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The Caretaker (2016)
Birdie?
Birdie? Birdie? You all right? Birdie? Get out of my house. Hello? What? I'm going to birdie's. Her caretaker's abandoned her. You've never cared before. Well, she's old, and she needs my help. She's not taking her medication, and she told the doctor that I'm her cure. Look, Mal, I understand. Hold on one second. August hill. I saw an open vacancy at that nursing home that we passed. Birdie in a home? She's not gonna go for that. I can only lead the horse to water. Every six hours. And she's almost out of tanks. Birdie's got the script. She asked me to give you this. Um, sorry. Dr. Frances, we can't take care of her. Her malady has more will than her judgment. She needs haloperidol. And if not, relapse is certain. You do remember what happened last time. Good night, Mallorie. Please don't leave. Good night. Doc... what in the world is that? I strongly dislike clowns. That's her. - You need help? - No, no, no. You stay here because she'll flip if she sees you. She's gonna see me eventually. Because we're gonna hire a caretaker tomorrow, and we're gonna get the hell out of here. Lionel? It's me, Mallorie. Hello, darling. I told him these tanks are too small for a woman my age. Who? Gilberto? Before that, Luis, who was fired? He was always into my forks. And before the fork thief? Eleanor? Always into my business. And Sammy? Perv. Darling. It's good to see you. Good to see you. I'm gonna hire a caretaker tomorrow. No! No more help, darling. Just you. After all, death should not be a private affair. Families stay together. You're not gonna die. I'm having a guest over. Of the dead kind. I'm so glad you came. Baby! Let's make some babies? I like this bed. - Let's get started. - I'm sorry. - No. - What? You have to sleep on the couch. Babe, what do you mean? No. You know birdie when she's not on her medicine. - It's dusty. - She's gonna freak out. It's not long enough either. I'm telling you. No, babe, it's creepy out there, and it smells. - I'm sorry. - No. Baby... - Good night, August. - No. I love you. Baby... - Good night. - Can I touch you? What's birdie's Wifi password? I see you received Scarlett? Scarlett? Yes, we buried her when you were four years old. Why'd we bury her? I don't know. Everybody buries something from their past. It's human nature, I guess. I don't really remember much before mom left. I always wanted to learn how to sew. Why did you stop? Birdie... Birdie, let it go. Birdie... Birdie, let go. You're gonna cut yourself. Why don't you take Scarlett with you? Why are you doing this? Mal. August too. August too. August too. Mal. Mal? Like I was saying earlier, she keeps muttering my name when she's sleepwalking, and it's been worrying me. Vocalizing dreams is very common for sleepwalkers. - It's probably harmless. - Probably? Doc, it's becoming more and more frequent. Look at these pictures. August, if what you've told me is correct, and Mallorie's current pattern continues to escalate, a few things could happen. She could say that she's starting to see things. She could blame her bouts on her surroundings. Does she ever talk about wanting to move? Wanting to move? No, never. She just moved in with me four months ago. Is there a pattern of instability in her family? Well, her mother left her when she was real young, and her grandmother took care of her. But her grandmother's old. I've only met her once. But I promise, doc, things are amazing between her and I. Everything besides the sleepwalking. Why don't you just hire someone? Because she hates people. Well, some things never change. Yup. She's crazy. Let's get crazy tonight. Yeah, sure, if I can get birdie to sleep or take her medicine or hire a caretaker. Penny? Hey, love, it's me. Who do you know in classifieds? - No, no, no, no. - Ha-ha, too late, transferring. Hi. I wish to take out an ad. Yes. "Caretaker. Please call for appointment. Watch Movies and Series! Bye. See ya later. Do not enter closed doors. Refrain from lustful relations. Define "lustful relations." I'm sure our definitions are quite different, birdie. Would you accept an uninvited into your home? - Uninvited? - Birdie. - Love. - Look at you. What are you doing? Okay, um, go upstairs, okay? I'll meet you there in a minute. How long has she been down here? Does she use a mirror when she puts on her lipstick? What were you talking about? The rules of death. What the hell? - Hang on. I'll be back. - Where you going? Babe? You gonna crush that up? Wait. I've been waiting for an excuse to use this thing. Look at this. Really? Gonna use that thing? Watch this. This is old school. Boom. Put this here, flip it over. One, two, tres. Like so. Bada-bing. Bada... There you go. Good luck. - Hi. - Hi. Where were you today? I missed you. Lunch with Taylor. Do you remember her? Who could forget a queer? I always wanted better for you. Shit! Birdie, I'm so sorry. Shit. I'm so sorry. I'll be right back. Shit. - You okay, babe? - Yeah, no, no, no, I... What? Hey, birdie. You broke a rule. Now it's just a matter of time who will die first. Me... Or you. Excuse me, birdie? - Babe, you okay? - Yeah, yeah. - You sure? - Yeah, yeah. I got it. I'm so sorry. Did I burn you? Did it go right through? I'm sorry. Did it really get you? I'll make you another one, okay? All right. This might call up the devil. "Awakening spirits." Which one? Ooh. "Being touched by the hands of a spirit and seeing images of ghosts during sances were common, as were tables vibrating, shifting and moving." No ink. Figures. Hey, birdie. Where's Mallorie? I think she's Internet shopping on her phone. My mind must be clear. I'm leaving you for good. No. You and the child are staying with me. She belongs here. She loves me. She loves me more than you and he ever did. She's gonna be the daughter you never were. Goodbye, mother. I call bullshit on skydiving. B.S. On being related to Diane Keaton. Okay, so you guys think it's true that I actually skinny-dipped with Zach Galifianakis. - Hell yeah. - Yes. Damn it. Gosh. Chug, chug, chug, chug. Okay. Me? Okay. Um, my mom Eva was murdered by a late-night intruder when I was four. I can speak two different languages. And I once saw a circus clown smiling at me from just over there. Where I'm sleeping? That's bullshit, I hope, but I'm not sleeping there. Bullshit on the languages and your mom. No, um, my mom wasn't murdered, but she did walk out on me when I was four, so either way, she's dead to me. Excuse me, Taylor long-legs. Thank you. Hey, baby. Nice curly hair, babe. No. Unless you're part of the insane clown posse crew, putting paint on your face is a no-no for any man. - Mal. - No. - Yes, yes. - No, no, no. Mal's drunk. "Rip away life out of the chosen and return life to those lost. Call forth with mortal words and summon what is unseen." She was a medium at a circus. No, she was a witch. For fifty cents, she would summon dead family members. It was only after she summoned Rawdilly that she went mental. So she summoned a clown named Rawdilly, and you saw him in this house? No. That's gonna kill my resale value, babe. No one knows for sure. She went insane. The circus exiled her for heresy. She was a witch. He wasn't a real person. The doctors blamed it on her disease. Let's play Rawdilly. - Rawdilly, Rawdilly. - No. God, no. - What do you hear? - Seriously. Sounds of children hiding in fear. - Okay, come on. - Come on, baby. We're playing. It's happening. - It's happening. - We're not playing, no. - Can we please... guys? - No, it's happening. Come on, come on. Are we... are we really gonna do this? Rawdilly, Rawdilly, what can you hear? I said, "what can you hear?" Sounds of children hiding in fear. Yes! One, two, three. Ready? Rawdilly. Rawdilly. Rawdilly. Rawdilly. Rawdilly. Rawdilly. Rawdilly. Rawdilly! I'm so sorry. God, how did you get here so fast? I've been in this room this entire time. - What? - Yeah. Mal. What are you doing? I, um, I... I think... I think I'm seeing things. Okay, you are way too drunk. Let's sit down, okay? It's like high school all over again. You're such a lightweight. I love it. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who are you, buddy? Who are you? There was a hole. I fill it. My name is Sebastian. The newspaper invited me. Are you serious? We have to hire you first. The hole is very dangerous. Please. You can keep the shovel. Just please go away. Please send him home. I miss you. He's not going anywhere until you take your medication. No. My mind must be clear. What happened to your hand? There's someone I must see before I go. Who? Rawdilly. Shit. You don't have to say a word. I will anyway. Caretaker. Yeah, hi, um, I just saw your ad in the classifieds. We have an open position for a caretaker. She's on haloperidol. Sorry? Hello? Yes, you're exactly what we're looking for? Medication? I think it starts with an H. Haloperidol. She has a mild form of... hello? Her name's birdie Ellison. Please, please, come on. About 83 to 93, somewhere in that range. - I'm gonna try this one. - We haven't tried these three. I have an open position for a caretaker. El venir El interview. Her name is birdie Ellison. I'm sorry, what? She fired you? When? Hung up. Rude. You're the fork thief. El interview manana? Si. Medicina? No! Perfecto! Bueno, bueno. Noche? Si. Si. Bueno. No medication? Don't ask for forgiveness, babe. Just ask for permission. I always get that wrong. Switch the two last words, and you know what I mean. Stand right here. - You hear that? - What? An angel is singing. You know it's been five weeks? It's been four weeks. No, it's been five. Trust me, I know. Do you love me, baby? - Yeah? - Yes. Wait, did you hear that? It's the angels singing. It's the angels. We have to get that. I'm sorry. We have to get that. It's the first appointment. - It can wait. - No. - Shit. - Hold on, pretty blue eyes. You know this is my job. You stay here. Stay here. Hold on. This is our freedom right here. It's been five weeks too. - Hey. - Hey. - You're here for the... - The caretaker position. Caretaker position. Right. Yeah, um... - She take any medicine or... - Yeah. Wait, um, can I use your restroom? Wait. I came from Palmdale. For two. My god. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, babe. Babe, we have this bed here, and you got me sleeping downstairs. Where's the hospitality? This thing's disintegrating. My god. Who's Gilberto, babe? It was her last caretaker. What's this room, Mal? Staircase to the parlor. That's basically a storage room. Storage? That's a waste of space. It should be a game room. Or a teepee room. She needs haloperidol. If not, relapse is certain. You do remember what happened last time. Yeah, this is all in Spanish. Upside-down exclamation points all over the place. She hasn't always been like this. She did try hard when I was younger. She'd bake me a cake every birthday. Each year the cake would get a little bigger than the last. By the time I was a teen and wanting nothing to do with her, she'd baked enough cakes to feed the entire town. On my sixteenth, I ditched her to spend the day with Taylor. When I got home the next day, I found her in here. She baked cakes all through the night. She said, "do you love me now?" I never knew what that meant. That was a day of many firsts. The first I learned of her psychosis and what happens when she skips her meds. And the first I learned of her obsession for this make-believe clown. And the first time I turned my back on her. I lived with Taylor through high school. You're here now, Mal. Be kind to yourself. Jim. What'd he say? 1.3. Was he joking? Well, I hope so. Please send him home. I miss you. Whose dress is that? Isn't it beautiful? Birdie, can you please take these for me? I'm not taking those goddamn pills! No! Mallorie. Sweetheart. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry, darling. Mallorie. - Think you can hold her down? - What? No way. Nope. I refuse. Nobody blows horn like him anymore. Birdie! This is beautiful, birdie. Please, would you have this dance with me, please, birdie? - I'd love to! - Please? One, two, three. - Mal, now. Now, now, Mal. - My goodness! Now. Swal... get it in there. Get it all in. Get it all in. Swallow it, birdie. How could you do this? As for you... It's for your own good, bird. - Hi. - Es la casa? Are you here for the caretaker position? Si. Okay, um, come in. - Hi. - Hi. Come in. Did you bring references? Yeah, yes. Esta casa es muy rara. Um... Excuse me? Creo Que fue un error. Me tengo Que Ir. - Excuse me? - Yeah, I... I brought some references. You know, I think this was a mistake. I'm sorry. - I think I have to go. - You just got here. Mamacita, mamacita, por favor. Translate this, please. August, the position is a little more important right now. Babe, two seconds, two seconds. "Viente dos, March. No hoy meds. Pildoro en El tea." Viente dos De Marzo. No Medicina en El tea. "Viente nueve, March. Que habla con titeres." Viente nueve De Marzo. Hablando con los titeres. No, English. Twenty-ninth of March, speaking to the puppets. Okay. "Dos De Abril. Ninguena Medicina." Second of April, no medicine. I have to go. Si, Tranquilla, Tranquilla, Tranquilla. "Diez De Abril. Cocien El medimento en los alimentos." Ten of April. Medicine cooking into the food. Right. "catorce De Abril. Carpeta roja." Red carpet, red carpet, I know that. No, red carpet, no! "Eighteen De Abril." Dieciocho De Abril. "Birdie hablar con espejo." Birdie speaks with mirror. "Ella me ama." She says she love me. "Ella me ama Rawdilly." She love me. She love me. Raw... dilly. - Birdie! - What are you doing?! - Eres una bruja! - I'm so sorry! Calm... aaah! Shit! She bit me! He's not welcome! Birdie! Calm down, okay? Calm down. It's okay. Thank you, darling. Night-night. She bites like a piranha. - I found this in her room. - What is this? "Trigger objects. A study of human emotion and the afterlife." Her Bible. "Spirits bind themselves to earthly possessions, drawn by an object that was once theirs." That was her thing. Keep reading. "A trigger object thrives on emotion. Fear, the strongest, followed closely by love." "Love, true love, mutually from one to another, could allow the entity to enter another soul until cast away by its medium." Taylor called it witchcraft. She's doing it now. Nina said, "eres una bruja." Are you a witch? But if Rawdilly isn't real, there can't be mutual love, right? What about fear? Fear is stronger than love. I brought her to you. August? August. August. Raw... dilly. August. August. August. August. Mallorie. August? Baby, you okay? - Hi, baby, you're awake. - August? Did you call me? August, August. August? Rawdil... What? Baby? Why are you smiling? Baby, I'm not smiling. Go back to sleep, baby. Shhh. Go back to sleep. I love you. August? August too. August too. August? August too. - August. - Baby, what are you doing? - August. - Baby, baby, baby, baby. Baby, baby, wake up. - August too. - Baby, you're okay. - Baby... - August too. Aw, baby, come here. Baby. Baby, relax, relax, relax. Shh. Relax, relax. It's okay. It's me, it's me, it's me. Nobody broke any of your rules. The door is wide open! - What's going on? - She threw up her medicine. And painted her face. Come again? She painted her face. And you're surprised? Babe? We knock her out, we give her the drugs. Relax, the lady at the store said one cc of this Ace stuff, and she's gonna be fine. August. August. August! August! Mal, what's wrong? It's behind me! It's behind me! - Mal, you're scaring me. - It's behind me! - What are you talking about? - It's behind me! Mal, what are you talking about? Look, it's just us. It's just us. Calm down, babe. Shh. I'm scared. - I'm calling Dr. Patel. - No, stop it. No! Don't call her, stop it! It's not me! It's this house! It's not me! It's this house! Babe, relax. Mallorie... I could've sworn I just saw a dodo bird on the roof. Maybe they're not extinct. Look at this too. Check this out. You know, when I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of the dark until my mom taught me this trick, which I wanna teach you. Close your eyes. Close 'em, babe. Now picture somebody, anybody, doesn't matter who it is. The first person you picture, just imagine them dancing their ass off, you know? Picture birdie break-dancing. Anytime you're scared, hurt, whatever, just picture that. It's scientifically proven to help. Thank you. Hold on, babe. I gotta take this. - Cool? - Yeah. Yeah? Gimme a kiss. I'll be right back. No cheesy lines. Wine time later? Dr. Patel? Yes, thank you for calling. It's getting worse. She's sleepwalking, hallucinating, talking to inanimate objects. Monday morning, 12:00? Yeah, we can be there. Baby, baby! Check it out! You ready? Buyer for my contempo listing. Monday morning, 12:00. - Tomorrow? - Gotta leave early. You know I can't. Babe, she doesn't want a caretaker. - When she's back on her meds... - No, no, no! Babe, she wants you. Don't you see that? Is that what you want for the rest of your life? End up like my crazy aunt Carol? What other options do we have here, August? I can't abandon her. Not again. Babe... There is one option. We give her the tranquilizer, and we gently bring her to the house that we passed coming in. There are no other options. You down with that? Fine. Thank you, darling. August is leaving in the morning. My darling. You'll choose me, won't you? You'll stay when he leaves. Just like you did when your mother left us. I'm the one that took care of you. Of course, birdie. I love you. "Roja. Roja Carpeta." Roja Carpeta, babe. Red carpet. - I told you that earlier. - No, no, no. "Carpeta roja." Red folder. Red folder? There's a red folder in the office upstairs. Nice. Um... The red folder isn't in the office. You go. - You can get it. - You go. She hates you less. - August... - Okay, okay, okay, okay. What's in here? "Come meet Lionel Ellison as Rawdilly." "Featuring birdie the clairvoyant." It doesn't really mean much, babe. It's just a flyer. "Marriage certificate." Lionel Ellison and Virginia birdie Atwell. So what, babe? She was married. Everyone's got skeletons in their closet. It's no big deal. Lionel? What, baby? When she said, "don't enter closed doors," this is the one she was talking about. Help me move these. I think Lionel Ellison is... Is your grandfather. Babe, is that your mother? Is that her, babe? Okay. You okay? It's hot as death up here. What's this? Something tells me these aren't comedy tapes, babe. June 4th. June 8th, June 16th. July 12th. What is this place? Babe, that's your mom. I'm so confused. Come on. There's something with these tapes. We gotta play these. How can we play these? - There's a VCR downstairs. - Go get it. - Okay. - I'll try to get this to work. Baby, look at this thing. This is like an OG recorder right here. This is like, I'm like Kubrick with this thing. Help me with this. It's got all these dates. - Does it matter which one? - No. "March 26th." Use that one. Sit on this. Baby, that's you. That's you, babe. You were so beautiful. You remember any of this? Please get it away from me. Please get it away from me. Turn it off. Okay. Baby, it's okay. Baby, calm down. It's okay. How could birdie not tell me about him? I don't know. I'll be right back. It's okay. I'll protect you, baby, okay? August too. August too. What does it mean? August too. Where's August second? "August 2." The last tape. Hey. August. Whoa. Shit. Rawdilly! Rawdilly! Now picture somebody, anybody. Doesn't matter who it is. The first person you picture, just imagine them dancing their ass off, you know? Get out of my house. Rawdilly, come now. Come now. That's it. Good! You weigh a ton. What have you been eating? I can't provide for her, but I will find someone who can. No! You and the child are staying with me. Goodbye, mother. Family stays together. May I have this dance? Okay, what kind of dance shall we do? Dance on my toes? Look, you, you stay right here, okay? Grandma birdie's been acting a little strange lately. Grandpa? Do you love me now, child? Do you love me now? Grandpa, where did you go? Grandpa, where are you? Grandpa? Mallorie? It's me, my darling Mallorie. Your grandfather lives inside me. He's with me. Come to me, sweetheart. Come to me. Love me. Love me. Mallorie, love me. Love me! Mallorie, love me! Love me, Mallorie. August two. Mallorie, what are you doing? Mallorie? August two. God. Let love be your guide. Come to me. Rawdilly, Rawdilly, what do you hear? The sound of birdie hiding in fear. You killed my mother? Either way, my darling, I live inside you, just as he lives inside me. Mal. Mal, what's that on your face, babe? Mal? Anyway, it's time. Get the syringe. I'll hold her down. Mal, are you okay? I've decided to stay. That's not funny, Mal. You're not well. We need to go. Now. No. This is my home. This is your home? After everything we've been through in here? Really? Hello? You're not well. - We need to go home. - No. Mallorie! You in there? Give me something! Come on! Nothing? Okay. This is what you want? Good riddance, Mal. A few things could happen. She could say that she's starting to see things. It's behind me! She could blame her bouts on her surroundings. It's not me! It's this house! It's not me! Does she ever talk about wanting to move? I've decided to stay. Wanting to move? No. Never. This is my home. I think that everything's gonna be fine. Mal. Birdie? Mal. Mal. Mal. Who do you hear? Mal! Mal! Mal, what are you doing, baby? Babe, come on. Baby, it's me. It's August! It's August, baby! Come to me. Family stays together. Mal... August. It's August! Mallorie! Mallorie! Birdie! Mallorie, it's me. |
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