Original subtitles

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

One more floor.

Sign here, please.

Come on.

I'm dead!

Thanks, goodbye.

Come on, Elsa.

Right!

THE ISABELLE'S SECRETS

SIX SAMIAS AND A CREPUSCULAR

Oh, no!

Madam. What's the number of this phone?

The number?

So my mom can call me after school.

Do you have a pen and paper?

No, I'll remember.

I wanted to ask you something.

My aunt can't find anyone to fix it.

My hands aren't what they were. Nor my eyes.

Have a look, you never know.

That's nice.

it's the model from '62 to '64.

But you can't get the parts anymore.

-Sorry. -Okay.

You see over there?

She's been there for an hour.

Why isn't she going home?

Her mom forgot to give her a key.

Goodnight.

What do you want? Water? Orange juice?

An Orangina.

I don't have any. It's water or orange juice.

What are they?

They're Madagascar comets.

The female and the male.

The male is the smaller one.

Right, then…

Now, where has she gone?

Where has she gone?

Here.

You see the yellow one?

That's a lemon butterfly. You find them in the countryside.

You must have seen some.

Never.

Not very observant.

I've never been to the countryside.

You know how a butterfly is born?

Well… no.

We're in trouble!

Look at that.

That's the caterpillar of the moon moth.

You see? It starts spinning silk

and becomes a chry…

-Chrysanthemum? -No, a chrysalis.

What do they teach you at school?

And around the chrysalis there's the cocoon.

Look, here's one.

That is a cocoon.

And in ten days it'll be a butterfly.

That horrible thing, a butterfly?

Yes.

What brand?

What do you mean?

What brand of butterfly?

Oh, the…

I don't know.

My correspondent usually writes down the name.

Either he forgot or he wasn't sure.

Where did you live before this?

Tolbiac.

Didn't you like it?

I was sick of the shelter.

My mom was sick of it too.

Your mom works, does she? What does she do?

Nursing assistant.

No, no!

You don't go in there.

Out of bounds.

Come on.

-We're going to the movies tomorrow. -Great.

She's coming to get me after school. After the movie, we'll go for McDonald's.

-Both of us! -Yes, your mom and you.

-Without her friends. -Good.

Very good.

Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back.

Marguerite, I have to go out

and I'm lumbered with the neighbor's daughter.

Lumbered?

Saddled with, if you prefer.

Lumbered with or saddled with?

She's under my feet!

Get out of here! Now!

Get out!

Venezuela?

Peru.

-Summer '84. -It's…

extraordinary.

It's yours.

A Caligo idomeneus for a Graellsia isabellae?

Look, the Isabelle is a beautiful moth,

some would say it's the most beautiful European species,

but compared to this marvel…

May I ask you why?

A promise I made a long time ago.

What do you want to know?

The exact place and time of the observation,

and whether it was a male or a female.

Yes, Mommy?

That's okay.

Yes.

Why this sudden whim to leave?

You have lots of butterflies.

One more or less…

But this one is different.

Different how? Tell me that.

It'd take too long to explain.

It doesn't explain the sudden hurry.

The Isabelle only flies for ten days, around the end of May.

So if I leave tomorrow,

I could still get there on time. It's not…

Yeah, well… You know what?

At times you seem like a child.

JANITOR

Have you left tins for the cat?

In the fridge.

-How many? -Ten.

That won't be enough.

I'm going for a week, Marguerite.

Not months!

Are you sure of the number?

Yes.

No answer.

What about your mom's cell phone?

She doesn't have one.

Where is she? You must have an idea.

-At your daddy's? -I don't have a daddy.

At a friend's place?

A friend's place. She said: "I'm going to a friend's."

Bad parenting nowadays.

Sad to say. Thank goodness for grandparents!

Grandpa, I'm hungry.

Give her something to eat, and tomorrow morning…

I'll sort out the problem.

Will they take me to prison?

They don't put children in prison. They'll take you home.

They'll say my mom abandoned me, and I'll be co-opted.

What?

What happens to kids with no parents.

Adopted!

Not co-opted.

I've always been in shelters.

At Tolbiac I cried in bed every night. My mom didn't even know.

Another fib. You think I'll believe that?

Take me with you.

Out of the question.

What if they made you go into an old folks' home?

That's totally different! Don't evade the issue!

Please.

No, and no.

No!

I'd so love to see a mountain,

with real birds flying,

cows giving real milk…

Butterflies.

Too bad.

I can't, anyway. It'd be illegal.

If I ask you to, it's okay, isn't it?

That doesn't change anything, Elsa.

I'm not your dad or your grandpa.

Come on, this is the only solution.

Let's go.

Come on!

So, we agree? The slightest grumble from you,

the first wrong step,

you go straight back.

By road, plane, or train.

Or, if necessary, by FedEx.

All right.

-I'm warning you, it won't be a stroll. -Great!

An altitude of 1800 meters. Three days, minimum.

-Cool! -By foot.

Got it!

And I have to find the right spot.

What's the right spot?

A sloping meadow, sheltered from the wind, near a pine forest.

It's in the pines that the female attracts the male with her pheromones.

Why does she moan?

Never mind, I'll explain.

In short, finding an Isabelle

is like finding a needle in a haystack.

What's a haystack?

That's one, there!

Do butterflies live in haystacks?

No… it's an expression,

meaning something is hard to find.

Could you find a needle in that?

Do you have children?

-None of your business. -What about a wife?

Wives…

I had seven of them.

I killed them and burned them in a coal stove.

What's a coal stove?

Something which leaves no traces.

Who are you phoning?

The janitor.

Grandpa?

Call me that again, I'll go on my own.

I'll leave you in this hotel and ask them

to make you sleep in the dog's kennel.

Hello?

I'm looking for my daughter.

-Your little girl? -Yes.

Then what happened?

I carried on talking to Mr. Julien.

He asked me to take care of her until her mother got home.

-What time did you get home? -Eight o'clock, a quarter after.

In the evening?

The morning. I was with friends.

That was yesterday?

Last night I was on duty.

Does she see her father?

-No. -Don't you want her to?

He disappeared when I got pregnant.

Right. How was she dressed?

Blue jeans and a t-shirt with big letters on it.

NBA.

And her shoes?

Sneakers.

-You weren't there. -It's all she wears.

Sneakers.

There. Try them.

-Are they comfortable? -Yes.

Do you need a jacket? A hat?

No, thanks. No jacket, no hat. I'll pay and we'll go.

Take your bag.

-You haven't forgotten anything? -No.

Closing!

I had a nightmare last night.

-Do you want to hear it? -No, thanks.

What's the difference between a dream and a nightmare?

Do you have a lot of questions like that?

Well, what?

A nightmare is a dream that goes bad.

It's like children. They start off a dream,

then they grow up and become a nightmare.

No signal?

No!

That's annoying.

Well, shall we go?

You walk too fast.

Didn't I tell you it wouldn't be a stroll?

Yes.

So don't complain.

I wasn't complaining.

But you still walk too fast.

I don't like tomatoes.

Then remove them.

I don't like potatoes either.

You don't like potatoes either? Then remove them too.

-There'll only be lettuce left. -Don't you like lettuce?

Eat up.

Is that celeriac slaw?

Exactly.

I love celeriac slaw.

-Want to swap? -Absolutely not.

Okay, then.

Here.

Give me that.

Thank you.

There!

-Ouch! -Ouch, what?

-You're hurting. -I'm hurting?

Darn it!

Put your hands through.

And your arms, that's it.

That's it. Now sit down.

It's obvious you don't have children.

Really? Why is it obvious?

You're clumsy with me,

like a chicken trying to use a fork.

A knife.

The expression is, like a chicken that's found a knife.

A knife or a fork, they're both the same for a chicken.

CHANGE THE PIN CODE?

YES

Shit!

Did you do your PIN code?

Of course I did.

Maybe you got it wrong.

It could be a memory problem.

Enough of that!

What's the code?

4642.

That's wrong.

What do you mean? I know my own PIN code.

B3294 is the door,

1274 is my credit card, and 4642 is my PIN code.

I should know.

Better check the chip.

Check!

Drat!

I dropped it.

That's smart!

Not only is the code wrong, now I don't have the chip.

We have to find.

What is it you say? A needle in a what?

-A haystack. -Yes, I have to remember that.

A needle in a haystack.

Yes, in a…

Hey, don't leave me looking by myself!

Is he married?

Widowed eleven years ago.

-Any children? -A son.

These butterflies are beautiful.

These two are enormous.

A psychopath slumbers inside every collector.

That's nice for stamp collectors!

I knew a guy who collected sugar-cube wrappings.

A serial killer, seven women slaughtered. He dunked the cubes in their blood.

Have we located his cell phone?

No, there's not even any signal. The chip, probably.

For a new road?

-A golf course. -A golf course?

-You know the area well? -Every inch.

I'm not sure which way to go.

ELSA, EIGHT: RUNAWAY OR KIDNAP?

Elsa!

Safe trip!

Elsa, are you coming?

Elsa! What are you doing?

Elsa!

Me, my cell phone. You, your Game Boy.

We're out of luck with our electronics.

Here.

Here. Are you sulking?

Maybe it just needs new batteries.

Okay, sulk, then!

What can I do?

Can I ask you something?

You can always ask. Go ahead.

You don't want me to call you Grandpa, right?

Grandpa means the coal stove. Remember?

So what do I call you?

By my name? What's my name?

You haven't told me.

-I haven't told you? -No.

-Julien. -Julien?

Yes, Julien.

That sounds old.

Does Elsa sound young?

Julien, can I ask you something else?

If you want to know my surname, it's Larrieux.

-No, it's a riddle. -I hate riddles.

How did Captain Hook die?

-No idea. -Scratching his balls.

Where do you learn this disgusting stuff?

At school. I know another one.

It's about Mamadou. Everything about him is big,

his arms, his legs, his nose. And even his…

Yes, all right! I know that one!

I bet you don't. Anyway, Mamadou decides to get married.

Hey! When do you find the time to take a breath?

After three days with you my ears are buzzing.

So now, silence!

A pity, it's a really funny one.

You'd have laughed, I'm sure.

What do you hear there?

The wind,

birds,

and insects.

So, all I want to hear is the wind,

birds, and insects.

-But, Julien… -Shush!

Silence!

Come on.

I didn't tell you to stop walking.

I told you to stop talking.

Elsa, what are you doing?

Peeing.

A nice shower, a warm meal, a proper bed. How does that sound?

I don't like showers, I prefer a bathtub.

Oh, yeah, and what else? Sauna, steam bath, hot tub?

I didn't jump last week.

You're used to parachute jumps. I'm scared of heights,

as you know!

Did we make a deal, Marie? Yes or no?

I know we did, stop it.

-Let's do it. -No!

If you love me, you will.

No, stop!

No!

Know what I think?

Their love is hanging by a thread.

-No! -One, two, three…

Go!

There.

What does that stand for, NBA?

National Basketball Association.

It's English.

Why do you like basketball?

They're really big. It's lame being small.

When I grow up I'll be really, really big!

Is that so? Big how?

Like Édith Piaf.

But Édith Piaf was really tiny.

My mom said she was the biggest singer in the world.

Well…

How old are you, Elsa? Eight?

Nine!

I was born on May 30th. I'm Gemini with Virgo ascendant.

And a dog in the Chinese horoscope.

You know some stuff.

We check our horoscopes every week.

You believe that nonsense?

My mom does, but I prefer the cartoons.

Why was it hanging by a thread?

What?

Their love, earlier.

Tough paragliding love!

If you demand proof of love,

it means there's no trust.

And if there's no trust, there's no love.

-Whose place is this? -It's a refuge for hikers.

In high season, it's crowded.

But we'll be like a lord in his castle.

-Hello. -Hello.

My calves are like jelly!

Here, help yourself. It's 100 % organic.

Better than your tinned ravioli!

What was your worst heartbreak?

I'm a cardiologist. To me, the heart is just a muscle.

Yes, and emotions are chemistry. We've heard it before.

I'm joking, babe.

You're so touchy!

Julien, do birds like ravioli?

Italian birds probably do.

-Can I give them some? -Yes, of course.

-Your granddaughter is sweet. -Thanks.

That's unusual, her using your name.

-Yes. -She could call you Grandpa.

-Yes, Grandpa's nice. -Yes.

Or Gramps.

-Gramps? -Gramps is nice too.

What a scowl. Bad news?

I just made 350 000 bucks.

No!

Sold everything. My best deal in seven years.

That's fantastic!

Julien.

Were those people last night rich?

Apparently, yes.

Why are there rich and poor people?

Because "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" sounds nice,

but it doesn't work very well.

How do you get to be rich?

The best thing is to do what you love.

But how do you become rich?

I've just told you, Elsa.

She's looking at us.

She's not looking, she's sniffing.

If the wind comes from this side, she'll know we're here and run away.

Don't move.

Goddamn poachers!

-Here. -No, thanks.

You don't want any?

Julien, why did they kill the deer?

For money.

What does "goddamn poachers" mean?

-Well, "goddamn"… -No, "poachers"?

Poachers? Well, poachers are people

who kill animals even though it's illegal.

That's why the deer died.

For a paltry bit of cash.

Are you sad?

You know, Elsa, death is part of life.

But it doesn't knock before coming in.

Lots of people live as though they have all eternity before them.

But no one is ever sure they'll even get to finish their sentence.

By the year 2050 we'll live until we're 150.

But that won't change a thing.

Life will always be a second,

then another second,

then another second…

Tick… tock…

Julien.

Yes?

Are you asleep?

Yes.

When I was little,

smaller than I am now,

I had a dream.

It was about a canary.

You know, the little yellow birds.

I took it out of its cage,

held it next to the window,

and opened my hand.

But you know what?

It didn't fly away.

It stayed with me.

I was pleased.

Do you know why?

No idea.

If it was happy to stay with me,

that meant it loved me.

It's beautiful.

Of course it is.

It looks like a calendar.

A calendar?

It's better than a calendar.

What's it doing?

Flowers are like humans,

there are males and females.

But, as they can't move around…

They can't make love.

You could put it that way, yes.

So the butterfly does the work, taking the seed

from one flower to another.

Like a postman?

But only delivering love letters.

Have a go. Open up the net,

and, when you've caught the butterfly,

quick, turn it over on the ground! Show me again.

I've got one! I've got it!

An Apollo. It's magnificent.

It's potassium cyanide in there.

It dies without suffering.

What's wrong?

Poacher!

Shall we go?

I want to go back.

What do you want?

To go back home.

But there's no one there.

Not for another four days.

-I want to see my mom. -She isn't there.

I want to be there when she gets back.

Did you want to come with me or not? Come on!

The little minx… Shit!

Are you hurt?

Give me a hand.

You really want to go?

Yes.

How will you find your way?

It goes down. I'll end up getting somewhere.

-And then? -I'll hitchhike.

Well, I won't hold you back. Good luck!

What are you waiting for? Go on!

Go on, clear off!

I'll tell my mom you forced me to come with you.

You'll be wanted by the police.

Right! And what will they charge me with?

-Hostage taking! -Really?

I'll say you kidnapped me, made me get in your car,

and kept me prisoner

for the ransom money.

I'll say the opposite, I'll tell the truth.

They won't believe you.

Grown-ups believe grown-ups, not children.

Well?

Well what?

Are we lost?

I must have missed a path. It all looks the same.

What do we do?

What do you want us to do?

We retrace our steps.

Come on.

Off we go!

Come on!

Please, Julien.

How do I know you won't run off?

I give you my word.

There, off we go!

Wait…

-That way. -Are you sure?

Well, I'm not forcing you.

This is the right place. Come on.

You have butterflies and moths.

What's the difference?

Butterflies fly in the day, moths fly at night.

Which one is the Isabelle?

It's a crepuscular, meaning that it flies at dusk.

If it's not here by midnight,

it's not coming at all.

What does it eat?

It doesn't have a proboscis to gather nectar, so it doesn't eat.

How long does it live?

Three days and nights.

That's not very long.

It's a life.

A butterfly life.

You've got sheets. So why do we sleep in sleeping bags?

This isn't for us, it's for the Isabelle.

And now, patience.

Julien.

Isabelle's a funny name for a moth.

The entomologist who…

The hunter who discovered it in 1839 was Spanish,

so he called it after the queen of Spain.

I'm Elsa because of a spelling mistake.

My mom wanted to call me Elisa, but it got written without the "i".

That's okay, Elsa is a pretty name.

Would Elisa be short for Élisabeth?

Yes, I imagine so.

And what is Elsa short for?

I don't know. For nothing.

All the better.

Why?

It's lame, being short for something.

Julien.

Curious little ones. The Isabelle is a lot bigger.

How big?

As big as your hand.

What do we do if it doesn't come?

You can talk normally.

Butterflies and moths don't have ears.

It won't come tonight, it's too late. Bedtime.

Will you tell me a story?

A story? I don't know any.

What's the point of being old if you don't know any stories?

Can you stop pointing out that I'm old?

You could make one up.

Make one up? Right.

All right, then.

But afterwards, it's bedtime.

Okay? Put it there!

Okay.

It happens on the day of the Last Judgment.

What's that?

The last day of the world, when everyone is assessed.

Time is up, and God is there

to judge all living creatures, to see who did a good job.

And here comes the rabbit.

"What did you do, rabbit?"

"I ran in the fields and I had little ones."

Then the bird.

"What did you do, bird?"

"I flew through the air and I had little ones."

Then the stag.

"What did you do, stag?"

"I bellowed in the forest and I had little ones."

The camel.

"I wobbled my hump and I had little ones."

The wolf.

"What did you do, wolf?"

"One day in winter,

I needed more strength so I could feed my little ones,

and so…

I ate the rabbit."

Then the dog.

"What did you do, dog?"

"I was faithful to my master and I had little ones."

And then…

along comes the man.

"What did you do, man?"

"I worked, earned money,

fought tooth and nail,

and I had little ones."

"What happened to your little ones?"

"They died in the war."

So God passes sentence.

"The animals did good work, but men, alas, did so many things wrong."

"So… well, too bad!"

"Everyone into heaven!"

"Even the men?" shout the animals.

"The men too", says God.

"It was my fault, I was in a hurry, and made the world in seven days."

"I could have taken two weeks, there was no one to criticize me."

"Maybe it would have worked out better."

Repeat after me.

Yellow caterpillar, mischievous…

Yellow caterpillar, mischievous…

Green one, not so dumb…

Green one, not so dumb…

Red one, not too shy…

Red one, not too shy…

Shake the branch.

Harder than that, go on!

That's it, very good.

Now look.

Look.

In the umbrella.

Well?

It tickles.

Put it in the jar.

-What will you do with them? -Take them back to Paris.

Show them the Eiffel Tower,

and watch them turn into butterflies.

If you like, you could take a few to school.

They're all losers.

We had a lesson about Napoleon.

The teacher said he crushed the Austrians at Marengo.

Do you know what Maxime asked?

No, what?

What sort of car he had.

-What sort of car he had? -Yes.

What sort of car Napoleon had?

Elsa, come on.

Why did we come through the forest?

To go faster.

Thanks for the shower!

Did you know it was going to pour down, Little Miss Know-It-All?

It's okay now, I think. Let's go.

Look!

Cows.

-Is that a cow? -Yes, that's a cow.

My mother.

She just stares at the broken clock.

It's like she's watching TV.

Elsa!

Make yourselves at home.

Hello.

Their tent is on the other side of the valley.

They can sleep here tonight. You can get it tomorrow.

Your hair's wet.

Sébastien, go and fetch a towel.

I'll be right back.

Well, take your jacket off.

Rural vacation rental!

A business with a future for farmers!

The EU's Agricultural Policy has been destroying small farmers for 40 years.

We have to study hotel management now!

Happy birthday, Dad!

-Happy birthday! -Thank you.

Happy birthday!

Thank you.

I'll blow them out.

So… one, two, three!

There!

Sébastien, can you take off the candles?

Do you want to cut it?

I'll open the champagne.

Can I have some?

She loves champagne.

So, how old are you?

Forty-three.

Lie down.

Goodnight.

Goodnight.

-Goodnight, my love. -Goodnight, Mom.

Lights off in five minutes, okay?

He was very sporty.

Always traveling around the world. He loved his job.

Then, all of a sudden, a black hole.

Just like that, without any warning.

Bipolar.

The doctors put him in the psychiatric hospital for two weeks.

And his life became that,

six months at home, six months in the hospital.

One day he called me.

"Come and get me out of hell,

Dad."

"I've taken all the pills that were in my cabinet."

"I want to die."

"Come and help me die."

They took him back to the hospital.

I talked to his psychiatrist.

He told me his condition was getting worse.

And that he'd never get better.

One day, I don't know why, he asked me:

"Please…

bring me a butterfly."

I found a butterfly, then two, then ten…

That's how it all began.

As the months went by,

his eyes became sadder an sadder.

He stopped smiling.

I'd given him a big book,

a photo album.

He showed me a butterfly.

It was blue-green.

"Bring me this one."

It was an Isabelle.

Every spring for three years I looked, but…

I never found one.

The species had gone extinct.

One morning I went in his room,

his bed was empty, the mattress folded, he'd gone.

In the night.

"He didn't suffer", the doctor said.

He was twenty-eight.

A child.

He'd have been your age now.

This clock is at least 150 years old, right?

A Comtoise clock.

There, look at the hallmark.

That's the hallmark of the parent company.

Yes?

Mommy, it's me.

Elsa! But where are you?

Hello?

Talk to me, Elsa.

Promise you won't get mad?

Do you know where you are? Tell me.

In a house.

In what house?

I don't know.

In the mountains.

In the mountains? What mountains, Elsa?

I don't know.

Wait, I… I'll tell you what you have to do.

Mommy…

Can you hear me?

Hello?

I wanted to tell you…

Hello?

I'd go to the ends of the earth

I'd get my hair dyed blonde

If you asked me to

I'd pull the moon out of the sky

I'd steal a fortune

If you asked me to

I'd go far away from home

I'd renounce all my friends

If you asked me to

Laugh at me if you like

But I would do anything

If you asked me to

If one day

Life should take you from me…

Julien.

Yes?

Do you ever tell lies?

Why do you ask that?

No reason.

Everyone lies, about small things and big things.

The important thing

is not to lie to yourself.

I have to tell you something.

I lied to you.

I know.

I know you're not nine.

But that isn't a big lie.

And you have no idea? No lead?

I don't know. Elsa's a sweet girl,

very smiley, she talks…

very easily to people. Maybe she was too trusting.

When is the appointment?

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Please don't hurt my little girl.

Don't hurt her!

Here's a reminder of the phone number

for this missing child.

Hang on!

0801-55-55-00.

0801-55-55-00.

Well?

What lovely dish have you prepared?

What's this?

Eggs and tinned sardines.

Eggs and tinned sardines?

You mixed eggs and sardines together?

You said we'd have eggs and sardines.

But separate.

Separate, not mixed together.

It's…

Well?

Yeah.

It could be worse.

It's not…

One day, my mom was out, and I made eggs with chocolate.

Chocolate eggs? That's not easy.

With chocolate!

Fried eggs, but with Nesquik sprinkled over them.

How old is your mom?

Twenty-five.

That's young to have a nine-year-old daughter.

She was too late to get the abortion.

Abortion babies…

what do they become?

Nothing.

It's sad to be nothing.

Why do people say "fall in love" or "fall pregnant"?

Why not say "go up in love"?

I don't know.

My mom had both falls at the same time.

In love and pregnant.

Look.

A shooting star.

What is a shooting star?

It's God losing his hair.

What is it really?

An Isabelle!

A female! Look, she's magnificent!

Come and see, come!

Damn it!

Damn and blast!

Can't you be careful?

Where are you? Get away, leave me alone!

It's gone! Go away! Are you deaf or what?

Come here, Elsa!

Elsa.

Well, as you wish.

I'm not going to beg.

Elsa!

Julien!

Elsa?

Elsa!

Julien!

Julien!

-Are you there? -Yes!

Try to climb up.

I'll pull you.

I can't, I'm at the bottom.

Nothing's broken?

Come and get me, Julien!

Isn't your son in?

-There's been an accident. -Just a second.

Okay, go ahead.

Up on the plateau,

a little girl has slipped and fallen

into a cleft, a hole.

She's fine, just a few scratches.

Here, you can talk to her.

Elsa.

It's Mommy.

-Rock structure? -Unstable.

Too dangerous, it could cave in.

The entrance is miles away.

An 80-meter slope, three sumps.

It'd take three days.

Any other ideas

-You know how to attach her? -No problem.

Will you be okay?

Go on.

Gently.

There.

There, are you ready?

I'm scared.

Me too.

How will you get out?

They'll lower the harness again.

I'm ready.

Okay, go ahead!

Gently.

Gently.

That's it, it's all over.

I wore bigger jeans, oversize sweaters, everything was baggy…

It was fashionable.

Up until six months no one noticed.

And your parents? Your mother?

My dad worked nights. And my mom…

never noticed me.

Once, when I was eight, she forgot me in the supermarket.

I saw my belly growing, so I ran away.

How old were you?

Sixteen.

I don't get why she likes basketball so much.

Unhappy children are often in a hurry to grow up.

You think I'm a bad mother, right?

A mother feeds her children,

dresses them, worries about them,

about how they'll turn out.

A mom pampers them, cuddles them,

covers them in kisses.

She was crying out to you for help.

Maybe you should talk to her.

What can I tell her?

Simply that you love her.

She knows that.

If she was sure, would she have done all that?

Three little words.

I was never able to say them either.

Three little words.

Elsa.

Yes.

Julien, well?

Not yet, Elsa.

Not yet.

How much longer? One day, two days?

One day, two days,

three days…

-Right. -Yes.

Today?

Too early, Elsa. You have to wait a bit longer.

Right.

So, do you really want to see a butterfly being born?

Come on, then.

SIX SAMIAS AND A CREPUSCULAR

Watch, Elsa, watch carefully.

We went looking for it far away, but it was waiting for us here.

Amazing, isn't it?

Yes.

Is it beautiful?

Hold out your hands.

Fly.

Where do you think it'll go?

To someone who's been waiting for it for a long time.

Elsa, you've never told me your mom's name.

I've never told you?

No.

Isabelle.

So we've both found one.

Why do chickens lay eggs?

So eggs can make chickens

Why do lovers kiss?

So pigeons will coo

Why do pretty flowers fade?

That's part of their charm

Why the Devil and God?

To give curious people stuff to talk about

Why does fire burn wood?

To warm us up

Why does the sea go away at low tide?

So that we want more of it

Why does the sun disappear?

For the other half of the decor

Why the Devil and God?

To give curious people stuff to talk about

Why does the wolf eat the lamb?

He has to eat

Why the tortoise and the hare?

Because there's no point hurrying

Why do angels have wings?

To make us believe in Santa

Why the Devil and God?

To give curious people stuff to talk about

Did you enjoy our trip?

Yes, very much.

We saw some lovely things.

I'd have liked to see some grasshoppers.

Grasshoppers? Why grasshoppers?

And dragonflies.

Next time, okay?

Okay.

Can I ask you something?

What now?

Can we carry on but with you singing?

-Out of the question. -Please!

No and no!

It's the last verse.

Aren't you pushing your luck a bit?

Why does your heart go tick-tock?

Because the rain goes splish-splash

Why does time go so quickly?

Because the wind blows it along

Why do you hold my hand?

Because I feel good with you

Why the Devil and God?

To give curious people stuff to talk about