Jerôme - Looks don't matter to me. That is, beyond a certain level of acceptability. All women are equal. It's the character alone that counts.
Laura - But the character shows in how a person looks.
Jerôme - What do you see?
Laura - That you're different in character.
Jerôme - There you go again. But you're right.
At your age I had an ideal woman, and she wasn't like Lucinde. In body and character she's not for me. But then, a woman made for me would bore me. I'd find her tiring. If I'm marrying Lucinde, it's for one simple reason: In six years of knowing her, I've never tired of her, nor she of me, and I see no reason we shouldn't go on like that.
You must find this terribly devoid of passion.
Laura - I like to feel I love someone the very first day, not after six years. I don't call that love. That's more friendship.
Jerôme - You think they're really so different? Basically, love and friendship are the same.
Laura - No, I'm never friends with someone I love. Love makes me mean.
Jerôme – Really? Not me. I don't believe in love without friendship.
Laura - Maybe. But for me friendship comes later.
Jerôme - Whether it's sooner or later doesn't matter. But friendship has something I hope love has too: respect for others' freedom. It's not possessive.
Laura - I'm possessive. Terribly possessive.
Jerôme - Really? You shouldn't be. You'll ruin your life.
Laura - I know. I was born to be unhappy. But no, I won't be unhappy. I'm very happy.
I only think of positive things. People are unhappy because they want to be.
When I feel down, I think about how there are happy times, and that crying does no good anyway. I think about how marvelous it is to be here, and how much fun I'm going to have.
Jerôme - What do you call having fun?
Laura - Having fun is being alive. For instance, today I'm very happy. Tomorrow I may be sad. So then I make myself think of something else. I concentrate on one specific thing and how fantastic it is, and I'm happy for the rest of the day. But if I'm in love, I might -
Jerôme - You might what?
Laura - When I'm in love, it occupies me totally, and I forget that I'm happy to be alive.
Jerôme - You mustn't forget. You mustn't sacrifice life or happiness for love. But I think you're sensible enough to know that.
Laura - Really?
Jerôme - Really.
Laura - I'm going to tell you a secret. In fact, I'm not happy when I'm in love. I hate it. I stamp my feet. Nothing interests me. I stop living. It's no fun at all.
Jerôme - See? I was right. Wasn't I?
Laura - No.
Le Genou de Claire, Eric Rohmer
