Atarrabi & Mikelats (2020) - full transcript

ATARRABI AND MIKELATS

Myth is the nothing that is everything.

-Fernando Pessoa

PROLOGUE

Let me in.

Tonight, I want to know a man.

I have a fiancée in the valley.

So?

I do not receive women here.

You're the one I have chosen.

What if I don't want to?

I'm the one who decides.

Why are you leaving?

I am Mari.

No mortal can know me and survive.

But you will have fine offspring.

Lord Devil!

Lord Devil!

To what do I owe the honour

of a visit from Lady Mari?

These are my two sons,

born of a mortal father.

Twins?

No.

But they were born

several minutes apart.

An unusual case.

This one, born first,

is called Atarrabi.

This one,

several minutes younger,

is Mikelats.

Why are you introducing me

to your charming progeny?

I have no maternal instinct.

What does that have to do with me?

Are you not a scholar?

Yes,

for I studied at a Jesuit school.

You are the teacher they need.

Why would I accept?

I am more powerful than you.

What makes you say that?

Your breath,

like that of your adversary,

is found in mine.

You are clever.

I am what I am.

Then I shall accept them.

They will be well fed

and well educated.

Come with me.

Man is entirely free.

It is said that God created the world,

that he is all-powerful,

and that, if we bend to his will,

we will do Good.

But clearly,

all of that is false.

The greatest force on earth

is your mother,

for she ignores Good and Evil.

She does as she pleases.

Those who follow me

are free and happy.

They create their own destiny.

Those who claim to follow

the will of the Other

are slaves,

who obtain for their efforts

only death.

My young friends,

the choice is yours.

THE TWO BROTHERS

Why do you always go down below?

I could ask you why

you don't go down below.

I feel bad enough as it is here.

Down below there are guys our age.

They are devils.

They're friendly.

I don't think so.

I play rugby with them.

Our master encourages us to see them.

It's time he stopped being our master.

What do you mean?

We're men now.

We must leave this boarding school

and enter the world.

But what if we like it here?

We need to know something

other than this.

Excuse me.

I knocked,

but you didn't hear me.

Come in.

When I'm working,

I like to listen to rap music.

My brother listens to it too,

with his friends.

We're at the height of hipness here.

What can I do for you?

You have cared for my brother and me

since we were children.

I'm well aware of that.

We're very grateful to you.

Good.

Gratitude is becoming a rare quality

in young people.

But it's time for us

to leave for the wider world.

Leave?

Yes.

After feeding you all these years,

and seeing to your education,

I should let you go

with a simple goodbye?

I can see that you, unlike me,

have never been to business school.

There, I learned the golden rule:

"You get what you pay for."

Do you understand how this rule applies

in the present case?

I admit that I don't.

As you two have yet to make

a single payment,

you owe me everything.

What do you require?

You will draw lots.

He who loses, or who wins,

depending on your point of view,

will stay here to serve me

until your joint debt has been repaid.

Who will draw first?

Go ahead.

The other one is for you.

You first, Atarrabi.

Your turn, Mikelats.

So I'm the one who stays?

Yes.

Atarrabi,

you may thus leave,

as you wished.

I can't abandon my brother.

Your brother stays.

A deal is a deal.

Then I shall stay too.

Good.

There will be a trial period,

and then you will need

to take an oath of loyalty to me.

I can't do that.

Can you, Mikelats?

No problem.

Then you shall be my pupil.

But you, Atarrabi,

have chosen

the position of domestic servant.

If you say so.

Atarrabi,

are you there?

Yes Master, I am here.

For our last exercise today,

let's hear you call up Hellfire.

Heaven in art who Father Our,

send me the Fire of Hell.

Very good.

Atarrabi, are you there?

Yes Master, I am here.

But don't think that I trust

these ancient techniques.

I know, Master, that you dwell

on the cutting edge of modernity.

Let me show you.

You see?

Nothing he does or says

escapes me.

You're a genius, Master.

As of tomorrow,

you'll have this room to yourself.

Why is that?

I'm moving.

Where to?

Two floors down.

I got a promotion.

I'll have a bedroom

next to those of my friends.

Your friends

are devils.

We have fun together.

Do you remember the forest

where we lived

when we were little?

Vaguely.

Wouldn't you like to go back there?

Not at all.

I'm very happy here.

You were my brother,

and we climbed trees.

We are brothers, but we're not alike.

I love you, Mikelats,

but I have lost you.

Man alone possesses words.

But you can hear us,

for you carry within you

the breath of your mother.

Yes, I hear you.

And I find you beautiful.

Because you are good.

They say I have no soul,

but you hear the life inside me.

Yes.

You are part of the living world,

for a breath passes through you.

The breath we share.

Yes.

Men who see me in the forest

are either afraid of me,

or they try to kill me.

They don't know you,

because they don't know themselves.

You can hear my voice.

Because the same breath

gives us life.

Sieve,

can you hear me?

I hear you,

though they say I have no soul.

By the hand that made you,

you received the breath

which is my breath.

That's why I am asking you to help me.

Speak.

Atarrabi, are you there?

Yes, Master.

I am here.

When you hear the Master's voice

asking me that question,

could you answer for me?

Yes.

Then I can escape.

Atarrabi,

are you there?

Yes Master, I am here.

Thank you so much.

You're leaving, Atarrabi, aren't you?

Yes, my friend,

I'm leaving.

I shall miss you, Atarrabi,

for through you,

I belong to the living world.

You will always belong

to the living world, my friend,

even when I'm far away,

for the breath that gives me life

is also in you.

Farewell.

Farewell.

I'm free.

A moment ago,

there were three girls here.

Where are they?

That was us.

You are girls?

Yes.

You don't look like it.

We are Laminak,

which is to say,

the spirit of the water,

the wind and the earth.

We appear to men in two guises.

You can change your appearance at will?

Exactly.

That's how we make our living.

I don't understand.

The Basque Country has always been

a land of emigration,

and now the Laminak are affected.

Before, we worked here

as stone carvers and masons,

but now everything

is made of concrete.

So you emigrated?

Yes, but we always come back.

Where did you go?

We did a lecture tour

of United States universities,

to illustrate gender theory.

And you, young man,

are you heading forward or backward?

Perhaps neither.

If you're modern, you go forward.

I don't know if I'm modern.

I would like to serve.

Serve whom?

God and men.

You are not modern.

I advise you to join the monastery.

Where is it?

Go down to the village,

then up the hill.

Thank you.

Have a good day.

Yes?

May I come in?

I'd like to see the father superior.

You cannot enter the enclosure.

I must see the father superior.

What about?

I'll tell him.

You wished to see me?

I would like to become a monk.

Being a monk cannot be improvised.

I've studied theology.

Theology is mere knowledge.

My desire comes from the heart.

We will welcome you for a few days.

And then?

And then, we'll see.

You must seek the absolute opposite

of The One in your prayer.

Master,

what is the absolute opposite

of The One?

The Void.

But how does one attain it, Master?

Concentrate.

Look inside your heart.

You see the power you possess

when you learn to pray.

But Master,

who are these spirits?

They are the visible manifestation

of your mother Mari's powers,

when she chooses to be on my side.

Can I ask them for their help?

They are here to serve you.

But today you must liberate them.

I give you back your freedom.

I should like to reward you.

Because you were born of a goddess,

you and your brother will never know

the humiliation

of seeing your bodies age.

But your father was a man,

so one day you will die.

However,

if you pledge absolute loyalty to me,

I can give you immortality,

which your brother will never have.

Nothing is more terrible than death.

So you agree to take the oath?

I do.

Say:

"I renounce God."

I renounce God.

"I pledge to you eternal loyalty."

I pledge to you eternal loyalty.

Take this, and eat it,

for this is my body.

Take this, and drink it,

for this is my blood,

sealing a new alliance between us.

Now you belong entirely to me,

and you will not die.

Come in.

You wished to see me, Father?

Have a seat, Atarrabi.

I'm so happy, Father,

at the thought of taking my vows soon,

and wearing the habit.

I was watching the procession

of the postulants earlier.

Yes, I saw you, Father.

I was very troubled by something I saw.

What was it, Father?

You have no shadow, Atarrabi.

Everyone has a shadow, Father.

But you don't.

In that case,

someone must've stolen it from me.

The absence of a shadow

is a sign of Evil.

I believe you, Father.

This saddens me greatly,

because I believe you to be good.

I try to be.

However, without a shadow,

you cannot be saved.

I was born with a shadow.

But you no longer have it.

Not by my own will.

I grant you that.

But man can only be saved

by the grace of God,

and grace is light.

Without a shadow,

you cannot receive light.

I will continue, nevertheless,

to try to do Good.

I'm sure you will.

But if you have no shadow,

I cannot allow you to take your vows.

Are you banishing me, Father?

No.

You may remain here with the brothers.

You will be the link

between us and the people,

for we cannot go beyond the enclosure.

In place of the habit,

you will wear ochre trousers,

the colour of the earth,

and a blue shirt,

the colour of the sky.

May I come in?

Of course, Master.

You apply yourself well to your studies.

Yes, Master.

I'm a serious young man.

Good, good.

But there is more to life than studies.

A young man like you

must surely hear the call of the flesh.

That is true, Master.

Well, those desires

must be satisfied.

I'll be going now.

Heaven in art who Father Our.

What's with you today?

You dirty beast!

Thank you, sir.

I don't know what got into him,

behaving like such a lout.

Donkeys are like us:

their moods can change.

How did you manage to calm him down?

With a bit of love.

Good.

I baked this bread.

It must be delivered to the shepherds.

I've never seen you

in the village, sir.

I come from the monastery.

But I'm not a monk.

I know the servant at the monastery.

I, too, am here to serve.

I trust you.

If you like, madam,

I can accompany you up the mountain.

I'm not the one

who delivers the bread.

My daughter does it.

I would like a man to accompany her.

To protect her.

I am here to serve.

Udana,

this young man from the monastery

is going to accompany you.

Hello, sir.

Hello, miss.

My name is Atarrabi.

Would you like to stop here

for a moment, to rest?

All right.

He's in a better mood now.

Yes,

because he's not working.

Where were you born?

Around here.

Where are your parents?

I'm an orphan.

Have you no family at all?

I have a brother.

But I don't see him anymore.

Will you become a monk?

No.

Then why are you living

in the monastery?

I have a place there.

With all my heart,

I love a charming man.

We are both besotted.

And I never tire

of his beauty.

I don't believe

there is another like him

anywhere in the world.

How can you say you love me

when you go off courting

so many others?

Do not betray me,

be sincere,

and don't give false hope

to anyone.

Oh how I am suffering...

I have two loves

and I know not which to choose.

One wears a hat,

the other wears a beret.

The one with the hat

is closest to my heart.

I love you.

I love you, too.

I've never been in love before.

Neither have I.

Marry me.

I can't.

Because you're going to be a monk?

I've already told you I'm not.

Then if you love me, marry me.

I can't marry.

Why not?

For the same reason

I can't be a monk.

You're mocking me.

Udana.

Udana.

Atarrabi!

Udana.

How did you get into the monastery?

They let me in through the gate

leading directly to the orchard.

I've done nothing wrong.

I don't believe you're capable

of doing anything wrong.

I wanted to tell you something.

Yes?

I'm going to be married.

I'm happy for you.

I'll be marrying Aitor.

He's a good man.

That's good.

But you're the one I love, Atarrabi.

I love you too, Udana.

If you love me,

why don't you want me?

I told you:

I cannot marry.

Then I shall marry Aitor.

Be happy with him.

Goodbye.

Forever.

Mikelats!

Yes?

A young man has come to the palace.

He wishes to see you.

Who is it?

He says he's your brother.

I don't want to see him.

Is that your answer?

Ask him why

he can't become a monk.

Gaueko,

spirit of the night

who reigns over the shadows,

be gone!

For there is someone

more powerful than you here now!

Mother,

o worldly force whom I have not seen

since my early childhood,

it's me, Mikelats, your son.

Come!

Let me feel your presence

here in the night.

Mother of the world, I salute you.

You, who gave me life.

You, who give life to the world.

In this land, you are scorned.

In the village below,

men live off fields that you ripen,

livestock whose blood is your own.

Yet they honour in their church

a different god

and a different mother.

Avenge yourself.

Come in the form of a storm,

and destroy the fruit of their pride.

Make them feel

they owe their lives to you alone,

that you are the highest power of all.

I will do

what you are asking of me, my son.

Udana.

You should take shelter.

The coming storm will be fierce.

That's why I've come.

My mother says this will be

the most violent storm

we have ever known.

Aitor and my father,

who are up there, will die.

The livestock and harvest

will be destroyed.

We cannot control nature.

You can stop the storm.

We can pray.

God acts through the hearts of men.

If he wanted to act through a man,

it would not be me.

On the contrary,

he has chosen you.

How can you know that?

What I know,

I have no need to explain.

Mother,

you who are but a distant memory,

you who are shadows and light,

listen to me,

your son,

who cannot receive the light of God,

but desires it

above all else.

Tonight,

banish darkness from your heart.

Take pity on men,

and on what gives them life.

Send the storm away from this land,

and bring us peace.

It's been a long time.

I didn't know

if you were still in these parts.

I still live in the monastery.

Since my parents died,

I rarely come to the village.

I have to help Aitor at the farm.

I heard you had a daughter.

This is Usoa.

She's eight years old.

Hello, sir.

Hello, Usoa.

Usoa!

Come see my father's stand.

You may go,

but stay with Txomin and his dad.

You haven't changed.

I wouldn't know.

I've aged.

No.

But I'm happy.

I can't have any more children,

but Usoa is a treasure.

And I think very highly of Aitor.

I'm happy for you.

And you? Are you happy?

I like life at the monastery.

All I'm missing is the light of God.

I must fetch my daughter

and go home.

Yes.

Good day to you.

Mikelats.

What are you doing here?

I'm gathering the fire of the dead:

I use it in my work.

The Devil lets you leave his palace?

I'm free now: I do what I please.

And you?

What are you doing here

amongst the dead?

Seeking peace.

Then your mind is not at ease.

I found a grey hair on my head.

It reminded me I must die.

What's so surprising about that?

You're mortal.

I accept my mortality.

But with no shadow,

I cannot receive the light of God.

In my opinion,

you're not missing much.

Mikelats,

give me back my shadow.

It doesn't belong to me.

You're the one I'm asking.

You'll have to take it up

with the Master.

You know that's impossible for me.

You can gain your freedom, like I did,

by pledging loyalty to him.

What you gained is slavery.

And you're a slave to death.

Because I am a man.

Nothing is more terrible than death.

I cannot receive the light of God,

but nothing is more terrible

than refusing it.

I will never die.

But at what price?

Everything has a price.

You bring suffering to the world.

If God created the world,

it is he who brings suffering.

Let him eliminate it, if he so wishes.

He brought light to the world.

You seek to extinguish it.

I have a contract, and I honour it.

Your word is a treasure.

But you have squandered it.

You persuaded our mother

to renounce her promise to me.

I will get my revenge.

Your heart is filled with hatred,

and I will never be able to touch it.

I'm going now.

We are the same.

You hate me, too.

You're wrong, Mikelats.

I still love you.

Well then,

you're even more stupid than I thought.

I can't ask you for anything,

because you can't hear me.

He who has no shadow

has no light.

Atarrabi.

Despair is a sin, Father,

but I am without hope.

I fear your worries are justified,

Atarrabi,

however I can't help but find

your case unjust.

Does that mean you believe

that God can be unjust?

I cannot allow myself to think that.

May my death come quickly,

and my damnation begin.

I'd rather know it

than fear it.

Damnation

is the definitive absence of God.

As long as you live,

you are seeking him.

That is surely preferable.

Is there nothing I can do

to seek my salvation?

Perhaps there is,

but I'm not supposed to tell you.

Have pity on me.

It could prove dangerous.

Nothing frightens me more

than the absence of God.

There is a being who,

because he lives between two worlds,

knows the mysteries that escape us.

Where can I find him?

On the Jentilamendi.

Where no one dares to go?

Yes.

If you feel yourself in danger,

make the sign of the cross.

Don't hurt me.

Men are forbidden in this place.

I know.

Then why have you come?

I'm searching.

What is found here

is found nowhere else.

That's why I'm here.

Do you know who I am?

I can guess.

You are Basajaun.

Yes.

Where do you come from?

From the memory of the earth.

You mean,

from before she knew Mankind?

From before she knew

men of your kind.

But the Jentilak were already here.

When Kixmi came in a cloud,

the strongest and wisest among them

killed themselves.

Men like you submitted to his rule.

I alone,

among the ancients,

accepted him,

for I saw in him a truth.

But I did it

without disavowing our gods.

Were you not punished?

I was given immortality.

I don't know if that was a punishment.

Who gave it to you?

They did or he did,

I do not know which.

Then you cannot understand

our existence.

Yes I can.

For us,

the price of life is death.

I live and die at every instant,

for I am alone.

Like me.

Help me, please.

How?

Someone stole my shadow.

According to men,

I have no hope of salvation.

Do you believe that?

I do when I think as they do.

Do you ever think differently?

Yes.

When my reason leaves me.

That is when you approach the truth.

The truth remains elusive to me.

Then you may leave this place.

But you have taught me nothing.

You already know everything.

What do I know?

That all is mystery.

Aitor.

I think she has grown more pale.

The doctor told us

to continue the treatment.

Do you want me to watch over her

for a while?

No,

I'm going back.

Aitor!

I'll call the doctor.

There's no point.

Where are you going?

I'll be back.

No!

Someone wishes to see you.

No!

The person seems very upset

and says it's urgent.

I saw it all in a dream.

It's impossible.

Nothing is impossible.

You don't know this,

but I have no shadow.

It doesn't matter.

He who has no shadow

cannot receive light.

Look!

You see?

The light is within you.

Leave me alone with her.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done

On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

I know now

that all is mystery.

I have been denied salvation.

My life is without value,

but I carry within me

your breath.

I beg you to take it in offering,

and breathe it back into this child.

In the name of the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Let us prepare

for the celebration of the Eucharist,

recognising that we are all sinners.

May God Almighty

take pity on us,

forgive us our sins

and lead us to eternal life.

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Let us all be friends

That no one should suffer

That we may be free from want

That our lives may be sweet

Around the light

We are gathered here today

Our spirits are filled with a joy

That spreads throughout the world

The bird will fly high

To the top of the peaks

Let us sing our joy

Let love illuminate us

The very night he was betrayed,

he took the bread, and,

in thanksgiving,

he blessed it,

broke it,

and gave it to his disciples, saying,

"Take this, all of you, and eat it:

This is my body,

which will be sacrificed for you."

His Eminence has arrived.

The case is very clear.

This man is guilty of his own murder,

carried out with the aim of defiling

the mystery of the sacrifice.

He died in an act of mortal sin,

his suicide aggravated

by blasphemy and apostasy.

His body must be thrown to the dogs.

I don't know the meaning

behind his act, Monsignor,

but he was, in his life,

a saintly man,

and only God can judge his soul.

But I must judge his life on earth.

I request your permission

to bury him in the monastery.

I cannot grant you that.

But I will agree to let him

be judged in a trial by ordeal.

Expose his body in a high place.

If the crows and vultures

descend upon him,

you must let them finish their work.

If his body is left intact,

you may bury him here.

That's Mari.

Subtitles by Sionann O'Neill