“We’re press photographers. We always live in a state of excitement in order to see what’s going on out there. With complaints, threats, lawsuits and other nonsense... we don’t have a life” (TC: 00:55:20).

They are not proud of their work, and on one occasion Manolo’s daughter, who is studying to become a journalist, says that her mother does not want her to pursue that career because “one penniless person in the family is enough”. Manolo and Emilio work under the management of their boss, Renedo (Antonio Resines), who is quick-tempered, hostile toward com-puter technology, nostalgic for the typewriter, hypochondriacal, and above all a person whose selfish has no limits, which often leads him to consent to beating Emilio and Manolo, or to a photograph being taken of a minister who is in hospital with his entire face and body bandaged. The three villains are convinced that unethical behaviour and lies are the best road to take. However, at the very moment when they agree to carry out a crafty farce, they express their guilt:

“If we don’t publish things like this, we don’t sell copies, and if we don’t sell copies, we end up in the goddamn street!” (TC: 00:22:00).

Rebecca (Victoria Abril), the leading actress of Tacones Lejanos, presents her work as a journalist on rare occasions because the film deals mainly with the personal relationships of the characters. The first time she appears on television is with a sign language translator. Thinking that her mother would be watching the news, a ludicrous situation arises because she suffers a laugh attack when talking about very serious matters. Her life is a contradiction. She is capable of making up a story for the judge so as not to be blamed for her husband’s murder, but then she recounts in front of the TV cameras in great detail how she killed him:

Rebecca (in tears): I don’t know what I did with the gun. I must have thrown it somewhere. I don’t remember very well what happened next. I just remember going back home, and once I got there, everything came over me. I couldn’t call anyone to get it off my chest. I didn’t know what to do. I only knew that I would never see Manuel again, and that caused me tremendous pain (...)

Police: Miss, would you mind coming with us?

Rebecca: Wait a minute, please, I’m not finished yet. That’s all for now. We remind you that at half past eight in the afternoon in the second edition of ‘The News’, you will see this and other news that will be coming into our editorial office. Until then, as always... thank you for watching.

(TC: 00:47:23)

The relationship with her mother characterises Rebecca’s every performance in this bizarre tale of lies that places Rebecca on the side of the villains.

In Rosa Rosae, Theo Delgado (Juanjo Puigcorbé) is going to speak on his program called Literature and Women. He challen-ges Rosa Cordón, who is his lover, and Violeta Muñoz, with sarcasm:

Theo: Who do we start with? By seniority, with Rosa. I meant literary seniority (moment in which the canned laughter and applause sound, essential in the program to reinforce the continuous humour of the anchor), Rosa, rose, rosae. That’s Latin, isn’t it? (TC: 00:02:35)