Original subtitles

In love, or rather infatuated

Want to enjoy her Enjoy to take her

Take her

Want to see her stretch out her limber body underneath me

Attracted to the young flesh

Sleepless That's the truth

He was a sensuous man

I mean that's part of the truth

Can I take your hands and lead them over my head?

Let me see your shoulders Are they as they've always been?

Let me see your back Is it soft?

Does it arch when my hands stroke it?

Let me see your stomach Is it soft?

Does it move when I touch it?

Let me see your neck. Does it still have the same scent?

Let me see your arms

Do you put them over your head when I look at you?

Can I sleep with your body close to mine?

Can I hold you in my arms and forget everything?

Can I see you above the sounds of the night?

Can I hold you close and say you're mine?

She lies on the blue floor spread out

Arms, armpits, breasts, stomach

The bosom with the curly black hair

The legs

What is she thinking about?

'Nothing' she says when I ask

I want to explore her

I see her lying on the blue floor

I'm looking at my feet I'm thinking of her

We study the woman. We study women in various places.

Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belem.

Panama City, Jacmel.

Senegal, Dakar. In Manila.

We look at her.

Here is a Senegalese woman

She's on her way

She's walking

Her walk is a language

Is she thinking that she's the most beautiful woman in the world?

Look at her

The face, the body in the mirror That's where it happens

The meticulous study of what may be enhanced

The lips, the area around the eyes, the forehead

The eyes look into the mirror

The distance to the mirror is shortened and then again made longer

There's always something to change To improve

And in the mirror a constant intense study of the face

The little adjustment

The daily effort to make yourself prettier

To attain maximum effect or reach some standard

A vision of how this face and body should appear

Woman

I'm a woman. One of the best

Among the richest in love

Woman

I, who am always loyal

I, who am always sensitive

I, who am always forthcoming

I am very elegant

I am very much in love

Woman

I am one of the most beautiful women

I have great affection for others

I am very sensitive

I am a woman

With great strength of the soul

The unknown is attractive. But so are the familiar details.

Her neck.

Her shoulders.

Her knees.

Her eyes. Her mouth.

The look she sends us.

We're attempting to frame eroticism.

Can we measure it in precise terms?

For instance, you may have had a brief erotic encounter.

One night.

A few hours.

And yet you remember it for a long time. For many, many years.

Can you compare it with a long-term relationship -

where you maintain a feeling for years -

of great affection for the woman you knew.

Is one more valuable than the other?

Does it mean more?

I don't know.

I often tell you that you're beautiful. - Yes, you tell me all the time.

It didn't use to mean anything to me when people told me I was beautiful -

because I already knew.

But because you've told me so many times it's finally sunk in.

Is it beautiful? - It's very beautiful!

Very beautiful. You look very beautiful like that.

Your mouth.

And your eyes. - Do you love them, too?

I'm looking at you.

Are you sure that you love me? - Yes.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I said it ten times.

Do you still have pictures of me in your little book?

Yes. - At home, too?

Yes. Always.

Always.

I very often look at pictures of you.

And what are you thinking when you're looking at me?

That it was true love. - Yes ...

A long-lasting love story. It's not that common.

It's a shame that we were separated like that.

It wasn't fair, but it was what the Haitians wanted.

Shall we start now? - Yeah, I think we'll start now.

This is Livia. - Hi.

Hello, Livia. - Mr. Jorgen.

You read it for yourself. But also like a play.

He's in the room. He's where the camera is.

You don't know it, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Just read it.

Out loud. In between, look over your shoulder towards the camera.

I don't know where the camera is now.

Take your time. Take your time. Read it. Stop.

Look into the camera. Continue.

Can I read it to myself first? - First? Yes.

Holding your hands tight above your head with my left hand

Taking your left knee with my right hand

and bending it outward thereby spreading your legs

Seeing you. Seeing you Holding your eyes in a thrall

Then fixing in my mind in one seamless passage this whole order

as it presents itself Your neck, your shoulders

your breasts, your belly, your thighs

Noting the entire arrangement

and making love to you objectively and in detail.

Okay. Yes. Thank you. That was good.

Yes ... - Hello.

Jorgen. - This is Jorgen.

Please sit down.

It's fiction, and it's true.

I've had love affairs here in Brazil, and I want to ...

I use my memory to recreate them. These stories.

And what background does she have?

She's done a film in Rio with students.

It was about the 'Disquieter'. - Okay.

She ...

... swallows snakes as well.

What's that? She swallowed a snake?

She dances with snakes. - Oh! That's good.

So, she's a snake dancer, also. - Yes.

She puts it in her mouth and then ... - Wow.

But she wants to be an actress, also?

She is an actress. - Yeah, yeah, I can see that.

Those are your friends?

Hello. Nice to meet you.

We'd better include her, so she doesn't kill us.

We can't have that. She might throw snakes at us.

I don't know how best to handle it.

She's a sales girl. She's constantly busy selling.

What a crazy story. She has an organic reserve -

where she produces the best water in the Amazon. Okay, right.

If she says so herself. And what else?

She's got strange things going on ...

And she eats snakes? - Yes. Swallows them.

Yes, although she assures us that they do come back out.

That is so far out! And tons of other wild stories.

She was convinced she'd get the part. She's been a performer for 15 years.

But her selling point was that she made the best water in the Amazon.

How far out is that?

How many stars?

Two, so far.

I'm not discarding her just yet. Definitely not.

''I am an actress.''

Could I see an inviting smile?

And then cool again.

Thank you.

You're very tall. Very tall.

Bye. - Bye-bye.

I haven't discarded anyone yet.

They each have their own special quality.

The last girl was sweet and shy. A lovely smile.

The middle one was more cool.

And the first one was also very sweet and ... sensual.

I'm surprised at how well it's going.

They all have two stars. No one is out yet. That's pretty good.

This film is about a poet from Europe -

who travels the world to find traces of his past.

He has love stories in his past that he wants to revive.

So, the poet wants to see this person in detail -

like an eye, the mouth, a shoulder etc. The body, also.

I could fall in love with her in a heartbeat.

If I wanted to. A lovely girl.

She reminds me of a former girlfriend. Very much actually.

A Danish girl who used to be my girlfriend.

She made quite an impression on me. She did.

Now we have ... five, and I'm not discarding any of them yet.

Two stars, two stars, two stars. Two stars, two stars.

Look at me.

It's good there. Give me a little smile. Just a little one.

There are scenes where she's naked and scenes where she's not.

She does very simple things. Everything is in the hotel room.

You have no problem with nudity? - No. No, that's okay.

I think that's enough explaining. Do you have any questions?

Any questions? That was it?

How many stars?

Two and one in brackets. The best, so far.

Ready for the next girl.

You must feel that ... you're in this hotel room -

and you've had a wonderful love affair with this man.

You're thinking of that, and he's right behind the camera.

Okay. - That's the situation.

It's an erotic attraction.

You'll have to be naked in a few scenes, lying on the bed etc.

Because he's observing you. All of you.

Studying the face. Studying your body.

In detail. Would you like to do that? - Of course.

She was wonderful. Very interesting.

A lovely smile and demeanour.

How many stars? - Uhm ...

Two and a half. Two plus one in brackets.

So as not to settle the matter. If I gave her three, that would be it.

That won't do at all. Two and a half.

I put one sentence after another

I establish order I love you

I smoke a cigarette

I touch your face twist your lip out of shape

And taste your food The place is a restaurant in Europe

From a different time I see the woman smoking a cigarette

The glow of the cigarette is extremely close as in a Godard movie

This play will not be filled with many different things

I saw the most outer room in a museum on a hillside by the sea

Furniture suits in open air amongst the branches, early midday

What would she like to be?

Sometimes she would say: ''Almond tea waiting to be devoured''

At other times: ''Oil. Olive oil. To be dispersed across a pan''

At times a door in the morning with a hole in the middle

Waiting to be opened by white paper and envelopes with stamps

It is all from the same time

It is all from the same time

It must be together

Sir, I stayed here nine years ago. In 85.

I made a film with Jobim, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and I was staying here.

This time I'm staying at another hotel, but I'd like to see one of the rooms.

Is it possible to see it? - Yes.

You want to see one in the front?

It's this way. - Okay.

Yes. I'll open the window.

Haiti, Senegal, Tonga.

The horizontal plane, the bed, the intercourse, the erotic scene.

The sheet is the laboratory. The body is observed.

The skin is studied, all on the sheet.

The first part isn't hard to explain. - No?

Let's say she's sitting there ...

She's sitting over there now, and I say ...

You're here, too. That's crucial.

And I say to her ...

''Patricia ...''

''We make film. Cinema.''

''In VIP suites.'' - Yeah ...

''Hotel VIP suites.''

''Not pornography.''

I can show it graphically. ''Not pornography.''

Not this.

But ...

''Do you want to ... Can we ...''

''Do you want to go with us?''

''On Tuesday after 4 o'clock?''

She may not understand what it's about -

but I think I'll be able to explain it.

''Cine.''

We've been to Rio twice.

In 2002.

And in 2008.

There are great differences between what we found on the two visits.

It almost demonstrates what it's about.

On the first visit we didn't really know ...

Or rather, we knew even less about what we wanted to capture.

We knew even less about how to frame eroticism.

But it's an inherent part of our study, of ourjourney -

of the unknown, of what we're seeking -

that the story changes, that the method changes -

evolves as it unfolds. It evolves as it unfolds.

Holding your hands tight above your head with my left hand

Taking your left knee with my right hand

and bending it outward thereby spreading your legs. Seeing you

Seeing you Holding your eyes in a thrall

fixing in my mind in one seamless passage this whole order

as it presents itself Your neck

your shoulders, your breasts, your belly, your thighs

Noting the entire arrangement

and making love to you objectively and in detail

Holding your hands tight above your head with my left hand

Taking your left knee with my right hand

and bending it outward thereby spreading your legs. Seeing you

Seeing you Holding your eyes in a thrall

then fixing in my mind in one seamless passage this whole order

as it presents itself Your neck

your shoulders, your breasts, your belly, your thighs

Noting the entire arrangement

and making love to you objectively and in detail

Holding your hands tight above your head with my left hand

Taking your left knee with my right hand

and bending it outward thereby spreading your legs. Seeing you

Seeing you Holding your eyes in a thrall

then fixing in my mind in one seamless passage this whole order

as it presents itself. Your neck

your shoulders, your breasts

your belly, your thighs

Noting the entire arrangement

and making love to you objectively and in detail

Is it tasty?

Do you want some?

It's too sweet for me.

Too sweet.

Here. Take it.

Take it. It's for you.

Come. Take it.

The 5 years I spent by your side were wonderful.

I loved you very much. We were together for a long time.

And we could have continued, but there was the question of marriage.

Yes. - You wanted us to get married.

I wanted to be your woman. I wanted to be Madame Leth.

I kept telling you.

I wanted to be Madame Leth -

and I couldn't stay with you without being married.

I couldn't. - I understand. It's so sad.

She transports her body through the dust of the street

She's watching her step

I see her walking down the street

What is she thinking about?

What will she tell me?

Does she constantly have wishes to be instantaneously fulfilled?

One more time. What's your name? - My name is Schilaine.

Say your name. - My name is Schilaine.

Where do you live? - At the base of the cemetery.

How old are you? - Twenty.

Where were you born? - Excuse me?

Where were you born? - On October 1 7th 1 989.

And your family? - Cayo and Turin.

How many brothers? How many sisters?

Four brothers. Four sisters.

What do you want to do with your life?

I just want to be happy. That's all.

You don't know exactly what you want in life?

No. I just know I need to go to school. That's all.

What are your needs?

What? I didn't hear what you said.

Hmm.

What are your dreams? What do you dream about?

I have many dreams.

How do you see your future?

I want to be a great woman. I need a lot of money.

I need that in order to live my life.

What would you like to do?

I need to build a business -

and go back to school.

Just that.

And now you're in a movie. - Yes.

Do you think that will help you? - Yes, very much.

What are you thinking about? - Nothing. The movie.

And love. What does that mean to you?

Love? I don't know ...

Is love important in your life? - What?

Is love important in your life?

It's important. Without love, no life.

Maybe before you leave you can do me a favour?

Yes.

One more time, please.

Femme I am a woman who is always serious

I am a woman who is always content

I am a woman who always loves I am a woman who's always appealing

I am a woman who is more beautiful than all other women

I am a woman who is more beautiful than all other women

I am a woman who ...

I am a woman who has great affection for other people

I am a woman who has a lot of feelings

I am a woman who has great spirit

Yes. It's true. - Yes.

I don't know exactly how to frame eroticism.

Or how to find it. I'm not looking for a definition.

It's about the search itself.

Finding moments ...

... from recollection and in the present.

I like it like this. It looks natural.

When we filmed the lovemaking scene, how did that make you feel?

I didn't notice the camera.

It was just us. The camera and the other people didn't exist.

It was just me and my beloved on the bed.

Feeling good. I loved it.

Yes.

Yes!

It feels so good.

It feels so good.

Past tense I produce past tense

And the rain prickles the green water

The silver blue horizon steeply rises

The used coffee awaits collecting

Does he try hard enough to find her?

I wish to see her again

I wish to see her clearly

Her mouth hasn't been meticulously described

Her ankles haven't been examined

Her voice has tones to it that I wish to hear again

Her mind carries a secret that excites me

I wish to see her again

Does he try hard enough to find her?

Holding your hands tight above your head with my left hand

Taking your left knee with my right hand and bending it outward

thereby spreading your legs Seeing you

Seeing you Holding your eyes in a thrall

then fixing in my mind in one seamless passage this whole order

as it presents itself Your neck, your shoulders

your breasts, your belly, your thighs

Noting the entire arrangement

and making love to you objectively and in detail

Yeah ... okay.

I prefer women who ...

The ones I fall for are the ones -

who have the audacity and strength to engage you with their eyes.

And maintain their gaze. I love that.

It's amazing.

Well, we'll see.

If they can say a few words, I like that, too.

And you think you could be an actress?

Yes! I know it.

I'll try my best.

So, in this film there are no sex scenes, but there will be nude scenes.

Lying on a bed etc. but no sex between a man and a woman.

Just some relaxed shots of a woman in a hotel room -

thinking about her love affair with a European man who was there -

some years ago, and it's like reviving a memory.

You have no problem with that? - I have tattoos on my butt.

Oh! Fantastic! Fantastic bird.

And I have one here. Speaking of love, this is my lover.

Yeah, that's good.

So, he's there forever. - Yes ... yeah.

This is some of my work. - Yes ...

This one I had made while in Tibet.

That one looks like Kama Sutra. - Yeah.

People like my art because it's detailed.

It's very good. - This was my second tattoo.

This one says 'pag-asa'.

In Filipino that means hope. And it's in the shape of a heart.

Thank you very much. - Thank you.

Okay. - Bye.

Am I happy?

Yes sometimes I'm happy

I think about my life

And sometimes I am not happy

I think about the man I love

I miss him when he's not here

He's sometimes so far away

I want to be with him

Lifting my gaze looking out

Mekong out there

Vientiane Laos

It's a strange feeling to be back here ...

... nearly 40 years after my first and only visit.

The brief encounter I had back then.

The mere sound of the names. Vientiane. Mekong.

Manila. Dakar. Belem.

There's something sensuous about the names and the locations.

Orinoco. The Amazon.

Jacmel. Haiti.

To caress the names. To embrace the places.

Study them. Be in them.

A few moments. A few days. A few hours.

And then move on.

And then move on.

Woman

I'm a woman One of the best

One of the richest in love

One of the most experienced

Woman I, who am always loyal

I, who am always forthcoming

I, who am always sensitive

I, who am very much in love

I, who am very elegant

Woman I am one of the most beautiful women

I have great affection for others

I am very sensitive

I am a woman with great strength of the soul

One more time?

Subtitles: Tina Goldberg Dansk Video Tekst