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The Boy (2016)
Apologies, Miss...
I didnt know how else to wake you. The Heelshires had to step out for a moment. They beg your pardon, Miss, and ask that you wait in the parlour. Its like something out of a storybook, isn't it? The Heelshires already taken care of that. - And I put your things inside. - Thanks. Is anyone up there? Hi! Is anyone up here? Hi there. Sorry. Believe it or not, I was... I was actually trying not to scare you. No, I'm sorry I jumped, I thought I heard something upstairs, so... - You're right. - Yes, sorry. It's so stupid. - Are you Mr. Heelshire? - No. I know you are not. Yet. No, Im the grocery boy. Grocery man. I own the store actually. - Okay, Im Malcolm by the way. - Hi. -You must be here for the nanny's job. -Yeah, Greta Evans. Ive got some groceries to unpack downstairs, if you want to join me? I can give you a tour of such exotic locations... ...as the pantry and bread bin. Is that interests you? Sounds great. Sure. Lead the way. - You are American, yeah? - Yeah. My first trip to the UK. Alright, let me guess... California, right? Montana. - In this. - Yeah. Those in the basket. Im usually so good at these things. Ive got a touch of the gift. The gift? Prognosticator. Clairvoyant. Whatever you like to call it. I had a grandmother that read tea-leaves. My mother read palms, so... Okay, what do you read? - Me? - Yeah. Chewing gum. No kidding. We dont get to choose our gifts, Miss Evans. Come on, if you... If youll allow me... - Let me show you. - Allow you to... Yeah, I am gonna read your gum. I'm a professional, trust me. Okay. Oh My God. Alright. Okay. Interesting teeth marks. I see that youre a writer, from Phoenix, Montana. It looks like youve come here to be inspired by the English countryside. To get away from the hustle and bustle of your life in the U.S. of A. - No. - Close? Not at all. No. - Okay, one more try. - Okay. Okay? Just one. Okay, Okay, I see what went wrong. It's very... It's very obvious now. I see a dark past. On the run from someone, are we? That's what it looks like. Absolutely not. Im afraid that was my best attempt at flirting. Believe it or not Im actually considered charming in this country. It's okay. Its amazing that any of us manage to procreate at all really. - Bread? - Yeah, in the cupboard behind you. So whats... what's the family like? Well theyre nice, you know... They're... There very generous. As good a people as youll ever hope to meet. And their son? - Brahms? - Brahms. He is... Im not sure quite how to explain it, but... Mrs. Heelshire. Its so nice to finally meet you. Where are your shoes? Brahms is very excited to meet you, Miss Evans. Hes never met an American before. Im very excited to meet him too. I was sure I left my shoes right here. Theyll turn up. Its Brahms. He can be playful. - I assume you brought other shoes? - Yes. Let's hurry up. We've kept them waiting long enough. Her name is Miss Evans. We want you to be on your very best behaviour. Daddy? Miss Evans, allow me to introduce Mr. Heelshire. Miss Evans. And this... ...is our son, Brahms. So youve met Brahms then? How are you doing, Brahms? Now, you take it easy on Miss Evans. Shes traveled a long way just to meet you. Ill be off then. The bill is on the table. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evans. Hope to see you on my next deliver. - Thank you, Malcolm. - Of course. Its so nice to meet you, Brahms. I hope you and I can be friends. Daddy, will you please take Miss Evans things up to her room, please? Miss Evans, we might as well get started. I have a lot to show you. Youll be all alone out here. Do you think you can manage? Yeah, of course. Weve had a number of potential nannies come through already. Brahms rejected them all. Though... There were nearly as young or as pretty as you. Youll wake him at 7:00 each morning and you will dress him. Youll find his cleaning clothes behind you. So... So I should...? Wake him up and dress him, Miss Evans. Theres no better way to learn than by doing. Wake up, Brahms. Well, I dont know about you, but that certainly wouldnt wake me. - Its time to wake up, Brahms. - He is not a baby, Miss Evans. You neednt be afraid of hurting him. Excuse me. Now, lets show Miss Evans how we get you dressed. Id let her do it herself, but Im afraid wed be here all afternoon. Brahms has three hours of lessons five days a week, and I like to start by reading some poetry. Do you know any, Miss Evans? I know all the words to "Green Eggs and Ham". Well, it doesnt have to be poetry, of course. Any of these books will do, but you must... ...read in a loud, clear voice. Yes, of course. - Yes. Of course! - Excellent. Next is music appreciation. Brahms! You must sit up straight, like a good little boy. Music, Miss Evans. I dont know how Brahms would go on without his music. Its his world. Of course, he likes it rather louder than I prefer, but... ...it gives him so much joy I dont dare take it away from him. We dont throw any food out in this house, Miss Evans. This is a country house. Do you know what that means? No. It means we are in constant battle with the outside elements. Weather, plants, vermin. Especially vermin, Miss Evans. And so we take certain measures against them. Hello darling. Mr. Heelshire will explain the rest of your duties. And food goes in here. Thank you. Now, Ill show you the traps. As we do our best to keep up the house, by the way, we dont use the fireplaces anymore. Bit of a hazard. And regrettably, the last tradesman we had actually... he managed to paint the windows shut. Personally, I dont think that all of this is necessary, but... ...Mrs. Heelshire is convinced that the rats will get into the walls. And Brahms, of course hes never been very fond of animals. He has always been very shy, you see. Very timid. I know how this must look to you, Miss Evans. And to be completely honest Im not sure how all came to this. Little by little and then all at once, I suppose. What Im trying to say, is that whatever it might look like on the outside, our son is here. Hes very much with us. - Do you understand, Miss Evans? - Yes. Good. All good. Thats very good. "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child. "Pity my simplicity. Suffer me to come to Thee." God bless Mommy. God bless Daddy. God bless Greta. God bless Me. - Amen. - Amen. You were such a good boy today, Brahms. You behaved like a little gentleman. Mommy is so proud of you. Could you give us a moment alone to speak to Brahms privately? Yeah, sure. He wants you, Miss Evans. Hes chosen you if youll have him. I dont know. This whole thing is just creepy. A huge house in the middle of nowhere, no neighbors, the windows dont even open, no cell service, no Wi-Fi. Greta you know you needed to get away. This is perfect for you. And taking advantage of them? No, you just been paid to babysit... the doll. You should see the way they talk to it. Yes, its a little creepy, but its only for a few months. You can handle this. Greta, you need this money. - Start over. Forget what happened. - Youre right. - Youre gonna be okay. - Right. - What? - Its Cole. Hes been calling non-stop. He even came by the house, he scared Morgan half-to-death. - Whatd you tell him? - Nothing. And Im not going to tell him anything. I guess he doesnt care about the restraining order. - Okay. Dont engage, dont... - Okay. If he asks tell him you dont know where I am. - I know, I know. - You know that, sorry. I cant stand to see you get hurt again. No! How could you? What have you done? Wait till I tell daddy. Mommy must go now. You have to be a good boy. Because you promised us. I apologize for the rush, Miss Evans. Its so long since weve been on holiday and were anxious to be off. Besides Brahms seems so... so fond of you. I only wish we had an opportunity to... ...to explain to you the idiosyncrasy... ...of a child as unique as our Brahms. But... ...youll figure them out by now. Im sure. While simply to... ...help you along. A schedule. With rules. Mrs. Heelshire she was kind enough to write one out, you see. Now, may seem a bit silly, but it is important that you... ...follow them because Brahms is not like other children. He can be... particular. Im afraid we may have indulged him a bit over the years. Go on, mommy! Malcolm will be by once a week with groceries, and of course your payment. And Im sure that he can answer any other... ...questions that you might... ...that you might have. Im sorry, Im... Im a bit off today. Its... Its so long since weve gone anywhere. Be good to him and hell be good to you. Be bad to him... She will... ...be good to him, wont you Miss Evans? Yes. Ill treat him like my own. Im so sorry. Come along my dear, its time we left. No offense Brahms, but you kinda creep me out. Jesus Greta. You just got here and youre already cracking up. Hey, its Sandy. Leave a message...or dont. Hey, its me. Again. Call me when you can. And send me some more magazines, too. Anything with... Actually anything. Okay. Hello? Sandy? Cole? You need a lift? So all that food just goes to waste? No, not all of it. Mr. Heelshire eats some of them. Hes always been the less strict one about all of this. You could have warned me, you know. - And ruin the surprise? - Thanks. Speaking of surprises. Your first weeks pay. Good job, well done. Thank you. - But I have to ask you. - Yes, I am single. Believe it or not. - Whats the story with the doll? - Yeah. It was a fire. Brahms didnt make it out. On its eighth birthday. Such a tragedy. And the doll turned up not while after that. I know it must seem strange. I mean it is bloody strange. Its all harmless. A way to cope. I cant imagine... ...what it must be like to lose a child. So he died twenty years ago. Hed be about your age. Theyve lived like this for twenty years? And theyve been looking for a nanny the last year. Youre probably going mad in this house, arent you? It might be good to get out. I can show you our world-famous nightlife. I know you can not just let Brahms, but I wont tell if you want. I just... - I just got out of a thing. - No. This is not a thing. No, I assure you of that. This is... ...professional courtesy seeing as were employed by the same people. Its a duty is what it is. I will take no pleasure in it whatsoever, I promise. - Yeah? - Okay, Yeah. Do you realize thats more money than I make an entire month? - And they paid you in cash? - Yeah. In pounds. - What are you doing? - Im just getting dressed. Malcolm is gonna give me a tour of the town. - Are you going on a date? - Its not a date. We dont call it a date anyway. - Really? - Its more of a professional... - ...courtesy. - How is that not a date? Well, we work for the same people, dont we? Yeah, okay. - You gonna wear your coral dress? - I dont know. I ll figure it out. Let me guess. Youre drinking a nice glass of red wine? Maybe. I know youre going on a date, Greti. I thin it is good that youre going out. You dont have to deny it because he is the grocery man. Greta? Are you there? - Sorry. - What happened? - Nothing. Its Brahms. - Brahms? The doll. My clothes. Hello? Malcolm, if thats you, this isnt funny. Look, is somebody up there? Hello? Is anybody here? Malcolm! Up here! Malcolm! No! Malcolm! Oh my God, up here! Malcolm! Greta! Malcolm! Malcolm! Did you spend the night up there? What kind a girl goes into someones attic? I bet no one has been up there for years. Well, thats one mystery solved. Let me check the rest of the house. So, Greta... Ive checked every nook and cranny in this very lovely... ...and very weird large house. And the windows are sealed tight. The house is clear, okay? There was someone in here, I know it. My clothes... You know, I used to sleep-walk when I was a boy. I wasnt sleep-walking. I could stay for a bit. Make sure we dont have some very polite burglar on our hands. Coming in, taking nothing and then locking up after himself before he leaves. Its really no problem. Im here anyway. - Youre sure. - Absolutely. Okay. You've played this before. Let me know when you are ready to play for money. No, thanks. So, tell me about Brahms. I told you about all I know. That was a truly terrible poker face. Alright. What do you want to know? What he was like? The real Brahms. You need to know there is two types of talk in town. In this, polite talk and pub talk. You know? And the truth is somewhere in between. Okay, what was the polite talk? That he was a lovely lad and its a tragedy... ...that he was taken at such a young age. And the pub talk? Well, you know, that we wasnt such a lovely lad. That he was strange. Whats the truth? You know, one day I came out here for a delivery. I didnt know it at the time, but it was Brahms birthday, or would have been. Mrs. Heelshire she was in the sitting room, opening presents with the doll. And Mr. Heelshire... ...he was in here. Off his-pickle. Drunk and mumbling to himself, "He couldnt do it anymore." I told him Ill come back, he said: No, no, come in. You know, have a drink with an old man. So I do. Well, we get a couple of drinks in, chatting about the weather and so on and finally... ...I get the courage to ask him that exact question. What was Brahms, the real Brahms like. He just looks at me this... ...you know, this heartbroken look. He made me sorry I even asked. He said one word. "Odd", he says. Odd. And that was it. Which I suppose is all the answer ever going to get. My serve. Are you sure you gonna be okay here on your own? Yeah. Oh, okay, the family friend of the freaky people... ...who pretend a doll is their dead son? Yeah, totally trust their judgment! Its not like that. He didnt have to come over... ...here and check the whole house. No. You watch. Youll wake up in the middle of the night... ...and hell be standing over you in your coral dress... ...with lipstick smeared all over his face. Im serious. Gosh! There are really bad people out there in this world. Unfortunately, you should know that better than most. Speaking of... Cole came by the house. Morgan said he just kept pounding and pounding on the door. Cole told him some story about wanted... ...to write you a letter apologizing for everything. Please tell me Morgan didnt give him the address. He didnt know how else to get rid of him. He is ten years old. - Sorry, Greta. - No, I know... Im the one who should be sorry for dragging you guys on to this. Dont say that. We are family. And you didnt do anything wrong. What happened back then it was his fault. No, I will not read anything that son of a bitch sends me. Greta, everything happens for a reason. Hello? Jesus! Hello? - Hello? - Greta? Yeah? Who is this? Please come out. Come play with me, Greta. Greta? Who is this? Why won't you follow the rules? What are you doing? I promise I'll be good. If you be good. Is this what you want? Okay. - Hello? - Greta, it's Malcolm. It's the weirdest thing. When I first got here Mrs. Heelshire said... ...that Brahms took my shoes. And that he was playful. And I thought he was joking. Greta, are you okay? What about shoes? No, it's not about my shoes. Greta, I'm not sure I understand, but ... I have... I have to go. Greta? Its time, my dear. Wakey wakey. She is going by herself, ask the Porters wife? Yes. And how far is it? 50 miles. What a long way! I wonder Mrs. Reid is not afraid... ...to trust you so far alone. I remember about little of the journey. I only know that the days seemed to me... I think we did it all. I'll teach you this one. Okay, Brahmsy? I didn't know you could play? Sorry. I tried the knocking. It's okay. - What are you doing here; - You didn't pick up the phone. So I thought maybe I made the delivery a little earlier this week. I can come back if you... No, that's okay. I just wasn't expecting you. Right. I grab the mail on the way. Are you sure you're okay? Yeah. Put it in there. It looks like you and Brahms are getting on. Yeah. I was thinking I might take you up on that night-on-the-town. Dinner. Drinks. Dancing. Ill have you know Im... ...a legend in these parts for my dance moves. I dont think I should. Why not? You dont worry about Brahms, do you? He doesnt mind, do you? Hey, you old sod. Of course not. Ive been hoping shed get out. I need a little privacy. Think Ill watch telly. Have a nice bath. A little Brahms time. Hey, here. High five. Maybe another time. Yeah, another time. I better be off. Brahms. Can you hear me? Brahms. Eat your food. If there is a spirit in this house, please give me a sign. Stupid. I 'm so sorry to make you drive all the way out here again. - Are you okay? - I needed someone else to see it. - So Id know. - To see what? - Hes alive. - Whos alive? - Brahms is alive. - Brahms is alive? I know you must think Im crazy. Id think the same thing. I just have to clean this off so you know that Im not cheating. I dont think youre cheating. No worries there. I think youve gone completely mental. We have to use the chalk. Because sometimes he doesnt move that much and its hard to tell. I was very scientific in the beginning, I was even measuring him... ...because I want to make sure that when it happens there is no doubt. At all. Okay. Here we go. This is something. Its... ...something. I couldnt figure it out before. All these strange things kept happening, but... ...little things, like... ...the footsteps, my necklace, my shoes, my clothes kept disappearing. Then remembered what you said. That hes shy. He doesnt want people to see him. So, if you go out of the room and you leave him alone, then hell give you sign. Okay, this is like some kind of a magic trick, right? You dont really think hes alive? Its not a trick, come on. Okay, Brahms! Here we come! Okay. Its okay. I think maybe we should sit down for a bit. Honestly, I think maybe youre a bit tired. Please, Brahms. I need him to see, okay? I know this is hard for you but... ...do it for me? I need this or I have to go. - I cant stay here any more. - Greta, come on. Brahms. Just give him one more chance, okay? If he doesnt move nothing happens and Im crazy. Just one more chance. Okay, Brahmsy? Okay. - Where is he gone? Where? Come on. - I dont know. No, I dont know. He does it differently every time. He is just gone. He is just gone. Its never been there before. Its bloody incredible, isnt it? We really dont even know what were dealing with here. Is it a ghost? Some sort of trapped spirit. Or a... ...a boy. - Brahms is a boy. - Yeah. Yeah, he is. He was lucky you came along. I dont think it was luck. It wasnt? I think I was brought here for a reason. Okay. There was a guy back home. Cole. Not a good guy. And... ...everyone I knew beg me to leave him. And then I found out I was pregnant. And... ...he swore up and down that he would change. And that he was sorry. And I believed him. And... Then one day he went off again and... ...and my sister checked me to the hospital. And I knew before I even got there that I had lost the baby. What I am trying to say is that...... I know what it feels like to lose a child. Just like the Heelshires and... ...that ties me to them, and to Brahms, and... ...and to this place. Does it make any sense to you? Yeah. Yeah, it does. But whatever the reason, I am very happy that you ended up here. I am, too. And God bless Malcolm. And God bless me. And God bless Brahmsy. Youre such a good boy today. Sweet dreams. So... - Its a nice shirt. - My mother bought me this shirt. - She has good taste. - I know. - No, wait. - Are you okay? What is going on in here? You gonna hurt your ears, silly boy. Why did you do that for? ...if you stayed in town tonight. Okay. What just happened? That music... That was... Children have tantrums. It was a tantrum. Alright, I understand what this means to you. But just step back for a second, get some perspective. No, I dont need perspective. I know exactly what is happening here and I am not going anywhere. The Heelshires ask me to look after him. I promised the Heelshires to take care of him. Under the circumstances I think they will understand. They chose me. They want me to stay here. With Brahms. I should have told you this before, but I didnt want to scare you off. A little girl from town used to come out here, once a week to play with Brahms. Emily Cribbs. And on his birthday she comes out but never makes it home. They finally found her body in the woods, her skull has been crushed. Police called the Heelshires to let them know that Brahms... ...need to be questioned, by the time they arrived, the place was already up in flames. The Heelshires made it out but Brahms has burned alive up there. - Did they ever find her killer? - No, they never did. What Im saying is, if youre right, if this... ...thing is some kind of spirit or ghost or... ...hey, I dont even know. Im not sure.... ...that it is the good kind. Well, you said it yourself thats just pub talk. But what if it isnt? I know he wouldnt hurt me. I know. Its not safe in this house, okay? I am not leaving. Okay. Now go straight to sleep like a good boy, okey? You wouldnt hurt me, would you Brahms? Emily Cribbs. Who is hungry? I am. Malcolm? Lets go to see. Malcolm? I thought... Cole? Who is Malcolm? I was going to write you a letter, but, you know me. Never been one for writing. Its the little fellow? Whats his name? Brahms. This is a joke, right? There isnt a little boy. They... They paid me to look after a doll. You serious? Well, that makes things a hell of a lot simpler. Whole way here I was trying to figure out how I was going to convince you... ...to come home and how we deal with the boy, but now this shit. Ive been working out at Fairview with... ...Ed Bruners crew. They got a contract on a... on a new hotel. So theres more enough work for all of us. Well, thats awesome, Cole. Is what you wanted. I understand why you left. I do. Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. - Taking you home. - Greta? Oh sorry, I... - I let myself in. - Thats okay, this is... - This is Malcolm. He brings our... - Malcolm. ...groceries and stuff out here. - Hey, nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you man. So what do you think about all this... ...doll stuff? You know, I try not to get involved in other peoples business. Smart man. I have that delivery if youd like to go to the inventory list. Yeah, sure. I'll be right back. - What the hell is he doing here? - He just showed up. Well, he has to leave. He cant ask you let him stay here. No, I dont. I am not letting him do anything. He wants me to go home with him. Well, that isnt gonna happen. - And what if he attacks you? - He won't. Trust me. I have a plan. Sounds good though. Pleasure meeting you. - You too. - Yeah, have a good evening. Should I be worried? About Malcolm? No. Here you go. So I guess I am not sleeping in your bed tonight. - No, I can bring you more blankets. - No, this is good. What are you doing with that thing? Well, I was gonna get him out of your way. I figured you wouldnt want... ...him to sitting in here with you. - He is a creepy little guy. - Yeah. Look, Greta. Im sorry for what happened. I just need to know, that you forgive me. - I like to hear you say that. - I cant. Greta. Fine. But I want you to realize something right now. You are not leaving me, Greta. And I will not let you go. No matter where you run off to. You understand? Now... Make sure youre packed and ready by morning. Dont worry, Brahms. I am not gonna leave you. But I need your help. Greta! Greta! Get in here! Greta! - Cole, what happened? - Get in here. Right now. What is this? - Was this you? - I didnt do that. Dont play these games at me! How can that not be you? - No one else is in this house. - Brahms. The doll? The doll wrote this? Dont pull this shit on me, Greta. Okay. Fine. It wasnt you. It was the doll. Give it to me. - Give me the doll. - No. Give me the doll. Greta? - Hand him over. - No, no, get off of me. - It was me. Youre right, it was me. - Its too late. - Now, give me the doll. - No. - Greta? - Now! Im not joking around! Get your things and get out of here. You know, everyone just seems to be in a big hurry for me to leave. - Youre right? - Yeah. Maybe... Maybe you left that little message for me. Or are you gonna say it was the doll too? - What did Brahms do? - Cole, you dont understand whats happening. The doll... No. I think I understand exactly whats going on. Give me the doll! - Whats so special about this doll? - Cole! Cole, please. No! Cole! Fine. What the hell was that? I think we need to leave. Whats... Whats going on? We should... We should really go. There is something... - Oh shit. - Oh my God! Greta? Greta? Get up. Come on. Jesus, what is that? Its Brahms. He cant be. - No! - No! Stop! Stop! No! Oh my God! Lets go. No! Its dead. The closet! This way. The key. The key. Find the key. I cant see anything. Oh my God! Malcolm, we can get out this way. Lets go. Close it. - Come on. - It only goes up. - Which way? - Dead end. Malcolm! Jesus Christ! - Oh my God, what is this? - Hes got everything he could need. Hes been leaving in here, isnt it? We got to find a way out. Its me. Thats my dress. My necklace and my hair. Greta, I found a way down. Hes been watching me this whole time. Okay, come on. This way, come on. We will not be back. The girl is yours now. She is yours to love and... - They will never coming back - Come on, Greta. Come on. Hes been living in the walls the whole time watching me. Get in. Get in. Come on. - Out. Out. Go. - Its the outside. - Its locked. - Come on, Greta. Open it. - Malcolm, where are you going? - He is coming. - I am not leaving without you! - Just go! I dont want you to die! - No! - Go! Come on. Come on. No! Greta? Come back! I ll be good! I will! - Greta. - No! Get back here! Get back here! Dont leave me! Get back here! If you leave Ill kill him! Ill kill him just like the others! No. Malcolm! I came back for you Brahms. I told you I wouldnt leave you and I didnt, did I? I told you I wouldnt. Brahms! Its time for bed now. Brahms I said its time for bed. Lets go. You know the rules. Put that down now Brahms. Are you ready for bed? Under the covers. Be a good boy Brahms and go straight to sleep, okay? Kiss. No kiss tonight Brahms. Its your punishment, Im sorry. Kiss. Malcolm! Malcolm! Malcolm! |
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