a night in Paris

We walked through Paris late at night. The start of our road was Eiffel Tower.

…I was born in the Soviet reservations, and I used to think that the world beyond the "Iron Curtain" is a little bit unrealistic. Like in movies.

I have been in different countries, but now I came to Paris...

This is real Paris… It’s almost midnight. Behind us there is Eiffel Tower, in front of us – a sleepy town.

Fabulous... I remember Woody Allen’s movie "Midnight in Paris". If we walk through the dark streets for a long time we can get to the past.

No, the main character was walking through Montmartre, and we’re strolling along the Seine. There are familiar places around us.

Under the Mirabeau Bridge there flows the Seine
          Must I recall
     Our loves recall how then
After each sorrow joy came back again

Where is this bridge?

Some people play guitar and sing. And this place... Yes, we remember this place... Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke walked here in "Before Sunset". Why do we remember only American movies?

Eric Rohmer’s "Sign of Leo"... hot concrete embankment...

And expressionists... thousands of other references, reflections... And I see the original... and now it is night.

I suddenly realize that I’m really seeing Paris. Do you hear it? I’m seeing Paris. No, you didn’t understand me. I realize that I am one of the few people who can see Paris so deeply and so childy.

We’re rejoicing in the miracle and we’re moving on. Me and my family. We're all a little crazy.

Paris is getting darker now, Seine is left behind. We can’t navigate, but we don’t worry about it.

There are sleeping Parisians in the houses around us. Maybe Amelie Poulain is sleeping there, too. Or Audrey Tautou. Sometimes we ask passersbies about something. We do not know the name of our hotel, so our questions have almost no meaning. We speak English badly, and so do Parisians. We’re asking them about anything, just  because they are Parisians. We like to talk to them.

I’m going through Paris late at night and I want to make a movie. Yes, some existential movie in the spirit of Godard or Rohmer. I could be the protagonist of this film. I could say a lot of existential nonsense...

Yes, this is Paris...