Little Wing (2024)

[bunniefuu]

Some men are born great.

Some men achieve greatness.

And some men have greatness

thrust upon them.

Shakespeare

is the most quoted man

to have walked the earth.

And I chose him as my

inspirational artist because...

Because you

always do the right thing,

Tessa Lu.

Since first grade,

you've been on a collision

course of greatness.

You come from a nice family,

you always know the perfect

thing to say

and the perfect way to act.

I mean, I even voted for you

for class president.

Twice.

- And you were perfect.

- Perfect.

Perfect presentation.

Thank you, Miss Gibbons.

So, wouldn't it be perfect

if this story was

about Tessa Lu?

But it's not.

- It's about me.

- Kaitlyn McKay.

You're next on my list.

Have you selected

your inspirational artist?

Um...

Have you researched quotes

from said artist?

No, Miss Gibbons.

I have not decided yet.

But I do feel that

Britney Spears inspires me

and she did say...

"Ding-dang, y'all, I'm rich.

It's weird, but I'm really rich.

I mean, ding-dang, y'all."

Free Britney.

Kaitlyn, you had better begin

to take this seriously.

This assignment is for

the entire term.

And if you don't finish

the assignment,

I will have to see

your face...

...in this class again.

Well, be careful.

Miss Gibbons can make

your life miserable.

Adam King.

We've always gone

to school together.

We've always been best

friends. Always.

Did you see Tessa today?

Ooh. God.

He's really smart,

but now that he's 13,

all he can think about

is girls.

When Tessa Lu

was talking today...

My gosh. She is so hot.

And what she said,

"Some have greatness

thrust upon them."

You wanted to thrust

your greatness upon her?

Na... No.

OK. Fine. A little bit. Yeah.

Who'd you pick for

your inspirational artist?

I'm not gonna do it.

Come on, Kat.

You gotta do it.

No, I don't.

My parent's just got divorced

and I'm in a period of

emotional upheaval.

I mean, just ask

the school therapist.

You can't keep trading on that,

you know?

Watch me, fanboy.

- Smell you later.

- Smell you later.

Pat Litch.

Divorce is like Christmas

to a real estate agent.

Trading on people's emotion

and misery.

Great business.

Hey, Pat.

Can I get this back to you?

Sure.

It's gonna be great.

Thank you.

Hey, honey.

So I'm losing my dad

and my house in the same year?

You're not losing your dad.

We're getting a divorce, honey.

And you knew about

selling the house.

Yeah, well I'm not moving to

West Linn or wherever.

Well, we won't be moving till

after the summer,

so you'll be able to see

the school year out.

I'm not going.

This is my house.

It'll be good.

Kat, I promise.

I guess everyone

lies to themselves.

Hey. Have you seen your

brother?

Do you walk home together

anymore?

- Nope. Haven't seen him.

- Hey.

Kat, the Lashers are coming

over for dinner,

so do your homework.

Ben Lasher,

or should I say Captain Ben,

has been my mom's boss

for years now.

My mom's a detective with

the Portland Police.

Although boring

and dry as dirt,

Ben and his wife

are nice people, I guess.

I always suspected they help

my mom out financially

- here and there.

- So, Matt,

do you think the Blazers are

gonna win everything this year?

Earth to Matty.

Hey.

I don't know.

Well, I happen to know that

the Celtics are coming to town.

You know, I got some

pretty good seats.

Thought you might

wanna come with me.

That's nice.

Sure.

Thank you.

Ben, you have a gift

for Kaitlyn too.

- Why don't you go get it?

- Great idea.

Left it in the truck.

Be right back.

I knew what it was.

Be nice.

I couldn't wait.

It was the only thing

I'd asked my mom for.

There was no way she could

forget that night I asked.

It was a Wednesday night

and my father said...

Your mother and I are...

We're getting a divorce.

How could you do this to us?

Can I have a phone?

All's fair in love and w*r.

And divorce is exactly that.

Please?

I had wanted an iPhone forever.

But I would settle for

whatever cell phone he gave me.

These are for you.

Birds.

- They're pigeons.

- Racing pigeons.

You should have

just given me chickens.

Chickens?

Yeah.

At least I could eat those.

Kat, go to your room.

Gladly.

Maybe you can learn

some manners.

That girl thinks she's

the queen of the neighborhood

She's got the hottest trike

in town...

My mom doesn't get it.

First, my dad walked out on us

nine months ago,

now she wants us to pack up

and leave the only home

we've ever known as a family.

Sometimes it makes me

just wanna

tear this whole place down

and do the job for her.

I wanna try your clothes on

I've lost enough already.

Haven't I?

I'm not gonna lose this too.

Did I, or didn't I?

No. Answer me.

Did I, or didn't I?

Did I get the house free

and clear

in the divorce settlement?

Yes!

OK. So I can sell it.

Of course I don't!

Of course I don't!

I don't wanna uproot everybody.

I can't afford it.

What don't you understand?

I owe 100 grand on the house

and the mortgage repayments

by myself, I can't...

No, I can't pull

any more shifts.

I don't see the kids enough

as it is.

You know,

why don't you talk to me

when you're in a better mood

and you can actually listen?

A few weeks before

Dad moved out,

Matt had just gone quiet...

Yes! If 100 grand

suddenly magically appeared...

... and he hasn't

said much since.

I think birds are cool.

Homing pigeons do cool stuff.

Yeah, like pooping

and making noises all night.

Is that cool?

I'll take them. I mean...

I'd have to ask my mom, but...

if you're gonna give them back,

I'll take 'em.

My mom told her boss she'd give

me a week to warm up to them

before she gave them back.

Don't let your mom

give them back. I want 'em.

Hey.

What do you want for them?

Know what?

I want $465,000.

What?

Is that what this house

is worth?

All I know is that my mom

owes 100 grand on the house.

And if I had that money,

I'd buy this house

and kick everyone out.

I'd live in here forever.

You know, if I had that money,

I'd give it to you.

- Bull crap.

- I would, Kat.

I don't want you to move.

- I gotta go.

- Yeah.

- See you in the morning.

- Yeah.

Can I take the pigeon magazines?

Um, yeah. Take those. Yeah.

OK. Ooh, got a lot of stuff.

Kaitlyn, they are amazing.

Who?

The birds.

- The birds?

- The pigeons.

I was up all night

reading about them.

Did you know that they helped

k*ll h*tler?

It was sweet

how Adam fell in love

with the birds.

He really had done

his homework.

Homing pigeons have been known

to fly thousands of miles

- back to their original home.

- Adam, catch!

I'm out, Max! How many times

do I have to tell you?

Thousands of miles?

Yes!

Even a perfectly ex*cuted

dodge ball death-knock couldn't

k*ll Adam's enthusiasm.

And in Belgium,

it was a royal sport...

He continued

to pound the virtues

of homing pigeons.

Many kings of England

had racing pigeons.

Mike Tyson has racing pigeons.

So did Elvis!

You just don't know

the depth of the culture...

I was about to shut him up,

but then he said

the magic words...

One of his birds is valued

at $120,000.

He's considered an authority...

Wait. Who has a bird

that's worth $120,000?

Jaan Vari has a bird

called the Granger.

- Jaan who?

- Vari.

All right. He's a very

successful pigeon racer.

And he's got this bird,

the Granger,

who's fathered a whole line of

fast and smart racing pigeons.

- This Granger dude...

- ...is worth $120,000?

Where does

this pigeon dude live?

Here. In Portland. That's why

I'm talking about him.

OK. So, where in Portland?

I don't have his address.

There was an article on him....

Here, somewhere.

If I can find it.

I can help you...

- Let me...

- There it is.

- This one?

- Yes.

"Jan Vari and the Granger..."

It's pronounced "Jaan".

OK.

The article says

he was a pilot in Vietnam.

"Vari adds that the church

across the street

has a bell tower

that the birds like to fly

around a few times a day."

- Let's go.

- What?

Where are you, Mr. Vari?

First Baptist on Alder.

Wrong bell tower.

All right, um...

First Unitarian on Taylor.

Boom.

So, we're gonna leave

late Thursday night,

like, really late. All right.

I have a good feeling

about this.

If we want to meet Jaan Vari,

just contact him through

the Pacific Northwest

Pigeon Racing Society.

I'm not looking

to meet Jaan Vari.

- You're not?

- No.

I'm looking to steal that

punk's $120,000 bird.

Wait. What?

If you don't have

the stones to do it,

grow a pair

or get out of my way.

You're insane.

I really think you should go see

that school therapist again.

So, you're out?

Is that it, fanboy?

You're out?

What would you do with

the Granger if you stole it?

I don't know.

It's a $120,000 bird.

I mean, I'll think of something.

You can't race it.

It'll fly back to his house.

I'll have him make babies

with my birds and sell those.

You don't have any idea

how to do that.

Then I'll sell it to somebody

that does.

Look...

I really need your help, OK?

No.

I'm sorry. NO.

Riding our bikes

through the streets of Portland

at midnight, Kat.

We could die.

It's the only way

I can keep my house.

What's in it for me?

Listen.

What would possibly make me

wanna commit a robbery with you?

I'll make out with you.

Like, French kissing,

with tongue?

I'm Irish. I don't know

what French kissing is.

OK. Right.

Um, does Irish kissing

have tongue?

Well, I mean, I'm Irish

and I have a tongue,

so, yeah, why wouldn't it?

- Cool.

- Honey, I'm home!

Kat?

Can you come and,

set the table? Hey, Adam.

- Hi, Ms. McKay.

- Bye, Adam.

Bye, Ms. McKay.

Come on, honey.

I gotta go back to work tonight.

- Bye

- Bye.

Coming, Mom!

It was finally

Thursday night...

and I couldn't wait

for it to get late.

Ever since finding out that

there was a pigeon in Portland

worth $120,000,

I read just as much as Adam.

The Granger was a rare

strain of pigeon.

Since he was a young bird,

he had been the fastest flier

in North America.

His son and daughters

had dominated pigeon races

for the past five years.

No wonder he was worth so much.

Kat! Kat, it's me. It's Adam.

Wait. Were you trying

to scare me, you creep?

No, I wasn't.

Is that your Darth Vader

costume?

OK.

You said wear something dark.

This is the darkest thing

I had. Don't judge me.

Maybe you should see

the school therapist.

I tried. She was fully booked

with you.

Whoo!

Whoo!

It was then I realized

for the first time what this

whole thing was about.

I couldn't rely on my parents

anymore for anything.

I needed to take matters

into my own hands.

How much longer?

We're almost there.

And pedaling down

dark Portland streets

was the first step

toward doing that.

OK. So, what we need to do

is pull the ladder down

to the fire escape

and then we're home free.

Here.

OK.

- Hurry up. Hurry up!

- This will be easy. Watch.

Come on.

OK. Let me try. Let me try.

Man, that's hard.

Ready? Three, two, one.

Go!

Told you it was gonna be easy.

- Hurry up.

- I'm trying.

Adam, keep up.

It's beautiful.

Come on.

Remember, the Granger

has like a white helmet.

Kat, come on!

You take that cage,

I'll take this one.

How many birds are in here?

No Granger.

Do you see him in there?

I don't see him in here. None

of these have white helmets.

He's gotta be in here

somewhere.

Listen,

if you had a $120,000 bird,

wouldn't you sleep with it

on your pillow?

- What are they doing?

- Communicating.

Maybe they can tell me

where the Granger is.

I don't speak pigeon.

Stop it. Come on.

We gotta focus.

I knew this was a dumb idea.

I'm an idiot for letting you

talk me into this.

I'm serious, like, Kat...

- I found him.

- What?

What... How...

Yeah, that's him.

All right, buddy.

Come on.

All right. Take this.

What's the pillowcase for?

- It relaxes them.

- What?

Did my research too.

Come here, buddy.

Come here.

Wow.

He's really something special,

isn't he?

Love the sentiment,

but put him in the pillowcase

and let's go.

Come on.

- Gentle.

- OK.

All right.

Is he OK?

He's OK.

OK.

OK.

Come on, man!

Adam!

I don't have my goggles!

What?!

Hurry up!

My goggles!

Looking for these?

Did you touch my birds?

Did you touch my birds?

Get off me!

Adam!

- Are you OK?

- Go!

Go!

Come on!

I'm warning you!

Come on!

Hurry up!

Get yourselves back here!

Get back here now!

Dude! Come on!

I'm right behind you!

Go! Just go!

No.

OK.

Go down!

You get back here!

I was so scared

of getting caught.

I never looked back.

I had no idea

what happened to Adam.

Julie Smith?

- Here.

- Here. Andrew Bingham.

Here.

Trisha Bailey?

- Here.

- Here.

Adam King.

Adam King?

Not here.

Sorry. I'm here, Miss Gibbons.

Mr. King,

it's nice to see you.

Looks like you paid the price

for something.

How on earth did you

hurt your arm?

I broke my wrist.

It's no big deal.

Let's get to work.

Is anybody ready

with their assignment?

Hey.

I can carry your books for you

and we can walk slow.

My mom is picking me up.

Um...

Hey, I'm sorry.

About your wrist.

That must have been

really scary.

But, um...

the good news is that

the Granger's fine now...

I don't wanna hear about

the Granger.

I will never admit to having

anything to do with that bird.

Ever.

You're on your own.

Adam?

I barely got away from him.

I had to run with my arm

flapping in two pieces

and push my bike uphill.

Stopping every 20 minutes

to throw up from the pain.

I'm sorry.

I should have gone back

for you.

Forget it.

We never need to talk about

what happened ever again.

You did something wrong

for the right reasons,

I did something wrong

for the wrong reasons.

Wait.

What?

If you're saying that

I stole the bird because

I wanted to save my house

and you stole it 'cause you

wanted to make out with me...

What?

Well...

I have the bird.

OK. So enjoy it.

I owe you.

I don't care.

We're even.

I don't want it that way.

I need a break from you.

The Granger was

a fascinating dude.

Not just because he was worth

a small fortune.

You must be hungry.

Hey, buddy.

No. No.

Stay.

OK. Stay.

Stay.

Stay.

My...

Without Adam,

I would have to figure things

out on my own.

But who could I sell him to?

It was a small community

of pigeon fliers.

So I had to be careful.

I learned that people have been

trying to buy the Granger

for years, but Jaan Vari

refused to sell him.

I considered trying to bribe

Vari into paying me a ransom

to get him back, but...

it was safer

to find another home

for this beautiful pigeon.

Following the footsteps

of a rag doll dance

We are entranced

Spellbound

Following the footsteps

of a rag doll dance

We are entranced

Spellbound

Spellbound

Spellbound,

Spellbound

Spellbound

Spellbound...

I needed to get

some control

and get money for this bird.

The only people I found

who would be interested

in the black market sale

of the Granger

were these Russian guys

who seemed to have

a very big loft of birds.

Only problem...

it was all in Russian.

I don't speak Russian.

But I know somebody who does.

Kiril Kozov.

Russian-born child prodigy,

but couldn't spell his way

out of a vodka shop.

He helped me on

the occasional geometry quiz

and I would give him

a clear sight line

during the spelling test.

Kiril would have to be

my great Russian hope.

Can't touch!

Whoa!

You want to sell them a pigeon

for $100,000?

Shh.

You're a crazy girl!

Kiril.

We've been helping each other

for a long time now.

You're the first student

in our class behind Tessa Lu.

I would hate to see you drop

out of the top ten

because you can't even

spell committee.

Can you spell committee, Kiril?

No.

Kiril told me that

these clowns called themselves

the Russian Pigeon Mafia.

I don't think they're

the real mafia.

I mean, I don't think.

On your right.

Sorry!

The Granger...

Do you have him?

Very nice.

Now ask him

if he has the money.

Good men...

Do you have payment

for the bird?

Tell her $25,000.

Take it or leave it.

It's a stolen bird.

$25,000.

OK. Um...

They humbly offer you $25,000.

- And hope you can see...

- Tell them...

that they can stick it

in their butts!

Yeah.

Um...

Gentlemen...

The young lady

can't accept that offer.

She needs the money

for an operation

for her sick father.

I'm so sorry.

No, you didn't tell them!

You didn't tell them, did you?

$100,000.

Or you can stick it

in your butt!

What's she saying?

With all respect...

The young girl asks that you

give her $100,000...

or you can stick it

in your butts.

Now we're getting somewhere.

OK.

Fine. Fine.

Like punk rocker

Kathleen Hanna once said,

"I have to take risks, because

why else would you be alive?

Because you only have

one life to live."

You don't need

to scratch inside

No, just please hold

onto your pride and...

So don't let them

bring you down and...

Don't let them

bring you down and...

Those are your arms

that is your heart

No, no, they can't

tear you apart

They can't take it away now

This is your time

this is your life and...

This is your time

this is your life and...

Keep on living

I had $25,000 in cash.

I was one step closer

to saving my house.

And I had lost my best friend.

Adam would come around though.

I mean, we've had fights

through the years, but...

...he'd always come around.

- Hi.

- Hi.

My name is Jaan Vari.

Yeah?

I believe this belongs

to Kaitlyn?

Why, thank you.

Kat, is this your bag?

Could be.

Well, how many K McKays

in your school, honey?

Thank you. That's, you know...

Sorry. What was your name?

Vari. Jaan Vari.

Well, thank you so much

for returning it.

Wait. I...

Kaitlyn has...

something of mine that

I'm desperate to get back.

I'm about to go to jail.

But first I'm gonna puke

on my shoes

and then I'm gonna go to jail.

What does she have of yours?

Well, you know...

I don't want to get anyone

into trouble.

Kat, get down here.

No. Here it comes.

I had grilled cheese for lunch.

Trouble? Well, if Kat has

stolen something of yours, sir,

I assure you,

she would be in huge trouble.

Huge.

But you can't just come around

and make these accusations.

What exactly has she got

of yours, sir?

- She's got...

- I can taste it.

I'll puke on his shoes.

...a real love of carrier

pigeons and pigeon racing.

Now, I get the feeling you

didn't tell your mom

that you'd come by a meeting

at the Pacific Northwest

Pigeon Club.

The bag, she left it there.

Right. Yeah, no, she...

- She didn't tell me that.

- Yeah.

- Didn't think so.

- Um...

I'm sorry.

A colleague of mine, um...

gave Kat two young pigeons.

So...

She seems to be

warming up to them.

Getting a lot of value

out of the hobby.

I know she's getting

a lot of value.

Who gave her the birds?

Um, my friend Ben Lasher.

- I know the Lashers.

- You do?

- Yeah. You work with Ben?

- I do.

So you're a cop?

Well, I'm a detective, right.

Well, good. I mean, I...

You know, we gotta solve

all the crime we can.

Right.

I'm gonna puke again.

I'll tell you what, Mrs. McKay.

- Ms.

- Beg your pardon.

Ms. McKay.

I've got an old pigeon loft.

It's a little house

for the birds.

Now, I could come by

and set it up here

for Kaitlyn

and give her some lessons

on looking after the birds

and training them to compete.

That's very generous of you.

Um...

Yeah, I do have room

in the backyard,

but Kaitlyn, she'll have to

show real commitment.

What do you say?

Yeah.

Sure.

Good.

Wh... Are you sure

you have the time, Mr. Vari?

Well, I'm retired.

You know,

you should tell Ben Lasher

that I'm building a loft

for Kaitlyn.

- Right.

- He may want to help.

- Great. I will.

- Good.

Yeah.

Kaitlyn, see you tomorrow.

So, you like the pigeons?

- Yeah. They're cool.

- Yeah.

When was

the last time I was happy?

...friends, family?

Charles Schulz remains

a very inspirational artist.

Outstanding.

Hey.

I liked your presentation.

Liar.

OK.

Then, I think that you're

a grade-grubbing punk who

only did Charles Schulz because

your dad's a Peanuts geek

and works for The Times.

You've become really mean, Kat.

Um...

Are we not friends anymore?

I guess it's just that,

you know,

after eight years of being

best friends it would be...

really good to know

if anything had changed.

I don't know.

Guess things have changed.

Um, he came to my house

yesterday.

- What?

- Jaan Vari came to my house.

I left my gym bag on his roof.

He found me.

What did you tell him?

I don't know. It was weird.

He didn't bust me.

- Did he mention the Granger?

- No.

He's coming back

to my house today

to bring some old shack

for my birds.

OK. OK. Maybe he doesn't know

you stole the Granger.

No. He knows that

we stole the Granger.

"We"? Listen. I told you.

Leave me out of this.

Just come over to my house

today and meet him. OK?

- I've met him.

- You're still in this with me.

Hey. Take half the money.

I don't want the money! OK?

I just don't want anything

to do with this.

Why can't you just

understand that?

Listen. I'm just gonna

tell my parents everything.

You know what?

Don't tell your parents, OK?

I'll protect your little image.

We're good.

I'm out of your life forever.

- Kat...

- No.

Hello, Kaitlyn.

Nice to see you again.

Kaitlyn, this is Carol Vari,

Jaan's wife.

Hi.

Jaan and Ben are out

back finishing your pigeon loft.

Why don't you check it out?

Hey, Kaitlyn.

Hope you don't mind.

I took the liberty of getting

your birds from your room.

When Jaan's done here,

maybe you can show them

around their new home.

Anyway,

I'm gonna get a refill, Jaan.

- Do you want some water?

- No. I'm all right.

Glad you're liking the birds.

I bet you know what

goes in here.

I want you to take this carrier

wherever you need to

and bring it back

with the Granger inside.

I can't.

Can't or won't?

I can't.

Where's my bird?

- I don't have it.

- I asked...

Where's my bird?

I know who does.

The boy has it?

What's one more lie?

Yeah.

- He's got it.

- Does he live near here?

Why didn't you call the cops

that night?

I was stupid.

I thought you might

care about the birds.

I thought you were

just a good kid

who made a stupid mistake.

But forget it.

I want the Granger back.

Today. Now.

It's not possible.

Really? Well...

I bet if I went into that

kitchen right now

and told your mom,

who's a cop,

that you came

in the middle of the night,

scared my wife, stole a bird

worth more than your house...

I bet I'd get

my bird back today.

Are you scared now?

Because you should be.

I'm not scared.

Whoop-de-frickin'-do, honey.

All right. Stay out here.

Be tough.

I'm gonna make your mom

get my bird back.

- Wait.

- No.

You had your chance.

It's over.

I was nice about it.

You didn't even apologize!

You're a surly little cretin!

I'll k*ll him.

I will.

I'll have to k*ll him.

In one call...

he's dead.

You're bluffing.

Try me.

- When?

- Friday.

You'll bring him

to my apartment?

Fine. Four o'clock.

And he's OK?

The boy is taking care of him?

OK. Two more lies.

Yeah.

He's taken care of.

Because if he's not OK, sweetie,

I'm gonna make your life

a living hell...

Hey, Mom.

Hey.

Yeah. Friday.

Friday at 4:00.

What's Friday?

Kaitlyn's coming

to my apartment

and I'm gonna show her

my loft and...

Racing pigeons.

Friday at 4:00 should be great.

The school therapist

said everyone

feels overwhelmed.

And alone.

It's normal.

I'm feeling really normal

right now.

I can't let some old bird guy

send me up the river.

I gotta get his bird back.

The Russians have a warehouse

in Russian Alley.

Their loft was probably

on the rooftop.

I'd crawl up

and snatch the bird.

What's it like to live?

How'd's it feel to be...

I guess I was scared

to do it on my own.

So stupid.

Why did I think I could fix

any of this?

I should just disappear.

No one would care.

Maybe life would just be

better someplace else.

Where? Doesn't matter.

Just go, right?

You OK?

Yeah. I'm fine.

How had my life come to this?

My cop mom driving me

to the apartment

of the guy that I stole

a $120,000 bird from?

I was done trying to think

my way out of it.

I've made

a very serious decision.

I had one way out.

And it was final.

Look here. All right.

I sold the Granger.

What?

I sold the Granger for $25,000

to the Russian Pigeon Mafia.

You're full of crap.

I'm not.

They keep their loft in a

warehouse above Russian Alley.

Feel free to go get

your bird back.

Do you realize you're standing

on my roof

and admitting

to a serious crime

that's going to change

the course of your life?

- I don't care.

- Enjoy prison, sweetie.

Because if this doesn't

get you there,

- something else will.

- I don't care.

Let's get your mom up here,

see if she can make you care.

- I don't care.

- Well, I care!

I care! A lot!

Have you any idea how much

I loved that bird?

How perfect he is?

What it took to bring him

into this world?

By taking that bird you have...

destroyed what's left

of my life.

And I'm, um...

I'm gonna destroy yours.

- I don't...

- Don't say it!

Don't. Come with me.

Now.

Carol! Carol?

Carol?

Carol!

What?

- Are you OK?

- I'm OK.

Get me the girl's mom's number.

- I have it in the kitchen.

- Thank you.

821-2217.

8-2-1-2-2-1-7.

Carol?

Can you leave us for a minute?

Thank you.

Voicemail.

I really wanna k*ll you

right now.

I wish you would.

You want to die?

Is that all

the "I don't care" crap?

You want to die,

so you don't care?

You want to k*ll yourself?

Yeah, well,

that's how you feel now, but...

You have no idea how I feel.

I spent 22 months in Vietnam.

I know all about wanting to die.

All about it.

Have you thought about it,

how you'd do it?

The Army had a series

of questions

for anyone they thought was

a potential su1c1de.

Now, if you've actually thought

about how you'd do it...

then you're getting

pretty damn close.

I lost a lot of friends

that way.

It's what they call...

permanent solution...

to a temporary problem.

Did you really sell the Granger?

Yeah.

Are you gonna call my mom?

Get out of here.

Get out of here. Go on.

Go on. Get!

I don't know if we should wait.

Hey.

I'm just...

telling your brother that

we got an offer on the house.

It's a pretty low offer, but...

Pat thinks we should take it.

So you're actually gonna do it?

I didn't say we were

gonna do it. I just...

I...

I'm just saying that

we got an offer.

- Sell it.

- Yeah?

I don't care anymore.

Just do whatever you want.

With everything going on,

Matt and I

were speaking even less.

If that was at all possible.

I'm leaving soon.

I don't really want to but...

seems like I have to.

You could say

they're just birds.

But the thing that makes

them different

is that they establish one

home in their life

and will fly thousands

of miles if they have to,

just to get back there.

No one knows why they do it.

You have to train them to know

when and where their food is.

It makes them hungrier

to come home.

Come on!

I had to name them.

My grandfather used to

sing this song called...

Charlie Tickets.

Did he ever return?

No, he never returned

And his fate remains

unlearned

He may ride forever

'neath the streets of Boston

He's the man

who never returned

Will you come back, Charlie?

Yeah.

He'll come back.

I didn't forget about you.

Everyone forgets about the

girls because we're quiet.

Juliet.

Even though Romeo

was kind of an idiot...

Juliet was some awesome gal.

Maybe Adam could come take

of you?

You know, if he ever talks

to me again.

Before I leave, I want to see

Juliet and

Charlie Tickets fly.

- Just once.

- Good night.

Pigeon racing is known as

the poor man's horse racing.

Because anyone can do it.

Once you think your birds

know where they belong,

you drive them miles

from their loft

and fling them into the air.

I feel like a weirdo.

Well, we are weirdos.

Hey.

Give me this.

I think it's time.

Charlie, take care of Juliet.

Juliet...

kick Charlie's butt.

One...

two... three!

Come on!

Come on.

See if we can b*at them home.

I was starting

to understand pigeon fliers.

The love for the birds

is not just about winning.

It was about the fact that

the birds want to come home.

But there are dark moments too.

The doubt that you should have

released them

in the first place.

Charlie?

Juliet?

Hi! Hi! Over here!

My gosh, you made it!

Over here. See the loft?

It's over there.

That's where your home is.

I can see you! Over here!

Over here. Come on!

Right over here.

Right over here!

Right there. The loft!

Come on!

Juliet!

That's amazing.

How did you know?

You're so smart.

Girls are so smart.

Have you seen Charlie?

Charlie Tickets!

Charlie Tickets!

My gosh.

You made it!

I never knew how

much someone could love a bird.

I guess the Granger

was like family to him.

He wasn't expecting me but...

he let me in anyway.

She was right there.

Boom. Juliet. And then...

Where's Charlie Tickets?

I got nervous.

Was he lost?

I didn't know.

But then he just whizzes right

by my head

and walks into the loft

like it's another day

in the office.

They're fast, Jaan.

I wanna race 'em.

Now imagine if you had a bird

that you thought

was not only fast,

but that everyone else on

the entire planet knew was fast

because he b*at

every single bird home.

Could you imagine

how pissed you'd be...

if some kid stole that bird

and sold it

to a bunch of gangsters?

Yeah.

I want to help you

get the Granger back.

We're gonna get him back.

We are?

Yeah.

You, me and the kid.

What kid?

Your little boyfriend,

who jumped off my roof.

He's not my boyfriend.

He doesn't even talk

to me anymore. He's...

He's a jerk.

So you're in love?

No, not... No.

That makes things a lot harder.

What a mess.

What do you think

makes them come home?

There's a number of theories.

Well, what's your theory?

Love of the loft.

They love their home so much

they'll die

trying to get back to it.

Can they love

more than one home?

No.

You take them from their home,

you're gonna have to lock them

in a cage.

Then they're called prisoners.

But if they ever get out...

they'll fly back...

to the only home

they ever loved.

Love of the loft.

Love of the loft.

That one.

Absolute nuisance.

Would you like to play

the radio?

I'm so glad

you stole that bird.

The Granger.

We've had a condo in Arizona

waiting for us to move in.

But Jaan can't leave the birds.

Not a great idea for someone

dying of lung cancer

to be running around a roof

in Portland in the winter.

He didn't tell you

about his lungs?

It's been six years

of operations

and chemotherapy.

He's done really well.

But it's winding down now.

I couldn't stop

thinking about Jaan...

and the Granger.

How you only learn one home

your entire life.

You wonder why?

This is why.

You never listen to me.

How anywhere else you go...

you're a prisoner.

...Francis Scott Key

is my inspirational artist.

Very nice.

Always nice to hear you play.

Very, informative.

- Thank you.

- Seriously?

Kaitlyn.

Do you have an educated opinion

about Kiril's presentation?

Yeah. It was a little bit

of a snooze fest

and a little bit of a lie.

Sorry, Kiril.

You know I'm right.

Before I send you

to the main office

to discuss that comment...

would you like

to clean it up?

We all know Kiril can play

the cello like a mother,

but I don't believe

for one second

that Francis Scott Key

is his inspirational artist.

In fact, all of these

presentations

are about some old,

dead white dudes.

OK, Miss McKay. I think it's

best you go talk to Dr Monroe.

How about a woman?

And someone

who's actually living?

Kaitlyn...

"You don't need

to scratch inside.

Just please hold on

to your pride.

And don't let them

push you around.

And don't let them

bring you down.

Because those are your arms

and that is your heart.

And, no, no,

they can't tear you apart.

They can't take it away

because this is your time.

This is your life.

This is your time.

This is your life.

This is your time.

This is your life.

This is your time.

This is your life.

Keep on livin'.

Keep on livin'."

Who wrote that?

Kathleen Hanna.

She was born right here

in Portland.

Just five miles from here.

And her life...

it sucked.

She had to move around.

Her parents got divorced and...

and she started the band

Bikini k*ll

because she had a lot to say

and she was not afraid

to say it.

She wasn't afraid to be sad,

or angry,

or just totally messed up.

And when I listen, it helps.

It helps remind me that...

this is my time.

This is my life.

Take me to your boyfriend.

He's not my boyfriend.

Get in.

We have a problem.

No, you have a problem.

No, we have a problem.

All three of us.

Hi, Adam.

Remember me?

We met on my roof.

How's your arm?

It's doing good.

Thank you, sir.

I give Adam credit

for not crying.

He was close.

He was so close.

We go on the weekend.

Be ready.

Both of you.

Sorry.

Hey, Kat?

Come in.

And just when I thought

that life couldn't get

any more complicated...

Are you OK?

My body really changed.

There's no way I couldn't

consult my mom about that.

Do you wanna go to the mall?

It's a school day.

Even better.

Since the divorce,

I had never seen my mom

take a day off.

Do you like this?

Too... shiny?

No. I used to have that shirt

when I was like ten.

Got it.

This is so boring

but it's perfect.

- I kinda like it.

- Yeah? I like it too.

- Mom.

- Yeah?

What about...

Well, they're cute.

But, Here.

- Does it hurt?

- No, they don't hurt.

These are more comfortable,

you know?

You have so many of these.

It's time. You need underwire.

What?

So, how do you win?

What do you mean?

A pigeon race.

Like, if every pigeon

goes to a different home,

how do you know

which one wins?

Um, well,

it's actually pretty simple.

It's just the distance flown,

divided by the time it took

for the bird to get there.

And that equals

the yard per minute.

Boom.

Simple.

It's the fastest flier.

You know, the fastest flier.

- I know. I got it.

- Yeah.

Boom.

Come on. We gotta go.

- Mom?

- Yeah?

Thanks for today.

Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn!

Where were you yesterday?

After you bring Jaan to my

house to terrorize me,

you don't show up to school?

I panicked thinking

something's going down.

I went shopping with my mom.

Took the day off.

Took the day off?

Well, I hope you ate tea

and crumpets

because they don't have

crumpets in jail, Kat.

What are you talking about?

About Jaan and his plan

to steal the Granger back.

Yeah, well, I'm gonna help him.

Well, I'm not.

So what are you gonna do

about that?

Nothing.

Thing is, we stole

this precious and rare bird

from this guy, who could have

ruined our lives,

but he didn't,

which is really cool.

So if I can help repay

the favor

by helping him get his bird

back then I will.

Do whatever you want, Adam.

The weekend

was approaching fast.

Jaan called me to tell me

there was a race coming up.

And that everyone was going

to be at the club

registering their birds.

He wanted to see if there were

any rumors

about the Granger...

While we're here,

we'll get your birds registered

for the race.

...if the Russians

had sold him off

or kept him in their loft

for breeding.

w*r breeds strange bedfellows.

Inside looking out

Got no place to shout

Don't crowd me...

Jaan seemed a little taller

as he walked through the VFW.

VFW?

That stands for

Veterans of Foreign Wars.

I never knew that.

Nice to see you, Jaan.

Being there with

all those pigeon fanciers...

got me even more excited

to race my birds.

Hey, Jaan.

Did you bring the Granger?

We'd love to see him.

No, Paul.

I didn't bring him today.

Yeah, but you're buying a band

for him for the race, right?

I mean, you're gonna race

the Granger, aren't ya?

Yes.

I'm gonna race him.

Settle down.

This, by the way,

is my friend. Kaitlyn.

She's got birds.

And they're fast.

Everyone let out

that condescending...

Jaan, I had no idea you

had such a sweet side.

Tell me, sweetie, hon...

What are the names

of your birds?

Juliet and Charlie Tickets.

Charlie Tickets?

Isn't that the man

who never returned?

I wanted

to punch him in the face.

I'm sorry, sweetheart.

That's the worst name ever

for a bird, ever.

See you on race day, folks.

The man who never returned.

We were almost out

of there when I saw them.

A cold shiver ran down my back,

like someone had just dropped

an ice cube down my shirt.

And then the worst thing

happened.

What's wrong with you?

They were there.

Who?

The Russian Pigeon Mafia.

Did they say anything to you?

I was embarrassed.

I wanted to tell him that

they winked at me

and blew me a kiss.

I wanted to tell him

a lot of things.

I am so sorry.

I'm sorry about the Granger.

It's OK. It's OK.

Can I take you home now?

I know you're sick.

For the love of God.

Don't listen to Carol.

She's a crazy old woman.

She said you're really sick.

Forget all that!

What?

So you're not dying?

I'm dying, Kaitlyn.

We're all dying.

Some of us are just doing it

a little bit faster

than everybody else.

Can we go now?

I was gonna jump,

in the Willamette.

You asked me...

if I had thought about how

I was gonna k*ll myself.

I was gonna jump in

the Willamette River.

Well, you know, um...

drowning is not

a good way to go.

Your stomach fills with water

and you choke to death.

I don't have a lot of options.

Are you a good swimmer?

Yeah.

Actually a very good swimmer.

If the will to live kicks in

really hard at some point,

you might automatically find

yourself starting to swim

and, before you know

where you are...

you make it to shore.

I thought about that.

And...

you'd feel tired.

And wet.

And you'd be alive.

Are you afraid to die?

No.

Not today.

I have been.

There was a moment

in the hospital.

I woke up...

and I was alone.

And I was sure that my life

was a flock of birds...

and I could feel them

flying away.

Sounds really scary.

Being alone...

can be scary.

Everything can be all right

as long as you're not alone.

Now, me and my buddies...

We had some good times

in Vietnam.

And that was a w*r

and people were sh**ting at us.

Do you know what Vietnam is?

Some bullshit w*r like the ones

we're always in?

No. Vietnam

is a beautiful country with...

really amazing people

and it smells like paradise.

Vietnam taught me...

the meaning of life.

Really?

What is it?

Thank you for today.

I had a good time.

Me too.

I have a...

dying wish.

What's that?

That we might actually

pull this off.

I want my bird back.

I want that too.

Caw-caw!

And that's when

things got weird.

- Bye.

- See you later.

Yeah.

I left Adam out of it.

He'd done enough.

It would just be me and Jaan.

But that was probably

the best team anyway.

Where are you going?

Um...

I'm gonna go steal a bird from

the Russian Pigeon Mafia.

That sounds like

a really dumb idea.

I'll grab my stuff.

You good?

Yeah. It's my method.

I thought it was just us.

You remember my brother Matt?

Yeah. Yeah.

Seen you at the house. OK.

Let's do it.

A dying man,

my brother who doesn't speak...

and me,

all trapped in a truck

on a criminal mission.

How bad could life be?

Every day and night

Every day and night

I can see

your disco disco d*ck

Is sucking my heart

out of my mind

I'm outta time

I'm outta f*cking time

I'm a gasoline gut

with a Vaseline mind, but

Wanna disco?

Wanna see me disco?

One, two, three, four

Who took the Bomp

from the Bompalompalomp?

Who took the Ram

from the Ramalamadingdong?

Who took the Bomp

from the...

Take this.

sh*t.

I can hear them.

It's no use.

It's solid steel.

It can't be cut. Let's go.

Rope!

What for?

Just give me the rope.

Come on, Matt.

You got it, Matt. Come on!

Matt!

Even if you pull yourself

up to the pipe,

what are you gonna do then?

The ledge.

I'll get there

and I'll break the window.

Forget it, Matt.

Just forget it.

I said forget it!

Maybe take a break, Matt!

- You got it!

- Yeah!

You got it, you got it!

Get the truck.

Straight.

Perfect.

Tie this up.

OK, Matt.

Give me a thumbs up

when you're ready.

OK.

This is nuts.

But how are you gonna

get to the ledge?

I'll jump.

Matt, come on. It's too high.

It's OK.

I'm OK.

Jaan, slow down.

Slow down, just...

sh*t.

Matt, are you OK?

- You got it?

- I'm OK. I'm OK.

Then Jaan said

what I was thinking.

Come on down, Matt.

It's too far.

Come on down.

It's not worth it, Matt.

I wished a lot of things

in that moment

before he jumped.

I wished I hadn't stolen

the Granger.

I wished my father hadn't left.

I wished that Matt

wouldn't jump.

Yeah!

Are you OK?

Um, I'm OK.

I... I got it.

You've got it, Matt!

You've got it!

Pull yourself up. Come on!

Pull yourself up.

Put your foot on the ledge.

Pull yourself up! Come on!

He's there. He's there.

He made it.

It was one of the most

amazing things

I had ever seen.

I won't forget it.

Ever.

Your brother's crazier

than I am.

Yes!

You did it, Matt!

Matt did something

I hadn't seen him do

in two years.

He smiled.

- Prisoner birds.

- Prison birds.

Thanks.

Granger, Granger,

Granger, Granger.

Where are you, buddy? Come on.

What... There he is!

- There.

- There? OK.

- Hi.

- Hey, buddy.

Hey, buddy boy.

Hi.

Hey.

- It's OK.

- It's OK.

- Come on.

- How you doing?

Shh. You're all right.

Aw, look at you.

Good boy. Good boy. Yes.

In you go.

- We got him!

- We got him.

We finally got him!

Caw-caw!

Let's go.

It's $25,000.

I was gonna use it to...

try and...

raise the money

to buy our house back.

You really wanna stay?

I don't wanna go, Matt.

Please don't let them

take the house.

Don't you wanna stay there?

It's been a tough place to live

the last couple of years.

Yeah, but I'm not leaving.

I was gonna leave the money in

the Granger's cubby but I...

I think I'm gonna keep

the money.

- Come on, Matt, we can...

- Leave the money.

Just leave the money.

Jaan Vari and his crew.

Jaan Vari!

Give us the Granger.

Hey!

He's ours now.

I left the money!

It's all in there!

Open the cage.

Open the cage, Kaitlyn.

- What?

- We had a deal, little girl.

He'll fly home.

He knows where home is.

Jaan Vari.

Don't.

Don't do it!

- No.

- Go, boy.

- No!

- Go!

Go!

Yes!

Go home, boy.

We did it! Whoo!

Things were on the upswing.

The Granger was free from

the Russian Pigeon Mafia

and on his way home.

Here you go.

So, you're really gonna race

those birds?

Yeah, I mean...

they're pretty fast

and smart but...

I mean, they're the only

pigeons I know, so...

I spoke to Mr. Vari today.

He called me.

Yeah?

I just wanted to make sure that

you're OK, Kat.

I want you to know that

you can talk to me, you know?

About anything.

I'm really fine, Mom.

It's not fine.

It's been a brutal year and...

the divorce has been

so hard on you and...

I've been so focused on

figuring out the house

and your brother,

he doesn't talk and...

I don't ever want you

to hurt yourself.

I don't ever want you to think

about hurting yourself.

I promise you, you have

a great life ahead of you.

Great, do you hear me?

You're 13...

and you're in eighth grade...

and it sucks.

Yeah.

It really does suck.

I love you.

So, um...

Did you, you know...

go the other night?

Yep.

We went to set the Granger free

and I returned the money.

I'm sorry I didn't come

with you.

I should have gone.

Hey.

That wasn't your w*r to fight.

It really wasn't.

OK?

Things went the way

they were supposed to.

So, how are your birds?

They're good.

Kick-ass, even.

I'm gonna race them

on Saturday.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Can I come?

Yeah, sure.

It's really early though.

I don't care. I'm there.

Hey, come on.

It was finally race day.

And we all had to deliver

our pigeons to the club

so they could be driven

to the same starting point.

Where's the Granger?

Did you decide not to race him?

He...

He didn't come home.

Well, I mean, I've...

read where a bird comes back

to his original loft

ten years later, so...

You just mean

he's not home... yet.

Yeah. Yeah, you're right.

He's not home... yet.

- Here you are, my dear.

- Thank you.

Juliet.

Hey.

Charlie Tickets.

You wanna see it?

I haven't seen

one of these in a long time.

Now...

You walk up this trail,

there's a little bluff

where you should sit

and watch the start

of the race.

It's only about

ten minutes away

but, you want to get

the best view you can.

- Thank you.

- Thanks.

Thanks.

- Thanks.

- No problem.

I just want to make sure that

you're all covered up too.

It was perfectly quiet.

And it was a beautiful morning.

I don't know that I was

ever up that early

and really got to watch

the sunrise.

It was incredible.

What you thinking about?

I don't know.

Actually...

I'm kinda thinking about

kissing you.

Is that OK?

Thank you.

Charlie? Juliet?

Charlie Tickets

reporting for duty.

Go on inside, buddy.

Get warm.

Jaan was right.

It was the most amazing thing

I had ever seen.

It's been really great

working with you, Maddie.

If I can just get you to sign

right here,

this will finalize everything.

I appreciate it all.

Sure. I'm gonna leave

a copy of all this paperwork.

Great.

Well...

Enough out of me. I'm glad

we got everything squared away.

Maddie, Kaitlyn, good night.

Thanks.

So, it's done.

We're staying.

Wait. We're staying?

Like, here?

- Like, in this house?

- Yep. Gonna be tight but...

your daddy gave us the money

so we can stay.

Thanks, Mom.

Don't thank me,

thank your brother.

He threatened to k*ll him

if he didn't, which is weird,

'cause I always thought he was

fine moving, but...

then he's making

death threats.

He's not taking dr*gs, is he?

No. No, he's not.

That was the most

we ever spoke

about what he said to Dad

about keeping the house.

He'd done a great thing.

And he had done it for me.

Granger!

Granger!

Granger! Come on!

Go, let's go! Come on. Down.

- Come down. Come down.

- Jaan.

Jaan!

Hey. Look who showed up

on my window this morning.

The Granger!

He came home.

He finally came home.

No.

No, leave him in there for now.

What are you doing?

Where's all your birds?

We're gonna finally

sell the apartment.

I have to go away for a while

so I'm giving...

the birds away to some

really good pigeon folk.

Except this guy.

He refuses to leave.

And I've, I've saved some

good birds for you.

Where are you going?

I have...

I have to go into hospital

for a little bit.

What's a little bit?

- What's a little bit?

- I don't know, Kaitlyn.

The truth is...

it's...

It's probably gonna be

for a while.

Well, what about the Granger?

He's yours.

What?

No. No.

No way. Not after everything

we've been through. No!

He flew home.

Your home is now his home.

Take good care of him.

- Jaan...

- Promise me...

you'll take good care of him.

Yeah.

Yeah. I'll take good care

of him.

- You know where he is.

- Yeah.

I remember

the last time I saw him.

We sat there for hours.

I'd come back to get a really

nice racing timer

that Jaan insisted that I have.

Alright.

I'm off.

I'm glad you came by.

Enjoy the timer.

Race those birds.

That Charlie is special.

I know he is.

Before I go...

I wanted to tell ya...

the meaning of life.

Life is sweet, Kaitlyn.

Life...

is sweet.

Caw-caw!

Life can hurt.

Life can be the eighth grade.

But...

life...

when you really think

about it...

is sweet.