The Empty Canvas (La noia) (La Noia)

THE EMPTY CANVAS aka BOREDOM

Cecilia!

Madam is in the garden.

You are Mr. Dino, yes?

- Where is my mother? - She's in the greenhouse.

- Are there guests today? - Not that I know of.

- Take some flowers to the dining room. - Yes, Ma'am.

Hi, mama.

Thousands of these days, my child...

- Thanks. - ... I now spend among the plants and flowers.

It is such a joy to look at them.

But then I grew up like this, in my father's house in the country.

There were always such wonderful flowers.

Excuse me, but why did my father always run far away from you whenever he could?

That's not true, your father never ran away because of me.

He liked to travel, continuously.

Aren't these dahlias magnificent?

Run away or "travel", as you say are almost the same thing, no?

Why was he never at home with you?

I have never really wanted to know. I know just that...

... he became sad, never talked anymore, never left the house.

And at the end, I decided to give him some money and I said to him:

"Go away for a bit, darling. You'll see, it will do you a lot of good."

You, after all, are very similar to your father, you know?

You, too, hide your feelings just as he did and have always seemed like you're missing something.

- Yes, you're very similar. - Yes, and above all because I, too...

... like him, will never run away from you.

Well, at least he was travelling the world in the meantime.

To India, to Japan, to Afghanistan...

... to God knows where, and it was also a life that he led for a long time... but you...

You, on the other hand, have always lived in the city, just a stone's throw away.

And I won't see you for months and months.

Just like today, only because it's your birthday.

I've given up painting.

Would you take me back here after so many years?

But of course! You are always welcome in this house.

When do you mean to return?

Tomorrow, maybe.

Your studio is the same as you left it, I haven't touched a thing...

- So you can paint tomorrow, too. - I don't paint anymore.

Don't you listen to me when I speak?

Of course I listen to you. What do you mean to say?

I have decided to quit. I don't want to paint anything, ever again.

But why, darling?

This morning I realised that I'm not made to paint.

I made a big mistake. I can't...

Sometimes, you see, when one...

I must show you something. It's a surprise.

For you.

With my blessing and best wishes for your birthday.

It's the most expensive model on the market.

You don't want to give it a try?

So? What do you think?

It's not bad.

If it wasn't your birthday, I would have taken it myself. I adore it.

The dashboard is what I like the most.

Look, it seems like a jeweller's window, don't you find?

Thank you. I like it a lot.

You know what I'll do one of these days?

We will throw you a big party, here on the grounds.

This way all of our friends could see that you've returned..

What is your name?

Rita.

I have never seen your here.

That's because I haven't been here long.

Did Rita bring you a clean towel?

Rita? Ah, you mean that girl...

... with the quivering lips? She's new, yes?

I find that she's very good, respectful, always clean...

And she had very good references.

Why are you laughing?

Oh, nothing, I was just thinking.

I remember reading a funny parody of the parable about the Prodigal Son.

- Do you know it? - No, I don't believe that I know it.

Good, well in the parable, as it is written in the gospel...

... the son returns home...

... and the father sacrifices for him a fat calf, okay?

In the parody, instead, the fat calf runs away scared...

... as soon as the son comes home.

Because it knows full well what its destiny is.

After that, everyone is waiting for the calf to come home...

... and then, when it finally returns, do you know what happens?

To celebrate the return of the fat calf...

... the Father kills the Prodigal Son and feeds him to the calf....

... and they all live happily ever after.

You shouldn't joke about sacred things, my child.

But I'm not joking at all!

My return would be the sacrifice of the Prodigal Son, me...

... to benefit the fat calf...

... which would be all this luxury that surrounds me.

I don't understand where this is going.

Yeah, of course.

What do you do all day, mama?

Oh, the usual life. You know it well, no?

No. No, I don't, and I wanted to know.

After all I'm coming back to stay with you, no?

Could be that everything has changed since I was here.

Oh, no, nothing. I don't enjoy change.

I like to think that I live now as I lived 10 years ago.

And in 10 years I will live in the same way.

Yeah, but if I don't know how you live... Okay, let's see...

- What time do you get up in the morning? - At 8.

- Good, and do you have breakfast at once? - Of course!

Up in the bedroom or here?

No, darling. In the bedroom, in my bed.

- And what do you have for breakfast? - Tea, orange juice and some toast.

And what do you do after that?

I take my bath.

Do you wash yourself or does the maid help you?

Dino, do you know that you're acting strange with all these questions?

It could also be that I don't want to answer such questions.

After all my life is personal and concerns only myself.

Okay, mama.

Thank you.

Do you put your jewellery on before or after you get dressed?

- At the last moment. - And after you get dressed what do you do?

Well, I give orders to the cook for the day, and discuss things with the gardener...

And then?

I close myself in my studio and occupy myself with business matters.

- Every day? - No, thank you.

Every day. Yes, my darling.

I write letters, speak with my lawyer, receive visitors...

- And on Sunday what do you do? - What do you think I do on Sunday?

Go to mass, naturally.

- Which church? - St. Sebastian.

- And what do you do at church? - Listen to the mass.

What are you thinking?

Now, or in general?

In general

Recently I've been looking at a villa in the San Pietro area.

The owner is up to his neck in debts...

... and we may be able to get it very cheap.

You thought that I did no work?

Of course, painting takes lots of time and effort but so does mine, you know?

And it's quite exhausting.

I'm occupied for the entire morning and sometimes the afternoon, too.

Some days I get a terrible pain here behind the neck.

- You should pack it in. - I'm doing it only for you.

Someone needs to preserve your estate.

- Your estate, you should say. - It will become yours when I die.

Anyway, one thing is clear:

... if it wasn't for me, today we would be out in the street, I'm telling you.

Dino?

Are you not listening to me? What are you thinking?

I was looking at that tree.

That was your favourite little corner when you were young.

You would sit there for hours and hours, as if enchanted.

And what would I do? Play?

No, you would just look at it.

It almost seemed as though you were bewitched.

Anyway, thanks to your mother, today you are very rich.

Ah, and what does that mean, exactly, "very rich"?

What could it mean, other than you're simply rich.

- Though, less than "very rich". - Yes, darling, less than "very rich".

If you would like a more accurate answer, I could show you the accounts.

No, God forbid! I'll take your word for it.

Ma'am, the coffee is ready.

Come, darling. Coffee.

You need to know the estate if you are to help me with running it.

Now that you no longer paint, you will have much more time.

Careful, Rita!

I will go and get some water to get rid of the stain.

No, don't even dream of it!

You do not clean stains on the clothes one is wearing.

Master Dino will take off his trousers and you shall wash and iron them.

Should I take them off now, mama, or can I wait?

Coffee stains must be cleaned right away,

so go to your room and give the trousers to Rita.

In the wardrobe you will find a dressing gown.

Meanwhile I'll prepare some papers that you must look through.

Okay, okay!

You have earned your wages.

Now you may put your glasses back on, Rita.

- Why are you closing? - I'm going to the funeral of a customer.

- Who's that? - That painter.

That old man who was always going with young girls.

Well, it was them who looked for him, you know.

He burst like a boiler. A good way to die, though.

Stop that! I don't believe you, talking like that.

He died and that's it, you should show some respect.

Naked! There's your respect.

They found them both naked.

The doctor told the girl that it was she who killed him!

Of course, at the age he was...

Anybody there?

I live opposite. We saw each other a few times.

I came to have a look at the paintings, the door was open.

I came to get my stuff before they rent the studio to someone else.

I have the keys, you see? - I see.

You were here when he died?

Yes. Yes, he felt bad while I was posing for him

I was his model.

So it was you who posed for this painting?

Of course. Why? Don't you like it?

It doesn't look like you.

And how do you know that it doesn't?

I mean, the body doesn't seem like yours.

- Here, you see? - Do you think?

Still, I am made like this.

Maybe he exaggerated a little, I don't know...