Julieta

Julieta’s three houses in Madrid, at the three

different stages in the story:

House 1 is the one she shares with her daughter Ant.a,

after Xoan’s death. 19, Fernando VI, Third Floor. From

1998 to 2006-2007.

House 2 is the one to which she moves, after throwing

out all the reminders of her daughter. A neutral, ugly

neighborhood far from the center. Shortly after, Ava

dies and Lorenzo appears in her life. 2006-2007 to

2016.

House 3 is in the same building as House 1, 19,

Fernando VI, Second Floor. Julieta moves there

immediately after her encounter with Beatriz. At that

moment she decides to stay in Madrid and not go to

Portugal with Lorenzo. From 2016 to the end.

1. MADRID. JULIETA’S HOUSE 2. INT. IN THE MORNING.

2016. SPRING

A red fabric fills the screen. Over it appear the

opening credits. At first it gives a sensation of

stillness, but with the insistence of the shot we

discover that the fabric is moving, a slight, rhythmic

movement. We discover that the fabric is the front of a

dress and that Julieta’s heart is beating inside it.

Julieta, an attractive woman of 55, independent and

full of determination, a mixture of timidity and

daring, fragility and courage. Blond. She is sitting

next to a bookcase, surrounded by cardboard boxes, the

kind used for moving house. She picks up a sculpture of

naked, seated man, with the color and texture of

terracotta (some 8 inches high), and wraps it carefully

in bubble wrap. She places it in one of the cardboard

boxes that contains art books, a framed photo with

Lorenzo, a book of photos by Nan Goldin, items that she

doesn’t want to get rid of.

In front of the shelves on which books are piled up in

various groups, Julieta tries to decide which she’ll

put into boxes and which she’ll leave. A great number

of the books have to do with Classical Greece,

Mythology, Art, etc. Juliet also puts in the box a

novel by Lorenzo Gentile, “Adi.s, Volc.n”, on the cover

of which there is a sculpture by Ava, as we will

discover in due time, also a naked, seated man.

The walls of the apartment are painted white. A sober

space with little furniture. Bright and comfortable.

Few decorative elements and the few that we see have to

do with Lorenzo. In one corner there is a large writing

desk and, hanging in the angle formed by the wall,

there are three posters. The rest of the walls are

bare. A self-portrait of Lucien Freud announces a

portrait exhibition in London, another poster by the

hyper-realist painter Antonio L.pez shows the deserted

Gran V.a in Madrid. The third poster is for the

spectacle “The Old Woman” by Bob Wilson. The three hang

in their frames on the walls.

Julieta goes over to the writing desk and opens a side

drawer. She rummages in the bottom of the drawer until

she finds a blue envelope, the size of a Christmas

card, the texture of which shows that it has been kept

for several years, an old envelope. She takes the

envelope out of the drawer and looks at it. The intense

blue of the envelope contrasts with the red of the

dress she is wearing. Juliet holds it up for a moment,

she doubts about putting it in the removals box.

Finally she decides to throw it in the wastepaper

basket. The wastepaper basket already contains a jumble

of papers and cuttings, the result of the clean-out she

is doing.

The entry phone rings. Julieta goes into the kitchen,

answers and then opens the door out to the landing. She

goes back to the far end of the sitting room, next to

the bookcase, and continues choosing books to pack.

2. MADRID. JULIETA’S HOUSE 2. INT. IN THE MORNING.

2016. SPRING.

Lorenzo Gentile in person comes into the apartment.

Julieta had previously left the door open. He is aged

between 55 and 60, an attractive man, warm-hearted and

sincere. A mature, comfortable seducer. Argentinean,

with a soft accent, he enjoys and is touched by the

sight of Julieta, confused by the preparations for the

journey. With a few books in her hand:

JULIETA:

I’m in a real mess. I don’t know

which books to take.

LORENZO:

Take the essential ones. If you

miss any you can buy them on the

Internet.

JULIETA:

I don’t like buying books I

already have. It makes me feel

old.

LORENZO:

(Smiling) Right now you look like

a little girl.

Julieta makes a nervous face.

LORENZO:

Apart from the books, do you have

a lot to do?

JULIETA:

I still have to do some shopping.

LORENZO:

Julieta, we’re not going to the

desert. You’ll be able to come to

Madrid when you like… or go to

Braga, which is closer.

JULIETA:

(Suddenly, serious) I’d like not

to come back to Madrid, if I can

avoid it.

Lorenzo embraces her tenderly. Julieta relaxes in his

arms. They kiss.

LORENZO:

(Murmuring to her) Thank you.

JULIETA:

For what?

LORENZO:

For not letting me grow old on my

own.

JULIETA:

You’re the one not leaving me on my

own.

3. MADRID. A STREET JUNCTION IN THE CENTER. EXT. DAY.

2016. SPRING.

Julieta is walking along, laden with two plastic bags.

They could be from a hardware store where she has

bought some gardening tools.

Where the sidewalk goes round the corner she passes a

woman in her early thirties. The woman is with a group,

but Julieta notices only her face. Neither of them

stops, but both seem to be saying to themselves “I know

her”.

They turn to each other and exclaim in unison:

BEATRIZ:

Julieta!

JULIETA:

Bea!

Bea breaks away from her group, even though she’s in a

hurry. One woman in the group looks annoyed by the

meeting between Julieta and Beatriz.

From their tone it’s obvious that they haven’t seen

each other in many years and that they were good

friends in another time. They are very excited about

the encounter.

Bea is very well dressed, an outfit from the latest

collection by Dior and also a bag by Dior. She doesn’t

seem like a fashion victim, rather someone used to

dressing and accessorizing with the latest trends.

After the usual gestures and words:

BEATRIZ:

I can’t believe this, Juliet! Just

last week I met your daughter at

Lake Como!

Julieta’s eyes open wide. Surprised, she conceals the

impact of this news, she holds her breath.

JULIETA:

You met Ant.a?

BEATRIZ:

Yes! Just imagine! We were looking

at each other and it was I who

went up to her because she didn’t

recognize me!

Julieta has to make a great effort to be able to speak.

BEATRIZ:

But you look exactly the same,

Julieta. In fact, better.

Julieta manages to murmur “Thank you”.

JULIETA:

And what did she say?

BEATRIZ:

That… (She hesitates, looking

carefully for the best way to put

it) she had come down to the city

to buy things for her children…

She’s got three! Two boys and a

girl!

Julieta gives a forced smile, as if this information

weren’t a surprise for her. But the truth is she’s

shocked. More than that.

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