Original subtitles

[thunder rumbling, rain falling]

MOVE ON. YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME…

Here's your letter.

[exhales]

TEN YEARS BEFORE THE SCAM

[Bóris] "If you're reading this,

it's because I couldn't take it anymore."

"I threw in the towel."

"And I've gone on without you."

Mm! You're a very good writer.

She'll buy it, I think.

-You're a poet, son. -Fuck you, Bóris.

[bag zipping]

The fuck are you doing?

I wrote the letter, didn't I?

Look, I just want to leave, okay?

I promised I'd stay away from Irina.

Keep your end of the deal.

[voice trembling] I have a daughter, man.

And a second one coming soon.

They're your granddaughters.

[breathing shakily]

THE GIFT OF DECEIT

[Lúcia] Maíra.

Maíra, you need to listen to me.

I don't want to talk to you.

[sighs]

I apologize.

-I'm sorry. -Enough! Go away.

-Try to understand, Maíra. -I don't want to.

-Leave me alone. Please! -Listen to me!

It was the only way to save your life.

-Sweetheart. -Stop!

-I'll help you. -Get away!

I'll get you of here.

[Maíra sniffles]

-You may enter now. -[door opens]

[footsteps approaching]

[Diego clears throat]

I know it's against protocol,

but I think this will help you.

Come here, sweetheart. Come, Maíra.

I'm going to play you a few voice messages, okay, Maíra?

[Bárbara] Irina, I've been telling you. That girl is totally into you.

It'll be easier than you think. We just need you to work your magic.

[Irina laughing] Oh, I know. No one can resist my charm.

[Bárbara] Don't hold back. She's a literal gold mine.

[Diego] The forged suicide letter.

[Elaine] This gun was found in the backpack

she took on your little honeymoon.

Its bullets match the ones found in Jorge's body.

[gasps]

Jorge… They shot Jorge?

Yeah.

He barely survived.

He was in a coma in the hospital.

[gasps]

Sweetheart, it's not your fault.

They con people for a living, Maíra.

They manipulated you.

Sweetheart, you were scammed.

[Diego] I think she bought it.

Time will tell, I suppose.

I think she believed, but I just…

I doubt that Maíra has the information we need to find Bóris.

Well, it's the best shot we have.

Diego, we need to nail this guy.

And I need to head out on a mission.

And I've got to man the front desk. [laughs]

Detective.

What do you want?

Irina wants to see you.

She said you're her lawyer?

[door opens]

[footsteps approaching]

Sweetheart?

Since when am I your lawyer?

No one will defend me better than you will.

With the money you stole from Lúcia,

I'm sure some other lawyer could.

I don't have any money.

I just can't get the image of Bárbara out of my head.

Yeah, me neither.

You're all I've got.

It's a conflict of interest for me to defend you.

You have to get another lawyer.

I don't have the money for another lawyer.

And Grandpa?

I have no idea where he is.

They won't stop asking, but I don't have anything to give them, so…

You don't have to talk to the police right now.

Be my lawyer.

I've known about you and your scams for years.

The killing though?

I didn't murder your father, I swear.

I read the case file.

Who murders the father of her two young daughters?

I would never kill anyone, Natália.

I read the letter, Mom.

I had nothing to do with that.

Then who was it?

Tell me right now!

Did Grandpa murder him?

I don't have proof of anything.

But you think he did.

Natália, your father was wonderful.

He never got involved in the family business.

But as soon as he found out that Bóris was dragging you into the scams,

he lost it.

I'd never seen him that mad before. He threatened to go to the police,

and then he was dead.

I tried to make your grandfather confess.

But he'd never admit it.

He'd just say no one would destroy the Petrov family.

Gabriela?

What are you doing here?

I was told that you lost your job.

And that your mother is being charged with attempted murder.

Yeah but we're staying here with Lúcia.

We're going to figure it out.

And now you've become Irina's defense attorney?

Then you can't have any contact with Lúcia until the trial is over.

She made me her attorney when she was arrested, but I'm not sure…

I don't know if I'm going to defend her yet.

Natália.

The thing is, you can't live with me and go against us in court,

you understand, don't you?

It's a major conflict of interest.

You've forced me to grant temporary custody of your sister to Lúcia,

until we know the outcome of your mother's trial

and factor in what that situation will be.

Wait.

What'd you do, Lúcia?

What's wrong with you?

Tati is my family.

She should stay solely in my custody.

Natália.

I really hear you, and I completely empathize with your frustration.

But it's important you know I'm only doing this because

it's best for Tati.

[inmates chattering indistinctly]

[inmate] Oh hey, new girl.

What's up? What're you in for, good lookin'?

Get out.

INMATE'S SIGNATURE

[guard, in background] Do I have to yell? Are you stupid or something?

Shut up, okay? Quiet.

[inmate 2] Girl, I'm gonna dance, do my thing and have fun in here.

[inmate 3] Look. It's the girl from the news.

This bitch conned her own damn mother.

Didn't you, skank?

-Mothers are sacred, you hear me? -[inmates insulting]

[inmates laughing and insulting]

You better watch out!

[laughter continues]

[inmate] Yeah, honey. Just look at her face.

Wait and see.

[inmate 2] Not gonna be smiling for long.

Well, Honeybee…

This will be over soon.

But why can't I come and live with you?

It's hard to explain.

But you're better off here.

I don't want to live here.

I want to live with you.

What about Grandpa?

Aren't I better off with Grandpa?

Sweetheart…

-He is not-- -No.

Family is family.

Family stays together.

All my life you guys told me that, didn't you?

We did.

But when will I see you again?

Soon.

But for now will you just be good?

And mind Aunt Lúcia.

She's using my child to get back at me.

What she's doing is awful.

But it's not just revenge, I don't think.

No. She wants to take my daughter from me 'cause she thinks I took hers.

But in her mind she might actually think this is best for Tati.

Fuck.

Might as well stay here.

We'll figure everything out.

She won't get away with this, Mom.

Damn, it's all hitting me at the same time, Natália.

We're gonna get through this.

Together.

You'll be my lawyer?

You know it. I'll defend you.

And I'll get you out of here, okay?

[sniffles]

Yeah.

I love you, Natália.

I love you so much.

I love you, Mom.

Eat.

Maíra, there was nothing we could do.

They're charging you with aiding and abetting

the kidnapping and attempted murder.

Your case will be argued in front of a jury of your peers.

I didn't know about it, Orlando.

It was the police who told me he'd been shot.

I know. But the media circus your mother created hasn't done you any favors.

The press ate it up, so the prosecutor saw an opportunity to build his reputation

and the judge…

the judge fell for it.

The secret plan to murder Maíra will obviously prejudice the jury against you.

The plan wasn't mine, Natália.

I was never going to actually hurt her.

Remember the jury doesn't know that.

You had a weapon.

-Then there's your confession. -Oh, fuck.

A case this public tried by a jury will be more complicated.

The dynamics of the trial change.

The judge won't make the final decision.

The jury will.

They'll reach a verdict by vote.

Maíra?

Are you paying attention to this?

What jury would find someone innocent after she robbed her own mother?

Can I be honest with you for a second?

Of course.

I don't know if an acquittal will be possible for you.

So my strategy will be to get the lightest sentence we can.

If we're lucky,

Home Detention.

But for that you'll…

You'll have to say that

the one who's responsible is Bóris.

Is there another option?

He was behind the whole thing, wasn't he?

I will get you out of here.

But first, we will have to establish

that Irina was behind this.

That she was the mastermind behind the scam.

To pull that off, we'll need to demonstrate

how she manipulated you.

I understand, Natália.

Okay.

But our family has been able to get through worse.

We've never turned against each other.

Alright, listen, I'll talk to you as your lawyer for a minute, not your daughter.

Do you want to see your girls again?

Do you want to have a life?

Then follow my plan.

That'll be really hard for me.

I still have a lot of respect for my father.

But that thing you feel for him is not respect.

It's fear.

I'm in.

I'll follow your plan, but the only thing I don't want

is Maíra to get thrown to the wolves.

Just the fact that…

Irina's manipulated me like this…

-will be motivation enough. -It's a risk, to be sure.

But the Petrovs could use your past feelings and messy breakup with Irina

to force you into a contradiction.

Just let me handle it.

Trust me, alright?

[Natália] You know that's exactly what she's gonna do to you.

I know.

But I never got a chance to explain myself.

When she hears me out, she'll know I wasn't gonna hurt her,

and Maíra won't hurt me.

And trust me, this will help us win.

Mom, just please don't make more trouble for yourself.

-Mm-hmm. -And don't forget,

the Rossettis are much worse than we think.

THREE MONTHS LATER

Honey, is there something wrong?

I, uh, want to go visit my mom.

Oh, my love, we can't right now.

But look, the trial is beginning tomorrow.

It'll be done soon.

And then you can visit your mom. Okay?

Do you promise?

I promise you.

How about some chocolate cake?

Claudette baked a wonderful chocolate cake.

It's the best chocolate cake in the world.

Come with me.

SÃO CLEMENTE HOSPITAL

-Hey, Jorge. -Hey.

Today's the day! Ready to get out of here?

I've never been more ready for anything.

I don't wanna wear a hospital gown again.

I brought everything you me to bring you.

That feel okay?

Yeah.

Thank you, Sandra.

I-I don't know what I'd do without you.

I saw that man leaving your room.

Ah.

He came to… to pressure me.

Of course I told him to fuck off.

Well, shall we?

[Jorge] Yeah.

Can I help you?

No. All good.

COURTHOUSE

They're pulling up. Come on, come on, let's go.

[reporter] Do you believe your daughter is innocent, Mrs. Rossetti?

[man] Mrs. Rossetti!

[reporters clamoring]

-Counselor. -How're you?

It'll be alright, my love.

No communication between the defendant and the victim, please, thank you.

Mom, don't.

[judge] The court notes the presence of the defendants

Irina Petrov and Maíra Rossetti.

The court also notes the absence of defendant Bóris Petrov,

whose whereabouts are currently unknown, and who will be tried in absentia.

We'll now proceed as planned with a witness's account of the events.

I am now calling forward Jorge Luíz da Silva,

one of two victims of kidnapping who was seriously wounded and survived.

Is Mr. Luiz present?

Your Honor, we were unable to locate Mr. Luiz.

Mm.

An auspicious beginning.

Jorge Luiz was not located by the court, and

will not be able to testify.

And so Jorge,

he used to drive Maíra wherever she went.

He knew those two were very close.

He said he saw them start to plot the scam.

So he had access to the private affairs of Maíra?

-Yes. -He saw things no one else did?

Yes.

He said Maíra was not innocent.

I have an objection, Your Honor.

She proclaims to have heard all this information

from a distance, from other source.

This will have no bearing on the proceedings.

I object to the objection, Your Honor.

Her testimony matters because

the source disappeared under suspicious circumstances.

Objection on behalf of the witness, sustained.

Please proceed, counselor.

[Natália] Thank you, Your Honor.

Actually, Sandra, speaking of Jorge's absence,

do you know why he failed to appear in front of court?

[Orlando] Your Honor, I strongly object to this line of questioning.

Counsel is demanding she make a wild speculation.

Please, your Honor, my client already admitted

to being part of the scam in a recording I freely shared.

I'm merely establishing the fact that she didn't act alone.

Overruled. The questioning may continue.

The court agrees that the absence of Mr. Luiz is suspicious.

The prosecution has nothing further, Your Honor.

[Sandra] Listen, I don't want to make any accusations without proof.

-But you clearly recall what Jorge said? -Yes.

And Jorge said they were together from the beginning?

[Sandra] Yes.

He was positive they were in it together.

And even though you and Jorge are close,

you have no idea why he's not here?

Honestly, counselor,

if I weren't afraid of the possible consequences,

I would have a lot more to say.

Objection!

[judge] Overruled.

[Natália] Can you go into any more detail, please?

I really don't feel comfortable sharing anything more.

[Natália] Are you sure?

Please tell us what you can.

I'm afraid of them.

Sometimes I felt like it was all in my head.

A certain look, a long silence.

Sometimes he'd go days without saying anything to us.

And then sometimes he'd get violent.

[Natália] Physical violence?

Physical, psychological, emotional.

He didn't explain where it came from,

so we spent our whole lives trying to understand.

You and your sister?

Yes.

Me and Bárbara.

When our mom passed away, we were very small, and he was all we had.

He was everything. Our dad, our compass, our…

our judge, jury, and executioner.

It's very hard to understand that your world is wrong

when it's the only world you've ever lived in.

-And what world was that? -Bóris's world.

Everything was his. Everything. The people,

the rules, the decisions…

We learned from a young age that we couldn't disobey our father.

[Natália] Or else what?

[sighs]

My ex-husband…

Your father once tried to free me from this life,

to get us out of that house.

And when Bóris found out, he murdered my husband.

That's when I knew that…

I knew that he was capable of-

more violence than I imagined,

and I began to think he might've murdered my mother

for the very same reason years before.

For leaving the house.

That's when I accepted that I couldn't escape him no matter what.

Not without someone getting hurt or worse.

Or you getting hurt?

Yeah.

I knew he'd hurt me or the people I love.

[Natália] And this fear made you take part in the scam?

[Irina] Yes.

It was supposed to be a clean job, without any violence.

But he always made us do more.

And more.

Irresistible moral coercion.

It may be a term you're unfamiliar with,

but this is exactly what it means--

Objection.

The defense is testifying.

Sustained.

You must save your arguments for your closing statement, counselor.

Don't make this mistake again.

I apologize, Your Honor.

And that violence you mentioned culminated in the shooting of Jorge?

Yes. [sniffles] But I didn't know about that.

I knew my father had given Nilo a weapon, but no more than that.

And that same violence led to the plan to kill Maíra?

Yes. [sniffles]

But I was never going to do it.

Never.

[Natália] But if that's true, why didn't you run away?

That's exactly what I was doing.

I changed the flight from Búzios to Angra, so I could escape Bóris once and for all

and try to save Maíra.

Those aren't the words of a violent criminal.

Before we conclude,

is there anything you'd like to say to the court?

Yes.

Yes, it was part of the scam at first. But I truly fell in love with Maíra.

I would never do anything to you, Maíra. I would never hurt you.

I love you.

When you're out of here and this is over, Maíra, give me a chance, I'll explain--

-I love you so much. -[judge] Order!

I can't wait for this to be over.

-I'll always love you, Maíra! -Order.

The money was my inheritance.

-We didn't kill anyone. -[Orlando] Maíra, stop talking right now!

Either you remain silent, miss, or I'll hold you in contempt.

Counselors, I demand you put an end to this circus,

or will adjourn this session and have your clients arrested again!

Your Honor, please, may I approach the bench?

-Yes. -Thank you.

I heartily agree with you, Your Honor,

and, uh, for my client's sake,

I ask that she be removed from the courtroom and taken back to her cell.

You should hold her in contempt.

[judge] Counselor,

would you mind telling us where you're going with this argument?

This outburst in public, in the courtroom,

in front of yourself and the jury,

this over-the-top display of incriminating herself to us,

it all points to my client's impaired mental state.

She must not be tried like this.

Your Honor, please.

One moment, counselor.

Counselor.

You know very well that the time to request an evaluation of insanity

-has passed. -Yes, I am.

My apologies to the Court.

But I was caught off guard by my client's insane behavior.

May I introduce a piece of evidence?

At this stage, counselor?

Just a minute.

Thank you.

This report was issued by a psychiatrist who treated Miss Rossetti in the past.

In the opinion of this doctor,

Miss Rossetti's mind is not capable of severe strain.

But this report has no evidentiary value in establishing insanity.

Counselor, I am well aware of that.

It looks like your colleague is attempting to test my patience.

Your Honor,

the Counselor's new strategy is extremely unorthodox.

There are protocols to follow.

Which I intend to follow.

[judge sighs]

Counselor, I will issue one last warning.

I will not allow more tricks from you, am I clear?

Thank you, sir.

[judge] This hearing is adjourned.

I order that the defendant, Maíra Rossetti,

undergo an immediate forensic psychiatric evaluation for legal insanity today.

This court will reconvene tomorrow.

-Excuse us, let me through. Excuse us. -[reporters clamoring]

Please. No questions.

-Excuse me. -[clamoring continues]

Look, Tati! I brought you something, honey.

Let me know what you think.

Hmm.

Mm? Do you like it?

Great. I love it.

Ah, I'm glad.

This is the book I wanted. Thanks so much.

[Lúcia] I'm glad.

How did it go today?

Very good.

I'm convinced they have a chance.

We find out the result tomorrow, right?

The result is called a verdict. And yes, we'll find out tomorrow.

But no point in worrying about it.

More important, how was school?

-It was good. -Yeah?

Mariana from the fifth grade,

she invited me over to her house.

That's wonderful. What'd I say?

I knew it wouldn't take you long to make friends.

What about my grandpa?

Why won't anyone tell me where he is?

[doorbell rings]

[Orlando] My team got in touch with the forensic psychiatrist.

He examined Maíra and

his report is going to find that her mental capacity is much diminished.

What will that do?

That is the best-case scenario, Lúcia.

That means that she was too mentally ill

to make sense of her actions and their consequences.

It means Maíra won't face criminal charges,

won't face prison,

won't be sent to a mental institution.

She'll be forced to receive outpatient treatment while living at your house.

[laughs]

So then it's over?

Yeah, pretty much.

But the report by itself won't do everything.

We still have to convince the members of the jury

to rule in our favor.

One final thing.

Our friendly psychiatrist wants his money tomorrow.

A hundred thousand.

Can't you just take it out of the estate?

No, on such short notice, I'm not able to access that much money.

I suggest you dip into one of the secret accounts owned by the family.

I was a fool.

You're right, I shouldn't have worried about Maíra.

No, I should've known Orlando would play dirty.

We have a clear narrative establishing Bóris as the mastermind.

Mm-hmm.

But I have to be honest with you.

If their insanity strategy works, then that's it.

If they say Maíra is mentally unfit,

you alone will be held responsible for everything involving the scam.

It'll increase your sentence.

-Not a word. Don't say a word. -[muffled cries]

[judge] The psychiatric evaluation concludes that

when the crimes in question were planned and executed,

Miss Rossetti was suffering from a mental disorder,

impairing her ability to exercise self-control and understand her actions.

She is therefore found to have diminished criminal capacity,

under Article 26, Paragraph One, of the Penal Code.

-Something's wrong with that report. -What do you mean?

But I'll remind the members of the jury that only you can decide whether

the defendant acted while she was mentally unfit…

in other words, whether Miss Rossetti is criminally responsible

for the acts of which she has been accused.

We will now hear more witnesses called by the defense and the prosecution.

Mrs. Rossetti,

when did you first suspect that your daughter Maíra might be having

problems with her mental health?

-Lúcia No mother wants to admit that. -[scoffs]

[laughs]

We try to come up with some explanation

for the issues our children have.

But it's true Maíra was always different.

Different in what way?

She's always been very attached to me.

And as a small child, and now,

she had a lot of issues deciding something on her own.

-[laughs] -[Orlando] Could you be more specific?

Well, like choosing an outfit.

Writing a text message,

deciding what she wants to have for lunch, I don't know.

And Maíra needs someone to validate everything she does.

No, you need to decide everything!

[judge] Miss Rossetti, I'm warning you.

She always reacts like that when she's…

when she's confronted, you know?

I think that could be why she can't maintain friendships for very long.

Wait, are you saying your daughter never had any really close friends?

She had a few.

But they always eventually drifted away.

Yeah, 'cause you pushed them away.

[Lúcia] I admit living with such a demanding child is exhausting.

Only a mother puts up with that.

Well, the ones who stayed were only interested because of her money.

-Money? She never gave me a cent. -True friendship requires reciprocity.

And Maíra has always been very, very self-obsessed, I'm sorry to say.

-She's talking about herself, right? -[judge] Order, Miss Rossetti.

Sweetheart, calm down.

I know that it's very hard for you to hear this.

But I need to tell everyone the truth.

Maíra, for your own good.

For me?

You want me locked in a fucking mental hospital and it's for me?

-Order in my courtroom! Order! -Sit.

[Orlando] Mrs. Rossetti.

The report from the court-appointed psychiatrist

makes mention of certain compulsive behavior.

Could you tell us more about that?

Yes, that's true.

Compulsive shopping.

The compulsive hoarding of objects too.

I think it got worse after her father died.

I notice it gets worse after a personal loss.

In her mind, she must think she's filling the void with these things, you know?

But she's never been into drugs. No.

She was more into drinking than drugs.

Ah.

And there are the dolls.

-She's always collected these dolls. -[exhales]

She has the dolls in a closet

and cares for them as if they were real little girls.

One minute. Uh, could you just explain what you mean for me?

You're saying your daughter Maíra still plays with dolls?

They're collectible dolls.

Right. Uh… And how many does she have?

[Lúcia] About 300.

More than 300, even.

It started when she was a child. It was her father's idea.

He liked to get her dolls to play with.

He made it a special thing they had together.

But then she got older, and it kept escalating.

It escalated into an obsession.

Maíra always had

a very close relationship with her father.

Very close. They had a strong bond.

And she was always jealous for his affection.

She would compete with me for his love.

I think that Maíra wanted to take my place.

You were jealous of me

-and my relationship with him. -[judge] Order.

[Orlando] Mrs. Rossetti,

everything you've said is consistent with the official report.

Delusions of grandeur,

aggressiveness,

compulsiveness,

self-destructive behavior,

dissociation from reality.

Mrs. Rossetti, would you like to say anything else before you leave the stand?

Unfortunately, it's true, everything I said.

And it's true, deep down, that Maíra wanted what I had.

Since my daughter couldn't really…

she would attempt these confrontations.

For example, when she got involved in a romantic relationship with

that woman there.

-Irina has nothing to do with this! -Order.

-She rescued me from you! Admit it! -Order!

You want me kept all alone in an institution?

I'd rather be in the nuthouse than live with you!

Bailiff, please escort Maíra Rossetti out of here and back to her cell.

Fuck you! You're the worst mother in the world.

A shitty mother!

-Order in the court! -Oh my fucking God!

Let go of me, damn it! You're a shitty mother!

[judge] Get her out of here!

I need to talk to my lawyer, goddamn it! Please!

Are you crazy, Maíra? Fucking stop yelling!

[breathing heavily] Fuck.

[judge] I will now read the verdict returned by the members of the jury.

The defendant Irina Petrov,

by a majority vote, has been found

guilty of attempted murder,

fraud, and conspiracy.

The defendant Maíra Rossetti, by a majority vote,

has also been found guilty of attempted murder,

fraud, and conspiracy.

The defendant Bóris Petrov, by a majority vote,

has also been found guilty of the same three crimes.

This part now is what really matters, Maíra.

Finally, as to defendant Maíra Rossetti's criminal responsibility,

a majority vote has decided she has

diminished criminal capacity due to mental illness,

under Article 26, Paragraph One, of the Penal Code.

You've got to tell them, Maíra.

-They got it wrong! -Order!

-Irina is innocent too! -Order!

In light of the jury's verdict,

I will now impose sentence on the defendants.

As to defendant Irina Petrovi,

for her convictions for attempted murder, fraud, and conspiracy,

my sentence, to be effective immediately, will be the following:

24 years in prison to be served initially in a maximum security prison.

[Irina sobbing]

[crying]

As to defendant Maíra Rossetti,

while she was found guilty of the same crimes as Ms. Petrov,

the jury decided that she did not bear all the responsibility.

Accordingly, I will not be imposing a prison sentence.

Instead, I am ordering outpatient psychiatric treatment

until she is no longer considered dangerous.

Where am I gonna live?

Maíra, you're free. You can live wherever you want, okay?

You just have to go to the facility once a week, it's fine.

…on one Irina Petrov,

who shall be remanded to prison to begin serving her sentence.

Maíra Rossetti shall comply with the outpatient treatment order

by undergoing regular monitoring of her medical and psychological health.

So publicly ordered, entered, and enforced.

[gavel bangs]

Counselor.

Mom. It's not over.

I'll keep fighting for you.

[Maíra] Irina.

Irina.

Irina!

[dramatic music playing]

[music fades out]