Altitude Falling (2010) - full transcript

(furtive piano plinking)

(birds chirping)

- [Voiceover] President
Dogget's issuing over

50 executive orders today alone.

(beeping)
Washington analysts

are reeling with a
virtual blitz of new laws

coming out of the White
House, affecting everything

from public housing legislation
to the war for freedom

in Venezuela.

(furtive piano plinking)

(birds chirping)



(train chugging)

(train whistle blows)

(melancholic,
old-timey piano music)

(beep)

- [Voiceover] Hello, Gregory.

Scan N Scram has a special
price on Monoxydil.

Stock up today and keep
a full head of hair.

Hello, Shirley.

Scan N Scram has
a special price on

maximum-protection
tampons, aisle nine.

- Hey, excuse me.

Listen, I'm a tourist just
trying to ride the train

and I don't think my
chip is gonna work.

I was wondering if maybe
I gave you some coin



you could grab these for me?

- It'll work here,
they work everywhere.

- No, it's just, I
don't think mine will.

I'd do anything if
you could help me.

- Sure.

You'll have to come
up to my place.

- Sure.

- [Voiceover] Thank
you, Gregory, for
shopping Scan N Scram.

(furtive piano plinking)

(beep)

(melancholic
old-timey piano music)

(cash register rings)

(cat meows)

(birds chirping)

- [Voiceover] Hello, Greggie.

- Take your shirt off.

- Boy, you don't waste any time.

- [Gregory] Edison!

- So, what is all this?

- It's my stuff.

- Look, I'm not really
into kinky shit.

What are you doing?

- What happened here?

- What is that?

- Did you have an accident?

- Oh, fuck, you're
a fucking cop?!

- I'm not a cop.

- You got to be kidding me.

You're fuckin' undercover
with the fuckin' beard.

- I don't work for
the government.

- Then what the
fuck is all this?

- [Gregory] It's left
over from an old job.

- Oh, goddamn it.

- You pulled your chip out.

- Fuck you.

- Why'd you pull your chip out?

- There's a fucking war going
on in Venezuela, right now.

Anybody that goes over
there does not come back.

Look, I'll suck you off

but after that just forget
fuckin' forget about me, OK?

- You're a "No Papers".

- Don't call it a...

I'll do anything you want.

- I don't want to get involved.

- I'm not bothering anybody.

I didn't do anything.

- Just put your shirt on and go.

- Hey, I'm asleep right now.

If it's urgent, thumb
the pound key to wake me.

Otherwise I'll catch you
in a couple of hours.

- Hey, buddy.

It's beautiful weather out here.

You don't know
what you're missing

locked up in that
cubicle all day.

Listen, when you get a
chance, shoot me a message.

We need to talk.

(beep)

(meow)

(beeping)

- Goodbye, Izzy.

- [Voiceover] Goodbye, Greggie.

(geese honking)

- Hey there.

You're not making much
progress with that.

- It's no big deal.

- You dug gardens before?

- Yep.

- In this kind of soil?

- Dirt is dirt.

(chicken crowing)

- Hey, why don't you see if
they have a spade like this

over there in the tool shed?

- I know how to dig a garden.

- Suit yourself.

See, with this spade, I
just ease it into the soil,

wiggle it around a little bit,

then gently lift it out.

Are you sure you don't
want to try my spade?

- This was a waste of time.

- Well, that didn't take long.

- It doesn't make any sense
for me to be working over there

in that community garden.

I can plant a garden for you
right here in your backyard.

- I don't have any tools.

- I can get a spade.

(sighs)

- Don't you like it over there?

- They can't really
expect me to wear this.

- How cute.

- Please, Mother, don't
make it any worse.

What's the matter?

- Nothing.

- Why aren't you at the garden?

- [Boy] That place bites.

- I like walking over
there in the afternoons.

Especially when all the
blooms have opened up.

Sometimes when I wear
my Desdemona hat,

people actually recognize me.

Not often, but it's
nice when they do.

It's so interesting to
see what they've planted.

The beans, and corn, peas,
and all of the rose bushes.

Do you remember that rose bush
that we planted at the house?

- No.

- Oh, sure you do.

I wanted to have a rose garden

just like the gardens
in Portland when I
was a little girl.

They were beautiful.

I was gonna put a garden right
in the front of the house,

where everyone could enjoy it

and people could
smell the fragrances.

I'm not sure what happened.

I think I got the wrong kind
of rose bush or something

but I put it in the ground
and it did absolutely nothing.

Got black spots all
over the leaves.

When it did bloom they
looked absolutely terrible.

Anyway, one day when I
came back from the studio,

it was when I was making
that film with Spielberg,

your father had told the
gardener to dig it up.

(sighs) I was so angry with him.

But, of course, I never let
on in front of you kids.

- We knew.

- Oh, you did not.

How could you?

We never fought in front of you.

We didn't even raise our voices
when you were in the room.

Ow, damn it.

I stuck myself again.

- Here, Mother, let me do it.

- I was a good mother to you.

At least I could buy you a new
blouse if you lost a button.

- You were Mother
and you still are.

- Nothing I can do about it now.

Except spoil my grandson.

Speaking of which,

you worked hard this morning,
you must be famished.

Why don't I go to the kitchen

and see what we can
scrounge up for lunch?

- We're all making sacrifices.

If you can't get a job then
at least plant a garden

so we have fresh vegetables.

- This town is dead.

There aren't any jobs.

Why did we move here?

- We've had this discussion.

I know it's not
the best solution

but ti's our only
option right now.

Waiting tables won't
feed three mouths.

- Don't talk to me
like I'm a gongoozler.

I'll get a job.

- How about a nice peanut
butter and honey sandwich?

And I've got a jar of pickles.

We can take it outside and wave
to the train as it goes by.

- It won't be back until 4:00.

- You should work
for the railroad.

Have you ever
thought about that?

You are so good with time
schedules and everything.

- [Boy] They're not hiring.

- Have you asked?

- [Boy] I asked
out at the station

and I asked at the
office out back.

- But you would be so good at it

and I could see you in
that conductor's costume

waving at the children
as the train goes by.

- Grams, I'm gonna put in
a tomato garden for you

right here in the backyard.

- [Grams] Here?

- We can plant beans
and peas and corn

and surround it with roses.

- Well, do you think that
it would really work?

The backyard is covered with
that black shit from the train.

- [Boy] I'll scrape it off.

How about it, Grams?

- (sighs) Don't you think the
plot at the community garden

is a better place?

- I can't work there.

- Danny!

- I'll get a job.

I said, "I'll get a job!"

I just have to find a job.

(playful, vaudevillian
piano music)

- [Voiceover] Hello,
Daniel Dominicci.

- Hi.

I'd like to fill out
a job application.

- Sign says, "Not hiring."

You can try The Rusty Nail

but I don't think
they're hiring either.

- Did you ask?

- They're only hiring locals.

I moved here a year ago and
I still haven't found a job.

- This town sucks.

- Hey.

I got something.

Let's go to the river and chill.

- How did you score?

- Got it from a No Papers.

They're growing this shit.

- All right.

We should blow this place

and move up there.

- If you can find it.

I hear they scan you.

If you've got a chip,
they won't tell you shit.

- Well, I'm digging mine out.

This town's a
hellhole, you know.

There's nothing to do.

Even if you do get a job,

they want to know what
you're doing all the time.

- You can't get a real
job without your chip.

- Hey, what's a real job?

Working for that AmeriCorps?

- (scoffs) You couldn't get
me to work for those people.

- Hey, they're hiring
someone at the food bank

to move boxes.

- I got it, it's mine!

- Not if I get there first.

(hiss)

(melancholic piano music)

- A mysterious stranger still
baffles police in Denver

six weeks after he was
found with no i.d. chip

and his thumbprints
burned beyond recognition.

- President Dogget is
scheduled to announce today

her administration's plan for
ending the war in Venezuela.

Insiders tell Internet All
The Time that President...

(rustling leaves)

The critics argue the armed
services have no more troops

to deploy.

- [Voiceover] Daniel Dominicci.

- [Voiceover] The senate
has accused President Dogget

of breaking her campaign
promise only three...

- Oh, it's you.

- [Gregory] How is
your garden coming?

- It's fine.

I got a flat.

- [Gregory] Planted
anything yet?

- (sighs) I came to
get my bike fixed.

- I open at 10:00.

- I'll come back.

- No, it's all
right, I'll fix it.

- Maybe I better come back.

- It's all right.

You gonna ride on this?

Just visiting?

- We moved here.

- Oh?

- [Danny] We moved in
with my grandmother.

- Who's your grandmother?

- Isadora Dominicci.

- I thought so.

- Wouldn't it make more
sense for a bike repair shop

to be in town instead
of all the way out here?

- I like my privacy.

- Just you and your cat.

How rustic.

- We don't like a
lot of visitors.

- You've got a screwy way
of running a business.

- Works for me.

- What do you think?

- About what?

Oh.

So,

do you want a new tube

or do you want me
to fix the hole?

- Well, what does it cost?

- I'll patch it.

You don't remember me, do you?

- At the garden the
other day, I remember.

(hiss)

Well, what do I owe you?

- Tell you what,
I'll cut you a deal.

Without a plastic liner,

you're gonna have a
flat within a week.

- Well, I wouldn't have got a
flat in the first place if...

Never mind.

- I'll charge you
for the next one.

- I can hang.

Mom's paying for it anyways,
until I can find a job.

- Forget about it.

- Are you sure?

- See you next week.

- Don't count on it.

- [Voiceover] Goodbye,
Daniel Dominicci.

(beep)

- What's up?

- Hey, talk about a small world.

I just saw your son.

- No shit, what's
he doing there?

- Ange must have
moved in with Izzy.

I think he came along.

- What's he look like?

- He's grown up.

He's taller than we are.

- Well, send me a picture if
you manage to capture one.

- My camera's weren't on.

I'll get a picture next
time he brings his bike in.

When was the last
time you saw him?

- Ange still won't talk to me.

Is she talking to you?

- No, Danny doesn't
even know who I am.

- Well, if you see Ange,
tell her I hope she's happy.

- Last time I saw her, she
told me to eat shit and die

and then she called me a
mocking stock of humanity.

- You should've heard
what she called me.

- So, what are you working on?

- I can't really talk about it.

- I was just wondering,

have you heard anything about
the No Papers around here?

- Let's just say,

it's impossible to track
them in the mountains.

- But you're trying?

- Can't talk about it.

I gotta go.

God is calling.

- Hey, I think Danny's gay.

- That's what this is about.

You want permission
to date my son.

- What?

- You brought it up.

- No.

Just because I tell you he's gay

doesn't mean that I
want to date your son.

- Shut up.

You wanted to do it with me

the whole time Ange and I
shard the apartment with you.

- Not even.

- You walked around naked
every time Ange left for class.

- No, I didn't.

- If I'd have said yes,

we would have been on you
waterbed in 10 seconds.

- You're flattering yourself.

- Imagine, me being
your father-in-law.

That's a riot.

Send pictures.

(beep)

- [Danny] It must have
been really exciting

to make all those movies.

- [Isadora] It was hard work.

- [Danny] Do you miss it?

- Oh, it was a fun
ride while it lasted.

Sometimes I do miss the fans.

It's not gonna get these
tomato plants planted, come on.

- Grams?

- Mmm-hmm.

- Do you know that guy that
runs the bike repair shop?

- Who?

- The bike repair
shop up the road?

- I never learned
to ride a bike.

- Well, he acted
like he knew you.

- Well, what's his name?

- I don't know.

He's just some guy.

That's his plot.

- (laughs) I've known a
lot of guys in my lifetime.

Is he handsome, married,

is he about my age or younger?

- Younger.

- [Isadora] Why are you asking?

- He called you Izzy.

- Really?

Only L.A. people call me that.

What did he look like?

- Well, he has a beard,
blue eyes, short hair.

When he smiles, he has
these wrinkles up here.

He fixed my flat tire for free.

He said he wouldn't charge me.

- He doesn't think that you're
a charity case, does he?

What did you tell him?

- I tried to pay him but
he wouldn't charge me.

- [Izzy] Why not?

- He said I'd be back.

- Well, I don't want
you obligated to anyone.

Now, I'm gonna
give you some coin

and I want you to go back
this afternoon and pay him.

I don't want him to think
of you as a shooler.

(beeps)

- [Voiceover] Daniel Dominicci.

- Look, I'm closed.

Unless you got another flat.

- I want to pay you
back for fixing my flat.

- (laughs) No, forget about it.

- No, I want to.

- I won't take money from you.

- My grandmother doesn't want
me to be obligated to you.

- Huh, forget about it.

You're not obligated to me.

- Well, wait, if you won't
take my money, I was thinking

I could do something to
help you around the shop.

- I don't need any
help in the shop

and right now I'm busy.

- Wait!

How did you know my
grandmother was called "Izzy"?

- She worked for a company
that I used to work for.

- What job?

- Look, I fix bikes, OK?

And right now, I'm
baking my bread.

So, unless your bike is broken,

I'll see you in the
garden sometime.

(laughs)

(chuckles)

(hissing)

(grunts)

(hissing)

(knocking)

- [Danny] Hey, I
got another flat!

- What did you do?

- I hit that rock
in your driveway.

- (sighs) Come in.

- [Danny] What are you baking?

- Bread.

- Is it hard?

- I thought you wanted
your bike fixed.

- I do.

I just thought we
could talk, that's all.

- OK.

What did your mother tell you?

- My mother?

- Yeah, about men who live
alone with a cat in the woods?

- She doesn't know I'm here.

- She probably does.

There are sensors all the way
up to the top of the hill.

She can find you
on her Dennis Lee

- She doesn't have one.

She says, "It's a violation
to our constitutional rights,"

or something like that.

Anyways, Mom gets all hyper
about the stupidest things.

What are you doing?

- Mixing the bread dough.

- Is it hard?

- Go wash your
hands, I'll show you.

(water running)

OK, so just dive in.

(old-timey piano music)

(laughing)

(laughing)

(growl)

- Mmm, this is so good.

- Better than store-bought.

- This is so much better.

- Well, when we get
your garden planted,

you'll have
vegetables all summer.

Here you go.

And you can start
cooking for your family.

- You'll have to show me.

- Sure.

- I also want to
put in an arbor.

Or some place with a bench.

Some place shady for my
grandmother to come out and sit.

- You know, I thought
I saw her out there

but she was too young.

Isn't Isadora in her late 60's?

- Well, she used
to live in L.A.,

so she's had her wrinkles
removed at least...

once.

(laughing)

- I should have said
something to her

but I don't really talk to
people around here too much.

- People around here
aren't really friendly.

- It's a tourist town.

People come and go.

- I used to hang
out with these guys

but one of them did
something really stupid

that pissed me off.

Anyways, they're stupid.

OK, I don't mean
stupid, I just mean

they don't want to do
anything with their lives.

They just want to hang out and
score pot off the No Papers.

- I'd avoid the No
Papers if I were you.

- Why?

- Well, why did they
pull out their chip?

What are they hiding from?

- There were these people
living on the beach at home,

when there was a beach.

I don't know what
happened to them,

everyone just ignored them.

- I got some blackberry
jam that I made last week.

Let's see if it's still good.

- I always felt bad for them

so, if I had some coin on
me, I'd give it to them.

- Who?

- The people living
on the beach.

- They did it to themselves.

- What do you mean?

- The only people who
don't have chips right now

are criminals who are
hiding from the law.

- [Danny] Mom says,
"It's just people

"who want their privacy."

- If I want my
privacy, I stay home.

- But you have to go out.

You have to go to the store.

But I did know this kid
once who never got chipped.

His parents wouldn't let
the hospital chip him.

- You're kidding.

He's gonna have a hell of
a time getting i.d. papers

when he becomes an adult.

How's he gonna prove who he is?

- I don't know,
fingerprints maybe.

- (scoffs) Good luck.

- Mom told him that he'd get
a job with her at the college

but then we had to move.

- You can't help everybody.

- [Danny] Yes, you can.

Well, the government can.

That's the reason why
we have a government,

to look after its citizens.

- I used to believe that.

When I was in college,
the economy was terrible

and the unemployment
rate was really high.

(beep)
- Kind of like today?

- And we were in
the middle of a war

but hardly anybody
knew anything about it.

- Kind of like today?

- So, we elected this president,

and we thought he was gonna
change everything. (laughs)

We were really
excited that, finally,

everything was gonna
be taken care of.

No one person can do it all.

- Yes you can.

Well, not alone but if
we all work together.

- I wish I still believed that.

When I worked for this company
we developed this software

that could scan people's
chips from a further distance

so, if there was an
earthquake, the rescue workers

could find people
buried in the rubble.

I thought it was gonna
be a really great idea.

- That is a great idea.

- Well, it didn't turn out
the way I thought it would.

But I did get some awards.

That's for best
product development.

Outstanding code engineer.

And the one in the
middle I'm most proud of,

it's visionary of 2022.

- I want to do something
important like that.

Something that
changes the world.

(melancholic piano music)

- Hey, why don't you
take some bread home

to your grandmother?

- Are you sure
you don't want it?

- When you come back,
we can bake some more.

(clock ticking)

(birds chirping)

- What time did you get home?

- I don't know.

I gotta go, I love you, Mom.

- Where are you going?

- Danny, Danny.

Where did this bread come from?

- Try it.

I baked it, it's good.

- Danny!

(playful piano music)

- [Danny] Mom's pressuring
me into getting a job.

No one's hiring.

They only want locals.

- [Greg] Have you
thought about AmeriCorps?

- [Danny] No way.

- [Greg] Well, they do the
kind of things you want to do.

They rebuild houses, clean
up after natural disasters.

- [Danny] I want a real job.

- [Greg] It is a real job.

You get a check.

It's great experience.

Everybody should do it.

- [Danny] So, if I did apply,
and I 'm not saying I will,

but if I did, they
wouldn't take me anyway.

I'm not a local.

- [Greg] Tell them your
grandmother lives here.

- [Danny] But I
didn't grow up here.

- [Greg] Yeah, well, with
all these coastal refugees,

I guess it's only natural
they'd only hire locals.

- [Danny] So, I'm screwed?

- [Greg] At least give it a try.

- [Danny] Enlisting in
AmeriCorps is for losers.

- [Greg] You said you wanted
to do something to help people.

- [Danny] Something important.

- [Greg] You'd be
rebuilding houses

and cleaning up
after storm damage.

- [Danny] So, what do I say?

- [Greg] Flash 'em your smile,

'cause you've got a great smile,

tell them your name,

give 'em your Dennis Lee number,

and tell 'em you gotta go

because you're helping
somebody in the garden.

- [Danny] I have
to think about it.

- [Greg] No, don't
think about it, just go.

- [Danny] I look before I leap.

- [Greg] Just like your mother.

- You know her too?

- Oh, we met.

Think about it.

Just go and do.

You can tell me all
about it tomorrow.

- Please don't
play with the toys.

You'll wear out the batteries.

(beep)

- What's up?

- Hey.

They change the water
in your fishbowl yet?

- No, in fact it's starting
to go Pakistani around here.

- Listen, there's this
kid who just moved here

and he's trying to
get into AmeriCorps.

- It's a good program.

- Yeah.

Thing is though, the
recruiters are only accepting

their local homegrown.

It's very difficult for a
newcomer to get accepted.

- Well, it's tough all over.

- Do you know
anybody at the Corps?

- (laughs) It's
a big government.

- But a small world.

I just read a story about
a man who fathered a kid,

and never saw the little tyke,

and then 20 years later
the kid turned around

and filed a lawsuit
against his father

for being an absentee dad.

The court ordered
papa to pay millions

in retroactive child support.

- Subtle.

- Well, I'm just bringing it up.

- I'll make some calls.

- Great.

How's everything else?

- Couldn't be better.

(beep)

- Show a little more cleavage.

Men like that.

- This isn't an acting job.

- Oh, sure it is.

You want the
customers to like you.

- I'm doing this for the money.

- Just like acting.

Don't worry, dear,
you're gonna do fine.

- I never dreamed
I'd scrape this low.

- Well, I took roles
that were beneath me

but I took them.

Besides, you have to remember,

actors are whores anyway.

- (laughs) Look at you.

- Look at me.

- You look great.

(scoffs)

Grams, do you remember
that guy I told you about?

The one that called you Izzy?

- Yes.

- We've been hanging out.

He's kind of cool.

His name's Greg Forrester,
do you know him?

- When did you talk
to Greg Forrester?

- This morning.

He has a plot in the
community garden next to ours.

- He lives here?!

Oh, my God!

- Did he tell you
that he lives here?

- Yeah, he's the guy
that I told you about

that runs the bike repair shop.

- What did he say to you?

- We've been hanging
out in the garden

and I went to his house
and we made some bread.

- So, you really
did bake that bread?

- Danny, Greg Forrester
is not a good person.

I don't want you talking to him.

- What are you talking about?

- If you see him on the street,
just go about your business.

Let him go his way
and you go yours.

You didn't tell him
anything about you, did you?

- We've been talking a bit.

- How many times
have you seen him?

- A couple of times
in the past few weeks.

- You knew Greg lived
here, didn't you?

That's why you had me move here.

Mother, I just don't know
about you constantly meddling

in my life.

- I'm not meddling in your life.

I didn't know that
he lived here.

This is the first
time I've heard of it.

- You've always been
arranging things for me.

- I do things to
look out for you.

I'm just trying to help.

- You're not helping!

Did you think Greg and I would
just bump into each other

in town by coincidence

and then everything
would be forgiven?

Like we're best friends again?

- Angelina, I didn't
know that he was here.

I don't know where you get off

having these
conspiracy theories.

I do know that I didn't raise
you to behave like this.

- A person with
moral integrity?!

No, you certainly didn't!

- Get off your high
horse and look around.

- After everything
Greg's done to you,

I can't believe you'd come
up with something like this.

- I've forgiven Greg.

I've let that go

and that 's what you need to do.

That's all that matters.

- That's not all that matters!

Look at the way you're living!

Think about what you've lost!

- I didn't have anything so
how could I lose anything?

- I want you to
stop talking to him.

- He hasn't done anything wrong.

I think he's kind of cool.

- You don't know him.

- He's helping me get work.

He said he's gonna talk
to someone to get me in

with AmeriCorps.

Why shouldn't I
hang out with him?

- You shouldn't have
anything to do with him

for no other reason than what
he did to your grandmother!

- He didn't do anything to me.

- I'm sorry, Mom, but
this is your problem,

not mine.

If I see him, I see him.

(playful, old-timey piano music)

- [Greg] This little
piggy went to market

and this little piggy
planted a garden

and this little piggy...

dropped out of the world
and became a recluse

and this little
piggy fell in love

and this little piggy
ran all the way home!

(laughing)

- Mom says you went
to school together.

- Yeah, she was
dating my roommate.

We shared an
apartment for a while.

- I think she's really upset
at you about something.

- We had a disagreement.

- [Danny] What about?

- Doesn't really matter now.

- No, I want to know.

- (sighs) OK.

It used to be that when the
paramedics scanned your chip

they had to wave the scanner
very close to your shoulders

so they could get
a read on the chip,

so that idea I had about
being able to scan the chip

from a further distance,
that got applied to stores.

- You did that too?

- Well, it wasn't just my idea.

Ange and Michael and I all
brainstormed it together.

It's just I'm the one who
figured out how to make it work.

- And that's why she's
still mad at you?

- I think she doesn't like
what the technology does.

- (sighs) Well, she's that way.

I kind of feel like I've lived
in a monastery my whole life.

Every time she'd come home
from teaching her classes

I'd have to turn off
all the electronics.

I didn't even have a
Dennis Lee until I was 18.

I was so out of it.

(laughs)

- You seem pretty with it now.

- So, then you hired Grams?

- I convinced Ange to ask
your grandmother to do it.

She did it for free.

That's why you hear Izzy's voice

when you walk into
the Scan N Scram.

- I got you something.

Open it.

- OK, thank you.

Oh, how cool.

(laughs) How did you
know I liked these?

- I saw you in the store.

- You saw me in the store?

When did you see
me in the store?

- A few weeks ago.

You were playing with them.

(laughing)

- [Danny] I wonder why
Grams never told me

about making those
recordings for the stores.

- Well, it was only supposed
to be for emergencies.

Thought it would be
a really good idea.

- Well, I want to do
something like that.

Something that
changes the world.

- The problem with big change
is how it affects the details.

- Well, they should make
me a benevolent dictator.

- (laughs) That is an oxymoron.

- No, it's not.

I have this whole digital
city that I created.

There was an amusement park,

there was the work districts,
there was the mass transit.

Everyone had a job.

There was no unemployment rate.

Everyone was really happy.

- Except the ones who weren't.

- No one had a reason to be.

They had everything.

- Well, OK, if
they had everything

but what about the people
who didn't have everything?

- They didn't have a
reason to be unhappy.

They had everything.

- Well, OK...

What if I was in
love with this guy

but he wasn't in love with me?

Does that mean that
he has to be with me

in order for me to be happy?

But he wouldn't be happy.

- I bet he would.

- OK, but what if he didn't?

- But you don't know.

- OK, but let's
say that he didn't.

If he was with me
he would be unhappy

in order to make me happy.

- I bet he'd want
to be with you.

(melancholic piano music)

(train chugging)

(train whistle blows)

(sighs)

(birds chirping)

(leaves rustling)

- Greg! Greg!

- [Voiceover] Daniel Dominicci.

- I got in, I got accepted.

- [Greg] You did?

- Yeah, they said they really
liked what I had to say

and that I start next week.

- Way to go.

- I'm so happy.

(sighs) I know it's
gonna be hard work

but I think I'll really
like what I'll be doing.

- You're gonna be here
in town though, right?

- Yeah, and on the
reservation out west.

Thanks for your help.

- I didn't do it.

You got the job.

(laughs)

(melancholic piano music)

(clock ticking)

- Did you start work today?

- Not 'til Monday.

- Where have you been,
you look worn out?

- I do?

I just went for a ride.

- Oh, yeah, where did you go?

- Just up the hills.

- [Angelina] Did
Greg go with you?

- [Danny] We ran
into each other.

- What's going on
between you and Greg?

- Nothing.

He's helping me plant a garden.

- Is that all?

- Isn't that enough?

I can't get the vegetables
to grow any faster!

- I wasn't talking about what
you're doing in the garden.

- What your mother
wants to know is,

well, you're spending an
awful lot of time with Greg.

You don't come home for
dinner in the evenings

and in the mornings, you're
up and out of the house

before I've even
fixed breakfast.

Sometimes I wonder if you've
even come home at night.

- Yes, I'm coming home!

- He's a bad influence on you.

- No, he's not!

- You don't know him!

- You can't tell me
how to live my life!

- Maybe we should
invite Greg for dinner.

- That's the last thing I want!

- Well, I'd like
to see him again.

- Would you please let
me parent my child?!

- I'm not a child!

- I'm not trying to interfere.

- [Danny] It's OK,
Grams, I'm used to this!

- Oh, no you don't.

Don't you pit your
grandmother against me!

- I'm not against you.

- I'm 20 years old.

I don't know why I moved
here in the first place!

- I cannot do this,
I cannot do it!

You're going to abandon me now?

After all I've done for you.

Look at me working
as a waitress.

I've got a masters degree
and I'm waiting on rednecks

who call me "baby" and "honey"
and drop their silverware

just so they can
watch me bend over.

I'm doing this so we can survive

and I'll be goddamned if you're
dating Gregory Forrester!

- You knew him
over 30 years ago!

- 25 and that's another issue!

- This isn't settling anything.

- Would you please
stay out of this?!

- Oh, all right.

Fine, I'll just go to my
room and close the door

and pretend for a moment
that this isn't my house

and that you're staying
here as my guests!

- [Angelina] Mom?!

- At least talk to him.

- All right.

All right!

You two want to see him so bad,

have him over for dinner.

- When?

- Monday.

- I don't want to do anything
that's going to upset you.

- Well, I'll ask him.

- Are you happy now?

- I just want my daughter
and my grandson to be happy.

I will do anything I need to
do to make this family happy

and that will make me happy.

- Mother, I'm happy.

OK, Mother, I'm happy!

(sighs)

- [Voiceover] Daniel Dominicci.

(melancholic piano music)

- Hmm, what you thinkin'?

- What do you mean?

- You're thinking
about something.

- Well, Grams wants you
to come over for dinner

Monday night.

- Hmm, I have other plans.

- What?

- Studying.

- You're always studying.

What's so important?

(sighs)

- I'm trying to undo
something I did.

- You don't want to see Grams?

- Where's the house?

- Fine, don't come
if you don't want to.

- I'm asking you,
where's the house?

- 621 Sierra Vista.

- I'll be there.

- And wear pants.

- Anything else?

- And shoes. (laughs)

- Oh, now that's going too far.

- Grams is old,
don't freak her out.

- (laughs) I don't
think anything could
freak out Isadora.

- It means a lot to me.

- [Greg] And it means
a lot to me too.

- We're getting intel

the No Papers in the
San Juan Mountains

are planning to strike
the major cities.

What are you getting?

- After 150 years of mining,

those mountains are
like Swiss cheese.

Satellites can't see
what they're doing.

- What do you hear
from Greg Forrester?

- Greg?

- He's living out there.

- He's repairing bicycles.

- He was seen in a convenience
store with a No Papers,

he could be helping them.

- Greg is not involved
with a No Papers.

- He's a security risk, they
shouldn't have let him go.

- He's not involved.

- It may be time
to take him out.

- He would be working here

if they'd given him
security clearance.

I'll prove to you he's not
involved with the No Papers.

- How?

(beep)

(beeping)

- [Greg] Hey, can't talk.

I'm meeting somebody.

- We might have a job for you.

- I'm out of the loop.

I haven't kept up with
any of this stuff.

A 12 year old knows
more than I do.

- Just the same, I'm gonna
send a file over to your

Dennis Lee.

Just take a look at it and
let me know what you think.

- Gonna take credit
for my work again, huh?

- If it keeps America
safer, you bet.

- Eh, if I have the time.

- Just read the file.

You understand this
stuff better than anyone.

- You have no scruples.

(beep)

- [Woman] What did that prove?

- That he has nothing to hide.

I just uploaded a covert
explorer to his Dennis Lee

with that file and he
took it without question.

I'll be able to see everything
and hear everything.

If he's involved, we'll know.

If not, leave him alone.

(knocking)

- Hello, Greg.

- Hey, Ange.

You look great.

- I don't feel so great.

- Greggie, hi, how are you?
- [Greg] Hey, Izzy.

- How wonderful to see you.

- I brought you some
bobbles from the garden.

- Oh, they're beautiful.

Well, come in.

Don't stand out
there like a shooler.

(laughs)

- [Danny] Hello.
- [Greg] Hey.

- You look nice.

- So do you.

I got these for you.

- Thank you.

- [Izzy] Greg, I can't believe
we're practically neighbors.

- I had no idea
you'd moved to Chama.

- Well, I had to leave L.A.

Too crowded and not enough
water to grow a palm tree.

Here I can just relax
and look after my babies.

- [Angelina] Danny, will
you get the silverware?

- What are you
wearing on your feet?

You look like a penguin.

- Danny insisted.

- Oh, he did.

- Grams.

- [Izzy] Well, no one
dresses up around here

unless it's a really
special occasion.

- I didn't want to show
up on your doorstep

looking like a No Papers.

You might shoot me.

- Tempting.

At least you're wearing pants.

- You take off those shoes.

You'll be much more comfortable.

I found some steak
today at the store

and we're going to have goulash.

- How's the spy business?

- I'm not in the spy business.

- How's the tracking
down and recording

everybody's private
business business?

- Angelina, don't start.

We're going to have a
pleasant conversation tonight.

- I quit the company
six years ago.

- Should we talk
into the flowers

or can the chip pick up
our voices from here?

- [Izzy] Angelina?

- The chips can hear
anything in the room

but I don't have any
of those anymore.

Actually, I just found
out they have a chip now

that takes pictures.

No doubt some synworm is
probably in a basement

watching me walk
around the shop all day

since I signed that
no compete contract.

- Is someone really watching
what goes on in the shop?

- No.

No, no, no, they
wouldn't be interested.

- So, what are you
doing, Greggie?

- Bicycle repair.

Much more low-tech,

somehow more fulfilling.

And I like gardening
a little bit,

hanging out with Danny.

You still acting?

- Oh, no.

The community theater here
asked me to do some shows

but I don't know.

After all, this is Chama.

I think my time on stage
and screen is over.

- [Danny] It's kind of weird,

every time I walk into the
store I hear the robo-greeter.

I mean, I know it's a machine,
but it's my grandmother.

- Well, we wanted someone who
sounded warm and familiar.

- You wanted a celebrity.

- [Danny] Grams keeps
telling me to buy toothpaste.

- I'll always take
care of you, dear.

- She should have
been paid for that.

When the company was bought out,

they should have paid her.

- I was thankful that
you even thought of me.

- I somehow sort of
thought you blamed me.

- Well, I guess I should
have received royalties

off of every person that walked
into every store in America

but that's life.

- I just want you to know,

I had nothing to
do with the stores.

That happened after I was fired.

- No way.

- Fired, with a
severance package.

Doesn't matter anyway.

It was a shit job.

- Well, who would have thought

that I'd be the
Voice of America?

And, it killed my career.

- They got me too.

- Bastards.

- Cross biters.

- Flauches.

- [Izzy] May they rot in Hell.

- So, what are you
working on, Izzy?

Another project?

- No, really and truly,

I open my mouth in front of
a director and they exclaim,

"The robo-greeter."

Honestly, Greg, I don't know
what I'm gonna do with myself.

I've actually thought
about doing some writing.

- Your autobiography.

- No, we're not gonna
write those stories.

(laughing)

Now that I have my
daughter and grandson here

I don't think I'm gonna
have a lot of time

to do any writing.

- It's only temporary.

- Well, you can stay
here as long as you want,

you know that.

I want this to be your home.

- We'll be moving again

as soon as I find an
open faculty position.

- We move almost every year.

- [Angelina] Not every year.

- Why did you leave
your last position?

- The campus closed
after the hurricane.

- We didn't own a boat.

- The tidal surge
flooded our house

and destroyed everything:
carpet; furniture.

Mold started growing
inside the walls.

- Well, your insurance
should have covered that.

- We didn't have insurance.

- (laughs) Ange, you always
took a million precautions,

how could you not have
insurance living on the coast?

- We lived five miles inland.

- They all keep
saying on the news

that the altitude is falling.

- The only thing falling
is my bank balance.

- They must think we're stupid.

- Look who got
elected president.

- House rules: no politics.

We're going to have a
pleasant conversation.

- A time may come

when you're gonna have
to break those rules.

- The elections
are rigged, anyway.

What's the use?

- We still have a democracy.

As long as we stand
up and fight for it.

- That's right, Danny.

You fight for it.

And when they fire
you from your job,

you can ask yourself
how you're going to eat.

This is all your fault and
don't pretend it's not.

Danny, do the dishes.

- We just started eating.

- How is it his fault?

- I never thought
I'd see you again.

- Ange.

- I want you to know you
will not be invited here

for any family gatherings.

I can't control who my
son sees during the day

but I won't let your
influence corrupt this family.

- I haven't done
anything to hurt you.

Now, you may be mad
because Michael abandon you

and Danny but I didn't
do anything to hurt you.

Nothing!

- Don't bring his
father into this.

And don't act all
innocent either.

We knew the technology
was dangerous.

We knew how it could be used.

- We didn't know that.

- The three of us sat
around the kitchen table

'til 4:00 in the morning
talking about all the dangers

in chipping people.

I even said a burglar would
be able to use our scanner

to find out if anyone
was in the house.

That was 20 years ago,
look at the crime rate.

- The police are using
it to find criminals.

- To scan every car that
drives down the freeway?

Stopping you if you go
down the same street twice?

What good is that?

We vowed to never let our
research out and to destroy it

because we knew the
implications were horrific.

You and me and Michael,
all three of us

in that dinky, little apartment.

We burned your research
book on the stove.

It set off the fire alarm
and it woke up the old couple

next door, don't
you remember that?

You tried to take
the pan outside

and it burned a
hole in your pants.

It left a scar on your leg,
don't you still have it?

We pledged to never, never let
anyone develop this software!

But you did it anyway.

And then sold the company.

And Michael, God knows
what Michael was doing.

How can you date him, Danny?!

He's your father's best friend!

- More goulash?

- Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln.

How was your first day at work?

- You didn't tell me
you knew my father.

- I told you about Michael.

- You didn't tell
me he was my father.

- Michael is your father.

- (sighs) This is too weird.

- Danny... (sighs)

- She says he left
because of me.

- It wasn't you.

They just saw the world
completely differently.

- Let's not talk
about this right now.

- No, I want to.

- They didn't have
a good break-up.

- He must have been
a total asshole.

- Maybe he was to Ange.

- She told me my
father's an arrogant pig.

- He wanted to be a father for
you but she wouldn't let him.

- Do you still talk to him?

- He asked me to send
a picture of you.

- What's he like?

- He's smart, like you are.

He used to be idealistic,
just like you are.

But I think he's bought
into the program now.

- I'm not like him.

- You're right, Danny.

You're not like him.

- Sometimes I think
she gets mad at me

because I remind her of him.

- No, Danny, no.

Don't say that.

- Your mom's very smart and
she's very strong-willed.

She and Michael and I were
working together on this project

but she didn't like
the implications

of what the technology
would bring.

And so she sabotaged
her own work.

- Sabotaged it?

- I can't fault her beliefs

but his is
information technology

and that means gathering private
information about people.

Our lives used to
be very different.

Like it or not, Danny,
the world changed.

- You mean this is
the world you created?

- Yes.

It's the world I created.

- Tell Michael I never
want to meet him.

- I guess I better
excuse myself.

- Goodnight, Greggie.

- I'm sorry, Izzy.

I didn't think it would
turn out this way.

Goodnight, Danny.

- Mom?

- Not now, Danny. (sniff)

- I love you.

(melancholic piano music)

- [Voiceover] Hello, Greggie.

(sighs)

(sighs)

- I sure fucked up, Izzy.

(crash)

- [Voiceover] Hello, Isadora.

- Oh, hey, Izzy.

- Oh, Greggie.

Hi, how are you?

- Thanks again for
dinner last month.

- Oh, sure.

Actually, I'm
looking for notepads.

Have you seen any note paper?

I'm gonna write just
a few stories down.

Nothing professional,
just ramblings.

- Why aren't you
using your Dennis Lee?

- Because I can't coordinate
my brain with my thumbs.

It's so much more
complicated than typing.

- It's easier.

- Well, I can't
get the hang of it.

- Well, here are some stickies.

- Well, great.

Five of these and
I can write haiku.

(laughs)

- How's Danny?

- He's fine.

He comes home from
work, showers,

hardly says a word
during dinner,

goes to his room,
shuts the door.

You should talk to him.

- He won't talk
to me, I've tried.

- Well, he's gonna have
to talk to someone.

His mother leaves next week.

Of course, he can
stay at the house,

I'm not worried about that,
but it's starting to feel

a little like a
monastery around there.

- Where's Ange going?

- Don't you know?

I guess you wouldn't.

She got a job at a university
in Indonesia, of all places.

- Really?

- Jakarta.

Now, her radical independence
in a Muslim world

might not be a good mix
but at least it's a job

and there's not a
war there, thank God.

- Yeah, it's starting to
get bloody in Venezuela,

from what I hear.

- I don't want to
think about it.

Why don't you come by
the house this evening?

- No, Izzy.

I saw Danny in the
garden and he walked away

before I could get near him.

- You know, he's had
quite a crush on you

until, of course, he found
out that you weren't perfect.

- I thought it was
more than a crush.

Well, it was for me.

- Well, he's young.

He hasn't learned yet that
it's our imperfections

that make us human.

(laughs)

- I guess I'm superhuman.

- No, I can top you there.

(laughs)

You know, Greggie,
when I first met you,

years ago, I was kind of
hopeful that you and Angelina

were seeing each other.

Of course that was before I
knew anything about Michael

and why tell your mother
that you're pregnant.

But anyway, then I
found out, of course,

that you weren't into
girls but, for a moment,

I actually thought
of you as a son.

- Then what did you think
when you thought I might

become your grandson-in-law?

- Well, yes, if you two
are good for each other,

then age doesn't matter.

He can learn from you.

- I think I was
learning a lot from him.

- Whatever happens,

don't start calling me "Grams".

I don't let on but I
actually hate that.

I mean, how can I be that old?

I still feel like I'm 29.

(laughs)

- [Greg] I'll catch
you later, Izzy.

- The National Program,
created 20 years ago,

to rebuild infrastructure
after natural disasters,

has never been implemented
before on foreign soil.

Sources inside the White
House say President Dogget

has selected AmeriCorps
enlistees to rebuild schools

and medical facilities in
the Venezuelan war zone.

- What's up?

- Dogget is sending everyone
at AmeriCorps into combat.

- Housing reconstruction.

- Bullshit!

What the fuck is she doing?

- Greg, I'm a t work.

- Everyone in the program?

- It's a full deployment.

- Oh, no, she can't.

- Enlistees will be
notified tomorrow.

If they don't report
for assignment,

the Scanner Network
will locate them.

- There's no draft,
they don't have to go.

- They enlisted.

- And what if they refuse?

- Greg, I can't talk right now.

- Call me.

(beeping)

- Yes?

- Danny, you don't know me...

- I know who you are.

- Well, OK.

Look, there is a lot I
would like to tell you

but not right now.

Is Greg there with you?

- No.

- [Michael] I've
got to talk to Greg.

- Then call him yourself.

I thought you were
his best friend.

- You need to tell Greg
his Dennis Lee is tapped.

They can see and
hear everything.

- Tell him yourself.

- I can't, Danny,
that's the thing.

- How do you know it's bugged?

- Because I'm the
one who tapped it.

Danny, listen to me,
this is very important.

You have to ride into
the mountains tonight.

- I'm going to bed.

- No, you can't.

Look, pack some food
and some clothes.

Leave all your electronics,
don't take any of it.

There are plenty of
people in the mountains

who can help you.

- This is a joke.

- [Michael] I know
what I'm talking about.

Do what I tell you.

- Mom's right, you
are an arrogant pig.

(beep)

(sighs)

(slam)

- Any news in your region?

- No, nothing to report.

(knocking)

(knocking)

- Izzy.
- [Izzy] Greg...?

- I have to see Danny.
- [Izzy] It's late.

- I know but it's important.

I have to see him.

- I said to come by in the
evening but not this late.

- Oh, please, Izzy.

- All right, let me
see if he's still up.

(thunder)

- Hey.
- [Danny] Hey.

- I've got to talk to you.

- Your best friend,
Michael, called.

He says your Dennis
Lee's tapped.

What's going on?

You know, I may be a little
naive, but I'm not stupid.

You two are totally cranking me.

- Danny, they're sending
everyone In AmeriCorps

to Venezuela.

- What do you mean?

- What did Michael tell you?

- He told me to pack
my stuff and leave.

- Oh, he's really serious.

They are gonna ship you out.

- AmeriCorps isn't army.

- Doesn't matter now.

- I didn't join the army.

- They can send you
anywhere they want to.

- I'm not gonna fight
in some stupid war!

- They're not calling
it fighting, Danny!

"You're gonna rebuild houses,"
is what they're saying.

But I promise you they're
gonna put a gun in your hand

and they're gonna ship
you into a war zone.

- No way, I won't go
to the training center.

- You don't have to go.

They're gonna come for you.

- Why didn't you tell
me this could happen?

- Well, it never could before.

The president has got
Congress all tied up.

Anybody who disagrees with her
is just called an anarchist.

- They can't take my baby.

- No one can stop her.

- It's worse than I feared.

- What am I supposed to do?

I'm not a soldier.

- We're gonna have
to hide you, Danny.

How did Michael know that
my Dennis Lee is tapped?

- He did it.

- [Greg] What?

- He said he did it.

- I run a virus scan...

The file he sent me.

Oh, fuck.

- We'll pack tonight.

I can drive us to a
friend's in Oklahoma.

- You can't take your car, Ange.

If the police scan it,
they'll know he's with you.

- Now, let's just try
to keep a calm head.

Tomorrow morning we'll be able
to think much more clearly.

- Danny, I know you're
very angry at me.

Maybe you hate me

but I have fallen so
deeply in love with you.

I can't imagine
living without you.

If they ship you off
to that blood jungle

I'm never gonna see you again.

I can't imagine going back
to the way it was before.

Please let me help you.

I didn't know what love
was like before I met you.

(sighs)

- I love you.

Michael said I should
go to the mountains.

He said people
there can help me.

- [Ange] I'll go with you.

- You can't, Mom.

You just got a job.

- [Ange] Forget the job.

- I don't know
where we'll wind up,

or how long we'll be gone.

- If you join the No Papers,

it's going to be very difficult
to get back into society.

- I can't leave my baby.

- Angelina.

Baby, it's gonna be OK.

It's all right.

- It's time for me
to make my own life.

(suspenseful piano music)

- [Voiceover] Hello, Greggie.

Daniel.

Hello, Angelina.

Isadora.
- [Izzy] Give it a rest.

- Why didn't you tell me what
you were doing with my voice?

- It was supposed to
be for medical records

in an emergency.

- I never worked again when
those machines popped up

in every Wal-Mart, pawn
shop, and convenience store

in America.

- You should've listened to me.

- I knew what the software
could be used for.

The potential...

It was exciting to dream
about the possibilities but...

It was too unlikely.

Seemed pretty farfetched.
(beeping)

Then we started developing
chips that record events.

It was supposed to
be for pet owners.

A veterinarian would
inject the chip in your cat

and you'd know where
the cat has been

or where the cat is now.

No more lost cats.

We demo-ed in Vegas,
it got a lot of buzz.

- That's what did it.

- I started thinking,

"Wow, we could use this
technology to track disease,

"fears of contagion."

Two weeks later we got
an offer for a buyout.

I wasn't too sure about it.

- What did Michael do?

- Michael needed the money.

We both did.

We signed the papers.

Well, a week later I got
pulled into security.

These were guys who
I'd known for years

and suddenly they're treating
me like I'm a criminal!

They said I didn't pass
the security check!

- [Danny] Why?

- They axed all you.

- They gave me a
check, pulled my badge,

and told me it would be a bad
idea if I wrote any more code.

Like I was a hacker!

- You are a hacker.

They just didn't want
you working against them.

- I'd never been so
scared in my entire life.

I was afraid if I
walked down a dark alley

I'd get a bullet in
the back of my head.

- Oh, my God.

- I cashed the check.

I called a friend to
break into my house

to get some books, my
tools, pick up Edison.

I ditched my car,

I didn't know if they had
a locator on it or not.

I knew I couldn't
cross the borders

because they could
track me if I did

and that's how I wound up here.

I figured it was so far away
no one would look for me.

And after a while,
when nothing happened,

I figured they weren't
looking for me.

(sighs)

I was so lonely

until I met you.

- We've got each other now.

- This is what I've been
working on every night.

It's a fabric that should
block the scanners.

Try it, wrap it
around your shoulder.

- Does it come in other colors?

(laughs)

- [Voiceover] Goodbye, Isadora.

Angelina.

- I'll leave you the spec.

At the least, this is one
way we can fight back.

But, in your case, we have
to destroy your identity.

- (sighs) Do it.

- Greg, what are you doing?

- It has to come out.

- With a paper knife?!

- (laughs) It's better
than a steak knife.

- It's OK, Mom.

- Life goes on.

(melancholic piano music)

- It's so small.

- And so dangerous.

- They're not looking for you.

- They will be.

It has to go.

- [Voiceover] Goodbye, Daniel.

Goodbye, Greggie.

- Goodbye, Izzy.

- Wow.

- [Greg] No identity, right?

- [Danny] No identity.

- [Greg] The hotter it
is, the less it'll hurt.

Izzy, this should make up
for some of the royalties

you should have earned.

- Oh, what is this?

- Well, it's what's left
over from my payout.

- I can't take that.

- You deserve this.

- No, you and Danny need this.

Keep it.

- (laughs) Not
where we're going.

I can repair bicycles
to barter what we need.

Danny will find
something useful.

We'll be OK.

- We'll be better than OK.

(meow)

- Izzy, I need to
ask you a favor.

- [Izzy] Of course, anything.

- I don't know
where we're gonna be

and it could be pretty
difficult on Edison here.

He's a good cat.

I've had him 12 years.

Could you look after him?

- Oh, gosh.

You're giving me your cat.

- I'm loaning you my cat.

- Does he use his box?
(meow)

- Mostly.

Goodbye, Edison.

I promise I'll
come back for you.

- Goodbye, Mom.

- Be careful.

It won't always be like this.

- We'll be OK.

It'll work out.

(crying)

- I'll take care of your cat.

You better take
care of my grandson.

- I will.

- Bye, Grams.

- I love you.

- You promise?

- With all my heart.

Come on.

(playful, old-timey piano music)