Anatema (2024) Movie Script
1
THIS CITY ISN'T VERY BIG.
TO THE NORTH, IT BORDERS THE HOSPICE,
TO THE WEST, THE FORTRESS OF THE CONVENT,
TO THE SOUTH, THE ASYLUM,
AND TO THE EAST, THE CEMETERY.
To play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
When I try to listen to the conductor
The cold skull starts
Right, the photo.
Juana, go to the fence.
Juana, get away from the fence,
you'll get dirty!
Like there was no other spot.
The cemetery!
I thought the fence was a good idea.
- Mom, why are they taking out the dead?
- To make space.
- Where will they go?
- How should I know?
Let's go!
Sometimes it's enough that children
help their mother clear the table
or your little brother with his homework.
Sometimes an act of love is...
not being a nuisance.
I want to thank His Excellency
Rocco Carduncho, our new bishop,
for agreeing to give us Communion.
We have known each other
since the seminary
and he's very attached to this parish.
Let's see what you've learned
in catechism class.
Everyone's terrified.
A question:
What did they give our Lord
to drink on the cross? Who knows?
- Erica?
- Hail and vinegar.
Not hail, Erica, bile.
Bile and vinegar,
which isn't the same thing.
Children, may the sacrament
you are to receive today
guide and light up
every step of your life
in the hope that that God's blessing
may always accompany you with His light.
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
God is here
As sure as the air I breathe
The body of Christ.
As surely as the sun rises in the morning
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
God is here
As sure as the air I breathe
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
As surely as the sun rises in the morning
As sure as this song you can hear
I'm sorry.
You can carry Him in your heart
You can tell Him
Let's go, let's go!
That's it, that's it.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to throw it up.
- What do you want me to do?
- My boy!
Come on.
How many times have I told you
not to hold on so long?
- How embarrassing.
- The saint scares me.
The saint looked at me.
- St. Simeon?
- Yes.
It'd be to look after you
and your brother.
Look,
you know what I'd do as a boy
when something scared me?
- What?
- I'd sing.
I'd sing very softly
so that God knew I was there.
And God always listened to me.
I'd sing a song...
- Which one?
- It was...
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
- You know it too?
- Yes.
Bloody song.
Every night she makes me sing it.
Let's go.
Suddenly I was here
and meanwhile I was in another,
weird place.
A weird place?
A place surrounded by graves.
Like in a crypt.
With this commemorative card,
we'll do a great magic trick.
We take the card,
which you'll always remember.
We put the card this way
and say the magic words.
You have the label.
- I have the label on the dress.
- What?
- The label for the dress.
- I haven't seen it.
You haven't? I've seen it.
- I haven't seen it...
- Forget it, forget it!
Come on, we need to pee!
- What happened?
- Please, what happened?
Call the police!
Photo!
You may go in peace.
Let us give thanks to God.
I can't see you now.
Do you know you have to open
the sacristy for this lady?
It can't be until tomorrow.
Open the door, please.
Can you light it a bit better?
You may proceed.
It took a month and a half
for this man to let us go down
and carry on with the work.
Run.
Hello?
Hello!
Excuse me, I'm Father ngel.
- I was sent from the archdiocese.
- Without calling?
We called you several times,
yesterday and today.
You're right on time.
After fellowship,
we don't open up for anyone.
- I'll tell the Mother Superior.
- Thank you.
I knew what this was about.
His Excellency has often told me
of his great interest in this community.
I'd rather the emergency
was another 30 crates of donuts.
Anyway, I'll take the request
to Sister Juana.
- I'd like to speak to her personally.
- No, that's impossible now.
In 10 minutes we have the Compline,
then silence until 6:30 a.m.
You're sending me back to Madrid
with what's going on?
My uncle will kill me.
You resemble him.
I hope you're more patient.
You must spend the night here.
Be sober.
Be alert.
Your enemy, the Devil,
like a roaring lion,
is looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith.
Into your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
Loyal God, you will set us free.
I commend it, glory to the Father,
to your hands.
Enlighten, O Lord, our night
and grant us peaceful rest.
Whatever you hear, do not fear.
You'll not be alone
on this side of the convent.
We don't leave here after Compline.
Who do you have here, Count Dracula?
- What was that?
- Nothing, that's Miguel.
Who's Miguel?
Is that her?
What do you think?
My name is ngel...
That's her.
Sister Juana, I presume.
My name's ngel de Almeida,
the Archbishopric sent me.
I know who you are.
We have this.
- What's this unmarked one?
- The spore liquid.
They sent me from Madrid
for an urgent job.
They'll have to wait because we have
a waiting list of over a year.
- Juana, there's no quinine left.
- In the storeroom?
- No, not a drop left.
- Then we have to order it.
His Excellency Rocco...
Rocco sent you to apologize to me?
- Apologize?
- The answer is no.
Please, listen to me.
It'll just be a minute.
You're supposed to be
the country's finest restorer.
- It's the church of...
- St. Simeon the Stylite.
Yes, that's right.
I know it very well.
It's not worth restoring.
What do you know about that church?
That it's one of the oldest in Madrid.
There are many legends about it.
I can only help you
with objective information.
My specialty is rationalist architecture,
the opposite
of what that church represents.
- His Excellency is very...
- Tell Rocco I'll help him as he helps us,
by keeping him in my prayers.
Last week four people died in St. Simeon.
Two police officers, an engineer,
and the parish priest.
Father Ciro?
You knew him?
It's important for the community.
It's a trap.
I can't do anything if you don't want to.
I'd rather teach guitar at a school.
- God has given you a unique talent, Juana.
- My calling is here.
Think about Miguel.
And about your sisters.
Sister.
The commission could attract
many novices to the order.
And His Excellency has a reputation
for generosity.
Rocco knows that only I can face
what's down there.
Take me with you.
No way.
I'm an archeologist, I can help.
This has nothing to do with archeology.
I need to go!
Mara,
you have no idea
what's under that church.
Please.
I've always, always had faith.
What value can it be
for Christ to ordain me
if nothing's ever made me doubt Him?
- You don't have to doubt.
- Juana.
I'll be there if you fall.
If you let me help you,
you'll be helping me.
Mara's coming with us
Excuse me. Please.
Thank you.
Sister, what do you have
against that church?
I got married there.
Relax, relax, relax. It's fine.
Relax, relax, relax.
It's fine, it's fine, it's fine.
Relax, relax, relax.
It's fine, but still,
don't make any noise.
Relax, relax, relax.
Look, it's St. Simeon, yes.
He'll look after us.
She says not to make any noise, so don't.
Isn't that right?
Do you want some violet candy?
They're hand-pressed, like before.
The old folks in the home
of the Sisters of the Poor
make them for me.
No, thank you.
It's been a long time
since we've seen each other.
Only when we're in a tight spot.
I think ngel...
told you what happened, didn't he?
He didn't go into details.
A week ago...
the crypt of St. Simeon was opened up.
- Why was that allowed?
- Electric company bungling.
Now we must show
that no one can enter that church
unless I expressly authorize it.
Why did you make me come back?
Because you're the only one
who understands...
what's in that church.
It's essential for the team...
to be discreet.
You're the right person for this mission.
We'll buy some time.
Find the seal of St. Simeon.
Ciro was certain of its existence.
Bring me proof that it's under St. Simeon
and then the administrative
processing will start.
And in the modern world
no wall is mightier
than that of paper.
Unless we find something in two weeks,
City Hall will begin construction.
And we'll lose control.
ngel.
Please, help me.
Ciro spent years
secretly building this model.
- What for?
- To prove that the seal exists.
He thought that St. Simeon
is the door to the underworld.
This church
is nine times larger
underneath than above.
It's like an iceberg.
The four dead were in the church:
two in the crypt,
the engineer and the poor
parish priest near the entrance.
Apparently it was gas poisoning.
Ciro left this message.
Burn the den.
ngel, please, get Father Cuia.
Father Cuia?
- Come in, please.
- Thank you.
Juana, my girl.
I'm so sorry they got you
mixed up in this.
Nine dead in the vicinity
of St. Simeon square.
An elderly couple died
very early this morning
from gas poisoning caused last night.
Other residents were evacuated
in time from...
I've never been in here.
It is the closest place to the church.
Anyone with a little sensitivity,
this area destroys them.
About father Ciro.
They told me already.
Thanks, Pini.
It's been tough for everyone.
Right.
- Are you the new parish priest?
- No, I'm just visiting.
It'd do us a lot of good.
A young, handsome priest,
like in The Thorn Birds.
Pini!
She called me a bird.
Juana, I've got the parsonage ready
so you two can sleep in peace.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
If you need anything, you know where I am.
Saint Simeon buried the White Nun
in his burrow.
The White Nun buried the Mistress
in her shroud.
The Mistress buried the Dry Children.
And they will bury us.
The chalice of my blood
is that of my covenant
for the forgiveness of your sins
and those of all men.
Miguel, can you hear me?
It's me. Wake up.
I'm with you.
The dead want the dead.
Excuse me, I wanted
a copy of this, please.
Sorry, only the collegiate
can photocopy that.
Get out of here!
Juana Rabadn Rosado.
- I'm Esther.
- Esther?
The makeup exam on conductivity.
You saved my life, you let me copy yours.
I remember now.
- And now you work here?
- Yes.
And you? No one's heard
from you since...
You've known me for ages.
I'm a nun.
Seriously, what do you do?
- I'm a nun.
- Juana Rabadn Rosado,
special award, near earning
an Architecture degree, a nun?
Look, not even the collegiate
can photocopy this, okay?
But I don't give a hoot!
I'll do it for you anyway!
Thank you.
- Hey, Juana, one thing.
- Yes.
Don't tell anyone I did this.
- No, of course not.
- And I owe you
another favor, bigger than this one.
- I'm going. Are you keeping the map?
- Yes, of course.
- Esther, thanks for everything.
- You're welcome.
Can I ask you not to tell
anyone you've seen me?
- No reason.
- Don't worry.
- Thanks. Ciao.
- You're welcome.
Sorry, but archive material
can only be viewed
in the periodicals section. There.
If you need anything, ask me.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
THE NUNS OF ST. SIMEON
POSSESSED NUNS OF ST. SIMEON
MEMORIES OF BARBARISM
FASCIST BOMBARDMENFascist bombardment of Madrid?
BOMBARDMENT OF MADRID
"The House of Mortal Sin."
"There goes another fatherless child."
IT'S AN UNFAIR WORLD.
I need the maps
of the bombardment of Madrid.
You're a nun too? That's wild.
Yes.
Here you are.
Well, our last supper.
I tell you, my grandma, when I was small,
used to say that when a priest fell over,
it was because the Devil appeared to him.
Forgive me for intruding,
but I couldn't help hearing.
How did they know it was the Devil?
Because he was black, black.
As black as Joan Baez's hair.
- My grandma was a true believer.
- There are legends about this area,
but it's the first time I've heard
the Devil compared to a singer.
Father Cuia,
what's the House of Mortal Sin?
It's in various articles.
The House of Mortal Sin?
It was a house
where single pregnant women went.
They were covered with a veil
and never saw sunlight again.
Those who had no money
were at the service of those who did.
And the children...
It's not clear what happened to them.
I suppose they went to the hospice
or to an orphanage with the nuns.
But there are no birth records
in those places, so...
Hence the nun throwing the child
into the hole.
Before joining the Church, I worked with
kids at the risk of exclusion, you know?
It's far removed from the paranormal
but much harder.
Often those kids only need...
An act of love.
- Right?
- That's it, yes.
But these acts are actually the toughest.
Since my ordination, Rocco has often
called me for jobs like this.
I agree, I think the hardest thing
is taking care of a bedridden brother.
I'm sorry.
Have you been in this store before?
Yes, my uncle brought me here as a kid.
What did your uncle do?
You talk a lot about him.
We're here. Go ahead.
Careful.
Don't be scared, it's fake.
Like in most museums.
Hello. I don't know if you remember me.
I often came with my uncle
many years ago.
I know nothing about your uncle
other than from the press.
- Saliano! Volume 12 of this, where is it?
- I'll look for it later.
This is Sister Juana.
She's in Madrid doing restoration work.
You won't find anything
of use to her here.
This?
I don't want more people
playing this urbex thing.
Please, it's important.
So important that they sent you
instead of Rocco?
Let's go,
I'm sure Cuia has more contacts.
Cuia...
Cuia?
You should've said so.
Follow me.
Get me Cuia.
- Hello.
- Good afternoon.
Our invention.
- What is it?
- Everything you asked me for
in one object.
It appears to be just
a Bolex H16 with attachments.
A camera almost indestructible,
but manageable.
The same model
that Jean Rouch, Jonas Mekas
- and Rodjara used.
- We turned it into a hybrid:
16 mm and digital.
Attention, three lenses.
One, infrared, two, ultraviolet,
and three, three...
Betacam.
- A Kirlian camera.
- Very easy to handle.
It's the only camera that can take
a single photo in three ranges.
If you have a history
of cancer in your family,
it's better not to use it.
Okay.
This camera's not for sale, I rent it out.
- We call it...
- Trigonoscope.
We'll take it.
What do you see?
Colors.
Look here.
In a radius of just three kilometers
there are 14 cemeteries.
The most recent ones disappeared
after the Civil War, but...
there are much older ones.
More items about this land,
before it was St. Simeon.
Anticlerical propaganda.
Supposedly, the nuns buried children
there who were born wrong.
And...
- this is the most recent.
- Where did you find this?
In a 1966 archeology bulletin.
Francisco, Epifanio, Perico,
Toms, Laudelino and me.
Well, and Father Ciro.
We found the crypt.
We volunteered for some remodeling work.
There was a TV show on then
called Rescue Mission
and all the kids wanted
to be archaeologists.
One day we tore down a false wall
and found the crypt.
And inside was the statue of St. Simeon.
From this photo...
I'm the only one left alive.
No, get out!
Take that damn box with you!
Pini, let him come over. It's fine.
- I've got no change.
- I think I do.
They talk about you.
They know you're here.
Listen, the Dry Children want you too.
Well...
Are you all right? Are you all right?
Police? A man's been run over.
No, he's not breathing or responding.
He's lying on the ground.
Yes.
Do you regret coming?
No,
not at all.
I was just wondering if it's true
what they say.
- About what?
- They say that your husband...
Yes, Saulo committed suicide.
- Saulo?
- I find it hard to say his name.
But then I feel bad because...
I don't want to forget him.
It's just that...
it was very hard.
I remember the exact moment
when Saulo changed.
I left the church
married to a different man.
We had several sessions with Cuia.
He tried to take care of me.
Later, Rocco was determined
to replace Cuia.
And I didn't know how to face it all.
The Devil will be back for you!
Yes, I just went outside for a moment.
I think he's all right.
He's having coffee now.
I'll tell you later.
Sure.
Saulo?
You went outside
so as not to see me, right?
You can't stand being with me.
Saulo?
RAT POISON
- What have you done?
- Listen to me.
No!
You can't do anything,
there's no antidote.
A stomach pump is no use either.
A few hours and it'll be over.
No, please.
Are you going to leave me
or stay here with me?
My parents died shortly after
and Rocco took care of Miguel and me.
Until we stopped being useful to him.
They said your brother saw something
when he was little.
We both did.
We both saw something and it changed us.
That day a door opened.
That place hurt us, it hurts people.
After that day, my brother Miguel...
started having night terrors.
My poor mother
sang us the song
"Skeleton on the Music Stand"
- so we'd get over the fear.
- What song?
You won't know it, it's...
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
When I try to listen to the conductor
The cold skull starts to bite me
When I go to read the score
A specter grabs my feet
That one.
How long was Miguel like that?
After...
my husband... died,
we realized
that they weren't night terrors.
What were they?
My brother Miguel has a gift.
He can be in two places at once.
- But in theory only the...
- The saints can. I know.
He's the only person
with the gift of bilocation
since Father Po, as far anyone knows.
I sound crazy, you must think I'm crazy.
No.
You're my favorite sister.
- You know what scares me most?
- What?
That one day,
Miguel won't find his way back.
This will be the last time.
Juana...
I won't let anything happen to you, okay?
Let's go.
You know what I like most about Juana?
What?
She's always helped others
and never felt forlorn about it.
That's a grace that few people have.
So look after her all you can,
so she's sure that she'll never be alone.
This church really is...
It's a joke behind God's back.
- Hey...
- Thanks.
Two, three.
Inside.
At the time we thought that the sculpture
could've been hidden in the crypt
during the War.
Ciro became obsessed with the subject
and developed his own theories.
But, due to the Communion incident,
he became a hermit,
like St. Simeon himself.
St. Simeon was so radical,
he was expelled from his own congregation.
He must've been a strange guy.
Ciro devoted years
just to building his model,
thinking about what could be
under this church.
It's a false tomb.
No one was buried there.
They put the tombstone here.
They didn't want anyone
to cross to the other side.
Including us.
The only way back alive
is to stay together
and always have Christ in our hearts.
Let's go.
Careful.
- ngel.
- What?
Record this.
Give me some light, Cuia.
Phosphorescent paint, seriously.
It wasn't invented until 1908.
Someone clearly used it before.
The laser meter is fine,
but the readings make no sense.
- Mara.
- I was with Jos Manuel Novoa
in the excavations of the tombs of Sipn.
The Dry Children do not wait.
We can't split up even for one second.
- Are you all right?
- Yes.
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
Let's go, this way
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women
and the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Glory to the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
now and forever. Amen.
Let's carry on.
Do you hear that?
- Yes.
- It's the Abroigal,
the river that was buried
to build Madrid.
It still exists under the city.
What's that?
We'll see now.
They're burials.
That's impossible,
we're 200 meters down.
I think this might do.
This is unlike any burial I'm aware of.
Let's take samples and get out of here.
- What was that?
- The Dry Children.
- ngel, are you okay?
- Yes.
God. God.
The drawing wasn't like this.
Ciro was right, this place is alive.
We have to find the seal.
- This place is forsaken by God.
- God has nothing to do with this.
Do you hear?
It's coming from there.
Let's go.
Watch it here.
Yes, don't worry.
Are you okay, Juana?
This reminds me of a story I read...
about an inverted tower
and some passageways.
"The Tower of the Seven Hunchbacks."
Yes.
Yes.
As a boy I loved to read stories
about ghosts,
passageways.
Then I grew up and found out
that they weren't true.
Until today.
Angel, you may not believe in ghosts,
but ghosts do believe in you.
- I'm right here.
- Thanks.
I can't believe it.
It exists.
The seal exists.
I can't read what it says.
- I think it's in Arabic.
- Let me. Hand me that.
I studied Arabian Philology.
I can't read it.
- It's Aljamiado.
- Do you think?
- What's that?
- The hybrid language of the Moors
who stayed on the Peninsula.
They're Arabic characters,
but it's a Romance language.
- We have to take it with us.
- No, no, no.
No, that's barbaric.
We're not grave robbers.
Mara, I told you
this wasn't about archeology.
We're trying to stop anyone
from going under this church.
That's what we're here for.
But this isn't the way it's done.
Mara, please, put that down.
Here.
God.
God.
What have we done? We've liberated evil.
Let's go. Let's go.
Ciro was right.
The seal exists.
You can't let anyone else go in there.
That church is an anathema.
It's cursed by God and you knew it!
- What do you mean?
- You know Miguel. This has to stop.
Juana is right.
No one can ever set foot
in that church again.
Your mission is over.
- I thank you for your work.
- You think that's the end of it?
I'm relocating you as parish priest
of the church of San Simeon Stylite.
You'll receive a letter on Monday.
- I think, with all due respect...
- ngel! End of discussion!
Then what's going to happen?
Your order will be rewarded.
Now I need to speak to my nephew alone.
Let's go.
Zechariah 11:17.
Woe to the worthless shepherd
who abandons his flock.
There's so much confusion in the world.
Men are in such a hurry,
they don't have time
to realize that they're suffering.
What's under that church
will make them wake up
and see that only by looking
into the eyes of God
will they save themselves.
There's no miracle under that church.
Precisely.
If they need to see to believe,
we'll make people see.
And if necessary,
we shall sacrifice ourselves.
As did St. Simeon the Stylite.
What is this madness?
People must find something...
that will make them...
regain their faith.
Do you know
what Juana has been through?
Juana?
No.
Sister Juana?
What kind of trust have you two
developed on this mission?
Because it boils down
to your problems of conscience,
doesn't it?
Has a woman crossed your path?
ngel...
If you play your cards right,
in a few years...
you'll rise in the Curia.
I don't want to play my cards right
or rise in the Curia.
I was an idealist too.
A lot of people are going to die.
I won't see it.
I'm sick.
In under a year,
I won't be able to fend for myself.
I may not even recognize you.
I don't recognize you, uncle.
There was a time
you were a model for me.
Before you cause a catastrophe,
look at what we've brought.
And think about whether
you're serving God...
or another master.
The Bishop of Madrid, Rocco Carduncho,
has declared that the church
of St. Simeon the Stylite
will remain closed
during May 2 and San Isidro
due to the danger repairs pose
for the structure of this building.
The president of the electric company
has stated that the works
are perfectly compatible
with the normal life of Madrid residents.
Juana.
I didn't expect it to end this way.
I trusted you.
I'll pray for you.
I mean that I'll remember you.
This is the voicemail of...
Tristn.
I can't speak to you right now.
Please, leave a message.
Despite my shouting,
my prayer does not reach you.
My God, I shout to you by day
and you don't answer,
at night and you take not notice of me.
For thou art holy and dwellest
among the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted.
They trusted in you
and you kept them safe.
They cried out to you and were set free.
They trusted in you
and you did not disappoint them.
But I am a worm, not a man,
shame of the people, scorn of the people.
When they see me, they mock me.
"I was surrounded by bands of death
and torrents of perversity
made me fear."
I am like poured water,
my bones out of joint.
My heart melts like wax in my bowels.
Who is the worm god?
The god of the world of the dead,
of the Peninsula's first settlers.
His name was Vaelicus.
"Worm" in Latin is vermin.
It doesn't match any cult I know of.
I'm sure that this is a god
much earlier than yours
who didn't like it
when you pissed him off.
Where did you get it from?
This is just the beginning.
You'll soon be in a wheelchair.
- Later, you won't be able to talk.
- Are you...
real?
If I'm a hallucination, come and touch me.
I'm sorry I don't have a hole in my side.
I sent you to the convent. You're there.
I'm there, but also here.
You're going to get a call.
Your Excellency,
Miguel has gotten up.
He's here, with me.
What? No, he's right in front of me.
He's levitating.
Your Excellency, I don't understand.
If you believed, I wouldn't be here.
My faith is strong,
my conscience is at ease.
If your faith were true, you wouldn't
use the dead to make the living believe.
Without fear, there is no faith.
Fear is a necessary evil.
Oh, the worthless shepherd
who abandons his flock.
The sword will reach his arm
and up to his right eye.
And his arm will be dried up completely.
His right eye will be blinded.
Burn the den, Rocco.
Burn the den.
It's time.
Holy Cross, be my light.
I love you,
O Jehovah, my fortress.
Jehovah, my rock,
my castle and my deliverer.
My God, my fortress,
in thee will I trust.
You are my shield, my strength,
my salvation and refuge.
I call upon Jehovah, worthy of praise,
and I will be saved from my enemies.
Lord,
I am not worthy for you
to enter my house,
but one word from you
will be enough to heal me.
I believe in God the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth...
I have spoken to people.
You've sent me
the mythical seal of St. Simeon
and it was probably there
to ward off misfortune.
When you moved the seal, it was as if
you opened a door. Do you follow me?
It doesn't say "worm."
It says "worm-like," vermicular.
And the material it's made of
could be iridium.
It's not from Earth.
Whatever it is, you didn't find it.
It found you.
What that seal guarded is not a tomb,
it's a den.
Cuia...
Get out of my head.
Get out of my head.
Get out of my head!
You won't get the best of me.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Juana, for the love of God,
you'll die of pneumonia.
- They've taken him, Mara!
- Who?
To their den, Mara.
We're getting him out of there.
Isolina, have you seen
Juana or Mara?
They've taken the car.
I need to... I'm going in.
Please, let me past!
Don't touch me!
You can't go in.
- Listen.
- What?
Juana.
Cuia.
We have to tell Rocco.
My uncle is dead.
I'm sorry.
I only hope God forgives him.
I don't know if I'll be able to.
This was the test God asked of him.
I have to go in there.
They won't let you go in.
Ciro found another way.
It was in the model.
Esther, excuse me.
The other day you said
you still owed me a favor.
- Of course.
- I need that favor now.
Whatever you need.
We need a map of the sewers
in the area where...
- Do you have the...?
- Yes.
The area where...
Sorry, I think that part
of the sewers is impassable now.
It doesn't matter.
- Something bad is happening, isn't it?
- Worse than bad.
This way.
3092, 2847, 3216.
Here. Here, here. 3223.
This map is of the closest entrance
to where you showed me.
It's not a pleasant place.
Twenty years ago they closed it off
because they found...
- A bomb.
- Yes.
Be careful, okay?
This one.
Careful.
Good, Mara.
Let's go. One, two, three...
What?
I think it's a bomb.
Don't touch it.
Mara.
- What's that?
- The Dry Children want you to come.
- I'll go down.
- No.
They want me.
He's down there, I know it.
- They want to scare us.
- Those shadows...
feed on the darkest part of the soul.
They need us to be afraid.
Well, they won't succeed.
Let's go.
Are you all right?
Yes, so far.
I suppose it's like going
through the eye of a needle.
You let Saulo die.
Not today, I'm not falling for it.
I'm not falling for it today.
I'm sorry, but no.
You let your son die.
What's wrong?
I touched the wall by accident
and it burnt me, but it's cold.
You let your son die.
Do you hear that?
Welcome to the den.
You're not Saulo. You're not Saulo.
You're not Saulo. You're not Saulo.
Down here is the only truth that exists:
death.
No!
You're dead, Saulo.
Let Miguel go.
Miguel will never leave.
He'll stay with us.
I've come here for Miguel
and I'm leaving with him!
Miguel!
I know you're here!
Miguel?
Let him go!
We are the Sewn Shrouds...
the worm whose eggs
you carry in your bowels.
We are what remains
when life ceases.
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I put counsel in my soul
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Look, listen to me! O, Jehovah!
O, Jehovah, my God.
Light up my eyes
so I may not sleep in death,
so my enemy may not say, "I defeated him."
My enemy would be happy...
if I stumbled.
Juana.
Juana.
Cuia.
I told you I'd never leave you.
A small act of love
can defeat death. Have faith.
I'm afraid.
Remember what I told you
when you were a girl
if something scared you.
Sing very softly.
How do you want me
to play the violin?
How do you want me to play the violin
if I have a skeleton...
sitting on the music stand?
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
Juana.
No, no, no.
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
When I go to read the score
A specter grabs my feet
How do you want me to play
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
Are you awake? Are you...?
I'm very old.
You too.
We have to go.
If I go, they'll stay down here
and come out again.
I've spent so long with them,
I've learned all about the parasite.
What parasite?
What inhabits here is
a living being, a parasite.
The shadows are its prisoners.
That's what Ciro meant
by the worm's den.
This creature is not of this world,
but I know how to take it away.
- To where?
- Far from here.
I need you to live for both of us.
This isn't your place. Nor is it mine.
I need you to live, Juana, for both of us.
Well...
For me, it's closed.
A gas leak, right?
More than likely.
Hallucination, dizziness,
a bomb, post-traumatic stress and...
nothing more to say.
Now to sell the lot.
Wait for them to build
another luxury apartment building,
another mall,
another clothes store.
I don't know what it is
with people and clothes.
They should fix their hair,
what a mess it is.
- Have you found an apartment?
- No, I think I'll need a miracle.
What'll you do now
that you're not a priest?
For the time being,
I'd like to buy you a drink.
If you want, of course.
Yes, I do.
I was in a Beatles tribute band, you know.
I was very modern.
What are you laughing at?
One question:
Why have all seminarians
been in a Beatles tribute group?
All of them?
How many seminarians do you know?
- All of them?
- No, seriously. What did you play?
- The guitar.
- And who was your favorite Beatle?
- George Harrison.
- Well done.
The best. Always forgotten.
PHOTOGRAPHY - ANTIQUES - MESMERISM
THIS CITY ISN'T VERY BIG.
TO THE NORTH, IT BORDERS THE HOSPICE,
TO THE WEST, THE FORTRESS OF THE CONVENT,
TO THE SOUTH, THE ASYLUM,
AND TO THE EAST, THE CEMETERY.
To play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
When I try to listen to the conductor
The cold skull starts
Right, the photo.
Juana, go to the fence.
Juana, get away from the fence,
you'll get dirty!
Like there was no other spot.
The cemetery!
I thought the fence was a good idea.
- Mom, why are they taking out the dead?
- To make space.
- Where will they go?
- How should I know?
Let's go!
Sometimes it's enough that children
help their mother clear the table
or your little brother with his homework.
Sometimes an act of love is...
not being a nuisance.
I want to thank His Excellency
Rocco Carduncho, our new bishop,
for agreeing to give us Communion.
We have known each other
since the seminary
and he's very attached to this parish.
Let's see what you've learned
in catechism class.
Everyone's terrified.
A question:
What did they give our Lord
to drink on the cross? Who knows?
- Erica?
- Hail and vinegar.
Not hail, Erica, bile.
Bile and vinegar,
which isn't the same thing.
Children, may the sacrament
you are to receive today
guide and light up
every step of your life
in the hope that that God's blessing
may always accompany you with His light.
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
God is here
As sure as the air I breathe
The body of Christ.
As surely as the sun rises in the morning
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
God is here
As sure as the air I breathe
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
As surely as the sun rises in the morning
As sure as this song you can hear
I'm sorry.
You can carry Him in your heart
You can tell Him
Let's go, let's go!
That's it, that's it.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to throw it up.
- What do you want me to do?
- My boy!
Come on.
How many times have I told you
not to hold on so long?
- How embarrassing.
- The saint scares me.
The saint looked at me.
- St. Simeon?
- Yes.
It'd be to look after you
and your brother.
Look,
you know what I'd do as a boy
when something scared me?
- What?
- I'd sing.
I'd sing very softly
so that God knew I was there.
And God always listened to me.
I'd sing a song...
- Which one?
- It was...
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
- You know it too?
- Yes.
Bloody song.
Every night she makes me sing it.
Let's go.
Suddenly I was here
and meanwhile I was in another,
weird place.
A weird place?
A place surrounded by graves.
Like in a crypt.
With this commemorative card,
we'll do a great magic trick.
We take the card,
which you'll always remember.
We put the card this way
and say the magic words.
You have the label.
- I have the label on the dress.
- What?
- The label for the dress.
- I haven't seen it.
You haven't? I've seen it.
- I haven't seen it...
- Forget it, forget it!
Come on, we need to pee!
- What happened?
- Please, what happened?
Call the police!
Photo!
You may go in peace.
Let us give thanks to God.
I can't see you now.
Do you know you have to open
the sacristy for this lady?
It can't be until tomorrow.
Open the door, please.
Can you light it a bit better?
You may proceed.
It took a month and a half
for this man to let us go down
and carry on with the work.
Run.
Hello?
Hello!
Excuse me, I'm Father ngel.
- I was sent from the archdiocese.
- Without calling?
We called you several times,
yesterday and today.
You're right on time.
After fellowship,
we don't open up for anyone.
- I'll tell the Mother Superior.
- Thank you.
I knew what this was about.
His Excellency has often told me
of his great interest in this community.
I'd rather the emergency
was another 30 crates of donuts.
Anyway, I'll take the request
to Sister Juana.
- I'd like to speak to her personally.
- No, that's impossible now.
In 10 minutes we have the Compline,
then silence until 6:30 a.m.
You're sending me back to Madrid
with what's going on?
My uncle will kill me.
You resemble him.
I hope you're more patient.
You must spend the night here.
Be sober.
Be alert.
Your enemy, the Devil,
like a roaring lion,
is looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith.
Into your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
Loyal God, you will set us free.
I commend it, glory to the Father,
to your hands.
Enlighten, O Lord, our night
and grant us peaceful rest.
Whatever you hear, do not fear.
You'll not be alone
on this side of the convent.
We don't leave here after Compline.
Who do you have here, Count Dracula?
- What was that?
- Nothing, that's Miguel.
Who's Miguel?
Is that her?
What do you think?
My name is ngel...
That's her.
Sister Juana, I presume.
My name's ngel de Almeida,
the Archbishopric sent me.
I know who you are.
We have this.
- What's this unmarked one?
- The spore liquid.
They sent me from Madrid
for an urgent job.
They'll have to wait because we have
a waiting list of over a year.
- Juana, there's no quinine left.
- In the storeroom?
- No, not a drop left.
- Then we have to order it.
His Excellency Rocco...
Rocco sent you to apologize to me?
- Apologize?
- The answer is no.
Please, listen to me.
It'll just be a minute.
You're supposed to be
the country's finest restorer.
- It's the church of...
- St. Simeon the Stylite.
Yes, that's right.
I know it very well.
It's not worth restoring.
What do you know about that church?
That it's one of the oldest in Madrid.
There are many legends about it.
I can only help you
with objective information.
My specialty is rationalist architecture,
the opposite
of what that church represents.
- His Excellency is very...
- Tell Rocco I'll help him as he helps us,
by keeping him in my prayers.
Last week four people died in St. Simeon.
Two police officers, an engineer,
and the parish priest.
Father Ciro?
You knew him?
It's important for the community.
It's a trap.
I can't do anything if you don't want to.
I'd rather teach guitar at a school.
- God has given you a unique talent, Juana.
- My calling is here.
Think about Miguel.
And about your sisters.
Sister.
The commission could attract
many novices to the order.
And His Excellency has a reputation
for generosity.
Rocco knows that only I can face
what's down there.
Take me with you.
No way.
I'm an archeologist, I can help.
This has nothing to do with archeology.
I need to go!
Mara,
you have no idea
what's under that church.
Please.
I've always, always had faith.
What value can it be
for Christ to ordain me
if nothing's ever made me doubt Him?
- You don't have to doubt.
- Juana.
I'll be there if you fall.
If you let me help you,
you'll be helping me.
Mara's coming with us
Excuse me. Please.
Thank you.
Sister, what do you have
against that church?
I got married there.
Relax, relax, relax. It's fine.
Relax, relax, relax.
It's fine, it's fine, it's fine.
Relax, relax, relax.
It's fine, but still,
don't make any noise.
Relax, relax, relax.
Look, it's St. Simeon, yes.
He'll look after us.
She says not to make any noise, so don't.
Isn't that right?
Do you want some violet candy?
They're hand-pressed, like before.
The old folks in the home
of the Sisters of the Poor
make them for me.
No, thank you.
It's been a long time
since we've seen each other.
Only when we're in a tight spot.
I think ngel...
told you what happened, didn't he?
He didn't go into details.
A week ago...
the crypt of St. Simeon was opened up.
- Why was that allowed?
- Electric company bungling.
Now we must show
that no one can enter that church
unless I expressly authorize it.
Why did you make me come back?
Because you're the only one
who understands...
what's in that church.
It's essential for the team...
to be discreet.
You're the right person for this mission.
We'll buy some time.
Find the seal of St. Simeon.
Ciro was certain of its existence.
Bring me proof that it's under St. Simeon
and then the administrative
processing will start.
And in the modern world
no wall is mightier
than that of paper.
Unless we find something in two weeks,
City Hall will begin construction.
And we'll lose control.
ngel.
Please, help me.
Ciro spent years
secretly building this model.
- What for?
- To prove that the seal exists.
He thought that St. Simeon
is the door to the underworld.
This church
is nine times larger
underneath than above.
It's like an iceberg.
The four dead were in the church:
two in the crypt,
the engineer and the poor
parish priest near the entrance.
Apparently it was gas poisoning.
Ciro left this message.
Burn the den.
ngel, please, get Father Cuia.
Father Cuia?
- Come in, please.
- Thank you.
Juana, my girl.
I'm so sorry they got you
mixed up in this.
Nine dead in the vicinity
of St. Simeon square.
An elderly couple died
very early this morning
from gas poisoning caused last night.
Other residents were evacuated
in time from...
I've never been in here.
It is the closest place to the church.
Anyone with a little sensitivity,
this area destroys them.
About father Ciro.
They told me already.
Thanks, Pini.
It's been tough for everyone.
Right.
- Are you the new parish priest?
- No, I'm just visiting.
It'd do us a lot of good.
A young, handsome priest,
like in The Thorn Birds.
Pini!
She called me a bird.
Juana, I've got the parsonage ready
so you two can sleep in peace.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
If you need anything, you know where I am.
Saint Simeon buried the White Nun
in his burrow.
The White Nun buried the Mistress
in her shroud.
The Mistress buried the Dry Children.
And they will bury us.
The chalice of my blood
is that of my covenant
for the forgiveness of your sins
and those of all men.
Miguel, can you hear me?
It's me. Wake up.
I'm with you.
The dead want the dead.
Excuse me, I wanted
a copy of this, please.
Sorry, only the collegiate
can photocopy that.
Get out of here!
Juana Rabadn Rosado.
- I'm Esther.
- Esther?
The makeup exam on conductivity.
You saved my life, you let me copy yours.
I remember now.
- And now you work here?
- Yes.
And you? No one's heard
from you since...
You've known me for ages.
I'm a nun.
Seriously, what do you do?
- I'm a nun.
- Juana Rabadn Rosado,
special award, near earning
an Architecture degree, a nun?
Look, not even the collegiate
can photocopy this, okay?
But I don't give a hoot!
I'll do it for you anyway!
Thank you.
- Hey, Juana, one thing.
- Yes.
Don't tell anyone I did this.
- No, of course not.
- And I owe you
another favor, bigger than this one.
- I'm going. Are you keeping the map?
- Yes, of course.
- Esther, thanks for everything.
- You're welcome.
Can I ask you not to tell
anyone you've seen me?
- No reason.
- Don't worry.
- Thanks. Ciao.
- You're welcome.
Sorry, but archive material
can only be viewed
in the periodicals section. There.
If you need anything, ask me.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
THE NUNS OF ST. SIMEON
POSSESSED NUNS OF ST. SIMEON
MEMORIES OF BARBARISM
FASCIST BOMBARDMENFascist bombardment of Madrid?
BOMBARDMENT OF MADRID
"The House of Mortal Sin."
"There goes another fatherless child."
IT'S AN UNFAIR WORLD.
I need the maps
of the bombardment of Madrid.
You're a nun too? That's wild.
Yes.
Here you are.
Well, our last supper.
I tell you, my grandma, when I was small,
used to say that when a priest fell over,
it was because the Devil appeared to him.
Forgive me for intruding,
but I couldn't help hearing.
How did they know it was the Devil?
Because he was black, black.
As black as Joan Baez's hair.
- My grandma was a true believer.
- There are legends about this area,
but it's the first time I've heard
the Devil compared to a singer.
Father Cuia,
what's the House of Mortal Sin?
It's in various articles.
The House of Mortal Sin?
It was a house
where single pregnant women went.
They were covered with a veil
and never saw sunlight again.
Those who had no money
were at the service of those who did.
And the children...
It's not clear what happened to them.
I suppose they went to the hospice
or to an orphanage with the nuns.
But there are no birth records
in those places, so...
Hence the nun throwing the child
into the hole.
Before joining the Church, I worked with
kids at the risk of exclusion, you know?
It's far removed from the paranormal
but much harder.
Often those kids only need...
An act of love.
- Right?
- That's it, yes.
But these acts are actually the toughest.
Since my ordination, Rocco has often
called me for jobs like this.
I agree, I think the hardest thing
is taking care of a bedridden brother.
I'm sorry.
Have you been in this store before?
Yes, my uncle brought me here as a kid.
What did your uncle do?
You talk a lot about him.
We're here. Go ahead.
Careful.
Don't be scared, it's fake.
Like in most museums.
Hello. I don't know if you remember me.
I often came with my uncle
many years ago.
I know nothing about your uncle
other than from the press.
- Saliano! Volume 12 of this, where is it?
- I'll look for it later.
This is Sister Juana.
She's in Madrid doing restoration work.
You won't find anything
of use to her here.
This?
I don't want more people
playing this urbex thing.
Please, it's important.
So important that they sent you
instead of Rocco?
Let's go,
I'm sure Cuia has more contacts.
Cuia...
Cuia?
You should've said so.
Follow me.
Get me Cuia.
- Hello.
- Good afternoon.
Our invention.
- What is it?
- Everything you asked me for
in one object.
It appears to be just
a Bolex H16 with attachments.
A camera almost indestructible,
but manageable.
The same model
that Jean Rouch, Jonas Mekas
- and Rodjara used.
- We turned it into a hybrid:
16 mm and digital.
Attention, three lenses.
One, infrared, two, ultraviolet,
and three, three...
Betacam.
- A Kirlian camera.
- Very easy to handle.
It's the only camera that can take
a single photo in three ranges.
If you have a history
of cancer in your family,
it's better not to use it.
Okay.
This camera's not for sale, I rent it out.
- We call it...
- Trigonoscope.
We'll take it.
What do you see?
Colors.
Look here.
In a radius of just three kilometers
there are 14 cemeteries.
The most recent ones disappeared
after the Civil War, but...
there are much older ones.
More items about this land,
before it was St. Simeon.
Anticlerical propaganda.
Supposedly, the nuns buried children
there who were born wrong.
And...
- this is the most recent.
- Where did you find this?
In a 1966 archeology bulletin.
Francisco, Epifanio, Perico,
Toms, Laudelino and me.
Well, and Father Ciro.
We found the crypt.
We volunteered for some remodeling work.
There was a TV show on then
called Rescue Mission
and all the kids wanted
to be archaeologists.
One day we tore down a false wall
and found the crypt.
And inside was the statue of St. Simeon.
From this photo...
I'm the only one left alive.
No, get out!
Take that damn box with you!
Pini, let him come over. It's fine.
- I've got no change.
- I think I do.
They talk about you.
They know you're here.
Listen, the Dry Children want you too.
Well...
Are you all right? Are you all right?
Police? A man's been run over.
No, he's not breathing or responding.
He's lying on the ground.
Yes.
Do you regret coming?
No,
not at all.
I was just wondering if it's true
what they say.
- About what?
- They say that your husband...
Yes, Saulo committed suicide.
- Saulo?
- I find it hard to say his name.
But then I feel bad because...
I don't want to forget him.
It's just that...
it was very hard.
I remember the exact moment
when Saulo changed.
I left the church
married to a different man.
We had several sessions with Cuia.
He tried to take care of me.
Later, Rocco was determined
to replace Cuia.
And I didn't know how to face it all.
The Devil will be back for you!
Yes, I just went outside for a moment.
I think he's all right.
He's having coffee now.
I'll tell you later.
Sure.
Saulo?
You went outside
so as not to see me, right?
You can't stand being with me.
Saulo?
RAT POISON
- What have you done?
- Listen to me.
No!
You can't do anything,
there's no antidote.
A stomach pump is no use either.
A few hours and it'll be over.
No, please.
Are you going to leave me
or stay here with me?
My parents died shortly after
and Rocco took care of Miguel and me.
Until we stopped being useful to him.
They said your brother saw something
when he was little.
We both did.
We both saw something and it changed us.
That day a door opened.
That place hurt us, it hurts people.
After that day, my brother Miguel...
started having night terrors.
My poor mother
sang us the song
"Skeleton on the Music Stand"
- so we'd get over the fear.
- What song?
You won't know it, it's...
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
When I try to listen to the conductor
The cold skull starts to bite me
When I go to read the score
A specter grabs my feet
That one.
How long was Miguel like that?
After...
my husband... died,
we realized
that they weren't night terrors.
What were they?
My brother Miguel has a gift.
He can be in two places at once.
- But in theory only the...
- The saints can. I know.
He's the only person
with the gift of bilocation
since Father Po, as far anyone knows.
I sound crazy, you must think I'm crazy.
No.
You're my favorite sister.
- You know what scares me most?
- What?
That one day,
Miguel won't find his way back.
This will be the last time.
Juana...
I won't let anything happen to you, okay?
Let's go.
You know what I like most about Juana?
What?
She's always helped others
and never felt forlorn about it.
That's a grace that few people have.
So look after her all you can,
so she's sure that she'll never be alone.
This church really is...
It's a joke behind God's back.
- Hey...
- Thanks.
Two, three.
Inside.
At the time we thought that the sculpture
could've been hidden in the crypt
during the War.
Ciro became obsessed with the subject
and developed his own theories.
But, due to the Communion incident,
he became a hermit,
like St. Simeon himself.
St. Simeon was so radical,
he was expelled from his own congregation.
He must've been a strange guy.
Ciro devoted years
just to building his model,
thinking about what could be
under this church.
It's a false tomb.
No one was buried there.
They put the tombstone here.
They didn't want anyone
to cross to the other side.
Including us.
The only way back alive
is to stay together
and always have Christ in our hearts.
Let's go.
Careful.
- ngel.
- What?
Record this.
Give me some light, Cuia.
Phosphorescent paint, seriously.
It wasn't invented until 1908.
Someone clearly used it before.
The laser meter is fine,
but the readings make no sense.
- Mara.
- I was with Jos Manuel Novoa
in the excavations of the tombs of Sipn.
The Dry Children do not wait.
We can't split up even for one second.
- Are you all right?
- Yes.
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
Let's go, this way
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women
and the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Glory to the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
now and forever. Amen.
Let's carry on.
Do you hear that?
- Yes.
- It's the Abroigal,
the river that was buried
to build Madrid.
It still exists under the city.
What's that?
We'll see now.
They're burials.
That's impossible,
we're 200 meters down.
I think this might do.
This is unlike any burial I'm aware of.
Let's take samples and get out of here.
- What was that?
- The Dry Children.
- ngel, are you okay?
- Yes.
God. God.
The drawing wasn't like this.
Ciro was right, this place is alive.
We have to find the seal.
- This place is forsaken by God.
- God has nothing to do with this.
Do you hear?
It's coming from there.
Let's go.
Watch it here.
Yes, don't worry.
Are you okay, Juana?
This reminds me of a story I read...
about an inverted tower
and some passageways.
"The Tower of the Seven Hunchbacks."
Yes.
Yes.
As a boy I loved to read stories
about ghosts,
passageways.
Then I grew up and found out
that they weren't true.
Until today.
Angel, you may not believe in ghosts,
but ghosts do believe in you.
- I'm right here.
- Thanks.
I can't believe it.
It exists.
The seal exists.
I can't read what it says.
- I think it's in Arabic.
- Let me. Hand me that.
I studied Arabian Philology.
I can't read it.
- It's Aljamiado.
- Do you think?
- What's that?
- The hybrid language of the Moors
who stayed on the Peninsula.
They're Arabic characters,
but it's a Romance language.
- We have to take it with us.
- No, no, no.
No, that's barbaric.
We're not grave robbers.
Mara, I told you
this wasn't about archeology.
We're trying to stop anyone
from going under this church.
That's what we're here for.
But this isn't the way it's done.
Mara, please, put that down.
Here.
God.
God.
What have we done? We've liberated evil.
Let's go. Let's go.
Ciro was right.
The seal exists.
You can't let anyone else go in there.
That church is an anathema.
It's cursed by God and you knew it!
- What do you mean?
- You know Miguel. This has to stop.
Juana is right.
No one can ever set foot
in that church again.
Your mission is over.
- I thank you for your work.
- You think that's the end of it?
I'm relocating you as parish priest
of the church of San Simeon Stylite.
You'll receive a letter on Monday.
- I think, with all due respect...
- ngel! End of discussion!
Then what's going to happen?
Your order will be rewarded.
Now I need to speak to my nephew alone.
Let's go.
Zechariah 11:17.
Woe to the worthless shepherd
who abandons his flock.
There's so much confusion in the world.
Men are in such a hurry,
they don't have time
to realize that they're suffering.
What's under that church
will make them wake up
and see that only by looking
into the eyes of God
will they save themselves.
There's no miracle under that church.
Precisely.
If they need to see to believe,
we'll make people see.
And if necessary,
we shall sacrifice ourselves.
As did St. Simeon the Stylite.
What is this madness?
People must find something...
that will make them...
regain their faith.
Do you know
what Juana has been through?
Juana?
No.
Sister Juana?
What kind of trust have you two
developed on this mission?
Because it boils down
to your problems of conscience,
doesn't it?
Has a woman crossed your path?
ngel...
If you play your cards right,
in a few years...
you'll rise in the Curia.
I don't want to play my cards right
or rise in the Curia.
I was an idealist too.
A lot of people are going to die.
I won't see it.
I'm sick.
In under a year,
I won't be able to fend for myself.
I may not even recognize you.
I don't recognize you, uncle.
There was a time
you were a model for me.
Before you cause a catastrophe,
look at what we've brought.
And think about whether
you're serving God...
or another master.
The Bishop of Madrid, Rocco Carduncho,
has declared that the church
of St. Simeon the Stylite
will remain closed
during May 2 and San Isidro
due to the danger repairs pose
for the structure of this building.
The president of the electric company
has stated that the works
are perfectly compatible
with the normal life of Madrid residents.
Juana.
I didn't expect it to end this way.
I trusted you.
I'll pray for you.
I mean that I'll remember you.
This is the voicemail of...
Tristn.
I can't speak to you right now.
Please, leave a message.
Despite my shouting,
my prayer does not reach you.
My God, I shout to you by day
and you don't answer,
at night and you take not notice of me.
For thou art holy and dwellest
among the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted.
They trusted in you
and you kept them safe.
They cried out to you and were set free.
They trusted in you
and you did not disappoint them.
But I am a worm, not a man,
shame of the people, scorn of the people.
When they see me, they mock me.
"I was surrounded by bands of death
and torrents of perversity
made me fear."
I am like poured water,
my bones out of joint.
My heart melts like wax in my bowels.
Who is the worm god?
The god of the world of the dead,
of the Peninsula's first settlers.
His name was Vaelicus.
"Worm" in Latin is vermin.
It doesn't match any cult I know of.
I'm sure that this is a god
much earlier than yours
who didn't like it
when you pissed him off.
Where did you get it from?
This is just the beginning.
You'll soon be in a wheelchair.
- Later, you won't be able to talk.
- Are you...
real?
If I'm a hallucination, come and touch me.
I'm sorry I don't have a hole in my side.
I sent you to the convent. You're there.
I'm there, but also here.
You're going to get a call.
Your Excellency,
Miguel has gotten up.
He's here, with me.
What? No, he's right in front of me.
He's levitating.
Your Excellency, I don't understand.
If you believed, I wouldn't be here.
My faith is strong,
my conscience is at ease.
If your faith were true, you wouldn't
use the dead to make the living believe.
Without fear, there is no faith.
Fear is a necessary evil.
Oh, the worthless shepherd
who abandons his flock.
The sword will reach his arm
and up to his right eye.
And his arm will be dried up completely.
His right eye will be blinded.
Burn the den, Rocco.
Burn the den.
It's time.
Holy Cross, be my light.
I love you,
O Jehovah, my fortress.
Jehovah, my rock,
my castle and my deliverer.
My God, my fortress,
in thee will I trust.
You are my shield, my strength,
my salvation and refuge.
I call upon Jehovah, worthy of praise,
and I will be saved from my enemies.
Lord,
I am not worthy for you
to enter my house,
but one word from you
will be enough to heal me.
I believe in God the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth...
I have spoken to people.
You've sent me
the mythical seal of St. Simeon
and it was probably there
to ward off misfortune.
When you moved the seal, it was as if
you opened a door. Do you follow me?
It doesn't say "worm."
It says "worm-like," vermicular.
And the material it's made of
could be iridium.
It's not from Earth.
Whatever it is, you didn't find it.
It found you.
What that seal guarded is not a tomb,
it's a den.
Cuia...
Get out of my head.
Get out of my head.
Get out of my head!
You won't get the best of me.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Juana, for the love of God,
you'll die of pneumonia.
- They've taken him, Mara!
- Who?
To their den, Mara.
We're getting him out of there.
Isolina, have you seen
Juana or Mara?
They've taken the car.
I need to... I'm going in.
Please, let me past!
Don't touch me!
You can't go in.
- Listen.
- What?
Juana.
Cuia.
We have to tell Rocco.
My uncle is dead.
I'm sorry.
I only hope God forgives him.
I don't know if I'll be able to.
This was the test God asked of him.
I have to go in there.
They won't let you go in.
Ciro found another way.
It was in the model.
Esther, excuse me.
The other day you said
you still owed me a favor.
- Of course.
- I need that favor now.
Whatever you need.
We need a map of the sewers
in the area where...
- Do you have the...?
- Yes.
The area where...
Sorry, I think that part
of the sewers is impassable now.
It doesn't matter.
- Something bad is happening, isn't it?
- Worse than bad.
This way.
3092, 2847, 3216.
Here. Here, here. 3223.
This map is of the closest entrance
to where you showed me.
It's not a pleasant place.
Twenty years ago they closed it off
because they found...
- A bomb.
- Yes.
Be careful, okay?
This one.
Careful.
Good, Mara.
Let's go. One, two, three...
What?
I think it's a bomb.
Don't touch it.
Mara.
- What's that?
- The Dry Children want you to come.
- I'll go down.
- No.
They want me.
He's down there, I know it.
- They want to scare us.
- Those shadows...
feed on the darkest part of the soul.
They need us to be afraid.
Well, they won't succeed.
Let's go.
Are you all right?
Yes, so far.
I suppose it's like going
through the eye of a needle.
You let Saulo die.
Not today, I'm not falling for it.
I'm not falling for it today.
I'm sorry, but no.
You let your son die.
What's wrong?
I touched the wall by accident
and it burnt me, but it's cold.
You let your son die.
Do you hear that?
Welcome to the den.
You're not Saulo. You're not Saulo.
You're not Saulo. You're not Saulo.
Down here is the only truth that exists:
death.
No!
You're dead, Saulo.
Let Miguel go.
Miguel will never leave.
He'll stay with us.
I've come here for Miguel
and I'm leaving with him!
Miguel!
I know you're here!
Miguel?
Let him go!
We are the Sewn Shrouds...
the worm whose eggs
you carry in your bowels.
We are what remains
when life ceases.
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I put counsel in my soul
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Look, listen to me! O, Jehovah!
O, Jehovah, my God.
Light up my eyes
so I may not sleep in death,
so my enemy may not say, "I defeated him."
My enemy would be happy...
if I stumbled.
Juana.
Juana.
Cuia.
I told you I'd never leave you.
A small act of love
can defeat death. Have faith.
I'm afraid.
Remember what I told you
when you were a girl
if something scared you.
Sing very softly.
How do you want me
to play the violin?
How do you want me to play the violin
if I have a skeleton...
sitting on the music stand?
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
Juana.
No, no, no.
How do you want me to play the violin
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
When I go to read the score
A specter grabs my feet
How do you want me to play
If I have a skeleton
Sitting on the music stand?
Are you awake? Are you...?
I'm very old.
You too.
We have to go.
If I go, they'll stay down here
and come out again.
I've spent so long with them,
I've learned all about the parasite.
What parasite?
What inhabits here is
a living being, a parasite.
The shadows are its prisoners.
That's what Ciro meant
by the worm's den.
This creature is not of this world,
but I know how to take it away.
- To where?
- Far from here.
I need you to live for both of us.
This isn't your place. Nor is it mine.
I need you to live, Juana, for both of us.
Well...
For me, it's closed.
A gas leak, right?
More than likely.
Hallucination, dizziness,
a bomb, post-traumatic stress and...
nothing more to say.
Now to sell the lot.
Wait for them to build
another luxury apartment building,
another mall,
another clothes store.
I don't know what it is
with people and clothes.
They should fix their hair,
what a mess it is.
- Have you found an apartment?
- No, I think I'll need a miracle.
What'll you do now
that you're not a priest?
For the time being,
I'd like to buy you a drink.
If you want, of course.
Yes, I do.
I was in a Beatles tribute band, you know.
I was very modern.
What are you laughing at?
One question:
Why have all seminarians
been in a Beatles tribute group?
All of them?
How many seminarians do you know?
- All of them?
- No, seriously. What did you play?
- The guitar.
- And who was your favorite Beatle?
- George Harrison.
- Well done.
The best. Always forgotten.
PHOTOGRAPHY - ANTIQUES - MESMERISM