Ron Hopper's Misfortune (2020) - full transcript

Sara, a beautiful young girl, returns to an old abandoned mechanical workshop in the middle of nowhere to meet her unexpected confidant Ron Hopper; a mysterious being that has been anchored in the same place since always.

A fair-skinned

soul once asked me

if I ever knew true love.

My answer was you

can't understand life

without feeling the

essence of things

being in perpetual motion.

We humans are united

by the same storm,

love and death.

With death, either

you seek it out,

or it eventually

catches up with you.

There is no escape.

But love,

love is the only thing you

can seek and never find.

Love is the only

thing money can't buy.

If it could, machines and

death would rule the world.

Hello?

Are you still there?

I told you I'd come back.

I didn't tell anyone.

I can keep a secret.

Whoa, is that real?

It sure looks real.

It must be so heavy.

I've been thinking about what

we talked about last time.

That really made me think.

No small feat.

It would be amazing if the

world could know your story.

I think it's incredible

that you live isolated

from the world.

I live isolated too,

but it's not the same.

Did I tell you that I had

to wear a spinal apparatus

when I was little?

All the kids made fun of me.

They gave me a different

nickname every week.

The bastards.

What was your

favorite nickname?

The Replicant.

That was my favorite.

Cinema is one of

man's greatest inventions.

I know a lot about things that

have happened in the world

thanks to movies.

I suppose your

friends in high school

were referring to

"Blade Runner".

I've seen it many times.

The original, I mean.

The sequel isn't as good.

Do you like movies

that humanize machines?

I don't think that a

machine can have feelings.

You can't feel

without a conscience.

That's how I see it, at least.

Not all humans

have a conscience.

That's true.

You need somebody to come

and clean up this place.

I know someone cheap.

Nothing

will change things.

Things will always be dirty.

At least you'll save

yourself from infection.

I've never gotten sick.

Never?

Not even a cold?

Never.

Maybe you're immortal.

I'm starting

to think so, Sarah.

I'm glad

you remember my name.

I remember the

names of all the people

who have been

through this place.

For a second I

thought I was special.

I didn't

say you weren't.

I was joking.

I don't remember

what humor is like.

In my world there

isn't very much of it.

That's too bad.

Nice collection.

Do you like clocks?

Yeah, as a decoration.

I don't need a clock

to be punctual.

I have like a natural

sense of time.

That's nice.

What do you see on that wall?

Lot of clocks.

Is that all you see?

And what

else is there?

You might have noticed

that one of the clocks works.

Are they broken?

Not the hourglass.

Basic things never stop working.

Do you see the gold

clock on the left?

I like it.

It looks like one my

mother used to have.

Do you see

what time it says?

Seven o'clock.

They all have

a label with a date.

1987.

Is something wrong?

No, nothing.

Even if

clocks stop working,

time never stops advancing.

Each one of these clocks

marks the time and day

that somebody died.

Their most painful

moment of existence

was immortalized when

time stopped for them.

And what about

the pretty moments?

I don't understand

what the point

of immortalizing the end is.

The pretty

moments end too,

and when they do

they become painful.

The end is always

the same, my dear.

Life is a scam.

Exactly.

Some of these clocks

must cost a fortune.

You scared me.

Do you have a dog?

You might say so.

It must be huge.

It certainly is.

I had one, the

love of my life.

His name was Elvis.

I have a picture

of him in my purse.

I don't know if you can see it.

Do you like animals?

A lot more than people.

No, please.

Sorry but I can't see

you well in the dark.

There isn't much to see.

I'm just a shadow of grief.

That sounds poetic.

If you relate it to

Cyrano de Bergerac it might.

But let remind you when

they dropped the atomic bomb

on Hiroshima, also left grief

in the form of a shadow.

How awful.

Its called balance.

That's why nature gave humanity

the power to destroy itself.

I haven't got much time left.

The clock marks

the beginning and the end

of everything we love,

but the world doesn't

seem to care much.

People give away time

with incredible ease.

And what should

we do to not waste it?

Give it away.

Time given away isn't

wasted, time sold is.

You have incredible

beauty on the outside.

I'll take that

as a compliment.

Let me remind you that

internal and external beauty

must be compatible.

I try.

Are you not happy?

It depends on what

you consider happiness.

You shouldn't be here.

But I like talking to you.

I feel I can be myself.

You should never show

your interior to anybody.

They will use it against you.

They already do.

Then be a hypocrite, many

have passed through here.

But that's impossible for me,

that's why I can't

make many friends.

People can't stand sincerity.

Humans don't like the truth

or other people winning.

You remember what we spoke

about last time you were here?

Defeat is forgiven

and forgotten.

Weak too is neither

forgiven nor forgotten.

You have a good memory.

What a shitty world.

So many people and we're

all alone in the end.

We're born along and we

die alone, never forget that.

Do your parents

know you're here?

My parents are dead.

That's too bad.

My father died when

I was a year old.

But my mother kept telling me

wonderful stories about him.

And when I turned seven she

started a new life again.

She married a jerk who

was only after her money.

So that's a long story.

Excuse me for a moment.

I can't stand thirst.

Me neither.

Are you afraid?

Yeah, but I like it.

If you want a drink there's

a machine by the door.

Do you mind if I

record our conversation?

You turned that thing

on the moment you came in.

You caught me.

In journalism they taught us

that the most interesting things

always come up in a casual way.

I know people.

Does it bother you?

You don't have to

prove anything to anyone.

Tell that to my boss.

Your boss is a

bad person who will die

like everything and everyone.

You shouldn't think

so highly of him.

When he dies, the next day

nobody will remember him.

Life and death are only

someone's business.

Okay, no recording,

I'll use my notebook.

That won't help either.

You have to keep the important

things inside yourself.

There's a big difference

between memorizing and learning.

All right.

No!

Please, not that chair.

It belongs to a soulless

warrior in ancient times.

I keep it as a museum piece.

Is there anything

else I should know?

You mustn't come near

me under any circumstances.

You said that the last time.

I also told you

not to come back.

I don't like taking orders.

Have you ever been in love?

Yes, have you?

I've had a few boyfriends,

but they were too simple for me.

That's not an answer.

If love is in the details,

pretty words, passion,

loyalty, and someone

making me laugh,

then no, I haven't.

I think I'm asking for too much.

It's good

to be demanding.

I don't think it's your fault.

I still haven't lost hope.

What's your name by the

way, you have never told me.

What would

you like to call me?

I'm writing a novel

called "Ron's

Hopper Misfortune."

Good title.

Thank you.

The main character's

name is Rodolfo Jose,

and for some strange reason,

one day an extraordinary

event takes place

that will change

his life forever.

He gets sent to live in a

sort of hidden underworld,

and they change his

name to Ron Hopper.

And that's where his

misfortune begins.

I'll call you Ron

if you don't mind,

that way I can imagine

that I am talking

to the character in my novel.

That's fine with me,

I'd love to read it some day.

You'll be the first.

You don't want me

to be the first to read it.

It's better if I'm the last.

Do you see the door in

the middle of the clocks?

No one can choose when

it opens or closes,

nor can they choose

where it opens or closes.

That's the only thing

you can't choose.

Explain that to me, Ron.

Have you noticed how many

doors there are in here?

From here I notice three.

There are eight

doors in this workshop.

If you enter one of them,

you'll never be the same

person when you leave.

If you leave, of course.

Door number one is to

the accountant's office.

There is only money inside.

You spend your life working

to make as much money as

possible, and in the end you die.

Behind door number two

something awful happens.

There isn't much

more to say about it.

Behind door number

three you can breathe

the aroma of childhood.

The best moments might

be behind that door.

Door number four has

remained closed to this day.

Never open it.

Never open that door

or all will be lost.

Door number five looks

like a good option,

but you must be very careful.

You can go through it

and be happy forever,

although the opposite

can also happen.

Two sides of the same coin.

It's very old, you can have it.

Thank you very much.

I'll keep it forever.

I hope so.

Door number six is not

a door I would recommend

because you could be a

victim of a betrayal.

And if that happens you'll

never believe in people

the same way again.

You've already seen

door number seven.

Call it The Door of Time.

If you enter, you

can never leave.

There's no turning back.

The only possible path advances

in only one direction.

The cemetery.

That brings us

to the last door.

It's the only door

you can enter or exit

whenever you need to

without complete freedom,

and without greater

consequences.

And what's behind

the last door?

The bathroom.

That last part was supposed

to be humorous, am I correct?

Not bad.

Thank you.

Why didn't you tell

me about the doors last time?

Are you curious, or do you

wanna find out if I'm lying?

Both.

What would happen

if you only had one of them

and discovered that everything

I told you is a lie?

You would lose credibility.

Some day you'll discover

that everything is a lie,

and your whole world will

crumble around you overnight.

There is nothing wrong

with discovering the truth,

even if it hurts.

I like brave people like you.

Which door would

you like to open up?

For now, it's the bathroom.

I need to pee.

Down the stairs.

Behind that door

there's a hallway

that leads to another hallway

that leads to the bathroom.

But be careful, Sarah,

try not to lose your way.

There are several doors.

The dog is behind one of them,

and he is not very sociable.

All right, but

don't go anywhere.

Oh, I won't be far.

By the way, there's

no light down there.

Uh, and is there any...

Do you know that song?

That sounds familiar.

I once met a

woman who listened to it

while she was dying.

It was the last

song she ever heard.

That's very grim.

She was

very much in agony.

I can imagine.

I want to see you.

I can't

stand too much light.

Okay, I'm sorry, no light.

Do you practice any religion?

Seneca used to say that,

"Religion is true for the poor,

"a lie for the wise, and

useful for the powerful."

It's very easy to

manipulate human minds

during the process of life.

The reality is that in the end

you yourself dictate

your sentence.

It all depends on what lives

inside your conscience.

So you mean that when I die

there won't be

any heaven for me.

Life has the same

meaning as death, none.

You won't remember

what you were.

Everything that matters is

determined by the Door of Time.

That's a pretty

cruel view of things.

I didn't

come up with it.

I imagine you don't

believe in destiny either.

Believing that things

happen because they're written

is like believing

in Santa Claus.

Illusions help to justify

the unjustifiable.

And why do you

think you exist?

Hmm, I can't

know everything.

Sure.

How do you get by in life, Ron?

I make a few coins

in the shipping business.

That sounds like a movie.

Why do you put up such

horrible photographs?

Human cruelty must

never be forgotten, Sarah.

I understand.

She looks like me.

Who painted them?

I did.

Hmm, you paint too?

I used to.

It's good.

It really looks old.

And who's the model?

Do you

know how to drive?

Sure.

Turn on the motor,

the key is in the ignition.

Accelerate.

It sounds great.

Choose a

place to drive it.

A place, anywhere I want?

Anywhere you want.

I've never been to Italy.

Turn on the radio.

I can smell the aroma of the

streets back then from here.

I would have loved to

drive that car with her.

I would have loved for everything

to have been different.

Never lose hope.

Hope has

an expiration date.

The Door of Time will take

care of sealing it forever.

A cup of wine should

be enough to allow time

to consume us without reproach.

Love can save you

or condemn you.

Take his hand and run.

Time will never give

you a second chance.

Are you expecting someone?

Do not open that door.

Why?

Make sure

he doesn't come in.

This isn't the right time.

Who is it?

May I come in?

I'm sorry, but I'm working.

Can I help you?

I have something very

important to deliver.

If you open the door

you might find a very

nice surprise, Sarah.

How do you know my name?

If you want to find out,

all you have to do

is open the door.

I cannot enter if

I am uninvited.

I cannot enter if

I am unwelcome.

How do you know my name?

Who are you?

Leave the envelope, please.

How did he know my name?

This is all very strange.

Isn't

everything strange?

It hasn't stopped

raining since I got here.

It always

rains in this place.

Are you there?

All that thunder is

going to drive me crazy.

Tell me what's

inside the envelope?

This isn't the time

to open that envelope, Sarah.

I don't know what's inside

because I was never

brave enough to find out.

I don't understand what

you're trying to tell me.

Another

long story, Sarah.

You want it?

So come and get it.

Leave the envelope and

go, there's still time.

What

happens if I don't?

You're not ready, Sarah.

I am ready.

I won't ask you again.

Leave the envelope and go home.

I'm going to open it.

Stop it!

I know it wasn't your fault.

My fault?

Leave the envelope

on the floor

and go back where you came from.

I'm not going anywhere.

Then let that be your choice.

Tell me or I'll leave.

You've chosen to stay,

it's too late to leave.

If this is a joke

it's not funny.

Let me remind you, in my world

there's no such thing as humor.

There was no cemetery

when I got here.

What's happening?

Who are you?

Who I am?

I ask myself this question

every tortured moment

of my existence.

My origins goes back

a long time ago.

I was born in a dark time

in a small town in Wales.

I don't remember

much from that life.

What I do remember

is my profession.

At a very young age

I was forced to fight

on the battlefield.

Cowards made the wars

and we fought them.

The world hasn't changed

much since those times.

We soldiers were welcome

on the battlefield,

but nobody wanted us around

when it was time to go home.

So I had to accept the only

job I was offered to survive.

I executed people

who deserved to die,

murderers, rapists and

thieves with no honor.

But many innocent men

were also condemned.

One day I had to execute

one of those free men

whose only sin was doubt.

He was accused of witchcraft,

and they ordered

him decapitated.

I knew he was innocent,

I knew his family.

But I had no choice.

It was my job as

the executioner.

I felt something very strange

the day I cut off

the old man's head.

Something I had never felt,

even on the battlefield.

He was a good man and

I had to end his life,

no questions asked.

The only thing that gave meaning

to my fleeting existence.

The only moments of

happiness I ever had,

they happened at her side.

Her name was Aldara.

She was only 22 years old,

and she was the

most beautiful woman

my eyes had ever

seen, inside and out.

We met every two

days in the forest

on the other side of the lake.

Aldara belonged

to a noble family,

and her father forced her

to marry an awful landowner.

He was my first general

in times of war.

That's why we could

only meet in secret.

A man can do impossible

things for love.

I was a man in love, and a

murderer at the same time.

That's all I knew

how to do, kill.

Life and death, hand in hand.

Over time you realize that

some things cannot be forgiven,

and that's why it all happened.

Something startled

me awake the night

we had chosen to leave.

Aldara was lying

dead in my arms.

From that moment on my

life no longer had meaning.

There they were, I

could see them all.

I couldn't see their faces,

but I knew it was them.

All of the people I had

sent to the other world

were there waiting for me.

That was the only time

I was ever afraid.

I was dead.

It was the day I was cursed.

My time had been stolen from me

and my punishment had begun.

That night something guided me

to the cemetery

of the condemned,

and I walked among the

graves of the souls

I had myself sent to hell.

For centuries I've done

nothing but escort souls

from the world of the living

to the world of the dead.

It's my curse, Sarah.

1,000 years.

One for every man I killed

and condemned to live

eternally without love.

What happened to Aldara?

I looked everywhere for her.

Wondering aimlessly

on the shore,

words cannot describe

the love I felt.

There I was, death,

transporting the soul

of the love of his life.

I broke all the rules of Hades.

I let her on my boat without

paying for a passage,

and I protected

her the whole way.

I had to make sure she went

to the place she deserved.

For disobeying the

law of the underworld

and not charging the toll,

I was sentenced to

solitude for 20 decades.

Once again, love had

condemned me to solitude.

I would have loved to have

gone with her into the light,

but I had been

sentenced to darkness.

And that was my

misfortune, Sarah.

Love.

You can go through

it and be happy,

although the opposite

can also happen.

I would have never imagined

that death could actually love.

Words cannot describe

how much death loves life.

One cannot exist

without the other.

Have you come for me?

You're the one who

came looking for me.

That's what brave people do.

Nobody should wait for death.

You just smiled at me.

I don't know if being

smiled upon by death

is a good thing.

Pick up the envelope, I

wanna show you something.

Come with me.

Do not be afraid.

It's too dark.

If you go through

you will be alone.

They're real.

As real as

your conscience.

What do I do with this?

Hold on to it.

You know the options, you

can choose the Door of Love

and take your chances.

You can choose the

Door of Betrayal

and find out how strong you are.

You can also return

to your childhood

and find out who you really are.

Or you can turn to

hope and risk it

slipping through your fingers.

Money is useful in life as

long as greed doesn't end up

buying your soul.

Finally you can

choose misfortune.

Inside you might find the

worst or the inevitable.

What happens if I go

through one of the doors?

That you must

find out for yourself.

Hello?

Are you there?

Am I dead?

Not yet.

The night you burned

your murderous stepfather

and his greedy accomplice,

you had a car accident.

I don't remember the accident.

I can hear the rain,

but I can't feel it.

It's impossible to feel

anything in this place.

There's only dust.

I have known love,

and I still have hope.

I know it wasn't your fault.

Sometimes revenge is the

only path to justice.

You remind me so much of her.

It's like you stole

her body from the dead.

So talk to me about love.

Still you known what it's like.

Love is the only thing

that endures beyond death.

Your conscience is

cleaner than mine.

I was his mannequin for years.

But I can't feel guilty.

He killed my mother,

and stole my innocence.

Who are they?

Stand behind me.

They can't stand life.

It's been a long

time not, Ferryman.

Do you remember?

Impossible to forget.

This time will

be worse, no mercy.

A lot of innocent people

died on those fields.

What did they call

it, purifying the race.

Yes, that's what they called it.

We're only shadows

of their greed.

They all deserve to die.

There's no escape this time.

Why is she still here?

She hasn't crossed over

yet, her conscience is clean.

Hmm, her conscience.

Always the same story.

You have take her

to the other side.

That's my job.

It'll happen when it's time.

I suppose he talked to

you about love, yes, love.

If he couldn't save her, do

you think he can save you?

It will

happen when it's time.

You still believe

in the fairy tale.

You're perfectly aware

you're only driven by greed.

But if you leave

her here with us,

the boss would be

grateful for the gesture.

Over my dead body.

I didn't know

humor existed in your world.

I wish I could kill you.

So do I.

I'll be waiting for you in

the darkness, little girl.

And I'll see you

in hell, Ferryman.

Take care.

Go.

Who are they?

A plague.

A plague waiting

for their chance.

I'm tired, Sarah.

Tired of carrying pain

and grief on my shoulders.

I have centuries of my

sentence here to go.

I wish I could go back

and change everything.

Tell me how can I help you.

You cannot help me.

Yes, I can.

Please tell me what's

inside the envelope.

You know I'm not

afraid, not anymore.

So you can show me your world.

It can't be any worse than

what I've already been through.

You said that love is the only

thing that overcome death.

So show me your world.

And tell me all about this.

Are you sure you

want to do this?

Yes.

I don't know the consequences.

I don't care what they are.

It will have been worth it.

Let's go.

Very few have made it.

If anyone did, that

means it's possible.

I have to try.

If something happens, I

won't be able to help you.

We are born alone and

we die alone, remember?

I'll be at the dock.

If I die

before you, open it.

I had always kept

the hope that someday love

would unite us again,

and that she would come and

read the words to me herself.

Even if they were the last thing

my tired ears would ever hear.

All the love a man could possibly

dream of was immortalized

in those imprisoned words

I never dared to read.

We stood there in the

middle of the River Styx

between life and death for

what felt like an eternity,

gazing at each other,

recovering what life

had taken away from us.

We could have stood

there forever.

But Aldara had to go back

to where she belonged

and so did I.

Death separated us once again,

but it was never able

to stop my immortal love

from enduring for all eternity.

I knew that what we had done

would add another 20

decades to my sentence,

but it was worth it.

Love is always worth it.

You're brave and kind, Sarah.

You still haven't known love,

and I know that you have hope.

You'll go back, you'll

serve your sentence,

and you will be forgiven for

an act that was not your fault.

Some day, you'll know true love.

If it happens, you

will gain immortality.

Go, Sarah, and thank you.

When I came back,

I saw everything differently.

My lawyer got my

sentence reduced

after proving the abuse I

was subjected to for years.

The short time I was in

prison I spent writing.

And the time passed

quickly before my eyes.

A few years later,

I had served my sentence

and was released.

I published my book

with a few changes.

I ended up calling it

"Charon's Misfortune",

and luckily it sold well.

People of all cultures were able

to read the ferryman's

message of love.

We humans are all united

by the same thing,

the search for love during life,

and death at the

end of the road.

I made a lot of money

with that story,

and my life changed forever.

I was able to buy my freedom

without selling my soul,

selling only words of love.

That was when I decided

to open the Door of Hope

without being afraid of losing

whatever might be inside.

The ferryman made my

fears disappear forever

because the end is

always the same.

We can't choose where

we're born, or when.

What we can choose is either

to be brave and fight,

or to be cowards and give up.

The ferryman said that love

can either save or condemn you.

How right he was.

What's your name?

Kim.

Thank you

for coming, Kim.

What's your name?

Jamie.

Take his hand and run.

Time will never give

you a second chance.

We went to Italy.

We traveled through time to 1960

and everything was wonderful.

Whoo!

I have something for you.

What?

I might die before you.

Why would you say that?

Is there something

wrong with you?

No, I'm just saying it

because that's how life is.

I want you to promise me

that you'll keep what

I give you forever.

There's no need to promise.

Open your hand.

Wow.

Is this real?

It's a very old coin,

and I won't be needing it.

I wouldn't want you to

stay on the other shore,

otherwise I would

never see you again.

And that would be unforgivable.

I have a doubt

about your book.

Go ahead.

Who put the golden envelope

under the door of the workshop?

I mean the man in black,

you never mention him again.

The man in black

was love in person.

"If you want to find out,

"all you have to do

is open the door.

"I cannot enter

if I am uninvited.

"I cannot enter if

I am unwelcome."

I've carried

millions of souls

from one side to the

other over centuries.

Each soul has its own story,

and each story its own tragedy.

And this one was mine.

I haven't always

been the ferryman.

Others came before me, and

many more will come after.

Some day it could be you.

It all depends on what lives

inside your conscience.