Don't die.
It's too soon. Don't die.
Don't leave me behind. Not on my own.
Martine... Alessandra...
You've got to tell me, George. Tell me the truth. I need to know.
What happened to Alfred in the camps during the war? Tell me.
George?
George...
Wait here a moment, please.
Princess!
Hello.
Always keep work and play separate, Mario.
Rome, you and me, in two weeks. To celebrate selling to Ginman.
The sale hasn't been finalised yet and if it were up to me it never will be.
But it's not up to you.
Mario, I haven't got time.
My distillate has to be ready in 3 weeks. I'm not even close.
A good reason for going. You have to be relaxed and rested for the presentation.
Goon, Allesandra. Say yes. It's my treat.
I said no. I haven't got time.
Mario, if I need a lawyer to test the flavour, I'll call you.
But I don't need your advice at the moment. OK?
Alessandra, where's Grandma?
The people from Ginman are waiting in the conference room.
She said she'd be there in time.
I'll keep them occupied for a while, OK? - Yeah.
What was that?
About Rome?
Yes, hello. Oh, Mum.
What?
He looks so peaceful.
I really loved him.
Marchoul & Co? - Throw it away.
Mum.
That's fine, that's fine. That's nice.
And that purple is fine. Where's the piping?
They haven't done what I asked again. You knew what I wanted, Alessandra.
That gold piping that Dad loved. It's not finished off properly like that.
Martine.
He's not going to loose any sleep over it, you know.
Is there someone there?
George, wait!
Alfred, De Keyser's daughter, have you seen her?
Helena? She's at boarding school in Genk, isn't she?
She was at boarding school in Genk. She's left school now.
So you're awake then?
I had to do all the bottling by myself while you were fast asleep!
I wasn't asleep, I was thinking.
Think about the shortest route, cos you're pedalling!
Come on, pal. On you get. Come on.
Uh, Louis, Louis...
Louis Armstrong. The Stardust! - No.
Oh no, no. Uh...
It would be dishonest, Dad,
to say you were a simple person.
You were complicated and mysterious.
And sometimes absent for a long time. Too long, Dad.
I often had to get along without you, Dad.
And now I'm going to have to get along without you for a very long time.
The war left its indelible mark on people like you and Mum.
You tried to keep your head up in difficult times. Times of deprivation.
Deprivation, yeah! But we had lots of herrings in '42.
In Zeebrugge. In Zeebrugge alone more than 1oo tonne.
A statue will never be erected in your honour, Dad.
Or in honour of your business instincts.
But believe me, Dad...
Believe me, to me you are a monument. I'll never...
Thank you.
I'm fine, thank you. Thank you.
You have to be strong. - Who for? For him?
For yourself.
You still have to come to terms with it, get through it.
You know death isn't the end, eh?
It's just an exit on the motorway of life.
Right. Mr um... - Munz.
Moers. - Munz. Munz.
I'm pleased to see you, truly I am. Because with Gusta,
when Gusta passed on, things were a bit rough for a while.
And those of us who are left behind need to support each other.
It's very kind of you, Mr Munz, but Helena needs to rest now.
I'm rather tired. - Yes, Helena.
Helena, my door's always open. You know that, eh?
That's very kind of you, Mr Munz. Thank you.
Oh dear, d'you think it's going to rain? - Oh no!
I hope people don't get wet.
What you said was beautiful. - Thank you, Louise.
But my mother doesn't agree with you.
But what you said was mainly meant for your father, eh?
And partly for yours too.
I'm really glad you came. - I had to come. I had to.
You're a friend for life. You really are. Thank you.
Mario.
If you need someone to talk to, you've got my number.
Thank you.
The people from Ginman are coming back. - Let's not talk about Ginman now.
Chin up. - Thanks.
I'll call you. - Yes, call me.
Do you know any more about what happened? Did George say anything?
Say anything?
What about?
It was uh...
What about? - I don't know.
Come on, Thieu, let's go and have some sandwiches. Come on, Thieu.
Aged in oak for fifty years. Amazing.
There is a much stronger taste of nutmeg than with our young genever.
It makes it very smooth.
Three-quarters of it is the angels' share. Nearly everything evaporated.
Then those in heaven have had their share too.
Nice, eh?
How did you and Grandpa meet?
Grandpa was a childhood friend.
And stayed that all my life.
Just a friend or your boyfriend? - Friendship is important.
What about love? - I'm not sure I know what that is.
I certainly didn't come across it much in my life.
Five minutes. Fifteen minutes maybe, but not much longer.
But I did come across friendship.
Charlotte is a good friend and I've had three very good friends in my life.
Your grandpa.
And my own father, Henri De Keyser.
And the third one?
Alfred Lenaerts.
Hello, boys. You look busy.
Are you thirsty? - Actually we are, yes.
The workers first! - Thank you.
You're sweating hard! - We've cycled a long way today.
First past the heath, through the fields,
along the canal, back through the fields to, uh... to you, Helena.
Oh, so you remember my name? - Of course we do.
Shall we hang you upside down in the old oak tree again?
Or have you forgotten that?
And the row with your strange butler. - Charles.
Butler. He's our foreman, George. - I'm Alfred, he's George.
So you're back from boarding school? - What can I smell?
What can you smell? - Male sweat.
And, um... genever.
Poor quality genever! Much too sharp. - That's possible.
We went to the fair in Maastricht yesterday.
Very poor quality gene... very cheap.
Our clothes probably still smell of it.
I smell everything.
I get that from my father.
All the herbs here. It's a gift from God.
What did Charlotte ask just now?
When she asked if he'd said anything.
Was it about Grandpa? - Grandpa is dead and I'm next.
What d'you mean by that?
What did Grandpa still have to tell you? Was it about this Alfred person?
Who was this Alfred anyway? - George's best friend.
And your best friend too, if I'm not mistaken.
No, you're not mistaken.
Tell me.
What d'you want me to tell you? All I've got are questions.
Everything. Tell me the truth. It'll do you good.
The truth...
I don't know what that is.
The only person who knew the truth was George.
And he wouldn't tell me.
He wouldn't tell me a thing.
That's... heather.
Yes, yes.
What's this? - Vervain, ironweed.
And this, and this?
Oh, fantastic. That's...
Convolvulus. - You know it?
Yes, yes. - That's um... soap root.
Soap root. D'you know it? - No, I don't know it.
Hey, and this?
Tickseed? - I don't believe it.
I feel dizzy. - Did I tie it too tight?
No, no. I'm just dizzy... with happiness.
We've got to go to work. - Yeah, yeah.
Will you drop me off at home?
For such a little girl you've certainly bloody grown a lot!
Helena, could we maybe see your distillery?
That would really be bloody interesting!
You'll have to stop the swearing then! - What?
We distil our alcohol four times. First ruwnat, then enkelnat,
then moutwijn and only after the fourth time is it real genever.
I can smell wormwood, coriander and caraway.
Noone knows exactly what we put in our genever.
And Heidebitt.
We're busy distilling, Helena. It's not a good idea to give a guided tour now.
Charles, this is George and Alfred. - Yes, we've met. I think. Haven't we?
Charles is the distillery's guardian angel.
Mine too, a bit.
Young lady!
This should've been signed yesterday.
This is Frans. He works for Customs and Excise.
He checks every drop of alcohol that's distilled here.
And now and then he tries some of it.
I make sure no fiddling goes on here. I represent the law.
Hi, guys. Hi, Anna. - Helena.
Later on... shall we go swimming? - Charlotte's coming too.
OK. See you later!
Hello!
Here we are. The kingdom of the nose!
This is where we create our flavour.
My great-grandfather started it almost 1oo years ago.
Then my grandfather, my father and now me.
This is where we create our genever's typical flavour.
Which is nothing like the cheap rubbish
that some of our competitors try to sell, legally or illegally.
Alfred, d'you recognise that?
Don't you recognise it? - That's my father. He's working.
We should stop this, George. - But it's going so well, Alfred.
They don't like this at De Keyser. - You're just scared.
It's wrong, George.
I know that too but what else can I do?
I'd rather be manager of the De Keyser distillery
and earn lots of money and have a house with more than one storey.
They never give a job like that to guys like us.
Rich people marry rich people, Alfred. And poor people stay poor.
It'll all come to no good, George.
Come in.
Sorry to disturb you, sir. But there's something I thought I should tell you.
Yes?
Your daughter Helena...
Yes?
I saw her here with two young people I don't think really belong here.
Did you?
This house is also my daughter's house, Charles.
May I get on with my work now?
Yes, sir.
That Alfred's not bad. Neither is George, either.
I don't know what to make of those two. - If I were you I'd go for George.
Oh yeah, why? - He's good on the trumpet.
Yeah, and he's got some go in him.
Maybe he's a bit too self-confident. Alfred looks nicer.
Alfred is gentler. A bit of a dreamer.
Yes, but George has got some go in him.
Yes, George has got whatever it is that makes a man a man.
I don't feel like choosing. I'll have both.
Why do you need two? I'd be happy with one.
I'd just take what comes along, whether he's a dreamer or not.
As long as he's got all his bits and pieces.
I don't like you going swimming there. - Where else am I supposed to swim?
Must you wear that swimming costume?
D'you want me to go swimming in a top hat and overcoat, Mum?
I'm not talking about you but the company you keep.
But you know Charlotte, she's my best friend.
I don't mean Charlotte. - Anna is funny.
Charlotte and I were talking about which boys we like.
And we said one was really manly and the other more gentle.
And Anna said she didn't care what they're like.
As long as they've got all their bits and pieces.
So she's common too.
She's a lowly employee who works in our malt room.
Your father doesn't like us being too familiar with the workers.
I don't like it either. And Charles has drawn your attention to it too.
Charles is a sourpuss.
Unlike Anna, Charles has never made me laugh.
Sorry, sir. - Better luck next time.
RolI up, rolI up, ladies and gentlemen! It's the new sensation from Paris!
How much? - 25 centimes. For five shots.
Congratulations, madam. You've won a photoof yourself.
Hello. - Here you are.
Hello.
This is your grandfather, when he was young.
And that is me in the middle. Was me.
And that must be Alfred?
What happened to him?
He's at the top of the Himalayas.
What do you want to do later on? You have to do something.
My father would love me to take over from him.
But first I'd rather... - You've got a good nose, haven't you?
You need a head for business too. - I can teach you that.
What would you really like to do? - Now?
Have fun, for as long as possible.
What about you two?
I'd like to... - I want...
I want to see the world.
Liège, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, London, the Niagara Falls.
I want to sail down the Congo. I want...
to walk along the Great Wall of China with these two feet.
And climb the Himalayas.
I'd like to earn lots of money. I really would like to earn lots of money.
So that I can throw our rickety delivery tricycle into the canal.
Can you take me home on it first?
Marchoul & Co. Who's that?
I don't know.
I'm making you an offer you can't refuse and you refuse!
I don't want your money, Marchoul. Because you don't know what flavour is.
If I were to put methanol in my genever, you'd still be grateful.
But you could sell to the whole of Belgium. The whole world, my friend!
But you do have to get through to young people.
Don't you? - Yes, you do, Mr De Keyser.
And why don't young people drink your genever?
Because they don't like it? Because they are unfamiliar with it.
Right, as we said.
You can distribute our genever in Wallonia. But no exclusivity.
And no interfering in the flavour.
Drive carefully, Françols. - Henri.
Excuse me, Helena.
You're not only a beautiful woman, you're also an intelligent woman. Think.
Your father is scared. He's making a big mistake.
Exclusivity is essential for my father, and for De Keyser.
Think about it carefully. Phone me.
Or don't think about it and phone me anyway.
The De Keysers don't change their mind.
Are you OK?
Did you talk to your mother? - I talk to her every day.
I mean about our deal. Will she sign?
The people from Ginman won't fly across again.
I know, Mario, but she's unpredictable.
De Keyser Drinks can't survive without a partnership abroad.
Remember that! - I know. I know.
Mum does what she wants. - Alessandra must get it from her.
What's Alessandra got to do with it? - Nothing. It's just one of her traits.
Are you going to Rome together for the weekend?
Are you going to talk to her? - To Alessandra?
To your mother. Prepare her for the meeting with Ginman.
I'll do my best, Mario.
Are you OK, Mum?
Have you given it any thought? - What?
What Mario talked to you about. - Which Mario?
Enjoy your meal!
It hasn't got any flavour.
Dad would sell, if he were still alive. - Yes, that's true.
Your dad was a hopeless businessman. - You're never going to forgive him.
Tell me how I'm supposed to forgive your father
if I don't know what he got up to. - You're imagining things.
I have to go. Don't forget it's the board of directors' meeting tomorrow.
The men from England who may buy De Keyser will be there.
Think about what Mario said.
George, wouldn't you be better off drinking water?
Do I look like a duck?
- No, no.
So never ask me again,
and I repeat, never, if I look like a duck.
And if I want some water to drink.
What do you want to drink then? - I want to drink firewater.
From De Keyser. Or from Helena De Keyser.
She's a beautiful woman, eh?
Not for the likes of you. But a beautiful woman nevertheless.
Helena fancies me, Alfred.
I saw it and felt it this evening.
But her father won't be very keen on me.
You get on my nerves, Alfred. - George, George.
Hey, hey, guys! Take it easy! Take it easy!
No fights in my cafè. OK?
Goon. Pick your chair up and sit back down.
In a year's time maybe.
I'll come and work for you first as your assistant and then, later,
I'll take the factory over.
Why do you want to wait a year?
What you can do then, you can do now, can't you?
You feel at home in the flavour room, don't you?
Yes. But I want to do something else first.
Shall I play something?
Eh? - Yeah.
Alessandra, I want you to drive Grandma home after the meeting.
I was planning to. - She will be in a bit of a state.
That's a family trait, eh?
It's not drinkable yet, eh? - Mmm, good!
No, seriously. She's going to be ill, I can feel it.
She'll be completely exhausted after the meeting.
She needs you a lot more than she does me.
Is Mario here yet? - Don't know.
Your folder. Don't forget it.
This one is clearly stronger. Uh... it's got more bite.
I'm sure I was right. If we were to add Heidebitt
we'd be close to the flavour of De Keyser.
Are you sure? - Yes.
Fantastic. Let's do that.
We steal their bottles, we can't steal the flavour.
Yes, we can. - I'll come up with something myself.
Heidebitt.
Everything that brings us closer to De Keyser is good.
Alfred. I can't get that Helena out of my head.
D'you know what?
Next time we bump into her, I'm going to ask her.
About what?
Next time we bump into her I'll ask her which one of us she prefers.
Alfred.
Why? - I don't know.
You asked me a silly question and I'm giving you a silly answer.
What's silly about it?
You can't answer a question like that with your head. Or your heart.
You shouldn't ask questions like that, George.
I like you both. - You shouldn't laugh about it.
I'm not laughing. I'm very serious.
I don't understand. - What?
Why you prefer Alfred to me.
I didn't say that. I just said that you shouldn't ask.
And now you've asked, you've made me choose.
Bye.
Hi, Martine. - Hi, Mario.
Did you manage to work on your mum? - I did my best, Mario.
Where's Dad?
I had him taken down.
Dad should be hanging on the wall here, Martine.
The way he looks at me gives me the creeps, Mum.
He looks right into my insides. My chakra doesn't like it.
And anyway, Grandpa doesn't belong here in a modern setting.
I'm not holding a meeting here, Martine,
until that painting of my father is back on the wall.
Excuse me.
Sorry, Mario.
What's his name?
Does it matter? - Of course.
Alfred.
Alfred?
I think it's dreadful. - What?
That you may bring someone home who I don't like.
How can you say that? You don't even know him.
If you came home with Prince Baudouin, I wouldn't like it.
Prince Baudouin is nine years old, Dad!
I'm going to lose my only daughter and I don't want to.
Don't you understand? - I understand, but I don't approve.
So what am I supposed to do?
Tell the young man to come round for a glass of genever.
Why? - Because my father asked you to.
Aren't you pleased? - Of course I am.
But...
Are... are we...?
What about George?
I talked to George. Well, he talked to me.
He knows.
See you later.
I can't help it that Mr De Keyser invited me round.
D'you want me to ask if you can come too?
Almost as good as wine. - Hey, this is better than wine!
And this is from my own supply.
Subtle caramel and wormwood.
It was aged in the cask for at least five years. French oak?
Yes, yes. We only make about 2oo bottles of this a year.
For our own consumption.
Actually, I only drink this when I've got something to celebrate.
Caroline.
Have we got something to celebrate? - Maybe.
My daughter wants to goon a trip. A long way away.
And I think she got that idea from you.
So, goon your trip, both of you. My treat.
On one condition.
That you marry her first. - I always said I'd marry you.
Yes, this way. Watch out for the wood. It's just been varnished.
And this glass is breakable. There's not much room to get through.
You first, Johnny. That's right. That's the nail there.
Up a bit. To the right. That's it.
Left a bit. That's excellent. Thank you.
That's... Oh, that look in his eyes!
I've got to stop, George. - Stop what?
I can't carry on in my position. - What does that mean, in your position?
De Keyser wants me to work for him. - Are you serious?
Yes, and he said I could keep his daughter. As long as I marry her.
Maybe you didn't understand him correctly. Maybe he meant me.
I'm quite sure I didn't hear your name yesterday.
Maybe you weren't listening. - I did nothing but listen.
I only opened my mouth to pour genever in it. From his own supply.
From whose own supply? - Henri's.
That is torture to my ears. - What is torture to your ears?
The way you say that name. Henri.
But that's his name. - To me he is Mr De Keyser.
Or even Helena's father, but not Henri.
That sounds like he's family... - Well, he will be soon.
He's going to be my father-in-law.
You're a bastard! A real bloody bastard!
George, it was your idea to ask Helena
who she preferred, wasn't it? - Yes.
You yourself said her answer was Alfred.
I thought she said that to tease me.
But at least you're honest with me. That's good.
That's what friends do. - Steal each other's girlfriend?
Helena isn't your girlfriend, George. I didn't steal her from anyone.
Let me tell you something, George. Helena likes both of us a lot.
Yeah? - But me just that little bit more...
What? Hey!
Hit me then! Hit me then!
Hey! Hey! Stop that! Stop it!
Calm down for a moment!
And read this.
I've got two lovely envelopes from the King of the Belgians.
The troops are being mobilised.
Our village's young men can all goon holiday at the government's expense.
And you two are among the lucky ones.
You're being too pessimistic.
It's nowhere near certain that there's going to be a war.
But I don't want to leave here. War or no war.
You won't be gone for long.
And then you'll come back. To me.
I'll wait here for you.
And then we can goon our trip together. You and me.
China, Congo, the Himalayas.
They'll all still be there when you get back.
What about you?
What?
Will I still be there when you get back?
I mean... - Yes, I'd like to know what you mean.
If war starts...
And I'm gone... a long time...
Will you...
Are you going to help me, Alessandra?
Of course I am!
That's good.