Carne apaleada (1978) - full transcript
Autobiography of a woman who spent much of her life in prison.
(dramatic music)
(train siren)
Toma.
Is this the first time you've been stopped?
No, the first time was eight years ago.
But he was innocent. This time you won't say you are.
No, not this time.
To pay the lawyer and costs I had to sign a bad check
and since it turned out well, I continued doing it.
I went into a jewelry store, I took some jewelry
and paid with a check.
Until they caught me.
I think you could make an honest living.
You don't look like a choriza. Because you do that?
I do it to live.
It is the only path they leave us.
And on top of that you will tell me that the Regime is to blame.
(train siren)
Is this the first time you've been stopped?
No. And it won't be the last.
Although you see me so young, I already have many hours of flying.
So don't look at me with that motherly face,
I'm sure I have many things to teach you.
Sorry. No woman.
The thing is that it bothers me that people think I'm a girl.
They always catch me for the same thing: the firecracker, the drugs.
Now you understand me.
You smoke?
No, just tobacco.
Yes, you look bourgeois.
Isn't it? What are you?
Well, until I got arrested for the first time.
As was?
He worked as an accountant in a flour factory.
Those were the times of the National Wheat Service.
The fat cows of many scoundrels.
That worked in a black market regime.
With double accounting.
If you saw the amount of additives and crap
that they added to the flour.
Clear.
In this country, neither open stealing nor public health matters.
And what happened?
At first everything was going very well.
When the inspection arrived, with an envelope everything was fixed.
But the day it was over,
It was not the owner but me who was put in jail.
But I prefer to talk about other things.
You have to be screwed, they always send you at the worst time.
And on top of that two. Hey, I know you.
And I you. Your name is Teo.
I was here a year ago, don't you remember me?
Not much.
Now there are more and more foreign women.
Get naked, you have to shower.
Leave your clothes there, on the sidewalk.
And wait for me to look at you.
The other day, one had put a bundle of grass in its nest.
And then I'm the one who takes it.
Hurry up.
Don't be scared, this is a dam like the others.
But with powers.
Here the guards are camouflaged nuns.
Teo is here because of a street fight.
He killed a neighbor by stabbing her with scissors
and they sentenced her to 12 years and one day.
The one he killed was pregnant.
Uy...
(THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COLD)
That group is your dormitory, number four.
Luck. I leave you.
Thank you. Bye.
Come on, I see familiar faces.
Hello, Françoise. Hello.
Have they sent you to number four? Yes. This is Berta.
Me Mercedes. I am the boss of the dorm.
Then I help you organize your things.
Family abandonment?
No, scam.
Come on, let's go, I'm going to introduce you to my friends.
They are looking forward to signing you up.
(Whistle)
Come!
To form!
(Whistle)
Let's go!
-"God save you, Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you. You are blessed between all womans
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus."
(AT THE SAME TIME) Holy Mary, pray for us sinners.
Now and at the hour of death. Amen.
Hmm! She had already forgotten about the chickpeas.
And with its bug and everything, what doesn't kill makes you fat.
And some stone or another.
But since the chickpeas are just as hard, you don't even notice it.
Slut! More than slutty!
You could be more careful. Look what you have done!
"Pa" you slut, you don't wash your nest even when it rains.
Hey, I'm warning you: I'll slap you, family in mourning.
Tell me that tonight if you have the guts.
(Claps)
What's happening here?
-No problem. -Silence everyone!
That a glass has been accidentally dropped.
Well clean it.
And the others keep eating. I don't want to hear a fly!
Who is that? The one at the end, the last one.
Senta, she's a murderer.
Look at the mattress and blanket, pure rubbish.
Blood, oil, discharge... Even shit.
It will be hard as a rock. Mane and straw.
But it doesn't have tenants, they disinfect them every month.
And speaking of disinfection, you have to go through the infirmary.
They will draw your blood for tests.
Make sure they boil the needle before
and have them put the label with your name on the tube.
The one who does the analysis is a whore
that from time to time changes the labels
and organizes some tremendous trouble. Are there syphilitics here?
Of course there are.
Especially in number three, the piculinas' bedroom.
And is there any among us?
Two. One of them Andalusian. She has a comb mania.
Outside he lived off men and, inside, on women.
Especially Adoration, which has bitches.
And the one you are reading? That other one is María Cinta.
When you go to the toilet, see how long it takes to get out.
He remains scrubbing it so that the blood cannot be seen.
That is dangerous because it is contagious.
Don't worry, woman, I'm done.
Then you have to go to the director to meet you.
He will ask you many questions. And what questions do they ask?
Ugh, all of them.
But the important thing is to appear virgin and pure.
And no rebellions. Like good nuns,
They want us to say amen to everything they do.
Civil status? Single woman.
Do you have a boyfriend? No.
Have you had it? Yes, but it's been a while.
Did you have sexual relations?
Just the normal thing between boyfriends. What is normal for you?
The signs of affection.
Have you had any venereal disease?
No. Have you ever had an abortion?
You do not like men?
I liked my boyfriend. And the women?
Have you ever slept with a woman?
No. I have never had relationships of that type.
Are you a virgin?
Are you or not?
No. I already knew it.
I have seen it in the recognition.
And yet you say that you did not have sexual relations with your boyfriend.
Explain me that.
It was just one time.
With a friend.
I had drunk and... The circumstances don't interest me.
(Piano music)
Sorry if I bothered you, but I heard you play. I'm leaving now.
Do not stay.
Do you like music? Yes a lot.
I used to play the piano like you.
I couldn't do it now and I never will.
Because? Playing the piano frees me.
Not to you?
Even if I'm going to be behind bars forever,
I have been liberated for a long time.
I can't touch it.
My hands are cursed, I couldn't put them on the keyboard.
But I like to hear you. Play a little more.
What would you like to hear?
Do you remember that Chopin song
What was called "Sorrows of Love"?
(Piano music)
Did you know that I have a girl? No, you never told me that.
How old are you? One year.
Her name is Eva and she is a heaven.
He's here with me. Oh yeah?
Those of us who have small children let us sleep with them in number 6.
One day I will show it to you. I'd love to.
I am very grateful.
You don't know how much good your company has done me.
Do you know why I told you before
that my hands are cursed?
No. I don't want to know.
If you don't want to tell it. Yes I want.
I need to tell you.
You have to know who you are talking to.
Berta...
My hands strangled a woman. I'm here for murder.
You see it? As everyone.
When people find out, they stop caring.
No, Senta. Don't say that.
(OFF) "I don't know what happened to me or what I felt inside me.
Maybe it was the atmosphere, the exceptional nature of the situation.
Or perhaps the horror that that revelation produced in me.
But that first contact with Senta left me with a feeling of peace.
I felt better. "Less alone."
Holy nights.
Holy nights to all.
(Door closes)
You already have me fed up! I'm fed up!
I will break your face! I don't want trouble here!
Tomorrow in the yard you can gouge each other's eyes out if you want.
But not here!
Thank her, otherwise...
It's over! Everyone to bed!
(dramatic music)
"It took me a long time to fall asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Senta.
Senta... Homosexual and murderer. She had managed to read his file."
-"Soledad García Cuesta, alias Senta.
Single, criminal record for fraud.
Crime: murder.
He killed his lover, a 45-year-old woman,
Nuria Fernández Lara, married.
Separated from her husband, with a history of prostitution
and perversion of minors.
Alcoholic and homosexual.
He drowned her in the bathroom after strangling her.
Possible motives: desire for liberation.
Sentence: 20 years."
(Canto)
This child is sleepy.
He wants to sleep.
He has one eye closed
and another cannot open it.
(Singing continues)
I had to do it, Berta. She had to do it.
When I killed her I felt liberated.
Freed from the chain to which I had been subjected
and a passion that was sinking me more and more.
He almost didn't even notice. She was drunk and half asleep.
Prison has meant peace for me.
I didn't love her, but she had me under control.
Drink and drugs had turned her into an animal.
That's why I wanted to have the girl, to free myself.
But she didn't want to let me go.
When he found out about my pregnancy he wanted me to have an abortion.
He even hit me to hurt me.
That's why I did it, for my daughter.
Even though he was born in prison and doesn't know who his father is.
You have a strong hand, Berta.
When you hold mine I feel less alone.
I need you, Berta.
I need you.
(train siren)
Hey, pretty.
Why don't you repeat what you told me in the dining room?
Let's see if you dare here.
Of course I dare. Do you think I'm afraid of you, you slut?
Come on! Kill her! She's a slut! Dont let you!
¡Separadlas! ¡Se van a matar!
Let them solve their problems in their own way. It is better not to intervene.
Lourdes! Courage, my soul! Which is a piece of cake!
Hala, let them kill themselves!
¡Dale, dale!
Bite her tits! Do not be afraid!
(SCREAMS)
Here comes the lady. The one that is going to be put together!
Can you know what's going on here? Out!
Holy Virgin. We have to take her to the infirmary.
Come on, help me.
Are you OK?
Regular.
That daughter of a great bitch almost ripped them off from me.
What are they fighting for? Female honor.
No one here can tolerate being dominated.
Their lives depend on it.
No. You will never understand them.
You are different.
Those...
They kiss in the morning
and at night they are capable of putting out their eyes.
(Holy music)
I didn't expect such a big crowd.
It is logical.
Why have you come?
You already know what an obligation it is not.
Well, I think it's convenient, don't you?
Well, the others think the same.
Is it true that Denise is marrying the man who made her belly?
That's what they say. Although he is also in the train.
It's up to the director, who is a matchmaker.
What a wedding of sausages.
And French sausage, too.
Well, it seems pretty to me. If you love each other...
That one doesn't even love God, it's all a story.
When are you waiting? Is very close.
The director wants me to get married sooner. I do not care to.
But weren't you in love with him? From Pierre?
It is possible, but getting married is foolish.
And even more so with both of them in jail.
I read your case in the newspapers, but I don't remember it well.
As was?
Don't talk about it if you don't want to.
At first I cared, now I don't.
I was 20 years old and tired of family life.
I met Pierre and we came to Spain.
He said it was easy,
that the police were too busy chasing the communists.
The first time we did it in a provincial bank.
It turned out well.
Then we repeated in Madrid, in a big way: six million.
And there were complications. Did they stop you?
No, I had the bank guard at gunpoint.
As we left, he shot.
I got nervous and pulled the trigger of the submachine gun.
In the air, to scare. But it turned out to be a dead girl.
And aren't you horrified that you killed her?
Don't know. The guard also shot, it could have been him.
¡Hum!
What favoritism does.
You have the director in the boat.
He orders me to scrub, and he orders you to clean the dust.
Of course, since you don't smoke or drink, you don't make love or anything.
Regarding smoking,
Look what some English women who came in today gave me.
What, are you up for it? Have you gone crazy? Keep that!
We can get into trouble.
Well. You smoke if you want.
Now I would like to listen to Bach.
He reads Tagore.
Do you like Tagore? I've read some of your things.
Not many. Yes, I know all of his work.
I remember the first time I read it
There was a phrase that impressed me a lot.
"If at night you cry for not seeing the sun,
tears will not let you see the stars":
For me, it sums up an entire philosophy.
You have to look for pleasure wherever you find it.
Do you like women, Berta? Would you fall in love with a woman?
Don't know.
You see it?
You still belong to that society terrified by sex
that has turned the most natural thing in the world into a taboo.
But you will change.
I see a light of curiosity in your eyes.
Be careful, Berta.
Sometimes the desire to know everything ends with disappointment...
...to discover that there is nothing.
Nothing, Berta.
Absolutely nothing.
I have exhausted all the possibilities of love and sex
and I have nothing left, I have tried everything.
Absolutely everything.
And I have had to resort to drugs
to forget that I have gone down so much, so much...
...that I no longer have the strength to go up again.
Gracias.
Thanks, Berta.
I will never forget this moment.
You are one of the unhealthy people that still remains in this hell.
I wanted to see you, Senta.
Since the other day I have thought a lot about your case.
You can't spend your whole life here, you couldn't resist it.
It is useless to get your hopes up, there is no remedy.
Well of course he has it.
We can get the process reviewed
and allege all kinds of mitigating circumstances:
temporary mental alienation, spontaneous repentance,
and even the truth: that you did it to save your daughter's life.
But that would cost a lot of money and you would have to find a good lawyer.
No, it is not possible.
I have money saved and I know people.
Leave it to me.
Would you do it, Berta? Would you really do it?
I'm going to do it.
Come with me, I want to show you something.
(baby plain)
Senta, you know the other inmates can't come in here.
Please, miss, it's just a moment.
Well, come in.
(dramatic music)
Berta, this is Eva.
Is beautiful. Leave it to me? Yeah.
Eva is the only thing that encourages me to live and endure everything.
Well, no, that was before.
Before I only had her, now I also have you.
What's wrong with you, Berta?
I feel bad, I haven't slept a wink.
I've had tremendous decomposition for a few days now.
It's shit food.
Maybe if you go a week without going, you'll shit yourself upside down.
Have you eaten something?
I haven't eaten a bite for two days.
What I do? Should I go to the infirmary?
Do not even think about it.
There they still give you green pills for diarrhea
than some that are equally useful for sleeping or for colds.
Manolita gives you the ones that first occur to her.
Or the ones you have closest at hand.
Stay in bed for a while.
(SIGHS)
(Door opens)
Come on, Berta, get dressed. You have a visitor.
(Door closes)
Hello, Berta. Hello Dad.
How are you?
They treat you well?
This is not a luxury hotel but I can't complain.
I spoke with the lawyer.
He told me that the summary is a bit stagnant
and that activating it is a matter of influences.
I don't know who to turn to.
Why don't you tell Don Eugenio?
Don Eugenio is a very busy man.
I don't know if he'll want to help me.
But by trying nothing is lost.
Visit him and tell him everything.
I'll do it right away. I'll tell him if he can come see you.
It would be better for you to talk directly to him.
And how are you?
Very alone, Berta.
Things are bad and I have no one to help me.
The family doesn't want to know anything about us.
But it's better not to talk about it.
I brought you some things.
Few. Then they will give them to you.
I would have liked to bring you more, but...
Don't worry.
Time has already passed.
They say goodbye
(dramatic music)
Goodbye dad. And take care of yourself.
Good bye daughter. Don't worry.
Don Eugenio will come to see you.
I'll take care of it.
Let's go.
(Door closes)
(HE COMPLAINS)
(BREATHING HEAVYLY)
You must diligently consider
the end to which you must direct all the works of life
because the first thing,
This sacrament was instituted to have succession
and that you try to leave heirs not so much of your assets,
how much of your faith, religion and virtue.
And so that you can help each other to bear the discomforts of life
May you be rest and relief to each other
cutting off all occasions in advance
of annoyances and annoyances.
Finally, marriage was granted to men
so that they would flee from fornication,
the husband having his wife and the woman having her man.
I'm excited.
To me these things...
What's wrong with you, Berta?
I see you looking very bad.
I feel bad. But it's passing me by.
-Berta.
Do you know about Senta? No what happens?
That the girl is very bad.
(dramatic music)
Has the doctor come?
Yeah.
At first they didn't want to call him, they said it was nothing,
that would pass quickly.
And what did he say?
Don't know.
They didn't want to tell me.
Who has severe bronchopneumonia.
The doctor said to take her to the hospital.
But the director doesn't even want to hear about it.
He's going to die, Berta.
He's going to die...
There are times when I think he stops breathing.
I have to lean down to hear him breathe.
To notice that his heart is still beating.
I don't know what to do, Berta.
I don't know what to do...
Yes, I know what to do.
-No and no. The girl doesn't leave here.
We will take care of her and she doesn't need anyone.
And don't try any tricks. It is not allowed, period.
I will not tolerate interference from anyone.
What if the girl dies? Maybe God has arranged it that way.
But I'm glad you came.
I wanted to talk with you. De Senta.
I don't like your friendship with that girl.
It's the same as the others.
He needs help and I'm going to give it to him no matter what.
No, it is not. He's here for murder.
I don't know if you knew that.
Yes I know. And I do not care.
Well you should care. And that's not the worst.
She is unbalanced and vicious.
That type of friendship is very dangerous in here.
Don't come any closer to her, Berta. I'm telling you this for your own good.
You are in jail. Do not forget.
Do you think I can forget it?
(dramatic music)
"Yes, I was in jail and I couldn't do anything.
But I did it, I wrote to my father, to a doctor friend of mine,
and also to Don Eugenio, my former boss.
And I did it, they took the girl to the hospital.
Then I found out that it was the doctor who did it.
Don Eugenio did not move a finger.
He had managed to be elected attorney in the Cortes
and councilor of the Barcelona City Council.
He was famous for his confrontation with the mayor,
for your requests and questions
and vote against in almost every vote.
But deep down he was part of the Regime and knew that nothing was at stake.
He came to see me late one night so that no one would see him enter.
He had esteem for me.
I wrote the speeches
and he would rehearse them later with a tape recorder.
He even hired a well-known actor to give him diction classes.
because, like most Francoists, he did not know how to speak.
And I would never learn." Well, Berta, I'm here.
I hope you won't have any complaints.
Yes and no.
When I wrote to him to tell him about the girl...
Ah, that matter.
But Berta, you will always be the same.
You have problems and on top of that you ask favors for others.
It doesn't matter. I solved it the other way.
Glad to hear it. I tried and no luck.
But the important thing is your case. What does the lawyer say?
That everything is stopped, that they have not just closed the summary.
Well, you have to activate it. Speed it up!
Well... Do you read the newspapers?
You may have already heard about the mess I've made at City Hall.
They end up speaking Catalan or I stop calling myself Eugenio.
And in the Cortes I have them amazed.
Berta, I miss you.
When you get out we'll talk.
You could go back to the office, to your old job.
They called from the hospital.
The girl is out of danger. Thanks to you, Berta.
Thanks to you...
But woman...
Now do you feel like crying? It's happiness, silly.
Sorry.
I'm nervous, I don't know what I'm doing.
(Romantic music)
They say that when someone drinks someone else's tears
remains united to her forever.
Yes, Bertha. Yeah...
We will always be together.
In and out of here.
I swear to you, Berta. I swear!
That has a name, Berta: homosexuality.
And I'm not willing to allow it.
Nor can I tolerate deception.
I told you not to intervene in the girl's illness.
And yet you did it. Thanks to that the girl has been saved.
It's your friendship with that girl that I won't tolerate.
So it's over.
I have given orders to take her to a punishment cell.
As for you, I have ordered your transfer.
Prepare your things.
You leave tomorrow.
You can withdraw. But...
Retreat!
(dramatic music)
"That was a men's prison.
There were only three of us in the women's section.
I was tired and couldn't sleep.
The memory of Senta became painful,
filling me with anguish.
I tried to think of something else and get her away from me.
I tried to remember past things.
The landscape of my town, between two mountains.
Its streets, its square, its church.
I remembered strange and small things.
From my grandmother, from her fear of death.
She raised me. She taught me to read, to count, to play the piano.
Little things. Always little things.
From mom, from the house. I didn't remember almost anything.
Everyone except my father died in time
so as not to know the shame of seeing myself in jail".
-Thank you for giving me a hand, Berta.
With this tripon I can't even move.
There's little to see here, right?
This shitty bedroom and patio is the only thing they leave us.
The rest is for men.
We don't even have a dining room.
And that classmate, Pili, why is she here?
She was a lady, a doctor's wife.
And he took it.
I think he understood the nurse.
The doctor, of course.
Look, here comes the sarasa with the food.
Good morning to all.
-And Pilar? -Hello, Pascualina.
The lady has gone to the infirmary but she has nothing.
That defecates too much.
-Come on, he spends the day joking. -Daughter, how ordinary.
And don't call me that, you know I don't like it.
Are you the new one? (NODS)
My name is Pascual. And I Berta.
Charmed.
Maria, you won't be missing much.
The less thought day.
I really want to let it go! (CHUFFING)
Daughter, you say it with an illusion.
-With how beautiful it is to be a mother. -Oops...
Well, beauties, I'll leave you. Enjoy yourself.
-Farewell, queen of the seas. -Bye.
(Door closes)
Even though you see him as such a sissy, he is a very good boy. And very sensitive.
I was in the infirmary,
but he became dizzy with the blood and they had to remove him.
Now it's in order.
He's the only man who comes here.
Since he is a faggot, they trust him. (LAUGHS)
It's very funny, like a joke.
Well, outside he may have done whatever, but here nothing at all.
And there is no shortage of opportunities.
Another one who was a hairdresser before was crying when they released him.
Between cutting hair and fucking, he earned more than on the street.
But he doesn't let anyone get close to him.
(Shrieking)
The fucking rats!
Don't worry, they come for the food.
You give them a little and they are so happy.
If you don't do it it's worse, they get angry.
(Shrieking)
For the bad milk of the decent ones.
But by reaching out you can still live.
One day I removed 500 hairs like someone who washes.
It was my oldest boy's birthday.
He wanted a cake.
I left in the morning, and by 3:00 p.m. I had already gathered the 100 boleros.
How many boys do you have? Five and what's next.
All distributed.
What I told you about the decent ones, because of one I am here.
For carrying a bag. (HE COMPLAINS)
And they brought you here directly without asking for bail?
5000 pelas. Where the hell do I get them from?
(COMLAINS) What's wrong with you?
The "fucking" kid, he must be about to come out.
Don't move, we'll take you to the infirmary.
Pili! Come running, she just went into labor!
Contractions! He just gave me another one!
Don't worry, it's nothing.
What is nothing? I would like to see you.
It will be an idiot! (HE COMPLAINS)
How are you Maria?
Bad. Very bad, Berta.
But the bad thing is the breeding.
He is hungry and has tremendous decomposition.
If you have problems with milk, it is best to remove the breast.
I understand a little about these things.
-My husband... -That's the bad thing, they won't let me.
Not to mention bottles.
"Let me feed him by natural means,"
As they have the hard face to say...
The milk that they have "dao"! (HE COMPLAINS)
The girl's whore...
Every time he sucks it seems like he takes my soul out.
I think it draws more blood than milk.
But something will feed her, I say.
Because the only thing missing was that he didn't feed her.
after what the little angel is putting me through.
(HE COMPLAINS)
But this... I'll fix it.
Wow I fix it.
(train siren)
-No! -Peaceful.
This is going to be your wedding night. (LAUGH)
Be careful, maybe she's a virgin.
This one swallows whatever they throw at it.
You pay me for this, you fucking faggot.
-You will enjoy. -I'll kill you! For my mother I kill you!
I'll kill you just like the other one!
I think it has been...
Pascual went crazy.
One of the boys had his head smashed.
with a piece of wood.
They had to take the second one out of their hands.
Why do these things happen, Berta?
(CRYING) Sometimes...
Sometimes I think I'm going to go crazy.
(CRY)
(Footsteps approach)
¡Berta!
Berta, I have good news to give you.
Tomorrow they transfer us. Where?
They take you to Barcelona for the trial.
To me... to the prison.
Are you happy?
Don't know.
And they also gave me this telegram for you.
I hope it is also good news.
(Romantic music)
A friend of yours?
I haven't asked you about Maria. Where have they taken her?
They wouldn't have left her in the infirmary with this mess.
Maria is no longer here.
She paid bail and has been released.
I'm very happy to hear it. It's great.
Especially for the girl.
It is awful. I shouldn't tell you now,
but sooner or later you would find out.
Although...
...maybe this is best for the little girl.
I don't understand. You won't even understand it.
Not you, not me, not anyone.
Because there are things that do not fit into the human head.
Maria, to pay the bail, to get out of here,
He sold the girl for... 5000 pesetas.
(dramatic music)
How are you, daughter? She couldn't go more days without seeing you.
I'm fine. And how are you? Good, daughter, good.
Now the important thing is that everything is fixed.
We'll try, my friend. We will try.
-And now please come in. -Yeah.
I want to talk to Berta for a few minutes.
Good bye daughter. Good luck. Thanks Dad.
I didn't want to say anything to you in front of your father.
but the news is not good.
The prosecutor presses hard.
Talk about continued crime,
of the defiant madness of the accused and a thousand other niceties.
Ask for the maximum penalty.
Eight years.
But... And the mitigating factors?
My confession, spontaneous repentance,
good conduct.
He doesn't consider them.
Think you are a repeat offender and hit hard.
I'm not.
This time I have committed a crime, yes. But before he was innocent.
Okay, but they don't know. What's more, they don't care.
They are guided by what is written, by the law.
In short, what can be done will be done.
Let's go?
It's not possible.
Eight years...
Yes, eight years.
We have done what we could, but...
I'm sorry.
(dramatic music)
(Subway approaching)
(SCREAMS)
"My father's suicide,
the return to jail,
the terrible sentence,
the emptiness, the absence of will to continue living.
And two years without seeing Senta.
If it weren't for the hope of finding her again..."
I've missed you so much, Berta.
And the companions too.
Since you left it has become hell.
They took the nuns
and in his place they brought a director who neither punctures nor cuts.
They must have thought that this was too big for them.
But the one who cuts the cod is that bitch Dutchwoman.
The Dutch? Yeah.
Trini, the head warden.
Be careful with her, Berta. Great care.
That takes out your soul.
She controls everything.
He sells you cigarettes, food, sanitary pads...
If you have money everything is fine.
The bad thing is when it ends, and it ends quickly.
Then you only have one solution left.
Either die of disgust or jump through hoops.
What does that mean?
That means doing what she wants.
From sleeping with her to serving as a spy for her.
She's a bitch.
If he likes you, you're lost.
He doesn't stop until he gets it.
That happened to Françoise.
It has destroyed her.
He started selling drugs until he ran out of money.
Then he continued giving them to her in exchange for sleeping with her.
When he got tired,
He left it to rot.
There you have it, like a soul in pain.
Hello, Françoise.
How are you?
Do you remember Tagore?
"If at night you cry for not seeing the sun,
the tears won't leave you...
...see stars".
Tagore is shit. Like this, like everything.
Leave it, it can't be fixed.
From former companions
There are only very few of us left.
Lourdes, Lulú, me...
And Senta? Where is?
Senta is here.
But when they found out you were coming, they changed it.
They have put her at number three, with the whores.
Toma.
He asked me to give this to you.
But don't open it, hide it.
Now they search us continuously.
So you are Berta.
I've heard about you.
Much bad... and little good.
To start, I want you to get two things clearly in your pretty little head.
The first,
things are done here...
...as I say.
The idyllic times of the little nuns, as you called them,
They are over.
There are too many of you to contemplate.
From the policies
even sausages like you and your friends.
That's why they brought me here.
To put order.
The second is that everything, absolutely everything,
It has to pass through my hands.
From the cigarette you smoke to the toilet paper.
If you want something, you ask me.
And I'll see if I grant it to you.
It will depend on how you behave.
No. You didn't understand.
But you will understand it by hook or by crook.
Sooner or later you all open your eyes.
I didn't expect to meet you again. Well here you have us.
Screwed but happy.
But there are fewer of us left.
Now the ones who deprive are the policies.
So they will hang them all. They are companions.
People like us. What the hell!
They are ladies who don't mix with anyone.
They are from ETA and FRAP, the kind that plant bombs.
There were rumors that they were going to grant us a pardon.
But those aunts, by dint of killing guards,
They're going to screw us.
Be still, you silly "fucking"! Let's see if I can give you a shit.
Leave her alone.
And so that we do not lack anything,
They put this asshole in our bedroom
who shits and pisses on himself.
Luckily this one is even more stupid than her
and she is the one who takes care of her.
For me, they could give him a lot of blood sausage.
The only thing it's good for is catching flies.
-Look, he's already hooked one. -And now she pulls him, don't believe.
Don't let her do that, it's crap.
But it's fun and she likes it.
Don't you like it, Luisita?
Ah! (LAUGHS)
Who are the policies? I have a message for one of them.
A certain Arantxa. Do you know her?
No idea, it is forbidden to talk to them.
They are that group over there.
I'm going to ask them. See you later.
Bye bye.
This is still as fine as ever.
Have you seen her face when Luisita touched her?
What do you want? I'm looking for Arantxa.
I bring a message for her.
It's that one.
Grapefruit? Yes.
My name is Berta. I bring a message for you from Iñaki.
Have you seen him? Yeah.
How are you doing? What did he said?
Alright. We traveled together when I was transferred.
When he found out that they were bringing me here, he asked me to see you.
He told me not to worry about him, he's fine.
And that he loves you very much. When she said goodbye she gave me a kiss.
It was as if he had given it to you. You don't care, do you?
Of course not. Has he told you anything else?
He also gave me this. They are some verses in Basque.
Maybe they are a little wet, I had to put them in my mouth
so they wouldn't take them from me when they searched me.
Thanks, Berta.
Who knows when I will see him again. Here we don't find out anything.
The newspapers arrive censored or do not arrive.
They say they are asking for the death penalty. Do you know something?
I come from jail. I don't know anything either.
They can't kill them, Berta. They can't kill them!
They would take the world on themselves.
They can't kill them. It's too strong, they won't dare.
No. They won't dare.
"Of course they dared. Poor Arantxa.
They have already dared with some death sentences
that are just waiting to be confirmed.
But I had to lie.
Because Arantxa needs to believe in something.
They blame capitalism, the dictatorship.
I think that even if things changed,
For us, for the common people, everything will remain the same.
But I have to believe in something, and I only have Senta left.
My love for Senta."
(Piano music)
Hello, Berta. Together again. Did they give you my gift?
Yes, I'm wearing it.
Even if it can't be seen, I will always carry it, all my life, no matter what happens.
How are you?
I can't complain, especially now that I have you here.
Mine is going well.
I've seen the lawyer, he says he's going to fix it,
that soon I will be free.
Thanks to you, Berta. Thanks to you!
-Beautiful.
Really touching.
The little friends who see each other after so much time.
Going!
You with the whores, that's your place.
And you come with me.
I just found out that you really like music.
Let's see how you play the piano.
You think you're very tough, but it won't work with me.
I'll soften you when I get out of my pussy!
There you have the piano.
Start playing.
Let's go.
You think you're very smart and you're a poor idiot.
Collecting garbage! Let me see it.
Put it all in the bucket.
And you, Luther, when she finishes with the cube,
You take it to the patio and leave it next to the door.
Shake them all off.
He tells us to do this job just for fun.
It makes me carry weight to indulge myself
of seeing me put the child through my mouth one day.
But I'll take care of that one. Mua! For these! (SPITS)
I'll take that one and Lucio ahead.
And who is Lucio? My man.
I'm here with the belly and he's sleeping with another one.
A man has to live on something, if you no longer love him.
Of course I love him, more than my life.
If I didn't love him it wouldn't matter.
But because I love him so much,
As soon as I look at it I'll put its guts in the sun.
I still don't understand how he is here.
They would have to take her to a sanatorium.
-I do not know either.
I think it has to do with the Social Dangerous Law.
Dangerous fool... It's funny.
He's like a little child.
Do you have children?
Hey, how old do you think I am?
I don't know. Forty?
No, 31.
It's just that a bad life ages quickly.
I'm from the village, you know?
And I've worked harder than a mule.
And why are you here?
He killed four guys in his town. And the dog.
I only regret it for the dog.
Not for the others.
They were starving me.
They beat me up.
And on top of that they laughed at me.
That's why I killed them all.
But I shouldn't have killed the dog.
He loved me.
He looked at me sadly when he was dying.
Can you come for a moment?
We want to talk to you.
I have given Isa the verses of Iñaki that you brought me.
They have inspired her to create a song that she dedicates to all of us.
Iñaki... was shot this morning.
I'm very sorry, Arantxa.
I'm really sorry.
I already knew it.
You see it? In the end they dared.
They have done it because they feel weak.
But for me... they have left me empty.
Now I am envious of that last kiss you gave him.
Same for you, Arantxa.
It was for you.
(guitar music)
-Do you already know? -Yeah.
I am very sorry for what happened to your partner.
It's not a matter of feeling it, nothing is achieved that way.
But that's what we wanted to talk to you about.
Tonight in the dining room we will organize a hunger strike.
We invite the commons to join. Do you think it is possible?
I'm afraid not. Look, I'm going to be honest with you,
The companions do not agree with you.
They are afraid of you.
They say that you plant bombs and they blame you for the lack of a pardon.
I'm sorry.
It's horrible, you can't allow anyone to be killed.
But I'm afraid.
And the others too.
What had I told you?
You can't go anywhere with these.
Alright. We will do it alone.
I'm sorry, Bertha. but please don't be angry.
Pilar is tough but you have to understand her.
Does she understand me? Do you understand that I'm risking everything?
What am I gambling for nothing? We also risked everything.
And without getting what we want most of the time.
We risk our lives.
Even if the battle for freedom is won,
It will no longer be of any use to Iñaki.
He lost her permanently this morning.
But we have to fight, Berta! We must fight for a just cause!
You are not mistaken, Berta. Don't mistake the flag.
Don't let despair degrade you.
Degradation...
What do you know about that?
It's like a ladder that goes down step by step.
And I've already gone down too much.
I can only continue going down to the bottom.
(Slap)
Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!
Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!
-Murderers! Murderers! -Please be reasonable.
If you don't want to eat, don't eat, but be silent!
Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!
Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!
Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!
-Llévenselas. -Let's go!
Without contemplations!
Drag them if necessary.
Take her to the punishment cell.
Take this bitch away!
Quiet!
(Whistle)
(laughs)
The first one that moves I'll take it.
He won't leave here for the rest of his life.
Freedom! Amnesty!
We have to support them, we have to do something.
Go ahead and get fucked by an octopus. That's why I don't lift a finger.
Don't get involved, Berta. Do not mess.
You've heard that bad beast.
They have their world and we have ours.
Remember what I tell you.
Someday we will have a problem and they will leave us aside.
(military music)
Freedom! Amnesty! Freedom! Amnesty!
Luisita, why don't you eat?
It doesn't have a spoon.
I want that spoon right now.
I'm going to believe that someone has picked it up from the ground
so that he would not get lost.
You have 15 seconds to deliver it.
And nothing will happen to him.
We're. Look next to her.
There is nothing. No this.
The 15 seconds have already passed.
Whoever is found is ready.
Everyone stand up!
¡Registradlas!
And you take off your clothes.
If there was more discipline, what happens would not happen.
(LAUGHS)
It's funny to see you all like this.
There are some that are saved, but most of them are disgusting to see.
¡Cacheadlas bien!
These are capable of hiding it in their very pussy.
-Bring it, give it to me. Come on.
Still!
Here it is.
The stupid "fucking" had to be.
(CHUFFING)
"Spaniards, if I allow myself to disturb the privacy of your homes
It is not to exacerbate your justice."
How long will we last
that freeze our smile?
How long will these gorings be repeated?
in your guts?
"They have tried to interfere in the internal life...".
They are the policies that are singing in the courtyard.
It is a song that Isa dedicates to the Basques. Are we going to hear it?
"...your courage, your deep pain
in the face of so much hypocrisy, falsehood and injustice
how it has spilled
to amass this intolerable aggression against Spanish sovereignty...".
These are the ones who are to blame for everything that happens to them.
Let's go.
-"...resonance in the Government,
that feeling it vehemently,
You have to suffocate it..."
How long will we put up with their pressure and their songs?
How long will they diffuse the scream
from your mouth?
From our mountains comes an "irrintzi"
that makes the plateau vibrate.
And the Basque Country...
"Gora Euskadi freed".
"...to provide direct or indirect assistance
to terrorist activities or...".
From our mountains comes an "irrintzi",
that makes the plateau vibrate.
And the Basque Country...
"Gora Euskadi freed".
(OUT OF TUNE) "From our mountains comes an 'irrintzi'...".
Leave her alone, damn. If she wants to sing, let her sing.
And the Basque Country...
Come on, woman, come down!
¡"Up to Euskadi freed"!
Come down here and sing with me.
Come down, please, they're going to beat us all.
And it makes the plateau vibrate! Please!
Please, Françoise.
Help me! Take it!
Françoise, please listen to me.
(KEEP SINGING)
What scandal is this? Come down immediately.
Put them in punishment cells.
(NEW)
I'll take the nonsense out of this one in a moment.
No! No! Let me go! No!
I don't want to! No! No!
No! No!
Let go! No! No!
¡No!
No! No!
(SCREAMS)
"They locked us up for a month in punishment cells.
Françoise was given injections of turpentine.
Then I found out that they do it with rebellious prisoners.
It produces intense pain, loses weight,
and becomes mentally and physically inappetant.
We had to sleep on the floor
and the humidity penetrated to the bones.
I felt the rheumatism growing inside me.
A rheumatism that hurt and that I could only combat
going around and around the cell,
walking with great strides or running
its six square meters.
Up to 45,000 steps can be taken in one day.
I did gymnastics, I learned to shave without tweezers,
to distinguish the walk of the guards by their steps,
to know how far away they were
or in what dungeon they had stopped.
I learned to talk to myself, to sing and dance,
reviewing children's games,
the songs and poems that I learned in childhood.
I did everything that would help me forget my situation.
To endure the slow passage of time,
in days that added up to much more than 24 hours,
In the millions of empty minutes and seconds,
eating the disgusting prison ranch,
defecating in a toilet without a cistern that was filling with excrement.
I would fall on the floor and think about Senta.
In my love for Senta.
Only once did I think about Françoise, locked up like me.
But I was wrong.
Françoise had chosen freedom forever."
(train siren)
"Spaniards, Franco is dead.
The exceptional man, who before God and before history
assumed the immense responsibility
of the most demanding and sacrificial service to Spain,
He has given his life..."
Keep that to yourself, go on, they can see it.
Do you see it, Berta?
In the end things will change because the fight will continue.
And there will be nothing and no one to stop her.
Democracy has just been born.
Now we have to fight for freedom, for amnesty
and for pardon for all of you.
We will get it, Berta.
I would like to believe you.
But I'm not optimistic.
You, sooner or later, will get it, yes.
But our case is different, society does not admit us.
Neither this nor any.
And even if they released us all, they would lock us up again.
You are wrong, a just society is not going to allow it.
Mira...
We are a monster,
a cancer that they themselves have created,
and they know no other system to combat it than to remove it.
Besides, it's already late, prison has changed us for the worse.
We enter here as debtors of society
to pay for our crime.
And by humiliating us, degrading us,
They turn us into creditors who later claim their rights.
Our case has no solution. We are beaten meat.
Rubbish for everyone except ourselves.
You are a good girl, Arantxa, and even though you are here now
You belong to that society that rejects us.
All this time you've been locked up
I have done nothing but think about you, to suffer for you.
Know? I have good news, Berta.
They're going to release me after Christmas.
Aren't you glad?
Of course I'm glad.
What happens is that the day you leave
I will stay here alone, you will start to live...
...and I will slowly die.
(dramatic music)
Don't talk nonsense, you too will come out soon.
There is going to be a pardon very soon.
I will write to you and fight for you from the outside.
And when you come out, I'll be waiting for you.
We will always be together. Free, Berta. Free!
One day you told me that when someone drinks someone else's tears
remains united to her forever.
Nothing can separate us anymore.
I love you, Berta. I love you.
I love you too, Senta.
Sometimes love makes us selfish.
When I thought you were leaving, I was scared.
But it's over.
Now I'm looking forward to Christmas.
(Christmas music)
(INAUDIBLE)
(Tambor)
(music continues)
Very nice performance the other day.
Very pretty, moving.
Especially when observing Berta's looks and yours.
Did you think you could go around cuddling
and that I was going to consent to it?
Well it's over!
That bitch Berta was to blame for Françoise committing suicide
and that they would carry the dead man to me.
And now he's going to pay me.
Wow, he's going to pay me!
You tell her that, I have nothing to do with it.
It has to do with a lot. Everyone knows you're involved.
You think you are very safe because you think you are going to leave right away.
But you're wrong, that depends on me like everything else.
I have nothing more than to give a statement saying what you are
and here you stay.
And I can even have the girl taken away from you.
Forever!
But why? Because!
Because I want to!
And to piss off that mother's daughter
where it hurts the most.
Although thinking about it carefully,
You are a good girl who is not to blame for anything.
It's that bitch that corrupted you.
I, deep down, appreciate you.
If you are smart and do something of your part
You won't have problems with me.
Ven.
Sit here.
Do you know the news? The Dutchwoman has locked herself in with Senta.
He's probably fucking her. But that one remembers, for my dead.
The idiot left the key on
and I have locked them up.
Tell Berta, who is cleaning the toilets.
Very well done! Now you can make a big deal.
With a little luck we get rid of it,
once and for all!
Now what we need is to make a fuss.
Let the director and the others come, and when they see that she is missing,
let them look for it! (LAUGH)
Luisita! Come here!
(SCREAMS)
¡Toma!
(Shout)
What's going on?
Luisita has had an attack
and we are going to fuck the pig Dutch style.
And you scream like everyone else!
Scream, Luisita! Take! To that bitch from the Dutch...
(Rampage)
-Silence everyone! - she's sick!
I want to know immediately who organized this scandal.
Luisita has had an attack and we are scared.
Where is Miss Trini? She is locked in her office.
We have called her and she doesn't answer. She must be very busy.
(SCREAMS CONTINUE) Enough!
You two, take this poor freak to the infirmary.
And let them appear immediately
the keys to the chief warden's office!
(Door opens)
You are the one who organized all this and you are going to pay for it.
Even if it costs me my job.
It is you who is going to pay them here and now.
For Françoise, for Senta, for me and for everyone.
Even if it's the last thing you do in your life!
-Come, Berta! -Dale, Berta, Dale!
-I hold her. Come on, drown her.
-Drown her, Berta! -Kill her!
So! Go on!
-Break up with her! -Kill her!
-Hard hard! -Kill her!
-Careful, Berta!
(HE COMPLAINS)
Confused! Confused! Confused!
Finish her! Come on! Kill her!
Come on, Berta, go get her!
Give it more!
Let's go get her!
-We are going to kill you! Son of a bitch! -I am going to kill you!
Hold it there, I'll kill her!
Let's finish her off!
"They locked me up in a punishment cell again.
For the rest, they put the matter to rest.
As usual.
Senta was released two days later.
They transferred the Dutch girl.
Once again I was the one who paid the price."
Berta freedom! Berta freedom!
"My classmates tried to help me.
They organized a hunger strike.
Mercedes' forecasts were fulfilled:
Policies did not add to the strike.
I know that Arantxa did what she could.
But the others refused.
It wasn't worth risking anything for us.
However, for the common ones it was worth it.
The hunger strike was followed by a riot.
But it didn't last long.
With promises and threats they managed to convince them.
They were promised there would be no retaliation.
and that my isolation would only last a few more days.
It was partly true.
They moved me to my old cell, isolated.
At first, Senta's letters came to me regularly.
Then they spaced out.
They were distant and cold.
I racked my brain thinking of something that would allow me to review the process
and obtain freedom.
Suddenly I remembered one of the prosecutor's phrases:
'The Defiant Madness of the Accused'.
That was the key: pretending to be crazy.
They believed me.
They thought I was crazy and sentenced me to 15 months.
But I didn't manage to fulfill them.
The long-awaited pardon finally arrived.
"I returned to Barcelona."
(relaxed music)
"I needed to find a job,
and although it was difficult given my background,
finally I got it.
But I didn't find Senta or hear from her.
until almost by chance I found his new address
in a small town on the coast.
(music continues)
Good morning.
Please, do you know Soledad García, Senta?
Yes, of course I know Senta. She works here.
Although I don't think he'll come for a couple of hours.
The best thing is to ask above, Marta can inform you.
Martha? Yes, she is the owner of the place.
You want?
Excuse me, I'm looking for a friend of mine, Senta.
I asked downstairs and... Senta is busy. She'll come back later.
I need to see her. I don't live here, I just arrived from Barcelona.
Please.
Okay, come in.
Pass, pass.
wait here sit down
Here's one who wants to see you.
I didn't know you were free.
I thought you would write to me.
I have waited for your letters with more anxiety
than the pardon papers.
Sorry, Berta, I ran out of time.
I have a lot of work. And he has me.
So you are Berta.
Strange friendships are made in prison.
How is Eva?
The girl is well.
I have sent her to the countryside with some friends.
And you? What are you doing?
I live in Barcelona and I have found a job.
And I have an apartment.
I was counting on you to come there, with the girl.
It seems to me that you have not understood or did not want to understand.
Senta lives here with me.
You know Senta and you know what that means.
¿ O no?
I leave.
Just wanted to say hi.
And tell you that nothing has changed inside me.
However, in you...
How different.
I... Do you want my address?
Yes, give them to me.
Did you come by car? No, by bus.
Then you can't leave until tomorrow.
If you want, you can stay the night.
Well, but... we won't be able to attend to it.
It's our time to work.
Gracias.
I better go. No, woman, stay.
(Groans)
Sit...
(Moans continue)
(dramatic music)
Feel, my love,
It's been a long time since we saw each other.
I don't know how I could stand it.
"Today I finally dare to write to you for real.
Your phone calls are brief, very brief."
And just like that, writing,
I am able to express what I want to tell you.
"I really can't take it anymore, I can't live without you."
I love you.
It doesn't matter that I'm not your love.
You are mine.
My first, my only love.
And I know you will be the last.
I send you many kisses
and I beg you to come.
"Dear Berta,
although soon I will be by your side,
I have decided to write to you.
Yes, I'm going to Barcelona with you. Forever.
Marta's thing is over.
She doesn't want me to leave, she continually threatens me.
I know that at your side I will find the peace I need.
Eva comes with me. She is very pretty, you'll see.
And very happy to see you again."
(organ music)
It's been a wonderful day. Thanks, Berta.
It had been a long time since I had been this happy.
It seems incredible to me to be sitting here next to you.
It's as if all these past months were erased at once.
They are already forgotten.
Do you like this site? Is very pretty.
And the music is nice.
Wait a minute, I'll be right back.
(music continues)
Could you play Chopin's "Sadness of Love"?
Yes of course. Thank you.
(Music by Chopin)
Do you remember? Yeah.
I hadn't heard it since we separated.
But I know that without you it wouldn't have sounded the same.
And now neither.
That man plays very well.
But it was your hands that had something special.
It was that I loved you.
Like now. As usual.
I would like to tell you something. Tell me what?
Well, nothing. After.
What I wanted to tell you is that, as always,
I'm short of money.
You know it hurts me to ask you,
but I have no other choice.
Don't worry.
Girl, I see you swim in abundance.
Do not believe it.
They gave me an advance at the publishing house.
But tomorrow I have to deliver it to the bank.
It's to pay for the apartment.
This morning I gave the owner a check for 100,000 pesetas,
and with my background, an open check.
Yes of course.
It's not important.
Is this enough? Yeah.
(Romantic music)
I love you.
Do you love me, Senta?
Tell me please.
Shut up. Yes I love you.
But you have to help me.
You have to trust me.
I need that money, Berta.
I really need it.
Give it to me, Berta. No...
You can fix it, I'm sure you can.
I would give you everything.
But I can not.
Everything I earn is to pay for this apartment.
So that you feel comfortable.
I, personally, don't have any expenses.
I don't want to go to jail again, Senta.
I could not stand it.
You tell me that you love me and you are incapable of doing anything for me.
You know what I mean?
Put your dirty money where it fits
and don't remember me again. No, Senta!
My love, don't go, please.
I love you. Well, not me.
The one I love, the only one I love is Marta.
What I did before was thinking about her.
I didn't care if you were the first whore
that he would have found me on the street.
I only need a piece of meat to make love to him
and to think that I am doing it with Marta.
But you can't understand that.
You think you are pure, an intellectual, a romantic,
and deep down you are nothing more than a frigid
incapable of feeling with either men or women.
Do you want me to tell you what's wrong with me?
That I am the only person who has made you enjoy,
feel alive!
But you have to pay for that.
Because... it makes me sick to do it with you!
And on top of that you ask me to tell you that I love you.
Well I tell you.
I love you...
...Marta.
No! (CRY)
Forgive me, my love. Forgive me!
Take the money.
Do whatever you want, but please don't leave, Senta.
Do not go!
Of course I'm leaving. Leave me alone! We're done!
I'm going with Marta. And you can go to hell.
Because that's what you are! Shit!
Sit down!
Sit...
No...
No...
(dramatic music)
(distant train siren)
(train siren)
(dramatic music)
-"The events and characters described in this film
They are mostly real,
although their names have been altered to avoid identification.
The novel on which this narrative is based
was written by Inés Palou.
Inés Palou in Agramunt, Lérida, on May 6, 1923.
Daughter of Ramón and Dolores, administrative profession.
After having been in prison several times,
Inés Palou committed suicide in Gelida in 1975,
under the wheels of train 2614 via San Vicente heading to Barcelona.
Inés Palou normally lived in a humble pension
and committed suicide a few days after signing a bad check
worth 100,000 pesetas.
They were found among the remains
your identity card number 40675496
and some personal items."
(music continues)