Shall We Kiss? (Un baiser s’il vous plaît)

Excuse me.

Where can I find a taxi around here?

Let's see... around here?

No, I don't know.

Doesn't matter. I'll stop one. Thanks.

Excuse me.

Where are you heading?

To hotel Dobrée near the city hall.

Are you passing through?

Yes, I live in Paris.

Do you come to Nantes often? - No, it's the first time.

On business?

Yes, I design furniture coverings.

Usually I work at home, but sometimes one has to meet new suppliers.

Excuse me, that door won't open from the inside.

Thank you very much.

When are you going back to Paris? - Tomorrow.

See you later.

Enjoy your stay.

Pardon me.

I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Gabriel.

I'm Emily.

Thanks.

Thanks for this evening, for our conversation...

... for giving me a ride, for the excellent wine...

...for the bill, which you paid behind my back.

And for giving me a good remembrance of Nantes.

May I...

I would like to give you one last memory.

Excuse me.

You don't have to excuse yourself.

I'm not blaming you. I have to admit...

...I feel flattered.

I think you're attractive as well, but...

But?

We'd better not.

Are you in a relationship?

Yes.

Listen, I want to be honest with you.

I'm living together with someone too.

The kiss I wanted to give was just...

...a goodbye kiss. A kiss which meant...

...I really enjoyed spending these hours with you.

A kiss without consequences? - Yes.

I was thinking the same thing. - What's stopping you then?

A story.

A story?

Which happened to you?

No, about people I know.

And that's why you don't want to kiss me tonight?

Some stories get a grip on you even if you don't want it.

I would like to tell it to you, so that you'll forgive me...

...but it's too personal.

And it's late.

I hope you understand.

See you again some day.

So you're not going to tell me the story?

You’re saying it's too personal, but...

I will never meet them...

...and I will never see you again either, right?

You've made me curious.

I wanted to get some sleep. - Tell me the moral of the story.

To make a long story short, this girl was very happy.

It's hard to tell if someone's really happy...

...but I think she was.

She's living in Paris and is my age.

Don't think I'm hiding behind a personage.

Her name's Judith. And she doesn't look like me.

She loved her job.

She analyzes or does research in laboratory.

Or something like that.

She was even happier because she didn't need to work.

Claudio, her husband, had already suggested her to quit.

He made good money. His family was rich and helped him with the purchase of a pharmacy

She refused, because she worked hard to achieve this...

...and didn't want to be a housewife.

Not yet anyway.

She wanted to stop working when she would get children.

For a while at least. Because they both wanted children.

Yes. She was happy.

Among Judith's friends there was one more special than the others.

She knew him since high school.

They told each other all their secrets.

The knew each others lovers.

Because Claudio worked every Saturday Judith and Nicolas met...

...to talk about the past week, their concerns, their problems...

...their big and small pleasures. Questions about life...

...feelings, desires. Everything.

Judith was fascinated he confided in her so easily.

This trust and openness...

...encouraged her to share her most intimate feelings with him.

She loved that, really.

It was Judith who introduced Louise to Nicolas.

They got along right away.

Really very nicely.

Two years later, when Louise got a good job abroad...

...they split up.

But they stayed friends.

Judith was worried about Nicolas.

But he seemed to be doing fine. She was impressed.

But a few months later it felt different when they were together.

She suspected he was hiding something.

That had never happened before.

Then, one day...

On a Thursday, around a quarter to four, I think.

Excuse me... I'll be right back.

Yes, it's me.

I'm sorry to disturb you. I know you're at work, but...

I want to see you as soon as possible.

It's pretty urgent.

No, I can't talk about it over the phone.

What's the matter?

I can only tell you, but I don't know if I can manage it.

Is something wrong? - Yes.

It's serious?

It's gnawing at me. That's it, it's gnawing at me.

Physically or psychically? - Both really.

Why?

This might sound strange...

...but some people have a shortage of vitamins, iron or magnesium.

I lack...

...affection.

But there are a lot of people around you who love you?

I don't mean that kind of affection.

Which one then? - I mean...

A different kind of affection. - What kind?

I miss physical affection.

Physical affection?

Don't you get what I mean?

Not really.

When two people are crazy about each other...

Physically, I mean.

I hunger for love so much, I can't think about anything else.

It occupies me so much...

...I'm starting to feel ill about it.

It's like having a splinter in one's buttock. Not really bad...

...and still it can really upset a person.

When you're living together with someone, your partner can remove it...

...but I'm alone.

You think I'm ridiculous, right? - No.

Yes, you do.

I think it's preposterous myself, compared to the big problems around us.

A serious illness does not stop you from doing something about a cold.

You have to get treated. - I know, but I don't know how.

No doctor or medicine can cure it.

And meeting someone?

I mean, a woman who can remove the splinter?

I guess that's what I need.

But I don't want to meet a girl just to remove a splinter.

That wouldn't be fair. - That's true.

Maybe you can try to have feelings for her.

I have no feelings, The way I'm feeling right now.

I'm too obsessed.

You know, there's a kind of nurse who can treat your illness.

I mean, have you thought about seeing a prostitute?

Yes, I thought about it, but...

I don't think that's what I need.

You can only tell once you tried.

Well...

...I saw one this morning.

And what was it like?

Tell me.

I wanted to go for a few days, because I thought it would help.

Then I saw a report on TV about the way things work nowadays.

To get in touch with a girl you have to get on the internet.

Are you joining me for lunch? - No, I have to...

I have to mark some papers. Don't wait for me.

l don't have internet, so I used the computer in the teachers' room.

Excuse me, sir.

I noticed you're still here.

I just wanted to say... - Yes?

You left your pencil in the class room.

Put it over there. Yes, there.

Bye. - Thanks, bye.

l randomly chose a girl.

There were pictures, but one couldn't see their faces.

I chose her because of her name really. Eglantine.

l don't know if it's her real name, but I liked the way it sounded.

There was a phone number. I called it.

We met at her place.

Well, across the street from her place

As a precaution, I used a false name

Hello, it's Frédéric.

Yes, I'm in front of number 11.

Really?

She asked me to cross the street

Yes, I see it.

OK, good. See you in a moment.

Later I understood why.

She could observe me from her window. and check if I was eligible.

Come in.

Oh right, excuse me.

It's for sex isn't it?

Yes, if that's not a problem?

The bath room is over there.

Get in while I prepare myself.

Do I have to wait for you there? - No, take a shower.

Here's a towel.

I'll be waiting upstairs.

But I already took a shower this morning.