Intrigo: Samaria

The people of the world are more or less the same.

Though we may come in different shapes and colors,

we all share the same inheritance.

And we all have our back stories, and our secrets.

Like this man, running along

the river Scheldt in Antwerp.

What is he running from? What is he trying to escape?

Even though evolution might seem to mature us,

there are still parts of our brain

that belong to our reptile ancestors.

Although we've convinced ourselves that hate,

revenge, and nemesis belong to the past,

our ancient ancestor's blood still runs in our veins,

whether we like it or not.

Feels like a bloody good campaign.

As usual, you'd have to say.

After holiday, we'll get started on images.

I'll mail over a few suggestions for photographers.

Excellent. Have a great holiday, and we'll be in touch.

- Thank you, guys. Thank you. - Bye-bye.

You're a genius Henry, you know that?

Well, I don't know about that.

Haven't we already discussed your raises?

Five more days, guys, can't wait.

- Until the holidays, you mean? - Yeah.

John, we're waiting for you.

Damn it. I love being at work.

Come on.

So what are your plans?

For the holiday?

We've rented a small house in Cote d'Azur.

We're gonna head down there, do lots of long walks on the beach,

piles of books, lots of good food, that sort of thing.

- Sounds decent. - Well...

In case you wondered,

we'll be damp proofing the basement.

Consider that when you complain about sand in your swimming trunks.

- Hi, Henry. - Hey, Paula.

- Yeah. - How are you? Paula...

- Polans... Polanski. - Polanski.

- Yeah, how are you? - I'm good.

Wow. It's gotta be ten years since that...

- Uh, almost exactly. Yeah. - Wow.

Do you live, uh, here in Maardam?

No, I live in Antwerp now.

I'm just here on a couple of days work.

Oh.

- So, Film Academy? - Yeah.

Mainly because I didn't know what else to do with myself,

but, uh, I got in for whatever reason.

Well, to make documentaries, which is what you're doing now, isn't it?

I think I've seen one of them on ARTE.

- Uh, Roman Beggars. - Roman, that's it.

- Won an award. - Did it?

- Yeah. - Good for you. That's great.

- Thanks. Thanks. - Well done.

I haven't actually been back to Kaalbringen since I've...

Well, I stopped being a teacher. Wasn't really my thing.

- So... - Yeah, I know.

You work for one of those big, uh, advertising agencies.

That's... that's right. How do you...

The reunion. Oh, you're on the mailing list.

Oh, right. The reunion. How was that?

Almost everyone was there except you.

Oh...

All right, yeah. I don't know why that was.

- I meant to come. - Yeah. Sure.

Don't worry. You weren't the only teacher

- that didn't show up. - Okay, cool.

An actual fact, I was just a substitute teacher,

not an actual teacher, so...

- Yeah. - I don't...

This is me.

- Nice seeing you. - And you.

I'm just staying at the Metropole, so...

Okay.

You live here in... in Maardam?

Yeah, in Wassingen.

It's a dreadful, dreadful place.

But I probably have to win the Academy Award

to get some advantage, though.

- Anyway... - Well, listen, it's been nice seeing you.

- Yeah, you, too. - Bye.

Bye.

Yeah, mainly because I didn't know what else to do with myself,

but, uh, I got in for whatever reason.

Well, to make documentaries, which is what you're doing now, isn't it?

As far as I know, he's never had a visitor.

You're the first.

What's this for?

It's a... it's a hard drive,

just to store the footage.

Oh, yeah. Hm...

It's all beyond me, any who.

If you ask me, Jacob Kall is a sick bastard.

He's been in here ten years. He'll end his days in here.

He'll never be released.

It's a battery.

All right.

Yeah, I'll be outside that door.

For your sake, just so you know.

He sometimes gets it into this head to be violent.

Yeah, yeah, I know.

We never met, you and I,

but I was in the same class as your daughter, Vera.

You know, she never talked about you or her life on the farm in Samaria.

Always cycled home when we went out drinking.

We never really understood why.

Well, she never talked about it,

but, um, she was so... important to me.

Well, not just to me, to all of us.

We had a reunion a couple of weeks ago.

Almost everyone was there.

And it was really hard

to avoid talking about her.

Your daughter... your only daughter, even.

Could you tell me a bit about your relationship with her?

What was she like as a kid?

Was she... happy?

At the reunion, we talked a lot about

how me missed having a grave to visit,

and how you're probably the only person who knows where she's buried.

That's if you even bothered to bury her?

Only God knows where Vera is.

Can I ask you what you believe?

I believe in God and His will.

Okay.

I don't understand.

Are you saying that Vera's death was God's will?

Even though you never made a confession,

and her body was never found,

you were found guilty and banged up for life.

Do you maintain your innocence?

Do you also claim to be innocent of the accusations

that you repeatedly mistreated her as a child?

Injuries that were documented by the school nurse.

The accident and emergency department at Kaalbringen.

Although neither Vera nor your wife

dared to speak out about it.

Paula, I think you're looking for some sort of guilt.

The guilt laid on my shoulders is of this world.

But I'll tell you what,

this world doesn't belong to me.

What human being has the right to kill another person?

We are all just simple instruments

of a greater will.

So you claim your innocence.

So who did kill her?

I sit here...

most likely knocked up for the rest of my life.

And it was probably meant to be.

Sorry.

It's meant to be.

You see, I can get so much more work done in here.

There are people in here who are willing to listen.

So many lost souls finally have a safe haven.

The question is rather if you,

Paula Polanski, can understand this.

I've been thinking about where you must have buried her.

I know the police did some digging and searched with dogs.

But down by the river, there's this little piece of land.

And I'm thinking maybe that's where they should have looked?

Or on the other side?

In the forest? Yeah?

I'm thinking she must have been heavy.

Dead body weighs a ton.

Maybe you used your tractor?

Though you would've had to dug deep

because you wouldn't want a fox to dig her up.

I've never quite grasped why all you little people

need to know everything.

It's a human weakness to be obsessed with the truth.

As if it were up to us.

As if the truth even existed.

Already done?

Yeah. Didn't get very far.

Right. Let's get going, Jacob.

I'll just take him through the security gate.

If you wait here, I'll see you out after that.

Thanks.

That question you never asked.

No, I didn't kill Vera.

Yeah, I've just finished.

Just... just on my way to that meeting.

Yeah, I know, I just wanna...

I promise. Just... I hear you.

I promise I will.

I'll probably be on the 7:00 train anyways.

No, don't be silly. I'll just get a taxi.

All right. I love you.

It was the first time we'd all been together since then.

So... but it...

It was like everyone needed to talk about Vera.

Felt unfinished... somehow.

I mean, really, we...

Could have done with a grave visit.

It was a strange time. It was...

Life got too serious much too soon, it felt.

More so for you than for me.

Yeah. Yeah.