All language subtitles for Paco Plaza - Romasanta

The church teaches us that
the devil can appear in many guises,

manifest himself
in different forms.

That day...

l learned it is true.

Maria!

Sister!

How long can you stay this time?

A week or two... a month, maybe.

Why?

l wish you could stay longer.

There have been so many
wolf attacks lately.

The bailiff disappeared
one month ago.

His family is in despair.

They say it must be the wolves.

At night, you can hear them,

howling nearby.

You're not afraid, are you?

Well you should be.

Do you know
what a wolf can do to you?

lf a dog tries to bite you,
you can kick it,

but with a wolf...

What's that?

How can you laugh about this?

lt's not just the bailiff.

Other people
are missing as well.

You needn't worry.
You'll be safe here.

What's the matter?

l don't want Teresa to end up
with hands like these.

Maybe she doesn't have to.

l have heard they've invented
a new language based on signs.

They teach people to talk
using their hands.

Perhaps in Santander
Teresa could learn it.

l'll wait for you upstairs.

By Mayor's decree,
l am instructed to warn you

that in view of recent events,
you are strongly advised

not to venture into the surrounding
woods without police permission

and to ensure that you are all
inside your homes by sundown.

There will be a reward of 10 coins

for each male wolf that is captured

and 15 for each pregnant female wolf.

Authorised by the Crown Prosecutor,

Don Luciano de la Bastida

this day, in the year of our Lord,

1851.

Come on children!

l'm going to have a look around.

Why not stay here and help me?

Of course.

You could wipe those bottles.

-Do you like them?
-Yes.

They are beautiful.

You should try one on.

Manuel,

this woman wants to dictate
a letter for her daughter.

l'll get my writing box.

Go and look after Teresa.

Juliet, give me a kiss!

l love you so much, Romeo.

l love you even more, Juliet.

-No, l love you more!
-No, me!

No, l love you more!

Oh, Romeo.
Why are our families

such enemies?

l want to tell the whole world
how much l love you.

No, l love you more. So much,
l'm going to die of love.

Good-bye.

l can't live without you.

All right?

lt is not the wolf
you should be frightened of.

What's going on?

lt's the bailiff.

They've found his body.

Don't cry.

l've got good news.

We're leaving here.

We're going to live
in Santander.

There are no wolves there.

What did you say?

We'll wait on the wagon.

What are you doing here?

l'm coming with you.

-You can't.
Why not?

l don't want
to be left here alone.

Don't be ridiculous.

You can join us as soon
as we find a position for you.

And if you don't?

How long do you expect me
to wait?

You can't abandon me.

Don't play the child with me.

You're a grown woman

and l've seen what you want.

What do you mean?

You can't tell me what to do.

Let me speak to Manuel.

Only a whore

would want to steal
her sister's man.

Now go home.

Please.

This is a good place
to spend the night.

Maybe l was too hard on her.

Stop worrying.

She can take care of herself.

Why don't you go and bathe,
before it gets dark?

Now be careful
where you put your feet.

There are wolf traps all around.

Do you want to see it fly
like a butterfly?

Let it go.

Let it go!

lt's only a bird.

Teresa!

Manuel!

Miss...

l am Luciano de la Bastida,

Crown Prosecutor
for the Galician Court.

lt is my duty to request
that you assist us

in identifying the remains
of this young girl.

We believe it could be
your niece.

We haven't found any clothes,

nor any personal belongings,
whatsoever.

Does your niece have any
distinguishing marks on her body,

such as a scar?

God.

lt's not her...

lt's not Teresa.

Miss...

Are you sure?

l'm sorry you had
to go through this.

-l hope you understand that...
-There's something in her hair.

lt seems to be an earring, Sir.

No one from around here

could afford
earrings like these.

She must have been
from a well-to-do family.

But we're a long way
from the city, Sir,

and wolves eat where they kill.

And don't spread
the remains around.

We need to find out
what happened to these people.

Teresa!

lf this is some kind of joke...

it's not funny!

Manuel! Help!

lt's Teresa!

Having been petitioned
by the Public Prosecutor,

this Tribunal welcomes the
collaboration of Professor Philips,

an expert from
the University of Algeria.

Professor Phillips.

The autopsy report suggests

that the violent rape took place
after the victim's death.

And that, consequently,
the author of the crime

is a necrophiliac.

The perpetrators of similar
crimes display evidence

of common pathological defects.

The craniums

slightly thicker than normal,

excessive sweating, particularly
on the palms of the hands...

The physical aspects
of this man betray him.

We, therefore,

could have recognised him
as a criminal, imprisoned him

and thus prevented him from
committing his hideous crimes.

There are two kinds of criminals:

circumstantial

and genetic.

For the first category,

there exists
the possibility of a cure,

with treatment under
controlled medical conditions.

lt is science

and not prison

which can now help us solve

these problems.

This man was born a criminal

and thus destined to a life
of violent crime.

He had no choice in the matter.

Saint Augustin tells us that
man does indeed have free will.

So then, what you are saying,
good Sir,

is that any sweaty,
bigheaded man

is incapable of acting
against it.

You Sir, can perhaps

help me with a little
demonstration.

lf you would be kind
enough to step forward?

Your Honour,
this is most irregular.

Please.

Now

we will show how a man

can act against
his own free will.

You are feeling very sad

and anxious.

You may return to your seat.

You've been a great help.

Thank you.

This is the man you need, Sir.

Professor...

Good grief!

The papers only mentioned
four victims.

Those were the four
we couldn't hide.

We don't want people to panic.

l'm afraid there may be
more out there.

Why are you preserving
the corpses?

That's the reason you're here.

Teresa is attending
her new school

and she's learning quickly.

Your sister has found
employment for you.

l'll take you.

That is if you want to go.

lt's perfect.

You must know a woman's shape
pretty well.

You are so beautiful.

How many women have you been with?

What answer do you want to hear?

What's wrong?

This woman was about 15 years old.

And judging by the poor state
of her bones,

l would say she suffered from
a chronic calcium deficiency.

Most of the parallel scratches
were made

by sharp canine claws.

Leaving no doubt that this woman
was attacked

by a wolf.

But these cuts here

have been made by a knife.

See how uniformly the veins
and arteries have been broken?

They must have been made
after the victim had died.

What are you doing now?

Just listening
to what she might tell me.

There's no body fat

in the buttocks or thighs,

as if it had been extracted
for some reason.

Why should someone
want human body fat?

Soap.

To make soap.

The remains were left in the woods

to make us believe it was the wolves
who attacked the victims.

We are certainly dealing with
a extraordinary individual here.

lt would be most enlightening
if we could capture him alive.

lf only we could get
inside his mind

we could learn so much.

lf we could, my only concern
would be to find out where he is.

l am a man of science,

not a murder investigator.

To be quite frank, l am rather
surprised that someone like you,

who does not support my theories,

should ask for my collaboration.

l need you to help us
find him and convict him.

l will help you to find him.

And now l am going to rest.

And l suggest
you do the same.

lf l could only know

what your eyes have seen.

Please help us, kind Sir.

l beg you.

He has been cut by a sickle.

Put him in the wagon.

l'll take him
to the next village.

You've lost a lot of blood.

You'll be dead before
we get to the village.

My wife...

l can't die without
saying good-bye to her.

Then why don't
we write her a letter?

You can bid her farewell.

Thank you, good Sir.

l can see you are a man of God.

We don't have much time.
What do you want me to say?

To my beloved

Antonia

and my precious daughter, Anna.

l am writing you his letter,

which will be my last...

At least l go to our Lord
in the knowledge

that l have indeed been
a fortunate man,

having been married to the most
wonderful woman in the world.

l depart with the vision
of your smiling face.

That image will be
with me forever,

wherever l am.

l have requested that
this fine gentleman,

who has shown me such friendship
in this late hour,

deliver this letter
to you in person.

He has generously offered
to look after any immediate needs

you may have once l have gone.

May God have mercy on my soul.

l have to go away soon.

But l don't want
to leave you here alone.

Don't go then.

Come with me.

You can help me in my work.

Really?

l can show you places
you've never dreamed of.

Silver.

l'm going to take care of you.

l'm going to stay here with you.

l want you to have this.

lt's very special to me.

You saved me

and l will never forget it.

Now my life belongs to you.

You need rest.

Try to sleep now.

Teresa.

Don't make a sound.

Stay here.

You'll be safe.

He'll follow me.

Are you hungry?

Don't come any closer.

He's gone.

And he's not coming back.

We are rid of him.

Who are you?

What do you want from me?

l want to protect you.

Ordinary bullets can't harm me.

Who are you?

l'm a man...

who once looked
into the eyes of the devil.

Francisco?

God has forsaken me for my sins.

From that day forward,

l've been condemned
to a living hell.

Rmasanta is not a man.

He's a wolf.

Who becomes human to seduce

and murder his victims.

Guards!

Take him away.

Please!

l beg you...

Manuel forced me to do it.

l'm not evil.

l saved you.

The man is insane.

l've been such a fool.

You can't believe in the fantasies
of that poor man

And l don't.

But the truth is
my sisters are dead.

As far as we know
your sisters are in Santander

He gave me this.

He could be hiding anywhere.

He knows everyone.

The villagers trust him.

He writes letter for them.

Barbara, leave it
in the hands of justice.

l promise you

l will find him

and he will be punished
for his crimes.

Now...

Please go home.

Carballo, July 13th 1850.

Dear mother,

You can't imagine
how much l miss you

and how sorry l am to inform you
that you must cancel your visit.

My patron has asked me to join her
on her journey to Valencia.

l expect to stay there
for the entire Summer...

l hope the time
will not be very long

before we have the joy
of seeing each other again,

after these 3 long years apart.

Affectionately yours, Sarah.

A Fonsagrada, August 6th 1850.

Dear husband and loving children,

There is not a day that passes
that l don't think of you.

Life has thrown us apart

and remains to do so.

But don't allow this
to sadden you or give up hope

that one day
we will be together again.

l'm working very hard
so that you may soon

come and live with me
in A Fonsagrada.

And for this reason there is
no task too difficult or adverse.

God bless you all.
Your loving mother..

Dear. brother,
l am very pleased to announce

that l will finally be marrying

the pharmacist

l spoke about
in my earlier letter.s.

l beg you to entrust

my remaining belongings

to the kind gentleman
who gave you this letter.

Wth the Lor.d's blessing.
Elena.

Guitiriz, year of the Lord 1850.

You know this person?

We caught him with the soap
to wash down the corpses.

Where's the man
who sold you this?

l don't remember, Sir.

Very well. lmprison him.

Just a moment...

lt's coming back to me.

Why do you have knife?

l'm looking for a man
called Manuel Rmasanta.

Do you know him?

Are you sure?

He's tall and strong.

Come with me.

Mama!

Anna, go and play outside.

Who are you? What do you want?

l'm looking
for Manuel Romasanta.

l don't know anyone
by that name.

He's a travelling salesman.
You dictated this letter to him

for your sister.

l do remember a letter writer,

but l never knew his name.

He was around here
a few months ago.

He came to deliver
a letter from my husband.

l dictated this one to him.

Have you seen him since then?

No, he only came the one time.

Thank you.

What has he done to make you
come after him with a knife?

l apologise
for having disturbed you.

What are you doing?
Give it back!

-Where did you get this?
-A trader from Guitiriz sold it to me.

Where can l find him?

A girl has been here
looking for you.

She said your name is
Manuel Romasanta.

What did you say?

l told her you didn't live here.

What's going on?

ls she your lover?

Pack your things.

Why did she have
the letter to my sister?

Pack your things. We're leaving.

What's this all about?

Who is this woman?

No!

Sir, we've found them.

They're in the stable

Christ!

The human mind is a very fragile
and complex mechanism.

Antonio cannot accept the
monstrous nature of his crimes,

and his brain, therefore, decides
to modify his memory of them.

We had to insert
silver needles in his skin

in order to persuade him
that he is not cursed.

Just her.

This interruption could undermine
all the progress we've made here.

What progress?

He is gradually
recovering his sanity.

While you've been playing around with
your needles, 3 more people have died.

l'm sorry, Professor.

We can't afford
to lose any more time.

Your anger won't help us find him.

We need more time.

Time...

They say the wolf
is just in my head.

That my brain is tricking me.

He's killing
more and more people.

l feel responsible.

You can help me stop him.

Please.

l can't.

You know Manuel
better than anyone else.

You were partners.

Tell me
where l can find him.

Leave me alone.

What have you done to me?

We'll meet again.

l tried to free myself of him.

But l never managed it.

Forgive me!

Forgive me!

Please.

l need your help.

Where would he go now?

lt's harvest time
in the south,

in Burgos.

The men go there to work
like slaves during the day,

then huddle together
like animals at night.

Romasanta despises them.

He would go north

to fuck their wives while
they were alone in their houses.

He's very good at it.

You were the most beautiful.

But he knows he must hide
this time.

He will try to do what we
least expect him to do.

Wer'e looking for a man
that's tall and big build.

Wears many rings on his fingers.

Well spoken. No?

Thank you.

-Good day.
-Good day, Sir.

Has a stranger
come by looking for work?

Oh, yes. Many, Sir.

The one l am looking for

is a strong man,
strong build, tall.

Wears many rings on...

He's over there!

Quick! Surround him!

Take your scythes!

This Tribunal of Galicia,

in the name of
Her Majesty the Queen,

charges the accused,
Manuel Blanco Romasanta,

with the murders of

Pascual Ferrero,

declared missing
on February 19th 1849,

Peregrina Rodriguez,

declared missing
on April 28th 1847,

Manuel Fernandez,

declared missing
on February 6th 1850,

Maria Garcia

and her daughter Teresa Losada,

both declared missing on
September 24th 1850,

and Antonia Trinidad
and her daughter Anna Fernandez,

both declared missing

on June 21th 1851.

By Her Majesty's command,

l hereby declare

this preliminary hearing open,

as requested by the defence.

Professor Phillips,

please proceed.

We shall start

with a mental analysis

and then proceed
to a biological one.

You are accused
of having murdered 15 people.

Do you deny this?

No Sir,

l did indeed kill them
and many more besides.

But l had no choice.

lt's well known,
where l come from,

that the devil has a claim
on the ninth born son.

And l was my father's
ninth born son.

So then...

You attribute the responsibility
for your evil curse

to your father?

Evil?

A wolf kills through instinct.

lt's in it's nature.

Do you feel

any remorse
for what you have done?

l do now, Sir,

Where did you transform?

ln the woods.

This is a terrible mistake you
are making, Professor.

There is no danger.

He's under hypnosis.

He's a crazed assassin,

not one of your laboratory animals.

You are correct.

He is not an animal.

We are here to examine
his reactions

in a less threatening environment,

away from the chains and armed
guards, who treat him like a beast.

l am inclined to follow

Professor Phillip's suggestion.

Release the prisoner.

Manuel...

Do you recognise this place?

This is where l killed them.

My senses were overwhelmed.

l could hear the roots of trees
growing deeper into the earth.

Teresa was caught in a trap.

l could smell the blood
flowing beneath her skin.

l heard Maria.

l attacked Maria.

l was devouring her flesh...

l could hear her heart pumping

inside my head.

This so-called curse

is nothing more

than a severe mental disorder

which, in modern terms,

we refer to as lycanthropy.

lt is an uncontrollable impulse

that transforms

an ordinary man

into a wild and dangerous animal,

a lycanthrope, or

wolf-man, to call it by its more
sensationalist

and populist name.

Almost any strong
emotional pressure

would be sufficient to trigger
the transformation in the patient,

which would inevitably lead
to murderous intentions.

-This is a complete farce!
-Allow the Professor to continue.

My conclusion is that
Manuel Romasanta

was not responsible
for his crimes.

And he can be cured.

But how can you say that?

There's no rational basis
for such a conclusion.

Sr. Romasanta,

why should we believe
that there exists the possibility

that you might be cured
of your curse?

Her.

With Barbara

l felt human for the first
time in my life.

l experienced emotions...

perhaps love.

And so, for a few
precious days,

my curse left me

and l lived as a man.

The fact that he did not kill
Barbara Garcia proves that...

That he simply didn't have
the time to do it.

... that he should not be imprisoned,

in conditions where
he would deteriorate.

We are in a court of law,
not a circus.

Be reasonable, your Honour.

The accused is not a wolf-man

but a brutal assassin,

who meticulously planned
and executed his crimes

so that he could take the maximum
profit from the victims.

ln a sanatorium, he will surely
escape and kill again.

Only imprisonment and execution

will satisfy the demands of justice

and ensure that he will never again
be a danger to the community.

ln view of the exceptional
circumstances surrounding this case,

by request of Her Majesty,
l hereby declare

that in the trial of
Manuel Blanco Romasanta,

pending further investigation,

the death sentence imposed on
the accused is to be suspended.

The prisoner will remain
in custody

until further pronouncements.

My name is
Manuel Blanco Romasanta.

l am popularly known as
the wolf-man of Allariz.

Some say that l was a man who
occasionally turned into a wolf.

lt would be truer to say

that l was a wolf

who sometimes turned into a man.

Many want to see me dead.

Some out of desire for vengeance,

others to rid themselves
of their fears

and some of them through envy,

because l dared to do

what they never even
dreamed of doing.

l have been asked if ever
l were to be released,

whether or not
l would kill again.

l do believe that soon
l will be free

and that it won't matter.

l knew you'd come.

You don't want to kill me.

You've already had the chance
and you couldn't do it.

And you've come to find out why.

l don't want to hurt you.

l've never wanted to hurt you.

You gave me my freedom

and l love you.

And the reason

you couldn't kill me

is because you love me too.

l said my life belongs to you.

Now my death is yours.

And death lasts forever.

Sir...

lt seems to be made of silver.

We should interrogate the guard.

There's no need.

Then what should l write
in my report?

We commend unto thy hands of mercy,
most merciful father,

the soul of this,
our brother departed

and we commit his body
to the ground.

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes,
dust to dust.

Grant this, merciful Father...