Original subtitles

Lottery.

Lottery.

Nothing for lottery tickets.

Dirty old sod. He spends it all on women.

Stop! Stop! Stop!

Steve, stop the smoke.

You re on the tracks too long!

Somebody could have saved you.

Nobody even tried.

The train stopped.

Yes, in real life.

The sound of a train drew me to the tracks...

Kill the smoke,

she missed her cue!

- We re choking here. - The valve's broken.

We'll rehearse the show after dinner.

This was just

our therapeutic game.

But we must...

and can help other alcoholics.

I'm warning you:

This outing is your test.

I expect reasonable behavior from you all,

and I trust there will be no incidents on the trip.

At the end of this treatment

I want us to part as friends.

Sorry to disturb you.

We have an emergency.

Hold on.

I'll be right back.

Who is on call?

Dr. Markovich. But he went out for his dinner.

- What happened? - Alcohol. Smuggled in.

That's the third time this month!

Outrageous!

SPECIAL TREATMENT

What is the demon in human beings

that leads them to drunkenness?

- What happened to you? - I got drunk, doctor.

- Blood pressure? - 90 over 60.

Very, very low.

All right...

Let's see.

- Where are you going? - To get hammered.

He was only joking.

It's not funny. I don't want my treatment extended because of you.

We re spreading the g-g-gospel.

We are taking our show on the road.

Your colleagues are dead against you.

Professor, I'll prove them wrong.

My patients will not fail me

whatever the temptations.

They know that this tour is the end of their treatment,

the final test to see if they are ready to be released.

I understand, but...

Our patients will be an asset to society.

They won't be outcasts.

Some day, they'll lead others along the righteous path.

They are the ones who really know

the harm alcohol can do.

All right, I'm not against you.

I backed you up at the meeting.

At least take a policeman along...

No way.

I want them to get used to freedom.

But please, be careful.

We can't afford bad publicity.

This hospital is for compulsory treatment.

He's dragging his son along again.

Don't you like kids?

I do. Other people's.

He has to bring him. He hasn't got a mother.

Farewell. And do please take care.

- Where are your things? - In the van.

- All set? - Yes.

Get in.

Can the boy sit with me?

Of course.

Helena, will you read me Little Red Riding Hood?

Sure, Deyan.

Thirty years gone by

Thirty years of folly

I don't give a damn

My future will be jolly...

Please, no drinking songs.

This scenery deserves something glorious.

Snack time. Marko, pass out the apples.

Most therapeutic, apples.

Steve, stop here.

Now, walk.

Now, jog.

Now, like birds, like birds.

Let's order.

Mila?

Mineral water.

Mineral water.

Mineral water.

Mineral water.

S-s-same here.

I'll settle for anything.

Be serious.

Juice for my son and a cold beer for me.

Let's have a little chat.

Alright, I ordered a beer,

and you didn't.

Tell me why.

Because we are alcoholics... ex-alcoholics,

without the willpower to resist

alcohol.

Mila,

what do you think?

Well, I think...

well...

if we ordered one beer,

we'd want a second and a third.

Why stop here?

Marko?

Basically we have no w-w-willpower.

Why do we always refer to the concept of will?

Rade?

You taught us that backbone...

Will is the backbone of man's character.

- That's what you taught us. - Wait.

Daddy, I need to do a poo.

Waiter!

Bring us a nice squealer.

And don't carve it. Bring it whole.

As you ordered.

- Let's make a bet. - OK.

If I can't eat the whole pig,

I'll pay you 500.

But, if I can, you pay me 500...

and carry me home. OK?

OK!

Bring me some wine

And then you'll be mine...

I could eat half that pig.

Don't be daft.

- Wanna bet? - Don't be pigs like them.

Use your own mind. Don't be the doctor's parrot.

What does a broken-down driver know?

Don't insult me, I'll show you.

Just you try.

You think you re better than us?

Just look at yourselves.

Railway whore, failed actor,

whorehouse musician.

And you: lottery hustler.

Compared to you, I am a gentleman.

Funny, we never noticed.

I was and always will be a chauffeur.

Do you want this beer here as well?

Take it to the table.

Let me drink

To drown my sorrows

My heart aches

It longs to break

In this heat, there's nothing like mineral water.

Right.

Excuse me, may I go to...

Yes.

Check, please.

You haven't touched your beer.

Let's go.

Enjoy yourselves!

And always remember:

everything beautiful was created by nature.

Mountains, rivers and forests?

Yes, everything.

- Birds too? - Birds too.

But you told me we came from monkeys.

We did. It's true.

Move in closer. Doctor, do you want to be in the picture?

No, I don't.

But I do.

Just a sec.

Closer, please.

Bring some wine, dear waitress

Let me drink

To drown my sorrows

My heart aches

It longs to break

Inhale.

Inhale deeply.

Inhale, son.

Roar.

Let it go.

Now, all together.

One must let oneself go.

Let's start. One...

two...

three.

"In France, every year, alcohol kills

more than thirty thousand.

They drink twice as much as the Germans,

three times more than the English or Americans

and four times more than the Swedes and Danes."

How do we rank?

No mention of us.

We re out of their league.

Yes,

especially you.

Who are you looking for?

The cultural deputy.

Katya? Straight ahead.

I called the hospital. They said you'd left.

Lots of speakers agree to come...

And then don t.

We set things up and they don't show.

You hold lectures often?

At least once a month.

Your treatment would be useful here.

The manager can't see you yet.

He's very busy.

Up to his neck at the moment,

but he does expect you for dinner.

I'll show you around the brewery.

These tanks

are for storing the beer before bottling.

All that beer!

Pour us out a glass, please.

- Is that beer? - Yes, unpasteurized.

Much tastier than processed.

It's produced under high pressure.

Who'd like to try?

No, thank you.

- Me! - Behave, son.

The very best beer.

- How about you? - Thanks, I don't drink.

In our country

we consume 100 bottles of beer per capita.

And this year half of that...

because the old c-c-crow is on the wagon.

How long can you keep that up?

- For the rest of my life. - Lucky you!

Why do you have to wash the filter now?

We re preparing for filtration.

Sorry, there's no other way through.

What is this?

The biggest glass of beer on earth.

We called the press.

Newspapers everywhere want pictures.

It'll be in the Guinness Book of Records.

That was my idea.

Well done.

- C-c-congratulations. - Thank you.

A souvenir photo?

Rade, please take a picture.

You should be comfortable in our villa.

Daddy, I'm starving!

Patience. We'll eat soon.

Come on, hurry up!

Thank God, we've arrived.

You mention God" a lot.

Why shouldn't I?

Educated people know there's no God".

As kids, they taught us He existed.

But since the war, no more "God.

Another casualty of the war!

Welcome.

Please, come in.

Enjoy your meal, sir.

How's the soup, doctor?

Delicious.

My own recipe.

I didn't know whether to order game

or fish.

We could use a specialist in your field.

No more, thank you.

Not even one glass?

No, thank you.

Our basic problem is:

we planned...

to open a whiskey distillery.

Lot of demand for whiskey.

The most modern factory,

and yet our output is down.

The workers drink.

If they didn't, we d produce more beer, wages would go up

and the whole town would benefit.

I have to...

chase them out at the end of every shift.

They just laugh and say:

"Why change bars?"

But why do you serve beer

on the streets?

It's an old tradition.

Some tradition!

We used to win Olympic medals.

What happened to that tradition?

They ve been selling it on the street for years.

If I did away with it,

they d throw me out of my own factory.

Forgive me, I'll have more soup.

Here you are, sir.

- Beware. - Beware what?

Don't eat too much.

But I love it.

I hardly drink or smoke, I don't chase women...

Listen to my song and you'll understand.

I wrote the lyrics, they wrote the music.

Come on, my song!

What am I gonna do, ma?

You know I love to eat

If eating was a sport, ma

I would be an Olympic athlete

There'll be plenty of time to diet

When I'm up in heaven...

"Are you honest?

Are you fair?

Get thee to a n-n-nunnery.

Why wouldst thou be a b-b-breeder of sinners?

That's very funny.

Is there any more?

"What is a man...

if the main goal...

and market of his time...

b-be but to d-drink...

N-n-not to drink.

"To sleep...

and to eat.

A beast, nothing more.

Bed time.

Lights out.

Wait, what's the hurry?

We re not in the hospital.

It's after ten. Lights out.

Ha! Curfew.

Do you want me to get the doctor?

Regular Gestapo.

Ass-kisser.

It's for the kid.

And for you.

He's asleep.

- Do you like children? - Very much.

That's why...

I'm sorry he's got no mother.

Kids need a mother.

I don't understand

how a woman could walk out

on her son, and on such a man as the doctor.

I heard he was really nasty to her, that's why she ran away.

If that was true, he wouldn't have got custody.

A real mother would never give up her child.

I had no choice. They took mine too.

Who did she run off with?

I heard...

some artist.

Fucking artists!

- Where are you going? - You scared me.

Go back to your room.

We re having a bedtime apple.

I'll be right back.

- I have to go. - Stay a bit longer.

First...

Let's return the fish to the river.

Come on, don't be shy...

Don't worry, that's my son.

Doctor,

we have visitors.

Two incurable cases.

My honorable father and his best friend.

This isn't a social call.

I need money.

Then we'll go.

I already gave you money.

Not enough for a birthday party.

A 3-day party?

Explain why it lasts 3 days.

I had a rough birth. 3 days in labor.

So pay up and stop annoying your old dad.

When will you pay me back?

When will I pay you back?

I'm a man of my word, I'll pay you back on the 1st.

Oh, you've got a job?

God forbid.

I'll pay when you give me my allowance.

- The bank is closed. - Here.

Oh no!

Is this a loan?

It's a gift.

Don't do that. You don't know him.

I know him.

- You are an alcoholic. - You mean me?

- You mean him? - You as well.

You are not just destroying yourself,

you're also shaming your son in his home town.

You asked for money.

He turned you down.

Yet you accepted it from me, a total stranger.

Next you'll rob somebody.

You calling me a thief?

Or hold up a liquor store.

He's right.

You re talking shit!

Are you crazy?

No man calls me a thief.

Be quiet!

Fuck you and your money!

Shame on you!

Who is this idiot anyway?

He is an expert on alcoholism.

Let's not bother them. Let's go.

Shame on you!

Accusing an old man...

of being an alcoholic and a thief.

Nice pals you've got, son-of-mine.

I have to go.

- Katya, give the doctor a lift. - Of course.

- No, I'll walk. - It's a long way.

Candied apples.

Want one, boss?

Leave me alone.

The Martians are about to land.

I can't wait to greet them.

Delicious apples. I'll save the seeds.

The Americans faked the moon landing. They just want to destroy people's faith.

Don't you watch TV?

Yes, I do.

But they can't fool me.

They built movie sets in California.

Lunar surfaces and space ships...

Then they filmed it all for TV.

But the real Martians will come

and set out large steel nets.

They'll scoop us up

and take us to their planet...

and turn us into...

little tin men.

On a night like this,

I feel like playing.

Rade,

let's be partners when we get out.

I could be your singer.

But you can't sing in tune.

I'll form an orchestra

and play classical music.

Classical music? You?

Don't tease him, he's good.

When I'm in the mood.

Cheers.

It's hard to fight for one's ambitions

in such a small town.

Especially for a woman.

The brewery is my life.

Public relations, marketing,

entertaining and the brewery's image.

You have no idea...

how nice it is...

to be able to talk to you

and know that you understand me.

Well...

Doctor...

We'll see each other tomorrow.

Good night.

One, two, three, four...

Flutter, like birds.

No fooling around!

One, two, three, four...

Good morning, doctor.

Just keep exercising.

Where's my son?

He went for a walk with Helena.

One, two,

three, four...

Flutter.

Three, four...

Helena!

Deyan!

Reach for apples!

Flutter like birds!

Where did Red Riding Hood go wrong?

She strayed from the path.

To pick flowers.

Man must stay on the right path.

Temptation leads him astray.

Like the flowers led Red Riding Hood.

Miss Helena is so nice.

Yes, she is.

Daddy, don't be mean to her.

Will the show be a comedy?

No, we are playing ourselves before treatment.

Sounds heavy!

Give me that!

Who is that girl?

Mila. Why, you like her?

I like her tits.

I laid her for a couple of lottery tickets.

- You? - Yes, me.

Wipe your nose, kid.

Is there a shower we can use?

For you... anything.

Sit down.

Would you like a cigarette?

Doctor, everything's ready.

Well done, Steve.

Lunch is ready.

Excellent.

Take the guests to the canteen.

Just a moment.

- Can I go with Miss Helena? - Yes, you can. But behave.

Let me show you our library.

Let it go! Let's go eat.

Look.

The Drunkard.

King Alcohol.

The Old Man And The Sea.

I'll purge the library of every book about alcohol.

The Old Man And The Sea is about fishing.

Yes, but the author was a drunk.

You re going to throw all these away?

Yes.

Last night I did some thinking. Now I understand a lot.

You re right.

Soft drinks?

Thank you.

How I love soft drinks.

Here.

Eat, Deyan. Children must eat.

I can t.

Wait.

Helena, I d like to talk to you.

Yes, Steve.

The snitch left.

How about some beer now?

Do you approve, honey?

G-g-good idea.

Why not?

Go on.

Hurry up.

This is our P.A. system.

We play music to motivate our workers.

That was my idea.

Brilliant.

Could you play this one?

It's my favorite.

Of course.

Thank you.

What's wrong?

Don't worry. Beer's not alcohol.

Tell that to our doctor.

He wouldn't even let us sniff an empty bottle.

Let alone a f-f-full one.

Cheers, honey.

Cheers.

I ve been collecting them for years.

An impressive collection, you'll agree.

21 year-old Champion brandy.

Royal Salute.

Fantastic!

You re quite an expert.

I know a little.

This is our secret weapon.

A sample of the drink we'll market with the slogan:

"Apricot brandy in every cupboard".

Beer is our main product,

but this will really put our factory on the map.

Ten years...

no, ten trees will yield just five bottles of this brandy.

More expensive than whiskey.

Higher quality too.

If you drank, I would offer you...

What do you think? If I could only...

I'll just have a taste.

Take a seat.

Cheers.

Helena...

I have something important to ask you.

Will you marry me?

Go and play, Deyan.

No.

No?

I'm honored that you d ask.

You re a fine man. I know that.

But I'll never marry again.

You know...

I come from a good family. I'm the only child.

The doctor will help me get a job as a chauffeur.

Thank you, Steve.

But I can't.

Please understand.

My marriage was a nightmare.

That's why I started drinking.

I just want to finish this treatment and...

get custody of my children again.

Don't worry about them.

I would treat them as if they were my own.

I will be better than their real father.

Helena...

Let's drop the subject.

Please.

Helena,

I have to warn you.

If you ever remarry,

I'll kill you.

Thirty years gone by

Thirty years of folly

I don't give a damn

My future will be jolly...

Well done!

Silence!

Now, you'll see a great Hamlet.

Gentlemen,

you've been misinformed.

You will hear...

Pirandello's Henry IV.

Henry the who?

No idea.

He's the only real actor here.

From the legitimate theater.

"And pretending

to be compassionate...

not to put the poor man in a temper...

a man already lost to the world,

lost to time,

lost to life.

If he was not a madman,

would he let himself be submitted to such persecution!

And every moment of the day

them wanting everyone to be as they want.

That's not persecution, of course.

Oh, no!

That's just their way of thinking,

feeling, seeing the world!

Everyone has their own opinion.

You ve got yours, no doubt.

God knows what it is.

You re just a flock of sheep,

paltry,

ephemeral,

hesitant sheep.

And they take advantage of that...

And they take advantage of that..."

No...

It doesn't matter. You didn't stammer.

Oh, gentlemen,

that is how I failed as an actor.

I never dared go on stage sober, because I stammered.

When I got drunk, I didn't stammer.

But I forgot my lines.

Here comes Steve!

Steve who?

Just imagine.

One day she simply disappeared,

after 10 years of marriage.

Later I found out she d gone off with some good-for-nothing.

She asked for a divorce.

I agreed.

She said the nastiest things about me.

The judge didn't believe her.

You can't blacken the name of a man

with my reputation.

I won custody of the child,

but she has sworn to get him back.

Where is she now?

Somewhere in France.

She wrote me, blatantly stating that she's going to kidnap Deyan.

That's why I always keep him by my side. He's never alone.

She'd do it.

She's completely unbalanced.

I didn't sleep all night.

I realized there are no worthwhile people...

around here.

I'm happy to have met you.

Life is a perpetual struggle.

I really admire you.

The way you put the boss's father...

in his place.

No man here has the guts to speak out.

I must tell you something.

What?

You drink too much.

Me?

Yes, you.

I have noticed that you display all the classic

symptoms of an alcoholic.

Me?

Yes, you.

You re nervous

and confused.

You re shy and don't speak

unless you re a little tipsy.

As soon as you see a glass, you reach for it.

I am telling the truth.

I'm weak,

I have no willpower.

You must fight it.

Doctor...

Yes?

Lock the door.

I'm freezing!

"We re flying, flying high! Come on, flap your wings!

- What wings? - Your wings.

We re flying, we're flying...

Come in.

Don't worry, we re safe here.

Can you fly?

What?

We are flying.

You stretch your arms and wave.

We re flying...

Like birds...

What's wrong with you?

Come here.

Sit down.

Why not?

I can t.

Don't you like me?

I like you a lot.

So?

That's why I can't.

I d like to know you better.

But you are leaving after the show.

If you want me, you'll find me. I'll be free soon.

Come on, fly, higher, higher...

Flutter, flutter...

Everybody out!

Out!

Get out!

You too!

Turn the water off!

Stop shouting.

Open up, do you hear me?

Open up!

Old bastard!

I'll kill you!

Open up!

Sorry, the boss is too busy to come to the show.

Alright, we'll start.

Thank you.

Shall I switch on the P... A. system? The whole brewery will hear.

Good idea.

Switch it on.

Go to your dad.

- You re all drunk. It's awful. - Of course it is.

The doctor will punish us all.

How could you do this to me?

Sorry.

Don't rat on us. He won't even notice.

You sit with Miss Katya.

The Doctor is coming.

Are you ready?

We are. But Steve is not here.

- Where is he? - He got drunk and ran away.

He even struck me.

When he gets drunk he just goes nuts.

- Why didn't you call me? - We looked for you.

All over the brewery.

OK. I'll replace Steve, I'll do the smoke.

Doctor...

It's my fault.

He proposed to me.

I refused and he went mad.

OK, the show must go on.

The evil of alcohol...

Doctor!

...has ruled the world

for thousands of years.

Many a tyrant has come to the end...

he deserved.

Only this master is everlasting

and gets worse every day.

What is the demon in human beings

that leads them to drunkenness?

We shall talk about man and freedom,

about man and health,

about man and anxiety...

about courage...

and willpower.

Did you ever ask yourself what is...

a free man?

A man is free

only when he is the master of his own passions,

thoughts,

desires and emotions.

It is the goal of every man

to become his own master

and to fulfill

his destiny.

Some think

that freedom means to live where you like

or to do what you like.

However,

even in jail,

men have attained their goals.

Though deprived of freedom,

they remained free agents.

Thus achieving the essence of life, we can say...

that a free man is only

he who can think,

be creative,

and in his mind, convert the potential into the actual and possible.

Let us ask ourselves,

can the alcoholic

be a free agent?

The answer is:

No,

he cannot.

Because the alcoholic is a psychopath

and a psychopath can't choose.

His thoughts float around chaotically

and such a person

cannot attain his goals,

if he has any.

Given the choice

between his family and alcohol, he'll choose alcohol.

Work gives him dignity, but he'll choose alcohol instead.

Between freedom and alcohol

he will, once again,

choose alcohol.

My dear audience,

I would like to introduce you to people who have defeated this evil

and won back their freedom and health.

Helena.

Cheda.

Rade.

Marko.

Mila Pavlovich.

As we know,

alcohol attacks

all the vital

human organs.

It ravages them slowly but surely.

Brain...

lungs...

liver...

which together with the stomach is the most vulnerable.

And now...

I will show you

what happens

to these vital organs

in an alcoholic.

The excess of alcohol in the blood

puts strain on the heart,

which soon deteriorates and ceases to function.

This is of particular interest to you:

a beer drinker's heart.

In order to see the difference,

look at the heart...

Look at the heart...

of a healthy man.

Lottery.

Lottery.

Nothing for lottery tickets.

Lottery.

This is not fiction.

Each confession encompasses a true event.

My patients have lived through all this.

During treatment, day by day,

hour by hour,

by re-living their tragedies,

they have liberated themselves from addiction.

First listen to Helena's case.

My name is Helena Raikovich.

I am 32 years old,

even though I look much older.

Alcohol is the cause.

I lost custody of my children,

a son of 10 and a daughter of 4.

I became an irresponsible mother.

I began to drink

because of my husband. He didn't drink but

he was a tyrant, worse than any alcoholic.

Helena!

I am here because I tried to steal back my kids.

I'll read you my son's letter from last summer.

After I received it I almost killed myself.

"Dear Mom...

We took this photo at the seaside.

I learnt how to swim, but Lila didn t.

She's still young.

Lila wets her bed all the time.

Our stepmother says this is because you are a drunk

and you've ruined our lives.

I said that you love us,

but she says that you don't,

and that we d be better off if you were dead

because you're embarrassing us.

Daddy tells us to call her mom

and to forget you.

Dear Mom...

We love you...

and miss you very much.

At night, when we're left alone...

we cry and pray for you to come back.

Our stepmother..."

Please stop.

Helena, that's enough.

And you,

you've come to see how we've been cured,

and have a laugh.

The show is over!

I don't want to be cured!

I don't want to hear this!

Don't spoil the show!

Carry on!

Folks!

A woman on the tracks!

Miss Helena!

We have to save her!

Carry on!

Carry on!

Carry on!

Don't leave!

The show must go on. Wait!

Continue the performance!

Don't leave!

The show must go on. Wait!

Why should you become a drunk

because someone left you,

because your family split apart,

because your life is a small dirty war

which you cannot win?

If you experience a tragedy you've got to be strong

and use your willpower to survive.

No one can help us but ourselves.

No one can!

Steve?

Steve!

Run, he'll kill us!

Steve!

Don't blame me, Doctor.

It's not my fault.

Turn off the train.

I trusted you and you betrayed me.

But I will cure you.

If not this month, then next year...

I'll make decent citizens out of you, even if it takes me a lifetime.

Stop.

I said stop!

Get out.

You stay.

- With the boy? - Yes, with the boy.

Stop!

Lie down!

Get up!

Lie down!

Get up!

Lie down!

Get up!

Lie down!

Get up!

Subtitles: Stephen Walsh

Subtitling Titra Film Paris