Lust for Life

You are now qualified

for evangelical work...

under the auspices of the Belgian

Committee of the Messengers of the Faith.

May the Lord guide you

and sustain you in all your ways.

Congratulations, Dr. Bosman.

A very creditable group of young men.

Now about this

other young man, Dr. Bosman.

Are you sure he's quite hopeless?

Gentlemen, I've trained a great

many students in evangelical work...

but never in my life

have I come across a case quite like this.

He is completely unable

to speak extemporary.

He prepares long and obscure sermons

which he's unable to memorize...

and has to read

like a stumbling and inarticulate child.

Now, gentlemen, can we send

that kind of man out into the field...

to represent our society?

Dr. Peeters, I think that's conclusive.

Dr. Bosman, ask him to come in, please.

Mr. Van Gogh, we have Dr. Bosman's

report on your progress here.

- In view of what he's told us...

- You understand...

if your teacher feels

that you're unqualified...

this committee cannot give you

an appointment.

We regret it more than we can say.

Gentlemen, I think that concludes

Committee business for today.

Mr. Van Gogh, do you feel that the

Committee were unjust in their decision?

- No, sir.

- We did what we had to do...

in view of your records.

- Yes, sir.

- Come here.

Your father is a minister, is he not?

I'm not trying to put myself

on a level with my father.

I only hoped in some way

to follow in his footsteps.

Yet, until a year ago...

you showed no inclination or desire

to follow your father's calling.

Believe me, this is something I have to do.

I want to help the unfortunates.

I want to bring them the word of God.

Even if I'm not qualified,

there must be some way I can serve.

Isn't there any place for me?

Somewhere no one else wants to go?

I'll do anything. Only use me. Use me!

Come here.

- Do you know this part of the country?

- No.

It's a coal-mining region, the Borinage.

There exist no more miserable people

on the face of the earth...

than the miners who live there.

If you really mean what you said

about wanting to help the unfortunates...

here's your chance.

"The heart that seeks God...

"has more storms than any others.

"Life is a struggle here below.

"Yet out of our sufferings...

"God teaches us higher things.

"He wills..."

"He wills that man should live humbly...

"and go through life

not reaching after lofty aims...

"but fitting himself to the lowly

and learning from the Gospels...

"to be meek, simple of heart."

Father, we pray to thee

to keep us from evil and despair.

Feed us with the bread

that does not perish, which is thy word.

O Lord, amen.

Mister!

- I don't know what your name is, but...

- Ducrucq.

Why did you leave?

Did I say something wrong?

I saw you leave.

What did I say that offended you?

Just because it's Sunday...

you don't expect us to listen

to the kind of pious bilge...

- you gave us just now.

- Bilge?

Look, I worked all week on that sermon.

I meant every word of it.

Listen, mister. Every now and then,

somebody comes here from the outside...

and tries to help us.

They mean well. So do you, probably,

but that doesn't help us at all, does it?

I want to bring you the word of God.

- What can I do? Tell me.

- I don't know.

Help me. Help me

to understand you people...

to know you. Take me into your homes

where you live.

We don't live here.

We only come here to sleep.

Down there, 2,000 feet underground,

that's where we live.

Can I go down? Take me.

- Will you take me down?

- Sure, I can arrange it.

Be here in the morning when I go to work.

At 4:
00.

I'm trembling inside of me

just as much as you are.

And I've been going down for 33 years.

- How old is that child?

- Eleven.

- How long has she been working here?

- A year.

Her father was killed in the explosion.

Listen, mister. Every now and then,

somebody comes here from the outside...

and tries to help us.

They mean well. So do you, probably,

but that doesn't help us at all, does it?

Ducrucq.

Come down! Somebody...

Why don't you come down

and wait with us?

What are you waiting for?

I've got a blanket in there

for one of the wounded, and some bread.

What about you?

Wait for me.

Van Gogh.

I see you don't remember us.

From the Committee

of the Messengers of the Faith.

I'm glad you've come. Did you bring

food and clothes for the families?

- Families?

- Another accident?

- You didn't know?

- I'm sorry to hear it.

- Were there many lost?

- Six.

- Four men, two children, 28 injured.

- Terrible.

I'll see what we can do.

It's unfortunate our visit

should have come at this time.

But it was Rev. Peeters' wish.

The purpose of our coming here

is an inspection.

Excuse me, gentlemen. I'll be right back.

- Just what is the meaning of this?

- You receive an allowance.

Why have you chosen to live in the most

wretched, filthy shack in this village?

Because we have no right to spread

the word of God to these people...

unless we suffer as they do.

You yourself are unclean.

Your clothes are ragged and dirty.

There are people here

who have no clothes.

Do you mean to tell us

you actually sleep on this dirt and straw...

like a beast of the field? You,

the spiritual leader of the community?

I gave my bed to a sick woman

who needed it more than I.

You are new in this work.

I have no doubt you mean well.

But by your behavior, you've degraded

the dignity of the church...

- whose representative you are.

- Have you no sense of decency?

Don't you understand

that if the clergy is to be respected...

I don't care to be respected!

I'm trying to live like a true Christian.

I'm not going to worry about how I sleep.

Look at the fresh graves of the children

in the cemetery.

Scrub floors and pick coal

with the women.

Get those fine clothes dirty

with the blood and sweat of dying miners.

Then come here

and lecture me about Christianity!

Hypocrites!

But you must have heard of him.

He came here about a year ago

as a preacher. Vincent van Gogh.

Yes, mister.

You'll find him in the little shack.

Vincent.

Who is it?

It's Theo.

- Vincent, what have you done to yourself?

- Theo.

What's happened to you?

I was sick for a while,

but I'm all right now.

Doesn't anyone look after you?

- I'd better go and get you some food.

- Don't go. Stay and talk.

- Where's the nearest place where I can...

- Please don't go, Theo.

It's been such a long time.

What are we going to do about you?

Father wrote and asked me

to come and find you.

- For months he's not heard from you.

- There was nothing to tell.

What right have you to decide that?

Cut yourself off from everybody,

even from me.

You've become a stranger.

You've changed.

I haven't changed, Theo.

Outwardly, perhaps, but inside me,

I still want the same things.

What things?

The things we talked about

in the old days.

To be of use, to work,

to bring something to the world.

Do you think this is the answer?

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