Original subtitles

In the beginning, there was nothing at all.

Nothing, except God.

How long did God exist? No one is old enough to know.

God's environment, by the way, was not exactly densely populated.

That was convenient, because God looked at nothing and desired nothing.

God was interested in nothing.

Even being God left God cold.

One can best think of God as... a tube.

Yes, a tube.

Let me explain why.

God's only occupations were ingesting, digesting and excreting.

God's heavenly food drew only through Him.

God held nothing inside. Just like a tube.

LITTLE AMÉLIE GOD'S ENTRAILS

TO "GOD'S ENTRAILS BY AMÉLIE NOTHOMB

People's eyes have an amazing characteristic.

They are viewers.

But ears are not listeners.

And nostrils are not smellers.

But eyes, they are viewers.

What is the difference between eyes that look and eyes that don't look?

This difference has a name: life.

God had no viewers.

Your child is a cash crop.

Disturbing, isn't it?

But God's parents were optimistic.

In doing so, the condition pleased them fine for the time being.

They already had two other children, who were as lively as could be.

So they didn't say no to a peaceful cash crop.

And this was God's greatest strength: God was unflappable.

The many pilgrims who visited God, tickling, volcanoes...

...eloquent symphonies...

...could not disturb Him.

Many would envy such power.

The power of tranquility.

Yet all wanted to to hear God's first sound.

Seeing his first gesture. Experiencing His first whatever.

But God remained unceasingly Doing His first nothing.

And slowly the interest died out.

God was almost completely forgotten.

Days, weeks, centuries passed.

JAPAN AUGUST 13, 1969 Stop. Here it is.

What happened that day, remains a mystery.

Some claim that coincidence does not exist. They want to explain everything.

Still, one little substance can make all the difference.

One tiny particle of dust...

...can change everything.

Long may she live in glory

Can I blow now? - It's my turn.

What is happening? - I'm scared.

Quiet. Earthquakes happen often in Japan.

Under the table, children.

God finally had a look. And a body.

What could He do with it?

Was this good news?

My baby. Everything okay?

Baby?

Who is "baby?

God is not a baby.

God immediately took the floor to establish the true facts.

He expressed in His heavenly voice...

Exactly, yes.

It is a miracle.

Good for you, dear.

No. This is not good at all.

Their lips form words. God's lips only make sound.

What do we do now?

I know. I'll call Mom. - What? -Patrick.

No matter how much effort God made, He could only cry out his despair.

This body was His cage.

She throws her toys again. - Through the window.

André, stop it.

When she also stops. - Mom, she's grabbing my stuff.

Please, Juliette.

I'm tired of those girls.

Ohayou gozaimasu.

Arigatou, Kashima-san. Would you like to come in?

Sorry, it's been difficult lately.

It's mine.

Stop it, stop screaming.

I can't. This can't go on.

I can't even rehearse anymore, and you...

Like a stranded consul.

Guess who brought this back. - No anyway.

Yep. Our dear landlady.

I was scared to death. She was waiting waiting for me behind the window.

Did she see the window? What must she think of us?

She offered me the help of a woman

To whose family used to served her family.

I'm so embarrassed.

Excellent idea. Call her.

Just right.

Stop it or I'll throw your stuff out the window.

Patrick, will you open? - I'm already going.

Ohayou, Ni... Mama?

And or. How happy I am to see you.

Although apparently you were expected this young lady.

Nishio-san.

Grandma. - My darlings.

How big you are. - My tooth is moving.

A dazzling smile. - Who is that lady?

Mama, children, this is Nishio-san.

She comes to help us.

Enter. Douzo. Don't stay outside anyway.

I do wear that.

Grandma, did you bring chocolate? - Of course.

And comics? - Yes.

You don't look your best.

We weren't expecting you anymore.

I had to prepare myself anyway for this event.

Look what a beautiful suit.

But six months...

I am Danièle. Thank you very much for your help.

Mother-in-law?

Hello, dear. You look exhausted, too.

There then is my little miracle.

Sample.

I will show you the house. It will have changed since your childhood.

Look in the bed.

Wait here for me, children. I will do the necessary.

Hello.

I am your grandmother. Glad to finally meet you.

What a humdinger. I know exactly what you need.

I always carry a pick-me-up.

It's white chocolate from Belgium. Your homeland.

Taste.

And the miracle happened.

Mommy, come see. - Daddy.

What is happening?

Through the enjoyment of the white chocolate I experienced it: God, that was me.

This is my great friend Amélie.

This is how I was born, when I was two and a half...

...in the Kansai Mountains...

...in front of my grandmother, through the miracle of white chocolate.

Do we celebrate with champagne?

The pleasure, that was me.

From now on I would be everywhere Where pleasure could be found.

Pleasure actuated my body finally acting up.

The chocolate had awakened my senses.

In a few days I made up for lost time.

Although I hadn't really wasted those.

A human being of two and a half should be able to walk.

Walking is not that difficult: falling forward,

One foot forward and start over.

But.

Run...

Running sets you free.

It's what bandits and heroes do.

And it's more tiring.

But at two and a half a person should especially be able to talk.

What was that long-necked beast?

And what was the wondrous power that replaced "something

...by "nothing?

That was the miracle of a God.

What could be more divine than this destruction?

On that day, I met a brother.

Come, Amélie. Let Nishio-san dust... - Dust.

I want my four hours.

Patrick, Amélie just said her first word.

Great. What is it? - Stuffer.

Vacuum cleaner?

What a heavenly word. Bravo, Amélie.

Try to say something else, Amélie. Try "ma-ma.

It obviously meant a lot to them.

Mom. - Good for you, Amélie.

That's me, your mom. - My turn now.

'Pa-pa'.

Dad. - Exactly, bravo. Dad.

What an odd response.

As if I had to name them To confirm their existence.

Stop.

Juliette. - She said my name.

Grandma. - Sweetheart. What a miracle you are.

My brother liked to tease me.

He read comics all afternoon on my back.

She doesn't want to say your name. - It's a baby.

She still knows only a few words.

No, I know many more.

Can you talk? - I've always been able to talk.

She talks like an empress.

What a wonderful child. She chooses her words.

Honey, don't sulk now. Champagne.

Luckily you were there, grandma. You were the only one who saw me as I was.

We're going to miss you, Grandma. You'll be back soon, right?

Yes, but next time you will have grown again.

Take care of your parents, they need it.

Where is Amélie? - Yes, where is she?

I want to say goodbye. - I'll look for her.

Get in the car, we're already late.

Sky.

What are you doing here, rascal? - Where are you going, grandma?

To the land of white chocolate.

I'm going to miss you so much.

I can't find her. Oh, there you are.

Come, Grandma is still missing her plane.

Drive on.

Mommy, is Grandma coming back soon?

Not right away. She's going to Belgium. That's very far.

At the end of the world. - The end?

I don't want to.

Why doesn't she stay? It's not fair.

She has to go home anyway. Don't be such a baby.

Ouch.

Shame on you, André. And Amélie, don't kick.

My device was almost broken. - She can't know that, she's small.

Stop. - That's enough.

To your room.

They didn't understand.

That cursed Belgium had given me white chocolate,

But my grandmother declined.

The only one who didn't see me as a baby.

It was unbearable.

I am a youkai.

Come.

This is Otoroshi.

A youkai who protects the gods.

He usually lives in an abandoned sanctuary.

And when someone behaves badly there...

...he makes a thunderous sound.

He can even drop himself from a high place Drop down to crush the person.

His role is to teach people a lesson.

Again. - There are a lot of youkai.

For next time.

Will you help me?

Arigatou, Ame-chan.

Bloom.

Bloom all.

The first spring of my existence.

Nature celebrated my arrival.

The plants bloomed at my command.

Nishio-san. Nishio-san.

What are you doing here? It's early.

I wanted to read the sequel. But the book is still in the kitchen.

We're going to make it.

Hello, Kashima-san. I'm glad to see you.

I wanted to thank you for this work.

Hello, Nishio-san. What are you doing with this child in the garden?

We were at the pond. Amélie was looking for me.

Don't waste your time with her.

You must maintain the honor of my house upheld.

Doing what my tenants can't handle.

Don't forget that.

You are right. But taking care of Amélie helps them, too.

How sad that lady looked.

Just go home. I'll be right there.

What did she have anyway?

Such a stiff mouth, such a somber look.

I saw only one explanation: she didn't want to love me.

She had to follow Nishio-san's example.

Loving me was good for her.

Poor Kashima-san.

She probably suffered from restraint disease.

Amélie, where are you from?

What's that, Daddy?

A carp. The symbol of boys. May is the boys' month.

Why May?

I don't know.

Why boys' month? - That's a good question.

And when is girls' month? - there isn't one, in my opinion.

Why a carp?

Why do babies always ask why?

I'm ready, Daddy. - Come on, baby. We're going back.

It wasn't fair. Why not a girl's month?

No day or flag for us yet.

And why a carp?

I want to see them in real life.

That should be possible.

Nishio-san must know a place where that can be done.

My sanctuary I left reluctantly, but I had to.

I had to know why carps looked more like my brother than me.

How beautiful.

We are almost there.

So this was the home of the carp.

Come with me, Juliette.

Where are the carp? - Shoot up, Dad.

Quietly. I don't know, honey.

Look there.

This way, Ame-chan.

Thank you, Nishio-san. We'll follow shortly.

Some of these carp are as old as a hundred years.

Are you okay, Amélie?

Carp are very ugly.

I don't like them much either.

Therefore, it is the symbol of the boys.

The stupidest fish.

Or maybe because they have big whiskers.

That stupid fish was a good symbol for the ugly sex.

Amélie, Nishio-san.

We go back, it's raining. - We are coming.

Come, Amélie, you will melt.

Not yet. I want to stay in the rain.

That doesn't surprise me. You are the rain.

The first part of your name, Ame, means rain in Japanese.

That name fit me so well.

Like the rain I was precious and dangerous

...harmless and deadly, silent and loud.

And above all, I felt invulnerable.

If we go now, I'll teach you to write it.

The rain, that was me.

The last one in the kitchen is a wimp.

Socks off.

Nishio-san, teach me my name in Japanese.

Change of clothes first?

When we were home, you said.

I did say that, yes. Well... Raise your finger.

So? - Yes, very good.

Stand by the window And give me your hand.

First a horizontal line for the sky.

Then you draw the beginning of a square

...than a vertical line between air and earth...

...And finally, four small drops.

This is how you write ame, the sign for rain.

I don't see it well. - Wait.

Better like this? Come on, let's get changed.

I had always known. Now I had the confirmation.

I was Japanese.

I had never seen my father never seen him cry before.

He looked like a giant baby.

Why are you crying, Daddy? Are you afraid of the thunderstorm?

Honey, daddy is crying because his mommy, your grandmother, has left us.

She's gone to Belgium, but she'll be back.

No, Amélie. This is different. Grandma is gone forever.

She died, Amélie. I'm so sorry.

Died?

Yes, dear. You can't understand that yet.

Go play some games. We'll talk about it in a minute.

Death. I knew what it was.

Honey...

But that's not why I understood it.

My grandmother had delivered me from it And so soon after, it was her turn.

Like an exchange.

But why?

What is this?

A koma. That means toll in Japanese.

Try it with yours.

See, this is how you do it.

Heavy precipitation is forecast in the south...

...with possible flooding in the Kobe area...

Nishio-san, why are we dying?

Why we die?

Maybe because God wants it?

God? But I never wanted for my grandmother to die.

What, did your grandmother die?

Yes, Mom said.

For crying out loud. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that, Amélie.

Why do we die?

When you've lived a long time, like your grandmother, then you are tired.

It's like going to sleep.

That's... that's good.

And if you die young?

Yes, look...

I saw many people die during the war.

Tell me about the war.

I don't think you want to hear stories like that.

Yes. Tell me, please.

Very well. I will try.

...grieving families...

It was a long time ago. I was just little.

I was sitting at breakfast with my parents and my sister

...When it started raining bombs.

And not for the first time in Kobe.

But that day I felt that the bombs were for us.

And I was right.

Next to me a huge explosion took place.

As if by some miracle, I was still alive.

I tried to move my arms and legs to move, but I couldn't.

Only then did I understand That I had been buried.

Strangely, I felt safe.

Then the air became scarce. So I started digging and digging.

Not knowing where to go.

I began to listen.

I thought: where there is sound, there is life.

On the contrary: death reigned there.

On that day, I lost my family.

Didn't I scare you too much, did I?

Were you sad like my daddy?

Yes. But time heals many wounds.

And their memory remains And guides me through life.

Do you still see them?

Not the way you see me now.

They follow their path in a different way. Perhaps they become something new.

I try to imagine them And talk to them.

That does me good.

Soon there will be an important celebration. An important event in Japan.

We put candles on the river, just like for a birthday.

To honor those we no longer see And to accompany them on their way.

Can I come with you?

Perhaps.

If mom agrees.

Then help me prepare.

How long will Dad stay in Belgium?

Two months. But they will be over in no time.

She can't take it. - To me.

No, to me. - Here, Juliette.

Arigatou.

Can you bring chocolate for us? - No, nougat.

All right, I'll take both.

Don't you guys have anything anything else to say?

Shave off. - You are stupid, André.

Is Amélie not here?

You just missed her. She went to the river with Nishio-san.

They put their lantern on the water.

Ah yes, the death festival. Great that she experiences that.

Thank Nishio-san For sharing that with her.

Yes, they love being together so much. They are very attached to each other.

Your flight is tomorrow, isn't it?

Happy. It is sad without you.

As soon as I get there, we'll go to the sea.

Now when do we go? - We're in a hurry.

Where are Daddy and Amélie? - Please.

I want to stay with you.

Well, this is not to be missed.

And your father just got back from Belgium. He wants to see you, too.

Then why don't you come along?

You know, a long time ago I was on that same beach with my family.

It was very beautiful.

I was barely older than you.

It's like the end of the world. You have to see it.

Come here, baby. I missed you.

I'm waiting for you here.

Bye, Nishio-san.

See you later. - Itte rasshai.

A sunny day to enjoy Tottori beach.

Here is "Love Vacation from The Peanuts.

Too bad Nishio-san wasn't there.

Mommy, can I have that glass jar? - The glass jar? Of course, dear.

Was this the end of the world?

Maybe my grandmother was there?

Mom.

Dad.

It's over, it's all right.

André came to warn us. He saw your pot at the water's edge.

Without him...

Thank you, André.

She said my name.

I saw my brother as a mathematical equation.

Without him, I wouldn't be here.

Would I have liked that?

I would never have known that anyway.

Good evening, Nishio-san. - Good evening.

Can I help you, sir?

Please. Can you get Amélie out of the car?

It was an intense day. - Please.

What a beautiful pot.

He is for you.

You may open it. - Thank you.

Nishio-san, hayaku oide. Come quickly.

Ame-chan, arigatou.

Juliette, wake up. It's my birthday, I'm turning three.

Hello, Kashima-san. Thank you for receiving me.

It's too late for an explanation.

Forgive me. I spend a lot of time with Amélie and...

That's precisely the problem. She has robbed you of your senses.

They had a death. She wondered about death.

That doesn't concern you. You can't mix our cultures.

Forgive me, ma'am. I didn't mean to be disrespectful.

It was disrespectful to our ancestors

that you took her to the river.

I was only taking care of one child.

You don't understand. By attaching yourself attached, you betray your people.

You forget what they did to us. - That's not their fault.

I'm trying to help them. And I love that child.

How dare you say that?

Have you forgotten everything then?

After the war, they took everything away from us.

What are you doing here?

It's my birthday.

Forgive her, Kashima-san. I will bring her back.

Getting attached to her is a mistake.

The war is over, Kashima-san. For thirty years.

Her parents were children. - My husband.

And my son.

Do you accept that your father, your mother and your little sister...

Don't scare her.

You should never have come. Go, I don't want to see you anymore.

Someday she will grow up and forget you. Like you have forgotten everything.

Which side are you on?

Nothing remains Of your vile attachment.

Forgive me, Amélie.

Nishio-san... - Nishio-san, Nishio-san.

No, Nishio-san. - Nishio-san, wait.

Nishio-san, no.

Nishio-san, come back.

They are adult problems. It's not your fault.

Kashima-san acts mean to Nishio-san.

They have experienced things that you don't yet understand.

But it's not up to you.

I'm sorry, Amélie. I couldn't stop her.

Congratulations, Amélie. - Settle down, Juliette.

That's right. We have to blow candles today. Three years is not nothing.

We bake a delicious cake. - First in the kitchen.

I take a picture. - I light the candles.

Out of the way, André.

What a dessert you are.

Dad, Dad.

Happy birthday, Amélie.

Blow, dear. Blow.

Can I do it?

Congratulations.

Congratulations.

A surprise awaits you.

Here, honey.

Just open it.

Surprise.

We saw how much fun you had with the carp.

You get one for each year.

Beware, you have to feed them every day of their lives.

Patrick, those beasts can live for centuries.

Until we go back to Belgium then.

Back to Belgium?

Yes.

We are Belgians.

But I am Japanese.

We don't always do what we want. Dad works for Belgium.

If Belgium calls us back from Japan, we have to leave.

He shouldn't be listening, Belgium is far away.

I want to stay here, it's my home. - No, Amélie. Our country is Belgium.

We will have to go there. It is our home.

On my third birthday everything changed.

Everything I loved, I would lose.

But for now, we stay.

You can still enjoy and prepare for it.

Had I been naughty?

Was this a punishment?

Or will everything just disappear one day?

Would I also forget everything?

Nishio-san, my shrine, Japan...

...the flowers, everything?

Was this life?

A voracious maw That gobbles up everything?

Carpe diem.

The day of carp.

Kashima-san.

I am beginning to understand your sadness.

You lost everything.

I will never feed the carp again. I will never leave Japan.

At the age of three I returned to the beginning.

When there was nothing.

What are you doing here, rascal?

I am dead, I believe.

Not yet.

Well almost, because I see you.

It is. But this is no place for you.

You are bored to death here. The world is big.

And sad.

Everything disappears. - No.

I'm not here anymore, but you see me, don't you?

Memories remain.

Since I will be leaving Japan...

...Nishio-san And the mountains will lose...

...will be driven out of my garden...

...and what I have will be lost...

...I have to remember everything.

When we were home, you said.

I did say that, yes. Well...

Raise your finger. - So?

Ame.

...And finally, four small drops.

Amélie, come back.

Honey. Look, Amélie is waking up.

Hi, Amélie. - Are you okay?

How you scared us again.

She must have pain on her forehead.

Quiet, children.

You hit your head against the bottom.

Do I have a hole? - Yes, they sewed it up.

With needle and thread? - Yes.

Stay off, or you will bleed.

Someone special come for you.

Are you happy, honey?

Kashima-san saved you.

Kashima-san?

And she called Nishio-san, who came right away.

Ame-chan.

You are back.

You're back, too. Will you stay with us for a while?

I will stay with you as long as you are here.

Amélie, where are you staying? - Come on.

Come on, Amélie.

Here. Are you okay?

As a three-year-old, you notice all kinds of things and understand nothing.

After how many swallows can you believe that spring is coming back again?

Do scars disappear like snow in the sun?

My dear Nishio-san, my sun.

Wherever I go, I will always cherish these precious years at your side always cherish.

I want to see everything, feel everything. To give all the love that is possible.

Full of passion every chapter of my existence writing.

With eyes wide open.

Well, so I am not God.

And believe me: it's much more enjoyable this way.