"Don't you go and dare not to swallow, you hear me?" "Swallow it!" "That's it." "Here's some more." "Stop it!" "You stop it and do what I say!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Cancer, June 21... to July 20." "Now... is the time..." "for change..." "That make you happy now?" "Yeah, yeah!" "Plunge it all in there!" "Now, how does make you feel, huh?" "... little tasks you've been putting off..." "Stop it!" "can... now... be..." "Does that make you happy?" "Is that what you want?" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "All the..." "little tasks  you have been putting off can now... be... moved..." "Is that what you want?" "!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "to the front... burner." "Wes?" "You promised me." "Remember?" "If she lived past the age of 12, we could get her some help?" "Billy." " Billy, get up!" " Goddamit!" "Why did you do that for?" "He's gonna kill me, you know that?" "I'm as good as dead." "Tell him you don't know where we're at." "You woke up and we were both gone." "How're you supposed to've got anywhere?" "You can't even do anything for yourself." "I don't know, You have to think of an excuse." "What are you gonna live on?" "Department Welfare..." "Uh, I'm going to have to call you back." "Is this were you handle the blind?" "No, ma'am, this is Social Services." "Now, if you just go around back..." "Um, could you lead me there?" "I got cataracts... and the woman told me on the phone I could come here and get benefits." "Who's that with you?" "Uh, that's Katie, my daughter." "How old are you, Katie?" "She'll be 14 in April." "The parents of a 13-year-old girl are free on bail tonight... facing charges for what authorities are calling... the worst case of child abuse they've ever s" "The girl, currently being treated for malnutrition at Children's Hospital... was being held captive by her parents, from the age of 1 to 13." "Early reports indicate the child never even learned to speak... leading some to tag her a so-called "wild child"." "Why did you do it?" "Mrs. Standon is an innocent victim of her domineering husband." "That's the only comment we have to make at this time." "Thank you." "What happened to the little girl?" "You know what happened to her?" "Where is the house where the people tied their little girl to the toilet?" "All rise!" "Be seated." "State vs. Standon." "You're charged with willful abuse and neglect of a minor... placed in your custody." "How do you plead?" "Louise." "I plead not guilty." "I'm sorry..." "She's beautiful." "I was expecting..." "I-I don't know what I was expecting..." "Stan claims he's heard her use a few words for colours and..." ""momma" and "stop it"." "I heard her use those myself." "We gather she's learned them before she was locked away, but so far... she doesn't seem to have picked up any new ones." "She's almost fourteen, right?" "So, the "critical period" has passed." "I beg your pardon?" "Lenneberg's hypothesis, if a child doesn't acquire a language... by the time it reaches puberty, it never will." "Well, she hasn't officially crossed that line yet, so... even if this theory is correct, then, she still has a little time." "Now, listen, I don't want you to just dive in there and start testing." "I want you to spend this next few weeks getting to know her... build up her confidence and trust." "Unless, of course, uh, you'd like to back out right now." "You like the hair?" "Katie, what colour is that?" "Katie?" "Do you know what colour that is?" "That's red." "Your hair is brown, mine is grey..." "Katie?" "Do you remember me?" "I'm doctor Glazer." "I brought a friend of mine with me today." "Her name is Sandra." "So, did you meet the famous "wild child"?" "And?" "Katie, rise and shine." " You remember Miss Tannen, don't you?" " Good morning, Katie." "Katie, I wanna show you something." "Okay?" "Do you think you can do that?" "Here." "Uh, Katie." "Here, watch me." "Okay?" "Right?" "See?" "Apparently, she was never given enough time to chew her food... so she waits for it to break down in her mouth." "How are you doing, sugarpie?" "I got a present for you." "How did you know she wanted that?" " She told me." " She did?" "Well, she didn't use no words, but she told me just the same." " How many balloons do you have here?" " Four." "What about you, Leslie?" "How many balloons do you have?" "Three?" "I think you might wanna take another look at those balloons." "Is it three or is it actually two?" "Well, thanks to Katie, it's now definitely three." "Very good!" "Try again." "Judy." "Hi." "We were never formally introduced." "I'm..." "Sandra Tannen." "I know who you are." "Aw, you know?" "It's so funny!" "This hospital has gone into such lags to secure a grant." "With the money they got, they could bring in Noam Chomsky himself." "Instead, they run across town to UCLA and... find some 1st-year-graduate student." "Well, that's exactly what they wanted." "I don't have any time constraints or family obligations." "No experience." "Do you actually think you're qualified to teach this child how to talk?" "I'm not here to teach her how to talk." "I'm here to document... the way she goes about acquiring language." "There's a... huge difference." "Well, you certainly gonna have a lot to document." "This girl..." "This girl is gonna make me famous." "I'm gonna be the next Annie Sullivan." " She really said that?" " I cross my heart and hope to die." "Annie Sullivan was the one who taught Helen Keller, right?" "That's the one." "I mean, alright, she's a very talented teacher, I agree, but... to state her ambitions, in such overt terms?" "Look, I know that Judy's a little eccentric but... like I say, she's very good at what she does... and she's essentially well-meaning." "I hope you're right." " Would you like more coffee, Mrs. Standon?" " Don't know if I would." "Katie..." "Did I tell you your brother moved away?" "I don't know where exactly." "I don't know if he told me." " Can I speak to you for a second?" " Yeah, sure." "Please, will you excuse us for a minute?" "Thank you." "So, I'm assuming- since nobody told me she was gonna be here today... it's not a very good idea to ask her any questions, right?" "I think that's probably a wise assessment." "I hope you can appreciate my sense of frustration." "We know so little about Katie's past." "And this woman's in a position to tell us so much." "The last time she talked, she wound up in jail." "Don't forget." "The court has decided that she's a victim, too." "Don't you wanna know why?" "I'm not even talking as a scientist, I'm talking as a human being." "I wanna know how another human being was subjected..." " to this kind of torture." " You just have to be patient." "Eventually, there'll be some answers." "There's been a suggestion... at the hospital's donated services to remove her cataracts." "Kind of a..." " Good will gesture." " That's right." "I still think it's vital that Katie continues to see her mother." "She's the only link to the past that child has got." "Doesn't it feel great to get out of the hospital for a while?" "Oh, my God." "What's wrong?" "She's masturbating." "Aw..." "Jesus." "I got it." " What you got there, Katie?" " Green." "Yes, that's green!" "This is green." "These are peas." " Peas." " Yeah!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" " Oh, my God!" " That's right, peas." " And that is corn." " Corn." " Hey... easy..." "Uh..." " Katie!" "Katie, come here!" "There's something I wanna show you!" "That man doesn't want to be bothered." " Bother?" " Bothered." "I'm sorry..." "Number at the toy store." "Katie's looking at these beach pails." " She just loves anything plastic." " Right." "So finally, Stan and I decided we're gonna buy her one." "And the cashier says to us:" ""Are you sure she wants another one?"" "We said: "What do you mean?" And she says..." ""Well, that woman who just left just bought her one. "" " Wow!" " Yeah, but that's not what's really interesting." "What's really interesting is that Stan and I were with her the whole time... and she never said one word to that woman, or to anyone else." " Did you pick the phone bill, by the way?" " I mean..." "I guess it's not that surprising." "She's been cut off from language, so naturally... she's developed this whole other way of communicating but... it's so fascinating... it's so fascinating to see the effect she has on people." "Right." "What are these?" " Eye." " That's great!" "And you have eyes, right?" "Where are your eyes?" "No, those are Miss Bingham's eyes." "Where are your eyes?" "Look at that." "It's just like she's blind." "Even the way she walks has a blindism to it." "It's like she's testing out the ground beneath her feet... 'cause she doesn't even trust her eyes." "Now, in Arctica, that's a gold mine for studying effects of social isolation." "I spent three whole summers there." "In fact, I even got a mountain named after me." "I think she's waking up." "Look at her." "She's scared to death!" " Can I go in there for a few minutes?" " Don't worry." "She'll be back... to sleep in no time." "Now, when you isolate somebody... you start to see the effects in as little as 15 minutes." "I imagine what this little girl has been through." "We're gonna find some pretty severe abnormalities." "Where do you think you're going?" "I'm just gonna go and say hello just so she knows I'm close by." "Sandra..." "Pepsi-generation." "Hey, Katie... hi." "No, no, you can't do that." "I know, it's so uncomfortable." "Oh, no." "No, sweetie, lie down." "No, it's okay." "How about I sing you a song, huh?" "Hush little baby, don't say a word... momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird." "And if that mockingbird don't sing... momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring." "It's good." "Sandra silly." "Now this is very interesting." "You see these spindles here?" "See how they all batch up together like that?" "That's generally a sign of retardation from birth." "So she said "Sandra silly", huh?" " Mm-hmm, that's what she said." " Amazing." "It's the first time she called me by name." "Or put two words together, for that matter." "Come here, Katie!" "Well, we all know there's been some progress but... that doesn't necessarily mean Lacey's wrong." "It doesn't mean he's right either." "It's just one study." "Lacey admitted himself, you find the exact same sleep spindles... in infant boys who've just been circumcised." "And then, don't forget..." "Katie started speaking at 16 months, which is not the case... with retarded children." " Katie, hey, Katie!" "Come here!" " Look, I'm not trying to be biased." "I'm prepared to follow the facts wherever they might lead." "No!" "Katie!" "Don't do that!" " Will you please call off your dog?" " Please!" " Pail." "My pail." " Yes, I know." "You like pails." "Pail." "Yes, I know." " Like bucket." " Yes, and you like buckets, too." "But, why is this one a pail and this one a bucket?" "They look the same to me." "Well, making more of our little research notes, I see?" "Katie, how would you like to spend the night at my house?" " I beg your pardon?" " Dr. Glazer said it was fine." "This child is not simply some tool of science, you know." "It's about time she spends some time in a normal home." "A norm-?" "Do I need to remind you of certain comments you've made?" "And Miss Bingham likes Katie, too." "Miss Bingham likes Katie more than anybody in the whole world." "Hello?" "Well, she's still asleep." "Sure, I can give her a message." "What, are you kidding me?" "Who is it, Rob?" "Katie is being quarantined over at Judy Bingham's house." "Judy's contracted rubella." "Katie's been staying over at her house, so, she's been exposed too." "We can not risk infecting the rest of the children at the hospital." "I don't believe it..." "I don't believe this!" "Well, I saw her with my own two eyes, she's definitely got something." "Yeah, she's got something alright." "She's got Katie." "Alright." "Let's just relax, okay?" "It's gonna be business as usual... only for the next few weeks it'll all take place at Judy's house." "Hi, Katie." "Could you open the door for me?" "The door." "Could you go around and open the door for me?" "The" "Yes!" "Th-The door." "No, sweetie..." "Hi!" "Yeah..." "Could you open the door?" "Open the door." "Sweetie, please." "Just open the door for me?" "I'm sorry, I was indisposed." "Come in." "Sandra wait!" "Oh, yeah, Sandra certainly did wait." " So, how are you feeling, Judy?" " Much better, thanks." "Wait, Katie." "You're certainly learning a lot of new words." "But it's "door" that's her favorite." "Every building she sees... she stops and points and says "door"." "The door!" "If it's alright with Miss Tannen, it's alright with me." "Let's go." "You can watch TV for a few more minutes, and then it's time to sleep." "I can't believe how well she's doing." "You've really got a gift, Judy." "Well, I guess I can empathise." "I was a very sickly child myself... and I always wanted kids of my own but..." "I guess it was just not meant to be." "Anyway..." "I suppose you've noticed that Katie is fond of, uh... touching herself, haven't you?" "Yeah, of course." "She's even done it in public a few times." " And you tried to stop her?" " Yeah, of course I have, but... you know Katie." " She's got a mind of her own." " Yes, but children are sponges and... they do what they're taught to do." "Well, not always, you know." "Linguisticly speaking, the seeds of language are there from birth." "The only way for a child not to develop language is to... to do what Katie's parents did, to isolate her completely." "And you think the sexual instinct works the same way?" "Well, it's not really my field of expertise, but even... even infants masturbate, right?" "Want sugar?" "Judy Bingham has accused me of molesting Katie." "I went over there yesterday, just to check things out... and Judy told me if I could take Katie out for a walk." "So, we get back to the house." "Katie's hair's in a mess you know, from the wind..." " Judy looks right at her..." " She's out of her mind." " She's completely out of her mind!" " I-I can't describe..." "I can't tell you how I felt." "I mean, a charge like that?" "You know if it goes public?" "I'm the last person in the world who would hurt her." "No one will believe her!" "You practically saved Katie." "Everyone in this hospital knows that." "You treated her like she was your own." "Oh, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." "By when I suit for slander, the charges will still stick." "Then, people will always wonder." "I really care about that little girl." "But, you know, I don't think I have any choice, except to... quit the team." "Katie, the door..." "The door?" "Oh, Katie, please." "Not again." "I'll be right back, Katie." "What's going on?" "I don't think it's a very good idea for you to see Katie today." "Your visits are tiring her." "Since when?" "Since when do you decide... who she sees or doesn't see?" "You're not her guardian." "Well, as a matter of fact, I've applied to become just that." "And until Social Services make their decision... she is to remain in my custody." "Judy, don't you realize what you're doing?" "You're cutting her off from the rest of the world." "It's like she's right back in the house she grew up in." "First, Stan York and then me." "Who's gonna be next, huh?" "Are you gonna go on holding her hostage for the rest of her life?" "How about this one?" "No?" "Okay." "Do you know what that is?" "And what about that?" "Like log." "Yes, yes!" "That's it!" "I didn't even know you knew what a log was!" "Okay, how about... this one?" " Am I disturbing anything?" " No, not at all." "I was just reviewing the same work I was doing over a month ago." "It's, uh, pretty much all I can do at this point." "You know, Beverly and I have been talking... about this whole situation and... well, we've... pretty much decided to apply as Katie's foster parents." "Oh, Norman." "That's the best news I've heard in weeks." "It's not a firm decision yet." "Katie, obviously, she's a handful and..." " we do have three children of our own." " Of course, of course." "In my rush I hadn't even given that any consideration." "And then, I've already taken over as Katie's therapist." "Beverly, with her background in child development will be of help... but I'm also researching on the case, so, to try to balance all of that is, uh..." "Yeah, I see, I see." "I see your dilemma." "But, I think it can be done." "So, if..." "Katie's social workers give us the go-ahead, then we're... we will all gonna give it a shot." "Katie!" "You forgot one." "I love you." "I don't know what to say." "Not now, you don't." "But believe me, this is not over yet." "You're depriving this child of the best home she's ever had." "Or ever will have!" "And I'm gonna make sure you all pay, if it's the last thing I ever do!" "... I tell you every morning." "Let's go!" " You forgot your lunch." "Katie... ?" "Katie!" "Katie, what are you doing?" "Stop that right this second!" "Katie, watch me, okay?" "Watch this." "I am so mad!" "Boy, I'm so mad I could just- you see?" "I'm so mad I can just throw a complete tantrum!" "You see me?" "I'm so mad!" "I'm so mad!" "I'm so mad!" "Harder!" "Good!" "Now say:" "I am mad!" "Katie say:" "I'm mad!" " Katie mad!" " Good." "Now jump up and down!" "I know this is helping Katie but... you may live to regret this one day." "Jump up and down!" "Good!" "Now say..." "I am very, very angry!" "I am very, very angry!" "Good!" "Run over here and slam the door." "Just slam the door!" "You might be right." "Car has "meer"." "The car has a mirror." " Katie, did you take my hairbrush?" " Can this wait till later?" "I'm sorry but she's been appropriating too many of my things... and frankly, my patience is running a little thin!" "Uh, I'd better talk to her." " So, what should we do now?" " Want Sandra play piano." "Oh, it's concert time, is it?" "Alright." "Alright." "What do you wanna hear me play?" "I'm trying really hard." "I really am... but sometimes, I don't think you guys realize I have problems too..." "Oh, come on." "Of course, we do." "Oh!" "We have a request for Chopin." "Let me find something I know." "Welcome." "Hi, there." "So, I..." "I believe this is the first time... you've ever actually seen me in person, is it?" "You're a lot shorter than I thought you'd be." "It's so nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Standon." "Louise." "Katie, momma's here!" "So, would you like something to drink?" "I don't think that I would." "Thank you." "Lunch is almost ready." "I made something special." "I hope you like it." "Here she is." "Here's Katie." "Happy" " Katie happy momma see." "What have you done to her to make her walk so peculiar?" " So, uh, I hear you're from Oklahoma." " I used to be." " Have you ever seen a tornado?" " Once." "I actually did a paper for school on tornados." "I found it's interesting." "They actually hit Los Angeles a couple of times." "I don't believe that." "Well, think about it." "You got warm air coming up from Baja... cold air coming down from Sierra Nevadas, so it's... the interaction of those two fronts, they cause a tornado." "Jonathan's got the family aptitude for science." "I beg your pardon?" "Katie." "What are you supposed to do before you reach for something at the table?" "You're supposed to ask, right?" "Now say:" "May I have the applesauce please?" "Come on, Katie." "Come on." "You can do that." "Don't torture the child." "If she doesn't wanna say anything... she doesn't have to." "I mean, she could have at least acknowledged the operation." "It's not like we arranged it like some form of blackmail." "I think she must be... overwhelmed." "Personally, I don't know how well I would take it... if I arrived at a complete stranger's house... and then I saw this complete stranger... acting as a surragate mother to my child." "I guess she must feel pretty powerless." "Good morning, Katie." "Get up." "It's time for breakfast." "Well, it's finally happened." " What's finally happened?" " What we've been waiting for." "Hi, Katie." "Hi." "I know Beverly already tried to explain this to you." "You really don't have anything to be afraid of." "What happened to you happens to every woman." "It happens to me, to Beverly." "It just means you're becoming a big girl, that's what it means." "I think she'll be alright." "God, she's just finished toilet training." "She's already menstruating." "Well, there is a silver lining to all this." "The critical period's over." "Anything Katie learns from now on is over the line." "So, we're gonna finally find out if the Lenneberg theory is correct." "It's not a theory, it's a hypothesis." "Katie's gonna prove it wrong." "You just watch." "Alright." "Quiet now, people!" "I have an announcement." "We have a new student who's going to be joining us today." "Now, she's a little bit older than the rest of you... but, she's never been to school before." "So..." "I want you all to be specially nice to her." " Do I make myself clear?" " Yes, Miss Brill." "Class, this is Katie Standon." "And what do we say to Katie?" "Hi, Katie." "Alright, dear." "You can sit down wherever you like." "Sit here!" "Now, Katie, this is Kurt." "He's already been told where to drop you off, so don't worry." "It must've taken two whole minutes till we finally got her loose." "How did the bus driver take it?" "He was great, he was great!" "He's a really nice guy." " Did I mention he's gorgeous?" " Several times." "I told Katie if I were unattached I'd go for him in a heartbeat." " Well, you're not." " I'm sorry." "God, I know, I'm with Katie so much." "Oh, she can be such a tease!" "She's got this really playful side that..." "You'll see one day." "She's got this amazing capacity to catch you up in whatever mood she's in." "It's magical." "Yap." "She's just magical, right?" "Hey... there's something wrong?" "Ever since you started working with Katie, I've heard so much about her." "That's pretty much all you can talk about." " So, I'm boring you." " No, but- you keep building her up." "You keep saying I'm gonna meet her one day, so I'm just" "I really don't wanna be disappointed, you know?" "I mean, nobody can be that great." "Fine... fine." "From now on, my lips are sealed." "Where is "May I have 10 cents"?" "Does that sound like a question, Katie?" "Question." "Ok, I want you to just try again." "This time, try very hard." "Oh, Geez, I-I am so sorry." "I was at the hospital and..." "Ah, Norman, this is Eleanor..." "sorry, I don't remember..." " Schultz." " How do you do?" " And this is Dr. Richard Tennison." " Hello." " We are from the National..." " Institute of Mental Health, yes." "Beverly called me and told me you were- you know, actually- pardon me..." "I assumed that we were gonna be seeing each other at my office." "This is the place where most of the work takes place, isn't it?" "Katie!" "You know better than that!" "Beverly doesn't like it when you spit on the floor." "Toy go coal mine?" "Ah, coal mine is in the basement." "You see, sometimes we appropriate some of Katie's toys as a... kind of a disciplinary, uh..." "Why don't I just show you around?" "The spoon goes here, Katie." "I showed them all the videotape I shot." "For almost an hour, they sit there looking at it... and now all they can say is:" ""So where is your research"?" "I just showed them my damned research!" "And they started on how it's not all perfectly catalogued." "Well, that's what they're paying for, isn't it?" "Of course it is." "But it's not fair for them to drop by and expect..." " everything to be just perf" " Mom, we need you in here!" "God, here we go again." "Norm, you don't think we're in any danger of losing the grant, do you?" "Of course not." "They know how important this is." "I just..." "I just need to clarify my part of the research." "Good morning, Katie!" "What's that?" "Kurt loves Katie." "Miss Brill, Miss Brill!" "Katie's drawing dirty pictures." "Katie!" "Why did you do that?" "Very very angry!" "Katie, what's wrong, huh?" "I'm not gonna hurt you." "You know that." "Tell me what's bothering you?" "Come on, put it into words." "I never did get out to the beach much." "Wes would never take me." "He was a cruel man, wasn't he?" "Katie said something the other day." "She said, and these are her exact words:" ""Father hit big stick. "" "Do you have any idea what that might mean?" "Well, Wes didn't like noise." "That's why he didn't want children." "And Katie, well, sometimes..." "She'd make noise." "And Wes he kept a... a big stick in the corner of the room for when she acted up." " So, how often did he beat her?" " Not all that much." "He had a few other ways of keeping her quiet." " Like... ?" " He'd growl." " What?" " He'd growl." "Like a dog." " And that kept her quiet?" " I imagine so." "Otherwise... he wouldn't have kept on doing it." "Those people Katie lives with, the Glazers?" "They don't care for me much, do they?" "I wouldn't say that." "Then why they won't let me see Katie at their house?" "Why do you have to drive Katie all the way out here... just so I can spend some time with her?" "Well, I think the Glazers... they're concerned that you might not feel comfortable... seeing Katie with... well, you know, foster parents." "It's not that they don't like you." "They're just trying to be considerate." "Come on, Katie." "Ask me a question." "I don't care what it is, just ask me something." " Dark." " Yes, it is dark." "It's late." "Just ask me a question, it will be all through." "Where Kurt come Thursday?" "So, what you really want to ask me is:" ""Where will Kurt pick me up on Thursday?"." "Right?" "Dark." "Alright." "Let's call it a day." "Remember when I told you I had a friend I wanted you to meet?" "The one named Rob." "Remember?" "Well, he's finally made it over." "Come on." "Get up." "Rob, this is Katie." "Katie, this is Rob." "Hi, Katie." "Katie!" "Where are you going?" " It's very pretty, Katie." " She made it all by herself." " You did?" " I sew dress." "Beverly taught her how to operate the sewing machine." "Rob want Graham cracker?" "I think she's inviting you for a snack." "Ask him again." "But this time, put it in a question." "I where is cracker?" "I'd be honoured to share a Graham cracker with you." " What are you doing?" " Go back to bed, Rob." " Can that wait until morning?" " Rob, please, go back to bed." "She's leveled off." "I don't think she's making any true progress at all." "I mean, the vocabulary is there... but it's not at the normal level that you'd find in a... in the average child just entering kindergarden." "Even with the words she has learned... she can't construct a grammatical sentence in English." "Or anything beyond the rudimentary." ""I like sewing"." "In Katie's case, it could just as easily be "Sewing like I. "" "Even when she is being grammatical, it's not..." "Not on purpose." "Yeah, I see your point." "You know, what really amazes me is how effective she is when... when she is not relying on speech." "She always manages to find some way to make herself understood, Norm." "And she is so good with her hands." "Maybe we can find a way to combine the two." "Okay, let's try that again." "Ready?" "I-will-see..." "No, like that." "Two fingers." "see-the-dentist-tomorrow." "Do it again?" "One more time?" "I-will-see... the-dentist-tomorrow." "Very good, very good!" "Hey, say something to Sandra." "Anything you wanna say." "Katie loves Sandra." "Sandra loves Katie too." "Mom." "Hey!" "When did you get home?" "They've discontinued the grant." "What?" "The National Institute of Mental Health." "They dropped it." "I kept telling Norm to organise his research better." "And he kept telling me "Oh, everything's fine. "" "So where does that leave Katie?" "The Glazers have already made new arrangements." "You believe this?" "They've already found new accommodations." "New accommodations where?" "I fixed up your room." "You wanna go see it?" "Go ahead, Katie." "It's brandnew." "They just delivered it this morning." "He's gone already, huh?" "Why don't I fix us something to eat?" "I think when you actually see the institution you'll agree... that Katie couldn't find better care anywhere." " Well, hello there." " Hi." " Uh, Mrs. Dure, this is, uh..." " Duryea." "Duryea, this is Sandra Tannen." "She used to work with Katie." "Actually, I think I'm gonna have the chance to work with her again." "It looks like the National Science Foundation's gonna approve... my grant proposal." "Really?" "Do you know Peter Chang?" "He is at the N. S. F." "No, I-doesn't ring a bell." "Well, I'd better run." "Give me a call tomorrow, Louise." "I'm gonna try to set up a meeting..." " to get together and see the place." " Fine." "And... it was nice meeting you." "Nice woman." "I didn't quite get what she does." "Hi, Katie!" "How are you?" "Oh, yes, I know." "You miss Beverly." "I'm sure she misses you too." "Wow, look at that." "That is just the best picture anybody's ever made of me." "Know what?" "Why don't you make another picture, of Rob?" "So I can take it home and show him what a great artist you are." "Louise..." "Louise, I hope you aren't considering placing Katie in some institution?" "I can't see that I have much choice." "She spits all over my nice, clean floors... she stamps her feet and slams the doors." "And she rubs her hands all over her private parts." "She never used to do such things." "She wasn't able to." "Oh, God." "I thought I could take care of her again." "Katie's got a lot of problems." "I didn't realize the kinds of problems she's got." "You know what I would do if I were in your place, Louise?" "I would call the Department of Social Services..." "I would ask them to place Katie in a foster home." "You know, some- a nice couple whose kids have left home or... maybe the kids are old enough to help out." "I would hate to see her end up in an institution, Louise." "It is... too cold an environment for someone like Katie." "She needs love." "She needs a family." "Let's bow our heads in prayer." "Katie." "What did I just say?" "Head pray?" "Thank you, Colleen." "Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for these blessings... that You have bestowed upon us." "We pray that You guide our actions as we perform Your work." "Jill!" "You know you aren't supposed to use sign language." "If you've something to say, just say it." "We can't understand you when you talk with your hands." "That goes for you too, Katie." "My brother got killed in Vietnam." "He stepped on a bomb and he got blown up." "Blow uh?" "Katie, I told you." "You can't wear jewelry to church." "Now, give me the neckless." "Don't fool around now, Katie." "Come on." " You'll make us all late." " Very, very angry!" "That will be quite enough of that, young lady!" " So where's the girl?" " Oh, she moved." "She's doing well, I hope." "Yeah." "She's doing really- really well." "Thanks." "Well." "If it isn't the famous linguist herself!" "And you are becoming quite famous, you know." "Hello, Judy." "I read your little article that you got published." "What was it called?" "Oh, yes." ""Linguistic Development in the Modern Day Wild-Child"." "Catchy title." "But... a little insulting to Katie." "Don't you think?" "I mean... saying that Katie couldn't form- what was it?" "grammatical questions." "That's a lie!" "Maybe she never did when she was with you, but when she was living with me... she asked grammatical questions all the time!" "And saying that her father hit her for vocalizing?" "What editors do you have, to make a remark of that kind?" "!" "That's not science!" "That's conjecture!" "Would you like me to cut a banana to put on your cereal?" "No banana." "Colleen, pass me the sugar?" "I-I-I'll take her to the bathroom." "Wait a minute." "I'll get something to clean this up." "Oh, my God." "And furthermore, I told her she could no longer have... any visits from her mother." "Why?" "Because she looks forward to them." "The only way to impress a child... is to deprive it of something that it values." "Mrs. Manning, didn't the DSS tell you... that this girl has an extremely unusual background?" "We have two other foster children with equally unusual backgrounds." "They don't go around eating their own vomit." "It's the act of an animal." "Tell me more about Kurt, Katie." "I wanna hear more about Kurt." "Hi, Katie." "I heard about your accident." "Do you wanna tell me about it?" "You're keeping your mouth shut because you're afraid you'd vomit, right?" "Is that what you're doing?" "Then why don't you use sign language?" "Mr. Manning doesn't want us to use sign language." " Mr. Manning says" " Mr. Manning can go to hell!" "Colleen?" "Uh, don't tell Mr. Manning that I said that." "I don't want him to take it out on Katie." "I-I promise." "Talk to me." "Katie, please." "Talk to me." "If you'd just see her for yourself, Norm, you'd understand why I'm" "But all I'm asking is for you to just take her back... to Children's Hospital." "This house is the worst placement you could possibly" "We'll figure that out later." "First, we've got to... get her out of that house." "I'm not exaggerating in the slightest." "This is a real crisis." "It's" "Okay." "Okay, okay..." "Thank you, Norm." "Thank you." " He's going to help?" " Yeah..." "He's gonna help." "Good morning, Miss Tannen." "Good morning." "Please, Katie, you've got to eat." "Katie, you've got to eat." "If you don't eat, you'll get sick." "Katie, come on!" "Open." "Open, open." "You're okay." "You're okay." "Open." "Good." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." " Can I help you?" " Yes." "I would like to speak... to the social worker who's handling the Standon case." " Standon?" " Yeah." "Katie Standon." "If you would just pay her a visit, I'm sure you would see... that she's got to be relocated immediately." "It's awful there." "She won't eat, she won't speak." "It seems like she's the problem, not the foster parents." "Do you know even the slightest thing about her background?" "We are talking about a very unique child, here." "They're all unique." "You see all these files on my desk?" "There's a child that goes with each one of them." "One's lost his parents in a fire, another's been molested since infancy." "And I empathise, with each and everyone of them." "I do." "But if you would just, just make an effort to familiarize yourself... with the history of this particular child..." "I think you would see that she's in a class of her own." "Oh." "So we're interested in class distinctions, are we?" "So, you're not married to Miss Tannen?" "We're talking about it." "Thank you." "And you're already living together." "Yap, we're living in sin." "Katie." "Katie, don't you wanna see Rob?" "Oh, he's dying to see you." "Katie's been hurting herself." "Sh-she does this all the time." "At night, she lies there doing it... t-till the blood comes out." "Katie, let me see." "Katie, show me." "Where?" "Aw..." "Aw, oh..." "Five minutes." "It's all I'm asking for." "Five minutes of your time." "I know it was hard on you." "I know you and Beverly had to sacrifice a great deal... having Katie come and live here with you." "Maybe you don't think I can appreciate the extent of those sacrifices." "But in my own limited way, I think I can." "So I can understand why you don't wanna get involved again." "And I wouldn't be asking you, if I could think of anything else to do." "If I were Sandra Tannen MD PHD LCSW..." "I could walk into that house and take her straight to the hospital." "But I don't have all those letters by my name, Norm." "I'm not asking you to move her back in again." "I just want you to help me stop her from destroying herself." "If you could just see the extent of the damage!" "Please, help her, Norm." "I'm begging you." "Nobody else'll do it." "Nobody else." "It's just me." "It's just me, it's okay." "The second I heard she was living in an abusive home, I didn't even blink." "I got in my car, went over there and an hour later..." " I checked her into the hospital." " Well, hooray for you." "Oh!" "Amanda, this is Sandra Tannen." "Sandra, this is Amanda Black... from the DSS." "She's gonna be taking over Katie's case." "Nice to meet you." "I understand you were concerned... about the other two girls living with the Mannings." "And you'll be happy to know their cases are under review." "I'd be happier knowing that they're both outta there." "Well, these things take time." "But, it will be relatively easy to find new placements for those two." "Katie... well, I'm sure you know that's a bit more problematic." "We've got to make sure the situation doesn't reoccur." "Yeah, I'm all for that." "You know, I don't know how you'll take to this suggestion, but... how'd you like to have Katie come live with you?" "With me?" "From what I understand, you two have a good relationship... you've known each other fairly long time." "You obviously have a good understanding of Katie's needs." "In fact, we'll probably never find anyone else who... understands her nearly so well." "It-it's just that..." "She's very demanding, I know, I know." "I realize that." "It's not just her." "It's us." "And it's you." "How would you ever find time to finish school... if you have to look after Katie?" "You know, I've thought about all that." "From every practical standpoint, this is the worst idea I've ever heard." "But you can't help thinking about it." "I'm sorry." "I must have the wrong room." " She was moved to another location." " You mean another hospital?" " I honestly don't know." " What do you mean you don't know?" "She was moved this morning to another location." "That's all the information I have." "Who moved her?" "Somebody had to authorize it." "As a matter of fact, she was accompanied by her mother." "She's not here." " Do you mind if I ask where she is?" " In a place of my own choosing." "And don't give me any of your nonsense about what's good for Katie!" "You don't know what's good for Katie!" "You never did!" "Louise, please." "I have driven all the way out here." "Could I please... please just come in and speak to you, for just a few minutes." "Louise, please." "The way you haunted that child." "Don't say it like this, Katie." "Say it like that." "And giving her all those tests?" "That's why she couldn't get along with the Mannings." "You pushed her to a point where she didn't know which end was up anymore." "Louise, that's not true." "Katie loved the work that we did." "There were days when even I didn't want to work and she would make me do it." "That's the way you trained her." "She was never a person to you." "She was just some little scientific project." "No." "No." "I needed her in my life." "From the first moment that I laid eyes on her." "Well, you won't be laying eyes on her anymore." "If I find you anywhere near Katie, I'm gonna call my lawyer." "And that goes for the Glazers... and Dr. York and anybody else from Children's Hospital." "She is my daughter." "I'll decide what's done with her." "She's gonna think that I abandoned her." "Could I please say good-bye?" "No good-byes... no... nothing." "Just go back where you came from and stay there." "Louise... there's something I wanted to ask you from the very beginning... but I never felt that I should." "Why?" "Why did your husband isolate Katie?" "I can't tell you that." "You can't or you won't?" "How can I tell you something I don't understand myself?" "Nobody understood Wes." "Except maybe his mother." "This was her house." "When Katie was a baby, we would spend about as much time here... as we would at our place." "She was like somebody out of the old West." "She used to run a house of ill repute." "Even in her old day, she still packed a pistol." "Oh, Wes, he was just wild about her." "I think he cared more about her than he ever did me." " She sounds like quite a character." " Oh, she was." "Wes was never the same after she died." "It happened right outside this door." "She was walking out, to get an ice-cream... when this car comes running right upon her." "Killed instantly, just like that." "And I swear, she wasn't in the ground more than a week... then Wes moved us all in here." "Her bedroom, Wes wanted to keep it just the way it was... when she was alive." "So, we all had to sleep in the living-room." "Oh, everybody but Katie." "She had the room in the back." "It was almost like Wes was giving her something special." "It sounds like he... like he projected his feelings for his mother onto Katie." " I beg your pardon?" " I-I didn't mean to" "Go on." "Well, one day I took Katie to the doctor." "She was sick a lot from the day she was born." "And this doctor said it looked to him like she was retarded." "Well, that was it as far as Wes was concerned." "He said if those doctors got ahold of her, we'd never get her back." "He said she'd probably wouldn't live to the age of 3, anyway." "But she just kept getting older... and I was already starting to go blind, so Wes... he was the one taking care of her." "I knew she needed help... but Wes..." "He was always walking around with that pistol his mother left him." "The one he used to kill himself with." "It happened right here in this room." "Sometimes in the middle of the night..." "I'd hear the floor settle... and I could swear it was Wes... walking around with that pistol in his belt." "He was trying to protect her... like she was a princess locked away in a tower." "Wes never did trust doctors and... and in that regard, I come around to his way of thinking." "Hello, Miss Tannen." "So, how long has this been going on?" "From the moment that I read that article of yours." "I thought Katie's mother should know the kind of people she's dealing with." "But believe me, I didn't have to say much." "My objections found very simpathetic ears." "There was nothing wrong with that article!" "You were just looking for an excuse!" "You didn't care what it was, just as long as it helped you get Katie back!" "And thanks to you I never will." "Poisoning the DSS against me?" "Well, who's sorry now?" "Hello..." "Even after all this time..." "I continue to hope that somehow... someway I'll get to see Katie again." "When I think about that possibility, which is every single day..." "I always wonder what I'd say to her." "I know I'd apologize, for leaving the way I did." "It wasn't my choice, but I'd apologize just the same... just so she'd know it wasn't her fault." "And then I'd ask her all about her life, I'd ask who she sees, what she does... and whether or not she's happy." "And obviously, I hope she'd tell me yes." "Even if she did, I'd still wish there was some way..." "I could give her back all the things she lost." "But, I know that isn't possible." "All I can do is concentrate on those things that are under my control." "And that goes for each and everyone of us." "Hush little baby, don't say a word... momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird." "And if that mockingbird don't sing... momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring." "And if that diamond ring turns brass... momma's gonna buy you a looking glass." "And if that looking glass gets broke... momma's gonna buy you a billy goat." "And if that billy goat won't pull... momma's gonna buy you a cart and bull." "And if that cart and bull turn over... momma's gonna buy you a dog named Rover." "And if that dog named Rover won't bark... momma's gonna buy you a horse and cart." "And if that horse and cart fall down..." "You'd still be the sweetest little baby in town." "Subtitles:" "Lady80s :)"