Little Miracles (1997)

1
The evil in this world
chases away the fairies.
They don't want to see the
destruction of forests,
mankind's cruelty and selfishness.
That's why it gets harder
and harder to see a fairy.
Whenever a child says he
doesn't believe in fairies,
one of them dies.
That's why there are so few of them.
LITTLE MIRACLES
They are fantastic beings
who show themselves in the shape of women
and are given magical power
and the gift of foreseeing the future.
Their main mission is
to help make the wishes
of others come true.
Mom, it's Rosalia.
Please, call me.
Signs of life in space,
Lola.
Don't get jealous...
But there she is.
It's her again.
I have the same dream every night.
I'm in danger and a fairy
godmother saves me.
Do you know
- what that means?
- No.
Before being a mother...
Did you dream of it?
Did you dream of having a child?
I don't remember.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
I'm leaving Lola with you.
- Bye.
- See you later.
Argentine Institute
for Radio-Astronomy.
Search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Should we call Harvard?
No, move the antenna.
The signal is the same.
It's an interference.
During the trip,
I talked
about my recent
exciting experiences
in the ballrooms devoted
to tango dancing...
- I'll bring some tea.
- I'll help you.
No. Make yourself at home.
You've got a new walking stick.
Do you like it?
It's for when I wear beige.
Two, or have you gained weight?
You have.
How are you doing timewise?
I'd like to try to finish this year.
I have Don Francisco,
but I think I still have time.
Are we going to graduate this year?
It'd be a miracle. Shall we try it?
Shall I open this letter?
No. Later. It must be
the bank statement.
What else?
The electricity bill.
A letter.
Sent by P.P.
It's a love letter.
Read it. Go on.
"My dearest beloved..."
Alejandro Casona: "It's forbidden"
to commit suicide in spring."
It must be an older man.
"I don't know what to do with this love."
I did everything I could
to get your address.
I lied, I trembled, I feared.
I don't understand why, if you
don't see me, when you look at me,
I feel something I haven't
felt for a long time.
So many people see without looking.
You don't see.
But no one's ever looked at me this way.
I have an irrepressible desire
"to hold you in my arms..."
It must be a guy from the ballrooms.
"To explore your body"
as if I were the blindest of men.
Pore by pore,
with my hands...
with my tongue...
"with my breath..."
Come on, don't be afraid.
Go on reading.
"I want to stay in your hills..."
rest in your valleys...
get lost in your forests...
suffocate in your thickets...
taste the forbidden fruit
as long as you assure me that,
"when I'm expelled from Paradise
you will come with me."
What a guy!
Isn't it funny how he
mixes geography and sex?
Maps must turn him on.
"If that doesn't happen,"
I'll be glad dancing with you.
For me, your darkness
is my heart's brightest spot.
"I love you, P.P."
He wants to act like a gentleman,
but he is a pig. I like that.
Who could it be?
I'm going dancing on Saturday.
I never go on Saturdays
because men go with their sweethearts.
But I want to try it.
Are you coming with me?
You haven't danced the tango lately.
You must have forgotten how.
Men are asking you to dance.
You don't respond. They look upset.
But how could I...?
Today is Saturday, Rosalia.
The guys from Saturday don't know me.
Let's go to the rest room.
Across the dance floor. I want everybody
to know I am blind.
Your attention, please.
We'll now
start dancing the canyengue tango,
which enlivened Buenos Aires ballrooms
during the 20's.
Charge, my brave ones.
I don't know if it was a good idea.
I'm dancing. I was asked to dance.
And now, a musical interlude.
Pay very close attention, Lola.
There's a behavior that repeats itself.
She appears every morning,
usually between 8:00 and 8:30.
Whereas, in the afternoon, her appearances
are more erratic.
My question is,
where do you think she goes every morning?
Does she go to work?
Does she go to the university?
Who could she be, Lola?
What does your female intuition tell you?
What's going on?
You're notjealous, huh?
She has something
that grabs my attention,
but I don't know...
Yes, I know you were an opera singer
in a past life.
Do not suffer.
There are too many mysteries in life, Lola.
Fairyland is a mysterious world
that lives side by side with our own.
There's access to it,
safe from our noisy and savage times...
To carry out their missions
in the real world
fairies can make themselves
invisible to humans.
The world is full of them.
They may also
appear in the shapes of humans or animals.
I'm glad you're here.
He's terrible today.
If reading to me bores you, just tell me.
Don't make me waste my time.
I'm sorry. I'm late.
Wait.
Play track 3 of the disc
that's in the machine.
Alessandro Marcello.
It's necessary to destroy
the purpose of bridges...
To cover the landscape
with alien elements...
To straighten by force the
curve of the horizon...
And to moan at experiencing
the abrupt sound
of the mountains...
Very few people love
sceneries that do not exist.
Do you like it?
I don't understand it,
but I'm
moved.
Forgive me.
As smooth as the touch of a mother,
the afternoon sets.
There is no rain yet,
and the sky is like an imperfect smile
and my awareness of being aware of you
is like a prayer
and knowing that you smile
is like a wilted flower on my chest.
May I borrow this book?
I'll bring it back.
Of course. I'm happy
that you are beginning to like Pessoa.
Mom... It's me Rosalia...
Please, call me.
Are you there... mom?
I want you to come over for dinner.
If you don't like my cooking,
we can order a pizza. But call me.
It's not true. It can't be true.
They were just two coincidences.
I know I have to thank God for this gift
of being a fairy.
But I'm afraid, because I wonder...
Will I be able to fall in love
and have children?
Do you know anything about fairies?
Until last year, our solar system
was thought to be an exception.
We were alone in the universe.
But in 1996,
eight other planetary systems
were discovered.
Frankly, did you ever feel alone?
You shouldn't have.
It is less and less likely
that we are alone.
Just in our galaxy,
there are 500 billion stars.
Can you imagine?
Don't worry.
Me, neither.
Do you know what keeps me awake at night?
Sometimes, I am certain
that the signals are there
but we don't see them as we should.
- Who is it?
- Rosalia...
I don't have a philosophy;
I have feelings.
If I speak about Nature,
it's because I love it.
And those who love never know
what they love, or what love is.
To love is eternal innocence,
and the only innocence,
not to think.
I'd like you to hear
something that I wrote.
In fact, I just adapted a text by Pessoa
to music by Marcello.
You will remember it, song,
to love at an early hour,
one night with closed eyes,
your voice, your voice.
It breaks my heart.
For although you cry,
you sing by my side
and I am all alone.
Can you see me?
See you?
I don't know.
Suddenly, I thought of a miracle.
Come closer.
Don't be afraid.
I want to make a confession.
As I couldn't see you and you
wouldn't dare tell me what you are like,
a love has grown
inside me
so great and immeasurable
that it hurts.
If you don't know what I'm like,
how can you love me?
You don't even know the color of my hair,
or how tall I am.
With no definite shapes...
with no limits...
and without waiting for any reward
this love has been growing
with no boundaries
and it has become a red-hot ember
inside of me...
and it hurts...
This love
has become the only love.
Do you understand?
And this is a love
that only Christ could have felt.
I am only a poor man
who exaggerates his shadows.
Why is God so good to me, Rosalia?
Good?
If I were able to see,
I'd be distracted by shapes
and colors.
Things would be only one way,
the way I'd see them.
But like this,
by not seeing what is outside,
I can only see what is inside, Rosalia.
You can't see the color of my hair,
but you can see inside my soul?
Do you know I'm a fairy godmother?
I never doubted it.
I don't want you to suffer.
I am 5 feet tall.
I'm small,
I have brown hair...
dark eyes
and a funny-looking face.
I'm dark-skinned.
No man would ever find me attractive.
I came to this world on a mission,
and ended up trapped here.
I have to find the way to return...
How much?
You shouldn't have listened to me.
I am not ready for this exam.
We should have waited a little bit longer.
Calm down. Everything is going
to be all right. I know it.
Only a miracle will make me pass...
Susana Fuentes.
The balls are scattered
all over the place...
Our notes are all mixed up...
If you believe in fate,
maybe you'll understand what happened.
In my 40-year career,
nothing like this has ever happened to me.
If you decided to study,
you didn't do it
to please your parents...
So talk to us about whatever aspect
of Criminal Law you like.
Very well. I am going to talk about
crimes against sexual honor.
In point number one we'll see...
honor as a value in criminal law.
I would like you to talk to us about...
Do you want to ask her anything?
Let's give her a passing grade.
Nature calls.
What a strange day.
Congratulations, Doctor of Law.
Thank you.
Thanks for your help, Rosalia.
Oh, I'm so happy.
You know,
the best things in my
life started to happen
after I became blind.
Life is very strange, isn't it?
The other day, a man offered
to help me cross the street.
It was a voice that came
from about 3 feet off the ground.
A midget?
No. A midget crossed my path once,
but this one wasn't a midget.
This one took my hand and placed it
on top of something metallic.
A wheelchair.
I crossed the street holding
onto his wheelchair.
God is good to me for allowing me
to enjoy these acts of kindness.
People are good, it's just that
they don't have the chance to show it.
Maybe that's my mission in life...
to make people discover how much
they can love another human being.
I know that after being kind to me,
they feel better...
Closer to God.
Rosalia, Rosalia, you are...
so kind to me,
and I love you so much...
Mom?
Coming...
Who are we mourning today?
It's incense from India. Don't you like it?
Is that all right? I can fix you an egg...
It's not bad.
You've learned something.
What are you eating?
You go straight for the dessert, right?
Strawberries with honey. As a child,
I used to say this was the meal of fairies.
What are you doing now?
Are you still working in the supermarket?
Yes. I also read to blind people.
Read to blind people?
Is that a job? Reading to people?
Do they pay you well?
Nothing. I'm a volunteer.
Volunteer...
Of course, because you're
rolling in dough...
You're just like your old man.
I saw Aunt Cata yesterday.
Your father phoned her.
He's living in a village.
He must've found some other foolish woman.
It seems the bastard has a kid.
What's so funny?
Nothing.
I'm just glad he's okay.
You sure are crazy.
I hope it's taught you a lesson.
You know what to expect from men.
Enjoy them.
Don't let yourself be fooled.
They get you pregnant,
have a good laugh,
and then they leave,
and from then on you're
the slave of your child.
They keep on having fun
and you're stuck with the kid.
Mom, I have something to tell you.
Your daughter's a fairy.
Ask for a wish. I'll make it come true.
I may be able to repay you
for all the trouble I've caused you.
Mr. Bermudez, please?
His daughter.
Hello, Bermudez?
Do you remember me, you bastard?
You abandoned me when I was 8 years old.
Hello. Dad.
It's Rosalia. Your daughter.
No, I'm not calling you to fight.
I just wanted you to take me out
for some ice cream.
Dad.
There are times and places
where the two worlds meet.
There are doors
to that magical world.
Between the earth and the sea.
Between one place and another.
Between two blinks of an eye.
- Shall we take some cold milk?
- Fine.
Another letter from P.P.
Read it to me after tea.
Rosalia, tell me...
When the fairy saves you,
does she always say the same thing?
I don't know. I can't hear what she says.
And what's that about a song?
When I awake I sing a song
I never learned in a language I don't know.
Could you sing it now?
No. I can only sing it at that moment.
Are you sure you're awake when you sing it?
Do you mean
that I think I'm awake
but I'm really still dreaming?
Did you ever sleepwalk?
Yes.
When I was a little girl.
But my mom cured me
by slapping me when I was sleepwalking
in the house and mumbling things
that no one understood.
How do you know when you're really awake?
How do I know if I'm talking to you,
or I'm dreaming it?
Do you have to go pee?
Yes, a little bit...
Then it's not a dream.
I'm intrigued by that stuff about the song.
I'm going to lend you my tape recorder.
Remind yourself
that you must be sure to turn it on.
Carola Jalife, 717-1211-
There's something that
fairies cannot stop doing.
Dancing.
Fairies who live in groups
wear green.
Sometimes, they wear a red cap
with a green feather.
Lone fairies always
wear red.
Maybe I'm not alone here.
Maybe there are other fairies.
I'm stupid and vain.
How could I be the only one?
But would they know?
Did you study languages?
But you must've learned a song...
in English maybe?
No. Why?
What you were singing sounded like.
English to me.
So I called a friend
who is a language teacher
and knows a lot...
And well... it's not English.
What is it then?
It could be a Celtic dialect.
She's going to check it out,
but she thinks it could be a language
that was spoken in Ireland
hundreds of years ago.
Now tell me where you learned that!
Thank you very much, dancers.
And now, a musical interlude.
Do you want to have a drink with us?
Champagne?
No, thank you.
I have my orange juice over there.
We'll order another one.
Don't break the atmosphere.
Waiter!
How would making love feel to a blind girl?
I don't think it'd be much different.
Just think...
How long do you keep your eyes open
when you're doing it?
Looking is the least
important thing, right?
An orange juice, please.
And for a guy to do it
with a blind girl?
The unpunished surprise of the hands...
No, you idiot.
She is the one who makes love in Braille.
A ball over here, another
ball over there, and...
Oh, my God,
what have we got here?
Forgive these freaks. What's your name?
The blind woman is related to you?
She's my best friend.
I read for her.
We've just graduated as lawyers.
I mean,
she has. Isn't that great?
A lawyer? That's interesting.
There are so many lawyers
who don't see shit.
At least she won't hide the fact.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
She's a good woman.
And she gave her best.
Just try to imagine
studying and being blind.
Could you do it?
I didn't mean to make fun of her.
It's the champagne.
Let's dance.
We're nice girls.
A little wacky, but
nice people.
I know.
Really? Do we look like good girls?
You probably won't go to heaven,
but you won't go to hell, either.
What do you do?
Whatever we can. I'm a secretary.
My name's Gladys.
I say my name's Gladys, but
my real name's Selena.
Of course. Fairies are very careful
about revealing
their real names.
If people knew your real name,
you could be the victim of a spell.
Is there vodka in yourjuice?
What are their names?
Marisel and Natalia. They're actresses.
Actresses? They work on TV?
They work wherever they can,
but they're not famous. Not yet.
And you?
I'm a good fairy.
I work as a cashier at a supermarket.
We're going out for a drink.
Do you want to come?
I'm working tomorrow.
Me, too. Come on!
Sure you'll be okay?
The engineer will take me home.
Pino Paparella, engineer, nice to meet you.
Rosi... Pino Paparella. P.P.
I think he's the one who sends the letters.
You look great.
I wish I could bite your lips.
I'll kick you so hard in the balls
that you'll regret it, asshole!
You are a real pig, Selena.
Selena is the name of a fairy.
Yes, of a bitchy fairy.
What are you drinking?
An orange juice.
How boring.
Have champagne with us.
Do you always drink champagne?
I haven't read that in any book.
Rosalia, how do you like guys?
- Guys?
- What kind of men do you like?
Young blokes... older guys?
Intellectuals? Athletes? You must like
the intellectuals, right?
Those who don't start petting right away.
I like those, too.
Come on! You like them all!
Do you like those two guys over at the bar?
You don't like men?
Listen, it doesn't matter to us.
That's not it...
I've never had a boyfriend.
You've never
had a relationship?
Well, once a boy invited me out.
We went to the movies
but then he sort of got on my nerves.
I don't think...
he was an intellectual guy.
This can't be true!
You're still a virgin?
No, a girl.
No, a girl, what a scoop!
Any TV station would take you:
"A virgin in Argentina".
Don't pay any attention to them.
You never wanted a man
to grab you like that?
I don't think I'm
the type of woman that attracts men.
What do you mean? You're so pretty!
- No...
- Yes, you are!
You are very pretty.
But you still don't realize it.
Let your hair down.
May I? There.
Look at those lips.
You know what you need?
Do you have any dough to spend
on clothes and a new hairdo?
I've got some money saved up.
- What for?
- I don't know.
Shall we make a babe out of her?
Don't be stupid. You'll love it.
They don't know they're fairies.
Many die without knowing it.
Not daring to know it.
Does it matter?
They behave like fairies,
the way they helped me.
We fairies are here to
help make other people's
wishes come true.
Oh, my God!
What if I'm punished for being so vain?
And what if from now on,
instead of being a fairy,
I become a whore?
Ah, you... Are you still
having those strange dreams?
No, not anymore.
Grandma.
What do you want?
You forgot this.
It's not mine.
That would cost half my pension.
How could I ever buy it?
Grandma... Take it.
Do you want me to pinch it?
Here's your sales slip.
Is she the same one?
Yeah.
What did she do to herself?
She looks super.
To live is to belong to someone.
To die is to belong to someone.
To live and to die are the same thing.
To live is to belong to
someone on the outside
and to die is to belong
to someone on the inside.
The two things are similar.
Life is life, and death is death.
Life is the outer side of death.
The outer side is always
more real than the inner side.
Therefore the outer side is what you see...
Now wait... What else are you wearing?
Is that a cotton skirt?
It's cotton, and it has a flower pattern.
How pretty! I've got a surprise for you.
You finished knitting it!
Yes. I hope it fits you.
Wear it when you go dancing today.
You look beautiful.
Now you have to act up
a little bit, play...
Be different according
to circumstances.
Just as when you
choose a dress or a hairdo,
you choose
a personality,
depending on the situation.
Let's say you want to look intellectual,
as the guy
you like might notice you that way.
How would you act?
I'd buy a pair of glasses.
Try these on.
You look like a bore like that.
Intellectual, but... New age.
You believe in fairies,
reincarnation and all that bullshit.
Now, the opposite. You're in a dull place
full of intellectuals.
In that case, what you would need is to
look more seductive.
Seductive?
You don't charge for doing it,
but it shows that you like it.
That I like what?
That you like men, Rosalia.
How do you make a guy
you like pay attention to you?
This never fails. Look,
eyes half open.
Very subtle. No need to exaggerate.
But take advantage of your pretty mouth.
Come on.
You'll soon see how easy it is
to pretend that you like it.
I think our missiors over, girls.
Now you'll go back to fairyland?
- Nothing.
- You're
ready now, girl.
Ready for what?
Drinking
won't help you get ideas.
Helping a writer isn't easy for a fairy.
I'll tell you a story and
you'll write it. Come closer.
That woman is interfering.
She must be a bad person.
They want to fire you.
Maybe I'm not a good fairy.
Maybe I'm a witch.
My card's not there.
Mr. Garcia Cozzi wants to talk to you.
Aunt Cata,
how are you?
Fine, I'm okay.
Well, I was fired today...
Well, yes... No, but I'm fine.
A boyfriend?
Not yet, but soon.
Auntie, Mom told me you talked to my dad.
Didrt he tell you where he lives?
In La Pampa?
Did he give you a phone number?
Mr. Bermudez, please.
His daughter.
Gin, please.
You are a woman.
Did you forget what I am?
What can you say in a case like this?
"I'm sorry?"
Come on.
How do you defend yourself from the
passage of time?
I don't know,
and besides, it's useless.
I run and run but always end up
in the same place...
where things are waiting
for me to get old...
And I love life so much, Rosalia.
I can't stand the idea
that everything's always dying.
One day you notice that you no longer love
the person who's beside you.
And the other one can see it
and you're like a trapped animal.
And all you can do is get older
and more decrepit day by day...
And that's what frightens me...
I'm not a bad guy.
I just get frightened, that's all.
And then you have to run away.
What can you do when
everything around you is falling apart?
You don't know what it's like
on a winter evening,
watching TV with a woman
and all of a sudden you think,
"I'll die sitting by this womars side".
What the hell has that got to do
with love? Tell me.
You'll die all the same, Dad...
but alone, and you know it.
I don't want do give up without a fight
in the face of death.
I want to keep dreaming.
Can't you keep dreaming by the side
of a woman you loved...
and who you could keep loving?
She chose you to spend
the rest of her life with.
Maybe, for her, there's nothing
more important than that.
To die by your side.
Arert you touched by that?
And you are a woman...
Is that why you left us?
If I'd been a boy, you
wouldn't have left us?
I had a son.
Little Roberto.
No, another one,
before...
When I left your mother...
I mean, when I left you both,
I lived with another woman,
and we had a child.
A boy.
I never betrayed you, Rosalia.
Dad, I want you to know something.
Your daughter's a fairy.
Ask for a wish. I'll make it
come true for you.
But don't ask me
to stop time.
I don't think I could do that, Dad.
This is Rosalia, my daughter.
Give her some coffee.
I think she's had too much to drink.
Do you hate him?
He's a good guy,
but he gets frightened.
I wish I could make him happy.
I don't think he's ever been happy.
He doesn't allow himself to be happy.
He's selfish... fucking selfish.
Can you imagine living with a man
who's always looking at you
as if you were responsible
for the passage of time?
What your old man can't stand are mirrors.
The bastard thinks we women are
the mirror
of his own aging.
Do you think he'll do it again?
Whenever he says he's going
to the pub or into town,
you stay behind thinking,
"He is going to do it".
"This time he'll do it."
"He won't come back."
Because
you know he's going to do it.
She's sad.
If I'm a fairy godmother,
and I can make people's wishes come true,
why can't I make people happy?
What kind of a fairy am I?
Maybe I'm just a fake.
I know a few tricks,
that's all.
How does one manage to live over there?
What could've happened to her, Lola?
Do you think she's sick?
27...
27?
Lola, come... Come on, let's go.
There's nobody here, Lola.
I want that number.
The powers were granted to me
to help other people.
If I use them for my own benefit,
I'll be punished.
For my next mission,
I'll be sent as a frog,
or a fish... Or even worse...
as a boy.
This number will be the winner.
Then I congratulate you.
No, I can't keep it.
I shouldn't.
I have a good friend who's a priest.
He's founded a home for street kids.
He really performs miracles to feed them.
Your faith is so strong that you
make me feel everything
you believe is true.
Maybe, you are a good fairy,
as you claim.
No sane soul
can really see a fairy.
Therefore, those who can see
are no better off than I am.
Nevertheless, I've come to realize
that when you come here...
A very special light
appears in my darkness.
How strange life is, Rosalia.
How marvelously mysterious.
- See you on Tuesday.
- See you.
The lottery ticket ends with a 3?
It's 9,333?
How did you know?
I would've bought it myself.
What's his name?
Whatever you like. He's
going to be your son.
Dear Pino, I thank you
for your new habit
of writing letters to me.
I don't know if I'd dare to tell you
these things
in person.
They seem less indiscreet
on a piece of paper.
No, I'm fine.
For the first time I understood
what the fairy said in my dreams.
What did she say to you?
Death...
does not exist.
Dad?
She left.
She took all her stuff with her,
and I don't care.
But that bitch
took little Roberto with her.
She's not a bad person.
She's afraid, that's all.
Afraid of what?
Stop drinking, Dad.
Why don't you lie down in my bed?
No, dear. I'll go find a hotel.
I'm a little confused.
This has never happened to me before.
Besides being confused,
you're a little drunk... and tired.
Would you like something to eat?
I make good fried eggs.
Or we could order a pizza.
What're you talking about?
Dad... Calm down. You'll find them.
That's not the problem.
It's just that...
Why don't you hate me?
Even if I hated you, I'd still help you.
That's the way I am.
A saint.
A good fairy.
Cover yourself.
I think you have a temperature.
Drink this. It'll make you sweat.
No. Have you got some brandy?
No, Dad. You've already had
too much to drink.
Forgive me, Rosalia.
I'm sorry, my daughter.
Sleep, Dad.
Just sleep, and everything
will be all right.
Once upon a time, there
was a fairy godmother...
who came down to Earth on a mission
and was trapped here.
Fairies lose their
immortality here.
The fairy had lost
her magical gift.
She was very sad
because of the unfairness
of the human world.
There was very little
she could do about it.
One day, she decided to stop trying
to get back to her own world.
But she wanted something very special
to happen to her.
No more little tricks, she said to herself.
Let's see if we are able
to perform a real miracle.
A big miracle.
And one day,
the big miracle took place.
And what happened then?