Original subtitles

( music )

Hello, And good morning.

I am rabbi Isidor chemelwitz

Of the bronx home For aged hebrews.

We are here This morning

To pay respects at The passing of sarah ironson,

Devoted wife of...

Er...

Benjamin ironson,

Also deceased.

Loving and caring mother Of her sons,

Morris, abraham And samuel

And her daughters, Esther and rachel.

Beloved grandmother of max,

Mark, louis, Angela, doris,

Luke and eric.

Eric... ?

Is a jewish name ?

( clearing throat )

Eric.

A large And loving family.

We assemble that we may Collectively mourn

This good and Righteous woman.

This woman...

I did not know This woman.

I cannot accurately Describe her attributes,

Nor do justice To her dimensions.

She was not a person,

But a whole kind Of a person.

The ones that Cross the ocean

That brought With us to america

The villages of russia And lithuania,

And how we struggled,

And how we fought For the family,

For the jewish home.

Descendants of this Immigrant woman,

You do not grow up In america.

You and your children And their children

With the goyische names.

You do not Live in america.

No such place exists !

Your clay is the clay

Of some litvak shtetl

And your air the air Of the shtetl,

Because she carried that Old world on her back

Across the ocean In a boat !

And she put it down

On grand concourse avenue...

On flatbush.

You can never make that Crossing that she made

For such great voyages In this world

Do not anymore exist,

But every day Of your lives the miles,

That voyage from That place to this one

You cross every day !

You understand me ?

In you...

That journey is.

Hold. I wish I was an octopus.

A fucking octopus !

Eight loving arms And all those suckers.

No. Know what I mean ?

You want lunch ?

No, that's okay, Really.

( secretary ) ... Line two.

Ailene, roy calling, What kind of greeting is that ?

I thought we were Friends, ail ?!

This'll take a minute, Here, eat a little something.

What is this ? Tasty sandwich here ?

Mmm, liver Or something !

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

I already told you It wasn't a vacation,

It was business, Mrs. Soffer.

I have clients In haiti, mrs. Soffer !

Listen, ailene,

You think I'm the only Goddamn lawyer in history

Who ever missed A court date ?

Don't make Such a big fuck--

( phone ringing ) Aw, hold !

You hag.

If this is A bad time--

Bad time ? It's a good time.

Baby doll-- Oh fuck, wait.

Hello ?

Yeah, sorry to keep you Holding, judge hollins.

Mrs. Hollins ?

Sorry, dear, what A deep voice you've got !

You enjoying Your visit ?

She sounds like a truck driver, He sounds like kate smith.

It's very confusing.

Nixon appointed him.

All the geeks are Nixon appointees.

Uh-huh.

How many tickets, Dear ?

Seven ?

For what, "Cats", "42nd street", what ?

You wouldn't like "La cage", trust me.

Trust me, I know.

( phone ringing ) Oh, for god's sakes, hold.

Baby doll ?

Seven for "Cats" Or something ?

Anything hard to get,

I don't give a fuck what And neither will they.

You've seen "La cage aux folles" ?

No. Oh, it's fabulous.

The best thing On broadway, maybe ever.

( phone ringing ) Yeah, who ?

I couldn't find Her in there.

I didn't See you there.

Aren't you Coming with us ?

That's alright, I'm gonna take the bus.

Alright, I'll see you there.

So how's life in appeals ? How's the judge ?

He sends his best.

He's a good man, Loyal.

Not the brightest man On the bench.

Although he has manners And a nice head of silver hair.

He gives me a lot Of responsibility.

Yeah, like writing his decisions And signing his name.

Well...

He's a nice man You cover admirably.

Well, thanks, roy, I feel--

Yeah, who's this ? Well, who the fuck are you ?

Hold.

So, baby doll, what ?

( secretary ) It's gonna be "Cats".

"Cats", blah !

"Cats", it's about cats !

Singing cats, You'll love it !

Eight o'clock, The theater's always at eight !

Fucking tourists.

Eat already, joe, For chrissake, live a little !

Uh, roy, could you--

Yeah, what ? Mrs. Soffer ?

Oh god, fucking Damnit to hell.

Uh, roy, You really shouldn't--

Baby doll, bring up The post, get me susie ?

Roy ! Christ !

Hold. What ?

Could you please not take The lord's name in vain ?

I'm sorry, But... Please.

At least while I'm...

Alright, sorry. Fuck !

Only in america !

Baby doll, tell them all to Fuck off, tell them I died.

So, joe--

I'm sorry, roy, It's just that--

No, no, no, no, Principles count.

I respect principles.

I am not religious, But I like god, god likes me.

Baptist, Catholic, what ?

Mormon. Mormon ?

Oh, delectable, Absolutely !

Only in america !

So, joe, What do you think ?

It's, uh, well...

The crazy life. Chaotic.

Yeah, god bless Chaos, though.

Mormons ?

I knew mormons In nevada.

Utah, mostly.

No, these mormons Were in vegas.

So ? So how would you like To go to washington

And work for The justice department ?

Sorry ?

How would you like To go to washington,

Work for The justice department ?

All I gotta do is Pick up the phone,

Talk to ed, You're in.

In what exactly ?

Associate assistant, Something big.

Internal affairs.

Heart of the woods, Something nice with clout.

Ed, uh-- Me, attorney general !

Oh.

All I gotta do is Pick up the phone.

I have to think. Okay.

Great time to be In washington, joe.

Roy, it's incredibly Exciting.

It means something to me too, You understand ?

I can't say how much I appreciate this, roy.

I'm sort of, Well, stunned.

I mean, thanks, roy.

But I have to Give it some thought, I have to ask my wife.

Your wife, of course. But I really appreciate it.

Of course, Talk to your wife.

( dr. Ruth on radio ) To deep throat a man to Give him intense pleasure,

A woman can simply Lick the penis

Without actually putting The whole organ in her mouth

And it still provides the man With a lot of pleasure.

When women tell me That they have a problem With fellatio

I often tell them to think of The penis as an ice cream cone.

( male ) The hole in the ozone layer High above the antarctic

Is now a record 11,000,000 square miles.

That's three times the size of The whole of the united states.

The hole appears As a giant blue blob

Totally covering antarctica

And stretching out to the Southern tip of south america.

Scientists state that With the hole so big

This early in the year

It could be said To grow even bigger.

I wish I could Go traveling.

Things aren't Right with me.

( gasping )

Cash, check, Or credit card.

You startled me !

Cash, check... ?

I remember you, You're from salt lake.

You sold us the plane tickets When we flew here !

What are you doing In brooklyn ?

You said you Wanted to travel.

How thoughtful !

Mr. Lies of The international order

Of travel agents.

We mobilize The globe.

We set people adrift.

We are adepts Of motion.

Acolytes of the flux.

Cash, check, Or credit card ?

Name your destination.

Antarctica, maybe ?

I wanna see the hole In the ozone.

I heard on the radio--

I will arrange A guided tour.

Now ?

Soon... Maybe soon.

I'm not safe here, You see.

Weird stuff happens.

Like ?

Well, like you for instance, Just appearing or...

Last week.

Oh, never mind.

People are like planets, You need a thick skin.

Joe stays away And now well, look,

My dreams are Talking back to me.

The price of rootlessness, Motion sickness.

Only cure, keep moving.

I'm undecided.

I feel that something's Going to give.

It's 1985, 15 years To the third millennium.

Maybe christ Will come again.

Or maybe the troubles Will come and the end

Will come and The sky will collapse

And there will be terrible rain And showers of poisoned light,

Or maybe, maybe my life Is really fine.

Maybe joe loves me

And I'm only crazy Thinking otherwise.

Or maybe not.

Maybe it's even Worse than I know.

Maybe I wanna know, Maybe I don't.

The suspense, mr. Lies, It's killing me.

I suggest a vacation.

( elevator approaching )

That was the elevator.

Oh, god, I should Fix myself up.

I... You...

You have to go, You shouldn't be here.

You aren't even real.

Call me when You decide.

Go.

Hey, buddy.

You're early !

Well, I was just walking And I guess I came home.

Are you... ?

I'm a little anxious.

Buddy kiss.

Nothing to get Anxious about.

So how'd you like To move to washington ?

Washington ?

She was pretty crazy.

She was up there In that home

For 10 years Talking to herself.

I never visited.

She looked too much Like my mother.

Poor louis, I'm sorry Your grandma's dead.

Tiny little coffin, huh ?

Hmm.

I'm sorry I didn't Introduce you.

I always get so closet-y At these family things.

Butch, you get butch.

Hey, cousin doris, You don't remember me ?

I'm lou, Rachel's boy !

Lou, not louis, Because if you say "Louis"

They'll hear The sibilant "S".

I do not have A sibilant "S".

I don't blame you, Hiding.

Bloodlines, jewish curses Are the worst.

I personally Would dissolve

If anyone ever looked me In the eye and said "Feh".

Fortunately, Wasps don't say "Feh".

And by the way, darling, Cousin doris is a dyke.

No ! Really ?

You don't Notice anything.

If I hadn't spent the last Four years fellating you

I'd swear you Were straight.

You're in a pissy mood. Cat's still missing ?

Not a furball in sight, It's your fault.

It is ?

I warned you, louis, Names are important.

Call an animal Little sheba,

You can't expect it To stick around.

Beside, that's A dog's name.

I wanted a dog in The first place, not a cat !

He sprayed my books ! He was a female cat.

Cats are stupid, High-strung predators.

Babylonians sealed Them up in bricks.

Dogs have brains. Cats have intuition.

A sharp dog is as smart as a Really dull two-year-old child.

Cats know when Something's wrong.

Only if you stop feeding them. They know.

That's why sheba left, 'cause she knew.

Knew what ?

I did my best shirley booth This morning.

Floppy slippers, housecoat, Curlers, can of little friskies.

Come back, Little sheba !

Come back !

To no avail, le chat, elle Ne reviendra jamais, jamais.

See ?

That's just a burst Blood vessel.

Not according to the best Medical authorities.

What ?

Tell me.

Chaos, baby, Lesion number one.

The wine dark kiss Of the angel of death.

Oh, please !

I'm a lesionaire.

The foreign lesion.

The american lesion.

Lesionaire's disease. Stop.

My troubles are lesion ! Will you stop ?

Don't you think I'm handling this well ?

Bullshit ! I'm gonna die.

No. Let go of my arm.

Let go.

No.

( sobbing )

I can't find a way To spare you, baby.

No wall like the wall Of hard scientific fact.

K.S. Wham !

Bang your head On that.

Fuck you !

Now that's what I like to hear, A mature reaction.

Let's go see if The cat's come home.

Louis.

When did you Find this ?

I couldn't tell you. Why ?

I was scared, lou. Of what ?

That you'd leave me.

Oh.

Bad timing, Funeral and all,

But I figured as long as We're on the subject of death.

Here's the bus, I have To go bury my grandma.

Lou ?

Then you come home ?

Then I'll come home.

Washington.

It's an incredible honor, Buddy--

I have to think.

Of course. Say no.

You said you were Gonna think about it.

I don't wanna Move to washington.

Well, I do.

It's a giant cemetery, Huge white graves,

Mausoleums everywhere.

We could live in maryland Or georgetown.

We're happy here.

That's not Really true, buddy.

Well, happy enough, Pretend happy.

It's better Than nothing.

It's time to make Some changes, harper.

No changes, why ?

I've been chief clerk For four years.

I make $29,000 a year, That's ridiculous !

I graduated fourth In my class

And I make less Than anyone I know.

And I'm tired Of being a clerk.

I wanna go where Something good is happening.

Nothing good Happens in washington.

We'll forget Church teachings

And buy furniture at conran's And become yuppies.

I have too much To do here.

Like what ?

I do have things.

What things ?

I have to finish Painting the bedroom.

You've been painting In there for over a year.

I know, it just Isn't done,

Because I never get Time to finish it.

Oh, that doesn't Make sense.

You have all the time In the world.

You can finish it When I'm at work.

I'm afraid to go In there alone.

Afraid of what ?

I heard something In there.

Metal scraping on the wall, A man with a knife, maybe.

There's no one In the bedroom, harper.

Not now. Not this morning, either.

How do you know ?

You were at work This morning.

There's something creepy About this place.

Do you remember "Rosemary's baby" ?

"Rosemary's baby" ?

Our apartment Looks like that one.

Wasn't that apartment In brooklyn ?

No. Well, it looked like this.

It did ! Then let's move !

Georgetown's worse,

"The exorcist" Was in georgetown.

There's a devil everywhere You turn, huh, buddy ?

Yeah, everywhere.

How many pills Today, buddy ?

None.

One.

Three, only three.

Thank you, That was a lovely...

My grandma, Just buried.

Why are there just Two little wooden pegs

Holding The lid down ?

So she can get out easier If she wants to.

I hope she Stays put.

I pretended for years That she was already dead.

When they called to say She had died it was a surprise.

I abandoned her.

( yiddish ) Sharfer vi di tson fun A shlag iz an umdankbar kind.

I don't speak yiddish.

Sharper than a serpents tooth Is an ungrateful child.

Shakespeare.

King lear.

Rabbi, what does The holy script say

About someone who abandons Someone he loves at a time

Of great need ?

Why would a person Do such a thing ?

Because he has to.

Maybe this person can't Incorporate sickness

Into his sense of how Things are supposed to go.

Maybe vomit and sores and Disease really frighten him.

Maybe he isn't So good with death.

The holy script has nothing To say about such a person.

Rabbi, I'm afraid of The crimes I may commit.

Please, mister !

I am a sick old rabbi facing A long ride home to the bronx.

You want to confess, better You should find a priest.

I'm not a catholic, I'm a jew.

Worse luck for you, Bubbulah.

Catholics believe In forgiveness,

Jews believe In guilt.

Thanks.

You just make sure those pegs Are in good and tight.

Don't worry, mister.

The life she had, She'll stay put.

She's better off.

Look...

I know this is Scary for you,

But try to understand What it means to me.

Yes. Will you try ?

Good, good.

Really try.

I think things are starting To change in the world.

But I don't want any--

For the good, Change for the good.

America has Rediscovered itself.

Its sacred position Among nations.

People aren't ashamed of that Like they used to be.

This is a great thing.

The truth restored, Law restored.

That's what president reagan's Done, harper.

He says truth exists And can be spoken proudly

And the country Responds to him.

We become better.

More good.

I need to be A part of that.

I need something big To lift me up.

I mean, six years ago, The world seemed in decline,

Horrible, hopeless, full Of unsolvable problems

And crime and confusion, Hunger--

But it still seems that way, More now than before.

They say The ozone layer is...

And today, out the window On atlantic avenue

There was this Schizophrenic traffic cop

Who was making these--

Will you stop it ? I'm trying to make a point.

So am I !

You aren't even Making sense.

My point is The world seems just--

It only seems That way to you,

Because you never go out In the world, harper,

And you have Emotional problems.

I do so get out In the world.

No, you don't.

You stay in all day, Fretting about imaginary--

I get out.

I do. You don't know What I do.

You don't stay in all day ? No.

Yes, you do.

That's what You think.

Where do you go ?

Where do you go When you walk ?

And I do not have Emotional problems ?

I'm sorry.

And if I do have Emotional problems

It's from living With you--

I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't mean--

You should never Have married me.

You have all these... Secrets and lies.

I wanna be married To you, harper.

You shouldn't, You never should...

Hey, buddy.

Hey, buddy.

Buddy, kiss.

I heard on the radio How to give a blow job.

What ?

Do you wanna try ?

You really shouldn't Listen to that stuff.

Mormons can Give blow jobs.

Harper-- Joe.

It was a little jewish lady With a german accent.

Now is a good time For me to make a baby.

Then they went on to a program About holes in the ozone layer

Over antarctica.

Skin burns, Birds go blind.

Icebergs melt.

The world's Coming to an end.

( sobbing )

Oh.

Um, morning.

Morning, counselor.

Sorry, I don't Know your name.

No, don't bother.

I'm a word processor, The lowest of the low.

Joe pitt, I'm with Justice wilson.

I know that, Counselor pitt, chief clerk.

Are you okay ?

Yeah, thanks. What a nice man.

No, not so nice.

What ?

Not so nice.

Nothing.

( sobbing )

What's wrong ?

Life just sucks shit.

I'm sorry ? Oh, forget it.

Look, thanks For asking.

Well--

I mean, it really Is nice of you.

I'm sorry, sorry, Sick friend.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Yeah, yeah, um, Well, that's sweet.

Three of your colleagues Have preceded you

To this baleful sight and You're the first one to ask.

The others just opened the door, Saw me and fled.

I hope they had To pee real bad.

They just didn't Want to intrude.

Ha ! Reaganite heartless Macho asshole lawyers.

Oh, that's unfair.

What is ?

Heartless, macho, Reaganite ?

Lawyer ?

I voted for reagan.

You did ?

Twice.

Twice ?

Well, oh boy, A gay republican !

Excuse me ? Nothing.

I'm not... No, forget it.

Republican ? Not republican ?

What ? What ?

Not gay, I'm not gay.

Oh, sorry.

It's just that... Yes ?

Well, sometimes you can tell From the way a person sounds.

I mean, you sound-- No, I don't.

Like what ? Like a republican.

Do I ?

Sound like a...

What, like A republican ?

Or do I ?

Do you what ? Sound like a...

Yeah, like a... ?

I'm confused.

Yes.

My name is louis but all My friends call me "Louise".

I work in Word processing.

Thanks for The toilet paper.

( belches )

I'm ready for My close up, mr. Demille.

One wants to move through life With elegance and grace,

Blossoming infrequently, But with exquisite taste,

And perfect timing

Like a rare bloom, A zebra orchid.

One wants,

But one so seldom gets What one wants, does one ?

No, one does not.

One gets fucked...

Over.

One dies at 30,

Robbed of decades Of majesty--

Fuck this shit !

Fuck this shit.

I look like a corpse.

A corpsette.

Oh, my queen.

You know you've Hit rock bottom

When even drag Is a drag.

( distant singing )

Are...

Who are you ?

Who are you ?

What are you doing In my hallucination ?

I'm not in your hallucination, You're in my dream.

You're wearing makeup.

So are you.

But you're a man !

( shrieks )

My hands and feet Give it away.

There must be Some mistake here.

I don't recognize you.

You're...

Are you my...

Some sort of imaginary friend ? No !

Aren't you too old to have Imaginary friends ?

I have emotional Problems.

I took Too many pills.

Why are you Wearing makeup ?

I was in the process Of applying the face

Trying to make Myself feel better.

I swiped the new fall colors at The clinique counter at macy's.

You stole these ?

I was out of cash.

It was an Emotional emergency.

Joe will be so angry.

I promised him No more pills.

These pills you keep Alluding to--

Valium. I take valium, Lots of valium.

And you're dancing As fast as you can.

I'm not addicted.

I don't believe In addiction.

And I nev--

Well, I never drink And I never take drugs.

Well, smell you, Nancy drew !

Except valium.

Except valium In wee fistfuls.

It's terrible.

Mormons are not supposed To be addicted to anything.

I'm a mormon.

I'm a homosexual.

Oh.

In my church, we don't Believe in homosexuals.

In my church, we don't Believe in mormons.

What church do--

I get it.

I don't Understand this.

If I didn't ever See you before and...

I don't think I did

Then I don't think You should be here

In this hallucination Because...

In my experience The mind,

Which is where Hallucinations come from

Shouldn't be able to make up Anything that wasn't there

To start with That didn't enter it

From experience From the real world.

Imagination can't create Anything new, can it ?

It only recycles bits And pieces from the world

And reassembles them Into visions.

Am I making sense Right now ?

Given the Circumstances, yes.

So when we think we've escaped The unbearable ordinariness

And, well, untruthfulness Of our lives

It's really only the same old Ordinariness and falseness

Rearranged into The appearance of novelty

And truth.

Nothing unknown Is knowable.

Don't you think It's depressing ?

The limitations Of the imagination ?

Yes.

It's something you learn After your second theme party.

It's all been Done before.

The world, finite.

Terribly, terribly...

Oh, this is the most depressing Hallucination I ever had.

Apologies, I do Try to be amusing.

Oh, well, Don't apologize.

You've... I can't expect Someone who's really sick

To entertain me.

How on earth Did you know ?

Oh, that happens.

This is the very threshold Of revelations sometimes.

You can see things.

How sick you are.

Do you see anything About me ?

Yes.

What ?

You are Amazingly unhappy.

Oh, big deal.

You meet a valium addict And figure out she's unhappy ?

That doesn't count, Of course.

Something else... Something surprising ?

Something surprising ? Yes.

Your husband's a homo.

Oh, ridiculous !

Really ?

Threshold of revelation.

Well, I don't like Your revelations.

I don't think you Intuit well at all.

Joe's a very Normal man.

Oh god.

Oh god.

Do homos take, like, Lots of long walks ?

Yes, we do.

In stretch pants With lavender coifs.

I just looked at you And there was--

A sort of blue streak Of recognition--

Yes !

Like you knew me Incredibly well.

Yes. Yes.

I have to go now, Get back.

Something just... Fell apart.

Oh god.

I feel so sad.

I know.

I'm sorry.

I usually say "Fuck the truth",

But mostly The truth fucks you.

I see something else About you.

Oh ?

Deep inside you,

There's a part of you, The most inner part

Entirely free Of disease.

I can see that.

Is that...

That isn't true.

Threshold Of revelation.

People come and go So strangely here !

I don't think there's Any uninfected part of me.

My heart is pumping Polluted blood.

I feel dirty.

( female voice from above ) Look up.

Hello ?

Look up !

Who is that ?

Look up, Prepare the way !

I don't see any--

Prepare for the parting Of the air.

The breath, The ascent !

* glory to--

( female singing from above )

What the fuck ?

Hello ?!

Is that it ?

Hello ?

Poor me.

Poor, poor me, Why me ?

Why poor, poor me ?

Oh, I don't feel good Right now.

I really don't.

Harper ?

Where were you ?

Where were you ?

Out. Where ?

Just... Out, Thinking.

It's late.

Well, I had a lot To think about.

I burned dinner. I'm sorry.

Not my dinner, My dinner was fine.

Your dinner.

I put it back in the oven And turned everything up

As high as it could go and I watched 'til it burned black.

It's still hot, Very hot. Want it ?

You didn't Have to do that.

I know. It just seemed Like the kind of thing

A mentally deranged sex-starved Pill-popping housewife would do.

Uh-huh. So I did it.

Who knows anymore What I have to do ?

How many pills ?

A bunch, Don't change the subject.

I won't talk to you.

No, don't do that, I'm fine.

Pills are not the problem, Not our problem.

I wanna know where you've been, I wanna know what's going on.

Going on with what, The job ?

Not the job !

Well, I said I needed more time.

Not the job !

Mr. Cohen, I talked To him on the phone

I had to hurry. And he said not--

But I can't get you to talk Sensibly about anything--

What ?! Shut up !

Stick to the subject ! I don't know what that is !

You have something You wanna ask me, ask me.

Ask me. Go.

I can't, I'm scared of you.

I'm tired, I'm going to bed.

Tell me without Making me ask, please.

This is crazy.

When you come through The door at night

Your face is never exactly The way I remembered it.

I get surprised By something

Mean and hard about The way you look,

Even though the weight Of you in the bed at night,

The way you breathe in Your sleep seems unfamiliar.

You terrify me.

I know who you are.

Yes, I'm the enemy, That's easy.

That doesn't change.

You think you're The only one who hates sex ?

I do, I hate it With you. I do.

I dream that you Batter away at me

'til my joints come apart Like wax and I fall into pieces.

It's like A punishment.

It was wrong of me To marry you. I knew you...

It's a sin and It's killing us both.

I can always tell When you've taken pills,

Because it makes you Red-faced and sweaty

And, frankly, that's very Often why I don't want to...

Because... ?

Because you Aren't pretty.

Not like this.

I have something I wanna ask you.

Then ask, ask ! What the hell are you--

Are you a homo ?

Are you ?

You try to walk out Right now,

I'll put your dinner back in The oven and turn it up so high

The whole building Will fill with smoke

And everyone in it Will asphyxiate.

So help me god, I will, Now answer the question.

What if I-- ?

Then tell me please, And we'll see.

No.

I'm not.

And I don't see what Difference it makes.

( hare krishna singing )

Jews don't have any clear Textual guide to the afterlife

Or even that It exists.

I don't think Much about it.

I see it as a perpetual rainy Thursday afternoon in march.

Dead leaves.

Ooh, very greco roman.

It's not the verdict That counts,

It's the act Of judgment.

That's why I could Never be a lawyer.

In court, all that matters Is the verdict.

You could never Be a lawyer

'cause you're over-sexed And too distracted.

Not distracted, Abstracted.

I'm trying to make a point. Namely?

The shaping of the law, Not its execution.

The point, dear, The point !

That it should be the questions In shape of a life

Its total complexity gathered, Arranged and considered

Which matters In the end.

Not some stamp of Salvation or damnation

Which disperses All the complexity

In some unsatisfying Little decision,

The balancing Of the scales--

I like this, very zen.

It's reassuringly Incomprehensible and useless.

We who are about to die Thank you.

You're not About to die.

It's not going Well, really.

Two new lesions.

My leg hurts.

There's protein in my urine, The doctor says,

But who knows what The fuck that portends.

Anyway, it shouldn't Be there...

The protein.

My butt is chapped From diarrhea.

And yesterday I shat blood.

I really hate this.

You don't tell me--

Well, you get Too upset !

I wind up Comforting you.

It's easier.

Oh, thanks.

If it's bad, I'll tell you.

Shitting blood Sounds bad to me.

I'm telling. And I'm handling it.

Just tell me some more About justice.

I am handling it.

Well, louis, you win Trooper of the month.

I take it back, you aren't Trooper of the month.

Oh, this isn't working.

Tell me some more About justice.

You are not About to die.

Justice-- Is an immensity.

It's a confusing Vastness.

Justice is god.

Prior ?

Hmm ?

You love me.

Yes.

What if I walked out On this ?

Would you Hate me forever ?

Yes.

I think we Oughtta pray.

Ask god for help.

Ask him together.

God won't Talk to me.

I have to make up People to talk to me.

You have to Keep asking.

I forgot The question.

Oh, yeah, god, Is my husband a homo ?

Stop it, stop it !

I'm warning you !

Does it make Any difference

That I might be One thing deep within ?

No matter how wrong Or ugly that thing is

So long as I fought with Everything I have to kill it ?

What do you Want from me ?

What do you want from me, Harper, more than that ?

For god's sake, There's nothing left !

I'm a shell, there's Nothing left to kill.

As long as my behavior Is what I know it has to be.

Decent, correct, that alone, In the eyes of god--

No, no, not that.

That's utah talk, Mormon talk.

I hate it, joe, Tell me, say it.

All I will say is that I am a very good man

Who has worked very hard To become good

And you want To destroy that.

You want to destroy me,

But I'm not going To let you do that.

I'm gonna Have a baby.

Liar. You liar.

A baby born Addicted to pills.

A baby who does not dream, But who hallucinates,

Who stares up at us With big mirror eyes

And who does not Know who we are.

Are you really ?

No.

Yes.

No, yes.

Get away from me.

Now we both Have a secret.

Nobody knows What causes it,

And nobody knows How to cure it.

The best theory is that We blame a retro virus.

The human immuno Deficiency virus.

Its presence is made known To us by the useless antibodies

Which appear in reaction to its Entrance into the bloodstream

Through a cut Or an orifice.

The antibodies are powerless To protect the body against it.

Why ? We don't know.

The body's immune system Ceases to function.

Sometimes the body Even attacks itself.

At any rate, It's left open

To a whole horror house Of infections

From microbes It usually defends against.

Like kaposi's sarcomas.

Those lesions on your arms Or your throat problem,

Or the glands.

We think it may also Be able to slip past

The blood brain barrier Into the brain,

Which is, of course, Very bad news.

And it's fatal, and we don't Know what percent of people

With suppressed Immune responses.

Very interesting...

Mr. Wizard.

But why the fuck are you Telling me this ?

Well, I have just removed One of three lesions,

Which biopsy results Will probably tell us is

A kaposi's sarcoma lesion,

And you have a pronounced Swelling of glands

In your neck, Groin and armpits.

Lymphadenopathy Is another sign,

And you have Oral candidiasis.

And maybe a little more fungus Under the fingernails

Of two digits On your right hand.

So, that's why I'm...

Uh, this disease...

Syndrome.

Whatever.

It afflicts mostly homosexuals And drug addicts.

Mostly.

Hemophiliacs Are also at risks.

Homosexuals And drug addicts.

So why are you Implying that I...

What are you Implying, henry ?

I don't think I was Implying anything.

I'm not a drug addict.

Oh, come on, roy.

What ? What, Come on, roy, what ?

Do you think I'm A junkie, henry ?

Do you see tracks ?

This is absurd.

So say it.

Say what ?

Say "Roy cohn, You are a..."

Roy-- "You are a..." come on.

Not "Roy cohn, You are a drug fiend"

"Roy marcus cohn, You are a..."

Go on, henry, It starts with an "H".

Oh, I'm not Gonna get into--

With an "H", henry, And it isn't hemophiliac.

Come on !

Why are you Doing this, roy ?

No, I mean it, Say it.

Say "Roy cohn, You are a homosexual".

And I will proceed Systematically

To destroy your reputation And your practice.

And your career

In the state Of new york, henry,

Which you know I can do.

Roy, you have been Seeing me since 1958.

Apart from the face lifts,

I have treated you for Everything from syphilis--

From a whore In dallas.

From syphilis to venereal warts In your rectum

Which you may have gotten From a whore in dallas.

But it wasn't A female whore.

So say it.

Roy cohn, you are...

You have had sex With men.

Many, many times, roy.

And one of those men

Or any number of them Has made you very sick.

You have aids.

Aids ?

You know your Problem, henry,

Is that you are Hung up on words,

On labels That you believe

They mean what They seem to mean.

Aids, homosexual,

Gay, lesbian.

You think These are names

That tells you Who someone sleeps with.

They don't Tell you that.

No ? No.

Like all labels, they tell you One thing and one thing only.

Where does an individual So identified fit

In the food chain.

In the pecking order.

Not ideology Or sexual taste,

But something Much simpler...

Clout.

Not who I fuck Or who fucks me,

But who will pick up The phone when I call.

Who owes me favors.

This is what A label refers to.

Now to someone who does Not understand this,

Homosexual is what I am, Because I have sex with men.

But really, This is wrong.

Homosexuals are not men Who sleep with other men.

Homosexuals are men Who in 15 years of trying

Cannot pass a pissant Anti-discrimination bill

Through city council !

Homosexuals are men Who know nobody

And who nobody knows,

Who have zero clout !

Does this sound Like me, henry ?

No.

No, I have clout.

Lots.

I pick up this phone, I punch 15 numbers.

You know who's On the other end ?

In under five minutes, Henry.

The president.

Better, henry. His wife.

I'm impressed.

I don't want you To be impressed.

I want you To understand.

This is not sophistry And this is not hypocrisy.

This is reality.

I have sex with men.

But unlike nearly every Other man of whom this is true

I bring the guy I'm screwing To the white house,

And president reagan smiles At us and shakes his hand

Because what I am

Is defined Entirely by who I am.

Roy cohn is Not a homosexual.

Roy cohn is A heterosexual man, henry,

Who fucks around With guys.

Okay, roy.

Then what is My diagnosis, henry ?

You have aids, roy.

No, henry, no.

Aids is what Homosexuals have.

I have...

Liver cancer.

Well, what ever The fuck you have

It's very serious.

And I haven't got A damn thing for you.

The n.H.A. In bethesda Has a new drug called e.Z.T.

With a two year Waiting list

That not even I Can get you onto.

So pick up The phone, roy.

And dial The 15 numbers.

And tell the first lady That you need in

On an experimental Treatment for liver cancer.

Because you can call it Any dam1 ( music )

Hello, And good morning.

I am rabbi Isidor chemelwitz

Of the bronx home For aged hebrews.

We are here This morning

To pay respects at The passing of sarah ironson,

Devoted wife of...

Er...

Benjamin ironson,

Also deceased.

Loving and caring mother Of her sons,

Morris, abraham And samuel

And her daughters, Esther and rachel.

Beloved grandmother of max,

Mark, louis, Angela, doris,

Luke and eric.

Eric... ?

Is a jewish name ?

( clearing throat )

Eric.

A large And loving family.

We assemble that we may Collectively mourn

This good and Righteous woman.

This woman...

I did not know This woman.

I cannot accurately Describe her attributes,

Nor do justice To her dimensions.

She was not a person,

But a whole kind Of a person.

The ones that Cross the ocean

That brought With us to america

The villages of russia And lithuania,

And how we struggled,

And how we fought For the family,

For the jewish home.

Descendants of this Immigrant woman,

You do not grow up In america.

You and your children And their children

With the goyische names.

You do not Live in america.

No such place exists !

Your clay is the clay

Of some litvak shtetl

And your air the air Of the shtetl,

Because she carried that Old world on her back

Across the ocean In a boat !

And she put it down

On grand concourse avenue...

On flatbush.

You can never make that Crossing that she made

For such great voyages In this world

Do not anymore exist,

But every day Of your lives the miles,

That voyage from That place to this one

You cross every day !

You understand me ?

In you...

That journey is.

Hold. I wish I was an octopus.

A fucking octopus !

Eight loving arms And all those suckers.

No. Know what I mean ?

You want lunch ?

No, that's okay, Really.

( secretary ) ... Line two.

Ailene, roy calling, What kind of greeting is that ?

I thought we were Friends, ail ?!

This'll take a minute, Here, eat a little something.

What is this ? Tasty sandwich here ?

Mmm, liver Or something !

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

I already told you It wasn't a vacation,

It was business, Mrs. Soffer.

I have clients In haiti, mrs. Soffer !

Listen, ailene,

You think I'm the only Goddamn lawyer in history

Who ever missed A court date ?

Don't make Such a big fuck--

( phone ringing ) Aw, hold !

You hag.

If this is A bad time--

Bad time ? It's a good time.

Baby doll-- Oh fuck, wait.

Hello ?

Yeah, sorry to keep you Holding, judge hollins.

Mrs. Hollins ?

Sorry, dear, what A deep voice you've got !

You enjoying Your visit ?

She sounds like a truck driver, He sounds like kate smith.

It's very confusing.

Nixon appointed him.

All the geeks are Nixon appointees.

Uh-huh.

How many tickets, Dear ?

Seven ?

For what, "Cats", "42nd street", what ?

You wouldn't like "La cage", trust me.

Trust me, I know.

( phone ringing ) Oh, for god's sakes, hold.

Baby doll ?

Seven for "Cats" Or something ?

Anything hard to get,

I don't give a fuck what And neither will they.

You've seen "La cage aux folles" ?

No. Oh, it's fabulous.

The best thing On broadway, maybe ever.

( phone ringing ) Yeah, who ?

I couldn't find Her in there.

I didn't See you there.

Aren't you Coming with us ?

That's alright, I'm gonna take the bus.

Alright, I'll see you there.

So how's life in appeals ? How's the judge ?

He sends his best.

He's a good man, Loyal.

Not the brightest man On the bench.

Although he has manners And a nice head of silver hair.

He gives me a lot Of responsibility.

Yeah, like writing his decisions And signing his name.

Well...

He's a nice man You cover admirably.

Well, thanks, roy, I feel--

Yeah, who's this ? Well, who the fuck are you ?

Hold.

So, baby doll, what ?

( secretary ) It's gonna be "Cats".

"Cats", blah !

"Cats", it's about cats !

Singing cats, You'll love it !

Eight o'clock, The theater's always at eight !

Fucking tourists.

Eat already, joe, For chrissake, live a little !

Uh, roy, could you--

Yeah, what ? Mrs. Soffer ?

Oh god, fucking Damnit to hell.

Uh, roy, You really shouldn't--

Baby doll, bring up The post, get me susie ?

Roy ! Christ !

Hold. What ?

Could you please not take The lord's name in vain ?

I'm sorry, But... Please.

At least while I'm...

Alright, sorry. Fuck !

Only in america !

Baby doll, tell them all to Fuck off, tell them I died.

So, joe--

I'm sorry, roy, It's just that--

No, no, no, no, Principles count.

I respect principles.

I am not religious, But I like god, god likes me.

Baptist, Catholic, what ?

Mormon. Mormon ?

Oh, delectable, Absolutely !

Only in america !

So, joe, What do you think ?

It's, uh, well...

The crazy life. Chaotic.

Yeah, god bless Chaos, though.

Mormons ?

I knew mormons In nevada.

Utah, mostly.

No, these mormons Were in vegas.

So ? So how would you like To go to washington

And work for The justice department ?

Sorry ?

How would you like To go to washington,

Work for The justice department ?

All I gotta do is Pick up the phone,

Talk to ed, You're in.

In what exactly ?

Associate assistant, Something big.

Internal affairs.

Heart of the woods, Something nice with clout.

Ed, uh-- Me, attorney general !

Oh.

All I gotta do is Pick up the phone.

I have to think. Okay.

Great time to be In washington, joe.

Roy, it's incredibly Exciting.

It means something to me too, You understand ?

I can't say how much I appreciate this, roy.

I'm sort of, Well, stunned.

I mean, thanks, roy.

But I have to Give it some thought, I have to ask my wife.

Your wife, of course. But I really appreciate it.

Of course, Talk to your wife.

( dr. Ruth on radio ) To deep throat a man to Give him intense pleasure,

A woman can simply Lick the penis

Without actually putting The whole organ in her mouth

And it still provides the man With a lot of pleasure.

When women tell me That they have a problem With fellatio

I often tell them to think of The penis as an ice cream cone.

( male ) The hole in the ozone layer High above the antarctic

Is now a record 11,000,000 square miles.

That's three times the size of The whole of the united states.

The hole appears As a giant blue blob

Totally covering antarctica

And stretching out to the Southern tip of south america.

Scientists state that With the hole so big

This early in the year

It could be said To grow even bigger.

I wish I could Go traveling.

Things aren't Right with me.

( gasping )

Cash, check, Or credit card.

You startled me !

Cash, check... ?

I remember you, You're from salt lake.

You sold us the plane tickets When we flew here !

What are you doing In brooklyn ?

You said you Wanted to travel.

How thoughtful !

Mr. Lies of The international order

Of travel agents.

We mobilize The globe.

We set people adrift.

We are adepts Of motion.

Acolytes of the flux.

Cash, check, Or credit card ?

Name your destination.

Antarctica, maybe ?

I wanna see the hole In the ozone.

I heard on the radio--

I will arrange A guided tour.

Now ?

Soon... Maybe soon.

I'm not safe here, You see.

Weird stuff happens.

Like ?

Well, like you for instance, Just appearing or...

Last week.

Oh, never mind.

People are like planets, You need a thick skin.

Joe stays away And now well, look,

My dreams are Talking back to me.

The price of rootlessness, Motion sickness.

Only cure, keep moving.

I'm undecided.

I feel that something's Going to give.

It's 1985, 15 years To the third millennium.

Maybe christ Will come again.

Or maybe the troubles Will come and the end

Will come and The sky will collapse

And there will be terrible rain And showers of poisoned light,

Or maybe, maybe my life Is really fine.

Maybe joe loves me

And I'm only crazy Thinking otherwise.

Or maybe not.

Maybe it's even Worse than I know.

Maybe I wanna know, Maybe I don't.

The suspense, mr. Lies, It's killing me.

I suggest a vacation.

( elevator approaching )

That was the elevator.

Oh, god, I should Fix myself up.

I... You...

You have to go, You shouldn't be here.

You aren't even real.

Call me when You decide.

Go.

Hey, buddy.

You're early !

Well, I was just walking And I guess I came home.

Are you... ?

I'm a little anxious.

Buddy kiss.

Nothing to get Anxious about.

So how'd you like To move to washington ?

Washington ?

She was pretty crazy.

She was up there In that home

For 10 years Talking to herself.

I never visited.

She looked too much Like my mother.

Poor louis, I'm sorry Your grandma's dead.

Tiny little coffin, huh ?

Hmm.

I'm sorry I didn't Introduce you.

I always get so closet-y At these family things.

Butch, you get butch.

Hey, cousin doris, You don't remember me ?

I'm lou, Rachel's boy !

Lou, not louis, Because if you say "Louis"

They'll hear The sibilant "S".

I do not have A sibilant "S".

I don't blame you, Hiding.

Bloodlines, jewish curses Are the worst.

I personally Would dissolve

If anyone ever looked me In the eye and said "Feh".

Fortunately, Wasps don't say "Feh".

And by the way, darling, Cousin doris is a dyke.

No ! Really ?

You don't Notice anything.

If I hadn't spent the last Four years fellating you

I'd swear you Were straight.

You're in a pissy mood. Cat's still missing ?

Not a furball in sight, It's your fault.

It is ?

I warned you, louis, Names are important.

Call an animal Little sheba,

You can't expect it To stick around.

Beside, that's A dog's name.

I wanted a dog in The first place, not a cat !

He sprayed my books ! He was a female cat.

Cats are stupid, High-strung predators.

Babylonians sealed Them up in bricks.

Dogs have brains. Cats have intuition.

A sharp dog is as smart as a Really dull two-year-old child.

Cats know when Something's wrong.

Only if you stop feeding them. They know.

That's why sheba left, 'cause she knew.

Knew what ?

I did my best shirley booth This morning.

Floppy slippers, housecoat, Curlers, can of little friskies.

Come back, Little sheba !

Come back !

To no avail, le chat, elle Ne reviendra jamais, jamais.

See ?

That's just a burst Blood vessel.

Not according to the best Medical authorities.

What ?

Tell me.

Chaos, baby, Lesion number one.

The wine dark kiss Of the angel of death.

Oh, please !

I'm a lesionaire.

The foreign lesion.

The american lesion.

Lesionaire's disease. Stop.

My troubles are lesion ! Will you stop ?

Don't you think I'm handling this well ?

Bullshit ! I'm gonna die.

No. Let go of my arm.

Let go.

No.

( sobbing )

I can't find a way To spare you, baby.

No wall like the wall Of hard scientific fact.

K.S. Wham !

Bang your head On that.

Fuck you !

Now that's what I like to hear, A mature reaction.

Let's go see if The cat's come home.

Louis.

When did you Find this ?

I couldn't tell you. Why ?

I was scared, lou. Of what ?

That you'd leave me.

Oh.

Bad timing, Funeral and all,

But I figured as long as We're on the subject of death.

Here's the bus, I have To go bury my grandma.

Lou ?

Then you come home ?

Then I'll come home.

Washington.

It's an incredible honor, Buddy--

I have to think.

Of course. Say no.

You said you were Gonna think about it.

I don't wanna Move to washington.

Well, I do.

It's a giant cemetery, Huge white graves,

Mausoleums everywhere.

We could live in maryland Or georgetown.

We're happy here.

That's not Really true, buddy.

Well, happy enough, Pretend happy.

It's better Than nothing.

It's time to make Some changes, harper.

No changes, why ?

I've been chief clerk For four years.

I make $29,000 a year, That's ridiculous !

I graduated fourth In my class

And I make less Than anyone I know.

And I'm tired Of being a clerk.

I wanna go where Something good is happening.

Nothing good Happens in washington.

We'll forget Church teachings

And buy furniture at conran's And become yuppies.

I have too much To do here.

Like what ?

I do have things.

What things ?

I have to finish Painting the bedroom.

You've been painting In there for over a year.

I know, it just Isn't done,

Because I never get Time to finish it.

Oh, that doesn't Make sense.

You have all the time In the world.

You can finish it When I'm at work.

I'm afraid to go In there alone.

Afraid of what ?

I heard something In there.

Metal scraping on the wall, A man with a knife, maybe.

There's no one In the bedroom, harper.

Not now. Not this morning, either.

How do you know ?

You were at work This morning.

There's something creepy About this place.

Do you remember "Rosemary's baby" ?

"Rosemary's baby" ?

Our apartment Looks like that one.

Wasn't that apartment In brooklyn ?

No. Well, it looked like this.

It did ! Then let's move !

Georgetown's worse,

"The exorcist" Was in georgetown.

There's a devil everywhere You turn, huh, buddy ?

Yeah, everywhere.

How many pills Today, buddy ?

None.

One.

Three, only three.

Thank you, That was a lovely...

My grandma, Just buried.

Why are there just Two little wooden pegs

Holding The lid down ?

So she can get out easier If she wants to.

I hope she Stays put.

I pretended for years That she was already dead.

When they called to say She had died it was a surprise.

I abandoned her.

( yiddish ) Sharfer vi di tson fun A shlag iz an umdankbar kind.

I don't speak yiddish.

Sharper than a serpents tooth Is an ungrateful child.

Shakespeare.

King lear.

Rabbi, what does The holy script say

About someone who abandons Someone he loves at a time

Of great need ?

Why would a person Do such a thing ?

Because he has to.

Maybe this person can't Incorporate sickness

Into his sense of how Things are supposed to go.

Maybe vomit and sores and Disease really frighten him.

Maybe he isn't So good with death.

The holy script has nothing To say about such a person.

Rabbi, I'm afraid of The crimes I may commit.

Please, mister !

I am a sick old rabbi facing A long ride home to the bronx.

You want to confess, better You should find a priest.

I'm not a catholic, I'm a jew.

Worse luck for you, Bubbulah.

Catholics believe In forgiveness,

Jews believe In guilt.

Thanks.

You just make sure those pegs Are in good and tight.

Don't worry, mister.

The life she had, She'll stay put.

She's better off.

Look...

I know this is Scary for you,

But try to understand What it means to me.

Yes. Will you try ?

Good, good.

Really try.

I think things are starting To change in the world.

But I don't want any--

For the good, Change for the good.

America has Rediscovered itself.

Its sacred position Among nations.

People aren't ashamed of that Like they used to be.

This is a great thing.

The truth restored, Law restored.

That's what president reagan's Done, harper.

He says truth exists And can be spoken proudly

And the country Responds to him.

We become better.

More good.

I need to be A part of that.

I need something big To lift me up.

I mean, six years ago, The world seemed in decline,

Horrible, hopeless, full Of unsolvable problems

And crime and confusion, Hunger--

But it still seems that way, More now than before.

They say The ozone layer is...

And today, out the window On atlantic avenue

There was this Schizophrenic traffic cop

Who was making these--

Will you stop it ? I'm trying to make a point.

So am I !

You aren't even Making sense.

My point is The world seems just--

It only seems That way to you,

Because you never go out In the world, harper,

And you have Emotional problems.

I do so get out In the world.

No, you don't.

You stay in all day, Fretting about imaginary--

I get out.

I do. You don't know What I do.

You don't stay in all day ? No.

Yes, you do.

That's what You think.

Where do you go ?

Where do you go When you walk ?

And I do not have Emotional problems ?

I'm sorry.

And if I do have Emotional problems

It's from living With you--

I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't mean--

You should never Have married me.

You have all these... Secrets and lies.

I wanna be married To you, harper.

You shouldn't, You never should...

Hey, buddy.

Hey, buddy.

Buddy, kiss.

I heard on the radio How to give a blow job.

What ?

Do you wanna try ?

You really shouldn't Listen to that stuff.

Mormons can Give blow jobs.

Harper-- Joe.

It was a little jewish lady With a german accent.

Now is a good time For me to make a baby.

Then they went on to a program About holes in the ozone layer

Over antarctica.

Skin burns, Birds go blind.

Icebergs melt.

The world's Coming to an end.

( sobbing )

Oh.

Um, morning.

Morning, counselor.

Sorry, I don't Know your name.

No, don't bother.

I'm a word processor, The lowest of the low.

Joe pitt, I'm with Justice wilson.

I know that, Counselor pitt, chief clerk.

Are you okay ?

Yeah, thanks. What a nice man.

No, not so nice.

What ?

Not so nice.

Nothing.

( sobbing )

What's wrong ?

Life just sucks shit.

I'm sorry ? Oh, forget it.

Look, thanks For asking.

Well--

I mean, it really Is nice of you.

I'm sorry, sorry, Sick friend.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Yeah, yeah, um, Well, that's sweet.

Three of your colleagues Have preceded you

To this baleful sight and You're the first one to ask.

The others just opened the door, Saw me and fled.

I hope they had To pee real bad.

They just didn't Want to intrude.

Ha ! Reaganite heartless Macho asshole lawyers.

Oh, that's unfair.

What is ?

Heartless, macho, Reaganite ?

Lawyer ?

I voted for reagan.

You did ?

Twice.

Twice ?

Well, oh boy, A gay republican !

Excuse me ? Nothing.

I'm not... No, forget it.

Republican ? Not republican ?

What ? What ?

Not gay, I'm not gay.

Oh, sorry.

It's just that... Yes ?

Well, sometimes you can tell From the way a person sounds.

I mean, you sound-- No, I don't.

Like what ? Like a republican.

Do I ?

Sound like a...

What, like A republican ?

Or do I ?

Do you what ? Sound like a...

Yeah, like a... ?

I'm confused.

Yes.

My name is louis but all My friends call me "Louise".

I work in Word processing.

Thanks for The toilet paper.

( belches )

I'm ready for My close up, mr. Demille.

One wants to move through life With elegance and grace,

Blossoming infrequently, But with exquisite taste,

And perfect timing

Like a rare bloom, A zebra orchid.

One wants,

But one so seldom gets What one wants, does one ?

No, one does not.

One gets fucked...

Over.

One dies at 30,

Robbed of decades Of majesty--

Fuck this shit !

Fuck this shit.

I look like a corpse.

A corpsette.

Oh, my queen.

You know you've Hit rock bottom

When even drag Is a drag.

( distant singing )

Are...

Who are you ?

Who are you ?

What are you doing In my hallucination ?

I'm not in your hallucination, You're in my dream.

You're wearing makeup.

So are you.

But you're a man !

( shrieks )

My hands and feet Give it away.

There must be Some mistake here.

I don't recognize you.

You're...

Are you my...

Some sort of imaginary friend ? No !

Aren't you too old to have Imaginary friends ?

I have emotional Problems.

I took Too many pills.

Why are you Wearing makeup ?

I was in the process Of applying the face

Trying to make Myself feel better.

I swiped the new fall colors at The clinique counter at macy's.

You stole these ?

I was out of cash.

It was an Emotional emergency.

Joe will be so angry.

I promised him No more pills.

These pills you keep Alluding to--

Valium. I take valium, Lots of valium.

And you're dancing As fast as you can.

I'm not addicted.

I don't believe In addiction.

And I nev--

Well, I never drink And I never take drugs.

Well, smell you, Nancy drew !

Except valium.

Except valium In wee fistfuls.

It's terrible.

Mormons are not supposed To be addicted to anything.

I'm a mormon.

I'm a homosexual.

Oh.

In my church, we don't Believe in homosexuals.

In my church, we don't Believe in mormons.

What church do--

I get it.

I don't Understand this.

If I didn't ever See you before and...

I don't think I did

Then I don't think You should be here

In this hallucination Because...

In my experience The mind,

Which is where Hallucinations come from

Shouldn't be able to make up Anything that wasn't there

To start with That didn't enter it

From experience From the real world.

Imagination can't create Anything new, can it ?

It only recycles bits And pieces from the world

And reassembles them Into visions.

Am I making sense Right now ?

Given the Circumstances, yes.

So when we think we've escaped The unbearable ordinariness

And, well, untruthfulness Of our lives

It's really only the same old Ordinariness and falseness

Rearranged into The appearance of novelty

And truth.

Nothing unknown Is knowable.

Don't you think It's depressing ?

The limitations Of the imagination ?

Yes.

It's something you learn After your second theme party.

It's all been Done before.

The world, finite.

Terribly, terribly...

Oh, this is the most depressing Hallucination I ever had.

Apologies, I do Try to be amusing.

Oh, well, Don't apologize.

You've... I can't expect Someone who's really sick

To entertain me.

How on earth Did you know ?

Oh, that happens.

This is the very threshold Of revelations sometimes.

You can see things.

How sick you are.

Do you see anything About me ?

Yes.

What ?

You are Amazingly unhappy.

Oh, big deal.

You meet a valium addict And figure out she's unhappy ?

That doesn't count, Of course.

Something else... Something surprising ?

Something surprising ? Yes.

Your husband's a homo.

Oh, ridiculous !

Really ?

Threshold of revelation.

Well, I don't like Your revelations.

I don't think you Intuit well at all.

Joe's a very Normal man.

Oh god.

Oh god.

Do homos take, like, Lots of long walks ?

Yes, we do.

In stretch pants With lavender coifs.

I just looked at you And there was--

A sort of blue streak Of recognition--

Yes !

Like you knew me Incredibly well.

Yes. Yes.

I have to go now, Get back.

Something just... Fell apart.

Oh god.

I feel so sad.

I know.

I'm sorry.

I usually say "Fuck the truth",

But mostly The truth fucks you.

I see something else About you.

Oh ?

Deep inside you,

There's a part of you, The most inner part

Entirely free Of disease.

I can see that.

Is that...

That isn't true.

Threshold Of revelation.

People come and go So strangely here !

I don't think there's Any uninfected part of me.

My heart is pumping Polluted blood.

I feel dirty.

( female voice from above ) Look up.

Hello ?

Look up !

Who is that ?

Look up, Prepare the way !

I don't see any--

Prepare for the parting Of the air.

The breath, The ascent !

* glory to--

( female singing from above )

What the fuck ?

Hello ?!

Is that it ?

Hello ?

Poor me.

Poor, poor me, Why me ?

Why poor, poor me ?

Oh, I don't feel good Right now.

I really don't.

Harper ?

Where were you ?

Where were you ?

Out. Where ?

Just... Out, Thinking.

It's late.

Well, I had a lot To think about.

I burned dinner. I'm sorry.

Not my dinner, My dinner was fine.

Your dinner.

I put it back in the oven And turned everything up

As high as it could go and I watched 'til it burned black.

It's still hot, Very hot. Want it ?

You didn't Have to do that.

I know. It just seemed Like the kind of thing

A mentally deranged sex-starved Pill-popping housewife would do.

Uh-huh. So I did it.

Who knows anymore What I have to do ?

How many pills ?

A bunch, Don't change the subject.

I won't talk to you.

No, don't do that, I'm fine.

Pills are not the problem, Not our problem.

I wanna know where you've been, I wanna know what's going on.

Going on with what, The job ?

Not the job !

Well, I said I needed more time.

Not the job !

Mr. Cohen, I talked To him on the phone

I had to hurry. And he said not--

But I can't get you to talk Sensibly about anything--

What ?! Shut up !

Stick to the subject ! I don't know what that is !

You have something You wanna ask me, ask me.

Ask me. Go.

I can't, I'm scared of you.

I'm tired, I'm going to bed.

Tell me without Making me ask, please.

This is crazy.

When you come through The door at night

Your face is never exactly The way I remembered it.

I get surprised By something

Mean and hard about The way you look,

Even though the weight Of you in the bed at night,

The way you breathe in Your sleep seems unfamiliar.

You terrify me.

I know who you are.

Yes, I'm the enemy, That's easy.

That doesn't change.

You think you're The only one who hates sex ?

I do, I hate it With you. I do.

I dream that you Batter away at me

'til my joints come apart Like wax and I fall into pieces.

It's like A punishment.

It was wrong of me To marry you. I knew you...

It's a sin and It's killing us both.

I can always tell When you've taken pills,

Because it makes you Red-faced and sweaty

And, frankly, that's very Often why I don't want to...

Because... ?

Because you Aren't pretty.

Not like this.

I have something I wanna ask you.

Then ask, ask ! What the hell are you--

Are you a homo ?

Are you ?

You try to walk out Right now,

I'll put your dinner back in The oven and turn it up so high

The whole building Will fill with smoke

And everyone in it Will asphyxiate.

So help me god, I will, Now answer the question.

What if I-- ?

Then tell me please, And we'll see.

No.

I'm not.

And I don't see what Difference it makes.

( hare krishna singing )

Jews don't have any clear Textual guide to the afterlife

Or even that It exists.

I don't think Much about it.

I see it as a perpetual rainy Thursday afternoon in march.

Dead leaves.

Ooh, very greco roman.

It's not the verdict That counts,

It's the act Of judgment.

That's why I could Never be a lawyer.

In court, all that matters Is the verdict.

You could never Be a lawyer

'cause you're over-sexed And too distracted.

Not distracted, Abstracted.

I'm trying to make a point. Namely?

The shaping of the law, Not its execution.

The point, dear, The point !

That it should be the questions In shape of a life

Its total complexity gathered, Arranged and considered

Which matters In the end.

Not some stamp of Salvation or damnation

Which disperses All the complexity

In some unsatisfying Little decision,

The balancing Of the scales--

I like this, very zen.

It's reassuringly Incomprehensible and useless.

We who are about to die Thank you.

You're not About to die.

It's not going Well, really.

Two new lesions.

My leg hurts.

There's protein in my urine, The doctor says,

But who knows what The fuck that portends.

Anyway, it shouldn't Be there...

The protein.

My butt is chapped From diarrhea.

And yesterday I shat blood.

I really hate this.

You don't tell me--

Well, you get Too upset !

I wind up Comforting you.

It's easier.

Oh, thanks.

If it's bad, I'll tell you.

Shitting blood Sounds bad to me.

I'm telling. And I'm handling it.

Just tell me some more About justice.

I am handling it.

Well, louis, you win Trooper of the month.

I take it back, you aren't Trooper of the month.

Oh, this isn't working.

Tell me some more About justice.

You are not About to die.

Justice-- Is an immensity.

It's a confusing Vastness.

Justice is god.

Prior ?

Hmm ?

You love me.

Yes.

What if I walked out On this ?

Would you Hate me forever ?

Yes.

I think we Oughtta pray.

Ask god for help.

Ask him together.

God won't Talk to me.

I have to make up People to talk to me.

You have to Keep asking.

I forgot The question.

Oh, yeah, god, Is my husband a homo ?

Stop it, stop it !

I'm warning you !

Does it make Any difference

That I might be One thing deep within ?

No matter how wrong Or ugly that thing is

So long as I fought with Everything I have to kill it ?

What do you Want from me ?

What do you want from me, Harper, more than that ?

For god's sake, There's nothing left !

I'm a shell, there's Nothing left to kill.

As long as my behavior Is what I know it has to be.

Decent, correct, that alone, In the eyes of god--

No, no, not that.

That's utah talk, Mormon talk.

I hate it, joe, Tell me, say it.

All I will say is that I am a very good man

Who has worked very hard To become good

And you want To destroy that.

You want to destroy me,

But I'm not going To let you do that.

I'm gonna Have a baby.

Liar. You liar.

A baby born Addicted to pills.

A baby who does not dream, But who hallucinates,

Who stares up at us With big mirror eyes

And who does not Know who we are.

Are you really ?

No.

Yes.

No, yes.

Get away from me.

Now we both Have a secret.

Nobody knows What causes it,

And nobody knows How to cure it.

The best theory is that We blame a retro virus.

The human immuno Deficiency virus.

Its presence is made known To us by the useless antibodies

Which appear in reaction to its Entrance into the bloodstream

Through a cut Or an orifice.

The antibodies are powerless To protect the body against it.

Why ? We don't know.

The body's immune system Ceases to function.

Sometimes the body Even attacks itself.

At any rate, It's left open

To a whole horror house Of infections

From microbes It usually defends against.

Like kaposi's sarcomas.

Those lesions on your arms Or your throat problem,

Or the glands.

We think it may also Be able to slip past

The blood brain barrier Into the brain,

Which is, of course, Very bad news.

And it's fatal, and we don't Know what percent of people

With suppressed Immune responses.

Very interesting...

Mr. Wizard.

But why the fuck are you Telling me this ?

Well, I have just removed One of three lesions,

Which biopsy results Will probably tell us is

A kaposi's sarcoma lesion,

And you have a pronounced Swelling of glands

In your neck, Groin and armpits.

Lymphadenopathy Is another sign,

And you have Oral candidiasis.

And maybe a little more fungus Under the fingernails

Of two digits On your right hand.

So, that's why I'm...

Uh, this disease...

Syndrome.

Whatever.

It afflicts mostly homosexuals And drug addicts.

Mostly.

Hemophiliacs Are also at risks.

Homosexuals And drug addicts.

So why are you Implying that I...

What are you Implying, henry ?

I don't think I was Implying anything.

I'm not a drug addict.

Oh, come on, roy.

What ? What, Come on, roy, what ?

Do you think I'm A junkie, henry ?

Do you see tracks ?

This is absurd.

So say it.

Say what ?

Say "Roy cohn, You are a..."

Roy-- "You are a..." come on.

Not "Roy cohn, You are a drug fiend"

"Roy marcus cohn, You are a..."

Go on, henry, It starts with an "H".

Oh, I'm not Gonna get into--

With an "H", henry, And it isn't hemophiliac.

Come on !

Why are you Doing this, roy ?

No, I mean it, Say it.

Say "Roy cohn, You are a homosexual".

And I will proceed Systematically

To destroy your reputation And your practice.

And your career

In the state Of new york, henry,

Which you know I can do.

Roy, you have been Seeing me since 1958.

Apart from the face lifts,

I have treated you for Everything from syphilis--

From a whore In dallas.

From syphilis to venereal warts In your rectum

Which you may have gotten From a whore in dallas.

But it wasn't A female whore.

So say it.

Roy cohn, you are...

You have had sex With men.

Many, many times, roy.

And one of those men

Or any number of them Has made you very sick.

You have aids.

Aids ?

You know your Problem, henry,

Is that you are Hung up on words,

On labels That you believe

They mean what They seem to mean.

Aids, homosexual,

Gay, lesbian.

You think These are names

That tells you Who someone sleeps with.

They don't Tell you that.

No ? No.

Like all labels, they tell you One thing and one thing only.

Where does an individual So identified fit

In the food chain.

In the pecking order.

Not ideology Or sexual taste,

But something Much simpler...

Clout.

Not who I fuck Or who fucks me,

But who will pick up The phone when I call.

Who owes me favors.

This is what A label refers to.

Now to someone who does Not understand this,

Homosexual is what I am, Because I have sex with men.

But really, This is wrong.

Homosexuals are not men Who sleep with other men.

Homosexuals are men Who in 15 years of trying

Cannot pass a pissant Anti-discrimination bill

Through city council !

Homosexuals are men Who know nobody

And who nobody knows,

Who have zero clout !

Does this sound Like me, henry ?

No.

No, I have clout.

Lots.

I pick up this phone, I punch 15 numbers.

You know who's On the other end ?

In under five minutes, Henry.

The president.

Better, henry. His wife.

I'm impressed.

I don't want you To be impressed.

I want you To understand.

This is not sophistry And this is not hypocrisy.

This is reality.

I have sex with men.

But unlike nearly every Other man of whom this is true

I bring the guy I'm screwing To the white house,

And president reagan smiles At us and shakes his hand

Because what I am

Is defined Entirely by who I am.

Roy cohn is Not a homosexual.

Roy cohn is A heterosexual man, henry,

Who fucks around With guys.

Okay, roy.

Then what is My diagnosis, henry ?

You have aids, roy.

No, henry, no.

Aids is what Homosexuals have.

I have...

Liver cancer.

Well, what ever The fuck you have

It's very serious.

And I haven't got A damn thing for you.

The n.H.A. In bethesda Has a new drug called e.Z.T.

With a two year Waiting list

That not even I Can get you onto.

So pick up The phone, roy.

And dial The 15 numbers.

And tell the first lady That you need in

On an experimental Treatment for liver cancer.

Because you can call it Any damn thing you want, roy.

But what it Boils down to...

Is very bad news.

N thing you want, roy.

But what it Boils down to...

Is very bad news.