"The best years of a life are those yet to be lived"
Why didn't we stay together?
Because...
it was too beautiful.
It was too perfect.
And...
Yes, it was too perfect.
It scared me a little.
Hello!
Today, like I said, we'll work on your memory.
But with a game.
About times you know well: the last 50 years.
You lived through them, so you should know the answers.
We'll work your memory.
Shall we start?
What year did De Gaulle step down?
'69, very good.
Who was the first man on the moon?
Armstrong! Everyone knows.
What was the year of...
What? I didn't even ask the question!
What was the year of Picasso's death?
'73. Does anyone know the month?
April 8, 1973.
The date Mitterrand was elected?
May 10, 1981. Bravo, Mr. Gordon.
What year was the death penalty abolished?
'81 too. What month?
September, yes... You remember that.
How did Grace Kelly die?
Car accident.
Does anyone remember the year?
No. That was a while ago... 1982.
What year did Yannick Noah win the French Open?
1983!
1983... yes!
When did they inaugurate the Channel Tunnel?
Yes, no, not at all.
1994, bravo!
What year did Lady Di die?
'97.
Date of the World Trade Center attack?
The date, not just the year.
September 11, 2001, absolutely.
What is the record for the 100-meter dash?
Yes... What year?
The best years of a life
The ones we lived with nothing
The ones that made us want to live
For the time
That we're on earth
The best years of a life
The ones we didn't see go by
We've blown out so many candles
Now come
Let's go and dance
From the past 50 years, what do you recall?
The telephone.
In the past 50 years?
That wasn't earlier?
Cell phones! Internet!
The arrival of Internet, indeed.
Otherwise, what do you recall from the past 50 years?
You all right, Dad?
- What else? - Point system for driving.
The point system. Who lost their licenses?
The arrival of nylons.
Nylon stockings!
Silk stockings are history.
The blow-dry.
The blow-dry, less than 50 years?
The best years of a life
It's future that gives them to us
Each season, a challenge
Summer, winter
Spring, autumn
The best years of a life
When nothing scared us anymore
Lots of sun under the rain
The time to have been...
no more
I'd like to send a telegram to Monte Carlo.
Monte Carlo.
Mr. Jean-Louis Duroc.
Duroc, with a C.
Yes, but I don't know the address.
I'm sorry. It's simple, he's a racecar driver.
He's in the Monte Carlo Rally.
That's it. Their headquarters would be fine.
So...
"Bravo.
I saw you on TV. Anne."
No, wait...
"Bravo. I love you. Anne."
Sending that telegram was something. Takes guts.
It's extraordinary when a beautiful woman
sends you a telegram like that.
I'd never have dared.
It's amazing, coming from a woman.
If I keep up this speed, I'll get to Paris at...
six, six-thirty.
Six in the morning, she'll be asleep.
What do I do, call from inside a café?
Head to her place?
A woman who sends a telegram saying "I love you"...
you can go to her place.
Yes, I'll go. Why not?
So I'll head to her place.
Go upstairs, ring the bell.
One ring, two.
No, only once. So she won't get annoyed.
It takes her a while to get up.
She doesn't open. She says: "Who's there?"
So I say...
No, I can't say "Jean-Louis".
"Antoine's daddy," I'll say.
"Antoine's daddy", yeah, that's a good line.
"Who's there?" "Antoine's daddy."
She opens the door.
We're now face to face.
Of course, she's embarrassed.
She sent me that telegram. "I love you"...
She's embarrassed, it's normal. It's her place.
She's embarrassed.
So she says, "I'll make you some coffee.
You drove a lot, I'll make some coffee."
So I go inside.
It's not the same dog.
There.
- On the others? - I think so.
- Just passing through? - Yes.
How's it going with your mother?
Not well. She's a pain.
Don't say that!
We're all pains.
- Nona? - Yes?
How did you meet Grandpa?
Different version each time. Love it!
- I've told you 1,000 times! - I know...
He was a stuntman. He fell from the sky.
He hurt his ankle.
I was the script girl.
I tended to him once and...
He wanted me to keep on tending to him.
Which I did.
VETERINARY CLINIC
What now?
What do you mean "now"?
A guy calls me at 1am.
He says his dog is dying.
I get there. The dog is fine.
The guy starts yelling, jumps on me...
Since the world began, everything's changed but love.
You call that love?
That's not love, Mom...
See how I disguise myself to be left alone?
- Lovely disguise! - Right...
- Why are you here? - Helping.
- For the day. - You're better off at school!
That's not nice. You want some tea?
I have to go back to the racecourse.
There's a mare foaling.
Look at this.
Beautiful.
She's magnificent.
Superb.
Come have some tea.
Just a sec.
What is it?
Okay, 10 minutes. Make me some tea.
You indulge her.
She's pretty like that.
My daughter is pretty.
We need to see you!
Hello.
Can I help you, sir?
You don't recognize me.
No.
The last time you saw me, I was little.
Really?
Who are you?
I'm Antoine... Antoine Duroc.
Jean-Louis' son?
Yes, that's my dad.
How is he?
Actually... not very well.
That's why I took the liberty of seeking you out.
You're not easy to find.
Remember my daughter Françoise?
No, well, yes, a little.
And my granddaughter.
No, her I don't remember.
So...
he's not well?
No, he's not.
We had to put him into an assisted living facility.
He has a hard time getting around.
His memory comes and goes...
and each time I visit him,
the only thing he remembers is you.
Me?
Yes, you're his best memory.
So what can...
It would be wonderful if you could go.
I spoke with his doctor.
We think it would be great if you could see him.
But if he's lost his memory...
Seeing him could change things.
Things didn't end very well between me and your dad.
He wasn't only a speed racer,
but a skirt-chaser.
No statute of limitations?
How old are you now?
Same as Françoise, right?
Somewhere around 57, 58, right?
Excuse me.
It's time?
Send Dr. Borowsky, please. I can't make it.
No problem.
The mare is foaling.
It's called "foaling?"
Mares foal, cows calve.
Funny, "foaling".
It's the word.
I'd appreciate it if you'd go see Dad.
My love
It's so nice to say "my love,"
With no one
No witness, no flag, no drum
My love
From morning to the end of day
I've often missed you
I always missed you
My love
Take my hand, all is well, come with me
Wherever you want
Whenever you want, I love you so
So blue the sky
So little time
We're lucky to have with us today Vincent Vinel.
Thanks for being here.
You know him from The Voice.
Let's thank him for being here.
You looked forward to this.
Go on, Vincent.
Humanity has a thuggish side
It began everything without me
Before I could understand...
I've come to see Jean-Louis Duroc.
Mr. Duroc? Not in there...
No, he doesn't like parties.
He does his own thing. He's sitting outside all alone.
He likes it.
He dreams, sleeps, reads poems...
There he is.
Always alone, same spot.
Sleeping, dreaming.
He learns lots of poems for his memory.
It's great that you came. It'll do him good.
Shall I walk you there?
- Thank you. - My pleasure.
He speaks about you often.
Really?
My distant kiss had a bitter taste
which repelled our destinies...
Hello.
Can I sit here?
Yes.
New here?
No.
No but I've come to scout it out.
One never knows.
It's true, you're far too young to be here.
Are you happy here?
It's nice.
Well...
it's the best of the worst, as my son says.
What does your son do?
He does lots of things.
He dreamt of being a fireman.
But no fire in his belly.
Does he visit often?
- Who? - Your son.
I don't have a son.
Who said that?
Sorry, I thought so.
No problem. And you have a son?
No, a daughter.
- What does she do? - Veterinarian.
Any specialty?
Yes, she tends to animals.
Yes...
If she's a veterinarian...
Especially horses.
Yes, women like horses.
She's nice with you?
Yes...
We fight a lot, but we adore each other.
Same with my son.
We fight and adore each other.
Have you lived here long?
You don't live here.
You wait to die.
Does death scare you?
Death is...
the tax you pay for living.
Do you have activities?
Entertainment?
Sometimes they bring sad clowns,
to make us die laughing.
Sometimes singers, like now.
What are your days like?
I'm bored all day.
I have nightmares at night.
Or wonderful dreams.
You dream about what?
Pretty women.
I really loved women.
You know, I was pretty when I was young.
I had thick lips.
I rarely spoke.
Women thought I was smart because I kept quiet.
Since I was pretty.
I always adored women.
Especially one that you look alike.
That's sweet. Thank you.
You can forget everything
except someone's eyes.
And you have almost the same voice.
I thought she was the one, but...
I wasn't up to par.
Up to par?
Yes, up to par.
I was a racecar driver back then.
I was very pretty, you know.
Like you.
You're still pretty.
You're lying.
Lying women are pretty.
- You think so? - Yes.
I lied a lot back then.
I took it too far.
She didn't like that, not much at all.
Like what?
The other women.
What was her name?
Her name was Anne.
Montmartre 1540.
That was her phone number.
There were no cell phones then.
You never tried to contact her?
No.
She must be old and ugly now.
Like me.
I didn't try because I wasn't up to par.
We used to go to Deauville to see our children.
They were in the same boarding school.
What did she do?
She worked in film. Script girl.
Her husband was a stuntman.
He gave us a lot of trouble.
Why?
Because he was dead.
Not for her.
It's hard making love with death.
Your story is sad.
All love stories end badly.
They only end well in the movies.
So...
you were a racecar driver.
Who told you?
You just told me.
Really?
I told you that?
Yes.
I must have bored you.
Not at all.
You're the first.
The old folk say I'm a bore.
Seems I've become a pain.
Have I?
Not at all.
I can't stand other old folk.
Does your son visit often?
Stop talking about my son.
I never had a son.
No son of mine would put me in a place like this.
You see that tiny door?
Down there on the right. See it?
I come sit here every day to stare at it.
Why?
I'm preparing an escape.
An escape?
You know, retirement homes are like prisons.
All you think about is escape.
To go where?
Where I won't be forbidden anything anymore.
You have no friends here?
No.
Here it's just stupid old farts
who can't stand stupid young farts.
Why not ask your son
to take you out a bit?
You really are a stubborn one.
You insist on me having a son.
Do you have a son?
A daughter.
A daughter?
So...
You want to escape with me?
Yes.
What are you doing?
Preparing my escape for tomorrow.
At 5 a.m.
everyone's asleep. No nurses.
5 a.m.
You're up for escaping together?
I can't just run off... I have my shop.
What's it for?
To be part of life.
I'd also like to be part of life.
Ask your daughter to watch the shop.
That would be madness.
When did you last do something mad?
You have a car?
Yes.
What make?
A 2 CV.
A 2 CV?
That means one CV each.
How come you have a 2 CV?
Because I'm faithful and I've always loved that car.
You're faithful?
I think we're faithful until we find better.
It's terrible, but it's the truth.
For both a woman and a 2 CV.
Or for a man.
I'm not sure.
- You're not? - No.
That was a very pretty gesture.
She did that a lot.
She did the same thing with her hair, like this.
Very pretty gesture.
Do it again.
Look at this.
I've kept this picture on me for 50 years.
She's beautiful.
We both are.
Don't want it back?
Yes.
I have to get going.
Already?
Yes.
I'd love to keep telling you about her.
That picture said it all.
I remember her as if it were yesterday.
And yet I recall nothing of yesterday.
The more I speak to you, the more you look like her.
See you soon.
Goodbye... See you soon maybe.
See you soon.
You don't want to make that escape?
I'm not allowed to take you.
Why? Are you married?
I'm a widow.
Why are widows so beautiful?
- Always carry an alarm clock? - Always.
To remind me of time passing by.
Now I'll set it to... 4 o'clock.
4 o'clock.
For the great escape.
With you.
So let's meet at...
5 o'clock?
Behind the door.
All right?
All right.
Now if you don't mind, I'll do my exercise.
Do you still work out?
I used to run.
Then...
I walked.
Then I strolled.
Now I dawdle.
It's almost time for dinner.
Want to join us?
No thank you, I live too far away.
Shall I take you, Mr. Grump?
Still won't sleep with me?
We'll see after dinner.
Who wants some more?
No thanks.
He spoke to me as if to a stranger.
I never thought a man could have loved me so much.
You'll go back?
I really want to.
As I walked towards him,
my heart was beating like a teenager's.
He recognized me without recognizing me.
Your neighbor told me you were at your daughter's.
So I decided to come.
I didn't know how to thank you.
What you did was so amazing. So kind of you.
He's lost 20 years.
I'm so glad.
Will you join us for dessert?
Yes, I'd love to.
You're into nice cars like your dad.
If our parents hadn't screwed up, we'd be siblings.
What's on your mind, Mom?
You seem elsewhere.
The two of you... 50 years ago.
You wanted to be a fireman.
Well, I didn't become one.
What's your business? You mentioned it.
My business is conducted mostly online.
But I have a passion,
the history of film.
I write articles, books too. A lot about Hollywood.
Now I'm writing on The Bicycle Thief.
What's that?
The Bicycle Thief is a film by De Sica.
The great classic of Italian neo-realism.
It's a precursor of French New Wave.
It was shot in post-war Rome.
Grim, dark, poor.
The actors are non-professionals.
In fact it's the story of a kid...
who's always trying to come to his father's rescue.
Maybe that's why I feel inspired by it.
You have to see it.
It invented the New Wave.
Do you mind if I ask for herbal tea?
As sensible as ever.
I'll prepare it.
That's funny.
That's exactly what my last wife said.
It was her big reproach.
Where you married often?
Twice.
How about you?
One and a half times.
One and a half?
At my second marriage, at City Hall,
I couldn't say "I do".
When asked if I'd commit for better and for worse,
I said "I do" for better and for the worst,
count me out.
They thought it was a joke. It wasn't.
- Our job? - No, not yours.
Antoine, talk about my job.
- What? - You won't?
No but I'll talk about my job.
Go on, tell me.
What I want when I'm big.
Tell us.
A fireman!
Fireman?
And there will be 36 firemen with me!
36 with you.
With me it'll be 37.
You'll be the chief?
So how did you find my father, for real?
He has the same voice.
He didn't mention escaping?
Yes.
Françoise, how do you live your life as a vet?
Well, I do it... passionately.
I stayed in Normandy, fell in love with Normandy.
In love with Normandy, I fell in love with horses.
So I chose to become a veterinarian
to be able to tend to them always.
Then we decided to move to Beaumont-en-Auge
near the horse farms...
and the racetracks. It's where...
I learned my trade.
See?
Remember at boarding school singing You Forgot your Horse?
The headmistress had a turnstile.
Not that well.
All I remember is...
Monsieur...
Monsieur, you forgot your horse
You mustn't leave this animal
He really won't be well
Monsieur, for a pure-blood in a hatcheck
It's hard to spend a full night
Without singing on straw
He was hungry, I was full
I gave him some soup
He got bored and started yawning
so I sang to keep him calm
Monsieur, monsieur,
this is very abnormal
Don't leave your horse here
He really won't be well
Even if I didn't show it...
he changed, and it...
it touched me, of course.
We lost so much time.
Perhaps we shouldn't have broken up.
Seeing him there moved me.
It was him and...
and no longer him.
I liked...
the manly side he used to have.
Now all of a sudden, I'm the man.
So that moved me.
Yes, a lot. I'd have...
And yet...
there's a part of him that's still him.
And that's life.
Since we have no choice.
Things not taken seriously are called "pure cinema".
Why do you think we don't take cinema seriously?
I don't know.
Maybe because we go only when things are good.
So we should go when things aren't?
Why not?
You drive very well, but...
Not very fast, but very well, very well...
It's a good start.
This way, we spend more time together.
Good answer.
Why are you so kind to me?
Do you think I'm dying?
Do you like music?
I love music.
Music is always 20 years old.
Calogero is my favorite singer.
Really?
How nice of you to take me out!
It made me very happy.
I'm a woman of my word.
All the same, it made me very happy.
What do you do?
I work...
I have lots of projects.
I'd say you're a very lovely project.
Does Deauville ring a bell?
Never been there.
I know Rome. I had...
I loved a woman in Rome.
We had a daughter.
No, never been to Deauville.
We did it, what a beautiful journey
And you'll always be...
My river of no return
To the question asked
"Who is love?"
My answer
Is you
Always
It's you, always
Hello, sir.
National Gendarmerie, hello.
Did you stop us for talking?
No, you were driving too slowly.
Which is as dangerous as driving too fast.
The man is right.
Officer, you're right.
When I drove slowly, I didn't drive well.
I lost all my races.
Excuse us.
Don't worry I'll drive and we'll go faster.
- Where to? - Deauville.
We'll escort you a little.
Drive safely, and above all...
faster!
So we're not fast enough?
Not fast enough? I'll show them fast.
This is it!
Got my pedal to the metal.
What?
I have my pedal to the metal.
The faster I go, the younger I get.
80!
90! 100!
Give me a kiss.
A kiss, a kiss!
Watch out!
I see perfectly fine.
Careful, the brakes aren't great.
Okay.
You have to accelerate, not brake.
Slowly.
I'm going slowly.
We got a gray Citroën 2 CV,
93 km/h.
License 1-2-6-4-C-L-1-4.
Thanks, Green Canary, from Thunderbolt. We spotted them.
National Gendarmerie, hello.
Registration papers, license and insurance.
What did we do wrong?
You were driving 93 km/h.
You're lying. You're a liar.
- I'm a liar? - Yes.
I was over 100.
- You admit to speeding? - Yes!
License.
I don't have it on me. My name is Jean-Louis Duroc.
I'm Francis the Pope.
My pleasure.
I'm sorry, you'll have to do a blood alcohol test.
Breath into this.
No, breathe into this.
You're lying. You're a liar.
- I'm a liar? - Yes.
I was over 100.
- Hello there. - Hello.
I woke you up.
Yes.
But you were in my dream.
- Was it nice? - Yes!
And you killed two gendarmes.
- What? - You killed 2 gendarmes!
Why?
I don't know...
When you don't toe the line, they go crazy.
- May I sit down? - Yes.
Is all well?
Yes, all is well.
Still don't want to sleep with me?
See you later. Something to drink?
I'm good, thanks.
Who are you?
I visited you two days ago.
I'm Anne Gauthier.
That's impossible.
If you were Anne Gauthier, I'd have asked to marry you.
You tried that, 50 years ago.
It didn't work?
No, it didn't.
And why not?
Because you weren't only a speed racer...
I don't drive anymore.
The director suggested
I take you out for a ride. Would you like that?
One day...
isn't enough.
Some lives can be lived in one day.
Small lives.
Who are you to talk to me like this?
According to your son, a good memory.
Is my son well?
Yes, he gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Why doesn't he send me any?
Even when I win.
I like flowers too.
When I won races, I'd be given bouquets
by pretty young women.
I remember.
What did you do all these years?
I often thought of you.
Me too.
I was never happier than when we were together.
I was never so scared.
I scared you?
Yes.
You wanted to be the last woman of my life.
That's pretty scary.
Are you really Anne Gauthier?
My daughter is the same age as your son.
I worked in film.
I was a script girl.
After you, I met a producer who was very nice to me.
He reassured me, protected me.
I ended up marrying him.
With him, I became a producer.
Since we made only art-house movies,
we almost lost everything.
Then I moved to Normandy...
near my daughter.
I opened my shop.
Throughout all these years,
each time you climbed...
into a car, I prayed for you.
And I saw you in lots of magazines,
with lots of pretty girls.
I did it on purpose.
I'd think: Anne will be jealous.
I was jealous.
So shall we go for this ride, Mr. Seducer?
Why do you look younger than me?
Because I wear more makeup.
No, because you're gentler.
If you're up for the little car ride,
where do you want to go?
I don't know.
A place of no return.
That far?
Would Normandy tempt you?
Yes.
I prefer Brittany,
but Normandy, if you like.
Oh yes, Normandy...
I go back and see my Normandy...
Shall I recite a poem to you?
Yes?
I came here, a calm orphan,
My sole riches, my tranquil eyes,
To find men in great cities,
They didn't find me clever.
You don't remember me but you remember Verlaine.
I see Verlaine more often.
At 20, new confusion came in the guise of amorous fires,
Warming me to pretty women
They did not find me pretty
Although without king or country,
and less than brave
I wanted to die at war
Death did not want me.
Was I born too early or too soon?
Why am I in this world?
O, all of you,
My pain is deep
Pray for poor Kaspar!
Damn mosquitos!
It'll be nice when mosquitos become vegetarian.
Looking at your bosom, I see double.
Excuse me?
Looking at your bosom...
I see double.
Really?
And yet I'm covered up.
Did you see Mitterrand's speech yesterday?
No.
- Why? - No reason, just asking.
You're sure it was Mitterrand?
Why aren't we eating in the dining room today?
I thought it would be nice to have a little picnic.
With the cows.
When I was little, I saw an ad called "Laughing Cow".
I thought cows laughed.
Why don't cows laugh?
I love cows... but I hate these mosquitos!
Are you the new doctor?
Maybe.
What's your specialty?
I already told you. The heart.
You're a cardiologist?
When I'm in love, yes.
And are you in love now?
It's... very complicated.
Why do I always want to pee?
Because you drink a lot of water.
I love wanting to pee.
If I were rich, I'd pee all day long.
If what?
If I were rich.
I'd pee all day long.
I'd recite a little poem I wrote.
- You wrote it? - Yes.
It's my entire œuvre. I wrote nothing else.
She had a dog
But I liked her cat
I gave her the choice: the dog or me
She chose her dog
And I lost her cat
- Is that the end? - Yes, it is.
What are we doing here?
It doesn't ring a bell?
What's that car there?
What car?
The white one.
There's no white car.
The one I drove in the Monte Carlo Rally.
We had room 26.
26?
Two times 13.
What are we doing here?
Is room 26 free?
Did you reserve?
Yes, 50 years ago.
I'm sorry. The hotel is full. It's the Festival.
Five minutes...
It's not bedtime.
Is this my new room?
This is where everything between us started.
Why?
Because of my husband.
But he's dead.
With our past as our guide
We should have been clear-eyed
But distrust has left its scar
Love is stronger than we are
It's best I take the train.
Whether we're hopeful or resigned,
Love takes us or leaves us behind
This should have been ours to share
Love is far stronger than we are
Miss, please prepare the bill for room 26.
And the time of the next train to Paris.
When you're beside me, what to do?
Mystery cloaks our rendezvous
Sweeter is the evening air
Love is far stronger than we are...
Is that a Mustang in front of us?
- Where? - Just in front of us!
Where do you see a Mustang?
There!
I'm following a white Mustang...
- Are you sure? - If there's no Mustang, I'm crazy.
I'm even driving it.
And it's 184.
That couple with the dog looks like us.
It's pretty.
Does where we are now ring a bell?
Yeah.
Can I ask your forgiveness?
What for?
We have a lot to be forgiven for, especially me.
Forgive me...
You asked for forgiveness so kindly.
Now what?
We never could live together, so why not die together?
With such great light, why don't we take a selfie?
What's a selfie?
It's when we want a memory of a happy time.
Now.
Here.
- One more? - More, more!
Good morning.
No driving on the boardwalk.
Since when?
50 years. Since an idiot in his Ford Mustang.
Calling me an idiot?
Why?
Because it was me.
- You? - Me!
What do I owe you?
30 for the gas, plus what he put in his pockets.
Did you take anything?
Nothing at all.
He's a liar and a thief.
Can you empty your pockets?
Say I'm a liar again.
Go on, say it!
Say I'm a thief again. Say it!
Wake up, Mr. Duroc. Time for memory exercises.
Okay.
- Shall I? - Okay.
The pretty woman I spoke to a while ago...
She never called back?
Yes.
She even came by. You were asleep. She didn't want to bother you.
We'd promised to escape together.
You have too many dreams.
No one ever died overdosing on dreams.
That's true.
- Do you want to use the pool? - No.
- Do you want to get a massage? - No.
- Do you want to use the sauna? - No.
Do you want to see the horseraces on TV?
Definitely not.
Some music?
But you like that pianist.
- Chat with your friends? - No.
They're not your friends?
No more friends?
Why are you so nice to me?
You're my favorite. But keep quiet. I'm not allowed.
You won't sleep with me?
I'll sleep with you if you recite a nice poem.
All right.
- Okay? - Okay.
I wouldn't want to die without knowing black Mexican dogs
Who sleep without dreaming
Butt-naked monkeys devouring the tropics
Silver spiders in bubble-ridden webs
Or without knowing if the moon
Despite resembling a coin has a pointy side
If the four seasons are only four
If the sun is cold...
Or without having worn a dress on the Grands Boulevards
Without having peeped into a sewer peephole
Without have stuck my cock in weird places
Or without having known leprosy
Or the seven diseases you catch there,
Neither good nor bad would cause me sorrow
If I knew that I'd get something from it
And there is everyone I know and appreciate
And those I love
The sea's green bottom,
Where seaweeds waltz on the rippled sand,
June's burnt grass, the cracked earth
The scent of the conifers
And the kisses of the one, this and that
Here comes the beauty
My bear cub,
Ursula
I wouldn't want to die before using up her mouth with mine
Her body with my hands,
The rest with my eyes
One must not be reverential
I wouldn't want to die before someone invents eternal roses
The two-hour day
The sea at the mountain, the mountain at the sea
Newspapers in color
The end of pain
All children happy
I wouldn't want to die, no sir, no ma'am,
Before having tested the taste that torments me,
The taste that is the strongest
I wouldn't want to die
Before having tested
The fervor of love
You know,
the woman
who called yesterday.
I used to love her a lot.
I'd like to sleep with her again.
You want to sleep with everyone.
Is there anything better?
It's true.
Not many women looked at me that way.
Because none loves you like I do.
If you loved me that much, you'd visit more often.
I'll start coming more and more.
How do I tell you I never had a daughter?
How many times must I tell you:
you had a son with your first wife, me with your 1000th.
That's impossible. I never had a first wife.
Mine were all second-hand.
I was born in 1968.
9 months after you won the Grand Prix de Monza.
Mom gave you the trophy.
The trophy?
Don't you remember racing cars?
Yes, that I remember. I remember...
Remember? We went on rides in your racecar.
I shouted with you!
Remember?
- Si, mi recorde. - I even drove.
I was twelve.
We didn't tell Mom...
We didn't tell. Remember?
Yes, I remember.
What's my name?
What's your name?
Come mi chiamo?
Come ti chiamo?
Come?
E...
Lé...
Na.
Eléna.
Did I choose your name?
Maybe.
Nice name, Eléna.
Papa.
How did you meet your husband?
He bought the fashion house that I modeled for.
Did you love him?
Too much.
Are you in love now?
Not enough.
Once when I got in a fight with your mom,
she said you weren't mine.
It's not true.
You know, when we fight, we can say anything.
And you're so gorgeous
I want you to be my daughter.
But why do you tell everyone you've had cancers,
three hepatites,
and that your last wives died in excruciating pain?
To make myself interesting.
For who?
For people.
If you only talk about...
your happiness, no one gives a damn.
They only like others' misfortune.
If you want them to listen, you have to tell horror stories.
No one ever cared about my happiness.
How did I have such a beautiful daughter?
Because you're handsome.
Ti amo.
Life is beautiful...
life is beautiful...
"I tell you over and over" the flower cried
And it died
Excellent.
How many children do you have?
I have 7 children. I'm the father of several.
I have no daughters.
I have a son, but...
Oh yes, I have daughters...
I won't keep you any longer.
I didn't mean to worry you. Just to bring it up.
At times I get the feeling
he's playing on his disease.
Know what I mean?
He may be playing us for fools.
That's my hunch. I know how you love your dad,
I know how hard it is to put him here.
I did a memory test with him yesterday. It was perfect.
He recites poems that even an actor couldn't remember,
then forgets yesterday's dinner
and who came to visit.
Then he laughs a bit.
What do you think?
What I think is that...
he likes to play with people.
He's always sort of made fun of me.
Even manipulated me a little. But it's life.
He was like that.
His races were incredible
because you had... four cars,
four drivers about to take a bend
and only he knew what the others were going to do.
It was wild!
I remember once in Monza,
four of them would enter a bend,
he'd go in last
but he'd come out first and win the race.
- Makes sense. - That was him.
He acted like that with everyone, his whole life.
So you're aware of it. I must say, I like him a lot.
He's sort of my favorite, even if I shouldn't have one.
I think he likes to play-act
and perhaps sometimes he goes a little overboard.
Here he is.
I'm happy with how things are going.
Thank you.
Dad?
Watching a western?
Yes, I like it. I can't see well, but it's interesting.
Look, something else you'll like.
It's Françoise. She sent a message.
Who is Françoise?
Françoise is the little girl
who was with me in boarding school.
Look.
Jean-Louis, remember me? It's Françoise.
You knew me as a little kid.
Catching up with Antoine is such a joy.
I'm a veterinarian now, a horse doctor.
You good, old boy?
He wants to say hi.
See the horse in front? 3 weeks ago,
I was still tending to him.
Now...
what scares me most?
I guess that...
when we're alone, we fear dying,
but in a couple, we fear the other will die first.
That's it.
I'd fear he die first.
Like it?
Very much.
That's my shop.
I live just on top.
I feel I've been here before.
Maybe it was a dream.
- I dream a lot, you know. - Really?
You're Montmartre 1540.
Bravo.
Your daughter is Françoise.
My son is Antoine.
Getting better!
And a daughter, Eléna.
What are we doing here?
I kidnapped you.
You're starting to recall lots of things.
What's on your mind?
The last time I drove really fast.
It was in 1976.
I crossed Paris at 200 km/h.
To be on time for a woman I liked a lot.
I was late.
I hate people who are late.
Even on the racetrack I never took such risks.
The things love makes you do.
We must always take risks when in love.
You know, during that trip through Paris
I ran 18 red lights, plus the stop signs.
Fortunately it was 6 a.m. and there weren't many cops.
Paris is beautiful at 6 a.m.
There's no one.
Paris belonged to me.
It's true that back then, I was totally addicted to speed.
I had to go faster and faster.
Remember when we met the first time?
Very well.
It was the night of December 19, 1965.
The headmistress called to say
a woman missed her train. Can you take her to Paris?
That night, De Gaulle won against Mitterrand.
I remember, when you said you raced cars,
I was surprised how slowly you drove.
I was in no rush.
You were so pretty.
I'd have kept you in my car my whole life long.
Remember that book you gave me?
We're always beautiful, when in love.
How true.
We can be so beautiful when in love.
Yes, I remember quite well.
It's easier to seduce 1,000 women
than to seduce the same one 1,000 times.
We can tell a woman everything
except her age.
You fell in love with me
and I did nothing to lift you up.
Hello.
- May I sit here? - Yes, of course.
Are you new here?
Yes.
Is it nice?
It's possibly the best of the worst.
Shall I give you a tour?
Yes.
Help me into my racecar.
Sure.
Wait.
There you go.
Coming?
Careful.
Your voice reminds me of a woman I loved dearly.
Really?
Sit.
Let's go...
Are you okay?
I am.
It's not too fast?
No, it's fine.
We may not win the race, but it's fine.
Shall we escape?
Let's escape.
With the 2 CV?
With the 2 CV!
It's odd. I feel like I've lived this before.
It's normal. You dream so much.
THE BEST YEARS OF A LIFE
Are you all right?
If we're lucky, we'll have a nice sunset.
Look, the sun is green! It's the green ray!
Make a wish, fast!
Subtitles: Andrew Litvack
Subtitling: HIVENTY