MADRID, NOVEMBER, 1934
THE CHESS PLAYER
BASED ON THE NOVEL "THE CHESS PLAYER" WRITTEN AND ADAPTED BY JULIO CASTEDO
Excuse me.
Which one is the reigning champion?
You haven't done your homework.
You're about to witness a historic moment.
Yes,
of course.
Moreno, the champion,
is the one who looks like he just sentenced the match.
He's playing white.
He only needs a draw to keep the title.
It looks like he has the nerdy-looking one cornered.
The challenger.
Diego Padilla.
Shit!
Then I'm not in the right place.
I'm on the loser's side.
That's what everyone thinks.
Padilla knows that Moreno only needs a draw.
But he also knows that the reigning champ
can't resist a victory.
And that his ambition will also be his grave.
That's bad for the nerd.
Sometimes you have to make sacrifices.
Padilla's going to win?
Mate in six moves.
Let's make a toast.
Thank you. Here.
To the champ.
Where are you from, Marianne?
I thought he was the one being interviewed.
Diego's the best player in the world.
A genius.
That's all you need to know.
Pads?
What do you think of the current situation in your country?
I'm not a politician.
Nor do politicians interest me.
But you must have an opinion about what's happening.
The miners in Asturias, Catalonia...
I'm only a chess player.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Apolitical people like you are very useful to the conservatives.
You help them reach power.
If you're trying to awaken my political conscience,
you won't succeed.
Let's get another round.
Come on.
- Two daiquiris. - Yes, sir.
You're going to scare her off.
Don't worry, I'm leaving.
No, I'm leaving.
You?
You don't like Marianne?
And you don't?
Of course, why wouldn't I?
But I fall in love every week.
And she's interested in you.
That's impossible.
Stop pretending you're more boring than you are.
Go on, tell her something
that sounds interesting.
Some day you might even thank me.
And Javier?
He had to leave.
He's a very busy man.
Why did you come to work in Spain?
There's never only one reason to change your life.
Were you running from something?
Maybe what I had wasn't good for me.
Besides,
I like your country.
That's not the custom here.
Come on, I don't like being rejected.
What are you saying?
I'm talking about basic rights.
What rights? You're communists! You want to bring communism to Spain
- and you don't know what that means. - Gentlemen, please.
Shitty fascist!
I don't want any arguments, especially about politics.
Let's go somewhere else.
Pose for the photo.
MARCH, 1936
Make us look good.
- Not moving. - Stand very still.
There.
- Congratulations. - Thanks.
How are things?
Very bad.
Things are about to blow up.
Will the army step in?
Who knows.
THEY WILL NOT PASS! DEFEND MADRID
NOVEMBER, 1936
Push!
- Who is it? - It's me.
Well?
Still nothing.
Come on, a little more!
Come on!
Here it is!
It's a girl, just as healthy and strong as her mother.
Your goddaughter.
How are you?
Fine.
She's beautiful.
Mate.
APRIL, 1940
I offer you a draw.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Yes, Major.
The situation allows for a draw.
Then I'm honored.
A draw.
Understand my enthusiasm, Padilla.
It's the first time we've had a draw. How long have we been playing?
Over 6 months?
Today you played very differently than 6 months ago.
Thanks to you, professor.
In any case,
- I hope to beat you someday. - Anything can happen.
Let's not dream about the impossible.
Padilla.
I'd like you to play for the national championship again.
To represent us around the world and win prizes for Spain.
I would be honored, Major.
I know you can make us very proud.
There's only one bureaucratic problem, but we'll solve it.
And give me a pack.
Okay, see you tomorrow.
- Congratulations on your draw. - Thanks, Juanita.
So you had a draw with Major Hernandez.
News travels fast.
That fascist would have to be reborn to draw with you.
Don't pull my leg. You let him.
It's up to you.
But I'd humiliate him every time. No water for the enemy.
- Hernandez isn't a bad person. - Not with you.
Come on, I'll buy you a glass of wine.
Thanks,Paco.
We're going to Martin's shop later.
That's risky.
We have to do something, things can't go on like this.
Important people will be there. Why don't you come?
Javier, drop it. You know what I think.
The shop is safe. And we need people like you.
People with no record who the military won't suspect.
The war is over. Get that into your head.
You're not going to do anything?
People only speak nonsense in those meetings.
They just fantasize about Russia
and the proletariat revolution. And I'm not a communist.
Me neither.
But the opposition to fascism must be united.
There are also socialists, anarchists, liberals...
It's about a common cause.
I wish I could help you
and see that free society you talk so much about.
But I'm afraid we missed our chance before the war.
Don't start with '34, the fight is very different now.
Some of the people there only want revenge.
All sorts of people go, I know.
But the only goal is to restore democracy.
And if more of us go, it's easier to exclude the extremists.
You're too idealistic.
To the apolitical.
To the stubborn.
This...
is the king.
Since he's very old,
he can only take one step at a time.
But since he's in charge,
he can take it anywhere he wants.
This is the rook.
It's very, very strong.
And this one...
is my favorite. The knight.
The only one that can jump over the other pieces.
All of them?
All of them. Look.
Margaux, shall we go to the park?
Let's let Daddy think of some new moves.
Say goodbye to Daddy.
Goodbye!
And in French?
- Goodbye, Daddy. - Goodbye.
Be nice to Mommy.
See you soon.
My dear Pierre.
I need your help, please.
Find me a job in France.
I can't take this crazy country anymore.
Diego's still working for the fascists for peanuts
and I can't find work.
Please, help me.
If I can find work in France, I can convince my husband to leave.
Sometimes I think I'm making Marianne unhappy.
Don't be silly. She adores you, even though you still can't believe it.
I'm scared she might think she'd be better off with Pierre.
Why do you say that?
She still writes him.
That's normal, they're good friends.
I might not be living up to her expectations.
That's nonsense.
Don't torture yourself.
She keeps asking me to move to France.
No wonder. This is a mouse trap.
There's only room here for people who think like them,
or cynics who can pretend all day long.
Did you know they arrested Julian?
No, I didn't. What do they accuse him of?
Not much. Contraband.
They'll let him go. They could arrest half of Madrid.
Maybe you could intervene on his behalf.
With Major Hernandez?
It's not a good time.
He asked me to join the Falange
so I could play in the Spanish chess championship. And I said no.
You dared to say no!
Come over for dinner tonight.
You can see the little one and make Marianne happy.
I can't tonight.
Another meeting.
We have to do something, Diego.
And it has to be you.
There aren't enough of you, Javier.
The war was long and families are broken.
- There won't be a revolution. - I can't give up.
And submit. I don't want to live like this.
I'm just worried about you.
If you get caught, you could be executed.
I have to go.
By the way, can you give Marianne a message for me?
Go ahead.
Nothing important.
If it's true what you said about her getting tired of you,
let her know that I'm still single.
- See you tomorrow, Don Juan. - See you tomorrow.
And that little girl who was as blonde and pretty as you are
one day told her father she couldn't sleep because she was scared.
And her father said:
"If you dream about Daddy, nothing bad can happen to you."
And she did, and she was never scared again.
I love you.
Good night.
She's already asleep.
She was asking about you all afternoon.
At least one of my two women worries about me.
You'll see when she's 15.
What will happen then?
She'll pay no attention to you.
We'll see about that.
Besides,
I'll always have you.
I thought we were friends.
I don't understand.
I haven't treated you well?
Of course you have.
Me and my family.
Then why did you hide your friendship with Javier Sanchez Medina from me?
With Javier?
He's a childhood friend.
And a revolutionary.
A Red!
I don't know what you're talking about.
Beating me at chess gives you no right
to insult my intelligence.
Your friend died yesterday in a raid.
He tried to flee and was shot.
Now they'll be tying loose ends in an office somewhere.
Sooner or later, they'll go after you.
And I won't be able to help you.
By the way,
you and I did not see each other today.
MAY, 1940
The sacrifice of the queen.
It's an honor, Mr. Padilla,
to have you here at our federation.
What can I do for you?
I need to work.
Playing,
teaching, anything.
You can see we're not going through the best of times.
Half of Europe is at war
and the other half,
waiting.
I'd accept anything.
I'm sorry, maestro.
Perhaps if things change...
Then I won't take up any more of your time.
It was a pleasure.
Here at the federation
we've studied that match a lot.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
Should we pick up Mommy at work and surprise her?
- Yes. - Yes?
HITLER INVADES THE NETHERLANDS
Le Petit Journal, please.
Thank you.
Good day. A bouquet of roses, please.
Hi!
Hi, sweetie.
Hi.
I thought you weren't coming.
I got sidetracked after school.
I went for coffee with some girlfriends in the Place des Abbesses.
Besides, there's nothing wrong with you two waiting for me.
It makes you want to see me more.
What are these roses?
We went for a walk this morning
and I bought them for you.
I was with Pierre.
In a café.
He came to pick me up after school.
I thanked him for getting me the job.
Put them in a vase.
They wither quickly without water.
AUGUST, 1940
Halt!
You're going to take our photograph.
Sit together for the photo.
Come here.
Very nice, yes.
Yes.
EMPLOYEE WANTED
- Good day, sir. - Good day.
How can I help you?
I saw the sign outside.
I'm looking for work.
Oh, the sign.
The kid who worked for me disappeared overnight.
You know what young people are like.
Are you a Jew?
No, I'm Spanish.
My wife is French.
Oh, Spanish.
That's great.
I'm a big admirer of General Franco.
He's done his country a great service.
I hope you're not
one of those communists who illegally crossed the border...
No, sir.
But even if I were, that shouldn't matter to you.
Good day, gentlemen.
Please,
look around.
Do you like it?
Go ahead and touch it.
No playing at the table.
We can go to the Champ de Mars tomorrow.
I'm sure it will be a beautiful day.
Whatever you want.
You don't seem very enthusiastic. Something wrong?
Let's say...
I'm surprised.
You mean because of the Germans?
What did they do now?
I mean you.
Me?
Did I do something that bothers you?
Your double standard.
I don't have a double standard.
Yes, you do.
Like the antique salesman who asked me if I was a communist or a Jew.
Or the girls on the terraces
flirting with the Germans.
You've been invaded and you act like nothing's happened.
You asked me to leave Spain
because you couldn't live under a fascist regime.
And now you seem comfortable among the Nazis.
You're very wrong.
We French hate the Nazis
and we're ashamed of this situation.
But there's nothing we can do.
Sometimes there's nothing you can do.
I'm sorry I'm not as brave as you thought.
Open the door!
Open up, police!
Good evening, sir.
Does the Spaniard Diego Padillo live in this domicile?
Yes, I'm Diego Padilla.
Show me your papers.
I don't have them on me, they're in the bedroom.
Go and get them.
One moment.
Come with us.
Is there a problem?
You must accompany us to the prefecture. Let's go.
Wait, what is this? He's done nothing wrong.
It's a routine document check.
I'll be back soon.
Don't worry, I have everything in order.
POLICE REPORT
Place your belongings on the table.
The watch and ring too.
Get undressed.
- Good morning, Sophie. - Good morning.
Mr. Pierre Boileau is here.
Right.
You'd better wait for me here, Marianne.
Mr. Lambert...
Please wait here.
Name, nationality, profession.
Diego Padilla, Spanish.
Chess player.
With which hand do you play?
With my right.
Playing chess is not a profession.
I also worked as a manager in a warehouse.
Why did you leave your country?
My wife is French, she wanted to work here.
Are you a spy?
No.
Tell him I'm not a spy!
Please!
Tell him!
Please!
Well?
We'll have to front them money, you know how these things are.
But it's all worked out.
Thank you.
Shall we?
We bring a prisoner.
And then the mother squirrel says to the daughter squirrel:
"Don't climb this tree, it's too tall.
You might fall."
When is Daddy coming?
Soon, sweetie.
Let's go to sleep.
Good night.
Go on.
You're Spanish, right?
Yes.
We're the only Spaniards in here.
All the rest are French,
most accused of being spies or saboteurs.
Where are you from?
Madrid.
I'm from Toledo.
I was in the popular militia. And you?
Sorry.
I ask too many questions.
I just haven't talked to anyone in so long...
You want some?
Thanks.
When all was lost, I hid in the mountains.
Then I crossed over into France to fight the Nazis, but...
they caught me right away.
Hadn't you had enough?
It looks like you hadn't either.
Why did they arrest you?
I don't know.
You could never tell by the beating they gave you.
My name's Pablo.
Diego.
There's a woman in your life.
Someone named Marianne.
You must really love her.
How do you know?
You talk about her in your dreams.
Have you got kids?
A four-year-old girl.
Her name's Margaux.
Are you married?
My wife was killed by a grenade.
We didn't have time to have kids.
I'm sorry.
No.
What did you do to the Nazis to get locked up in here?
I don't know.
Seriously, I have no idea.
I don't even know what kind of prison this is.
This is SS central in Paris.
Supposedly those of us here have information they want.
They'll squeeze us until they get it or kill us.
We're official enemies of the Third Reich.
We're going home, darling.
And Daddy?
I'm sure he'll get out tomorrow.
Ma'am... Ma'am!
I said not to go in.
I'm sorry, sir...
It's okay, Sophie. Leave us alone.
- Please, sit down. - Mr. Lambert.
Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon outside the prison
in the rain with my daughter because you lied to us.
That's incorrect.
Incorrect?
Is it correct to take money to bribe the Germans?
It was all my savings and I have nothing left.
Asking me to wait for Diego because he was going to be freed?
Is that correct too?
If you're a man,
respect your agreement with Pierre Boileau
and free my husband immediately.
Things aren't that simple, ma'am. Especially with the Germans.
Believe me, I did everything in my power
to free your husband.
And it bothers me
that you doubt my word.
A Nazi sergeant took the money and told me
the prisoner would be freed yesterday afternoon.
I called this morning to check.
I'm sorry to have to inform you
but your husband was...
executed.
Sophie, please come in here.
The prefect just told me. I came right away to get you.
It's my fault.
I'm the one who made him come to this damn city.
He didn't want to, I forced him.
No, it's not your fault.
It's nobody's fault, Marianne.
It's this terrible war.
What am I going to tell Margaux?
Don't worry about that now. Don't worry about anything.
I'll take care of you both.
We had an argument.
The day they took him away.
His last moment with me was a goddamn argument!
Please, take me home.
I want to cry for my husband alone.
Robert Andrezowski.
Arthur Belvezet.
Alfred Thiebault.
Raoul Manesse.
Raoul Manesse!
Raoul Manesse?
That's Raoul Manesse.
That's him.
Please, don't shoot!
Are you Raoul Manesse?
You have to obey these bastards.
Where do they take them?
To the firing squad.
Good night, my love.
Good night. I'm going to dream about Daddy.
Yes, I know, I haven't paid the rent.
I'm very sorry, give me a few more days.
It's hard for everyone, ma'am.
I'm sorry about what happened to your husband,
but I have a family to feed too.
Please, give me 2 or 3 days. I'll find the money.
Okay, three more days.
But that's all. If you can't pay me,
you'll have to leave.
Bernard Herbet.
Jacques Lecomte.
Charles Bardon.
Maxime Courdant.
When I get out of here, I'm going to South America.
To Chile or Argentina.
I'll stowaway on a merchant ship to a place where nobody knows me.
To start over far away from this Europe full of fanatics.
I'll start a business there.
A tailor shop.
My father taught me the trade and I was a good apprentice.
Merida's Tailor Shop.
What do you think?
Everything will come.
You'll see.
I worshipped my father.
He's the one who taught me how to play chess when I was little.
He always said:
"You'll be a champion someday."
But he couldn't see it.
He died when I was 12.
Now I just want to go home and be with my wife.
And see my daughter grow up.
You can see I'm not a man with big plans.
There's something strange about you.
I can't quite figure it out, but I think you're a good person.
Too good for times like these.
Diego Padilla.
Diego.
Don't give them any satisfaction.
Name, nationality, profession.
Diego Padilla.
Spanish.
Warehouse manager.
Aren't you a chess player?
I thought you didn't consider that a profession.
Move.
It looks like you've won.
You haven't lost yet.
Very well.
Let's see how.
Thank you.
You have to be strong, Marianne.
I couldn't even bury him.
I know.
I've asked the authorities for his body several times,
but the SS colonel in charge, a man named Maier,
refuses. If I insist, I'll end up annoying them,
and I don't think that's good for us.
I'm very grateful for everything you're doing.
I don't want you to keep taking risks.
I'll do anything you ask, Marianne. Trust me.
I need some money, Pierre.
I can't pay my rent.
I'm going to do something better.
I wanted to ask you before. I know it's still recent,
but I'd like you and Margaux to come and live here.
You'd be my guests.
I want you to have everything you need.
You're very good to us.
Thank you very much.
But I can't do that.
You're right.
It's too soon.
See you soon.
You were right.
I admit that you surprised me.
Draw.
Take this man to his cell.
Kauffman!
Without violence.
- What happened? Are you okay? - Yes.
They didn't do anything to you?
They interrogated me again.
Without torture?
That's weird.
- You don't believe me? - I'm just saying it's weird.
I wouldn't want to be wrong about you.
Actually they wanted me to play chess.
Chess?
Have you got another one?
The king moves one square at a time.
Sure, because he has gout.
What I didn't understand from yesterday is the passing pawn.
It's a pawn with no enemy pawn that can stop it.
A fugitive pawn.
Camille Gerbaud.
Jean-Luc Phillip Moreau.
Marcel Gandriaux.
I bring the prisoner.
Anton Bruckner.
The greatest symphony writer after Beethoven.
That great little Austrian had only one flaw.
His religiousness.
Are you religious?
I haven't gone to church in a long time.
Don't be afraid to answer.
This is only a conversation between two civilized men.
Do you believe in God?
Yes, I'm Catholic.
So you think...
you have an immortal soul
and that if you act according to the commandments,
you'll be eternally rewarded in Heaven.
Faith is hard to explain.
And even harder to understand
when an intelligent man has it.
I don't believe in God.
Not in yours or any other.
I believe the gods were invented by primitive men
puzzled by the mysteries of nature
and that their Bible,
so filled with incest,
miracles and murderers,
is the biggest literary fallacy in all of Europe.
People are ignorant and must be educated,
but not by the disgusting coercion of Jewish morals!
Please, sit down.
I didn't call you here to offend your convictions.
You owe me a rematch.
Allow me the privilege of playing white again.
Checkmate.
Put the pieces back.
Checkmate.
Starting tomorrow,
you will give me lessons in theory
to prevent such humiliation.
From now on bring him clean and shaven.
Yes, sir.
Undress him.
Get undressed!
Take off your clothes!
- Faster! - What stinks,
- your food? - No.
Must be the Spanish dog.
Faster!
We need to wash him.
In the cage!
Get in there!
Step aside!
Moving the bishop puts your king at risk.
Checkmate.
What do you mean, Checkmate?
We're only starting.
Shepherd's checkmate.
Oh, well.
You play worse than my four-year-old daughter.
Come on, play again.
Can I ask a favor of you?
Go ahead.
I'd like to prove my innocence.
If you wish to remain alive,
just do as you're told.
In this building
people die every day
for accusations less serious than yours.
Don't make the mistake of thinking
that you have the power to change the course of events.
Pablo!
What's wrong with you today?
Have you lost your faith?
You don't believe in God anymore?
Open up.
You...
dead!
By moving your knight you lose the center of the board
and your general position is weakened.
JULY, 1941
Germany is at war with Russia now.
It's the most important decision
the fuhrer has made,
but there was no other option with the Russian dogs.
Communism is the most irrational form of government.
Would you like a glass of brandy?
No, thank you.
Perhaps you prefer something else.
I'd like to be able to write my wife and daughter.
You can write your family once a month.
With the envelopes open so that I may inspect them.
But don't ask them to write you back.
You can receive no correspondence from the outside.
Dear Marianne and Margaux.
Today marks one year since my arrest.
AUGUST 19TH, 1941
And for the first time I am allowed to write to you.
I think about you both all the time.
The memory of our love gives me
the strength to keep fighting.
NOVEMBER 5TH, 1942
Sometimes I think God is testing me,
because he has forgotten me.
But I promise you that nothing or no one
will keep us apart or take our past away from us.
Merry Christmas!
Not only the past we've shared,
but also the past we've been deprived of.
JULY 12TH, 1943
Come with me.
Let's go!
I didn't bring you here to play chess today.
Things are changing.
It's not like four years ago.
The Americans landed in Normandy some time ago
and they're at the gates of Paris.
The fuhrer
has decided to execute all prisoners
and blow up this building.
However,
I'm not willing to send you to your death.
I've known for a long time that you aren't a spy.
- You knew I was innocent. - That's right.
But your life was worth very little on the street.
You might say I was protecting you.
Although you don't know it, you have influential enemies.
I don't have any enemies in France.
We all have enemies.
Pierre Boileau, do you know him?
He was my wife's friend.
Hers, perhaps,
but it doesn't seem he was yours.
Pierre Boileau reported you accusing you of espionage.
Why didn't you release me when you found out it was false?
Out of selfishness.
I found life in this prison too tedious.
And the chance to play chess against someone
with your talent
was an extraordinary relief for me.
- Those are my letters. - Yes.
They never left here.
I let you write them to keep your spirits up,
but they never left my office.
Take them.
Reinke.
Free this man.
I hope...
you understand the exception I'm making with you.
Get out of here!
Marianne!
Please!
We don't have anything to give.
Go away.
I'm not a beggar.
I know you.
You're that Spaniard
who was arrested for being a communist.
The accusation was false.
That's why they released me.
I don't care if you're a communist or not.
They killed my husband for collaborating with the Resistance.
Everyone thought you were dead.
Do you know where my wife and daughter are?
They left Paris two years ago.
Do you know where they went?
They went to Bordeaux.
With a man named Pierre Boileau.
Your wife Marianne thought you were dead.
You're going to look for them, aren't you?
What else can I do?
They left an address.
For their mail.
I'll prepare you something, it's a long way.
Thank you.
Good day, sir.
Good day.
Isn't it too hot to be walking?
I'm getting used to it.
I've walked all the way from Paris.
It's about 500 kilometers on foot.
You're Spanish, huh?
I recognized your accent.
How far are you going?
To your country?
To Bordeaux.
It's only 40 kilometers.
Come on, get on.
I'm going to Bordeaux too.
Why are they doing that to them?
They're collaborators.
It's their punishment for being with a German.
The house you're looking for is at the end of that road.
Thanks, my friend.
If you stay in Bordeaux, come and see me.
I promise to give you some more of that wine.
- See you soon. - See you soon.
Good day. Who are you?
Margaux, who is it?
A beggar.
Margaux, leave us alone.
Goodbye.
Hello, Marianne.
They told me you were dead.
That the Nazis had executed you.
Where were you this whole time?
In prison.
I'm sorry, Diego.
I don't know how to react.
Please, give me time...
Margaux looks beautiful.
She's all grown up now.
And the way I look, she thought I was a beggar.
Come.
I'll give you clean clothes and you can take a bath.
Here.
I'll make you something to eat meanwhile.
Thank you.
Please, sit down.
Diego, a lot has happened since we last saw each other.
It's very hard to explain.
Do you know why I was arrested?
They said you'd been accused of being a communist.
I never understood why they locked you up.
Someone reported me with lies.
Someone influential.
But you had no enemies.
That's what I thought, Marianne.
That I had no enemies.
Are you happy with Pierre?
He treats me very well.
And he's a good father to Margaux.
And Margaux?
Does she remember me?
She was very little when you were arrested.
The first months she asked about you a lot and I didn't know what to say.
She must have noticed that her questions made me sad and after a while...
she stopped talking about you.
I may have been wrong, but...
I thought it was better if she forgot you quickly.
And if there was nothing at home to remind her of her father.
I've come to find out if I still have a family.
Things can't go back to how they were.
Or change all of a sudden.
At first I tried not to get you out of my life, but...
it's been four years.
And you were dead.
I'm not here to take Margaux away from you,
but I won't give her up.
I know I have nothing to offer her right now,
but things could change.
She's happy here.
And some day she'll inherit Pierre's fortune.
Please, try to understand.
And with you...
Look at you, Diego.
I'm sorry.
What's your horse's name?
It doesn't have a name.
Shall we give it one?
Which one?
Rocinante.
What a strange name.
Do you like it?
It's good for a horse.
All right.
You're more handsome without the beard
and my father's clothes look good on you.
Do you know how to play chess?
No.
But I know how to move the pieces and what they're called.
The horse can jump,
and the king, since he's older,
can only move one square at a time.
Do you know who taught you that?
I don't remember.
I've known it since I was little,
from when I lived in Madrid with my daddy.
With your daddy?
I have to go now.
But maybe we can see each other another time.
Yes. You could come over and play with me.
I promise.
Goodbye, Margaux.
Goodbye.
Be nice to Mommy.
I think I remember you.