Before Sunrise Page #5

and then I will write a poem...

...with the word inside.

And if you like it,

if you like my poem...

...if it adds something to

your life in any way...

...then you can pay me

whatever you feel like.

I'll write in English, of course.

- Okay.

- All right. Great.

So?

Pick a word.

A word.

- Milk shake.

- Milk shake? Oh, good.

I was gonna say "rooster prick. "

But great. Milk shake.

"Milk shake"?

Okay, milk shake.

- All right, so...

- Good.

I gotta say, I like this

Viennese variation of bum.

I like what he said about

adding something to your life.

So, were we having

our first fight back there?

I think so. I think we were.

Even if we were, why does everyone

think conflict is so bad?

There's a lot of good things

coming out of conflict.

Yeah, I guess so.

I always think if I could

just accept the fact...

...that my life was supposed to be

difficult, that's what's expected...

...then I might not get so pissed off.

And I'd just be glad

when something nice happens.

That's why I'm still in school.

It's easier to have

something to fight against.

Well, we've all had such

competitiveness ingrained in us.

You know, I can be doing

the most nothing thing.

Throwing some darts

or shooting some pool.

Then all of a sudden,

I feel it come over me.

I have got to win.

Is that why you tried to get me

off the train? Competitiveness?

What do you mean?

I got a poem.

Oh, all right.

Will you read it to us?

Sure. Okay.

"Daydream delusion

Limousine eyelash

Oh, baby, with your pretty face

Drop a tear in my wine glass

Look at those big eyes

See what you mean to me

Sweetcakes and milk shakes

I am a delusion angel

I'm a fantasy parade

I want you to know what I think

Don't want you to guess anymore

You have no idea where I came from

We have no idea where we're going

Lodged in life

Like branches in the river

Flowing downstream

Caught in the current

I carry you

You'll carry me

That's how it could be

Don't you know me?

Don't you know me by now?"

Great.

- Thanks.

- Thanks, man.

Here you go.

- Thanks.

- All right.

- Here. Thank you.

- Thank you.

Good luck.

It was wonderful, no?

- What?

- He probably didn't just write that.

He wrote it, but he

probably plugs that word in.

You know, whatever, "milk shake. "

What do you mean?

Nothing. I loved it. It was great.

You know what drives me crazy?

People talking about...

...how great technology is,

how it saves all this time.

But what good is saved time

if nobody uses it?

If it just turns into more busy work.

I never hear anybody say, "With the time

I've saved using my word processor...

...I'm gonna go to a Zen monastery

and hang out. "

- You don't hear that.

- Time is so abstract anyway.

- Are you looking at this girl?

- What?

Nothing.

You wanna go in here?

- You wanna go in here?

- Yeah. It's a club, no?

Wanna go?

Hello.

Fifty schillings.

- Each.

- I got 100. Here, I got it.

I'll buy you a beer. Thank you.

- You gonna buy me a beer?

- Yeah.

You think Old Milwaukee

is expensive here?

We haven't talked about this yet,

but are you dating anyone?

You got a boyfriend waiting on you

back in Paris or anything like that?

- No, not right now.

- But you did.

We broke up six months ago.

Six months ago? Oh, I'm sorry.

I mean, I'm not that sorry.

Tell me about it.

No way. I can't.

It's really, really boring.

Come on. Tell me about it.

I was really disappointed.

I thought this one would last

for a while. He was...

...very stupid, ugly,

bad in bed, alcoholic...

- You know.

- A real prize winner.

I was kind of giving him a favor.

But he left me,

saying I loved him too much.

I was blocking his artistic expression

or some sh*t like that.

But anyway, I was traumatized

and became...

And became totally obsessed with him.

So I went to a shrink, and it came up

that I had written...

...this stupid story about this

woman trying to kill her boyfriend...

...and how she'd do it.

It's all the details

of how to do it and not get caught...

She was gonna kill her boyfriend?

Yeah, she was. It's nothing I would do,

but it was just some writing.

No, I understand.

This stupid shrink believed

everything I told her.

It was my first time seeing her.

She said she had to call the police.

She had to call the police?

She was totally convinced

I was really gonna do it.

Even though I had explained

it was just some writing.

She said, looking into my eyes,

"The way you said it...

...I know you are going to do it. "

She was totally out of her mind.

It was my first and last session.

So what happened then?

I totally got over him.

But now, I'm obsessed...

...that he's gonna die from

an accident or 1000 kilometers away.

And I'm gonna be the one accused.

Why is it you become obsessed

with people you don't...

...really like that much?

I don't know.

So how about you?

- What?

- Are you with anyone?

It's funny how we managed to avoid

this subject for so long.

But now you have to tell me.

Well, I kind of see love...

...as this escape for two people

who don't know how to be alone.

It's funny.

People always talk about how...

...love is this totally unselfish,

giving thing.

But if you think about it,

there's nothing more selfish.

I know.

So who just broke up with you?

What?

You sound like you just were hurt.

Do I?

All right.

Big confession.

I should've told you this

earlier or something.

I didn't come to Europe just to...

...hang out and read Hemingway in Paris

and sh*t like that.

I saved up my money all spring to

fly to Madrid...

...and spend the summer

with my girlfriend...

- Your girlfriend?

- My ex-girlfriend...

...who has been on this art history

program for the last year.

Anyway, I got here.

We were reunited at long last...

...and we went out to dinner our

first night with six of her friends.

Pedro, Antonio, Gonzalo...

...Maria, Suzy from home.

She managed to avoid being alone

with me for the first few days...

...and I stuck around just to let it

sink in that she wished I hadn't come.

So I bought the cheapest flight out,

this one leaving out of Vienna.

It didn't leave for a couple weeks,

so I bought this Eurail pass.

You know what's the worst thing

about somebody breaking up with you?

It's when you remember

how little you thought about...

...the people you broke up with,

and you realize...

...that that is how little

they're thinking about you.

You'd like to think

you're both in pain...

...but really, they're just,

"Hey, I'm glad you're gone. "

Believe me, I know.

You should look at bright colors.

That's what the shrink told me.

I was paying her 900 francs an hour...

...to hear that I

was a homicidal maniac...

...but I could shift my obsession if I

would concentrate on bright colors.

Did it work?

- Didn't help your pinball.

- Well, no.

Yeah, well, you know,

I haven't killed anyone lately.

Not lately?

That's good.

You're cured then.

There's breeds of monkeys,

Rate this script:4.0 / 4 votes