Original subtitles

Our dog, Quena.

She was loved.

And this is Mom's diary.

I never dared to read all of it.

"I remember perfectly the day I met Benito."

So, Manolo is already 18.

He's a grown-up now. Mmm.

The house will be different without him.

Well, they may leave the nest, but they always stay in our heart.

Remember when they brought him?

So very lost, that boy.

How could I forget?

My God! Father, are you okay? That kid's a demon!

Show me. Show me your eye.

Come here. Drop it, Benito, now.

Okay, here. Press down here.

Go to the infirmary. No way I'm going, no!

We're not leaving you alone.

He's an animal! He has a knife!

He's not an animal! He's a little kid, and he's scared!

-Rosa. -Luis!

Take him to the infirmary immediately! I won't leave you here alone.

I've got this. Yes, Rosa. Sorry.

Come on. Come on, Father.

What's your name?

My name is Rosa.

You used that knife in your hands

to hurt someone.

Want to give it to me?

Are you afraid?

I know what it's like to be afraid.

And when I am, I might tell myself a story.

I'll trade you a story for that knife, okay?

I'm warning you, though. I tell very fun stories.

Look me in the eyes.

I'm not going to hurt you at all.

You can trust me.

So, Mom had a... a bad sort of accident

that left her without any possibility of having children.

She had the idea growing up that she would never be able to have a family.

That's why she joined the convent.

She started to work with orphan children, abandoned children,

and she discovered that there was a way

to have that family that she always dreamed of.

Did she marry?

Um, Norberto.

He only came around sometimes.

He was married and had his own children.

He died years ago.

I tried to attend the funeral, but his wife had me kicked out of there.

It seems truly like his secret wasn't all that secret.

Camila.

Manolo.

Antonio.

"Mama Rosa, thanks for believing in us when nobody else did."

"Mom, happy Mother's Day. Love to the moon and back."

"Mom, thank you for being so affectionate.

And you take care of me when I'm sick."

This one is from Benito.

You asked me why she didn't call the police.

Too much pride.

Her obsession was learning what had happened to Benito.

She thought she was the only one who could save him

from the monster he was dragging around.

And that's what ended up claiming her soul.

Benito might have killed his adoptive mother,

but that doesn't mean that he's The Undresser.

You're right.

The key for us is to somehow connect it with The Undresser's murders.

A why.

He wets the bed every night.

The priest who cleans the sheets decided to discipline him,

and look how he ended up.

Almost lost an eye.

And his family?

It's a mystery.

The police left him at the convent and didn't tell us anything more.

Is it true he doesn't speak?

Since the day he arrived, he hasn't spoken a single word.

Rosa, I can see those wheels turning.

I've said nothing. Hmm. No, no need to say it.

I know you better than anyone.

Look, after what happened today,

I have to recommend that Benito be admitted to a mental facility.

He doesn't need a psychiatrist.

He needs a family. That's all.

Some children are too far gone and way out of reach of our abilities, Rosa,

because their needs are so special.

Mother, you know that children who went to those facilities

aren't any better when they come out.

He's already responded to me. He listens to me.

He's ready.

Rosa.

You said the police officer who found him told you nothing?

No.

Let me find out about his past.

More than anyone else, you know that once we know about wounds and past issues,

we might begin to heal.

"My past left a mark on me.

It decided that I could never be a mother.

However, adoption granted that to me.

Because of that, my heart knows that this child, Benito,

must have the same opportunity that I had, the chance to have a family."

That was Mom.

As generous as she was blind.

Children! Come here!

I want you to meet someone.

-These are your siblings. -Hi.

This is Antonio.

Hello. I'm Vicente.

Nice to meet you. I'm Camila.

How old are you? I'm nine.

Benito doesn't quite yet want to speak,

but there's no way that'll restrain us from speaking, right?

There's still someone left to meet.

Quena! Come here, girl. Come here.

She's very calm.

She's an old girl now, but you'll get along wonderfully.

-Is anyone hungry? - Me.

-Well, let's eat. Let's set the table. - Let's go.

From the very first day, he seemed strange to me.

Quiet all the time.

It wasn't like he was shy.

It was more like...

he was processing or calculating details in his mind.

I'd like you to tell me what your mom was like.

Something nice that reminds you of her.

Or that reminds you of your dad.

Hello, hello.

So, this must be Benito.

Benito, I'd like you to meet Norberto.

He'll be visiting from time to time.

When I can.

I'll be waiting.

Hey! Why are you splashing?

Huh?

So, it's gonna be like this, huh?

Ah. Today is his first day.

I put him to bed.

You said you wouldn't adopt any more children.

You might have said you'd leave your wife.

It's not the same.

God wants me to be his mother.

I feel, with Manolo having moved out, you have three children.

Why do you want a fourth one?

Huh? You could help me.

If you move in with me.

Huh? Mwah! Mwah!

Wait. Wait.

Hey, where are you going? Wait.

It's okay, honey.

It's over, huh? Calm down. Calm down.

Okay?

Everything's all right, okay?

Let's see. Hand me one of those sheets.

And clean pajamas. We'll change them too.

Is this your drawing?

"What did you live through that was so traumatic?

Who hurt you so much?"

"I have to discover either what or who scares him so much."

What'd you find out, Rosa?

How could I forget him?

But I must inform you, sadly,

that I'm not permitted to give information on this case.

I swear that whatever you say goes to my grave with me.

It's an order from a judge, ma'am.

I really don't make the rules here.

So the case is still open?

No.

The perpetrator's still unknown. And, ma'am, you have to understand--

Okay, then, please listen to me just a moment.

I have years of experience with children who have suffered quite terribly.

And the aid I give them requires information on their past selves.

If I don't know the ailment,

how can I cure it?

Benito doesn't talk.

He hasn't said a word in a whole month.

He has nightmares every single night.

And he always wets the bed.

If I can get Benito to talk,

maybe he could tell us what happened to his mom.

And that might be insightful for your investigation.

See, his experience shouldn't happen,

and much less a boy at his age.

That night, we received a call from the water treatment plant.

Inspector Morales.

García.

Do you have any suspects? Not yet.

We're calling all the managers and employees.

Nobody saw anything unusual.

The victim was a worker here in the plant.

Her name is, uh, Jacinta Perea.

Come this way.

Over here, sir.

This one. 37.

Take her out yet?

No, not yet. We were waiting for you, Inspector.

Don't fuck with me, García. A little dignity.

Get her out of there, damn it! You heard him. Take her out!

Hey, boy, you can't be there!

What's a kid doing here?

Go get him! See what he saw! Yes, sir.

Move! Grab that kid!

"That night, well, anyone's soul

would be crushed by what Benito saw.

His very own mother. Murdered.

Discarded like she was trash."

Her coworkers at the plant said that Jacinta was very quiet.

When we eventually caught up with the boy,

we took him home to see if there was anyone else.

No.

It was just them.

So, there's nothing about his dad?

May I keep this photo?

Some things from before...

might help to trigger the desire for recollection.

When... we brought the boy with us to the convent,

we first took him back home so he could pack a bag.

I'm sure you'll find something else in it.

I'm sorry, Benito. I'm sorry.

I just wanna help you, but I need you to open up a little.

I won't force you,

but I promise if you do, you'll feel a lot better.

At best it'll stop the nightmares.

How does that sound?

Forgive me, okay?

Forgive me.

"And even though curiosity consumed me,

I kept my promise and decided to not look through his things without permission.

My thought was that rope therapy would get him to speak, but it didn't."

What is rope therapy?

It's an exercise meant to make sure your brain is busy and...

it makes it easier for words to come from within.

No, Vicente. You have to start over.

I told you that it has to be tighter.

Hmm? Okay, Mom.

Sometimes I'd like to send a letter to my mom in heaven.

May I?

Of course.

We can put it on a balloon.

What about the birds?

It would get stuck high here,

in the bird's neck.

And you, Benito? Want to tell us anything?

See Benito's very lovely braiding?

How pretty his rope is. Look.

And he's just started learning, huh? See?

Very nice. Congratulations.

Vicente.

Vicente!

"I'm a bit worried about Vicente.

He hasn't accepted him.

I think that he's jealous."

That's not true! I was never jealous!

What it was is that I knew something bad was about to take place.

What would make you think so?

The way he looked at her.

Like he hated her.

Did you miss me?

You know I did.

It's been a month since your last visit.

I wasn't expecting you.

You love me?

Much too much.

I'm here, aren't I?

Hmm?

Yes.

Perhaps we don't have everything that we want,

but this dance,

this waltz,

no one can take it away.

Hmm?

Leave me alone! Leave me alone!

Let go! Get off of me!

He was always spying on Mom with hate in his eyes.

I knew that Benito was dangerous. I knew it.

No! Leave me alone!

Calm down! Enough! Calm down!

Calm down! Enough! Just stop it! Just stop it!

What's wrong with you? Nothing! It's him! He's an animal!

Don't say things like that! Boy!

He was hiding by the door! He was watching you!

Is that true? Calm down, now.

Benito, is that true? Stop. Enough!

We'll see. Each of you to your room. Go on.

Are you okay? Yeah.

Now go to bed.

That's enough, Benito. Really, I mean it.

No type of violence is allowed in this house.

Sometimes I think you're about to speak.

Other times, that seems impossible.

I don't get what's going on in your head.

Why so much fear? Why so much hate?

Sometimes I think the Mother Superior is right.

And you might need another type of help that I can't provide.

"And right when I was on the verge of giving up..."

If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?

I swear to God.

My mom's name was Jacinta.

"That was the first time that he talked

and the only time he told me what happened.

That night, like many others, his mother's screams woke him up."

Lying to me! To my face! I'm not lying to you!

Where were you?

You should have been here half an hour ago! A half hour!

Where were you? Who with? Who were you out fucking?

No!

Benito, wake up. Benito. Shh! Shh!

Wait here. Don't open your eyes.

Don't look, Benito.

"I tried to learn what he felt that day,

but all he did was tell me what happened.

Jacinta only did what any mother would have done.

Try to give a better life to her little boy.

So she took him away from him forever.

Jacinta knew that she was taking a major risk by running,

but she was even more aware of how risky it would be to stay."

Poor woman.

The important thing is that we're together.

And nobody will ever hurt us again.

Never.

So even if it costs my life, I promise.

And the truest of promises...

Never shall break.

"For a time, Jacinta managed to keep that promise.

Jacinta got a job in a water treatment plant.

Benito went to the trolley stop with her every morning.

He waited to pick her up every afternoon.

Despite his young age, Benito felt responsible for her."

"Little by little, the small, dark space they had escaped to

was turned into a home.

Until one day...

Benito thought that he had made a mistake,

so he waited for the next one,

and the next one after that, until night fell."

Hey, kid.

Climb on.

Take a seat in the back and I'll take you to your mom's stop.

"Benito took the trolley until the last stop

where the plant was located."

"For a moment, he thought that he was seeing a ghost."

Please! "But no."

"It was his father, René.

He was alive, and he had found them."

Please, let me go! Let me go!

Listen to me closely.

What your father did can't be blamed on you.

It's not your fault.

You can sleep in peace now.

No one will hurt you anymore.

So, I don't have to go to any sort of hospital, right?

Of course not.

Thank you for trusting me.

Rest now. Sleep.

"I had never broken a promise,

but in that moment, I felt that the only way to protect Benito

was to go tell the police what happened.

Thanks to what Benito witnessed,

it wasn't a month before his father was in jail."

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I feel both are sick.

I'll go and feed them.

Being surrounded by all that violence at such a very early age

must affect anybody's thought process.

That isn't true.

But how can that not be true? Obviously--

My parents were both also killed right in front of me.

I've never had the need to hurt anybody.

A person's violent past is never a justification

for their actions in the present.

So, then, Benito. Is he The Undresser or not?

No idea.

He could take rope and braid it. That's all we know so far.

We know that Benito was reserved,

but everything says that living with Rosa made him much less violent, not more.

Too premature to speculate.

We need much more data.

Well, I need to go get a breath of fresh air before continuing.

I was waiting for you.

That night we were gonna talk.

It's become extremely complicated, my life.

Do you have regrets?

Everything I was taught as a kid...

says that what happened between us was wrong.

But...

I don't feel that way.

What I'm dealing with is a moment of confusion.

And I'm not...

only listening to my emotions.

I need to know what path my life is going to take

before I do something that...

ends up hurting both me and you.

Don't be concerned about me.

If there's anything I'm used to, it's pain.

What was it that hurt you so much?

I had a son.

Today, he'd be five years old.

But he died at 11 months.

I was there.

In his room.

I fell asleep there.

Next to him.

I woke up to the screams of his mom telling me that he wasn't breathing.

I got fired from the police.

And it was justified.

How am I going to care for a city

if I'm not even capable of caring for my own son?

- I'm so sorry. -

I think I found something in the diary.

Much later, when Benito was 17 years old.

After the time that Benito spoke to Rosa about his mom's death,

some things seemed to get better.

Or so she thought.

Until an incident with the family dog.

Quena.

Yes, Quena. Look.

"Today, Benito's been in my life seven years

and I'm astounded by the change in him.

Finally I feel he belongs.

He doesn't talk much,

but he shows a lot of love

for the small things in life, like flowers.

He especially has affection for the rose bush we have in front of the house.

I truly felt in my heart that I was able to change him

from that violent boy that I met in the convent.

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next."

She bit me!

Calm down, honey! Calm down!

Quena!

Are you okay, baby?

Quena!

Quena!

You murdered her!

-She bit my arm! -You killed her! You killed my dog!

My arm! You're a monster!

You're a murderer!

Vicente.

Vicente.

It's important that you don't blame Benito for what Quena did.

You need to make peace.

You need to speak to him. He's your brother.

I am not going to make peace with a killer.

Vicente, what happened was Quena, not Benito.

That's not true.

When was Quena behaving violently?

Your brother had to get 52 stitches. He almost lost his arm.

Well, he should have lost his life! That's enough!

Don't say things like that!

Benito's had it hard, and you know that.

And I haven't?

At least he has his father.

His father's not a very good person.

So, then, why does he write him?

"I couldn't help but wonder if Benito and his father were communicating.

What ideas could he be putting in his head?

God forgive me for breaking my promise, but I have no other choice.

The only place where he spent time every day was the rose bush.

I found the letters his father had sent him from jail."

You promised me that you would respect my things.

Do you believe these things?

You told him how to find your mom?

Yes.

Tell me you didn't know his intentions.

She had to be put in her place.

It's great you called me, son.

Where's your mother?

She's working.

Working.

That's how she cares for you? Leaving you alone?

Washing the dishes?

If your mom loved you, she wouldn't leave you alone.

She wouldn't have left me alone.

Women who have jobs neglect their families.

They abandon us when we need them the most.

And you know why?

Because they forget their place.

There's no more time for your mom.

She won't learn anymore.

She wanted to steal you, the only thing that matters.

And that's something I can't forgive.

Dad tried helping her.

He tried to teach her.

But there was no way.

So... he took off her uniform

and he put her in a tank full of water.

He submerged her until her lungs filled with water.

He did it for me.

A dog with rabies, son...

Can only be put to sleep.

Get yourself away from my house right now.

I don't know you at all.

You're not my son.

You're not my son!

I curse the day I met you.

May I have my box, if you please?

I'll leave in the morning.

I heard the conversation between Benito and my mom.

And when she went to her room, I went to look for the police.

He had just admitted to the involvement in the murder of his mother!

That would be all they need to have him arrested!

I need you to come with me!

All right, easy. Take a seat.

No, no, no! There isn't time!

You have to come with me now! My mom is in danger!

All right, but we need you to give us more information.

Calm down and tell us what happened.

My mom's about to be murdered.

Benito is about to kill my mother!

Benito?

Vicente?

Mom?

No! No, no!

No!

No! Mom!

Mama!

If you've had this diary for 15 years, why didn't you take it to the police?

Of course I took it. That's why I didn't end up in jail.

Hands on your head!

They never found Benito, so they tried to blame me.

Rosa was his first victim.

We have to warn Gerardo before he murders another woman.