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THIS STORY IS INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS
SOME CHARACTERS AND SITUATIONS HAVE BEEN FICTIONALIZED
IN MEMORY OF PEDRO COSTA
The first time I heard of Baler, I was 20.
I was told it was a Tagalog town,
north of Manila,
an accursed place surrounded by sea and jungle,
inhabited by bloodthirsty rebels who hated Spain.
One night,
in October 1897,
a detachment defending the town was massacred without mercy.
There was terror,...
Lieutenant!
...despair,
chaos...
It was shameful.
Of fifty soldiers, only thirteen survived.
They fought for their freedom,
we fought for the survival of an empire.
And we lost.
Three months later, I was sent with the next group.
Our mission was to recover this accursed town,
and the grandeur of Spain.
I didn't know it yet,
but we were destined to be the last defenders of the Empire,
the last ones on the Philippines.
1898, OUR LAST MEN IN THE PHILIPPINES
I'd never been in a war...
and I thought that, to survive,
I just needed a little luck
and common sense.
I was young.
I was naïve.
- You can't see anyone. - It's what they do best:
hide, kill, hide...
That'll do, "Ron", you'll get a belly ache.
Keep your eyes peeled.
Away all boats, arms ready!
Let's go, men!
- Away all boats! - Come on, hurry up!
God help us.
- Come on, go! - How did I get into this? Damn it!
Lieutenant, there's a man on the shore!
Lieutenant Martín Cerezo, 2nd Ranger Battalion.
Brother Carmelo, I look after the parish.
Do you command these men?
That's Captain Las Morenas. He's coming.
- Have you come from Manila? - Yes, Father.
To recover the town.
- Where's the best access? - An hour upriver.
The rebels left two weeks ago...
Fix bayonets!
The remaining natives are peaceful.
Let me be the judge of that.
We advance in two columns. Carvajal, on point.
Everyone on the alert. Move!
Unfurl the flag and come with me.
Luis, take five men and check the church.
On me!
How thick are these walls?
Almost five feet.
Five feet can take the impact of heavy artillery.
Apart from the sacristy, what else can we use for storage?
Sergeant Jimeno Costa.
I'm a survivor of the previous detachment.
At your orders, Lieutenant.
I've been waiting for you for weeks.
Regulations say you should've gone with your men to Manila.
The first duty of a soldier, Lieutenant,
- is to defend Spain. - You didn't do that too well.
I didn't surrender, God knows I fought until I had no strength left.
Isn't this enough for you, or this?
If the Tagalog come down again,
you're going to need me.
I know what's going on here.
Why didn't you take down that flag?
They cut ours to pieces.
And the townspeople want this one.
Jose.
Hoist it.
Keeping it as a souvenir?
Be careful of the women in the town, Lieutenant.
They all spy for the enemy.
- What's your name? - Teresa.
She's a whore, her brother fights with the rebels.
What my brother does is his business.
I've got nothing against Spain.
I'm baptized
and I sing in the church choir.
What do you sing? Christmas carols?
Love songs.
Whatever you like.
What songs do you know?
Spanish, Filipino...
Sing one.
- I sing when I get paid. - Like all whores.
I will tell you...
Go on.
That's all you paid for.
Welcome to Baler...
...sir.
The rebels belong to a Masonic organization,
the Katipunan, that seeks an independent Philippines.
They don't care that Spain has been here for 400 years,
that we've built its cities. They want us out, and dead.
The Tagalog are tough,
they're very violent, and they have great allies:
the heat, malaria,
typhoons and beasts.
You're very young, very green,
and inept
If you want to survive,
you'll have to learn fast.
Whoever doesn't, God have mercy on him.
We'll survive.
This little Virgin is lucky.
Lucky for everyone, or just you?
If you want to trust in the Virgin, it's up to you,
but the men butchered here had crucifixes too.
They died for Spain.
For Spain... What's Spain done for you?
I'm not here by choice.
When why the hell are you here, Juan?
Aim!
Fire!
Ready!
Fire!
- Cease fire. Weapons down. - Are they really this bad?
It's the first time they've fired a gun.
My God.
You've said it my captain, they'll have to learn.
I don't know if they'll have time.
Then we'll need to dig a lot of graves.
I'm not making my wife a widow.
Aim!
I know yours died recently.
Fire!
I lost my daughter too. Three days old. Tuberculosis.
- My condolences. - Fire!
Why didn't you stay in Spain?
It's the last place I wanted to be.
Fire!
You didn't come to sacrifice yourself?
Look, Lieutenant, in war there are two types of soldier:
those who want medals and those who want to get home.
Given the choice, I'd prefer the former.
They're the most dangerous.
Put your heart into it!
A circle around me! Let's go!
- In a circle! - Keep your distance!
They didn't even get your boot size right, eh?
They send you here without knowing how to shoot,
- with boots the wrong size... - I'll adapt, Lieutenant.
Is your morale that high?
If I get back from the war with an exemplary conduct letter,
I can study at the Royal Academy.
- Study what? - Painting, Lieutenant.
I want to be a painter. Don Gabriel says I'm good.
- Who's Don Gabriel? - The mayor of my hometown.
He promised to pay for my studies if I make it back with that letter.
He should've paid the 2,000 pesetas
- to get you out of the Army. - Don Gabriel is a patriot.
- He says that Spain needs... - Spain is full of patriots like him.
They send off other men while they stuff themselves.
The aim is restore
the original tone and brightness
and emphasize their contour.
Look.
You see?
- And you want me to do it? - Well, I saw your drawings.
And the lieutenant tells me you want to devote yourself to this.
It's an opportunity.
I don't know, Father, I haven't had much practice with brushes.
- I don't want to desecrate... - Desecrate?
I've been a missionary around the world for 20 years.
If I only did what the seminary taught, I'd be dead.
Son,
the natives like to be told stories.
I'm just asking you
to make them more attractive.
And I needn't tell you that while you're on this job
you'll be off guard duty or anything else.
Where God is in charge, no captain is.
Rifles up close!
Present... arms!
Order... arms!
Head up! With pride!
Who taught you to paint like that?
I learnt with limestone and clay. While Grandpa herded,
I'd amuse myself by drawing.
Where are you from?
Fuenlabrada de Los Montes, in Extremadura.
Son, I think you were born in the wrong place.
Crocodiles.
Sergeant.
Sometimes they get dogs, cats,
whatever they can find.
I wish they'd eat the captain's dog.
How the hell can you come to war with a dog?
Don't you ever rest?
No. They've captured me once before.
It's not going to happen again.
Is this your first war?
Watch out it doesn't become a vice.
What?
Killing.
Hold still!
We caught her heading for the hills with food.
Let her go.
Sergeant...
What do you think?
What the hell do you think?
She only hauls food?
This bitch knows where you sleep,
what you eat, what you shit!
She want to fuck us up and nobody's doing that to me!
It's for your brother.
It's just food, I have nothing to do with this war.
You do now.
Go on, go.
- Sergeant... - Lieutenant!
Let her go.
If you want to join your people, do it.
But give your brother a message:
lf they come back to Baler, we'll be waiting,
and this time there'll be no surrender.
It's a mistake to let her go.
It's a sign of weakness.
Do you know what is a sign of weakness?
Killing women.
Halt!
- Don't shoot! - Halt!
- It's Spanish mail! - Keep a lookout!
Help me, help me.
He's in bad shape.
The Americans declared war on us.
What?
They're accusing us of sinking some ship in Havana.
Their fleet has destroyed the Spanish fleet in Cavite.
What about Manila?
Under siege.
Did you cross the Sierra Madre?
The Tagalog...
The Tagalog attacked you? How many were there?
- 50. - How many did you see?
Out! Everyone out, please!
Hold him. Lift him up.
Gentlemen, Manila HQ
will not be able to send us supplies.
That cuts us off from the rest of the country.
From now on we rely on ourselves.
The rebels are up there waiting for the right time to come down.
There are fifty of us
and they could number a hundred, two hundred,
even a thousand.
To avoid any surprises, I've made a decision.
We'll turn the church into a fortress
and take refuge inside.
We'll confiscate animals for reserves in the event of a siege.
Bermúdez, occupy the corral. Eduardo, take three men
and search that cabin. The rest of you, on me.
Someone told them to leave here, Sergeant.
We'll use the church courtyard as a garden
and we'll dig a well for fresh water.
The sacristy will be our infirmary...
and the basement our storeroom.
The last one?
We'll raise the Spanish flag high on the bell tower.
Gentlemen, we can't tell you what's happening in Manila,
San Juan or Havana,
but I can tell you what we're going to do here.
- We're going to fight. - Hurrah for Spain!
Hurrah!
JUNE 30, 1898
Who goes there?!
The Tagalog are attacking! They're attacking!
Fire!
Come out!
Go, quickly!
To the trench! Keep them back from the church!
Vigil, take the courtyard.
Carvajal, take your two best shots up to the choir level.
- Positions at the windows. Go! - Yes, sir.
Everyone to the trenches!
Quickly!
Go, fire! Fire!
Fire at will! Everyone in position!
Go!
To the trench! Take cover!
Go, go, go!
Fire!
Don't let them get close!
Andrés.
Good God... Fire at will!
Fix bayonets!!
Keep firing!
Get up! Fuck!
Lieutenant! Fall back from the trench!
- Captain... - Sound retreat!
Jimeno! Fall back!
Back! Fall back!
Cease fire! Retreat!
Retreat?
You don't win wars that way.
Go!
They're here!
Up! Let's go!
Let's go!
They outnumbered us, Carlos. There were thousands of them.
That's not true.
It isn't?
There weren't thousands, don't exaggerate.
Where the hell were you?
Fighting, just like you.
Are you calling me a liar?
Soldiers!
What are you doing?
Right...
Can you follow this finger?
You were up top. Tell him how many there were.
Thousands, coming from everywhere, like cockroaches.
That's not the worst thing. The worst thing is that we're alone.
Manila's not sending anyone.
We've got the food and ammo to hold on.
We're fifty scared shitless men in a church.
Scared shitless?
One battle and you're already bawling like little girls?
Captain!
Go ahead.
They're sending an emissary.
Lieutenant, see what they want.
Moisés, your Mauser.
Carvajal, upstairs. You come with me.
Calixto Villacorta, for Commander Luna Novicio,
head of the Filipino forces in the Katipunan region.
Lieutenant Martín Cerezo, 2nd Ranger Battalion.
My commander wants no more bloodshed.
Spanish troops are losing everywhere.
Tell him to hand in his arms and accept Spanish jurisdiction.
You're losing the war.
I see more of your dead than I do mine.
I should speak to your superior.
There's nothing to say.
We'll grant you a truce until tomorrow.
Each side can bury their own.
See to the dead.
Well?
They want us to lay down our arms.
There was no offer?
We're in no condition to receive offers, Captain.
Don't look too hard, we'll all end up like this.
Shut up.
Juan, help me.
Leave him, I'll do it.
Hold tight.
He's gone putrid! We have to pull him out.
Shouldn't we just cover him with earth?
- Would you want to be left here? - Let's go!
Juan!
Give me a hand.
Juan...
What the hell's he doing?
He's deserting.
Juan!
What are you waiting for? Shoot!
Shoot! That's an order!
Shoot!
We bid farewell to these war heroes,
with eternal thanks for their endeavor.
May God reward them
when He receives them in Heaven.
May his Holiness hold him in glory
and may he be forever in our hearts. Amen.
Bad times are coming, and we have to be ready.
This...
will help us keep hunger and despair at bay.
What is it?
Opium.
There's not enough for everyone, but we can share it.
Have you ever tried it?
Before the Philippines
I was spreading the gospel in the south of China.
There they give their lives for this stuff,
men get addicted, lose their teeth,
women their dignity...
but it also relieves pain.
What pain?
All pain.
If God wants me to keep working,
and I believe he does,
I need to be strong.
You do too.
Me?
Go on, smoke.
Smoke.
Most Spaniards can't read,
but they know that Cortez conquered Mexico,
and they know it from paintings, prints, drawings...
What's this got to do with Mexico?
Son, an empire was born there,
and here we may be burying it.
Don't say that, Father.
What I say doesn't matter.
It's for the Lord to decide.
If that happens,
it'll be a disaster.
Yes, but someone will have to paint it.
What are you doing there?
Stop listening! The bastards are playing tricks on us!
Anyone not on guard, back inside the church.
Go!
...because...
my song...
Sons of bitches!
Long live Spain, damn it!
Long live the Philippines!
I need your laughter,
I need your kisses,
I need your spark.
I need your laughter,
I need your kisses,
I need...
your spark.
OCTOBER 10, 1898
THREE MONTHS OF SIEGE
Here, "Ron".
Where are you, "Ron"?
"Ron".
We should sacrifice the captain's dog.
Don't you think, Lieutenant?
- Not much protein. - Right, but it's something.
The sacks we had to throw away were his responsibility.
I bet in Manila he took more care about his dog biscuits
- than our food. - Watch your mouth, Sergeant.
Lieutenant, the captain...
isn't like us. You know it.
What do I know?
Lieutenant...
I've got no room, put him there till there's a bed.
Give him water with sugar to hydrate him. Here.
No, small sips, so his stomach doesn't reject it.
Lieutenant...
What's happening?
It's the food,
the sacks from Manila were contaminated.
We're going to be like this the whole time?
No. We'll get worse.
Look...
What's he got?
It's called beriberi.
The body becomes malnourished, it lacks minerals...
It starts in the legs, but slowly affects the heart,
the head...
Beriberi?
It means "I can't" in Sinhalese.
I can't walk, I can't speak, sleep, eat...
It gradually paralyzes the body, and finally the mind.
And how is it cured?
With fruit, meat, offal,
just what we don't have.
They tricked you, God damn it!
Your superiors are lying to you!
Spain's not at war anymore.
We lost sovereignty three months ago.
Three months now!
- Private. - We sold the Philippines to the Americans!
- Private! - Now they fight against them...
Captain.
Come down.
That fool's been saying that for days, hasn't he?
Are you alright, Captain?
Lieutenant Martin told me
you want to study Fine Arts,
and you need a letter of recommendation.
I have a mission.
A mission?
The one with the courage to carry it out
will leave here with medals, I assure you.
Manila.
Manila?
We need to get to Manila.
It's the only way to find out what's actually going on.
You have strong legs and you're smart.
You could cross the Sierra Madre, reach Manila,
and be back in a fortnight.
I'm asking you, please.
I'm sleepy.
Are you scared?
It's 200 kilometres.
You have to get through the jungle.
Don't think about that.
Only God knows what's going to happen.
But I have to figure out how to do it.
You're wrong.
Thinking weakens you,
and your body.
Thinking... weakens me?
Most of us
suffer over and fear things
that might not ever happen,
things that are only in our heads.
Your fear is all in your head.
Something wrong?
Captain, what's going on?
My dog, my dog.
Captain...
Who are you?
Vigil!
Call Vigil, quickly! Quickly!
Lieutenant, Lieutenant!
Help me.
Captain, can you hear me?
Enrique.
Enrique!
- Ave Maria... - What is it?
He vomited black and collapsed.
You'll have to take over, Lieutenant.
Lord, we commend the soul of your servant
so that, dead to the world, he is alive to you,
and the sins that through human frailty he committed,
wash them away with your mercy.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Since the captain was sending me to Manila...
The captain's dead. I'm in charge now.
Of course, Lieutenant, I was just asking...
Going to Manila is suicide.
They'd have killed you as soon as you got out.
And I can't lose any more men.
Anything else?
No, Lieutenant.
With your permission...
The heart, liver and offal are for the sick.
The rest will make a soup for the others.
Yes, Lieutenant.
It won't go around.
There are too many of us.
Don't think about that.
Thinking makes you weak.
I don't want to be buried here.
No one's going to bury you.
I've seen them being taken away.
Take it easy, son.
Death doesn't take anyone without God's permission.
And where's God, Father?
Father, give me the brown flask. Alonso, the washbasin!
I don't care what you snatch, cabbage, potatoes, anything fresh.
We can't keep waiting here, we need to stop this beriberi.
Didn't you want to be a hero?
Better this than crossing the Sierra Madre to Manila.
I can't do it alone, Lieutenant.
Take Jose, it'll do him good.
- I can't take any more. - Come on, nearly there.
- You go on... - Shit, Jose!
A dog!
Let's get out of here! Carlos, they're coming!
Go! Go!
Hurry! Go!
My Virgin! My Virgin!
I have to go back! Leave me alone!
I have to go out there!
Let me go out there!
We could've brought it in.
What?
The dog.
It was big.
Okay, don't think about that now,
the main thing is to save your arm.
It'll be alright, won't it?
You've always got your left arm.
It's not like you're going to be Goya, right?
Ever been with a woman?
Why do you ask?
I haven't.
Not even with a bad girl.
My grandfather on my mom's side died of syphilis.
He was widowed young...
and he was a womanizer.
When he had bad days, my mother and I
would treat his skin pustules.
It smelt terrible,
like rotting meat.
Do you think that in Heaven...?
No.
How do you know what I'm going to ask?
Son, our Heaven is boring.
There are no virgins...
or maidens like the Moors have.
Why them and not us?
A good question for the Creator,
but if it's any consolation,
it could be worse.
Worse?
In Oriental religions,
when you die
you start on a road of reincarnation
that may last for seventy thousand lives.
Some are long, like those of elephants,
others are short, like those of...
cockroaches.
I don't want to be a cockroach.
Neither do I, and that's why I thank God
for the blessed fortune of being a Christian,
even if our Heaven is crap.
We bring oranges.
A gift from Commander Luna.
The Commander says
you can sow next to the church.
It will be friendly territory.
Friendly?
That's what he said... "friendly".
We're not surrendering for a garden and some oranges.
The Commander asks you to read these.
They're newspapers from Manila.
The Commander wants peace.
Aren't his men enough? Now he sends in his whores?
You're a good man, Lieutenant.
I told my people what you did for me.
- I didn't do anything. -You saved my life.
Do the same for your soldiers.
Save them.
What I do is none of your business.
We're not spiteful.
I like Spanish men.
Instead of being in there, locked away,
you could be here, celebrating,
enjoying yourselves.
Get the fuck out of here. Go!
It's all true.
Pick that up.
Hey, slowly, slowly.
I'm just saying they might take it the wrong way.
Accepting the gifts?
Yes, Lieutenant.
I don't give a shit. I need strong men,
healthy men, or tell me how we can defend this church.
- As we have up to now. - Tell that to Vigil,
his infirmary is full,
tell that to Father Carmelo, he's sick of giving last rites.
Right.
Or do you want us to keep dying until you take command?
- I don't know what you mean. - What's your point?
You can do better than I can?
You think I'm afraid to die here?
I have no one in Spain.
No wife, no children. I asked to come to this war.
Then do it right, Lieutenant.
As you did when the Tagalog massacred us?
We fought to the end.
You surrendered. That's the difference between us.
No one's surrendering here,
whatever happens or whoever may fall.
Sergeant...
Tear up those pamphlets.
It doesn't leave this room.
DECEMBER 31, 1898 SIX MONTHS OF SIEGE
Spaniards, today's a day to celebrate.
Lay down arms and come into town,
we're celebrating.
You can have some fun! Listen to me and come here!
Look at the women we have for you!
All of them for you!
When did you last touch a woman?
All this talk of decency! Forget the priests,
forget Spain and come into town,
- we're celebrating. -Father.
Tonight open all the wine. Let the men celebrate.
Here, son.
There isn't much left.
No.
There's enough here to say goodbye to the year.
I mean the opium.
What?
Up to now, it's helped us hold on.
But when it's gone, we must be strong, very strong.
Especially here.
The first days are the worst, but it'll pass.
Everything passes.
Here.
Go on, cheer up.
To us, getting out of this church alive.
Vigil, has anyone seen Father Carmelo?
I left him in the sacristy, visiting the sick.
Find him so he can bless the New Year.
Go and get him.
Father...
Father.
Father, what have you done?
Carlos, is he down there?
Carlos, have you found Father Carmelo?
He's here!
Get Vigil.
- Get Vigil. - Oh, fuck...
May his soul rest in peace. Amen.
- Lieutenant. - Get some rest. Everyone.
- We're on guard until... - That's an order.
...I need your kisses...
...I need...
I will tell you...
Artillery fire! Artillery fire!
They're shelling us!
- Someone to the bell tower! - Let's go! Get up!
- To your posts! - Go! Hurry!
- Come on, go! - They've got a cannon.
- Where'd they get it from? - Hurry!
Let's go, hurry!
Fire!
- What's happening? - Take cover! Get down!
What do we do?
- The cannon's out of range. - Then what?
Fire!
"You see the attacks the Devil and the world
make everywhere on the faith,
in which, to gain eternal glory,
we desire, by the grace of God
to live and die.
You, the aid of Christians,
renew, for your sons' salvation,
the ancient victories..."
Help me! Help me!
"They pledge to you the firm intention..."
We'll never get out of here, we'll die one by one
- today, tomorrow, in a week... - Shut the fuck up!
We must go out and fight,
fight like men.
We put powder in the breech, seal it
and blow the cannon sky high.
- How do we get to the cannon? - With balls,
what you're all lacking.
I need every man in fighting condition.
It'll only be one, short attack.
If it goes wrong, it's all over,
there'll be no one in any state to defend the church,
but if it succeeds...
We'll go in two groups
so they think there are more of us and the surprise is greater.
I'll attack on the right flank, Sergeant Jimeno, the left.
I'll give you time to take your positions.
We can't risk any signals.
Wait for me to open fire.
How long do we wait here?
- Until the lieutenant opens fire. - What's he waiting for?
What's wrong with you?
Nothing.
Nothing?
You're not thinking of deserting and joining your pal?
No, I'm not thinking of anything.
- What's that? - What?
Hear that?
It's a buffalo.
Get out of the way, fuck!
What the hell are you doing?
Cover his mouth so he doesn't scream.
Tie him up on the ground.
Sergeant, there are crocodiles.
Is he your son?
The cannon! What are you waiting for?
Cut it out.
Stop it!
He's dead, can't you see?
Go, getaway! Go!
- There, behind that cabin! - Fire! Fire over there!
Where are you going? Halt!
- What are you doing, Sergeant? - He's running off! Fuck!
Here! Help me!
- I can't control them! - We have to go now! Let's go!
- They're regrouping! - C'mon, grab it all! Go!
Grab any food you can find!
Go, Jimeno! Carlos and I will cover you.
Move it! Go!
Let's go!
The fire will cover us. We'll burn the whole town down.
Burn it all down.
Carlos, we have to go now!
- We can win the war! - Carlos...
We can win it.
What happened?
The sergeant found something.
It was hidden in a sack in the basement.
- How long have you been smoking it? - I don't know what you mean.
You don't?
- You're sick. - No.
- You think we're idiots? - You're sick! Don't deny it.
- Dilated pupils, goose bumps... - It's not true!
- Take him to the basement. - We could cure him here.
- Leave me alone! - No! To the basement!
C'mon, to the basement.
Let's go! Come on!
Let me go! Let me go!
No!
- Don't do this to me, Lieutenant! - The worst thing is the anxiety.
Keep your mind busy.
No...
Don't leave me here! Oh God, I'm begging you!
Don't leave me here! I'm begging you!
I'm begging you...
Fine wine all around!
MAY 18, 1899
TEN MONTHS OF SIEGE
Welcome to the world.
Everything alright?
Hey, at last!
A little wine?
Eat. Get your strength back.
A ship!
A ship in the bay!
Is it Spanish?
It's not a Spanish patrol boat.
It's a lieutenant colonel's uniform, but it's obsolete.
This looks like a set-up.
Let's see what he has to say.
Don't let him come any closer.
It's just one man. Are we that frightened?
Moisés and Pedro, cover us from the front door.
Cristóbal Aguilar y Castañeda, Lt. Colonel in the Spanish Army,
under orders from General Rios.
Lieutenant Martín Cerezo, 2nd Ranger Battalion.
I'm here to give this document to Captain Las Morenas.
Captain Las Morenas is indisposed.
What does that mean?
He can't receive you,
but you can speak to me.
- Let me inside the church. - We'll talk here.
- What did you say? - We'll talk here.
Who do you think you're talking to? I'm your superior officer.
Who advised you? That uniform is obsolete.
I order you to let me into the church at once!
Do you want me to report you for insubordination?
I'm here to give the order to hand over this position.
Read it yourself.
How do I know it's legitimate?
It has General Rios' signature.
Anyone can forge a signature.
This is a copy of "El Imparcial", a Spanish newspaper.
It has news on the loss of the colonies.
- You think I forged that tool? - Save your newspapers,
- they've brought us others. - You're acting like a fool!
I'm covered by article 748 of the field regulations:
"An order in writing to surrender
must not be obeyed until verified as authentic".
Call Captain Las Morenas, he knows me.
That's not going to happen.
Why defend a position that no longer belongs to Spain?
Then why attack us like this?
The Filipinos attack because you've no right to be here.
Read the damned document!
It says that Spain ceded, last December 10th,
all of its Overseas Territories to the United States.
Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines have lost Spanish sovereignty.
Your mission here is over.
See for yourself.
When you're convinced, raise the white flag.
The sooner we end this insanity, the better it is for everyone.
"On receipt of an order in writing from a superior
to surrender a position, its execution is suspended
until authenticity is verified,
by sending, if possible,
a person of trust to check it verbally."
I'm not falling for this, least of all now.
The tone and phrasing sound real.
They want it to sound real.
But he asked to see the captain, he said he knew him.
And...?
If you're lying you don't risk saying something that can be proven.
Only we know that Enrique is dead.
He's smart. He was sent to confuse us.
- What if he's telling the truth? - He's lying!
We don't know that!
If the Field Marshal sent him, he would've come
on a Spanish patrol boat and not alone.
If this document is true, we've been fighting for almost a year for the hell of it.
Nobody's fighting for the hell of it! We're defending ourselves
from men firing a cannon at us!
You've lost your last chance
to get out alive, Spaniards.
Your last chance!
You've been shut in there for a year
while Spain is laughing at you!
You're not going to die for Spain!
You're going to die because you're idiots!
That's what you are, a bunch of idiots!
Fuck you! Fuck you all!
You know how you'll be remembered?
How you'll go down in history?
You'll be known as the nitwits of Baler!
The pigs of Baler! Fuck!
Why doesn't he go back to Spain?
He can't. If he went back without us, they'd shoot him.
Sure.
We're at war, aren't we?
Fire! Go!
Don't let them get close!
Fire, damn it! Fire!
Lieutenant...
I want to comply with regulations.
Excuse me?
I'll be the person of trust that goes to check if it's true.
How will you check it?
I'll go to Manila, Lieutenant.
Have you been smoking the opium again?
- If we'd listened to the captain... - You'd be dead.
- That's what would've happened. - We can't keep waiting here.
Are you looking for your exemplary service letter?
Your mayor tricked you, Carlos.
That school won't take people like you.
If we stay here, we'll die.
You won't make it to Manila alive.
You're coming back, aren't you?
Of course.
I'll bring reinforcements.
There won't be anyone in Manila.
It doesn't matter.
I'll be back.
Well, well...
Where'd he come from?
Where were you headed?
Manila.
There are no Spaniards in Manila.
My army?
Your army...
sold the Philippines to the Americans.
Now we're fighting them.
You're not allies anymore?
They didn't come to help,
they came to stay.
You didn't know what was going on at all
inside that church, did you?
You're alone, soldier. There's no empire,
no army, no glory to defend.
My war is not with you.
You're not my prisoner.
If you insist on going to Manila, I'll give you a horse.
But there's nothing there.
If you go back to the church, you're a fool.
I'm not a fool,
nor am I a traitor.
A traitor to what... and to whom?
Spain sold the Philippines to the Yankees!
Our government sold the Philippines for 20 million dollars!
All these heroics and shit they got us to do,
and in the end what counted was money. As usual!
And what do you think they'll do with all that money?
Give it to the families of the dead in Cuba, the Philippines,
Puerto Rico?
Will they give it to your mother when you're buried here?
No.
They'll keep it for themselves.
They don't give a shit about us, Carlos.
If you want to give your life for some dirt bag then that's up to you.
It's all lies! You weren't going to try to reach Manila?
Manila is occupied by the Americans.
The Filipinos are fighting them. We've got no business here.
That's for me to decide!
Do you really think
anyone would take the trouble to forge all these papers
for us, for this church?
Can't you see they're full of lies?!
20 million for Puerto Rico and the Philippines?
What kind of deal is that?
You've got education and sense. Would you do business this way?
They're telling us that they're willing to buy us,
that our surrender has a price,
and that insults the memory of our dead.
Not to mention that stupid naval battle in Santiago de Cuba.
You don't need a degree to know that if your ships aren't battle-ready
they stay in port and defend the bay from land. It's common sense.
Common sense!
Do you think our leaders in Madrid have common sense?
They sent me here not knowing how to shoot,
- and with no boots... - This is different.
One thing is being inept, another is what these papers say.
If someone gave the order to face the American fleet in those conditions,
they should be shot for treason.
Do you think we're led by a traitor?
No, Lieutenant, not a traitor,
an incompetent.
I'm neither one nor the other.
And until I know for sure what's going on outside, I'll keep fighting.
Dismissed.
I don't know.
You don't know?
It's risky.
Risky? Staying here is risky.
It's only two hundred yards.
They'll shoot us in the back.
No, they won't.
I don't want to fight in any more wars.
What if the Filipinos make us fight the Americans?
They gave me their word.
If we surrender they'll let us leave the Philippines.
I don't want to end up like Juan,
- unable to go home. - Staying here is madness.
And I'm not mad.
On your knees! On the ground!
On your knees, the three of you!
I knew you'd run off eventually.
Right?
Do you know the penalty for treason?
Do you?
Halt!
You want to give us to the Tagalog so they can machete us?
Is that what you wanted?
I won't have you shot, Carlos.
I don't shoot wounded men.
What about Jose and Carvajal?
They'll be executed.
- I convinced them to run away. - We're doing it tomorrow
- in the courtyard. - We're not at war.
- You'll hear it from here. -You're wrong! You're wrong!
I saved your life twice, Carlos.
When I didn't send you to Manila, as the captain wanted,
and when I carried you back on my shoulders.
Which time was I wrong?
No...
Shooting those soldiers will cause a mutiny.
They're deserters.
They've fought for a year, like the others.
- The field regulations... - Screw the field regulations!
You don't want to see what's happening.
You'd really put two soldiers against a wall
and tell six others to kill them?
Moisés.
- Get your rifle and follow us. - What?
Your rifle, get it.
You go to sleep.
Lieutenant, this is illegal.
This way they won't suffer.
That's why I'm doing it, Moises,
so they don't suffer.
Aim.
Aim. That's an order.
Fire.
Aim at the officer! Go!
You have to aim!
Wounded to the spare beds!
PERSONNEL TRANSFERS
What's wrong, Private?
You didn't have the balls to run off after all, eh?
Are you alright?
You still have time, right, Private?
Stop talking!
It's the surrender order.
Not because they've defeated me.
We have enough ammunition for two more months,
and this wall can be repaired.
I found a news item.
Real news.
On page 3.
"Personnel Transfers".
They're commissions for infantry officers.
One of them is Francisco Díaz.
He's been posted to the barracks in Málaga.
And?
I've known Francisco for 14 years.
We served in the 17th Bourbon Regiment.
I know he always wanted to be posted to Málaga.
So...?
This news can't be fake.
I've been going over it...
and however much I rattle my brain,
the Filipinos couldn't have known what it says there.
No. There's no way.
Stupid, isn't it?
An absurd piece of news,
an notice about transfers...
...proves that the newspapers are telling the truth.
- How does it feel, Lieutenant? - I complied with
- the field regulations. - I'm asking you how it feels.
I may have been wrong, Carlos.
I may have made mistakes, but my conscience is clear.
Then say it.
Say:
"The Filipinos were right.
The newspapers were telling the truth."
Say it.
We lost the war, Carlos.
Our army surrendered and we lost.
That's the only truth.
JUNE 2, 1899 ELEVEN MONTHS OF SIEGE
We've got nothing white. I suppose it'll do.
Go to the courtyard and sound assembly and surrender.
You raise the flag.
Commander.
Lieutenant.
This is the surrender order.
I only have one condition, and I will not budge on this.
I'm listening.
We will not be taken prisoner or hand over our weapons.
- You think we seek vengeance? - A lot of men have died.
More on my side than yours, Lieutenant.
But my men are not outlaws or murderers,
and I think we've shown you that.
We don't need prisoners,
and as for your weapons,
you can take them to the end of my jurisdiction.
After that,
you'll have to negotiate with the Americans.
I'll ask my men to bid you farewell with a guard of honor.
A guard of honor?
It's been four centuries, Lieutenant.
Lieutenant...
I've been going over the death certificates.
I'd be grateful if the executed men weren't listed as such.
I'm thinking about their families.
In their families or what your superiors will say?
Say they died of beriberi.
I'll put down the real cause, it's my duty.
Soldiers!
Fix yourselves up right.
When you go outside...
look up to the sky.
While we're at it ask God where He's been all this time, huh?
To hell with Spain!
This is for you,
a letter of exemplary conduct.
Is this a joke?
I did one for each man.
Your mayor will know that you came and you fought.
When we get back to Spain, I'm telling them what went on here.
And I hope they kick you out of the Army.
If that happens, you'll be doing me a favor.
Attention!
Forward march!
Route march!
The siege of Baler ended on June 2, 1899, after 337 days.
17 Spanish soldiers died and almost 700 Filipinos.
The fall of Baler signaled the end
of one of the greatest empires the world has ever known
and it caused a national tragedy in Spain.
of the survivors, only Martín Cerezo received the Laureate Cross,
the highest military distinction.
Despite the end of the war,
9000 other Spaniards remained on the Philippines, left to their fate:
soldiers, priests, civil servants and deserters
who stayed until well into the 20th century.
Dedicated to those who participated in the siege of Baler.
Translation: Lindsay Moxham