All language subtitles for Sta_Eng

(piano music playing)

(indistinct chatter)

(indistinct chattering)

WOMAN: Good night, Iris.

Have a good weekend.

(siren wails)

Hey, stop him!
He's got my purse!

IRIS: Wait a minute!

(metal clanking)

(groaning)

Give me my purse, God damn it!
Give it to me!

Give me my purse, you little bastard!
Oh, God!

Oh, God!

(groans)

Hey!

You okay?

Lady! Lady!

Lady, hold it, I'm trying to help you.

Where'd he go?

Why don't you go after him?

He's in the next state by now.
We're not going to catch him.

He's got my paycheck,
my whole week's paycheck.

Are you okay?

My house keys were in there,
my wallet, my credit cards,

my rosary, my kids' pictures.

That little bastard.

Wrong, lady, that was a big bastard.

You're out of your head
to run after somebody like that.

Let him have the purse,
let him have it. Give it to him.

Give it to him? I'd like to give him
a knee where he lives. (panting)

He could've been high.
He could've been on you. You're lucky.

How come I don't feel lucky, mister?

- It's only money.
- Yeah. But it's my money.

When it's yours,
you can be a philosopher.

(exclaims)

Thank you.

You okay?

STANLEY: Are you all right?
IRIS: It's okay.

I see you at work.

You work in the bakery?

I'm in the canteen.

Behind the mashed potatoes.

Nobody ever looks at the cook.

IRIS: Well, um...

Thanks.

You were really nice
to stick your neck out back there.

You could have gotten hurt.

I didn't.

(chuckles)

Well, it's lucky you were on the bus.

I don't usually take the bus
but they stole my bike.

Thanks.

Um... Would you take some money
and, I don't know, have a beer on me?

Lady, I don't want your money.
Anyway, you don't have any.

Yes, I do.

I keep a five-dollar bill
rolled up in my shoe. Here.

Look, keep it, for the next time.

(chuckles)

There's not gonna be a next time.

I believe you.

I'm Stanley Cox.

Iris King.

Stay out of harm's way, Mrs. King.

- I'll try, Mr. Cox.
- Good.

- Good night.
- Good night.

(cutlery clanking)

(door closes)

- What did the doctor say?
- They're doing a scrape.

- When?
- Couple of weeks.

- You going to have to stay over?
- Nope.

- In and out.
- What's the matter with you?

I'm not going to discuss my plumbing
with everyone at this table.

There must have been 500 guys
at the employment office today.

Saw everybody I know. (chuckles)

This one guy brought a broom
and swept off the sidewalk out front

just for something to do.

- Can you believe that?
- Bet it wasn't you.

- Did they have anything?
- JOE: An opening for a hairdresser.

I didn't do much better.

I can't run a computer
and I can't give a pedicure,

and that's all there was,

so we won't be paying you anything
this week or next.

I didn't ask.

No, but you're making us count
every roll of toilet paper,

you're making us use the soap
down to the last sliver.

You know, I wouldn't be here
if I didn't have to be.

I'd be in my own house, with my own
Drexel furniture and air conditioning.

We're all in the same
lifeboat, Sharon. Don't rock it.

Where did you get the money for beer?

SHARON: Mm?

I'm asking you!
Where did you get the money for beer?

You stole my money!

All right,
I've been holding out on you.

I've been saving up
to get my teeth fixed.

I'm not getting my face lifted
to go to Hollywood.

(screaming) And he stole it!

You had my paycheck when I had one.

I needed a drink.

You took the money for my teeth,
you bastard!

I'm not a piece of garbage
you can smell a block away. I'm a man.

You bastard! You bastard!

You... (slaps)
(screams)

Out. Out, kids.
Walk around the block.

Well, this is a first for this house.

(sobbing)

How long you think
we'll have to stay out here?

I don't know.
Till they cool off, I guess.

(dog barking)

I cleaned up the kitchen.

I cleaned up my sister.

You should have called the cops on me.

I couldn't have made your bail.

We fight a hell of a lot,
Sharon and me.

We started at City Hall
and never quit.

Why'd you marry her?

She was cute.

None of us stay cute.

You and George
had a hell of a marriage.

He wasn't even a good-looking guy.

Yes, he was.

He didn't make a big living.

He made enough.

But the guy was dying.

You slept on the floor by his bed.

You washed him, cleaned up his mess,
you held him up on the toilet.

Maybe I married the wrong sister.

Go to bed, Joe.

(car zooms by)

(machinery whirring)

I bought a bunch of condoms yesterday.

From now on,
nobody is getting in without one.

Yeah. Well, you got rush-hour traffic.

I haven't got anybody to give one to.

I can fix you up with somebody.
But he's a little older.

- How old?
- He fought in World War II.

That's too old.
Give me Korea, give me Vietnam.

How about the National Guard?
(all laugh)

I just want to get pregnant
and get out of here.

Oh, you'll be back.
It takes two incomes.

Where's your husband, Bertha?

Doing time, just like me.

Are they ready?

Uh...

Yeah.

I stretched them as far as they'd go.
Try them on.

(cash register rings)

Oh, they're still too tight.

Cheap shoes.

Actually,
maybe they are a little better.

- Oh, hi.
- Hello.

Goodness.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Brown brogues.
- Got a ticket?

- You didn't give me a ticket.
- No, you got a ticket.

We don't take shoes
without giving tickets.

- You didn't give me one.
- Everybody gets a ticket.

- I didn't.
- You lost it.

No, I didn't get a ticket.

Everybody gets a ticket.

I didn't get a ticket.

You said it cost two dollars.

Here's the two dollars.
I didn't get a ticket.

Everybody gets a ticket.

STANLEY: Mister, I'm gonna describe
the shoes to you, okay?

And then you can give them to me.

They're brown brogues.
They're right over there.

Right behind you.

Well, if you don't got a ticket,
you gotta sign for them.

Just give me the shoes.

- Put your name down.
- Just give me the shoes.

- Write your name down.
- Don't wrap 'em, just hand them to me.

Put your signature down...

That guy's crazy.

He wanted his shoes,
and he paid for 'em.

(laughs)

(all shouting) Hey!
We've been waiting 15 minutes!

- Do you believe that?
- Might as well walk.

WOMAN: You can't even get a bus!

- What kind of service is that?
- I've been on my feet all day.

- Bus out again?
- Yeah. Third time this week.

Want a ride home?

Well, guess it beats waiting around
for another 30 minutes. Okay.

Have fun.

Honey, you got room for one more?

(chuckles)

IRIS: I see you got your bike back.

STANLEY: No. I had to buy
another one, second-hand.

You don't drive a car?

I like a bike better.
Cleaner, cheaper.

I'd take a new green Chevy
if I could make the payments.

STANLEY: This town's getting too big.

I'd like to move to the country,
away from people.

Get some Rhode Island Reds,
some cows for milk,

maybe put a hex sign up on my barn.

- How about some barbed wire?
- No, a mean dog would do.

(chuckles)

Have you always been a cook?

I'm a good cook. I like to cook.

Well, listen, excuse me.
But the food in the canteen is lousy.

The boss is cheap.
He won't buy good stuff.

You gotta buy good stuff
for good food.

With me, it's got to come out of a box
or a can, whatever is fast.

That's my house.

Hi, Stanley! Hi!

And that's my father.

IRIS: You still live at home
with your father?

I wasn't born till he was 50.
He likes to have me around.

Does he get along with your wife?

I don't have one.

You live at home with your father,
you do your own cooking,

and you're not married.
Is that the whole story?

I think that's about as much
as I'm gonna talk about.

All right.

What do you do with yourself
after work?

I go to the movies.

Alone?

I take a bag of popcorn.

(chuckles)

You don't mix much, do you?

No.

You got something that's catching?
(laughs)

I think I'm about out of small talk.

I didn't stick my thumb out, Mr. Cox,
you offered to give me a ride.

This is it. Right here.

- Thanks for the lift.
- Yes, ma'am.

A guy broke into that house
across the street,

and bashed an old lady over the head.

It wasn't you, was it?

You don't have to be
scared of me, lady.

I don't even kill mosquitoes.

(children chattering indistinctly)

IRIS: I'm home.

Chicken and peas and potatoes, please.

- Thanks.
- I'll have the same.

Chicken, peas,

and potatoes.

Chicken.

And uh... Peas.

- Peas.
- Peas?

MAN 1: Bobby, you want
to check the fruit for me?

MAN 2: I'm on top of it!

Oh, that shirt's gonna run.

You ought to separate the whites
from the color.

I wash everything together.

Including my socks.

One load is four quarters.

(water filling)

You put in a pretty long day.

Oh, I don't mind.

Gets me out of the house. (chuckles)

Just sit here and watch the wash
go round and round.

Read my magazine.

There's a Chinese take-out next door.
Can I buy you an egg roll?

You sure can.

(munching)

(crickets chirping)

How long since he passed away?

- My husband?
- Mm.

Forever.

Eight months.

How are you getting along?

It's a heavy load.

Sometimes my knees bend.

Did he leave insurance?

They canceled.

So money's tight?

Well, I'm not gonna take any vacations
in Bermuda this year.

If I'm lucky,
I'll get a day in Boston.

Oh, I'd love to go to Boston
for a day,

stay in a hotel and have room service.

You know, where they charge you
$2.50 for a cup of coffee,

and bring it to you
in a little silver pot,

and put a chocolate on your pillow
and turn your bed down for you.

I went to the Grand Canyon once.

I walked all the way
down to the bottom.

Stayed there six days and six nights.

Slept in a bedroll.

Didn't see anybody.
Didn't say anything to anybody.

The best time I ever had.

Six days?

Oh, God, it would drive me crazy.

You don't have to fight for anything,
you don't have to explain anything,

you don't have to dodge anything.

You just feed the white-tailed deer
and watch the sun go down.

You see, I like bright lights
and a lot of people.

I see you're feeling
pretty good today.

You're wearing your pink sweater,

that's what you wear
when you feel good.

And when you feel bad,
you wear the gray one.

(chuckles)

- I only have two sweaters.
- Am I right or wrong?

You're watching me.

You stand out.

Let's take a look at these
fortune cookies.

"Make new friends and trust them."
Did you write this?

No. But it seems like
pretty good advice.

(laughs)

What did you get?

Here.

Open it.

No. No point in opening mine.
I'm not lucky.

Oh!

I better go pick up my wash.

Okay.

(indistinct chatter)

WOMAN: We need
a refill on shrink wrap!

You were 15 minutes in the toilet.

You get a five-minute break
on this line.

I had cramps.

Have 'em in five minutes.
That's your limit.

And you,
get your hair up inside your net.

Fuck this factory, and fuck him.

Oh! Looks like
we got ourselves a new flavor.

(all laugh)

(indistinct chatter)
(cutlery clanking)

(dishes clattering)

(indistinct chattering)

(groans)

God, the smell
of chocolate chip cookies

is giving me a headache.

We need a longer break.

- You got a Tylenol?
- No.

Yeah, look under the counter,
right in front of you.

Got a bunch of stuff in there.

That's Rolaids.

(scraping)

(scraping)

That's Sine-Aid.

Never mind.

Hey, Cox, somebody's ass
is going in the meat grinder.

And don't tell me
you're gonna call your union,

because I'm gonna call the cops.

$2,000 worth of purchase orders
for this kitchen never got here.

What do you think I'm upstairs
chewing on a dead cigar?

I got a bookkeeper.

And maybe she's got bad breath,
but she's got good eyes.

What happened to my mayonnaise?

What happened
to my 150 pounds of coffee?

What happened to my tuna fish?

MANAGER: Come on,
who's getting fat off of me?

It isn't Stanley Cox.

Who are you? What do you know?

You know something I don't know?

He can't read and he can't write,
so it isn't him.

(indistinct chattering)

(jazz music playing)

(door opens and closes)

Do you mind if I sit down?

I don't feel much like company.

- I gave you away, didn't I?
- Yes, ma'am, you did.

You were headed for trouble.

Lady, I'm always in trouble.

- It's nothing to be ashamed of.
- Is that right?

You don't rob banks.

I can't open an account in one.

What do you do with your money?

Keep it under my mattress
like a skid-row bum.

(scoffs)

I never thought what it would be like.

You're in a city, you can't
read street signs. You're lost.

You grab people. You stop 'em.

You ask three people,
you ask four people,

"Which way? Where do I go?
How do I get there?"

You can't take a bus.
You can't read where it's going.

You can't drive a car
because you can't get a license.

You ask yourself,
have I got a name if I can't write it?

Am I a human being if I can't read it?

Why don't you do something about it?

Hey, Cox,
could you shut off the water?

I want to talk to you for a minute.

(water running)

I got some bad news for you.

This is your last day.
Could you pick up your paycheck?

- You've been getting some complaints?
- No.

As a matter of fact,
you make a pretty good stew.

So what's the beef?

(chuckles) Listen,
you can't read, you know.

Well, you could...
You could pick up the wrong box.

Try to pick up a box of salt

and get a box of roach powder
or something.

Hey, you're dangerous. I could have
a lot of sick people around here.

I could have a lot of lawsuits
around here.

You're a good man, you show up on time
for work and everything,

but everybody sues nowadays, you know.

All right. You swab the toilets.

Make sure you do the seats too,
and around the base.

Sometimes they miss.

Any writing on the walls, off.

There's more telephone numbers
in there than the city directory.

Hey, you sure you want this job?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

Apple pickers.

You, you, you, and you.

That's all.
Let's go, let's go.

You're not currently employed, then?

No.

Social worker says you don't have
a place of residence anymore?

I'm living in a garage.

We can't have your father there,
can we?

Okay, just a few questions.

- Can he manage the toilet all right?
- Yes.

Is he taking any medication?

No.

Well, that's remarkable,
for a man his age.

MAN: Any problem with his memory?

He's clean... He's...

He's smart, and he's broke.

MAN: Well, there'll be four
in his room.

We'll try to get him a window bed.

Dinner's at five.

He can have an evening snack
if he wants.

And we do have a television room.

I'll be all right here.

Good. Good.

Let me see the view.

That's nice.

(scoffs)

Look, they have a birdbath out there.

(laughs)

Yeah, that's...

If I get a good job, Dad,
you'll be out the next day.

Looks like a good bed.

I don't want you laying around in it.

I want you to stay up, go for a walk,
find somebody to play cards with.

I'll find somebody.

If you need an extra blanket,
you tell them, okay?

I'm not afraid to open my mouth.

(plucks strings)

If you don't like the food,
you tell me,

I'll bring you something.

- All right.
- A deli sandwich, some fruit.

All right.

- And I'll come every Sunday.
- I'll be glad to see you.

(chuckles)

(coughs)

Well...

Yeah.

You've been a good father, Pop.
I'm sorry.

Don't kill me off.
I'm still a good father.

You never laid a hand on me.

I'm going to now.

Hey! (chuckles)

The doctor says you're pregnant.

(sighs)

- Well, are you?
- If he says so, I guess I am.

- This is all news to you?
- How was I supposed to know?

I'm always missing MYM.

You had to let me show up here
and get slapped in the face with it?

I don't know.

- Who is it?
- I'm not telling you.

You always treat me like a little kid.

You know, "Do this. Do that."
And I'm not a little kid anymore.

- This is all to get at me?
- Maybe.

IRIS: You're five months pregnant

because I made you clean your closets
and get in by ten?

- Maybe.
- Who is it?

I'll see you in hell first.

What do you think you're doing?

She's my mother.

You two want to take this home
and settle it there?

(footsteps approaching)

How is she?

I don't know. We're not talking.

(knock on door)

You're responsible for a baby.
You know that.

You got to plan for it, want it,
take care of it, feed it, raise it,

get it through diaper rash,
get it through measles.

It's not just a jolt of semen.

It's a human being.

It needs clothes, it needs shots,
it needs to go to school.

And I'll tell you something else.
Look at me.

I'm not gonna look after it.

I've got to keep my job,
and take care of my own family.

- And you gotta take care of yours.
- I'll manage.

You'll manage?

You're still sleeping
with your teddy bear.

I'll stay with a friend
if you don't want me.

A girl's best friend is her mama.

At least that's what it says
on the greeting cards.

(door shuts)

(birds chirping)

(slow piano music playing)

Thanks.

- Sweet, isn't it?
- Good.

Mr. Cox, I'm sorry.

We tried to call you
a number of times.

We sent a telegram.

He went peacefully in the night.

The truth is, uh...

When they come into a place like this,
they tend to go downhill pretty fast.

Well, you'll want these.

There are a few things
for the death certificate.

Leonides Cox. It's Leonides?

That's an unusual name.

How do you spell it?

Mr. Cox.

I don't know.

(thunder rumbling)
(rain pattering)

- Oh, God.
- Mrs. King!

- Hello. Haven't seen you around.
- Hi.

- I'm working in the car wash now.
- How is it going?

It's just work.
Can I ask you something?

- Sure. Yeah. Go ahead.
- You don't have an umbrella.

- No, I'm okay. What is it?
- Uh...

- I've been thinking...
- Yeah?

And uh...

Do you have any spare time?

Not much, but what's on your mind?

Well, I thought maybe...

I'll talk to you some other time.

- You've come out now, in the rain...
- Let it go. No, let it go.

Okay. I have to
because I'm gonna miss my bus.

What is it?

Come on, what is it?

I wanted to ask you if...
If you could do something.

I shouldn't have started this.

I'll be around.

Wait!

Teach me to read.

What does that say?

"Man builds no structure
which outlives a book."

I'm making too late a start.

You're making a start, Mr. Cox.

Excuse me. Do you have...

It's a questionnaire.

It's supposed to break the ice
between us,

help us to get to know each other.

Let's get it over with.

Student name?

Stanley Everett Cox.

- Everett?
- My grandmother's brother.

"Interviewed by."
That's me, Iris King.

Okay, number one.
"Name something you enjoy doing."

What are they getting at?

They want to find out about you.

I don't see the point.

They just want to know what kind
of things you like to do, you know.

Hunting, fishing, stuff like that.

This is not going in an FBI file.

I make contraptions. I invent them.

Why do you enjoy doing that?

I'm good at it.

Did you ever go to school?

Fifty schools.
One for every state of the Union.

"Where were you born?"

Hillside, New Jersey.

"Name three things
you wish you could read."

I don't know.
I wouldn't know what to pick.

I suppose a daily newspaper.

I'd like to read
a baseball scoreboard.

I like the game.

"Name something
you wish you could write."

That's easy. A big check.

"Finish this sentence. I hope that..."

I hope I don't make
a damn fool of myself.

"Finish this question. I wonder if..."

I wonder if I'm smart enough.

"Finish this sentence. I'm good at..."

I'm good at getting the right teacher.

It's a Seiko. Thanks, Mom.

That's for making your bed
and graduating grammar school,

and putting the toilet seat down
for us ladies.

All right, mine's next.

Okay.

Most of the time, that is.

You look just like your old man.

JOE: You walk like him.
You act like him.

He's a hard act to follow, Richard.
You're gonna do him proud.

- Honey, honey.
- (sobs)

Oh! I've got to quit this.

Listen, go ahead, have a good cry.

Why do they call it a good cry?

All it does
is make you look like hell.

And what's missing is still missing.

Now, listen. You've got your kids.
You've got your family.

I've got a lot of days and nights
ahead of me.

You like to garden. You like to cook.

I like to make love is what I like.

Three times a week like clockwork.

Sunday morning with the door locked,
sent the kids to McDonald's,

ate lunch in bed afterwards,

whatever was in the refrigerator,

pot roast, potato salad.

Listen, maybe
you'll meet somebody else.

I don't want to meet anybody else.

I want my old man back.

In his baggy pants, looking at me
over the top of his bifocals.

You can't hold on forever.

Why not?

Because I want you to be happy again.

You know something, Sharon?

I'm sorry sometimes

that I stole your
Add a Pearl necklace.

Oh, you are?
(both laugh)

I haven't thought about that
in 22 years.

But I'll never forgive you.
(both laugh)

(doorbell rings)

(knock at door)

Good evening, Mrs. King.

Um...

I'm a little drunk.

No kidding. Come on in.

(thuds)

- There's something in the way here.
- Just your feet.

Upsy-daisy, Mr. Cox.

I needed a little courage tonight.

Think you can make it to the bathroom?

- Where is it?
- One flight up.

And I'd appreciate it
if you wouldn't throw up on my carpet.

I may be drunk, Mrs. King,
but I'm housebroken.

Okay.

It's right up there.

How do you feel now?

Foolish.

You're getting my floor all wet.

I'll mop it up.

I'm going to go down
and make a lot of coffee.

(exhales)

(clinking)

Well, sit down.

You want a cookie?
I made 'em myself.

No, thanks.

Why don't we just wade in?

No.

I want to know
how this happened to you.

Did you drop out of school?

Were you smoking dope or what?
Where was your family?

Where were your teachers?

My father was
a tableware salesman.

Silver plate stuff, not real sterling.

He went all over the country
and I went with him.

Lived in motels, went to a different
school every month.

Most of the time I didn't even know
what state of the Union I was in.

I'd stay up late looking
at old Westerns with John Wayne,

or playing two-handed poker
with my father,

or listening to people fighting
in the next room.

In the morning,
I'd eat a cold donut,

and find a seat
in the last row of the classroom,

slide down on my
tailbone and just sleep.

Somebody would say, "Hey, you."

I'd open up an eye, and they'd say,

"Where's the mouth
of the Mississippi?"

And I'd scratch my head,
and they'd say, "Next!"

and I'd go back to sleep.

And when I woke up,
I'd be in a different school.

That's how it went.
Just all went by me.

I've been

a big dummy ever since.

This is a bird
with a long tail and a round body.

- Say "bird."
- Bird.

This looks like a bird
with a long tail and a round body.

Say "bird."

Bird.

This is the word "bird."

Read "bird."

Bird.

Bird starts with the sound "buh."
Say "buh."

- Buh.
- Again.

- Buh.
- Again.

Buh.

(indistinct chattering)

(laughing)

Yeah. I know what you mean.

And this letter?

Fuh.

This letter?

Guh.

- Okay...
- Don't make it too tough on me now.

What's this word?

- Hand.
- What's this word?

Hand.

This sentence tells what the girl
has in her hand. Read it.

"The girl has a...

fish in her hand."

Good.

It's not exactly a cliffhanger.

(phone rings)

Excuse me.

IRIS: Hello?

Phil.

Kelly, get off the line. It's for me.

Fine, and yourself?

Good.

Nothing much.
I'm just slogging along.

(Iris chuckles)
Nobody's been seeing much of me, Phil.

I don't think
I'm ready to go dancing, Phil.

Okay.

Yeah. Thanks for calling.

(hangs up receiver)

What's this word?

How long since
you been out with a man?

Last time was to take
one to the hospital.

- What's this word?
- Bird.

(birds chirping)

This is a yellow birch.
Latin name, Betula lutea.

Its leaves taste like mint.

Taste it.

(Richard exclaims)

This is a basswood.
Latin name, Tilia cordata.

It's a nice shade tree.

STANLEY: What do you think?
Do you want it?

This is a Norway maple.
Latin name, Acer platanoides.

Turns red in the fall.
Very, very pretty.

Red?

You know, the red leaves in the fall.

Very, very pretty.

How did you find out about all that?

I asked.

I took the leaves
to a Japanese nursery,

said I liked trees.

They said, "We like trees too."

So we sat on a manure sack,

and talked about it
for a couple of hours.

This is a red oak.
Latin name, Quercus rubra.

It'll outlive us both.

- That one?
- Mm-hm.

How old do you think it is?

I'd say it's about 300 years old.

Let's go sit down over here.

(grunts)

(dog barking)

I lost my dad too, not too long ago.

My dad was sick for a long time.

The thing of it is, see, I...

I had to put him in a home.

I couldn't read,
so I couldn't hold down a job.

I couldn't take care of him.

If I'd been able to read,
he might still be alive.

I'm afraid of the dark.

My dad let me
leave the light on all night.

My dad was the light.

We have to leave it on
about another 15 minutes.

I don't know what I'm doing this for.

- So you'll look pretty.
- (scoffs)

Nothing in a bottle's gonna do that.

You know, you're not so bad-looking

if you'd use a little more
eye make-up.

(chuckles)

- This is as far as I go.
- (chuckles)

I wish this baby was born already.

- It will be.
- I don't want it.

I didn't want you either.

You were an accident.

Your daddy and me
were cleaning the car,

remember the old blue Pontiac.

And he squirted me,
and I took my shirt off, and...

We got playful.
We didn't even make it up the stairs.

But when they brought you in to me,

I almost said,
"Take it away. It's not mine."

That's how I felt about you.

You'd nuzzle me, and I'd stare at you.

How was I gonna take you home
and take care of you?

I didn't feel anything for you.

Then one day
I was changing your diapers,

and I found blood on the cloth,

and I knew in my heart
that you had a terrible disease,

that I was being punished.

And I showed the nurse,
and she said, "It's nothing.

"It's just your hormones
getting across to her."

I said, "You mean it's nothing
to worry about?"

And she said, "No, it's nothing."

And I held you in my arms,

and at that very minute,

you belonged to me. My daughter.

Am I your daughter?

Yes.

STANLEY: "Don says..."
IRIS: Dan.

STANLEY: Dan. Dan.

"Dan says, 'Thank you for the...

- Dish.
- Dish"'.

Go on.

- Ed.
- "Ed...

Ed says, 'Thank you for the

f..."'

Fish. Fish. Put it together.

"Ed says, 'Thank you for the fish."'

Go on.

- "Fred..."
- Fran.

"Fran says, 'Thank you for the e..."'

- You didn't do your homework, did you?
- No.

- I watched the welterweight fights.
- Terrific.

Either you're serious or you're not.

I'm a fight fan.

Well, you're gonna have one with me
because I don't like to waste my time.

I'll just come back when you cool off.

It may be a while.
I'm in a bad mood.

Maybe you ate something
that didn't agree with you.

My whole life doesn't agree with me.

I'm gaining weight. I yell at my kids.
I need a sex life.

I've been wanting to go to bed
with you ever since I first saw you.

(scoffs)

A, I don't know why.

And B, forget it.

Take a wild guess.

You don't?

(sighs)

No.

It's gonna happen.

(scoffs)

Listen, you, I don't just hop in bed
with strangers.

I ask a lot of questions.
I do a lot of talking.

I gotta know about a guy.

Ask.

I don't even know if you're healthy.

I'll get a blood test.

I'd want one. Excuse me.

You're tough.

Well, this has not been a perfect day.

I got a back-tax bill.

I ran into a girl
I went to high school with.

She said she wouldn't
have recognized me.

That was food for thought.

Also my feet hurt.

Sit down. I'll iron.

- You'll iron.
- I do it all the time. Sit down.

Sit down.

(sighs)

"Fran says, 'Thank you for the

"'egg!" ' God damn it. Egg.

- Right.
- Egg.

Don't scorch the shirts.

Coming right up.

Guh.

G. Girl.

Okay, down.
All the way down below the guideline.

Up, and around and then down.
That's right.

That's right. That's good.

You don't ever pick your pencil up
when you're doing Ps.

- Down. Up.
- No, I forgot...

Yeah. Keep your pencil on the paper.
Up and around.

Okay. You're here at Ash and Tyler.

Meet me at Washington and Post Road.

Give me 15 minutes.

Find me.

(children singing)

(dog barking)

Can you tell me how to get to, uh...

Where do you want to go?

Forget it. Thanks, anyway.
(car honks)

(boys chatter)

Where's Washington and Post?

Oh! You're not even close.

- You've got to go down to Morrison.
- Yeah.

Then left to Grand.

Then right to Comstock.

Are there any tall buildings
or bridges, churches, anything?

You'll see the street signs.

All right. Thanks.

Where the hell have you been?

I said 15 minutes.
I thought you'd been hit by a car.

Are you listening to me?

(orchestra playing)

(applauding)

(indistinct chatter)

I haven't seen you.

No.

Am I gonna see you?

No.

(chattering continues)

(knock at door)

Can I come in?

- You're a hard man to find.
- I moved.

I've only got one seat.

So I see.

No dishes in the sink.

I eat mostly take-out.

Where are you working now?

Same place.

Maybe it was me.
You know, maybe I blew it.

They've got a program
over at the high school.

Maybe you could try that.

It came too hard.
I'm not a kid anymore.

So that's it?

That's it.

(sighs)

God, I hate to bomb out.

It took me two years
to toilet-train Richard,

but he finally went
to the bathroom.

That's not my problem.

What is this?

It's what I do from midnight
till four in the morning,

sometimes till five or six.

IRIS: What does it do?

STANLEY: Cools cakes fast.

Does a good job.

Stanley.

Maybe you should
show this to somebody.

I already have.

Couple of guys from the tool
and die plant came nosing around.

They offered me a job.

How can you make something like this
when you can't read?

When you put a man in jail
or you put him in solitary,

sometimes he'll draw pictures
on the wall with a spoon,

sometimes he'll train cockroaches.

This is what I made in my prison.

You sure kept it quiet.

Mm.

Everybody around here just gets up
and goes to work and eats and sleeps,

and gets up the next day
and just works and eats and sleeps.

(sighs)

God, I'd like to see
somebody go past that.

(doorbell ringing)

Hello, Richard.

Mr. Cox.

Is your mother home?

Yeah. She's in the kitchen.

- What have you been up to?
- Um, reading.

- Reading. What are you reading?
- Comics.

Who are you talking to, Richard?

It's me.

Come on out in the kitchen.

Well, it's still your seat.

Your hair looks different.

Yeah.

I liked it better the other way.

It's too late now.
You been keeping up?

Trying to.

- You had your dinner?
- I ate.

- You want to get at it?
- That's what I'm here for.

Let's see. We can review.

Those are new.

You begin to admit you need things.
About time.

Page 13.

- "This is..."
- "A river."

- "This is..."
- "A...

- sss... snake."
- Mm-hm.

This is...

"A

- tent."
- Good. This is...

"A

woman."

What are you doing here?

STANLEY: I thought I'd sit with you,
if you want me to.

(woman announcing)

I was feeling pretty much
on my own tonight.

- How's she doing?
- It's going to be any minute.

She almost had it on the way here.

How do you feel about
being a grandmother?

Calm.

You don't look like a grandmother.

That's why I'm calm.

It was nice of you to come.

Not much of a favor.

- You know what I think?
- What?

I think you and me
are getting to be friends.

We are.

(babies crying)

- Do you want me to call her Iris?
- No!

I never liked my name.

How about your middle name?

Estelle? Oh, God, that's worse.

Well, I want it to be
one or the other.

She's gonna hate it.

(baby cooing)

Well...

Well, good evening. Hello!

Iris?

Go wash your hands and sit down.
I cooked.

STANLEY: White or dark?

I'll have a leg and a piece of white.

- White or dark?
- Either.

Hi.

- White or dark?
- Leg.

Leg.

There you go. Take that.

KELLY: Hi.

This is good.

No, it's not a capital "L."

Remember, a lower-case "L,"

just a straight down
to the bottom guideline,

and not that cross line.

- Okay. Next letter.
- Mm-hm.

- Uh, "D."
- Mm.

That's right. Circle around
at the mid-guideline

to the bottom guideline,

and straight up,

and down.

- (clatters)
- (Iris exclaims)

That's okay.

It's looking better.

That's right.

And "R." (chuckles)

That jacket.

Something wrong with it?

It's a had-it.
It's coming out at the elbows.

It's old.

It's too old.

Come upstairs.

What's upstairs?

I don't know
what I'm keeping these for.

They're just gonna get moths.

Try this on.

Come on.

That's pretty good.

Iris, I'm glad to have the clothes,
but I want to tell you something.

There's a different man in them.

Not so very.

Are we gonna walk
around each other?

Is that what we're gonna do, Iris?

Is that what two grown-up people do?

It's what one nervous woman does.

I'll tell you what.

I'm gonna spend some time
and money on you,

and see if we can't
put a match to this fire.

Don't go crazy.

You're not a rich man.

I feel like one.

Look like one.

(machines whirring)

Isn't that...

I don't like this.

I quit school. I couldn't stand it.

Don't you know this line
doesn't go anywhere?

(panting)

(moaning)

(Iris weeping)

Three people in bed
are one too many for me.

Mom!

(baby cooing)

- Mom!
- What's the matter?

There's a man outside and he's walking
back and forth looking at our house.

He's been there for 20 minutes.

Hey! What are you doing out there?

Oh, God.

You scared us to death.

What are you doing walking
back and forth out here?

I'm thinking.

Well, can you think inside?

Can you come in and sit down,
and have a cup of coffee?

Can you come out of the cold?

Come on.

Would you please come inside?

IRIS: Have a cup of coffee.
(baby crying)

It's okay, kids.

- Hello, Richard.
- Hello, Mr. Cox.

- Kelly. How's the baby?
- Hello.

I'd like a little privacy around here,
if I can get any.

Take Estelle upstairs.

Homework.

Oh, my God.

How have you been?

How have you been?

- I've had colitis.
- Mm.

- You okay now?
- Yeah. I'm better.

You're not supposed to drink coffee.

- I do, anyway.
- Well, then it's gonna come back.

It has.

You're smart, but you're not sensible.

(chuckles) God knows that's true.

No. You're not sensible,
or I'd have heard from you.

I want to tell you something.

Go ahead.

I haven't been to the cemetery
in three weeks. I'm not going anymore.

Why does it have to be
all or nothing with you?

You want to go, that's fine.
Just don't bury yourself there.

Burn your gray sweater.

- It cost $30.
- I'll buy you five more.

All different colors, like a rainbow.

Red. I like red.

Red, blue, green, pink...

- Stop.
- No, I don't wanna stop.

I wanna go on.

I carried a bunch of quarters
around in my pocket

in case I got up the nerve
to call you at work.

You didn't use them.

No.

I wrote you a letter too.

It's been sitting around
for about three weeks.

It's got gravy on it.

It's got ketchup on it,
it's got baby bananas on it.

Here.

"Dear Stanley.

Give... me... a se... cond chance.

I've got a whole lot saved up.

You won't be... sorry.

Let's try again.

Iris."

"And the lead... lead...

lead storage battery
is the chief unit

of an automobile ignition... system.

It consists of two or more cells

connected... connected to each other

in a hard rubber case."

Yeah!

"A strawberry bed

should have a large amounts

- of fertil... fertilizer...
- Quiet.

And organic matters such as peat,

leaf mold, compost, or rooted...

Rotted manure."

I think you've got it, Stanley.

"And though spirit...

And the spirit of God
hovered over the face of the waters,

and God said let there be light,

- and there was light!"
- Amen.

(laughing)

(librarian hushing)

What's the matter with you?
This is a library.

I know it's a library, lady.

It's my library.

(piano and violins playing)

You can't afford this hotel.

On this occasion, yes, I can.

- Is that everything, sir?
- That's fine.

Thank you.

How much did you give him?

Too much.
But I'm feeling generous.

You like this room?

This room is where I'm gonna die.

Wanna try room service?

- Oh, yes. What can we have?
- Anything you want.

Coffee and two chocolate éclairs.

Coffee, two chocolate éclairs.

We've even got a scale in there.

I'm not getting on it.

(unzips)

Oh, no. It's got a hole in it.

- Wouldn't you know?
- I brought old pajamas too.

Maybe I won't wear it.

Maybe I won't wear mine, either.

You know,
I've never had an affair before.

I was married when I was young,
I was pregnant when I was young.

I expected to always have
the same man in my life.

Let me tell you about us.

I'm gonna need a working woman.
That's you.

You're gonna need a broad shoulder.
That's me.

I like you, Iris,
just about as much as I love you.

And you know what?

We're gonna do just fine together.

And a man could drown
in your blue eyes.

(indistinct chatter)

You're all set.

- Are they gonna feed you a meal?
- Oh, I forgot to ask.

You know, I listened
to the weather report and I heard

it's foggy in Detroit.

They wouldn't fly if it wasn't safe.

(woman announcing) American Airlines
flight 601, nonstop to Detroit,

now boarding through gate two.

That's your flight.

We have a few minutes.

They're giving me an office.

Better start wearing neckties.

- They're getting me a patent.
- Get a lawyer.

- I can read the fine print.
- Get a lawyer, anyway.

Oh, Lord, Stanley.
Have you gone and gotten handsome?

Nah, same old road map.

What am I gonna do in that empty bed?

I'm gonna have to put my feet
on the cat to stay warm.

I'm gonna have to hug a pillow.

I might have to come back rich.
How would you like that?

I'd like to tear your ticket up
is what I'd like.

I wish there was
a seven-point earthquake right now.

I'll be back, Iris.

Maybe you will,
and maybe you won't.

(woman announcing) American Airlines
announces the final boarding call

for flight 601,

nonstop service to
Detroit Metropolitan Airport,

now boarding through gate two.

Buckle your seat belt up
as soon as you sit down.

Keep it buckled up the whole time.
It's safer that way.

I'll call you.

No, Stanley. Write to me.

I'll write to you.

STANLEY: Dear Iris.

Well, I'm settled in.

I've got an office
about as big as a closet.

It's next to the men's room
and hasn't got a window,

but my name's on the door.

Small letters but it's there.

I like my boss.

He wears cowboy boots
and calls me by my first name.

He didn't graduate high school either,
so we've got a lot in common.

There are lots of pretty women
in this town,

but I don't see them for dirt.

I keep thinking about the one who
sleeps with her arms above her head,

and has a little mole,
never mind where.

Now, I want to say something to you,

and I want to say it right
and spell it right.

Thank you.

Not just from the bottom of my heart,

but from my head,
where ideas and dreams come from.

I'm very grateful to you, Iris,

and that will be
till the last day of my life.

So don't catch cold.
Lock your doors at night.

Don't slip in the bathtub.

I love you. Stanley.

(indistinct chatter)

STANLEY: Iris.

Stanley.

What are you doing here?

I came to see you.

Did you get fired?

No, in fact I got a raise.
Climb in.

I'm...

I'm really glad to see you.

I'm happy to see you.

Is this your car?

After 24 payments, it will be my car.

Did you get the letters?

Fifteen letters.

And a Christmas card, a get-well card,
a joyous Easter, and two Valentines.

That's about right.

Iris, I...

Just got me
a comprehensive health plan,

and three different kinds
of credit cards.

I got my eye on a house in Detroit.
It's old. It needs paint.

It's got about six bedrooms.

It's got only one bathroom.

You listening?

To every word.

I'd like you and the kids
to live there.

Stanley, are you proposing to me?

I suppose I am.

You know what you're taking on?

There were seven visits
to the doctor last year,

five to the dentist,

and winter coats,
summer coats, tennis shoes.

We're a noisy family, Stanley.
We've got a lot of arguments,

baby crying, a lot of TV.

You sure you wanna take this on?

I'm here.

Oh...

(laughs)

Come here.

Is there a school?

Two blocks away.

One bathroom for five people?
That's not enough.

You think we could knock down a wall?

Iris, anything is possible.

(melodic piano music playing)

Subtitled by: Sfera Studios