Happy birthday.
The next rule is:
"Good Job Jenny asks questions...
...only when it's time
for asking questions."
How will we know
when it's time for questions?
What did I just say
about asking questions?
But...
You may ask
when you can ask questions...
...when it's time
for asking questions.
Huh?
In this classroom,
we have some rules.
These are the same rules
we had last year.
Is that a question?
Class, what is the rule
about asking questions?
What do we know about
Good Job Jenny?
She deserves a slow
and painful death.
Anyone?
"'T was brillig...
"and the slithy toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
"All mlmsy
were the borogoves...
...and the mome raths outgrabe."
That's Miss Dodger,
the new theater teacher.
Attend the tea party.
Writing?
Summoning the courage, failing.
Blackthorne's gonna publish me.
Oh, Peter.
It's a tiny academic press.
No, that's great.
Nobody'll read it.
It's great.
It is great.
It's the greatest thing
in the history of great.
I think you are.
Till I shrivel up
with resentment?
How was your day?
Good.
The girls?
Terrific.
I don't know
how you do it.
So yourwork examlnes
Alice in Wonderland?
Well, actually it's...it's...
"I have angst.
Sincerely, Olivia."
How does a seven-year-old
have angst?
You don't know the half of it.
Mozart was six when he wrote
his first opera.
I'm seven.
Well, he's only got a year
on you, sweetie.
You don't understand.
See?
A house of women
speaking their minds.
And...and her poetry,
it's like E.E. Cummings...
Phoebe too,
these rhythms and rhymes...
...and internal monologues.
You've never seen
anything like it.
Hillary is a terrific mother.
Mm, well...
Oh, no, please,
I insist, let me.
Thank you.
How's the book coming along?
Precarlous Enchantment.:
Wonderland and Perverslon,
right?
God, how awful.
So...
Well, sometimes I actually have time
to write a whole sentence.
Remember that next tlme
you cry, baby.
But don't you love
belng a mother?
God, yes.
Break your mother's back.
Step on a crack,
break your mother's back.
Step on a crack,
break your mother's back.
Step on a crack,
break your mother's back.
Is that a Patriot Girl doll
in your locker?
Katherine,
girl of strength and spirit...
...growing up in Philadelphia
during the American Revolution.
I had her.
I stuck needles
in her eyes.
I have Mary.
Mary, she's a Patriot Girl too,
except British.
She escaped the bombing
of London during World War II.
I know who she is.
She's a loser.
You think?
"You think?"
What are you looking for?
Money.
Yesterday I found a dollar.
I'm saving up
for Sings With Birds...
...the noble Sioux girl
growing up in 1732.
Do you want
my Katherine one?
Thanks, but I have it.
No!
No, don't touch me!
- No!
- I got you!
No, you didn't!
I'm not it!
Yes, you are.
No, you don't understand.
I can't be it.
Please don't make me be it.
Phoebe's it!
No!
I'm sorry.
Please don't tell.
Miss Reiter...
Phoebe spit at me!
Phoebe, it's only a game.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to.
Something's going on
with Phoebe.
Because she got upset
during tag?
She spat.
As I understand it,
all the other kids were running at her.
They were playing tag.
Exactly, it seems
pretty innocent to me.
It was the way it happened.
This is why little boys
who kiss little girls...
...get expelled
for sexual assault.
- All right, Hillary.
- No, I'm sorry.
It's just, we want
our kids to care...
...and then we worry
when they do.
We want them to show spirit,
and then punish it.
I really don't see
the problem here.
Is there something
going on at home?
I'm finishing a book.
That's about it.
Anythlng else?
Children are good at hiding.
No.
Do you think that something's
going on with Phoebe?
Something's always going on
with Phoebe.
She's different.
That's good.
But do you think...
No, I think it's just
the way they are.
This god damn
what-to-expect-this-second parenting.
You ever wonder if we're
too tuned in to our kids?
She wasn't accusing you
of anything.
Of course she was.
I hope Phoebe got her
with a good loogie.
Maybe I'm not spending
enough time with her.
We work.
Right?
I'll figure out
something special.
Please take you seats.
Look at the chandelier.
Thank you.
I can't wait.
I know.
Go.
Come on.
Here, take off your coat.
Oh, It's startlng.
She's changing.
The swan is turning
into a princess.
Look.
Why'd she take off her dress?
It's just her costume.
If I had a dress like that,
I'd never take it off.
You'd have to,
to wash it.
No, 'cause maybe
if I wore it long enough...
...one day I'd wake up,
and I'd be that person.
Smart girl.
You'd have to choose
your part carefully.
Oh, I would.
Believe me, I would.
Hey, don't look.
No room, no room.
I'm here to try out
for the play.
I'm the Mad Hatter.
This is the March Hare,
and that's the Dormouse.
Whatever.
I want to be Alice,
and I always get the lead.
How strange everything is today.
Let me think.
Was I the same
when I got up this morning?
Thank you.
Wouldn't you like to attend
the party as the White Queen?
Alice.
Right.
Dive in.
How strange is everything today.
Let me thlnk.
Was I the same when I got up
thls mornlng?
I'll make a killer Alice.
I look just like her.
Just Alice.
My daddy is sick rich.
I want Alice...
...and you should know
that I'm a depressive.
No room, no room.
Excuse me?
Oh, may I have some tea?
Welcome to the tea party.
A gift?
Most recently,
I did two seasons...
...in the Essex Playhouse
Theater Arts Workshop.
Indeed.
In The King and I,
I was featured as Phra Alack...
...the head servant.
Hmm.
Which role would you like
to try out for...
...the King of Hearts,
the White Knight?
The Queen of Hearts.
Unless...
No, no, no, no, no.
Please, be my guest.
Off with her head.
Phoebe Lichten?
Here.
Your tea party was scheduled
for 20 minutes ago.
"Your tea party was scheduled
for 20 minutes ago."
Sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I was washing
my hands.
I suppose you want to read
for Alice.
Hmm.
How strange everything
is today.
Let me think.
Thank you.
- That's it?
- That's it.
You don't want me
to read anymore?
No, thank you.
Can I please try it again?
That won't be necessary.
I'm sorry I was late.
I really am.
I had to...
I have to wash my hands
a certain number of times.
You can try again,
a little slower.
Go on.
Jump.
How strange everything is today.
Let me think.
Was I the same
when I got up this morning?
I almost think I can remember
feeling a little different.
But if I'm not the same,
the next question is...
...who in the world am I?
How'd your tryouts go?
How'd you find me here?
I made thls house.
It took a whlle.
How'd it go?
I think mine went well.
I practiced forever.
I was better at home.
Auditions are stressful.
When I wanted my baklng klt...
I prayed to God every night
for a whole month to get it.
Is that what you have to do?
Well, if you want something a lot,
you have to pray...
...or do something you hate...
...and God will see you deserve it.
I don't believe in God.
Me neither...
...but I did get the baking kit.
So you have to pray?
Or do somethlng you hate.
Like what?
I don't know, P.E.?
P.E.?
But you have to choose
something else.
Four.
Hey, sweetle.
How was school?
Did you have
your tryout today?
I'm concentrating.
I was gonna make a cake...
...you want to help me?
Stop!
Now I can't remember
what number I'm on.
I have to start all over again.
Well, why don't you come inside?
I can't, not until I've stepped
on all the squares in the right order.
Are you, um, pretending
this is Looking Glass Land?
Looks a little like
a chessboard.
Phoebe, what would happen...
...if you didn't step on the squares
in the right order?
I won't get in the play.
That's what this is all about,
to get in the play?
Get back!
Can I help?
- Get back!
- Okay.
Are we making the cake now?
Phoebe?
Where's Phoebe?
Where's your slster?
Upstalrs.
Does she know It's dlnnertlme?
I told her.
How'd the wrltlng go today?
Wrltlng? What wrltlng?
...lt'll come.
Oh, here she is.
What's the matter,
sweetie?
Aren't you hungry?
Oh, my god.
I'm sorry.
What happened?
It's to get in the play.
Oh.
What's thls?
Why'd you come to see me today?
Have you been
acting differently recently?
You can say anything you want
to me, anything.
Nothing you say can be wrong.
In school, you have to follow
certain rules.
You can't speak
at certain times.
You can't say certaln thlngs.
Here, it's the opposite.
You should say...
...whatever you want...
...whenever you want.
There's nothing I can't say?
No.
So...
...what do you want to say?
Nothing.
You are all very, very talented.
"You're all very,
very talented."
They always say that.
Here are your roles.
You wlll all be
In the muslcal number.
The Mad Hatter, Jeremy.
The Caterpillar, Tommy.
The Caterpillar?
I wanted to be the knight.
The Caterpillar's
a loser part.
Shh.
No small parts,
only small actors.
You're dead.
Jenny and Sally...
Card 1 and Card 2.
What?
We were robbed.
The Queen of Hearts...
...goes to Jamle.
That's a girl's part.
Fruitcake.
I'm gonna kidnap
your Patriot Girl.
Shh.
It was doing P.E.
Did you do stuff to?
Humpty Dumpty, Martln.
The Whlte Queen
goes to Monlca.
And Allce...
Phoebe.
I was so proud
of you today.
Good night.
Good night, love you.
Love you.
Are you asleep?
No.
So what do we do?
I don't know.
What do we do?
Are we gonna
do the play?
We are in a theater.
I think probably we should.
Don't you?
Aren't you gonna tell us
what to do?
No.
You tell me.
How do you put on a play?
You wear costumes
and say the words?
Well, then...
...jump.
When do we start?
When do you think?
When the lights go on?
Good.
Should we start?
It's so hot,
and I'm tired.
What a dull book this is.
What's the use of a book
wlthout plctures?
Where do I enter from?
Where do you think?
Offstage?
Oh, dear, oh, dear,
I shall be too late.
Wait!
I think I hear the queen coming now.
And if something's not done
about it in less than no time...
I'll have everybody executed
all round.
Homo.
Homo got the part.
Off with your head!
Fill up the glass with treacle and ink...
...and anything else
that is pleasant to drink.
Mix sand with the cider
and wool with the wine...
...and welcome Queen Alice
with ninety times nine.
Ninety times nine.
Let's conslderwho It was
that dreamed It all.
It must have been either me
or the Red King.
He was part
of my dream.
But then,
I was part of his dream too.
Which do you think it was?
Bravo.
Welcome to Wonderland.
That was amazing.
She just let us do it.
And you were great.
You were awesome.
You definitely
won't get fired.
Fired?
Oh, yeah,
happens all the tlme.
Really?
Ever heard
of Kristen Vigard?
Exactly.
The real Annie,
fired a week before opening.
Andrea McArdle
went on to everlasting fame.
But don't worry.
You were great.
You were so different onstage.
How come you spit?
What?
I- I don't know.
I didn't used to.
Why do you want to play
a girl's part?
It's a play.
I can do whatever I want.
But why do you do it when
everyone makes fun of you?
Because.
So because for me too.
Sometimes,
I get this feeling...
...this feeling
to jump off a roof.
You want to die?
No.
It's what I feel like all the time...
...with the things I do.
I know I shouldn't,
but I can't help it.
It's like being on the edge of a roof
all the time.
Fired?
It won't happen.
Seven.
Three.
Five.
Twelve.
Six.
Four.
Turn out your toes.
Remember who you are.
(Hillary
Where's your sister?
And don't get fired.
Where's Olivia?
I don't know.
Are you trying
to get me fired?
The bus will be here
any minute.
I'm not going to school today.
Oh, why not?
I don't want to.
- I'm sick.
- Oh, you are not.
I'm sick of Phoebe.
What are you talking about?
You're so good with her.
Yeah, and I'm sick of it.
Please don't play
on the stairs.
Leave me alone.
Can't I have another sister?
What?
No.
Not instead of, another.
Or a brother.
No.
One that I don't have
to take care of...
...who hasn't got what she's got.
- Phoebe, are you all right?
- Go away.
Turn out your toes,
don't get fired.
What do you mean " got"?
You don't even know anything
that's going on.
What do you mean I don't know
anything that's going on?
She gets everything
she wants.
What does she get
that you don't?
You.
Phoebe, don't jump.
Leave me alone.
Turn out your toes,
remember who you are...
...don't get fired.
Ow.
Turn out your toes.
And remember who you are.
Now, now!
Faster, faster!
Of course, it takes
all the running you can do...
...to stay in one place.
If you want to go
someplace else...
...you have to run at least
twice as fast as that.
But if you run as fast as you can
and stay in one place...
...how will you ever
get anywhere?
You just say whatever you say,
don't you?
Everyone tells me that.
I don't mean to be rude.
It's nice to hear you
say those things.
It makes me think
everything isn't so fixed.
It's not.
Genius!
That's what my mother...
Phoebe, are you all rlght?
I was just talking
to the Red Queen.
You were practicing
your lines?
I thought you'd be glad
I was talking to the Red Queen.
I thought you loved
Looking Glass Land, Wonderland.
I thought we loved it together.
I'm sorry.
I didn't know
what all this was about.
I'm glad you were talking
to the Red Queen...
...and of course
it makes me happy, and I...
I love you.
I really love you.
You do believe
I was talking to her?
What'd she tell you?
Everything isn't so fixed.
It's freer there.
Have you ever felt like
your running very fast...
...just to stay
in the same place?
The Red Queen?
So this is an imaginary friend.
I guess.
Have you told anyone
about the Red Queen?
My mother.
Made her nervous.
Do you hide things
from your parents...
If you thlnk
lt'll make them nervous?
Of course.
What do you and the Red Queen
talk about?
Wonderland.
How nice it is to have a place...
...where things aren't
quite so fixed.
It's all the opposite there,
you know.
It'd be nice if...
...lf...
It were the same here.
Same how?
Different.
Oh, please your majesty...
...spare us.
What shall we do?
Girls...
...girls...
Thls Is not real
for you,:
...this is not real
for us.
Your heads are
about to be chopped off.
This is high drama.
There is fear.
There is panic.
Listen.
Can you hear them?
The executloners...
...are walking down the hall
this very moment.
They are pounding at the door.
What do you do?
There would be
weeping and ranting...
...sobs and cries,
plans for escape.
Will no one
take mercy on us?
Bring in the scene next week.
I want to feel the terror
of the last moments of your life.
Take risks, jump.
What does she want
from us?
It's just
a dumb play.
We're only ten.
Ten?
Ten?
When I was ten...
I played Cleopatra
as she fed the asp to her breast.
It was breathtaking.
The audience
was on the edge of their seats.
You could hear a pin drop,
they were so entranced.
My ten-year-old niece
is hard at work...
...unlocking the mysteries
of Stonehenge.
You'll be reading about her
within the year.
Ten, indeed.
Now, continue.
Alice, White Queen,
pick up where we left off.
I wish I could manage
to be glad...
...only I can never
remember the rule.
You must be very happy
belng glad whenever you llke.
Only it's
so very lonely here.
Oh, don't go on like that.
Consider what a great girl
you are.
Consider what
o'clock it is.
Consider anything,
only please don't cry.
Can you keep from crying
by considering things?
There, you see?
Two lines.
In two lines,
she went from utter despondency...
...to complete joy.
Two lines;
brava, Phoebe.
Come on, trust falls,
and then the musical number.
Come on.
Ready?
Yes.
No...oh.
Uh, what's...
...what's this?
Principal Davis,
I didn't hear you.
Trust falls.
Trust falls.
Well, that...that...
...you know,
that seems a bit reckless...
...don't you think?
Nonsense, it's liberating.
Dangerous.
Ready?
Yes.
One, two, three.
Oh.
She's quite remarkable, Phoebe.
Thank you.
You're lucky.
Trick or treat.
Well, good evening, Alice.
"Good evening, Alice."
And who are you?
A man wlth a beard?
Karl Marx.
Thanks for the candy.
Happy Halloween.
Did the psychiatrist
say anything else?
Not yet.
OCD.
Clearly, partly.
When I was a kid,
I counted telephone poles...
...from the car.
If I missed one, we'd crash.
Nobody labeled me.
It's just the way kids are.
No, it's different.
Her hand...
Well, what do you
want me to say?
How come no one knows
who I am?
It's esoteric, sweetie.
You're very original.
Now, go try
this other house.
Trlck or treat.
Don't let the poppies
put you to sleep.
Have you ever read
Allce In Wonderland?
Of course.
When?
I don't know;
it was a while ago.
Given that it's
what my work's all about...
...doesn't that seem...
I don't know...fucked up?
I'm gonna get the bag.
Trick or treat.
Raisins bite.
Phoebe.
You're fat.
I'm sorry.
She's my younger sister.
She doesn't know
what she's saying.
Fat, fat water rat.
It's supposed to rain tomorrow.
Just out of curiosity...
...how am I supposed to care
about your work when you don't?
I have no time.
Because you make no time.
for Olivia's birthday tomorrow.
I didn't ask you
to stop working.
What am I supposed to do
with 30 children indoors?
- Hillary, please.
- But you didn't stop working.
What...what are we supposed
to live on?
Hmm?
All right, look,
I have my index due tomorrow.
Of course you do.
But I-I'll help you.
I don't need your help.
All right, fine.
The poppies are in Oz.
Where's Daddy going?
He had some work to do.
But it's Halloween.
What are you doing?
Take my candy.
Why?
It's my fault
Daddy leaving.
No, he had work to do.
Come on.
I hate Halloween.
Mom!
No...Mom?
There, there.
It's all right.
It's okay.
It's okay.
I've got you.
You're safe.
I'm here.
You're safe.
I'm here.
There.
Okay, here.
- Let me see.
- No.
- Let me see.
- No!
Let me see.
Oh, no, no, no,
I thought we were done with that.
I'm sorry.
What happened?
Nothing.
Phoebe.
It was...
it was the stairs.
But I had to...
every three...
...three steps at a time.
What?
Say it again.
What, what?
I had to do it.
It was the stair stepping.
Yeah.
And I had to do every
three stairs at a time.
Why?
I can't help it.
Why?
I don't know why.
I just...
I want you to know.
You...you want me
to know?
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
I want you to know why I...
I want you to know why
I do all these things.
I don't know why, Mommy.
Okay, okay.
Okay.
I don't know why.
Okay, I got you.
I got you.
I'll find out.
No.
She doesn't have that.
You are all so ready to label,
medicate, and move on...
...as if a name
means something...
...as if all the answers
are in a bottle.
I've seen that solution.
I have seen it
all around me...
...and it is a life of side effects
and dulled minds.
Your profession just
doesn't like kids to be kids.
No.
I'll tell you what this is.
Because, see, she was never
this way, not this much...
...so this is something new.
And what it is,
is, it's a little girl...
...who has somehow got it
into her mind that I...
...that I...that I don't love her.
Because when you
put it all together...
...and you try to make sense of it...
...she's obsessed with Wonderland,
and I'm writing a book on it...
...and I realized she is doing it
to be close to me...
...because she can tell...
She can tell
that I'm distracted.
And that's my fault...
...that I let her see that.
That's my fault.
Who did this?
I'd like to know who did this.
Miss Dodger, forget about it.
Who wrote the word "faggot"
on Jamie's costume?
Jamie, look up
the word "faggot,"
...which, correctly spelled,
is F-A-G-G-O-T.
Look up the word, please,
and tell me what it says.
"Faggot...
"a bundle of stlcks
or twlgs...
...bound together."
Is that what Jamie is?
A bundle of sticks?
When you attach a word
to a person...
...you had better know
what it means first.
Does anyone here want to own up
to idiocy as well as cruelty?
There used to be a day when
women weren't allowed to act...
...and young boys would play women.
It was in Shakespeare's day...
...and these great women,
Ophelia, Rosalind...
...were played by young boys...
...who could act
with such a depth of passion...
...that they would bring tears
to the eyes...
...of everyone who watched.
These boys performed the greatest
theatrical roles ever written...
...and they inspired all.
Jamie is only doing what boys
have done for centuries and...
Take your places for the top
of act one.
Today we have experienced a tragedy.
Carlita's dead.
Yes, Tommy is right.
Carlita has passed away.
Mr. Jacob found her
when he was cleanlng thls mornlng.
- He took her away.
- How'd she die?
Gerbils are fragile creatures.
Carlita lived a long
and fulfilling life.
- She lived six weeks.
- Rlght.
Why'd she die?
We don't know.
Mr. Jacob said
she ate something bad.
Yes.
Who's turn was it
to take care of her yesterday?
That has nothlng
to do wlth lt.
Phoebe, you fed her,
didn't you?
I just gave her the normal food.
- You poisoned her.
- No, I didn't.
- You poisoned Carlita.
- No, I didn't!
You dld.
You polsoned her.
It was my turn.
- I fed her.
- It wasn't.
It was Phoebe's.
Stop!
- You killed Carlita.
- Killer.
Stop, Phoebe.
You have to come with me
to Principal Davis' office.
What?
Got in trouble today.
You have to come.
What happened?
Carlita died.
The gerbil?
Everyone thlnks
It's my fault.
Of course it wasn't your fault.
So why do we have to go
to the principal's office?
I spat at Tommy and Sally.
Oh, Phoebe.
I couldn't help it.
What do you mean
you couldn't help it?
It means
she couldn't help it.
Please tell Mr. Davis
I couldn't help it.
What'd she die of?
Did you tell Dr. Miles?
Phoebe's not seeing
Dr. Miles anymore.
As of when?
As of today.
Why?
Because he's a jackass.
What did he tell you?
Nothing, that's the point.
I'm looking for someone else.
Hmm.
They all came at me...
...the other kids.
I got scared.
Well, you know,
you can choose not to spit.
No, I couldn't.
Remember, like I was telling you
about the myth of the girl.
Peter, leave her alone.
I'm not blaming her.
I'm just trying to get
to the bottom of it.
Don't worry, Phoebe,
we will handle your prick-cipal.
Oh.
What'd she die of?
Natural causes.
Olivia.
I can't stop thinking
about not doing it...
...and then I have to.
We can all choose
not to do things...
...that hurt other people
and ourselves.
Like fight?
Ah, shit.
Miss Dodger?
Hello.
Um, we're on our way
to a meeting with Mr. Davis...
...and I-I realized we never...
I never introduced
myself properly.
I'm...l'm Hillary Lichten.
Yes.
Did Phoebe tell you
that I'm writing a book on Alice?
No.
It's my dissertation.
I'm turning it into a book.
So there's always been a lot
of Wonderland at our house.
It seemed
such a colncldence...
...my interest and Phoebe's...
...and here you are,
putting on the play.
Do you believe in coincidence?
I don't know.
I guess.
How's Phoebe doing?
I don't.
She's remarkable.
She's okay here?
Marvelous.
She doesn't ever, you know,
do things she shouldn't?
What shouldn't she do?
I don't know,
inappropriate things.
Never.
She's very happy here.
Thank you.
Normally I tend to stay away from,
you know...
...in the classroom...
...because I thlnk that,
you know...
...the teachers can solve things
better than I can...
...and...and well, frankly,
they're better at it than I am...
...and I don't like...
...sticky...
but well, the gerbil died...
...and I guess the children
were a little upset...
...you know, pets are very dear
to chlldren, and...
Well, she spat, Mrs. Lichten.
She spat.
Spat, spat, water rat.
What?
So, you know, I thought,
well, you could come in...
...and we could...
...chat about it.
Tommy spat first.
Phoebe, perhaps you'd let
Mommy and Daddy and I
...talk alone for a little bit.
All rlght?
And well, you know, here...
...you can have a candy too.
Phoebe is imaginative
and sensitive and passionate.
And If she dld...
...get excited
about the gerbil...
I'm sure she was
being provoked.
You heard her.
That other terror spat first.
Of course.
Naturally, I agree, but...
...whether she's imaginative
is hardly the issue.
But it is.
It is.
She doesn't act that way
during play practice.
Ask her teacher.
Does she act this way at home?
No.
Hi.
What happened?
Principal Davis thinks
there should be a consequence.
You understand why?
Yes.
He's taking you
out of the play.
No!
If your behavior improves...
I hate you all!
There you are.
They want to take me
out of the play.
Talk to the king.
But can he help?
Of course he can.
That's a very...
...provoklng thlng to say.
It's very provoking.
I'm sorry.
I thought there was nothing
I couldn't say.
Oh, no.
Words have tempers,
you know...
...particularly verbs.
They're the...
they're the proudest.
Can he help me?
Can you?
Phoebe Llchten,
who are you talklng to?
Shh!
Are you crazy?
Go away.
No, not you.
I need help.
Hey, time for bed.
Okay, Phoebe.
There's nothing
wrong with me.
I know, I know.
I just...just a quick check.
I'm so sorry
about the play.
Okay, five more minutes.
I love you.
Please, please come back.
Come back.
I'm here to talk
about Phoebe Lichten.
Yes.
Very good.
She has to be put back
in the play.
Well, yes, I agree.
I agree.
You didn't even consult me.
I would put her back.
Certainly, I would.
But it's really out of my...
...and other people who thlnk
It's best for her too.
And, you know, she spat.
She...she did spit, you know?
Phoebe's an
astonishing little girl.
You should talk to her parents
and her teachers.
It's really...I have very little
control over this.
Why is that?
You're the principal.
Miss Dodger,
if a child makes trouble...
...the child is punished.
This is the way it works,
you know?
This is the way it is.
And it was decided...
Oh, please.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I...that just came out.
I- I didn't...
I'm sorry.
Who's there?
Is someone there?
Phoebe?
Phoebe,
why are you here?
Look.
I think about
Alice falling.
And I look down,
and I get scared.
Yes.
I don't want to do those things
or say those things.
I just have to...
...except here.
Everywhere else,
I feel ugly.
I want to tell you something...
...which may not
make any sense.
But I should say it just so that one day,
you might remember it...
...and maybe it will
make you feel better.
At a certain point in your life...
...probably when too much of it
has gone by...
...you will open your eyes...
...and see yourself
for who you are...
...especially for everything
that made you so different...
...from all the awful normals.
And you will say
to yourself...
"But I am this person."
And in that statement...
...that correction...
...there will be a kind of love.
I'm so scared.
We all are.
Can we give thanks?
No.
Anyway, I'm on a hunger strike.
The chicken's not cage-free.
So?
So you know what they do
to factory chickens?
They hang them upside-down
and electrocute them...
...but only a llttle.
So they can usually
stlll feel It...
...when they get their throats cut.
But, see, also,
the knife misses a lot.
So they're still alive
for the last part...
...when they get dropped
into boiling water.
Where'd you learn this?
In soclal studles.
Miss Linney was sick.
So I had a substitute teacher
who told us everything.
Oh, well, I'm not sure
it's all true.
But I give thanks...
...for my bright,
outspoken daughters.
And I give thanks for substitute teachers
who tell the truth.
Good.
Phoebe?
Nothing.
When I was a girl,
we weren't allowed to eat...
...until we could find something
to be thankful for.
Then I'm going
on a hunger strike too.
I think I know something
you could be grateful for.
What?
You're being put back
in the play.
Really?
I can play Alice?
On a trial basis.
Your drama teacher and I
fought very hard...
...and your father too...
...and we sald...
...that if you acted
in the classroom...
...the way you do in the play...
...everyone would be
very happy.
I'm thankful for being Alice.
Good.
Peter.
I'm thankful for the Vicodin...
...that's dulling the searing pain
in my hand.
Good enough.
Hey, who wants to go shopping
and blow next month's mortgage?
No, Phoebe and I know
what we want.
Yeah, what?
Phoebe, sit down.
Phoebe and I want a brother.
A brother, a brother, a brother!
- A brother!
- Okay, girls.
We found this book,
Where Bables Come From.
Uh-huh.
Well, let's not
talk about it now.
It says you guys
have to get into bed...
...and skoogy around.
What does skoogy mean?
Can we get these
off the table, please?
Well, we can
talk about this later.
And after
you've been skoogying...
Okay, girls,
not quite so loud.
You get thls feellng
you can't stop.
Like sneezing.
And the seeds come out.
Is that how you made us?
You sneeze.
- Achoo!
- Bless you.
Achoo, I made a baby.
Achoo, achoo!
Twins!
We want baby.
We want baby.
Come on, come on.
We want baby!
We want baby!
We want baby!
We want baby!
We want baby!
We want baby!
We want baby!
Do you really?
You...you think your mother
could handle another one like you?
Phoebe.
Stay away.
You.
You knew.
Screw you.
It's not true, right?
That's easy.
It's only true
if it's not a lie.
Ask me another.
I- I didn't mean...
That's just it.
You should have meant.
What do you suppose is the use
of a child without meaning?
I meant, am I why
she won't have another baby?
Well, then say
what you mean.
You might just as well have said
"I am what I eat"
...is the same as
"I eat what I am."
Or " I like what I get"
is the same as...
"I get what I like."
You're just saying lines
from the book.
But I need help.
I need you to help me!
After all we've done together.
Please just...
...walt!
Come back, please!
You asleep?
I wanted to find a story
to tell you...
...a Greek myth or a fable...
...to explain what happened
to me tonight.
And then I realized,
that's what my father used to do.
Something would happen,
and he'd tell the story...
...and then analyze it...
...anything to avoid saying it.
What I need to say is...
I have never been
so ashamed of myself.
The words just came out.
Yes, that's what it's like.
If you want to go back to work,
I can finish up here.
About what I said...
At dinner.
We haven't talked,
not really.
I'm sorry.
Talk to her.
I did.
And I have been,
and she says she's okay...
...but I don't think so.
What you said, those words.
I know.
You don't want to talk to me now.
Peter, I'm mad, really mad.
I understand.
Yeah, I'm mad that you said that.
I'm mad that you hurt her.
God, I just...
I'm mad that I want her to be different...
...and I'm mad
that she is different.
I'm mad that she's acting out
because she's unhappy...
...and I don't know
why she's unhappy...
...and I can't make her happy...
...but her bizarre teacher can.
I'm mad that I blame myself
for the way she acts.
I'm mad that I think of mothers
as just mothers...
...and I-I'm mad that I care
if I'm a good one.
I'm mad that when you
said that to her...
I know you were right.
I couldn't take
another one of her.
I'm mad that I'm not writing...
...and I'm mad that someday,
I will be 70
...and going on about my kids...
...because I won't
have anythlng else...
...because I dldn't
do anythlng lmportant.
And I'm mad that sometimes...
I'm not scared of that at all...
...because my...
...children make me live.
They make me live.
When I use a word...
...it means just what
I choose it to mean...
...neither more nor less.
The question is whether
you can make words...
...mean so many
different things.
She's...she's petulant here.
The questions is whether
you can make words...
...mean so many
different things.
Petulant.
The question is whether
you can make words...
...mean so many
different things.
Petulant, Phoebe, argumentative.
The question is...
...whether you can make words
mean so many dlfferent thlngs.
The question is whether
you can make words...
...mean so many different things.
Stop it.
Fag!
At last.
I'm so happy you came back.
What?
That's funny.
That's what Miss Dodger always says.
Yes, I'm ready.
Silence in the court.
Herald, read the accusation.
"Queen of Hearts,
she made some tarts...
"all on a summer day.
"The Knave of Hearts,
he stole those tarts...
...and took them
quite away."
Consider your verdict.
Off with his head.
Not yet, not yet.
There's a great deal more
to come before that.
Then call the first witness.
I am so glad, Phoebe...
...that you weren't seriously hurt.
I want you to know at the outset
that you're not in any kind of...
...well, you know, trouble.
We're here just to have
a amiable, lovely, sweet chat.
Candy?
No, thank you.
I actually wanted to talk to you
a little about Miss Dodger.
Do you like her?
Yeah, I like her a lot.
Would you consider her
a good teacher?
Yes.
What kinds of things
does Miss Dodger do...
...that make her
a good teacher?
I don't know.
She lets us do the things
that we want.
She lets you do what you want.
I see.
Like...
Miss Dodger is very important to us.
We like her...
we like her very much.
We actually admlre...
...her being so attached
to her students.
What does she let you do?
The Queen of Hearts,
she made some tarts.
Phoebe?
The Queen of Hearts,
she made some tarts.
Glve your evldence.
And don't be nervous...
...or I'll have you executed
on the spot.
I hadn't but just
begun my tea...
...and what, with the twinkling
of the tea tray.
Off with your head.
Good job.
Phoebe...
...we're not here to hurt anyone.
We like Miss Dodger.
Walt.
Off with your head.
No one wants to do anything bad.
Do you understand that?
What's Miss Dodger let you do.
What we want.
Twinkling tea.
Yes, yes, twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Does she let you
go up on the catwalk?
No.
I see.
Have you ever
been up there before?
No.
Yes.
One...one time.
By yourself?
No, with Miss Dodger.
I see.
Yes, well, that was very sweet
of Miss Dodger.
She's very friendly.
Huh?
I love it when friendly people
let you do what you want.
Phoebe, did you fall
from the catwalk?
Good job.
Consider your verdict.
Phoebe.
Did you fall from the catwalk,
or did you...
...jump?
Off wlth your head!
But wait, there's more
evidence to come.
I've just been handed
thls paper.
So ashamed,
the words just came out.
Please, please,
your majesty...
I dldn't wrlte lt.
There's no name signed on it
at the bottom.
Phoebe.
Did you fall off the catwalk...
...or dld you...
You must have meant
some mlschlef...
...or else you would have signed
your name like an honest man.
That proves his guilt.
Good Job Jenny.
Phoebe.
I didn't fall.
You jumped?
- Why?
- No reason.
Consider your verdict.
Jump.
Phoebe, we're just...
we're just chatting here, okay?
I'm just curlous.
Curloslty kllled the cat.
Silence in the court.
Satisfaction brought it back.
Does this have anything
to do with those trust falls?
The red...the Red Queen,
she told me to.
The Red Queen?
She was just saying
what Miss Dodger always said.
What Miss Dodger said.
- Jump.
- Guilty.
Now, let the jury proceed.
- Consider your verdict.
- No, no.
Consider your verdict.
No, no,
words just came out.
Phoebe...
...did Miss Dodger tell you to jump?
Dld she?
Thank you, Phoebe.
Guilty, guilty, guilty.
I didn't...she didn't
tell me to jump.
What?
I dldn't...
I didn't know what she meant.
I thought she meant
something else.
- I don't know what you mean.
- I'm sorry.
I was wrong.
I didn't know what it meant.
Thank you, Phoebe.
You may leave now.
But...
Phoebe.
Hi.
How'd it go?
Are you always supposed
to feel hope?
Did you jump because
you didn't feel hope?
Oh, no, I feel hope there.
At least, I did.
Where?
In Wonderland.
But not here.
I can see myself
wrecking and ruining.
But I can't stop myself.
I'll be right back.
Ah.
Was this here before?
No, but I've always found...
...children go where they want.
They won't be stopped,
not if they don't want to.
Then children shouldn't be
in the theater alone.
Well, that would be a shame.
Miss Dodger, my child is hurt,
and I am upset...
...and you are provoking me.
I- I didn't mean to.
I'm sorry.
How could you let her
go up there?
But I didn't tell her to.
But she had been
up there with you.
Yes.
But you don't think
you're to blame.
Do you think
you are to blame?
I'm sorry.
She's wondering if she's
supposed to feel hope.
She's nine.
Sometimes,
you think you don't have hope...
...but you keep on anyway.
And then you know you have it.
Sentence first, verdict later.
Stuff and nonsense.
Off with your head.
Not yet, your majesty.
You're nothing
but a pack of cards.
Now.
Miss Dodger?
Is rehearsal over?
Please keep going.
Don't stop.
You're leaving?
Is it because of me?
Is it because of
what I said?
Don't stop.
You're just a pack of cards.
Tell them, Miss Dodger,
tell them!
Oh, um...
...children, sit...
sit quietly.
I'll be back in a moment.
Miss Dodger!
What do we do?
Why'd she leave?
Who knows?
She just left.
She just walked out...
Ilke she dldn't even care.
She just left.
She just left.
She just left!
Stop it!
Stop it!
Stop!
Why?
Isn't this what they do
in Wonderland...
...break rules, break stuff?
No, they don't.
It's different.
Different how?
They don't hurt things.
They don't break things
that are good.
She left us.
She's the one
who got up and left...
...without saying anything.
No, she did say something.
She told us not to stop.
What?
There's no teacher here.
We can't do it
without her.
No.
From the first rehearsal,
that's what she wanted...
...to do it on our own.
Who's gonna tell us
what to do?
We tell ourselves.
Come on.
We can do lt.
Jamie, start.
Why should I?
Not for me; for her.
I feel weird.
This is lame.
Jamie, please.
Where do you come from,
and where are you going?
Look up, speak nicely.
Places from the top of act two,
Looking Glass Land.
You see,
I've lost my way.
When is she
gonna wake up?
Maybe she's medicated.
No, she has a spell on her.
Wake up.
Wake up.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Wake up, wake up,
wake up, wake up.
Wake up, wake up,
wake up, wake up.
I'm sorry,
she can't help it.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Wake up, wake up.
Stop it, stop it.
Wake up!
[whispering[
Stop it, stop it, stop it.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
- Wake up.
- Stop it.
Wake up.
Stop it, stop it.
Stop, stop,
stop, stop.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I think this is the one
you're looking for.
What is it?
It's about children
who suddenly seem to get rude...
...around Phoebe's age.
They can't control it.
Some obsess over ritual...
...and I guess sometimes it can be
hard to see at first...
...because if they concentrate
very hard on something...
...it goes away for a while...
...like being in a play,
pretending to be someone else.
This is people who curse.
Not only.
And her fantasy...
Wonderland,
that isn't part of it...
...that's just Phoebe
wanting to be someplace else.
Is this why you fired Dr. Miles?
I thought I could help her.
I thought it was me,
because...
I...no...
Please, let me finish,
please.
Because I get bored with them...
...and angry...
...so angry, I want to shake them.
What, you think your the only
mother that feels this way?
None of this is your fault.
The jumping
isn't your fault.
But why didn't you tell me?
Because I didn't want her
to be...
What?
Less.
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.
It's a beautiful name, I think.
I was born with it.
It's starting now...
...and it'll get worse
before it gets better.
My shoulders, my fingers
and imitating and spitting.
It's a voice in your head...
...that makes you do the opposite
of what you're supposed to do.
It makes you break rules.
But sometimes breaking rules is good.
So I like to think about it that way.
Any questlons?
Is it contagious?
No.
Is It AIDS?
No.
Wlll It go away?
Yeah?
Let me introduce you.
Alice, Beef.
Beef, Alice.
May I give you
a slice?
What impertinence.
I wonder how you'd like it...
...if I were to cut a slice
out of you...
Excuse me.
What...what is this?
What...what's going on?
Dress rehearsal.
Dre...
Dress.
Make a remark.
It's ridiculous to leave...
Yes, where...where is
the teacher?
You kicked her out.
Where is the adult?
Hmm?
Someone had better answer me.
Who Is leadlng
thls rehearsal?
I am.
- Yes.
- I am.
I am.
I am.
- I am.
- I am.
I am.
If you want, we can get
our parents to come...
...all of them...
...at the same time.
You can talk to them...
...and calm them down.
We might have to do it in here...
'cause there'll be
a lot of them.
But, please, just watch.
# To the looking glass world,
it was Alice that said #
# I've a scepter in hand #
# I've a crown on my head #
# Let the looking glass creatures,
whatever they be #
# come and dine with the Red Queen,
the White Queen, and me #
# So fill up the glasses
as quick as you can #
# and sprinkle the table
with buttons and bran #
# put cats in the coffee
and mice in the tea #
# and welcome Queen Alice
with thirty-times-three #
# Oh, looking glass creatures,
I beg you, draw near #
#'T is an honor to see me,
a favor to hear #
#'T is a privilege high
to have dinner and tea #
# along with the Red Queen,
the White Queen, and me #
# So fill up the glasses
with treacle and ink #
# and anything else
that is pleasant to drink #
# mix sand with the cider
and wool with the wine #
# and welcome Queen Alice
with ninety-times-nine #
# with ninety-times-nine #
# with ninety-times nine #
# and welcome Queen Alice
with ninety times-nine #
Phoebe, It's almost tlme!
Phoebe?
Phoebe?
Miss Dodger.
There's something
I need to know.
You let him take you away, right...
...so we'd keep going on our own?
Who are you?
I- I hardly know, sir,
right now.
At least, I knew who I was
when I got up this morning...
...but I think I must have changed
many times since then.
Explain yourself.
I'm afraid I can't put it
more clearly...
...for I can't understand it myself
to begin with.
And being so many different
sizes in a day...
...it is very confusing.
It Isn't.
Well, perhaps
you haven't found it so yet.
But when you have to turn
into a chrysalis...
...you will someday, you know...
and then into a beautiful butterfly...
I think you'll feel
a little odd.
Not a blt.
Your feelings
may be different.
All I know is,
it would feel very strange to me.
You, who are you?