"TOGETHER FOREVER" "All right." "All right, tell me." "Okay." "Actually, I'm not really here to do therapy per se." "I'm here about a specific matter that I can't solve by myself." "I'm not here to get into years of therapy." "Dig things up..." "And what would the specific matter be?" "Lucìa, my wife." "She has like... needs... things about me she's not quite sure about and... well, I want her back." "You follow?" "And she left?" " Right." "You broke up?" "Yeah." "So could you tell me more about the circumstances of your separation?" "We have to talk." "Just ten minutes, honey." "Ten minutes." "I had a wonderful idea and I want to write it down." " Just ten minutes." " I need to talk." "This is gold, honey." "This is pure gold." "This is special, different..." "Did you hear me, Javier?" " What?" " We need to talk!" "I'm gonna lose it, honey." "Look, I bought you a gift." "Why don't you open it while I write it down?" " No!" " No?" "I need to talk to you, Javier!" " Does it have to be now, gorgeous?" " Yes!" "All right, go ahead." " No." "Not like this." " Like what?" "This is serious, Javier." " You're pregnant!" " No." " You argued with Malena." " Cut it out!" " You don't love me anymore." " Keep guessing and I swear..." " You have a terminal disease..." " Cut it out, Mr. Talent!" "Get off your butt and come over here." " Is something wrong, Lu?" " Get over here!" "What's wrong?" "Look, Javier..." "It's horrible." "Any way you look at it, it's horrible." "It's a disaster." " It's horrible, but anyway..." " Just get on with it, Lu!" "I'm going to lose it!" "Please!" " What are you gonna lose?" " The idea, honey!" "It's not easy for me." "Exactly." "So why don't we just take ten minutes..." " I was with Gerardo." " Gerardo, the neighbor?" "Gerardo, the guy with the motorcycle." "So?" "How is he doing?" "We were together, Gross." "Explain "we were together" in this context." "We fucked." "You fucked?" "So?" "So what?" "How are you?" "What do you mean how am I?" "Do you feel better now that you've told me?" " Do you?" " No!" "I feel like crap!" "Okay, okay, it's going to be all right." "These things happen, Lu." "Nowadays it's pretty normal." "Name one couple that hasn't gone through this at least once." "You can't think of any because there aren't any!" "It's normal!" "Let's try not to make it a habit, but don't let's make a fuss about it." "Big deal!" "let's just move forward." "Okay." "I'm going to lose it." " Don't you feel better?" " No." "Try to cheer up, please." "It's not that bad." "let's move forward, Lu." "Lu, Lu, please..." "Please, Lu." "Please!" " How can I help you?" " I don't know." "Okay." "Where did this... thing take place?" " Here." " Here where?" " On the couch." " On the couch?" "Okay, let's do this." "let's pick up the couch..." "Throw it away and that's it." "End of story." "Just let's try not to make it a habit." "That's it." "Come on, honey." "That's it." "Easy." "Can I tell you about lt now?" "About what?" "The idea I was telling you I had." " Whatever you want, Gross." " Great!" "If I say "vacations," what do you picture?" "You think: the sea, the beach, sunshades, sand, fish... but you never think about hate." "That's why I think this idea is so powerful, honey." "It's like vacations and hate don't go together." "It's about a guy who's getting the car ready for family vacation, but he does it all with hate." " Where' the other one?" " I can't find it" "Did anyone see it?" "Mom" "Mom...!" "Mom!" "What?" "I want my doll!" "Carry something, Gaby!" "I want my doll!" "Come on, let' go." "But Mom, I want my doll!" "It must be in one of the suitcases Come on!" " Why?" " I don't know" "But I want my doll I want my doll" "Ask Fatty to get it for you." "o way!" " Come on, let's go." " You ask him!" "Fatty..." "Come on." "Fatty, I need to get something out of the big suitcase." "I want my doll." "I'm not going to take down a 150 lb. suitcase to get a doll." "She can play with something else." "You listen to me, Fatty." "You're going to take down that bag and open it because I'm telling you I need to get something out of there." "Period." "That's it." "Have you thought about where we're going to put all this crap?" "You're changing the subject, Fatty." "You call me Fatty one more time, and I swear I'll kill you." "You bitch!" "Damn it." "I wanted to take it!" "Shut up, you little brat, I can't stand you anymore." "No, Fatty..." "You're way out of line." "I won't go while you're like this." "I'm leaving right now with whoever wants to come." "If you don't, go screw yourselves." "Get in, kids." "It looks like your father suddenly got a personality." "Come on, come on, come on!" "Get in!" "Okay!" "So what's it goint to be, little brat?" "Are you coming or staying?" "Come on, you moron!" "It's your fault we're still here!" "So, they're supposed to be headed for Mar del Plata, right?" "But the guy goes west." "At first, the woman doesn't take notice, but at one point she realizes it and starts to worry." "She asks him about it, but he doesn't answer." "This is the image that I have:" "A guy driving, with his face like this." "Like this." "And the woman..." " Hello." " Hi." " Hi, sweetie." " Hello." "Hi, Mom." "Are you going to come in?" "All right." " No, wait, wait a second." " Today's not a good day, Mom." " I'll wait for you inside." " Wait, wait..." " It's never a good day for you, Javier." "Just a second." "How does it sound so far?" " What?" " The idea, honey." "I don't know." "All right, later..." " Bad, huh?" " No, good, Mom, good, good." "I have an idea I want to write down before I lose it." " Can we talk for a minute?" " Not today, Mom." "Let's leave it for some other day." "But you have ideas every day." "And I need to, Javier, I need to talk to you." " Can't it wait, Mom?" " No!" "I'm listening." "What's your problem with me?" " Nothing." " You avoid me." "You won't answer my messages, you won't answer the phone." "When was the last time we saw each other?" "Answer me, Javier." "Answer me." "No, Mom, please." "Mom, please." "Mom, stop it." "You hate me." "You hate me with every inch of your being." "That's not true, Mom." " Yes, it is, it is..." " No!" " You don't hate me?" " No." " So what then?" " What do you mean?" "If you don't hate me, how do you feel?" "The total opposite." "What's the total opposite?" "What do you call the total opposite to that?" "You can't even say it." "I'd prefer not to." "Stop it, Mom." "Stop it!" "Don't do this to me, Mom." "Please." "Stop it." "I love you very much." "How long has it been since you last visited your grandparents?" "Right now, I wouldn't know." "No, no, no." "Don't answer like that." " Think before you answer." " Mom, please." " Your grandparents are getting old." " I'm going to visit them." "And they're going to die." "Javier, we owe each other a conversation." "Yes, I understand, but you caught me in the middle of something." "Some things are important, Javier." "Things that your mom has inside." " You have them inside?" " I'm very worried." "I'm very worried." "Javier!" "What's that couch doing on the sidewalk?" "What happened?" "Why did you take the couch out?" ""What happened?" "Why did you take the couch out?"" "What's wrong with you?" "If you come to my house and fuck my wife on my couch, the least you can do is play dumb, say hello and get inside, not ask, "What happened?" "Why did you take the couch out?"" " She told you?" " Yes." "It's all right, I won't say a word." "But... asking those stupid questions is a bit out of line, right?" "Call me crazy." "But... it wasn't on the couch." "What did you say?" "Nothing, it's not my business, but..." "Repeat what you just said." "It wasn't on the couch." "It was..." "Hey, buddy..." "All right..." "Wait, wait, wait..." "It was on the couch." "What?" "That's all I'm asking, or it'll be a mess." "I don't get it, dude." "You didn't say anything." "It was on the couch." "Okay?" "Are you keeping this couch?" "All right." "Several miles later, the woman asks him to stop..." "Where's your mom?" " She left." " What was wrong with her?" "I don't know, she told me to visit my grandparents, that she has something inside." "Can I continue?" "All right." "She's terrified." "But she's also very proud and she's used to controlling him, so she demands that he stop the car." "And the guy obeys her." "But the woman has so much hate, you can see it on her face." "All this hatred..." "Do you think I'm stupid, Fatty?" "Answer me, Fatty." "Do I look stupid to you or something?" "Stop the car, Fatty." "Stop the car!" "I have nothing against changing plans... and improvising." "I would even go so far as to say I like the idea." "But don't keep telling me we're going to Mar del Plata because we've been driving west for eight hours now." "And Mar del Plata is four hours away to the south." "And I may act like I'm dumb, but I'm not dumb, my Fatty." "And I want us to have our vacations in peace." "So I just want you to admit that we're not going to Mar del Plata." "Okay?" "I don't even care where the hell we're going." "It's enough for me if you say you've changed plans." "But if you keep telling me we're going to Mar del Plata," "I will get scared." "And if I get scared, my dear, darling Fatty," "I'm going to want to get off." "Where are we going?" "To Mar del Plata." "I dare you..." "I dare you to leave me here, you flaccid-willyed fatso, you hear?" "Huh?" "What are you going to do?" "What are you doing?" "You son of a bitch!" "Fabián!" "Fabián!" "You son of a..." "I'm leaving, Gross." "What time are you coming back?" "I'm not coming back." "Oh, too bad." "I needed some smokes." "Never mind, I'll get them." " Bye." " Bye." "I, too, thought they were going to Mar del Plata." "Wait, Javier." "Wait." "let's try to separate things a little." "You were telling me about how you and your wife got separated." "Uh, yes." "I thought she was leaving for a while, but she wasn't." "And when did you realize she had left for real?" "When she came back." " Oh, she came back." " Yes." " When?" " Two days later." "You said you're here because you want Iucia to come back." "But according to your story, she did come back." " Yes, but she got mad." " Why?" "Javier." "Just a second, honey." "Are you kidding me?" "I'm convinced honey." "I can see the end clearly now." "It's tragic." "It's nighttime on the foothills of the Andes." "On a snowy highway, a man wraps his 3-year-old son in a blanket." "He lays him on the snow." "He kisses him on the forehead." "And he leaves him there." "I need you to listen to me, Javier." "Okay." "I Iove you very much." "I don't know why, but I love you with all my heart." " Me too." " No, listen to me." "You're not well." " Understand?" " What do you mean?" "You don't realize it, but you need help." "If you're willing to get help, I'll come back." " Where?" " Where what?" "Where are you coming back to?" "Home, Javier." "I don't get it." "You're already back." "No, I mean really come back." "What?" "Are you kidding me?" " No!" "You didn't realize anything?" "What are you talking about, Lu?" "About the fact that I left." "Where did you leave to?" " No, I can't do this." " Wait!" "Lucia..." " What are you doing?" " It's too much, Gross." "What is too much, Lu?" "You haven't even noticed I haven't been here for two days!" "I did." "I didn't." "I realized time went by, but... two days?" "You didn't realize anything, Gross." "Can I ask you a question?" "Do you realize something's wrong with you?" "What's wrong with me?" "Lucìa, did you leave?" "Did you leave me?" "Why?" " Why what?" " Why did you leave?" "Because you don't pay any attention to me, Gross." "You don't even care when I confess I was unfaithful." "Unfaithful?" "Gerardo..." "Gerardo." " I'm sorry." " I can't take this anymore, Gross." "Okay, but don't leave." " You're crazy." " What do you want me to do?" "I'll do whatever you want." "What do I do?" "You have to start therapy, Gros." " Therapy?" " Yes." "No." "Ask me for anything else." "I'm not asking you, Gros." "A guy i uppoed to be headed for Mar del Plata on a family vacation." "But he drives west, not south." "As he drives, he leaves everything along the highway." "What even he doesn't know... is that he's driving to meet his previous wife." "Who left him." "That's why he's getting rid of his family." "So he is alone when he gets to the town where according to his delirium he will meet the love of his life." "And you came up with that right after Lucía left?" "It's brilliant!" "Don't you want to tell me about your family?" "Do you have parents, children, siblings?" "I have a mother." "Where's Lucìa?" "A guy goes on a trip with his family and as he drives on, he dumps each one along the highway." "Where's Lucìa, Javier?" "First his wife, then his daughter and last of all, his 3-year-old son." "What do you think?" "Where is Lucía, Javier?" "She left." " What time is she coming back?" " She's not coming back for now." " What do you mean?" " You're not listening to me, Mom." "The couch was outside because she was moving out?" "And you didn't tell me anything!" "What was it this time?" "What happened?" "Why didn't you tell me things weren't going so well?" "Is she all right?" "You broke up, Javier!" "Where is she living?" "Is this final?" "Where's the sugar?" "Does she still have the same cell phone number?" "let's do something." "Can I ask you a question?" "Did you go visit your grandparents?" "I'm under medication, Javier." "And each person responds differently to each medication." "And how are you responding, Mom?" "We're looking for the right dose." "You'll find it." "Look, I talked to my psychiatrist." "I imagine you did, Mom." " Yeah?" " I told him things." " That's good!" " Yeah?" "All right, then when you have time, you have to invite me to your house and you and I have to talk." "I'll invite you." "Is it a promise?" "It's important." "The psychiatrist said that?" "Yes, the psychiatrist." " Is he a good professional?" " Excellent!" "He's the head of all the other psychiatrists." "He directs a large number of psychiatrists." "And he teaches at university." " A real expert." "I have to do my part as well." " You are doing your part, Mom." " I am, aren't I?" "I'm going to invite you to my house." "And we'll talk." " Okay, now if you'll excuse me..." " Where are you going?" "To see a producer." "Why does he leave them on the highway?" " What?" " The main character." "Why does he leave his kids on the highway?" "Because he hates them." "You're very talented, Javier." "You're very talented." "All right, Javier..." "I think that, regardless of whether Lucía comes back or not... you need to work." "What do you think of the story?" "Very interesting." "Do you really think so?" "I was asking you if we could have another session next Friday." "Fine." "I think that's perfect." "Javier Gross?" "Lucìa." " Nice to meet you." " Hello." "Shall we go in?" "Well, as you can see, it's a very spacious studio." "There's a bathroom over there." "A kitchen with a breakfast bar and a fume hood." "You can set up a large living room." "It's great for lying down and reading, you just throw a few cushions there..." "And here you can set up a desk." "Some bookshelves." "Um..." "This part's great for a dining room." "Just put a table and some chairs." "And the stairs, if you'll follow me..." "They are well-built." "They're not those awkward ones you usually get ln recycled houses." "On the first floor we have a hall with a railing, a view of the whole studio." "And the main bedroom, very spacious, with a full bathroom." "Is it more or less what you wanted?" "It's exactly what I've always wanted in my life." "Would you like to make a reservation?" " Shall we go downstairs?" " Yes." "Are you from the real estate agency?" "I fill in for them sometimes." "Do you like it?" "The real estate agency?" " The house." " Yes!" "Would you live here?" "I study philosophy." "So imagine even if everything went extremely well for me in life, and if I got lucky and my family helped me:" "at most I would be able to rent an apartment sometime." "Javier." " What are you doing here?" " I started." "You started what?" " Therapy." " That's great." "Will you come back?" "No." "But I started." "Yes, but I..." "I can't do this, Javier." "But that's what we agreed on, Lu." "What else do I have to do?" "Get in touch with your feelings." "What are you talking about, Lucía?" "What you just heard." "I can't live with someone who's so out of touch." "What's "out of touch"?" "You are." "Can you explain it better?" "I don't get it." " Do you really want me to explain it?" " Please." "A person who's out of touch is a kind of coward who's so afraid of pain, of life, of what could happen, that he needs to have his emotions under constant control." "That's what they're out of touch with." "Their feelings." "And they turn into people with no souls, with no heart." "Robots." "I'm not a robot." "I'm sorry." "And I'm not a coward or anything like that." "I didn't mean to hurt you, Javier." "Who said you hurt me?" "I'm sorry." "Sorry for what, Lu?" "Sorry for what?" "I already started therapy." "I know I have issues, I'm going to work them out." "Come back." "What did I do?" "I didn't do anything." "What did I do, Lu?" "Look, Javi..." "Don't call me "Javi" if you don't love me anymore." "I will always love you." "Then let's not break up." "I'm serious." "Maybe when you're better." "And how will I realize that?" " What?" " That I'm better." "I don't know." "Try to get in touch." "Stop thinking so much." " Feel what hurts you." "And what hurts me?" "I can't answer that for you, Javier." "All right, but do you know?" "Talk to your mother." "With my mom." "What the hell are you talking about, Lu?" "You're telling me to talk to my mother." "Don't you know her?" "Everything can hurt me if that's what you want." "But I try to work against the pain, understand?" "Against it, not for it." "And even though you're the love of my life, and I planned on growing old with you and having grandchildren," "I'm not willing to change that." "I'm okay because I choose to be." "It's an everyday choice, Lucía." "And if you want me to do the opposite because you think it's wrong," "I'm very sorry, but you let me down." "I thought you liked me." "I thought you had fallen in love with my imagination, with my madness, as you told me yourself once." "And that I remember very clearly." "Because every morning, every damn morning in my life, when I get up and decide to be okay, that's what I think about." "Nice things like when you told me you were in love with me." "That it fascinated you... that it turned you on, those were your words, that one moment I was there with you and then I'd be somewhere else." "Didn't you tell me that?" "Answer me, Lucìa!" "Did you or not?" "Yes." "Then have the guts to tell me you don't love me anymore, period." "But don't ask me to change what you liked most about me." "Don't come and tell me I'm a coward." "To me cowards are those who spend their lives wallowing in their own crap." "Those are cowards, those who systematically choose to be upset." "Those who keep looking back." "And you fucked a moron with a dick, you put the whole thing in your mouth, you had a great time and then without anyone asking you to, you had to open your mouth again to clear your conscience" "because you feel bad that you had a good time." "And I, who try to think about other stuff" "And don't think it's easy for me." "It's damn hard, it's so fucking hard, damn it!" "It's very hard for me to think about other stuff, but I'm the one who's sick, who's a coward, a robot." "Why?" "Because I don't break down." "Because I decide to be okay." "Because I don't feel like getting into that putrid tunnel that smells like dead beaver, in which you want me to take a walk." "I am in touch now!" "You wanted me to get in touch with my feelings?" "I did." "Now I am in touch with myself!" "Am I better?" "Don't I look healthier?" "Yes, Javier." "You look better." "Okay, then come back." "No." "let's make lt clear from now on we are separated." "I consider myself a separated man." "Single, is that clear?" "Crystal clear, Gross." "You decided this, not me." "Hi!" "How are you?" "How's it going?" "Fine." "A little surprised." "Why?" " I wasn't expecting you to" " You look very pretty." "Shut up, silly." "What were you going to say?" " Well, weren't you with--?" " Not anymore." " Oh, so you" " Yes." "When?" "Crisis, years, comings and goings." " What about you?" " What do you mean?" "Are you seeing someone?" "No." "Good evening." " Hello." " Hello, how are you?" "What's "pappardelle"?" " It's a" " Wait." "I hadn't seen this one before." ""Mesclun." What's "mesclun"?" " Salad." " Salad?" ""Mesclun" is salad." " So it's a synonym." " Yes." "And "deconstruction of greens"?" " That, too." " That too, what?" " Salad." "Another synonym?" "They're really creative, aren't they?" ""Baby potatoes"?" "Let me guess." "They must be little potatoes." " Small potatoes." " Yes." "What about "jacket"?" "It says that the "mesclun" comes with "baby potatoes"in their "jacket"." "It's the potato skin." " It's "potato" or "baby potato"?" " Javier!" "Why don't they just say "skin"?" "Why don't they say "potato" and "salad"?" " I didn't write the menu, sir." " Can you give us a minute?" "They're a bunch of assholes." "Calm down." "What came over you, dummy?" "Dummy?" " Did I offend you?" " "Dummy"?" "Sorry." "I won't say it again." "Why's a pretty girl like you single?" "Oh, silly!" "What do you do apart from being your dad's secretary?" "I took dancing lessons." "I started studying Psychology, then I dropped out," "I picked up Communication, but didn't really dig it." "I feel I should have been an actress." "But anyway, I didn't have the guts." "So while I think about it, I organize my dad's office." "Don't look at me like that!" "Do you know what "My Profession:" "love'" is about?" "No." "It's a sense of fate." "The characters feel that everything they went through before was to get to the point where they are now, and what's at stake is whether they'll be together forever." "I like it!" "I think life works like that, too." "Things are simpler than they seem." "It's just an instant and suddenly... you feel you're in front of someone you were destined to meet." "That it's inevitable..." "Why do you keep your mouth open?" "Oh, I didn't realize." " You keep it open." " I'm sorry." "I didn't realize." " Do you get that feeling now?" " What feeling?" "Of fate." " Who, me?" " No, her." "Sorry, it's just that..." "you caught me off guard." " Do you have it or not?" " What?" "You make it hard." "I'm sorry, I just..." "I don't know, I really wasn't expecting this." "If you have the feeling I was describing: that it's fate." "That everything you did before has led you up to this moment." "Yes." "Well... a little." "Me too." "How pretty!" "You like it?" "I love it!" "Nati, a close friend of mine, wants a house just like this." "We used to be close, anyway." "We drifted apart because of another mutual friend, who moved to a private neighborhood." "I don't like private neighborhoods." "That's great." "Ooh!" "I've seen this one..." "and this one... and this one!" "I like Argentine movies." "I go to the theater a lot." "I saw all of them." "Congratulations, you're a genius." "I don't know how you create so many stories." "It must be difficult to write screenplays, right?" "Well, I used to write." "I still do sometimes." "On Saturdays, when I have nothing to do." "You're not lying to me, are you?" "About what?" "Did you really break up or you just brought me here to do it?" ""Do it," Laura?" ""Do it"?" "What do you mean '"do it"?" " How do you "do it"?" " Ooh, I offended you." "Why do you say "ooh" all the time?" "Are you in pain?" "Me?" "Is she prettier than me?" "o woman in the world i prettier that you." " You're silly!" " I liked "dummy"better." "Ooh." "Sorry!" "Come here." "What' wrong?" "Are you sure you're not lying to me?" "You know, when it comes to married men..." "Do you like it?" "She didn't even take her clothes." " Want to try something on?" " When did you get break up?" " Today." " Today?" "And you already want another woman?" "No, I don't want another woman." " I'm fine with you." " I feel a little weird." " Why?" " I don't know." "I'm here in your room with your wife's clothes." "You just broke up today." "You offer me to try something on." "I don't like kinky guys." " So you like normal guys?" " Yes." "How did it go with normal guys?" "Bad." "Do you really want me to try something on?" "No, I was just kidding." "Come here." "I liked that." "Javi." "What's a "poet'" dad?" "A man who writes poetry." "What does '"poetry" mean?" "So I took her to the river" "Believing she was a maiden" "But she already had a husband." "It was on St. James night" "And almost as if they were obliged to," "The lanterns went out" "And the crickets lighted up." "In the farthest street corners," "I touched her sleeping breasts" "And they opened to me suddenly like spikes of hyacinth." "When are we going to see Mom?" "What did we agree on?" "I promised I'd stop asking." "I want to pee." "Well?" "I can't do it." "Do you wanna pee or not?" "I can't do it, dad." "We split up." "What can I do?" "I did everything she asked and..." "It wasn't enough." "I went for her and she told me I was... out of touch, that I was a robot..." " You know what she wants?" " Who?" "Lucìa!" "She wants me to cry." "She wants me to suffer, she wants me to yell." "She wants me to kick up a fuss and make a scene" "She wants me to kick up a fuss and make a scene because she screwed some moron." "She did this..." "the idiotic guy did this... they went "boom, boom" and that's it." "There's nothing to it." "I understand some people lose sleep over this, but I don't." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "So anyway, I didn't do what she wanted." "She cheated on me and she left me." "What does she want?" "If she wants to kill me, she can come up and shoot me." "By the way you talk, it does seem to bother you." "It's not just "boom, boom'" and that's it." "It's not just "boom, boom'" and that's it." "I prefer to move forward." "I'm in a relationship." "I'm okay." "Didn't you say she already left?" "I'm with someone else." "My dentist's daughter." "She's a nice girl." "Really hot." "So you're okay." "With a new girlfriend." "Happy." "Yes." "Sometimes it's a bit hard." "For example..." "For example... her name is Laura, and most of the time I call her "Lucìa."" "You call her Lucía..." "Force of habit." "We spent years together." "She complained at first," "She complained at first, but I told her it wouId be like this for a while." "She understood." "She's... she's great." "She a tough girl." "What do you mean she's a tough girl?" "What do you mean she's a tough girl?" "Well, she's..." "How can I put it?" "A little dumb." "And I can be a little insensitive sometimes." "Could you be more specific?" "Could you be more specific?" "All I can see is cloud..." "white clouds." "White clouds." "I remember the shape of all the cloud and I can hear her cream." "and I can hear her cream." "I Remember the way he looked at me." "She wanted to read my notebooks homeday, and there you were." "It was your smile..." "your eyes... your mouth..." "It was your smile..." "your eyes... your mouth..." " Hello, honey." " I'll be right with you." "your hair..." " Do you notice anything different?" " I'm writing, Lucía." "Laura!" "I already told you it's force of habit." "Do you like it?" "Do you like it?" "You don't like it." "It's not necessary." "I'm Laura." "I'm Laura." "I'm Laura, you idiot!" "I'm Laura!" "I'm sorry." "Okay, do you like it or not?" "Yes, I like it, but you..." "You have to be you!" "You have to be you!" "Don't worry, relax." "I like it." "It looks very pretty, honey." "It looks very pretty." "Is that better?" "I love you very much." " I love you very much, okay?" " It doesn't feel like it sometimes." "Okay, if I call you Lucìa, it's just force of habit." "It was all very fast." "It's going to take some time." "And I want to know if you're willing to accept things the way they are." "And I want to know if you're willing to accept things the way they are." "All right." "Kiss me." "So?" "I was thinking about telling her to bring her things over." "To move in." " Who?" " Lucía." "Lucìa?" "Laura." "Laura." "Good." "Let me ask you a question." "You came here because it was a condition set by Lucía." "Now that she's gone" "Now that she's gone and you are in a new relationship with..." "Laura, are you coming here because you want to?" "Because you feel you need help?" "Because you feel you need help?" "I'm such an idiot." "You're right." "I didn't realize it." "I didn't see that." "Well, thank you for everything, ma'am." "We couldn't meet my specific goal, but you're a great professional." "Javier..." "Javier..." "I want you to know that in my opinion, regardless of Lucía, regardless of Lucía, you need professional help." "If she comes back, she's going to bang her head against a wall." "I've already given her many chances." "Thanks for everything." "Aren't you going to eat?" "So how did you became a screenplay writer?" "So how did you became a screenplay writer?" "Okay." "I used to lie a lot when I was a kid." "I made up stories and told them to people as if they were true." "It was an issue at school, because I was eight and already very skilled at it." "because I was eight and already very skilled at it." "I was a good liar." "For example?" "I used to tell made-up stories." "Tell me one of them." "They were always stories that included my dad." "Other kids would say they'd gone camping with their dads or..." "Other kids would say they'd gone camping with their dads or... they'd go to work with them... and I would say we'd gone fishing, rowing or that I'd help him with stuff." "I was always the main character and I always did everything right." "I was always the main character and I always did everything right." "And what was false about that?" " I didn't have a dad." " Did he die?" " He left." " How old...?" " Six." "He came to my room..." "He came to my room... and told me he was leaving." "And that he thought it would be best... if I agreed... not to see each other again." "And I... said yes." "I agreed." "Why?" "I don't know." "I was six years old." "I don't know." "I was six years old." "And then I went to the window and watched him leave." "At one point, he turned around and looked at me." "He waved." "and looked at me." "He waved." "I thought he was leaving because of me, because of something I had done." "But my mom said it was her fault for having chosen a bad person" "But my mom said it was her fault for having chosen a bad person and that my dad didn't want to give us what was ours." "But I was already nine years old by then." "We never talked about it again." "Actually... no one knows I agreed." "Actually... no one knows I agreed." "Not even my mom." " Did you ring the doorbell?" " I rang at my son's house." " Javier." " Yes." "You must be his mom." "That is correct, dear." "And you are...?" "That is correct, dear." "And you are...?" "I'm Laura." "His girlfriend." "There must be some mistake, honey." "I'm looking for Javier Gross." "There's no mistake." "Javi's not here." "He went to therapy." "Would you like to come in?" "He went to therapy." "Would you like to come in?" "No, honey, my son doesn't go to therapy, and his girlfriend's name is Lucía." "Yes, he goes to therapy and he has a new girlfriend now." "There's no way my son is seeing a therapist, honey." "There's no way my son is seeing a therapist, honey." "Hello." "Hi." "Hello, Mom." "Elena, my mom, Lucìa, my girlfriend." "Laura." "Laura." "Could we have a moment, Javier?" "Can't you call on the phone, Mom?" "What for?" "To talk to a machine?" "Okay, I'm going to go buy something for dinner." "Will you stay for dinner?" "No, honey." "All right, what a pity." "Oh, all right." "Oh, all right." "I'll see you later." "Goodbye, ma'am." "Nice meeting you." "Who's that girl, Javier?" "And why's she wearing the shirt I gave Lucía for her birthday?" "She's Laura." "My girlfriend." "We don't have much time." "She'll be back any moment." "We don't have much time." "She'll be back any moment." "I talked to my psychiatrist." "Did you guys find the right dose?" "Yes." "We found it." "I'm so glad, Mom." "I talked to him about you." "I talked to him about you." "I told him about what you were writing." "And it's no coincidence, Javier." "That you're writing the story of a man who leaves his family on the highway." "That's what my psychiatrist said." "That's what my psychiatrist said." "He's a real expert, you know." "I also asked him if certain things I hadn't told you were related and he said yes, maybe they were." "And I was too young, Javier." "I was too young." "And I was too young, Javier." "I was too young." "And I had troubles, you know." "I had troubles." "So, honey, if I made mistakes, it's because I couldn't handle that." "I was very young." " You had troubles." " I had lots of troubles." " You had troubles." " I had lots of troubles." "I grew up in a violent home." "My parents hated each other and I had to prevent them from killing each other." "It was very difficult for me." "It was very difficult." "It was very difficult for me." "It was very difficult." "I was too young." "And you had troubles." "Don't make fun of me, Javier." "This is very hard for me." "Wouldn't you rather leave this for some other time?" "Wouldn't you rather leave this for some other time?" "This is very hard for me, dear." "It's very hard for me." "That's why we should leave it for some other time..." "Your father's not your father, Javier." "Do you hate me?" "Do you hate me?" "No." " Yes, you hate me." " No, Mom, I don't hate you." "But I'm getting tired of telling you I don't hate you." "And if you keep saying it, you'll end up getting what you want." "And what do I want?" "What do I want?" "I was too young." " I was too young!" "And you had troubles." "Look, Javier, I was in love with a college classmate." "But he studied philosophy, and he couldn't get me out of my house." "That's why I married your father." "He was a businessman." "So you married my father?" "No, I..." "I got married so I could leave my house, but..." "I was still in love with this guy from college..." "Fatty." "So anyway, we kept seeing each other." "Explain what you mean by the fact that you kept seeing each other." "I got pregnant, Javier." "I got pregnant." " From my father?" " Yes..." "No." "From the man who really is your father." "But I didn't have the courage to tell your father until I was 4 months along." "Hold it, hold it." "you're making me dizzy." " So you told my father?" " Yes..." "No!" "Your father, Javier..." "Your father!" "Why do you have to joke around with something so hard for me?" "Hard?" "It's an old story, Mom." "You can't keep harping on a night of sex you had back in 1968, in the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll era, when the hippies went around screwing each other." "Get over it." "Just look at yourself." "We decided to have an abortion." "Okay, but then you changed your mind." "Cut it out, Mom." "No, we didn't change our minds." " Oh, you didn't." " No, we couldn't." "My tummy was already too big." "People were already congratulating me." "And we couldn't find anyone to perform the abortion because it was risky." "Risky for who?" "For me." "I couId have died." "Yes." "So your father decided to go forward with it." "He asked me to stop seeing Fatty and not to talk about it ever again." "My father decided to go forward with it?" " Yes..." "No..." " Yes?" "No?" "When I say your father, I mean your father." " The man you know as your father." " I get it." "So that's what we did." "We went forward with it." "But..." "I had troubles." "You kept having troubles, Mom." "I was still in love with Fatty." "I had these fantasies." "So. one day I plucked up courage, went up to your father and confessed it to him." "To Fatty or Skinny?" "I'm gonna bang you in the head." "My girlfriend will come in any minute." "That's not your girlfriend." "Lucía's your girlfriend." "That may be a friend or something." "No..." "You've always had troubles, Javier." "You've always had troubles and I'm here to help you." " You may not have realized." " You're helping me a lot, Mom." "Well, the thing is I... told your father that I had fantasies about Fatty." "And we split up on good terms." "So then I went to see Fatty and I told him I'd left my husband and he went crazy." "He said I shouldn't have done that." ""You shouldn't have done that, Elena.'"" "Crazy, isn't it?" "Then I realized Fatty didn't love me." "So I ran back to your father and told him." "And he said it was too late." "Yes, it was too late." "It was too late because he was already with that lizard, his wife." "And he didn't even want to give me half our savings." "I had to sue him!" "Mom... you married him because he was a businessman." "You had a baby with another man." "And you told him you were still in love with Fatty." "You should understand." "Right..." "Okay, look, mom..." "I haven't seen my father in twenty-three years." "I mean the one we usually call my father; the skinny one." "Because I've never seen Fatty." "So don't worry about me because this doesn't change a thing." "Now, as I said, my girlfriend will be here any minute." "Hi." "How are you?" "Are you sure you're not staying?" "No, thank you, dear." "I have to work." "Oh, too bad." "Pay attention." "Because this is the last time I'm showing it to you, buddy." "Here I would set up a beautiful living room." "This place is great for a desk." "These... are the stairs." "Hallway with a railing..." "And this... is the bed!" "Take a good look because this is the last time I'm showing it to you." "Do you think it would be possible...?" "I don't know, I was wondering..." "Could we try it... before I sign the deed?" " Do you want to try it?" " Yes." "You'll try it." "Be gentle, please." "I like it when you wake me up like this." "Good." "I like it." " What's the matter?" " Pretend you're sleeping." " What?" " Pretend you're sleeping!" "Do you love me?" "Very much." "Her thighs slipped away from me like startled fish" "Half full of fire," "Half full of cold." "That night I ran on the best of roads" "Mounted on a nacre mare" "Without bridle stirrups." "As a man, I won't repeat" "The things she said to me" "Smeared with sand and kisses" "I took her away from the river" "Good morning, honey!" "Hi." "All I can see is cloud..." "white clouds." "White clouds." "I remember the shape of all the clouds." "And I can hear her scream." "Hi." "You should have something to eat before smoking." "What's the matter?" "Honey..." "What's the matter, dummy?" "What's wrong?" "He's a poet." "A man who writes wonderful verses inspired by the love for his wife." "By the softness of her hair, the angularity of her unique features." "By the depth of her gaze, the beauty of her eyes." "I like it!" "One morning, when the poet is about to set to work, the eyes that he loves look at him differently." "They avoid him, they abandon him." "He asks for an explanation, terrified." "And the eyes he adores, without looking at him, tell him that their love is over." "She'll leave to meet other eyes, other arms." "Then the poet loses his strength." "His life turns into something shapeless, senseless." "He doesn't work in the morning anymore." "He stops gazing at the moon and singing to the stars." "He forgets to look behind the windows." "And he loses his writing and his voice completely." "He gets a job and stops writing poetry." "He meets a mediocre woman whose only worry is her age and who just wants a family and to be normal." "He hates her!" "Yes." "Just like my aunt Esther!" "Actually, she's my mom's aunt." "She's my great-aunt." "She loved a man she couldn't marry because he wasn't Jewish." "So she married another man who was Jewish." "Well, he still is, he hasn't died." "The whole family knows she never loved him." "I watch her sometimes when she's lost in her thoughts, and think..." "She's thinking about the man she didn't marry." " Can I continue?" " Yes." "Since he has the body of a man, she thinks he's a man." "But you can't call someone a man when they've locked up in the darkness of their misfortune and haven't even left a gap to let a ray of light into their gloomy room." "You can't call someone a man when they've stopped gazing at the moon and thanking the stars for their existence." "You can't call someone a man when they've given up at a young age and buried themselves in their day-to-day activity, pretending to be living, when they're actually dead." "That's where the woman's wrong." "She thinks she has the body of a man between her legs, she can't see that mass of muscle and loins doesn't have a soul, it doesn't have a heart." "They have two children:" "the male who isn't a man and the woman who only wants children even if they are not the fruit of love." " I can't believe it!" " What?" "Two children!" "Just like my aunt Esther!" "One day... when the daughter was eight, and the son was three, the dead man meets a friend from the living days and finds out that the eyes that once loved him now live in the Province of Mendoza," "in a town called Las Vegas, among the snowy mountains." "Las Vegas really exists!" "I've been there with Nati." "I have to introduce you." "She's my second best friend." "She's really something." "Damn it, Lucía." "I can't believe this." "Laura." "The dead man who used to be a poet decides to buy a car and go on a trip with his family to Mar del Plata." "But he drives west, not south." "His wife tells him that's not the way to Mar del Plata, but she doesn't get an answer." "The dead man keeps driving quietly and just gives her this look... this bitter look, full of resentment." "Several miles later, she insists." "She tells him she's starting to get scared, that she doesn't mind improvising, changing their destination, but she needs him to say that they're not going to Mar del Plata or else she'll get out right there." "He stops the car at the side of the road, looks at her bitterly again, and says he doesn't think it's a good idea to leave her there, but he can't force her to go to Mar del Plata against her will." "She defiantly gets out of the car and says he wouldn't dare drive on without her." "Under the astonished gaze of his children, the dead man starts the car and takes off." "The children watch their mother get smaller and smaller until she becomes a dot in the distance, and then, nothing." "The children are too frightened to say anything." "That afternoon, at a gas station in the Province of Córdoba, the one with the body of a man abandons his daughter and continues on his way to San Luis and Mendoza with his 3-year-old son." "When it's night time and the first lights of Las Vegas turn up, the little kid wants to pee." "God." " Hi." " Hello." "Male came along to help me carry my stuff." " Hello." " Hi." "How are you?" "Hi." "I put your clothes in the suitcase, upstairs." "And the rest of the stuff is over there." "Your pictures, your books..." "The CDs didn't fit, so I put them somewhere else." "How are you?" "How's it going?" "Laura, Lucía..." "Lucìa, Laura." " She..." " Laura." "I heard her name." " Do you want to know her last name?" " Schemenizkolwickz." " How are you?" " I'm fine, and you?" "Did you hang that painting?" "I made it." "Do you live here?" "Practically." "She's your girlfriend?" "Yes." " The suitcase is..." " Upstairs, I know." " Do you need me to..." " No, no, forget it." "You told her I'm your girlfriend." "Yes." "Am I?" "You are." " All right." " You're crying." " It's understandable." " Shut up, Lucía!" "Laura!" "It slips... sometimes." "I see." " The CDs..." " Never mind." "It's a wedding gift." "You're getting married soon, I guess?" "Yes." "Congratulations." "She's mad." "Poor thing." " Is it true?" " What?" "About the wedding." "Yes." "Wait, wait." "I got a present for you." " For me?" " No, for her." "It's the most beautiful present anyone has ever given me." "What it is?" "Draw the curtains." "Can I speak?" " What?" " Just say a few words." "Let this light represent... that we'll live happily ever after... that we'll have many children... and that no matter what happens, we'll be together forever." "Where's your son?" "Where is Sofía's house?" "What Sofìa, sir?" "Tell me where your son is right now." "Officer, you guys know where Sofía lives." " I need your hep to find her." " What are you talking about?" " Who's Sofía?" " Sof..." " She's my wife." " Your wife?" "Your wife was found in Córdoba, in the middle of nowhere." "Your 8-year-old daughter was found at a gas station in San Luis." "Tell me right this minute where your son Matías is." "Hello." "How could you, Fabián?" "I thought you didn't love me anymore." "I did everything wrong." "Mistake after mistake." "But when you left, I didn't know." "I thought I'd die." "So, I rushed things." "If you still love me..." "I'm alone..." "You left your son lying on the snow at night." "How's Matías?" "If I had any..." "Go away, Sofìa." " But they're going to take you away..." " Go away." "Don't look at the edges." "Clouds are just clouds." "They don't guide or aim." "And forget about me." "You didn't know him." " Get up, scumbag!" " Wait!" "Are you going to hit me?" "WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JAVIER GROSS" "There you go." "Daddy, daddy!" "Don't say anything, honey." "Daddy's thinking." "What a beautiful doggy." "He's so beautiful!" "Javier!" "Your name is in the paper!" "There's an article about Argentine films and they say your name!" "I'm very proud, honey." "I'm very proud."