Why is there evil in the world?
Let me start
from the beginning,
when I was innocent of the ways of God,
and men.
It was the summer
when I was seven.
The summer Ultima
came to us.
Papa! Mama! Mama!
Mama, they're coming!
Deborah! Theresa!
They're here.
Is Ultima really a witch?
No. And you will call
her La Grande.
I'm afraid.
Mind your manners!
We are honored that she
comes to live with us.
Come, come.
What beautiful daughters you have raised.
Too.
Antonio.
Antonio?
- Antonio, Grande.
- Let it be.
This was the last child
I pulled from your womb.
I knew there would be
something between us.
I've come to spend the last
days of my life here, Antonio.
You will never die.
I'll take care of you.
It's too hot to be standing
out here and chatting all day.
She's a bruja!
They sometimes
become owls at night.
Mama says she's not a witch.
She's a curandera.
She won't hurt you.
Why does
she have to live with us?
Mama says she has no family.
Now, go to sleep.
Marez!
Mi hermano! He killed my brother!
Lupito! Lupito shot him!
Lupito? No, no.
No, I don't believe it!
Go get your rifle.
The other ones
are at the bridge.
The bridge?
He took to the river.
Qu pas, Antonio?
My brother was just at that
bus depot having coffee,
when that guy went up to where he was
and shot him in the back of the head.
Oh, Dios,
be careful, Gabriel.
I'm sorry.
Maria, lock the door.
Ese Lupito,
the war's made him crazy.
Antonio, what are
you doing?
I'm gonna tell.
Could be on the other side.
Hey. Yeah.
What about
the tall brush over there?
You gonna make
up the clearance?
Ssh! Did you hear that?
He's there!
There! There!
Run! Japanese soldiers!
Japanese soldiers!
Put
those rifles away!
No! He's down there!
He's an animal.
He's gotta be shot!
No! We need
to talk to him!
Marez is right.
Marez is right!
Por Dios, hombres!
Let us act like men!
That's Lupito out there!
You all know Lupito.
You know the war
made him sick!
Go back to your drinking,
Narciso.
Leave this job to men.
That animal crawled behind my brother,
and took his life.
He's gotta be destroyed!
Wait!
I will talk to him!
Lupito!
It's me, Narciso!
Listen, my friend.
A very bad business
has happened tonight.
Let me come down
and talk to you.
Let me help you.
Remember before
you went to the war.
When you first came into the
Eight Ball to gamble a little?
Remember how
I taught you
how Juan Botas
marked the aces
with a little tobacco juice,
and how you beat him?
Those were good times,
Lupito!
Those were good times!
That's your answer!
Bless me.
I'm heartily sorry
for having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins because
of Thy just punishments.
Oh, my God,
I'm heartily sorry for having offended Thee.
You knew.
Yes.
They killed Lupito.
Will he go to Hell?
That's not for us to say.
And the men on the bridge?
Papa?
Men will do as they must.
Gabriel, get up!
Go, go. We go.
La bruja.
Hey. Hombre!
I don't believe you.
Hey, there's
that kid again.
Hey, kid, come here.
What, you scared or something?
Come on!
Darn, did you
see that?
Whoa!
The kid threw me!
They call me Horse.
Shake hands.
No, thanks.
Smart kid.
Shut up!
Listen, kid, don't think you
could do it again, understand?
Mass is starting!
We are very
lucky today. Mira.
Gordolobo.
Good for throat and lung,
fever, infections.
No, no, no!
Speak to it.
It is alive,
like all things,
like the trees,
the rocks, the river...
You must speak to it before you
take it from its home. Mira.
To all you who dwell
here by the river.
You that dwell here
by the river.
We lift you
to make good medicine.
We lift you
to make good medicine.
There is a beauty in the time of day,
and the time of night,
and there is peace in the
river and in the hills.
Ultima taught me to listen to
the mystery of the living earth,
and to feel complete in the
fulfillment of its time.
What's that?
It's the spirit
of the river.
Can it speak?
Yes, listen.
What's it saying?
Ay, my child,
you want to know so much.
Too.
Pedro!
And La Grande, you know,
has come to live with us.
Papa sends
his blessings to you.
How is Papa?
He's well.
He sends his love.
And our brothers?
Um, Lucas, he's...
He's very bad.
Even the great doctor
in Santa Fe cannot help him.
A few of our cows
wandered away, so...
So Lucas crossed the river
to look for them.
He walked toward
a grove of cottonwood trees.
An evil place.
He'd been warned before
not to go there,
but, Lucas, he...
He doesn't listen.
He came up on the three
daughters of Tenorio Trementina.
He saw them pour the blood of
a beheaded rooster into a pot.
Within the week
he got sick.
And now so many weeks later,
he lies in bed wasting away.
He's dying.
Did you go
to the priest?
The priest came
and blessed the house.
You know, the priest
in El Puerto, he...
He washes his hands
of the whole matter.
Ay, Pedro Luna,
you're like an old lady who sits and talks,
and wastes valuable time!
You will go?
Yes, I will go.
But you must understand,
that when one tampers with the fate of a man,
a chain of events is set in
motion that no one can control.
Can you accept
that responsibility?
S. On behalf of my brothers.
Good.
Antonio will have
to go with me.
What? What for? Why?
It must be so,
if you want your brother cured.
It will be good for
Antonio to see his uncle.
He's not going to visit.
Antonio?
Antonio, you wanna
help your uncle?
And if someone says that
you walk with a curandera,
will you be ashamed?
No, Ultima.
I will be proud.
Good! Let's go.
We waste precious time.
It's a good sign.
They call this valley
El Puerto de la Luna.
Because it is the door
through which the moon
passes on its journey
from the east to the west.
Hola, Grandpa.
Mdica,
my son is dying.
Abuelo, I have the cure
for your son.
Like old times.
I will pay you in silver
if you save my son's life.
$40 to cheat la muerte.
It's been many years since a
curandera has come to cure.
There are women who are already
mourning your son's death.
Ah, neighbors.
Get rid of them.
Is Tenorio in his dog hole
that he calls a saloon?
Wait!
I'll have Pedro and Juan
go with you.
I don't need them
to deal with Tenorio.
My grandson!
Antonio goes with me.
Venga, mijo.
Are you afraid, Antonio?
No.
Show me
what you have.
Tenorio Trementina!
Are you afraid
to face an old woman?
What do you want,
bruja?
Ay, Tenorio.
You're as ugly
as the devil will allow.
I am a curandera.
It's your daughters
who are witches.
You lie, vieja!
Tenorio, I know
about the curse.
And I know when
and where it was laid.
And you're a fool if you
don't tell them to lift it.
Bruja! You shame my daughters and
my good name in front of these men.
I will see you dead.
Don't threaten me, Tenorio.
You well know the power
of my medicine.
I tried to reason
with you.
Do not harm
my daughters, bruja!
They chose
to tamper with fate.
Pity the consequences.
I grew worried.
La curandera!
Is everything ready?
Lucas.
He has been like that
for the last two weeks.
Beyond hope.
Life is never
beyond hope.
Go. Go now.
Antonio, make the fire.
It'll be difficult.
They made him wait too long.
Why did they wait?
The priest would not allow your
grandfather to send for me.
He's afraid of Tenorio.
Drink, Lucas.
Drink. Un poquito.
Un poquito, Lucas.
Drink. Lucas.
Lucas, drink this.
Un poquito.
I believe they had his fresh
cut hair to work with.
The curse is very strong,
and his strength is gone.
Will he die?
They stole his soul.
We must get it back.
At the cantina,
you weren't afraid of Tenorio.
No, mijito.
Good is always
stronger than evil.
Always remember that,
Antonio.
The smallest bit of good
can stand against all the
powers of evil in the world.
Oh, those,
Trementina girls
will be all cut and
bruised in the morning.
Ultima. Ultima.
Ultima. Ultima.
There is no fever.
The blood of the Lunas
is strong in you.
We have beaten
the death spirit.
Now, all that remains is
for him to vomit the curse.
You have done evil.
But good is stronger
than evil,
and the evil you did
will fly in your faces.
Lucas. Lucas.
Drink this.
There we go, just a little,
just a little.
Let it out. Let it out.
Let it out! Let it out!
Ah.
We will burn this by the tree
where the witches dance.
Your son lives,
old man.
Papa.
Lucas!
Do not tire him
too much at first.
Mdica, I can never repay you
for saving my son's life.
Perhaps someday
the men of El Puerto
will save my life.
Antonio, vmonos.
We must burn this.
The doctors and their medicines had failed.
The priests had failed.
Take us to the river where
Lucas saw the witches dance.
Was Ultima's magic stronger than the saints?
And the Holy Mother Church?
It was Mauricio's
oldest boy.
He was crushed
beneath a tractor.
That's right.
He...
He worked the potato fields in Colorado.
Now, his other boy,
he runs whiskey in Texas.
You know,
to the cotton fields in the dry counties.
Mauricio? Does he
run whiskey too?
Mauricio? He just runs
from his wife.
When my father's friends,
the vaqueros came to town,
they always found
their way to our table.
I liked to watch my father
reminisce about the old times,
because for a while
he was happy.
Other times he'd curse the war
that had taken my brothers
so far away from home,
and from his dream of moving
us all to California.
When do you plan to go?
When my boys come back
from the war.
Then we'll all go together.
You know, there's...
There's lots of work out there,
and now with
the war and all.
As I said, there's work
in Texas too!
Oh!
My man of learning.
The last one to leave me.
# Tony's going to school! #
Theresa, stop!
He should be a scholar.
Perhaps a priest,
a man of the people.
Remember you are a Luna.
And a Marez.
Deborah, take him
to Miss Maestas.
She knows my family.
S, Mama.
My scholar.
Ooh! A scholar already,
and only on your first day of school, mijo?
You know,
in my day only the rich got to go to school.
My father,
he gave me a saddle blanket and a wild pony,
and he said, "There,
the llano, there's your life."
Ves, mijito?
That's why we live here,
on this dry piece of dirt
where nothing grows,
so your father can be close
to his old Marez ways.
Mijo, why don't you
ask your mom,
what was it that made her
fall in love with me, huh?
Was the sweat of the horse
in my clothes,
or its smell on my hands that
made her fall so in love with me?
Time to go, Mama.
Yes, it's time to go.
Yeah, so it is.
Theresa?
Mis hijos! All right.
Remember, be respectful to your teachers.
And Antonio, suerte.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Give Miss Maestas
my blessings, hmm?
Vitamin Kid!
Who?
Your classroom's
over there!
Good morning!
Como te llamas?
Antonio Marez.
My mother said
to send you her blessings.
Hmm.
"Antonio Marez."
You wanna learn to write?
Good, come in.
Let's put you next to Melissa.
Melissa,
this is Antonio.
Up!
Attention, class,
it's lunchtime.
You'll obey Marisol
until I return.
This is cardo lechero,
good for cleansing the liver.
We have some
in the house.
Ah, mira, this...
This is marrubio
for when
you have a cold.
You can make candy
with that.
Antonio!
Antonio!
Andrew! Leon! Eugene!
Mama!
Hola! Hola, Papa!
So, tell me
all about California.
Well, we were only there
a few months, Papa.
Tell us about the war!
It was all right.
Like heck, it was!
Eugene, shame!
In front of La Grande!
Did you see
all the vineyards, huh?
Ay, Dios mio.
It was so hard without you.
It'll be all right now,
Mama.
Hjole! You know,
I would give anything to move
to California right now!
Gabriel...
They've just returned.
Ay, mi amor,
I don't mean tonight.
Mis hijos.
Do you get to punch
the buttons on the, um...
Cash register?
Yeah.
That'll come later.
For now I work
mostly in the back.
Gotten any faster?
Think you could beat me?
Race you across!
It's him, the Vitamin Kid!
Let's go!
Ah, who the heck
was that?
The Vitamin Kid.
Nobody could beat him.
Some day you'll beat him,
Tony. Some day.
See you after work.
What is sin, anyway?
It's not doing
the will of God.
Is it a sin to do this?
Yes.
Why?
It's a bad sign.
But nothing happens
when I do it.
You will be punished.
When?
When you die.
What if I go
to confession?
Then your sins
are forgiven,
your soul is clean
and you're saved.
You mean I can
go out and sin,
throw the finger,
say bad words,
steal, do a million
bad things,
and when
I'm about to die,
just go to confession
and I go to heaven?
Yes, if you're
sorry you sinned.
Hey, Tony,
you missed a fight.
That was a real
good tackle, Horse.
Now let me up.
Did you see the fight?
It was funny when Willie
peed on Roque's shoes.
Oh, yeah.
Hey, how come Willie
and those farmer kids
don't have to go
to catechism?
'Cause they'd miss
the bus, stupid!
Protestants don't
have to go either.
They go to Hell!
No, they don't!
You're going to
Hell too, Florence.
You don't believe
in God.
If you don't believe in God,
there's no Hell to go to.
Hey, let's go
tease the girls.
Why don't you
believe in God?
I don't know.
My mother died when I was three.
My father drinks
himself to death,
and my sisters are
floozies working at Rosie's.
The old man hasn't been
very good to me.
You mean God?
So why do you
go to catechism then?
I wanna be
with you guys.
You know, I don't
want to be left out.
We're gonna be late.
I would not have
expected you to be late.
I'll excuse you this time,
but take care of your company.
The devil has many ways
to mislead you.
You think this kind of
disrespect can be tolerated?
You think this
is play time?
Let us pray.
Who made you?
God made me.
And where is God?
God is everywhere.
At Rosie's.
How many persons
are there in God?
Three!
The Father, the Son
and the Holy Ghost.
They have to
squeeze in tight.
If you die with a mortal
sin on your head,
where do you go?
Hell!
And is there
any escape from Hell?
- No!
- No.
You burn in Hell forever.
For eternity.
How long is eternity?
Without end.
Twenty years.
That is enough.
The dark buds of spring were on the branches.
And I understood why they
called the raging sap
that brought forth life,
the bad blood.
Now it ran
through my brothers.
There were whispers
in town
that they were wasting their
service money at the bars,
pool halls,
and even at Rosie's.
When are we supposed to come to you?
When are we supposed
to come to you?
That's not
what I'm talking about!
I said, I'm working
days and nights.
- And we're not working?
- No, you're not!
We're not working, huh?
What's this about?
Now I'm trying to keep
you guys in line. I have work!
What kind of work
can you have for us here?
I have
jobs lined up!
You are going to work
with me on the highway!
We don't wanna work with
you on the darn highway!
Eugenio!
Watch your language!
Do not defy
your father.
I'm not defying my father, Mama.
That's enough!
- Perdoname, Mama.
- Perdoname, Mama.
What is it you want? Eh?
You've been
gone so long,
and now that you've returned
you want to leave again?
- What about California?
- What about California?
We don't wanna
go to California.
We wanna be on our own
and make our own way.
Go to Santa Fe and work.
You are forsaking me.
We're not forsaking
you, Mama.
Mama! We're men.
We have seen the world.
Ay, Marez men.
The Marez blood draws
them away from their home
and their parents,
Gabriel.
You still have Tony.
Thanks be to God.
You're not
going with them?
I got a job here.
Figure I could
do as well here
as they do in Santa Fe
or Albuquerque.
Will you miss them?
Sure.
Me too.
Will you become a
farmer like Mama wants?
No.
Will you become a priest?
Thank you.
Okay, everyone,
class is dismissed.
Have a great summer.
Hold... Hold on,
Antonio, hold on.
Bye, Miss Maestas. Bye-bye.
Thank you so much.
Goodbye, boys.
Thank you.
Antonio, you're a little older
than most of the other kids.
And your progress
has been very good.
So, instead of passing you
to the second grade,
we're passing you
to the third.
Gracias.
I mean, thank you, Miss Maestas.
Have a good summer, Antonio.
Y, suerte.
I'll see you next year,
Miss Maestas!
Yes, you will.
Hey, Tony!
Pass?
Yeah.
Come on, let's go!
One of them
has started melting.
The doll.
Don't touch it.
Tenorio.
Tenorio.
- He's drunk!
- No, I'm not drunk!
Grande, you must hide!
Hombre! Hombre,
make sense!
Maria, put the children
in the other room.
Why do I have to hide?
Have you not heard?
Heard what, hombre?
Ay, Dios mio,
living on this cursed hill away from town.
Today Tenorio's daughter,
his witch, died.
He blames
La Grande for it.
Who told you this story?
Jesus Silva
came from El Puerto.
He said that Tenorio filled
some men with whiskey
and had them
spread his vengeance.
Oh, my God!
Wait here.
Papa!
Antonio! Antonio!
Antonio, you stay there!
Stay!
Gabriel Marez!
We don't wanna
quarrel with you, Marez!
We only want the witch.
Who speaks?
Come, come.
You call me by my name!
You walk on my land!
I wanna know who speaks!
Our business here
tonight is not with you, Marez.
You walk
upon my land!
That is my business!
We do not want
to quarrel with you.
We only want the witch!
Just give her to us.
We'll take her away
and there'll be no trouble.
Who accuses her?
I, Tenorio Trementina!
And, you are idiota
with nothing but...
Wait! Wait, Marez!
We're not here
to fight you.
There's not a man here, not one,
that doesn't hold you in respect.
You know that.
Pero, esta brujera,
this witchcraft,
it's serious business,
hombre,
and the charges
must be answered!
Give us the witch!
There's no witch here.
Give us the witch!
Give us the witch!
Get away!
Why are farmers out playing
vigilantes when they should be home
sitting by a warm fire,
playing cards?
I know you're not men who need the
cover of darkness to hide behind.
You shame your good names by
following este idiota de Tenorio!
He has lost
his daughter today,
and for that El Puerto
can sleep easier,
now that her evil doing
has gone to heck with her!
I may be a beast,
but I am not a fool.
He calls you fools.
Enough of this talking!
We came here
for the witch!
Give us the witch!
Give us the bruja!
Wait!
You know the simple test
for a witch.
Are these needles holy?
S. Blessed by the priest.
Take the holy needles
and pin them to the door.
No, no, no, no, no.
Just give us the witch!
Put them in
so they are crossed.
In the name of God,
you'll know
that a witch cannot
walk through a door
so marked by the sign
of the Christ!
It's true!
It's legal in our customs!
But we all must
abide by the trial!
I'll abide by that test!
I'll abide.
But if she crosses it,
then she can never again
be accused for witchcraft!
We call God
as our witness!
Who is it
accuses me?
I accuse you
of being a witch!
It's proven!
It's proven.
Her evil bird
has blinded me!
I curse you, bruja!
- Grande, come inside.
- Don't you see? She's a bruja!
Narciso, I swear,
you'll pay for this!
I will see you dead!
Hjole.
What a night, huh?
Come on,
my old friend.
I could use a drink.
Bye.
Send my love
to Grandpa,
and tell Mateo
he's still a lousy pitcher.
Do you believe that God
will burn all the sinners
forever and ever
when they die?
Do you think if God was a woman,
she would forgive them?
Like the Virgin Mary,
she forgave the people who killed her son.
I don't know, Antonio.
Why didn't you come
to warn us last night?
Well, your grandfather
wouldn't let us mix
in what took
place yesterday.
But, Ultima cured
Uncle Lucas.
Isn't he grateful
for that?
Of course he is.
You just
don't understand.
What?
El Puerto,
it's a small village.
We've lived there
for a long time.
We've never passed
judgment on anyone.
But you let Tenorio
pass judgment on Ultima.
The end of summer
was the time of the harvest.
My mother's family
had always been farmers
who took their only truth
from the earth.
The chilis, corn and fruit that
would carry us through the winter,
they saw as sacred gifts from
the ground beneath our feet.
The harvest
of my grandfather's
was my favorite
time of year.
Okay, Papa.
Good night, Papa.
So, Porfirio Baca
told me about Tenorio.
He came back
from the hospital today.
He said he lost an eye.
He told me that the two remaining sisters
spent their day
making a coffin.
No, no, no, porque they
were gathering cottonwood branches
and weaving them
into a coffin.
God, that... That...
That proves that she was a bruja!
Because a bruja cannot be
buried in a regular coffin.
And they will burn sulfur
instead of holy incense.
And they will slay a rooster and
sprinkle its blood on the body,
so the devil himself
can come at night...
I love you.
I'm sorry.
Okay. Sorry.
It is true, man.
Mark my words.
Tomorrow when they bring
that bruja to the church,
it will be in a coffin
made of cottonwood branches.
Hey, Tony!
Tony! Tony!
Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!
Who's your teacher, Tony?
Miss Harris or Miss Violet?
We all got Miss Violet.
All the dumb kids
got Miss Violet.
Is it true your brother's
been spending time
with the girls at Rosie's?
Knock it off.
Everyone in town goes to Rosie's!
Including Ernie's
old man!
Very funny!
But at least I don't have
a witch around the house!
There ain't no such
thing as witches.
There are if you're a Catholic.
Bull!
Red don't know nothin'.
He's going to Hell
'cause he ain't Catholic!
It's true. Protestants can't
go to heaven, only Catholics!
Come on, Tony,
she's a witch, ain't she?
I heard they were
gonna burn her.
She's not a witch.
You callin' me a liar?
- Yeah!
- Fight!
Get off of him! Get off!
Come here. Come.
Come.
Winds swept across the Ilano,
and locked the earth
in an icy grip.
Our river no longer
sang the songs of summer.
Spring storms
freed the land,
but still,
there was evil in the air.
Let me go!
I'm gonna kill
that guy!
You don't have
the agallas!
I'll show you agallas!
That means you seek
to do harm to La Grande!
I will cut
your heart out!
I'll find a way
to get to that witch!
You get in the way,
I'll kill you!
Djalo! Djalo, vamos!
Nothing! It's only words!
It's only words!
Come in before you catch
your death in this cold!
Come on!
I'll buy you a drink.
No! BARTENDER: No.
Come on!
No. I have to go
to warn La Grande.
Narciso!
You can't go to Marez
in the storm!
Let me in!
Let me in!
Narciso!
What's happened?
Let me in!
You're too drunk!
And I only allow gentlemen
to visit my girls.
I didn't come
for pleasure, Rosie!
I came to see Marez!
Which Marez?
Don't play games with me.
Call Marez!
Quin? Who?
Oh, Narciso, come in.
Come in.
No! No!
There's trouble.
You have to go to your home
and warn your parents!
What?
Tenorio!
He's making threats
against La Grande.
Is that all?
Come on!
Is that all?
He's made threats!
Where's Tenorio?
He drove off
in his truck!
Just now we fought
in the saloon!
In the saloon, right!
You've been drinking
and quarreling,
and now you're gonna make
a big story out of it!
For the sake of your mother,
please come!
Come where?
You have to leave now.
You're making trouble!
These girls
have turned your mind!
Just go!
Ah!
May your soul be
damned and go to Hell!
No!
You child
of that witch!
I'll go get my father!
No!
I'm dying.
I need confession.
I'm not a priest.
But you're pure of heart.
Confess me.
Come. Come.
My father went to the sheriff,
but he only had the word
of a small boy
as a witness against a man
of means and family name.
I wondered how God
could take such a man,
how he could let him sink
so quietly into the ground,
like the rain.
I wondered.
And in time,
no one remembered
anything good about Narciso.
Not long after,
Andrew quit his job at the grocery store.
And he dropped his plans
to finish high school,
to join Leon and Eugene
in Albuquerque.
Thanks, Mom.
No one knew that
he had forsaken Narciso.
No one knew that he
couldn't face his shame.
They've forsaken
their father.
My boys have left me.
It's my fault...
My fault.
I should have known that the Marez
blood in them would make them restless.
The same blood that set me
wandering when I was young.
Papa!
Oh!
It's time for supper, eh?
You know,
we're all just wanderers,
adrift at sea.
It's in the name,
Marez.
Perhaps the Luna blood
should win in the end.
It's more quiet,
like the moon.
Go inside.
"I believe in the Holy Ghost,
"the Communion of Saints,
"the forgiveness of sins,
"the resurrection
of the body,
"life everlasting...
Amen."
Mmm...
I'm so proud
of you, Antonio.
Just think, when you take
your First Communion,
all your sins
will be forgiven,
and you will be
at one with God.
Really?
I'll be one with God?
Yes.
He asked me how many people
is there in one God.
What'd you say?
Three, four...
I don't know!
What about you, Tony?
I had to recite
the Apostles' Creed
and tell what
each part meant.
Bull!
Tony could do it
if he wanted to.
Tony's gonna
be a priest!
I have an idea.
Why don't we all practice
going to confession
and make Tony
the priest?
No, no.
Tony's the priest.
Yeah.
Tony's the priest.
Tony's the priest!
Tony's the priest!
Tony's the priest!
Tony's the priest!
Okay! Okay.
I'm the priest.
Do it right.
Yeah, do it for reals!
Me first.
Me first.
Bless me father...
Bless me father...
Uh...
You have sinned.
Yeah.
What are your sins?
Tell him your worst one.
I know!
I know how to do it! Yeah!
One day,
when Miss Violet let me go to the bathroom,
I made a hole in the wall
with a nail.
Oh!
Then I could see
into the girls' bathroom.
Oh-ho-ho!
You're dirty!
Give him a penance!
Okay, for your penance,
say a rosary to the Virgin.
Florence next!
Nah, that's
enough practice.
Florence needs
the practice.
Yes. Why doesn't
he believe?
Stop it!
- Confess him!
- Confess him!
What are your sins?
I don't have any.
Yes, you do,
you jerk!
Everybody has sins!
Just tell me one.
I don't have any!
Confess your sins or you'll go to Hell!
Yeah! Confess!
I haven't sinned!
God sinned against me.
Florence,
don't say that.
Why?
It's the truth.
Why did he take
my parents from me?
Why did he
take Narciso?
What harm did
Narciso ever do?
We shouldn't
even listen to him.
He shouldn't
even be here.
Give him
a penance.
Make his
penance hard!
No! There'll be
no punishment!
- His sins are forgiven!
- What?
Punish him,
you have to!
I'm the priest. I've
absolved him of his sins.
You're
a bad priest, Tony!
We don't want
you for our priest!
Punish the priest.
Punish the priest!
Punish the priest!
Come inside.
Everyone!
Are you going to confession?
Yeah.
You?
No.
I can't.
I can't.
I have to.
Dear God...
I'm trying to remember
all the sins
I've ever committed.
Please forgive me for them.
Please forgive me.
Did he harm you
in any way?
No.
Did he leave anything
by the tree, hmm?
Anything you might have touched,
or picked up?
No, but...
The day
he killed Narciso,
he swore
he would kill you.
Don't worry
about Tenorio.
He's just an old wolf
who drags around the ground
where he made his kill.
His conscience
will not let him sleep.
But where
there is no penance,
there can be
no forgiveness.
The door's opening!
It's a big day,
Antonito.
Florence said
the blood is wine
because the priest
is a wino.
Oh, my God,
I'm sorry
for all my sins...
All good
and deserving...
Corpus Christi.
Amen.
- Corpus Christi.
- Amen.
Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi.
Amen.
Tony! Tony! Go on,
you're holding up the line.
Dummy! You got us
all mixed up!
Darn!
I almost choked.
Do you feel anything?
I feel hungry.
Now that
I was one with God,
I would ask him why Tenorio
was alive instead of Narciso?
Why he had allowed evil
to happen?
Why it went unpunished?
I called out to him
that now was a part of me.
Go in peace
with Christ.
Thanks be to God.
But there was no answer.
In time,
everyone got up to leave.
It was over.
After Communion,
I spent more and more time with Ultima
whose wisdom
gave me comfort.
I learned that the ways of healing
attended more than just the body.
And no road was too long for her
to travel to ease someone's pain,
or to lift a curse,
or cool a fever.
But often when
their miseries passed,
they shunned her
just the same.
What'll you do
this summer?
I don't know.
Play.
Fish.
Take care of my animals.
Go to El Puerto to learn
about farming from my uncles.
Do you wanna
be a farmer?
I don't know.
Ultima says a man's destiny must
unfold itself like a flower.
With only the sun, earth,
and water
making it blossom,
and no one else
meddling in it.
She sounds like
a very wise woman.
Yes.
Goodbye, Miss Violet.
I'll come by
to see you next year.
Goodbye, Antonio.
Race!
You know that there are
hidden lakes in those hills?
You know, with mermaids
in them, right?
And they call you,
and you go to them,
but no one ever
sees you again.
I can't see him!
He's been down there
way too long!
They're not supposed to be there!
Something is wrong.
- Hurry!
- Where is he?
He's under!
Hurry up!
What happened?
It's Florence, he's down there!
Bones dared him
to go in!
He didn't come up.
Look!
I told you kids
not to swim here.
Florence died without confession,
without the grace of God.
Alone in death
as he had been in life.
Was he wandering
in purgatory?
Would he burn
forever in Hell?
I wondered if God was angry
with him for not believing.
But mostly I wondered,
if he even cared at all.
Tony!
Tony!
Tony!
Tony!
Antonio.
It's all right.
It's all right.
He feels
everything too much.
Maybe he's seen
too much.
He needs to rest.
A visit to El Puerto
will do him good.
Women will take an hour saying
goodbye if you let 'em.
Papa?
Why is there evil
in the world?
Ay, mijo, you have
so many questions.
Didn't the priest
talk about it in church?
But I'd like
to know your answer.
Oh... Oh, okay, well...
In that case,
I'll tell you how I see it.
I think most of the things we call evil,
aren't evil at all.
It's just that we don't
understand what they are,
so we call 'em evil.
Like, when Lucas, he...
He got sick,
and we were all afraid.
But Ultima,
she wasn't afraid,
she understood
what was wrong.
But, I took
the Holy Communion
because I wanted
to understand.
Understanding doesn't
come that easy, Tony.
Doesn't God give
understanding?
Understanding
comes with life.
As a man grows,
he sees life and death.
He's happy,
he's sad, he works,
he plays,
he meets people.
Sometimes it takes a whole
lifetime to acquire understanding.
But, mijo, in the end,
understanding simply means to have sympathy,
sympathy for people, yeah?
And Ultima...
Ultima has sympathy
for people.
But with her, mijo,
with her it's so complete that she
can touch their souls and cure them.
That's her magic?
And in all this world
no greater magic
can exist.
All summer
I worked alongside my uncles.
I watched the care and the respect
they showed the earth and the plants.
Only Ultima showed such reverence
for the land and its offerings.
I learned that the phases of the
moon not only ruled the planting,
but almost every part
of their lives.
That's why they were Lunas.
They would not gather plants or save next
year's seeds until the moon said so.
I thought of my father too.
His wild and restless spirit,
that forever
reached out somewhere.
I didn't know if his or my mother's
blood would claim me in the end.
But the bad dreams that had plagued me,
did not come.
Antonio! A letter
from your mother!
They'll come for you
in a few days.
School starts
early this year.
It comes early
every year.
Your mother says
you do well in school.
You like school?
Yes, I like it.
Well, that's good.
A man of learning can go
far in this world, Antonio.
It makes us all
very proud.
It's been a long time since
there was an educated Luna.
I'm Marez.
That's right.
You're a Marez first,
and then Luna.
But I just wanted
to say that, ah,
that we're very pleased
with your work.
We know that you must choose
what you'll do as a man,
but if you ever decide
to become a farmer,
you'll be
welcome here.
This earth that was your
mother's will be yours.
Pedro, can I
see you a minute?
There's trouble
in town.
Antonio!
Something's come up,
so we'll drive you home today after supper!
There's only a few hours
of work left to do,
so, go to your grandfather's
house and pack your clothes.
Hey, if anyone asks
why you're back early,
tell 'em you got time off for
being such a good worker.
Okay, to.
I hope you've broken
your neck, you little jerk!
Eso vieja bruja has killed
another of my daughters!
I'll avenge
her death tonight!
Do you hear me?
Don't you crawl about!
The coyotes will have sport
when they devour you tonight!
You, hijo de la bruja!
My uncles
had betrayed Ultima before,
so I ran
to save her myself.
I ran to save the spirit
that protected us from the evil
that men brought to our hills.
That had been there when the
heavens looked on in silence.
I ran from the river
and took to the Ilano.
Antonio!
- Pedro? Qu? Qu pasa?
- Is Antonio here?
Qu pasa?
Aqu! Tenorio's here!
Too!
Antonio!
Antonio!
Oh, my God!
Ultima?
Where's Ultima?
Antonio!
Antonio!
May God help me.
The owl!
It's dead.
Not dead.
Winging its way
to a new place,
a new time.
When I was a child,
a wise old man
gave me the owl
as a... As a bond
to the time
and harmony
of the universe.
Evil men
create disharmony
that reaches out
and destroys life.
But it passes away,
it passes away.
Gather my medicines,
and burn them
somewhere on the river.
Everything.
But take the owl now
into the hills,
and bury it at a...
At a forked juniper tree.
Go...
Go quickly.
Bless me, Ultima.
In the name
of all that's good
and strong
and beautiful
I bless you.
Go.
Go, quickly.
Grande...
My father
built a fine pine coffin,
and people came from miles
around to mourn La Grande,
her cures and her magic.
But, I knew to look
beyond their sadness.
Ultima taught us how to make
strength from our experiences.
To hold wonder in our lives.
She taught us that the eternal
soul expands by embracing life,
and all that happens,
both good and evil.
No, I did not cry.
Her voice is everywhere.