Altiplano

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Adored Virgin!

How beautiful. So shiny!

Thats right! So pretty and shiny!

Come.

Come!

Omar.

Omar.

Come, Auntie Grace. Come!

And whos coming? Whos coming?

- Are you coming for some champagne?

- Food is served!

The tart is coming.

- The tart, the tart!

- Here it is.

The tart, the tart...

Max... I wish you a good

trip to South America.

And as our father used to say in Iran...

- And I will look after my sister.

- Thank you.

To Max!

Now Id like that we

raise our glasses to Grace

who is a nominee for the

Pulitzer prize for photography.

You didnt say anything! Thats good.

Really? Which photo?

Her last picture.

- That of Omar?

- Yes.

Omar had been her

guide for years in Iraq.

I pulled out.

Why?

Because that photo shouldnt exist.

Mum, can I eat some tart?

Of course, darling.

Im giving up photography.

Whats happened to the great

photographer of conscience?

A photo has never stopped a war.

Independent photographers

are our only hope, Grace,

against image standardisation.

Omar died only because

I was holding a camera.

That picture denounces his sacrifice.

Thats why you must accept the

prize and bring this photo to life.

- How are you, Max?

- Good morning.

Do you want me to stay?

Of course not.

Saturnina.

Ignacio.

Saturnina is a virgin!

This Turubamba girl...

Lets make her dance.

This Turubamba girl...

Lets make her dance.

Lets roast a pig.

- Rufina.

- What?

Did your husband go to the

glacier to get blessed water?

Oh, yes.

That night was so delicious.

He started to eat my

body, slowly and sweetly.

I didnt want him to stop.

Are you afraid of the first night?

No.

Ignacio farts so loud.

Thats why shes scared.

What are you saying, you naughty woman?

You mean my son? He really can fart!

My son sure can fart!

I wonder how much this is worth.

Saturnina...

I dont feel well.

I must rest my eyes.

Mama?

Felix Caceres?

Here I am.

Hello.

I can see much better now.

Okay, now... How many

fingers do you see?

How many fingers?

- I see three.

- Three.

Very good. God bless you.

May God bless you.

May our mountain spirits reward you.

Listen.

Dont lean forward.

Do not lean forward.

Yes, sir.

Dont lift heavy things.

Yes, sir.

And try not to walk too far.

- Yes, sir.

- Thats all.

Take these. You must

wear them for three days.

- Will I see better?

- Yes.

Okay, sir.

If you get an infection, come back.

Yes.

Okay? See you.

May our mountain spirits reward you.

Don Angel, how are you?

Bickering like teenagers?

Ral, well go to 15.

Up to 17, I insist.

Two people walked for 7 hours.

I cant turn them away.

I hate you, Ral.

I love you, too.

Hi, Max!

Hey, Paul...

- How are you?

- Good, how are you?

How are you doing?

- Are you in a hurry?

- Always, you know.

- Can you deal with this?

- Sure, no problem.

The mail leaves in two days.

Thanks a lot.

- Todays our national holiday.

- Some Trappist beer...

I had forgotten. Long life to Belgium!

Well, whats left of it.

How is it going?

Gold is a difficult thing.

And you?

We found lots of gold, the

shareholders are happy, all is fine.

Good health.

- Cheers. Thank you.

- See you next time. Bye.

Llama!

Hold on you silly animal.

Ill get you on the head.

Llama!

Im going to knock you on the head.

I am!

I must go.

Hurry up. Or Ill marry someone else!

Ignacio!

Whats the matter?

Whats wrong?

My God! Blood!

I feel fine.

- Put your head back.

- Im fine, Saturnina.

My God! Blood!

Im fine.

Ill be back.

Hello, Senorita.

Good afternoon.

Is that for me?

Yes, I brought you corn beer.

Thank you.

Here.

The suns strong today.

Yes, but therell be wind later.

Whats your name?

Saturnina.

Saturnina...

Im the caretaker of the Virgin.

I see.

Will she have any scars?

Yes, inside.

How long will it take?

That depends on the glue.

Could you hurry?

Im getting married soon.

Whats his name?

Ignacio.

- He went to the glacier

- Ignacio...

He went to the glacier

to get blessed water.

Can you describe the

colours of the virgin?

Of course.

Her veil is blue,

like the reflection of

the morning sky in a lake.

Its...

Have you ever seen the colour blue?

I remember it from when I was a child.

Are you hungry?

Not now. Maybe later.

By the way, who are those two

fellows always hanging around?

You mean the sun and the moon?

The sun and moon?

Im in excellent company.

They cant take remove their

mask until youve finished.

Thats why theyre waiting.

Im so lucky.

Yes, you are.

My names Orlando.

Thank you, Orlando.

Thank you.

- The traffic is getting worse.

- I counted 47 trucks yesterday.

The gringos must have

found gold up there

and theyre dumping their waste here.

Their waste?

Are you crazy?

Its silver they spilled here.

Youre talking nonsense.

Its pure liquid silver.

Then why dont they claim it?

They didnt even notice

it fell off the truck.

Its looks nice but I dont trust it.

You worry too much.

It comes from the mines.

It must be valuable.

Wherever there are mines,

thats where the devil lives.

Nilo.

Nilo!

What do you want?

Mama has gone to see the healer.

For her eyes?

Yes.

Arent you worried?

A little.

The clinic is open now. Eusebio told me.

We should take mama. Many are going.

To that gringo clinic?

Why not?

No way. Im not going there.

Nilo.

Mama is really sick. We must take her.

What can those people do for us?

What have those people ever done for us?

Nilo, youre an idiot.

God is listening.

Mountain spirit, please cure her.

With this water take away her illness.

Mother Earth, I honour you.

Please grant us a good life.

May my beloved Saturnina

and I live happily.

I miss you, Grace.

I miss your scent.

I miss your breath, your

warmth, your presence.

And here it is, its magic...

our little clinic, lost

far in the countryside.

My other colleagues...

Joaquin from Buenos Aires, fast asleep.

What has he been up to last night again?

Ral...

Hi, Max. Good morning.

- Good morning, Ral.

- Had a good sleep?

Yes, thank you.

- Very cold.

- Very cold indeed.

Hello.

- Its me. How are you? Okay?

- Not bad. How are you?

Reza is such a devil! He bit

a girl in his class today.

- You must be kidding.

- No.

He eats sweets all day

so he must have passed

on the flavour to her too.

I adore him.

- Is that Maxs voice?

- Yes.

- He sent me a video message.

- Hes still sending you videos?

- Yes.

- Hes so nice.

Did you sleep last night?

No, I cant sleep. I cant

stop thinking of Omar.

You must accept that

this was his destiny.

There is no such thing as destiny.

You must start practising

communing with God.

God will always listen to what you say.

God wants you to approach Him.

I have nothing to tell him.

Dont be so hard on yourself.

Ill call you tomorrow.

- Love you.

- Till tomorrow.

Shes such a good mother, dear Virgin.

Please protect my mother.

I promise to keep your house clean.

And I promise to learn some Bach.

At least one song.

I know you must be angry with us.

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