1
[CREAKING]
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Fuck!
ISABEL: Jacob, I want to see
those lights off.
In a minute.
ISABEL: Do you hear me?
JACOB: I'll turn it off
in a minute.
[CREAKING]
[DOOR CREAKS]
Night, mom.
ISABEL:
Close your door, Jacob.
[DOOR CREAKS]
[PAPERS RUSTLING]
Fuck.
[DOOR CREAKING]
[ETHEREAL WHISPERING]
- Jacob!
- [SCREAMS]
Jacob, stop it! Stop it!
I have had enough.
You go to sleep,
or I will kill you, you hear me?
- I will kill you!
- DAVIS: That's enough! That's enough! Hey.
He won't go to sleep.
- I can't stand it. I can't stand... do you hear me?
- Shh! Enough. Enough.
- Go back to your room.
- ISABEL: Not one more night of this!
DAVIS: I'll take care of it.
Go back to your room.
- [JACOB SOBS]
- ISABEL: Not one more night!
DAVIS: Oh, Jacob, it's all right.
Everything's fine.
It's just... Oh, Jesus.
[WATER RUNNING]
Your mother's
a passionate woman.
That's why I fell in love
with her.
That's why I'm still in love
with her.
But when you scream
and shout every night, it...
it makes her tense.
I know I'm not your real father,
and I could never replace him...
but I want to be your friend.
An apology would go
a long way.
I'm sorry.
[ISABEL SOBBING]
[DOOR OPENS]
[SOBBING CONTINUES]
DAVIS: It's all right,
sweetheart. It's gonna be fine.
Your grandmother
passed last night.
ISABEL: The world is better off.
- DAVIS: Shh. Isabel.
- ISABEL: It's true.
She was a horrible woman.
You never met her, so you
can't begin to understand.
That's why I never let her
see you...
even when you were born.
ISABEL: We need to bury her.
[MAN CHANTING IN HEBREW]
[CHANTING CONTINUES]
- What did she look like?
- Shh.
- Amen.
- Amen.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- TSIPI: Hey!
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
You have her eyes. Feiga's eyes.
And also her face here,
and the chin and the cheeks.
- You're hurting my arm.
- What, a little old woman like me can hurt your arm.
You're a softy. Not like Feiga.
Feiga wasn't soft.
None of us were.
- Not if you wanted to live.
- [JACOB SHUDDERS]
You think that's bad?
You should see the rest of me.
A boy gave them to me,
a soldier.
He found out where
we were hiding, all of us,
and he told me if I didn't do
what he wanted,
he would tell them
how to find me.
So I did what he wanted.
And every time he finished,
he gave me another mark
with his knife.
I don't know why.
My father, my brothers,
they knew what was happening,
and they did nothing.
Your grandmother was in a hiding
place with us, but she was alone.
We didn't know her,
her family, nothing.
She didn't like me.
She never said one word to me.
And I don't blame her.
I was a vain little girl.
Brought a makeup kit from home,
all kinds of little tchotchkes.
One day, I noticed my nail file
was missing.
Well, I didn't give it much
thought until one night,
when everyone was asleep,
I woke up and heard a sound.
[IMITATING SCRAPING SOUNDS]
She was sitting in the corner
with her hands by her mouth.
She was sharpening her teeth
with my nail file, like this.
[MAKING SCRAPING SOUNDS]
- [LAUGHS]
- ISABEL: Jacob!
Are you crazy? How dare you
frighten him like that?
How dare you?
[CROWS CAWING]
JACOB: What are we gonna do
with all her stuff?
We are going to sell
the best pieces...
and give the rest away.
How come we don't have any
pictures of grandma anywhere?
How come that old lady said
I have eyes like her?
Oh, Jacob...
she was crazy.
- DAVIS: Isabel?
- Just like my mother.
- Sweetheart, the matinee's starting soon.
- ISABEL: Oh.
- We're going to be late.
- Oh, I want you to have your book finished
by the time we come back
to pick you up.
We are going
to a very important dinner
at Davis's
senior partner's house. Hmm?
And... no television.
Understand?
[SCREAMING]
WOMAN: [ON TV] No! No!
[WOMAN ON TV SOBBING]
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
- DAVIS: I know. It's surprising.
- [ISABEL CHUCKLES]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [SWITCHES TV OFF]
- Shit.
- [DOORBELL RINGS]
DAVIS: Hey, guys.
What's happening?
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [DOOR SHUTS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
MARY: We're so happy
to have you all here.
- Thank you so much for making the trip.
- Isabel, you're even lovelier
- than Davis described.
- ISABEL: Oh! [CHUCKLES]
No wonder you have
been hiding her.
- Well, it's so nice to finally meet you.
- Ma'am, I can take your coat.
Oh, I'm... I'm actually...
We've been married less than
a year. Didn't Davis mention...
- Of course Davis told me. I'm sorry.
- MARY: Oh, please don't be.
It looks like we're
both new around here.
ISABEL: Ah! And this must be Christine.
So pretty.
It was more of a whirlwind
than you and Isabel.
Two weeks after we met,
- we were on our honeymoon in Paris.
- MARY: Mm-hmm.
I have a new wife,
and the children have a mother.
- Well, stepmother.
- [CHUCKLES]
Like in fairy tales.
Sometimes life's like
a fairy tale.
In fairy tales, stepmothers
are wicked.
Well, there are all kinds of
monsters in stories, aren't there?
I love Paris. My father
was French, you know.
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
[CHUCKLES]
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
How about you, Jake?
Do you speak French?
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
Oh, that is really good.
How did you learn
to speak so well?
- I was "tooted."
- [SNICKERING]
"Tooted"?
Yeah. I had a "toota."
[SNICKERING]
He grew up in Brooklyn.
Why don't you kids
go play a little while
and let us grown-ups talk about
boring grown-up things a little.
- I like grown-up things.
- [CHUCKLES]
Well, then by all means, Rupert,
you're welcome to stay.
[CHRISTINE CHUCKLES]
Shut up.
What are you reading?
Captain America.
Do you like it?
It's an old one.
It was my brother's.
Not Rupert.
My other brother, Timothy.
He's dead.
[SIGHS] It was a tragedy.
My grandmother just died.
So what?
Old people are supposed to die.
Timothy was 12.
My mother was 36.
Your mother?
My real one.
Thirty-six isn't 12,
but according to my dad,
it still qualifies as a tragedy.
Plus she killed herself, so she
doesn't get to go to heaven.
- My father died.
- How old was he?
I don't know.
- How old are you?
- Thirteen.
Well, almost 13.
That's called 12.
[CHUCKLES]
How old are you?
Almost 13.
You're pretty.
- I... I'm a boy.
- Boys can be pretty.
Boys are handsome.
- Maybe you're not a boy.
- I'm a boy.
- If you say so.
- I'm a boy!
Prove it.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- Jacob, darling, you ready to hit the road?
- BOY: Ooh!
- Are you gonna cry, you fuckin' pussy?
Oh, is this what you want? Hey,
look what I found in her bag.
- JACOB: Give it.
- [BOYS LAUGHING]
[BOY TAUNTING]
ISABEL: What is wrong with you, Jacob?
Why do you waste your time
watching television and reading
comics when it gives you nightmares?
- Comics don't give me nightmares.
- Oh, well, television does.
And then you don't sleep,
and then you fight in school.
- I wasn't fighting.
- Well, whatever it is that you did,
it got you suspended for a week.
ISABEL: You are gonna be
home alone every day this week
while I'm at work.
No comics.
If you give me any more grief...
I don't know what
I'm gonna do with you.
[CLATTERING]
[CLATTERING]
[CLATTERING CONTINUES]
[CLATTERING CONTINUES]
[CLATTERING CONTINUES]
[TANGO MUSIC PLAYS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING]
[MUSIC FADES]
[OPERATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[LIVELY TANGO PLAYS]
[MUSIC ENDS]
[RECORD PLAYER CRACKLES]
DAVIS: Jacob.
I didn't say anything about,
well, you know what,
to your mother.
That can stay between us.
Jacob, this is Dr. Sherman.
Have a seat, Jacob.
Go.
Brooklyn boy, huh?
You've been making trouble.
You can talk?
Of course he can talk. Jacob...
For now, listening will be fine.
People who can listen
are much rarer
than those who can talk.
Isn't that right, Jacob?
I want to tell you a little
about our school, Jacob.
I thought... I thought you were
a doctor.
I am.
I am also the principal of the
boarding school you'll be attending
next semester
after the holidays.
I know. It's a bit
of a surprise.
But your parents
and I had to determine
if you were the right fit
for us and vicey-versey.
I think you'll fit just fine.
I run an exclusive school
especially designed
for unique young people
like yourself.
We can only accommodate
a few students,
so it's a far cry
from the sturm und drang
you're used to in the big city.
DR. SHERMAN: At first
it may take a little adjustmen,
but you will find that peace
and quiet refresh the mind
as well as the spirit.
Like it says
in the Good Book...
"Only in the wilderness,
is man-made pure again."
Good morning, sir,
may I help you?
- Yes. Uh, Davis Rathbone.
- Claude.
- Jacob?
- Yeah, Jacob.
Please proceed right up
the hill, sir.
Thank you.
[CROWS CAWING]
Hi.
- Hello. Mrs. Sherman.
- ISABEL: Mrs. Sherman.
This is Jacob.
Davis.
You be good, hmm?
- DAVIS: Thank you, Mrs. Sherman.
- MRS. SHERMAN: Of course.
Are you hungry, Jacob?
We stopped at
a Howard Johnson's.
Well, it's getting late.
There's a closet here,
and a bureau.
Organize your things
and get into bed.
What one?
You mean "which" one.
Whichever one you prefer.
How come there's two?
You mean,
how come there "are" two?
There'll be two of you in this room.
You'll have a roommate.
His arrival has been delayed.
Uh, Miss Sherman?
Are you our teacher?
- Dr. Sherman is your teacher.
- Thought he was the principal.
He is. He's also your teacher.
There's only one teacher?
It's a small school.
[CHUCKLES]
JACOB: How many kids are there?
You'll meet your fellow students
at breakfast in the morning.
Any more questions?
Can I sleep with the light on?
[FAINT CLATTERING]
[ZIPPER UNZIPS]
[BOTH SCREAM]
PHIL'S FATHER: Whoa, whoa.
I see you've met our son.
Uh, Phil?
Your parents told me what happened
to you, about the fire and all.
Sorry I screamed.
It's okay. I should've knocked.
- I didn't want to wake you up.
- No, it's okay.
You want to put your stuff away
and everything?
No, I'll do it in the morning.
Okay.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Good morning, Jacob.
How did you sleep?
Fine.
Orange juice and milk
are on the table.
Yes?
Can I have some bacon?
I thought your people
didn't eat bacon.
I eat bacon.
I mean, at home. I eat it when
my mom makes it.
Tomorrow I'll prepare you some.
Hey, what's up?
Fuck you. Eat shit.
Look, if I bothered you,
I can just leave.
Piss and shit!
Piss and shit! Fuck!
Turd burglar!
Ah! Fuck you!
Fuck you!
What's... what's up?
What?
FREDERIC: Piss and shit! Turd burglar!
Shit on a shingle!
[FREDERIC GRUNTS]
Hey.
[SNORTS]
[LENNY AND CALVIN SCREAM]
[ELWOOD SCREAMING FRANTICALLY]
MRS. SHERMAN: Everybody quiet!
Quiet down!
DR. SHERMAN:
Do you hear Mrs. Sherman?
Be quiet!
All of you.
Right this minute.
This is Phil...
your classmate.
Can I please go eat upstairs?
Take a seat, Phil.
DR. SHERMAN: Come on, now.
You'll all sit together
and eat in...
- relative silence.
- [DOOR OPENS]
CHRISTINE:
What's for breakfast?
DR. SHERMAN:
You're late, young lady.
I overslept.
- [BONES CRACKING]
- Where are my parents?
Who are these freaks?
Good to see you've found
your places
without any assistance from me.
You will meet me here
every morning,
- Ten minutes after breakfast.
- Eat shit!
Excuse me?
Shit on a shingle! Shingle shit!
[SNORTING]
- Are you quite finished, Frederic?
- [EXCLAIMS]
You will find three books
in the drawers in your desks.
A math textbook,
an English textbook,
and the Holy Bible.
When you come in...
you will see on this board
the name of the book and chapter
we'll be starting with
that morning.
You will open your book
to that chapter
and read in silence
until I indicate
it's time to discuss your reading
and give out assignments.
That will take us to lunch.
After lunch, you're free
to play outside for an hour
under the supervision
of either myself
or Mrs. Sherman.
You are not to attempt
to leave these grounds
for any reason, under any
circumstances whatsoever.
You are to be washed
and ready for bed
at 7:30 sharp.
Any questions?
My father told me this was
a bed and breakfast.
That sounded suspiciously
like a statement,
rather than a question,
Miss Holcomb.
I want to see my father.
And that sounded like a demand,
one which you are in no position
to be making,
as your parents clearly
do not share your sentiment,
else you would not be here
this very moment.
Why would my father lie to me?
Finally, a question...
unfortunately, one that
we both know the answer to,
so there's no point
in discussing it here.
I'm not going to school
in this place.
Oh, yes, Miss Holcomb,
I'm afraid you are.
[GRUNTS]
- [CRYING OUT]
- [ELWOOD EXCLAIMS]
I have left your bottom
unscathed, Miss Holcomb,
simply because I want it comfortably
planted back in your seat.
Have I made myself clear?
Clarity... is what I strive for,
and what we will all strive for
in the upcoming two weeks.
Elwood... Come, Elwood.
It's all right.
Have I made myself clear?
Fart-sicle! [WHOOPING]
Fuck-sicle! [SNORTS]
Good.
Open your bibles.
JACOB: Hey, take it easy, man.
FREDERIC: Just catch it.
CALVIN: How do you get up there?
I won't even try it.
LENNY: Elwood,
what are you doing?
CALVIN: He's gonna bust us out.
Wow, you throw hard.
I'll trade your glove
for my catcher's mitt.
Man, my hand is killing me.
Suck your hand. Suck it.
Suck it!
Whoa, why do you have to curse
so much, Frederic?
I... I don't... [GROANS]
Because he's a freak,
that's why.
Are you done having
a spaz attack, spaz?
We're just playing catch.
I can see that.
Unlike the rest of you freaks,
I'm neither a spaz or a retard.
- I'm not a retard or a spaz.
- Then why are you here?
- Why are you here?
- 'Cause my parents fuckin' lied to me, that's why.
FREDERIC: Fuckin' lied!
Fuckin' fucker! Mother...
Try not to curse around him
so much.
Did your parents?
- Did my parents what?
- Lie to you when they brought you here.
They told me I was coming here
for the new semester.
What about you, spaz?
My mother said whatever's inside
of me needs to be driven out...
so I can walk...
righteousness with Jesus Christ,
our Lord and s...
savior.
CHRISTINE: Two weeks.
Dr. Sherman said he was
going to strive for clarity
in the next two weeks.
So?
Two weeks is a lot shorter
than a semester.
Isn't it?
MRS. SHERMAN: All right, kids.
Playtime's over.
Come on.
[SIGHS] Guess you are here
'cause you're a retard.
Frederic...
Jesus Christ.
[DOOR CREAKS]
Are those supposed to be stars?
PHIL: Yeah, stars and planets.
They don't look like stars
and planets.
Turn off the light.
I have them on my wall at home.
I look at them every night
before I go to bed.
I pick a planet, and I picture
what it's like.
What do you mean,
what it's like?
Well, is it hot or cold,
gaseous or solid?
Are there canyons
or rock formations?
How many moons does it have?
What are the primary chemicals
of its makeup?
You know, stuff like that.
What about aliens?
Uh, it's almost impossible
to find a planet
that can support any kind
of life.
The culmination of factors that need to
exist simultaneously are astronomical.
Did you ever find any?
Yeah, once, but it was
just rudimentary life...
you know, amoebas,
some silicone life-forms.
Nothing you would recognize.
You know what's weird?
What?
My dad died in a fire.
He used to smoke.
And one time when he was alone
in his office,
he took a nap with a cigarette
in his hand,
and it fell, and the whole place
burned up, and he died.
What's weird about that?
Just that...
you know, it's kind of like...
what happened, you know, to you.
Well, I mean,
there are finite ways for people
to die or get hurt.
I mean, minus
insignificant variations,
you can get shot,
or burned, or...
get sick, or fall,
or get hit by a car, whatever.
Let's say, give or take,
it's a few dozen ways.
Or for argument's sake,
let's say it's a hundred
or even a thousand,
which it isn't.
How many people are there
on the planet?
- I don't know. A billion?
- Six billion.
You take six billion,
and you divide it by a thousand.
If you went around,
and you asked everyone
how they got hurt
or how someone they knew died,
you'd find more commonality
than you would variation.
So... I don't really see
what's weird about that.
Phil?
My dad's dead, but...
he didn't burn up in a fire.
So... why did you say
that he did?
Just thought it might
make you feel better.
Now, that's weird. [CHUCKLES]
Phil?
If you're the one imagining what
your planets are like anyways...
why don't you just imagine life
on them whenever you want to?
No, that would be cheating.
- Phil?
- Yeah?
Good night.
[VOICE ECHOING] Phil!
[SCRAPING]
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
[SCRAPING]
PHIL: Jacob?
- Jacob.
- [GASPS]
- It's just me. Don't be scared.
- Phil, I swear to God.
Sorry, it's just...
it's time for breakfast.
Sorry.
DR. SHERMAN:
"Let no one despise your youth.
But be an example to believers
in word, in deed, in spirit,
in faith,
in purity."
It was with these words,
that Paul instructed Timothy,
to strive for perfection
in all areas of life.
I want you to copy those words
into your notebooks.
Yes?
How come he doesn't have to do
any work?
I would think, Miss Holcomb, being
the bright young lady you are,
the answer to your question
would be easily apparent.
Then what's he doing
in the same class as me?
DR. SHERMAN: What was it that
Paul instructed Timothy,
Miss Holcomb?
To be an example in word,
deed, faith and purity.
And do you know...
how those words
bind each one of you
sitting here together?
They are goals...
each one of you,
in his own way...
has failed to achieve.
For is not,
in his own way,
each one of you...
despised?
Despised by your peers,
despised by your parents,
despised by God?
Our parents love us.
Did you raise your hand, Lenny?
We are not concerned
here with...
how you appear to your friends
or even to your parents.
We are concerned here,
with becoming presentable
to the only eyes that matter,
and the only way to do that
is to be baptized anew.
There are many kinds
of baptism:
baptism by water...
baptism by fire...
baptism by the Holy Spirit.
The ways are not important.
It's the final result
that counts.
Any questions?
Yes, Miss Holcomb?
Can I go number one?
If you are not back in...
three and a half minutes,
Miss Holcomb...
it will go ill for you.
[CLOCK TICKING]
[TICKING GROWS LOUDER]
It turned into a number two.
- This school sucks.
- [DOOR OPENS]
You should really lock the door.
- What are you doing here?
- Shh! I didn't go to the bathroom.
I went into Dr. Sherman's
office instead.
I found Mrs. Sherman's
pocketbook in there.
She had this.
And this.
I don't want them.
Look at the names, retard.
See?
So her name's not really
Miss Sherman?
Apparently not.
So what does that mean?
It means she's lying
about her name.
- And what about Dr. Sherman? Is he...
- Sorry.
This is all I managed to get
in three and a half minutes.
Well...
almost three and a half minutes.
Does it hurt?
Yeah.
But I kind of like the way
it feels.
Look.
They match.
Cool, right?
Want to touch it?
That's okay.
You know, I guess
you were right.
- About what?
- That boys can't be pretty.
'Cause you're a girl.
- I'm not a girl.
- You're pretty.
I'm not a fucking girl!
If you weren't, you wouldn't be
too scared to touch my face.
I'm not scared.
I just don't want to.
Because you're a girl, and
you only like to touch boys.
- No, 'cause it'll hurt.
- So?
- I don't want to hurt you.
- Why not?
Because it's bad?
Yeah. I guess.
Even if I want you to...
touch it?
[DOORKNOB RATTLES]
- [KNOCKING]
- Here, take it.
Get rid of it!
Get rid of it!
What are the two of you
doing in here together?
The water spigots were stuck,
so I asked Jacob to help me
turn them on.
They're working now.
Dr. Sherman taught you a lesson
from Timothy today, did he not?
I hope you were listening.
[FREDERIC EXCLAIMING]
My ball! Don't touch my ball!
My ball!
Fuck off! Fuck off!
He just wants to play ball
with us, Frederic.
My ball!
Get the fuck away!
Get the fuck away!
My ball! Don't touch my ball!
Don't touch my fucking ball!
Fuck you, fatty!
Shit. Easy, Elwood.
Take it easy.
- Guys. Guys!
- [ELWOOD EXCLAIMS]
FREDERIC: Get off me! No!
Get away!
Get away! Get...
- JACOB: That's enough!
- [GRUNTS]
JACOB: Come on, Elwood.
- Let's go back inside. Come on.
- Okay.
That was weird,
in the yard today.
Elwood's a retard.
That's just what they do.
I'd hardly call it weird.
PHIL: No, not Elwood. You.
- What was weird about me?
- The way you walked.
- The way I walked?
- Yeah, when you were bringing Elwood inside.
What was weird about it?
You walked weird.
Weird like how?
Weird, like...
- like a girl.
- I don't walk like a girl.
Why is everybody saying I'm a girl?
I'm not a fucking girl!
Are you going to bed?
No, I'm going to fucking Pluto.
Where do you think I'm going?
Well, you didn't shower.
What's it to you?
You kind of need one.
So I smell bad. You look bad,
and I smell bad.
So that makes us even, right?
[THUDDING]
[EERIE VOICE WAILING]
Wh... what do you think that was?
[VOICE WAILING]
Should... should we get
Mrs. Sherman?
Are you fucking kidding me?
Come on, let's look.
You coming?
- I'm scared.
- Phil, take it from me.
Whatever it is, it can't be half
as scary as you are.
[VOICE KEENING]
Come on, Phil.
- Hey! Do you guys hear that?
- [JACOB GASPS]
Yeah, we hear it.
We're not here for our health.
- What's going on?
- I don't know, Lenny.
- I'm Calvin.
- [THUD]
- It's coming from Frederic and Elwood's room.
- [THUD]
[THUD]
- Frederic?
- [THUD]
Frederic?
[THUD]
Maybe we should get
Mrs. Sherman.
[THUD]
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN]
[THUDDING CONTINUES]
Elwood, what are you doing?
Elwood.
Jeez, it smells awful in here!
Oh, man!
Elwood?
- I made.
- JACOB: Yeah, I can see that.
- Why didn't you use the bathroom, Elwood?
- CALVIN: Oh, man, that's gross!
Where's Frederic?
He went away.
Yeah, I would too. Jeez.
Come on, Elwood.
Let's go take a shower.
- [MUTTERING]
- JACOB: Guys, help me get him to the shower.
- Hell, no!
- He's gross, man.
- BOTH: No way.
- No, my doctor said I can't afford to get an infection.
Whatever, man. Just get a breath
of fresh air or something, okay?
Elwood, if you don't
come with me,
then I'm gonna have to call Dr. Sherman,
and he's gonna come up here with his rod.
- Do you want that?
- Uh-uh.
JACOB: Good.
Come on. Let's clean you up.
CALVIN: Oh, that's disgusting!
JACOB: Stop.
Come on, man.
Let's go.
Frederic went away.
F... farty fuck-sicle!
Far away!
DR. SHERMAN: Thank you, Claude.
Here you go.
Claude and Mrs. Sherman are taking
Frederic to the hospital in town,
where he will be picked up
by his parents.
We'll discuss this further
in class tomorrow.
But for now, I want you
to go back to your rooms,
get ready for bed.
Can we call our parents?
Of course, Calvin. You can
call your mom tomorrow,
during playtime,
from my office.
You too, Jacob. You can all
call your parents tomorrow.
- But for now...
- It's not that, Dr. Sherman.
Just that Elwood, he's still...
you know.
I'll take care of it.
You've done enough for one day.
Come along up to bed, children.
It'll be all right.
Everything's going to be
all right.
DR. SHERMAN:
Come on, Elwood. Let's go.
- [ELWOOD WHIMPERING]
- It's safe now. You'll be fine.
[CREAKING]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Christine, what are you doing
in here?
Christine, if Dr. Sherman
catches you in here,
we could get in serious trouble.
Then we'd better not stay here.
This is our chance.
That guard guy and whatever-her-name-is
are going to town.
Dr. Sherman is cleaning up
Elwood in the bathroom.
We've got to get out of here.
Now.
Seriously, Christine,
where are we gonna go?
- We don't even know where this frickin' school is.
- "School"?
Jacob, we have three textbooks
in our desks,
and the only one Dr. Sherman has
ever asked us to open is the Bible.
Have you ever heard of a school
like that?
Or one that only has
seven kids in it?
Six.
It... it was seven. Now it's six.
Two weeks.
Dr. Sherman said we were
going to strive for clarity
in the next two weeks.
That's eight days from now.
What do you think's gonna
happen then?
Don't look at me.
I'm not getting in trouble.
- PHIL: Seriously, guys, I'm not getting in trouble.
- CHRISTINE: What are you doing?
We don't have time to pack.
We've got to go now, retard.
Hold your horses.
Let's go.
CHRISTINE:
We'll cut through here.
Then we'll get to the front
entrance, same way we came in.
JACOB: Maybe it might be better
to climb over the fence.
CHRISTINE: I've been checking it whenever
whatever-her-name-is isn't looking.
There's electric wire
everywhere.
- JACOB: Electric wire?
- CHRISTINE: Yeah, like for cows.
- JACOB: Cows?
- CHRISTINE: Cows, city boy. You eat them.
Anyway,
they're taking Frederic to town,
so we can walk
right out of here.
JACOB: That's the car
they took him in.
But there's nobody in it.
- So what does that mean?
- It means they never left.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN]
JACOB: Come on! Let's go,
let's go!
We better go back to school.
I guess.
We're gonna get
in so much trouble.
"We"?
I was wondering when you two were
going to make your reappearance.
I don't want to stay here.
Frederic died in here.
I... I just want to go home!
I'm sorry, Dr. Sherman.
She got really scared
and tried to run away,
so I went to bring her back so she
wouldn't get in more trouble.
Yes, Jacob. I believe you did.
Go back to your room.
Just you, Jacob.
- But, Dr. Sherman, she was just...
- Jacob, go back to your room...
and do not come out again
until morning.
Jacob...
come see me tomorrow
in my office before class.
- [SWITCH CRACKING]
- [CHRISTINE CRYING OUT]
- [CRACKS CONTINUE]
- [CHRISTINE CRYING]
Have a seat.
You're a clever boy, Jacob.
But then,
your people usually are.
My people?
You know... don't you?
Know what?
That Frederic
didn't kill himself.
Didn't you break up
a fight yesterday
between Frederic and Elwood
during recess
and get a bloody nose
for your trouble?
I didn't get a bloody nose.
Elwood is certainly
strong enough to have done it.
Elwood couldn't kill anyone.
Not like that.
Of course not.
Jacob...
do you know why
Christine Holcomb is here?
She killed her older brother.
- How come?
- Because, Jacob, she is evil.
She killed her own brother...
and her mother too.
- She said her mother killed herself.
- Indeed.
In sorrow,
over the death of her son.
I would imagine that
in young Miss Holcomb's mind,
that would qualify as two birds
with one stone.
How come she isn't in jail?
That would be rather embarrassing for Mr.
Holcomb, don't you think?
[SIGHS]
I'm telling you this, Jacob...
because Mrs. Sherman and I
are shorthanded here.
I need your help...
keeping an eye
on the other kids...
making sure they stay
out of trouble.
Can you do that for me?
Come on, Elwood.
We'll get done a lot faster if
you just eat the regular way.
Bite down on it.
No, Elwood, Elwood.
Back on the fork.
Almost. Almost. There you go.
See how much better that is?
JACOB: Come on, Phil.
It's a foot off the ground.
- I don't have all day.
- Okay. Here.
Take this one...
and put it up to the left,
right there.
See, that's... that's Andromeda.
Put it to the left of Andromeda.
Jacob... Jacob,
put it to the left.
The big clump of stars
right there. No...
Not your left, my left.
JACOB: I'll give you X week one
for a Frank Miller cover.
CALVIN: Is there a variant?
It's a Frank Miller cover.
Who cares what the variant is.
Plus I'll give you
this Machine too.
I'll give you Jimmy Key
and Wade Boggs.
Thanks. You guys are cool.
How come you're here?
Our parents brought us.
But why?
Did you do something bad
at like, school or at home?
LENNY: We were always good.
Okay, but there
has to be a reason.
JACOB:
Were you guys adopted?
No.
These are both
your real parents?
Where do you want this one?
- Over here.
- Right here?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay.
How about that?
Are you sleeping with that?
Good night, Elwood.
If you have to go to the
bathroom, just knock, okay?
- Jacob?
- Yeah?
Thank you.
Sure thing.
CHRISTINE: Hey.
Can you come here a minute?
- I've got to get to bed.
- CHRISTINE: I have something of yours.
Remember?
- JACOB: Where's my knapsack?
- Right over there.
I keep telling you
you're a girl.
They're not mine,
they're my grandmother's.
The one who died?
Why do you have her clothes?
Why won't you talk to me?
Did you kill Frederic?
Of course.
You don't believe me.
- How did you get him up there?
- I didn't.
He got himself up there.
Have you ever made yourself
feel good...
by touching yourself?
You know, down there?
I'll take that as a yes.
In any case,
Frederic certainly did,
every chance he got,
even in class.
But you, being a retard,
apparently failed to notice.
I, not being a retard,
certainly did.
I told Frederic how much better
it feels to do that when...
well, when you can't breathe
while you're doing it.
How do you know that?
When Frederic was going
to take a shower,
I showed him how to tie
his belt around his neck
and to put his feet up
on the sides of the tub.
Told him I would
keep guard for him.
Then, when I heard him
start to go at it,
I turned around, pushed his feet
off the tub and... ta-da.
Well, you know the rest.
But why?
Because we needed a distraction
to get out of this place.
[SIGHS] It was worth a try.
Why did you kill your brother...
and your mom?
Put them on.
- What?
- Your grandma's clothes. Put them on.
You've put them on before,
right?
I'm going to my room now,
Christine.
- If you don't put them on, I'll kill Elwood.
- I'll stop you.
You can try, but you can't watch
all the time.
Why do you want me
to put them on?
If I put them on, you promise
to leave Elwood alone?
- I promise.
- You fucking swear?
I swear I won't harm Elwood.
Turn around.
Close your eyes.
Okay.
Wow.
Can I go now?
Have you ever put on makeup?
- Hell, no.
- Come here.
- Hell, no!
- Jacob...
You even walk like
a girl... sometimes.
- I don't walk like a girl.
- Keep still, retard.
[SIGHS]
You are, like, ten times
prettier than I am.
Great.
Thanks for the compliment.
Can I go now?
That's why they sent you here?
Somebody saw you
wearing her clothes.
And dancing.
What a retard, right?
You were dancing?
Dancing, like how?
- I don't know.
- Show me.
- No way!
- Show me, Jacob.
No fucking way, Christine.
You can kill everybody
in this fucking place,
but I'm still not dancing
for you.
- Hey, what are you doing?
- Turn around.
Why?
Turn around.
Now, close your eyes.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
Dance with me.
I don't know how.
I do. It's called leading.
I'll lead and you follow.
- We don't have music.
- What were you listening to...
when they caught you dancing?
I don't know.
Something old that my
grandmother used to listen to.
How did it go?
- I don't remember.
- Yes, you do.
[HUMMING TANGO MELODY]
That's tango music.
You know tango music.
[HUMMING TANGO MELODY]
[HUMMING MELODY TOGETHER]
Back, back,
back, side, side.
Back, back,
- back, side, side.
- [CONTINUES HUMMING]
Back, back.
Back, back, back,
back, side, step.
Go like this when I tell you to.
- Now.
- [HUMMING MELODY TOGETHER]
[GRUNTING]
Don't go.
- What?
- Stay with me.
So you can kill me
like you killed Frederic?
I didn't kill him.
- You said you did.
- I lied.
Right. And you didn't just try to
stab me with the scissors either.
I just wanted you to beat me up.
Why?
Because I love you.
- You're crazy.
- Look in the mirror.
You made me put this on.
Want to know a secret?
What?
I loved you
the first time I saw you.
Why?
Because you're the first person
I ever saw that I knew
no one could make do anything
he didn't want to, ever.
You're crazy. All I ever do
is stuff I don't want to do.
That's what you think.
Want to stay with me
in my room tonight?
No.
But you can stay in mine.
PHIL: That's Andromeda.
That's the Milky Way.
That's where we live.
And that is Ursa Major.
Or at least it would be,
if Jacob had put the stars
where I told him to.
I did put them there.
If you don't like it,
next time don't be too chicken to sit
on the dresser and do it yourself.
Come down here with us, Phil.
Why?
'Cause it's more fun,
that's why.
I'm okay up here.
Don't make me ask again, Phil.
Bring your pillow.
It's beautiful.
Well, that's not the point.
The point is for our work
to accurately represent
an existing celestial system.
It's a...
Shut up, Phil.
I've never looked
at the stars at night.
If you kind of unfocus
your eyes,
it almost looks like
the real thing.
[FLOOR CREAKING]
[DOOR CLATTERING]
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
[FAINT HUMMING]
Elwood. Shit.
[FAINT CLATTERING]
[DOOR CREAKS]
[FOOTSTEPS]
Elwood?
Elwood?
Elwood!
Elwood!
[DOOR CREAKS]
- DR. SHERMAN: You did what?
- MRS. SHERMAN: I did what needed to be done.
DR. SHERMAN: All right, then.
So, it ends tonight.
MRS. SHERMAN: I won't be
spoken to like a child.
DR. SHERMAN: There was no call
for what you did, Miss Adams.
MRS. SHERMAN: He said his
mother was coming any minute.
She wanted to see him
and take him home.
DR. SHERMAN: I told you
I would handle her.
It's not her I'm worried about.
Then what?
It's clear to me
you're sentimental.
Sentimental?
Because I'm concerned
with their souls?
I have always been concerned
with the soul, Miss Adams,
and I have always delivered
on my contracts, always.
Get the boy stashed away,
Miss Adams, immediately,
while I prepare for the arrival
of his mother.
I don't want any of the
other children to find him.
[CLATTERING]
[DRAWER SHUTS]
[FOOTSTEPS]
Dr. Sherman.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN]
[DRAGGING, THUDDING]
[THUDDING CONTINUES]
[DOORBELL RINGS]
[DOORBELL RINGS]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
DR. SHERMAN: Mrs. Ramsay,
nice to see you again.
Let's discuss this in my office.
Right this way.
- Where's Elwood?
- Please, have a seat, Mrs. Ramsay.
You told me I could see Elwood.
Please, may I offer you a drink,
Mrs. Ramsay?
- I just want to see Elwood.
- Mm. How quickly things change.
Not long ago, you sat
in my office in Stamford
and expressed sentiments
very much to the contrary
and in no uncertain terms.
In fact, you signed a contract,
one which I co-signed,
and as you well know,
Mrs. Ramsay,
I never back out on a contract.
You've been on the road
for a long time, Mrs. Ramsay.
I was experiencing
a moment of weakness.
[SIGHS] It's been so difficult
since Donald left.
Being alone with Elwood
all the time...
You could have sent him
to an institution...
a special school,
as I suggested...
where he would be cared for
with other children
like himself,
but you chose otherwise.
- Please, Dr. Sherman...
- It's too late, in any case.
I couldn't grant your wish
if I wanted to.
But you said he was still...
[SHUDDERING GASP]
- How?
- Mrs. Ramsay, as you remember,
we agreed the less you know,
the better.
[SNIFFLES]
Can I see his body one last...
I'm afraid not.
MRS. RAMSAY:
The other children, are they...
DR. SHERMAN:
The less you know...
- the better.
- [MRS. RAMSAY SIGHS]
I... I imagine you made it appear
like some sort of accident...
but somehow I thought
you would...
take care of them all at once.
I'm not a stupid woman,
Dr. Sherman.
No.
However poorly Elwood
might reflect on me...
[SIGHS] I understand
how you can...
explain away one accident,
but... but how are you going
to make believe seven...
That's enough, Mrs. Ramsay.
This is not my first contract.
Far from it.
Nor will it be my last.
Allow me to worry
about the details.
The others are still alive,
aren't they?
It's getting late, Mrs. Ramsay,
and...
you've a long drive back
to the city.
MRS. RAMSAY: I'm... I'm staying
in a hotel in Waterbury.
By the river.
It's a beautiful view.
It's just an hour's drive
from here.
I confess I feel...
suddenly light.
[SIGHS] As if a great weight
has been lifted from my heart.
[SIGHS]
Is that terrible?
It's not for me
to judge these things.
I'm glad for you.
[SIGHS]
I'll see myself out.
Very well, Mrs. Ramsay.
Take care.
Have a safe drive back.
[GRUNTING]
[PANTING]
DR. SHERMAN: That was
uncalled for, Ms. Adams.
For the second time tonight.
- She was gonna tell someone.
- Of course she was.
That's why
I'd already killed her.
Three drops of tricyclic
amitriptyline in her drink...
in a posthumous medical examination,
completely indistinguishable
from the painkillers Mrs. Ramsay
was addicted to.
She wouldn't have called anyone till
tomorrow morning at the earliest,
and within four to six hours,
she would've been dead.
Accidental overdose,
apparent suicide...
not a missing person...
or a scarred-up corpse.
How do you know how long
she would've waited to call?
Because, Ms. Adams,
unlike yourself...
I'm a professional.
[GURGLING]
[HUMMING TANGO MELODY]
[HUMMING CONTINUES]
Claude,
there's a situation developing.
Could you come up
to the house immediately?
[SIGHS]
The problem with Ms. Adams is that
she came to this work late in life.
Jacob?
You can come out
of that closet now.
[SIGHS]
She was new to my employ, despite
appearances to the contrary.
In this line of work,
it's best to start young.
I was just a little older
than you are now, when I...
took on my first job.
Are you gonna kill me?
Give me a hand.
Grab her feet, will you?
This basement's getting
pretty crowded.
We're not going to the basement.
Your people are expert at employing
levity under adverse circumstances.
Integral to your resilience,
I'm sure.
Now...
how should we pose her?
On the stairs,
trying to escape the smoke,
or fallen at the foot
of the stairs,
bravely trying to rescue our
young charges from the flames?
Flames?
The flames from the tragic fire
that burned down Sherman's Boarding
School and everyone in it.
- Including Dr. and Mrs. Sherman.
- That's right.
Who are you?
[DOORBELL RINGS]
That would be Claude.
Let him in, would you, Jacob,
and show him to Ms. Adams' body?
I'll be back in a moment.
[CLAPS]
Dr. Sherman said there was a...
a problem?
Yeah. This way.
CLAUDE: Lynn?
What the hell... [GRUNTS]
- [BODY THUDDING]
- Excuse me, Jacob.
He came as a package
with Ms. Adams.
- [ROD CLANKS]
- Grab his leg.
Here we go.
There we go.
Uh, a little further,
Jacob, a little further.
Here we are. [GROANS]
That's good.
What do you think? Panicked,
running from the fire,
cabinet collapsed on top of him.
I guess.
I was hoping to arrive at this
moment later in the week,
but schedules do tend
to be theoretical.
Wondering why
I waited this long?
Would've looked kind of
suspicious if you got here,
and the place burned up
the very next day.
Very good.
It would have indeed.
Do you... do you do this a lot?
Yes, Jacob.
It's my job.
Methods are always different,
but...
the result, always the same.
Speaking of which...
[SIGHS]
- what do we do with Ms. Adams?
- [COIN RATTLES]
- Why should I help you?
- Excuse me?
Why should I help you if you're
gonna kill me anyways?
My agreement with
your stepfather stipulated
that you are never again
to return home
to distress him or your mother.
Now, being a businessman,
I always allow myself plenty of latitude
in the execution of my agreements.
Did... did my mom think this was
a real boarding school?
My agreement
was with your stepfather.
I can't speak as to what
he might or...
might not...
have told your mother.
If I help you now,
will you let me help you again?
Facing the stairs.
Hello, Doctor.
Here we are, Jacob.
Yes.
Step aside, Jacob.
[CLATTERING]
I will pose Mrs. Ramsay
appropriately and, uh...
get things started.
You think you can handle
Frederic by yourself?
What about Elwood?
Elwood?
Do you want to carry Elwood?
[SPLASHING]
[THUDDING]
You know what this is?
- Alcohol?
- Sodium acetate.
Once lit...
it's completely
indistinguishable...
from the residue...
left by a normal fire.
[FLAMES ROAR, CRACKLE]
Now, you know what this is?
A key?
For the rooms upstairs.
I want you to lock all the doors
before the others attempt
an escape.
And then when you're done,
you and me,
we'll leave this place together.
That's not what I would do
if I was you.
No? What would you do?
I would give me the keys
so I'd go upstairs,
set the stairs on fire...
walk out, lock the door, and
watch us all burn up in here.
You're a very cunning
people, Jacob,
as well as clever.
But honor is clearly not your
strongest suit. I told you...
I intend you no harm.
Are you saying that
you don't believe me?
I believe you.
There you go.
Jacob...
[JACOB GRUNTS]
Jacob! Wait a minute, Jacob.
I can't see. I want to talk
to you a second.
Jacob, what are you doing?
[BOTH EXCLAIM]
[GROANS] Jacob!
Don't you dare!
- Sorry, Dr. Sherman.
- I'm not Dr. Sherman. I'm...
- I don't care who you are!
- [GROANING]
You told me to look out
for the others.
That's what I'm gonna do.
You're... dead.
[GRUNTING]
CHRISTINE: Jacob?
He was gonna kill all of you.
No duh. We should
get out of here.
I can't let Phil burn up
for a second time, Christine.
Dr. Sherman's gonna
get up again.
No, he won't. Go wake the others.
I'll be there in a minute.
Go!
Phil, why are you
standing there?
- I am not going down there. I'm not.
- They won't go.
- LENNY: There's a fire down there.
- I know there's a fire.
- Why are you in a dress?
- Come here.
Go downstairs and out through
the front door.
PHIL: I don't wanna
go down there.
- Move it, morons!
- Where are we going?
I need you to help me
get one last thing.
CHRISTINE: Jacob,
what are you doing?
- [KNOB RATTLING]
- Let me out! Let me out of here!
- Let me out!
- [KNOB RATTLING]
Jacob, why are you
doing this to me?
'Cause you killed Frederic.
CHRISTINE:
I told you I was lying to you.
No, you weren't.
CHRISTINE: I was trying
to get out of here, Jacob.
I was trying to get you out too.
I know.
CHRISTINE: I love you, Jacob.
Yeah.
That's why I showed you
Phil's galaxy.
Bye, Christine.
[TANGO MUSIC PLAYING]
[INAUDIBLE]
I'm Phil's friend now.
If anything happens to him...
you'll be sorry.
[INAUDIBLE]
We spoke with your old school, and they
said they'd be happy to take you back.
We were thinking
you could use a break
before going back to school right away.
Go on a vacation...
for a few months with us,
just the three of us.
We were thinking
we could go to Paris,
so you can speak French.
JACOB: Cool.
Why don't you eat your mashies?
You helped me so nicely
in the kitchen.
JACOB: I'm not hungry.
Mom, I'm really tired.
Oh, of course.
Go to bed, sweetheart.
You can leave the light on
if you like.
Mom, don't worry about it.
[SWITCHES CLICKING]
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
TSIPI: Feiga.
[SPEAKS GERMAN]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
- [SCREAMS]
- [ISABEL SCREAMS]
ISABEL: Move, honey!
Why aren't you moving?
Davis! Davis,
you have to move!
Please!
Please, honey,
you have to move!
[GLASS SHATTERS]
[ "20TH CENTURY BOY"
BY T-REX PLAYS ]
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says
It's just like rock 'n' roll
I move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Babe, I want to be your man
Well, it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah, I'm your boy
Your twentieth-century toy
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says
It's just like rock 'n' roll
Fly like a plane
Drive like a car
Hold out your hand
Babe, I wanna be your man
Well, it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah, I'm your toy
Your twentieth-century boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says
It's just like rock 'n' roll
I move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Babe I wanna be your man
But it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah, I'm your toy
Your twentieth-century boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Twentieth-century toy
I want to be your boy
Twentieth-century boy
I want to be your toy
[SONG FADES]
[DRAMATIC CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
[MUSIC FADES]