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Dedicated to
In the shadows of the cinema, eating popcorn and drinking soda...
Bright shiny eyes, staring at the images upon them. Images that make them smile
images that make them fear, images that make them cry...
Friendly, faithful images, repeated over and over again, endlessly...
And just like Alice and the looking glass, the little boy and the little girl walk
through the fourth wall. Their great adventure is about to start...
The Strange Adventure of Jacques & Therese
- Charles, is that you? - I'll be right there, mom!
Now go to your room, and stay there!
- Charles, I beg of you... Please don't talk that way about your brother...
- My brother?! He is not brother, and will never be my brother! The very thought of
having the same blood as him is repulsive enough.
- Please don't say that! - And look at you, mom... Look at you've
become! Your devotion to this stupid child makes me want to puke.
He is not your son, mom! I am your son!
- Listen to me, you stupid little ***... I'm sick and tired of you.
I'm sick tired of everyone pampering you... Looking after the poor little orphan!
- You're hurting me!
You can't fool me, you ***! I'm not going to let you destroy my family the
same way you destroyed yours! My mother belongs to me, and to me alone!
Seems like the little *** likes to draw. And quite talented, too. You could teach
to me to draw like that, you know. Such a clever boy. You could teach me to be as
clever as you are.
- Give me back my notebook! - This belongs to me now.
And by the way, happy birthday!
Were you stealing from me, you little ***?
Answer me! You were stealing for me, weren't you?!
Hey you! Yes I was talking to you!
- But, who are you? - Good question. Who am I?
- I... don't think I get it. - All right, I'll stop talking in riddles.
I am just a 13 year old boy, orphaned, running away from my evil family. I wish the girl
I'm in love with would run away me, because she is in great danger here.
What about you? - Wait, is this some kind of joke?
In any case, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.
- Say "stop" - ... Stop
- My grandfather from Croatia taught me this trick. He was a rather strange fellow,
keen on playing chess on sundays and stuff. This is your card, by the way. And...
he was a very nice fellow, very kind and gentle, such a pity he recently passed away
But anyway, he told me that if you imagine a card in your head, I will be able
to read your thoughts, pick the card from here and show it to you. So concentrate
really *** your card.
No, that's not it. No, not that one. I can feel it, but I can't seem to find it. It's close
I can feel that this is your card! - Yes, that's my card. Now if you'll excuse me...
I have to go, so... Very well, Jacques Rollin. Things are about to take
a strange turn in your life at the moment. Things you've always
dreamed about, knowing they could never really happen... or could they? Two things
The second thing will happen in a mysterious old house, far, far away from here
The first thing will happen very soon. It might just happen now...
- But how do you know all of this? How could you know?
- I know many things. I can do many things. I've recently learned how to
vanish, right into thin air. Do you doubt it?
- Jacques!
- Therese, what are you doing here?! - The same as you.
- But I thought you.. - Sit over here!
- Want a hand? - No, thanks.
- Thank you. - Hey!
- What? - Why are you looking so sad?
- I'm sorry. - Are not you happy to see me?
- No, please, that's now it, I... - Relax. You are much too serious.
- I'm sorry. - And you say sorry too much.
- I'm sorr...
- I like coming here at night. It's calm, and I can be alone with my thoughts,
look upon the stars and... - Therese, why are you really here?
- Well, I know I should be the one saying I'm sorry. Or saying thank you.
I know I acted as if I was someone else, and maybe...
maybe I was someone else. - What?
- It doesn't matter. The thing is I thought about what you told me, and decided to come.
- You know, there's so much out there to discover, far from this horrible place.
I want to go to Italy, to see Milan, Venice! - Fellini's Rome!
- Tonight, we are going on the journey of journeys. This train can take us anywhere we like
Bid them farewell, Jacques. Our real life is finally about to start!
- Farewell, Charles! I'm never going back! Now you're free!
- We are free!
- Look, Therese! Right over there, Paris! - Yes, I can see it! All the city lights! The
- Yes! I can see it! The city lights, the Champs-Élysées the Arch do Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower!
- There, the Opera! The Phantom is waiting for us! He will take us through the
auditorium, beyond the mirror, into his secret underground world
where he keeps his beloved Christine! - But he won't hurt us, right?
- No, of course not. He's my friend! - What about little Cosette? Are we going
to meet her as well? - Of course we are!
- And then we'll go to Transylvania! High up in there in the mountains, can you see it?
it? - What?
- The Castle of Count Dracula! He and his brides roam the night
searching for victims!
Here we are.
- Therese, I think we should go... - Shhhh! Look...
- Excuse-me? - Good day, miss. We came about the job.
Good day, miss. We came for the job.
- Job? What job? - Yes, miss. For housekeeping.
- Oh, I see. As usual, they forgot to tell me about it. But don't worry.
- Are you that little boy who saved my scarf from being carried into the sea?
sea? - I don't understand, miss...
- Nevermind. Please follow me. - But aren't you going to interview us first?
first? - Why bother? You came for the job, right?
haven't you? - Yes, I guess...
- Then the job is yours. Follow me.
This is your bedroom.
- Looks quite comfortable, thank you. - The rooms in the east wing have been
closed for a long time now. I wouldn't bother going in there, too much to dust.
- Very well. - Do we starting working today, then?
- Work, don't work. Do as you please. It's not up to me.
- But...? - I'm not your boss. My purpose in this
house is even more meaningless than yours.
Jacques...? Jacques?
What am I doing here? I had the strangest dream. It was like...
Forgive me, mademoiselle. We did not intend to frighten you... Well, just a little
bit perhaps, but that's not important. Allow me to introduce myself. I am...
Allow me to introduce myself. I am ... Dracula!
I am the Countess Mircalla Karnstein, better known as... Carmilla.
- I told you there was something wrong about that salmon we had for dinner.
- It's your cooking's fault, no matter how bad that is.
- I forgive for what you've done. But you do know what happens to those who see
the face behind the mask. - So, is it true? You are real!
- Of course he is. We all are. - We shall exist for as long as there are
books about, movies about us... - We shall exist for as long as people
talking about us around campfires - We shall exist for as long as there are
children such as you that go for comfort in their parents bed, in fear of the
boogeyman
Jacques!
Have you all gone mad? Get up, go to your room.
Get up. Go to your room. The show is over for tonight.
I always knew you existed for real.
I can't stand being kept from having a meal anymore!
- No, thank you my dears. I never drink... cocktails.
- None for me, too. Thank you.
Would you like some?
Let's dance?
How clumsy you are.
My dear Countess, shall we dance?
"Les Misérables"
Vampires, demons, witches and ghosts. Who could guess they would be my best
Who could guess they would be my best friends?
It's now midnight. And who could guess the Wolfman is just like Cinderella?
Who could guess Count Dracula drinks cranberry juice? Who could guess the
Phantom of the Opera reveals the horrible face behind his mask, and the normal
man behind his horrible face?
- Hi, kid. - Hi...
- Pity we didn't have much time to get to know each other.
- Why do say that? - I'm leaving. Now.
- But why?! Is it because of the way they treat you?
- They are right... - Right?!
- There's a hierarchy for everything in life. Even for film characters.
- Film characters? - Did you think I was the Count's mistress?
Count? - But then... who are you?
- They call me Soledad. An apt name, I suppose. I actually don't have a name.
I am... the beautiful, lonely ghost, roaming a desert island in search for her long lost
love... The innocent teenage girl corrupted by her evil father into ***
and ***... The avenging widow... The vampire dancer... The queen of the night.
I was the greatest creation of a young, idealist Italian filmmaker. That was my
greatest triumph, but also my biggest ruin. His movies were far too "artistic" to
be appreciated by the traditional horror fans, and but not socially conscious
enough to be embraced by the intellectual film crowd. Maybe that's what's wrong
with being idealist. The rest of the world won't think the same way.
I can't blame them. With so much trouble in our lives, why worry ourselves with more?
more? - But... this is not right.
- Maybe. I don't know. All I know is that I don't belong here.
- That's what the Count and the Countess say. But they're wrong! You do belong here!
You don't need to worry about me. I'm going to a special place.
There are others like me where I'm heading... Lost souls, long forgotten
The works of the greatest masters no one has ever heard about.
Jacques?
- What happened? - Nothing, nothing...
- Here we are.
- Are you all right? - Yes, of course. Let's go.