Meanwhile on Earth (2024)

[bunniefuu]

A fireplace...

A fireplace with a good beer,

that's what I'll miss the most.

- Aren't you allowed to drink up there?

- No, it causes digestive problems.

Violent acid reflux.

They want you sober.

Yeah!

A beer, a log fire.

Anything else you'll miss?

I don't know...

Maybe my little sister, Elsa?

A blonde with a gruff voice, who draws.

- Understand?

- I don't have a gruff voice.

When I get back,

she'll be an artist in the capital.

Yeah, yeah.

She'll be successful,

have lost her accent.

In the meantime,

I'll use your room at Mum and Dad's.

Captain Franck Martens...

I can't get used to it!

It's not such a big trip.

On a galactic scale,

I'm going from the bedroom

to the bathroom.

The Earth will do a few spins

around the sun without me, and...

I'll come back to spin with you.

Yeah...

IN MEMORY OF FRANCK MARTENS

DISAPPEARED DURING A SPACE MISSION

Is that okay?

There you are.

This hand.

Perfect.

Want to try it on your own? Yes?

Elsa?

Elsa?

How's it going with Mr Perrin?

- Oh, it's going normally.

- What do you mean?

Well, he's slowly declining.

So he can't move around as much,

has difficulty buttoning his shirt...

combing his hair, eating.

With everyday movements in general.

So... he's declining, but he's stable.

Is he stable or declining?

The decline is stable.

Good. Well...

There's going to be

a lot of sunshine this week.

"The decline is stable!?"

Well yes.

Look.

The director lays out the instructions.

OK, so this...

is a straight line.

See? It's horizontal, stable.

- And this, a straight line...

- I got it.

Please! Thank you.

Sorry.

So, yes, otherwise,

the air conditioning works by itself.

Look...

Mr Perrin is here, with all the others.

And you see, he slides.

He slides, he slides, he slides.

Good! Thanks to all.

Have a good day. Good work.

Thanks.

It's me!

OK...

Who's taken my slippers again?

- I wanted sugar.

- I see that.

But I regret it.

There was a little left.

Should have arrived earlier.

I don't make the schedules,

as you know.

Where is Dad?

Where do you want him to be?

You sulking?

No.

I can see you're sulking.

No, it's how I always look.

Did you forget something?

Here...

Thanks.

I'll save it for later.

Always enjoy the moment.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

And you?

Hm. Anything new?

No.

And you?

No more.

Can I?

If you like shaving cream...

I met the mayor...

...about the statue.

Hm...?

He understands.

He understands very well,

but he'd rather you stopped

slapping paint on it.

I prefer it like that.

He quite understood that!

Tell your friend

who understands everything...

...that I'll stop when he stops.

Oh dear!

He's not my friend.

Get some air in here,

I'm not sure Mum will like it.

What were you talking about here?

We didn't talk much.

We sat down and looked at the sky.

And...

Well, we imagined things.

A huge spaceship...

that was coming just for us.

And...

It would land over there, in the meadow.

We'd say goodbye to Mum and Dad

and they would cry.

Then afterwards,

we'd go off on a bunch of adventures,

a very long way away.

And what was I doing?

Staying alone like an idiot?

- No. You weren't even born.

- How convenient!

We made a promise to each other.

Already?

Yeah...

I gotta get baby back to his mummy.

Shitty street lamp!

We used to see the stars better.

Should I zap it?

Go ahead!

Vincent!

Yeah?

My car's under there.

- Yeah, yeah...

- Yeah!

Oh, almost!

Elsa?

Shit!

I'm gonna get wrecked!

I can't see anything anymore.

Look.

You are so beautiful.

- Such a beauty!

- Phooey!

I'm completely ordinary.

Today, it's veal blanquette.

I make veal blanquette very well.

Oh yeah?

Adding nutmeg to it is a big mistake!

Look who's here for you,

looking handsome.

How about some cinnamon?

- Hello.

- Hello.

Marie, we're going for a walk.

- It's Guy, your husband.

- Come on.

The waves...

the salt, the sea spray...

the seagulls.

Stop moving, please.

The clean air.

The wind caressing your face.

There's no shortage of fresh air here.

You're annoying, seriously! Wait.

Hey! Look at this.

Seriously...

I'll show you something.

Oh, the view!

Seriously, isn't it incredible?

That's Laurent, acting like an idiot.

That's the view from my place.

Yeah, Okay, that's nice!

My best friend is leaving.

I'm not jumping for joy.

Come work with me.

After work, we'd go to the beach

and eat beach stuff.

Shellfish, crabs...

- Mussels and chips?

- Yes!

Mayo, periwinkles, whatever you want!

But I'm fine, here.

"I'm fine, here!"

It's burning!

Marie-Rose.

Aagh, let me go!

Thank you.

You're welcome, Mr Lebon.

Have a nice day.

f*ck...

Madam?

Why are you all red?

Excuse me, I...

I can see your veins.

You can see my veins...

Elsa!

Fran... Franck?

I'm so glad to hear you.

Where are you?

We drifted.

And now, everything is black.

Everything is empty.

The others, the crew...

- there's no one left.

- How are you talking to me?

Shh... They're here.

They're floating.

They're watching me.

- They're everywhere.

- Who are "they"?

They think. They think all the time!

Franck!

- It's in my head. I'm going to die.

- Franck.

- I'm going to die here.

- Calm down. Pull yourself together.

Explain it to me.

They say there's a path.

That they can bring me back,

That it depends on you,

That you have to have confidence.

- It doesn't make sense.

- What should I do?

They talk to me...

They talk to me about a seed.

- What?

- Look around you.

A seed to listen to each other...

to talk to each other.

I don't understand.

Elsa?

- Can you hear me? Elsa?

- Frank?

Frank!

So?

What does it do?

I have a seed in my ear.

I don't know what to tell you.

I miss you.

You too, my little frog.

You know you have your own statue?

A statue?

Yeah.

Right in the middle of the roundabout.

Leave me.

Leave me!

Do you understand?

Franck.

What the hell?

Franck is deactivated.

We put him to sleep.

He's using less oxygen.

Are you with him?

We're around him.

Get out of my head, please.

We need you and you need us.

Please.

I'll get out when this is all over.

Will you bring him back?

Yes.

But first, you have to get us here.

Who is Dr Silva?

Why do you want to see Dr Silva?

You can't hide anything from me.

Elsa?

Don't tell anyone about us.

Are you okay?

What are you doing?

Don't tell anyone about us.

Understood?

Are you okay?

Leave me alone.

I want to throw up in peace.

Oh, yuck!

What should I do?

We have to follow a path

that joins another path.

We are the only ones to see it.

I bring you here

and you bring my brother back?

Yes.

Is that all?

Yes.

What's your plan?

An invasion, something like that?

There are five of us.

It's not an invasion.

Viruses multiply.

We get infected quickly.

There are five of us.

There will remain five of us.

We don't multiply.

Take the small path on the right.

No one will ever know we're here.

We want to remain discreet.

And why me?

Because you are connected to him,

by a path.

It's here.

Stop.

A path that only you can see?

Yes.

There it is.

In front of you.

Straight ahead.

Stop.

Turn left.

Stop.

Turn right.

There, straight ahead.

What is "a hostage"?

Someone who is being held

by kidnappers...

and can be used or traded

to get what they want.

Stop!

Turn right.

Keep going.

Who's hostage?

My brother,

he's the hostage and you are...

The sons of b*tches?

Yeah.

Or the kidnappers, it's the same.

I can't hide anything from you.

We have your brother,

we use him to come.

We are the "sons of b*tches".

That's it.

You have us and you use us

to get your brother.

So we are the hostages

and you are the son of a b*tch.

And your brother, he has you too,

and is using you to get in.

- You're the hostage and he...

- Shut up.

We're all hostages.

Will you shut up, please?

And we're all sons of b*tches.

I'm in pain too, so we're close.

Stop.

We have to keep going straight ahead.

There's a tree.

I'll keep going straight after that.

No. We have to stay on the path.

I'm on my way!

Your brother is right there,

behind that tree.

It's complicated!

Normally, you need a purchase order.

You need a signature.

Do you want a coffee?

It's a tree, Augustin.

You do this every day!

Yeah, but even just a tree.

We need a purchase order.

And I have to ask Jordan,

my new colleague.

I want to do this together.

- What's wrong?

- She wants to cut down a tree.

How big is your tree?

Like this?

Like this?

Like this?

Augustin laughs.

- The work is not the same.

- That's right. It's not the same.

Well, I don't know... like that.

Like that?

It's Jordan.

He makes jokes, he's funny.

Why cut it down?

It's rotten, it's going to fall.

Report it to town hall.

Already have, they're doing nothing.

We'll manage.

Can you help me, please?

I've known her and her brother

since I was little.

They're nice to me.

They used to take me fishing

in the river.

Their parents got me this job.

- Are they okay?

- Huh?

- Are your parents okay?

- Yes, they're okay.

Do you remember

when we used to eat almonds,

by the river?

Actually, we remove the shell

which is all green and all hairy...

We remove the little almond inside.

And we remove the skin,

because it gives...

Why are we here?

I lost a bet and I've 24 hours

to cut down this tree.

What kind of bet?

A stupid bet.

And why this tree and not that tree?

- Or that one? That one? Or even him?

- If I give you 50, is that okay?

- I don't want your money.

- Don't move! Here.

I have a joke.

It was Jordan who told it to me.

Last night, I had a dream.

Here, normally, you should ask me...

You should ask me what it was about.

What was it about?

I dreamed that you were a turd.

And do you know what I did?

No.

- You don't know?

- No!

Well, I flushed the toilet!

Jordan told me this morning.

Miss...

Your turn.

- I'll take care of it.

- Shh!

Okay, I'll do it.

The other side!

Silly bastard.

Wait.

I'll show you.

There you are...

Don't press too hard.

- What's your perfume?

- Leave me alone.

Here... here.

Without forcing.

You just hold it.

It does the work.

Stop! Stop!

Come back, slowly.

- We don't have to move?

- Shh! I love this moment.

Cracks

Thanks, you can go.

He's waiting in the car.

There's time.

Augustin!

Where are you going?

- Let me pass.

- "If I give you 50, will that be okay?"

Augustin!

What's your perfume again?

No!

I don't want to hurt you.

Ouch, b*tch!

You didn't bring me here to chop wood.

Okay?

Go ahead, you'll like it.

Jordan?

What are you doing?

I told you to wait.

Get lost!

Leave her!

- Leave her!

- Go wait!

No one will see the difference

from the real Augustin.

We replaced him.

We'll take them to us.

And we bring them back here.

With us in it.

It's too late.

He's gone in a big dream.

I just had to lead the way.

- We need four more.

- Go f*ck yourself!

You help us, we help you in return.

This one doesn't count.

He was too damaged.

I want to see my brother.

When we're all here.

We have to trust.

- No, I want to see him.

- I can force you to obey.

I could ask Augustin

to bring the others back.

I could even take you, use you.

I need to see my brother.

I could do all that, Elsa.

Tell me a memory...

Something that only we know.

When you were in high school,

second or first year,

I don't remember...

You drew a little comic strip.

Children who became orphans

because of monsters.

- Fish-men.

- That's it.

Fish-men.

You kept the comic in your drawer.

No one was allowed to see it.

Because it was crap.

One day, without telling you...

I sent it to that

comic book competition in Angouleme.

A competition for young talent.

With a micro-publishing package.

- And?

- And that's it.

You weren't accepted.

Okay. Do you have any other

memories like that?

Leave my antennae alone!

How's it going at the Beaux-Arts?

Do you like it?

Hm... Yes.

Set your sights on a star,

make it your goal,

Don't deviate until you reach it.

We both kept our promise.

We can be proud.

We should celebrate when I...

Is it...

It's about time, Elsa.

Am I going to come back?

Why do I have to choose?

Can't you do it yourselves?

We think you'll choose better than us.

Without your help,

we'll take the first ones

we come across.

Is that what you want?

I have to say that Jordan left

and won't come back.

He wasn't from here.

No one will miss him.

You have to smile.

He always had a smile.

Is he in his dream?

Yes.

And what is he doing?

He's on a small boat.

And he catches a big blue fish.

How much time do I have?

We are all connected.

You, me, him, the path...

- How long?

- Three days.

The path won't last longer.

You didn't miss a beat.

- There you go.

- Thanks.

- Can you put me on an outing tomorrow?

- Isn't it Rosa and Audrey's turn?

Yes, but Audrey is leaving soon.

I'd like to do it again with her.

Okay, if you want.

Thanks.

He won't come back.

Why do you draw people?

I don't know.

I like to.

If you have to sacrifice four people

to get your brother,

who do you choose?

Why four?

I don't know, imagine.

You have the possibility

to bring your brother back.

But in exchange,

you make four people disappear.

Just like that...

Poof, they disappear.

Nothing violent or painful,

they just disappear forever.

I would choose Hitler.

No, living people.

People you know, from here,

that you meet.

Anyone?

No, actually, you have to choose!

You don't want to see him again?

Yes. Four lives for one, it's hard.

Maybe there are lives that are

less important than others, right?

Patrick.

Who's that?

A big jerk who pisses me off

at football.

His family might be sad.

I would choose disabled people.

Why?

If I were disabled, I would want to die.

You don't know that.

Maybe there are some very happy

disabled people.

Sick people who are going to die?

But their last days count.

I don't know...

people who have no family...

no friends, don't want to live anymore.

People who have no life!

- Marie-Rose. Slowly.

- We're making two groups.

- Why?

- For a change. Marie-Rose!

It's change day!

I'm going this way,

are you going that way?

Is that okay?

See you in 20 minutes?

You heard the boss. See you soon!

- Marie-Rose?

- What the hell are we doing here? Huh?

Stay right behind me.

Ouch! I preferred the other place.

My leg hurts.

There is no pain.

They won't notice anything.

Shit, damn it!

Mr Droulez!

OK, it's nothing.

It's nothing. Lean on me.

I want to go home!

- Elsa?

- Leave me alone.

Where are you?

I'm here!

Mr Droulez, please!

Is everything okay?

It's nothing, Mr Droulez had a tumble!

It's nothing serious.

You're a good element.

You have empathy, you're respectful,

conscientious.

You're patient.

This is their last home.

We have a mission, to take care of them.

Depending on what we go through

in our private lives,

we sometimes tend to forget that.

Take a week to think about it.

Now I'm talking to my girl.

And I'd like her to look at me.

What's wrong with you, Elsa?

Why are you staying here?

It was meant to be temporary.

It was time to digest,

to rebuild yourself.

It's not your life.

Not what you chose.

Are you able to rebuild yourself?

Do you want me to tell you?

With your father,

we take pills every night to sleep.

Some nights, we drink too much.

I see my son everywhere.

In the street, in the kitchen,

in the garden...

When I least expect it.

Everywhere, everywhere!

But he's not here.

He's not here anymore.

And damn, we have to live!

Not everyone finds their way.

Not everyone needs it.

We can live without it, we can...

We can be happy.

But we have to decide to be.

Elsa?

Do you want to be happy?

Yes.

Yes, what?

Yes, I want to be happy.

Do you never die?

We go from one life to another.

We go to the end of one path

and we start another one.

What are you, actually?

We are nothing.

Until we become something.

What's the point of becoming us?

Not being able to be yourself?

What's the point?

Feeling.

To feel.

To live.

Be real.

Living without dying is not living.

You just want to exist.

And you?

What are you doing?

Someone came by work, today...

with a green motorcycle.

He's looking for his brother, Jordan.

Is that a problem?

Everyone's looking for their brother.

Franck?

- Franck?

- Leave me alone.

Leave me alone!

What was that?

Oh! What was that?

He won't last long.

We have to travel quickly.

How quickly?

In six hours, the path will disappear.

We're still lacking two people.

I can't do this quickly.

I-I need time.

- I know.

- No, you don't know anything.

I want to do this well.

How you scared me!

Aren't you in class?

It's the holidays.

What are you doing?

I'm looking for... a light.

Yeah, here.

Thanks.

I find you weird, right now.

No more than usual.

You look sad, too.

Your lips are all dry.

You need to drink water,

you don't drink enough.

You're going to dry out.

Dad...

Hey.

Come on, my frog.

Afterwards...

I got into a fight

with my mother's boyfriend, then left.

I was 16.

I met Alberto.

He was handsome. Dark hair, tattoos,

big hands.

We f*cked all the time.

I was like his princess.

What are you doing?

It's a comic strip.

I draw and write

to create authentic characters.

And your mother?

What about my mother?

Did you see her again?

No, I never saw my mother again.

Look!

That's her number.

I tattooed it.

It's disgusting!

Plus, it's completely stupid.

She could have changed her number.

Maybe I have someone else's number.

It's stupid.

Did you notice?

That's good for your comic, right?

Anecdotes, experiences of people...

"authentic"!

"Authentic"!

Why don't you call it?

Excuse me?

Do you want me to dial the number?

Do you want to do it?

Let's do it together!

"Hello, Mum? It's your daughter!

"Do you remember?"

I'll manage, I don't need anyone.

Should I clear away?

- I'll have profiteroles!

- Very well.

- Where are the toilets?

- That way, ma'am.

You stay there! Sit!

Stay!

What should I say?

You say to him...

"Hello, Guy", and you smile.

It has to be romantic.

One last walk in the forest, in love.

Mr Lebon?

Mr Lebon, are you there?

I have someone with me

who would like to see you.

Guy?

I'm the last one.

Do you know what that means?

No matter what happens, I'll come.

I'll use your brother, if necessary.

Don't touch my brother.

He won't suffer.

Don't touch him, I'll find someone.

f*ck! You have no f*cking right.

Please.

Tell me I didn't do this for nothing.

Please!

Please! Please!

Please! Please!

Are you looking for your brother?

How do you know?

I don't understand,

he was supposed to put me up.

I don't know where he is.

I hope he didn't do anything

stupid again.

Do you know each other well?

We have a friend in common, that's all.

And where are we going?

Not far.

Are you the cosmonaut's sister?

His boss says he saw you

leaving together.

What happened, exactly?

What happened?

With your brother?

People don't disappear like that,

without a trace.

That's crazy.

So cool!

Are you the one who does it?

Leave it!

Sorry, it's...

Sorry.

They're beautiful.

No, it's nothing, it's...

it's just...

a logbook.

It was so he could see

what happened here when he was up there.

Well, it's... a nice gift.

No. It's fake, it's useless.

Are you okay?

Yes.

I can fix that in five minutes.

- It's just the little clip, up top.

- Do you have any plans?

Any plans?

In life, do you have any?

Oh... yeah, yeah.

You see, I don't have any.

Whether it's short, medium, long term,

I don't have any plans.

And when I do, I don't follow through.

That's why I don't have any.

It's important to see things

through to the end.

Otherwise,

there's no point in starting them,

in having any.

Do you understand?

Do you have any plans, or not?

Oh, yeah. Well...

I have a lot. I have a lot of projects.

Well, for now, I'm an apprentice.

Apprentice chef.

In four or five years,

I'd like to have my own restaurant.

I have a notebook too.

I already have the name.

And I even made the logo.

It will be called "L'ecume des levres".

Local products, from the region.

But refined.

A gourmet cuisine, but delicate.

"L'ecume des levres"?

Yeah, it's...

I have time to find something else.

Get out, please.

- Did I say something wrong?

- Get out or I'll change my mind.

Get out!

Let me talk to him.

I want to talk to him.

Let me talk to him.

Frank?

Hello, frog.

I'm sorry.

Don't cry.

If you could live...

in a dream...

What would you choose?

Well...

I'd choose a dream...

where I could live without you.

You've always lacked ambition.

What would you choose?

Franck?