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OMER fAst
160
DE GROTE BOODSCHAP: EXTRACT FROM SCENE 2
INT. MECHELEN APARTMENT HOUSE.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL’S LIVING ROOM. NIGHT.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL, over eighty years old, lights her
eightieth cigarette of the day.
T. J., a young woman ofWest African origin, turns off the
sound on the TV. T. J. is MRS. VAN. GHESTEL’s caretaker.
The two women watch the TV images in complete
silence.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
Just before the end of the war, a
man suddenly knocked on our door.
I must have been a
twelve-year-old girl.
T. J.
Mrs. van Ghestel, I already know
these war stories of yours…
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
And this man said he was from
Antwerp. And that he was a
diamond dealer.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL inhales deeplyfrom her cigarette.
T. J. ignores her, preferring to watch the TV.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
The man asked for shelter. My
father did not let him in. But
the man held out his hand and it
was full of sparkling diamonds!
For me, as a child, this was a
magical moment.
T. J. changes the channel on the TV.
CAMERA slowly zooms in on MRS. VAN GHESTEL.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
Later that night, there was loud
racket and many noises. Dogs were
barking. I woke up. I saw a light
in the living room and I walked
downstairs. My father was there.
He was sitting alone in front of
A jar of pills and a bottle of
Cognac.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL becomes more and more animated
as she recalls the story.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
He took a pill. He filled up a
glass of Cognac. And he drank it
all down in one shot. He took
another pill. He filled up
another glass of Cognac. And he
drank it all down again until it
was empty. Then a third pill and
another glass of Cognac… All
the while, the noises outside
grew louder and louder… He was
trembling! Trembling! But there
was no sign of the stranger in
the house.
T. J. looks at her watch, sighs, gets up and walks off
camera. MRS. VAN GHESTEL drags on her cigarette
and closes her eyes.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
My mother also woke up. She
walked in, still wearing her
nightgown. Her face was red from
crying. She saw my father sitting
there and she said, “Frans! Just
what is it that you’re doing?”
But my father kept on drinking.
And he kept on swallowing pills…
Over and over. Pill after pill.
Glass after glass.
T. J.
(off -camera)
Mrs. van Ghestel, it’s really
getting very late. Why is there
no food in your fridge?
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
My mother kept crying, “Frans!
How can you do this to us! Have
You gone out ofyour mind?” But
my father said: “Let me be!” She
grabbed him by his vest! But he
threw her to the floor and
yelled: “Can’t you understand
what I’m doing? I’m swallowing
the diamonds! I’m drinking the
diamonds!My stomach is the only
safe place in this whole damn
house! Nobody can take the
diamonds from there! He was so
drunk that he could barely stay
on his feet.
Pages 154–155 and 158–159:
stills from De Grote Boodschap (The Big Message), 2007
single channel, 27 мinutes
Production still: Erik de cnodder
courtesy Omer fast
Omer fast was born 1972 in israel. he is now based in germany. fast works with film, video and television footage to examine
how individuals and histories interact with each other in narrative. he mixes sound and image into stories that often veer between
the personal and the media’s account of current events and history. he uses his films to explore the various possibilities offered
by the cinematic medium: possibilities of expressing emotions, of confronting personal stories with public concerns, of concentrating
on individuals or integrating their environments in a broader historical context.
T. J. returns and sits next to MRS. VAN GHESTEL. She takes
her hand, gently trying to get her attention.
T. J.
Mrs. van Ghestel. It’s really
late. I have go to the
supermarketbefore it closes, OK?
I’ll be back in a half hour. A
half hour, OK?
MRS. VAN GHESTELL looks at T. J. but doesn’t respond.
T. J. walks towards the door but pauses before leaving.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
And the whole week afterwards…
Day after day… My father and
mother would go into the toilet
together. And I stood outside the
door and listened. And I could
hear my mother crying: “Frans!
Keep going! Don’t stop, Frans! It
is so beautiful!”
MRS. VAN GHESTEL leans forward in her couch. She is
ecstatic, almost screaming.
T. J. looks on with no expression. She’s heard this story
a thousand times but cannot leave until it’s over.
MRS. VAN GHESTEL
“Don’t stop! More! More, Frans!
It is just so beautiful! Frans…
And look how it sparkles! I wish
It would stay like this forever!”
A pause. T. J. opens the door and leaves.
161