Three Lives and Only One Death

Towards the end of the century, in August, in Paris...

The city is almost deserted

at this time of year...

Specially on Sundays...

André Parisi woke up with difficulty...

In the kitchen, familiar sounds of breakfast being made...

His daughter is crying...

Moments later, he is ready to go out.

He says to his wife, Maria...

I'm going to the drugstore.

Will you be home for lunch?

Of course. Do you want me to get anything?

Tomatoes and bread.

I'll be right back.

Is anything wrong?

I don't know...

I've got a headache... I slept badly.

Excuse me.

I can usually control my hilarity.

I am a serious person usually.

It takes a really good joke.

Lord! I'm well past laughing this much, I've no right.

Unfortunately,

there's something really funny,

really, really funny.

6 packets of 'Picaduros'...

Funny, I spoke in Spanish.

Of course, you'll have a drink?

No thanks.

I must get to the shops, and then home.

I'm late as it is.

So am I.

I must find a drugstore,

I've got a headache, I slept badly.

I have been sleeping badly.

Really!

I don't why I'm telling you.

Quite. Listen... get your cigarettes.

You can tell me in a minute.

No thanks.

Two packets of...

Lucky Strike Lights please.

I'd like...

Champagne. A bottle. Thank you.

Go ahead.

I'll show you...

Isn't that funny?

The horses... twice in a row.

I think it's funny anyway. It's worth a drink.

I shouldn't, really.

Last night, I had a drink... I've got a hangover.

All the more reason.

Cheers!

Here's to you.

It's time I introduced myself.

My name's Mateo Strano, from Catania.

I travel a great deal... after a fashion.

Tell me...

And you?

I live there.

Ah yes, I know.

Do you know who I am?

Not really, but I'd like to.

I am ready to pay for the privilege.

What's that meant to mean?

Don't take offence.

I need to talk sometimes and that costs money.

Nothing costs more than people's time...

So I pay:

A thousand francs per hour.

What for?

Almost nothing...

I told you, I'm very Ionely.

- Well... - Ine hour.

What am I saying? Fifty minutes.

We've already had ten minutes. Time flies!

All right then...

but I must be home in an hour. I am expected.

I'm sure you are.

I hope so at least...

Now why did I say that?

So you live across the road?

38A.

How do you know that?

I don't know. Years ago...

I used to live at 38A too.

Staircase B, 2nd floor.

But I've lived there for four years... since I was married.

I know.

You know all about me.

Not at all... no.

I enjoy watching people, it's in my nature.

My mind's not as good as it was,

I forget things, I get migraine...

It's age. Twenty years is a long time.

Twenty years?

Since I lived at 38A.

Staircase B, 2nd floor?

I don't believe you.

I know.

Because, 20 years ago

my wife was already there.

I know.

I'm beginning to understand.

We have

another 40 minutes. Let's sit down.

Another bottle please.

And... how is she?

Your wife I mean.

Fine. She works in a hospital.

But you know that.

Her first husband left her 20 years ago.

He died.

Her daughter left home,

she found herself alone.

Then I turned up.

We've adopted a little girl...

What's she like?

All babies are the same.

Let me ask you something.

I know something about you.

I expect so.

When you left Maria, you travelled a great deal?

You could say that.

And now you're back.

You could say that.

Cheers!

I can see the apartment as it was 20 years ago...

The odd thing is,

I could describe the decor...

but I've completely forgotten the furniture,

completely.

I can see the living-room wall,

that August morning...

Maria was at the shops.

I was staring at the photos, nearly a hundred of them,

all of them just her and me.

Can you imagine

what hell it is, just loving and being loved?

There was no hint of hatred between us.

And do you know why?

Because every time a cloud appeared on the horizon,

we'd have a photo taken. Instantly, happiness would return.

But you should never overdo things:

The more photos I took, the less I recognized myself...

till one day I looked in the mirror and saw a stranger...

a complete stranger.

So...

You fell out of love?

No, I never stopped loving her.

Right now,

I love her more than ever.

Why tell me?

I thought Sicilians were jealous.

That's how it all began.

I was jealous...

Jealous of myself.

I thought, the man my wife loves cannot be me.

I'm only joking.

I know.

The neighbourhood's changed...

20 years ago a tale like mine was conceivable...

Today it would be unthinkable.

Imagine someone... like me...

walking out to get some cigarettes...

pausing in front of a building.

There is a sign in a window that says FOR RENT.

There is a face behind the sign.

I go up...

open the door... enter...

It's too big.

We could take one floor.

Certainly not. It's ground floor and first floor.

- That's absurd, it's too big. - I'm sorry.

You want to rent both apartments together? Right now?

Yes. Both. You interested?

The deal was struck.

They left me not knowing what to do with myself.

I wanted to run to Maria

to tell her I'd found a new apartment for next to nothing...

a real bargain... a miracle.

But I knew what she'd say.

She hated me deciding anything without her.

It had all happened so fast.

I explored the apartment: It was barely furnished,

a bit dark. It was nothing special.

Except that... I can't explain it:

The proportions were deceptive.

I kept walking round the rooms.

The space was meant to be 1000sq ft

but it felt like a lot more.

In fact, I had a feeling

the apartment was growing...

The walls were moving apart...

Night fell without my noticing.

I felt hungry.

I went out.

I found a bar.

I got something to eat and heard two men talking...

I haven't set foot here for 15 years.