Manon, I want you to know everything.
Madame Degalais, you are in danger.
Tell me where you are. I need to know where you are.
- Just keep listening. - Don't do anything stupid.
Keep your phone on and you'll learn the truth about Vinca.
No, Annabelle!
Annabelle!
Oh, shit.
THOMAS: My mother's 25-year mission to protect me
was almost complete.
She set the scene so Manon could hear it all.
With the subsequent police report
and the fragments of the story
I had already discovered,
I was finally able to piece together the tragic case
of Vinca Rockwell.
Alexis.
No one's called me that in a long time.
(French theme song)
THOMAS: I was so dazzled by Vinca
that I couldn't see what she wanted,
or who she really was.
I was just a boy,
and she was enthralled by a love
that seemed so much richer than mine.
But Deville's version of love
was stained with obsession and need.
And the pain of losing Vinca had driven her
to a murderous quest for truth during the reunion.
Can I get you a coffee?
White wine?
Or are you just here to shoot me?
You didn't have to kill Francis.
I did. And Ahmed.
THOMAS: She forced Ahmed tell her about the body
buried in the gym.
But Francis refused to break under her torture.
I killed Clément.
He bravely protected me and Max
by insisting that he killed Clément.
She was no closer to understanding the mystery
of Vinca's disappearance,
which only drove her to more fury.
(Gunshot)
How's Max doing?
THOMAS: My mother wanted blood.
On your knees.
I said, on your knees!
But Deville understood her best defence
was in the telling of her story.
Of a troubled young woman thrown into a new school.
It's natural to be nervous on your first day.
Especially after all you've been through.
I hope so.
Sorry I'm late. I know, I know, I know...
"The days run away like wild horses over the hills."
Anyone know who said that?
Charles Bukowski, miss.
He's an American poet.
His work is quite aggressive,
but I like him.
Correct, intriguing newcomer.
But we'll discuss problematic authors later.
- What's your name? - Vinca Rockwell, miss.
Welcome Vinca Rockwell.
Right, that is enough for introductions,
let's get down and dirty and talk about Sartre.
THOMAS: It was easy to conjure up memories
of a troubled young woman looking to make a fresh start.
(Commotion)
My God, look! Beautiful!
(Whooping)
(Laughter)
Are they always this crazy?
They're showing off.
For you.
- Oh, my God! - (Laughter)
But according to Deville,
Vinca's friendships were superficial.
Aw! It's perfect.
ANNABELLE: I'm so glad.
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
Is she OK?
She's having one of her "moments".
Hey.
Hey, birthday boy!
- I like your present. - The Brancusi?
VINCA: I saw it a few years ago with my mum.
- Where do your parents live? - This is a...
really nice party.
It's really..
Hey.
You know you can talk to me at any time, right?
- Sorry. I didn't -- - What happened?
Just... Vinca's just upset.
Poor Vinca.
Thomas, you're making things worse.
THOMAS: And so it fell to Deville to rescue Vinca
by being the one true friend
she so desperately needed.
Can I come with you?
Why are we doing this?
This is the end.
I prefer beginnings.
Don't you?
Let's come back another day, eh?
I try to scare myself sometimes.
To...
rewire my brain.
It's nothing dramatic.
It helps me feel again.
Why can't you feel?
I'm better now.
Don't give me that fucking famous smile of yours, tell me...
- Everything's just a smile! - That is not an answer.
Tell me what's wrong.
I'm hollow.
Why?
Because my parents died.
Car crash.
Three years.
Both of them.
At once.
I don't want people to know.
The friends at my old school, they couldn't deal with it.
They wanted somebody happy, not someone who cried 24/7.
OK.
Listen... um...
pretending doesn't help.
Running away doesn't either.
At some point, you're going to have to process this.
I will.
With you,
if you'll let me.
Of course.
Sorry.
Don't worry. I'm supposed to...
hide in the bushes,
catching students smoking.
Ah!
Or worse.
Am I... in trouble?
You tell me. Is it the boys?
I've seen the way they look at you.
It was the same in my last school.
They all look at me in that way.
Are you talking about Thomas?
No.
Thomas is different.
It happened to me at school too.
How...
did you deal with it?
I kissed a girl and they stopped bothering me.
My favourite people call me Alexis.
- Do you mind if I sit with you? - No.
No, um... But I was just leaving.
Done Deville's essay already?
Yeah.
Look, you and Thomas... um...
It's fine.
I'm not interested in him.
You and I still friends, right?
Yeah.
Still friends.
THOMAS: Vinca was torn.
She tried to stay loyal and kind,
but ultimately, Deville stole her away from us.
Isn't she ravishing?
I haven't seen any of her films.
Hiroshima Mon Amour.
It's my favourite.
"Please,
devour me.
Deform me to the point of ugliness."
You know all the lines!
I'm weird like that.
See you, Miss Vinca Rockwell.
You gave me B minus!
I can't be accused of favouritism.
But you said I was your favourite.
You are.
One of my favourites.
One of them.
Are there lots?
Alexis.
(Knock on door)
It's Manon Agostini, miss.
Be with you in a moment.
Let's continue this someplace else.
THOMAS: But apparently the lines between caring and loving
got blurred along the way.
Wow!
Vinca was too bewitched
to understand the extent
of Deville's manipulation.
This is insane!
How can you afford it?
I come from a family of criminals.
"Behind every great fortune there is a crime."
In my case it's pharmaceuticals. Which has its advantages.
I want us be equal.
You shared your secret.
And this is mine.
You won't tell on me,
will you?
I like secrets.
Are you sure?
(Sensual French song)
It takes up the idea that pure reason
is capable of important knowledge, and empiricism
comes primarily from the experience...
THOMAS: And, consumed by jealousy,
I misunderstood everything.
Ciao, bella.
How come we don't see you so much any more?
I've been busy... Just studying.
This came for you.
Hey!
You going to join us?
I'd better go, Max.
It's not my business, but there's rumours
that you're involved with a teacher.
Who's spreading these rumours?
We're worried for you.
If you get busted, you'd be expelled.
The rumours are lies.
They're so immature!
They have nothing better to talk about than gossip.
We should have been more careful.
Nobody knows about us.
But people are talking.
I don't care.
I have to let you go.
- No. - This life is hard.
- It may not be who you are. - You...you can't break up with me.
I have no right to force it on you.
I love you.
We'll never be accepted.
We'll find somewhere more tolerant.
We can't afford it.
- You've got money. - Only when I'm straight.
My family have cut me off before.
We'll figure something out.
I might have an idea.
But it's too much to ask of you.
Just tell me...
what I have to do.
I'll do it.
THOMAS: I didn't realise that Vinca had fallen into a trap.
Hi.
Hi. Is it a good time for a session?
Or that Deville would do everything
and anything to keep her there.
- Cheers! - I'm proud of you.
You're mesmerising.
Really, you should do cinema.
- Really? - Fanny, you should...
He wants us to go to lunch.
ALEXIS: At last!
He's such a creep.
Thank you for doing this for us.
- But if Thomas finds out. - He won't.
Poor baby.
There.
(Chuckles)
Are you ready?
Knowing how Deville set out to exploit my father's weakness
diminished some of the pain of his betrayal.
But the discovery of what came next
left me sick to my stomach.
I used to respect you.
You were always so tough.
But what kind of woman stays with someone like Richard?
- Well you'll never understand.
Thomas adored Vinca
and he slept with her without hesitation.
- And you looked the other way. - No, I was protecting my son.
And I was protecting Vinca.
But she couldn't see the beauty of what I was offering her.
- So what are we doing tonight? - I thought we could just stay in.
Relax.
I can't sit here and fester.
I need to take my mind off things.
Look.
I found us a flat in London.
I meant drugs.
There's a college nearby where I could teach
- and a drama school for you. - Could we call anyone?
We should cut down on that.
- (Rummages) - You won't find any.
- Where's all the alcohol? - I forgot to get some in.
(Door slams)
(Sighs)
You should see a doctor. You've got a fever.
Did you get the photos from Fanny?
Not yet.
What's taking her so long?
Maybe she's having second thoughts.
Feels guilty about what she's done.
Ooh!
(Throws up)
- You know how much I love you. - You made me sleep with him!
- Nobody could've foreseen it. - It was obviously a risk.
Listen, we stick to the plan.
- We get Richard's money... - You're not listening right now!
I'll take care of you.
I'm 18! I can't have a baby.
Why not?
Maybe this is a blessing.
People like us never get to have a family.
What a wonderful thing this could be.
You're happy?
"From fairest creatures we desire increase."
- Please stop. - I love you.
No.
You don't.
Essays in by Friday.
You already had the week extension,
so no more excuses.
Thank you, everybody.
Vinca?
Can you stay for a moment?
I can't. I have to get back to history class.
You're not leaving until you tell me what's going on.
Nothing.
Nothing's going on.
I don't care what it is
and it won't go further than this room.
My...
My friend is 12 weeks pregnant.
She thinks that it's too late to change everything.
Well, she's right.
There are other options.
Do you have money?
You and your friend?
Yeah.
Good.
If only I had known what was really happening.
Everything would've turned out differently.
You're a conniving little slut, aren't you?
- Just give me the money. - It's in the bag.
I hope you rot in hell.
I was scared you wouldn't come.
I've made so many mistakes.
Was the pregnancy...
a mistake?
I want us to have something that we can share forever.
- How is that so horrible? - Maybe one day.
- Not like this. - What does that mean?
I've got Richard's money.
And a clinic in Madrid.
Come with me.
I will not help you kill our baby.
I'm not asking your permission.
You stupid little girl.
Can't you see the opportunity I've created here?
You manipulated me from day one. You...
I've offered you the world
and you are too immature to realise!
You can't control me any more.
We're through.
Going to the airport?
Yes.
It's shut. All flights grounded.
You don't look well.
Just sit tight till the airport opens again.
All right?
THOMAS: In spinning her tale,
Deville seemed to have gained a hypnotic hold on my mother.
I realised now
that Deville had invited this confrontation.
She was drawing my mother in because she'd guessed
that Annabelle held the final secrets.
- Thomas. - I'll look after you.
This will make you feel better.
Help.
What really happened to her, Annabelle?
Her words will haunt the rest of my life.
Annabelle?
I killed Vinca.
Nobody will ever find her.
I wanted you to know.
Why, Maman?
I need you to get me out of here.
Vinca, are you OK?
Get me to Spain by tomorrow.
Have you taken something?
Will you help or do you have to tell everyone Richard fucked me?
You're being nasty now.
I'm pregnant.
What?
I've got photos.
- Vinca? - Last chance.
Will you help me?
No, I will call you a doctor, but I will not be put...
Vinca?
Look,
I don't know what's happened, i'm sure we can find a solution.
It's too late to play the nice guy.
I know, your health is my primary concern. We need to get you to a doctor.
I don't trust any of you any more.
Give me the photos.
Give me the photos!
Just think of Thomas, think of Thomas.
If he found out...
He's as bad as the rest of you.
He never came back. He left me all alone.
(Panting)
Oh, no.
Vinca...
I had to stop her.
She was crazed.
We'll fix it. We'll fix it.
I need you to be brave.
What... Why?
Why?
No... No...
I'll fix it.
(Knock on door)
Madame Degalais!
I...
I ki... I killed Vinca!
She drank it all.
No, I checked her already. She's dead.
THOMAS: Annabelle was a person who was undaunted
by solving insurmountable problems.
But this one was surely too big to beat.
And yet, at the moment
she was prepared to accept her fate,
Fanny's story changed everything.
Fanny, what have you done?
The plan was so simple.
Shh! Shh! It's gonna be OK.
What have I done?
- I'll take care of Vinca. - And then what?
The cops will search the school from top to bottom.
- We'll be ready for them. - No.
We have to lead them away from here. Far away.
Everyone thinks Vinca was having an affair with Clément.
They can run away together.
This is the most important moment of your life.
You have a decision to make and you have to do it fast.
(Sighs)
Hey.
Here's your costume.
THOMAS: I was so mesmerised by Annabelle's revelations,
absorbing each new horrific detail,
unable to stop listening to the story that was unfolding,
I didn't see the fury building in Deville.
No!
Next to your mother.
You killed Vinca long before my mother did.
You abused her,
you imprisoned her,
you stole everything that she was.
Do you know her final words to me?
Stop, Thomas. Stop it.
I hate...
Alexis.
She died knowing exactly who you are.
Life is fragile.
So bright and vivid in the heat of day...
You ready?
Yeah.
..and so quickly taken from us.
Annabelle and Francis gave their lives to protect us.
But not before helping me understand
why I always felt such an intense connection with Max.
I should have listened to you.
All this is me.
But you found the truth.
Richard had made a different kind of sacrifice.
He was going to jail
so that I wouldn't have to.
Max was still under threat,
but he'd pledged not to live in fear.
And Fanny was no longer shadowed by guilt.
All this time...
I thought I'd killed her.
I would have lived a completely different life...
And so would you.
I was in love with the idea of Vinca for far too long.
But...
I needed her with me.
And now?
I don't know.
It's OK. You go, I'm fine.
Good.
(Sighs)
So this is the end of my story.
But it was never mine to write.
It belongs to Vinca.
Only she can tell us her truth.
But I can't help retreating into my imagination
to assemble all the fragments and falsehoods
and create a reality not as it is,
but as I want it to be.
Call it writer's privilege,
but I want to believe Vinca's story didn't end that night.
(Faint breathing)
Was it the start of a new chapter
for Vinca and the baby inside her?
I want to believe that she's still alive.
It makes as much sense as anything else.
VINCA: Like my mum always says,
"Someday, somehow, things fall into place."
It could even be true.
(Engine starts)