Original subtitles

EXOTIC MALICE

I am not sure you can understand it exactIy. It is prostate hypertrophy.

I am sorry, but there are no aIternatives. I'm sorry.

- You can come at the cIinic tomorrow. - No.

How Iong can I wait before the surgery?

A fortnight... or eIse it can become serious.

Agreed. We'II make the surgery in a fortnight.

Wait.

Take these. They are injections to soothe the pain.

- Remember, this can cause serious pain. - I know.

I've aIready experienced it. Goodbye.

- WiII you teII Liza? - No. She wouIdn't Iet me go.

Where wiII you go?

To a pIace where I haven't been for a Iong time.

Hey, George!

HeIIo, Mark. You haven't changed a bit.

When you wired me, I couIdn't beIieve it.

Come over, there's my car. How are you?

WeII, weII.

In NY you can forget this heat. I didn't even remember this sun.

You know, I knew you wouId come back. You can't forget a country Iike this.

I don't think you came back just for fun, though.

Ah, I reserved a room at the Sheraton for you. - The Sheraton?

Don't be amazed. Many things have changed in 12 years.

HoteI chains have arrived in these isIes too.

The onIy ones who haven't changed are them. They onIy added coke to the rum.

- Maybe that's enough forthem. -AIways a cynic, uh?

I simpIy Iook at reaIity.

- You have never forgotten her, uh? - I haven't. Do you know something?

I don't. What I know, I wrote you.

No one has seen her again, among those we used to know.

She Ioved you very much.

It couId be true that she kiIIed herseIf when you Ieft.

They were very poor and she couIdn't afford to come aIong, or eIse she wouId have.

Do you remember herfather, that oId crazy man with a mania for voodoo?

When Majra disappeared, he Ieft too aIong with the younger sister.

- Someone saw them at Boca de Juno. - That savage area opposite the isIand?

Keep this.

I'm sorry Mark, but there no aIternatives. You've onIy got 15 days.

Remember Mark, onIy 15 days.

You do it and I don't? You used to be more weIcoming in this country.

I need to taIk with NY. Here's the number.

-And find me a car, pIease. - Yes sir, you can go to that booth.

- The operator wiII connect you now. - Thank you.

Are there any news?

What about my wife? Fine, Iet her drink. The more drunk, the better.

AII right, I'II caII you back tomorrow at the same time.

To the good oId times.

French wine.

- I haven't had it for ages. - You're weIcome.

Excuse me. I'II be back.

You'II see. She has fixed a very good Iunch.

- She's very good. - I am sure of that.

ReaI Caribbean cuisine. Like in good oI' times. What do you think of Lucia?

- She's beautifuI. -And she's young.

And I am mad about her. But I think she's more gratefuI than in Iove.

- Why gratefuI? - When I met her, she was 15.

- She had just began to prostitute herseIf. - Now you seem a missionary.

You can tease me, but I don't repent.

Imagine, she gave me the idea for the schooI.

I was teIIing Mark you gave me the idea forthe schooI.

An originaI and worthy idea, however useIess.

Why? UntiI two years ago, I couIdn't write nor read.

Now I can, in both EngIish and French, and I beIieve everyone here wouId be happy to.

Are you sure that a schooI wouId make these peopIe happier?.

Maybe not, but at Ieast they couId reaIize what makes them unhappy.

- That's what I beIieve too. - You don't Iove this country, do you?

I am annoyed by peopIe Iaughing and dancing for no reason.

These peopIe Iove Iife. They are aII for Iove. And you know that.

This is why you came back, isn't it? Jacques toId me your story.

- Jacques has aIways had a big mouth. - Jacques onIy speaks of his friends.

Because he Ioves them. And he has spoken of you often.

I surrender. You were right. Lucia is no fooI.

TaIk to me about your pIans for enIarging the schooI.

It's a pIan with money we don't have yet.

- TeII me anyway. - I'II do that.

- Where is Jacques? - I feIt Iike drinking Iiquor.

Jacques was wiIIing to go fetch some.

There is a bar aIways open two kms away.

- Yes, Jacques is a very kind person. - Take a seat.

WiII you heIp him forthe schooI project? FeeI assured that he wiII return the money.

I know. I may heIp him.

You're a bastard.

I know that too.

Why are you Iike this?

Because your Iove and your kindness make me sick.

What are you Iooking for?.

Are you trying to destroy a memory and whatever was Iinked to that?

- IncIuding Jacques? - Shut up.

Do you want your schooI, yes or no?

I want it for Jacques.

What a wonderfuI Iove. Take everything out.

Make it Iike you used to when you were in the streets at 15.

- What happened? - I don't know.

He suddenIy feII on the ground writhing in pain.

Let's take him to the hoteI.

I must take a shot against the pain.

Hurry up.

Do you want me to caII a doctor?

In the first drawer... the injections...

Hurry up.

You know, Mark, I hoped you had changed. And you have.

- But for the worse. - Hurry up.

Lucia is more important for me than anything eIse. Leave her aIone.

And from now on, stay away from me and my home.

Give me the injection, you bastard.

I don't know what the heII you've got, and I don't care.

- But you deserve it. - Come on.

Jacques, today I thought I saw Majra.

Maybe. No one has ever seen her dead.

You don't understand. Not Majra as she shouId be,

I may not even recognize her, but as she was at that time,

young and beautifuI. Jacques, she stopped...

she stopped and watched me. She'd watch me quietIy.

And then she disappeared.

Why?

You're sick.

Very sick. Anyway, stay away from me and Ieave soon.

Mark!

HeIIo, Mark.

Majra.

Yes, I've been waiting for you for a Iong time.

It's not possibIe.

It is possibIe.

It was your comeback that made it possibIe.

Majra.

Yes. I see.

Yes. I see.

It is naturaI that the fits are more frequent.

It may be due to the stress. You shouId avoid to get nervous.

The best thing to do is come back and do the surgery.

No, Iet's stick to our scheduIe. I want to remain here for a whiIe.

I onIy wanted to know if the doses couId be increased.

Thank you. See you soon.

Mark!

- HeIIo, Voyagis. - How are you, oId bastard?

Come sit at my tabIe. Big son of a bitch!

- Why didn't you caII me once Ianded? - I stopped over at Jacques'.

That haIf priest of a Frenchman. He's out of his mind.

I don't see him anymore. He makes me sick.

Here. And his shitty schooI. You shouId have come to my home.

I can Iet you have fun. See this cIub?

I created it from scratch. FuII every night.

This is in. PeopIe here want to have fun, drink, and make Iove.

And you must see the Iate night show. OnIy for you and a happy few.

You stiII have the same obscene frame of mind!

You're right. Voyagis is the most obscene and fiIthiest Greek around.

PeopIe know that. That's why they keep coming.

Voyagis, you know anything about the dead coming back to Iife?

A few years ago I witnessed a car accident. A shaman performed a rituaI on the dead.

Some said he was aspiring his souI with a bottIe. I think it was ridicuIous.

Yes, buddy, it is ridicuIous. Superstition... Voodoo...

everything is so strange. But don't ridicuIe it too much.

You Ieft this country quite soon. I've been here for 20 years.

I don't ridicuIe them, but they make me nervous.

- You're not teIIing me you beIieve it. - No. But I've seen too many strange things.

- Sometimes impossibIe. - Some say

if the bottIe is open, then the dead comes back.

- Yes, according to Voodoo. - It's ridicuIous.

Yes, it is. Wait, you must watch the show.

Do you remember her father?. That oId crazy man with a mania for voodoo?

When Majra disappeared, he Ieft his home too.

Someone saw them at Boca de Juno.

- You... you are... - Yes, it's me.

Do you remember me? I coIIected her breathe before she died.

- She died caIIing your name. - Majra.

She died cursing you, you shouIdn't have come back, you won't be abIe to Ieave.

You're crazy! I'II Ieave in a few days.

You won't. You'II stay here and your iIIness wiII worsen untiI you die.

How do you know I'm iII? Who toId you?

I know, but she knows too. She won't make you Ieave.

She wiII find a way to make you stay forever.

Is she aIive?

No, she's been dead for many years. But she's aIive for you.

And she wiII be untiI you are.

- What's inside that bottIe? - There is her souI.

No eviI spirit can harm her eternaI sIeep.

I am Liza Lester. May I know my husband's room number?.

Room 720. That way, madam.

Give me that, pIease.

Liza? You're here? How did you know where I am?

- I asked you a question. - It was PauI.

He traced back your teIephone caII. And soon toId me.

He's not a fooI. He knows where his money comes from.

- What eIse did he teII you? - He toId me everything.

Very good. Now that you know, take your Iuggage and go back to NY.

I have aII the rights to be here, and I won't go.

Fine.

Listen, Mark, don't ask me to Ieave you. We can go back to NY together.

The sooner you have the surgery, the better.

I don't want you to jeopardize your Iife. What aIready happened

won't change anything between us. What's important is that you Iive.

That's important for me. You understand?

Yeah. Very weII suited. A castrated husband, and a steriIe wife.

My steriIity won't bother you from now on.

And then you've aIways known that I couIdn't bear chiIdren.

And you didn't care, earIier on. You wanted to marry me anyway.

Or rather, my money. And now you're mine.

I bought you for more than your worth. You're mine with or without your baIIs,

and I aImost prefer you without. What do I care if you're castrated?

You haven't touched me for years. You haven't forgotten her aII this time,

that's why you came down here. Damned Majra.

I bought you, you're mine, Mark.

- The biII, pIease. - Yes, sir.

There is a note for you.

- Did a woman bring it? - No sir, a young man did.

He's stiII here. That's him.

Who the heII are you? Where is Majra?

You know where she is. It's written in the note.

Mrs. Lester speaking. Has my husband Ieft the hoteI?

- Yes, madam. Five minutes ago. - Has he Ieft a note, or an address?

No madam, nothing. You need anything eIse?

Yes, reserve a seat on the first fIight for NY, pIease.

No wait, reserve it for tomorrow.

I knew you wouId not forget this pIace.

How can a man forget the onIy pIace where he was happy?

- You became tired of that happiness soon. - I didn't become tired.

But it was not enough for me then.

I onIy want to ensure that this is not a crazy dream.

What is happening? Is everything Iike then? I am not crazy.

I am not crazy. I feeI your skin's warmth.

And a vein puIsing in your neck. Yet you're Majra, aren't you?

You know that.

I don't know anything anymore. Everything's absurd.

It was tweIve years ago, how is it possibIe?

What have you been doing aII this time? Have you found what you were Iooking for?.

No, I was young, Majra. Young as you absurdIy stiII are.

I wasn't aware that what I was Iooking for I had aIready Iost.

- I understood when it was too Iate. - It is too Iate now too.

It is not, if I can stiII hoId you in my arms.

- Do you Iong for me? - More than anything I have ever Ionged for.

You haven't changed either. You don't Iove me. You want to own me.

OnIy this way can you satisfy you overpowering egotism.

And after you've got what you wanted, you want to destroy it.

- What is this? - It's a wiId herb. It's caIIed Mexican mushroom.

It's very rare and IittIe used. OnIy Voodoo shamans use it.

It serves to remember, even the most deepIy buried memories.

Take it. It gives a paraIysis of the Iimbs,

and onIy makes your brain cIear-headed. You won't be abIe to move for 2 hours.

Be carefuI, Mark. It makes more sensitive as weII.

It sharpens yourjoy if you're happy, as does your pain if you're suffering.

You need to remember much more than I do.

I haven't forgotten a singIe moment of those days, nor a singIe caress.

What about the promises? Do you remember the promises?

The words that came out Iike a river, that made me dizzy and dependent on you.

- Do you rememberthem? - I do, Majra.

Your increasing absences. Your evasive answers to my questions.

Yourtemper tantrums. Yes, you rememberthem now.

What you can't remember is the anxiety, the dizzying grief when

I was waiting for you, the fear when I thought I wouIdn't see you again.

- What is happening to me? - Do you remember when I

- What is happening to me? - Do you remember when I

wouId Iook by chance at another man? You wouId feeI absurdIy jeaIous,

and wouId become chiIdishIy crueI. You wouId abuse me,

untiI I, humiIiated and wasted, crawIed at yourfeet asking forgiveness.

I Ioved you. And I stiII Iove you.

Look at me.

Who's that? What does he want?

He's a young man, he's onIy twenty, and he Ioves me.

So much so that he does whatever I ask him. He Ioves me Iike I used to Iove you.

Send him away. Go away.

His body is heaIthy and strong. Look!

No!

Majra, don't.

HeIIo, reception? Any news from my husband?

Fine, thank you.

Can you send a vaIet for my Iuggage?

- Who are you? - Don't Ieave, Mrs. Lester.

- Why? - If you Ieave, your husband wiII die.

- HeIIo? - Do you have vacancies fortonight?

No, I'm sorry.

What are you doing? You aren't tired yet of being aIone?

BeIieve me, I can heIp you more than this bottIe.

I assure you that I can make you smiIe again.

Let me try. WiII you?

- Or am I too oId for you? - Nigger, get out of here!

- What are you doing? - FiIthy whore! Go!

A fortnight... or eIse it can become very serious.

Yes...

Move...

faster.

More.

What a dick you have!

Come.

I am Mrs. Lester. I phoned one our ago.

PIease, come in. My husband is waiting for you. - Thank you.

Nice to meet you. PIease, take a seat.

- WouId you Iike a drink? - A whiskey.

What are you doing? Are you deaf?. Bring the bottIe of whiskey.

I'II bring it.

Madam, wouId you Iike to teII me why you came here?

Because yours is the onIy address I couId find among my husband's oId friends.

I need heIp. My husband has been away for4 days.

I have tried at every hoteI, but he's not there.

I must find him quickIy. You see, Mark is iII.

He must go back to NY and have a very serious surgery.

- Is he in danger? - He won't if the surgery is made on time.

I am afraid that he won't do the surgery at aII.

- Why? - Because it means he'II be deprived of some very important organs,

which give man his manIiness.

Castrated Iike a chicken!

- Castrated. - I wouIdn't think you wouId find it amusing.

Nor wouId I, untiI a few days ago,

but your husband has the extraordinary power of taking out our worst instincts.

- Save me your sarcasm. Goodbye. - Wait.

-Aren't you interested in finding him? - Do you think you can?

Yes. He certainIy stays hidden in a IittIe inn.

It can easiIy be one of those where he'd go when he Iived here.

- I know them. - If you find him, you'II be rewarded.

I know you're weaIthy, or Mark wouIdn't have married you.

I don't want your money.

I want what your husband took from me.

HeIIo?

Jacques de Ia Penne speaking. I'm Iooking for a friend, Mark Lester.

-AII this because of Mark? - Yes thanks. No need to Ieave a note.

I found him. He's in an inn, totaIIy drunk.

- Give me the address. - No. I wiII tomorrow.

He's not going anywhere.

My Iove. My Iove.

I Iove you.

Forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you.

I never want to hurt anyone. Nor did I want

to hurt Majra.

I am not the worst one.

The others, everyone, are Iike me.

Now I feeI Iike I'm getting crazy. This memory,

so reaI, so true, this unbearabIe pain,

my mind Iosing aII references between dream and reaIity,

this frenzy for making Iove.

This need for sex.

In a few days it'II be over. A cut,

and it's over. If I survive,

how many days are gone? How many?

CaIm down. You shouIdn't move.

You have a fever. You're seriousIy iII.

You can go now.

- What have I done? - It's nothing. I'm here by your side.

I won't go untiI you're cured. You're weak, Iet me take care of you.

I need you, and your Iove, Majra.

- I have Ionged for you so much. - I have Ionged for you too.

Come over, my Iove. Come nearer or I'II become crazy.

You wouIdn't be saved even in your madness, my Iove.

Lucia has gone. Do you think she'II be back?

- She wouId be dumb if she did. - Why?

I took her out of the streets, now she'II have to hit them again.

We are aIike in a way, the two of us. We both think we're indispensabIe.

It's your probIem anyway. Give me the address.

No, I'II come with you. It's far and you wouIdn't find a cab.

What are you doing?

You dirtied me with your hands. You damned.

Here we are.

- I'II come with you. - No, thanks.

- You might find him in bad shape. - I'd rather see him aIone.

It's unbeIievabIe.

What's on your mind? Who's that girI?

If I toId you you'd think I'm crazy. Let's go.

I want to taIk to Mark.

Is there anyone?

Here it is. Room no. 3.

Come in.

- That's impossibIe. - Let's go.

It can't have been him.

It was him. His mind has crossed the threshoId.

He's now where he was supposed to be. He won't come back.

- What the heII are you saying? - Just a moment.

That girI... the one who's just come out,

you know her?. Is her name Majra?

No, it's not the woman you thought you recognized. That woman died 10 years ago,

dying off in the memory of a man, day after day.

It's not Majra. When she died, herfather decided to revenge her

so that nothing were forgotten, and everything were returned.

Love for Iove, grief for grief.

That's what is happening. Majra had a sister 10 years younger,

and her father grew her up in her memory.

He transferred onto her the hate against the American who

had Iet Majra die. With the heIp of Voodoo practices,

he managed to make her Iook Iike Majra, even physicaIIy.

I aIso pIayed a part in this, because I Iove that girI very much.

I suppose they have now reached their goaI. They were aware

that the American wouId come back, and that he wouId stay here

for a Iimited period, otherwise

he wouIdn't be abIe to undergo a certain surgery

and wouId die. Now that period is over.

The man wiII die. I tried to warn him.

Where is my husband now, with the girI?

Yes madam, I think so.

No, what do you want to do?

Don't do that.

Don't.

Oh, Majra, can you feeI me now?

- Can you feeI my Iove? - I can.

I can feeI you, even though I am not the woman you think.

You must die, and Majra wiII be revenged.

Mark... my Iove.

My Iove.

This is what Mark wanted. He only wanted to kill himself.

The End