The Letter (2018) - full transcript

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- Marcela, what are you doing?

Come on.
I know you're in there.

Marcela!

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Are you kidding me?

- Where have you been?

I was waiting for you
at school.

- I was at the library,
Marcela.



Expanding our knowledge.

Something you wouldn't
know about.

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All right.
What did you take?

- I didn't take anything.

- Oh, come on, Marcela,

you're acting weird
and locked the door?

- I was getting changed.

You wanted to walk in
on me changing?

Gross.

- Then why are you
still in uniform, then?

- Why are you home so late?

- Don't change the subject.

Why were you going
through my stuff again?



- You're lucky Mom's working
till 10:00 tonight.

Gives you time
to "study" some more.

- [chuckles]
Maybe I will.

But did you notice
Mom left a note on the fridge?

I think it said she'll be home
at 5:00 p.m.

Psych!
What do we have here?

Stealing yet again?

- Give that back!
[grunts]

- I should just do this
until Mom comes home.

What do we have here?

- Marcela!

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- You wouldn't.

Okay, fine.
Here.

Let's hand off
at the same time.

- On three?

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One...

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Two...

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[gasps] No!
- Oops.

What is that?
- It's n-nothing.

Just something I found.

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Don't tell Mama.

- Did you get this
from Mom's room?

[scoffs] Oh, great.
You opened it too.

- No, it was like that
when I found it.

- When did this come in?

- It's new.

Go ahead.

Check what it says.
I have a feeling it may be--

- No.

- But Rogelio,
this may be our chance to--

- Shh.

- I really think
that this will--

- Shh.

- Be from--
- Shh.

- Papa!

- Marcela,
if Mom hid this from us,

then it was for a good reason.

This is way beyond
your mental capacity.

I'm gonna hold onto this.

Or maybe I should just
give this to Mom instead.

- Rogelio...
- Leave this to us adults.

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- Come on.
I gotta show you something.

- Look, I don't have time
for this, okay?

I gotta go to--

- To the library
and study with your friends?

Or should I say Selena?

Don't worry, I'll let Mom know.

- Okay, look.
Just make it quick, okay?

Snitch.

- Okay, what I'm about
to show you is top secret.

No one can know about this,

especially Mama.

Do you promise to keep this
locked in your heart

till death do you part?

- Yeah, sure.

- Cross your heart.

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Okay.

So I've been doing
some research,

and I think I may know
a bit more about Papa

than you, Rogelio.

Remember Papa's first letter
last summer?

He never really mentioned
who he was working for,

but sent us these gifts
from San Diego.

He sent me this penny
with a boot on it.

And you got a deck of cards
with cheerleaders on them.

- Wait, how did you--
- I found it under your bed.

So I decided to keep it
in the name of research.

Anyway, Papa's job,
according to him,

was in Los Angeles.

The only place that has these

has to be a place
known for cowboys.

The cheerleaders on your cards
aren't just any cheerleaders,

but they're Dallas Cowboy
cheerleaders.

Pretty weird gifts
from San Diego,

wouldn't you say?

A few weeks later, I snooped
on Grandma telling Mama

that Papa was muy misterioso.

A very strange response,
wouldn't you say?

So I decided to dig
a little deeper.

I looked into his drawers,
and sure enough,

I found his suit
and briefcase.

- Dad doesn't own a briefcase.

You mean his tool kit?

- I'm pretty sure
it was a briefcase.

- That's ridiculous.

When has Dad ever worked
an office job?

- Sure.
Tool kit.

Whatever.

Point is, it was missing.

Two important items
of business,

wouldn't you say?

At this point,
it all started to make sense.

- What are you getting at?

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- Just imagine it.

Always on the run,

traveling to cool locations...

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Fighting henchmen.

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Knowing secrets
that could destroy lives.

- Wow.

- I knew I had something.

- You, uh...

you really got me there,
Marcela.

I definitely thought you were
going somewhere with this.

- But it's true.
It's just like the movies.

Here, there's more proof.

- I think I've seen enough.

This just confirms
what I already know.

- No, but listen.
It explains a lot.

- This explains nothing.

It...it's not real.

- Him not calling anymore
or having time to write,

he's trying to protect us.

- If he was trying
to protect us,

then he'd be here right now.

- Stop saying "was."

He's still here.
He's still trying.

I don't understand
why you never missed him.

- There was nothing
to miss, Marcela.

He was never here for us
when he was here,

and he was never there
for Mom either.

- Where are you going?

- What's your damage?

- If you think Papa's
as bad as you say he is,

then you're not
too different from him.

- Then look
at the letter, Rogelio.

- Just shut up
and leave it alone!

- I won't.

Quit acting like a coward

and admit
that you care about him.

- He stole Mom's money.

- What?

- Do you want
to know the truth?

Screw reading the letter.

Do you want to know why
Dad stopped writing to us?

Do you?

Well, if you searched
hard enough,

you would've realized
that Dad did take his tool kit

and his suit.

He also took all the money
in Mom's savings bag

and lied about paying it back
when he got to the States.

- What are you talking about?
He sent us money.

- What, once or twice?

Everyone knows
that when you go to the U.S.,

you don't come back.

How don't you see it?

- That's not true.
- Everyone knows the truth.

The whole neighborhood.
Everyone but you.

- No, but Papa--
- Get it in your head!

He's gone!

He started a new life
with a new American woman...

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Having the time of his life...

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- You're lying, Rogelio.

- Kissing good night
his new, blonde kids.

- Shut up!

- He's a lazy coward,
and he forgot all about us.

Grow up!

- Stop it!

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Leave me alone, Rogelio.
I don't want to see you.

- Please, just listen to me.

I didn't mean to act
like such a...

I'm sorry, Marcela.

- That's because you are.

Did you just come back here
to tell me more about Dad

having fun
with his white family?

- That's not true.

- What?

- I read the letter.

I was wrong.

- What did it say?

- Remember how you said
Dad may be traveling?

Turns out
you were pretty close.

Dad's been traveling
from town to town,

trying to find better-paying
jobs along the way.

Seems really happy
getting to experience

and explore the U.S.

- But?

- But, sometimes,

when you have something
so good, it...

can be hard to let go of.

Sometimes, that decision
can turn your whole life

upside down.

Dad made a dumb decision.

He was letting us know
that this was gonna be

the last letter
we'll ever receive.

It was his good-bye.

- I don't believe you.

I-I don't--
it probably meant

he's coming home
and can't write at the moment.

- I'm so sorry, Marcela.

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We're gonna be okay.

How do you know?

- Well, you got me.

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