Death and the Maiden Page #5

was that I wanted to rape him.

That's what I thought...

that he should know

what it's like...

but a woman can't rape...

so I thought it would be

something you would have to do.

Paulie, please.

It would be difficult for you.

After all, you need

a certain amount of enthusiasm.

Stop it.

Then I wondered maybe

I should use a broomstick.

That's enough.

I know it's ridiculous.

It's ridiculous because

no revenge can satisfy me.

That's what they're about...

crude power and control.

I don't want to f*** him.

I don't want him dead. L...

I want him...

to talk to me.

I want him to confess.

To confess?

I want to get him

on videotape...

confessing to everything he did,

not just to me, to all of us.

After he's confessed,

you'll let him go?

I don't believe you.

You have to.

You have no choice.

If he repents,

I will let him go.

You and your commission

will be safe.

With a taped confession...

he won't send thugs

or go to the police...

or the video

would be all over the TV...

and I'll let him live.

As you say about

our sad country, Gerardo...

I will let the past

become the past.

We'll get on with our lives?

Yes. We'll have to.

We'll have to live with him.

What if he refuses?

Tell him if he refuses,

then he's dead.

Is that a real threat?

What happened to you

can't be condoned in any way.

You have to do this.

You have to convince him.

There's no other way.

What if by some

incredible miracle...

this is just some

crazy coincidence?

What if he's innocent?

If he's innocent,

then he's really f***ed.

Will you please turn that off?

Know that I'm not allowed

to come near you.

She's got the gun on us both.

Don't kid yourself.

You're an accomplice.

You can end it.

This is a charade.

You're playing good cop/bad cop.

I'm a victim, too.

Not from where I sit.

Dr. Miranda, are you...

What happened to Roberto?

We're not friends anymore?

Are you aware the secret

police used doctors...

as torture session consultants?

Everybody knows.

The Medical Association

denounced it.

I signed their petition.

You weren't asked

to participate?

I told you.

I wasn't even in the country.

Oh, this is hopeless.

If you don't want to die,

you'll confess.

What?

She's promised if you confess

and show remorse...

she'll let you go.

My God.

You're no different from them...

threatening to kill me

if I don't confess.

You're supposed to be

a democrat, a lawyer...

a man who believes in justice.

What's she got on you?

What's her power over you?

It's not power.

What is it?

Gratitude and love.

She saved my life, OK?

What's this all about?

Why was she tortured?

What did that...

You know why.

I don't.

I don't understand anything!

What's that in my eyes, blood?

Is that blood?

Wait a minute.

Listen, he's bleeding.

I'm going to wipe it off.

Is that OK?

Go ahead.

What's going on? Tell me.

What's this about?

Remember one of the underground

newspapers, "Liberation"?

Sure. Thanks.

Really? You said you were

in Barcelona in 1977.

Everybody knew

about those papers. Come on.

I don't know whether one

was called "Liberation."

I just remember

people talking...

about protest papers

later when l...

It's OK. It doesn't

prove anything anyway.

It doesn't matter.

There were seven

illegal broadsides.

I was the editor of

the student paper "Liberation."

We protected ourselves.

No one knew each other.

Paulina went to

the blind drops each week...

and brought me our anonymous

contributors' articles.

She was the only one

who knew my identity...

which is what they wanted.

If she'd given them my name...

But you know all this.

You're playing games.

I am not.

I admire you both!

I'm on your side!

I respect

what she's been through.

Please, check on me.

Isn't there a way?

She wants a confession.

Confession? How?

How can I confess

to something I haven't done?

Then make it up.

That's the only way

she'll pardon you.

She's got nothing

to pardon me for.

Don't you understand? Christ!

It's not her, it's you.

You're too f***ing civilized

to admit it's you.

You think I'm guilty.

You want revenge.

Yeah, I think you're guilty.

She recognizes your voice,

your smell...

all those peculiar

little phrases of yours.

She remembered that you

liked to quote Nietzsche.

And there's this.

For God's sakes, I've got

dozens of tapes in my car.

I'm not alone quoting Nietzsche

or my smell.

It's ridiculous.

She's making it up.

She's paranoid.

She's delusional.

You said so yourself.

She's crazy.

But so's the whole country.

I have to take a pee.

What?

I have to go to the bathroom.

Listen, I'm not sure

about anything right now...

but I'll tell you something.

I do know that she's serious.

All I said was I have

to go to the bathroom.

No tricks, you understand?

You want me to pee in my pants?

He wants to go to the bathroom.

Can I untie his hands?

Number one or number two,

Doctor?

Christ.

Well? Do you have

to go wee-wee...

or is there something

more substantial in you?

Forget it.

A trick. That's what I thought.

It's not a trick.

God damn it,

I have to pee, you c*nt.

That's the Dr. Miranda

I know so well.

All right, I believe you

do have to pee.

Untie his legs.

Do it. Untie them

and step away from him.

Don't move a muscle

till I tell you to.

Don't make this any more

grotesque than it already is.

Gerardo, shut up.

Take this.

Walk ahead of us

to show the way.

Guest bathroom,

I think, for our guest.

Get up slowly and move slowly.

If you make

any sudden movements...

the gun might go off,

even if I don't mean it to.

I can't, not like this.

Yes, it's very difficult,

isn't it...

to live without privacy

or pride?

- You'll get used to it.

- Paulina.

Quiet, Gerardo.

I guess we have

to try again later.

It isn't hard to humiliate

or be humiliated, is it, Doctor?

Not that difficult

to lord power over people.

It's no great achievement.

All done?

I guess I'd better

wash my hands.

Oh, God!

Don't shoot. Don't shoot!

Don't move!

Don't f***ing move!

Get the phone.

Hello, Mr. Escobar?

Pablo Milar, the president's

executive secretary.

We've been trying

to reach you for hours.

We've had a storm.

All electricity

and phones were out.

Could you hold

for the president, please?

The president?

Yes, of course I will.

I said don't move.

Sorry. I couldn't help it.

Don't make a sound.

I won't. I swear.

Be careful, please.

Shut up!

Yes, sir.

Sorry to wake you.

That's quite all right.

There's been a leak

about your appointment.

It was on the news.

As usual... don't think this

is out of the ordinary...

there have been death threats.

Death threats to you?

I'm afraid death threats

against me...

are a daily,

even boring occurrence.

I mean death threats

against you.

As a precaution, we're sending

some men to your beach house.

There's been a storm?

Yeah. Everything's still out.

The lights are still out.

Probably the road's impassable.

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