On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Renée's friend Manuela visits. Renée worries about Manuela leaving. Pierre Arthens asks Renée to care for a package. She finds Pierre condescending.
Paloma contemplates her suicide plan. She starts the "Journal of the Movement of the World" to find reasons to live. She reflects on the haka dance.
Renée's early life lacked deep conversations. School sparked her consciousness. She left school at 12 to work, then married at 17.
Renée uses the poodle symbol to reflect on her marriage. She married for loyalty and intelligence, not beauty.
Paloma observes her family's treatment of cats as projections of their emotions. She criticizes her family's lack of pride and sensitivity.
Renée, an autodidact, reads complex philosophy. She practices intellectual exploration through books. She explains her cherry plum test - a gauge of a book's worthiness - by eating a cherry plum while starting to read. She struggles with Edmund Husserl's phenomenology and decides to get an introductory book from the library.
The third profound thought reflects on dominant but weak people in society. The narrator contemplates her family's privilege-driven cynicism. Words hold power.
After a month, Renée dismisses phenomenology as nonsensical. She addresses its questions about human consciousness and the nature of the world. She finds the questions overly discussed and not inventive.
Renée compares Kant's and Husserl's transcendental idealism. Kant suggests people only perceive their version of the world, while Husserl's transcendentalism claims perception is the only reality. Renée finds both views disheartening, especially Husserl's viewon phenomenology.
Renée and Manuela discuss Neptune, a dog who acts naturally despite his owner's desire for refined behavior. Neptune's instincts contrast the owner's expectations.
The diarist reflects on dog interactions. She observes Diana and Athena. The narrator sees owners as leashed, influenced by societal
norms.
Renée is passionate about literature and even names her cats after famous literary works. She also enjoys films, particularly American blockbusters, which she sees as a form of escapism and nostalgia.
Renée's husband Lucien became seriously ill in 1989 and died in 1990. She reflects on how her employers seemed indifferent to Lucien's suffering and death, and she realizes that the people around her don't consider the personal struggles of others. Three weeks before Lucien's death, he took Renée to watch the film "The Hunt for Red October," a memory she cherishes. Renée listens to a radio broadcast about contemporary intellectualism and feels annoyed at being associated with the society she opposes.
The diarist reflects on her mother's care for plants, drawing a parallel between this care and parental care for children. She believes this care for physical needs creates an illusion of security, ignoring the emotional and mental needs of children.
Chabrot, the personal physician of Pierre Arthens, informs Renée that Pierre has only 48 hours to live. He requests Renée to manage visitors and only allow Pierre's nephew Paul to visit.
The diarist discusses her strained relationship with her sister Colombe, finding her combative and obsessive about cleanliness and organization. She compares society to soldiers awaiting orders, engaging in distractions until death. She believes Colombe's obsession with external order reflects internal chaos and fears Colombe's lack of emotional
expression.
Manuela joins Renée for tea, providing a routine amidst chaos. Renée recalls the Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura, which discusses the Mongolian tribes' rebellion and their impact on the art of tea. Tea represents beauty and pleasure in a chaotic world. While discussing Pierre Arthens's impending death, Renée recalls finding Jean, Pierre's son, staring at flowers in the courtyard. She shared the flowers' name, camellias, with him.
The diarist observes her father's morning routine of newspaper reading and coffee, which she calls "constructing himself." Her mother informs her about Pierre Arthens's impending death. The diarist begins her own morning routine of drinking tea and reading manga. She finds this routine more elegant than coffee and newspapers.
Renée ponders the concept of life as a "phantom comedy." People, as primates, focus on territory and social advancement. Art serves as a solution to this existential dilemma, offering various forms of escape and expression.
Renée watches the film "The Munekata Sisters" by Ozu, appreciating the film's portrayal of Japanese culture's emphasis on living in the moment. She notes a scene with camellias on a temple moss, representing unadulterated beauty and a simple expression of life's meaning.
The diarist watches a diving competition on television and feels disappointment when synchronous divers make a minor mistake. She seeks perfection in human movement but encounters proxy experiences instead of true reality.
Doctor Chabrot informs Renée of Pierre's death. Renée comforts him with a quote from War and Peace. After Chabrot leaves, Renée is distracted by Pierre's passing. She hears classical music playing and finds solace in this form of art.
Renée reflects on education as a safeguard against primal instincts. She is offended by a grammatical error in a note from Sabine Pallieres, considering language sacred. Renée believes the wealthy should preserve beauty as they're above life's distractions. Sabine's error, given her wealth and education, feels like blasphemy to Renée.
The diarist observes her father's dinner with Colombe's boyfriend's parents. She corrects the father's mistake about the board game Go, and her father later reprimands her for being rude. The diarist decides to focus on building, inspired by Go's lessons of life's consequences and building relationships.
Olympe Saint-Nice, a neighbor, visits Renée. Olympe aspires to be a veterinarian and enjoys chatting with Renée due to their shared love of cats. She tells Renée about treating a stressed cat named Constitution with Prozac. Olympe also reveals the Arthens apartment will be sold.
Renée is emotionally disturbed by the news of the Arthensapartment being put up for sale, which is unusual as apartments are usually
inherited within the building.
Renée finds solace in literature, particularly Anna Karenina. She relates to the scene where Levin appreciates the involuntary excellence of human movements while farming. Renée also connects with Anna Karenina's character Ryabinin, trapped in societal norms.
The diarist visits her unpleasant grandmother Mamie Josse at a retirement home. Despite her negative opinion, she decides to focus on building, acknowledging the inevitability of aging and valuing the urgency of her youth.
Renée meets the new owner of the Arthens apartment, a Japanese man named Kakuro Ozu. She likes him immediately, finding him attentive and intelligent. They discuss the Arthens and Kakuro's remark about happy families having their own unhappiness makes Renée shudder.
Renée recognizes Kakuro's quote about families from Anna Karenina and is shaken. She learns his assistant's name is Paul Nguyen. When Kakuro's name is finally spoken clearly, Renée is surprised as it matches the name of a favorite filmmaker. She wonders if he's related to the filmmaker.
The diarist, observing the building's excitement over Kakuro, is annoyed this happens before her planned death. She gets stuck in an
elevator with Kakuro, and they converse in Japanese. They both find Renée intriguing. The diarist likens Renée to a hedgehog: tough outside but elegant inside. Kakuro's interest in seeing people genuinely resonates with her desire to know someone authentically.
Residents eagerly anticipate Kakuro's apartment renovations. Renée tries to avoid him but gets to know his assistant Paul. Kakuro hires Manuela as his cleaning lady, paying her well and giving her flexible hours. He has two cats named Levin and Kitty after Anna Karenina characters, and installs sliding doors for space and noise reduction.
Kakuro's renovations news makes an impression on Renée. She recalls Ozu's films and how Japanese use space. Doors in architecture have philosophical significance, breaking a room and symbolizing transformation when opened. Sliding doors represent openness. Ozu's characters remove shoes when entering, revealing cultural movement differences. Sliding doors are a form of art.
The diarist sets her mood by playing music each morning. In literature class, she debatesgrammar's role. Madame Fine emphasizes clarity, but the diarist sees grammar as an avenue to beauty. She argues grammar is an art form itself, granting access to language's beauty. Her disagreement with Madame Fine results in detention.
Manuela informs Renée about Ozu's diverse lamp collection, hinting at his deliberate living. Renée is tired of life's repetition when someone rings her doorbell.
Renée admires a package, reflecting on how noble concepts arise from
mundane things. She opens it to find a book, which she describes as "wabi," a Japanese term for understated beauty.
The diarist's mother has undergone therapy and antidepressant treatment. She finds therapists unoriginal, especially when they reiterate Freud. Intelligent people sometimes waste their intelligence, focusing on it as an end. Biting into chocolate chips her tooth, reminding her of her mother's dream symbolizing death. She has tea with Kakuro, discussing literature and trees, feeling valued by his genuine interest.
Renée receives a package from Kakuro, containing an edition of Anna Karenina. Initially shocked, she realizes a new layer has been added to her essence. She writes a brief thank you note but regrets not feigning disinterest. Retrieving the note, she discovers Kakuro's assistant has collected his mail. Days later, someone rings her doorbell.
Kakuro invites Renée to dinner to discuss their shared interests, making her search for excuses to decline.
Kakuro's invitation exposes Renée, recalling a childhood feeling when captivated by her teacher's snow globe. It ignites something timeless within her.
Manuela advises Renée to buy a new dress for the dinner.
Renée is uneasy about shopping for a dress, usually preferring to order clothes. Manuela provides a dress from a deceased woman, which Renée hesitates to wear, but Manuela dismisses her concerns.
The diarist reflects on a choir recital, where individual strife fades during harmonious singing. She ponders if songs embody world movements, evoking the sublime.
Renée visits a hairdresser and enjoys her haircut. She prepares for her dinner with Kakuro, intrigued and uncertain.
Manuela visits Renée before herdinner with Kakuro. Manuela's decision to quit another job for Kakuro worries Renée about the possibility of Manuela returning to Portugal.
The diarist worries about her planned fire suicide potentially involving Kakuro. Kakuro invites her and her friend Marguerite to tea. Marguerite stands out as genuine and intriguing among their peers. They discuss love, fate, and meet Kakuro's great-niece Yoko, appreciating the uncertainty of Yoko's future. This experience prompts the diarist to reconsider her hasty thoughts of suicide.
Renée nervously heads to Kakuro's apartment for dinner.
Inside Kakuro's apartment, Renée is captivated by a still-life painting
by a Dutch artist she admires. Kakuro reveals it's a replica. Renée debates how to respond without revealing her knowledge but simply admires the painting.
Renée ponders the universal impact of art across cultures and eras, wondering if artists make the ordinary sublime.
Her thoughts on art lead Renée to contemplate human desire and the constant need for more. She defines art as "emotion without desire."
The diarist's mother takes her to see Dr. Theid, a psychologist, concerned about her hiding behavior. The diarist jokes about hearing voices, upsetting her parents. In a joint session, the diarist struggles to take Dr. Theid seriously, making jokes that annoy him. This exchange exposes Dr. Theid's unflattering side, unsettling the diarist.
Renée admires Kakuro's apartment décor and joins him in the kitchen while he cooks. Unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine, she wonders if Kakuro invited her due to his unfamiliarity with Western customs.
Embarrassed by her need to use the bathroom, Renée musters courage to ask. Kakuro is unfazed and directs her, making her contemplate the simplicity of such interactions.
The diarist shops with her mother, who engages in a petty argument over underwear. The incident raises questions about human behavior in moments of degradation.
Renée admires the simplicity and harmony of Kakuro's bathroom. After flushing the toilet, a surprising cacophony of classical music erupts. Startled, Renée worries she has caused an issue. Kakuro explains that in Japan, music is often linked to toilets. She pointsout the oddity of Mozart's Requiem playing during a toilet flush. They both share a laugh over the peculiar situation.
Despite her claims of banality, Kakuro finds Renée's life intriguing due to her appreciation for Mozart and Tolstoy. They discuss art, food, and culture, sharing comfortable conversations. Kakuro playfully dubs her a "very civilized noble savage," and they find similarities: both have cats named after Tolstoy's literature, love Dutch art, and live in the same building. Renée fears seeming arrogant as a concierge and cherishes the unexpected connection between a diplomat's son and a peasant's daughter. They discuss Yasujiro Ozu, the filmmaker Renée had thought Kakuro might be related to - he is, distantly. They plan to watch a film about Kyoto together. Their conversation extends into the night, but Renée needs sleep for work. She realizes she's made a friend.
Renée notes the arrival of summer rain.
Summer rain triggers sensory memories for Renée, elevating her senses to the sublime. It momentarily transcends her physical being.
Renée struggles for two hours to fall asleep, eventually finding
peaceful slumber.
Colombe shares her newfound knowledge of bees and their mating habits, trying to appear liberated, but the diarist recognizes Colombe's misunderstanding of nature's significance. The diarist concludes that purpose must be found and fulfilled before death.
Colombe visits Renée before her concierge hours, but Renée turns her away. Despite her dislike for Colombe's Bohemian style, Renée acknowledges Colombe's brilliance as a student. Instead of Colombe, her sister Paloma arrives, asking Renée to watch for an envelope for Colombe. Renée invites Paloma in for tea, during which Paloma reveals that she intentionally acts unintelligent around Colombe. She asks Renée if she can visit again, needing a new hiding spot. Paloma acknowledges Renée's intelligence before leaving.
Renée reads the unsealed envelope meant for Colombe and discovers her dissertation draft about medieval philosopher William of Ockham. While Colombe understands the philosophy, Renée deems her approach useless. Ockham's question about the existence of universal things intrigues Renée. He suggests that general concepts are merely tricks of the mind, and true existence lies in individual entities.
Renée believes intelligence should serve others andfinds Colombe's dissertation lacking importance since it doesn't contribute to humanity's progress.
Colombe offers not to play loud music if Paloma inquires about the envelope from Renée. Paloma recalls being pleased when Renée welcomed her inside, noticing Renée watching a silent program about kids burning cars in poorer Parisian neighborhoods. Paloma wonders about the pointlessness of such actions and relates it to her own desire to burn their apartment. She contemplates displacement, lack of connection to culture or society, and reflects on a café encounter with a couple who adopted a child from Thailand.
Solange, Paloma's mother, chats with Renée about Paloma's odd behavior. Solange shares that Paloma has asked to spend time with Renée instead of hiding, a choice Solange finds strange but respects to ease the family's worry.
Manuela visits Renée, and they discuss Renée's upcoming film viewing with Kakuro. They plan the pastries for the event, and Manuela offers to bake a gloutof(kugelhopf), an Alsatian cake.
Kakuro visits Renée's apartment, and they invite him for tea. Kakuro mentions his debate on European supremacy and asks about major French and English inventions. Solange interrupts, surprised by their casual interaction. She leaves Paloma with them. After tea, Kakuro departs, and Paloma questions Renée about the meaning of life.
Renée goes to the dry cleaners to clean her dress, and later, Manuela delivers the gloutof cake.
Paloma is moved by the cleaning lady's gift of flowers to her mother, realizing that beauty can be about time, not just space. She contemplates the essence of beauty and the significance of capturing moments before they pass.
Renée dresses up and visits Kakuro's apartment with the gloutof cake. They watch the film "The Munekata Sisters" on his VCR. During the movie, they discuss scenes, and Renée feels a strong connection to Kakuro that makes time seem to pause. This experience is unlike anything she has felt before.
Renée sees a picture of Kakuro's late wife, Sanae, and learns that she died of cancer a decade ago. Kakuro has a daughter in Hong Kong with two grandchildren. Renée shares that she is also a widow, having lost her spouse to cancer.
Renée starts feeling uncertain about her friendship with Kakuro due to the class difference. Throughout the week, Paloma, Manuela, and Kakuro visit Renée. Paloma expresses her intention to become a concierge. Kakuro invites Renée to celebrate his birthday with a dinner at a restaurant before his trip to Hong Kong, but she declines, stating he surely has friends who will join him. This surprises and disappoints Kakuro.
Paloma confronts Renée about declining Kakuro's dinner invitation. It starts raining.
The rain triggers memories of Renée's sister, Lisette. Lisette was attractive and left home at 16 to work as a nanny in the city. She shared
stories of modern life with her family. One day, Lisette returned unexpectedly, unmarried but pregnant. She died during childbirth, along with her baby. This memory makes Renée cry in front of Paloma, who comforts her. Paloma's support makes Renée realize the special friendship they've formed.
Paloma reflects on Renée's story and how it influences her perspective on trauma. She ponders whether the trauma of losing her sister or living with that memory is more distressing. Sharing this experience with Renée reshapes Paloma's views on her family and her own life.
Renée calls Kakuro to change her mind about the dinner invitation. Jean Arthens visits Renée and asks about the flowers she planted during his illness. They are camellias, which he had admired. The exchange is emotional, and Renée believes that a simple camellia can alter fate.
Renée contemplates how people often navigate life's challenges within the confines of human existence. These challenges can feel like tight passageways to a form of hell. Yet, a simple thing like a camellia can transform these passages into pathways.
Kakuro sends gifts to Renée through Paul. His note refers to a quote from Anna Karenina and describes a moment of sensation in the rain. The gifts include a dress, pumps, and a scarf. Renée is moved to tears.
Colombe's boyfriend, Tibère, comes to Renée's looking for her. He realizes Paloma played a joke on him. Renée reflects on human similarities despite differences.
Renée prepares for her date with Kakuro. Asthey leave the building arm-in-arm, they encounter neighbors who don't recognize Renée. Kakuro explains that they've never truly seen her, unlike him.
Renée reflects on how the tenants in her building don't truly see her. She turns this realization inward and questions what else she might have been blind to.
The restaurant's lighting reminds Renée of the film "Black Rain." During dinner, Kakuro tells Renée that he has something important to say. He looks into her eyes and reassures her that she is not her sister.
Renée is shocked by Kakuro's statement and chokes on her food. Kakuro repeats his words and emphasizes that they can be friends or anything they want together.
Renée is overwhelmed with joy because Paloma has revealed her secret. After years of guarding herself with solitude, Renée feels seen and helped.
The next morning, Renée feels hungry but at peace. While running an errand, she encounters Gegéne, a tramp from her street. He acts erratically and suddenly starts running. Something unexpected occurs that Renée wishes hadn't.
Renée realizes she is dying. She tries to stop Gegéne from running into traffic and is hit by a laundry truck. As she faces death, memories of loved ones flash before her eyes: her cat, Manuela, Lucien(her deceased husband), Kakuro, and finally, Paloma. She sends a message to Paloma to live worthily. Her last image is of her father sowing the earth.
Paloma is devastated by Renée's death and finally comprehends the permanence of death. She realizes the significance of "never" in relation to death and regrets her previous thoughts of suicide. She promises to live in search of the "always" within the "never" and assures Renée that she will carry on worthily.