In the House (Dans la maison)

Hi, Germain.

Anouk! How are you?

Fine.

- How was your vacation? - Good, and yours?

Like always in Britain. Teachers' meeting is about to begin.

I know.

- Did you see the schedule already? - Yes I did.

- And how is it? - 8C, a great class.

- Lucky... - To say the least.

Read the newsletter?

Oh yeah, equality prevails in the republic again.

The populists aren't done yet.

Why so pessimistic?

I read Schopenhauer all summer.

- Good day. - Hello

Hi, Robert. How are you?

Dear collegues, we'll begin. Please, take a seat.

Can you hear me well?

Yes, yes.

You all got the newsletter about the changes in school policy.

We are now not only a school,

but a real classical lyceé, and it's an honor.

In the educational work we introduce new principles and an original direction

but at the same time look at the traditions, For example, a school uniform.

In our highschool, there are students from different backgrounds.

and the introduction of uniforms is a very bold step.

I repeat. It is a bold step to equalize all of our students.

Based on the play of Juan Mayorga "El chico de la úItima fila".

IN THE HOUSE

Well, how did it all go?

You could've come with me.

I haven't gone anywhere in ages.

But it was Bruno's funeral.

He's not my relative or a friend.

You could've come for my sake.

I saw the twins.

They were just like Bruno described them.

I had decided not to give condolences.

But when I was leaving, one of the approached me.

I don't know which one, I can't tell them apart.

She told me that tomorrow she'll come to the gallery to discuss plans.

- Germain, are you listening? - Yes.

OK...

Shall we go to the movies?

Ok, I'll just correct the essays.

0, 6, 3, 10, wow.

What, are they such idiots?

I never had a worse class, it's a nightmare.

You say that every year.

That's true. Listen: On Saturday I ate pizza and watched TV.

And on Sunday I was tired and did nothing. Period.

In thirty minutes a couple of sentences.

Two days in the life of a teenager.

Saturday: Pizza and TV. Sunday: Nothing.

I didn't ask them to write a poem. I asked to write about their weekend.

I wanted to see if they write more than two lines.

They can't! And here's another one.

"I don't like Sunday I love Saturday.

But on Saturday dad didn't let me go out and took my cell phone. "

You know, Jeanne, I started to teach

to instill a taste in literature in the kids.

Whatever, cell phones and pizza. Consumerism and ignorance.

Here's our future. These kids are our future!

Philosophers and reactionaries predict the invasion of the barbarians.

And the barbarians are here, in our schools!

"How I spent my weekend. Claude Garcia.

On Saturday I had my first training with Rafael Artola. "

Thank you, dear.

"I went to it because I always wanted to get into his house.

All last summer I watched Rapha's family

sitting on a bench in a nearby park.

One evening, I spied on them from the sidewalk,

and his mother almost caught me.

On Friday I was lucky - Rapha failed a test in mathematics,

and I offered to help him with the homework.

That was, of course, only an excuse.

I knew that we would go to his house,

because Rapha would never have agreed to go to my neighborhood.

At eleven, I rang their doorbell.

And that house finally opened up before me.

I went after Rapha to his room,

It was just like I had imagined.

We did some trigonometry homework, I immediately tried to get away,

saying that I'll go get a Coke.

And there I was, standing in the house that I'd dreamed about for ages.

It looked bigger than I'd thought.

Four of my homes would fit in it.

It was clean and nice everywhere.

"Enough for today", I thought and meant to go back to Rapha,

but then I was attracted to a strange odor.

Scent of a middle class woman.

I went towards the smell in the room.

There, sitting on the couch, intently reading an interior design magazine,

sat Rapha's mother.

I looked at her for as long as she did not lift her sofa colored eyes at me.

"Hello, are you Charles?"

What a voice! Where do those women learn to talk like that?

"No, Claude", - I answered, not meeting her eyes.

- Are you going to the toilet - No, to the kitchen.

She went with me.

"You want ice? Take it yourself", - she said. "make yourself at home".

And she returned to the couch and the magazine.

And I returned to Rapha and solved the homework for him.

Looked like he had lots of work to do to pass the exam.

"To be continued. "

He wrote: "To be continued"?

Yes. And in parentheses.

You gave him a ten?

No grammatical mistakes.

Compared to the others, the vocabulary is good.

Who is that kid?

Just a sec...

Claude Garcia. I haven't yet memorized who's who.

A ten for making fun of a friend and his mom?

This year we'll study great French authors.

La Fontaine, great master, combined form and content.

You will learn how to write, express your thoughts

and to express yourselves through the written word.

And don't forget. For Monday - an essay using these words.

And try to write at least something.

Spend at least an hour with a book. And not with your cellphones.

I believe in you and rely on you. Read a book. Be curious.

- You wanted to see me sir? - Yes.

This essay on your weekend...

You wrote it yourself?

Yeah, so?

Weird essay. Get it, please.

Sure, punctuation errors? I always put the colon in the wrong place.

No, the punctuation is fine.

I'm better with math, but this year I decided to work on my French.

Here the problem is the content.

You're writing about a classmate and his family. It's not ethical.

Did you give it to someone else?

Not yet, but I thought about showing it to him...

to the principal...

But I didn't write it for him, but to you.

And how would Rapha like to read something like this?

"... I was attracted to a strange odor. Scent of a middle class woman".

But worst of all is that which I can read between the lines. Your tone.

How would Rapha feel if you read this in front of the classroom?

I don't know. You asked to write about our weekends.

I do not understand what you're trying to do, but okay.

you can go.

Sir, can I return the essay with the words?

- It's due on Monday. - But I wrote it already.

I guessed that we have to use the words

that you wrote on the board.

But I didn't understand if we have to keep the order of the words.

Not necessary.

And if we could use the words more than one time?

you can. Return it on Monday. Check for mistakes.

No, better right now. I'll do math on the weekend. Bye.

"Write and essay using the following words:

happy, other, normal, good, focused, small, fantastic.

Hi, Rapha.

On Monday I suggested to Rapha to work together again on trigonometry.

he was happy, and again invited me to his home.

Well, are you coming tonight?

Rapha. Why Rapha? Why that normal, sweet guy?

Because he's different. He's normal.

Lot's of normal guys around, but something in just him attracted me.

The previous year I noticed, that after class his parents often picked him up.

Always together, holding each other's hand.

Other guys would be ashamed of their parents picking them up.

But not Rapha. He didn't mind at all.

And then I thought: "What's his home like?"

What can a house of such a normal family be like?

- Good day Mr. Andre!. - Hello Rapha!

On the way we chatted just what normal kids chat about.

About girls, sport, basketball... cars, and plans for the future.

And so in conversation we got to the end of our journey. To his home.

Gallery "Minotaur's Labyrinth"

Do you think it's for perverts?

I don't know.

The twins said so. After all nobody's buying.

And if they bought, they'd recognize this masterpiece.

Butcher shop, gallery - the provincial cows don't care!

You know what I like. In paintings I find the faces interesting.

If in the paintings are only bare bottoms...

Germaine, I just don't care.

Spare me your theories of Modern Art.

Just tell me, what are those twins? Stupid fools!

Stupid fools want to close down the gallery?

I have a month to make that business profitable.

Find something to sell.

If not, they'll end the contract and then the gallery's finished!

And how was your day?

Mine? Like usual. Chatted with the young man.

And?

Well, we talked and he gave me the next essay.

And?

The same. Second chapter. You remember he warned? To be continued.

- You have it with you? - Yes.

You don't want to show me?

I don't know if it's worth it.

I've read the essays of your students for ten years.

It's great that you're helping me.

When we entered, Rapha's mom was in the living room with...

...a magazine and a tape measure.

Hi, mom.