"We're recording tonight, and so we try to do things that actually..." "I'm too tired to do." "But as Faye Dunaway, I think it was, she said... with "Bonnie And Clyde", she tried to give people what they wanted." "That's a mistake, really." "I know." "Boy, do I know." "You can do it, but you use all you got trying to give what they want." "But I will learn my lesson soon... and then you will buy more records, right?" "'Cause you'll want to see me." "Let's see what we can do with this lovely, lovely thing... that goes past all racial conflict... and all kinds of conflicts." "It is a reflective tune." "And sometime in your life you will have occasion to say..." ""What is this thing called time?"" "You know, what is that?" "The clock?" "You go to work by the clock, you get your martini by the clock... you have coffee by the clock, get on the plane, arrive at a certain time." " It goes on and on and on." " Why does she talk?" " And time is a dictator, as we know." " She's preparing to sing." "Where does it go?" "What does it do?" "Most of all, is it alive?" "Is it a thing that we cannot touch and is it alive?" "And then one day you look in the mirror." "How old." "And you say, "Where did the time go?"" "General Lache, leaving the palace to cast his vote... asked people to look at the past 12 years and judge fairly." "He spoke briefly with a group of supporters and then departed." "Polls show that his lead has eroded sharply in the last few months... particularly in the capital." "LATIN AMERICA THE RECENT PAST" "Papers." "Sergeant Rejas." "Hello?" "What about her?" "She drove all night." " What is that?" " It's his dog." "We ran it over." "We're giving him a lift to Huanta." " What was your dog's name?" " Tupac." " Where have you come from?" " The capital." "That's 1 ,700 miles." "What brings you here?" "Her father." "He's being buried this afternoon." "Sorry." " Why do you have temporary papers?" " Mine were stolen." "Even temporary papers need a photo." "Technically, I should detain you." "Pisac, stay with the truck." "Would you mind getting out, please?" "How was the road?" "Government assures us it will be finished any day now." "I'm sure you have faith in all government pronouncements." " Yes, of course." " I hoped to take that road tomorrow." " Why?" " I've been promoted." "So, your name is Melquiades Durán?" "And you're a laborer?" " Born in Galiteo de Marañón?" " That's right." "Has your colleague always been corrupt?" "I don't know about always." "Certainly in the three years I've known him." "Does that bother you?" "I was a lawyer once, so regrettably I have familiarity with corruption." "Distinguishing marks?" "What's wrong with your neck?" " The country gives me a rash." " The countryside?" "That too." "I have to take you outside." "Will you take off your glasses?" "That's it." "One second, I'll be right with you." "Sergeant Rejas." "Hi, Sylvina." "Listen, I have..." "Pisac!" "Pisac!" "What are you doing?" "FIVE YEARS LATER THE CAPITAL" "Scoop tortilla, mamita." "What the fuck is that?" "Jesus." "What?" ""The point of the next century... will be for man to rediscover his gods." "Long live el Presidente Ezequiel."" "Who the fuck's Ezequiel?" "There's something in his throat." " Yes, there is." "Dynamite." " Nice." "Okay." "Sergeant Gómez?" "Sergeant Gómez?" "It's Lieutenant Rejas." "Will you check in our library any reference to a person... or perhaps an organization called Ezequiel?" "Like the prophet." "No, Gómez, in the Bible." "And also what a dead dog might symbolize." "Yes, thank you." "Have you any ideas, sir?" "In my village, when you died, your family hung your dog with you." "Why?" " Dogs swim good in the underworld." " People believe that?" "Sucre, where I grew up... we were taught foreigners came to rob our body grease... and that the government used this human fat to lubricate its machines." "Sir... should I ask him if he wants to borrow my penis?" "Should I?" "Lieutenant Rejas?" "Sergeant Sucre?" "I'm Major Kwan." "Thank you for helping us out." "At the other side of the building there's a door in the wall." "In the next few minutes, a man will walk up." "It is requested that you open the door, wait by the car... and make sure no one engages him in conversation or takes his photograph." "And for your information, do be discreet in what you say." "There are microphones everywhere." "Pull your car over there." "Thank you." " And who is this person?" " A private citizen." " Hey!" "What's in the briefcase?" " My laundry." "His laundry." "Yes?" "Don't worry, I'll spell it out for you." "E-Z-E..." "Q-U-I..." "E-L." "Yes." "Excuse me, weren't you a junior partner at Belaunde  Vargas?" "Yes, I was." "Welcome, Mr. President." "Congratulations on your election." " Good luck, Mr. President." " Viva el Presidente!" "Let me hang this up first." "DEATH TO DENG XIAO PING LONG LIVE PRESIDENT EZEQUIEL" "Yeah, rice wine has that effect on me too." "So who was that shadowy motherfucker?" "Tristán Calderón." "He's a lawyer." "He represented the drug cartels." "He represented that pretty soldier who made all the students disappear." "He also represented the President elect in a statutory rape case." " How do you know?" " I worked at the law firm which acted as counsel for the girl." " I never heard that." "What happened?" "She dropped it after her father lost his job and her brother was raped." " She now lives in Miami." " Jesus Christ!" "Fuck." "WHEN I HEAR THE WORD CULTURE I REACH FOR MY PISTOL" "Okay." "Now... what sort of a person would do that?" "I don't know, but I wouldn't entirely rule out a cat lover." "I've something for my father, Sr. Granizo." "Okay." "Sr. Granizo!" "Here's your son!" "Papa!" "Papa!" "Viva el Presidente Ezequiel!" ""Viva el Presidente Ezequiel."" " You were a lawyer before." " That's right." "Lawyers." "They're the worst." "Bent, you never catch them." " You want one?" " No, thank you, sir." " Why did you want to be a lawyer?" " I don't think I did want to be." " What did you want to be?" " I wanted to be a coffee farmer." " Like my father." " So why didn't you?" " What stopped you?" " I lack a coffee farm." " What happened to your father's?" " The military seized it." "Do you have a feeling about that?" "Or are you the Gary Cooper type?" "I do have a feeling about that, but perhaps I am the Gary Cooper type." "So... you went to university, you got yourself a first-class degree." "A prestigious law prize." "Worked with a bunch of fat cats." "Suddenly you quit." "Not to move to Florida, like anyone with half a fucking brain... but to San Luis Police Academy." "Jesus Christ, Rejas." "You're 36 years old." "You could be heading for a judgeship by now." "Not a lieutenant, having to make ends meet on diplomatic road watch." " Why are you here?" " I heard a powerful attorney say... that establishing the truth was only one of the things a trial is for." "That is when I understood the law wasn't for me." " Do you have a delicate constitution?" " No, sir." "No." "You speak Quechua?" " Well, yes." "My mother's part Indian." " At police college... we used to make the Indians eat dog shit." "Then it's fortunate that I wasn't in your class, sir." " Fortunate for whom?" " I should think both of us." "Here's what I want you to do." "I want you to take four people... if you can find four who aren't on some criminal's payroll... and I want you to investigate this entity called Ezequiel." "Find it out before the Army does." "Want the Army on the streets again?" "No, sir." " You can go." " Thank you, sir." "May I take this with me?" "What did you tell Calderón about Ezequiel?" "Nothing." "You're not the only policeman here who speaks Quechua." ""Man stoned to death." "A 33-year-old policeman... was stoned to death last week in Sierra de Pruna."" ""Mystery surrounds body." "An unidentified body was found... with the limbs hacked off on a roadside near Jauja... 200 miles east of the capital." "A note attached to the man's neck... was written in the victim's blood:" "'Hurry to cut off the fat arms of the damned."'" ""A message found on the body declared..." "'Guns will make us powerful." "Butter will only make us fat."'" ""Dead dogs suspended from lampposts." "Macabre spectacle."" ""The body had been skinned alive using a high-pressure water hose."" "Working at the car wash, yeah" " Do you like it?" " Yes, it's really sweet." " Where might I have put my Bible?" " I put those things in the cabinet." "Here?" "Good morning." "Jesus Christ, are you with the police force?" "Sergeant Sucre, you begin." "We've drawn a blank with the boy bomber, sir." "Part of his face was intact, so I've circulated an artist's impression." "He was about 1 0 years old, probably not a local." "Before entering the hotel, he drank Inca-Cola, ate meatballs with rice." "But no one's claimed the body and no one has heard of Ezequiel before." "So, we have no suspects." " What about those dogs?" " Clorindo, please." "Yes." "Well, as it turns out... it's not the first time dogs have been killed like that." "In the last election, dogs were strung up... in two villages in the Ayacucho region." "I've checked the folklore... bearing in mind one or two references to Deng Xiao Ping." "Yes, in China, you may be interested to know... a dead dog is symbolic of a tyrant condemned to death by his people." " Llosa." " In the valleys around Huallaga... masked groups have twice been reported conducting kangaroo trials." "The targets in both cases were government representatives." "They were executed in a ritualistic way, with stones or knives." "Then messages were written in their blood." ""A strategic equilibrium"." "Anybody here know what the fuck that means?" "You've traced some of this... this crap back to a German philosopher?" "So far, I've found three references from Kant and 2 from the prophet Ezequiel." " Yes, but who is this Ezequiel?" "Some guy who never got laid?" "Some smartaleck who reads too much?" "Some creep on a bridge spitting at the traffic?" "What is your theory?" "Well, if it is a creep spitting off a bridge, he has a lot of saliva." "It seems these actions started in the countryside... around the time General Lache stepped out." "Most have taken place in incredibly isolated communities... where the idea of a central government almost doesn't apply." "And there haven't been a ton of them, about 37 in five years." "And at first glance they might appear to be random and scattered." " In no case was there ever a name." " Lieutenant, what are you saying?" "I'm saying that five years ago these actions... were thought to be by secret wings of the Army, drug cartels... or student organizations... but in fact may not have been." "Well, then who is behind it?" "We have a name, don't we?" "We do now have a name." "But so far there isn't a manifesto, a plan, a spokesperson." "We don't have any clue as to who the leaders are." "There isn't an organization or a known HQ." "There is only Ezequiel." "So, what you're saying is we don't know what he or she is who they are or what they want?" " No, sir." " Can you speak?" " Yes." "Any conclusion?" "It appears a revolution could be going on... but a revolution that has yet to declare itself in act or intention." "For the moment." "Tomcats." "Do you know anything about them, Rejas?" "No, sir." "If you're looking for a tomcat, you don't send two dogs up an alley... because they knock over garbage cans, bite, fight, fuck each other." "The cat just leaps up a tree, pisses on them." "You send in someone who knows the other one's way of thinking... how he smells, how to meow." "You send in another tomcat." "So I want you to be my tomcat, Rejas." "Very well, sir." "Sweetheart." "Where's your mother?" " Hi, honey." " Hi." "Marco sent the camera and the film." "He got it and he already has one." "I know we can't afford it now, but which one you prefer?" "I can't decide." " The one you already have." " You're just saying that." " It changed Marina's life." " Marina's had a nose job?" "My God, Agustín, how can you be a detective?" "She's had three nose jobs since you've known her." " You want to look like your friends?" " I don't want to look like them." "I just don't want to spend my life reminding people of Pinocchio." " I've been promoted." " Really?" "I might even be paid now." "NINE MONTHS LATER We wait six weeks for him to put another packet in the fridge." "And last night we grab him." "But what's in the packet this time?" "A leg of ham." "We have to let him go." "6 weeks watching a fucking freezer!" "Did you confiscate the ham?" "Yes, it's what we're having for lunch." " What about the student haunts?" " We got 4 cafés under surveillance." "But we have to do it on rotation." "It takes a lot of manpower." "Keep at it for the moment." "What else have we got?" "Two homosexuals beheaded." "And they shot the mayor of Silar." "Silar?" "Any suspects?" "Just 23 million." "Then we are narrowing it down." " Lf he's a democrat I'm an astronaut." " They could find him if they wanted." "I know him." "Quite a few people know him." "And even more people know why we need him." "What we are discussing here is a new birth... and a new birth involves blood." "Okay, who says:" ""It's necessary that our civilization builds its temples... on mountains of corpses, on an ocean of tears on deaths without number"?" " Napoleon." "Charo?" " Von Hassler?" " Right." "Who said:" ""I'd like the last king strangled by the sash of the last priest"?" " Mussolini?" " No." " Pol Pot?" " Lord Rochester?" "Jean Messelier." "Who said: "Man's ultimate desire is to be God"?" " Who is Ezequiel?" " It's possible..." " Oh, fuck!" " Why?" "Why do you say possible?" " 'Cause I'm not sure." " But you said you were." "It's possible he was a Kantian philosopher... of no small distinction." "I taught with him at San Cristóbal, Ayacucho." " And why do you think he's Ezequiel?" " Because of who he believed he was." " Like?" " The fourth flame of Communism... after Mao, Lenin and Marx." "He was also fond of quoting the prophet Ezequiel." "You're a man who understands history, right?" "If you want to start a revolution, why not issue a manifesto?" "Why not show the people who you are, what you are doing?" "That's perfectly understandable." "Socrates wrote nothing down." "Neither did Jesus." "You see, the problem with text is... that it assumes its own reality." "It cannot answer, it cannot explain." "So, if you wanted to be effective, you'd leave no trace." "Right?" "That's right." " Describe him." " But this was ten years ago." "Then concentrate." "Average height... glasses, dark hair, thin." " Dress?" " Left Bank look." "Supposedly he'd been in Paris." "Always a cigarette in his mouth." " Can you remember the brand?" " Very well." "He made this thing of preferring unfiltered Camels." " Would you have a photo of him?" " He'd never allow that." "I see." "So what is this person's name?" "Rivas." "Edgardo Rodríguez Rivas." "Fine." "Thank you very much." "No, honey, wait." "Marco saw the guy who wrote it on TV." "He thinks women here'll love it." "I just hope Marina doesn't find out where I got the idea from." "Would you read my speech?" "Two pages is enough, isn't it, for 10 minutes?" "I'd happily trade." " Let me see." " And you will be here to help?" "You're not going to wriggle out of my literary evening?" "Of course I'll be here." "This novel is about a photographer cowboy... who is always bringing light into women's lives." " Agustín." " Hi, Marina." "I can't read my handwriting." "Is this the ballet school?" "This is it, big boy." "Brought your tutu?" " Where's Sylvie?" " At the vet." " How's Mom's apartment?" " Listen, we're..." " Sorry we are behind with the rent." " I know you'll pay when you can." "Anyway, don't worry about that." "Is it true what Sylvie said?" "They've put you in charge?" " Sylvina told you?" " Yeah." " We can't talk about that publicly." " I'm not talking about it publicly." "Is there a revolution going on?" "Come on, you promise to tell me, Agustín." " Or I will never know what to wear." " I'll keep that in mind." " Bye." " Bye." "Yes?" "Have you a moment?" "I'm Laura's father." "Yolanda." "But Laura's left." "You didn't see her?" " Yes, she's in the car." " Don't you want to bring her in?" "I'd rather not." "It's about your letter." "Laura has told you, I guess." "You want some cake?" "I made it this morning." "So, this is it?" "I'm sorry about the mess, but I wasn't expecting anyone." "Here is the money." "I'm sorry the check bounced." "It may not be the last." "My employers are in arrears with our salaries." "Don't worry." "You're not the first ballet father to bounce a check." "And if you need it back, you know where it is." " Sit down." " No, thank you." "Your daughter is a real spot of sunshine." "I'm completely soaked!" "I'm not sure you can answer this, but... should we encourage Laura?" "I mean, my wife is keen for her to join the Metropolitan." " Well, they do take very few." " Then, are we wasting our time?" "I have the feeling she would rather try the kind of things I do." "What is that?" " Minister Quesada likes the theater?" " No, he hates the theater." "But one of the actresses sent him some..." "You said it'd be a musical!" "Is it a life you recommend?" "It depends if you want your daughter to turn out like me." "What does that mean, turning out like you?" "No idea." "I'm usually moving too much to think about that, thankfully." "Bring back Robert Wilson!" " You funded this!" " Get on with it!" " Must be very demanding physically." " Yes, sometimes." " Why does Laura need a diet?" " No, she shouldn't be on a diet." " She needs energy and she's lovely." " I think so." "Yes, I think so." "Did they cut the lights everywhere?" "DEATH TO ALL TRAITORS LONG LIVE PRESIDENT EZEQUIEL" " Daddy?" " Sorry, sweetie." "I'll be right out." " But..." " What is it, Laura?" "I answered your phone and you should call the fisherman immediately." "Would it be too much if I left Laura here till her mother can collect her?" "But she doesn't need to collect her." "It isn't far and I'd like a walk." "Thank you, that's very kind of you." "Remember, we don't tell people what Daddy does for a living." " Of course not." "Will you be okay?" " Of course." "Tell Mom I'll call her." " Thanks again." " You're welcome." "Come." "We walk to the end of Calle Diderot and then we turn left at the corner." "Three dead:" "The minister, his wife and the bodyguard." " Sir, can I remove this?" " Yes, sir." "Who were they?" "Students, they said." "From the Catholic University." " No names, and they paid in cash?" " I was grateful for the business." "Merino has spoken to the Americans and Canadians." "They volunteer help." "Fine." "Thank you." "When did minister Quesada arrive?" "Someone's celebrating." " You drive." " Okay." "Stop!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Who gave these to you?" "Who gave these to you?" " Where did you get these posters?" " We were paid." " Who paid you?" "Who?" "!" " The wind blew it into my hand." " Get into the car." "They'll kill you." " I'm dead already." "A THOUSAND EYES" "Is that him?" " Yes." " How do you know?" "I took the photograph." "After an emergency meeting to discuss the execution of Quesada... the President returned to his chambers." "This was over his toilet." "Roughly translated, it says:" ""Missed you at the opening, but you'll be soon flushed away."" "The photograph is uncredited, you'll be pleased to hear." "General Merino... 11 months ago, I called to ask what this office knew about Ezequiel." "Today, our city woke up to pictures of his face everywhere." "May I ask again what you know about this man?" "Well, the leads are still very scarce." "I remind you, until last night, very little had happened in the capital... and we had almost no resources for investigating." "All we know is there's been a series of incidents... which sometimes have a connection with the name Ezequiel." "So you don't know that he's called Edgardo Rivas?" "That he was a professor of philosophy at Ayacucho?" "That these incidents, which you feel may be developing into a pattern... are in fact 327 separate actions... up to and including the murder of 6 policemen, 3 mayors... 11 city counselors and the Minister of the Interior?" "Gentlemen, it strikes me there's actually a revolution going on." "Why the Chief of Police has seen fit to keep the Palace in the dark?" "I've proceeded with this case as I have done in my whole career." "It is a matter for the police and for the Judiciary." "I refuse to detain people without evidence that they are implicated." "And last night?" "Are you asking me what goes on in the President's bathroom?" "No, Captain, I'm asking you about Quesada's murder!" "It was a theater group." "Two men and four women." "Allegedly from the Catholic University." "I interviewed the only group there, and they had nothing to do with it." "The President and five of his ministers were also sent tickets." ""Blackout"." "Lucky it wasn't "Evita", or we might not have a government." "What else can you tell us about Rivas?" "This man hasn't been seen in ten years." "In that time, what do you suppose has been going through his mind?" "I think he thinks that the capital is the head of the monster... that if the tree gives rotten fruit, then you cut down the tree." "Is that what you think?" "I think just because the President is a rapist, democracy isn't bad... and success might have come had we reacted earlier, with a clear policy." "And if the State was just, generous, firm." "Unfortunately, the State isn't." "This professor." "I'd like to interview him." "He's disappeared." " Why did I know you'd say that?" " Maybe he's in Miami." "Key witnesses often turn up there." "You have two more weeks to catch Ezequiel." "If this government is threatened or there's another incident like this..." "I will bring in the Army with such rapidity, such clarity of intent... that you won't be worrying about legal niceties." "Then I'd like a list of staff with access to the President's chambers." "Happily, there are only two of them." "The first is named Fuck." "The second is named Off." "How would the President feel about seeing soldiers on the streets again?" "Let the President's advisors worry about the President's feelings." "Then I suggest their security should be especially vigilant, sir." "I've already given instructions." "No restaurants, no beach." "Not even church." "No church?" " How old are you?" " Viva el Presidente Ezequiel!" " Well done." "Zileri, isn't it?" " That's right, sir." " Come with me." "Any sign of the Army?" " I kept the location off the air." "Apparently, there were three." "They took off on foot, dragging someone." " Watch the car." " Yes, sir." "Listen, look everywhere." "You can go." "Go, go!" "It's okay." "Help's coming." "Help's coming." "Long live President Ezequiel!" "You'll see a church with a tin steeple." " We'll be there in two minutes." " Fine." "You can go." "Blank, blank, blank, all fucking blank, shit!" "Wait, here!" "There's something." "There's something." "Looks like Chinese." "And some weird word." " Might be Greek." "What about these?" ""91092, Hola. 17891 , Elle." "24390, Doña cover." What?" "A code, maybe?" "Captain Rejas?" "Captain Montesinos, Military Police." " I'm taking over this investigation." " Under article 6223 of our Code you trespass on a crime scene." " Not anymore." "As of 7:50 PM, the President declared martial law." "This is no longer your crime scene." "I ask you to leave this house." " I hope I can pull this by myself." " Then you say...?" " I've to get back in business again." " Okay." "And then you go..." "Hey, guys!" "I need to lock up!" "And as Silk Leigh says to Katharine:" ""Old soul, don't worry, you will survive." "The strong tend to live."" "Isn't that clever?" "I don't know whether to say "what's happened to you" or "can I watch?"" "I had a girl die in my arms with her face blown off." " Oh my God." "They've declared martial law." "That should give you some indication of what to wear." " Yeah, sort of." " How was your evening?" "Sylvina's report was great." "But that book is shit." "Just the kind of crap Marco actually read." "Laura." "ADMIRAL PRADO ASSASSINATED 17 DRAMA STUDENTS KIDNAPPED" "What's going on?" "Investigation now is in the hands of the security forces." "They're taking all our files to copy and they've cancelled our overtime." "Was that you?" "You nuts?" "Look at my face." "How you think I keep it this way?" "It was her." "Don't touch those." "They're personal." "I asked you not to take them away." "Our orders are to take everything." " Stop!" "Stop!" " Let him go!" "I said stop already!" " Get off!" " I thought the world had gone deaf." "How dare you kill the group?" "!" "I told you we established their innocence!" "It's okay." "We don't need copies of these." "By the way, you shouldn't be so upset about this." "You're perfectly free to continue your investigation." "It's just that from now on you won't be so alone." "You know the great thing about me, Llosa?" "Do you?" "Do you know what I like so much about me?" "The truth?" "Okay, I'll tell you." "What I like so much about myself... is that I could like myself a lot more." "Honestly." "I have that capacity..." "Here she comes" "I love to see your eyes" "You're such a lovely girl Oh, mamita, mamita" "Llosa... ask whether she wouldn't feel better unencumbered by all that clothing." "Llosa, that's an order." "I meant that as an order." "Bye." "Let's go, let's go Let's go, let's go" "No gym today." " Like a turn?" " No, thanks." "I've seen her butt." "It's nice." "Jesus." "Police!" "On the ground!" "Don't move!" "On the ground!" "Viva el Presidente Ezequiel!" " Llosa, see you later." " I hope so." "STATE OF SIEGE" "Why does he keep watching that?" " He was his altar boy." " Did I baptize you?" " Did I baptize you?" " Sweet as honey!" "Is it out of cash?" "Papers." " Do you know him?" " Yes, he's my cousin." "Fine." " What are you doing in my war zone?" " I'm looking for a cash machine... that works when you don't have money." "I'm glad I ran into you." "I wouldn't have had the courage to come and see you." "You going home?" " Yeah." " I'll give you a lift." "When I was Laura's age, I played the flute in the candle dance." " Oh, yeah?" " Yes." "I've never met anyone who's been in Ausangate." "That's funny." " Do you want to hear her music?" " I'd love to." "This is what Laura has, her own way of moving, which you can't teach." " Just like the girls in the sierra." " Can I help put this away?" "Oh, no." "I'm going to do it myself, thanks." "Sit down." " Would you like some tea?" " Sure." "You shouldn't take her out." "She's so good you'll be shocked." "Really." "What is it?" "Are you all right?" "Yolanda, what happened?" " Why are you screaming?" " I can't breathe!" "Your nose is bleeding." "Where are your shoes?" " Calm down." " Sorry." "I can't breathe." " Please, take me outside!" " Put your head back." "I can't stay in the dark!" " Don't worry." " I'm sorry." " I'm sorry." " Here." "We'll go and find some light." " Should we look for a pharmacy?" " Oh, no, I'm all right." "It stopped." "I'll stay with you a little while." "Yeah." "Okay." "I'm so relieved you were there tonight, you know." "I'm sorry, but I don't like the dark." "I hate it." "Any reason?" "Do you only teach, or do you still dance?" "Well, just recently I started working on a new piece." "I have an idea, but I still don't know." "It's a..." "What is it about?" "Something to do with the murder of that theatrical group, you know?" " But..." " But what?" "It's unlucky to talk about work in progress." "Tell me about you." "I know you're a father, a husband, a lawyer and... what else?" "Well, yes, I'm a father and husband, but I'm no longer a lawyer." " What do you do now?" " I'm trying to find... a more honest way of practicing the law." "I wanted to see you before I left town." "So, if you're no longer a lawyer, what do you do?" "You said it's unlucky to talk about work in progress." " You're going away?" "Where to?" " My village." " You go back often?" " No, not since my father died." " And when was that?" " When the Army confiscated our farm." "And why now?" "I have to pay a visit to an old friend... who I think has something worth traveling for." "Be careful." "Okay." "This is fine, thank you." "I can make it, no need to walk me." "I've taken up too much of your time." " Could I bring you back anything?" " Maybe an emergency generator." "Not just a flashlight?" "A Roman candle?" "A box of matches?" "A jar of fireflies." "Will you be gone long?" "You know the fireworks you see in the blackouts?" "They say it's him planning his operations." "The women love to kill." "It's in their veins." "Then they fuck for three days." "Ezequiel too." "He just does what he wants with them and they let him." " How do you know?" " This broad I know from Tacna." "She hears things." "Man, it's no world revolution." "It's a fuckathon." "He's in the jungle." "He's in the mountains." "He's every tick of every clock." "He's every breeze in every tree." "He's every sun which refuses to set." "Can you tell me if anyone is living... at the old coffee farm?" "TO AGUSTÍN ON HIS FIRST COMMUNION." "FATHER RAMÓN" "Santiago... if I told you that I knew some people had come to this village... stayed in your house, murdered the village priest... and that his last supper was a number of pages from your Bible... what would you offer in the way of an explanation?" "Why did they make a tape?" "It was for Ezequiel." "She wanted to re-affirm her commitment." "By killing the man who baptized her?" "Who was she?" "She was called Edith Pusanga." "The Army killed her a fortnight ago." "An ambush... over in Tres Cruces." "What was she to Ezequiel?" "They say she was once his mistress." "She was a student of Medicine." "In the early days... she was the only doctor trusted by the Revolution." "Is he ill?" "Ezequiel?" "Is he ill?" "Your Bible." "Agustín, don't stay here." " Is the curfew still on?" " It starts in 15 minutes." "Agustín, if you arrive or call, we're staying the night at Marina's." " Yolanda?" "It's Agustín." " Agustín." "I'm sorry to ring out of the blue, but I'm told... there are women you can wake up at night and those you can't." " What's wrong?" "What's the time?" " It's almost two AM... but I'd like to see you now." "Are you free?" "Maybe you're tired." "I'd love to see you." "Where are you?" "Eighty pesos, señor." "Señor." " Next week is my birthday." " Really?" "How will you celebrate?" "Rehearse." "Then classes." "Then more rehearsing, that's all." "On your birthday?" "What about your family?" "...I don't know, three years ago, I guess, and when he left... he said the strangest thing:" "He said that I was just along for the ride... but I wouldn't get off until the very last stop." "Tonight..." "I am prepared." "Good." "So, what's tonight's code?" "Sorry?" "What's tonight's code?" "Blue." "Blue means that you'll be rung from out of the blue." "I want to find out prescriptions written by a Dr. Edith Pusanga." "No, here." "And also the translation of the Chinese and Greek texts." " Are you a good judge of character?" " I think so." "So let's see." "They are from newspapers." "So, picture number two." " Who do you think that is?" " Picture number...?" " Two." " Two." "Well, he's obviously a thief." "No." "Murder victim." "So, now..." " Yeah, picture number nine." " Policewoman?" "Yeah." "Policewoman it is." "Now, your turn." " Have you already looked?" " Just a little." "Picture number seven." "I would say... a judge." "No." "Murderer." "Number ten." " A thief?" " Right." "Well, that means half the people we meet, we get wrong." "Yeah." "Yeah, exactly." " What is it?" " Your wrist." "I always look at a man's wrist." "Or the side of his face, or his ankle." "The vulnerable parts." "You know, all intelligent people can fake modesty... but you really are modest." "So..." "I can walk from here." "I'm sorry." "You don't have to apologize." "I've no illusions." "You think I'm worried about you?" "I can't do this." "It would be really bad for us to take a step further." "I feel like a child standing on the edge of the sea... in my sad yellow raincoat and you're telling me not to get wet." "I want you to promise me you'll be careful." "Yes." "And you." "Yolanda." "Your wife called to see when you're back." "I said you were on your way." " Still no word on the doctor?" " They're checking the prescriptions." "To go back 7 years, it'll take time." "By the way, she was a dermatologist." " Sir." " Yes?" "Those translations you wanted from the Chinese embassy." "Sir." "Those Chinese words are formulas for fireworks of different colors." " "State Of Siege", did you watch it?" " Yeah." "Most of it." "I left the tape at the office." "Of course, the terrorists are all handsome actors with scarves while policemen look like a butt." " Sir!" " They don't have Guadalajara dog!" " I'll have a black bean burrito." "They don't have that either!" "Who cares?" "Just go order something!" "Can't even get a fucking hotdog!" "Only two things left in this country that work, tomcat:" "Ezequiel and the women's volleyball team." "Your latest orders from the Palace." "Reward has gone up to ten million." "Whoever captures Ezequiel turns him over to Calderón." " And keeps it a secret." " What's that mean?" "It means they'll shoot him." "It's a pity he had to bring in all this murder and philosophy." "It was perfectly understandable without that horseshit." "The body is believed to be that of former model Pablita Kellner." "A military spokesman denies responsibility." "For the first time, the government..." "My face is cracking." "No, darling, you mustn't speak." "Give it time to set." "Now, you both listen to my speech." "Oh, Agustín, it's so exciting!" "We're going to make thousands of dollars." "It's the Sally Fay Promise." " Sure, I'll listen." " We may win a Cadillac." " Here goes, then." "You guys listen." " Sure, I'll listen." ""Strategy" is Sally Fay's skin care for the older woman." "This new alpha-hydroxide serum will combat your skin fatigue... and sensitivity, what the Greeks call "psora", or itching." "It'll make your fine lines disappear and your face look ten years..." "Let me see that manual." "Daddy, look." " Daddy, what's that?" " I've asked everyone to come over... without their make-up on, so I can confirm their skin types." "Okay, honey, it's ready to come off." "Come here." " Let me know if you need anything." " Thank you." "Again." "Can you turn down the sound, please?" " Can we go back to the beginning?" " Okay." "Is that really him?" " Who's that?" " That's Edith Pusanga." "And again." "Forward." "Wait." "Okay." "Could you clarify that part?" "Could you make it larger?" "Stop, stop, stop." "There." "How can we find out what that says?" " Is it a painting?" " No." "A window, could be?" "Could we blow up those letters?" "More." " An advertisement, maybe." " No, flip it." "No." "It's a street sign." " I keep thinking Eros." "Eros." " Are you telling the fisherman?" " Not yet." " Can I search outside the capital?" "No, he's here." "He's here." "Calderón's people rang twice." "They want to know why we contacted the Chinese embassy." "If you draw a map of everywhere you've ever been... they say you draw your own face." "Where?" "Where are you?" "Yeah?" "Give me pen and paper." "Yes, I know Calle Perón, but that winds through half of the city." "What about others?" "Wait a minute." "Just one other?" "In Surcos?" "Calle Diderot." "You're a breath of fresh air." "After three weeks of sifting trash, I need a year in a scrubatorium." "We finally finished combing yesterday's refuse in Calle Perón." "Dirty work, diplomacy." "740 garbage bags, most filled with duck à la fucking orange." "Cigarettes?" "Marlboro, Marlboro Lights, Winston, Dunhill, Benson  Hedges..." "Jockey Club, Lucky Strike, Virginia Slim Menthols, Gauloises." "Not a single unfiltered Camel." "What about medicines?" "We got Xanax for panic attacks, Prozac for clinical depression... lithium for manic depression, X for psychotic depression..." "Maalox for stomach acid, estrogen supplements for menopause... yards of dental floss... and enough used Trojans to fill the Chinese ambassador's swimming pool." "I really hope people in this street have cleaner minds." "No Dithranol, no Kenacort?" "Nothing for eczema, acne vulgaris or any other skin condition." "I've been in Miami." "I know the heartbreak of psoriasis." "Sir, what color were the flares the night of the Café Haiti bomb?" " Red." " The fisherman was right." "Some enormous piece of shit is going on." "Last night they caught a girl... near the water plant with a bottle on her... and my friend in the lab says it was full of typhus." "He thinks he's won." "The country's about to fall, but I can sense him." "You don't want us to tell Calderón?" "He would supply us with enough men to search every house." "Do you know how long it takes a sequoia seed to germinate?" "About ten years." "Ten years." "No different to farming or fishing." " I know, sir, but..." " The trick... is knowing when to be impatient." "We're almost there, but not quite." "They're here or in Calle Perón." "Should I start collecting now?" "In a minute." " What was that?" " Sounds like a dog at a dustbin." "Who put the pubes on my Coke can?" "That's got a nice little walk on it." "Who is she?" " She teaches ballet." " How do you know?" "My daughter goes there." " Single, is she, sir?" " That's right." "Hello." "She's waiting for someone." " You can start collecting." " What are you doing?" "Oh, yeah." "I hate my Beretta showing when I'm trying out a pirouette." "Hush." "Hush, hush, hush." "Happy birthday." "I'll leave the slipper in the door." "I love garbage." "I can be around it always." "Calle Perón's finished." "Nothing of any interest... except maybe this." ""Marxism Today", property of the Cuban press attaché." "Okay?" " What about Diderot?" " We're halfway through Diderot." " We should be through by 5:00." " Anything?" " Nothing to give you goose pimples." " And Gómez?" "Problem with the maid in 332." "Her employer likes to plant geraniums himself." "So today he's whitewashing trees." "Soon everyone will want to move in." "Look, that gives you plenty of time." "Good luck." " Yes, the way you said it was fine." " Sir, I think you should come." "I have to go." "I'll talk to you later." "Bye." "Dithranol." "For the treatment of eczema and psoriasis." ""Keep away from children." But they're not Camels." "And they're filtered." "Which house?" "The class began on time?" "How many?" "14." " No, go on painting those trees." " Should we warn the teacher?" "No, that would create panic among the girls and alert Ezequiel above." "Find out who the landlord is and whether there's a ground plan." "And move our men in Calle Perón immediately over to Calle Diderot." "And concentrate on any movement upstairs." "And keep out of sight." "This is the Captain." "I can't speak to you individually, but listen!" "I've been inside the house." "It's divided in two." "Downstairs is a studio." "Our suspect may be in the upstairs apartment." "The ballet mistress doesn't know who lives upstairs." "Probably our suspect relies on a staircase at the back." "Once over the wall, you are not to fire unless you're fired on first." "Is that clear?" "There's a dance class there." "We wait until class is out!" " Captain Rejas?" " Yes." "Meeting broke up a few minutes ago." "He's now watching television." " Who else is with him?" " Three others in a room at the back." " And the dance class?" " It was fine, sir." "We wait until all the mothers have left, is that clear?" "Got it, sir." "Here they come." "Oh, God, she's gone back inside." "No, no, wait, wait, wait." "Come on." "Come on." "Get on with it!" "Look, sir, upstairs." "That's him, isn't it?" "Men in position." "Sir, men in position." "We are ready to go." "This is the Captain." "You can go in." "Well?" "It's him." "Stand up before the Captain." "Professor Edgardo Rivas?" "Captain Rejas, of the Terrorist Police." "We've met before." "You'll never kill this." " How many others?" " Four." "It doesn't matter if you shoot us." "We are in history." "We're not going to shoot anyone." "Find him a sensible pair of shoes and take him outside." "What are you doing?" "Let her go!" " Calm dawn." " Agustín!" "These bastards..." "Calm down, calm down." "Thank God you're safe." "You don't know who we've got upstairs." "What's going on?" "What's going on?" "Don't be frightened." "These are my men." "Don't you dare harm him." "You'll pay with your life if you harm him." "Yolanda?" "Is Yolanda with you?" "Everyone's with us, Captain." "Fourth flame of Communism." "He's just a big fat man in a cardigan." "Sir... it can be really dangerous if you don't ring Calderón." "Yes." "Yes, it could be." "Cecilia, do you have that list of press attachés?" "What about the reward?" "Any reward will go to the children orphaned by the violence." " Was anyone hurt?" " No more questions." " I haven't finished the interrogation." " Well done, Captain Rejas!" "If you are not busy during the next election, I have a job for you!" "... where the operation took place." "The Palace has refused to comment... and the whereabouts of Ezequiel at present is unknown." "Rejas did confirm that Ezequiel's name is Edgardo Rodriguez Rivas... and that he was taken into police custody without incident." " When will she come around?" " Half an hour, maybe." "I gave her another shot at 6:00." "She didn't understand what was going on." "You're wrong, boss." "Are you Rejas?" "Orders from the Palace." "Prisoners are no longer under your authority." "Okay, get them out!" "Professor Edgardo Rivas, you're coming with us." "With infinite pleasure, comrade." "Ten days after the dramatic capture of guerrilla leader Ezequiel... the political repercussions are being felt." "Yesterday, senators called on Captain Rejas to run for president." "His popularity could unify the opposition, posing a great threat... to the ruling party." "Thanks to the efforts of one honest man... our country can now breathe easily for the first time in a decade." "Meanwhile, the most notorious terrorist in the West... began a new life on the island prison of San Lorenzo." "A military court today sentenced former ballerina Yolanda Celandin." "As Comrade Isabel, she is believed to have run Operative Support." "The most damning evidence:" "A mention in her notebook of the bombed café." "Passing sentence, the judge agreed to a symbolic punishment... in addition to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole." "Will you stand?" "You will be condemned to a cell without light." "Viva el Presidente Ezequiel." "You wanted to talk about a deal." " So, what's the deal?" " It's about Yolanda Celandin." " What about her?" " Three terms of her imprisonment." " Which terms?" " She's to be allowed blankets... books and writing material." " And?" " Second, I insist... that she be moved to a cell with light." "I want to be clear on this." "You'll give your word you won't run against the President next election?" "In the next election." "No." "Let me tell you, this is impossible." "Your demands are preposterous." "Besides, as you well know, they contravene the due process of law." "But let us imagine a situation in which they could be met." "We would need reassurances." "You would have to give your public support to the government." "The President is much maligned, but he sees the bigger picture." "Despite the fact you disobeyed his express orders... he remains anxious to show the nation's gratitude." "I know he would like to offer you a judgeship." "This could be announced at a press conference, the sooner the better." "And the third condition?" "A quiet release after five years." "That would not be mentioned at the press conference." "By the way, she already had writing material." "This came back with the blankets you sent her." "She's only a young woman, Rejas. 72% water." "Yet you could have been president." "DO NOT CONTACT ME." "DO NOT TRY TO HELP ME." "I AM DEAD." "I LIVE ONLY FOR THE REVOLUTION." "ENOUGH." "Let's see what we can do with this lovely, lovely thing... that goes past all racial conflict... and all kinds of conflicts." "It is a reflective tune." "And sometime in your life you will have occasion to say..." ""What is this thing called time?"" "You know, what is that?" "The clock?" "You go to work by the clock, you get your martini by the clock... you have coffee by the clock, get on the plane, arrive at a certain time." "It goes on and on and on." "And time is a dictator, as we know." " Where does it go?" " Laura Rejas?" "What does it do?" "Most of all, is it alive?" "Is it a thing that we cannot touch and is it alive?" " One day you look in the mirror." " You brought your own music?" "How old." "And you say, "Where did the time go?"" "We'll leave you with that one." "CAPTIONS BY VIDEOLAR"