"To my father" "LOOSE CANNONS" "Teresa!" "Here I am." " Is the room ready?" " Not yet." "Did you use his favourite blue sheets?" "Did you take down the curtains in Luciana's room?" " I didn't have time." " Well..." "Put out fresh towels and polish the good cutlery." "But do it properly, use that special liquid." " I don't want to see all that stuff..." " Stefania!" "Whose bags are these?" "What am I supposed to do with these?" ""Traveler returning from far-off lands," ""what gifts do you bring?"" ""Ma'am..." ""I bring you the most scented flowers," ""the Orient's most precious fabrics..." ""and a bagful of happiness!"" " Tommaso!" " Grandma!" "Darling!" "Let me look at you!" "What's new?" " Auntie!" " You're so handsome!" "Traveler, take the bags upstairs." " Happiness weighs a lot here." " Right, you take them." ""Let's take her to the hospital!"" "And Loredana: "It's nothing, she's just a crybaby."" "Luciana, that's your fourth glass." "I'm not counting." "Is the new packaging nice?" "I'll show you as soon as it's ready." "Remember what Nicola used to say:" ""Quality comes first, but the pasta has to look nice too."" "Uncle Nicola was right about everything." "Especially now, with all the competition." " To be competitive, our brand..." " All in good time!" "You want to teach us how to run the business?" "No!" "Let them eat!" "They're so cute!" "If we don't watch out, they'll eat us too!" "They're the picture of health." "You were the same." "Thanks." "They're fat." "They were half that size last year." " They'll slim down eventually." " No they won't." " They're fat." " Did you take your diabetes pill?" "Uncle Nicola used to say that people get fat..." "Just to prove they're rich!" "Dad, don't take it personally." "A paunch isn't fatal." "Salvatore, don't call me dad!" "You know I don't like it." "You're not my son." "Five!" "What did you do last night?" "Yeah, yeah!" "I don't believe you." "Watch it, stupid bitch!" "No, I didn't mean you." "Some madwoman nearly ran me over." "I'll call you right back." "I wasn't talking to you." "You can't wait to get out of here, can you?" "At least wait till we sign the paperwork." "Besides, this dinner with Brunetti means a lot to dad." "He wants to introduce you to our new partners." "Right..." "I want to make an announcement at the dinner." " There are three things you don't know." " Three?" "Is that so?" "Let's do one at a time." "First" " I never studied Business." " I have a degree in Literature." " What else?" "Second" " I want to be a writer." " You, a writer?" " Why not?" "I've already written a novel." "I'm waiting to hear back from a publisher." "Anyway, that's not the main thing." "The main thing, Antonio... is that I'm gay." "Not going to say anything?" "Like what?" "Remember my friend from primary school, Sasa?" "I've been gay since then." "He and I never played with toy cars." "Haven't you ever wondered about me?" "Never gave it a thought." "Do you have to tell them?" "You know what they're like." "Go back to Rome, live your life in peace, write..." " No one will check up on you." " And my signature?" " Dad wants us to be partners." " Sign." " What do you care?" " I don't want the responsibility." "At the dinner on Thursday night," "I'm going to come out in front of everyone." "In front of whatshisname, Brunetti?" "He's a real gossip!" "Why do it in front of everyone?" "Because if I do it in front of everyone, dad will kick me out - I'll pack my bags, you'll be in charge of the business," "and I'll be free." "I have no choice." " What if he doesn't kick you out?" " I'll introduce him to Marco." "Pass it!" " What if he accepts Marco too?" " I'll write a science fiction novel." "Stop thief!" "Help!" "Stop thief!" "Stop thief!" "Stop thief!" "Help!" "Stop thief!" " What's up?" " Did you hear that?" " Don't worry." " Is the thief back?" "It's a new one." "Not the one from three years ago." "Go back to sleep." "The thief came back last night." "That's the third time this month." "If it were up to her, he'd come every night!" "What do you mean?" "Not every night!" "Every night and day!" "Good morning." "May I have some coffee?" "I'd better stop sleeping with the window open." "You don't know my father." "When he finds out I'm a queer, there'll be hell to pay." "Anyway, it doesn't matter." "I've already packed my bag." "What do you care?" "Your life is here with me." "You're right." "Marco..." "Can I tell you something?" " You make me feel lucky." " Lucky?" "Yes." "I wonder what my life would be like without you." " If I hadn't gone to that brunch..." " I think the same thing too." "But I can't say it the way you can." " Will you call me later?" " Of course..." "I want to know..." "Actually..." "I might leave tonight and be back before you wake up." "I'll sit by the bed and watch you while you sleep." " I'll make some coffee then." " OK." "If I don't leave, I'll call you tonight." "Bye." "The police officer said:" ""I'm not a bad driver " ""a gay colleague took the gear stick home!"" " Get it? "The gear stick"!" " I get it, Salvatore." "He thought the car didn't have gears!" "Yes, I get it." "That's a good one!" "Tommaso, come here!" "This is Alba Brunetti, the commendatore's daughter." "Our new business associate." " Hello." " Nice to meet you." "We all used to play together, don't you remember?" "No I don't, sorry." "Don't be sorry, I don't remember you either." " Come and meet the commendatore." " Nice shoes." "Raffaele, this is my son Tommaso." "Hello, dear boy." "Welcome back." "The company's future." "Good evening." "Yes, good evening!" "It's me, your sister-in-law." "Glasses, contact lenses, operations, new technology... nothing?" "You're holding two glasses." "Please have some." "Stefania, did you hear Brunetti's joke about the police officer who couldn't find the gear stick?" "It's hilarious!" " No, how does it go?" " Raffaele..." "I'd better warn the ladies that it's a bit vulgar." "No, it made me laugh!" " There's this police officer..." " A faggot." "Salvatore, let him tell it." "This police officer gets in the car every night..." " He thought the gear stick..." " Give him a chance." "If you don't want to hear it, it doesn't matter." " Please!" " Come on!" "Go ahead." "This police officer gets in the squad car every night..." "It's always the same car, that's important for the joke." "Excuse me." " Sorry to bother you..." " Excuse me, everyone!" " I just wanted to say..." " Sorry, Tommaso." " I want to tell you a story." " There's no need." "It's about a boy who always did what his parents wanted, without telling them what he wanted or who he really was." "Because this boy had a problem, what you'd all call a "defect"." "This boy liked other boys." "What kind of joke is this?" "You can't tell jokes, you're not funny." "This boy hid his true nature for years." "He even dated a few girls so he'd look like other boys." "Then, one day, in the factory where he worked, he found a friend." "A special friend who understood." "Maybe because he was the same." "They'd go out together, see each other often." "But then our boy got scared." "He was worried about people gossiping, finding out his secret." "So to stop people talking he got Michele fired from the factory." "Do you remember Michele?" "That man who checked the dough?" "Why are you talking about this boy?" "I wasted 30 years hiding, scared of what you might think." "Finally I've got the guts to tell you." "I'm gay." "Antonio, you're a character!" "I'm pleased you're laughing, I didn't expect that." "Anyway, have you understood?" "I'm gay, homosexual, queer, faggot, bent." "Well done!" "You're very funny, but what were we saying?" "I want it out in the open, Dad." "You don't want to understand." "I can't go on like this, I don't want to hide anymore." "Stop it!" "I can't stop it, Mum." "It's the way things are." "I'm sorry for all of you." "Tommaso, forgive me." "Raffaele, the contract's all in order." "Will you call the lawyer?" "What will they say in town tomorrow?" "In a few hours, everyone will know." "What will you say when you meet them in the street?" "Why are you doing this?" " Know what I'd like to do?" " Stop it." "I'd like to call Michele and invite him to join us." "To walk down the street with him, do everything in broad daylight." "You know what I'd like?" "I'd like you to leave this table." "Get up!" "Go to the other room and empty your pockets on the table - the car keys, office keys, your house keys, the company credit cards, cheque books, documents, everything..." "Then pack your bags and leave this house." "Actually, leave town." "I don't ever want to see you again, is that clear?" "Did you hear what I said?" "Get out!" "Dad..." "I must talk to him alone." "Tell him to wait in my study." "Excuse us." "He's gone." "I read somewhere that half the Italian population is bisexual." "There are worse things in life." "Illness, hunger, famine... death." "Right..." "Dad?" " Dad!" " Vincenzo!" "Call an ambulance!" "Why won't they let us in?" "I want to know how he is." " I want to say hello to dad." " Don't call him dad." " He can't hear me." " It annoys me too, OK?" "Dad." "Come here." "No... closer." " Who's outside?" " No one." "Has word got out?" "No, not at all." "Look at me!" "Your brother gave me a heart attack." "A minor one." "Try to keep calm." " Who knows about Antonio?" " No one." "Brunetti said he won't tell a soul." "You're all I've got left." "I lost your sister when she married that Neapolitan dickhead." "Your brother won't even talk to me, he might as well be dead." "You're my life, my blood, my breath." "You have to help me." "You will, won't you?" "I have to go back to Rome." "This is your birthplace, your home." "Dad, I..." "Just for a while, OK?" "Yes?" "Think how many brothers we know." "Mariano and Fabrizio, Roberto and Pino, the lesbian twins." "Who cares about statistics?" "Look on the bright side - the subject's been broached with the family." "Truly broached." "What the hell are you talking about?" "One gay son put my dad in hospital." "Two would kill him!" "That bastard Antonio won't answer my calls." "Forget your brother." "Just get yourself out of there." "The carpenter's coming tomorrow." "I can't sign the contracts by myself." "I'll call you back about the contracts." "I can't talk now, bye." "Teresa didn't tell me you were here." "Anyway, dad's a bit better." "I know." " Let's go." " Where?" "The new line has to be launched in less than a month." "There's the campaign, and we have to review the distribution plans..." "We're behind schedule with the new format." "We'll use the old one - the crazy wheel, the one your grandma invented." "What's it got to do with me?" "Watch out!" "Bastard!" "You have to take Antonio's place." "I don't know anything about this stuff." "You studied business, you must've learned something." "We invested a lot of money in this deal." "Your brother left, your dad's sick." "It's down to you." "The 27 by 6 format is fine but we need to darken this brown." "He doesn't like it either." "Right, Tommaso?" "Mr. Antonio didn't want to darken the colour." "Antonio isn't involved anymore." "All future decisions are down to me and him." "Am I right, Tommaso?" "OK." "Anyway..." "Stop thief!" "Stop thief!" "Help!" "Stop thief!" "Mum..." "I can't find anything." "No letters, no proof." " Nothing at all." " What are you looking for?" "I don't believe your brother is what he says he is." "I'm his mother, I'd have realised." "I raised him, I was always close to him." "I never suspected." "Ever." "The only explanation is that he wasn't telling the truth." "Maybe he wanted to get away for personal reasons." "I just can't believe it." "The only explanation is that he was lying." " Maybe you just didn't realise." " How would you know?" "It's him." "Michele, the guy who worked in the factory." "When you were small we'd always go swimming at Baia dei Turchi, remember?" "One day, it was August." "Antonio went into the bushes and made me a basket out of leaves." "A leaf basket..." "a girlie thing, right?" "It wasn't Antonio." "I made you the basket." "I found the proof." " What proof?" " At the last minute." "I'd almost given up, but..." "We have to accept it." "What a disgrace!" "Who'd have thought we'd end up like this?" "That we'd become a laughing stock." "Your mother swore she wouldn't tell anyone, but she's a loose cannon." "I said he left for personal reasons." "No one knows." "He kept everything hidden." " He did a good job." " No, I should have realised." "Remember when we went to Baia dei Turchi?" " All together." " What?" "You said that Antonio made you a basket." "What does that matter?" "Are we late?" "Ma'am, she won't say a thing." "She didn't even understand what happened." "You're obliged to keep quiet, or I'll fire you." "I saw you talking to Rosetta, the Ferrara's maid." "We were discussing our own business." " Just to pass the time." " How dare you?" "Passing time?" "You should be working." "I didn't hire you for decoration." "Go and make some rice and chicken." "Call Massimo, I want to go out." " Where to?" " To see Vincenzo." "And to see what's happening at the factory without Antonio." "Tommaso's at the factory." "He'll handle everything and Vincenzo needs to rest." "If he doesn't come home tomorrow, I'll take you." "Vincenzo just doesn't understand." "The less we talk about this, the better." "The doctor says we have to get back to normal." ""Normal", what a horrible word!" "He was everything to me!" "Like my arms, like my legs." "A younger version of myself." "I know!" "He should like women, like I do!" "Of course." "If I imagine him with a man, my blood boils." "Look, the world's full of them." "Your son isn't..." "Your son isn't an isolated case." "Sometimes there's even more than one in the family." "A friend of a friend has a gay nephew and son." "Patrizia, what do I care about your friend?" "They're everywhere, sprouting up like mushrooms!" " Look, I..." " The five minutes are up." "Just a second, OK?" "Thanks." "Plenty of them even have wives and kids at home." "Those with wives and kids are discreet and don't go around telling people." "How can I show my face in public?" "No one knows, give it a rest!" " Of course, no one!" " Come on!" "I'd better go home, it's late." "I wish I could come home with you." "As soon as you're better, gorgeous." "Just be patient." "Thank goodness I have you and Tommaso." "Tommaso and you." "What would I do without you?" " Darling!" " How do you feel?" "A bit better, but very weak." "There's a stink of whore in here." "This looks like it's blocked." "No, it's fine." " Is the needle in properly?" " Yes." "Now it is." "Now you can have some plain rice and chicken." "I'm not hungry." "Nurse!" "Are you mad at Antonio because he didn't tell you first?" "I'm not mad, but I didn't expect it to happen." "Didn't the two of you ever discuss... this matter?" "What matter?" "This... matter." "My brother and I haven't spoken much in the last few years." " Shame." " Why?" "It's easier when there's two of you." "Two?" "What do you mean?" "What I said." "Grandma, why are you still up?" "I'm worried." "About what?" "Nothing." "Did you take your pills?" "Did you see the new machinery that Antonio installed?" "Yes." "You knew about Antonio." "He told you." "When he'd come back from the factory, he'd be happy." "There must have been a reason." "Yes, he told me." "But even if he hadn't..." "Years ago, we used to pack the pasta by hand." "I'd sit with the others and pack it for hours on end." "I'd think:" ""Where will this pasta go now?" ""Who'll eat it..." ""this pasta that I've touched with my hands" ""and helped to make?"" "Have you touched the pasta when it comes out of the machines?" "It's warm, soft." "Nicola would sometimes touch the pasta and laugh." "He knew that pasta very well." "We developed it between us." "I'll touch the pasta tomorrow." "No, don't." "If you always do what others want, life's not worth living." " Morning, Mr. Cantone." " Morning!" " How are you?" " Fine." " How do I look?" " In great shape." "See how Tommaso and Alba are handling the business?" "They're a great team!" "A force of nature, a miracle." " Want a drink?" " Just had one." "I'll call you later." "Tommaso, come on." "Let's sit here." "Sit down." "What are you laughing at?" "What is it?" "Something wrong?" "Nothing." "But there's lots to do at the factory." "And Alba's waiting for me." "You're right to concentrate on work, but not right now - spend some time with your dad." " How's it going with Alba?" " Fine." "Beautiful, isn't she?" "Serious too." "She's never dated anyone in this town." "A girl like that." "She must be waiting for Mr. Right." " Morning, Mr. Cantone." " Morning." "What can I get you?" "A soft drink." "No, let's have champagne!" "You're celebrating." "Yes, why?" " What's wrong with that?" " Nothing." "What's wrong?" "When one orders champagne, one is usually celebrating." "Exactly." " Bring us a bottle of champagne." " Any preference?" "You choose." "Go!" "Dad..." "They know..." "Everyone knows!" "Everyone knows!" "They know, they know!" " Shall we call a doctor?" " No!" "It's nothing." "I told you not to sit outside in the sun." "Dad, we'll call the doctor." " He'll check your blood pressure." " I told you!" "There's no need." "It's just grief." "All the grief that Antonio's given me." "I'm ashamed." "I'm ashamed of you, Vincenzo." "I can't leave the house anymore." "I'll have to stay cooped up like a prisoner!" "I can't think about it." "Get some rest." "Get some rest." "Get some rest, Dad." "Come here." "This can't go on, it's becoming an obsession." " You'll get used to it." " I won't!" "I'll never get used to it." "How come we never noticed anything?" "Homosexuals don't have it tattooed on their faces." "Homo... what?" "He's a faggot!" "Don't makes excuses for him." "How did we miss it?" "You can immediately recognise one, can't you?" "From the way he talks, moves, walks." "He never gave anything away..." "He even dressed normally, to cover everything up." "You don't have to dress like a woman to go with men." "How do you know?" "Everyone knows that." " You knew, didn't you?" " If only I had!" "I didn't know." "I swear, Dad." "We stay home a lot." "At times, friends come to visit." "At times, it's just us." "We watch a film or I write on my computer... while he studies." "At times, when I'm here..." "I imagine... him appearing before me" "all of a sudden." "He always walks ahead of me in Rome because he's fast." "So I stop... and I watch him from behind." "How he moves his shoulders." "How he mingles with the crowd... as if I weren't there." "I don't know why, but... it moves me to tears." "Eventually he realises, turns around and smiles at me." "I stop looking at him." "I walk faster and catch up with him." "It's true that our verbal agreement was different, but there is still room for further negotiation." "You can't go back on your word." "A verbal agreement isn't a signed contract." "We had second thoughts." "Elena, say something." " Can I?" " Why else did I bring you along?" "This isn't the right moment to negotiate." "Production must be completed in two weeks and we are late." "Let's sign a contract guaranteeing continuous production and in exchange we'll consider your new requests." "With all due respect, you don't work here." " You're not qualified to negotiate." " She is now." " You're working with us?" " Yes!" "The kids?" "Go back down there." "Walk properly, one foot in front of the other!" "Toes straight ahead!" "Turn around... don't slouch." "Straighten your backs!" "Your necks... your necks..." "All right." "What are you doing, auntie?" " I have a cough." " Now what can we play, auntie?" " Don't you take a nap in the afternoon?" " How about a snack?" "You have a beastly cold." "Let me hear that cough." "What a nasty cold!" "Auntie will give you something to get rid of that cough." "This will fix you." " Yummy!" " Yes, isn't it?" "How old were you?" "14 when the illness struck." "My father was always at work." "I had house keys," "I had to do everything myself." "Cook, look after her, study... everything." "Mum... didn't want anyone else around." "She suffered so much at the end that I hoped she'd die." "That she'd die quickly." "I thought it would be better for both of us." "But I was wrong." "When it happened, I was in my last year of secondary school." "I remember coming home... and not knowing what to do." "I'd open the door... and there'd be no one home, no one waiting for me, no one who needed me." "No one I was important to." "I'm tired." "See you tomorrow." "Yes." "At nine?" "At nine." "Goodnight." "She obviously likes you." "She never invited me up." "Have you ever felt like someone is a part of you?" "Otherwise you won't be able to understand what I did." "I feel like that about Michele." "He's a part of me, like my hand." "I know what you mean." "I went to get him back, to tell him that I'd come clean." "I made him suffer too much." "I fired him so people wouldn't talk." "I set him up in a house outside town so I could see him in secret." "He had an operation, he was sick and I couldn't visit him." "He said it's too late." "He never wants to see me again." " I'm sorry." " You're sorry?" "That's all?" "Is this the bullshit you write in your books?" "It's all your fault." " My fault?" " Yes, your fault." "I stayed here and handled everything because you had to go to Rome and study." "You lived in peace, doing your own bloody thing." "Go on then." "Go ahead." "Move to another city, do what I did." "Find a couple of friends you can open up to..." "Find someone to love among the thousands of people who don't want you." "Cry, suffer in secret." "Anyway if that's what it's about, you could've talked to me instead of leaving me with all this mess." "What's keeping you here?" "Come clean." "You want to leave?" "Tell dad that the Cantones will end with us, that our name won't continue." " You should tell dad that." " Don't touch me!" "You put him in hospital." "What should I do?" "Kill him?" "I don't blame Michele for not wanting to see you." "You don't pity anyone, not even your own brother." "You deserve to be alone, like all people who only care about themselves." "What the fuck are you doing?" "They stripped us of our dignity at home." "And us?" "We're forced to steal things, we have to fight each other because what's given to one is taken away from the other." "I've earned this moment in life... whether it's good or bad." "I won't turn back for anyone, not even you." "Good morning, Tommaso." "Morning, grandma." "What's going on?" "Remember this - gentlemen get up later than farmers, but always earlier than layabouts." " Real gentlemen are workers." " What time is it?" " Am I in time to be a gentleman?" " Yes." "But only because I woke you up." "I'll get up in five minutes." "You're hiding something from me." "You had dinner with her again, right?" " Dad!" " I'm pleased." "But we're behind schedule with work." "I know." " It was different with Antonio." " It doesn't matter." "He's gone." "He was here yesterday." " Where was he, how is he?" " He left this morning." "Mum!" "How do you know?" " What are you doing?" " Preparing an attack." "I don't want to know why he came." "He's having regrets!" " It's too late." " Regrets about what, Dad?" "It's not his fault he's homosexual." " I don't want to hear that word." " It's a word like any other." "Better get used to it." "Ma'am, honey is bad for your diabetes." "Still here?" "Get lost." "Dad..." " I think Antonio should come back." " Are you mad?" "He's the same person, the same son you raised." "You think your brother is the same person as before?" "I think he's the same person." "You're behind with work, get lost!" "You're behind mentally." "It's harder to keep silent than to say what you think." "You think I don't miss him?" "I think about him all the time." "About the times he needed me..." "If he got sick, I felt terrible too!" "That Antonio doesn't exist anymore." "At least he saved himself, thank God." " Elena?" " Yes." "I'm gay." "Homosexual." "Yes, I already knew." "How?" " And you just kept quiet?" " What was I supposed to say?" "Antonio likes men, you do too..." "I even wondered if I liked women, but..." "I don't." "I'm not gay." "OK." "Are you happy?" "Don't know!" "The "crazy wheel"." "This is what Nicola and I used to use." "We wanted our pasta to be better than Cavalieri's, but we never managed it." "You never met Nicola." "Your brother-in-law?" "Yes, my husband's brother." "I spent my whole life with him." "He was with me even when he wasn't." "In my head, I slept next to him and woke up with him in the morning." "I still love him after all these years." "It was wonderful, but unbearable." "Impossible love never dies, it lasts forever." "Stefania, if I'm not mistaken, everyone's staring at us." " Vincenzo's right." " You can't see." " Good morning, how are you?" " Very well." " They're looking at us." " I know why." "I found an empty liqueur bottle under your bed earlier." "You can't even walk straight." "No, it's because of that other thing." "No, not Antonietta!" " Good morning." " Mrs. Cantone!" " Good morning, how are you?" " Fine, thank you." " How may I help you?" " We're looking for a suitcase." " What colour?" " Damp moss green." " Another colour?" " Raspberry." "Mrs. Cantone!" "Luciana!" "I thought it was you." "How are you?" "Fine, and you?" "How nice to see you!" "One hears such gossip, but..." "Here you are." "Pretty, fresh and smiling." "You too, have a nice day." "My son Luigi is getting married next month." "We're having a big celebration." "I wanted to tell Antonio." "They were such good friends at school." "I'm so happy." "It's so nice to see one's son get married." "We'll tell him." "Goodbye." "What a surprise!" "I didn't understand, Luigi's getting married!" "How wonderful!" "To Caterina?" " Yes." " Goodness me!" "He's marrying "the public beach"." "Isn't that what they called Caterina?" "Because all the boys poked their "beach umbrellas" in her." "People say such nasty things, it's awful!" "Yes." "Dear me, slander's a dreadful thing!" "Goodbye." " Slut." " Whore." "Look how tense they make me." "I'm all knotted up." "You're all tense here." "Relax!" "I'm so ashamed." "In order to get here I took side streets and kept my eyes down." "That's going too far!" " Tommaso is sticking up for him." " Why shouldn't he?" "They're brothers." "That boy is too kind." "At times it seems like he puts himself in Antonio's shoes." "He tries hard to understand him." "But how can he?" "Well, he studied in Rome, he's probably seen it all." "You know what big cities are like..." " Tommaso?" " Yes." "You don't know him." "Before this thing with his brother, he didn't even know they existed." "What did those two arseholes say?" "Who?" "Nothing." "Did they say I'm crazy, that I was institutionalised?" "They didn't mention you." "Did they say I'm sick, rich, spoiled, that I do weird things and no one can stand me?" "What are you saying?" "Everything they say here in Lecce is true." "Haven't you noticed my habits?" " You're wrong." " No, it's true." "I'm odd." "I can't... get close to people." "I keep them at a distance." "I have weird fixations." "Goodnight." "You must be tired after that long drive." " Would you like to shower?" " No..." "I'll have the maid call Tommaso." "Teresa!" "Isn't this a nice surprise?" "Your friends from Rome." "They obviously missed you." "We just wanted to say hi." "We were going to the beach..." "Then your parents asked us in." " A real surprise!" " Hi, mate." " You look..." " I was sleeping." "Hi, Tom." "Hey, Tommy." "I'll just get some water." " So, you're..." " Davide." " I'm Andrea." " I remember." " You are..." " Tommaso's auntie." "Luciana... call me Luciana." "Mum, aren't they handsome?" "Are you from Naples too?" "When did you move to Rome?" "I lived in Rome too." " Do you know Gennaro Capece?" " No." "Impossible." "He works in one of Rome's famous clubs " "Trash, Alias..." "Something like that." " Alibi." " That's it!" "Small world, isn't it?" "We've got mutual friends in Rome." "I see." " I'm Massimiliano." " Salvatore." "I'm his wife, Elena." "Excuse us." " We'd better be on our way." " I won't hear of it!" " We'll prepare a nice dinner." " We'd better go." "We're just passing through." "We're on our way to the beach at Gallipoli." "You can go to the beach here, and we've plenty of room." "You've got nice friends in Rome, Tommaso!" "I really like them." "I'm here." "I came running." "Yes!" "Get some meat out of the freezer and mince it twice." "Chop up four onions, finely!" "Peel some ripe tomatoes and leave the rest to me." "Get some game hens from Renato." "Six... no, eight!" "If he's got mushrooms, get some." "Move it." "Wait!" "The cheese, let it breathe." "Serve coffee and biscuits right away, is that clear?" "Is that clear?" "They didn't notice!" ""You've got nice friends in Rome!" They didn't realise." " "Go to the beach here." - "We've plenty of room."" "Fresh towels." ""Fresh towels."" "It's San Ramiro's feast day." "I have to look after the factory." "My dad's still not well." "Why is the factory so important to you?" "You used to talk about writing and all your plans, that was the important stuff." "It still is." " I need to be here now." " What are you looking at?" "Nothing." "You're scared of us, you're ashamed." "I'm not scared of anything and I'm not ashamed." "But my parents don't think like us." "I spend all day talking about my brother." " It's chaos with you guys here." " That's all you can say?" "We haven't seen each other in ages." " You don't know what could happen." " What could happen?" " They find out your friends are gay?" " So what?" "It's 2010!" "Right, it's not 2000 anymore." "I just wanted to see you." "It's not my fault your family's keeping us here." "Have you gone mad?" " What?" " That song's too queer!" "Everything's too queer here." "Get out!" "Who's that?" "Oh God!" "Where'd it go?" "A tray of pastries and two cakes." "Profiteroles too." "Tommaso's friends are here from Rome so we're celebrating." " I'll take care of it." " Are they nice, these Romans?" "Nice and very good looking." " This T-shirt looks great." " Very gay!" " It's summer wear." " Get changed!" "You're limiting my freedom of expression." "We have to, you're the biggest liability." " Quit flapping your hands around." " You're the liability." "Who knows what'll happen, if you've taken something." " Davide, behave tonight." " Stop it." "I haven't taken anything since... ages." "Real hunks... athletic too!" "If I didn't say I was gay... no one would notice." "Lock up your daughters tonight." "If they go out on the town, who knows what they'll get up to!" "I saw how you looked at Tommaso's brother-in-law." " Are you mad?" " You nearly jumped on him!" "And you call me the liability!" "Don't say you're an air steward or the game's up." "Lots of flight attendants are straight!" " Yes, the hostesses!" " The lawyer has spoken!" "I'm a lawyer, so what?" "They don't call you "Queen of Briefs" because you're good in court." "Why are you always so angry?" "I'm not, ma'am." "It's just my expression..." "Who'd like a drink?" " An aperitif?" " No!" "Drinking at night makes me bloated." "I'll look pitiful in my swim suit." "Tonight I'll make an exception." "Anyway, men with paunches are sexy." " Do you study business too?" " Why, who else does?" " I study business!" " Of course you do." " I study medicine." " Where did you meet Tommaso?" ""The Hole"." "What?" "Mutual friends." "What do you do?" "I'm in marketing." "I often go to London." "London!" "I used to love London!" "I lived there..." "A while ago..." "Wonderful..." " years..." " Never mind London." "I work for an airline." "I travel a great deal." "How about you?" "I work at the factory, you know that." " Not you, Salvatore!" "You..." " I'm a lawyer." " I imagined a hairdresser, or designer." " Miss Brunetti's here!" "She thinks we're at a ball!" "Moron!" "Sorry I'm late." "Thank God you're here." " Alberta!" " No, Alba." " The dress, Alberta Ferretti." " Yes." " Gorgeous." " Thanks." "My girlfriend has the same dress." "So..." "What a happy table!" "Just what we needed." "I miss Rome." "If you want to go back, I'll buy you a ticket." "Dad!" "Stay a few days." "Tommaso has stuff to do here." "While he's working you can look around, go to the beach." " There are loads of nice girls here." " Well, if there are girls..." "Why not?" "Come and eat at our place." "I'll cook." "What a great idea." "He's all talk." "My husband can't cook." "It's all hot air." "Tommaso, what's it like here?" "Tell us." "It's fine." "There's plenty to do at work." "Sorry, a mosquito." "Tommaso has lots of responsibilities at the factory." " We have a pasta factory." " Auntie, to the right." "It was set up more than 50 years ago." "By my mother and Uncle Nicola." "Oh God!" "Excuse me." " It went quite well." " Of course!" " Shame about the flashing sign." " What sign?" "The one on your head saying:" ""Bender!" "Bender!" "Bender!"" "What?" "I didn't give the game away." "Shut your mouth!" "You were drooling over the brother-in-law!" "Have you seen him?" "I couldn't stop looking at him." " You with that glass..." " You could have let it fall." "I know, but it's not my fault." "She's the real me." "I try to keep her under control but she gets out anyway." "Anyway, she's locked in the car now." "I won't let her out till we're back in Rome." " Sorry!" " Davide!" " Can't sleep?" " I'm thirsty." " Help yourself." " No, thanks." "Sit down." "Tommaso!" "It's me, Marco." "Forgive me." "I used to love London!" "It was great 25 years ago." "I fled there." "I liked a boy that my parents didn't approve of." "He wanted to play in a band, but he didn't make it." "So I took... money, credit cards..." "everything... and ran off with him." "One day I woke up in the flat... and he was gone." "He ran off with the remaining cash and some of my jewellery." "He left me with all the bills to pay." "He even took my ID." "Vincenzo had to come and get me." "I had so much fun!" " Have a drink, keep me company." " No, thanks." "Goody two-shoes!" "What a drag." "I'm not a goody two-shoes," "I just prefer other things." "Things that don't make you fat." "Such as?" "I'm tired." "Of them?" "Of everything." "You're so ugly!" "I'm very fond of you too, ma'am." "Good morning." "Listen..." "I wanted to ask you something." "Something private." "Tommaso told me you're very close friends." "Did he tell you what happened with Antonio?" " Yes, he did." " Right." "I wanted to ask you..." "Do you think, as a doctor..." " Can it be cured?" " What?" " What Antonio's got." " Homosexuality?" "Yes, that." "Perhaps with time..." "It's not a disease, it's a trait." " A trait?" " Yes." "Some people are, some people aren't." "Yes, of course." "That's obvious." "But can't someone turn back and normalise?" "Normalise?" "I've got dark circles under my eyes." "I look like a panda!" "They don't normalise, they get worse." "I'm going to throw all those creams down the loo!" "Ma'am, your sister-in-law has pulled everything out of her wardrobe!" "She didn't sleep a wink all night." "Luciana's not well." "She's worked up." "Even worse than when she's been drinking." "I didn't give her anything." "I swear!" " What if there's no water?" " We won't wash." "If there are no doors or windows?" "We'll let the air flow through and lie on the floor if there's no bed." " If there's no..." " We'll do without!" "If there's nothing there, I'll take you to our new house and I won't let you out again." "He's really passive!" "Really passive, with a wife and kids!" " So what?" " I told you." "The world is made up of passives and liars." "He just can't accept it!" "Listen..." "This letter arrived for you at home." "From the publisher." "Did you read it?" "Yes, I wanted to give it to you first, but..." "Sorry." "It doesn't matter." "What's in the book they didn't want to publish?" "It's about two people who aren't together anymore." "One suffers, the other doesn't." "Maybe what it's really about... is that we shouldn't be afraid to leave things behind." "Because the stuff that really matters always stays with us." "Even when we don't want it to." "So in the end... we don't leave anything or anyone." "Right." "What a rotten deal!" " See you later." " Wait." " I have to tell you something." " Later." "Tommaso, don't say anything." "I've tried." "I go to the factory every morning," "I work, I touch the pasta like grandma said." "I watch boxes being shipped all over the world." "But I don't feel a thing." "At night, while you're sleeping, you know what I do?" "I write." "The things I see, what I think, what I want to say... it all becomes real." "I can express what I feel." "I can't do it with spoken words." "I'm no good at talking." "Even with you, when you ask me a question, I want to say: "Wait." ""I'll write it down, then let you read it so you'll understand" ""and I can explain myself better."" "This is what I want to do with my life - write." "A few days ago I got a letter saying they aren't going to publish the novel I wrote." "They don't like it." "But I don't care." "I'll write others and if they don't publish them," "I'll keep writing for myself." "There, I've told you." "That's it." "Wait, let's talk." "About what?" "I've got nothing to say, that's how things are." "See you this evening." "Tell Massimo to get the car ready." "Where are you going?" "Do I need permission to go out?" "Good morning, Tommaso." "Good morning, grandma." "Did I wake up late like a layabout again?" "No, you woke up at the right time." "You were right to hold out." "Keep on like that, make your own mistakes." "Is that what gentlemen do?" "Gentlemen have nothing to do with it." "It's what people who want to be happy do." "Good morning, darling." "What's going on?" "Ma'am, all those cakes!" "Not even children eat that many cakes." "Tommaso, your grandma!" "I wonder if these places will remember me?" "Will the statues and the church facades remember my name?" "I want to walk one last time through the streets that welcomed me years ago." "When everyone called me "The Tuscan Girl"." "I want to see those yellow stones." "That breathtaking light." "Will the streets preserve the sound of my steps?" " My city." " The city of Lecce." "I must say goodbye to it before leaving." "To my grandchildren" " Antonio, Elena and Tommaso, I leave everything." "But the land that belonged to Nicola must go to Antonio." "You must come back here, Antonio." "It's where you belong." "You'll have the land, the strength that lives on after we die." "You, Luciana, will have everything you need but you must take heart." "Thieves don't have to enter through the window, it's your house too." "You, Vincenzo and Stefania, will never be able to extinguish your love for Antonio." "The earth can't disown a tree..." "Tommaso, write about us." "Our history, our land, our family." "What we did right, and most importantly, what we did wrong." "What we didn't manage to do because we were too small for life, which is so vast." "The loose cannon is gone." "That's what you called me, thinking I couldn't hear you." "But loose cannons are used to create disorder, to put things in places where no one wants them to be," "to disturb everything, and upset plans." "Nicola taught me the most important thing of all - to laugh when you're down," "when you feel like dying." "Don't be sad for me, when you no longer hear my voice at home." "You must go out and enjoy your lives." "We die and then we come back." "Like all things." "LOOSE CANNONS" "to Doriana, Vera and Stefania, always..."