All language subtitles for Birthday (2005)

Can you conserve these mushrooms?

Of course.

But we have to work fast.

Dryness and rot have already set in.

THE RING FINGER

Okay?

The heat is becoming unbearable.

Don't move

Just don't move.

Looking for work.

Evening.

Do you have a room free?
- We're fully booked.

Excuse me...
- I've already told you, we're full.

I'm looking for work on a ship.
Do you know where I can register?

You're in the port here.
You have to go into town for work.

You all right?

- I haven't eaten all day.
- Would you like something to drink?

Yes, thank you.

I'd rather have water, please.

Still.

You're not from here.

No.

Perhaps I can help you out.

But you have to share
with another guest.

With a man?

A sailor who works nights
on the docks.

Leave the room at 7, okay?

Toilets and shower on the landing.

Room number 5.

Office help required
for the preparation of specimens.

Ring here.

Hello, it's about the advertisement.

I'm not too late?
- No, no.

Come in.

Please sit down.

What did you do before?

I worked in a lemonade factory.

What would you say to 25 percent
more than your wages there,

plus two months wages
for the summer holidays?

What exactly is the work?

This is a very unusual laboratory.

You'll need a while to understand.

Let's say, our work consists of

preparing specimens
and storing them.

- Like in a museum?
- No.

We neither research nor exhibit.

I need someone for the office.

My last employee left a month ago.
It's getting awkward.

But what are these specimens for?

People come to us
for their own different reasons.

They have a personal problem.

Our role consists of solving
these personal problems.

Do you understand?

I'm sorry, I think the work
is more difficult than I imagined.

No, it's very simple.

A visitor brings us an object
he wants to have conserved.

After the usual formalities

you accept it,
and I make a specimen.

Then we receive a fee
corresponding to the work involved.

That's all.

Do many people come here?
- It depends on the time of year.

It's irregular and unpredictable.

But people who really need it
find their way here blindfold.

Is it always so quiet?

Yes.
Preparing specimens is quiet work.

The hours are 8.30 to 5,
with an hour's break for lunch.

Sundays and public holidays are free.

You can start tomorrow.

Thank you.

Hello.
- I've been waiting for you.

Did you sleep well?
- Very well, thanks.

I've written down everything
you need to know in this note.

How a planning looks,
how to set up a dossier.

The price you can give,
the delivery times.

- But...
- Don't worry.

Take as long as you need to adjust.

If you have the slightest problem,
I'm not far away.

Office supplies are there.

If you need me,
ring this bell and I'll come.

Okay?

The main thing is to reassure people.

That's the most difficult thing.

The people who come here are
always worried about their objects.

We mustn’t judge them,
but help them.

It's a very delicate task,
mademoiselle.

I hope I can rely on you.

Don't panic, you'll be fine.

In the kitchen
you'll find cake and refreshments,

and everything
for making tea and coffee.

Welcoming people is part of your job.
They have often come a long way.

Do you have any questions?

Hello, Ponchardieux speaking.
- Yes, what's this about?

Don't you remember me?

You must have a wrong number.
This is a laboratory.

I know, mademoiselle.

Two months ago
I had a kidney stone conserved.

We been very busy
and I haven't had time to come by.

But I've been thinking of you.
I'd like to ask you to dinner.

The person who dealt with you
no longer works here.

I'd be grateful if you
wouldn't call again. Thank you.

You do that very well.

- Three mushrooms.
- Would you like to see them?

I didn't hear you come in, sorry.

So, you've arrived at last.

I missed the boat.

Come along.
I'll show you our specimen.

That's a specimen?

It looks like
a primitive deep-sea organism.

They're just mushrooms.

A young girl
brought them a few days ago.

I had to hurry
before they decomposed.

Mushrooms...

Why mushrooms?

They were growing on the ruins
of her burned house.

She wants to preserve within them
everything lost in the fire.

Did she lose everything?
- Yes, everything.

Want a closer look?

When will you give
them back to her?

I'm not going to.

We archive and keep all specimens.
That's the rule.

Our customers can visit them
whenever they want.

But most of them never come back.

The point
of these specimens is separation,

preservation and closure.

No one brings objects
to remember them

with growing nostalgia.

Bye.

Hello. Number five please.

Come in. A moment please.

Would you like some tea,
coffee, lemonade?

No thanks.

Please sit down.

So.

Is it possible

to preserve this?

Of course, no problem.

I heard about you
from a distant relation.

Having you prepare a specimen

is said to bring real relief.
- That's true.

My enquiry
doesn't concern the score itself,

but the music it contains.

The sound, if you like.

Would you mind
if I took the score for a moment?

No, of course not.

I'll take your details.

Your name?
- Lea Benoit.

It'll be ready in a few days.
You have to come in person

to authenticate your specimen,
then you pay, and that's it.

It's much simpler than I thought.

Yes, it is.

Something to drink.

My boyfriend was a composer.

He wrote this piece for my birthday.

It's as tender
as being wrapped in velvet.

At Christmas he gave me
some watercolours and a cameo,

on a hatpin, that he had
brought back from a journey.

After our separation, I flushed
the watercolours down the toilet,

and burried the hatpin.

But I just couldn't
get rid of the music.

I understand.

Thank you.

Is that everything?

Yes.

It's an order for a specimen

of the music written in this score.

It's too hot in here.

We must get an electrician
to install some air conditioning.

Do you have a moment?
Come with me, I need to talk to you.

It's nice and cool here.

It's my secret place to relax.

I come here after work
and think about nothing.

Conservation is hard work, you know.

Don't you think this
is an ideal place for a rendezvous?

No one to disturb you.

And because of the echo
you have to talk quietly.

And sit close together.

Why all these golden butterflies?

Why not?

You're also wearing
a skirt with butterflies.

How old are you?

Twenty-one.

Something is bothering me.

I think your shoes
aren't elegant enough for your age.

I think so every time
I look at your feet.

I think a different
type of shoe would suit you.

Do you?

Yes.

I'd be delighted if you would
allow me to give you a new pair.

These are for you.

I can't accept.

Don't you like them?

I chose them for you.

I'd like you to wear them.

Don't you want to try them on?

They fit perfectly.

Made to measure.

How did you guess my shoe size?

Remember, I'm a conserver.

I only need to look
at a foot to guess its size.

Walk a little to show them to me.

One or two steps up and down.

Go on.

I'd like you to wear them
every day from now on.

All the time.

On the boat. At work.

During your breaks.

Whether I see you or not.

Agreed?

Password.
- Brat.

I don't want you to get a cold.

Here.

It's good, thank you.

Come with me.

Shall I take them off?

It's not necessary.

Are they hurting you?

No, they're fine.

Have you thrown away my old shoes?

I can't receive the customers like this.

I'll ask the lady from number 223
to iron your clothes.

Who's she?

An old guest from the time this was
a young ladies' boarding house.

She was living here when
I bought the place for my laboratory.

And she stayed on.

She's the piano player?

No, that's the lady from number 309.

Thank you, Iris.

Come in.

Hello.

I've brought you a score.

We'd be grateful
if you would play it to us on the piano.

I don't know if I can play this piece.

Please. We need your help
in the preparation of a specimen.

I'll fetch the lady from number 223.

Thank you.

Tell the customer her specimen
will be ready in a few days.

What's that?

The bones of a Javanese sparrow.

We spent nearly ten years together.

He died of old age.

That's life, what can you do?

They're incredibly light.

I'd like to have buried them,
but I live in a flat.

If they were preserved,
he could finally

rest in peace.

My word, mademoiselle,
those are pretty shoes.

They're simple and unpretentious.

And they seem to have a strong will.

But above all they fit you perfectly.

As if you were born with them.

You know a lot about shoes.

You can say that again.

I've worked
as a shoe-polisher for 50 years.

I'll give you some advice.

Even if they're very comfortable,

don't wear them too often.

Otherwise you risk losing your feet.

Look.

There's almost no space
between your feet and the shoes.

That proves that the shoes are
taking possession of your feet.

- Possession?
- Yes, exactly.

But it's really none of my business.

Please forget what I've just said.

But I'd be delighted to polish
your shoes for you if you like.

My stall is just behind
the central station.

I'll use a special type of polish.

You'll love the shine.

I'm relying on you for the specimen.

Please don't worry.
It will be ready in a few days.

Thanks. See you.

Yes, what is this about please?

Pardon?

A shadow?

What?

I'm terribly sorry,
but we only conserve concrete things.

No, the laboratory is unable
to prepare a specimen from a shadow.

Or an evil spirit.

Sorry.

Are you still working?

It's late.

You've changed your hairstyle.

I'll Wait.

He's not there?

Monsieur Rota was supposed to install
the air conditioning last week.

Today is Tuesday,
and he still hasn't come.

It's impossible to work.
This is a laboratory.

Sorry?

Yes, it's really very urgent.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you very much.

Was there no one here today?

No one.

No one comes when it's too hot.
That's how it always is.

As soon as it rains,
or the temperature drops,

they miraculously turn up again.

Are your shoes making you suffer?

No.

I don't want you to suffer.

The storerooms for the specimens
need to be cleaned and tidied.

I didn't hire you for this type of work,
but I'd like it very much

if you would help me
to get things in order.

Would you like to?

I'd like to very much.

I like being here with you
when everything is asleep.

The taps, the showers, the sinks.

Can you hear the echo?

The panes used to be
covered with droplets.

The pool was full of steam.

And there were
lots of different noises.

Laughter, flowing water.

Falling soap dishes.

And the young girls
lined up in front of the showers.

Naked.

And among them the ladies
from numbers 309 and 223?

Yes, they must have been
around your age then.

One of them carefully
washes her hands.

She has taken a lot of soap
and rubs it into each finger

until they are completely clean.

With the other it's her neck.
She's been talking all day.

She's so hoarse she needs
to warm herself under the shower.

It's difficult to believe
that time really happened.

It's all dry now.

There's not a drop of water.
Not a trace of soap.

The pianist's hands and
the telephonist's voice have aged.

There's only the two of us.

Have you anything to conserve?

I don't know.

I don't think I need a specimen.

Everyone needs one.

Me too? Even you?

Yes.

Think about it.

There must be something
you'd like to have conserved.

Let's try to look at it another way.

What is your most painful
memory up to now?

The most painful?

There must have been a situation
in which you felt wretched.

In which you felt ashamed.

In which you felt ridiculous.

Go on, think.

Think about
your most painful memory.

Something that doesn't let you go.

Something appalling.

Unbearable.

That was when I lost
the tip of my left ring finger.

Where?

In the lemonade.
- Lemonade?

Yes, it got caught in the conveyor belt
of the drinks factory

where I was working.

And then what happened?

Nothing.

The lemonade turned pink
and I fainted.

And your ring finger
has never been the same since?

Hello.

Hello Iris.

How pretty you are today.

Your name, please?
- Olivier.

Voyd.
- With a Y.

There, that's all.

Thank you.

"Mademoiselle,

"My ship departs tomorrow.
I would like to meet you before I leave.

"I'll be in the Rose Bar,
four blocks from here.

I'll wait for you. Costa."

Leave me alone.

- Good morning.
- I've been waiting.

Do you have time to help me
clear up the new storeroom?

What if customers come in or phone?

None will come today.
The weather's too changeable.

And if they come,
they'll ring the bell.

You could get yourself dirty.
You should wear an apron.

How many rooms
does the building have?

75, to be exact.

From number 101 to 302
they're all in use.

Except for number 223.

The room where
the telephonist used to live.

Yes, except for number 223.

Won't the number of specimens
decrease?

Not at all.

It's increasing all the time.

And what will happen
when all the rooms are full,

and there's no space left?

There's still the loft
and the bathroom.

And when the bathroom
becomes a storeroom,

what will become of us?

- Hello.
- Hello.

Excuse the interruption.

Not at all. Please sit down.

I've made some tea.
Would you like some?

It's actually not my first time here.

Have you come to see
your specimen?

No.

Is it possible for one person
to have two specimens made?

You want to order a second one.
Is that right?

I'd like to know
if it's happened before.

What is the new specimen
you'd like to have made?

This burn.

The laboratory director will come.

He'll tell you what he can do.

Thanks for coming despite the rain.

You'd like a specimen of your scar.

Is that right?

Yes.

Preparing specimens and healing
wounds are two different things.

Are you clear about this?

Yes, I am.

I'd like a specimen, nothing more,

to free me from it once and for all.

Then I can agree to your request.

Come to the lab.

You're going to the laboratory?

Please take care of the form
and write out the label.

Goodbye.
- Thanks.

Come in.

Do your feet hurt?

No, they're fine.

Hello.
- Hello.

Mademoiselle.

Mademoiselle, please come in.

I have something to tell you.

Would you like some tea?

Yes please.

Please sit down.

Do you take sugar?
- No, thanks.

How long have you
been working here?

I don't know.
Perhaps two or three weeks.

Strange, I thought it was longer.

And you're not thinking of leaving?

No, why?
I like my work very much.

Most of the girls
who worked here left very quickly.

Well, I don't know
if "left" is the right word.

How do you mean?

They just disappeared over night
without even saying goodbye.

What was the girl before me like?

She was about your age.

I remember her well, because I saw
her on the clay of her disappearance.

I went outside to see to my plants,

and I met her in the corridor.

Her eyes were down,
she didn't see me.

It was the sound of her shoes
I noticed above all.

A small, soft, regular sound.

Alight slacking of the heels.

I was a telephonist.
I'm very sensitive to sounds.

Do you remember her shoes?

No, it was too dark.

- Where did she go?
- That's just it...

But I hope you won't be leaving
us as suddenly as she did.

I have to go now.
Thank you for the tea.

A Chinese man just brought this,
but he didn't say anything.

Do you know what it is?

It's a mah jong set.

It represents the Chinese
philosophy of the universe.

This is a rare,
extremely valuable object.

Put it on the shelf.

They all have to be picked up.

Every piece must be returned
to its original position.

Everything has to be tidy
before the first customer comes.

Finished?

They're all back in place.

Is it morning already?

Yes.

We made it to the morning together.

Take me to the laboratory.

I'm the only one allowed in there.

The girl with the burn could go in.

Yes, but that was
because of her specimen.

The specimens come first here.

But I could come down
to the basement with you

if I asked you to prepare
a specimen inseparable from myself.

Hello.

The young lady from the laboratory.
What a nice surprise.

I've come to have my shoes polished.

You've come specially.

Please sit here.

How is the specimen
of my Javanese sparrow?

We're storing it with great care.

The conservation fluid really
brings out the whiteness of the bones.

Lovely.

This is my special polish.

You'll soon see them shine like jewels.

Did someone give you these shoes?

Yes.

And are you in love with him?

I ask myself that.

I don't really know.

I'm only sure of the feeling
of not being able to leave him.

I don't understand these things,
but I can assure you

it's because of your shoes.

If you don't take them off immediately,
you'll never get away.

Why not have these shoes conserved?

That way, mademoiselle,
your feet would be free.

I don't want to free them.

There we are, finished.
They're perfect.

Do you really intend
to go back to the laboratory?

Yes.

Well, I won't be seeing you again.

Take care.

You too.

Goodbye.
- Goodbye.