Luna Park (2021) s01e04 Episode Script

A NETFLIX SERIES
[static crackling]
[Mussolini on radio] Soldiers
sailors and aviators!
Blackshirts of the revolution
and of the legions,
men and women of Italy,
of the Empire,
and of the Kingdom of Albania, pay heed!
[officer] He's giving a speech.
[indistinct chatter]
[Mussolini on radio] The bell of destiny
now peals across the sky
over our fatherland!
- [yelps]
- [Antonio] Stella!
- [Miranda] Stella!
- Stella!
- Stella!
- What's wrong?
Say something, my love. Stella, come on!
Is there a doctor here?
- [Mussolini] of irrevocable decisions!
- Can somebody call a doctor?
I'll take care of it.
[Mussolini] The declaration of war
has already been delivered
to the ambassadors
[all cheering]
[Mussolini] The single order of the day
is victory!
[men] and our freedom! ♪
[man] Shut up, morons!
- You got a problem?
- [man] You're the ones with problems!
- Oh, yeah? We'll see about that.
- [man] Get your hands off me!
[woman] Leave him alone!
- [men clamoring]
- [woman] Stop it!
- [men fighting]
- [woman] Please, let's go.
Miranda! Are you done? Can I come in?
Stella. Are you feeling better?
- What's with all the secrecy?
- Hold on.
My love,
don't drink that fizzy concoction.
- If you need, I'll go get some medicine.
- She's not going to drink it! It's pee.
And Stella is just fine.
You're having a baby!
[Miranda laughing]
I knew it! I could feel it!
That's such good news!
My love!
Wait.
Ettore! Come here!
You are going to be an uncle!
[Miranda] We were so happy that night.
We didn't even care about the war anymore.
We were happy,
like a bunch of loony-tunes!
Hold on.
Italy went to war in 1940, didn't it?
It doesn't add up with my date of birth.
If you want to know,
you have to listen to the whole story.
First of all, your mother had the bright
idea of marrying a wanderer.
Him and your Uncle Ettore
traveled the world.
They were never around.
And with the war, it got even worse.
Coming and going wasn't easy at all.
PARIS
[cheerful music playing]
Meanwhile, Stella and I made ends meet
with a few gigs at the circus.
We sat there and watched the river go by.
[Stella] Pick a card, ma'am.
[Miranda] We were doing card readings.
And everything was fine.
- How are you feeling?
- [grunts and laughs]
My pregnant belly
was much bigger than yours.
[Stella laughs] Mario.
Thank you!
It's the least I can do
for you and Antonio.
[Miranda] Your mother
waited for your father's letters
like a child at Christmas.
She wrote and she wrote.
But I don't know what they wrote about.
I minded my own business.
[Stella] My love,
today I read the cards for a woman
who lost her son in the war.
She wanted to know
if her other son will die too.
He's missing.
It was horrible.
I felt so bad for that poor woman.
- Are you crazy? Get down!
- I wanted
Get down! You want to make it
do somersaults already? Go inside!
[Antonio] My love,
I hope it's a little girl,
so she will never have to go to war.
The situation is terrible everywhere.
People are starving.
But when they watch our show, they laugh.
I guess they need it.
[Stella] It's because
they still want to be happy.
I am happy when I think about
our little boy or girl.
The cards say it's going to be a girl.
[Antonio] Here in Paris, my love,
doing our show in the street
is out of the question.
The city is under occupation
and it's scary.
But we might have found a gig.
There's this place
where they hire foreigners too.
I hired
another couple of Italians yesterday
that practically
do the same things as you.
I'm sorry. I can't help you.
[speaking French]
Who are they? We know them all.
The Petrucci Duo.
- Husband and wife.
- [Ettore] Of course! We're friends.
We traveled with them
for a bit from Berlin.
Can't you hire us too?
This place is full of Germans,
and they don't pay.
They come for the girls.
Certainly not to see you
and your rubber hammers.
It's a miracle I'm still in business.
We could alternate,
us and the Petruccis, one night each.
Leave this place.
This is no land of milk and honey.
It's a city under occupation.
[woman speaking French]
[Ettore] Wow! You're getting so strong!
Come on, Celeste! You can beat me!
[laughing] Ahh!
So? How is it?
Brings tears to my eyes, Tina.
We've still got a few packs.
After that, I don't know.
After that, snails.
That's what they eat here, you know?
Do you like snails, Celeste?
[laughing] They're so yummy! Yummy!
Thank you, my friends.
I haven't had a plate of pasta in months.
The good news is we got a gig.
- Is it well-paid?
- No, but at least they pay.
- How about you guys?
- [Ettore] We
- We found a gig too.
- [Salvo] Really? That's great news.
- [Tina] Where?
- Um
I still don't know my way around.
Where is it, Ettore? The sixteenth?
[dark music playing]
[Stella] My love, the baby's kicking
like she's possessed.
I don't think
she likes vegetables, you know?
Anyway, everything's ready for her here.
I sewed four rompers and a few socks.
We've even managed
to make a little cradle.
Now I can move on to the fun stuff
and make some toys for her.
If you could send me some money
when you get paid
I wouldn't ask you
if things weren't going so bad here.
There's not enough money.
And I'm worried about
when our little girl arrives.
[intriguing music playing]
Listen, heading north is too dangerous.
Maybe we should cross over to Switzerland.
No.
We need a job now.
What job?
The one you made up at Tina and Salvo's?
Why? They're friends. You don't need
to defend your dignity with them.
I wasn't worried about my dignity.
I need that job.
For Stella, and most of all, for our baby.
What do you mean?
They've got Celeste to look after too.
- But they won't be safe in Paris.
- Why?
- No one knows they're Jews.
- And no one's going to find out.
Oh, good.
You scared me there.
But I have to figure something out.
What do you mean?
We want to bring laughter and happiness
to the world. But you know what?
There's no more peace for anyone, Ettore.
Mors tua, vita mea.
[band playing jazz music]
- [jazz music continues]
- [indistinct chatter]
[Ettore] It's a dirty move. Let's drop it.
[Antonio] It's just a white lie.
They'll find work elsewhere.
It'll be fine.
- Hey! You came to cheer for us?
- No. Come on, there's no time.
- What happened?
- They're coming to get you.
- [Salvo] Why?
- What's going on?
They know where you live and work,
that you're Jewish.
No. That's not possible. I don't
Who told you?
The owner ratted you out
so he could stay open.
I found out by chance.
It may already be too late.
Let's go out the back! Hurry!
- [Salvo] We have to go get Celeste.
- [Tina] Yes.
[Antonio] My love,
there's a surprise in the envelope.
And soon I'll be able to send more.
Buy some sweets for our little girl
so she'll stop kicking.
- [band playing jazz music]
- [indistinct chatter]
[Stella] My love, unfortunately,
something terrible happened.
[voice breaking] I don't know
why it happened. I feel awful.
I started losing blood the other night.
[crying] Mom took me to the hospital.
I'm fine now.
But they said that the baby
wasn't breathing anymore.
They took it out.
MAILBOX
ROYAL POS
It was a little boy.
Would you hurry up, miss?
[somber music playing]
[Miranda] As soon as he
received that letter, I don't know how,
but Antonio managed to come back to Rome.
- But this isn't my story.
- Hold on.
- Grandma, please.
- Hear me out.
Okay, just don't take forever
like you always do, eh?
Antonio really came through that time.
I had never really liked him before.
Because he was a wanderer.
Here you are.
- [woman] Thank you.
- You're welcome.
[Miranda] But when he came running back,
I started respecting him.
He'd taken such a big risk.
That meant he truly loved Stella.
[band playing lively music]
[band playing blues music]
Enough with the long face. You promised.
You look like a pony, you know?
I'd already made some clothes.
I worked on them every night.
You shouldn't have sold them.
Losing a child is not so uncommon.
- We'll make another one.
- But how?
You're never around.
This has been my life forever.
And you could come with us.
What about my mother?
What would she do without me?
She wanted a grandchild so badly.
And she'll have one.
Let's get right to work.
That's easy for you to say.
Do you ever think about our son? Huh?
Maybe too much, my love.
I did something horrible in Paris
for our baby.
You?
What could you have done?
I lied.
To whom?
It doesn't matter.
Sooner or later,
I'll find a way to make up for it.
What I mean is that
our son wasn't even born yet,
and I was already willing to do
anything for him.
Near New York, there's an amusement park
by the sea with tons of rides.
It's called Luna Park.
It's so beautiful,
it makes you want to cry.
I used to dream that we'd go there
together. You, me, and our baby.
That sounds nice.
Wouldn't it be fun to be carnies?
No more traveling shows.
Just you and I, always together
and your mother.
Just imagine how lucky
and happy the children of carnies are.
[hopeful music playing]
- [hopeful music continues]
- [indistinct chatter]
- [glass breaking]
- [children exclaiming]
- [man] I'll teach those kids a lesson!
- [woman] Cesare!
Cesare, Canio! You're in for it!
They'll destroy this place
before the bombs do.
What bombs? You're safe here.
I don't know, Antonio.
This war might go on a long time.
And despite selling tickets
for next to nothing,
I'm afraid we'll have to close soon.
Yeah. And with all this going on,
he's going on about building
an amusement park!
I don't mean now. Later.
Once the war is over. Think about it.
No more traveling and no more circus.
You and all our friends around the world
together in a real carnival.
[Stella] Stable rides that you don't
have to take down every time.
And then houses, little streets,
like a little town just for us.
Do you have any idea
how much those rides cost?
Everyone can bring theirs. If you don't
have any, you can build them. We'll help.
How will we get everybody here
to get along?
Why is that?
Because we're always competing.
Mors tua, vita mea.
So there would be room for everyone.
Everyone who wants to take root somewhere.
But those who take root
lose a bit of their soul.
You can always keep traveling, then.
You don't have to stay.
What do you think, Mom?
Does it sound crazy?
I mean, it's not completely stupid.
We'd have to take the business side
of things more seriously.
["VCR" by The xx playing]
Are you sure?
You're the one who made me
want to do it again.
And now you want to back out?
Here?
Yes, everyone's out for lunch,
as long as we're quiet.
"Quiet"? Easier said than done.
You're never quiet, my love.
- ["VCR" continues playing]
- You ♪
You still have all the answers ♪
And you ♪
You still have them too ♪
Watch things on VCRs ♪
With me and talk about love ♪
I think we're superstars ♪
You say
You think we are the best thing ♪
But you ♪
[Miranda] And so
your mom got pregnant again.
Would you like a card reading?
Antonio had to leave again with Ettore
to put aside a bit more money.
The traveling show was still better
than staying here doing nothing.
Stella and I did everything we could.
Would you like us
to read your future, ma'am? Please, sit.
But with the war,
it was hard for us just to scrape by.
You can't stay here! Move this stuff away!
[Miranda] The Grottas had
decided to leave as well.
[woman] We're leaving tomorrow.
You don't want to come?
Where can she go in this state?
Well, think about it.
There's room for all of us.
They're coming too.
I didn't even know
they were in Rome. Tina!
Hey! How are you?
I'm fine! Look at that belly! [laughing]
Hi, Celeste!
You've gotten so big!
We came to say hi.
And we really wanted to thank you too.
For what?
Last year in Paris,
someone reported us to the police.
But your husband
tipped us off just in time.
We could have all been deported.
- He didn't tell me about it.
- Because he's a good man.
So where's Salvo?
[somber music playing]
The night we ran away,
the police stopped our caravan
at a checkpoint.
They asked a lot of questions.
Salvo got out to show them our papers,
but he got scared, he reacted
so they shot him.
They just left him
lying there on the ground.
Worse than a dog.
Are you all right?
[Miranda] She seemed to be doing fine.
But then it happened again.
[somber music continues]
[Miranda] Maybe it was because
we didn't have enough to eat.
Or because of all the worrying.
Whatever it was, she miscarried again.
And Stella
lost all her confidence and her strength.
She would lie in bed forever.
Sad. She wouldn't budge.
I tried to keep working
and carried the burden.
Because that's what a mother does.
[Nora] I don't get it.
I remember my mom, she was always
cheerful.
She'd jump out of bed
even when she was sick.
Because she had you.
Back then she didn't.
It was terrible.
Everyone has lots of kids.
[voice breaking] Why can't we?
[Miranda] And the worst thing was that
Antonio had vanished, he stopped writing.
There was war everywhere.
We thought something bad
had happened to him.
But your mother kept on writing him.
Even though the address
was surely wrong by then.
And I kept wondering,
"What is she writing about?"
"There is really nothing to talk about
these days."
Are you out of your fucking mind?
Are you listening?
- Why all those fucking lies?
- Don't yell at me.
- How long has this shit been going on?
- Stop it.
Why didn't you tell him
you lost the child?
Now he thinks you have a daughter.
What is this? You taught her to walk?
She calls you "Mom"? What the fuck?
This child doesn't even exist!
Why don't you mind your own business?
Oh, my God.
Oh, God. My daughter has lost her mind.
That's all we needed.
Mom. Antonio hasn't
written back in more than a year!
He's dead!
You can't just lose hope like that.
At least I can write whatever I want!
But it's just a fantasy.
You even gave this little girl a name.
Why do that? "Nora"?
There's no Nora.
So what?
We live in a world of fantasy these days.
What's left of real life, huh?
You and I eating weeds?
The beautiful children that I don't have,
or Antonio who's dead God knows where?
Real life is hell!
How would you know?
You've been hiding in here for ages!
In the real world, people are fighting
injustice with endless courage!
I read the papers, you know?
And they say that
the whole world is dying!
Just like my two babies!
Both of them!
And there won't be another one.
It's all over.
Let me have my Nora at least.
I don't understand.
It's a good thing you don't, my love.
Those were the darkest times ever.
But where do I come into this whole story?
- What happened?
- I got fed up with all that shit.
And what do you do in dark times?
What does your grandma always tell you?
[both] You turn the light on.
[Miranda] You need
to get your mind off things.
Even you wearing clean clothes
is like a miracle.
Now, let's have a good meal.
- How much is this going to cost us?
- Don't worry about it.
- [man 1] Do you want more bread?
- [man 2] Yes, thank you.
I'm not paying for this slop!
[man] Ma'am, this is all we've got.
You're lucky we're still open.
I've been dreaming about this for months,
but it was nothing like this glop.
Ma'am, Mussolini ate here.
Who cares?
He must be used to eating this slop.
- My daughter and I are not.
- I see. You just don't want to pay.
But it won't work with me, okay?
That's enough,
or he's going to spit in our food.
Well, I hope he does.
Maybe then it'll taste like something.
Don't touch me!
Let go of me!
What an asshole!
Get lost, you tramp!
WINE AND OIL
- Damn fascist bastard!
- [crowd clamoring]
You and your thug friends
What the fuck is going on?
- [man] Move! Let us through!
- [woman] No! No!
[all clamoring]
- [man] We want bread!
- [woman] No!
[clamoring continues]
[bomb exploding]
[crowd screaming and clamoring]
NO JEWS ALLOWED
[dramatic music playing]
- [gun firing]
- [dog barking]
[both coughing]
[gun firing]
[baby crying]
[crying continues]
There's a baby girl in here.
Did they just leave her alone?
[coughing] She's not alone.
I'm sure there's someone there.
Hey. Hi, little one. Hi. Hey.
[baby] Mom
[baby crying]
Wait. Where are you going?
Wait!
Wait. Where are you going? Wait.
[tranquil music playing]
- They locked her in there.
- Now what?
[objects clattering]
Hey. Hi.
Hey, sweetie.
Hi.
Hi.
[tranquil music continues]
I'm not leaving her here.
Let's look for her mom.
She must be around here.
No mother would leave
her daughter like this.
[Miranda] A miracle.
It really was a miracle.
[tranquil music continues]
[gun firing]
- [baby crying]
- [dog barking]
[tranquil music continues]
But if your parents were rich,
what were you doing
in that basement in Garbatella?
ADELE GABRIELLI MISSING
[Miranda] So I told myself,
"Too bad for them!"
[Stella] Do you want it?
[Miranda] "They weren't careful."
[laughing] Eat it slowly.
It's the last one we've got.
[Miranda] And then there was the fact
that you were twins.
Stella couldn't have even one baby,
and that rich lady
could make two at a time.
If we took you to the police,
the reward would have changed our lives.
So?
Any news?
Nothing.
I checked twice.
- We spent five lire for nothing.
- [baby] Dada.
Oh, well.
Let's at least put it to some use.
Where is Grandma going? Call her.
[Miranda] Stella was so happy.
I used to think
she'd never be happy again.
So I thought, "It's magical."
"It's destiny."
It's called "kidnapping."
If anything
someone else had kidnapped you.
That man, the tall one.
He was shady, I'm telling you.
We saved you.
Listen.
Your mother was miserable,
you were miserable.
A second later, you were both smiling.
The way you acted,
you looked like her daughter.
You were so comfortable.
So you never told her who I was?
You're the child
of those who raised you with love.
Listen to your grandma.
Our luck turned that very day.
It was no accident.
Some spirit up there
was lending us a hand.
Then your father wrote.
He was safe in America. Don't you get it?
Yes, but you two
pretended everything was normal.
No one could know.
Not even him.
[Stella] You know you can come
whenever you want.
[Miranda] This is
where I want to die, okay?
[Stella] But I'll be worried
if you're here all alone.
[Miranda] Don't worry.
I can take care of myself.
But you can't come back.
With that birthmark on her back,
we can't take any chances.
What chances? They abandoned her.
What if they change their mind?
You don't know what really happened.
[man] Time to leave!
Even if you miss me
don't come back.
Do it for me, okay?
Bye.
Bye, Grandma.
Bye.
[car driving off]
- [air raid siren blaring]
- [planes roaring]
[bomb exploding]
[bomb exploding in distance]
[Miranda] I was alone.
All alone under the bombs.
THE GABRIELLIS OFFER REWARD
WORTH MILLIONS
And I'll tell you, following their lives
kept me company somehow.
I just wanted to be sure
I hadn't ruined their lives.
But the Gabriellis
they were just fine,
holed up in that villa for the whole war.
They made a fortune.
After a while,
they even had another child.
Giggetto, I think.
SIX MONTHS AGO
THEIR DAUGHTER WAS KIDNAPPED
And you were finally
safe and sound
in America.
[seagulls crying]
It must have been an awful fire, huh?
Such a shame.
Let's go back to Rome.
I'd like Nora to put down some roots.
She seems to be doing just fine here.
There she is.
- [in English] Hey, Mildred!
- Hey! Hi, Antonio!
[upbeat jazz music playing]
[jazz music continues in background]
[Mildred, in English] So it looks like
I'll have to resume my traveling.
[in Italian] What did she say?
She'll have to start traveling again.
Oh.
[in English] So, you have to leave here?
Home?
Of course, there's a fire.
[in Italian] Fire.
[in English] Luna Park is finished.
It's over.
[in Italian] Well, you're
used to being on the road, right?
Uh, she's very famous.
She's a tattoo artist.
[in English] You are a celebrity.
The great Mildred Wallace!
[laughing] Stop!
Thank you.
[in Italian] Antonio, can you ask her if
a little girl like her can get a tattoo?
Ask her if it's dangerous.
She already has a butterfly on her back.
Why not make it more colorful?
[Miranda] Thanks to that tattoo,
your mother decided to come back.
I knew the truth,
so it didn't seem like much to me.
But it worked for years. Until now.
Who came looking for you? Tell me.
No one.
I found your scrapbook.
- I figured it out by myself.
- Yeah, sure.
It's that dandy
who's flirting with you, isn't it?
He's got nothing to do with it.
You were a happy child, weren't you?
["Chasing Cars" cover playing]
You laughed! I saw you!
[both laughing]
No, stop! Please, stop!
Let me catch my breath!
[Nora] Why?
Because Mommy gets really tired lately.
- ["Chasing Cars" cover continues playing]
- We don't need ♪
- [coughing]
- Anything ♪
Or anyone ♪
If I lay here ♪
If I just lay here ♪
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world? ♪
But it was all based on your lies.
If you have to blame someone,
leave your mother out of it.
At one point,
she even regretted what she did.
- [song continues in background]
- [Antonio] Where are you going?
[Stella] I wonder what happened
to her real mother.
She's sitting here next to me.
[Antonio] Got you!
- I'm dying.
- Stop it!
And Nora's still too young.
[voice breaking] Maybe her mother had
a good reason to leave her there alone.
Maybe we should look for her.
She shouldn't grow up without a mother.
What about me?
And Antonio?
You want them to take away
our little girl too?
[voice breaking] Now that you're
I just want to know what really happened.
You'll never know.
Put your mind at peace, honey.
[Antonio] Oh! I got you! I got you!
Why didn't you tell her?
We are your family.
What about the Gabriellis?
[laughs dryly] The Gabriellis
I met them, you know?
After the war, I was helping the Grottas.
They were back with their circus.
And one day,
it turned out that Mr. Gabrielli
wanted something delivered to his house.
So I offered to go.
I was curious.
Guess what he wanted from the circus.
[Tullio] Are you from the circus?
- Yes, sir.
- Oh, good! Good!
Here we are. Finally. Is it in there?
- With all due respect
- Yes?
What do you need a Bengal tiger for?
It's a present for my son.
It's his birthday.
He'll love it. A nice tiger cub.
But it's not a toy, you know?
It's a carnivorous animal that will
see your son as a tasty, tender mouthful.
Don't worry about that. We'll train it.
We also have a huge garden here.
It'll feel at home.
Do you have any idea what a cub
will become in a couple of months?
- It'll become a tiger.
- Exactly, a tiger.
Don't ask too many questions.
Just do as I say.
- Get it out.
- Keep calm. Calm down. Be quiet.
- Keep calm.
- Be careful, huh?
Of course. Be careful. Stand still.
- I have to stand still?
- Of course.
- Is it calm?
- [chuckles] Well, we can't know.
- Stay still.
- Is it sleeping?
No. [calling tiger]
- Has it already eaten?
- Of course.
Buddy.
Come here, buddy. Come.
- [Tullio] There it is.
- Be careful.
[Tullio] Yes.
- Here you go.
- [cat meowing]
- But that's a cat.
- Of course it's a cat.
Don't worry, though. He's all cleaned up.
No, wait. I don't get it.
Where is the tiger I paid for?
The Grottas will give you your money back.
Maybe.
But this is the fiercest beast
you can keep.
Easy, though, huh?
Remember to treat it well.
Goodbye.
[Miranda] A moron.
That guy's such a moron.
As of that moment,
I stopped having regrets, my love.
Those people didn't deserve you.
Unlike them,
we earned everything we've got.
[knock on door]
[door opening]
[Antonio] Hey.
- What are you two doing up at dawn?
- Just chatting.
Did you hear the wind last night?
Ettore's canopy flew off.
Will you give us a hand?
["Like Real People Do" by Hozier playing]
What's going on?
Nothing. It's just the wind.
[song continues playing]
I knew that look, dear ♪
Eyes always seeking ♪
TO ROSSANA CASTAGNOLI AND THE CARNIES
WHO WROTE THE HISTORY OF ROME'S LUNA PARK
So I will not ask you ♪
Why you were creeping ♪
In some sad way, I already know ♪
So I will not ask you
Where you came from ♪
I will not ask you
And neither would you ♪
Honey, just put your
Sweet lips on my lips ♪
We should just kiss
Like real people do ♪
[song continues playing]
I could not ask you
Where you came from ♪
I could not ask you, neither could you ♪
Honey, just put your
Sweet lips on my lips ♪
We could just kiss like real people do ♪
[song continues playing]
[song fading]
[intriguing music playing]
Subtitle translation by: Andrea Coppola