All language subtitles for Lombra Di Caravaggio (2022)

Get out of Forcella,
both of you!

Ask for help
in San Gennaro!

You're starting to piss me off!

Come here, you!

My sister is right.

Oh yeah?

This is our territory!

Salvato!

Caroli!

- Good evening.
- Master, they are all in the back.

Good evening to all.

Provided we find the face
for Goliath.

To the light, Michele.

Good evening.

No.

- Where are you from?
- From Salerno.

He did not.

Where are you from?

From Rome.

Which neighborhood?

Campo Marzio!

Michele!

Who are you?

We're taking him away!

Ranuccio!

Calm down.

He was Ranuccio's brother.

I get it.

My disfigured face
is the right face.

I get it.

I understood what the face of Goliath looks like.
Goliath's face looks like.

Courage, Michele.

My mother is at the Pope's

to make him promise
to grant you grace.

I have brought you here in secret

for you to investigate
on paintings that flout

the sacred representations
in our churches.

Do you know this work?

The Madonna with the snake.

Your Holiness,

I don't hear anything about art.

It was in the church of Sant'Anna.

I have often
in prayer

before this celestial Madonna.

Alas, I learned
from the church sexton

that the woman who served as a model

is a whore of the suburbs,
a certain Lena Antognetti.

That's right, holy uncle.

But it is a jewel of Caravaggio,
excellent painter.

Four years ago,

he committed a crime,
he killed a man.

Sentenced to death, he fled Rome.

Now he is thriving in Naples,

welcomed
by the marquise Costanza Colonna.

She and other noble families

ask for his grace

and an authorization
for his return to Rome.

In order for me to make this
this embarrassing decision,

I ask you to find out,
in the name of Christ,

and to collect

the information
that will be revealed to you

for or against this painter.

We have decided to

to entrust you with
the fate of Caravaggio,

to you
who secretly serve my will.

Execute!

By the cross...

and by the sword.

Dear uncle, I have a request.

I can remove the work
that torments you

and keep it
in my painting gallery?

May I?

In secret.

Michelangelo Merisi.

Scipio Borghese.

And Costanza Colonna.

"Surprised at dawn

"in possession of a sword,

"without any permission,
and completely drunk,

"he claimed

"to be under the protection
of Cardinal Del Monte,

"of the Marquise Sforza Colonna

"and Cardinal Borghese."

"At the palm game,

"an argument took place
between Ranuccio Tomassoni

"and Michelangelo Merisi,

" said the famous painter Caravaggio,

"sentenced to death by decapitation.

"It is stipulated
that whoever sees the fugitive

"shall be allowed
to carry out the sentence himself."

Who is Ranuccio's brother?

Me.

Are you a relative of his too?

I am his cousin.

I have brought you

to tell you
that your failed attempt

to kill Caravaggio

could have triggered
an affair of state with Naples.

I warn you,

it is not up to you to make the law.

So, it's true,

justice does not exist.

Only fools think
think otherwise.

My brother is dead!

And what does Merisi do?

It circulates freely!

You can trust us.

And keep it quiet.

Virgin Mother,

daughter of your Son,

humble and elevated
more than any other creature,

destined by an eternal decree...

According to these documents,

it seems that after having
killed Ranuccio Tomassoni,

Michelangelo Merisi
has run here, to your home,

at the Colonna Palace,

sure to find protection.

Is this true?

I was convinced of his innocence.

The minutes say otherwise.

He was ambushed.

He killed, of course, but to escape
the Tomassoni brothers.

He is described as a fighter

frequenting prostitutes and taverns.

How did you know him?

His parents worked on our
land, in Caravaggio, near Milan.

He grew up there with my children.

He was a diligent child.

He used to come to the catechism
in my school.

The Gospels
particularly moved him.

As he was gifted
for painting, with his mother,

we sent him to train
in a workshop in Milan.

Then came the plague
and everything changed.

My husband is dead.

And I decided to return to Rome.

According to our information,

you fled Milan for Rome,

because the clergy, after your widowhood,

advised you the convent

because of your lascivious ways.

Gossip.

Caravaggio would have come to Rome
when you were already here.

Did he ask you for hospitality?

No, never.

He has always lived
like a stray dog.

Have you seen each other sometimes?

I told you, rarely.

He worked in workshops,

painting flowers for a pittance.

At the Cavalier d'Arpin,
for example, but he hated it.

He liked to paint the real.

What is the real for him?

The whores, the bandits?

The pain of humanity.

Les miserables.

The poor men
who populate the night.

What a stench,
my God!

Let's see this cut.

That's okay.

That's it.

Brandy.

Are you armed?
I don't want swords here.

If I had been armed, someone else
would be in my place now.

Stop talking nonsense,
my son!

And you, Battista, how are you?

I am hungry.

Annuccia,

calm down.
Calm down, my sweet.

What happened to him?

The guards whipped her.

A Tor di Nona.

This crazy

was getting his ass kicked by a gypsy

for all to see.

Say your rosary

and tomorrow morning,

you will take a medication.

"Do you see this woman?

"I entered your house

"and you did not pour water
on my feet.

"She washed my feet

"with his tears

"and wiped them with her hair.

"I can tell you

"that his sins
will be forgiven,

"because she showed
a lot of love."

What beautiful words.

They are not from me,

but of Jesus, according to Saint Luke.

And you, who are you?

The archangel Michael.

Then Michele, when he could,

went to the Vallicella

where this holy priest, Philip Neri,

sustains so many people.

A little more patience,
we will soon eat.

What do you feed on? Air?

Show me what you do.

Who is it?

Who are you?

I work for painters,

including the Cavalier d'Arpin.

He is as rich as Croesus
and boasts of being a patron of the arts.

Perhaps,

but he only makes me paint
only flowers and fruits.

He keeps his money.

In this case,
will work at the new church

of Saint-Pierre as a stonemason
as a stonecutter or mason.

Do I have mason's hands?

Open your heart to me, my son.

You come here often.

Why are the poor so fascinating to you?
fascinate you so much?

I would like to engrave their image
in my brain.

Paint them one day, maybe.

Telling stories through them.

- Which ones?
- The ones shown in the churches.

The stories of Jesus.

Apostles, Madonnas,

the miserable, the damned.

And you're looking for this here?

Here, everything is Gospel.

You're a bit of a crackpot.

But you've got it all figured out.

- What's up, Merisi?
- I finished it.

No, it's not okay!

It lacks substance, color,
it's dark.

Go ahead and fix it.

Come on,
don't waste my time!

What's up?

That's enough.

I am leaving.

I've had enough.

Thank you. Excuse me.

- What are you doing?
- I'm leaving!

Leave the canvases!

I painted them, I take them!

You take nothing!

Everything here is mine.
Leave it alone!

Here, take them.

- The canvases!
- What are you playing at?

Go to hell!

- Fuck you!
- Thief!

Shit pedalist!

I will have you arrested!

Stop it!

I will have you arrested!

Fuck you!

Canvases!

For the first time,
I was taking him out of prison, in Rome.

I've done it many times.

That night,

he had nowhere to go,
I took him in.

In this palace?

Here.

That time, people chatted?

As always.

I did not expect
to be questioned in this way.

That's what I do.

Is it a sin to help
a soul that cries out for help?

That night, he slept here.

The next morning,
he had disappeared.

The room was empty.

He had left the palace
before dawn.

Onorio Martino Longhi, born in Viggiù.

It says here:
"Architect and poet,

"suspected of having participated
in the murder of Tomassoni."

I swear to you!

I swear, I lost sight of him!

This is your second lie.

At the third, you will die drowned.

Two months ago,
you saw Merisi in Naples.

- That's right.
- Who was with you?

The painter...

Orazio Gentileschi.

- Who else?
- The art dealer

Costantino Spada.

- Why did we go to Naples?
- To see Merisi.

We hadn't seen him in years,
he had been gone a long time.

They were people
that you would meet again

at the Vallicella, in Rome.

Isn't that right?

Isn't that right?

Isn't that right?

Yes, we used to go there from time to time.

To read
passages from the Gospels.

What are his sins?

Did he like women?

With eagerness.

And the men?

And the men?

Not the men.

Not the men!

Young men.

That's good.

Tell me about it, I'm all ears.

This handkerchief never leaves me.

You mean this handkerchief?

By Venus that we admired
together in the sky!

No more breath

will not come out of this white body!

Stop, Moor! Please, don't!

Stop it!

Gentlemen!

Ladies!

Your Ranuccio has arrived,

well endowed, thanks to God!

The whores are here!

Ranuccio!

Where do you take them,
your pretty chicks?

Among the wealthy!

Leave one to Orazio Gentileschi.

And to me!

Not for you, nor for Lombard.
He didn't pay me the last one.

I have never paid a girl
in my life.

Next time, I'll bring you
the note personally!

Help me down.

Fillide,

Annuccia, we'll burn
the old one in Trastevere!

Wait!

Do we know each other?

Everyone knows me.
I have to go!

Where are you going?

In Trastevere, burning the old one.

Come on, Ranuccio will be angry.

Wait, come with me.

Forget about Ranuccio.

It is very hard!

It is beautiful, all these paintings.

Did you see that?

It hurts.

What's up?

I was hurt.

Who did this to you?

I was whipped.

Hold on.

With this,

you'll get well soon.

It tickles me.

Hold on.

What did we do to you?

We're not going to fuck?

Yes, but afterwards.

Now, don't move.

Turn around. Perfect.

Do not move.

Now I understand.

You're a painter.

Who am I?

The Magdalene of the Gospels.

Madeleine?

- What should I do?
- Don't move.

What is your name?

Put your head down.

Annuccia.

Annuccia Bianchini.

Do not move.

Look at the floor. There you go.

La Vallicella.

The archangel Michael.

What are you doing?

Are you sleeping?

Sleep, little one.

That's good.

Cardinal Del Monte is waiting for you.

Here are the paintings of Caravaggio
that you wanted...

see.

Thank you.

The Cheaters.

The Musicians.

Bacchus.

In adolescence.

Moving.

Cardinal,
you have always defended it.

Even after the murder,
isn't it?

My favorite.

Medusa.

May I add something?

It would be a self-portrait
of Caravaggio

reflected in a convex mirror.

These eyes

wide open,

haggard,

that seem to come out
from their orbits.

The horror

in these hair made of snakes.

Only a man
tormented as Michele

could create this...

masterpiece.

The art dealer

Costantino Spada
took me to a workshop

rue de la Truie
see a painting by Merisi

and I asked to meet him.

Girls, what are you doing here?

We work.

It's the hunt for aristos!

This is a friend.

Fillide, enchanted.

This painter
is also looking for clients.

Come, we'll keep each other company.

Fillide...

Michele!

Ranuccio,

look who's here.

- Wait a minute.
- Let me go!

The cardinal is here.

Do you know why I became
for your painting?

Because of this tear.

It's the details
that make perfection.

Your Madeleine

has red hair.

Like Titian's Magdalene.

Were you inspired by him?

Not at all, Eminence.

Who did you draw your inspiration from?

From the street.

The street?

Of strangers I met
during my sleepless nights.

And on one of those
of those sleepless nights,

you have met...

Annuccia, a young whore.

It is not the ideal
to embody a saint.

On the contrary, Eminence,
it is the absolute ideal.

These women know
the pain of existence.

And that of the soul.

I do not forgive

your insolence...

that in the name

of light

which illuminates your picture...

What do you do?

It's a pity that you don't frequent
the artists

of the Academy of Saint Luke.

For example,

Baglione.

Baglione ?

Is Baglione a painter?

I am not interested in these good-for-nothing academics
do not interest me.

They make a pact and reward each other.

You'll benefit from hanging out with them.

You would learn
that you can't paint

of the courtesans.

Destroy the painting
if it disturbs the Holy Office.

I'm not crazy.

I do not destroy what fascinates.

I will keep it in my
in my private collection.

Michele, I...

I propose a workshop.

Your workshop,
here at the Madama Palace.

Just for you.

Even a room,
if you wish...

But offer me your talent.

I want it for myself.

I also want a sword.

A sword?

A sword
that I will always carry with me.

Okay.

What was it that attracted you
seduced you, Cardinal?

You know,

I am a man of the cloth,

but I live for art.

Michelangelo,

I have seen it in action.

It was like seeing the hand of God.

He had

wings of a giant.

All he had to do was deploy them.

What he did,

painting Saint Matthew

at the time of its vocation

and of his martyrdom.

Then he painted
the crucifixion

of Saint Peter.

Not like that!

Head down.

On the other side.

Slowly!

He ceased to be
to be Michelangelo Merisi

to become the Caravaggio, a master.

With many admirers

and enemies
even more numerous.

Stop!

Illustrious colleagues
of the Academy, friends.

I wonder

what is this representation
of Saint Matthew.

A vision of ferocity,

of violent life.

Nothing else.

A scene where I can't see

only black, grey.

Characters without any nuance,

without... grace.

Then I see him.

Irreverent spectator
of martyrdom.

There, behind.

A horror without a name.

His self-portrait accuses us.

He means

than we do, even today,

live in the same violent and ferocious persecution
violent and ferocious

than in the past.

And he even makes himself
the witness of it.

Dear Baglione,

indeed, it looks like me.

Shut up!

You and the rest of the Academy

don't have the eye
to appreciate my work.

It's not your fault,
but your school's

that prevents you from
from seeking the real.

You applaud the obvious

in exchange for a commission.

I don't challenge you,
I don't see you!

- You are already dead.
- No, I'm breathing.

Dirty peasant from Lombardy!

What right do you have to insult
illustrious artists?

You have to stay in your place.

The place that was meant for me,

you can't even dream about it,

very illustrious

mackerel!

Calm down.

Repeat.

Mackerel.

If we weren't in a church,
I would make you regret your words.

Animals like you
are banned here.

I'll wring your neck.

I'd kick your ass.

Eminence,
this Caravaggio has a lot of nerve!

He and Ranuccio Tomassoni
didn't really hate each other,

but fate was against them.

- Go for it!
- Yes!

One point!

You didn't see that one!

- Get back out there.
- Be ready.

It's for us!

- She's out.
- That's crazy!

They often argued,

they came to blows

and sometimes with the sword.

Go for it, Lombard!

Stop the noise!

I raise.

- 20 ecus.
- Leave it alone.

40.

Go for 40!

Give me 10!

Give me 10!

Yes !

10.

Where are you going, Michele?

You pay for what you
you just lost

and for the girls taken
without my consent.

I will pay you,

I have golden hands.

I will pay you.

Stop!

You pay me now.

So, I'll pay you right away.

- What are you playing at, pretty boy?
- You tell me.

Watch out for yourself.

- Is she yours too?
- Let her go!

Stop it!
Put down your swords!

We are asked to stop.

- How cute you are.
- So are you!

We're going back to the drawing board.

Come on, Michele, the gendarmes!

The gendarmes are coming!

Move on!

God is nothing without man.

And the world is nothing

without God.

If the universe were to disappear,

God would also disappear.

That's why the Eternal Father

continually creates

of the infinite skies,

infinite suns,

infinite planets
and infinite universes.

Keep it down!
I can't sleep.

Why do you treat me like this,
brother?

Tomorrow I will no longer be
of this world.

Pray, then, instead of bothering me.

God does not care about prayers.

I am only a monk.

My name is Giordano.

And you, your name?

Michelangelo.

- You are the Giordano who... ?
- I am!

Absolutely.

Giordano Bruno.

In the flesh.

What?

You can't believe
to be in front of the worst sinner?

Is that what you are?

No, my brother.

My heart is pure.

My soul too.

What about you?

With this flame in your eyes,
that tortures you.

Who are you?

I am a painter.

What do you paint?

What I see, the real.

The real?

The truth?

I have always pursued it

and this is where it got me.

What is it,

your notion of reality?

This prison,

this light,

the darkness,

your eyes.

Soon will be accomplished

what the pope has wanted
for a long time.

The flames

will make of this body

a handful of ashes!

In Campo de' Fiori square.

In the middle of the crowd.

This is what the Pope wants,

that people see.

You don't seem to fear death.

I talk to death.

I play dice with her.

And when I win,

fear turns into courage.

Give me your hands.

Nobody wants to shake hands
of the Dominican heretic

possessed by Satan!

I don't think so.

Michele,

give me your hand.

I'm afraid.

Look, there they are!

How beautiful they are, the priests,

the Jesuits, the Pope,

monks, saints,

the very reverend Cardinal Bellarmine,

who prevented me from speaking!

I who spoke
before Queen Elizabeth.

I taught philosophy

everywhere in France.

You want my body?

Come and get it.

Come on!

Take my body.

On the other hand, my thought,
you will never have it!

My thought will live!

I always tell the truth.

You are afraid to kill me,
I am not afraid to die!

I say that Christ was a man

and that the Virgin was a woman,

like my mother.

And I say that the pope

is a man like any other!

Infinite skies,

infinite suns.

Infinite universes.

"Giovan Baglione
or Giovan le Couillon

"Your paintings are croutons

"You're a fucking cuckold

"With your portraits and your nudes

"Andrea the butcher
of the rue de la Truie

"Take your wife's ass home
and stuff it with fruit

"Without having
to show him the golden necklace

"That to the neck unworthily you arborize"

Frankly,

to sue Caravaggio
for these mocking verses?

Your Excellency, he has offended me.

Merisi is the devil incarnate.

As I represented it
in my painting Divine Love.

In response to his...

obscene painting hidden in a prestigious
prestigious house in the city.

What is so obscene about this painting
of Merisi that you are talking about?

You should see it, Excellency,

then you would understand.

However, I don't understand
why I am here.

Don't worry about it,

you will go home.

Michele Merisi

did he receive a necklace from the Academy
like this one?

No, Excellency.

Because he is a painter

of a lower rank than yours?

Caravaggio
is a wonderful painter.

Wonderful.

It is his life that is abject.

I still don't understand...

There is nothing to understand.

Here, many do not understand,
but end up talking.

What do you want to know?

Your divine love,

where is it located?

At the Giustiniani Palace,

which also houses
his "Carnal Love".

Why do you call it that?

These documents

indicate another title:

"Amor vincit omnia".

The love

triumph

of everything.

The true meaning

is in the table,
Excellence.

Your Excellency, the Marquis Giustiniani
being in Venice on business,

I will be your guide
in his gallery.

According to the acts,
the lawsuit against him

was concluded in your favor.

Why was he out of prison so soon after
was he already out of prison?

This is thanks to his powerful friends.

The best families of Rome
were fighting over his works.

This...

is my painting.

Your divine love.

This demon
would be Michelangelo Merisi ?

What's up?

His obscene web,

"Carnal Love", where is it?

In a secret place.

Where?

- I cannot reveal it.
- Where is it?

Follow me.

As the marquis knows
that it is a lascivious picture,

he keeps it, as you can see...

covered.

I understand everything.

You brought Merisi before the judge

not because of his mocking verses,

but to accuse him of sodomy.

You wanted
to get rid of him.

- But no...
- Shut up!

Why does he laugh?

To sell better

love

that it promises.

It's disgusting and scary.

What does love triumph over?
Enlighten me.

From what we see here:

weapons, wars

and the arts,
all the anguishes of the man.

Talent combined with perversion.

The grace of God.

May His grace be with you.

Michelangelo,

this plant grows

at the foot of Vesuvius.

It must be picked
before the cock crows.

It is a holy plant

that heals the flesh

and makes you sleep

like a baby.

This is the act of the last trial.

All documents are here.

Including the other proceedings
against Merisi.

Thanks again for your help.

According to you, which families
protected the painter?

There are mainly two of them,

the most important ones,
including the Colonna family.

My investigation led me
to the marquise Costanza

and his son Fabrizio.

An investigation conducted in the secrecy
of the Holy Inquisition.

I'm glad
that you are coming to see me.

This is my den.

Do you like it?

I'd put you up, but it's a conversation.

This is not possible.

One of my assistants

who serves as my model.

I've heard of it.

This is Cecco,

Cecco of Caravaggio.

Yes.

We hear a lot of rumors
about your vices, Michele.

No.

What vices? That's life.

Do you see why
having you in my home is impossible?

Those who take pleasure
to think bad...

They are right.

Why did you send for me?

My carriage is waiting for me.

What is it?

A horse?

Yes. Look.

The Conversion of Saint Paul!

Paul's body

lies in ecstasy,

eyes half-opened,

under the animal.

Legs apart

and the arms stretched out
towards the light of God.

I want to bring

the divine of man.

But it was found to be blasphemous.

Now I don't know,

I am confused.

I don't know what to do.

I hesitate between finishing it
and destroying it.

It is a masterpiece.

There is nothing to touch up.

Nothing to destroy.

It's perfect, Michele.

Trust me.

Costanza, I owe you everything.

Everything.

Even this Conversion.

It is the fruit
of moments spent together,

when you were teaching me Sunday school,
at the time.

Do you remember?

You are my light.

Except for the Marquise Colonna,
who protected him

among the ecclesiastical pundits?

This is confidential.

Could it be Cardinal Del Monte?

I cannot answer.

Perhaps because the cardinal
aspires to the papacy.

His soul is far from pure.

Please do not insist.

I can only say that
that Del Monte

has greatly helped
Merisi's career,

especially after the apotheosis
of Santa Maria del Popolo.

What do you mean
by "apotheosis"?

The success of The Martyrdom of Peter
and The Conversion of Paul.

In front of the Assumption of Carracci,

everyone signed up

and recited a salve regina.

But when the eyes rested
on the works of Merisi,

all remained speechless, mute.

Nothing, not even a breath.

Who are you?

I am the man on the cross.

Him, up there.

Do you recognize me?

To tell the truth,
I was a little younger.

I had to be alone.

Battista sometimes sleeps
in the church.

I had not noticed his presence.
Excuse me, Excellency.

The master
often called upon Battista

to paint it on his canvases.

At the time, I earned a little
money, today, nothing!

Don't come any closer.

Excellency, give me
me a small coin, I am dying of hunger.

Would you be Saint Peter?

Yes, the one who is there.

You stink of wine!

Where did you meet him?

To the Vallicella.

At the Vallicella ?

Go ahead.

Can I hang myself?

I was pretending to limp!

Do not move.

That's right.

- Who is it?
- Lena.

With his mother and poor Paolino.

Why "poor"?

His father was arrested
by Cardinal Peretti.

The lover of Lena
and her sister Amabilia.

Beautiful people.

Beware of this woman!

What's up?

- Just a second, I need to talk to you.
- I'm expected.

I've been waiting for you.

Mom, take the little one.

Is it you?

I know you.

You are the Caravaggio,
the great painter!

- In person.
- My God!

They say some nice things about you.

- For example?
- You would have had a hundred women.

What about you?

How many men have
have ridden you?

More than a hundred.

But I changed my life.

Well, I'll be damned! What's up with that?

I'm getting married.

With whom?

A notary.

A notary?

A notary!

He pulls me off the sidewalk.

Are you in love?

You don't have to like it.

Listen to me.

How much for an afternoon?
I pay double.

What weird things
you want to do?

There is my mother.

Things that
you've never done.

What is your name?

Everyone calls me Lena.

That's enough!

Get out!

You're hurting me.

Who was Michelangelo Merisi
for you?

Your lover?

- Your protector?
- Neither one nor the other.

I was his model.

Didn't he fuck you?

He didn't do it

because he preferred his assistant,
Cecco Boneri.

For a while, he liked me.

He even loved me.

How can we talk about love

a girl who sells her body?

Yet it is true.

Do you want some chicken?

Nonsense!

He must suckle.

Is it good?

Ilaria is here.

I hear you're a heretic.

A heretic?

Heretic.

I was arrested
when I snuck out

of the cardinal's palace.

From Peretti's, disguised as a man.

What's up?

- Blasphemer?
- Exactly.

On the contrary, I am a believer.

- Is it true?
- Yes, very.

He liked to possess me
disguised as a man.

They say you're a sodomite.

Is it true?

I don't think so.

And the notary?

- What, the notary?
- You know.

You had to marry her.

When I was 14, my mother and grandmother
brought me to Rome

to keep company
to cardinals, bishops...

It paid well.

Are you crying?

I don't cry.

Stop it!

I don't cry.

Asshole!

I miss my grandmother.

Shit!

We know which painters
will work in Saint-Pierre.

- I was excluded.
- It's normal!

You lost the trial
against that pig Baglione.

They hired the daubers.

Be careful what you say.

In Rome, everything is known.

They can crush you.

Why? Am I wrong?

Am I wrong?

Fuck!

Dirty whore!

Everyone knows
that you're going to his house.

You slept at his place
when I was in Orvieto!

Stand up.

Slut!

Bastard!

Pestiferous bitch!

My poor little girl.

My poor little girl!

What happened?

Don't look at me.

What did we do to you?

Please don't look at me.

Who did this to you?

Lena, who did this to you?

The notary.

Good evening, notary.

Bastard!

Look at me!

Look at me.

If you touch her again,
I will kill you.

After hitting the notary,

he fled to Genoa, where he was
welcomed by the Doria family.

Great friends
of the marquise Colonna.

Who was Michele seeing?

Give me some names.

I want the names.

The names!

Scipio Borghese.

The cardinal, nephew of the pope.

It hides in the Villa Borghese

the painting Madonna of the Snake.

The Madonna has my face.

I had the Pope at my feet.

He prayed on his knees in St. Peter's.

Blasphemer!

You are still a whore,
even today.

I may be a whore,

but thanks to the talent of Caravaggio,

I became the mother of God.

In The Madonna of the Snake
and that of the pilgrims, it is me.

I, Lena Antognetti.

The whore,
for ever and ever.

Here.

Drink, you'll see...

it will chase away your dark thoughts.

You believe that His Holiness
will grant me his grace...

in exchange for my head right now?

Look where they've shat.

Hello, Maria.

In the name of the Holy Office,
this workshop is sequestered.

Who painted this picture?

What's up?

Me.

Does this workshop belong to you?

- Yes.
- At the Castel Sant'Angelo!

Quickly!

Excellence...

What does his mother say

of his daughter who paints nudes?

Artemisia lost her mother
when she was a child.

Didn't you send her
sent her to the convent?

I will never be locked up in a convent.
By what right?

It is unseemly
for a woman to paint.

Art is neither male nor female.
I want to be free.

You, you can leave.

What does this picture represent?

What's up?

Suzanne

and old people.

Suzanne and the old men.

The Holy Bible, Artemisia.

Do you attend
the church of the Vallicella ?

Since Michele left,
I don't go there anymore.

- I was only going for him.
- Why did you go?

Were you in love?

We were all fascinated
by Caravaggio,

men, women.

We loved his art.

You knew him well.

He often came
to my father's workshop.

What were we talking about,

in the past,

to the meetings of the Vallicella ?

From the Holy Scriptures.

And what did Michele say?

He was talking about the Gospels,
he knows them well, he interprets them.

The Church is the only interpreter!

Was he talking about Luther?

Did he believe in the virginity
of the Virgin?

Yes, we all do.
Who doesn't believe in it?

Did he say unseemly things
about Jesus Christ?

No, never.

What about the apostles, the pope?

Why all these questions?

You are confusing me.

He loved the church of the poor.

I'm talking about the one in Rome!

Did he deny it?

Not at all.

He explained it to the bishops

who had summoned him
to the Holy Office.

The decree on the veneration
and the relics of the saints

and on sacred images.

Do you know the pope's will
on sacred and profane art?

Yes, I know her.

So why don't you
do you ignore the rules

that he has suggested
with benevolence?

In my opinion, a painter

must be free
to be able to paint.

I am looking for the truth.

Sin of pride!

You do not have to search for
your own truth.

The only truth
is that of the Holy Scriptures.

The painters have a responsibility
to the people.

- With my art...
- Your art?

You do not have to use
your imagination

to impress and corrupt
those who watch,

especially the illiterate:
the common people!

From now on, for the reproduction
of sacred images,

you will not be allowed to

to use men and women
who really exist.

Especially if it is about

of criminals,
of known courtesans,

or worse,

to make them images of Virgins

or saints!

Do you understand me?

Did you take note of it?

I didn't hear you, Merisi.

Did you take note of it?

I have taken note of it.

You may leave.

He left the Holy Office devastated,
angry, humiliated.

After that,
he did not receive any more orders.

His enemies abounded.

His star was fading,
he spent his nights

to drink, to quarrel,
to fight.

Especially with Ranuccio and his brothers.

Ranù!

We've got him!

Where are you?

Wait, Francé.

Hurry up!

- I pee.
- Quickly!

I'll be right there.

I'll be right there.

I was dripping it.

What a beautiful handle!

What would you do to a woman?

Listen, brother.

Somebody got mad.

Don't ask me who.

He says that if you continue
to harm Christ,

you will end up on the stake
with your paintings.

Forget about art!

Take my advice.

Let's go!

All of them have abandoned him.

Then he received a visit from

of Cardinal Scipio Borghese.

Brother Girolamo!

Brother Andrea!

Here we are.

Brother Girolamo
told me about an old contract

that you signed for an Assumption
for the church of della Scala.

That's right.

Do you remember, Michele?

Yes, I remember that.

It is a divine sign,
the lost sheep returns to the fold.

Absolutely.

We have brought you
the good bread from our oven.

And apples.

The apples from our orchard
that you loved so much.

And nuts.

Nuts.

Is this a down payment for the painting?

It hurts me!

This little bandit.

Anna!

Leave me alone.

Poor animals!

What are you doing?

Don't touch my merchandise!

Hold on.

Leave her alone, the death of her baby
has made her crazy.

He kicks me.

I can't take it anymore.

Hold on.

Who are you?
What do you want?

I am Michele, your angel.

Come on,

I'll take you home.

Come on.

Let me go!

Stop with the beating.

I can't take it anymore.

Be good.

It's good, but it lacks salt.

Damn, it stinks!

Maybe it's a cat.

It is a Sicilian soup.

Where are you from?

From Verona.

Eat!

Raise all your arms to the sky,

look at the Virgin.

In adoration.

Higher, the Virgin!

Is the rope strong?

Yes, don't worry.

It's my invention,
so you think!

Damn it,

I almost broke my legs!

Come on, arms to the sky.

No, put your arms down.

Bring her down, that's enough.
The Virgin does not fly.

It is beautiful, the Virgin who flies.

Yes, but it is not
in the Gospels.

It's not there.

The Virgin does not fly.

It does not fly.

Anna!

Anna Bianchini
threw herself into the Tiber.

Where are we taking the poor girl?

In my workshop. Hurry up !

- In your workshop?
- Yes, in my studio.

What's on your mind?

What is it doing?

He wants to wash it all.

Poor thing.

Yes, I was there too.

The Colonna's were invited
to the church for the arrival of the pope.

The pope came

with his nephew, Scipio Borghese.

The latter was devoted
devotion to Michele.

Michele was not there.

Why?

He had to fear
the opinion of the Church.

Those bare ankles!

And this cheap red dress!

Where are the angels?

There is no such thing.

This moment is like that.

That's death!

An unmade bed, bare feet,

no angels, no heaven.

A loved one leaves and those who remain
who remain have no peace.

No angel takes it to heaven.

Besides,
I can't even see the sky.

She's just an unfortunate one,

a whore on her bed.

The belly swollen with water, suicidal

or murdered, perhaps.

It is the most living corpse

that has ever been painted.

This painting will not be able to stay here.

The Pope will never allow it.

I painted it for you.

For you and for the people
who come to pray here.

Not for a king or a court!

Our Lady is the mother
of all the world.

This painting evokes something
that concerns us all.

Our bodily death.

But Michelangelo Merisi

represents the body of a Mary

terrestrial

and not the Holy Virgin.

This is not in accordance with our rules.

The Church is not ready

for this.

- Make this painting disappear.
- But, Uncle...

Let's burn it!

The painting had to disappear,
but the people pressed on

to admire
the jewel of his painter,

the most coveted artist in the world.

Even his worst enemies understood

that they were
in front of something...

of eternity.

Thankfully,

the young Rubens
fell in love with it

and bought the painting from the monks

for the Gonzagas of Mantua.

Why "fortunately"?

Otherwise, The Death of the Virgin
would have disappeared forever.

In Rome, the Holy Office
would have burned it.

My beautiful!

That's right,
what the people of Rome say?

That you have profaned the corpse
of poor Annuccia.

That you took her home

and you locked yourself in with her
for hours.

And that you fucked her.

It's true that after,

you painted her
as if she were the Holy Virgin?

Come here, you coward.

You disgust me to a point.

Your voice is despicable,
your words too.

Your paintings are.

I know that, in any case,
your art is coming to an end.

Your words are worthless,
Ranuccio,

because you are worthless!

I am sad, no quarrel.

You are no longer loved in this city.

Go back to your fog
and to your rain.

Rome is my city,
I was not born there,

but it is more mine than yours,

because you defile it with your soul.

If you have one.

I'll send you to hell!

We have to leave, quickly!

I'm going to die.

I'm going to die, brother.

While The Death of the Virgin

was leaving on a cart
for Mantua,

Michele was leaving Rome.

With the help of your son?

By hiding it,
you have defied the pope.

I was sure of his innocence.

Or of his guilt?

How to defend yourself when
the Inquisition wants you dead?

The Inquisition had nothing to do with it.

The Holy Office did not accuse him of anything.

The specialists in persecution
know how to erase the traces.

I am not teaching you anything.

According to my information,
fleeing Rome

and the death penalty,
just after Naples,

Merisi went to Malta,
with your help.

You overestimate my power.

Captain de Wignacourt,
leader of Malta,

obeys the pope,
he doesn't listen to me.

Yet he did it.

How could Merisi
aspire to the title of knight

without your help?

With this title,

he almost obtained that grace
from the pope that he wanted so much.

"To the attention of the ambassador
in Rome, Giacomo Bosio..."

In fact,
under pressure from your family,

M. de Wignacourt

informed its representative in Rome

of his wish
to knight Caravaggio.

"The excellent and honorable painter
Michelangelo Merisi..."

The request was accepted.

The pope's authorization
to knight Caravaggio

arrived in the island in one month.

De Wignacourt wanted in exchange

a special favor from Caravaggio.

The new oratory of the cathedral
was completed,

but it did not have yet
an altarpiece.

If Michele could paint one,

we would be grateful.

This title, "Brother Michelangelo",

was to allow him
to return to Rome

not as a criminal,
but as a soldier of Christ.

July 14,

one year after his arrival in Malta,

he was named
"knight of obedience".

Then things
took a different turn.

His lustful soul
has led him back to

towards sin and punishment.

How do you know that?

I have my sources.

As you can imagine,
sexual transgressions,

as long as they remain discreet,
are tolerated,

but a dissolute life
is unworthy of a knight.

I don't want to listen to you anymore.

You knew that sending him to Malta
was a risk.

What did you expect?

That the strict discipline of the Order
would have slowed him down?

Wait, don't miss the best part.

His fault, his great fault
is written on these sheets,

that I recovered
in the fortress.

Some parts
have been covered with ink

so serious was the offence.

He must have seduced the mistress
or the lover of M. de Wignacourt.

Michele couldn't do that.

The people who meet him
fall in love with him.

Did it happen to you?

Would you believe me if I denied it?

I doubt it.

So I won't tell you anything.

His trial and spoliation

took place in the oratory.

To escape from this horrible place,

he needed help.

Vile and rotten man!

It is surely your son Fabrizio

who helped him to escape.

And you,
you continued to protect him.

Where did you hide him
after you made him leave Rome?

Here, in Paliano.

In this room
where you are,

he had a terrible time.

Days of great anguish.

It's a huge weight

than to have ended
a man's life.

Right now,

it is at home, in Naples,
in my palace.

He hopes for the grace of the pope.

The Holy Father will grant it.

- What's that?
- It's a matter of hours.

You are the first to know.

I have come to tell you.

Hoping that
that the Church can always count on

on the loyalty of your family.

Michele, maybe you could
paint my portrait.

You know I don't
that I don't paint ladies.

Is that what I am to you?

A lady?

Come in, Marquis.

Sit down.

I agreed to come out of respect.

Why, in your letter,

are you asking me
not to tell my mother?

I am very indebted to you.

The institution to which you belong

helped me a lot when others
wanted to ruin my life.

In fact, it's you

who were destroying your life, my son.

With your behavior
that I do not hesitate to qualify

of ignoble.

I do not allow you
to talk to me like that.

In these documents,

I have the evidence

of your dissipated life.

I need your help.

I want to meet in person
Michele Merisi.

To talk to him.

But I cannot act
outside the Papal States.

Bring it to me.

This is not possible.

My friend would be beheaded.

You and your mother

hid and protected a murderer!

I could arrest you,
you and your mother.

Do you prefer this?

Will you grant my request?

All right.

To convince him,

go to Naples
and show him this letter.

You see it,
it bears the papal seal.

This is the document
that grants him grace.

Your Holiness,
the report of my investigation.

We will read it calmly.

Give me your opinion.

Michelangelo Merisi,

says Caravaggio,

has an immense talent.

However?

However...

However?

Watch out for my lying Saint John,
it took me a long time.

Of course.

Fabrizio.

Here.

These are the safe-conduct
and the papal grace.

You'll go by sea,
it's less risky.

Aren't you coming?

No, I'm going to Genoa.

I'm leaving tomorrow.

We'll see you in Rome in two months.

Take care of yourself, my friend.

Thank you, Fabrizio.

I will be grateful to you all my life.

At least, what's left of it.

You will have a long life.

You will continue to delight us
with your art.

Before I embark,
I want to go to San Domenico.

I will leave You.

I leave You alone on this altar.

Do not flog Him.

Do not hand him over to Pilate.

He was crucified.

Don't give up on me.

Stay close to me on this journey.

Take me with you, Michele.

"Happy once again
the ears that listen,

"not the voice that sounds outside,
but the truth

"who teaches within.

"Happy eyes

"who, closed to external things,

"only contemplate the interior.

"Blessed are those who know how to penetrate

"what is inside

"and who are trying
to prepare themselves more and more,

"through daily efforts,

"to understand

"the secrets of heaven."

I finally meet you,

Michelangelo Merisi.

Lately,
I have been studying your life

and your works.

A life of gallows,

arrested and tried
I don't know how many times.

But sublime works.

Step out into the light.

I don't see you.

Who are you?

The Shadow!

My men call me the Shadow.

Your men?

Are you a soldier?

I am a servant of the state.

The pope wishes
that I evaluate your request for grace.

My pardon?
It has already been granted to me.

Take a look.

This document is a forgery.

It has no value.

We created it.

But I have a safe-conduct.

There are no safeguards.

I interviewed your friends

and your enemies.

I know all the sins
of your life, Michelangelo Merisi.

For these sins,
I asked for forgiveness.

What about the sins of your art?

My art
does not need to be forgiven.

Are you sure?

In the Christian world,

there is a total collision

between order

and disorder.

God and chaos.

You are part of the chaos.

I know what I am talking about.

I immersed myself in your work,

in your wonders.

I had never seen anything
so beautiful.

But you sow doubt
in the one who watches

and the Church does not want us to doubt
but to believe.

- I paint what I see.
- I know it.

You turn beggars and thieves
into saints.

The prostitutes
become Madonnas.

Your young lovers become
biblical characters,

but remain
morally abject beings.

Sir,

you looked at my art
without seeing it.

Your blind faith
has blindfolded you.

These abject beings, as you say,
are my God.

You are sacrilegious!

Sacrilege!

You despise the sacred.

The bodies I paint are sacred.

I dispute it!

You paint evil,
illness, death,

violence, decomposition.

I am looking for new forms,
colors, thoughts.

Blasphemy!

You deny the existence of the Church,

but it exists!

The nobles who order from you
are rich thanks to us.

We pay for your paintings.

The churches that house them
are ours.

The stories you tell
are ours.

Everything belongs to us.

We decide everything!

What do you want from me?

Tell me about it.

That you give up your art.

That you stop painting.

We will no longer tolerate
your paintings in our churches.

You will not paint anymore.

Painting is my life.

To take it away from me is to take away my life.

We do it to save you.

I get it.

I get it now.

You are afraid of me.

The Church of Rome
is afraid of a painter!

I'm sorry about that,
you have understood my art

and you were afraid.

But once in Rome...

In Rome,

the executioner is waiting for you,
you can avoid it.

You are loved too much,

we don't want martyrs.

I wish to save you.

I don't want to be saved by you!

I don't want to be saved by you.

I want to speak
to Cardinal Scipio Borghese.

He is not aware of
of my proposal.

They have all abandoned you.

The Marquise Costanza,
Cardinal Del Monte, all of them!

Accept my proposal.

I do not recognize your authority.

You are nothing.

I'm going back to Rome.

I will deliver three paintings
to the cardinal.

When I am in Rome, I will...

Don't you recognize me?

I am the demon,

the rabid dog
that my brother promised you.

All my life,
I have been preparing myself for death.

I was defying death.

I was playing with her.

I have loved every single thing in my life,

violent,

full of fury,
of colors, of love.

Now,

there is nothing left.

I see a new light,

infinite worlds,

of the infinite skies,

infinite universes...

an infinite divinity that lives in everything

and a very deep calm comes over me.

I was ordered to repent.

But I don't know what to repent of.

And I don't want to repent.

Subtitles :
Pascal Strippoli & Nelson Calderon