Golden Exits (2017) - full transcript

Subtitles by explosiveskull

NAOMI: ♪ Many years
since I was here

♪ On the street
I was passing my time away

♪ To the left and to the right

♪ Buildings tower into the sky

♪ It's out of sight

♪ In the dead of night

(HUMMING)

♪ I'm back,
back in the New York groove

♪ I'm back,
back in the New York groove

♪ I'm back,
back in the New York groove



♪ I'm back,
back in the New York groove ♪

- ALYSSA: Is everything okay?
- NICK: Yeah.

Yes.

He's on edge.

You seem on edge, Nick.

Let's just let this
whole affair be simple.

"Affair"? What a horrible
choice of words.

Okay, Gwen, just please,
don't gang up on me, okay?

- Are we doing that?
- NICK: Yes.

Yes, you both are.

Apologize, sister.

You apologize, sister.

NICK: Okay, I would love a situation
without torment or turmoil and

I feel that's within reach.



How many assistants
does this make, Nick?

One per semester.
Summers without. Uh...

I may be off, but I believe
Naomi will be my sixth.

- Eighth.
- NICK: Eighth?

You're forgetting what's-her-name
and that one guy.

Well, there were two guys.

Two guys. Six ladies.

Do women make better
archivists, I wonder?

NICK: Yeah, there is a certain
meticulous quality to the work that...

Yes, I believe women tend
to excel at it more naturally.

I prefer to employ women
to assist me in my work.

You work in documents.

"Materials." You know
the word is "materials."

The "materials
of your father."

You asked me to archive
the materials of your father.

If you want your father's materials to
be appraised by the end of the year,

you're gonna have to accept that
I need a second pair of hands.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

(DOOR OPENS)

- NICK: Hey.
- NAOMI: Hi.

NICK: Hi, come on in.

Uh...

Alyssa, Gwendolyn,
this is Naomi.

That's my wife, Alyssa,
and her sister, Gwen.

They're Timothy's daughters.

Oh. I'm sorry, come on in.

Thank you, I will.

- ALYSSA: Talk soon.
- GWEN: Soon, soon.

I can help.

No need.

Nice time?

Yeah.

Yes, thanks. Did you?

Yeah, it was nice.

Very nice.

Are you still okay to go out
with Gwen early next week?

I'm sure
that'll be just fine.

What did you think
of Naomi?

She seemed great.

- Is that all?
- Uh-huh.

I mean, I think it's great that
you're working with students

on your work again.

You just said "great" twice and
"work" twice in the same sentence.

Is there something wrong
with the way I speak?

(SIGHS) There's not.

You have this all sorted.

Excuse me, I'm not feeling my best.
I'm gonna lie down.

(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)

Where does Naomi stay
while she's here?

(CLEARS THROAT)
What? Um...

I don't know. Um...

Somewhere nearby,
I suppose.

- In our neighborhood?
- (GRUNTS)

I don't know. I put her in
touch with Jack and Dorothy

since they're spending
Jack's sabbatical traveling.

You knew that, right?

That she's staying
down the street?

No, that Jack and Dorothy
are traveling.

I don't really know them.

Yeah, you do,
we see them all the time.

They're your friends.
I don't know them.

(NICK SIGHS)

We've been to their house.
They've been here.

We eat together.

All right, fine.

Do I need to be worried
about Naomi?

(SIGHS)

Can you stop?

(HORN HONKS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

NAOMI: Does it
bother you at all?

NICK: No. No, actually, the
pursuit of solitude and isolation

is what initially drew me
to archiving and appraising.

The hassles come

from when people don't know
exactly what it is I do.

Like Gwen,
my sister-in-law,

kind of reminds me,
you know,

what the time in this room
is all about, you know.

See, there's always a Gwen.

What I mean is there's always a
widow or a daughter or a son, or...

Um... Well...

Well, I'm just very eager to learn
from somebody with so much experience.

There's not really that much of
this kind of thing in Australia.

- Oh. Why do you think that is?
- Um...

I don't know.
Lack of sentiment, maybe.

Stunted relationship
with the past?

I feel like people mostly just throw
stuff away and forget about it.

NICK: Hmm.

Interesting.

Yeah, but, um, I am excited.
I am really excited

to see what you have to show
me over the next few months.

Okay.

Okay. (CLEARS THROAT)

Well,

I like to begin

- with memos and correspondence.
- Mmm-hmm.

It's a voluminous part of the process,
so I just get it out of the way.

I like, uh... So, okay.

- So we start with these...
- Mmm-hmm.

...and then

that goes in here, and this, and
these become the chronology.

And we're definitely going
to need that throughout.

All right, great. Okay.

(CLEARS THROAT)

I really liked meeting Alyssa
and Gwen the other night.

I hope that we can do
that kind of thing again.

Yeah, sure.

Does Gwen have kids?

Uh, no. Timothy, I think,
was secretly disappointed

he didn't
have grandchildren.

I mean, he never
told them that, but...

Obviously, they both have
their own opinion about it.

I guess the bloodline's dead.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Yeah, you could say that.

It's far more exciting than
what we're talking about.

Well, they both seem like
really interesting women, so

I'd like to get
to know them.

(NAOMI SIGHS)

(HORNS HONKING)

NICK: Sorry this place
doesn't have that much.

It's just my place,
right here.

You know, I never really thought
about where to bring somebody

'cause they usually use this time
to, you know, meet friends or

generally get away
from me.

Mmm. Well,

seeing as I don't really know anybody
here, I hope you don't mind.

No, I just feel bad, it's
just not an exciting spot.

It's exciting to me.

I'll think of somewhere else
for us that's close by.

No, no, because
you like routine.

I can tell.

Repetition, you point
to that a lot.

I suppose it's true.

I mean, the work is pretty
similar, day to day.

Does that not
get to you at all?

Oh, no,
it's quite the opposite.

It's thrilling.

It would have to be, you know,
for me to be down there,

you know, that in the end, that
it all fits inside a room.

And I can
internalize it and...

It's just always
appealed to me.

I don't know,
I guess I moved around a lot.

I was never in the same
place for very long.

And my parents
moved a lot, too,

so I just never really felt like
I got the chance to accumulate

the kind of stuff that these
sort of people have, you know?

So being close to it kind of
feels like, I don't know,

kind of like a fantasy
or something, you know.

I'm worried
that when I'm gone

I won't really leave much stuff
behind to be taken care of, you know.

Well, then
what's the end game?

Well, um...

I know that I'm good
at what I do and

you know, I understand the work,
as you probably feel as well.

I would like to write

nonfiction accounts
of ordinary people.

You know, dramatize them in a
way that makes them compelling.

Maybe see if I can get
them turned into films.

People never make films about ordinary
people who don't really do anything.

They're out there.

I can take you to some.

Sure. That'd be great.

- How's the day going?
- BUDDY: Hmm.

Are you staying?

(SIGHS) I think I have to.

Otherwise, it's just
dragging on.

Are you leaving?

Uh, hoping to. Sam wanted
to get together. So...

Oh. You'll meet up with her, then
I'll just see you at home whenever.

Yeah. Sure.

I should go finish
before I lose the thread.

- Tell Sam I said hi.
- Mmm. I will.

Oh. Sorry. Before I forget, I was
going to mention this before.

My mom called. One of her oldest
friends from college's kid

just moved here
and doesn't know anybody.

She asked me
to hang out with 'em.

Okay, you said you still had
work to get done, right?

I know. I feel bad because I'm
probably gonna have to cancel on her.

It's a her.
Sorry if that was unclear.

So are you working,

or are you going out,
just not going out with me?

That's the thing.
I'm not sure yet.

Either way,
it'll be pointless.

I met the girl once when she
was something like five.

I'm sure she sucks now.

What am I supposed to do,
say no to my mom?

You could try.

No.

Tell Sam I said hi.

(DOOR CLOSES)

WOMAN: I'm fine.
I'm just fine.

Just babysitter stuff.

Let's talk about it.

No, it's not really
doctor-patient stuff,

it's just
logistical hassles

that I've been dealing with since I
went back to work, which I, um...

I don't know if I should have
done that for another few months.

Mmm. There we go.

WOMAN: No, it's not
like that, it's just...

I guess it's about finding
balance in the home.

Does that make sense?

It's just now we've got
this little lumpen creature

throwing off the balance,
you know?

What else?

Everything's fine. I mean, it's
the same as last I saw you...

(CONTINUES SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY)

I was gonna ask...

- Oh, no, I'm sorry.
- Oh.

- What were you going to say?
- Oh, um...

I was gonna say I know I paid
for my lunch today,

but I was wondering if you could maybe
pay for it from this point forward,

- or maybe provide a stipend...
- I'm sorry, I should've paid today.

- I'll reimburse you.
- No, please, no, today is fine.

It's just, you know, normally I wouldn't
even go to lunch, just to save money.

- I got it.
- Great, thank you.

- Sure.
- (CLEARS THROAT)

Um...

Sorry, you're actually
not doing this right.

These haven't
been scanned yet

and so you can't do it properly
once they're in the plastic.

NAOMI: Oh, okay. Sorry.

No, I'm sorry, I just...

Learning curve.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Oh. All right.
(CHUCKLES)

NAOMI: Is it nice to, uh,

to live so close
to where you work?

Some people would find it stifling or,
you know, contained, but I love it.

It's thrilling. For my whole
life to exist in one small zone?

It's great.

Oh, so,

do you like the place?

Yeah, it's really,
really great.

Thank you so much
for helping me set it up.

And, um, for paying
the difference.

- Of course.
- Cool!

Well, I had
a great day today

and look forward
to more tomorrow.

See ya.

NICK: Yeah.

I got you this.

I hope you don't
have one already.

I don't, but I'd been thinking about
getting one for a little while.

(GLASSES CLINK)

So what are we talking, like
nightmare or just a Tuesday?

She's great.
She's great.

She's great.

She...

(SIGHS)

I'd rather... She's a great person
to work for, for me to be...

For me to be working for

right now.

My goal is to discern
what I'm getting into

before I get into it.

Sister date.

- (GLASSES CLINK)
- Ideal.

(SIGHS)

(KEYS CLATTER)

(SIGHS)

You only visited once?

Maybe twice.

How do you even
remember that?

I can barely remember that and
I'm five years older than you.

Well, I remember that because
you and your friends were

the greatest boys
I'd ever laid eyes on.

American boys
are such a novelty.

I couldn't wait to get home and
tell my friends about you.

I'm sure the story
was thoroughly exciting

and retold many a time
over the years.

It was, actually.

My American stories
were very popular.

It was Grand Canyon,
Disneyland, and you.

Wow.

Me and the Grand Canyon.
I'm flattered.

And what was the sport
that you played again?

- Lacrosse.
- Lacrosse, that's it!

You and your jock friends.

Cutest boys I'd ever seen

in America.

Key distinction, "In America."
You had better ones at home.

Yeah, but, you know, they wanted
to play AFL and not lacrosse.

Hmm.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING
ON SPEAKERS)

My mum is going to be really
happy that we found one another.

Mine, too. Mine, too.

You didn't have to do it within, what,
three days of getting here, though.

Well, what else
was I gonna do?

Yeah, sure, okay.

What, um...
What does your wife do?

Uh, a few years ago,
I started a sound studio.

We mix, record,
engineer, everything.

And we hired a young,

efficient girl to come
in and run the place,

so later I married her.

- That's the long version.
- (CHUCKLES)

So you work together, then?

Yeah. Well, we spend a lot
of time around one another.

Well, you're her boss.

Who's the Boss?

Do you have that show?
Hell of a program.

No. I've never seen that show.

We had very limited

telly options
when I was growing up.

"Telly"?

Oh, fuck, we're gonna need
a translator.

Is anybody here a translator?

I bet they don't hear that call
to duty as often as doctors do.

- (LAUGHS)
- Is there a translator in the premises?

I got a girl here and she is
trying to tell me something.

I don't understand
what it is.

So, how many times
am I gonna be able

to milk the mother's favors before
you stop hanging out with me

by virtue of guilt
and obligation?

Two more, but one of them can be me
introducing you to other people.

Some of the other guys from
work, if you're interested.

I don't know where your
head's at during this trip.

Oh, my head is interested
during this trip.

I'll keep that one in mind.

(SIGHS)

(KEYS CLATTER)

(SIGHING)

(DOOR OPENS)

You're back late.

JESS: Yeah, Sam had this big
saga playing out with her boss.

BUDDY: Who doesn't?

- Did you finish the mix?
- I did.

They're gonna come
get it tomorrow.

How was, um,
what's-her-face?

Naomi? She's cool.
I don't know.

What do you say to someone you
haven't seen since you were 15

and had no idea even existed
until a week ago?

So what did you say?

- Hmm?
- What did you guys talk about?

Boring stuff. I was only
there for a little.

It took me a while
to finish things up anyway.

She's fine. She's young.

I don't really know how to talk
to people younger than me.

Except for you.

I don't know if three years is
really a valid age distinction.

What have you been up to
since you got back?

Drinking some beer,
listening to some records.

Also I called my mom,
got credit for my good deed.

What a good, good guy you are.

That's what I'm always saying,
but nobody ever listens to me.

I listen. I believe you.

(EXHALES) Thanks for
meeting me here.

Field trip a-okay.

Oh, hey, man.

How long ago did you
start working on this?

Three years.
It's a long time coming.

Wow. Yeah.
Oh, this is Naomi.

She's working with me on my
dead father-in-law's shit.

This is Mike. He put the whole
donation to this place together.

So the work we're about to
see, the guy, the filmmaker,

before he was a filmmaker,

he had some photograph published
in Timothy's magazine,

so that's why
we're here.

Cool.

Cool.

- GWEN: I see no happiness in them.
- NAOMI: Huh.

I don't give a shit what Aly says to me.
I'll never not suspect that she's lying.

She's always been a liar.
She was a liar

even when she was young.

Are you telling me
you can't tell

that Nick's
a deeply unhappy man?

I'm not sure. I don't
really know him that well.

This is why I thought it would
be best for us to talk.

I don't want him poisoning
your mind thoroughly.

I don't think
he's doing that.

In a manner of speaking.

The normal existence of him
and my sister

makes me lose my appetite.

You're lucky I was able to keep
it under control the other night

or I would have been sick
right there at the table.

I love Alyssa.

But I told her 10 years ago
that I thought

getting married was foolish

and though
I guess Nick is fine,

I'll never not suspect that she
was reacting to our father.

I'm sorry. I didn't bring you over here
to unload and then interrogate you.

No. No, it's great.

I think Nick wanted
to eat lunch alone anyway.

Oh, of course he did.

- What a loser he can be.
- (CHUCKLES)

Oh, it's all right.
I kind of like him.

Give it time.

You'll see soon enough, if you
haven't already, that he's weak.

It's okay.
Most people are.

Especially men.

My husband was weak.

Got rid of him.

You never wanted to remarry?

Please.

I think my father
wanted an heir.

Probably that's what pushed Aly into Nick.
Or Nick into Aly, more accurately.

But what do I know?

I just didn't want a
god-awful, stifling home life.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think I feel
drawn towards...

- I don't wanna say "not settling down."
- Exactly. Exactly.

You get it.

It's just hearing you,
call it what you will,

but a young,
beautiful woman

who understands

that the option is there
to just say "fuck it"

actually gives me hope
for the future.

Be your own woman.

Don't let anybody talk you out of it.
Let me talk you into it.

That sounds great.

Aly chose a lifestyle.

I devoted my life to continuing
our father's work and legacy.

You tell me which
is the more admirable

choice.

I just felt that
she suppressed

the woman
she was meant to be

in order to be the woman
she wanted to be.

- Does that make sense?
- Mmm-hmm.

A woman devoted to work and
a strong sense of ambition

and a healthy sexual appetite
isn't something to be ashamed of.

You're on
the right track.

If it wasn't obvious from the way Nick
was staring at you all through dinner,

I would have figured it out the
minute you opened your mouth.

Good on you.

I don't think
he was staring at me.

Oh, yes, he was.

Nick's been a bad boy
in the past,

not recently,
that I know of.

Though I don't think Aly's
been completely honest

with me about that anymore.

It's ancient history.

But it took them years
to find a path back to being

normalish.

How long are you here for?

Um, just a few months.

Promise me you'll make
the most of it.

Make the most of it how?

How old are you?

Twenty-five.

(SIGHS)

Twenty-five-year-old
piece of gold.

Fuck your way through
this city like I did.

Then you won't have to deal with
the shame of living in it forever.

Everybody thinks it's
so easy to be all alone

and young and beautiful.

I was.

Like you.

Maybe even more so.
(CHUCKLES)

No offense meant.

(INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION)

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

It's just...

(LAUGHING)

NAOMI: You really
don't get lonely?

I... I don't get lonely?

Yeah. I mean not like in life.
Like here, at work.

Do you get lonely
in here?

No. I...

When I meet somebody,
you know,

when they or their family
brings me in to begin the work,

I am the grim reaper.

Do you understand?

I'm the last new person

someone forms a meaningful
relationship with before they die.

That's if, obviously, they
bring me in before they die.

In any event, it's...

It's the children that
make my life miserable.

You understand? Like
Gwen, my sister-in-law.

She verges on this.
She's...

She's duplicitous.
She's a liar.

And I don't believe anything
that comes out of her mouth.

Huh.

What did you think of her?

Well, I don't know. I don't know.
I just met her that one time.

Yeah, well,

she's a real nuisance
to myself and Alyssa.

Actually, we've been
longing for a day

where she's less of a presence
in our lives. It's like...

She carries on this
judgment of Timothy that

Alyssa's been trying
to get away from for years

and now it just like carries
on in this new face.

Never mind.
(CHUCKLING)

It doesn't matter because
I have no opinion on it.

No, not at all.
(CHUCKLES)

Yeah, um...

- Let me get back to work.
- Mmm-hmm.

These are...

(NICK MUMBLING INDISTINCTLY)

- (GRUNTS)
- (EXCLAIMS)

- NICK: Don't do that.
- Easy, man.

I thought you heard me
coming in.

Hello. I didn't know anyone
was going to be here.

Yeah, Greg, this is Naomi. She
just started working with me.

Nice to meet you.

- That is a beautiful accent.
- Thanks.

Let me guess
where it's from.

New Zealand?

- Uh, Australia, actually.
- Argh.

I've never been. I'm thinking of going.
Should I go?

NAOMI: Yeah, sure,
if you want to.

How's the surfing? We've always
wanted to learn to surf.

Um...

I don't know,
it's not really my thing.

But I hear it's lovely,
apparently.

Greg, what are you
doing here?

GREG: Ah, just passing by.

Everything's all set
for tonight.

NAOMI: What's tonight?

NICK: Oh...

Today's my birthday.

What? Happy birthday.

Yeah, it's not a big deal.

GREG: Oh, he's wrong.
It's a huge deal.

We're throwing
a little celebration.

- You're invited.
- No, she's not invited, Greg.

I thought you said it was a
night with the fellas tonight?

Yeah, and what better way of
celebrating with the fellas

than having
a beautiful woman?

- Even the Rat Pack had Shirley MacLaine.
- Don't say "Rat Pack."

I just, I don't understand
why you're here.

I can see you're not excited
about tonight.

No, I'm excited about tonight. I'm
just, obviously, I'm working...

Try to do something nice
for your buddy...

Don't be a sissy, man, okay?
Just... We're at work!

Bye.

(DOOR CLOSES)

I'm sorry. My friends just can
be kind of irritating sometimes.

No, he seemed great.

(LAUGHING) Yeah, well...

You haven't been in New York long
enough if you think Greg is great.

He's your friend,
though, right?

Yeah, he's my friend.

I'm sorry. I'm not doing a good job
explaining what's going on right now.

No, no.
I think I understand.

This is your space.

Exactly.

Yeah.

So, um, will Gwen
and Alyssa go tonight?

No, no, no,
it's a night with the fellas.

It's just gonna be a bunch of dads.
It's not going to be exciting.

Greg is the only one who
expects it or wants it to be.

Hmm.

Why don't you
and Alyssa have kids?

Sorry.

That's not an appropriate question.
It's none of my business.

It's a common question.

And once you turn 40, you'll
get asked it every few weeks.

I mean, unless
you have kids already

and then they'll ask you
some other question.

Look, I'm sorry, if...

If you want to come tonight,
of course you can come.

It just really is
just gonna be a bunch of dads

and a couple of assholes in
the form of Greg and myself.

Well, I don't know
about that but, um,

I mean, if I'm going to be
the only...

Like if Alyssa's
not even coming,

then I don't think it would be
very decent of me to show up.

GWEN: Do you know if Sam sent
him anything for his birthday?

He said he didn't want
to do anything.

Now somehow he has this
night out with the guys?

I wasn't invited.

We'll do something later
over the weekend, maybe.

We've never really been into
that kind of thing anyway.

Ten years ago, we would have
forced some sort of effort.

A weekend trip?

(SIGHS)

I don't quite recall
when we stopped bothering.

Funny, it just happens.

How are things going
with Nick and Dad's stuff?

He doesn't talk about it?

(STAMMERS) Good.

I guess.

But you know, I thought we
should have hired someone else.

I just... I mean it would have
been cleaner outside the family.

But he's doing fine.

He must talk
about it sometimes.

Everything's moving.

He's had offers for a job
or two once this wraps.

I think we decided not to

blabber on over

endless nonsense regarding what
is, might, or could be going on.

You lose the ability to feign interest
in those things after a decade or so.

I think I appreciate
his restraint.

I hope he does mine.

Happy birthday to Nick.

SAM: There are
irrelevant tasks

and I'm okay with a mild
amount of tedious tasks,

but birthday shopping
for in-laws

should cross the line,
right?

I wouldn't know.
Maybe, yes?

I should give notice.

I will give notice.

Cut-your-losses situation.

I should cut my losses.

I wanted to be upward. Instead I
am a glorified personal assistant.

I look at women like her,

we do, our age does,
and what should we see?

Aspirational ideals.

Examples of a lifestyle that

you believe in.

So she is

unmarried.

That's great, right?

And you

are married.

Also great, right?

I don't want to feel
adrift in some

nebulous middle ground.

Where am I?

Okay? So...

Where am I?

Not

early-30s, not 40s, just

wasteland in the middle.

Heavy-handed and dramatic,
minus five points.

What a delight it must be to
function as my sole outlet

for a never-ending barrage
of introspective blather

regarding the choices
that I've made.

I didn't know I had a choice.
Do I have a choice?

I should go.

When is Buddy coming back?

Stay. He's gonna
be gone a little while.

Where is he?

Um...

A friend
of a friend's birthday?

I don't know.
He was scant on the details.

You sure he's not out
with what's-her-face?

Why would you say that?

GREG: All right, so I show up
at the kid's office here.

First of all, he reacts
like an asshole.

Second of all, he's acting like
I'm interrupting his nap time.

- I did not reach like an asshole.
- "React." "React."

NICK: Does anybody like
being startled at work?

I have headphones on!

So he is employing now
this very beautiful,

young, ripe, delicious...

This is a human being
we are talking about, okay?

Whatever.
Where is she from again?

- She's from Australia.
- She's this Australian girl.

So he has this little
Australian girl,

she looks like
a trapped princess,

and he looks like
a fucking ogre!

That's an absurd exaggeration
of what was going on.

Look, I got her number
all figured out.

- Yo, Jessie, shots.
- She's the young type.

She's the poisonous girl who exudes
sweetness, but she's dangerous.

She's like a fang
dripping with honey.

She's the death trap
to losers.

- Like us.
- Dude, speak for yourself.

You can lie to yourself
all you want.

You put this girl in a room
with any man

only one thing
that's gonna happen.

Yeah, work, research
and a proper database.

And we're building
a chronology for...

GREG: Wrong again!

- MAN: Here we go.
- I hate them.

Dude, you gotta see
my new piece.

She's got the most
luscious cooter.

And Nick, of course,

has never lost a battle of the
wills in circumstances like these.

Treacherous,
marriage-destroying...

- Happy birthday, Nicky boy.
- NICK: Yes, we get it.

You guys are lousy friends and
this is not a fun birthday.

- MAN: That's not fair.
- GREG: Oh, shit, that's Buddy!

Dude, I invited a couple dudes over here.
Hope that's okay.

Buddy, get in here, you!
(GRUNTING)

So these are the guys.

- You got Jake here...
- I'm Buddy.

Nicky boy,
turn around.

This is my friend, Buddy.
Buddy, Nick. Nick, Buddy.

- NICK: Buddy?
- It's short for "Arthur."

- GREG: Like the movie.
- NICK: How does that work?

It doesn't.
It's just always been.

- (BALLOON POPS)
- (GREG LAUGHS)

(EXCLAIMING)

(IN HIGH PITCHED VOICE)
Let me catch you up here.

Nick here has employed
this really beautiful girl.

And they work side by side
in a very tiny office. Phew.

Any fun?

ETHAN: A situation
not to be trusted.

BUDDY: Well, I did that once
and I married her.

See? Buddy gets it!

I'm not marrying her.
I'm already married.

- It's different, I'm sure.
- NICK: It's very different.

What a power addiction
it is, though. I get it.

Like because you wield
some authority

and you could hire them,

you could force them to be
around you all the time.

That's not
why I hired her.

- What's her name?
- I hired her sight unseen, okay?

She sent in her CV and she
was the most qualified...

Gimme a break! You hire
a 25-year-old foreign girl.

- Of course she's the most qualified!
- BUDDY: She's foreign?

Yeah, you knew exactly
what you were doing.

- GREG: Call her.
- NICK: No.

- No.
- GREG: Call her. Call her.

Stop giving me
a shoulder rub...

Karen, tell him
to call her, please.

...and stop talking
about calling her.

- Look...
- I ask for nothing.

- GREG: Please.
- I'm not calling her! No.

All I want is a call.
Do I ask for anything?

- I ask for so little.
- Greg loves to talk on the phone.

Just a little talk
on the phone.

Come on, Buddy, tell him.

Don't look at me.
I'm a married man.

Yeah, me too.

Oh, come on, Buddy,
you've been a bad boy!

BUDDY: The past is the past.

MAN: The past is the past.

Bad Buddy.

Are you serious?

Am I the only guy here that
could still fuck a 20-year-old?

BUDDY: Those days
are behind me.

Yeah, and me as well.

- BUDDY: The past is the past.
- NICK: Yes, thank you.

It's a rotten sign
of maturity right here.

Happy birthday, Nick.

(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)

(INTERCOM RINGING)

NAOMI: Hello?

Uh, it's Nick here.

What are you doing here?

Today's my birthday.

Come down and wish me
a happy birthday.

- Hi.
- Hi.

NICK: Um...

Can I come in?

- Let me in.
- Yeah. All right, sure.

(NAOMI CLEARS THROAT)

One second.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Today's my birthday.

Yeah, I know.

Um...

You know, actually, I don't really
think that you should be here.

That's silly.

You just made
the decision to let me in

- a minute ago.
- I did.

Yeah, but I've changed my mind,
and I think you should go.

Um, because, you know, we still
have weeks of work to do together

and I feel kind of...

And I mean, you live...

Um...

You live, like,
just around the corner

with your wife, as you know.

Yeah.

I mean,

what if that
was all different?

You know,
I could fire you.

- We'd just be people.
- Yeah.

You could fire me. Um...

But then I would lose my visa
and I would have to go home.

That's not good.

Can't have that, so

you're unfired.

Great.

You know, this is just really not a
path that I want to go down again.

Naomi, it's not a...

Naomi.

NAOMI:
♪ Naomi

♪ You came and you gave
without taking

♪ But I sent you away, Naomi

♪ You kissed me
and stopped me from shaking

♪ And I need you today,
Naomi ♪

(MUG CLATTERS)

This is silly.

(SIGHS)

NICK: So Greg
brought some people.

A couple of guys I don't know, but
it was definitely no big deal.

No one's gonna tell
any stories about tonight.

That's nice.

Okay.

(SNIFFS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(DOOR BELL JINGLES)

Sorry I'm late.

(SIGHS)

I did a little drinking
last night.

Everything's slow today,

including my acceptance of
sudden surprise invitations.

My boss is hungover
as well.

Hungover boss,
very pathetic.

How old is this guy?

Early 40s.

Hell, no.

That is a sad age to still
be incapable of moderation.

Oh, really, you've licked that
problem already, have you?

There's a phrase you don't
hear very much anymore.

Yes, I have licked
that problem.

I may be slow,
but I'm functional today.

It is Wednesday
after all, right?

Well, thank you for showing
up, whatever the reasons.

It's not like I have many other
people clamoring for my company.

I wouldn't say
I'm clamoring.

Clam... Clamoring.

Does your wife clamor?

- She does not clamor.
- Mmm.

If you guys work together, how did you...
How did you slip away?

Who says I slipped away?

Well, where does she think
you're eating lunch?

I mean, I assume you guys usually try
to make an effort to eat together.

Mmm-hmm. We do, but,

I am supposed to meet somebody
in the area later.

Got it.

So, maybe I got
a little loose

- with the times.
- Mmm-hmm.

- Is that a crime?
- No.

You gonna put me
under citizen's arrest?

(CHUCKLES) No, no.

Um, I am getting together
later with some guys

if you'd like to come.

I don't know how much else
you have going on yet.

Nothing. Not very much
of anything.

Maybe.

- Just guys?
- It's hard to say. Probably.

- Well, I'll think about it.
- Okay.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Sorry. Thing ran long.

- Hi. I'm Buddy.
- Kevin.

Have you met Jess?

We had the chance to talk
for about half an hour

until our meeting began
and you finally showed up.

As I said,
the thing ran long.

What "thing"?

The thing, the lunch thing with the
guy that I was telling you about.

What can we do
for you, Kevin?

Uh, Kevin is going to make
a record here.

That's wonderful. When?
How big are you guys?

I mean how many are you,
not how famous are you.

Although maybe
that matters, too.

We actually worked it all out.
And, um...

Well, Kevin was
just about to leave.

But we're done, and I
handled it on my own.

Oh, of course you did.

Well, great to meet you,
Kevin, and

can't wait to start work.
See you around.

(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)

I'm really sorry
about the short notice.

I'm just not feeling well
at all today.

Oh, it's fine.
Don't worry about it.

I'll comp you next week.

End of this week.

End of this week, right. I don't
know where my head is at.

It's really not a big deal.
Stop apologizing.

It's going around, a bug in the family.
My husband has it,

my sister has it,
now I have it.

It's really okay.

I know it's unprofessional. I
shouldn't be going on like this.

I'm sorry. I apologize.

(KEYS CLATTER)

JESS: So what's the fear?

SAM: I want to see

contrasts between myself
and somebody

fifteen years my senior

and there are shockingly few.

I spend all day interloping

with this family, and with your
family, and when I get home

all I can ask myself is,

"What's the holdup?"

It's a familiar feeling,
sadly.

Why don't I have
that which makes

somebody else as

happy and fulfilled
as can be?

JESS: All of Buddy's friends
are married.

None of mine are.
Including you.

Downgraded from sister.

My point is
you aren't in some

isolated state
of arrested maturity.

Just because you spend
most of your time

with a woman in her 40s

doesn't mean
that you are, too.

Let me give you
an example.

So Bud's hung around with this
daughter of his mom's friend.

It's a highly tenuous
connection, right?

They met once, 20 years ago.

And this girl, he says,

younger than you,

is totally alone.

She's here
for several months

and she has no meaningful
relationships at all.

But see, I look at that
as a freeing situation.

Young.

Travel.

You see a version
of that as desperate.

Alone.

Subjectivity.

The grass might be greener.

The grass is dead

and covered with salt.

(CHUCKLING) Okay. Um...

Well,

worst-case scenario,

five years. Go.

(SAM SIGHS)

It's nothing. I don't have one.
(SNIFFLES)

I shouldn't have
kept you so late.

(MUNCHING)

(NICK SIGHS)

(PAPER CRINKLING)

We need to tighten
the noose on Nick.

Don't you think he should
be more productive

now that we hired
an assistant?

He should be more productive.

Have you tried calling him?

Try calling him again.

First, nobody picked up,
and when I called back,

his assistant picked up, she
said he was running behind.

She didn't say why.

That seems
inexcusable to me.

Doesn't it? I mean,

it's not like his job
is so hard

or, God forbid, he has to
travel that far to do it.

Do we have to hold his hand
through everything?

- Try calling him again.
- (PHONE CLATTERS)

(PHONE BEEPING)

(LINE RINGING)

Oh, Nick? Hey, it's Sam.

- (MOUTHING WORDS)
- I am good. How are you?

Yeah. I'm just...

No, I'm just checking
to make sure you're in.

I think we wanted to stop by
today and check on things.

Is there a time
that would work best?

Yes, now,

now should work great.

We'll be by shortly.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

I mean,
how hard can it be?

You have siblings,
right, Sam?

I have a sister
and two brothers.

Would you put up with any of
this bullshit on behalf of them,

or not them specifically,
but their spouses?

Wait, are they married?

Yeah, everyone except
my youngest brother.

So you understand me,
right?

I think so.

With me and my sister,
it's different...

Why do we have bonds
to siblings?

What does a brother or
sister-in-law mean to me anyway?

My father liked Nick.

I think he would have
approved of my hiring him.

He always said he wanted him
to be involved in his

appraisals, what have you,
his materials,

but I think that's because he thought
he'd be around to do it with him.

I'm sure if he knew I had to
deal with it all by myself

he'd want me
to choose the person.

I'm sorry, did you... Did
you want to say something?

No.

No, it's not important.

(DOOR OPENS)

GWEN: Nick.

I've been thinking.

July would've been
Dad's 85th birthday.

I think that's a reasonable time
to have this all wrapped up, no?

July?

- I'd said September...
- I know we said something else.

But to be clear, you want to
move on to other projects.

This isn't holding
your attention.

My only options as executor would
be to bring someone new in

and start over, or just
encourage you to push through.

This is, after all,
why we hired her.

Yeah, but I can't work miracles.
Naomi's a huge help

but we're talking
about a raise, obviously.

- A raise?
- Yeah, a raise. I mean, we have...

The sooner you finish,

the sooner you can move on
to other jobs.

Work with Sam

if you want to.

I can loan her as needed
to help expedite things.

How about taking it
for a spin right now?

I have a thing,

but, Sam, you don't need to be there,
so maybe just stay here and, uh...

And get a feel for things.

Nick, two beautiful ladies,
enough motivation

for you to quit being a wimp
and power through?

(STAMMERS) I don't know
if I can...

GWEN: You'll be fine.

Make Sam feel welcome
and part of the team.

And, Nick...

I don't know what to say.

(DOOR CLOSES)

NICK: Widows and daughters.
What did I tell you?

I don't know if I really want
to get involved.

Oh, don't worry about her.

I can't imagine
dealing with Gwen full-time.

How long you been working
with her?

Almost two years.

This poor child.

- What does she say about me?
- NAOMI: Maybe we should get to work.

No, we will. Forget her.

Yeah, I don't know,
just this gossip,

you know? Talking about someone
as soon as they leave the room

kind of makes me feel ill.

I don't really go for it,
either.

This is unheard of.

Two ladies refuse to gossip with
a man in the prime of his life

waiting for
the inside scoop?

Two years, huh? That's...

You must hold the record.

You took over
for Deidre, right?

SAM: I think her name
was Amanda.

Right, Amanda.

I forgot about her.

The turnover in that job
is unfathomable.

- Why does she need an assistant anyway?
- SAM: Why do you?

No offense.

No, none taken, until you
said "no offense." (CHUCKLES)

All right. If I left,

I'm sure you guys
could figure it out.

I don't think so. I'm not... I
don't really know exactly...

I don't think I have much
left in me today

so, I'm gonna call
an audible

and I'll just let you bring
Sam up to speed. Okay?

- Great.
- So, could you...

SAM: Oh, yeah.

- NICK: Thank you.
- My pleasure.

Bye.

(CHUCKLES)

Okay.

NAOMI: I don't know, reading,
exploring, going for walks.

So, nothing really. Um...

It's kind of lonely,

but I think maybe that's really
good for me right now. Um...

I just came out of
a really intense relationship

and I kind of needed a break.

I wanted some time just to

be by myself, you know.

I never traveled or anything
when I was at uni and...

You know, I just...

(SIGHS) How do I say...
It sounds kind of silly.

I wanted to see how much
and how quickly I could grow

as a person, I suppose.

Um...

I feel like
the most difficult part

about being as transient as
I have been for a while is

just how vulnerable I am
to infatuation, you know?

I go to a new place,
and I want to move there

and then I meet somebody
and I fall in love with him,

and, you know, I want to be
with him all the time, and...

Then a week passes

and then two weeks pass,
and then

I just want to leave,
you know.

Are you there yet, now?

"There yet, now."

No, I'm not.

I mean, if only,
you know,

- because this is all so boring.
- (CHUCKLES)

There's not really anything
to fixate on, you know.

And I say that
as a very positive thing.

This family
is fucked up.

Take it from me,
do not fixate.

Yeah, I don't know.

I kind of like Nick.
I know he's a bit sad.

I really like Gwen.
(CHUCKLES)

Get to know them better.

Let the luster fade.

Well, we're sitting
in a basement office

surrounded by piles
of documents.

I'm not really sure
to which luster you refer.

It's hard to

articulate this
competitive nonsense,

the

unwilling resentment we apparently
feel without warning, for our family.

You see it between Gwen
and Alyssa.

It's the same

for me and my sister.

Love,

jealousy

and deficiency,

all wrapped up in
a genetically-bonded inability

to ever express the concurrent

- depth of these feelings.
- Hmm.

What a mess a dynamic
like this can be.

Between strangers, you, me,
Nick, Gwen, or whatever,

it should be cleaner.
Maybe it is.

My problem

is that

personal dynamics
ebb and flow.

Most of them have an endpoint that
we are never not moving towards, but

- it's not so with family.
- Hmm.

There is no destination and

no hope for a clean getaway.

You aspire for your time here to
end well, to leave head held high,

a trail of positivity
behind you.

I'll leave Gwen someday
and hope for the same.

Out on a high note.

A perfect final moment.

Family doesn't afford that endless
optimism for a happy ending.

BUDDY: I had to get
out of the house.

I know it's short notice,
possibly weird,

I hope that you don't
read anything into it.

If you couldn't make it,

I'd probably just be
sitting here alone anyway.

No offense.

Why does everybody keep
saying that to me today?

Saying what?

Do I seem
extra offended today?

You must be finding yourself
in apologetic company.

Well, don't apologize.

Sorry.

My mum was

very happy about the fact that
we caught up the first time.

I think it maybe makes her
feel like I'm less far away

or something,
like she has some slight

ancient connection
to your family.

I don't know.

It'll make her day
when I call her tomorrow,

which it already is
in Melbourne.

So where's
the wife tonight?

With the sister.

That guy over by the bar
is checking you out.

Don't look.

Give it a second,
then a quick glance.

Are you ready?
One, two, three,

now look.

What should I do?

(CLEARS THROAT)

I'll play wingman.

- Let's get you laid.
- Oh, goodness.

I didn't know we were allowed to
talk to each other like that.

BUDDY: Hey, man.

- What's your name?
- Uh, Peter.

Peter, this is sister-in-law,
Naomi, visiting from Australia.

G'day, Naomi.

G'day, Peter.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING
ON SPEAKERS)

(SNIFFLES)

It's just about lunchtime
in Australia right now so

I will call my mum
as soon as I get home

and let her know that I saw you
again and she will be thrilled.

Positively thrilled.

That's great.

I love the way
it smells here.

I've never really experienced
springtime like this.

You know, in Australia,
the trees bloom in September.

- Hmm.
- It's the other way around.

I've fallen in love on so
many nights like tonight.

Um...

I need to get home.
And so do you.

NAOMI: Okay.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

(DOOR OPENS)

ALYSSA: Actually, everything
at work is great.

Clients, problems, money...

GWEN: You're forgetting
I can read your mind.

Cut the shit.

It's nothing, there's nothing.

If we're not going to talk about
anything, why'd you ask to come over?

I just wanted to be
in your house, I think,

someplace devoted
to one person's life.

I remember feeling so sad,

so sad that Dad had to
live alone after Mom died.

It would have been ridiculous
for him to live any other way.

He wasn't going to have roommates and
we weren't going to live with him.

He was capable
and independent.

Every time I saw him, I knew that he was
going back to that big, empty house

and be bouncing around in
there completely by himself

and it destroyed me.

He never showed
any signs of

ever feeling anything
but fully satisfied.

He was a truly content
and happy man.

Maybe it's just that Mom seemed
to leave no void, is my issue.

(SCOFFS)

Either way, I come over
here and I admire you.

Excuse me if half of my old
problems have transferred onto you.

The last few years with Mom
felt that way.

Seeing them out
at a dinner or

an event,

knowing that they were sleeping
in separate rooms by then.

They put on that performance,

not just in public, for us,
as though we were the public

knowing that they'd come
through the door at night

and then they probably wouldn't speak
to each other again until morning.

That

crushed me. So,

I felt relief

in the worst possible way,
when Mom died.

That was devastating in its own way,
but hopefully you understand my point.

It was a relief not to see him living
that isolated existence anymore.

Now he's just a mountain of boxes
in the basement with Nick.

And he's down there with him.

You know, these feelings
are fleeting.

It's all gonna be forgotten.

Papers, documents, archives,
that's Dad now. And Mom.

Nick's been showing me
how much Mom is in there.

It's not just his work.

It's our mutual life.

It's kind of sweet, actually.

Of course it refutes your opinion. I
probably won't show you any of it.

Please don't,
in that case.

What do you think he does
down there all day?

Obviously, I know what he does.
The work gets done.

But I can't seem to shake...

I can't seem to shake it,
though, that

the two of them,

five feet apart.

- Nine hours a day.
- Naomi's not the problem.

Is there a problem?

If there is a problem,
she isn't the problem.

She has a good head
on her shoulders.

How do you know that about her?
You met her once for two hours.

In two minutes, I could tell.
The other 1:58 confirmed it.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

I can come so close
to believing you, but...

He hurt me in the past and...

There's no way I can ever give him
the benefit of the doubt ever again.

I wish he would earn it back,
you know?

After years of penance, being
a strong, great partner.

But he hasn't.
I don't know why.

He's a completely
different man now.

He accepts what his life is.

Do you believe he's in a head
space to jeopardize things?

I never believed it.

Even when I found out,
I didn't believe it.

Do you have any evidence that this is
anything more than a nagging hunch?

No, there's nothing.

I know it's stupid.

You'd tell me
if there was, right?

Would you tell me if you thought
Naomi was untrustworthy?

I'd tell you anything, if you asked me.
Would you do the same?

If you asked me what was
going on, I would tell you.

(PEN SCRATCHING ON PAPER)

(PAPER CRINKLING)

(PEN CONTINUES SCRATCHING)

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Hi.

Uh, do you mind
if I go to lunch?

Why would I?

Hey, I'm Peter.

(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

WOMAN:
It's not the kids' fault.

It's just the winter had so
much travel throughout it,

the time at home just became
sort of this war zone.

It's a matter of balance,
really...

The importance
being placed on that time

was just so disproportionate

to the actual
experience of it.

It weighed too heavily
against itself.

(CONTINUES TALKING
INDISTINCTLY)

...because of all these unspoken
issues that I blamed on work

and Mel blamed on me.

And it was really only when
things settled down

that we were able to talk about
it in any reasonable way.

Well, that makes sense.

The thing that balances it out, though,
ends up being all about the kids.

We can only put
our own bullshit aside

and consider
a reasonable resolution

when what's on the table
is them.

Having that as an anchor
is valuable.

(WOMAN CONTINUES SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY)

ALYSSA: Ever since Naomi started,
I've been feeling nothing but rotten.

NICK: There's no reason to think about
that situation in those, or any terms.

ALYSSA: Hmm.

You'd tell me
if there was, right?

I mean, you'd say what the thing
was if there was a thing?

I would.

ALYSSA: You haven't been
all that sharp, either.

Is she not working out?

She's fine.

Then what is it?

It's nothing.
I don't know.

Is this really
something so serious

or is it just misdirected
from somewhere else?

I just wanted to mention a feeling.
I wasn't sure why it's so strong.

I've come to know that
this is what I want.

I don't want anyone else
to be a part of it.

It's important to me and I don't
want anything else to change it.

(MUSIC PLAYING ON SPEAKERS)

I'm really glad that you were
able to sneak away again.

What did you say?

I said I'm glad that you were
able to get away and see me.

That's not what you said.
You said "sneak."

I don't want
to be a sneak.

Well, is this going
to be an issue or

can we just relax
and spend time together?

I think it's time for you
to not contact me.

It's peculiar and confusing
and also inappropriate.

How so, and why?

Where's what's-his-face?

He took me to lunch.

Where do I fit in?

I wanted somebody to
take me out for a cocktail.

If you say so.

- Is this all I get?
- (SIGHS)

To be your evening's entertainment?
I have a wife for that, already.

But I thought you liked
catching up with me.

Yes, and we've caught up

and there's nowhere else
to catch now but down.

You're very cute
when you're angry.

(SIGHS)

I'm really glad that we got
to connect for my time here.

Just trying to do
the right thing.

By what standards?

This is a situation
in which

I no longer know how to
make myself comfortable.

Well, I want to spend
time with you.

I don't see what's so wrong
with that.

And I don't know
anybody else here.

A lot of guys would love
to hear me say that to them.

I'm not a lot of guys.

I want you to stay.

I'm sorry.

I have to walk away.
I hope you understand why.

You okay?

Yeah.

I missed you.

I'm sorry it took me
so long to come back.

Obviously you know your way around to
take care of things when I'm gone.

At this point, I do.

So, there's nothing more
to show you.

You've had two years
to learn it.

Five more minutes isn't
gonna make a difference.

I wish you'd come with me.
That'd be fun, wouldn't it?

Though, I guess that defeats
the purpose of travel.

For me, anyway,
travel alone is one thing,

travel with somebody else
is different.

But also the next few months
are meant to

clear my head.

For whatever reason, with you
around that doesn't work.

Not you, specifically.
Just anyone.

For someone
with no substantial roots,

it would seem I'm free
to do whatever I want.

You have your sister.
I suppose I have mine, too.

Bet they're alike,

our sisters.

They have to make decisions based
on two people instead of one.

What a drag that must be.

SAM: It's unlikely,
though, that

either of us would feel
the same sense

of gratification
that they do.

I wonder if when she's
your age, or I am,

we'll find ourselves looking forwards
or backwards at the decisions

the other one
or the other made and

thinking,

for one day, we would
want to switch places.

It's unlikely,
but you never know.

GWEN: I'm gonna go
wait for my car.

I wonder if the next time
we see each other

one or the other
will have met someone

who makes us feel or

desire something we don't
currently feel or desire.

Desire.

That's a novel concept.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

I need to give the key back to
you before I leave tomorrow.

I think they just said to leave
them under the mat before you go.

No, I meant the office keys.

Oh, yeah, I'll take those.

I'm applying for this
work-study program in Sydney

and I was wondering
if maybe you could write

a letter of recommendation
for me.

Yeah.

- Sure.
- Great. Thank you. (CLEARS THROAT)

I, um... (CLEARS THROAT)

I hope that I've been helpful
to you over the last few months

and that Timothy's materials
are in a better shape now

than they would have been
without me here.

I believe they are.

Good.

And I wanted to thank you for
introducing me to your family and

inviting me into your home.

I don't think many people would
blend work and family like that

and I think it was
very classy of you.

Um...

And...

I hope that we can
stay in touch.

You know,

if I... If I come back here, maybe
when I'm done with my studies,

we could perhaps
work together again.

Yeah, sure.

Great.

NICK: It's okay,
she's gone anyway.

I'm without assistant.

I thought she left
last week.

No, today.

You stopped
mentioning her.

What's to say?
She was a boring person.

I know Gwen wanted
to spend some time with her.

I wonder if that
ever ended up happening.

Um...

She started seeing
some guy.

He came to pick her up
for lunch.

Anyway, he stopped coming
like a week or so ago.

Anyway.

I don't know what happened
with that, she...

She got sloppy, and the
work suffered, so that's...

That's that.

Everything okay?

I don't know.

Finishing a job can't help
but make me feel miserable

about the state
of my own work.

It's dead and irrelevant.

I don't know.

Lifetime after lifetime...

Catalogued,
packed with gloves,

packed up, shipped away.

Is that all there is?

Subtitles by explosiveskull