Original subtitles

IN GREEK:

Oh, OK.

HE CHUCKLES

You're starting to sound like a real Greek.

If you ignore the fact that I have the vocabulary of a two-year-old.

SHE LAUGHS

Or a three-year-old. Oh, it won't take you long.

You know, I just told him, "I love you", the man outside.

You're better than me. Yeah.

Never said that in Greek.

What?

Well, my grandma, um...

she died.

I'm sorry.

Were you close?

She was...

She was just almost like a Victorian figure.

Um...

She was Lithuanian.

And she had this big house in, um, in Montreal.

You'd just show up.

You know, she'd find some activity for you to do.

She's always, um, loomed large in my heart

because she took care of my, er, my family

when my father passed away.

Do you miss him, your father?

Still?

I don't know. I've always felt maybe I had a cold heart

because I never felt that that was the great...

operatic tragedy of my life.

I didn't, um...

cry, or anything.

But I went into his closet...

..and... I found this old bow tie he had,

that he used to wear.

Ugly bow tie.

And I cut inside of it.

And I wrote some words down, probably some...

nonsensical poetry.

And I put it in there and, um...

buried it in the garden.

COUGHING FROM ABOVE

Some kind of...

processing of the impossible thing

that had happened to us.

I have to go and give George his medicine.

You know, I saw him coughing up blood the other day.

It's tuberculosis. It's... It's what happens.

It comes and it goes.

COUGHING FROM ABOVE

Just gonna tell him I'm getting you coffee.

You know, he knows you're here, darling.

SHE SCOFFS

Yes, of course.

It's... It's just a little game that we play.

Oh, don't be silly.

Don't be silly.

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ooh-ooh

# Ooh. #

IN NORWEGIAN:

LEONARD: Children show scars like medals.

Lovers use them as secrets to reveal.

It is easy to display a wound,

the proud scars of combat.

It is hard to show a pimple.

CHATTER, LAUGHTER

I thought I'd find you here.

Ugh.

You OK?

How do I look?

You know, George and I have one rule.

Never let anything get too serious.

And I...

I don't think that you really like it when things get serious, either.

SHE CLEARS THROAT

And I'm still too old for you.

No.

This has got nothing to do with the room.

You're welcome to stay there. In fact, we'd love you to stay there.

George regards you as a friend.

That's great. I think he's a really terrific guy.

He-He is.

I know that this is the beginning of the end for George and I, but...

we work so well together,

and neither of us can afford to lose that.

It's strange, you know.

Hearts grow old...

..from touching others.

You know, Leonard...

Friends, family, relatives, lovers, everybody...

..everybody goes eventually,

and the only one that you can ever really rely on is...

is yourself.

Leonard, everybody is running from something on this island.

But you, you're...

you're running from you.

I think I've grown a little weary of the analysis.

I understand.

Well, that's my cue.

LIGHTBULB BUZZING

SOBBING

What just happened?! What just...?!

PANTING

HE GRUNTS

HE EXHALES

HE GASPS, MOANS

PANTING

MUFFLED SCREAM

WAILING

BREATHING HARD

SONG: 'Happens To The Heart' by Leonard Cohen

# I was always workin' steady

# But I never called it art

# I got my shit together

# Meeting Christ and reading Marx

# It failed my little fire

# But it spread the dying spark

# Go tell the young Messiah

# What happens to the heart... #

Come on in.

# There's a mist of summer kisses

# Where I tried to double park

# The rivalry was vicious

# The women were in charge

# It was nothing, it was business

# But it left an ugly mark

# I've come here to revisit

# What happens to the heart... #

Look, your grandmother is dead.

When you lose someone close to you,

you also lose...

..a part of your compass.

It would be unnatural

if you didn't feel like a... fuckin' mess.

It's not grief I'm dealing with. It's not that.

And it's not Charmian, you know? I'm not heartbroken.

I'm just...

I'm just broken.

It's always been there with me, you know? It's like a...

I find it incomprehensible getting from one room to the next.

I find the room tilts, and I, uh...

HE SIGHS

..I just fall.

And I keep on falling.

And I can't form an - a coherent thought.

And I have to smash something to-to feel anything.

It's really...

It's an anxiety attack.

It's not an anxiety attack. Yes, it is,

and you got reminded of your own mortality.

No, I'm reminded of mortality every day.

I-I'm not scared of death.

I'm scared of, er, failure.

I'm afraid of wearing the wrong tie.

This is boring. We should talk about something else, really.

Two men speak about death, as if we're the first!

Much better writers than us have discussed death.

LAUGHING: Yeah! And you know what they arrived at?

It's coming.

And there's nothing you can do to avoid it.

This is your first day on the island?

I'm actually staying in Athens. I'm just here for the weekend.

Uh, what about you? Have you been here long?

It's hard to tell. Actually, it's...

Sometimes, I feel like I just got here.

Mm. Others, a lifetime.

You're a writer, or...?

No, I'm a painter.

Painter. Mm.

It had to be one of the two. There's a whole lot of us here.

You wanna go for a swim?

A swim? Yeah. Now?

Yeah, it's the best time of day.

The sun has been warming the bay since this morning.

I mean, we can just order a bottle of wine to go

from Nick, and... Yeah, keep the glass.

We can leave it here later, so.

Y-You, you know everyone here? Oh, it's hard not to.

So... Do you know where he is now?

No, I don't know.

Answer this question for me.

What do YOU want?

I came here because we were going to do this together.

So, uh... Yes, well, I mean,

I think that your view of "this" is quite different.

It's not that bad. It's just that I, um...

..I don't have a plan B, so...

CHILDREN CHATTERING

You know, in classical literature,

the muse is always

described as young and...

and beautiful.

And when she ages...

..she just loses her currency...

..and eventually just fades away.

IN GREEK:

# La, la, la, la, la... #

CHILD LAUGHS

# La, la

# La, la

# La, da, da, da

# La, la. #

Just imagine the absolute buffet

of overlooked, ugly women...

with horrifying, disgusting personalities.

Like a sexual scavenger.

Like a scavenger!

CAT MEOWS

For pussy! For pussy!

I would like a sample of that buffet.

Preferably a horrendous-looking woman

with extremely bad personality -

but very rich. You know, I'm inheriting money.

Well, I'm not gonna fuck you, Leonard.

Why not?

Oh, shit!

Oh, my God! How much?

$1,500. Oh! Not a lot.

I-I think I need to get a new house.

Living with your ex-lover and her husband and her children

has proved to be a bit claustrophobic for me.

If you need a new house, I'm your man.

IN NORWEGIAN:

SHE SCOFFS

Hello.

Beautiful day.

Is it?

Not at all, no.

Er, I...

"Man Speaks To Woman About Weather".

You see the headlines.

HE CHUCKLES No, but I always think

that, er, the bad days make the beauty shine brighter.

Er, would you like to join us inside?

I haven't been inside yet.

"Us"?

I suppose there is no us.

It's me.

But, um, I'm sure we can find someone to sit with.

You know, er...

a-a hockey team, or some members of Parliament,

or the donkeys.

Right.

OK, "Man Makes Bad Joke About Donkeys".

"Man Invites Woman Inside".

"Woman Says...?"

Yes. Oh, she replies, "Yes."

Terrific. And wh... Do you want anything?

Just a coffee. OK.

IN HESITANT GREEK:

Telegram for you, uh-huh?

Oh. Arrived, er, this morning.

This one, here.

Retsina? Communion... Yeah, yeah, yeah.

BARMAN LAUGHS The... Yeah.

The holy devil.

Thank you, Nick. I appreciate that.

Um...

We-We'll do this another time. I'm really...

I-I have to go, yeah.

It's... I'm so sorry!

Well, so long.

IN NORWEGIAN:

Mm? Mm.

KNOCK AT DOOR

Er...

I believe it's open.

I hope you're not leaving because of me.

No.

I'm gonna miss knocking on your door.

You know, soon,

in a week or so, there'll probably be some, er,

other young whippersnapper,

who's better looking than I am, and...

you'll lather him up in olive oil.

SHE CHUCKLES

I am still gonna miss you.

Life goes on, huh?

Pain is inevitable, but the suffering's optional.

Where are you... Where are you moving to?

I've bought a house.

Well, er, you know, when the wire comes in,

I'll have bought a house.

But needless to say, I'm... I'm a house owner.

Wow.

Your own house.

You're all grown up.

I look so old!

What?

I said, "Do I look old?"

No.

Just look a little tired.

Hold on.

Er...

I very much wanna rip your clothes off

with my teeth,

but I think the, er,

curtain's gone down on this show.

You know?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Nice, huh?

"Dear Mother, I have my very own house...

"and it's starting to feel like mine, as well.

"I have a huge terrace

"with a view of dramatic mountains and shiny white houses.

"The rooms are large and cool, with deep windows and thick walls.

"It's about 200 years old, which, as you know,

"is the age I feel most of the time.

"Hope everything's all right with you,

"and I always miss you.

"But right now, looking at the sea, I'm happy to be here.

"Sincerely, L Cohen."

Yamas, darling.

IN NORWEGIAN:

SHE TAKES DEEP BREATH

TELEVISION:

BABY CRIES

HE WHINES LIKE A DOG

HE LAUGHS SOFTLY

# Sometimes, I find I get to thinking of the past

# We swore to each other That our love would surely last... #

"Dear Irving, Most people would label me insane,

"but you will understand perfectly.

"I've watched 234 ferries now.

"It's become my ritual.

"I don't know what I would do if she actually was on one of them.

"Still, there is a magic on the island

"that can transform a person.

"Here, I can take responsibility for my own identity.

"You would love it here. Everything you see is beautiful -

"every corner, every lamp, everything you touch.

"Everything feels... in its right place.

"There are no distractions from work or love.

"Life is engaging,

"and there is order, but also light."

Hello, Leonard.

"And what's even better is, it's cheap,

"which comes in handy,

"since my last book sold all of 400 copies.

"There's a sexual revolution on the island

"that you would love,

"in which we feel we've won and lost a number of us.

"No matter what,

"having this house makes everything less frightening.

"Sincerely, L Cohen."

RAIN PATTERING

Hi. Hi.

IN NORWEGIAN:

Hm?

Where?

Friend. Hi.

Hi. I'm going to Douskos.

You want to come?

It's on me.

I've gone down again.

That's why I'm here.

All right. I'll get my shoes and, er...

and a samurai sword,

to stab myself with.

OK.

Good job.

The door and I are still getting acquainted.

What's going on in your head?

I realised that I pursue love like, um, a serial murderer.

Forget I asked.

But really, don't you ever get that feeling,

this feeling of pointlessness,

like everybody is in on some secret except for you?

I'm Scandinavian.

Son of a priest who died when I was 12.

And I write poetry.

Well, my father died when I was nine,

and I'm Jewish, so...

Holocaust beats pawn.

Wanna just call it a draw?

It feels like I'm standing on shards of glass...

..and whenever I stay anywhere too long,

it starts to cut the bottom of my feet.

I'm looking at my wounds and just...

I'm going to be bleeding forever.

You win.

Yeah.

So, did you swim this morning?

Yes, I did.

You braved it?

Hey. Hello.

Oh, hi! LEONARD: Hello.

Hey, hey, lover boy.

LAUGHTER

GEORGE COUGHS

How's that great Australian novel coming along, George?

Oh, don't play the silly buggers, Goran.

There's no such thing as a bloody great Australian novel.

I'm writing pure, unexpurgated shit.

Drivel.

Crime novels for credulous cretins like what's-his-face over there,

just to put cabbage on the table and feed the little mouths

and keep the wife drunk enough not to walk out on me. Cheers!

ALL: Cheers!

Charm?

Charm, I love your sweater.

Yeah, that's enough outta you, mate.

LOW CHATTER

Hi.

IN NORWEGIAN:

Heh.

LEONARD: Hi.

Marianne, this is, uh, Patricia. She's an American.

Hi. Er, painter.

Studied art in Germany. Hm.

And, er, this is Leonard.

He's a writer and a poet.

Goran you already know. Also a writer.

Patricia, this is Marianne,

and she's, er...

HE CHUCKLES ..Marianne.

I'm also the mother of his newborn son.

Oh. Really nice to meet you.

Pleased to meet you. Better title than, er,

than all of us combined.

GORAN: Besides, I don't think you can call yourself a writer

if no-one is reading what you write.

LAUGHTER

Goran was just, er, rejected by his publisher.

Ah. Mm.

I've never made a penny on any of my writing, ever,

so can't call me a writer. I've only made money in a factory.

I'm not sure you have a choice, whether you're being read or not.

If I didn't write, I would get, um...

suicidal?

GEORGE: I get suicidal when I do.

THEY CHUCKLE

Play a song, Leonard.

I thought you were coming for a kiss.

Speaking of, er, suicidal,

might have to, er, have to embark down that road, you know?

Um...

This is a song, um... HE STRUMS

..about the ugliness, you know, inside.

Such a cliche. Hm!

Sorry.

# It's true That all the men you knew

# Were dealers who said They were through with dealing

# Every time you gave them shelter

# Well, I know that kind of man

# It's hard to hold the hand Of anyone

# Who is reaching for the sky Just to surrender

# And sweeping up the jokers That he left behind

# You find He did not leave you very much

# Not even laughter

# Like any dealer He was watching for the card

# That is so high and wild

# He'll never need to deal another

# He was just some Joseph Looking for a manger

# He was just some Joseph Looking for a manger

# And leaning on your windowsill

# He'll say, one day You caused his will to weaken

# With your love And warmth and shelter

# And taking from his wallet An old schedule of trains

# He'll say, "I told you when I came

# "I was a stranger

# "Oh, I told you when I came I was a stranger." #

There's about 455 other verses, but I have to stop.

APPLAUSE No, no, no.

That was, er, beautiful, Leonard, really.

Oh, it was terrible.

I can see why my wife would have enjoyed fucking you.

I used to fuck her occasionally.

It's a rare treat these days.

I'm unable, you see.

But no.

That was beautiful, and I honestly mean that.

# Ah-ah-ah... #

LIQUID POURING

Mm.

IN NORWEGIAN, SLURRED:

BABY WAILS

BABY CRYING

SHE SOBS, HE YELLS

AXEL PANTING

SHE SHUSHES

BABY WAILING

MARIANNE SHUSHING, CRYING

Please! Hello? Please!

Please open up! Please open up! Please... Shit.

He's... He's out of his mind!

He's completely lost... Go, go, go. ..his mind.

BABY WAILING

AXEL: Marianne!

GRUNTING

Argh!

What have you done?!

AXEL GASPING Calm down.

Breathe.

PANTING

Are you gonna calm down?

My children are in there.

My wife's in there.

Your baby's in there.

Now, you to listen to me, Axel.

If you hurt any of the women or children in there...

..I'm gonna fuckin' kill you. Do you understand?

Yes.

All right? Yeah.

Now, I'm gonna let you in, but you gotta behave.

Do you understand? Yes.

Do you understand? Yes, yes. All right.

OLDER MARIANNE: 'I saw you there, that night.'

Someone must forgive us

for the paths we take to love.

For we are ardent and...

cruel on the journey.

I don't think there's anywhere in the world

we can live like we did on Hydra.

That includes Hydra. SHE LAUGHS

You used to make me laugh...

..and cry.

# Mm, mm, mm, mm... #

F...

SHE SOBS

I never thought I should get this old.

Oh, you're not old. You, off. You're beautiful.

You look beautiful.

Off, off, off. Mustn't say so, Leonard.

I can't keep my hands off you.

Oh...! SHE LAUGHS

Listen. Can't you dance?

Hey, you want me to dance for you? Yes, make me a dance.

OK, I'll make you a dance. Will you?

Yes.

# Nah, nah, du-nun-dum

# Mm, mm

# Mm, mm

# Mm, mm

# Mm, mm

# Ah, what happens to the heart

# Mm, mm

# Mm, mm

# Mm. #

WHISTLING

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