02x04 - Isabelle
Posted: 01/17/23 18:07
Oh my.
She's so... magnetic.
So elegant.
Poetic too.
Then the small woman goes blind.
The big, dumb girl
dies...
I won't miss her, she was stupid.
Then the brother with
the brooding good looks...
kills him.
No!
That makes me mad.
- Yes.
- So can you find the next season for me?
A year is a long time to wait.
Sure. What's the title again?
Game of Thrones.
Do you live under a rock, Mathias?
I'll see Louis Garrel
at the theater, Thursday.
Tell Berléand the contracts are ready.
By the way, your top
stinks of fried food.
- Hi, Isabelle.
- Hi.
- Are you well?
- Fine.
- Hello.
- Hello.
The next Sacha Hartman film.
- He's one of yours?
- I take care of him.
I adore him.
Winning a Palme d'Or
with a first movie...
It's beautiful.
He's not yet 30, is he? 28?
That's right. Very talented.
The elevator is here, Isabelle.
Well, I'd love to work with him.
Then let's talk about it.
He has a great part for you.
- Really?
- Yes.
Shall I ask him?
It isn't really my
style to tout for parts.
Maybe it should be.
Isabelle likes a director to ask.
Quite right, that's how it works.
Not necessarily.
Directors like to feel desired.
Especially by you.
We'd better read the script
first, let's not be hasty.
As you wish, but I think
haste is called for.
Sacha is in Paris right now.
It's a sign! I could set up a meeting.
Alright, then.
I'll call him now.
- Wait...
- Be discreet about it!
Yes, of course.
- Hello?
- Sacha, it's Andréa.
- Hi.
- Were you asleep?
- Kind of.
- Sorry but it's important.
I just ran into Isabelle Adjani.
She's dying to meet you.
- Is this a joke?
- Seriously.
She's perfect for the Milena role.
She'd be great!
A French movie icon
in a Sacha Hartman film
- would cause a splash.
- I'd sooner die.
Hello?
Well?
Well... he's delighted!
I refuse to work with the woman.
- She scares you?
- No.
She's kind of unpredictable
but such a great actress.
She'll go a long way for a film.
Ask her to eat dirt...
make love to a lion, she'll do it.
Great.
You two working together
would be an event. expl*sive!
She's never been so
excited by a director.
- Yeah?
- Yes!
Funny.
She wasn't when I sent her
the script for my first film.
That was four years
ago, no one knew you.
So?
It doesn't excuse the
filthy email I got back.
"Miss Adjani isn't interested."
My film won the Palme, now she wants me.
Tell her Mr. Hartman
isn't interested either.
- Has the Gaumont courier been yet?
- No.
Hartman doesn't want Adjani.
How so?
You knew she'd turned down Love Eternel?
- No.
- Well, he remembers.
He's still bitter and
refuses to see her.
I was right not to be hasty.
Is that all?
Directors often turn down actresses.
It's not the end of the world.
Are you crazy?
We're missing out on two of
the biggest names in movies
and it's not the end of the world?
Noémie, fix me up an appointment
with Mathias Barneville.
Not this one, the one who
fought for the big deals!
I think Mathias knows a
good deal when he sees one.
It's your client who's
being awkward here.
You led Isabelle into all this.
Stop it. Did you see her?
She was dying to work with him!
Maybe she could call him.
- To apologize.
- No way!
I won't let her humiliate
herself with some guy
who thinks he's a movie hotshot!
Okay...
No, I understand.
Well, I'll call Isabelle.
- Andréa?
- Yes?
She's my client, I'll do it.
Oh, well then!
Thank you, my lord. Thank you!
- She's so rude!
- Anyway...
"Suspensive conditions"?
Thank you, Sofia.
Andréa, close the door.
Right, interviews for the junior agent
will be held in my office
but I want one of you with me.
Then we'll choose the best candidate.
Shall we do the first, Marteau?
No, sorry, I'm not available.
Fine, with another candidate then.
Not before next week.
Oh, Marteau!
We have nine candidates.
- Ten.
- Hervé.
You're doing at least three of them
with me, in my office.
Okay. Two candidates.
I'll decide when.
Interviews in my office.
Here... coffee.
Thanks.
You okay?
You seemed tense.
I just can't bear him
ordering me around.
You're right.
It's not as if he can
fire us whenever he likes.
We can't live in fear of being
fired. We're better than that.
I won't bow down before him.
I've no desire to suck up to
him. I don't want to obey him!
There!
What's he done to you? I know.
Is this about Aymeline Val?
He scored with her?
We both did, together.
No... No, you didn't.
I know. Bad move.
Oh, f*ck!
He provoked me.
It's the Brancion thing all over again!
No, this is nothing like that.
- Not at all.
- You're a sexual deviant.
Only sleeping with someone
if the agency is at stake!
No, this was a one-off.
One tiny f*ck that has no consequences.
One teeny-weeny f*ck.
There, so...
f*ck!
So...
you sleep with men?
No!
Yes.
No! Gabriel, stop it. No, I said!
What was it like?
Heavy and hairy.
Yoo-hoo!
Yoo-hoo.
Is this what Zumba does to you?
I need to try it.
No, I had a drink with Julien Doré.
Really? That's great.
Why didn't you tell me?
I am telling you.
He's got your number?
I gave it to him at Elvis's party.
Only he should have called me.
Or talked directly to
Mathias, your agent.
Who cares? You did the
groundwork, introduced us...
It's all down to you.
You're right... So?
He's great! I'm doing voice
tests at his studio tomorrow.
Fantastic.
That's fantastic, honey.
Plus you've made dinner.
You're perfect! What is it?
Chocolates!
It's okay... they've all left.
Close the door.
There's no one here.
You never know. Sit down.
Thanks for staying.
I don't mind, I had stuff to finish.
I'm in the shit, Camille. Deep shit.
You're the only person
here I trust completely
and who can get me out of it.
I haven't called Isabelle Adjani back.
Because if I do... I have to
tell her that four years ago
I tossed the script for Love
Eternel straight into the garbage.
Why did you do that?
20 pages full of a child's drawings.
Not even a screenplay. I was
protecting my actress from a nutjob.
It's the mistake every agent dreads.
The worst f*ck-up of my career.
If it gets out, I'll
be a laughing stock.
Isabelle will leave me, the
agency will suffer hugely.
Is it really irretrievable?
You know the publisher who
turned down Harry Potter?
- No.
- Me neither.
In this job,
a lack of acumen is a crime. A curse.
What can we do? Hartman will tell
Adjani he sent her the script.
Exactly. So they mustn't meet.
He has to stay mad at her.
That's why I need you.
To put a spanner in
the works. Discreetly.
If Andréa susses me out...
it'll be hell for me too.
You're right. Forget it.
It's too complicated.
I shouldn't have asked you.
It's okay.
I'll do it.
Here, hold this.
I'll be fine.
How do we explain you being
here? He'll know we're an item.
No. We'll say Mathias couldn't make it.
Good idea.
- Hi.
- How's it going?
Mathias couldn't make it.
Okay... no problem.
- You okay?
- Hi.
- Welcome.
- Hi.
I've done a few different
arrangements for the song.
I was so inspired by your voice...
- Yeah? Thanks.
- In here.
Yeah, thanks.
Sorry, Gabriel, I'd rather the
booth wasn't full of people.
See you later.
There.
This is the most important
room in the studio.
The most intimate.
- The uterus. I'll let you go in.
- Thanks.
Here's your headset.
- Great. I'm right next door.
- Okay.
When you're ready.
Relax, everything is fine.
Okay.
She missed out. She apologizes.
Too late.
This is ridiculous.
A legendary actress!
Seriously, you know
who Isabelle Adjani is?
You know who she is?
I know very well who Isabelle Adjani is.
No one knows better than
me who Isabelle Adjani is.
Look, Andréa.
As a child, I had weak bones.
I suffered fractures.
When I was eight, I fell down
the stairs and broke my back.
Before I was 15, I was
hospitalized 10, 20 times.
You know the loneliness of a sick child?
No, not really.
I know the loneliness of a bored child.
Same thing, only it hurts.
Fortunately my parents were
cultured, and had a lot of films.
I watched so many of them alone.
That's how I discovered Isabelle Adjani.
More than the movies of
Truffaut, Becker or Chéreau,
I watched Adjani.
She was so... she was everything.
Sister, friend, fiancée...
I was not alone anymore.
I wanted to make movies for her.
My first film had to be for her.
I wrote to her, with my
script, explaining all this.
The reply was cold, stupid...
I'll never forgive her.
I understand your disappointment.
I wasn't disappointed, I was depressed!
I almost gave up cinema.
The woman is dead to me.
Now she'll regret it.
Very likely, yes.
Or think she intimidates you.
Nonsense.
Sure, it's only natural.
She says so herself.
She makes people piss their pants.
I'm not scared of her.
Yes, I know. I understand.
But still...
You know what? Forget it.
Who cares what Adjani thinks?
- I'll call her.
- Wait.
I don't like people spreading lies.
I'll see her, we'll
sort a few things out.
Sure, it's up to you.
Oops, I messed it up a bit.
Yeah.
Give me a moment.
Shall I do it again?
Do you... want me to do it again?
Shall I pick it up?
- If it was no good, I'll do it again.
- Yeah, we'll do it again.
So? What did Hartman say?
It's okay, he'll see Adjani.
It's a crazy combination,
right? We want to see this movie.
Yeah, I'll say! I'll fix up a meeting.
I'm on it.
Wait... come here.
Hey, are you Andréa Martel's assistant?
Go for it!
So if you adopt the same body
language as your counterpart
during a job interview,
by copying
their gestures, their emotional
state, you send out a clear message:
I'm just like you, I'm part of you.
We can get along.
Sure, it's NLP.
You know it?
Yeah, I did a course.
That's how I learned
to control my emotions.
Imitate Hicham at your interview?
Shouldn't you be yourself?
My head's spinning.
The applicants' CVs are like Harvard!
That's Eugénie Léon-Brun.
Law school, expert in
intellectual property rights.
Three years in production,
then two with VMA.
Plus she's cute, Hicham will love her.
I can put her off her
stride if you like.
You can't do that, it isn't done!
You have the advantage of working here.
Yes, it would be hideous.
Still...
Go, Noémie, wreck the sl*t!
Is she threatening to k*ll her?
This way, please.
What did you say?
Hi.
I told her the real boss here
was Arlette Azémar, it
was her she had to win over.
Hello, Miss.
I told her to go for
it, to speak very loud
because she's deaf.
Hello, ma'am!
So happy to meet you!
To work alongside you
is a dream for any young agent!
A profound, intelligent screenplay.
Powerful dramatic art.
Everything I love.
Is it nice?
Very, yes.
I'll wrap it up.
You ought to know
that Sacha Hartman
isn't easy to work with.
I'm used to that.
Exhausting his actors
with so many takes...
Like Kubrick.
I can be exhausting too, you know.
Plus he's asked his crew to sing
Céline Dion before certain takes.
Mathias, I've always
loved how candid you are.
If there's a problem, say so.
Has Hartman cast someone else?
Andréa jumped the g*n a little.
He'd set his heart on
an American actress.
- One who isn't exactly...
- Shh.
what he needs.
- Shh.
- Yes, of course.
- Hello, Sacha Hartman.
- Listen.
Thanks for being with us.
You speak perfect French.
I attended the French school in Berlin.
My parents have always loved France.
Could you turn it up?
Your first movie, which won
the Palme d'Or at Cannes,
is one that the Catholic
Promouvoir association
is trying to have banned,
as was Blue Is the Warmest
Color or Antichrist.
How do you react to that?
If I was really interested in such
people I'd make a film about them
but I don't want to
give them a platform.
Or even the time of day.
To me, they're just
fighting a rearguard action.
They're old-world, they're dead to me.
They are alive though...
You have a car? Can I catch a ride?
Sure, where to?
The radio station. If the
American hasn't signed yet...
We can't just rush in.
You urged discretion.
Discretion is so dull! Much
more exciting to rush in.
Let's go.
This is annoying me...
- Hello?
- Hi, Noémie?
No, Camille. Wrong person.
I know, Noémie.
Tell my 3 o'clock meeting I'll be late.
I'm going with Isabelle
Adjani to the radio studio
to meet Sacha Hartman.
- Oh shit.
- Exactly.
I have to find a way
- to get Hartman away.
- Good. Call me back.
Shall we go, or should I hire a bike?
No, give me the keys.
Are you sure?
Are you afraid in cars?
Protect our children!
What's that?
Our children! Protect our children!
An anti-Hartman demonstration.
Sodomy is infamy!
Not very friendly.
Yes, they're spoiling for a fight.
It's hotting up.
- What's that?
- Andréa?
Promouvoir activists
are outside the studio.
- I saw it on Twitter, they're going wild.
- A lot of them?
Yeah, loads!
If Sacha sees them,
there'll be a punch-up.
Okay, so sneak out the back.
- I'll send a cab.
- Thanks, Camille!
Can you mail this for me?
Yeah.
Isn't that the trash?
Strange he hasn't called back.
- Who?
- Julien.
He said he'd call back very soon.
It's starting to drag on.
You did the tests this morning.
- This morning!
- You're right.
So what's this for?
Mail it.
Yes.
How about you call him?
You're his agent.
Just to sound him out.
He's probably checking out other girls.
- Really?
- Yes.
He said he would? How many? Who?
I don't know.
He has a job, a million things to do,
a girlfriend he likes
to spend time with...
Let's give Juju a break.
- Of course.
- Sure.
Right?
- Here, Benoît.
- Thanks.
Nervous about the interview?
No, I'm fine.
Thanks.
No, thank you.
You're like the second coming!
It takes courage to work
exclusively with Depardieu.
Excuse me?
You're the interviewee?
Yes, but they didn't mention him.
Apparently, he's difficult.
Well, he's his own man.
You have health insurance?
The usual.
Why?
In the event of
fractures, back problems...
He's a heavyweight.
But you look pretty sporty.
Good core muscles, actually.
Also...
Have you been to Russia?
No, never.
You'll be going there a lot.
Gérard has friends there.
They mess around, drink,
play Russian roulette...
And have fun. You'll see, it's great!
Benoît Larroque?
No.
No? That's his picture on the CV.
He seemed very unsure.
He wants to open an
organic, gluten-free store.
Another who doesn't know
what's wrong with him.
Honestly, the kids today!
We had one crazy girl
who kept yelling at me.
No! Our poor country.
How so, unavailable?
Nothing. She has costume fittings,
then a Chanel show,
a reading... She's fully
booked till next week.
But I've stayed on
specially. What's she up to?
I told you.
She woos you, then snubs you.
She's a hysteric!
Sacha, don't be so paranoid.
No early-morning slots?
Nothing at all.
I only did this to indulge
you. I don't need Adjani!
There are lots of
great actresses around.
Wait, I'll call her.
- This is absurd.
- Skip it.
Sacha, I need to find out.
- Hello?
- Isabelle, it's Andréa Martel at ASK.
I'm calling on behalf of Sacha
Hartman, who's heading back to Hamburg.
- Would you like to meet him?
- For two days now
I've been trying! I even
went to the radio station.
Tomorrow, at the office?
Of course.
- As I keep telling you.
- That's fine.
- Tomorrow, at 11.
- Alright, thanks.
- Great, see you tomorrow, Isabelle.
- Bye!
Unavailable?
I don't understand. She
was very firm with me.
Maybe because I'm just an assistant.
Whatever.
So, it's all settled!
Great.
Here, the applicants' CVs.
Thanks.
Not really my thing.
I feel nervous for them,
like it was me applying.
It's Julien.
"I've thought it over, these
songs aren't a good idea."
f*ck!
A text message? Is he for real?
Can't he even call?
Tell you what, it's just as well.
Now we don't have to work with him.
He's your client.
Yes, but still... That's just...
"Instead I suggest you partner me
"in the film and do the
soundtrack. Say you'll do it!"
Wait, he wants me to
act in it? And sing?
The whole hog!
I don't understand, Charlotte
Le Bon is co-starring.
I'll call him.
- Yeah, Gabriel?
- Hi, Julien, how are you?
Isn't Charlotte Le Bon meant to
be doing Lola Darling with you?
No, we broke up.
Put the loudspeaker on.
It got to be too much. She's
been criticizing me for a year.
Even her films became testing for us.
Never mind, though. Thanks
to you, I've met Sofia.
I want her.
- Shouldn't she do a screen test
- Why?
I've had a look at her, she's perfect!
I don't have any doubts.
She has it all.
The look, the naturalness,
the charm... She has this carnal,
sensitive quality.
She really opened up to me.
She opened up in a song.
It was crazy!
I don't want anything cheap or vulgar.
What I want in my
movie is pop eroticism.
Sofia has it all.
She's perfect. A perfect sex machine.
Okay, I'll call you back.
So what did he say?
Look, I don't know what to think.
He's acting hastily,
he's in a breakup...
It's so...
- Totally irrational, confused...
- Sofia?
Yes?
I got a text message from Julien Doré.
You know he wants you to
play the lead in his movie?
Time for the interview.
No, you're early. Come
back later, I'm working.
I love your office.
We both have a love of beautiful things.
Quit looking at me that way.
You're so paranoid! I
hate conflict at work.
Yeah?
Look, Janowski.
I like women, only women.
Sex with a woman is incomparable.
Sweet, deep, metaphysical.
I agree.
No, f*ck, you don't understand!
For me, going from guys to girls
was like going from a
sandpit to a football pitch.
Fine, skip the explanations,
I know what I see.
No, I can't go back.
And you won't make me want to.
Now leave.
Okay, Marteau.
And stop f*cking calling me Marteau!
- Léopoldine Schneck, for the interview.
- Show her in.
So...
Léopoldine.
Tell us about yourself.
After my baccalauréat, I
studied cinema at Paris VIII.
Alongside that
I worked for an events firm.
A sandpit!
One with a big castle. Because you came.
- No I didn't.
- Oh yes, you obviously came.
Are you kidding? It was an ordeal!
I was yawning my head off.
So I made you yawn three times. Cool.
Sorry. So... an events firm?
Yes, mostly for music.
No, I made you come.
- Oh?
- Yeah.
Pretty quickly, as I remember it.
You talk like a guy. I love it.
Sure you do. It's your gay side.
Mostly for music.
For circus acts too.
That face!
Lots of young people there, though.
It's true, I brought lots of kids.
Those bangs are so convincing!
I'm not sure how to
take that, but thanks.
As a compliment.
Everything suits you. You'd
even look good in shorts.
You'd be so handsome!
Well, thanks.
I'm sorry it didn't work out.
So am I.
Who was it invented the taboo
between brothers and sisters?
I'd like to have a word with him!
Oh...
We're talking at cross
purposes. Sorry, I meant Adjani.
The fact it didn't...
But... shit... I can see that you...
- Yeah... so, now you know.
- Sorry.
- No worries, I'm just being stupid.
- No.
- Life's stupid.
- For sure.
I can hear you giggling from my office.
Sorry.
Yes, well...
Anyway, hello.
Hello. Could you be more discreet?
Sorry, I took the time to help you out,
got six of my pals to give me a hand...
We're just chilling out for a moment.
If it bothers you, I'll go.
- Don't take it that way.
- I'm used to it.
- Bye, Camille.
- Bye.
And good luck with Adjani.
- What's wrong with him?
- I don't know.
He's still mad at me?
He didn't hesitate to help you out.
He did it for you, not me.
You okay?
It's great for Sofia.
I hate reducing women to
their relationships with men
but since you've been together,
Sofia has become radiant.
It's the way you...
look at her, flatter her...
The things you give her.
You're good for her, it's
obvious. It's beautiful.
I think I'm jealous!
Thanks.
Thanks. Anyway...
I read the script again.
I'm not so sure about this movie.
It's a bit tacky.
Kind of cheap, all those...
gratuitous sex scenes...
You'd rather she played a
cr*pple for the Dardenne brothers.
Or a fundamentalist wearing a
burqa in a movie about the jihad.
- Something...
- I get it.
- You do?
- I see.
The thing is...
I introduced them,
they really hit it off...
You know what Julien is like.
He likes women.
I don't want him to like mine.
But that's what our job's about.
All we do is sell desire.
You need desire in a collaboration
between a director and actress.
Without desire, the
results would be so boring.
I know.
Let her live her life.
Don't lock her away.
Above all, trust her.
She'll love you even more.
Is... everything okay?
Can I come in?
Of course.
I'd have tidied up if I'd known.
I was sorting things out.
You accumulate stuff...
Plus I've nothing to offer you.
Maybe a few
roasted hazelnuts...
If I didn't put them
in my lunchtime salad.
So...
great news about Adjani.
- It's all sorted out, it's great.
- Yes.
What would you have? Beer?
It's not very cold.
I've got rum...
Wine...
Oh, there's my uncle's fortified wine!
It's extraordinary.
What's wrong? Are you leaving?
Sorry, I don't feel too good.
No, Mathias.
Really, Noémie,
I should go home.
Wait...
Wait.
Sit down.
You're sweet but I'm not into massages.
Shh.
Careful, I have a touch of
cervical osteoarthritis there.
Ah, yes... We'll try to
eliminate the tension.
Here's the tax adjustment.
My, oh my!
Here's difficult negotiations
with UGC, right there.
There.
That's it.
And here's the loss of Ramzy-Efira...
Yes.
Oh, that's good.
This is great.
That's good!
Let me see your ass, Noémie.
I'm sweating
- from my lobes.
- You'll be fine.
The problem is Hicham.
I know. He's so unpredictable.
And so sexy.
Whenever I look at him,
it makes me real nervous.
Look at Arlette.
You're right.
Above all, I know I'm part of the agency
but I don't want any favoritism.
Forget the adorable creature
who fills your days with his
energy and devastating humor.
- Judge me as job candidate.
- I will.
He's right,
we might lack objectivity.
Can I see him alone?
Fine by me.
I've got work to do.
Good luck, kid.
Jean Gabin, get over here!
Now it's man-to-man.
How would you handle the job?
- By leaving Gabriel?
- Oh no.
I'll carry on working with him,
as happens in other agencies.
I'm very open to doing
several things at once.
If you hire me, I'll give it my all.
And... what is it you
like best about this job?
The excitement of discovery.
Your biggest quality?
My sense of observation.
What would you improve at ASK?
Communications, definitely.
Hervé?
He was stretched out
on the lichen, asleep.
How do you know he was asleep?
I touched his nose, it was cold.
But then I felt his breath.
He seemed calm.
He was sated.
What do badgers eat?
Everything. Earthworms, berries...
Rats? Damn, I got it wrong.
It was "rodents".
"Rats" is good too. As you please.
You choose.
- "Rodents".
- Okay.
- Where from?
- Start again.
Working hard?
Sorry, didn't we tell
you? We're together.
- Okay.
- Sorry.
We didn't say because...
It was... Well, I thought...
People gossip, they'll
say she had connections.
You know how this business is.
It's tough. Keep it to yourself.
Sure, it's just that I'd rather
have known from the start.
- It doesn't change anything.
- It does, a bit.
The main thing is the film.
I don't want anything
interfering with my work.
- Of course.
- There won't be any problem.
I don't want any outside interference.
Definitely! Of course not.
Without freedom, it's
a pointless exercise.
It's like windsurfing without the wind.
Sure, you do whatever you like, Julien.
She's your actress.
Okay.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- I'm here to see Sacha Hartman.
- Yes, of course.
Please wait a moment,
I'll be right back.
Mathias, it's me.
Where the hell are you?
Noémie?
No word from her either.
Oh dear. Mathias!
- We're very late, we must go.
- Don't move.
- We're not going to work?
- No.
But Adjani has a meeting with Hartman.
Ah, alright.
Finally. We did it!
Thanks for coming. We'll be
quick, apparently, you're busy.
No, it's great to meet you,
take as long as you like.
Then sit down.
Ready?
Introduce yourself.
- I'm sorry?
- Sacha...
- This is unnecessary.
- Excuse me?
Where I come from, if you go for
a part, you introduce yourself.
It's only logical.
Well, I suppose it's true.
The glasses.
Ah, yes. Prescription lenses.
They're rather an annoyance.
Anyway...
My name is Isabelle Adjani.
I'm an actress.
I'm 28, like you.
Profile, please.
May I see your hands?
Okay, thanks.
An improvisation.
Oh?
- No...
- Homer's Odyssey. You know it?
- Yes.
- The adventures of Ulysses.
Of course.
Good. Now, you're the magician, Circe.
You have turned
all Ulysses's friends
into pigs and he's mad.
I'll play Ulysses. Now apologize.
This beats everything.
Are you joking?
Not in the least.
Apologize for what, my dear Ulysses?
Everyone knows I turn
people into animals,
it's in all the tourist guides.
Travelers should do their research.
Still, you betrayed
me. They're my friends.
How would I know? They
should wear hats that say:
"Ulysses's g*ng".
You all look like tourists,
so... "There, you're a pig!"
Like everyone. I don't
need to apologize.
But that's what I want
you to do. I'm a hero.
I have supporters, they could hurt you.
And I am a goddess, I always prevail.
That was good, right?
Haven't done impro in
ages. Can I have the video?
We're not done, I await your apologies.
- That's enough.
- Not till I say so.
Are we still improvising?
Yes, of course. Ulysses,
come back to earth!
The scene isn't finished,
I await an apology!
I'd heard about your reputation but...
I don't like people who
enjoy humiliating others.
Bye then, Louis XIV.
See? Hurts, doesn't it?
Feeling rejected.
This is absurd. What have I done to you?
Hardly anything. Just broke my heart.
You were my biggest
hero. I grew up with you.
I sent you a declaration
of my love. What did you do?
You threw it back in my face.
I know all about humiliation.
I don't understand.
The script for Love Eternel,
that you rejected four years ago.
I never received any script or letter.
- You are lying.
- I am not!
It's my fault.
Four years ago, I was
starting out at ASK.
I didn't know a thing,
I should have boned up.
I received this rather...
unusual screenplay
and threw it away.
Isabelle never saw it.
I'm so sorry.
Sacha... Sacha, wait.
So everything's alright.
We've cleared the air.
Look at the positive side.
You're right. But which positive side?
Some halfwit intern shredding
my Palme d'Or-winning script
or me insulting my favorite
actress? Hard to say.
Let me chew it over. For,
say, the rest of my life.
Doors closing...
Isabelle.
- Congratulate Mathias.
- For?
Missing this. He has instinct.
He'll call you.
Tell him to wait awhile.
Say, the rest of my life.
No. Isa...
Camille!
Mathias, it's a disaster! Adjani
and Hartman argued and stormed out.
We must go or I'll lose my job!
Go, I'm staying here. Tell
them whatever you like.
Say I've gone missing.
- You haven't seen me.
- What! Are you crazy?
Say I'm dead. Anyway, I am dead.
Oh no... No, that won't do, Mathias.
No!
This isn't you.
You're a fighter, a winner!
Come on, get up.
Yes, you needed that. Now come on!
Camille!
Camille, come out.
Come on, this is ridiculous.
Give me an explanation.
I had a screening early this
morning, my phone was off.
Were you balling a Tahitian?
You stink of monoi.
We've just lost Sacha
Hartman and Isabelle Adjani.
I'm new here but this
stinks of more than monoi.
A misunderstanding.
I'll get Hartman back.
Mathias, you have to talk to Adjani.
We'll sort things out.
The real problem...
is Camille.
Why?
She's been acting weird,
being obstructive.
Just now she lost a wheel.
She claimed she'd been here
four years and she tossed
Sacha's screenplay in the trash.
Is she a compulsive liar? That's crazy.
You never can tell.
Maybe she's a mole.
Sent by StarMedia to torpedo us.
You're all out of your minds!
I'm taking no risks.
Any doubt and she's out.
I asked her to lie.
I threw that script out four years ago.
I asked her to sabotage the meeting.
Camille...
is my daughter.
What was that?
Your daughter...
what, from the start?
When were you going to tell us?
When the time came.
Today, apparently.
She's been here for nine
months and nobody knew?
That's right.
Your assistant and you didn't know?
Precisely. Funny, isn't it?
- Sorry.
- You're right.
It's funny. You've been taking the piss!
It's dishonest, I know.
- Well, yes...
- Unforgivable.
I wish it had been different.
I accept responsibility.
If anyone has to leave, it should be me.
I couldn't agree more.
She's so... magnetic.
So elegant.
Poetic too.
Then the small woman goes blind.
The big, dumb girl
dies...
I won't miss her, she was stupid.
Then the brother with
the brooding good looks...
kills him.
No!
That makes me mad.
- Yes.
- So can you find the next season for me?
A year is a long time to wait.
Sure. What's the title again?
Game of Thrones.
Do you live under a rock, Mathias?
I'll see Louis Garrel
at the theater, Thursday.
Tell Berléand the contracts are ready.
By the way, your top
stinks of fried food.
- Hi, Isabelle.
- Hi.
- Are you well?
- Fine.
- Hello.
- Hello.
The next Sacha Hartman film.
- He's one of yours?
- I take care of him.
I adore him.
Winning a Palme d'Or
with a first movie...
It's beautiful.
He's not yet 30, is he? 28?
That's right. Very talented.
The elevator is here, Isabelle.
Well, I'd love to work with him.
Then let's talk about it.
He has a great part for you.
- Really?
- Yes.
Shall I ask him?
It isn't really my
style to tout for parts.
Maybe it should be.
Isabelle likes a director to ask.
Quite right, that's how it works.
Not necessarily.
Directors like to feel desired.
Especially by you.
We'd better read the script
first, let's not be hasty.
As you wish, but I think
haste is called for.
Sacha is in Paris right now.
It's a sign! I could set up a meeting.
Alright, then.
I'll call him now.
- Wait...
- Be discreet about it!
Yes, of course.
- Hello?
- Sacha, it's Andréa.
- Hi.
- Were you asleep?
- Kind of.
- Sorry but it's important.
I just ran into Isabelle Adjani.
She's dying to meet you.
- Is this a joke?
- Seriously.
She's perfect for the Milena role.
She'd be great!
A French movie icon
in a Sacha Hartman film
- would cause a splash.
- I'd sooner die.
Hello?
Well?
Well... he's delighted!
I refuse to work with the woman.
- She scares you?
- No.
She's kind of unpredictable
but such a great actress.
She'll go a long way for a film.
Ask her to eat dirt...
make love to a lion, she'll do it.
Great.
You two working together
would be an event. expl*sive!
She's never been so
excited by a director.
- Yeah?
- Yes!
Funny.
She wasn't when I sent her
the script for my first film.
That was four years
ago, no one knew you.
So?
It doesn't excuse the
filthy email I got back.
"Miss Adjani isn't interested."
My film won the Palme, now she wants me.
Tell her Mr. Hartman
isn't interested either.
- Has the Gaumont courier been yet?
- No.
Hartman doesn't want Adjani.
How so?
You knew she'd turned down Love Eternel?
- No.
- Well, he remembers.
He's still bitter and
refuses to see her.
I was right not to be hasty.
Is that all?
Directors often turn down actresses.
It's not the end of the world.
Are you crazy?
We're missing out on two of
the biggest names in movies
and it's not the end of the world?
Noémie, fix me up an appointment
with Mathias Barneville.
Not this one, the one who
fought for the big deals!
I think Mathias knows a
good deal when he sees one.
It's your client who's
being awkward here.
You led Isabelle into all this.
Stop it. Did you see her?
She was dying to work with him!
Maybe she could call him.
- To apologize.
- No way!
I won't let her humiliate
herself with some guy
who thinks he's a movie hotshot!
Okay...
No, I understand.
Well, I'll call Isabelle.
- Andréa?
- Yes?
She's my client, I'll do it.
Oh, well then!
Thank you, my lord. Thank you!
- She's so rude!
- Anyway...
"Suspensive conditions"?
Thank you, Sofia.
Andréa, close the door.
Right, interviews for the junior agent
will be held in my office
but I want one of you with me.
Then we'll choose the best candidate.
Shall we do the first, Marteau?
No, sorry, I'm not available.
Fine, with another candidate then.
Not before next week.
Oh, Marteau!
We have nine candidates.
- Ten.
- Hervé.
You're doing at least three of them
with me, in my office.
Okay. Two candidates.
I'll decide when.
Interviews in my office.
Here... coffee.
Thanks.
You okay?
You seemed tense.
I just can't bear him
ordering me around.
You're right.
It's not as if he can
fire us whenever he likes.
We can't live in fear of being
fired. We're better than that.
I won't bow down before him.
I've no desire to suck up to
him. I don't want to obey him!
There!
What's he done to you? I know.
Is this about Aymeline Val?
He scored with her?
We both did, together.
No... No, you didn't.
I know. Bad move.
Oh, f*ck!
He provoked me.
It's the Brancion thing all over again!
No, this is nothing like that.
- Not at all.
- You're a sexual deviant.
Only sleeping with someone
if the agency is at stake!
No, this was a one-off.
One tiny f*ck that has no consequences.
One teeny-weeny f*ck.
There, so...
f*ck!
So...
you sleep with men?
No!
Yes.
No! Gabriel, stop it. No, I said!
What was it like?
Heavy and hairy.
Yoo-hoo!
Yoo-hoo.
Is this what Zumba does to you?
I need to try it.
No, I had a drink with Julien Doré.
Really? That's great.
Why didn't you tell me?
I am telling you.
He's got your number?
I gave it to him at Elvis's party.
Only he should have called me.
Or talked directly to
Mathias, your agent.
Who cares? You did the
groundwork, introduced us...
It's all down to you.
You're right... So?
He's great! I'm doing voice
tests at his studio tomorrow.
Fantastic.
That's fantastic, honey.
Plus you've made dinner.
You're perfect! What is it?
Chocolates!
It's okay... they've all left.
Close the door.
There's no one here.
You never know. Sit down.
Thanks for staying.
I don't mind, I had stuff to finish.
I'm in the shit, Camille. Deep shit.
You're the only person
here I trust completely
and who can get me out of it.
I haven't called Isabelle Adjani back.
Because if I do... I have to
tell her that four years ago
I tossed the script for Love
Eternel straight into the garbage.
Why did you do that?
20 pages full of a child's drawings.
Not even a screenplay. I was
protecting my actress from a nutjob.
It's the mistake every agent dreads.
The worst f*ck-up of my career.
If it gets out, I'll
be a laughing stock.
Isabelle will leave me, the
agency will suffer hugely.
Is it really irretrievable?
You know the publisher who
turned down Harry Potter?
- No.
- Me neither.
In this job,
a lack of acumen is a crime. A curse.
What can we do? Hartman will tell
Adjani he sent her the script.
Exactly. So they mustn't meet.
He has to stay mad at her.
That's why I need you.
To put a spanner in
the works. Discreetly.
If Andréa susses me out...
it'll be hell for me too.
You're right. Forget it.
It's too complicated.
I shouldn't have asked you.
It's okay.
I'll do it.
Here, hold this.
I'll be fine.
How do we explain you being
here? He'll know we're an item.
No. We'll say Mathias couldn't make it.
Good idea.
- Hi.
- How's it going?
Mathias couldn't make it.
Okay... no problem.
- You okay?
- Hi.
- Welcome.
- Hi.
I've done a few different
arrangements for the song.
I was so inspired by your voice...
- Yeah? Thanks.
- In here.
Yeah, thanks.
Sorry, Gabriel, I'd rather the
booth wasn't full of people.
See you later.
There.
This is the most important
room in the studio.
The most intimate.
- The uterus. I'll let you go in.
- Thanks.
Here's your headset.
- Great. I'm right next door.
- Okay.
When you're ready.
Relax, everything is fine.
Okay.
She missed out. She apologizes.
Too late.
This is ridiculous.
A legendary actress!
Seriously, you know
who Isabelle Adjani is?
You know who she is?
I know very well who Isabelle Adjani is.
No one knows better than
me who Isabelle Adjani is.
Look, Andréa.
As a child, I had weak bones.
I suffered fractures.
When I was eight, I fell down
the stairs and broke my back.
Before I was 15, I was
hospitalized 10, 20 times.
You know the loneliness of a sick child?
No, not really.
I know the loneliness of a bored child.
Same thing, only it hurts.
Fortunately my parents were
cultured, and had a lot of films.
I watched so many of them alone.
That's how I discovered Isabelle Adjani.
More than the movies of
Truffaut, Becker or Chéreau,
I watched Adjani.
She was so... she was everything.
Sister, friend, fiancée...
I was not alone anymore.
I wanted to make movies for her.
My first film had to be for her.
I wrote to her, with my
script, explaining all this.
The reply was cold, stupid...
I'll never forgive her.
I understand your disappointment.
I wasn't disappointed, I was depressed!
I almost gave up cinema.
The woman is dead to me.
Now she'll regret it.
Very likely, yes.
Or think she intimidates you.
Nonsense.
Sure, it's only natural.
She says so herself.
She makes people piss their pants.
I'm not scared of her.
Yes, I know. I understand.
But still...
You know what? Forget it.
Who cares what Adjani thinks?
- I'll call her.
- Wait.
I don't like people spreading lies.
I'll see her, we'll
sort a few things out.
Sure, it's up to you.
Oops, I messed it up a bit.
Yeah.
Give me a moment.
Shall I do it again?
Do you... want me to do it again?
Shall I pick it up?
- If it was no good, I'll do it again.
- Yeah, we'll do it again.
So? What did Hartman say?
It's okay, he'll see Adjani.
It's a crazy combination,
right? We want to see this movie.
Yeah, I'll say! I'll fix up a meeting.
I'm on it.
Wait... come here.
Hey, are you Andréa Martel's assistant?
Go for it!
So if you adopt the same body
language as your counterpart
during a job interview,
by copying
their gestures, their emotional
state, you send out a clear message:
I'm just like you, I'm part of you.
We can get along.
Sure, it's NLP.
You know it?
Yeah, I did a course.
That's how I learned
to control my emotions.
Imitate Hicham at your interview?
Shouldn't you be yourself?
My head's spinning.
The applicants' CVs are like Harvard!
That's Eugénie Léon-Brun.
Law school, expert in
intellectual property rights.
Three years in production,
then two with VMA.
Plus she's cute, Hicham will love her.
I can put her off her
stride if you like.
You can't do that, it isn't done!
You have the advantage of working here.
Yes, it would be hideous.
Still...
Go, Noémie, wreck the sl*t!
Is she threatening to k*ll her?
This way, please.
What did you say?
Hi.
I told her the real boss here
was Arlette Azémar, it
was her she had to win over.
Hello, Miss.
I told her to go for
it, to speak very loud
because she's deaf.
Hello, ma'am!
So happy to meet you!
To work alongside you
is a dream for any young agent!
A profound, intelligent screenplay.
Powerful dramatic art.
Everything I love.
Is it nice?
Very, yes.
I'll wrap it up.
You ought to know
that Sacha Hartman
isn't easy to work with.
I'm used to that.
Exhausting his actors
with so many takes...
Like Kubrick.
I can be exhausting too, you know.
Plus he's asked his crew to sing
Céline Dion before certain takes.
Mathias, I've always
loved how candid you are.
If there's a problem, say so.
Has Hartman cast someone else?
Andréa jumped the g*n a little.
He'd set his heart on
an American actress.
- One who isn't exactly...
- Shh.
what he needs.
- Shh.
- Yes, of course.
- Hello, Sacha Hartman.
- Listen.
Thanks for being with us.
You speak perfect French.
I attended the French school in Berlin.
My parents have always loved France.
Could you turn it up?
Your first movie, which won
the Palme d'Or at Cannes,
is one that the Catholic
Promouvoir association
is trying to have banned,
as was Blue Is the Warmest
Color or Antichrist.
How do you react to that?
If I was really interested in such
people I'd make a film about them
but I don't want to
give them a platform.
Or even the time of day.
To me, they're just
fighting a rearguard action.
They're old-world, they're dead to me.
They are alive though...
You have a car? Can I catch a ride?
Sure, where to?
The radio station. If the
American hasn't signed yet...
We can't just rush in.
You urged discretion.
Discretion is so dull! Much
more exciting to rush in.
Let's go.
This is annoying me...
- Hello?
- Hi, Noémie?
No, Camille. Wrong person.
I know, Noémie.
Tell my 3 o'clock meeting I'll be late.
I'm going with Isabelle
Adjani to the radio studio
to meet Sacha Hartman.
- Oh shit.
- Exactly.
I have to find a way
- to get Hartman away.
- Good. Call me back.
Shall we go, or should I hire a bike?
No, give me the keys.
Are you sure?
Are you afraid in cars?
Protect our children!
What's that?
Our children! Protect our children!
An anti-Hartman demonstration.
Sodomy is infamy!
Not very friendly.
Yes, they're spoiling for a fight.
It's hotting up.
- What's that?
- Andréa?
Promouvoir activists
are outside the studio.
- I saw it on Twitter, they're going wild.
- A lot of them?
Yeah, loads!
If Sacha sees them,
there'll be a punch-up.
Okay, so sneak out the back.
- I'll send a cab.
- Thanks, Camille!
Can you mail this for me?
Yeah.
Isn't that the trash?
Strange he hasn't called back.
- Who?
- Julien.
He said he'd call back very soon.
It's starting to drag on.
You did the tests this morning.
- This morning!
- You're right.
So what's this for?
Mail it.
Yes.
How about you call him?
You're his agent.
Just to sound him out.
He's probably checking out other girls.
- Really?
- Yes.
He said he would? How many? Who?
I don't know.
He has a job, a million things to do,
a girlfriend he likes
to spend time with...
Let's give Juju a break.
- Of course.
- Sure.
Right?
- Here, Benoît.
- Thanks.
Nervous about the interview?
No, I'm fine.
Thanks.
No, thank you.
You're like the second coming!
It takes courage to work
exclusively with Depardieu.
Excuse me?
You're the interviewee?
Yes, but they didn't mention him.
Apparently, he's difficult.
Well, he's his own man.
You have health insurance?
The usual.
Why?
In the event of
fractures, back problems...
He's a heavyweight.
But you look pretty sporty.
Good core muscles, actually.
Also...
Have you been to Russia?
No, never.
You'll be going there a lot.
Gérard has friends there.
They mess around, drink,
play Russian roulette...
And have fun. You'll see, it's great!
Benoît Larroque?
No.
No? That's his picture on the CV.
He seemed very unsure.
He wants to open an
organic, gluten-free store.
Another who doesn't know
what's wrong with him.
Honestly, the kids today!
We had one crazy girl
who kept yelling at me.
No! Our poor country.
How so, unavailable?
Nothing. She has costume fittings,
then a Chanel show,
a reading... She's fully
booked till next week.
But I've stayed on
specially. What's she up to?
I told you.
She woos you, then snubs you.
She's a hysteric!
Sacha, don't be so paranoid.
No early-morning slots?
Nothing at all.
I only did this to indulge
you. I don't need Adjani!
There are lots of
great actresses around.
Wait, I'll call her.
- This is absurd.
- Skip it.
Sacha, I need to find out.
- Hello?
- Isabelle, it's Andréa Martel at ASK.
I'm calling on behalf of Sacha
Hartman, who's heading back to Hamburg.
- Would you like to meet him?
- For two days now
I've been trying! I even
went to the radio station.
Tomorrow, at the office?
Of course.
- As I keep telling you.
- That's fine.
- Tomorrow, at 11.
- Alright, thanks.
- Great, see you tomorrow, Isabelle.
- Bye!
Unavailable?
I don't understand. She
was very firm with me.
Maybe because I'm just an assistant.
Whatever.
So, it's all settled!
Great.
Here, the applicants' CVs.
Thanks.
Not really my thing.
I feel nervous for them,
like it was me applying.
It's Julien.
"I've thought it over, these
songs aren't a good idea."
f*ck!
A text message? Is he for real?
Can't he even call?
Tell you what, it's just as well.
Now we don't have to work with him.
He's your client.
Yes, but still... That's just...
"Instead I suggest you partner me
"in the film and do the
soundtrack. Say you'll do it!"
Wait, he wants me to
act in it? And sing?
The whole hog!
I don't understand, Charlotte
Le Bon is co-starring.
I'll call him.
- Yeah, Gabriel?
- Hi, Julien, how are you?
Isn't Charlotte Le Bon meant to
be doing Lola Darling with you?
No, we broke up.
Put the loudspeaker on.
It got to be too much. She's
been criticizing me for a year.
Even her films became testing for us.
Never mind, though. Thanks
to you, I've met Sofia.
I want her.
- Shouldn't she do a screen test
- Why?
I've had a look at her, she's perfect!
I don't have any doubts.
She has it all.
The look, the naturalness,
the charm... She has this carnal,
sensitive quality.
She really opened up to me.
She opened up in a song.
It was crazy!
I don't want anything cheap or vulgar.
What I want in my
movie is pop eroticism.
Sofia has it all.
She's perfect. A perfect sex machine.
Okay, I'll call you back.
So what did he say?
Look, I don't know what to think.
He's acting hastily,
he's in a breakup...
It's so...
- Totally irrational, confused...
- Sofia?
Yes?
I got a text message from Julien Doré.
You know he wants you to
play the lead in his movie?
Time for the interview.
No, you're early. Come
back later, I'm working.
I love your office.
We both have a love of beautiful things.
Quit looking at me that way.
You're so paranoid! I
hate conflict at work.
Yeah?
Look, Janowski.
I like women, only women.
Sex with a woman is incomparable.
Sweet, deep, metaphysical.
I agree.
No, f*ck, you don't understand!
For me, going from guys to girls
was like going from a
sandpit to a football pitch.
Fine, skip the explanations,
I know what I see.
No, I can't go back.
And you won't make me want to.
Now leave.
Okay, Marteau.
And stop f*cking calling me Marteau!
- Léopoldine Schneck, for the interview.
- Show her in.
So...
Léopoldine.
Tell us about yourself.
After my baccalauréat, I
studied cinema at Paris VIII.
Alongside that
I worked for an events firm.
A sandpit!
One with a big castle. Because you came.
- No I didn't.
- Oh yes, you obviously came.
Are you kidding? It was an ordeal!
I was yawning my head off.
So I made you yawn three times. Cool.
Sorry. So... an events firm?
Yes, mostly for music.
No, I made you come.
- Oh?
- Yeah.
Pretty quickly, as I remember it.
You talk like a guy. I love it.
Sure you do. It's your gay side.
Mostly for music.
For circus acts too.
That face!
Lots of young people there, though.
It's true, I brought lots of kids.
Those bangs are so convincing!
I'm not sure how to
take that, but thanks.
As a compliment.
Everything suits you. You'd
even look good in shorts.
You'd be so handsome!
Well, thanks.
I'm sorry it didn't work out.
So am I.
Who was it invented the taboo
between brothers and sisters?
I'd like to have a word with him!
Oh...
We're talking at cross
purposes. Sorry, I meant Adjani.
The fact it didn't...
But... shit... I can see that you...
- Yeah... so, now you know.
- Sorry.
- No worries, I'm just being stupid.
- No.
- Life's stupid.
- For sure.
I can hear you giggling from my office.
Sorry.
Yes, well...
Anyway, hello.
Hello. Could you be more discreet?
Sorry, I took the time to help you out,
got six of my pals to give me a hand...
We're just chilling out for a moment.
If it bothers you, I'll go.
- Don't take it that way.
- I'm used to it.
- Bye, Camille.
- Bye.
And good luck with Adjani.
- What's wrong with him?
- I don't know.
He's still mad at me?
He didn't hesitate to help you out.
He did it for you, not me.
You okay?
It's great for Sofia.
I hate reducing women to
their relationships with men
but since you've been together,
Sofia has become radiant.
It's the way you...
look at her, flatter her...
The things you give her.
You're good for her, it's
obvious. It's beautiful.
I think I'm jealous!
Thanks.
Thanks. Anyway...
I read the script again.
I'm not so sure about this movie.
It's a bit tacky.
Kind of cheap, all those...
gratuitous sex scenes...
You'd rather she played a
cr*pple for the Dardenne brothers.
Or a fundamentalist wearing a
burqa in a movie about the jihad.
- Something...
- I get it.
- You do?
- I see.
The thing is...
I introduced them,
they really hit it off...
You know what Julien is like.
He likes women.
I don't want him to like mine.
But that's what our job's about.
All we do is sell desire.
You need desire in a collaboration
between a director and actress.
Without desire, the
results would be so boring.
I know.
Let her live her life.
Don't lock her away.
Above all, trust her.
She'll love you even more.
Is... everything okay?
Can I come in?
Of course.
I'd have tidied up if I'd known.
I was sorting things out.
You accumulate stuff...
Plus I've nothing to offer you.
Maybe a few
roasted hazelnuts...
If I didn't put them
in my lunchtime salad.
So...
great news about Adjani.
- It's all sorted out, it's great.
- Yes.
What would you have? Beer?
It's not very cold.
I've got rum...
Wine...
Oh, there's my uncle's fortified wine!
It's extraordinary.
What's wrong? Are you leaving?
Sorry, I don't feel too good.
No, Mathias.
Really, Noémie,
I should go home.
Wait...
Wait.
Sit down.
You're sweet but I'm not into massages.
Shh.
Careful, I have a touch of
cervical osteoarthritis there.
Ah, yes... We'll try to
eliminate the tension.
Here's the tax adjustment.
My, oh my!
Here's difficult negotiations
with UGC, right there.
There.
That's it.
And here's the loss of Ramzy-Efira...
Yes.
Oh, that's good.
This is great.
That's good!
Let me see your ass, Noémie.
I'm sweating
- from my lobes.
- You'll be fine.
The problem is Hicham.
I know. He's so unpredictable.
And so sexy.
Whenever I look at him,
it makes me real nervous.
Look at Arlette.
You're right.
Above all, I know I'm part of the agency
but I don't want any favoritism.
Forget the adorable creature
who fills your days with his
energy and devastating humor.
- Judge me as job candidate.
- I will.
He's right,
we might lack objectivity.
Can I see him alone?
Fine by me.
I've got work to do.
Good luck, kid.
Jean Gabin, get over here!
Now it's man-to-man.
How would you handle the job?
- By leaving Gabriel?
- Oh no.
I'll carry on working with him,
as happens in other agencies.
I'm very open to doing
several things at once.
If you hire me, I'll give it my all.
And... what is it you
like best about this job?
The excitement of discovery.
Your biggest quality?
My sense of observation.
What would you improve at ASK?
Communications, definitely.
Hervé?
He was stretched out
on the lichen, asleep.
How do you know he was asleep?
I touched his nose, it was cold.
But then I felt his breath.
He seemed calm.
He was sated.
What do badgers eat?
Everything. Earthworms, berries...
Rats? Damn, I got it wrong.
It was "rodents".
"Rats" is good too. As you please.
You choose.
- "Rodents".
- Okay.
- Where from?
- Start again.
Working hard?
Sorry, didn't we tell
you? We're together.
- Okay.
- Sorry.
We didn't say because...
It was... Well, I thought...
People gossip, they'll
say she had connections.
You know how this business is.
It's tough. Keep it to yourself.
Sure, it's just that I'd rather
have known from the start.
- It doesn't change anything.
- It does, a bit.
The main thing is the film.
I don't want anything
interfering with my work.
- Of course.
- There won't be any problem.
I don't want any outside interference.
Definitely! Of course not.
Without freedom, it's
a pointless exercise.
It's like windsurfing without the wind.
Sure, you do whatever you like, Julien.
She's your actress.
Okay.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- I'm here to see Sacha Hartman.
- Yes, of course.
Please wait a moment,
I'll be right back.
Mathias, it's me.
Where the hell are you?
Noémie?
No word from her either.
Oh dear. Mathias!
- We're very late, we must go.
- Don't move.
- We're not going to work?
- No.
But Adjani has a meeting with Hartman.
Ah, alright.
Finally. We did it!
Thanks for coming. We'll be
quick, apparently, you're busy.
No, it's great to meet you,
take as long as you like.
Then sit down.
Ready?
Introduce yourself.
- I'm sorry?
- Sacha...
- This is unnecessary.
- Excuse me?
Where I come from, if you go for
a part, you introduce yourself.
It's only logical.
Well, I suppose it's true.
The glasses.
Ah, yes. Prescription lenses.
They're rather an annoyance.
Anyway...
My name is Isabelle Adjani.
I'm an actress.
I'm 28, like you.
Profile, please.
May I see your hands?
Okay, thanks.
An improvisation.
Oh?
- No...
- Homer's Odyssey. You know it?
- Yes.
- The adventures of Ulysses.
Of course.
Good. Now, you're the magician, Circe.
You have turned
all Ulysses's friends
into pigs and he's mad.
I'll play Ulysses. Now apologize.
This beats everything.
Are you joking?
Not in the least.
Apologize for what, my dear Ulysses?
Everyone knows I turn
people into animals,
it's in all the tourist guides.
Travelers should do their research.
Still, you betrayed
me. They're my friends.
How would I know? They
should wear hats that say:
"Ulysses's g*ng".
You all look like tourists,
so... "There, you're a pig!"
Like everyone. I don't
need to apologize.
But that's what I want
you to do. I'm a hero.
I have supporters, they could hurt you.
And I am a goddess, I always prevail.
That was good, right?
Haven't done impro in
ages. Can I have the video?
We're not done, I await your apologies.
- That's enough.
- Not till I say so.
Are we still improvising?
Yes, of course. Ulysses,
come back to earth!
The scene isn't finished,
I await an apology!
I'd heard about your reputation but...
I don't like people who
enjoy humiliating others.
Bye then, Louis XIV.
See? Hurts, doesn't it?
Feeling rejected.
This is absurd. What have I done to you?
Hardly anything. Just broke my heart.
You were my biggest
hero. I grew up with you.
I sent you a declaration
of my love. What did you do?
You threw it back in my face.
I know all about humiliation.
I don't understand.
The script for Love Eternel,
that you rejected four years ago.
I never received any script or letter.
- You are lying.
- I am not!
It's my fault.
Four years ago, I was
starting out at ASK.
I didn't know a thing,
I should have boned up.
I received this rather...
unusual screenplay
and threw it away.
Isabelle never saw it.
I'm so sorry.
Sacha... Sacha, wait.
So everything's alright.
We've cleared the air.
Look at the positive side.
You're right. But which positive side?
Some halfwit intern shredding
my Palme d'Or-winning script
or me insulting my favorite
actress? Hard to say.
Let me chew it over. For,
say, the rest of my life.
Doors closing...
Isabelle.
- Congratulate Mathias.
- For?
Missing this. He has instinct.
He'll call you.
Tell him to wait awhile.
Say, the rest of my life.
No. Isa...
Camille!
Mathias, it's a disaster! Adjani
and Hartman argued and stormed out.
We must go or I'll lose my job!
Go, I'm staying here. Tell
them whatever you like.
Say I've gone missing.
- You haven't seen me.
- What! Are you crazy?
Say I'm dead. Anyway, I am dead.
Oh no... No, that won't do, Mathias.
No!
This isn't you.
You're a fighter, a winner!
Come on, get up.
Yes, you needed that. Now come on!
Camille!
Camille, come out.
Come on, this is ridiculous.
Give me an explanation.
I had a screening early this
morning, my phone was off.
Were you balling a Tahitian?
You stink of monoi.
We've just lost Sacha
Hartman and Isabelle Adjani.
I'm new here but this
stinks of more than monoi.
A misunderstanding.
I'll get Hartman back.
Mathias, you have to talk to Adjani.
We'll sort things out.
The real problem...
is Camille.
Why?
She's been acting weird,
being obstructive.
Just now she lost a wheel.
She claimed she'd been here
four years and she tossed
Sacha's screenplay in the trash.
Is she a compulsive liar? That's crazy.
You never can tell.
Maybe she's a mole.
Sent by StarMedia to torpedo us.
You're all out of your minds!
I'm taking no risks.
Any doubt and she's out.
I asked her to lie.
I threw that script out four years ago.
I asked her to sabotage the meeting.
Camille...
is my daughter.
What was that?
Your daughter...
what, from the start?
When were you going to tell us?
When the time came.
Today, apparently.
She's been here for nine
months and nobody knew?
That's right.
Your assistant and you didn't know?
Precisely. Funny, isn't it?
- Sorry.
- You're right.
It's funny. You've been taking the piss!
It's dishonest, I know.
- Well, yes...
- Unforgivable.
I wish it had been different.
I accept responsibility.
If anyone has to leave, it should be me.
I couldn't agree more.