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Lessons for Luca
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View on the Pragda STREAM site
Uncle Ezequiel is serving a six-year prison sentence. What crime did this Cuban farmer commit? Answer: He sold his own cow.
Filmmaker Salvador Gieling, a cousin-by-marriage, can’t get his head around it. And if he can’t, how will Luca – his two-year-old son and Ezequiel’s nephew – ever understand it? So Salvador and his wife Belga travel to the heart of the Cuban countryside and, together with the family members, undertake the almost impossible mission of trying to explain to their two-year-old son Luca the story of his uncle Ezequiel.
The film intertwines the country’s incredible history with truth-finding about Ezequiel’s case and the personal story of Belga (who managed to get out of Cuba). Bit by bit, the film reveals how the struggles of the protagonists are connected to a greater history and the same question that keeps coming up: “What does freedom mean?”
Lessons for Luca is also an affectionate family portrait, framed by the captivating music of cellist Ernst Reijseger, whose melancholy melodies are interspersed with playful moments and scenes that highlight the joy and vitality of life.
Citation
Main credits
Gieling, Salvador (film director)
Gieling, Salvador (screenwriter)
Lammertsma, Iris (film producer)
Koole, Boudewijn (film producer)
Other credits
Editing, Bobbie Roeloffs & Salvador Gieling; music, Ernst Reijseger.
Distributor subjects
Family; Caribbean Studies; Exile; Youth; History; Criminal Justice; Education; Fascism + Repression; SociologyKeywords
00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:51.920
My dear son Luca.
00:00:53.440 --> 00:00:57.560
A while ago,
here in our house in Paris...
00:00:58.720 --> 00:01:02.640
...your mother received a message
from Cuba...
00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:08.680
...saying that your uncle Ezequiel
had been arrested.
00:01:10.600 --> 00:01:15.360
And that he was sentenced
to six years in prison...
00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:20.400
...for selling his own cow.
00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:33.320
I saw how the message made
your mother angry and sad.
00:01:33.880 --> 00:01:37.320
And at that moment I knew...
00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:40.040
...that as a Dutch father...
00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:45.320
...I could never explain to you
what had happened.
00:01:46.440 --> 00:01:48.920
And I realised...
00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:54.480
...that if you really want to understand
your motherland...
00:01:54.880 --> 00:02:00.000
...you need to know the story
of your uncle Ezequiel.
00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:06.280
That's why we'll travel to
the heart of the Cuban countryside.
00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:10.800
So we can start your education.
00:02:12.040 --> 00:02:15.240
So you will be able to
say one day:
00:02:16.040 --> 00:02:20.880
'I will be part of this world.'
00:03:36.120 --> 00:03:38.400
Mum, do you think...
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:43.440
...that we will get in trouble
if we talk about Ezequiel's case?
00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:47.160
No, I don't think so.
00:03:49.720 --> 00:03:52.000
But, well...
00:03:52.480 --> 00:03:59.200
You're making a film about our family
and this is a family problem.
00:03:59.320 --> 00:04:07.600
Just make sure you don't talk
about the place where he's being held.
00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:12.760
Don't dig up the reason
for his sentence.
00:04:12.880 --> 00:04:16.240
Don't tell anyone
how many years he has to serve.
00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:22.840
Don't claim that he's innocent
and should be released.
00:04:23.320 --> 00:04:27.880
You can talk about this issue
as long as you keep it superficial.
00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:33.520
You're intelligent.
You tell me if I'm right or wrong.
00:04:33.640 --> 00:04:38.080
No, I just wanted to get your opinion.
00:04:58.400 --> 00:05:03.600
This is Radio Havana, Cuba.
00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:07.440
Broadcasting from Cuba.
00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:10.280
A free state in the Americas.
00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.800
Before we travel to Sibanicú...
00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:09.280
...your mother will take you
the house of Aidita.
00:06:09.400 --> 00:06:11.120
Nurse.
00:06:11.320 --> 00:06:14.000
Member of the Communist Party.
00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:15.720
But first and foremost...
00:06:15.840 --> 00:06:17.520
...your grandmother.
00:06:30.440 --> 00:06:33.000
We're here.
00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:41.480
Good evening.
00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:44.080
My beautiful boy.
00:06:44.200 --> 00:06:46.040
Grandma!
00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:04.120
Dear grandson.
00:07:08.520 --> 00:07:12.120
We have always been country folk.
00:07:14.320 --> 00:07:17.120
During a very difficult period...
00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:23.520
...my father, your great-grandfather
who is no longer with us...
00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:31.560
...decided, together with your uncle Ezequiel,
to buy a farm and a piece of land.
00:07:33.440 --> 00:07:38.160
And leave the village,
in order to help the family...
00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.000
...and feed us.
00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:54.080
On a stretch of land called 'Paso Diez'.
00:07:54.200 --> 00:07:58.200
And even though it doesn’t
appear on any map...
00:07:58.320 --> 00:08:00.800
...it exists.
00:08:02.320 --> 00:08:06.680
And thanks to that farm and that land...
00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:11.920
...they were able to keep animals
and support the family.
00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:17.200
Animals like goats, sheep, turkeys...
00:08:17.320 --> 00:08:19.640
...as well as cows.
00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.200
Luca is asleep.
00:08:50.880 --> 00:08:52.320
Belga.
00:08:53.560 --> 00:08:57.160
Why are you so angry
at this country?
00:08:57.280 --> 00:08:58.640
Angry?
00:08:58.800 --> 00:09:00.640
Yes, rage.
00:09:02.880 --> 00:09:04.560
Impotence.
00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:10.760
Impotence.
00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.120
Explain what you mean
to these two Dutch guys.
00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:18.880
It's universal.
00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:23.280
If you are impotent, you become...
00:09:24.760 --> 00:09:26.160
...bitter.
00:09:27.400 --> 00:09:30.480
Impotence.
You're unable to do anything.
00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:32.960
You never know how things will turn out.
00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:35.440
Nothing depends on your decision.
00:09:35.560 --> 00:09:39.880
You have an idea,
but to achieve what you expect...
00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:41.920
...is an adventure.
00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:56.760
My son Luca.
00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.640
I'm trying to figure out
where I should start.
00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:07.640
But there is no way
to tell the story of your uncle Ezequiel...
00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:13.520
...without telling you my own.
00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:24.640
When I was 21 years old,
I crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Paris.
00:10:26.560 --> 00:10:28.200
To study...
00:10:29.040 --> 00:10:32.400
...and in search of a brighter future.
00:10:34.640 --> 00:10:37.920
But here, Luca,
in the village of Sibanicú...
00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:43.960
...so far from the sea
it's almost unimaginable.
00:10:45.040 --> 00:10:48.360
Here, where the roads
are dusty...
00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.040
...and where on the plains
only thorn bushes grow.
00:10:55.160 --> 00:10:58.280
Here, where your family lives.
00:10:58.800 --> 00:11:02.920
I keep my best childhood memories.
00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.840
What will we find there now?
00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:32.440
What will happen now during the film,
is that...
00:11:32.560 --> 00:11:36.400
...we're talking about personal things
with the family...
00:11:36.520 --> 00:11:42.320
...and I don't want them to see me
or Salvador as intruders.
00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:46.600
I will tell everyone:
Share what you want to share...
00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:49.600
- Or say nothing.
00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:55.080
Tell me: ‘I don't want to talk about it.’
Or tell me what you think.
00:11:55.200 --> 00:12:01.760
But not as intruders who come
to the village to ask questions...
00:12:01.880 --> 00:12:05.080
...about very personal
and private things.
00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:09.080
Also, I'm afraid there will be
a big fight...
00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:13.240
...because we're bringing things
out of the dark into the light.
00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:18.280
Maybe it's because everyone has
that fear inside them.
00:12:18.400 --> 00:12:19.840
In the family.
00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:25.480
That when they talk openly
about the subject...
00:12:25.760 --> 00:12:29.480
...knowing they are being filmed.
00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:32.800
Because that can have
many consequences.
00:12:32.920 --> 00:12:37.480
You can lose your job
or Party membership.
00:12:38.400 --> 00:12:44.120
You might pay a high price,
because that's how the regime works.
00:12:57.720 --> 00:12:59.280
Aidita.
00:12:59.400 --> 00:13:05.120
I heard someone in the family say
about you and your brother:
00:13:05.880 --> 00:13:10.280
'Aidita and Ezequiel are
two beasts with clothes on.'
00:13:10.400 --> 00:13:13.080
I don't think it was an insult...
00:13:13.280 --> 00:13:16.760
...but apparently you do look alike.
00:13:16.880 --> 00:13:22.720
Is that why Belga takes Ezequiel's case
so personally?
00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:27.920
Because you, her mother,
look so much like Ezequiel.
00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:30.800
Could be.
00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:36.000
Do you look a lot like your brother?
00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:41.480
Yes, it's true.
00:13:42.920 --> 00:13:45.800
Sometimes people call us a bit crazy...
00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:47.800
...or savages.
00:13:47.920 --> 00:13:51.640
No. We have studied.
We have jobs.
00:13:51.760 --> 00:13:57.680
But it seems it's a very specific
characteristic of ours.
00:13:57.800 --> 00:14:01.680
And because we come from
the same parents, we look alike...
00:14:01.800 --> 00:14:04.400
...except that he's white
and I'm more black.
00:14:04.520 --> 00:14:08.040
But we have the same parents
and the same strength.
00:14:08.160 --> 00:14:12.320
By strength I mean our spirit.
We are hot-blooded.
00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:16.680
And sometimes that's good,
and sometimes it's bad.
00:14:16.800 --> 00:14:20.200
In the end, it's bad...
00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:25.600
...because Ezequiel wanted a different life
for himself.
00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.800
More prosperous.
00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:32.960
Things didn't work out for him.
00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:36.040
Everybody makes mistakes,
and that's where...
00:14:36.160 --> 00:14:38.320
...Ezequiel lost himself.
00:14:55.160 --> 00:14:56.440
I declare...
00:14:56.680 --> 00:15:00.760
...that this year we will
start exporting cows.
00:15:00.880 --> 00:15:03.840
What a surprise for the imperialists.
00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:08.760
Because the moment our first cow
will arrive in Europe...
00:15:08.880 --> 00:15:12.400
...orders will start pouring in.
00:15:12.520 --> 00:15:15.800
Meat is a product
that is in such high demand...
00:15:16.040 --> 00:15:18.840
...that you may as well call it
'red gold'.
00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:21.280
You have 'black gold', which is oil.
00:15:21.400 --> 00:15:24.000
Well, beef is 'red gold'.
00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:28.200
You could say we have
already assured the market.
00:15:57.880 --> 00:15:59.280
Luca...
00:16:02.040 --> 00:16:07.040
When Columbus first set foot
on Cuban soil, he said:
00:16:09.760 --> 00:16:14.400
'This is the most beautiful land
eyes have ever seen.'
00:16:14.520 --> 00:16:17.000
And maybe he was right.
00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:22.840
But there's a difference
between someone who sees the land...
00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:25.680
...and someone who works the land.
00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:29.400
Let me try to explain it to you.
00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.320
'Cuba is a free country.'
00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:43.680
That's what they say.
00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:48.000
But the technical department
of the Security Police...
00:16:48.920 --> 00:16:52.520
...is still called Department K.
00:16:54.800 --> 00:16:57.840
Yes. The K of Kafka.
00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:04.960
And a horse is still considered
as a transport of war...
00:17:06.320 --> 00:17:09.200
...and the people as soldiers.
00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:12.840
But without rifles.
00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.960
And the farmers have to raise
their cows...
00:17:21.120 --> 00:17:23.600
...but they cannot eat their meat.
00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.720
This is your Uncle Jorge and his
most loyal friend in the world...
00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:10.080
...his horse Caminante.
00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:18.480
Uncle Jorge, tell me about the family,
the Quiros.
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:23.480
The Quiros originally came
from Santiago de Cuba.
00:18:23.600 --> 00:18:27.680
They call us 'The Quiros'
because of our father's name, Quiro.
00:18:27.800 --> 00:18:31.840
And we came to this place
to unite the family.
00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:36.200
Uncle Armando got here first
and the rest of us moved here later on.
00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:39.200
The family was dispersed
and now we are united.
00:18:39.320 --> 00:18:41.520
We are the real 'Quiros'.
00:18:44.120 --> 00:18:47.760
And the family is getting bigger.
-Yes, it's growing.
00:18:50.560 --> 00:18:54.200
How's Ezequiel doing?
-He's fine.
00:18:54.320 --> 00:18:55.360
Is he strong?
00:18:55.760 --> 00:18:57.600
Very strong. Stronger than us.
00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.840
Could it have happened to you, Uncle?
00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:10.720
It could have happened to anyone
in the family. Anyone.
00:19:10.840 --> 00:19:14.000
Do you feel ashamed
that your brother is in prison?
00:19:14.120 --> 00:19:15.480
It depends...
00:19:15.600 --> 00:19:18.520
...sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not.
00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:20.520
Is it just or unjust?
00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:23.560
Unjust. It's unjust.
00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:24.800
Why?
00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:28.640
Because the law didn't work
how it's supposed to.
00:19:28.760 --> 00:19:36.480
He didn't bribe anyone,
he didn't embezzle any money.
00:19:36.600 --> 00:19:42.480
He just pays the price
of being a farmer.
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.520
In front of you...
00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:50.160
...about thirty minutes on horseback
from the village...
00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:54.760
...you will find the farm
of your uncle Ezequiel.
00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:02.040
Twelve years ago he came here,
together with your great-grandfather...
00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:06.120
...trying to improve the life of the family.
00:20:13.800 --> 00:20:16.480
Do you have a license
to drive that carriage?
00:20:16.600 --> 00:20:20.400
I got permission.
-No, you need a license here.
00:20:20.520 --> 00:20:24.520
I'll show you my ID card with the permit.
00:20:32.120 --> 00:20:34.080
And this is Marisol.
00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:37.880
Wife of Ezequiel and his devoted lover.
00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:42.040
She lives on the farm
with Ezequiel's mother...
00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:47.440
...but every day, relatives drop in
to help them.
00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:50.840
She is very happy to meet you...
00:20:51.760 --> 00:20:54.600
...because she's your aunt.
00:21:10.320 --> 00:21:16.960
Marisol, when did you find out
that your husband was in trouble?
00:21:17.080 --> 00:21:19.320
It happened on a weekend.
00:21:20.800 --> 00:21:24.600
He went to the village.
It was Jorgito's birthday.
00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:27.280
I made him a list:
00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:33.360
Bring back vinegar, salad, soda...
00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:37.680
...and I had written:
'Dont stay away too long.'
00:21:37.800 --> 00:21:40.280
And he never came back.
00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.480
He had been arrested.
00:21:47.520 --> 00:21:52.080
Did you cry?
-I cried and cried and cried.
00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:56.360
I didn't know how to go on.
They had to give me pills...
00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:01.760
...because I kept shaking like crazy...
00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:04.880
...until they found me some pills.
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:06.560
But wait...
00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:12.040
...Ezequiel's cows are actually
government property.
00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:20.720
And during the trial, he was accused
of illegally selling state property?
00:22:22.320 --> 00:22:24.200
Well...
00:22:24.320 --> 00:22:26.160
...that was...
00:22:27.600 --> 00:22:30.680
...that was a trial...
00:22:30.800 --> 00:22:32.960
...where they couldn't prove a thing.
00:22:33.080 --> 00:22:36.800
He was sentenced to six years
without any proof.
00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:41.800
Because Ezequiel is the farmer
who sells the cows.
00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:43.480
You follow?
00:22:44.800 --> 00:22:49.040
He has been accused
as an accomplice to fraud.
00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:51.600
For example:
00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:58.720
They said that Ezequiel sold
a 500-kilo cow to the abattoir...
00:22:58.840 --> 00:23:01.320
...that only weighed 50 kilos.
00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:04.440
However, he was paid
for a 500-kilo animal.
00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:09.880
And they arrested Ezequiel
to make an example of him.
00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:12.800
What does that mean?
00:23:14.120 --> 00:23:15.920
It means...
00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:22.520
...he was made an example
to prevent others from doing the same.
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.920
And do you trust my uncle?
00:23:29.040 --> 00:23:31.000
Completely.
00:23:32.040 --> 00:23:35.680
Ezequiel doesn't get involved
in things like that.
00:23:35.800 --> 00:23:38.200
If you can be sure
about one thing...
00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:41.520
...it's that Ezequiel is innocent.
00:24:11.040 --> 00:24:16.040
Do they still sell beef
on the black market?
00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:18.680
Yes, on order.
00:24:18.800 --> 00:24:23.000
How much per order?
-100 pesos, now.
00:24:23.120 --> 00:24:25.680
Two kilos for 100 pesos.
00:24:28.040 --> 00:24:30.760
Listen, and I'm not exaggerating...
00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:34.200
...just listen to what I've got to say.
00:24:34.320 --> 00:24:38.000
Just listen to what I've got to say.
00:24:38.120 --> 00:24:41.600
In a 300-kilometre radius.
Listen carefully.
00:24:41.760 --> 00:24:45.800
In a 300-kilometre radius
of our village Sibanicú...
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:50.080
...they didn’t slaughter a cow
in the last eight months.
00:24:50.200 --> 00:24:52.080
Uncle, listen...
00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:55.000
Not a single one.
00:24:55.120 --> 00:24:59.400
If you kill a cow here,
they'll catch you within three days.
00:24:59.520 --> 00:25:02.120
This is Quirito.
00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.720
Widower.
00:25:04.080 --> 00:25:06.440
Father of two sons.
00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:08.640
Cockfight player.
00:25:08.760 --> 00:25:11.120
The oldest of the siblings.
00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:13.400
But above all...
00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:15.000
...your uncle.
00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:26.960
When my brothers and sisters
were young...
00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:31.600
...I was the leader of my family.
00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:35.920
My parents counted on me.
00:25:38.120 --> 00:25:41.240
Because I'm the oldest of the gang.
00:25:42.040 --> 00:25:45.440
'Quiri, I need this.
Quiri, what do you think of this?'
00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:51.600
Marriage problems, problems at work,
health problems.
00:25:52.280 --> 00:25:53.680
Whatever the problem was.
00:25:53.840 --> 00:25:56.200
They came to see me.
00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:01.960
And now, Quirito?
-What?
00:26:02.080 --> 00:26:06.800
Now you work for your youngest brother?
-Sure, why not?
00:26:06.920 --> 00:26:08.880
I help my brother.
00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:12.200
Do they know
that we're talking about that?
00:26:12.320 --> 00:26:14.920
The whole day.
00:26:15.040 --> 00:26:20.440
Day and night.
With all the work I have to do.
00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.600
Too much work.
00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:27.920
You wake up early
to milk the cows.
00:26:28.040 --> 00:26:31.200
Then you continue
working the fields.
00:26:31.320 --> 00:26:35.200
Release the animals at dawn
and get them back in at dusk.
00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:40.240
It just goes on and on.
00:26:41.080 --> 00:26:44.240
That's why the day feels long…
00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:47.480
...and hard.
00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:56.320
Besides the hard work,
do you consider yourself a free man?
00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:58.680
Yes, yes.
00:26:58.800 --> 00:27:02.760
Besides the responsibility
for my family…
00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:05.920
...and respecting that.
00:27:06.040 --> 00:27:08.400
Apart from that
I feel like a free man.
00:27:10.120 --> 00:27:12.600
Because when it comes to freedom...
00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:17.400
...it tastes sweeter here in Cuba
than in other countries. For sure.
00:27:17.520 --> 00:27:22.800
Here in Cuba,
freedom is wonderful.
00:27:25.320 --> 00:27:27.600
Freedom here is beautiful.
00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:30.920
Really.
You can walk wherever you want.
00:27:31.040 --> 00:27:32.920
Wherever you want to go...
00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:37.120
...as long as you stay
on the right path.
00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:47.600
Come darling, come Luca.
00:27:51.320 --> 00:27:53.080
My little nephew.
00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:00.000
To understand something about my work...
00:28:00.120 --> 00:28:02.840
...and about what happened
to your uncle Ezequiel.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:08.040
First, you need to learn something
about it’s history.
00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:30.600
A long time ago...
00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:36.720
...the cattle industry in Cuba
was thriving.
00:28:43.760 --> 00:28:47.680
Before the revolution
there was a cow for every citizen.
00:28:50.120 --> 00:28:54.000
But after the war
and the triumph of the revolution...
00:28:56.720 --> 00:29:00.320
...everything needed to be rebuilt.
00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:16.320
And priority was to make the
cow industry the best of the world.
00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:31.880
In the 70s they built huge farms
with thousands of cows.
00:29:41.520 --> 00:29:45.640
If you combine red and black genes,
you'll get a black animal.
00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:51.920
But if you combine a red gene
with a black animal...
00:29:52.040 --> 00:29:55.520
...then something very interesting happens.
00:29:57.560 --> 00:30:01.240
And in 1980, Fidel Castro assured...
00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:06.480
...that Cuba would soon produce
more meat and milk than the Netherlands.
00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:14.360
To achieve this, they started
to genetically modify the cows.
00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:17.360
To create a superior breed.
00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:23.480
But with the passing of time...
00:30:23.600 --> 00:30:28.040
...it turned out that these cows
weren't resistant to the Cuban climate.
00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:31.320
And they died one by one.
00:30:35.120 --> 00:30:39.320
The red gene in combination
with the Cuban climate...
00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:43.760
...makes the cows more resistant
and adapted to the heat.
00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:49.800
We installed air conditioning
inside the stables...
00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:54.920
...with a technology where
only their heads are cooled.
00:31:05.600 --> 00:31:08.520
To protect the few remaining cows...
00:31:09.640 --> 00:31:12.800
...the government came up with a law...
00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:16.560
...against the illegal killing
and selling of cows.
00:31:17.600 --> 00:31:20.880
Which allowed for punishments
to be given up to...
00:31:21.280 --> 00:31:24.760
...a twenty-year prison sentence.
00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:48.360
Run, run, I'm going to get you.
00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:58.800
Here, in this rough world...
00:31:59.080 --> 00:32:02.400
...where the days are long and hot...
00:32:04.120 --> 00:32:07.120
...your cousin Lili
firmly holds her ground.
00:32:07.240 --> 00:32:11.760
She is the daughter of Ezequiel
and Marisol and she's 26 years old.
00:32:11.880 --> 00:32:16.640
She lives in the village with her boyfriend
and studies to become a teacher.
00:32:18.320 --> 00:32:21.960
But now, with her dad not around...
00:32:22.080 --> 00:32:27.400
...she goes to the farm every day
to take care of the animals.
00:32:28.320 --> 00:32:32.200
You don't have any neighbours?
-No, only plains.
00:32:32.320 --> 00:32:35.360
The nearest neighbour lives there,
about...
00:32:35.480 --> 00:32:39.280
How many kilometres?
-Not even a kilometre...
00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:42.160
...but if we die, nobody would notice.
00:32:44.600 --> 00:32:48.400
So all this land is in your name?
You are the owner?
00:32:48.520 --> 00:32:51.600
Yes. Officially, everything is in my name.
00:32:51.720 --> 00:32:55.360
Because of the problem with my uncle.
-Yes.
00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:58.400
You don't grow crops?
-Not right now.
00:32:58.520 --> 00:33:02.400
But we will, because we
have new animals coming.
00:33:02.560 --> 00:33:09.600
So we will plant cassava and bananas,
to feed the animals and ourselves.
00:33:12.120 --> 00:33:14.920
That takes six months,
and then what?
00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:21.000
I don't know.
Maybe take a month off work.
00:33:22.360 --> 00:33:25.000
Can you just take a month off?
-Of course I can.
00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:29.080
I told my parents:
Let's spend a weekend...
00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:31.800
...in a hotel and just enjoy life.
00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:34.080
A tourist hotel, all-inclusive?
-Yes.
00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:37.320
But after my Uncle's release, right?
00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:39.720
God willing, my uncle will be...
00:33:39.840 --> 00:33:42.000
I mean, my dad...
00:33:42.120 --> 00:33:44.880
...will be released next year.
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:48.760
The sentence is six years,
but he has no criminal record.
00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:52.720
That he will be released on probation?
-Yes, indeed.
00:33:52.840 --> 00:33:55.920
But you just don't know.
00:33:56.040 --> 00:33:59.240
Isn't it too much responsibility...
00:33:59.360 --> 00:34:03.200
...with the farm and all the animals
in your name?
00:34:03.320 --> 00:34:07.000
Sometimes it gives me a headache.
My hair is falling out.
00:34:07.120 --> 00:34:09.480
Because when I get checked...
00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:11.840
...and there's a cow missing.
00:34:12.040 --> 00:34:14.440
Because sometimes they don't
return from the fields.
00:34:15.040 --> 00:34:16.840
'Oh god, they haven't come back.'
00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:18.720
And I will go out and look for them.
00:34:18.840 --> 00:34:23.600
Sometimes my boyfriend and I
Spend all night looking for the cows.
00:34:23.720 --> 00:34:26.000
Because somebody may take them
and kill them.
00:34:26.120 --> 00:34:28.080
That's another risk.
00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:32.880
And you are graduating next week?
00:34:33.240 --> 00:34:35.720
Yes, and then I'll be a teacher.
00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:43.280
In front of the class
you have a strategy, a program...
00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:47.320
...which should motivate the students.
00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:53.000
So the activity you're going to present...
00:34:53.120 --> 00:34:58.200
...comes from a process of teaching
and learning...
00:34:58.320 --> 00:35:01.600
...and...
-And what?
00:35:01.720 --> 00:35:07.200
A pedagogical solution based on research.
-That's it.
00:35:07.320 --> 00:35:11.000
That's the correct answer.
00:35:11.120 --> 00:35:14.560
Yes, I already lost my mind.
00:35:18.080 --> 00:35:21.400
Luckily, I told my dad
before he went to jail:
00:35:21.520 --> 00:35:24.280
'Old man, don't get mad
if I fail my exam.'
00:35:24.400 --> 00:35:26.200
And what did he say?
00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:30.440
'Darling, this is already more
than I ever expected from you.'
00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:38.520
Good morning, students.
00:35:38.680 --> 00:35:42.440
We are here to learn
a lesson on my farm.
00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:47.000
To show you what is allowed
and what is not allowed.
00:35:47.120 --> 00:35:51.120
We can keep several kinds of animals:
00:35:51.240 --> 00:35:55.000
Sheep, goats, turkeys...
00:35:55.120 --> 00:36:00.080
...cows, calves, horses and pigs.
00:36:06.600 --> 00:36:07.760
But what happens...
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:11.320
Silence! I'm explaining here.
00:36:11.560 --> 00:36:17.880
A part of your animals will
always remain state property.
00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:21.680
The horses and the cows.
00:36:21.800 --> 00:36:27.600
They never become ours
and we can't eat them.
00:36:27.720 --> 00:36:29.880
Because we give
the milk to the state...
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.760
...for the children, the elderly,
and pregnant women to consume.
00:36:37.800 --> 00:36:41.680
We can be punished
for selling or slaughtering them.
00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:44.040
Like...
00:36:44.440 --> 00:36:49.160
...getting a fine or going to prison.
00:36:54.320 --> 00:36:59.840
Radio Reloj reports: 'Ubre Blanca'
produced 93.5 litres of milk.
00:36:59.960 --> 00:37:02.600
Radio Reloj repeats:
00:37:02.720 --> 00:37:06.800
The famous cow 'Ubre Blanca'
sets a new milk record...
00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:10.640
...by producing 93.5 litres on 28 July.
00:37:13.640 --> 00:37:18.440
I have some good news to add.
00:37:19.400 --> 00:37:21.800
Great news, even.
00:37:23.120 --> 00:37:27.440
Yesterday, 'Ubre Blanca' produced:
00:37:27.560 --> 00:37:32.000
89.9 litres of milk.
00:37:38.720 --> 00:37:43.600
Setting a new and extraordinary record.
00:38:26.240 --> 00:38:28.560
Aunty, this is your work,
the day care.
00:38:28.680 --> 00:38:30.400
This is my day care.
00:38:30.520 --> 00:38:35.000
I still work in the same place
where you used to go.
00:38:35.120 --> 00:38:38.600
I stay there because I like
the little ones.
00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:44.400
This is the preschool
of your aunt Nubia.
00:38:44.520 --> 00:38:49.560
Here, you can play
and learn new things.
00:38:53.040 --> 00:38:56.440
Nubia, with her infinite energy...
00:38:56.560 --> 00:39:00.080
...helps to raise all the
children in the village.
00:39:00.920 --> 00:39:04.320
But despite that you
won't notice it today...
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.400
...Nubia carries a great sorrow within.
00:39:13.560 --> 00:39:18.440
Do the children know they're in Cuba
and that they're Cuban?
00:39:18.560 --> 00:39:21.840
Yes, we teach them
about the flag.
00:39:22.440 --> 00:39:27.760
About Cuba, that their village is called
Sibanicú, the province of Camagüey.
00:39:27.880 --> 00:39:31.480
You have to talk about that
from a very young age.
00:39:31.760 --> 00:39:37.040
And do you teach them about
Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, José Martí?
00:39:37.160 --> 00:39:39.760
Because the bust of Martí
is placed in every entrance.
00:39:39.880 --> 00:39:45.840
Everywhere, everywhere.
Every day we talk about José Martí.
00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:52.680
Luca, let go of the toys.
00:39:52.800 --> 00:39:55.200
I remember a line from Martí:
00:39:55.320 --> 00:39:58.800
'Being educated is the only way
to be free.'
00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:03.880
As a teacher who knows about Martí,
do you feel you're a free person?
00:40:06.040 --> 00:40:07.240
No.
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:09.000
No.
00:40:11.400 --> 00:40:13.000
So...
00:40:13.120 --> 00:40:14.800
Being free...
00:40:15.520 --> 00:40:18.000
I don't know how to explain it.
00:40:18.240 --> 00:40:20.360
Because I don't have
power over myself.
00:40:20.480 --> 00:40:23.360
At work,
somebody is in charge of me.
00:40:23.480 --> 00:40:25.160
At home...
00:40:26.920 --> 00:40:28.840
...my husband.
00:40:30.120 --> 00:40:33.760
How do you explain
the concept of freedom to a child?
00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:38.000
Well, to the little ones,
you can't.
00:40:38.360 --> 00:40:40.760
But to the bigger ones, you can.
00:40:41.120 --> 00:40:44.040
They have to recite José Martí's poetry.
00:40:44.160 --> 00:40:47.840
Memorise his poem 'The Pink Shoes'.
00:40:51.800 --> 00:40:54.880
I also remember 'The Pink Shoes'.
00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:01.240
But now I understand, Luca...
00:41:01.480 --> 00:41:05.960
...that the poem and the writer
weren't important.
00:41:09.280 --> 00:41:11.800
The only thing of importance...
00:41:12.120 --> 00:41:15.640
...was learn to be obedient.
00:41:30.040 --> 00:41:32.720
I don't want to sound too negative...
00:41:32.840 --> 00:41:35.960
...but something strange happens to me
in Cuba.
00:41:37.200 --> 00:41:42.240
They say there's no danger in Cuba
and that people can feel safe.
00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:45.760
But the paradox is...
00:41:47.320 --> 00:41:49.920
...that I feel afraid in Cuba.
00:41:51.320 --> 00:41:55.400
Because they raised me with fear.
00:41:58.840 --> 00:42:01.960
They planted the fear inside of me.
00:42:04.600 --> 00:42:08.240
And I hope you will never feel
the way I do.
00:42:10.800 --> 00:42:16.720
Because even though everything seems
nice and quiet...
00:42:16.840 --> 00:42:19.800
...and like a pleasant sensation.
00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:24.880
I never feel comfortable here.
Never.
00:42:34.160 --> 00:42:36.960
When it happened
with my brother Ezequiel...
00:42:37.200 --> 00:42:40.560
...it made a big impression on me.
00:42:40.760 --> 00:42:42.160
I went crazy.
00:42:42.280 --> 00:42:46.920
Insane, like someone
in a mental hospital.
00:42:47.040 --> 00:42:49.080
I suffered a lot...
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:54.320
...but I told my brothers and sisters.
00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:56.480
We have to unite...
00:42:56.800 --> 00:43:02.440
...to support him
and help our brother Ezequiel.
00:43:02.560 --> 00:43:05.440
I went to the place where he was held...
00:43:05.560 --> 00:43:09.120
...and asked for a briefing
from the chief of police.
00:43:09.240 --> 00:43:11.840
I said: Officer, we need an explanation...
00:43:11.960 --> 00:43:15.480
...because you've held my brother
here for five days...
00:43:15.600 --> 00:43:19.320
...and we only found out today
that he was in here.
00:43:19.440 --> 00:43:23.600
We want to know
what my brother has done.'
00:43:25.320 --> 00:43:30.200
Because we were sure
that he was innocent.
00:43:40.320 --> 00:43:42.560
I will tell you more.
00:43:43.560 --> 00:43:45.800
I will tell you something.
00:43:45.920 --> 00:43:50.600
Because things happened in this family
that shouldn't have happened.
00:43:50.720 --> 00:43:56.120
Your aunt Nubia is very sweet.
Nubia is divine.
00:43:56.240 --> 00:44:01.200
But Nubia screwed us over
in a terrible way.
00:44:01.320 --> 00:44:03.200
Because, listen.
00:44:03.320 --> 00:44:05.400
Ezequiel had been arrested.
00:44:05.520 --> 00:44:11.200
Nubia did it because she was convinced
she was doing the right thing.
00:44:11.320 --> 00:44:13.920
But sometimes you think
you do good...
00:44:14.080 --> 00:44:16.480
...while doing the complete opposite.
00:44:16.600 --> 00:44:20.320
She wanted to speak to the chief of police.
00:44:21.520 --> 00:44:23.080
And she went.
00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:27.640
At that moment the following
persons were present:
00:44:30.840 --> 00:44:34.880
The chief of the Secret Police
just standing there.
00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:37.200
The commander of police.
00:44:37.320 --> 00:44:40.000
Some other police delegate.
00:44:42.440 --> 00:44:44.440
And they took Nubia...
00:44:46.520 --> 00:44:50.600
...to the room where Ezequiel
was being held.
00:44:50.720 --> 00:44:53.600
Of course, it was a setup.
00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:01.200
They told her to tell him:
00:45:01.320 --> 00:45:05.400
'Ezequiel, just confess what you did.
Do it for our mother.'
00:45:05.520 --> 00:45:09.240
Hoping he would tell everything.
00:45:10.320 --> 00:45:12.440
Ezequiel was quick...
00:45:12.640 --> 00:45:15.000
...and understood what was happening.
00:45:15.920 --> 00:45:19.760
When he realised that Nubia
had been instructed, he said:
00:45:19.880 --> 00:45:26.680
'Nubia, I don't need anything.
Let me be, just go away.'
00:45:29.400 --> 00:45:32.280
Well, so...
00:45:32.400 --> 00:45:37.680
...they took advantage of Nubia's naivety
to obtain information from Ezequiel.
00:45:37.800 --> 00:45:43.160
Exactly, but listen
to what I'm about to say.
00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:44.680
Listen.
00:45:45.720 --> 00:45:51.280
Sometimes it helps to talk.
00:45:51.400 --> 00:45:56.280
But sometimes it's better to be quiet.
00:46:33.200 --> 00:46:35.680
A storm is coming.
00:46:37.240 --> 00:46:39.600
We have to pass through here.
00:46:56.000 --> 00:46:59.360
Salva, I lived here for over thirty years.
00:46:59.680 --> 00:47:01.560
Thirty years.
00:47:03.120 --> 00:47:07.600
We lived here with our children.
We were happy.
00:47:08.320 --> 00:47:10.160
We were happy.
00:47:12.120 --> 00:47:16.600
I would love to live here,
you hear me?
00:47:16.720 --> 00:47:19.800
Why don't you live here anymore?
00:47:21.520 --> 00:47:23.600
Because of my misfortune.
00:47:24.280 --> 00:47:26.880
The death of my wife Noema.
00:47:30.400 --> 00:47:35.520
My wife's death crushed me so much...
00:47:36.880 --> 00:47:40.120
...that I had to cry when
I looked at my children.
00:47:40.240 --> 00:47:42.680
To imagine and know...
00:47:42.880 --> 00:47:45.960
...that they would never forget it.
00:47:46.320 --> 00:47:50.120
Because when you're grown
and your mother is alive...
00:47:50.240 --> 00:47:52.840
...you can take care of her.
00:47:53.640 --> 00:47:55.520
They miss her.
00:47:55.920 --> 00:47:59.760
'I want to be with my mother.
I want to talk to my mother.'
00:47:59.880 --> 00:48:01.720
Like when my mother
embraces me...
00:48:01.880 --> 00:48:03.680
...or gives me a kiss.
00:48:03.800 --> 00:48:06.200
That's wonderful.
00:48:08.920 --> 00:48:13.400
What does Salva want?
What happened with the accident?
00:48:20.120 --> 00:48:21.520
Luca.
00:48:24.560 --> 00:48:27.520
That day, we went to our new farm.
00:48:29.800 --> 00:48:33.520
We went for the first time
to get to know the place.
00:48:40.480 --> 00:48:43.600
But I wasn't happy with the place.
00:48:44.120 --> 00:48:45.920
I didn't like it.
00:48:46.480 --> 00:48:48.800
The soil was no good...
00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:52.200
...overgrown by thorn bushes.
00:48:57.000 --> 00:48:59.120
But still, we went.
00:49:01.080 --> 00:49:04.120
And on our way back to the village...
00:49:04.920 --> 00:49:06.960
...the carriage broke.
00:49:08.240 --> 00:49:11.080
The metal rod hit the horse...
00:49:11.800 --> 00:49:15.720
...and the horse got scared
and went wild.
00:49:19.320 --> 00:49:22.560
She fell off when we hit a pothole.
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:27.800
She got a blow to her head.
00:49:28.880 --> 00:49:34.720
The fracture ruptured
the veins going to her head.
00:49:37.520 --> 00:49:40.880
And then it was over.
She was braindead.
00:49:44.120 --> 00:49:49.560
And there ended the happiness
of Quirito and his children.
00:49:51.040 --> 00:49:52.600
Just so you know.
00:50:02.920 --> 00:50:06.040
Don't worry about what others say.
00:50:06.400 --> 00:50:10.760
Nor about other people's lives.
Someone else's life.
00:50:11.400 --> 00:50:15.320
Watch your close ones, your family.
00:50:16.320 --> 00:50:19.400
Hey, you're sleepy.
00:52:15.640 --> 00:52:19.000
The thunder is harmless.
00:52:26.880 --> 00:52:30.120
Chilly.
-Are you cold?
00:52:37.440 --> 00:52:39.880
And this is Aida.
00:52:40.680 --> 00:52:42.840
Mother of eight children.
00:52:44.600 --> 00:52:46.840
Illiterate.
00:52:47.440 --> 00:52:49.640
Jehovah's Witness.
00:52:51.240 --> 00:52:56.440
But above all, the sweetest
great-grandmother you could wish for.
00:53:15.200 --> 00:53:18.280
The cows always pass here?
-Yes.
00:53:22.000 --> 00:53:25.000
Should we walk back through that field?
00:53:25.200 --> 00:53:28.240
-No, it's full of thorn bushes.
00:53:30.640 --> 00:53:34.800
Your religion imposes rules on you, right?
-Yes.
00:53:34.920 --> 00:53:40.600
But those rules don't coincide
with the rules of the government.
00:53:40.720 --> 00:53:46.040
Do you believe that God thinks
it's justified that your son in jail.
00:53:46.160 --> 00:53:49.960
Yes. He allows it.
-Why?
00:53:50.080 --> 00:53:54.520
Because God says
you can't do anything...
00:53:55.200 --> 00:53:57.160
...sinful.
00:53:58.440 --> 00:54:01.400
Do you think your son is guilty?
00:54:03.320 --> 00:54:08.720
Belguita, they don't sentence someone
to six years in prison for nothing.
00:54:08.840 --> 00:54:11.360
So you think the rules...
00:54:11.480 --> 00:54:13.800
...that condemned your son
are justified?
00:54:13.920 --> 00:54:16.960
Yes. Because if he didn't do anything...
00:54:17.080 --> 00:54:20.440
...they would have investigated
and see he's innocent.
00:54:20.560 --> 00:54:23.880
He said:
'I'll be released because I'm innocent.'
00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:25.960
I believed him.
00:54:26.080 --> 00:54:32.360
But do you really think this government
punishes someone who's innocent?
00:54:34.760 --> 00:54:36.640
What do you think?
00:54:37.840 --> 00:54:43.360
I think he was convicted
for breaking the rules.
00:54:43.480 --> 00:54:45.800
He broke the rules.
00:54:45.920 --> 00:54:48.640
Do you think the rules are fair
or unfair?
00:54:48.840 --> 00:54:50.800
-They are fair.
00:54:53.840 --> 00:54:57.040
Do you feel shame?
-No, because...
00:54:57.160 --> 00:54:59.760
...try to imagine.
It's too much.
00:54:59.960 --> 00:55:02.360
It's my child.
00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:09.280
I'll visit and help him any way I can.
00:55:09.400 --> 00:55:10.720
But, well.
00:55:11.000 --> 00:55:13.520
That's just the way it is, darling.
00:55:14.520 --> 00:55:15.800
He's my child.
00:55:15.960 --> 00:55:18.920
And for your children
you should do...
00:55:19.120 --> 00:55:21.600
...whatever is needed.
00:55:22.240 --> 00:55:24.760
And forgive them.
00:55:25.040 --> 00:55:29.720
Don't you think he regrets
being locked up?
00:55:31.920 --> 00:55:33.440
You should ask him.
00:55:33.600 --> 00:55:39.200
No. As if he would answer:
00:55:39.320 --> 00:55:42.240
'Oh, I regret it so much.'
00:56:36.880 --> 00:56:40.720
How are you, Uncle Ezequiel?
How do you feel?
00:56:42.080 --> 00:56:46.680
It's very rough and there are moments...
00:56:48.520 --> 00:56:52.400
...you lose your calm and patience.
00:56:52.800 --> 00:56:56.520
But I need to keep calm and patient.
00:56:56.640 --> 00:57:00.920
Or else nothing is going to work out.
00:57:02.960 --> 00:57:06.160
It's all a matter of work and sacrifice.
00:57:06.280 --> 00:57:09.760
As well as a lot of patience.
00:57:09.880 --> 00:57:16.840
It's the same way
when a crop fails or an animal dies.
00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:24.240
You have to persevere in order
to recover what has been lost.
00:57:40.040 --> 00:57:42.360
Belga.
-Yes?
00:57:42.480 --> 00:57:47.360
Are you worried the film will have
consequences?
00:57:49.520 --> 00:57:51.600
Regarding the family?
00:57:51.800 --> 00:57:53.560
Yes.
00:57:55.320 --> 00:57:57.640
No.
00:57:57.760 --> 00:58:00.520
Not within the family.
00:58:00.640 --> 00:58:02.680
But maybe...
00:58:03.120 --> 00:58:07.480
...for them it will, at some point.
00:58:10.680 --> 00:58:12.920
So why...
00:58:14.960 --> 00:58:18.680
...do we keep on going then?
00:58:20.200 --> 00:58:22.920
It's a risk. It depends...
00:58:23.120 --> 00:58:26.240
No, no.
What I mean, is...
00:58:26.560 --> 00:58:31.760
...why is it so important
to continue telling this story?
00:58:37.000 --> 00:58:39.920
Because I believe...
00:58:42.080 --> 00:58:45.240
...that telling this story to Luca is...
00:58:45.600 --> 00:58:48.600
...a way of giving recognition.
00:58:50.560 --> 00:58:55.160
It's not about justice or injustice,
rather it's about...
00:58:59.640 --> 00:59:03.680
...about showing their lives and struggle.
00:59:05.160 --> 00:59:06.600
That's why.
00:59:15.560 --> 00:59:17.400
Dear Luca.
00:59:19.080 --> 00:59:23.160
I've been looking
for some kind of explanation.
00:59:24.320 --> 00:59:27.560
And I have found out that Sibanicú...
00:59:28.840 --> 00:59:34.560
...which means 'river of stones'
in the language of the natives...
00:59:34.800 --> 00:59:39.400
...is only mentioned twice in history.
00:59:42.720 --> 00:59:46.640
The first time was in 1513...
00:59:47.720 --> 00:59:51.720
...in the diary of a monk called
Bartolomé de Las Casas.
00:59:53.800 --> 00:59:56.560
Where he described...
00:59:58.120 --> 01:00:02.840
...how the natives showed
the Spanish soldiers...
01:00:05.280 --> 01:00:10.760
...how to sharpen their swords
using the stones in the riverbed.
01:00:12.320 --> 01:00:15.440
But without knowing
that a bit later...
01:00:16.560 --> 01:00:20.840
...they would be slaughtered
with those same swords.
01:00:23.440 --> 01:00:29.440
The second time this place
was mentioned, was 100 years later.
01:00:33.280 --> 01:00:36.960
When a farmer called Francisco Daca.
01:00:37.800 --> 01:00:41.040
Registered a piece of land here.
01:00:41.880 --> 01:00:46.680
And the only thing he wrote
on the sales document was:
01:00:49.400 --> 01:00:54.040
'A piece of land to keep my cows.'
01:00:56.200 --> 01:00:59.360
So when you are here, Luca...
01:01:00.720 --> 01:01:04.920
...don't be surprised
when you get the strange feeling...
01:01:07.680 --> 01:01:14.160
...that past and present seem to intertwine.
01:01:42.080 --> 01:01:45.360
Today we will return to the city.
01:01:46.200 --> 01:01:48.480
But just as we're about to leave...
01:01:48.640 --> 01:01:52.440
...your Uncle Jorge
and his horse Caminante arrive.
01:01:55.120 --> 01:01:58.440
Jorge insisted on showing you
the place...
01:01:58.560 --> 01:02:01.800
...where he grew up with his siblings.
01:02:03.960 --> 01:02:10.160
As if that place was
the missing piece of the puzzle.
01:02:12.920 --> 01:02:16.200
This is Castellano.
01:02:16.320 --> 01:02:20.400
This is a new entrance.
The old one was over there.
01:02:22.080 --> 01:02:25.520
This was a cow company
owned by the state.
01:02:26.160 --> 01:02:30.840
There used to be houses here,
a village built for the workers.
01:02:32.960 --> 01:02:37.960
How many cows were here?
-Cows? Nearly 200.
01:02:40.480 --> 01:02:43.120
Daddy was the chief of
the cow company.
01:02:44.000 --> 01:02:47.200
My grandfather was chief
of a cow company?!
01:02:48.320 --> 01:02:52.200
We had wealth here.
Life was good.
01:02:53.560 --> 01:02:58.960
We used a rope to lower
the bucket into the river.
01:02:59.080 --> 01:03:01.360
A good system.
01:03:01.480 --> 01:03:06.920
This entire hill was clean.
Now you can hardly get through anymore.
01:03:07.040 --> 01:03:09.480
Look at all the trees.
01:03:12.280 --> 01:03:15.200
There always used to be water
in this river.
01:03:15.320 --> 01:03:18.760
It would flow with great force...
01:03:18.880 --> 01:03:21.680
What happened? Drought?
-Yes, drought.
01:03:21.920 --> 01:03:24.400
The drought of life.
01:03:24.680 --> 01:03:26.800
The years...
01:03:26.920 --> 01:03:31.080
Man los his chance with nature.
Destroyed it.
01:03:34.080 --> 01:03:36.840
What happened to the cow company?
01:03:37.240 --> 01:03:42.240
It was closed down,
because this country is a disaster.
01:03:42.360 --> 01:03:46.520
This land is barbaric.
Everything has been destroyed.
01:03:49.200 --> 01:03:50.600
Come. Don't go near the horse.
01:03:50.840 --> 01:03:52.400
Luca, no!
01:03:53.160 --> 01:03:55.160
The horse will kick you.
01:04:09.160 --> 01:04:11.280
Wait here, Caminante.
01:04:12.680 --> 01:04:16.680
Wait for Uncle Jorge, Mum.
01:04:16.800 --> 01:04:19.720
The horse has to wait as well.
-Yes.
01:04:19.840 --> 01:04:22.440
What's the name of Uncle's horse?
01:04:22.640 --> 01:04:24.840
-What's its name?
01:04:27.680 --> 01:04:30.320
-Caminante!
01:04:30.680 --> 01:04:32.640
He remembered.
01:04:53.320 --> 01:04:56.680
'Red Gold.'
01:04:57.600 --> 01:05:03.600
Since ancient times,
cows have been important to man.
01:05:05.200 --> 01:05:09.280
Today, our technology
allow us...
01:05:09.400 --> 01:05:13.280
...to keep cows on a large scale.
01:05:13.400 --> 01:05:16.760
What is 'intensive cattle farming'?
01:05:16.880 --> 01:05:20.960
Stables with shade,
where cows are protected from the sun.
01:05:24.800 --> 01:05:28.680
Large numbers of cows
on huge stretches of land.
01:05:28.800 --> 01:05:33.400
Without a doubt,
man took a giant step forward.
01:05:33.520 --> 01:05:37.120
Man ruled over the 'red gold'.
01:05:47.040 --> 01:05:51.640
Mum, why do you think
Ezequiel did what he did?
01:05:52.440 --> 01:05:55.200
Because of the temptation of money.
01:06:02.920 --> 01:06:04.520
It's difficult, because...
01:06:04.800 --> 01:06:09.560
...I understand that as a farmer
he's looking for a way...
01:06:09.680 --> 01:06:13.360
...to improve his farm
and the condition of his animals.
01:06:13.480 --> 01:06:15.520
Maybe that was his intention...
01:06:15.720 --> 01:06:18.320
What do you mean by temptation?
01:06:18.520 --> 01:06:24.040
Temptation of money means
to enrich yourself...
01:06:24.160 --> 01:06:26.640
...for the sole purpose of pleasure.
01:06:26.760 --> 01:06:31.480
What do you mean by pleasure?
Is he just partying?
01:06:31.600 --> 01:06:35.000
Pleasure, like taking trips to the beach.
01:06:35.120 --> 01:06:38.800
But that's his vacation.
A farmer can't go on vacation?
01:06:38.920 --> 01:06:41.200
Of course he can.
01:06:42.160 --> 01:06:46.360
I also think the government
can be very harsh.
01:06:47.040 --> 01:06:48.320
It hurts me...
01:06:48.840 --> 01:06:53.480
...because when the government
finds out they're being cheated...
01:06:53.600 --> 01:06:55.600
...they'll punish you severely.
01:06:56.240 --> 01:06:58.200
But mom, you're contradicting yourself.
01:06:58.480 --> 01:07:04.120
I don't understand your point of view
as his sister nor as a citizen.
01:07:04.240 --> 01:07:10.280
You have to survive
the same conditions of this country.
01:07:10.400 --> 01:07:13.240
You say he was tempted by money.
01:07:13.360 --> 01:07:17.520
But you also admit
that working conditions are minimal...
01:07:17.640 --> 01:07:22.240
...and he can only slowly progress
as a farmer.
01:07:22.360 --> 01:07:28.600
Whether he does it illegally or legally.
01:07:28.720 --> 01:07:33.280
So I don't understand
your position and opinion.
01:07:33.400 --> 01:07:38.480
You speak of temptation of money.
But what is temptation?
01:07:38.600 --> 01:07:41.120
I've already tried to explain...
01:08:43.760 --> 01:08:47.840
Belga, what they're doing now
with first-time offenders...
01:08:48.080 --> 01:08:50.400
...who are showing good behavior.
01:08:50.840 --> 01:08:54.120
Is that they will review
their case.
01:08:54.440 --> 01:09:00.160
They filed a request
with the Prison Commission...
01:09:00.280 --> 01:09:02.800
...to write an evaluation about him.
01:09:03.320 --> 01:09:06.720
Which will be sent
to the national court...
01:09:06.840 --> 01:09:09.080
...to reconsider his prison sentence.
01:09:09.320 --> 01:09:14.320
And they might release
him on probation...
01:09:14.600 --> 01:09:17.680
...before the end of his prison sentence.
01:09:18.680 --> 01:09:24.320
So possibly he'll be released
within the following months.
01:10:50.120 --> 01:10:53.720
And Luca, this is Ezequiel.
01:10:55.680 --> 01:10:57.480
Owner of the farm.
01:10:58.520 --> 01:11:00.560
'A beast dressed in clothes.'
01:11:01.280 --> 01:11:04.160
At last, free from prison.
01:11:05.280 --> 01:11:10.040
But only at the beginning
of his two-year house arrest.
01:11:12.040 --> 01:11:14.600
But apart from all that...
01:11:14.720 --> 01:11:17.360
...he is your uncle.
01:11:25.200 --> 01:11:28.840
Ezequiel, I think...
01:11:28.960 --> 01:11:33.680
...I know more or less what happened.
01:11:33.800 --> 01:11:38.560
But I still have a hard time
understanding it.
01:11:38.880 --> 01:11:43.560
Can I conlude that
all of this happened...
01:11:43.680 --> 01:11:46.240
...because of the sacrifice of a cow?
01:11:47.200 --> 01:11:50.200
Or the sacrifice of a farmer.
01:11:50.400 --> 01:11:51.920
That's how it is.
01:11:53.160 --> 01:11:54.840
More or less.
01:11:56.640 --> 01:11:58.480
But that's the way it is.
01:12:00.280 --> 01:12:04.760
Do you mind talking about this?
-No, not at all.
01:12:06.960 --> 01:12:10.480
Is talking about it dangerous?
-I don't know.
01:12:10.600 --> 01:12:12.560
It depends on how...
01:12:17.160 --> 01:12:19.360
...these communists will take it.
01:12:23.960 --> 01:12:27.400
Why did you choose this exact place?
01:12:27.800 --> 01:12:30.280
Why not a place...
01:12:30.640 --> 01:12:33.240
...less hostile and more fertile?
01:12:34.600 --> 01:12:39.280
Because the state was dividing
the useless land.
01:12:39.400 --> 01:12:44.240
Land the state couldn't use and maintain.
01:12:45.880 --> 01:12:48.360
So they just gave it away.
01:12:51.120 --> 01:12:55.600
So we moved to the countryside.
01:12:55.720 --> 01:13:00.160
To survive, we needed food.
There wasn't any in the village.
01:13:02.680 --> 01:13:06.200
Was it just you and your father?
01:13:06.360 --> 01:13:10.080
No, all of my brothers came along.
01:13:10.440 --> 01:13:12.320
But they all gave up.
01:13:12.520 --> 01:13:15.600
My father and I were left behind.
01:13:15.960 --> 01:13:19.120
Everyone else abandoned ship.
01:13:31.040 --> 01:13:34.000
Let's go. What are we doing here?
01:13:34.640 --> 01:13:38.240
Except for getting flea and tick bites.
01:14:37.720 --> 01:14:41.040
Uncle, where are all the cows?
01:14:42.960 --> 01:14:46.920
Gone. I can't go near them anymore.
01:14:47.040 --> 01:14:51.560
What?
- They have forbidden me to do that.
01:14:52.000 --> 01:14:56.360
They just said: 'You have to get
rid of the cows.'
01:14:56.840 --> 01:15:03.440
So you can't have cattle anymore
and find something else to do.
01:15:04.040 --> 01:15:07.640
What will you do now as a farmer?
01:15:07.760 --> 01:15:11.200
I can't be a farmer anymore.
01:15:14.360 --> 01:15:17.920
So all of this can't be registered
to your name.
01:15:18.040 --> 01:15:21.520
You don't exist anymore as a farmer?
- No.
01:15:23.040 --> 01:15:26.360
And now you have
to reintegrate into society?
01:15:26.480 --> 01:15:30.480
That's right.
Reintegrate into society...
01:15:30.600 --> 01:15:34.360
...without coming into contact with cattle.
01:15:35.240 --> 01:15:37.200
Or something similar.
01:16:15.160 --> 01:16:17.600
What a scorching sun.
01:16:17.720 --> 01:16:20.680
Marisol, when did you make the puppet?
01:16:23.240 --> 01:16:27.040
Salva, look. Look.
01:16:27.160 --> 01:16:34.640
This puppet means we can leave
this year's bad luck behind.
01:16:34.760 --> 01:16:40.880
Making sure the bad luck stays
in the past.
01:16:41.000 --> 01:16:44.920
Light it on fire.
Let it drive away bad luck.
01:16:52.920 --> 01:16:59.240
Marisol, the past years
have been difficult.
01:16:59.360 --> 01:17:04.360
But now it seems to me
that calm and happiness have returned.
01:17:05.360 --> 01:17:11.200
Peace at last. There was always
a lot of stress with him being in jail.
01:17:11.320 --> 01:17:14.320
What are you asking my wife?
01:17:17.520 --> 01:17:20.840
Come in.
-Into the scene?
01:17:20.960 --> 01:17:23.480
Yes, take a seat.
01:17:25.640 --> 01:17:32.520
Ezequiel, I have asked the family
their opinions on freedom.
01:17:32.640 --> 01:17:38.360
Seeing as you must be an expert,
I would like to ask you the same.
01:17:40.120 --> 01:17:42.120
I'm back home.
01:17:42.800 --> 01:17:46.320
But freedom, here...
01:17:47.200 --> 01:17:51.600
Here in the countryside,
freedom doesn't actually exists.
01:17:51.720 --> 01:17:56.040
Because one has to take care
of his animals full time.
01:17:57.480 --> 01:17:58.360
But...
01:17:58.680 --> 01:18:02.800
...my father always wanted
to have is own farm.
01:18:02.920 --> 01:18:05.960
And I didn't, to be honest.
01:18:06.080 --> 01:18:10.840
Never wanted or asked for it.
I just went to help my father.
01:18:10.960 --> 01:18:14.320
Would you rather have not
become a farmer?
01:18:14.440 --> 01:18:17.280
No, I wouldn't be a farmer.
I'm sure.
01:18:20.000 --> 01:18:24.360
Do you blame your father for that?
-No, no.
01:18:24.480 --> 01:18:27.800
I would never blame him.
There was no other way.
01:18:28.880 --> 01:18:31.600
Little salary for a big family.
01:18:32.240 --> 01:18:35.000
It's not his fault,
he did all he could.
01:18:35.240 --> 01:18:37.040
You were very close to him?
01:18:37.360 --> 01:18:39.360
Very, very close...
01:18:40.320 --> 01:18:43.920
...until his death.
He died in my arms.
01:18:44.480 --> 01:18:51.760
Aidita told me his death
was very hard on you.
01:18:51.880 --> 01:18:53.720
Very hard.
01:18:54.240 --> 01:18:59.880
We were always together. very close...
01:19:00.000 --> 01:19:01.960
...until he died in my arms.
01:19:02.200 --> 01:19:08.880
On his deathbed he asked his other
children to take care of Ezequiel.
01:19:16.560 --> 01:19:20.360
Maybe because you were the youngest.
01:19:21.440 --> 01:19:26.840
I don't know.
But when he decided to go to the farm...
01:19:29.960 --> 01:19:33.000
...I decided to follow him.
01:19:35.720 --> 01:19:40.760
I decided not to go my own way
but to follow him.
01:19:47.800 --> 01:19:50.480
To follow him
and to help him.
01:19:50.880 --> 01:19:53.280
Because that was his dream.
01:19:53.400 --> 01:19:56.120
To have his own farm.
01:19:56.480 --> 01:19:58.600
And you followed him.
01:19:59.760 --> 01:20:02.040
To support him.
01:20:07.000 --> 01:20:10.600
Until his last breath.
01:20:13.760 --> 01:20:18.080
While he was still alive,
I never did anything wrong.
01:20:18.200 --> 01:20:20.960
After his death,
I did what I did...
01:20:21.320 --> 01:20:23.600
...and ended up in prison.
01:20:33.560 --> 01:20:37.600
We are crossbreeding them.
Zebu and Holstein cows.
01:20:37.720 --> 01:20:42.600
We have millions of these cows.
But they don't produce milk.
01:20:42.720 --> 01:20:46.120
We are going to transform them
and make millions...
01:20:46.240 --> 01:20:50.040
...of Zebu and Holstein cows.
01:20:50.320 --> 01:20:53.720
Using insemination.
01:21:00.560 --> 01:21:03.320
Did you take the picture?
01:21:18.600 --> 01:21:20.840
My dear nephew.
01:21:25.440 --> 01:21:29.680
This place can be hard on people.
01:21:32.200 --> 01:21:37.440
I've known that ever since
I arrived here with my father.
01:21:42.480 --> 01:21:45.600
Twelve years later, I'm still here.
01:21:46.840 --> 01:21:49.000
And I'm not going anywhere.
01:21:52.960 --> 01:21:56.720
I think my father would be proud of that.
01:21:57.600 --> 01:21:59.800
I know I am.
01:22:01.200 --> 01:22:02.920
Because...
01:22:04.160 --> 01:22:07.200
...from my sacrifices...
01:22:08.360 --> 01:22:13.400
...I have built something
so we can survive.
01:22:20.040 --> 01:22:22.400
Uncle.
01:22:25.440 --> 01:22:29.560
Uncle, where are you?
01:22:31.000 --> 01:22:34.120
My story is nothing more...
01:22:35.280 --> 01:22:40.200
...than an insignificant episode
of the Cuban countryside.
01:22:43.840 --> 01:22:46.600
And I've lost.
01:22:48.480 --> 01:22:50.640
My brothers and sisters...
01:22:51.240 --> 01:22:53.840
...also have lost things.
01:22:56.280 --> 01:22:59.440
But we aren't victims.
01:23:01.320 --> 01:23:06.240
Because we keep control over
our own destiny.
01:23:08.240 --> 01:23:11.280
That's an important difference.
01:23:13.320 --> 01:23:15.680
Just so you know.
01:24:28.880 --> 01:24:30.720
Dear Luca.
01:24:33.640 --> 01:24:38.600
Explaining why things happen
the way they happen...
01:24:39.560 --> 01:24:44.320
...was an impossible assignment
from the beginning.
01:24:45.400 --> 01:24:47.000
So...
01:24:47.440 --> 01:24:51.080
...the only thing I can do now...
01:24:51.200 --> 01:24:56.440
...is tell you about the things
I have learned.
01:24:59.480 --> 01:25:03.040
That I've learned that a thunderstorm...
01:25:03.560 --> 01:25:06.280
...can last for four months.
01:25:07.000 --> 01:25:09.640
And that the roosters and
the dogs...
01:25:10.080 --> 01:25:13.760
...interrupt every conversation you have.
01:25:15.680 --> 01:25:20.040
And that we're all just
a small step away from misery...
01:25:20.160 --> 01:25:26.400
...and at the same time
we all try our best to deny it.
01:25:28.760 --> 01:25:31.800
That what is good, is bad.
01:25:32.800 --> 01:25:36.040
And that what is bad, is good.
01:25:40.320 --> 01:25:42.520
And I've learned about
your mother...
01:25:42.920 --> 01:25:45.280
...that she's doing fine.
01:25:45.400 --> 01:25:48.280
She is stubborn, like always.
01:25:49.200 --> 01:25:51.080
But she is near.
01:25:51.280 --> 01:25:53.920
And that's what is most important.
01:25:58.080 --> 01:26:00.800
We've opened the door for you, Luca...
01:26:01.600 --> 01:26:04.160
...now you need to enter.
Distributor: Pragda Films
Length: 87 minutes
Date: 2021
Genre: Expository
Language: Spanish
Grade: Middle School, High School, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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