Pozole (2019) - full transcript
When Maia, a mixed race Latina woman, sets out to reconnect with her traditional Mexican roots on her Nana's 100th birthday, things go terribly wrong. A dark comedy about what it means to be the 'other' in the family.
mariachi music
[birds chirping]
[whispers in Spanish]
country music
[singing in Spanish]
Trixie was shoved in
the backseat, scared shitless.
She hits the curb,
sends the car
ten feet in the air.
[laughter]
75 years old,
she landed perfect in the lot.
Then she turned around,
smacked Tito upside the head
and said, "Hey, cabron,
next time you move your ass
-"when I say."
-[laughter]
Mijo, come here.
[woman]
Who died in here?
[all]
Hey!
Oh, good, mija, here.
Come here.
-Come help me taste--
-I've never had,
and never will have,
any interest in soup
from parts of the pig
that snot came out of.
[woman]
You have no respect, mijita.
Spanish choral music
You never talk to me
in Spanish.
Definitely needs more salt.
[woman] I can tell
they're talking about me.
-No one's talking about you.
-I just can't tell
-what they're saying.
-You're paranoid.
Everyone's having a good time.
-They think I killed her.
-Still missing something.
-You're not listening.
-At least you could come
and help me stir this
while I take a minute to think.
[woman]
Mom.
What are you wearing, mijita?
You look like somebody died.
Someone did die,
that's the point.
So, you don't have to
keep reminding everyone of it.
Too much time with your father.
-You've gotten so serious.
-Jesus, Mom.
Don't take
the Lord's name in vain.
You could translate for me.
Explain it to them.
Maybe if you came around
a little more often,
you'd pick up
some Spanish yourself.
[humming]
Ah, mijita,
I didn't recognize you.
-You've gotten so big.
-Pozole's ready.
You look somber.
Doesn't she look somber?
It's a wake, Tia.
Mijita, you call me Thia Tia.
You know I don't like
when you do that.
Thia Tia, always.
It's a sign of respect.
-You're the same age as me.
-Doesn't matter, mijita.
Eat some pozole,
you look too thin.
dramatic Spanish
choral music
-I--
-[speaks Spanish]
-English.
-They're all talking about you.
You can talk to them for me.
She was old, she didn't--
They won't believe me.
I'm too far in.
You must go to the one
that betrayed you.
-Betrayed? Wait, what?
-Shh.
No, my--
light guitar music
I'll do better.
[speaks Spanish]
[crying]
[speaking Spanish softly]
Ow.
Tia, is that you?
I'll be right in.
I'm just--I'm just
watering Nana's plants.
You know how she felt
about these damn things.
[sniffs]
[sighs]
[overlapping conversations]
Um...
If I could just for one...
[speaks Spanish]
Excuse me!
Um...
I...
Um...
You guys remember when
Nana broke that bottle
of tequila over Tomigo's head
that one Christmas?
Well, Tio, I guess
you probably don't.
[chuckles]
I know I wasn't around much,
but, uh, me and my dad,
it was just us.
We didn't really do
the whole tradition thing.
So I guess
I really didn't know
what it was that she let
me help her cook that year.
And I remember sitting on that
broken ass table,
you know, she had.
And I reached out my hand
at just the wrong moment
and she cut
the tip of my finger.
And I screamed, you know,
but she snapped,
"Callate, Maya, callate.
"In this kitchen
we don't cry over nonsense."
And she threw
a roll of toilet paper at me
like it wasn't nothing.
And then she pulled out
the ingredients
for the pozole and
suddenly there's this pig
staring up at me.
And...
I thought, me and this pig,
we're the same.
You know?
And I wanted to ask her, like,
how could you do that?
How could you kill it?
But then she put a finger over
her mouth and said real soft,
"Aye, mija,
"now we put the love in."
And then she danced again.
And I remember thinking,
this woman runs the world.
Nothing can kill my nana.
[chuckles]
She had a lot of pride
and a-a respect
I wish I had.
And I-I know y'all have been
hearing some stuff
about me, but um...
if we don't have that,
as a family...
...I don't--don't know.
So, um, I guess...
...this is for Nana.
light guitar music
[singing in Spanish]
Aye, estúpido,
that's Leah's daughter.
You recognize your own niece?
[gurgling]
[birds chirping]
[whispers in Spanish]
country music
[singing in Spanish]
Trixie was shoved in
the backseat, scared shitless.
She hits the curb,
sends the car
ten feet in the air.
[laughter]
75 years old,
she landed perfect in the lot.
Then she turned around,
smacked Tito upside the head
and said, "Hey, cabron,
next time you move your ass
-"when I say."
-[laughter]
Mijo, come here.
[woman]
Who died in here?
[all]
Hey!
Oh, good, mija, here.
Come here.
-Come help me taste--
-I've never had,
and never will have,
any interest in soup
from parts of the pig
that snot came out of.
[woman]
You have no respect, mijita.
Spanish choral music
You never talk to me
in Spanish.
Definitely needs more salt.
[woman] I can tell
they're talking about me.
-No one's talking about you.
-I just can't tell
-what they're saying.
-You're paranoid.
Everyone's having a good time.
-They think I killed her.
-Still missing something.
-You're not listening.
-At least you could come
and help me stir this
while I take a minute to think.
[woman]
Mom.
What are you wearing, mijita?
You look like somebody died.
Someone did die,
that's the point.
So, you don't have to
keep reminding everyone of it.
Too much time with your father.
-You've gotten so serious.
-Jesus, Mom.
Don't take
the Lord's name in vain.
You could translate for me.
Explain it to them.
Maybe if you came around
a little more often,
you'd pick up
some Spanish yourself.
[humming]
Ah, mijita,
I didn't recognize you.
-You've gotten so big.
-Pozole's ready.
You look somber.
Doesn't she look somber?
It's a wake, Tia.
Mijita, you call me Thia Tia.
You know I don't like
when you do that.
Thia Tia, always.
It's a sign of respect.
-You're the same age as me.
-Doesn't matter, mijita.
Eat some pozole,
you look too thin.
dramatic Spanish
choral music
-I--
-[speaks Spanish]
-English.
-They're all talking about you.
You can talk to them for me.
She was old, she didn't--
They won't believe me.
I'm too far in.
You must go to the one
that betrayed you.
-Betrayed? Wait, what?
-Shh.
No, my--
light guitar music
I'll do better.
[speaks Spanish]
[crying]
[speaking Spanish softly]
Ow.
Tia, is that you?
I'll be right in.
I'm just--I'm just
watering Nana's plants.
You know how she felt
about these damn things.
[sniffs]
[sighs]
[overlapping conversations]
Um...
If I could just for one...
[speaks Spanish]
Excuse me!
Um...
I...
Um...
You guys remember when
Nana broke that bottle
of tequila over Tomigo's head
that one Christmas?
Well, Tio, I guess
you probably don't.
[chuckles]
I know I wasn't around much,
but, uh, me and my dad,
it was just us.
We didn't really do
the whole tradition thing.
So I guess
I really didn't know
what it was that she let
me help her cook that year.
And I remember sitting on that
broken ass table,
you know, she had.
And I reached out my hand
at just the wrong moment
and she cut
the tip of my finger.
And I screamed, you know,
but she snapped,
"Callate, Maya, callate.
"In this kitchen
we don't cry over nonsense."
And she threw
a roll of toilet paper at me
like it wasn't nothing.
And then she pulled out
the ingredients
for the pozole and
suddenly there's this pig
staring up at me.
And...
I thought, me and this pig,
we're the same.
You know?
And I wanted to ask her, like,
how could you do that?
How could you kill it?
But then she put a finger over
her mouth and said real soft,
"Aye, mija,
"now we put the love in."
And then she danced again.
And I remember thinking,
this woman runs the world.
Nothing can kill my nana.
[chuckles]
She had a lot of pride
and a-a respect
I wish I had.
And I-I know y'all have been
hearing some stuff
about me, but um...
if we don't have that,
as a family...
...I don't--don't know.
So, um, I guess...
...this is for Nana.
light guitar music
[singing in Spanish]
Aye, estúpido,
that's Leah's daughter.
You recognize your own niece?
[gurgling]