My Friend Joe (1996) - full transcript
During the course of one summer, a young Irish lad named Chris befriends an American boy named Joe. The two couldn't be more different, yet they become inseparable. Things turn horribly wrong however, when Chris discovers his new best friend isn't a he, but a she. The sadness only begins as Chris learns why Joe's gender must be kept a secret.
(light rock music)
- All right, lads, that's how to do it.
- There's no bleedin'
need to push us, Boyler.
- Yeah, there might be rocks down there.
- Yeah, sharp ones.
- That's the whole point.
What did you think we were jumping into,
a puddle Noel?
Chicken out, you'll be
on your own this summer.
We're Hellfire Heroes, right lads?
- One, two,
just push us, Chris-o, will ya?
- Serious?
You scared?
- Come on, boys.
- Look, will you just push us?
I'm bleedin' freakin.
Tree!
Come on, Chris.
It's easy.
- After you, Boyler, if you're so big.
- [Boyler] Hellfire Heroes!
- Come on, Chris-o.
I can't sit here all day.
- Piece of cake.
- Come on, Chris.
Give it a lash.
(dramatic orchestral music)
Look here, lads.
I'm flying a Hellfire flag.
- [Conor] Let him alone, Boyler.
- [Kid] We don't have
to swim with that flag,
do we, Boyler.
- [Boyler] Looks like the Hellfire Heroes
are a hero short this summer, lads.
(all imitating chickens)
Chicken.
- Hello, Liam.
- Hey, Michael.
- How's the misses?
- I suppose you're just
up out of a nice warm
comfortable bed.
- I am, sorry.
(laughing)
(light rock music)
- Aw, the chicken.
(imitating chicken)
What's that smell, lads?
- Roast, boiled, or
Kentucky Fried Chicken.
(imitating chicken)
- Lads, wait up, lads.
Boyler, Boyler.
- Listen again, Boyler.
- Will you piss off, Chris,
you little chicken shit?
- Come on, I swear I can do the canonball.
Come on.
- Okay.
(sheep baaing)
- Let us in the gang, lads.
- Reef us a coke off that lorry
and we'll think about it.
- [Conor] Ha, mint sauce, mint sauce.
- Oh, look Chris.
There are your real friends.
What are you waiting for?
(dog barking)
(suspenseful orchestral music)
- He's gonna kill himself, Boyler.
(laughing)
- [Chris] Shit, no.
- What the...
Who's that?
- Oh, cool.
He did it.
- [Boyler] Just showing off.
Anybody could do that.
- Ow.
- Hey.
Call me Joe.
- Ow.
I'm Christopher, Chris.
Yeah, oh.
- Your fork's too loose
and you got a wobbly wheel.
No one could've ridden this
bike after the truck like that.
- [Conor] He's a looper.
- [Boyler] Ah, it's a know-it-all yank.
- Big mouth, small brain.
- Hey, that was cool riding, deadly.
- It wasn't that great.
- Bet I could do more on a bike
than you ever dreamed of.
- Bet I can think up a trick you can't do.
- You think it up and I can do it.
- All right, you know the steps
that lead down to the beach,
by the railroad track?
Bet you couldn't go all the way down them
without falling off your bike.
- Cup on, Boyler.
I mean it's 132 steps.
He wouldn't make it.
No one would.
- You wanted another go
at the canonball, right?
- Yeah, sure, ow.
- What's in it for me?
- I'll buy ya a Coke.
- A case of Cokes.
- You're on, yank.
You get a case of Cokes
and Chris over there gets another chance
to chicken out at canonball.
- I don't have time to
educate you right now.
Meet you there tomorrow at seven.
- Yeah, like you'll turn up.
- You'll be there with the Cokes
and I'll be there to ride.
- [Boyler] I'll have 'em, no bother.
- How can you afford a
case of Coke, Boyler?
That's serious money.
- Did I ask you, shrimp?
- You'll be there, right?
- Sure.
Would you come on, you?
- Come on, Lardy, let's go.
- [Michael] Hey, Liam
- Hi, ouch.
Michael, Michael, Michael.
- Okay, so we grab 'em, okay?
- Right.
- [Aideen] Hey, look, there he is now.
(gasping)
- Damn.
- Okay, let's go.
He'll go so red.
- [Joe] Guess who.
- Uh, uh, uh, Nicolai.
- [Joe] Simon.
- Hey.
God, you've been gone long time.
Did you have fun?
Huh?
(dog barking)
Your uncle has been looking for you.
He's been doing his Vesuvius bit.
- [Joe] That's the volcano
that destroyed Pompeii,
isn't it?
- Yeah, he's got a short fuse.
Oh, but he did get you
this new bike, right?
Huh?
Hmm?
- [Suzie] Christopher Doyle,
come here to me this instant.
- Set the table for dinner, Chris.
- What do you want?
- I want a tall dark handsome hunk,
but I have to make due with you.
- [Mom] Chris.
- In a minute, mom.
- Ow.
- [Suzie] Nice pair, mom.
- What's she doing here?
- Aideen wants to learn how to kiss
and I said I'd teach her, but we need boy
and well, you're like a boy.
You don't have to look
at her, even talk to her.
- Unless you get the urge.
- I gave up kissing girls for Lent, okay?
- Yeah, right.
- Lent isn't for months yet.
- Just let your lips touch.
- He's trying his best
to take care of you,
but he's not very good at it.
- You can say that again.
- He's just not
- [Both] Very good at it.
- [Curt] Joe, where are you?
(metal banging)
- Better go.
(light guitar music)
- Okay, okay, okay.
You haven't looked, have you?
- No, it smells like
(sniffing)
shepherd's pie.
- Okay, I'm gonna say, 117.
- Maybe on the salad.
No, no.
More like 145.
(laughing)
- 145.
- Hey, no counting till after dinner, dad.
- How was work?
- Fish came in, fish went out
and a few pound stayed in our pocket.
- The fishermen get to go somewhere.
The lorry drivers go somewhere.
We just sit here in this poxy little town.
- The Americans call it
Hicksville, Christopher.
It will be nice to acknowledge
that the rest of the world exists,
saw it, went out into it, eh?
- What do you say we
do a little bit of work
on the Argonaut, tonight, Chris, eh?
- Yeah.
- Oh, yes.
Work on the boat for another year or two,
so you don't have to sail in it.
- [Suzie] Catch, Chris.
- What's this?
- It's just a scratch.
- What do you mean it's just a scratch?
- This is no scratch, Chris.
What were you up to?
- I just fell off my bike.
One of Suzie's stupid
friends got in my way
and I fell off my bike
swerving around her.
- Sure, you did, Chris.
- Well, no washing up for you tonight.
- Ow.
(light acoustic music)
- Well, what's this?
I'll tell you when it's time to be a girl.
- But, it's so hot when we're
training with the wig on.
- Oh, it's so hot.
Come on, put it on.
You like that new bike?
- [Joe] Yeah.
- It's all right, isn't it?
Where you been?
- I, um,
took it into town and rode around.
- Yeah, you didn't talk to
any house people, did you?
(dramatic piano music)
Good.
I gave you a career, you give me respect.
You stick to your own kind.
All right, time in motion.
- You see, measure twice, cut once.
- Uh, grandad's hat.
When we're finally finished,
we can sail anywhere we want, you know?
Out to the lighthouse, into Dublin Bay,
around Dalkey Island, even
over to Ireland's side.
That would be
totally awesome, wouldn't it, dad?
- Hmmm.
I think the island would
be awesome enough for me.
- Oh, that is really coming along, Liam.
I'd say it should be
ready by the time Chris
goes to college.
- Yeah, we're just taking
the time to do it right,
okay?
- This Coke cost me a tenner.
- Where did you get a tenner, Boyler?
- I robbed it off me dad.
So, this friend of yours better show up.
The case goes back and the shekels is back
in my dad's pocket as
soon as this little Molly
chickens out.
- Joe.
- About time, yank.
Take a look and see
just how smart you are.
- But, Boyler the--
- Boyler.
Chris deserves another
go at the cannonball
seems to me.
Looks like we have a bet, guys.
- Conor, Noel, Chris,
get in your positions.
(percussive orchestral music)
(air hissing)
You can still squirm out of it, you know?
Just admit you're a germy little chicken,
like Chris down there.
- Shut it, Boyler.
- Don't do it, Joe.
It's suicide.
- [Joe] It's not my funeral.
- [Conor] Go on, Joe.
- [Boyler] Come on, you
can go faster than that.
Faster, come on.
- Keep going, Joe.
Keep going, Joe.
Don't slow down.
- [Boyler] Can you hurry up?
Go faster.
- [Chris] Go on, Joe.
- [Boyler] Hurry up.
Go on, move it.
Go, faster, will ya?
- He's taking off, he's still up.
Un-bleedin'-lievable.
- [Boyler] Come on, move.
- [Chris] Joe, the barricade's broken!
You won't get over.
Jump!
(tires skidding)
Jump!
- Yes!
Hey, it was 132 steps, Chris.
- He counted them.
He counted them.
- It's a bleedin' wreck.
- It belongs in a museum.
Yeah, with a warning sign saying,
"Don't do this at home, kids."
- Is that what you wanted, Boyler?
Happy?
(light orchestral music)
- [Conor] Looks like you
lost your stipends, Boyler.
- I can't believe you survived that.
Will your dad not freak
out when he sees it?
- Uh,
nah.
I know someone who can fix it.
- [Chris] You know it
wasn't a wobbly wheel
that made me fall yesterday.
- Yeah, but they don't know that.
Suppose you could just
sorta keep the Cokes
at your place for a while?
I could get one from you now and then.
- You did all that for crate of Coke
and now you don't even want it?
- I did it 'cause they're your steps.
- [Chris] Boyler's right.
You are crazy.
- [Joe] I knew I could do it.
(light piano music)
- [Boyler] You still have to jump.
- [Noel] Bye.
- [Conor] Hey, Boyler.
Where's my Coke?
- [Chris] Boyler says we still have
to do the canonball, though.
- [Joe] Yeah, but then
you'll be a Hellfire Hero.
- Yeah, I suppose.
Hey, this is my house, just over here.
You wanna come in for a minute.
- Uh, no.
I'm already kinda late, actually.
- Well, I'll see you tomorrow, won't I?
- Yeah, see you Chris.
- See you, Joe.
131, 132 steps, he does it.
Yes!
- Simon.
- Oh my god.
What happened?
Are you all right?
- Can it be fixed before...
- Before Curt sees it?
Yeah, I'll try.
What happened?
- Uh, I gotta go.
I'll tell you later.
Bye.
- Bye.
(radio jingle music)
♪ Dalkey radio. ♪
- [Announcer] Rise and shine, Dalkey.
Here we are again with another
happy note for the day.
Did you know that the
giraffe is the only animal
who can't make any noise?
Which is more than we
can say for this fellow.
(light country music)
♪ There are two lovely ladies in my life ♪
♪ One is my lover ♪
♪ The other is my wife ♪
- [Chris] Who hit you?
- [Boyler] My da.
He just telling me how to read.
Still have to pay back the money I reefed.
- [Chris] You made the bet.
- [Boyler] Yeah, but it was robbing.
- [Chris] Wasn't it
worth to see Joe do that?
- [Boyler] Let's go
get Conor and the bikes
and go to the quarry.
(light piano music)
- Face it, Chris-o, your
freckled-face friend
has crapped out.
- Yeah, well, I bet he didn't
have to stay in the same
class for two years in a row, Boyler.
(percussive orchestral music)
- Daddy.
Geez, what a rapid bike.
- What a rapid place.
So, who's gonna show me around?
- Come on, let's go.
- So anyway, this lad's sitting down
and there's a knock at the back door.
So, he goes out, opens the door,
looks around, but he doesn't see anyone.
Then he looks down and he sees this snail.
The snail goes, "Can I have a
bucket of chocolate biscuits?"
And he just gets pissed
off and kicks the snail
to the back of the garden.
- This story sucks.
- So, anyway, six months later,
there's another knock at the door.
He opens the door and again
he doesn't see anyone.
Then he sees the snail on the ground.
The snail says, "What'd you do that for?"
(laughing)
- Okay, head-boy, you tell us one.
- The only one I know is about a girl.
- Ah, girls are all right for jokes.
- Yeah, and shag all us.
- Okay, well this girl has a friend
her uncle doesn't like.
The uncle who takes care of the friend
gets mad one day.
He takes into like the shed,
he slowly takes off this huge black belt
and smiles.
That's what scares her.
He likes that she's scared.
He teases her with the belt,
whipping it over her head.
It's got a weird buckle.
One side's white and one side's black.
She concentrates really
hard on the buckle.
She starts to think he
won't do it anymore,
when suddenly, he whips the
big black belt across her back
and it hurts,
but not as much as
waiting for the next one.
So, when he raises his fist again,
she tries to get away,
but he just rips harder
again and again.
She curls up in a little ball,
but he rips her shirt
and slashes the belt against her bare back
and it cuts her skin.
There's scars under the new cuts.
No one ever sees them though.
She always wears clothes
that cover her whole back.
God, it seems like hours later,
she stopped crying and he's gone.
The cuts are there.
She remembers everything.
Things she'll never forget.
- Where's the bleeding punchline?
- Was that a joke?
I don't get it.
- Lame.
Let's say we show these two
where the secret place is.
(blues music)
Come on, Conor.
(dog barking)
- Chris-o, we're not allowed in here.
- Come on, come on.
Looks like someone really didn't want us
to find their secret hiding place.
Doesn't look too dangerous to me.
Come on.
- We're coming.
- It's a drowning pool, Chris, isn't it?
Come on, boys.
Whip 'em out.
Let's see how far ya's can piss.
- [Conor] Whip what out, Boyler?
- This place is deadly.
I was never here before
'cause of those bleedin' signs
back there.
- Come on, Joe, get yours out.
- [Joe] Um, I'll go meet
you guys by the bikes.
I gotta go--
- No, you're gonna swim with us.
- I gotta fix my brakes.
- What's the prob?
Can't you swim?
- I can swim as far as you.
But in this bathtub, what's the point?
- [Chris] Joe, we can
teach you how to swim.
- I don't wanna swim.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- You gotta learn sometime, sunshine.
(yelling)
- Back to your roots, eh, shrimpy?
- That lad's not the full shilling.
- [Conor] You okay?
- [Noel] Me ma will kill me.
- [Conor] Well, you did ask for it, Noel.
- [Noel] Yeah, but he's looper.
(blues music)
(dog barking)
- [Conor] How'd he get there so fast?
- [Boyler] Come on, let's follow him.
Chris, look.
There's Joe.
- How was your pal?
That good, eh?
- [Boyler] Road House.
What's that?
- Do you reckon that's his grandad?
- They must live in that lorry.
Jesus.
- Find your balance with your arms, hmm.
Softly, gently, no hips.
If you lose your balance,
just go down, lower you center.
That's it.
(horse whinnying)
The wire is a straight line.
It's straight and it's simple,
like your life.
You mess around with house people,
your like will look like that.
That's very difficult to walk on.
Let's go.
Let's go.
What are you looking at?
- People don't actually live in lorries,
do they dad?
- Ah, some cuddies in the world,
a lorry would be considered
the lap of luxury.
- How do you,
how do you find out about people?
How do you make them tell you stuff?
- Well, usually you
tell somebody something,
they'll tell you something in return.
The only difficulty is
getting them to shut up
once they've started.
Well, looks like we're ready to go.
- The Argonaut is one step closer
to her maiden voyage.
Why do you call it maiden, dad?
- Ask your mother, son.
(grand orchestral music)
- [Man] Hold it, hold it, hold it.
From the top.
One, two, three, four.
(grand orchestral music)
- Where you going so fast?
- [Joe] I was just gonna go for a ride.
- Uh huh.
Got a hot date, hmm?
Have something to eat first.
Listen, I want you to give
me some aggression out there.
Give me some attack.
Show some control, you're
fighting for your balance.
I don't wanna see all those
little girlish things.
I don't wanna see it.
It's too easy.
Simon.
I don't wanna see your mother up there.
Remember what happened to her.
- I have to get my bike from Simon.
- Sit down.
I wanna a little
dedication, a little effort
from you right now.
Your body's changing.
I don't want you thinking
with your crotch.
It's too early for that.
- Yeah.
- [Curt] No house people.
Hey, no house people.
- [Joe] Yeah.
- I've been thinking about
those Cokes all morning.
I could drink three of them.
So, this is your house.
- Yep.
- Is that your rabbit?
- Yeah, that's Millie.
- I've never seen anything like that
in my whole life, Chris.
- Yeah, I know.
It's my mom.
She's completely bonkers.
I can stand her for making such crap.
It's so embarrassing.
- It's excellent.
I really like it.
- You do?
God.
Millie, this is Joe.
Joe, Millie.
Millie was my best friend.
- Was?
- Is this your daredevil friend, Chris?
- Yeah, this is Joe.
Joe, my mom.
I told her about the one
flight of stairs you went down.
- I won't do it again, I
can tell you that, ma'am.
It's nice to meet you.
- American, huh?
That accent takes me right back.
Would you like to come inside, Joe?
Have one of the Cokes you left here?
Or a pack of crisps?
Potato chips.
- Thanks.
- Chris.
- Hi, I'm Suzie.
- Don't mind her.
She's a pig, you know?
She just can't help it.
- Bet he could teach Aideen a
thing or three about kissing.
He's gorgeous.
Bye, mom.
Bye, Joe.
- I met a cute American
boy when I was about 16.
I often meant to go over
there and look him up, but...
It was my first kiss, actually.
- Girls, they're like some
nightmare virus or something,
you know?
- Millie's a girl, isn't she?
- Yeah, well actually,
we thought she was a boy
when we first got her.
Hey, do you want to come up to my room?
I can show you all my comics
and adventure books and stuff.
Come on.
(dramatic piano music)
Come on.
Joe, come on.
- [Mom] You all right, Joe?
- Um,
you got a John in there?
- Yeah, straight through.
- [Chris] John?
- Americans call the toilet John.
- I knew that.
Come on.
Come on.
What's the matter?
It's not as nearly as scary
as the flight of steps
you went down.
- You each have your own room?
- [Chris] You gotta share, huh?
(train horn blowing)
- [Train Conductor] Boarding.
(laughing)
- Have you read all these books?
- Sure, yeah.
These ones, read through all them again.
Lands far away, like miles away,
that no one's ever been to,
sort of like forgotten lands.
Cool.
This one, right, it's
about parallel universes
that co-exist right beside ours,
but like we've never seen them
and we don't even know about them.
They don't know about us.
But, uh--
- [Man] Curt, I've looked.
She's not in my trailer.
- It's okay.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Come on.
- God, I wish I was elastic right now.
- Just don't look down.
Look at me.
- That's not a cure.
- Yes, it is.
- Yes, yes.
(light orchestral music)
Joe, what are you doing?
Ah, got ya, Millie.
The world's highest flying rabbit.
- Where is Joe?
Jan.
Jan, you son of a bitch.
- Then the boat breaks in half
and he's slipping down the
boat, but he can't get back up
and he falls in the shark's mouth
and then Chief Brody like rush out and--
- Boys, here it comes.
- Ta da.
- And the shark blows up.
- Chris, where's your sister?
- Hey, pigface, dinner's ready!
- [Liam] Hey, you must be
Joe, the kamikaze cyclist.
That's a great head of hair.
Joe, huh?
- Joe, one's for cake.
- [Liam] All right, Suzie.
(distant chatter)
- Oh, no no no, please
eat as much as you want.
It's nice to be appreciated for once.
- Guilt is the glue of
our family life, Joe.
We're all used to it.
- Chris.
- So, Joe.
Your folks don't mind you
staying out and not phoning?
Chris, he'd be hung out to dry
for not phoning to say he'd be late.
Do you live around here?
- Uh,
not very near, sir.
- Ho ho, that is some cake, huh?
- [Mom] It's my little treat.
- Well, I have a little treat too.
Five tickets to the circus tonight.
- [Chris] Aw, deadly.
Yes.
- We want you to come, Joe,
but we'll have to call your folks.
- No, thank you.
I gotta get home.
- But, Joe--
- Thank you, Mr. Doyle.
Thank you, Mrs. Doyle.
- Joe, hang on.
Joe, what's the matter?
Hey, Joe, what'd I do?
- God, you're a lucky guy, Chris.
- Joe, you forgot your cake.
- Thank you, Mrs. Doyle.
Thanks for a great day.
- You're welcome.
He's a very nice boy.
When we get his phone number,
we should ask his parents
around for a meal, huh?
(grunting)
- [Man] It's fixed?
(speaking foreign language)
Why did you quit the high-wire?
You were a great artist.
- That was a long time ago.
After Stella, I could never get
myself to go up there again.
But you have to take care of Joe up there.
Take action.
- [Man] Of course I will, Simon.
(crowd cheering)
- Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
we welcome you to The Rosseti's Circus.
And to commence, we
present thrills and skills
on the trampoline.
Will you welcome the fabulous Zazz troupe.
(crowd cheering and applauding)
- All right, here we go.
- [Curt] Where the hell you been?
- I lost track of time.
- You lost track of time?
You're sitting there in a daze.
Don't do that.
You look just like your mother.
Now, come on, let's go.
Let's get it to...
What's this?
That looks good.
Where'd you get it?
I guess we know the answer, don't we?
I'm gonna have to cut this hair.
Come on, let's go.
Let's go, come on.
Let's get it on, we got two minutes.
Two minutes, let's go.
Joe, come on.
(upbeat circus music)
(crowd cheering and applauding)
- Honey, looking at you like
this takes me right back.
- [Ring Leader] From the Kirov ballet,
a special treat for you.
Please put your hands together
for Madam Siminova Kiminova.
(audience laughing and whistling)
(horn honking)
(audience laughing)
(comical circus music)
(laughing)
(imitating chicken)
(laughing)
(audience laughing and applauding)
- Ladies and gentlemen, follow the lights
for the death-defying
kings of the high-wire.
- God, I wish Joe was here.
- The Aerial Brothers.
(audience applauding and cheering)
(grand circus music)
(audience applauding)
- [Ring Leader] Uh-oh,
don't forget your pole.
(audience applauding)
- This is deadly, dad.
Maybe another night we can
go again and bring Joe.
(audience applauding)
- [Ring Leader] Naughty naughty.
Looks heavy.
(audience laughing)
(drum rolling)
(audience applauding and cheering)
(grand orchestral music)
- [Ring Leader] And now for
something extremely dangerous.
A two-man high on top of a bicycle.
(grand orchestral music)
(audience applauding and cheering)
Oh, no.
There she goes again, no pole.
- Jesus.
- Damn, damn.
- [Ring Leader] Ladies and
gentlemen, The Aerial Brothers.
(light applause)
And now, welcome back Simonva Kiminova.
(comical circus music)
(audience applauding and cheering)
(gun firing)
(audience laughing)
- [Conor] Hey wait, guys.
What's the hurry?
- I really don't think you
oughta be so hard on yourself.
I don't know a soul in the whole circus
who hasn't made a big mistake
at one time or another.
Even Curt has made some really big ones,
no matter what he tells you.
- It was mama who made 'em all fall.
- Mmm.
I don't care how many pans the lady used,
this is cake is, oh my god, so good.
- Was my mama the perfect
performer before she fell?
Curt says she never did anything right.
- Well, I say
your mom was the best.
- So, then he was riding a bike
with the small guy on his shoulders
when something went wrong.
(whistling)
Bang, the bike hit the deck as
they lept onto the platform.
- Wow.
- I'm pissed off waiting
for Chris' hammerhead friend
who's not gonna show up anyway.
Let's go to the rock.
- Joe and I will catch you over there.
- Don't hurry on my account.
- He didn't really mean to hurt you.
- Yeah, what's he do when
he does mean to hurt me?
- You and Joe still have
to do the canonball.
Tide's full again in three days.
- We'll be there, Boyler.
I swear.
- Look, I told you before, okay?
No house people.
I'll cut your hair off.
Cut it off.
You use it, you lose it, you lose it.
You wanna lose it?
(grunting)
(ominous guitar music)
(light piano music)
- Chris.
- [Chris] Joe.
- Just think of it being this wide.
Come on, let's go.
(upbeat orchestral music)
- Water noises ran by close to his ears.
The beams creaked and whined about him.
All these things made
him grunt despairingly
and think of his mother.
Wanna read on?
- Yeah.
- Joe, imagine leading a rich, fancy life
in a cruise ship and then being dropped
into a tiny little fisherman's boat.
- It's two different worlds all right.
- First chance I get, I'm
gonna leave this town,
just like Harvey in Captains Courageous.
- Your life here isn't that bad, is it?
I mean, you could move every two weeks
and never have any real friends
or a real home.
- I wonder if we should just ask Boyler
what's going on with him and his da.
- Sometimes it's hard for
people to tell the whole thing.
I mean, even if they want to,
even to a best friend.
- See, if I'd had a little help
from one of you useless
articles while I was cooking,
you wouldn't have ended up
with so many dishes to wash.
- Gosh, didn't I always tell ya's
your mother was need in help.
- Well, you'll be in need
of help, Liam darling,
when I lay my hands on you.
(giggling)
- Get off.
No no no.
(laughing)
Get off me.
- Come on, Joe.
Have another Coke.
What's this, Joe?
- It's nothing.
- Come on, come on.
Does that sting?
- Nah.
- Hey, Joe, come on.
- [Joe] Uh, I have to go.
- [Chris] No, stay for a bit.
- Bye, Suzie, bye, Mr.
Doyle, bye, Mrs. Doyle.
- Suzie?
- He had a cut and bruises all up his arm.
- Really?
I wonder if we should call Dr. Doyle.
- He was really upset, but I cleaned it
and I put a bandage on it.
- He left in a bit of a hurry, huh?
- He's in some sort of trouble.
I really think we should get
his full name and address.
Well, see if you can catch up with him.
- Oh, all right.
- Canonball first thing tomorrow.
- Hey, Joe.
Damn, I missed him.
We've gotta find out where he lives.
Do you promise?
(light piano music)
(door opening)
- [Curt] You better get
something to eat before showtime.
- [Joe] I already ate.
- Yeah, when?
- [Joe] Earlier.
- Yeah, whereabouts?
You're not eating off the lot, are you?
What's this?
I think you know by now
what's right and what's wrong,
who's your friend, who's your enemy.
Remember,
it's not the wire you have to master,
it's yourself.
- [Boyler] Who wants to bet
the two little boyfriends
will chicken out at jump.
Come on, shrimp.
Come on, lardass.
- [Conor] Yeah, coming, Boyler.
- [Joe] You really wanna
join the Hellfire Heroes?
- We don't have to join
if you don't want to?
- Forget them.
We don't need a gang anyway.
I got something to tell you.
- [Mom] Suzie.
- [Suzie] Yeah, mom?
- [Mom] Have you seen Chris anywhere?
- [Suzie] He's in the garden with Joe.
- You know any really secret place?
Somewhere the gang doesn't?
- Why didn't I take you
there before, I don't know.
This place is rapid, come on.
Ah, the water's coming in pretty fast.
Soon we'll be sealed in.
There's a dry spot just over here.
- Sure Boyler and the gang
don't know about this?
- No.
If Boyler knew, he'd
probably call it skull cave
or something.
- It is rapid, Chris.
Watching your mom gave me the idea.
We'll put 'em on each other.
(light orchestral music)
- Deadly.
- [Joe] As long as we're best friends,
these bracelets will shine,
but if either one should go dull,
it'll be parting time.
If you're ever in danger,
then let the charm go,
'cause that's a signal
that lets your friend know.
(laughing)
- Here's my name, rank, and serial number,
in case we're in combat or something.
What's yours?
- Um, if you let me go,
I'll tell you inside.
- Okay.
- You mess with Hellfire
Heroes, you get taught a lesson,
end of story.
(laughing)
- [Chris] Come on, just a little bit.
It's deadly.
(burping)
(laughing)
Couldn't have a belching contest
with some stupid scavenger.
(burping)
You have a go.
(burping)
(laughing)
My sister's friend, right,
she tried to kiss me.
I mean, I'd rather kiss a rock.
(burping)
(dramatic piano music)
Hey, name.
- And did you?
- What?
- Kiss her?
- No.
(burping)
- Come on, let's go.
- But we just got here.
- Where have you pair been?
Come in here this instant.
Come on, quickly quickly.
All right, I have heard
nothing but bad about you pair
all day, from the
neighbors, from the police,
from the woman I call my wife
and as a punishment, we
want you to have these.
- Yes.
(laughing)
- Ah, deadly.
The Irish Guards in the
Great War by Kipling, yes.
Open yours, Joe.
Aw, thanks, da.
(laughing)
- [Liam] Hey, what's this?
- Oh, Joe made 'em.
Look.
Made two of them, see?
- Well, looks like homemade's
in vogue this season.
I hope you don't mind, 'cause
it's a woman, you know?
- Thanks.
Thanks a lot.
- [Chris] Joe, come on.
- Glad you like it.
It's nice to have someone in the house
with taste for a change.
Oh, did you see that?
- Yeah yeah, you're right.
There's definitely something wrong.
- He's obviously been really badly treated
and I just don't think
we can turn our back
and pretend that it's
not happening, can we?
- [Liam] All right, all right, well,
maybe we can have him to stay.
- [Chris] Joey!
- Chris would love it if
he stayed for a few nights.
- Well, let's see if we can work it out.
- Okay.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- Where's Joe?
- I think she's around here some place.
What's the problem?
The show isn't for hours.
- Tell her to get her ass in the ring.
- See you tomorrow then, best friend.
- Tomorrow and I'll tell you everything.
- Chris?
- Hmm?
- Will you give your mom
and dad something from me?
- Sure.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- [Mom] All I'm saying is,
here's a boy that needs help
and he have a whole house
full of help we can give.
There has to be some way
that we can do just that,
hasn't there?
- Hang on second.
You're the one who said
two kids was enough.
- Call it mother's instinct.
I just know he's in trouble.
Haven't we always said before,
surely someone must've noticed something.
Well, in this case, we are the someone.
- Yeah, that's right.
- We have noticed something.
Bruises, the way he's
afraid of his own shadow.
And all I'm saying is, Liam,
what are we going to do about it?
(upbeat circus music)
- What you got?
- Present.
- From?
- Chris' mom.
- Oh.
- Bye.
- Bye.
(grinding)
- Joe will tell us
something when he gets here.
- Just don't expect it
all to be good, Chris.
Life doesn't always turn out that way.
- Life's a bitch and then you marry one.
- That is not what I said
at all, Christopher Doyle.
- I didn't steal it.
- [Curt] Where'd you get it?
- Uh, there's this guy down
at the beach who makes 'em.
- [Curt] Where exactly?
- Um, some dorky old cave.
- Really?
You've been spending too much time away.
- I'm here for every show.
- You missed parade last night.
- It won't happen again.
- You bet it won't.
You have no idea what it's like
to have all your dreams shattered,
humbled on the ground.
I hope you never do,
because what I want for you is the best.
I wanna see you headlining in
the best circus in the world.
I want you to have
what your mama, my sister, and I wanted.
- Yeah, well you never
asked me if I wanted it.
- Don't push me away like that.
It's just you and me, isn't it?
Hmm?
Just you and me.
This is where we belong.
- Maybe it's not where I belong.
- Well, I need something more for you.
I need to hear it from you.
I need you to tell me
that you got nothing else,
that this is your whole life.
Can you tell me that, hmm?
Can you say it?
Can you say it for me?
- I got some place to go.
- And the joke between two officers,
one of whom turning to the
other laughed and said,
"Ha, now we can say
we've been under fire."
Okay, one more chapter
while we wait for Joe,
okay, Millie?
(dramatic acoustic music)
- Put your feet down straight.
I'll be at side up.
Oh, god.
All right, straight feet, straight feet.
Joe, Joe, stop right there.
Keep your hips steady.
(speaking foreign language)
Get out of here, you French illiterate.
All right, now let's
try the double Wallenda.
- No, Curt, please.
I'm way too tired.
- You're tired in your head.
All right, now, and plie.
Now, where's the wire?
Find the wire.
Where's the wire?
Need me now, Joe?
- [Joe] Yes.
- Huh?
- [Joe] Yes.
- [Curt] You need me now?
- I can't believe you worked
her on a performance day.
- You wanna sit down with Joe maybe
and we can talk over our
training philosophies?
- You know over-rehearsing
doubles the chances of injury
and then what've you got?
Maybe no show at all?
- Nobody dies when I'm their trainer.
- Nonsense, Curt.
She's only a little girl.
- Back off, Simon.
She's a boy.
- [Nicolai] Hey, Joanne.
- Here, Nicolai.
(dog barking)
- Curt, bad man.
- Those words do go together, don't they?
(imitating chicken)
- Hey, chicken Chris.
- I'm not a chicken.
It's just that me and
Joe decided not to follow
the mighty mouth.
- You're asking for it,
you cheeky little knacker.
Where is your poxy boyfriend?
(car horn honking and tires skidding)
- [Man] Boy, get that bike outta there
and stop messin' about.
- [Boyler] You got lucky.
If I were you, I'd book the hospital now.
Next time, you're dead, right?
- How is Joe, Chris-o?
- [Chris] I don't know, okay?
I don't know!
- Fasten, maybe?
- I think you're right.
- Hey hey hey hey hey, what's the problem?
- The other day I made Joe
promise to tell me his name,
his address, his telephone number,
'cause you wanted to know.
- Calm down, Chris.
- No, no I won't.
I don't care what his name is.
I don't care where he lives.
I just want him to come back, okay?
No no no, not this time.
It's your fault.
You scared him away, okay, and I hate you.
I hate the lot of you.
I hate you.
(upbeat circus music)
- What's the matter, darling?
Oh, you've bad one of these.
You can't go on tonight.
- All right, you're on.
Let's go.
- What?
Wait, you want her to go up
there with an injury like this?
- [Ring Leader] The Aerial Brothers.
(audience applauding)
- Any professional knows that
you don't send a wire-wal...
Curt, there have gotta be some limits.
- You gonna tell me about limits?
- Where the hell you think you're going?
- I was just looking for a book.
Can't sleep.
- I'm watching you.
(sighing)
- I gotta go.
I gotta get some things.
- Remember that last night
Stella and I went on the wire?
You remember that, don't you?
Miss ballet in the sky.
Packed house.
People from the best circus
in the world there to see us.
But you acted as though
they were there to see you.
You made her do your great Wallenda.
She wasn't ready.
You knew she wasn't ready.
If you force me to tell her,
that little girl will hate
you for the rest of your life.
(ominous piano music)
If anyone ever tries to
take her away from me,
I'll kill 'em.
- [Chris] Give me a
break, Boyler, will ya?
- I'll give you a fat lip.
- [Chris] I don't wanna fight you, okay?
- Get up and fight, you little pussy.
I'm gonna rearrange your features.
(light orchestral music)
- The circus.
- Circus, me ass.
(heavy slapping)
- [Boyler] Geez, what happened?
- He hit you, Boyler.
- [Boyler] It didn't hurt.
- [Chris] Joe.
- Get outta here, Chris.
- This circus, this explains everything.
- Please, Chris.
- You must've traveled the world.
- Get outta here.
- Joe, I was just looking for you.
- Get out and don't ever come back.
If he sees you, he...
(dog barking)
(dramatic piano music)
Who are you?
- What?
- Who are you?
- [Chris] Huh?
- If I ever see you here again...
- Joe, you look different.
What's wrong?
- Go away.
If I ever see your stupid
little face again...
- Joe, what'd I do?
- Go away!
We don't want you here.
- Best friends, remember?
- [Joe] Don't you get it?
- You're asking for it now
and you are gonna get it.
Now, get over there.
You think I don't see through you, huh?
I see through you.
(ominous atmospheric music)
Now, you asked for it.
- [Joe] No.
Dad, please, get off.
Ow.
(horse whinnying)
- What's the matter?
Where are you running?
- I have to leave.
Call Chris and tell him to meet me
at our place on the beach.
- But, he'll find you there.
- [Joe] No, he won't.
- Every time I try to do
something nice for you,
you two manage to turn it against me.
Well...
(ominous atmospheric music)
- Hey!
- It's not gonna happen this time,
not with her, it's not.
You did it with her mother, didn't you?
Huh, the whole world--
- Don't hurt him.
- Hey.
- Get out of here.
Let her go.
Goddamn it, stop that.
- Hey, go back in the trailer.
(ominous atmospheric music)
You and your big ideas.
Oh, yes, let's all have fun.
Yes, yes, house people, everything's fine.
Well, I don't think it is.
Well, I'm not gonna stand for it.
- Take it easy.
- Oh, yes.
I wanted something pure, something simple,
like I'm teaching Joe.
- [Simon] Easy.
- And what do I get?
I get you.
We were ready.
Are you crazy?
We were great.
We could've done anything.
And what do we get?
Ballet in the Sky.
I hated that act.
I didn't wanna do it.
I hated myself for doing it.
That's why I slipped.
I couldn't keep my head in it.
That's why we fell.
- [Joe] No!
No!
- Stay away from her.
- [Joe] Leave him alone, Curt.
- [Simon] Get out of here.
- [Curt] Hey, where you going?
- Run, run!
- Chris, are you sure you
won't come shopping with me?
Okay, I'll be back in half an hour.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(phone ringing)
- Hello?
- Is this Chris?
- Who wants to know?
- It doesn't matter.
Your Joe's best friend, right?
- I thought I was.
- He thinks you are.
He wants you to meet him
at your place on the beach
and you can't tell anybody about it, okay?
No one at all.
It's real urgent.
Oh, and yes, uh, you better
plan to stay out over night.
- I can't.
Who is this?
(phone hanging up)
(dial tone humming)
Who is this?
(upbeat circus music)
- No, Mary Anne, don't
do this to me, come on.
- I can't.
- Give us five more minutes.
- [Ring Leader] No.
- [Curt] You can change the lineup.
- [Ring Leader] No.
- [Curt] You've done it before.
(audience applauding)
- [Ring Leader] Ladies and
gentlemen, boys and girls.
Welcome to The Great Rosseti's Circus.
To commence, we present
the thrills and the skills
of the trampoline.
Please welcome The Fabulous Zazz troupe.
- Joe.
- You okay?
I mean, I didn't hurt you or anything?
- No.
- [Joe] You sure the tide's
gonna come up high enough
to lock us in the cave tonight?
- Sure.
In a couple of hours, it's
gonna be up around here,
might even put the fire out.
Who's the guy who told
me to find you here?
- He's a good friend of mine.
He used to be my best friend.
- I hope my mom and dad don't freak.
- You didn't tell them anything, did you?
- No.
- Why don't you come sit down?
We can tell each other stories
about parallel universes.
- Okay.
- I'll phone later he says.
It's almost black outside.
What kind of an idiot is that boy?
- He doesn't waste words anyway.
- Don't blame me.
It's not my fault.
- Should we call the guards?
- And tell them what?
He's only been gone for a couple of hours.
Don't cry.
- He's never done this before.
- Shh.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- [Curt] Where is she?
- [Man] I don't know.
(dog barking)
- It's cool being locked
in here, isn't it?
Whoo, it's getting a little chilly.
You wanna go inside?
It'll be a good night for
telling secrets, won't it?
- Okay.
- I want to report a missing boy,
maybe two missing boys.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- [Joe] Sorry I went crazy
and hit you like that.
And all those things I
said, I didn't mean it.
I've been with the circus
since I can remember.
I don't remember anything
else before that.
Life with the circus isn't
like a voyage on the open seas,
discovering new lands.
All we ever do is work
then move on.
That's all over now.
Circus leaves town in the morning.
We'll hide till they're gone.
Then we'll never see them
or my uncle again.
'Cause now I got some place to go.
I wish it could be like this forever.
I wanted to tell you 100 times.
I just didn't know where to start.
(dramatic piano music)
Maybe if the gang hadn't been there,
I would've told you about
the "big black don't".
Maybe I would've.
I don't know.
Sorry I lied to you,
made you think I was a boy.
My name's Joanne
and I'm a girl.
(sighing)
There,
finally said it.
Wasn't as hard as I thought.
Curt always said it was safer being a boy.
He wanted me to be a boy
and made me act like a boy
and I did it, till I found
out how much he lied.
By then, you liked Joe.
- We don't have to kiss, do we?
- You don't hate me for lying,
do you Chris?
Still same ol' Joe, best friend.
(light piano music)
Aren't I your best friend?
- It's really cold in here, isn't it?
- Come on, I won't bite.
- I think we shouldn't be here.
(gasping)
- [Chris] Didn't hurt you, did I?
- After you found me at the circus,
Curt wanted to teach me a little lesson.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Oh, Jesus.
(ominous atmospheric music)
(sighing)
- It doesn't really change anything.
- No.
I mean, everything.
Okay if I still call you Joe?
(laughing)
You will read The Irish
Guards with me, won't you?
Climb the treehouse and sail for money?
Fix up the Argonaut?
(burping)
(burping and laughing)
(light orchestral music)
(ominous atmospheric music)
(muffled screaming)
Joe?
(screaming)
Joe?
Joe?
- [Joe] Let me go.
I'm not your prisoner, let me go.
- No, go away.
(heavy punching)
- [Joe] Chris!
(train passing)
- Where have you been, Chris?
- Look, it's Joe.
- What happened to your face?
- Look, Joe is Joanne, okay?
She's a girl and she walks
the high-wire in the circus,
but she gets beaten by this guy there.
- We have been up all night.
Your father has taken your photograph
down to the police.
He's been worried sick about you.
- Look, we've got to go.
- Christopher.
- We've got to go now, okay?
Just write dad a note.
- Joe is a girl.
Yeah, sure, Chris.
- The circus guy hit me.
- He what?
- He hit me.
- Right, come on.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- I got news for you, young lady.
I'm tired of it too.
Let's just do something about it.
We have to feel that we can
trust each other, don't we.
I know what you've been up to.
- [Joe] No.
- [Curt] So, you know,
if we can't get along,
then let's just not get along.
We'll just try and separate.
Now, get up.
- Where's the guy who
wears the big black coat?
- That's his caravan over there.
- Hang on, Chris.
- [Curt] Yeah, who is it?
- That's the guy.
That's the guy who hit me.
- Did you hit my son?
- Damn.
What's that you say?
What should I say?
Um, I've never seen him before in my life.
- He's lying.
Hit me and he beats Joanne.
- Wow, you've got quite a
little storyteller there, huh?
- He's also got a bloody
T-shirt and a swollen face
that he didn't have yesterday.
- Hey, now listen, this is my home.
This is private property.
I'll charge you with
breaking and entering,
making false accusations.
Now, you get your ass off the lot
or I'll have the cops come
and they'll run you off.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Chris, come on, we'll find your father.
He'll sort this out.
And you, you haven't heard
the last of this yet.
- Good.
- Mom.
- What?
- It's Joe's bracelet.
She's definitely here somewhere.
Joanne!
Joey, where are you.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- All right, now I warned you.
Now, you stop right now.
- [Mom] Get off him.
- [Chris] Joe, Joe!
Joe!
Come on, Joey!
Joe, where are you?
- [Joe] Chris!
- Joey.
Joe.
Joanne.
Joanne.
Joe,
it's okay now, it's okay.
It's okay.
He's gone now.
He's gone.
He can't hurt you anymore.
Best friends.
Its okay.
It's okay.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
Best friends, remember?
- Best friends.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- Joe, Joe,
take that, it's good for you.
- Listen Joe, I mean, Joanne.
If you wanna come and stay with us,
well,
you'd be very welcome.
- We'd love to have you, Joe.
- Come home with us, Joanne.
- And you know I'm always here.
(light piano music)
- Come on.
(lights buzzing)
(grunting)
- You should hear the silence
when I'm up here, Chris.
The audience can't breathe
while I'm on the wire.
They gasp when I make
them, clap when I finish,
hang on every move I make.
They fill me up.
I don't how else to say it.
- Can't move in with us, can you?
- No,
but I'll
be back next year with the circus.
You don't have to.
(light orchestral music)
- [Chris] Dad?
- [Liam] What?
- [Chris] Where's grandad's hat?
- [Liam] Oh yeah, here it is.
- [Chris] The bay's bigger than I thought.
(light orchestral music)
- All right, lads, that's how to do it.
- There's no bleedin'
need to push us, Boyler.
- Yeah, there might be rocks down there.
- Yeah, sharp ones.
- That's the whole point.
What did you think we were jumping into,
a puddle Noel?
Chicken out, you'll be
on your own this summer.
We're Hellfire Heroes, right lads?
- One, two,
just push us, Chris-o, will ya?
- Serious?
You scared?
- Come on, boys.
- Look, will you just push us?
I'm bleedin' freakin.
Tree!
Come on, Chris.
It's easy.
- After you, Boyler, if you're so big.
- [Boyler] Hellfire Heroes!
- Come on, Chris-o.
I can't sit here all day.
- Piece of cake.
- Come on, Chris.
Give it a lash.
(dramatic orchestral music)
Look here, lads.
I'm flying a Hellfire flag.
- [Conor] Let him alone, Boyler.
- [Kid] We don't have
to swim with that flag,
do we, Boyler.
- [Boyler] Looks like the Hellfire Heroes
are a hero short this summer, lads.
(all imitating chickens)
Chicken.
- Hello, Liam.
- Hey, Michael.
- How's the misses?
- I suppose you're just
up out of a nice warm
comfortable bed.
- I am, sorry.
(laughing)
(light rock music)
- Aw, the chicken.
(imitating chicken)
What's that smell, lads?
- Roast, boiled, or
Kentucky Fried Chicken.
(imitating chicken)
- Lads, wait up, lads.
Boyler, Boyler.
- Listen again, Boyler.
- Will you piss off, Chris,
you little chicken shit?
- Come on, I swear I can do the canonball.
Come on.
- Okay.
(sheep baaing)
- Let us in the gang, lads.
- Reef us a coke off that lorry
and we'll think about it.
- [Conor] Ha, mint sauce, mint sauce.
- Oh, look Chris.
There are your real friends.
What are you waiting for?
(dog barking)
(suspenseful orchestral music)
- He's gonna kill himself, Boyler.
(laughing)
- [Chris] Shit, no.
- What the...
Who's that?
- Oh, cool.
He did it.
- [Boyler] Just showing off.
Anybody could do that.
- Ow.
- Hey.
Call me Joe.
- Ow.
I'm Christopher, Chris.
Yeah, oh.
- Your fork's too loose
and you got a wobbly wheel.
No one could've ridden this
bike after the truck like that.
- [Conor] He's a looper.
- [Boyler] Ah, it's a know-it-all yank.
- Big mouth, small brain.
- Hey, that was cool riding, deadly.
- It wasn't that great.
- Bet I could do more on a bike
than you ever dreamed of.
- Bet I can think up a trick you can't do.
- You think it up and I can do it.
- All right, you know the steps
that lead down to the beach,
by the railroad track?
Bet you couldn't go all the way down them
without falling off your bike.
- Cup on, Boyler.
I mean it's 132 steps.
He wouldn't make it.
No one would.
- You wanted another go
at the canonball, right?
- Yeah, sure, ow.
- What's in it for me?
- I'll buy ya a Coke.
- A case of Cokes.
- You're on, yank.
You get a case of Cokes
and Chris over there gets another chance
to chicken out at canonball.
- I don't have time to
educate you right now.
Meet you there tomorrow at seven.
- Yeah, like you'll turn up.
- You'll be there with the Cokes
and I'll be there to ride.
- [Boyler] I'll have 'em, no bother.
- How can you afford a
case of Coke, Boyler?
That's serious money.
- Did I ask you, shrimp?
- You'll be there, right?
- Sure.
Would you come on, you?
- Come on, Lardy, let's go.
- [Michael] Hey, Liam
- Hi, ouch.
Michael, Michael, Michael.
- Okay, so we grab 'em, okay?
- Right.
- [Aideen] Hey, look, there he is now.
(gasping)
- Damn.
- Okay, let's go.
He'll go so red.
- [Joe] Guess who.
- Uh, uh, uh, Nicolai.
- [Joe] Simon.
- Hey.
God, you've been gone long time.
Did you have fun?
Huh?
(dog barking)
Your uncle has been looking for you.
He's been doing his Vesuvius bit.
- [Joe] That's the volcano
that destroyed Pompeii,
isn't it?
- Yeah, he's got a short fuse.
Oh, but he did get you
this new bike, right?
Huh?
Hmm?
- [Suzie] Christopher Doyle,
come here to me this instant.
- Set the table for dinner, Chris.
- What do you want?
- I want a tall dark handsome hunk,
but I have to make due with you.
- [Mom] Chris.
- In a minute, mom.
- Ow.
- [Suzie] Nice pair, mom.
- What's she doing here?
- Aideen wants to learn how to kiss
and I said I'd teach her, but we need boy
and well, you're like a boy.
You don't have to look
at her, even talk to her.
- Unless you get the urge.
- I gave up kissing girls for Lent, okay?
- Yeah, right.
- Lent isn't for months yet.
- Just let your lips touch.
- He's trying his best
to take care of you,
but he's not very good at it.
- You can say that again.
- He's just not
- [Both] Very good at it.
- [Curt] Joe, where are you?
(metal banging)
- Better go.
(light guitar music)
- Okay, okay, okay.
You haven't looked, have you?
- No, it smells like
(sniffing)
shepherd's pie.
- Okay, I'm gonna say, 117.
- Maybe on the salad.
No, no.
More like 145.
(laughing)
- 145.
- Hey, no counting till after dinner, dad.
- How was work?
- Fish came in, fish went out
and a few pound stayed in our pocket.
- The fishermen get to go somewhere.
The lorry drivers go somewhere.
We just sit here in this poxy little town.
- The Americans call it
Hicksville, Christopher.
It will be nice to acknowledge
that the rest of the world exists,
saw it, went out into it, eh?
- What do you say we
do a little bit of work
on the Argonaut, tonight, Chris, eh?
- Yeah.
- Oh, yes.
Work on the boat for another year or two,
so you don't have to sail in it.
- [Suzie] Catch, Chris.
- What's this?
- It's just a scratch.
- What do you mean it's just a scratch?
- This is no scratch, Chris.
What were you up to?
- I just fell off my bike.
One of Suzie's stupid
friends got in my way
and I fell off my bike
swerving around her.
- Sure, you did, Chris.
- Well, no washing up for you tonight.
- Ow.
(light acoustic music)
- Well, what's this?
I'll tell you when it's time to be a girl.
- But, it's so hot when we're
training with the wig on.
- Oh, it's so hot.
Come on, put it on.
You like that new bike?
- [Joe] Yeah.
- It's all right, isn't it?
Where you been?
- I, um,
took it into town and rode around.
- Yeah, you didn't talk to
any house people, did you?
(dramatic piano music)
Good.
I gave you a career, you give me respect.
You stick to your own kind.
All right, time in motion.
- You see, measure twice, cut once.
- Uh, grandad's hat.
When we're finally finished,
we can sail anywhere we want, you know?
Out to the lighthouse, into Dublin Bay,
around Dalkey Island, even
over to Ireland's side.
That would be
totally awesome, wouldn't it, dad?
- Hmmm.
I think the island would
be awesome enough for me.
- Oh, that is really coming along, Liam.
I'd say it should be
ready by the time Chris
goes to college.
- Yeah, we're just taking
the time to do it right,
okay?
- This Coke cost me a tenner.
- Where did you get a tenner, Boyler?
- I robbed it off me dad.
So, this friend of yours better show up.
The case goes back and the shekels is back
in my dad's pocket as
soon as this little Molly
chickens out.
- Joe.
- About time, yank.
Take a look and see
just how smart you are.
- But, Boyler the--
- Boyler.
Chris deserves another
go at the cannonball
seems to me.
Looks like we have a bet, guys.
- Conor, Noel, Chris,
get in your positions.
(percussive orchestral music)
(air hissing)
You can still squirm out of it, you know?
Just admit you're a germy little chicken,
like Chris down there.
- Shut it, Boyler.
- Don't do it, Joe.
It's suicide.
- [Joe] It's not my funeral.
- [Conor] Go on, Joe.
- [Boyler] Come on, you
can go faster than that.
Faster, come on.
- Keep going, Joe.
Keep going, Joe.
Don't slow down.
- [Boyler] Can you hurry up?
Go faster.
- [Chris] Go on, Joe.
- [Boyler] Hurry up.
Go on, move it.
Go, faster, will ya?
- He's taking off, he's still up.
Un-bleedin'-lievable.
- [Boyler] Come on, move.
- [Chris] Joe, the barricade's broken!
You won't get over.
Jump!
(tires skidding)
Jump!
- Yes!
Hey, it was 132 steps, Chris.
- He counted them.
He counted them.
- It's a bleedin' wreck.
- It belongs in a museum.
Yeah, with a warning sign saying,
"Don't do this at home, kids."
- Is that what you wanted, Boyler?
Happy?
(light orchestral music)
- [Conor] Looks like you
lost your stipends, Boyler.
- I can't believe you survived that.
Will your dad not freak
out when he sees it?
- Uh,
nah.
I know someone who can fix it.
- [Chris] You know it
wasn't a wobbly wheel
that made me fall yesterday.
- Yeah, but they don't know that.
Suppose you could just
sorta keep the Cokes
at your place for a while?
I could get one from you now and then.
- You did all that for crate of Coke
and now you don't even want it?
- I did it 'cause they're your steps.
- [Chris] Boyler's right.
You are crazy.
- [Joe] I knew I could do it.
(light piano music)
- [Boyler] You still have to jump.
- [Noel] Bye.
- [Conor] Hey, Boyler.
Where's my Coke?
- [Chris] Boyler says we still have
to do the canonball, though.
- [Joe] Yeah, but then
you'll be a Hellfire Hero.
- Yeah, I suppose.
Hey, this is my house, just over here.
You wanna come in for a minute.
- Uh, no.
I'm already kinda late, actually.
- Well, I'll see you tomorrow, won't I?
- Yeah, see you Chris.
- See you, Joe.
131, 132 steps, he does it.
Yes!
- Simon.
- Oh my god.
What happened?
Are you all right?
- Can it be fixed before...
- Before Curt sees it?
Yeah, I'll try.
What happened?
- Uh, I gotta go.
I'll tell you later.
Bye.
- Bye.
(radio jingle music)
♪ Dalkey radio. ♪
- [Announcer] Rise and shine, Dalkey.
Here we are again with another
happy note for the day.
Did you know that the
giraffe is the only animal
who can't make any noise?
Which is more than we
can say for this fellow.
(light country music)
♪ There are two lovely ladies in my life ♪
♪ One is my lover ♪
♪ The other is my wife ♪
- [Chris] Who hit you?
- [Boyler] My da.
He just telling me how to read.
Still have to pay back the money I reefed.
- [Chris] You made the bet.
- [Boyler] Yeah, but it was robbing.
- [Chris] Wasn't it
worth to see Joe do that?
- [Boyler] Let's go
get Conor and the bikes
and go to the quarry.
(light piano music)
- Face it, Chris-o, your
freckled-face friend
has crapped out.
- Yeah, well, I bet he didn't
have to stay in the same
class for two years in a row, Boyler.
(percussive orchestral music)
- Daddy.
Geez, what a rapid bike.
- What a rapid place.
So, who's gonna show me around?
- Come on, let's go.
- So anyway, this lad's sitting down
and there's a knock at the back door.
So, he goes out, opens the door,
looks around, but he doesn't see anyone.
Then he looks down and he sees this snail.
The snail goes, "Can I have a
bucket of chocolate biscuits?"
And he just gets pissed
off and kicks the snail
to the back of the garden.
- This story sucks.
- So, anyway, six months later,
there's another knock at the door.
He opens the door and again
he doesn't see anyone.
Then he sees the snail on the ground.
The snail says, "What'd you do that for?"
(laughing)
- Okay, head-boy, you tell us one.
- The only one I know is about a girl.
- Ah, girls are all right for jokes.
- Yeah, and shag all us.
- Okay, well this girl has a friend
her uncle doesn't like.
The uncle who takes care of the friend
gets mad one day.
He takes into like the shed,
he slowly takes off this huge black belt
and smiles.
That's what scares her.
He likes that she's scared.
He teases her with the belt,
whipping it over her head.
It's got a weird buckle.
One side's white and one side's black.
She concentrates really
hard on the buckle.
She starts to think he
won't do it anymore,
when suddenly, he whips the
big black belt across her back
and it hurts,
but not as much as
waiting for the next one.
So, when he raises his fist again,
she tries to get away,
but he just rips harder
again and again.
She curls up in a little ball,
but he rips her shirt
and slashes the belt against her bare back
and it cuts her skin.
There's scars under the new cuts.
No one ever sees them though.
She always wears clothes
that cover her whole back.
God, it seems like hours later,
she stopped crying and he's gone.
The cuts are there.
She remembers everything.
Things she'll never forget.
- Where's the bleeding punchline?
- Was that a joke?
I don't get it.
- Lame.
Let's say we show these two
where the secret place is.
(blues music)
Come on, Conor.
(dog barking)
- Chris-o, we're not allowed in here.
- Come on, come on.
Looks like someone really didn't want us
to find their secret hiding place.
Doesn't look too dangerous to me.
Come on.
- We're coming.
- It's a drowning pool, Chris, isn't it?
Come on, boys.
Whip 'em out.
Let's see how far ya's can piss.
- [Conor] Whip what out, Boyler?
- This place is deadly.
I was never here before
'cause of those bleedin' signs
back there.
- Come on, Joe, get yours out.
- [Joe] Um, I'll go meet
you guys by the bikes.
I gotta go--
- No, you're gonna swim with us.
- I gotta fix my brakes.
- What's the prob?
Can't you swim?
- I can swim as far as you.
But in this bathtub, what's the point?
- [Chris] Joe, we can
teach you how to swim.
- I don't wanna swim.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- You gotta learn sometime, sunshine.
(yelling)
- Back to your roots, eh, shrimpy?
- That lad's not the full shilling.
- [Conor] You okay?
- [Noel] Me ma will kill me.
- [Conor] Well, you did ask for it, Noel.
- [Noel] Yeah, but he's looper.
(blues music)
(dog barking)
- [Conor] How'd he get there so fast?
- [Boyler] Come on, let's follow him.
Chris, look.
There's Joe.
- How was your pal?
That good, eh?
- [Boyler] Road House.
What's that?
- Do you reckon that's his grandad?
- They must live in that lorry.
Jesus.
- Find your balance with your arms, hmm.
Softly, gently, no hips.
If you lose your balance,
just go down, lower you center.
That's it.
(horse whinnying)
The wire is a straight line.
It's straight and it's simple,
like your life.
You mess around with house people,
your like will look like that.
That's very difficult to walk on.
Let's go.
Let's go.
What are you looking at?
- People don't actually live in lorries,
do they dad?
- Ah, some cuddies in the world,
a lorry would be considered
the lap of luxury.
- How do you,
how do you find out about people?
How do you make them tell you stuff?
- Well, usually you
tell somebody something,
they'll tell you something in return.
The only difficulty is
getting them to shut up
once they've started.
Well, looks like we're ready to go.
- The Argonaut is one step closer
to her maiden voyage.
Why do you call it maiden, dad?
- Ask your mother, son.
(grand orchestral music)
- [Man] Hold it, hold it, hold it.
From the top.
One, two, three, four.
(grand orchestral music)
- Where you going so fast?
- [Joe] I was just gonna go for a ride.
- Uh huh.
Got a hot date, hmm?
Have something to eat first.
Listen, I want you to give
me some aggression out there.
Give me some attack.
Show some control, you're
fighting for your balance.
I don't wanna see all those
little girlish things.
I don't wanna see it.
It's too easy.
Simon.
I don't wanna see your mother up there.
Remember what happened to her.
- I have to get my bike from Simon.
- Sit down.
I wanna a little
dedication, a little effort
from you right now.
Your body's changing.
I don't want you thinking
with your crotch.
It's too early for that.
- Yeah.
- [Curt] No house people.
Hey, no house people.
- [Joe] Yeah.
- I've been thinking about
those Cokes all morning.
I could drink three of them.
So, this is your house.
- Yep.
- Is that your rabbit?
- Yeah, that's Millie.
- I've never seen anything like that
in my whole life, Chris.
- Yeah, I know.
It's my mom.
She's completely bonkers.
I can stand her for making such crap.
It's so embarrassing.
- It's excellent.
I really like it.
- You do?
God.
Millie, this is Joe.
Joe, Millie.
Millie was my best friend.
- Was?
- Is this your daredevil friend, Chris?
- Yeah, this is Joe.
Joe, my mom.
I told her about the one
flight of stairs you went down.
- I won't do it again, I
can tell you that, ma'am.
It's nice to meet you.
- American, huh?
That accent takes me right back.
Would you like to come inside, Joe?
Have one of the Cokes you left here?
Or a pack of crisps?
Potato chips.
- Thanks.
- Chris.
- Hi, I'm Suzie.
- Don't mind her.
She's a pig, you know?
She just can't help it.
- Bet he could teach Aideen a
thing or three about kissing.
He's gorgeous.
Bye, mom.
Bye, Joe.
- I met a cute American
boy when I was about 16.
I often meant to go over
there and look him up, but...
It was my first kiss, actually.
- Girls, they're like some
nightmare virus or something,
you know?
- Millie's a girl, isn't she?
- Yeah, well actually,
we thought she was a boy
when we first got her.
Hey, do you want to come up to my room?
I can show you all my comics
and adventure books and stuff.
Come on.
(dramatic piano music)
Come on.
Joe, come on.
- [Mom] You all right, Joe?
- Um,
you got a John in there?
- Yeah, straight through.
- [Chris] John?
- Americans call the toilet John.
- I knew that.
Come on.
Come on.
What's the matter?
It's not as nearly as scary
as the flight of steps
you went down.
- You each have your own room?
- [Chris] You gotta share, huh?
(train horn blowing)
- [Train Conductor] Boarding.
(laughing)
- Have you read all these books?
- Sure, yeah.
These ones, read through all them again.
Lands far away, like miles away,
that no one's ever been to,
sort of like forgotten lands.
Cool.
This one, right, it's
about parallel universes
that co-exist right beside ours,
but like we've never seen them
and we don't even know about them.
They don't know about us.
But, uh--
- [Man] Curt, I've looked.
She's not in my trailer.
- It's okay.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Come on.
- God, I wish I was elastic right now.
- Just don't look down.
Look at me.
- That's not a cure.
- Yes, it is.
- Yes, yes.
(light orchestral music)
Joe, what are you doing?
Ah, got ya, Millie.
The world's highest flying rabbit.
- Where is Joe?
Jan.
Jan, you son of a bitch.
- Then the boat breaks in half
and he's slipping down the
boat, but he can't get back up
and he falls in the shark's mouth
and then Chief Brody like rush out and--
- Boys, here it comes.
- Ta da.
- And the shark blows up.
- Chris, where's your sister?
- Hey, pigface, dinner's ready!
- [Liam] Hey, you must be
Joe, the kamikaze cyclist.
That's a great head of hair.
Joe, huh?
- Joe, one's for cake.
- [Liam] All right, Suzie.
(distant chatter)
- Oh, no no no, please
eat as much as you want.
It's nice to be appreciated for once.
- Guilt is the glue of
our family life, Joe.
We're all used to it.
- Chris.
- So, Joe.
Your folks don't mind you
staying out and not phoning?
Chris, he'd be hung out to dry
for not phoning to say he'd be late.
Do you live around here?
- Uh,
not very near, sir.
- Ho ho, that is some cake, huh?
- [Mom] It's my little treat.
- Well, I have a little treat too.
Five tickets to the circus tonight.
- [Chris] Aw, deadly.
Yes.
- We want you to come, Joe,
but we'll have to call your folks.
- No, thank you.
I gotta get home.
- But, Joe--
- Thank you, Mr. Doyle.
Thank you, Mrs. Doyle.
- Joe, hang on.
Joe, what's the matter?
Hey, Joe, what'd I do?
- God, you're a lucky guy, Chris.
- Joe, you forgot your cake.
- Thank you, Mrs. Doyle.
Thanks for a great day.
- You're welcome.
He's a very nice boy.
When we get his phone number,
we should ask his parents
around for a meal, huh?
(grunting)
- [Man] It's fixed?
(speaking foreign language)
Why did you quit the high-wire?
You were a great artist.
- That was a long time ago.
After Stella, I could never get
myself to go up there again.
But you have to take care of Joe up there.
Take action.
- [Man] Of course I will, Simon.
(crowd cheering)
- Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
we welcome you to The Rosseti's Circus.
And to commence, we
present thrills and skills
on the trampoline.
Will you welcome the fabulous Zazz troupe.
(crowd cheering and applauding)
- All right, here we go.
- [Curt] Where the hell you been?
- I lost track of time.
- You lost track of time?
You're sitting there in a daze.
Don't do that.
You look just like your mother.
Now, come on, let's go.
Let's get it to...
What's this?
That looks good.
Where'd you get it?
I guess we know the answer, don't we?
I'm gonna have to cut this hair.
Come on, let's go.
Let's go, come on.
Let's get it on, we got two minutes.
Two minutes, let's go.
Joe, come on.
(upbeat circus music)
(crowd cheering and applauding)
- Honey, looking at you like
this takes me right back.
- [Ring Leader] From the Kirov ballet,
a special treat for you.
Please put your hands together
for Madam Siminova Kiminova.
(audience laughing and whistling)
(horn honking)
(audience laughing)
(comical circus music)
(laughing)
(imitating chicken)
(laughing)
(audience laughing and applauding)
- Ladies and gentlemen, follow the lights
for the death-defying
kings of the high-wire.
- God, I wish Joe was here.
- The Aerial Brothers.
(audience applauding and cheering)
(grand circus music)
(audience applauding)
- [Ring Leader] Uh-oh,
don't forget your pole.
(audience applauding)
- This is deadly, dad.
Maybe another night we can
go again and bring Joe.
(audience applauding)
- [Ring Leader] Naughty naughty.
Looks heavy.
(audience laughing)
(drum rolling)
(audience applauding and cheering)
(grand orchestral music)
- [Ring Leader] And now for
something extremely dangerous.
A two-man high on top of a bicycle.
(grand orchestral music)
(audience applauding and cheering)
Oh, no.
There she goes again, no pole.
- Jesus.
- Damn, damn.
- [Ring Leader] Ladies and
gentlemen, The Aerial Brothers.
(light applause)
And now, welcome back Simonva Kiminova.
(comical circus music)
(audience applauding and cheering)
(gun firing)
(audience laughing)
- [Conor] Hey wait, guys.
What's the hurry?
- I really don't think you
oughta be so hard on yourself.
I don't know a soul in the whole circus
who hasn't made a big mistake
at one time or another.
Even Curt has made some really big ones,
no matter what he tells you.
- It was mama who made 'em all fall.
- Mmm.
I don't care how many pans the lady used,
this is cake is, oh my god, so good.
- Was my mama the perfect
performer before she fell?
Curt says she never did anything right.
- Well, I say
your mom was the best.
- So, then he was riding a bike
with the small guy on his shoulders
when something went wrong.
(whistling)
Bang, the bike hit the deck as
they lept onto the platform.
- Wow.
- I'm pissed off waiting
for Chris' hammerhead friend
who's not gonna show up anyway.
Let's go to the rock.
- Joe and I will catch you over there.
- Don't hurry on my account.
- He didn't really mean to hurt you.
- Yeah, what's he do when
he does mean to hurt me?
- You and Joe still have
to do the canonball.
Tide's full again in three days.
- We'll be there, Boyler.
I swear.
- Look, I told you before, okay?
No house people.
I'll cut your hair off.
Cut it off.
You use it, you lose it, you lose it.
You wanna lose it?
(grunting)
(ominous guitar music)
(light piano music)
- Chris.
- [Chris] Joe.
- Just think of it being this wide.
Come on, let's go.
(upbeat orchestral music)
- Water noises ran by close to his ears.
The beams creaked and whined about him.
All these things made
him grunt despairingly
and think of his mother.
Wanna read on?
- Yeah.
- Joe, imagine leading a rich, fancy life
in a cruise ship and then being dropped
into a tiny little fisherman's boat.
- It's two different worlds all right.
- First chance I get, I'm
gonna leave this town,
just like Harvey in Captains Courageous.
- Your life here isn't that bad, is it?
I mean, you could move every two weeks
and never have any real friends
or a real home.
- I wonder if we should just ask Boyler
what's going on with him and his da.
- Sometimes it's hard for
people to tell the whole thing.
I mean, even if they want to,
even to a best friend.
- See, if I'd had a little help
from one of you useless
articles while I was cooking,
you wouldn't have ended up
with so many dishes to wash.
- Gosh, didn't I always tell ya's
your mother was need in help.
- Well, you'll be in need
of help, Liam darling,
when I lay my hands on you.
(giggling)
- Get off.
No no no.
(laughing)
Get off me.
- Come on, Joe.
Have another Coke.
What's this, Joe?
- It's nothing.
- Come on, come on.
Does that sting?
- Nah.
- Hey, Joe, come on.
- [Joe] Uh, I have to go.
- [Chris] No, stay for a bit.
- Bye, Suzie, bye, Mr.
Doyle, bye, Mrs. Doyle.
- Suzie?
- He had a cut and bruises all up his arm.
- Really?
I wonder if we should call Dr. Doyle.
- He was really upset, but I cleaned it
and I put a bandage on it.
- He left in a bit of a hurry, huh?
- He's in some sort of trouble.
I really think we should get
his full name and address.
Well, see if you can catch up with him.
- Oh, all right.
- Canonball first thing tomorrow.
- Hey, Joe.
Damn, I missed him.
We've gotta find out where he lives.
Do you promise?
(light piano music)
(door opening)
- [Curt] You better get
something to eat before showtime.
- [Joe] I already ate.
- Yeah, when?
- [Joe] Earlier.
- Yeah, whereabouts?
You're not eating off the lot, are you?
What's this?
I think you know by now
what's right and what's wrong,
who's your friend, who's your enemy.
Remember,
it's not the wire you have to master,
it's yourself.
- [Boyler] Who wants to bet
the two little boyfriends
will chicken out at jump.
Come on, shrimp.
Come on, lardass.
- [Conor] Yeah, coming, Boyler.
- [Joe] You really wanna
join the Hellfire Heroes?
- We don't have to join
if you don't want to?
- Forget them.
We don't need a gang anyway.
I got something to tell you.
- [Mom] Suzie.
- [Suzie] Yeah, mom?
- [Mom] Have you seen Chris anywhere?
- [Suzie] He's in the garden with Joe.
- You know any really secret place?
Somewhere the gang doesn't?
- Why didn't I take you
there before, I don't know.
This place is rapid, come on.
Ah, the water's coming in pretty fast.
Soon we'll be sealed in.
There's a dry spot just over here.
- Sure Boyler and the gang
don't know about this?
- No.
If Boyler knew, he'd
probably call it skull cave
or something.
- It is rapid, Chris.
Watching your mom gave me the idea.
We'll put 'em on each other.
(light orchestral music)
- Deadly.
- [Joe] As long as we're best friends,
these bracelets will shine,
but if either one should go dull,
it'll be parting time.
If you're ever in danger,
then let the charm go,
'cause that's a signal
that lets your friend know.
(laughing)
- Here's my name, rank, and serial number,
in case we're in combat or something.
What's yours?
- Um, if you let me go,
I'll tell you inside.
- Okay.
- You mess with Hellfire
Heroes, you get taught a lesson,
end of story.
(laughing)
- [Chris] Come on, just a little bit.
It's deadly.
(burping)
(laughing)
Couldn't have a belching contest
with some stupid scavenger.
(burping)
You have a go.
(burping)
(laughing)
My sister's friend, right,
she tried to kiss me.
I mean, I'd rather kiss a rock.
(burping)
(dramatic piano music)
Hey, name.
- And did you?
- What?
- Kiss her?
- No.
(burping)
- Come on, let's go.
- But we just got here.
- Where have you pair been?
Come in here this instant.
Come on, quickly quickly.
All right, I have heard
nothing but bad about you pair
all day, from the
neighbors, from the police,
from the woman I call my wife
and as a punishment, we
want you to have these.
- Yes.
(laughing)
- Ah, deadly.
The Irish Guards in the
Great War by Kipling, yes.
Open yours, Joe.
Aw, thanks, da.
(laughing)
- [Liam] Hey, what's this?
- Oh, Joe made 'em.
Look.
Made two of them, see?
- Well, looks like homemade's
in vogue this season.
I hope you don't mind, 'cause
it's a woman, you know?
- Thanks.
Thanks a lot.
- [Chris] Joe, come on.
- Glad you like it.
It's nice to have someone in the house
with taste for a change.
Oh, did you see that?
- Yeah yeah, you're right.
There's definitely something wrong.
- He's obviously been really badly treated
and I just don't think
we can turn our back
and pretend that it's
not happening, can we?
- [Liam] All right, all right, well,
maybe we can have him to stay.
- [Chris] Joey!
- Chris would love it if
he stayed for a few nights.
- Well, let's see if we can work it out.
- Okay.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- Where's Joe?
- I think she's around here some place.
What's the problem?
The show isn't for hours.
- Tell her to get her ass in the ring.
- See you tomorrow then, best friend.
- Tomorrow and I'll tell you everything.
- Chris?
- Hmm?
- Will you give your mom
and dad something from me?
- Sure.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- [Mom] All I'm saying is,
here's a boy that needs help
and he have a whole house
full of help we can give.
There has to be some way
that we can do just that,
hasn't there?
- Hang on second.
You're the one who said
two kids was enough.
- Call it mother's instinct.
I just know he's in trouble.
Haven't we always said before,
surely someone must've noticed something.
Well, in this case, we are the someone.
- Yeah, that's right.
- We have noticed something.
Bruises, the way he's
afraid of his own shadow.
And all I'm saying is, Liam,
what are we going to do about it?
(upbeat circus music)
- What you got?
- Present.
- From?
- Chris' mom.
- Oh.
- Bye.
- Bye.
(grinding)
- Joe will tell us
something when he gets here.
- Just don't expect it
all to be good, Chris.
Life doesn't always turn out that way.
- Life's a bitch and then you marry one.
- That is not what I said
at all, Christopher Doyle.
- I didn't steal it.
- [Curt] Where'd you get it?
- Uh, there's this guy down
at the beach who makes 'em.
- [Curt] Where exactly?
- Um, some dorky old cave.
- Really?
You've been spending too much time away.
- I'm here for every show.
- You missed parade last night.
- It won't happen again.
- You bet it won't.
You have no idea what it's like
to have all your dreams shattered,
humbled on the ground.
I hope you never do,
because what I want for you is the best.
I wanna see you headlining in
the best circus in the world.
I want you to have
what your mama, my sister, and I wanted.
- Yeah, well you never
asked me if I wanted it.
- Don't push me away like that.
It's just you and me, isn't it?
Hmm?
Just you and me.
This is where we belong.
- Maybe it's not where I belong.
- Well, I need something more for you.
I need to hear it from you.
I need you to tell me
that you got nothing else,
that this is your whole life.
Can you tell me that, hmm?
Can you say it?
Can you say it for me?
- I got some place to go.
- And the joke between two officers,
one of whom turning to the
other laughed and said,
"Ha, now we can say
we've been under fire."
Okay, one more chapter
while we wait for Joe,
okay, Millie?
(dramatic acoustic music)
- Put your feet down straight.
I'll be at side up.
Oh, god.
All right, straight feet, straight feet.
Joe, Joe, stop right there.
Keep your hips steady.
(speaking foreign language)
Get out of here, you French illiterate.
All right, now let's
try the double Wallenda.
- No, Curt, please.
I'm way too tired.
- You're tired in your head.
All right, now, and plie.
Now, where's the wire?
Find the wire.
Where's the wire?
Need me now, Joe?
- [Joe] Yes.
- Huh?
- [Joe] Yes.
- [Curt] You need me now?
- I can't believe you worked
her on a performance day.
- You wanna sit down with Joe maybe
and we can talk over our
training philosophies?
- You know over-rehearsing
doubles the chances of injury
and then what've you got?
Maybe no show at all?
- Nobody dies when I'm their trainer.
- Nonsense, Curt.
She's only a little girl.
- Back off, Simon.
She's a boy.
- [Nicolai] Hey, Joanne.
- Here, Nicolai.
(dog barking)
- Curt, bad man.
- Those words do go together, don't they?
(imitating chicken)
- Hey, chicken Chris.
- I'm not a chicken.
It's just that me and
Joe decided not to follow
the mighty mouth.
- You're asking for it,
you cheeky little knacker.
Where is your poxy boyfriend?
(car horn honking and tires skidding)
- [Man] Boy, get that bike outta there
and stop messin' about.
- [Boyler] You got lucky.
If I were you, I'd book the hospital now.
Next time, you're dead, right?
- How is Joe, Chris-o?
- [Chris] I don't know, okay?
I don't know!
- Fasten, maybe?
- I think you're right.
- Hey hey hey hey hey, what's the problem?
- The other day I made Joe
promise to tell me his name,
his address, his telephone number,
'cause you wanted to know.
- Calm down, Chris.
- No, no I won't.
I don't care what his name is.
I don't care where he lives.
I just want him to come back, okay?
No no no, not this time.
It's your fault.
You scared him away, okay, and I hate you.
I hate the lot of you.
I hate you.
(upbeat circus music)
- What's the matter, darling?
Oh, you've bad one of these.
You can't go on tonight.
- All right, you're on.
Let's go.
- What?
Wait, you want her to go up
there with an injury like this?
- [Ring Leader] The Aerial Brothers.
(audience applauding)
- Any professional knows that
you don't send a wire-wal...
Curt, there have gotta be some limits.
- You gonna tell me about limits?
- Where the hell you think you're going?
- I was just looking for a book.
Can't sleep.
- I'm watching you.
(sighing)
- I gotta go.
I gotta get some things.
- Remember that last night
Stella and I went on the wire?
You remember that, don't you?
Miss ballet in the sky.
Packed house.
People from the best circus
in the world there to see us.
But you acted as though
they were there to see you.
You made her do your great Wallenda.
She wasn't ready.
You knew she wasn't ready.
If you force me to tell her,
that little girl will hate
you for the rest of your life.
(ominous piano music)
If anyone ever tries to
take her away from me,
I'll kill 'em.
- [Chris] Give me a
break, Boyler, will ya?
- I'll give you a fat lip.
- [Chris] I don't wanna fight you, okay?
- Get up and fight, you little pussy.
I'm gonna rearrange your features.
(light orchestral music)
- The circus.
- Circus, me ass.
(heavy slapping)
- [Boyler] Geez, what happened?
- He hit you, Boyler.
- [Boyler] It didn't hurt.
- [Chris] Joe.
- Get outta here, Chris.
- This circus, this explains everything.
- Please, Chris.
- You must've traveled the world.
- Get outta here.
- Joe, I was just looking for you.
- Get out and don't ever come back.
If he sees you, he...
(dog barking)
(dramatic piano music)
Who are you?
- What?
- Who are you?
- [Chris] Huh?
- If I ever see you here again...
- Joe, you look different.
What's wrong?
- Go away.
If I ever see your stupid
little face again...
- Joe, what'd I do?
- Go away!
We don't want you here.
- Best friends, remember?
- [Joe] Don't you get it?
- You're asking for it now
and you are gonna get it.
Now, get over there.
You think I don't see through you, huh?
I see through you.
(ominous atmospheric music)
Now, you asked for it.
- [Joe] No.
Dad, please, get off.
Ow.
(horse whinnying)
- What's the matter?
Where are you running?
- I have to leave.
Call Chris and tell him to meet me
at our place on the beach.
- But, he'll find you there.
- [Joe] No, he won't.
- Every time I try to do
something nice for you,
you two manage to turn it against me.
Well...
(ominous atmospheric music)
- Hey!
- It's not gonna happen this time,
not with her, it's not.
You did it with her mother, didn't you?
Huh, the whole world--
- Don't hurt him.
- Hey.
- Get out of here.
Let her go.
Goddamn it, stop that.
- Hey, go back in the trailer.
(ominous atmospheric music)
You and your big ideas.
Oh, yes, let's all have fun.
Yes, yes, house people, everything's fine.
Well, I don't think it is.
Well, I'm not gonna stand for it.
- Take it easy.
- Oh, yes.
I wanted something pure, something simple,
like I'm teaching Joe.
- [Simon] Easy.
- And what do I get?
I get you.
We were ready.
Are you crazy?
We were great.
We could've done anything.
And what do we get?
Ballet in the Sky.
I hated that act.
I didn't wanna do it.
I hated myself for doing it.
That's why I slipped.
I couldn't keep my head in it.
That's why we fell.
- [Joe] No!
No!
- Stay away from her.
- [Joe] Leave him alone, Curt.
- [Simon] Get out of here.
- [Curt] Hey, where you going?
- Run, run!
- Chris, are you sure you
won't come shopping with me?
Okay, I'll be back in half an hour.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(phone ringing)
- Hello?
- Is this Chris?
- Who wants to know?
- It doesn't matter.
Your Joe's best friend, right?
- I thought I was.
- He thinks you are.
He wants you to meet him
at your place on the beach
and you can't tell anybody about it, okay?
No one at all.
It's real urgent.
Oh, and yes, uh, you better
plan to stay out over night.
- I can't.
Who is this?
(phone hanging up)
(dial tone humming)
Who is this?
(upbeat circus music)
- No, Mary Anne, don't
do this to me, come on.
- I can't.
- Give us five more minutes.
- [Ring Leader] No.
- [Curt] You can change the lineup.
- [Ring Leader] No.
- [Curt] You've done it before.
(audience applauding)
- [Ring Leader] Ladies and
gentlemen, boys and girls.
Welcome to The Great Rosseti's Circus.
To commence, we present
the thrills and the skills
of the trampoline.
Please welcome The Fabulous Zazz troupe.
- Joe.
- You okay?
I mean, I didn't hurt you or anything?
- No.
- [Joe] You sure the tide's
gonna come up high enough
to lock us in the cave tonight?
- Sure.
In a couple of hours, it's
gonna be up around here,
might even put the fire out.
Who's the guy who told
me to find you here?
- He's a good friend of mine.
He used to be my best friend.
- I hope my mom and dad don't freak.
- You didn't tell them anything, did you?
- No.
- Why don't you come sit down?
We can tell each other stories
about parallel universes.
- Okay.
- I'll phone later he says.
It's almost black outside.
What kind of an idiot is that boy?
- He doesn't waste words anyway.
- Don't blame me.
It's not my fault.
- Should we call the guards?
- And tell them what?
He's only been gone for a couple of hours.
Don't cry.
- He's never done this before.
- Shh.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- [Curt] Where is she?
- [Man] I don't know.
(dog barking)
- It's cool being locked
in here, isn't it?
Whoo, it's getting a little chilly.
You wanna go inside?
It'll be a good night for
telling secrets, won't it?
- Okay.
- I want to report a missing boy,
maybe two missing boys.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- [Joe] Sorry I went crazy
and hit you like that.
And all those things I
said, I didn't mean it.
I've been with the circus
since I can remember.
I don't remember anything
else before that.
Life with the circus isn't
like a voyage on the open seas,
discovering new lands.
All we ever do is work
then move on.
That's all over now.
Circus leaves town in the morning.
We'll hide till they're gone.
Then we'll never see them
or my uncle again.
'Cause now I got some place to go.
I wish it could be like this forever.
I wanted to tell you 100 times.
I just didn't know where to start.
(dramatic piano music)
Maybe if the gang hadn't been there,
I would've told you about
the "big black don't".
Maybe I would've.
I don't know.
Sorry I lied to you,
made you think I was a boy.
My name's Joanne
and I'm a girl.
(sighing)
There,
finally said it.
Wasn't as hard as I thought.
Curt always said it was safer being a boy.
He wanted me to be a boy
and made me act like a boy
and I did it, till I found
out how much he lied.
By then, you liked Joe.
- We don't have to kiss, do we?
- You don't hate me for lying,
do you Chris?
Still same ol' Joe, best friend.
(light piano music)
Aren't I your best friend?
- It's really cold in here, isn't it?
- Come on, I won't bite.
- I think we shouldn't be here.
(gasping)
- [Chris] Didn't hurt you, did I?
- After you found me at the circus,
Curt wanted to teach me a little lesson.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Oh, Jesus.
(ominous atmospheric music)
(sighing)
- It doesn't really change anything.
- No.
I mean, everything.
Okay if I still call you Joe?
(laughing)
You will read The Irish
Guards with me, won't you?
Climb the treehouse and sail for money?
Fix up the Argonaut?
(burping)
(burping and laughing)
(light orchestral music)
(ominous atmospheric music)
(muffled screaming)
Joe?
(screaming)
Joe?
Joe?
- [Joe] Let me go.
I'm not your prisoner, let me go.
- No, go away.
(heavy punching)
- [Joe] Chris!
(train passing)
- Where have you been, Chris?
- Look, it's Joe.
- What happened to your face?
- Look, Joe is Joanne, okay?
She's a girl and she walks
the high-wire in the circus,
but she gets beaten by this guy there.
- We have been up all night.
Your father has taken your photograph
down to the police.
He's been worried sick about you.
- Look, we've got to go.
- Christopher.
- We've got to go now, okay?
Just write dad a note.
- Joe is a girl.
Yeah, sure, Chris.
- The circus guy hit me.
- He what?
- He hit me.
- Right, come on.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- I got news for you, young lady.
I'm tired of it too.
Let's just do something about it.
We have to feel that we can
trust each other, don't we.
I know what you've been up to.
- [Joe] No.
- [Curt] So, you know,
if we can't get along,
then let's just not get along.
We'll just try and separate.
Now, get up.
- Where's the guy who
wears the big black coat?
- That's his caravan over there.
- Hang on, Chris.
- [Curt] Yeah, who is it?
- That's the guy.
That's the guy who hit me.
- Did you hit my son?
- Damn.
What's that you say?
What should I say?
Um, I've never seen him before in my life.
- He's lying.
Hit me and he beats Joanne.
- Wow, you've got quite a
little storyteller there, huh?
- He's also got a bloody
T-shirt and a swollen face
that he didn't have yesterday.
- Hey, now listen, this is my home.
This is private property.
I'll charge you with
breaking and entering,
making false accusations.
Now, you get your ass off the lot
or I'll have the cops come
and they'll run you off.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Chris, come on, we'll find your father.
He'll sort this out.
And you, you haven't heard
the last of this yet.
- Good.
- Mom.
- What?
- It's Joe's bracelet.
She's definitely here somewhere.
Joanne!
Joey, where are you.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- All right, now I warned you.
Now, you stop right now.
- [Mom] Get off him.
- [Chris] Joe, Joe!
Joe!
Come on, Joey!
Joe, where are you?
- [Joe] Chris!
- Joey.
Joe.
Joanne.
Joanne.
Joe,
it's okay now, it's okay.
It's okay.
He's gone now.
He's gone.
He can't hurt you anymore.
Best friends.
Its okay.
It's okay.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
Best friends, remember?
- Best friends.
(ominous atmospheric music)
- Joe, Joe,
take that, it's good for you.
- Listen Joe, I mean, Joanne.
If you wanna come and stay with us,
well,
you'd be very welcome.
- We'd love to have you, Joe.
- Come home with us, Joanne.
- And you know I'm always here.
(light piano music)
- Come on.
(lights buzzing)
(grunting)
- You should hear the silence
when I'm up here, Chris.
The audience can't breathe
while I'm on the wire.
They gasp when I make
them, clap when I finish,
hang on every move I make.
They fill me up.
I don't how else to say it.
- Can't move in with us, can you?
- No,
but I'll
be back next year with the circus.
You don't have to.
(light orchestral music)
- [Chris] Dad?
- [Liam] What?
- [Chris] Where's grandad's hat?
- [Liam] Oh yeah, here it is.
- [Chris] The bay's bigger than I thought.
(light orchestral music)