"THE PERFECT STRANGER" "Biel?" "Biel!" "Leave that, you'll make it worse." "You're a mess." "Whatsit people think?" "Off you go." "You hear?" "FOR SALE" "What the hell are you looking at?" " Nothing." " Then fuck off!" "Did you wash your hands?" "When are you going back to work?" "You want rid of me?" "Toni..." " She just wants..." " I don't want you lazing around." "What about him?" "He's got enough problems." "I'm all right." "Be quiet and eat up." "I think someone's bought the shop, the one in the square." "It would make a good house." "They're taking everything." "Francina, the foreigners pay well." "Imagine what we'd get for this house." "We could buy a place in the city." "I told you I'm not selling." "This is the best place for your brother." "Shit!" "Mum!" "Mum!" "Mum!" "I'll fix that." "I want to fix things." "May I?" "Marco." "Biel." "Biel." "Marco." "Biel." "That doesn't mean anything." "It's not conclusive proof." "Maybe they're swapping picture cards, or..." "You're an idiot." " Where are we going?" " For that fucking proof." "Fuck!" "Where is she?" "I don't know, but calm down." "Yeah, but her quad's there, see?" "It's properly parked." "Over there!" "Amancio!" " Are you sure?" " I'm sure!" "You, keep quiet." "This place has been empty for 15 or 20 years." "Shut up, will you?" "How did she get in?" "It's locked." "I know she's in there." "Nobody lives here..." "Hello." "Good morning." "Sorry to bother you." "It's probably a mistake." "My colleague here thinks that a girl we're after for..." " Drug trafficking." " No, no." "It's not really that." "The thing is, we think she might have gone into... into your..." "Your store." "Forgive me..." "Are you going to open a business?" "That's great." "Really great." "You're going to re-open the store!" " Yeah, and the girl?" " What girl?" "Who else is in there?" "It's Francina's son." "Tell me, what are you going to sell?" "I see." "You're still not sure." "I'm not surprised." "This village needs everything." "Doesn't it?" "Well!" "We'll be on our way." "A pleasure." " Come on." " Good day." "He's opening the store." "This place is dead!" "It's what we need..." "JOIN US" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Anyone there?" "Anyone upstairs?" "I thought there was nobody here, I knocked and..." "Now you're thinking: "if she thought there was nobody here, why did she come into a stranger's house?"." "Hello, I'm Isabel." "I live behind the square, so if you need anything, coffee, milk, whatever, just ask me." "May I sit down?" "Thank you." "Well, well..." "This isn't bad at all." "With a few touches, some curtains, a lick of paint, it'll look" "fantastic." "Do you smoke?" "It eases my jitters," "I'm really jittery." "I still haven't asked your name." "I'm always rushing around, one day I'll lose my head." "I'm a disaster." "It's great that you've come." "That's for me." "A lift to the doctor's." "There's nothing wrong." "Well, nothing serious." "I have to have a..." "I'll tell you another day." "Well..." "Welcome." "I keep thinking about something." "Aren't you going to ask?" "You'll tell me anyway." " No, I won't." " OK, don't." "I won't." "It's the store." "Yeah." "Do you realize what it could mean for the village?" " Business?" " No, no!" "No, it's much more than that." "It's like a huge breath of fresh air." "A what?" "But we need so many things we don't know where to start." "I'll have a ration of squid and some fried tripe as well." "And a NA beer." "A list." "And a tea." "Of course!" "Of course!" " What do you mean?" " A list!" "A list of what each person needs." "It'd be useful for the new storekeeper." "A list?" "And who'll write it?" "You?" "Where is he?" "Got the cigarettes?" "Fuck you!" "MINISTRY OF DEFENSE" ""We hereby inform you that you have passed the psycho-technical tests and in one month are required to undergo the physical exam, to be held...." "Fucking great." "Biel?" "Biel." "You're disgusting." "A storekeeper who doesn't know what he's going to sell." "I wouldn't trust him!" "No one does that." "He's up to something." "Hello." "Where have you been until now?" " I was..." " Surely not in the forest!" "You have to be careful." "You wouldn't be the first to fall into a pothole." "Remember that foreign girl." "I was with Bernat." "He wants me to help pick the carobs." "You didn't want to do it last year." "This year I do." "They'll end up making a fool of you and I'll have to sort it out, like always." "What're you doing?" " Relax." " Fuck off!" "Sons of bitches!" "Bastards!" "Fuck!" "Touch me and I'll kill you." "Fuck." "You, get up." "Where is he?" "I don't know, he went out." "Why are you always here?" "I'm fixing things." "Does your ma know?" "You don't understand shit, do you?" "You don't speak my language!" " I think..." " Shut up." "Not speak Spanish." "Why not teach him?" "Teach him what?" "To speak." "Who, me?" "Are you a moron?" "I'm not fucking doing it." "Hello!" "Come on, Klaus!" "Good morning!" "I've got a surprise for you." "Isabel!" "Sorry, sweetheart!" "Come on." " What do you think?" " Hello." "A gift." "Go inside, Klaus." "Come on in." " Here, that's perfect." " Hello." "Well?" "Come on, it's a gift!" "I thought..." "Well, we thought:" ""Whatever he's going to sell he'll need one of these"." "And it works." "Plug it in." "For example, let's see..." "Isabel." "20 minus 5..." " Where is he?" " I don't know." "No, Klaus, please, wait here." "Women!" "Well, you saw what was in my bag so you must be wondering about things." "OK, I admit it." "I'm trying again." "You'd never guess with whom." "With Klaus." "I spoke to his wife first, I didn't want to cause trouble." "I'd have settled for insemination, but his wife, Ursula, who's a Mormon, thought that was too artificial." "So, Klaus and I, we..." "But always in his house." "So at night, when I go to see Klaus," "I wear one of Ursula's dresses." "A traditional costume." "He feels better." "It seems more like..." "More like a family thing." "When I'm pregnant, I'll quit." "You know," "I believe" "I was born to be a mother." "Isabel!" "Klaus!" "I left him downstairs!" "Coming!" "Well, anyway," "I'll have tea another day." "And maybe next time you'll tell me something, because you never say a word." "OK, I'm off." "So long!" "It seems the man isn't sure about what to sell." "So we'll help by telling him the things we need." "What do I have to do?" "You just tell me what you'd like to be able to buy." "In that case, sir, cigars." "So what would you really like to see here?" "A bar." "I'm very ill." "Just look at me." " A tobacconist's." " A tobacconist's, with cigars." "Lots of cigars." "A gym!" "With weights!" "Slot machines, cards, dominoes..." "Sciatica, the prostate, a hernia..." "Awful." "A bowling alley?" "Well... a shoe store." "A shoe store." "A bingo hall." "Or maybe a jewelry store." "A hairdresser's." "A furrier's." "With all that," "I'd like a drugstore." "They say smoking kills you, but it passes the time." "Is he here?" "What a bastard." ""What a bastard"." "How write?" "Like it sounds." "I'm teaching you to talk, not write." "What "bastard"?" "What is it?" "A guy who fucks you over, wrecks your life." "Who" ""bastard"?" "I don't know, anybody." "My old man." "My father!" "And your mother?" "Not my mother, my father." "Well, I guess her too." "She split years ago." "Why all the questions?" ".-Sap..." "He's always the fall guy." "Like Biel." "But I guess he's really kind of a retard." "So his mother treats him like shit." "Lots of fuckers out there." "Maybe you're one." "What do you want?" "You think I'm dumb?" "I saw it in that hand." "But I guess you want to confuse me." "That one." "L..." ""bastard"?" "A real bastard." "A pothole." "Hello!" "Want some?" " No, thank you." " You?" "Great." "You OK?" "Me too!" "No." "I'm not." "You must help me." "You're her friend, talk to her." "Tell her that I love her." "I'll leave my wife, and stop drinking." "Tell her that if she doesn't come back I'll commit suicide." "These chats that we have really help me." "I can't talk about this to just anyone, as you'll understand." "It's been a year." "Nothing." "Whatsit Ursula think?" "It's like we're enjoying it." "It's not me, I've had all the tests." "It's him, I'm sure." "Lately he's taken to..." "And, you know, where can I find a man now?" "It isn't easy." "It isn't easy." "I don't understand." "Neither do I." "That's the worst part." "I don't know what I want." "Hello." "Got a key?" "You like Nirvana?" "I don't know." "They're brilliant." "Come here." "Here." "Well?" "She's hiding in there." "No, there's only Francina's son." "I wonder what they're up to with that guy." " What do you mean?" " I don't know!" " Look..." " What?" "You always think the worst of people, and that" " gives bad karma." " OK." "Whatever you say." " When will you give him the list?" " When it's finished." " Is that a problem?" " Yes." " Why?" " You're going to do it now." "Anybody there?" "Marco?" "Marco?" "Hello." " I thought it was..." " Yes, me too." "Is Marco here?" "Marco?" "I don't know." "I was looking for him too, about the... the list of..." " He might be upstairs." " It's possible." "Or maybe he's out." "Maybe." "That's possible too." "Yes, so it's best if I go, and come back later." "That's possible." "I mean, that's reasonable." "Well, see you later." "Wait!" "You forgot this." " What?" " This." ""The Tea house of the August Moon"." " It isn't mine." " It is." "No, really, it isn't." "Because I..." "I've got mine here." "Are you saying this is...?" " No, that's silly." " An invitation." "What did you say?" "Nothing, it's..." "Say it again, please." "I just wanted to invite you to the theater." "Can you say it again?" "Do you want to come to the theater with me?" "Yes." " Can I come and pick you up?" " Yes." "Thursday, the 30th." "Yes." "At 7:00." "So you know what people really want." "Some people still haven't put anything." "Like me." "Yes, me too, I was..." "Wait." "I'll show it to you, OK?" "I'll show it to you." "I'd call it "The unknown theater of shadows"." "The "unknown" gives it a mysterious air." "My great dream would be to use shadow play to tell a story that's closer to our western culture." ""Don Quixote"." "A casino?" "They're dickheads." ""Dickheads"?" "You can't tell people what to do." "No, you can't." "Screw it." "You needn't sell anything." "It's your decision." "Do whatever you want." " My decision?" " Yes, your decision." "And your decision?" " He wants to know..." " Yeah." "I know what he wants to know." "I'm getting out of here." "I'm going to be a tank mechanic, that's my decision." " He wants to know..." " I know." "I want to make my living." "Live my life." "Fucking amazing." "May I have this dance, miss?" "No, no, no." "No, really." "A pleasure." "He's fucking pie-eyed." "Why has he got all these photos?" "They're all the same." "BODY OF TOURIST WHO FELL INTO POTHOLE RECOVERED" "What is this?" "A jigsaw puzzle." "He's looking for a piece." "What piece?" "Biel!" "Is my son here?" "Biel?" "If you're there come out right now!" "You are disgusting." "Biel." "Why are you doing this to me?" " Mom, I just..." " Come on." "Take that off." "We're going home now." "I hope someone does something about you." "Amancio..." " Amancio." " What?" "Hello." "Aren't you in the valley almost every day?" "Yes." "And you told me the shop had been bought?" "Yes." "This gentleman is the real estate agent for the building." " And?" " We haven't sold it yet." "He's right." "I checked the registry and there's no sale listed." "We're here because there's a slight problem." " It's not so slight." " It's probably a misunderstanding." "This gentleman is the real estate agent for the building, and he says you haven't... bought it." "Have you got anything to say?" " He's refusing to cooperate." " No, no..." "Not speak Spanish." " Nothing?" " No." "Show me your ID." "You don't understand." "Passport." "Come on." "His name is Mark." "O'Reilly." "He's Irish." "I just presumed that..." "I'm so stupid." "I'm not arguing." "Celia Alcover?" "Celia Alcover?" "Is she here?" "Go in and undress." "Here we are." "She is Sandra." "She speaks English." "Give him the good news." " That's it." " Thanks." "It's all OK." "So you're Irish." "Your country must be beautiful." "Know what?" "The..." "The people in that village, they need you." "I know you don't understand a word of this but sometimes only incomprehensible things make sense." "Like the shadows." "Remember?" "When you put something in front of the light it doesn't mean much, right?" "But the shadow it casts..." "The trick is knowing how to look." "Look here, look there, or look at that." "I think you know how to look." "Wait a minute, I'm going to..." "Where?" " Where?" " Vidal, with his partridges..." "The exact place?" "I don't know." "Have we got a map?" "Look, Biel, your mother is just worried about you." "You can tell me." "I'm like your father." "There are no secrets between a father and son." "Look, that man..." "Has he ever touched you?" "He did nothing to me." "Where are you going?" "You can't go out." "Shut up." "Both of you." "Mom, you only think badly of people." "I'm not like you." "I never will be." "Biel?" "Your life isn't in danger." "But you've been very lucky." "95% of cases are never even diagnosed." "But once it's detected, there are preventive measures to stop the loss of pulmonary function." "Obviously, the first thing is to stop smoking." "It isn't a very common deficiency, but there are cases." "It's not infectious, it's hereditary." "It's not your fault." "What do you want?" "Son of a bitch." "You never gave me anything good." "NOT FIT" "Hey!" "Bitch!" "Now I've got you." "Have you seen Celia?" "No." "There's no one in the store?" "What's wrong?" "All right, my colleague was the last one to see her, and it was in this area." "We have to cover the upper slope." "If you find a pothole, shout." "Got that?" "It's not certain she's fallen into one but I'm afraid it's possible." "All right?" "Get going." "Come on." "There's no time to lose." "HQ, maybe you should send an ambulance, just in case." "Celia." "Celia?" "Celia!" "Celia!" "Marco." "Please!" "Celia!" "Help!" "Come on, she's here!" "Have you found her?" "Oh, God!" "Celia!" "Slowly." "More rope." "More, Toni." "More rope." "Celia!" "That'; it!" "Come on, slowly!" "We've got her." "Celia." "Hello, hello." "Get her to the hospital." "More, more." "Harder!" " More!" " Pull!" "More!" "Marco!" "I've asked you here to clarify things." "I'm about to become a mother, and that's very important." "I don't know which of you is the father." "And I don't want to know." "That doesn't mean I'm not grateful." "You've both been wonderful, and very patient, and I've had a great time with you." "When the baby's born, you can come and see him when you want." "You're his fathers." "But then, you each go to your own home and I stay in my home with my son." "Is that clear?" "Well, have you any questions or...?" "Have you thought about a little brother, or...?" "So you don't know where you'll go?" "I've got no idea." "But I've got a load of money I saved." "I'll get by." "I can always work as a mechanic." "Will you come back?" "No way." "Not to this shit of a village." "You should do the same." "Promise me one thing." "You'll never let anyone tell you what you have to do." "OK?" "So long, sap."