1
(VACUUM WHIRRING)
(FESTIVE CHATTER)
- (GRUNTS)
- (PLATE SHATTERS)
- Are you having fun?
- Oh.
Great time.
- Thanks, babe.
- I'm glad.
We're gonna go outside
and have a smoke.
I'll call you for cake.
(MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYING
IN OTHER ROOM)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER
AND LAUGHTER)
What's going on?
There is a piece missing
from the plate.
I don't want anyone
to step on it.
Come on, Agnes.
Come on, stand up.
Not during the party.
Come on.
Not tonight.
You're so cute.
(MUFFLED MUSIC AND CHATTER
CONTINUE IN OTHER ROOM)
GUESTS:
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
To you
Happy birthday, dear Agnes
Happy birthday to you.
(APPLAUSE, WHISTLING
AND WHOOPING)
(BLOWING)
(GUESTS CHEERING AND WHOOPING)
(HUMMING
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU")
(HUMMING QUIETLY)
(SIGHS)
AGNES (WHISPERING):
Seven. Six.
Five. Four.
- Three. Two.
- (SNORING)
One.
(SNORING CONTINUES)
Five. Four.
Three. Two.
One. Now.
(ALARM BEEPING)
- (ALARM STOPS)
- (SNORING CONTINUES)
Lou.
Honey.
Louie.
LOUIE:
Huh?
Time to get up.
What?
Time to get up.
(WHISPERS):
Five more minutes.
LOUIE (GRUNTS):
Five more minutes.
- (WHISPERS): Please.
- LOUIE: Please.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Five more minutes.
Ten more minutes, Mom.
I swear. (SIGHS)
All right, Mom,
everything's set up.
What kind of apps
do you think you want?
- Apps? I don't want apps.
- Hey, which, uh...
which grit did you use
on your final sanding?
I don't want that phone.
You take it.
- Mine's perfectly fine.
- You're seriously quizzing me
- over breakfast?
- It's not a quiz.
What about The Weather Channel?
I just saw you using
1,200 the other day,
- and that's never gonna work.
- I have a radio and a window.
- I know when it's gonna rain.
- Look, Dad, I don't want
to talk about this at home.
I need a break.
Okay, well, you'll get a break
once you get it all right.
All right. Uh, well,
I put my number
and put Ziggy's
and Dad's on speed dial.
Whose else
do you think you want?
Do you need any help
with breakfast, Mom?
- No, sweetie.
- You want Ezster
and the church ladies or what?
ZIGGY: Okay, fine, so what,
I should've used the 400?
AGNES: I don't know why
I just wouldn't call them
- on the home phone.
- LOUIE: That or the six.
Can someone please explain
to my mother
why she has to stop living
in the 20th century?
You even gonna use it, Mom?
I guess I might use it
like my old phone.
- LOUIE: Thank you.
- For emergencies.
Mom, look.
Just try it.
You can Google something.
You can Google recipes
or Bible study or whatever.
Literally everything in the
world is on this one device.
- Look.
- No. No.
Just type it into here.
It's like carrying
a little robot in your purse.
- (LOUIE LAUGHING)
- Or a little alien robot friend.
I don't need it.
Clearly,
it doesn't need you, either.
LOUIE:
Hey.
Let's say grace.
Ziggy.
Montreal.
(TAKES OFF LID)
(RUMMAGING IN BOX)
(SIGHS)
- Oh.
- (TIRES SQUEALING)
- (HORN HONKING)
- Sorry. I'm sorry.
I know. Sorry.
MAN:
There you go.
(QUIET CHATTER)
- Sorry.
- It's okay.
No, don't.
Mom, it's like
a thousand pieces.
AGNES: Oh, it didn't
take me very long.
What's going on?
Nothing.
Mom just did a puzzle.
Dinner is almost ready.
Hey, aren't you gonna change?
Mom asked me to set the table.
In those filthy clothes?
Come on.
It's okay. I'll do it.
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
LOUIE:
Mmm.
- The chicken is stuffed with garlic.
- Mom, Nicki.
I thought you just
didn't eat red meat.
I'm vegan.
We, uh... we went through this
already, Mom.
So you never, ever eat chicken?
(SIGHS) She's, like... she's
hoping you're gonna forget.
It's so embarrassing.
I should have made fish.
- I'm sorry.
- ZIGGY: No, Mom, she...
she doesn't eat any animals.
But she has to have protein.
She's still growing.
Mom, don't say
dumb shit like that.
Hey. Enough, okay?
NICKI:
Honestly, it's fine. I can...
I can eat the salad and bread.
I'll be fine.
Have you always been this way?
Uh, Nicki is, um...
she's also a Buddhist.
Well, that sounds interesting.
You know, I have no idea
what that really means...
"Buddhist."
I always hear people talking
about Buddhism and celebrities,
but nobody says what it is.
Okay. Well, um...
so the root of all suffering
is our desire not to suffer,
so we have to give up
on the idea of being happy.
You're okay
with not being happy?
NICKI: Yeah, I try not
to think that way.
Happiness is an illusion.
ZIGGY:
Um, I read this thing
about this kid
who drowned in a river
because the only person
watching him
was this Buddhist monk,
and if you're Buddhist,
you're not supposed
to save anybody's life.
You're not supposed to, like,
interfere with their path.
- Why can't Buddhists save lives?
- NICKI: Oh!
GABE: Where'd you...
where'd you read that?
It was an article.
It was, like, a...
like, a real article
on, like, Huffington Post
or something.
Um, yeah, that's not Buddhism.
Yeah, well, that monk
should be shot.
- Dad.
- Louie.
NICKI:
No, he's right.
I mean, metaphorically,
of course.
Yeah.
You know, metaphorically.
I get it.
(LOUIE CLEARS THROAT QUIETLY)
LOUIE: I don't know
what to do about Ziggy.
He's lazy.
Agnes, are you listening to me?
Shh. Lower your voice.
What are you reading?
Puzzle instructions.
Don't you just put
all the pieces together
till you run out?
What other instructions
do you need?
Strategies, suggestions.
Doesn't matter. (SIGHS)
You know...
only children play
with puzzles, Agnes.
I don't think he's lazy.
He just sits there until
I tell him to do something.
I mean, he does it
when I tell him, but...
he's got no initiative.
All day.
(SIGHS)
What?
Huh?
You were looking at me
with, like, some kind of...
like, some kind of look
in your eye.
No, I wasn't.
I know you, Agnes.
- There was no look.
- (SIGHS)
- Say it.
- There was no look.
You know, I turned down
a doughnut today.
Okay? A jelly doughnut.
You know how hard
that is for me?
You should be
very proud of yourself.
I am.
And I cut back on smoking, too.
And cholesterol...
I mean, that's hereditary.
It's not my fault.
I just don't want to lose you.
Well, then you better
start praying.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
(LOUIE SNORING)
(VACUUM WHIRRING)
AGNES:
Hi, Lucy.
WOMAN (VOICE-OVER):
Lent starts in five days.
Since we're no longer
doing the soup kitchen,
we need to start organizing
a food drive.
Is it true Father Kutash
is only doing confession
- once a month now?
- No one shows up.
There's nothing
we can do about it.
I guess we'll just have
to pack our sins
into neat monthly portions.
I'm sorry. It was a joke.
I didn't realize
I was speaking out loud.
(CHURCH BELLS CHIMING)
Bingo.
AGNES (VOICE-OVER):
Aunt Emily?
How are you?
I heard.
Completely broken?
I'm so sorry.
Good. Good.
It's just, I have a question.
The present you sent
with Vlad...
The puzzle. Yeah.
No, it's very nice.
In fact, I'd like
to get another one.
Where did you buy it?
Uh-huh.
(WRITING)
Mm-hmm.
Thompson and Third.
Oh.
That's too bad.
No.
I haven't been
to New York for years.
ANNOUNCER (OVER P.A.):
Now arriving on track four,
the local train to New Haven,
making stops
at Stratford, Milford,
- West Haven, then New Haven.
- (SIGHS)
Now arriving, track four.
(TRAIN APPROACHING)
A ticket
to Grand Central, please.
That's $19.
- How much?
- 19.
I thought it was eight.
It's $19 one way, off-peak,
when you purchase tickets
on board.
Next time,
get it at the station.
It's cheaper. You can get
a ten-trip or a weekly.
No, thanks. I don't think
there'll be a next time.
(INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMEN OVER P.A.)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Could you stop, please?
I'll walk. I'm sorry.
(QUIET CHATTER)
Let me know
if you need any help.
You ready?
What do you think, sir?
- Which one?
- Uh...
(CHUCKLES) Depends on what you
want to spend days looking at.
What do you mean?
They're each
like a thousand pieces.
Take forever.
I'll take both.
What's that about?
"Desperately."
CLERK:
Uh... I don't know.
Some guy.
My father's usually here.
I'm just visiting.
(SIGHS)
(CONTINUES TYPING)
(TAPS PHONE; PHONE WHOOSHES)
(SIGHS)
(PHONE WHOOSHES)
(TYPING)
(LOUIE SNORING)
FATHER KUTASH (VOICE-OVER):
Remember that thou art dust,
and to dust thou shalt return.
Remember that thou art dust,
and to dust thou shalt return.
(DISTANT TRAFFIC RUMBLING,
HORNS HONKING)
320...
I'm Agnes.
Hi.
Robert.
Come in.
REPORTER (OVER TV):
State authorities enacted
Emergency Relief Act
after flood waters
forced millions
from their homes...
(SIGHING):
Oh, God.
Have you seen the news?
What?
No. Uh, I'm here
about the puzzles.
Flood in India,
and thousands of people
washed away just like that.
It boggles the mind.
There was an earthquake
in northern Iran, and...
I'm not trying to be gloomy.
I know we're just meeting.
It's just... (SIGHS)
too much, you know.
No, I didn't hear...
Oh. Sorry.
You seem to have
some interesting mark
on your forehead.
Oh.
It's Ash Wednesday.
You're Catholic?
Is that a problem?
No, no. Not at all.
As long as we don't
have to share
the prize with the Pope,
you know?
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
Come.
Uh, what prize?
Coat.
Um, you said prize?
Every competition has a prize.
Your ad never mentioned
a competition.
I thought it was obvious.
"Champion desperately looking
for a puzzle partner."
Did you think I was looking
for companionship?
No, of course not.
Uh, just a partner.
For a competition.
Come in. Come in.
Please sit.
All right.
Let's see how we work together.
Is this a test?
Absolutely.
(RUMMAGING THROUGH
PUZZLE PIECES)
What is the competition?
National Jigsaw Puzzle
Championship.
I won the singles last year.
My first time.
I didn't know
such a thing existed.
Oh, don't tell anyone.
There'll be a run on the place.
What happened to your partner?
How do you know
I had a partner?
You wouldn't have signed up
for doubles
if you didn't have a partner.
Very good.
She left.
You're not doing it
by color first?
Rule number one
of competitive puzzling:
You've got to organize by color
before you do anything else.
I will do green and the blues.
You do red
and the dark browns.
I've never really
done it that way.
How long have you
been puzzling?
A while.
How long is a while?
I'm very fast.
You said that in your text.
How long?
I don't remember.
Years.
I was always good in math.
Patterns. Shapes.
I picked up a puzzle
the other day, and...
there it was.
(CHUCKLES)
Like riding a bike.
(TIMER TICKING)
- Pardon me.
- Sorry.
Go ahead. Go ahead.
Go ahead.
(TICKING STOPS)
Fuck me.
Pardon my French.
Are you sure you don't need
to think about it?
No. Not-not...
not for a minute.
You're a godsend.
It was meant to be.
(CHUCKLES)
So, uh, what works for you?
Like, we have to meet
at least twice a week.
Uh, the tournament
is in a month.
Barely enough time to prepare.
Oh.
Oh. Don't tell me
you can't do it now.
No.
I can do it.
I'll do it.
I want to. I'll...
- Okay.
- Yes.
- Uh... wait.
- So...
Why did she leave you?
Your last partner.
Oh, she just left.
No explanation, really.
Not even a note.
So, she wasn't
just your puzzle partner?
No. She was my wife.
Oh.
Was she good?
At puzzles, I mean.
Not as good as you.
(CHUCKLES)
Okay.
Mondays and...
Mondays and Wednesdays?
You don't have to be at work?
No, I-I work at home.
Me, too.
So, I got some bad news.
Aunt Emily is sick.
I mean, she broke her foot,
the poor thing.
Well, that's too bad.
So, I'll be going
to New Rochelle
two days a week
to help her out.
You know, buy groceries,
cook some meals for her.
Mondays and Wednesdays,
for about a month.
That's a long time, Agnes.
You won't even notice
the difference.
GABE:
Should we go visit her, too?
- I don't think that's necessary.
- Yeah, I, um...
I can't. I got a lot
going on this weekend.
So, I have to write
one essay about
why I want to go to college,
and in another,
I have to describe
a transformative experience
in my life.
How about when you wet your bed
at Cub Scout camp?
- (LAUGHTER)
- That must have been transformative.
- Dude, fuck you!
- LOUIE: Hey, hey.
Language.
You got a lady present.
GABE: All right,
let's just face it.
There's nothing
transformative in my life.
Hmm. Maybe I just, like,
shouldn't even go to college.
Hey. Conversation's not
happening right now.
"Transformative"
is such a funny word.
Trans... form... a... tive.
Trans-form-a-tive.
(CHUCKLING):
Why are you in such a good mood
all of a sudden, Mom?
I'm just happy
we're together here.
Right now, like this.
She's using you.
Everybody always uses you,
and you let 'em.
She's my aunt.
Yeah, well, she's got
her own family.
I mean, you got things
you gotta do around here.
I mean, we need you.
Like, I got invoices
piled up at the garage
I could use your help with.
(SIGHS)
All right.
Maybe I'm just
being selfish, all right?
I admit it.
I mean, I love you too much.
You take such good care of us,
I just...
I want you to take it easy.
Is that so wrong?
Let me call her.
No. I'll call her, tell her
I can't come twice a week.
Not even once a week.
For your own sake, Agnes.
Okay.
(QUIET CHATTER)
MAN:
Ave Maria
Gratia plena
Maria
Gratia plena
Maria
Gratia plena
Ave, ave
Dominus
- (DOORBELL RINGS)
- REPORTER: A massive tornado.
Take a look.
Touching down in Central...
ROBERT: There's a tornado.
I was watching...
AGNES: I don't have
as much time as I thought.
We better start.
All right.
- (TIMER TICKING)
- So, they give you the puzzle,
and you pour
the whole thing out at once.
You don't take little handfuls
and spread them
around the table.
I noticed you doing that
the other day.
You also stand up.
And walk around the table
a couple of times
before you start.
- Oh.
- (AGNES GRUNTS)
You get more perspective
this way.
You see puzzle pieces
without the glare.
You see patterns
you might not have seen
from your chair.
You know,
different color schemes.
- All right?
- Mm-hmm.
Now we can sit.
And it's-it's faster
to divide things up.
I...
I do borders, you do colors.
Well, all right.
(TIMER TICKING)
Your name should actually
be pronounced "Ag-nesh," right?
That's how my father
would pronounce it.
Yeah.
But I was born here.
Ag-nesh Oros.
I was Mata before Oros.
That's my maiden name.
- Agnes Mata.
- Really?
I bet you heard plenty
of Mata Hari jokes growing up.
(TIMER STOPS TICKING)
- (SWITCH CLICKS)
- Tea, Maria.
(CHUCKLES) That's funny.
What's funny?
A blind man on the train
was singing "Ave Maria."
That's funny how?
"Tea, Maria." "Ave Maria."
I don't know. It's ironic.
That's not irony.
That's coincidence.
It doesn't mean anything.
Has to mean something.
You don't really
believe that, do you?
Come.
I'm fine, ma'am, thank you.
She's fine.
- Thank you, Maria.
- Mmm.
You're so much more comfortable
when you're focusing
on the puzzles, aren't you?
Why?
You ask a lot of questions.
(ROBERT CHUCKLING)
Yeah.
That's how you get
to know someone.
But I don't ask you anything.
Go ahead.
I can't think of a question
right now.
That's my point.
You're uncomfortable around me.
Well, I don't know you.
But it's not just that.
I, uh...
I'm not comfortable,
generally,
because I...
because, normally,
my mind is, uh...
I don't know.
Because, normally,
your mind is moving so fast,
you don't really know
where it's going.
There's nowhere for you
to express your mind.
No one to express it to.
It makes you nervous.
So you focus on menial tasks.
Puzzles are menial tasks
for you, so you can focus.
But the results
are aesthetically pleasing,
you like it,
and it turns you on.
What?
I'm not sure I totally
understand what you just said.
(CHUCKLING)
Honestly, Agnes,
if you learn the rules
and hone the technique,
I think we have a good chance
at going to Belgium.
- Belgium?
- If we win the nationals,
we go to the World Jigsaw
Puzzle Federation competition.
It's in Brussels,
right after the nationals.
You don't want a free trip
to the ancestral home
of the Brussels sprout, Mata?
I don't think
we have time for tea.
ROBERT:
Ave
Maria.
("AVE MARIA"
BY ESTHER CHOI CHUNG PLAYING)
Ave
Maria
Jungfrau mild
Erhore einer
Jungfrau Flehen
Aus diesem Felsen
Starr und wild
Soll mein
Gebet zu dir hin wehen...
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
LOUIE:
Hey. Look who it is.
To what do we owe the honor?
Mmm.
What is this?
You trying to kill me
or something?
No. God.
It's just, you've been so good.
I'm just kidding.
I thought maybe I'd take
a look at the invoices.
All right.
Hey, Ziggy!
Come out here a second.
- Zig!
- What?
- Oh, hey, Mom.
- Hi.
Where were you?
I was in the bathroom.
But you just came from outside.
Yeah, I was taking
a smoke break.
Well, why'd you say
you were in the bathroom
if you were out having a smoke?
'Cause that's where
I was before.
You don't want me to smoke
in the bathroom, right?
I'm gonna get started.
LOUIE (IN OTHER ROOM):
Listen, we're gonna run
a diagnostic on the car,
check the electrical work.
We might find some damage.
We're gonna check everything,
all right?
WOMAN:
All right. I don't know, I...
LOUIE:
Now, hopefully, the chassis
doesn't need straightening out.
(CONVERSATION CONTINUES
INDISTINCTLY IN OTHER ROOM)
(CONVERSATION CONTINUES
INDISTINCTLY)
ZIGGY: All the other guys
flirt with the customers,
and he just, like,
talks about how awesome
his wife is all the time.
Your father is a decent,
good man.
Yeah. That's what
he says about you.
That's nice.
Are you okay, Zig?
Uh...
I don't know.
Yeah, I'm miserable.
I hate my life.
Oh, honey.
Dad hired me out of pity.
That's not true.
I'm not good at this.
Do you have any idea
what it's like to spend all day
not doing something
you're good at?
So, what would you rather do?
What are you good at?
I don't think I'm good
at anything.
I want to cook, Mom.
What?
I've watched you cook
my whole life.
I watch cooking shows
when no one's home.
I think I'd be happy doing
what you do, not what Dad does.
But I don't do anything.
Are you fucking kidding?
Mom, you do a million things,
and you're good at all of them.
I feel bad Ziggy never
got to go to college.
Well, he had terrible grades.
Gabe's the smart one.
But still.
Maybe he should have tried,
or we should have
helped him try.
We didn't have any money
for that.
(LOUIE CLEARS THROAT)
Do you ever wish you'd gone?
To college, I mean.
Learn something
just to know it?
No. I would have hated college.
I think I would have
majored in math.
Math, huh? (CHUCKLES)
You're cute.
Ever wonder what your life
would be like
if you met me
a few years later?
Or never met me at all?
Not for one second.
I thank God every day
I have you.
Every single day?
Yeah. And night.
I think we should
watch the news.
Now?
No. Just more often.
Why? Nothing good
ever happens in the world.
Still, shouldn't we
know about it?
Uh... hey, Agnes.
- Still here.
- Sorry.
(LOUIE SIGHS)
(LOUIE GRUNTS SOFTLY)
When I was in your office
doing paperwork,
I saw one of
the bank statements.
Well, I told you we had
a pretty bad year.
You didn't tell me
it was that bad.
We don't have enough
to send Gabe to college.
He's gonna need
a full scholarship now.
Well, what am I supposed to do?
I work my ass off.
We could sell
the land in Ellenville.
But we love going
to Ellenville.
- No, it's impossible.
- Why?
Why? Because fishing's the most
important thing in my life.
What?
Fishing is the most important
thing in your life?
Come on, Agnes. You know
that's not what I meant.
(DOORBELL RINGS)
(WHISTLING A TUNE)
Are you going somewhere?
No. We are.
Together? Where?
Oh, it's a surprise.
I don't like surprises.
You'll like this one.
Come.
(TIMER TICKING)
I don't understand why
we have to compete already.
What's the big deal?
Who are these people?
I thought we'd do this
to boost your confidence.
Well, you thought wrong.
All right, j-just focus
on what I'm doing.
I looked you up.
I mean, I Googled you
on my phone.
Oh.
You're an inventor?
Uh, not really.
Something about magnets?
Yeah. No.
Uh... uh...
I have a patent under my name.
One invention...
one good idea that took off.
That's it.
I stumbled onto it
almost by accident.
Haven't come up
with anything since.
It made you rich.
It was a fluke.
I'm not an inventor.
Let's just do the puzzle.
Why are people staring at us?
Okay, okay.
(TIMER STOPS TICKING)
(ROBERT CLEARS THROAT)
This was a bad idea.
I'm sorry.
Let us get out of here.
At the end,
she just didn't like me.
We got divorced.
And I never wanted kids anyway.
Why not?
Frankly, I don't like kids.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
How can you say that?
You were a kid yourself once.
Right, and I hated it.
Not everyone's supposed
to have kids, you know.
And not only
for selfish reasons.
Sometimes for the kids' sake.
(SIGHS)
In this town...
kids are an ornament,
a fashion statement,
an accessory, a...
a check box.
Honestly,
I never felt the need.
- (RINGTONE PLAYING)
- Does that make me weird?
Is everything okay, Ziggy?
Yes. You scared me.
(SIREN WAILING NEARBY)
Well, this is
my emergency phone.
I'm not at home right now.
I'm out.
Out.
I'm at a church meeting.
Yes.
I'll see you later.
Church? (CHUCKLES)
I have to go.
Was that your son?
Yeah.
My oldest accessory.
(CHUCKLES)
And no, it doesn't
make you weird.
Just different...
from everybody I've ever met.
I'm sorry I'm late.
Ezster.
You missed
the Ladies Guild meeting.
We were worried.
That was today?
Yes, it was.
I-I was with my Aunt Emily.
I'm sorry.
She had an accident.
(CLEARS THROAT)
She broke her foot, and, uh,
she needed me.
There was no one else.
Anyway, I was at
the grocery store,
and the line
was just out the door.
You can't tell me
to refuse a poor woman in need,
and during Lent.
It's bad enough your sister
casts an evil eye on me
for missing the church meeting.
Okay, you're exaggerating.
Ezster is not...
For once, take my side.
There's so much pain
all around us.
So much suffering in the world.
Why shouldn't I help?
(SCOFFS)
What does that mean?
You lied to me, like a child.
You denied me
an act of charity,
like a heartless master.
What is that supposed to mean?
You know exactly what it means.
(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
Hey.
You shouldn't smoke.
You shouldn't lie.
I'm sorry. I...
Nah, don't tell me.
I don't want to know.
Whatever it is, uh...
I hope it's something
that makes you feel good.
It's nothing like that.
Why didn't you ever
divorce him?
Seriously,
you've never really been happy.
I don't think a mother and son
should be having
a conversation like this.
Whatever.
Can I have one?
Cigarette?
Yeah.
(AGNES COUGHING QUIETLY)
(COUGHING LOUDLY)
(CHUCKLING):
Jesus, Mom.
When's the last time
you had one?
This is my first.
- Thank you.
- (ZIGGY LAUGHS)
AGNES (WHISPERING):
Five. Four.
Three. Two. One.
(CELL PHONE ALARM PLAYS A TUNE)
(LOUIE GROANS QUIETLY)
Five more minutes, please.
Take an hour or two.
What?
(SIGHS)
Mata?
I'm early. I'm sorry.
- I can come back.
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Come in. Come in.
(INDISTINCT NEWSCAST PLAYING)
The elections
are too close to call.
They think there's
going to be a coup.
Go ahead.
I'll be right there.
Please.
Oh, I should
put that stuff away.
Is this where you work?
Tea?
Okay.
(TIMER TICKING)
Mata, if you have picked up
a piece and looked at it,
don't put it back;
set it aside.
It will save us time later.
Remember?
Excuse me.
(TIMER STOPS TICKING)
AGNES (VOICE-OVER):
I should go.
Oh.
Oh, please, please, please,
don't rush out on me.
(SIGHS)
It's 3:00 already.
I can't be late home.
No, if-if you want,
I'll-I'll...
I will come
to your home next time.
I'll see you here Monday.
And next time, put on some
real clothes, for God's sake.
(LOUIE SNORING)
(GROANS) What?
What?
You're snoring.
(LOUIE SIGHS)
What do you want me
to do about it?
Stop.
How?
- I don't know.
- (LOUIE SIGHS)
Second paragraph.
All right, let's see. Uh...
"My mother doesn't know
anything about the world
"outside of our house,
our church,
"our traditions and our family.
"She, like my father
and brother,
never went to..."
It says "collage."
He spelled "college" wrong.
Probably spell-check.
Keep going.
"I love my mother,
but I also feel bad for her.
"She's a sheltered person
and doesn't think of anything
"but serving the men
in her life.
"A child
of Hungarian immigrants,
"she lost her mother
when she was young
"and grew up doting on her dad.
"She's still living
in the house he raised her in.
"I want to be different.
I want to go to college
"and learn about other cultures
and not just my own.
"I don't just want
to become my father,
"who is too scared
to think outside the box,
or my mother, who just won't
let herself come alive."
Well, he does say he loves you.
Oh, God.
Come on, Mata.
To me,
this all just rings false.
It doesn't sound
like you at all.
I think it sounds
exactly like me.
I disagree. You-you can...
You don't know me.
Hey.
Hey.
I know that you are the best
puzzler I've ever met.
I know that you are modest
and funny
and...
and beautiful
and strange.
(LAUGHS)
I don't know...
I don't know
why someone like you
would find me interesting.
That's exactly why.
Ag-nesh.
Can I...
Can I kiss you right now?
ANNOUNCER:
This is New Rochelle.
New Rochelle Station.
(BEEPING)
I feel terrible
that I wasn't able
to come visit you any sooner,
Aunt Emily.
Oh, I've got plenty of people
looking in on me.
It's like Grand Central Station
in here sometimes
with the grandkids
and great-grandkids.
I keep getting
their names wrong.
This helps an old lady like me.
How are you, Agnes?
Me?
I'm, uh...
I feel...
I'm different.
I'm...
...not good.
But not bad at all.
In between.
Louie?
He's the same.
I'm just,
all of a sudden...
EMILY:
Hmm.
That happens sometimes.
I got mad at your Uncle Laszlo
about the same things
for 50 years.
Every day, same thing.
Then one day,
I just stopped.
Didn't matter anymore.
I always thought you two
had a great marriage.
We did.
(LOUIE HUMMING ALONG
TO SONG ON RADIO)
Clap for the Wolfman
He gonna rate
your record high
- Mmm
- (LOUIE CLEARS THROAT)
- Yes, gracious
- (LOUIE HUMMING)
Clap for the Wolfman
You gonna dig him
till the day you die.
(BIRDS SQUAWKING AND CHIRPING)
This is what it's all about.
LOUIE:
Fine.
I'll think about it.
Thank you.
I'm not saying
we're selling it.
But I'll give it some thought.
At my own pace.
- You're the big boss.
- (LOUIE CHUCKLES)
(LOUIE CHUCKLES)
What?
Nothing.
Everything's perfect.
Just like this.
Ouch.
What?
My back, the ground.
Oh, Agnes.
Let's switch.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
(LOUIE SIGHS, GRUNTS)
- Letting all the cold air in.
- (AGNES CHUCKLES)
(LOUIE SIGHS)
(LONG SIGH)
- Is that better?
- Mm-hmm.
(LOUIE TAKES A DEEP BREATH)
- Ow.
- (AGNES LAUGHS)
(LOUIE LAUGHS)
LOUIE:
A puzzle competition?
Really?
Well, how big is it?
- 500 pieces.
- No, not the puzzle.
The... the competition.
Oh.
About 360
in the individual competition.
Look, I don't think
it's such a good idea.
I'm doing it.
Honey...
I'm not asking you.
I'm telling you.
I'm finally doing
something on my own,
and you can support me or not.
I'll do it either way.
Wow. Do you want me to sign up
and do it with you?
No.
I'm doing it by myself.
(TIMER TICKING)
Don't even try.
That's not gonna fit yet.
You're wasting your time.
Maybe I should just
watch you do it, then.
Okay.
I was kidding.
That's a mistake.
I don't have a sense of humor.
Never have, never will.
That's why we get along.
All you care about
are disasters.
That's actually funny.
What? Stay.
Have a drink with me.
I have to beat the traffic.
I'll see you next week.
I'll miss you, Mata.
Why did you say that?
'Cause I meant it.
How can you mean it?
I don't know.
How can this be happening?
I don't know.
Why are we wasting
all this time doing puzzles?
What else is there to do?
It's a childish hobby
for bored people.
You know that's not true.
Tell me you're not
a bored rich guy.
Tell me I'm not
a childish housewife.
No, that's not what we are.
You have much more
important things to do.
You're a man of ideas.
Why do you do
these stupid puzzles?
It's a way...
to control the chaos.
That's ridiculous.
Come on, Mata, you...
you're missing the point.
Okay.
What is the point, Robert?
Life is messy.
It doesn't make
any goddamn sense.
Sorry to break the news to you.
Life's just random.
Everything's random.
My success, you here now.
There's nothing we can do
to control anything.
But when you complete a puzzle,
when you finish it,
you know that you have made
all the right choices.
No matter how many wrong pieces
you tried to fit
into a wrong place,
but at the very end,
everything makes
one perfect picture.
What other pursuits
can give you
that kind of perfection?
Faith?
Ambition? Wealth?
Love?
No.
Not even love
can do that, Mata.
Not completely.
(QUIET CHATTER)
Confession, Agnes?
How about you? Confession?
GABE:
Nah, Nicki's parents are jerks.
They grounded her for a month,
then they went away
on a cruise.
And now her stepsister
is watching her like a warden.
LOUIE: A warden doesn't
watch the prisoners.
The guards do.
GABE: Whatever.
It's the same difference.
She's in jail,
and I need to break her out.
LOUIE:
Oh...
(LOUIE CLEARS THROAT)
My manchego
isn't in the cheese drawer.
(LOUIE SIGHS)
I didn't go
grocery shopping today.
- Sorry.
- What?
Oh, that's too bad.
I was looking forward
to that stuff.
I said I'm sorry.
I'll get some tomorrow.
Jesus.
What are you looking at?
Can't you do something?
Like?
Like, why don't you
set the table for once?
Ziggy helps out when he can.
Who made you the prince
in this family?
Okay.
(CLOCK CHIMING QUIETLY)
So, I got into the tournament.
I signed up.
Oh, good.
You took my advice.
Your mother is gonna do
a puzzle competition.
Jigsaw puzzles.
- Cool.
- Nice.
What happens if you win?
What do you mean?
If you win, what do you get?
Is there a prize?
Oh.
I don't know.
I think you get
a trophy or something.
Something small.
- To Mom.
- To Mama.
To Mom and to competition.
You know, your mother and I,
we want to talk to you two
about something else.
We're gonna sell the land
in Ellenville.
You're kidding.
It's for the two of you.
Well, you know, for, uh, Gabe,
for you to have money
for your education,
and, Ziggy, you know, so that
you can get your own place,
you know, when you're ready.
Put a down payment on a house.
Lou, when did we, uh...?
Wait. Seriously?
- Is this a joke?
- No, it's no joke.
Okay, but don't you want to
spend that money on yourselves?
Take a vacation or something.
Mom, you barely leave
the house.
Go to Montreal.
You've always wanted
to go there.
No, okay?
It's a gift for you two.
End of story.
GABE:
I think it's a great idea.
I don't understand
how you could
make a decision like that
without me.
It was your idea.
But the last time we talked,
you said you'd think about it.
I did think about it.
But we didn't even get
to discuss it first.
Well, wh-what is there
to discuss?
It's what you wanted.
What?
I don't understand
what the fucking problem is.
The fucking problem
is my fucking husband
not thinking
there's a fucking problem.
(LOUIE SIGHS)
(SIGHING):
Ah, fuck.
Hey, Ag, uh...
couple of people said
they didn't get their invite
to the Easter party.
Oh, that's strange.
I mailed them all.
I'm helping Mom cook
for the party.
LOUIE:
Okay.
Hey, can you, uh...
not forget to get my cheese?
GABE:
Hey.
So, um, guess what, everyone.
I have some good news.
I have decided what I'm gonna
do with the Ellenville money.
- (TAPPING TABLE RHYTHMICALLY)
- LOUIE: Stop that.
That money is for college.
I, um... I'm gonna
take a year off.
I'm gonna go to Tibet
with Nicki.
And I, uh, think I'm gonna go
to college eventually,
but I just kind of want
to take some time
to figure out what
I'm gonna do exactly.
Dad said that money
is for a house for Ziggy
and your college.
Um...
Well, no. He kind of said
that it was a gift.
Are you gonna say anything?
GABE: I mean, travel's kind of
an education unto itself.
Louie?
I did say it was a gift.
(SPOON CLANGS IN FRYING PAN)
(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)
(INSECTS CHIRPING,
BIRDS TWEETING)
(CELL PHONE RINGTONE PLAYS)
REPORTER (OVER TV):
The Kilauea volcano flow
has continued its escalation,
and locals hope it won't
engulf the town below.
Some locals tell us,
while the lava
won't necessarily hit
their homes or businesses...
Hello?
What are you doing right now?
What am I doing?
I'm doing nothing, really.
As usual. (CHUCKLES)
REPORTER: Authorities reported
the flow moving 11 to 14...
Happy Holy Thursday.
(SIGHS)
Is it Thursday already?
Holy Thursday.
Tomorrow is Good Friday,
and Sunday is Easter.
The resurrection.
I know what Easter is, Mata.
I also know that you are not
the believer you once were.
And that's okay.
I like it
when you call me Mata.
That's who you are.
(SIGHS) It was.
It used to be.
God.
It's the worst thing
I've ever done.
Wait, what?
What happened?
- Kissing you.
- (CHUCKLING): Oh.
Wow.
If that's the worst thing
you have ever done, Agnes,
you are pretty damn lucky.
(ROBERT CHUCKLING)
I haven't gone to confession.
I don't know
how to confess this.
I've been telling lies.
I love you.
(PHONE CLICKS)
(HONKS HORN)
(SIGHS)
(SNIFFLES)
(CRYING SOFTLY)
(SNIFFLES, SIGHS)
(SNIFFLES, SIGHS)
Oh. Hi.
You okay, Mom?
Where's dinner?
I guess I forgot.
You forgot about dinner?
(CHUCKLING):
What else you forget about?
You forget about us?
I'm sorry.
Just be a minute.
Did you buy my cheese?
Did you forget about that, too?
I did.
You think this is funny?
- What's wrong with you?
- ZIGGY: Come on, Dad.
No, I slave all day
for this family.
I come home,
and you're making puzzles?
ZIGGY: Look, I'm gonna
make dinner for everyone, okay?
Dad, just go upstairs
and take a shower.
I'll take care of it.
No, this is bullshit.
If you leave now,
don't come back.
Finished.
I'll make you dinner now, dear.
NICKI: You know a third
of the population...
I think it's something
like 34%...
in Tibet, they live below
the poverty line.
That's a dollar
and 25 cents a day.
How is anyone expected
to survive like that?
God, just basic needs.
Shelter, food, clothes.
I've been thinking.
Ziggy, maybe instead
of getting your own place,
you could go back to school.
Maybe culinary school.
LOUIE:
Culinary school?
You want him to be a cook?
He's clearly good at it.
So what?
You think it's a bad idea?
Frankly, I don't think
it's a very manly thing to do,
is what I think.
AGNES: All the great chefs
today are men.
- Most.
- No one asked you.
Most of the great chefs
today are men.
- Many.
- How do you know that?
I looked it up online.
- (CHUCKLES) Yeah.
- Stay out of this.
I think, if this little punk
wants to go to Tibet,
then Ziggy should do whatever
he wants with that money.
Punk?
You don't want to work
at the garage anymore?
Do you want to study...
cooking?
Cat got your tongue?
- (LOUIE SCOFFS)
- (DROPS FORK ON TABLE)
You turned my oldest son
against me.
ZIGGY:
No, Dad. It's what I want.
It's my idea.
Mom's just trying to help.
Don't wait up for me.
(FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING)
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
I told you not
to wait up for me.
You're drunk. Go to bed.
Goddamn it, Agnes.
You've forgotten how to listen.
I never did you wrong.
Ever.
- This fucking puzzle.
- Louie!
Oh!
Jesus.
Look at you.
What are you...?
What's going on?
Who's filling your head
with all these new ideas?
Selling the land
and cooking school?
- This fucking competition?
- Oh!
You know what my father
would have done
to my mother in this situation?
(GASPS)
(VOICE BREAKING):
I'm not my father.
I'm not him.
(CORK POPS)
Surprise.
To our last practice together.
- To you.
- To you.
To getting
all the wrong pieces right.
Right.
Oh, God, you're so beautiful.
(ROBERT SIGHS)
Anyway, let's start.
(GLASS SHATTERS)
AGNES:
We have an Easter egg hunt.
Louie's family comes early,
and all the women
from the Ladies Guild.
What would happen
if you didn't go?
I don't know.
ROBERT:
Hmm.
People would still
show up, right?
And your husband
would have to entertain them.
And maybe that
would be all right.
I can't imagine it.
Don't go.
Don't go to the party.
Stay here. Stay here.
Stay here.
I can't stay.
I know.
(CELL PHONE RINGTONE PLAYING)
Oh, God.
What time is it?
(SIGHS)
Look, I, uh...
Please don't make
any excuses, Ag.
Please.
I know you weren't with Emily.
I called her.
And Ronnie was here earlier.
He said he saw you at the
train station the other day.
I... I got stuck. I, uh...
Please don't lie to me.
Just don't lie to me, okay?
You gotta tell me, Agnes.
You gotta tell me everything.
I don't have to tell you
anything.
I'm not your servant.
You don't own me.
Are you having an affair?
Yes, I am.
I think.
You think
you're having an affair?
I have a puzzle partner.
He's a man.
We are a team.
Uh, we're competing as a team.
We've had sex one time,
and it wasn't good,
but it wasn't bad.
Can you say something?
(CRIES)
We began our celebration today
with a service of light,
which represents Jesus Christ
rising from the dead
and bringing light unto us.
Christ's light
has shone in the world,
scattering darkness forever.
We had been waiting for
this moment from the beginning.
We heard in our readings today
an account of the creation
of man and woman.
This was in God's eternal plan
for humankind.
But the high point
is the resurrection.
It is God's greatest gift
to God's church.
And this is the most
blessed of days,
as we heard in the Exultet,
the Easter Proclamation.
Hey, uh, I'm gonna go
to the garage, do some work.
Do you want a ride?
No, I'm good.
What are you doing up already?
(CHUCKLING):
What does it look like?
I was gonna do that.
Yeah, well, today I'm doing it.
You can relax.
It's your big day.
You need to save your energy
for lifting puzzle pieces.
It's really good.
Yeah, it's the truffle oil.
GABE:
Isn't that chocolate?
- ZIGGY: No, it's mushrooms.
- GABE: Whatever.
GABE:
Hey, Mom.
I really think
you're gonna win this thing.
ZIGGY:
Yeah. Bring home the trophy.
ANNOUNCER (VOICE-OVER):
All right, puzzlers,
- this is it.
- WOMAN: Yes!
The moment of truth is upon us.
Ready?
On my count.
Five. Four. Three.
- Two. One.
- MAN: Here we go!
Begin.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER CONTINUES)
What are you doing?
Stand up.
Remember, it's important
to step away and take a look?
Shh. I'm working.
WOMAN:
Okay, almost halfway.
You're not doing it by color.
You're doing it the old way.
What are you doing?
Everyone else
is doing colors and borders.
Yeah, that's how we trained.
If we do it that way,
we won't win.
We'll come second or third.
I'm doing it the old way.
Listen, listen, listen, listen.
If we argue about this,
we definitely won't win.
You're a goddamn rebel.
A rebel is what you are.
GABE:
Hello. Is this an emergency?
Yes. Hi.
What happened?
I won.
- What? Hey! She won!
- NICKI: She won!
ZIGGY:
She won? That's awesome!
- NICKI: You're so good!
- (LAUGHTER, WHOOPING)
GABE:
Congratulations.
I left a roasted chicken
in the fridge.
You can just heat it up
with some...
GABE: What?
Mom, don't worry about it.
We can, uh...
we can take care of ourselves.
Okay.
I love you, sweetie.
Do you want to talk to Dad?
No.
(CLEARS THROAT SOFTLY)
- No, that's okay.
- All right.
Congratulations, Mom.
ZIGGY:
Proud of you, Mom.
GABE:
Love you.
Thank you.
Bye.
(PHONE BEEPING)
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
ROBERT:
Hello? Knock, knock.
Mata, are you in there?
I need your date of birth.
What for?
I'm on the phone
booking tickets to Brussels.
Do you have a frequent-flier
number with American, Mata?
(LAUGHS)
(AGNES YELLING IN PAIN)
(GROANS, HISSES IN PAIN)
LOUIE:
What happened?
Did you get a splinter
or something?
Oh, it hurts!
Here, let me see.
Yeah, that's a piece of glass.
- It's tiny.
- Don't!
- Sorry, sorry, sorry.
- (AGNES GROANS)
I think it's the last piece.
Of what?
Of the plate you broke.
Come here. Let me see it.
Okay.
Just tell me
if this hurts, okay?
Oh, man.
Does that hurt?
All right.
It's almost there.
Okay. You ready?
For what?
I'm gonna pull it out.
It might hurt, okay?
Are you ready?
Okay.
(GRUNTS)
(GROANS)
I'm gonna miss this place.
I remember the day your dad
came home and said,
"Guess what.
"I bought a piece of land.
"There's a cabin, a lake.
"We'll never have
to think about
where to go on vacation
ever again."
(CHUCKLING): So that's why
we never went anywhere.
It's ironic.
We had a place to go,
so we never went anywhere.
And now we don't have
a place to go,
we'll have to go somewhere.
Do something.
Be something or someone.
I don't really know what
you're talking about, Mom.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
Is this about you and Dad?
(CELL PHONE RINGTONE PLAYING)
Hey. Are you all packed?
I'm with my family.
Mata, you have to get
to the airport
at least three hours early
for an international flight.
You have to be here
around 1:00.
Security is going
to take forever.
Uh, did you tell Louie?
I'm not coming.
Mata...
Please...
don't...
don't do this to me.
I love you.
I miss you.
I'm sorry.
I love you, too.
I miss you, too.
Sometimes
Life can promise so much
Each breath of air
Will never
reach deep enough
It's a bottomless well
Of trust
Sometimes
A touch of a hand
Can spread out...
ANNOUNCER (OVER P.A.):
This train will be making stops
in Poughkeepsie, Albany,
Saratoga and Whitehall.
Our final destination
is Montreal.
Please let the light in
Let the light in...
Every second
Every moment
Carries hope
On its shoulders
Standing tall
Growing more and more
Whispering
Please let the light in
Let the light in...
Every second
Every moment
Carries hope
On its shoulders
Standing tall
Growing more and more
Stretching, peeking
Over all of us...
(MUSIC FADES)