,

ask him questions. Not just
scientific ones, personal ones.

Like, I dunno...
how he manages everyday life.

I guess...

I dunno, let's say...

you spend your life exploring
the cosmos, orbiting Earth.

You know things others don't.
And how, when you get back,

do you handle things like broken
vacuum cleaners and dishwashers.

How do you manage to reconcile
the infinitely banal

with the infinitely essential?

How do you cope?

That's something
I'd really like to understand.

If the Americans
hadn't won the race,

Leonov was the one

the Soviets picked
to be the 1st man on the moon.

Can you imagine
how bitter he could be?

And we think
we have ego problems.

You gotta be Zen to transcend that
and agree to take part

in a cooperative space program
with the Americans,

the Soyuz-Apollo mission.

Although you're the loser,

you carry on and get over it,

have your space encounter,
shake the American's hand,

invite him to your capsule...

- Yeah, well...

- That interests me.

Bitterness is ultimately

the main obstacle
to reconciliation.

You can't reconcile
2 peoples or individuals

if you harbour bitterness.

Take me.

I have a brother.

He may be, I dunno,
the only blood relative I still have

living here on Earth. I dunno...

It's like I feel the need to...

get close to him...

To get over my bitterness
and reconcile,

but I can't get motivated.

- Why not?

- He's an asshole.

A terminal bourgeois,
a compulsive liar,

talks incessantly about money...

His fancy car, the condo
he just bought in Old Quebec

with his "boyfriend."

I don't care if he's gay,
but, like most gays I know,

he's carefree, rich and lucky.

- What does he do?

- Weather.

The weather channel,
the guy with the goatee.

The guy with the colonial accent.

He's so pathetic.

Standing there every day
by his satellite image.

He basically thinks that,
from space,

the Earth looks
exactly like that:

with dotted lines and arrows
that show how things work.

And borders.
You can also see borders.

From outer space!
Ladies and gentlemen!

This is the border
between Gaza and Israel,

the civilized world
and the Third World.

Here's Quebec and
the other Canadian provinces.

All compartmentalized.
Nothing can change.

The worst that could happen
is freezing rain and hail!

- Just calm down.

- He's not aware how complicated
things are. Diplomacy's complex.

From space, Earth's a big pizza
where people have trouble coping.

- Good night.
- Good night.

- Sure, I'm jealous,
but not of his cash, his car,

or his historic condo,

but of his minimal
conscience, curiosity,

and compassion for others.
What makes my life hard

and makes me suffer...

my awareness, my education,
my curiosity,

and my great compassion...
it's all over his head!

Anyway.

- What's all this mean?

- Last call.

- What time is it?

- Time to knock it back
and give us a break.

- You close early!

Is Montreal still in Quebec,
or has it merged with Ottawa?

- No, we're closing.

- What's your problem?
You want to finish early,

or you find me boring?

Just say so. Am I boring?

Speak up. People have been
telling me that for 40 years.

- Not boring.
Just drunk and loud.

- The place is empty, damn it.

- This is ridiculous.

- No, it's not...

I speak loudly,
but I'm not ridiculous.

I speak loudly
and I'm not ridiculous!

I speak loudly
and I'm not ridiculous!

Excuse me, Miss...

Is it too late
to call a guest here?

- Depends. What's his name?

- Mr Alexei Leonov.

[typing]

- Sorry, the Russian delegation
checked out at 2:00.

- That's impossible...

How come?
- There's a blizzard coming.

They wanted
to get a flight back.

- But there's not a cloud
in the sky!

- What can I say?
Can't always trust the weatherman.

- Excuse me... I don't mind,
but that's really not my thing.

- Oh... that!

No, no, no...

Don't get me wrong.

Aren't you Philippe?

- That's my name.
- I'm Carl.

Carl. Andr�'s boyfriend.

- Oh, Carl!

You're Carl!

Oh!

- I knew it was you.
You're identical.

- You think?
- Come on.

Like two peas in a pod.

[chuckling]

We probably would've met
at Christmas,

but your mother died,
so no Christmas Eve this year.

- Probably not.

- It's dry in here.

Are you a member here, too?

- No, I had a coupon
for a 1-day trial.

- It's handy for me.
I work at the Finance Ministry.

- What do you do?

- P.R. for the Minister.

- Really?

- You're still at school.

- Sort of...

I'm in Philosophy
of Scientific Culture.

- What's that?

- Great scientific events

and their impact on pop culture:
the space race

between the U.S. and Russia.

- If they ever let
civilians into space,

I'll volunteer for sure.

There's no gravity in space.
Gravity's my worst enemy.

- How come?

- I train like a maniac,
but it pulls everything down.

I look in the mirror.

Even my face sags.
- Sure. Over time,

you turn into a caricature.

Know what?

You must excuse me. The heat...
raises my blood pressure.

Bye.

- You undid your make-up.
- I gotta go.

Tell R�al I'll be back
in an hour.

Bye, Monique.

- Bye.

- Ah! My God.

[singing "Holy Night"]

[buzzing]

[singing]
[banging]

[banging]

[singing]

[phone ringing]

- Hello?

- Carl? It's Andr�.
Sorry to bother you,

but I'm stuck in an elevator.

- Where? The studio?

- No, Mom's old-folks' home.
- What?

Aren't you anchoring at 6:00?

- I stepped out.
I wanted to pick up

that huge shelf Philippe used
when we were kids,

as a barrier to stop me
going through his stuff.

Mom called it
"The Wall of Shame. "

- I met him today.
- Who?

- Philippe.

- Where?
- The gym. I knew immediately.

You're identical. Even the ass.

- Come on. We may share
a family resemblance, but...

There's no time for this!
I'm almost out of oxygen here.

- What should I do?
- Call the studio. Tell them

I can't make it.
- Why me?

- If I call them,
they won't believe me.

- Why not?

- I told them I was stuck
in an elevator last time.

- What shall I say?
- I dunno...

I'm stuck in my car,
the bridges are closed,

because some other idiot
said it would snow...

- I can't tell them that!

- Make something up!

- I won't lie for you.
- It's not lying!

You don't know about lying,
I do. This is a fib.

- So, I'm unimaginative.

- No, you're just mentally lazy.

Do your best.

Then call me here
and tell me what happened.

Do it now, please.

[music]

Been dazed and confused
for so long it's not true

Wanted a woman
never bargained for you

Lots of people talk
and few of them know

Soul of a woman
was created below

Yeah...

You hurt and abuse
telling all of your lies

Run around sweet baby
Lord how they hypnotize

Sweet little baby
I don't know where you've been

Gonna love you baby
here I come again

- Rather than see the countryside,

we'll visit the battlefield
of the Plains of Abraham,

so you know
what Nature looks like.

As its name indicates,
Battlefield Park

was once a site of conflict and fighting.
Now, it's rather peaceful.

A place where people come
in summer to picnic or fly kites.

I must admit that...

I prefer it in winter
because it's less crowded.

It's also a great place
for star-gazing.

In fact, I clearly remember
the first time I came here in winter.

I was 15.

That was when I'd started
experimenting with LSD.

[Led Zeppelin playing]

[Led Zeppelin blaring]

Been dazed and confused
for so long it's not true

Wanted a woman
never bargained for you

Take it easy baby
let them say what they will

Will your tongue wag so much
when I send you the bill

[music blaring]

- Mommy!

Ma!

[baby crying]

[phone ringing]

[phone ringing]
- Carl, answer it.

- I'm refinishing.

[phone ringing]

[phone ringing]

- Hello.

- It's me. Sorry to bother you.

I can't talk long.

I want to ask you
a small favour.

Remember the guy at the
Cosmodome who Xeroxed my thesis?

He works at the
Tsiolkovsky Institute in Moscow.

He's organizing a huge conference
with speakers from all over.

Someone withdrew.
He wants me to replace him.

Amazing, eh? I'm going!

- When?
- Next week.

So, could you pass by
the apartment occasionally,

to check the fish,
the plants and my mail?

- I'd love to, but my car's
in the garage this week.

- Come on!

For once, I need your help!

This is my big chance
to address my peers!

- Fine! Don't freak out.
I'll send Carl.

- Cut the pity, for once.

Do it out of solidarity!

- Yes, Ma'am.

Yes, very well.
- That's enough!

No more fooling around.

- Philippe?

- Pack up and get out.

I'll be back. If you're still here,
I'll kick you out myself.

Back to work!

- We have come
to visit you in peace.

And with goodwill.

- If you ever get my message,

it'll mean you already received
millions of hours of television,

broadcast from Earth.

To me, the best reflection of the
contradictions of the human soul

is poetry.

Unfortunately, there's not
much poetry on TV these days,

so I felt like reciting a poem.

This is by one of our greatest
French-Canadian Romantic poets.

His name was �mile Nelligan.

"My mother...

I adore her old portrait,

from the glorious days
of her youth.

Her skin lily-white,
her eyes shining,

like a stunning Venetian mirror.

Here she is,
profoundly changed.

Lines have creased
her ivory brow.

She's lost the tender brilliance
that sang like a blushing poem.

I'm filled with sorrow
at the comparison.

One face, suffused with joy.

The other, in despair.

Golden sunset.

Mist dancing,
as years recede.

And yet,
my heart is mysterious.

How can I smile
at these withered lips?

Before such radiance,
how can I weep?"

- I took out last year's X-ray
to compare it with this year's.

Follow me. We'll do the scan
before it gets too busy.

- Doctor, is it dangerous to fly
after you've had brain surgery?

- Where'd you hear that?
- On TV.

The specialists were saying
that, after brain surgery,

you must avoid pressurized areas
to prevent haemorrhaging.

- That's a wives' tale.
You've flown before.

- No. And I'm leaving
for Moscow tonight.

- Moscow on your first flight?
What an initiation!

- Doctor Levasseur
requested in Obstetrics.

- By the way, I'd like
to offer my condolences.

For your mother.

It's sad. I admired her a lot.

She was very brave.

I saw her doctor.
He told me how it ended.

What a pity.

It was better that way.

Once you start amputating,
patients soon get discouraged.

Most get suicidal much sooner.

But she was stoic in her pain.

Her desperate act

was understandable
under the circumstances.

- Excuse me...

What "desperate act"?

- Let's not start
playing word games...

Let's call a spade a spade.

- Yes, but...

You're not implying...

- You talked to her doctor?
- Yes.

- Well. What did he tell you?

- To read her death certificate.

- That only charts
physical cause of death.

He couldn't write she killed
herself by drinking water!

Why're we discussing this now?

You should've consulted
her doctor long ago.

- Nothing was ever mentioned!

- Maybe you wouldn't listen.

[Russian-language instructions]

[beeping]

- Aha!

- Glad to see you.

[beeping]

[beeping stopping]

[speaking Russian]

- I don't speak Russian...

I'm attending the conference.

No, no, no, no...

That's the wrong time.

[resonating]

[feedback]

- We waited for you,

you know...

Now, everyone's gone.

Wait. I'll come down.

- I'm a bit relieved you decided
not to wait. To be honest...

I don't know
if I could've done it.

I'm very sorry I was late.

I've been preoccupied. I forgot
to adjust my watch upon arrival.

- You mustn't be bitter.

- May I request
a reference, at least?

- No. I can't.

Sugar?

- Why not?

- Because I disagree
with your theory.

- Why did you invite me?

- To fuel the discussions.

I agree with you that...
since the beginning of Humanity,

Man has sought mirrors
to gaze at himself.

But he doesn't do it
solely out of narcissism,

but out of a desire
to know himself.

If this desire didn't exist,

there would be

no science.

There would be no art

to show us both...

our virtues and our flaws,

our physical wounds
and wounds to our self-esteem.

Voil�.

- In five,

four, three, two...

- So, tonight, freezing rain,
violent winds,

with gusts up to 75 kph.

You should stay home
to avoid slippery roads.

Accidents have been reported.

Same forecast next week
in our capital,

where more than 40,000 viewers

have no electricity.

[tow-truck alarm sounding]

[clicking]

Thought so.
No power for 2 days.

- It's freezing in here.

- Go check the pipes,
while I get the mail.

- Doesn't work!

- Really?

- Andr�, come and see this.

- What?

Look at what?

What's wrong?

- Maybe it's just frozen.

If we thaw it, it might revive.

- This isn't Walt Disney,
it's a fish!

It's frozen stiff.

- What now?

- What else? Measure it
and get another.

- What for?

- To replace it!
I can't tell him!

- Why not?

- He'll decapitate me!

He'll accuse us of neglect!

Listen, find an open pet shop.
I'll do the rest.

- Maybe he'll react...

- Listen, I know my brother.
He's non-negotiable.

- Why?
- He thinks I'm an asshole.

- Well...

When's he back?
- What was that?

- When's he coming back?
- Before that.

I said, He thinks
I'm an asshole,

and you mumbled something.
What was it?

- Mumbling, that's all.

Too bad he thinks that.

- Is it what you think?

- Andr�, don't start.

- Truth or Consequences.
Is that what you think?

- No, it isn't.

Maybe a bit.
- Really?

- Yeah.

- Out with it, then!

- Mistruth is one thing,
but lying to your brother...

- Enough petty moralizing already!

I won't be lectured to
by a dim bureaucrat.

- Christ.

- Where're you going?

Carl!

[phone ringing]

[phone ringing]

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Yes, I accept.

Yes.

Philippe?

Yes! How're you?

You're in Moscow? Listen...

I can't talk, Phil.
It's an emergency.

Call me later.
My taxi's waiting.

I'll leave my cell on.

I'm at your apartment, actually.

He's fine.

Yes. He looks a little stunned,
but he's fine.

Okay, listen, Philippe...

I don't know how to tell
you this, but I'm afraid...

Beethoven's dead.

Not the composer, Mom's fish.
It's not my fault. I came over.

There's an ice storm, no power.

The place is freezing,
the fish is frozen.

It's not my fault.
I did what I could.

I hope you're grateful
I fed it for a week,

and I'm honest enough
to say he's dead!

I could've gone to a pet shop
and replaced it with another!

You'd never have known!

I know it's the last
living thing Mom had!

Now I'm the last
living thing Mom had!

So you better change
your damn attitude!

Philippe?

Philippe?

Are you really crying
or is this bullshit?

But why?

Not for a damned fish!
So why are you crying?

This isn't fair.
We're a world apart.

I can't help you
if you won't confide.

- Did you know Mom's death
was probably a suicide?

- Yes, I did.

- Did her doctor tell you?

- No, she did.

She often talked about it
when I visited.

- Why didn't she talk to me?

- I don't know...

You took such good
care of her, I guess...

she didn't want you to think
you did it all for nothing...

- She felt sorry for me?

- Of course not.

If she felt sorry for either of us,
it was probably me.

- Did I get any mail?

- There's a letter from
some organization in the U.S.

- Yeah? Are you sure?

- The stamp has Elvis on it.
You applied for immigration?

- Gimme a break.

- I don't know how deep
your despair is.

- Open it.

- It says, "Dear sir,

We're pleased to tell you

that the video message
you created for SETI

was selected among hundreds,

and will be one of 10 messages
broadcast into space...

to be received
by extra-terrestrial civilizations."

What the hell is this?

- A contest I entered.

- When'd you make the tape?
- Keep reading!

- "Your original technique
and unusual ideas

were unanimously accepted
by our international scientific jury.

Please respond promptly,

M. M. Bonsecours,
Director, SETI Canada. "

Congratulations!

- Don't force yourself.

- But I mean it!

- Your snide tone...

- What tone should I use?

- You're never proud of me.
- Sure, I am! Your first video,

and it wins.

You say no one listens to you.
Now the whole cosmos will.

Something to celebrate!

- Still coming back Tuesday?
- Yeah, early evening.

- What time?
- I dunno, 7:00-7:30.

- Via Toronto or Montreal?
- Why?

- If it's Montreal,
I can come get you in the car.

We don't have to come...

straight back. We can eat out.
You're flying business class?

- No.
- You'll be starving.

- Don't take me anywhere fancy.

- There's the new new-media
district they're building.

- What new-media district?
- New shops, hip restaurants.

Gotta hurry.
It'll last 6 months.

- At that hour, would a cafe
or a restaurant be better?

- Well, that depends...

on what you want to eat.
- I dunno.

Do we have to decide right now?

- How can I reserve
if you can't decide?

- You decide.
- You're the guest of honour!

You decide.
- Well, let me think about it.

- How about sushi?

"FOREVER HIGHER"