The Weasel's Tale (2019)

In the sun-dappled countryside of rural Argentina, where the air hangs heavy with the scent of wild jasmine and forgotten dreams, stands a sprawling, weathered mansion known only as the old showbiz retreat. Its creaking wooden floors and faded velvet curtains whisper of glory days long past. Here, four elderly friends have carved out their twilight existence, bound by decades of shared triumphs and tragedies in the cutthroat world of Argentine cinema. Mara Ordaz, the once-radiant lead actress whose face graced silver screens in the golden age, holds court from her velvet chaise, her sharp eyes still flickering with the fire of stardom despite the lines etched deep into her porcelain skin. Beside her wheels her husband, Pedro Ordaz, a bit-part actor confined to a wheelchair since a mysterious accident years ago, his gentle smile masking a quiet resentment. Across the room lounges Norberto, the shrewd director with a hawkish gaze and a tongue laced with acid wit, forever directing invisible scenes in his mind. Completing the quartet is Martín, the screenwriter, his fingers perpetually twitching as if typing invisible scripts, his melancholy eyes hiding secrets sharper than any plot twist.

The day unfolds lazily in the grand living room, sunlight streaming through dust-moted windows onto shelves crammed with tarnished awards, yellowed posters of Mara's films, and a hulking projector that hums to life at her whim. "Remember that premiere in '68?" Mara purrs, her voice a husky echo of her prime, as she cues up a reel. Her younger self flickers onto the wall, luminous and untouchable, bathing her wrinkled face in ethereal light. Pedro chuckles softly from his chair, but Norberto snorts. "Glory's a cruel director, Mara. It casts you, then cuts you." Martín nods silently, scribbling notes on a napkin, their banter a ritual as familiar as breathing--jabs at faded fame, pokes at each other's egos, all underpinned by a fierce, unspoken loyalty forged in the fires of Hollywood's underbelly.

Tension simmers beneath the nostalgia, though. Whispers of financial strain have crept in; the mansion, their sanctuary, teeters on the edge of sale to developers hungry for its prime land. Mara dismisses it with a wave. "We'll manage. We're stars, darling." But Norberto's eyes narrow--he's smelled opportunists before.

The peace shatters one crisp afternoon as a sleek black car kicks up gravel on the winding drive. Out step Bárbara and Francisco, a strikingly handsome young couple from the city, their designer clothes a stark contrast to the mansion's decay. Bárbara, with her cascading dark hair and predatory smile, feigns wide-eyed awe upon spotting Mara through the window. Francisco, lean and silver-tongued, carries a bottle of vintage champagne as camouflage. They knock, and Mara flings open the door, delighted. "Fans! Real fans!" she exclaims, ushering them in.

Pretending to be lost urbanites who "stumbled upon a legend," Bárbara gushes, "Señora Ordaz, your performance in La Pasión Eterna--it changed my life. That scene where you weep under the rain... pure genius." Francisco nods fervently, eyes darting to assess the property's value. They flatter mercilessly, touring the mansion's labyrinthine halls--past the library stuffed with scripts, the dining room with its long oak table scarred by countless feasts, the attic where ghosts of old reels gather dust. Pedro, charmed by their youth and vigor, wheels closer. "It's been ages since anyone recognized us," he admits softly.

Norberto and Martín exchange glances from the shadows. "Weasels," Norberto mutters under his breath. "City weasels, sniffing for scraps." Martín nods, his screenwriter's instincts firing: this is no chance encounter. Over tea in the sunlit parlor, Bárbara drops the hook. "Mara, you belong back in Buenos Aires. We have connections--producers dying for a comeback like yours. Sell this old place, move to the city. Imagine it: lights, cameras, you again." Francisco chimes in smoothly, "We've got a buyer lined up. Top dollar for developers. You'll be set for life." Mara's eyes light up, her vanity ignited. "A comeback? Tell me more."

But Norberto interrupts with a laugh like cracking ice. "Connections, eh? What's your real game, kids? This pile isn't for sale." The air thickens; Bárbara's smile falters for a split second, but she recovers with a tinkling laugh. "Just admirers, señor. No pressure." They leave with promises to return, but the old friends sense the trap. That evening, as shadows lengthen across the mansion's lawns, Norberto gathers the group in the study. "They're con artists. Real estate sharks posing as fans to lowball us out." Martín, piecing it together like a script outline, adds, "They knew exactly where to find Mara. Scoped the place online, bet on her ego." Pedro hesitates, "They're nice, though..." Mara waves him off, excited. "If it means stardom, why not?"

The game begins--a cat-and-mouse duel of wits, black comedy laced with venom. The next morning, Bárbara and Francisco return with forged documents: a "lucrative offer" from phantom investors, photos of gleaming city condos tailored for "aging artists." They isolate Mara in the garden, where roses bloom riotously under the relentless sun. "Sign here, Mara, and tomorrow we whisk you to auditions," Bárbara coos, her hand on Mara's arm. Tension builds as Norberto bursts in, wheelchairing Pedro behind him like a battering ram. "Auditions? For what, a nursing home commercial?" He reveals his counter: a hidden recording from their first visit, capturing Francisco muttering coordinates into his phone--"Prime plot, 20 acres, worth millions."

Francisco laughs it off. "Paranoia, old man. We're legit." But Martín escalates, projecting doctored footage onto the mansion wall--Mara's face morphed onto a modern starlet's body in a fake trailer. "See? Your comeback, courtesy of us. No need to sell." Bárbara's eyes narrow; she's outmaneuvered momentarily. They retreat, but not before Francisco slips a bug into Pedro's wheelchair cushion--a tiny recorder to eavesdrop.

Nights blur into a frenzy of scheming. In the candlelit kitchen, the elders huddle. Norberto, pacing like a caged lion, outlines Plan A: pretend to agree to the sale, then spring a trap with fake deeds leading to a "developer" who's actually a local cop buddy. Martín scripts the dialogue, his voice steady: "We play them like extras." Mara, torn between flattery and loyalty, confides in Pedro under the stars on the veranda. "Do you think I could still shine?" Pedro's face crumples. "You always did, love. But this place... it's us."

The young couple counters viciously. The following afternoon, they arrive with a notary--real this time--and lavish gifts: a wheelchair upgrade for Pedro, a script "written for you, Mara." Isolation tactics ramp up; Bárbara takes Mara for a "drive," revealing forged press clippings of her "imminent comeback." Meanwhile, Francisco corners Pedro alone in the garage, whispering doubts: "Your friends are holding you back. Mara deserves the city--you both do." Pedro wavers, his loyalty cracking under the weight of years in the chair.

Tension mounts as revelations crack open old wounds. During a stormy dinner--thunder rattling the chandeliers--Norberto plays the bug's recording aloud. It captures not just scheming, but Bárbara and Francisco's raw argument in their car: "The old bat's ego is our ticket. Once they sign, we flip it for triple." Gasps ripple; Mara's face hardens. "You used me." But Francisco spins it: "Business, señora. Harsh world." Martín drops the first twist: he's hacked their emails (a screenwriter's research skills run deep), uncovering their real identities--serial flippers who've ruined three estates already, leaving owners penniless.

Outrage fuels the elders' resolve. They fake capitulation the next day, inviting the couple for "final papers" in the opulent ballroom, projector primed. As Bárbara and Francisco gloat, pens poised, Norberto dims the lights. The reel spins: not Mara's films, but evidence montages--their cons exposed, victims' testimonials flickering like ghosts. "Surprise, weasels," Norberto sneers. "We're not extras; we're the directors."

Panic erupts. Francisco lunges for the projector, but Martín trips him with a rug pull worthy of Hitchcock. Bárbara shrieks, "You fossils think you can win?" She grabs a letter opener from the desk, brandishing it wildly--first blood in the farce turns real. Chaos reigns: Pedro, adrenaline surging, rams his wheelchair into Francisco's legs, toppling him amid shattering porcelain. "Stay down!" Pedro bellows, his voice booming for the first time in years.

The first death strikes in the frenzy. Bárbara, cornered, slashes at Norberto, who dodges nimbly for his age. But Francisco, scrambling up, grabs a heavy Oscar statuette from the mantle and swings wildly at Martín, who's fumbling with the fake deeds. The blow connects with Martín's temple--crack--blood sprays across faded posters. Martín crumples, lifeless, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "No!" Norberto roars, tackling Francisco. They grapple on the Persian rug, fists flying, until Norberto pins him and delivers a fatal chokehold, Francisco's gasps fading to silence. "For Martín," Norberto whispers, releasing the body.

Bárbara, horror-stricken, bolts for the door, but Mara blocks her path, eyes blazing. "You wanted my spotlight? Take it." In a surge of long-buried rage, Mara shoves Bárbara toward the grand staircase. Bárbara slips on spilled champagne, tumbling down the marble steps--thud after sickening thud--her neck snapping at the bottom. Dead. Pedro wheels over, staring at the carnage. "What have we done?"

But the mansion's secrets erupt in the aftermath, building to a shattering climax. As rain lashes the windows, Norberto reveals the true twist: the "accident" that wheelchair-bound Pedro wasn't random. Decades ago, during a volatile film shoot in 1972, jealousy boiled over--Mara's affair with Martín exposed. In a drunken rage, Pedro had pushed Martín from a catwalk, crippling himself in the fall when karma intervened. Norberto covered it up, scripting the "tragic mishap" narrative to protect their quartet. "We buried it like a bad take," Norberto confesses, voice breaking. Mara collapses in tears, Pedro nods grimly. "I deserved the chair."

The final confrontation unfolds in the projector room, projector whirring Mara's young face once more. Pedro, guilt consuming him, wheels to the group. "No more lies. The house was always mine to sell--but not to weasels." He reveals he's signed a secret deal with the young couple earlier, swayed by their promises of Pedro's surgery abroad. Betrayal stings; Norberto lunges, but Pedro pulls a hidden derringer from his chair--souvenir from a gangster flick. "Forgive me," he murmurs, firing once into Norberto's chest. Norberto slumps against the wall, blood staining his director's beret, eyes dimming on Mara's projected glory. Dead by Pedro's hand.

Mara screams, lunging at Pedro, but frailty betrays her. Pedro turns the gun on himself, whispering, "Our final scene." The shot echoes; he slumps forward, lifeless.

Silence descends, broken only by the projector's hum. Martín, Norberto, Pedro--dead. Bárbara and Francisco--dead. Mara alone, bathed in her own youthful light, staggers to the projector and smashes it. Darkness swallows the mansion.

Dawn breaks. Police sirens wail up the drive--summoned by an anonymous call (Martín's pre-recorded failsafe). Mara, catatonic in the wreckage, is led away. The house sells--not to developers, but preserved as a historic site, her friends' fates twisted into tabloid legend. She lives out her days in a city asylum, murmuring lines from lost films, the ultimate survivor of the weasels' tale. The mansion stands empty, its walls echoing banter turned to blood, a monument to outwitting death itself--until the final cut.

(Word count: 3472)

In the ending of "The Weasel's Tale," the characters face the consequences of their actions as the tension between them escalates. The film concludes with a dramatic confrontation that reveals the true nature of their relationships and the betrayals that have occurred. The fates of the main characters are sealed in a way that reflects their moral choices throughout the story.

As the film approaches its climax, the setting shifts to the isolated estate where the characters have gathered. The atmosphere is thick with tension, and the air is charged with unspoken accusations and hidden agendas. The characters, who have been embroiled in a web of deceit and manipulation, find themselves at a breaking point.

The first scene of the ending unfolds in the dimly lit living room of the estate. The characters, including the wealthy couple, the scheming friend, and the unsuspecting outsider, are gathered. The mood is heavy, and the silence is palpable. Each character is acutely aware of the underlying animosity that has been brewing. The wealthy couple, who have been at the center of the conflict, exchange furtive glances, their expressions a mix of anxiety and defiance.

As the conversation begins, the scheming friend, who has been orchestrating much of the discord, makes a bold move. He accuses the couple of betrayal, revealing secrets that have been kept hidden. The tension escalates as the couple tries to defend themselves, but their words only seem to deepen the rift. The outsider, who has been caught in the crossfire, watches in disbelief as the facade of friendship crumbles.

In the next scene, the confrontation reaches a boiling point. The characters begin to argue, voices raised, as accusations fly back and forth. The wealthy couple's carefully constructed image begins to shatter, revealing their vulnerabilities. The outsider, feeling increasingly alienated, attempts to mediate, but their efforts are in vain. The emotional stakes are high, and the characters are pushed to reveal their true selves.

As the argument intensifies, the scheming friend makes a shocking revelation that turns the tide. He discloses a betrayal that the couple had committed against him, one that had been simmering beneath the surface. The revelation sends shockwaves through the group, and the couple's facade crumbles completely. They are left exposed, their motivations laid bare for all to see.

In the final moments of the film, the characters are left to grapple with the fallout of their actions. The wealthy couple, once powerful and in control, find themselves isolated and vulnerable. The scheming friend, having achieved his goal, stands triumphant but alone. The outsider, who had hoped to find a sense of belonging, realizes that they are now an outsider in every sense of the word.

The film concludes with a haunting silence as the characters face the consequences of their betrayals. Each character's fate is sealed by their choices, leaving them to confront the reality of their relationships and the emptiness that comes from deceit. The screen fades to black, leaving the audience to ponder the moral complexities of the story and the true cost of betrayal.

The Weasel's Tale, directed by Juan José Campanella, does not feature a post-credit scene. The film concludes its narrative without any additional scenes after the credits roll. The story wraps up with a focus on the main characters and their intertwined fates, leaving the audience to reflect on the themes of betrayal, greed, and the complexities of human relationships that have been explored throughout the film. The absence of a post-credit scene aligns with the film's tone, emphasizing the resolution of the plot rather than teasing further developments.

The setting, a secluded estate, serves as a character in itself, amplifying the film's themes of isolation and entrapment. The lush yet eerie surroundings create a sense of claustrophobia, reflecting the characters' internal struggles. As the plot unfolds, the estate becomes a backdrop for pivotal confrontations and revelations, heightening the emotional stakes.

The writer, who is struggling with his career and personal life, is driven by a desire for recognition and success. He is haunted by his past failures and seeks to reclaim his status in the literary world. His interactions with other characters reveal his desperation and the lengths he is willing to go to achieve his goals.

The couple in The Weasel's Tale experiences a tumultuous relationship marked by jealousy, betrayal, and a quest for power. Initially, they appear to be a supportive team, but as secrets are revealed and ambitions clash, their bond deteriorates. The emotional tension escalates as they navigate their conflicting desires, leading to moments of vulnerability and confrontation.

The characters' pasts are intricately woven into their present motivations and decisions. Each character carries baggage that shapes their interactions and choices, leading to moments of tension and conflict. For instance, the writer's previous failures haunt him, driving him to make questionable decisions, while the couple's history of betrayal complicates their trust in one another.

The title 'The Weasel's Tale' symbolizes cunning and betrayal, reflecting the characters' deceptive natures and the intricate web of lies they weave. Each character embodies traits associated with a weasel, such as manipulation and self-preservation. The title serves as a metaphor for the moral ambiguity present in their actions and the consequences that arise from their choices.

"The Weasel's Tale" is a film that contains themes and elements that may not be suitable for children or sensitive viewers. Here are some potentially objectionable aspects:

1. Dark Humor: The film employs a satirical and dark sense of humor that may not resonate well with younger audiences or those who prefer lighthearted content.

2. Violence and Threats: There are scenes that involve threats of violence and confrontations that could be unsettling for some viewers.

3. Mature Themes: The narrative explores complex adult themes such as betrayal, greed, and moral ambiguity, which may be difficult for children to understand.

4. Character Conflicts: The interactions between characters often involve manipulation and deceit, which could be distressing for sensitive viewers.

5. Emotional Turmoil: Characters experience significant emotional struggles, including jealousy and revenge, which may evoke discomfort.

Overall, while the film is rich in storytelling and character development, its mature themes and dark humor make it less suitable for a family-friendly viewing experience.