"This is Mr. Perelman." "For 47 years, he's been getting up at 5:45 am" "By 6:20, he's showered already, and before 7:00, he's bought the newspaper." "He's a lawyer." "And he's my father." "7:15, café latte and croissants." "Perelman senior thinks a man is free... when he can have breakfast all by himself... and read the paper without having to talk to anyone." "Maybe even buy something, but always in silence." "At 7:30, he starts his Court round." "He knows which courts to go to first and which ones later." "He knows the birthdays and anniversaries of all the secretaries, which mints they like, and the soccer preferences of the elevator operator." "Attorney!" "There's some room here!" "I'll be right back." "Tuzzio or Amelli?" " Sand?" " Tuzio is injured." "The 4th floor?" ""Marta's birthday." "Court 8."" " What about "La Gata"?" " He was a crack in Racing..." "Mr. Perelman doesn't stand in line... and he's developed his own system to avoid any kind of waiting." "At 11:20, he takes a break in an underground cafeteria." "It's time for a cheese and tomato sandwich." " Modesto is your husband?" " My partner." "That's fine." "He uses those fifteen minutes to meet with a client." "He says some of them are intimidated by offices..." "That's why there are clients for the cafe and others for the office." " Tell me." "What are you growing now?" "Is it broccoli?" " They took out the gear box before..." " Perelman is a Zelig among lawyers." "He immediately picks up the speech, manners and semantics of his clients." "He likes to see them in their natural habitat." "A leak here..." " I'll take out the gear box." " have a mate." "It's not on purpose." "That's the way he is." "He knows a bit about every trade." " Yes, I heard your message." " She's Norita." "She's been dad's secretary since mom died." "She earns 860 pesos a month, but Perelman always rounds it up to 1,000." "She arrives at 3:30 and leaves at 8:45 pm, the same for the last 15 years." "ever since I can remember, the "R" has been missing here." "But Perelman says people understand it anyway." "Norita and I get along well, but I don't know much about her." "I saw her outside the office once." "At a funeral." "Very uncomfortable." "Sometimes it's uncomfortable to see people out of context." " Any news?" " Ms. Ducatti called twice." " You have a sore throat?" " It's a bit sore." "No big deal." "I didn't know what to wear today." "I couldn't decide:" "Raincoat or..." "The decoration of the firm is representative of dad's taste, which is actually a combination of all his clients' taste." "There's also a second bathroom... doubling as an archive and a kitchen." "A meeting room where nobody ever met." " Did the form arrive?" " And the heart of the firm:" "The attorney's office." "Why a kettle?" "I went by a store and saw this electric kettle, and you can boil water, for tea, mate..." "And this is the second office." "It was supposed to be for me." "But it's not." "In this firm, there's no place for another Perelman." "...and that's why the evidence, in a penal lawsuit," "That's me, Mr. Perelman." "Also a lawyer." "But I didn't go for Law." "I went for Justice." "Right now I'm lecturing." "At this hour, I mostly get young girls, and they dress up so well it barely seems like 7 am." "But we don't notice that." "At night it's different." "There are bearded men... who will never graduate." "...or in American movies about lawyers." "Or in much-talked about cases, like this recent one about the pop singer... accused of sexually abusing minors, sleeping with kids... you know." "In this case, the Jury decides whether he's guilty or innocent, without the need to substantiate anything." "Hi, how are you all doing?" "I'm from the Students' Union." "I don't know if you're aware of the near extinction... of the Emperor Penguin in our country." "We're collecting signatures to put an end to it." "You can sign outside." "I'm from the Ecology Commission." "Please, do sign." "Today, it's the penguins tomorrow, it could be us." "Let's all make a commitment." "Could you come back after class?" "We don't have enough time now." " Who the fuck are you to kick me out?" " I'm the professor in charge here." "You are Perelman." "Don't you remember me?" "You fuck up people's lives!" " I never graduated because of you!" " What did I do to you?" "What do you do for people, Perelman?" "We'd appreciate it if you left now." "Faggot!" "Let's pretend nothing happened." "Or better yet, let's pretend something did happen." "Could you tell me what that man was wearing?" "Was he wearing brown corduroy or a tracksuit?" " A tracksuit, I think." " A tracksuit?" " But I think it was brown." " You think it was brown." "Did he put his hands on the desk?" " Yes, both hands, I believe." " Are you positive?" "You're not sure, are you?" "Could you describe the state that man was in?" "He seemed half-crazy." "Half-crazy orthree-quarters-crazy?" "In any case, he wouldn't be totally crazy." "Tough one, right?" "Where did he take the pamphlets from?" " From an army satchel." " From an army satchel?" " Army-brown?" " Army-green, left-hand side." "Good eyesight." "He was pretty far away." "I haVe a student named Sandra." "The only first name I remember." "The rest are just last names." "She sits way in the back, to the left, as if trying to be invisible." "Impossible." "Sandra will be my wife." "Not now that she's a student." "But I enjoy her listening to me." "That motivates me." "every day, judges rule basing themselves on testimonies... from witnesses as accurate or inaccurate as you." "And the destiny of many people depends on those witnesses." "Could you tell me what that man said to me?" "Come on, give it a try." "Faggot." "He called me a faggot?" " Yes, he did." " So he did..." "Is calling someone a faggot a crime?" "Tough one, I know..." "But the following day Sandra didn't come to class." "Nor the day after." "You know the address?" " That one or this one?" " That one." " The fitting room?" " Sure." " How did it feel?" " Fine." "I like it loose-fitting." " You want me to take a look?" " No, it's perfect." "I'll take it." "It turned out we were colleagues." "She was also into teaching." "She was a Pilates instructor." " I changed before coming." " Great." "Taking a few classes seemed like the best excuse." "Or perhaps, it wasn't." "The first class was somewhat uncomfortable." "Until a few days ago, I was Mr. Perelman... high up on the podium of knowledge." "And now I was just this:" "A body starting its decline." "That's it... we start relaxing..." "She showed me how to breathe and tighten my belly and thighs." "Let our waist relax..." "And then expand..." "We were alone, but pretended not to notice." "We only talked about things related to the posture of my back." " It feels good, right?" " Yeah." " Like this?" " Yes, let it go..." "like that." "Well, I think that's enough fortoday." "That is... if you agree." "Excuse me." "When the class was over," "I felt an irrepressible desire to put on my suit and be normal." "Each time we exhale, we feel more relaxed." "And we really enjoy it, as we feel the back relaxing." "Now I'll pull you and you just let yourself go." "Now... exhale." "At first, I feel Sandra touched me in a special way." "But the method itself... involved a special care for all its students." "I thought it was worth the effort." "Why not strengthen my muscles?" "After a short while, Sandra dropped out of school, so I had to keep coming to her home, trapped in her Pilates world." "It was the only way to keep in touch." "I never dared tell her anything." "You can't declare your love to a woman... while you're sweating and tightening your thighs." "But I started doing the exercises better, and took the air to any part of the body." "Through the nose, I know." " OK, 20 of each exercise." " Through the nose..." "Joseph Pilates was once a prisoner in a concentration camp." "He wanted to strengthen his comrades' muscles." "Yet, to do so, he only had springs from mattresses..." "And without realizing it, he started developing the Pilates Method." "Let me show you something." "This is right, and this is wrong." " This is wrong?" " Yeah." "It seemed perfect to me." "It's cold." " It's iced tea." " It's meant to be cold?" " You stand like this." " Yeah, maybe..." "No, you stand like this." "You have to stand like that." "But that's going to take me a while." "Isn't it a bit painful to stand like that?" "Which one is yours?" "Luckily, one day Sandra had a little problem with the Law." "And I was able to take her out of her world, to a safer place." "Please be careful." "They are Very fragile." "The springs are imported." " Don't you worry." " Thank you." " This one is for you." " O.K." " Good morning." "How are you doing?" "I'm Mr. Perelman." " A lawyer?" "A lawyer in a tracksuit." "That's weird." "Excuse me." "What happened?" "Sandra had a problem with the Law of Trademarks and Patents." "The Pilates Method was registered by a company... with the rights for the entire country." "Poorthing, she was desperate." "She thought it was like teaching swimming or the flute." "I'm not telling you it's going to be fast," "It's not going to be easy, but..." ""Defense Lawyerfor the Poor Office No. 5" "Ariel Perelman"" "I didn't know where to start." "I could tell right from wrong, but not what the Law could do for Sandra." "I met Perelman at Astorga's pizza place." "He's a client with many eateries downtown, always in trouble for reasons of hygiene." "Here it says they took a sample of spaghetti sauce with live insects." " Your own employee signed as a witness." " But I also kept a sample." "The guy is always busy so he pays dad a fixed fee... to deal with the law." "And dad also gets to eat for free." "As Perelman senior says:" "In the end, it all adds up." "She didn't know they'd confiscate the equipment..." "He drafted the writ on a tissue napkin that I still keep." "We didn't have to pay for dinner." "Astorga treated me too." "Can you heat it up?" "But, please, not in the microwave." " What are you drinking?" " Just water." "Before being a prisoner in a concentration camp..." "Joseph Pilates was a sickly boy who suffered from rheumatic fever, so he studied human anatomy and how to strengthen his own body through exercising." "Though for a while, only dancers were interested in the method..." "Pilates had already started his work... as a skilled technician in physical rehabilitation." "Joseph Pilates." "It's him?" "Is he alive?" " No, he died." "He worked... in World War II..." " Four eyes." "You want some?" "Here you have scoliosis." "And down here, you have lordosis." "Does it feel better when I do this?" " Yeah." " We have to work on your spine, and also on your abs." "It's the tracksuit, it's too loose." "Grow from here." "Will you copy it yourself?" " You understand the handwriting?" " Mmm..." "According to the precedent cited in the above paragraph..." "have you always been left-handed?" " Yeah." " It'd slipped my mind." ""Teaching Pilates illegally."" ""Fake Pilates instructor files lawsuit."" ""Pilates case:" "Intense negotiation."" "A toast." "everything will turn out fine." "We have to make eye contact." "Later on, Justice proved we were right." ""Pilates released." Our ruling freed Pilates for all Argentina." "Sandra went on with her business and I married her." "Gentlemen, mind the springs, they are finely tuned." "Let's be careful..." "Sandra, move over." "Can I help you, guys?" "Hands up!" "I didn't charge her anything." "But we went Dutch forthe wedding party." "I nevertold her that Perelman senior helped me with the trial." "She still believes I pulled it off." "I sometimes wonder if this lie would be grounds... for a marriage annulment." "What is it, darling?" "You want daddy?" "Daddy?" "I'm looking at him." "I'm right here." "Now that we're a family and have a two-year-old son, the whole story's quite normal." "It's seems Very natural." "But I know it isn't." "Hooking up with Sandra was some kind of a miracle." "We have been refurbishing since we got back from the honeymoon." "And it seems to go on forever." "Sandra wanted to refurbish the house... so she could work and be a mother at the same time." "We currently live together with the painters, an ironworker and the guy who does the floors." "My son sometimes calls one of them "daddy"." " Are you painting, Gastón?" " It's light blue." " No." "The seat is light blue." "What color is the wheel?" " This is light blue." " What color is the wheel?" "Beige 274?" "What is it?" "Poo?" "He wants to poo." " No, Sandra, not me, not poo." " He wants to poo, Perelman!" "Again?" "But he pooed this morning!" "It's weird." "In the mornings," "I run into gentlemen that come to my house." "My wife doesn't touch them much." "There are also ladies, who try to make friends with my wife." "I'm not into Pilates." "It gives me Vertigo." "But sometimes, when my wife and son are sleeping," "I sit on the bed and do some exercises." "I think about how I became a family man, and what it would have been like if I had not." "But I soon feel like going to bed." "Perelman, take off the suit to sleep." "Then you complain it's all creased." " Don't you remember where Mom put it?" " She put it away!" "It's gone!" "What do you mean it's gone?" "It's not here." "No, it's in the closet." "But where did she put it?" " Where?" "Here?" " over there." " It's not here." " It's there!" " Here?" " Yes." "There's nothing here." "I don't have all day, Gastón." " Where?" " Down there." "No, the other one." " There it is." " Where?" "There's nothing here!" " Tell me where it is." " I don't know." "Now, start breathing." "Take the breath into the stomach." "That's right, into the stomach, right here..." "That's right... all in here." "Now, hold the air in..." "Gastón's uniform?" "Hold it a second." "You keep going." "Nice job... right?" " You're going to be late." " What does he wear forthe kindergarten?" " Did you buy the uniform?" " First drawer?" " I checked the third drawer." " First one." "Keep breathing folks!" " But if they don't keep breathing..." " They die." " I'Ve told this joke before?" " For oVertwo years." "I'll just drop him there and leave." " Or should I stay with him?" " He's already adapted." "Then I'll just drop him there." "Watch it, it'll get dirty." "What's this badge?" "What's this badge?" "Did they tell you what it meant?" "Did they tell you what it meant?" " I want more cards for the album." " More?" " Ponce, what happened?" " The masonry collapsed." "Cases will be postponed for thirty days." " And the files?" " They're being submitted to the Courts." "Now you'll have time to get your hair cut." "Perelman, they won't let you in." "The structure collapsed due to the weight of the files." "The building is shut down." " All my things are inside." " Did you try the cafeteria?" "What's up?" "The building's falling down on us." "Will you now go to Cancún?" "No, no." "I want to take my things out before it all falls down." "Can't you let me in?" "Through there?" "That way." " Bye." " I'll have another coffee later on." "Good morning, Attorney." "Treat the good man with respect, please." " Your wife knows already?" " Knows what?" "That you have a month's holiday." " No, why?" " Take advantage of it!" "You put on your suit, goodbye my love, and have some time for "yourthings"." "Darmidjian, I won't lie to my wife for no reason." "If I ever have "a thing", then you can give me some advice." "I'll be needing you next week, but to play "the resented guy"." " I haVe this new course..." " No, I don't do that anymore." " "No"?" " That was just a favor." "What are you telling me?" "People really buy it." "They are genuinely moved." "I mean it!" "Pedagogically, it's really something..." "The professors take it as an example." " My colleagues tease me." " They don't!" " What are they saying?" " C'mon-Garcilazo-we-can-make-it." "Garcilazo is the jockey, and "we-can-make-it"" "means we really want him to win." "It's the spirit of the turf." "C'mon-Garcilazo-we-can-make-it!" "Which horse did you bet on?" "Garcilazo's, all of it." "It's over." " Are you seeing your kids?" " Yes, yes..." "everything is O.K. Half an hour a day belongs to them." "In that sense, the paediatrician is right:" "...nothing beats quality time." " And this one?" " It's pure Italian Jacquard." "Forget it." " Is it a gift?" " Yes." "...and that has more to do with our ambitions as lawyers, with our dreams, if you will." "Dreams in the double meaning of the word." "On the one side, there's the lawyer I dream to be." "I might want to be a successful lawyer... and I don't care about the amount of truth I deal in." "But, perhaps, you, you're interested in the truth." "It's the main reason, the essence of your calling." "Yes, Sandra..." "There's a problem in the building..." "No, it's just fortoday, something with the water." "No big deal." "They think it's just for today." "I thought of picking up Gastón from the kindergarten." "And taking him to the Zoo..." "What do you mean he's having swimming lessons?" "Why teach him that now?" "He's two and a half years old!" "Well, I can teach him to swim when he turns thirteen." "It's just for today." "He can skip swimming." "OK, fine... bye, sweetheart." " Who wants the pig?" " I want it!" "Here it is." "It's so good you came to pick him up." "Kids like it when daddy comes to pick them up." "This belongs to him, because today he pooed, but without warning." "But that's normal, right?" " But of course." " There's no hurry." "It's normal." "We try to make them feel it's normal." "Sometimes they feel embarrassed." "So we tell them:" "Mommy pooes, daddy pooes, we all poo, right?" "And I don't know if you read about the party on the bulletin board." " Not really." " We are preparing a play, ...to get to know each other better, through theater, so all the daddies can participate." "No, I'm Very shy." "I won't participate." " We'll all participate." " Anyway, I think it's great..." " We'll all dress-up as buffoons." " No, I won't do it." " But it's Very important." " Like I said, I think it's great they do things like that, but..." " But all the dads plan to take part." "There he is!" "Hernán, our counselor." "You're Gastón's father, right?" " The twins' parents are downstairs?" " Yes, I'll be right with them." " Good bye." " See you later." "Hernán is a Very good professional," "He could help you with your communication problem..." "What communication problems?" "...and in that way, they had lots of energy." " Hello." " Good afternoon." "So, as I was telling you:" "All animals had lots of energy and they could run and run through the woods." "The woods were huge." "There were lots of animals." " It comes with caramel?" " No." "This one?" " You want this one?" " If it comes with caramel." "But you can't tell me that, can you?" " Can you tell me or not?" " No, no caramel." " Hello." "How are you?" " Hi." " We're from the university." " Sure." "Hello." "How are you doing?" " Is he yours?" " Yes, he is." "We didn't think you'd have kids." "Why not?" "Because in the university you look more carefree." " But, he looks like you, a little bit." " He's Very cute." "He likes milk." "How cute." "Say hello to the girls." "They're daddy's students." "Hold it a second." " We don't mean to bother you." " No, not at all." "Hello." " Yes, Perelman, what's up?" " How are you doing?" " Fine, fine." " Did you eat already?" "No, not yet." "Come to Astorga's diner." "Not the one on Florida, they closed it down." "Today?" "everything's screwed up..." "Take a cab, I'll pay for it." "I don't need you to pay for it." "I'm on my way." " See you." " See you later." " Is he coming?" " Yes." "leave Norita's swan alone." "It's Very strange, Sandra." "He never calls at noon." "What if he has a serious problem?" " I can't say no." " Take Gastón to see grandpa." "But I'm going to Astorga's." "He can't sit on the floor." "It's contaminated." "That's no place for a kid." "Can't I drop him back at the kindergarten?" "Didn't he have swimming classes?" "He's not a package you pick up and then drop off whenever you want." "Now it's late for swimming." "It's all planned in advance." "everything's organized so we can get on with our lives and enjoy our son." " Why do you mess it all up?" " I could take care of him." "It's just for a short while, and these guys are reliable." " Fine." "Let Gerardo take care of your son." " Do you really agree?" " Go see your dad, it must be important" " You mean it?" "You won't hold it against me afterwards?" " What do you think?" " It's fine, if you think it's fine too." "I'm not going to tell you what I think." "We're trying to agree on something." "The painter's a reliable guy." "We know him betterthan Gastón's teacher." "Do you know where she lives?" "Hi, how are you doing?" "We're done with the back exercises." "Yes." "Trouble with the spark plug?" "It's a turbo diesel, it has injectors instead." "The noise comes from the brake cartridges." "Yeah." "This is one nice motorcar!" "With diesel you gotta be saving a bundle of cash, right?" "Not really, with one liter I can do some 300 km, but the mechanic costs an arm and a leg." "I gotta use natural gas." "You use gasoline?" "Are you nuts?" "No way, man." "I did my math a thousand times." "The insurance, the gasoline, the mechanic, the parking," "I'm not even breaking even..." "It's way better to take a cab, and so you deal with all the crap." "I pay you and you deal with it." "And why are you talking funny?" "Let's see how we're doing with Inchaustegui's debt." "Uncle Eduardo is dad's brother." "He's also a lawyer, but with a different specialization." "He has a company called "Bad Debtors"." "When the arm of the Law doesn't reach dad, then Uncle Eduardo takes charge, because his arm is longer." " He plays golf on Sundays." " give him "operative Discredit"." "The system is simple." "If you don't pay, Uncle Eduardo tries to ruin your life." "You just call him and Uncle Eduardo meets you in a Very discreet office, and Very kindly, he helps you out." "Oddly enough, nobody evertried to ruin his life." "He even has many ex-bad debtors among his friends." "The thing with Marechal, the mute one, right?" "Is it coming along?" "Fine, we hung out a banner:" ""Marechal, fucker, pay your debt"" "Yes, I know the text." " Now give him a call." " Right now?" "At lunch time, when he's with his family, why not?" " Something else?" " Yes, Vignola..." "Especially made forthe attorney." "Some trips must be done because investments..." "We'll switch it back to the news later." "Shh MFker c'mon, a little more and we break the 1.30..." "Mamuñe, one of these days you'll have to start working..." " We'll see about that." " How much money to get in?" "Let's say 10,000, as collateral." "Uncle Mamuñe isn't dad's brother." "He was his first regular client." "So I call him "uncle"." "...we open a bank account:" "liverpool, the Caymans, Gibraltar, you name it." "Uncle Mamuñe started making a little profit... by buying and selling dollars in exchange houses." "Now he does the same, but has a private financial company." "Now he's playing against the euro." "Around 30º/o." "If you play against the market, you'll never win." "You start with 30º/o on the minus side." "We lawyers don't charge commissions." "We charge fees when we win." "We see life through a different lens." "Not always." "I'm also a lawyer and I haVe a fixed income, whether I defend one absentee or five hundred." "How about that?" "In my law firm, we pay better." "Bearthat in mind." " Do you know how much I make?" " Stop fucking around." "You should go work with your old man." "You just like fooling around with your students." " Not any more." " Mamuñe, pass me the soda water." " Nice chicks at school, right?" " Yes, nice chicks." " And the bread too, please." " You're a bit demanding today..." "He wants to give you something in return for your consideration." "A small bottle of something." " Anything else?" " No, thanks." " No, me neither." " See you later." "It's the end of the year, and everybody wants their cut." "We're in May, Eduardo." "It was a figure of speech, Perelman." " Attorney..." " Ramón..." " Can I come in?" "Fine, we'll talk laterthen." " How's Ramón doing?" " Fine." "He's happy." "They ruled lack of merit in his case for false testimony." "Get yourself another witness." "Ramón is burned out." "He's seen all the car accidents of the last 5 years in B.A." "I say: "Take a Vacation", but he won't." "He really likes going to the courts." "Judges find him formidable." "And we need someone reliable." "Do you have anyone?" "Do you know what he did the other day?" "He was testifying in the case of the Plaza Italia accident, a man and his granddaughter were ran over by a bus and killed." "Thejudge remembered seeing Ramón testifying in another case... that happened at the same time, but somewhere else." "Ramón was poker-faced." "Do they clean these snails?" "Yes, Astorga knows how they do it." "Astorga!" "How do they clean these snails?" "They clean them in a solution of salty water, for a week." "And so they're clean to eat." "Did you know that snails are hermaphrodites?" "And the pork too, Astorga?" "No, the pork is heterosexual." "Excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom." "Astorga, can you bring some water with lemon." "He didn't remember." "You dumbshit, don't you know what day it is today?" " Yes, Wednesday." " Which Wednesday?" "No, today's the 13th." "Yes, we're celebrating his birthday." "Did you bring a present or anything?" "No, I totally forgot." " But this is your present." " I haVe tons, from clients." "Come on, write him something nice." " He's turning 65 today, no less." " Yes, I know." "I'd better go or they'll think I'm some sort of pussy." "Thank you for the coffee." " Happy birthday." " Thanks a lot." "Please it's nothing." "There you go!" "It looks like a Mont Blanc." " Very useful." " What a nice present, right?" " Happy birthday." " Thanks a lot, son." "It's OK." "Sweetheart..." "Sweetheart..." "I forgot about it." "Today was Perelman's birthday, and I totally forgot about it." "How could that happen?" "What kind of a son am I?" "I can't forget my dad's birthday." "Didn't you remember it?" "Don't worry." "Saturday it's Gastón's, your son's birthday." "I'm telling you in advance, so don't forget it." "Sandra, how could I forget my son's birthday?" "But you told me you'd take care of everything, so I didn't think about it." "I'll blow out the candles and you'll handle the rest." "The snacks, the balloons..." "The entertainers." " The entertainers are coming?" " Yes, both." " Paulina and Marcela, right?" " Yes, the ones you like so much." "And the buffoons, are the buffoons coming?" " What is a buffoon anyway?" " I don't really know, but today, at the kindergarten, they asked me to dress up as one." "The teacher told me he's integrating really well." " Is that right?" " Yes." "I wanted to talk to you about it." "Did you know our son goes to a Swiss kindergarten?" "The kindergarten is affiliated with the Swiss College." " Couldn't you tell when we enrolled him?" " No." "But why give our son a Swiss education!" "Your ancestors are Spaniards and mine are Polish." "We're the typical Argentine Judeo-Christian married couple." "When did the Swiss enter our lives?" "The kindergarten is nearby, and he's on a scholarship." "If you want, next year we'll find another one." "Wait, hold it, let's see how he integrates." "I can't keep talking, Sandra." "I need to get some sleep." "Besides, the Swiss are Very neat, and well educated." "Do you know what they did during the Second World War?" "Are you going to sleep in your suit?" "Tomorrow, I'll ask the principal about that." "Let's hear what he says." "...but if he bites other kids..." "But if you don't teach your kid how to relate properly to other kids..." " Are you OK?" " Yes." "Did you invite Norita?" "She gets along great with kids..." "You want little eggs?" "How are you?" "You look terrific!" "Check out the little mouse." "Do you know her?" "The same entertainer as always." "When I was young, we didn't have entertainers." " You were coming out of a war." " The war had nothing to do with it." " Did you tell her?" " What?" "That you are not working." "And how do you know?" " Did you tell her?" " I didn't have the chance." "Then, on Monday, the two of us will spend the day together, ...we'll do the Court rounds." " Why?" "Do you need a witness?" "No, no, I'Ve trained Ramón for that." "Dad, listen to me, you know what I do for a living?" "I'm a Public Official," "I can't do the Court rounds with you, it doesn't look good." "You're free on Monday." "We can spend the day together." "And you'll meet people, that's always useful." "Useful for what?" "What people?" "I don't need to meet people, dad." "Why did you buy Gastón a ball?" "What did you want me to buy?" "A tie?" "He's a kid." "A ball is fine." "Sure it's fine." "Itjust seems weird." "You and I don't like soccer." "Will you take him to the stadium?" "Kids need things to play with." "A ball is fine." "Should I buy an electric razor?" " What time on Monday?" " 7:15, café latte and croissants." " I need a sensitive and brave man." " I'll take the newspaper, so don't buy it." " Him!" " No, no." "Yes, go ahead!" "I don't know if..." "Happy birthday to you!" "Happy birthday to you!" "Happy birthday, dear Gastón!" "Happy birthday, dearAttorney!" "Happy birthday to you!" "Happy birthday, dear Bernardo!" "Happy birthday to you!" "Mommy!" "Daddy!" "Perelman!" " Sandra, you go." " No, you go." "No, you go." "I did it last Sunday." "You go, get him dressed, take him to the park, and you can read the entire paper, with all the supplements." " Take advantage of it." " No, you go." ""A study says fathers take better care of their good looking children"" "Gastón!" "Gastón!" "Don't go any further!" "Stay close to daddy!" "Where they are..." "Don't pick things up from the floor!" "No, don't do it!" "There you go!" "Go to the other one." "That one is nice." "You like that one, right?" "I don't want it." "Gastón!" "Grandpa!" "Since when are you into jogging?" "I started today." "And I'm not into jogging, I just walk fast, so I don't ruin my knees." "You'll ruin your knees if you don't check with a doctor." "He's not into soccer." "No." "It must be genetic." "But he's into drawing." "Perhaps he'll be an artist." " Blue..." " He draws really well." "He'll be an architect." "What?" "What's up, Gastón?" "Draw a turtle for grandpa." "He's moody." "Is something wrong?" "You're coming tomorrow, right?" "Yes, I told you I would." "Did I tell you about the Swiss school?" "We're sending Gastón to a nearby school." "At the kindergarten, they asked me to dress up as a buffoon." "I pay them to dress up Gastón, not me." "When I was a kid," "Perelman senior didn't take me to the movies or the Zoo." "It's been 15 years..." "Instead, we'd get together and do the Court rounds." "have a sandwich and listen to him talk with colleagues." "I'd carry his briefcase, made of chamois leather, quite similarto the one he has now." "Perhaps it's even the same." "The overcoat is the same." " And Gallardo?" "What do you think?" " Yeah, sure." " The master, right?" " The master!" " The 4th floor?" " Yes, the 4th." "Who's next?" ""Justice."" ""Law."" "Help yourself." "...they specialize in growing cauliflower and broccoli." "And they also grow first-rate snails for haute cuisine." "But what do you want?" "To win the case or to be right?" "She was talking on a cell phone while driving, with the dog." "Here's the supermarket." "You went looking for a job." "You were standing there, and suddenly hear the noise." "You look and see the accident." "What did you see?" "It was raining." "What did you see?" "Do you remember?" "I went to the supermarket looking for a job," "I was walking along Bulnes street, and saw the white car coming from the left." "And saw the lady in the Van, with the dog inside?" "This is Ramírez-Carmela, but this is another Ramírez." "Married?" "What a shame." "Don't you have one that's single?" "You never told us about him." "I'm single and all alone." "I spend the rest of the morning meeting people who, as he says, are people worth meeting." "The secretaries really enjoyed meeting the son of Mr. Perelman, and finding the similarities." "Of course he's grown up." "He's a university professor." " Official Defense Lawyer." " Worthy of you." "Mora..." "Was it Matilde or Carlos?" "Mora, without an "h"." "Mortgage Foreclosure." "Let's go to another building, three blocks from here." "...and they grow them there, in Derqui..." "Mr. Perelman!" "What a coincidence!" " Echechuny!" " How you doing, Attorney?" "At snack time we met Echechuny, a legendary client of Perelman's." "Echechuny was one of those last names that always showed up at home, clients who became great legends." " Echechuny, radio announcer." " Yes, I remember." "Weren't you in that documentary about migrating birds?" "Long time ago, long time ago." "No, it was the commercial for Domain." ""Time passes and the clothes remain"." "How did you remember?" "But it wasn't exactly like that." "It was: "Garments Domain, time passes, yet the clothes remain."" "Talking about clothes, rememberAngelini Taylors?" ""I haVe a brand new suit for this coming summer, it's chic and refined enough to make me look like a newcomer"." "And I'd follow saying: "Angelini Taylors, the typical Italian style."" "I also remember the one about Fernández's Balls," ""Small balls, big balls, Fernández has them all"." ""Fernández Sports, located on Sarmiento and Uruguay"." " Come and bust our balls!" " It wasn't like that!" "The meeting was already over." "We could'Ve left and eaten the sandwich somewhere else." "But Perelman senior used 5 extra minutes of his life... to make Echechuny feel good." "five more minutes went by... and Perelman had already forgotten about Echechuny and his problems." "He has an area of his memory that is strictly short-term." "exclusively for clients and their problems." "Like those magic blackboards my son uses in the kindergarten." "Why are people obsessed with always taking the elevator?" "Nice manners, yes." "No, I don't know her, but..." "Pass me the file." "Son?" "You have to do me a favor." " Tell me..." " Listen..." "There's this optician, on LaValle street," "I ordered new glasses, go and pick them up, please." "But..." "I haVe..." "I just can't make it..." "have something to eat and I'll see you at the office." "But, we were supposed to have lunch together..." ""Bernardo Perelman and Son." "Law Firm."" "Mr. Figueredo called, in the morning, as always." "I'd told him countless times you never get here before 3:00 pm." "Then Uriarte called, that thing with the chickens." " Isn't it Allerza?" " No, no, it's Uriarte." "I haVe the folder right here, ...and there's the terrible case of a teenager murdered in a disco." " Is the tea cold already?" " No, it's fine." " Is yourthroat better?" " Yes, much better." "I'Ve been taking honey candies." "The plumber came and fixed the bathroom." "Wasn't the doorman supposed to fix the bathroom?" " What are you doing?" " I'm packing." "You're leaving me?" "Don't be such a moron." "I'm going camping with the Pilates group." "I told you a thousand times." "You have a memory problem." "No, no, Machu Picchu." "Remember I showed you the photos?" ""3 days' walking, come on!"" " Yes, but... when is it?" " We're leaving tomorrow." " No, I thought it was next week!" " Perelman, take it easy." "Don't give me your "Perelman look"." "People from all over America are coming." "A Hindu will teach us how to breathe." "From the school of ravi Shankar." " The bearded guy with the guitar." " No, that's his son." " And the fatsos are coming?" " Yes, they are." "Fabio's coming, but he sleeps in anothertent." "Who's Fabio?" "The metrosexual?" " I don't know who Fabio is!" " They're all coming." "Girls too." "I'm going to miss you." "I'll be missing you." "It's a shame they have to go so far away to breathe." "I won't go to work tomorrow, if you're leaving." "I'd better stay." "Fine, so you go to the kindergarten." " You'll have to talk to the teacher..." " Listen to me, Sandra." "Don't you think Perelman senior is acting kind of weird?" " Weird?" "Why?" " I saw him today, for a short while." "I don't know, there's something strange." "He's more affectionate..." "You forget about things." "You don't take off your suit to go to sleep." "Don't try to distract me when I want to feel anguished." "It's not funny..." "It's not funny." "You look so cute." "Is Gastón asleep?" "Yes, yes." " Let's go to the mats." " I don't like it there." " Come on." " No, that's where I work." "Let's go to the mats." "Sandra indulged me, and let me do it on the mats." "It was great like that." "But then I felt guilty about maintaining the lie." "Before she leaves, I'll tell her about my free time." "Hello everybody, my name is Alejandro," "I'm Valentino's dad, I'm also a teacher." "I happen to have a hot dog machine at home." "I could be in charge of the food forthe event." "You have a hot dog machine?" "I think it's fantastic." "I'm Hugo's father, my name is Germán." "I haVe a degree in Music Therapy, and would like to participate in the musical side of it." "I haVe an idea for a theme:" "It's an Alpine concept." "I think it'd be great forthem." "With Tyrolese tunes." "Excuse me!" "I'll take care of the costumes." "What do you think?" "I'll take care of them." "Of course!" "Write it down." "We don't want our kids to be naked, right?" "Now, we'll discuss the evacuation drill, which is extremely important." " You're sad..." " Me?" " Who?" " This." "Gastón's yogurt and your pizzas." "Sausages, try not to use them, the doctor's number, the baby sitter's... she's coming on Tuesday." "And how can I reach you?" "The whole idea is that nobody can reach you." " I'll be calling you guys." " Nice idea, pass me the list." " What if something happens?" " Nothing is going to happen." "What could possibly happen?" "everything will be O.K." ""Swimming with other daddies"." "No, Sandra, no." "Do I haVe to hold hands with other hairy men?" " I saw them today." "It's hard for me..." " What's so hard?" "Hairy men?" "have you taken a good look at yourself?" "You're as hairy as a carpet." "It's a Very nice experience." "I don't get it, Sandra." "We're paying this Swiss kindergarten to take care of things for a while, things we take care of all the time, so why do we have to take part in everything?" "I'm paying not to take part!" " You're leaving, Sandra..." " Perelman." " What?" " Calm down." "Breathe in, get rid of that face." "I know you don't like to stay here by yourself." "But this is important to me." "I haVen't left the house since Gastón was born." "I appreciate what you're doing for me." "You go to the parents' meeting, take care of the children's show." "You go to the swimming pool." "Then I come back and take care of the poo." "Hold it." "You're in charge of the whole potty training." "The potty, how to hold himself, and sexuality until he's no longer a minor." "OK?" "We got a deal then, ...a contract." "You look beautiful." "Bye, love." " I loVe you." " love you too." "have a good time." "I'll call you!" "Bye, mom!" "Where's she going?" "She's going away, but she's coming back." "A bit far away, but she'll be back." "Well, mom is gone." "We're on our own now." "For once." " Alone is fine." " What?" " Fine." " Fine?" "Where's grandpa Perelman?" "Grandpa is working." "In the other "otis"?" "In the other what?" "In the other office?" "Yes, in his office." "He has his own office, and dad has another one." "And why?" "What are you doing?" "Playing with this?" " Yes!" " But it gets all creased!" "You think dad likes ironing?" "No, dad doesn't like ironing." "Good morning." "Taking care of the files, right?" "Fine." "It's like a mid-morning break." "La Plata, Palermo, San Isidro." "You start on the losing side since there's a 10º/o rake, but it clears my mind, and I get to know new people, have something to drink, kill some time..." "Three minutes to go." "You never asked your dad if he's screwing Norita?" "Or what kind of sentimental bond there is between him and his longtime secretary?" "There are things we don't talk about with Perelman." "Our communication is based on tacit, implicit agreements." "I think parents and sons don't need to talk about everything." "Half an hour is for my kids." "To me, that's sacred." "Communication is the key." "Dialogue, listening to them, the PlayStation, too." " Watching a Video..." " Hello, Sandra." "Yes..." "five on Vedia, four on Palito and monk." "How's Turkita Kid coming along?" "On the street..." "I went out for some air, the office was a mess." "Yes, he asks for mommy, all the time..." " Excuse me, mate." " I can barely hear you." "I'll call you later, or you call me." "I loVe you, and take good care, because you left an entire family here." "Very small steps, tiny steps, that's it and now in circles." "Yes, go on." "What's this?" "It's the lanuzzi case, I'Ve been after it for a while." "It's perfect for you." "It's going to set a precedent." "And I want your opinion." "What do I haVe to do with it?" "Call Uncle Eduardo, or another colleague." "What's wrong with sons working with their fathers?" "Look at the Libermans, the Sousa, the Vergaras." "They're like ten, twelve lawyers." "They come to see you." "I'm not interested in those family ties." "I'm at the rehearsal, with my son." "And you come to talk about this." "You know I can't work with you." "You have your style, and I don't have that style." "Besides, there's something you're not telling me." "Is something wrong?" "Maybe." "But you're already a grown-up." "You have to figure some things out for yourself." "Please parents, a round of applause." "Thank you." "OK, let's do it again." "You go away on business and I take your house, job and wife." "It won't really happen." "It's just an example." "I'm taking your life." "I killed you." "From 8 to 25 years of prison." "No." "I can give it back to you." "Taking someone's life." "Who is "someone"?" "A person?" "And what is killing?" "Is letting someone die killing?" " Yes..." " Yes?" "Are you sure?" "A guy's drowning, I don't throw the life Vest to him." " Am I killing him?" " No." "And if I push the life Vest away from him?" "Tough one." "I'm sorry, I thought you weren't coming back." "That's why I lay down on your bed." "I didn't want to get inside the bed where you sleep with your wife in intimacy." "I get it." "It's perfectly OK." "And the sofa wouldn't open." "The handle is Very rusty." "Yes, I guess so." " This is for you." "Thanks a lot." " But this is a lot." " We agreed on 40 with your wife." " 50 is fine." " You can take a cab." " Sure?" "Thanks." "You have your son's gaze:" "Crystal clear, just like his." "That's odd, but it's possible, I'm his father, after all, so..." " Do you want me to come back tomorrow?" " No, everything's fine." " Thanks for everything." " Goodbye." "Check your waistband, it's too low." "Or is the underweartoo high?" "The tractor!" "That's the tractor?" "How does it go?" "That sounds like a train to me." " What's that?" " Me!" "Who's the good guy and who's the bad guy?" "One has to be good and the other has to be bad." "Which one is it?" "Or are they into solidarity?" "You know what "solidarity means", right?" "What happened?" " What happened with the T. V?" " You did something?" " No, I didn't do anything." " Shit..." "Shit..." "Happy birthday, little Gastón!" "Happy birthday, little Gastón!" "No more games with this, I'm already shattered." "Blow it out." "Norita..." "What is it?" "Are you alright?" "No." "Is something wrong with you?" "No, no, I'm fine." "What happened, Norita?" "Your dad... the Attorney..." "After all, Perelman senior did have a secret." "Perelman senior is now gone, without warning." "Actually, he did let me know, in his own way." "And, already an adult, I didn't figure it out for myself." "Here's the potty." " What?" " Here's the potty." " Now?" " Yes." "Are you sad?" " Why?" "Do I look sad?" " Yes." "No, I'm fine." " What's wrong?" " Nothing." "Nothing?" " I'll go get the potty." " Go ahead." " I'll be back." " Hurry up, we'll do it here." "BERNARDO PERELMAN." "Died 7-6-2005." "The Hebraic Association offers its condolences to his son." "The traders of Galeria Centenario offer..." "His friends at the Chess Club..." "The traders in 9th July Underground Passage..." "Plaza LaValle newspaper sellers..." "Once again." "Bone by bone." "We keep breathing there straight up... that's it, Very good and now we relax." " A cold tea?" " Fine." " What are you wearing?" " The tracksuit from "the first time"." " Come, sit here." "I look good in it, right?" "Before it was all loose, now you'Ve filled it out." "How do you feel about your free time?" "Fine." "It's weird, but..." "Putting your routine aside it's not easy." "The last time I had you as a student, we were still single." "That's true." " Do you want to know a secret?" " Yes." "It's a secret that goes way back to the start of our relationship." "Let's hear it." "Do you rememberthe Pilates lawsuit?" " Yes." " Well..." "I wanted to tell you..." "The truth is I didn't win that lawsuit." "Perelman senior won it." "He did everything for me." "In a cafeteria, on little paper napkins." "Now that he's gone, I just wanted to tell you." "You're not even a little surprised?" "No." "Your dad had already told me about it." " What?" " One day he came for dinner, you fell asleep and we talked until three in the morning." "And why didn't you tell me anything?" "Because it was a secret between you and him, not me." "Didn't you feel you'd been cheated?" "Not even a little?" "I wasn't "exactly" the guy you imagined I was." "I sort of cheated, a little bit..." "But I didn't fall in love with a lawyer who won a lawsuit." "Then who did you fall in love with?" "At that time, when I was studying Law," "I didn't know what to do with my life." "Like all Law students." "And I saw all the "show" you put on, with so much enthusiasm." "So confident, so sure of what you wanted to be." "That's Very attractive... sexy." "Sexy?" "Sexy?" "What's sexy about a guy teaching in a university?" "And you?" "What did you see in me?" "Because there were lots of students." "Why me?" "Your ass." "Your ass." "And then I looked into other things." "After all, you don't like hearing the truth." "We make a round that is a hole round... we make it tiny, we do it bigger... and now all together we are going to sing... closer, closer, closer, Very far, Very far," "closer, closer, closer, Very far, Very far." "We have the mediation on the case Pujato-Gaidú." "There's also the hearing with Mr. Carminatti... regarding the land in Chaco." "I told you about that, right?" "And the meeting with Escorihuela, that's settled already." "The release from prison of the guy from the country club, too." "And there's the lanuzzi case, which can't wait any longer, his daughter Perlita is a minor." "It calls for urgent attention." "And we'll have to cancel the meeting with Melgarejo, scheduled for Thursday 17th." "Hello, Norita, how are you?" "This is Perelman." "O.K., fine." "Will you stay in the office a bit longer?" "So I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?" "Perfect." "I want to apologize I had to leave suddenly." "An emergency." "So I'll see you tomorrow, Norita." "Thank you Very much." "All crimes were committed in the past, isn't that right?" "And we can only rely on the traces left by the crime in the present." "Traces that can be affected by the passing of time, or by their original perception, or by errors in that perception, even by false testimony." "Excuse me, excuse me..." "On behalf of the class of 1998, Perelman's students that is," "I'd like to give these flowers to a person who taught us... the meaning of a word seldom found in Argentine Justice:" ""Ethics"." "A round of applause, please." "Do I leave now?" "leave them in the teachers' lounge." "Thank you Very much." "This would be a typical case of false testimony, an error in perception." "But this only just happened, it'd be in the most recent past." "What color were the flowers this man gave me?" "Norita." "Well, thanks a lot." "You shouldn't have bothered." "No bother at all." "Here you have the keys." "I'Ve put everything in boxes." "The cleaning lady is coming tomorrow." "What will you do with?" "Will you rent it out?" "No, for the time being, I'll leave things as they are." "Tell me, Norita, have you made any plans yet?" "I mean forthe next few months." "The truth is I'm still trying to figure it out." "I'm telling you because there's a Vacancy here." "Defense Lawyer's assistant." "I happen to be the Defense Lawyer." "So I guess I'd like you to work with me." "What would the working hours be?" "Because I'm getting on a bit," "There are things I can't do." "I'm telling you in advance." "That's the plain truth." "We start at 8:30 am and leave at 2 pm." "From 8:30 to 2:00." "I haVen't worked mornings in so many years..." "But I can always give it a try, right?" " I don't know." " The truth is, I'd love to." "Take your time and think about it." "I don't need an answer right now." "I think it'd be fun because I'Ve never done it before." "And the kids?" "Behind the stage, sweetheart." " Yes, but..." " Enjoy it..." "Look at Gastón." "What's he saying?" "That he's wearing a suit and a tie, like you." "You have a suit like daddy?" "Atie..." "Remember when he was a baby?" "You were worried 'cause he didn't look like you." "Now, with the suit, he does look like you." "But let's not insist on it." "Better leave him like he is now." "He can look like his father whenever he wants... if he wants." "What's the rush?" "Why hurry?" "FAMILY LAW"