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When my mother got pregnant with me in 1963,
the family was upended.
With 6 children, a family's public housing request
is given priority.
My arrival let my parents leave their immigrant apartment
to move into a public housing project in Paris.
Flora, can you take the kids to school?
Of course.
It was already a full house.
There was Edmond, Richard...
as well as Nicole,
Jacques...
and Jacqueline.
I'm borrowing Mrs. Bentolila's phone.
Can you tell my husband I'm in labor?
No need to bother him.
No, I don't need him. What can he do?
Say hi to your wife.
Make Jacqueline practice her singing.
Give Edmond a shower, not a bath.
Nicole has to take her pimple pills.
Go to the hospital!
Don't rush Richard.
Hello, Mrs. Perez.
A girl?
A boy.
Boys are nice.
What's going on?
What's wrong? Doctor, what's wrong?
He has a clubfoot.
A foot club?
It's a deformity.
- Don't move. - I want my son.
Roland! Roland?
And despite three operations, to everyone's dismay,
there hung at the end of my leg a lifeless animal,
a travesty of a foot.
No heel, and all curled up on itself.
Based on a true story
He'll need a leg brace to walk.
- No, Dr. Bathany, no. - How so?
Roland's going to walk.
Like everyone else.
He must avoid walking, or he'll worsen his deformity.
Roland's not deformed.
If he walks without a brace,
it will be a disaster.
He must never put weight on that foot.
Once he starts walking, he'll need a brace.
Something like this... or this.
Not using a brace would be catastrophic.
What's catastrophic
is that if he wears a brace, he'll never get better.
Wear a brace and you're handicapped for life.
Madam...
your son is handicapped.
Maklouf...
I didn't want this life for the baby.
Defying destiny,
this little woman who left her country
to give her children a grander future...
Hello, Mrs. Perez.
...took us all over the city.
...idiopathic congenital disease with hindfoot varus
and limb atrophy.
I can't help, I'm a GP. See an orthopedist.
We can consider an operation
followed immediately by a harness.
Then, based on the first operation, a 2nd operation.
Of course.
Or else, second solution: an operation,
then a second operation,
then a harness.
For years my mother and I met countless specialists.
Famous professors.
And I'll take you...
to see my colleagues in Amsterdam.
In my car, for example. The kid behind.
That doesn't work. It's dangerous.
Bear in mind that medicine...
So you see? Plenty of choices.
And pathetic charlatans.
No one can fix his foot now. It's fully formed.
Your son will never walk normally.
You waited too long.
Mrs. Perez!
It took so, so long.
And then?
I screamed at his secretary and left.
- It wasn't her fault. - She knew it.
Truth is, they're all thieves.
You know,
all I want to say is...
is that if everyone...
all of them, the doct...
Happy Birthday to you, Roland...
There!
He really grew.
Since medicine offered no real cure for my sick foot,
my mother turned more and more to the Almighty Doctor.
Let him not be teased and walk like the others.
A sign... a miracle.
Let Roland walk.
Let him run, even.
Faster than anyone else.
His head held high.
As if entrusted with a mission,
my mother even set up a permanent altar on the radiator.
24 hours a day,
Esther ordered God and saints to perform the miracle.
Dad! Come here, please!
Okay... that's done.
I'll make meatballs.
That old guy with round cheeks and a gray beard,
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness.
Beside him was Chaim Pinto, with a book.
And of course, Baba Salé.
After all the prayers, every morning, every day,
my mother expected nothing less than a miracle.
- Come on, Esther! - Just play!
Stop praying, for the love of God!
World peace! Everyone's already asking for it.
Mrs. Medahoune asks for it all day long.
You, pray that the whole family has their two legs.
Mom!
Never do I talk about cards in my prayers, never!
There you go. I'm right.
You, pray for his leg.
Pray only for his leg.
I'm not asking for a miracle, nope.
One quick look, just in case.
Do you think mom's prayers upset God?
Honestly, God must be freaking sick of it.
Good night.
Mchikpara, don't worry.
That doctor was a crook.
- What's a crook? - A thief.
What else do we take?
Mrs. Perez,
the neighborhood's wondering: why wait to get him braces?
5 carrots and 2 zucchini, that's all.
That stinker!
As I've told you,
Roland must be enrolled without further delay in school.
It's time for him to wear a brace.
No, no.
Yes!
The law mandates his enrollment. It's the law.
No, that's not true. I've done my research, Mrs. Fleury.
- What research? - I saw Mrs. Farhat.
She swore to me there's no obligation.
Go ask her.
What ministry does Mrs. Farhat work in?
None, she's my neighbor.
- Mrs. Perez! - Yasmina knows everything.
She said there's no obligation to enroll him in school.
That's not true.
Educating your child is an obligation. It's the law.
It leads us to the logical conclusion
that you must send Roland to school.
Must be urgent.
- Florence! - Sorry, I'm late.
I'm busy right now. What is it?
I had errands to run.
Can you come help me?
Of course, I'll be right over.
How was I? Did I say it well?
You now live in a republic, and there are laws.
You must obey the laws of the French Republic.
This isn't Morocco.
I'm going, it's an emergency.
Your child won't develop, imprisoned like this.
He must be allowed to discover the world.
You're condemning your child to a life of misery!
For a while,
despite countless doctors' appointments,
I kept on sweeping the apartment's blue linoleum.
I knew every rough spot, every bump.
The doorsill that scraped my knees.
Or the entrance, which I'd glide across,
like Speed Racer on a sled.
What's going on? No!
Let go, it's mine!
As for my development in the intimacy of my prison,
I was very fortunate, thanks to my sisters,
that the world came to me.
I love him but...
I discovered with great interest Sylvie Vartan,
idol of my sisters and their friends.
She perfectly embodied, in each of her songs,
the turmoil of adolescence.
I was fascinated.
Mrs. Perez?
We must place Roland in foster care.
We put together a file.
We think you hinder his development.
How can a mother hinder her son's development?
- Impossible. - Unfortunately, it is.
Some mothers smoke, drink, lose interest in their children.
And now, there's you.
Roland should have started school, to learn to read like everyone.
He's fallen behind and won't catch up.
And you're the one condemning him to a reclusive, marginalized life.
It's all explained in the file.
We met as a committee, examined the situation with experts.
We know what's best for your son.
Know what he eats for breakfast?
No, you don't know.
In your file,
you explain what it means when he scratches his arm?
It means he's anxious!
Do you explain how he falls asleep?
He moves his head like this.
Or else he can't fall asleep!
What kind of pasta does he eat?
What kind of pasta?
You have no idea.
You have big theories, but you have no idea.
I know everything about him.
Everything.
My son...
for his first day of school...
he'll go alone, on his own two feet.
That stinker is a real lunatic!
You'll have a good life.
I promise you'll have a good life.
She was talking nonsense.
You'll walk.
Mchikpara, you're destined for great things.
Even more than anyone else.
And mchikpara, we'll find you a wife.
She'll be fabulous.
You'll have a fabulous wedding.
You'll have fabulous kids.
I promise, mchikpara, a miracle will come.
What does mchikpara mean?
It means I give you my life.
My mother's faith,
vaster than any ocean.
Come back in three weeks.
Fine.
Roland?
Where's the little brat?
He must be smoking cigarettes again
like his brothers.
If I catch you thugs smoking, I call the cops.
Mchikpara!
It's a miracle!
The address is there, on the bottom.
No phone number, just the address.
My brother told me
the little girl who had the same...
the same problem as Roland,
got better with this doctor. Cured!
What did you tell Roland?
What does it matter?
You told him it was a miracle?
Stop putting these ideas in his head.
Stop pursuing these wild ideas, Esther!
A miracle is Moses parting the Red Sea.
The Queen of Persia saving Jews from extermination.
Those are miracles.
This is...
a postcard with a camel and an address from your brother in Morocco.
I went back to Dr. Bathany.
To get a brace for Roland.
Hello, ma'am.
Sorry, we don't have an appointment.
For Dr. Vergepoche.
There is no Dr. Vergepoche.
What do you mean?
My husband was never a "Dr." It's "Mr."
Mister, not doctor. Mr. Vergepoche.
I was told he was a doctor.
So, Mr. Vergepoche.
He died one month ago.
Died, meaning?
He's dead... dead?
My condol...
Condolences.
Sorry...
Mchikpara...
Don't say that, all right?
A son doesn't give his life to his mother.
Never, ever.
It's me. I'm the one who gives my life.
You don't say that.
Never say it.
Okay?
Never again...
Come.
My husband wasn't a doctor.
He was a healer.
No diploma, no university.
But he had a gift.
Maybe I can try to help you.
You're a saint.
A saint.
Tell the neighborhood my son will walk.
Excellent news, Mrs. Perez.
And your asparagus are limp. Maybe get them a brace!
- Do we make pasta? - French fries.
French fries for...
Mrs. Fleury,
I need you to give me one last chance.
And I know you'll give it to me.
You want what's best for Roland, I know.
But I hope...
you know that I too want what's best for him.
Mrs. Fleury...
we're very, very, very lucky.
Very lucky.
So...
can I ask you...
to give me just a little more time
to make sure it's the miracle
that you and I have been waiting for.
You'll teach him the ABCs?
The doctor will make several braces to put on him day and night.
We have to change them daily.
She said Roland mustn't move, ever.
We can't ever cheat.
For a year and a half we can't have company?
You want a healthy son or company?
Both, right?
Give us a hand.
- Edmond, hands off the TV. - A little bit more.
I'll do it.
On top, applying pressure here
to push out his heel.
I put it on top. I always do.
Here, you have to put it here.
I know, but it hurts him like that.
You must follow my instructions to the tee.
But I know my son.
You must be precise
and disciplined nonstop, or this is all for nothing.
Let me be very clear.
Respect the procedure or I'll call it quits.
I know, it must be tight.
You're hurting him.
It's totally upside down.
It's upside down!
You're holding the diagram upside down.
Inevitable stage in a woman's life,
today we'll be talking about menopause.
We are joined by 3 specialists...
Immobilized 24/7 in the fall of 1969,
I saw in its totality
everything on TV, in full, absolutely...
everything, 100% of the programming.
I'll be back soon.
What are you doing?
I want to be handicapped.
We cheated.
Sorry.
- It was a bad idea. - No.
When you first came knocking,
I was leaving Paris for a peaceful retirement.
I know.
- But doctor... - I'm not a doctor.
Mrs. Vergepoche,
yes, you deserve to retire.
But I'm sure that
your husband would never have abandoned a patient.
My husband didn't know the name of any of his 2,567 patients.
And you knew them all.
Every single one.
I took them in as if they were my own children.
What does Roland like?
From morning till night,
her voice resounded throughout our apartment.
Vartan was now part of the procedure.
What's the deal with this singer?
Everything you have on Sylvie Vartan.
Françoise Hardy too, but there's no comparison.
Vartan is...
Vartan moves us.
Not only...
did Vartan become a huge star in France,
as well as a pop icon,
but her marriage to Johnny Hallyday stirred up passions!
She had an international career. She sang all over!
The United States, Japan, Canada,
Argentina, Brazil
and in Belgium.
What do you want?
Save your money or cure your son?
Her favorite novel is Remembrance of Things Past by Proust.
- Talking money leads to conflict. - How much?
10,000 francs.
- 10,000 francs? - See? Conflict!
Roland!
It's the 20th time today, stop!
At least turn it down.
Roland!
You said it would last a few months.
It's longer than expected.
Miracles don't happen just like that.
You promised he'd be reading.
He refuses to.
Her face-offs with Mrs. Fleury showcased my mother's talent: her charm,
the power of her conviction.
Digressions, raised pitch, dramatic flourishes,
tears, emotions.
The works.
All at the speed of light.
Enough, Mrs. Perez!
You're just a liar!
Why won't he learn to read?
Even Jacques can read.
Yeah, I can read. That's not the...
Why isn't Roland interested in reading?
The stinker said he needs to.
Why "even Jacques"? Of course I can read.
Mom tried the syllable method.
She tried the other methods but nothing works.
I can't say I adore reading, but I read.
You've seen me with a book.
You've seen me read.
I mean, you must remember
the 300-page Balzac I read in a weekend?
I'm not a filthy liar.
No one said that.
I can't do everything here.
Not everything.
I'm not a filthy liar.
Balzac, you'll teach him to read.
What do you mean? Dad!
Tonight I'll be the prettiest of all to go dancing
And so, from Jacques' fertile imagination
the Vartan reading method was born.
It was simple. First, I learned a song by heart.
Second, I identified all the sounds.
Tonight I'll be "the" prettiest of all.
- "The"? - Yes, "the" is here.
Sausage, savage, serpent, super... There are lots.
I don't know, you...
"U"?
We've been discussing "e" for 3 days.
Do you hear an "a"?
No, because there isn't one.
"Whispered by you". Hear an "a"?
And third, I found the words.
- There. - An "a". That's a "p".
This word starts with an "a".
- There? - Are you stupid or what? Here!
It's Johnny who lost control. The car ran into a ditch.
This is the car which Johnny Hallyday
and Sylvie Vartan were driving
on their way to Besançon for a gala ball.
The accident occurred at 8:30 pm on route 83,
near Roppe in the Territory of Belfort.
They were rushed to a hospital,
where our reporter Henri Schmitt spoke with Johnny.
Esther, you'll set the place on fire.
A few months after the accident,
as if by miracle,
Vartan was back on stage.
The stinker.
Mrs. Fleury!
It's good to see you.
"Because you are 15
And you will find true happiness
So long hoped for
If I sing, it's for you, for you
Yes, for you"
Enough, Roland.
Go on, mchikpara.
"'He is among the finest of good folk,'
said Mr. de Charlus, of his old servant."
Tomorrow the Abikhezers are coming over at 7.
The day after, the Darmounis.
And the day after that, all of the Shoushanas.
Come, Roland!
We're having nonstop company.
Lots of people. Remove all this.
There you go. Good job, Roland!
Great! That's really good.
We have no need to meet again.
To tell you the truth,
we never had any need to meet.
Goodbye, Mrs. Perez.
Goodbye.
Stinker.
You must continue your exercises.
All right?
Thank you, Doctor.
See how you've grown?
Little brat.
Speak to no one in the subway.
And say nothing about your foot.
No one needs to know.
This is mine, and this and this and this.
As my mother had promised,
like other boys my age,
for my first day of school
I went alone, on my own two feet.
For Esther, it was out of the question after the miracle
to send me to just any school.
To explain my late start,
she told the director of the Performing Arts School
that I acted in a Moroccan film,
a huge hit.
I'd been spotted during vacation in the street
and became a big star there.
And moreover, I would become a big star here in France.
The fabulous life my mother promised me night after night
could now begin.
Demi plié.
Relevé.
Stay in position!
Come on, children, jump!
Stand up.
What's that?
Take off your tights.
Take off your tights, young man.
I was in a car accident
in Casablanca with my uncle.
What are you doing here?
It's my mother.
She should know dance class is not for cripples.
You're wasting our time!
How are you, mchikpara?
We'll do the pas de basque
passing through first position...
And extend your arms.
Miss Corbeau.
Are you crazy?
Who are you?
The one who sent her son here to learn to dance.
I see.
Oh no, you do not see, Madam.
He falls down, he stands back up!
No need to humiliate him in front of everyone.
Who make fun of him, to boot!
You call that teaching?
You bring shame to the profession!
How can you expel a child of 7?
He's only 7.
My mother found the right words to explain to Miss Corbeau
why I deserved a spot in her class.
Have a nice day, Mrs. Corbeau.
Same to you, Mrs. Perez.
He came back!
See you later, mchikpara.
You'll never free yourself from her.
Little prick.
Positions, please.
What's wrong, Esther?
Mayor Chirac wants to give me a medal.
I was recommended by the stinker.
Mrs. Fleury.
Weird, isn't it?
A medal of honor.
By the French Republic.
For me.
They're right.
No, I did what any mother would do.
You worked a miracle.
For months, Esther and the neighbors planned their outfits and hairdos.
But what I adored most
was that, on the big day,
when the French Republic
was honoring this tiny Moroccan immigrant,
the neighbors had the elegance to put my mother in heels.
A delicate gesture allowing the towering figure of Chirac
to pin on the famous medal without having to stoop too low.
My respects, ma'am.
Thank you.
Mrs. Perez...
Mrs. Fleury.
Don't talk to strangers.
Mom.
This is mine, and this and this and this.
Good.
Enjoy, mchikpara.
So handsome!
Such a rush to leave!
After years of taunts and swallowed shame,
I was no longer considered a cripple by my peers.
The main role goes to Roland Perez! Bravo, son!
From then on, those performing arts teachers
ate out of my mom's hand.
What do I tell them for his leg?
What leg?
The one that's much smaller.
Which one is smaller?
I see.
"La Banane" 7/32.
Action!
I'm bananas for La Banane!
Cut!
My mother became my uber-agent.
Are you kidding? Sure he can dance!
I worked nonstop.
It's Roland we want to see!
There he is!
I worked with the greatest artists.
Petula Clark, Gilbert Bécaud,
Sheila, Richard Anthony,
and Joe Dassin.
America!
He wants it and he'll get it
I took part in all those amazing TV shows
that I watched a few years earlier,
in my handicapped bed.
And one day...
That was Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday.
Give them a warm round of applause.
Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday!
Thank you, everyone.
I had a promising career as a child actor.
I even started landing bit roles in movies and plays.
But after learning from Mrs. Farhat
that most actors lived in poverty and uncertainty...
- Why take him out of school? - I just want to.
...my mother decided that, since God had intervened,
I should pursue more ambitious studies.
Hello, everyone.
Hello, Mom.
By the time I finished more ambitious law school,
my siblings had all left the family nest.
Esther had only me.
- I slipped you a picture of Baba Salé. - No need!
Hurry, you'll be late.
Mchikpara, don't talk to strangers in the subway.
Mom, stop with that.
Don't worry, you can hand in your homework on Wednesday.
What do you mean?
- You wanted an extension. - And?
You got one.
Why can I hand it in on Wednesday?
- You preferred Wednesday. - And?
Professor Delguste was... He's an exceptional man.
He's so refined.
I begged you, I told you. Don't talk to teachers.
- It's wild! - Pierrot and I spoke for an hour!
Pierrot? You call Pr. Delguste "Pierrot"?
Go on, you'll be late. Don't talk to strangers, mchikpara.
Stop, stop!
Stop with the strangers, stop calling my teachers.
Stop with pictures of Baba Salé.
I'm 27! Why tell me not to talk to strangers?
Why?
Let me live my life, Mom.
All right.
Talk to strangers if you insist.
There must be deliberate violation of privacy
executed using certain, specific methods.
Civil and criminal sanctions are applied in exceptional cases,
limiting the effectiveness
of the right to privacy.
Thus, a stranger on the beach
has the same right as a celebrity concerning invasion of privacy.
He can equally take the matter to court.
Mr. Roland Perez, please.
Mr. Roland Perez.
Mr. Roland Perez, please.
Your turn.
- Mr. Perez? - Yes, Pierrot.
Excuse me, Mr. Delguste. It's my turn?
Please come down to the desk.
Roland?
Yes, I'm with friends.
We came for lunch, we have no time.
Can I help?
Yes, my child.
Mrs. Perez, that's delicious!
What are you waiting for? She's the one!
She's married, Mom.
You marrying her will be the best day of my life.
She's already married.
She married the wrong man.
It happens.
Don't mention your clubfoot.
Not worth it.
Her parents studied at the highest level!
How wonderful! Educated in-laws and wife with nice hair.
This wedding will be gorgeous! Mchikpara!
This is a real gem, a collector's edition.
November 19, 1961. It was Vartan's first time on TV.
1966 is a very important year for Vartan.
The birth of David, the rumors of separation with Johnny.
Very few people know that Vartan is absolutely fascinated
by Hieronymus Bosch.
The medieval painter.
There was a first 45 rpm in Dutch, a first 45 in German,
a first 45 in Spanish...
It's true, if you take a closer look
at her scenography, her videos, even her clothes,
you can feel the influence of Hieronymus Bosch,
born in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1450.
So we're starting a magazine that covers news about artists.
What we want
is for each issue to have one in-depth interview.
And so, for our inaugural issue,
we'd like an interview with Sylvie Vartan.
- Of course. - So, we know...
If you agree,
we want you to interview her.
Me?
No, no, no... I can't.
I can't read my handwriting.
I can't read it!
Mr. Perez?
You are Mr. Perez?
No, I'm...
Do you speak French?
I can speak English if you want.
What? Sorry...
She's waiting.
- He knows what's off limits? - No.
What's off limits?
Hello.
My notes...
You don't mind if I record the interview?
Sorry, I'm...
When you have a happy childhood,
pampered, protected,
and especially when you're lucky to have a mother
like yours,
do you...
don't you...
get a sense
of remembrance of things past?
You know your Proust.
Thanks to you.
When you've experienced maternal love like I have,
like the love Proust knew,
it's hard to face the realities of life.
But at the same time,
it serves as a solid foundation within you.
A great balance, a great strength.
It's also a handicap.
For sure.
Second question.
"We are...
also a bit...
emotionally abandoned
in love."
During my years at law school, whenever Vartan made the news,
I was sent to meet her.
Mr. Perez...
No, I'm not a fan.
I don't consider myself a fan.
- Is this yours? - It's yours.
No wait... let me check.
It's mine...
The autograph hounds that go to her concerts,
people who are after something,
well, I'm not like that.
It's indecent.
I don't need to get close to her...
It's Vartan.
Afterwards...
I was wandering off...
And strangely, thanks to some divine force,
after only a few months of marriage,
Litzie simply realized that she had married
the wrong man.
What's that?
I should have told you about it, I'm sorry.
Usually no one sees it.
No one can see it when I'm dressed.
I'm sorry.
I should have told you.
It's not at all a problem.
Kiss me.
Mom?
- What is it? - We'll all burn in hell.
- No, we won't. What is it? - They served shrimp.
- What do you mean? - They served shrimp!
Best day of our lives, and mussels!
- You know it's forbidden. - Mistakes were made.
- No big deal, it's a nice wedding. - I was ashamed.
We'll all meet in hell.
- No, Mom. - All of us.
The rabbi didn't see.
After the buffet from hell,
the menu.
The menu was fish.
Filet of sole with a mushroom duxelles.
Fish, mushrooms,
vegetables, nothing the Torah forbids.
I could finally breathe a little.
And when I stuck my fork in the fish,
what did I find?
Shrimp.
Shrimp, again!
Shrimp everywhere... everywhere!
Overflowing with shrimp.
Misfortune!
Another misfortune!
I'm ashamed!
Yes, we took care of that too. Get up now, come on!
What hurts me the most...
this was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
What do I discover?
Put her down!
She's pregnant!
How could you do this to me, mchikpara?
- How could you do this to me? - Sorry, Mom.
- Do I deserve this? - No, I'm sorry, Mom.
How could you do this to me?
I'm sorry, Mom, I'm sorry.
How could I discover it that way?
Forgive me, Mom.
- You killed me. - I'm sorry.
After their wedding night, Roland came back home.
Their apartment isn't ready anyway.
We have time.
Mchikpara, he got married,
but he's staying with us.
I'm full.
Delicious.
You ate at your mom's?
Of course not.
I didn't eat at her place.
I stopped by and she had me taste...
a little cookie.
- I didn't eat. - You know I'm your wife?
I know you're my wife.
What's this?
- So why eat at your mom's? - I didn't eat.
- So what's the problem? - There is none.
Yes, there is. Is it my cooking?
Yes, I love your cooking...
The apartment wasn't ready.
Well, it's ready now.
It is ready.
It's ready.
Where are your clothes?
See you later.
See you later, mchikpara...
It's hard for my mother.
It's very hard for her.
Give her time to cut the umbilical cord and it'll be fine.
Your mother isn't the problem.
No need for a doctor. Olive oil, honey and lemon.
I have to go, the doorbell doesn't stop.
He'd never manage without me.
All right, child. See you later.
Enough! I hear you!
What do you keep on ringing for?
What for?
Mr. Foenkinos.
Mrs. Perez, counselor Perez's mother. Good to meet you.
Good to meet you. Come in...
Pastries?
Diabetes? I eat it anyway.
Sorry, Mr. Foenkinos, I'm sincerely sorry I'm late.
Go right in.
For now, I don't have a secretary, so my mother is moonlighting.
To help me out.
As you can see, it's family-oriented.
Very close-knit!
That's how we like it.
Mom?
Can you leave us?
Yes, please.
There you go...
You can't do that, Mom.
He's a client, and clients have personal problems.
- Why are you limping? - I'm not.
Do you hear me? It's confidential.
You're limping.
I'm not limping!
Listen, please, listen!
I know what confidentiality means.
It means it's a secret.
And what the hell do the neighbors care
if Foenkinos disinherits his wife, treasury bonds or not?
How do you know about his wife and the treasury bonds?
- I swear I don't eavesdrop. - Stop it.
Stop eavesdropping!
So? That son-of-a-bitch Foenkinos!
What's she talking about?
Come.
All she does is talk, talk, talk.
Lots of visitors...
Mr. Foenkinos.
Have a seat with your confidentiality.
And be prepared to wait today.
They want a check for the month.
Harold, are you crazy? What is this?
He's lost it.
I'll pay them tomorrow.
School too. They called me.
I don't have... I forgot.
- Got the keys, honey? - No, you do.
They cut the phone. Gotta pay your bills, kids.
Why are you here, Mom?
How will I find Harold a wife if I never see him?
You saw him yesterday.
They cut off the phone.
Gotta pay your bills!
- You didn't take back the keys? - I swear I did.
She must have made a spare of the spare.
With three children now, bills really started piling up.
Out of sheer necessity,
I became a plaintiff's attorney,
but a formidable one.
Digressions,
raised pitch,
dramatic flourishes, tears, emotions.
The works.
All at the speed of light.
We're glad to have back with us
a man fast becoming the great expert in intellectual property law.
Keep it up!
- Roland Perez, hello Counselor. - Hello, everyone.
- How are you this morning? - Great!
Excuse me, Mrs. Perez.
See, with the new offices,
we have plenty of space for all the associates.
They're really the people we need most to restructure the firm.
We spoke about it a while ago.
So there.
Where's my office?
Your office, Mom...
I'm fired?
So do me a favor.
Don't tell your clients I'm fired.
Tell them I'm dead.
Stop, honestly, it's not...
I'm late...
Just as Esther had predicted,
I had a fabulous marriage.
With a fabulous wife, fabulous kids, the works.
Everything was fabulous for me.
Right now, as we speak, everything is fine.
We've removed the tumor entirely.
As a preventive measure, we recommend some chemotherapy.
Preventive?
I don't get it. You removed the cancerous mass.
Yes, but, you know, to ensure...
With this preventive measure, I lose my hair?
It's part of the...
And I become weak.
For a period of time.
Are we sure of the results?
No.
Her decision was irrevocable.
As always with her.
Litzie decided to live life to the fullest.
The years that followed
were the happiest of our lives.
Where is the patient?
Here... in front of you.
May I examine you?
Yes, of course.
Now I ask everyone to throw some earth.
You have everything.
See you tonight, okay?
Gimme a kiss. Have a nice day.
Why weren't you at school on Saturday?
I don't want to talk to you.
You don't? Well, you're going to.
Try to understand! I don't want to talk to you!
I don't want to listen! You understand?
- Mind your tongue. - Leave me alone.
As for Harold,
my son,
well, he...
barely talks to me, so...
My family is totally falling to pieces.
Why do you think it's falling to pieces?
The problem...
is that...
my whole life, others made...
all my decisions.
My entire life.
And now I'm lost.
I started by correcting a serious mistake I made
by burying Litzie in that sad Paris cemetery.
She who was so luminous.
You speak often about your life with Litzie.
About this unbearable pain.
About your mother.
About her audacity, her devotion.
Never about your father.
Tell me about him.
About my father?
Tell me a childhood memory with your father.
Sure.
Can you put on Dad?
Dad?
Yes, Dad.
- What is it? - Nothing, I want to tell him something.
What's wrong? You're sick. Tell me what's wrong.
- I just want to talk to Dad. - Need money?
No, I don't. Put Dad on.
- What is it then? - What is what?
Just put Dad on!
It's the children. Harold? Say it's not Harold.
They're fine. I just want to talk to Dad.
- Why not? - Because you're not coming.
Dad, I'm here. Come.
- We're waiting for you. - No, Mom, "we" are not.
Just Dad. You go inside.
I really loved your wife.
You know...
in Morocco my mother died when I was 4.
So...
I have to admit...
your children's suffering
is unbearable to me.
Six months later
my father passed away.
And during those last six months,
our relationship changed.
You good?
- You're limping? - No.
Sylvie, let me introduce you to my lawyer.
I told you about him.
But... weren't you a journalist?
You know each other?
Yes, well, a little.
Roland Perez!
That's it.
You were an excellent journalist.
Very well informed.
A native English speaker, right?
In a manner of speaking.
I'll explain.
What was Sylvie Vartan like?
She was so beautiful, so intelligent.
She must have adored you.
I don't know.
You'll never guess
how our dinner ended.
- Tell me. - We're standing outside.
With Sylvie Vartan.
And she asked me to be her lawyer.
Of course, mchikpara.
You told her everything?
About what?
Everything.
No.
Why not, mchikpara?
Mom, we'll never tell that story.
You hear me?
- Never. - I heard you.
Very naturally, a bond developed between Sylvie and me.
We became close friends.
We'd have dinner, go to the theater, even on vacation.
I knew her family and she knew mine.
I mean...
except my mother.
Mom? What are you doing? I bought dessert.
When does Sylvie arrive?
Whenever she feels like it.
Harold, I'm still finding you a wife.
Harold, give me a hand.
I'm so moved meeting you.
I had too much to tell you, so I wrote it all down.
Mom.
Are you okay?
Come, let's go bring in the cake.
What was in the envelope you gave to Sylvie?
- What envelope? - I saw you give it to her.
No, she just told me I was charming.
- You hear that? Sylvie Vartan finds me charming. - What's in the envelope?
Mchikpara, I get it.
I'll never mention your sick foot.
Never ever.
Mom...
We did no harm to that woman.
Did we do her harm or good, mchikpara?
All those records we bought!
All the magazines. We learned to read with her songs!
And all the shows, and the money they cost us.
Don't tell me that was in the letter.
If she knew all she did for us,
even she would be happy.
I work with her, it's professional. She can't think I'm a fan
who stalks her, takes her home like a lunatic.
She'll think it's Fatal Attraction.
Stop spoiling everything!
Sylvie Vartan came and sang for us.
No, she sang for me.
For me, Mom, not you.
For me, because it's my life.
It's my life!
They're my children!
Stop meddling into everything, into my kids' lives, stop!
Stop telling my son you'll find him a wife, you won't!
Who do you have to thank for Litzie?
Leave my house.
Leave.
For a long while, without saying anything else,
my mother and I, alas, didn't see much of each other.
He'd have to call the forces of law,
who are authorized to do so.
But even a security guard has no right
to ask you to check your bag
inside a store...
I adore her.
I love her.
You bring me stars without telling me.
I didn't even do my hair.
Mchikpara,
go get us some tea,
pastries...
for our guest.
Right away.
Anything your pretty colleague wants.
Hello?
Come on, Roland, faster, faster!
After that tiny woman's passing,
I found myself alone for the first time.
Here we go.
Come on, friends, it's ready.
Sylvie...
Do you know the role you played in Roland's life?
Very few people do.
It's thanks to you that Roland can stand tall.
Esther wanted you to know
Roland was born with a deformity.
A clubfoot.
He couldn't walk.
He'd crawl all day long on the floors of the apartment.
Thanks to you...
At the hospital, I let my guard down for an instant,
the time to get some tea.
My mother revealed everything.
My birth, my handicap, the doctors, the healer.
But especially Sylvie Vartan.
And he fell madly in love.
You gave him that strength.
You're dead!
Dead!
Let me live my life!
Damn it!
This is from...
my mother.
She wanted to give it to you at my birthday.
It took a lot of effort to no longer be that boy.
I asked a colleague to take over for me
on your business.
I should have told you about this ages ago.
I didn't.
And I'm sorry.
No need to apologize.
Your story is incredible, really.
It shook me up.
So...
do something with it.
Hello, Mom.
ONCE UPON MY MOTHER
I wanted to...
to thank you.
Thanks for this fabulous life.
An English writer wrote
that since God can't be everywhere,
he had to invent mothers.
ONCE UPON MY MOTHER
Based on the book by Roland Perez
Subtitles: Andrew Litvack
Subtitling TITRAFILM