Tatarin (2001) - full transcript

O, meek and mild lamb of God. Lift us up!

Wind... water... earth and plants... bless us!

Forever and ever... amen.

Wind... water... earth and plants... bless us!

Forever and ever... amen.

Wind... water... earth and plants... bless us!

Our father... fathers of fathers...

King of kings...we trust in you...

grant me a child...

Son of the father...

grant me a child King of kings!
Forever and ever !



I recently joined

a rebel group to fight the Americans
like what they did against the Spaniards.

like what they did against the Spaniards.

Forget it!

No. My country is important.

Forever and ever!

Give me a child!

Child...

Child...

Lito, David, hurry it up!

We need 300 kilos right away!

Yes, sir!

Isabela, Toti, stop that! Stop playing around!

Will you stand still? You're giving me headache!



-He doesn't want to wear long pants!
-He hates long pants!

Who said i hate long pants?

You're a man now so you must wear long pants.

Today is you birthday and it falls on a special day.

Today is the day of Tatarin.

What?

On this day all your wishes shall be granted.

By whom?

Right now there are women
who pray that they get pregnant....

Women who pray for the
return of their missing husbands....

Women who pray for the return their youthful looks...

And women who pray fo the return of their loved ones...

That's why your birthday is a sacred day.

Will you see what's happening with Amada.

Kikay!

Could you check what's happeniung with Amada?

She scares me.

She acts like a mad woman.

She's been screaming wildly since this morning.

Please?

Alright.

Oh my God!

Don’t! Don't touch them!

What's wrong with Amada?

Oh my God!

Juanito,

Isabela, Toti,

are you all ready?

Yes

We're ready to leave.

We're only waiting for Mikaela and Maggie to arrive.

Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go.

Who did all these?

Ma'am?

Juanito, this must be your birthday present!

A present from the ghost of the balete tree!

Stop teasing your brother!

Oy, He's a man now !

The ghost will come and get you!

Stop it! He's a grown up now and
doesn't believe in ghosts anymore!

Don't you Juanito?

Mother?

Rosa, Kikay, bring the kids inside!

Let's go.

Wait for your father while I go check on Amada.

Entoy.

Madam...

she woke up acting that way...

How could she cook in that condition?

I will do the cooking then...

Amada!

Amada!

Make her stop !

I can't.

Why not?

Not yet.

Today is the feast day of St. John...

Amada is possessed by his spirit...

Amada is the Tatarin last night.

She can do whatever she wants...

Nonsense

If we interfere... the ricefields will all die...

the trees will stop bearing fruits....

the fish in the ocean will disappear...

all the animals will die.

Your wife has that kind of power?

She's not my wife as this moment...

she belongs to the rivers...

to the crocodiles...

to the moon...

Why is everybody screaming?

What's going on?

Why?

Goodness, Gracious! How Barbaric

My goodness in this day and age.

Mikaela?

Hi!

Hi! Auntie !

We've been waiting for you.

Maggie took so long to get dressed.

is that some kind of ritual? What the hell is all these?

I don't know. This morning is very strange.

No wonder the Americans laugh
at our mumbo jumbo beliefs.

Look at this tree! It looks like its got its own

eyes! It is scary!

Oh my God!

How are you Maggie?

She's been complaining of
the heat! Your country is too hot!

You mean our country, Mikaela?

Just call me Mike.

Mike.

Don't forget you were born in this country...

inside a small garage. Your mother is
too weak to go inside the house, so...

Don't remind me of the past.
I had the garage burned down!

Where is the birthday boy?

I have a present for him.

Why bother...

Oh, it's nothing!

Who is she?

Amada, our cook.

Yuck!

Ohh, ohh

She was chosen as the tatarin last night.

Ohh, ohh,

ohh,

ahh

She's expressing the power of women over everything.

That's the meaning of tatarin...
She has the power to destroy...

Tatarin?

she has the power to destroy
the enemies of the female gender?

Today is the feast of St. John

and there will be three days of processions

Entoy, control your wife!

Stop her!

Entoy, That's enough!

I said, that's enough

Paeng, you're a barbarian.

I did what i had to do.

Must you punish the woman?

Yes, because she's out of control.

Must you also punish a man if he goes out of control?

Like what you did to your husband?

Stop that! Let's wait inside the house.

I left your cousin because i caught him with another woman.

You should have seen him heartbroken,

a total emotional wreck.

A woman will feel the same way
if she catches the man fooling around.

being a man doesn't necessarily give him more rights.

Paeng you'll be surprised, I'm getting married again.

That doesn't come as a surprise

Good!

I'm dying to light a cigarette... except that....

I've seen women smoked before...

my grandmother smoked big cigars.

We used to own a tobacco factory, if you don't know.

Maybe Lupe would like to...

-I wonder what it taste like...
-Guadalupe

I thought the man is liberal!

Entoy!

Entoy!

Entoy!

Have the car ready! Call the kids!

We're late for the mass!

My hat and cane...

I'll see you at my father's house tonight

or you may want to watch the procession of St. John...

that will last till the evening.

I forgot to say something.

I know who could be the perfect tatarin..

You do, Paeng?

There's one thing you forgot.

That all women could be a tatarin.

You men should be wary, especially
on the night of the Tatarin. Or else...

"prepare the way of the Lord...

Prepare your souls...

Free yourselves of sins...

Avoid temptations... they're like
thieves in the night...Guard against them...

Stop fidgeting! Get used to it.
You're not a kid anymore.

Your life will change from now on.

Temptations abound on this day of the Tatarin...

Keep you legs closed.

Juanito does it, too.

because he's a boy!

And satan will rejoice

You have to move a little faster!

We need more firewoods.

Where are the eggs?

Do we have all the ingredients?

Hurry up a bit!

Is the water boiling yet?

-They're here.
-Come on.

Long live St. John!

Call your father.

Alright.

Long live! Long live!

If not for the superstitions of our elders,

I would have that tree cut into pieces...

They keep pestering us... year after year...

That's Uncle Guido! Uncle Guido!

Stay right here.

Let him go. He can't hide under your skirt all his life.

Viva San Juan! Mabuhay! San Juan! Viva San Juan. Ohh!

Viva San Juan! Mabuhay! San Juan! Viva San Juan. Ohh!

Why don't you join them?

Viva San Juan ! Viva San Juan !
Viva San Juan ! Viva San Juan !

Viva San Juan ! Viva San Juan !
Viva San Juan ! Viva San Juan !

San Juan!

San Juan!

San Juan! San Juan! San Juan! San Juan! San Juan!
San Juan! San Juan! San Juan! San Juan! San Juan!

Is that what they wear in Europe?

Yes. Elegant, ain't it?

Yes,

except your apparatus.

My apparatus? You mean my bamboo dipper?

Women uses this in the bathroom.

There are many hidden things that can kill you...

Hide it! Hide it! Hide it!

Are you their high priest?

Yes.

Sermon! Sermon! Sermon!

Brothers....!

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist...

San Juan, San Juan, San Juan, San Juan, San Juan.

He baptised us with water...

look at his hands...

His feast day is the day of the sun...

My brothers... look at him and remember...

Once there was a man who lost his tongue...

But when his mother named him after St. John..

he was able to regain his speech...

The mystery of the woman in bloom...

So let's all praise the name of St. John!

Because the name of St. John is so powerful,

it could restore anything...

Losing one's speech is a fate worse than death...

Brother! Let's celebrate!

Congratulations for that profound sermon.

I am guided by the things I see around me.

Don Paeng! How about a drink?

Come on up!

The mystery of the woman in bloom...

Do you know what it means?

Something vulgar, perhaps?

A European poet once said that.

Have you grown tired of European women?
That's why you're back here?

My dear cousin, this is an annual
pilgrimage for me since my adolescent days.

I'm amazed by the power of Tatarin over you.

Why do you have to go down to the level of the natives?

Look what happened to Entoy's wife, Amada.

On the day of Tatarin

she became insane.

If he were not the son of my father's driver,

I would have kicked him out a long time ago.

Our belief, that on this day of the
Tatarin, the Equinox will occur...

the day of the Tatarin.

What is your belief?

I better join them back to the river

You startled me!

That was a quick drink.

My cousin and i couldn't agree on some things.

My husband disagrees with almost anybody.

In Europe, I learned that the power
of women comes from the earth...

from deep beneath the earth...

power to make men their slaves...
especially on the day of Tatarin.

All women will become the Tatarin...
and men should be cautious.

I don't think that is true.

I saw the Tatarin procession on their way to the river.

Men see things differently...

Last night i saw the woman possessed by the Tatarin

Last night? It was Amada, our cook!

She was beautiful! Just like this tree!

Did you also learned that in Europe?

To use your tongue...

To weave such poetic words.

And also to use my eyes to see the beauty...

in things many consider as vulgar

What's beautiful in the vulgarity of the Tatarin?

I don't know..

I can't describe the feeling... I used to be afraid...

but our ancestors say it's only a ritual.

They say that the women has the power...
and not the men...

There was a time in history that women ruled the earth...

and that we men were the slaves...

That's not true. First, there were the kings...

Before the king... the queen...

Before the priest. the priestess
And before the sun. the moon.

The moon?

...the ruler of women....

why?

The women's menstrual cycle
follows the turning of the moon...

The first outflow of the blood...

excuse the language...

Don't apologize.

I'm a matured, married woman.

Why does a woman's beauty end after she marries...

Don't leave...

What are you doing?

I'm doing the ancient way of worshipping a woman

San Juan

i want to be alone.

Juanito! Your mother might see you!

Alright! Be quiet!

What if someone sees us?

I don't care.

I'm already a man and you're already a woman.

How old are you ,Rosa?

Seventeen.

It's true, you're no longer a boy.

Of course! I was circumcised last summer

I even boiled the guava leaves used to clean your wound.

Was it painful?

I have a secret.

What?

Why should i tell you, Juanito?

Stop calling me Juanito! Call me Señorito from now on.

There are now two men running the household.

Whatever i wish you should follow.

Why?

Just do as i tell you!

One more person to order me around!

My arms still hurt for making
that ice cream for your birthday.

-Really? I hope they left some for me!
-Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

And why is that?

a real man doesn't leave a
woman hanging just for some ice cream.

Come, I'll tell you my secret.

What secret?

Come! Behind this tree!

Come

closer. I'm ordering you to come closer.

Now, I'm ordering you to open it.

Open what?

This one....

I hate these roads. In america,
potholes are non existent! ....

there's nothing here to come back for.

You may serve it now.

Yes, sir.

Bravo! Bravo!

Excellent! Excellent!

I go first!

Okay!

Welcome. Come in. Come inside.

What a pretty place! Let's all sit over there!

"A lovely star in the evening of life....
your every twinkle brings joy..."

I didn't recognize you! How you've grown!

I'm an adult now. Now I could marry you!

Come. Lupe. Let me show you the picture of my wife.

I never looked at other women

when she was alive or even after her death.

Nobody can ever take her place. My dearly beloved, Mira...

I'm an open minded person but
don't make me accept your principles.

Why?

Is there no truth to what I'm saying, Paeng?

Come. I have something more to show you.

Although my wife's been dead for ten years now....

I still feel her presence in this house....

That's why i never moved anything around here....

She's still very much a part of this house....

I can't swallow your American ideas....

We will never grow, Paeng
because you refuse new ideas....

I wonder how Lupe was able to stand you...

It's like... why can't a woman leave her husband?

I didn't say they should part ways.

Matrimony is sacred, Mikalea. It should be safeguarded.

Even if the woman is no longer happy?

How could she be unhappy when she is well provided for?

Come. Let me show you.

She loves this garden so much.

Everything she touched, bloomed and grew.

Before she died, she asked to
be buried in front of this balete tree.

Melchor failed as a provider.

He was also cold in bed.

Is that why you left my cousin?

You wanted a warmer bed?

I left him due to his philandering ways.

The Señora is right.

Why lie in a cold bed?

Our bodies need heat.

Is that all we need in order to live?

Absolutely!

Then that makes us all prostitutes!

Why, who among us is not?

Show us the dance you learned in America.

You want to

Well, go ahead. show them.

Come, Let's dance.

After you, Mikaela

Leaving so soon?

On this day of the Tatarin, the world seems tilted.

I can't seem to distinguish the truth from falsehood.

Do you believe in the Tatarin?

I only believe what i see.

What i Don't see, aren't true.

Do you believe in God?

I don't know.

Maybe

all i know is,

if I can't see or touch it, then it doesn't exist.

But these wrinkles.... these are real!

Because you're too vain!

Does it matter?

We will all grow old, Mikaela.

If I could only bring back my youth!

Back then, men used to come crawling to kiss my feet.

They still do. don't they?

Aren't they still running after you?

Yes. But the sad reality appears after I take off my clothes.

I wish I was as beautiful as you.

I guess I can't turn back the hands of time.

Let's go. We are leaving.

We're about to leave, too.

Thanks for coming.

Thank you, sir.

Juanito, Isabela, Toti...

you're staying with your grandfather....
Please promise to behave properly.

I'll take care of them.

We have plenty of things to talk about.

Take some of these flowers.

That came from my wife's garden.

Bring it to the car.

Thank you, father.

We're going now! I love the party!

Thanks for coming.

Bye, Lo!

-Thank you..
-Thank you.

We're going now!

Señora, The flowers are inside the trunk.

Hi Guido!

What is that?

I'd like to congratulate you for that wonderful dance.

Please.... Maggie.

What took you so long?

I make sure the kids are all right

Back to the house

Don't worry. We'll go on another trip.

You seem to be afraid of Guido and Mikaela.

Scared?

Why?

What I mean is,

you always seem defensive.

Why, Paeng?

Are you afraid to lose something?

I read in a book somewhere,

that men one day realizes....

they are not as strong and as powerful as they used to be.

Are you questioning my masculinity?

I think Mikaela and Guido are right in saying....

that you belong to the past...

and time has left you behind....

Enough! I'm warning you, Guadalupe!

Don't even try me!

You forgot the cigars in the car.

Leave us!

Your grandmother Mira...

every table and chair of this house....

Every wall, every tree in the garden...

Even the air inside this house reminds me of her....

Mira. That's how much I missed her...

She must be really beautiful...

This picture can't hold a candle to her beauty...
her beauty is awesome...

Especially on that night of the Tatarin.

Tatarin?

Yes, on that fateful night of the Tatarin....

more than twenty years ago...

she suddenly acted very strange....

so full of lust for all things...

she was full of power...

a power nobody can't control....

whatever she wanted to do...

there was no way of stopping her....

What did you do?

Nothing....

nothing was left....

-Stop using me to prove yourself!
-What's with you?

I think the heat has gotten into your head!
I don't understand

When did you ever understood me?

I'm waiting for the procession.

You don't have to come if you're afraid.

What's to be afraid of?

When I was young, I saw a Tatarin Procession.

It was different ....

I was seventeen then...

at the peak of my puberty...

as I watched, the possessed
women were screaming.... dancing....

I looked at the statue of St. John, he was staring at me....

as if begging for help... as if saying....

keep me away from these women!

I could feel the anger... as if insulting me....

I was burning with rage, but there
was nothing i could do. I just looked on..

Come back here!

I'm warning you!

Don't you ever walk out that door!

Get back in here this minute!

Rosa!

Sir?

Where's Kikay? Where's Rosa?

Where's Entoy? Send him to me!

Yes sir!

Come home with me!

Wait! She's my wife!

Leave! Leave! Get out of here!

Get your hands off him! Get away! Leave him alone!

Where's Lupe? Bring her back!

That kind on the right, she's the first Tatarin....

That old woman, she's the third Tatarin....

And Amada?

She's the second Tatarin.

Together, they compose the mystery of life.

Forever and ever, Amen.

Goodbye Lupe...

I made a vow with the rebel group....

a vow written in blood...

Let me join your group...

Everything.... everything is gone...

gone are the damned friars!
The moon... The Balete Tree....

the women... the fruits and flowers....

My wife Mira... Dolores Mira....

Where are you, Lupe? Dulcinea.

Were is Dulcinea? My love...

What happened to you?

How about you?

What happened to you?

You look like a wounded dog.

What are you going to do?

I will bring back your sanity.

Why?

Because your behaviour tonight was vulgar and disgusting!

However I behaved tonight, that was the real me.

If you think it's disgusting, it's because
I've been disgusting all my life...

However how hard you beat me up,
you can never change it....

Let's stop this insanity.

Why?

You got beaten up and you want to take it on me?

So you want to punish me?

Because I love you... and I respect you....

Because if you lose your respect for me,
you'll lose respect for yourself?

I did not say that.

Then what do you mean, Paeng? Tell me.

Why is it important to you?

If you won't tell me, then you must hurt me....

No.

I can't hurt you!

Then tell me i want to hear it! I'm listening, Paeng....

Why is it important to you?

If you won't tell me then we will never be at peace.

I love you, Lupe!

What did you say?

I love you very much.

I worship the air you breathe....

the ground that you walk on...

I am your slave...

like an obedient dog...

Then kneel!

Crawl!

Why are you doing this to me?

Crawl!