Room in Rome (2010) Movie Script
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Love, your love
Loving strangers
Oh, oh, oh
Oh...
- Yeah.
- I know you're a good person.
So how long are you staying in Rome?
I fly back to Moscow tomorrow.
What a coincidence! So do I.
- You fly to Moscow?
- Back to Spain.
- This is my hotel.
- Mine is down there on the left.
- So, this is closer.
- For you, yes.
- For you too.
- No.
Come on. Please, just a little
stop, to drink the last one.
We drank plenty in the bar.
Mm, yes, but we only talked about
Russia and Spain, not about us.
I prefer not to talk about us.
It's a deal.
- What is?
- We don't talk.
We can stay without talking, you know?
And even better.
See, that's my room.
It's got two flags.
Must be a reason, no?
Yes, one for Europe and one for Rome.
I'm talking about
what's in the middle.
- The middle flag is missing.
- Uh-huh, exactly.
That's because of you.
You have to come up and hang it there.
- And what do I hang there?
- I don't know.
Your clothes, for example.
You are long enough.
Hm. Come on.
I've never gone up to a woman's room.
It's just a hotel room in Rome.
If you keep pulling, youll win
and well end up in your hotel.
You choose.
- Drink?
- Wine.
Wine.
Sorry, what was your name?
I told you twice already.
Maybe at the third time I get it.
Natasha.
Natasha.
Was that the name you said before?
But you are not saying it right.
It's Nata-sha.
Sha.
- Sha.
- Sha.
Mm. And you are Alba, which
is Spanish for dawn.
That's my big moment. You'll see.
Tonight is the first
night of the summer.
Ah, yes, that's right, in Europe.
In Russia, summer has already
begun, the first of June.
Really? Do you have summer in Russia?
Of course. Well, it's Russian summer.
Mm-hm.
And this is my last night in Rome.
Mine too.
You're not on your own, little Russian.
You know for sure this is
the shortest night of the year,
here and in Russia, so we
have to make the most of it.
I'm not...
- I'm not a...
- What?
Come on, you're a woman,
and...and Im a woman
and we were drinking alone at a bar
and we exchanged looks
and felt attracted to one another.
Isn't that how it works?
It's the first time in my life
I look like this at a woman.
Uh-huh.
Never before a woman looked at me this way.
It's not the first time
you look at a woman like this.
But every woman is different.
Would you like to see me naked?
Mm-hm. I would love to.
Here?
Wherever you like.
Do you prefer inside?
- Yes.
- OK, let's go inside then.
I think it'll work better
if you undress me.
Shh.
It's OK.
Shh. It's OK.
It's OK.
We'll stay like this, close but
not touching, while you relax.
Yes?
It's better if you're asleep.
That way we don't have to say goodbye.
You're right.
I'll say a few words.
Goodbye, Alba.
I don't want to imagine
what might have happened.
This secret will stay
there, sleeping with you.
Thank you, Alba.
Goodbye.
Who changed my ring tone?
What the hell happened?
- Who is it?
- Natasha
Natasha, right.
I think Ive left my mobile
in your room.
- Did you hear it ringing?
- Yes, it woke me up, actually.
Sorry.
It must have fallen out of my bag.
I'm very tired and I
want to go to my hotel.
Come in and take it.
It's waiting for you under the bed.
I'd rather not coma in again.
Why? What happened?
Nothing. Nothing, actually.
Nothing we have to regret.
- Why did you chew up my panties?
- I didn't chew anything.
See the state you left them in.
Good evening.
Good evening.
How thoughtful, Natasha!
I wasn't expecting this.
Hey, come in
and leave it in the terrace.
Sorry, madam. It's for this room.
But if you want, I can come
afterwards and take your order.
- Feeling hungry?
- No, no.
- You heard. Whats your name?
- Max.
Max, we are not hungry right now
but in a couple of hours we will.
You just call me. I'm free all night.
I mean I'm on duty the whole night.
It's there.
Where is your hotel?
- This is Tevere...
Mm-hm.
...and you get to my hotel
this way.
This is the Roma of the Caesars.
Yes. It's a map to lose yourself.
Where should we lose ourselves?
Choose.
We have, um...the gardens.
Tempio della Fortuna,
Tempio della Ninfa.
My hotel is called "Ninfa".
- And yours?
- Pompeo.
Look, it's this way.
You pass through the gardens,
and...and here we are,
we are on top of the theatre.
No, we are...we are inside
of Teatro di Pompeo.
Wow!
- Historys looking at us
- Mm-hm.
We are surrounded.
- Can you feel it'?
- How could I not?
- I think you like history.
- Yes.
That's good.
-Alba
-Hm?
This stays hers, OK? In this room.
In Rome.
- Within these four walls.
- Mm-hm.
But since we're here,
let's have some fun, no?
All I ask is that
this doesn't affect my life.
- And how do you do that?
- By agreeing, the two of us.
You also have a life
outside of all this
that you want to protect, don't you?
Hm.
Very far from yours.
But tomorrow Rome will send each
of us to an opposite end of Europe.
- What if I'm not Russian?
- Coma on, you have to be Russian.
I love that.
Well, then I am.
Whats great is not knowing
each others name.
But don't we?
Dont tell me you gave me
your real name.
So your name isn't Natasha?
I knew it.
Alba is the name
I was going to call my daughter.
What happened to her?
Alba never saw the dawn.
I'm sorry.
That put an end
to the worst time of my life,
when my Alba died inside of me.
My mother took me to Marbella one summer when I was 16.
She was almost broke
and what little money she had left
she spent on fortune-hunting,
and she was lucky.
An Arab sheik, Hamir Osemin,
he...he bumped into us one day
when we were shopping
and we spent the rest
of the summer in his yacht.
That winter he invited us
to Saudi Arabia.
He has a palace.
Even if I describe it to you,
you could never imagine the luxury.
He bought my mother everything.
So she left there
with bracelets, necklaces and rings
worth a small fortune.
She left?
- What about you?
- I stayed.
Hamir persuaded my mother
to leave me there
in exchange for a monthly allowance
for four years.
That was the deal.
I was all he was interested in.
So you accepted?
You can't imagine
how easy it was for ma,
falling into that type of lifestyle.
I had everything I wanted!
Hamir bought me a purebred horse
that only I was allowed to ride.
I began to love him like a child.
Everyone around me was very nice.
Also, Hamir's other wives
treated me like a real princess.
And he got you pregnant?
That was at the and.
Hamir started to get annoyed with me
because I didn't get pregnant.
That was when I wanted to leave.
But I couldn't.
I'd married him so I was
his property, like my horse.
He sold him to punish me.
Hamir got his way, because shortly
afterwards he got me pregnant.
He was over the moon.
He began treating me royally again,
this time like a queen.
Then I realised that
as soon as my child was born...
Well, I'd be shut up
with the rest of his harem.
The day the doctor told me
I was expecting a girl,
an Egyptian nurse
who I'd told the story to
helped me escape in a Greek ship.
I arrived in Athens at dawn
so I decided to call her Alba.
How did you lose her?
I'd found out that Hamir
had gone to the authorities.
There was a warrant out for my arrest
in Saudi Arabia.
I knew that if I'd had Alba, ha...
He couldn't have rested
until I was caught.
I was only 18 so I got an abortion.
I sold my necklace and managed
to start a new life in Spain.
What about your mother?
I've never seen her again.
And is that how you became a lesbian?
This is how I became a woman.
What about you?
How did you become a woman?
I don't feel
like talking about my life.
You owe me.
What do I owe to you?
The truth or a lie?
Whatever you prefer.
Why? Do you think I lied to you?
It's the Agora in Athens.
Did you know that?
Which came first, the picture
or your story? Who inspired who?
Hm, good question.
This picture has been hanging here
since before you were born.
Long before, and it's been
waiting for me all this time.
Let's make a deal. No stories.
Just tell me where you live,
your area and everything,
so I can get an idea
of your surroundings.
-Hm?
- First go to Moscow.
You have
the biggest map in the world.
Now go to the Volga, further east.
Ala! Even further east.
From there towards Ostrov Nekrasov.
- Where? ?
- Ostrov Nekrasov.
Ostrov Nekrasov.
You write it, please.
What is that there?
Ostrov means island.
Tell me this is your house
and I'll have to spank your ass.
Wow!
It's as hard as a rock.
Hey, tell me,
what are you doing here in Rome?
Auditioning. I'm an actress.
A Russian film actress.
Are you a good one, a very famous
one, or just married to a mafioso?
- I'm single.
- So, you must be a very good one.
Congratulations.
Show me your Arabian palace.
It's not mine. Hm.
Aren't you going to show it to mo?
The thing is, if Hamir finds out that
we are sniffing over his house...
- What?
- Ha's capable of...
Anything could happen to us.
Look, if you don't show it to me,
I'll think you are the one
who owes me a story.
A true one.
I want to know where you live.
Look.
- Do you like it? ?
- (Natasha) Is it a village?
No, its a city called San Sebastian.
- Looks a bit small.
- It depends what you compare it to.
Rome.
Id say about, um...20 times smaller
Ha. Moscow is three times
the size of Rome.
Well, I like it, and you look a lot
like your city. Small, pretty face.
It's not my city.
I'm from Valladollid,
which is like three times bigger.
- Show ma your house..
- (Alba) It's here.
- They left the chairs out..
- (Natasha) So?
I wasn't expecting this.
- What? A child??
- (Alba) A boy and a girl.
- You have children.
- What? Can't I be a mother?
Of course.
What's up, Alba?
The father of your children
know you like women?
It's not that.
It's the picture. It's...
It's quite old.
Look at the beach.
It's full of people.
I'm sure we were there.
Or on the island.
We used to love spending Sundays
on the island.
This picture is from the summer I
started living in San Sebastian.
Two years ago.
What's wrong?
Alba, is there something
you need to tell me?
Poor thing.
Where did you come from?
How could you just show up like this,
without warning?
I can't believe I'm doing this.
What are you doing to me?
You're scaring ms, little Russian.
Is this ms?
I can't recognize myself.
Russian sounds so beautiful.
Only for you.
I'm trembling with fear too.
I'm going to give you
the best orgasm of your life.
Are you ready?
Yes.
- You know what I'd love?
- Tell me, anything you like.
Do you have a vibrator?
I'll come better
if you put something inside me.
I don't use vibrators.
And you're not going
to need one either.
I know myself.
- What about a little wine bottle?
- Hm.
I don't really fancy the idea of
anything masculine coming between us.
It's from "La Toscana". ".
Sounds very feminine.
Mm, Im not sticking anything
inside of you Natasha.
Alba, don't forget I like men.
But you like me as well.
Yes, but I like men more.
You know, I know plenty
who, once they've tried it with a
woman, never want to go back to man.
Well, I won't let that happen to me.
In fact, I prefer the opposite.
So after me
you expect to like men more?
That would be terrific.
It's not very nice
telling me this now.
Oh!
I don't want us to argue,
and even less over a bottle of wine.
An empty one too.
I'm going to order you something.
What are you doing?
Spaniards and Italians
we understand each others language.
Yes, it is.
'Hungry yet?'
The lady needs a vibrator.
'I'm sorry, we don't have any.
'But I can bring something else.
We have fruit.'
That's not good enough.
'Something else might work...'
No, forget it. Thanks, Max.
You are out of your mind.
You know that?
I did it for you.
What if Max takes it as an invitation
and comes up himself?
Well, then youll be able to choose
between Max or a bottle of wine.
Well, Max comes from Maxim us
It is also the diminutive of Maxim us.
Maximo.
Max.
We're fine, Max..
We don't need anything.
I brought a hot cucumber.
What?
I boiled it for two minutes.
It's sterile.
My friend would rather use
the wine bottle.
It's Tuscan.
What about you?
Me?
I'm a virgin.
Congratulations.
Spain beat Italy. Fair and square.
What's that? ?
The Eurocup. Soccer.
Soccer bores me.
What about your friend?
Her as well.
She's a Russian tennis player.
What?
I love Russian tennis players.
Though I'm starting to wonder.
Check her arm..
What?
One arm should be stronger
than the other.
Yes, you are
a tennis player. Look at your right arm!
I'm left-handed!
I mean left, sorry. And you've got
calluses. This is the proof!
Shh! Shh.
You two wanna have a trio?
Uh-oh.
Wanna see it first?
No, Max.
It's nice of you to offer, but no.
You speak Italian?
It's a beautiful language.
Please, go. Leave us alone.
I got my hopes up.
I thought it's what you wanted.
I'm sorry, it was a misunderstanding.
We shouldn't have called you.
Good night.
I was only joking about the cucumber.
Well, thanks to Max,
I've discovered a Russian tennis
player who speaks Italian.
- I like football too.
- You lied to me.
That mansion on the island couldn't be yours.
There is no tennis court.
So you understood me before?
- When?
- When I spoke to you in Spanish.
Yes, and I was thrilled.
Thrilled?
- To hear that you scare me?
- Yes.
Come here.
I'm beginning to realise that
everything about you scares me.
Your eyes. Your mouth.
Your smile.
The way you speak.
The tone of your voice.
Your smell. Your scent.
Your breath.
Your stunning body.
Your skin.
Your skin is incredible.
I'm more scared by
the colour of yours.
Your skin is like the Russian steppe.
That's very scary.
A question.
Mm...
If I had a twin sister,
identical in every way,
with the same eyes,
same mouth, voice...
And the same skin?
Yes, especially the skin.
- Would you be that scared?
- (Snorts) Do you have a twin sister?
It's just hypothetical.
I don't know.
Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't.
What do you prefer?
I just feel very fortunate that
its me here, and not my twin sister.
OK, you have to explain me this.
I have a twin sister
with a degree in history of art.
She just finished her thesis
on the Italian Renaissance.
I came here with her.
- What's her name?
- Dasha.
Like you. Because you told me
your name was Natasha.
I don't know your name either.
Now I know
why your Italian is so good.
I also studied history of art.
But in our third year,
we both auditioned for a film
and they chose me.
Since then,
my sister and I drifted apart.
Can you prove it?
Prove?
- What does that say?
- Sasha Veronina.
Sasha? Natasha, Dasha, and now
Sasha? You're triplets or what?
So whats with the tennis?
My sister Dasha and I
have played since we were kids.
But she was always better than me.
When do you get to play tennis?
You can't have much time between
filming, parties and premieres.
Can you show me your sister?
Dasha is number tan
female tennis player in Russia.
- And she's left-handed like you.
- Yes, I am left-handed too.
There is no reason why twins
should both be left-handed,
even though they're identical
in every other way.
But we are.
Is there not anything different
between you two?
Eh?
I was the first one
to become a woman.
Though not like you.
What do you mean?
My mother died when we were 13.
From that time, my father
started to treat me like a woman.
He used to only touch me.
And your sister?
No, just me.
- Why?
- I don't know.
But I felt like I should keep it
secret from my sister,
until one night...
Dasha saw us.
- How did she react?
- Badly.
She felt rejected and...
That's how
her inferiority complex began.
She got a complex because
your father didnt touch her up?
She should have been grateful.
That didn't last long,
less than a year.
Are you crying?
You can cry if you want.
The thing is I don't cry.
- You don't?
- Well, I haven't in a long time.
Crying is good for you.
I know.
So cry like an actress.
Come on, please.
- Act for me.
- That's what I am doing.
I will love to see you cry. Then
I'll have the chance to comfort you.
Come on.
Cry, CW...
Sorry, Alba. I'm not a good actress.
Ha.
Do I sing well?
Y es que yo solo tengo rumba pa ti
Ay, mi rumba, mi rumba es pa ti...
Shh.
I imagine in that Arabian harem,
you had all kinds of relations
with women.
- Or was it forbidden?
- I never lived in Saudi Arabia.
- Shame. I liked that story.
-So did I
It was my mother who fled away
from Saudi Arabia in a Greek ship.
She was pregnant with me,
running away from my father.
I'm Hamir's daughter,
and I was born in Athens.
- I'm glad Alba exists.
- Hm, thanks.
So, you are Greek not Spanish?
No, few months after I was born
my mother brought me back to Spain.
Did your mother
also become a lesbian?
Hm, come on!
My mother had several men
and several problems,
but she always took care of me
and I took care of her.
And you,
have you ever been with a man?
Im a lesbian from birth,
like you are a twin from birth.
Look, Alba, I...I haven't been
completely honest with you.
- I'm getting married next Sunday.
- Who?
- The actress or the tennis player?
- The tennis player.
Dasha?
So you are not the actress,
you are the twin.
My sister's also a twin.
Yeah, but I mean
the...the Renaissance one.
You are the Renaissance one.
Uh-huh.
Mm-hm, OK, in...
in one way I prefer it,
but I...I don't like the idea
of you getting married so soon.
We've been planning it
for almost a year.
- Who with?
- The tutor supervising my thesis.
- Is he Italian?
- No hes from Moscow.
Weve bought a small apartment.
Well move in after our honeymoon.
- In one of those Russian beehives?
- Yes, very different from my sister.
I'm glad you are middle class.
But especially happy
that your father didn't touch you up.
So, then, you are the one
with the inferiority complex?
I don't get it.
One night I woke up and saw
my sister's bed was empty.
I decided to get up
and go to my father's room.
I remember his huge hands
with long and strong fingers...
caressing Sashas naked body
identical to mine.
I stayed there hidden for a while,
watching.
It was the first time in my life
I experienced sexual pleasure.
Every time I woke up
and my sister wasn't there,
I undressed and touched myself.
I understand you, little Russian.
That put an immense distance
between Sasha and me.
But now I like my life
so much more than my sister's.
That's good.
Now you can have your own family.
'Please, hold still.'
'Alba, you said it wrong.'
'Then teach me how to say it!'
'We'll hold still
when you say it right.'
What are they speaking in?
Basque. It's a very, very ancient
language. It's quite difficult.
I'm trying to learn it,
but every time I make mistakes,
the kids make fun of me.
I want to have children too.
They're Edurne's kids.
- How long have you been with her?
- Two years.
She had just separated and I had just
come out of a stormy relationship.
One weekend she passed
through Madrid and we hooked up,
and a month later I moved
to San Sebastian to live with her
'Mommy.'
'Give me a kiss.'
What's wrong?
Come on, Alba, please tell me.
The little boy, he died last winter.
It was in a stupid accident
in the house.
I haven't watched this video
since it happened.
Edurne hasn't...hasn't got over it.
The boy died with me at home.
We were both alone.
Edurne doesn't blame me,
but I wish she could have been there
that afternoon with him
and not me.
Who knows? Maybe the accident
wouldn't have happened.
How do you run with these legs?
What a wonderful sense of speed!
I bet you sprint like a gazelle.
How long have you been with him?
- With Vadim?
- Mm-hm.
Four years. Intense years.
- And you love him?
- Actually, I do deeply.
I learn a lot being with him.
He is very cultured.
And he always knows what to do.
Had you ever been unfaithful to him?
No.
Had you to Edurne?
Me neither.
It hurts us both equally, right?
Mm.
Would you like to give me
a wedding present?
Sure.
These are the ones left.
I don't know. What do you prefer?
Whatever you choose.
And what do I put? From Alba, the Spanish girl in Rome? Mm?
Well, if you were a man
it might look suspicious.
I'll say that while I was in Rome
I meta very sweet Spanish girl.
- And cute.
- Gorgeous.
Vale.
Why are you here in Rome?
It's a wedding present
from my sister, a week in Italy,
an attempt to bring us together.
But tonight we had a fight
and I went off on my own.
So, I mat you thanks to an argument?
- Is your sister a good actress?
- Yes, very good.
And she can cry wonderfully.
But it's also true
that her boyfriend is...
Mafioso?
What about you?
What are you doing here?
- Here?
- Yes, in Rome.
I'm here for the Alternative
Locomotion Energy Fair.
Future means of transport.
Ecological, clean vehicles
with low energy consumption.
Huh. Nice.
- What is it?
- It's called Aspasia.
It's perfect
for getting around in the city.
Maximum speed,
- It works like a bike. You pedal it.
- Mm.
But if you need help
getting up a slope,
you connect a silent,
compressed air motor,
and if it rains, you don't get wet.
Who invented this thing?
Me.
What?
What?
- Don't I look like an inventor?
- Actually, no.
I am a mechanical engineer.
Came top in my year.
- It makes sense.
- Why?
Because you are the best woman
I've ever met.
Thanks, love.
- Don't call me love.
- Why?
- Love is something else.
- It is also for me.
That which I'm feeling right now
is very similar to love.
Almost identical.
Any love there might be here
right now is pure fantasy.
Like anywhere else!
Now I know what you can give me as a present.
Hm, it's not in your wedding list.
I'm adding it now, and if you don't
get it for me, someone else will.
OK, I'll leave it here.
It's in the fair, for whoever
wants to come and pick it up.
- Was it a success?
- Ha, you bet.
I love it.
I'm sure it won't be long
before they ban all cars from cities
and introduce your Aspasias.
At the moment,
this is the only prototype.
One is enough for me in Moscow.
Be sure that if you get
my Aspasia as a present,
it comes with me inside.
We are inseparable.
Even better.
I also know who Aspasia was.
She lived there in that painting.
As soon as I walked into this room
a week ago, I noticed the picture
and I thought that was
a good sign for my Aspasia.
But just today I was told there is..
There is no chance
of it being manufactured.
Hm.
So you went out and got drunk?
The truth is,
since last winter,
after what happened to the boy,
there is not one night
I goto bed without drinking.
It helps me sleep.
Except tonight, you woke me up.
I should get going.
Can I have a shower first?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, Vadim,
but I can never tell you about this.
Now I have a secret too.
But it's much further away
than yours.
Maybe I missed
the sign in the painting.
It's you, my little Russian.
The good thing I was expecting.
You'll always
have that... my reflection.
This...
Is mine alone.
(Sings "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu")
Penso che sogno cosi
non ritorni mai piu
Mi dipingevo Ie mani
e la faccia di blu
Poi d'improvviso venivo
dal vento rapito
E incominciavo a volare
nel cielo infinite
Volare ho ho
Cantare ho ho hoho
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassu
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassu
E volavo volavo felice piu
in alto del sole ed ancora piu su
Mentre il mondo
pian piano spariva lontano laggiu
Una musica dolce suonava
soltanto per me
Volare ho ho
Cantare.
Oh!
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Oh
I've got a hole in my pocket
Where all the money has gone
I've got a whole lot of work
To do with your heart
'Cause it's so easy
Mine's not
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers...
- I want to tell you something.
- Whatever you like.
Tonight before I met you,
my sister told me something at dinner
that deep down I imagined
but never had the courage to ask.
We had drunk a lot of wine
and we were having a very good time,
until she told me
that Vadim was with her before me.
He was also my sister's teacher
but we were in different classes.
When she got the part
we auditioned for
and stopped coming to the university,
he called her
and they were together for a while.
It was her who left him.
I imagine between them
they decided not to tell me anything,
until tonight my sister let it slip.
Don't tell anyone, but I like you
much more than your sister.
And white suits you much better.
Mm.
The guests are waiting.
My sister was thinking of inviting
several friends of her boyfriend.
- Dodgy people.
- Hm.
Actually, that was why we argued.
Well done.
We don't want mafiosos here.
If anyone has anything to say,
let him speak now
or forever hold his peace.
Me.
We are all listening, bride.
The weird thing is,
Im worried about Vadim now.
In case my sister's boyfriend
finds out. Ha's an animal.
And you? What about you?
Me?
I know Vadim is in love with me.
I love the way you are.
You're such a good person.
The best of all of us.
And I'm sure you're right,
Vadim loves you.
You above all.
Another strange thing.
Vadim has always reminded me
of someone from the Renaissance.
One person in particular.
Who?
That guy,
the one speaking over your bed.
It's Leon Battista Alberti,
one of my favourite humanists.
Ha said that
you can't pull the string
without having a dartboard to aim at.
What does that mean?
The idea is that the artist must know
at all times what he's representing.
The picture shows a symposium
in the Medici Palace.
I'm sure he was talking
about the Greeks.
He was fascinated by them.
That painting speaks of the other.
There are 20 centuries
between these two pictures.
In our case, only one room.
We look like we're at a tennis match.
Conclusion.
Here beneath the city of my birth,
do you love me?
Well, I don't know why,
but right now...
yes, I am loving you.
With fantasies or without?
With both.
I look good in white too, don't I?
A new day is coming.
Dawn is my moment.
I'll stay
and watch the dawn with you
and then we say goodbye.
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
I've got a hole in my pocket
Where all the money has gone
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
It's just a start of the winter
and I'm all alone...
I'm going to order breakfast for two.
- I'll call my sister, then.
- Very well, little Russian.
'Can I help you?' ?'
Yes.
We want to be the first
to have breakfast.
'Glad to hear it.
'What would you like?
Something light, heavy?'
As heavy as it gets.
'You want it to last?' ?'
Yes, please.
'A nice big breakfast then.' .'
Thanks, Max.
Don't worry.
Can I hear your sister's voice?
'I hardly slept because of you.
'And I don't like flying
It's like they split
your voice in two.
'Who is that?'
Room service.
She brought breakfast.
'You're having breakfast?
Yes. I'm hungry.
I'll see you at the hotel after.
Are you never going to tell her?
So, then, what's the plan?
Pass through here without a trace?
Without...
without ever telling anyone?
- That's up to each of us.
- Hm.
But there has to be something of us,
of both of us,
to remind us of this night.
Like what?
There is no wind yet. It's early.
When it blows,
theyll take the photo.
You'll see. They owe it to us.
What a beautiful thing
you've just said, little Russian.
- Your idea was the best of all.
- We make a good team.
But we can only be seen
from a satellite.
Oh, wow. You're inspired.
By you.
That deserves a kiss.
Max.
Maximo.
Our breakfast.
Hi.
Good morning..
It certainly is.
We're outside, on the terrace.
Today's the first day of summer.
There you go.
This time it was easy.
You wanted two large breakfasts
and here they are.
Thank you, Max.
What's that?
Libiamo, libiamo ne' Iieti calici
Che la bellezza infiora
E la fuggevol, fuggevol ora
S'inebrii a volutta
Libiam ne' dolci fremiti
Che suscita l'amore
Poich quell'occhio al core
Onnipotente va...
Libiamo, amore, amor fra I calici
Piu caldi baci avr
Well, now we have a best man.
Couldn't be better.
I think the daylight
will be good for us.
I'm sure. It usually is.
Hey, the sun looks
fantastic on your face.
In your eyes. On your lips.
Well, look at your skin.
The steppe is turning gold. Scary.
- I'm even more scared.
- Why?
Because I know
what I'm seeing and feeling.
Shall we play at being brave?
Hm?
If we didn't have partners,
what would we do, you and me?
I don't know. It's all so new to me.
- Shall we stay and live in Roma?
- I'm in love with Rome.
We'll stay and live in Rome, then.
Would you do it?
Would you leave Edurne and her kids?
Sorry. Her daughter.
To live with me here in Rome?
This is real, Natasha, not a fantasy.
I feel it with absolute clarity.
The gates are opening for us.
Can't you hear them?
Huh?
Close your eyes.
If our hands meet in the middle of
the table, we enter together, deal?
Deal.
Love me just a little bit
I am about to like you anyway
Love me
Well, I am 23
All my flesh to fold down
as soon as it hits...
You gave me a shock!
You're the one who shocked me!
What, my love?
Electricity.
Electricity.
This is because we are
very sure about this, no?
I don't know, but right now it's
what I most desire in this world.
Yes.
Yes.
- Yes?
- Yes.
And how do you
want me to call you? Dasha or Natasha?
Natasha.
What?
- Natasha.
- Shh.
- Sha.
- Sha.
This is the name I invented for you.
Love me just a little bit
I am about to like you anyway
Love me...
And I get to see you run.
I can't wait to go outside and...and
watch you sprint with your long logs.
- I promise you will.
- Mm.
Mm-mm.
What is it?
Dasha, what's going on?'
Nothing, I'll get dressed
and come right over.
- You're not dressed?
- No, I'm wearing white.
You're ahead of the wedding.
Yeah, way ahead.
I don't understand you, Dasha
Good.
Get into the bath with me, please.
No.
Just a bath together in each others arms.
Without doing anything.
We will suffer more and it will
make it harder to say goodbye.
Harder?
Natasha.
Never before in my whole life
have I known a love like this.
Not this way.
And it can't all be nothing.
Are you sure
you want to part forever?
Yes.
Don't lower yourself.
Fight!
That's what I'm doing.
I'm fighting for you.
Do you think
it's not the same for me?
Let's hold each other.
No!
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I don't know what's happening to me.
I'm sorry. You're right.
I will stay here.
I will stay here. I prefer it.
What is it, Alba?
Don't suffer like this! Please!
Alba.
You are right.
I understand you perfectly.
Never before I had loved as
intensely as I do tonight with you.
Really?
From now on, we can think that for
once in our lives we experienced it.
The best thing is to leave it here.
Keep it forever between the two of us
so it never fades.
- In the bathtub?
- (Laughs) Sure.
Where else?
One last turn?
Where?
In our bathtub.
To leave everything here.
Mm?
Mm.
But I've got my eye right on you
Give me a coin
and I'll take you to the moon
Give me a beer and I'll kiss you
So foolishly
Like you do when you like
when you're not in my thoughts
Like you do when you like
And I know it's my imagination
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, 0h...
Alba.
Hm.
I'm taking a taxi to the airport.
It's that way.
Hotel Ninfa
is in the other direction.
So, goodbye.
No kisses.
- You're sure?
- Absolutely.
OK.
But don't forget,
I kissed the soles of your fest.
- I didn't kiss yours.
- No.
- Shall I kiss them now?
- No.
It would make the goodbye harder.
- Alba!!
- What?
Look!
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
I've got a hole in my pocket
Where all the money has gone
I've got a whole lot of heart
To do with your heart
'Cause it's so busy
Mine's not
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
It's just the start of the winter
And I'm all alone
But I've got my eye right on you
Give me a coin
And I'll take you to the moon
Give me a beer and I'll kiss you
So foolishly
Like you do when you lie
When you're not in my thoughts
Like you do when you lie
And I know it's not my imagination
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Oh, your love
Loving strangers
Oh, oh, oh, oh...
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Love, your love
Loving strangers
Oh, oh, oh
Oh...
- Yeah.
- I know you're a good person.
So how long are you staying in Rome?
I fly back to Moscow tomorrow.
What a coincidence! So do I.
- You fly to Moscow?
- Back to Spain.
- This is my hotel.
- Mine is down there on the left.
- So, this is closer.
- For you, yes.
- For you too.
- No.
Come on. Please, just a little
stop, to drink the last one.
We drank plenty in the bar.
Mm, yes, but we only talked about
Russia and Spain, not about us.
I prefer not to talk about us.
It's a deal.
- What is?
- We don't talk.
We can stay without talking, you know?
And even better.
See, that's my room.
It's got two flags.
Must be a reason, no?
Yes, one for Europe and one for Rome.
I'm talking about
what's in the middle.
- The middle flag is missing.
- Uh-huh, exactly.
That's because of you.
You have to come up and hang it there.
- And what do I hang there?
- I don't know.
Your clothes, for example.
You are long enough.
Hm. Come on.
I've never gone up to a woman's room.
It's just a hotel room in Rome.
If you keep pulling, youll win
and well end up in your hotel.
You choose.
- Drink?
- Wine.
Wine.
Sorry, what was your name?
I told you twice already.
Maybe at the third time I get it.
Natasha.
Natasha.
Was that the name you said before?
But you are not saying it right.
It's Nata-sha.
Sha.
- Sha.
- Sha.
Mm. And you are Alba, which
is Spanish for dawn.
That's my big moment. You'll see.
Tonight is the first
night of the summer.
Ah, yes, that's right, in Europe.
In Russia, summer has already
begun, the first of June.
Really? Do you have summer in Russia?
Of course. Well, it's Russian summer.
Mm-hm.
And this is my last night in Rome.
Mine too.
You're not on your own, little Russian.
You know for sure this is
the shortest night of the year,
here and in Russia, so we
have to make the most of it.
I'm not...
- I'm not a...
- What?
Come on, you're a woman,
and...and Im a woman
and we were drinking alone at a bar
and we exchanged looks
and felt attracted to one another.
Isn't that how it works?
It's the first time in my life
I look like this at a woman.
Uh-huh.
Never before a woman looked at me this way.
It's not the first time
you look at a woman like this.
But every woman is different.
Would you like to see me naked?
Mm-hm. I would love to.
Here?
Wherever you like.
Do you prefer inside?
- Yes.
- OK, let's go inside then.
I think it'll work better
if you undress me.
Shh.
It's OK.
Shh. It's OK.
It's OK.
We'll stay like this, close but
not touching, while you relax.
Yes?
It's better if you're asleep.
That way we don't have to say goodbye.
You're right.
I'll say a few words.
Goodbye, Alba.
I don't want to imagine
what might have happened.
This secret will stay
there, sleeping with you.
Thank you, Alba.
Goodbye.
Who changed my ring tone?
What the hell happened?
- Who is it?
- Natasha
Natasha, right.
I think Ive left my mobile
in your room.
- Did you hear it ringing?
- Yes, it woke me up, actually.
Sorry.
It must have fallen out of my bag.
I'm very tired and I
want to go to my hotel.
Come in and take it.
It's waiting for you under the bed.
I'd rather not coma in again.
Why? What happened?
Nothing. Nothing, actually.
Nothing we have to regret.
- Why did you chew up my panties?
- I didn't chew anything.
See the state you left them in.
Good evening.
Good evening.
How thoughtful, Natasha!
I wasn't expecting this.
Hey, come in
and leave it in the terrace.
Sorry, madam. It's for this room.
But if you want, I can come
afterwards and take your order.
- Feeling hungry?
- No, no.
- You heard. Whats your name?
- Max.
Max, we are not hungry right now
but in a couple of hours we will.
You just call me. I'm free all night.
I mean I'm on duty the whole night.
It's there.
Where is your hotel?
- This is Tevere...
Mm-hm.
...and you get to my hotel
this way.
This is the Roma of the Caesars.
Yes. It's a map to lose yourself.
Where should we lose ourselves?
Choose.
We have, um...the gardens.
Tempio della Fortuna,
Tempio della Ninfa.
My hotel is called "Ninfa".
- And yours?
- Pompeo.
Look, it's this way.
You pass through the gardens,
and...and here we are,
we are on top of the theatre.
No, we are...we are inside
of Teatro di Pompeo.
Wow!
- Historys looking at us
- Mm-hm.
We are surrounded.
- Can you feel it'?
- How could I not?
- I think you like history.
- Yes.
That's good.
-Alba
-Hm?
This stays hers, OK? In this room.
In Rome.
- Within these four walls.
- Mm-hm.
But since we're here,
let's have some fun, no?
All I ask is that
this doesn't affect my life.
- And how do you do that?
- By agreeing, the two of us.
You also have a life
outside of all this
that you want to protect, don't you?
Hm.
Very far from yours.
But tomorrow Rome will send each
of us to an opposite end of Europe.
- What if I'm not Russian?
- Coma on, you have to be Russian.
I love that.
Well, then I am.
Whats great is not knowing
each others name.
But don't we?
Dont tell me you gave me
your real name.
So your name isn't Natasha?
I knew it.
Alba is the name
I was going to call my daughter.
What happened to her?
Alba never saw the dawn.
I'm sorry.
That put an end
to the worst time of my life,
when my Alba died inside of me.
My mother took me to Marbella one summer when I was 16.
She was almost broke
and what little money she had left
she spent on fortune-hunting,
and she was lucky.
An Arab sheik, Hamir Osemin,
he...he bumped into us one day
when we were shopping
and we spent the rest
of the summer in his yacht.
That winter he invited us
to Saudi Arabia.
He has a palace.
Even if I describe it to you,
you could never imagine the luxury.
He bought my mother everything.
So she left there
with bracelets, necklaces and rings
worth a small fortune.
She left?
- What about you?
- I stayed.
Hamir persuaded my mother
to leave me there
in exchange for a monthly allowance
for four years.
That was the deal.
I was all he was interested in.
So you accepted?
You can't imagine
how easy it was for ma,
falling into that type of lifestyle.
I had everything I wanted!
Hamir bought me a purebred horse
that only I was allowed to ride.
I began to love him like a child.
Everyone around me was very nice.
Also, Hamir's other wives
treated me like a real princess.
And he got you pregnant?
That was at the and.
Hamir started to get annoyed with me
because I didn't get pregnant.
That was when I wanted to leave.
But I couldn't.
I'd married him so I was
his property, like my horse.
He sold him to punish me.
Hamir got his way, because shortly
afterwards he got me pregnant.
He was over the moon.
He began treating me royally again,
this time like a queen.
Then I realised that
as soon as my child was born...
Well, I'd be shut up
with the rest of his harem.
The day the doctor told me
I was expecting a girl,
an Egyptian nurse
who I'd told the story to
helped me escape in a Greek ship.
I arrived in Athens at dawn
so I decided to call her Alba.
How did you lose her?
I'd found out that Hamir
had gone to the authorities.
There was a warrant out for my arrest
in Saudi Arabia.
I knew that if I'd had Alba, ha...
He couldn't have rested
until I was caught.
I was only 18 so I got an abortion.
I sold my necklace and managed
to start a new life in Spain.
What about your mother?
I've never seen her again.
And is that how you became a lesbian?
This is how I became a woman.
What about you?
How did you become a woman?
I don't feel
like talking about my life.
You owe me.
What do I owe to you?
The truth or a lie?
Whatever you prefer.
Why? Do you think I lied to you?
It's the Agora in Athens.
Did you know that?
Which came first, the picture
or your story? Who inspired who?
Hm, good question.
This picture has been hanging here
since before you were born.
Long before, and it's been
waiting for me all this time.
Let's make a deal. No stories.
Just tell me where you live,
your area and everything,
so I can get an idea
of your surroundings.
-Hm?
- First go to Moscow.
You have
the biggest map in the world.
Now go to the Volga, further east.
Ala! Even further east.
From there towards Ostrov Nekrasov.
- Where? ?
- Ostrov Nekrasov.
Ostrov Nekrasov.
You write it, please.
What is that there?
Ostrov means island.
Tell me this is your house
and I'll have to spank your ass.
Wow!
It's as hard as a rock.
Hey, tell me,
what are you doing here in Rome?
Auditioning. I'm an actress.
A Russian film actress.
Are you a good one, a very famous
one, or just married to a mafioso?
- I'm single.
- So, you must be a very good one.
Congratulations.
Show me your Arabian palace.
It's not mine. Hm.
Aren't you going to show it to mo?
The thing is, if Hamir finds out that
we are sniffing over his house...
- What?
- Ha's capable of...
Anything could happen to us.
Look, if you don't show it to me,
I'll think you are the one
who owes me a story.
A true one.
I want to know where you live.
Look.
- Do you like it? ?
- (Natasha) Is it a village?
No, its a city called San Sebastian.
- Looks a bit small.
- It depends what you compare it to.
Rome.
Id say about, um...20 times smaller
Ha. Moscow is three times
the size of Rome.
Well, I like it, and you look a lot
like your city. Small, pretty face.
It's not my city.
I'm from Valladollid,
which is like three times bigger.
- Show ma your house..
- (Alba) It's here.
- They left the chairs out..
- (Natasha) So?
I wasn't expecting this.
- What? A child??
- (Alba) A boy and a girl.
- You have children.
- What? Can't I be a mother?
Of course.
What's up, Alba?
The father of your children
know you like women?
It's not that.
It's the picture. It's...
It's quite old.
Look at the beach.
It's full of people.
I'm sure we were there.
Or on the island.
We used to love spending Sundays
on the island.
This picture is from the summer I
started living in San Sebastian.
Two years ago.
What's wrong?
Alba, is there something
you need to tell me?
Poor thing.
Where did you come from?
How could you just show up like this,
without warning?
I can't believe I'm doing this.
What are you doing to me?
You're scaring ms, little Russian.
Is this ms?
I can't recognize myself.
Russian sounds so beautiful.
Only for you.
I'm trembling with fear too.
I'm going to give you
the best orgasm of your life.
Are you ready?
Yes.
- You know what I'd love?
- Tell me, anything you like.
Do you have a vibrator?
I'll come better
if you put something inside me.
I don't use vibrators.
And you're not going
to need one either.
I know myself.
- What about a little wine bottle?
- Hm.
I don't really fancy the idea of
anything masculine coming between us.
It's from "La Toscana". ".
Sounds very feminine.
Mm, Im not sticking anything
inside of you Natasha.
Alba, don't forget I like men.
But you like me as well.
Yes, but I like men more.
You know, I know plenty
who, once they've tried it with a
woman, never want to go back to man.
Well, I won't let that happen to me.
In fact, I prefer the opposite.
So after me
you expect to like men more?
That would be terrific.
It's not very nice
telling me this now.
Oh!
I don't want us to argue,
and even less over a bottle of wine.
An empty one too.
I'm going to order you something.
What are you doing?
Spaniards and Italians
we understand each others language.
Yes, it is.
'Hungry yet?'
The lady needs a vibrator.
'I'm sorry, we don't have any.
'But I can bring something else.
We have fruit.'
That's not good enough.
'Something else might work...'
No, forget it. Thanks, Max.
You are out of your mind.
You know that?
I did it for you.
What if Max takes it as an invitation
and comes up himself?
Well, then youll be able to choose
between Max or a bottle of wine.
Well, Max comes from Maxim us
It is also the diminutive of Maxim us.
Maximo.
Max.
We're fine, Max..
We don't need anything.
I brought a hot cucumber.
What?
I boiled it for two minutes.
It's sterile.
My friend would rather use
the wine bottle.
It's Tuscan.
What about you?
Me?
I'm a virgin.
Congratulations.
Spain beat Italy. Fair and square.
What's that? ?
The Eurocup. Soccer.
Soccer bores me.
What about your friend?
Her as well.
She's a Russian tennis player.
What?
I love Russian tennis players.
Though I'm starting to wonder.
Check her arm..
What?
One arm should be stronger
than the other.
Yes, you are
a tennis player. Look at your right arm!
I'm left-handed!
I mean left, sorry. And you've got
calluses. This is the proof!
Shh! Shh.
You two wanna have a trio?
Uh-oh.
Wanna see it first?
No, Max.
It's nice of you to offer, but no.
You speak Italian?
It's a beautiful language.
Please, go. Leave us alone.
I got my hopes up.
I thought it's what you wanted.
I'm sorry, it was a misunderstanding.
We shouldn't have called you.
Good night.
I was only joking about the cucumber.
Well, thanks to Max,
I've discovered a Russian tennis
player who speaks Italian.
- I like football too.
- You lied to me.
That mansion on the island couldn't be yours.
There is no tennis court.
So you understood me before?
- When?
- When I spoke to you in Spanish.
Yes, and I was thrilled.
Thrilled?
- To hear that you scare me?
- Yes.
Come here.
I'm beginning to realise that
everything about you scares me.
Your eyes. Your mouth.
Your smile.
The way you speak.
The tone of your voice.
Your smell. Your scent.
Your breath.
Your stunning body.
Your skin.
Your skin is incredible.
I'm more scared by
the colour of yours.
Your skin is like the Russian steppe.
That's very scary.
A question.
Mm...
If I had a twin sister,
identical in every way,
with the same eyes,
same mouth, voice...
And the same skin?
Yes, especially the skin.
- Would you be that scared?
- (Snorts) Do you have a twin sister?
It's just hypothetical.
I don't know.
Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't.
What do you prefer?
I just feel very fortunate that
its me here, and not my twin sister.
OK, you have to explain me this.
I have a twin sister
with a degree in history of art.
She just finished her thesis
on the Italian Renaissance.
I came here with her.
- What's her name?
- Dasha.
Like you. Because you told me
your name was Natasha.
I don't know your name either.
Now I know
why your Italian is so good.
I also studied history of art.
But in our third year,
we both auditioned for a film
and they chose me.
Since then,
my sister and I drifted apart.
Can you prove it?
Prove?
- What does that say?
- Sasha Veronina.
Sasha? Natasha, Dasha, and now
Sasha? You're triplets or what?
So whats with the tennis?
My sister Dasha and I
have played since we were kids.
But she was always better than me.
When do you get to play tennis?
You can't have much time between
filming, parties and premieres.
Can you show me your sister?
Dasha is number tan
female tennis player in Russia.
- And she's left-handed like you.
- Yes, I am left-handed too.
There is no reason why twins
should both be left-handed,
even though they're identical
in every other way.
But we are.
Is there not anything different
between you two?
Eh?
I was the first one
to become a woman.
Though not like you.
What do you mean?
My mother died when we were 13.
From that time, my father
started to treat me like a woman.
He used to only touch me.
And your sister?
No, just me.
- Why?
- I don't know.
But I felt like I should keep it
secret from my sister,
until one night...
Dasha saw us.
- How did she react?
- Badly.
She felt rejected and...
That's how
her inferiority complex began.
She got a complex because
your father didnt touch her up?
She should have been grateful.
That didn't last long,
less than a year.
Are you crying?
You can cry if you want.
The thing is I don't cry.
- You don't?
- Well, I haven't in a long time.
Crying is good for you.
I know.
So cry like an actress.
Come on, please.
- Act for me.
- That's what I am doing.
I will love to see you cry. Then
I'll have the chance to comfort you.
Come on.
Cry, CW...
Sorry, Alba. I'm not a good actress.
Ha.
Do I sing well?
Y es que yo solo tengo rumba pa ti
Ay, mi rumba, mi rumba es pa ti...
Shh.
I imagine in that Arabian harem,
you had all kinds of relations
with women.
- Or was it forbidden?
- I never lived in Saudi Arabia.
- Shame. I liked that story.
-So did I
It was my mother who fled away
from Saudi Arabia in a Greek ship.
She was pregnant with me,
running away from my father.
I'm Hamir's daughter,
and I was born in Athens.
- I'm glad Alba exists.
- Hm, thanks.
So, you are Greek not Spanish?
No, few months after I was born
my mother brought me back to Spain.
Did your mother
also become a lesbian?
Hm, come on!
My mother had several men
and several problems,
but she always took care of me
and I took care of her.
And you,
have you ever been with a man?
Im a lesbian from birth,
like you are a twin from birth.
Look, Alba, I...I haven't been
completely honest with you.
- I'm getting married next Sunday.
- Who?
- The actress or the tennis player?
- The tennis player.
Dasha?
So you are not the actress,
you are the twin.
My sister's also a twin.
Yeah, but I mean
the...the Renaissance one.
You are the Renaissance one.
Uh-huh.
Mm-hm, OK, in...
in one way I prefer it,
but I...I don't like the idea
of you getting married so soon.
We've been planning it
for almost a year.
- Who with?
- The tutor supervising my thesis.
- Is he Italian?
- No hes from Moscow.
Weve bought a small apartment.
Well move in after our honeymoon.
- In one of those Russian beehives?
- Yes, very different from my sister.
I'm glad you are middle class.
But especially happy
that your father didn't touch you up.
So, then, you are the one
with the inferiority complex?
I don't get it.
One night I woke up and saw
my sister's bed was empty.
I decided to get up
and go to my father's room.
I remember his huge hands
with long and strong fingers...
caressing Sashas naked body
identical to mine.
I stayed there hidden for a while,
watching.
It was the first time in my life
I experienced sexual pleasure.
Every time I woke up
and my sister wasn't there,
I undressed and touched myself.
I understand you, little Russian.
That put an immense distance
between Sasha and me.
But now I like my life
so much more than my sister's.
That's good.
Now you can have your own family.
'Please, hold still.'
'Alba, you said it wrong.'
'Then teach me how to say it!'
'We'll hold still
when you say it right.'
What are they speaking in?
Basque. It's a very, very ancient
language. It's quite difficult.
I'm trying to learn it,
but every time I make mistakes,
the kids make fun of me.
I want to have children too.
They're Edurne's kids.
- How long have you been with her?
- Two years.
She had just separated and I had just
come out of a stormy relationship.
One weekend she passed
through Madrid and we hooked up,
and a month later I moved
to San Sebastian to live with her
'Mommy.'
'Give me a kiss.'
What's wrong?
Come on, Alba, please tell me.
The little boy, he died last winter.
It was in a stupid accident
in the house.
I haven't watched this video
since it happened.
Edurne hasn't...hasn't got over it.
The boy died with me at home.
We were both alone.
Edurne doesn't blame me,
but I wish she could have been there
that afternoon with him
and not me.
Who knows? Maybe the accident
wouldn't have happened.
How do you run with these legs?
What a wonderful sense of speed!
I bet you sprint like a gazelle.
How long have you been with him?
- With Vadim?
- Mm-hm.
Four years. Intense years.
- And you love him?
- Actually, I do deeply.
I learn a lot being with him.
He is very cultured.
And he always knows what to do.
Had you ever been unfaithful to him?
No.
Had you to Edurne?
Me neither.
It hurts us both equally, right?
Mm.
Would you like to give me
a wedding present?
Sure.
These are the ones left.
I don't know. What do you prefer?
Whatever you choose.
And what do I put? From Alba, the Spanish girl in Rome? Mm?
Well, if you were a man
it might look suspicious.
I'll say that while I was in Rome
I meta very sweet Spanish girl.
- And cute.
- Gorgeous.
Vale.
Why are you here in Rome?
It's a wedding present
from my sister, a week in Italy,
an attempt to bring us together.
But tonight we had a fight
and I went off on my own.
So, I mat you thanks to an argument?
- Is your sister a good actress?
- Yes, very good.
And she can cry wonderfully.
But it's also true
that her boyfriend is...
Mafioso?
What about you?
What are you doing here?
- Here?
- Yes, in Rome.
I'm here for the Alternative
Locomotion Energy Fair.
Future means of transport.
Ecological, clean vehicles
with low energy consumption.
Huh. Nice.
- What is it?
- It's called Aspasia.
It's perfect
for getting around in the city.
Maximum speed,
- It works like a bike. You pedal it.
- Mm.
But if you need help
getting up a slope,
you connect a silent,
compressed air motor,
and if it rains, you don't get wet.
Who invented this thing?
Me.
What?
What?
- Don't I look like an inventor?
- Actually, no.
I am a mechanical engineer.
Came top in my year.
- It makes sense.
- Why?
Because you are the best woman
I've ever met.
Thanks, love.
- Don't call me love.
- Why?
- Love is something else.
- It is also for me.
That which I'm feeling right now
is very similar to love.
Almost identical.
Any love there might be here
right now is pure fantasy.
Like anywhere else!
Now I know what you can give me as a present.
Hm, it's not in your wedding list.
I'm adding it now, and if you don't
get it for me, someone else will.
OK, I'll leave it here.
It's in the fair, for whoever
wants to come and pick it up.
- Was it a success?
- Ha, you bet.
I love it.
I'm sure it won't be long
before they ban all cars from cities
and introduce your Aspasias.
At the moment,
this is the only prototype.
One is enough for me in Moscow.
Be sure that if you get
my Aspasia as a present,
it comes with me inside.
We are inseparable.
Even better.
I also know who Aspasia was.
She lived there in that painting.
As soon as I walked into this room
a week ago, I noticed the picture
and I thought that was
a good sign for my Aspasia.
But just today I was told there is..
There is no chance
of it being manufactured.
Hm.
So you went out and got drunk?
The truth is,
since last winter,
after what happened to the boy,
there is not one night
I goto bed without drinking.
It helps me sleep.
Except tonight, you woke me up.
I should get going.
Can I have a shower first?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, Vadim,
but I can never tell you about this.
Now I have a secret too.
But it's much further away
than yours.
Maybe I missed
the sign in the painting.
It's you, my little Russian.
The good thing I was expecting.
You'll always
have that... my reflection.
This...
Is mine alone.
(Sings "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu")
Penso che sogno cosi
non ritorni mai piu
Mi dipingevo Ie mani
e la faccia di blu
Poi d'improvviso venivo
dal vento rapito
E incominciavo a volare
nel cielo infinite
Volare ho ho
Cantare ho ho hoho
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassu
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassu
E volavo volavo felice piu
in alto del sole ed ancora piu su
Mentre il mondo
pian piano spariva lontano laggiu
Una musica dolce suonava
soltanto per me
Volare ho ho
Cantare.
Oh!
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Oh
I've got a hole in my pocket
Where all the money has gone
I've got a whole lot of work
To do with your heart
'Cause it's so easy
Mine's not
Loving strangers
Oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers...
- I want to tell you something.
- Whatever you like.
Tonight before I met you,
my sister told me something at dinner
that deep down I imagined
but never had the courage to ask.
We had drunk a lot of wine
and we were having a very good time,
until she told me
that Vadim was with her before me.
He was also my sister's teacher
but we were in different classes.
When she got the part
we auditioned for
and stopped coming to the university,
he called her
and they were together for a while.
It was her who left him.
I imagine between them
they decided not to tell me anything,
until tonight my sister let it slip.
Don't tell anyone, but I like you
much more than your sister.
And white suits you much better.
Mm.
The guests are waiting.
My sister was thinking of inviting
several friends of her boyfriend.
- Dodgy people.
- Hm.
Actually, that was why we argued.
Well done.
We don't want mafiosos here.
If anyone has anything to say,
let him speak now
or forever hold his peace.
Me.
We are all listening, bride.
The weird thing is,
Im worried about Vadim now.
In case my sister's boyfriend
finds out. Ha's an animal.
And you? What about you?
Me?
I know Vadim is in love with me.
I love the way you are.
You're such a good person.
The best of all of us.
And I'm sure you're right,
Vadim loves you.
You above all.
Another strange thing.
Vadim has always reminded me
of someone from the Renaissance.
One person in particular.
Who?
That guy,
the one speaking over your bed.
It's Leon Battista Alberti,
one of my favourite humanists.
Ha said that
you can't pull the string
without having a dartboard to aim at.
What does that mean?
The idea is that the artist must know
at all times what he's representing.
The picture shows a symposium
in the Medici Palace.
I'm sure he was talking
about the Greeks.
He was fascinated by them.
That painting speaks of the other.
There are 20 centuries
between these two pictures.
In our case, only one room.
We look like we're at a tennis match.
Conclusion.
Here beneath the city of my birth,
do you love me?
Well, I don't know why,
but right now...
yes, I am loving you.
With fantasies or without?
With both.
I look good in white too, don't I?
A new day is coming.
Dawn is my moment.
I'll stay
and watch the dawn with you
and then we say goodbye.
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
I've got a hole in my pocket
Where all the money has gone
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
It's just a start of the winter
and I'm all alone...
I'm going to order breakfast for two.
- I'll call my sister, then.
- Very well, little Russian.
'Can I help you?' ?'
Yes.
We want to be the first
to have breakfast.
'Glad to hear it.
'What would you like?
Something light, heavy?'
As heavy as it gets.
'You want it to last?' ?'
Yes, please.
'A nice big breakfast then.' .'
Thanks, Max.
Don't worry.
Can I hear your sister's voice?
'I hardly slept because of you.
'And I don't like flying
It's like they split
your voice in two.
'Who is that?'
Room service.
She brought breakfast.
'You're having breakfast?
Yes. I'm hungry.
I'll see you at the hotel after.
Are you never going to tell her?
So, then, what's the plan?
Pass through here without a trace?
Without...
without ever telling anyone?
- That's up to each of us.
- Hm.
But there has to be something of us,
of both of us,
to remind us of this night.
Like what?
There is no wind yet. It's early.
When it blows,
theyll take the photo.
You'll see. They owe it to us.
What a beautiful thing
you've just said, little Russian.
- Your idea was the best of all.
- We make a good team.
But we can only be seen
from a satellite.
Oh, wow. You're inspired.
By you.
That deserves a kiss.
Max.
Maximo.
Our breakfast.
Hi.
Good morning..
It certainly is.
We're outside, on the terrace.
Today's the first day of summer.
There you go.
This time it was easy.
You wanted two large breakfasts
and here they are.
Thank you, Max.
What's that?
Libiamo, libiamo ne' Iieti calici
Che la bellezza infiora
E la fuggevol, fuggevol ora
S'inebrii a volutta
Libiam ne' dolci fremiti
Che suscita l'amore
Poich quell'occhio al core
Onnipotente va...
Libiamo, amore, amor fra I calici
Piu caldi baci avr
Well, now we have a best man.
Couldn't be better.
I think the daylight
will be good for us.
I'm sure. It usually is.
Hey, the sun looks
fantastic on your face.
In your eyes. On your lips.
Well, look at your skin.
The steppe is turning gold. Scary.
- I'm even more scared.
- Why?
Because I know
what I'm seeing and feeling.
Shall we play at being brave?
Hm?
If we didn't have partners,
what would we do, you and me?
I don't know. It's all so new to me.
- Shall we stay and live in Roma?
- I'm in love with Rome.
We'll stay and live in Rome, then.
Would you do it?
Would you leave Edurne and her kids?
Sorry. Her daughter.
To live with me here in Rome?
This is real, Natasha, not a fantasy.
I feel it with absolute clarity.
The gates are opening for us.
Can't you hear them?
Huh?
Close your eyes.
If our hands meet in the middle of
the table, we enter together, deal?
Deal.
Love me just a little bit
I am about to like you anyway
Love me
Well, I am 23
All my flesh to fold down
as soon as it hits...
You gave me a shock!
You're the one who shocked me!
What, my love?
Electricity.
Electricity.
This is because we are
very sure about this, no?
I don't know, but right now it's
what I most desire in this world.
Yes.
Yes.
- Yes?
- Yes.
And how do you
want me to call you? Dasha or Natasha?
Natasha.
What?
- Natasha.
- Shh.
- Sha.
- Sha.
This is the name I invented for you.
Love me just a little bit
I am about to like you anyway
Love me...
And I get to see you run.
I can't wait to go outside and...and
watch you sprint with your long logs.
- I promise you will.
- Mm.
Mm-mm.
What is it?
Dasha, what's going on?'
Nothing, I'll get dressed
and come right over.
- You're not dressed?
- No, I'm wearing white.
You're ahead of the wedding.
Yeah, way ahead.
I don't understand you, Dasha
Good.
Get into the bath with me, please.
No.
Just a bath together in each others arms.
Without doing anything.
We will suffer more and it will
make it harder to say goodbye.
Harder?
Natasha.
Never before in my whole life
have I known a love like this.
Not this way.
And it can't all be nothing.
Are you sure
you want to part forever?
Yes.
Don't lower yourself.
Fight!
That's what I'm doing.
I'm fighting for you.
Do you think
it's not the same for me?
Let's hold each other.
No!
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I don't know what's happening to me.
I'm sorry. You're right.
I will stay here.
I will stay here. I prefer it.
What is it, Alba?
Don't suffer like this! Please!
Alba.
You are right.
I understand you perfectly.
Never before I had loved as
intensely as I do tonight with you.
Really?
From now on, we can think that for
once in our lives we experienced it.
The best thing is to leave it here.
Keep it forever between the two of us
so it never fades.
- In the bathtub?
- (Laughs) Sure.
Where else?
One last turn?
Where?
In our bathtub.
To leave everything here.
Mm?
Mm.
But I've got my eye right on you
Give me a coin
and I'll take you to the moon
Give me a beer and I'll kiss you
So foolishly
Like you do when you like
when you're not in my thoughts
Like you do when you like
And I know it's my imagination
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, 0h...
Alba.
Hm.
I'm taking a taxi to the airport.
It's that way.
Hotel Ninfa
is in the other direction.
So, goodbye.
No kisses.
- You're sure?
- Absolutely.
OK.
But don't forget,
I kissed the soles of your fest.
- I didn't kiss yours.
- No.
- Shall I kiss them now?
- No.
It would make the goodbye harder.
- Alba!!
- What?
Look!
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
I've got a hole in my pocket
Where all the money has gone
I've got a whole lot of heart
To do with your heart
'Cause it's so busy
Mine's not
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh
It's just the start of the winter
And I'm all alone
But I've got my eye right on you
Give me a coin
And I'll take you to the moon
Give me a beer and I'll kiss you
So foolishly
Like you do when you lie
When you're not in my thoughts
Like you do when you lie
And I know it's not my imagination
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Loving strangers, oh, oh
Loving strangers
Oh, your love
Loving strangers
Oh, oh, oh, oh...