The Good Mothers (2023) s01e03 Episode Script

1
Based on a true story.
Some characters and events
have been fictionalized
for narrative purposes.
[pop music playing]
[knock on door]
Safe-House
CAMPOBASSO - May 2009
[knock on door]
I'm here to fix the washing machine.
Hi, come in. Please.
This way. The light comes on
but when I press the buttons,
it doesn't work.
Let me have a look.
How old is it?
-[Lea] Well, I don't know-- [gasps]
-[dishes shatter]
-Mama?
-Whore!
Mama!
Fuck off!
Fuck off!
-Mama.
-[Lea gasping]
Mama.
[singer, in Calabrian]
Ninna ninna, ninna ninna neda ♪
The wolf eats the little lamb ♪
Little lamb of mine, what did you do ♪
When you found yourself
In the mouth of the wolf? ♪
Come on, sleep
Come and take my baby for an hour ♪
Then bring her back to me ♪
-[thunder rumbles]
-[rain pattering]
[Carmine] Hey. A soda, please.
[bartender] Right away.
Thanks.
I've been looking for you.
You took it, didn't you?
-Took what?
-My phone.
No.
I didn't do it.
It had my mother's messages.
Her photos.
Why would he do something like that?
How could he ask someone
to do something like that?
Denise. You need to turn on
your new phone. You have to.
He'll call you, and every time he does,
you have to pick up.
Here's your soda.
Try it.
No!
It tastes really good.
My grandpa would always
buy me one on weekends.
Good story.
I was worried about you.
I've been thinking about you.
Oh, God, no, Denise.
-It's not like that.
-What is it then?
I just thought of something
we could do together. Come on.
Let's go.
I'm gonna make you pizza, Denise,
that'll blow your mind.
Evening, ma'am.
Come in. Watch your step, okay?
This way.
So, Denise.
Here's the secret.
We lay out some flour.
It's all about spreading out
the dough evenly.
No one likes a hole
in the middle of their pizza.
-Oh, yeah?
-Well, of course.
A pizza with a hole in the middle
is the worst thing that could happen.
If they catch you,
they'll fire you on the spot.
Like that, okay? So…
Good. Use your fingertips. Good.
Like that. Keep going. Knead the dough.
-Well done. See?
-It's true. [chuckles]
Wait.
Try to spread it open.
Slowly, you know?
Let it breathe.
It has to breathe.
Hi, Papa.
[Carlo] Hey. Denise. Is there a reason
why you never pick up your phone.
Come on.
Your father wants to hear
from you every day, princess.
I want to do something nice for you.
What's that?
I want to buy you a present.
You know? Something nice, though.
Can I do that?
It depends.
-A bunch of flowers?
-No.
-A bracelet?
-Don't even think about it.
Buy me a cioccolata al latte.
Otherwise they'll start asking questions.
"Those flowers, who gave them to you?"
-It'll drive us crazy.
-Shit, I can't even buy you a present.
[Enrico] What the fuck?
Why aren't these guys
working in the fields?
These fucking people.
-What the fuck are they doing here?
-Enrico, leave it alone.
Fuck these guys.
Wearing their dirty clothes.
[protester] What'd you say?
I can smell your stink
from inside the car.
-Whoa. What the fuck?
-Come on.
Come on.
What'd you say?
-[knocking]
-Oh.
Calm down, Enrico. Keep driving.
-You piece of shit.
-Come on. Enrico! Enrico!
You motherfucker! Fuck off!
Stop it, Enrico.
What the fuck are you doing?
Are you serious right now?
Enrico. Let's get out of here.
Let's get out of here now!
-You bastards! Go to hell!
-Drive… Drive.
[Enrico] It's all good.
It's over.
You stupid--
What the fuck do you want from me?
Giusy, I told you I'm sorry.
-What the fuck was I supposed to do?
-You acted like a dick and…
-So I was the dick?
-…you know it. Yes. Yes.
What if they'd hurt you, huh?
Oh, so you were trying to show
how macho you are? Tough guy.
-No, I just didn't want you to get hurt.
-Cut it out.
-Ciccio.
-What's going on?
-Nothing.
-No, nothing.
Giuseppina's pissed off at me
because I almost killed some guy.
With the car.
-Close up now. Pull down the shutters.
-Why?
Fucking Africans, migrants that's why.
Slumdogs. The streets are full of them.
Uh, yeah, we saw about 30 of them.
These fucking Blacks.
Maybe you need to tell
the Belloccos to feed them?
Shut up.
The Belloccos know what they're doing.
Make the calls.
Get the cars off the street. All of them.
And be quick.
This little meeting is over.
[exhales]
You're a fucking idiot.
Yeah. I know.
[Giusy] It's Ciccio's orders.
You have to move all of them.
Yes. Now, all of them, yeah.
Okay, fine. Yes, right now. Right now.
-Goal!
-[children shout indistinctly]
Gotcha!
Hey, Giusy! Giusy, come over here.
Go and play.
[pants] I'm quite good at this.
See, I'm not all bad.
-Yeah.
-Am I?
Yeah, you are.
Hey.
[reporter] Let's find out why
with our correspondent from Rosarno.
[reporter 2]
The immigrants, mostly from West Africa,
took to the streets
expressing their anger,
and protesting their terrible
living and working conditions.
Police are advising Rosarno residents
not to leave their homes
unless strictly necessary.
[protestors shouting indistinctly]
-[explosion]
-[shouting continues]
-Mama, what are they shouting?
-I don't know, honey.
We'll be home soon.
-We'll be home soon.
-[explosion]
[reporter] All it took was a spark
to set off a full blown urban warfare,
which spread from Gioia Tauro to Rosarno.
The anger of the migrants
had been building for some time.
And it didn't take much time to set it off
in the Rosarno migrant camps.
Armed with iron bars and sticks,
the migrants, mostly from West Africa,
invaded the main road
that runs through Rosarno,
setting some of
the town's main streets on fire.
The violence engulfed everything
in its path.
Listen, Cetta, did they say anything?
-No.
-Did they do anything to you?
Papa, I didn't get near them.
I took the long way around.
That's why I came home late.
This is the last time
you go out on your own.
Please, come on, Papa, no.
Cetta did the right thing. She took
a different route. It's not her fault.
I'm on my way.
They're setting cars on fire.
[Anna Lazzaro] And where are you going?
I'm gonna break a few heads.
This is our town, not theirs.
I'm telling you.
The Belloccos give them food and drink,
and then they pull this shit?
Papa, their lives are miserable.
Have some cheese, Michele.
I know you like it, I bought it for you.
I don't want cheese.
Come on, help me make some dinner.
Come on.
[reporter] So one has to wonder
what provoked those 48 hours
of uncontrolled urban warfare
in mafia territory.
It's very easy to blame organized crime.
Especially the ruthless
'ndrangheta clan, the Bellocco's,
the root of all the ills in this
diseased land.
But there is no certainty
that they are to blame.
First, we hit the Bellocco clan.
Then, we'll take on the top family.
The Pesce clan.
What if the riot had been
deliberately engineered?
To what purpose?
Sooner or later, the oppressed fight back.
Since we're about to move against
the Bellocco's,
and it's the Belloccos
who control the migrants in the fields.
They might have heard a whisper,
and then decided to generate this chaos
to create a diversion.
No, I don't think so.
They are under strict surveillance.
Plus, the last thing 'ndrangheta needs
is media attention.
Okay, we absolutely cannot get this wrong.
The world is watching.
Anna, this is your operation.
Is it better to go after
the Pesces first, then the Belloccos?
[Anna] Warrants for the Pesce clan
are not ready yet.
My groundwork is incomplete.
But are you ready to proceed otherwise?
Of course.
We've spent months in preparation.
The investigating judge has approved
the Bellocco warrants.
There's no good reason not to proceed.
Okay.
Let's go.
Stop! Don't move, Carabinieri!
Don't move. Stay where you are.
Police! Carabinieri, freeze. Don't move!
I said don't move!
[reporter over radio] As many as
seventeen arrests have been made,
from members of the Bellocco family
of Rosarno.
This is the largest operation against
the 'ndrangheta in the last five years,
coordinated by deputy prosecutor
of Reggio Calabria: Anna Colace.
An operation like this has never been
seen before and we are here live.
-Good morning, Dottoressa.
-Good morning.
It went well, didn't it?
Seventeen arrests so far.
They're all senior members
of the Bellocco family. A fantastic start.
Congratulations.
Marco, please give me five minutes.
No problem.
I need you to arrange a meeting
with Lea Garofalo's ex-lawyer
as soon as possible.
I want to be ready for Giuseppina Pesce
before we hit her clan.
Sure.
We need to understand
if she's a soldier first, or a mother.
It's done.
[metallic banging]
Enrico! Enrico, can I have
just five minutes of silence, please?
When I'm finished!
Pick up the fucking phone and call someone
who knows what they're doing.
Thank you.
-Giusy.
-What?
Giusy!
Huh.
[electronic device whirring]
Have you talked about anything in here?
What the fuck do you talk about?
Nothing.
Nothing, I-- I talk about my kids.
I talk about what sells
and what doesn't sell in the shop.
-What else should we talk about, Ciccio?
-Yes, we talk about stupid things.
Stupid things? What kind exactly?
Ciccio, you have my word,
we only talk about work and family.
And how I'd like to have a garden.
To grow vegetables.
Keep goats to make cheese.
-[device beeping]
-Ciccio!
I knew it.
I fucking knew it.
-I knew it!
-Come on.
-Careful with the money, Ciccio!
-I knew it.
I knew it, fucking knew it!
What the fuck are you looking at?
What the fuck are you looking at?
-This is your fault. Yes, your fault.
-My fault?
-Why is it my fault?
-Because some asshole walked in here
and planted all this stuff
and you didn't even realize it.
It was plastered into the wall.
How did that happen?
Don't speak to me like that!
Who the fuck do you think you are?
-And you, keep searching!
-Okay, Ciccio.
'Cause they could be anywhere.
They could be-- They could be here.
And in here, and here.
They could be in these fucking lemons.
They could be anywhere.
It's your fault! Yours!
You were too busy thinking
about how you were gonna touch up her ass.
-[Enrico] Come on, Ciccio…
-Do you think I'm stupid?
Tell me, come on.
Do you think I'm an asshole?
I've got my eye on you.
I've got my eye on you.
And you too.
What's there to see?
Give me one reason, Giusy.
Give me just one fucking reason.
And I'll kill you with my hands.
I'll do it. You have my word.
Clean up this fucking mess!
Out of the way.
-[Gaetano] Mama?
-What's going on?
-My game.
-What happened?
Papa, it's a toy.
It belongs to Gaetano.
You're right. Yes, you're right.
Come.
Here you go.
Walk with me. Walk.
[Giusy] Papa, no. You're overreacting.
It's brand new.
-Walk with me. Come on, boy.
-Mama.
-Come on.
-No.
I'll let you do something good.
Look. There. You see that?
Throw it with all the rest of the stuff.
Come on, do it.
Throw it!
What's wrong, Giusy?
You're raising a son without any balls.
He spends too much time with his mother,
always following her around.
Can you buy me a new one?
Of course.
Let's see that beautiful smile. Good boy.
Let's go inside.
["I Kissed A Girl" playing on radio]
What have you done to your face?
You look like a whore.
Mama, there's nothing wrong with it.
That's what you think.
-Mama.
-Turn off the radio.
-Mama.
-Turn off the radio!
Mama, what's wrong with what I'm doing?
Can you hear me?
What's going on at the police station?
Are you lonely?
Can you see me as well? [blows]
Do you want me
to unbutton my shirt for you?
You make me sick.
Zazza - You're amazing
Inbox - Pietro
Hi. You look amazing. I want to see you!
Hi. We can't see each other,
that's impossible.
But we could bump into each other
"by accident".
What do you think?
It sounds perfect!
The State
has decided to take back Rosarno.
It did so at the end of a nightmare week,
which began with the migrant revolt
and ended with a successful operation
by prosecutors
of the Reggio Calabria Justice Department,
with 17 arrest warrants
of the Bellocco clan.
These fucking Carabinieri.
They went after almost everybody.
-What do we do?
-We help who's still out there.
We're a family.
Should we be worried?
The Belloccos would rather die
than collaborate.
[Michele]
I wanna see who is next on their list.
Where are you going?
To wash up
then I'll take the kids to school.
…mainly at the abuses of the 'ndrangheta
in an area of high mafia density.
Dad. What's up?
"What's up?" I think you know what's up.
You've been talking to men.
No, I haven't. No.
On the computer, Facebook.
Come on, Papa. I told you.
I swear to you.
You're saying your mother is a liar?
Tell me.
-Please. Papa--
-Did you talk, or didn't you?
No!
I was talking to an old friend of mine.
She lives in Germany now.
Her husband works there,
and we keep in touch online.
-That's it. I promise, Papa.
-Well, this is how it starts.
One word here, one phone call there.
That's why we've got to be careful.
We're a good family.
Yes, I know that, Papa.
-You're a married woman. Don't forget.
-Yes.
You can't dishonor your husband
or your family.
-You can't speak to other men.
-Papa, I swear to you, they're not men.
You're behaving like a fucking whore!
[Cetta gasps, sobs]
-Come here! Stay down! Stay down!
-[Cetta cries]
-Don't act like a whore in my house!
-[hitting]
Whore! You whore!
Understand?
You're acting like a whore in my house!
-[school bell ringing]
-All right.
-Easy, easy, come on, calm down. Easy.
-[children laugh]
-Bye, Grandma.
-Bye.
Okay. Go, walk her inside. Bye.
-Bye, Mama.
-Bye, Mama.
Good morning.
-Good morning.
-Is Cetta still in bed?
She just wasn't feeling well this morning.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Give her my love, if you don't mind.
I hope to see her tomorrow.
God willing.
[cell phone buzzing]
-[bartender] Have another drink, come on.
-Man, it's always the same with you.
-Hey, Carlo.
-Put Denise on the phone.
She's not picking up.
But she's not here.
Where is she?
At church.
Tell her she needs
to call me back. Understand?
This is why I bought her the phone.
I tell her that all the time, Carlo.
And don't let her
out of your fucking sight.
I won't leave her on her own.
You have my word.
Fuck.
Am I wrong
or did you just lie to Carlo Cosco?
So what?
-There you go.
-Thank you, bye.
-Thank you. Have a good day.
-Good morning.
No, it's a gift.
I would like to pay, please.
There's no need.
It's just a little something from me.
I said I'd like to pay.
-No.
-How much do I fucking owe you?
It's my present for your mother.
-Thank you.
-No problem.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[Marzia] I was Lea Garofalo's lawyer
for more than 6 years
during which time, she was constantly
looking over her shoulder
risking her life,
hoping things would get better.
That she could be free.
What happened after six years?
Why did she leave
the witness protection program?
I don't think it was her choice.
Lea gave up on everything.
She gave up on her family and friends,
on her past too…
Everything but Denise.
She told us everything she knew.
She told us things
that could incriminate her.
Unfortunately, the evidence she provided
wasn't considered strong enough.
She really wanted to be a good witness.
Why do you think
Lea Garofalo was unable to go on?
Had she lost hope? The will to live?
She was tired.
You need to understand
the enormity of what she had done.
Lea was a source of shame
to the father of her daughter.
For which she would never be forgiven.
And yet, she decided to visit him anyway.
A decision that makes no sense to us.
Marzia, if I want to protect
any future witness,
I need to understand
what would lead her to do that.
The hardest thing for any witness
to deal with is the isolation.
The loneliness.
The world becomes
an extremely small space.
Witnesses lose touch
with their home and families.
They lose their sense of belonging.
And this was especially true for Lea.
They moved her around too many times.
Denise was always the new girl at school,
always.
And she suffered because of this.
[Marzia]
I spoke to Lea every day for six years.
I was more of a mother to her
than her lawyer.
But it was, I guess,
what was needed to keep her alive.
[sighs] At the same time, though,
she would dread every knock on the door.
One day a man came to kill her.
[repair man]
I've come about the washing machine.
[Anna] So, Lea Garofalo pressed charges,
because she was convinced
it was Carlo Cosco who sent that man?
Yes. But nothing happened.
Maybe now that she's gone missing
someone will finally take her seriously.
[Anna] Retrieve that file
on the Campobasso assault.
At the time Lea went missing,
we hadn't spoken for nearly a year.
I think she might have convinced herself
or hoped that she would no longer be seen
as a threat to her daughter's father.
She deluded herself into thinking
he loved Denise
so badly he would forgive her.
However, they never forgive.
Never.
Milan
SAN VITTORE PRISON
[lawyer] Massimo Sabatino?
That's me. And you are?
[lawyer] Mr. Sabatino.
You should have received
a copy of a new charge sheet.
This is about an alleged attack by you
that took place in Campobasso.
In May of 2009.
On the orders of Carlo Cosco.
No, it wasn't me. Sorry.
Your fingerprints are all over
the washing machine you came to repair.
You then ran off,
leaving your toolbox behind.
Ms. Garofalo is currently missing.
She vanished on the night
of November 24th.
You will be asked
where you were that night.
How the fuck do I know
where I was that night?
We know that you weren't in prison.
You will be asked to provide
information on Carlo Cosco.
I would consider it if I were you.
-Carlo.
-Yeah?
-Where are you?
-Right here.
Is there a problem?
Denise forgets I'm her father.
She's been going
to the old Garofalo house,
poking around,
looking in through the windows.
I told you already,
she needs to get married.
You wanted to get her back, right?
Well, now you have to get rid of her.
Marry her off.
A good marriage, for you and for her.
Giuseppe! Carlo!
The cops! You gotta go now!
Giuseppe. Go back home.
Let's see if they come for you or for me.
They can't do anything.
They've got nothing on us.
That's right.
Police! Stand still! Don't make a move!
[gun clicks]
To your health.
Did you know?
-Why you didn't you tell me?
-You beat me to it.
I just read
that he tried to kill my mother.
Come on, Denise, it's not true.
It's all bullshit.
I was there in Campobasso, Carmine.
Remember.
And you, what the fuck you looking at?
-I'm a Cosco, don't you know that?
-Come on, Denise. Please,
-Get it together.
-Go fuck yourself.
[sighs] I'm sorry.
Hey, Denise.
Is this a life to you?
Is this how you want to live?
We had to fight off the man who tried
to kill her on my father's orders.
We were finally happy.
We had a home of our own.
-They all act so tough.
-Denise, listen to me.
Your father wants to see you.
He wants you to visit him. Understand?
He wants to tell you it wasn't him.
What does he want to tell me?
How much he loves me?
When will he stop torturing me?
Where is my mother now?
-I don't know where your mother is…
-Have they buried her somewhere?
Did they dissolve her in acid?
Did they burn her?
Denise, I don't know where your mother is!
Stop bringing this up!
Denise!
Come here, Denise.
Do you wanna know what I know?
Do you want to know what I know?
I know I care about you.
I care about you.
But now, you need
to go talk to your father.
Do you understand?
There's no alternative, Denise.
Denise!
[piano playing]
DALIA MASI - ATTORNEY
Call your daughter.
-She's coming.
-Good. What'd you make for dessert?
Cetta, try to eat something.
Try.
Maybe we should call the doctor.
Cetta's fine.
There's no need for a doctor.
Come on, no more embarrassment.
The party's over. It's over!
You think I enjoy
doing these things to you?
Who is that girl?
Whose daughter?
None of your fucking business.
There are a lot of cops around.
We need to be careful, you understand?
What the fuck are you doing here?
Get in now. Get in the car.
-Hello?
-Hey Angela, where are you?
[Angela] At home. Where else should I be?
True.
Will you do me a favor? Will you, um,
tell Grandma I'll be late tonight?
How come? [sighs]
Well, because after all this mess,
there's still a lot to clean up.
That's okay.
Thank you.
Have you eaten?
Mama, can I go now?
All right.
But please make sure you eat everything.
Colace.
[officer] Ms. Colace, we've located them.
Good. Proceed.
-[Pullieri] Have they left?
-Yes.
Good.
Now we just have to wait
and hope that they will all be at home.
This is it, Anna. The test.
Come on.
[Ciccio] Go away.
Come on. We can try again.
Come on.
Go home, get out.
-Why are you being like this?
-Because I'm fucking bored of you.
There's this house right on top of a hill
and I would love to make it out of glass.
What about the goats? How many?
-What have the goats got to do with it?
-You said you wanted goats.
Well, five or six goats.
Five or six?
With ten kids, how many goats can we keep?
-Ten.
-You're crazy.
Carabinieri!
Carabinieri! Don't move!
[officer] Follow me.
-Why?
-Because from now on, you do as we say.
You may go.
Giuseppina Pesce. Married to Rocco Palaia.
Age 30. Three kids.
I'm Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Anna Colace.
-Good evening.
-Good evening.
I'm sorry but you're wasting your time.
I don't think so.
And it's my time
and I can do what I want with it.
What am I doing here?
You said it yourself, I have three kids.
I'm just a mother.
No, Mrs. Pesce.
You're much more than that.
I personally approved your arrest.
I know you very well.
You will be charged
with mafia association,
as well as money laundering and extortion.
-You're looking at ten years imprisonment.
-I doubt it.
-Minimum.
-I don't think so.
Is your lawyer that good, Mrs. Pesce?
Or is it because you were arrested
in the company of a man
who is not your husband.
And there will be consequences?
It was reckless to meet this…
Enrico.
In secret.
Why did you do it?
Do you love him?
What kind of society punishes
two people for loving each other?
A society that values loyalty.
But clearly not its women,
wives, mothers and sisters.
Truthfully, I'm concerned about your kids.
How long will it take
before Angela ends up
with a man who beats her?
-Before Gaetano kills someone?
-You can go fuck yourself.
I think I'll settle for a mixed salad,
a glass of wine and then bed.
If you change your mind
and want to talk to me,
I'll be here.
You will be transferred
to San Vittore Prison.
In Milan.
I can't wait. I've never been to Milan.
Giuseppina, you've never been anywhere.
Guard?
Can I see my children now?
Will your family allow it?
You're an adulteress now.
Ten years will feel like an eternity
to your children.
Poor things.
-Dalia Masi Law Firm. Good morning.
-[Marisa] Denise.
Hello?
What?
I just wanted to check
if everything is okay.
Yes, I was just calling Carmine.
Food's almost ready.
Come on! Let me make another phone call.
Shut up. Go to sleep.