Homo Faber (Voyager) (1991) Movie Script

Why couldn't things go on without me?
By June 5th I had to be in Paris,
by June 7th in New York.
By the 10th at the latest, in Venzuela.
Why can't it be April again and everything
else simply a hallucination on my part?
I just sat there.
I didn't want to be there,
I didn't want to be anywhere.
What was the use of looking?
There was nothing for me to see.
Her hands that no longer existed anywhere.
Her movements as she tossed her ponytail.
Her teeth... her lips...
Her eyes that no longer existed.
Where could I look for them?
She was gone now.
Ground transportation to the city of Caracas
is available at the lower level.
You look familiar, have we met?
No. Don't think so.
Perhaps it was here in Caracas? The country
reception at the Chamber of Commerce?
No, I don't go to cocktail parties.
Of course, being a salesman I see so
many people these days. Here's my card.
Hencke?
Swiss? German?
- German.
Keep it.
I had no urge to get better
acquainted with this gentleman.
I don't know why he got on my nerves.
There was something
familiar about his face.
Excuse me.
A very... German face.
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
The plane is ready for departure.
If you'd like you may board at this time,
turn in your boarding passes please.
Just as our flight was called I realised
what it was that struck me about the German.
His face reminded me of Joachim.
I heard the announcement.
I was hoping they'd fly on without me.
Paging passenger Faber. Passenger Faber.
This is the last and final
call for passenger Faber.
Paging passenger Faber. Passenger Faber.
Flight 163 is ready for boarding.
Well, there you are! My goodness Mr. Faber,
I have been looking all over for you.
Well, come on we got a plane to catch.
- I thought it took off already?
Oh, sorry. I thought it was vacant.
Well, it was. I mean, it is. Come on in.
Sorry.
Thanks.
You know, it's funny how we
keep bumping into each other.
You're the one who... dragged
me on this plane, right?
It's my job.
I've been having some bad
luck with bathrooms lately.
Well, what is that supposed to mean?
I don't know. Something happened to me
at the airport before you found me there.
I collapsed or something, I think my eyes.
- They look all right to me.
Maybe your just afraid of flying?
- No, I fly all over the place just like you.
You must have an interesting job.
I spent three months in the jungle,
it feels like I never left.
See you.
- Wait! Wait... um
You see this German guy
here sitting next to me?
He keeps following me around.
Happens to me all the time.
- Wait, wait, wait...
Do you work for Umesca?
I couldn't help but see some of your
papers sticking out of your briefcase.
No, not really.
Medical or technical aid?
I'm an engineer.
How interesting.
Are you working down here?
Yes, in Venezuela. In the...
Oronoco project. It's a dam.
Smoke?
- No, no thank you.
I would prefer a cigar but I think
our fellow passengers might object.
Unfortunately the German cigar
is not among the world's best.
My brother is trying to remedy
that lamentable situation.
I'm on my way to see him,
on his plantation in Yucatan.
Something to read?
No thanks. I don't read fiction.
Sweet dreams then.
I don't dream either.
Ladies and gentlemen our (inaudible)
... plane has failed us.
Not to worry we can reach Mexico City,
our next destination, on three engines.
So please return to your seats, extinguish
all cigarettes and fasten your seatbelts.
Ladies and gentlemen,
a second engine has failed us.
I would like to reassure you there is
absolutely no danger. - We're losing altitude!
Ladies and gentlemen, at this time I'd like to
ask you to reach underneath your seats please.
Looks like we're either going down right
directly over the desert or near Tampico.
Okay, madam! Please sit down and put
your lifejacket on! Put your safety belt-
I had ptomaine poisoning once
in Tampico, terrible town.
Rotten hotels. Cold showers.
They barbecue dogs in Tampico.
Did you know that?
This is only a safety precaution, madam.
Everything is fine. Can you just please
give me your head please.
Put this on. Everything is fine.
Let me help you with that, sir.
Arms over the white, head through the hole.
That goes for you too, Mr. Faber.
What are we gonna do, swim in the desert?
- Just put it on.
Well, look. If we're travelling
at 400 miles an hour
Well, that's what I thought we were
going to go down right in the desert.
According to my calculations.
Ladies and gentlemen, please put
your head between your knees
and your hands over your
head we are going down!
Looks like we're going in
for a belly flop, Herbert.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen! SAC
is proud to offer you a breakfast service.
This morning we will be serving apricot,
cheese and blueberry danish pastry.
We also have apple turnovers,
crackers, croissants and fritters.
Morning.
I am sorry to say that we do
not have any coffee this morning
but we do have teas, juices,
sodas, and other fine beverages.
If you would please hold on to all cups and
glasses as you may need to use them again.
At this time, you may
remove your lifejackets.
And the captain has requested,
no smoking please.
Do you think it will be
long before they find us?
Oh, any day now.
Tampico can't be that far away.
Just don't eat any barbecue
when we get there.
It's a miracle that only two died.
What's miracles got to do with it?
I mean if 999 planes make their destination
at least one of them's got to crash.
Aren't you ever scared?
Not about this kind of stuff.
What really spooks me is getting
caught in a train of coincidence.
What do you mean?
You don't happen to have a brother
by the name of Joachim, do you?
How did you know that?
Hencke.
I had a friend by that name,
Joachim Hencke.
We were students together
in Zurich before the war.
Is this the same man?
I told you, I'm... going to see him,
he runs a tobacco plantation.
No, the Joachim I knew is a doctor.
Not really. He never
finished his studies.
Maybe, it was his marriage.
What happened with his marriage?
It didn't last.
Hannah was not quite German.
What do you mean?
Well, you know she was, how do you say...
Jewish?
That's it.
Hannah Landsberg?
You know her?
Yeah, I knew her.
Incredible.
It certainly is a small world.
I wrote to Ivy.
It didn't take long to tell her
I was sitting in the desert,
hundreds of miles from the
world of normal transport.
That it was hot, dry weather.
Not the slightest injury and so on.
What else?
Oh yeah, I thought this was as good
a time as any to tell her it was over.
Why did she marry him?
That was always the question.
Nobody could understand Joachim.
Why would anyone marry a Jewish
girl in '39, in Munich of all places.
I thought they were safe in Switzerland?
- She went back to Germany with Joachim.
Just a few weeks before
their child was born.
They were divorced soon after.
- They had a child? -Yes.
It's a common enough story.
Marriage, child, divorce...
but then the war.
Especially for her.
As for Joachim, he was a prisoner of war.
Then returned home and...
back to life as usual.
It was an unfortunate period in history.
Your move.
Whatever became of Hannah?
- I don't know.
Joachim might know.
Sorry. Sorry... Joachim has seen us.
Wait a minute. Listen... I would, I would
really love to but I can't tonight. -Why?
Because it's, you know it's the day.
- What day?
It's, it's the most dangerous
day of the month.
Hannah!
You're not gonna believe
what I've just been offered.
Walter, there's something I have to tell you.
- Escher Wyss wants me to go to Baghdad.
They're gonna build a huge dam to irrigate
the entire desert. It's revolutionary.
Walter.
I'm pregnant.
You are?
- Yeah!
Have you seen a doctor?
- I don't need a doctor I'm absolutely sure.
Listen, we have to think about this.
Escher Wyss is the absolute best in turbines,
they offered me 300 francs a month.
I just can't turn 'em down.
Besides, you know what's
going on in Germany.
It's not a good time to be having a child.
- Stop it!
All right, all right, all right.
If you want to have your child then
we should just get married, right?
It looks like we have
landed in dinosaur country.
Don't let your imagination run away
with you, Herbert. It's just erosion.
It's true, you really don't dream.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have some good news!
The captain has said it is safe and
you are welcome to sleep on the plane.
Everything all right?
Just dandy except I wish
you hadn't found me.
Oh, so do I.
Without our forced landing, I never
would have heard of Hannah again.
I wouldn't know today that I was a
father and Sabeth might still be alive.
I don't deny that it was more than
a coincidence, it was a whole...
train of coincidences.
But still within the laws of probability.
What's providence got to do with it?
Can't wait to get to New York City. They
gotta give us at least a week off after this.
Be sure and say hello to
Joachim for me and tell him...
Hannah got the man she deserved.
Too bad it didn't last. -Absolutely.
We must stay in touch.
I'm almost tempted to go with you, Herbert,
but I'm late in New York. -All right.
Good luck.
- Good luck.
You know, I was thinking... I mean
I've never really seen New York and
I thought maybe you could show
me around. What do you think?
Look uh... could you do me a favor?
Could you hang onto this bag for me?
I'll call you in a couple days in New York,
okay? I got your number right? I'll call ya.
Oh, and mail this, could you
mail this for me too? Thanks.
I'll call ya.
Hey Herbet! Hold on.
Thought maybe I'd come along
with you, if you don't mind?
I'd like to see him again after all this
time. -You Americans are amazing.
I wonder if uh...
Joachim will even recognize me.
It's been a while.
- We have all changed.
More than we care to admit.
Why'd they get divorced?
I don't know, really.
I think Hannah became a Communist.
That's as good a reason as any.
I couldn't understand myself.
I should've landed in New York a week ago.
Generally, I'm extremely conscientious
about professional matters.
Anyway, I've never intentionally
changed my route before.
You were right. We will never find him.
They say he's about an hour from town.
Salut!
Hannah.
Hannah!
She's pregnant.
Yeah, I know.
I thought that's what you wanted.
But not now. This is the wrong time to
be bringing babies into the world.
Do you see a way out of this?
It's not exactly why I studied medicine.
Here's to your brother.
Salut!
To your brother.
I have no idea why
Joachim ever came here.
The three game series is equal one a
piece after the Blue Jays scored back...
Good to have you back, Mr. Faber!
Good to be back, Henry. Real good.
Are you here to stay
or is it just a pit-stop?
Well... I think I'll put
up stakes for a while.
A young lady's up there waiting for you.
Ivy?
I guess so. The one with
the pink Studebaker.
Well, out of the jungle,
into the frying pan.
Adios Henry.
I'm coming.
Hi.
How'd you get in, honey?
- You gave me a key, don't you remember?
Here. Wait.
I couldn't just sit around,
knowing you were coming.
I've made a special dinner.
Lobster sauterne.
Something they wouldn't
do for you in Venezuela.
That's for sure.
Here.
I would've picked you
up at the airport but...
I thought it'd be much more
fun to surprise you here.
It's quite a surprise.
She'd gotten my letter from the desert.
She had it in black and white.
She... simply refused to believe me.
I think it's time you settled down, lover.
You can't keep on roving
around the world forever.
I'm ready, believe me.
Unfortunately, I gotta
go to Paris next week.
I thought you said we were gonna
have some real time together?
I had made plans for us to go to Montauk,
just the two of us. -Yeah, I know.
But uh... it's an important conference,
I just can't get out of it.
I'm important too.
Look honey, there's nothing I can do about
it. It's my work, you know that. -I know.
I'll go with you.
I've never been to Paris.
You got my letter. I mean,
you read the letter, right?
I can't believe you.
You never listen to me, everything is
different now. I told you I'm divorced.
Right.
I love Paris in the springtime.
I love Paris every day.
Monsieur.
To Paris.
Monsieur.
Look uh... honey. I gotta...
take a walk. I need some air. I've
been cooped up on planes for weeks.
You don't mind, do you?
I mean... we can meet later.
Lobster sauterne is good cold.
I had a week before
I had to fly to Paris.
I was looking forward to
New York, but not with Ivy.
Once again it was pure coincidence
that decided the future, I just...
happened to walk by a ship that
was sailing for France the next day.
I felt as though I was
starting a new life.
I had never made a sea voyage before.
I enjoyed being out of reach.
Excuse me.
You are sitting in my chair.
Oh, really?
Sorry.
- My name is on it.
Piper. You see?
Is that German?
- Yes.
Well, you speak pretty good English.
- I've always been told it's excellent.
Have you seen a book around here?
- A book?
No. Ah, there you go.
Here it is.
Must be an important book.
'The Stranger' by Camus.
Have you heard of it?
No.
That's amazing.
You haven't heard of Camus?
No, why? Should I have?
Sartre.
Have you heard of him?
Oh yeah. You mean the existentialist guy,
everybody wears black and drinks espresso?
You should give it a try.
Maybe I will.
My mother says everyone can
be moved by a work of art
except the intellectual philistine.
- Mr. Faber is an engineer.
He is not interested in creativity.
Don't speak for myself,
thank you very much.
To experience... eternity
takes a little bit more
than rational science.
Oh shit! Now we're gonna
talk about eternity?
I mean, excuse me, I'm sorry.
I... I'm a technologist.
You know, it's a very
simple point of view.
We're trained to see things
as they are without dreaming.
I don't know what the souls of the
damned look like. Do you reverened?
I mean how can I experience something
that isn't there? We're on a ship here.
You know, were all at sea
with a bunch of strangers.
It's very simple. That's all
there is to it. Excuse me.
Oh, and what, another thing.
It's not art or religion that's keeping us
all from drowning here. It's technology.
American technology.
Good night.
Good night, Walter.
- Cheers!
Ready?
My partner didn't show up. Would you
like to play ping-pong with me?
Ping-pong?
Well, I'm a little rusty.
No excuses, Walter.
The shuffleboard can wait.
And take your beatings like a man.
Well, I suppose ping-pong's like everything
else, just a question of confidence.
Are you always so pompous?
Pompous? Is that being pompous?
It was the way you said it.
"Question of confidence. "
Oh, you're... very good.
- Do you wanna play?
I'm game.
Ready?
Yeah, I shouldn't have had
that chocolate mousse, you know?
I mean it was great but I'm on a diet.
- Hey Louie!
Hey, look. An avid game
of ping-pong here.
All right.
Your serve, right?
Hi.
- Hi.
Hey, Walter. You wanna
drink now or later?
Hey Louie. Citrus fruit.
I don't even know your name.
Walter Faber.
- I'm Elizabeth.
Elizabeth?
That doesn't seem to fit you.
We'll have to think up
something better for you.
I don't think you're having a very
good time on this ship, Mr. Faber.
No, five days without a car.
- I love it! I could sail around the world.
Yeah, well you'd have to go without me.
That would be sad. No
one to beat at ping-pong.
I had forgotten that
anyone could be so young.
Her endless curiosity got me
talking about navigation, radar,
the curvature of the earth and so on.
Thank you.
It's always a pleasure to
watch machinery in operation.
We walked down to the
big propeller shafts.
What impressed her most were all the
pipes, never mind what they were for.
I explained the main control panel,
what a kilowatt is, hydraulics...
What an ampere is, problems
of torsion, index and friction.
Teague of the steel through
vibration and so on.
Scary!
The structure has to hold up to all
this pressure of water. It's fantastic.
You're a great teacher.
Well, you can learn all
the same stuff from books.
Here.
I'd rather you teach me.
Ladies and gentlemen. Dinner is now
being served for the first sitting.
Excuse me. I have to go.
Sure.
Sabeth. How about if I called you Sabeth?
Instead of Elizabeth. How's that sound?
- Sabeth?
What do you think?
Okay.
I'd begun to think a great deal
about Hannah again lately.
Probably any young girl would
somehow remind me of Hannah.
Twenty years is a long time.
She sick?
She's all right, just seasick.
- You all right?
Well, let's help her to the cabin.
- Yeah, well I can manage. Thank you anyway.
Come on. You'll be all right.
Do you feel better now?
Here we go.
You, you'll be all right.
Thank you, Mr. Faber.
I can manage it now.
Well, I guess we should let
her sleep for a while, huh?
You gonna be all right?
Well, I'll see you up on deck later
for some trap shooting maybe, huh?
Yeah. Maybe.
Pull.
Pull.
Are you engaged to Miss Piper?
No. Hardly. She's very independent.
We both are actually.
I mean, we don't want to make the
same mistakes our parents made.
No, of course not.
Pull.
Yes?
It's Faber. I brought you
some pills for your stomach.
Thank you. I'm all right.
Well they... they.
These will help your stomach.
No. It's okay. Thank you.
You feeling better?
Yes.
- You oughta take these, they'll help you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You know, I really wanted
to be an airline stewardess.
And I would have loved to go out
west... but mother wants me back.
She's alone and we've never
been separated that long.
She sacrificed everything for me.
She even learned to play the piano because
she wanted to accompany me on the violin.
Which is amazing at her age.
Well, you see that ship out there?
That's an oil tanker.
No, it's a cigar floating on a mirror(?).
Don't you see the smoke?
You're quite a poet.
This is our last sunset before France.
I am so excited about Paris.
I just hope Kurt will get this
woman that cheap hotel.
It's really close to the Louvre.
Then, I'll hitchhike to Italy.
You gonna hitchhike?
- Yeah.
I can take care of myself, you know?
No, I'm used to travelling alone.
In fact, I like it.
I enjoy waking up and not having
to explain myself to a woman.
You're such a delightful man, Walter.
Why are you so impossible?
No, really. Three or four days
with a woman is absolute maximum.
After that I start to dissimilate.
Hey, what happened to my drink?
Pretty good hoofer, Reverened.
Oh, we know devil's toys.
Are you sure you don't want to dance?
I'm positive, but I enjoy watching you.
He's saving himself for the big moment.
In ten minutes it will be midnight... and
Walter will be one year older! -All Right!
And now ladies and gentlemen, it's time
to make orange juice. -Smile everyone.
Congratulations, Walter!
- Reverened. Thanks.
Come on, let's do another one.
- I think I need some air.
That sounds good to me too. Excuse me.
I think you should get
married, Mr. Faber.
No, I'm serious.
No. No. I tried that once but she ran out
on me. We had kind of a disagreement
But, I don't think you should
hitchhike to Rome.
You sound like my mother.
Would your mother recommend
me getting married too?
No. I don't think she has a
very good opinion of marriage.
Well, she sounds like the kind
of woman I get along with.
Will you dance with me?
Would you marry me?
Hi.
Thanks.
Nice night, isn't it?
It sure is.
Happy birthday.
Thanks, Kurt.
Okay, I'll be at the bar for a while.
Okay.
Are you serious?
Yeah.
It's crazy, huh?
You wanna slow dance?
With an average volume of 1000 cube
megatons per hour these waters now produce
over 300,000 kilowatts of energy.
It's a remarkable engineering concept.
had to be rehabilitated.
The dam itself...
uses 10,500 liters per second of water.
The power...
is enough to service three major
cities of over 400,000 people each.
This is truly a vision of the future,
ladies and gentlemen.
Fantastic! Great, Walter!
I am afraid our turbines won't
quite be ready for assembly.
The usual... bureaucracy.
That's all right. I'd like to
get down there anyways.
That would be premature.
Walter.
I thought you promised to go on holiday.
No. No. I got enough
rest on that boat trip.
I want to get down there
as soon as possible.
I must remind you gentlemen, that we are
extremely concerned about donning artifacts.
That won't be a problem, monsieur.
All the good stuff has been
stolen a long time ago.
It's either the British Museum,
or the Louvre.
What time does the Louvre close?
- I beg your pardon.
The museum. The Louvre. What time
does it close? -I have no idea.
As far as I know it's always closed.
To the Louvre.
I thought you didn't like museums?
I don't.
That's funny.
Why?
I saw you at the Louvre.
I planned to leave today but...
I decided to stay another day.
You saw me?
You weren't hiding from me, were you?
Your not still going to hitchhike
all the way down there, are you?
Absolutely.
I've got my itinerary all worked out.
Your itinerary?
Itinerary, okay.
Avignon.
Avignon?
- Then, Nimes.
Florence.
Pisa.
- Pizza?
Orvieto.
Assisi.
And Rome.
Oh, boy! I'm glad you finished.
And of course I will stop in Saint Tropez.
I know some crazy people there.
We will go to the beach. Dance.
You know, it will be
one of those summers.
You know I could buy you a train ticket.
I just don't like the idea of
you hitchhiking down there.
I'll be all right.
This is my subway station.
Well, good luck to you.
Do you think we'll meet again?
How about if I bought you lunch?
Great!
I'm starving.
This is, so great.
I love Paris again. I really haven't
had a good meal in two days.
It's so expensive here.
Want some more wine?
No. No. No...
Coffee.
- Coffee? Garcon!
You know, there's only two
things that I wish for you.
One is that you don't hitchhike.
And the other one is that you never,
ever, become an airline stewardess.
Okay?
You promise?
- Yes.
Well, I got this...
conference that I'm locked into
here, I can't get out of it.
Do you think I could just sit
here and have another coffee?
Sure.
- Got plenty of time.
Maybe you could send me a telegram or a...
postcard or something you know, when you
get down there so that I know you made it.
Maybe.
How about if I rent us a car...
and drive you as far as Rome?
- What about your conference?
Well, they can live without me.
I'll have to tell Kurt,
and take my suitcase.
You mean you'd actually come?
Are you listening to me, Walter?
- Yes.
Walter.
I can't call you Walter.
- Why not?
It makes me think of teachers and
uncles and people like that. -Oncles?
Uncles!
Well, call me anything
you like. I don't care.
Then I just have to call you Faber.
It's a good name for you, anyhow.
Do you know what it means in Latin?
Did you take Lating?
- At the French (?).
It means... the forger of his own fate.
Let me see.
You tell anything in there?
Maybe we should stop?
No. No. Avignon can't be that far and
there's no place to stay here, anyhow.
I'll be all right. It's just my eyes.
Let me be your eyes.
Come on.
You handle the gas and breaks.
- You sure about this?
I don't know if this is a good idea.
- We can go faster now... even faster.
That's right.
Put down the breaks a little.
We're coming around a curve.
Now we are on a flat stretch.
Is this it?
- Yes.
It's okay?
Good night.
- Good night.
Merci, madam.
Au revoir.
Well. Down the road.
On our trip through Italy
I can only say I was happy.
Because the girl,
I believe, was happy too.
The only thing that worried
me was her hunger for art.
Her mania for looking at everything.
Museums don't mean a thing to me.
What I enjoyed most was her joy.
I'm gonna see the Masaccio.
It's supposed to be almost as primitive...
I mean as... as archaic as an early (?).
Where's you learn all these fancy words?
From mother. -Ah, mother!
You coming? -Thanks, I'll sit this one out.
You're very old today.
Wake up!
Wake up!
Where are we?
Orvieto.
Orvieto?
- Yeah.
I've been looking for you everywhere.
I thought you went for your Campari.
I wonder what she's dreaming about.
Here, wait a second. Look.
See how she's completely different when the
light falls on one side of her face? Look.
Can you see?
She looks wilder.
Think so?
I know she's asleep.
Who is she?
A sleeping girl.
Did you know that the sleeping girl
we like so much is a real celebrity?
Really?
- Yeah. She's more than 2000 years old.
That's old.
- Do you want to sign it? -No.
Anyway, we will be in
Athens before it gets there.
Probably.
Am I too heavy?
No.
- You sure?
No, you are.
Frau...
Doctor...
Hannah...
Piper.
What's her name? -Good question.
She's gone through a lot of names.
Piper is only the last one.
He's living in East Germany now.
He's a communist.
I never liked him.
And I was very pleased they divorced.
Thank you.
Before that it was Hencke.
My real father, Joachim Hencke.
Go away! This is our place!
Go away!
Do something. I mean they're
going to have a picnic right here
and I will have to go behind a tree.
- Your father's name is Joachim Hencke?
Yeah.
From Zurich?
Yeah.
I have to go.
You're hurting me. What's the matter?
Nothing.
Don't look!
Hannah!
Hannah, come on. They're calling us. Let's
just get this thing over with, all right?
You know what I just realised?
I really don't know who you are.
Why are you suddenly ready to throw
this whole thing away? What's the matter?
I think it's better you go to Baghdad and build
your dam. -Look, I'll make my own decisions
All right?
- Bye Walter.
And as for my child, don't worry
about it, there won't be any child.
What the hell's that supposed to mean?
I'll talk to Joachim, he'll help me.
He loves me.
...the best of Greek and Roman
culture in one ideal city.
Faber!
Do you have a light?
You smoke too much.
- I know.
Thank you.
Did I do something wrong?
No. Nothing at all.
For a minute I thought I
had done something wrong.
Faber, what's the matter with you?
- Nothing, I'd just like to have a drink.
You're acting so strange.
So many things have happened to me
lately. So many different things that I...
can't account for.
Do you believe in chance?
- Chance?
Yeah, like coincidence.
Like a chain of... coincidence.
There's all these things
that keep piling up.
What are you trying to say?
Sabeth, I think I knew
your mother and father.
They were friends of mine a long time ago.
- You knew them? When?
We went to school together.
- Are you sure?
Sabeth...
When exactly were you born?
Exactly? You mean the hour? The minute?
- No. No. Just the date.
June 23rd, 1938.
- June 23rd? -Yeah.
- Where? -In Munich.
Do you remember...
when your mother married Joachim?
- No.
Could it have been January 1938?
How would I know?
How old were you when he left?
Two or three, I guess.
I hardly remember father. All I know is
that he's somewhere in South America.
What's this all about?
You knew mother?
What was she like?
She was just as beautiful as you.
Buona notte, Mr. Faber.
Buona notte, Ms. Faber.
You don't love me anymore.
No, Sabeth. I do. Of course I do.
Is it because you're the
same age as my mother?
What is it?
You're not old. You're just
as young as me sometimes.
You're completely
different from my mother.
Don't tell me about your mother anymore!
I don't want to hear about
your mother all right?
You're gonna leave me, I know it.
No, but I have to take you back.
Back where?
- To Hannah.
I'm not a child.
I can take a train to
Athens, or hitchhike.
And you can go back to Paris or
New York, or wherever you want to go.
You don't have to babysit me.
I have to take you back myself.
I have to talk to her.
You do love me.
I see it in your eyes.
Why are you trying to stop it?
Frau doctor. Telephone.
Elizabeth!
Where are you?
I was waiting for you yesterday.
Tomorrow?
What?
No, I was really glad that you didn't
hitchhike. Tell me, is Kurt with you?
Is everything all right?
Yes. They're all here in front of me.
Oh, I can't wait to see you.
There's so much more to
be seen around here.
I mean, it would be criminal
not to go to Delphi.
What's the rush?
Athens is terrible in the summer.
Have you ever been there?
No.
- So what's the big rush?
Well, your mother's waiting for you.
I wanna be with you.
I don't understand you.
Why do you want to get rid of me?
Sabeth!
Leave me alone! You don't have to
follow me. Go back to your drink. Go!
Sabeth!
- Go away!
Sabeth, come here!
Go!
Sabeth!
- Leave me alone.
Help!
Help!
Sabeth.
Sabeth!
Help!
Over here!
Wait!
Hey!
There's a truck Wait! Wait!
Wait!
I got somebody hurt down near there. Snake
bite. I need to get her to the hospital.
Where are you going? How far? How far?
Take this watch. The watch. Take it!
We got this truck.
Here. We got the truck.
Okay, where is this now?
Where the hell are we?
Is this the road to the center?
Do you know your way around here?
Can we ask somebody where the hospital is if
you don't know? Can we ask somebody? Okay?
Where's the hospital?
Where's a doctor?
We need help here!
How is she?
We must hope for the best.
She's alive though?
Yes.
The doctor was here just now. He says
it was most likely a snub nose viper.
Any case, the mortality from
snakebites is only 3-10%.
Here.
Drink your tea.
How did it happen?
I tried to talk to her
but she was so confused...
...I couldn't understand
what she was saying.
How long has she been in Greece?
Since yesterday, I think.
So, you're the older gentleman
she met on the boat?
We travelled together.
Drink your tea.
How long you been wearing glasses?
Now, let's get a look at you.
Mr. Faber is a friend of mine.
Just for a minute.
Come. Let her sleep.
Sabeth.
Walter. Please.
What did you call her, Sabeth?
So, how long have you
been living in Athens?
For years. Elizabeth went to school here.
Why don't you sit down?
Looks like you actually became
an archaeologist, huh? -Yeah.
I'm patching up fragments, sticking
the puzzle together like a detective.
Ah, this is a find I'm
really excited about.
See, that's a cast from a mold.
It was made 400 years B.C.
See how detailed it is?
Look at the face.
Or the hair.
Very intricate.
It's probably a (?) or a Nereid.
What's a Nereid?
Nereids are sea nymphs.
Mythological beings that live
in the sea, like mermaids.
Can you see the dress?
It looks as if it was wet.
That's very typical for...
Would you like to take
a batch before dinner?
Yeah, I could use a shave too.
It's over here.
How is she?
- She's all right.
Did you tell her I was here?
No. Come, let's have something to eat.
I'd like to talk to her.
Why? What for? I told you everything.
- What's the number at the hospital?
God. Leave me alone!
What do you want from us?
Listen I haven't seen my
daughter for half a year...
...and finally I get
a call from the hospital
And when I go there I find her half
conscious and then you're there!
And I have no idea what this is all about!
- Why don't you want me to talk to her?
What did she tell you?
Did you know who she was?
That I was her mother?
I would just like to hear
her voice, all right?
Come sit down. Please.
So where did you go in Italy?
The usual places, you
know. Florence. Sienna...
Cici.
Your daughter has a great curiosity.
Yeah, she's really like
a child sometimes.
Do you think she's ever been with a man?
What?
Tell me what happened.
I told you. I didn't like the
idea of her hitchhiking and...
I rented a car.
- Why shouldn't she hitchhike?
Well, she's just a kid. I mean anything
can happen, you read the papers.
Why are you so concerned?
It's amazing you know, the
statistics about snakebites is only
it was much higher.
I'm not interested in statistics, Walter.
If I had 100 daughters and all of
them had been bitten by a viper then
there'd be some sense in it and
I'd lose only 3 to 10 daughters.
Not that many really think about it.
Well, I think I need some sleep.
I'll put you in Elizabeth's room.
- Hannah.
Tell me the truth.
Am I her father?
Is this the child you
said you wouldn't have?
No.
I've told you already.
It's Joachim.
Joachim's dead.
I found him in Mexico.
He's dead.
The bed's all made up.
Good night.
Walter.
How far did you go with the child?
Tell me.
Yes or no?
Yes.
Hannah.
Hannah.
Hannah!
Hannah!
Hey!
Why didn't you wake me up?
- Her body rejected the poison. She's fine.
Where is she? I want to see her. Now.
- No. She needs more rest.
Where is Elizabeth Piper's room?
Piper? Yeah. Do you
know where she... Piper.
Or is it Hencke or Landsberg or what?
Where is she? -Down there.
- It's down here?
Who is this Mr. Piper anyway?
One of your abandoned men?
Like Joachim. Why'd you divorce Joachim?
- I didn't love him.
Ah, you didn't love him. That's cute.
Must be why he killed himself.
Maybe that's what you had
in mind for me, huh? Suicide.
Cause you wouldn't marry me. -You didn't
want to get married. -Are you crazy?
You didn't. You wanted to build a dam
in Baghdad. -I asked you to get married!
So we could have this child. I asked you.
- That's not what you said.
Don't tell me what I
said! I know what I said!
- You said if you
want to have your child
then we must get married.
You said 'your' child.
Not 'ours'.
Is this true?
One word.
After 20 years one
stupid word divided us?
Exactly.
And by the way it's 21 years.
Why do you keep getting
the figures wrong?
Isn't it interesting that you, the man of
science, the great believer of mathematics
who cannot add 9 months to a year?
I want to see my daughter.
Why didn't you tell her?
I mean, I don't care if you deceived
me all these years but why her?
She has to know now.
- No!
She has to know for herself.
- No please don't.
What are you so afraid of?
She loves you. She told me this morning.
I never knew how much
Hannah had told her.
And Hannah made sure we
couldn't talk to each other.
The doctor says I might be
able to go home in a few days.
I never really heard you speak English.
She has a good accent, hasn't she?
You know, in the beginning I was so much
against her going to the United States
but now I'm so glad she did.
We travelled a lot together, you know?
I remember when she was about two years
old and she was just starting to talk
we travelled through France
and through Italy. Remember?
We visited a lot of churches.
And whenever we entered
a church I would say to her:
'Shh, Leise!' Which means 'quiet' in
English. And later on, she thought that...
"Shh, quiet" was the word for church!
Oh! When you went to Rome did you look
at the mosaics in Santa Maria Maggiore?
See you, Faber.
Remember, I told you not
to forget to look at them
Sabeth.
From what I understood,
it was not the snakebit but a fracture
from the fall that caused her death.
She died
just before midnight.
I won't come in.
Passengers for New York flight
number 232 please proceed to the...
I just sat there.
I didn't want to be there.
I didn't want to be anywhere.
I've got no use for suicide. It doesn't alter
the fact that one has been in the world.
And what I wished was
that I'd never existed at all.
What was the use of looking?
There was nothing for me to see.
Her hands that no
longer existed anywhere.
Her movements as she
tossed her ponytail.
Her teeth.
Her lips.
Her eyes that no longer existed.
Where could I look for them?
She was gone now.