"When my parents started out together... everybody still listened to the Andrew Sisters." "Everybody was having babies, and everybody liked Ike." "Everybody knew that if they just worked hard... and did all the right things... a sort of paradise family life lay ahead." "I guess "paradise" is a relative kind of word." "Turn that noise down!" "That noise is the best guitarist in the whole world!" "Yes, and I'm the best cook in the world!" "Now turn that down before you cause us all brain damage!" "You know, Mom..." "I live here too." "And if I want to listen to my music..." "Mom told you to turn it down, now turn it down!" " I know what she told me..." " Karen..." "If you want to live here, you play by these rules..." "My sister, that sweet little blonde-haired angel... had turned into something stranger to my parent than an alien from space." "The only thing that they agreed on was that the best form of communication was yelling at the top of their lungs." "And that the best form of listening was..." "also yelling at the top of their lungs." "Values." "Literature very often is but a conflict of..." "Values..." "Now!" "Where do we get...our values?" " Winnie." " From school?" "Yes." "Anywhere else?" " Kevin." " From our parents." " Yes, OK, very good, Kevin!" "Parents!" "Anywhere else?" "The Beatles?" "Yes, that is very good!" "We do get a lot of our tastes and our values from our "cultural heroes"." " Now..." "Is there...anywhere else..." "That we might get...our values?" " TV!" "How about...books!" "Oh, books." "Yeah!" "Now, do we always agree on, on..." "what values should be?" "That was Joey Santano." "He'd always wait for Miss White to ask a really easy rhetorical question." "Yes." "And then he'd get it wrong." "Anybody else?" " Yes, Mr. Pfeiffer." " No." " Good!" "Now..." "Do values change through time?" "Say, from generation to generation?" "Christine Hansen." "She always gave these thoughtful, complete..." "Downright inspired answers." "She made us all sick." "But teachers loved her." "Yes, Miss White." "Some values change from generation to generation." " But I think the really important ones..." " are the heart-felt human values." "And they stay the same throughout the ages." "That is very good, Christine, OK!" "OK, now as we read... as we evaluate those characters that we meet, how do we know... which values should change, and which values are, as Christine so eloquently put it..." "heart-felt, and timeless?" "That was a tough question in any time." "But in 1968..." " Yes, Christine!" " Can I go to the bathroom?" "In 1968, even Christine Hansen couldn't answer that one." "And yet, in 1968, maybe more than ever, the question kept coming up." "Take that whole incident with my sister, Karen." "And Louis." "For two weeks, all we heard about was "Louis says this", and "Louis says that"." "And then one day..." "We all got to meet him." "This...was Louis." "He was a junior at the State university... an honor-student at political philosophy... active in student government and various non-profit social causes." "But I didn't know that." "All I knew was that he was on my sister like mold on cheese." "Paul, she is my sister!" "So what?" "She´s not my sister." "For all Karen rebelliousness independence, or maybe because of it." "I couldn't help feeling she needed my protection." "Go out." "Sorry!" "I don't know what it was about Louis that I didn't like." "Guess there was something about him I didn't understand." "Something that was..." "taking my sister away from us." ""And leave my wife alone."" ""Steve!"" " It's gonna be at the college, and it being a weeknight..." "And my parents, I mean..." "It's just gonna be such a hassle." "Well, I know a few Vietnamese peasants who probably feel..." " That's worth the hassle." "Oh, I can't come march." "Not tonight." "OK." "Iced-tea OK?" "Yeah, sure." "Can I make a phone call?" "Sure." "Kevin?" "!" "Can you turn that stupid thing... down?" "I was here first!" "It's OK, Karen." "I sort of like watching these old Fascist films." "Like parodies of themselves by now." "Hi!" "It's me." "Yeah, sure I had fun, Marissa." "Marissa?" "Did he say he had fun, with Marissa?" "Listen tonite, seven-thirty... we're marchin' from Jenkins Hall to the administration building, and you what?" "Of course you can crash at my place." "And that she could crash at his place?" " OK." "Good." "I love you too." "And that he loved her?" "I couldn't believe it, what a sicko." "It wasn't enough that this guy was all over my sister like a fungus in a damp basement." "No, he was a multi-basement kinda guy." "I was outraged." "So, I'll pick ya up at seven." "Louis?" "I'm gonna have to ask you to step outside." "But - what do ya mean?" "!" "I'm on to you, Louis." "I-I don't know what you're talking about." "Take that, you low-down, snake-bellied, lily-livered weirdo." "Sorry, sis." "He was no good." "Oh, Kevin!" "I'm so glad I have a brother like you!" "I'm gonna make your bed for you from now on." " Can I help you?" "Who's Marissa?" "A friend..." "What kind of friend?" "Are you asking if she's my lover?" "Ughhhh..." "Did he have to use that word?" "You must be Kevin, huh?" "You must have heard me talking on the phone with Marissa." "You want to punch me?" "Do something violent?" "Kevin, your...your sister and I we love each other but, it's, uh, it's an open and trusting love." "We don't own one another like a farmer owns a cow." "You understand that?" "Yeah." "You're saying." "If it weren't for cattle-rustling laws, you'd have cows sleeping over at your place, too." "Kevin, I can share love with your sister," "And she can share love with me." "That doesn't mean I can't share love with Marissa, too." "It sounded like a lot of sharing to me..." "I had a hunch everybody was getting pretty small portions." "Does Karen know about this?" " Louis?" "Is he bugging you?" "Kevin." "Do you think that maybe you could play somewhere else?" "Oh, Karen, he's fine." "We were just talkin' about relationships." "Uh, I talked to Marissa she can make it tonight." "Oh, good." "That makes me feel a little less guilty." "She really did know about Marissa." "OK!" "Now I was officially confused." "I felt like I had to take action." "To make a stand, to do something..." "But I had no idea what." "Kevin?" "Are you just gonna stand there?" "Yes." "I watched Louis and my sister making-out for about 20 minutes, after awhile I started feelling like a third wheel." "Fortunately, my sub-conscience had a plan." "Louis is here." "Yeah." "He's in the living room." "With Karen." "Well, don't you want to meet him?" "I'm sure if your sister wants me to meet Louis,she'll introduce him." "I don't want to interfere in her life." "Oh, really?" "What's he like?" "Bingo." "Disturbing..." "What?" "Kevin, what kind of a word is that for you to use?" "I don't know." "Well, what does that mean "disturbing"?" "Kevin, what does that mean?" "OK!" "Don't get mad at me!" "If I couldn't stop this guy myself..." "I could at least get the troops fired up." " Mom, this is Louis." "Louis, this is my Mom." "Well, hi, Louis." " It's nice to meet you." " Mom?" "Do we have any carrots?" "Yes, honey, we have carrots." "But I thought it might be nice  if I said hello to your...friend." "It's really nice to meet you." " So, uh, I'm making dinner, now, Louis," "There is plenty of chicken, if you would like to stay." "That's very nice of you..." "But, actually, um..." "Louis doesn't eat meat, Mom." " It's no big deal." "I just have some qualms with the way livestock's raised." "That's all." "Well...you're more than welcome to stay and fill up on salad and vegetables if you like." "Well thanks!" "Maybe, uh, maybe I'll take you up on that." "So...you don't eat any meat?" "No, I really don't." "My mother was going to expose this guy for the weirdo he was." " Mrs. Arnold...what do you do?" " I beg your pardon?" " I mean, you know, for living?" "Oh... of course...right." "For living..." "Nothing." "I mean..." "I'm a housewife." "That's certainly not nothing." "No...you're right about that." "God knows...it's demanding at times." "I'll bet." "You find it fulfilling?" "Fulfilling?" "Who the hell did this guy think he was?" "Asking my mother if her life was fulfilling?" "I guess I've never really thought about that." "Maybe you should, Mom." "Yikes." " Did you go to college, Mrs. Arnold?" "Oh, yes, I was a history major in college." "But I...met Karen's father in my Freshman year, so I, I never finished." "You regret not finishing?" "Oh, no..." " Wow." "That's great." "I mean a lot of women find it demeaning, spending their lives serving their husbands and children." "OK - look out." "Mom is gonna nail this guy now." " Uhhhh!" "Oh, my God!" "Oh, I am so sorry!" "And you being a vegetarian and everything." "I'm sorry" " I'm such a klutz." "I couldn't believe it." "Why was she apologizing to him?" "My mom likes serving us!" "Hi, Louis." "Nice to meet you." "Things were gonna be OK..." "Dad would take care of this guy." " No chicken?" "Louis doesn't eat meat, Dad." "Hey, just thought I'd mention it." "No meat, Louis?" "No." "Meat, uh, meat just doesn't turn me on, really." "No meat, huh?" "Imagine that." "I knew it." "Dad would carve through this guy like a butcher carves through a pork loin." "Oh, I heard, honey, why the Vandover's didn't go to Brian's funeral." "They were in Chicago." "Dick's mother had a stroke." "One of the boys on our block was killed in Vietnam several weeks ago." "Oh, I-I know." "I mean, uh, Karen told me." "Another meaningless death." "I beg you pardon?" "I-I just meant that...it's just a shame, a kid has to die for basically no reason." "More broccoli, anyone?" " I don't think it's meaningless..." "When a young man dies for freedom and for his country." "I just have a little trouble... justifying dying for a government that systematically represses its citizens." "Oh, honey." "Try the potatoes." "I put grated cheese on them." "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "It means the United States government is responsible..." "For the oppression of blacks, women, free speech..." "Well perhaps, little lady, you'd like to go live in Russia for a little while..." "I think what Karen is saying is that..." " Look, buster!" "I happen to believe that freedom and democracy... have certain advantages that Communist dictatorships don't, and that is what Vietnam is all about!" " No, man, that's what they brainwash you to believe it's all about." "They turn people in the brainwash morons." "My hunch was that my father won't let been called a brainwash moron at his dinner table go by and remarked." "So, you think I've been brainwashed, do you, Louis?" "No." "No." "Look..." "I think anyone, who supports the American war effort in Vietnam is having the wool pulled over his eyes." "I see..." " Just like they did with Korea." "What the hell do you know about Korea?" "I was in Korea." "I lost a lot of good friends there." " Daddy, that doesn't have anything to do with what we're saying." " And they weren't brainwashed!" "They were brave men who weren't afraid to fight for what they believed in." "Now if you're afraid to fight, why don't you just say so?" "!" "Why don't you just admit you're chicken?" "!" "You're damned right!" "I am chicken." "I don't want to die like your friends!" " What do you think that you achieved over there?" " Do you think that those people are free?" "They're not free, man." "Except to buy Coca-cola, get loans from Chase Mahathan Bank." "That's crap!" " You were used, man, and your friends were used." " That's crap!" " Daddy, you never listen to what we say!" " Some of what we say is true!" "Don't accept all this death and then justify it." "It is wrong!" "Your friends should be alive, they should be enjoying dinner, and arguing with their kids, just like you are." "What do you know about it?" "Who the hell are you to say that?" "!" " You see this, man?" "This is my draft notice." "In two weeks, I can go to jail," "I can go to Canada, or I can go get shot full of holes, like your friend Brian Cooper." " You keep thinking the way you do, Mr. Arnold..." " And these two will be next." " And I just hope that's what they want." "Excuse me." "And so, after all Karen left with Louis." "And Dad, and Mom and I were left with our thoughts." "Can I have her potatoes?" "And Wayne was left with himself." "Who was right, and who was wrong?" "Well, I'm supposed to be an adult now, and I still can't completely figure that one out." "But at some point, late at night, near sleep, the ideas and the disagreements sort of dissolve, and you're just left with the people." "And people were no different then, as they've always been." "And always will be." "You told me you loved her." "You never told me you were sleeping with her." "Young girls get their hearts broken." "Men and women suffer alone, over the choices they've made." "And young boys, full of confusion, full of fear, full of love and courage," "Grow up stealthily in their sleep." "Subtitles by Taurus Mind"