The Vintner
Genre: Suspense
Director: Pablo Larrain
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Walton Goggins, Berenice Bejo, Juan Diego Botto, Ricardo Darin
Plot:
Nestled into the foothills at the base of a string of mountains in Argentina, The Vintner (Viggo Mortensen) silently works on his vineyard. The vines are all uniform, stretching across the land in perfect lines. He moves between the rows, trimming what's overripe, tossing what's dead. One row catches his eye. He stops and looks down at the dirt curiously. After a beat, the Vintner continues on methodically tending to his Malbec grapes and picking the clusters that are ready.
In a small cottage, the Vintner prepares his wine with methodical care. First he cleans his tools in boiling water. Grapes from that morning's harvest are crushed, their juice flowing into wooden vats, while clean glass bottles wait in neat rows waiting to be eventually filled. He gives the juice a brief taste before continuing. He funnels the juice into the barrels, sealing them tightly. The Vintner marks the barrels with chalk.
The Vintner loads a few crates of his wine into the back of his small, worn-down Ford pickup. He drives down the dirt road. The Vintner parks near a shop. He unloads the crates of wine, stacking them with precision as he is greeted by The Shopkeeper (Ricardo Darin), who greets him warmly. The Shopkeeper pays the Vintner, kindly informing him how quickly the cast batch sold out. He asks if he can order a delivery next time, but the Vintner rebuffs him, calmly telling the Shopkeeper that he only knows how to make wine at one speed.
The Vintner steps inside of an apartment above a small cafe. He sets a bottle of his wine and some money on a table. The Woman (Berenice Bejo) steps out of another room dressed in nothing but a small robe. She inspects the money on the table before opening the wine and pouring two glasses. The Woman then removes her robe and lies on the bed. The Vintner begins removing his own clothing and joins the Woman in bed. She climbs on top of him deliberately. Their bodies come together, writhing and sweating, but unhurried. Afterward, the Vintner leans back against the headboard and sips at his wine. He jokes that the grapes may have needed another week. The Woman sips at her wine as well, her naked body nestled into the Vintner's. Once they have finished their wine, the Vintner redresses and leaves the apartment.
The sun hangs low as the Vintner drives his truck back toward the vineyard. He notices a sleek black car parked off to the side with its hood propped open. A man (Walton Goggins) leans against the fender in an immaculate suit - a sight out of place in the setting. The Vintner slows his vehicle as the man waves him down. The Vintner reluctantly slows his vehicle. The man, an American, approaches, claiming to be a diplomat traveling for business when his car overheated. The American thanks the Vintner for stopping but insists that he's got things covered without any assistance. The Vintner drives off without a word.
Another day on the vineyard, the Vintner starts his work as a morning mist hangs over the land. He moves through the rows with purpose, pruning branches and tightening trellises. By midday, the mist has lifted, and he hauls water to the driest parts of the soil, carefully spreading it around the roots. Later he sharpens his pruning knife on a whetstone. His barn is quiet as he cleans and oils his tools meticulously. As the sun lowers, he stands on the edge of the vineyard, scanning the land, before turning toward his cottage to end his day.
The Vintner enters the Woman's apartment again, setting a bottle of wine and some folded money on the table without a word as usual. She watches him from the bed where she lounges sensually. As she gets up to pour the wine, she suggests they try something different than their usual arrangement for next time - a real dinner, a date outside of her apartment's bed. The Vintner pauses, then nods slightly. When the Vintner stands to leave after they have conducted their business, the Woman watches him drive away down the cobblestone street from her bedroom window.
The American's car pulls up to the edge of the vineyard. The Vintner, working near the cottage, is on guard as the American walks toward him. The American greets him like an old friend. The American says that he heard about the great wine coming from the Vintner's vineyard and had to check it out himself. The Vintner pours him a glass of wine. The American drinks it slowly, swirling the glass theatrically. The American talks about how he is enjoying his visit to the area, even if it seems they are all wary of outsiders. When the American has finished his glass, he leaves as casually as he arrived. The Vintner stands for a moment, returning to work once he can no longer see the American's car in the distance.
The Vintner drives into town once again for his usual delivery, but this time the town is buzzing with whispers and he notices that police have cordoned off the street near the Woman's apartment. The Vintner hears that there has been a murder from the Shopkeeper. The Vintner does not give any reaction, but goes for a closer look before leaving the area. He sees the Woman's cold, lifeless body being taken away from her building. The Vintner shows a brief glimpse of sadness. People begin staring at the Vintner as he drives away from town in his truck.
As the Vintner works, he hears a loud knock at his door. The Vintner answers to find an Investigator (Juan Diego Botto) dressed in a crispy uniform with a notebook in hand. The Investigator introduces himself politely and immediately begins asking questions about The Vintner's relationship with the Woman. The Vintner answers succinctly, offering no more than what is asked. The Investigator studies him carefully. The conversation is brief. The Investigator thanks the Vintner for his time and drives away from the vineyard.
The Vintner is pruning vines in the late afternoon when the familiar black car pulls up at the edge of the property. The American steps out, carrying a folder under his arm. He compliments the vineyard, then informs the Vintner that he and some investors would like to buy the land. The American insists that the offer is quite generous, enough for the Vintner to leave the area and start over somewhere else. The American then mentions the rumors in town about the Woman's murder and the police's growing interest in the Vintner as a suspect. The American hints that once people start digging, old secrets tend to get uncovered. The Vintner angrily refuses to sell his vineyard. The American shrugs. As he walks back toward his car he asks the Vintner to think it over.
As dusk falls, the Vintner works alone among the rows, but he seems distracted. He sets aside his tools and walks to a specific row of vines near the center of the vineyard. He kneels by the soil and uses a small spade to dig into the earth, revealing a rusted metal case buried. When he opens it, the contents gleam faintly in the fading light: Nazi war medals, a pistol, and a faded black-and-white photograph of himself in an SS uniform, much younger. He studies the medals for a moment before replacing them, but the pistol he tucks into his coat pocket. He buries the case again, tamps down the soil, and returns to the cottage.
The Investigator returns the next morning and asks the Vintner more questions, this time more pointed and less friendly. The Vintner answers sparingly, continuing to work as the Investigator questions him. The Investigator finally begins to question the Vintner about his past, how long he's lived near town, and where he lived before. The Vintner doesn't respond. The Investigator leaves without any further questions.
The Vintner drives his truck into town, crates of wine rattling softly in the back. As he reaches town, every face he passes seems turned toward him. He hears people whispering about his presence. The Vintner notices the Investigator watching him from a distance. At the shop, the Vintner unloads the crates of wine. The Shopkeeper meets him and explains that he cannot accept the wine today - not with the rumors going around. The Vintner, angry, leaves the crates of wine in the street, refusing to load them back into the truck. As the Investigator approaches from across the street, the Vintner climbs into the truck and drives off without payment.
The Vintner returns from town and steps into his cottage, finding the American sitting with a half-full glass of wine in front of him. The American starts talking and insists he knows everything - the Vintner's real name, his role during the war, the atrocities committed. He adds that the Woman's murder wasn't random, it was meant to focus the town's attention on him. The American lays out an ultimatum to the Vintner: turn himself in, or wait for others to find him and drag him out. The American finishes his wine, sets the glass down, and leaves without waiting for the Vintner's answer. The Vintner pulls out his old pistol. For a moment it looks like he is heading toward the door to chase after the American. Instead, the Vintner raises the gun to his own temple and pulls the trigger.
The American returns to the cottage with the Vintner's buried metal case. He casually moves around the Vintner's dead body on the floor and pins the Nazi war medals on the Vintner's shirt. He places the photograph on the table in a frame in plan view. Satisfied with his work, the American leaves the vineyard.
The Investigator soon arrives with two officers planning to arrest the Vintner. Finding the Vintner's dead body, the Investigator studies the scene, quickly observing the old war photograph and the Nazi medals.
The American's car winds down the gravel road away from town and the vineyard. He smokes a cigarette as he drives. His car slowly disappears into the horizon.
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