[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[clears throat]
-You know they say a
person grows and grows
and then one day they just
stop, and then it's just OK.
Well, maybe the
world's like that.
Maybe it's all going
off, species by species,
object by object,
everything in decline.
[TYPEWRITER CLICKING
RHYTHMICALLY]
And if it all going
to disappear tomorrow,
how are you going to live today?
[TYPEWRITER CLICKING
RHYTHMICALLY]
My name is George,
and I believe I'm
the last door-to-door
encyclopedia
salesman in the world.
[TYPEWRITER CLICKING
RHYTHMICALLY]
[CLICKING TURNS TO MUSIC
PLAYING]
-When I was a kid,
I still remember
that a movie was
magic, you know?
It was really magic.
People used to go to the
theatre and buy a ticket,
and this is the only place
that you could see a movie.
You know, you buy a ticket and
you go to the-- to this dark
theatre.
We'll go and we'll dream, and
you could kind of fly away.
[typing]
INTERVIEWEE: Hey, you know,
it doesn't exist anymore.
So this magic is gone.
[typing]
[beep]
-Looks like you'll
have a great weekend.
A man is obsolete.
-Long ago, but they
still make life sweeter.
[beep]
Time hath thought to
make dust of all things.
Great book.
-You actually know it?
-Sure.
Thomas Brown.
The "Pseudodoxia Epidemica"
is one of my favorites.
-Wow.
I mean, I was just
checking it out
because I'm doing
a paper on Sebald.
-"The Rings of Saturn."
-Yes.
Listen, um, I was
wondering, uh, I'm
having a few people around my
house for some food and wine
and I thought maybe you'd like
to come if you're not too busy.
Um.
-Um--
-I mean, it's no big deal.
It's just a few people.
It's OK.
It's-- it's last minute.
-Um--
-You know what?
You don't have to explain.
It's cool.
Maybe, um, maybe
some other time.
-Yes.
Thank you.
-Well, uh, I'll see you, then.
-Enjoy the book.
-Thanks.
[typing]
[phone ringing]
"Encyclopedia of
Obsolete Things,"
this is George speaking.
Yes.
Sophie, thank you for calling.
Uh, well, whenever's
good for you.
Um, two o'clock should be fine.
Yes, two o'clock's fine.
OK, I'll see you then.
Oh, and I-- I truly
appreciate it.
OK.
Thank you, then.
Goodbye.
MAN: Jeez, remember
when you were
a kid, how you used to see
a shooting star at night?
Now you look, you
see something, it's
a bloody satellite or something.
-Hm.
Well, in some ways, I'm
kind of glad about that.
-What?
-Not the satellite part.
The shooting stars
make me nervous.
-Come on, you gotta
be joking, right?
-Well, no.
I mean, they're probably
part of a meteorite, and--
and, uh, the
meteorite was probably
part of a planet or a star.
It's--
-Wow.
You're a depressive son
of a bitch at times.
-Not so depressive.
It's just true.
I mean-- you know, and
if it's not a meteorite,
it was probably a
piece of space junk.
Did you know that there
are 12,000 charted pieces
of rockets and satellites flying
around the Earth at the moment?
-You know what your problem is?
-That I see things as they are?
-No.
Not what I was thinking.
You know that girl that
works down at the Mac Store
down on the corner?
Marta?
-No, I--
-Yeah, you do.
And I reckon--
-Listen, Mitch.
The thing is, love is obsolete.
-Love is obsolete?
-Mm-hm.
It's even an entry
in my encyclopedia.
-But who's talking about love?
-At very best, it was
only ever an illusion,
induced to ensure the
procreation of the species.
And now that that's possible
without human contact,
it's-- it's unnecessary.
-Well, on that happy
note, I'm off to bed.
-Well, it's true.
I mean, an Italian
university has just
proved that love
is just a protein.
--[laughs] Love is
just a protein.
Now I've heard it all.
-Uh, you don't
want another beer?
-Good night, George.
-Good night, Mitch.
Just gotta focus.
Yeah.
-So how do you want to do this?
GEORGE: Well, I'll ask the
questions and you answer.
-Will it go online?
GEORGE: No, it's
going to be a book.
-Where are you from?
GEORGE: Here, last 20 years.
-Accent?
-My mother was Australian.
How long have you been here?
-Six months.
GEORGE: That's not long.
-Long enough to call it home.
GEORGE: Shall we start?
-Where'd you get that camera?
GEORGE: Flea market.
-And you film
everyone like this?
I mean, everyone you
think is disappearing?
-Uh-huh.
And I then take the
tapes home and transcribe
what's good for their entry.
-Oh.
Can I come over
sometimes, watch them?
-Why?
-I'm curious.
You know, to see who else
is dying off like me.
-Um.
-Do you actually make
a living out of this?
GEORGE: No, I work in a library.
-So have you filmed yourself?
GEORGE: What do you mean?
-Well, libraries.
GEORGE: Oh, they won't be
obsolete for a long time.
-You're kidding.
Everyone gets
everything online now.
-Well, actually, only
41% of households
that earn under $40,000
a year have a computer,
so there's still a lot
of people out there
that need to use libraries.
SOPHIE: And of the 59%
that don't have computers,
how many ever actually read?
-When was the last time
you were in a library?
These days, most
people just borrow DVDs
and use the computers there.
So shall we start the interview?
-Sure.
Do I look OK?
It doesn't matter.
No one'll see it.
-Wrong answer.
GEORGE: Well, you--
you look fine.
-You're not reassuring me.
GEORGE: You look pretty.
-I do?
Thank you.
GEORGE: So if you could
start by telling us
your name and a little
bit about what you do.
-OK.
My name is Sophie
Fitzpatrick and I'm
a projectionist,
which I think is
the coolest job in
the world, because I
get to watch thousands of films.
[fast-forward chatter]
Every time you play a print,
it leaves a little purple dust
behind.
It's basically the
emulsion wearing away.
I mean, eventually that
print won't even exist.
And in the future,
projectionists will just
download files, press play,
and it will be a purpley world.
And all of this?
You're right.
[cell phone vibrates]
-Oh, sorry.
GEORGE: Um, you can get that.
-Uh, no.
I don't want to talk to him.
Anyway, yeah.
All of this, it's
on its way out.
It's over.
It'll all be gone.
[typing]
GEORGE (VOICEOVER): [LISTING
ENTRY NAMES ALPHABETICALLY,
STARTING WITH A]
-On your left.
GEORGE: "The situation
is now irreversible.
Within 20 years, the world as
we know it will no longer be."
[typing]
CO-WORKER: You done?
We're ready to lock up.
-Uh, just one more minute.
-What I don't understand is why
don't you just buy a computer?
Then you can do this at home.
-Because the more of us
that resist buying them,
the more pressure there is to
keep places like this open.
-This place will be open.
You need to move with the time.
-Or your conscience.
Take your pick.
-No point swimming
against the tide.
-Unless the tide is taking
you out to the ocean.
-Hm.
Got that right.
[typing]
[knock]
-Coming.
-Hi.
-Hi.
How did you find me?
-Phone book.
I mean, I hope you don't
mind, but you did say that--
-Yeah, yeah.
It's, uh, I thought you
were-- phone book, huh?
Well, I thought I was one
of the only people who
still used phone books.
-Well, phone book
online, but you know.
-Yeah.
-Is this a bad time for you?
-No.
-So could I come in?
-Sure.
Yeah.
-Wow, this place is cool.
It's like a museum in here.
-Everything old and forgotten.
-It's-- would you
like a cup of tea?
SOPHIE: That'd be lovely.
-Um, Earl Grey?
-That's my favorite.
-Uh, milk, sugar?
SOPHIE: You still use this?
GEORGE: What's that?
SOPHIE: The typewriter.
GEORGE: Sure, it
works perfectly.
-Yeah, but wouldn't it just be
easier to switch to a computer?
GEORGE: Into a computer.
It's political.
So what can I do for you?
-I'm interested in
your "Obselidia."
-My "Obselidia"?
SOPHIE: Your encyclopedia.
Yeah, I decided you should
call it the "Obselidia."
O-B-S-E-L-I-D-I-A.
-Shouldn't it be
O-B-S-O, technically?
SOPHIE: Yeah, I
know how to spell.
It just kind of looks
better with an E.
And you should definitely
put it online, believe me.
So did you interview
any fishermen yet?
-Uh, fishermen?
-Well, there's practically
no fish left, so.
What about Lonesome George?
-Uh, who's Lonesome George?
-You never heard
of Lonesome George.
Well, Lonesome George
is quite likely
the last giant turtle
of the Galapagos.
He's like 75 years old
now and he'll probably
last another 100 years,
completely alone.
-Wow.
Is that true?
[kettle whistling]
-I think that's the water.
-Yes.
-So I'm going to this
museum this afternoon,
and I wondered if
you wanted to come.
-Which one?
-The Museum of
Jurassic Technology.
Do you know it?
GEORGE: Jurassic Technology?
That's ridiculous.
-Yes, it's kind
of a weird place.
-So is it a hoax?
-I'm not sure, exactly.
-I'm kind of busy
this afternoon.
-Reading about the
end of the world?
-I have to post a letter.
-You still use snail mail.
-I don't think Mr.
Fordham has an email.
-The author of the book?
So we can post it on the way.
Come on, it'll be fun.
My car or yours?
[music playing]
[bells tinkling]
-Wow, they're beautiful.
-I think that's a
Delias eucharis.
-I always wanted
to be able to fly.
-Hm.
-"Telling the Bees.
If a member of the family
dies, the bees in their hives
must be told, or they will die.
The procedure is that as soon
as the master has breathed his
last, a member of the
household must visit the hives
and whisper three times, 'Little
brownies, little brownies,
your master is dead.'"
-Hm.
SOPHIE: They look so real.
I'd love to live
in one of those.
GEORGE: I prefer the
feeling of permanence
a real home gives you.
SOPHIE: But what about freedom?
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING): In his
three-volume book, "Obliscence,
Theories of Forgetting, and
the Problem of Matter"--
-Can you hear anything?
NARRATOR (ON
RECORDING): Sonnabend
departed from previous memory
research with the premise
that memory is an illusion.
-Mine doesn't work.
SOPHIE: Share mine.
NARRATOR (ON
RECORDING): Experience.
From this perspective,
we, amnesiacs all,
condemned to live in an
eternally fleeting present,
have created the most elaborate
of human constructions--
memory-- to buffer ourselves
against the intolerable--
-Do you understand this?
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING): Of the
irreversible passage of time.
-Mm-hm.
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
And the irretrievability
of its movements and events.
Sonnabend did not--
-Do you think it's true?
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
Deny the experience of memory
existed.
-What?
-That it's forgetting
that saves us?
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
Was predicated
on the idea that
what we experience--
-I don't think that's
what he's saying.
-But do you?
Do you think
forgetting saves us?
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
Artifical constructions
of our own design, built
around sterile particles--
-No.
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
Of retained experience.
-I think if we forget
everything, we lose who we are.
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING): By
infusions of imagination.
-Don't you?
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
As the blacks
and whites of old photographs.
-I think I prefer to forget.
NARRATOR (ON RECORDING):
By the addition
of color or tints in an attempt
to add life to a frozen moment.
-I have to admit,
that was amazing.
Though you do realize,
most of it was made up?
--[gasp] Can't believe
you said that.
-No, it's true.
I mean, there is no
Geoffrey Sonnabend.
I would know.
-Why, do you know everything?
-No.
It's just-- well, let's see.
There's a Sonnu,
Sonya, Sonnek-- Oscar.
He was a jazz musician.
-What's that got to
do with anything?
-Well, they're just entries
in the encyclopedia.
And if there was a
Geoffrey Sonnabend,
he would come after them.
But he doesn't.
I think it's Sonnenfels.
Josef von Sonnenfels.
-Wait, you're
telling me that you
remember entire encyclopedias?
-No.
Just bits, hey?
I like to learn them.
-Why?
-Well, for fun.
I've always done it,
since I was a kid.
It's-- It's like a memory game.
-Did your parents
make you do it?
-No.
-Didn't get on with them, huh?
-Oh, I can't complain.
My mother died when
I was young, but--
-Oh, I'm sorry.
-Would you like that tea now?
[laughs]
-So have you always been
obsessed with old things?
-It's not old things.
I just don't understand why
people throw things away
that still work perfectly
well, just because they've
been superseded
by something new.
I mean, there's this common
illusion that new things make
our lives easier and
better, and they don't.
Not necessarily.
-So why do you use that
shitty old video camera?
-Because it costs
$50 and it works.
Now, with new things becoming
old in a matter of months, not
years, I just want to
slow things down a bit.
SOPHIE: Oh, that's a
bit nostalgic, isn't it?
-Well, you-- I even
experience nostalgia
with things in the present.
I mean, because I know
that-- that these things will
become forgotten, really soon.
Can it-- can it be
nostalgia in the present?
-Maybe it's now-stalgia.
-Now-stalgia?
-Yeah.
Now-stalgia.
You know, that feeling
that everything that is
is gonna end.
-Well, it is all going to end.
SOPHIE: I remember I once
had this leather coat.
It was the most money that
I'd spent on anything,
and when I got it home, I
remember just looking at it
and feeling so sad, because
I knew it would never
be better than it
was in that moment.
In a few years' time, it
would be worn and shabby,
and it kind of broke my heart.
-The Sioux Indians
used to say nothing
should be made perfect, because
then you become attached to it
and it causes you pain.
So if you have something
pristine and new,
you should damage it slightly.
-Really?
-I don't think we ever
really experience perfection.
It's an illusion.
Like your coat--
I mean, the fact
that it was doomed
to become old,
that's an imperfection
right there.
I think the notion of
perfection is a Platonic trick
to make us feel inadequate.
-Do you feel inadequate?
-Yes.
Doesn't everybody?
-At least you're honest.
-Well, I don't think
that does much good.
I don't think honesty's
the most valued quality
in our contemporary society.
-Doesn't pay much to
be humble, either.
So what's going
to become of you?
-Certainly on a
global scale, we are
going to lose plenty of species
due to environmental changes
because of human activities.
Um, I think that we understand--
biologists understand
a lot of what needs to be done.
And the key is the
sort of willingness
and the priorities of everyone,
to try to take actions now.
[typing]
-Ladybug.
Lady Day.
Lady chapel.
Ladysmith.
GEORGE (VOICEOVER): [LISTING
ENTRY NAMES ALPHABETICALLY,
STARTING WITH L]
[phone ringing]
GEORGE (ON ANSWERING
MACHINE): Hello, you've
called "The Encyclopedia
of Obsolete Things."
Please leave a message
and we'll get back
to you as soon as we can.
[beep]
SOPHIE (ON PHONE): "The
Obselidia," I'm telling you.
You can't call it "The
Encyclopedia of Yadda Yadda
Yadda.
You've got to start with
a great title, you know?
One that people are
gonna be curious about?
-Uh, you don't think
they'll be curious?
-I didn't think you were there.
-Uh, I wasn't.
I was releasing ladybugs.
-Releasing ladybugs?
GEORGE (ON PHONE): Yeah.
They need the lifeline.
-Nice.
-So how are you?
SOPHIE (ON PHONE): Good.
And you?
GEORGE (ON PHONE): Oh, I'm OK.
-Did you do any
more interviews yet?
-No, just got a letter
from Lewis Fordham.
SOPHIE (ON PHONE): Brilliant.
And is he up for meeting?
-Um, yes.
Yeah, he is.
But he lives in
Death Valley, so.
-Death Valley?
Cool.
GEORGE (ON PHONE):
It's not, actually.
It's very, very hot, and it's
hundreds of miles away, so.
SOPHIE (ON PHONE): I thought
you said this guy was a genius.
GEORGE (ON PHONE):
Well, he-- he is.
He is, but--
-You won't drive four
hours for a genius?
-Well, it-- it's not that.
It's-- it's--
SOPHIE (ON PHONE):
I've driven double
that just to go
to a party before.
-You might remember
that I don't have a car.
-So?
I'll drive you.
-Oh, no, no.
SOPHIE (ON PHONE):
Sure, why not?
-No, it's-- it's OK, really.
SOPHIE (ON PHONE): Doesn't
this mean anything to you?
Come on, I've always wanted
to go to Death Valley.
"Zabriskie Point," Antonioni?
Oh, I'd love to see that.
So when do we go?
-Hey, man.
How's it going?
You going somewhere?
-Death Valley.
-Death Valley?
Wow.
-With her.
-Not bad.
Not bad at all.
-She's just a friend.
-Yeah.
Remember, love is just
a protein, George.
GEORGE (VOICEOVER): Protein,
Protestant, Proteus, prophet,
prosthesis, Protista, protocol,
Protogenes, protoplasm,
[inaudible].
Protozoa.
-So, you got everything?
-How long are we going for?
-Well, I packed
some water and food,
and I have my gorgeous
Polaroid camera.
-Wow.
That's beautiful.
May I?
-Yeah.
-I knew you'd appreciate it.
You know they stopped
making the film?
-Sure.
So I've got three pictures left.
That's it-- three.
Got to make them good ones.
-Oh, I'd hold on to them.
-Well, I've been holding
on to them for long enough.
And I've packed my tent
in case we want to camp.
-Uh, camp?
I-- I'm not sleeping outside.
-What?
-I've never slept outside, I--
-You're kidding.
-Why would I kid about that?
-I don't know.
'Cause you want to seem
like some strange city guy.
-I am a strange city guy.
[engine starts]
I just thought we'd get
a couple of motel rooms.
SOPHIE: [laughs] You're
funny, you know that?
GEORGE: You're
funnier if you think
we're going to camp outside.
Animals sleep outside.
That's why humans
invented Motel 6.
SOPHIE (VOICEOVER): [laughs]
[music playing]
Do you know what I really
love about America?
GEORGE: No.
What do you really love?
SOPHIE: The fact that
nothing's built to last.
Everything looks like it
could be gone tomorrow.
GEORGE: And that's a good thing?
SOPHIE: Yeah.
It means everything can change.
It's not set in stone.
GEORGE: No, just set in stucco.
SOPHIE: Yeah, well,
where I'm from,
everything was built
a long, long time ago
and it'll all be there forever.
GEORGE: But will it really?
SOPHIE: Makes me feel trapped.
GEORGE: So you prefer this?
SOPHIE: Yeah.
I prefer this.
GEORGE: French fries.
SOPHIE: Yum.
GEORGE: So do you think
you'll stay in LA?
-I don't know.
-Do you?
-Mm-hm.
I like my home and my job.
-Here, I made you this.
-Thanks.
-I mean, I like LA.
But I really just
moved here for a guy.
-Are you, um, still together?
-Well.
We lived together in
New York a couple years
before we moved out here.
-And what does he do?
-Paul?
He wants to be a movie director.
Totally obsessed with films.
But you know, all
the wrong films.
-Which are?
-I don't know.
Well, he thinks like "Star
Wars" is the best movie ever.
-"Star Wars" is good.
-OK, "Star Wars" is good.
But he wouldn't watch foreign
movies or black-and-white.
I mean, it's like cinema
started with "The Godfather."
-Probably a lot of people feel
like that nowadays, don't they?
-Yeah, absolutely.
But I just don't know if
I can be with somebody
who won't watch "Au
Hasard Balthazar."
-That donkey.
-Oh, I know!
Exactly.
Meanwhile, Paul says, I
won't do black-and-white,
and I sure as hell
won't do a black-and-white
subtitled movie about a donkey.
Actually, maybe he
does have a point.
[laughs]
I don't know.
We should get back on the road.
[snorts]
[laughs]
You've got a bit
of green going on.
-Oh.
Your turn to drive
as well, yeah?
-Uh, I don't drive.
-What?
-Yeah, I don't have a car.
-You're kidding me, right?
You got to, like, how
old, and living in LA,
and you don't drive?
Time to learn.
So tell me about Lewis.
-(NERVOUSLY) Um, uh, he--
he-- back in the day he worked
for NASA, and he was-- he
predicted climate change
before-- anybody.
And-- and if they'd
listened to him,
maybe it wouldn't
be such a mess now.
Oh, what do I do?
There's a big, fast
red car coming.
-What is it?
What is it?
Oh, stay steady, George.
Stay steady.
-OK.
-Whew!
We made it.
-Look, I didn't think
I could talk and drive
at the same time.
And can you please not
point that camera at me?
-All right, all
right, I'm sorry.
-Oh, what do we do?
I mean, I think there's a turn.
-OK, take it.
-OK.
-Turn, turn.
-OK.
[polaroid takes picture]
-Oh, shit!
GEORGE: What?
SOPHIE: [sigh] Three bloody
pictures left and I just
blew one.
GEORGE: I'm sorry.
SOPHIE: No, it's-- it's fine.
Imagine living out here.
Wouldn't you get lonely?
-Some people get lonely
in the middle of the city.
LEWIS: So George,
which publication
did you say you were from?
-"The Encyclopedia
of Obsolete Things."
-Oh. [chuckles] I guess
that covers most everything
these days, heh.
Sophie.
SOPHIE: Thank you.
-Yeah.
-So beautiful here.
LEWIS: You think
this is beautiful?
-Yeah.
-Well, you're in dubious
luck, because in a little more
than 50 years' time, most of
the world will look like this.
-You don't really
believe that, do you?
-Not a question of belief.
Here's how it is-- God, if he
exists, his own honest truth.
By 2020, extreme weather
patterns will be the norm.
Earth's cooling system
will fail with the melting
of the polar caps.
And by '20, 50, 75%
of all land mass--
that which has not been
claimed by rising sea levels--
will be desert, just like
what we see around us.
And by 2100, 80% of human
population-- decimated.
-That's ridiculous.
-Yes.
It is ridiculous.
But that's the way it is.
-But-- you-- what if we
seriously cut carbon emissions
in the next five years, say in
line with the Kyoto Protocol?
-If you'd asked that, George,
40 years ago, maybe a chance.
But not now.
-And surely if
more people switch
to sustainable green living.
-"The Titanic" is going down
and we are rearranging the deck
chairs.
We have hit the damn iceberg.
Nothing we can do about it.
-There must be
something we can do.
-There is.
Enjoy it while we can, because
it isn't going to last.
Do our best to treat
it with kindness
and enjoy it while we can.
So let's drink to that.
[clink]
Such-- such gentle creatures.
[buzzing]
-Each working for the
collective good of all.
If only man could
learn to live that way,
hm, maybe we'd save the bees.
You heard about their plight?
-Yeah, of course.
I read that as many
as 90% of the bees
worldwide have died off
in the last 17 years.
LEWIS: That's right.
And you know what
Albert Einstein said?
-If the honeybees
disappeared completely,
humans could survive
only four more years.
-Yeah, we depend on these
creatures for our survival.
Our being depends upon them
as theirs does on us, yeah.
So.
So you're writing
an "Encyclopedia
of Obsolete Things."
I-- I can't help
but think that, um,
that all human knowledge
will be filed there soon.
Um, agriculture as we
know it-- finished.
Things that we hold as given
truths, completely meaningless.
Even your own encyclopedia.
-I think I know about that.
-Then, um, why do it?
The past is gone.
All it's left us with
just a hell of a mess.
-I think that that mess is
partly due to our eagerness
to move so quickly
into the future
without really taking
stock of where we've been.
-Yeah?
I think that you're attached
to it, the good old days.
I was.
But it makes me wonder
why-- why you came out here
to talk to me.
-Well, I wanted to see if
you were a reliable source.
-Yeah?
Well, you think I'm--
you think I'm crazy?
-No.
But I-- I think there's a
chance that you're wrong.
I mean, a lot of
experts in the field
still believe there's a window
of opportunity to change.
-Let's say that I'm wrong,
I'm a crazy old man.
I'm wrong, and that there's
a bigger window of chance
to save the human
race than I think.
Five years, ten years, before
the damage is irreversible.
That's what they say,
most of my colleagues.
Well, optimistic
colleagues, right?
-Mm-hm.
-Well, fine.
So it is as they say.
Now here's the question
that you have to ask.
Do you think people
are about to change?
Do you think that even now, in
the face of mass extinction,
people will change
the way they live?
No.
No.
[buzzing]
SOPHIE: Smile.
Three, two, one.
[polaroid takes picture]
SOPHIE: Perfect.
Thanks, guys.
-So, um, are you all
staying around for tonight?
-Yes, actually, I
was going to ask
if there's a motel that
you could recommend.
-Or a place to camp.
-Well, yes, if you
have a tent, you're
welcome to pitch it here.
I have no problem with that.
-It's OK.
-That's great.
-Yeah, best place,
right over there.
Less chance or rattlesnakes.
-Perfect.
And I was wondering if I
could use your telephone.
I can't seem to get
a signal out here.
-Oh, I need to make
a phone call, too.
-I don't have a telephone.
I am gratefully cut off from
what they-- what they dare
call civilization.
Nearest phone is at the
Amargosa Opera House
at Death Valley
Junction, 10 miles.
-Cool, that's great.
Well, we can set up camp
and take a drive over.
-Well, if you do, you might
want to time it for the show.
Marta Beckett has performed
every Saturday night
for the past 40 years.
It's well worth a visit.
-That's perfect.
-Mm-hm.
-Yeah.
-I don't know if this
is such a good idea.
I mean, maybe we should
just get a room in a motel.
-So all you have to do
is put the little poles
in the little holes.
Do you want to give
me some help here?
That's it, see?
Easy.
That's right, like
in those holes there.
-I think I might
sleep in the car.
-[sigh] You'll be fine.
Look at it.
It's gorgeous.
Oh, it's great in here.
SOPHIE: (WHISPERING)
Why are you videoing it?
You should just watch.
[applause]
That was amazing, wasn't it?
It was worth coming out
here just for that show.
GEORGE: It was
worth meeting Lewis.
SOPHIE: Oh.
GEORGE: He was amazing.
-Doesn't he annoy you?
-No.
-What, not even just a bit?
I mean, all that
"you're all gonna die
and there's nothing you
can do about it" shit.
-I don't think that's
what he's saying.
-Yes it is, and he's wrong.
Just 'cause he's getting old.
-Well, just because you
don't agree with something
does mean it's wrong.
-Yes it is.
You can never say
there's no hope.
So are you good?
-Yeah.
-Lights out then?
[sigh]
-Good night, Sophie.
-(WHISPERING) Good night.
Are you sleeping yet?
-No.
-Me neither.
So is this really the first
time you've slept in a tent?
-No.
-Tell the story.
-Well, I was in a friend
of mine's backyard
when we were kids.
We got scared halfway
through the night,
and his mom let us in.
-No Mommy to let you in tonight.
-No.
-But I'll look after you.
-Good night, Sophie.
-Good night.
[howl]
-What was that?
-Coyote.
I think it was a coyote.
-(FRANTICALLY) What do we do?
What do we do?
SOPHIE: Enjoy it, George.
We-- just enjoy it.
GEORGE: Enjoy the sound of wild
creatures coming to devour us?
SOPHIE: [laughs]
GEORGE: What's so funny?
SOPHIE: You!
Just relax.
We're safe.
[laughs]
-Are you sure we'll be safe?
-Well, given that you think
that 80% of the human population
will be gone in the next
100 years, no, George,
I don't think we're safe.
-Point taken.
-We'll be fine.
At least till the morning.
-Good morning.
-Ah, good morning.
Hope you like your
eggs scrambled, George.
-Who doesn't?
-And desert honey,
courtesy of the bees.
-Thank you.
Looks like you were up early.
-Well, you know, I haven't
missed a sunrise in 15 years.
If you hike to that point,
well, even an old atheist
like me sometimes
whispers the name of God.
-As beautiful as that?
-And then some.
-Well, I wish you
would have asked me.
I would have loved
to have joined you.
Thank you for this, Lewis.
-Oh, it's my pleasure.
It's a rare treat for me
to get visitors out here.
People, I guess, don't much
like what I have to say.
-Do you have family?
-Wife is deceased, 20-odd years.
My only son lives in Japan.
He's a Buddhist monk.
Of all the idiotic
things that he could've
chosen to do with his life, he
opted for robes and silence.
Your paramour.
-(QUIETLY) Sophie's
just a friend.
-Oh.
-Good morning.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-My, this looks amazing.
Thank you, Lewis.
-My pleasure.
-Thank you.
-So did you enjoy
the show last night?
-Oh, it was magic, really.
-I have to say, Marta Beckett
revives my hope in mankind.
-I can understand why.
-So what are you
all doing today?
-Mm, I think we're
going to head back.
-What about Zabriskie Point?
-I remember when my wife
and I first came here.
She said this
reminded her of hell.
And to me it was, and is, a
paradise, literally millions
of years of change,
evolution, that
solidified in the rock
right before our eyes.
To me, I find something
very reassuring about that.
Human race might not
survive much longer,
but the world will.
That's what matters.
Drive safely.
And come back and see
me before it's all gone.
-Thanks, Lewis.
I'll send you a copy of the
encyclopedia when it's done.
-Yes.
-Bye, Lewis.
-Sophie.
-You can drive.
Bye, Lewis.
LEWIS: Bye.
[engine starts]
SOPHIE: "Come back and see
me before it's all gone."
[chuckles] He'll be gone before
the world is, that's for sure.
Look at this.
So cool.
GEORGE: Maybe it's
worse than I thought.
I mean, what if the whole world
really is about to disappear?
What if Lewis is right?
-Oh, for goodness' sake,
stop being so miserable.
-Why does it upset you so much?
-Doesn't upset me,
George, it bores me.
-Well, you don't seem
bored, you seem angry.
-I'm not angry.
I just think it's a lot
of bullshit, all right?
I think Lewis is wrong.
-What, to tell the truth?
-[sigh] You know, this obsession
you have with all things
obsolete is absurd.
You know what I think?
I think if one person
loves something enough,
it can never be obsolete.
-Well, that's not true.
I love typewriters,
and that doesn't
mean to say that
they're not obsolete.
-It's because you love
them that it's alive.
I mean, don't you get that?
-[LISTING ENTRY
NAMES ALPHABETICALLY,
STARTING WITH S]
Sophie!
[spring squeaking]
-[laughs]
[spring squeaking]
SOPHIE: You're driving
great now, you know?
Just like Steve
McQueen in "Bullitt."
Noe one would ever
guess you just learned.
Wait, wait, did you see that?
-Uh, what?
-Look, look!
Pull over, pull over!
I swear to god,
it's a ghost town.
Come on, we've got to
go and check that out.
Come on!
-Please say no.
Please say no, please say no.
-Come on, come check it out.
Look, come here.
There is one.
It's over there.
Check it out.
There's a ghost town.
Come on, we've got to go.
GEORGE: Mmm.
Don't you think we should
just get to Zabriskie Point?
-What, you scared
of ghosts, George?
-No.
It's just-- well,
that car is not
designed for off-road
travel, and it's
at least five miles to the town.
-Come on!
It's gonna be fun!
I can't believe you're
scared of ghosts.
Ooooo!
GEORGE: Oh, it's
not-- it's not ghosts.
It's-- look at the road.
This is insanity.
SOPHIE: Oh, let's live
dangerously, George, come on!
What have we got to lose?
GEORGE: Just our lives.
Have you seen enough yet?
SOPHIE: Look at that.
Oh, this is great.
I have to get a
picture of that truck.
Look.
GEORGE: Great.
SOPHIE: Uh-oh, here
comes the ghost.
Guess I should go and say hello
if I want to take that picture.
-Do you think it's a
good idea to get out?
I mean, no one knows we're here.
We could just disappear.
-If it gets weird, I'll cough
and we'll run to the car.
Deal?
-But what if I notice
it's getting weird?
-You cough.
[coughs]
GEORGE: [clears throat]
SOPHIE: Hiya.
-Hi, how's it going?
-We were just driving
by, saw your sign.
-Mm-hm.
-I'm Sophie.
-Ah, and you look like
one of the Manson girls.
-Uh, I'm George.
-I'm Rock Novak,
caretaker of Ballarat.
Come on in, look around.
Come on in.
GEORGE: This is quite
a place you have here.
ROCK: Yeah.
Yeah, I been doing
it about five years,
trying to build
me a little museum
here and-- and get a
lot of old antique stuff
and learning all about
the history and stuff,
and I got a few things here.
So this here, I found.
That's from the 1870 era.
That's an old hoe.
What's special about an old hoe?
That thing was probably
brought here, probably,
by the early pioneers.
That hoe has been used a lot.
A hoe is about that long.
That much has been wore down.
GEORGE: Wow.
-So that's been used a lot.
This is probably-- this hoe
was probably made in the 1820s,
maybe before.
-Hey, do you mind if I take
a picture of that truck
out there?
-No, go ahead.
That's Charlie
Manson's old truck.
And in the back there, you
might find some bodies.
GEORGE: Um, could you
tell me a little bit
about the history of this place?
-Yeah, sure.
Ballarat started in 1897,
and it only lasted 20 years
and went out in 1917--
[clears throat pointedly]
ROCK: Due to World War I. This
road out in front of Ballarat
that goes south--
[coughs]
ROCK: That used to
be the old highway.
And the highway went all the
way through Barstow and Apple
Valley and down to Los Angeles,
and it come through Ballarat
and it went through
Wild Rose Canyon
and it took you into Death
Valley and Nevada and all that.
-Um, I have the video
camera in the car,
and I was wondering if
it's possible for me
to do some filming.
-Sure.
Sure.
Go ahead.
-Thank you.
-Mm-hm.
-Can we get out of here now?
-No, you were right.
This place is great.
I need to go and get him on.
-No, no, no, you were right.
Plus it's blowing
up a storm out here.
Come on.
-There's nothing
to be afraid of.
-No, we're just in
the middle of nowhere,
hanging out with Charlie
Manson's bastard son.
-I think he's too old.
-I thought we said we
could run if I coughed.
-Yeah.
-Well, didn't you hear me?
-Sorry.
-Shit!
-I said I'm sorry.
-No, I think I've left
my camera at Lewis's.
-Oh.
-I can't believe I
forgot my camera.
-It's going to be fine.
I mean, we'll go back
to Lewis's, we'll
get your camera-- it'll be fine.
-No, it's not gonna be fine.
You know, it's
like two hours back
to Lewis's place, which
means we won't have time
to go to Zabriskie Point, which
was the whole reason for coming
to Death Valley.
It's like, it's
like going to Paris
and not seeing the Eiffel Tower.
-Think about it.
I mean, if you went
to Paris, would you
really want to go and
see the Eiffel Tower?
Everybody sees the Eiffel Tower.
I'd much rather see the
French version of Rock.
-I guess.
-You shouldn't be
so hard on yourself.
-Easier said than done.
I'm my dad's daughter,
and it's some inheritance.
-So do you think you'll
ever have children?
-I don't know.
Sometimes I think I'd
like to, but other times I
think it's hard enough
just looking after me.
How about you?
-Children?
Now unless they've invented
a way for men to give birth.
-Oh.
Oh!
Why didn't you say?
-What?
-Well, you know, if
it wasn't for Carlos,
that gorgeous Cuban hairdresser
that I met in Brooklyn
and married, I wouldn't
have a green card.
Actually, you know, I
think you'd get on really
well with Carlos.
Oh, he's such a nice guy.
I met his family, all down
in Miami, and they're crazy.
But you know--
-What are you talking about?
-I mean like you and Carlos.
-I'm sorry-- you've lost me.
-Look, you know, half
my best friends are gay
and it's not a problem.
It's cool.
-No, I'm not-- I'm not gay.
Um, I was just telling you
that, you know, I'm-- I'm alone.
-Oh.
Well, I mean that might change.
-I'm gonna have a
look at the bees.
-OK.
(CALLING) Hello?
(SHOUTING) George.
George!
Oh my god.
-What happened?
Lewis!
SOPHIE: I-- I just
found him like this.
He's dead.
George.
What are we gonna do?
Let's just, um-- let's get
him on the bed, you know?
-Yeah, OK.
-Come on.
-OK.
OK, ready?
-Yeah.
-One, two, three.
[laughs]
-What's so funny?
-I'm sorry.
It's just your face.
I thought you were
gonna be next.
-And you thought that was funny?
-OK, sorry, OK.
OK, wait a minute.
GEORGE: OK.
One, two, three.
SOPHIE: Should I-- should
I just drive back and--
GEORGE: Yeah.
SOPHIE: [sigh] Are you
going to come with me?
GEORGE: No.
I don't want Lewis to be alone.
Little brownies, little
brownies, your master is dead.
He's dead and he's gone
and he's never coming back.
But that doesn't mean
you have to die, too.
Gentle creatures, that's
what he called you.
Gentle creatures.
Please don't die.
We need you.
And we're sorry.
We haven't told you, have you?
We haven't told you, but I
hope you can hear me now.
Little brownies, little
brownies, your master is dead,
and he's never coming back.
-It's weird, isn't it?
How someone can be here one
minute and then just gone?
-We should find out
where his son lives.
-Where did he go?
I remember when my Mum died.
I mean, technically
she was still alive
those last few hours,
but she'd really gone.
I remember just holding
her hand and telling her
that I loved her.
Then I went to get a coffee
and I came back and she'd gone.
-Lewis was lucky.
SOPHIE: Yeah.
When I go, I want
to go like that.
-Me too.
-Now getting sick and going
to hospital and suffering.
Just-- you know?
-Me too.
-It's a blessing to
go that way, isn't it?
It's the best.
-Probably, but at
least when you're sick,
you have a chance
to make amends.
-That's true.
[sigh] So what about the Earth?
-What do you mean?
-Well, wouldn't it just be
better if it disappeared?
No warning?
-Maybe.
That's not the way
it's going to happen.
The warnings are here.
It's sick.
[sobs]
[weeping]
-It's OK.
-It's not OK.
The world's going to end,
we're all going to die,
and I haven't even started
living my life yet.
Not really.
-Maybe you should start.
-I'm not married.
I have no real home.
And I've probably fucked
it up with the one guy
that I really loved.
My life is disappearing.
It's just going, going.
-You're still here.
But I just-- I
just want to live.
That's all I've
ever wanted to do.
Don't you want to live?
-Yes.
-Really?
I mean, don't you
just want to live?
-Yes, I do.
-What is it?
It's dark.
-Come on and it'll be worth it.
-Thank you.
For everything.
-Thank you.
Goodbye.
-Bye, George.
Hey, wait!
We never took the last picture.
GEORGE: He was a
truly remarkable man.
I mean, he saw the
end coming and it
didn't fill him with fear.
It filled him with
the opportunity
to learn, to live in
the desert with the bees
and to drink and to laugh.
Yes.
I feel honored to have
met him, and if you're
passing through LA, please
feel free to call me.
And if there's anything
else I can do to help.
No, I've never been to Japan.
Thank you Goodbye.
[rings bell]
-Hi.
-George!
How did--
-The phone book.
Well, actually, it
was the internet,
and it wasn't too difficult.
I, um, I brought you these.
-Thank you.
They're beautiful.
MAN: Who is it, sweetie?
-Just a minute.
-I shouldn't have come.
Sorry.
-No, don't go, George.
Don't go!
You can meet-- George?
GEORGE (VOICEOVER): [LISTING
ENTRY NAMES ALPHABETICALLY,
STARTING WITH Z]
STARTING WITH Z]
STARTING WITH Z]
STARTING WITH Z]
STARTING WITH Z]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[phone ringing]
[slide carousel advances]
[phone ringing]
GEORGE (ON ANSWERING
MACHINE): Hello, you've
called "The Encyclopedia
of Obsolete Things."
Please leave a message
and we'll get back
to you as soon as we can.
[beep]
SOPHIE (ON MACHINE):
Hey, George, you there?
Pick up.
Pick up.
OK, so you're not there.
Listen, I just wanted
to talk to you.
Just call me.
Please?
Call me?
[beep]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[small sob]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
[slide carousel advances]
PAUL: There you go.
-Thanks, sweetheart.
PAUL: No problem.
Hey, you've got to look at
this website I just found.
-What is it?
It's called obselidia.com.
O-B-S-E-L-I-D-I-A. It should
be O-B-S-O, but whatever.
Check out the entry on love.
It's got to be the most
romantic thing I've ever read.
"Some people say love is
obsolete, but they are wrong.
Love is what makes everything
in the universe possible.
Love is not dependent upon
liking the same movies
or on the species'
need for procreation.
Love is dependent on
life and life alone.
Someone once told me that
as long as one person loves
something, it can live forever.
You are that person.
You have that love.
And I give it
today to everything
that you want to live tomorrow."
-It's beautiful, huh?
GEORGE (VOICEOVER):
Maybe it's true.
Maybe the whole world
is disappearing.
Species by species, object by
object-- everything in decline.
And who knows?
I mean, maybe you
will wake up tomorrow
and find everything
you love is gone.
But it hasn't all gone yet.
So in a way, maybe
Lewis is right.
Maybe we've got to accept that
the whole world is dying off
and-- and just enjoy
it while we can.
Treat it with kindness
and enjoy it while we can.
But I also think this-- we have
to wake up now to the things
that we want to save.
And there's no time to waste.
We have to know what
is worth saving,
then we have to do
everything in our power
to keep those things alive.
That's our only hope.
And true, it still
might not be enough,
and everything might be lost.
But at least we tried.
At least we tried.
And maybe that's it.
Maybe that's all
we can do-- wake up
to each fleeting moment,
so we know we were there.
Even if "there" is gone forever.
-Excuse me.
[bells tinkling]
[bees buzzing quietly]