Uninvited, The (2024)

[bunniefuu]

[birds chirping]

[jazz music playing]

[lawn mower whirring]

[sighs]

Oh, God.

Really starting to understand

the value of plastic surgery.

Thought I was gonna age well.

[groans]

I really did.

Actually, I didn't think

I was gonna age at all.

[car horn honking]

There's a Prius in the driveway!

[lively music playing]

[woman] Sammy?

Are you expecting a delivery?

[car horn honks]

[boy] Mom, you need

to finish your story!

[woman]

I can't right now, honey.

[alarm beeping]

I've gotta get the house ready

for the party.

Why are they flashing their

brights while it's still light out?

No one will see them.

Sammy!

Are you listening

to a word I've said?

Wilder, time for you

to get into the bath!

Tracy, will you make sure

the water is lukewarm?

Tracy?

[answering machine beeps]

[woman] Hi, this is Shauna

from Davinia Brown's office.

They said to let you know

that they passed.

They said you were too old

to believably play

the mother

of a 6-year-old child.

It felt tragic.

[music ends]

I matter.

I don't matter.

[man] Wow, that is

so f*cking disturbing.

Okay, you know what?

Before you place

an emergency call to Daniel,

you should know

I was being ironic.

When I was in my 20s, my friends

used to all pull their skin back like that

and be like, "What's your

plastic surgery face, Rose?"

I never played that game.

- You get it?

- Yes, I totally get it.

Now, which shirt?

Or maybe this turtleneck?

Office, funeral.

Person most likely

to be m*rder*d.

By his wife?

Thank you. I look like the

person that's likely to be m*rder*d.

I appreciate it.

- Why are you so dressed up?

- Seriously?

You know the party's here

at our house, right?

It's not at The Beverly Hilton.

I'm sorry, have we met?

My name is Rose Wright.

So formal.

As I recall, when we first met,

you were totally f*cked up and willing

to go home with just about anybody.

Wear the black shirt.

Actually, why don't you

just wear jeans?

I don't own a pair of jeans.

[cell phone ringing]

Ah. Hold on.

- Well, how do I look?

- You look beautiful.

You didn't look at my face.

How am I not looking

at your face?

Gerald. Ah, man,

I'm so happy I got you.

Are you...? Hello?

Hello? Gerald?

[thudding]

Sammy, can you please check

and see what Wilder is doing?

He... He... He's watching Star

Wars with his headphones on.

He's already watching it?

- Oh, my God.

- You were gonna make a big deal out of his first one.

You were gonna invite his friends and make

special snacks in the shape of lightsabers.

Teach him about

the hero's journey?

Ha. Who cares about

the hero's journey?

[groans]

[Rose] Blue light from the screen will

stop his natural production of melatonin,

and then he won't be able

to sleep.

- [Sammy] Eh.

- Tracy, can you please put him in the bath?

Hey, Dad! Will you

sit with me in the bath?

- Tell me a story!

- [Sammy groans softly]

I can't right now, buddy.

I'm on a call.

What?

I'm waiting for Gerald

to call me back.

[car horn honking] - Probably

stuck in a canyon or something.

Why? You're his agent.

Don't you talk all day long?

Because I need a private,

focused moment with him

before he's pulled in

a million different directions.

Hi. Hi, excuse me.

- Hm?

- Mr. Spirit Photographer.

- Sorry, I don't know your name, but, uh...

- Mark.

- What?

- Just Mark. Just...

You can just call me Mark.

Can you see anyone at the gate?

Well, actually, I'm not on the

clock for another few minutes.

- But it's okay. Don't worry.

- Do you mind?

No.

Well, I can see through the

hedges, it's that Prius again.

- No, they're gone again.

- Thank you.

[Sammy] You know,

if I had time to do a hobby,

right, you know

what it would be? Weaving.

I have this deep desire

to do something with my hands.

Maybe you should just wring my

neck and put me out of my misery.

Wait a minute.

Costa Rica, first week of July,

the Jolsons went someplace and

the whole family learned how to surf.

- What about the Fourth?

- f*ck the Fourth.

Since when have

we been patriotic?

God, I need a drink.

Well, the bartender's making

some sort of delicious

orange blossom

something or other.

What? You hired a bartender?

How much did that cost?

It's a fancy party, Sammy.

Are you gonna serve drinks

all f*cking evening?

You're very sexy when you cuss.

Do you listen to a word I say?

Oh, if I'm being honest,

I drift.

- Are you f*cking for real?

- What?

Didn't Daniel tell us

to be honest?

So I'm being honest.

Look, I know I'm screwed

no matter what I say,

so sometimes, when you talk,

I have this involuntary

outer-body experience.

[Sammy moaning]

You know, you get aroused

at the most annoying times.

Yes, I do. I absolutely do.

But I can be very fast.

- Wilder is wide awake, next door.

- [car horn honking]

- [Mark] Hey, that car's back!

- Come on, come on, come on.

Coming!

[car horn continues honking]

Hello. Hi.

Can I help you?

I have to get inside.

My clicker won't work.

Oh. Um...

No, no. This isn't your gate.

Of course, it is. I live here.

Maybe you got

turned around, or...

I am not turned around.

I am home.

[chuckles]

It's automatic.

The lefts and rights,

and the return.

You know, the horse to the barn.

- Straight around and left.

- [Sammy] Rose, Rose, Rose.

You ordered the roast ham.

- You ordered the roast ham.

- Yeah. Gerald's favorite?

No, no, no.

Gerald is a vegan now.

No, I literally just had

a burger with him last week.

Delia just turned Gerald

into a vegan, okay?

I have to get home.

My husband is waiting for me.

Oh, this is my husband, Sammy.

Sammy?

That's my husband's name.

Are you my husband?

I'm sorry. Um, who is

this lady? Who are you?

- She's...

- I am suddenly so thirsty.

Maybe Sammy can drive you home?

It's 7:00.

- So what?

- Literally, dozens of people

are about to walk up

to our front door.

Are you having a party?

Yes, and it's very important

to my husband.

Oh, we're doing this party

for Gerald, okay?

Okay.

Keep telling yourself that.

Oh, don't pretend like

it's not important to you too.

It's a party.

I love parties.

I'm good at parties.

[horn honks] - [man]

Get out of the road, moron!

What did you say,

m*therf*cker? What?

- [man] Entitled as*h*le.

- Hey, f*ck you!

- She's an old lady!

- [man] f*ck all you rich assholes!

I should chase him down

and tell him that our two BMWs,

four-bedroom house,

and saltwater pool

- have never been paid for.

- Okay, you're fine.

Oh, do you have a phone?

It's stuck, down in the seat.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, is that Delia Malik?

- She came?

- She's supposed to be filming.

[amusing music playing]

She's gonna be

a massive distraction.

- Oh, my God.

- Oh. You thought I was overdressed.

g*dd*mn it.

Oh, Mr. Warren, I'd love

to take your aura photograph.

No. I'm looking for someone.

Delia. Delia.

- Oh.

- Oh.

- Sammy.

- Buona notte.

- Buona notte.

- - Buenas noches. - Mwah.

Buenas noche. Oh, my God, you

speak so many different languages.

- Yeah, you remember.

- Yes, I do. Yes, I do.

- I'm so happy that you're here.

- Yeah, I'm happy too.

How did you...? I thought

you were working tonight.

Let's find that phone.

I'm sorry, who are you?

My name is Rose.

Rose.

Well, what a beautiful name.

I wanted to name

my daughter Rose.

Oh. Does your daughter

live here in Los Angeles?

No, no, she does not.

When did that fence go up?

Oh, I don't know.

It was here when we bought it.

We would never have put up a fence

like that and those ridiculous hedges.

We used to sit outside,

watching for my husband

to come home from work.

Best part of our day.

Oh, thank God, Gerald's here.

Okay, I'll be right back.

[lively music playing]

[car door closes]

[Gerald] Rose?

- Hello, my darling.

- I'm so happy to see you.

You're wearing a nightgown.

Quite too early.

Maybe you can help me.

You see this woman in the car?

- She thinks that she's come home.

- Maybe she's a ghost.

Time does work differently,

in theory.

You know what? She's not

a character in your movie.

No, she really thinks

that she's home.

Well, old people are notoriously

unreliable narrators.

Historically, they're

the number one narrators.

[Gerald] Oh, haven't you heard?

History's been over for f*cking decades.

All right,

don't be long, gorgeous.

If you were ten years younger,

Sammy would be

really in trouble.

[chuckles] It's true!

- Hey.

- I need to use the ladies' room.

Oh. Oh, you know what?

Let's go check your phone.

Let's go look for the phone

one last time.

I'm sure you'd much prefer

your own bathroom.

I really have to use

the ladies' room.

- [Mark] The man of the hour.

- [Gerald] Oh, my God.

This is from the film.

- That's right.

- Oh, this is brilliant.

- May I photograph your aura?

- Of course. Be my pleasure.

- This is great.

- This is an honor for me.

Wait one second until I just

give you the right look. Okay?

- Okay.

- Three, two, one.

Just one more step.

There you go.

[clears throat]

Bathroom's right through there.

I'm sure

I don't have to tell you.

I've never been here before.

How would I know?

Yep.

[line ringing]

Hello? This is Rose Wright.

Um... You don't know me,

but I have Helen, your wife.

I think she got

a little bit turned around.

In my opinion, she probably

shouldn't be driving anymore.

Anyway, she's worried about you,

or she's worried that

you're worried about her.

So when you get this message,

will you give us a call?

Helen?

Helen?

You doing okay in there?

Yes.

I left a message on your

home machine for your husband.

Is there anyone else

I should call?

Okay. Well, just let me know

if you need anything.

[line ringing]

Are you sure you don't know her?

She drives a Prius.

But you're in her book.

No, no, no. She didn't pass

away. She's at my house right now.

Well, she thinks she lives here,

which she obviously doesn't

because, you know,

I'm pretty sure I live here.

[swing music playing]

Todd, you're back.

How was India?

Twenty-nine transcendent days.

Yeah, so it was

a good time, huh?

Ah. Takes me right

back to Paris.

- [guests laughing]

- [line ringing]

Helen.

Yes, yes.

Yes, Helen Clare.

Oh, for goodness' sake,

stop shouting my stage name.

You're an actress?

In another life, I was.

- Hello?

- [disconnect tone]

I lost you.

Is there anyone else

I should call?

Hey. Oh, my God.

Wow.

Wow, what a gorgeous night.

Everybody's outside,

and literally,

everyone still smokes,

which I find f*cking amazing,

by the way.

Please don't smoke in the house.

Wilder's right upstairs.

What? The air in Los Angeles

is so bad.

You really think one cigarette's

gonna make a difference?

Where have you been, by the way?

I was wondering if you were

still outside with that old woman.

Oh, I'm taking...

Putting Wilder to bed.

Listen, hey. Can I borrow, like,

a nice sweater or something?

It's for Delia. She's cold.

I haven't even finished

getting ready myself.

Well, do you think maybe

you could get ready,

and then

while you're getting ready,

maybe you could just give me,

like, a poncho?

Yeah, that's perfect.

This is perfect right here.

No, no, no.

- That's my expensive cashmere.

- What? Oh, come on, Rose.

You won't even know she

borrowed it. She's like a hummingbird.

Clothes just hover

over her frame.

You were never good

at metaphors, sweetheart.

This? You want me to walk

outside with this in my hand

- and give this to her to wear?

- What?

- "Hello. Here. Wanna wear this?"

- She's young.

She's wearing a c*ck dress.

Are you kidding me?

- She's an A-list actress.

- Chic. Young kids, they do that.

- Please, just... Please.

- It's high...

Oh, my God.

- You're acting so crazy.

- [sighs]

[clears throat]

- Will you please stop moving for just one second?

- I'm a hunter.

- I can't stop moving.

- You're not a hunter.

- You've never k*lled anything.

- You're not some kind of

frontierswoman yourself,

all right?

Well, I lived in Nepal

for a whole summer.

- Oh, yeah.

- Without running water.

Right. Yeah, I know this story.

I've heard it

like a thousand times.

Oh, sorry to bore you.

Uh... [stammers]

You don't bore me.

It's just starting

to sound a bit surreal.

You think I'm lying?

I believe you went.

I've seen the photos.

I just feel like you somehow snuck off to a

Four Seasons for scrambled eggs and coffee.

Honey, there's no

Four Seasons in Nepal.

Well, if there was,

you would find it.

I don't know if that's supposed

to be an insult or... Whatever.

- Did you ever go back?

- To Nepal?

No, to a time you could tolerate being on

the side of a mountain without running water.

[moans] I have the capacity

in me. My body remembers.

When the apocalypse comes,

you'll see, honey.

I'm strong.

Yeah.

I'm just not so sure

you'd stick around with me

if this grand project of ours

was reduced to mere survival.

Yeah. [Stammers] You might be

right about that. I really...

There's something

about your whole vibe

that I just can't picture

in an era after Advil.

Or Adderall. Or Ambien. Or...

Yeah.

[Delia & Gerald laughing]

[Rose]

When did that romance start?

[Sammy] He's all in.

I'm just not so sure she is.

Oh, Tracy, hi.

I just watched a video that said my

generation is never gonna get old.

They have

the technology already.

I need your help with something.

I know you're aware there's no

reception in the back of the house.

Yeah, total dead zone.

There's an elderly woman

in the bathroom.

I need you to go check on her

so I can keep making calls.

I need to find someone to come

get her before Sammy figures out

that I brought her inside

on this night of all nights.

- She's a witch.

- Shh. Why would you even say that?

It's the witching hour.

You know, they come

after day and before night

to suck the lives

out of all the little kids.

I saw her coming up the stairs.

I just knew it.

Tracy, are you serious?

If Wilder hears you,

he will never sleep again.

[Wilder] Mom, is that true?

I wanna meet the witch.

If you stare

into her eyes long enough,

you can get some of her powers.

Hm.

Oh.

[breathing heavily]

[grunts]

[grunting]

Ah.

[line ringing]

[Rose] Hello? I'm calling

about Helen Clare.

It's urgent

that you call me back. Um...

- [Helen] Is anyone there?

- What is it?

She's stuck

and I can't get her out.

What do you mean?

Helen, are you okay in there?

- [Sammy] Hey. Uh...

- [Helen] Hello?

- [door closes]

- What? What's going on?

The doorknob fell off again

and the door won't open.

What? Are you...?

I thought you said

you were gonna get that fixed.

Did I say it was your fault?

Jesus, come on.

I'm just trying to help.

Oh, by making sure

it wasn't your fault first?

Do you even know

where the toolbox is?

I didn't even know

we had a toolbox.

[scoffs] My father's turning

in his grave.

Okay, all right, so why has

a 90-year-old doorknob

become a reason for you

to attack my masculinity?

Because there's a woman

stuck in the bathroom.

- In this bathroom? Is it Delia?

- Yes, right here.

No, it's not your precious,

little hummingbird Delia.

It's the old woman from outside.

What? Are you...?

You brought the old woman

from outside inside?

Her name is Helen Clare.

For some reason,

it sounds eerily familiar.

Oh, come on, Rose.

We don't have time for one

of your rescue missions.

She's not a stray dog, Sammy.

She's a person.

Which means you're even

less qualified to manage this

than what you do with

all your Labrador retrievers.

Oh.

I'm also a life coach.

In training.

Come on, what are you

gonna do with those?

You gonna grill?

It's not a hamburger.

- What, you got a better idea?

- No, come on.

- Do you have a better idea?

- Yeah, I do have a better idea.

- You... Here, can you please?

- Okay.

All right, great. Hello, hi.

- Hello? Can you hear me?

- Yes.

Great. Can you open the window?

- Ye... Yes.

- Perfect.

I'll be right there.

- [cell phone ringing]

- Oh, my God.

- Hello? Hello?

- [woman on phone] Hello?

Yes, yes. This is Barbara.

- Hi, Barbara.

- Yes?

Yes, thank you so much

for calling me back.

Did Helen...?

Did Helen pass away?

Oh, no. No, no, no.

She didn't pass away.

I just need someone

to come and get her.

She's at my house

in the Hollywood Hills.

- [banging]

- [Sammy speaking indistinctly]

Ow, my f*cking arm.

- [thud]

- [Sammy groans]

[panting]

Hi. Can I...?

Great. Um...

Uh, just gonna get here.

All right.

Excuse me. Uh...

[doorknob clicking]

Okay. What do we do now?

[Barbara] I'm all the way down

in La Jolla, honey.

It's too late for me to drive.

I'm almost 90.

I don't understand

why she's at your house.

She's lost. She's... [groans]

I think

she might be sick. She...

Her skin was really hot when

I helped her out of the car.

Maybe she has a fever.

Well, did you ask her

how she was feeling?

f*ck. f*ck, f*ck.

[groans]

- Okay.

- My grandmother said it was an omen.

If you can't turn the handle,

you will be stuck between

yesterday and tomorrow.

Okay, Helen.

[Rose] Mind the Trap?

- Helen?

- [Barbara] Yes.

Are we talking about

the same Helen?

- She's driving a Prius. She's...

- It's all those medicines.

So it's the medications

that are making her confused?

Ah! Voila. Hey! Ha.

[laughing] Look at that.

And Rose said I couldn't

survive the apocalypse.

After you. Please.

Watch your step.

- [Rose] She's dying?

- All right.

- "Dying" dying? Okay.

- [Barbara] Yeah.

- [groans]

- Yes.

Yes, I will take

the greatest of cares.

[call disconnects]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

- Oh. Ah.

- Ah.

- Hi, look at us.

- Hi.

- It'll all work out after all.

- Are you okay?

Good omens all around.

Since when do you believe

in omens? Are you okay?

Since tonight, since she just

mentioned it in the bathroom.

She is the grandmother's cat.

I am Helen, and I fixed

that blasted doorknob

time and time again,

and yet it still falls off.

That's the omen.

[Sammy] Rose?

Omens are never good.

- Can I get you some Tylenol?

- Rose? Rose?

I don't think it would help.

Rose, can I please talk to you

for just a second?

[Rose whispering] One second.

One second.

[chattering indistinctly]

- [Sammy] How are you, buddy?

- [Rose] We missed you guys.

[Sammy] Please... Drinks?

Everything's outside.

[somber music playing]

[Sammy] Everything's

right out here. Yeah.

Look, I don't mean

to sound unsympathetic. I don't.

We should really

call the police.

Elderly people with Alzheimer's

are very dangerous, Rose.

- Call the police?

- Yes.

- She doesn't have Alzheimer's.

- Well then she's f*cking crazy.

Look, either way,

she's not our responsibility.

Okay?

She's not our responsibility.

She has the same handwriting

as my grandmother.

Are you kidding?

Listen, I need your help

with something very important.

- Hey.

- Are you kidding me?

Hey! What's going on?

- How was the screening?

- Oh, where are my manners?

Here, let me take your coat.

It's warm tonight.

You won't be needing this

in the garden before dinner.

Yeah, drinks are right outside.

We're not serving dinner.

We're just serving

some finger food.

Cheapskate.

[whispering] Cheap...

Okay, this right here,

this has to end right now.

She just relieved our guests of

their jackets, which they will need.

It's f*cking cold outside.

She's just a little confused

about the weather because she's...

Because she's what?

She's... She's... hot.

Why is she hot?

She has a fever.

She has a fever?

You brought a demented old woman

into our home with the flu

- tonight of all nights?

- It's...

- Are you f*cking serious?

- It's not contagious, Sammy.

She's dying.

Then we should call

an ambulance.

What?

You said she's dying, right?

That's what you just said to me.

You said it, so let's call an ambulance.

You can't treat her like

she's some grave inconvenience.

And you can't treat her

like your next great cause.

- I want you to feel something.

- I feel a lot of things.

You just don't wanna hear

about any of them.

Lucien De Leon is coming.

- Lucien? In our house?

- Yes, in our home.

What happened

to your utter contempt for him?

- I think that's a bit strong.

- I'm sorry, I was being kind.

What happened

to your all-consuming jealousy?

I'm over it.

Now, can you please just be

on my side for one night?

[woman squeals]

[Sammy] Hey! Hey!

What happened to the closet

in the guest room?

And why am I dressed in

these clothes for a garden party?

I'm such a sight.

Do you see me?

Yes, Helen, I see you.

- [Mark] Oh, beautiful.

- [Delia] Yeah.

[Mark]

Jeez, I'd k*ll for that aura.

- See this red?

- [Delia] Mm-hm.

That means passion,

which you have a lot of.

And the orange is sensuality.

Oh, great.

- Even that camera reduces me to a clich.

- Well...

[woman] This looks delicious.

I just couldn't do it.

I hate movies about magic.

[whimsical music playing]

Did you find my husband?

Uh, no, but I'm sure

he'll call back any minute.

The more...

The more I think about him,

the more he slips away from me.

He used to go on wanders,

and, oh, I can see him.

There he is at the bar,

at the Formosa,

in his white tuxedo jacket,

with that whiskey soda,

and I'm in my wedding dress.

We snuck out of our own wedding.

His family were

no-booze Mormons.

[chuckles]

What a boring lot.

Hi.

Oh, my God, you're gorgeous.

Sorry to interrupt.

Which way to the bathroom?

I'm sure it's pretty obvious.

So silly to ask.

No, no, no.

It's through the dining room.

Did you find my husband?

I didn't know

I was looking for him.

There he goes again,

a vanishing shadow.

Oh, there it is. Now, see that?

[chuckles] His smile.

I'm sure you hear this

all the time,

but you and your mother

look so much alike.

My mother is dead.

Does this mean

we are not related?

[Wilder] Mom! Mom!

I'm hungry.

You had enough dinner

to feed ten children.

You are not hungry.

[stammers]

How do you know that?

Because I know.

I monitor your body.

Study it, clean it,

cuddle it, dress it.

Wow, I sound

like a serial k*ller.

No, not at all.

You are a mother.

Just giving, giving, giving

all the time, right?

Bringing out

the potential of others.

And I also heard

you're a life coach.

I... How did you hear

about my life coaching?

Because Gerald talks

about you all the time.

Yeah, I was actually kind of

intimidated to meet you, you know,

because he thinks you're the

smartest person he ever met.

Like you could do his job better

than him if you only had the drive.

Or the time.

I had that mantle custom-made

by the same fella

who did the one

in David Niven's study.

He was a friend

of my second husband.

Scoundrels, both of them.

- Who is David Niven?

- [cell phone ringing]

Oh. Oh. Oh.

That might be him now.

David Niven is dead.

- Hello?

- [over phone] It's Barbara.

- Oh, hi, Barbara.

- We spoke earlier.

No, yes, I remember we spoke.

I was just hoping you were

her husband finally calling back.

You're waiting

for her husband to call?

That's not possible.

Her husband is dead.

What...?

He's been dead

for a number of years now.

- No. No.

- I went to the funeral.

He is dead.

[sighs] Just let her know

that I'm on my way.

Tell her that Barbara is coming.

But you're so far.

Won't that take a long time?

That is just something

a friend would do.

Yes, that is just something

a friend does.

I'll be there as soon

as I can manage it.

- Take good care of her.

- Okay. Bye for now.

Did you find my husband?

[melancholy music playing]

[Delia] No.

No, not yet.

He wanders. He does that. He...

He forgets things.

That's why he needs me.

Helen, I don't think you should try to

make sense of anything in the moment.

It'll just upset you.

If he's lost,

it will be my fault.

[Wilder] Mom!

[Rose]

Wilder is not feeling well.

Um, Tracy, will you stay

in here with Helen?

It's not gonna be long now.

Barbara is on her way,

and soon you'll be cozy

and back at home, okay?

I'll be right back.

Oh.

[swing music playing]

[guests chattering]

[rattling]

I have a stomachache.

You're fine.

You've basically eaten the

same thing for the last six years.

But you weren't with me

at school.

I'm always at school.

I'm there for Friday coffee.

I'm in charge of weaving

the global blanket.

Someone at school said

God was the global blanket.

[Rose] That's refreshing.

Do you believe in God?

I wish I did, but, no, I don't.

Anastasia, at school,

she wears a cross because

the son of God died on it.

- It's just a story.

- Mm.

Will you tell me

one of your stories?

Down in the deep,

at the bottom of the ocean,

there lived

a sparkling glow fish.

Alone in the dark,

the only light it ever saw

was the light that came

from its insides.

[yawns]

Well, one day, it rose up

through the darkness into the light,

and lo and behold,

it saw another fish

with golden scales.

Oh, how the sparkle fish

wished it could be as bright

and shiny as the golden fish.

So you know what it did?

It tucked its little, starry,

little arms into a ball.

Sleep tight, little light

All you wish

Will come this night

And he went right to sleep.

And he woke up...

and he had become

the golden fish!

Oh, the joy.

Oh, he raced

into the beam of light.

And he swam and twirled

until he saw another creature,

who was even brighter

and shinier than he was

because he was in the sun,

on top of the ocean.

He saw a glossy seal.

[Wilder] It's a dolphin.

You know the story

better than I do.

Maybe you should tell it to me.

Maybe you should put me to bed.

You need to go

to the party, Mom.

- I do?

- Don't you like parties?

Uh...

I do.

I did. I don't know.

I do.

[guests chattering outside]

[Helen] Doesn't anyone

eat the oranges?

Look at them rotting away.

All that sunlight

will be wasted.

Oh, I thought I'd lost you.

I was talking

to this movie star.

He's waiting for you.

It's you.

I owe you an apology.

How about "hello" first?

It's been a long time.

Just wait. I really have

to do this right now

before I do anything else, okay?

[groans then mouth flapping]

I'm sorry.

[snorts then chuckles]

Oh, my God, those words

are about as riveting

as a store-bought Valentine's.

This is gonna be harder

than I thought.

I think you need some privacy.

- Oh, no. Helen, I don't care.

- No, I'll be over here.

Wait, is this some sort

of sobriety thing?

Yeah, I have a long list,

and you were at the very end.

You didn't have

a drinking problem before.

Apparently, I did.

That's the consensus,

according to the... powers that be.

So I... I went to rehab

for a small spell

on the super down-low,

and I realized that I have

all of these unresolved feelings

about

my edge-of-poverty childhood,

my shitty dad, my last wife.

And you know how they say

you're stuck at the age

when you started

to drink problematically?

For me, that was 29.

Hm. Lucky you, 29 forever.

Rose, you're my 29.

Just let me do this, please.

Just sit down for a second.

You believed in me

when I didn't believe in myself.

[laughing]

That doesn't even remotely sound like a

sentence your brain could manufacture.

Is this you, Lucien?

g*dd*mn it, I missed you.

I'm sorry about all the drama.

I'm fine, Lucien.

I have a big, big life,

wonderful home.

I'm married,

with a terrific kid.

I don't need

a big mea culpa from you.

No, I know you're great. I know.

I've seen you out

a couple of times,

but I wasn't ready

to talk to you yet.

I didn't know I required

so much preparation.

I'm sorry.

I think you can do better.

Let's go again.

How about

you make it a surprise?

Even to yourself,

how much you mean it.

I am sorry.

- [whispering indistinctly]

- [footsteps approaching]

What I wouldn't give

to be a fly on this wall.

[laughs]

Lucien De Leon

in my f*cking house, man!

What a pleasure.

A real pleasure to meet you.

It's a pleasure to meet you too,

Sammy Warren.

Gerald says

you're a f*cking assassin.

Ah. Well, I didn't know that I've

been k*lling people all these years.

But, hey, I'll take it.

I'll take it.

Listen,

I've read all the articles,

and I know

that you're a bourbon guy,

and I have a beautiful bottle

of bourbon on the bar

- that I wanna share with you.

- Okay.

Come on, Rose.

Let's go have a drink.

Welcome, buddy. Welcome to

my home, man. I appreciate it.

[Tracy] Oh, my God. Rose!

That lady, she's in the street!

Hm?

[gasps]

[dramatic music playing]

Helen!

Come on, come with me.

You can't be out here.

Well, I thought maybe...

I shouldn't be there.

[Rose] Well, we have

to wait for Barbara.

You know, she's coming

all this way from La Jolla.

[Helen]

Are we gonna be run over?

I went outside because...

I felt

I was just in everyone's way.

I should just go.

But where?

I'm already home.

How many children do you have?

- I have just one.

- Only one?

With all those rooms

and all that racket upstairs?

You really do look

a lot like me.

[Lucien] You know, I'm actually kind of

couch surfing at the moment right now.

- You're couch surfing?

- Yeah.

- I don't feel like anchoring.

- You don't own a home?

No, I've never

really lived here.

Really?

That's so surprising to me.

- Where do you...? Yeah.

- In my mind.

Yeah, I think a lot of people

could feel that way.

Yeah.

Well, I guess Rose got stuck

backstage or something.

You know, she'd rather be

anywhere but her own party.

- Yeah.

- Yeah. Cheers.

To our shared history

and to the future.

[Sammy] Mm.

I don't really drink anymore.

I'll see you.

[Sammy] You gotta be kidding me.

[Delia & Lucien

speaking Spanish]

Uh, Bobby, right? Bobby?

- Yeah.

- What do you do?

- Are you, like, an actor?

- Yeah.

[Delia in English] Really?

[Bobby] What are you?

Are you an agent?

How could you tell?

This is a $200-glass of whiskey.

Enjoy.

Cheers.

Oh.

Barbara will be here soon.

You keep mentioning

this Barbara.

She's your old friend.

She's gonna come and get you.

Well, why have I just been

left here all alone?

You're not alone. You're...

I'm here.

But you don't count.

What have you done

with all of my things?

The paintings,

photographs, books?

The tiny head of a king

on a stick?

My box?

Theater tickets,

thank-you cards.

Since you have managed

to take it all away,

have it be gone,

take this God-awful pain

in my stomach away too.

You're gonna be okay.

No, I am not going to be okay.

Oh, stop lying to me.

You're right.

There is no one left.

You arrived here

all on your own, by mistake.

You're lost.

You're dying.

It doesn't make sense

because there's no sense

to be made of any of it.

[melancholy music playing]

What happened with the

movie star after he apologized?

He said he was still

in love with me.

[groans]

I used to go to Formosa too.

I can still see myself

sitting there with Lucien,

drinking too many whiskeys

and smoking cigarettes.

Maybe your husband was right

there, having a whiskey soda?

Vodka soda.

He never drank whiskey.

I left to work on the

Godfrey film in Escondido

for three measly days,

the only time that I was away,

and look what happened to Janey.

You should have paid attention.

You should have put

a sweater on her.

What happened to Janey?

We don't talk about that

in this house.

[gasping]

Oh, my... What?

[Helen] There he is.

[Wilder laughs]

[Rose] Are you so naughty?

You got a suit on?

Looking very handsome.

Oh, you have freckles.

They're my favorite.

Does your sister have freckles?

I don't have a sister

or freckles. I'm a lonely child.

[Helen laughs]

Children are coming out

of the woodwork.

They're like stars in the sky.

They're my favorites.

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have the wish I wish tonight

My mother made up

a story like that.

About a fish

that becomes a star.

Sleep tight, little light

All you wish

Will come this night

- Oh, will you tell me the story?

- Yes!

So down in the deep,

at the bottom of the ocean,

there lived

a sparkling glow fish.

The only light it ever saw

was the light that came

from its insides.

All alone, it swam and swam,

until one day...

- [Gerald] Get the f*cking thing working.

- What? What do you want?

You want it well-done,

or you want it charred?

- Don't worry.

- Charred to the f*cking bone, mate.

- Oh, my God.

- It was supposed to be warm tonight.

Ah. Well, I'll let whoever's in

charge know you're disappointed.

Yeah, Gerald insists on bringing

his own portable microclimate, right?

Yeah, she thinks

I live in a bubble.

Yeah, you do.

[Sammy] There's no reason to

ever be uncomfortable in Los Angeles.

I mean,

that's why we live here, right?

- Oi, come here, give me your hands.

- What? You want my hand?

- For what?

- I'm gonna put these...

- Okay.

- One between each finger.

- Each finger. Right here.

- Don't worry.

I don't know. Do we trust him?

- I don't know. I wouldn't.

- Do we trust him?

[Sammy] Lucien, what do you

think? Do we trust him, Lucien?

- You looking at this, man?

- Leave Lucien out of it.

- This is my f*cking magic.

- [Sammy] All right.

- Oh, my God.

- This is...

Okay, that one's a little close.

That's a little close.

That's the whole point.

Your job is to be mute and grateful,

and enjoy some f*cking magic.

[Sammy] Okay.

Okay, now, here's the cork.

Don't forget the cork.

The cork? What the f*ck

do I do with the cork?

- I've forgotten it.

- What?

[all laugh]

You two could take

your act on the road.

I absolutely,

categorically agree.

Ah. Hey, Gerald.

Can I get a second with you?

No. The bits have a...

The bits have a...

- Okay.

- Where's my drink gone?

[pensive music playing]

[Wilder] And then the golden

fish saw something in the water

and he raced to it.

- And before he knew it...

- [inaudible dialogue]

he was tangled up

in a hook and a rope,

and he couldn't get free.

And he fought and he fought.

But it pulled him out of

the water and into the air.

He saw a beautiful white bird

flying right into the sun.

He wished

and he wished to be the bird.

But he was caught in all of the

ropes and couldn't go anywhere.

[grunts]

Please don't let me go.

[Sammy] Light of my life!

I bought you a bottle

of the Clos des Papes.

I hid it behind the bar,

but soon it will be discovered

and there will be none... left.

- Really? She's still here?

- Barbara didn't come yet.

Hey, bud.

Hey. Tracy, let's go. Come on.

You're gonna put Wilder to bed.

Come here, buddy. Come on.

[grunting]

I love you so much, but it's

time for you to go night-night.

I'm not paying you

to go to the party.

Lucien was about

to sign my shirt.

- Seriously?

- Yeah.

Come on. Let's go.

- Off you go.

- Good night, baby angel.

[Rose gasps]

- [Wilder grunts]

- [Sammy] Aw.

My angel. Mwah.

- Okay.

- Thank you for the huggies.

Good night, buddy.

[Tracey] Space fighter.

Can I get a moment

with you alone, please?

[Sammy] Okay.

- What?

- I love your hair like this.

What?

I love your hair like this.

It reminds me of that time, you

know, when we went to Panama.

Remember that? We had

that little hut over the beach.

Remember that?

Yeah, that was great.

- It was fun, wasn't it?

- I loved that place.

Yeah, it was beautiful,

wasn't it?

What are you...? What are we...?

I was just wondering

if you'd ever go back.

To... Like, for a vacation?

To live.

[snorts]

- What are you talking about?

- We could live there.

We could live there.

It's cheap there.

We could...

You wanna pull Wilder

out of school?

You wanna send him

to school in Panama?

What are you talking about?

[sighs]

- Are you okay?

- Yeah, I just...

I feel like somebody's poured

battery acid down my stomach.

Why are you acting so crazy?

I'm leaving the agency, Rose.

You said you would never make

that decision without me.

Well, I know that you

never would have agreed.

You can't do that, Sammy.

You're 45 years old.

What are you gonna do?

Start over in this climate

of extreme uncertainty?

Are you...?

I mean, it's a miracle you still have

a job, with these huge companies

swallowing up

smaller agencies like yours.

- Did you even tell Constantine or Gerald this?

- Look, I'm just...

I'm thinking about it,

all right? That's all.

Oh, okay, great.

You're thinking about it.

- Okay, good to know. Great, thanks.

- Relax.

- Just relax, all right?

- That's insane.

[man laughing outside]

[sighs] Look, will you, uh...?

Can we just go to the party?

Gerald's drunk, and you're the

only one that can wrangle him

before he goes grandiose.

Will you please,

please just go outside

and do what you do? Please?

I'll stay here

with your cross to bear.

- You will?

- Yes.

- You'll check on Wilder?

- Yeah.

Make sure he's asleep

and not just pretending?

- Of course.

- You'll check his breathing?

- I'm gonna check his breathing.

- Make sure it's rhythmic?

I'll bring

a f*cking stethoscope, okay?

- I need it to be deep and slow.

- It'll be deep. It'll be slow.

- Please, will you go?

- Do you promise?

- I promise.

- I'm actually serious.

- Will you please just go to the party? Thank you.

- Okay.

[exhales]

[sighs]

Do you, um, remember me?

You...

You... You look like

another man from earlier.

But he lived here.

Yeah, that... That is me.

This is... This is my home.

Um, Rose is my wife.

- I'm her husband.

- Really?

You... You?

[Spanish guitar music playing]

[Sammy sighs]

[guests chattering]

[Rose] Hi. Can I get a drink?

[man] I'm staying sober tonight.

I'm staying sober.

[speaking German]

Save me from this completely

unacceptable proposition.

So the past and the present

are both delusions, right?

Here's my question.

What does that make me?

Without what you did

and what you're about to do.

Exactly.

[chuckles] Without a sense

of time, we'd just be...

Happy?

Mmm. Lost.

Alone in the dark.

My secret weapon.

See, I always carry her

in my pocket, don't I?

Maybe she doesn't want to be in

your pocket. It's awfully small in there.

[laughing]

And just like that,

there she is.

The switch she can flip

in an instant...

She's the love of my life.

First time I...

I saw her was on stage.

It was this play

she was doing with Lucien.

She was... unbelievable.

Afterwards, I went to this party

because I really wanted to meet her.

All I could do was stand there

and listen.

Like a real f*cking wallflower.

And she made her way

through the crowd,

telling them stories

about her trip to Nepal.

She's like a real butterfly, bringing

nectar, taking nectar. I don't know.

She's right. I've never really

been good at metaphors.

It's all one-to-one with me,

you know? I give and I take.

It is what it is.

But with her,

everything multiplies.

The good and the bad.

Anyway, uh, a year later,

I found myself at another party.

Only this time, I wasn't some as*h*le trying

to make his way to the center of the room.

And she noticed me.

She is in love with him.

- Who's in love with who?

- No, wait.

He is still in love with her.

The movie star.

He said that to my wife, what, the

moment he came through my front door?

It was in the foyer.

[sighs]

[scoffs]

With a candlestick or a rope?

Speaking of faith, do you know

the play Gerald is adapting as a film?

Traveling Jones?

Yeah, no, I meant to tell you

as soon as I found out, but...

Yeah, well,

the f*cking endless...

- Adulation.

- Yeah, I was gonna say press.

But, yeah, it's true.

It's like a lightning bolt

out of a f*cking clear blue sky.

The estate have

just given us the rights.

So after all this time,

can you imagine?

A chance

to finally get it right.

I mean, you were amazing, always.

You held the whole thing together.

Me and Lucy were basically

just playing catch-up, you know?

Listen, I'll fill you in on all the

details later, but it's basically...

Yeah, it's great news

for everyone.

- It's amazing.

- I know. Completely out of the blue.

What happened with the fish

that became a star?

My wife's f*cked-up

bedtime story?

[Helen scoffs]

I'm not a fan.

I mean, it's a lie.

You'll eventually realize that you were

always enough? No, I don't think so.

Once you become a star,

there's no way you want to go back

to being a teeny, tiny little glow fish.

You're so angry,

it will be the death of you.

- What have I done?

- What have you done?

[chuckles]

Nothing to do with you.

What you did with the rabbits.

Remember, you got Janey the rabbits, and

you said they would make her feel better.

Well, that didn't work.

She was too sick to even hold

them, and they ran away from her!

Okay, all right, hold on. Don't

go haywire on me right now.

Rose would be very proud

at how well we're managing.

Don't disappear on me again.

Sammy, you can't leave me

alone here

in all this pain.

I'm not that Sammy.

It was a different time

and a different place.

Okay, let's just, you and me.

I've got nothing else to do.

You were an actress, right?

Rose said you were Helen Hale.

That was your stage name.

I don't have time

to tell you stories.

[scoffs]

- Come on, where are you going?

- None of your business.

Look, it is my business. Rose

said I'm supposed to stay here.

Rose said, Rose said.

What do you say?

To the ladies'.

Is that all right with you?

- Uh...

- Did you even think

of checking

on your lonely child?

[door opens]

[pensive music playing]

[man] I heard a story

that I wanted to...

- [woman 1] I'll be back.

- [woman 2] Yes, I know.

[man] There it is. There it is.

But seriously...

Hi. Excuse me.

[door closes then lock clicks]

f*cking hell.

- Little c**t.

- [knocking on door]

- It's okay. Hey, hey.

- m*therf*cker.

What are you doing? What are

you doing here? What's going on?

Did you put something

sneaky in pocket?

- You did, didn't you? You little f*ck.

- No, no, no. No, that wasn't me.

I didn't put anything sneaky

in your pocket.

Well, this didn't

just magically appear.

I haven't worn this jacket

since I flew back from Canada.

You took a transatlantic flight

with cocaine in your pocket?

- Maybe.

- That could have ended very badly.

Like you not being able

to go to the Oscars.

Oh, for God's sake.

- [knocking on door]

- Close the f*cking door.

- I'm sorry. I'm sorry. One second.

- [woman] Oh. Sorry.

We'll be out in a second.

We need to receive

these gifts as a benediction.

Okay? So come the f*ck on.

Okay, well, maybe not

on my son's bird book.

[snorting loudly]

Oh, it's f*cking perfect.

I'll do one, and then we gotta get out

of here, okay? It's my son's bathroom.

- There he is.

- Just like that. All right.

There he f*cking is.

[chuckles]

There we are.

I forgot you're a key-man.

Okay, come on, let's go. Let's get

out of here. I need you to be very quiet.

- Quiet.

- Be quiet.

- [whispering] Hey, hey.

- What?

- This is f*cking amazing.

- Yeah, yeah, it's great.

Wow, this view is

the f*cking bullocks!

No, I think you'd handle

this whole reunion thing.

You're the only f*cking one, actually.

What are you gonna do?

Lucien's Lucien, you know?

Even I don't fully trust

the c**t. [Chuckles]

Yeah.

I mean, he's famous

for ripping apart relationships

just with

one little f*cking glance,

and then he ponces off

and leaves everyone in tatters.

It must be so exhilarating

having that kind of charm.

I really thought you were

gonna cancel tonight.

You know, considering your,

you know, situation.

But you're my f*cking main man. You're always

with a big finish. I f*cking appreciate that.

I really want to talk to you

about something very important.

This is... This is very exciting.

This is not a bad thing.

This is so...

It's so, so, so exciting.

Sammy, I have a bit of a

sneaking feeling. I don't know.

I think I've emerged

as a kind of...

high priest

of a yet-to-be-named religion.

Really?

- All across the f*cking world, right?

- Uh-huh.

Little kids, they go to bed

- and they take one of these with them.

- Mm-hm.

A figurine that I brought

forward, I brought to life.

- Yeah. Yes.

- I made this...

- happen, right?

- Yes.

And they speak to it, right?

They tell it their little... Their

little secret wishes and dreams

and hopes for the future

and their fears.

- I am the summoner of tale and truths.

- Mm-hm.

- Yeah.

- And now?

- After 1 billion f*cking...

- One billion dollars.

[both chuckle]

All I have to do is just lift my

f*cking finger, right? And bang.

Yes.

Forces will just come out

from nowhere and marshal

and just realize my most crazy

f*cking visions, no matter how absurd.

I mean, okay, here's one.

You see this?

I see a man who can control

the weather with his mind, right?

- Unbelievable.

- And, like,

clouds form, sunlight shines, rain on

parks, you know, anything you want.

And it's like a really tragic,

very personal story, right?

- But with epic special effects.

- Epic.

So it leaves everyone entertained and

walking out just a little bit more ready

for the catastrophe that awaits.

Now, do you think

that is ridiculous?

- I don't think that's ridiculous.

- No, it's all ridiculous

by its very nature because

it's f*cking fake, right?

But since actors are humans,

we perceive the story as real,

or better than real, as truth,

brought forth by me from nothing.

Like the f*cking hand of God in the Michelangelo

picture, touching the hand of David.

Bang! Right?

- Nothing, then something.

- It's f*cking fantastic.

So, um...

I am...

I... I want to go back

to my situation,

you know, which you brought up, and I'm glad that you did.

- Uh-huh.

Man, this is such a big deal.

This is it.

I see it clearly in my mind. This is

what I'm doing. You ready for this?

I'm building

the f*cking Death Star, man.

- Right.

- For real.

And do you know

who my Darth Vader is?

- You, man. You're my f*cking... You're my Darth Vader.

- Alright, yeah, yeah.

So the only thing that we need

is a Princess Leia, right?

So I'm thinking, that's Delia. She's

a princess. It's perfect. There it is.

So the last piece of this

puzzle, the very last piece,

is Luke Skywalker.

We need a hero

for the hero's journey.

And here's the pitch, mate.

This is it.

If you put in a word

with Lucien,

we're blowing up

f*cking planets, mate.

Blowing them the f*ck up.

Or we're saving them, you know?

From climate change. We could

save planets. It doesn't really matter.

You know what?

I don't think

I'm merely a high priest, man.

I think I might be God himself.

I really do.

You know?

Uh...

Sorry, you were in the middle of saying

something about a Star Warsremake. Go on.

A remake? I'm not gonna

remake f*cking Star Wars, man.

- Sorry.

- That's okay. I'm talking about my new management firm.

With you as my main focus.

I mean, you're my guy. Right?

I mean, obviously,

I'm gonna cut my fee in half.

And, uh...

[sighs]

Look, we've been at this

a long time.

You've been my client for 15

years. I'm not gonna make this weird.

Come on this journey with me.

Let's just do this.

A handshake deal right now,

you and me.

Uh...

[chuckles]

No, mate.

What?

No.

[chuckles nervously]

Mate, this is not fair. You've

really f*cking surprised me.

- No, no, no.

- What...?

Look, look.

[groans] Okay, how can I put it?

Just 'cause you've got yourself

f*cking fired in the new world order

does not mean I have to f*cking

follow you to some stupid little office

with big f*cking ideas

and no backing, right?

We're all fortressing up

for the coming storms, mate.

All of us. No one wants to be left

out there alone. Least of all me, okay?

So just don't ask me that.

'Cause then I have

to be a c**t and say no.

Yeah.

You'll be fine.

I need to get back to the party.

[guests chattering]

[dramatic music playing]

[speaking indistinctly]

I'll talk to you later.

- [Mark] Just take a deep breath.

- [Lucien] Do I need to stay still?

[Mark] You just

breathe normally.

[Lucien] What do you mean,

breathe normally?

Excuse me, we haven't

taken the photograph.

[Rose] Oh, sorry. I didn't know

you were in here. So sorry.

["Sweet Dark-Haired Man"

playing]

Oh, sweet, sweet

Dark-haired man

Oh, please

Please take my hand

And lead me, lead me

Lead me, lead me on

The light, soft on your brow

It shows

How you're worried now

I could love you, love you

Love you, anyhow

[singer whistling]

[Sammy] Sri Lanka.

The magazines say it's amazing.

Just fruit hanging from the trees.

It's supposed to be like Eden.

[snorting loudly]

- [sighs]

- What are you talking about?

I need a vacation.

But I can't take a vacation

unless I have a f*cking job.

You swear too much.

It cheapens life.

What's the good of even...

getting dressed in the

morning, if all is obscenity?

Who are you?

How did you get here?

Really, here.

How did you get here?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, I know what this is.

Ah, this is Bedford Falls.

I'm, uh...

I'm Jimmy Stewart in that movie,

at Christmastime.

- It's just like the angel has wings, right? This is Clarence.

- Oh, my dearest Sammy.

- This is Clarence.

- It's not Christmastime and you're not Jimmy Stewart.

- [chuckles]

- [sighs]

That was a nice laugh.

Look, for the last time,

I'm not your f*cking Sammy, okay?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my heart is about to...

Going off like a f*ck clock...

Slow down, Sammy.

You know your heart is weak.

No, it's not. I work out.

I can run 6.5 on a treadmill for

25 minutes. I'm in great shape.

You don't want to collapse in the prime of

your life right here and die on the floor.

Oh, my God, you're a witch.

I can't believe

I did that play half-naked.

You were...

so charismatic,

it was distracting.

You weren't all bad with your shiny

shoes and your slicked-back hair.

[sucks teeth]

My savior, Traveling Jones.

I overheard Gerald finally telling

me we're all set to make it into a film.

Jones...

if you think your God gives you

the right to tell me who I can love,

- well, then let me tell you.

- What would you tell me?

That me coming through

your sh*thole town on a layover

from a broke-down Greyhound...?

[chuckles] f*ck,

I didn't remember the line.

Do you think we would have fallen

in love if we hadn't played lovers?

When I go through all the

pretending and the make-believe,

- I wonder what was real.

- All of it.

Because there's a beginning, a middle

and an end written by somebody else

doesn't mean that we weren't

present in the scene.

I thought free will had

something to do with it.

It's overrated.

I thought you were sober.

I am, but I still drink.

Don't tell anybody.

Your secret's safe with me.

[Mark] An aura photograph can

reveal everything about yourself.

[playful music playing]

[Rose] What are we doing?

Do you remember when you threw my

keys over the fence into someone's yard?

Because you didn't want me to

drive drunk to your best friend's party.

Yeah, and you climbed over and

you got attacked by my neighbor's cat.

[Lucien laughs]

You laughed all the way

to the hospital.

You were fun.

You make shitty things fun.

It was easy to laugh at sh*t.

You were easy.

No, I don't think anyone that knows

me now would ever believe that.

Do you remember when we

lost power during the heat wave?

No air-conditioning

and Gerald got so faint,

I had to go out to the car

and blast the air.

And you made me an ice bed

because I was so hungover,

I almost threw up, and then

you went out on stage...

to finish the play for the last

three remaining audience members,

doing both of our parts

in alternating accents.

God, you really are so good.

[chuckles]

I wish I was doing

the movie with you.

What? What do you mean?

What?

Who is it?

Who's gonna play my part?

Delia.

[laughs]

[Lucien chuckles]

Okay, but you still get

to play Jones?

- You were like this bright, shining star.

- [groans]

I don't know why you quit.

I didn't quit.

They stopped hiring me.

Besides, Sammy's always

working late or...

out of town.

I didn't have it in me

to chase ghosts

while Wilder was

growing up home alone.

We don't even have a dog, Lucien.

What kind of childhood is that?

And my mom never was around when

I was growing up. My dad was a goner.

I grew up on Pop-Tarts and TV,

but I still end...

Oh, come on.

Please don't end the story with:

"Look how I turned out. I turned

out all right." No, you didn't.

You didn't turn out all right!

You could be a super mean drunk.

I was gonna say, "I had you."

You made me...

see past what I was given.

What am I doing?

Don't worry.

Don't think about it.

It's not really happening.

We're just finishing unfinished

business in a parallel universe.

- Okay. All right.

- Oh, my God.

Rose...

I couldn't handle the fact

that you were so talented.

And I'm sorry about how I

broke up with you on the phone

right after you got

your first big job.

You should have been celebrating,

and instead you were devastated.

- You're the love of my life.

- You intimidated me.

I'm being honest.

Just look at this.

- Doesn't this feel good?

- Oh, yeah. So good.

I never should have left.

I bailed before the good parts, the

house, the kids, the Christmas cards.

This is not an apology. This is...

It's a total rewrite of my own history.

You mean, we could have had all of this

if only you felt a teensy bit more secure?

We could have had a child

in our 20s? Together?

That... That child, our child?

It would have been... It would

have been 18 years old, Lucien.

- How do you even know that?

- It's pretty easy.

You just subtract now

minus then, and boom,

you've got the age

of our phantom child.

It's always the years.

It's always the math.

It's just adding up

and taking down years.

It's... You don't get it.

You don't have a kid.

I did have a kid.

I didn't know until last year.

He's 16.

Yeah, I missed the messy bits,

but now it's me and him.

We're actually gonna drive an RV

across country for the whole summer.

His name is Raynor.

"His name is Raynor."

Well, you know, a few days

after you broke up with me,

I threw up every morning on set.

Thought

it was heartbreak or flu...

Whatever.

Sorry

I never mentioned it to you.

[pensive music playing]

Hey.

It's so good to see you.

I just...

I want you to know...

how grateful I am for you,

for everything.

What's wrong?

Did something terrible happen?

What? No. Nothing happened.

What, do I have to have, like, a

near-death experience to be nice?

Maybe.

Look, I think what you don't

understand is that every day

is like a near-death

experience for me.

But you mean

everything to me, Rose.

Everything.

Did you do cocaine with Gerald?

Uh...

He did it.

And then I did a little bit.

- Yeah, you did a lot.

- I mean, I did a lot, yes. And now I feel terrible.

Did you do it in front of Helen?

- I did.

- You did?

And that was really weird.

You think it was weird

to do cocaine

in front of this elegant,

sophisticated woman who's dying?

I'm dying.

I'm the one that's dying.

You're having

a first-class panic attack?

I'm not having a panic attack.

You're having a panic attack because you

entertained leaving your cushy job with Constantine.

But I promise you, Sammy, you're gonna wake

up tomorrow exactly where you need to be.

Look, I'm not

your little starfish.

- Okay.

- Okay?

You need to take a time-out, and

I really need to go talk to Helen.

Helen is gone.

- What do you mean?

- She left.

- Did Barbara come?

- No, Barbara didn't come.

- What?

- What? She probably...

- Sammy!

- What?

- Gosh!

- What?

- Oh, my God.

- What? She left.

Sammy!

How could you do this?!

I promised Helen

I wouldn't let her go.

And Barbara's coming all this

way because she's her friend

and that's what friends do.

She's a total and complete stranger

with a family of her own out there

wondering what happened to her.

No, there's no one else but me.

She needs help, Rose, real help.

You're right. You're right.

How could I possibly

provide real help?

I mean, I am the person who abandoned

everything I ever worked towards

so I could make some carrot

muffins with ricotta topping

for back-to-school nights and, you

know, be around for Wilder's childhood.

But, no, no, no, I don't blame

you for overlooking the one person

who makes it possible

to go to your beloved job

without a care in the world.

I got news for you.

I hate my f*cking job!

It's done.

It's over. I'm out.

I don't have a job.

There's a complication at work.

They said if I wanted to keep my

job, I would have to do mediation,

to which I said,

"Go f*ck yourself!"

And then they said that

I have an anger problem.

And if I wanted to keep my job, I would

also have to take anger management classes.

Manage my anger? It's the only

thing I actually like about myself.

A complication?

With you?

With Meredith.

It was a long time ago.

Meredith? Wait, hold on.

Oh, my God.

Gerald's old assistant?

Do you remember that time

you were allergic to me?

You mean, when I had postpartum?

You were allergic to me.

What happened?

I went to see Gerald

on location.

And we all went out

and we had dinner.

And then afterwards...

I walked Meredith

back to her room.

It was late.

And I was lonely.

It meant nothing.

I didn't want her, Rose.

I've only ever wanted you.

All I have done since the moment

that I saw you is try to win you over.

I'm sorry.

[poignant music playing]

[grunts]

I was wondering if you were ever

coming back to your own party.

Oh, this isn't my party.

I feel like such an as*h*le

for swanning around

about your mom glow

and your homemaker vibes.

So stupid. I'm sorry.

Oh, my God. No, you saw me. I'm

a mother. What else is there to see?

I had no idea you were

this celebrated theater actress.

Gerald just told me you

originated the part I'm about to play,

just standing ovations

every night.

Well, you know, that's the thing

about theater. Once it's done, it's over.

It's taken up by the hands of time and

packed away, never to be seen again.

Maybe... Maybe we could meet

at some point.

You could help me with the part.

There's no helping you.

That part is dated.

I mean, who wants to see

a woman like Rachel

saved by a man

who is so far beneath her

just because she wants to have a child

and thinks she's not worthy of anyone else?

And the ridiculous depiction

of motherhood,

the phony joy...

None of the primal struggle.

What a... What a pure falsehood.

I mean, who's gonna help her

when the curtain comes down?

No one, that's who.

I thought

you liked being a mother.

No. No.

I do not.

It's lonely.

And no one tells you that no matter

how much help you seek from experts,

there's no way

to fix that loneliness

because the person

you miss is yourself.

And the older you are

when you have your first child,

the bigger the gap between who

you were and who you've become.

It's so big, in fact, it will

swallow you whole one afternoon

when you're innocently trying to

baby-proof the electrical outlets.

- I'll sit, sorry.

- Are you okay?

Oh, my God,

the spinning, it's back.

Those flowers, they smell

horribly sweet. Are they rotten?

Oh.

I think I'm pregnant.

Do you?

Well, I took a test this morning

at work, and it was negative,

but then I just kept feeling so

weird, and I took a second one here.

And what did it say?

I haven't looked yet.

Why not?

'Cause I'm not ready.

I get it.

[melancholy music playing]

Wilder?

Wilder?

Wilder?

Wilder?

Delia!

- What happened?

- I can't find him.

[Rose] Wilder?

Wilder?

Rose, I found him!

Oh, my gosh.

He was in the tent.

- Thank you.

- Yeah, of course.

- Angel.

- Let's get you to bed.

Here you go.

You're okay.

If you took a picture of me and

Wilder right now in that guy's camera,

you'd find m*therf*cking rainbows

sh**ting out of my heart into his.

Are you okay?

Not great.

I just need to look

at this f*cking test.

Give it to me.

Okay, this is totally weird.

It's not that weird.

So I know how to play

the answer when I see it.

- What do you want the test to say?

- Not no, not yes.

You know those are

your only two options?

[sighs]

Cross?

Cross.

sh*t.

Do you want me to go get Gerald

and take you home?

Gerald and I

never slept together.

We were just experimenting, just

kind of like old-fashioned romance.

So...

Um...

Was it an immaculate conception?

No, Rose.

It is Lucien.

Please don't tell anyone yet.

[clears throat]

No, no. Of course not.

Oh.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

["When It's Sleepy Time

Down South" playing]

Now the pale moon's shining

On the fields below

The folks are crooning

Soft and low

You needn't tell me, boy

'Cause I know, yeah

When it's sleepy time

Down south

Soft wind blowing

Through the pinewood trees

The folks down there

Live a life of ease

When old mammy

Falls on her knees

When it's sleepy time

Down south

Dear old south land

With his dreamy song

You take me back

Where I belong

Right in my mammy's arms

When it's sleepy time

Sleepy time, down south

[song ends]

[vehicle approaching]

[car horn honks]

[car horn honking]

- [crackling]

- [guests clamoring]

[man] I knew it! I knew it!

Oh, my God.

You're...? You're back?

Miss, would you step away

from the door?

My clicker isn't working

for some reason.

Is your husband waiting for you?

Oh, no.

He's been gone a long time.

It's just late, and I really

have to get to bed.

Okay, come on. Let's get

you inside, safe and sound.

[groaning]

How are you feeling?

Wouldn't you know? My stomach

just stopped hurting altogether.

That's wonderful news.

Let's go inside. Come on.

[Helen] Oh.

- Why is it so dark in here?

- [Gerald] The power just went out.

Sammy!

Come in, you can't fix this.

Well, why doesn't

someone light the fire?

You, God, make yourself useful.

Bring in the light that you are

always going on and on about.

Oh. The clock is stopped

this whole time.

Do you not notice these things?

Where are all of my things?

They're all gone.

[melancholy piano music playing]

[guests chattering]

[man 1]

How do you still have power?

- [Mark] What? Me?

- [man 1] Yeah.

[Mark] I'm powered by the sun.

[Mark] Mr. Warren?

Uh... [clears throat]

Mr. Warren, hi.

I'm really sorry to bother you, but

I'm about to pack up my equipment

and I'm gonna need

to take your photograph now.

You don't want to be left out

of the story of the evening.

[soft melody on piano]

- Lovely.

- [Delia] You play beautifully.

Why don't you play?

[Gerald] Yeah, okay.

[playing melancholy music]

Sammy, oh, what do I feel?

You've been gone my whole life.

Would you care to dance?

Oh, it's a requiem.

Does it matter?

I'm sorry I left you

with all of your pain.

It's all right, Sammy.

It's all right.

[Helen] Oh.

[groans]

- [Sammy] Careful.

- [Helen groaning]

Here. Over here.

Come here.

Yeah, get her shoes off.

- [Sammy] It's okay.

- [Rose] She's so cold.

- Let me get you a blanket.

- No, no. I'll get it.

Stay here.

[Gerald] Over here.

- Give her this.

- [Sammy] Thanks, man.

[Helen groans]

- [Delia] There you go.

- [Sammy] Okay.

- There, there we go.

- [Gerald] You're all right.

[moans]

Was this all a dream?

No, Helen. It wasn't.

Thank you.

For being lovely.

How does it end?

I...

- [Rose] What?

- I was thinking that I...

I could tell Janey your story

about the fish and star...

before her fourth birthday...

when she passed away.

Uh...

Where with the...?

Where did you...? Where did you

leave off with the sparkle fish story?

Where were you?

Uh, we had gotten to... From

sparkling blob to golden fish.

To luminous bird, right?

To the burning sun.

To the bright moon.

And then finally...

[Sammy] Finally, it was, uh...

It was the shiniest and

brightest of them all. It was a star.

[Rose] And it was finally happy.

But... But then it saw a bright,

blinking, tiny, little light

down in the deep, dark ocean.

And then it went to sleep.

Yes.

[moans]

Then what?

[somber music playing]

It was home.

[door closes]

[woman] Hello?

Hello. Hi.

- [woman] Uh...

- Can I help you?

I spoke to someone on the phone. I'm

Barbara Collins. I'm here to get Helen.

Oh, my goodness.

Look at this place.

[chuckles] It feels like

it was just yesterday.

We played music. We danced.

Oh, what a time we had.

[Barbara] Helen?

Helen?

Oh.

[melancholy music playing]

[swing music playing]