Original subtitles

Well, that's, uh, finished.

The crisis awaits.

Down to work.

It's dinner first.

A working dinner, Edison.

Mmm, really?

- Uh, Tony? - Yes.

What do you say? Working dinner?

Yes. Working dinn...

Actually, I do have, uh,

just a little surprise for you first.

What is it, Hilda?

This is just a little surprise

on the way to the gazebo.

It's just a short walk.

We should be clear with the communique,

but not so clear

that we put ourselves in an awkward position.

Yes of course, exactly.

This crisis is not one that can be classified so simply.

No.

And so we must keep our options open.

What we talk about?

That's the question, isn't it, Antonio?

What are we really talking about here?

What is the true na...

You know, for me, this is quite difficult.

We have many important things to discuss,

things that only we can understand as world leaders.

And yet we are surrounded at all times

by the storm of questions and interruptions.

Some privacy would be nice.

Yes.

Yeah...

Cardosa!

Would you excuse me for a second?

Yes.

So, how have you been?

Good, Maxime. How's Eloise?

Oh, she's fine.

Yeah.

You and I haven't talked much since the Rimini Summit.

Maxime, I, um... I think we should forget Rimini.

Not forget it. I don't mean that...

It was a meaningful and beautiful thing.

It is something that I needed very much at the time.

And the consolidated annual report

on Global Partnership is a document I'm very proud of.

Proud of the work we did. But that's all.

I think we have to move on.

This isn't summer camp.

Of course, we're here to work.

Yes.

So?

Well, this is a very exciting find.

It's not that exceptionally rare in the area, but...

Sylvain, you seem to know more

about this curious undertaking than our host.

Ah, well, in fact I did come early to have a look

and a short discussion

with the supervising anthropologist, Dr...

- Dr. Boofelfullmen. - Boofelfullmen.

As you may know, I am writing a book.

It's a kind of psychogeography of graveyards and burial customs.

I'm sure it will be as fascinating as all your other books.

So what is this? It's quite gruesome.

Well, this is an example of what we call bog bodies...

or bog people.

There are many of them scattered around the North Saxony region.

Oh, dear. It's quite revolting.

Well, it is from the Iron Age.

Is made of iron?

Yes, it almost looks like iron, doesn't it, Antonio?

But no, it is in fact a mummified body

from the Iron Age, almost 2,000 years ago.

That's right.

The acids in the bog

have entirely dissolved all the bones in the body,

but have perfectly preserved the surface details:

all the hair, the skin...

The fingerprints.

The fingerprints of the man or woman.

Well, in this case...

It's hard to...

- It's a male. - It's a man in this case.

If you look here,

you'll see his penis has been severed and hung around his neck.

It sounds like a man to me.

Yes, with bog bodies,

evidence of torture and disfigurement is quite common.

I don't mean to make anyone nervous, but in some cases,

the bodies appear to be those of the chieftains or leaders,

sacrificially murdered

for failing to deliver the promise of a good harvest.

Okay, so we would like to make another photo

here at the dig site.

Please. And then, on to dinner.

Tatsuro?

I mean, that would be weird, discovering what this...

You know what I mean?

Somewhere in history, we'd wanna find where...

Perhaps that's something that you can bring up after dinner.

Please, please.

And one last photo.

Uh... Hello.

So let me begin by welcoming you all to Dankerode Castle.

And thank you all for coming,

especially under the difficult...

or somewhat difficult circumstances of the present crisis...

which, of course...

What about you, Tatsuro?

Well, since the theme of this year's summit

is regret,

do you have any regrets?

I suppose my biggest regret

is that I never learned how to ride a horse,

never had a chance, never had the opportunity.

Always want to, but, uh, getting a bit too old now.

Oh.

No, no, no, no.

Sylvain?

I regret being a disdainful teenager,

especially towards my father,

who I realize finally now

lived amid difficult circumstances,

teaching at the Department of Sociology at the Sorbonne.

He was probably a fine man,

and he did not deserve my scorn.

I wish he was alive so I could tell him.

Antonio?

I dress up like Mussolini to costume party.

Well, you didn't mean any harm, did you, Antonio?

I think it's a funny costume.

But, Antonio, you can't beat yourself up.

These sorts of sensitivities that people have,

these sensitivities to history.

I mean, it isn't that they're not important.

I would never say that. But...

I suppose...

Things are a little different now.

I speak of progress.

I mean, look at us...

America, Germany,

Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan,

Canada...

the Republic of France...

The esteemed leaders of...

each of these great nations

gathered here around the table, great food,

laughing, catching up with old friends.

Yes.

- We're quite lucky to be here. - We are.

- We are blessed. -We are blessed.

Blessed.

Well, I don't mean to change the subject

or to dampen the mood, but we are also here

to produce a draft outline of a provisional statement

regarding the present crisis.

We should not forget that.

No, but I think regarding the statement and the crisis,

it is important to say what we mean.

- Yes, of course. - Yes.

It's at times like this

that people look to us to provide clarity and surety.

- Certainly. - Exactly.

What I mean to ask is this:

Have we defined the crisis?

Have we determined concretely

or even abstractly of what it consists?

Of what it comprises. Yes, yes, exactly, exactly.

Maxime, what is it?

Hmm? Huh?

Is everything all right?

Oh, I was just...

Forget it.

No, no, no. Go ahead. What's troubling you?

I thought I...

Never mind.

It's not important.

We're the G7, Maxime.

Everything is important.

Maxime?

Why don't you just take a moment and clear your head?

Yeah, okay?

Yeah, I will.

Thank you.

So sorry.

He feels the burden of leadership.

-Don't we all? - No, it's not that.

It's something a little more personal. You know?

Tatsuro? What do you think?

Contemplative gaze means heavy burden.

- Antonio? - Yes.

- You agree? - Yes.

So, uh...

It's his final summit, isn't it?

Yes, I think so.

What?

He's, uh... He's going to step down.

Step down? What on Earth for?

It's the scandal.

What's it called? The fixed...

The carried interest scandal.

- Good Heavens! - What it is?

Tony, you don't want to know.

Yes, well, it's...

quite complicated.

The...

The Senate Ombudsman's office

had taken out an insurance policy for the purpose of chamber renovations,

but the insurance company they contracted then themselves,

procured a contract of indemnity

against the original policy.

It's astonishing!

Yeah, but these two insurance companies had a joint tenancy agreement

with an agency controlled by a private equity firm

from whom Maxime's mother-in-law had received...

carried interest.

Outrageous! The very face of evil.

Well, I mean, you joke, Edison,

but it is this it's quite serious for him.

There's talk of proroguement.

Prorogation, exactly.

- Mmm. - Mmm.

Well, should we make some headway with the statement?

I'm sure Maxime will join us when he feels restored.

Excellent. Yes.

Now, previously, we discussed smaller work groups.

- Hilda and I will work together? - Yeah.

Maxime can join up with us when he returns.

Tatsuro, you and Sylvain?

Yes. And that leaves you with Antonio, Edison.

- Is that... - Oh, fine.

Dante and Hemingway!

Yes!

Hello?

Hello.

We might say first that it's hard to know where to begin.

Yes! Very good.

It's... It's important to get it right.

We don't want to start with the wrong...

No, exactly. It's just a provisional statement for now.

And even then, whatever ideas we come up with now,

are just smaller notions, which can be edited

and revised and peer reviewed

and anyway can be built up with more detail later.

Yes. Yes. So we simply write forward and...

- Yes, exactly. We just... -Maybe we...

Voila!

...start with some sort of personal reflection.

- Yes. - Or experience.

I mean to say, you know...

When I was younger, I was an actress.

- Really? - Yeah.

And I was in a play about the immigration experience.

I was portraying a villain, a problematical scientist.

And I had to deliver these, sort of, terrible monologues,

you know, racist diatribes,

full of expletives and offensive terminology

and, you know, eugenical explications

of racial intelligence and natural hierarchies.

And, well, I can remember some lines from the play

if, well, if that helps.

Ooh, and do you think that would be...

appropriate for the statement?

Well, I... I thought, you know,

it was from a celebrated playwright. Yeah.

And I just... you know, some of the play's themes

you know, there's a political dimension

and the sort of immigration experience.

But no, of course not.

Don't know what I was thinking.

- No. - Forgive me.

Here comes the cavalry.

Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies.

Oh, no, don't mention it.

Is everything all right? Do you want a...

I could use a drink. Yes.

Excuse me for going off like that.

Oh, don't mention it.

You feel things more than others do.

Yeah.

Is there anyone?

I don't know. It's strange, I haven't seen anyone for a while.

Yeah.

I'll call Lucien.

He must be with the delegation at the chateau.

He can send someone.

- No answer? - No.

Well, you can finish my drink if you like.

Mmm.

Very good.

What you mentioned the other time.

Um... the I.T. and integration...

Yes, yes, yes. Excellent.

How about the framework agreement?

We probably start with the date.

Yes.

I would think that would be a good idea, today's date.

Start with that. And, um...

Yes, now, Antonio, you're new to this,

but I know these kinds of statements

and people pay no attention to them at all.

What people want is concrete action.

Yes.

Not vague promises or proposals

and long, drawn-out strategies that...

Offer people the Earth and...

Bought it over people.

So...

- Mr. Edison. - Excuse me.

Excuse me. You can't swim there.

Oh, no!

That's for the troops to sleep in.

For the troops...

It's a sleep tank for the troops.

Sleep tank for the troops.

Do you have a slip for the sleep tank?

Slip for the sleep tank.

Quarter of nine is when we start.

- And we don't start until... - Don't start.

...everything is announced.

- Everything. - All the names...

have to be announced.

Okay.

Sometimes I think, Maxime, you are too hard on yourself.

You can't solve all the world's problems.

You can't even solve all of Canada's problems.

You should worry about your own well-being.

Uh, you and, uh... Eloise?

Eloise wants things

that I cannot give her.

What kind of things?

It's a particular delicacy from Dankerode.

Pineapples?

No, there's no pineapple.

Oh, Sylvain!

What happened?

I believe we are in a crisis.

Well, we already knew that, Sylvain.

That's why we have these summits in the first place.

There's always a crisis.

Yes, of course, but...

All right, what happened? Why are you covered in mud?

It is not mud.

I went off following the wind, to try and grasp

the pages of notes that Tatsuro and I had produced.

I was frustrated because Tatsuro and I, with our brainstorming efforts,

brought forth into the world and possibly the global community,

some very good ideas for the statement.

Global warming?

More like, bilateral management.

-Okay. - And global jurisdiction.

What we do is, or should be,

independent of the financial world.

But, you know, it's hard to nowadays

ignore the domestic opposition.

- And domestic violence. - Yeah, domestic violence.

You know, supply chain management,

you know, in the grand scheme of geopolitical issues...

and those other things that are really important.

And with the pages blown free,

and scattered around me in all directions...

like the sound of birdsong in the forest...

I could remember only the smallest fragments

of what then seemed to me

as the embers of my inspiration went dark,

a visionary capacity that would never be restored.

My shoes were filthy.

I was despondent.

Hello?

Hello?

Anyone?

Hello?

Is that you?

Hello?

Hmm.

Is this some kind of joke?

A joke?

No, Maxime.

I would joke at such a time?

I didn't bring my phone.

It's no matter, Antonio,

it wouldn't have helped anyway.

I can bring it next time.

- Hello! - Maxime...

Anyone?

So, we have been abandoned here at the gazebo?

Uh, yes, it seems...

Does this happen often out here, Hilda?

Is it a local custom?

Happen often? No, I...

They just built this gazebo. We are the first to use it.

At the chateau, you didn't think to try the phone?

It was dark.

The place was totally abandoned and...

I must say. I was a little shaken by the...

Yeah, frightening.

And it was one of the people

from the ground that we saw earlier?

Yes.

And it attacked you?

Well, no, not attacked, but...

Or I thought so at first.

I don't really know.

It ended up on me and we rolled around together.

I swear I could feel it struggling with me.

Well, shouldn't we all just go back to the house together?

- No one there. - We walk out on the road.

No, no. It is 20 kilometers. It would take hours.

I think there has simply been some kind of a...

Um...

Some kind of...

Some kind of what?

And we're all together now,

and we have light and we have shelter,

and they obviously know we're here.

So shouldn't we just wait here?

Wait for who?

For the authorities.

- This is what you wrote? - Yes.

Number one: break it down into steps.

Number two: change your environment.

Number three: create a detailed timeline with specific deadlines.

Number four: eliminate your procrastination pit stops.

Well...

I'm certain there was more, but...

Tatsuro, do you remember more?

No, no. I don't remember.

- Wasn't there more? - I don't remember!

Remember only the phrase, "procrastination pit stop."

Enough.

I'm going to find some help.

Maxime, wait. We have to stay together.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Then come with me, Cardosa.

I meant we must all stay together, as a group.

It's not safe. We don't know what's going on.

You always do that.

You always find a reason not to be alone with me.

- Maxime, no, I don't. - You do!

Everything you say to me is an attempt to push me away

or to escape from me.

In every movement of your body,

there's a haste to be finished with me.

Maxime!

Uh, the house is the other way.

Uh... Maxime!

Hilda, don't! Just leave him!

Maxine!

This happens every time he drinks.

He gets like this.

He gets emotional and he runs off.

Who's there?

Oh, it's you.

Yeah.

Yeah, you're disappointed.

It's better to burn out, than to fade away.

Oh, Maxime.

Have you done this before?

Done what?

Written this, this kind of note,

the suicide note.

Yeah. I've many such notes.

I write them...

Every time I approach the edge.

I'm sure it looks silly to you.

The quote and everything.

I think it's... It's quite a nice quote.

It's cool.

Very rock and roll.

You seem tense.

Do you think...

Do you think a massage might help?

I don't know.

You are tense.

Is that part true?

What part?

That you view death with inexpressible serenity?

I don't know. Probably not.

No. Does anyone?

I... I think that's good.

The line about women and minorities?

Yeah.

Too often they get forgotten.

Should we say a little something about...

The private sector?

Nothing major, just...

Some words of encouragement.

Why did you follow me?

What do you want?

And here we are. Cut off. Alone.

Well, I have to say, I didn't expect to wake up to this kind of thing.

Well, I shall do the leaderly thing and get us out of this muddle,

as Wolcott men have always done.

Going right back to the first of us who helped establish the Virginia colony.

By all means, Edison, my good friend, lead us.

What do you have in mind?

What I have in mind, dear boy,

is that we go back to le chateau together,

and there, we find a comfortable spot,

a spot conducive to the kind of productive diplomatic colloquy

that befits our station as leaders, until such time as help arrives. Hmm?

- Uh. - What?

- The statement. - The what?

- The provisional statement. - What about it?

- We haven't finished it yet. - Is there any point?

We always trot out the same nonsense anyway.

- Edison! - Well, we do.

The statement is important.

It shows the world that we are working together.

It quiets our domestic critics.

But this is an emergency.

We have to wait for Maxime and Hilda anyway.

We could work on it for a few minutes here while we wait.

Then, as you say,

perhaps we can finish it back at the house.

All right. Fine, the statement.

We must have something.

Yes, of course. We've all been working very hard on it.

Okay. So, I have here...

And this is something I've been working on with Maxime and Hilda.

Well, it's a kind of framework for conflict resolution

in a troubled marriage.

- What? - This is for the provisional statement?

Yeah. I mean, ostensibly, we have here a number of ideas

for restoring non-sexual physical affection

in this case, between a husband and a wife

who are having trouble with sexual compatibility.

This is Maxime's stuff again.

He and Eloise are having problems.

Yes, of course, all marriages have problems.

But the provisional statement is hardly an appropriate forum

for devising their solution.

What is that?

Where is everybody?

What the hell.

Looks like there was a struggle.

Hey, who's out there?

Don't shoot! I am Antonio.

Prime Minister Lamorte, what are you doing down there?

Shh. Follow me.

And I take you to the others.

- Look... Look... - Oh!

There you are.

You're all right?

Hilda? Maxime?

Yeah. We're fine. What happened?

We sent Tony back to get you.

He's good at keeping out of sight.

Is true.

We had to flee the gazebo.

We were attacked by dark, shadowy figures.

Protesters!

That's what I thought too at first.

But they didn't have signs.

They didn't chant any slogans.

And if they objected to any specifics in our program,

they didn't say so.

I believe they were protesters, if a little unconventional.

- They were not protesters. - What then?

The press? Spies? Goblins?

Shh! This is serious, Maxime!

What were they then? Terrorists?

Something less than terrorists and something more.

Yeah.

But you say that they attacked you?

Well, attacked... They loomed, threateningly.

Their demeanor was quite aggressive, quite hostile.

- Very grumpy. - They were grumpy?

No, they were violent, more than grumpy.

Very grumpy. Scary.

But hey were people, ja?

Human beings?

They looked like the bodies.

The ones dug up from the ground.

What are we doing here? Why don't we get out of here?

Because we were waiting for you!

- Sylvain! - Shh!

You're the ones who ran off crying like teenagers!

We weren't crying.

We wanted to talk.

Oh, I'm sorry. I know you had your reasons.

Anyway, we were about to head back to the castle, but...

That's where they came from. The protesters.

- They were not protesters! -So we are cut off.

Trapped.

- What? - What?

Chocolate cake?

No, no, no, it's not a cake.

It's a kind of a ferry.

Well a raft, actually.

But it goes through the marsh. Right to the main highway.

Yeah. I've ridden it myself.

- A raft? - How far is it?

From here? Um, two, maybe three kilometers...

- Four kilometers. - ...through the woods.

There's a... There's a path.

Ah, here.

I have a brainstorming exercise

that might help us write the statement.

It's something I picked up at a workshop I attended

after losing the general election in 2018.

Um...

It's just a word association game,

but with a more directed focus.

Now, since we want to produce material relevant to the provisional statement,

I'll suggest some G7-themed prompts

for our associative wordplay.

So I have here a list of all the G7 summit locations

going back to Rambouillet in 1975.

Ah, Rambouillet.

Uh, it was, of course, the G6 back then,

before Canada.

Ah, sorry, Maxime.

You know, the declaration of Rambouillet remains for me

the most incisive and inspired

in the history of G7 statements.

In these three days...

...we held a searching and productive exchange of views

on the world economic situation,

on the economic problems common to our countries,

on the human, social, and political implications,

and on plans for resolving them.

Ah, Rambouillet...

Yeah, it's a remarkably prescient statement.

Still relevant today.

Oh, here we go, Rambouillet...

Venice, Montebello.

Anyone can jump in any time, anything that comes to mind.

Versailles, Williamsburg, London.

Bonn, Tokyo, Venice, Toronto, Paris.

Houston. London.

Another one.

Maxime.

It's safe.

Dead for what, a thousand years?

Two thousand.

Probably more afraid of us than we are of him.

Imagine what he went through.

The rope around his neck...

And look at the cuts on his...

Do you suppose it's normal for it to dribble like that?

I'm afraid so.

Could what we just saw have been be something like groundwater?

draining from the specimen?

Could be. Could be.

Imagine holding it in for that long.

I can't even make it through a film.

In fact, when Julie and I went...

Oh!

Sylvain? What is it?

Sylvain, what is it?

I don't know.

I confess I had been feeling

somewhat afflicted after my encounter...

I'm sorry. It's my leg.

Does it hurt?

Oh, it burns! It burns!

My bone.

My leg bone, it feels wrong!

Wrong how?

- Look, you see? -See? What?

The bone is obviously dissolving.

My leg is flaccid.

Rubbery.

And you can't walk?

Absolutely not! It's out of the question!

Okay.

We don't know what's out there.

At ease.

Thank you, my old friend.

Of course, Sylvain.

You are a complex man.

The way you lurch from positions of strength and control

to ones of weakness and abandon.

Also...

You are physically strong.

It is a good, comfortable feeling,

to be held in this way by a sturdy man.

One's feelings of uncertainty and anxiety

in the face of an unknowable fate,

these feelings are transformed into an ecstatic surrender

a profound and thrilling abdication of responsibility.

Simply put: this abdication

is the secret wish

of all those burdened with leadership.

Mr. Wolcott?

Are you hungry?

I have some meat.

Oh, how very gracious of you, Antonio.

Is this traditional Genovese salami?

I don't know.

I get it off the buffet table at the hotel.

Oh, you crafty thing!

You're a worthy heir to Garibaldi.

Cardosa, this is for you.

Um...

- Meat! - Thank you.

Nothing. Tatsuro? For you.

Look, look, look.

I find a wheelbarrow!

Oh!

Oh.

- Cardosa? - Yes, Sylvain?

May I use your laptop?

Well, it's in my bag. Do... Do you need it?

Yes. I'm having some thoughts that might be helpful

for the provisional statement.

Thoughts about my present condition.

Uh, sure.

I'm... sorry.

I'm going to need to rest.

I'm not as young as the rest of you.

Of course, Edison.

We should have thought.

Maybe we can find another wheelbarrow.

Antonio, listen,

it's one thing to wheel

the president of the Fifth Republic around

in such an undignified manner,

but I am the leader of the world's oldest democracy. Mmm?

Sorry, Sylvain. I'm sure you understand.

I say I'm sorry.

What the...

I don't think he can hear you, Edison.

That's how focused he is right now.

He said he had some ideas about the statement

and off he went.

-Mr. Wolcott? - Mmm?

Why you have this accent?

Well... Shh!

Their ancient seed has extinguished the flames.

Foul plume.

Did we just see that?

I don't know. I don't know.

What is all this? What the hell is going on?

A kind of ceremony, I would say.

Some kind of gathering of like-minded individuals.

Oh!

It might be worth describing what we saw and putting in the statement.

I strongly disagree.

That is exactly the sort of thing not to

put in the statement, it would cause a panic.

I do not understand what we just saw.

Exactly, Tatsuro,

that's the only sensible thing to say about it.

I saw nothing that can't be explained by the natural sciences.

Yeah.

A trick of the moonlight playing on a grove

of Spanish moss swaying in the wind.

Or one of those ethnic dances they have at all of these summits.

Lederhosen and castanets,

and those fans they have in Japan.

Tatsuro, what are they called?

- Fans, yes. - Exactly, there you are.

I admire your hard-headed American pragmatism, Edison,

but it's hard to share from my position

here in the wheelbarrow.

What have you got there?

"The provisions of Treaty of Maastricht."

- Oh, Maastricht? - Yeah.

- What does it say? - Here.

Celestine.

Celestine!

Celestine? Who is Celestine?

Celestine Sproul.

She's the President of the European Commission, Antonio.

This must be her briefcase.

Okay. It is G7?

Uh, ostensibly, yes. It depends who you ask.

The President of the European Commission

has been attending the G7 summits since 1981.

Roy Jenkins at...

Montebello. A beautiful mountain.

- Yeah. - And Maxime like her?

Does he like Celestine? Uh, you could say that.

He used to like her, but he's over her now.

In my opinion, it was foolish to have EU representation

before the establishment of the single market in 1993.

At Tokyo 3?

It's an interesting perspective, Tatsuro.

But of course, we both know the real reason

you're preoccupied with that particular year.

Nikkei Collapse?

The lost decade!

He's got the fire.

Maxime, what are you doing?

These are Celestine's private papers.

Cardosa, let him.

We're all cold and tired.

Let us warm our bodies in the glow of Maxime's passion.

She's a private person.

She wouldn't want them to fall into the wrong hands.

This is cathartic for you.

You're still angry with her.

And you're taking it out on her by destroying her work.

You were always jealous of her work.

You pretend to be a feminist, but you don't like strong women.

I love strong women!

No, no, no, no, no.

I love them too much!

Yes, me too, old boy.

- Maxime! -Me too.

Uh, we... must not split up.

Maxime!

Do you think it might be illuminating to view this situation allegorically?

What?

Given that it is quite a simple matter to consider each of us as personifications

of our respective nations?

How would it be illuminating?

It's important to understand the link

between the self and the symbol, don't you think?

No.

He's too fast for me.

Canada too fast for Germany.

- What does it mean? - Doesn't mean anything.

- Hilda... - Hmm?

You know, you really needn't run after him every time he does this.

Yeah, I suppose you're right.

I do tend to get a little caught up in the dramatics.

Germany caught up in the dramatics.

We've seen this before.

I only hope he can find us when he runs out of steam.

I don't know about you, but don't feel safe waiting here.

Celestine!

This doesn't make any sense.

There should be helicopters

and search teams.

And if they should find us...

they would find seven or six, I should say...

huddled, frightened men and women

who have failed...

not only in the writing of the provisional statement,

which it was their sole duty to complete,

but in most of the fundamental categories of humanity and decency.

What makes you say that, Sylvain?

We haven't eaten each other.

Or even struck each other.

Even our verbal disagreements have been courteous.

It's not as if a World War has broken out.

Antonio has been sharing his meats.

You want?

Thank you, Antonio, yes.

I guess I get carried away with my rhetoric.

It's a blessing and a curse.

The burden of all great leaders.

- What day is it? - Saturday.

No. No, no, the date.

It's the 21st.

What is it? What is it?

September 21st.

It's Maxime's birthday.

No wonder he's been so sensitive.

Maxime's birthday's very important to him, Antonio.

And with this whole Celestine business, I hadn't even made the connection.

What do you mean?

Well, I knew Celestine had been appointed and that she would be coming, but...

I didn't know Maxime would find it so difficult.

Well, their relationship has always been one of tumult.

- Mmm. - They met during the highly contentious

WTO ministerial conference.

2006.

I didn't know Maxime ever worked in the WTO.

He didn't. He was a protester,

the leader of a black block cell.

Ja. He was, um, pepper-sprayed.

Ja. And Celestine was with the Dutch trade delegation,

and they met during a violent encounter and he became infatuated with her

after she tended to his rubber bullet wounds.

Back then, you could really get into a punch-up with protesters.

Brave men and women of high principle,

willing to sacrifice everything for a cause.

They threw rocks, dressed all in black.

It was striking to see.

Hooded hordes swarming across endless plains.

I injured quite a few of them myself and was in turn injured by them.

I should like to have been assassinated.

Too late for that now I suppose.

Wouldn't be sporting.

Assassinated?

Really, Edison?

Yeah.

Instead of this ignominious sloughing away.

I think of it from time to time.

Arranging things, I mean.

A conspiracy of sly minds in back rooms.

Shots ring out.

Bits of my brain on the tarmac.

And they find some piteous wretch to pin it all on,

some nutcase with an absurd grievance.

Too many bridges,

not enough protection for songbirds.

Grandson afraid of picture books.

But here I am.

Plowing on.

You're still the American president, Edison.

Yeah, I suppose so.

Celestine!

Celestine, it's me, Maxime.

Are you all right?

What happened to you?

Why are you here?

And what is this large brain you have with you?

Where's the rest of your delegation?

Maxime?

Maxine of the silver tresses.

Yes, it's me, Maxime.

Celestine. It's me, Maxime.

A black storm comes.

What happened to you?

I am fearful in mind and spirit.

What? I can't understand you, Celestine.

I speak in a new tongue.

A new dawn is coming.

Okay, come.

We must catch up with the others.

Okay? Come.

Come.

In seven days and seven nights, there will be a surprise attack

by Belgian federal authorities.

Come, okay?

My pendant!

By which I am known.

The pendant bears my likeness!

Yeah, that's you.

We mustn't leave her.

We must go, now.

See her glistening lobes!

See her nurturing folds!

Come, Celestine.

Hello?

Maxime?

I found her huddled up against a giant brain.

What?

Celestine?

Are you all right? What happened to you?

Um...

There is a diverse consortium of new interests

from the world of tech and finance.

I am the bearer of their message.

She doesn't understand. There's something wrong with her.

She... She can only speak gibberish.

I speak in a new tongue.

Gibberish to our ears, but perhaps there is sense within.

An ancient Iron Age language, I suspect.

Perhaps Dacian.

- Galindian. - Old Frankish?

Or Burgundian. Or Skaldian.

Some dead tongue only used

by the shamans in their pagan fertility rituals.

Sudovian.

Livonian.

Good! Yes.

Ruthenian?

Norn? Frisian? Suebi?

Wanderooge.

Rotwelsch!

Interesting. The thieves tongue!

Perhaps. Perhaps.

Swedish. She's just speaking Swedish.

Swedish?

You think they're making a move?

What would the Norwegians say?

There is bad blood between the kings.

-What is she saying? - Something about a king.

I don't think she's making any sense.

Where did you learn to speak Swedish, Celestine?

There was a course at the Institute for Global Affairs.

It was a three day course.

Only the Night Queen can bring peace.

The Night Queen?

Who is the Night Queen? Are you the Night Queen?

Shh!

Are you the Night Queen, Celestine?

Astrid.

Astrid is the Night Queen.

She can mimic the voices of all men.

She can sing as they would sing.

I think we should just keep moving.

Come! Um, come, come!

Wait!

The giant brain is a game-changer!

Excuse me!

Sorry.

What is this about a brain?

I saw it. Not far from here.

A large brain.

I took a picture.

How large?

Almost the size of a car. A small car.

Huh.

A whale's brain, perhaps.

Fossilized whale's brain.

Maybe a cargo plane was bringing it

to the museum in Wiesbaden and had some engine trouble?

- No, there was no wreckage. - No?

It looks more like a human brain.

A human brain?

Yes, it does, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Very interesting.

More like a... A woman's brain, I would say.

Why?

Well, from the size, it's...

it's slightly smaller than a giant man's brain would be.

It's quite large.

Well, to be sure, I'm sure it is.

But of course, the more likely explanation

is that this is some kind of stunt, a protest stunt

meant to mock, well, to mock us,

the so-called brain trust of the West.

Of the world, really!

- Made of latex? - I don't know.

A new fellowship will rise.

It will lead us for all days to come.

- Mmm-hmm. Yes. - What is she saying?

She's very confused.

I don't think she remembers much.

She talks about a coming war.

Are you not listening?

The giant brain is a game-changer!

Antonio, I hate to be a pessimist.

I hate to dump bad news on you,

but I have a feeling that something apocalyptic has occurred,

that there is nobody out there to rescue us,

no homes to return to.

It is the cold, dark ending our species rightly deserves.

Come at last.

Just as we were getting to know each other!

Yeah.

You all right, Edison?

Yes, I'm fine.

Right as rain.

But I think I'd like to stay here.

So you lot carry on without me.

I'll be quite content.

Come on, Edison, don't be stupid.

The ferry is not far.

I've had a good long run. I've seen and done my share.

Now all I want is to sit here a while,

fade into a beautiful sleep and never wake up.

Become one with the loamy ground.

My body made into something useful for a change.

Now you come, Mr. Wolcott.

No, Antonio. Thank you. I shall not come.

Please.

Please, Mr. Wolcott, come with us.

No, Antonio, I won't.

Please, Mr. Wolcott.

Antonio, please, just leave me.

I'll be fine.

Do it for me.

Antonio, look, please leave me.

You have to come with us.

- Goodbye! -It's okay.

It's okay, Antonio.

Antonio.

We'll send someone for him right as soon as we can get help.

My friend.

Economy... finance...

Finance.

Economy! Ecology!

I am having an energy crisis.

Look!

Oh!

We're here.

Where's the ferry?

It must be on the other side.

And how do we get it back?

Someone has to bring it back from the other side.

But we're all here on this side.

One should be reminded of the parable

of the scorpion and the frog.

Shh, Sylvain.

The scorpion, he is...

Sylvain, save your strength.

...among other things, a wayfarer.

Antonio. Can you take him to a safe place?

Thank you.

Deadly aggression...

Sorry. Sorry.

I disguise you. To keep safe.

Wait.

Uh, who is the best swimmer?

I'll go.

Maxime, are you sure?

Should someone go with you?

Uh, I only can go backwards.

I can swim.

Yeah, well, you might not have to do too much swimming.

It's not deep.

You just have to grab onto the guide rope,

you have to hold on to it anyway, follow it, because we don't

want you getting lost in the fog.

Right.

Now be careful of your footing

because the bottom is going to be extremely mucky.

It's, um...

Yeah.

It's not deep.

Chilly!

Grab behind me, Tatsuro.

How far, Hilda?

Uh, about... 200 meters.

Give us an hour.

If we're not back by then, you must find another way!

Look!

Anyone order a ferry?

Hah! You are like our "ferry" godmother!

You okay? Did you see anything on the other side?

No, the fog is thick there too. But there's a road.

I left Tatsuro there, he's going to try to find some help.

Meet us at the dock.

How's Sylvain?

Uh, not good. He's...

He's been quiet, but he's still breathing.

So obviously you can see the ferry can't take us all at once.

We should be able to make it in two trips.

Someone should take Sylvain first.

Who is it?

What does it say?

Maxime, what is it?

- It says, "help." - What?

I can't recognize the number.

Respond, respond! I'll find mine.

I still have no phone.

"Who are you? Where are you?"

"My name is Astrid. I'm only seven.

"I was left at the chateau all by myself."

- We can't leave her. - No.

- We must save her. - Wait, wait, wait.

This could be...

"Where are your mom and dad... Astrid?"

Yes. Yes! It makes sense.

Listen.

Do you remember the item 11 on the summit agenda memo?

Um, 11... Yes.

That was the creation of the road map for the coordinated something, the...

- The sex crimes thing? - Yes.

The preliminary road map for a coordinated international response

to major cybersex crimes.

Now as part of that conference, which, of course,

we were too busy to attend,

a group of engineers from LŸbingen

unveiled an artificial intelligence chatbot

designed to ensnare pedophiles via automated text message.

- You mean? - Yes!

That could be the chat bot messaging you.

You know, it seems quite similar.

- But I'm not a... - Pedophile? No.

But the bot doesn't know that.

It uses AI to select likely targets.

And of course, people like us,

people in positions of great power like us,

you know, world leaders and so, we, you know...

statistics show that we are more likely to be pedophiles.

So we should ignore it?

What if it's a real child who needs our help?

No, in fact, we should not ignore it.

If you can convince the bot that you are in fact a sexual pervert,

it will automatically alert authorities and they will come investigate.

- We could be rescued. - What if it is a real child?

This is our dilemma.

So we must flirt with the child enough to convince the bot

that we are sexual predators, pedophiles, specifically,

and thus alert the authorities to our whereabouts,

but not enough that in case it is a real child,

we irreparably traumatize it?

Yes, exactly.

We must be very, very careful.

"My mum and dad left. I'm all by myself."

"Stay where you are. I will come help you."

Perhaps something... Something a little flirtier?

For the bot.

"You seem like a nice little girl."

Okay, Antonio.

You should take Sylvain across now,

Cardosa and Hilda stay here with Celestine,

I'll head back to the chateau for the girl as fast as I can.

No, no, I know the chateau well, I know the security protocols.

I should come with you.

You know, it's not far, uh, from here.

You know. Now we know the way.

A straight line, and we'll be there in 10 minutes.

Well, I would like to come too.

Perhaps we can finish the statement on the way.

"You seem like a nice man. Looking forward to seeing you."

"Looking forward."

Would a small child say that?

I think it's the bot.

Come now, Celestine.

I flee my captors.

I steal away over the dark earth.

I was worried this would happen. Celestine!

What does this mean to her? What has she been telling you?

Uh, she says that this brain

is the seat of power of a new union,

which is poised to take its place on the world stage.

Global governance has a new name!

The concords of the past shall hold no sway!

Lisbon is invalid! Amsterdam is invalid!

Celestine says she has figures that invalidate

the Amsterdam Treaty and the Treaty of Lisbon.

All the old political orders will fall,

she says, in a great inferno.

Well, except, of course, the Treaty of Maastricht,

which really cannot be overturned so simply.

We bask in the radiance of your unfading complexion.

"Please hurry."

We are washed away.

Into the Earth, into the Hall of Gods.

"I will be there soon."

Tell her that she must speak of you to no one.

- It must be your little secret. - Yeah.

- No! - Oh!

Celestine!

No! Celestine!

Please! Please! Please!

Hello?

Speak English?

Yes, I do speak.

Oh! Phone, phone.

Yes, I have.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

Perhaps say the number

that you want to dial and I can dial it for you.

Central authorities. Japanese Embassy!

No, no, no, no, no.

Police, police, police.

Ambulance too. We have a sick man.

French President!

Violent protestors!

Floppy bodies!

Great big brain the size of a hatchback!

Please. Please, slow down.

- Okay? - Okay. Okay.

Sylvain?

You want?

No?

Antonio!

Antonio!

Antonio.

Edison.

Edison.

Cardosa, did you read what Sylvain was writing?

Haven't really had a chance to look at it yet.

Let's have... a look.

What is it?

It appears to be...

a proposal for a monument of some sort,

a tentative proposal

for the establishment of what will be when it is completed

Western Europe's largest sundial.

A sundial. That's it?

Yeah.

There's a lot of speculation about possible locations,

groundskeeping concerns, materials,

a list of artists that might be commissioned,

and a long explanation of how sundials work.

"Where are you?"

"We are coming."

What do we do?

Where are we going?

Maxime, what are you doing?

Excuse me.

I understand you're... upset.

Our presence here has disturbed you somehow.

Maybe you think of this as your land.

It's your ancestral home, after all.

The... The traditional home of your peoples.

And that's quite understandable.

And we have disturbed your rest

and somehow upset the balance of your sacred energies...

for which affront there can be no excuse.

So that's why we come to you now

and offer our profound apologies

for the hurt and offense we have...

Run!

"I am outside.

"Where are you?"

Crap!

Come, come, come!

Try zero-zero-zero-zero.

Zero-zero-zero-zero!

Ooh!

Yes! Yes!

This way.

Astrid!

Hello?

Glob?

Here you are! Finally!

I'm sorry about the mess.

I'm having computer problems.

Sorry.

Where's Astrid?

-Astrid? - Yeah.

Astrid is the name of the AI system

powering the union's new predator entrapment chatbot.

I asked Astrid to bring you here.

I begged her in fact.

It was the only way to contact you.

Communication has become complicated.

What's going on? Where's everybody?

Astrid sent them away.

Why? How?

I don't know. She likes to work alone.

Yet she won't let me leave.

It's not healthy.

She must find me useful.

For what reason? I don't know.

Look at me!

- Why did she bring us here? - I don't know.

Did you do sex crime?

- What? No. - I think this is a trap.

- I think we should just leave. - No, no, it's not trap.

That's her reason.

I have my own reason to bring you here.

Then what is it?

What do you want?

I have something to give you.

"Provisional statement on the present crisis."

You wrote this, Glob?

Uh, no, not really.

Computer did most.

Astrid. She has that power now.

It says things about the Olympics.

It says they should be held every three years

instead of four.

Three? Wow, good idea.

They're here.

Maxime!

So, is there any help coming?

Help? No help.

What do you mean?

Everything on fire. Many dead.

So no one is coming?

We didn't see anyone.

No help.

No help.

Mr. President?

Oh. Yes, that's me.

Yes, I'm the president.

Hey, you feel better?

Yes. Thank you, Tony.

Not dead yet.

You know, I feel as if I could be president

for another hundred years.

Bloody term limits.

There are snacks in these

and some other goodies.

Thank you, Hilda.

- Thank you. - We get something for our pains.

In case we need it.

What is?

Is vitamins?

No, Tony, um, not vitamins.

Potassium cyanide.

They hand them out at all the summits.

When this is over, I retire early.

Spend some time in the mountains.

I'll probably join the private sector.

- Hilda? - Hmm?

What will you do?

Your notes, Antonio.

Your statement notes, please.

Cardosa.

We, the leaders of the Group of Seven,

met in Dankerode, Germany,

from the 21st to the 22nd of September...

at a critical juncture for the global community

to make progress towards an equitable world.

If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference,

let it be that we, as open democracies,

adhering to the rule of law,

are driven by shared values and bound by our commitment

to the rules-based multilateral order

and universal human rights,

and to eliminating,

wherever possible,

the procrastination pit stops

that have interrupted our work over the years

and also to cultivating opportunities

for non-sexual physical affection

and the marriages across the respective nations

and ensuring that everyone,

regardless of whether you're a woman or a minority or something else,

that everyone has access to slips for the sleep tank.

Not to mention the importance of finding an appropriate venue

for what will be, when it's completed,

Western Europe's largest sundial.

I know you're afraid.

I'm afraid too.

The sky is on fire.

The water of the ocean is thick and black.

And death... is all around us.

Everyone is dying.

Everyone dies.

It cannot be stopped.

But I assure you...

hand to heart...

that if we nurture the sense of common purpose and vision,

that has characterized the discussions we've had over these two days,

we have an opportunity like none we've ever had before,

to foster competition in the digital marketplace

and meet the death of our world

and species, head on.

Our vision clear and true,

our desire steadfast, our stride unwavering,

our courage unbounded and our patriotic hearts aflame

with the strength of kings!

And queens!

And queens.

And with a passion unflinching and unyielding,

we will carry ourselves fearlessly

into the dreadful inferno that awaits us all.

It's better to burn out than to fade away!