"A NETFLIX ORIGINAL FILM" "Why do I have to call her?" "For sex?" "She called me." "She doesn't get angry?" "They always do, but they get over it." "That never happens to me with girls." "Never." "That's because you have a tendency to fall in love." "Yeah, but they get angry." "You have to learn the difference." "Sex is sex." "And?" "You need a sixth sense with girls." "You have it or you don't." "And I don't." "Luis, you do have it." "Don't touch me." "You have it." "What's up, dude?" "Did you bring it?" "Yeah, we did." "Why do you want it?" "We're going to need it." "Yeah, but for what?" "I'll tell you later." "When?" "When Vero gets here." "Isn't she at a wedding?" "She was in the church, but I told her to come." "Did the lawyer call?" "I'll tell you later." "Okay." "It isn't serious, is it?" "Who dares?" "Let's go." "Carlos." "From the other end." "Did you see that?" "Luis..." "What?" "Not here." "Sorry." "Hello." "Why are you smoking?" "Could you stop by your house?" "Yes, I've got it." "Does it fit?" "Vero," "I'm sorry you missed the wedding." "They won't last long anyway." "What's up?" "No one knows." "It's a mystery." "Here's the thing." "Natalia rang me this morning." "Bad news, we're screwed." "No way." "They're coming Monday." "Fuck." "Now what?" "We have to see, but it's difficult." "Well, then?" "It's ugly." "We'll have to make a decision." "Okay." "How much will it cost us?" "It isn't a matter of money." "And?" "How long could we get?" "No, we have to settle something." "No." "Yes." "Yes, I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I saw them, but I was in a meeting." "Yes, I'll call you later." "Yes, I'll call you back." "No, Chloe..." "Fine." "Okay, put her on." "The four of us." "All day." "Yes." "Nothing, it's Murphy's Law." "You know how it is." "Of course." "Yes." "Okay, I don't want to hold you up." "Give my love to everyone." "Enjoy yourself." "I'll call the restaurant and cancel it." "Yes." "I'm really sorry, too." "I was looking forward to seeing you." "Yes, I know." "I know." "Yes, I'll send you a WhatsApp later to see if you're awake, okay?" "Big kiss, sweetheart." "Weren't you going to call the restaurant?" "To cancel the reservation." "Yeah, yeah." "You notice everything." "Marcel, will you get me a beer, please?" "Have you eaten?" "No, I'm not hungry." "Sophie told me to invite you to the concert." "It's on the 14th." "She's very nervous." "Fuck, poor kid." "What's she playing?" "Chopin's Nocturne No. 2 in E-flat Major." "Difficult?" "Not for her." "Does Chloe know?" "When it's all over." "Hey, this isn't beer." "They're finished." "They're not." "You've had a lot already." "What?" "I don't want you drinking any more." "Who are you, my father?" "What do you say?" "It's no big deal." "Oh, no?" "If it was you?" "I wouldn't care." "Yeah." "Will I get you one?" "No, forget it." "I don't want beer or anything." "Luis, drink water." "You too?" "Yes, me too." "I don't want water." "Open the bottle and drink." "I'm not thirsty." "Will I open it for you like you were a kid?" "Will you fuck off?" "Yes, I'll fuck off." "Please, fuck off." "Yes, Natalia." "No, he hasn't." "Yes, we're on it now." "Did you locate the IRS official?" "Well, whatever it is, call me, okay?" "All right, ciao." "Well?" "He's due now." "And the other thing?" "It seems okay." "Sign it." "Can someone help me?" "José?" "Yes." "I'm Marcel." "Pleased to meet you." "Likewise." "Did I speak to you on the phone?" "Yes, you did." "Well, well." "In the end, I took a taxi." "What?" "Yes, it was 16.80." "Okay." "I'd have come by bus, but..." "Here's the change." "No, it's okay." "This is Luis." "A pleasure." "Hello, I'm Veronica." "José Veiga." "Carlos." "I'm Carlos." "How are you?" "A pleasure." "Likewise." "Please..." "If I may." "José, what can I get you?" "Water." "Sparkling?" "No, still, please." "And no ice." "Anyone else want anything?" "Excuse me." "Sorry, just a second." "I'll leave the change here." "No, don't worry about it." "Luis, stop." "First of all, thank you for coming on a Saturday." "No, it's no problem." "I suppose you know the firm." "Yes, of course." "But you don't know who we are." "Well, the owners, I guess." "Founding partners, with equal shares." "Very good." "If you agree, I'll get to the point." "This is the contract." "There's one copy for you and another for Human Resources." "Read it at your ease and tell us what you think." "Is the amount acceptable?" "It's very acceptable." "Ignore the budget." "It would be a bit more." "It can be negotiated each year depending on new recruits." "May I ask how many people are working in the department?" "We don't have a mediation department." "You want to create one?" "Yes, we think it's very necessary." "You too, I guess." "What's your objective for the department?" "None." "None?" "No." "Really, it's more of a long term approach." "Yes, we'd assure you a ten-year permanent commitment." "Ten years?" "It's on page six." "Are you interested, José?" "Well, it's... very attractive." "When would I have to start?" "Today, immediately." "Now?" "Yes, we need you to mediate for us." "If you do it well, the job's yours." "And if not?" "We'll pay you for today." "That would be your fee." "It's quite a bit more than I charge." "For your trouble." "No, it's no trouble." "All this for a mediation?" "I don't understand." "This mediation is a bit special." "Special?" "Why?" "Because you're doing it with us." "That's right." "With the four of you?" "Yes." "Well, in principle, that needn't affect my work." "No?" "No." "Perfect." "Great." "All right." "In that case, are you interested?" "Yes, I'm interested." "I'll fill you in a little." "Do you mind if I take some notes?" "Is it a problem?" "I need them." "Of course you can." "We have a serious problem with the Internal Revenue." "They've been investigating us, but today we heard they're coming after us." "And?" "Special ops will be here Monday." "No, the crime squad will be here to take computers and documentation, so the situation is delicate." "Delicate, because we have a lot of bread in Switzerland." "Black, I imagine." "Yes, black money." "With what they'll find here," "Financial Crimes can probably justify requesting a letter rogatory in Switzerland, and we'll all be caught." "We've been shut in here all day trying to resolve this situation and we failed, so we called you." "We have to decide which of the four of us will go down for this." "What do you mean by "go down"?" "Take the blame, and get us out of the trial while he, or she, goes to prison." "For how long?" "Seven years." "Seven years." "And what are you thinking of doing?" "All right." "Let's start there." "Do you know what this is?" "It's a cryptographer." "It's very simple." "The cryptographer is synchronized with the bank's server that does data backup and encrypts the IP from where it's connected." "So we manage to get it to work as if it were..." "Okay, in plain English, it's like a portable safe." "Exactly." "Okay." "We each have a personal account in Switzerland with a password, and that gadget links us directly with those accounts and changes the password every five minutes." "If they're investigating us and one of us makes a transfer to Spain, the police will only go after him." "I see." "And you're going to make the transfer?" "Yes." "Well, only one of us." "If the evidence points clearly to one person, there's nothing against the others and the judge can go whistle." "Swiss justice won't grant access to the accounts." "They're opaque." "They don't exist." "And what will the one who makes the transfer say?" "He'll say that he tricked us, that he kept a secret set of books." "And he'll save the other three." "And the firm." "And the firm." "Well..." "Are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes." "It's our only option." "We've looked at everything and..." "So, to be specific, what you want from me is that I help you decide who should make that transfer?" "Please." "In that case, why the contract?" "Why not just pay me for the mediation?" "For two reasons." "Because, if you do it well, you deserve the position, and because we want you to have an interest, too... in the firm doing well." "Do you all have the same responsibility?" "Yes." "Yes." "Well..." "What?" "What we said earlier." "Are we back to that again?" "We talked about it already." "If you want, we'll go back to it." "We spent two hours discussing it." "Tell him about it anyway." "There's no point." "José, just one question." "Do you prefer to have as much information as possible?" "The more information, the better." "Go on, tell him." "All right, I'll tell him." "Of course I will." "Look..." "I was the one who started it all." "We had a deadline for a government tender." "I remember perfectly that I was exhausted." "I hadn't slept for days." "We were working..." "What?" "Over 100 hours a week?" "Some nights we even slept here." "My sister was visiting from Shanghai." "She lives there with her family." "She was only here three days, but I had no time to see her." "I couldn't even take her to the airport." "She had to call me from the taxi to tell me she was pregnant." "And suddenly I thought..." "Of all the hours I've worked today, how many are really mine?" "Half?" "Less, in fact." "Twenty-six minutes per hour." "José, I'm taxed at 56%." "Who owns the rest of the time?" "The state." "I didn't think it was fair." "Neither did they." "It isn't so much the money." "It's the time." "All right, we earn more, so we pay more." "That's fine." "But the time we put in so as to earn more?" "Where does it appear?" "Where is it written off?" "If things worked well in this country, I wouldn't care." "But nothing works." "And you decided to divert money." "Let's say I became a bit more lax with the accounting." "First, it was just with my share of the profits." "But they flipped when they saw I was somehow making more." "They couldn't stand it." "Because that's how it is." "When you have a 50-foot yacht, you want a 100-foot one." "No?" "It's normal." "And when you have a house in Ibiza, you want to add a pool." "No?" "And if your daughter plays the piano, it has to be a Steinway." "And once you have all those things, it turns out they're not enough." "You want more and better of everything." "Isn't that right, Carlitos?" "It never ends." "We talked about it and decided between all of us, as we've always done here." "Between all of us." "We're all equally responsible." "Yes, equally responsible." "I guess you've thought about having a draw." "That's what I say, but..." "We said no." "I'm not going to prison for a draw." "Neither am I." "José, do you have children?" "We all have something." "My father is in a residence." "I have a daughter, Sophie." "She's about to turn eight." "If I go to prison, when I come out she'll be 15." "I'll have lost the best years of her life." "I'm not willing to risk my family's well-being in a draw." "It's a bit late." "What?" "Did you say something, Luis?" "Yes, I did." "We'll do as they say." "That's it." "But you're not very sure." "I think it's easier to have a draw." "Yes, but the easiest isn't always the best." "I know, Marcel, but I don't see any other option." "That's why José's here." "There are always options." "What are they?" "Can I tell you a case?" "Sure." "Imagine that two people come to you." "They have a problem." "A client has given them an orange." "An orange." "A delicious orange." "Like you never see now." "They both want that orange." "What would you do to settle that conflict without either coming off badly?" "There's only one orange?" "Only one." "I'd cut it in two and give each a half." "Yes, but then both come off badly, because each wants a whole orange, not a half." "Then, what I'm saying..." "A draw." "Of course, but the winner gets an orange and the loser gets nothing." "You could... give one the orange and promise the other that he'll get the next one." "But the promise of an orange isn't the same as an orange." "Like getting married isn't the same as promising to get married." "Of course." "It isn't the same." "I don't know." "It's impossible." "And if I say there is a solution by which neither comes off badly?" "Any other ideas?" "You give one the orange and the other some compensation." "Like what?" "A Rolex, a horse, whatever." "Very well." "But let's think a little." "The one with the orange will feel badly off because the other has a Rolex." "And the one with the Rolex, too, because the other has an orange that's so good it had to be bought with a Rolex." "All right, then." "What would you do?" "Ask them why they want the orange." "And what would you achieve with that?" "Discover that one wants the skin to make a cake, and the other, the pulp to make juice." "Come on, José, for fuck's sake." "You know they both want the orange to make juice." "Why?" "Because that's life." "We all want the same, the only difference is that some get it and others don't." "You're right, Carlos." "Of course I'm right." "You're right." "In this life, we all want the same." "Exactly the same." "You want the same as her, you want the same as him, and you want exactly the same as me." "Okay." "Yes, but who wants to go to prison?" "I don't know." "Maybe no one." "But isn't that why we're here?" "You decide." "Do you accept the mediation?" "All right, I accept the mediation." "Very well, let's get down to it." "We'll probably be here for several hours, so this is the time to make calls and so on." "I have to make one call." "Yes, of course." "I presume I can't smoke here." "No." "On the terrace." "He's quite a character." "I think he's very normal." "Too normal." "No..." "Softly, softly, catchee monkey." "You'll see that this guy..." "Cell phones off, please." "The lawyer has to be able to call." "Leave one on the table, with the sound off." "No one will call at this time." "Carlos..." "All right, it's off." "Thank you." "You should know there are three basic rules in mediation." "First, you must be here willingly." "So if anyone feels uncomfortable, they can leave at any time." "That includes me." "Second, it's essential to listen." "And for that, you must respect each other." "You're here because you have a problem." "But the problem isn't the person beside you." "That person is part of the solution, so you must listen to him." "And third, I have no stake in this." "I support no one." "I decide nothing." "I only ease communication." "I make you think." "You are the only ones who can take decisions." "Okay?" "So we'll be here as long as necessary, until you agree which of you will make that transfer." "Agreed?" "That is where the mediation ends." "Is that clear?" "Yes." "Yes." "Okay." "Did I see a chessboard earlier?" "Yes." "Can you bring it, please?" "I'll get it." "Each of you will choose a piece from the board." "Whichever we want?" "Yes." "As long as you identify with it." "Identified how?" "Personally?" "In our work?" "How?" "As a person, in the firm, as you wish." "Fucking spiritually." "Okay." "Veronica has the knight," "Marcel, the white rook, Carlos, the black rook, and Luis is the bishop." "Now I want you to explain, using the figure, what each one does in the firm." "Well, I chose the black" "Wait, wait." "Talk about what the bishop does." "But Luis is the bishop." "Exactly." "All right." "The bishop..." "The bishop moves forward." "He always wants to move forward." "He's a free spirit." "And he's also our personal genius." "He's our CTO." "Chief technical officer." "He coordinates the engineering teams." "He supervises their work." "And a long time ago he invented the products we sell here today." "And only he really understands what the fuck we sell." "Anyone want to add anything?" "The bishop himself?" "He defined him very well." "Well, Marcel, can you explain what the black rook does?" "The black rook?" "The black rook is always close to the bishop." "He protects him, and he tells him when he has to move forward." "Well, the clients set the move." "He knows what they want." "He knows what they'd be willing to buy." "He reads people very well." "That's why he's head of accounts." "He's the one who takes the clients sailing, golfing." "He invites them to Michelin-starred restaurants." "He makes sure they're happy." "Is that so?" "Basically, yes." "Veronica, what about the white rook?" "The white rook is the CEO." "Excuse me?" "The managing director." "He's in charge of everyone, right?" "No, not exactly." "The important decisions are taken by all of us." "But he sets out the path." "His area is strategic thinking, the long term." "He has the vision." "He knows where we have to go in the future." "He's always two steps ahead." "And in the new technologies, that's everything." "It's like he had a crystal ball." "But he can't make a mistake." "He shouldn't." "It's a difficult position." "It is." "Well, he's also the one that the clients know." "As a kid, he went to school with them, went on vacation." "If you have to know everything, I think it's an important detail." "You invite the clients to dinner, and they invite him." "It's a bit..." "And the knight?" "The knight..." "She's an essential piece, because she's different." "She moves with a different logic on the board, and she runs rings around us." "She's our CFO." "She controls the numbers." "Well, she controlled them." "Excuse me, Carlos." "What do you mean?" "A year ago, Vero set up a little hotel with a friend." "And, logically, that requires dedication, and we've had to get used to operating without her." "You're not serious." "That's how it is." "I said that you were free to look for a replacement." "Did you do it?" "No." "So I wasn't doing it so badly." "I'm at all the meetings, in all the e-mails." "I'm here every week." "I wouldn't say "all."" "He isn't always here either." "Hey, stop." "It's no big deal." "You're not that necessary." "What do you know?" "Come on, anyone can do accounting." "That isn't so." "And eating and going whoring with clients is expert work." "Without me, we'd lose clients." "Without you, no." "I could do your job." "And I, yours." "Carlos, you have no idea about accounting." "And Vero knows about whores?" "Do you?" "You're a pig." "José, can she insult me like that?" "Yes." "She can insult you." "You can insult her." "You can all insult each other." "And I can leave if you don't respect each other, as I said earlier." "What do you say?" "I'm sorry." "Veronica, do you want to talk about what you feel?" "How can you say anyone could do my job?" "You know it isn't true." "You're right." "We're all important in one way or another, okay?" "But what if we leave that aside and concentrate on what matters?" "Time is short." "We're going to be objective." "We all know that there's one person who'd have it much easier in prison." "And that's you, Vero." "Me?" "Me." "Yes, you." "I've been investigating." "You don't say." "And what did you find?" "Really, there's no comparison." "There isn't?" "No, men's prisons are terrible." "There are rapes, gangs, there's violence..." "It's horrible." "There's no comparison with women's prisons." "No, that's true." "You, too?" "Everyone knows that, Vero." "Marcel..." "Tell her." "It's true." "Yes, yes." "There's absolutely no comparison." "No, none at all." "You may not know that, in Spain, 94% of the prison population is male." "Did you know that?" "What does that mean?" "That the prisons here are made by and for men." "And the whole penal system is designed by men." "Suppose I'm sent to a women's center." "You know how many women's prisons there are?" "Take a guess." "Thirty, fifteen," "twenty..." "How many?" "Ten, I don't know." "Three." "Only three." "And as my family isn't in Ávila, or Seville, or Madrid, they'd have a long journey for a 90-minute visit." "The first year, fantastic, great." "The other six, no one will visit me." "But it could be worse." "I could be sent to a women's block in a men's prison." "Those really shitty blocks." "It's like being in a prison within a prison." "They're all on antidepressants or tranquilizers." "Don't laugh." "As well, men are separated by crime, women aren't." "As there isn't enough space, they're all put in together." "And you're right." "My cellmates won't rape me, Carlos." "In the women's prisons, the wardens do that." "A group of them, in exchange for nothing and with total impunity." "Vero..." "Leave me alone." "Let me tell you something." "If we didn't find anyone to replace you, it's because I didn't want to." "They don't know, but I told Human Resources to stop looking." "Why?" "Why do you think?" "I don't know." "I don't want you to leave." "I want you to stay." "It didn't seem like that just now." "I won't let it be you." "Yes?" "Is there any news?" "Okay, I'll put him on." "Yes, Natalia." "Are you all right?" "I'm great." "Do you want a break?" "No, do you?" "This is a fuck-up." "Okay, okay, okay." "Ciao." "What's happened?" "They're looking for the IRS official who's doing the report for the judge." "Yes..." "The problem is that by looking for him, they've set off alarm bells." "What does that mean?" "They could be here any minute." "What?" "Now?" "Yes." "You mean here?" "Shit." "Come on, let's get going." "We have to sort this out now." "Let's focus." "Why don't we take a vote?" "A vote, just like that?" "It's a fairly regular procedure, if you all agree." "Everyone writes on a piece of paper the name of the person they think is dispensable." "We talk about it, discuss it." "As you said, we vote, and whoever gets most votes makes the transfer." "Can we leave our paper blank?" "No, no." "Why not?" "Because all of us have to participate." "Fuck, it's..." "What?" "You're always the same." "If I do more, if you do more, if..." "I don't think that's what's important." "What would be important for you, Luis?" "It doesn't matter." "No, no, it matters to me." "I wouldn't pick anyone for what they do or don't do here." "I don't think that's a criterion." "That's all." "No one said this was easy, but we have to take a decision, Luis." "Look at my hand." "I have a gun." "Imagine I'm a murderer and I'm going to kill someone." "And I ask you, "Who should die?"" "I only want to kill one, but if you don't choose anyone," "I'll kill everyone." "There's no option." "You have to choose." "Think of a name." "You only have to think of one, you don't have to tell me." "All right?" "Do you think you've made the correct decision?" "Given the circumstances, obviously." "Good." "Take the gun, please." "It's a game." "Take it." "Good." "Imagine I'm the person you've thought of." "Aim at me." "I'll ask you for the last time." "Are you sure of your decision?" "Shoot." "Shoot." "He can't." "I can't what?" "Huh?" "Do something like this." "I can't do what?" "Do something like this." "What can I not do, Carlos?" "Don't kill me." "Don't shoot." "Come on, you can't do it." "Because you say so?" "You can't shoot." "And you can?" "You can?" "Yes, I'd shoot, and so would they." "No, no, no." "What he says isn't true." "What do you mean?" "No." "You're wrong, Carlos." "I'm not as good as you think." "I'd shoot, too." "I'd shoot, too." "Each one will state their case, and then we'll take a vote." "Do you all agree?" "Good." "Do you mind starting, Carlos?" "Okay, I'll start." "That game with the gun got me thinking a bit." "Luis, do you know why I said what I said before?" "Tell me." "It's nothing personal, you know." "Look, imagine you've got the gun and you're thinking of me, okay?" "That means you've voted for me." "Vero and Marcel agree, so I'm the one going to prison." "The day of the trial arrives, you turn up, declare and say you knew nothing about it." "So you commit perjury." "Like them." "Yes, like them." "But they're more... more practical than you." "Not you." "You'd find it harder to live with something like that." "Think about it." "It isn't easy, is it?" "They put me in prison, and at first it's fine because I'm tough." "I find my place in prison." "Or at least I tell you that." "On the fourth or fifth visit, you think I look bad, different, I don't know, a bit changed." "You think something's happened but you daren't ask, because you're already driving yourself crazy wondering," ""Christ, how could I have fucked up his life?"" "And one day you come, and I look really bad, seriously bad, terrible." "I'm unhinged," "I've lost weight, like when we were studying, remember?" "And, one day, you stop coming." "You can't bear to see me anymore." "That's where it all gets fucked." "You can't stop thinking about me, about how I am, if I've eaten, if I've been beaten up." "You can't concentrate on anything." "You can't sleep." "The insomnia starts, the nightmares, the pills." "I've already got insomnia, Carlos." "I've already got it, and the pills help me, you know?" "Yes, of course I know." "The question is, how much longer can you last like that?" "Until when?" "Until you do something stupid?" "Would I be better in prison?" "Well, in prison you'd have an easy conscience, because you'd have saved all of us, and all of us would be indebted to you." "You know I'm right." "I'd stick it out, Carlos." "I'd stick it out." "Even you don't believe that." "Know why I know that?" "Because if you really believed it, you wouldn't insist on a draw." "You want a draw so as not to point to anyone, because you can't." "Luis, think about it." "Seriously?" "You're seriously saying I have to go to prison because I'm the only one who'd feel remorse?" "I don't agree." "With what?" "With it being Luis." "Come on, you know I'm right." "And as well, you're going to vote for him." "Luis, he's voting for you." "Carlos, have you finished your arguments?" "Yes." "Luis, do you want to add anything?" "Luis, not here." "Luis..." "Have you got a light?" "Luis, you can't." "You can't." "Like fuck I can't!" "Like fuck!" "I was saying that I see it differently." "Of course." "Now, what you said was very interesting." "Thank you." "But I think that all of us on the outside will feel bad." "Yes, especially you." "Will you let me speak?" "Yes, of course." "May I speak?" "Yes, go ahead." "I think we have to be less selfish and think more about the firm." "What's best for the firm?" "Earlier, you said you were a fighter." "I agree." "Seeing you fight is something." "You're like a Roman gladiator." "And I think you'd be the one who could hold out best in prison." "But out here, in the firm, that's irrelevant." "You're here because Luis brought you." "But, really, everything is hard for you." "You're always bluffing." "I'm embarrassed to say it, but you always look as if you're about to arrive, but you don't." "And you're wondering when we'll realize that, really, you're a fraud." "Or not?" "Because we think better." "Our brains work faster, but we're aware of everything." "You're here as head of accounts because you have to keep people happy, and you're great at that." "You're an expert." "But when our clients need something, they call me." "You're here to play the clown, to tell a joke, to pay the restaurant with the firm's credit card." "Anyone can do that." "We can all do it." "I could do your job." "You?" "Do it." "If they let you." "I don't care about being CEO." "Don't make me laugh." "You all asked me." "You'd never give it up." "It's your toy." "No, it's my responsibility." "Running everything isn't easy, and you're not up to it." "I work more hours than anyone." "I plan, coordinate, detect errors, hire people," "I fire people." "Now you'll say firing people has merit, too." "You do it, Charly." "He's right and you know it." "Are you not sick of saving his ass?" "I say what I think, if you don't mind." "Yeah, what you think." "Yes." "Hasn't he humiliated you enough?" "You're pathetic." "At least I don't invent calls." "You really think no one knows?" "Putting on a show with imaginary calls so everyone can hear you." "If you have no one to call, don't call." "You're not pathetic." "You're ridiculous." "So, you couldn't run this even for a day." "Shall we continue?" "Do you remember Susana?" "Redhead, big tits..." "Anyone else know that Chloe nearly divorced Marcel?" "Didn't know that, did you?" "Yes, she was going to go back to Montreal and take Sophie with her." "But I sorted it out." "I spoke to the intern." "I paid her to keep quiet." "I got her a job far, far away... and I spoke to Chloe." "I told her I was the one who'd screwed the intern." "Do you remember?" "Or not?" "Tell me, did I sort it out?" "Did your wife divorce you?" "Is your daughter living thousands of miles away?" "Don't you remember?" "There he is." "There you have him." "There's your CEO." "The guy in charge, the one who deals with things." "Do I have to remind you how we got the first loan for the firm?" "The bank guy shit himself when I went to see him." "Is that right or not?" "Don't you remember?" "Marcel, you may be smarter and come from a better family, but I'm the one with bigger balls." "Come on, what is it?" "Does your memory fail you when it suits you?" "You're mistaken." "The one with Alzheimer's is your father." "Fuck you!" "Carlos!" "Carlos!" "All right, all right, stop!" "Are you crazy?" "Fuck." "Luis..." "Christ." "Sit down, sit down." "Don't leave." "We haven't finished the mediation." "Please." "José..." "Listen..." "You don't have to leave." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Forgive me." "Okay?" "I apologize." "Why?" "This has never happened to us." "It won't happen again." "José, we're tired." "We've been shut in here for hours, and we lost control." "I'm really sorry." "I'm sorry, too." "You have my word, José." "You have our word." "Please, don't go." "You don't need mediation." "You need another kind of work." "We do need it." "We must finish this, please." "Do you all give your word that it won't happen again?" "Yes." "Yes." "What's so funny?" "I always come off worst." "I always come off worst." "Do you know what I'm remembering, Marcel?" "When we presented our first software in Las Vegas, 2003." "I didn't sleep a wink that night and I was preparing the presentation." "When I fell asleep in the morning and you called and woke me up," ""Luis, swear to me you didn't fall asleep, or in half a minute you'll be in the hall."" "And I said, "Yes, I'll be right down."" "Shit." "So as not to go." "We were all so nervous." "We were taking a gamble, it was our big moment." "I had my white iBook, I remember it perfectly." "Everything was ready." "Mr. Mike Owen willing to listen." "Everything was ready except..." "The charger." "The charger." "Shit." "I fucked up, I forgot the charger." "I was in shock." "I couldn't even think." "But the machine worked." "The team worked." "Vero gave me a one-milligram Lexatin." "Remember?" "I think it was my first tranquilizer." "And Carlos entertained the American with a joke about a bear..." "Remember?" "The gay bear." "You don't come here to hunt." "You don't come here to hunt, exactly." "And Marcel found a charger." "We did it, we sold the software." "That's where everything started." "At that moment," "I remember thinking," ""These people are my family."" "Well, I don't know if you know, but that night..." "I got a call with the news that my father had died." "Luis, I didn't know about your father." "Sometimes it seems like we don't even know each other." "The family is full of shit, right, Carlos?" "How the story has changed." "Shit." "Okay." "We need to resume." "Yes." "Okay." "Well, so far we've had arguments from Marcel and from Carlos." "Carlos has proposed Luis, and Marcel has proposed Carlos." "We're just missing you two." "Would you start, Veronica?" "Yes, I will." "Shall we do it together?" "Together?" "We'll try to be more objective, more rational, okay?" "This is getting out of control." "Let's see." "Okay." "Point in favor, point against." "Binary code." "Exactly." "I don't understand." "Binary code only has zeros and ones." "More black pieces mean more reasons to go to prison." "Exactly." "Okay." "Some criteria have emerged." "One, who could cope best with the guilt of sending someone to prison?" "Great criterion." "But it has come up." "Me, for example." "Could I live happily if one of you went to prison?" "Yes." "Marcel..." "Marcel, too." "A point in favor." "Carlos?" "As well." "As well." "Yes." "And you?" "Second criterion." "Who is really necessary to this firm?" "I..." "Well, I..." "I offered to leave because of the hotel, so..." "I'm not very necessary." "Besides honest." "Point against." "Marcel." "Marcel..." "He brings clients, doesn't he?" "And without clients..." "Yeah." "You don't bring clients." "But I look after them." "It's not the same." "I think it's just as important." "But it's zero or one." "I think it's zero." "So do I. Point against." "And the clients come for my ideas." "Yes." "No, no, no, no." "Let's be objective." "When did you last create something we could sell?" "Look, Carlos, my work takes time, too." "How much?" "Four years?" "Five years?" "Carlos, come on!" "Third, the family." "Well, we all have families." "But who is really needed by them?" "I'm not." "My father could die any time." "With Alzheimer's you never know." "I'd like to be with him as long as possible." "Yeah, yeah, a point in your favor." "Hey, I'm sorry." "When do you visit him, Carlos?" "What?" "When do you visit your father?" "When I can." "He thinks you visit him every week." "I said, when I can." "No." "No, what?" "It's not true." "What the fuck do you know?" "What's his nurse called?" "I don't know." "They keep changing them." "What are you doing?" "Her name is Rosa." "She's been with him for three years." "You visited my father without telling me?" "You were to tell me when you went, and you didn't." "I'm his son." "Yeah?" "Yes." "Carlos, please." "I spent every Christmas in your house." "Not anymore." "Why?" "Because." "Are you going to hit me?" "Hit me again?" "You know he often thinks I'm you?" "As if I were you." "Triple draw." "Yes, triple draw." "Well, Veronica, Luis, have you finished your argument?" "Yes." "If there's nothing more to add, we'll proceed to the vote." "Very well." "Let's go." "It really suits you." "It's what we said." "What?" "You did a good job." "Clever bastard." "I did nothing." "Right, she does it for you." "Does what?" "What did you do in the washroom?" "What?" "Will you screw her again?" "Wait..." "What are you saying?" "Are you two involved again?" "No." "For God's sake, they never stopped being involved." "Still, Vero?" "That's still going on?" "Wait, wait, this changes things a lot." "They're together." "No, that's all in the past." "I wasn't even married." "Yeah, sure." "You know what he told her so she'd have an abortion?" "Shut up." "It wasn't the right time, the firm was more important." "Shut up!" "Do you know what he said to me?" "That you were the kind of girl to screw but not to have kids with." "No, that's not how it was." "And how was it?" "It was your decision." "Mine." "You don't say." "Do we have to talk about it now?" "Yes, why not?" "I'd like to talk about it." "So you never asked me to do it?" "We did it together." "So you never told me you wanted a partner, an equal, someone as committed to the firm as you?" "I sacrificed myself for you, Marcel." "Yes, I gave everything for this firm." "You said, "This isn't the time,"" "but within a year, you'd married and had your daughter." "Very coherent." "Very coherent." "Circumstances were different." "And?" "It was a different time." "Why?" "You know perfectly well." "You loved her and not me." "That's how you explain it." "Right?" "You tell me." "Chloe wanted to be a mother, to have a family." "And you were more ambitious." "You had no maternal instinct." "That'll do." "Forget it." "You wanted..." "Forget it." "You've said it all." "Can we finish this now?" "If you are all in agreement." "We are." "Are you in agreement?" "Yes." "Very well." "Marcel?" "Yes." "In that case, each one of you take a paper, put the name of one of the four of you and give it to me." "I'll now read the result." ""Luis."" "I maintain what I said." ""Marcel."" "I'm sorry." ""Luis."" "I said it." ""Marcel."" "Well, we have a draw between Luis and Marcel, with two votes each." "Yes, Natalia." "No, not yet." "We're working on it, Natalia." "Natalia, I said not yet!" "Well, it's between you two." "Yeah?" "Fuck that." "That's the result." "Now what?" "Now what?" "If you want, you two could have a draw." "A draw is no good." "It's different now." "Now it is?" "We've gotten nowhere." "I don't agree." "It's like at the beginning." "No, there were four candidates to make that transfer." "And now, through a system you all agreed on, there are only two." "So we've made some progress." "Luis, have you ever thought what you'd be doing if we hadn't set up this?" "If we hadn't met, all this wouldn't exist." "Honestly, would you be doing well?" "The rest of us would." "I'm sure the rest of us would." "But you?" "I don't know." "Sure, you may be a genius, and you had a brilliant idea that made millions for us." "Yes, a lot of money." "Okay, but that's it." "Now what?" "Now what will you do?" "You've got no initiative." "You're pulled along." "You're 40, and you've got kids of 20 under you" "who run rings round you." "So what are you saying?" "You were indispensable, but not anymore." "The company is about to take off, and we have to shed weight." "At any minute, we can be bought out for heaps of money, and I'm the only one who can pull it off." "All you have to do is relax and pick up the chips while we take care of this." "The question is, how many chips do you want?" "What do you mean?" "What do you want for spending seven years in prison?" "Luis, listen to him." "Would you?" "Yes." "Yeah?" "Why not?" "And what would you ask him for?" "Money." "How much money?" "Lots of money." "How much are seven years worth for you?" "How much are seven years worth?" "Let's settle on a price." "How much?" "Fifteen million." "Shit!" "I'd have said ten." "Fifteen is fairer." "How is that measured?" "Why not... twenty?" "You think 20 is right?" "Twenty million." "And 30?" "It sounds better, a rounder figure." "Thirty is a number..." "If you leave the firm, yes." "Marcel, would you leave?" "Me?" "Yeah." "No." "No." "But I do have to leave." "I do." "And you, Vero?" "Would you do it?" "I don't know." "No?" "I don't know." "You wouldn't take the money?" "Thirty million..." "Thirty million." "No?" "I don't know." "I know why you'd do it." "Why?" "You'd go to prison, if after those seven years you could be with him." "You, him and the child." "Right?" "What do you know?" "Wouldn't that be nice?" "You know nothing." "Really nice." "Look, can he do that?" "We're looking at possibilities." "He wants to buy me." "Let's say they want to know what share you want." "What would you do?" "I have no say in it." "I'm just here to help you." "Yes, but..." "What would you do?" "Forget about the mediator." "José Veiga, in your circumstances, what would you do?" "It has to be one of the four partners." "I know that." "But would you spend seven years of your life in prison for thirty million?" "For quite a bit less." "But that would be my share, and we're here to find out what yours is, what you want." ""Smoking kills," it says." "Those warnings are good." "If you smoke, you could die." "Up to you." "Can you imagine if everything had those warnings?" ""Don't go with that woman." "She might ruin your life."" "Or, "Don't take that job." "You may not be happy."" "Or, "Be careful about your friends." "They might be real sons of bitches."" "Like everyone, right?" "Like everyone." "It would be good if they warned you." "It would be really good." "All right." "I'll make the transfer." "You will?" "Luis, it's for the best." "But in exchange, I want... 51% of the firm's shares." "That's what I want." "You're not going to run the firm." "I may do it better than you." "I'll have lots of time, Marcel." "I won't allow it." "No?" "No." "Then you go to prison." "Anyone want to go to prison?" "No one?" "All right." "Then I'll go." "No, I said no." "All right." "So, how would this work?" "Do we cede them, or do you buy them?" "No, no, I buy them." "Perfect." "At what price?" "The price of the last offer we had." "I accept." "Carlos." "Carlos." "No, no." "You're crazy." "No, I'm not." "I'm fucking fed up with this and I want to end it now." "It's this, or we're screwed." "No, that won't happen." "Trust me." "I'm through with you." "With you and your fucking ego." "We're ending this now." "I accept." "You?" "Fine with me." "Wait, wait, wait." "We're all very tired and it's hard to think clearly." "Luis, think of another option," "or we have to start from zero." "No, no, we're not doing that." "I sell him 13% of my share, you do the same, and Luis has the majority." "We don't need you." "Is that it?" "Yes, that's it." "You want to get rid of me." "Well, I refuse." "You do?" "I'll tell the judge everything." "You're kidding." "No." "You'd send all four of us to prison so as not to lose control?" "This is a mess, and I won't allow it." "You won't allow it." "No, I devoted my life to this." "And I didn't?" "And him, and him?" "All of us." "We all did." "It doesn't look like it." "Marcel, it's all been settled." "Luis is useless." "And?" "He isn't prepared." "I'm here, too." "Or am I not capable either?" "Shut up." "I said I won't allow it." "Yes, yes, you are going to allow it." "You know why?" "I'll call Chloe and tell her everything." "You won't." "It doesn't interest you." "Does it interest you that I tell her we've been screwing for 15 years?" "Since before you met her." "If you want I'll call her right now and tell her." "And the times we were in hotels on business trips and you knock on my door asking to screw me." "Want me to tell her that?" "Don't laugh." "I can also tell her that you're not just screwing your partner, you also like to screw the intern and an occasional client." "If you want, tell me and I'll do it now." "She won't believe you." "I've got photos of you." "From when?" "A dick is a dick." "Chloe has to know." "That's how it is." "And given your track record, she'll get custody of your daughter." "I'm sorry." "Don't worry." "Children adapt very quickly." "Yes." "I'm sure she'll love Montreal." "Children love the cold." "Look, you can't go on like this." "Why?" "All the parties have to agree." "We're just talking." "Looking at options, like you said." "Yes, but you have to do it freely." "Freely?" "No, not freely." "Nobody is free." "Nobody." "Look at your contract." "It has to be on some page." "Marcel, do you accept or not?" "You disgust me." "Yes, we're disgusting." "We're disgusting, but is that a yes or a no?" "Yes." "Very well." "The mediation would end here." "Yes." "Okay." "Yes." "And if you don't mind, please pass me the contract so I can sign it." "Sure, here it is." "Let's do it." "Yes, Natalia." "What?" "Stop, stop, Luis." "Wait, I'm putting you on speaker." "What is it?" "Speak now." "That's it, guys." "It's all over." "What's all over?" "There's no case." "No one will go on trial." "But how?" "Are you sure?" "Yes, 100% sure." "Why?" "We've been very lucky." "We located the IRS official and he wrote the report." "A reasonable man, open to hearing proposals and let's say we came to an understanding." "We'll have to recognize his help." "It will cost us." "But the report will be amended to say that the fraud is not more than 120,000 euros." "No one will go to prison." "We'll have to pay a fine." "At most, an administrative fine." "The important thing is it doesn't matter what the judge says." "Those who sure will smell the rat are those of the UDEF." "They'll be watching for some time." "So you have to be careful, but just carry on as always." "As if nothing happened." "Keep going with projects, meetings, calls." "Hmm?" "Do you understand?" "Thanks, we'll call you later." "Well, good night." "If you don't need anything else from me," "I'll see you on Monday."