(Kings & Queen)
Director: Arnaud Desplechin
Epilogue
scene:
a visit to museum
Ismael: well...ive missed you, my little boy
kid: it's been a long time
Ismael: your mother has asked me to adopt you. do you know about that?
kid: yes
Ismael: ive thought about it and ive decided that it's not a good idea. i came here to tell you that. you're not speaking?
kid: im thinking of ideas
Ismael: you see, your mum and i were so much in love, that i ended up meeting you as well. how old were you? three? four?
kid: i forget
Ismael: since it was true love and you were tiny, i simple adored you and got along with you. as i told you once, one thing that im very proud of in my life is knowing you.
kid: is that true?
Ismael: yes, its true. that's how you and i became an "almost family". i never knew your dad but i think he was a great guy.
kid: really?
Ismael: he gave you a load of things: your name, your face...so you already have a father. ok, he's dead. that's sad. but it was before you were born and it's not easy to mourn a stranger. there's a german poem about a boy whose mother is dead. "your mother's soul lashes out at the sharks before you." that poem always reminds me of you coz i think your dad's soul protects you from sharks. so it wouldnt be a good idea for me to pretend to be your father now. your mother used to say you and i should be friends. but a grown-up and a child shouldn't be friends. i know that when i was little, i didnt like those grown-ups who'd try to charm me or try to establish complicity with me.
kid: what's complicity?
Ismael: complicity is being pals, it's sharing secrets. when i was little, i stole from stores a lot.
kid: you stole from stores?
Ismael: or we'd attack the girls at school. but i didnt want to attack girls or steal from stores with a grown-up. so, pretending to be your friend would be another lie. you shouldnt have to decide whether you like me or not. i dont care. im the grown-up. when i looked after you at times i'd annoy you but at others you'd adore me. i carry you in my heart now, even if you turn into a total bastard or i dont see you for 1279 years. i have to think about you because i enjoy doing it. as a child, you dont have to think about grown-ups or about me. unless you need to.
you see, the past isnt what has vanished. no, it's what belongs to us.
kid: i dont understand
Ismael: what belongs to us now are the memories we both have. it's weird, isnt it? because there's no name for what we share. i looked after you for seven years. a long time. but it's over. ill tell you what bothers me. firstly, you're a introverted little boy. secretive, say. but that's not failing, it's a quality. as a boy, i couldnt manage to speak so i used to stammer.
kid: is that true?
Ismael: yes, it is. as for you, you're just a little reserved. in return, life has given you a rich soul. that way, when you feel lonely, you can retreat to you inner garden to chat with your imagination. i remember your poems in primary school and you're a true poet. but i can imagine it's not always pleasant for you. a secret treasure is a good thing but it musnt become a burden. if it does, i see you locked up on your thoughts, that hurts me and i want to free you. and i wonder what fear or anger makes you flee the world.
lastly...
Ismael: this is the only advice i have for now: of coz we're always right. but it's always possible that we could be a bit wrong too. being a bit wrong is a very good news! it means you dont have the whole answer. that life will be more exciting and full of surprises that you thought.
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