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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