The Wait (2023) Movie Script
1
"And out of the ground
made the Lord God to grow"
every tree that is pleasant to the sight,
and good for food;
the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden,
"and the tree of knowledge
of good and evil." Genesis 2:9
The land is family.
To be a keeper of El Brocal
is to be family.
If you betray your family,
the land will curse you.
I like you, Eladio.
Your wife and your son...
you all look real close.
We certainly are, Don Francisco.
I'd lay down my life for them.
They are everything to me.
You drink?
Not anymore.
Life in the countryside is hard
and the ranch is secluded.
Raising a child in the mountains
is not easy.
We know that, Don Francisco.
My wife and I talked about it,
and we agree.
Where is she from?
From Vegas Altas.
It's a big town.
She'll get used to the countryside
All right, then it's settled.
Thank you, Don Francisco.
I haven't been on the estate much
since my wife passed away.
I am hardly around
the village house either, so...
We can meet here again
whenever something comes up.
As you wish.
I have a bike, I can come here anytime.
How old is your kid?
He's ten.
Is he a hunter?
He'll be shooting in three years.
Very well.
Coffee's on me.
THE WAITHREE YEARS LATER
Push the butt hard against your shoulder.
Don't let it move. That's it.
Hold your breath.
Now shoot.
Why don't you hunt anymore?
I'm old.
No, you're not.
You don't like it anymore?
I met your mother at a hunting party.
I went as a secretary to a hunting stand.
Back then I liked shooting, like you.
Then we got married,
and you were born.
Now I watch so that others can hunt.
What does a secretary do?
He makes sure bucks are not overhunted.
- What about does?
- Does too.
Who allocates the stands?
The ranch keeper.
You do?
I thought it was Don Francisco.
Don Francisco agrees to the number
of stands with the hunters.
I distribute them on the estate.
What? You want to be a keeper now?
Not at all. I want to be a veterinary.
I'm going to live in the town.
Like mother, like son.
Back already?
Don't you know I don't like the kid
shooting around?
It's the age. He'll get over it.
I'm making an omelet.
Whatever you cook is fine.
I'm going to the vegetable patch.
Hold it. Hold it, Floren.
Damn. it is heavy!
Grab the antler.
The one day you go alone
and I missed it.
Floren did very well.
He held on until it came out the bush.
How many tines?
Ten.
It's a good piece, Eladio.
These are beautiful antlers.
He earned a secretary job.
Come here.
You have your first job.
Black coffee
Eladio.
It's ten stands.
Seven in La Caada's reinforcement.
The rest between El Surco and El Pilar.
- Two hunters per stand with a secretary.
- Thirteen.
It has to be 13 stands.
- I've promised three extra stands.
- That's not what was agreed.
I already sold them.
No, no...
It's not safe.
The stands need space between them
to avoid crossfire.
I don't want a stray bullet
to kill someone.
Change the layout. Find some gaps.
There won't be any stray bullets
in the meadow.
Don Francisco wouldn't approve.
He said ten.
Don Francisco doesn't have to know.
He's never around, you know that.
I'll give you 500 pesetas more per stand.
Fifteen hundred for the three.
There'll be no stray bullets,
and you and your wife
could use the extra money.
Take her somewhere for a few days
or buy something for yourself.
Maybe a TV.
So you can watch TV instead
of coming to the bar.
Think about it, will you?
Although there is not much
to think about, right?
Yulen, here! Come on!
Let go!
Let it go! Good boy!
Let it go!
Mom! He's here!
You forgot the bread.
I bought what I could.
I'm full.
You're no having eggs?
Did you find your horse polo shirt?
You better look for it,
I'm not buying you another one.
I still can't find my work overalls.
Can I give it to Yulen?
Don't let him lick the plate,
you'll eat from it later.
Yulen!
I'm going to the patch for tomatoes.
I'll be right back.
The birds are pecking the tomatoes.
I'll get some salt cartridges.
I'll shoot some later to scare them away.
Don Carlos came by.
He told me about the stands.
What are you going to do?
Nothing.
It is dangerous.
Besides, Don Francisco could find out.
He won't. He's never around.
Don Carlos buys the hunting
and is the one who pays up.
You should be loyal to Don Carlos instead.
The estate belongs to Don Francisco.
You're a coward.
Eladio, listen to me. It's 1,500 pesetas.
- We don't need them.
- But we do! Of course we do.
Don Carlos had no reason to come by.
Don Carlos wants to help us.
That's why he came by.
Eat!
Gentlemen!
There are 13 stands.
Follow the secretaries' instructions.
Don't forget the quota
is two bucks per stand.
You can shoot as many does as you want.
Same for boars.
The hunting ends at 2:00 o'clock.
Do not leave the stands until the cars
come to pick you up.
All right.
May you be good at it and may God provide.
Now, let's offer a Hail Mary
to Our Lady of Cabeza.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with you,
Blessed art Though amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Hail Our Lady of Cabeza!
- Best of luck, gentlemen.
- Thank you!
The quota is two bucks.
Don't let them kill more than that.
Boars, as many as they want.
If they hunt more than the quota,
you let me know.
Stay in place, okay?
Don't move around, and don't stand up.
Stand 12 is leaving!
Coming!
Go before they leave you behind. Go!
It's far. Don't shoot.
Fuck!
That bullet was damn close!
Kid! Where did that come from?
Where's the stand?
They are shooting.
It's up there, on the hill!
It's coming from the hill.
They're still hunting.
They had to wait for them to finish.
Black coffee, Eladio?
Gin.
You are going to sleep here again?
It was nobody's fault.
Of course it was.
Of course it was.
God is punishing us.
My boy.
My boy, my boy...
Don Carlos should have never
come to this house.
Marcia?
Marcia!
Marcia!
We're going to El Pilar.
Juli's gonna go to La Loma.
Thank you, Saulo.
We're not coming back until we find her.
She couldn't possibly come so far, Saulo.
It's been many hours.
If she didn't stop since dawn,
she may have reached the fence.
What the hell was that boar doing there?
It was eating.
It's el Rubio's hound pack. They hunt
in El Mudejar in the morning.
- Who leads the hunt?
- Don Carlos.
He stays in the estate until Thursday.
Do you want me to turn on the TV?
How much for a bottle?
Eladio! What are you doing here?
I was going to pay you a visit.
I am so sorry about the kid and Marcia...
Get up, you bastard!
Get up!
Yulen!
Eat!
What's going on? Are you dumb?
Eladio!
What happened to your face?
A salt cartridge.
The birds are back on the patch.
They always do.
Got a beer for me?
How have you been?
How do you think I've been?
You should come down
to the town more often.
I couldn't bear to stay here on my own.
After Marcia and the kid...
I would have shot myself.
I am not leaving.
This job is all I have.
Eladio, I'm here
on behalf of Don Francisco.
He wanted me to give you this.
I can't read.
I just learned the numbers
to count the stands.
Can you read it to me?
"Eladio, I'm sorry about what happened."
As you will understand,
your agreement with Don Carlos
did not go unnoticed.
The agreement was for ten stands, not 13.
You disrespected your honor,
only to bring misfortune to this land
and to your family.
Please, leave the estate
before the end of the month.
Meet me at the bar on Sunday at noon
so I can pay you the rest of your salary.
"Don Francisco."
I'll come pick you up on Sunday.
I'll be on the estate.
Come if you need anything.
Eladio, one more thing.
I guess you haven't talked
to him for a while,
but they are looking for Don Carlos.
He didn't show up for the hunt today.
Let me know if you hear from him.
The cops are asking questions.
Thirteen.
Thirteen.
- Eladio. How are you?
- Sergeant.
Did you wake up just now?
I didn't hear the rooster this morning.
What happened to your face?
A cartridge of salt blew up.
The birds ruining the patch again.
I've been shooting at them.
- Would you like to come in?
- No, thanks, we're in a hurry.
Where is the dog?
Yule, was it?
Yulen.
I let him off the leash in the morning.
I thought we woke you up.
I didn't tie him last night.
Have you heard about Don Carlos,
the guy of the hunting parties?
Saulo told me.
He's been missing a couple of days.
When was the last time you saw him?
After Marcia's.
A while ago.
I didn't know he was back.
He's taking care of the hunting
in El Mudejar.
How long has it been since you
went to town, Eladio?
A week.
What could have happened to him?
We don't know yet. It's still early.
The mountains have ears
and there are few of us up here.
Are you going out in the bike
to check the boundaries?
Every day.
Do me a favor. Let me know
if you see anything.
See you soon, Eladio.
Yulen!
Calm down.
Shit!
Fuck!
Are you sure the clothes are theirs?
And the work overalls are mine.
I couldn't find them for a while.
I blamed Marcia.
Maybe you were right.
Marcia.
Who else would hide the clothes?
Why would she?
I don't know.
Maybe to get your attention?
You said you were not talking
during last year.
What about the boar's heart?
Marcia would have done anything
for your family.
To save what you had.
For Floren.
The mountains change people, Eladio.
They harden us, they make us tough.
And sometimes we realize too late.
She never wanted to be here.
I brought her here.
The keeper job paid well
so I convinced her.
I told her, "Let's save
for a couple of years and leave."
I did this.
She'd still be alive if it wasn't for me.
Let it be, Eladio.
Don't blame yourself.
Coward.
It's his signature.
Thirteen.
Thirteen stands.
Not ten.
Don Francisco knew it.
Don Francisco!
Sixty-seven.
They were only here for three years.
All of them.
They didn't last more than three years.
Eladio!
Eladio!
Floren?
Forgive me, my son, forgive me.
I didn't want to lose you.
I didn't want to lose you.
Forgive me.
It was you, father.
Mother knows.
Everybody knows.
And you'll pay for it.
You're early.
I thought I was picking you up.
I changed my mind.
You're going hunting?
Let's go inside.
You go in first, I'll be right there.
Eladio, you are here.
You asked for me, Don Francisco.
Sunday at noon to get paid.
I just didn't expect you
to make it this far.
None of them did.
There is no greater punishment
for a man with conscience
than his own sin.
They took their own lives, Eladio.
All of them.
What are you talking about?
That's the way it was supposed to be.
We're not allowed to intervene.
Just to wait.
You knew.
I saw your signature in Don Carlos'
contract stating 13 stands.
I agreed on 13 stands
with Don Carlos, Eladio,
because I knew
you would agree behind my back.
Had it not been the case, if you
had not accepted the money...
your son and your wife would be alive.
You'd be free.
Looking for a job in another estate.
You had the opportunity to save them,
to save yourself.
That is never the case.
Greed plays in my favor.
The land curses you, Eladio.
It corrupts you.
And when it has turned you vile,
it demands your blood.
No more than three years, that's it.
It always starts with the weakest.
And it ends with...
Well, you know how it ends.
All those families...
Better the life of a stranger
than one of us, right?
Are you going to kill me, Eladio?
Are you going to kill all of us?
If that's how it must end...
No.
It ends with you in the lake
inside Don Carlos' car,
which you should never have left.
The guilty goes to meet his punishment.
Just as the offended
advances towards his revenge.
But you deceived me.
I'm not to blame.
You are wrong, Eladio.
We are all guilty
to a greater or lesser extent.
"And out of the ground
made the Lord God to grow"
every tree that is pleasant to the sight,
and good for food;
the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden,
"and the tree of knowledge
of good and evil." Genesis 2:9
The land is family.
To be a keeper of El Brocal
is to be family.
If you betray your family,
the land will curse you.
I like you, Eladio.
Your wife and your son...
you all look real close.
We certainly are, Don Francisco.
I'd lay down my life for them.
They are everything to me.
You drink?
Not anymore.
Life in the countryside is hard
and the ranch is secluded.
Raising a child in the mountains
is not easy.
We know that, Don Francisco.
My wife and I talked about it,
and we agree.
Where is she from?
From Vegas Altas.
It's a big town.
She'll get used to the countryside
All right, then it's settled.
Thank you, Don Francisco.
I haven't been on the estate much
since my wife passed away.
I am hardly around
the village house either, so...
We can meet here again
whenever something comes up.
As you wish.
I have a bike, I can come here anytime.
How old is your kid?
He's ten.
Is he a hunter?
He'll be shooting in three years.
Very well.
Coffee's on me.
THE WAITHREE YEARS LATER
Push the butt hard against your shoulder.
Don't let it move. That's it.
Hold your breath.
Now shoot.
Why don't you hunt anymore?
I'm old.
No, you're not.
You don't like it anymore?
I met your mother at a hunting party.
I went as a secretary to a hunting stand.
Back then I liked shooting, like you.
Then we got married,
and you were born.
Now I watch so that others can hunt.
What does a secretary do?
He makes sure bucks are not overhunted.
- What about does?
- Does too.
Who allocates the stands?
The ranch keeper.
You do?
I thought it was Don Francisco.
Don Francisco agrees to the number
of stands with the hunters.
I distribute them on the estate.
What? You want to be a keeper now?
Not at all. I want to be a veterinary.
I'm going to live in the town.
Like mother, like son.
Back already?
Don't you know I don't like the kid
shooting around?
It's the age. He'll get over it.
I'm making an omelet.
Whatever you cook is fine.
I'm going to the vegetable patch.
Hold it. Hold it, Floren.
Damn. it is heavy!
Grab the antler.
The one day you go alone
and I missed it.
Floren did very well.
He held on until it came out the bush.
How many tines?
Ten.
It's a good piece, Eladio.
These are beautiful antlers.
He earned a secretary job.
Come here.
You have your first job.
Black coffee
Eladio.
It's ten stands.
Seven in La Caada's reinforcement.
The rest between El Surco and El Pilar.
- Two hunters per stand with a secretary.
- Thirteen.
It has to be 13 stands.
- I've promised three extra stands.
- That's not what was agreed.
I already sold them.
No, no...
It's not safe.
The stands need space between them
to avoid crossfire.
I don't want a stray bullet
to kill someone.
Change the layout. Find some gaps.
There won't be any stray bullets
in the meadow.
Don Francisco wouldn't approve.
He said ten.
Don Francisco doesn't have to know.
He's never around, you know that.
I'll give you 500 pesetas more per stand.
Fifteen hundred for the three.
There'll be no stray bullets,
and you and your wife
could use the extra money.
Take her somewhere for a few days
or buy something for yourself.
Maybe a TV.
So you can watch TV instead
of coming to the bar.
Think about it, will you?
Although there is not much
to think about, right?
Yulen, here! Come on!
Let go!
Let it go! Good boy!
Let it go!
Mom! He's here!
You forgot the bread.
I bought what I could.
I'm full.
You're no having eggs?
Did you find your horse polo shirt?
You better look for it,
I'm not buying you another one.
I still can't find my work overalls.
Can I give it to Yulen?
Don't let him lick the plate,
you'll eat from it later.
Yulen!
I'm going to the patch for tomatoes.
I'll be right back.
The birds are pecking the tomatoes.
I'll get some salt cartridges.
I'll shoot some later to scare them away.
Don Carlos came by.
He told me about the stands.
What are you going to do?
Nothing.
It is dangerous.
Besides, Don Francisco could find out.
He won't. He's never around.
Don Carlos buys the hunting
and is the one who pays up.
You should be loyal to Don Carlos instead.
The estate belongs to Don Francisco.
You're a coward.
Eladio, listen to me. It's 1,500 pesetas.
- We don't need them.
- But we do! Of course we do.
Don Carlos had no reason to come by.
Don Carlos wants to help us.
That's why he came by.
Eat!
Gentlemen!
There are 13 stands.
Follow the secretaries' instructions.
Don't forget the quota
is two bucks per stand.
You can shoot as many does as you want.
Same for boars.
The hunting ends at 2:00 o'clock.
Do not leave the stands until the cars
come to pick you up.
All right.
May you be good at it and may God provide.
Now, let's offer a Hail Mary
to Our Lady of Cabeza.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with you,
Blessed art Though amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Hail Our Lady of Cabeza!
- Best of luck, gentlemen.
- Thank you!
The quota is two bucks.
Don't let them kill more than that.
Boars, as many as they want.
If they hunt more than the quota,
you let me know.
Stay in place, okay?
Don't move around, and don't stand up.
Stand 12 is leaving!
Coming!
Go before they leave you behind. Go!
It's far. Don't shoot.
Fuck!
That bullet was damn close!
Kid! Where did that come from?
Where's the stand?
They are shooting.
It's up there, on the hill!
It's coming from the hill.
They're still hunting.
They had to wait for them to finish.
Black coffee, Eladio?
Gin.
You are going to sleep here again?
It was nobody's fault.
Of course it was.
Of course it was.
God is punishing us.
My boy.
My boy, my boy...
Don Carlos should have never
come to this house.
Marcia?
Marcia!
Marcia!
We're going to El Pilar.
Juli's gonna go to La Loma.
Thank you, Saulo.
We're not coming back until we find her.
She couldn't possibly come so far, Saulo.
It's been many hours.
If she didn't stop since dawn,
she may have reached the fence.
What the hell was that boar doing there?
It was eating.
It's el Rubio's hound pack. They hunt
in El Mudejar in the morning.
- Who leads the hunt?
- Don Carlos.
He stays in the estate until Thursday.
Do you want me to turn on the TV?
How much for a bottle?
Eladio! What are you doing here?
I was going to pay you a visit.
I am so sorry about the kid and Marcia...
Get up, you bastard!
Get up!
Yulen!
Eat!
What's going on? Are you dumb?
Eladio!
What happened to your face?
A salt cartridge.
The birds are back on the patch.
They always do.
Got a beer for me?
How have you been?
How do you think I've been?
You should come down
to the town more often.
I couldn't bear to stay here on my own.
After Marcia and the kid...
I would have shot myself.
I am not leaving.
This job is all I have.
Eladio, I'm here
on behalf of Don Francisco.
He wanted me to give you this.
I can't read.
I just learned the numbers
to count the stands.
Can you read it to me?
"Eladio, I'm sorry about what happened."
As you will understand,
your agreement with Don Carlos
did not go unnoticed.
The agreement was for ten stands, not 13.
You disrespected your honor,
only to bring misfortune to this land
and to your family.
Please, leave the estate
before the end of the month.
Meet me at the bar on Sunday at noon
so I can pay you the rest of your salary.
"Don Francisco."
I'll come pick you up on Sunday.
I'll be on the estate.
Come if you need anything.
Eladio, one more thing.
I guess you haven't talked
to him for a while,
but they are looking for Don Carlos.
He didn't show up for the hunt today.
Let me know if you hear from him.
The cops are asking questions.
Thirteen.
Thirteen.
- Eladio. How are you?
- Sergeant.
Did you wake up just now?
I didn't hear the rooster this morning.
What happened to your face?
A cartridge of salt blew up.
The birds ruining the patch again.
I've been shooting at them.
- Would you like to come in?
- No, thanks, we're in a hurry.
Where is the dog?
Yule, was it?
Yulen.
I let him off the leash in the morning.
I thought we woke you up.
I didn't tie him last night.
Have you heard about Don Carlos,
the guy of the hunting parties?
Saulo told me.
He's been missing a couple of days.
When was the last time you saw him?
After Marcia's.
A while ago.
I didn't know he was back.
He's taking care of the hunting
in El Mudejar.
How long has it been since you
went to town, Eladio?
A week.
What could have happened to him?
We don't know yet. It's still early.
The mountains have ears
and there are few of us up here.
Are you going out in the bike
to check the boundaries?
Every day.
Do me a favor. Let me know
if you see anything.
See you soon, Eladio.
Yulen!
Calm down.
Shit!
Fuck!
Are you sure the clothes are theirs?
And the work overalls are mine.
I couldn't find them for a while.
I blamed Marcia.
Maybe you were right.
Marcia.
Who else would hide the clothes?
Why would she?
I don't know.
Maybe to get your attention?
You said you were not talking
during last year.
What about the boar's heart?
Marcia would have done anything
for your family.
To save what you had.
For Floren.
The mountains change people, Eladio.
They harden us, they make us tough.
And sometimes we realize too late.
She never wanted to be here.
I brought her here.
The keeper job paid well
so I convinced her.
I told her, "Let's save
for a couple of years and leave."
I did this.
She'd still be alive if it wasn't for me.
Let it be, Eladio.
Don't blame yourself.
Coward.
It's his signature.
Thirteen.
Thirteen stands.
Not ten.
Don Francisco knew it.
Don Francisco!
Sixty-seven.
They were only here for three years.
All of them.
They didn't last more than three years.
Eladio!
Eladio!
Floren?
Forgive me, my son, forgive me.
I didn't want to lose you.
I didn't want to lose you.
Forgive me.
It was you, father.
Mother knows.
Everybody knows.
And you'll pay for it.
You're early.
I thought I was picking you up.
I changed my mind.
You're going hunting?
Let's go inside.
You go in first, I'll be right there.
Eladio, you are here.
You asked for me, Don Francisco.
Sunday at noon to get paid.
I just didn't expect you
to make it this far.
None of them did.
There is no greater punishment
for a man with conscience
than his own sin.
They took their own lives, Eladio.
All of them.
What are you talking about?
That's the way it was supposed to be.
We're not allowed to intervene.
Just to wait.
You knew.
I saw your signature in Don Carlos'
contract stating 13 stands.
I agreed on 13 stands
with Don Carlos, Eladio,
because I knew
you would agree behind my back.
Had it not been the case, if you
had not accepted the money...
your son and your wife would be alive.
You'd be free.
Looking for a job in another estate.
You had the opportunity to save them,
to save yourself.
That is never the case.
Greed plays in my favor.
The land curses you, Eladio.
It corrupts you.
And when it has turned you vile,
it demands your blood.
No more than three years, that's it.
It always starts with the weakest.
And it ends with...
Well, you know how it ends.
All those families...
Better the life of a stranger
than one of us, right?
Are you going to kill me, Eladio?
Are you going to kill all of us?
If that's how it must end...
No.
It ends with you in the lake
inside Don Carlos' car,
which you should never have left.
The guilty goes to meet his punishment.
Just as the offended
advances towards his revenge.
But you deceived me.
I'm not to blame.
You are wrong, Eladio.
We are all guilty
to a greater or lesser extent.