The Art of Joy (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

The Art of Joy
It's true.
I stole.
I always stole the joy I wanted
from everything and everyone.
Is there too much light?
Do you want me to dim it a little?
How many times have I fallen in love?
When it's necessary.
More?
Hello? Girl?
My mother's and sister's bodies were in the house.
Someone locked them in a room.
And they couldn't escape, poor things.
Virgin Mary, how cruel this is!
Dr. Milazzo visited her and told her she had been assaulted.
- Virgin Mary!
- Enough, be quiet! Be quiet!
Nothing compares to 1909.
Terrible things happen that never happened in the Middle Ages
because the people of faith left this place.
These wicked people do you know how many I've seen? Many.
- Inspector sir.
- Sir, I'm sorry.
We can't remind her; all she has to do is forget.
In the name of Saint Agida, who was martyred,
stop torturing this girl!
- What is the girl's name?
- Her name is Modesta.
Modesta.
Come on, let's continue talking outside.
They found a man's clothes burned,
but they didn't find his body.
The girl will stay with us tonight.
We'll decide where to take her tomorrow.
- I apologize again.
- Listen to me.
Please come back tomorrow.
We can't keep you here.
Alright.
She'll end up in an orphanage.
Modesa.
Modesa.
Did you bring the ice from the mountain?
- And the eggs?
- Quiet!
Bring me the eggs.
- There are two.
- Only two?
And the third? Did you eat it?
They're too tight.
Come here.
They hurt me, they're too tight.
Tina has everything, even holiday shoes.
Take your hands off her dress.
Come on, go outside and take the goat with you.
They hurt me, they're too tight.
Modesta, the goat!
It's raining.
I heard they're going to take her to the girls' orphanage of Mary.
Poor thing, it's full of bugs.
But dogs eat better than those poor orphan girls.
I'll get the towel.
The big towel isn't here.
I'll go and bring it.
What are you doing? Come here! Where are you going?
Come on, let's cover up this scandal.
Come on, Ilaria, keep playing.
Sorry, Mother Leonora, we didn't mean to disturb you.
This little one is driving us crazy.
You're here too.
Leave me alone! Take your things.
A big star.
A little star.
The star Tozu.
Modesta, get down from there! That little devil took the dress!
- The girl is very greedy.
- Exactly.
Excuse me, Mother.
Come with me. Come on.
Rosalia. Incoronata.
This girl can't eat with us, her behavior is improper.
- Thank God she's leaving tomorrow.
- Don't worry, Sister Costanza.
Knife! Fork!
- Teach her to eat like a human being.
- Alright.
- But I don't know. I'm hungry.
- We don't talk like that here.
Here. Eat.
No. Like this.
Like that.
But pray first.
Holy Mary, call upon my angel and speak to the Holy Spirit.
So he can cook me delicious things.
Holy Virgin Mary, help us!
Girl!
Come on, move along.
Only a stable animal could do something like this.
Shameful behavior.
Mother Leonora.
Sister Concetta, wash these things.
And take the girl to your room.
Come on, Hilaria.
It's a disgrace, Mother.
- Let's go.
- Who is this nun?
Mother Leonora, the abbess, is the one who decides everything.
Modesta! Modesta, stop! Holy Mary!
What are you doing? Let her go! You have to let her go!
Hilaria, stop.
Okay.
I understand.
Come with me.
- Is this your room?
- Well, this is where I study.
Sit down.
Remind me of your name.
What's your name?
Modesta.
Modesta.
What a beautiful name.
Sister Costanza told me a little about you.
Where are you looking?
At Saint Agatha?
Do you know her story?
She was only fifteen years old
with golden hair.
She devoted her life to God and took a vow of chastity.
But the governor of Sicily wanted her.
And she refused him.
So he had her tortured.
They burned her flesh.
They burned her?
They beat her body.
In the height of their rage,
they tore off her breasts with huge pincers.
Her breasts.
Did she die?
Her body died,
but her soul is in heaven.
And she became a saint.
Did her story frighten you?
No?
Good. Poor thing, after everything you've been through.
Can you tell me who was with you in the house
when it burned?
My mother and my sister.
Do you know that your mother and your sister
went back to the House of the Lord?
Yes.
Was there a man too?
Was there?
You can tell me.
Did he set the house on fire?
He got angry because they were screaming, and they never stopped.
That's enough.
Now that you're here with us,
you're safe.
Sit down.
Such big eyes!
This is the pretty eye.
And this is its sister.
This is the little church.
And these are the little brothers.
The nose is the bell that rings: ding dong, ding dong.
You stupid, filthy, bastard son of a bitch!
You took your sister's dress.
You can only stay in the orphanage, eating bread and water.
You're a devil. You have no respect for anything.
Come on.
Look at Tina, how pretty she is!
- Good morning.
- Hello.
- Hello.
How are you?
One foot here. Help her.
Help her, or the dress will get dirty.
The dress, please.
She's already sat down. What a beautiful girl.
She's a devil, as always.
Tozu.
Always causing trouble.
- Greece?
- Athens.
- The Ottoman Empire?
- Constantinople.
- Egypt?
- Cairo.
Cairo.
Peru?
Lima.
- Well done.
- Well done.
She looks like a little trained monkey.
Three months ago, God sent us this little girl.
We'll feed her, wash her, and teach her.
And we will keep doing that.
Modesta will stay with us until she comes of age.
God willing, she will become a nun like us.
What generosity.
Mimo
I could stay here forever.
Would you like to ride on my back?
Come on.
Mother Leonora, you know the families of the novices won't like this.
This convent has been attended
by the daughters of Sicily's finest families for 200 years.
Noble families only.
For 200 years, our mission has been charity work.
Our duty is to help the poor and the needy.
It isn't their fault that they are ignorant.
Christ has shown us the way.
Let the little children come to me.
For to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Leonora, you are making a mistake.
We will regret it.
Are you God?
God is good.
He is in everything good. God is in everything around us.
So he's also in the bad things?
Ilaria, did you hear what she said?
Bad things happen because a person falls into the devil's temptation.
- Is man stronger than God? - No.
God is capable of everything and above everyone.
When you grow up, you will study theology,
and all these mysteries will be revealed.
Why when I grow up? I want to know now.
You've only just learned to read and write. You don't understand yet.
Knowledge comes slowly.
- Oh my God, an earthquake! - Modesta!
Mother!
It's him. It's the mountain.
Can you feel your heart beating fast, girl?
She has grown up and changed.
With Mother Leonora's gentle voice,
her blue eyes,
And the sound of her robes rustling
made me fly through those dark corridors to reach her
just to be with her always.
From her mouth I stole the words and the melodies,
concepts no one could ever take from me.
Servant of Christ.
In the convent, I embroidered, studied, learned, played music,
and ate every day as if it were Sunday.
The sheets smelled of sweet almonds.
But am I going to spend my whole life there?
Bend your finger.
Translation by Hussam Ali Al-Ghazi
Hilaria, please.
Your wish has been granted.
But now I'll be alone. You won't be by my side to comfort me anymore.
Don't be silly, you'll never be alone.
And now you've become a servant of the Lord.
In fact, since you're no longer a novice,
you can be close to the other sisters.
Excuse me, Mother?
Come on, Modesta, welcome.
Sister.
Mother, thank you for welcoming me and letting me live by your side.
Modesta.
Hurry up, or it'll get cold.
Press them a little.
Let me do it.
Ready.
- Is it too tight?
- No.
Mother, I want to get married.
Mother, I want to get married.
Mother, I want to get married.
My daughter, to whom shall I give you? Mother, you decide for yourself.
If I hand you over to the cart driver,
he'll go away, then come back
with the whip always in his hand.
If it's on your mind
The donkey will be let go and will tie you up
What did they do to you?
They tied you up like a mangy dog
Are you bad, my daughter?
No, he hit me
I left you here to dry out like a tomato
Oh my, I'll take care of you
Mother, I want to get married
Mother, I want to get married
Mother, I want to get married
My daughter, who shall I give you to? Mother, you decide for yourself
What a beautiful daughter you are
Would you like to see my house?
Saint Augustine embraced Christianity when he came of age
But no one ever prayed with such remorse
When he described it as "old sins
I would like to read you some lines from Pierre de Labriolle
in "True Love." May I, Mother?
"The memory of love is still alive within him
The grace of fleeting bodies
The brightness of light, and the sweetness of songs
And the delicious scent of flowers
And organs created for physical union
Thank you, Modesta, that's enough
- Who wants to go on?
- I would like to say
Physical union. May the Lord keep us
The grace of fleeting bodies. May the Lord keep our souls and free us
Desire. May God strike us down
They had the Lord
And I wished for life
They opposed life with words
Like "evil," "hell," "obedience," "sin
I repeated those words with them
But only so you would notice their approval
To be the chosen one in Leonora's eyes
- You can't love anyone but the Lord.
- That's right, Sister Ilaria.
And the words that came from her lips were round like apples.
You need to be more careful, Modesta.
Cleverness can be dangerous.
But once I tasted it, I discovered how rotten it was.
- And it can make us fall
- into the trap of sin, I know.
Sin.
But I want to learn and become educated.
Your hunger for knowledge frightens me.
Besides, what good will it do you?
A woman will never reach a man's wisdom.
But you're a woman, and yet you're learned and educated.
I want to be like you.
You're a crazy girl.
Look, I've set up the telescope my father gave me over there.
Teach me the names of the stars, which I'll show you tonight.
How big will they appear through this telescope?
Will we also be able to see the craters on the moon?
Poor things, they got soaked.
Come on, let's go back to our rooms.
- Come warm your body.
- Yes, thank you.
Modesta, I want to make sure you always feel safe
despite your origins.
But I feel safe here with you.
That's how it should be.
I've decided to set up a salary for you.
- For life, when I die.
- Mother, don't say that.
Don't frighten me, you're still young. I don't want this salary.
Don't be afraid.
When that happens, long after now,
I'll be watching over you from above.
And I will always be close to you.
Go change your clothes, you're completely soaked.
What's wrong?
Are you scared of the storm?
Do you know what we'll do?
You can sleep with me tonight
and we can comfort each other.
Here. Put this on.
What's wrong? Are you feeling shy?
Don't worry, I'll turn my back.
Turn around too.
It's too big for you.
A little.
Shall we do it again?
Shall we look at the stars again?
Of course.
Actually, I'm happy you're interested in this.
When I was little,
we'd make up names for the stars.
Go up to the roof.
Lie down
and look at the sky.
A big star.
Big.
A small star.
The star Tozu.
Tozu?
Tozu.
Tozu.
Tozu.
What are you doing standing there like an idiot? Are you staring at the flies?
Have you started smoking?
Two days ago, it was the right time.
And where did you leave your sister?
Tina is good for nothing.
She eats noisily, and she's always screaming.
You wretch, she's your sister!
- She's stupid, but she's your sister.
- Ugly, fat and filthy.
What are you doing, you idiot? Have you fallen asleep?
Let me look into your eyes.
I don't know what the sea is like.
Go ahead I won't stop you, will I?
If you really want to know what the sea looks like,
then go see it yourself.
Now that I'm looking at you, your eyes are beautiful
I never noticed that
They look like honey
- Wait
- What? I have to go to work
Why would I want to touch that place when we're so close?
- Where the pee comes out?
- What are you saying? You're bold
Do you think I'm stupid? I'm a man
If you don't leave me alone, I'll take you
- Then we'll be in big trouble
- Let's do it
I'm not scared, you're scared
Look, you're trembling
Now I have to stop, you shameless girl
You've driven me crazy. But I don't want you to lose your innocence
Come on, go, get out of here
Translation: Hossam Ali Al-Ghazi
Mother?
It's time for the prayers of praise
Your bare feet
Your chest under the cloth, your lips, your breath
Your neck, your sweat
Amen
- Mother Leonora hasn't even eaten
- Did you take the food to her room?
No, I arrived late. She was about to leave
- To Catania?
- I don't know
Mother
I'll take your luggage to the carriage
- Good morning, Modesta
- Good morning
You're leaving on a trip and didn't tell me?
Yes, I got a letter this morning
I'm going to Catania, family matters
- Catania? Is it far?
- It's a day trip
- Let me go with you
- No
- I can accompany you
- That's not possible
You have to stay here, it's safer
You may not know it, but we're at war
Terrible things are happening, my dear
Mom? I heard you're leaving
I hope you come back soon
- Can I do anything for you?
- No, thank you, Ilaria. You can go
This is the beautiful eye
And this is her sister
This is the little church
And these are the little brothers
And this is the bell
that goes ding dong
- Let me help you, Mom
- Good morning, Memo
- Have a nice trip
- Thank you
Take care
The rabbits are here
- And we also have a goat, but
- What happened?
Tina stays here when she cries and makes noises
Yes, she's crying. I know Tina's crying
This is the table we eat on
We have bread, eggs and olives here
Do you eat a lot?
Always stay hungry
This is Mom's bed, where Tina sleeps
and I sleep at her feet
These are all really my things
Do you know what we're going to do now? I'm taking her to Catania
- To Catania?
- Yes, Catania
Come on. Come here
You're a blooming flower
Catania is a wonderful city
- Is there a sea?
- Of course there's a sea
It has a port, and it has ships. And the ships are very big
And there are beautiful, tall buildings
Full of lights
Will you take me with you?
If you behave well, I'll get you out of this place
- To see the world
- The world?
I can't believe you're here
Are you here or not?
Are you here or not?
You're here?
How beautiful your mouth is
What are you doing here?
- Leave her alone.
- She was out in the sun, tied up.
You treat my daughter like this? I'll cut your hand off.
Leave her alone. Take your things and go.
Or I'll call the police.
The police? That's nonsense. Where will you find them? Behind the door?
Go and look for them, call them.
Modesta, come here.
Come over here.
I brought you the money, look.
What's wrong? Can't you reach it?
Come on, do you want the money? Take it.
- Stop.
- Get away from her, you disgusting thing.
Let her go or I'll kill you.
- Modesta, come here.
- I want to stay with him.
Damn you, she wants to be with her father.
- I'll kill you.
- What are you doing?
- What are you doing, you criminal?
- Leave her alone.
- I'll break your neck! Stay there.
- Leave her alone.
- Modesta.
- Mother, that's enough.
- Don't worry, we're just joking.
- Mother, that's enough.
You did well, and she deserves it.
See? We have the same blood. Come here.
My little kitten.
My little cat.
Girl, little kitten.
What's wrong with you?
Your cheek has turned red as a pomegranate.
My beauty.
Tell me.
How do you want to go to Catania?
On foot or on horseback?
On horseback, but I don't know how to ride.
Don't worry, I'll teach you.
But don't resist.
Why did you pull away? Are you scared?
No, they get on my nerves.
Don't listen to them.
What a delight.
It's so nice to look at you.
Don't be afraid.
Let's lie down together.
Don't worry.
Just relax.
Leave her. Let her be.
You're a gift.
Are you enjoying being here with us?
Of course. At first, we missed our parents here at the convent.
I have to get used to living without my mother and sisters.
Where are you from? What's your family name?
We're the Chiaromonte family from Ragusa, but I was raised in the Catania palace.
- And you? - I'm Marquis Altavilla.
Will there be a coming-out ball in Catania this year?
No, not since the war began.
There are no more weddings, dances or engagements.
All the young men have enlisted. It's so sad.
Where are you from?
She's a remarkable lady.
The little marchioness from Chiana del Buffi.
I've never heard of that title before. Where is it?
Don't you know?
Chiana del Etna, surrounded by lava and mud.
It's a beautiful place. It has lots of goats, cows and chickens.
What are you doing?
Don't you know Chiana del Buffi?
The great Kingdom of Chiana del Buffi. Have you heard of it before?
Thank you.
I'm only thinking of you, my love.
In your eyes, on your lips.
I can't wait to be with you and show you how much I love you.
"A warm embrace"
Good morning, Modesta.
"You look so happy today."
"I am. Mother Leonora is back."
He promised he'd take me to see the stars tonight.
I've never seen her love anyone this much.
What are you saying?
Mother has a big heart. She loves us all equally.
You're right. I'm the one who committed the sin of jealousy.
Ever since you arrived, Mother Leonora has blossomed again.
None of us has ever gone up the tower with Mother Leonora.
Mimo.
So? What are you doing? Come down.
You're no longer a little girl, and I've become an old woman.
I told you to be careful! Be careful!
Step away from the well.
That dark water draws in tormented souls.
I'm not a tormented soul. I just wanted to see my reflection.
I know you don't have any mirrors.
I don't know what my mouth or my eyes look like.
I don't know whether I'm beautiful or ugly. That's what I was trying to see.
You're ugly?
You look like a princess.
You can't even imagine how jealous women are of you.
With your regal gentleness.
Your moonlit skin, your neck as graceful as a swan's.
Remember, even though you were born in Cianadel,
you are the noblest woman here.
If I were a bee,
I would fly over those pink lips.
What does a bee do?
It lands on them.
What are you saying, my little one?
Do I look like a bee to you? Get away from me.
Poor Mimo. He was so kind.
And I, without mercy, tormented him.
Because I was happy, so very happy.
Leonora has returned.
She wrote to me, my darling.
I was in an incredible state of ecstasy
of pure joy
That's the Big Dipper
Sirius is a little higher up,
the brightest star in the sky
The sky
What a beautiful word that is
Be careful
It's a dangerous place
Forgive me
And what about you?
What was your life like before you took your vows?
I was a different person
I came from a world where you never heard the word of God
I wore organza dresses
with lace trim and collars
I had my hair done every day
I wish I had met you back then
No, don't say that, my dear
Letting yourself be tempted by worldly pleasures is a sin
They promised me to a cavalry officer
a German nobleman who had already killed three men
for trivial reasons of worldly honor
God forgive him
I only saw him once, under my balcony
- With his regiment?
- And what was he like?
Tall, with dark hair
We met again at a party
He asked me to dance
While we were dancing
He gripped my hand tightly, and I felt afraid
Men have always disgusted me
The thought of their hands
touching my skin or groping beneath my clothes
But everything is different between us
Isn't it?
I heard you that night
before you left
What did you hear?
When you were touching yourself
I wanted to touch him too.
How dare you?
- Go away, get out.
- Mother.
Go! May God forgive you! Go!
It's my fault, my great fault.
Should I apologize?
Forgive me?