Le poids des mensonges

Madam?

Madam!

Émilie,

my love,

death struck you too soon,

in the criminal hands of an irresponsible man.

A coward who took the life...

of a wonderful woman.

A loving...

and generous mother.

MISSING CHILD

Paolo, we went through so many hard moments together.

When we lost our parents, it was you who...

I held up thanks to you,

for you, with you.

And now you're leaving.

I keep telling myself that...

you're meeting mom and dad.

They will take care of you.

My darling, I know you would've forgiven.

You were

a sweet, caring soul.

But not me.

I hate that person

with a passion.

I accepted you just as you were - so fragile

and unhappy.

I miss you.

I love you, little brother.

Even if you decided to die.

I love you, honey.

I love you with all my heart.

THREE YEARS LATER

Happy birthday, buddy. Give daddy a kiss.

You look handsome!

- That cake is beautiful. - Thanks.

- Are you happy? - Yes.

- OK! - Go play with your cousin.

- Cheers! - Cheers to you.

In my day, a man wouldn't have moved on this fast.

It's hard for a man to raise a child alone.

I'm his mother. We would've helped him.

I'm glad he picked himself up.

They look happy together.

There's something off

about that Luisa.

And she's unemployed.

Look.

- Everything OK? - Yes.

- It must be hard for you. - Why do you say that?

A lot of women would've rather kept us away,

wipe us out of Mathieu's past.

The dead can take a lot of space.

But you did the opposite.

You kept involving us in your life.

This may sound weird, but Émilie would've loved you.

Happy birthday to you!

Yes! Bravo!

Uncle Jérémy!

Hello, buddy.

How are you doing?

- How old are you now? 25? - No, not yet.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

You're all grown up. Here.

- Careful! It's fragile. - OK.

- Hello. - Did you have a nice trip?

- Arthur? This is for you. - Thank you.

Come on, open it.

What is it?

Binoculars? For the birdwatching hut?

Yes, and on your first day, we'll watch the chickadees flight.

- Happy? - Yes.

You know what?

You and I are going to plant it in the garden.

It's your twin tree. You're the same age.

It'll grow up with you.

- Do you like that? - Yes.

That deserves a kiss, doesn't it?

Thank you, mommy!

You're welcome, sweetie.

Turn around.

Is it here?

Are you upset he called me "mommy"?

- Are you kidding? - I'd understand.

I was really happy.

- It was a nice birthday party. - Yes.

Too bad Jérémy left before the end.

Why wouldn't he let you examine him?

A migraine is not...

For Jérémy, a migraine equals a bad hangover.

Didn't you notice? He's an alcoholic.

No. I thought he was just uncomfortable.

You know the best part?

He asked me if he could take Arthur for a week.

Like I'm gonna give him my son.

You can't trust junkies and drunks.

- Does it hurt? - Yeah.

You're all tense!

I'm exhausted, mostly.

What's crazy about the body

is that unlike people, it never lies.

I feel like you're hiding something from me.

What's that terrible secret of yours?

My secret?

My brother killed your wife.

He hit her because he was speeding

and because he was a junkie.

You know, the kind of people you can't trust.

He killed himself the night after.

My terrible secret... Do you want to know what it is?

I really want to sleep.

No! It's not fair.

MONDAY

I'm sorry, little man. I can't stay.

But to make up for it, look what I have.

- Thanks. - It's for you.

- Do you like it? - It's OK. Mom will come.

Yeah. OK, bye now.

Good luck!

- Alright? - Yeah.

Sorry I'm not staying. A patient had a stroke.

But his mama will be there.

"Often, to amuse themselves, the crewmen take the albatross,

"vast birds of the seas, who follow, sluggish companions of the voyage,

"the ship gliding on the bitter gulfs.

"Hardly have they placed them on the boards,

"that these kings of the azure, clumsy and shameful,

"let piteously their great wings in white,

"like oars, drag at their sides.

"The poet resembles the prince of the clouds,

"friendly to the tempest, mocking the bowman.

"Banished to ground in the midst of hootings,

"his giant wings hinder him from walking".

Bravo!

Excuse me? Sorry.

Do you know where Arthur is?

He was here a second ago, with Amélie.

I have to go. I would've liked to congratulate him.

I'll pass on your message.

I really hate not saying goodbye to him.

He's probably forgotten about you.

I keep applying to jobs, no one's called me.

Keep trying. Persistence is the key.

Really? You've been saying that for two years.

I've responded to 87 offers. I had two interviews.

There are no more jobs in your field.

People take pictures themselves.

You must evolve with the law of the market.

There are webmaster courses...

I have to take this, it's my son's school.

Hello?

Yes.

Excuse me?

No, he's not.

OK, I'll be right there.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry...

What do you mean, he's gone? How can it be?

We've searched the building. Nothing. He just vanished.

We haven't seen him since you left.

His father's not answering the phone.

He switches it off when he's with a patient.

Maybe Arthur's with him.

That makes no sense!

Why would he leave school? How would he have found his father?

No!

I'll call him anyway. He'll end up answering.

Hello, you have reached Mathieu...

Mathieu, it's me. Call me as soon as you hear this.

It's urgent.

Very urgent.

No, no...

- Come with us, please. - Yes.

Slimane.

Hello. Captain Colbert.

I have a few questions before issuing an alert.

- Was Arthur kidnapped? - Try to calm down.

We don't know yet. It's procedure.

Of course.

Go ahead.

When was the last time you saw him?

The kids did a show at school today, at 8:30 am.

Did it go well?

Anything unusual?

He was stressed out.

He had to recite a poem and was afraid of going blank.

No arguments?

No. He doesn't get into fights.

I don't mean his friends. I mean you.

Did you scold him?

Is there any reason he'd want to run away?

You think he ran away from me?

I don't know.

I'm exploring every lead.

It'd be the best case scenario.

No. There were no arguments.

In fact, he had called me "mommy" for the first time.

- Who are you, then? - His stepmother.

We're not married, but it's just as if.

So, legally, you're nothing at all.