♪♪
Narrator: The thought of murder often evokes thoughts
of the sea and of sailors.
What naturally follows thoughts of the sea and murder
is the thought of love or sexuality.
♪♪
Hey! Closing time!
Didn't you understand me, Robert?
It's closing time!
Then lock the door. Robert is staying with me.
What did you say?
You heard me.
Robert is staying here with me tonight.
What do you think of that?
Of what?
Well, after all, she's still your wife.
You think I should be jealous?
Would be normal.
Maybe, but what's normal?
[ Sniffs ]
We got a deal.
Lysiane does what she feels like
and leaves me free to do what I want, understand?
That's important for me.
Chicago.
Indeed.
Anyway, I want to read his cards.
Right, kiddo?
Hope you know what you're doing.
You know I know what I want.
♪♪
[ Dice rattling ]
♪♪
You lose, Mario.
Nono: Then let's have another drink.
♪♪
You have a brother?
Robert: So what?
You never mentioned him.
Why should I mention him?
You're very much alike, aren't you?
That's what other people say, but it isn't true.
Querelle is a sailor.
Maybe it's true.
And you love one another more than you'd like to.
Bullshit.
We're brothers, and that's all there is to it.
♪♪
[ Whistling ]
Why are you shaking your head?
I don't know why,
but your brother is in great danger.
In danger? What kind of danger?
Um...
In danger of finding himself.
♪♪
Narrator: It's difficult to brush past those shoulders
profiles, curls, those strong and supple boys
without imagining them capable of murder.
Finally, land.
Man: And broads!
Juicy cunts. Hot and wet.
Man #2: Have you been in Brest before?
Why?
Because they've got the raunchiest
whorehouse in the world.
The Feria.
Right. That's the name of the place.
Any of you guys know it?
Yeah, but only from what I've heard.
And what have you heard?
Nothing specific.
They say every trick has to throw dice with the boss
if he wants to catch a hooker.
Nono. That's the name of the Feria boss -- Nono.
That's right. Nono.
Why do they have to throw dice?
That's the rule.
When you win, you get to have your pick.
When you lose, you have to let the boss fuck you first.
Really?
Really.
And I'm damn sure there's plenty of guys
who kind of like losing.
If it turns them on.
So what?
Seblon: Once I have suffered the solitude caused by my
peculiarity long enough, it may be that naked
I will hold these boys who shatter me with their
audacity and strength, against my body.
Though I hardly dare believe it.
With tears in my eyes,
I thank God for granting me this bliss.
My tears soften me.
I melt with their wetness on my cheeks.
I toss.
I roll in waves of tenderness for these boys
and their hard, shallow cheeks.
[ Horn honking ]
[ Clicks ]
[ Horn honks ]
Querelle's great passion is his own body in repose.
It is as if he's reflecting himself in his own image.
He's looking at himself
as if through a magnifying glass.
He's scrutinizing the minute events
like an etymologist.
But how shining is his body
in the glory of his proud movements?
[ Clicks ]
♪♪
Yeah?
Your boots, sir.
Leave them there.
Anything else, sir?
No, thank you.
♪♪
Narrator: Since they themselves wished to deny it
the strange resemblance of the two brothers
seemed attractive only to others.
They met only in the evenings, as late as possible
in the one bed of a room
near the one in which their mother had lived in poverty.
Perhaps they met again in their love for their mother
but at such a deep level that they could not see it at all.
♪♪
And how long have you been in Brest?
Since yesterday.
Never thought I'd run into you here.
I'm the lover of the boss, Lysiane,
and have been for the last six months.
What about her husband?
He's got interests of his own.
Why did you come here?
Got a little business to take care of.
I'm looking for a customer.
Opium?
Yeah, that's right.
No sweat.
Nono's the contact you want.
I'll introduce you.
What about the cop with him?
Him? He's part of the furniture.
He ain't a cop in here. Just the opposite.
He's our safety guarantee.
This is Querelle, my brother.
He has a deal for you.
He's all right.
♪♪
Hello.
Good evening.
What's the deal?
Opium.
Five K's.
$10,000.
You got it.
Cash.
[ Scoffs ] Of course.
Narrator: Querelle was frozen by Mario's gaze.
More than indifferent
Mario's gaze and stance were glacial.
♪♪
At the same time, Querelle was struck
by the owner's extraordinary strength
and the cop's beauty.
Never before had he experienced true rivalry
with which he had faced in these two.
There's nothing fishy about this, is there?
You don't have anything to worry about with me.
You bring the merchandise and you get the bread.
Okay, buster?
And don't let Mario worry you.
Mario's part of the furniture.
NARRATOR: Querelle had no doubt that the realm over which
this fellow ruled was a terrestrial one.
But was it possible that the police could be
so handsome, so rich?
-Let's have a drink! -Salud.
-Salud.
When will you be here?
Got to figure out how I'm gonna get the stuff out,
but I'll manage that.
I don't want to get involved in no shit.
Don't want to burn my fingers.
You want to dance with me?
Sure, why not?
♪♪
My name's Lysiane.
I own the place.
You don't say.
I'm Robert's brother.
I know.
♪♪
A penny for your thoughts, Querelle.
I acknowledge the existence of authority in Mario.
I note his objective gestures.
Objectivity is the companion
of total power.
It holds sway over unchallengeable moral authority.
It's a perfect social organization.
♪♪
Salud.
You win.
[ Car engine revs ]
♪♪
I get the feeling you're pissed off.
It isn't my fault my sister didn't show up.
You could have arranged for her to get here.
I couldn't, Gil. I swear it.
You know perfectly well how much I like Paulette.
[ Chuckles ]
Aw.
Ugh!
Ah!
[ Grunts ]
Aah!
You like her, eh?
And you think that's funny, Roger?
Tell me if you think that's funny!
Oh, you know,
I really want to make it with your sister.
Can you imagine how I'd fuck her if I held her
like I'm holding you now?
Gil, you're Gil. Gilbert Turko, a Pole.
You haven't been working too long as a mason,
and you often lose your temper.
She really turns me on.
Man, would I screw her.
You got the same chops.
You got the same eyes.
Pity you're not her.
What are you going to tell her?
I'll do my best
to get her to come tomorrow.
[ Beeping, engine revving ]
♪♪
♪ In joyful planting ♪
♪ I can know no fear ♪
♪ Your songs in the desert ♪
♪ Your heart is close to fear ♪
♪ La, la, la ♪
♪ La, la, la, la, la, la ♪
♪ La, la, la ♪
♪ La, la, la, la ♪
[ Explosion ]
[ Engine revving ]
♪ Young and joyful planting ♪
♪ Hiding, you know no fears ♪
♪ Your songs in the desert ♪
♪ Will have us close to tears ♪
Narrator: Querelle was not used to the idea
that he was a monster.
A young man, he knew the terror of being alone,
caught in the world of the living.
♪ La, la, la ♪
♪ La, la, la, la, la ♪
[ Applause ]
Bravo! Bravo!
You know, for a little girl,
you sing that song just like a big boy.
[ Laughter ]
Hurry up, baby. Go on after your girl!
Otherwise she's gonna drown herself!
[ Siren wails ]
Good to see you.
Why?
Got a job for you, like the one back in Beirut.
Opium?
Right.
I'm going ashore tomorrow afternoon.
At night, I'll drop a rope over the wall to the dock
to the right of the customs house.
At 6:00, you take a boat, tie the package to the rope,
then go back through customs.
We'll meet later back above.
How much?
300.
It's okay with me.
Perhaps love is a den of killers,
and if this is true, will Querelle draw me into it?
And I?
When the time comes for me to drown in my emotion
for Querelle, will there be an alarm ringing for me?
Narrator: We'd like you to perceive
that the sailor Querelle, born of that solitude in which
the officer himself remained isolated,
was a figure comparable to the angel of the Apocalypse
whose feet rest upon the waters.
How ardently I desire Querelle to reveal himself
as a scoundrel beneath that royal surface.
And then to lie at his feet,
to kiss his toes.
♪♪
Narrator: Little by little, we realized that Querelle,
already inside our flesh, was growing,
developing in our soul, feeding off the best within us.
After discovering this about Querelle, we want him
to become the very hero of those who are contemptuous.
Your papers, please!
Narrator: Pursuing his destiny, his development within us,
we shall see how he goes about realizing one single end
which seems to be his own will and his own destiny.
The scene we shall relate is a transposition of the event
which revealed Querelle to us.
We can say that it is comparable to the Visitation.
Okay, you can go now.
♪♪
My brother will take care of everything.
No need to worry about him.
He's in Brest in the Feria.
In the Feria?
You got to be kidding.
They say the Feria's a pretty weird place.
You can't believe every line of bullshit you hear.
Well, you know just as well as I do what they're saying.
What of it?
He's making it with the patronne.
♪♪
That cop is covered with jewels.
I've got my jewels, but I don't show 'em off.
♪♪
I hear the boss is helping himself, too.
So what, if he digs it?
If he asked you, would you do it with him?
Why not, if I felt like it?
I've done worse shit than that before.
If you saw my brother, he'd turn you on, too.
You'd get together with him.
I wouldn't dig it.
I'm telling you you would.
Want a smoke?
♪♪
Nono would like you.
You're a cute chicken.
He wouldn't have a chance with me.
♪♪
[ Water splashes ]
♪♪
And me? Would I have better luck with you?
Cut that shit out!
♪♪
[ Sucks ]
♪♪
Narrator: Querelle listened to the drums and pipes
performing for him alone.
The offices for the dead.
He wrapped himself in prudence, waited for the angel to strike.
♪♪
In a very indistinct way,
Querelle sensed that everything was not finished.
He still had to accomplish the final formality --
his own execution.
Come on, tell me what turns you on about Lysiane
that makes you all excited.
Explain it to me.
That's simple enough.
I like her.
Okay, you know the rules of the game.
If you win, Lysiane is yours.
If I win, you're mine.
[ Dice clatter ]
29.
♪♪
[ Dice clatter ]
♪♪
25.
You lose.
Death sentence.
What did you say?
Nothing.
We won't kiss.
Goes without saying.
♪♪
I'll just give my ass. That's all.
That's right. That's all there is to it.
♪♪
Are you ready?
You got to be careful, okay?
I don't think this is exactly painless.
Don't worry.
This isn't the first time you've been fucked.
This is the first time.
You just take my word for it.
Don't you try any funny business with me.
Don't hand me that shit. Not me.
Or do you think I'm some kind of idiot?
Don't you think I saw you cheating when
we threw the dice?
That'll do.
Don't forget I didn't ask you to do it.
Now lie down!
You're wrong. I wanted your wife.
Come on.
♪♪
Good.
Were you a sailor?
I was Zephir.
Zephir?
Legionnaire in a prison detachment.
Lie down on the table.
♪♪
Come on. It's gonna be fast.
♪♪
That's how I like you.
♪♪
[ Gasps ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Breathing shakily ]
It doesn't hurt.
I'll have to give you that.
You know your job.
♪♪
[ Breathing heavily ]
♪♪
Here goes nothing.
♪♪
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
[ Gasps ]
Aah!
[ Groans ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Groans ]
[ Sighs ]
♪♪
Morning, Lieutenant.
Hello, Querelle.
I must say, you're doing a very good job.
Without even telling me,
you've offered to do another duty.
Who ordered you to shovel coal?
Nobody, sir.
Don't you find your job with me
a little more pleasant?
Sure, Lieutenant. Absolutely.
But this was a voluntary decision
to take over for a buddy.
They could have found somebody else.
You look beautiful like this.
Do you find it so all that pleasant
swallowing coal dust?
No, sir. But...
Yes? What were you going to say?
Nothing, sir.
♪♪
[ Indistinct chatter ]
♪♪
Anything else you wanted, sir?
No, why?
Just asking, sir.
And what are you going to do now?
Nothing, sir. I'm at your disposal.
It's just that all my buddies are down there alone.
Fine, then go back.
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
Your brother's a hot little number.
Querelle? What do you mean by that?
It worked real good with him.
What worked? Your business deal, right?
Oh, that worked out fine, too.
But I mean something else. I made it.
With Querelle?
That's news to me.
I swear it.
But please don't talk about it.
Not with him either.
So what?
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
It's none of my fuckin' business.
But you're not gonna make me believe
you fucked Querelle.
I swear.
I fucked him in the ass.
And when I pulled my cock out,
it was covered with shit, if you want to know.
I've done it with all of them, damn near all of them,
except for you.
I never wanted you, understand?
This way I can say my wife slept with nothing but assholes.
You're the only exception. I don't know why.
I think we could've made it, but I just didn't want to.
You don't interest me in the least.
You don't.
You're not any uglier than the others.
I'm just not interested.
♪ Yet each man doesn't die ♪
♪ Yet each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
You're a little too screwy for me.
You should know that.
♪ Yet each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
[ Applause ]
Hi, Mario. How's it going?
Comme ci, comme ça. How are you?
Just fine.
[ Applause continues ]
Salud.
♪♪
What you grinning about?
Nothing special.
I just fucked Robert's brother.
Maybe that's why.
No kidding! Really?
Really. It wasn't Robert, but what the hell?
It was his brother.
Look at Nono.
Sometimes there's something so female about him,
especially when he does one of those
sweet, silly gestures.
But this Querelle is an okay guy.
Hi, Nono.
Hey, Querelle.
♪♪
Let's go outside.
♪♪
Is that what you wanted?
Man: Cornholer!
Letting a nigger fuck you!
♪♪
Aah!
[ Groans ]
♪♪
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
[ Groans ]
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
No.
Narrator: The two brothers resembled each other
more and more.
The combat in which they were engaged was
more like a lovers' quarrel.
♪♪
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
[ Groans ]
Say it one more time!
Call me a cornholer again! Say it one more time!
I won't say it!
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
I cross the river of creeping vines.
Help me. I'm coming to your shore.
That will be hard, brother.
I can feel your resistance.
What did you say? I can hardly hear it.
Jump on my laugh. Hold tight to it.
Don't worry about my pain. Jump!
Be yourself.
I'm becoming myself.
Talk more quietly.
Closer now.
I love you more than myself.
My hate was simply a camouflage.
A dangerous melancholy draws me close to you,
but my battles separate us.
My laughter is the sun.
It drives away
the shadows you cast on me.
I seek out the daggers of the night.
I set up barricades.
My laughter locks me in. It draws me away from you.
You are beautiful.
You are beautiful, too.
Be quiet.
We mustn't lose ourselves in an all too perfect unity.
Set your hounds and wolves on me.
To what avail?
Every fight crowns you with a painful glow.
Don't lose courage. Work.
♪♪
[ Siren wails ]
Seblon: I love him. The officers all bore me.
Why can't I be a sailor?
I remain standing in the wind.
Cold and headache clamp my forehead
and crown me with an iron tiara.
I'm growing and melting.
[ Sighs ]
A naval officer.
When I was a young man, even when I chose this career,
I didn't realize what a perfect alibi a naval career provides.
[ Chuckles ]
It justifies celibacy.
Women don't ask, "Why aren't you married?"
They pity you for knowing only the transient affairs
and never the true love.
The sea, the solitude.
Nobody asks me whether or not I'm engaged.
Neither my comrades
nor my mother.
From the time I fell in love with Querelle,
I've become less of a disciplinarian.
My love makes me softer.
The more I love Querelle
the more gentle and definite,
the sadder the woman in myself becomes.
Because she cannot achieve fulfillment.
During one of these strange revelations
defining my relationship with Querelle,
I think amidst all these sorrows and inner defeats...
[ Chuckles ]
"What's the point?"
♪♪
That sailor got his throat slit?
Yeah. Nobody knows who killed him.
Did you know him, Querelle?
Yeah. We all know each other.
I didn't know him well.
There is a masculine passivity which is expressed
in the indifference towards courtship,
the completely relaxed anticipation of the body
concerning his role
in the taking or giving of passion.
Nono: Want to shoot dice?
7 orders, 14 pays, and 21's gotta drink, okay?
Want to play too, Querelle?
Sure, why not?
♪♪
[ Grunting ]
Stop the fighting! Stop the fighting!
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
Narrator: Between such men, and for them alone
a universe is established from which the idea of woman
is banished.
The absence of woman forces the two males
to draw a little femininity from within each other
to invent the woman.
♪♪
You know, I know. Just ask him. I'm okay.
You can ask anybody you want.
And you? You're in the navy.
I've met plenty of sailors who were into that.
That didn't stop them from being real men.
Maybe.
And if you let Nono fuck you, why not me?
But you shouldn't believe everything you hear about Nono.
[ Chuckles ]
I know all about life. Believe me.
Okay.
I did it with Nono.
But don't start getting any funny ideas.
I'm no fairy.
I know that.
But Nono's the one who did the fucking, right?
Right.
So?
Forget it.
You don't have to prove to me that you're a man.
We know.
We're both men.
You went to bed with Nono, and that's no crime.
Just as long as he took good care of you.
I hope you got
your share of the pleasure.
I won't say no.
I could do any guy a lot of good.
You see, if it's fun, there's nothing wrong with it.
I'm sure Nono enjoyed it just as much.
He's a pretty hot number.
And you're very pretty.
I look just like the next guy.
Bullshit! I can just see Nono now.
He must've had a hard-on the first moment he saw you.
Tell me, is he good at it?
Cut it.
Tell me, is he a master of his craft?
What's so interesting about it for you?
Gets you all excited, doesn't it?
Maybe you'd like a little taste of it yourself.
Why not, if it's nice?
Tell me, how does he do it?
He does it well.
Are you satisfied now?
Did you come? Was it super?
Try it yourself.
Tell me. Is it nice?
It's not bad.
When he first puts it in, that's a little painful.
Then it's okay.
Seriously, is it nice?
I just did it for the first time.
[ Woman singing indistinctly ]
It's different than I thought.
I'll bet he's got a big prick, this Nono.
Did you like his prick?
I didn't pay any attention to that.
Well, if it's bugging you,
we can stop talking about it.
No, it's not bugging me.
When I talk about this stuff,
I get a mother of a hard-on, believe me.
[ Chuckles ] You're kidding.
Don't you believe me?
What, this gives you a hard-on?
Check it out. Come on. Touch it.
Bullshit.
You haven't got one.
Go on. Touch it.
You'll feel it all right.
[ Woman singing indistinctly ]
Nothing. You call that a hard-on?
Come on. Press it. It's a monster.
Sure, the cloth makes it bigger.
Reach inside. You'll see.
Open it.
You'll see I'm not lying.
[ Indistinct chatter ]
You're right.
Not bad.
You like it?
I told you, size doesn't interest me.
Come on. Give me a hand job.
♪♪
[ Spits ]
♪♪
[ Grunts ]
♪♪
[ Laughter ]
This is supposed to be soup? This is fucking dishwater.
Piss broth, that's what that is.
You need vegetables in soup,
but vegetables are getting harder and harder to find.
Maybe we have to tighten up our belts a little more.
Maybe we could find some vegetables
around here somewhere. [ Laughs ]
You think so?
Maybe someone shoved some up his ass.
There are people who dig that. Eat through their assholes.
You thought out this little number,
didn't you, Theo?
Well, let me tell you one thing.
I'm not going to put up with this shit much longer.
What are you talking about?
Gets you horny, turns you on, doesn't it?
But don't worry. I'll always be here when you need me.
You want to fuck me, huh?
Don't be embarrassed!
Go ahead!
[ Laughter ]
And you guys laugh.
You think it's funny!
Is there anybody else who wants to fuck me?
Please!
Cut it out, Gil.
Your hassle with Theo's none of our business.
What? I've got no hassle with Gil.
I don't give a shit about him.
Not one little shit.
Why didn't I smack Theo in the mouth
right then and there?
Why didn't I push that motherfucker's face in?
Just 'cause the guy keeps paying for my drinks?
[ Motorcycle engine running ]
I hate him because he has power over me.
I wanted to be his friend, but not like that.
He made a fool of me in front of all of them.
And all because I didn't smash him in the mouth
soon enough.
Why didn't I push that motherfucker's face in?
[ Thuds, dishes clattering ]
Oh, Paulette,
you sweet little piglet with that adorable pussy.
You're going to get another taste of my rod.
I'm a man. I even fuck guys!
And I fuck you too, Theo!
Why didn't I push that motherfucker's face in?
I can put you away, Theo, whenever I feel like it.
[ Blows ]
Roger.
Hi, Gil.
Roger, my mate, let's have a drink together.
[ Motorcycle engines revving ]
How's it going, Gil?
Okay, I guess.
You don't have to worry about me.
There ain't no Theo anymore.
You don't have to put me in the same boat as him.
I'm no faggot, but he -- he ain't a man.
He's a whore, a cocksucker.
Now we, you and me, we're friends.
And we've got a right to be.
But he's just a dirty motherfucker.
I think you've had a little bit too much to drink.
Don't get in a state.
I paid for it with my own money.
He can take his money,
shove it right up his ass.
I tell you, he's nothing,
and I'm going to crush him.
[ Motorcycles departing ]
Hello, Gil.
It's you, Theo.
Are you buying?
I'm here with a friend.
Sure. Why not, honey?
[ Clattering ]
And now you're not with us anymore!
How did you meet Gil?
Easy, just like that.
He was after my sister.
Did he have an affair with your sister?
With Paulette? No. Why?
Because we found these pictures under his pillow.
I have nothing to say to that.
Did you make it with him?
Did you and he have an affair?
Never, Inspector. I swear it.
And this Theo, the one Gil murdered
did you make it with him?
Jesus Christ.
I only knew him from seeing him around.
But this Gil must surely have tried to seduce you.
No, never, Inspector.
Whatever gave you that idea?
Simply because this Gil is gay.
That's not true.
How could you be so goddamn sure?
Because he was after my sister, that's why.
He never tried to touch you?
What do you mean touch me?
You know what I mean.
Did he do anything indecent to you?
I already told you. Nothing.
Did he ever run his hands over your pants?
Didn't he even try to touch your crotch?
No. He never did.
It's like I said.
He never touched me.
Okay.
Narrator: They couldn't pull anything out of him,
who now loved Gil all the more.
At first he loved him as a child whose imagination
is quick and exhilarating.
Crime enabled him to penetrate a world
where feelings are violent.
You can go now.
What sudden desire?
I'm nothing but desire.
At first, only mechanically
my hands formed female breasts on my chest
as if they had been grafted there.
I was happy.
[ Sighs ]
I went through the motions again,
and I feel happy.
I'm filled.
I take my hands away, I'm filled.
♪♪
Are you looking for me?
Yes, we are.
That is if you're Lieutenant Seblon.
Yes, I am.
We are from the police.
It has to do with that murdered sailor.
You mean Vic? That's what I thought.
You don't say.
Yes, we're investigating this Vic Rivette case,
and so far, we haven't made much progress.
Really?
Yes.
But maybe you could tell me if this Vic Rivette
had a special relationship with any of his mates.
How do you think a love relationship
like that could be recognized?
I didn't say anything about a love relationship.
No? Then I probably misunderstood you.
Probably.
But perhaps you know more
about this Vic's associations.
The physical relationships of my boys
have nothing to do with me.
And even if someone had killed Vic
in connection with one of these adventures,
I wouldn't be informed.
Of course, Lieutenant, but it would be possible
that you might have heard something about it,
wouldn't it?
[ Chuckles ]
You must be joking.
I don't spy on my men.
Besides, take it from me.
These young people, when they get involved
with shady individuals,
they certainly don't like to talk about it.
I believe these meetings are enveloped in dark secrets.
These shady characters are extremely well-organized.
You seem to have given this particular matter
quite a bit of thought, Lieutenant.
It only seems like it.
Basically, I'm not at all interested
in this kind of thing.
Really?
By the way, has your alibi been checked out yet?
My alibi? [ Laughs ]
But of course.
You can check your files on that.
Are you sure?
Mm-hmm.
All the best, Lieutenant.
All the best.
[ Chains rattling ]
Do I have charms which might conquer another?
And who, besides myself,
has been conquered by Querelle's charms?
How could I become him?
[ Chuckles ] I push up my pajama sleeves
to keep them from getting in my way when I jerk off.
This simple motion makes a man out of me.
Thus I appear as a lion tamer before Querelle.
But all of this will end tragically.
[ Laughs ]
Have the cops questioned you?
Yeah, but I didn't say a word.
What was there to say?
Right.
And Paulette?
What's Paulette doing now?
Nothing special.
She still hasn't gone back to work.
She just sits around the house.
Did you talk to her about me?
I don't think that's a good idea.
It's too dangerous.
Paulette can't always keep her trap shut.
Your picture was in the paper.
They say you've got that sailor on your conscience, too.
Says who?
The police.
It was in the paper.
Bullshit.
They don't believe that fairy tale themselves.
They found your lighter next to the corpse.
My lighter?
God, I must have lost that ages ago, didn't I?
I think so.
There, you see?
Boy, your sister.
Could I do with a piece of her right now.
She's so cute.
She looks like me.
I know.
But she's prettier.
♪♪
If I were holding her like I'm holding you now,
I'd make out with her like crazy.
Too bad you're not a girl.
♪♪
Really?
You're definitely as pretty as a girl.
What's the matter? Scared?
No.
What then?
What do you think I want?
Ah...
You don't feel safe with a guy like me,
do you?
What do you mean?
If I didn't, I wouldn't have come here, would I?
Right.
You've got to see Robert.
I've been thinking this over.
He and his friends might be able
to help me get out of here.
Okay, Gil.
I'll try to get in contact with Robert.
I think it's better you leave now.
Querelle: Hey.
Yes?
Come over here.
♪♪
I know you.
You're that friend of Turko's.
Gil Turko, the one who committed the murder.
Don't you know me?
Yeah, you're Querelle,
Robert's brother.
Right.
Thought I might be able to help your friend
if he's still in Brest.
What do you think?
Well, since you're Robert's brother,
I'll be right back.
Narrator: An uneasiness filled Querelle, troubling his mind.
For the first time, he was going to meet another criminal,
a murderer of his own stature with whom he would be able
to talk business.
I met Querelle. You know, Robert's brother?
He wants to help you. Should I bring him here?
Sure. Why didn't you bring him in the first place?
Oh, I thought that --
Hurry up. Get him!
It's okay. Come with me.
Thanks, kid.
My name's Roger. Roger Bataille.
Thanks, Roger. Roger Bataille.
Narrator: Now in this abandoned prison,
Querelle was to meet a young fellow who had killed.
This thought filled him with tenderness.
The murderer was an awkward kid, a murderer for nothing.
A fool.
But thanks to Querelle,
he would be adorned with a true murder.
[ Bells ringing ]
[ Indistinct chatter ]
Tell me.
Why did you knock that sailor off?
I don't understand that.
Come on. Tell me.
Why did you do that to the sailor?
He didn't do it.
If he didn't, who did?
Word of honor. I didn't do it.
I can't tell you who did it,
but I swear it wasn't me.
The paper said you did it.
I believe you.
But you'll never convince the police.
They found your lighter next to the body.
Get out, Roger! Get lost!
I can't stand another minute of you today.
Get the hell out!
I lost my lighter.
I didn't even notice it.
How can a lighter be so important?
Finally I know why you won't let the other girls
wear black lingerie.
Huh? Why?
Because you alone are ennobled by this black.
It makes you so beautiful,
gives you a solemn air,
and at the same time, you are unbearably hot.
Do I make you hot?
Want to see?
[ Chuckles ]
Okay, get started.
♪♪
You're alone in the world.
The night lies over the solitude
of an endless space.
Like a double mirror image of your brother,
you live in your double solitude.
You upset me.
There's no reason to hide it.
Your similarity does me in.
I'm sick of your obscenities.
Right?!
Your obscenities.
Don't you think I know?
I'm sick of it.
All you ever look at is yourselves.
I'm not even there for you.
Who am I then? Where do I fit in?
You only live in your brother's eyes.
Inside your brother, and he lives inside of you.
There's no room for me in between.
I'm at the door.
I'm too fat.
That's it.
I'm too fat.
Narrator: Her mind was clouded by the extreme, precise,
indescribable melting of those two muscular, sinewy bodies.
And she tried to force the soft, dissolving mass
of her own sumptuous body between them.
Robert...
my heart's delight,
I wish you'd be alone with me once.
You make me unhappy.
♪♪
I'm afraid for you.
Afraid you might not be free anymore.
♪♪
Narrator: When Madame Lysiane found herself before Querelle,
her gaze went to his fly in spite of herself.
Perhaps this evening the cloth would be less stiff,
would clearly outline his cock and balls
allowing Madame Lysiane to note a difference
between the two brothers.
She still hoped that the sailor's cock
would be smaller than Robert's.
♪♪
Mario: Lysiane waited a long time for love.
Men never did get her all that excited.
It wasn't until she was around 40 that she developed
an appetite for men with hard muscles.
When she enjoyed happiness,
she started to get horribly jealous.
But she didn't admit it.
She loves your brother.
Robert is her man.
The first real one, I think.
But when they make love, they make it like gays,
and Lysiane despises gays.
You love each other.
You love each other with your beauty.
I can't break you up.
You'll always find your way back to each other.
You love your brother more than me.
No way can I get around that.
That's the kind of misery
that can only happen to a woman my age.
I always remained indifferent to the desires
the others showed me,
but my mental chastity
has built a field inside of me,
a field that can be easily sown
with the seeds of the miraculous.
Narrator: Having seen her that first day,
Querelle no longer thought of looking at Lysiane.
But bit by bit, with her usual authority,
she imposed herself upon him and took possession of him.
♪♪
Robert: Neither my brother nor I is sufficiently in love
with love to seek new experiences.
Nor do we need to satisfy some hygienic urge.
Nono sees in his game with Querelle an energetic
somewhat boastful manifestation of a horniness,
which he believes to have discovered in Querelle.
There's nothing more to it than there would be
to an orgy in a monastery --
a bit of pleasant fun in which Nono is also indulging
because of his powerful shoulders.
I know I'm risking nothing
because absolutely no emotion clouds the purity of my game.
No passion.
It's a game without weight.
Two men having the time of their lives
by virtue of one of them without complication,
offering the other his ass.
Narrator: Nono agreed to fuck Querelle
more or less to be nice.
It doesn't seem to him that the sailor was in love with him,
but he needed that to continue living.
Because of Querelle's strength,
Nono did not feel contempt for him.
You like fucking me, don't you?
Why not? It isn't bad.
If I were to say I felt for you, that would be a lie.
I've never understood how anybody could
fall in love with a man.
I could never fall in love with a guy.
I let myself get fucked 'cause I like it.
Have you tried to fuck a guy?
Never.
Not the least bit interested either.
But you don't mind other guys fucking you?
Why not?
Like I said, it's just for the fun of it.
Nono doesn't love me, but I feel more and more
that something new is happening.
A feeling binds me to Nono.
I would never admit that Nono dominates me
just because he fucks me.
But you can't keep playing the same game every day
without subsequently giving in to it.
Beyond that, there's Lysiane.
♪♪
And my friendship with you makes me...
happy.
For these reasons,
I've lost the desire to continue playing
this game with Nono.
♪♪
Narrator: Gil felt a strange emotion when,
for the first time in his life,
he saw his name in the headlines.
It was on the front page.
At first, he thought the story was about someone else
and at the same time about himself alone.
Nevertheless, the judges will realize --
Realize what?
What judges?
You're not thinking of giving yourself up now?
That would be really idiotic.
You've been hiding out too long for them
not to believe you're guilty.
His name exposed him
and exposed him completely naked.
This was glory.
Terrible to be ashamed of it, of entering it
through the door of contempt.
What have you got to lose?
If you steal something now,
it won't even go on your record.
What's a robbery next to a murder?
There isn't much a sailor like me can do,
but I've done it.
I looked for a likely safe place,
and I found one.
Really?
If you had money, you could buy some
different clothes and get out of here safely.
What's the plan?
My lieutenant has an appointment today.
He always has lots of cash on him.
And how is this supposed to come off?
Easy.
Easy?
On his way, he'll pass a pissoir he always uses.
He turns on to
the dirty graffiti in there.
Change into these.
No one will ever suspect you.
What if he tries to fight me off?
I mean --
He never fights.
He's too chicken for that.
He's just a big queen.
Well, what if he does fight?
I thought of that.
You have to think of everything.
That's why I brought this.
A gun?
Only if push comes to shove.
You won't need it. I'm sure of that.
[ Both chuckle ]
That suit looks perfect on you.
You think so?
If I say so.
I'm gonna give you a mustache.
♪♪
Perfect.
♪♪
It's the pissoir between the dock
and the Catholic church.
♪♪
Double brandy.
♪♪
Hands up!
What's all this about?
Shut up.
Just hand over your briefcase, or I'll shoot.
♪♪
I wouldn't do that if I were you.
Shut up and don't move.
Give me your cash,
or I'll blow a hole in your guts.
Come on, go ahead, shoot.
Come on.
[ Gunshot ]
Ah! [ Gasps ]
[ Groans ]
♪♪
Okay?
Almost.
Almost?
What's that supposed to mean?
He didn't want to hand over the cash.
I had to shoot.
And is he...?
Just wounded him.
Hit him in the shoulder.
How much cash did he have?
$50,000.
I threw the briefcase in the sea.
That's good. That's very good.
And now?
I bought you a ticket to Bordeaux.
For when?
Today.
20 past 4:00.
Already? Today?
Every second you stay in Brest is dangerous.
Now you've got money.
You can take care of yourself.
$50,000 ought to do you for a while.
I'm so lucky you helped me out, Querelle.
You know?
Forget it.
You still got to be careful they don't catch you.
Can I trust you to keep your trap shut
if you do get nabbed?
Sure you can.
The cops will never get anything out of me.
I never -- never even heard of you.
Well, I better leave now.
Yeah, I guess you better.
Sorry about this, Gil, old buddy.
Really.
I liked you.
I like you, too.
But we'll meet again.
I'll never forget you.
You say that now.
Life happens fast.
You've already forgotten me.
No way, pal.
Not at all.
I'm not that kind of guy.
Really?
You won't forget me?
If I say I won't, you know I won't.
[ Chuckles ]
Funny what good friends we've become.
We were friends right from the start.
I hope nothing happens to you.
Narrator: Querelle's friendship for Gil developed
to the brink of love.
Like himself, Gil had killed.
He was a little Querelle for whom Querelle maintained
a strange feeling of respect and curiosity,
as though he was standing before the fetus of a baby Querelle.
He wanted to make love to him because he believed
his tenderness would be strengthened by it
because he would be more closely linked to Gil
whom he would then link more closely to himself.
But he didn't know how to go about it
since he, having always been fucked,
didn't know how to fuck a guy.
The gesture would have embarrassed him.
♪♪
You're sweet, you know that?
Why?
You let me kiss you like this
without complaining about it.
Why should I?
I told you you are my friend.
This isn't bothering you, is it?
No.
♪♪
Gil.
Yes?
You've got to be my very special friend forever.
Do you understand?
Yes.
And will you?
Yes.
♪♪
Narrator: In some obscure way,
Querelle understood that love is voluntary.
You have to want it.
When you don't love men, letting yourself get fucked
can give you pleasure, but to fuck men,
you have to love them, even if only
at the moment you're fucking.
So if he was to love Gil,
he would have to give up his passivity.
Querelle tried.
♪♪
My friend.
What a shame we can't stay together forever.
But we'll meet again.
To be together like here,
I'd like that.
♪♪
Narrator: The vision of the solitude in which their love
had developed increased his love for Gil.
And he felt to be everything for him,
his one friend, his one family.
♪♪
I never loved a boy before.
You're the first one.
Truly?
Truly.
Narrator: Gil had finally resigned himself
to the other crime.
Little by little, he assumed responsibility
for the sailor's murder.
♪♪
Hi.
You want something from me?
Depends.
On what?
On you.
I've got a tip for Mario.
But you've got to promise me you won't tell anybody
where it came from.
Nobody.
Never.
Is that clear?
I promise you. That's all I can say.
That'll do.
[ Match strikes ]
You can tell Mario
that this Polack...
this Gil Turko...
...will be on the train that leaves for Bordeaux
at 20 past 4:00.
Ciao.
♪♪
Seblon: But loved by Querelle,
I would be loved by every sailor in France
because Querelle is a compendium of all their masculine
and naive virtues.
If I desire authority,
this admirable form which evokes love and fear,
then I must awaken a feeling for this authority
in the heart of the sailors.
They ought to love me.
I want to be their father and injure them.
I shall mark them. They will hate me.
In the face of their misery, I shall remain unmoved.
More and more, the feeling of perfect power
will fill my being.
Having conquered my compassion, I shall be strong and sad
when I regard my pathetic disguise.
I know that I will never leave Querelle.
My whole life will be dedicated to him.
Good morning.
When I suffer, I can not believe in God.
In pain, all I can count on is myself in the misfortune
for which I have someone else to thank.
I always knew you were a murderer.
Come on. Stab me.
We have Jesus to thank
that we are able to glorify humility,
for He made it the sign of the divine,
the godhead in our innermost depths.
For why should we renounce the violence of this world?
If this godhead is to confront violence,
then it must be strong
if it is to achieve the victory.
And humility can only be born of humiliation.
Otherwise, it is nothing but vanity.
[ Footsteps approaching ]
Put away your knife.
Morning, Lieutenant.
Good morning. What can I do for you?
Would you be good enough to come with me
to the police station?
Certainly. And for what reason?
I want you to look at a suspect.
It concerns the robbery.
You have a suspect then, do you?
We have.
Is that a fact?
Well, then I'll be glad to come along with you.
Let's go.
♪♪
Narrator: Querelle was now Lysiane's lover.
The excitement she felt thinking about the identity
of the two brothers exasperated her to such a degree
that she felt lost.
What did you hope to achieve by attacking
your fellow worker Theo Celine?
I wanted to kill him.
You did?
So you already thought of killing Theo Celine
when you broke the bottle,
the bottle with which you mortally wounded him?
Yes, I wanted to kill him.
So, before you hit him, it was clear that you might
kill your friend with the bottle?
Absolutely, Inspector.
I wanted to kill him.
Why did you want to do that?
He hurt my honor and my soul.
How did he do that?
He made fun of me in front of everybody,
including myself.
And that was reason enough for you to kill a man?
Can one man do anything worse to another
than hurting his honor?
Well...
I suppose there are some differences of opinion
on that subject.
I repeat once again.
You killed the sailor Vic Rivette
to rob him of his money, and you killed Theo Celine
because he, uh, hurt your honor.
Is that correct?
Yes.
That's correct.
And the robbery of Naval Lieutenant Seblon?
It's exactly as I told you.
I had nothing to do with that one.
Ah, you're sticking to your story on that.
Fine.
Marcellin?
Yes, Inspector?
Well, Lieutenant, here he is.
Do you recognize him?
You, take off your hat.
And get up.
[ Horn honking, vehicles passing ]
No, it's not him.
I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I must ask you
to think this one over very carefully.
Maybe you do remember this young man.
I don't understand what you're getting at.
I'm concerned with justice, too.
I can't accuse an innocent man.
Are you absolutely certain, Lieutenant?
Absolutely!
I would have recognized him right away
because his face was right next to mine.
Well...
Lieutenant, you may go now.
You haven't even got a decent hard-on.
It doesn't stay up forever.
Buy yourself a rubber one.
You know...
I've dreamt a lot about your prick lately.
Yeah?
Was it nicer in your dreams?
No.
I'm very satisfied.
You have a solid, heavy, massive prick.
Not elegant, but strong.
And so different from Robert's.
Different how?
Your prick has more character.
Querelle.
Yeah?
Why did you refuse me for so long?
I didn't refuse you.
It's just that you were my brother's woman.
And now?
Now I'm getting revenge on my brother.
So...
...that's the reason.
And me?
♪♪
And me?
You?
You're just a woman.
♪♪
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Some do it with a bitter look ♪
♪ Some with a flattering word ♪
♪ The coward does it with a kiss ♪
♪ The brave man with a sword ♪
Careful, Querelle.
If you lose your footing, you can sometimes fall very far.
Thanks, Inspector.
How about it? Throw dice with me?
No.
I'll never throw dice with you again.
♪ Da, da, da ♪
Give me a double scotch.
They even have to get drunk on the same day.
The "Holy Brothers."
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
I said a double.
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Some kill their love when they are young ♪
♪ And some when they are old ♪
♪ Some strangle with the hands of lust ♪
♪ Some with the hands of gold ♪
Querelle.
Yeah?
Where are you going?
That's nobody's business.
Do you hear me?!
♪ Each man kills the thing he loves ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
Hey, you wanna get fucked? Come on, baby.
You wanna get fucked by me?
Want to get fucked?
There.
Motherfucker!
Hitting a defenseless girl.
If you were a real man...
Watch out, guys, he's got a knife.
[ Horn honks ]
Querelle.
Don't be crazy. This is pure madness.
I don't want you to get involved in this kind of business.
Come on. Come with me.
♪♪
You're a pal.
All the others are assholes,
but you're a pal.
Whatever you want from me, it's yours.
Be quiet.
If an officer were to come along...
I don't give a fuck!
As far as I'm concerned, you're all there is!
Stop yelling.
You're going to wind up in the brig.
Yeah.
I'd be very sad if you went to prison.
Really?
You're just saying that.
You're an officer. What do you care?
You know perfectly well it isn't so.
♪♪
I'm on the brink of a shame
from which no man ever rises.
But only in that shame will I find
my everlasting peace.
I'm so weak.
I've been conquered.
Totally conquered.
And my thoughts are sad.
I have feelings of autumn,
soilings,
fine mortal wounds in me.
♪♪
I will never find peace until you take me.
It must be done so that afterwards
I can lie across your thighs like a Pietà
cradling a dead Jesus.
♪♪
That's the guy who shot me. I recognize him.
♪♪
[ Door closes ]
♪♪
Querelle, finally.
Why did you keep me waiting so long?
You want to hurt me?
Destroy me?
My longing for you, Querelle,
is so strong,
so deep,
endless.
What's all this about?
Why are you crying?
Because you've been longing for me?
Do you know who you've been longing for?
Your husband's boyfriend.
His piece of ass.
Look at him!
Big Nono!
The best stallion that ever existed.
Lysiane: Can't be true.
Why shouldn't it be true?
Cut it out, kid.
There's no point in it.
[ Sighs ]
You fucked with Nono
only because you love your brother madly, right?!
Narrator: More and more, Lysiane was left out of the game.
All that was most beautiful and most incredible
took place without her.
Believe whatever you want.
So, kid, you're nothing more than a fairy, right?
[ Laughs ]
What's so funny about it?
Nothing.
Except that makes Nono a fairy, too.
[ Laughs ]
I think that's pretty funny.
And, Robert?
What do I care about Robert?
I'm me!
You're disgusting.
You're my enemy.
You've destroyed me.
[ Sighs ]
You have mysterious powers,
powers,
they multiply infinitely.
You're not a human being.
You don't belong to this earth.
Narrator: When looking at Querelle, Lysiane had already
lost that feeling fencers call "the fraternity of the sword."
She was alone.
♪♪
I know now why I feel so abandoned.
♪♪
Narrator: Querelle's inner harmony was indestructible
because it was sealed in that heaven of heavens
where beauty unites with beauty.
♪♪
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
[ Laughs ]
What's with you?
I was wrong!
You haven't got a brother.
You understand?
I made a mistake.
You hear me?
You haven't got a brother.
He hasn't got a brother at all.
♪♪
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
[ Laughter ]
♪♪
[ Laughter continues ]
♪♪
[ Lysiane laughing ]
♪♪
Narrator: His birth certificate states
"Born on the 19th of December, 1918, 10:00 in the morning.
Mother -- Gabrielle Genet.
Father -- unknown.
Apart from his books, we know nothing about him.
Not even the date of his death
which to him seems near.
Jean Genet."