Love In The Time Of Cholera (2007)

[bunniefuu]

Ah, little scoundrel.

There you are.

You are a bad boy.

Come on.

Hop on.

Like you always do.

Holy sacraments!

You'll k*ll yourself!

Only God knows how much

I loved you.

- Someone has died.

- Huh-uh.

- It's Pentecost.

- No no, it must be a very big fish

if they are ringing

the cathedral bells.

Florentino, lay down.

Let's do it again.

Please?

Tolling like that must

be for a governor at least.

Or...

What?

What is it?

America, you must

go back to college.

My driver will take you.

There is something I have to do.

My deepest

sympathy.

Your father

was a saint.

- My condolences.

- I'm so sorry.

We would still

have cholera

if it had not

been for him.

My sympathies,

Mrs. Urbino.

Let's go, Mom.

- See you all later, gentlemen.

- See you later.

Mama, I'll stay

if you want me to.

Fermina, I have waited

for this opportunity

for 51 years,

nine months

and four days.

That is how long

I have loved you,

from the first moment

I cast eyes on you until now.

I repeat

to you once again

my vow

of eternal fidelity

and everlasting love.

Florentino Ariza...

get out of here!

Get out!

And don't show your face again for

the years of life that are left to you.

And I hope there are

very few of them.

Florentino Ariza!

Florentino!

Ah!

- That's not a telegram, Carlos.

- Come on, come on.

Deliver this, please,

to Senor Lorenzo Daza.

Old house,

Park of Evangels.

New in town,

a rough diamond.

Owns mules,

lots of mules.

Thank you, Lotario.

Thank you.

Yes yes, I'm coming.

I'm coming.

Last time you charged me

that's double what I paid for this

whole abbey cloister... what?!

Senor Lorenzo Daza.

Yes.

Oh, good news.

Good news!

No reply.

Look at the shape

of the letter.

Not "U" but "A."

M-me...

M-m... me...

mis...

mist...

mistook...

Senor, Senor!

Tak... mistook...

mistake-taken...

Good.

Good.

Very good.

Mistook, mistake,

mistaken.

- What do you want?

- Look, I didn't do anything.

Don't you greet

your mother?

Florentino,

have you eaten?

Have you eaten?

"Fermina Daza,

for I have learned

that is your majestic

immortal name.

I write

this very short note

in order

to let you know...

that I love you."

- You haven't been to bed.

- Shh!

- Are you ill?

- No.

You are so pale, my son.

Are you sure?

- I'm not ill.

- Let me feel your head.

Let me feel your head.

What are you writing,

a book?

No, a letter.

All these pages,

and they're just one letter.

But what kind of a letter?

Holy Mother.

It is a love letter.

Oh, my son,

who is she?

Her name is...

Fermina Daza.

They're new in town.

Her mother is dead.

Her father owns mules.

And, Mama, I have discovered

the reason for my existence.

Don't talk such

nonsense, my son.

That's it!

Come on, come on,

come on.

But there is money in mules.

Does Fermina Daza

return your love?

"I've discovered..."

I don't know.

We haven't spoken.

That's why I'm writing

the letter.

If I can find the opportunity,

I'll give it to her,

but she's always

with her aunt.

Then you must

win over the aunt, not the girl.

It's him!

It is the telegram boy.

Walk on.

Eh-hh.

- Let me stand next to her.

- No!

Senorita Daza,

all I ask is that you accept

a letter from me.

- Not now.

- When?

Afterwards.

Corpus Christi.

- Corpus Christi.

- Amen.

Welcome, Fernando!

Papa, I'm going

to wish

Mother Superior

a happy Christmas.

This is the greatest moment

in my life.

Give it to me.

It was very long.

I made it shorter.

Wait!

It's a flower

of promising.

Go.

And don't see me again

until you hear from me.

My Holy Mother.

My Holy Mother.

It is cholera, my son.

It is cholera.

- No, Mama.

- My son!

I gave her the letter.

Now I must wait

for her reply.

Yeah.

Then enjoy your pain.

Take advantage of it now

while you are young.

And suffer, my son,

suffer all you can,

because these things don't

last your whole life.

May she answer soon.

She won't.

Florentino!

Florentino!

What the hell

you are doing?

It's not an American ship,

it's British.

It's the mail from Liverpool.

British.

Come here.

What is wrong with you?

This isn't love.

It's madness.

Give me, give me.

Up up up up.

No, wait wait.

Fly now, go.

What is wrong

with you?

You need to take

your mind off her.

Come with me

to the whorehouse if...

Yes?

Oh, how much is it

to send a telegram

to the village

of Piedras de Moler?

- Piedras de Moler?

- Uh-huh.

Uh... let me see.

It's...

it's not on our list.

You don't... you don't

send telegrams to Piedras de Moler?

- No.

- Th... then...

good day to you.

Senorita!

"Dear Florentino Ariza...

I am sorry that I have

made you wait so long

for my reply.

I ask your forgiveness.

Please, write to me

again soon."

"Crowned goddess, I enclose

what I know is

a worthless memento.

I also write this verse

in honor of my love for you."

"I think of you every moment.

Now that spring is here,

thoughts of you fill me with life.

I will love you forever.

Forever."

Shh-hhh.

Shhh.

- It's him.

- Of course it's him.

- Senorita Escolastica?

- Shhh.

Senorita Escolastica,

please turn apart so I can talk

privately to the young lady.

I have something important

to ask her.

What impertinence!

There's nothing that has to do with her

that I cannot hear.

Then I will not

say anything.

But I warn you,

you will be responsible

for the consequences.

- Fermina Daza.

- I am here.

We've written

too many letters

and too much time

has passed.

So now...

crowned goddess,

I make this vow.

I swear to you

my eternal fidelity

and everlasting love,

and I ask in all humility

to do me the great honor

of marrying me.

You...

you must give me time.

Fermina, say yes!

Fermina, I may not be married,

but I know about love.

Even if you're

dying of fear,

even if you are sorry later,

because whatever you do,

you will be sorry

all the rest of your life if you say no.

Believe me, I know

what I'm talking about.

Yes, very well.

I will marry you

if you... if you promise

not to make me eat

eggplant.

Who is he?

Who is he?

Who is he?

Who is this

Florentino Ariza?

Huh?

And Mother Superior

says that you write letters to him?

And you... you!

You are to blame.

No!

Aunt!

No!

No!

Daughter, daughter,

listen to your father.

Listen to your father.

Everything I do,

I do it because...

because I...

okay, I'll try.

I'll try, but...

but I have to... I have to ex...

I have to explain myself.

I have to explain myself.

It's difficult because I'm a plain man.

But ever since

your mother died,

you've been...

you've been...

a daughter...

a daughter is a jewel.

Is a jewel. I'm...

I'm... I'm a rough diamond, but you're...

you're...

you're the... the crown.

And I don't... I don't...

I don't work for me.

We didn't come here for me.

We came here for you.

For you!

But you don't know how...

just how beautiful you are.

You-you-you...

you're... you're...

you're much too beautiful

to marry a telegraph operator.

We have bigger fish to fry,

and believe me... believe me,

at your age,

love is an illusion.

Christ, by Christ I swear,

I swear,

I swear to Christ...

Good morning,

good morning.

You and I must talk...

man to man.

Ahhhh.

When my wife died

I set myself one goal.

One goal...

to turn my daughter

into a great lady.

Now that's... that's a long road

to travel for a mule trader.

I've never had a drink

this early in the morning.

Better start now.

You're going to need it.

I came to this town

because...

well, here was the possibility

of a grand marriage.

Then an unforeseen

obstacle

to the plan that I have

fought for with my life...

you.

So I've come to make

a polite request.

Get out of our way.

Have you spoken to her?

None of that. None of that.

This is a matter for men

and it will be decided

by men.

Be that as it may,

I cannot answer without knowing

what she thinks.

Don't force me

to sh**t you.

sh**t me.

There is no greater glory

than to die for love.

Pack!

- Where are we going?

- To our death!

You'd better explain.

I'm not leaving.

Take it to him now.

- What is this?

- They leaving.

They going

to the country.

- Hurry up!

- Where are you going?

He's taking me away.

- Sit down!

- Fermina.

Don't you dare

talk to him!

- Where are you talking her?

- He's taking me away!

Get out of our way.

Hyah!

Hyah!

Get back.

Get back.

I think of you

every day

I think of you

a little bit more

I tear my reason apart

Something inside me

gets destroyed

C'mon, mule.

I think of you

every day

I think of you

a little bit more

And I keep

thinking of you

And I keep

thinking.

- That's bad. Five more.

- Take away all I have, right?

Aunt Fermina!

Senora, may I help you?

Hi, princess,

What are you here for?

Cousin Fermina?

I have a surprise for you.

Cousin.

He wants me to fix

a wedding date.

- Will you?

- Of course.

- Excuse me, Senoritas.

- Make it well into the future.

Your father said he will

keep you here for a year at least.

A year is nothing.

We will exchange telegrams

as we used to exchange

letters.

And our love will triumph.

There is no man on Earth more

perfect than Florentino Ariza.

And you, Hildebranda,

are you in love?

A married man.

Do you

exchange letters?

No.

Secret glances.

It all seems difficult

and impossible now,

but I just know that we must

learn to be happy without love.

And in spite of it.

Happy without love?

Yes.

Happy without love.

I want to eat the tender flesh

of every word

she has written to me

over and over.

I hope I survive.

- But danger is everywhere.

- Fire!

If the suffering of your own

heart doesn't k*ll you,

the ever-recurring

civil w*r might.

And there is the disease

that comes between

the burst of bloodshed,

the deadly choking embrace

of cholera.

Dead collectors!

My daughter is...

She is even more impossible

to predict than w*r.

She grabs hold,

then suddenly she lets go.

- Daddy! He's dead, too.

- She grabs hold,

she lets go.

Florentino!

Up here!

Stop it, stop it.

It will be all three of you, I promise.

All in good time.

So which one

is it going to be?

No no, my beloved

is returning soon.

I have to keep myself pure.

And I will only lose

my virginity for love.

Oooh.

That is such a bad idea.

Don't go, Florentino.

I will be back...

but not for some time.

Let's go, let's go.

So the worst years

of my life passed.

I counted the eternal minutes

one by one

as I waited for her return.

But I do not mind.

I will keep watch

for all of eternity.

I will keep watch

until I die if need be.

I stand vigil for her

beside the lighthouse.

My heart is like the sea...

endless and everlasting,

even while it is as turbulent

as the crashing waves.

Florentino, what are

you doing here?

Ricardo, the young lady I'm going

to marry is coming back tonight.

I'm waiting for her.

Come on.

Come on!

Ricardo the lighthouse keeper

is my only friend.

He does not understand.

I must be here

to will her home.

I delegate to you the authority

to run this household...

and turn over to you

the keys to your life.

Crowned goddess, you are

the coming of the dawn.

Like spring, you have

returned to the one newborn.

Mom, Mom, there it is, Mom!

Yes, yes. Come on, come on.

- That one, too? That one.

- No no, that one over there.

Thank you.

Coconut candy!

Sweets for your sweetie.

Coconut candy!

The Arcade of Scribes is not

a place for a crowned goddess.

No.

No, please.

Forget it.

Wh-wh-what do you mean

"forget it"?

I just...

I just realized

this... this moment

when I saw you.

What?

What did you realize?

What is between us...

is nothing more

than an illusion.

It... it clouded

my eyes.

I'm so sorry.

You... you just...

realized it?

Yes.

The moment I saw you.

Make him well.

Please.

- Dr. Juvenal Urbino?

- He's a busy man.

- This is urgent.

- No. Appointments only.

Cholera... my mistress

has cholera.

No, you can't go up there.

You need to wear a mask.

I'm Hildebranda Sanchez,

the patient's cousin.

She's upstairs.

I would like you to be present, please,

when I examine her.

Her father's with her.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you for coming.

I pray to God

you can do something.

They say you know more

about cholera than a...

Under the tongue.

Vomiting?

How many times?

Once, twice?

Twice.

Diarrhea?

- Severe?

- I don't...

- What?

- I... I don't know.

I've never had it before.

Sit up, please.

It is an intestinal

infection.

What?

It's not cholera?

No.

I'll prescribe medicine.

Three days at home

and she'll be well again.

Did you hear that?

Oh.

Doctor, wait wait.

Doctor, wait! How did you learn

so much about cholera?

I, uh, studied in Paris

under Professor Proust.

All the things you've done

for the city... the clean water,

- closed sewage...

- Your daughter.

- Yes?

- She's very beautiful.

Thank you.

Senorita.

I would like to, um...

take your pulse.

Stick out

your tongue, please.

Mm-hmm.

You are like a...

a new-sprung rose.

Thank you.

Do you like music?

What is the point

of that question?

Music is important

for one's health.

No! No, don't!

Doctor!

Do not go.

I saw it all.

I saw it all.

I... I told your daughter

that she is like a rose.

True enough, but one

with too many thorns.

Up up up!

You open that window and apologize.

I have nothing to apologize for.

I closed the window to keep out the sun.

Don't backtalk back to me, okay?

Do as I tell you.

Say something... now!

I offer you my most

heartfelt apology, sir.

Her education.

Let me escort you

to the carriage.

Senor.

I... I would like

your permission

to write

to your daughter.

Ahh.

I will go and find her.

I won't let her go.

My destiny in life

is to love Fermina.

I will win her back.

Hildebranda, look!

Aye, beautiful!

Mmmmm,

another one.

Gala Placidia, I told you

not to accept it.

Oh, I know that,

milady,

but is hard to say

no to Dr. Urbino.

How many is that now?

Seven.

- You must reply.

- We're not going to discuss it.

We must hurry.

The Belgian photographer

is expecting us.

Gala Placidia,

help us to dress.

Oh, yes, milady,

it is perfect.

Ladies, very still.

I will count

to five now.

One, two, three...

four, five.

One, two, three!

Benny Centeno!

Benny, Benny, Benny...

Move aside!

Move aside!

Benny!

Champion!

Please get in, I'll take you

wherever you want to go.

Benny, Benny, Benny!

Who is Benny Centeno?

He just won the boxing

championship in Panama.

Oh.

This is so nice.

I could spend the rest

of my life here.

Oh, ay, my boots

are k*lling me.

I'll have to take them off.

I'll take off mine too.

Let's see who

finishes first.

Oh!

Mmm.

You won.

You won.

But now I realize it

wasn't my boots at all.

It is this wire cage

under my skirt.

Hmm, nothing could

be simpler.

Take it off.

I won't look.

Ay!

I am waiting.

We want to go home.

Whoa whoa whoa.

Read my letters.

I want your answer.

He's very beautiful.

When he covered his eyes

and I saw his perfect teeth

between those rosy lips,

I wanted...

oooh, eeeoh.

I wanted to devour him

with kisses.

What a wh*re you are.

"Dear Senor Urbino,

I give you my permission

to speak to my father."

Senora.

Forgive me for keeping

you waiting, Transito,

but I have to practice

my singing.

You never know when there's

going to be a funeral, eh?

But, please please.

So...

is there a problem?

You get the money

I send each month?

Thank you.

You are a kind man, Don Leo.

I am not kind.

I am just,

unlike my brother Pius.

Something had to be done.

Pius should have made

a proper provision for my son.

Well, he did not

and I did.

So?

I've come...

to ask if

you can help him.

- Who?

- Your nephew.

My son Florentino.

What kind of help?

A job.

Well, I thought he had a job

at the telegraph office.

Yes, but I'm asking you

to find him another job...

any job, as long as

it's far away.

Some port lost

in the jungle where...

where there is no mail,

no telegraph.

A broken heart.

Yeah.

Hmm.

Hmmm.

How about Villa de Leyva?

How far away is that?

Oh...

about three weeks.

I am nothing.

I will not heal...

not for all time.

I'm struck by

the lightning of love

and burned beyond repair.

She's a splinter that

cannot be pulled out.

She's part of me,

everywhere I go.

Everywhere, she is.

- Hello.

- Fermina.

What are you doing?

Turn off the light.

I want...

absolute darkness.

You forget, Doctor,

this is the first time

I've slept

with a stranger.

Do you love me?

Don't be frightened.

We are man and wife.

I want you to love every...

every moment

of our honeymoon.

I can't wait

to show you Paris.

It is a...

a city of love.

You have

a beautiful smile.

Thank you.

I think my sense of smell

is overdeveloped.

Well, that would be because

your olfactory organ's...

I'm sorry

I mentioned it.

Shhh.

Don't forget I have

met them before.

I remember it

very well.

And I'm still angry.

I've... I've never been able to

understand how your thing works.

How ugly it is.

Even uglier than

a woman's thing.

Yes.

Besides, I think it has...

too many bits on it.

That's astounding.

My doctoral thesis was

on the advantage...

I don't want

a medical lesson.

No. No.

This is going to be

a lesson in love.

The black flag!

That's the plague flag.

Give them a wide berth.

Please, help us!

Captain!

- They're dying of cholera!

- Cholera!

Please!

Good Heavens! Careful,

don't get too close...

Please, help us!

Captain! Help us!

Cholera!

Help me! Please.

Don't leave.

God! What's that?

Help me! Please!

Keep her safe, protect her

from harm.

Good night,

my crowned goddess.

Go go.

Go on and forget all about it.

This never happened.

Who occupies that cabin...

the middle one?

- Three women.

- Three women?

They have three cabins

and they both connect together.

It makes one big one.

- Who are they, these women?

- I don't know.

- You go on.

- We'll see.

- See her eyes?

- My, Rosalba.

He looks very sweet.

And so shy.

It's the shy ones

you must look out for.

- Carefully, it's fragile.

- Get out of the way.

He's staring at you.

Bye!

Fermina, my vow...

I've broken my vow.

You shouldn't have

come back, my son.

I had to.

Why?

Something happened and...

I had to be near

Fermina again, Mama.

- That's all.

- But she's not here.

What do you mean

she's not here?

She's in Paris

on her honeymoon.

She'll be gone a long time...

more than one year.

Maybe two years.

- That's not true, Mama.

- It is true, my son.

- No.

- It is true.

At least two years.

- No.

- No, Mama.

Please don't cry.

Oh.

Please...

please don't waste your life.

You must forget her.

You must find someone else

who will help you forget.

I can't forget, Mama.

I will

never forget, Mama.

I will never forget, Mama.

Senora, senora!

Be careful! Senora!

- Senora.

- Come on, boys.

Open fire!

They destroyed my house,

Transito!

They destroyed my house.

Come in.

I need a bed...

on the floor, anywhere.

Just until I can

rebuild my house.

Who knows how long

this w*r will last.

Come on, drink.

You must stay here.

- So you have the room?

- No.

It is a shame.

My own bedroom is too small.

But if you don't mind...

sharing with my son.

Florentino?

An emergency.

The Widow Nazaret,

her house has been damaged.

w*r has no respect

for anybody.

She needs a bed.

You can sleep in your hammock.

I'm so scared!

If it wasn't enough

to lose my husband,

now this.

He died three years ago.

Help me, help me.

My dead husband

always undid my laces.

Help me, please.

Help me.

I've never been

in the same bed

with any other man...

ay... other than

my dead husband.

He's in his coffin now

under the ground.

I'm so happy!

I'm happy

because only now

do I know for certain

where he is

when he's not at...

home!

Women.

Number one...

unknown lady in boat.

The first...

wondrous...

expl*si*n.

Number two...

the Widow Nazaret...

while doing it,

only talks of

her dead husband.

Number three...

Esmeralda Arau...

a skinny,

wiggling tadpole

who'd walk me

through the ferns.

Number four...

Maria Estevez...

very dangerous.

We were so close

to the street,

anyone could

have heard us.

This is the cure

for the pain

of Fermina.

What is it?

Nothing, my son, nothing.

- For a moment I...

- What?

I didn't know

who you were.

It happens to me

more and more,

but it... it goes.

Give me your hand.

Give me your hand.

Ma... I have work

to do, Mama.

Work? What work?

You need to find a job and to get paid.

I can't keep you forever.

I... I... I have

something to tell you.

You are going

to marry the widow.

Oh, no.

- What did you say?

- Ma... Mama...

Did you say you had

something to tell me?

Yes, I honestly believe...

I'm getting over the worst.

What was her name again?

Fermina.

Fermina.

Fermina.

I begin to feel free.

The pain is gone.

It's gone.

Now, it took Paris,

the city of love, to bring about

this blessed

transformation.

But here we are

amongst our dearest friends.

We are happier than

you can know to be here.

And furthermore,

we are overjoyed

to no longer

be two, but three.

The great purpose

of marriage has made itself clear to all

and we thank you,

our dear friends, for your warmth

and your congratulations.

Well, I was wondering

how long it would be

before you came begging me.

- What do you want?

- A job.

I gave you a job...

at Villa de Leyva

and you threw it away.

It is different now.

I want to be

rich like you.

I am not rich.

I'm a poor man with money

which is not the same thing.

Why do you

want to be rich?

So that I can be

someone in society,

I need... I need to be worthy

of a great lady I cannot stop loving.

Who is she?

Married?

Yes, but I'm waiting

for her husband to die.

Is he old?

No, but I'll wait

for however long it takes.

- You're crazy.

- Why?

Because insanity

runs in the family.

You take after

your father.

You never knew him,

my brother Pius.

You know what

his last words were?

He said "The only regret I have

in dying is that I do not die for love."

He said that?

- He really said that?

- On his deathbed.

Nevertheless, all his life he f*cked

everything in sight.

So...

you want a job in the River

Company of the Caribbean.

Yes, yes.

Well, are you any good

at, um, writing letters?

I think so, I...

I... I write poetry, too

I enter a poem every year

in the Poetic Festival.

I have never won, but...

So, you have a way

with words, huh?

- Yes.

- Good.

Perhaps you can tell me

what this means.

On my birthday last year

someone made

a speech in my honor.

He said I suffered

from lucid dementia.

Now what does that mean?

Lucid dementia

means you are clearly crazy.

I told you it

ran in the family.

Start tomorrow.

Clerk to the board of directors.

Tamales! Tamales!

Magic inks.

Very light blow.

Invisible ink

for your secret letter.

Sir?

I-I...

- I would like...

- You don't have to say anything.

Does she know

you love her?

Yes.

Yes, and of course,

she loves you.

Yes.

Do her parents know?

No, they don't.

What do you call her?

My flower.

My flower.

All right, this is

what you could say.

"My beautiful

and beloved flower.

Nobody can cut

the stem

of our love.

My life, my soul,

be strong.

Don't give up."

I baptize you in

the name of the Father...

"Don't give up."

I can't read or write.

- Don't worry, I can.

- I got this.

Would you read it to me

and maybe write an answer?

Yeah.

"My beautiful

and beloved flower.

No one can cut the stem

of our love.

My soul,

my life, be strong.

Don't give up

because our love is deeper

than the deepest ocean.

Emilio."

That's...

that's a wonderful letter.

That's a wonderful letter.

I know just what

your answer should be.

This must stop.

- This must stop.

- What must stop?

"Our coffee comes

in strong brown sacks.

Load well, but never

tire your backs.

Unload in Miami,

these coffee beans

and keep them dry...

...by any means."

- What do you call this?

- A-a bill of lading.

- A bill of lading?

- Yes.

- In rhyme?

Yes.

And this..."To James Robinson

and Company, Lombard Street,

London, England.

Beloved sirs.

I write with all

the ardor I can muster

to thank you for your exquisite letter

of 16th Aug.

My heart beat faster

as I read each word.

Oh, sirs, with all

tenderness at my disposal,

I kiss and embrace you

and sign myself, dare I say..."

"...Adoringly."

This is not a business letter.

This is a love letter.

Love is the only thing

that interests me.

Hmm.

Well, the trouble is

without the river navigation,

there is no love.

It must stop.

If you can't write

a straightforward business letter,

you will be put

to picking up trash on the dock.

But I need love.

Don Leo, I need love.

I need love.

Dona Blanca.

- Good afternoon.

- Dona Blanca, so nice to see you.

- You look wonderful, Dona Blanca.

- You know my daughter-in-law?

Yes, of course, Dona Blanca.

Oh, my daughter was

at school with her.

Yes, we paint at the park.

We met in Paris.

I thought her charming.

She has, alas,

a scandal in her family.

- Mother, please.

- Apparently, there is no law,

human or divine,

her father

has not ignored.

And now he's run away.

It's only to be expected

from mules.

She does not

eat eggplant...

and does not

play the piano.

But she is learning

the harp.

- Oh, do play for us.

- Yes.

- Oh, do, please, yes.

- I think not.

Serve the tea.

Well, what news

from the great world?

Don Leo XII of the River Company

says he's going to retire!

Oh, he's been

saying that for years.

And if he does,

who will succeed him?

- Oh, he has a nephew.

- An illegitimate nephew.

- Florentino Ariza.

- Mmm.

Do we know him?

I've seen him many times,

but I can't remember

what he looks like.

Yes, such an odd person.

Impossible to describe.

He's...

he's not a person.

He's a shadow.

Oh. You know him?

I have my period.

How odd.

Just yesterday,

I told my anatomy class

that married women

have their periods

as often as

three times a week.

When can we move

into our own house?

- Not yet.

- When?

Not until your mother dies.

I married a weakling.

Would you have been better off

with Florentino Ariza?

You don't see him...

but I do.

How joyless I am now.

Would I have been

happier with him?

Poor man.

Ah, I am Dr. Juvenal Urbino.

I would like

to see Don Leo.

He is having his siesta.

Please, wait.

Should be awake

in five minutes.

And you are?

His nephew and chief clerk,

Florentino Ariza.

Still asleep.

Please.

Would you like a coffee?

Do you like music?

I like the music

of Carlos Gardel.

I see.

Popular music.

Yes, but...

we must keep performing

the best music in our city.

We must import

the greatest artists

from Europe.

Hmm.

I am working on it.

And of course

the Poetic Festival.

That was my idea.

I... I started it some years ago.

Yes, I know, I know.

Ah, well, I hope

you will attend.

I mean to.

I may even enter a poem.

Really?

How amusing.

Of course,

one needs to...

raise money

for these things.

That is why I am

here to see your uncle.

Hmm. Hmm.

My wife

supports me in this.

I will say more.

My wife is the very

soul of my endeavors.

Without her

I... I would be nothing.

I adore my wife.

Thank God he's awake now.

Ladies and gentlemen,

damas y caballeros,

I welcome you

to the Poetic Festival.

As in years past,

this year's

Golden Orchid will be

presented by

none other than...

my wife.

Just in time.

And the winner of this year's

Golden Orchid is...

Wing Wu Peng.

What?!

It's a scandal!

What was the name?

It sounded Chinese.

It's impossible.

- Read his poem.

- Yes.

- "Your body is a holy garden..."

- Believe me,

my heart goes out to you.

I know you must

have entered a poem

because of how the flower

trembled in your lapel.

That's why I took mine off.

"Your body is

a holy garden..."

Would you like me

to see you home?

Go, horse, go.

I'm sorry to have

been so silent, but...

I'm still very angry.

I understand.

But we should at least

tell each other our names.

I am Florentino Ariza.

Sara Noriega.

Thank you.

Good health.

Would you like

to see my albums?

- Your what?

- Albums...

photographs

of public events.

I'm a teacher

of civics, you see.

Really? Of course

I would like to...

to see them.

What is it?

May I sit beside you...

- and cry?

- Of course.

Of course.

Hmm.

I'm so...

disappointed.

I can't stop.

Maybe you should

loosen your bodice.

It will help you

to feel more...

comfortable, you know?

May I help?

Tomorrow we do it in bed.

You are quite wonderful.

Tell me, how would

you define love?

- Love?

- Mm-hmm.

Love is...

love is everything

we do naked.

Spiritual love

from the waist up,

physical love

from the waist down.

Mm-hmm, yes,

divided love.

That could be a poem...

"Divided Love."

Yes, it could be.

Let's write it together,

a poem on divided love.

We can enter it in

next year's Poetic Festival.

We'd be certain to win.

- Tell me, tell me!

- Yeah.

That's a good idea.

Divided love!

Divided love!

Divided love!

Calm down! Calm down!

Stop it, calm down, horse!

- Miss?

- Calm down.

Miss?

Please, allow me

to give you a lift.

Please.

Thank you.

Hey! Hey!

By the way,

I am Florentino Ariza.

Olimpia Zuleta.

Am I taking you

out of your way?

Not at all.

Not at all.

I would have been in terrible trouble if

I had lost my parasol.

- Why so?

- My husband gave it to me.

Oh.

Married long?

Just over a year.

Just a bride.

He's a very jealous man,

my husband.

What does he do?

He sells trinkets

in the market.

- Oh.

- And pigeons.

Excuse me, sir?

We're here.

Yes, senora.

h*, h*!

How do I thank you?

You could

sell me a pigeon.

They're not for sale.

Then what must

I do to get one?

Well, you find

her in a storm.

You drive her

back to the coop.

This is how I say thank you.

Go away!

Leave me alone!

Go away! Go away!

I don't know who are you!

- I don't know!

- Help me!

Who am I?

Who am I?

And whose son

are you?

- I'm yours.

- Whose son are you?

- Wake up. Look after her!

- Ay! I fell asleep.

Where am I now?

Uh, Rosy...

Rosy Martinez.

- Oh.

- Who is this Rosy Martinez?

From a children's

story long ago...

Give her the breakfast.

Oh!

At last you are here.

Oh! Where have you been?

You're never

coming to see me.

Oh, you little boy!

Such a wonderful boy!

And his name is...

his name...

Go on! Go! Go!

Go back to your wh*res!

You took advantage!

The only disease

you ever had was cholera.

No, Mama. You confused

cholera with love.

Mm-hmm.

Didn't you like

the nice gentleman?

Huh?

I must see you again.

And for only one reason.

Not such a nice gentleman.

- Senor Ariza?

- Yes.

The pigeon lady

sends you this

and says please

keep the cage locked.

Um, if it flies again,

she will not send it back.

In many ways it was sinful.

And I am a saint.

Because you see, Ricardo,

I persisted.

I broke down her defenses

and stormed the citadel.

Olimpia Zuleta never refused

the meetings I arranged.

But then, I got

tangled in my own net.

I thought it

would be the same

as it was with the others.

Just another

escape route from Fermina.

But then, I found myself

falling for her.

And I became

a lover in pursuit.

I hunted her.

I was the lover who

never showed his face.

I will never be able

to smell turpentine again...

without thinking of this

blessed afternoon.

No, wait, wait.

What?

What are you doing?

You will see.

No!

No!

No!

He told the police

why he did it.

Doesn't mention you.

There's no more life,

there's not

There's no more life,

there's not

There's no more rain,

there's not

There's no more breeze,

there's not...

The sky is crying for Olimpia.

And so am I.

There's no more crying,

there's not

There's no more fear,

there's not...

What have I done?

What have I done?

Take me there

To where you are

Take me there

Take me there

To where you are

Take me there.

What's the... what's she going to the

market for at this time of the night?

So whose son am I, Mama?

Eh, whose son am I?

I hoped your mother would

have liked my singing.

I know she would.

I know.

The only regret

I have in dying

is that I can't sing

at my own funeral.

Good people!

Good people.

Fellow citizens,

we are gathered here at

the dawn of a new century.

The 20th century

will see the end

of man's suffering.

The 20th century

will bring

us harmony, peace,

and it will bring us light!

"474...

Peruvian spinster, Luisa...

Sunday school teacher."

My destiny in life

is to love Fermina.

Senor?

Senor.

Over there please.

Come on, come on!

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Try it.

Tell me

what you think.

Delicious.

Absolutely delicious.

What is it?

Eggplant.

More, please.

Perhaps, as an act

of remembrance,

we should name

our next child

Eggplant Urbino.

I love you

above all else.

More than anyone else

in the world.

The important thing in marriage

is not happiness

but stability.

And love.

Nothing is

more difficult than love.

Senora, buy my parakeets.

Look, they're very pretty.

Senor Ariza,

we wanted

to thank you.

Sorry?

You wrote letters

for us.

Ah, yes.

I remember, yes.

It was the only time

I wrote letters for...

for both lovers.

It was like writing to myself.

We're married now.

Good.

We wanted to ask you,

will you be godfather?

Yes, of course.

He's our first son.

Yes, I will be honored.

I'll be damned.

You screw just like your father.

Well, I just dropped in

to tell you

I've decided to retire

and I'm appointing you

president of the company.

And you, senorita,

please feel free to continue.

I swear on my word of honor that I have

not seen your face.

So, please.

Shh!

Shh.

Stop it.

You'll wake Fermina.

It's Sunday.

It's Sunday today.

You've... you've missed mass.

You haven't taken

your communion

for at least

three weeks.

Have you lost

your faith?

- Doctor.

- Yes.

Look at me.

What?

What is it?

Her smell

is in my nostrils.

I have the right

to know who she is.

Her name is

Barbara Lynch.

How long has it been

going on?

Three months,

nearly four.

- Where did you meet her?

- She's a patient.

What is...

what is she,

this... this patient?

A doctor of theology,

a Protestant.

She has a mission

by the harbor.

I thought

at least you...

you'd be a man

and deny

the whole thing.

I thought

at least you'd...

you'd lie to me.

I f... I feel

as though

a great weight

has lifted

from my shoulders.

I... I will put

an end to it.

And I'll go

to my confessor

and ask

for absolution.

Come on, let's go,

it's going to rain.

I have been waking

in the early hours

of the morning

and then unable

to go back to sleep.

And I have

sudden stabbing pains

in my chest.

Worst of all,

in the afternoons I...

I simply want to weep

uncontrollably.

I think

I am going to die.

That would be best.

Then we could both

have some peace.

Bedtime, kids.

Go.

We're going to eat our

dinner, Aunt Fermina.

Thank you. Thank you.

Do you still

recognize me...

the fat old thing

that I have become?

It's been over a year

and not a whisper,

not a hint.

Nobody knows

where she is.

I have made

myself believe

that if she were dead

I would have heard.

All I can do

to keep myself sane

is to follow

my routine:

sells flowers

in the market.

Triola...

I-I don't exactly know

who she was.

nothing memorable

to report.

Routine is

like rust.

I could stay here

forever.

You should have come

sooner.

You did

the right thing...

teach him a lesson.

And what happened

to the man

who sent you

all those telegrams?

Oh, he's very

grand now.

President of the River Company

of the Caribbean.

Hmm.

Do you still see him?

Of course not.

And anyway...

he's not a man.

He's a ghost.

It was all

an illusion.

And you,

Hildebranda,

what happened

to your married man?

He stayed married.

- Three days!

- Less than that.

Can I take care

of your horse?

Uh-huh.

It is better

to arrive in time than...

than to be

invited, no?

- Hildebranda.

- Juvenal.

- Are your boots still k*lling you?

- Thank you, God.

How good you are.

I must get the children

ready for supper.

- Come on, kids.

- I'll go first.

- No, I'll go first.

- I'll go first.

I'll go first.

What are you

doing here?

Well, I know

you would be too proud

to return on your own,

so I have...

I have come

to fetch you.

I... I thought

we might have

a second honeymoon.

But the following night,

while the old man slept...

- Oh, dear God, now what?

- Shh, please.

Shh, Fermina.

Thank you, God.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

It's been a long time

since I've seen her.

Good evening.

And she has changed,

Ricardo.

But, what was worst,

is that her husband

seemed younger than ever.

And I had this...

terrible thought that

she would die first.

Heaven forbid.

Heaven forbid.

And it made me realize

that I have grown

older too.

Those stairs...

up and down those stairs

will k*ll me.

Uh, I'm not afraid of death,

I'm afraid of old age.

So...

I doubt I will be

coming here so often.

Why are you so

successful with women?

Um...

because they

see in me someone...

guilty.

In need of love.

Someone who will not...

harm them.

My heart has more rooms

than a wh*re house, Ricardo.

What number are

you on now?

Prepare yourself

for a shock.

I'm on number 622.

Impossible.

I speak the truth...

Some time ago...

I forget exactly when...

Uncle Leo asked me to

keep an eye on the daughter

of some distant relation

of ours from Puerto Padre.

She was being sent

here to college

to become a teacher.

And then,

little by little,

I won her confidence

and affection.

And in due course, the doors

of heaven opened to her.

Her name is America Vicuna.

We see each other

on Sundays.

We are quite open about our,

what shall I say?

Friendship.

For one thing,

the difference in our ages

places us above suspicion.

Someone has died.

Huh-uh.

It's Pentecost.

No.

No, it must be a...

a very big fish if they are ringing

the cathedral bells.

Mmm.

America.

You must go back

to college.

My driver will take you.

There is something I have to do.

Fermina...

I have waited for this

opportunity for 51 years,

nine months and four days.

That is...

how long I have loved you

from the first moment I cast eyes on you

un... until now.

Florentino Ariza...

get out of here!

Get out!

"Florentino Ariza,

you are a dreadful,

insensitive human being.

How dare you

enter my house

on the day my beloved

husband died

and utter such monstrous,

ridiculous sentiments?

You have put me in

a mortal rage,

which has caused me

to think about you without wanting to.

Do you understand?

I do not want to think about you.

Stay out of my life."

Go, donkey, go!

Hi, dear.

Let's not waste time.

I don't want to

see a movie.

Do you know what

I want to do?

Before you go home,

I have something to tell you.

Pull over.

Pull over, please.

I'm going to get married.

It's a lie.

Old men don't get married.

Who is she?

- Do you want to cry?

- No!

I don't know

who she is.

But whoever she is,

she has ruined my life.

America, you must...

I don't want to hear it,

Florentino.

I'm warning you.

"Please allow me to wipe

the slate clean.

Age has no reality

except in the physical world.

The essence of

a human being

is resistant to

the passage of time.

Our inner lives

are eternal,

which is to say that our spirits remain

as youthful and vigorous

as when we were

in full bloom.

Think of love

as a state of grace...

not the means

to anything,

but the alpha

and omega.

An end in itself.

Think of love as

a state of grace...

not the means to

anything,

but the alpha

and omega.

An end in itself."

The messenger is

waiting for a reply.

Mother, what is it?

Someone wants to

call on me.

Who?

Don Florentino Ariza.

The man who owns

the riverboats?

You know what they say

about him?

No.

They say he has

never had a woman.

In fact, they say

his tastes are

quite the opposite.

They say he

has a secret office

where he takes boys he picks up on

the docks at night.

I simply

don't believe that.

I've known him since

he was a boy.

He's an honorable man.

Everything in the world

has changed.

I haven't.

Have you?

What does it matter now?

I've just turned

Yes, we are two old people

about to be ambushed by death.

Do you believe

in God?

No.

But I am afraid of Him.

Some of your letters

were a great comfort.

I'm glad to know

you received them.

What... what I most

admired about them

was their simplicity.

They helped me

a great deal.

In what way?

They helped me

regain some kind

of peace.

You cannot

imagine how happy

I am to know that.

But I don't agree with

everything you say.

We have nothing in common

except memories.

The young people we

were are banished...

that was all

an illusion.

Not for me.

Well...

I thought this

might amuse you.

That must be

At least.

I have something

to say.

In my experience,

when anyone says that,

it's bound to

be unpleasant.

These frequent visits

from the man you are seeing

are unseemly.

Ofelia, it's none

of your business.

He is company for Mama.

- He consoles her.

- Consoles her?

All he needs to do to

complete his consolation

is to climb into

her widow's bed.

Ofelia.

But don't you believe

that love justifies

anything and everything?

Love is ridiculous

at our age.

But at theirs,

it's revolting.

The only thing

that hurts me

is that I don't have

enough strength

to give you the beating

that you deserve

for being so insolent

and evil-minded.

But you will leave

this house right now

and I swear to you

on my mother's grave

that you will not set foot

in it again as long as I live.

Ofelia, Mama,

let's not...

Life crippled that

poor man 50 years ago

because he was too young and now you

want to do it because we are too old.

What I'd like most is

to walk out of my house

and keep going,

going, going,

and never come back.

Well, you...

you could take a boat.

Well...

I might.

I might

just do that.

I have one.

The New Fidelity.

It's...

it's leaving soon.

It's eight days

up-river,

and five days

on the return.

Travel is good for

the troubled spirit.

Splendid vision

of the Earth,

passing, changing...

as we travel by.

Come in.

Are your quarters

to your liking?

It is

the Presidential Suite.

It was my idea

to install it.

I wanted to call it

the Honeymoon Suite.

Do you want to

be alone?

If I did, I wouldn't have

told you to come in.

Juvenal is a good man.

Is a good husband.

I can't imagine

a better one.

But when I look back,

I suppose there...

were more difficulties

than pleasure.

Too many useless

arguments.

Too much anger.

Maybe it's time...

to ask ourselves,

with our strong

desire to live,

what to do with

the love that has been left behind

without a master?

It's incredible

how one can be happy

for so many years

in the midst of

so many problems,

so many squabbles.

Damn it.

And not really know

if it was love or not.

Go now.

Not now.

I smell like

an old woman.

I have never been happier

in all my life.

Oh, my love

What wouldn't I

do for you

Just to take you

for a second

Away from the world

And close to me

Oh, my love

Like the Magdalena River

That it melts

into sands from the sea

I want to melt into you

There are love affairs

That wait until winter

to blossom

And get greener

at night in the fall

Just like this love

that I feel for you.

Tomorrow we reach

our last port-of-call...

La Dorada.

La Dorada.

And then...

turn back for home.

Don't look.

Why not?

Because you won't like it.

I have waited for this moment

for 54 years.

Yes. Yes, you...

you've told me before.

I have remained

a virgin for you.

You're a liar.

- Captain, Captain.

- Thank you, sir.

Captain?

- Um, speaking hypothetically...

- Hi, how are you?

Hello.

Speaking hypothetically,

would it be possible

to make the...

- Captain.

...return trip without stopping?

- Thank you.

- Without cargo

or passengers, without

coming into any port...

Thank you.

...without...

without anything?

It's possible.

But only hypothetically.

As you know better than I,

the company has contracts to fulfill.

But there is one thing

that could be done.

What is that?

If we had a case of

cholera onboard.

Ooh.

We'd hoist the yellow flag

and be quarantined.

Well then, let's do that.

I command this ship,

but you command me.

If you're serious, just give

me the order in writing

and we will leave

right now.

I love you,

my crowned goddess.

We're going to

stay like this.

You can't mean it.

From the moment

I was born,

I have never said anything

I did not mean.

And how long do you...

you think we can...

stay like this?

Forever.

Forever?

After 54 years,

seven months

and 11 days and nights,

my heart was

at last fulfilled.

And I discovered,

to my joy,

that it is life

and not death

that has no limits.

I think of you

every day

I think of you

a little bit more

I tear my reason apart

And I keep

thinking of you

And I keep

thinking...

Down the Magdalena

Down

the Magdalena

I'm going to Cartagena

I'm going

to Cartagena

I'm going,

I'm going

I'm going, I'm going

I'm always sailing away

I'm always

sailing away

Along with my woman

Along with

my woman

Singing and singing

Singing

and singing

Down the Magdalena

Down

the Magdalena

I'm always sailing away

I'm always

sailing away

Along with my woman

Along with

my woman

Singing and singing

Singing

and singing

Down the Magdalena

Down

the Magdalena

Already many women

Already

many women

Have crossed the river

Have crossed

the river

Already in my memories

Already

in my memories

Down the river

Down

the river

Down the Magdalena

Down

the Magdalena

I'm going to Cartagena

I'm going

to Cartagena

Down the Magdalena

Down

the Magdalena

I'm going to Cartagena

I'm going

to Cartagena

Down the Magdalena

Down

the Magdalena

I'm going to Cartagena.

I'm going

to Cartagena

I'm going,

I'm going

I'm going, I'm going.