Original subtitles

[music playing]

Phrenology, the belief thatdifferent parts of the brain

are responsible fordifferent kinds of thoughts,

romantic love, over here.

Vision, over here, the abilityto recognize letters, here,

lust, here, reason, miles away, over here.

Connecting the two, a bridgeof neurons 26,000 miles long.

Do you think you could get from here to there?

[breaks glass]

[liquid spilling]

Oh, no.

I don't think so.

No.

[music playing]

Judith?

Mm, what?

Are we there already?

Almost.

It's not too late to turn back, you know.

Oh, that would look really good.

Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, we just sort of

decided to blow you off.

Dad wouldn't mind.

Well, I'm sure your mother would.

She's not my mother.

She's my stepmother.

Herman.

Forget it!

I'm not going to wait till we'remarried to meet your parents.

Fine.

Suit yourself.

[music playing]

Hello, glad you could come.

Hello.

Hi.

I'm Judith.

I can't tell you how pleasedI am to meet you, Mrs. Sloan.

Oh, call me Helen.

Come in.

Can I take your coat?

Yeah.

What a lovely dress.

[judith giggles]

Herman must have picked that out.

Yeah, it's-- it's his favorite. [giggles]

I'm sure it is.

Would you like some coffee?

Please.

[water running]

They look so much alike, don't they?

[helen scoffs]

Do you think they're going to be long?

They're not going far.

Just the two of us.

We will have a lovely time.

Sit down, Judith.

So you met Herman at school?

No, I'm not in school.

Neither is Herman.

Of course, but you know Herman.

Sometimes he goes toschools, sometimes the malls.

He's, uh-- he's over that.

So where did you meet?

At a museum.

Oh, really?

You must tell me all about it.

Actually, it wasn't really a museum.

It was more like a gallery.

And I went there with this friend of mine.

And we were walking around the aisles--

And you felt Herman's hand on your shoulder.

And you turned around.

And you looked into those eyes of his.

And you fell in love, right in that instant.

Well, yes, basically.

And then you quit your job.

No.

No?

Huh.

My husband had me quit the day I met him.

Oh, well, you know, times have changed.

Maybe Herman's not like his father.

Oh, no.

No.

Herman is exactly like his father, exactly.

You won't be working

[ticking]

and your parents?

Have they met Herman?

Oh, yes.

We had dinner together.

And what did they think?

Well, you know, they're happy if I'm happy.

And [scoffs] I'm very happy.

I know you are.

It's very important that youtake a good look at the parents

before you marry a man.

We do become our parents, don't we?

That's exactly what my mother says.

[laughs] But don't worry.

Herman is not going to become me.

I wasn't thinking that.

But you will become me.

[kettle whistling]

You already have.

[scoffs] Of course, you're--you're still lovely yet,

very low

Thank you.

[cup crashes]

That fades, doesn't it?

And frankly, it's not an especially valuable

commodity to Sloan men.

It's not that they don't treasure it, they do.

It's just that it's easy to come by for them.

They like our beauty.

But they don't marry us for it you, no.

They marry us for our devotion,for our pure, overwhelming love

of them. [scoffs] That'swhat we share, you and I.

[pours water]

That's why we're here.

Would you like to see the family album?

I'd love to.

Have you got any baby pictures?

I'd love to see Herman as a baby.

Uh, I'm afraid thesejust go back a few years.

There weren't any at alltill I started taking them.

This is not your typical family album.

[birds chirping]

[music playing]

[slams book]

[judith sighs]

That was the first one I took.

Are you leaving?

[dogs barking]

No, of course not.

Not without Herman.

Sit down, Judith.

[sighs] You may as well know the truth about us.

It's not what you think.

I don't even know where they came from.

He was gone for a few days.

And I woke up and I had the flu, I remember.

And there they were.

All nice and cozy.

So you took a picture?

[scoffs] What does yourhusband think about this?

He doesn't know.

Sloan men don't open books.

Why would you keep something like this?

It was my one act of defiance.

Well, I think I would be a bitmore defiant if I came home--

If what?

What would you do if it was Harman?

No, it wouldn't be Herman.

Herman would never sleep with a prostitute.

These aren't prostitutes.

This brunette was a newlywed.

She was honeymooning, skiing over at the hill.

We had a little chat before Isent her home to her husband.

You had a chat?

What do you do, sit aroundover tea and compare notes?

It wasn't her fault anymore than this is your fault.

Nobody says no to a Sloan man.

Don't even try to include Herman in this.

He is his father's son!

Herman loves me.

Yes, and you love him!

That doesn't change what he is.

And what is he exactly?

He's not what he pretends to be.

Look at these pictures.

I don't want to look at any more

of your disgusting pictures.

We don't have time for this!

They could be back any minute.Look!

You've got to look!

What's that?

What's that?

It's Herman.

No!

It's not Herman!

But it's his father.

So Sloan men have long navels, so what?

[scoffs] And-- and-- and 12 toes?

And-- and no fingernails.

Look at this, Judith, look!

That's bone.

They're monsters!

How can you love [slaps books] that?

How?

I love Herman because--

Because he wants you to.

Because he makes you.

You think Herman is the mostbeautiful man in the world,

but he's not!

Look, Judith!

You can only see them as theyreally are in photographs.

Herman is--

Is what?

He's--

Is what?

Look at the pictures.

[music playing]

No, this is some kind of a sick joke.

This isn't really happening.

[sighs] You were inthe museum with a friend.

Herman touched you.

Yes.

It was beautiful.

Oh, bull!

You didn't even know him.

But Herman, he was--

He was cowboy stranger!

A freak!

[buzzing]

No, no, Herman--

Herman was what, Judith?

Open your eyes!

GALLERY ANNOUNCER: Constraint.

With an intensity that isconcrete, and yet abstracted,

the artist's work to defiesconventional description.

We look and we find the pure stuff of thought,

of the future, of the human condition.

Talk about a whole lot of wank.

What do you mean?

[sculpture bangs]

Oh, my god.

That's all a bunch of crap.

The human condition, concrete yet abstract.

That's not what it's about.

So what is it about?

Man versus steel, molding metal.

You are a barbarian.

Well, that's what I think.

[music playing]

How could I have done that?

He was controlling you.

It took me years to understand what they do.

And even then, who'd believedme, let alone help me?

No one.

[sighs] That's why I've been waiting for you.

[sighs] Come on.

We got to go before they get back.

Go where?

Right-- right there. Do you see?

That's where they go.

That's where their power is.

[sighs] Come on.

[music playing]

[birds cawing]

Mrs. Sloan.

Don't call me that.

[sighs] Please call me Helen.

Sorry.

Helen, why are you still here?

I mean, if you know about whatever the hell

you're married to, whydidn't you leave it already?

[scoffs] You don't knowhow many times I've left.

I was lucky if I got a few miles.

He always found you?

He didn't have to find me.

If you were here, I would have forgotten

I even wanted to leave.

He owns me, just as Herman owns you.

And if I weren't here you'd be running

back to Herman right now.

Not likely.

Oh, Judith.

Do you know how many yearsI've waited for you to turn up,

how many photographs, how manyyears just praying that Herman

would bring somebody back?

You can't fight them alone.

I've tried.

[engine whirring]

[judith gasps]

Come on, we've got to get this done.

Judith?

Judith!

Judith!

You took him to meet your parents.

Then what happened?

[clears throat] You didn't like the lamb?

It was fine.

Well, wait till you see the dessert.

Uh, Jack could you pleasehelp me in the kitchen?

I'll, uh, get the coffee.

[music playing]

[judith retching]

Oh, Judith.

[judith coughing]

Judith, Judith, they won'tever have us again, I promise.

I promise.

Now we've got to get this done, all right?

OK, come on.

Can you feel it?

I feel something.

Oh, I think I'm going to be sick again.

It's just trying to keep us away.

What is?

What's down there?

I don't know.

[grumbling sounds]

But I'm going to find out.

[grunts]

[doors creak]

[tools clank]

Oh, my god.

[scoffs] This is where they get their power.

Which way?

Can't you smell it?

[grumbling sounds]

That's Herman's smell.

[water drips]

Nothing else smells like that.

Except my husband.

[music playing]

[water dripping]

[helen grunts]

[water splashing]

[grumbling sounds]

[music playing]

What is it?

I don't know.

But I want it dead.

[screams]

[water pouring]

[grunting]

This'll fix you, bastard!

Die!

Come on, die!

[grumbling sounds]

Does that feel good?

[retching]

Damn it!

Oh, you disgusting pig!

Kill them, Judith!

Kill all of them!

[inaudible] Die!

Die!

[screaming] [grunting] [screaming]

[grunts] [sighs] [chuckles] Oh.

[laughing]

[grunting stops]

Oh! [laughing] Oh!

Oh, god, that feels good.

[both laughing]

Can you feel it?

Freedom!

Yes, freedom.

[both laughing]

Well, shall we go when andsee what our men are doing?

[grunts]

[both laughing]

OK, here we go.

[laughing]

[music playing]

Honey, did you miss me?

Aw, there we are.

Are how are we feeling tonight?

[sports game in background]

You made me do the mostfilthy, disgusting things!

And you made me like it!

But that's all changed now, hasn't

changed now it's my turn!

23 years I've been waitingfor this, you bastard!

23 years you treated me like a dog on a leash.

No more!

No more--

[shovel clangs]

[helen falls over]

Herman?

You're so sick.

It's all right, sweetie.

I'm here.

I'm going to take care of you.

Everything's going to be all right.

[herman gasping for air]

I love you so much, Herman, Ikind of love my mother told me

about, the kind of love where it doesn't matter

what a person looks like,or what they do, the kind

of love that lasts forever.

[herman gasping]

She always told me thatif I had that kind of love

that I had everything that I could ask for.

Well, I do, Herman.

I do.

[music playing]

You know, I triedbecoming a vegetarian once.

Not out of any concern for animals,

you understand, not outof any sense of good will.

No, I just hate plants.

[water pouring]

[cup clinks]

[slurps tea]

[music playing]