Magdalena Viraga (1986) - full transcript

Shot in the bars and seedy hotels of East L.A, this film is about the inner life of a prostitute imprisoned for killing her pimp.

Cigarette?

There's no smoking in here.

What is it that you like
better than anything else?

I like being where I am.

And where are you?

I'm not here.

I'm very careful about that.

No, I'm not here.

It is very pleasant.

Very pleasant, indeed, not to be here.

I know what you mean.



Your name is Magdelena Viraga,

and that is what you
mean by not being here.

I'm afraid,

very much afraid that you are mistaken.

Hey, Ida, Ida,

kiss my ribs.

- Look at the chair.
- Which chair?

The only chair.

I can't see the only chair.

Look at the only chair.

There is no chair there.

Which one is going to murder which one?

Thank you.

If I'm an officer,



and I am an officer,

I'm an officer and I give orders.

Would you,

would you like to see me giving orders?

And if I gave orders,

and everyone obeyed me,

and they do,

would that impress you?

I know you like me,

otherwise you would not even look at me.

Yes and no.

You see, I do look at you
but that is not enough.

I look at you and you look at me,

but we neither say more then how are you,

and very well, thank you.

If we do, there's always the question,

what is your name?

And really, if I knew your name,

I would not be interested in you.

No, I would not.

And if I do not know your name,

I could not be interested.

Certainly I could not.

Goodbye now, yes, goodbye.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

I hate working.

I can't stand working.

I hate working.

I hate working.

I hate working.

I can't stand working.

I hate working.
- I know.

I can't stand working.

I hate working.
- Ida.

I can't stand working.

Everyone is sick of your whining.

We are two sisters who are not sisters.

We are two sisters who are orphans.

We are two sisters who are not sisters

because we have not had the
same mother or the same father.

But because we are both orphans,

we are two sisters who are not sisters.

He's dead.

Who's dead.

He's murder dead, that man.

Which man?

That man up there.

He's..
- He's dead now.

Dead.

Where is he now?

He's still there

in Ida's room.

Ida.

Ida did

kill him?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Let's go and have a drink.

Yeah, let's.

Let's go now.

Yes, let's go home now.

Which one was murdered, which one?

I don't know which one.

Maybe the tall one.

The tall one with longest hair.

Oh yeah, that one.

That one.

All areas begin count.

All areas begin count.

Deputy Craft, 1021, first CC.

Deputy Craft 1021, first CC.

- I dream that I often..
- What?

I dream that I often long for water.

I dream that when I close my eyes,

I see water.

I dunno.

When I close my eyes, I do see water.

What is water?

Ida.

Ida

Ida.

Look at me now and here I am.

492, you wanna go to mass?

What?

It's Sunday.

You wanna go to mass?

Pray for us.

In the name of St. Peter.

Pray for us.

Oh Lord,

King of King's,

Holy savior of man,

son of the father.

Pray for us.

Look at me now and here I am.

What is that thing inside you?

Private.

What is that private thing?

Tell me.

That private thing is only you.

Tell me.

I wanna know.

I wanna know.

What is that private locked up thing?

Locked up.

My female self.

Is locked up inside.

Locked up.

Locked up.

Did you kill her?

Yes or no.

Wait and see.

Water clear.

Water.

What is water?

Ida

You're under arrest, let's go.

Let's go.

Move it, let's go.

Move, let's go.

Move, move.

Come on.

Let's go, come on.

Out of the way, everybody.

Slowly, slowly, slowly.

She has been living and working.

She has been quiet and working.

She has been suffering and working.

She has been watching and working.

She has been waiting.

She has been working.

She has been waiting and working.

She has not needing to be changing.

Once I was in love with a man.

Every man is different
from every other man.

I was so in love with him,

I wanted to die from loving him.

I wanna know.

I wanna tell you

Tell me.

I was feeling all tied inside.

And then?

I wanna love someone
and I don't know what to do.

All right, 10-4.

All right,

How often do you have your hotel full?

Not very often.

Why?

What do you want?

I was just asking your wife

how often you have your hotel full?

Quite often.

Well, wait a while and I will leave

and everyone will come.

But while I am here,

nobody will come

or go.

Well, wait a while,

and I will leave and everyone will come.

But while I am here, nobody will.

Why not?

Because I want to be
in the hotel all alone.

I only want you and your wife

and your three boys and your girl

and your father and your
mother and your sister.

Nobody else.

But do not worry.

You'll not have to keep the others out.

They will not come when I am here.

You know that wife of the hotel
keeper with a sweet voice,

the one who manages everything?

she will kill herself and
the hotel will go to pieces.

Manager.

He's dead.

I feel that same way, that I'm here.

Full name please?

David Usher.

Address.

848 South Main Street.

Phone.

458-4587.

Age.

43.

You work here?

Yes, I'm the hotel manager.

How long?

Oh, a couple of years.

Where is your apartment?

Just across the hall.

You say you found the body?

Yes.

Why'd you knock on
the door in the first place?

I heard some noises

so I thought I ought to investigate so

knocked on the door.

Nobody answered.

So I opened the door,

saw the body

and closed the door and find you guys.

Who lives in this room?

Oh, couple of prostitutes, I think.

What's their names?

I don't know, I'm sorry.

Live here for two years, you don't know?

No, I don't know.

Who uses this room?

A prostitute.

One or two or three, how many?

Just one.

Her name.

I'm sorry, I don't know.

Can you describe her?

Oh, just medium, medium build.

What do you mean medium build?

Medium, you know.

I have noticed really.

Don't pay much attention, do you?

No, I don't.

Don't get involved whatsoever.

Why'd you knock on the door?

Just because I heard these noises,

I thought I ought to investigate.

Okay, Mr. Usher,

can you describe exactly
what you saw and heard?

I just heard some noises.

So after a while I thought
I ought to investigate.

So I opened the door,

saw the body,

closed the door and called you guys.

Okay, Mr. Usher,

we're gonna book you as a material witness.

Wait in the hallway for Mr. Forensic.

Okay.

The humiliation is too deep.

He said it's three miles wide

and one or two deep.

Your penis

sewn on you like a medal,

all life and feeling departed from it.

Soon you will have no voice.

So sing now.

Now.

Or you'll float,

lifeless,

swollen with words you never said,

swollen with hoarded love.

How mad are you

and how angry are you?

And how long will you be so angry?

I am never angry enough to die.

I am angry enough to kill.

And how angry is that?

That is as angry as the ocean.

I am that angry and type.

Kiss my lips.

Ida.

Kiss my lips again.

Kiss my lips,

kiss my lips,

kiss my lips,

kiss my lips.

I'm being followed by a man.

He comes everywhere.

He always comes.

He always has got to go.

He always says, I've got to go.

He always comes

and says, I've got to go.

He's not here now.

He's nowhere near here now.

He can never get near
here or even close, never.

Yeah, he got close,

but he never really got all the way here,

to here,

here with me here.

Ida?

Yes.

Not here,

all the way here,

he never got all the way here.

Remember that.

Okay.

Don't let anyone in here.

Never, ever let anyone
in here except for me.

Are you here?

Who said you could even be here?

Get out, get out before I call the police

Come here.

You know I didn't do it.

Maybe I wanted to.

I know.

I swear to God it wasn't me.

I know.

I know.

Get me out of here.

I know.

I will.

Get me out of here.

I know.

I know.

Ida,

I know.

Come on, get up, get up.

Hands behind your back.

Stay still, come on.

Come on.

Out of my way.

Get outta the way.

Come on, out of the way.

Out of my way, now, no.

Move, move, come on.

Get outta the way.

Get outta the way, come on.

Move, get out of the way.

Get out of the way.

Move.

Move.

So what was all that blood Ida,

all that blood?

Menstrual blood.

All that menstrual blood.

That's all.

My faith in the God and my mother,

an the blood of my
Father, my son and mother,

son, my son, sons, my son,

Holy Ghost.

My sins, and the Father.

Saints protect, and Jesus.

I have sinned.

In the blood,

Mary Magdalen, my mother,

the whore of Jesus,

the blood of the whore.

Jesus, the mother of Jesus

and the blood of the whore, Jesus.

How old are you now?

Hey, how are you?

How you doing?

You okay?

Get away from me.

Shut up.

Shut up.

Shut up, I said.

Shut up.

Shut up!

Shut up.

Leave her alone.

Leave her alone.

My veins and nerves

in two knots,

my seat in double knots.

The sun is shrunk.

The heavens shrunk.

Trees wither.

My invisible hatreds joined.

Those who seem remote and separate.

But are greatly together in the deep.

The sex organs are signs
of God's covenant with us.

They are the image of God,

but I don't have to tell you this.

You've studied and you know.

A pussy is just pussy as far as I know.

What?

Look at me now and here I am.

We are three sisters who are not sisters.

We are three sisters who are orphans.

We are three sisters who are not sisters

because we have not had the
same mother or the same father.

But because we are all orphans

we are three sisters who are not sisters.

I'm very, very calm now.

I'm very calm.

Like a river, I am very calm.

I guess I just got calm now.

I just got calm, like a river.

I just got so calm now.

Maybe I got calm.

Claire?

Yes?

Dear God, let someone love me now.

Dear God, let me love.

Deputy Farino, 10-21,

deputy Farino 10-21.

Just try.

You can try, he said.

You can just try.

You can try, you can never be what he said.

- Just try.
- Never what he said.

Never to be what he said.

- I did try.
- I did try.

- You can try.
- You can try.

- You can just try.
- You can try.

- Never to be what he said.
- Never to be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

- Never to be what he said.
- Never to be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

You can try.

You can just try.

Never, Never let me,

never let me, never let me.
- Never to be what he said.

Never let me be what he said.

Never let me be what he said.

Never let me, never let me,

never let me be what he said.

- You can try.
- Never let me

be what he said.

You can just try.

Never let me,

never let me, Never be what he said.

Never let me be what he said.

- Never to be what he said.
- Never let me

be what he said.

Never be what he said.

- Never let me..
- You can try.

Never let me, never let me be what he said.

You can just try.

Never let me be what he said.

Never let me, never let me,

never let me, never let me,

never let me, never let me,

never let me be what he said.

Never let me be what he said.

Never be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

Never to be what he said.

Almighty God,

father of all mankind,

hear our prayer.

Together.

Pray for us.

In the name of your
holy apostle, Saint John.

Pray for us.

In the name of your
holy apostle, St. Paul.

Pray for us.

In the name of your
holy apostle, St. Peter.

Pray for us.

Oh Lord, holy savior of man.

King of kings.
- Those women weren't joking

when they claimed

that all you have to do to become a witch

is say three times to yourself,

I am a witch.

I am a witch.

I am a witch.

No

No!

Stop it.

Shut up.

Woe to the inhabits of the earth.

For my people are foolish

and they have not known me.

Get up.

Get up.

Get in there.

Behave.

I'm sorry, but we must execute murderers.

It's absolute policy.

You must be joking.

She's guilty of no crime.

I hear my mother crying.

She is bringing out a child

and this daughter calls me

now.

The other voices of the
trumpet call me now.

And I say, yes, I am a witch.

I am a witch.

I am a witch.

A hyacinth resembles a rose.

A rose resembles a blossom,

a blossom resembles a calla lily,

a calla lily resembles a jonquil,

and a jonquil resembles a marguerite,

a marguerite resembles a rose in bloom,

a rose in bloom resembles
a lily of the valley,

a lily of the valley resembles a violet,

and a violet resembles a bird.