Original subtitles

Sometimes I have dreams and I picture myself

flying above

Sarah has a powerful voice.

It's a gift from God.

I like her music.

A little different, but I like it.

There may be only so many notes in the scale, but they can be expressed more

ways than there are stars.

Well, apparently not everybody appreciates the way they're being

now.

Hey, Bob, how's it going?

Not too bad for Saturday.

Sounds like a new song, huh?

Yeah, I guess so.

Well, we've had some complaints about the noise again, Richard. I'm sorry

that.

You want to do something about it, or do you want me to play bad guys? No, no,

I'll take care of it.

Thank you.

Hey, Dad.

Concert's over.

But we're rehearsing here.

Not anymore.

The neighbors have had enough.

And so have I. I can't believe that you're doing this. I can't believe I

do it the first five times you were warned.

And find someplace else for all this equipment.

I want my garage back.

What do you want to do, Sarah?

Just break it down.

It's hard to say which of them is wrong.

They're both wrong.

And they're both right.

That's part of what's going to make this assignment so hard.

Hard?

The other part's going to be a lot harder.

When you

walk down

Heavy burden, heavy load I

will rise and I will walk with you I'll

walk with you Till the dawn don't even shine Walk with

you Every time I tell you I'll walk with you

Believe me, I'll walk with you.

It's an audition in the cafeteria.

It's a shot at playing at the Winter Formal. You think they're letting just

anybody audition?

Pretty much.

You got a problem, Molly?

Yeah, I think Ty ought to start acting like a manager instead of a boyfriend.

Get us a real place to rehearse. Yeah, get us some real gigs.

Hi. Hi, can I help you?

Yeah, yeah. I'm looking for Paula Dardenne.

Mom!

What's up?

Hi. Paula, my name is Andrew, and I just joined your office.

Oh, well, nice to meet you. Thank you. Also, I have a client who's interested

a house you just listed across the street.

How could you have a client already? I just put up that sign an hour ago.

I guess I was in the right place at the right time.

That's great.

Well, you can tell your client that it'll be a nice, quiet neighborhood from

on.

And bad enough I got to go to the school where he teaches, but he thinks he can

run my life. I don't want to go to college.

I want to do my music.

How many counselors do I have to convince?

I'm convinced.

You are?

Yes.

The ability to touch someone's life with music is a wonderful gift.

It's as if there's a golden thread between you and the audience, and you

their emotion, and you give back your own.

Yeah. No one wants to discourage your dream, Sarah.

We want to help you expand them.

Do you know how many famous musicians have gone to college and still made

Dexter Holland from The Offspring, he has a doctorate.

And Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, he's going to Harvard.

I can't believe you know about The Offspring and Weezer.

I know a lot of things that might surprise you.

I know that you could focus all of your energy on your band, and it's possible

that you might achieve some degree of fame.

But the people who combine their gifts with education, they can have influence,

not just fame.

And that's real power.

Whatever you said to her, it must have worked. I haven't seen her smile like

that in a long time.

No, I just encouraged her to follow her dream.

Monica, you were supposed to encourage her to go to college.

It is my job to help your daughter discover what is best for her.

And what that is might just surprise the both of you.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another student waiting.

I rented that house across the street.

I thought you were quitting.

I'm working on it.

I see.

So, in the meantime, I get to be the bad guy.

I'm the one who gets to say to our daughter, you shouldn't smoke, you

play your music so loud.

Especially when you don't like it.

You're right, I don't like it.

I think she's much too smart, too talented, too terrific to be wasting her

on a lot of...

Where is she anyway? Upstairs studying?

No.

Rehearsing. Rehearsing? Where?

Across the street.

Hello, baby. My name is Tess.

Hey, Dad.

Check out our new studio.

Yeah. It's, um... It's quiet.

Soundproofing.

Hmm. Because I like somebody's music doesn't mean everybody does.

You mean you actually like this?

Oh, I like all music. It's the language of the angels.

Shakespeare? Buddy Holly.

Hmm.

Can I do something for you?

I guess not.

Just wanted to make sure that sir wasn't giving you any problems.

No problem at all.

You have a good night, man.

Thanks.

You too.

Let's run it again.

The support, the cool rehearsal space.

This is really great of you, Pat.

Well, I have my moments.

I know, but you didn't even flinch when my dad came in here.

I mean, that's really cool.

You have a problem with your father?

It's just the usual dad stuff.

We have nothing in common, and he basically hates everything that I do.

You have nothing in common at all?

Well, we both love music.

different kind.

When I was a kid, he used to call me to come sit on his lap.

Right before I go to bed, he would sing to me.

But I'm just not daddy's little girl anymore.

Don't be so anxious to grow up.

The day will come when you'll be very happy to be daddy's little girl.

Okay, not bad.

Not bad at all.

Why don't we try one more?

Oh, hi.

Hi. I just came to hear the choir.

Great. Welcome.

All right, gang, we have an audience, so let's do it again.

Let's take it from the solo.

And...

This day I shall no more.

Do you see what you're doing to yourself?

What are you talking about?

You smoke too much. You have got to stop.

Dad, don't do this.

I'm not here.

All right, fine.

Go see the nurse.

What's she going to tell me, Dad? Switch to menthol?

Well, you're no good to me here if you can't sing.

Gee, thanks.

Molly, why don't you take this solo?

Sarah?

Would you like to talk?

Sarah, the nurse's station is this way.

The choir sounds wonderful.

Oh, thank you.

They're good kids. I'm really proud of them.

I was in a choir once.

Only once?

I was asked to leave.

Really? Why is that?

I wasn't any good.

I've been told that I have two left vocal cords.

But Sarah has a beautiful voice.

Yeah.

She's not just a singer, you know.

She's a gifted pianist.

She composes music.

She's a natural.

But she's wasting it all on a rock band.

She's doing what she loves to do.

I guess so.

Who taught her how to sing and play the piano?

I did.

When you give someone a gift, is it fair for you to tell them how they should

use it?

Excuse me.

The school nurse called today.

She's concerned about you.

She's worried you might have bronchitis.

Well, I set up a doctor's appointment for you tomorrow.

I don't need to go to the doctor.

Dammit, Sarah, you're still my child. You still live under this roof.

And you're going to the doctors if I say you're going to the doctors. End of

story.

You shouldn't do that.

Terrible habit.

Hello?

I would give anything to be able to go back and never start smoking.

But I can't.

Life doesn't work that way.

Now, I have two choices. I can either keep going like I've been going,

or I can try to make a change.

I think it's time for a change.

Yeah.

How are we going to change dad?

Oh, he loves us so much.

It can't be easy.

Is this really necessary?

When did your throat start hurting you?

I don't know.

Off and on, but it felt okay today.

There's a lot of irritation down there.

I'm going to do a throat culture and a few other tests, okay?

It's probably bronchitis again, right?

Well, I don't know. It's hard to say right now.

Hey, maybe it's mono.

Well, that would be the end of the boyfriend thing.

You a smoker?

Not really.

Kind of.

I'm going to quit.

Oh, nice.

Wow, thanks.

There's more where this came from if you run out, okay?

Hey. Hey.

We were waiting for you.

Sarah, you've been to see a doctor?

It's no big deal, Tess.

Just a little leprosy.

So, what's up with this emergency meeting?

Yeah, what's up?

Okay, um, you know Bumper Dorman, that DJ in WIXB?

Yeah, what about him?

I made MP3s of our songs and emailed them to him. And what'd he say?

He loves them.

And he hooked us up with a spot on the bill at the Retro Club this Friday.

Are you serious?

Yeah. You got a real club date?

Yeah. And if he likes our set, he's going to give us some airtime, some

label hears us. I mean, we're on our way.

Awesome. Fine.

I can't believe this is actually happening.

Well, the new drywall manufacturing plant has brought a lot of people into

community. Of course, guys who...

Make drywall, don't buy a mansion.

Yeah, but sales are up.

Yeah.

Real estate is really the only thing you can count on nowadays.

Hey. Hey, Mom.

Hi, Andrew. Hi.

So we booked a gig at the Retro Club tonight.

The Retro Club.

So, you need to come.

Thanks. Thanks. I'd love to. They say that if we pack the whole place out,

they're going to pay us a hundred bucks.

Wow.

I got it.

Don't let her force you into going to this thing if you don't want to.

No, I'd like to go.

Hello. Well, a doctor who makes house calls. That's rather unusual.

Yes, I know. I just really wanted to speak with you right away.

You have the results of the test?

And there are a few things that concern us.

What? Well, on one of the tests, we found some unusual cells,

and there were some spots on her vocal cords.

You mean like really bad strep or something?

No, actually, it strongly indicates throat cancer.

Richard, this is Gloria. She is a new specialist at the clinic.

We have a problem.

Okay.

Sarah may have throat cancer.

Oh, my God.

What?

Sarah? She's only 17.

It happens.

It's more likely to occur when a smoker is older, but it's not unheard of in

teenage smokers.

Throat cancer.

What do we do now?

Well, first of all, you need to know that throat cancer is treatable.

And if it's caught early enough, the prognosis for beating it is very good.

But right now, there's a lot about your case that we don't know, Sarah.

I'd like to admit you into the hospital tomorrow.

They'll send a scope down for a closer look, find the cancer, where it's

and biopsy whatever looks questionable.

The spots on my vocal cords.

Does that mean... If the cancer is there, your vocal cords

may have to be removed.

But that's not for sure yet.

Mom. Oh, honey.

Sarah, we'll do whatever it takes.

We'll beat this, I promise.

For now, the best thing you can do is not strain your voice.

If there is a tumor on your vocal cords, we don't want it to rupture. That could

be very dangerous.

So, I'll see you tomorrow morning at seven.

I'll meet you in admitting.

And then they'll take you upstairs.

I'll see myself out.

We're going to get through this.

Sweetheart, I'll help you pack for the hospital.

And why don't we rent a movie?

No.

The concert's tonight.

Obviously, you can't go now.

I have to go.

It's important.

I don't care how important you think it is.

Big surprise.

Honey.

Gloria said it would be very dangerous to strain your voice like that.

Mom, if they remove my vocal cords, I won't have a voice. You do understand

that, don't you?

I can't sing without vocal cords.

Oh, honey.

What if this is my last chance? It won't be.

You don't know that.

If you don't let me go, I'll never know. I'll never know if I was good enough.

The band's been waiting, and Ty worked so hard.

Sarah, if Ty really cares about you, he'll understand.

There are more important things right now.

Fine.

I'll call.

I'll be up in a minute, sweetheart, to help you pay.

I can do it myself.

We have to leave at 6 .30 to get there on time.

There shouldn't be much traffic.

I'll call Andrew and ask him to cover my closing tomorrow.

It wasn't so long ago that she was sitting here on my lap and I was singing

to her.

And she was so little.

And so...

Happy.

How did this happen?

Hi. Hello, I'm Monica. I'm from Sarah's school.

Oh. Come in, please. Thank you.

Hello. Hello.

Sarah stopped by my office yesterday. She wanted some scholarship

She said that she'd given it some thought.

Wants to keep her options open.

Really?

Well, she's a smart girl.

That was nice of you to bring them by.

There's one in particular I thought would be very good for her.

It's from the Indiana Arts Council.

But it needs to be there by Monday morning, so I was... Hoping that she

sign it tonight.

Uh, sure.

Sure, she's right upstairs.

I'll get her.

The timing couldn't be better, Monica.

Sarah?

Monica's here, honey.

What do you

think,

Mr. Dorman?

Good!

Looks like she's hurting.

we wouldn't be here if it weren't for those damn things.

I know.

I've been telling you for years.

Look, if you're trying to blame me for this, believe me, I am way ahead of you.

But I don't think right now is the time to talk about it. No, I want to talk

about it right now.

Sarah started smoking because of you. You made it okay.

Now she has cancer.

Stop it, Richard.

I've been trying to stop it for years, but you wouldn't listen. You wouldn't do

anything. You just made excuses.

What's your excuse now, Paula?

Oh, God.

Oh, my God. Please help me.

Paula?

How long have you been standing there?

Long enough.

It's true.

It is my fault.

Because you smoke?

It's a hell of an example to set for your kid, isn't it?

Paula, Sarah doesn't need your guilt right now. She needs your strength.

What strength?

Look at me.

I am the weakest person I know.

You don't have to be.

What does that mean?

I heard you cry out to God for help.

And you have to decide if you really meant it.

Because he's ready to give it to you if you're ready to receive it.

Why is it taking so long?

I'm sure that they're being very thorough.

I just can't stand this waiting.

Excuse me for saying it so, Richard, but there seems to be a lot of things that

you can't stand.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Well, you have a problem with the way that Paula behaves?

I have a problem with her smoking, yes.

And you don't like the music that your daughter plays?

It's not music. It's bouncy noise.

It's joyful noise.

And it pleases God very much.

God.

Give me a break.

I'll give you more than that.

I'll give you a message from God.

I'm an angel.

What?

I'm an angel. God sent me here to help you.

Please don't take her.

Excuse me?

Please don't take my little girl.

I didn't come here for your child.

She's not going to die.

No, she's going to live.

But she's never going to sing again, at least not with her voice.

But she can with her spirit if you help her find a way.

Help her to find a new voice, Richard.

She needs your hope, your prayers.

She needs to know that no matter what happens, she'll always be your little

girl.

She will always be my little girl.

Then let her know.

And forgive her for her weaknesses as God forgives you for yours.

God loves you so much, Richard. He's blessed you with a wonderful family.

Please, don't push them away.

Maria, how bad is it?

They need to get her into surgery immediately.

Can we see her?

Not quite yet. She's still being prepped.

Hello, baby.

Tess?

What are you doing here?

What if I said I was an angel?

Yeah, right.

What if I told you I know the joy of raising your voice in song?

That's all over for me now.

You can still make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

You can still make music with whatever instrument you have.

Praising God who turns those little notes into the most beautiful sounds and

joyful noises you can ever think of.

I know this is going to be hard for you, Sarah.

But God who gave you music,

God who made music, God who is music,

has a brand new song for you, baby.

Really?

And it's more beautiful than you can even imagine.

I'm sorry, I didn't know. I never would have let her sing.

I know, son.

Is she going to be okay?

I don't know.

They're prepping her for surgery.

Would you tell her that Bumper Dorman, that DJ,

thought she was great?

Yeah. Yeah, sure, I'll tell her.

Hey, do you mind if I wait around?

No, why don't you, sweetheart? I'm sure she'd love that.

You've been out there all this time?

I was finishing my cigarette.

My last one.

Well, that's great.

Paula?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, too.

No.

I shouldn't have said what I said.

What you said was true.

It was just hard to hear it, that's all.

I guess the truth of it is... Well, you shouldn't have heard it that way from

me.

Let's go see our little girl.

Hi.

I need a few more papers signed.

I'll do it.

You go ahead.

I'll just... I'll be there in a minute.

I heard you sing tonight.

You sounded great.

Ty wanted me to tell you that Bumper Dorman thought so, too.

Well, at least now I know.

It's not over, Sarah.

Gloria said I'll not lose my voice.

Well, we'll just have to find you a different kind of voice.

There are a lot of ways to make music.

Yeah, that's what I hear.

We're going to get through this.

By the grace of God.

They're ready for you, honey.

Daddy, I'm scared.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.

Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing...

You're going to buy me a diamond ring.

Daddy's going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns red, daddy's going to buy you a sucking glass.