One, two, three, knock on the wall!
Good Shepherd Orphanage, hello?
lt's all ready.
She's playing. We haven't told heryet.
She'll be happy in her new home. Don't worry.
See you then.
Yourfriends will miss you a lot, Laura.
Got you!
THE ORPHANAGE
Mummy!
l'll go, it's my turn.
l'm coming!
Simon!
They're outside. Listen.
Go to sleep.
Simon, darling.
Oh, l see!
Watson and Pepe have played very late,
now they can't get in?
Come on, in you go.
Aren't you a bit old forthis?
Weren't you scared here, when you were little?
You couldn't be afraid. There was a gang of us,
and there was the lighthouse...
-Lighthouse? -lt's still there,
but it doesn't work anymore.
l'll show you tomorrow.
Why doesn't it work?
Can you keep a secret?
Actually, it does work.
But the light's invisible, it protects us.
lnvisible light?
OK, try this.
Look at the window, overthere.
Don't move.
See it?
Did you see it?
Those kids that are coming,
why can't they stay at home?
They're special children,
and they need a lot of special care.
They can't come and go, they need a home.
You understand?
Can l sleep with you tonight?
You're pushing it, kiddo!
Dad, are you coming to the beach?
Aren't Watson and Pepe going?
No, they didn't sleep a wink last night.
You're such a smartass! Friends only when it suits.
OK, wise guy, take your pill.
''S'' for Simon!
Go upstairs and get your bag. Dad'll meet us there later.
One of us should talk to him.
About his invisible friends.
He's lonely, he's bored. lt's normal.
He'll forget them as soon as the real kids arrive.
Everything will work out.
We'll have a great home.
l'm so glad we're here together.
Pirate.
Cave.
And lighthouse.
Once upon a time there was a very, very bad pirate
who hid his treasures in a cave, near a lighthouse.
-What treasures? -Stolen treasures.
But it wasn't easy to get into the cave.
How did they get in?
They'd click a stone in a gap in the rocks...
Simon!
Simon, come on!
What's your name?
l'm Simon. Do you want to play?
Why can't you play?
Do you want to come to my house to play later?
What are you doing?
Playing.
But Watson and Pepe didn't come.
lt's another boy.
He shouldn't play here. lt's dangerous.
Come on, let's go.
Can he come home to play?
Why are you dropping shells?
lt's a path for my friend to follow
so he can come and play.
-He made a new friend. How's that? -Another one?
We won't have room for all these kids.
Good afternoon.
Sorry l didn't call
but l couldn't get your number.
Benigna Escobedo.
l'm a social worker.
l'm sorry you've come so far
but there are no interviews today.
lnterviews?
No, l'm here for Simon.
What a sitting room!
lt's a beautiful house.
How did you find it?
l grew up here. lt was an orphanage.
l wanted to return, so l thought of the home.
Home?
For special children. That's not why you came?
You'll need a lot of people forthat.
lt's not that kind of a home.
We'll be happy with 5 or 6 children.
More would be too complicated.
What about Simon?
Yes, of course!
l received his file yesterday
and thought: ''l should visit them,
in case they need anything.''
Will you make many changes?
Sorry, l don't understand why you're here.
This information's old.
l know, but l received it.
There are new treatments, an experimental program
that requires an application, You might be interested.
My husband is a doctor.
We're aware of all treatments for Simon's disease.
Now please leave.
Simon doesn't know he's adopted, or about his illness,
and l'd rather deal with it with my husband.
CHANGE OF RESlDENCE
HlV POSlTlVE
Carlos.
l'll go. lt's my turn.
Who's there?
What are you doing?
Carlos!
What is it?
Planning to bash the old lady's head in?
Sleep with Simon tonight.
lf she shows up again, we'll call the cops.
Can l wake up?
You are awake.
You can get up now.
Wendy gets old and dies?
Wendy gets old, but Peter Pan takes her daughterto Neverland.
Why doesn't Wendy go too?
lf Peter Pan came to get me, would you come too?
l'm too old to go to Neverland.
-How old are you? -37.
At what age will you die?
What sort of question is that?
Not for a long time, when you're much older.
l won't get older.
l'm not going to grow up.
Like Peter Pan?
Like my new friends.
-There's more than one? -Six.
-They won't grow up either? -They can't.
What are they holding?
Treasures. To play with.
Yourfriends play together?
Sure.
They steal yourtreasure,
something you love, and you have to find it.
That's the game? Finding treasure?
Yes, but following the clues.
lf you find it, they grant you a wish.
Well now.
And you have a treasure?
Special coins.
An old man left them in the park. l think they're gold
and very valuable.
Want to see them?
Don't look yet.
-Where'd you get all this? -l found it.
What's this?
The first ice cream l had after my tonsils operation.
The special coins.
They're not coins, they're milk teeth.
-Where'd you find them? -See?
They're the first clue. They've got my coins.
You want to play treasure hunt?
The game's started.
Rememberwhere you kept my milk teeth.
lf l find my treasure, l can make a wish.
Sand. Where do you find sand?
You set this up, right?
-The beach? -No, it has to be at home.
What's this?
The sewing box!
Simon, wait!
Come on, hurry up!
This rings a bell.
The key in the kitchen!
Those are Daddy's...
l can make a wish!
Leave that alone!
Those are ourthings, you shouldn't touch them.
l didn't. lt was them!
-Don't lie to me. -l'm not lying.
You're lying! You say you're my mother,
and you're not!
-What? -You're not my mother.
-Who told you that? -My friend told me.
-What friend? -Tomas.
Tomas said l'm just like them,
l have no mother orfather. And l'm going to die.
You're not my mother, you're a liar!
We wanted you to be a bit older to talk about certain things.
lf you want to ask us anything...
ls Father Christmas a lie too?
Simon...
You heard Mummy and that lady,
saw the envelope and invented the game
because you were afraid to ask about it.
What if l don't take them?
Nothing would happen.
lf l don't take them, how soon would l die?
lt would take many days, even weeks.
Don't worry, we'll take care of you. You won't get sick or die.
OK?
You don't love me! lt's a lie!
Come down, son!
Hurry, the first kids are here! Come on!
We can't go yet. l want to show you something.
-What is it? -Tomas' little house.
Not now, darling. You can show me tomorrow.
No!
-Not now, Simon. -Now!
Go downstairs right now!
l don't want to!
Come and see Tomas' house.
lf you don't want to go downstairs, don't.
No one is forcing you.
WELCOME
Darling!
Simon, son.
What's going on?
Darling!
He's overthere, Carlos!
There's no one, Laura! Come on.
There's no one! We can't stay here!
He's there, Carlos!
Carlos is here.
He spoke to the police, and they want to talk to you.
How are you?
He's not in the caves.
But l saw someone, Carlos.
You must have imagined it,
in all the confusion.
Believe me, he wasn't there.
l'm Pilar.
l know it's hard, but you must know we're doing all we can
to locate your son.
Pilar is a psychologist.
She works with the police.
They're working hard to find Simon.
l have a few questions.
Your husband told me about the adoption,
and your son's illness.
As he was adopted,
There are possibilities we must consider.
What possibilities?
That he has been kidnapped by a relative.
l heard you recently found
a woman intruder in the grounds.
Benigna Escobedo, a social worker,
came a few days ago.
We can find no social worker
with that name.
Could you describe her?
She was about seventy, with white hair,
pale eyes, very thick glasses.
We will find her.
You can be sure of that.
How can they trust me with their kids afterthis?
Let's do something.
Wear my grandmother's Saint Anthony medal.
To bring us good luck.
You don't believe that.
Exactly. But you do.
Take it now.
Give it back when we find Simon.
Simon Sanchez's parents feel more and more forsaken.
The 7-year-old boy disappeared
from his home 6 months ago.
The situation is even more desperate
because Simon is ill and needs daily medication.
My son disappeared 6 months ago.
His name is Simon.
There are posters everywhere. You may have seen them.
We've tried everything,
but not one clue,
not even a trace.
My son had imaginary friends.
We never paid much attention but...
l have the feeling they're in the house.
l saw my daughter.
A year after her death.
lt was at night, we were asleep.
l woke up and,
without knowing why, l went to her room.
And there she was.
Smiling. Calm.
lt was herway of telling me:
''l'm fine, l'm safe,
don't sufferfor me.''
lt is not unusual to feel, in some way,
the presence of a loved one aftertheir death.
All of us in this group
could tell you similar stories.
You don't understand.
My son is not dead.
His friends took him. l saw one of them.
He was at home.
l'll do whatever it takes to recover my son.
l'm not crazy,
believe me.
l know what l'm saying.
lt's her.
The woman who came to the house.
Benigna?
Simon!
We went to Benigna's house. We found some pictures
and old Super 8 films.
l'd like you to see them.
Are any of the faces familiar?
Antonia, the principal, the orphans.
My friends.
Martin. She liked to be called Martin.
Rita.
Victor... l think his name was Guillermo.
That's Alicia, she was blind.
And this is me.
Benigna?
The woman you saw
worked at the orphanage.
That's impossible. l'd remember!
She wasn't there very long.
She had a son. Tomas.
The child was deformed,
he was kept away from the others.
No one knew.
lt was a total shock when they found the body.
What do you mean?
lt seems he disappeared while playing.
CHlLD'S BODY FOUND ON BEACH
Shortly afteryour adoption.
One of the orphans confessed
that they had played a trick on him.
They went into the caves with Tomas
and took his mask off to see if he'd come out.
But he never emerged. He drowned.
They found his body at low tide.
The children weren't blamed. They were only playing.
That boy was in my house.
We asked everyone at the opening party.
No one remembers a child with a sack mask.
l can't sleep through the night.
l can't stop thinking.
Rememberwhat we called Simon when we met him?
''Two Little Kilos''.
''My two little extra kilos''. That's all he weighed.
The doctors said it wasn't enough.
But it was plenty for us.
Although we knew
there was little chance he could ever be normal.
But when we saw him,
saw his smile forthe first time...
his eyes, his bright eyes...
Simon made us strong, Carlos.
Together, we're strong.
Together.
Forgive me if l get upset, but it's hard.
Carlos, someone's in the bathroom.
-What is it? -Someone was here.
Carlos, feel, it's still warm.
Sure, l just got up.
Someone got into bed.
l'm convinced.
That's what Jung means when he says
it's in the subconscious that
the living coexist with the dead.
The Germans have another name for ''the herald of death''.
Doppelganger.
A being that appears in one's own image.
A double.
To glance at him,
or at any of the others l've shown you,
means, without the slightest doubt,
a passport to the otherworld.
How long has your son been missing?
Nine months.
Strange things are happening. Things linked to his disappearance.
l don't know who to turn to.
lt's not that simple.
You won't find an exorcist in the yellow pages.
This is from my son's kidnapper.
The police say he's been dead for over 30 years.
Someone has my son.
l don't know why. But l won't do nothing.
There's someone in this field, someone l trust.
l'm talking from the heart.
Would you allow a medium to visit your home?
This wasn't a children's room in the orphanage.
The bedroom was back there.
Then we should start here.
Enrique.
Perfect,
give me an hour.
l want an old object from this house,
something related to its history. And, if possible,
some clothing from the past.
We're not alone.
There's a police psychologist, Pilar,
who would like to attend the session.
lf you don't mind.
Cops! The cops is cool!
What does she need that doll for?
To facilitate hertrance.
Clothing and objects get her into it
and begin the regression.
-Regression? -A psychic summoning.
Past, present and future are superimposed, and cross.
Like a sort of time travel.
lt may sound like witchcraft,
but you mustn't fear parallel perception.
lf there's anything, Aurora will see it.
l hope we'll all see it.
Everything's ready, Enrique.
Wheneveryou want.
-Aurora, can you hear me? -Perfectly.
Here we go.
Everything around you is beginning to fade.
Darkness is forming a circle around you,
it's closing in on you.
Everything is fading. We're no longer here.
Now you're alone in the darkness,
and the darkness begins to disappear.
l'm going to count down
from ten
and once l've finished,
you can go whereveryou want
and will be able to see
anyone who is hiding in this house.
Ten...
Nine...
Eight...
You can open your eyes.
lt's cold,
the window is open.
Aurora,
l want you to look around you.
ls there anyone with you?
l can hear someone.
l can hear...
l hear something.
lt comes and goes.
l can't hear it anymore.
l think l've lost them.
l can hear something.
...all alone.
Children,
l'm sure it's children.
At the end of the hall. l think it's them.
l can't open it.
lt's closed.
But there's someone.
Why are you crying?
-We're sick! -Who's sick?
l won't hurt you.
Open the door. Don't be afraid.
Open the door.
We want you to open the door!
What have they done to you?
What have they done?
Aurora,
tell me what you see.
Five children.
They're very sick. They're crying.
What happened?
They're dying.
Who would want to poison you?
Someone's going to kill us.
ls my son there?
Aurora, is Simon with you?
ls Simon here?
Aurora, can you hear me?
Let's get her.
Aurora, stay in the middle of the room.
l'll count from ten.
Ten...
Nine...
Eight...
l was in the house, but...
everything was different.
The beds, the toys, the decor, everything was much older.
The light from the lighthouse came through the windows.
You didn't see Simon?
lt was too dark, l'm sorry.
l couldn't recognize anyone.
But the children were there.
You saw the children. ls that right?
That's right.
You're talking about ghosts.
And what is a ghost, Carlos?
There's something here, and we all saw it.
When something terrible happens,
sometimes it leaves a trace,
a wound that acts
as a knot between two time lines.
lt's like an echo
repeated over and over, waiting to be heard.
Like a scar...
Oh, l'm sorry.
Like a scar or a pinch
that begs for a caress to relieve it.
Laura...
we who are close to death,
we are more receptive to these messages.
You mean my son could see those children
because...
That's enough.
Please take yourthings and leave.
We can't let them go like this.
Laura, this is a farce,
a sideshow trick.
l can't believe this. Why?
Forwhat reason? They're right...
-They don't want money. -Not yet.
What should l do?
The police haven't found a single clue
as to whether he's dead or alive.
What do l do, just sit and wait?
Can it hurt to listen?
-Laura, stop! -No, you stop!
Pilar...
How many similar cases have you had in this damned village?
Get another distraction, l didn't invite you here.
What should l do?
My dear,
you are a good mother.
Your pain gives you strength, it will guide you.
But only you know how faryou are willing to go
to find your son.
l don't know what to do.
You hear, but don't listen.
Seeing is not believing. lt's the otherway around.
Believe,
and you will see.
What are you doing?
We can't stay here any longer.
We should go, at least for a while.
The children are here. Aurora saw them. l can't leave.
You heard the voices.
That Enrique could have faked it all.
Can't you see it could be a set-up?
That's Pilar's theory, a set-up?
-Her rational theory? -She's protecting us.
From what?
Things like this evening.
People entering our home and fucking up our lives.
-They just want to help. -Help?
Didn't you hearthem?
Did they mention finding Simon?
They just want to contact the dead.
lf Simon's alive, l can't see how they can help us.
lf he's not, they won't recover him.
l don't want to keep taking this shit.
Please, let's leave this house.
You can't ask me to give up. Neitheryou nor Pilar.
We can survive this. Many couples lose a child and pull through.
l want to be with Simon, don't you understand?
lf you want to go, l can't stop you. l just want to know
where he is!
Where are you?
l'm not afraid.
You want to play?
Are you playing with me?
Benigna?
Please, don't let it be Simon.
-There are five, right? -Yes.
All my friends.
Martin, Rita, Alicia, Guillermo, Victor.
Benigna killed them. That's why she went to the shed,
to recovertheir bodies.
l've thought it out.
Their game killed Tomas
and now they're playing with Simon and me.
Simon's in danger and l don't know how to play.
l don't know how to play.
Laura, you're making it up.
l saw it myself.
And this afternoon? Who laid out the clues?
Simon made it all up.
Who?
Tell me! Who?
l've packed. l don't want us to stay here.
l can't leave yet.
l won't live here,
and you're not staying alone.
l can't just leave, there are too many memories.
l have to say goodbye.
Two days.
Alone.
Please, l need this.
Please.
Please bless what you have given us.
Thank you for letting us gather once again
and be together.
What else do you want?
What more must l do? What?
l have no time, l have no time.
You want to keep playing? ls that it?
Let's make a deal. l'll play a while,
then you tell me where Simon is.
OK?
One, two, three, knock on the wall!
One, two, three, knock on the wall.
Wait, wait! No.
l won't hurt you. l just want to find Simon...
Why are you crying?
Oh, my darling!
Are you OK? You're freezing.
Don't worry about a thing.
Don't be afraid, l'll get you out.
Stay and play with us.
We can't stay to play.
Listen to me, Simon.
lmagine it's just you and me here. OK?
Think about before we came to this house.
Remember?
Think only about that, OK?
Think only about that,
think about Daddy,
think about next Christmas,
and all the things we'll do together.
So many things, darling!
Close your eyes, tight,
shut them really tight
and think about what you'll be when you grow up.
What would you like to be, darling?
Think about the schools you'll go to, the friends you'll make.
And just believe for a moment
that Tomas and the other children aren't real.
This is a fantasy, my darling,
like a nightmare.
Do it for me, Simon.
When you open your eyes,
make them go away.
Close your eyes, darling,
and keep on playing with me.
Keep on playing, darling, OK?
-What is it? -Tomas'little house.
l found you. This isn't fair.
l found you...
l want Simon back!
Mummy, can l wake up?
Of course you can, darling.
Mummy...
l found the special coins.
Now l just have to make a wish.
l wish you'll stay and look after all of us.
lt's Laura!
She's grown old, like Wendy in the story.
lt's Laura.
Come, don't be afraid.
The house. The beach. The lost children.
Once upon a time
there was a house nearthe beach
where the lost children lived...
ln memory of Laura and Simon
and of the orphans
Martin, Rita, Guillermo, Alicia, Victor
and Tomas
Subtitles: LASERFlLM