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.