03x01 - Indecencies

[bunniefuu]

Elena... you coming?

- I really enjoyed the presentation.
- Thank you.

May I ask for one too?

Me too, please.

To Olivia, fondly.

It was a rather stormy presentation.

Back in school
Elena was the literary one.

Come to dinner,
so you can tell us about it.

I've made a reservation nearby.

We have to celebrate,
there's a nice surprise for Elena.

Hi, Lenù.

Hi, Nino.

How long has it been?

The Airotas...

They're a family of great traditions,

among the most civilized
of those that count in Italy.

Guido's an exceptional man.

- I'm good friends with Mariarosa.
- Yes?

Yes, we have certain arguments...

I know you're marrying Pietro.

I've read his book, I found it brilliant.

How do you like it in Milan?

It's a difficult city,

especially if you're from the South
without a cent in your pocket.

- Did you move back to Naples?
- For now, yes.

- In the neighborhood?
- Yes.

I broke all ties with my father,
I don't see my family anymore.

- Too bad.
- No, it's fine like that.

I'm only sorry
I don't have any news of Lila.

She left her husband,
she lives with someone else.

Did she have a boy or a girl?

A boy.

Lila's brave, even too much so,

but she won't bend to reality,

she's incapable
of accepting others and herself.

Loving her was a difficult experience.

Why?

She doesn't know what dedication is.

- You're exaggerating.
- No, she's all wrong.

In her head, in everything, even sex.

I would have liked to ask:
Lila is all wrong in the head?

And what does
all wrong in sex mean?

Nino, when is a girl all wrong in sex?

Was I all wrong like Lila?

But even if it were possible
to ask him those questions,

what did I care?

Besides, who was he to say
you're made wrong, you're not?

I've got it in for the overlords.

I agreed with the piece
Professor Airota wrote in Il Ponte.

The teaching conditions for us lecturers
are as he described them.

I must tell my daughter,

because Mariarosa, as usual,
thought it was an awful article.

Mariarosa only stands for
what the world can't give her.

If you'll excuse me.

Where are you going?
We'd like to hear your view.

- I have nothing to say.
- A writer always has something to say.

Maybe I'm not a writer.

By then, I knew
he wasn't attracted to me.

In Ischia he chose Lila, not me.

And yet I still wanted him,
I only wanted him.

I would have liked to make him
walk all night to ask him:

What music should I listen to?
What films should I see?

What books should I read?

Enough, I was sick
of everything and everyone,

even of myself for wasting
the evening like that.

Here's your surprise!

Elena!

I'm sorry, I came by car but I didn't
make it in time for the presentation.

- Never mind.
- Are you sure?

- Pisa-Milan is an arduous trip.
- Yes, but driving relaxes me.

- What car do you have?
- A 600.

How do you like it?

It's fine, I don't know much about cars
but they say it has good gears.

I wanted to buy one,
but you know how the university pays.

Enough chatter now.

- Let's come to the second surprise.
- You tell them, Mamma.

No, you tell them.

They've made me a professor
at Florence.

He's got tenure.

Just like that, as if by magic.

I never know what he's studying,
what tests he has to take...

Elena, it's much better like this.

We women are given the task
of being happy about their success.

It's not every day
you become a full professor,

so young.

No, but there are thousands of lecturers
slogging day and night.

You have one right here.

Congratulations, it's wonderful news.

Thank you.

It'll be your turn soon,
you're so generous and brilliant.

Let's raise a glass to our young
professors, they'll change the world.

- To you, Pietro.
- Thank you.

- Congratulations, cheers!
- Cheers, everyone.

How handsome Nino was,
how seductive, how...

I don't want to search for adjectives
for Pietro, it'd be unfair.

The gap between them was too great,

but they seemed pleased
to have met and they ignored me.

Professor, it's been
a pleasure meeting you.

For me too, son.

Be well.

I'm off to bed.

Good night everyone.

Blessed youth!

- I hope to see you again soon.
- It'd be a pleasure.

- I'll send your regards to Mariarosa.
- And pay my respects to your husband.

See you soon, Adele.

I wish you all the best.

Good night.

Good night, Nino.

I'll stay with Elena for a while.

Good.

Goodbye, my dear.

I'll see you at your sister's, then.

Good night.

What's wrong?

I'm just a bit tired.

It was just an excuse for us
to be alone for a while.

Have I done something wrong?
Are you angry?

I don't like Florence.

Have you ever been to Florence?

Twice, but I don't like it.

I don't even want to write anymore.

Why?

I don't want to talk about it.

I want to teach.

You can do both.

We have our whole lives ahead,
you can do what you like.

Tell me when I can come to Naples
to meet your parents.

Forget about my parents.

You're not suitable for them
and they're not suitable for you.

- Don't you want to marry me anymore?
- Of course I do.

It's been a tiring evening.

Can I sleep with you tonight?

You wanted to wait, let's wait.

Let's go.

Good night.

Here's your key.

Have a pleasant evening, goodbye.

Elena!

What a lovely evening!

I'll see you up.

- Floor?
- Fourth.

Same as me! It's destiny.

Your pages are things that...

are things that...

Well, good night.

Professor!

He's drunk...

I had the impression
that Nino's appearance

had finally given life full meaning

and that his disappearance, instead,

had stripped meaning
from every thing or feeling.

You think you're somebody
'cause you write books,

'cause you're marrying a professor...

But you came out of this belly,
this is your kind.

So it's pointless to act superior.

You're clever because I am,
even more than you!

If I had the chances you had...

I woulda gone just as far as you,
you hear me?

Nothing to say?

Nothing to say?

You don't care about anyone.

You went and did what you wanted

without helping your siblings,
who haven't amounted to much.

At least you can give us some money.

I'll have a telephone put in,
and a television.

A television and a telephone
in this house? You'll pay for it?

Always, even after you're married?

The professor knows
we can't afford a dowry or a reception?

He knows.
And we're not having a reception.

- No reception? Make him pay for it!
- We'll do without.

Remember Lila's wedding,
her reception?

You're a hundred times better than her
and you don't want one?

No, and not only
are we not having a reception,

but we're not even
getting married in church.

We're getting married at city hall.

Wretched girl!

- Shush.
- Wretched!

If a priest doesn't bless your marriage
it's worthless!

You'll be treated like a whore,
not like a wife!

Vittorio, come.

You two, don't you have
to go to work now?

Come and listen to this bullshit.

Come on, it's late! It's afternoon.

You hear what she's got in mind?
She studied so much her brain's gone!

She wants to be treated like a whore.

I won't be able
to leave the house out of shame!

Stop shouting, let me understand.

You gotta kick her out right now,
I don't want her here.

She's happy to be treated like a whore!
Like Lila, like Ada!

You want to get married at city hall
or your sweetheart does?

Whether I get married at city hall
or in church is the same to me,

but for Pietro and his family a church
wedding would be unacceptable.

If we don't get married at city hall,
we won't get married.

- Or he won't marry you?
- No.

What will he do, leave you?

No, we'll live together
without getting married.

I swear I'll slit your throat,
you hear me?

Put the Kn*fe down, Immacolata,
try to calm down.

Don't try my patience, calm down.

Let's think it through.

You can get married in church,
have a lavish party

and still end up badly.

The professor's a Communist, right?

Communist and professor.
Professor of my ass!

A man who thinks like that
is a piece of sh*t!

What piece of sh*t?

He's educated

and he knows what
nasty stuff priests get up to.

That's why he only wants
to get married at city hall.

Lenù, I was speaking to you too.

I'm listening.

The teaspoon.

Thanks.

I'm prepared to trust
this university professor.

He loves her, he'll see
she doesn't look like a whore.

Anyway, I trust him
even though I haven't met him.

He's an important person.

The girls here can only dream
of a match like him.

Listen to me, let's trust him.

Even this thing about city hall...

I know a judge who got married
at city hall here in Naples.

I can assure you the marriage is as valid
as one in church, maybe more.

Vittorio, I don't even trust you.

Not you, not city hall,
not this damn professor!

You can't stand me.

No.

Me neither.

THE DIGRESSION

THREE ESSAYS ON
THE THEORY OF SEXUALITY

Excuse me, are you a writer?

This morning I saw your picture
in the newspaper.

I've already sold two copies of your book
since this morning.

It's a book that will sell.

- My compliments.
- Thank you.

Goodbye.

Corriere della Sera, please.

Thank you.

I broke out in a cold sweat.

The critic defined me as

"a young girl busy
hiding her lack of talent

with salacious passages
of mediocre triviality."

Elena, get used to it. The main thing
is they're talking about the book.

I don't care if they talk about it
if they say bad things.

All of Italy reads Corriere della Sera.

I understand, but...

You need to calm down.

I'll put my mother on, she's here.

I gotta go, we'll speak tomorrow.

Hello?

It's Elena, hello.

- Did you read it?
- Yes.

- Pleased?
- What's there to be pleased about?

He defined me as a little girl
who writes trivial things.

L'Unità is coming out tomorrow

and you'll find something
in the Messaggero too

and in Il Mattino.

Positive reviews.

And one is coming out
on Saturday in La Stampa.

People like the book, it's selling.

If it goes on like this,
we'll reprint it.

I'll put Guido on,
he wanted to say hello.

Bye.

Elena, my compliments, really.

Don't let a bigoted journalist
ruin your day.

Speak soon

and enjoy your success.

I hoped that wherever she was,
Lila wouldn't read the article.

How embarrassing!

I wondered if she read my book.

I cared about her opinion the most.

But I was also afraid she'd say:
"I don't like your book.

You write such nonsense".

- What are you doing here?
- I'm going to buy the newspaper.

You haven't changed a bit.

- And I almost didn't recognize you.
- I work out.

I've moved up in the branch,
the secretary trusts me.

- What branch?
- The MSI.

I'm a fascist, Lenù.

- I must read your book.
- Don't bother, it's not for you.

What do you mean, "not for me"?

Remember our bet?
Did you put that in the book too?

The tits you showed me for money
have gotten bigger.

- Why don't you just go?
- Get outta here!

Little fascist.

Hi.

- How are you?
- Good.

I heard you're engaged.

- And that you wrote a book.
- Yes.

I wanted to read it,
but I heard it's a little racy.

They'd only read those pages,
the whole book would have bored them.

And now they treated me as at last

I'd made the false move
they'd been expecting for some time.

That wasn't a novel for them,

it was me, Elena Greco,
telling my deepest secrets,

secrets that a respectable girl
should never have told anyone.

A COURAGEOUS BOOK

ELENA GRECO
A TRUE WRITER

Lenù!

Let me buy you a coffee.

Thanks, Michele,
maybe some other time.

I get it, now that you're famous
you haven't got time for us.

That's not true, I really can't,
but thank you.

It'll only take you a minute.

Gigliola will be here in a minute,
you can say hi.

- I really can't.
- Come.

Thank you, really.

So how are you?

Fine.

- Everything okay at home?
- Yes.

Where's the newspaper?

Did you see what's written here?

Donato Sarratore wrote it.

He claims it should
be banned for under 18s.

Is it true?

- No, it's not true.
- I thought so.

That's what you studied in Pisa?
What you learned in Pisa?

I don't believe what it says here.

I think you and Lila
had a secret agreement.

She does the dirty stuff
and you write about it.

Is that right? Tell me the truth.

I'll be off then, thanks for the coffee.

Are you offended?

Go on, b*at the crap out of him!

Aren't they your brothers?

Stop!

Stop!

Stop! Peppe, Gianni, let's go.

Why were you fighting?

- We were fighting because of you.
- Why?

Because you're a whore!

People read the book and
now they're talking behind our back.

- Did you write the nasty stuff you do?
- What nasty stuff! Read it.

If Papa hears what they're saying
about you, he'll kick you out.

- There's no need, I'm leaving.
- Where will you go?

I have to go to Milan.

STUDENT MOVEMENT OCCUPATION

CAPITALISM? ENOUGH!

Fascists, bourgeoisie,
in a few months dead you'll be!

Fascists, bourgeoisie,
in a few months dead you'll be!

Where's the meeting
for Literature students?

What meeting?

The one with Elena Greco.

Who's she?

Never mind, thanks.

In Milan, I felt as
if my tension was released.

I was almost glad to discover
that no one was expecting me,

my book had zero importance.

There were bigger things
to squabble over.

We won't bow our heads.

But this is already happening.

It's happening in the courtyard
of the Sorbonne,

where our French comrades are doing
their share of revolutionary action.

They're protesting peacefully.

The French government
immediately opposed

this new course.

First they occupied the Latin Quarter...

I recognized Franco Mari immediately,
my boyfriend from my early days in Pisa.

At the desk with him
was Mariarosa, Pietro's sister.

The girls were always in a group,

they seemed game
for that experience of male chaos,

provided they stick together.

I was struck by a girl with a baby.

I got the impression she wanted
to get involved but couldn't

and that made her unhappy.

We must continue to rebel,
as our comrade Cohn-Bendit says...

Clown! Stop raving!
You know what class consciousness is?

Shame!

The revolution belongs
to the proletariat!

We must refuse to be the future ranks
of capitalist exploitation.

We may not be the avant-garde
of the people's army

that will defeat the establishment,
but we can open the eyes of the workers,

the workers' children,
yours, everyone's.

What are you doing here?

I had a meeting with the Literature
students, but it fell through.

- I'm sorry, but look at this mess!
- I see it.

- It was good to listen to Franco.
- Do you know him?

- Yes, we were at university together.
- I invited him.

They'll make me pay for it,
look what a wasps' nest.

Come to my place tonight,

they've lent me a beautiful house,
it's very big.

Come for dinner and then sleep over.

- I've booked a hotel.
- I don't want to hear it.

I don't want you to be alone
and you can catch up with Franco.

He's sleeping at my place too.

See you later.

- Have you been back to Pisa?
- No.

No, it makes me kind of...

sad.

Why? We had a good time.

I don't know, it seems like
such a long time ago...

Another life.

You said you'd write to me.

Yeah.

Elena...

That's just how it was meant to be.

I'll show you, you can get lost here.

I still get lost.

I'll show you my work.

I'm still working on them.

What do you think?

Interesting.

That's all?

I don't know much about paintings.

And painters?

What's there to laugh about?

At the house, I came across the girl
again, her name was Silvia.

She was very on edge,
she'd had it with the baby.

I can try if you like,
I have three siblings.

Do what the hell you want.

You're so handsome!
Shall I sing you a song?

The revolution has to be cultural,

not just a political revolution,

or else in the end all the pressure
will be on the people, as usual.

The only way
is to change their mentality.

My little lamb what will you do

when you are in the jaws of the wolf?

You're so handsome.

You smell so good.

He's asleep.

..the reformist policies
of the European workers parties...

I stayed at Mariarosa's,

I wanted to show Franco
I was no longer the girl from the past.

I'd graduated brilliantly,
I'd written a book,

I was a different person
and I wanted him to acknowledge this.

Everything all right at home?

Fine.

That friend of yours
who was so important to you?

Why do you ask?

I don't know,
you always talked about her.

She's fine.

What's she doing?

She works in
a sausage factory in Naples.

- Didn't she marry a storekeeper?
- Yes, but it didn't work out.

Right...

When I come down to Naples...

- You can introduce me to her.
- Of course.

Leave me a number, an address...

Mine or hers?

Yours.

All right.

Has she read your book?

- I don't know, have you read it?
- Of course.

I thought it was good.

Good how?

- There were some beautiful passages.
- Which ones?

The ones where
you allow the protagonist

to piece together
fragments of things in her own way.

And that's all?

- Isn't that enough?
- You clearly didn't like it.

No, I thought it was good.

It's a book that stirs debate,
it's selling well.

Exactly. That's good, right?

Yes, but not for you.

What doesn't work?

Elena...

There isn't much to it.

You use tales of romance and social
climbing to hide what's worth saying.

And what's that?

It's...

Forget it.

It's late, we need to get some sleep.

You did what you could, no?

Pity this, objectively...

isn't the time to be writing novels.

What time are you leaving
in the morning?

At dawn.

Shall we go to bed?

Let's go.

Bye.

What is it?

Can I sleep with you?

- Sleep?
- I'll get in next to you.

I won't bother you,
I don't want to be alone.

Absolutely not.

- Why?
- I'm engaged.

So? We'll just sleep.

Get out, I don't even know you.

I'm Juan, I showed you my work.

What else do you want?

Out!

They told me you write about love
with great freedom.

Everything that happens to us
can be used to create.

It feeds our imagination.

Let me get close to you,
you'll be able to write about it.

Let go of me!

Let go of me, out!

You're a hypocrite.

assh*le.

Go on, read.

How boring!

Did any stranger think
he could lay his hands on me

and insult me if I rejected him?

What kind of person did he think I was?

What legitimized his request?

Did it depend on my fame as a free
woman my book was giving me?

I didn't consider myself a hypocrite.

In Milan, I felt ready to make love
with Nino, betraying Pietro.

That passion was of long standing,

it justified sexual desire, betrayal.

But sex for its own sake, no,

that disturbed me.

- What's wrong?
- I'm sorry.

I just feel like I'm a hopeless mother,
I'm at my wits' end.

He cries all the time...
I can't feed him all night long.

I can't take it any more.

You're beautiful, you're smart.

You're everything.

You'll be a proper mother.

Your kids'll be lucky.

You've got a beautiful baby.

I didn't want him.

I hid that I was pregnant
from everyone,

including myself.

But my body was changing shape,
so I had to tell my parents.

We fought, there was a huge row.

So I left home.

I wouldn't admit I'd ruled out abortion
because I was scared of it.

I told myself I wanted the baby out
of love for the guy who got me pregnant.

He had said: "If you want it,
I want it too, out of love for you."

He was serious at the time,
I didn't make it up.

I'm not so stupid.

But after a few months
there was no love left,

just bitterness.

I was all alone before the birth

and if I've made it this far,
I owe it to Mariarosa.

She's savvy, generous and intelligent.

All the Airotas are generous
and intelligent.

They're a great family. I'm marrying
her brother soon, you know?

Families are disgusting,
it's all old stuff,

even if the family head is a professor.

My son's father
also works at the university.

Does he take an interest in the baby?

No.

The assh*le hasn't been seen since.

He's charming,

the girls fight over him,
pulling him this way and that.

A male, save the moments you love him
and he enters you,

is always outside.

When you stop loving him, the very
thought you ever wanted him, irks you.

He liked me and I liked him.
End of story.

All that's left is the baby.

It's a part of you.

The father was a stranger
and is one again.

Even his name doesn't
have the sound it once did.

I used to repeat it in my head,
from when I woke up.

It was a magic word.

Now the sound of it makes me sad.

Nino...

Is the baby's father called Nino?

Yes.

Everyone knows him.

Nino what?

Nino Sarratore.

Professor Nino Sarratore.