Arabian Nights: Volume 1 - The Restless One (2015) - full transcript

The first day I entered the shipyard,
I was almost horrified.

I had no idea
these giant machines existed -

cranes, stuff like that -

I never imagined those things existed.

I was a 14-year-old child.

So from an early age I thought,

I really have a lot to learn in life,
because the world has no limits.

When I arrived at the shipyard,
I was really in awe.

Working there
was always my ambition.

I loved my father's smell,
and that of his coverall.

So, I wanted to work with him!



I had a girlfriend, in Viana.

And this passion made me stay nearby.

I wasn't sure what I wanted yet.
All was up in the air.

Friends mentioned
“the shipyard and all,”

and like a lot of people,
I went down there, I registered,

and I was told straightaway,
“You start tomorrow.”

I started working on a Friday.

In fact, right now, part of the workforce
are still heading for the local cafeteria

where a plenary will take place

preceding the demonstration -

In the '80s,
the shipyard had around 2,000 workers.

If you weren't sleepy and always wanted
to work, there was work.

They asked for the help

of Viana do Castelo's population,
for them to join in.



Yet it hasn't been an easy day.
It's raining -

We made all those ships
for the Soviet Union,

made two chemical tankers
for Galp here,

another two for Brazil.

We've had the Apache, the Discovery

and that burnt Bulgarian ship -

The Kaprela.

I think there were eight ships
for Germany.

Then we made two huge ones
for Israel, I think,

'cause the guy wore these cloths
wrapped around his head.

The ship was called Carmel.

It was about 200 meters long, huge.

That ship marked me the most.

One night I was polishing some plates
with the angle grinder.

Then I put a plate between another two

and the grinder got stuck
and jumped into my face.

It was the guard that saved me.

The guard hit me and broke my teeth,

and the tip of the disc
cut my nose and lip.

Without the guard,
it would go all the way.

You had the feeling there wasn't enough room
for so many people.

It was like a constant hive of activity,
noisy, deafening,

everybody bustling about.

It was incredible!

My job is to direct films.

I know I'm privileged to do something

that most of the time makes me happy.

I really like this job.

And yet,
there are moments of anguish.

Everyone in Portugal is following the closing
down of the Viana do Castelo shipyards

on TV and in the papers.

Over 600 workers will be out of work.

I'm in Viana
because it seems impossible to me

to make a film today,
in Portugal, and leave them out.

I'm also in Viana
because Mr. Vítor is fighting, on his own,

a plague of Asian hornets

that threatens to decimate the bees

and destroy the local honey production.

The wasp exterminator invented
a weapon to burn nests,

and every day,
with the firefighters' help,

he wards off the plague's progression.

Apart from these two things occurring
simultaneously in the same place,

I see no other connection
between these events.

I believe there might be a link,
of a metaphorical type,

between the workers' layoff
and the eradication of the plague of wasps.

But I can't explain what that is

because I'm stupid
and abstraction gives me vertigo.

Wild track -

The director ran away and I'm following.
So this is scuttle sound.

Wait, I'm coming too!

The co-screenwriter is also coming.

Wait!

Miguel!

I feel I'm in the eye of the storm

and at a dead end at the same time.

Our current situation stems
from what I consider today

the dumbest idea of my life.

I thought I could make a fine film,

filled with wonderful
and seductive stories.

At the same time,
I thought the film could follow, for one year,

Portugal's current miserable situation.

Any mutton-head understands that,
more or less skillfully,

one of these two films can be made.

But it's impossible
to make both at once.

It's a matter of common sense.

You can't make a militant film

which soon forgets its militancy
and starts escaping reality.

That is betrayal.
Disengagement. Dandyism.

Likewise, it's stupid beyond words
to want to tell marvelous stories,

timeless fables,
fettered by the transient,

the foam of days,
the present's closed horizon.

We don't want money!
We want the shipyard!

The navy ships that just came out
had sat there for seven years!

After the last ship was built in 2009,

it all started to crumble.

Sometimes we would change a part
five times a month!

We soldered a part one way,

then someone would come and tell us
to change it, without drawings or anything.

It was like, “Just make the ships!”

Later on,
the shipyard stopped hiring staff

and started hiring contractors.

Everything spiraled out of control.

It was a snowball-

Some even resigned
and became building contractors.

They became rich men in no time!

Right at the start of building a ship
they'd say,

“This one is going
to be X millions in losses!”

For us laymen
who know nothing about accounting -

So I'm going to work,

knowing from the start I won't be making
any money, but rather sustaining losses?

They're crazy!

The day a vessel was launched
was always special.

It was a celebration, a festive day.

Some likened it
to a mother watching her son leave,

wishing him the best of luck.

I never felt that bond,
so to speak.

I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm outraged.

I was outraged
about the Figueira da Foz.

It was the first vessel
in the shipyard's history

to be launched
without a christening ceremony,

which is a ritual performed in shipbuilding.

There is a godmother,
a champagne bottle is broken over the bow -

I went to witness its departure,

and I confess
that tears streamed down my face.

I didn't intend to!

But watching the ship leave,
with its crew -

The crew experienced it too,

with the sound of the horn, on deck,
almost lined up, saying good-bye.

It touched me inside.

I got goose bumps -

Our bee dies once it's attacked.

The wasp will always sting
for as long as it can.

In and out, in and out.
Stinging nonstop!

Besides injecting the poison,

they also try to spit it
into the person's face using the sting.

A ship that is not christened,
not blessed,

is a bad omen
for the sailors themselves -

There are cases

of people being stung -

...dreadful.

People almost left in a coma,
in the hospital for four, five days.

This ship carries the keys
to the shipyard

because we were meant
to make a series of ships

and only made two
which stood there for seven years.

A mix of nostalgia,
some rage lingered.

Like, “The ship is leaving,

and is maybe taking the keys
to the shipyards with it.”

The other day a coworker leaned
against the wall.

There was a nest.

He immediately got stung in the belly.

The wasp was still inside his clothes
and stung him again, on the chest.

And so it was,

the keys to the shipyard went
with that ship, Figueira da Foz.

Another man,
who went picking grapes -

He got home, laid them on the table
and four wasps came out of the bunches.

He was in trouble, indoors.

It's a new bug.

News travels fast
and people get scared.

And rightly so!

- Hi, João. How's it going?
- How are you doing?

- Are there any nests for me today?
- I think we have four.

Let me see.

So, one in Lanheses.

Another one in Carreço.

I mean, two in Carreço
and another one in Vila Mou, Machede.

Is there anyone available
to locate the nests?

I guess there is, yes.
I'll call someone. Just a minute.

Fireman 41, José Pereira.
Please report to headquarters.

Let's find the best place
for the ladder.

On the other side,
because of the brambles.

Look, what a well-made nest.

A nice little ball!
It's the roundest thing!

Amazing!

Are they still out working?

Yes.

Can you see?

There are wasps.

Do you want to mark it with the tape?

Hiding out in Viana do Castelo,
or in its outskirts,

a place of so many stories
and characters,

I, the helpless, paralyzed director,

see the mental picture

of the orphan crew looking for me.

The film professionals scout
the coastline in vain,

flown over by seagulls.

They search bushes in the woods.
They chase away the rabbits.

They roam the city streets,

drawing curious looks.

They are uneasy,
not knowing what to do,

worried about their jobs,

and discussing among themselves
whether they will get their salary.

It has reached me that in France,
if I'm not mistaken,

they tried to use acid.

But it doesn't seem to amount to much.

Another solution,
which doesn't quite work either,

is to pour oil in the nest
and let it steep.

But they still fly away

amidst the blaze.

I showed the nest
to a colleague of mine.

He was very surprised.

We did some thinking,

and he told me he had a burner
he had used on a few shows.

Based on that one I made a bigger one,

and I asked the firefighters
to check what' I had made,

if it would work for the issue
they had been talking about.

They were surprised
when they saw it in action for the first time.

The Public Safety Office was there too,
and we began the first trials.

It was approved right away,
as we burnt the first nest.

From then on,

they appeared and we burned them,
appeared and we burned them.

Nothing is wasted
in the land where I have my beehives.

Rainwater goes into a well.

I've got a photovoltaic panel.

I built a wind turbine.

It took me three years, but I did it.

I got a few big radiators
to have hot water.

They're facing the sun.

I made a wheelchair for an uncle
who's been bedridden for many years.

I built him an electrical wheelchair
so he could move around the house,

using an engine from a garage door.

I've made a lot of stuff!

They even used
to call me MacGyver but-

Actually,
it was a TV series I really enjoyed!

You would hear

the clanging of the plates.

It was part of the city.

All that went silent!

From one moment to the next,
without us really knowing why,

we lost our jobs.

We were clocking in,

and at 8:00 AM the bosses said,
“Bye, gentlemen, see you tomorrow! ”

In the beginning we still did some repairs
to buildings and stuff.

Then they cut back on everything
because it meant more expense.

We all need to find a way
to putter about and not get too bored.

Having the computer around helps a lot,
exchanging information, e-mails,

trying to stay on top of things.

These last three years in particular
have been dreadful.

I'm a champion at sudoku,
crosswords.

I'm sick and tired of playing cards.

I had a TV in there.

Since I have a quick temper
and work out a lot,

I'm scared
I might grab someone by the neck!

So I take my laptop,
I sit at a little desk in the corner,

and I write theater plays.

That's it, I do my job!

One guy torched the TV

because he wanted to sleep
and it was noisy.

Others pulled knives on each other.

Everyone was going nuts, going crazy!

If it weren't for that companionship,
I honestly don't know.

I saw a lot of people on edge.

But an hour later,
“Hey, why were you doing that?”

Exactly!

One thing's for certain. We had
to find a way to spend eight hours inside.

That was clear.

If you came out early,
that time would be deducted.

These last three years waiting
have made people ill,

mostly psychologically,
and has hit relationships.

At least two guys disappeared on us

in a way
we are still trying to understand.

One was found drowned.
The other was found dead at home.

A lot of people couldn't handle
the pressure.

I started solving
other people's problems

before I noticed I had my own.

There were nests near my beehives
and I couldn't burn them myself.

It had to be another fire brigade.

Something they never did.

They'd get the call
and say they had no gear,

didn't know how to do it,
and had nobody to do the job.

I was very indignant,
because this is all one country

and we were all split
into little pieces.

It was very hurtful.

I've seen many beekeepers
of a certain age cry by my side,

asking, “Please,
would you burn the nests?”,

because they were losing
all their beehives.

And I know
the love a beekeeper has for his bees,

the hard work they do,

the time you devote to them,
the money you spend.

It's very hard to see
someone left with nothing.

I have a boss who quit today.

He brought cake in, said good-bye,
and we were left crying.

“Hey, it's a shame
I'm retiring at' 56.

I could still work hard,
but I have to leave.”

And he left.

Everyone is scared, frightened.
Everyone left.

Not me. No one will hit me.

If they do,
there'd better be a lot of them.

I won't go, not of my own accord.

For me to quit, I would need
a secure job for a long time.

To earn less,

then I'd rather go to Germany
where I have family.

One thing's for sure.
If I leave my country, I'll never come back.

I'll sell the house.
They won't see a penny from me!

I'm not giving money to mobsters. No!

To crooks!

If 200 founders leave the nest,

each one will form a new nest
the following year!

With the amount of new nests,

it's going to be horrendous!

They'll spread,
and if they get into the mountains...

it may be endless.

Now they need to find people
who can climb trees too!

I was actually quite used to it,
because every year for 17 years

I would climb a 50-meter tree
to place the Christmas lights.

It's the tallest tree in Europe,
and it's here in Viana.

And I did that on my own.

I had to place one string of lights
on each branch.

One time, everything was set up,

and I wanted to witness it being turned on.

I had tested it. I was in the park.

When they turned it on and the tree lit up,
everyone started clapping.

They were clapping and I was crying,
under the tree!

I said to my wife, “I'll never come here again
when they turn it on.”

It was such a strong emotion.

To me it' was a surprise.
All those people clapping and I was -

Never again!
I never watched it again.

I would rather let them light it up
and see it later.

Because I just cried.
At the time I cried!

You're bad!

You're wicked!

You're evil!

You're abject!

These guys deserve to die!

- Leniency!
- Shut up!

We've been left to our fate
and prevented from doing our job.

It will be a stain on our reputation!

We won't be regarded
as good professionals.

- Leniency!
- Shut up, traitors!

The meager resources of Portuguese cinema
are not compatible with your reveries.

I've traveled from so far.
I'm very disappointed!

You shall die.

Comrades,

I understand your position.

Our conduct has shown
some recklessness.

It might even compromise
Law 55/2012, of September 6.

The Law for Cinema
and Audiovisual Media.

But if by any chance
I told you an awe-inspiring story...

might you revoke your sentence?

Let's imagine this story's main character,

a woman under 30.

She has honey eyes,
an honest smile on her lips,

a graceful curve of the neck,

a voluptuous bust!

Her name is Scheherazade.

She is the grand vizier's daughter
and lives in Baghdad, in ancient times.

Scheherazade has been married
to King Shahryar for 437 days,

a mad man who, until then,
had the habit of having his wives killed

after snatching their virginity.

This came from having suffered the horrors
of his first wife's unfaithfulness.

She had fornicated in ghastly bacchanals

while Shahryar was away hunting.

But because he had killed every damsel,

or because every man
with a remaining daughter had fled the city,

the rider had none to mount.

Since the grand vizier had the task
of supplying them,

his daughter Scheherazade
asked to marry Shahryar

as she had a plan to survive

and end the tyrant's bloodthirsty spiral.

She began to tell him beautiful
and pleasurable tales

that she left unfinished
at the break of dawn,

hence stirring the curiosity of the king,

who would spare her life
until the following night.

He would say,

"By Allah!

I shall not kill you until I have heard
the remainder of this tale.”

In reality,
there are still damsels from Baghdad,

even though they do not dwell there.

Far from the king's sight,

their parents moved them to safety,

to an island few can sail to.

It is the Island
of the Young Virgins of Baghdad.

This is where these dear girls live,

who have been of great assistance
to Scheherazade.

For each one, according
to her inclinations and sensibilities,

devotes herself
to composing delicate verse,

seductive songs,
thrilling narratives,

spicy jokes
and all sorts of graceful things

that have the ears hang on
to every word.

And these are the very words
that Scheherazade has taken

to entertain the king each night.

But no one knows how many prayers,

how many sighs, how many sorrows...

these girls have to go through
before giving birth to the simplest verse.

Nearly all of Scheherazade's stories
begin like this:

“Auspicious King,
it has reached me that -”

Hear, O auspicious King.

It has reached me
that in a sad country among countries,

where ruins unfolded
and the people starved,

three well-mounted rich merchants arrived.

They had come
at the request of the ruined rulers,

who possessed in their safes
little more than a filmsy fart.

And in exchange for a loan,

the merchants required interest
and obedience.

The latter for fear that,
were the law not imposed,

the country's foolish men
would no longer be able to pay the debt,

let alone the interest.

And so nationals and foreigners agreed

to always meet after the new moon,

with the purpose of re-agreeing
to what had been agreed.

Fucking pimp!

You come and live here,
you and your motherfucking wife

and your dickhead kids,

then we'll talk about four percent!

I guess I was elected.

And is this what the prime minister wants
for this country?

Well -

Such a nuisance, right?

But what is there to be done?

Cut civil servants' salaries?
But that wasn't in the troika's memorandum!

Yes, but only above 600 euros.

How horrible!
Still, it needs to be done, right?

But they're progressive cuts.

An equitable measure.

It's a good one, right?

They privatize water,
electricity, the post office.

You go privatize a dick up your ass!

This individual doesn't talk much.

I believe him
to be a melancholic romantic.

The idea of suicide must inebriate him.

What else will you fucking cut?

One of these days,
you'll be cutting the widows' pensions!

That's it!

You're out of your mind.
I'm calling this country to a halt, right now!

Sit down, Luisinho, please.

Luisinho and I,
we go back a long way.

I've done all sorts of things to him.

I've infiltrated guys into his union,

tapped his conversations through
a friend of mine in the secret service.

I even had him beaten up
to try and set him straight.

Right, Luisinho?

But since you gentlemen arrived

we resorted to going
to Abrantes on Sundays,

eel fishing.

We now agree on almost everything,

one of them being,

if I may be so honest,

that you gentlemen
are a bunch of half-wits.

Nobody can afford
to buy anything anymore,

companies are closing down,

unemployment is rampant.

I stopped going to mass
because I don't believe in God anymore.

So I sort of understand
why Luisinho is annoyed,

and he's a calm fellow.

A fisherman.

And when he tells you
to go fuck your mothers...

I feel a certain joy.

Likewise,

I'm starting to suspect that
the prime minister is mentally retarded

and the minister of finances
is a satanic bitch.

Lopes!

I think you're stepping out of line today.

Precisely!

He's the worst of you all!

We've been doing this for two years,
and that creepy faggot never opened his trap.

I'm talking to you, you shithead banker!

You come here to steal from the Portuguese
people and you want its pussy too?

I see you!

I apologize,
but our Luisinho today - priceless!

“Its pussy?!

And what's more,
in front of the finance minister, a classy woman,

and she's no old bag either.

In short -

Restraint!

A little walk?

To help with digestion.

Dandy!

Although the merchants
and rulers had a full belly

from eating a good lunch,

no one felt particularly happy.

It was a melancholy stroll.

One was thinking
he had no! seen snow for a long time,

which was sad
because he greatly enjoyed it.

Another recalled his son's sadness

when his dog died on his birthday.

Another still could not get rid
of the urge to smoke,

although he had quit cigarettes
over 10 years ago.

Yet most of the time,

all without exception enjoyed
the advantages of the life they led.

Stop right there, poor man!

You carry a disease within you!

There is suffering in this man
who doesn't utter a word.

Sadness has made him dumb.

His penis is inert since he has taken up
his seat at the European Central Bank.

Melancholy man,
tell me the truth:

Does your willy wiggle?

And you, what see I?

You're all afflicted
by the same misfortune!

Mr. Prime Minister,
is your penis lazy too?

And you, union man,

how long since your wife
last saw the chimney sweep?

You are all impotent,
despite your power.

Get down from your camel
and come forth, banker.

I have a remedy,

a magic antidote.

You will have a hard-on,

harder and harder like teenagers!

It is an aerosol,
an extraordinary and discreet product

ensuring you a big and fine erection

with the best and most lasting results.

The erection is guaranteed
anytime, day or night,

and your penis will grow, I'm sure.

You spray the product directly
on the willy,

without going through the oral cavity.

The stimulating agents act
upon the cavernous tissue.

Look, extraordinary!

See how it expands,
visible to the naked eye!

You have to admit.

Here's a solid erection,
firm and instant!

Look, he can talk!

That's one massive rod.

Forward, Thunder!

Sir,

spray me!

Don't spend it all, boys!

Although the meeting
with the wizard had been unexpected,

they all believed
it was no use going against fate.

It had occurred
because so it was written.

Now they felt truly great,

casting powerful love-filled shadows
over the space.

Sources close to the government assure

that the troika is willing to relax
this year's targets for the deficit,

thus giving Portugal more time
to comply with the adjustment plan.

Contrary to what has been claimed

by the IMF, ECB
and European Commission mission leaders,

who, up until yesterday, were inflexible
about compliance with the four-percent deficit,

the information we have now reveals
there has been a U-turn

and the troika is willing to accept
a much higher rate for this year's deficit.

Portugal's financial predicament,

as well as the negative social impact
of the austerity policies,

might have carried weight
in the troika's unexpected decision,

taking all analysts by surprise.

This information is yet to be confirmed.

We will hear an official reaction
to the news as soon as possible.

Will the Minister be so kind
as to lower the VAT on restaurants?

Given this new state of affairs,
certainly.

Take that!

We're preparing a piece of paper
for you gentlemen to sign.

A raise in the minimum wage,

cancellation of the redundancy scheme
for civil servants,

enhancement of health care subsystems

and full compensation for overtime.

He's quite the prankster.

In this new scenario we can study
the implementation of such measures.

No need to study, we'll sign in a jiffy!

Lopes, I know a recreation club

full of girls, just nearby -

Luisinho, wait a minute.
I'm the one with executive power.

I'll send the chauffeurs
to that mobility program thing,

and hire the prostitutes in their place.

It so happens that the huge shadow
these men cast was frightful.

Its prehistoric vastness threatened
to devour them.

It carried within it ancient monsters
that had long been hibernated

and promised a ferocious awakening.

Madam, you shouldn't go with the flow.

Let's tax all stock exchange transactions
and we'll be Europe's moral example!

As you all know,
today's subject is the human skeleton.

We have discussed the way bones work

and their role.

They have an important task.

They bear the body's weight
and provide support.

Today, we're going
to discuss the inferior limbs.

When you think of a monkey,

a gorilla or a hominid,

is their pelvic girdle like people's?

No, ours is a straight line!
Why?

First, to protect our intestines,
our offal.

Second, does anyone know
why this happens in people?

Yes?

But there's more!

When you look at women and men,

at home, Mommy and Daddy,
is there a difference?

Yes, Albert?

Johann is silly!
Johann is silly!

Quiet!

Go back to your seats immediately!

Relax, my boy.

It'll be fine.

Whatever happened to the Chinks
we sold the power company to?

We should buy it back.
They're not to be trusted.

They piss against the wind!

And what if we raffled a car among
those people who ask for receipts at cafés?

We'll raffle one a month!

Am I overdoing it? Tell me!

Damn! Is he mopey again,
this capitalist son of a bitch?

Come on, man,
has it drooped on you already?

Dear sir,
a couple of shags will sort that.

Madam, are you going to -

Gentlemen, what a misfortune!

I saw a voracious toad,
who is hungry for the cosmos.

A toad from hell.

He wants to eat
the European Central Bank.

He wants to eat
the International Monetary Fund.

He wants to eat
the European Commission.

With its big mouth,
it will devour the whole of Portugal.

Then, he will eat Spain.

And Italy will be next.

Such a big toad
will even eat Germany up.

His gaping mouth craves molten gold.

Only I can see the beast
and talk to him.

You must give me money
so I can pour it in his mouth.

Inevitably.

3,000,900,000 euros.

Fuck me!

Stiff from the fear and from the boner,

the merchants and rulers knew
they could but await the moment

in which the countries' safes
would be filled again,

after the tax had been collected.

And until that moment,

when they would again be in a position
to pay the wizard and break the spell,

they would have to conceal the rigidity,

buy loose-fitting clothes,

stay away from wives
and sons and lovers,

exercise greater discretion.

Misery!

So this is it, Fortune?

You relegate the wisest to the shadow

and abandon the ruling of the world
to the fools?

THE PRIME WAS HERE
10-3-2013

Auspicious King...

it has reached me that,
in that same country -

So, what if your late grandfather
came in here now?

If he heard this story?

He would laugh, poor man!

He would laugh,
because no one would believe such a thing.

What we should do now

is make some giblets rice
and have her over to eat.

That's what I wanted, but -

Never in my life -

I met my great-grandmother
when she was 105.

I was nine years old when she died.

I met my great-grandfather at 12.

Everyone had cocks, chickens, pigs,
all mixed up.

And now, she's the only one
with an allergy to the stuff?

Hello, Fatinha?

How are you?
Fine. And you?

Listen, I'll tell you a story.

It's the story of the cockerel.

It was the next-door neighbor
who took the cockerels to court.

She accused us -

Yes, saying that the cockerel crows
and they can't stand the loud noise.

So they sent the Guard to our door,
with the subpoena.

She sent us a letter from her lawyer

saying we had three days
to kill the cockerel,

otherwise we would go to court.

And now I don't know
what's going to happen.

I didn't kill the cock.
And I won't.

And now we'll see
where this is headed.

No kidding, it's for real.
I'm telling you it's true.

She wants us to kill the cockerels

because they're bothering her
and she can't sleep.

No, it doesn't crow that much.
The usual, like a cock's crow.

Just the usual.

“I wanted to buy the cockerel off you
but you won't sell it.”

The cock can't be sold, now.
It's under house arrest.

It's on reserve!

My husband told me, “Come and see!
Do you know that gentleman?”

“Yes, he is a butcher from Resende.”

It's going on trial, now.

It's the most famous cockerel
in the country.

If it's sentenced to death,
we'll have to eat it.

Yes, poor thing.

This country is a country of freedom
that was born here in Resende.

A country with an identity

that lies in the Pedrês cockerel,
in the Arouquesa calf.

It lies in the river, easy to navigate,

where the Rabelo boats carried
port wine barrels to the British colonies.

All this work, all this effort
is currently being torn down.

I would appreciate it if the media,

the radio and TV stations,
would join us in this fight.

It's a fight
for the people of Resende.

Do you know what this cockerel business
reminds me of?

When Luisinho was little,
my mother-in-law gave me two ducklings.

They were here for a while,

then I sent them to my mother's
because they were destroying the henhouse.

They would peck and peck around it.

So I sent them to my mother's,
before the henhouse was knocked down.

One day someone offered
to buy the ducks

and Luis told me,
“You're not selling the ducks, Mom.

Neither selling nor killing them.

They'll come to die a natural death.”

So I never killed or sold them.

On a stormy day, one of the poor ducks
went inside the dog's kennel.

It was nighttime. In the dark the dog lay
on top of it, smothered it, and barn!

I said, “Listen, Luisinho.

You didn't want me
to kill or sell the duck,

that it had to die a natural death,
and so it was!”

It died a natural death.
The dog lay on top of it and it died.

Then the duck's mate soon died too,

a natural death,
because nobody killed it.

And me, when I was little -

Hello, Luis! You're early!

How come the cockerel is outside?

The kids were playing
and let it loose.

- Did you get it in?
- I did.

Okay, then.
Did you lock him in?

- Yes.
- Okay.

WE DEMAND CLARITY
AT THE PEOPLE'S SERVICE

IN THE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY

WE ARE ALL RESENDE

...a new commitment for Resende.

Vote for -

...for president
of Resende's city council.

The Party of the Earth -

Vote for a party
that'll make Resende grow,

that looks out for your interests!

In fact people laugh.
They find it funny.

I find it funny,
but I also feel a bit sad

because it upsets me, you know?

Nobody would imagine
that things would get this far!

But it's really for the sake of truth
that we're doing this.

- Oh, is it?
- Yes, because lying is bad!

You know, we had something very similar
happen to us, very similar facts.

They also want to take away
our freedom to sing and talk.

It appears there is censorship,
in this council.

It appears that the cockerel
can no longer awaken consciences!

Isn't this an attack on your freedom?

Yes. We should talk,
we should sing -

Until our voices hurt.

Yet - Everything in its place, right?

Unfortunately, in this council,

there are still people
who feel persecuted.

I feel persecuted by this story!

I was minding my own business,

I wasn't meddling
in other people's affairs,

and I'm under attack because of the cock.

And it's a pain.

I sense that your cockerel is
the first cry of rebellion in this council,

associated with ours,

since we also don't agree
with the circumstances.

Have some chocolate -

There's no need, really.

We came here to bring forward ideas.

They're from Switzerland!
Not from around here. Please!

- I enjoy offering chocolate, you know?
- Since you're so generous, we'll accept.

- Thank you for your kindness.
- Thank you.

I don't want anything in return.

- I only like giving, not taking.
- Very well.

Otherwise it's an exchange,
and I don't like that.

Yes, but we forgot to give you our CD
with the campaign anthem

and a couple of our ideas.
Because we stand up for the cockerel.

Here's what happened.

The city hall came here

and said the cockerels
were disturbing the neighborhood

and stinking up the place.

They came, looked around,
but left because they had no case.

Next, they sent the Guard
with the subpoena.

We couldn't keep the animals.

After the Guard,
a letter came from the lawyer -

one to me,
another for my next door neighbor -

giving us three days
to slaughter the animals

otherwise the case would go to court

or we would have to pay damages.

But would you share them
or eat them yourselves?

That I don't know.
I can't answer that.

I paid no notice. I didn't kill the cock.

I kept it and I don't intend to kill it.

You know, Ms. Fernanda,

a lot of the fires are arson -

I believe more than 90% -

others are caused by negligence,

and others because some kids like

to hear the fire engine's siren
and see the helicopters.

Even last summer,

I had a situation with a kid
from a neighboring district.

The firemen went there,

and he said, “What about the helicopter?
lf it burns again, will it come?”

And it didn't.

We went there a second time,
and he asked again,

“What now, Chief,

if it burns again,
will the helicopter come?”

The third time, the helicopter came.

And it never burned again in that place.

Because what he wanted was
to see the helicopter in action.

Chief! Wait a minute.

- Yes, Ms. Fernanda?
- Have some chocolates. They're very good.

They're from Switzerland!
My sister brought them.

- There's no need, honestly.
- I don't care much for chocolate.

So they're for you
and the firemen at the headquarters,

since you're all tired from the fires,
and this is to sweeten your heart.

You didn't have to.

Auspicious King,
no matter how amazing this court case is,

and despite the hubbub it is raising
among the Resende population,

one must say that Resende is a place
where much happens and has happened,

where not everything is what it seems

and where creatures of the most diverse
origins exist or have existed.

A thousand years before this day,
in the same vine terraces,

the emperor of China had cast a curse
after a failed love affair.

I shall never see
this wretched land again!

May fire consume it,

come rain or come shine!

Let's go, Mr. João!

Fernanda Maria Martinho Loureiro
with the number 13,138.

Yes.

Yes.

ELECTION FOR THE CITY HALL
District: RESENDE

Socialist Party
CDU - Unitary Democratic Coalition

Earth Party
PSD-CDS For Resende

Listen. Today I'm completely outraged.

I'm a nervous wreck.
I'm not feeling well at all.

Because I went to vote
and they sent me elsewhere.

I've voted in that place
for 30 years!

And now they sent me elsewhere.

And I thank the person
who drove me there, otherwise -

- And did you vote wisely?
- Did I vote wisely?

I voted at random!
I voted for them all!

Nobody had the last laugh.

All, just voted for all!

That way everybody wins.
Nobody will tell me off.

I did what I felt like. There!

Good afternoon. So many people!
We just voted.

- Did you vote?
- Yes.

- I did. I voted for them all!
- Did you vote wisely, Ms. Maria José?

I did. For them all.
You voted up here, and I went down there.

- Were you not up here too?
- No.

- But you came up with me.
- I did, but they sent me away.

- So you had to go down -
- I've voted here for 30 years.

Now, the young can vote here,
but they send the old down there,

those who can't walk?

An old woman like me, almost 80!

This is a disgrace!

- It's getting better all the time.
- No, it's getting worse!

They just want some brass
for their pockets.

But if you voted for them all,
you voted for none!

I voted too!
Let's see if I voted wisely.

But, Ms. Maria Jose, before that,
did you intend to vote for just one?

- Yes.
- We're all curious, who for?

But they made me walk down,
so I voted for them all!

- Well done!
- I meant to vote for no one.

I also voted for them all,
so nobody would get mad.

I voted in them all!

Same as me, so nobody would get mad.

And you, gentlemen,
you didn't vote for anybody?

And you, whom did you vote for?

- Another one for the cockerel.
- Another one for the cockerel.

Unitary Democratic Coalition!

- Another one for the cockerel.
- Cockerel!

- Socialist Party.
- Socialist Party!

- One more for the cockerel.
- Cockerel!

Socialist Party!

Unitary Democratic Coalition!

Another one for the cockerel!

- They have a lot already.
- Socialist Party!

Cockerel!

Please welcome the current mayor,
Mr. António Borges!

Please welcome the future mayor,
Dr. Trindade!

Socialist Party!

Let's go: Socialist Party!

I can't hear you!
Socialist Party!

Socialist Party!

Louder: Socialist Party!

Socialist Party!

Let's welcome these strong men,

the men who are going to change Resende,
the men who -

Sir, please don't kill the poor cockerel
Sir, please don't kill the cockerel

Oh, 'cause he's a cool fellow!

Mind you, he's cool

He's very fond of crowing

Oh, there on his perch

And the cockerel is going on trial

Shut up, scribe!

I, being the only judge in the county
who understands the language of animals,

I command you, O early cockerel,

to provide good justification
for having disturbed men's sleep.

And in case you have no good excuse
for crowing out of hours,

you should know
I am sure to put you in this pan

and have your giblets for lunch,

I and the scribe,
man of voracious appetite.

Speak, cockerel!

Your Honor,
I'm glad to have you here at hand.

It is in the shared interest
of animals and men

that I've risen early,
before other cockerels,

which by the way makes me very tired.

Much like your ability
to understand the speech of animals,

I also have the special gift
of predicting great misfortunes.

It was the purpose of avoiding them
that has made me try,

in the last few days,
to wake men up.

Don't let it die or go “pfuah!”

Don't let it drop, okay?

Let us welcome the future mayor,

Mr. Trindade!

Here's what happened in Resende
in the last few days.

Sandra loved Rui Miguel.
Rui Miguel loved Sandra.

Rui Miguel meets Catarina,
the firefighter.

Catarina loves Rui Miguel
and Rui Miguel loves Catarina.

My name is Carlos
and I play Rui Miguel.

My name is Ana Margarida
and I play Catarina.

My name is Sabrina Lopes
and I play Sandra.

From Rui Miguel to Sandra:

“I don't think I like you
as much as I used to.

We could be just friends.”

The auction is about to begin!

Here is a bouquet
for a boy to give his girlfriend.

- One euro!
- 1.10 euro.

- 1.5 euro.
- 1.5 euro!

- Two euros.
- Two euros!

- 2.5 euros.
- 2.5 euros!

Three euros.

- 3.80 euros.
- 3.80 euros!

- 3.90 euros.
- 3.90 euros!

Four euros.

- Four!
- 4.20 euros.

- 4.20 euros!
- 4.30 euros.

- 4.50 euros.
- 4.50 euros!

- Five euros.
- Five euros!

Five euros!

Five euros, going once.

Five euros, going twice.

Five euros, going twice and a half.

Five euros, going twice and a half. Three!
Come on, boy.

A round of applause for the boy.

Thank you very much.

Check out these sausages!

One kilogram of sausage for one euro!

- 1.50 euro.
- 1.50 euro!

“Flame, O flame,
you are good as can be.

Don't let my chosen dame
kiss anyone but me!”

PICK UP

From Sandra to Rui Miguel:

I REALLY NEED YOU

“I really need you.

I'm going to make trouble
for your friend.

If you don't come back, she'll suffer.”

Your Honor, among men,
love is an abyss-yss-yss and it echoes.

What are you doing out here, girl?

Is the helicopter not coming?

- What?
- Is the helicopter not coming?

Go home!

From Sandra to Rui Miguel:

“I love you forever.

Sandra.”

Go to bed, Catarina.

From Catarina to Rui Miguel:

“Luv, I'm still on shift.

I'll dream of you.”

From Rui Miguel to Catarina:

“Sandra sent a strange message.

We need to talk. ”

From Rui Miguel to Sandra:

“Where are you?
Where were you last night?”

“Yesterday I was at the same place
where I'll be today.

You know where to find me.”

From Catarina to Rui Miguel:

“Luv, I can't meet you after all.

I'm on duty with the ambulance.”

From Rui Miguel to Catarina:

“Kitten, I'm worried.

I think Sandra is setting the fire.”

From Catarina to Rui Miguel:

“Do you have proof?
Should I tell the Guard?”

“No.

I miss you.”

From Rui Miguel to Sandra:

“Stop that shit or I'm telling the Guard.

I miss you. XXX.”

Headquarters,

number 1 here informing
that the fire is over.

Chief!

What?

I know who's setting the fire.

It's jealousy fire.

What are you saying, girl?

Tonight, everything will burn again.

“Your girlfriend is a bitch.

Every night
the mountains will burn for you.”

Your Honor...

had I started crowing earlier

so many hectares of burnt land
might have been avoided,

those that not even the rain could fight.

Unfortunately only a few men are able
to understand animals' speech nowadays,

unlike Your Honor.

Such is the measure
of the extent of human tragedy.

If, despite all my efforts,
I have been powerless to avoid a catastrophe

and I am today faced
with my imminent decapitation

depending on the will
of Your Honor's conscience,

I would still like to add something

that Your Honor could communicate
to your colleague

who will judge
the passionate arsonist girl.

Tell her that I, the early cockerel,

think that the girl is good-natured

despite having lost her mind
due to her passion.

Therefore she is just being a bit sillier,
more selfish and desperate

than everyone else in this borough.

I'm not sure
if! have already mentioned

that love is an abyss
and it echoes among these hills.

And that is all.
I await your verdict in silence.

From Rui Miguel to Sandra:

“You were wrong, but I feel sorry for you.

I'm going to miss you.

You're a special girl.”

From Sandra to Rui Miguel:

“I'll always love you.”

Listen, I acquitted a cockerel today.

So I'm hungry like a lion.
What's there for lunch?

We have bean stew with prawns
for 6.50 euros a portion

or a half portion for 4.75 euros.

We have golden filets
with rice and salad at 5.50 euros

or 4.25 euros half a portion.

And nice mackerel for 5.50 euros,
a single portion.

Meat dishes, we have spaghetti Bolognese,
5.75 euros or 4.50 euros half a portion.

Damned luck.

It's stranger than fiction!

Doctor!

How have I wronged you, God,

to be thrown
in the fetid catacombs of hell?

Don't get grumpy.

It doesn't hurt to set the machine.

Do you think this place is normal, Doctor?

Do you think patients
can be treated in these conditions?

Honey, this is not the Hilton.

And you, my child,

are you a union member?

Don't you find your workplace
a little grim?

Do you think it's fair
that your taxes are used

to pay for a national health service
of gloom and pestilence?

I can't talk. I'm on fixed-term.

Quiet down, Luis.

This powerful machine,

paid for by the people and offered to you,
is a storyteller.

And it will tell us a story
about your next few days.

It will tell it
by recording pulse accelerations,

the tachycardia chart

and the arrhythmias' synapse.

To make the story less arid,

you must accompany it
by a description of your actions,

noted down in a notebook.

One below the rib cage too.

I get a buzzing in my ear.
ls that normal?

How many fingers do you see?

Three, what the fuck!

You're fine, then.

Are you coming
to the Swim of the Magnificent?

Don't be stupid.

And don't even think of getting in the water.
You're no penguin.

I know, but it'll happen anyway.

Water is my life.

- I heard there's going to be a storm.
- A storm up your -

Shut up! Cursing stirs up the machine.

You don't want
to get off on the wrong foot.

Miss, you can turn it on.

Auspicious King,

you will certainly rejoice
in the adventures of Luis,

cardiac trade unionist,
swimming teacher, a recent divorce...

descendant of 16th-century seafarers,
all in all, a haggard romantic.

O Saint Peter!

It won't rain on the first, will it?

To the water, everyone!

Well done!

“Monday.

3:30 PM.

I suspect my blood pressure is up again.

I feel my pulse racing.

Yet only Beelzebub's descendants -

and by unfortunate coincidence

several of them
have been recently promoted to ministers -

would remain indifferent
to the ongoing litany of miseries.

And although this is not a diary,
oh, dear Doctor,

I accompany these cardiac throes
with a note of temperance.

Today, three unemployed men accepted
to join the Swim of the Magnificent

as a therapeutic measure.

The sea is good for them.

It's good for everyone.

The end.”

I'll go see to the sponsor for the cocoa.

Can you manage the next
on your own?

I will try to stay alive.
You see to the cocoa.

- Will you have some tea?
- I'll have anything.

I'm a sales manager by trade
but unemployed by circumstance.

You've come to the right place.
I've been expecting you.

But before you start your account,
let me ask you a question.

Tell me if you can swim
and if you already have plans for January 1.

I can swim.

Well, we will discuss that later.

What things have you to tell me?

Do you want to hear what I have seen

or what I know from having heard?

If you have seen something amazing,
do not hesitate to tell me,

for things seen are preferable
to those merely heard.

I was born in a parish
in Oliveira de Azeméis.

I am son, grandson
and great-grandson of a miller.

In that parish, Ul,

I completed primary school, and,
in Oliveira de Azeméis, secondary school.

Somewhere during secondary school,
perhaps due to my liking for math

and other subjects,

I decided to take a degree in economics.

When the time came for university,
I moved to Lisbon.

I lived in student accommodation.

I was an active student in my time.
I was a students' association leader.

I then made certain decisions

and was already working
when I finished my degree.

After having had some work experiences,
which helped me grow,

in 1999,
I came to a company in the Lisbon area

that produces and markets bread,

frozen pastries and similar products.

I came there when it was still
a small company in Portugal.

It had a turnover of 200,000 contos,
the currency at the time,

one million euros, as we say today.

For 14 years I gave my all
as a sales director

so that the company would grow
and be successful.

I gave my time, my heart and soul.

I worked my socks off, I sweated,
I all but cried.

And the truth is...

when I left the company,

it had a turnover
of about 30 million euros.

My efforts were also there.

At a certain point I was confronted
with one of those decisions

that we all think
only happen to others,

the decision of being laid off
by the company.

This is kind of strange,

but 19 months ago,
in February last year,

I was confronted with the decision
of being laid off by the company.

I was summoned to a meeting
and laid off.

They explained their reasons,
and I said I had no objections

and that we needed
to negotiate my compensation

in order to leave the company
and go and do something else.

Well, it wasn't as easy as it sounds.

It was like taking a punch,
but the company's decision was made.

I was then confronted
with a compensation figure,

an offer that I considered...

almost an insult
for all the work I had accomplished.

Not alone, but still,
in order for that company to grow.

There were counterproposals.
The truth is no agreement was ever reached

and we started a court case
that drags on in Portuguese courts

and that will be settled
at some point in my story.

At the time I thought,
“Well, with some of your savings,

maybe it's time
you did something on your own.

Because you're almost 50,
you're considered old in the job market,

but you can do things,
you have experience.

It's time you did something
on your own.”

There I was having these thoughts,

thinking, I'll give it two, three months
after I lost my job

to launch this project,
to draw it up in my mind,

when suddenly I was confronted
with the necessity of paying up

a loan I had cosigned for my ex-wife,
the mother of my daughter.

I had cosigned it
for a business of hers,

and I was confronted
with the necessity of paying up.

I was confronted almost immediately.

And barn!

I took the second uppercut.

My savings were gone.

I settled the loan
but was left with nothing,

with no money and no chance to do
what I was planning in my mind:

to be self-employed
and do something of my own.

Well, then the moment came
for tough decisions, drastic decisions.

And...

the first one was handing over
the apartment to the bank

because there was no way
I could pay the mortgage.

Handing over the apartment
and going back to my parents' house.

Jeez, that was the third jolt,
because since I was 18

and came to Lisbon to study,
I had always lived on my own.

Going back to your parents' house
for a weekend or three weeks on holiday

is not the same
as living with your parents.

Well, I went back
to my parents' house.

Then I had to sell my car
because I needed capital

to move around and look for a job,

to try and find solutions for myself.

I started to drive a borrowed car.

And in that period I sent out résumés.
Lots of résumés.

Hundreds. Thousands, maybe thousands.

300 days, five résumés a day,
that's 1,500.

I sent every kind of résumé.
I got every kind of answer.

I got answers saying I was overqualified,
over-experienced.

That I was old, that I was young, that -

And worse than that,
I got tons of non-answers.

People simply won't answer an application
from someone looking for a job.

They don't say, “Thank you for sending
your résumé, but you're a wrong fit.”

They say nothing.
They simply don't give a hoot.

As I got answers, I adjusted my résumé.

Experience in, experience out.
Qualification in, qualification out.

Training in, training out.

One of these days
I looked at myself and thought,

“Who are you after all? There's a series
of portraits here of what you might be.”

“Tuesday, 2:00 PM.

After a ham sandwich -
today I had no leisure for a more classic lunch -

I stop in the middle of the street
and try to take a deep breath.

I feel a 500-kilogram load on my chest

accompanied by cardiac hiccups,
tachycardia.

I don't want to sound dramatic
and admit that right now

I'm wondering whether or not
to call the ambulance.

I must confess, however,
that if I get out of this one alive

I'll be shredding this paper
within five minutes.

Doctor, I'm too attached to the world

to start looking at it
through a hospital window.”

How you doin', Luis?

Doctor's orders.

The cocoa, Maria?

I doubt it.

- What's the Internet's weather forecast?
- Luis, people always attend.

- And it's still many days away!
- Tell me what it says for January 1!

“Partly cloudy
with the possibility of showers.”

- What does that mean?
- Don't yell.

It means it either rains or it doesn't.

Quacks.

If it rains, it rains!
lf it doesn't rain, it's sunny!

It won't be sunny.

“This country is on bread and water.

2014 augurs no improvements
for the working class.

If you gentlemen heard half

of what me and my comrade Maria
hear everyday

from the mouths of the unemployed,
you'd be ill.

And I am ill.

I am also old.

Old age tempers my blood.

My young comrade here has an energy
that has already forsaken me.

That is why
she looks like an edgy hog,

due to her revulsion
at seeing so many worthy folk

drifting in the troubled sea
of this social savagery.

If it were up to her,

she would bleed you to death,

indifferent to any capitalist grunts
you would let out.

Despite believing that class struggle
has never been as manifest as nowadays...

my life experience has taught me
that not all businessmen are evil.

I've known you long.

And although I imagine you
licking your thumb

so as to better count your dividends...

I do believe that, during these times,

sleep is elusive in your homes.

I won't say I admire you
for keeping your doors open

and maintaining jobs,
because that is merely your duty.

But I admit that not all your colleagues
can pride themselves on the same thing.

In the past, you have all contributed
to the Swim of the Magnificent.

We are glad to have once more on our side

the historical precursor
of this adventure,

the honorable Professor Atita.

As usual, we need your help
to pay for expenses.

It is my conviction
that the New Year's Swim

represents neither a roisters' whim
nor a superfluous ritual.

It rather represents the hope
everyone deserves to have

so as to face the miseries
of another coming year.”

What say you?

Luis, you're a fool!

They won't give you money
because they haven't got any.

You haven't got a clue, dude!

I could explain, but it's no use
because you don't understand a thing!

You can't sulk because
they won't do exactly what you want!

Cool it, man.
No one's against you.

It's all in your mind.
Wake up and smell the fucking coffee!

You're making me cry
because you get on my nerves!

“Edgy hog,” my ass!

“Tuesday, 5:15 PM.

I have no idea whether
the motherfucking blood pressure is okay

and I don't give a crap.

Doctor, you should know
that right now

I'm thinking of alienating
the union's assets

so that on January 1
the workers from Aveiro can go swimming.

And that, even if on the next 364 days

they crawl on the mud coming out
of the nation's leaders' buttocks,

they can then gulp down
a fucking decent cocoa

and take home a souvenir of the event,

which is a T-shirt.

PS: Forecast for the next few hours:

the blood pressure will drop, for I feel
a surge of melancholia on its way.

PPS:

My colleague Maria is very sweet
but sometimes too hasty.

I'll start writing down
the hours I spend next to her

so that her influence on my arteries
can be studied.”

So?

So what?

Didn't you go home?

I had nothing to do there.
I can't shower for the next two weeks.

And you're never changing clothes?

Does anyone care about that?

- Do you want some tea?
- No.

“Edgy hog” means “hedgehog.”

There's nothing wrong in saying
someone looks like a hedgehog,

if there's a resemblance.

- Will you have some tea?
- We'll have anything.

I'm a café waitress by trade
and unemployed by circumstance.

And I used to be a fisherman.

You've come to the right place, then.
I've been expecting you.

But before you start your account,
I will ask you a question.

Tell me if you can swim
and if you already have plans for January 1.

We met at a patisserie

where my wife, here today,
works - used to work.

I used to go there
mostly in the afternoon.

At a certain point
we started talking more.

I asked her for a beer
and her phone number.

She brought me the beer
but not her phone number.

Days went by.

- And months.
- And months, right.

Days and months.

Only after a while did she start
to feel at ease, as we got on.

After that we started dating.
She finally gave me her phone number.

I started calling her.

And we moved in together after a while.

We were both looking for a job.

Where he would go, I would go.
We would both go.

We found work in a ceramics factory,

for about, maybe, a month.

It went bankrupt.

And we were out of work.
I was on the dole, he didn't qualify.

In the meanwhile I started working
at Santa Casa,

and I was there for two years.

That ended two months ago.

Which led me to unemployment, again.

And I, to bring some money into the house,
I would collect scrap.

I was just at home, doing nothing.

So whenever an odd job came up,
I would go and do it.

But because it rarely happened,

I would go on my own

and gather a lot of scrap.

In those days there was hardly anyone...

only a few people collecting scrap.

I would go from one end of the street
to the other

and filled a carload of scrap.

At one point
I was on unemployment benefit,

but after a couple of days
they called me to take a course.

And I did -

It was looking after the elderly,
children and cooking.

I took the course.

They told me I didn't need
to file any papers to stay on benefit.

I let it sit,

and even that got cut off.

So I tell you, these days,
it's not even worth taking the courses!

How much do you make from the courses?
Not much.

You don't make much,

and any benefit
from social security gets cut off.

They were only paying me 130 euros.

But even that got cut off.

Only because she makes
400-something euros.

They said it was a lot of money
for one household!

I started going to Caritas Charity Center...

in Aveiro, and they gave me something.

Then I moved to Gafanha,

and now
I'm at Prior Sardo Charitable Foundation.

At Prior Sardo they're not much help.

We used to get
one kilogram of rice or pasta before.

We went to them a few days ago
and they gave us soup -

- Frozen soup.
- Frozen soup.

I ate soup for nearly a month.

No more!
No soup anytime soon.

I'm sick of soup.

- So?
- What do you want me to do?

I've been told there is a ban
on sea bathing until further notice.

- For how long?
- How would I know?

Do you think
this has happened to me before?

But damn, it's impressive, right?

Is she dead?

She's dead, isn't she?

I guess so. But I'm no vet.

She's not moving much.

We're at a standstill.

I know her!

I'll go and talk to her.

“Doctor, on my part,
bizarre dreams.

I wake up early
and can't go back to sleep.

I go for a walk before work.

I feel tired
but the machine will tell you the rest.

I don't see anyone on the streets
except for my grandmother, a while ago,

wearing the clothes she was buried in,
more than 35 years ago.

That can't be a good sign, either.

One good thing,
the year is ending,

and I believe
the next can't be worse than this one.

Perhaps in a few months
I will regret these reveries.

I named the machine.
I called it Rosa.

What do you think?

Am I going mad?”

The person who's currently
being punished the most is my girlfriend,

because she's been my punching bag.

And we've been dating for two years,

practically since I got
into this situation.

When I'm alone, I value her a lot.

But, when I'm with her
she gets on my nerves. Can't explain why.

She says,
“When I talk to my friends,

I ask questions and they answer back,
they ask questions and I answer back.

With you, I can't have a conversation!

I ask something, you blow up right away.
You start hassling me.”

And I tell her,
“Don't ask me anything, then!

Don't bug me with questions,
don't annoy me, ask me nothing at all,

questions, don't -
don't speak a word to me.”

And she asks me, “So, do you want me
to sit mute by your side?”

I say, “Sometimes that'd be nice!”

But then I go home and I feel bad.
I don't want her to be mute!

I want to feel she's there,
that I have someone I can talk to.

But at the moment of truth
she starts to ask me a ton of questions,

and I run out of patience.

It's like a police interrogation
or something.

Three is enough.

By the third, I'm bursting at the seams.

I can't handle more than two questions.

By the third one
I start to lose it,

and I raise my voice,
as though I'm fighting and -

She says, “You can't have
a conversation, a dialogue.

You fight over the smallest thing.
And it's not just with me!

With your friends, your family.
You have no patience for anyone.

You have to change this.

Go see a doctor, get medical help.
Take some medicines.”

I've taken plenty!

I went to the doctor, she gave me some
and I lost the anxiety.

A month later I went back there.
I felt the same. She said,

“Let's get you something else
to lift your spirits, this and that.”

I took that for about two months.
Nothing changed at all.

I went there a third time.
She said, “You have depression.

I'll give you some antidepressants,

and you'll feel calmer, more in control.”

Two months went by,
and I'm still the same.

I've told the doctor
and the people I love:

Forget about medication.

Medication won't change a thing.

It's like -

My organism is so

sad, outraged, filled with hatred, with...

such angst
that no medication can cure me!

Because I don't have any illness!
Face the facts!

One thing is someone taking medication
for a problem,

and it's cured -
a wound, whatever.

What I have inside
can't be cured with medication.

Me taking medication
only helps the pharmaceutical industry!

It does nothing for me,
whatever I take!

Angelicalm, or any sleeping pill,
says “five to eight drops.”

I took 16 drops
because five to eight did nothing for me.

And I thought,
“Soon I'll have to drink the whole bottle

so I can sleep.”

I'd toss and turn,
watching the clock.

3:30 AM, 4:30, 5:30, 7:30,
see the sun rise -

In the summer -
At the time my friends would even say,

“Good for you! On benefits,
it's warm, you go to the beach -”

No way!

I didn't set foot on the beach
a single day.

Not to sunbathe, not to swim.

I didn't go fishing, I didn't joke around,
I didn't play soccer. Nil!

It only goes to show “the joy”
we feel when we're unemployed.

When you're working it's easier
to want to go to the beach.

Unemployed and sad,

we don't go to the beach,
whatever the weather.

...but the figure may be even lower
than the one announced by the government.

The maximum deficit allowed by the troika
for 2013 was 8.900 million euros,

but the difference
between what' the state spent

and what it received
did not reach that' limit.

On the contrary, the public administration
deficit reached 7.152 million -

You should put your house up for rent.

Did you come here to piss me off?

Let's go have a drink.

I'm a sick man.

Damn!

Atita! Atita!

Let's go! Let's begin!

- Should we form a cordon like last year?
- Yes!

Let's form a human cordon.

No one sets off
before the boss says so.

Yes!

Atita! Atita!

“Thursday, January 1.

Dear Doctor,
this might not be very canonical,

but we would like to wish
an excellent 2014

to you and your family,
in case you have one.

With kind regards
and somewhat missing you,

Luís and Machine Rosa.”