Semen, una historia de amor (2005) Movie Script
The day I was born
is etched upon the minds
of all Spaniards.
Not because it was the day
I came into the world,
but because my mother
went into labor when...
People of Spain...
Franco...
He's dead! He's dead!
Dead?
Franco.
Franco's dead.
-And my baby?
-Your baby's fine.
Such a coincidence
was interpreted by my parents
in diametrically opposed ways.
For my mother, an incurable optimist,
it was a sign.
Her son heralded a new age
and also brought good luck.
My father,
an incurable pessimist,
said I was born unlucky.
With all the excitement,
if it hadn't been
for him...
This first view
of the world upside down
marked me for life.
I was always terrified of not having
my feet firmly on the ground.
And they weren't.
For my father grabbing my leg
like that left me with one leg
slightly longer than the other.
It didn't show,
but my mother
had wanted a perfect baby.
She took me to the best
traumatologist in town,
but all he did was traumatize me.
He wasn't interested in my legs.
He was more interested
in Mother's.
...And here in New York the terrible
news has been confirmed. Five shots
fired by a fanatical madman
have claimed
John's life.
people are shocked...
-Emilio.
-John Lennon's been murdered.
-Listen...
-John Lennon!
The idol of our youth!
Don't you understand?
It's the end of an age!
And the end of our marriage too.
I'm leaving you.
So in 1981,
as the world said
goodbye to John Lennon,
my mother said goodbye
to me forever.
You should be happy, my son.
Thanks to you Ive found
the love of my life.
What about Dad?
He'll manage.
He's a big boy.
But Dad was devastated.
He felt as if
he'd lost everything.
His youth, his wife...
Everything but
his last refuge... his job.
Oh, didn't l tell you?
My father was the Weather Man.
His forecasts were as popular
as his chestnut curls
and his Buenos Aires accent.
So this Easter the weather will be
fine across the whole country.
Im so certain that you'll be able
to enjoy the sun, sea and sand
that if it rains,
Ill shave all my hair off.
So even the weather
turned against him.
He was like Samson.
With his hair he lost all
his strength and what little life
was left in him.
With a depressive father and a manic
mother who abandoned me
at the age of 6.
l soon came to the conclusion
that life is chaos
and decided to dedicate the rest
of my life to combating it.
This is me.
24 years, 7 months,
14 days and 4 hours later.
Every day I cycled to work,
in the struggle to combat
the sedentary lifestyle.
My muscles, my intestines,
my brain and my heart
all working like a clock.
Are you all right?
Yes, l think so.
Sorry.
It was my fault.
Can l help you?
It's okay, thanks.
-Goodness, Serafin! 5 minutes late.
-Two and a half.
Start being unpunctual
and you might turn human.
Stage one of
in vitro fertilization.
Extraction of ova.
24 years old.
A young patient, good.
What's she like?
Cute. Her name's Ariadna.
She's very nice.
Sweet, pretty.
10 little ova
-like 10 little suns.
-Let's start.
There it is.
Let me see.
Perfect.
That's done.
Good.
Wasn't that easy?
It went very well.
You've got...
beautiful... ova.
Excuse me.
May l come in?
Can l see
what you do with my ova?
Id really like to see.
Come and put this on.
That one's ready
for fertilization.
Its... incredible.
You like it?
The best is yet to come.
Let's see now...
Here we are. Sperm XZ322.
l don't want to know.
l don't want to know
the father's name.
That's just an alphanumeric
-code.
-l don't want to hear that either.
The father doesn't exist.
He has to be anonymous.
Of course, of course.
lf the child asked you,
what would you say?
''Your father was a B44''?
Best not to know anything.
Right.
lf you'll just
let me...
The sperm there...
There we are...
and we let them do their job.
Look.
Look how they move!
As if they were dancing.
Yes...
Back into the incubator.
And we wait for each little ovum
to be penetrated
by a spermatozoon
to give us fertilized ova.
in other words, embryos.
From which
we choose the best
for...
for... transfer to your uterus.
It's fantastic.
Like magic.
It may look like magic
but it's science.
The science of love.
What does an embryo look like?
It must be incredible.
Well, it looks like...
an embryo.
Dad.
What are you doing?
Thank goodness.
l thought Id lost it.
Put it down there.
This place is like a pigsty.
It looks okay to me.
Look...
This makes 4 eggs in a week.
Bad for your cholesterol levels.
I won't tell you again.
l don't want anybody
counting my eggs, okay?
Look! Look!
How can you spend
all day watching disaster clips?
What about you
making babies
as if they were cars?
Dad, what I do is about progress.
Disaster and progress
go hand in hand.
With the first boat
came the first shipwreck.
Look at that!
A whole church sky high!
Well, out with it.
-What?
-What do you mean ''what''?
With what's on your mind.
You never come in here
to watch TV with me
with that look on your face.
l met a girl...
A patient at the clinic.
Im preparing an embryo
for transfer to her...
Nice?
Very nice,
with excellent cellular division.
l meant the girl!
The girl, not her eggs!
She is...
perfect.
Too bad, son.
You're headed for disaster.
Why?
Because l like a girl?
Love's supposed to be...
A disaster. What do a woman
and a hurricane have in common?
They come to you
warm and wet and leave you
with no car or house.
Didn't you Like it?
l don't know why l told you.
Because you're
shitting your pants.
And because
l have experience.
Careful, son!
Watch your step...
Dad, for goodness sake!
When this happens l always say
the same thing to my patients.
Go for a walk, give yourself a treat.
A shiatsu massage is great too. Okay?
Mr. and Mrs. Olmeda?
And above all no tears, okay?
Pleased to meet you.
Come in, please.
There, there...
What's the matter?
Ive lost them, Serafin.
They've gone.
-Who's gone?
-The embryos.
The ones you put inside me,
that were so perfect.
Maybe it's me
and l can't be a mother.
Don't be silly.
Here, sit down a minute.
What's happened is quite normal.
Few women get pregnant
the first time.
Sure...
but l haven't got much money.
Maybe l should forget it.
Don't say that.
By the second attempt,
60 percent of women
your age get pregnant.
What if Im one of
the 40 percent who don't?
It's not a very scientific science.
l... shouldn't say this...
but in your case
Ive a feeling
it's going to work.
You do?
Really?
Yes.
You're wonderful.
You've convinced me.
Great.
Now all we need is
some first-class sperm.
And l promise you'll get it.
Sperm XZ2000B again?
That sperm's already fertilized...
4 patients.
You'll flood the world with XZs!
No, no.
Listen to me.
This patient is very, very special.
l want the sperm
to be exceptional, understand?
This is a disaster.
-What's wrong?
-Its the slowest,
most sluggish sperm
I've ever seen.
lf you say so.
And the others?
Terrible.
Look.
These don't centrifuge well at all.
Number 4 here,
just looking at it turns my stomach.
And this last sample looks like...
it comes from some
90-year-old at death's door.
Then we have a problem.
Ariadna's in the operating room.
What do you want me
to do about it?
The emergency method.
For serious problems,
extreme technical solutions.
Eenie, meenie, minie, moe,
catch a tiger by the toe...
this one I'll do.
This one, okay?
Sorry...
The effect will wear off...
-A little more.
-Ready.
Are you all right?
-Im fine.
-Are you sure?
A bit dizzy, that's all.
Hey!
What are you doing?
-l needed some oxygen.
-Well you just took
some sedative, silly.
That's the oxygen there.
-Im surprised you're still standing.
-Gloria.
Give me a hand.
Let's get this done.
No, Im all right.
Serafin.
That's it.
Now the test tube.
And the pipette.
No.
No.
This can't be happening.
What could I do?
l had two alternatives...
Admit I'd made a mistake
and fertilization would fail or...
What's this disgusting stuff
you've dropped on the floor?
Serafin!
-Im pregnant! I'm pregnant!
-Good, good.
But don't jump up and down!
-It's not good for...
-You're right.
Its just that Im so happy!
Oh, Serafin!
This baby inside me
owes you so much.
You've put so much into it.
Yes!
So much science,
so much technique.
The worst part is
that we won't meet again.
No... we won't.
But Ill bring
the baby in for you to see.
And a photo for your board.
Take care.
Take care.
Yes. Bye.
She was going.
Out of my life for ever.
I was losing her.
With something of mine
inside her.
Something tiny, microscopic,
still ridiculously small
but my flesh and blood,
with my genes.
Without doubt, among all the animals
the emperor penguin deserves
the title of ''perfect father."
For it is the males
who keep their young warm
through the long Antarctic winter,
in temperatures of 50 below zero
and losing half their body weight
as they give warmth and food
to offspring
who would never survive
without the loving care
of their penguin papas.
What could be more beautiful
than a father's love for his young?
Dad...
What's the matter?
Have you been peeling onions
or something?
-Dad...
-What are you doing?
You're dribbling all over me!
-I need to...
-You need to what?
Feel what a father's love's like.
This bed's too small,
you're too big,
and Im too old to feel...
Look...
Tell me things
about when l was little.
What do you want me to say?
When Mum left...
you had to look after me.
Father and son united... beautiful.
Not at all. More like depressing.
l was in a bad way and you were
-a pretty weird child.
-But you played with me...
You didn't Like playing
on your own and you had no friends,
so l had to be the dragon,
the princess the robber
and the pirate all in one.
And you always had to be the hero,
which I deeply regret.
But for...
a son...
who grows up
without his father...
-it must be traumatic...
-It depends.
-Depends? On what?
-On the father,
the son and the age.
At your age and mine,
Serafin, this is aberrant.
Get out of here
and leave me alone.
Go to your own bed.
Go on.
It's no use chasing after something
that's running away from us.
Ariadna wanted a child
by an anonymous father
and Id decided to be just that...
Anonymous.
But fate...
whimsical, indomitable fate...
was playing dirty
behind my back.
That morning,
little Diego Salvaterra,
a 10-year-old boy with a weakness
for chocolate-coated cereals,
knocked over a pile
of boxes and grabbed
the one closest to his left foot.
It so happened that the box
of cereals held a prize...
two free tickets for the circus.
Overcome by excitement, little Diego
scoffed the whole box of cereals,
which gave him stomach ache, but
this did not stop him from inviting
a classmate, little Inez, to
the circus. Now Inez wore a dress,
short and redolent
of flowery, pink panties,
for which Diego had
a spot just as soft as he had for
chocolate-coated cereals.
Inez was about to accept
when little Diego Salvaterra,
stricken by a stomach cramp,
threw up over Inezs dress
and Inez decided
she was too young for boys.
Deeply wounded by Inezs refusal,
little Diego turned to Miss Marina,
his maths teacher,
to whom he gave the tickets
together with a disastrous exercise
in the hope of a better mark.
That afternoon
Marina felt a weakness in her legs.
Attributing it to tiredness,
she decided to take a white coffee
in a bar which was on her way home
and she'd never entered before.
Little Diego's gift
did not save him from his bad mark,
but Marina kept the tickets
anyway and decided
to treat her mother, who loved clowns
and elephants, to the circus.
Marina was about to call her mother
when she felt her period start,
which explained her weak legs,
so she ran off to buy some
sanitary pads with wings,
leaving the tickets
on the table with her coffee.
So there was I, trying
to find some sense in life,
with two circus tickets in my hand.
It was her!
Ariadna.
Hanging head-down
like a bat.
With my baby in her!
So irresponsible!
Didn't she think
of the risk to my baby?
Where am l?
Am l dead?
You fainted.
Yes...
Can you leave us?
He's all right.
What a surprise.
Somebody faints
and it turns out to be you.
Did you come to see me?
Not exactly.
Actually it was all
a coincidence.
Really?
Anyway, l was sure
we'd see each other again.
Pity you missed
the end of my act.
Its the nicest part.
Nice?
Im sorry but it was like
a horror film to me.
Why?
You were risking
the baby's life.
The baby l gave you...
l mean we gave you.
The one we inseminated you for...
Pregnancy's hard to achieve.
You don't want
to spoil it all now.
Ever dreamed you were flying?
Isn't it fantastic?
That's how l feel
on the trapeze.
Like Im flying,
weightless, defying gravity.
Stop, stop for goodness sake!
For goodness sake!
You don't like it?
Its not a question
of whether l like it or not.
So what is it a question of?
Of man never being meant to fly.
Feet are for planting
firmly on the ground.
Hey, Ignatof.
You see? The exception
that confirms the rule.
lf flying was good for us,
we'd all have wings.
But that's not the case.
We invented aero planes.
That's what l mean. Look at all the
childless air hostesses there are.
And you know why?
Because heights
are extremely dangerous
for pregnant women.
Female mountaineers
and astronauts have the same problem.
-Staying for supper?
-Some other time.
This is where l live.
Thanks for coming with me.
We'll see each other again?
Of course, some day.
Would tomorrow be a good day?
l could pick you up.
Okay.
in the evening.
At 8.45?
8.48 would be okay too.
Go away, dog!
Go away!
l know l look terrible, Ariadna.
But it's the thought that counts
and l wanted to please you.
These are for you.
They're very pretty.
But Im not Ariadna.
What?
Im her twin sister, Penelope.
Come on in.
Incredible.
You're identical.
How silly of me,
you're twins after all.
l didn't know
Ariadna had a sister.
Go up to her.
She's expecting you.
The way to Ariadna's heart
was like that staircase.
I had to take it step by step.
And most important of all,
not rush things.
No throwing myself into her arms
and saying l couldn't live
without her or my baby.
On that first date
I'd just give her the flowers
and chat informally...
I love you, l love you,
you're so beautiful,
so wonderful.
Hold on, hold on.
-We're going too fast.
-What do you mean, Serafin?
Look... come here.
Foreplay...
is very important.
lf l may...
One... two...
three...
So how long
does the foreplay last?
That depends
on the individual.
Women generally need
half an hour.
Half an hour!
lf you like...
Ill move on to stimulating...
your nipples.
That might accelerate the process.
Stop! Stop!
-Please, stop.
-Am I over stimulating you?
Ill move on.
Do it.
Your navel's so beautiful.
Your belly's so...
so... so...
Pregnant.
Go on.
Is this a good idea?
Avery good idea.
What's that?
A dog!
Its Friday.
Hi, handsome.
-You have a dog on Fridays?
-No, that's his name.
It attacked me!
What's it doing here?
Its a local stray.
We feed it.
Friday!
Sorry. l was dressing
a cut he had
-and he ran away.
-Don't touch it!
Don't touch it!
It's all right.
Penelope, Serafin...
You've already met.
Ill take him.
We should keep him.
l agree.
-Right. Now come here.
-Wait, wait, wait.
What's all this
about keeping him?
That dog can't stay here.
Why not?
He's a good dog
and he's all alone.
Because it's a stray
and it has a cut
and could transmit infections.
And parasites.
And... we have to do something.
-No!
-Dad, please!
Out! Out!
You can't bring dogs here!
What do l want one for?
Are you mad?
Friday, sit down.
Not even in English...
Get rid of it now.
l can't, Dad.
Its ours.
Its our dog.
l didn't let you have
a dog as a child
and you can't have one now!
Dad, Dad.
Listen to me.
Its a matter
of life and death.
l have to tell you something.
It'd better be good.
-Give me a drink.
-What?
Dad, please. All that's missing
in here is the barman.
Whisky or rum?
Both.
Goodness me.
l can see you and the dog
sleeping it off in here.
Now l know
that most couples do it
the other way around...
They fall in love
and if they decide
to have a baby...
they get down
to business later.
Well, we're the same,
except that
we started at the end.
That's not so bad, is it?
Give me a swig.
So... do you think
she'll be angry?
Well...
You tricked her,
took advantage of her,
lied to her...
No.
She won't be angry.
She'll just never forgive you.
She'll never want
to see you again.
But that's nothing.
She'll probably report you too.
You'll lose your job,
and get depressed and end up
in an asylum...
lf you're lucky.
So shall l just
keep my mouth shut?
Whether you do or not,
l don't think
you'll escape disaster.
Think of your semen
as the first few drops
of a great flood
that will drown us all.
Tell her the truth.
Can't go on like this.
Things could get worse.
Better tell her the truth.
Better tell her the truth.
Tell her the truth.
Poor Serafin!
There'll be no lies on Judgment Day.
Better tell the truth.
Better tell the truth.
Tell her the truth.
To stop thinking,
to stop feeling bad,
to stop pretending,
to stop looking back,
to stop suffering...
tell her the truth.
Tell her the truth.
Ill have seaweed salad.
Only seaweed salad?
Why not have some meat or fish?
For your vitamin
and protein intake.
My stomach isn't a laboratory,
Serafin. But okay.
Sushi with tuna fish for me.
Raw fish?
Raw fish... no way.
Tuna fish, but it must be
very, very well done.
And Ill have the same.
-That way we rule out anisakis.
-Don't worry, sir.
Our fish is very fresh.
There's no danger.
No-one can guarantee
that 100 percent.
We want it very, very well done.
Right.
That's tuna fish...
overcooked, no anisakis...
Thank you.
Sorry if l went on about the food.
l only want the best
for you and the baby.
There's something else
l wanted to tell you...
l was going to wait till dessert
but l feel so nervous
and impulsive
that l just can't wait.
Seaweed salad.
Ariadna...
That's pretty!
Its a ring.
l was thinking...
the baby's almost due
and Id love...
to give it my surname.
Will you marry me?
You're so funny.
What's funny about this?
The baby won't need your surname.
He's got one already.
l hoped you'd feel flattered.
I know before we met
you wanted to be a single mother
but we love each other,
so why deny the poor thing
a father?
Well, you see...
Im not the mother.
What?
The baby's not for me.
It's for my sister.
Penelope.
This has got to be a joke.
You're having me on.
No, Im not. Really.
She always wanted to be a mother,
but she can't have kids.
What are you saying?
She had an accident
some years ago. She fell
off the trapeze.
So we decided
I'd have a baby for her.
You're crazy.
You're crazy.
You can't do this to me.
Why?
l think it's very nice.
And my sister's happy.
And Im still young
so l can have kids
of my own in the future.
The future...
the future doesn't exist.
The only thing that's real
is that baby
in there that l...
This can't be happening!
Maybe l should have told you
before but l didn't think
-you'd take it so badly.
-Oh, God!
Oh, my goodness!
Your tuna fish.
That's not for you!
Why?
Why is it so difficult to steer
the course of our own lives?
Why are we doomed to drift
aimlessly, without a rudder?.
Is there any point in dodging
the slings and arrows of fortune?
Wouldn't it just
be better to give in?
To give up?
Serafin!
Serafin!
What is it?
That dog needs taking out
before it fills the place with shit!
l am not getting out of bed, Dad!
I've renounced the world!
Can't you think of anything
more original than
copying your father?
Im just taking your example.
No, sir.
With me it's different.
Mine is an ethical posture
towards life.
Since when is staying
in bed an ethical posture?
Yes, sir.
Posture as in Onetti!
Does the name ring a bell?
More than posture, that's a pose.
You're ridiculous.
You got out of bed!
Well, someone has to show
a little common sense
in this house. Im taking
that mutt out before
it drives us crazy.
Friday.
His name's Friday.
l don't give a shit what his name is!
l hold you responsible if this dog
pisses in the doorway, the janitor
refuses to take the garbage down
and this place gets full
of shit and we get kicked out!
l said ''responsible''!
What if it bites someone
and they report us to the police
and l have a panic attack
and die of heart failure?
l said ''responsible''!
And will you get out of bed!
l hate being imitated.
You're Like some clone!
Where are you taking me walkies?
To Moscow?
-l don't believe it!
-All right, Ill move on.
He was only having a pee.
No, it's not that.
Its just that Im surprised
to see you after so many years.
-How are you?
-Im dog sitting, as you can see.
-Would you like a coffee?
-Thanks,
but Im in a hurry, and being out
like this makes me dizzy.
Come on, you mutt.
Before you go... What's
the weather going to be Like today?
How should l know?
Leave the ladies alone.
That's all l need.
lf it rains on my tables,
they'll get spoilt.
You really don't know?
l haven't forecast
the weather for years.
l bet you haven't
lost your touch.
It must be instinctive.
The only one
with instinct is Fido here.
l think it's going to be fine.
Everything looks black to me.
Like stormy black?
Black... just black.
Come on!
Hey, son, take the tables in.
-But l just got them out!
-Do it!
-So you're going out after all?
-Yes.
You were fickle
even as a child.
Thank goodness you've got me.
There they both were.
How could Ariadna do this to me?
Give my son to her sister
like some birthday present.
l had to stop her.
But how?.
What could I do?
I'd go to her
and talk her out of it.
I'd find exactly the right words,
I'd be persuasive, convincing,
rational, restrained...
You stupid!
You're acting so stupid,
you make me sick.
Serafin.
Don't talk to me like that!
l don't get it.
How can you give up the baby?
Don't you realize it's yours?
Its your own flesh and blood.
Where's your maternal instinct?
l don't know.
Maybe l haven't got any.
-How can you say that?
-l don't want children yet.
But l was so happy about it.
And Ive got paternal instinct.
A huge amount of it.
And Ive been with you all this time
and seen the baby
grow inside you.
So what?
What do you mean?
-Doesn't that give me some rights?
-No.
It doesn't and you're going
over the top.
Its my life, my body
and my decision.
You're only in love
with my belly.
But you and your belly are you.
They're the same thing.
Serafin, you're acting
weird, obsessively and...
-What's the matter?
-What do you think?
-What shall we do?
-Go to the hospital.
-The hospital.
-Call a taxi.
A taxi. Help!
Please! Please!
Help! Taxi!
Stop! Stop! Stop!
The maternity ward
at the hospital!
And step on it!
Take it easy, okay?
Hey!
Ari...?
What?
I don't know how
to say this but...
Just a moment.
Wait here. Take her
to the delivery room.
l love you.
We need her details.
Are you the father?
Yes... well, no...
Is that yes or no?
It depends...
lf it depends
then you can't go through.
Oh, God!
What's the matter?
Is something wrong?
Wrong? Worse than wrong.
Once again life had left me out
at the most important time.
When my son was fighting
to be born.
Alone, deprived of the security
of a father's presence.
Please... I can't breathe.
That was my son.
A wonderful child.
A creature unique to the universe.
Special, matchless...
While other fathers would be able
to enjoy their children,
I had to say goodbye to mine.
No, Serafin,
you'll never be a father.
That's your son
but he's not for you.
You'll be a childless father.
He'll be a fatherless son.
Its late.
You should go home.
Just a little longer.
Go on, you've got the rest
of your life to be with him.
Id have to hide
where no-one would ever find me.
I'd go wherever necessary...
To the ends
of the earth if need be.
Even if it meant being
shut up between four walls,
my son and I would have
all that we needed...
Our love.
With each new day I was astonished
at how much he was like me.
He did all his little things
with clock-like precision.
Just like his father.
That room was our shrine.
But a baby can't be
shut away forever.
Babies need daylight
to synthesize vitamin D.
I mean, what could happen?
A father and son in the park.
Nothing suspicious in that.
Who'd be interested in us?
What a lovely baby.
So nice to see the father
looking after a baby.
-Goochie, goochie.
-Teresa.
That baby
looks hungry.
Isn't he breastfed?
No.
l breastfed mine
till he was 3 years old.
Does he eat well?
Mine doesn't like bottles.
Breastfeeding's best.
But it ties you down.
This way the father can help out.
Isnt he lovely?
-He's never been breastfed?
-No.
And your wife agrees?
My wife died.
The poor thing!
And poor you.
And the poor baby.
Did she die
-giving birth?
-Its a very long story.
She was an angel.
Too good for this world.
She was always laughing,
doing new things...
She was a trapeze artist.
Ive got a photo.
Her name's Ariadna... was Ariadna.
Very pretty.
And the baby looks just like her.
She changed me.
Until l met her l believed everything
could be reduced to probabilities,
percentages.
But she showed me
that some things
can't be measured.
What percentage could express
how much I loved her?
A hundred percent?
Too little. Two hundred?
A thousand? A million?
Ive lost her
and the emptiness is so great...
that it's immeasurable
and nothing can fill it.
What a fool I've been.
It was my fault.
Its not your fault.
I supplied the semen...
I supplied the semen...
You don't understand.
Of course we do.
But that didn't kill her.
It was just bad luck.
l must go and see her...
talk to her.
Look, you have to accept it.
She's dead now.
Her grave.
l have to go to her grave.
He looked up at the sky
and said it'd rain,
and saved all
my new tables and chairs.
Pure coincidence.
Dogs like prawns, don't they?
l want to share this moment
with him. Thanks to him,
l got out of the house again.
Ill bring him some lamb chops.
-He'll lick his paws.
-Fine, fine.
l saw you when l was a kid.
You had curly hair, didn't you?
l did have.
You're more handsome now.
Men get more attractive
as they age, more interesting.
-Do they really?
-Yes.
Friday!
Excuse me a minute.
Go away, Friday, go away!
Hello, Dad.
How are you? Its me.
l know it's you! What are you doing
dressed up like that?
Please, don't talk so loud.
Keep your voice down.
First you disappear then
you turn up looking like that.
Have you done something silly?
-You don't know?
-Know what?
Didn't the police go?
The police?
Have you got
yourself into trouble?
Ill explain later. Now l need you
to do me a favor. Come here.
This is Prospero Hernandez.
He's your grandson.
Hold him.
Look after him for a while.
Careful with his head.
What the...?
Forgive me, forgive me.
Forgive me, Ariadna,
Im begging you.
Serafin!
What are you doing? Get up!
Only if you say forgive me.
I'm a monster,
an utter swine, but I can't
live without you.
Come on, get up.
It can't be that bad.
''Can't be that bad''!
What do you mean?
How can l undo
all the damage Ive done you?
Ive already forgiven you.
What?
I forgive you.
Ive really missed you.
It can't be...
It can't be... as easy as this.
Shut up and kiss me.
-Where are you taking me?
-To heaven.
l still can't believe it.
l must be dreaming.
Ive something to tell you.
l knew it!
You haven't forgiven me.
You never want to see me again.
No, my love...
l have to go away.
Go away? Where to?
On tour for 6 months.
We leave this evening.
This evening?
Six months?
Why not come with me?
What?
Come with me on the tour.
l couldn't earn a living
working at a circus.
Serafin, it would be so nice.
We'd go to
some fantastic places together.
Would we have to fly?
We could always take trains.
Say you will, say you will.
What about the baby?
Who'll look after him?
His mother, Penelope.
Of course... his mother.
Silly of me.
Penelope.
Look, here they come.
I'm dying for you to meet him.
Meet who?
What's that?
What's that?
Its Ulysses, Penelope's son.
What was happening?
Isnt he beautiful?
lf Penelope had a son,
then whose baby had I stolen?
How could I have made
such a terrible mistake?
How could my paternal instinct
have failed me so?
Of course, all new-born babies
do look similar...
I went back to the hospital.
l had to get the address of the poor
parents and give them the baby back.
The fire brigade.
The address
the nurse had given me
was the fire station.
So there I was,
waiting to give the baby
back to Prosperos father.
Id tell him some lie.
Whatever...
But if he thought Id stolen
his baby, he'd crush me
like a fly.
in my mind's eye...
he was tall,
strong, athletic,
as big as a house...
and black!
My son's father was black!
Is this him?
-Mind his head.
-He's cute.
And big too.
We didn't think much
of his chances when l found him.
You should have seen him.
So small
and naked. He'd been thrown
into a skip like rubbish.
l did what l could.
We took him to hospital
and l gave him my name.
So hasn't he got any parents?
Im afraid not.
And he's such
a cute little thing.
Its a pity you can't keep him.
He seems to like you.
He hasn't come.
Isnt that strange?
He'll come.
He loves you
and won't let you go alone.
Do you think so? It wouldn't be
the first time he'd disappeared.
-He doesn't want you to go.
-Time for his feed. Go on.
Take care and call
or write.
Or both.
Ill send a carrier pigeon.
Serafin will come,
Im sure he will.
Off you go.
Can you give me a hand?
Everything's going to be fine.
You are a beautiful baby.
in a minute some nice lady
will find you and be your new mummy.
Come on, darling.
You see?
What do you think of her?
She's pretty.
-And you'll have a brother.
-Are you stupid?
Didn't you say you wanted a wee-wee?
Sometimes l could...
Bloody kids!
No, we don't Like her.
But there are more.
The world's full of parents
who'll look after you
much better than me.
Well, I must go
or Ill be late.
I'M PROSPERO.
l NEED PARENTS.
Don't look at me like that.
Its the only way.
Its you or her.
Goodbye.
My son!
My son!
...and we'll play cards
and have such
a good time together.
Madam, that's my baby.
-He was abandoned.
-No...
-Abandoned!
-l forgot him.
Just for 5 minutes. Let go. What
kind of father do you take me for?
Who will l play with now?
By jumping off that train
I'd lost the love of my life.
An absurd fate for which
only I was to blame
had turned me into a father.
So I committed myself for life.
SOME TIME LATER
-Ariadna?
-Yes.
Thank you for coming.
Im his son.
How is he?
Bad. He's been asking
for you for days.
All these years...
l never stopped thinking of you.
Don't talk, Serafin.
l have to tell you something.
l...
put my semen...
It was a recurrent nightmare.
Because I couldn't forget Ariadna.
For months I'd followed
the Serendipity Circus's progress
and had sent postcards
to wherever they happened to be.
But she never answered.
And the day came
when I gave up.
RETURNED
I assumed she didn't want
to hear from me.
The case was the opposite
with my son, Prospero,
who needed me more and more.
As I needed him.
No, here, here.
This one here.
Breaking news.
Dismay in the world
of show business.
A fierce blaze
has completely destroyed
the Serendipity Circus,
which was on a world tour.
One of the artists
told us about it...
Dad.
Shall l take the baby
to the natural science museum
to the exhibition
or to the archaeological museum?
Serafin...
Serafin...
Sit down and listen to me
but please don't get hysterical.
What is it?
Have you got cancer?
Have l?
Has the baby?
Ariadna's circus has burned down.
But no-one was hurt.
The fire destroyed
the circus but they're all okay.
They're all okay.
The poor thing!
How she must feel.
All alone and so far away
and I can't do a thing to help.
Yes, you can.
They've all come back.
Tonight they're giving
a special fund-raising performance
to rebuild the circus...
Its terrible!
Ive no excuse...
l should go but...
l need...
some kind of nudge...
a push...
Make me go.
Make you go?
Yes. Tell me...
you're ashamed to be my father.
-That Im a coward.
-No, you're not a coward.
You're just selfishness in person.
You ask for advice and don't listen,
you want to control everything
but can't even control yourself.
You're fainthearted and neurotic.
You don't deserve that girl.
No, don't go.
Don't go!
And that's that.
Thank you very much, Dad.
Ill go now
and tell her everything.
What is it?
Aren't you forgetting something?
l can't take the baby along.
l see. So you're going
to tell her everything
except for about 90 percent.
l panicked for a moment.
Let's go.
What did you say?
What did you say?
No... he's a good boy.
Of course he is.
Excuse me.
Where are the circus people?
On the terrace roof.
Sorry, but you're
not going anywhere.
l want Ariadna,
the trapeze artist.
They can't be disturbed.
They're rehearsing.
Do you eat yoghurt?
Of course.
Well, you be careful,
because Ive got a friend
as big as you
and when he eats yoghurt it's expired
by the time it's reached his stomach.
Its a long time
since anyone told me
such a bad joke.
Yes, it is bad.
Really bad.
Could l see Ariadna
just for a second?
All right,
if it's so important.
Wait here.
So this was the new Serafin.
Self-assured, resolved,
with a sense of humor...
And a coward.
l was running with
my tail between my legs
when cruel fate decided
to play one last trick on me.
There were Penelope and Ulysses.
l walked towards them
anticipating the end of my odyssey.
-Serafin?
-Penelope.
Is this your son?
Daddy?
He just said his first word
and he's hardly one year old.
Very good, Prospero.
Bravo.
-Is it your baby?
-Yes.
But he's the same age as Ulysses!
l came to tell Ariadna everything
but Im too scared.
Really? Why?
lf I tell her the truth Ill die...
if she doesn't kill me first.
Then it's just as well
you found me and not her.
-Penelope!
-Yes?
Sorry.
l didn't recognize you.
Ive lost my glasses.
Do you know where Ariadna is?
She's not in there.
She's looking after my son.
-l went to get some baby food.
-Baby food?
Start with the baby.
There must be another woman.
That's why you left Ariadna.
No, no...
She's the only girl
Ive ever loved!
Really?
So why did you keep disappearing?
Why did you let her go?
-Why?
-Okay, okay.
Ill tell you.
But promise
you won't tell Ariadna.
Ill promise whatever you like.
But tell me, please.
It all began
the opposite way around
from how it should have...
Ariadna! Hurry up,
they're waiting for you.
Hi, Serafin.
But...
Are you...?
Ariadna.
Don't give your glasses
to Ulysses again.
He'll break them.
I've been looking
for them everywhere.
Bye.
l thought
that she was you.
Ariadna pretended to be me?
As kids we did that all the time.
I want to die!
Not before the show.
Its the law of the circus.
Thank you for coming tonight.
The circus can't live on without you.
And l need your help too.
Any volunteers?
Come on,
someone who's not afraid.
Someone capable
of doing crazy things.
No, not me.
Let's hear it
for a brave man!
-What are you going to do?
-Youll see.
l hope it isn't revenge.
Of course not.
This is a romantic number.
Just sit there,
and trust me.
Who'd have thought Id end up
up here with Ariadna?
Up in the air,
walking on air.
There's Penelope
and her son with my genes
and Ariadna's.
And prospero,
who doesn't have them,
but who's my son.
After all, who cares
who supplied the first drop?
SEMEN a love story
is etched upon the minds
of all Spaniards.
Not because it was the day
I came into the world,
but because my mother
went into labor when...
People of Spain...
Franco...
He's dead! He's dead!
Dead?
Franco.
Franco's dead.
-And my baby?
-Your baby's fine.
Such a coincidence
was interpreted by my parents
in diametrically opposed ways.
For my mother, an incurable optimist,
it was a sign.
Her son heralded a new age
and also brought good luck.
My father,
an incurable pessimist,
said I was born unlucky.
With all the excitement,
if it hadn't been
for him...
This first view
of the world upside down
marked me for life.
I was always terrified of not having
my feet firmly on the ground.
And they weren't.
For my father grabbing my leg
like that left me with one leg
slightly longer than the other.
It didn't show,
but my mother
had wanted a perfect baby.
She took me to the best
traumatologist in town,
but all he did was traumatize me.
He wasn't interested in my legs.
He was more interested
in Mother's.
...And here in New York the terrible
news has been confirmed. Five shots
fired by a fanatical madman
have claimed
John's life.
people are shocked...
-Emilio.
-John Lennon's been murdered.
-Listen...
-John Lennon!
The idol of our youth!
Don't you understand?
It's the end of an age!
And the end of our marriage too.
I'm leaving you.
So in 1981,
as the world said
goodbye to John Lennon,
my mother said goodbye
to me forever.
You should be happy, my son.
Thanks to you Ive found
the love of my life.
What about Dad?
He'll manage.
He's a big boy.
But Dad was devastated.
He felt as if
he'd lost everything.
His youth, his wife...
Everything but
his last refuge... his job.
Oh, didn't l tell you?
My father was the Weather Man.
His forecasts were as popular
as his chestnut curls
and his Buenos Aires accent.
So this Easter the weather will be
fine across the whole country.
Im so certain that you'll be able
to enjoy the sun, sea and sand
that if it rains,
Ill shave all my hair off.
So even the weather
turned against him.
He was like Samson.
With his hair he lost all
his strength and what little life
was left in him.
With a depressive father and a manic
mother who abandoned me
at the age of 6.
l soon came to the conclusion
that life is chaos
and decided to dedicate the rest
of my life to combating it.
This is me.
24 years, 7 months,
14 days and 4 hours later.
Every day I cycled to work,
in the struggle to combat
the sedentary lifestyle.
My muscles, my intestines,
my brain and my heart
all working like a clock.
Are you all right?
Yes, l think so.
Sorry.
It was my fault.
Can l help you?
It's okay, thanks.
-Goodness, Serafin! 5 minutes late.
-Two and a half.
Start being unpunctual
and you might turn human.
Stage one of
in vitro fertilization.
Extraction of ova.
24 years old.
A young patient, good.
What's she like?
Cute. Her name's Ariadna.
She's very nice.
Sweet, pretty.
10 little ova
-like 10 little suns.
-Let's start.
There it is.
Let me see.
Perfect.
That's done.
Good.
Wasn't that easy?
It went very well.
You've got...
beautiful... ova.
Excuse me.
May l come in?
Can l see
what you do with my ova?
Id really like to see.
Come and put this on.
That one's ready
for fertilization.
Its... incredible.
You like it?
The best is yet to come.
Let's see now...
Here we are. Sperm XZ322.
l don't want to know.
l don't want to know
the father's name.
That's just an alphanumeric
-code.
-l don't want to hear that either.
The father doesn't exist.
He has to be anonymous.
Of course, of course.
lf the child asked you,
what would you say?
''Your father was a B44''?
Best not to know anything.
Right.
lf you'll just
let me...
The sperm there...
There we are...
and we let them do their job.
Look.
Look how they move!
As if they were dancing.
Yes...
Back into the incubator.
And we wait for each little ovum
to be penetrated
by a spermatozoon
to give us fertilized ova.
in other words, embryos.
From which
we choose the best
for...
for... transfer to your uterus.
It's fantastic.
Like magic.
It may look like magic
but it's science.
The science of love.
What does an embryo look like?
It must be incredible.
Well, it looks like...
an embryo.
Dad.
What are you doing?
Thank goodness.
l thought Id lost it.
Put it down there.
This place is like a pigsty.
It looks okay to me.
Look...
This makes 4 eggs in a week.
Bad for your cholesterol levels.
I won't tell you again.
l don't want anybody
counting my eggs, okay?
Look! Look!
How can you spend
all day watching disaster clips?
What about you
making babies
as if they were cars?
Dad, what I do is about progress.
Disaster and progress
go hand in hand.
With the first boat
came the first shipwreck.
Look at that!
A whole church sky high!
Well, out with it.
-What?
-What do you mean ''what''?
With what's on your mind.
You never come in here
to watch TV with me
with that look on your face.
l met a girl...
A patient at the clinic.
Im preparing an embryo
for transfer to her...
Nice?
Very nice,
with excellent cellular division.
l meant the girl!
The girl, not her eggs!
She is...
perfect.
Too bad, son.
You're headed for disaster.
Why?
Because l like a girl?
Love's supposed to be...
A disaster. What do a woman
and a hurricane have in common?
They come to you
warm and wet and leave you
with no car or house.
Didn't you Like it?
l don't know why l told you.
Because you're
shitting your pants.
And because
l have experience.
Careful, son!
Watch your step...
Dad, for goodness sake!
When this happens l always say
the same thing to my patients.
Go for a walk, give yourself a treat.
A shiatsu massage is great too. Okay?
Mr. and Mrs. Olmeda?
And above all no tears, okay?
Pleased to meet you.
Come in, please.
There, there...
What's the matter?
Ive lost them, Serafin.
They've gone.
-Who's gone?
-The embryos.
The ones you put inside me,
that were so perfect.
Maybe it's me
and l can't be a mother.
Don't be silly.
Here, sit down a minute.
What's happened is quite normal.
Few women get pregnant
the first time.
Sure...
but l haven't got much money.
Maybe l should forget it.
Don't say that.
By the second attempt,
60 percent of women
your age get pregnant.
What if Im one of
the 40 percent who don't?
It's not a very scientific science.
l... shouldn't say this...
but in your case
Ive a feeling
it's going to work.
You do?
Really?
Yes.
You're wonderful.
You've convinced me.
Great.
Now all we need is
some first-class sperm.
And l promise you'll get it.
Sperm XZ2000B again?
That sperm's already fertilized...
4 patients.
You'll flood the world with XZs!
No, no.
Listen to me.
This patient is very, very special.
l want the sperm
to be exceptional, understand?
This is a disaster.
-What's wrong?
-Its the slowest,
most sluggish sperm
I've ever seen.
lf you say so.
And the others?
Terrible.
Look.
These don't centrifuge well at all.
Number 4 here,
just looking at it turns my stomach.
And this last sample looks like...
it comes from some
90-year-old at death's door.
Then we have a problem.
Ariadna's in the operating room.
What do you want me
to do about it?
The emergency method.
For serious problems,
extreme technical solutions.
Eenie, meenie, minie, moe,
catch a tiger by the toe...
this one I'll do.
This one, okay?
Sorry...
The effect will wear off...
-A little more.
-Ready.
Are you all right?
-Im fine.
-Are you sure?
A bit dizzy, that's all.
Hey!
What are you doing?
-l needed some oxygen.
-Well you just took
some sedative, silly.
That's the oxygen there.
-Im surprised you're still standing.
-Gloria.
Give me a hand.
Let's get this done.
No, Im all right.
Serafin.
That's it.
Now the test tube.
And the pipette.
No.
No.
This can't be happening.
What could I do?
l had two alternatives...
Admit I'd made a mistake
and fertilization would fail or...
What's this disgusting stuff
you've dropped on the floor?
Serafin!
-Im pregnant! I'm pregnant!
-Good, good.
But don't jump up and down!
-It's not good for...
-You're right.
Its just that Im so happy!
Oh, Serafin!
This baby inside me
owes you so much.
You've put so much into it.
Yes!
So much science,
so much technique.
The worst part is
that we won't meet again.
No... we won't.
But Ill bring
the baby in for you to see.
And a photo for your board.
Take care.
Take care.
Yes. Bye.
She was going.
Out of my life for ever.
I was losing her.
With something of mine
inside her.
Something tiny, microscopic,
still ridiculously small
but my flesh and blood,
with my genes.
Without doubt, among all the animals
the emperor penguin deserves
the title of ''perfect father."
For it is the males
who keep their young warm
through the long Antarctic winter,
in temperatures of 50 below zero
and losing half their body weight
as they give warmth and food
to offspring
who would never survive
without the loving care
of their penguin papas.
What could be more beautiful
than a father's love for his young?
Dad...
What's the matter?
Have you been peeling onions
or something?
-Dad...
-What are you doing?
You're dribbling all over me!
-I need to...
-You need to what?
Feel what a father's love's like.
This bed's too small,
you're too big,
and Im too old to feel...
Look...
Tell me things
about when l was little.
What do you want me to say?
When Mum left...
you had to look after me.
Father and son united... beautiful.
Not at all. More like depressing.
l was in a bad way and you were
-a pretty weird child.
-But you played with me...
You didn't Like playing
on your own and you had no friends,
so l had to be the dragon,
the princess the robber
and the pirate all in one.
And you always had to be the hero,
which I deeply regret.
But for...
a son...
who grows up
without his father...
-it must be traumatic...
-It depends.
-Depends? On what?
-On the father,
the son and the age.
At your age and mine,
Serafin, this is aberrant.
Get out of here
and leave me alone.
Go to your own bed.
Go on.
It's no use chasing after something
that's running away from us.
Ariadna wanted a child
by an anonymous father
and Id decided to be just that...
Anonymous.
But fate...
whimsical, indomitable fate...
was playing dirty
behind my back.
That morning,
little Diego Salvaterra,
a 10-year-old boy with a weakness
for chocolate-coated cereals,
knocked over a pile
of boxes and grabbed
the one closest to his left foot.
It so happened that the box
of cereals held a prize...
two free tickets for the circus.
Overcome by excitement, little Diego
scoffed the whole box of cereals,
which gave him stomach ache, but
this did not stop him from inviting
a classmate, little Inez, to
the circus. Now Inez wore a dress,
short and redolent
of flowery, pink panties,
for which Diego had
a spot just as soft as he had for
chocolate-coated cereals.
Inez was about to accept
when little Diego Salvaterra,
stricken by a stomach cramp,
threw up over Inezs dress
and Inez decided
she was too young for boys.
Deeply wounded by Inezs refusal,
little Diego turned to Miss Marina,
his maths teacher,
to whom he gave the tickets
together with a disastrous exercise
in the hope of a better mark.
That afternoon
Marina felt a weakness in her legs.
Attributing it to tiredness,
she decided to take a white coffee
in a bar which was on her way home
and she'd never entered before.
Little Diego's gift
did not save him from his bad mark,
but Marina kept the tickets
anyway and decided
to treat her mother, who loved clowns
and elephants, to the circus.
Marina was about to call her mother
when she felt her period start,
which explained her weak legs,
so she ran off to buy some
sanitary pads with wings,
leaving the tickets
on the table with her coffee.
So there was I, trying
to find some sense in life,
with two circus tickets in my hand.
It was her!
Ariadna.
Hanging head-down
like a bat.
With my baby in her!
So irresponsible!
Didn't she think
of the risk to my baby?
Where am l?
Am l dead?
You fainted.
Yes...
Can you leave us?
He's all right.
What a surprise.
Somebody faints
and it turns out to be you.
Did you come to see me?
Not exactly.
Actually it was all
a coincidence.
Really?
Anyway, l was sure
we'd see each other again.
Pity you missed
the end of my act.
Its the nicest part.
Nice?
Im sorry but it was like
a horror film to me.
Why?
You were risking
the baby's life.
The baby l gave you...
l mean we gave you.
The one we inseminated you for...
Pregnancy's hard to achieve.
You don't want
to spoil it all now.
Ever dreamed you were flying?
Isn't it fantastic?
That's how l feel
on the trapeze.
Like Im flying,
weightless, defying gravity.
Stop, stop for goodness sake!
For goodness sake!
You don't like it?
Its not a question
of whether l like it or not.
So what is it a question of?
Of man never being meant to fly.
Feet are for planting
firmly on the ground.
Hey, Ignatof.
You see? The exception
that confirms the rule.
lf flying was good for us,
we'd all have wings.
But that's not the case.
We invented aero planes.
That's what l mean. Look at all the
childless air hostesses there are.
And you know why?
Because heights
are extremely dangerous
for pregnant women.
Female mountaineers
and astronauts have the same problem.
-Staying for supper?
-Some other time.
This is where l live.
Thanks for coming with me.
We'll see each other again?
Of course, some day.
Would tomorrow be a good day?
l could pick you up.
Okay.
in the evening.
At 8.45?
8.48 would be okay too.
Go away, dog!
Go away!
l know l look terrible, Ariadna.
But it's the thought that counts
and l wanted to please you.
These are for you.
They're very pretty.
But Im not Ariadna.
What?
Im her twin sister, Penelope.
Come on in.
Incredible.
You're identical.
How silly of me,
you're twins after all.
l didn't know
Ariadna had a sister.
Go up to her.
She's expecting you.
The way to Ariadna's heart
was like that staircase.
I had to take it step by step.
And most important of all,
not rush things.
No throwing myself into her arms
and saying l couldn't live
without her or my baby.
On that first date
I'd just give her the flowers
and chat informally...
I love you, l love you,
you're so beautiful,
so wonderful.
Hold on, hold on.
-We're going too fast.
-What do you mean, Serafin?
Look... come here.
Foreplay...
is very important.
lf l may...
One... two...
three...
So how long
does the foreplay last?
That depends
on the individual.
Women generally need
half an hour.
Half an hour!
lf you like...
Ill move on to stimulating...
your nipples.
That might accelerate the process.
Stop! Stop!
-Please, stop.
-Am I over stimulating you?
Ill move on.
Do it.
Your navel's so beautiful.
Your belly's so...
so... so...
Pregnant.
Go on.
Is this a good idea?
Avery good idea.
What's that?
A dog!
Its Friday.
Hi, handsome.
-You have a dog on Fridays?
-No, that's his name.
It attacked me!
What's it doing here?
Its a local stray.
We feed it.
Friday!
Sorry. l was dressing
a cut he had
-and he ran away.
-Don't touch it!
Don't touch it!
It's all right.
Penelope, Serafin...
You've already met.
Ill take him.
We should keep him.
l agree.
-Right. Now come here.
-Wait, wait, wait.
What's all this
about keeping him?
That dog can't stay here.
Why not?
He's a good dog
and he's all alone.
Because it's a stray
and it has a cut
and could transmit infections.
And parasites.
And... we have to do something.
-No!
-Dad, please!
Out! Out!
You can't bring dogs here!
What do l want one for?
Are you mad?
Friday, sit down.
Not even in English...
Get rid of it now.
l can't, Dad.
Its ours.
Its our dog.
l didn't let you have
a dog as a child
and you can't have one now!
Dad, Dad.
Listen to me.
Its a matter
of life and death.
l have to tell you something.
It'd better be good.
-Give me a drink.
-What?
Dad, please. All that's missing
in here is the barman.
Whisky or rum?
Both.
Goodness me.
l can see you and the dog
sleeping it off in here.
Now l know
that most couples do it
the other way around...
They fall in love
and if they decide
to have a baby...
they get down
to business later.
Well, we're the same,
except that
we started at the end.
That's not so bad, is it?
Give me a swig.
So... do you think
she'll be angry?
Well...
You tricked her,
took advantage of her,
lied to her...
No.
She won't be angry.
She'll just never forgive you.
She'll never want
to see you again.
But that's nothing.
She'll probably report you too.
You'll lose your job,
and get depressed and end up
in an asylum...
lf you're lucky.
So shall l just
keep my mouth shut?
Whether you do or not,
l don't think
you'll escape disaster.
Think of your semen
as the first few drops
of a great flood
that will drown us all.
Tell her the truth.
Can't go on like this.
Things could get worse.
Better tell her the truth.
Better tell her the truth.
Tell her the truth.
Poor Serafin!
There'll be no lies on Judgment Day.
Better tell the truth.
Better tell the truth.
Tell her the truth.
To stop thinking,
to stop feeling bad,
to stop pretending,
to stop looking back,
to stop suffering...
tell her the truth.
Tell her the truth.
Ill have seaweed salad.
Only seaweed salad?
Why not have some meat or fish?
For your vitamin
and protein intake.
My stomach isn't a laboratory,
Serafin. But okay.
Sushi with tuna fish for me.
Raw fish?
Raw fish... no way.
Tuna fish, but it must be
very, very well done.
And Ill have the same.
-That way we rule out anisakis.
-Don't worry, sir.
Our fish is very fresh.
There's no danger.
No-one can guarantee
that 100 percent.
We want it very, very well done.
Right.
That's tuna fish...
overcooked, no anisakis...
Thank you.
Sorry if l went on about the food.
l only want the best
for you and the baby.
There's something else
l wanted to tell you...
l was going to wait till dessert
but l feel so nervous
and impulsive
that l just can't wait.
Seaweed salad.
Ariadna...
That's pretty!
Its a ring.
l was thinking...
the baby's almost due
and Id love...
to give it my surname.
Will you marry me?
You're so funny.
What's funny about this?
The baby won't need your surname.
He's got one already.
l hoped you'd feel flattered.
I know before we met
you wanted to be a single mother
but we love each other,
so why deny the poor thing
a father?
Well, you see...
Im not the mother.
What?
The baby's not for me.
It's for my sister.
Penelope.
This has got to be a joke.
You're having me on.
No, Im not. Really.
She always wanted to be a mother,
but she can't have kids.
What are you saying?
She had an accident
some years ago. She fell
off the trapeze.
So we decided
I'd have a baby for her.
You're crazy.
You're crazy.
You can't do this to me.
Why?
l think it's very nice.
And my sister's happy.
And Im still young
so l can have kids
of my own in the future.
The future...
the future doesn't exist.
The only thing that's real
is that baby
in there that l...
This can't be happening!
Maybe l should have told you
before but l didn't think
-you'd take it so badly.
-Oh, God!
Oh, my goodness!
Your tuna fish.
That's not for you!
Why?
Why is it so difficult to steer
the course of our own lives?
Why are we doomed to drift
aimlessly, without a rudder?.
Is there any point in dodging
the slings and arrows of fortune?
Wouldn't it just
be better to give in?
To give up?
Serafin!
Serafin!
What is it?
That dog needs taking out
before it fills the place with shit!
l am not getting out of bed, Dad!
I've renounced the world!
Can't you think of anything
more original than
copying your father?
Im just taking your example.
No, sir.
With me it's different.
Mine is an ethical posture
towards life.
Since when is staying
in bed an ethical posture?
Yes, sir.
Posture as in Onetti!
Does the name ring a bell?
More than posture, that's a pose.
You're ridiculous.
You got out of bed!
Well, someone has to show
a little common sense
in this house. Im taking
that mutt out before
it drives us crazy.
Friday.
His name's Friday.
l don't give a shit what his name is!
l hold you responsible if this dog
pisses in the doorway, the janitor
refuses to take the garbage down
and this place gets full
of shit and we get kicked out!
l said ''responsible''!
What if it bites someone
and they report us to the police
and l have a panic attack
and die of heart failure?
l said ''responsible''!
And will you get out of bed!
l hate being imitated.
You're Like some clone!
Where are you taking me walkies?
To Moscow?
-l don't believe it!
-All right, Ill move on.
He was only having a pee.
No, it's not that.
Its just that Im surprised
to see you after so many years.
-How are you?
-Im dog sitting, as you can see.
-Would you like a coffee?
-Thanks,
but Im in a hurry, and being out
like this makes me dizzy.
Come on, you mutt.
Before you go... What's
the weather going to be Like today?
How should l know?
Leave the ladies alone.
That's all l need.
lf it rains on my tables,
they'll get spoilt.
You really don't know?
l haven't forecast
the weather for years.
l bet you haven't
lost your touch.
It must be instinctive.
The only one
with instinct is Fido here.
l think it's going to be fine.
Everything looks black to me.
Like stormy black?
Black... just black.
Come on!
Hey, son, take the tables in.
-But l just got them out!
-Do it!
-So you're going out after all?
-Yes.
You were fickle
even as a child.
Thank goodness you've got me.
There they both were.
How could Ariadna do this to me?
Give my son to her sister
like some birthday present.
l had to stop her.
But how?.
What could I do?
I'd go to her
and talk her out of it.
I'd find exactly the right words,
I'd be persuasive, convincing,
rational, restrained...
You stupid!
You're acting so stupid,
you make me sick.
Serafin.
Don't talk to me like that!
l don't get it.
How can you give up the baby?
Don't you realize it's yours?
Its your own flesh and blood.
Where's your maternal instinct?
l don't know.
Maybe l haven't got any.
-How can you say that?
-l don't want children yet.
But l was so happy about it.
And Ive got paternal instinct.
A huge amount of it.
And Ive been with you all this time
and seen the baby
grow inside you.
So what?
What do you mean?
-Doesn't that give me some rights?
-No.
It doesn't and you're going
over the top.
Its my life, my body
and my decision.
You're only in love
with my belly.
But you and your belly are you.
They're the same thing.
Serafin, you're acting
weird, obsessively and...
-What's the matter?
-What do you think?
-What shall we do?
-Go to the hospital.
-The hospital.
-Call a taxi.
A taxi. Help!
Please! Please!
Help! Taxi!
Stop! Stop! Stop!
The maternity ward
at the hospital!
And step on it!
Take it easy, okay?
Hey!
Ari...?
What?
I don't know how
to say this but...
Just a moment.
Wait here. Take her
to the delivery room.
l love you.
We need her details.
Are you the father?
Yes... well, no...
Is that yes or no?
It depends...
lf it depends
then you can't go through.
Oh, God!
What's the matter?
Is something wrong?
Wrong? Worse than wrong.
Once again life had left me out
at the most important time.
When my son was fighting
to be born.
Alone, deprived of the security
of a father's presence.
Please... I can't breathe.
That was my son.
A wonderful child.
A creature unique to the universe.
Special, matchless...
While other fathers would be able
to enjoy their children,
I had to say goodbye to mine.
No, Serafin,
you'll never be a father.
That's your son
but he's not for you.
You'll be a childless father.
He'll be a fatherless son.
Its late.
You should go home.
Just a little longer.
Go on, you've got the rest
of your life to be with him.
Id have to hide
where no-one would ever find me.
I'd go wherever necessary...
To the ends
of the earth if need be.
Even if it meant being
shut up between four walls,
my son and I would have
all that we needed...
Our love.
With each new day I was astonished
at how much he was like me.
He did all his little things
with clock-like precision.
Just like his father.
That room was our shrine.
But a baby can't be
shut away forever.
Babies need daylight
to synthesize vitamin D.
I mean, what could happen?
A father and son in the park.
Nothing suspicious in that.
Who'd be interested in us?
What a lovely baby.
So nice to see the father
looking after a baby.
-Goochie, goochie.
-Teresa.
That baby
looks hungry.
Isn't he breastfed?
No.
l breastfed mine
till he was 3 years old.
Does he eat well?
Mine doesn't like bottles.
Breastfeeding's best.
But it ties you down.
This way the father can help out.
Isnt he lovely?
-He's never been breastfed?
-No.
And your wife agrees?
My wife died.
The poor thing!
And poor you.
And the poor baby.
Did she die
-giving birth?
-Its a very long story.
She was an angel.
Too good for this world.
She was always laughing,
doing new things...
She was a trapeze artist.
Ive got a photo.
Her name's Ariadna... was Ariadna.
Very pretty.
And the baby looks just like her.
She changed me.
Until l met her l believed everything
could be reduced to probabilities,
percentages.
But she showed me
that some things
can't be measured.
What percentage could express
how much I loved her?
A hundred percent?
Too little. Two hundred?
A thousand? A million?
Ive lost her
and the emptiness is so great...
that it's immeasurable
and nothing can fill it.
What a fool I've been.
It was my fault.
Its not your fault.
I supplied the semen...
I supplied the semen...
You don't understand.
Of course we do.
But that didn't kill her.
It was just bad luck.
l must go and see her...
talk to her.
Look, you have to accept it.
She's dead now.
Her grave.
l have to go to her grave.
He looked up at the sky
and said it'd rain,
and saved all
my new tables and chairs.
Pure coincidence.
Dogs like prawns, don't they?
l want to share this moment
with him. Thanks to him,
l got out of the house again.
Ill bring him some lamb chops.
-He'll lick his paws.
-Fine, fine.
l saw you when l was a kid.
You had curly hair, didn't you?
l did have.
You're more handsome now.
Men get more attractive
as they age, more interesting.
-Do they really?
-Yes.
Friday!
Excuse me a minute.
Go away, Friday, go away!
Hello, Dad.
How are you? Its me.
l know it's you! What are you doing
dressed up like that?
Please, don't talk so loud.
Keep your voice down.
First you disappear then
you turn up looking like that.
Have you done something silly?
-You don't know?
-Know what?
Didn't the police go?
The police?
Have you got
yourself into trouble?
Ill explain later. Now l need you
to do me a favor. Come here.
This is Prospero Hernandez.
He's your grandson.
Hold him.
Look after him for a while.
Careful with his head.
What the...?
Forgive me, forgive me.
Forgive me, Ariadna,
Im begging you.
Serafin!
What are you doing? Get up!
Only if you say forgive me.
I'm a monster,
an utter swine, but I can't
live without you.
Come on, get up.
It can't be that bad.
''Can't be that bad''!
What do you mean?
How can l undo
all the damage Ive done you?
Ive already forgiven you.
What?
I forgive you.
Ive really missed you.
It can't be...
It can't be... as easy as this.
Shut up and kiss me.
-Where are you taking me?
-To heaven.
l still can't believe it.
l must be dreaming.
Ive something to tell you.
l knew it!
You haven't forgiven me.
You never want to see me again.
No, my love...
l have to go away.
Go away? Where to?
On tour for 6 months.
We leave this evening.
This evening?
Six months?
Why not come with me?
What?
Come with me on the tour.
l couldn't earn a living
working at a circus.
Serafin, it would be so nice.
We'd go to
some fantastic places together.
Would we have to fly?
We could always take trains.
Say you will, say you will.
What about the baby?
Who'll look after him?
His mother, Penelope.
Of course... his mother.
Silly of me.
Penelope.
Look, here they come.
I'm dying for you to meet him.
Meet who?
What's that?
What's that?
Its Ulysses, Penelope's son.
What was happening?
Isnt he beautiful?
lf Penelope had a son,
then whose baby had I stolen?
How could I have made
such a terrible mistake?
How could my paternal instinct
have failed me so?
Of course, all new-born babies
do look similar...
I went back to the hospital.
l had to get the address of the poor
parents and give them the baby back.
The fire brigade.
The address
the nurse had given me
was the fire station.
So there I was,
waiting to give the baby
back to Prosperos father.
Id tell him some lie.
Whatever...
But if he thought Id stolen
his baby, he'd crush me
like a fly.
in my mind's eye...
he was tall,
strong, athletic,
as big as a house...
and black!
My son's father was black!
Is this him?
-Mind his head.
-He's cute.
And big too.
We didn't think much
of his chances when l found him.
You should have seen him.
So small
and naked. He'd been thrown
into a skip like rubbish.
l did what l could.
We took him to hospital
and l gave him my name.
So hasn't he got any parents?
Im afraid not.
And he's such
a cute little thing.
Its a pity you can't keep him.
He seems to like you.
He hasn't come.
Isnt that strange?
He'll come.
He loves you
and won't let you go alone.
Do you think so? It wouldn't be
the first time he'd disappeared.
-He doesn't want you to go.
-Time for his feed. Go on.
Take care and call
or write.
Or both.
Ill send a carrier pigeon.
Serafin will come,
Im sure he will.
Off you go.
Can you give me a hand?
Everything's going to be fine.
You are a beautiful baby.
in a minute some nice lady
will find you and be your new mummy.
Come on, darling.
You see?
What do you think of her?
She's pretty.
-And you'll have a brother.
-Are you stupid?
Didn't you say you wanted a wee-wee?
Sometimes l could...
Bloody kids!
No, we don't Like her.
But there are more.
The world's full of parents
who'll look after you
much better than me.
Well, I must go
or Ill be late.
I'M PROSPERO.
l NEED PARENTS.
Don't look at me like that.
Its the only way.
Its you or her.
Goodbye.
My son!
My son!
...and we'll play cards
and have such
a good time together.
Madam, that's my baby.
-He was abandoned.
-No...
-Abandoned!
-l forgot him.
Just for 5 minutes. Let go. What
kind of father do you take me for?
Who will l play with now?
By jumping off that train
I'd lost the love of my life.
An absurd fate for which
only I was to blame
had turned me into a father.
So I committed myself for life.
SOME TIME LATER
-Ariadna?
-Yes.
Thank you for coming.
Im his son.
How is he?
Bad. He's been asking
for you for days.
All these years...
l never stopped thinking of you.
Don't talk, Serafin.
l have to tell you something.
l...
put my semen...
It was a recurrent nightmare.
Because I couldn't forget Ariadna.
For months I'd followed
the Serendipity Circus's progress
and had sent postcards
to wherever they happened to be.
But she never answered.
And the day came
when I gave up.
RETURNED
I assumed she didn't want
to hear from me.
The case was the opposite
with my son, Prospero,
who needed me more and more.
As I needed him.
No, here, here.
This one here.
Breaking news.
Dismay in the world
of show business.
A fierce blaze
has completely destroyed
the Serendipity Circus,
which was on a world tour.
One of the artists
told us about it...
Dad.
Shall l take the baby
to the natural science museum
to the exhibition
or to the archaeological museum?
Serafin...
Serafin...
Sit down and listen to me
but please don't get hysterical.
What is it?
Have you got cancer?
Have l?
Has the baby?
Ariadna's circus has burned down.
But no-one was hurt.
The fire destroyed
the circus but they're all okay.
They're all okay.
The poor thing!
How she must feel.
All alone and so far away
and I can't do a thing to help.
Yes, you can.
They've all come back.
Tonight they're giving
a special fund-raising performance
to rebuild the circus...
Its terrible!
Ive no excuse...
l should go but...
l need...
some kind of nudge...
a push...
Make me go.
Make you go?
Yes. Tell me...
you're ashamed to be my father.
-That Im a coward.
-No, you're not a coward.
You're just selfishness in person.
You ask for advice and don't listen,
you want to control everything
but can't even control yourself.
You're fainthearted and neurotic.
You don't deserve that girl.
No, don't go.
Don't go!
And that's that.
Thank you very much, Dad.
Ill go now
and tell her everything.
What is it?
Aren't you forgetting something?
l can't take the baby along.
l see. So you're going
to tell her everything
except for about 90 percent.
l panicked for a moment.
Let's go.
What did you say?
What did you say?
No... he's a good boy.
Of course he is.
Excuse me.
Where are the circus people?
On the terrace roof.
Sorry, but you're
not going anywhere.
l want Ariadna,
the trapeze artist.
They can't be disturbed.
They're rehearsing.
Do you eat yoghurt?
Of course.
Well, you be careful,
because Ive got a friend
as big as you
and when he eats yoghurt it's expired
by the time it's reached his stomach.
Its a long time
since anyone told me
such a bad joke.
Yes, it is bad.
Really bad.
Could l see Ariadna
just for a second?
All right,
if it's so important.
Wait here.
So this was the new Serafin.
Self-assured, resolved,
with a sense of humor...
And a coward.
l was running with
my tail between my legs
when cruel fate decided
to play one last trick on me.
There were Penelope and Ulysses.
l walked towards them
anticipating the end of my odyssey.
-Serafin?
-Penelope.
Is this your son?
Daddy?
He just said his first word
and he's hardly one year old.
Very good, Prospero.
Bravo.
-Is it your baby?
-Yes.
But he's the same age as Ulysses!
l came to tell Ariadna everything
but Im too scared.
Really? Why?
lf I tell her the truth Ill die...
if she doesn't kill me first.
Then it's just as well
you found me and not her.
-Penelope!
-Yes?
Sorry.
l didn't recognize you.
Ive lost my glasses.
Do you know where Ariadna is?
She's not in there.
She's looking after my son.
-l went to get some baby food.
-Baby food?
Start with the baby.
There must be another woman.
That's why you left Ariadna.
No, no...
She's the only girl
Ive ever loved!
Really?
So why did you keep disappearing?
Why did you let her go?
-Why?
-Okay, okay.
Ill tell you.
But promise
you won't tell Ariadna.
Ill promise whatever you like.
But tell me, please.
It all began
the opposite way around
from how it should have...
Ariadna! Hurry up,
they're waiting for you.
Hi, Serafin.
But...
Are you...?
Ariadna.
Don't give your glasses
to Ulysses again.
He'll break them.
I've been looking
for them everywhere.
Bye.
l thought
that she was you.
Ariadna pretended to be me?
As kids we did that all the time.
I want to die!
Not before the show.
Its the law of the circus.
Thank you for coming tonight.
The circus can't live on without you.
And l need your help too.
Any volunteers?
Come on,
someone who's not afraid.
Someone capable
of doing crazy things.
No, not me.
Let's hear it
for a brave man!
-What are you going to do?
-Youll see.
l hope it isn't revenge.
Of course not.
This is a romantic number.
Just sit there,
and trust me.
Who'd have thought Id end up
up here with Ariadna?
Up in the air,
walking on air.
There's Penelope
and her son with my genes
and Ariadna's.
And prospero,
who doesn't have them,
but who's my son.
After all, who cares
who supplied the first drop?
SEMEN a love story