The Law According to Lidia Poet (2023) s01e04 Episode Script
Episode 4
[chains rattling]
- [man exclaiming]
- [horse whinnying]
["La Marelle / Amarelinha" playing]
[flashbulb popping]
[crowd clamouring]
[clamouring continues]
[overlapping voices] Murderer!
[man] You're a murderer! Murderer!
Can we stop?
Can we stop, please? Can we stop, please?
I want to look at them.
[clamouring voices fade out]
[alternative rock theme music playing]
THE LAW ACCORDING TO LIDIA POË
THE PIEDMONT GAZETTE
MARGHERITA SANGIACOMO IN COURT TOMORROW
[Jacopo] How should I dress
for your dance?
You know, elegant?
A clown?
You'd still be
better-dressed than me, Uncle.
Thanks, Jacopo.
Your spirit is always appropriate.
The spirit blows where it will.
The Gospel says so.
The mother is certain,
the father uncertain.
Exactly!
[departing footsteps]
[pages riffling]
What do you think, huh?
- Dangerous, the spirit.
- [Jacopo] Mm-hm.
Sometimes it drags us to a dark place, hm?
You know,
I have the impression
you blame me for something.
- But I just don't know what.
- Yes?
- No?
- No.
There's nothing I blame you for.
I was reading an article
on Margherita Sangiacomo.
I was distracted.
Trial starts today.
True, true. What time is it?
Are you will write
that she's guilty, like the rest?
- You don't think so? Mm.
- No.
I think they want to see her behind bars
because they hate her,
and they hate her because she's a woman
who studied, graduated
and did everything
a woman is not supposed to.
No. Miss Sangiacomo had a motive.
Hm.
The professor had stolen
the results from her research.
Plus she had access to the poison,
and was the last person
to see Professor Braschi before his death.
Yes, but all the professors
had easy access to the poison.
Listen. They lunch together.
The caretaker closes up,
and they're both still there.
The professor is found dead
on Monday morning
in his office at the university.
[chuckling] Now, who else could it be?
Huh?
We will see.
[chair scraping floor]
- Where are you going?
- The trial is open to the public.
[man] After examining
the prosecutor's papers
and in agreement with my client,
Miss Margherita Sangiacomo,
the defence has hereby made a decision
which I hope
the court will take into account,
especially in the light
of her current poor health conditions.
She fell ill in prison.
That's why they granted her
release on bail.
- admits fully her responsibility.
- [spectators groaning]
- [judge] Silence! Gentlemen!
- [bell ringing]
- And is asking
- [judge] Please!
- [man in crowd] Keep her there!
- [judge] Silence, please!
And she asks to be heard by the court.
[crowd chattering angrily]
[woman in crowd] For goodness' sake!
Really? Really?
[crowd quietens]
My mother died when she
when she was very young.
[sombre music playing]
But she did tell me
she didn't know the identity of my father.
Professor Braschi
was to me the father that I
the only father I knew.
He allowed me to graduate,
in a world where a woman, in general,
is not allowed to pass
even middle school exams.
So no.
I am not admitting my responsibility.
I am innocent!
[crowd clamouring]
And Advocate Coletti
no longer has my trust.
[prosecutor] Your Honour!
This is just a strategy
to delay the trial!
[judge] The defendant has the right
to seek other counsel.
But I give no more than three days.
Meanwhile, in accordance with article 205
of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
she will be lodged at the convent
of Santa Severa in Turin.
The hearing is adjourned.
[church bells tolling]
[nuns whispering indistinctly]
They thought I was faking my illness
so I wouldn't have to wait
for my trial in prison.
They said that a high fever
is not such a serious condition.
[distant choir singing]
But that's not why you're here though.
No.
- I know who you are.
- [thunder rumbling]
I have followed your story.
And thank you, but I need someone
who can enter the courtroom for me.
[Lidia] You know a public defender
will never get you acquitted.
My brother will be in the courtroom.
But you need someone
to do everything in their power
to make the jury believe you.
[thunder rumbling]
[Margherita] Do you think I'm a scapegoat?
Yes, you probably are.
Let's say I'm familiar
with the methods of the prosecutor.
As soon as
he thinks he's found the culprit,
he overlooks everything else.
And we must demonstrate that to the jury.
Do you want to put
the prosecutor on trial?
No, I want to bring in
all the enemies of Braschi.
But to do so, I need to know
if you were having an affair with him.
When you studied at university,
did you have time for a relationship?
On the day of his death,
wasn't Braschi with you at the university?
Not all day, no.
The caretaker says he closed at seven,
and at that time you were still inside.
The time of death was around eight.
I left him immediately after lunch.
And he stayed there alone.
Why would he lie though?
I wouldn't know.
After leaving the faculty,
where did you go?
I came here.
Could someone testify for you?
The mother superior could.
But they say she's too involved.
I was raised in this convent since
since the death of my mother.
Your father?
My mother was a prostitute.
I know where to start.
If you trust me, my brother will be
very happy to take on your case.
So, do you think
the mother superior was lying?
Even a nun can cover for someone.
- That's why Coletti didn't use that alibi.
- All right. Maybe someone else saw her.
Maybe she wasn't seen
because she was still at the faculty.
Well, that's not
what she's saying, Enrico.
[sighs]
You're too involved.
And you're like everyone else.
You've already condemned her.
Pass me those things.
These?
- Thank you.
- Braschi had stolen her research.
So could the accusation be based on this?
- Don't forget the caretaker.
- Enrico?
- He says they were alone that day.
- Right. We'll talk to the caretaker.
You'll see something's going on.
[Enrico sighs] Listen, Lidia.
We are not interested in this case.
We'll work together and decide together.
You are clearly making
the wrong decision. It's obvious.
- [sighs]
- Father, I look ridiculous in this dress.
You decide, dear.
Albertina.
It looks fine to me.
I don't want to go to this ball now.
It's your social debut, my darling.
The attention from others
frightens her, but we can help.
Enough of that.
[Albertina] Oh, miss!
Anyone else here afraid of being famous?
- Again?
- It's my daughter we're talking about.
And we are talking about
an opportunity we cannot miss.
And I beg you to let me breathe!
Huh?
What kind of opportunity?
Margherita Sangiacomo.
It's all over the journals.
She hasn't got a lawyer.
[Enrico sighs]
You've breathed enough?
Enrico.
I agree with your sister.
[dramatic music swells]
[Enrico] What?
[man] Dr Sangiacomo arrived
together with Professor Braschi
Sunday morning at 11 a.m.
About the time I left at 7 p.m.,
she was still inside.
Now, excuse me,
I must log in your names too.
Lidia Poët. Enrico Poët.
[ink blotter stamps]
Forgive me. I'm, erm, busy.
[tense music playing]
- What the hell
- What are you doing, Lidia?
[Lidia] Putain!
It's the same crap Jacopo drinks
when he has a hangover.
[reacts in disgust]
What's his name, then?
Read it. Read the book.
You just wrote it.
Have you already forgotten?
Does the prosecutor know
of your passion for alcohol?
For a man in your position,
it could be a serious problem.
No. Okay. As long as I was here,
Miss Margherita Sangiacomo
never left the faculty.
Great. We can discuss it in court.
Let's see if the jury will believe
the testimony of an alcoholic.
Good day. Rico, we're off.
[caretaker] No, wait!
[sighs]
Sometimes I doze off.
You know how it is.
And I can't tell you whether
the lady left or not that day.
But I distinctly remember
something you might find interesting.
That Sunday at lunch,
another person came by.
And had a violent fight with Mr Braschi.
- I could hear them shouting from here.
- You didn't record it?
Because he told me not to. Er
When he gives an order
you know, he knows
how to ensure he's obeyed.
[man] I'm speechless!
You're a hopeless case!
You didn't manage to calculate
the pH of a weak acid!
Professor Manganelli, hello.
Who are you?
Lidia Poët,
assistant to the lawyer Enrico Poët.
Ferrero, throw out that crap
and go to the lab. Now.
- Ah
- Daughter or wife?
Excuse me?
You and the lawyer have the same surname.
A case of nepotism, I imagine.
Enrico is my brother.
We're defending Margherita Sangiacomo.
I just wanted to know
how come that Sunday three months ago
you had an argument
with Professor Braschi?
[soft chuckle]
Conflicting ideas.
And anyway, we had
a relationship of mutual respect.
What conflicting ideas?
Miss, half of Turin knows
that on Sunday,
from early afternoon until late evening,
I was at the Whist Club.
If I had wanted to take advantage
of my visit to poison Mr Braschi,
I'm certain he would've died before 8 p.m.
Is that a sufficient alibi?
I'm not the person you're looking for.
And unlike your client,
I had no grudge against him.
- [Lidia] What does that mean?
- Margherita was ambitious.
And frustrated ambition
leads to a lot of resentment.
I'd guess you already know that.
[under breath] Oh, fuck off.
- [books thud]
- [Lidia] Oops!
[Andrea] When I read about Sangiacomo,
I thought of you.
[Lidia] Mm.
A woman, a genius, a graduate,
and everyone wants to see her in prison.
- You have to be careful.
- Yes, I know.
In fact, Enrico says
that I'm way too involved.
Hm.
And what does Enrico say
about your other involvement?
- Come on, Barberis
- There is no other involvement, Andrea.
- Trust me.
- I take it back.
So
Strange.
Yes?
The other night,
I saw him leaving the house late at night.
[Andrea] Mm-hm?
- All right, I followed him.
- You followed him?
I followed him because I was suspicious.
Because I knew
he was hiding something from me.
So I followed him to an abandoned
farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
- And?
- Nothing. He
met with a woman, then they
then they kissed.
Ah, happy finish for him.
I'm sorry for you.
No, that's not it. It's because
something doesn't add up.
Because why meet up
with a woman in a place that is
sinister?
- I'm not convinced.
- You're not convinced.
[inhales sharply]
And you're not convincing me.
You're falling in love, right?
Andrea, I'm focused on my job,
my career and myself.
- Okay.
- I'd never fall in love with
What's-his-name, Jacopo.
[Andrea chuckles]
No, I was just wondering
if doubts are starting to creep in.
Such as the thought
that work isn't so important,
whereas things like, you know,
family, marriage, children
Like everyone else, after all.
These seem more like
your thoughts rather than mine.
- Mine?
- Hm.
No, I'm good.
Not at all.
These thoughts,
they are floating in the air.
Feel them? Pshh!
[chuckles]
Stupid thoughts in the air?
["Never Cry Moon" by Sóley playing]
Sleep while you shall ♪
Reach out for darker ♪
Nightmares are fine ♪
I won't go back ♪
Stay for a while ♪
Lead me away from the night ♪
[Lidia snuffs match out]
[footsteps approaching]
[laughs]
This smile is because you saw me
or because I earned you a client?
No. I'm just smiling.
[Jacopo] Hm.
What, are you waiting for me? [chuckles]
You see, today I found
your notes on the table,
and I took the liberty to read them.
No, you're joking.
No.
See, I also wrote down some
[chuckles] A few suggestions.
Did you also study law?
No, not at all.
No, not at all. In fact,
I understood very little of this long
[clears throat]
This very long academic treaty.
Exactly. You have no idea what it means
to write a brief for the supreme court.
No, but I know there are seven judges,
who are all men,
and they don't want
to be told what to think.
Least of all by a woman.
Let's see. What would you like to hear?
A story, Lidia.
Your story.
I don't write romance, Jacopo.
And I won't tell my story
to seven strangers.
- [clears throat] Good night.
- Good night.
Queen of the night of fading ghost ♪
[song fades out]
Oh, here she is.
- Teresa?
- Shh!
- What's wrong?
- Psst!
We're all here.
[playful string music playing]
Huh?
Marianna, you look beautiful.
Mr Cattani is
the best dressmaker in Turin.
What must the others be like?
No. Just saying that
Uncle, you're right.
I look like a lampshade.
No, Marianna. He jokes!
[Teresa] Marianna, don't run.
You'll rip it.
[hurried footsteps]
Bloody idiot!
[sighs] Hm.
[departing footsteps]
[approaching footsteps]
[sighs]
Anyway, I discovered that arsenic
takes ten minutes to take effect.
Mr Manganelli wasn't
at the university at eight.
He has a perfect alibi.
So, let's officially rule him out
as a suspect. Pass me the tea.
Hm? Hm.
Sorry, Enrico.
How much chemistry do you know, then?
- The basics.
- Yes, exactly.
Basics are not enough.
[man] I cannot give you
this information. I'm sorry.
And besides, the professor
would never do such a thing.
No one is accusing him.
Please. Leave now. They might see us.
[pages riffling]
You're afraid of him, aren't you?
Is he looking forward
to kicking you out of the faculty?
Perhaps he thinks
that would be a life lesson for you.
Erm, sorry?
You have no idea how many professors
like Manganelli I've known.
They humiliate you,
thinking it's for your own good.
And you simply think
you have to lap it all up.
But that's not true.
You don't have to.
After all, you're a free man. Correct?
[tense piano music playing]
[researcher] Vegetable carbon.
The only element in nature capable
of absorbing another element.
It retains the substance
and releases it when it dissolves.
So then, if I take poison
together with vegetable carbon,
its effect will take place in a few hours?
How many hours?
Two? Three?
It can be more.
Depending on the quantity taken.
[dramatic music playing]
Thank you.
Oh, by the way,
Manganelli underestimates you, you know?
Manganelli poisoned him at lunchtime.
Then he went to play whist, as an alibi.
It works, no?
I don't know, Lidia.
Because if we take this to court,
they'll say that Margherita, too,
could have done it.
And at that point, the caretaker's
testimony will be of no use.
But we are Margherita's lawyers.
I'm seeing things
through the jury's eyes. Why so angry?
I don't understand whose side you're on.
On the side of those
who want to do a good job. You?
And I'm not?
I had an unfavourable testimony withdrawn,
I found another possible perpetrator,
I talked to everyone.
What more can I do? Tell me.
Are you asking me for advice?
- Are you well?
- Enrico, please don't joke. I'm serious.
[sighs]
All right, first of all,
forget about this vegetable carbon thing
because it weakens our strategy.
Secondly, people are convinced
that Margherita is guilty.
Thirdly,
try to to think like them,
and find something that
that would change their mind.
All right.
Hm. So
[indistinct chatter in background]
Hey.
[Marianna] Hi.
[Lidia clears throat]
See you.
[dramatic music playing]
It's been three months. I don't remember
if the gardener was there.
Margherita, make an effort.
It's important.
[Margherita] I usually read outside.
If he was there in the cloister
[dresser wobbling]
perhaps he saw me.
But I don't know if he'll remember.
[ominous music playing]
[Enrico] Is there a way to find this man?
[Margherita]
The mother superior has a register.
We could ask her for an address.
Right. Let's go.
[Enrico] "A professor takes own life.
Antonio Borghese."
You're exasperating!
We might have found a witness,
yet you keep looking for other things.
Enrico, it's very strange to keep
articles from 17 years in the past.
I worked it out.
It's the year Margherita's mother died.
Lidia, behind you is a dictionary.
- Look up the word "coincidence".
- [scoffing laugh]
So why did Margherita keep
all those articles, then?
I don't know. I don't care.
Sorry, I thought
you wanted to do a good job.
Too tired?
No. I'm not tired, Lidia.
But it's not my job
to pry into my client's secrets.
So you don't want to know the truth.
I'm not the crown prosecutor, Lidia.
The truth doesn't interest me.
We'll have Sangiacomo acquitted,
as you wanted.
And that's that.
No, you're right.
I'm far too involved.
Yes.
No, this is all about racing, horses,
problems with agriculture.
Agriculture, that's no good.
[sighs] Furnishing.
Attila, excuse me.
I need the crime records.
May I step in?
Yep.
"Another prostitute found dead
at the chemistry faculty."
The third in a month.
Does it say the name?
Hm, no. But it is clear that something
was going on in that faculty.
Pass me the others.
"TN."
"TN, TN"
TN? Does that ring a bell?
He signed them all.
All of them.
Can I understand too?
Tarcisio Nava was
the first editor-in-chief here.
Oh, good. And do you think
we can talk to him?
- Dead.
- [Attila murmurs]
So, then?
He believed there was a group
of professors who performed experiments
that were, let's say, borderline illegal.
And these girls were their guinea pigs.
[inhales sharply]
[sighs]
[knocking on door]
Who is it?
[Jacopo] Lidia?
[chuckles] How can you breathe in here?
[Lidia murmurs]
I didn't ask you to come in.
I wanted to apologise
for the way I commented on your writing.
It wasn't kind of me.
No.
Kind you were not.
But honest.
I appreciated it.
And, erm, anyway, thank you for today.
I
I'll let you work.
Jacopo.
- Yes?
- [clears throat] Erm
I was wondering
if you'd help me out with my appeal.
I'm still unsure about
the tone I'm using for this.
[Jacopo] Yes. Of course, of course.
- Right, I deleted
- [Jacopo] Mm-hm?
the points where I sound too angry.
But then it sounds too servile.
Then I delete, rewrite,
I get even more angry and
[scoffs] I get confused.
Well, confusion
is the most noble of feelings.
Shakespeare?
No, it's mine.
Ah. [chuckles]
Well, I take that as a a nice compliment.
Whatever.
["First Love / Late Spring"
by Mitski playing]
- The black hole ♪
- [Jacopo clears throat]
Of the ♪
[Lidia sighs]
Isn't this a bit stupid?
I never said I was intelligent.
Where you sleep ♪
The night breeze ♪
Carries ♪
Something sweet ♪
- A peach tree ♪
- [Lidia moans]
Wild women don't get the blues ♪
[Lidia gasping]
But I find that ♪
- Lately I've been crying like a ♪
- [both moaning]
Tall child ♪
- So please hurry, leave me ♪
- [Lidia laughs]
I can't breathe ♪
Please don't say you love me ♪
One word from you and I would ♪
Jump off of this ledge I'm on, baby ♪
Tell me don't ♪
So I can crawl back in ♪
[breathing rapidly]
Please hurry, leave me
I can't breathe ♪
[Jacopo] It happened.
[song fades out]
[Jacopo sighs]
So
I'm now one of your lovers, officially.
Hm?
Right, then. [clears throat]
[inhales sharply]
Then I want the official treatment.
Will you take me to the farmhouse too?
Just joking.
No.
I'm thirsty.
Erm, Jacopo, I'm I'm sorry. I don't
[murmurs]
I followed you the other night.
I don't even know why.
I saw you with that girl there, and
Forgive me.
Don't worry. She was
one of many, huh?
Here.
No.
[sombre music playing]
[Jacopo exhales]
Wait, wait.
Perhaps it's better
if you sleep in your room.
You really want me to go?
[Lidia] Mm-hm.
[Lidia sighs]
- Good night.
- Good night.
[sighs]
[Lidia] Okay. I promise
that in the courtroom
I won't make any reference to your
habits, at all.
But you have to help me.
I imagine you've been doing this job
for a long time, hm?
I want to know if you recall
anything about Borghese.
His suicide,
his relationship with Braschi.
The story is complicated.
It will take time.
[bell tolling]
[takes a deep breath]
[indistinct chatter]
[Lidia] Enrico!
[whispers] I need to talk to Margherita.
No, you're not her lawyer.
They won't let you in.
- Careful, or I'll do it my way.
- [whispers] No! God forbid!
[Lidia exhales sharply]
Wait here. Leave it to me.
Sit down.
CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR TAKES HIS OWN LIFE
THE DESPERATE AC
OF PROFESSOR ANTONIO BORGHESE
[Lidia] Braschi and Borghese
founded a research group.
They were testing a drug
against scarlet fever.
And their targets were poor girls,
workers with no family.
Especially prostitutes.
Many of them died.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- Your own mother was among them.
Borghese took his own life
out of a sense of guilt.
The group was dissolved.
No one ever heard of them after that.
Are you going to make point?
I want you to be honest with me.
Don't be content
with the blame lying with Braschi.
I do not make anyone pay at all.
- [bangs table]
- Don't patronise me!
From the start, you wanted vengeance.
And now, thanks to me,
you'll be acquitted.
I am not going back to prison.
If you tell the truth, Margherita,
they'll start investigating,
and all the people
involved will pay for it.
Without truth, you'll never have justice.
The truth is Braschi died at 8 p.m.,
and I was already back
in my room at three.
And there's a witness who will confirm it.
Yes.
But, on the other hand, vegetable carbon
is the only natural substance
capable of absorbing another substance.
Correct, Doctor?
[ominous string music playing]
This is between you and me.
I won't tell anyone.
Even if you decide to speak.
[inhales sharply]
If, out of the blue,
someone killed your whole family,
how would you feel?
Alone in the world.
I know.
[sniffles]
I know.
Do you confirm that from 3 p.m.
on that particular Sunday,
er, Miss Margherita Sangiacomo
was in the convent?
I confirm it.
[spectators chattering]
[dramatic sampled vocal music playing]
[caretaker] Your Honour,
I am now forced to retract
my earlier testimony.
[spectators chattering]
- [bell ringing]
- [judge] Silence!
I conclude, therefore,
that your relationship
with Professor Braschi was cordial.
[Margherita] Hm.
[Enrico] And that you did not kill him
because you had no motive to kill him.
Correct?
Yes. Yes, I confirm that.
[spectators chattering]
[Enrico] No further questions.
Miss, you may go.
[man in crowd] Must be a reason why
[spectators whispering indistinctly]
When I was seven, one evening,
my mother came home
with tears in her eyes.
She was crying with joy.
She said we could finally
move out of the Porta Nuova hostel,
into a real house.
Then after a year, we moved out,
but she was sick.
She fainted constantly.
And I felt bad for her.
Nothing is more terrible
for a child than to
hope that her mother
can go back to working on the streets
for her not to look so pale and weak.
So when after she died, I learned
about Liliana, who worked at the Murazzi,
and of Agata, who worked at the station.
[prosecutor] Your Honour,
we don't understand the point.
The point is I killed
Braschi.
I killed Mr Braschi, Mr Prosecutor.
[spectators gasping and chattering]
[tense music playing]
He used those women as guinea pigs.
And he let them die like animals.
Miss, are you aware of the gravity
of this statement?
[Margherita] Yes. Yes, I am aware.
Mr Braschi had accomplices.
And I hope they will
pay for their crimes now.
[spectators clamouring]
[people in crowd] Murderer!
[clamouring continues]
- [man 1] Murderer!
- [man 2] Murderer!
- [man 3] Get out of here!
- [man 4] Let justice be done!
[Lidia] It is said
that collective wisdom
has always played a part
in denying women
the right to practice law.
But has this same collective wisdom
not for centuries
been an accomplice to slavery?
And what fate awaits a society
which doesn't have the courage
to admit its own mistakes?
[loud thud in background]
[metal scraping in soil]
[tense music continues]
[door shuts]
[approaching footsteps]
[faint thudding]
[woman laughing]
[distant horse neighing]
[straining]
[panting]
[straining]
[music intensifies]
[clattering]
[tense music building]
["Misfit" by Riival playing]
I'm a misfit, I'm a misfit ♪
Yeah, I'm different, different ♪
You don't wanna miss this ♪
You're gonna wanna witness ♪
Whoa! ♪
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone ♪
But you can't have all the fun ♪
Gotta give everyone a taste ♪
Can't let my greatness go to waste ♪
So I'm flying state to state ♪
And they patiently await ♪
Everybody needs something to believe ♪
And that something might be me ♪
I'm a misfit ♪
Yeah, I'm different ♪
You don't wanna miss this ♪
You're gonna wanna witness ♪
Whoa! ♪
I'm a misfit ♪
[orchestral theme music playing]
- [man exclaiming]
- [horse whinnying]
["La Marelle / Amarelinha" playing]
[flashbulb popping]
[crowd clamouring]
[clamouring continues]
[overlapping voices] Murderer!
[man] You're a murderer! Murderer!
Can we stop?
Can we stop, please? Can we stop, please?
I want to look at them.
[clamouring voices fade out]
[alternative rock theme music playing]
THE LAW ACCORDING TO LIDIA POË
THE PIEDMONT GAZETTE
MARGHERITA SANGIACOMO IN COURT TOMORROW
[Jacopo] How should I dress
for your dance?
You know, elegant?
A clown?
You'd still be
better-dressed than me, Uncle.
Thanks, Jacopo.
Your spirit is always appropriate.
The spirit blows where it will.
The Gospel says so.
The mother is certain,
the father uncertain.
Exactly!
[departing footsteps]
[pages riffling]
What do you think, huh?
- Dangerous, the spirit.
- [Jacopo] Mm-hm.
Sometimes it drags us to a dark place, hm?
You know,
I have the impression
you blame me for something.
- But I just don't know what.
- Yes?
- No?
- No.
There's nothing I blame you for.
I was reading an article
on Margherita Sangiacomo.
I was distracted.
Trial starts today.
True, true. What time is it?
Are you will write
that she's guilty, like the rest?
- You don't think so? Mm.
- No.
I think they want to see her behind bars
because they hate her,
and they hate her because she's a woman
who studied, graduated
and did everything
a woman is not supposed to.
No. Miss Sangiacomo had a motive.
Hm.
The professor had stolen
the results from her research.
Plus she had access to the poison,
and was the last person
to see Professor Braschi before his death.
Yes, but all the professors
had easy access to the poison.
Listen. They lunch together.
The caretaker closes up,
and they're both still there.
The professor is found dead
on Monday morning
in his office at the university.
[chuckling] Now, who else could it be?
Huh?
We will see.
[chair scraping floor]
- Where are you going?
- The trial is open to the public.
[man] After examining
the prosecutor's papers
and in agreement with my client,
Miss Margherita Sangiacomo,
the defence has hereby made a decision
which I hope
the court will take into account,
especially in the light
of her current poor health conditions.
She fell ill in prison.
That's why they granted her
release on bail.
- admits fully her responsibility.
- [spectators groaning]
- [judge] Silence! Gentlemen!
- [bell ringing]
- And is asking
- [judge] Please!
- [man in crowd] Keep her there!
- [judge] Silence, please!
And she asks to be heard by the court.
[crowd chattering angrily]
[woman in crowd] For goodness' sake!
Really? Really?
[crowd quietens]
My mother died when she
when she was very young.
[sombre music playing]
But she did tell me
she didn't know the identity of my father.
Professor Braschi
was to me the father that I
the only father I knew.
He allowed me to graduate,
in a world where a woman, in general,
is not allowed to pass
even middle school exams.
So no.
I am not admitting my responsibility.
I am innocent!
[crowd clamouring]
And Advocate Coletti
no longer has my trust.
[prosecutor] Your Honour!
This is just a strategy
to delay the trial!
[judge] The defendant has the right
to seek other counsel.
But I give no more than three days.
Meanwhile, in accordance with article 205
of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
she will be lodged at the convent
of Santa Severa in Turin.
The hearing is adjourned.
[church bells tolling]
[nuns whispering indistinctly]
They thought I was faking my illness
so I wouldn't have to wait
for my trial in prison.
They said that a high fever
is not such a serious condition.
[distant choir singing]
But that's not why you're here though.
No.
- I know who you are.
- [thunder rumbling]
I have followed your story.
And thank you, but I need someone
who can enter the courtroom for me.
[Lidia] You know a public defender
will never get you acquitted.
My brother will be in the courtroom.
But you need someone
to do everything in their power
to make the jury believe you.
[thunder rumbling]
[Margherita] Do you think I'm a scapegoat?
Yes, you probably are.
Let's say I'm familiar
with the methods of the prosecutor.
As soon as
he thinks he's found the culprit,
he overlooks everything else.
And we must demonstrate that to the jury.
Do you want to put
the prosecutor on trial?
No, I want to bring in
all the enemies of Braschi.
But to do so, I need to know
if you were having an affair with him.
When you studied at university,
did you have time for a relationship?
On the day of his death,
wasn't Braschi with you at the university?
Not all day, no.
The caretaker says he closed at seven,
and at that time you were still inside.
The time of death was around eight.
I left him immediately after lunch.
And he stayed there alone.
Why would he lie though?
I wouldn't know.
After leaving the faculty,
where did you go?
I came here.
Could someone testify for you?
The mother superior could.
But they say she's too involved.
I was raised in this convent since
since the death of my mother.
Your father?
My mother was a prostitute.
I know where to start.
If you trust me, my brother will be
very happy to take on your case.
So, do you think
the mother superior was lying?
Even a nun can cover for someone.
- That's why Coletti didn't use that alibi.
- All right. Maybe someone else saw her.
Maybe she wasn't seen
because she was still at the faculty.
Well, that's not
what she's saying, Enrico.
[sighs]
You're too involved.
And you're like everyone else.
You've already condemned her.
Pass me those things.
These?
- Thank you.
- Braschi had stolen her research.
So could the accusation be based on this?
- Don't forget the caretaker.
- Enrico?
- He says they were alone that day.
- Right. We'll talk to the caretaker.
You'll see something's going on.
[Enrico sighs] Listen, Lidia.
We are not interested in this case.
We'll work together and decide together.
You are clearly making
the wrong decision. It's obvious.
- [sighs]
- Father, I look ridiculous in this dress.
You decide, dear.
Albertina.
It looks fine to me.
I don't want to go to this ball now.
It's your social debut, my darling.
The attention from others
frightens her, but we can help.
Enough of that.
[Albertina] Oh, miss!
Anyone else here afraid of being famous?
- Again?
- It's my daughter we're talking about.
And we are talking about
an opportunity we cannot miss.
And I beg you to let me breathe!
Huh?
What kind of opportunity?
Margherita Sangiacomo.
It's all over the journals.
She hasn't got a lawyer.
[Enrico sighs]
You've breathed enough?
Enrico.
I agree with your sister.
[dramatic music swells]
[Enrico] What?
[man] Dr Sangiacomo arrived
together with Professor Braschi
Sunday morning at 11 a.m.
About the time I left at 7 p.m.,
she was still inside.
Now, excuse me,
I must log in your names too.
Lidia Poët. Enrico Poët.
[ink blotter stamps]
Forgive me. I'm, erm, busy.
[tense music playing]
- What the hell
- What are you doing, Lidia?
[Lidia] Putain!
It's the same crap Jacopo drinks
when he has a hangover.
[reacts in disgust]
What's his name, then?
Read it. Read the book.
You just wrote it.
Have you already forgotten?
Does the prosecutor know
of your passion for alcohol?
For a man in your position,
it could be a serious problem.
No. Okay. As long as I was here,
Miss Margherita Sangiacomo
never left the faculty.
Great. We can discuss it in court.
Let's see if the jury will believe
the testimony of an alcoholic.
Good day. Rico, we're off.
[caretaker] No, wait!
[sighs]
Sometimes I doze off.
You know how it is.
And I can't tell you whether
the lady left or not that day.
But I distinctly remember
something you might find interesting.
That Sunday at lunch,
another person came by.
And had a violent fight with Mr Braschi.
- I could hear them shouting from here.
- You didn't record it?
Because he told me not to. Er
When he gives an order
you know, he knows
how to ensure he's obeyed.
[man] I'm speechless!
You're a hopeless case!
You didn't manage to calculate
the pH of a weak acid!
Professor Manganelli, hello.
Who are you?
Lidia Poët,
assistant to the lawyer Enrico Poët.
Ferrero, throw out that crap
and go to the lab. Now.
- Ah
- Daughter or wife?
Excuse me?
You and the lawyer have the same surname.
A case of nepotism, I imagine.
Enrico is my brother.
We're defending Margherita Sangiacomo.
I just wanted to know
how come that Sunday three months ago
you had an argument
with Professor Braschi?
[soft chuckle]
Conflicting ideas.
And anyway, we had
a relationship of mutual respect.
What conflicting ideas?
Miss, half of Turin knows
that on Sunday,
from early afternoon until late evening,
I was at the Whist Club.
If I had wanted to take advantage
of my visit to poison Mr Braschi,
I'm certain he would've died before 8 p.m.
Is that a sufficient alibi?
I'm not the person you're looking for.
And unlike your client,
I had no grudge against him.
- [Lidia] What does that mean?
- Margherita was ambitious.
And frustrated ambition
leads to a lot of resentment.
I'd guess you already know that.
[under breath] Oh, fuck off.
- [books thud]
- [Lidia] Oops!
[Andrea] When I read about Sangiacomo,
I thought of you.
[Lidia] Mm.
A woman, a genius, a graduate,
and everyone wants to see her in prison.
- You have to be careful.
- Yes, I know.
In fact, Enrico says
that I'm way too involved.
Hm.
And what does Enrico say
about your other involvement?
- Come on, Barberis
- There is no other involvement, Andrea.
- Trust me.
- I take it back.
So
Strange.
Yes?
The other night,
I saw him leaving the house late at night.
[Andrea] Mm-hm?
- All right, I followed him.
- You followed him?
I followed him because I was suspicious.
Because I knew
he was hiding something from me.
So I followed him to an abandoned
farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
- And?
- Nothing. He
met with a woman, then they
then they kissed.
Ah, happy finish for him.
I'm sorry for you.
No, that's not it. It's because
something doesn't add up.
Because why meet up
with a woman in a place that is
sinister?
- I'm not convinced.
- You're not convinced.
[inhales sharply]
And you're not convincing me.
You're falling in love, right?
Andrea, I'm focused on my job,
my career and myself.
- Okay.
- I'd never fall in love with
What's-his-name, Jacopo.
[Andrea chuckles]
No, I was just wondering
if doubts are starting to creep in.
Such as the thought
that work isn't so important,
whereas things like, you know,
family, marriage, children
Like everyone else, after all.
These seem more like
your thoughts rather than mine.
- Mine?
- Hm.
No, I'm good.
Not at all.
These thoughts,
they are floating in the air.
Feel them? Pshh!
[chuckles]
Stupid thoughts in the air?
["Never Cry Moon" by Sóley playing]
Sleep while you shall ♪
Reach out for darker ♪
Nightmares are fine ♪
I won't go back ♪
Stay for a while ♪
Lead me away from the night ♪
[Lidia snuffs match out]
[footsteps approaching]
[laughs]
This smile is because you saw me
or because I earned you a client?
No. I'm just smiling.
[Jacopo] Hm.
What, are you waiting for me? [chuckles]
You see, today I found
your notes on the table,
and I took the liberty to read them.
No, you're joking.
No.
See, I also wrote down some
[chuckles] A few suggestions.
Did you also study law?
No, not at all.
No, not at all. In fact,
I understood very little of this long
[clears throat]
This very long academic treaty.
Exactly. You have no idea what it means
to write a brief for the supreme court.
No, but I know there are seven judges,
who are all men,
and they don't want
to be told what to think.
Least of all by a woman.
Let's see. What would you like to hear?
A story, Lidia.
Your story.
I don't write romance, Jacopo.
And I won't tell my story
to seven strangers.
- [clears throat] Good night.
- Good night.
Queen of the night of fading ghost ♪
[song fades out]
Oh, here she is.
- Teresa?
- Shh!
- What's wrong?
- Psst!
We're all here.
[playful string music playing]
Huh?
Marianna, you look beautiful.
Mr Cattani is
the best dressmaker in Turin.
What must the others be like?
No. Just saying that
Uncle, you're right.
I look like a lampshade.
No, Marianna. He jokes!
[Teresa] Marianna, don't run.
You'll rip it.
[hurried footsteps]
Bloody idiot!
[sighs] Hm.
[departing footsteps]
[approaching footsteps]
[sighs]
Anyway, I discovered that arsenic
takes ten minutes to take effect.
Mr Manganelli wasn't
at the university at eight.
He has a perfect alibi.
So, let's officially rule him out
as a suspect. Pass me the tea.
Hm? Hm.
Sorry, Enrico.
How much chemistry do you know, then?
- The basics.
- Yes, exactly.
Basics are not enough.
[man] I cannot give you
this information. I'm sorry.
And besides, the professor
would never do such a thing.
No one is accusing him.
Please. Leave now. They might see us.
[pages riffling]
You're afraid of him, aren't you?
Is he looking forward
to kicking you out of the faculty?
Perhaps he thinks
that would be a life lesson for you.
Erm, sorry?
You have no idea how many professors
like Manganelli I've known.
They humiliate you,
thinking it's for your own good.
And you simply think
you have to lap it all up.
But that's not true.
You don't have to.
After all, you're a free man. Correct?
[tense piano music playing]
[researcher] Vegetable carbon.
The only element in nature capable
of absorbing another element.
It retains the substance
and releases it when it dissolves.
So then, if I take poison
together with vegetable carbon,
its effect will take place in a few hours?
How many hours?
Two? Three?
It can be more.
Depending on the quantity taken.
[dramatic music playing]
Thank you.
Oh, by the way,
Manganelli underestimates you, you know?
Manganelli poisoned him at lunchtime.
Then he went to play whist, as an alibi.
It works, no?
I don't know, Lidia.
Because if we take this to court,
they'll say that Margherita, too,
could have done it.
And at that point, the caretaker's
testimony will be of no use.
But we are Margherita's lawyers.
I'm seeing things
through the jury's eyes. Why so angry?
I don't understand whose side you're on.
On the side of those
who want to do a good job. You?
And I'm not?
I had an unfavourable testimony withdrawn,
I found another possible perpetrator,
I talked to everyone.
What more can I do? Tell me.
Are you asking me for advice?
- Are you well?
- Enrico, please don't joke. I'm serious.
[sighs]
All right, first of all,
forget about this vegetable carbon thing
because it weakens our strategy.
Secondly, people are convinced
that Margherita is guilty.
Thirdly,
try to to think like them,
and find something that
that would change their mind.
All right.
Hm. So
[indistinct chatter in background]
Hey.
[Marianna] Hi.
[Lidia clears throat]
See you.
[dramatic music playing]
It's been three months. I don't remember
if the gardener was there.
Margherita, make an effort.
It's important.
[Margherita] I usually read outside.
If he was there in the cloister
[dresser wobbling]
perhaps he saw me.
But I don't know if he'll remember.
[ominous music playing]
[Enrico] Is there a way to find this man?
[Margherita]
The mother superior has a register.
We could ask her for an address.
Right. Let's go.
[Enrico] "A professor takes own life.
Antonio Borghese."
You're exasperating!
We might have found a witness,
yet you keep looking for other things.
Enrico, it's very strange to keep
articles from 17 years in the past.
I worked it out.
It's the year Margherita's mother died.
Lidia, behind you is a dictionary.
- Look up the word "coincidence".
- [scoffing laugh]
So why did Margherita keep
all those articles, then?
I don't know. I don't care.
Sorry, I thought
you wanted to do a good job.
Too tired?
No. I'm not tired, Lidia.
But it's not my job
to pry into my client's secrets.
So you don't want to know the truth.
I'm not the crown prosecutor, Lidia.
The truth doesn't interest me.
We'll have Sangiacomo acquitted,
as you wanted.
And that's that.
No, you're right.
I'm far too involved.
Yes.
No, this is all about racing, horses,
problems with agriculture.
Agriculture, that's no good.
[sighs] Furnishing.
Attila, excuse me.
I need the crime records.
May I step in?
Yep.
"Another prostitute found dead
at the chemistry faculty."
The third in a month.
Does it say the name?
Hm, no. But it is clear that something
was going on in that faculty.
Pass me the others.
"TN."
"TN, TN"
TN? Does that ring a bell?
He signed them all.
All of them.
Can I understand too?
Tarcisio Nava was
the first editor-in-chief here.
Oh, good. And do you think
we can talk to him?
- Dead.
- [Attila murmurs]
So, then?
He believed there was a group
of professors who performed experiments
that were, let's say, borderline illegal.
And these girls were their guinea pigs.
[inhales sharply]
[sighs]
[knocking on door]
Who is it?
[Jacopo] Lidia?
[chuckles] How can you breathe in here?
[Lidia murmurs]
I didn't ask you to come in.
I wanted to apologise
for the way I commented on your writing.
It wasn't kind of me.
No.
Kind you were not.
But honest.
I appreciated it.
And, erm, anyway, thank you for today.
I
I'll let you work.
Jacopo.
- Yes?
- [clears throat] Erm
I was wondering
if you'd help me out with my appeal.
I'm still unsure about
the tone I'm using for this.
[Jacopo] Yes. Of course, of course.
- Right, I deleted
- [Jacopo] Mm-hm?
the points where I sound too angry.
But then it sounds too servile.
Then I delete, rewrite,
I get even more angry and
[scoffs] I get confused.
Well, confusion
is the most noble of feelings.
Shakespeare?
No, it's mine.
Ah. [chuckles]
Well, I take that as a a nice compliment.
Whatever.
["First Love / Late Spring"
by Mitski playing]
- The black hole ♪
- [Jacopo clears throat]
Of the ♪
[Lidia sighs]
Isn't this a bit stupid?
I never said I was intelligent.
Where you sleep ♪
The night breeze ♪
Carries ♪
Something sweet ♪
- A peach tree ♪
- [Lidia moans]
Wild women don't get the blues ♪
[Lidia gasping]
But I find that ♪
- Lately I've been crying like a ♪
- [both moaning]
Tall child ♪
- So please hurry, leave me ♪
- [Lidia laughs]
I can't breathe ♪
Please don't say you love me ♪
One word from you and I would ♪
Jump off of this ledge I'm on, baby ♪
Tell me don't ♪
So I can crawl back in ♪
[breathing rapidly]
Please hurry, leave me
I can't breathe ♪
[Jacopo] It happened.
[song fades out]
[Jacopo sighs]
So
I'm now one of your lovers, officially.
Hm?
Right, then. [clears throat]
[inhales sharply]
Then I want the official treatment.
Will you take me to the farmhouse too?
Just joking.
No.
I'm thirsty.
Erm, Jacopo, I'm I'm sorry. I don't
[murmurs]
I followed you the other night.
I don't even know why.
I saw you with that girl there, and
Forgive me.
Don't worry. She was
one of many, huh?
Here.
No.
[sombre music playing]
[Jacopo exhales]
Wait, wait.
Perhaps it's better
if you sleep in your room.
You really want me to go?
[Lidia] Mm-hm.
[Lidia sighs]
- Good night.
- Good night.
[sighs]
[Lidia] Okay. I promise
that in the courtroom
I won't make any reference to your
habits, at all.
But you have to help me.
I imagine you've been doing this job
for a long time, hm?
I want to know if you recall
anything about Borghese.
His suicide,
his relationship with Braschi.
The story is complicated.
It will take time.
[bell tolling]
[takes a deep breath]
[indistinct chatter]
[Lidia] Enrico!
[whispers] I need to talk to Margherita.
No, you're not her lawyer.
They won't let you in.
- Careful, or I'll do it my way.
- [whispers] No! God forbid!
[Lidia exhales sharply]
Wait here. Leave it to me.
Sit down.
CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR TAKES HIS OWN LIFE
THE DESPERATE AC
OF PROFESSOR ANTONIO BORGHESE
[Lidia] Braschi and Borghese
founded a research group.
They were testing a drug
against scarlet fever.
And their targets were poor girls,
workers with no family.
Especially prostitutes.
Many of them died.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- Your own mother was among them.
Borghese took his own life
out of a sense of guilt.
The group was dissolved.
No one ever heard of them after that.
Are you going to make point?
I want you to be honest with me.
Don't be content
with the blame lying with Braschi.
I do not make anyone pay at all.
- [bangs table]
- Don't patronise me!
From the start, you wanted vengeance.
And now, thanks to me,
you'll be acquitted.
I am not going back to prison.
If you tell the truth, Margherita,
they'll start investigating,
and all the people
involved will pay for it.
Without truth, you'll never have justice.
The truth is Braschi died at 8 p.m.,
and I was already back
in my room at three.
And there's a witness who will confirm it.
Yes.
But, on the other hand, vegetable carbon
is the only natural substance
capable of absorbing another substance.
Correct, Doctor?
[ominous string music playing]
This is between you and me.
I won't tell anyone.
Even if you decide to speak.
[inhales sharply]
If, out of the blue,
someone killed your whole family,
how would you feel?
Alone in the world.
I know.
[sniffles]
I know.
Do you confirm that from 3 p.m.
on that particular Sunday,
er, Miss Margherita Sangiacomo
was in the convent?
I confirm it.
[spectators chattering]
[dramatic sampled vocal music playing]
[caretaker] Your Honour,
I am now forced to retract
my earlier testimony.
[spectators chattering]
- [bell ringing]
- [judge] Silence!
I conclude, therefore,
that your relationship
with Professor Braschi was cordial.
[Margherita] Hm.
[Enrico] And that you did not kill him
because you had no motive to kill him.
Correct?
Yes. Yes, I confirm that.
[spectators chattering]
[Enrico] No further questions.
Miss, you may go.
[man in crowd] Must be a reason why
[spectators whispering indistinctly]
When I was seven, one evening,
my mother came home
with tears in her eyes.
She was crying with joy.
She said we could finally
move out of the Porta Nuova hostel,
into a real house.
Then after a year, we moved out,
but she was sick.
She fainted constantly.
And I felt bad for her.
Nothing is more terrible
for a child than to
hope that her mother
can go back to working on the streets
for her not to look so pale and weak.
So when after she died, I learned
about Liliana, who worked at the Murazzi,
and of Agata, who worked at the station.
[prosecutor] Your Honour,
we don't understand the point.
The point is I killed
Braschi.
I killed Mr Braschi, Mr Prosecutor.
[spectators gasping and chattering]
[tense music playing]
He used those women as guinea pigs.
And he let them die like animals.
Miss, are you aware of the gravity
of this statement?
[Margherita] Yes. Yes, I am aware.
Mr Braschi had accomplices.
And I hope they will
pay for their crimes now.
[spectators clamouring]
[people in crowd] Murderer!
[clamouring continues]
- [man 1] Murderer!
- [man 2] Murderer!
- [man 3] Get out of here!
- [man 4] Let justice be done!
[Lidia] It is said
that collective wisdom
has always played a part
in denying women
the right to practice law.
But has this same collective wisdom
not for centuries
been an accomplice to slavery?
And what fate awaits a society
which doesn't have the courage
to admit its own mistakes?
[loud thud in background]
[metal scraping in soil]
[tense music continues]
[door shuts]
[approaching footsteps]
[faint thudding]
[woman laughing]
[distant horse neighing]
[straining]
[panting]
[straining]
[music intensifies]
[clattering]
[tense music building]
["Misfit" by Riival playing]
I'm a misfit, I'm a misfit ♪
Yeah, I'm different, different ♪
You don't wanna miss this ♪
You're gonna wanna witness ♪
Whoa! ♪
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone ♪
But you can't have all the fun ♪
Gotta give everyone a taste ♪
Can't let my greatness go to waste ♪
So I'm flying state to state ♪
And they patiently await ♪
Everybody needs something to believe ♪
And that something might be me ♪
I'm a misfit ♪
Yeah, I'm different ♪
You don't wanna miss this ♪
You're gonna wanna witness ♪
Whoa! ♪
I'm a misfit ♪
[orchestral theme music playing]