"THE SECRET AGENT" (2025)

TITLE CARD: "Pernambuco, 1977"

A random stretch of a secondary road. A light yellow 1972 VW Beetle.

The driver is MARCELO, bearded, driving his car alone with boxes, bags, and luggage. The Beetle pulls up to a random gas station, almost hidden. The windshield has the remains of bugs crushed by the speeding vehicle.

Before the car pulls up to a rusty gas pump, something catches Marcelo's eye. 10 meters away, outstretched in the sun, a man's body, covered by cardboard. Pieces of stone keep the wind from blowing this protection away. A large dark blood stain suggests a hole blow in the head. Two burnt-out candles, one at his feet, the other at his head.

The ATTENDANT, shirtless, wearing glasses and leather sandals, APPEARS behind a door, suddenly...

Marcelo looks at the attendant, looks to the cadaver meters ahead, then to the Beetle's gas indicator. The Beetle's motor is still running:

INDICATOR DETAIL: points to "V" (for Vazio, "empty" in Portuguese).

Marcelo turns off the motor and unlocks the hood, which the attendant opens.

He starts pumping gas.

Marcelo tries to figure how this story fits into what he sees...

The attendant pours water on the Beetle's windshield.

Marcelo finally reacts to the smell...

SHOT FROM A DISTANCE: a pack of five dogs walk along the shoulder at the side of the road.

They take an interest in the corpse due to the stench. The attendant stops pumping and tries to scare off the dogs, throwing pebbles.

Something catches the attention of both Marcelo and the attendant; they turn their ====>>> heads...

Marcelo watches the car's arrival and walks back towards his Beetle. The attendant finishes pumping his gas, puts the hose pack on the pump.

The police car slows down, like a plane taxiing in the gas station area. It drives around, very close to the dead man. They come towards the gas pumps.

Marcelo gets in his car and starts the engine, but the police siren whoops briefly. The policeman in the passenger seat signals Marcelo to turn off the engine.

One of the officers gets out of the car and walks with tired authority towards Marcelo's Beetle. His uniform has a small but unmistakable bloodstain on the right side of his chest. There's also a belt, a .38 revolver, a cap, and sunglasses.

Marcelo looks surprised, but calm. He turns off the motor.

DETAIL OF A RUSTY SIGN: "NO SMOKING – A SKULL and the word FLAMMABLE" ===> PAN ==> Officer 2 gets out of the car, lighting a cigarette with a match from a matchbox.

The attendant scratches his head and turns, looking at Marcelo's Beetle.

He gives Marcelo's documents back. Marcelo plays along. He tries to release the fire extinguisher from between his legs when he is interrupted by the policeman.

From the driver's seat, Marcelo looks the policeman in the face.

Marcelo gets out of the Beetle. The policeman kneels inside the car, examining it internally. He pulls out the fire extinguisher.

SPLIT DIOPTER: In the same shot, the policeman inside the car/Marcelo outside the car, further back.

DETAIL: A paper with inspection date and best by date:

"27/11/1976 - 27/11/1978"

Now sitting in the driver's seat, like he's the car's new owner, the policeman asks:

The policeman opens the glove compartment...

Marcelo answers attentively:

The policeman runs his hand under the seat. HE FINDS NOTHING.

We see the color photo with white paper frame around it--a 30-something woman--taped to the Beetle's dashboard.

Right then, Marcelo looks away: a compact car drives up to the gas station, packed with a family and kids, almost all of them wearing either MASKS or no shirt. Maybe they're coming from the beach, maybe from a Carnaval celebration.

The woman in the passenger seat is wearing a colorful "Indian headdress," bought at a supermarket. She takes one look at the dead body lying outside the gas station, and the police car. She gesticulates wildly to her partner at the wheel and says loudly:

The SIX children in the back seat, some of them masked, look curiously, trying to figure out what's going on as the car speeds up to get back on the road. We ZOOM in.

The policemen looks up and sees the car driving away in a cloud of dust.

The police officer, now sweaty, gets out of Marcelo's Beetle, straightening his pants. He gives the keys back to Marcelo, leans down and opens the front trunk.

A whilrwind blows up a cloud of dust.

SHOT FROM A DISTANCE: The wind reaches the corpse and creepily raises the cardboard. (The stone is pushed away by the force of the blowing cardboard.) For the first time, we see the blown away face of the dead man.

The wind dies down and the cardboard comes back down, once again covering the dead head.

The attendant, the smoking policeman, and Marcelo all witness this moment.

The attendant, holding his nose, walks backwards towards the corpse, not wanting to face the rotting body. He rearranges the cardboard and the stone, covering the cadaver's torso and disfigured head, averting his gaze.

The policeman opens the front trunk of the VW, full of personal belongings. He goes straight for the spare tire.

With the airs of one giving up on a mission, the policeman cleans his hands and closes–with some resignation–the Beetle's trunk. BANG.

He settles his cap on his sweaty brow.

Marcelo looks at the policeman.

The policeman looks at Marcelo.

Marcelo, once again seated in his Beetle, slams the door. The attendant approaches. Marcelo acknowledges him, saying:

...and tears off in his yellow Beetle ===> a PAN shows us Officer 1 arriving at the police car, Officer 2 behind the wheel and ==> we see the dead man covered by pieces of cardboard.

SOUNDTRACK: 🎼 "HARPA DOS ARES" ("Harp of the Airs")🎼 , by Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho

LOW ANGLE: With the covered dead man in the foreground, the wind once again threatens to lift the cardboard. The dogs approach slowly, starving, snarling... In contrast to the piece of music...

🎼 "HARPA DOS ARES"🎼 continues playing...

The BEETLE on the road. Sugarcane fields, trucks full of cut sugarcane, dry leaves flying off towards the windshield and the camera.

A bumper sticker on another truck reads, "IF THE WORLD WAS ANY GOOD, THE MAKER WOULD LIVE HERE."

A sign on the side of the road: "RECIFE - 106 km".

As he drives, Marcelo thinks about the incident at the gas station. He remembers the dead man and imagines something that never happened...

INSERT/GAS STATION/FLASHBACK==> VISION:

THE SOUND FROM THE CAR REMAINS: The dead man gets up slowly, the cardboard falls off to the sides, a quick INSERT. A zombie...

He only takes his eyes off the road to glance at the photograph of the woman on the dashboard. A memory of a not- so-distant past...

The wind blows the paper next to the photograph, revealing there's a child with the woman, a boy...

🎼 "HARPA DOS ARES"...🎼

BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, an adult dressed as La Ursa (a bear- like mythical creature from Brazilian folklore) and a small band (triangle, bass drum, and two different tambourines) ask for money, a familiar mixture of joviality and threat...

🎼 "HARPA DOS ARES"🎼 continues

...The La Ursa comes TOO CLOSE to the Beetle's open window...

ROAD: A billboard for the company ITAPERMIM – A bus and the phrase "1st Class Motel."

SUPERIMPOSED CREDITS cont...

🎼 "HARPA DOS ARES"🎼 ...

A quick shot of Marcelos' Beetle, dirty from the road, drives down the road by Boa Viagem beach in 1977.

DAY

A WIDE SHOT of the Beetle on Pina Bridge. Cars and buses seen in the distance, the blue ocean on the horizon, the city to the left...

🎼 "HARPA DOS ARES"🎼 ENDS

Concrete sign: "UFPE DEPARTMENT OF OCEANOGRAPHY"

We pull back from the sign to show ARLINDO, age 25-35, waiting on the sidewalk at the deserted campus of the Federal University of Pernambuco on this Carnaval Tuesday. Arlindo thinks he's a police officer, but he's actually a police officer's assistant, handyman.

A grey police SUV, modeled after the Chevrolet Suburban, arrives. Other police await next to two police vans, one from the coroner's office.

...

From the back door of the SUV comes MIGUEL, age 25-35.

From the passenger front seat exits EUCLIDES, a SHERRIF of sorts, age 65-75, upset that he had to leave his Carnaval celebration over an incident.

Euclides is wearing sunglasses and his face is still somewhat painted "Indian-style", his T-shirt is wet with sweat and beer, confetti and sequins stuck to his skin. His face is serious in contrast to the festiveness stamped on his body.

Arlindo immediately asks for Euclides's blessing, offering him his hand.

The three are father and sons. Miguel is the biological son, Arlindo the "son by upbringing."

Euclides climbs onto the grass and calls his sons over for a quick conference, away from the other police officers. (Euclides waves quickly.) He whispers:

Euclides can barely form a coherent thought.

(Pause...)

TRACKING SHOT: Euclides and his sons seem perturbed by what we're about to find out. They walk in silence. Suddenly:

Euclides, in his Carnaval get-up, accompanied by his two sons, walks into the research lab of the Oceanography Dept. at UFPE (Federal University of Pernambuco), a room with large windows. All three react to the smell of the place, an unbearable stench... Euclides pulls out a handkerchief, Miguel waves his hand near his nose, Arlindo holds his nose.

There's a professor/researcher, INÊS. Her students (a young man and a young woman) keep away from the scene. They seem accustomed to the smell of the place.

ARISTEU, an investigator in his early 30s from a different police precinct, is taking notes, holding a handkerchief to his nose. He does not seem to want to acknowledge the veteran officer Euclides and his sons.

DR. INÊS Good afternoon.

Aristeu's greeting comes late...

On the dissection table is a tiger shark, about 10 feet long, on its back, its belly cut open. A human leg in terrible state has been partially removed, foot and shin out. It seems cut off above the knee. Wet, full of pus, but in one piece.

EUCLIDES SHAKEN. The students nearby watch.

Euclides looks at Aristeu, knocks twice on the table, and suggests with his eyes that he be introduced to the professor in charge. Hierarchy.

DR. INÊS How d'you do?

DR. INÊS I am the chief researcher, yes.

Dr. Inês looks at Officer Euclides's outfit.

DR. INÊS This specimen was caught on Sunday. We couldn't waste any time.

DR. INÊS It's broken. I had to buy blocks of ice with my own money. With the students' help... and it wasn't easy finding a block of ice during Carnaval. On performing the procedure today, we found... (looks at the students) the part... the leg... I started to remove it, but eventually figured I better not. Then we called the police.

Euclides tries hard not to look like the busybody he is being and cranes his neck to read Aristeu's notes...

Two men in blue uniforms from the Coroner's Office walk in carrying a filthy metal stretcher to transport the leg.

DR. INÊS About 200 yards from the beach, in Candeias.

DR. INÊS Oh they do...

Euclides looks at his son Miguel, who is watching, in silence, with Arlindo.

Inês looks at ARISTEU who is still busily taking notes.

Euclides looks at Inês.

DR. INÊS I prefer not to say. Better let the coroner examine it.

Euclides has had it with Aristeu's cold shoulder and approaches the detective:

Aristeu looks surprised. He interrupts his work and stands up.

The men from the Coroner's office take a look at the situation of the leg in the shark's stomach. Dr. Inês approaches her students:

DR. INÊS You two wanna leave?

They both mumble "NO," quickly and firmly. This incident must be the most exciting thing that's happened to them while they've been at university.

Euclides walks out of the lab, followed by the calm agent. They stop in the hallway and Euclides leans it:

The men from the Coronoer's Office are closer to janitors than technicians. The leg needs to be removed carefully from the shark.

DR. INÊS I can see it's better if I remove the part, to not damage the sample... (to the students) Fabio, Andrea, gimme a hand?

Euclides walks into the lab. He speaks to Dr. Inês.

The students look away.

DR. INÊS (lying well) No, no photograph.

Aristeu watches this answer and picks up his clipboard and pen, speaks to Dr. Inês:

DR. INÊS Yes...

A pan shows us, one last time, the shark, belly up, with the leg sticking out--like an interrupted C-section...

DR. INÊS (V.O.) Male.

The gate to a small building is opened by CLOVIS, 15, wearing shorts and a jersey from the local soccer team Náutico. Out walks SEBASTIANA, a little old lady wearing glasses, keys in one hand, carrying an envelope, smoking a cigarette. A theatrical entrance with a ZOOM on an important character.

Preparations for Marcelo's arrival.

Close by, 4 white plastic pipes (they remind us of rifles) suck water from a bucket. A water hose is on. Children are preparing an ambush using water guns made from broomsticks and round pieces cut from rubber sandals (for suction).

Their victim is Marcelo, who is arriving in his yellow Beetle, looking for the address on a tranquil Recife street.

Marcelo drives distractedly, looking at a paper in his hand. He suddenly gets sprayed with water in the face through the Beetle's open window. The water hits the photograph on the dashboard. The children run...

Sebastiana gestures for Marcelo to drive his Beetle into the gate.

Through the passenger window, Marcelo says:

The Beetle drives into the building's shady courtyard, a place that seems to have been kept hidden from the city... There's a small but rowdy Carnaval party in the back, in the pool area, with a small but energetic frevo band...

Sebastiana walks over with Clóvis, who works at the building.

Marcelo parks, turns off the engine and takes the photograph of the woman from the dashboard, puts it in his back pocket. He gets out of the Beetle. Sebastiana approaches.

Marcelo stares, trying to assimilate Sebastiana's stated age.

Marcelo makes a funny face, and a "Damn..." spins around his head... Sebastiana does NOT fit in what would normally be the "in her 90s" age group. But maybe.

CLÓVIS (shy, cool) Hey man, fine, thanks.

Wearing speedos, no shirt, no shoes, and a straw hat, a young man named HAROLDO (age 25-30) arrives, carrying two cups of beer, surrounded by the frevo band paid to play there.

Marcelo takes the beer.

The band surrounds Marcelo. The 5 members (various wind instruments and one drum) move around energetically, frantically. Marcelo, who has just teleported from another dimension, looks at the people at the pool in their bathing suits and bikinis. He waves. Some of them give him the thumbs up.

Three cats and two caramel stray dogs seem bamboozled by the movement, the noise, and the food.

Clóvis in the car, Sebastiana and Marcelo walk towards the building named OFIR. She sees a neighbor:

TERESA VITÓRIA (in her 40s) waves from the ground level porch. Her S.O. arrives from the living room.

Before entering the building, Sebastiana points:

Something else catches Sebastiana's attention:

A delicate Zoom on the building's façade.

Sebastiana's POV:

Sebastiana and Marcelo approach the open door to Apartment 02 when the door closes and is locked from inside. The music is loud... Sebastiana knocks on the door:

They walk up the stairs with boxes and luggage. Someone lowers the volume of the music that echoed down the stairs.

She opens the door to the apartment. Marcelo walks in. A furnished apartment: a sofa, a TV set, a bookshelf with books. It's like the residents just popped out and will be right back... There's not so much noise...

Clóvis arrives with more bags.

CLÓVIS No I ain't...

Sebastiana looks at the NATIONAL brand tape & record player + radio in the living room. Something catches her eye:

DETAI ==> SOUND SYSTEM

The turntable platter is spinning, as if someone had left it on...

DETAIL. RECORD PLATTER TURNING. RECORD

She turns it off. CLICK. She lays her hand on the system to see if it's warm.

SUPER-DETAIL OF THE LABEL:

"Benito de Paula" Stereo - 1971

From the hallways, out of the kitchen, comes "LIZA AND ELIS," the houses' skinny cats. They're not common cats-- as they're two in ONE. They were born with two noses, two mouths, and three eyes. They come to the living room, attracted by the noise. They are one.

Sebastiana suddenly looks worried, her facial expression changing:

Marcelo notices the cat with two faces.

Marcelo crouches. "Liza and Elis" approach, getting to know their new caretaker.

Marcelo looks like he's still recovering...

Sebastiana leaves the living room and goes to the kitchen as she speaks. Marcelo follows. "Liza and Elis" come along, tail high in the air.

Clóvis is left alone in the living room.

In the simple kitchen, with a stove, fridge, sink, clay water filter, and a table, Sebastiana points to the back door, which has a small flap for the cat to go through. It was poorly made and left a crack in the wood. Sebastiana opens to the back door.

Clóvis arrives in the kitchen from the living room.

CLÓVIS I told you it'd be ugly...

We hear someone calling from outside. Into the open back door comes CLAUDIA, in her 30s, in a bikini, a pack of Minister cigarettes between her breasts, held in place by the biking string. She's holding a 2-year-old girl, DEBORA, in a swimsuit and a scarf on her head.

Marcelo and Sebastiana exchange glances...

They shake hands.

Marcelo finds all this funny.

NOTE: The comment about the "open door" is said by Claudia with no obvious second intentions. She nails it.

Claudia smiles and disappears up the stairs with her daughter in her arms. Clóvis follows her.

Sebastiana looks at the envelope in her hand, and the ATMOSPHERE CHANGES. She closes the apartment back door:

She hands him an envelope, the word MARCELO handwritten on it. He opens it. Inside, a wad of cash.

NOTE: she keeps her voice low...

Marcelo tries to deal with all this information after 12 hours on the road.

Sebastiana leaves through the front door, saying no more, in contrast to everything we just witnessed. She looks at Marcelo and carefully closes the door...

OUTSIDE THE APARTMENT, looking into the living room, Marcelo arrives from the kitchen. Sounds of the neighborhood.

He opens the small suitcase, packed full of documents, framed photographs, and a yellow KODAK box with photographs. Everything seems to have been tossed together at the beginning of the trip. There are old photos and recent ones of the woman and boy we saw in the car. He puts two of the frames in the middle of the room, of the woman and the boy.

Marcelo looks at the record on the turntable, turns it on and adjusts the volume, and readies the needle.

"A TONGA DA MIRONGA DO KABUELETÊ", from Benito de Paula 1971, starts to play. Marcelo chuckles, looks at the picture of Gisele on the stand (with two friends, at a party, smiling). It's her record.

He seems turns it up, starts taking his clothes off to go shower.

🎼 A Tonga da Mironga do Kabuletê🎼 ...

(The music continues...)

STALL/shower.

MIRROR/Marcelo shaves. Clean-shaven, A TRANSFORMATION.

🎼(music)🎼

He leaves the apartment, closing the door.

🎼 A Tonga da Mironga do Kabuletê🎼 (CONT)

Marcelo drives away quickly in his Beetle.

Clóvis opens the gate, the car leaves.

WE ZOOM IN on Clóvis's face as he closes the gate, an almost adult with some childlike features...

DETAIL = DRAWING = CHILD'S HAND

FERNANDO, age 9, is drawing what appears to be his own take on the original artwork for Steven Spielberg's film JAWS.

ALEXANDRE, a man in his 60s, still wearing his work uniform, walks in to check on his grandson, sees the drawing:

Alexandre picks up the drawing, taking a look.

WE HEAR clapping outside the house...

LENIRA, in her 60s, Alexandre's wife, Fernando's grandmother, Marcelo's mother-in-law.

A large CLOSE UP follows her as walks, curious to find out who's outside. Her expression changes when she sees, at the gate of the simple house in the Salesmen Neighborhood in Casa Amarela, MARCELO, her son-in-law.

Marcelo opens the gate and comes in.

Alexandre walks down the hallway in his house and sees Lenira hugging Marcelo on the front porch.

Lenira takes Marcelo's face in her hands.

Alexandre gives Marcelo a bear hug. Marcelo is visibly moved.

Lenira turns away and walks towards the kitchen, talking to herself...

Marcelo walks slowly towards his son's bedroom.

Fernando looks and see his father in the doorway. He jumps up, runs to hug him, hitting his head on Marcelo's belly, as if his father had come back from the dead...

Fernando asks to turn the ignition. The modest hum of the Beetle's motor--VVVRRRROOOmmmm...

Fernando moves to the back seat, leaning in between the two front chairs, next to his father. (OBS: There is no concern over seatbelts.)

ATTENTION: A sequence of night shots of streets, and internal shots of the 1972 Beetle. Marcelo and Fernando talk:

Fernando looks at the streets, lost in thought.

Fernando takes Marcelo's right hand.

Marcelo drives, eyes on the road.

Fernando listens attentively.

Pause

The streets at night, parked cars...

Pause...

Fernando ponders.

Music will tie the end of this part and the beginning of the next...

FADE OUT ==>

A green Chevrolet Opala leaves a secondary road and takes a dirt road, filmed from behind. It drives into a sugarcane field.

PRINT IN THE CORNER OF THE SCREEN:

"TEODORO SAMPAIO, SÃO PAULO"

In a remote area hidden by the sugarcane, the Opala stops next to a dam. The driver turns off the headlights. Two men, AUGUSTO (older) and BOBBI (younger) get out. Augusto has a pistol with a silencer; Bobbi has a flashlight. They open the trunk when we hear the voice of a man coming from inside...

August shoots twice, the gunfire flash illuminating the trunk. The sound of the shots is muffled by the silencer.

A tarpaulin covers the inside of the car's trunk. They take the man's body, dressed and bloody, by carrying the tarpaulin. Bobbi quickly ties a rope around the dead man, and the other end on an iron weight with a hoop. They push the body with their feet, where it drops 4 yards into the water, with the weight quickly pulling the body to the bottom of the dark dam.

They get into the Opala and leave, headlights on.

BUMPER/LOW ANGLE: The car in reverse drives away under the car's headlights... The tires peel off, throwing up mud behind...

Water from a hose washes off the thick mud from the Opala's tires. Bobbi (from the previous scene in the sugarcane field), wearing shorts and no shirt, washes the Opala's trunk out under the early morning sun.

Two German Shepherds at the house bark. Further ahead, there's a BW Brasília, a motorcycle, and a blue VW Passat parked inside, too many cars for a small urban house like this one.

Bobbi looks at his watch, then looks at the house:

Augusto showers.

In a parking lot, we follow the blue Passat - previously seen at the house - slowing down, the camera lowers, waiting for the license plate which stops just inches from the lens, showing where we are:

Augusto and Bobbi get out of the car and a PAN ==> reveals with a zoom upwards the business building from the 1940s where we're headed.

FUSION

A framed photograph on the wall of the excavation of the São Paulo subway.

A colored poster of Genoa, Italy.

A photograph of a factory.

Sitting at her desk, BÁRBARA, a middle-aged secretary, interrupts her typing and checks her watch, cigarette in hand. Behind her, in metal: "GHIROTTI PARTS BRAZIL".

She gets up and walks to the door that separates her office from the larger room with employees at desks, typewriters, metal file cabinets, and ringing telephones. Everyone is hard at work and don't notice when she closes and locks the door, isolating inside.

"Everyone"... EXCEPT FOR one female employee who looks up when the door is closed...

The doors to a packed elevator in the business building opens. Augusto and Bobbi get out and walk down the hallway, with its mix of styles from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Both men stand out, as we take a better look at them now:

Augusto is around 60, military haircut, civilian clothes, in good physical shape. Bobbi is in his late 20s, muscular. They could be father and son. Light colored eyes.

The two walk into Bárbara's office. Her cigarette is almost gone.

BÁRBARA (getting up) Good morning. He's expecting you.

She directs them to the boss's door with the sign "HENRIQUE GHIROTTI Director". She knocks on the door and opens it, walks 3 feet inside and holds the door open for the visitors.

ATTENTION: THIS IS SHOT FROM BÁRBARA'S OFFICE, LOOKING INSIDE HER BOSS'S OFFICE.

Inside, Ghirotti is waiting. He's around 60, well-dressed. The men walk in.

Ghirotti gives Bárbara a look that tells her what to do. She closes the door.

Still in Bárbara's front office, she puts out her cigarette, takes her purse and leaves the office, closing the outer door. Lunch time started early for Bárbara today.

INSIDE GHIROTTI'S OFFICE: He fixes himself a drink.

They take a seat. We PAN to show someone coming out of the bathroom as we hear flushing. This is SALVATORE, Henrique's son, also young, a strong, unremarkable type.

The two men greet Salvatore, who picks up his glass of Scotch, sitting on a table.

Henrique sits behind his desk - Scotch in hand - and starts to speak, choosing his words carefully as he hands over an envelope.

We suspect Henrique can't even say the name of the person in question. Augusto opens the envelope.

Henrique hands them a sheet of paper with some lines typed on it, seen from a distance. He pulls it out of the typewriter.

Augusto scans the page.

Henrique uses a handkerchief to methodically clean a shiny paper photograph on his desk and hands it to Augusto. We don't see the photograph, which is just between them...

Augusto looks at the photograph.

He looks at the sheet of paper.

Henrique just listens.

Augusto hands the photograph to Bobbi. Henrique takes another sip of Scotch.

Salvatore listens in silence.

Augusto takes the photograph from Bobbi's hands and looks closely once more.

THE PHOTOGRAPH IN DETAIL:

ZOOM ==> the photograph: a work environment, a group photo. NOW we see the bearded man in detail: it's Marcelo.

Marcelo's teeth being examined by a dentist's mirror and spatula.

Wearing glasses, Claudia gives him a check up. She's sitting on his lap. He's seated on the bed leaning on the wall, like a guinea pig or a patient. They're both naked from the waist down. He has his hand on her back. They seem to get along well.

Claudia presses one particular spot more forcefully. Marcelo reacts, grabbing her arm.

A hoarse female voice comes through the window:

He escapes the checkup, freeing his mouth.

He lowers the strap on her blouse and kisses her right breast.

Marcelo puts on his shorts and goes to the window. Sebastiana is downstairs. Claudia watches.

He looks at the courtyard.

POV FROM WINDOW/MARCELO. COURTYARD. DAY

Marcelo sees that Clóvis has just opened the gate for a VW Type 2 driven by Valdemar, in his 50s, approaching the building's courtyard. Clóvis begins closing the gates. Cats look on.

IN THE BEDROOM:

She puts her bra on under her blouse.

Claudia has Marcelo's full attention when she mentions Sebastiana.

Marcelo has an idea of what he's about to hear.

Marcelo seems shaken by what he's just heard.

Marcelo seems disturbed by this information.

Claudia comes over to hug and kiss him.

He leaves the room...

Marcelo walks through the living room and naturally looks at the pictures of Geisa on the bookshelf... He leaves the apartment barefoot.

Claudia, lost in thought, gets dressed quickly. From the bedroom, she arrives in Marcelo's living room and leaves discreetly for the stairs, closing the door behind her.

Marcelo gets to the ground floor and looks at Sebastiana, who is showing Valdemar where to park the Type 2. He gets out of the vehicle, shorts and a wrinkled dress shirt, moccasins on his feet.

Claudia has just come up the stairs and entered her (underfurnished and impersonal) apartment. EDMILSA, Claudia's nanny/maid, walks out with Debora.

Edmilsa hands Debora over and gives her boss a sneaky, "I know where YOU been" look. Claudia ignores her.

Clicking her dentures with her tongue, Edmilsa puts on her sandals and leaves the apartment.

Valdemar opens both the Type 2's doors. A colorful selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, in four baskets and three bags.

Edmilsa arrives silently in the courtyard. Marcelo looks at the fruit and vegetables.

Haroldo approaches, bleary-eyed, with his carioca accent.

Valdemar looks at Marcelo and shows him his wristwatch:

Marcelo confirms.

Teresa Vitória arrives, carrying a bag.

Haroldo approaches Marcelo, pulls his arm and whispers:

Marcelo understands Haroldo is referring to Claudia.

Marcelo looks at Haroldo. He looks up and sees Claudia in the window, Debora in her arms, watching them.

A pack of stray dogs, tongues out, seen through the gate.

Dawn is breaking in the parking lot. A police car and two Type 2 buses covered with dew. Marcelo holds a brown paper bag filled with documents. He locks the Beetle and walks towards a newspaper boy with an oversized blue smock.

The boy has just sold a newspaper to two men (seen from behind), who walk away, opening the paper...

TRACKING SHOT HANDS/NEWSPAPER: The men walk away, scanning the news.

They are Euclides and his son Miguel, who shuffle through until they find a photograph published on page B7--the crime section: THE HUMAN LEG next to the shark in the university lab. They exchange a mute glance...

"HUMAN LEG FOUND IN SHARK'S BELLY"

Euclides reads, Miguel gets another section of the paper. They shuffle through, looking for something. Miguel opens on page B10, where the photograph of the family of a young man, well-dressed and smiling, at a party, illustrates the story STUDENT STILL MISSING.

With the blue sky in the background, we FOLLOW Euclide's pointer finger. SAYING NOTHING, it slides down the newspaper page:

A white Type 2 drives into the parking lot, headlights still on. The sound of the radio, turned on loud, arrives with the van, windows open--the first news of the day. SOUND of the radio SHUTS OFF with the motor, doors open.

Marcelo closes the paper and out come his future workmates. They walk towards the still-closed building.

MARIANO, 50, with a mustache and dress shirt, approaches:

Marcelo looks at his wristwatch.

Marcelo looks at the other people.

ELISANGELA, another workmate, adds, without explanation, looking at Marcelo:

Marcelos seems to have no idea what they're talking about.

DESIDÉRIO, the night security in his 50s, mustache, wearing his uniform and gun, shirt tucked in poorly, turns on the lights in an office with desks and chairs, metal and wood file cabinets. A ritual.

The employees occupy the space, coming in the side door. They open windows, turn on fans, take covers off the five or six typewriters on the desks.

Phones left off the hook overnight are returned to their proper places. We're in a Brazilian government building, the official photograph of the President of the Republic on the wall: General Ernesto Geisel.

Marcelo watches all this inside the building, but movement in the courtyard outside catches his eye:

*ALWAYS FROM MARCELO'S POV*, Euclides' sons, Miguel and Arlindo, intimidate a news photographer (Nikon camera around his neck, Yashica flash), press credentials.

The photographer is led towards the street. There's an older journalist with the photographer, trying to make a point.

Carmen approaches and points at the scene:

Elisângela arrives.

Carmen points at Das Dores.

Das Dores looks embarrassed

Das Dores, who wears a kerchief on her head, is missing three of her front teeth--two from the top and one from the bottom.

Carmen has a white bag closed with a brooch under her arms. The bag holds a large pan. These are snacks she brings to sell at work--coxinhas, typical Brazilian finger food made with chicken.

Carmen, Elisângela, and Das Dores are all in their 30s or early 40s. Everyone's still drowsy, low energy, but Marcelo's arrival is something new.

Das Dores whispers to Elisângela, covering her mouth.

Elisângela laughs. Marcelo knows they're talking about him.

Right then, ANISIO arrives, in his 50s, suit jacket unbutton, dark glasses, looks like he's in charge...

Elisângela looks at Marcelo.

Marcelo watches Elisângela walking towards the table Anisio pointed out. Anisio looks at Marcelo and says:

Anisio looks around, finishes his confusing remarks and leaves ====>> .

Das Dores in the small kitchen lights the stove to make coffee when something catches her eye through the open door.

She sees the colleagues moving towards the window <====.

Marcelo also notices the employees herding towards the windows ====>. He goes with the flow, to where Carmen, Elisângela, Mariano, and Ronaldo are.

MARCELO'S POV: Outside, in the parking lot, three cars are driving up: a brown four-door Chevrolet Opala, a brand new orange VW Passat with three people inside, and a Ford Corcel carrying four. A convoy.

A woman in her early 30s, well-dressed, gets out of the brown Opala with a man in a suit. She is clearly the protagonist of what's happening...

There's another woman, maybe her sister, or her lawyer, or her sister-in-law. All of them are annoyed.

Euclides is wearing a tie, waiting for the woman at the entrance. A charming host.

Das Dores joins the group at the window.

Marcelo sees what's going on.

We watch the group at the entrance of the building discussing something (INAUDIBLE). The woman in dark glasses is livid.

Euclides gives a signal to bring the journalists - a PAN <===== to the pair of journalists who had been previously expelled. Outside the building, on the sidewalk, Arlindo approaches them.

In the street, A VW Beetle taxi cab lets out two women near the expelled photographer. More people are arriving.

Das Dores leaves and goes back to the kitchen.

The group of the woman there to depose prepares to enter. Anisio calls everyone to begin work. He seems to direct the scene at the office like a theater director. Or a film director.

Elisângela goes to her desk, Ronaldo to his table.

AT A DISTANCE/THROUGH THE WINDOW: Marcelo sees Miguel gesticulating for the photographer to come. He does, preparing his camera. The other journalist is kept at a distance, on the sidewalk, by Arlindo, like some nightclub bouncer.

NOTE: All this action is seen from Marcelo's POINT OF VIEW

A ZOOM shows us Elisângela is typing NOTHING, no paper, making a sneaky TAK-TAK-TAK, the metal keys randomly hitting the typewriter's black roller. She turns and looks at Marcelo (her hands keep "typing"). Its the best acting Elisângela is capable of at this time.

Marcelo looks at Elisângela. He turns away and sees at the other door the woman there to depose, her lawyer, family members and friends coming towards the designated table, with a scribe, a typewriter, and another officer.

Das Dores walks towards the deposition table with a tray, water and fresh coffee.

Much like extras, the office workers pretend to be there. The sound of the scribe's typewriter starts to echo off the building's wooden floors. The statement has begun.

Marcelo - leaning on a desk - does not have the body language that says he's in on the act. He looks at the SEIKO clock on the office wall: 5:25 a.m.

From Marcelo's point of view, we see Euclides as he turns his face and looks at us (to MARCELO'S POINT OF VIEW). Euclides looks Marcelo in the eyes, who naturally takes the paper from under his arm and puts it on the table, reading:

HEADLINE: "Carnaval Round-Up: 91 dead - Traffic accidents, robberies, drownings and fights rise in number again." Marcelo's eyes slide down to the smaller headline "HUMAN LEG FOUND IN SHARK'S STOMACH."

Nearby, Carmen stretches her arm to hand her own paper to Elisângela:

Euclides walks over, stopping on the way to get water from the large water bottles.

Euclides's energy suggests he has taken an immediate liking to Marcelo, something masculine and paternal. Marcelo does, in fact, have a certain charisma.

With Euclides there, Elisângela now feeds paper into the typewriter...

Right then, in the distance, the women giving her statement begins to cry. Euclides turns. The woman with her gesticulates towards the outside. The signal is passed on to Arlindo, who signals Miguel. Euclides directs all this with signals of his own, mostly discreet...

Marcelo - through the window - sees Miguel outside now allowing the photographer and journalist into the building. Arlindo helps. Marcelo returns to look at the deposition.

The reporters walk in in sync with the woman's sobs, which increase and become screams of desperation.

Marcelo looks at Euclides, who is holding a plastic cup.

With the photographer and reporter now at the deposition, the lady hits the table with her arm, throwing her head back. Friends and family try to succor here. One suspects the woman may be exaggerating.

The photographer arrives to register everything - CLICK CLICK FLASH FLASH. The woman gives a statement about the tragedy that happened at her house.

Anisio arrives to mediate.

Euclides looks at Marcelo with unexpected admiration.

Anisio picks up Marcelo's newspaper from the table.

TRACKING SHOT ===> HALLWAY. DAY

Euclides nods goodbye, stays behind, looking steadily at Marcelo, who follows Anisio towards a dark hallway.

Anisio turns the lights on, revealing the hallway. The woman's sobs and the typewriters' TAK TAKs are left behind...

The building of the "Institute of Identification of the Public Security Secretariat" seems to have been projected for bureaucracy.

Anisio opens the large room and catches DESIDÉRIO, the night security, moving quickly away from a woman (in her 40s, dyed hair, overweight) in the back right corner of the room, behind some file cabinets. Desidério lifts his pants and belt. The woman recomposes herself.

DESIDÉRIO We're leavin', boss.

Marcelo and Anisio make way for their walk of shame: Desidério, a worker commisioned via Brazil's social security, and his partner, who works the streets around the Joaquim Nabuco square and the Moderno cinema in downtown Recife. She's done this before. Desidério keeps his eyes down.

DESIDÉRIO (CONT'D) Sorry, boss... startin' this early messed up my sense of time...

Anisio closes the door.

The room has dozens of metal and wood file cabinets. They keep hundreds of thousands of identification documents for the population of Recife, and is mediated by a wooden counter at the back. Anisio puts the only telephone back on the hook.

Anisio, profoundly knowledgeable of the archive system, quickly navigates the room, jumping two or three rows. He opens a drawer, closes it, opens the one below it, closes it, opens the next one.

His hands slide, opening drawers, closing them and opening the next.

Anisio shows him the file. Marcelo stretches to see...

The phone rings.

Anisio answers:

He hangs up. Anision looks at Marcelo.

Marcelo puts the file back...

TRACKING SHOT: Anisio and Marcelo walk quickly. Anisio opens the paper as he walks.

Marcelo seems surprised. Anisio changes subject and shows him the paper.

"HUMAN LEG FOUND IN SHARK'S BELLY"

They both start to hear screams echoing in the building...

TRACKING SHOT - Anisio and Marcelo walk, the camera chooses Marcelo, Anisio is out of frame. There's a commotion.

At the deposition table, the woman is surrounded by friends and family, a wall of protection against an outside threat. She really crying now. - This is INSIDE the building.

ATTENTION: POV from inside, through the window:

**OUTSIDE the building**, in the parking lot, a woman with simple clothes, kerchief on her head, a skirt, sandals, and a button-up blouse is beside herself, screaming.

It's the mother of the little girl killed at her boss's house. She's learned the woman is giving a statement at a special deposition set up just for her, at 5:30 in the morning, outside official hours.

The desperate mother is held back by her own mother and sister. Her screams are penetrating. A couple (of pro-bono lawyers, he wears a suit, she wears brown slacks and a green blouse) accompany her.

Miguel makes sure they get no further with the help of Arlindo, his brother of sorts. Inside, Euclides scratches his head.

At the window, in front of Marcelo, Elisângela can't hide her tears. Das Dores, arms crossed, watches, hand covering her mouth. Other employees pay attention or try to ignore the story unfold, arms crossed.

Anisio joins his staff at the window, keeping an eye on Euclides...

Through the window:

Marcelo watches all this and looks at the nervous lawyers of the desperate mother.

Hours later...

Marcelo, on the pay phone, sees Euclides's police car is being pushed down the street by Miguel, Arlindo, and a taxi driver with a cigarette hanging from his lips. The motor won't turn.

Marcelo arrives to help. Euclides, sitting inside the car like a poor king, seems grateful for Marcelo's help. The grey SUV finally turns on, "VROOOOM..."

Marcelo waves and goes back to the pay phone, phone tokens in pocket, a tiny notebook.

Marcelo dials...

A lawyer's office. A young secretary/office assistant, relatively well-dressed, speaks on the phone. He seems to know who Marcelo is.

JOÃO PEDRO (in his 40s) signals for the call to be transferred to his office. He closes the door.

João Pedro's office has a large window with a view of the Brazilian capital, Brasília. He sits quickly in his chair and answers the ringing phone.

JOÃO PEDRO Hello.

JOÃO PEDRO Lemme tell you, listen closely. I hope you're OK. Don't say where you are, alright?

JOÃO PEDRO This call is not safe, our office is bugged, we're gettin' it sorted out. Don't say anything, we'll figure out a way to talk, but hang up, OK? I admire you, I wanna help. We need to talk from two safe numbers... Let's hang up, send me a number n' I'll call you.

Incredulous, Marcelo hangs up.

A woman who was waiting to use the phone backs away at Marcelo's anger.

At the busy counter in the post office, Marcelo hands the attendant a piece of paper. The attendant takes the message to the telegram machine, sits and types.

On the wall, the photo of president General Ernesto Geisel.

Another photograph of president Ernesto Geisel on the wall of another post office, very far away - in Brasília.

The telegram machine prints Marcelo's message, which is quickly torn from the roll of paper and put in an envelope - "TELEGRAM".

The mailman walks through the streets of Brasília with other telegrams to deliver.

The secretary - holding the telegram, he tears it open and reads it.

The assistant hands João Pedro the telegram. He sees the telegram's been opened and looks at the secretary.

JOÃO PEDRO Why'd you open it??

João Pedro glares at his assistant.

Augusto and Bobbi arrive in Recife from São Paulo... They disembark from the back of a VASP 727 Boeing. As they walk towards the terminal, the camera approaches ===> Augusto's leather bag.

A shot from above of the large - and very busy - LIVRO 7 bookstore. We descend and Marcelo - folded newspaper under his arm - watches NATALÍCIO (40), glasses, from a distance. He is using a cart to put books back on the shelves. He uses his employee credential.

Marcelo watches the man from afar, passes other clients, changes rows and approaches...

Natalício answers automatically, only seeing the customer as he finishes answering.

Natalicio parks the cart, approaches Marcelo, and hugs him.

Natalício looks at his brother, relieved to see him.

The brothers look at each other.

Natalício looks at his brother, starts to say something. He leans in:

The question stabs Marcelo like a knife.

Natalício looks at his brother and draws closer.

Natalício looks at his brother...

A person walks down the row, between them.

Natalício points at an area nearby where there's two sofas, one larger than the other, and a glass coffee table. A gentleman is sitting, calmly reading a book. A cart carries various newspapers hanging from a wooden hanger that keeps them from being stolen.

The camera moves towards the small area Natalício is commenting on.

Marcelo listens to his brother...

Marcelo looks at his brother.

The two brothers hug each other tightly.

A cinema marquis reads "SOON - KING KONG - RATED 10"

A PAN ==> to the right reveals a long line on the sidewalk to get into the movie theater. Behind glass, we see quickly (but unmistakably) the poster for Jaws (1975).

Marcelo approaches the busy entrance to the São Luiz Cinema, where a man in a cheap suit and tie rails against Satan standing on a little wooden stool - Bible in hand - shouting his faith in Jesus Christ (REVELATIONS 12)

At the door to the cinema, Pedro, with glasses and a mustache, white shirt with a pen in its pocket and a tie--the manager. An auditor from the studio watches the turnstile.

Pedro releases the chain next to the turnstile. The front lobby is busy. Posters and photographs from DONA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS (1976) and Mel Brooks' SILENT MOVIE (1976). A concession stand with a popcorn machine, a soda dispenser, and a mechanical cash register.

Marcelo sees a woman being helped out of the session by two friends. As if possessed by some entity, she shakes her head so hard her hair flies around as if in a storm...

With the sound of a film session echoing through the stairs, he goes up the last flight of stairs and sees his father-in- law Alexandre, who we have already met, waiting for him in the open door to the projection booth. The noise from the machines.

Alexandre is the projectionist at the São Luiz Cinema. He wears a grey uniform from the Luiz Severiano Ribeiro company.

They give each other a bear hug.

He takes a folded slip of paper from his pocket and hands it to Marcelo:

Marcelo takes the paper.

In a child's handwriting: "Have a good day, daddy, Fernando"

Alexandre walks in with Marcelo. The lights are dimmed. The room is spacious, including two 35mm projectors. A session is ongoing. SEVERINO, Alexandre's assistant, in his 30s, no shirt, flip-flops, sweaty, supervises the projection.

Severino looks away from the projection.

Alexandre points at the projectors:

Marcelo notices cans of film on the table. He gets closer to see which one.

Marcelo looks at his father-in-law disapprovingly.

Marcelo approaches the peephole, with its privileged view to the room where the film is showing:

MARCELO'S POV/PROJECTION ROOM: In the dark of the theater, the balcony about one quarter full, cigarette smoke in the air. On screen, the scene from The Omen (1976) in which little Damien on his tricycle knocks his mother (Lee Remick) off a chair on which she was standing. She's hanging from the staircase barrier...

Marcelo looks around and, right under his window, he sees someone in the dark, their head bobbing up and down above a man's lap, in the back row, to the sound of Damien's - the demon child - mother's screams.

Marcelo moves away and reports to Alexandre what he just saw, miming a blow job.

Alexandre and Marcelo arrive in the other projection room. We see the film winder, a counter with empty film cans, a calendar on the wall, a finch in a cage, and a movie theatre seat at the window. An almost domestic environment.

Marcelo looks at the window with a view to downtown Recife and the setting sun. He approaches the window and leans on the ledge, like he did in the projection room, admiring the view.

A giant ad across the river covers the façade of the Trianon building, announcing the Chinese film "DYNASTY in 3D!!".

Alexandre turns on the film winder to finish winding a film.

Alexandre turns off the winder. He gives it some thought and says:

The noise of the screaming audience comes in from the movie theater, overwhelming the building...

ALEXANDRE points towards the auditorium:

The PHONE in the room rings. Severino answers it and waves Marcelo over. Marcelo picks up the phone.

João Pedro, the lawyer, at a payphone in Brasília, four tokens in his hand, along with the telegram.

JOÃO PEDRO I'll be quick 'cause I don't have many tokens. Good to hear you're OK. But listen, this asshole managed to get you on the Fed's list. You can't leave the country. This is highly unusual in a case like yours.

JOÃO PEDRO We're tryin' to figure it out, but it's the guy using his connections. I know he got the good prosecutor who was on the case out and put some asshole friend o' his in Rio. I gotta tell ya, I don't like any of it. Keep your head down, stay hidden - last token now - Elza's the main character in this story now... Elza's your protection.

The audience pours out of the session of The Omen into a large waiting lobby. ELZA, a woman in her 50s, is accompanied by Valdemar, who we met at the Ofir building, with the groceries. The camera picks the two of them out of the crowd...

CLOSE SHOT - We open on the hall, an even larger number of people trying to get in, a kerfuffle...

Elza and Valderar arrive at the closed staircase and take off the FORBIDDEN ENTRY sign, the same path Marcelo took previously.

Marcelo and Alexandre are now in a small apartment in the private area of the São Luiz Cinema, 3rd floor. Posters of movie stars on the walls, studio and distributor gifts.

(continues)

KNOCK KNOCK on the door. Alexandre opens the door. Elza and Valdemar.

They walk in.

Valdemar is embarrassed. Alexandre closes and locks the door.

Alexandre is surprised.

Marcelo/Armando looks at Elza.

Elza pulls form her purse a Panasonic tape recorder and checks the tape.

She puts two more BASF blank tapes on the table.

Valdemar, surprised, looks at Elza.

Elza gives this some thought.

He looks at Alexandre.

Alexandre lowers his eyes. Valdemar shifts in his chair.

Elza wants to say something, but doesn't.

Valdemar pulls an envelope from his bag.

Armando/Marcelo looks at Valdemar and Elza. He takes the envelope...

Elza seems unsure how to answer.

We cut to a CLOSE UP of Elza, who accepts this anonymous acknowledgement in silence.

Alexandre interrupts:

The conversation stops. Armando/Marcelo looks at ALEXANDRE.

Alexandre stares.

A CLOSE UP on Armando/Marcelo:

-- NOTE: Armando's CLOSE UP is interrupted by a memory, SILENT INSERT/SHORT --

A SILENT FLASHBACK:

A blue VW Type 3 crashed into a tree, a victim some feet from the car - on the asphalt - covered with a sheet, car door open, front totaled. Fátima... a PAN ==> shows their son Fernando, his nose broken, running, in tears, to Armando's arms, WE CUT when the two bodies come togehter...

(A memory that Armando/Marcelo prefers not to share)

OBS.: This INSERT is silent and doesn't change the sound of the scene in the room in the São Luiz Cinema.

Elza and Valdemar listen. ALEXANDRE stands up...

Armando/Marcelo looks at his father-in-law, who goes to the door and opens it.

ALEXANDRE leaves, shutting the door. Armando/Marcelo gets himself together. Valdemar gets up, goes to the door, and turns the key.

Elza says nothing and looks at the tape recorder running.

INSERT/QUICK & SILENT FLASHBACKK: (*in contrast to the deposition*)

In the ARRIVALS gate at the Guararapes International Airport in Recife, Henrique Girotti is accompanied by his son Salvatore, jacket over his shoulder, small suitcase. We met them both before in the office in São Pualo.

Father and son smile as they see Armando/Marcelo, who is bearded.

Armando lowers his eyes and his hand goes to the STOP button on the tape recorder - Presses STOP --. Elza and Valdemar watch the tape stop.

Elza listens, interested.

Armando looks at the tape recorder and presses REC. The tape begins moving again. Elza fans herself due to the heat.

Now Elza herself reaches out her finger to press STOP on the tape recorder.

AN UNEXPECTED CUT IN OUR STORY:

Another finger also presses STOP on another piece of equipment (but the same tape): An archivist with a COVID-19 face mask (headphones, glasses) in the year 2022 digitizes the same cassette using a TEAC tape deck connected to a laptop computer. Her cellphone sits at the table.

A small room with four stations and a large window on the 6th floor with a view to the city of São Paulo.

The archivist's name is JOSELICE. She's 24. She takes off her headphones and speaks to a colleague who's addressing her.

Her colleague - COVID face mask, also working on other tapes, asks:

Joselice looks at the handwritten tape case:

"ELZA - with 'Marcelo,' Feb 24, 77"

She uses the computer keyboard. She unpauses the tape by pressing the SPACEBAR:

VALDEMAR'S VOICE:

SCREEN/MONITOR:

She HEARS a CLICK and then:

THE TAPE PLAYING:

STOP. ==> PLAY

She puts the sound back on the laptop, REW => PLAY (SPACEBAR), the sound of the CLICK...

She comes back from the restroom and presses REC:

INSERT/FLASHBACK/YEARS BEFORE...

(SILENT) Quick scene of the driver SALUSTIANO from university squatting, getting up quickly when the guests arrive with Armando/Marcelo at the university Jeep.

(FLASHBACK WITH SOUND)

Armando sitting shotgun, Salustiano driving. In the back, Henrique and his son. No one wears a seat belt.

Armando/Marcelo seems to remember something, a light smile...

FLASHBACK

DAY

At the Dept. Of Electical Engineering at the Federal University of Paraíba, Armando introduces his research colleagues to the director of Eletrobrás and his son. There's a protocol--Henrique is wearing a suit and tie. A university photographer is at the meeting.

Visits to the research rooms, labs, and workshops.

Young teenagers, long hair, afros, but also military-style buzz cuts. Public school uniforms, boys and girls, mostly serious-looking, racially diverse.

FLASHBACK/INT. ANOTHER UNIVERSITY ROOM. DAY

Henrique and his son are introduced to SUSAN (American) and SANJAY (British/Sikh/Indian), visiting researchers.

Sanjay smiles politely.

Armando looks on...

FLASHBACK / INT. MEETING ROOM. DAY

A meeting room at the university, solid wood table, large windows. Women, men, professors, researchers, department heads, glasses of water, coffee, ashtrays, notepads and pens. Armando looks none too please and his right hand has some kind of bandage on it.

Everyone's listening to Henrique Castro Ghirotti, the director of Eletrobrás, who is seated at the head of the table, clearly in charge:

A few people laugh along timidly.

Armando looks upset.

The table listens, in silence.

NOTE: Henrique is playing the role of the fiscally responsible manager, and he seems to believe every word he says.

Elza and Valdemar listen attentively.

FLASHBACK / INT. MEETING ROOM. DAY

Like Elza and Valdemar, the reaction of everyone at the meeting listening to the director of Eletrobrás is silence. Luanda, a master's student and researcher in her 30s, asks to speak:

Further silence. Luanda is perplexed.

Elza listens attentively.

An older secretary puts a photo of Luanda up on the bulletin board, together with a postcard from SÃO PAULO - SP, with a stamp and the words "MISS YOU."

SILENT INSERT/FLASHBACK:

Marcelo remembers his colleague Ananias, seen at the meeting like someone watching a football game.

Elza and Valdemar look at Armando, both in shock and admiration.

Armando/Marcelo goes on. He looks back at Elza and Valdemar. He remembers something:

SILENT INSERT/FLASHBACK:

An image of FÁTIMA, in her 30s, sitting in a restaurant. A CLOSE UP shows her upset at something or someone OUT OF FRAME, tension at a dinner table. A long CLOSE UP of an important character, independent of her screen time.

Fátima is a woman with indigenous and White characteristics, with light brown skin and predominantly Black features.

(Still on the image of Fátima, the SOUNDS of a "KNOCK KNOCK" on the door to the apartment in the private area of the São Luiz Cinema.)

Valdemar rises to open the door. ALEXANDRE walks in. Marcelo sees his father-in-law as if he were an extension of the memory of Fátima.

Armando/Marcelo looks at ALEXANDRE, his father-in-law.

FLASHBACK...

The same shot as before, but Fátima is now looking at Armando, who is glaring and Henrique and Salvatore, both of whom are upset. They have just heard something they didn't like.

We're back on Armando/Marcelo, who says:

FLASHBACK...

It is clear we've just dropped right in the middle of a situation that's already in Armando's head. The atmosphere at the table is bad. Whisky for Henrique and his son, a daikiri for Fátima, and beer for Armando. Fátima gets up.

FÁTIMA (looking at all three) Excuse me.

Armando {REMINDER: with a beard} gets up halfway out of respect. Henrique and his son Salvatore make no motion, relaxed. Fátima leaves. Henrique leans towards Armando at the table.

Armando looks at Henrique.

Henrique leans back, puts his napkin on the table and pushes his dirty plate away.

From the corner of his eye, Armando sees that Fátima hasn't gone to the restroom, she's taking some time away from the table, hands on her hips, back turned to them. He calls her:

She turns, gestures to him: "Let's leave!"

Fátima comes back. She senses the tension and does not sit down.

Henrique is glaring hatefully.

FÁTIMA (calmly, but shaken, in a Pernambuco accent) I just wanted to say that I put up with this dinner tonight out of respect for Armando. (MORE)

FÁTIMA (CONT'D) I was going to the restroom just now, but gave up. I just needed to get away from the table.

She picks up her purse, hanging on the back of her chair.

FÁTIMA (CONT'D) You two disrespected us, a father and his son, to boot. I love my father. He's been working since he was 9... Now that's a real man, y'hear, like my husband here, this one's a real man... (looking at Armando) You were rude to me, to Armando, to the work done at the university. Shame on you. And to top it off, you're fucking drunk.

Salvatore gets up and walks towards Armando. This quiet, inexpressive boy, always in his father's shadow, seems to develop a new personality, now that he's drunk. He approaches Armando...

The waiter looks on from a distance, worried...

Salvatore presses his index finger against Armando's chest. Armando presses his own index finger right back.

FÁTIMA Armando, let's go...

The waiter keeping an eye on the developing situation draws near...

Armando pushes Salvatore and punches him right in the mouth. Henrique Ghirotti's son falls to the ground on his ass.

Fátima pulls Armando away. The waiter helps him out as well. The punch has left a small cut on Armando's right hand.

Henrique watches.

Armando looks at the tape recorder, which is still recording. He looks at ALEXANDRE.

Alexandre is focused on one part of what Armando said:

Elza shifts in her seat on the sofa.

Elza makes like she's going to turn off the recorder, but leaves it running.

Zoom ==> CLOSE UP... In 2022, Joselice, the archivist in the mask, listens, hoping the recording will NOT stop...

... PLAY - THE TAPE RUNNING...

Armando/Marcelo and ALEXANDRE listen closely.

INSERT-SILENT/DURING ELZA'S SPEECH:

AUGUSTO and BOBBI - WHO ARRIVED BY PLANE - have a snack at the counter of the Santa Cruz Bakery in Recife. Cars drive by behind them.

RIGHT THEN 🎶 "TRILHA DE SUMÉ"🎶 by Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho - (1975 recording) on the soundtrack.

Armando/Marcelo looks at Alexandre. His expression is not one of someone afraid, but someone who's facing a challenge.

🎶 "TRILHA DE SUMÉ"🎶 CONTINUES PLAYING...

Fernando's face. Armando/Marcelo's son.

At his grandparents' house, at the dining room table, Fernando uses tracing paper to draw a shark from an encyclopedia.

🎶 "TRILHA DE SUMÉ"🎶 CONTINUES...

GROUND FLOOR/MAIN ROOM. SÃO LUIZ CINEMA. NIGHT

Alexandre - accompanied by Armando - in the hall that leads to the São Luiz Cinema main auditorium. A flow of people are entering the session that's about to begin.

🎶 "TRILHA DE SUMÉ"🎶 CONTINUES...

Walking behind the audience, Armando/Marcelo looks at the screen out of the corner of his eye.

The trailer to Le Magnifique (Philippe de Broca, 1973) is playing...

The words in French in RED (with white Portuguese subtitles): "Comment Détruire la Réputation du Plus Célèbre Agent Secret du Monde" (How do Destroy the Reputation of the Most Famous Secret Agent in the World). Jean Paul Belmondo in action scenes...

Alexandre takes his son-in-law to another curtain under an EXIT sign with in red light.

They walk down a short hallway and open a gate that leads to a side street, quite busy. DRAMATIC SHIFT IN REALITY AND SOUND Cinema ==> Street.

The end of a Carnaval street party moves down the sidewalk with a "La Ursa" (the bear costume character Armando/Marcelo had an encounter with on the road, in the beginning of our stoty). This adds to the noise of the traffic and the outside world. Everything together almost drowns out🎶 TRILHA DE SUMÉ🎶 ..., which is still playing...

(TRILHA DE SUMÉ continues...)

TRACKING SHOT ==> a sequence of short, succinct shots take us to Recife's City Morgue.

It is well-lit with fluorescent lights...

Euclides's sons - Miguel and Arlindo - walk down the hallway at the Morge/Forensic Institute. They walk by dozens of covered bodies, lined up on the floor in trays or black bags. A result of overcrowding due to Carnaval.

Arlindo carries something rolled up in a cloth sugar bag...

TRILHA DE SUMÉ continues...

A refrigerated drawer is pulled out with the LEG found inside the shark at the university.

A paper label with a rubber band is attached to what's left of a toe. A PAN left <=====

TRILHA DE SUMÉ continues...

Arlindo and Miguel approach, carefully looking around, and put the package next to the human leg, in the drawer. Miguel stuffs some folded cash into the coroner's front pocket as they remove from the bag *THE BACK LEG OF A BULL*. The coroner looks around, tense.

Arlindo turns around and becomes security for this transaction. At the other end of the room, two people recognize a corpse, assisted by another employee.

On this side, the exchange is quick, the label is already on the bull's leg...

(TRILHA DE SUMÉ continues...)

Miguel and Arlindo walk away with the human leg in the sugar bag. The coroner closes the drawer with the labeled bull's leg...

In the dead of night, the city's stories are printed in the newspaper print shops on large machines.

A print technician with mufflers opens a section to check the print:

"Hairy Leg ATTACKS ONCE AGAIN"

Subtitle: "It's Hit & Run in the Dead of Night"

The human leg in the bag brought by the brothers, in the Police van. As LUCIO, the driver, turns the motor, Euclides (shotgun) looks back.

Miguel and Arlindo get in. Mateus holds the bag out of the car through the open window, to avoid the stench. Lucio, Miguel, and Euclides open their windows. Lucio puts a handkerchief to his face.

(🎶 TRILHA DE SUMÉ🎶 continues...)

The van drives onto the Old Bridge (6 de Março bridge), illuminated by oil lamps, over the Capibaribe River.

Right in the middle of the bridge, the van comes to a stop. Arlindo opens the door, gets out of the car carrying the leg in the bag, throws it in the river without a second thought.

We're back to Augusto and Bobbi at the bakery, SAME SHOT AS BEFORE during the deposition with Elza. They finish eating.

In the background, a noisy bus drives by.

(*END* 🎶 TRILHA DE SUMÉ🎶 *END*)

Bobbi gets up, still chewing.

STILL CAMERA ==> TRACKING SHOT ==>. Augusto nods. Bobbi walks to the payphone on the wall, near the cashier, puts in a token and dials...

LINDALVA, São Luiz Cinema's assistant manager, is in the office, spreadsheets on the table, acrylic signs with film calssifications (G, AGE 10, AGE 14, AGE 16, AGE 18, COMING SOON, NEXT, TODAY) hanging on the wall behind.

She answers. The difference between their accents regional is evident. (Lindalva from Pernambuco, Bobbi from the south.)

Severino, Alexandre's coworker, is in the projection room keeping an eye on the movie. A 10-year-old boy (his son), still wearing his school uniform, sleeps on an old red cinema chair with its stuffing coming out.

The room's INTERCOM rings. Severino answers, keeping his eye on the movie.

BOBBI puts the receiver on its hook.

BOBBI walks back to Augusto, who pushes his plate across the counter.

Right then, the police van carrying Euclides, Miguel, and Arlindo pulls over just behind Augusto and Bobbi, who turn to look. Euclides yells from inside the van:

Augusto turns and puts on a leather northeastern (local) cowboy hat he had bought that day.

Augusto and BOBBI leave their plates on the bakery counter and get in the van. Old friends reuniting.

Euclides is shotgun, Arlindo sitting between him & the driver. In the backseat ==> Miguel, Augusto, and BOBBI squeeze into the police van...

They close the door and the car takes off, a ZOOM =====>>> FOCUSES on the back of the van...

RIGHT THEN, the police radio blares LOUD and Euclides turns it down.

Arlindo and Miguel, each in their own way, look out of the car through their windows.

Augusto looks curious about one detail, and he's not sure how to ask.

Augusto and Bobbi turn their head back instinctively.

A somewhat frightening SHOT of the police van driving down the Recife streets, shot from behind. The noise of its heavy chassis, the creaking suspension as the van hits potholes, the motor...

We hear voices from inside the van.

A noise comes from inside the back of the van:

"TUFF TUFF TUFF..."

We start to hear muffled voices from the back of the van. A gradual ZOOM =====> towards the van:

They're knocking on the metal, from inside. TUFF TUFF TUFF...

A subtle crescendo of quiet music which BUILDS to the next CUT... ====>|

A classic tailor's shop in downtown Recife. HANS, in his 70s, German, measuring tape draped around his neck, examines two types of cloth brought by an employee. They're working late at the store.

ANTONIO, in his 40s, Black, Hans's work and life partner, calls him:

Hans, who is Jewish, immediately hides the Menorah on the bookcase and seems reluctant to receive Euclides and his friends.

Euclides' presence takes over the space.

Hans can't help himself and rolls his eyes.

Euclides touches Hans' shoulder and asks:

Hans stops Euclides's hand on his shoulder, demanding respect with his eyes. Antonio looks on from a distance, with some concern.

Antonio speaks to Hans from some feet away.

Antonio speaking German catches everybody's attention.

Hans listens. Euclides looks at Hans' shorts.

Antonio intervenes.

Euclides looks at Augusto and brings two fingers together to insinuate that Hans and Antonio are a couple.

An older woman who works in Hans's tailor's shop has no idea what's going on. Hans lifts his leg and rests it on a chair, pointing at his leg. Euclides smiles broadly.

The men approach... Six clear scars.

As he shows his scars like a circus freak, even switching legs, Hans speaks to Antonio in German.

Hans finally unbuttons his shirt, showing traumatic chest scars.

From Hans's chest, a PAN to the window...

Another PAN shows us the police van parked on the street as we DISSOLVE closer to the vehicle, a thumping noise still coming from inside it. - TUF TUF TUF. The Driver Lucio walks over and bangs violently on the chassis with his hand...

The music from the previous sequence punctuates the image, and a CRESCENDO takes us to the next cut:

A change in focus and atmosphere, sound and image in our film...

A family of capybaras roams calmly through the trees, at night, in the 13 de Maio park in downtown Recife. An image out of a fairy tale...

Trees, grass, men, women, couples, threesomes, etc. Sex in public places...

On a park bench, two men are seated, looking at each other. They start to touch and make out...

A woman's voice NARRATES, OFF-SCREEN, reading aloud over the images we're seeing. It's Teresa Vitória's voice:

Teresa Vitória, standing, eyes focused on the newspaper in her hand, glass of beer in the other, reading out loud. We're in Sebastiana's living room, where a small celebration is taking place. Débora, Claudia's daughter, is playing on the floor.

"Liza and Elis" is sitting listening. Two of the building's dogs have free access to the room.

GERALDO, in his 70s, Sebastiana's friend, sitting with a glass of beer, says:

Sebastiana brings more booze from the kitchen.

Armando/Marcelo walks in from the stairs, the fron door open.

He quickly takes a glass of cachaça.

Teresa lowers her eyes to the newspaper:

(AS IF WE WERE NOW PART OF A HORROR FILM, in sound and image)

The two men (one in his 20s, the other in his 40s) on the park bench are making out.

SUDDENLY A SHADOW PASSES BY...

Something is preying on the couple from behind the bushes.

The Hairy Leg approaches quickly with the noise of a single leg - CHOO CHOO CHOO bouncing to attack: a single leg jumping like a kangaroo...

SOUND: Teresa Vitória's laughter over images of the attack, like an incredulous viewer of a "B" movie:

Harold changes position on the sofa, interested in the story. He's smoking.

She looks at her friends and, like someone ending a show, lowers her paper.

Armando/Marcelo finds this funny. Haroldo pretends to applaud. Claudia watches, in the living room. Clóvis, the boy, is sitting on the couch like a future adult. Next to him, the older man.

He gets up and goes to the kitchen.

Teresa Vitória seems to have switched into "lecture" mode... She's feeling happy, confident.

Armando/Marcelo nods unconvincingly. Teresa Vitória does not fail to notice this.

Armando/Marcelo takes another glass of cachaça from Sebastiana's tray and drains it elegantly.

Reaction shots from those in the room. Claudia smiles slightly, Haroldo stares. Sebastiana is taken aback. Sebastiana's older friend takes a drink from his glass. Teresa Vitória looks at her husband.

An external shot of the building's façade, with everyone still reeling after Armando's revelation.

And we're back in the room:

Antonio looks at Teresa and seems to ask her, with his eyes and a slight shake of his head, not to say.

Claudia observes all this with a sad look... Clóvis observes, completely lost.

CLÓVIS (he scans the room) Er... my name's Clóvis...

Some of them chuckle. Sebastiana puts her hand on his shoulder.

Armando/Marcelo listens.

Claudia listens...

Clóvis listens. Sebastiana kicks into high gear.

She walks over to the record player.

Antonio says:

Armando/Marcelo listens attentively.

She puts a record on the record player: Filho Único ("Only Child") by Erasmo Carlos starts to play.

She looks at Haroldo, Armando/Marcelo, and Claudia.

Claudia looks at Armando/Marcelo.

Filho Único plays at medium volume.

A PAN ==> and the camera focuses on a little modest photo exhibit, just above a table with assorted knick-knacks.

Next to the pictures on the wall, a white metal sign with the word "SASSUOLO" in blue, with two little flags--Brazilian and Italian. It's all heart-warming. There are old photos of a woman with a man.

Armando/Marcelo comes closer.

Armando/Marcelo gives Sebastiana *A LOOK*, one which indicates he got the message.

The atmosphere in the room is emotional...

Filho Único continues...

They all toast.

We cut to a close up of Armando...

FADE OUT ==>

FADE IN ==>

In a warehouse at the Recife port, a mountain of sugar.

A Brazilian made FNM truck is being loaded by 100-pound bags of sugar by shirtless stevedores, wearing boots and shorts. One of them can't be older than 14.

The camera picks out VILMAR, late 30s to early 40s - a strong man, serious face. We're on him now. Vilmar sees something and stops...

Augusto, Bobbi and IRINEU (a local contact) walk towards him, inside the warehouse.

Vilmar lays the bag of sugar on the back of the truck; a colleague on the truck bed pulls it further in. Vilmar walks, looking steadily, in a TRACKING SHOT. He approaches Augusto, Bobbi, and Irineu...

From a distance, the warehouse overseer, in his 40s, watches Vilmar.

Irineu lights a cigarette with a match... and walks away, leaving the three of them to talk business alone.

NOTA: Vilmar has an unusual expression on his face, especially as he hides what it is that's going on in there.

Augusto hands Vilmar the picture of a bearded Armando Henrique Ghirotti gave him in his office, in São Paulo.

Bobbi watches Augusto conduct the negotiation.

Vilmar scans the picture and evaluates what he sees.

Augusto looks at Vilmar with some annoyance.

Augusto looks at Vilmar... (pause...) Irineu looks on as he smokes. Bobbi stays silent.

MINUTES LATER

Vilmar - having already changed clothes - adjusts a .38 revolver in his bag, under his dirty shirt. He leaves work, his colleagues with 100-pound bags on their heads look on. He gets from the overseer what little money they owe him.

DETAIL: money as he walks...

Severino, Alexandre's co-worker in the projection room at the São Luiz Cinema, looks inside his bag at some money he's clearly trying to keep secret. He looks behind him and sees Alexandre leaving the room with an envelope.

He leaves. Severino gets up and walks over to Alexandre's notebook, which has been left next to his bag on the winder table.

He leafs through to the last annotation.

DETAIL: Sebastiana, Ofir buidling, Corredor do Bispo, 68 Alfredo de Medeiros St.

He copies the address on a slip of paper and leaves the room.

Organized piles of money, movie tickets, spreadsheets on the manager's desk at the São Luiz Cinema.

The manager, Pedro, counts the income from the day before with the help of Lindalva and a crank-operated calculator. An armed security guard in his 30s stands by the door.

Alexandre opens the door with the envelope in his hands, sticks in his head, as the security guard looks on:

Envelope in hand, Alexandre leaves the cinema through the entrance lobby, which is being washed by janitors hours before doors open to the public. He walks out to the street...

A ZOOM ==> reveals that, across the street, Bobbi, Vilmar, and Irineu all watch him...

Bobbi crosses the street quickly and walks up to one of the janitors in the cinema.

Bobbi walks back, signals Vilmar discreetly, who sees Alexandre some distance away and starts following him.

Alexandre crosses the bridge, unaware that he's being followed by Vilmar...

Severino reaches the sidewalk in front of the cinema and signals Irineu, who is alone on the other side of the street. Irineu crosses the street and walks up to the ticket office.

From inside the ticket office, Severino hands the slip of paper he wrote on to Irineu through the little window, as if it were a movie ticket.

Alexandre walks by a newsstand, where the day's main headlines reads "HAIRY LEG STOLEN FROM MORGUE." This catches his eye, but he doesn't stop.

A pile with a hundred ID cards with the name "Maria Aparecida dos Santos," which Armando/Marcelo is examining one by one, like someone playing cards. He seems to be looking for one specific card. Black and white photos of dozens of women flash by quickly.

"Maria Aparecida dos Santos" "Maria Aparecida dos Santos"

"Maria Aparecida dos Santos" "Maria Aparecida dos Santos"

"Maria Aparecida dos Santos" "Maria Aparecida dos Santos"

"Maria Aparecida dos Santos" "Maria Aparecida dos Santos"

"Maria Aparecida dos Santos" "Maria Aparecida dos Santos"

"Maria Aparecida dos Santos" "Maria Aparecida dos Santos"

...

Alexandre is walking, envelope in hand. Vilmar follows at a distance.

He walks into the parking lot of the "Identification and Public Security Secretariat," where he'll meet up with Armando.

Vilmar follows at a distance, attentive...

Alexandre walks up to the service counter in the archives room, which is packed. Behind the counter are Elisângela and Carmen.

Alexandre sees Armando in the back, in the area closed to the public.

He looks perplexed at Elisângela, who looks at "Marcelo," who now sees his father-in-law.

Armando approaches and opens the half-door to the counter.

Alexandre walks by the small crowd of people waiting for their ID cards and enters.

Armando lowers the counter door, leads Alexandre into the area restricted to the public.

He hands Armando the envelope. He takes a paper from inside:

DETAILS: A drawing of a shark. Armando, Fátima, Fernando, his grandparents a bit further back...

Armando looks at his father-in-law... who looks back at the drawing.

Armando turns the paper over. There's a note on the back:

Armando looks at Alexandre.

Alexandre walks back to the counter as Armando stares at the paper. Alexandre walks through the crowd at the entrance and CROSSES Vilmar, who was already watching, inside the room...

Vilmar now approaches, looking straight ahead, making his way through the crowd.

- A SHOT AT WAIST LEVEL: Vilmar's waist approaches the camera next to the waists of men and women waiting at the counter. There's a gun under his shirt...

Vilmar's hand takes from his pocket the picture of Armando that Augusto gave him. He takes a look at the photo and focuses on Armando/Marcelo in the restricted archives area.

DETAIL: the picture of a bearded Armando at the university meeting.

Vilmar approaches Elisângela, asking her directly, with no greeting:

Elisângela looks back, sees Armando in the distance, and looks at Vilmar. (NOTE: this is the second time someone calls "Marcelo" "Armando")

Armando, his back turned, hears the voice clearly, but ignores it.

SPLIT DIOPTER SHOT: Left side, Armando/Marcelo (NOW FROM THE FRONT) hears Vilmar (to the right) and decides not to turn.

Elisângela looks at Marcelo/Armando. She finds all this unusual.

Armando/Marcelo ignores her, his back turned, and walks calmly in the opposite direction, trying to look discreetly at the counter to see who's calling him.

Vilmar waves at him and looks at the photo.

Armando - headed for the exit - waves, asking if he's the one he's looking for. Vilmar waves him over "to talk"... Armando gestures and projects his voice:

Elisângela is weirded out by this whole exchange.

Armando/Marcelo leaves through the door that leads to an indoors hallway.

In the hallway, he picks up his pace.

Armando walks through the yard that connects the public office to the police station.

He turns into a hallway...

A SEQUENCE OF SHOTS OF A MURAL OF NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS-- Euclides and his greater achievements as a police officer.

* Pages of the "Police Section" with pictures of TWO dead men, on a road in a sugarcane field...

* Euclides being honored at the International Club with a trophy.

* Euclides and his sons with their soccer team, Sport Club do Recife.

* Men tied up with hemp rope in some scrub, police vans.

* The leg found in the shark's stomach...

...to the sound of Euclides talking to his sons Miguel and Arlindo.

Armando/Marcelo KNOCK KNOCK on the open door and walks in. He's trying hard to stay calm.

Arlindo bobs his head in greeting.

This statement grabs the attention of Euclides and his two sons.

Euclides looks like he doesn't quite understand the whole situation.

Euclides looks at his two sons.

Armando/Marcelo considers carefully what he's about to say.

Miguel stays seated exactly as he was before.

Euclides looks at Marcelo.

Armando/Marcelo holds out his hand.

Arlindo and "Marcelo" walk down the hallway. Arlindo sees MARCOS, a fellow officer at the station coming out of a door.

Vilmar is at the payphone on the street, outside the "Identification Secretariat."

A coconut kiosk on the beach, five miles away. The phone rings. The kiosk owner answers.

A PAN ==> reveals Augusto wearing only speedos and sunglasses, washes salt water off under a shower head.

Augusto comes out of the shower and picks up the phone, soaking wet, blue ocean in the background. The kiosk owner tops off Augusto's beer.

Back at his workstation, at the busy reception and archive, Armando/Marcelo, Arlindo, and Marcos arrive. Armando/Marcelo is the furthest from the door...

Elisângela intervenes:

Marcos and Arlindo exit to the yard, and Armando/Marcelo walks up to Elisângela, who puts a hand on his chest.

The question sticks in the air, unanswered.

Arlindo and Marcão walk out into the yard, Armando/Marcelo comes close behind, sweeping the area ===> he sees Vilmar in the distance, at the payphone, putting the receiver back on the hook, his back turned.

A ZOOM in movement starts on Armando/Marcelo at the door to the office backing discreetly indoors for greater protection, hiding in the shadows and watching Arlindo and Marcos from a distance. They walk through the yard, eyes on Vilmar, who is walking towards them from the payphone... Arlindo notices Armando/Marcelo has stayed behind...

Vilmar notices Arlindo and Marcos approaches and slows down his pace...

Vilmar shows no reaction. His face remains hardened. Marcos freezes, holding onto Arlindo's arm...

Marcos looks at Vilmar. He may recognize him.

Vilmar keeps a dead expression on his face showing no sign of what he's about to do: he quickly pulls his gun from his waist and shoots his .38 four times. The first shot hits Arlindo in the face; the second hits Marcos in the neck; the third, Arlindo in the chest; the fourth; Marcos in the chest. Four shots, in industrial, staccato rhythm - BANG - BANG - BANG - BANG...

Armando/Marcelo watches the scene through a window. His colleagues at the ID office stand up, people at the counter turn around, Elisângela turns her head.

In Euclides's office, he and his son Miguel hear the noise.

Miguel and Euclides get up...

Arlindo and Marcos fall to the ground in agony, blood spurting from holes in their head and neck. They will both be dead soon.

Vilmar, who we now see from behind, walks away calmly, weapon discreetly pointed down. Experience has taught him the chances of someone trying to stop him are small. He just needs to get out of there.

WE REVEAL that Bobbi was supervising from a distance and saw the shit hit the fan.

He quickly goes from confused to furious when he sees the plan has fallen to pieces. He begins discreetly following Vilmar, who ducks into an alleyway. Bobbi needs to stop Vilmar.

Vilmar rushes into the second hand book fair, which is quiet at this late morning hour.

The used book fair is open-air, surrounded by tall buildings, where thousands of books, records, and magazines are sold informally. Pages blow in the wind. There's a weird silence except by the sound of an ALBUM OF CHILDREN'S STORIES playing on a record player.

Vilmar walks into one of the stands.

Bobbi quickly gets to the used book fair, openly holding his gun. He notices some confused people moving away, and a man with a tense expression showing with his eyes that the man he's looking for is inside the stall...

Among the commotion caused by the deaths in the yard, Armando picks up the files with his mother's name - "Maria Aparecida dos Santos" and puts them in a brown paper bag together with his son's drawing, which he briefly takes a look at once again.

He notices Elisângela and Das Dores together, looking at him, frightened. He signals calmly to them both: "Shhhh," with is index finger in front of pursed lips...

Armando leaves the room...

Back in the ID office's yard, Arlindo's body is carried, in a rush, like a dead sloth, to a white van, its seats drenched with Marcão's blood, his body already inside. A fellow officer, standing inside the van, nervously tries to care for the men who've been shot.

The van doors are closed from outside and tears off, men in front of it making way through the throng, headed towards the public hospital.

...

the van takes off.

Euclides lowers his gaze and looks at the stone-tiled ground at Arlindo's and Marcão's fresh blood.

Lúcio, his driver, tells the elder sheriff:

Euclides is in shock. Miguel is next to him.

Right then, WE HEAR THREE GUNSHOTS in the distance, but in the neighborhood--that rhythmic noise which we suspect is not "fireworks."

Somebody yells in the street:

A commotion on the street, some police officers, weapons drawn, all run in the same direction. On-lookers also follow... ===>

In the hallway, Armando also hears the gunshots as he crosses paths with Carmen.

Armando gets to Anisio's office. Anisio is standing, talking on the phone. When he sees Armando, he snaps his fingers and points at the phone.

He hands Armando/Marcelo the receiver.

A group of curious men slowly approach the camera (low angle), looking at something on the floor... The silence, broken only by the sound of papers in the wind, inform us of the serious situation that has taken place.

TRAVELING/POV - We approach Bobbi's corpse, on the ground, two holes in his head, eyes half-open--they look serene--his face almost unrecognizable.

Euclides arrives with Miguel and moves through the crowd to look at the dead man's face.

Miguel draws close, eyes firmly on the dead man's face, deformed from the gunshots... Miguel seems to recognize Bobbi:

He rips a wallet from the corpse's right front pocket. He opens it...

DETAIL: An ID, "ABDIAS DOS SANTOS GOUVEIA"

Euclides looks at Miguel.

candles, one at Bobbi's feet, another near his head.

Another older man, wearing a hat, uses the day's newspaper to cover part of the dead man's chest and head. Strangely, the pair seem to be there to guarantee funeral rites wherever they may be needed on the streets of Recife...

The newspaper covering the dead man has the headline: "Human Leg Found in Shark's Belly"

DETAIL. LAPTOP MONITOR. ==>

2022. A newspaper picture of Bobbi's crime scene BUT NOW processed by time, on a digitized newspaper page on a computer screen. The newspaper covering the body is still visible, as are the candles, etc.

The headline: "SÃO PAULO TOURIST MURDERED IN BOOK FAIR."

Joselice, the student previously seen working on the tapes, leans back from the screen and relaxes in her chair. She looks at "Archivist 2," sitting near, who is watching a Wild Nature video (wild dogs tearing a hyena apart) on YouTube, wearing headphones.

They look at each other.

Joselice looks at the box of tapes marked with magic marker: "Elza," "Anisio," and "Sebastiana."

Joselice sighs.

A modest living room, white light, Joselice's partner walks by, shirtless, carrying a 1-year-old child. A motorcycle helmet near the front door.

Joselice looks directly at her computer as she spoon feeds her little son MARCELO.

She instinctively covers her son's eyes, turns him away so he doesn't see the monitor (which we haven't seen ourselves yet). She looks around to see if her partner can see the screen.

A PHOTOGRAPH: *extremely frank and graphic*, as was the photojournalistic style at the time: Armando, dead on the ground, lines of blood run between his left ear to his mouth, his eyes half-open, wearing the same clothes he was wearing that day of the incident at the Identificaiton Institute.

A SECOND PHOTOGRAPH contextualizes the body in the middle of the Ofir building yard *MAY* remind us of the image of the body at the gas station from the beginning of our story.

Joselice zooms in and we see Dona Sebastiana away from the camera, she stands by and looks as if she is in mourning.

HEADLINE: "Murdered Researcher Faced Corruption Charges"

SUBTITLE: "Police investigate if the victim was involved in corruption crimes in Brasília"

Joselice turns away and closes her laptop...

Joselice is a passenger in a packed commercial airliner.

Joselice gets out of a taxi with a small travel suitcase with wheels. She walks into a private blood bank in Recife and speaks to the receptionist.

She approaches the counter:

Joselice laughs and says yes with some nervousness.

A form with a pen ==>

A large air-conditioned space, warehouse-style, with around 40 blood donation stations, almost all occupied by men. A much smaller number of women.

Joselice is seated-lying down in a blood donation lazy boy, arm outstretched, uncomfortable about the needle but putting a brave face on it. Her blood flows to a bag through a thin red tube.

She sees someone approaching: FERNANDO

A REVEALING SHOT ===> Fernando approaches in his smock--the doctor on call. Fernando is a clear carbon copy of his father Armando. Sometimes, genetics is lazy.

In fact, Fernando looks older than his father Armando was the last time we saw him in 1977. A bit heavier too. But it's him: Armando's dear son.

Fernando looks at the suitcase.

Joselice nods her head, tense.

DISSOLVE:

(AN ELLIPSIS)

The bag full of blood ==> the nurse who removes the needle, Fernando moves forward to help Joselice up.

She stands up, wobbly, holds his hand.

She inhales deeply.

A small, white, simple office in the blood bank. Fernando uses this office, but it doesn't really belong to anybody.

DETAIL: a cell phone in VOICE MEMO mode on the table, near Fernando, who is seated, and has been speaking for some time...

Joselice listens.

Joselice listens.

He looks at Joselice, quite uncomfortable.

Fernando listens, vaguely interested. Joselice notices.

She opens her purse and puts a flash drive on the desk.

Fernando looks at the flash drive but doesn't move.

Fernando walks Joselice to the exit, through the blood collection warehouse. He says:

Joselice is amused.

Fernando points at the blood bank.

Joselice looks at the front of the blood bank. She looks at Fernando and shakes his hand.

She gets in the Uber. Waves goodbye.

A CLOSE-UP on Fernando - ...

A wide shot reveals the imposing scale of what had once been a large cinema, now a blood bank. The Uber drives off and Fernando's silhouette is left alone in front of the building. He turns his back and walks inside.