All language subtitles for Common.Ground.2002.dvdrip.XviD-CycLOPS

COMMON GROUND

A) THE SKETCHY KILLER
B) THAT WHICH WAS NOT

NOTEBOOK

The writer writes:

"Someone who learns to write

can be a person who writes,
but never a writer. "

So according to Raymond Chandler,
I'm a writer, since I write.

But I don't know if
I write well or have my own style.

You don't look for a style.

You have one or you don't.
No one knows why.

I should know
if I write well or not.

I make a living from it.

From reviewing and analyzing
what others write.

I teach literature.

My own self-contempt
nurtures my sense of self-criticism.

I don't need
a publisher's approval.

If what I've started on turns out
to be trash or mediocre,

or lacks the quality
I expect from other writers,

and quality is rarely found,

then this draft will never know
the elegance of Garamond,

or the vulgarity
of any other typography.

Lili will read it, a friend or two,
and my son perhaps.

Lili's enough.
I write for and because of her.

I don't know if our story
is really worth the telling.

There may not even be a story
or this may turn into a diary.

I know there's disorder,
disappointment, disconcertment.

There's a country destroying us,
a world expelling us,

a sketchy killer killing us
daily and we don't realize it.

I don't have any answers.

I write out of chaos,
in deep darkness.

I've asked for two weeks off.
What with the summer courses,

I haven't stopped for two years.

They say teachers
don't earn much.

So we can't complain.

Time off and a trip to Madrid.
How's that?

We'll spend as much as here.
My son will pay for the flight.

Actually he's not "paying."

He works for a computer company
and gets mileage points.

- For you.
- Thank you.

And he gets free tickets.

How long will you be there?

One week to ten days.

You're lucky having
a son who sends you tickets.

My daughter chose our profession,
so that's the end of that.

Europe!

Morning, Professor.

Wait!

Did you know about this?

Nothing to do with me.
It's a ministry matter.

It came into force
less than a month ago.

They cut the education budget
and fire or retire.

Hard luck.

Or the black list?
I didn't ask to retire.

It's called "official retirement."

It could happen to anybody.

The country's bankrupt.
That's that. What can you do?

I can request to stay
for another three years.

That you can do something about.

That's the Dean's decision.

Why not just accept things
as they are?

You could find another job
if you really needed to.

- Don't give me advice.
- Coffee?

Tell me you'll ignore my request,
but spare me your advice.

I'm not saying no.

But your request depends
on certain things.

Honesty, ability, suitability,
discipline, ideology.

That's a problem.

Everyone's entitled to their opinions,
but sometimes you go too far.

I speak my mind.

Sometimes you're not
objective enough.

I can only be subjective.
Objects and rectors are objective.

And what are you, Robles?

You see, they'll ask me to describe
you, but I don't know how.

You're not a Peronist
or a radical.

What can I say in the report?

An anarchist,
a Marxist, a leftist?

Sounds old-fashioned.

Say what I'm not.

I'm not inept.
I wasn't handpicked like you.

That's hitting below the belt.
We may think differently,

but that doesn't
give you the right to insult.

No, we don't think differently.

Thinking is something
your brain is incapable of.

Put your notebooks away.
We won't discuss Hopscotch today.

Those who haven't read it, do so.

Don't be taken in
by Cortazar's sense of humor.

It's the most heartbreaking
love story I know.

Anyone got a cigarette?

Me.

I hope it gives you
the same pleasure as it gave me.

If you aren't moved by it,
it's your loss. A light?

Thanks.

- Smoking is allowed now?
- Yes.

This time next year
you'll be teachers.

You may not know much about
literature but enough to teach it.

That doesn't worry me.

But you should remember that
"to teach" means "to show."

"To show" is not "to indoctrinate."

It's to give information
while also teaching

a way to understand, analyze,
and question that information.

If you are stupid enough to believe
in revelations or political doctrines,

then go out and preach
in churches or from a soapbox.

If you teach, leave superstition
outside in the corridor

before you go into the classroom.

Don't make students learn
things by heart. That's no good.

What's imposed by force
is rejected and soon forgotten.

No child is a better person
for knowing by heart

the year of Cervantes' birth.

Make it your aim
to teach them to think,

to doubt, to ask questions.

Don't judge them by their answers.
Answers aren't the truth.

They only seek a truth
that is relative.

The best questions are those asked
by the Greek philosophers.

Many have become cliches,
but are still valid.

What? How? Where? When? Why?

But if we accept "the objective
is the way" as an answer,

that's no good either.

It describes the tragedy
of life, but doesn't explain it.

There's a mission
I want you all to carry out.

No one's charged you with it,

but I expect you,
as teachers, to carry it out.

Awaken in your students
the pain of lucidity.

Without limits.

Without mercy.

I hope I pass,
though Andrada's very tough.

I hope I pass,
though Andrada's very tough.

Criminal Law's a bitch,
but I'm ready.

You'll pass, don't worry. You're
a good student, pretty, pleasant.

You've got everything going for you.

Look Andrada in the eye and smile.
Tell me about it after.

That won't work on him.

Your smile's a knockout.
No one could resist it.

If he's human, he'll pass you.

I'd give you top marks.

- Hi.
- Hello.

How are you?
Double coffee?

Old Parr, double, lots of ice.
Coffee later.

- Do you want a bite?
- No, thanks.

- Should we grab a table?
- No. I'm picking Lili up.

- I've brought you this.
- What is it?

Forced retirement.

I can't do anything before the trip,
and I may not get the chance after.

Don't worry.
We'll do what we have to do.

Go over the Dean's head.
Ask what happens if he says no.

- He already said no?
- No, but he will.

Don't tell Lili.
It will spoil her holiday.

That's great for the heart.
Have a cigarette too.

Give me one.

- I've got some.
- Give me one.

Here.

With two bypasses,
a bad valve... .

- Drop it.
- Just for today.

Instead of retirement,
I'll ask for a disability pension.

Put those away, Natacha. If he
asks for one, don't give it to him.

He sounds like your father,
or your grandfather!

- You put up with him?
- Just till I find something better!

No, I wouldn't change him
for the world.

Some pal,
trying to steal your buddy's girl.

You belong on a park bench,
feeding pigeons.

It seems so.

Come on.
I'm just pulling your leg.

I know, I know.

- Hello.
- Hello, gorgeous.

Long face.
Anything wrong?

No, nothing's wrong.

- Another run-in with the Dean.
- A big one?

Ideological differences.

I told him he was a mindless jerk.

- You okay?
- No. Everything's awful.

More homeless,
but they cut our budget.

"No funds, cutbacks,
the government can't cope."

They may close us down,
but it makes no difference.

With no money
we can't help anybody.

If the government can't cope,
we're all screwed.

Fer!

Coming.

What can I help with?

All that for you?
You've drained the bottle.

It's all ice.

Don't ask me to pack.
I'm hopeless at it.

At other things too.

What about shirts?
Is ten enough?

Yeah, I guess.

- Whatever you think.
- Ten.

You'll need to buy
some new ones for going out.

- I'll close them when you finish.
- Where are you going?

I'm writing.

You all right?

Again, Lili?
I'm okay.

Traveling makes me edgy.

Fer?

Fernando, are you okay?

I'm fine, Lili.
I'll be out in a minute.

Are you sure?

You feel okay?
Need anything?

No, nothing.

Something I ate.
I'm okay now.

Go back to bed. Don't worry.
I'll be out in a minute.

Chanel Number 5.

- Anything else, sir?
- That Sun and Moon.

Right.

Thank you.

I haven't worn this
in a long time.

I got you this too.

It's like giving you the universe.
The sun, the moon, the stars.

Have you gone mad?

We can't afford this.

We'll never have less than now.

I can't leave you
on your own. Thanks.

What else did you get?

A carton of Winston for Pedro.

Pedro's trying to give up smoking.
It's really for you.

You've started smoking again.

Just occasionally. Life's short
whether you smoke or not.

If you die, it's okay.

But if you have a stroke,
I won't change your nappies for you.

Now, that's love!

Can I ask you something?

You've been acting
strange since last Friday.

We've never kept things
from each other.

Something is wrong.
What is it?

Your professor
is no longer a professor.

I've been retired.

Carlos is trying to help me
stay on for three more years,

but it's unlikely.

I was going to tell you
when we got back.

I feel bad seeing you upset,
and then hiding it from me.

They suddenly decide
that I'm obsolete.

So they kick me out,
to vegetate.

They took away my future.

"Don't worry,
you'll be dying next."

It stinks,
but it's not that bad.

We've been through worse.

How much will you get?

I don't know.

Or when I'll get it.

What I hate
is being declared useless.

No one is useless
because others say so.

You'll think of something
when you feel better.

What worries me is making
ends meet and with how much.

We can't work it out now.

Wait till we get back.

And don't say a word to Pedro.

It was a voluntary retirement,
and I'm happy.

- Okay?
- Okay.

But with that long face,
we're busted!

Lili's always been like that.

Lili's always been like that.

You can't hide things
from her or lie to her.

Perhaps she's very perceptive

or perhaps my face
is like an open book to her.

We took a trip
we didn't want to take.

We wanted to see Pedro,
but not travel.

Another dependable cliche.
"All's ill, that ends ill. "

Mom!

Hello!

- Hello, Javier.
- How are you?

- How are you?
- Fine, fine.

The address is Fuencarral 25,
off the Gran Via.

- The "Hostal Montejano." Know it?
- Sure.

But you're coming home with me.

You have no room.

With the kids together,
there's a room for you.

If you really came to see me,
you won't say no.

And if you stay in Madrid
you'll be 30 km away.

It will be a bit cramped,
but it's only a few days.

Madrid was really beautiful.
Brilliant.

An example
of the First World prosperity

we were being pushed away from.

We'd only lived there for six years,

having been invited into exile
by the military in 1 9 7 6,

but we didn't feel like tourists.

We felt like we belonged here.

We decided to take things in stride,

and try to enjoy
our short stay in that dream world,

before returning to
an uncertain future in Buenos Aires.

Pedro's home was our home.

So Fabiana told us,
with an icy smile announcing

that she'd do all she could
to show us otherwise.

I must admit the place was
too small for so many people.

We were all uncomfortable.

Fabiana and the kids
ignored us.

We saw Pedro at night,
always dining out

at some local restaurant.

Fabiana lent us her car,

so we'd have no excuse
for staying at home, her home,

even if we didn't want to go out.

We never stopped for a minute.

We saw new places and returned
to others with fond memories.

We felt like tourists
but had a good time.

With Lili, I always
have a good time.

We like being together.

It gives us great pleasure
mixed with serene joy,

even to do simple things.

We can talk, stay silent,
do nothing, whatever.

When we're together
we feel fine.

I wished my son felt
the same way about his wife.

It wasn't the case.

It may be none of my business,

but he made a bad choice,
as always.

I say this with impartiality,

though I can't help
feeling deeply disappointed.

None of my expectations
as a father worked out.

Well, perhaps one.

Pedro is a decent person.

We wanted him
to decide how to live

and what to do
with total freedom,

but for some strange reason
or some genetic short-circuit,

the kid always insisted
on taking the wrong decisions.

Fabiana was just one
of half a dozen girlfriends

till she got pregnant.

Without pressure, not even from her,
Pedro got married.

Without pressure, not even from her,
Pedro got married.

Come and live in Madrid.

You'd be closer to the kids
and could give me a hand.

If you wanted to.

I'd love to. I love the kids.
But you'd say I spoil them.

I wouldn't say that!

They'd be much better off
than with some illiterate Indian!

Or some African.
We're being invaded.

When Pedro is two and can go
to kindergarten,

I want to go back to work.

I really hate having
to say I'm a housewife.

I'm a graphic designer
not a housewife.

I'm a housewife.

Yes, but that's different.

It's up to Fer.
I'm okay anywhere.

But this is your home.

I've always been an exile.

My folks took me from Lerida
to France, then to Argentina.

So I never felt homesick.
I got to Argentina when I was 20.

But I don't feel Argentinean.

My homeland is my husband.

I suppose they'll pay me.
It probably won't be much less

than what I got running
from one school to another.

I got tired of it all.

For a long time,
I felt like a windbag,

like no one was listening to me.

It wasn't like that.

You got tired, that's all.

So what are you going to do?

- You can't just do nothing.
- I'm writing.

I don't know what.
Maybe a novel.

That's great.

I'm worried about
how much you'll get.

I don't think you'll manage.

We'll manage.

- Are you still writing?
- No.

- Not even in your free time?
- I haven't got any.

I'll go down in history

as the writer who published a novel
nobody read and who vanished.

That's a pity.
It was very good.

Thank you, thank you.

Look, dad,
let me suggest something.

Move to Madrid.
To live.

I'm okay for money.

I'll find you
an apartment in Madrid,

or here in the development.

With your pension and what
I give you, you'll be okay.

And you can do whatever
you like, no worries.

- You must earn a good salary.
- Better than good.

I'll be helping you out,
without inconveniencing us.

This is another world.

It's a real country.
I've got the house, two cars.

The kids will be able to study
what and where they like.

Who could ask for more?

What do you say?

Ask Mom what she thinks.

In Athens,
there was a special law,

exempting children
from taking care of their parents,

if the parents hadn't taught
them properly,

hadn't taught them
an art or science.

You're exempted.

I can't let you help me.

As ideals and goals,
you've chosen everything

your mother and I
taught you to despise.

You gave up what you liked most

for all that computer shit
and the chance

to earn lots of money
and a bourgeois life.

It's not your fault.

We got the teaching wrong.

We went wrong somewhere.

What should I have done?

Keep driving a taxi, starve, shit
on my kids' future to keep writing?

Not sell out.

You should have stayed
true to your vocation.

Do you love your work?

It's fun.
I'm good at it.

It's fun?
What crap!

How can you talk
to me of the future,

of your family's future,
when it's all an illusion.

A trap set by the system
to trap people,

to enslave them through
fear of the fucking future!

What future have you got?

Are you clairvoyant?

Did they tell you
at work that accidents,

cirrhosis, cancer, a shot
from a thief's gun don't happen?

Maybe I failed you, okay.

But have you forgotten
how to think for yourself?

Now you'll talk about hope,
about faith, brother,

and fucking salvation!

- Keep it down. You're shouting.
- Who's shouting?

You don't control the future.

Like it or not, you're just a shitty
immigrant, stealing a Spaniard's job.

When the recession
hits your company,

you'll be the first
to get kicked out.

I am not a shitty immigrant.

I'm Spanish,
with Spanish nationality.

You know I don't give a shit
about patriotism. You sold out.

You renounced
your country for money.

You're not Spanish.

I won't say what you are.

You know better than anyone.

- Don't pay him any attention.
- Did you hear him?

He does it to annoy you,
not because he means it.

- See you later.
- At home?

No, not today.
We'll find a hotel, don't worry.

- Don't tell me not to smoke now.
- I want one too.

Shall we get a taxi?

Let's walk a bit.

I went too far.

A bit.

To say you were an asshole
would be an understatement.

- Let me carry something.
- It's not heavy.

I'm sick of being
a tourist and shopping.

The jacket's lovely.
It was very cheap.

What are we doing here?

- Let's go to Lerida then go home.
- Not Lerida.

Too expensive.
We can go home whenever you like.

Whatever.
A day more, a day less.

Pedro, the plane leaves
tomorrow night.

Meet us in town for a drink.

Then we'll see each other.

Okay. I'll call you
in an hour's time. Bye.

A previous engagement
at work he can't cancel.

I wouldn't be surprised
if he didn't want to see you.

Don't take his side.

Let's go out, Lili.

Let's leave Madrid doing the only
thing I'll miss back home.

Let's try a few good wines

and finish with a cocktail
at Chicote's or the Bellas Artes.

I'll ring him in an hour.

- Have a good flight.
- Is it boarding yet?

Gate 1 2.

- Which gate?
- 1 2.

I knew it.

Thanks for coming.

- I was afraid you'd boarded.
- We were late.

- Her fault.
- Of course it was.

Look, forget what I said.
I wanted to piss you off. Sorry.

We're both the same when it comes
to winning an argument.

We say things to bug each other,
even things that aren't true.

You know that.
We were always the same.

This time it was different.

- What you said was right.
- No, it was bullshit.

I did what I thought was best.

- I think I'm shit too.
- I never said that.

You deserve to be happy.
When I see you down, I get angry.

I don't have the balls to go back.

The country is in bad shape,
but that's an excuse.

People still get by.

I feel like a traitor,
someone who ran away.

A traitor to what?

You were kicked out, like I was,
like everyone who leaves.

Your country died,
it doesn't exist.

So forget the homesickness
and see things as they are.

You have to survive.

Don't feel guilty
about anything.

In questions of survival,
there are no rules.

They got rid of them.

But don't give in.
Sell out but don't give up.

Hold on because some day
you'll be able to be yourself.

Don't surrender.

Some day is the future.
And the future's an illusion, right?

The future's an invention.
But that's philosophy.

Life is something else.

The future exists,
it can be bought.

You're working your balls off
for your kids' future.

And that's how it should be.

You're giving them a future
and somewhere to grow up.

A good place.
Now forget the damn guilt.

All right, I will.

But I don't know if you mean all that
or just want me to feel better.

Today he does. He's saying
what he believes. Trust him.

I meant what I said before.

If you do decide to come
and live here, count on me.

- Despite the law.
- What law?

The law of Athens.

We'll discuss it at home, all right?

If we come,
it'll be because you're here.

When we got back, we realized
how good it had been in Madrid,

despite spending more
than we should have,

despite the row with Pedro,
despite all his sadness.

You come back home
with a secret hope

that some miracle
has changed everything.

But in the street, you see
that hope dashed,

with nothing
to soften the blow.

Like so many other times,
I began to wonder,

what the hell
we were doing here,

what we expected,

why we didn't get out altogether.

Also, like so many other times,
I couldn't find an answer.

So we stayed where we were.

- Hi, how are you?
- Good.

- Have a good trip?
- Fantastic.

- Is Carlos expecting you?
- I can wait.

He spends all his time
on the phone trying to get paid.

This month
we can't pay the rent.

- Dr. Solla, a client.
- Thank you, my dear.

No good news, I'm afraid.

I can't go over
the Dean's head.

So consider yourself retired,
and fucked too.

With luck they'll start paying you
in 2 or 3 months' time.

- How much?
- The minimum.

I put in more than the minimum rate.

They give what they can.
If things improve, you'll get more.

That's all there is for now.

Can't we take them
to court or something?

You could try.

But get another lawyer.
I'd lose you as a friend.

Suing the State takes 3 years,
at the very least.

You might win

if they don't change the laws
and if the State still exists.

Take what they give you.

I will but it's not enough
to get by on.

- Haven't you got any savings?
- A little bit.

We could mortgage the apartment.

I could sell the car, but it's old.

Trouble with a mortgage is
you have to pay it off later.

- In dollars.
- How would I raise the cash?

That's just it.
Forget the mortgage.

I'll think of something.

Run some figures.
Budget. Then we'll see.

- How big is your apartment?
- 1 1 0 meters, more or less.

It's well located.
You could get a good price for it.

Then buy something
smaller, or rent.

I could invest any money
you had left over

and you might get by.

The apartment's Lili's, not mine.

It belongs to both of you.

It's not that.
Lili's folks left it to her.

They worked hard to do that.

I can't just decide to sell it.
I couldn't do that to Lili.

Ask her what she thinks.

She'll say if we need to sell it,
then go ahead, but it will hurt her.

It's not just anything.
It's a part of her life.

Perhaps you're right.
But Lili's not like you.

You're a walking tango,
sentimental and corny.

Food, what did we say? 300?

- More or less.
- I'll put half of that.

The car, repairs, fuel.
We'll take the bus.

- Cinema, videos, books. Half?
- Lf we have anything left, we'll see.

I don't know how.

We stay in, forget wine, coffee,

keep phone calls to a minimum,
but it still doesn't add up.

I don't know, Lili.
I just don't know.

Don't worry.
I'll work it out.

You were never
good at numbers.

We'll do it backwards.

We'll make do
with what we've got.

We've got enough
for two more months.

Let's think and try
and come up with something.

Let's think.

Computers, French. Exactly.

I think an interview's important.

Okay, thanks anyway.

We soon realized that
thinking was all we could afford.

Though nobody
would pay us for that.

But nobody would pay us
to work either.

They said we were
out of the market.

Out of sync,
out of the system,

out of everything.

We were "outside, "
excluded, dispensable,

disposable.

We stopped paying the house taxes.

We asked Carlos
to lend us money.

Not much.
Something to get by on.

In the end Lili decided to do
what I never wanted her to.

PRIVATE LESSONS

I felt guilty about everything
that was happening to us.

FOR SALE

- Hi, gorgeous. Drink?
- No.

- Let's go home. Have you paid?
- Yeah, let's go.

This is not bad for you.
It's killing you. Understand?

They didn't say smoke less.

- They said stop altogether.
- Okay, but just once in a while... .

Do I look stupid?

At first the agency said
we'd soon sell the apartment,

but as time passed
they weren't so optimistic

and said it was a bad moment,
due to the crisis.

Always the crisis.

Ever since I can remember,
there's been a crisis

and corrupt politicians
have held power.

Also due to the crisis,

on Saturdays people
paraded through the house.

It was a cheap way
of getting out.

I drew away, and took refuge
in notebook 1 9.

In silence.

I let Lili look after everything.

I didn't want to,
but I couldn't do anything else.

As in a nightmare,
I wanted to move but couldn't.

It's lovely.

Zacharias said,
that's the owner,

he said there's much more
to it than this.

He recorded this himself
to promote it.

He's not very good at it.
It's off the beaten track,

in an area of farmhouses, but still
only 30 km from Villa Dolores,

and you've got everything there.

It's like living here
but with a better climate.

It's really not bad.

The owner wants
to sell right away.

He's offering it
as partial payment.

60% cash for your house,
the farm the other 40%.

He should have sold it by now.

He pays the cash, we sign
the contract of sale and then wait.

If it's hard selling this place,
imagine a farmhouse in Cordoba.

Beggars can't really be choosers.

He wants to move out now.

He lost his wife a year ago
and came to live here, I think.

He doesn't want
to live there alone.

He's a definite buyer.
The only one.

I'd think about it
if I were you.

Nothing to think about.

We're too old to act like hippies

living in a commune
of self-sufficient farmers,

which is a euphemism
for drugged-up idiots.

On a farm you don't starve.

You'd have a farm with chickens,
pigs and hens.

Not cows, though.
That'd be too much work.

"What's for dinner?"
"Roast suckling pig."

If I had the money,
I'd buy that farmhouse.

For yourself or Natacha too?
Would you go?

- What are you on about?
- Carlos's farmhouse.

- He wants to be a farmer.
- Great. Drop me a line every so often.

They say they'll be with you
till the end of the world.

To the end of time.

Till the world ends,
not the ends of the earth.

- So, what's with this farm?
- A place for us.

He's trying to convince us that
the countryside is paradise.

Shall we go to the table?

I hate the countryside.

And the mountains depress me.

I might consider a place by the beach,
but not in the country.

I'm a city girl,
an asphalt woman.

- Don't say what you're thinking.
- A street-walker.

- You said it. Isn't that the same?
- Bite this.

What a slut.
You'll have to excuse her.

Her generation lacks manners.

- It's better than ever.
- Delicious, Lili.

Your cooking's divine. You're
beautiful, clever, charming.

- What are you still doing with him?
- I don't know.

Let's go to the farmhouse.
Imagine this cooked in a clay oven.

He and Natacha can stay here.
They'll have a great time on a bench,

breathing in car fumes,
trying to talk over the noise.

He always wanted to seduce her.

- He's too proud to admit he can't.
- You can't seduce her.

Lili, or any woman.
It's we women who do the seducing.

Or we let guys think
they've seduced us.

- That's it, baby.
- He's playing dumb.

Not now. He wants to bust
our balls about this farmhouse again!

I'm your friend. It's my duty.

Can you see us killing
ourselves working the land?

What about my emphysema
and Lili's slipped disk?

I'll get depressed if I go on.

Zacharias is 1 0 years older than you.

There's a guy there, a handyman,
who lives nearby.

He does the heavy work,
him and his family.

He can run the farm.
So that excuse is no good.

- He'd turn me into a landowner.
- Don't exaggerate, Fer.

With what the place is worth,

it'd be like having a small house
in Buenos Aires.

- He's stuck in the 60s.
- Long before that.

Not Marx or Lenin or Che.
I won't change the system.

We lost the war some time ago.
Those who won it, the masters,

are so entrenched,
they can allow the left to exist.

Because it's harmless.
The left is no longer a threat.

It's just a badge, a graffiti.
Sheer nostalgia.

It's a moral attitude
confined to private life.

And the worst thing about the left.
Too much respect, contemplation.

The right wins, because it has
no morals, no scruples.

"What's worst for you is the best."

You judge the success of the idea,
and that's not important.

He's saying what the right says,
bastard. And it didn't always win.

Tell me one time when...
Wait, he hasn't finished.

- So where were you?
- 1 7 89.

- The French Revolution, dear.
- I'm not stupid.

They beat us, kicked us,
and sent us back to 1 7 89.

What do we expect?
What do we demand?

We plead, we don't demand.

Worst of all, we expect
an organized, logical world,

and we expect individuals,
not the nation, to know

they belong to a community
and to work for the common good.

Now that's liberty,
equality and fraternity.

Centuries later, we've done nothing.

We still live in 1 7 89.

We could fly a French flag,
to feel less guilty.

Don't exaggerate. We're not
all guilty, for God's sake.

The accomplices are guilty.

And raise an American flag.
Their revolution came first.

Be serious.

- Somebody tell her I am serious.
- Coffee?

What Fer's saying is elementary.

But right now, almost everywhere,
that's subversive talk.

Almost? Everywhere.

Not Cuba.
Don't make that face.

We can discuss good and bad,
but Cuba's socialist.

I disagree with one thing you said.
Cuba isn't a badge.

Youth! The divine treasure!

Well said.

Fer.

Don't leave me.

Fer!

DINNER OUT TONIGHT
WILL CALL YOU

Of all the distilling machines,

the best for price and performance
is the French one.

And I can give you a list of
the perfume makers I sent letters to.

They were interested
and business seemed viable.

At least until a year ago.

You'd have to update
costs and profit margins.

I have books on cultivation
and distillation.

I haven't planted much.

I should've planted more.
Lavender needs two years.

And my idea was to buy the machine
and flowering lavender,

to make oil right away.

You had it all worked out.

I know nothing about it,
so it's a great help to me.

Lucky you're so well organized.

Obsessive. I'm in everything.
I always planned everything,

needed to know what'd happen
the next month, the next year.

Except with Laura.

I never thought
she wouldn't be there.

I still think she hasn't gone.

She's not here,
but she hasn't gone.

I don't know what
my friend thinks, Mr. Zacharias,

but you'd be a good partner
in this perfume business.

- A consultant maybe.
- Good idea.

You've got your wife,
you have to go on. I don't.

I don't feel like it. I'm alive
and there's no sense to it.

I've considered suicide.

Perhaps it's all a dream and
Laura will come and wake me up.

What's going on?

You look lovely.

- Gorgeous.
- Don't sit down.

What's the rush?

We're reserved at Puerto Madero
and we have to pick up Natacha.

The best of Buenos Aires by night.

- The most expensive, anyway.
- On Carlos.

You know Coco Chanel?
What about Mr. Coco?

This is Mr. Coco Chanel,
the perfume king, the lavender king.

- Tell her, Coco.
- How much whisky have you had?

We've sold the apartment.
We're moving to the countryside.

- Lf you agree.
- Sure, but what's going on?

- What's all this Coco talk?
- We'll tell you on the way.

I've put "Dear Pedro,"

the address in Cordoba
and the phone number.

I've said we're fine,
etcetera, etcetera,

that we're not at all sad

about leaving the place
we lived in for so many years.

That we feel the change
is for the better.

That we're doing this
because we want to,

and not because we have to,

and that perhaps it's given us back
our sense of vitality.

One knows, but often forgets,

that all one has
are hopes and dreams,

and that's what keeps us going.
Etcetera, etcetera.

Come see us soon.
"Love. Mom."

We took the wrong turn.

I said it was that other road.

It is this road. It's not
my fault if the map's wrong.

Welcome.

- Hello.
- You must be Del Medio.

I'm Robles. Fernando.
This is Liliana.

Just call me Horacio.
It's De Medio.

No "L." People get it wrong
and call me Del Medio but it's De.

- No "L."
- Zacharias wrote it down wrong.

That old bastard.
He did it on purpose.

Whenever he wanted
to annoy me, he'd say:

"Hey, Del Medio.
Here, Del Medio."

How is he?

Holding up.
He sends his best wishes.

He's very fond of you.

And me of him.
With you here I'll miss him less.

- I'll take your bags.
- No, we'll do that tomorrow.

Then I'll leave you to rest.

If you need anything, call me.
My house is just over there.

- See you tomorrow.
- Thanks.

De Medio's a genius.
He left us some wine.

He's my type of guy.
Are you hungry?

And tired, and I need to pee.
Where's the bathroom?

Thank you.

For what?

I'll tell you about
the different kinds of lavender.

Lavandula officinalis,
that's English lavender.

Latilofia or spike/spic lavender.

Lavandula stoecha,
that's French lavender.

Lavandula lanata, that's Spanish.

Then there's the hybrid
English-spike lavender,

which is more prolific.
Zacharias planted it.

But I want to try for English.
Less oil but higher quality.

For the European market,
we need the best essence.

You're laughing.

We've got visitors.

- Good morning.
- Good morning.

This is my family.
Ana, my wife.

Micaela, Alicia.
This is Lucas.

Say hello, son.

At your service, Mr. Fernando.

Call me "Mr."
and I'll call you "Del Medio."

We don't need the "L" or the "Mr."

And forget "at your service."

Though we'd like you and your
wife to go on working here.

And I don't know
what Zacharias paid you.

Food, housing, a few pesos.
Whatever you say, Mr. Fernando.

No, Del Medio,
whatever you say.

The house is yours anyway.

As for food,
why should you eat what I say?

So you'll have a wage.
Work out how much you'll need.

Is that okay with you?

This is so sudden.
I'm not sure I understand.

But I think it's okay.
It's okay, Fernando.

But the house isn't mine.

- It belongs to the farm.
- I didn't buy it.

Zacharias said it was yours,
so it is.

He must've turned generous
in his old age.

Lili's smile was
my greatest achievement.

It was also my greatest prize.

On the farm, she was reborn.

Her world changed. She was young,
beautiful, happy again.

I put aside the pain of failure,
the sense of the absurd I felt inside

the moment I realized
that being a teacher

was now part of my past,
as in the tango.

I tried to persuade myself,
and sometimes managed,

that my life had a reason
if I lived it for her, for Lili.

I had to go on caring for her,
so that she'd never be unhappy.

She had said, "You know,
but forget that you know. "

That's the way
to live with clarity.

But things get complicated
when you can't forget.

The awakening of lucidity
may never take place,

but if it does,
there's no avoiding it.

And also it stays forever.

When you perceive
the senselessness of life,

you also perceive that
there are no goals or progress.

Though, unwilling to admit it,

we know that life
is attached to death,

that life and death
are not consecutive,

but simultaneous
and inseparable.

If we can stay sane,

in the face of rules
and routines we don't believe in,

it is because lucidity shows us
that life is so banal,

that we cannot live it
like a tragedy.

Do you like reading?

This one's interesting,
and the pictures are lovely.

Her name's Alicia too.

- Keep it if you like.
- Why have you got so many books?

I don't really know.
Or why I brought them.

Where will you put them?

On the walls. I'll get some wood
and bricks for shelves.

So many words
for the same confusion.

Excuse me, Fernando, but
you don't need to put up a number.

This isn't like the city.

It's a name.

It may be a number,
but it's the name of the house.

And an important date for us.

I'll explain sometime.

I have to make another two.

And I'd like you to nail them
to a post or a tree.

One at the entrance
and the other at the turnoff.

Then our friends won't
get lost when they come.

- He moves like Maradona.
- He's lovely.

Change the menu.

- Shall I grill him?
- Okay, but pluck him first.

- Kill him first.
- Don't look at me.

It's easy.
You just wring his neck.

You know how to do it.

Yes, but I've never done it.
You do it.

I don't know how.
You were born in the country.

Here, it's easier with a knife.

Then he won't suffer.

Outside.
You'll splash everything.

He needs a name.

Diego.

I've decided that De Medio,

will be the official executioner
on this farm.

Lucidity is both a gift
and a punishment.

It's all in one word.
Lucid comes from Lucifer,

the rebellious archangel, the Devil.

And Lucifer is also
the morning star,

the first star, the brightest,
the last to fade.

Lucid comes from Lucifer,
Lucifer from Lux and Ferous,

meaning he who has light,
who generates light,

who brings the light allowing inner
vision. Good and Evil together.

Pain and pleasure.

Lucidity is pain, and
the only pleasure we can know,

the only pleasure,
remotely like joy,

is that of being aware
of our own lucidity.

"The silence of understanding,
the silence of merely being.

There, the years go by. There,
beautiful animal joy went. "

Pizarnik. Brilliant.

Yes, he's here.
Just a minute. I'll call him.

- Fer! It's Carlos.
- Okay.

I'm not surprised. The banks
lend money to people with money.

Give it a try, but they'll kill me
with the interest.

All right, call me.
Love to Natacha.

When are you coming?

Fine, take care.

When are they coming?

In a week, but with Carlos
that could be a month.

Forget the perfume. The bank
refused the loan for the machine.

I thought they would.

We'll have to find another way.

Goodbye, lavender, Lili.

How about a loan in Spain?

They could send a machine
from there.

And the rates are lower.

- How do I get a loan in Spain?
- Not you. Pedro.

If you ask him, he won't say no.

He can pay
till you start production,

then you can start
paying him back.

I don't like asking people favors.
Including my son.

And after what you said to him,
you can't ask him for a loan.

For that very reason.

Yes, you can.

He won't say no
or hold it against you.

He'd appreciate you
asking him a favor.

I don't know.
I'll think about it.

Look, Fer.

I don't give a damn about machines,
oil, perfume, whatever,

but I care about my son.

Just swallow your stupid pride
and call him.

I want him to be happy.

If you ask him for a favor,
he'll feel that you don't despise him,

that at last you'll accept
his help and accept him.

Is it so much to ask
for Pedro's sake?

Give me a drag.
It's bad for you.

What time is it in Madrid?

A bit early, but so what?

Pedro? It's dad.
This is dad. Is it early?

This is kind of urgent.
No, everything's all right.

No, mom's fine.
We're both fine, don't be silly.

I wanted to ask you a favor.

If you can help, fine.
If not, fine too.

No, it's not that.

I'll send you a fax
with the details later.

Anyway, I need to get
a loan in Spain.

Yes.

If it's too far, I'll come back.

Walking is good
but it's no big deal.

De Medio says you can see
the mountains from up there.

Kilometers away.

- Won't you come?
- Not today.

- I'm going to make tomato jam.
- We'll start waddling soon.

Fat and happy.
Are you up to it?

Look, I can hardly button my pants.

- Could you be happy some day?
- Why not today?

Or am I being punished?

We can think what we want.

Sometimes we think what
we don't want to. It's like a game.

An intellectual exercise,
if you prefer.

We can think and we can live.
That's fine.

But so much thinking
can stop us from living.

You've been reading my notebook?

I don't need to.

I don't read anything
you don't ask me to.

I know.

I do what I can, but it's hard.

I'm doing better.
Don't worry, Lili.

We can also think and talk.

I could listen and pretend
I understand. That might help.

What for?
You already know everything.

That's all right.
I like listening.

The lucid man can go on living

as long as he has
a drive for life.

With age, that dark
instinctive force can be lost.

Then it's necessary to call upon
something like faith,

and to invent a reason, a goal to
replace that lost animal impulse

with a cold, rational will.

But that will is hard to keep up.

Suddenly, for no reason,
it burns out, it disappears.

It's then when you go on or quit.
When you can or you cannot.

And if you can't,
there's no guilt.

The love of others, our love
for others, it doesn't matter.

If we don't go on,
things go on without us.

Everything passes, absence passes.

We know death before we die.

It's an ancient routine, common end.
A wished-for end awaited without fear,

for we have experienced it
many times before.

Nothing matters.

Do you know what time it is?

- I fell asleep by a stream.
- Where have you been?

Up there to see that damn mountain.
And you can't see a thing.

Get inside. You're soaking wet.
Have some brandy.

- Bad for my stomach.
- No, it's not.

Can't you put
some more honey in it?

If this ever gets off the ground,
De Medio, I tell you what.

I'll subtract the costs,
pay off the loan,

and reinvest a percentage
to increase production.

The rest of the profits,
we split 50-50.

Half for us, half for you.

Will that be my wages?

No, in addition to your wages.

Talk about that another time.

You caught cold,
and you're not well.

This is so you know about 1 7 89.

That was the year the French
had a revolution.

They wanted
liberty, equality and fraternity.

Nothing changed much.
But I'm going to implement it.

- Give me your coat.
- Thanks.

- It's lovely. Better than the video.
- It's not bad.

Where's Natacha?

- Everything went sour.
- She found a man her own age.

Very funny.
I left her.

I wanted to split up for a while,

but she got pissed off
and left me.

Pity. You'll make up again.

You got on so well together.
Splitting up was stupid.

She wants a child.

That's natural.

Yes, but what's not natural
is that she wants one with me.

That's because she loves you.

I love her too. A lot.

But I prefer to lose her
than leave her alone with a child.

- You know when you're going to die?
- Don't start, Lili.

The guestroom's upstairs.

Incredible. Maybe I'll stay a couple
of months instead of a week.

I'll find you a hotel. Then you
can stay as long as you please.

Provincial hospitality, eh?

- What's this?
- I've made fried tortas.

Fantastic!

Fuck light food, nouvelle cuisine
and cholesterol.

You're really sick.

- I don't want to give it to you.
- Genius fell asleep in the mountains.

One is your pension.
It's a pittance.

The other's better.

It's the interest from the money
for your apartment.

I mortgaged it. I didn't tell you
so you wouldn't bust my balls.

That's usury! Are you kidding me?
You've made me a usurer.

- No more power of attorney.
- How about that!

Look, the notary lent your money
to a construction company.

Not to an individual.
I told them you wouldn't allow that.

So it's okay.
You're robbing a thief.

It's not much,
but I hope it goes far.

We'll make it last.

Buy some shelves for your books.
They're still lying around.

They can stay in the boxes.

If we have to go
back to Buenos Aires,

packing is the worst part of moving.

- You're mad to think of going back.
- Don't look at me.

If the perfume doesn't work,
do something else.

But don't you go back.

Things are worse and worse.
You can't see poverty here.

You can see it less.

You could try something else.

Open a public library,
give private lessons, talks,

meet your neighbors,
see how they live,

if they have cooperatives... .

You want me to found
an anarchists' colony?

Why don't you do it?

I can't. I like the filth,
and earning good money.

Though I don't know why.

My ex-wife and daughters
get most of it.

The bitches don't even visit me.

Stop eating.
I'm going to make a fire.

With wood.

Beef or chicken?

If you want chicken... .

Free range chicken.
Real free range chicken.

- The white one looks good.
- That's Diego.

He'll be a rooster soon.

Will you call De Medio, Lili?

Fer!

- I'll be in the car.
- Keep the jacket on.

You've got a fever.

- Carlos!
- Coming!

Sure you won't come?

Men need to be alone occasionally.

Take care. A little wine,
no whisky, and no loose women.

Nag, nag, nag.

Give me one.

- You're shitting me.
- Just a drag.

I'm really happy to see you both.

You both look well,
especially Lili.

She's radiant, fantastic.

You look like shit.
It must be your age.

More than a bit.

- I feel like shit.
- That makes two of us.

I don't know what
to do about that girl.

I don't want to lose her.
I never loved anyone so much.

I found her too late.

- It's never too late.
- Oh, come on.

How long have I got left?
1 0 years?

I don't mean life,
but useful life.

- Ten at most.
- Less.

Maybe a year, or a day
or a few minutes.

The same as a young man
of 20 or 30.

You talk like an amoeba, Carlos,
not a thinker.

- Shake your neurons.
- I've got one left, just barely.

Don't be a coward.
Don't lose her.

- What are you doing?
- This way I won't cough inside.

Come along.
I'll make some photocopies.

I'll give you a card
to give to Suarez Vela.

He's got a lavender farm but he's
bought a wine cellar in Mendoza.

Wine's a better business.

You'll have to haggle.
He's tightfisted.

I should know.
He's my ex.

- Why do they call you Tutti?
- It's my name.

Some names aren't banned
in Uruguay like they are here.

I have a friend who
was named after a soccer club.

My name's Tutti, because
my mother loved classical music.

And what she liked
most of all, was the "tutti,"

when they all played
at the same time.

I was born unexpectedly.
My mother was on her own.

When they asked what my name was,
she got nervous and said "Tutti."

- My dad got mad, but it was too late.
- Very nice.

It suits you. Tutti.

Even when the essence is very good,
you should mix it

with tiny amounts of other oils.
That makes it stronger.

I have a book on industrial chemistry,
explaining it all.

You can have it.
On condition you return it.

- It's the Institute's.
- Thanks.

I'll bring it back.

If I don't understand something,
I'll ask. You seem to know a lot.

Yes, almost as much as
you know about women.

In a single, discreet glance,
you looked me up and down,

and I think
you liked what you saw.

Am I right?

Either you're very wise,
or my glance is not so discreet.

I didn't expect someone

who awoke such a sense
of lechery within me.

You're the sort of prey any
open-minded woman would like.

I'll do the photocopies
while you two have a coffee.

I still enjoy several pleasures.

This moment should be no more

than a very pleasant exchange
of erotic praise.

Mere flirting between
two mature people.

Experience doesn't imply knowledge.

I know nothing about women.

An elegant lie. There are certain
things a gentleman doesn't speak of.

Of the few women
that I've known,

I've admired, observed
and tried to decipher,

they've all remained a mystery.
And they always surprised me.

Their presence
is the important thing.

I didn't realize it
right away, but... .

I learned to listen to them,
to appreciate silences, looks,

those times when nothing
seems to be happening to them.

I learned to respect their
intuition, their intelligence.

And I learned to love them.

I might tell you that my defenses
are in danger of crumbling.

You shouldn't say
such things, just like that.

I'll wait in the car.

I've been faithful
to the same woman for 40 years.

I don't gossip.
So you don't need to lie to me.

I'm not lying. I never
made myself be faithful to her.

It was never a rule.

Lili, my wife, and I always said

if anyone came between us,
then that's just too bad.

But no lies.

We're together,
because we want to be.

No one forces us
to be loyal to each other.

None of the women I've met
since Lili can match her.

I look at them.
I may admire them.

I may meet
someone like Tutti Tudela.

I'm open to anything,
to any possibility.

But it ends there.

Lili wins.

Lili always wins.

I have the impression
that when you speak of women,

you speak of only one.

Maybe.

It's my duty to warn you,
my dear Tutti,

that my friend's line
is a gigantic lie,

masterfully devised to seduce
beautiful women like yourself.

I'd very much like
to meet your wife.

I'd stop being discreet
and tell her all you've told me.

Does she know all this?

No.

I've never told her.
But Lili never misses a beat.

Tell her.

I don't know if I can.

Maybe I'll write it.

That'd be a good idea.

But do it soon.

She doesn't deserve
to be kept waiting.

Leave that and come to bed.

- You feel hot.
- I'll just finish this.

Is it so important?

Will you ever show me that?

Whenever you like.
It's just notes, odd things.

It may not even be worthwhile.

Wait till I write it up.

Tea, aspirin,
and off to bed.

He gave us a good price.

With De Medio and 1 0 men,

we could cut and load the plants
in less than a week.

He could've given it to you.

In a year's time, he'll sell
the wine cellar and make a fortune.

He'll never have to work again.

Like you, when your farm
is like this one.

Mr. Coco Chanel.
Just call me Coco.

Want a cigarette?
Just a drag?

I think I've got pneumonia again.

Come on.

No. I know the symptoms.

I'm having trouble breathing.

It's not serious,
but it's annoying.

They'll fill me with antibiotics,
which will fuck up my stomach.

Stop, stop. Stop here.

Let's go into town.

Take me to the hospital.

They can give me
something for it.

I don't want Lili to see me like this.

It will upset her.

- I'll call her.
- No.

Wait till we get there.

- Where is he? How is he?
- He's okay.

He's with the doctor now. He's
under observation, but he's okay.

- Do they know about the bypasses?
- Fer told them.

Everything's okay.
Don't worry.

- This is his wife.
- Nice to meet you.

- How is he? Can I see him?
- We had to assist his breathing.

What's wrong exactly?

He's on a respirator, for oxygen.

His lungs were working at only 20%,

and his blood oxygenation was 50%,
when 9 7 or 98 is normal.

In these cases, it's important
how the heart responds.

Don't worry, but be patient.

He'll have to stay in,
for at least eight days,

until the antibiotics
have done their job.

Can I go in?

He's under sedation.
Don't stay long.

Excuse me.

Excuse me, doctor.

Please tell me the truth.

Tell me if it's serious.
They have a son in Madrid,

and I need to know if I should
tell him to come or not.

Pneumonia always involves risks.

It depends on how
the patient reacts.

Some say the will
to live is important.

So seeing his son might help.

I don't subscribe to that theory.

If the antibiotics
don't kill the bacteria,

the bacteria will kill him.

And microbes put up a fight.
Otherwise, babies wouldn't die,

and all children would live
to become adults.

That's not the way it works.

I've lost a few patients
over the years.

I don't know.
So you decide.

I hate leaving him alone.

There was no point
just waiting in the corridor.

I'll get some sleep.

I'll wait a bit longer
before I call Pedro.

Will you tell him to come?

I'll tell him
what's happened to his dad.

Then he can decide.

I'd listen to the doctors.
It's serious, but not so much.

Understand?

I try.

Shall I stay?

I'll talk to my partner
and work something out.

It's not necessary.
Go, don't worry.

I've got a case,
and if I don't turn up,

my client could get years.

But I could come back
this weekend.

It won't be necessary.

He'll be okay by then.

I'll come anyway. Bye.

Good night.

And thanks.

A) THE SKETCHY KILLER
B) THAT WHICH WAS NOT

- Pedro?
- Yes.

- Welcome. I'm De Medio, no "L."
- Nice to meet you.

Your mother's waiting for you
at the hospital.

Villa Dolores.

Don't worry,
your father's better.

- Would you like a drink?
- Not now, thanks.

How many hours was the journey?

1 4 plus 2 more by plane, plus the car.
Is everything really okay?

Sure. He's coming out of it.

Lung trouble is a bastard, but
your old man is strong as an ox.

Give him my best.

- Let me take your bag.
- No, don't worry.

Thanks.

He is fine.
He looked fine to me.

The nurse sent me out,
but he wanted me to stay.

- He is sick of this place.
- Yes, he wants to go home.

When will they discharge him?

They said eight days.
Today's the sixth.

They're doing a C.A.T. tomorrow.

I'm glad he's seen you.

It will help him hold on.

Well, well, well!

Black coffee,

freshly baked bread, butter,
mother's marmalade.

All I need is a beaten egg with sugar
to go back to my childhood.

I may not come back.

With a splash of wine.
If I had some port, I'd make it.

I'll shower and we can go.

I want to be there at 1 0,
before the X-ray.

Little boys don't smoke.

Not before breakfast
and, if possible, never.

- It's not easy to stop.
- It's not easy, but possible.

Pedro, hurry up!

Hello?

Yes.

It's just as well.
Just as well he went first.

If it had been me, he'd never
have been able to bear it.

Too much pain,
too much loneliness.

He doesn't like being alone.

That's what he hates most.

I can bear being on my own.
He can't.

You won't be on your own.

I won't let you.

You've got me,
your grandchildren.

You won't stay here.
You're coming back with me.

- Is that your flight?
- Yes.

- Couldn't Carlos come?
- He couldn't get here in time.

He wanted to come,
but I told him you were here.

I should have come over
before he got ill.

We didn't have time to talk.

I really wanted to talk to him.
To talk, not argue.

We argued a lot,
but hardly talked.

I realize that now.
Too late, as always.

When it's too late.

You can talk to me.

You don't think I let you down,
that I'm a failure?

Yes, I do.

I agree with your father.

But you already talked to him about
that. He said all there was to say.

You didn't like it,
so you forgot it.

You're not a failure,
but you're well on the way.

And it's not a question of doing,
what your father and I want.

It's a question of what
you, yourself, want.

Remember now?

What a spanking.

A timely spanking
can work wonders.

Here are some jams, for the kids.

Thanks.

This is for you.

Dad wrote it for you,
to read some day.

It's like talking to him.

I'll keep on and on
until I persuade you.

There's no point
you staying here on your own.

Morning.

Can we get the plants tomorrow?

I'll go with Alicia
and the boys and tell the men.

I'll tell them 1 0 o'clock.
All right with you?

1 0, 1 1... .

1 0 is best.
There are a lot of plants.

Bye, madame.

Bye, Del Medio.

Liliana.