Come See the Paradise (1990) - full transcript

Why are we so early?

It's good to be early.

Do you ever worry
that you won't recognize him, Mama?

You recognize me, don't you?
Why shouldn't you recognize him?

Well, he might have grown
a beard or a mustache or something.

And I was so little.
I only think I remember him.

Do you think he'll remember me?

Well, he has all your photographs
and all the letters that you wrote him.

- And he has all your school reports-
- You sent him my school reports?

Well, of course I did. I wanted to
let him know how well you were doing.

Come on now. I've got some tea
and some rice cakes here.



We'll have a nice talk
while we're walking, okay? Let's go.

- How far do we have to go?
- Not far.

If we have so much time,
why are you walking so fast?

I shouldn't have worn these new shoes.

I think I have a blister.

Mama-

Try not to think about it.

You want to look pretty
now, don't you?

Can we talk about Papa?

Okay.

One, two, three, four!

Hey!

One, two three four!

Hey!



Hey! One, two, three, four!

Hey! One, two, three, four!

I didn't mean to offend you.

The first time you come
to my café, you insult me!

And the next time you see me,
you tell me to kiss a horse.

After all, you did tell me it
would kill you to pay the bet.

I wanted to let you off and I just said
the first thing that came into my head.

Forgive me. Please do.

Do you like that?

Like it? Who wouldn't?
I only wish that we'd bet some more.

Oh, but we did!

Five, six, ten- ten bets.

And you won every time.

I did not know I could hate a man
so much and love him so quick.

- What's going on?

The sergeant won by a nose.

Run!

It wasn't what was planned.
It wasn't agreed in committee.

Smoke bomb, firebomb,
what the fuck's the difference, kid?

A bunch of people could have gotten killed.
That's the fuckin' difference!

Look, kid. You have the right interest,
but the wrong attitude.

- It wasn't agreed in committee!
- Fuck the committee!

Hey, this is Brooklyn, not Petrograd.
It's just another way of negotiating.

All these animals who own the theaters-
this is all they understand.

Augie, talk to this guy
for Chrissakes, will ya?

- Just a different way of doing business, Jack.
- Business, my ass!

The result's the same.

- Brennan-
- You want to unionize these morons...

you gotta kick 'em in the crotch
before you even get 'em to the table.

It's like Mr. Brennan says.
Whatever way you look at it, it's negotiation.

Oh, Augie. Don't
let 'im give you that-

Here's 300.
Take a vacation.

Go read some more books, sonny boy.
You're outta here.

- What?
- Out! Bye-bye.

Adios.

That pretty usherette with the doodah hair perm
got a good look at you, Jack.

There ain't too many good-lookin' Irishmen
with burned hands in Brooklyn.

Just spit it out, Augie.

Things are different, Jack.

To these guys,
you're trouble, okay?

You know every statute
on the law books by heart.

But you also got principles.
And you got politics.

And that ain't how
they want to do things right now.

This is a different union,
and they're scared of you.

- What? Of these?
- Of your mouth, Jack.

Please.

Take the money.

'Cause next time you might get burned
so bad you won't need bandages.

He says to thank your father
for inviting them to perform in America.

Oh, yes.
Papa's crazy that way.

- He says-
- I know what he said.

Tell him it's unlucky
to make a pass on the stairs.

It doesn't translate.
I guess she just blew you away, buster.

Eh?

- Hai.

Papa, shh.
You shouldn't.

Frankie.

- Frank- Frankie.
- Don't worry.

It's very amusing.

- Hiroshi?
- Hmm?

- Are you going to talk all night
when the cards are waiting?
- Oh.

- And we have to have photo taken.
- Mmm.

- Papa, no. You promised no cards tonight.
- Papa.

If I want to play cards,
I play cards.

Lily, quick!
Just come! Just come!

- Just come!
- Shh!

It's Mrs. Ogata, Papa's
projectionist's wife.

- Is he here?
- Sure! He's at the bar!

- He's the drunk. He's always drunk.
- He'll kill her!

"Hollywood-ono." Big movie star.

Thanks.

- Jack?
- Marge.

Is it, Jack?
Why didn't you tell us you were coming?

- Gerry, look who's here!
All the way from New York!
- Hey!

- Oh, no! Look at you!
- Where's your manners?

You can't get up from the table
to welcome your own brother?

- You look so stunned!
- Good to see you.

Ohh.

All I'm sayin' is, is that
if you're gettin' a dollar fifty an hour...

and some guy in a suit is gettin' $10 out of it,
then it ain't fair.

It's got nothin' to do
with Communism.

It's got everything to do with it!
I'll tell you, I'm glad to be workin'.

- You don't know what you're talkin' about.
- We should all be lucky.

Every time I go through those gates,
I look at that sign. I say, "God bless ya!"

'Cause some poor sucker who
ain't got a pot to piss in...

- is out there beggin' for a cup of coffee.
- Gerry-

Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
You people just mess things up!

Gerry, you're missin' my point!

Sure, it's great
that you're in work.

What I'm sayin' is is that someone has
got to look out for the workin' man.

You better believe it.
If he could get out of workin', he would...

- the lazy son of a bitch.
- I work hard. I work damn hard!

If the union people say he don't have to work
hard for the same money, he's the first one-

You don't know what you're talkin' about.
Your kids aren't exactly starvin'.

Only 'cause I work too, pal. The money you
hand over don't exactly pay for no fancy eatin'.

I'm tellin' you.

If you're gonna stay here,
you better not go causin' trouble.

I'm not gonna cause any trouble.

I am not gonna stay under the same roof
with no Red. Brother or no brother!

Jesus! I am not a Red!
For Chrissakes, I'm agreein' with ya!

I'm gonna get a regular job
like everyone else.

I'm gonna get a regular job
like everyone else.

You never had a regular job!

Look, this is a great country,
best country in the world.

- If you fucking Reds- Excuse the language-
- It's a great country.

- I ain't no Red.
- Didn't go causin' trouble!

Now, you're lucky
to be livin' here.

Else you'd be livin' like a pig in shit
pullin' three dollars a week in Donegal.

Yeah, well, that's why
I feel so at home here, Gerry.

When it comes to shovelin' shit,
you're full of it.

- Shut up, the two of ya!
- Jesus.

No wonder your
fuckin' wife left you.

She left because
she missed Ireland, Marge.

She's happy there. It wasn't gonna
work out. You know that.

She left because
you spoiled it for her.

You lost your faith
in everything, Jack.

You were so full of rage,
she got sick of it and stopped dreamin'.

- Maybe I shouldn't stay here.
- No. Don't even think of it.

Hey, we're glad
to have you. Huh?

Go talk to Gerry.
He- He means well.

Hmm.

Shouldn't have come here, Jack.

Y-You're my brother,
and I wanna help you, but...

trouble sticks to you
like shit to a blanket.

I'm a content kind of guy, you know?
I'm sick of trouble.

So am I.

Honest to God, Gerry,
all I want is a regular job.

You're a politician, Jack.
A sweatshop lawyer.

The Chicago heavies have closed this town
off to any outside union guys.

I know. I know.

Don't worry.
I'll be gone tomorrow.

- Where'll you go?
- I don't know. San Francisco, maybe?

You don't want to do that.

- Maybe I can talk to some people for you.
- No, Gerry. No.

See this yard?

- It's a nice yard.
- You should see it in the daytime.

It's beautiful, really beautiful.

Got geraniums, got magnolias,
got sweet peas.

Got a fountain.

Hey, I'm even thinkin' of puttin'
a pool in for the kids.

- A pool will be nice.
- Yeah.

It's enough for me, Jack.

It's enough for me too, Gerry.

Papa! Papa!

Papa, it's Mr. Ogata.

No, no, no. Papa,
he's killed himself.

Hai?

He's killed himself, Papa. I just found him.

Can you imagine killing yourself?

Do you have to? We're gonna eat.

It's the only thing he could have done.
Why do you have to keep talking about it?

Mr. Fujioka?
But he's old and he's sleazy.

Papa, are you serious?

Why did he have to kill himself?
Why didn't he just kill her?

Because of honor.

Why do you have to kill anyone?
Why can't you just make up?

- Or why didn't he just leave her?
- I knew his wife, Mrs. Fujioka.

Nice woman.
Died too young.

Lily, he'd make a good husband to you.

Oto-san, you smoke too much!

But he's horrible!
He's ugly, and he has bad teeth, Mama.

- He's-
- Sleazy.

He's rich,
and Papa owes him money.

But I don't know him.

- That's all right.
All I know of Mama was her picture.
- Listen to Papa.

You're not marrying anyone.
I am!

- Aw, you like the idea.
- I am not! I hate the idea!

Just meet with him.

- For Papa's sake.
- For all our sakes.

We can do with the money.
And we need a new projectionist.

Do as your papa says. What harm can it do?

- You'll meet him.
- But, Mama, he's older than Papa.

You'll meet him, and that's that!

Uh, you prefer we speak English.

It's okay.
As you prefer.

I'm sorry, my Japanese
isn't very good.

Oh- Oh, no.
My mother doesn't speak English.

And so-

Uh-

I want you to know,
uh, I make you a good husband.

I give you a good life,
nice house.

I have a good business,
and, uh...

I want you to know I can-

I'm sorry?

Uh, I give you plenty babies.

Hmm?

We have five shows a day,
six if the film is short, and it pays $20 a week.

- Seven days a week?
- Oh, yes.

Good union hours.

Well, it's a Japanese custom.
People expect it.

And it's for one month. My cousin
in Portland is coming to work here then.

- Sounds good to me.
- First show is 11:00.

11:00, huh?

Mm-hmm.

Last guy sleep here?

Yeah. He, um, liked to take a nap
in between shows.

- What happened to him?
- He died.

Overworked, probably.

Committed suicide.
He was disgraced.

What'd he do?
Miss a changeover?

Now, the projectors are very old...

- so you have to treat them like a woman.
- With love?

No, with patience.

- What did you say to her?
- I don't know. It's in the third reel of the movie.

Hey! Who was that?

- No one worth knowing.
- Are you kidding?

- She's not your type.
- Oh, she's your girlfriend or something.

- No, no, no. Just a girl.
- Just a girl? She's beautiful.

- She's my sister.
- Wait a minute.

You told me your sister had a face
like a plate of steamed dumplings.

- You should see her without makeup.
- You said she was four foot tall.

- I've got a lot of sisters.
- We're asking her to lunch.

No, no. Jack, Jack, listen.
She's Japanese, Jack.

- Yeah?
- We'll find you a nice American girl.

Uh, hi. I'm, uh, Jack.
I work with your brother Charlie.

Are you Dulcie?

Lily. Dulcie's my other sister.

- Hi, Lily.
- Hello.

We were just wondering
if maybe you would join us for lunch.

He was wondering.

Look. I'm in a hurry.
She's busy. Let's go!

I can have lunch.
Uh, Matsui-san-

Hai. Domo ne. I can.

- Oh, great.
- Great.

Oops. Oh, thank you.

So, what are
we gonna order here?

- Can you read that?
- Yeah. My Japanese is gettin' better every day.

It's in Chinese.

It might help you
if you'd turn the menu up the other way.

Maybe you oughta order for us.

- Don't forget that game tonight.
- Oh, yeah. Lily gonna go with us?

- No. She hates baseball.
- I like baseball, creep.

Oh, shit. Did you lock up?

No, I gave you the keys.

I'll be back.

Talk about baseball.

- So-
- Thank you.

- Um, so you work in my father's theater?
- Yeah, projectionist.

The films must be boring for you.

No, no, uh- Some people
would kill to get my job.

The last guy even killed himself.

Are you from Los Angeles?

No. I'm from, um, Philadelphia
by way of New York.

I just got out here.
And you?

Little Tokyo...
by way of Little Tokyo.

- Your father?
- Ah. Uh, he's issei- first generation.

- He's from Wakayama, Japan.
- Issei.

Mm-hmm. Uh, but all us kids
were born right here. Nisei.

- Nisei.
- Nisei, that's us- second generation.

- Oh, uh-
- What happened to your hands?

- Oh, it's a long story.
- Do they hurt?

Only when I use chopsticks.

Um, you work in
the costume shop long?

Uh, since school.

Mm-hmm. And, uh, your father
owns that too, or-

Oh, no.
And he only rents the movie theater.

He's not allowed to own it.
He's Japanese. It's against the law.

He never became a citizen?

That's against the law too,
for Japanese.

Well, I didn't know that.

Not many people do.

You're really beautiful, Lily.

Thank you.

I was expecting a plate
of steamed dumplings.

To eat?

- No, to have lunch with.

Can I kiss you?

What?

Can I kiss you?

Shall we order?

- What? Steamed dumplings?
- To eat?

To eat, have lunch with,
to play baseball with.

To kiss.

- Just order.
- Oh, I'm only serious.

- Can I kiss you again?
- It'll give you indigestion.

Kanpai.

Kanpai.

You let him kiss you
just like that?

- Uh-huh.
- In chop suey restaurant?

- Are you gonna tell Mama?
- No.

And neither are you.

- You gonna go dancing?
- Mm-hmm. Maybe.

- You gonna kiss him again?
- Maybe.

Are you gonna... do it?

- Do it?
- You know, it.

Dulcie, I just met him.

You kissed him in a chop suey restaurant
for God's sake.

Well, if I did,
I'm certainly not gonna tell you.

I guess this means
you're not gonna marry Mr. Fujioka.

No, I'm not.

Papa's gonna kill you if he finds out.

Mr. Ogata left this behind before the rest
of his spirit departed for heaven.

Poor Mr. Ogata.
I never saw him sober.

How did you burn your hands?

Oh, in a fire.
It was a mistake.

I was a sweatshop lawyer
for the New York Projectionists' Union.

What's a sweatshop lawyer?

Not a real lawyer, nothin' special.

Just anybody in the union who can read.

The Norris-LaGuardia
Anti-Injunction Act...

the Wagner Labor Relations Act,
I know 'em all, every line, every comma.

Got me into trouble.

Why?

Because we lost sight of
what we were fightin' for.

Got too rough.

I'm not proud of it,
but it's in the past.

Startin' over.
From nothin' to nothin'.

Tell me about your wife.

We were 18
when we got married, and it didn't work.

She went back to Ireland.

Why did she do that?

She had an accident.

She worked in a shoe factory,
and her hair got caught in one of the machines.

And it wasn't serious,
but she was... pregnant...

and the shock of it
made her lose the baby.

I wasn't there.
I was at a meeting.

She wasn't happy here,
so her sister paid for her ticket...

and she took the boat
back home.

Can't blame her.

Guess she'd
had enough of America.

Or enough of me.

You don't like sake.

I hate it.

I'm gonna take you home.

No. It's better
if I go on my own.

I'll be fine.

Papa sees you, you'll be joining
Mr. Ogata in heaven.

- Good night.
- Good night.

- Good night.
- Good night.

Did you really kiss him
in the chop suey restaurant?

- Yes, I did.
- Weren't you embarrassed?

A little, maybe.

No. It seemed
a nice thing to do.

Come to think of it,
I wasn't embarrassed one little bit.

- Weren't people looking at you?
- I didn't notice.

God, you were kissing him already,
and you hardly knew him.

Somehow, it didn't matter.

- Did you love him?
- Oh, yes.

Very much.

Did you go to
lots of nice places?

Mm, some.

What did Papa Kawamura say?

Papa, let's just talk about it, even.

- No! No! No! No!
- Papa!

Mama?

Itadakimasu.

Itadakimasu.

- Mr. Noji, come on.
- Did you let him in?

- No.
- Come on, your highness.

The prime minister wants to tell you
how the invasion of China is doin'.

- Did you get that?
- It's about Lily, right?

Says you're not to see her again.
And you're fired.

He wants you gone by Friday.

It's best, Jack, for her and you.

I told you, Jack!

Best you get yourself a nice American girl.

Lily?

- Is Lily here?
- No Lily, sorry. She not work today.

- What?
- She's gone to see her aunt on Terminal Island.

Okay. Thanks.

I want to see Mr. Kawamura.

I have to see him.

Mr. Kawamura,
may I have a word with you, please?

May I sit down, sir?

Mr. Kawamura,
I'm... sorry if I've offended you, sir.

I still don't know why...
I've offended you. Uh-

You see, I'm just a dumb
mick from... New York.

And I'm not aware of all your customs
and your traditions and all.

But I'm trying
really hard to learn.

And I would very much like to see
your daughter again, sir.

It's not possible.

- To go out with her.
- It's not possible!

- To-
- It's not possible!

You can keep saying "it's not possible"
all night, Mr. Kawamura.

Mr. Kawamura, I am trying
really hard to be respectful, sir.

Honest to God, I am.
I am trying really hard to understand...

wh-what this must
mean to you.

But I love your daughter.

I know you look at me,
and you see some nothing bum...

who works for you for $20 a week,
and doesn't seem to amount to much- I know that.

But I think I can be
better than that, sir.

And dumb and stupid as
this may sound to you...

what I can never be,
not ever...

is Japanese.

But I couldn't
love Lily more.

How was Terminal Island?

Pretty.

We had tea with my aunt.

My mother and my sisters stayed.
I left. I took the ferry home.

They're still probably looking
for me out on the beach.

I have to leave.

I know.

I heard.

- Where will you go?
- I don't know.

I want you to come with me.
I want to marry you, Lily.

- You sat up and talked all night?
- Yep.

- What did he talk about?
- Well, lots of stuff.

Your papa knew so many things,
about politics and history... and everything.

- Did you kiss?
- A little.

Did you have a big wedding? With Mama and
Papa Kawamura, and Dulcie and Frankie-

- No. No, we couldn't.
- Why?

For a start, Japanese aren't allowed to marry
non-Japanese in the state of California.

- Why?
- 'Cause it was against the California laws.

- So where did you go?
- Seattle.

- Why did you go to Seattle?
- 'Cause it's not California.
We could get married there.

Can we have a snow cone, Mama?

We've got tea.

Okay.

Didn't even Mama Kawamura
come to the wedding?

No. No, she didn't.

What did you wear?
Were you pretty?

Oh, I had a beautiful dress
with a lace collar and cuffs.

And I wore my hair special
with a bow just like yours.

It was a beautiful day.

It was the best wedding anyone ever had.

We had flowers.

We had champagne.
It was the best day of my life.

Thank you.

- Come on. Come on.
- Where are we going?

Our party.

They're playin' our song.

- Ooh!

You went to somebody else's wedding?

No one seemed to mind.

And for Papa and me, it seemed like
everyone had shown up just for us.

We were happy.

- So very happy.
- Oh, ow! Ow!

Help me out.
I can't move my legs.

Yeah.

Those days it seemed like
all we ever did was kiss.

What about me?

You were born on Christmas Day, 1937.

And we called you Minae,
after Mama Kawamura's sister.

- And you went to your first school there.

Flap your wings.

In Seattle, your papa got a job
in a cannery as a fish masher.

Let's go! We gotta put food on our tables.

Fourteen!

I'm tellin' you.
They're goin' about it all the wrong way.

It ain't enough to have somethin' to say
if you ain't got no one listenin'.

Six guys ain't gonna speak for everyone.
Only everyone speaks for everyone.

One wet, slimy fish ain't gonna
speak for all the rest of these fish.

He might be a stinkin' fish.

And even if the rest of all these suckers
were alive and well and kickin'...

which they ain't,
that one guy ain't gonna scare no one.

They're pretty pleased
with what they're doin'.

There's a lot of things
that are wrong around here.

If you was to throw that switch right now,
you'd probably take off both of my legs...

and no one would give a shit
that I was suddenly two foot shorter.

'Cause the only way you're gonna get those guys
upstairs in the suits to listen to you...

is when a big fish comes along, and he swallows
up all the rest of these little fish.

And this big fucking fish
has teeth so huge...

it scares the shit out of those guys
upstairs in the suits.

Because they know that it can bite off
both of their arms and legs.

If you're so smart,
how come you don't do somethin' about it?

'Cause I promised someone
I wouldn't.

Who did you promise?

My wife.

Get outta here!

You have no right to do this!
These people have a legal right to picket.

- Says who?
- Says the law!

You okay? Get outta the way!

Under the Clayton Act of 1914,
these men have the legal right to picket!

They are workers
from this company!

And they have
legitimate grievances!

They were demonstrating peaceably!

And you have no right to do this!

These men were fighting
for all of you.

Are you going to allow these
people to get away with this?

Will you get this man an ambulance?

I'm not shouting.

Look, I work in a place, where for 78 cents
an hour, we stuff dead fish into cans!

- We don't work Saturdays, we get laid off.
- I don't want to hear it.

Why do you always see
the bad in everything?

Because maybe things
should be a little bit better, that's why.

- The people working down there-
- But it makes you so angry!

Why do you always have to
be angry at everyone?

I am angry because the people working there
are so stuffed with shit...

that they ought to be so grateful they're
not standing in soup-kitchen lines anymore.

- So they stink of fish every day!
- Why does it have to be you?

Why can't it be someone else?
It's too dangerous for you, Jack.

You don't think that
if it was someone else...

they don't have wives and husbands
and kids to think about?

- We're happy, Jack.
- Happy?

What in the hell does "happy"
have to do with any of this?

You're happy.
Maybe I'm not so happy.

Lily, it's not you.
I swear to God. It's not you.

It's just that maybe things bother me
that you don't know about.

Maybe things bother me so much that I just-
I can't speak sometimes.

I get so choked up with rage.
And I-

I agreed to hand out
a bundle of leaflets on a street corner...

and you act as if
I'm going out to kill someone.

Because you know one thing's
gonna lead to another.

It'll make you crazy.
You can't spit against heaven, Jack.

Oh, don't give me
that Japanese shit!

Oh, Lily, I'm sorry.
I'm truly sorry, honey.

It's just a few leaflets.
I promise.

Go home!

Why don't you go home?

Your attention, please.

Los Angeles
overnight coastal service-

I don't know why
I left your papa that day.

But sometimes you get pushed and pulled
without ever knowing the reasons why.

But I knew I couldn't stay.

I had to be with
Mama and Papa Kawamura.

Do you have a history of labor union business,
McGann? It is McGann, isn't it?

Yeah, McGann.
No, no, I don't.

I work at the cannery.
I'm a fish masher.

You people caused quite a stir.

It was a legal demonstration, sir.

Perfectly within the Constitution.

Well, all that striking stuff's
over now, mister.

When the Japs
step on the beach...

you think they're gonna take
any notice of your banners?

They'll stick a goddamn bayonet in your belly,
grievance or no grievance.

This is America, pal, so remember
you're an American. We're at war now.

- What are you talking about?
- Ain't you heard?

The Japs just bombed
Pearl Harbor.

It's all over the radio.

Lily! Lily!
You never said you were coming.

- Oh, I knew you'd come back.
- Joycie, my God.

- Mini!
- Hi, Lily.

- She is so beautiful. Adorable.
- Thanks.

- Harry!
- Lily! It's good you came. It's great to see you.

It's nice to see you too.

- Where's Mama?
- She's upstairs.

- Who are these men?
- F.B.I. They're searching the house.

- They arrested Papa, Lily.
- What?

They've arrested many issei.
All the kendo big shots.

They say Papa's
a potentially dangerous alien.

- They searched the house three times.
- Papa, dangerous?

Charlie's at the police station now to find out
what's happening. Where's Jack?

He's in Seattle.

Mama?

Mama?

I'm so sorry.

I'm sure things
will be all right, Mama.

They'll know Papa is a good man.

He never harmed anybody.

He didn't do anything wrong.

They'll see that and-

Mama.

I wrote to you
all these years and...

you never once wrote back.

Dulcie told me that...

Papa wouldn't let you write.

But it never upset me because...

all the time I pretended
that you did.

Every week I would write to you...

as if you were reading
all my letters, and-

and sending to me all your news.

I told you everything.

Just like we used to talk.

If Mini had a cold or...

fell over and cut her knee,
I'd let you know.

I know you wanted
to write, Mama.

I'm so sorry, Mama.

I love you.

Please talk to me, Mama.

Mama?

Mini?

Mini-chan.

Mini-chan.

Missed you, Lily.

I'm here now, Mama.

Be sure you check below decks.

- Did you see him?
- He's okay.

He's depressed, but he's okay.

He's asked for his shaving stuff
and some clean shirts and some socks.

He left without any socks.

They're gonna keep him here
on Terminal Island for a day or two...

- and then they're sending him away.
- Where to?

He thinks North Dakota.

But why?
What did he do?

They say he was a member of the Nippon Bunka
Kyokai and the Nichbei Kinema...

and so he's had direct contact
with the enemy.

But they were only
cultural societies.

They were plays he was bringing over,
not machine guns.

And movies.
Don't forget the crummy movies.

They're a dangerous weapon.
They can bore you to death.

- What are we gonna tell Mama?
- The truth.

But they could be home
in a week.

People say they're gonna
send all of us away.

All of us? Nisei too?

All of us.

We're not open.
Mr. Matsui is not here.

Where's Mr. Matsui?

He's been arrested.

So has my father.

Why?

They’re Japanese.

I'm sorry.

I'm truly sorry.

I heard you were in jail.

Probation.

And what happened to your arm?

- A horse.
- You were on a horse?

Under it.

Oh, Jack.

Lily. Lily. I'm sorry.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Oh, Lily, I've missed you so much.

I could break both of my arms and my legs...

and it could never hurt me
as much as losing you, Lily.

You have a happiness inside you
that makes you so beautiful.

It's as if someone gave you
a little bag of magic...

that only you can dip into.

And then I see the way
that you look at Mini...

and in your eyes is something so perfect,
no one can touch it.

No one could cheat you
or steal it away from you...

because it's something
no one else can have.

I love you so much, Lily.

You're braver
than anyone I ever knew.

You have everything
that I never had.

And I was still
so blind and stupid...

that I didn't see you were looking at me
the same way that you looked at Mini...

and that nothing else mattered.

You were just giving me
a little handful of that magic.

And no one and no thing...

is ever gonna
take that away from us.

No one.

Never.

Okay, big fella.
Get down there. There you go.

Okay, buddy. How are you?
What do you want for Christmas?

Oh, thank you.

So, you gonna be
really nice to him, okay?

Yes.

- A tea set.
- Now what you do...

is you tell him who you are...

and then you tell him you've been
the goodest girl in America.

And then you just sort of slip in about
what you want for Christmas. Okay?

And then he's gonna tell his elves.

And his elves, they work for him.
They work overtime for no pay.

And they make all the toys for all the boys
and girls in America. You know that?

- Here we go. Right on up there, baby.
- Who's next?

There you go.
Right up there on his lap.

Scoot, pal. I ain't sitting no Japanese kid
on my lap. For Christ's sakes.

Wait a minute. Excuse me. Wait a minute.
We're the next in line here.

No Japs. Sorry, fella, it ain't my rule.
Just read the sign.

Japs don't have Christmas anyway.
They're Buddhists.

Japs don't have Christmas anyway.
They're Buddhists.

No, wait. Just a second, please.
Ma'am, please, just a second.

Baby, come here just for a second.
I'm gonna sit you down right here.

And Daddy's gonna
talk to Santa, okay? Okay.

Look, that little girl
ain't no Buddhist, pal.

As a matter of fact, she's a Christian,
and she believes in Santa Claus.

Now either you're gonna sit her on your lap and
let her tell you what she wants for Christmas...

or I'm gonna stuff this fuckin' beard
down your fuckin' throat.

Mickey, will you get over here?
A troublemaker.

- Come on. Out, out, out.
- There's a crazy guy threatening me.

Get your hands off me. All I want is
for my daughter to sit on this jerk's lap.

We don't serve Japs here, pal.
Read the sign, read the sign.

- Are you from an orphanage or something?
- No, I'm not from an orphanage.

She's an American,
and I'm her father.

She's an American.
Merry Christmas.

Thank you very much.

Should we leave the latch
up on the door, Mama...

in case Papa comes back
and we're asleep?

- He won't be back tonight.
- He might be.

Jack, your turn.
Everyone has to sing.

- Yeah, Jack, come on. Sing for us.
- I don't sing.

Jack, whoever heard of an Irishman
who didn't sing?

- I don't sing.
- He can sing.

- I do not.
- Yes, you do.

He's just shy. Make him sing.

- Come on, please? One song.
- Please, Jack.

Come on. Just-
You can do it, one song.

Four-C? Enemy alien?
I can't believe this shit.

Friendly enemy alien.

Yeah, what about
the Germans and the Italians?

What, is Joe DiMaggio
an enemy alien, for Chrissakes?

- Shikataganai.
- Shikataganai, shit.

It's wrong, Harry.
It's terribly wrong.

Those were very bad days for us.

At the time, the Japanese Army
seemed to be winning all the battles.

And every time a couple of whales
popped their heads up from the ocean...

someone said they were Japanese submarines
about to attack California.

For us, the war was so far away.

We were in Los Angeles,
and we were Americans.

Or we thought
we were Americans.

The people looked at our faces,
and we weren't Americans anymore.

- We were the enemy.
- Were you frightened?

No, not really.

Because we really couldn't
believe what was happening.

And then Mr. Roosevelt signed
the Executive Order Number 9066...

saying that all Japanese families
must be sent away.

- To the camps?
- Mm-hmm.

At first we didn't know where.
And suddenly in March...

they told us that
we had six days to go.

Six days?

Six days to pack up everything
and leave.

I remember that part.

If there's not going to
be typhoid where we're going...

- why do we have to have typhoid shots?
- What's typhoid?

I'll be scarred for life. I heard some people
got crippled from these shots.

Don't exaggerate.

It's true. Judy Higurashi told me.

Do we have to get rid
of everything, Harry?

We can only take what we can carry,
70 pounds. The rest has to go.

- Everything?
- Everything.

- What about the chickens?
- We'll leave the chickens.

The Ogawas had to
kill their chickens.

How about the dog?

- We can't take the dog?
- Mrs. Fu's taking the dog.

Don't Chinese eat dogs?

What about my mitt?
Can I take my mitt?

You can take your mitt. Wherever we're going,
they're not gonna stop you playing baseball.

Are they?

Uh, this gentleman
wants to see the piano.

Certainly.
Come on, Joyce.

Show this gentleman
what a fine piano it is.

I got $15 for the Bendix.

- Are you okay?
- I'm gonna take Mini for a walk. Okay?

- You okay, Mama?
- Mm.

What are you burning?

Ah, just stuff.

We cannot take it with us...

and it's too-

I don't want people
going through our things.

How many things you keep?

In Japan, people don't have
so many things.

You know, when I first
got off the steamer...

at Angel Island-

Pretty name, nei?

All I had was
the clothes I was wearing...

a small bag...

pretty hat and a parasol.

Things I hate burning most
are your school reports.

How are people going to know
how well you did?

They'll know, Mama.

They'll know.

The man didn't buy the piano?

- He didn't offer enough.
- How much?

- Ten dollars.
- I got him up from five.

- I said I'd sooner burn it.
- How can you burn a piano?

What are we going to do with these old records?
They're all Japanese.

- No one's gonna buy them.
- Break them.

Break them?

Sure. Break them.

I'm gonna throw up.

You don't wanna throw up.

I wanna throw up.

You don't wanna throw up.

Special Army rail transport Bravo 719...

departing at 1100 hours.

- Shit.

She did throw up.

Bye, Jack.

When do you get back from Seattle?

Just a couple of days.
A week at the most.

I'm just gonna check in for my parole,
then I'm coming.

If only we knew where we're going.

I'll find you, Lily.

Hey! Hey, get outta here!

You get outta here!

Good-bye, Mama.

Fuckin' little vultures!

Don't worry. This won't be for long,
I'm sure. Okay?

Fuckin' little vultures!

- Why are the blinds down?
- So we won't know where we're going.

You okay? You okay?

Sir, you're next.

I can't bring my camera?

Sorry, it's on the list.

Right this way.

Thanks for coming with me, Lily.

It's okay.
I'm scared to come on my own as well.

- Do you think they'll shoot us?
- No, of course not.

Do you think
they'll send us back to Japan?

I don't know.
I truly don't know, Frankie.

I've never been to Japan.

Me neither.

We stayed at the racetrack for two months...

until they moved us
to a new home...

way out in the desert.

The journey
on the bus seemed to go on forever...

and finally we arrived.

But all I can remember
is the mountains...

the cold and the dust.

Next.

Next.

You have 24 hours to report
for drafting, Mr. McGann.

Your parole is annulled
under Section 472 of the War Powers Act.

But, uh, I need
to go to Los Angeles.

Don't think so.

It says Tacoma.
Yep, Tacoma.

You report tomorrow.

It's pretty clear, else-

Else what?

Else you'll find yourself in jail
instead of the army, mister.

Next please.

We lined up for everything.

We seemed to spend half our lives
lining up for something or other.

Our lives had changed completely...

and we spent our whole time
pretending they hadn't.

There we go!

- You must've finished by now!
- I haven't started yet!

Mama!

He was staring at you.

Let's go!
Move that vehicle, soldier!

- I'm trying, Sergeant.
- What's the matter with you, McGann?

Somebody teach you to do this in Dublin?
Move that vehicle!

Get moving, McGann!

- Come on!
- Break it up!

Get away from me! No!

Come on! Move!

- What is it?
- Something about stealing food.

There's a man with blood all down his apron.
I think he got punched.

- Do you wanna play one-on-one after, Charlie?
- No.

There's a guy with his nose split wide open.

Michi Hokoda saw 10 sides of beef
under a sheet...

in the back of one of
the administrator's trucks.

Maybe they're
starving us to death.

We have enough to eat.

It's got to be stopped,
or else someone's gonna get their throat cut.

It's hard feeding all these people.

It's a fucking camp, for Christ sakes.

- Don't swear in front of Mama.
- She doesn't know the word.

- I know the word.
- It's not a camp.

Camp is where you go fishing, sit around fires
made by rubbing two sticks together.

This isn't the fucking
Boy Scouts, Harry.

- Charlie, please don't swear in front of Mama.
- She's Japanese.

- She doesn't understand the word.
- I know the word.

Mama.

It's Papa.

You're back.

Oh, Mini No, Mini-chan.

Kiss your grandpa.

Ooh, thank you.

Papa Kawamura never was happy at the camp.

People whispered and whispered.

Silly, spiteful rumors...

that he'd given information to the F.B.I.
When he was at Fort Lincoln.

It wasn't true.

- But it didn't matter.
- I got it! I got it!

In those days, people
only believed the worst.

No one would talk to him.

And he got lonelier and lonelier.

- Liar!
- We know you talked to the F.B.I.

Sadder and sadder.

Alice Noguchi?
How could they pick her?

She's got a face
like a latrine bucket.

- I think she's pretty.
- Big tits.

- They always pick the one with big tits.
- They're not so big.

Mini-chan.

- Hey, thanks for stopping.
- If you can find room back there...

then you're more
than welcome, soldier.

- You all right?
- Yeah.

Hey, Kenji, come on!

Come on. Come on.

One of the J.C.L.'ers
has been beaten up.

They're blaming the kitchen union people.
There's gonna be trouble.

We should get home, Mama.

- Where's Charlie?
- I don't know, Mama.

Come on, Frankie.

Where you stationed?

- Fairmont.
- Ah. On a 24-hour?

- What's left of it.
- You got friends down at the camp?

Yeah, kind of.

They're real good people,
some of them Japs.

Got a couple of them working for me.
Real hard workers.

Trouble is, you don't know
which ones to trust...

which ones will shoot you
in the back.

Hard problem. Beats me.

What's going on here?

Road's closed, sir.
You're gonna have to back up.

- What's going on?
- Japs in the camp are rioting.

They say a whole bunch of them have been shot.
It's a mess down there.

Okay, sir. Back it up.
Try again tomorrow.

I heard guns.
I definitely heard guns.

I think I saw tanks.

They were trucks.
Tanks have guns sticking out, stupid.

- I know what a tank looks like.
- Charlie will be okay.

God willing.

Get away from the window.
There's nothing we can do.

I heard more guns.

I wish they'd stop that chanting.
It's kind of scary.

Charlie will be home soon, Mama.

Charlie would never
get into any trouble.

That was before
they took him off of hamburgers.

Now our all-American has a rising sun
tattooed on his backside.

He's changed, Mama.

No one changes inside.

When they finally
opened the camp two days later...

your papa could come visit us.

We hadn't seen or heard from him
for seven whole months.

- Here's a little chair.
- Chair.

So, was Charlie hurt bad?

No, he got hit on the head
with a rifle.

He's says he's okay, but they put him
in a camp hospital anyway.

More tea, Mama?

That tea does terrible things
to my bladder.

- Come on, Joyce.
Let's take Mama to the bathroom.
- Long walk.

I don't care.
Get your coat on. You're coming.

Mini, you wanna come too?

Jack, don't go
before you say good-bye.

All right, Mom.
I'll be right here.

Thank you.

- She'll be 22 minutes.
- Twenty-two minutes?

Uh-huh. Mama looked all over the camp
to find a toilet that she liked...

that wasn't broken and had partitions,
and it's on the "K" block.

Takes her 11 minutes to walk there,
and 11 minutes to walk back.

Why do you think
we gave her so much tea?

- And Frankie?
- School.

And your papa?

He's at the hospital with Charlie.

He sits there all day
in a chair next to his bed.

Neither of them will talk.

Why?

Because Charlie thinks that Papa gave
the F.B.I. Information at Fort Lincoln.

Papa hates him for believing it.

So, we have 22 minutes?

- Twenty-two minutes.
- Mm-hmm.

- And then I have to get back to work.
- Mm. To work?

Mm-hmm.
Camouflage nets.

We make five nets
or work eight hours.

- Oh.
- For $14 a month.

Fourteen dollars a month?

Don't fret.
Doctors only make 19 a month.

- Oh.
- Mm-hmm.

People say they've been giving us
army "K" rations with all that saltpeter...

- to reduce our sex drive.
- They have?

It's not true.

Bye, bye, Mini Mouse.
You gonna be okay?

- Come on, fella. We going, or what?
- Okay.

Come on, come on.
I got a schedule to keep.

Did Papa get into trouble?

A little.

By the time he got back to Fairmont,
he was three days absent without leave.

But he was okay.

And Papa Kawamura?

He just wouldn't talk to anybody.

Why was he so unhappy?

Because every day
he was in America...

he talked of one day going home
to Wakayama a rich man.

But any money he'd had,
he'd lose.

He'd lost his shirt so many times,
it never mattered to him.

"Shikataganai," he'd always say.

But once you lose
your self-respect...

only then do you
truly have nothing.

Poor Papa Kawamura.
He must have been so sad.

For a whole year, he just dug away
in his vegetable patch...

or he'd work on his chair.

When the chair was finished,
he just sat there for hours.

We all wanted so badly
to have a life here.

It's a beautiful country...

if only you have eyes to see it.

But suddenly we all felt
like a blind man...

peeping through a fence.

- I don't get it.
We all have to sign this thing?
- Everyone over 17.

- Read it again.
- "Answer yes or no. Number 27.

"Are you willing to serve in the armed forces
of the United States...

on combat duty
whenever ordered?"

- You have to go in the army?
- No. Answer no.

I don't wanna go in the army.
It's bad enough they put us in here.

- Wait. There's worse.
- Lily, can I have a word with you, please?

Your mother is not allowed to work.
She's a Japanese national.

- We know that.
- Then could you ask her to leave?

No. Why should she?
She's not getting paid. She's bored.

She has nothing else to do.
She's just sitting here with her family.

- Is there something wrong?
- No, Mama.

- Sorry, it's the law.
- The law.

Don't talk about the law.
What law protects innocent American citizens...

from being locked up
for no crime?

Your mother cannot work. She's issei.
Foreign nationals cannot do war work.

- She is not working.
- Then ask her to leave.

No, Mama, sit down.

She will not leave.
Why should she?

- Camp rules.
- Rules?

- Camp rules.
- Camp?

You call this a camp?
This is a goddamn outdoor jail!

"Number 28.
Will you swear unqualified allegiance...

"to the United States of America...

"and faithfully defend
the United States from any or all attack...

"by foreign or domestic forces...

"and foreswear any form of allegiance
or obedience to the Japanese emperor...

or any other foreign government,
power or organization?"

- Answer yes or no.
- But how can we do that?

We cannot be U.S. Citizen.
It's against the law.

If we say yes,
we won't have any country.

- So say no.
- If we say no...

they'll keep you
in the camps forever.

If you say yes, you'll be in the army
and shooting other Japanese.

- Or end up being sent home in a wooden kimono.
- But we're Americans.

We stopped being Americans
the moment they put up the barbed wire.

We have to say yes, Mama.

Papa?

Charlie.

No. No.

What about you?

I'm gonna go in the army.

Hold it there, please. Papers.

Go ahead.

- Joycie?
- Jack.

Papa?

Mini? Mini!
Oh, Mini, Mini!

You're so big, I didn't even recognize you.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- Did you lose a tooth?
- Yeah.

You did? Where's Lily?
No one's home.

They're at the hospital.
Papa's sick.

Lily?

Jack! Oh, Jack!

- You didn't tell me you had leave.
- It was sudden.

- They're gonna ship us out in a week.
- Oh, where?

They won't tell us.

Mini, I'm gonna
take you home now, okay?

I'm gonna stay here
with your father awhile.

Okay.

It's Jack, Mr. Kawamura.

I need your help, sir.

You see, I'm not here on leave.

I ran away from the army.

God knows why, but I thought
if I could be here with all of you...

that maybe I could help.

But then when I came in
through those gates back there...

I realized I can't help,
not one little bit.

And I just know that...

this whole terrible thing
that's happened is my fault.

The big part and the little part.

But I just wanted to say that...

even if you don't wanna hear it...

I love you all so much.

You go back.

- I can't.
- Go back.

I can't leave you all here.
I have to do something.

Just love Lily.
That's enough.

Papa.

You were married in Seattle?

Yes, sir.

Your wife is
Lily Yuriko Kawamura?

Yes, sir.

- And you were drafted May 11, 1942.
- Yes, sir.

- You're in a whole lot of trouble, soldier.
- Yes, sir. I know, sir.

Would you say you had
pro-Japanese sympathies?

Yes, sir.
I married one, sir.

The way the army sees it, soldier,
you're either pro-Japanese or pro-American.

There's no in-between.
Not anymore.

It's not like being a Red Sox fan
in a Pittsburgh-New York World Series.

My wife is
an American citizen, sir.

- You think the camps are wrong?
- Yes, sir, I do.

Well, for what it matters,
soldier, I agree with you.

It's like burning down Chicago
to get rid of the gangsters.

- It's a god-awful mistake.
- That scared people fighting wars often make.

But there are also a lot of
apple-pie Americans out there...

who wouldn't hate a soul
before all this...

who've got kids being slaughtered
by the Japanese Army.

Every day they hear about
another Japanese unit going banzai...

and bayoneting women and kids.

Maybe locking your people away
is the best place for them.

It's unconstitutional.
They had their rights taken away from them.

The nisei who were born here
are American citizens.

So are you, soldier,
and you went AWOL.

So, a lot of American kids
are dying instead of you.

How do you spell
your name, McGann?

"M," small "C," G-A-N-N.

You ever spell it
"M," small "C," G-U-R-N?

Were you ever Jack McGurn?
Were you ever a member of the Local 306...

of the New York
Projectionists Union?

Yes, I was.

I think you're in
a lot of trouble, soldier.

Take him and his men outside and shoot them.

Put these prisoners against the wall.

May I say it won't be necessary
to dispose of any of these other people.

My dear Mr. Moto,
their presence here involves them.

We had a cousin who knew
Papa's family in Wakayama.

She sent my picture to your papa.

With your papa...

it was one day
new shoes for everyone.

The next day, we sell the radio.

Once he bought me
a new coat in the morning...

and we had to sell it
by suppertime.

All on the flip of a card.

Seven times down,
eight times up.

But now, after all this...

for Papa...

it was seven times up,
eight times down.

Sometimes it's better to die
than to give up on life.

Bye-bye. What's this for?

In case you throw up.

Be sure to write Mama, okay?

Then it seemed all we did was say good-bye.

Dulcie volunteered to help
with the sugar beet harvest in Idaho.

At least Dulcie was free...

for a while.

Charlie was sent
to a special camp at Tule Lake...

with all the others who had answered "no"
on their loyalty questionnaires.

They were called the "No No Boys."

Yeah!

- Bye, Frankie.
- Bye, Charlie.

Hey, Charlie.

Don't take any wooden nickels.

Why are you throwing up, Dulcie?
You haven't even been on the bus.

Dulcie came back from
the Idaho sugar harvest with a nice suntan...

$60 pay and a baby inside of her.

- Mama was furious.

And then in December, the Supreme Court ruled...

that the camps
were unconstitutional.

Endo won his case.
They can't keep us here anymore.

We can go home.

It seemed that all of our troubles were over.

Shikataganai.
We had gone through the worst.

We had lost everything we owned
and everything we loved.

It wasn't possible
to lose anything more.

But Mama says,
"A wasp always stings a crying face."

Because we also lost Harry.

It was our last winter
in the camp.

And our darkest.

Thank-Thank you.

Just wait, Frankie.

Charlie decided to repatriate to Japan.

There was a big exchange
for American prisoners of war.

Poor Charlie.

He had never been
to Japan before.

He hardly spoke Japanese.

We had no home to go back to in Little Tokyo.

So we went to stay with Mama Kawamura's
cousin Sahoko...

on the strawberry farm
here in Florin.

On August 6...

they dropped a bomb
on Hiroshima.

It was a big bomb.

They called it
the atomic bomb.

In nine tiny seconds...

200,000 people were killed.

It had to be the end.

No one could endure more.

Mama, it's the train.

Let's go.

Watch your step.

Jack!

Jack!

- How you doing?
- Okay.