Stroszek Page #3

discovery about animal magnetism.

Would you allow me to take a reading?

You see, the needle jumps.

Now for this animal...

The animal is cold,

the needle does not register.

Thank you for your assistance,

and I wish you all the best.

- Goodbye.

- Goodbye.

Goodbye.

May I come in?

- Hello.

- Hello, Bruno.

I have made a...

Would you hold this, please?

I've made an exciting discovery.

Mesmer described

animal magnetism...

...and I have at last

found a way to measure it.

For the first time ever.

As a child,

I already knew that one day...

...I should succeed in measuring

this interesting phenomenon.

But what is animal magnetism?

Animal magnetism is today

called hypnosis, a term perhaps...

...not entirely justified.

That it is measurable may

be seen from Schopenhauer's book...

..."On the Fourfold Root of the

Principle of Sufficient Cause".

Now I'm going to take

a reading from you, Bruno.

- You see?

- Yeah, it really works.

Now you, Eva.

- Not as much as Bruno.

- Why not?

Bruno's more highly

electrically charged, it seems.

This may be a part of

the lost tractor. What is it?

Maybe it's in the pond.

How are we going to pay for this?

Stop it, Bruno.

Stop? I just got started.

I'm sick and tired of hearing it.

The TV set, the house,

and then those contracts...

Yes.

- All in English, and the small print...

- I can read English all right.

I thought America would be different,

and we could get rich quick.

Cut it out, Bruno,

I can't listen any more, really.

I've told you often enough

that you can earn money here.

It's no problem at all.

I'll take care of it, you'll see.

All right, you take care

of it then. For sure.

- Yes.

- Okay.

Eva, look at this.

No measuring tape,

no yardstick, no nothing.

Right on the nose.

- I can't see through you, you know.

- Can you see now?

Okay, all finished.

Yes.

Hello. Eva, it's the man from the bank.

He says we have to pay the money...

...because we're so far behind.

If we don't pay the installment,

he takes the TV set.

What did I tell you?

There you go.

It's all there in black and white.

Don't worry, I'll take care of him.

Don't you worry.

He needs the money.

Hey, Eva, where'd you

get all that money?

I just earned it.

You don't make that much

as a waitress. Where'd you get it?

- Where do you think?

- You made it somehow.

Your visit was a

pleasure and an honor.

Thank you for your friendly visit.

Here you see a schematic

model I have made...

...of how it looks inside Bruno.

They're closing all the doors

on him, and oh, so, politely.

Now we're in America...

...and I thought everything would

be better and we'd reach our goal.

But no.

Bruno's getting pushed

aside as if he didn't exist.

You act as if you

don't even know me anymore.

Nobody kicks you here.

No, not physically.

Here they do it spiritually.

- What do you mean?

- In the reformatory...

...it was just like here.

If someone wet his bed,

this was under the Nazis...

...instead of hanging the sheet

on the clothesline, they used to...

...make the person who did it,

stand holding it up like this all day...

...and the teacher would

stand behind him with a stick.

And boy, if his arms started

getting tired from standing so long...

...he got a beating.

Now I'm going to sit down again.

Did you have to do that too?

They hurt you openly then...

Today they do it differently.

They don't go like this, or like this...

They do it ever so politely,

and with a smile. It's much worse.

You can smell it in the air,

and you can see it, too...

Who knows what fate will bring?

I can't understand you.

Who knows what fate will bring?

You never know. The prison doors...

...are wide open, and

we're not in Germany any more.

You've got to be careful here.

- Don't be so bitter, Bruno.

- Bitter?

You don't want me to be bitter?

When somebody despises me?

When I'm grown up enough...

...to need to be loved?

When I get shut out of the bedroom

and can't sleep with you any more...

...and have to sleep by myself

in another room, like in a cage.

Bruno, listen to me.

- I need to be alone sometimes.

- You do?

Right, when a person is

writhing in pain, it hurts so bad.

And that pain is a spiritual pain,

it's deep inside.

If you think you can get along

on your own in America, go ahead.

Listen, I've got to

try to make you understand.

I just have to be alone sometimes.

I never had a room of my own.

I really need it.

And even if you sleep in the other

room, we're still in the same house.

We're not separated,

we spend the whole day together.

Well, then I just don't

know what to say.

I'm finished.

Bruno's on the outside looking in.

Stupid of him to ever have done it...

...coming to America, just to

watch his whole world fall apart.

I might as well be

back where I came from.

No... no.

There's no hope.

Where's Eva?

What are you doing?

Are you crazy?

Get out of here! Go away!

You want me to go away?

I'm going to Vancouver

with these guys...

...so bug off.

Okay, I'm buggin' off.

Have a seat.

I can't say I know the language...

...but something smells

mighty fishy to me.

Here, so you don't have

anymore sleepless nights.

When are you dropping by

to see us again?

Goodbye.

He wanted money.

Money?

She's gone, that contract

about the installments...

...now he's hanging in the tree...

...and they'll throw him to the dogs.

Here's the one that's gonna

get thrown to the dogs, right here.

You can't do this to us,

gentlemen, I won't allow it.

This is a conspiracy.

I shall talk to my Secret Service friends.

You'll see what happens to you.

We're going to burn your fingers.

We're going to put a stop

to this vile conspiracy!

They're all in this together.

Every last one of them,

including you is in this together.

Ten, twenty-five...

Oops, let's count it again.

...fifteen, twenty, twenty-two,

thirty-two, come on...

So you're in this too.

May I ask who sent you?

My last three dollars.

I wouldn't worry about it.

You said it. Absolutely.

- Here's to ya.

- Cheers.

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