NETFLIX PRESENTS
They're like worms.
What kind of worms?
Like worms,
everywhere.
Worms in the body?
Yes, in the body.
Earthworms?
No.
Another kind of worm.
I can't move.
But someone is dragging me.
Is that you, David?
You have to stay awake, Amanda.
You have to understand what's important.
What's important, David?
Why are we seeing all of this?
Because what you see,
we all see.
We have to go back to the garden, Amanda.
Amanda.
Am I in the garden?
No, you're not.
But Carola, your mother, is there.
I met her a few days ago, when we arrived at the house.
We'd just come back from the river.
What is my mother doing?
She finishes her lemonade
and leaves the glass in the grass, next to the lounger.
She gets up and walks away.
She forgets her sandals, which are a few feet away on the pool steps.
But I don't say anything.
Why not?
Because I want to wait and see what she does.
And what does she do?
She slings her purse over her shoulder
and, in her gold bikini, she walks towards the car.
She walks around the car, running her hand along it.
She doesn't look at me,
but she gets me to stand up and walk over to her.
What else?
Why do you stay silent?
I check on Nina, who's still asleep on the porch.
This is not important.
We have to start over.
Your first day in town.
Am I screaming?
Yes. You are.
-Good day, ladies. -Hello. You must be Geser.
-That's right. Welcome. -Thank you for coming to meet us.
I didn't think I could find the house on my own.
Of course, I'm at your service.
Stop, Bronco. Stop.
Hang on, I'll tie up the dogs and go with you.
Okay.
This is important.
But what's important?
I need to understand which things are important and which aren't.
The details, Amanda.
We have to see the details.
The house isn't far from town.
You can walk there in 20 minutes.
And the little lady can ride her bike.
What a car.
-It was my father's. -Your father was Argentinean.
I'm seeing you for the first time.
My hands are shaking.
I'm looking at your hands now, and they're not shaking.
Is that our house?
No, it's a bit farther on.
You'll love it. It has a wonderful swimming pool.
A swimming pool.
It's the day you met my mother.
It's like an apparition.
She puts down the buckets to open the gate,
and then puts them down again to close it.
I liked her right away.
-Good morning. -Good morning.
I'm sorry to intrude. I brought you water.
Sometimes you can't drink the tap water.
As you're new here, I've brought you some.
Thank you.
-Carola. Welcome. -Nice to meet you. Amanda.
Nina, my daughter.
Hello, Nina.
We can make lemonade. Would you like some?
Oh, yes, I need some. It's so hot.
Did you come alone?
We came early. My husband is on the way.
They've been preparing the house for a few days. It looks good.
We don't always get nice neighbors.
-Will you be staying long? -Just the summer.
And I wanted Nina to see it.
You're not from here either, are you?
Why did you think she wasn't from the town?
What a compliment…
She seemed so sophisticated.
I was born here.
I remember the way she moved her hand in the car.
Her arms, the sound of her bracelets.
The perfume of her sun cream when she moved in the seat.
Don't get distracted. Let's go back to the garden.
Why do we always go back to the garden?
Because it's when my mother told you about me for the first time.
This is how it starts.
If I tell you, you won't want to see me anymore.
You won't let him play with Nina.
Who?
David?
You won't, Amanda.
He's yours? He's your son?
He was.
Not anymore.
He doesn't belong to me anymore.
She means you, David.
I know. Keep going.
I don't understand, Carola. A child is forever.
No, my dear.
I need a cigarette.
There's a kind of mutual fascination between us.
And at times, brief periods of repulsion.
When David was born, he was an angel.
Of course he was.
In the clinic, the first time they put him in my arms,
I got so upset.
I was convinced he was missing a finger.
The nurse said that happens sometimes with the anesthesia.
It can make you a little paranoid…
But until I counted his ten fingers twice…
I wasn't convinced he was okay.
What I wouldn't give now for him to be only missing a finger.
What's wrong with him?
He was an angel, I'm telling you. When he laughed…
Where's the ashtray in this car?
There.
Then David got sick.
It was about seven years ago or so.
I had started working with my husband.
It was the first time in my life I had worked.
Can you imagine?
I did his bookkeeping, but bookkeeping had nothing to do with it.
I'd run errands around town in a nice dress.
It's different for you. You're from somewhere else.
Here you need an excuse to be glamorous, and I had the perfect one.
What did your husband do?
Omar bred horses.
Yes, that's right.
Omar was different back then.
When I met him, he still smiled.
We had two spectacular mares.
Two beauties. Sad Cat and Fine Suede.
But the secret isn't in the mares.
The secret is in having a good stallion, and that costs a fortune.
One third isn't enough.
And I'm not waiting until you sell it. You pay me everything at the hitch.
Half at the hitch, the rest when the foal is born.
I'm telling you, I can get at least two hundred thousand.
Nobody is going to find out.
Prince of princes.
You have good taste, Omar.
I've had my eye on that one since he was born.
But if anything happens to him, they'll hang us both.
Three days. And if the boss comes home early,
I want him back in half an hour.
Can that kid be trusted?
Yes.
Which color do you like?
When I strike it rich, I'll even carpet the kitchen for you.
-It's magic… -It's magic…
Look at her.
Beautiful, isn't she?
Look.
There's the black one.
Look at how she moves her tail for him.
She wants him to like her.
Then she'll have a little foal.
The damned stallion again.
You're jealous.
And you're freezing.
Good morning, darling.
Hi.
I'm going out for a bit.
Will you check on him?
All you care about is that horse.
I'll be back around five, I promise.
I'm sure he'll mount the other one today.
One horse.
-This one. -Yes, she's the mommy.
And this one?
-Her son. -Her son.
-What are you? -A son.
Run, little pony…
-From the meadow to… -To the sea
I love you.
Run, little pony…
-Where are your boots? -I don't know.
-What do you mean? -They're lost.
-Mommy. -Walk, David. Come on, walk.
Mommy, look.
What are you doing? Get out of there.
Are you crazy? If I lost you, I'd lose the house too.
Come on.
Stop.
Come here.
They say losing your house would be the worst.
There are worse things.
You'd give the house, your life,
to go back and let go of the damn horse's reins.
I didn't say anything to Omar. What for?
I thought the screw-up was over and done with.
But that night I couldn't sleep.
The next day I understood…
And it was the worst day of my life.
How can it be? It's impossible.
You try the other side. He isn't here.
Where are you? Where did you go?
He's here!
What happened?
Don't touch him! Are you crazy?
Should I call the vet?
He won't come at this hour.
I'll go get him. Stay with the horse.
David.
Wake up, David.
David.
Omar!
And I went to the green house.
What green house?
Sometimes those of us who live here go there.
Why didn't you take him to the ER? If he was breathing like that?
No, Amanda.
I've seen too many things in this town.
I had to find a solution, not wait two hours for a country doctor
who wasn't going to arrive in time.
Something had got into that horse's body.
And whatever it was, it had got into David too.
Sometimes your eyes aren't enough.
How did I not see it?
Why was I worrying about a damn horse instead of my son?
I wonder what I'd have done in Carola's place.
Right now I'm calculating
how long it would take for me to jump from the car
and reach Nina if she suddenly fell in the pool.
I call it the "rescue distance."
The thread that ties me to my daughter.
I spend half my time calculating that distance,
but I always take more risks than I should.
An invisible thread gets tighter.
The woman from the green house isn't a psychic. She always makes that clear.
She says that everything is energy and that she can manipulate it.
My grandmother said that too.
The house is about five kilometers by boat, upriver.
David was burning up.
When we arrived, she was already waiting for us.
The green house, Amanda.
What happened next?
We're almost there.
David… David.
Sit down.
-My son… -Calm down. Sit down, please.
Drink this tea.
Give some to the boy.
The horse is dead already.
It's poisoning.
The boy has got a few hours left, perhaps a day.
But soon he'll need assisted ventilation.
David.
His body is too small to fight
against such a powerful poison.
It will attack his heart.
He won't survive.
No, you have to help me. You have to save him.
Please…
My David.
Please, do something.
We can try a migration.
There isn't much time, but we can try.
A migration? What's a migration?
If we can move David's spirit to a healthy body,
then part of the poison would also go with him.
Split into two bodies, he could survive.
It's not a sure thing, but sometimes it works.
Now, drink this tea.
It will help you make your decision.
Drink it.
Drink slowly.
We have to do it now. Bring him.
No, wait.
Where does his soul go? The other half of my David?
I know you're weak, sweetheart,
but we have to wash these little hands very thoroughly.
That half leaves.
We have to let it go.
He won't be the same anymore, Carola.
That's why I need to know…
if you're willing to accept his new form.
The migration brings an unknown spirit to the sick body.
But you have to understand that even without David,
you'll still be responsible for that body.
No matter what happens.
Wait there.
-Is that water? -Don't worry.
You have to stay still, Carola.
If you walk around you might move things.
Things?
Things without meaning to. It's a migration.
Only the things that are prepared to move should be in motion.
Sit down.
Don't move.
I want to tell Carola this is all insane.
What about David?
You didn't hear anything?
It was almost four hours, I think.
Actually, it was an eternity. I don't know how long it was.
But do you believe in all that, Carola?
I don't understand.
Yes, Amanda, you understand perfectly.
Did you hear anything in all that time?
Nothing.
It seems cruel,
but we have to make sure that only the spirit leaves.
The migration has taken most of the poison away.
It's now split between two bodies. It will lose the battle.
You didn't touch him? You didn't hug him?
That wasn't my David anymore.
It was another boy.
A monster.
I'm not a monster.
I'm a normal boy.
You're not normal, David.
None of this is normal.
Don't be angry, Carola, but I have to check on Nina.
I can't believe a story like this.
That's your opinion.
No, David.
You talk in my ear.
Is this even happening?
It's happening, Amanda.
Am I going to die?
Will that happen, David?
You're wasting your time.
And Nina?
If this is really happening,
where is my daughter?
The details, Amanda. We have to see the details.
Nina climbs onto the chair and slides the lock.
Mommy, my mole. Is she going to take it?
Nina is suspicious.
Yes, she is.
What else? What else is happening at that exact moment?
I shift the weight of my body from one leg to the other.
Lately, staying on my feet takes a lot of effort.
I told my husband. He said I might be depressed.
Here's where I lost it Here's where I found it
Find the ring, find the ring Tell me where it is
Come on, time to go to sleep.
I want another song.
-I… -I…
I…
-I… -I…
I didn't want to believe it, did I, David?
I didn't want to believe a story like that.
Why did I let something like this happen?
Is this how it begins?
Is this the exact moment?
No. It isn't.
It's hard to find it if I don't know what I'm looking for.
It's something in your body.
It's imperceptible. That's why you have to pay attention.
That's why the details are important.
Yes, that's why.
What do you feel now?
I feel uncomfortable.
It hurts.
Is it because of what the nurses injected me with?
It's the fever.
The discomfort comes and goes.
We don't have much time.
Let's go back to the day you met my mother.
Don't forget the details.
The river is pretty. There's a lovely little dock.
Can you drive?
Yes, I love it.
That's great.
May I?
I love rugs.
If I had the money, I'd even put them on the lawn.
If I may.
After what happened, they had to sell everything, right, David?
After the horse died, they had to sell everything.
David?
What are you doing?
Is what your mother told me true?
Did you kill them, David?
Killing isn't the same as burying.
I found them floating in the river.
In the end, you get used to it.
And changing cities every so often is part of the routine.
Marco's work has always been like that.
With Nina, it's a little harder now, but…
I've been to places I'd never have gone to otherwise.
And living in different houses… I'd love that.
Do you remember all the addresses?
And where do you work?
I do a bit of everything.
I even clean at times.
But I finish early. By noon, I'm free.
Can you help me?
Come down, David!
Come down from there!
He loves it.
Climbing?
Making me nervous.
And why did you come here?
My dad always told me about this place.
He used to come here to fish when I was little.
I always wanted to come, but…
I never had the chance.
My mother wouldn't let me.
Sending me alone from Spain was impossible.
My dad died when I was 13, so I never got the chance.
Until now.
San Lucas is the name of the lake.
-Do you know it? -Yes.
I promised Marco we'd wait for him and go together.
Yes, perfect. Silky smooth ride.
Seriously?
So when are you coming?
Yes, Marco.
But you never see her. She asks about you all the time.
We promised we'd spend more time as a family.
Okay, do what you want.
We've got all the time in the world.
Why do mothers do that?
Do what?
Always imagine the worst possible scenario.
Measuring danger…
the rescue distance.
The thread.
David?
What are you doing out so late?
Does your mother let you?
David!
Keep going, Amanda.
We don't have time for this.
We are looking for worms.
Something very similar to worms.
The exact moment they touch your body for the first time.
Sweetheart.
Look… It's just to scare away the birds.
Nina?
Abigail?
What did we talk about?
Stop that.
Hello.
-Anything else? -The shark, please.
Do you know this girl, David?
Is there part of you in her body?
Where is your other half?
Those are stories my mother tells.
David.
Hop in the car. We'll take you.
It's too hot for the skateboard.
Do you remember my name?
Amanda.
What's this?
It's an experiment.
You really don't want to come in?
Do you go to school?
I miss school.
I didn't know it at the time.
Do you ever get out of here?
Out of this town?
Never.
You're invited to come play whenever you want.
Omar!
Omar! Can you answer the door?
Amanda. Is everything okay?
Yes, it's nothing.
It's just the other day I saw that David's skateboard was broken.
They're phosphorescent, you see?
They glow in the dark.
Thank you.
Hold on. I'll get a smoke.
-Sure. -Excuse me.
Don't wait for Marco.
You should go to the lake alone.
Why?
Because this is your trip. You should do it for yourself.
Then you should learn to drive.
Deal.
You're nervous.
That's good.
That's the first time I did it.
What?
Leave Nina alone with Elvira.
The thread that ties us together was stretched again.
To give each of us more independence.
It has to gather speed.
Great. Really good.
I can't believe it.
-I'm driving. -Very good.
Brake! Brake!
I'm sorry.
-Are you all right? -Yes, I'm fine.
-I'm fine. -Let me see.
You banged your head a bit.
Yes.
It's nothing.
That last part wasn't very elegant.
It was fine.
Thank you for the lesson.
If only you'd come into my life sooner.
If I'd known how to drive, things could have been different.
Should we go in?
Nice, right?
Yes.
David…
Am I going to die?
Dying isn't so bad.
It's strange that I feel so calm.
Were you there?
What happens next?
What a beautiful little lion.
I'd steal this little lion for myself. Yes, indeed.
Those little ears…
These little dimples…
I’ll eat them with a teaspoon.
I'll take her while she's asleep…
I'll take her forever.
I wish I had a Nina for myself.
Where is Nina, David?
Where is my daughter?
Amanda.
I need you to concentrate.
I don't want to start again from the beginning.
Amanda.
She called you a monster.
Mommy, my mole. Is she going to take it?
-I… -I…
Nina?
What are you doing here, love?
Where's Nina?
She's here.
I thought you weren't coming until next weekend.
Nina has something to tell you.
Nina… Come on. Tell your mother.
It's an experiment, Amanda.
Where did this can come from?
I'm not Nina. I'm David.
Are you lying to me, Amanda?
Stop, Nina!
No, David. It's a dream.
Stop!
A nightmare.
Stop!
Where is Nina, David?
Where is my daughter?
-That's not important. -That is the only important thing.
-It's not important. -David.
Keep going.
I decided not to wait for Marco and went to the lake alone.
Why?
As your mother told me, it was a journey I made for myself.
Something's going to happen now.
-He's in your house. -What?
-David is in your house. -What do you mean?
I stepped out to water the flowers, and when I came back,
-the door was locked. -Nina!
Have you got the key? He locked both doors.
Nina! Nina, open the door!
-We have to get in quickly. -I left everything open.
He closed everything. He's going to do something.
Nina! Just be quiet for a minute! You're making me nervous!
-Oh, God! -Nina!
-He's going to do something! -He's just a child!
Oh, God!
Move!
Nina!
-David! -Check the bathrooms.
David!
-We were hiding, Mommy! -Are you all right?
You found her.
I was hiding.
What happened?
Oh God, I'm sorry. Is everything all right?
-Let me take her. -Please…
Come here.
What happened?
Thank God nothing happened.
This is crazy. You're completely insane.
Amanda, I'm sorry. You have to be careful with David.
No! I have to be careful with you! David didn't do anything!
It's you and your delusions about David!
You don't even trust your own damn son.
Let's go, David.
Amanda.
You invited me.
What are you doing here?
Go away!
You go!
Marco.
It's me! Pick up!
Pick up!
Nina.
Wake up. Come on.
I think about Carola.
About you.
And I wonder if I'm a part of this madness.
You're thinking of talking to her.
Maybe your mother was right to be so afraid of you.
I need to apologize for yelling at her yesterday.
You just need to see her again.
Talking to Carola is a mistake.
It's done.
The details, Amanda.
Don't forget the details.
Can I help you?
-Is Carola here? -Yes, I'll call her.
Carola?
Someone is looking for you.
No. I don't know.
Okay, I'll tell her.
She's coming.
But she always takes a while.
No problem. We'll wait outside. Come on, Nina.
I don't remember much more.
No.
There's more, Amanda.
All around. Near.
There's more.
Mommy, I got wet.
It’s just dew, sweetheart.
Who's looking for me?
Hey!
I'd never seen her in her uniform.
Hi, Nina.
I got distracted for a moment.
Amanda, is everything all right?
Yes, everything is fine.
We have to leave. My husband's job.
Where are you going?
We're going back.
Right now?
I wanted to apologize about yesterday.
It was nothing.
Hold on.
Did something happen?
Everything's fine.
It's because of David.
I knew that if I told you, you'd never want to see me again.
It's not that. I swear.
Weren't you leaving, Amanda?
No, David.
Nina is going to run off.
She'll turn round and shout to me:
"Look, Mommy. The plane."
Mommy, look! The plane!
We are going to walk.
And I'm going to ask myself if I'm doing the right thing to leave.
I'm sorry I got upset yesterday.
Some days, things hurt me too much.
I haven't thought about what I want in a long time.
I only think about what I would have wanted.
But those are things you wouldn't understand.
Why wouldn't I?
You think I don't fantasize about leaving?
About starting another life?
About finding someone who will let me take care of them?
What has that got to do with it?
You won't come back, Amanda.
You'll leave, and every year you'll pick a different place…
farther and farther away.
And I'm tied to this fucking town.
I don't escape from the things that scare me.
I make my own decisions.
I don't regret anything.
You only look at yourself, Carola.
And you?
You never do.
You look pale. Are you all right?
Amanda, are you all right?
I don't want to go on, David.
I'm exhausted.
We're very close. Hang on.
Can you see me now?
I see the treetops.
Everything is moving.
I hear the wood creaking underneath me.
Where's Nina?
Don't leave Nina alone.
What's wrong with me?
Do you usually have low blood pressure, Amanda?
That happens later, Amanda.
Concentrate. We have to follow things in order.
Nina is near me, and I calm down.
Mommy.
Mommy, I'm thirsty.
My mother always said…
It's okay, my love.
"Sooner or later, something bad is going to happen…
and when it happens, I want you near."
Is that Daddy?
Over here.
How are you?
She has sunstroke.
Take her home so she can rest. It's all right.
She strokes my hair, and her fingers are cold.
But it feels nice.
Concentrate, Amanda.
Where does my mother take you?
If I'd known you were coming, I'd have tidied up a bit.
You can rest here.
Carola.
What's wrong? All the lights are on.
David.
-Go to sleep. -He isn't in his room.
Did you lock his door?
I locked his door, and he was asleep. I remember perfectly.
Calm down, then.
There are noises in the stable, and the front door is open.
The latches are broken.
Run!
Get away! Get away from here!
Nina…
Mommy?
Mommy.
My eyes itch, Mommy.
Are you okay, my love?
I'm very thirsty.
We'll get water in town.
Are they like you, David?
What am I like, Amanda?
Very few children are born normal here.
Mommy.
Mommy!
No, she's much better.
Yes.
I'll put her on. She just woke up.
It's your husband.
Talk.
Marco.
Marco, I’m not well.
I can't move.
Nina?
I don't know where Nina is.
You have to come. Please.
No.
-No. -Easy, easy.
Hello, yes.
The little girl?
Her friend found her, don’t worry.
The doctor is coming.
It'll take a while, but he's coming.
Yes. She's just a little upset.
Amanda.
Nina is sick too.
She’s too little.
She can't hold out. And the doctor won’t get here in time.
Do you understand what I’m saying?
I told you I have no regrets.
You think I’d rather my David were dead, but no.
I prefer him alive, I swear.
I have to take her.
I have to take Nina to the green house.
Tell me you agree. I need your consent.
She'll save her.
Everything will be all right.
She isn’t asking me for permission.
She’s asking me to forgive her.
Come here.
She wants Nina. She wants her for herself.
We have to go to the green house.
We're close now.
Hold on.
What are they doing to Nina?
Is it happening now?
I can’t let them touch her, David.
We have no time left.
You don't realize.
There's more.
Around… Near.
Look.
But I don't see it.
You see it… But you don't understand.
Do you feel it?
Mommy, I got wet.
It's just dew, sweetheart.
Carola, there's someone looking for you.
This is the exact moment.
It’s not dew.
It's everywhere.
Amanda.
-Take me. -Take me.
-Take me to the green house. -Take me to the green house, David.
Am I screaming?
Yes. You are.
You're screaming Nina's name.
What's going to happen to Nina?
Where will her other half go?
Can you do something?
Can you leave her close?
Close to whom?
Close to me.
Amanda.
I'm here.
The thread.
It's too tight.
Is it Nina?
Is she pulling the thread to find me?
It feels like it's tied around my stomach.
Squeezing it…
Splitting it…
Is it because I didn't see the danger?
The rescue distance.
Is this what you wanted me to see?
What do you see, Amanda?
The thread.
The thread has already snapped.
Amanda, I know you can hear me.
I'm going to push you forward.
It's the last effort.
We have a few seconds.
Pay attention.
There's one more thing to understand.
What do you see?
Hello?
Come in.
Thank you.
I’m Marco Casali.
May I have a word with you?
Amanda was my wife.
I hardly knew your wife.
But your wife knew her.
My wife left.
What do you want?
My daughter isn't well.
It's been over a year.
She's recovering despite all that happened, but…
There's something else, and I don't know what it is.
Do you know what happened?
What happened to Nina?
No.
I don't.
You must know.
Somebody has to know.
As you can see…
I'd like to have someone to ask too.
I don't know what you're looking for, but you won't find it here.
You need to leave.
Get him out.
Tell him to get out!
Get out, David.
Come on.
David!
As if he was going anywhere.
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SAMANTA SCHWEBLIN
Subtitle translation by Deirdre Mac Closkey