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| The Prophetess
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A
Cheshire Suicide |
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19-year-old
Lucrecia
experiences prophetic dreams in 16th-century, Madrid (Spain.) Three men
approach her during the night to warn her about a pest that will
decimate the population of Madrid.
As her dreams come true, Lucrecia is called to the court of Phillip the
Second, «The Black King.» Francisco Téllez, the royal confessor,
intends to control the growing influence of Lucrecia over the crowds of
Madrid.
In a reckless impulse Lucrecia warns the Spanish court of the dim
consequences of a war against England. She falls in disgrace.
She joins then the secret dissident faction of Héctor Mendoza. There
she meets Diego de Quiroga, with who she starts a love affair that
challenges her followers belief that her prophetic gifts are enhanced
by her virginity.
Lucrecia's dreams, which are secretly published,
prophesize the fall of Phillip the Second and the raise of a new
Christian Kingdom, with one single Popess and one single queen:
Lucrecia herself.
After de wreck of the Spanish Navy before the English
shores, a conspiracy against the King is orchestrated by Héctor
Mendoza. Lucrecia realizes too late that Mendoza intends to murder the
entire Royal family. As she opposes his plan with remorse, Lucrecia is
confined in a remote farm. Diego frees her days later. Lucrecia reveals
the conspiracy to Francisco, who dies in a frenetic attempt to save his
King. Being pregnant, Lucrecia is prosecuted by the Inquisition. Under
torture she confesses to have committed lechery with the Demon. She is
lashed and banished from Madrid. After several years of poverty, she
migrates to South America, where she marries Diego de Quiroga.
§
Amongst all the forms of lies, prophesy is
the most enjoyable, wrote Carlyle. All human beings are
interested in metaphysics, but given our epistemological limitations,
we are fallible to be fascinated, mislead or enlightened by the dubious
sciences of foretelling and prophesy.
The Prophetess is
a screenplay about knowledge and superstition. I must confess, though,
that as a screenwriter I have been more interested in the psychology of
prophesy, rather than in the prophesies per se.
Sigmund Freud died in the belief that after psychoanalysis people would
not be able to interpret dreams as oracles. Nevertheless, such a belief
denied the question on dreams' raison d'être. In other words, we cannot
dismiss the question on the existence of dreams by merely pondering how
they might be triggered, in the same way that we cannot dismiss the
question on the existence of the universe by giving a fallible account
of how it was created, or on the complexity of a particular man's
existence by explaining his social environment, his biology and his
psychology. Lucrecia de Leon, a humble maiden who became the unofficial
seer of Spain for several years, was able to display the metaphysical
nature of dreams in 16th-century Spain.
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21-year old SAMANTHA lives a hell
of a life in Italy, where her friends discriminate her on account of
her dark skin. Certain day 65-year old AUNT VIRGINIA comes to visit her
from the states accompanied by her 34-year Peter Sellers-like husband
TOM.
Aunt Virginia is an unfaithful wife and a terrorist. She makes part of
a KKK secret terrorist cell that plans to bomb the city hall of
Philadelphia. She has, as a matter of fact, come to Italy to buy and
smuggle a powerful explosive devise into the States.
Scandalised by her aunt's behaviour, Samantha asks Tom about the nature
of their relationship. Tom stutters that not many women love him.
Samantha asks him whether women in the States are blind. The both start
a strong friendship.
When Samantha wins a scholarship to study at Temple University, Tom
asks her to move to live with him and Virginia in their South
Philadelphia house. She accepts. Tom talks to Virginia about his
decision. Virginia appears to be OK with it.
Upon their arrival to Philadelphia, Virginia introduces Samantha to
several young members of the KKK terrorist cell. One of them, 18-year
old Martin, asks her to marry him almost immediately. She postpones her
answer. Martin's purpose is to use her in their terrorist attack
against City Hall.
With the help of three gangsters and three FBI agents, Tom and Samantha
defeat the terrorists, who end up grasping Samantha's wedding dress
from the top of Philadelphia's City Hall tower. Virginia goes to prison
and Tom marries Samantha. |
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Hamlet Unbound
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A group of Union leaders, well
aware of Hamlet's melancholy, hire a
professional actor, who skilfully personifies Hamlet's father's ghost
in a cemetery, thus persuading him that Claudius, his uncle, murdered
his father in order to marry Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother.Hamlet, who
has fallen in love with Ophelia -his psychologist, turns ill-mannered
as he discovers her pregnancy. He suspects that Polonius, her father,
has encouraged her to keep the baby in order to force him to marry her.
Hamlet becomes distracted, as he spends his time producing a short-film.
Hamlet screens his film to
his family and friends. Claudius gets particularly offended, as
Hamlet's short film alludes to him and Gertrude. He hires then two of
Hamlet's ex-lovers -Rosencrantz and Guilderstern, in order to find out
the cause of Hamlet's resentment.
Meantime, Polonius decides to
intervene, just to be brutally murdered by Hamlet. Ophelia loses her
mind soon after. Hamlet is then sent to Colombia, escorted by his
ex-lovers, who are secretly ordered to execute Hamlet in order to
impart 'justice'.
Hamlet,
however, manages to
get rid of her bodyguards. Back in Philadelphia, Hamlet learns of
Ophelia's madness and suicide, though there are rumours that she has
been strangled by Laertes.
Soon after, in a tennis court,
Hamlet's tragic fate unfolds...
The film is in itself a political statement.
The fact that a
Colombian-born non-native-English-speaker actor and filmmaker be
capable of producing his own adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', with
a non-existent budget and making use of the recent digital technology,
proves the fragility of the most ancient hierarchies of Art and
Culture.
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34-year-old
writer and ex-private detective Ricardo Saint-André and his wife,
25-year-old Gabrielle come to Cheshire to celebrate the wedding of
Tracy Baltimore, daughter of their old friend, tycoon Mr. Baltimore.
They
maintain a close
relationship with Sara Baltimore, the youngest daughter of Mr.
Baltimore. Sara introduces them to her boyfriend, Mr. Sousa, a famous
Brazilian football player, whom Mr. Baltimore and his second wife,
Petra Schreiber, dislike. They are introduced to the groom, Sir Weyden,
an eccentric playboy who has already gone through four marriages.
Chatting
with Alfred-a
dentistry student, Rachel-a Key Property employee and Mr. Lawn-a Bed
& Breakfast manager, Ricardo and Gabrielle are informed of the last
events in town. Doctor Knox, a famous dentist, has been accused of
murdering hundreds of patients for several years.
Hours later
the party
is interrupted by a colliding sound. In the front yard, Mr. Sousa's
Mercedes has crashed into a wall. Sara Baltimore's body hangs from a
tree nearby. Ricardo discovers a note signed by her in her hand. Three
words are written on it: "Don't blame anyone."
After
Sara's funeral,
Ricardo expresses to Mr. Baltimore his belief that Sara didn't commit
suicide. He wants to investigate her death. To his surprise, Mr.
Baltimore hesitates. Ricardo insists and Mr. Baltimore offers him full
support.
Ricardo and
Gabrielle
work closely with Scotland Yard inspector F. Zayed, who informs them
about the private life of the party guests. He tells them Sara
Baltimore underwent a miscarriage after an intruder surprised her and
beat her at Sousa's house.
They visit
Old Trafford
stadium and talk to Mr. Bogle, a player of the local football club, and
the closest friend of Mr. Sousa. He informs them that Sara had
continuous arguments with her father. Mr. Baltimore wanted to sign a
contract to exploit South-American oil fields. Sara, influenced by her
boyfriend, wanted to be sure that such contract was for the benefit of
the local communities, rather than for the mere benefit of few South
American politicians.
Gabrielle
gets notice
of the mysterious vanishing of Monsieur Dupin, a businessman who lived
in Mrs. Lawn's Bed & Breakfast. They visit, then, an International
Consultant Company, where Dupin used to work. They interview Mr. Perry,
the manager-a Mr. Lancaster's employee who bears a deformed face. Mr.
Perry doesn't know Dupin's whereabouts. Ricardo is interested,
nonetheless, in the character of Mr. Perry, who hates human beings and
picks up strays. His former wife, Rachel, abandoned him for his best
friend, Doctor Knox. Ricardo discovers in his office several editions
of R. L Stevenson's "New Arabian Nights."
Meanwhile
Gabrielle
visits Tracy at a Tennis Club, where she plays with Alfred. Tracy
excuses for being absent at her sister's funeral. Alfred flirts with
Gabrielle and invites her to a date.
Sir Weyden
meets
Ricardo several times and prevents him to go on with his investigation.
Ricardo, in response, irritates him even more with remarks about his
previous marriages. Tracy supports their investigation, nonetheless,
and drives Gabrielle's suspicions on Petra, her gold-digger stepmother.
Ricardo and
Gabrielle
visit Rachel's Key Property Agency. They want to hire an apartment.
They also ask her about the Baltimore family, for whom Rachel worked as
a baby sitter several years ago. Rachel answers them with reluctance.
She thinks Sara really committed suicide and accuses Ricardo and
Gabrielle of creating Havoc in their small community. Gabrielle reminds
her of her 1974 trip to Egypt with the Baltimore family and asks her
whether she remembers any extraordinary event. She asserts that nothing
happened at all.
In their
way to their
hotel, Gabrielle tells Ricardo that something extraordinary happened in
that trip. 4-year-old Sara fell from a boat into the Nile River waters
and was rescued by Mr. Perry and Doctor Knox. Mr. Perry, nonetheless,
was badly injured-his face got disfigured and Rachel left him shortly
afterwards.
Ricardo
visits Mr.
Sousa at the hospital. Mr. Sousa explains him how he hit his car
against the wall. He had an argument with Sara about their future
plans-Sara wanted to go to study in the US, but Sousa wanted to
continue his Football career in Europe. He left Sara at the party, went
to a pub for fifteen minutes and, haunted by remorse, returned to the
party. To his arrival he saw Saran kicking the air. He got distressed
and pressed the accelerator against his own wish. Based on his
testimony, Ricardo persuades Zayed that Sara didn't commit suicide.
Gabrielle
goes out with
Alfred. She finds out Alfred proposed Sara to marry him, several months
ago, but was bluntly rejected. Ricardo, meanwhile, goes to dine with
Mr. Baltimore and Petra. They both seem irritated by Ricardo's belief
that Sara was murdered. Ricardo questions Mr. Baltimore
about his
personal relationship with his daughter. Mr. Baltimore abandons the
dinning room visibly upset. Petra, showing better understanding, is
ready to answer to his questions. Ricardo asks her about Eleutheria.
Petra is shocked, but still she answers him. Eleutheria is a pro-choice
local organisation that believes the world is overpopulated, and
animals, rather than children, should be protected.
Zayed
informs Ricardo
and Gabrielle he has found Mr. Dupin, dead, in a Salford Hotel. His
real name was Doctor Philippe, whom Ricardo recognises as a conspicuous
French abortion doctor. Ricardo finds a playing card close to his
body-the ace of diamonds. He relates the card to the book of R. L.
Stevenson.
Ricardo and
Gabrielle
visit Eleutheria's headquarters: a Victorian mansion on the outskirts
of Manchester. Gabrielle enters by the main door. She is received by a
group of men and women, Rachel, Perry and Petra amongst them. Gabrielle
pretends she is pregnant. They treat her with compassion.
Meanwhile,
Ricardo
sneaks into the second floor. He searches several filing cabinets,
until he discovers a piece of paper, where several people wrote and
signed "Don't blame anyone." He hears steps approaching and discovers
Perry. Ricardo follows him and enters to an immense abortion room,
where hundreds of foetuses lie in glass bottles.
Ricardo
takes out a gun
and surprises Perry. He asks Perry about the murder of Doctor Philippe.
Perry confesses that Philippe used to perform illegal abortions for
Eleutheria, until someone caught him selling children's organs to
pharmaceutical companies from the continent. Eleutheria sentenced him
to death. The executor was chosen in secret, through a card game
inspired by R.L. Stevenson's short story "The Suicide Club."
Next
morning Ricardo
visits Mrs. Lawn while Gabrielle interviews Sir Weyden. They both have
an alibi. In the afternoon Ricardo solves the mystery and asks Zayed to
protect Doctor Knox. Too late. Knox has "committed suicide" in jail.
Next day
Gabrielle,
Ricardo and Zayed attend a community reception organised to celebrate
Mr. Sousa's return to the football playground. Ricardo interrupts the
celebration to explain the murder of Sara Baltimore...
After
solving this case, Ricardo and Gabrielle decide to open a Detective
office in Manchester.
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| The End of America
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Samantha’s
Wedding Room |
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America, 1765.
90-year-old
white-hair Mawa (Red Sunset), chief of the Senecas, returns to his
town. He brings along captured English, French and Spanish prisoners.
He mourns 6 of his children, dead in the battlefield. Following
customary rituals, he sacrifices several prisoners to his gods.
50-year old Bertha, a German pioneer, asks mercy for her 4 children,
but Mawa is deaf to her entreats. She is given to 19-year-old Frazuo
(Path of Joy), as a slave.
26-year-old
Grajo (Four Ends) claims her, since he was the one who captured her and
spared her life, but Mawa imposes his will. 55-year old African-born
Jeremiah, a faithful slave of Grajo, assuages the situation.
The
council
of venerable men decrees that Mawa is too old to go on with the tasks
of war. He should now bestow his leadership to either Grajo or Frazuo.
Mawa tips towards Grajo, who is engaged to Quiree, Mawa’s beloved
daughter, but his opinion is contested by his albino son, Chas (Morning
Whisper), who accusses Grajo of being ruled by lust.
Mawa
ignores Chas’ advice and delivers his feather-crown to Grajo.
Grajo’s
first act of government is to snatch Bertha from Frazuo. Chas reacts
furiously, and supported by most of his warriors, he demands Frazuo’s
enthronement. Mawa eases the conflict by killing Chas. «Thus,» he says,
«I avoid a civil war fatal to us, for the British army is near by.»
At
war
Grajo proves to be a good general. Meanwhile, in the encampment Bertha
and Jeremiah start a furtive relationship. She persuades Jeremiah to
avenge her by killing his master. Grajo comes triumphant from the war
and asks Jeremiah to bring Bertha to his tend—where Grajo rapes her
before Jeremiah’s jealous eyes.
Next
day
Grajo and Quiree celebrate their wedding. Prada, a Spanish ambassador,
and Jefferson, the Union delegate, are present at the wedding. Prada
asks Grajo assistance against the French, while Jefferson asks
assistance against the British. Grajo guarantees assistant to both, but
Jefferson and Prada distrust him. Prada whispers to Jefferson that the
best way to annihilate the Indians is by letting them starve during the
winter—by burning their crop. Jefferson meets Frazuo in secret and
encourages him to conspire against Grajo. Frazuo welcomes his advice,
but his conspiracy is overheard and denounced by Jeremiah.
Frazuo
is
beheaded.
Bertha
persuades Jeremiah to denounce Mawa as another conspirator. After a
brief hesitation, Grajo decides to get rid of Mawa—he asks Jeremiah «to
make it look as an accident». Bertha concocts a fiendish revenge. First
she prompts Grajo to repudiate Quiree in their wedding night.
Next
day
Grajo organizes a game of ball, with Indian and white slaves risking
their lives for freedom. Bertha delivers Quiree to two murderers, who
in her presence rape her and cut her tongue, hands, and feet. The game
ends and Grajo grants freedom to 5 slaves.
That
very
day General Washington attacks Grajo’s troops. Amidst the battle Mawa
discovers his maimed daughter and blames Washington and his troops for
her condition. He and Quiree move west followed by a mass of starving
people.
Washington
defeats the Senecas and frees Bertha—who introduces herself as a woman
raped by the Indians and protected by Jeremiah, her faithful slave.
Washington orders the burning of the Indian corn. The Senecas scream as
their fields smoke. The first snow storm starts.
Bertha
becomes Washington’s secret lover in Philadelphia.
Mawa
enters
to a cave, where an old sorcerer gives him a visionary beverage. Mawa
dreams then that his daughter was maimed by Grajo and Bertha. He cries
when Quiree confirms his dream. Mawa stabs her out of pity, and gathers
an army amongst his followers. They go to the Niagara region, where
they are informed of Grajo’s defeat. A town is now built in the place
where his town used to stand. He signs an agreement with Jefferson,
where he gives up his territorie in exchange for Grajo’s freedom. The
Senecas then look in amazement how Mawa scalps Grajo. He advises his
people to learn English, adapting to the white men’s way of life.
Lonely Mawa moves southward.
In
Philadelphia Bertha delivers a black child. Washington is going to kill
him, when Jeremiah confesses his guilt. Bertha threatens to denounce
their affair to the press. A pair of Washington’s soldiers escort
Bertha and Jeremiah out of Philadelphia—taking them to a snowy
mountain, where they are left «to their fate».
After
a
week of wondering on the snow Mawa finds Bertha crying in front of the
cadaver of Jeremiah. She remains passive as Mawa cuts her throat.
Mawa
holds her baby as the snow covers him.
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| The Medium |
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Angola, 1959. Gagliostro exits a
bar after winning a hand of poker. He walks across a cemetery. Two
pairs of hands play the ouija. Gagliostro sees the a blonde walking
away. She calls him. He follows her. They arrive to a close
esplanade--facing an abysm. Gagliostro touches the shoulder of the
woman. She turns around: the face of a skull. Gagliostro staggers and
falls into the abysm.
Antonia, a 31-year old medium grasps the ouija and falls onto the floor
as she suffers a convulsion. A goup of men and women, amongst them
Raimundo, a cold flabby15-year old lad, look at her. With a trembling
voice Antonia announces that the spirit of Lust has murdered
Gagliostro. She looks at Raimundo, who smiles with disdain. She faces
him in horror. «Where is my baby?» Antonia screams in fear. She runs
away from the house. Haunted by voices she slips and falls in the
abysm—her semi naked corpse lying on the mud besides Gagliostro’s.
Oporto, Portugal, 1998. 55-year Raimundo drives a BMW. He arrives to
the main see of the Community Bank, where he works as the local
Director. Assited by his PA, 25-year old blonde baby-face Gerardo,
Raimundo interviews Bolivian-born emigrant Rafael Cabargas for an
accountant position. Once Cabargas confesses that he will be totally
dependent of his job—he does not have the documents to work in the EU,
he is hired. As soon as he starts working Raimundo asks him whether he
would like to earn some extra money. Raimundo accepts. He is asked,
then, to sign several legal documents—in Portuguese, and to hand out a
picture of himself to Raimundo.
There he meets Italian accountant Simona, whom he had had a romance two
years ago in Rome. After their first date they decide to get married.
Rafael announces his engagement to his co-workers. Antonia—one of them,
reads Rafael's hands. She tells him that he will get marry twice in his
life. Rafael dismisses her claims with sarcasm.
Suddenly, Rafael gets involved in a power crisis within the Bank. There
is a dispute between Monsignor Alba―the Vice-President of the Bank, and
Raimundo. At first, Rafael sides with Raimundo―he sincerely believes in
his innocence. But when he the Union denounces the illicit dealings of
Raimundo, Rafael decides to confront him. He enters in his office,
where he discovers having sex with the daughter of his secretary.
Raimundo insults Rafael for having entering into his office without
permission. His secretary’s daughter leaves. Then Rafael asks him about
the laundering affair. Raimundo calms down. He promises Rafael to give
him a wonderful bonus for the incoming year. Rafael rejects his
proposal. Raimundo reminds him then of his
commitments—Portuguese-illiterate Rafael has signed a document that
compromises him in a money-laundering operation. Rafael exits the room
in anger.
Things start to go wrong with Rafael's life, though. He loses his
savings in a mysterious way. A car almost hits him on the street. He is
mugged and badly beaten. Simultaneously he starts finding strange
objects in her apartment—bones, hairs, and so on.
Against the will of Raimundo and under the advise of Simona, Rafael
goes to see Monsignor Alba in private. Alba reveals to Rafael
Raimundo's uncanny past: a series of deaths that have placed him into
power. Alba inform him that the Bank has initiated a process against
Raimundo for laundering money. At the same time Simona discovers that
Raimundo has taken a large amount of money by forging he signature of
Rafael.
At night Simona visits Raimundo and confronts him. Raimundo replies
sarcastically that that was a ‘loan’ and that soon he will return the
money to the Bank. He also threatens to take revenge: «I have many
powerful friends—here, and in Hell». Simona leaves. Raimundo phones
Gerard and asks him to bring a newly-born baby to the church. Simona
calls Rafael and asks him to come back home immediately. Rafael meets
Gerard at the exit of the bank. Gerard asks him to finish a job for
him. «My mother is sick. She may die this week», Gerard argues, «I must
go to get my flight tickets to LA». Rafael accepts to stay until
midnight. Gerard goes to a hospital then, where a somber nurse delivers
him a just born baby. In the adjacent room a doctor says to a husband
that her wife and her son have died. In the meantime Simona writes a
letter to the Board of the Bank. Raimundo meets Gerard and the baby in
front of a derelict church. Raimundo officiates a black mass—in which
the baby is slay over the pictures of Simona, Rafael and Bishop Alba.
Simona sudenly chokes in her own saliva. At the same time Bishop Alba
suffers a heart attack. Rafael looses the control of his car and
crashes it against a post. Nonetheless, he miraculously survives. When
he gets out of his car he faces the serene eyes of a statue of the
Virgen and the baby Jesus. He kneels down before her and cries.
During the burial of Simon he meets Antonia, who asks him about his
future. He says he’ll be back to Italy. Antonia gives him an image of
Our Lady of Fatima: «Pray to her. She will protect you day and night».
That night, on dreams, Simona appears happy, clothed in light. She asks
him to remain in Oporto.
Rafael contacts Antonia and asks her about the meaning of her dream.
Antonia reveals him the truth; she is the daughter of the medium
Gearardo drove to death many years ago. As her mother, Antonia is a
medium, but her principles do not allow her to take revenge on Gerardo.
She contacts the spirit of Simona. «He has buried you alive», Antonia
says after a while. She brings him then to Father Maurice, an aged
French priest.
Father Mauricio immediately starts an exorcism. The furious voice of
the demon who hates babies insults Rafael and father Maurice. He
tortures Rafael by revealing his most secret sexual encounters. After a
tenacious struggle, the demons are defeated by the intercession of
Saint Euphrasia. Rafael vomits a serpent, several insects and a mouse.
The floor opens up burping the picture of Rafael covered by fresh blood
and maggots.
Raimundo, exiting a gay bar with Gerardo, is suddenly attacked by a
pack of dogs. «We have been humiliated by your fault», screams a mad
beggar to him, «Now it’s time for you to pay us for all our services».
Raimundo’s body is torn apart by the dogs. Gerard runs away in horror,
but he suffers a car accident and enters in coma.
Next day Rafael meets Antonia. He tells her that she was right about
his second wedding. He has decided to spouse the Church—as a monk. |
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21-year old SAMANTHA lives a hell
of a life in Italy, where her friends discriminate her on account of
her dark skin. Certain day 65-year old AUNT VIRGINIA comes to visit her
from the states accompanied by her 34-year Peter Sellers-like husband
TOM.
Aunt Virginia is an unfaithful wife and a terrorist. She makes part of
a KKK secret terrorist cell that plans to bomb the city hall of
Philadelphia. She has, as a matter of fact, come to Italy to buy and
smuggle a powerful explosive devise into the States.
Scandalised by her aunt's behaviour, Samantha asks Tom about the nature
of their relationship. Tom stutters that not many women love him.
Samantha asks him whether women in the States are blind. The both start
a strong friendship.
When Samantha wins a scholarship to study at Temple University, Tom
asks her to move to live with him and Virginia in their South
Philadelphia house. She accepts. Tom talks to Virginia about his
decision. Virginia appears to be OK with it.
Upon their arrival to Philadelphia, Virginia introduces Samantha to
several young members of the KKK terrorist cell. One of them, 18-year
old Martin, asks her to marry him almost immediately. She postpones her
answer. Martin's purpose is to use her in their terrorist attack
against City Hall.
With the help of three gangsters and three FBI agents, Tom and Samantha
defeat the terrorists, who end up grasping Samantha's wedding dress
from the top of Philadelphia's City Hall tower. Virginia goes to prison
and Tom marries Samantha. |
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Son of a
Killing
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Samuel Field is a 55-year old
Colombian-American, veteran of the Vietnam War, who lives in
Philadelphia, PA. He shares his life with Beatriz, his mother, who
snaps at him continuously for having brought her to the US from her
native country.
Samuel gets a visit from Tom, a mysterious man, who proposes him to do
a «fine work»: to kill Don Adriano, a gangster of the Puerto-Rican area
of the city. Samuel will get money as retribution. But Field is not
interested in doing dirty work anymore. He wants to comeback to the
battlefield. Tom promises that if he does the killing he will do his
best to help him.
As Samuel plans the killing of Don Adriano he meets Mrs. Monica
Tailor, a widow who falsifies documents. Samuel invites her to a date.
As he gets ready to go out, his mother nags at him. She is afraid
Samuel will forsake her. Beatriz beats him as he leaves the house. That
night, Samuel sleeps with Monica.
As Monica gets acquainted with Samuel, she discovers his past.
Patricio, Samuel’s father, committed suicide when he was 6-year old.
Samuel, then, went to a seminary, where he was raped by a priest. The
priest died in an accident days later.
Encouraged by his mother, Samuel decided to learn English and to
immigrate to the US. He did so, working as a pizza deliverer for three
years. During the Vietnam War he was sized by the emigration
authorities, who asked him to choose between deportation or enlistment.
He accepted to go to Vietnam for a resident card.
Mrs. Tailor is surprised his country can offer a citizenship in such a
way. She wants to write to some journals about it. Samuel asks her to
shut up. Certain morning they both go to a n amusing park. A man tries
to step over in the row and Samuel beats him with incredible violence.
Mrs. Tailor flees in horror.
Samuel goes to her house, but she rejects her. Back to her house
her mother tells him off, asking him to do something with his life. She
tells him she was expecting a good son, but instead she got a killer.
Samuel leaves her and goes to a bar, where he has sex with a
prostitute. He comes back to his house and sleeps on the door hallway,
but her mother appears with a belt and whips him. He cries like a child.
Samuel wakes up and wears policeman clothing. He takes a taxi to West
Philly and gets out on Chesnut Street with 43rd. He enters to a park,
where several dogs run unlashed. A car approaches. An old man goes out
with two bodyguards and a dog. While the dog pisses, Samuel greets the
bodyguards. They smile at him without suspicion. Samuel takes out his
gun and kills the three men. He runs outside. On the path the dog bites
him furiously on his arm and his leg. He finally kills the dog. People
come around. Samuel enters into the gangster’s car and flees.
He arrives to his house, where his mother asks him why is he bleeding.
He meets Mrs. Tailor as well. They reconcile each other. A police siren
sounds loudly. Beatriz screams that Mrs. Tailor has betrayed them.
Samuel strangles Mrs. Tailor on the spot, encouraged by his mother. The
police car goes away.
Samuel, recognizing the innocence of his lover, mumbles against his
mother. She demands respect. Her demands become cries of pity as Samuel
beats her—amongst flash backs of her beating him when he was a lad. He
strangles Beatriz and shoves her cadaver in the oven, which he heats to
the highest temperature.
Quiet at his home Samuel cries the whole night. In the morning he takes
out the black pieces of his mother’s cadaver. He goes to his bedroom
and loads his body with several weapons. He goes to a fast-food
restaurant, where he sees people laughing. He shoots his weapon. Fade
out.
The police recover Samuel’s cadaver. A TV journalist announces 26
people where slaughtered by Samuel Field, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Apparently Samuel committed suicide when the police surrounded him.
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