Tu Solo (1984) - full transcript

You Alone

With the Bullfighting School of Madrid

National School of Bullfighting

José Luis Bote.

Present.

Jesús Gómez Del Sarh.

Present.

José Miguel Arroyo.

Present.

José Carretero.

Present.

FIRST LEARN. THEN FIGHT.

Luis Miguel Calvo...

What's wrong with this boy?

He's in his father's store.

OK.

Pedro José Perea.

Present.

- Pedro Vicente Rogán.

- Present.

Luis Miguel García Pizarro.

BOY DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA

THIS IS NOT A GAME

Jesús Pérez Gallegos.

Present.

TO BECOME A STAR IN BULLFIGHTING IS ALMOST A MIRACLE

TO THOSE WHO MAKE IT THE BULL COULD TAKE LIFE, NOT GLORY.

- César Del Puerto.

- Present.

Well, the older ones can leave now

with the teachers

and you little ones stay a while

so I can talk to you.

Well, come on, pay attention.

In these last lessons

I've been talking to you

about the merits, the characteristics

of that beast

that everybody considers so wild

but which is not that wild.

Because he is a noble beast.

Everybody says

that he is your enemy

and I want you to start thinking of this beast

as your best partner.

You must treat him, then,

with all respect

because death goes hand in hand with him.

This beast was born to die.

See to it that he dies with dignity.

Your glory depends on him,

on that beast that must be

your best friend,

the bull.

You will start the lesson with the cape, eh?

So warm up your hands a little bit.

You, I've been watching you for a few days now.

You hold the cape as if it were

a kitchen towel.

You must hold the cape properly.

Firmly, so that even if the bull steps on it,

he'll never take it off your hands.

And fight with the palms of your hands,

holding the cape like this.

There!

Bote...

When did you fight for the first time?

After a year, more or less.

Well... something has to be done.

I can't go without bullfighting for a year.

Careful, careful.

Already?

Wait, he's still inside.

What do we do now?

Wait.

Hurry up, we're leaving, we're late.

Well, now that I'm leaving for a few days,

don't abandon this, as usual,

and take good care of it.

Man, Don Pedro,

I'm staying here.

That's why I'm saying it.

He's leaving.

Now.

Goodbye, Miguel.

Goodbye, Mrs. Irene.

Fuck, man, we almost

crashed snouts with your father.

We didn't by a little bit like this.

My father has no snout.

Man, I was talking about this guy.

It seems to me that

everyone here has snout and fists

to give and take blows.

Well, come on, what's up?

Man, what's wrong...?

You haven't shown up at school

for six or seven days now, and...

Three.

Well, yes, three, but we thought

something bad happened to you.

Man, thank you so much for coming,

but you could have saved yourselves the trouble.

If you had phoned me...

Especially considering

how bad you are financially.

You could have saved yourselves

round-trip subway tickets.

And with a coin in the payphone...

Solved.

Juan Carlos, don't be a bastard,

we have enough with this guy.

I'd smash your face!

Well, what do you need?

My mother is about to come downstairs.

These guys? They need

a kilo and a half of humility each.

A liter of floor cleaner.

Give me that, Don Pedro

is coming and he'll tell you...

Do you think this is going to do any good, Neyra?

- Yes, I'm sure it will.

- Yes, sure,

surely tomorrow we're going to do the duck.

Hey, come on, don't be a killjoy.

Here you go. Next.

Me, it's my turn.

I'll look great in that guy,

even more wearing a cap.

Here, hold it for me.

Hey you, don't break it.

Look, Carretero, what great pictures

of Lucio have been published.

I don't believe that.

Well, I think that if the bull nails his horn

in his eye a little deeper...

...he'd fall dead.

Look, this is the moment

when he nails his horn in his eye.

How big is that steer, eh?

We'll have to go see him

at the hospital

because I heard that they're going to bring him

to the Virgen de Loreto hospital, here in Madrid.

You, come here.

What were you looking at there?

We were looking at the photographs

of Lucio they published, of the injury.

Stop looking at those morbid things now.

So that things like this don't happen

you have to know the bull very well.

And I'm going to explain a very important point

so that you can start to realize how things are.

Let's see, you.

How much do you think a bull weighs?

Well, I don't know...

Usually 480 to 490 kilos, more or less.

Well, let's put it in round numbers:

500 kilos.

Let's think of a bull that comes out of the pen

and in five meters

he speeds up to thirty kilometers an hour.

Let's see, Perea.

What will be the effective weight of the bull

aiming to hit you?

How many kilos do you think are going to hit you

when a bull comes at that speed?

Let's see. Do the math.

Truly, they can't say it any clearer.

But you can't tell me that they're not funny,

because he's so funny...

Look at César, the cap,

he's the only one who looks good in it.

And Perea's frightened face, what?

Do you think Don Enrique recognized us?

Of course.

Our faces are there.

We could have worn a mask.

You two.

Since you don't seem to be interested at all

in what's going on here,

go do the duck.

Don Morenaro...

did you want know the effective weight the bull?

It's equal to the mass times acceleration,

and according to my calculation it's 1,150 kilos.

Well, in round numbers, a ton.

Well, you can imagine,

a ton...

...that's coming towards you on a beast

that may come out dazzled,

that can be almost blind,

that may even have been bullfighted,

do you realize that he can leave you as flat

as a postage stamp?

Hey, you,

when you get to label four

come over here, we're going to talk there now.

So, be careful with the bulls.

Man, we can see that you are well trained.

We think this is great.

Because we, the teachers, have decided

that next Sunday you'll have cows.

Great!

Just a moment. There are four days left to train,

so train properly.

Yes, sir!

One moment.

You little ones, come here.

Next Sunday

do several of these with the calves, eh?

Let's see if you're capable, eh?

We'll be here, watching.

And me, am I going to fight?

You, shorty?

What's the point of you fighting?

You rather go to school.

We'll see.

Well, we'll see.

A little salute...

I'm not going up there, Héctor.

Is that a joke?

Not at all.

Come on, man, let's go.

No, it doesn't feel right.

But, why? Are you shy?

No... I just don't fancy

seeing my friends' tragedy.

Give him my regards.

I'll wait for you here.

- Then let's go.

- Come on, let's go.

Cool, man!

What's up?

Fuck, bullfighter!

How are you doing, Lucio?

Well, here...

The whole team, huh?

Great, man.

And my pal?

Well, nothing special...

he sends you a hug, and that's it...

He's working, isn't he?

He'll see you soon, he says.

What you've got there, what is it?

What you've been operated on, because...

Since I had a cheekbone fracture

they painted with a pen all the fractures I had,

so that they don't touch there while cleaning me,

otherwise the thing can come loose.

But they operated on the inside, didn't they?

Yeah, everything inside. They cut open my face,

and everything inside,

so there won't be any scars.

Listen, Lucio, at school the teachers,

Andrés and Gregorio,

and the others,

they told me that the beast

warns you.

Yeah, they are more noble

than what people say.

Did the steer warn you when he caught you?

Yeah, he warned me

before he caught me, yeah.

So, why...?

Why did you stay there with the steer?

Because bullfighting is like that,

it entitles that risk, right?

Many times you know that he may catch you

and still you have no choice but to stay still.

You had to make him run, to achieve the...

Yes, you know, one thing that drove me

almost to doom was that

two weeks before I was to Puerta Del Príncipe.

All those runs against the grain,

they make the public tremble.

He warned me on the third right hand sweep,

and on the fourth.

Then, for trying to give him a fifth sweep,

which would be the last one before

finishing him off with the breast stroke,

well, then he caught me.

It was a misfortune, but that also brings glory.

Don't stand up there, the nurses will scold me.

Come on, man.

What's wrong?

Are you sure it doesn't hurt?

Sure, it doesn't hurt at all.

- Are you sure?

- Positive.

Can't you see I'm even laughing?

This doesn't hurt at all.

Now the bull looks smaller, right?

Bigger, I guess, because now

I'll see him with my eye shrinked.

- Now you'll be more scared, right?

- Now it's even scarier.

Why don't you fight your father, you bastard?

Fight your father!

Master, a pleasure.

Hello, where were you?

Sorry I couldn't come earlier.

Why couldn't you? Your father, right?

You know.

Well.

Bull.

Hey, hey.

What will you wear on Sunday?

I don't know, my mother...

My suit is turning out...

That way you save time, because...

I don't know if she'll have it finished by Sunday.

I don't need more.

What's the matter?

Quiet, it's like a casino here!

Here nothing should be heard

but he who is playing the bull snorting,

and he who is fighting, the bullfighter,

to cheer him up.

You get it, right?

Come on, silence, let's get to work.

Aha, bull!

You know what to do?

You get up early, you leave a note to your parents

telling you're going to mass, and that's it.

But my parents know I don't attend mass.

Besides, I want them to know

that I'm going to fight a cow.

Don't worry, they'll sign the authorization.

What if something happens? That's the worst thing.

What may happen to you, man?

They're pimps, they're small like this.

Those were the ones they killed

for the welcome feast.

Come on, Perea, man,

you are already shouting for help!

I've seen the calves, they look very small.

Come on, the little ones need small calves!

You have to let them grow up a little.

In four weeks, they could be a little bigger.

They first fight small calves,

and when they become a little confident,

in a couple of weeks,

we'll bring in some of those

that grew more playful.

We must be careful with César, eh?

Because César may jump in.

You'll end up dropping it, César, stop it.

Put down the bottle and calm down.

My cap?

Stop it, this is mine.

Fuck, where's my cap?

Is it this one?

Yes, where was it?

And my girdle, hey!

Easy.

My girdle, where is it?

Hey, kid.

Here's your girdle.

What are you going to tie yourself to with it?

Are you going to wear it all day long?

I'm more nervous than you are.

Well, this is my debut and farewell.

Of course, they're gorgeous.

But, where did they get the suits?

I guess they lend them to each other.

My goodness!

I didn't expect that.

Perea, you've seen your parents, right?

I don't dare see them.

Come on, man, they're very calm.

Get inside.

The youngest!

Freeze!

Let's move, César!

Get down!

Come on, César!

Chest up!

Keep going!

Go on with the cane!

Turn around when he charges to the right, César.

Turn around when he charges to the right.

Closer.

Closer.

Come on, do it here.

Here he comes, go.

Go there!

I think he's going to charge this way, so come on!

He'll charge with the left horn.

Okay, get out of the way.

He's got to make the jump.

You know how to flag the dummy bull,

but here you don't, right?

There, good!

Why are you letting go of the cane?

Come on, grab it.

Grab it, grab it.

If he charges, you know why.

He drops the cane, his best tool, his defense...

Swing it out of there, out.

Touch him, touch him and go slowly.

Put that hand down.

Good!

Another one.

Run, Jose, in front of him.

Run in front of him.

I'm so nervous!

He's rocking like a candle.

Give him room.

Good!

The sword behind. Give him room!

Be still, be still.

It's all right, it's all right.

Look, Neyra.

Neyra, instead of posing like this,

pose like this, close.

Stand there, close.

And there. And don't go like this.

Close. Put your hand close, here,

and close, and there.

Or to the other side, it's the same.

But very close.

Never far away.

Give him room.

Hold still, he'll jump, that's all.

How he charged, hey,

he surprised you, hey.

Fuck his fucking mother, what a rotten calf!

Bring water.

Surely nothing serious happened, woman,

calm down.

I shit on the mother who bore him.

Run, run, run.

Where is he going, you!

Where is this boy going?

Wait.

Put your arms aside, huh?

Put your arms aside.

Great, César, great, finish the run.

Who's in charge of this?

Depends on what for.

To sign me up to the school.

To sign up?

You have to talk to Repiso or Monero.

But Repiso just left,

and Monero won't come until tomorrow.

You can come tomorrow, around five o'clock.

You have to tail one of them.

What?

Where are you from?

I'm from Cadiz.

How come you didn't go to the school in Cordoba?

Because I come from Salamanca.

From Salamanca?

Do you plan to stay long?

That's my intention.

Do you have a place to stay?

No.

Are you in a hurry?

No.

In that case stay here,

sit with us, and have a drink.

But, hey, you won't be able to sleep over.

I don't care, I'm used to sleeping outside.

That rule is a bitch.

Shut up, man,

I like that word better than I like you.

Okay, but no matter what César thinks,

you can't sleep over.

Because here at school they are very strict

and you know, Luis Miguel,

that without Don Enrique's authorization

there's nothing to do.

I don't think it's that bad either.

Sure, since you have it

all sorted out for yourself....

Let's see, César, let's remind all these people

of a few things.

We must give drink...

To the thirsty.

We must feed...

The hungry.

Clothe...

The naked.

And give lodging...

To the pilgrim.

And besides, if...you don't let him sleep here,

I'm going to snitch to Enrique

that you have hidden wine...

He's betraying us, you little runt.

I'm Luis Miguel.

Sevillita.

But weren't you from Cadiz?

Yes, but they call me Sevillita.

Sit down here.

Sit down here,

have a drink.

No, you add water only for saving.

You, with 300 kilos in front of you,

can't see a thing.

With two horns,

but like this,

two big horns, so big,

I can't tell how big.

two big horns, so big,

I can't tell how big.

Well, and the mayor started, there,

to offer money.

He says, 1000 duros to him who kills him.

And the "capes" who were there,

staring at his horns,

they said: "well, 1000 duros."

"2000 duros?"

And nothing, none came out.

And he offered up to 25,000 pesetas,

the guy.

So he said:

"You are all a bunch of kept men,

"you don't want to be bullfighters, or anything.

"You're a bunch of faggots."

"You say that we don't want to be bullfighters?"

"Here's a bull of a man."

And I came out.

With the cape

I gave him two long ones there too,

you can't imagine how I played him.

And then, flags.

I bullied him,

and I stuck two spikes on him on the fly,

two from the inside.

All in all, a "run for your life".

And then, using the cane,

I made him dizzy.

And then I hit him with the sword,

and goodbye on tiptoe.

So, I went...

to get my pay.

You only give me cheese, do I look like a mouse?

Do I look like a mouse to you?

Anyway, I went to get my pay,

and then,

there was the mayor, a councilman,

and I didn't know who those people were.

He said to me:

"You're going to be around here, aren't you?"

"I know your face."

"You've been around here before, haven't you?".

And I, so stupid, I said yes.

You were the one who fighted the sick bull, right?

I said: "Me?"

"I didn't fight that bull."

And the guy insisted, he wanted me

to admit that I fought the sick bull.

So they didn't pay you.

He didn't at all, that guy!

It's a little show they put on, man.

That's how they set it up.

And they said to me: "Come on, go away",

as if they were doing me a favor.

"Go away". So, what was I supposed to do?

Surrounded by everybody...

What was I supposed to do?

Was I supposed to call the police, or what?

I would have stayed

and give that cuckold of a mayor

a couple slashes.

Shut up, kid!

Fuck.

Here you have it easy, eh?

I've already seen you catching heifers here.

By the way, they're very small.

Hey, there's no little friend, huh?

What, did one of those do that to you?

Well yes,

and the steer that gouged out

Lucio's eye was quite small.

Well, let's leave that subject.

See you tomorrow.

We're leaving.

How are you?

Calmer?

Yes, a little calmer,

with a full belly,

everything looks a different color.

Good.

What's wrong with you?

Nothing.

Come on, man, don't hide anything from us.

What was it, a bull, or the foreman?

Or both?

The first one.

A bull.

Let's see.

What a flogging, damn it!

He looks like a Christ!

You had this for a long time?

A week.

Fuck, man, if he'd really nail his horn

into you, you'll be dead.

Come on, let's go to the infirmary

to cure you, come on.

No, I'll go there,

may Enrique or someone else

show up in the infirmary,

and we'll be in trouble.

Come on, lie down there for a while.

Careful.

Was he big?

A guy!

Something like that happened to Belmonte.

That day he was wearing a new suit.

He'd just had it made.

He approached the herd

and a bull gave him a beating

that destroyed his suit.

He left the suit... not even good for "gosifas".

What is that?

I don't know. I read it in the book.

That's rags from old clothes

to clean the floor.

Come on, the first thing is to disinfect it.

A gauze with hydrogen peroxide, come on.

Careful, eh?

Give me another gauze.

Pour it all over the wound.

More, take off more.

A little bit down here.

There.

Disinfect it, more, more down here.

Man, tomorrow

don't stick flags,

otherwise the wound will open up.

Don't raise your arms.

Tomorrow we'll stitch the borders together

and cure it in the morning.

This looks great, in two or three days,

Sevillita, this will look great.

You can sit up now.

Put a clean gauze.

Sit up, Sevillita.

Sevillita?

What's wrong?

He fell asleep like a log, man.

Poor thing!

Carlos, go to bed now.

Let me stay a little longer.

No way, son, tomorrow you have to get up early

and go to school.

Here's the welcome book, eh?

Have you done your homework?

Yes, it's all done.

Gustavo, you too, go, son.

Hit the bed.

Can't I stay for a while?

No way. You have to get up early tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

Don't stay awake too long reading, eh?

Let's see how's that going.

It's healed.

You must take this off,

because it heals much better uncovered.

My mother insists that I keep it covered.

No, no, it's better to take this off.

Just take it off. See? You have nothing left.

Finish him off, finish him off.

Fuck, man, he's been sleeping for twenty hours

and he's still in the same position.

Let's see if he's dead

and we have a corpse in there,

and we're here so calm.

I don't think he's dead.

Not even the "Consopera" can kill him.

And besides, what he had on his back,

it vaccinates him against everything.

Okay, but we must wake him up

before Molinero or Enrique come,

to cure him.

The best cure is for him to stay in bed.

And you, what schooling do you have?

Well...

I can read and write,

just that.

Well, man.

I had to leave school very early

because we are six siblings

and I had to start working.

Because there in Andalusia,

you don't know how things are.

If you fail in bullfighting,

what do you think about...?

Well... I don't think about failure.

But I do have to think about your failure.

What trade do you have, so to be able

to get by in life?

None.

Okay.

Very good. Come on, Miguel.

Are you staying?

For now, yes.

The action of the kill is the supreme action.

You can be fine with the cape,

with the cane, with the flags,

but if you don't kill

what you have done before is useless.

The cane under the bull's hoof,

the bull that opens the hole of the ribs,

and the bullfighter who doesn't cut the spine,

the devil takes him. Miguel, let's go ahead.

Fine!

Good, Miguel, very good.

Come on, Cascorrito, you.

Come on.

How's that back, good?

It's fine.

Good, Cascorrito, good.

You're the new guy?

Yes, sir.

Give him the cane, Cascorrito,

let's see how good he is with the sword.

Master, he's just arrived.

I know he's just arrived.

Let's see.

Bull.

Come on.

All right, what happened?

...get your other hand out of here.

I'll talk to the boys for a minute.

Boys.

Come here, all of you.

Come on, Bote.

All right. I bring good news.

The great maestro Domingo Ortega

wants to meet you.

So, you all want to be bullfighters?

Yes.

Let's see: for you,

what's the most important thing

to be a bullfighter?

Bullfighter, huh?

For me, art.

Art, and what is art?

I've heard from the masters that it's

the fusion of the bull with the bullfighter.

And then, the body emerges,

and people get excited, no doubt about it.

Now, it is not a work of fighting,

the art of bullfighting is not boxing.

Do you understand?

It's the opposite.

Gentleness, softness, a lot of softness.

Also, for me, courage.

Courage is relative.

The man has no fear, he has ignorance

of the problem he has to solve.

Then he is afraid, of course.

It's not fear, it's ignorance.

Personality.

Personality is already one's own.

You have it or you don't.

I also believe that

the head is very important

for a bullfighter.

If you lose your head,

you lose everything you were going to sell here.

It's the head what must work hard.

And also the feeling.

The feeling starts the head working.

Then, of course, there is the heart that works,

and so on... but this comes after.

If the head fails, the heart doesn't work.

Okay, but I believe that

there is a more important thing,

the humility of the human being.

In the art of bullfighting, and in all things.

But even more so in bullfighting.

Humility, keep it as long as you live.

And a powerful godfather.

Sevillita.

Forgive me, maestro.

But there are many kept men in life

with no courage, with no humility,

who are succeeding at the top

because they have a good godfather.

Do you want a refreshment,

or to go to the countryside?

Going to the countryside.

Let's go to the countryside.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful

than the bulls of Libya?

These, perhaps one day,

they'll bring glory to you.

Or they will take it away.

Who knows.

How beautiful they are, what beautiful faces.

How beautiful.

What's on your mind?

The same as in yours.

Hey, do you think Belmonte became a bullfighter

because of what he says in the book?

Tomorrow I'll tell you.

"And I made the bull pass over and over again"

"grazing his skin with the skin of my naked body."

"Not even a woman had ever given me that feel."

"That's what made me want to be a bullfighter."

Well, there's the herd.

What should we do now?

We'll pull one aside.

If you want a good one

call that bull over there.

This one is going to stay here,

and you want us to get to the herd?

Let's get a bull out of the herd.

On the other side of the pond

I think there are more.

Look, there's a steer over there.

Come on, kid, who's going first?

I'll go first.

Have you gone crazy? Where are you going?

He's almost naked.

Leave him alone.

Joselito, you might catch a cold.

The spirit of Belmonte

must be hanging around here.

Fuck, he could have killed him.

Stop it, Gonzalo. Leave me alone, Gonzalo.

This guy has little strength.

Hold still, man, give me a hand.

He'll gain strength soon, you'll see.

I'll kill him, man.

Leave him alone, man.

This, what he did,

made me want to be a bullfighter.

Hey, did any of you missed your house last night?

'cause I do miss it.

I miss those flans my mother cooks,

those shakes of eggs with milk,

those beans,

those cool sheets in the summer,

and the smell of apples,

lemon...

Here, Carlos, drink this glass of milk

to help you fall asleep.

Fall asleep?

That's what I'd like.

Mom, I can't fall asleep either.

Poor me!

Do you want another glass of milk?

Yes, I do.

Well, drink this one.

And your parents, what are they like?

My parents, very normal.

During the day they work, at night they sleep,

and try not to bother others.

Joselito.

What are yours like?

You don't how I envy you, Carretero.

You don't know how lucky you are.

I messed up, did I?

Carretero, your head's in the clouds!

Are you always the last one to find out?

He lost his father a few days ago

and his mother died years ago.

Fuck, they're cheating you,

here, instead of bullfighters,

they're raising bullfighting clerks.

Clerk, me?

Hurry up, I'm shitting myself, man.

What do you mean by that?

That everything here is very nice, salon style,

pompous,

but then you have to deal

with the black legged beasts.

I'll deal with the black legged beasts,

if necessary.

Ah, yes? Tomorrow you'll see.

Tomorrow you'll go see

an amateur bullfight of steers near here,

and everything you're paying lip service to

you're going to do there tomorrow.

An amateur bullfight?

Yes, an amateur bullfight.

Are you going?

No, I'll stay here playing

one of those dummy bulls.

What's up? I'm in here, man.

Hey, can we come with you?

What do you want, me to get kicked out of school?

Nobody needs to know.

Are you guys crazy, or what?

You're scared, aren't you?

The boys of the village

release those heifers you have there

as an appetizer.

And when they've had enough,

they release a turkey like this

and they eat it too.

I'm going with you, huh?

I warn you, it's a twenty-kilometer walk.

Okay. What time do we leave?

- Ten o'clock.

- From where?

From Route Five.

See you tomorrow, kids.

See you tomorrow.

Do you dare, Luis Miguel,

or are you afraid that things

won't go so well for you there,

so well your silly poses?

I have to go.

See you tomorrow.

I don't understand why you're so hard on him.

These daddy's boys,

I don't like them at all.

And they need to be pricked.

But not cutting their scalps.

Did something happen?

Where did you come from?

From school.

From school, huh?

Was it too much?

Nothing compared to what's going to happen to you

if you leave my store.

Didn't I tell you

to take the bull out of your head

or I'll take it out?

What do you think bulls will earn you?

What do you think we eat from?

The bulls give you a just few pennies

and 1,000 troubles every day.

Come on, help your mother do the laundry.

Anything else?

A quarter kilo of chickpeas.

But make sure they're good,

because last week's ones

were very hard.

They're the same ones I eat, ma'am.

My mother's chickpeas are very tender.

- And a dozen eggs.

- Pepe.

Finish serving the lady.

If my father asks for me,

tell him I went bullfighting.

Fine youths we have!

And a dozen eggs.

Faggots, get a move on!

Do you think they'll release some little one?

Yes, man, so you can go play with it,

they'll make you a little one.

You don't dare move from the boxes.

All right.

Get close, man, and don't worry, he's vaccinated.

Come on, Sevillita, let's leave.

If you want to be a bullfighter

you have to go through this.

Enrique, Enrique.

Look, the bullfighter.

You think you can be a bullfighter here

in the amateur bullfight? You're crazy.

Right here, in front of the black legged beast.

Are you afraid?

You guys get inside.

If you get out, I'll kill you.

You're shit, man.

Do you want to be bullfighters?

To be a bullfighter you have to get close.

You have to go to the bull,

otherwise you won't earn a penny.

I'm more of a bullfighter than anyone here.

You, bullfighter?

To be a bullfighter you have to get close.

And when you get this...

when you get this, and this...

and then you get close,

then you say you're a bullfighter.

Great, guys.

You've done enough, go get your reward.

Let's flee, they'll greet us with a storm.

It's about time we stop being assholes.

Come on, if I'm an asshole

for attending an amateur bullfight

then something else must harden me.

Where are you coming from?

You dare come so late?

There was an amateur bullfight here, near Madrid,

and I went there to try...

- Amateur bullfight, eh?!

No way, all my fucking life I sacrificed

for him, to give him some schooling,

but hey, asshole kid,

won't you understand this with words?

Neither with slaps.

Besides, the bull is going

to hit me harder than you,

and since I want to be a bullfighter...

Well, I don't!

And in this house my holy will be done.

And for whoever doesn't get it, there's the door.

- Pedro...

- And you shut up!

One thing is clear,

I won't spend my life behind a counter.

Fuck!

Pedro, he's only sixteen years old.

Sixteen years old? So what?

At that age I was tired of wandering

around the world and fighting.

And that's precisely what I try to spare them of.

Fuck, man, they've been there

meeting for more than an hour

and Don Enrique doesn't usually stay

more than five minutes.

Heads are going to fall,

and all because of you.

Why my fault, man?

I gave you all the chance to bullfight.

I get it. We're here to mess with the dummy.

I think we're old enough.

We are, but they aren't.

How did that one get killed?

I saw one of them among the crowd,

he went out and hit the bull: "pumba".

The bull hit him with his horn so hard

that the guy fell down wrecked.

And what does that have to do with bullfighting?

Many bullfighters have passed through there.

Here we have the example of Andrés,

mine, and of many bullfighters.

What's more, I think I am a little responsible

for what has happened.

Because I told them my exploits of when

I used to attend amateur bullfights

and surely I influenced them

and that's why they have done these things.

I think that expulsion is not the right way to go.

No. We have to think of something.

The way is for the kids to leave the school

because they are asking for us

to organize heifers bullfights for them.

We're not a company.

We're a school.

A school with a responsibility

and a teaching task to carry out.

We don't have to put on heifers bullfights.

Let the businessmen put them on,

since they're the ones who make the money.

We'll also be criticized.

They'll say that we exploit the kids.

This mustn't happen.

Organizing heifers bullfights isn't possible.

The kids, we graduate 30 of them today,

what more could they expect?

The training and the teachers they get are great,

so what else do they want?

Sorry, Enrique, but it's not just that.

Something has to be done.

Let the kids fight, because they

already master dummy bullfighting.

If they don't fight heifers

we won't get any further,

we'll waste our time.

People will criticize us anyway,

whether we do it right or wrong.

So here we have to...

They'll crucify us.

I agree.

I agree with Andrés.

You are crazy!

You're completely crazy.

These kids won't get away with this,

they're going to get it no matter what.

Come on, he's coming now.

Hey, you!

Let's duck, come on, everybody, let's duck.

I said let's duck, everybody, right now.

Hello, Gregorio.

Hi, Andrés.

Hi, Pedro, what's up?

I was just passing by.

What's up, kids?

Well, that's precisely

what I've come to talk to you about.

Well, you go on, just a moment,

I'll be right back.

What is it, are you short of money, or...?

Well, no, it's not exactly that.

They don't know where he is,

or at least they don't want to tell us.

You've slapped

the boy,

and now the boy can't be hit,

because he's not a boy anymore.

He is a man.

It's that this bullfighting thing is not for him.

He blames his father,

then his father blames him...

What's Miguel's situation now?

Fourteen or fifteen days ago

he left home

without a penny in his pocket

but he took two of my capes with him.

And you don't know where he is,

where is he staying?

The latest news say

that he's out there with

the Chinese bullfighter, bullfighting.

The other one was left on the road, as I thought.

Hey, maestro, are you a pimp?

Grow some mustaches.

Come on, it's a joke.

Luis Miguel.

I came all the way here

so that you explain something to me.

Because four years in a school oblige you.

Teaching you a lot of things,

and then you come here

to make people laugh.

I reckon, making people laugh is as important

as being a great bullfighter.

You made a mistake.

You should have gone to drama school.

So decide.

I'm going with you.

No, no, put it on,

fulfill your deal with Manuel,

go act.

Luis Miguel.

Come over here.

I wish you

good luck, son.

Thank you very much, Don Manuel.

My father sent you, didn't he?

I'm too old to be commanded by anyone.

Regarding what you told me before,

that I made a mistake,

I don't agree all that much.

Because some stars emerged

from bullfighting comic shows.

As for example Manolete, Antoniete,

Dámaso González...

Gregorio Sánchez, Vázquez,...

But none of them had the schooling that you had.

Come on, we've arrived.

Come on, man,

they're waiting for you upstairs, man.

Aren't you coming up, teacher?

No, there are things in a man's life

that he has to face alone.

Miguel, son!

Man, Miguel!

- Come on, Mom, come on.

- How did it go?

- Well...

- Have you been bullfighting a lot?

- Have you had dinner, son?

- A little bit.

No, but I'm not hungry.

Then come on, I'll fix you a glass of milk.

Well, well, okay.

You'll tell us later.

Hey, Miguel.

Come here for a while.

You've got two new dresses, right?

What's up, will you tour with some star this year?

Man, I hope so.

Here, and this is for you.

We're fighting on Sunday.

Go on, take it,

it won't bite.

You'll need a flagger pal or two.

To flag up you must stand right,

right in front of the horns.

Don't signal your entrance before or after,

because the bull then orients himself.

Then you have to position yourself right in line

with the bull. Look where you are right now,

and where the bull's face is.

You have to stand right in line with the bull.

Come on, run fast!

Stab him there.

Watch,

the stab

has to be more precise.

Do you understand?

Look.

No, man, no.

Look, the place is there.

Centered, on the base of the horns.

Because horn stabs are paid very dearly.

Or do you think that I lost

my leg in a discotheque?

The legs, the waist, the arms,

use your head. It has to be a harmonious whole.

You have to fly in front of the bull.

You have to charge harder,

because then the bull does it much harder

than we do here.

Come on, now, sideways.

Run. Come on, Bote, that's going

to happen to you that many times.

Let's learn how to fall.

Look, the cane there under the

hooves, there, under the hooves.

And here the hand,

and striking...

Let's see, let's learn to fall forward too.

Come on.

And you, pay attention,

you have very few days left

and in these, all mistakes are very expensive.

Miguel, fall forward.

Help with the waist, there.

Do you see how it's different how you fight?

- Go, go.

- You'll get him.

You'll get him.

That's it.

Use the waist.

You have to fight with your face,

your eyes, and everything.

And feeling it.

You have to feel it to convey it.

Raise it a little more, okay?

The lower you go, the more precision you have.

My kidneys hurt, man.

Are you suffocated, already?

Walk fast.

You can't tell the bull to stop.

Start up with all your might.

Do it now!

Good.

With grace.

You have to think that you'll fall.

Hey, you, you have to think

that you're about to fall.

Don't forget it, damn it,

don't come here, it's over there.

It's there, not here.

The last thing a bullfighter needs

is the horns stuck in his sides.

Don't you realize that?

The applause!

You, hurry up.

Stay still, damn it.

Besides, the rush is only good for criminals

and bad bullfighters.

Come on, Carretero, Cascarrita.

Come on, see you later, good luck.

Well, kids, good luck.

- Good luck to you.

- And have a good trip.

And these clowns,

how many deaths will they cause tomorrow?

I don't understand how

this son of yours can fall asleep.

He's a log.

I don't like the color of the suit.

Neither do I like mine.

And you, Sevillita?

What about me?

Do you like the color of your suit?

I don't know, I haven't even looked at it yet,

I don't even know what color it is.

You can't dye this, right?

Tomorrow you'll have no excuse.

How lucky José and Bote are, they are going

on a trip tomorrow, and on their own.

Don't say crazy things, man, stop it.

You think they're...

Afraid, eh? Why not say it?

Afraid, me?

You see.

You, you more than anyone.

You're like drunks.

The more they hide it, the more it shows.

What's that supposed to mean?

That I'm scared?

You're scared,

me, this guy...

Yes?

Hi, it's me, Neyra.

And this...

Neyra, what's up?

Well, nothing. I didn't wake you up?

No way, man, no.

It's just that I was around here

and I said to myself:

"Let's see those guys in their suits."

Okay. Besides being brave, original.

Another one who can't sleep a wink.

Hey, I didn't call to hear you make fun of me.

Don't take it hard, man,

since here, some more, some less,

we're all sleepless.

And the fellow who can sleep now,

he's not made of flesh and blood.

So I'm not the only one, am I?

No way, there are enough

sleepless people here to stop a train.

Well, I have the solution for these cases.

Well, why don't you put it to work?

Because I'm ashamed of telling my parents.

Let's see, I'm intrigued.

Explain to me what it is.

You take a mirror.

You look at yourself in it.

You overpower your image, and you'll see

how in the end the fear goes away.

You see,

fear is something that we carry inside us,

and what's more, deep down inside,

the coward is the fear itself.

Because it always attacks us

when he sees that he can overcome us.

Carlos, do you think

it's time to talk on the phone?

Son, you're surely bothering them,

let's go to bed.

See you tomorrow.

Let's see, you here,

what are you doing here?

You have no place here, man.

Go away, go look for customers somewhere else.

What's the matter? Have you gone crazy?

Crazy, me?

Crazy that one, man, that one.

Is he bothering you?

He was trying to.

Come on, leave us alone.

- Are you ready?

- Yes.

Well, let's take the last lesson.

Boys, today is your day,

your chance.

You dare to stand in front of the bull.

You know how to defend yourself,

you know how to overpower him,

you just have to do it.

Get close to him, crouched down,

and when you dust your canes,

hook them and carry them.

I have nothing left to tell you.

May you not lack luck, and pray.

When the glorious moment comes for you, my child

of going out into the ring

don't imagine, my dear

that you won't be scared.

Enter serene and brave

calm and prudent

close to the bull.

Think that you are writing

your name in golden letters.

And that in the bullring you are alone.

Only you

and your art.

You alone with yourself,

you alone before your history.

You know that your enemy

can take your life

but never the glory.

And at the moment of truth

you'll remember:

bullfighter who does not cut the spine

the devil takes him.

When the glorious moment comes for you

my boy, to go out to the ring.

Swing your arm to him.

Touch the opposing horn.

Good, come on now, bullfighter, he comes now!

Don't go backwards, my friend.

The cape down, cane under the horn, and swing.

Down with the cape, under the bull.

Don't leave, man.

Bote, here, in the queue, here.

You have to be there, in line!

Bring him a little bit to the center of the ring.

Always keeping the cane.

He's a little bit violent,

but we'll calm him down.

Stay still.

Slowly, give him room.

Don't let him touch the cape.

Badly done.

Come on, make him tired.

Come on, your legs over there,

feet together and legs forward.

Annoy him.

Freeze, damn it.

Leave me alone.

Change him, change Miguel.

- Fuck!

- Come on, Miguel.

Where did you want to go?

- Prove it.

- Everybody out.

Bote, over the top but very stoic,

looking at the audience, almost.

Let's kill him, huh?

Let's kill him, kid, now.

Ask him which sword he wants.

I do this for all of you.

Come on, that cane down.

And that arm forward,

that cane down, quickly,

go there.

There.

You, here, come on.

- Cheer up.

- Sevilla.

These things... we bullfighters have seen them.

The good ones and the bad ones.

It's all right.

Look, people won't be hard on you.

You've seen that they've applauded you,

they've made a fuss for you.

And you didn't ask for it, the applause.

I want to see his father,

because I want to help him,

and I want to put him in a bullfight.

Talk to him, he's around.

His father's a bullfighter, right?

- Yes.

- I'm going to look for him.

The vultures are already flying.

Here's money for the trip.

No, no money, Repiso.

Come on, take it, man.

You'll need it.

Well, okay, Repiso,

thank you very much for everything.

Good luck in life, son.

Sevillita is leaving.

Where's Sevillita going,

if it's his turn to go shopping today?

The teacher is giving him money for the trip.

And he doesn't want anyone to know.

Leave him alone.

Damn it, Pepe!

What's up, kid?

Don't tell me you're signing up for school.

Yes, as a spoiler.

But, Pepe!

How's it going?

How's it going?

You can see, since I'm succeeding, I'm thinner.

Here, take this.

I guessed right.

But, Pepe, don't be a bastard,

with this heat, a codfish.

Come on, here.

And you open that,

see if you like it.

Pepe!

But, Pepe!

Guys, look!

Hey, kids, look!

Look what the defender has brought us.

Look, what a ham!

Look, these sausages!

Let's see if when the black legged one come out

you go in such a hurry. See you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

Master.

Good afternoon.

- Tell me.

- I'm Pepe.

The one who was the clerk in Luis Miguel's store.

Ah, man, the nurse!

Yes, the nurse,

the defender,

depends on the kids.

I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes.

Tell me.

If possible, in private.

Well, let's go to the office.

Very well, then.

Don't you get a little nervous

going into these places?

I've had to come in

so many times out of obligation

that now I feel it's a luxury.

Let's see, what's that important thing

you had to tell me.

Maestro,

Luis Miguel wants to give up bullfighting.

What?

You heard.

He wants to quit bullfighting.

He won't take the chance.

He wants to leave.

Why?

How should I know?

That's why I came to you.

What about his father?

This time he has nothing to do with his decision.

He isn't aware.

Nobody is.

Since Luis Miguel has always been telling me,

"The teacher told me that I made a mistake there,"

"that I should be careful with this"

and always talking to me about the teacher that...

I've come to see you in case you...

We'll think of something.

But, please, master,

don't let him know I've come.

Luis Miguel has arrived.

Tell him to come in.

And wait downstairs?

No, no, let him come in.

May I come in?

Come in.

- What's up? Good afternoon.

- Man, Miguel.

Blessed are the eyes that see you,

how expensive you sell yourself.

With all this talk that you're already stars,

and that you fight a lot...

It's not that, you know how this business is.

Well, come on, sit down.

Wow, the guy.

This was the one

who nailed a horn in me in Seville.

He almost took my leg off.

He pricked me twice up there,

unbelievable.

A good stab, huh? Down to the neck.

No, pure luck.

What's wrong is the hand,

the cane too high up.

You see, I always tell you

in school, lower the cane,

and yet here I am...

Yes, but you'd fall upside down.

What a stab, huh?

A great bull.

That's a great bull that gave me

a successful afternoon,

very good, great.

What then, tidying this a little?

No, tidying this up... no.

I'm tidying up this one, which I have...

I don't even know where it is.

Because I've decided to come back.

You're coming back?

You, you,

are to blame.

I've been teaching you for three years,

and of course...

Seeing you succeed,

and of course, well...

I decided to come back.

Well, and here I was

remembering

the beautiful moments.

And I was willing to see

the other side of the coin,

which is the one that worries me the most.

Doesn't it bother you?

If it doesn't bother you, let's see it.

But first remove that, plug it in,

and turn off the light, please.

What a romp, huh?

Since you'd have wondered why

I want to go back to the bulls,

would you explain to me why you want to leave?

Me?

Yes, you.

You can't fool me.

Is it not because of what we are seeing there?

Could it be because of that?

No, maestro.

Because ever since I started bullfighting

I knew that horn pricks

had to come sooner or later.

But that doesn't worry me.

I'm aware that tomorrow or the day after

a bull may catch me,

and leave me like Master Serranito,

or master Tenille.

But no, it doesn't worry me.

So, what are you worried about?

This is a trap, isn't it?

Of course it's a trap.

Why?

I'm fed up, maestro.

I'm fed up with the public.

Because they pay 2000 pesetas one day,

the next day they think

they have the right to insult you.

And those who live at the expense

of saying if I've done well or badly.

They run no risk other than

their pen spilling ink in their pocket,

and their jacket getting stained.

This kid, this kid...

And the others... the others, rightly said Repiso,

they are vultures.

I'm into this for two reasons, maestro.

One is because it's my life,

and it's what I like the most.

And the other is money.

And now I must spend

two whole seasons bullfighting

to pay for the cheating they've done to me.

Take your share, take your share,

and in the end your share is nothing.

We've taught you everything you need to know

to stand in front of the bull.

But in addition to the bull, outside

you have to bullfight a lot.

And that, the only one who can teach you

all those things, is life.

Think about it.

If the answer is no, then good luck to you.

If it's yes, you'll bring me joy.

Let me offer you the chance.

What?

Did you really say that?

Would you really give me the chance?

I really would.

This isn't another frame-up, is it?

No, man, no.

- I mean it.

- Would you give me the chance?

Really, I'd give you the chance.

Good afternoon.

Aren't you going to ride a horse?

When you let me.

Where's Luis Miguel?

Good afternoon, Luis Miguel.

Man, I knew you'd come.

What's up? I heard that the companies

won't let you fight, right?

The job has these setbacks.

Are you nervous?

More than a turkey at Christmas, man.

Okay.

Maestro, it's time.

Have you seen Miguel?

Yes, maestro.

How is he?

Very lively.

He's got half the school in his room.

Leave him alone, the master has to pray.

Good luck, Luis Miguel.

Lord, help him.

I beg you.

He's just starting.

And you, Luis Miguel,

don't forget that in spite of that kind of public,

despite all those vultures,

when the black legged one comes out

you will be... you alone.