Savage Messiah

Hey, hey, how are you doing, gentlemen?

Isn't it a great day to be alive?

Hey, I betcha every day looks good to you,

Roch, with all them beauties.

Baking bread, no less.

Oh, listen, my friend, you come down

with a grader some day, you know, do a little road work,

this and that.

And I promise you, I'll give you a fair exchange.

Ask Rod over there, he'll tell you.

You know, he brings a load of gravel.

I supply him labor for his fencing.

I tell ya, bartering, eh?

It's the way of the future.

All good things, organic, very delicious, sir.

Me, I bet you can charge double what I ask from you.

You with that bunch living out in the bush by Church River.

Yeah, yeah, oh, we're working very hard to make a paradise.

You should come and visit sometime.

There's nothing funny in the bread, is there?

Funny?

Yeah, you know, dope or something.

Oh, my god, no, never.

So sorry... sorry, I didn't mean...

Ahem.

Sure, hey, I'll take what you've got.

And if they sell, we can work something out

on a regular basis.

Thank you, sir.

Oh, thank you.

So when did you bake these?

At 3 o'clock this morning.

There's two dozens here.

3 o'clock?

Yeah, in the morning.

That's when we wake up to make bread.

OK.

Two dozens, and it's $4 per dozen.

And these bread here are $0.50 each.

They're really, really good.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

Morning, Paula, can I get you anything?

Just a coffee today, thanks.

One rooster to a hen house, ah.

It's plenty.

I've got a few chickens here and there myself.

We put them in the same house together,

I figure they'd peck me to death in no time.

Yeah, right.

Hey, blue eyes, blue eyes, smoking is very bad.

You know, I used to run the clinic to help people quit.

I had a big success rate.

It's going to kill you.

Well, we're all going to die one day.

No, no, no, no, no, not me.

I'm never going to die.

I just want my kids back, OK.

I know... I know I'm not good for much,

but I can take care of my own fucking kids.

This is crazy.

Can I bum a smoke?

Yeah.

And Ginger, she's the sweetest baby ever.

Hug me, mom, harder.

Come on.

Fuck off, you fuck off.

Your children will be returned to you

when you stop using drugs.

But I did.

I quit.

I've been rehabbing, 12-stepping, fucked

over a thousand times.

Just give me a chance.

It's not for you to say, Irene.

A blood test once a week for six months.

If you're clean, you get your kids back, simple.

You know, I've to go.

No, no!

No, no, I'm not going without my kids!

Give them back this minute!

No!

No, no!

Let go of me.

I'm not going.

No, I'm not going without my kids.

Let's go outside.

Let me go!

Run! Get out!

Run!

They'll take your kids!

It's going to be OK.

It's going to be OK.

Suzette, Lise, my colleague Paula Jackson.

Hi.

Paula here is from Children's Aid.

These are the last in a long line of women

from the commune out at Church River

to come in asking for assistance.

I have explained again and again ad nauseum that Toronto has

designated them an institution, and thus they are not

eligible for welfare benefits.

Is it because we're French?

Good God, no, it's because you call

yourselves a bloody church.

Madame, winter is coming.

Children need boots, warm clothes, food.

How many kids are there out there now anyway?

17 children.

We're nine women and two men.

Well, two men besides Roch.

We have a contingency fund for emergencies.

But it's a one-time only proposition.

We only get involved on an ongoing basis

if you abuse your children.

It's an upside down world all right.

I'm sorry.

Don't worry.

God will provide.

What?

What?

Hey, hey, hey, hey, welcome, my friends.

Welcome, welcome to our humble domain.

Say, Roch, I hope you think...

Or you folks don't mind us barging in like this.

We brought up some blankets and some canned goods, so, uh...

We've got a few bags of clothing for the children,

snowsuits, some mitts.

You know, winter's coming, eh.

All highly unofficially but, hey, wanted to help

you out however we could.

No, no, no, it's a pleasure.

It's a pleasure.

You know, we're not that foolish that we

would look a gift horse in the mouth, even

an English gift horse.

You know, we were starting to think that maybe, you know, you

people, you turned your back on us because we're

ignorant French-Canadians.

Oh, that's ridiculous.

Why would you think such a thing?

Where is the check?

I'm just joking with you, Blue Eyes.

Everybody knows money is shit.

The best things in life are free.

Oh, I want to show you the school room, nice school room.

Come, come with me.

Tomato, potato, tomatoes, potatoes.

Voila.

See, the schoolhouse is one of the first things

we built. Hey, we may be savages who live in the bush,

but education is very important to us.

And here is Marie-Claude.

Come, come, come.

Marie-Claude has a very, very special

gift for teaching children.

She worked for a long time in a kindergarten in Quebec.

And there is Alinne...

She's my daughter from Marie-Claude.

Will you show our guests into the house?

- OK. - OK.

Come.

Well, let's eat.

This looks fabulous, quite the feast.

Thank you.

You're welcome, my friend.

Oh, this is my wife, Suzette.

She's been all over the world.

She's a professional nurse, invaluable to us.

Please, please, my darlings, please, please, sit.

Sit, my sweets, come, come.

I want to introduce you properly.

These are my concubines.

What about Alphonse and Danny?

Well, Danny is with Jeanette,

and Alphonse over here, he's married to Marie-Claude.

But, um, Jeanette and Marie-Claude

are still your concubines?

Well, yes, why not?

You can't get too much love, eh?

We came here to create a new world, to make it our own.

We work hard, yes, but we work with our hands,

and we create beautiful things.

We love God and, of course, we love one another.

It is a Garden of Eden, not at all an institution, eh.

Marie, Marie, come see Papa.

Come, come here.

I want to show you my babies.

Marie, Marc, Jacques.

Jacques, go get my guitar.

These are my babies.

They are the love of my life, the eyes of my soul.

Give me that, give me that.

You have any children, Blue Eyes.

No.

You married?

Not anymore.

Oh, how long have you been divorced?

Not long enough.

Listen to this.