All language subtitles for La puta y la ballena (Luis Puenzo, 2004)

THE WHORE AND THE WHALE

Dear Lola,...

I'm in Poblenou,
at a barricade.

After the battle of the Ebro the
Nationalists drove us into the sea.

They are crossing
the Llobregat

as I write to you,
quite pointlessly.

I could keep on running...

but the war has brought me
to your birthplace,

like retuming 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 were staying
at 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 pictures of the war
aren't 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 from me
until the very last night,

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

All 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.

Not in this one,
nor in the other one either.

I almost fell!

- 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 intact,
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 convent, I took all my clothes
off in the confessional booth.

That day I finished
my primary education.

- How old were you?
- Fourteen.

I took my clothes off
and sang "Els Segadors".

Bon colp de falc!

Did you hear
the general'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 upstairs as
if he'd 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.

You didn't want
to go back to Spain,

but didn't dare stay
on your own either.

You'd heard all the bullshit.

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 go,
it's never for free.

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

- How long are you staying?
- Till 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 ran 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.

- Will you never ask me to stay?
- You have 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 catala.
- Et vaig estimar molt.

Catalan...

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

I lie on my childhood bed and
her stories swirl round 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 all 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 confused
by what my father 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 you're dead.

Your body scared me,
so full of life.

Emilio, there are no grapes, but
there's wine, it's 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.

It's no good saying "all".

You've got to say them
one by one.

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

Jordi!

I was dreaming.

You saved my life.

In a hotel.

Last night. I took Juanito home
and called you.

I haven't felt this lonely
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 few tests. 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.

We wanted to get
to the end of the world.

There weren't even any roads.

When the gringo
landed at Bah�a Blanca

we were already
about to board a ship.

He confirmed my first job.

It wasn't much money, but enough
for 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'd 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 sumame: "Su�rez".

Gringo!
Did you bring the records?

Here we are, Su�rez.
I got everything.

I've brought the photographer
and everything we'll need

for the great Radio El Mundo
tango competition.

Santamarina. Su�rez.

El Pibe Pedro,

Bandoneon player
and future composer.

Emilio, right?
The Gringo speaks 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'll see the photos?

Tell me about them
and I'll imagine them.

How was the trip?

I wouldn't get in one of
those 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.

Su�rez reminded me of my father.

He liked lecturing.

He despised people from Buenos Aires
but wanted them to dance his tangos.

He'd decided to illustrate
his scores with women.

That's why I took
an interest in Matilde.

When you climbed
that ladder behind her,

I had a premonition.

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

For you, that couple of weeks
in Su�rez's 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 Dolores.

They call me Lola.

Matilde.

Emilio told me about this place.

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,

peering from this letter
like in the darkroom.

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

Nameless faces...

that someone will find in some dead
photographer's bag under a bed.

Don't touch, please.

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

You've been dreaming a lot.

It's the anaesthesia.

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 hopeless.

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"?

Oh! Listen to that!
Something for your book.

That expression's antique,
grandma!

What does it mean?

That all the men
chase after you.

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

Like we were running
around naked.

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

and they'll be murmuring
their compliments as you pass.

As if I still had both breasts.

Did you know what you had
before coming in here?

I'd had a few tests.

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?

You don't have
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 lonely
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 do you think you ended up
in the cardio 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,

leaming 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 "La Catalana".

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.

No 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.
Instead of 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 it, 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 nursing 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 al our lives.

Even Lola.

Though she liked playing the whore.

Don't touch that!

- What are those?
- Money.

Two bits 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 sleeps with us?

Why should it bother her?

Sometimes I eat at home

and sometimes 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 stuff you'd leamed in bed.

You wanted to teach Matilde,
who was a professional.

It's funny, isn't it?

A whore who doesn't believe
in sharing her body.

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

That you're the one
who'll screw 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 couldn't stop
staring at you.

And at me too.

But he looked at me like it'd been
all my fault from the start.

Did you get laid yet, big boy?

Which one do you prefer?

Sometimes I remember that kid.

I guess 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,
when we transfer you.

There's a payphone in the hall.

Come on.

- Vera!
- Give me some change.

You can't call Spain with 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 realize?

What don't I realize?
That I've got cancer?

That I'll be excavated
like my mother?

Of course I do!
Better than anyone else!

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

I'll do with my life, and I've 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.

- Thanks. Matilde's 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 my brain!

Don't tell my sister...

It's as bad as telling my father.

Let Antonio think what 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 "bandone�n".

The one who looks just like me.
Naked, with a "bandone�n".

A "bandone�n"!
A musical instrument, Jordi, Jesus!

The "bandone�n", Su�rez.

Sit down.

Listen.

If you play it like this...

It'll just 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.

Su�rez.

You're in the picture.
Move.

Listen.

G.

A, G, F, G...

Move it, Su�rez, 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 Su�rez?

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 Su�rez,

who said that picture was the best,

even though he'd never seen
any of them.

She's about to be christened.

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

Your smell is a B...

...a B flat.

E, F, G, A.

G, F, E, D, C, F.

D, E, F, G, E, D, C...

B, C, D...

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?

Me?

With this woman?

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

I couldn't take it that
she's fucking other guys.

What do you think being
in love is, you fool?

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 if 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?

Have you got other plans for me?

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

I get the biopsy results 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 okay.

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, but to me,
they look like astronauts.

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

but I know there are things
that belong to another order.

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

but there are things
doctors don't know,

and they can't explain.

They wheel in some
really desperate cases,

not a hope in hell,
but they seem to 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.

Either you sink or swim,
no one can 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're 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 destiny.

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!

- What's it like?
- Huge.

And when they are about to die,

they come out onto the beach.

No, grandma, no.
They die in the deep sea.

Every now and then,
one gets stranded.

But we don't know why.

Because they're 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.

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 was 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
leamed something new.

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

He's leamed 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'd gone. Where are you?

Hello, mum,
welcome to your computer.

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 comp...

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

I'm going to go
to her nursing home,

but I'm not sure
how to give you directions.

She's 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 by 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?

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 he 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 photo.

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 memories.

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 tumour
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 the peak 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 is,
when you were a girl!

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

You really do look alike.
She wasn't 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 token.

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 weird feeling,
one of relief,

that stayed with me
for the rest of the joumey.

As if everything
had fallen into place.

This moming a whale was stranded
on the shores of Patagonia.

- Here's the story.
- For reasons we are not aware

this 15 metre-long adult
whale was stranded.

Apparently it's a female.

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 TV

for this coverage...

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

They told me you were
with the whale.

That you'd be back here
when it got dark.

When I saw that
it was stranded again...

It was stranded 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 leaving.

Do you have any rooms free?

- How's the whale?
- Still alive.

It's under the beacon
on the cliff.

Wasn't the one with
the harpoon over there?

- Somewhere around there.
- 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're crazy. You can't.
- It's yours.

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 had 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 identifying them.

Look...

...the calluses 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 couldn't find you.

Do you always write at night?

- It's been ages 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,
nitro glycerine,

oils, all sorts of stuff.

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

There isn't much we can do.

Keep her wet, and scare the fucking
seagulls hurting her.

It's sink or swim. If she doesn't
free herself nobody else can.

And what if it
was the same one?

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

You win, 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 was killed in the war.

But Lola was dead already.
I came here to investigate that.

- 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,
there's no way he wouldn't see.

My grandfather was blind, Vera.

What you wrote
is related to these photos?

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

They belong to
a publishing house.

It's publishing a book of photos.
They want me to write the text.

Why didn't you tell me?

I don't know.
I'm sorry.

I was about to return to Madrid,
empty handed, as I'd found nothing,

I was operated on 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 screwed me and you kept
Matilde's stuff.

That's not chance.

Anyway, 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 Ferr�.
He'll take care of everything.

I forgot your name.

Ernesto Su�rez.

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 where you betrayed me
to Antonio.

After that I called Dr. Zimmerman,
I flew to Madrid,

from there to Buenos Aires,
went to the hospital to see him,

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

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

I booked a room
and took a taxi to come here.

- What's the name of this place?
- Puerto Pir�mide.

That's it, and here I am.

100 kms 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 hard. 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.

Anyway. 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 me that.

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?

Years.

How many?

I don't know.

What are you doing?

Vera, I have presbyopia.

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.

Maybe in this very bed.

What did I say?

What's wrong?

Nothing.

PIBE PEDRO AND HIS TANGO QUARTET

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

What did you hear?

It was pulled out of the whale
and given 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, be a football fan,
to have fought in the revolution...

But no, the few things
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 did you go to pick up
at the nursing 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 scatter them
with her ashes 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.

You know what I mean?

I was a kid,
I barely remember.

Do you remember the money?

Lola!

I want to thank you...

for being with Matilde
until the end.

My son told me
she was fond of you.

Yes, it's true.

Let me introduce myself.
I am Pibe Pedro.

"Bandone�n" player.
Future composer.

Lola!

- Su�rez!
- Emilio?

It's been a long time.
You 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 won't just 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 the 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's it 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 really gone downhill
since you sold her.

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

- I'm telling you so that you know.
- I know.

I know what I've done.

No, I'm telling you so 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 her.

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 fine.

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.

Two pesos for going to bed,
four for the night.

You don't get in here
without paying.

Where's your token?

You don't get in here
without paying.

You pretended you knew nothing,
as you didn't work here any more.

I said nothing,
went and paid my token.

So you'd let me in.

At least... that night.
Even though it was the last.

The whales could be heard
really close,

as if they were calling.

Sorry.

I just wanted to tell you
that the bar is closed

and I've found someone
to 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 favour?

You won't even try?

Let's pretend you're
a travelling salesman.

You come to my door...

and tell me you need
to take a leak.

But you're not you.
He's a dirty old man, right?

- Even if he has your 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've 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.

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

What the hell do I care
what happens to you

when you're far away
from here?

You just want
what you don't have.

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

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

Look at yourself.

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

What do you expect, when you
treat me the way 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 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 Pibe Pedro knocked on
he door to take us to the plane,

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

As 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 because
I was born that way.

Even though
I've only been here

for other people's pleasure.
Isn't that right Suarez?

You really saw through me...

even if you're a blind bastard.

Beat it, girl.

- And now what?
- I told Seal to follow the whale.

You tell me where to stop...

And we'll throw the ashes
into the water,

alright?

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

I didn't even tell Suarez.

You're 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 okay, 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 okay.

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 okay.

- 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, God damn it!
Lola!

Take a photo of me!
Take a photo of me!

And then the plane
went on with its joumey.

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'd made all this up.

And that if I ever told Suarez...

She'd say I'm 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 tum 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 be long.