Original subtitles

I'm not here to argue.

Come for a run?

I'm hungover.

-No. -Alex...

I promise to tell you the next time I see husbands out walking dogs

or with strange women. I promise.

I'm sorry.

I know I'm sometimes the worst friend in the world. Sometimes!

Not always.

But I'm the only friend you have, so you have to make up with me.

I went out last night.

But not in La Albufera, I went to a bar.

-And I fooled around with a guy. -What?

No-strings sex. Just how you like it.

Are you serious?

Tell me everything.

It was a bit crazy.

We chatted, had some shots

and then I took him into the bathroom.

It turned me on.

We could have been discovered, they were hammering on the door...

-He ate you out? -Hey...

In the bathroom?

-And? How was it? -Good.

But I saw my panties on the floor.

-So what? -Well, it was a public bathroom.

It spoiled the mood.

-So we stopped. -Wait a minute.

Some guy is eating you out--

-Keep it down. -Sorry!

And you tell him to stop because your panties are getting dirty.

-I don't understand. -He understood perfectly.

We went to get a drink and were chatting. He was a good guy.

-He told me he lived in Amsterdam-- -Yeah, the usual conversation.

"Look, we were going to screw

but my panties are getting dirty and I don't feel like it anymore."

-What's wrong with that? -It is wrong, Alex.

If you're going to sleep around, there are rules.

I'm sorry for not reading the lover's handbook.

I shouldn't have told you.

Do you know why I'm not married? Because I love my life.

I have my freedom,

I make my own decisions, I spend the weekends with my daughter

with only our laundry to do, no problems, arguments or worries.

But who is truly free?

We're all prisoners of our fears, of our past

and of our arbitrary concepts of right and wrong.

"Freedom and reality are constantly bumping into one another

like the spheres on Newton's cradle.

And Orlando was going to realize this one spring afternoon:

that freedom and fear live on the same floor."

-Hey, Llum. -Hi!

-Where's Verónica? -She's over there.

-See you later. -Bye.

-Hi. -What are you doing here?

Well, I'm very interested in seeing how rice is grown.

-Really? -Yes.

Since when?

-Okay, should I explain it? -Sure.

Okay.

So...

This is the rice inside the husk.

When it's in water it germinates and the root grows.

This is the root.

There's some dirt, but that's the root.

-That's rice? -Yes, that right there.

Come on, I'll show you something.

This is my favorite smell.

Have you ever made love at work?

No.

And not at your wife's either?

I'm pregnant.

Happiness always lives there:

alongside guilt.

Alongside danger.

Alongside fear.

-Hello? -Hi, Martina.

-He-- -Some juice?

I know, it's a total mess.

When the washing machine broke the other day it lifted the tiles.

Luckily Vicent came by help. A friend.

I haven't introduced you, have I? Vicent this is Martina.

-She's my roommate. -Nice to meet you.

How's it going?

He might be able to help you too.

-Help me? With what? -Yeah.

Vicent has a boat.

He takes tourists out on it to show them different birds.

He knows all the species in this area.

Martina is a biologist.

She's here to do a study of the birds, or something like that, right?

Which birds are you studying?

All of them.

Right now, I'm focusing on the Grey heron,

the black starling and the long-tailed duck.

I'm taking advantage because when the season changes

they leave by the thousands,

because they don't have offspring and don't need to come back to the nest.

Anyway, climate change is eradicating the need for many of them to nest.

Great.

-Thanks for the juice. -You're leaving?

Yeah, see you tomorrow.

-Have a good day. -You too.

Hey, I'm sorry for coming in without warning.

-I'll call ahead next time. -Why would you do that?

Because I came in and...

It probably sounds stupid, but...

-I saw the bed sheets were ruffled and... -Yeah?

...I'm thinking, "They've been having sex"...

-We did have sex. -Sorry?

We had sex.

Right.

-I invaded your privacy, I'm sorry. -You didn't invade anything, don't worry.

-I find it... a little strange. -Why?

Because you're so hurt by the loss of Oscar

and then you sleep with...

I mean, it's like you say, a good screw can brighten your day,

but, I don't know. It's a little...

Look, Martina...

Those are separate things.

Vicent and I have been friends since we were kids

and we've always had sex.

We understand each other on that level.

It's something natural between us. That's all.

-How long have you been sleeping together? -I told you, we always have.

-So, you were cheating on Oscar? -No, I've never cheated on anyone.

-You're saying it was consented? -More or less, yeah.

-I don't know what more or less means. -What's the problem here?

Why are you like this? Are you okay?

Yes, I mean no. I mean...

Just ignore me, I'm talking nonsense.

At the end of the day, you knew about his wife, so...

Never mind, it's just hard for me to understand this kind of thing.

Ignore me.

I've never cheated on anyone.

Oscar obviously knew everything.

It took him a while to understand it too,

but later on...

he even joined us from time to time.

Anyway...

I'm going to get Sol from school, I don't want her coming on the bus.

Sure.

-Are you alright? -Yes, I'm fine! Really.

-Are you sure? -Yes.

Okay.

-See you later. -Bye.

Do you have a second? Let's see...

-What is this? -Oscar's paperwork.

I've been looking through them and there are very strange transfers.

For example, here: ?1.2 million, ?15,000

and the origin changes, like here:

the Cayman Islands, Panama, they all sound like tax havens.

The amounts are weird, I've never seen this money in my life.

-Look-- -What are you looking for?

-I'm looking for amounts, because-- -What exactly are you looking for?

I'm...

I'm trying to find out who my husband was.

At this...

At this point, I'm not sure if he was...

the man that I...

had a mortgage with and who was the love of my life,

though I clearly wasn't his,

because he spent all his time in La Albufera

living in flip flops with a woman and his daughter.

And now I think he might have been laundering money for Casteleiro.

Casteleiro SLU.

He also had threesomes on weekends with a gentlemen who owns a boat.

He smoked weed.

He liked marijuana.

-He seemed like... -Take it easy, Mrs. Leyva.

-He... -I think you're having a panic attack.

No, I'm fine. It's just that I...

-We didn't even go to nudist beaches. -Take a seat, please.

-It's a little hot in here. -Please try to breathe.

It's just that when I wear my glasses, I get a little dizzy and...

-Drink some water and try and breathe. -Thank you.

It's a little hot.

I'm...

-The joints and the little girl... -Just try and breathe.

-The... -Focus on your breathing.

-The joints. -Mrs. Leyva, look at my eyes.

What color are they? What color are my eyes?

-Brown. -Brown.

Now try and breathe more slowly.

-Just relax. -Okay.

Look at me. Are you taking anything?

-No. -Are you sure?

-Yes. -Okay.

We're going to the session now

and ask the therapist to prescribe you something.

No, I don't want to take anything.

I need to be... aware.

I need to know what happened and...

if I was responsible for any of it, I want it to hurt.

I need it to hurt.

To me, guilt is...

what floats around, beside you, after a suicide.

I felt it, too.

And I started to write down all the reasons I could think of

to feel guilty about my wife's death.

The guilt of marrying a woman who was out of my league.

Of waiting for years for her to get tired of guys hurting her

so I could ask her to marry me.

Of letting her go party and enjoy life,

while I was on duty.

"The whore who went out without her husband."

Letting her be the talk of the town and the subject of gossip.

And for being the cop who did nothing

when she was raped leaving the county fair.

Nobody believed her. Not even the judge.

And I thought...

"What if they're right?"

I did nothing.

I let people talk, ended up fighting with one or two.

That was pain.

I wasn't capable of giving her a new life or asking for a transfer.

So she hanged herself in the garage.

It's taken me three years

to learn that those who take their lives are

the only ones responsible for it.

Thank you, Conrado.

We'll finish there for today. Thank you all.

Shall we?

Could you wait for me downstairs? I need to speak to the therapist.

I have to get back to the studio.

-Another time? -Sure.

How are you, Conrado?

-You spoke very well. -I'm better. Feeling good.

In fact, I've decided to start coming off my meds.

I've been doing this for three years and I feel like I'm over it.

I think it's time to gradually get back to living.

I'd rather you continued for a few more months.

I get that, but I want to do this. I need to do it.

To face up to reality with its pain and anything else it throws at me.

Okay, if you feel ready, we'll give it a try.

You have to take it slowly.

Reduce it by a quarter for two months and we'll see how you go, okay?

So this guy comes down, all suited and booted, and says,

"I'm the minister."

He starts asking me all these questions and then he says,

"I think what is required here is a marine unit."

"A marine unit? We have one of those, look."

And there was Vicent.

I've gotten Verónica pregnant.

-What are you going to do? -We haven't discussed it yet.

-A child changes everything. -I know, I can't stop thinking about it.

-It also changes women completely. -I know.

I've thought about it a lot and I think I know why.

Them releasing one egg a month

and us releasing millions of sperm is downright weird.

Why is that weird?

Because you appreciate something more when you know it will run out.

What the hell are you talking about?

We could never have the same paternal feeling as they do, asshole.

How many times can a woman get pregnant? Only a few.

And how many women can we get pregnant?

As many as we want.

That's true.

-What's up, man. You missing me? -I got Verónica pregnant, Fran.

Jesus, man. Congratulations. I'm really fucking happy for you.

Congratulations.

-How are you? -Fine.

-I mean, a kid changes everything, Fran. -Well, so be it.

-It's about time, don't you think. -Yes! I guess so.

Oscar... look at me.

Look at me.

Alex will be fine, okay?

You'll live with whoever you want.

With Verónica, who’s wonderful, and you're having a baby, man.

-It's awesome. -Right.

It's going to piss and shit on you.

You'll never get any sleep again, but it’s awesome, man.

Everything is going to be alright, okay?

It's the flashing neon light, man.

Believe me.

Hi, we're having a memorial service for Oscar this afternoon.

I'd like you to be there. Take care.

You have four new messages.

[In German] Oscar, we're pulling the plug on the deal...

Oscar, it's Vicent. You called me.

-Where have you been all morning? -At the bank, it took them hours.

-Are you okay? -Yes! Yes, what about you?

What's happening here? Any news?

There's definitely news, I just don't know what.

What's up?

-Big Boss is behaving strangely. -He seems the same as ever.

That little wave, the smile... Something's going on, I'm telling you.

I'm going to find out.

No, it's in one block only. Can I call you back?

What's going on? And don't say 'nothing'. I can tell by your wave and smile.

I've left my wife.

-Why? -Because we weren't getting on.

I've sensed things were off for a while and after what happened to Oscar,

I made up my mind.

Wow, the things his death reveals for everyone.

Is this really the time to be disrespectful?

I'm sorry.

I didn't expect you to be happy for me, but...

a "How are you? Can I do anything?"... What friends say.

Sorry.

How are you?

Well...

Fine.

Just one thing.

Does you leaving your wife change things between us?

That depends.

Does it for you?

No, everything is great as it is.

Sometimes good news can fall on us with the force of a nuclear bomb

and a devastating effect it's hard to recover from.

Just like the news of my pregnancy on my marriage.

"This was the only time in our lives

Orlando and I felt like we couldn't take on the world."

Do you think Oscar wanted a child with Verónica because Alex didn't want one?

Frankly, no.

-So? -So, I have good news, darling.

Do you know the only thing men want out of life? To pollinate.

To pollinate their wives, lovers, everyone.

Pollinate, pollinate, pollinate.

Don't be so old-school.

Nowadays, there are men who look after their kids.

They love them and educate them.

Because they have to.

They have to bathe them, because their wives are on the front line.

Where’s this remorse coming from?

It's not remorse.

It's statistics.

Do you know how many women get cheated on?

The majority of us.

Your mother, my daughter and myself, of course,

could all be the stars of this novel.

I see you're over what happened 25 years ago.

Over it?

This isn't about getting over it. We're fighting.

Look, the novel would be much more interesting for me,

if it was about a man who was really in love with two people.

Madly in love.

Madly in love?

Madly in love!

That's not bad. Madly in love.

Hey, what would you say if I invited you to collaborate on this novel

and gave you 10% of the profits.

Great.

How much would that be?

-About ?4000? -What do you want ?4000 euros for?

For a trip.

-A trip? -I want to take someone to New York.

Someone... older?

-I'll tell you about it some time. -Okay.

But don't let them pollinate you.

So...

"The first time Orlando toyed with the idea of being a father,

he said yes and his wife said no.

A year on, facing the same dilemma,

Orlando lost it. He thought that if in 2000 years

we hadn't freed ourselves from our catholic guilt,

how was he going to in 50 damned weeks by his lover's side."

I've been thinking a lot about the baby and...

and, I don't know, maybe we should talk it over or...

make a decision, maybe it's not...

-the ideal situation to bring a baby into? -Situation?

What situation would that be? Being born of something so primal?

-The likes of which we partake in. -Look...

What I mean is, I'm not here all the time,

the trips and work...

-But we knew that. -That's not what I mean.

A child changes everything, my love. A child needs a father.

-And? -A child changes your life.

-We won't let it. I don't care about that. -Well, I do, dammit.

What's wrong?

What is it? Are you alright?

Alejandra got pregnant last year.

And, for a second, I thought it was the answer.

That it would fix things.

A sign for me to stay there and not come back here.

But she had an abortion.

I've felt like shit ever since.

A bastard incapable of deciding if he should be there...

or here. I don't want to hurt her.

I don't want to hurt you either.

I'm sorry but I can’t have a baby with you.

-Oscar... -I'm sorry, I can't.

Shall we put the flowers on?

Here, you put those ones on.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

This is the last one.

"Nobody can escape that which is truly wild.

At least we can't.

We who grew up here in La Albufera.

We who were born among shotguns

and learned how to steer boats before riding a bike.

We, the grandchildren of those who ate only rats during the war.

We who know that if you don't put eels in fresh water for two weeks,

they taste of earth."

How long?

Eight weeks.

-But have you done a test or something? -Of course. I did two.

-So, you're... -I'm pregnant.

-Why didn't you tell me, sweetie? -But--

When could I have? Recently, you're always gone.

-Anyway, I needed time to take it in. -I'm done with all that.

It's all over with, darling.

The long lunches, the weekends away, the trips to--

-Oscar... -Listen to me, please.

I'm staying here for good.

Listen to me, honey. I won't be here.

We're starting work on the Shanghai Tower.

The Shanghai Tower isn't important. We're having a baby.

-We're having a baby, love. -It is important.

It's an incredibly important step in my career.

You go to Frankfurt four days a week, I'm going to China for eleven months.

We'll have one later on.

Or we just throw everything out the window and start from scratch.

We can start from scratch, it's okay.

How can we have a baby now?

Later.

Shanghai is not a cool place.

You can build one here, in Castellón,

or in Benicassim.

Hey, drank it all. That's great.

A kiss for Martina?

Goodnight, Martina.

Let's go.

-It's not-- -Oscar, I'm here.

And this baby will be here with me.

And if you don't want to be part of it, it's okay.

I won't ask you for anything. I never have.

But I can do this.

I already love it.

And it doesn't have to be in your life if you don't want it to.

Or in your feelings of guilt for your wife or...

the life of that baby who was never born, Oscar.

This baby is simply a person on their way to being,

so...

you can get ready to know it,

if you want.

Look what I was sent.

Tomorrow is the reading of the will...

and I can't stop thinking that tomorrow

Oscar's wife will find out he has a daughter, in an attorney's office.

This situation is a mess.

It really is.

This isn't...

This isn't fair, Martina. I can't let her find out like that.

-What will you do? -I don't know.

Call her? Send her an email?

An email.

-Yes. -Are you serious?

What would you put in the header for something like that?

"I was screwing your husband and, hey, we have a daughter."

No.

What I have to do is go and talk to her myself.

That's what I have to do.

I... I think that...

that's what attorneys are for.

They don't charge that much money just to sign documents,

they're there to resolve these types of situations too.

Put yourself in her place.

You go to the reading of your husband's will, alone and in a mess,

and suddenly, this suit who you don't know from Adam,

tells you your husband was leading a double life, and not only that,

he also had a daughter.

What happens if you need to scream

or you need to cry

and you're there with a suit that you don't know from Adam.

What do you do? Ask him to hold you?

Shit.

I can't do that to her.

The least she deserves is to be alone.

So, I have to go

and tell her myself.

I'll go find his ID card. His address has to be on it.

Verónica told me she's coming to my house tomorrow to tell me everything.

I know! I've been going to the Albufera--

Alex, this is getting out of control.

Don't you realize this is mental torture? You're not living your life.

What life? My life is a lie, Katia.

I don't have a real life, I've never had one.

It's crazy, you're right.

But when she comes tomorrow, she'll know everything.

You don't understand.

I do understand, you're losing control.

Oscar was fired five years ago, right?

Well, he was depositing money in tax havens every month.

-What was he into? -I don't know, I'm trying to find out.

There's this guy who owns a boat and he was his best friend,

They had threesomes... Well, that's another story.

What matters is, I think he's involved in Oscar's death.

Listen to me. Listen, to this. Wait.

Oscar, it's Vicent. I need you to come for your stuff. I can't keep it anymore.

What was he keeping for him?

I don’t know and I need to find out,

and the only way I can is if she doesn't know who I am.

So what are you going to do?

I need you to pretend to be me when she comes by my house.

What?

-Do you realize what you're asking? -Please.

-I can't do something like that. -You can.

-Alex... -Do it for me, Katia.

Ask me anything else, Alex. Anything at all, but I won't do that.

-I need you to do it. -I can't.

-I'm begging you, please. Please. -Alex!

Please.

All good. I'm getting off the plane at Santo Domingo.

I'll take the ferry to Panama in a few hours.

You'll have the money in two days, okay?