He turned around, standing in front of the espresso machine, gently placed a 20cl glass cup down, and poured 11 drops of almond liqueur into it. He extracted two shots of different specialty coffees from the machine, simultaneously pouring the precious elixir—a coca leaf—into the bottom of the cup. He then took raw milk from a glass bottle and heated it in a saucepan until it reached the desired temperature.
Without saying a word, absorbed in his work, he followed the established protocol. He brought his nose to the coffee glass, waited five seconds, and began pouring the milk, creating a sensation of visual contrasts thanks to his skill with the "acting tempo."
He turned around, went to the refrigerator, and scooped out a wafer-thin scoop of cream ice cream with chocolate nanoflakes. He placed it on top of his coffee. He looked at me like a teacher looks at his students and, without blinking, uttered these words:
-Wait two minutes, don't stir, and don't add sugar or anything else. This will help you stay awake for a while.
-Does this concoction have a name? (I mumbled).
-Demonic (he replied).
A film that had a profound impact on my soul suddenly came to mind: The Exorcist. I remember perfectly, as if it were today, where I saw it. At the time, I was just over fourteen years old, spending one of those ordinary weekends in a small rural town.
At the local bar, they decided to show the film on a VHS player, rented from one of those video stores so popular at the time. Of course, this was completely illegal to play in public establishments—as could be read before the film began. A few minutes into the screening, silence continued throughout the entire session.
My generation comes from a culture where religion was always visible, already perceived as a higher order. It permeated everything, directly or indirectly, inoculating us with its seed. If your reasoning led you to atheism, your mind, in extremely serious situations, would lead you to believe the opposite.
Beginning at an excavation site in distant lands, the film quickly introduces us to the situation; the struggle between good and evil, with exorcism rites performed by bomb-proof religious figures, forms the basis of a shocking, shocking staging, with cinematic exaggerations that chill the blood.
The legendary girl from the exorcism and the problems that arose during filming (fires, veiled tapes, deaths, and even problems with the Catholic Church) meant that even at the premiere there were ambulances outside the theaters.
Horror movie A film where there ever was one, especially if you see it in the wrong place and at a critical age. It didn't need movie stars or grand stages; with a script drawn from real events and a theme ingrained in our DNA, it showed us what cinema is all about. Three, two, one, action.
