All language subtitles for The Whore and the Whale (2004) EN

THE WHORE AND THE WHALE

Dear Lola...

I am at Poblenou, in a barricade.

After the battle of Ebro, the
Nationalists pushed us into the sea.

They are crossing the Llobregat while
I am writing to you, quite pointlessly.

I could keep on running...

but war has brought me to the place where
you were born, like returning home,

as if you were waiting for me.

I liked your letter.

It's been a long time since
I got a love letter.

I didn't write it.

He did.

It's the same.
You sent it to me.

How did you know
I was in Barcelona?

Everybody told me, except you.

That you're staying in
your father's place...

with a son, and without a husband.

Don't look at him that way,
I'm starting to hate him.

Who was he?

An Argentine guy who
died in Barcelona...

when the nationalists arrived.

His war pictures aren't that bad, but...

these ones are a complete mystery.

Look.

We got them from a collector.

The letter came as part of the lot,
in his notebook.

And the pages of the letter -
did you tear them out?

No, they were loose, like this.
But he didn't mail it.

Look.

- Have a good look.
- What?

She's exactly like you were at her age.

You escaped me until
the very last night...

when the tour was over and
you were going back to Spain.

The whole of Buenos Aires
was at the farewell party.

I couldn't cope with it all,
handing over chorus girls...

but you-I saved for myself.

No one else in the company
undressed like you did:

As if it were a relief.
As if no one could hurt you.

Lola!

Nothing in this life
could scare you.

In this one, nor in the other.

I almost fell over!

- You scared the life out of me!
- What were you going to do?

Kill myself...

...So they would all see.
- See you naked?

If a photo can steal your soul,
I took yours that night.

Your memory is still in tact, motionless,

caught in that photo
like a fallen angel.

Is that the woman in the letter?

I don't know, she looks
like a chorus girl.

There is a Dolores in the program.

But the letter could be for anyone.

Anyway. She's a character.

Go to Argentina, investigate
that period and write about it.

Once...

at my Catholic school, I took all my
clothes off in the confessional booth.

That day I finished
elementary school.

- How old were you?
- Fourteen.

I took my clothes off
and sang Els Segadors.

Bon colp de falc!

Did you hear the
director's speech?

He toasted "the return of
the company to our Spain...

traditional Spain which has begun
to free itself from the reds"

I was taking photos of him.

You went up the stairs as if
he had insulted your mother.

My father.

Do you know why the
nuns threw me out?

Because my father burned
a church and they killed him.

They are my family.

Nobody else cares
if I leave or stay.

Me. I do.

You're going to Patagonia.

You were the only one who
hadn't packed up and left.

You didn't want to go back to Spain,

but didn't dare stay on your own either.
You'd heard the stories.

Do you really care about me?

The truth is, you saved my life.

You can do what you like with me.

Don't sell your soul to the devil.

Who said anything about a soul?

You did as you pleased...

Without thinking of the price
you'd have to pay.

And whether you stay or
you go is never for free.

And finding out what you want
doesn't come free either.

- How long are you staying? - Til Sunday.
On Monday I've got to be back at work.

Writing silly articles
for a women's magazine.

I didn't send you this letter
just so I could see you, Vera.

I want you to publish.

By the age of 20 you had won
some award and published a novel.

That was then.

When you were running behind me
picking up the papers I'd thrown away.

The other day I mentioned
this book at dinner...

and my father got up from the table.

He's never read it, but he couldn't
stand his patients praising it.

- It messed up my life, you know?
- Your father.

The book.

Are you sure you want
me to write another one?

That afternoon when you took this
photo of me fills an entire chapter.

And I didn't dare
write about all of it.

Many years have gone by.
Does it show?

What is it, Vera?

I have a lump here. Feel it.

My sister is waiting to take
me to her gynecologist.

- Are you never going to ask me to stay?
- You've got to go to the gynecologist.

Jordi...

The things you say, Vera.

- When you left me for Antonio.
- You see? You don't understand anything.

That's why no woman will last
beyond the third fuck with you.

- I was with you for a year.
- Barely eleven months.

The happiest time of my life.

The only time when I didn't
feel alone in the whole world.

- Digame'I en català.
- Et vaig estimar molt.

Catalan...

That's the voice of my mother.
Her words.

I lie on the bed I had as a child and
her stories swirl around my head.

Do you lie on other beds?

Nobody's asked me to.

Hello, Toni...

Sorry to interrupt your meeting.

We're back in Madrid and I wanted
to make arrangements for Juanito.

- Where are you?
- In Avenida de America.

There's loads of traffic...
everybody's coming back to town.

The thing is... I won't be
staying at home, Antonio...

I also wanted to tell you that.

I don't know what my father said,
but I've made up my mind.

I've been thinking about
it the whole month.

It's better that I don't stay at
home, even for one night.

If Maribel's at home
I'll leave him with her.

I love you too...

- Guess who's waiting for
you in the bathtub? - Pikachu.

Shall we give him a bath
while Maribel makes dinner?

And then later...

Remember we talked about mummy
not staying at home tonight?

Why?

I've already explained
it to you.

You know sometimes you do things
and you don't know why?

And then you tell me off.

I need to be alone, my love.
To find out what I want.

What do you want?

I don't know.

I don't want to get mixed up
with what my wants for me.

Or Grandpa, or whoever.

It's been the same all my life.

And now it's almost happening
again with your father.

The train seemed to
me like a phantom ship...

...adrift.

You would give in to whatever
happened without any impatience.

But I, who always want
what I haven't got,

counted out the minutes
like a prisoner.

Don't you want
to make your wishes?

What wishes?

It's Cap d'an. New Year.

You eat a grape with each ring of
the bell and ask for what you want.

- Who are you missing tonight?
- Nobody.

Not even your family?

I really miss my uncle.

If my father met your uncle
he'd throw him in jail.

He hunts anarchists.

So you can really wish for
twelve things altogether?

I wish for everything I want.

It's twelve o'clock!

I was afraid of you.

I can only admit that now,
now that you're dead.

Your body scared me,
so full of life.

Emilio, there are no grapes,
but there's wine, which is the same thing.

And I find this hard to admit but...

Life separated us more than death did.

I want to always fall in love like this.

With me.

With whoever!
With whom I choose.

With me.

I wish you would die for me.

May all my wishes come true.

That's no good: "all".

You've got to say them one by one.

If you don't cheat
your wish will come true.

Yes?

Jordi!

I was dreaming.

You saved my life.

In a hotel.

Last night. I dropped
Juanito off and called you.

I haven't felt this Ionely
since my mother died.

I started typing on
her typewriter. Listen.

A blank page.

You can't read anything,
the ribbon's completely dry.

About that woman.

The one in the photos.
The one in the letter.

The letter from the photographer -
the guy you hate.

I was dreaming about him.
He was photographing me stark naked.

Just like that.
We're going to meet.

Excuse me. Hang on.

This thing about
Argentina is still on?

I'm going to leave
the magazine.

I don't have to think it over.
I'm not going to stay here.

Because I can't stand feeling like shit
just 100 meters away from where

my son is feeling like shit,
as if I were dead!

Last night I cried
more than he did.

And if I think it over,
I'll end up agreeing with Antonio.

I'll be back home in three days.
It's better if I go.

As soon as possible.

Nothing. Just see the gynecologist
and have a fewtests.

Three or four days.

The time it'll take you to send
me the ticket and the photos.

Thanks.

I'll do a good job, you'll see.

Peninsula de Valdez
January 9, 1934

We wanted to get
to the end of the world.

There weren't even any roads.

When the gringo landed at Bahía Blanca
we were already about to board a ship.

He confirmed my first job.

It wasn't much money,
but enough our trip to the south.

This Gringo Orestes was a peddler...

who had a plane instead of a cart.

You got into that machine...

as if you had always been
delivering stuff in Patagonia.

The town popped up,
in the middle of nowhere.

That first stop promised
a pleasant stay.

Easy work, bed and food.

I had to take photos
for a musician...

to illustrate the
covers of his scores.

Nobody knew his name.

Even his son called him
by his surname: "Suarez".

Gringo!
Did you bring the records?

Here we are, Suàrez.
I got everything.

I've brought the photographer...

and everything we need for
the Radio El Mundo contest.

Santamarina. Suarez.

The young Pedro.

Bandoneon player and future composer.

Emilio, right?
The Gringo speaks very highly of you.

Did you come alone?

Dolores Puig.
A friend of Emilio's.

Your hands are cold.

Welcome to Patagonia.

The ones I'll send to
the contest are like these...

only they'll have your photographs.

- How much will you pay me?
- You tell me.

Who will see the photos?

Tell me about them
and I'll imagine them.

How was the trip?

I wouldn't get in one of those
even if they tied me up.

I loved it.

I must have been
a bird in a previous life.

Yes, women are braver than men.

We're only good for falling in love.

Doing artistic things.

Taking photographs,
composing a tango.

Or piloting a plane,
if you're brave enough.

But when you really
need a man, call a woman.

Suarez reminded me of my father.

He liked lecturing.

He despised porteños,
but wanted them to dance his tangos.

He'd decided to illustrate
his scores with women.

That's why I took interest in Matilde.

When you climbed that ladder
behind her, I had a premonition.

I didn't tell you, because I didn't
want to be a prophet of doom.

For you, that couple of
weeks in Suarez'hotel...

was part of the adventure.

Aren't there any whales?

They come in winter.
In June or July.

Get out! Get out!

I told you I don't want
you sleeping here.

Everything's upside down here.

Even the moon's upside down.

- This room is shameful.
- Shameful, why?

My name is Dolors.
They call me Lola.

Matilde.

Emilio told me about this place...

That apart from being
a hotel it's also...

Nobody will bother you.
Don't be afraid.

I'm not afraid, just curious.

I was invited to one in Buenos Aires
but I didn't want to go.

So you let women in here?

Aren't I a woman?

Every once in a while I fall
asleep with my pen in my hand.

And I can feel you behind my back,

emerging from this letter
like in the darkroom.

These ghosts who appear in the
photos are all that remain.

Nameless faces...

which someone will find in a bag
belonging to a dead photographer...

- No, don't touch.
- Under a bed.

It's going to be sore for a
few days. Try to put up with it.

You've been dreaming a lot.

It's the anesthesia. You were
talking in your sleep all night.

- What was I saying?
- Something about photos.

I'm preparing a book
of photos from the '30s.

Sounds good. How lovely.

- You'll have to go to a milonga, then.
- I've already been.

They asked me to dance,
but I didn't dare. I'm hopless.

Liar. You can't tell me
you don't dance tango.

Don't listen to her.

- What's wrong with her?
- I'm old, what do you think?

But I have a good memory.
You're Catalonian, aren't you?

Isn't everybody in town
"giving you the glad eye"?

Oooh! Listen to that!
Something for your book.

That expression's
an antique, Grandma!

What does it mean?

That all the men chase after you.

My God, yes. Men certainly
do stare at you here.

As if we were running around naked.

One of these days you'll
be walking in the streets again,

and they'll be shouting
their compliments at you.

As if I still had both breasts.

Did you know what you
had before coming in here?

I'd had a fewtests.

But I didn't think
it would grow so fast.

- What was the doctor's name?
- Dr. Zimmerman.

He said I should go back to
Madrid for the operation.

But you didn't listen.

If I were you, I'd have listened.
You should go home.

What home?

Haven't you got anyone back in Spain?

I have a son...

I have a husband...

and my father is a doctor,
he'd take care of everything.

But I'd be as Ionely
as I am here.

Here I have no one to turn to.
It's clearer this way.

Last night, a friend
from Barcelona called you.

- Jordi?
- That's him.

He's going to call again.

He asked me not to say
anything, to keep it a surprise.

- He seemed sweet.
- Why did he call here?

Didn't you give his name
when you checked in here?

Just in case something happened.

Did you think I'd
leave without paying?

And why d'you think you ended up
in the Intensive Care unit?

You're OK now, but in the operating
theatre you had an arrhythmia.

If Zimmerman has something
to say, he should say it to me.

Not to anybody else.

You've got to leave this place.

Alright, Grandma, now Vera
needs some rest, OK?

Her name is not Vera.
She's called Dolores.

Straight away, you arranged
things so as not to be alone.

There you were, learning
the ways of your new family.

Matilde danced, unaware
that you were spying on her.

But I knew from that very first night

that there, far away
from everything...

you were beginning
to find out who you were.

How's our Gallega doing?

I'm Catalonian.

In Argentina all spaniards
are called "Gallegos".

Come in, don't be afraid.

- How did you know it was me?
- I heard you.

Your heartbeat is accelerating.

Not to mention what I can smell.

You're just a girl.

How old are you?

Don't you want to tell me about yourself?

I don't feel like it right now.

Did we bring that?

I ask the questions here.

- Do you want to try?
- No. Sorry.

I can't stand mysteries.

If you play with fire...

You're not blind.

I can see something.

Lights...

and shadows.

Lights and shadows.

Have you been like that all your life?

I've managed to see what
I needed to see.

You haven't seen me.

Come.

Here.

Gringo told me about you.

But he undersold you.

They tell me you're a dancer.

A chorus girl. Rather than
dancing I flash my ass.

I can dance "sardana",
thanks to my mother.

Do you want to try dancing tango?

Just walk, that's all.
Smooth, like a queen.

Squeezing your pussy.

Look who's here, Grandma!

Hello.

It's forbidden, but thanks.

How's it going?

Here I am. They're keeping
me alive to get money out of me.

Is that so? Let's ask
the girls to unplug you, then.

Do that, I can die
for free anywhere else.

Nurse, unplug the
old lady for me!

Stop that, you'll
get us all fired.

I went down to the home and
picked up the scores.

- What did you want them for?
- They won't believe I was young once.

Don't tell me this
is you, Grandma!

- Didn't you have any shame?
- Shame of what? Not here...

but here, we women
are virgins all our lives.

Even Lola.

Though she liked
playing the whore.

Don't touch that!

- What are those?
- Money.

Two for a fuck,
four for the whole night.

Not two weeks had gone by
and you already seemed one of them.

You went from table to table, so as not
to get bored, confusing the clients.

You take photos of her?

Naked?

Dressed as a chorus girl.

Like I did in the train?
I'll show you later.

But like this...

- No.
- No?

No!

- It would cost you a lot.
- How much?

All those tokens.

The bandoneon was sacred.

But you never asked permission.

You couldn't go through
life without playing it.

If you drop it,
I'll beat the shit out of you.

Is it very difficult?

Your whole life
wouldn't be long enough.

Does it bother you that
Emilio fucks us?

Why should it bother her?

Sometimes I eat at home...

and then other times,
I eat at a restaurant.

Like your clients do.

Get out!

You're like flies.

I stole this from a theatre.
If you like it, it's yours.

Stay still.

That's it.

Both of you.

The only thing you never
touched was the books.

But you knew by heart all
the verses you'd learned in bed.

You wanted to teach Matilde,
who was a professional.

It's funny, isn't it?

A whore who doesn't
believe in free love.

Want to see how Emilio
doesn't believe in it either?

That you're the one who'll
fuck other people?

We do as we please.

You know what?

This breaks only once.

And then you're a virgin for life.

The only one you
could fool was the kid...

He wouldn't stop staring at you.

And at me too.

But he looked at me as though it
had been all my fault from the start.

Did you get
laid yet already, wanker?

Which one do you prefer?

Sometimes I remember that kid.

I imagine he's still pawing your
photos and your memories.

The few we left behind.

What are you doing up?

If you need anything,
just ask. Go back to bed.

Want to see them? Alright.

You go back to bed and
I'll bring them to you.

- I must call Jordi.
- No, you can't.

Isn't that your friend
who called from Spain?

You can't call
overseas from here.

You can call tomorrow.
There's a pay phone in the hall.

Come on.

- Vera!
- Give me some change.

You can't call Spain with just coins.
You need a card.

- Give me a card then.
- Where would I get one?

Have you got a card?

Me? No.

Please, Vera, you'll get me
into trouble. Don't you realise?

What don't I realise?

That I've got cancer?
That I'll be excavated like my mother?

Of course I realise!
Better than anybody else!

- Vera, listen...
- No, you listen!

I'll do with my life, and I have no
idea how much there is left of it...

...as I fucking please! OK?

- If you want to help me, get me a card.
- I have one.

- Thank you. Matilde is related to you?
- She's like a grandmother.

She thinks I'm somebody else.
A Catalonian, like myself.

Jordi? It's Vera.

I'm fine, I swear.

No, that's not why I'm calling.
It's about the book.

I think I've found something.

I'm not crazy!
I've had a breast removed, not the brain!

Don't tell my sister...

It's just as bad as telling my father.

Let Antonio think as he likes,
that I'm here to dance, fuck...

whatever, but I don't want him
to know about the operation.

Good. Listen.

Try and remember

if you've ever seen a photo of that
woman with a"bandoneón".

The one who looks just like me.
Naked, with a"bandoneón".

A "bandoneón"!
A musical instrument!

The "bandoneón", Suarez.

Listen...

If you play it like this...

It'Iljust moan.

But if you spread
your legs wide apart...

it sighs...

for you.

And if you do this
and touch here...

it just gives in.

Suarez.

You're in the picture.
Move.

Listen.

G.

Move it, Suarez, please...

It's like a woman.

You have to know where
to press the right buttons.

Look at me.

Don't you like it
when I look at Suarez?

And Matilde?

Look at me.

I can't see you. It's as
if you were spying on me.

- Look at me.
- I can't see you.

That wasn't you anymore.

You were my invention.
Or an invention of Suarez,

who said that picture was the best,
even though he'd never seen any of them.

She's about to be initiated.

I've been looking for this
for so long now, girl.

Your smell is... a B...

...a B flat.

Mi, fa, sol, la.

Sol, fa, mi, re, do fa.

Re, mi, fa, sol. Mi, re, do...

Si, do, re...

I'm going to dedicate
this tango to you. It's yours.

Yours forever.

When are you leaving?

Early tomorrow.

I'll pay the Gringo for the photos once
you leave them at the printers.

I shouldn't really have to pay for them
since you ended up with such a good deal.

Are you sure about this?

You haven't fallen in love, have you?

Me? With this woman?

She's not the kind of woman
you fall in love with.

I couldn't take the fact she's fucking
around with other guys.

What do you think being
in love is, idiot?

I don't know...

It didn't happen to me, but...

I think she is.

She's a girl to fall for, this one.

It wouldn't even occur to Emilio,
even if he was drunk.

What do you think
being in love is?

A mistake. Bullshit.

It's healing well.

On Monday I'll take
the stitches out.

Enough.

I'm going to put a
waterproof dressing on it.

If you're careful,
you can take a shower.

First, can I see it for myself?

Go ahead.

You can come and see me on
Monday at 4 PM, alright?

You can fly to Madrid that same
night. You can even book it.

Alright.

Once I'm back in Madrid
I'll start chemotherapy.

For now, just take the antibiotics
for another week...

the painkillers every six hours...

and if the pain is too much,
go to the drugstore and get this.

This will make you feel dizzy.
You're still on your own?

Absolutely.

What are you going
to do this weekend?

I guess I'll stay at my hotel.

Why?

Are you thinking of
inviting me somewhere?

You haven't told me if I'll
need chemotherapy yet or not.

I'll get the results of the biopsy
tomorrow. But it's probable, yes.

You're very young, Vera.
At your age...

I'm the same
age my mother was.

My father made her have
chemotherapy, but she died anyway.

You start low and move
up as high as you can.

As high as the spider will take you.
Every day, a little bit higher.

You'll be OK.

I can tell when they bring them
back from the operating theatre.

You look at them in
the eye and you just know.

When they wake up you wonder
what they saw, where they were.

I'm not a believer, you know,
but to me, they look like astronauts.

I don't know, I've never looked
an astronaut in the eye, but...

but I knowthere are things that
belong to another reality, you know?

Don't let Dr. Zimmerman
hear this...

but there are things doctors
don't know, and they can't explain.

You see some really serious cases,
you know, but the patients survive.

If we forget ourselves, and start
talking as if you weren't there,

you're the one who's got to tell us: Hey,
hang on, wait a minute, I haven't left yet.

It's up to you.

If you don't get well on your own,
nobody will do it for you.

- Have the whales come yet?
- They've been here a while now.

Did you dive with them?

Tell me!

A boy wanted to know where
the whales go when they leave.

In winter he'd look
at them from the shore...

and in summer he'd
keep on asking.

Wait for me!

But when people talked about the sea,
they'd talk about the surface.

They'd tell him to be careful,
not to swim too deep.

Not a word about the whales.

One day he stopped asking,
and went to swim with the whales.

Go on.

Down there you see
everything upside down.

The surface is a shiny crystal...

and whales fly.

The boy realized from shore
you see the wrong side of the sea.

From the bottom you
can see the real sea.

- He was a bit scared.
- Why? What happened?

Nothing, they just got too close.

Whales are shy,
but they are also curious.

They stared at him
with their great big eyes...

to have a good look at him.

I'm the one who's the
mystery, thought the boy.

And at that moment, he realized
that everything is relative.

That there's really very little
that we can understand.

So he stopped wondering
where the whales go...

and was happy to just
sit and wait for them.

Where do they go?

I don't know.

Something tells them
they have to leave.

And they trust that.

A call...

the command of the species.

The migration of the souls.

Something takes them
to their destination.

They come and they go, even if we'll
never know where they've been.

It's not a fish!

It's got warm blood! And it's
got a harpoon stuck in it!

Pedro! Come here!

- How is it?
- Huge.

And when they are about to die

they come out onto the beach.

No, old lady, no.
They die in deep sea.

Every now and then,
one gets stranded.

But we don't know why.

Because they are tired.

I'm tired too.

Will you take me there?
Throw me into the sea.

Your father will tell you where.

And don't forget to get the money.

The painting is hanging
over the bed.

Give it to her...

tell her to come closer.

Come here, Catalonian. Don't
be afraid, you're not going to die.

Take care of that painting for me.

I took really good care of it.

I've been keeping it safe for you...

my whole life.

Get out, please. Get out now.
Out of here! Both of you!

Cardiac arrest!

I don't know why I went to
that beach, it's like a circus.

Watching an accident of nature.

I called the photo that I gave

"The Call of the Species"

Not just because of
the story she used to tell.

I gave it that title for you too.

Lola!

Come here, Emilio!

- Give me your hand.
- Get out!

Come on, come into the water!

Are you afraid of getting the money
that you've hidden in your pocket wet?

- What did they pay you for?
- The photos.

And what was Orestes paid for?

I don't know, Lola, perhaps
for having brought us.

And me?

How much do I get
for posing naked?

I don't know, Lola, you should
sort that out with Suarez.

I don't owe you anything.

Yes, you do owe me!

You owe me a trip to
the end of the world!

Remember, you bastard!

You are free to come and go
and fuck anyone you like.

I'm not even owner of my own body!

Hello, Vera, love. We've had a lovely
Sunday, haven't we Juanito?

And Juanito has
learned something new.

Hang on... Juanito.
Do it for mummy.

He's learned how to whistle.
He's been practising for you.

When are you coming back?

It's me, Antonio. I've been
calling you every day this week.

They said at the hotel that you've gone.
Where are you?

- Hello, mum, welcome to your answerphone.
- Hello, Vera. This is Jordi.

Antonio called me, freaked out
because he couldn't find you.

I had to tell him, Vera.

Hello, mum, welcome
to your answer...

Vera, I'm calling about Matilde's painting.

I'm going to go to her nursing home,
but I'm not sure how to give you directions.

She's going to be cremated tomorrow,
at 9AM at Chacarita cemetery.

If you like, I'll meet you there.

Hello.

In Spain we give two kisses.

I spent all night
doing paperwork.

Not even dying is easy
in this country.

Can I help you?

- Do you want them?
- Would you give them to me?

I can't fit anything else in here.

The Catalonian that
intrigued you so much.

Matilde loved her.

Even though my grandfather
dedicated his best tango to her.

He was a musician,
but lived off women.

And this one, the Catalonian
woman, was called Dolores?

Why can't I go on the plane?

I weigh nothing, less than a letter.

I want to go alone.

How many days will
you spend in Trelew?

I don't know, Lola.

I have to find a laboratory,
make the copies...

- talk to the printers...
- What if you never come back?

And if you don't return,
how do I get back to Buenos Aires?

You're not free...
You're a coward.

Gentlemen!

I want to make a toast!

To our friend, the photographer.
May he follow his destiny! Cheers!

Who knows what
marvels will he find...

but there's none better than the
one he's leaving behind.

- I've always been intrigued by her legend.
- What legend?

Something they say she did,
which gave the name to the tango.

The light bulb.

- That's it.
- What do you mean?

Now it's nice and warm.

Now I want you to play for me.

Apparently the first time my grandfather
played this tango in public she danced to it.

With a light bulb
stuck between her legs.

- Here's 500, I'll send the rest as usual.
- Alright.

When I came to study here
I lived at Matilde's place.

I slept on the couch,
looking at that painting.

A couple of times I asked her about it,
but she would get lost in thought.

She would just start talking
to herself. Poor old thing.

- Where is this place?
- In Patagonia.

What did you come to
Buenos Aires to study?

Biology. Three years.

Then I had to leave,
and dropped out.

In Mexico I used to take
tourists on scuba diving trips.

Is it true you
swim with whales?

I'm supposed to only observe them.

- I wouldn't like that...
- What?

You just observing me.

If I were a whale, I mean.

What are you going
to do with all this?

The lady asked me
to clear her room out.

I have to go.
I'm going to miss my plane.

Besides, if there's something I can't
stand, it's collecting souvenirs.

Is that so?

And I don't like
farewells either.

Be careful.

- Aren't you going to ask me
what they did to me? - No.

They removed a tumor
the size of a walnut...

the left breast and
I don't know what else.

The stitches are still there...

like barbed wire.

- I wanted you to know.
- I knew.

I could show you my heart.
Really...

you can see it
between my ribs.

The heartbeats.

Here, a memento.

Take anything
you like, but let's go.

Anything?

Go, then. Don't miss your flight.
I'll take care of everything.

- I've already missed it.
- You can still make it.

This is high season. They'll be
starting on the waiting list by now.

- Do you really mean it?
- I'd like to stay here for a while, on my own.

Really?

I'll like to give you
something of mine.

I wrote this.

Seriously?

This can't be you?
Yes, it's you, when you were a girl!

Look at this, you posed for
photos naked, just like...

You really do look alike.
She wasn't so far wrong, the old lady.

Stop it!

- So you were a writer.
- You said it: I was.

- When I did what I wanted.
- Like what?

I don't know.
What I wanted.

Like what?

Like fucking a stranger.

- Who is it?
- It's me, Suarez.

Here.
Take this. Urondo's tin.

Take it!

The plane went out over the
sea and we flew over the beacon.

The tide was high and
the whale had gone.

I had a ridiculous feeling, of relief...

that stayed with me for
the rest of the journey.

As if everything
had fallen into place.

This morning a whale was stranded
on the patagonian shore...

Here's the story.

For reasons
which we don't know

this 15 metre-long adult
whale was stranded.

Apparently it's a female.

And we are working with volunteers
and staff from the institute

in an effort to keep it alive.

And we're hoping that at high
tide it might free itself naturally.

Thanks to our colleagues at Puerto
Madryn TVfor this coverage...

PENINSULA VALDES, PATAGONIA
SEPTEMBER 20, 2003

- What are you doing here?
- I called the Institute.

They told me you
were here with the whale.

That you'd be
back when it got dark.

When I sawthat
it had come out again...

- It came out again? - That a whale
was stranded again on the same spot.

- What was that?
- Whales.

Mating.
This place is perfect for mating.

The Seal. This is Vera.

- Hello, Seal.
- Hello, Vera.

I guess I also came
to see you again.

I'm sorry, it's not my fault.
Somebody called me.

Well... me.

It seems to
make no sense to you?

But it's like the boy in your story,
we can't really understand much.

The same happened
to me with Matilde.

I felt I was being called
and went up to say goodbye.

I thought it was
me who was dying.

Do you have any rooms free?

- How's the whale?
- Still alive.

It's under the
lighthouse on the cliff.

Couldn't it be the same
whale with the harpoon?

- Could be.
- Where did it have the harpoon?

Stuck right here.
Behind the eye.

I'm sorry, madam,
we have no rooms left.

She can have mine.
I'll sleep on the boat.

- You are crazy. You can't.
- It's free.

The whale you mentioned,
the one with the harpoon...

- was that many years ago?
- It was 1934.

A long time ago...

Could it be the same whale?

She'd have to be very old.

What do I do with this?

I don't know.
He sent it to you.

Didn't he give you anything else?
No letter?

He sent the scores for Suarez.

And he asked me to give
you one as a souvenir, that's all.

You can't work like this.
Aren't you taking anything?

When I get back I'll
bring you some medicine.

Where was Emilio going?

He was on his way south,
to Puerto Deseado.

He was going to take a ship
for Tierra del Fuego.

Suarez owes me money. It's yours
if you can get me out of here.

I could hide in the plane?
Nobody will know.

And afterwards?
How could I come back?

I have to work here.

Take care of that cold of yours.

The Gringo Orestes was in the
habit of talking to himself.

Once he told me that forgotten
words could still be heard in the air.

That if you repeated them,
the same things would happen again.

I'm writing this, the things I never
told you, in case that's true.

When these photos were taken
they didn't think about cataloguing them.

...the marks are the same.

Your hunch is not so absurd.

- Scientists don't believe in these things?
- On the contrary.

That's what we do.

Last night I dropped by
but I didn't find you.

Do you always write at night?

- It's been a long time since I wrote.
- You got inspired.

This place is ideal for that too.

They say you
just have to get started.

The problem is, if it doesn't
come out, it rots inside.

Each of these represented
a pile of money.

They made combs, nitroglycerine,
oils, all sorts of stuff.

- How long can it hold out?
- Probably until another tide.

There is not much we can do.

Just keep her wet, and scare the bloody
seagulls away who are hurting her.

If she doesn't free herself
nobody can do it for her.

Did you hear that?

And what if it
was the same one?

I don't know, perhaps it would
be of scientific interest.

You won, gallega. It has
a scar behind the eye.

Did you hear? How did you get
in this mess, old lady?

What did you come back for?

I started reading your
book on the plane.

- Did you?
- I liked it.

- I like the girl's freedom.
- Really?

Would you have liked to meet her?

You left a letter inside.

- Did you read it?
- Of course not.

I've read it a thousand times.

And instead of text for a book
of photos, I wrote something else.

I put myself in Lola's place.
She wasn't afraid of anything.

But how do you know?

I know. I can imagine her.

I write about her as if I was
writing about myself.

- And you haven't written anything else
until now? - No.

After publishing the
novel I got married...

and had a son.

- Do you have children?
- Yes.

A nine year old girl who lives
with her mother in Mexico.

And can you bear being away from her?

No.

Then you know how much it hurts.

You didn't really come to write
a book on whales, did you?

Didn't Matilde ever mention
a photographer?

Yes, the one who did
the photos for the scores.

I've got his photos,
and the letter.

He wrote it to Lola the day
before he died, in January'39.

- He never sent it?
- He got killed.

But Lola was dead already.
That's what I came here to investigate.

- What do you know about Lola?
- Nothing.

Just what my grandfather told me. That
she went back to Spain and became a star.

That's not true.

If Lola worked for him, it's more likely
he couldn't see anything.

My grandfather was blind, Vera.

What you wrote is
related to these photos?

Did you already have them when
Matilde left you the painting?

They belong to a
publishing house.

They're going to publish a book.
They want me to write the text.

Why didn't you tell me?

I don't know.
I'm sorry.

When I was about to return
to Madrid, emptyhanded,

because I hadn't found anything...

I had an operation in Buenos Aires
and I met Matilde.

Chance, destiny,
call it what you like.

I took you to her
nursing home. It wasn't destiny.

You fucked me and you
kept Matilde's stuff.

That's not chance. - You
were going to throw everything out.

Hello!

What are you doing here?

Nothing, just passing by.

If you still have any complaints,
this is the editor of the book.

Jordi Ferré. He'll take
care of everything.

I forgot your name.

- Ernesto Suàrez. - The grandson
of the guy who exploited Lola.

- Who?
- Lola, Jordi.

The one in the letter.

Hello, Ernesto.

- How did you find me?
- Where do you want me to start?

From the bit where you
betrayed me to Antonio.

After that I called Dr. Zimmerman,
I flewto Madrid...

from there to Buenos Aires,
I went to see you to the hospital

then I went to your hotel and you'd already
left. A two hour flight to Puerto Madryn...

I searched for you at
every hotel in town...

- What's the name of this place?
- Puerto Piràmides.

That's it, and here I am.

100 km in a taxi. I should be
in the Guinness book of records.

You saw my doctor, Jordi,
I can't believe it.

You're not even capable
of watering a plant.

It wasn't difficult. I just thought:
What would Antonio do?

What would he ask?
What would Antonio do in my place?

Let them look after you, Vera.

You can't work this out
on your own.

I got cancer on my own.

Antonio went to get the tests
you had in Madrid...

and your father contacted
Dr. Zimmerman.

I have the results
of the biopsy.

Give me that.

Shall we go out for a drink?

Shit. All I can think of
is getting drunk with you.

- Give me one.
- No, Vera.

Being healthy goes against my principles,
but don't ask that of me.

It's not the only
thing I'll ask of you.

Do you know when I last smoked?

The last time I
had sex with you.

How long ago was that?

Ooh -years.

- How many?
- I don't know.

What are you doing?

Vera. I have presbytia.

Did the doctor say you could do it?

I've done it already.

Shit, I'm never the first.

There's nothing like
having sex when you're tired.

- I haven't forgotten you.
- Shut up.

And this place suits you.

You look like a professional
fucking with your clothes on.

Will you shut up?

We've certainly done it
in strange places...

but I don't recall having
done it in a whorehouse.

- What are you saying?
- The cab driver told me.

There were whores here.

Perhaps, even, in this very bed.

What did I say?

What's wrong?

Nothing.

THE YOUNG PEDRO AND HIS QUARTET.

I've heard about that
harpoon since I was a kid.

What did you hear?

It was pulled out of the whale
and they gave it to my grandfather...

that's how it survived.

Sheer luck, wouldn't you say?

Do you know what, Gallega?

I don't believe in anything.
I'd like to.

To believe in God, to be a football fan,
to have fought in a revolution...

But no, the fewthings
I believed in, collapsed.

Now you tell me it's the
same whale, and so it is.

You have no idea how scared
I was of that harpoon.

What will you have?

A whisky.

No ice.

What was it you went
to pick up at the home?

Money. It has no value.

Just some old bills Matilde
kept as a souvenir.

Is this what you're talking about?

Where did you get those?

Matilde asked me to throwthem
away when she died, I don't know why.

Do you know what I think?

- This was Lola's price.
- What do you know about that?

Emilio mentions this
money in a letter.

He said he gave it to Matilde.

And apparently it's true.

He knows what I mean.

I was a kid,
I can hardly remember.

Do you remember the money?

Lola!

I want to thank you...

for being with
Matilde until the end.

My son told me that she
was fond of you.

Yes, it's true.

Let me introduce myself.
I am the Young Pedro.

"Bandoneón" player.
Future composer.

Lola!

Emilio?

It's been a long time.
You've remembered your friends.

- I've got to talk to you.
- Coming.

What is it?

I've come to take Lola away.

How do you plan to do that?
I'm not just going to give her away.

And if this rat ever touches
her again, I'll kill her.

Who are you going
to kill, you bastard!

You shut up woman!

You're not taking
her away just like that.

If you want her...

Then don't come shouting and
bullying around here.

Lola's not leaving here!

If you don't shut the fuck up
I'll sell you instead.

- Have you got dough on you?
- Yes...

The 1,500 you gave me.

Tell me something.
What do you want her for?

I just want her. I don't know why.
What the hell does it matter to you?

I just don't like
cheating on anybody.

We have others in
much better shape.

But whatever, if you've set your heart
on Lola and if Matilde agrees...

Hey, girl?

You decide.

If you want her,
she stays.

If you let her go,
the money is yours.

Come on... take it.

Hey, kid, kid...

Lola's no longer
what she used to be.

She's deteriorated
since you sold her.

- You didn't tell her, right?
- No, I didn't tell her a thing.

- No, I'm telling you so that you know.
- I know.

I know what I've done.

No... I'm telling you so
that you know what you're getting.

The other stuff is
your business, asshole.

This place is charming, isn't it?

With a touch of nostalgia...

Admit you're smoking again. Just buy
your own and kill yourself slowly.

You've known each
other for a long time.

Vera was nineteen.

I was teaching on a summer course...
and we got involved.

Then she started showing
me what she wrote.

And since I make a living out
of other people's talent...

And you'll
publish what she's writing.

Well... I asked her to write
a text for a book of photos...

but now it seems she's writing
a novel, right?

What will be the title?

I've no idea.
"Lola's Price"...

or"The Whore and the Whale",
something like that.

To the new novel. It'll sell much
better than the other one.

To Lola and Emilio.
I'd give my soul to dance like she did.

Because my body is already...

They want me to do
some more tests.

Do you know what the
sentry ganglion is?

The warning.

Those tests are to make sure
other parts of the body are OK.

I'm not a doctor, but I think
you should do as they say.

I think the old man wants to
dedicate the next one to you.

2 pesos for going to bed, 4 for the night.
You don't get in here without paying.

Money in the tin.

If you don't pay,
you can't come in.

You pretended you knew nothing,
since you didn't work here anymore.

I said nothing,
went and put money in the tin.

So you'd let me in. At least...

that night.
Even though it was the last.

You could hear the whales
clearly, as if they were calling.

Sorry.

I just wanted to tell you
that the bar is closed...

and I've found someone who'll
take me to Puerto Madryn.

Aren't you
staying the night?

There's always a
second chance, right?

Sometimes it helps to say goodbye.

But I'm too drunk.
I'd rather go to my hotel.

You won't even do me a favor?
You won't even try?

Let's pretend you're
a traveling salesman.

You come to my door...

and tell me you
need to take a leak.

But you're not you. You're
a vulgar guy, alright?

- Even with that face.
- Vera, stop it.

If you want to fuck,
then fuck somebody else.

My flight leaves at nine.

If you want, you can still make it to the
appointment with Dr. Zimmerman.

I'll be at the airport.

Leave some money. I'm as broke
as a whore during Lent.

Yet again, you're giving up
without a fight, Jordi.

- You're still the same...
- The same what?

Do you know what's happened
to me all these years?

Nothing at all.

Sometimes I just want
to talk, shout out...

because you can't hear a
thing in those filthy bars.

And I hear myself saying
the same old things.

Only I'm older.

But you're lucky.

I hope I'd get
to say the same one day.

You're going to bury us all.

You're no longer
the girl I seduced...

You have turned
into quite a woman.

Alright. Let me go.
Let me go.

I'm the same old guy I always was.

Take your clothes off.
We don't have all night.

We have a lifetime.

We'll leave tomorrow.
I just wanted to be with you.

Aren't you going to ask me what I want?

You want to leave, don't you?

Yes, but you haven't asked me.

Please, forgive me.
I'll never forgive myself.

I've missed you.
I've had a terrible time here.

I, on the other hand,
had a wonderful time here.

- I needed to be alone.
- "I needed to be alone".

But being alone in
Tierra del Fuego is frightening.

You come to realize
what you really want.

You realize what you want.

And I want you,
I want to be with you.

And what do I care what happens
to you when you're far away from here?

And what the hell do I care what happens
to you when you're far away from here?

And you don't have balls to
look after what you have.

Look at yourself.

Now you're here and
you don't even want to do it.

And what do you expect,
when you treat me like a whore would.

That's what I am!
Thanks to you!

- I want to see them.
- What?

The 1,500 pesos I cost you.
I want to see them!

Matilde's got them.

I don't know what's worse:
Buying me, or selling me.

I don't know what's worse:
Buying me, or selling me.

- You're still the same.
- The same, what?

You're not a man...

You're not a man...

You don't know what you want.
At least I do as I please.

Sure, you do as you please.

Are we talking about my
pleasure or Suarez' pleasure?

You don't know who you are
unless someone is stroking you.

- Shut up... - And with just a tiny bit
of stroking, you spread your legs.

You think you do
as you please...

but you're just here
for other people's pleasure.

And that's
being a whore, right?

And that's being
a whore, right?

I'm not a whore
because you sold me.

You sold me as a whore.

- I didn't say that.
- Don't you touch me!

Do you know what I
wondered when I was far away?

Who are you...

...when nobody's looking at you?

We're going to take
Matilde out to sea.

Ernesto's asking if you
want to come with us.

- I got you out of bed.
- No way.

I was writing.
I think I found it.

- Your novel?
- Yes.

And when your father
called at my door...

I thought he was going to tell me
the whale had gone.

- Another hunch?
- Or better still, that she'd gone again.

- Shall we go and see?
- Why not? We're going that way.

You slept a while, and I stayed looking
at you for the rest of the night.

When the kid knocked on the door
to take us to the plane,

you opened your eyes and looked
at me as though I were a stranger.

When dawn was breaking and we took off,
I could see the whale near the sandbar

With the sure instinct of animals,
as if time didn't exist,

it headed for a specific spot
in the middle of the sea.

I'm worth more
than 1,500 pesos.

Listen, you. Don't be stupid!

Don't mistake value for price.

I'm not free because
they let me go.

I'm free just because,
it's my birthright.

Even though I've only been here for other
people's pleasure. Isn't that right Suarez?

You really sawthrough me...

even if you're a blind bastard.

Beat it, girl.

- And now what?
- I told Seal to followthe whale.

You tell me where to stop... And we'll
throwthe ashes into the water, alright?

I'll throw you in, if you
don't tell me the story.

I didn't even tell Suarez.

Suarez now.

You're no longer a boy, pops.
And me neither.

My old man never tells.

He's been like that all his life.

When my grandfather
told his stories...

my dad would leave so as
not to have listen to them.

Do you feel OK, Gallega?

You shouldn't be doing this.

Take your clothes off,
so you don't get...

I can do as I please!
Don't treat me like I was ill.

But you are ill. I forget too at times,
but you're ill.

I'm OK.

I'm just a little dizzy.

It's not my fault.
Some things just happen.

Forgive me. I don't
know what I'm saying.

Say whatever you like...

but don't say you're sorry.

Today your father
reminded me of mine.

All the things we never
said to each other.

All my life I've blamed
him for everything.

What you say is true.
Of course I'm ill.

It's a relief to
hear you say it.

I don't know what you were like
before. But you're beautiful.

- So you're leaving tomorrow morning.
- I do as I please.

Like Lola, she finally
finds out what she wants.

One day I'll find your
novel in a bookstore...

and I'll know you're OK.

- Will you buy it?
- Yes.

- And will you read it?
- Yes.

Then I'll write it.

Is it here?

The airstrip was over there.

They came this way...

and circled over the whales.

We stayed over there.

Whales!

Lola!

Give me your hand.

Give me your hand!

Gringo! Level the plane!

Gringo! Level it, goddamit!

Lola!

Take a photo of me!

Take a photo of me!!

And then the plane
went on with its trip.

And the Gringo...

never came back.

- Can you still see them?
- Yes...

They're making circles
above the whales.

After some time, Matilde
started telling me...

that I had made this all up.

And that if I ever told Suarez...

she'd say I was a liar.

And Suarez...

never found out.

I can hardly see what I'm writing.

Bullets are falling like shooting stars.
And I make the same wishes as I always did.

Here, at war...
while I wait for my turn to come

I take pictures of death every day.

She's playing hard to get because
she knows I'm waiting for her.

Be patient. I won't take long.