Before Midnight Page #16

103.

CELINE:

I don't think I've recovered since

giving birth. When they were born,

I had no idea what to do. People

expect women to have instinct that

kicks in, like a female baboon. But

I had no idea how to do anything. I

loved them so much, and I was doing

everything wrong. And you were away

so often, calling me, asking me how

my day went, and I couldn't even say

it to you because I felt so ashamed

for being so clueless.

JESSE:

Look, I think you did great.

CELINE:

No, I didn't.

JESSE:

No, you did. Well, you did a good

job faking it, then.

CELINE:

I remember the only way I could get

them to sleep was to drag that stupid

double stroller down the stairs and

walk them for hours and hours in the

middle of the night, all the way to

Pigalle and back. I almost got mugged

once... I mean, the only reason why

the guy didn't attack me was is that

I looked so pathetic. The only upside

of being over 35 is that you don't

get raped as much. I read it - its

true.

Jesse laughs. The tone shifts.

JESSE:

Oh, Jesus.

(he takes her hand)

Once I remember I was watching the

twins on a trampoline, you know, and

they looked so beautiful. And I was

happy because they were happy, you

know. One of them had this hula-

hoop that she was using as a jump

rope, but then the other one wanted

it so they started fighting over it.

All of a sudden I saw it all, this

petty jealously and selfishness... I

remember thinking: this is the natural

(MORE)

104.

JESSE (CONT'D)

human state - always a little

dissatisfied, perpetually

discontented, you know? I mean,

look at us, here we are, in a garden

of Eden and we can't stop fighting.

CELINE:

I don't think there is one natural

human state. The human state is

multiple. If that's what you see

when you're watching the girls play,

that means you're depressed.

JESSE:

Okay. Maybe I am.

Celine is slowly getting revved up again.

CELINE:

When I see them fight, I see beautiful

energy of going forward in life and

not letting anyone step on them or

take away what they want. I like it

when they fight - it gives me hope

for them.

JESSE:

Well that's because you see anger as

a positive emotion, you know, and

you only end up hurting yourself,

your work, your kids, me.

CELINE:

And you never get angry?

JESSE:

When I do, I don't see it as a

positive.

CELINE:

You know something? The way you

write in your book, people come up

to me and think I make love to some

wildcat Henry Miller type... HA!

You like to have sex the EXACT same

way every time.

JESSE:

When you got it, you got it.

CELINE:

Kissy, kissy. Titty, titty. P*SSY.

(snoring)

105.

JESSE:

I'm a man of simple pleasures.

CELINE:

Yeah, very simple, and I've been

meaning to tell you that lately.

You're no Henry Miller, on any level.

You know what, this room gives me

the creeps, I was expecting something

quaint, like the real Greece.

JESSE:

This place is pretty real.

CELINE:

What the hell are we doing here

anyway? This is all too planned,

like we're supposed to have this

great evening. There's no room for

spontaneity, it is all gone from our

lives. It's stupid and it's not

working...

JESSE:

Okay. Well, obviously, right?

CELINE:

Right, yeah ... and I curse Ariadni

and that perv Stefanos for doing

this. A couples massage - what the

f*** is that? That sounds sleazy to

me.

JESSE:

We don't have to do it! Okay? C'mon,

this place isn't so bad. I like

hotel rooms... I think they're sexy.

CELINE:

Yeah, I know you do, Mr. Book Tour.

Mr. Radisson Hilton. And I know

that time when you were doing that

reading in Washington, when your

cell phone supposedly broke that

night - how convenient. Swear on

our kids that you didn't f*** that

lady from the bookstore. Emily.

Swear to me you didn't f*** that

Emily girl. And I'm not jealous

because I'm not the jealous type but

I just wanna know, be a man and admit

the truth.

106.

JESSE:

I am giving you my whole life, okay?

I've got nothing larger to give.

I'm not giving it to anybody else.

If you're looking for permission to

disqualify me, I'm not going to give

it to you. I love you and I'm NOT

in conflict about it. But if what

you want is a laundry list of all

the things about you that piss me

off, I could give it to you.

CELINE:

Yeah - I want to hear.

JESSE:

Okay! Well, uh, let's start at number

one - okay, number one, you're f***in'

nuts, alright? You are, good luck

finding somebody else to put with

your sh*t for more than like 6 months.

But I accept the whole package, the

crazy and the brilliant. I know

you're not going to change, and I

don't want you to. It's called

accepting you for being you.

CELINE:

Yeah okay, I asked you a question.

If, while I was carrying the double

stroller down the stairs and getting

ass-raped in Pigalle, you f***ed

that little Emily Bronte girl?

JESSE:

Ok I don't know. Emily... what Emily?

What are you even talking about?

CELINE:

The one who wrote the nice emails

about Dostoevsky? "Oh Jesse, you're

so right, "The Grand Commander" is

the deepest passage of all Russian

literature."

JESSE:

If you're asking me if I'm committed

to you, the girls, and the life we've

built together, the answer is a

resounding YES.

CELINE:

So you DID f*** her! Thank you very

much.

107.

JESSE:

Do I ever ask you about the time you

went to go visit your old boyfriend

after his mother died? No. You

want to know why? Because I KNOW

the way that your f***ing French ass

works, and I guarantee that you at

least blew that guy, but I also know

that you love me, okay? I'm okay

with you being a complicated human

being! I don't wanna live a boring

life where two people own each other,

where two people are institutionalized

in a box that others created - because

that is a bunch of stifling bullshit.

Petrified, she exits.

Jesse sits alone waiting for her to return.

Enter Celine. She walks in, sets her room key down.

CELINE:

You know what's going on here? It's

simple - I don't think I love you

anymore.

She exits. Jesse sits there, gazing from the cold cup of

tea, to the door, to the full glasses of wine, to the rumpled,

empty bed. Celine doesn't come back.

EXT. OUTDOOR CAFE/BAR - NIGHT

Jesse finds Celine sitting near the same table where they

saw the sunset earlier.

JESSE:

Miss?

CELINE:

I don't want to talk right now.

JESSE:

Are you by yourself? Are you waiting

for somebody?

CELINE:

Yeah, I'm by myself and happy to be.

I'm an angry person and I hurt my

kids, my work, and everyone I love.

JESSE:

Oh. Well, just my type.

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