All language subtitles for La.Passion.D.Augustine.2015

LES FILMS CHRISTAL
PRESENT

A LYLA FILMS PRODUCTION

A FILM BY LÉA POOL

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE

WITH

AND WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF

Benedicamus domino.

Deo gratias.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona nobis pacem.

In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

You may begin.

Sister Lise, which Saint
are we celebrating today?

Saint Apollonia, Mother,
a virgin martyr from Alexandria.

What good did she do?

She is venerated for curing toothaches.

Is she included on
the new liturgical calendar?

I don't know.

We ordered it from the motherhouse,
but it hasn't arrived yet.

Like everything else.

Go on.

"In the year 249 AD,

Saint Apollonia was captured
during a riot against the Christians

and so savagely beaten
that her teeth and jaw were broken.

After she refused to renounce Christ,

the pagans threw her on the fire,
burning her alive."

Well then!

And yet here, we freeze.

Sister Claude, I admire your frugality.

I can't say the same
for your sense of comfort.

Even the porridge is cold.

We have to cut somewhere.

So, what's the news?

I've chosen an article
that concerns us all.

I'm warning you, Mother,
the writer doesn't mince words.

"Show them the door!

No longer shall nuns produce

masses of undereducated good Christians."

Like I said: the pagans are back.

What key are we in?

B major?

Yes, but it won't stay there.

Each chord brings a new emotion.

Back to F minor.
Intriguing.

What is unique about this fantasia?

-He wrote it in two days.
-Perhaps.

But it's the most puzzling piece of his
that I've ever heard.

The moment we detect
the slightest melody,

Mozart, perhaps thirsting for freedom,

transports us elsewhere.

It's here!

Careful! Slowly, slowly!

It's not on there right.

It's all about music at this school.

Don't you play an instrument?

The most majestic organ of all,
Ms. Lepage:

the French language.

Please do the honours, Mother.

Please have it tuned.

Careful! It's icy.

Times are tough, Mother General.

Everything is moving so fast.

Modernism is attacking us on all fronts:

Vatican II, loss of faith,
fewer vocations,

and worst of all:
the Ministry of Education.

But has the Church lost all its influence,
Your Eminence?

We no longer have any power.

The government
is taking control of everything:

health, education...

They're barely allowing us
to keep our boys' schools.

Prepare for the worst:

the exodus to public schools
cannot be stopped.

Thank you for your visit,
Your Eminence.

SACRÉ-COEUR CONGREGATION

Mother General.

Mother Augustine, what a nice surprise!

I wasn't expecting to see you so soon.

We're here for the auditions.

Ah, yes!

For the Provincial Piano Competition.

I hope your efforts are rewarded.
Come by my office.

Go on in.

Thank you.

Concert tickets,
a grand piano and what else?

So many expenses!
But where is the revenue?

You know as I do,
you can't put a price on talent.

No, but I can put a price
on running a school!

We received an enormous bill
for heating oil that has yet to be paid.

Our oil supplier is proving to be
much less generous than his father.

Your ambitions were always encouraged
by the late lamented Mother Marie-Thérèse,

but we must set the record straight:

your obsession with music
is costing us a fortune.

What do you intend to do?

I intend to pay for it,
as we've always done.

I was planning on discussing it
with my convent's benefactors.

"My"! Always "my"!

Tell me, Mother Augustine,

humility, sense of community, obedience,
when do you apply all that?

Every day.

However, our idea of community differs,
because at my convent,

the wealthier parents
pay for the poorer ones.

This method of accounting
seems to me to be more...

communal...

and much more Christian.

Thank you.

How is my little music school doing?

You seem troubled, Mother Augustine.

Having problems
with the new administration?

Not yet, but I fear the worst.

Our new Mother General is fond of numbers.

She hates music,

at least, what little
she understands of it.

Let's start with Bach.

If God owed anything to anyone,
it would be to Bach!

The parts are all distinct.

Good rhythm.

Class B, but soon she'll be in A.

Beethoven!

She's strong for her size.

Class B.

Scarlatti!

Her technique is remarkable.

My only reservation
is that it lacks emotion.

It's a little cold.

But she will be a great pianist.

Class A.

Good work, Mother Augustine.

-She won't let up.
-That's how she is.

Alice!

Who's that?

She must be new.

Come in.

What can I do for you, Margot?

"Margot"!

I haven't heard that in ages.

We haven't seen each other in ages either.

What can I do for you?

You have to take Alice.

In the middle of the year?

I'm moving to Toronto.

I got a job there as a tutor.

-And Antoine?
-Antoine?

He's probably on tour somewhere.

It doesn't matter, anyway.

We've been separated for ages.

He's still her father.

He's a musician, Simone.

You really dodged a bullet there.

I'll pay her fees
once I'm back on my feet.

I'd feel better knowing you were the one
taking care of my daughter.

Can you let Sister Onésime know
we have a new student?

CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THIS HOUSE

Ms. Champagne!

When a nun addresses you,
you respond with:

"Yes, Sister. No, Sister.
Thank you, Sister."

And when you wish to address her,

you don't stare her down;
you lower your gaze, modestly.

Do you understand?

Yes.

"Yes, Sister".

It's quite simple.
On your knees!

I need to check that your skirt
is of decent length.

A new student, Ms. Alice Champagne.

Have a seat next to Ms. Gauthier.

Ladies...

Mother, tell me something.

Who is Alice Champagne?

Which convent has she arrived from?

You always forget to let me know
about these things!

She's my niece.

Now you know.

Dear Lord, we take on this task
out of our love for You.

Get ready for dictation!

I really liked the poncho
you were wearing before.

"Some twenty years ago...

we paddled along
a Mediterranean stream...

while beetles...

produced stridulations
with their lovely elytra...

on the stems and leaves
of the Grecian laurel trees...

which jettisoned...

their red, withered petals."

We are going through a year
of great upheaval...

in our lives and in the world.

A difficult year...

wherein a number of challenges
will shake our faith.

Above all,

do not settle for shallow convictions.

And may the purity and innocence
of your youth

forever protect you
from the disillusionment of age.

I wish you grace.
Let us go in the peace of the Lord.

In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This was my last visit.

Really?

I'm retiring.

I can't handle the winter anymore,
or Vatican II!

Turning the altar around to face people,

switching from Latin to French,
modern music...

I'm too old.

I'm going to live in Florida!

I've always admired you, Sister.

Your little convent...

is a great school.

How long have you been here?

Four years.

You've put up with this crap
for four years?

It's better than being at home.

Your home mustn't be much fun.

My mom really likes cocktails.

Well then!

Show me what you can do.

Three, four.

She's really good.

You do have a modest talent.

Who did you learn from?

Bach for the prelude.
Myself for the rest.

Show me your hands.

You have good hands.

But talent alone is not enough.
One must still work.

Why turn Bach into jazz?

I enjoy it.

Before making your own arrangement,
you must master it as is.

Otherwise, you'll never make it
further than this bench!

In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Good night, my Guardian Angel.
I commend myself to you.

You watched over me in the day;
watch over me in the night,

and protect me from danger
and sudden death.

Amen.

Your bid, Sister Onésime.

Seven of clubs.

Eight of hearts.

You've got good hands tonight!

Which brings us to the subject
of the regulation of childbirth.

How does this affect you?

I was lucky.
I only had twelve children.

Women should have the right to control
the number of pregnancies they have.

Enough with the twenty-one pregnancies
and fifteen births.

You're moving ahead too fast.

We should wait
for the Pope's answer on the matter.

How can they speak
of such things on the radio?

The Church has handled
these issues for centuries!

Wake up, Sister Lise!

It's still another man making decisions
on women's behalf.

What the pill will do is allow women
to decide for themselves.

This is not something
that should be taken up with God.

One, two, three, go!

Periphrasis!

Periphrasis is used
in dark and difficult times,

when thinking becomes muddled

and gives way to a series of words,
each more useless than the last.

Do you understand
what I mean by periphrasis?

It is the opposite of clarity!

Here, in our fine province,

periphrasis has become
our national disease.

We must travel through Ottawa
to get to Quebec City!

Alice Champagne, give me that!

Come with me.

Look at your protégée's vulgarity.

How much longer
will you allow this in our school?

Have a feel, my dear Lord!

You think this is funny?

-I didn't do it.
-That's enough of your lies!

I'm telling you, it wasn't me!

I was practicing piano in my head.

Don't make me regret accepting you
at this convent.

I can go if you want.

I'd rather see the result
of this practice.

It's good, but it could be better.

Start over.
This time count out loud.

One, two, three, four.

All right, play bars three and four
with your hands crossed.

It's going to be a hard road
if you want to win the competition.

I hope you're ready to put in the work.

Let's try the prelude again.

I could give you the same speech

I gave to all the other nuns
who've been in my office lately.

But I can speak frankly with you.

Our congregation is up against
a formidable enemy:

the State, which is taking back
control of education.

If our congregation is to survive,

we must reform.

What's your plan?

Our biggest institutions are not at risk.

The rich schools?

You could say that,

if you mean the institutions
that instruct the young women

who will become the wives
of our great men.

You mean maids.

I teach my girls
to aspire to more than that.

Let's get back to the facts.

We will no longer be able
to financially support

all of our institutions.

Most parents will choose
free schooling for their children.

We have to face reality.

You want to close my convent?

I didn't know you were its owner!

Nothing is set for now.

All our little convents
are unique, you know.

But only one is a music school.

Are you prepared to work with me?

I will always choose my convent.

We're being treated like
little country nuns in a one-room school!

She didn't talk about Providence,
Novenas, the Lord's Prayer?

I must say that I'm not surprised.

We'll have to work hard
if we don't want to be all separated.

And let's get with the times!

We look like 18th-century widows.

Our Lord, bless us and bless this meal

Thank you, O Lord

To share this place
To give thanks for this food

Thank you, O Lord, thank you

Thank you, O Lord

You may begin.

-What news?
-The Saint of the day, Mother.

Let's skip the Saint.

We should pray instead
for our convent's survival.

Barring a miracle,
we won't be here much longer.

The new public schools
are threatening our convent.

That's our Mother General's conclusion.

Our congregation is abandoning us?

We haven't said our last word yet.

We're going to fight...

for our convictions,

for our girls, for music,

for everything we believe is right.

And most of all...

because I truly love this convent.

When you first came here

with your big musical projects,
I thought you were crazy.

But when we won the silver medal
at the Provincial Piano Competition,

I was the proudest nun in the room.

I've been running the refectory
for 30 years...

There's no way I'm leaving!

He won't stop looking at you.

Yes, he's cute.

Who's that?

Marie-Louise's mother.

She keeps the convent going.

You should see their house.

They even have an angel
pissing in a fountain.

We have to convince the motherhouse

of our convent's importance
in the community...

highlight its merits.

Absolutely.

One sugar, right?

After all, your daughter won silver
at the province's top competition.

Music is the main reason
why I sent my daughter to this convent.

But to save it,
it will take more than indulgences.

You must dare to do what nuns
have never done: make some noise...

a lot of noise.

You have to come out of the shadows
and alert the media.

First it was electricity.
Now it's education and health...

Are we going to nationalize
the Church too?

Our whole world is crumbling.

Let's fight!

-Starting with our convent.
-Absolutely!

I'll take care of the media.
You handle the invitations.

Girls...

My dear girls...

Rumours have been going around
about our convent.

But I want to reassure you
that instead of closing our doors,

we'll be opening them up to the media...

to show them what we do best: music.

I'm expecting your complete cooperation.

It's up to us to defend our convent

and to make this event a success.

I would not use the word 'revolution'
like my colleague René Lévesque yesterday.

I think it's a bit over-dramatic.

Do you think this situation
can have a positive outcome

for the population, for teachers, etc. ?

Since our plan is to standardize,
throughout the province of Quebec,

the wages of teachers,

we must negotiate with everybody in mind.

We are on strike so our profession
can be recognized as such.

We want work rights.

We want the people to understand

that teachers are not
volunteers or missionaries.

The country school teacher getting
$15 a month, that's over!

We want to be recognized for our work.
Equal work, equal pay.

We are not cheap labor.

"Cheap labour"!

So-called French teachers,
using English expressions!

Enough with the days when women
were paid half the wages of men...

And nuns even less than women!

-You sound like a union member.
-No, like an avant-garde woman.

Must I remind you of your vow of poverty?

A virtue that coincides
with a lack of self-assurance.

Modernity is killing me.

Public schools threaten us.
The State controls education.

Would you sign our petition?

Would you help us save our convent?

Thank you for all you're doing,
Mother Augustine.

Sign over here, sir.
Thank you.

Look at him.
What a pitiful performance!

The Lord loses His greatness

when He becomes a Lord
without greatness!

Françoise?

Would you sign our petition?

So that others have to endure
Sister Lise? No way!

Ms. Champagne!

Since we'll be speaking
with a number of journalists,

today's class will be devoted to diction.

A well-enunciated
and properly structured sentence

is a sign of well-organized thought.

Without rules, everything falls apart.

Suzanne Gauthier, stand up!

Repeat after me.

Around the rugged rocks,

the ragged rascal ran!

Around...

Around...

Louder! We can't hear you.

-I'm listening.
-Leave her alone.

What did you say?

Leave her alone.

Out!

You too!

Out!

Out!

Bunch of crazy old bats!

Wait for me Alice!

I need this floor so polished

I can see my reflection in it.

It has to shine.

Put your heart in it!

Our reputation is at stake.

Skate! Skate! Skate!

But keep the rhythm.

And don't let me catch you
skating in the wrong direction!

Rub, rub, rub!

And turn!

Rub again,

and change sides.

Rub, rub, rub!

And turn!

Rub again, and switch lines!

Do any of you know where
Ms. Champagne and Ms. Gauthier are?

You should ask Sister Lise.

It would be unfortunate
if your silence forced me

to call your mother 24 hours
before such an important event.

They're in town.

At the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges dance.

Tattletale!

Whoa, man!

It's like two statues
moving in black and white!

Don't go!
We're all going to the same place!

We're all happy!

That was for dragging Suzanne down here.

And this...

Mother...

She's ruining her life!

All I can tell you, Alice...

is that thanks to you...

I had a great night.

Now you are the body of Christ.

It's my body.

SAVE OUR CONVENT

After all the recent upheavals
in education,

the nuns at a small convent
by the Richelieu River

have sounded the alarm
amidst worries about their future.

We have lost our houses

Our enemies took everything, everything

Even our little beds

They burned down the school
And our teacher

They burned down the church
And our Lord Jesus Christ

And the poor old man
Who could not get away...

Mrs. Thompson, Mister Deputy...

My wife has told me that your convent
is an exceptional school

that my district cannot do without.

Thank you.

Your presence here is greatly appreciated.

Mother...

-Mister Deputy!
-No, I'm sorry!

This isn't the time.
We're already late.

Mother, what an honour!

I didn't want to get my hopes up!

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The day I set foot in this convent,

I wanted music to be free
from any class distinction.

I made it my mission.

And we succeeded!

Our little school is a musical jewel

that has earned
several major piano awards

and has made our village
and our community proud.

Here, our girls learn

that music can be a prayer for the soul,

that it can drive hate
out of a loveless heart,

that it can give peace to the restless.

What you are about to hear
was written by our students,

based on a piece by Schubert.

We are girls passionate about music

We divide our time
Between playing and practicing

Our instruments with rhythm and joy

We aim for harmony

We welcome you, dear friends

With this piece by Schubert

With this piece by Schubert

We chose it as our model

And we are faithful to his melodies

We stand with Schubert

We stand with Schubert

Upon your visit here

You will get a sense of our dreams

Our tastes and our destinies

You can read them on our lips

Walking down our halls

You may hear tunes

Built upon lovely chords

Written by Schubert

Written by Schubert

We stand with Schubert

We stand with Schubert

Dear Schubert

Marie-Louise
is an extraordinary student.

-Would you like a sandwich?
-Why, yes!

-She's very mature.
-Yes.

Learning to listen is the right
of every newborn child.

No one can deny the role
that nuns have played

in the teaching of music

since the founding of our colony.

And now, we're being asked to
bow out without saying a word?

Alice Champagne
refuses to come down, Mother.

I want to go home.

I'm sorry, Alice.

My actions were deplorable.

I was terribly worried.

You're too young
to be intimate with a boy.

Have you considered the consequences?

You know, when I was your age,

I fell in love.

Yes, I know.
My mother told me.

I may not know
what young love feels like anymore,

but this takes me back to a time
when I was deeply hurt.

It was the Russian, right?

I have big plans for my daughter.

Classes with a well-known American teacher

and a tour with the Youth Orchestra.

-What a success, Mother!
-Thanks to you, Mrs. Thompson.

It's the Liszt that you played
when you were in the competition.

We've found our gold medallist.

A real little Mozart.

And almost as much of a rascal
as the original.

Ms. Simone Beaulieu,
student of Sergei Berkovich.

"A musical jewel by the Richelieu River.

If there's one convent we should save,

it is Mother Augustine's."

Typical Augustine!

Mother Augustine, please.

"'Here, our faith
is put to the service of music',

said the passionate Mother Superior.

Thanks to her, for over 15 years,

her girls, as she likes to call them,

have learned to love
Chopin, Bach, Beethoven."

Mission accomplished.

Have you forgotten all you were taught
when you were a novice?

Beyond being a religious order,
we are a religious community.

A community!

This word doesn't seem to be
a part of your vocabulary.

You want to play by your own rules.

In these difficult times,
we should all pray as one.

Have faith in...

...Providence,
who has always seen to your future.

Still, we must help it out, Mother.

The heavens often turn a deaf ear.

Are you looking for excitement, Ms. Hudon?

Get away from the radiator!

Write!

"Where there is no master,
everyone is master;

where everyone is master,
everyone is a slave."

You're squeaking, Sister.

You're squeaking in B flat minor.

Just because you can
identify a simple note,

you think anything goes?

Being Mother Superior's niece
doesn't give you every right.

Should I sit or go downstairs?

Sit back down.

Come in.

You humiliated me.

You humiliated me
in front of the whole class.

Where you should be
teaching now, Sister Lise.

What do you know about humiliation?
You're a city girl.

My father wasn't a church organist.

No one forced me to become a nun.

I entered the convent for relief,

to finally live and breathe
without worrying.

But now,

with all these changes...

Taking the veil allowed you and I
to forget our suffering.

But what seemed just yesterday
isn't necessarily just today.

Change is sometimes needed.

Have faith in the future.

That's enough improvising!

And if you don't take your foot
off the pedal, I'll tie it down!

You can't always get carried away
by your feelings!

Once you've won the competition,
you can take liberties.

But in front of the judges,

adding a chord or omitting a rest
means elimination.

The choice is yours!

A cabaret or Carnegie Hall?

But Carnegie Hall
doesn't mean being precious,

like some pianists
who don't understand Chopin.

What can help us to understand
a musical phrase?

Tino Rossi.

Tino Rossi.

The man who understands
Chopin's soul best.

What a wonderful love song!

It's... my mother's favourite.

We're listening, Suzanne.

We've always held together.

And we'll continue to do so.

But we must stop living in the past.
That's the only way we'll survive.

The Vatican is asking us to be
less pompous, more approachable...

So within a few weeks,
you'll be receiving new habits.

And on St. Valerie's Day,

we will all remove our veils.

Not all of us!

That order comes from the motherhouse.

You're blind.

You're all blind!

Don't you see that they're planning
to get rid of us?

We'll find ourselves without a veil,
a habit, or a convent when we're 80.

We'll be alone,
and we'll be the last ones.

So? Can we see them?

Nope.

I can't try on my habit?

No.

Just the skirt.
It must need hemming.

No!

Do you know if they're giving us garments

for our private areas?

It's called underwear.

I just mean the top.
I don't usually wear bottoms.

Pulling up a skirt, and another,
and the dress, and the apron,

then pulling down underwear
to sit down is too much!

Whenever I can, I don't wear any.

I should've thought of that sooner.

Do we still call you "Sister"?

It's as much of a shock for us
as it is for you.

It's more than a change of habit,

it's... a change of identity.

The days when nuns were seen...

as anonymous women are over.

It's up to you now, my dear girls,

to make your way in society
and meet the challenges that await you.

I brought you the new crosswords.

I feel naked.

You're not the only one whom feels naked.

"Who", Mother.

Not "whom."

Yes.

I can see you're feeling better.

Thank you.

Now that we've joined
the modern age, Sister St-Donat,

I might as well tell you:
the food we're eating isn't good.

It's bland.
It's tasteless.

And spices aren't that expensive.

We can't take it.

Monday, shepherd's pie;
Tuesday, baloney;

Wednesday, stew;
Thursday, beans...

-Thursday is hash.
-Enough of that, too!

And cabbage!

Cabbage, cabbage!
We can't take any more cabbage.

I was always told to be modest.

Modesty doesn't apply to vegetables.

A little imagination, Sister!

I didn't become a nun
to use my imagination.

Girls! Come here!

We don't just sing
and make music at our convent.

We have to learn to play dirty
if we want equality!

Let's go, girls!

Come on, girls!

Let's go, Marie-Louise!

Alice, go get changed.
We're leaving.

Where are we going?

Mom!

You're like your daughter now,

running away from home!

-You never went to Toronto, right?
-Shh...

You've changed.

You know, Alice,

your mother put you in the convent
to protect you.

Is she going to die?

We never know when the Good Lord
will come for us...

but it is serious.

I don't want to do the competition.

With talent comes doubt.

It's just nerves,

fear of the unknown.

Jean-Paul Ouellette, appraiser.

I'm here to appraise the building.

It won't take long,
just some measurements,

and I'll check the roof,
the plumbing and the windows.

Has the building been surveyed recently?

-Who sent you?
-Your boss.

She didn't tell you?

Tell my boss
that nothing is for sale here.

You know what the Church needs?
More women!

A female pope!

Except that our worst enemy is a woman.

Yes.

We can't deal with the Church.

Only the ones who got us
in this mess can get us out of it.

We have to go to Quebec City
and meet the Minister of Education.

So, I should call Mrs. Thompson?

Do we have any other choice?

Her vanity is our best ally.

Are we waiting for Mr. Thompson?

Mr. Thompson got held up
with the Minister of Transportation.

Are we waiting for
the Minister of Education?

The Minister asked me
to handle the meeting.

My husband and I heard
that the bishops managed

to get funding
for their boys' schools,

and we wanted to know

if the State would also be
funding girls' schools.

If the concept applies to the boys,

it should also apply to the girls.

We wouldn't want nuns,

servants of the Lord,
His Eminence, the canon,

the curate, the priest, the verger...

...exploited for their cheap labour
like all factory women...

...not to have access
to the same loopholes

the bishops are using
to fund their boys' schools.

We're talking about subsidies
for private schools.

Yes.

I can see that you understand
the nature of our request.

Still, your motherhouse

must grant you permission.

Yes? I understand this is urgent?

I think I've found a way
to save my convent

and possibly
all our congregation's convents.

You're still struggling with humility.

This is a petition signed by citizens

who testified to
my convent's importance in the region.

And there's more.

We met with
the Deputy Minister of Education

who wishes to inform you
that my convent could benefit

from the same funding
as a public school

if it separates from the congregation.

In other words,
if it becomes independent.

Do you think this is news to me?

I've known all that for a long time.

Your efforts to save
our congregation are laudable.

However, Providence has decided
otherwise for your convent.

It has been sold.

The heavens often turn a deaf ear,
isn't that right?

Your improvising was always tolerated,

but I think you were given
too much leeway.

A teaching position awaits you
at our boarding school in Rouyn.

That is your future
within our congregation.

I...

I'm leaving the religious life, Sisters.

Where did you expect me to go?

I couldn't even bring a child
into the world.

But I've done my time.

I've carried my cross.

I'll always be there for Alice.

I'll be there, I swear.

She could've been your daughter.

Ms. Alice Champagne,
student of Simone Beaulieu.

"The Simone Beaulieu Music School"
has a nice ring to it, no?

Selling her convent was a big mistake.

Bravo, Alice!

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE