Original subtitles

All scenes in this documentary are taken from real life.

Their reality was not provoked, only captured.

It only takes one person to create a great atmosphere

because they can bring friends

who'll all get to know each other.

And everybody came ready to make new acquaintances.

Hello, how are you? Hello, how are you, right?

The best about having a bar is that people come to you,

and when people come to you,

you just have to be nice and smile.

What do I look like after 20 years behind the bar?

Radiant.

Do not steal my gifts

Nor my stars

May death not take me

From this beautiful world

Which is not hers

May the club not close

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go to the fucking strasse.

GOTHIC QUARTER, BARCELONA

Everybody wants to walk their way

Some people know that, many don't

Some people find it, many don't

And some of them enjoy it, many don't

One walks with one's heart.

London, Tokyo, Berlin...

Barcelona.

I loved it. You come here with nothing,

and suddenly you have a bar in downtown Barcelona.

OWNER OF THE SEGUNDO ACTO BAR

I have a bar because if I didn't, I'd be in another one.

You come here, open a bar and...

It changes your life.

It had lots of magic.

There were things that were certainly deep, you know... human.

It was very nice.

You see, I came from Switzerland where flies have a residence permit,

and there's a lake per family.

On the first or second day

all of the fauna and flora from the Ciutat Vella district came in,

and that included

the ARSEC folk, the founders of cannabis. There were judges.

I was rather gobsmacked and it changed my life.

SCULPTOR

When I came to Barcelona and I first met Nazario,

35 years ago, it'll be 36 this year,

we firstly lived in Calle del Pino.

Javier Mariscal lived there, with Nazario and with Pepichek.

At that time we were all looking for a place.

And we found this small flat down here.

Ocaña, who already lived here

told us: "There's a flat in my building.

It's small, but it's perfect for two people".

And so we took it.

The Plaza Real was sort of interesting,

but rather dangerous, "très dangereux".

So they wouldn't come in.

They'd stay at the door, taking pictures

but they were too scared to come in.

The only ones who did come

were a few guys who wanted to buy hash.

Those bodies. With those bodies, who'd stop them from coming in?

I like games.

I mean... To me a game is a game, right?

Of course you like it.

Well, I also like everything that's involved in games.

Whenever I came in early...

REGULAR CUSTOMER

...the first thing you'd do was take out the board.

He's a good chess player.

I insist on playing with him

because I want to beat him more than once.

We ran a chess tournament in which the winner won

an all-expenses paid weekend in Amsterdam,

and we played against a cannabis bar in Amsterdam.

Well, here we have players of all kinds,

of all ages, from all neighbourhoods,

of all possible levels.

We have a great time.

I remember that this total show-off came in one day,

and he wanted to do a simultaneous display

against everybody in the bar.

And then I said: "Erm... Javier".

CHESS PLAYER

What have I learned from chess?

Well, to organize my thoughts and channel my energy.

To concentrate.

I learned how to concentrate.

So what do I like doing?

Drawing and painting.

That's what I really like, I don't care if I do it badly.

I feel like a novice at drawing.

That's the feeling I'm after.

To grow and enjoy myself,

and that's why I like drawing and painting.

I've always felt like I'm hopeless at it.

So what do I apply from chess?

Well, everything, concentration,

determination, patience...

I apply what I've learned from chess to drawing.

I mean, I've lost the odd game, but then that's normal.

Everybody wins and loses,

and in this game, you learn to lose.

But if you learn to lose, you win more.

When I came, one of Peter's paintings was there.

And one day Peter came and said: "That picture's mine".

And I said: "No, it's mine."

And Peter, with his English humour, said:

"Well, I think we have to talk this over",

and then we became friends.

PAINTER

And what can you tell me about Quico Palomar?

- He's fantastic. - That painting is his.

That fantasy with castles and goblins.

Hi, do you want to buy a picture?

If you don't, Dolores de Cospedal will get you.

Can I insist? They're only one euro each.

Pictures of John Lennon, Messi...

DAYDREAMING BOHEMIAN ARTIST

This picture is inspired by St. George

and Tirant lo Blanc.

The knight's weapon is white spray paint.

The headpieces are helmets that I wear for performances.

A miniature ship I made on the rooftop in 1985.

I think this is the bar...

FORMER WAITER

...with the most personality in the Gothic Quarter.

Joan. Joan. Joan.

I came here five years ago, I was here for two years.

FORMER WAITER

I learned Spanish and Catalan here.

There was a lot of work at the time.

The bar only had to open and it would fill up immediately.

It was like a family affair.

It's always been like a family bar.

The regular patrons all know each other

and are good friends.

I've been coming here for 17 years.

FORMER CUSTOMER

I come because it started out a certain way.

Then it changed, and changed again.

It went on changing.

I came so often that I ended up coming every day.

At least for a while, not for the whole day long.

I mean, if you don't know what to do,

you think: where shall I go?

And finally, your feet take you here.

Obviously, you can't become enslaved by your own business.

With all the bars there are here,

and with the anti-smoking laws,

you can't be successful, it's such a narrow street.

Then there's the neighbours.

And at 2 a.m., you find 20 people smoking in the street.

I love you.

Cheers. Emilio. Good Luck.

The future's very simple.

I've got a week to leave this bar.

Emilio took over the Segundo Acto bar

and I've been going there ever since.

I was among his first customers.

and I was there until he closed.

I've been a faithful customer.

PHOTOGRAPHER AND PAINTER

The story of my life,

as with old people.

I came to Barcelona years ago.

As I was very young, I came with my parents.

And we lived in the Eixample district.

My sisters and I always loved this quarter.

The Gothic Quarter.

We came here whenever we could, to take walks,

to hear the musicians, as we loved listening to them.

A friend talked to me about El Siglo department store,

which was where I began working when I came to Barcelona.

It was a very important department store

until El Corte Inglés came along, and well...

These things happen.

I worked in the glove and umbrella department.

I loved painting, taking photos and...

As soon as I had the chance,

I began a correspondence photography course.

And while I was there,

I'd spend half of my 1-hour lunch break

taking pictures of my workmates,

and they appear in this book.

I began to throw away negatives

to rid of things,

and I'd look at what the photos were of,

and I said, "Wow these are my workmates from El Siglo."

I started feeling nostalgic,

and that's how this book, "El Siglo" came about.

And this is me as a young woman.

This flat is very different from what it used to be like.

I've done all of the work on this flat all by myself.

As for the neighbourhood...

It used to be quite different.

It was terrible.

When I arrived here, well...

There were a lot of junkies

and sometimes they'd die right outside the door.

I've had a curious relationship with my neighbours.

Now, 20 years later...

I've got neighbours who haven't slept well since I closed up.

And they say, "And now what?".

You know, they've congratulated me.

Living above a bar is a bit difficult.

And 20 years here...

To me, the Segundo Acto bar was like a puddle,

the last bit of water left over

from the rain of the 1970s.

That is, the hippy era,

the arrival of democracy,

the death of General Franco,

of freedom, of meeting up with young people.

And it's one of the places in which...

I'd look for a source of income as a picture seller,

a bohemian, a travelling salesman, a hustler.

The thing with this bar is that it was a bit difficult,

as there were, sort of...

There were many social cases.

What matters in a bar is that you make an ideal combination.

I came so often that I got to know everyone here.

I saw them as a bunch of misogynists...

FORMER CUSTOMER

...who didn't want any relationships.

I was quite struck by it.

I was also struck at first by the fact

that it was basically a men's bar.

There were lots of men and two or three women.

And I was lucky that one of the women I met was Mabel.

I mean, sometimes you felt

that you needed a woman you could talk to.

I'm going to put on my make-up.

I don't know where I'm coming from

I don't know where I'm going

I don't know what I want

or who I am

Today, today,

Neither today nor yesterday,

Neither today nor yesterday

I don't have any money

Or a home

I'm not looking for a job

I just want to walk

Today, today

Neither today nor yesterday

Today nor yesterday

She comes from the land

She is crossing the sea

You want to learn

You want freedom

You're freedom

You're free

You believe in no flag, country or religion

There are no borders, no

You're freedom

You're free

Nature has given you everything

Now that you're here

Make the most of it

Nature has given you everything

Now that you're here

Make the most of it

CLOWN

If I think about it now,

if I observe this as my life's work,

I'd say: "How silly".

But I had a great time.

I was the first person to play music here, to give a concert,

REGULAR CUSTOMER

along with my friend Alfredo Flores, who died recently.

And I still come for the atmosphere,

and because I met Emilio, we're friends,

and also because the bar

was part of the fabric of the neighbourhood

and of its nightlife.

I'd come to Emilio's bar every night.

I would come at least to have a beer and...

Yes.

PHOTOGRAPHER

At the age of 14, I was convinced about it.

I wanted to be a photographer, a photo-journalist.

Hiding behind the camera

and bringing out the most intimate aspects of my victims.

If I take pictures,

I do so with a purpose. With a...

Ultimately I want to have money in my pockets from my pictures.

Since 1990, more or less...

I've been living in early retirement,

but without a pension.

And I'm not at all bored.

I live off the fat of the land,

all that I've been able to accumulate.

Everybody works their entire lifetime.

Everybody else does the same,

they work their entire lives.

And then, at 65 more or less, I guess,

everybody retires.

However, statistics say that

people tend to die around the age of 81, right?

And so if you retire at 65,

you've only got 16 years

to enjoy life,

to reap the fruits of your labour,

of all you worked for, I guess.

I think it's a big con as that's not many years.

I think bars are also subject to a change, to a concept.

Bars go out of fashion. They come and go.

A reality, an annoyance

A dream, a poem

A smile, a disappointment

And an instant in which I feel

That I love you

A hopeful gaze, a song

And a remembrance floating in the air

A minute of inspiration

And a respite along the way, a guitar

And a flower.

We'll become orphaned. Where will we go?

We'll have to look for another place.

It's one of the few places I know of in Barcelona

ATYPICAL CUSTOMER

that reminds me of the 70s.

And if the bar closes down now, it'll be such a pity because...

Barcelona is losing its identity.

20 years here...

Now a new life begins for me.

It's nice, isn't it?

Goodbye

April rose

Goodbye, April rose.

Tomorrow

Far from your rosebush

Of yearning

I shall die

When you hear of my end

Do cry for me

As I cry for you

Cry for me

More sweetly

As you do not cry bitterly

For you and for me

Do not cry much

As I'd be withered

By the passing air

No, do not cry at all

For you and for me

I, who can cry, can cry better.

It will be alive.

Goodbye.

1ST NOVEMBER 2013 THE LAST DAY

On this, the last day, I do feel a bit sad.

Sad and strange.

Yes, I do remember the last day,

but then I remember many days.

Yes, it's sort of...

It sort of gives you goose bumps, you know.

I've seen blood, I've seen stools flying in the air,

I've seen people getting married, I've seen couples...

You know, you can be a musician or a painter,

but to have a bar...

That's also a work of art.

I think that the Segundo Acto is

one of the few bars that has made itself.

And I don’t think it even needs Emilio.

FORMER CUSTOMER

I mean... He does contribute...

There's an Emilio in all of us.

Yes, he's in each one of us.

And we all come to the Segundo Acto.

It was also a bar where people would come to discuss their lives,

and the waiter would tell them about his life.

I just loved the bar the first time I came here.

I've been a regular since then.

Now I think of it, it's like going to a church.

We all come, especially on Fridays.

It was a libertarian church, where we felt really free.

CHESS PLAYER AND CUSTOMER

And Emilio was like the abbot, like the prioress.

But since I first met him in 2000-2001, more or less...

Actually it was Waldo who brought me here.

And Waldo. Remember Waldo?

Yeah, he was great.

Waldo opened a flower shop...

FORMER CUSTOMER

...with money he found during a hold-up.

He was somewhere in Italy and he entered a bank

and there'd just been a hold-up.

The money was there and no-one was around, so he took it.

Then he came here, to Tarragona, and opened a chain of flower shops.

Well, that's what they say. I don't know if...

It's nice...

I kind of feel like, you know,

like I've witnessed an era.

Emilio, do you know what's happened here?

So many things... It's the end of an era.

There are many anecdotes about Jorge Cervantes,

who's the guru of marihuana.

Well, one day he told me...

He gave me a joint

and I had to sit down.

EXPERT IN CANNABIS CULTIVATION

I love marihuana

and I find the whole medical aspect fascinating.

And I'm fascinated by everything I learn about the plant.

I've studied it for years and years

and it gets more and more interesting.

Zoom.

I had to sit down.

But another day, he gave me a joint

that made me normal.

He suddenly gave me some marihuana

saying: "See this? This stuff is very good".

He could engage in dialogue, make calculations

and elegantly collect money for some great marihuana.

I write cannabis books

and these books are about cultivation.

They've been written in 7 languages,

and I write for 20 magazines in 10 languages.

Why don't they legalize it?

Well, because they need a villain.

Governments claim that it's a crime against public health,

that is to say, against the people.

That's madness. They have no right to say that.

I had problems with the police.

I was at home, and they knew where I was.

Then suddenly... wham.

Then I spoke to the lawyer of the lawyer of my friend John,

who's a lawyer there, and he spoke to them and...

So, I have no problems with them.

But that was 15 years ago

and everything's changed.

The cannabis world now is great.

There are two states in the USA, Washington and Colorado,

which have legalized grass,

that is, marihuana or cannabis.

And so has Uruguay.

We'll be seeing more changes in the future.

It's been very interesting with the police.

Picture this: everybody smoking joints in a public place,

and nothing happened.

No. Surprisingly, not.

In addition... I didn't pay anything.

The only bar in Barcelona where you could smoke joints was here.

Sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy. I look sexy.

All sorts of things have happened to me here.

I'd do live concerts and exhibitions,

I'd be a pain in the arse.

But still, I think there was an exchange of views. It was nice.

I love the Segundo Acto, of course I do.

I'd do a vernissage once a month,

and every Thursday there was a concert.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE

Yahweh with the atom bomb;

Allah with his throat down to Hell.

The armies of Yahweh have defeated

the neighbouring tribes

and the waters of the Red Sea

will remain to flood Allah's army.

The tribes of Israel adored the golden calf.

Moses smashed the Tablets of Stone.

What are you saying?

The Tablets lay broken on the ground.

Enough.

PAINTER

- It has to be done with courage. - Exactly.

- Take risks. - Yes, but not always.

Not when it's clear to you. This goes there, this goes there.

But I never think.

Reaching the limits of mendacity, the limits.

It looks much better.

How nice, it looks really good now.

He's an artist, he has to work.

I find him one of the most interesting people,

if not the most interesting person I've ever known,

but because of his humanity,

and because of his heart and his honesty.

You feel... that life can change

at every moment.

You don't feel any social pressure.

When you are with Corvus, you feel like you are in a bubble.

Corvus is one of the best living painters I know.

He's a very good painter.

He's from the Segundo Acto group.

This is one of his self-portraits.

I'm sure that if major gallery owners knew about him, he'd go far.

I've got a Corvus there.

Corvus sells for a lot.

Once a month, he'd give me a last like this one.

And in exchange he was entitled to two Voll-Damms and one takeaway.

That was his currency.

He paid me with this.

I never spent any money there.

I sometimes let them treat me to an odd beer or glass of wine,

but I never went as a user, to purchase, pay, and so on.

Let's say I'm an atypical Segundo Acto customer;

I was less of a customer

and more someone who went there. Like Corvus.

I don't know if he ever spent any money.

There are those who do spend money there.

They ask for a drink and pay for it.

Hey, you You're going too far

Another great thing about the Segundo

is the flat rate for us regulars.

The flat rate is a great feature.

I went to Manlleu and God help us

I went to Reus and was astonished

I passed by Manresa and was unsurprised

I got lost in Vic, I was bored

I was told: hippy

Have your picture taken for WhatsApp

I was told: hippy

Join Barcelona Football Club

I went to Martorell and my skin froze

And in Esparraguera

Success seems to be long in coming

I passed by Igualada,

The crowd was quite burnt-out

I walked around Olot, feeling like a dummy

I was told: hippy

Join Barcelona Football Club

I was told: hippy

Join Barcelona Football Club.

I've been at the Segundo Acto for many years,

enjoying all sorts of mundane and non-mundane pleasures.

ARTIST AND FORMER CUSTOMER

I've been doing theatrical stuff.

Because it's a place with a great artistic scene,

as well as a point of convergence for many ideological forms,

and many ways of seeing life.

Bardem came once.

I didn't recognise him.

Yes. Evo Morales was here too on one occasion,

when he was a coca grower.

Well, a syndicalist.

And... Yes, it did have pedigree.

The bar had plenty of pedigree.

And I didn't know anyone.

But... But...

Let's see... You can't manage a bar in Barcelona

and listen to everybody.

You have to be an outsider.

Emilio is my best friend.

He's quite unlike me in character.

He's an extrovert, a sociopath,

with a great gift for emotional and social manipulation.

He knows about sociology and psychology, but unconsciously.

On the other hand, I'm hyper-intelligent,

introverted, analytical,

profound, existential, philosophical.

I've got spirit, I've got charm.

I'm a very interesting person

and I don't want to be anything.

I felt at home here.

EXPERT IN CANNABIS GROWING

I first met everybody I know in Spain in this bar.

It's incredible.

In the Arabian Nights,

Emilio, as if he were in the army,

seconds disgust.

I sense that, after night

The longest night will come

I don't want you to leave me

My love, at dawn

The Arabian Nights.

This is the story of an airplane

This is the story of an airplane

- That crashed in the open sea - That crashed in the open sea

The pilot survived by sheer coincidence

He was taken on a stretcher

To the nearest hospital

When his wife saw him

This is what she said:

You're no longer by my side, darling

There's not even any ham left at home

Once we run out of this ham,

You shall give me a slice

Of your salami

I'll be back

With a withered forehead

With Cheetah the monkey

Walking from the Font del Gat

A girl, a girl

Walking from the Font del Gat,

A girl and a soldier

Ask her what her name is

Ladybird, of the lively eye

Cries of despair run through my mind

as if I were walking up a slope.

Accompanied by dark silences,

where perdition is eaten with cyanide.

Those who poison their lives

poison their minds.

Those who buy the waters, are demented minds.

Perverse are the chances,

marvellous are the songs.

A song to harmony and nature finds life.

Fire, earth, water and air,

present, present for the survivor

and the complacent. Whoever feels,

lies, unconscious, demented.

Breeze, sun, wind, salt water.

If I go on a bike

Marino Lejarreta

If I play the clarinet

I'll be Jorge Negrete

If I play the Theremin

I'll be Antonio Machin

And if I play the drum

I'll be Don Nicanor

But if one evening

The gardenias of your love should die

That's because they have guessed

That everything's transfigured

as I live in Santander.

Enough.

That used to happen every day, starting on Monday.

But today, as the bar's closing,

I've convoked everybody.

The funny thing about this bar is that,

if you happened to walk in, and had a very good time,

it was hard to find it again the next day.

It was only five minutes from the Ramblas,

I've seen people trying to find it for half a year.

Syntax, with no tact,

but with contact tactics, the pact is thus left intact,

in the Second Act.

I find it the most spiritually...

the most spiritually alive bar

I've ever seen in Barcelona.

And I've seen all kinds of stuff.

Beaches that soften the soul,

beautiful maidens and beautiful skins,

dream princesses that change their glimmers,

Breeze, sun, wind, saltwater.

And that's the end of the Second Act.

This is your last chance, your last chance.

Your last chance.

You'll miss the Segundo Acto so...

Come on, it'll soon be over. Take a piece of the Segundo Acto.

Five euros. For five euros, take the Segundo Acto home.

It's thanks to you that I am where I am.

Silence.

I'll never forget those moments.

It's thanks to you that....that I am...

Long is the road of penance.

A perdition as customers.

I've been bottle-feeding them for 20 years and now it's as if...

Try at least to shout today.

Quiet.

They already knew me and they wouldn't let me speak.

Take action.

You never pay, you never pay, you smoke here.

If you're here, it's out of inertia.

I never asked you to be here.

But now that you're here,

I'd like to ask you to...

pay.

Pay for your drinks, pay for them.

Or go to the fucking strasse.

No, let me finish my beer.

Haven't you wondered what you'll do without me?

Don't you have homes?

What will you do without me?

Let him speak, let him speak.

Let him speak.

Emilio.

You're all thinking about yourselves.

I'm the only one thinking about me.

The customers were suddenly annoyed, annoyed.

"Where will we go now?".

They were all thinking about themselves.

I was the only one thinking about me.

Shut up.

I'd like to savour ...

these moments with you.

- Get the gun out. - I'm not giving you it.

It'll be the last moment.

I'd like to...

We aren't going to see each other again.

I open a bar and want it to be like this.

This is the concept.

Or maybe I want it some other way.

But no, sometimes it's the customers

who establish the concept.

It's the customers, not me, who make the bar.

Whatever you say.

I'm lucky.

Say something, Emilio.

Okay, that's enough.

I'll never forget the happy moments we've shared.

You've all got an Emilio inside you.

I love that one.

It's very tender.

- There's an Emilio in all of us. - Suicide.

Everything has an end...

Everything has an end, except for sausages, which have two.

Join in, everybody.

I've had the bar for 20 years.

I personally think... in my case...

You don't know what it is to hold on for 20 years.

I think that...

I'm through with this period.

And now, off to the fucking strasse.

Well, not you.

I'll divide what I have left over...

Let's go down.

I will keep on beating you.

Well, let's go.

Have you got everything, Emilio?

I've thought about everything?

Look at the state of the bar.

The fan is plugged in.

Be quiet.

Now Emilio has to think...

What do we throw away?

Emilio's got the keys, the padlock, the mobile phone.

Emilio will take, a bottle of vodka with him, for example

Let's go, let's go.

It's crazy.

I first came across the bar in 1992.

I was running the marathon at the Olympics.

I went the wrong way

and I went into a bar.

And now, 20 years later, I'm leaving.

A story, the work of my life.

It's nice.

I like it.

It's nice.

I'd like to take this moment

to leave the party while it's still good.

Segundo Acto was a place I'd have never gone to in my life...

CLOWN AND ACTOR

...if someone hadn't pointed out this hole in the wall.

But that hole in the wall was there for many years

because... Segundo Acto was post, was pre...

social networking. Before Internet.

Segundo Acto was a place where people met,

and they got high, they drank,

they smoked, they did all the things,

but then they played chess and backgammon.

And it was left as a kind of remnant

of the old hippy days.

May it never close

May the club not close

Don't leave, beautiful night

Don't steal my gifts

Or my stars

May death not take me away

From this beautiful world

Which is not hers

May the club not close

No

May the club not close

To continue moistening myself

In your eyes and dampening in your light

Don't leave, my Cinderella

When it's 2 a.m. in Havana, it's 6 a.m. in Moscow

I want to dance, I want to dream

I want to marry you

To walk in the air and dance with you

That's all I ask from God

Do not deceive me, my love

I'll buy you red balloons,

You're like a child

The buttons on the blouse

You used

Were so beautiful

And bewitched me

Let's dance this waltz.

Thank you, thank you.

I'll never forget those happy moments we spent together.

Drums, sax...

TO SANTI

We're going to settle there and have a good time

and laugh at the world.

Of course.

With intelligence, right?

With fantasy at least.

And good vibes.