Clouds of Sils Maria

This film contains very strong language.

TRAIN CLATTERS

Maria Enders will not be doing Jakarta.

Or Lima. No, no.

Yes, it's OK on the Annie Leibovitz shoot, but just for that one day.

And in New York, like we agreed.

Yes, I know it'll be tight. I'm sorry about that.

Hey, you're...you're going to have to excuse me.

I have to jump on another call.

Get back to me by tomorrow. All right? OK.

Hello?

Yes, this is Valentine, Maria pers...

Maria Enders' personal assistant.

Yeah, we received the date of the hearing, but she will not be in Paris that day.

We've told the lawyer two times.

She's the one who filed for divorce. Why would she be holding things up?

That's... That's ridiculous.

OK, well, we're going to...

Hell... Hello?

-TRAIN CLATTERS LOUDLY

-I'm sorry, we're on a...

MOBILE RINGS

Hello?

I'm sorry. I can barely... W-We're just... We're...

We're on a train and I'm not sure if I...

Fuck!

MOBILE RINGS

Hello?

No, I still can't... I'm...

We're in the Alps. There's a tonne of mountains and tunnels and I...

Yeah.

Did you read this article about Google

and users' private information? It's disgraceful.

-They're too powerful.

-Thanks.

So, I have no service in here

because of all the tunnels, but I did reach Gwen.

She said that she's going to take the X-Men thing off of IMDb.

I did one. That was enough. No way am I playing Nemesis again.

Well, they have to do it now because

everyone's blogging about it already.

Yeah. I'm sick of acting hanging from wires

in front of green screens.

I've outgrown it.

Fans are going to be devastated.

Oh, did you speak to, um... What's his name?

-Um... Urs...Urs Kobler?

-Yeah, I did.

Is the agenda set for tonight?

Yeah, you're all set. You have just the three interviews.

And then it's the presentation of the award and the official dinner.

He's going to meet us at the train station in Zurich

to take us to the Dolder...Dolder.

That's where you wanted to stay, right?

-I've written a first draft. Want to hear it?

-Sure.

READS: I'm very honoured that Wilhelm Melchior asked me

to accept the prize you're awarding him tonight.

As you all know, he decided a long time ago to stay away from all public events.

Not because he's shy or proud. He's a modest and generous man.

But he insists on protecting the peace and quiet he needs to write.

I wish that I could promise you all that I myself will place this prize in his hands.

But Wilhelm has forbidden me to do so.

He asked me to join him tomorrow in Sils Maria,

where he lives for part of the year,

but on one condition - that I come empty-handed.

If I'm here tonight, it's because I owe everything to him.

He chose an unknown 18-year-old actress for the lead in the play

you all know, Maloja Snake,

and then for the film.

That unknown actress who played Sigrid was me.

In two months of shooting he gave me everything I needed to bui...

build a career on - my career.

Up to here it's fine. And then it's all downhill.

Just fragments.

You want me to finish it for you?

No, I'm the one who has to pay tribute to him.

I have to find my own words. If I'm stuck, I'll ask you. OK?

Mappy says it's going to take two and a half hours

to get to Sils Maria from Zurich.

We have a driver.

Um, also, I texted Wilhelm's wife. She hasn't got back to me yet.

That's not like Rosa. MOBILE RINGS

You sure I gave you the right number?

I have to take this.

MOBILE RINGS

I know. I heard. Just a second ago.

Um, I know, I know. I haven't told her yet, but, um...

As soon as I can, OK? I got it. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah...

Yeah, there's really nothing on the net yet.

Just this press release and, um...

..comments.

What kind of comments?

You don't want to know. They're stupid. It just says, you know...

Zorglub228 - "I thought he died a while ago.

"Besides, he hasn't written anything of interest in 20 years."

Wiseguy666 - "The media pays too much attention to writers.

"People die all over the world and no-one ever mentions them."

Zohrarose didn't know who this guy was

but offers her condolences to the family.

So, I spoke to Urs Kobler and we cancelled the press, obviously.

I'm going to work it out when we get in tonight.

It's going to be really...different.

It'll be gloomy.

Official and stiff.

Everything Wilhelm hated.

Yeah, and people are going to be sad.

What do you expect? He's...

He's dead.

If I wanted to be true to him, I'd turn around and go home.

You'll find the words once you're there. I think they'll come naturally.

I think... You know...

Who could do him justice better than you? A stranger?

You love him. It's different.

I love him.

I know so little about him.

MOBILE RINGS

You kn... You know what I mean.

If you want to be true to him,

you have to be there.

Hello.

Um, sure.

Yeah, we're on a train, so we might lose you, but I'll ask her.

OK.

-It's France Inter.

-Oh, God.

You kind of have to. I'm sorry.

MOBILE RINGS

-Rosa just called.

-I'll call her right back.

She's actually not going to be available till tonight.

She's really busy. She still has to go to the morgue.

Did you find out anything?

Yeah, um...

Wilhelm was home in Sils Maria.

Rosa went for a check-up in Basel.

She thinks that he was home all day writing as usual,

went for a late afternoon walk.

But she called to check on him and couldn't get through,

so she got worried and sent the neighbours over.

Doors were locked, the lights were out, he wasn't home.

When did they find him?

Late afternoon, like, the middle of nowhere.

They think it was a heart attack.

It's so exciting having you here.

Nice.

The cockroaches must have taken a later train.

We are...in a...in a loss for words.

I have to say, my first reaction was to head right back.

I understand.

We were wondering, as well,

should we move forward or cancel everything?

You know, here in Switzerland,

we are not big on public displays of anything.

Especially grief.

This should have been a celebration.

And now it will be a posthumous homage.

It's going to generate the kind of press that we do not want.

We'll try to keep them on distance.

Paparazzi are going to be all over her. You realise that, right?

I have to think it over.

Everything's hitting me at once, so I...I don't know.

Of course. That's why we invited Henryk Wald.

Henryk Wald?

Yes.

He's devastated, as well.

But he agreed to hop on a plane to be with us tonight.

If you'd prefer not to accept the prize, Henryk can do it.

It's up to you.

He's associated with Wilhelm's theatre.

Most of the plays were written for him.

-You don't appreciate him?

-We did two films together.

No, we didn't get along very well.

But I'm glad he's here.

He and Wilhelm were very close, and Rosa likes him a lot.

He's a...a great actor.

Yeah.

One last question.

Oh, I forgot to tell you this thing. Sorry.

-Chanel.

-Chanel.

The press attache from Chanel

is waiting for you at the hotel to try on your gown.

You don't have to.

No, you do not have to.

Can we turn this off?

-And no fruit. Thank you.

-Mm-hmm.

OK, all good. Thank you.

So, what do you think? Would she stay?

Yeah, she'll...she'll stay.

Because if not, I have to change the tickets.

I know. She'll stay. Trust me.

Thank you.

I can't deal with this. It's impossible.

I'll never find the right words.

His body isn't even cold yet, and everybody wants a piece of him,

starting with Henryk Wald, of course.

Of course he'd be happy to accept the prize.

If only I could just not see him.

Henryk?

Why are you still so upset with him?

I have no reason to have stopped being upset with him.

-So he was in love with you or something.

-Not at all.

He was just furious I didn't give in to him.

He's perverse, violent.

He hits women.

He likes to humiliate them.

Look it up on the internet.

I thought we despised the internet.

-Caroline?

-Yes.

-Hey. Valentine.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Thanks for agreeing to this. I know it must be really difficult for you.

Uh, this is Berndt.

-Oh. Hi.

-Hi.

-Berndt. Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

You know those really trashy photos I showed you of Lindsay Lohan?

This guy's responsible.

But I'll try to be more elegant today.

Mmm.

It's Rosa.

Am I bothering you?

I just wanted to tell you...

..to thank you.

It's good that you're there.

It's good...

that you're accepting the prize.

It's what Wilhelm wanted.

Henryk? No.

You know what he thought of Henryk.

The less he understands, the better he is,

and when he understands nothing, he's excellent.

I would like to have given you a hug, but...

but I'm leaving.

I can't stand being alone at Sils.

It's too difficult.

But there's something I want you,

and only you...

..to know.

Mmm.

THEY GIGGLE

So, he knew about the illness for a long time?

Did the autopsy say what he swallowed?

Oh, I see.

He left nothing to chance.

Beautiful. Turn your body a bit sideways, please.

Yeah. And chin up a little bit, please. Thank you.

Great. Yeah.

-Maria?

-Hmm?

-Sorry. It's, uh, your future ex.

-And again. All right?

-Hold on a second.

-Right, right.

-Hello?

CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK

-PHOTOGRAPHERS CLAMOUR

-Maria! Maria!

Maria!

-ALL SHOUT:

-Maria! Maria!

The press is all here.

I don't know how we'll squeeze them all in.

One thing you should know - we met very early, at the university.

We were both studying literature and theology.

And I had the privilege of acting

in all of his plays, here and abroad.

He had become a recluse - mysterious, inaccessible.

Wilhelm was the simplest man in the world.

He liked to ski in the winter and go hiking in the summer.

Those are the fondest memories I have of him.

His later work depicts a bleak, destructive vision.

I acted in those plays.

Mmm, it's true.

At times I found them scary.

A sea of grey hair.

Completely.

So, first I'll say a few words.

I hope I am up to the task.

And then I'll introduce Henryk.

Once he has finished, he asks you to join him on stage.

You'll introduce the film. That's it.

I saw Wilhelm two weeks ago.

We went hunting.

He was his usual self. There and not there.

He mentioned the prize, said he wouldn't be attending.

I told him he'd miss an opportunity to see you.

I was on Long Island six months ago. I spent a week with him and Rosa.

-I know.

-I don't give a fuck that you know.

Henryk, you are almost on.

Excuse me.

We had an affair when we were shooting Maloja Snake.

-Yeah, I couldn't tell...

-I was 18, kind of dumb.

And he really took advantage.

After the shoot, I never heard from him.

-It destroyed me.

-I'm sure you've run into him since.

We made another film together afterwards.

-Which one?

-Oh, you don't want to know.

Tolstoy adaptation. German producers.

Who cares, huh?

Well, ten years later, I was famous.

Then he was interested.

And he kept harassing me, calling me in the middle of the night.

But I didn't give in, and that he hated.

And he made me pay for it every single day of the shooting.

He was really amazing in that one movie... Um, what is it called?

He plays a Soviet defector with, like, missile codes and shit.

-Um, do you know?

-No, I don't know.

Never heard of it.

He's great in it.

So intense, especially in the more physical scenes.

That stare. He is like...

-I like him.

-Yeah, I kind of got it.

I mean, as an actor I really like him. I...

Maria, you're on in five minutes.

APPLAUSE

Maria...

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Go get 'em, tiger.

Thank you very much.

-Hi.

-Good evening. Welcome.

I'm honoured to welcome you here.

I wish it had been under happier circumstances.

It's, um... It's great to celebrate his work. Especially today.

I was eager that the city of Zurich pay tribute to him.

He was very grateful to you. He told me so.

Hey. She'll just be two seconds.

I'm sure she's going to be thrilled to be relieved from officialdom.

-You know that his last play was set in Zurich.

-Oh, yes.

He paints a rather dire portrait of our political class.

That's an understatement.

You should know. Your character was evil.

Klaus Diesterweg is here to see you.

Excuse me. Sorry.

I already told him no.

-He's here just to see you.

-The project doesn't interest me. OK?

He's a great director. Just hear him out. You don't have to do it.

He's probably the best of his generation.

I know. We saw the same productions.

If you'd like to go on chatting with the mayor and Henryk, you can be my guest.

No, thank you.

OK.

Do you mind if I cut out for a bit?

I'm just going to meet Berndt.

Berndt?

-The photographer.

-SHE WOLF-WHISTLES

We're just going to find somewhere a bit livelier.

This place is a dead zone.

Oh. No problem. I don't plan to hang around.

Enjoy.

-Thank you for finding time for me.

-It's a pleasure to meet you.

-I hope you don't find me too insistent.

-Not at all.

I've seen quite a few of your productions. I enjoy them, and...

I know we'll find an opportunity to work together in the future.

Give me one more chance.

Klaus...

I played Sigrid in Maloja Snake when I was 18.

For me it was more than a role.

In some way, I am still Sigrid.

That's my point. If Sigrid seduces Helena...

And it has nothing to do with being a lesbian, by the way.

-I've always been straight.

-That's not at all what I meant.

Sigrid is free, beyond everything.

And most of all, she's disruptive, unpredictable.

I know.

And right or wrong, I've always identified with that freedom.

It's a way of, uh...

..protecting myself.

Do you smoke?

Uh, no, no. I...I try not to.

And for you, Helena embodies the opposite?

Helena is 40. She's runs a company.

She falls head over heels in love with a girl who doesn't love her

and leads her to suicide.

Yes. She's completely the opposite.

But what is it that attracts Helena to Sigrid, if they are so different?

It's obvious. Her youth.

Well, if you're telling me

that I'm Helena's age now, yeah, you're right, it's true.

But that doesn't mean I can play her.

The way I see Helena is totally different.

Despite her bourgeois life, despite her responsibilities,

she's not the epitome of order

and not at all the opposite of Sigrid.

Well, she is married, with children,

her social life is a huge success,

and she sacrifices it all.

Yeah, she's destructive.

Sigrid revives this hidden violence in Helena.

Was it hidden or tamed?

Time's gone by and she can't accept it.

Me neither, I guess.

There's no antagonism.

It's the attraction of two women with the same wound.

Sigrid and Helena are one and the same person.

One and the same person.

That's what the play is about.

And because you were Sigrid, only you can be Helena now.

Hmm. How can you be so sure?

You know as well as I do that Wilhelm Melchior

had been working on a sequel for years.

Yes, but it was about Sigrid at 40 years old.

No, it was about Sigrid 20 years later became Helena.

So who's to play Sigrid?

Jo-Ann Ellis.

She did a superhero movie that just opened in the States.

-And besides that?

-Not much. She's 19.

She's a lot more interesting than her interviews and profiles.

She has a theatrical background.

She doesn't want to be swallowed up by Hollywood.

She admires you, and she's willing to pull out

of her other commitments.

Well, I've listened carefully.

But to be honest, um, the role scares me.

Helena scares me.

I'm in the middle of a divorce.

I feel alone and vulnerable.

Probably too vulnerable to do this.

If you refuse, I'll understand, but...

..it will be a missed opportunity.

Especially for Wilhelm.

SHE CHUCKLES

I should get going.

Excuse me, but I won't be staying for dinner.

Good evening, Maria.

Klaus.

I have another reason.

Susan Rosenberg.

She played Helena with me.

I remember Susan Rosenberg.

She died in a car accident a year after.

It's a superstition. I've always associated her death

with Helena's suicide.

She was a lousy actress who didn't understand a thing about the role.

But her conventional style of acting

highlighted the modernity of your performance.

You should be grateful to her.

Please sit down.

Thank you.

Oh, is there a way of changing this?

-Can you put him in another place?

-I'm... I'm sorry. Oh, he's coming.

MUTED CONVERSATION

You were with Klaus Diesterweg.

Are you going to accept his offer?

-What offer?

-You know.

He's a very good director.

If he'd offered me a role, I'd accept it on the spot.

So that means, um, I should accept it?

-God, no!

-SHE LAUGHS

This much-talked-about sequel of his...

Remember, he never finished it.

Sorry to be brutal,

but I'm a simple man and the play tells a simple story.

An older woman falls in love with a scheming girl

that has her wrapped around her little finger.

The girl takes advantage of her,

squeezes everything she can out of her, then dumps her.

Helena's love for Sigrid makes her stupid

and blind to what everybody in the audience can see right away.

But then, that's really all she's ever wanted.

She's fascinated by her own downfall.

It's as clear as day.

That's why the play was such a hit and is still being performed today.

Why stage it if you want to tell another story?

I think your reading is simplistic.

I know Sigrid,

and believe me, she's more interesting than that.

Yes, she takes advantage of Helena.

Yes, she fascinates her and she knows it.

You can decide not to look any further, but I had to because I played her.

You're just talking about what's on the surface.

The play is about what attracts them to each other.

It's harder to see, and it's more profound and truer.

The impossibility of their relationship is as cruel for Sigrid.

-HE SCOFFS

-Cruel for Sigrid?

-I'm sure she'll get over it.

-What do you know?

Time. Youth.

She has her life ahead of her.

Well, Helena is young too. She's not old.

She has her life ahead of her, too.

But she decides to give it all up.

Helena is not used to being turned down.

She discovers her own frailty and she can't accept it.

We'll drop Mr Wald off first, please.

Grand Hotel du Lac, please.

So Klaus has persuaded you.

You're going to play Helena.

I didn't say that.

But I'm considering it.

Yes.

Are you sure you don't want to have a last drink?

SHE LAUGHS

I'm already drunk, darling.

Henryk!

-Yes?

-Hold on.

-TV:

-Ready for recovery, recently appointed governor Mark Carney

promised to keep interest rates low

as long as unemployment remains high...

TV CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY

Wow.

-Hey.

-Hi.

I just found the main road again. I'm sorry.

I must have set the GPS wrong.

Like an hour or so, probably.

I had a...dream, um...

We were already rehearsing and...

past and the present were blending together.

-I'm confused.

-No kidding.

I shouldn't have said yes to Klaus.

But Wilhelm's death, mourning - I couldn't refuse.

He is a sick director.

Jo-Ann's a superstar. It pays well.

I don't need the money.

OK.

Hi.

Stay as long as you want.

I like the fact

that you are working on the part here, where it was written.

You promised - no ghosts.

There... There aren't any.

I was joking.

No. It was half-joking.

This is what I wanted to show you.

This is where Wilhelm killed himself.

But that...that stays between you and me.

Is that the Maloja Pass over there?

Yeah.

-The snake, right?

-The snake.

Why a snake? In the play, it's, uh... It's ambiguous.

The Maloja snake.

It's a cloud formation.

Fairly rare.

Partially unexplained.

It's a sign of bad weather.

And the clouds, they are coming from the Italian lakes,

over the pass

and winding through the valley

like a serpent.

Therefore, it's a snake. They call it a snake.

The clouds wind up the Maloja Pass.

Wilhelm was fascinated by this film.

He used to marvel at the fact that the true nature of the landscape

revealed itself in these images.

Yes, um, but the black-and-white creates a distance.

It sets the passing of time.

It's almost a century old.

Actually, it comes from very far away.

That's the beauty of it.

-Thank you so much.

-Lovely to meet you. Thank you.

Thank you.

I won't promise to come and see you in London.

I hope you change your mind. All right?

THEY CHUCKLE

Theatre is only theatre.

Oh, Maria.

It belongs to Wilhelm.

Keep it.

GOATS' BELLS CLATTER NEARBY

ENGINE TURNS

You were 18 years old. You weren't a child.

There had to have been some kind of attraction or...

Wilhelm was far from a saint, right?

Maybe.

Mmm.

He did choose me, so he must have felt something, but...

it remained unspoken.

-So you admit...

-And it's not very important.

It's not very important.

Mmm. If that's not important, what the fuck is important?

All that matters is what's in the movie.

So you admit there was attraction?

Stop.

Why? Was it mutual?

Yes.

No! I don't know. I don't know.

You don't understand.

Yes, I was attracted to Wilhelm, but it's normal.

I was fine with just feeling attracted and with the intimacy.

So there was intimacy, too.

SHE LAUGHS

Stop picking apart every word I say.

Anything more would have endangered our relationship.

I was, uh...

My intuition told me that it was far more valuable than desire.

I feel you.

-You were in love with him.

-Of course I wasn't.

Stop oversimplifying. It's too easy.

It was less than that.

And it was better.

I don't know any more. Maybe I only remember what suits me to remember.

Yeah. I think so.

-Cos the story changes every time.

-Bitch.

SHE LAUGHS

Do you want to christen a shopping mall in Nanking?

No.

How about a series of commercials for eyeglasses?

-No.

-It's only in Latin America.

-No!

-All right.

Um, there's a Spanish horror flick. It's pretty gory.

You'd be playing a mother superior.

There are werewolves involved, for whatever reason.

No.

An interview with an Italian magazine targeting active women.

Seduction After 40.

No!

But it's the cover.

-No!

-OK.

-Mario Testino is shooting it.

-I don't care.

Jo-Ann Ellis' movie is opening up in Europe.

She wants to meet you.

-When?

-Next week.

Where?

Wherever you want. She'll come here if you'd like.

-Definitely not here.

-Maybe I'll tell her to book the Waldhaus.

When is her movie opening?

It opened last week. Have you read a paper lately?

I'm sorry. You want one?

It's playing in St Moritz, if you want to see it.

I'd rather wait until rehearsals start

and...keep the image of Sigrid as myself at 18.

I know, I know. It's a little disturbing.

But I find it more interesting.

Well, I didn't know you at 18,

but I'm almost positive Jo-Ann's a lot worse.

How can you be so sure?

-Have you googled her?

-Well, I just looked at the pictures.

Well, you should dig a little deeper.

Won't take you long to find all the naked photos,

the latest updates on her exploits.

Such as?

Her break-up.

With Andrew Beltram?

Any idea who that is?

Not at all.

What world do you live in?

He's, like... He's the biggest star.

Says who?

-Preteens.

-Oh...

Hey, there are a shit-tonne of them, so be careful.

Um, he broke up with her because she wouldn't stop getting wasted

and cheating on him in public.

So she went to his house with a gun, and he went bat-shit.

Threw her out. But, like, violently threw her out.

Not exactly the way Klaus described her.

The neighbours had to subdue her

cos she was, like, shooting up the place. Apparently it wasn't easy.

She went to rehab to get out of doing time. She's better now.

According to her press releases.

Well, yeah.

And, uh, the classical training, the theatre background,

is that all bullshit?

No. No, that's all true.

She took off and just started really fucking up.

Um, I think she probably got jealous of, like, Hollywood trash.

TMZ deemed her the A-list actress

that dreamt of making it to the Z-list.

You could have told me sooner.

You despise internet gossip.

This is not gossip. It's information.

It's celebrity news. It's fun.

-I thought you liked her a lot.

-I do. I love her.

She's not completely antiseptic like the rest of Hollywood.

Well, you just said she was a self-destructive crazy girl.

-I didn't say that.

-Sorry. I must have misunderstood, then.

Where are my fucking cigarettes?

They're right in front of you.

Where?

-Hello!

-Ah!

She's brave enough to be herself.

At her age, I think that's pretty fucking cool.

I don't see what's so cool about fucking around,

getting wasted out of your mind

and almost killing a boyfriend that's sick of you.

I think she's got a bright future.

In fact, I think she's probably my favourite actress.

Oh.

You mean more than me? Hmm?

No, I... I didn't mean that.

Hmm?

I'm more...what?

Conventional?

Boring.

-And I can't reach her intensity.

-No.

I didn't say that.

Of course not.

Goodnight.

Hey!

Motherfucker!

Hey! Stop fucking following me, all right?

I'll fucking kill you! I'll fucking kill you!

THUDDING

So, let me ask you a tough question.

You were fired from the Forbidden Planet remake.

I don't know about that.

You were supposed to play the old Anne Francis role, Altaira.

I don't know. Maybe.

And after your DUI arrest, your studio cancelled the contract.

You know, even if that were true,

that would have cost them an arm and a leg.

Well, just say it were true. Which I'm not saying it is.

But, hypothetically speaking,

I wouldn't be able to even talk about it right now

because I would've signed

-a confidentiality agreement with the studio.

-Sure.

So, let is imagine you were arrested for a DUI

and you had insulted the police officer.

No. No, no. That's not hypothetical. That's a verified fact.

I did get arrested on a DUI, and I did assault police officers.

-So it's the studio's reaction that's hypothetical?

-Exactly.

And their hypothetical bat-shit crazy response

would have cost them a hypothetical seven-figure sum,

which I guess I wouldn't be able to talk about right now, right?

So, will you be appearing on the remake for Forbidden Planet?

Uh...

I'd rather die...

very, very slowly

of, probably, food poisoning.

SCREAMING

SIRENS WAIL

SHE MOUTHS

-REPORTER:

-Rumour has it that we'll see you on stage?

Yeah, um, I'm going to...

I'm going to do a play called Maloja Snake,

uh, with Maria Enders.

Um, she's going to play the older woman,

and I will play the one who drives her to suicide.

I mean, that's kind of rad, right?

Where in London will you play it?

They told me the name of it.

This theatre...

It's still being negotiated.

-Who's directing?

-Klaus.

-Klaus who?

-Klaus Klaus.

Like, you know, the Klaus.

Klaus Klaus?

-Klaus Klaus!

-Yeah. Fucking Klaus.

You should do your job and look him up.

You're a fucking reporter, for God's sake.

-Well, you apparently don't know him.

-Santa Klaus?

ALL LAUGH

Klaus Kinski?

-Klaus Barbie.

-Oh! SWITCHES CLIP OFF

SHE SIGHS

OK. This is the armchair.

Um...

..office door.

Desk.

OK, go ahead.

Come in.

Sigrid, I asked you here because your internship is almost over,

and I wanted to congratulate you

personally.

Have a seat.

No, there. The armchair.

Everyone in my office sings your praises.

Including the nastiest ones.

The ones who think that I shouldn't have taken over the company

after my father died, that I'm running it into the ground.

The ones who consider me incompetent, not because I'm a woman

but because they look at the figures,

and the figures aren't what they should be.

I know it's true. It keeps me up at night.

It's been eating away at me.

They've persuaded me, and now I think they're right.

Why are you telling me this? It's none of my business.

You want people to know?

You think if you arouse their pity, they'll back off.

I've been around a lot less than you,

but in my experience it's quite the opposite. Wouldn't you agree?

When they tell me about you,

how much they appreciate you,

they're using you to humiliate me...

Shit! I messed up. Fuck!

-It's...

-What?

-It's to remind...

-It's to remind me!

SHE GROANS Sh...!

MARIA SIGHS

SOBBING: I hate this fucking scene...

Oh, I have too many memories of Susan Rosenberg

and the disgust she made me feel

while she was slipping into the skin of this...defeated woman.

She got such obscene pleasure out of it night after night.

Why "defeated"?

Defeated by...by...age,

by...by...her insecurities.

Letting this kid lead her around by the nose.

Come on. That's not... That's not all there is to it. There's...

I'll start over.

This poor woman is ready to kill herself before the play even starts.

She's using Sigrid as a weapon, that's all.

I'll start over.

OK.

When they tell me about you,

how much they appreciate you...

..it's to remind me how happy they are

to grant you what they never granted me.

They're using you to humiliate me.

It's not just your youth, or your powers of seduction.

No, it's your aplomb,

your unshakeable self-confidence.

-You don't know me.

-Nothing gets to you.

You radiate...self-confidence.

And you don't?

I wear a mask.

It works with some people. Others see right through it.

I can tell which is which right away.

If there's one thing I excel at,

that's reading people's behaviour.

So, how should I be reading yours?

How do you think?

I don't know. I'm reluctant to say it. It's pretty clear.

Don't be reluctant.

"Helena nervously crosses and uncrosses her legs,

"reaches for a cigarette."

You talk about your insecurities.

Your vulnerabilities.

You open up to me, and I'm not exactly sure why.

It's as if you're expecting something. Can I be frank?

I don't think it's company figures that are keeping you up at night.

-What's keeping me up, then?

-Desire.

For me, I think.

I noticed it the second you hired me, and I'm sorry,

but I've had fun playing with it.

You've let me play with it.

Fun.

What a strange word.

Not what I was expecting...

Oh, this text is impossible.

Oh, my God!

So, now the play is bad?

No. But everything is weighted to make Sigrid look good.

I didn't read it like that.

I see her arrogance, her cruelty,

and Helena's humanity.

She's able to talk about her own pain.

It's moving.

I'll start over.

Fun.

What a strange word.

Not what I was expecting...

She's such a stupid cunt.

Oh...

And I didn't expect you to talk about desire either.

Let me be frank now.

It makes me uncomfortable.

And it forces me to see you differently.

And that gets under your skin.

Pause.

You can tell me.

Stands, lights a cigarette.

In fact, it's exactly what you want to say, so say it.

Yes. It's true.

You get under my skin.

I wanted to ask you to stay on and become my personal assistant.

She doesn't accept.

-I mean, she does accept!

-MARIA LAUGHS

Without hesitation, she accepts.

Oh, I've been feeling sick all morning.

I feel dirty.

I don't like Helena, no matter how much humanity you see in her.

-Want some?

-No, thanks.

Or maybe because of that humanity. I don't know. I don't care.

I don't feel good in her skin.

I don't know why I have to inflict this on myself.

Then don't do it.

That's what I'm saying. I'm not doing it.

I'd like to take the car tonight.

Berndt rented a house on Lake Como with some friends.

That's pretty far.

I mean, it's...two hours by car.

If I left at 6.00, I could probably be back by sunrise.

-Would you be OK alone?

-Yeah.

Yeah, just... Just be careful on the mountain roads at night.

Are you involved with him?

I mean, is this a thing now?

I like him.

Oh, you like him.

That's all we'll get.

You're jealous.

Jealous?

I don't know. Of my time.

My thoughts.

-Maybe my affection.

-No.

I'm not jealous. I'm thrilled that you have a boyfriend.

There haven't been that many,

and when there is one, you burn through him pretty fast.

I'll tell you.

No, you won't.

And I never know if I should believe what little you do tell me.

That's up to you.

Why the fuck are we doing this shit?

MARIA SCREAMS AND LAUGHS

Fuck!

THEY LAUGH

Can you pass me those? I'm a little late.

THUDDING

-Sorry.

-See you.

THUNDER RUMBLES

We can do anything, but you did sign a contract.

-Pulling out will cost you.

-You know, I've thought it over.

I worked on a scene. I can't.

I mean, I can, but...it's too hard.

I feel too much disdain for Helena.

I'm Sigrid. I want to stay Sigrid.

Sigrid is 20.

I don't care. I know I'm right.

It doesn't interest me any more. It spoils my memories.

It's not constructive.

They'll sue, and it'll go on for months and months.

They can replace me.

It's too late. Klaus doesn't want anyone else for Helena.

So I'm a hostage!

You'll be appearing in a prestigious production

that's been waiting for you for 20 years.

I'm asking you to get me out of this.

Great. But like I said, it won't be cheap.

Figure something out!

There's no use getting upset.

We'll take care of it.

But I'm giving you due diligence, OK?

-SKYPE:

-Ended.

Wait! You have to stay with us.

We're mutants, just like you.

But we all have doubts.

Doubts about our powers. Are we worthy of them?

Do we have the right to use them?

After all, what is good...

and what is evil?

And who are we to decide?

Scarlet Witch and Dr Pretorius both agree.

What you did was not treasonous.

Forgive yourself.

Don't judge your own actions so harshly.

SHE SCREAMS

Don't you understand?

This is no mistake.

I have been double-crossing the Alliance for a very long time now

and reporting directly to Sargon.

And you know why?

Because I am madly in love with him.

Do you remember when he attacked our guild's outpost?

I tried to fight him then, but I was alone and I failed.

You weren't there.

Neither was Dr Pretorius, and neither was Scarlet Witch.

He led me into a gravitational field that neutralised my powers.

-He bolted me.

-We tried to find you.

I woke up alone!

A prisoner in his fortress.

And I know that he raped you.

Yes.

He didn't rape me.

I fell in love with him.

I refuse to believe this.

Sargon is not a mutant, but he understands mutant desire.

I became his lover. It's the only reason he set me free.

You are crazy. Sargon loves no-one.

He used me and then he cast me aside.

But maybe if I obey him, maybe if I follow his orders...

..he might just take me back.

BLASTER FIRE, SHE SCREAMS

ALARMS BLARE ON MOVIE

QUIET CONVERSATION

MUSIC PLAYS

CHIPS CLICK, GLASSES CLINK

And place your bets, please.

The last bets, thank you. No more bets.

-Rien ne va plus.

-BALL SKITTERS

28, black.

And five places here.

Place your bets, please.

Nine, red.

Place your bets, please.

Well, I stayed because of you,

but I could feel my brain cells dying, one by one.

OK, but you don't find her amazing?

I think she's totally fascinating.

It's such a stupid character. Come on.

Because it takes place on a spaceship?

I know that if it was set on an assembly line

or like a farm or something, you'd love it.

It's true. I have a hard time taking bimbos in astronaut suits

mouthing off some generic pop psychology seriously.

-Been there, done that.

-I like it.

I know. I know you do. I'm sorry.

There's no less truth than in a more supposedly serious film.

She goes deep into the darker side of her character.

MARIA HOWLS WITH LAUGHTER

It's daring. It's really daring.

In a big movie like that, it's fucking cool.

Well, she's got great presence,

but I don't see what's so daring about it.

Despite her superpowers...

SHE LAUGHS AND CHOKES

-"Her superpowers"!

-Yes, her superpowers.

-Her superpowers?

-Yes, her superpowers. So what?

It's a convention, but it's no dumber than any other convention.

Despite her superpowers, she's emotionally defenceless.

She's in love, but she's not loved in return.

This impossible love for Sargon, the Alliance's worst enemy,

-leads her to betrayal and madness.

-MARIA LAUGHS

Fuckin' shit. Are you telling me there's nothing there

-worth playing there?

-I don't know. I don't know, Val. I don't know.

Thank you.

She knows that it means her downfall,

but that is the ultimate truth of her desire.

-Cheers.

-It's fuckin' powerful.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, my God. I hate you sometimes so much.

You're making my head spin.

And Sargon? You find him interesting, too?

-Yeah, I do.

-Good.

No, Sargon sucks. It's...

SHE CHOKES

Jesus Christ! MARIA COUGHS

Vos jeux, mesdames, messieurs.

Last bets, thank you.

No more. No more bets. Rien ne va plus.

All of it?

Ho!

Did you see that? My magical door-opening powers?

I can open a door, too.

Sure you can drive?

-I had the same drinks as you.

-That's my point.

CRASHING

ALARM BLARES

Go, go, go!

ENGINE REVS

So...what you were saying earlier was that,

unlike Jo-Ann, I don't take that kind of role seriously, hmm?

What? No.

I don't know what you're talking about.

That I have disdain for those characters

and their...cartoonish psychology,

but she doesn't.

-Mmm.

-Which makes her superior to me.

Uh-oh. Don't get jealous.

That's not an attractive quality.

She dives headfirst into a character's ambiguities, but...

..I don't.

That's why you admire what she does.

Yeah.

You know, I think that when you watch her in a movie

like the one we saw tonight, there is...there is no distance there.

-It's normal. It's, uh...

-Her culture.

-Right?

Yeah, agreed.

-What's wrong with my acting?

-Nothing.

What do I need to do to make you admire me?

Do I think too much? Huh?

Am I too classical?

Not liberated like Jo-Ann?

-You're here to talk to me, so start talking.

-Hmm?

I don't know. You...

You can't be as accomplished as you are

and as well-rounded as an actress as you are

and still expect to hold on to the privileges of youth.

It just doesn't work like that.

Oh!

So I'm allowed to not be old,

as long as I don't want to be young, is that it?

Yeah. I don't know. I guess so.

Yes. Totally. Well put.

Fuck.

I think, maybe, goodnight.

Wait, wait! Wait.

Hey. Hey...

You... You didn't tell me how it went with Berndt.

Yeah, well, you know, um, fuck Berndt.

-I thought you wouldn't believe me anyway.

-Try.

Maybe you'll manage to persuade me.

I'm...exhausted.

I don't know. I don't have the energy.

OK. Goodnight.

Oh, I spoke to Jay.

He doesn't think he can get me out of the contract.

Yeah, I figured.

Please knock when you enter my office.

You summoned me.

I didn't summon you. I asked you to come.

What's the difference?

There's differences. When I summon you, it's for professional reasons.

When I ask you to come, it's for... personal reasons.

-So it's personal?

-Yes.

All the more reason not to knock.

Everyone knocks before coming into my office.

I could have been in a meeting or in a private call.

I'm surprised Josephine let you through.

I told Josephine it didn't concern her. She understood perfectly well.

Understood what?

That we have a personal relationship.

Since when does Josephine know

that we have what you call a personal relationship?

Don't be stupid. She has eyes.

-You want me to draw you a picture?

-Please don't draw me a picture.

I thought it was between you and me.

I'm appalled.

Who else knows?

I don't know,

but in an office, word gets around pretty fast.

You hired me as your personal assistant. I'm under-qualified.

Everyone understood right away that I could come and go as I pleased.

I created a vacuum around you, to keep my hold on you.

Created a vacuum...

..to keep your hold...?

Don't you realise?

No.

I don't see things that way.

Then everyone else got it before you did.

Shall we stop here?

Sure.

Can you repeat Sigrid's last lines?

Then everyone else got it before you did.

Helena pauses and stares at Sigrid.

What started at my place that night...

..I won't deny a thing.

I probably wanted it. I don't know.

It's as if you put this idea in my head.

If you allowed yourself to be manipulated,

it's because you wanted it.

-I don't want anything.

-Stop!

I can't stand that condescending tone of yours.

You want to be clear? This can't go on.

-Whatever you say.

-It's... I've thought it over.

-It's finished.

-So I'll leave.

No, you'll stay. You do your job well. I have no complaints.

-I stay, and it's finished.

-We stop.

-And act as if it never happened.

-Yes.

Helena, you're not capable of that.

If I stay, nothing will change. You'll be my lover.

-No.

-You will. And I'll keep driving everyone else away.

I'll have a tighter and tighter hold on you.

-Is that what you want?

-No, not necessarily.

I'm just telling you how it is.

But if you want me to leave, just say so.

She doesn't speak. Say it.

It's time. End of Act 2.

-You hungry?

-Yeah.

SHE LAUGHS

You'll be my lover.

I'll keep driving everyone else away.

I'll have a tighter and tighter hold on you.

Honestly, you don't find this ridiculous?

-Why, cos she speaks brutally?

-No, because it's phoney.

I don't believe it.

So, you don't think people can be blinded by their own emotions?

No, I do, but not to that extent.

It's too theoretical.

Even a little stupid.

It's theatre.

It's an interpretation of life. It can be truer than life itself.

Sigrid puts Helena's desires into words. She says the unspoken.

She...formulates it.

-Cruelly.

-OK, cruelly.

Yeah, cruelly, because she's up to no good.

You're not in the character's skin. You... I have no choice.

I have to be them. I have to identify with them.

When it's phoney, I...I feel it.

Viscerally.

It can be, uh...

literary, but still be true.

I can feel the difference. I can hear it.

GRASSHOPPERS CHIRP

SHE SIGHS

DISTANT BELLS

BLEATING NEARBY

-Maria.

-Hmm?

-We've got to go. Sun's about to go down.

I know a short cut a little further up.

It's steep, but, uh, it'll take us straight to Val Fex.

-I thought Val Fex was that way.

-No, no, no.

You're sure this is the right path, huh?

Well, actually, not really.

I'm not even sure it's a path.

Or we might have forked off somewhere, I don't know.

I think you're right.

I'm pretty sure Val Fex is, um...not this way.

Anyway, we're heading down. We'll end up somewhere.

I think this road takes us to Maloja.

CHURCH BELLS RING NEARBY

What do we do when we get to Maloja?

We take the bus.

You know, you don't have to keep me on if you find my ideas simplistic.

What makes you say that?

If you find my point of view...

..uninteresting, I...

I don't really know what I'm doing here. I...

I can run lines with you, but I don't really see the point.

You can find anyone to do that.

No, all I'm saying is that thinking about a text

is different from living it. It's nothing against you.

You...

You hate the play. You hate her.

You don't have to take it out on me.

I'm just doing my job.

Ready?

-You're ready?

-Yes!

Don't lie to me!

You received a confirmation for a flight to Tokyo.

You're reading my mail now? Aren't you ashamed?

I haven't felt shame in a long time.

I went through all your desk drawers, your notebooks,

and I'm doing it because you want to leave me.

Now I know when and how.

Helena is restless. Sigrid remains poised.

All you had to do was ask.

Yes, I accepted a job in Tokyo. A pharmaceutical lab.

I think it'll be much more interesting

than the work I'm doing here.

More interesting than what you're doing here?

Haven't I given into every demand you've made?

No other company would have given you

that kind of responsibility and power!

Exactly.

It's weighing on me.

I know this place in and out.

The world moves. I want to feel that. I want to be a part of it.

I want to travel. Switzerland's too provincial.

SHE SCREAMS

She takes a deep breath and regains her composure.

And with me you don't feel free?

You've become too dependent on me.

It's unhealthy. What do I get in return?

I give you whatever you want. You know that.

Oh. Like a job at a dead-end company that's about to go down the drain?

How could you say a thing like that?

Open your eyes, my poor Helena.

I'm not your poor Helena!

Nothing I've learned here is of any use to me.

I'm not your poor Helena!

You'll never last.

You should listen to what the bankers are telling you.

And your board members.

That's not true!

For God's sake.

Oh, this relationship between these women, it's... It's...

Fuck. It's disturbing.

Disturbing.

Nowadays people say disturbing about everything,

even the most conventional ideas.

Anyway, it's, uh...

It's a male fantasy.

Uh, no, it's not.

I don't know why I should be helping to bring it alive.

I bet you weren't saying stuff like this when you were playing Sigrid.

I was a kid when I was playing Sigrid.

I wasn't asking those kind of questions.

-Like Jo-Ann in her science-fiction film.

-Yeah, probably.

Don't you want to get that innocence back?

You can't get innocent twice.

You can. If you just accepted Helena the way you accepted Sigrid.

Obviously, it's easier to relate to strength rather than weakness.

Youth is better than maturity.

Cruelty is cool, suffering sucks.

But she's...

She's mature and she's innocent.

She's innocent in her own way. That's what I like about her.

I'll make some coffee. You want some?

Cruelty is cool and suffering sucks.

You didn't answer me.

You have your interpretation of the play.

I think mine's just confusing you.

It's frustrating me.

It's uncomfortable.

It's not good.

Stay.

No. No.

Please, stay.

I need you.

CHAMBER MUSIC PLAYS

THEY PLAY CHAMBER MUSIC

-Thank you.

-I prefer 18th-century music to any other.

It's so bright and lively.

Yeah, me, too. Romantic music is so sad and depressing.

But I'd rather listen to rock music any day of the week, though.

-Even the worst.

-Not me.

I've heard too much of it. I'm sick of it.

Well, you're such a snob!

No. Tastes can get worn out, kind of like desire.

I've never listened to Handel properly. I think he's excellent.