The Words (2012) Movie Script

[♪♪♪]

[APPLAUSE]

The Words,

by me.

[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]

Part one.

"The old man stood in the rain.

[♪♪♪]

He watched as Rory and Dora Jansen

made their way to the limo.

Somehow it seemed as if

the raindrops missed them."

Thank you.

Good night.

Ah...

No, no, tell Mom not to worry.

Look, we just want her

to feel better, okay?

All right?

Yeah. No, no. She brought her

camera. They're gonna take

a lot of pictures.

There's a lot of photographers there.

It's an event, Dad.

Okay, all right, we got-- Yes, yes.

We love you too.

Love you, Chuckles.

Bye.

[GROANS]

Ha-ha-ha.

My parents are very excited.

And they love you very much.

Are you excited?

Yeah, sure, it's a big night, right?

DORA:

It's a big honor.

[RORY SIGHS]

Baby, it's-- You're just nervous.

It's normal.

I'm just a little overwhelmed,

you know?

I didn't expect any of this.

Where are you? Hm?

It was supposed to be a little book,

you know?

I know.

[♪♪♪]

So nice that you could make time

for our little award.

We know you're busy.

The pleasure's all ours.

No. Come now. Your book is fabulous.

But, of course, you know that.

You've read all the reviews.

Ha, ha, ha!

NELSON:

The Window Tears has introduced us

to the one of the most exciting

and sensitive young writers

to appear on the literary horizon

in a very long time.

We are privileged

to have with us here tonight

the winner of this year's

American Fellowship

of Arts and Letters Award,

Mr. Rory Jansen.

[APPLAUSE]

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

Thank you.

RORY:

I simply tried to set down the truth

as I imagined it.

The story of one man,

his wife and child.

I never thought a little book like this

would affect so many different people.

I only wish I had an idea

for my second book.

[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]

I don't want to take up

any more of your time.

I'll just end by saying

that the honor this evening

is truly all mine. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[♪♪♪]

CLAY: Rory Jansen had everything

he had ever dreamed of.

But somewhere,

the old man was waiting.

And he would change everything.

"Right after college,

they moved to Brooklyn.

They found a first floor loft

in an old factory.

It was five years before the book

and the awards,

but Rory already knew what his life

was supposed to look like."

RORY: So straight back there.

That's it.

Keep going?

Like two more feet.

Okay, here?

Yeah.

Let it go.

Just let go?

[GASPS]

[♪♪♪]

[BOTH GRUNT]

CLAY:

He loved her.

RORY:

Dora?

[DORA LAUGHS]

CLAY: He loved New York.

You're gonna drop me. Heh-heh-heh.

He loved fighting to make the rent.

Fighting to make his art.

Living like all the great writers

he had idolized.

Okay, I think we should

put pictures up there.

RORY:

Mm-hm.

And I think your desk is fine

where it's at over there.

And I think we should paint

the bathroom pink.

RORY: Never.

Ha-ha-ha.

CLAY:

"A young, struggling writer,

fighting to make his voice heard.

He liked cheap bottles of wine.

How much is it?

VENDOR: It's 20 dollars.

CLAY: And nothing to do with his days

but wander the streets.

Oh.

It matches my eyes.

What do you want me to do?

[DORA GIGGLES]

CLAY: But at night,

when the rest of the city slept,

he wrote."

Thanks, babe.

Just doing a final pass. Ahem.

And then what?

And then I'm gonna head into an agent

that Professor Waller recommended.

And then what?

And then we're gonna

celebrate.

[RORY SIGHS]

[WHISPERING]

But we don't have any money.

Shh. Then we're gonna celebrate.

Just gotta finish this.

Babe.

Mm?

Babe.

Babe. Come on, I gotta finish this.

Okay, I gotta finish this. Heh.

Heh-heh. Fine.

But you're missing out.

[GROANS]

Finished.

JANSEN:

Well, if he doesn't want to do it,

he doesn't want to do it.

Listen, I said I'll try.

What do you mean?

Of course that's my word.

I gotta know by Wednesday,

that's when I place the orders.

I'll call you back. Goodbye.

Working hard?

All I do is put out fires.

It never stops.

Listen, I know you're busy,

so, uh, I'm gonna come at you

straight, okay?

Let's go into my office.

How much?

Just enough

for the next month

to cover us.

And then what?

You show up again here next month?

I got my book into an agent,

says it's got potential.

Did they give you any money?

No, but, Dad,

it doesn't work like that.

It's not like your business, okay?

It's not like you do work,

you get paid for it, okay?

I gotta pay my dues.

No, I gotta pay your dues, right?

Look, I wouldn't ask you

if I didn't need it.

You think I like coming down here

like this?

You think I like saying no?

I feel like I'm hurting you

more than helping you.

You gotta take responsibility

for your life.

I've been taking responsibility

for my life.

I've had a job since I was 15.

I was a busboy.

Okay, we decided two years ago

I was gonna dedicate myself

to being a writer.

We had this conversation

in the living room.

Mom was right there. She agreed--

But it's been a while.

So maybe now

this should be a hobby

instead of a profession

until you get your feet

on the ground.

Well, thanks for

the encouragement, Pop.

What about Dora?

Well, I mean,

you got to have money

before you get married.

You know what?

I'm sorry I wasted your time.

Come here! Hey, sit down! Sit down.

Talking about marriage...?

What are you, 11?

[SIGHS]

This is the last time.

You gotta get a job,

something steady, support yourself.

That's just part of being a man.

I'm trying to be a man, Dad.

Another part of being a man,

no matter how painful it might be,

is accepting your own limitations.

Come here.

I love you.

I'm gonna pay you back, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah. Hey, you can always

work here.

Ha-ha. We'd kill each other.

CLAY:

"He continued to write,

believing he had a story to tell.

He sent his work anywhere

they might publish him.

But all he heard back

was rejection, disinterest,

or the loudest sound of all:

Silence.

[♪♪♪]

Finally, the great writer, Rory Jansen

was forced to take a day job.

He found a position at one

of the biggest publishing houses

in New York,

hoping to make some connections."

I made a million connections here.

What, you're a writer?

Yeah.

I got all my stuff

into different agents

around here.

I'm actually glad it's taking me

a while to break through.

It's given me a chance to develop

my style, understand the market.

So, what kind of stuff

do you write?

Uh, angry young men, I guess.

Ha-ha-ha.

I used to be like that.

Now I write sci-fi.

You mature, you know.

Just give it time.

Ah...

Are you gonna write tonight?

Uh...

I'll just stay in and watch a movie

or get food or something. Ahem.

Okay.

CLAY:

"Without even knowing it,

they had settled into their lives.

And on a Friday afternoon,

they were married at City Hall.

[CHUCKLES]

They honeymooned in Paris."

[♪♪♪]

You ready?

Yup.

DORA:

Two minutes, okay?

Just two more minutes.

No more antique shops.

Mm, thank you. Put that down.

Rory.

[IN OLD MAN'S VOICE] Klondike 474.

Repeat 47...

What do you think of this?

It's like some...

Oh.

That's nice.

What do you think of it?

[IN NORMAL VOICE]

I think it's old.

I think it's great.

I feel like if we clean it up,

you can use it for work.

Yeah?

It's classy.

I'm gonna get it for you.

[♪♪♪]

Thank you, Mrs. Jansen.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

CLAY: They returned to New York,

and the honeymoon was over.

All mail and packages

go to the assistants only.

Hey, Irene.

CLAY:

"And then, with no warning at all,

Rory got the call

that he had been waiting for."

Thank you. Heh-heh-heh. Okay.

Thank you very much. All right, okay.

CLAY: The agent had a reputation

for impeccable taste

and discovering young literary stars.

It's good.

It's really good. I mean,

it's a beautiful piece of writing,

and the truth is that you should be

very proud of yourself.

Thank you very much. Wow. Uh...

I worked very hard on it.

The work shows.

I look at you,

I can't believe how young you are.

Ha-ha-ha. Well...

I have to tell you, Rory,

I just see so much truth in your work.

I-- I am... I'm so impressed.

Wow, I can't believe this.

This is-- Heh-heh.

Whoo.

But unfortunately, the nature of

the publishing business right now,

at this particular time,

is such that I don't know

how to publish a book like this.

Look, Rory, no one is gonna support

a book like this.

Book like this?

From an unknown writer.

There's just no market for it.

Now, it's hard for any writer,

under any circumstances,

without a track record

to get published. And this book--

I mean, it's so interior.

Interior? What is that?

It's artistic, it's subtle. It's...

It's a piece of art.

So this book, I should just shelve this

and forget about it.

I just-- I spent three years

working on it.

I'm just trying to be honest with you.

I'm just telling you

the reality of the situation.

Have patience.

[SIGHS]

You know, I wouldn't have

brought you in here

if I really didn't believe in you.

[♪♪♪]

DORA:

You're gonna be fine.

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

[RORY SIGHS]

So we have two weeks

in September.

We're planning a trip.

We think we're gonna charter--

What? We're gonna charter

a boat.

We're going to Turks,

but we're gonna get a boat.

Like a 50-footer.

Nothing crazy.

Great, but it's the first

two weeks of September.

It's the beginning--

Get a sub.

You don't wanna miss this.

This is gonna be truly great.

CAMY: It's gonna be amazing.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

You pull out fish,

right out of the ocean,

they cook them up. It's incredible.

CAMY: Snorkeling, diving.

Totally different on a boat.

CLAY:

"He couldn't stop thinking

about that story.

Where did it come from?

Who had written it?

In those words,

he had been confronted

by everything

he had ever aspired to be,

and the reality

of what he would never become."

JASON:

Buddy, what's going on with you, man?

You're 100 miles away.

CAMY: We want you to go.

Why don't you shut up?

[SIGHS]

DORA:

Rory!

What the hell?

Oh, don't. Just don't.

Really, I can't right now.

What is the matter with you?

I don't...

How the fuck

do you end up here?

Rory.

I look at my life,

I look at your life,

I look at his life,

I look at my father's,

I look at everybody's,

I don't have a clue

how anybody winds up

where they do.

I don't know.

You don't have to know.

I don't know!

It's okay! You don't have to know.

There's so much time, Rory.

I'm talking about

my fucking life here!

What about your life?

It's not right!

Nothing's right!

Rory, how is that supposed

to make me feel?

How is that supposed

to make me feel?

I'm not who I thought I was, okay?

I'm not.

And I'm terrified that I never will be.

[♪♪♪]

RORY:

I'm sorry.

[♪♪♪]

[GROANS]

It's okay.

[GROANS]

[SIGHS]

[KEYBOARD CLACKING]

[♪♪♪]

CLAY:

"He didn't know why he was doing it.

He just wanted to feel the words

pass through his fingers,

through his mind.

[♪♪♪]

He retyped every word

as it was written on those pages.

He didn't change a period, a comma,

or even correct the spelling mistakes.

[KEYBOARD CLACKING]

[♪♪♪]

He needed to know what it felt like

to touch it,

if only for a moment."

[SIGHS]

[DOOR SCRAPING]

Rory, can you come here?

What's up?

Hey. You all right?

What's wrong, babe?

Hey.

DORA:

Just kiss me.

Hey, what is it?

Oh, my God.

What?

[CHUCKLES]

What?

Are you pregnant?

No, no, no.

I want you to listen to me.

I was working

on the computer today, and, um...

And I swear to you

I've never gone through

your things before,

but your book was on the screen

and I started reading one sentence,

Oh, no, no, no.

then I read the second,

and I couldn't put it down.

Listen to me. You are everything

you've always wanted to be.

Dora, you don't under...

Why would you keep this

a secret from me?

No, it's not a secret.

These stories, they're so different

from anything you've ever done before.

It's as if you stopped hiding.

They're fuller, they're truer,

they're more honest.

There are parts of you in this novel

that I always knew were there,

but I had never seen before.

I've never--

What parts?

All of you.

All of you, baby.

This has to be seen.

Just listen to me, okay.

You always said that all you ever

wanted to do was be a good writer.

With this, Rory,

you're a great writer.

Baby,

take it to work

and show it to someone.

And if you're not gonna do it

for yourself,

then please do it for me.

[♪♪♪]

Sorry to bother you, Mr. Cutler.

Hey, Rory. How are you today?

Good.

Ahem. Do you have a minute?

Uh, I'm kind of busy here.

What can I do for you?

I've worked here for,

uh, over two years.

I haven't asked anybody for anything.

Uh, I have a feeling

you're about to ask

for a thing now.

You see, there's this novel, um...

And I know that you get submissions

all the time and you're very busy,

but I don't want anything

other than your opinion.

I would really appreciate it.

CLAY:

Days passed.

Weeks became months.

And by the time autumn arrived, Rory

had all but forgotten about the book.

CUTLER:

Rory.

Can I help you, Mr. Cutler?

Come on in here for a second.

I'm in the middle of training--

Yeah, yeah, he'll find

his way back. Shut the door.

You know what I did last night?

On the absolute insistence

of Debra, and God knows

I tried to blow her off,

I read your novel last night.

You did?

Have you, uh,

shown this to anyone else,

anyone outside the agency?

No, no, you're the only one

that's seen it.

I mean, uh, outside of my wife.

What does she think?

She was the one that insisted

I show it to you.

Well, I can't wait to meet her

and thank her.

Rory, I would very much

like to represent you

and your work.

[♪♪♪]

You've written

a remarkable work of fiction.

[♪♪♪]

CLAY:

"There was no epiphany.

No sign from the gods

to point him in the right direction

like there had been in all the books

that he had loved growing up.

All he had to do

was sign the contract.

The book was a unanimous

critical and commercial success."

Thank you. Hi.

CLAY:

"He was the darling

of the New York literary world."

The winner of this year's

American Fellowship

of Arts and Letters Award,

Mr. Rory Jansen.

[SIGHS]

Let's raise a glass here

to our son, the writer.

To Rory.

CLAY:

"Rory Jansen had made his choice.

[♪♪♪]

And then he met the old man."

That's, um, the end of part one.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming.

RICHARD:

Come along, people.

Give the man some breathing room.

It's his break, after all.

Ah. Heh-heh.

Thank you.

If you want to lie down

or relax for a while,

you know where the room is.

I read that you liked the 2005 Rosé.

[CHATTERING]

Don't forget, Clayton, 30 minutes,

so no time for foreplay.

I'm so sorry.

That's okay, I've read his books.

Ah.

Heh-heh.

So, what'd you say

your name was again?

I didn't. It's Daniella.

Mmm. That's a beautiful name.

Oh, can't you think

of something better than that?

Well, how about this:

They gave me a little green room

back there.

It's got really great wine

and cheese. And I won't have

to sign any more books,

and maybe I'll think of something

more interesting to say.

Wanna go?

Lead the way.

Come on.

[LAUGHS]

Shut up.

CLAY: I have to rest my voice.

It gets really dry when I read,

and I have a whole other section.

Don't bullshit me.

I'm not.

It's okay. I already know

everything about you anyway.

Oh, really? Everything?

Mm-hm.

Everything.

What do you know?

I know you hate tomatoes.

I know

Miles Davis' Kind ofBlue

is your favorite jazz recording.

I know you love to watch

Cheers reruns.

And I know you took Latin

for seven years

and cheated on every single test.

Wait a minute.

How do you know that?

Esquire, you said it yourself.

Ugh.

I've got to start reading my interviews.

Ha-ha-ha.

So...

what else do you know?

I know that you've been with your wife

since your freshman year of college.

I know that you go to every single

Yankees home game,

and I know that you,

Clayton Hammond, are a genius.

Heh. Shows how much you know.

Why's that?

I missed two Yankee games last year.

Oh, sorry.

And, uh, my wife and I are, um...

separated.

I actually did know that,

but you're wearing a ring.

Yeah.

So, uh, Daniella,

how did you get

backstage tonight?

I'm a grad student at Columbia,

and I begged my professor

for his ticket.

I won the Elman Fellowship,

just like you.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Mr. Hammond, they're ready for you.

Yes, Mr. Hammond,

we're ready for you.

[APPLAUSE]

This is the second

and, uh, final selection

of the evening.

"It was a crisp

and clear autumn morning.

The old man was dressed

exactly as the day before."

[♪♪♪]

Can I hail you a cab?

I'm gonna take the bus, thanks.

DOORMAN:

You're welcome.

Go to Central Park? Great.

[GRUNTS]

[SIGHS]

[HUMMING]

How you doing today?

I'm okay. How are you?

[SPEAKS IN FRENCH]

You know what I mean?

Sure.

What's that book you're reading?

Ask the Dust, John Fante.

Oh, how did you find him?

Nobody knows him.

You read Fante?

Read him? I knew him.

You knew John Fante.

Met him in Los Angeles.

Must have been 1958.

He should have been someone

that everybody knows.

Yeah.

What happened?

Life.

So how does it feel?

How does what feel?

To be somebody everybody knows?

You know,

I don't really think about it.

Oh, come on.

Don't bullshit an old bullshitter.

It feels good, right?

Feels good to have your work

recognized, yeah.

Mm, yeah, heh-heh,

I'm sure it does, yeah, hm.

Bet you get good tables

in restaurants now.

I do.

Mm.

[LAUGHS]

Life was kind to you.

Gods smiled when you were born.

They looked down and they said,

"Ooh, look there, that one is a writer.

His words will be celebrated."

Ha-ha-ha. I don't know

if it's that grandiose.

I just got lucky.

I wrote a book,

people happened to like it.

I mean, I don't know

how things happen.

I mean, I wrote two books

that wouldn't have gotten published

if that one never did.

Well, I'll bet they'll publish them now.

I read your book.

I liked it very, very much.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

And now forgive an old fan

for a moment.

Just indulge me.

You wrote about Paris

right after the war.

Mm-hm.

And when I read your stories,

I was right there.

I tasted that wine,

the sweetness of that wine.

I...

made love to the girl.

I sat in the cafe that morning

wondering what the future

held for me.

Or if it held anything at all for me.

I heard...

that child cry in the night.

And I felt the longing

for my home so far away.

[HUMMING]

You are some writer, my friend.

Thank you.

Wow, thank you.

I really do appreciate that.

I, uh...

Wow, I have to go. My wife--

I know, I know.

Artists always feel uncomfortable

talking about their work.

No, no, no.

I wonder if there's just one thing

you'd do for me.

Sure. Ahem.

I wondered if you'd autograph

my copy of your book.

Ah, of course.

Do you have a pen?

Oh.

A writer without a pen.

Well...

Well, today's a reading day.

Oh, yes.

Well, I have a pen.

So...

I do have a story.

A very good story.

Now, I know you get this line

all the time, but I think

you'll like the story. Hm?

If I was to tell you the story

and you wrote it,

well, then, maybe

you could give me a little credit?

Well, that wouldn't be fair, would it?

Have a good day.

It's about a man who wrote a book

and then lost it

and the pissant kid who found it.

You still here?

Do you want to hear my story?

Or don't you have the time?

So...

it's 1944,

and there's this 18-year-old kid,

a soldier in the army,

never saw any action.

He was sent to Paris

right at the end of the war.

[♪♪♪]

OLD MAN:

There he is,

a dumb kid with a dumbass grin

on his face.

There he is in Paris.

To him, it might as well have been

the other side of the goddamned world.

It was a joke that his unit

was constantly drawing

the worst details.

Most of the time,

they were relaying sewage pipes

blown apart by the Germans

during the occupation.

It was god-awful work.

MAN:

Street smell.

I miss Utah.

[MEN WHOOPING AND LAUGHING]

OLD MAN:

Somehow the kid was happy,

like a pig in shit.

The guys in his unit,

most of them were different

from anybody he'd known

in his neighborhood.

They were from all over,

little towns he'd never even heard of.

[♪♪♪]

Poor kid probably hit a mine.

Let's get the body to the morgue.

[SIREN WAILING]

[♪♪♪]

OLD MAN:

That was the only dead body

he saw his whole time in the Army.

There was this one guy in his unit

real different to him,

an intellectual, real bookworm,

and over time,

he became the boy's best friend.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

OLD MAN:

He lent him some books to read,

the first books

the kid had ever read about anything.

[♪♪♪]

For the first time

he saw a world that was bigger

than the one he'd been born into.

And he wanted more.

He wanted to be something more.

A writer.

Yeah,

but he had no idea

what the word really meant. Heh.

Certainly didn't have a clue

about how to go about it.

You grew up in Philadelphia?

Hm.

Grew up in Philly,

but born in London.

London?

Hm.

[CELIA SPEAKING

IN FRENCH]

[CELIA SPEAKS IN FRENCH]

What did she just say?

What did she say?

My French is a little weak,

but I'm pretty sure

she said she loves you.

Ha-ha-ha. Go talk to her.

No.

Go. ha-ha.

That's not funny.

Go talk to her.

Come on, if you don't, I will.

OLD MAN:

He found out some time later

that what she'd actually said was:

"Pay your check

and get the hell out of here."

But who was he to question fate?

[♪♪♪]

He'd picked up one word of French.

Oui.

OLD MAN:

And she knew one word of English.

Yes.

OLD MAN:

It was the perfect relationship.

[SPEAKING IN

BROKEN FRENCH]

What is ice cream?

[SPEAKS IN FRENCH]

[BOTH SPEAKING FRENCH]

[♪♪♪]

Oh-oh.

What?

It's cold in my head.

Cold in your head?

Yeah, pain.

Go like this.

Take your finger like this.

Under your tongue. It's a little trick.

It'll make it go away, okay?

It doesn't wanna go.

Give it a second, okay?

Now?

It's gone.

Told you.

Okay, one more.

[LAUGHS]

[♪♪♪]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

What happened?

He got discharged from the Army.

[♪♪♪]

[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]

[♪♪♪]

OLD MAN:

But what once was his whole world

suddenly seemed...

small.

Nothing had changed

since he'd been away.

Except him.

He had changed.

For the first time in his life,

he tried to write.

[CHATTERING]

Tried to write about Paris,

about what he'd seen

and how he'd felt.

But the words just wouldn't come.

[♪♪♪]

He knew the life he wanted.

He knew what he had to do to get it.

[♪♪♪]

[GLASS SHATTERING]

[♪♪♪]

[KEYBOARD CLACKING]

The young man began

his apprenticeship as a writer.

He got a job as a journalist

for a small English-language weekly.

There were a lot of them

springing up for all the expats,

and they'd hire anyone

who could string a few words together.

It was a good place to learn.

[♪♪♪]

He married Celia two weeks later.

[♪♪♪]

Six pounds and three ounces,

eyes like her mother.

That was his moment,

not that he knew it at the time.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Maybe one never does.

[CELIA SINGING SOFTLY

IN FRENCH]

[BABY CRYING]

She used to cry so much.

At times, he could barely think,

let alone write.

Sir?

She was sick.

The wife?

My daughter.

There was nothing he could do.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

[CELIA SOBBING]

[♪♪♪]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[CELIA SOBBING]

[♪♪♪]

OLD MAN:

Celia was never the same.

And he wasn't the same either,

even though he tried to pretend.

[SPEAKS IN FRENCH]

[YOUNG MAN SPEAKS

IN FRENCH]

I'll be back later.

[DOOR SLAMS SHUT]

[HUMMING]

Celia?

OLD MAN:

She said she'd gone home

to her mother's in the country.

Needed time to think.

She needed to be apart.

[THUDS]

[GRUNTS]

[SOBBING]

[TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING]

[♪♪♪]

OLD MAN: He couldn't remember

sleeping or eating.

The words simply poured out of him.

A stream that he could not control

nor question

where they came from.

The words became form,

the form became whole,

and after two weeks,

it was finished.

And then?

Then he slept.

Dreamless sleep.

When he woke,

he cleaned the apartment

and went to find his wife.

[♪♪♪]

She looked like a child to him,

sitting in the room she grew up in.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

She begged him

to go back to Paris without her.

Just go. Go.

[♪♪♪]

OLD MAN:

A few weeks later,

she finally came home.

He was so grateful to have her home.

Thank you.

OLD MAN:

He just wanted to hold her,

see her laugh again.

So you, um...? You read my story?

No, I'm not ready yet.

OLD MAN:

She said she wanted to start life over.

Well, that's okay.

OLD MAN: Said it like it would be

the easiest thing

in the world to do.

It's in the valise here.

No.

I don't understand,

I had it with me on the train.

What?

I had it with me on the train.

But it was in a different case?

[SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

[SPEAKING IN FRENCH]

OLD MAN:

It shouldn't have meant anything,

but writing that story

had somehow saved him.

How could she not understand?

[SPEAKING IN FRENCH]

[♪♪♪]

For years, he'd never forgive himself

for caring about those stupid words.

You know what?

You are not the only one

who lost her.

[♪♪♪]

[FOOTSTEPS]

[♪♪♪]

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

She left something.

Listen to me, okay?

[♪♪♪]

[CHATTERING]

For a time, they tried

to patch things up together,

but you can't erase the past,

no matter how much you want to.

And for the first time,

the young man began to long for home.

Soon the longing grew so strong he...

He left.

Never went back to Paris.

Never saw Celia again.

But after he lost those pages...

he was never able

to set down one word...

that looked right to him.

Maybe he was afraid

of going that deep again.

Perhaps he just lost the knack.

Anyway, he stopped trying.

And after a time...

he found a little town up north,

settled there.

Found a kind of peace.

RORY:

How's that feel?

Hm.

Wait.

It's not over yet.

[♪♪♪]

This is where it really

gets interesting.

Long after all of this

faded into the past,

the young man,

who was now an old man,

wandered into a bookstore.

The blurb said that the author

of the story is a new fresh voice

who had something new to say.

I opened the book and began to read.

Your book.

And the narrator

was standing over a crib.

His child was dying,

and there was nothing he could do.

[♪♪♪]

Look...

I...

A misunderstanding, I...

No, no, my friend,

there's no misunderstanding, no.

I found...

You can't slide out of it now.

These are my words,

my stories.

Hm?

What the fuck

is a window tear anyway?

I don't know how you did it.

To be brutally honest, I don't care.

I just thought

you should know the story

behind these stories

in case anyone was to ask.

Maybe now

you've got your next book.

[♪♪♪]

CLAY: "And he sat on that bench,

unaware of the world,

or of time passing around him.

After a few hours,

the sun finally set

and Rory Jansen slowly rose,

searching for his way home."

Thank you.

If you wanna know

the rest of the story,

you'll just have to buy the book.

[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]

WOMAN: Your work, you seem

hesitant to draw any conclusions

about our moral behavior.

Do you make any statements about that?

CLAY: Yes, I am hesitant.

What I think is great

about art and artists

is that we get to ask

the questions...

even though

we may never know the answers.

Excuse me a minute.

Oh.

Oh, excuse me, Miss,

may I seem some ID first?

Ohh.

You looked like you were drowning.

No, no. I'm in my element.

You wanna get out of here?

Well, ahem, I'm supposed to be

over there, mingling, taking pictures,

and smiling. Raising all that money

in these troubled economic times.

Oh. That's too bad.

Well, okay, you talked me into it.

Okay, I thought you'd never ask.

Let's slam these.

[CHUCKLES]

DANIELLA:

I wanna see where you write.

CLAY:

I can assure you,

it's not that exciting.

DANIELLA:

Why don't you let me

be the judge of that?

[DOOR CLOSES]

Wow.

This place, it's, um...

Empty.

Heh.

Empty, yeah.

Mm.

Somehow it's exactly

the way I imagined it.

Really? So you imagined me

living in a place for eight months

and barely unpacking a box?

It's very elegant,

Mr. Hammond.

Oh.

May I take your jacket?

Yes.

See, I told you

it's not all that exciting.

Are you kidding?

I could write my entire

dissertation on your view.

That was hit by Babe Ruth.

Unfortunately, it was when

he was a goddamn Red Sock,

but what can you do?

Heh.

I've got a bottle

of Bordeaux downstairs

that's just been screaming

for an occasion like this.

You know, that sounds good.

Mm-hm.

Come on.

Can we drink it here?

What, at my desk?

Yeah. Can we?

We can do anything we want.

We're grown-ups.

Then get the wine.

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

[♪♪♪]

Your wine.

Thank you.

So, what should we drink to?

Your new book,

of course.

How about we drink to--?

Your book.

Will you tell me something?

What happens?

What happens to Rory

after the old man finds him?

Will you tell me something?

If I can.

Why would such a beautiful,

intelligent girl such as yourself

wanna be something

so silly as a writer?

Ha. Silly?

Don't you know

words ruin everything?

I don't believe you for a second.

You love words.

I'm young, spoiled, impetuous

and American. Humor me.

Please? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?

[♪♪♪]

Close your eyes.

[♪♪♪]

CLAY: And so, like so many

of the great clichés in the history

of civilization,

Rory Jansen decided

the only thing to do was

drink on it.

[CAR HORN HONKING

AND TIRES SCREECHING]

And so he gets rip-roaring,

death-defyingly drunk,

and now he's got his nerve.

And he starts to think.

He allows himself to think

the whole thing through.

Maybe for the first time in his entire life.

And he comes to the conclusion,

or more appropriately,

this myth

that he's heard

so many times before,

that the truth shall set you free.

DORA:

Hey. Guess what,

I spoke to the realtor today,

and she said that we can move in

as early as the 6th.

Isn't that awesome?

We'll need to buy

some carpets and stuff--

Why do you love me?

Dora?

Are you drunk?

I need to know why you love me.

Okay. Uh, heh-heh.

I love you because

you have beautiful eyes.

I love you because

you're serious all the time,

but deep, deep down,

you're nothing but a goofball.

I just love you.

Rory, what's going on?

You really think

my eyes are beautiful?

Heh-heh.

I think your eyes are beautiful, yes.

They're not mine.

Okay.

[WHISPERING]

I'm a liar.

I don't...

What are you

doing right now?

What's wrong?

[IN NORMAL VOICE]

I didn't write the book.

What do you...?

The book, I stole it.

I just found it.

I didn't even change any of it.

I mean, I...

I don't know who

I was stealing it from and...

But I knew it wasn't mine.

I'm very confused right now.

So you didn't--? You--?

You didn't write the book?

None of it is mine,

not one single word.

I don't know what's going on.

Uh-- It-- It was there and...

I think I wanted so badly

for it to have come from me...

and then the look,

the way you looked at me

when you thought it was mine...

And for a moment I actually

convinced myself that I wrote it.

Heh-heh-heh.

Do you believe that?

I could never write

anything that good. I know that.

Okay, so then--

You-- I mean, you said so yourself--

I said-- I said what?

It doesn't matter.

What? What did I say?

You should've known.

You did know, right? You knew--

What do you mean?

You knew when you read them

that they weren't my words.

I knew?

You know me so well.

You were doing research

on Paris.

We had just gotten back

from our honeymoon.

Yeah, but you had to have known.

What do you mean?

I believed you.

No, you wanted to believe.

I know, I believed you!

You wanted to--

I fucking believed you!

Dora?

[TIMER BEEPING]

[GRUNTS]

Don't touch it.

You lied to me.

When you...

When you read those words,

when you copied them,

did you ever stop

to think about us?

Did you think about

what this was gonna do to us?

To you?

Did I ever cross your mind?

I can't be here right now.

I'm sorry, I just can't be here.

[♪♪♪]

You really fucked up.

I think we need

to think this through.

What does that mean?

You got the cover

of the book review this Sunday.

I didn't get the cover of this,

some old man got it.

The other book of yours,

did you write that?

Of course I wrote that.

But I didn't plan this.

This isn't something

that I planned.

But the only reason

why anybody ever read

my stuff is because of this book.

You don't want this.

Everything you're saying you want,

you don't want it.

Just take my name off the book.

And what do you think

is gonna happen?

Do you think they're gonna

give you a hall pass?

The media? The press?

They're gonna crucify you.

And my ass is out there

on the line with you.

You wanna pay this man

off your advance,

that's the right thing to do.

You wanna cut him

into the movie rights, fine.

You wanna buy him a house,

a car, a fucking boat?

But don't screw yourself

for the rest of your life

for one stupid mistake.

And don't you fuck me!

Trust me, this isn't the first time

an author's done something like this.

Don't do that.

You may not believe me now...

but you will thank me later.

My book, the one you sold...

is it as good as this book?

Tell me the truth, Joe.

Thank you.

We're supposed to have dinner

with your parents tonight.

I'm really not up for it.

Fine, I'll call your mother.

How much longer

until this is over, Rory?

What do you want from me?

Do you think you're the only person

on this earth who's ever made a mistake?

Are you gonna let this destroy you?

Destroy us?

What if we had a baby?

We've always wanted to.

We've always wanted to start a family.

I think I'm gonna break.

I'm gonna break in half.

DORA:

You're not gonna break.

I won't let you.

Can we just try to put this

behind us?

[RORY GROANS]

Look at me. Can we?

[♪♪♪]

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

[HUMMING]

RORY:

How are you doing today?

What type of plant is that?

Plectranthus.

Swedish ivy.

RORY:

It's nice.

You come up here

just to bullshit about plants?

No, I did not.

Well, if you came to see

if I was gonna blow the whistle on you

you should relax and go back home

to your great, big life.

I wanna fix this.

There's nothing to fix.

You just go live the life

you made for yourself.

If you didn't want anything,

why did you come find me

and tell me?

It couldn't be just to torture me.

You don't even know who I am.

You don't know how,

you don't know why.

I just...

thought you should know,

that's all.

Do you think you can just steal

part of my life? Hm?

Any man's life?

Take it as your own

and expect

there'd be no price to pay?

No. Don't you understand?

This is why I'm here.

Put that back in your pocket

or I'll kick the shit out of you.

This is not a payoff.

This is all I could

get out right now,

but it's all yours.

I'm gonna take my name off the book.

I'm gonna tell everybody the truth.

Then you're even more of a fool

than I thought you were.

What is all this about then?

What is it about?

It's about my life.

It's about my wife, about my child.

It's about the joy and the pain

that gave birth to those words.

[COUGHING]

You take those words,

you take the pain.

[COUGHING]

Now, why don't you buy

a plant with that money?

Here, a Plectranthus,

since you love them so much.

You take your plant and your money

and you get out of here.

Get out of here. Go on.

Hey, I wanna make things right.

You can't just make things right.

Things are just things.

You understand? No matter

how you try and martyr yourself.

I've got work to do.

This place doesn't run itself.

Sir, sir. Please. Sir.

Please.

[♪♪♪]

I did see her one more time.

You did?

I was on my way to work.

[BRAKES SQUEALING]

[BELL RINGING]

[♪♪♪]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[♪♪♪]

Over all those years,

[♪♪♪]

I thought about her every day.

Broken because of what I did to her.

And then all of a sudden,

there she was.

She seemed happy.

Well, if I was to tell you

that realization didn't

cause me pain, I'd be lying.

But, in some ways, it helped me.

Helped me turn a corner.

Pick up again

without looking back all the time.

Ah, you think I ruined my life

because I never wrote again.

Just because I lost a book of stories.

No, I just...

God, you had

so much more to do.

Oh, I've done enough.

Believe me.

I've done what I can

the best that I can.

That's all you can ask of a person.

No,

my tragedy was that I loved words

more than I loved the woman

who inspired me to write them. Heh.

You wanna do something for me?

Anything at all.

Walk away, don't look back.

[COUGHS]

We all make choices in life.

The hard thing

is to live with them.

And there ain't nobody

can help you with that.

Go on.

Sir?

[SIGHS]

I do love your book.

[♪♪♪]

CLAY:

We all make our choices.

The hard part is living with them.

Finally, Rory Jansen knew

what he had to do

to live with his.

The Window Tears

by Rory Jansen.

And the old man?

A few weeks

after Rory went to visit him,

the old man died.

And the secret died with him.

[♪♪♪]

CLAY:

Whatever he had to do, whatever

he had to lose, he would seal it off.

It was as if by locking off the secret

of one man's life forever,

he had unveiled

another much deeper

and darker secret within himself.

[♪♪♪]

And that's it. The end.

Poof.

No moral, no comeuppance,

no incredible gain of knowledge,

other than the belief that one can,

after making a terrible mistake in life,

continue to live

and perhaps even live well.

Everyone has to sleep at night.

What really happened, Clay,

after he tells himself all that?

I just told you.

No, tell me the truth.

He goes on. He lives,

he writes, as well as he can,

he's a big success.

Bullshit.

I'm not talking about the book.

You're just avoiding.

Tell me the truth.

What are you afraid of, Clay?

Look, why don't you tell me?

What?

I wanna know what you think.

You're so smart, you got yourself in here,

you got me talking.

Acting so precocious,

throwing your little ass around,

quoting Shakespeare,

batting your eyelashes.

Why don't you tell me?

I wanna know what you think.

What happens to them?

I...

No, no, no.

You tell me what happens to Rory

and Dora or you can get the hell out.

He's fucked.

Now go on.

Maybe he can forget,

maybe he can write, create,

but it doesn't matter

because he'll never, ever believe it.

He's robbed himself

of the chance to find out.

Not bad.

Or maybe he can't write, although

he's been able to fool a few people.

Even better.

Maybe his marriage falls apart

because for him and his wife

to look at one another

is for them to look at the truth.

Maybe when he goes in public,

he can wear that mask of confidence

and sophistication,

but back when he's alone

late at night, he can't sleep,

because when he closes his eyes

he still sees the face of that old man.

Maybe

he sees his own face,

and the old man

is just a story he made up.

Or maybe he finds himself in his

beautiful New York apartment

overlooking the park, with a girl

who's much too young for him,

and he's telling her what he knows

to be are tired old stories.

Because for some reason she believes

that he has something to give her.

You're very talented, Daniella.

But at some point, you have to choose

between life and fiction.

The two are very close,

but they never actually touch.

They're two very,

very different things.

[GASPS]

What?

What's wrong?

[♪♪♪]

You don't want me?

No, no, no.

Look, it's not like you're corrupting

anything here.

I want this. I want you.

I, um....

You should leave.

Is that what you really want...

Clay?

What do you really want?

[♪♪♪]

I'm sorry.

[♪♪♪]

The Words (2012) - full transcript

Extract Subtitles From Media