Double Life of Veronique, The (1991)

[bunniefuu]

That's the star we're waiting for

to start Christmas Eve.
Do you see it?

And there,

below, the fog. Look.

It's not fog.

It's really
millions of little stars.

Show me.

Here's the first leaf.

It's springtime
and all the trees have leaves.

Look.

Here, on the lighter side, there are
little veins and a very fine down...

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF V�RONIQUE

You sing beautifully.

Thanks.

You should change.

Come.

Show me.

I'm ashamed of it.

How did it happen?

My girlfriend's father
slammed a car door on it

right after high school exams.

I had just passed my piano exam

that day.

I fainted.

Papa...

What are you listening to?

The same as always.

I woke up.

Tell Antek I have to leave.
He'll be sad.

And you?

I'm sorry Auntie's not well.

But I'm glad she called.

You want to go there?

Yes.

I like Krakow.

Did you ask her to call?

No.

I have a strange feeling.

I feel that I'm not alone.

Not alone, how?

That I'm not alone in the world.

You aren't.

I don't know.

What do I really want, Papa?

I don't know.

Probably quite a lot of things.

A blond boy?

Yes.

You've slept with him?

Yes.

Tell me.

The last time...

there was a downpour.

We were in a passageway.

I was soaked to the skin.

And I wanted to make love to him
right in that passageway...

Who's that?

The lawyer.

I have some business matters
to settle.

What business?

Legal matters.

Yesterday you were surprised
to find me alive.

Everyone in our family
d*ed while in good health.

My mother, and yours also.

It's about my will.

Auntie!

Weronika, get up.
The lawyer is here.

Weronika?

Yes...

It's Weronika.

My God! You're here?

I'm here.

Here, in Krakow?

Right here.

A week now.

Really! Will you come see me?

Of course.

Today at rehearsal.
At two o'clock.

At rehearsal?

Good. That's how it should sound.

Once more, please.

Thank you.
See you tomorrow.

Put more energy
into your playing, Marta.

You sing well.

Yes.

You heard me?

It was beautiful.

Thank you.

I'd like to audition you.
Your voice is...

a very unusual voice.

How are you feeling?

Fine.

Have a seat.

I don't mind standing.

Have a seat.

You have no real singing experience.

You only have
a high school music diploma...

in piano, no less!

Our vote was not unanimous...

but you are the winner

of this competition.

My congratulations.

You look fantastic, Auntie.

Really.

Fantastic.

If you had played cards all night

and drunk vodka,
you'd be equally beautiful.

How did things go?

Fine.

I'm even afraid it went too well.

I was wondering
if you'd notice me.

Were you following me a long time?

A long time.

My aunt said you had called.

I spoke with my father.

He said you were fine.

I'm alive.

I thought I would

bring you a present.

Christmas is coming.

I haven't called you because...

No, you didn't.

Actually, I came here
to tell you I love you.

I'm staying at the Holiday Inn.

If you want to tell me anything,
call me.

Room 287.

Antek!

Give me a ride home.

I'll call.

I'll call you.

Madame!

I'll come and help you.

Weronika...

Are you getting dressed?

Yes.

Yes.

She's dead.

The last time
we saw each other was...

At graduation.

Was it really?

Yes.

What's wrong?

Are you sad?

No.

Yes.

I don't know why.
It's as if I were grieving.

For someone?

I don't know.

I'll tell you something funny.

No.

Are you all right?

Can I stay a while?

No.

V�ronique?

You've come at the wrong time
or on the wrong day.

Or is it my mistake?

No.

I came to tell you

that I'm quitting.

What?

I'm quitting.

Why?

I don't know.

But I know I have to quit... now.

You're wasting your talent.

No one has the right to do that.

You deserve

to be dragged into court.

Yes.
No one has the right to do that.

V�ronique...

I won't see you again?

Excuse me...

I have a class in here.

I wasn't told.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You smell so nice.

You're beautiful.

I love your chimes.

Thank you.

Did you sleep well last night?

If you like, I could help you
carry the chimes home.

We're finishing early today.

Why?

You don't know?
The marionettes.

What?

I really like this piece.

It's by a very interesting composer.
He was discovered only recently

although he lived in Holland
over two centuries ago.

Ready?

One...

two...

Hello.

Who is it? Please answer.

I'll hang up.

No.

Then you hang up.

You hang up first.

I was sleeping.

I bought a milling machine. Look.

27,000 rotations per minute.

Papa...

I'm in love.

I'm really in love.

Do I know him?

No...

and neither do I.

I don't understand.

Can you explain?

Yes, once I understand it.

Not long ago,
I had a strange sensation.

I felt that I was alone.

All of a sudden.

Yet nothing had changed.

Someone disappeared from your life.

Yes, that's it.

When Mother d*ed...

didn't you feel that way?

But something really had changed.

And then I had you.
You were so little.

I had to hold your hand.

Yes...

You held my hand.

My lawyer asked
five or six of his girlfriends.

I'm sure he had dozens,
but I only knew a few of them.

Of course they all refused.

I can't do it either, Catherine.

I've really thought about it...
I just can't.

I understand.

I'm sorry.

I understand.

I can do it.

You?

Why not?

You'll come to court?

You'll say, "I slept with that man

thirteen times last year
and also this year"?

I'll say it.

But I need to know something
about him. I don't know him.

You saw him once.

Yes.

But I should know what a woman knows
if she has had...

Make yourself at home.

I'm frozen. I won't stay.

Yesterday

you told me that...

you hardly noticed that man.

The puppeteer?

Yes.

Did you notice him?

Yes.

Do you remember his name?

His name was on the van.

His first name began with an "A".

Antoine? Alexandre?

I don't remember.

And the show...
do you remember the story?

A dancer...

A ballerina...

who lives in a box, wants
to dance, but breaks her leg.

So she turns into a butterfly.

Yes, but wait.

All along I kept feeling
I knew that story.

That's it!

I read it to Natalie.

He must have stolen it.
Don't move!

He didn't steal anything.
He wrote it.

Alexandre Fabbri.

There's also a lovely story
about a shoelace.

I'm sorry I got you mixed up
in all this.

All what?

My situation.

Someone told Jean-Pierre.

Anything for me?

Do you know what this is?

No idea.

It must be a box
of "Virginia" cigars,

an empty box.

You knew?

I guessed.

There's no return address.

It's from Paris.

Thank you.

Jean-Pierre, what are you...

Why are you doing it?

Do you want to,

really?

Say something.

Say something, at least.

Oh, God...

It's so complicated.

What are you doing?

I'm turning myself in. That's all.

I'm sorry.

Daddy...

I'm in the bathtub.

Don't touch the chairs!

Try this.

It's nice.

The other one was more pleasant.

This is from the end of autumn,
the other was from the beginning.

I don't know if people will need
this fragrance, but we'll see.

I'll get dressed.

Have you understood, at last?

There's a letter for you.

Beautiful handwriting.

Here?

No.

You'll stay? We'll fix lunch...

No, I have to go.
I have a music class.

I must have dreamt it.

I saw a drawing...

very simple, even naive.

A sloping road in a small town...

lined on both sides by houses...

with a church in the background.

Chagall?

No, not Chagall.

A tall, slender church,
made of red brick...

Stop.
Nicole, you're playing off-key.

Yes, I know.

Fine, let's start again.

Nicole!

Stop.

Your attention, please.

Miss Sandrine Ekar,

please come to the reception desk
at gate...

Excuse me, excuse me.

Attention, please.

Train number 3316

from Cherbourg

is arriving on platform 18.

Who's there?

Excuse me... is there another cafe
in this station?

Over there.

Can you hear the loudspeaker there?
For the train departures?

I don't know.
I was never there.

Thank you.

Excuse me, excuse me.

Would you like some tea?

Coffee.

Please...

Tea with lemon?

And one coffee.

"Stop".

Have you been waiting long?

48 hours.

Maybe longer.

It was worth it.

I have to apologize.

For what?

I was afraid you wouldn't come.

I was afraid

you wouldn't be here.

I had to be here.

I would have waited for you

two more days...

or three.

I wanted to be sure...

I wanted to see if it was possible.

Be sure of what?

Whether it was possible...

psychologically.

If what was psychologically
possible?

Since you're here, you must know
that I write children's books.

But now I want to write a book...

a real book.

In this book there's a woman...

a woman who responds
to the call of an unknown man.

So I wondered whether
that was possible.

Whether, psychologically, a woman...

Well, whether it was possible.

You're not saying anything?

Why me?

Why did you choose me?

Because...

I don't know.

Thanks for the coffee.

Wait, please!

Are there any rooms
facing the back? I'm exhausted.

Sure. What floor?

As long as it's quiet.

Number 287.
You want a wake-up call?

No, thank you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

For what?

As I was falling asleep
I saw a aheet floating down.

I love you.

I love you.

What else do you want to know
about me?

Everything.

What's this?

For when I have chapped lips.

sh*t! I've been looking for those
for a year!

V�ronique...

Yes?

I know now why you were the one.

Yes.

It was not the book.

I knew it.

- What?
- Why you were doing it.

Since the first night you called me.

Even before that.

You knew?

Everything.

This may have nothing to do with it,
or it may.

All my live I've felt I was
in two places at the same time.

Here and somewhere alse.

It's hard to explain.

But I know...

I always sense what I have to do.

Where is this?
It's not in France.

That's during a trip
to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland.

That must be in Krakow.

That's a beautiful photograph.

And you, in that huge coat.

That's not me.

Sure it's you.

That's not my coat.

Is that me?

Of course it's you.

Why..

Why two?

Because during performances
I handle them a lot.

They damage easily.

Try it...

Should I read it to you?

November 23, 1966...

...was the most important day
of their lives.

That day, at theree
in the morning...

...they were both born
in two different cities...

...on two different continents.

They both had dark hair
and brownish-green eyes.

When they were both two years old
and already knew how to walk...

...one of them
b*rned her han on a stove.

A few days later...

...the other one reached out
to touch the stove...

...but pulled away
just in time.

And yet, she could not have known
that she was about to burn herself.

Do you like it?

I think I'll call it,
"The Double Life of..."

I haven't yet decided
what names to give them.