"(BIRDSONG)" "(GENTLE MUSIC)" "(SIGHS)" "(CLINKING)" "(WATER RUNS)" "(METAL CLANKS)" "(GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES)" "(METAL SQUEAKS)" "(BIRDSONG)" "(LOUD WHIRRING)" " (WHIRRING CONTINUES) - (CYMBAL CLANGS)" "(CYMBAL CLANGS)" "Hi, Dad." "Dad!" " (WHIRRING STOPS) - (WOMAN LAUGHS)" "Why didn't you answer the phone?" " Oh." "Hello, darling." " Hello." "What are you doing here?" " How much?" " (LAUGHS)" "Oh, rich people think they can buy anything." "Yeah, they can." "This is a compulsory check-up." "I've been...instructed by party headquarters." "(CLOCK CHIMES)" "MAN:" "And that's how it all started." "Poppy didn't think another Panadol would be sufficient, and so she organised my old friend Dr James to check me out." "Come on, darling." "Let's have a cup of tea." "James insisted I go to the hospital." "And I remember thinking, "This is foolish." ""I shouldn't listen to him." "I have things to do."" "(DOOR OPENS)" "We found a few small spots on your liver." "Nothing serious, but, um." "we would like you to stay in overnight." "We want to repeat a scan, a few more tests." "How do you feel?" " What about my gall bladder?" " Your gall bladder's fine." " (WHISPERS)" " Um..." "But it is better to be safe." "Stupid question - "How do you feel?"" "I was left in the Emergency Ward for the night with the raw sound of the wounded and the sick in this huge factory of human misery." "(SOBBING)" "The whole human catastrophe flowed past me that night." "What a murky show." " How is it my fault?" "!" " You don't love me!" " What?" "!" "Jesus Christ!" " Fuck off!" "I'm here with you now, aren't I?" "What else do I have to fucking do?" "!" " Hey!" " Oh!" "Jesus!" " Stop it!" "Stop screaming." " What are youse looking at?" "(WOMAN CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)" "(DOOR BANGS)" "(WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" "(WOMAN SCREAMS)" "(DARK MUSIC)" "(BIRDS CRY)" "(TRAIN RATTLES)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "(BIRD CRIES)" "(DARK MUSIC CONTINUES)" "(TRAIN RATTLES)" " Where are we going?" " Down to level two." " And what happens there?" " I don't know, mate." "I just work here." "(CHIMES PLAY OVER P.A.)" " You going to the meeting?" " I'm not a member." "I don't have time for all the silly meetings." "Some small spots on my liver." "Nothing serious." "What small spots?" "In another journey through hospital corridors, into space, into big black holes, inner space and outer space." "Probably the same." "(GRIM MUSIC)" "(WHOOSHING)" "(TRAIN RATTLES)" "(BIRDSONG)" "MAN:" "What's Hannah doing here?" " MAN:" "I'll give you a ring." " WOMAN:" "I'll come with you." "It's fine." " I'll give you a ring." " Dad!" "Hannah, what are you doing here?" "Well, I thought I could...help." "Han, you weren't invited." "I'm sorry." "I..." "OK, what if I broke into your place?" "Well, you did once." "You almost smashed down the door." " Yeah, I didn't have the key." " Come on." "Tell me the verdict." " How you feel." " Please don't ask me how I feel." " I feel fine." " Well, what did they say?" "Do you want me to talk to someone?" "Why didn't Poppy come in?" "When are you due back at the hospital?" " Are you alright?" " Why did you come?" "Well, Poppy called, and I..." "I..." "Oh, please, Robert, just tell me what they said at the hospital." "I'm still your wife." "We're still married." "And I..." "I want to...help." "Well, everything's fine." "They, um..." "They get some more news next week." "And, uh, I've nearly finished my sculpture." "And, um..." "I know." "I saw it at the studio." "It's beautiful." " (DOOR OPENS) - (WATER GURGLES)" "What are you doing?" "I'm getting some dinner." "I don't want you to be on your own." "Come on, Robert." "We decided that we'd be friends." "And friends look after each other." " Remember?" " Yeah." "Yeah, of course." "(SIGHS)" "I still miss living with you." "(HANNAH LAUGHS)" "And sleeping with you." "And just feeling secure beside you." "Hannah..." "Hannah, you said you were happy on your own only last month." " HANNAH:" "Shhh." " (RAIN PATTERS)" "(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC)" "(CHILD'S VOICE ECHOES)" "(PHONE RINGS)" " (PHONE BEEPS)" " Hello." "POPPY:" "Hi, Dad." "How are you?" "Ah, Poppy, my darling." "I'm fine." "I'm tiptop." "What time are you going into hospital?" "I'm not going INTO hospital." "It's an appointment." "not an incarceration." " I'll see you there at 10:00." " No." "I'm coming to pick you up." "Poppy, I'm not sick." "I know how to drive a car." "I'm on my way." "(HANGS UP)" "(PHONE BEEPS)" "Information." "It's that way." " Here." "Go get yourself a coffee." " Do you want anything?" " No, I'll be OK." " No?" "(CHIMES PLAY OVER P.A.)" "(INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT OVER P.A.)" "(CHILD SCREAMS)" "(CHILD CRIES)" "(INDISTINCT CHATTER)" "(GRIM MUSIC)" "Even if it is cancer, cancer's not what it used to be." "Enormous advances have been made." "We could probably burn the spots..." "The first visits were quite encouraging." "But the small spots on my liver have become small scars." "The new doctor thought the scarring of the liver could be cancerous." "but I needn't worry too much." " It's possible to operate." " He never looked at me." "Oh, that worried me." "I was quietly confused." "I certainly didn't believe the cancer scare." "What do you think?" "It's interesting." "It's a little bit crazy." "WOMAN:" "She brought this in." "Her 'City of Hope'." "For our group show." "I don't know." "What do you think?" " ROBERT:" "Who is she?" " WOMAN:" "She's out the back." "Come and meet her." "She works at the aquarium on some exchange program." "No, thanks." "I've got to get back home." "WOMAN:" "Robert, this is Maya." " Hello." " ROBERT:" "Hi." "I recognise you from your sculpture." "How is that possible?" "WOMAN:" "You must invite her to your studio, Robert." "She's a big fan." "Any time." "Just..." "Yeah." "Just give me a call." "MAYA:" "Thank you." " Would you excuse me, please?" " Sure." "You've moved back into the house, I hear." "Uh, you've heard correctly." "No, I've always lived there." "It's close to the studio." "It's, um..." "Yeah, it's better than living in the city." " And Hannah?" " Oh!" "She got the city apartment." "of course." "You're a little out of touch." "This is old news." "Well, it's news to me." "Consider it sold." "The Palmers want it but complain about the price." " ROBERT:" "Perhaps it is too much." " WOMAN:" "No, it isn't." "(TAPPING)" "(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC)" "(TAPPING FADES)" "(PHONE RINGS)" "Yeah." "ELDERLY MAN:" "How do you feel?" "ROBERT:" "Oh." "Who told you?" "Hannah of course." "Oh." "Oh, did she?" "Are you able to drive?" "Dad, I'm not an invalid." "I'll see you next week." "Well, we can come and see you any time." "No." "No, I'll be there. 'Bye." "MAN:" "Now, you see where the lesions are, it's...it's actually quite difficult to operate there." "But...we don't think the cancer has spread." "That's very fortunate." "That's great news." " So it's official?" " What do you mean?" " That I do have liver cancer?" " Well..." "That's what we think it is." "But that's...that's not the end of the road, you know." "As you know, cancer's..." "cancer's not what it used to be." "So, um, what we're recommending is we introduce chemo directly into the lesions in the liver." "It's...it's a very simple operation." " But it'll buy us time." " But a chemo operation?" "It's not even an operation." "It's a very basic procedure." "We go up through the groin." "up the main artery to the liver." "Now, if that all goes well." "and your lungs are clear, you've got a very good chance of getting on the transplant list." "So...my liver didn't have small scars." "These are big cancerous lesions." "Difficult to operate." "The liver transplant list?" "Buy me time." "What time?" "Whose time?" "Oh, this isn't happening." "What, have you..." "have you really turned gay or are you just trying to cheer me up?" "Maybe I was joking." "I don't know." "Are you still seeing that woman?" "Huh?" "What woman?" "That's what you called her." ""That woman"." "(CHUCKLES) No." "She wasn't my type." "Look, your mother wanted to come over, but I told her not to." "I, uh..." "I wanted to talk to you first." "I, um..." "I saw a different doctor today, a surgeon, and, um, he's confirmed I've got cancer of the liver and, uh, that I'll have to have chemo treatment." "Uh, the, uh..." "The, uh..." "The liver's in bad shape." "But. you know. if I...if I get on the transplant list..." " A transplant?" " Yeah." "What sort of transplant?" "Well, a liver transplant." "No!" "Yeah." " I don't believe this." " No, neither do I." "What did James say?" "Well, I haven't told him yet." "(TAPS KEY)" "(CLICKS MOUSE)" "(WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ON VIDEO)" "(MAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ON VIDEO)" "MAN 2:" "Welcome to Dr Kumar's Centre of Excellence." "Our clinic offers a full range of services in regards to organ transplantations." "Heart, kidney, lungs, liver and all tissue transplants." "You name it and we can do it." "And we do it so well." "Our clinic is like a luxury hotel." "Five golden stars." "We are fully equipped to save your life and offer you a new future." "(TAPPING)" "(CYMBAL CLANGS)" "(TAPPING STOPS)" " Oh." " You left the door wide open." " Hello." " Ah." "How are you'?" "Um..." "Do you mind if I have a look around?" " I'm..." "I'll be very quiet." " Yeah." "Come through here." " (CLOCK CHIMES)" " There are some pieces in here." "MAYA:" "Oh!" "Wow." "Thanks." "When will it be ready?" "Well, it is ready." " I'm sorry to hear the news." " What news?" " Yeah?" "Who told you?" " ls there anything I can do?" "I'm here, Robert." "You know that." " (PHONE RINGS)" " Oh!" "Sorry." "WOMAN:" "Hello." "What's..." "What's the problem?" " (BIRDS SQUAWK) - (DOOR BANGS)" "(BIRDSONG)" "I always wanted to be an artist, but, no, that wasn't possible." "No, I'm..." "I'm a biologist." "A marine biologist." "I..." "I work at the aquarium till the end of the year." "And, uh, then..." "then I head home." "And...and where is home?" "Well, um..." "My family is from the north of India." "But I, um..." "We live in Thiruvananthapuram." "What..." "What, you mean Trivandrum?" "No." "Thiruvananthapuram." "Oh, come on." "No-one outside India could pronounce that." "You just need to practise it." "I mean, people back home also have trouble saying it." "It's...'Thiru-vanantha-puram'." " (DOOR CREAKS AND BANGS)" " I'll work on it." "WOMAN:" "Ooh, ooh!" "Terribly sorry." "Have to get back." "Nobody ever listens." "We'll talk later." "Please look after Maya." "You'll have to take her to the station." "Is that alright?" "Do you mind?" "I must fly." "Mwah ." "I'll ring you." "(WOMAN'S PHONE RINGS)" "WOMAN:" "Hello. (SIGHS)" " (CYMBAL CLANGS)" " Hm." " (DOOR BANGS)" " Well, um..." "Miriam says she's one of your best friends." "(LAUGHS) Well, that's the rumour." "No, uh...no." "Miriam sells my work, but, uh, she knows very little about it." " (HORN HONKS)" " No, she's got a good heart." "But, uh..." "I don't think she really understands..." "Do you understand your work?" "No, no, I don't, really." "That's...that's good." "It's always good not to understand what you do." "And, uh, did Miriam also tell you I have cancer?" "(TRAIN RUMBLES)" "No." "No, she didn't." "Um, I'm sorry to hear that." "My...my uncle also has cancer." "What sort does he have?" "Stomach." "He's had a few operations." "Um..." "He's fine." "He's...he's old." "He's an old man." " Oh, so am I. - (LAUGHS)" "That's what you say but not what you think." " Can I touch?" " Yeah. go ahead." "All my work's made to be touched." "You can open it if you like." "MAYA:" "I like your work very much." "ROBERT:" "Thank you." "Look, uh, Miriam's, uh, introduced you twice." "I'm sorry." "I still didn't get your name." "Oh." "I have two names." "You can call me Maya or Mata." "Yeah, and what's the difference?" "Well, 'Mata' means 'the seeing eye' and...'Maya' means 'illusion'." "But illusion is more realistic." "don't you think?" "(LAUGHS) Yes, realistic." "Yes, it is." "'Thiru-vanantha-puram'." "(LAUGHS) Yeah." "That's...that's much better." "That's a good boy." "Come on." "(DOG BARKS)" "Robert." "So glad you came." " How are you, Dad'?" " No, I'm fine, fine." "Yeah, yeah, living it up." " Good to see you." " You too." "Right." "Come on." "Louise is teaching me what to look for." "I'm teaching him HOW to look." "We stargaze together." "(HORN HONKS)" "Um..." "A friend of mine is a surgeon at your hospital." "I'm having lunch with him tomorrow." "Oh, well, I'm starting, uh starting chemotherapy next week, Dad." "If I'm going to stop the rot for a while." "I should be in with a chance." "Is there, um... ls there anything at all I can do?" "You will get on the transplant list." "I'm sure of that." "Even if I get on the list, unfortunately, there's just...there's just not enough donors around." "Hannah says you're gonna need someone to look after you." " (LAUGHS)" " Now, she said she would." "Look, Robert, I know it's none of my business." "But she cares - she's family." " I can look after myself, Dad." " Family is important now." "Yeah." "I'm not an invalid." "Yet." "(CICADAS CHIRP)" "He can't say what he feels." "He was always like that - reticent, enigmatic, distant." "He never said how he met Louise." "Where did he meet her?" "(DARK MUSIC)" "Never tells the full story." "Never told me my mother was dying." "She just died, my mother." "My own mother." "I've always missed her." "Nobody knows anything." "Oh, nothing matters now." "I've got cancer, cancer of the liver, they say." "I'll die soon." "No, no, I'm not gonna die." "I must finish my sculpture." "That's important." "Maya." "She follows me." "She's always in my mind." "Who is she?" "Oh!" "What is this?" "(MUTTERS)" "(WHOOSHING)" "The, uh..." "Where?" "It was, um..." "I can't..." " Are you alright?" " I can't." "I'm fine, thank you." "Oh..." "I can't." "I can't then." "Oh, yes." "Oh..." "I'll get you something to help you sleep." "No, I'm fine, thank you." "Oh... (WHOOSHING)" "(ETHEREAL MUSIC)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "I came yesterday." "but you were asleep." "Uh-huh." "I wasn't asleep." "I was hallucinating." "How did you know where I was?" "Oh, I checked with the authorities." "They told me you were doing fine." "Oh, don't believe the authorities." "JAMES:" "They'll let you go tomorrow." "Then they'll repeat the procedure in a couple of weeks." "(THUNDER RUMBLES)" "I went to the gallery." "Miriam tells me that you charmed the shell lady." " Oh, nonsense." " She's very beautiful, I hear." " Oh, please, James." " Hey?" "Please." " Oh." " Oldie but a goodie." "Mmm." "(SINGS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" " Ah!" " I'm off." " Oh." " Yeah, off alright." " How are you, Dad?" " I'm fine, my darling." "(THUNDER RUMBLES)" "They tell me it's OK and you can go home tomorrow." "So I'll come and pick you up." "Mum's just in the car." " Why?" " We couldn't find a park." "There's...there's plenty of spots in the car park." " What, she didn't want to walk?" " You're being childish." " I know. (MUMBLES) - (LAUGHS)" "What were you dreaming about last night?" "Oh, well, why would you want to know?" "Well, you woke up the entire floor." "There was a lot of foul language." "And you scared a young nurse." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Could you tell her I'm sorry?" " You can tell her yourself." " (BOTH LAUGH)" "That is the right type of woman for you, Dad." " Yeah, she's perfect." " (LAUGHS)" " There we go." " Oh, thank you." " Are you right?" " Yeah." "POPPY:" "I have to go, but I'll come and pick you up tomorrow." "Would you please listen to the nurses and behave?" " POPPY:" "Please?" " ROBERT:" "Have a lovely day." " See you, Pops." " 'Bye." "(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC)" "(CHILDREN'S VOICES ECHO)" " NURSE:" "Just a sharp needle." " ROBERT:" "Yep." "The world inside me." "Arteries become rivers." "The sea." "Sky, earth." "One form." "One shape." "My blood." "My own blood." "How much blood?" "Where did it come from?" "Are they keeping my blood or are they throwing it out once they're done with me?" "Who...who has my blood?" "(THUNDER RUMBLES)" "Your wife's here to pick you up." " Hello, darling." " What are you doing here?" "I could have got a taxi." "You know we can't let you go home alone." " And he has an appointment too." " Thanks very much." "Thank you." " Here you go." " Thank you." "(CLOCK TICKS)" "Another doctor talks to us." "I don't listen." "What am I doing here?" "This isn't my life." "What is my life?" "You can sort of guess, OK." "It's roughly in the period of two or three months or it's likely to last..." "And how...how long do you think Robert has to...to live?" "Ah. trust her to ask a thing like that." "That's a really hard question." "We don't know exactly." "But I'll say roughly about six months." "(CLOCK TICKS)" "(SOBS) Please... (MOUTHS WORDS)" " (SOBS)" " Hey." "It's OK." "(SOBS)" " I'll just help you." " Just gonna do some work, yeah?" "Why don't I make you a cup of tea or something?" "(CYMBAL CLANGS)" "Hannah doesn't understand that I need to be in the studio alone." "Poppy does." "Chemo clouds will allow me a little breathing time." "Or dreaming time." "I'm starting to see things again." "I'm surrounded by warmth and love and hope." "This is, or was, my family." "but we're all alone now." "I can't sleep with Hannah." "She wants to, but that time has gone." "Maya said she'd visit me." "Hmm." "I'd very much like to sleep with her." "I feel very homesick, but I don't know where home is." "(SOMBRE MUSIC)" "ROBERT:" "The more important point is the fact that the longer that you look at this painting, as in any great painting, the deeper and richer that painting will become." "Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'." "A very different painting, and yet..." "We all think We know this painting, but if we allow ourselves to look at this painting for a long time, it will always become fresh and new." "Vincent himself said," ""This is the kind of painting that rather changes to the eye" ""and takes on richness the longer you look at it."" "Later, he wrote to his brother, and he said," ""If at the end of my career, I shall prove to be wrong," ""so be it." ""Then I shall find that not only the arts" ""but everything else were only dreams," ""that one has nothing at all oneself." ""If we're as flimsy as that, there is nothing to be said" ""against the unlimited possibilities" ""of future existence."" "We walked for hours." "We talked for hours." "She's wise." "She's warm." "She's human." "And she believes in fate, that we can twist the shape of fate but don't have much say in the matter." "Why did I meet this woman now?" "(BIRDSONG)" "Life has changed." "just in a few weeks." "Oh, another blast of chemo." "It makes me sick and tired." "Hannah wants to look after me." "That's not a good idea." "Six months?" "What are they saying?" "My life." "I'm losing my life." "That's not possible." "Oh..." "Maya." "Maya." "An illusion or the seeing eye?" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "(TV PLAYS NEARBY)" "He's very weak." "WOMAN:" "Wants to see you." "(MAN CHATTERS ON TV)" "What a beautiful dream it is." "A good one, Uncle." "It's me." "So happy to see you." "See, the spirit lives above beyond matter." "Yes." "You look like a bride." "Are you good?" "Time is marching on." "Have you seen the orchids we planted together?" "Yes, yes." "(GRUNTS)" "It only blossomed that once." "But it's back this year." "We are always in hope it will do so once more." "Oh, the cascade of blossom." "(GROANS)" "Now..." "My exploration is finished." "You called it confrontation before." "It's both." "One with all." "(BELL RINGS)" "(BIRDS CRY)" "(MAYA KNOCKS)" "(LATCH CLICKS)" " Ah." " Hello." "Come in." "I'm sorry." "I didn't, uh...didn't hear you knocking." " I just knocked on every window." " I'm sorry." "Didn't hear you." "How are you feeling?" "Well, I feel much better now." "thank you." "Good." "Well, I, um..." "I got you some special Indian tea." "Dr James said that you should be in bed and that you're very stubborn." "(LAUGHS) Oh, Dr James is a pest." "We've..." "He's more stubborn than any of us." "Did Miriam give you his number?" "No." "I didn't want to bother you." "James is one of my oldest friends." "We've, um, we've known each other for a few hundred years." "Come through." "Please." " (ROBERT SIGHS)" " You should drink that tea." " Twice a day." " Huh?" "What does it do?" " It will restore your faith." " (BOTH LAUGH)" "I haven't lost it." "What..." "What is your faith. actually?" "Oh, I'm an informed agnostic, a humanist." " Romantic." " Oh, come on." "That's too easy." "(ROBERT LAUGHS)" "OK, um..." "You shouldn't exhaust yourself." "Come on." "You need to get to sleep." "Yeah, I'll lie down." "Thank you." "When you feel better, I'll tell you everything." " Oh, everything?" " I have no secrets." "Oh, everybody's got secrets." "Why don't you stay here?" "I have my instructions." "I'll sleep on the couch." "Sleep with me." "MAYA:" "You need some rest." "You're a patient now." "Remember?" "No, thank you." "(EERIE SOUNDSCAPE)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "(GENTLE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS)" "(CLINKING)" "(DOOR CLOSES)" "(SIGHS)" "(CUP CLINKS)" "(MAN SINGS OPERATICALLY)" " Good morning." " Good morning." "I got you some special tea." "Did you see the sky last night?" "It was amazing." "I was too busy sleeping." "You look well." "I think I feel a little bit better." "(BIRDSONG)" "(SIGHS)" "You're a very beautiful woman." "What are you doing here?" "What are we all doing here?" "(BIRDSONG)" "I don't like being away from them for so long." " You know, they're old." " Mm-hm." "How old?" "MAYA:" "I think it's absurd to ask so many questions." "Don't you think?" "ROBERT: it's also absurd not to ask them." "What are you gonna tell me?" " MAYA:" "I'll tell you everything." " (ROBERT LAUGHS)" "(CONVERSATION CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)" "HANNAH:" "I had no idea." "I wouldn't have gone in." "I let myself in." "POPPY:" "You shouldn't have left the flowers." "HANNAH:" "Where the hell did he meet her?" " HANNAH:" "Who is it?" " POPPY:" "I don't know, Mum." " HANNAH:" "What a dick." " POPPY:" "What does it matter?" "HANNAH:" "It matters, because he lied to us." "(SCREAMS)" "My father is very ill!" "He has cancer of the liver!" "He's dying!" "What are you saying?" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Mum!" "So sorry." "Oh, my darling." "Ah." "You're not gonna ask me how I feel, are you'?" " How do you feel?" " I feel fine, thank you." "You?" "I'm good." "Thank you for asking." "This is...this is wonderful." "I've never been here before." "Well, it's much nicer when there are no people around, you know." "People make too much noise." "Fish don't like noise." " Uh-huh." "Can they hear us?" " Oh, yeah." "They hear everything." "Ludwig. (SNAPS FINGERS)" " (BOTH LAUGH)" " You know, he's..." "He's a really smart fish, smarter than most of the people that come here." "Hey, um..." "I have tickets to this, um, concert." "Um..." "Friends of friends." "Indian music." "And..." "Can you...can you come?" "I'm not a prisoner." "I'm allowed out." "No, I feel much better." "Maybe that's another illusion." "Yeah, yeah." "No, I..." "I can come." "(PHONE CHIMES)" "(DIAL TONE HUMS)" "(SPEED DIAL BEEPS)" "(CLEARS THROAT)" "RECORDING:" "Hi." "It's Hannah." "Please leave a message." " Ah." " (BEEP!" ")" "Hannah." "Hannah, pick up the fucking phone." "ROBERT ON VOICEMAIL:" "Jesus Christ." "Am I allowed to have friends?" "Look." "Look, I'll finish this sculpture." "Then I'll pay all the money I owe you." "Look, you won't have to worry much longer." "I've got officially three months left." "Oh, what a relief." "Why don't you ring him?" " Hannah." "Hannah..." " Oh, shit." "Ring him, Mum." "I can't." "(WATER SPLASHES)" "(BIRDS CRY)" "Ah." "Don't you have a key?" "I've been told to respect your privacy." " Oh!" "That's ridiculous." " Where have you been?" "Well, I had to go to the studio first." "I'm being auditioned as a potential transplant recipient." "Oh." "I have to prove I'm of sound mind." " That could be a problem." " (LAUGHS)" "No. they also talk about family support." "Who is my family these days?" " Mum's just a bit pissed off." " Yeah." " You know she can't help herself." " Yeah." " She cares a lot." " Yeah." "How come you're so wise?" "If you get on the list, how long does it take?" "Oh, well, with cancer, you, uh..." "You've only got a small chance to get on the list." "And, well, even then, you can..." "you can die waiting." "Just not...not that many organs around." "People don't like to donate something that they might need in their next life." "Oh, I felt alright before they told me I was ill." "Do you love her?" "Huh?" "Who?" "Come on. lover boy." "Answer my question." "James said she's a stunning blonde." " (BOTH LAUGH)" " James is a lunatic." "You're gonna have to teach me how to Skype." " When am I gonna meet her?" " Who?" "How old is she?" " My stunning blonde?" " Mm-hm." "Oh, she's a wise old soul." "Can you see me?" " ROBERT:" "Yes." " Oh." "Well done." "Thank you." "How are you?" "Well, this is, uh..." "This is my first Skype." "I'm a bit apprehensive." "Hmm." "So now you're connected to the real world." "Well, I was connected." "Just didn't realise it." "(LAUGHS)" "Are you being Well looked after?" "Well, my ex-wife and my daughter, they've been too good to me." "No, what would I do without them?" "If I kiss the screen and you kiss it too. would we connect?" "Yeah." "(WOMAN SINGS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" "Why didn't I meet her before?" "Why now?" "I could have loved her." "I could have loved her like mad." "I can't live like this." "I mustn't see her again." "Oh, I love her, damn it." "(DARK MUSIC)" "(TRAIN RATTLES)" "(WHOOSHING)" "They've violated every inch of my body." "I'm riddled with cancer." "I'm sure of it." "It's everywhere." "I have to draw now." "I can't finish my sculpture." "When I work, I'm not alone, and I'm not afraid." "(BELL DINGS)" "Can you come in, please?" "NURSE:" "Hi." "If you just take a seat." "OK." "It's very good that you brought the family." "Robert." ""The surgeon won't see you unless you bring your family."" "(CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)" "What is a family?" "I wish Maya was with me." "Transplant's the only chance I have." "I know that." "Don't know what he's saying." "Can't hear him." "Why is Hannah sitting in the middle?" "I want to sit next to Poppy." "Oh, it's too late, too late." "Uh, and in this case, it is good news." "That is to say, you've been activated." "We've put you on the transplant list." "So congratulations." " SURGEON:" "Well done." " ROBERT:" "Thank you." "I gotta go." " HANNAH: 'Bye, darling." " Not gonna be late for work?" "No, no, no." "I'm getting picked up." "It's perfect timing." " Love you, Dad." " I love you, Poppy." "OK." "(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)" "(BELLS RING)" "I'd give you half my liver if we had matching blood." "Yeah." "Yeah, I know you would." " You happy?" " (LAUGHS)" "Oh, I don't know what happy means." "(WAILS AND SOBS)" "Sit down, sweetie." "I'm sorry." "Oh..." " (SIGHS) - it's alright." "You just need a little rest." "Everything's gonna be alright." "Everything." "I'm here." "You're here." "We're here." "Let me just make you a coffee." " (DOOR SLIDES) - (SIGHS)" "HANNAH:" "It stinks in here, darling." "I have to open the windows." "Dad and I didn't talk for years after Mother died." "I don't know why." "I still miss her." "(ALL CONVERSE INAUDIBLY)" ""If anything ever happens to you, I wouldn't survive,"" "she once told me." "She had cancer." "I think about her all the time." ""Family, now, it's important," Dad tells me." "Now he hugs me." "But he still can't talk about my relationship with Maya, even in the face of death." "Hannah's family." "Yes, of course she is." "Then Maya asked him about Louise." "So..." "How...how did you meet?" "FATHER:" "Well, uh..." "I was, um, at this dinner party." "And someone was carrying on about, uh...'Star Wars' and what an important film it was at the time and how it changed our concept of, uh...of war and space." "And then someone raved on about those space creatures." "Pointing their obscene guns at one another and shooting at everyone and everything in sight." "And then Louise said something like, uh," ""Why didn't they make 'Star Peace'?" ""Why take these silly games of war we have here on earth" ""into space and continue the madness up there?"" "Well, it was a bit more complicated, but..." "I rang her the next day." "Huh?" "Didn't I?" " Aw." " FATHER:" "And that was it." "That's our story." "(HAUNTING INDIAN MUSIC)" "(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)" "ROBERT:" "Who lives a normal life?" "Nobody lives a normal life." "Maybe in hospital, they do." "MAYA:" "Why?" "ROBERT:" "Well, because in hospital, everybody gives and nobody takes." "They're very kind to me there." "MAYA:" "You know, Uncle used to say kindness covered all his political beliefs." "(ROBERT MURMURS)" "MAYA:" "It requires a great deal of kindness to be a donor, don't you think?" "ROBERT:" "Yeah." "The idea that somebody has to die in order to save me" "I find absolutely appalling." "Do you know, when I'm with you, I feel really strong?" "When I'm not, I feel quite vulnerable." "I like my men to be vulnerable." " 'Thiru-vanantha-puram'." " (LAUGHS)" "(MUSIC STOPS)" "What will you do when I return home?" "When I'm gone?" "I'll come and I'll find you." "I'll come and I'll find you wherever you are." "Is that you?" "Yes." "All of you?" "Yes." "(POIGNANT MUSIC)" "What are you doing?" "MAYA:" "I'm dreaming, Aunty." "Dreaming of what?" "MAYA:" "Of doors opening and closing." "I think you're in love." "Terribly in love." "MAYA:" "How did that happen?" "No-one has ever made me shed a tear or caused me pain." "No-one?" "They all did in a way, but never touched me deeply." "AUNTY:" "When did you know you loved him?" "It was the music, Aunty." "It's always the music." "(KNOCK AT DOOR)" "Aunty, just one sec." "Hi." "How's the leg?" " Oh, it's good, thanks." " Hm?" "Hm..." "Oh, come." "Come and sit down." "Ah." "This is lovely." "Oh, thank you." "Oh, um, Aunty said you should keep your leg up all night." "I..." "I told them about you." "Come." "Come say hi." "(MYSTERIOUS MUSIC)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "Uncle, it's me." "My darling child." "Death is a problem I'm not familiar with." "Uh, this is my friend, Robert." "Hello." "Is he your loved one?" "It's not yet known." "UNCLE:" "The love that matters connects through space and brings peace." "One sees most activities of man are absurd." "Uncle was an enemy of the state." "Of religion." "Of all conventional thinking." "He never accepted human condition for what it is." "He stalked the universe for years." "That made sense." "He says modern life is a fraud." "Has failed man's spirit." "His capacity to go beyond." "To...to find his true potential?" "Yes." "To find the sublime." "(SOMBRE MUSIC)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "UNCLE:" "Every galaxy has a massive black hole at its centre." "The gravity is so strong that nothing can escape its pull, not even light." "Time and space are interrelated, following a single continuum." "Space...time." "All organic matters in nature the body and universe relate." "When that is understood, life and death merge and become one." "(ETHEREAL MUSIC)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "(POIGNANT MUSIC)" "(BIRD CRIES)" "(WAVES CRASH)" "(PANTS)" "Why didn't you let me come and pick you up?" "I just felt like having a walk." " Well, dinner's nearly ready." " Ah, thank you." "(SIGHS)" "(HANNAH CLEARS THROAT)" "(DOOR CLOSES)" "HANNAH:" "Ow!" "Ow!" "Ah!" " (PHONE RINGS)" " I'm sorry." "I'm not that hungry, Hannah." "No, you have to eat to keep up your strength." "(HANNAH SPEAKS SPANISH)" "(EERIE MUSIC)" "(MOANS)" "No!" "No!" " Shh." "Shh." " No!" " You must be Poppy." " Yes." "Dad really wanted me to meet you." "He's not feeling great." "POPPY:" "I came to the aquarium once with my school." " MAYA:" "Oh." " MAN:" "Bonjour." "Hi." "Bonjour." "Deux cappuccino." "POPPY:" "We had to write an essay about our favourite sea animal." "Ah." "Um, what was yours?" "The seahorses." "Ah." "They're very sweet." "Good choice." "There's this big shark here that I've become friends with and he listens to me." "I don't know if he really likes me, though." "Robert talks about you a lot." "You're his best friend, he says." "We've always been really close." "It's a genetic disorder." "He wanted me..." "He told me..." "he loves you." "He said...just in case." "He's mad about you." "POPPY:" "I'll ask you one more time." "Please be my friend." "MAN:" "Right." "Now you've made me mad." "I'm gonna pinch you on the nose." " Oh!" "Ah...ah...ah..." " What's going on?" " Choo!" " (KIDS LAUGH)" "That was funny." "Do it again." "Do it again." " Achoo!" " (KIDS LAUGH)" "(APPLAUSE)" "She's a wonderful woman, my daughter." "My daughter the puppeteer." "Hi, Dad." "(ROBERT BREATHES HEAVILY)" "You OK?" " (WHEEZES)" " Sit." "Sit." "Oh, now, um..." "I've done my will." "It's all organised." "What are you willing away?" "Oh, my fortune." "If there's no fortune then why leave a will?" "There's some..." "There's some old hammers." "There's some..." "rolls of sticky tape." "There's some...some tools." " (LAUGHS)" " Broken clocks." "There's...there's my..." "assortment of screwdrivers." "There's...there's some fine rubbish." "Yeah, lots of..." "Lots of hard work." "You mean your work." "You know, most artists think that their work's important." "Do you?" "Well..." "Well, this proves that I've lived." " That I've existed." "Yeah?" " (LAUGHS)" " What about me?" " Oh..." "Oh, I almost forgot." "You, my precious." "You are my life." "Yeah." "Forever waiting for the hospital to ring." "I know I'm slowly travelling backwards." "I feel so alone." "Except when Maya's with me." "Why does Hannah still have a problem with it?" "I'll be dead in a few weeks." "Soon that tree will start to blossom, like the pear tree from my youth." "There was one in the garden next door, and every spring, petals would cross the rusty old fence and dance down the garden like silent snowflakes." "As a child, I'd catch those petals." "They'd vanish in the palm of my hands." "(HAUNTING INDIAN MUSIC)" "Maya insisted I come with her to the ocean." ""The ocean will wash away all wounds," she says." "Five months into the waiting game, I'm still here." "My legs hurt terribly." "We can't drive too far out of the city." "Somebody could be dying right now on this very road we've travelled on, and they might call for me." "(WOMAN SINGS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" "(SCREAMS)" "Sorry, can you move it?" "It hurts." "No, it's hurting badly. (GROANS)" "(GRIM MUSIC)" "(SILENCE)" "Maya." "Maya." "(ROBERT SIGHS)" "I just went on the most incredible journey." "To another century, another country." "You were there." "MAYA:" "How is the pain?" "It's better." "(MAYA LAUGHS)" "How does pain get better?" "(BOTH LAUGH)" "No, it is." "The doctor says your immunity is down and you have an infection there." "They're trying to find out what it is." "Get you back on your feet." "When do you leave?" "Tomorrow." "Uncle doesn't have much time." "He's...he's waiting." "I love you." "And remember, wherever you are, I'll find you." "(HAUNTING INDIAN MUSIC)" "I could have been gone by now, but I'm still here." "Loving madly and sadly." "Oh, I've been dreaming of hope and the feeling of hope." "Always moving towards a central point." "The village square, the centre of town, the heart of the matter." " Hi there." " Hi." "But when I arrive, the centre is always further away." "(BEEPING)" "Why is everybody so kind?" "That's not a good sign." "I need to get out of here." "I need to live." "I need to meet Maya somewhere, to be with her, to live with her." "And die with her." "(PHONE RINGS)" "NURSE:" "Sorry to bother you, Doctor, but Mrs Brodie, she's very ill, and she wants me to disconnect her support." " DOCTOR:" "Why is that?" " NURSE:" "Uh, well..." "She wants to see her daughter, but she doesn't want her daughter to see her or remember her as a patient." " How old is her daughter?" " Um, 10 or 12, I think." " Is Sister Rankine round at all?" " No, she's gone to lunch." " OK." "Be quick." " OK." " It's alright, sweetheart." " (GIRL SOBS)" "I'm getting better." "I'll be home soon." "GIRL:" "Really?" "I'm sorry." "My darling." "You must go now." "My darling sweetheart." "Daddy's waiting." "(MOANS)" "(BEEPING)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "(GENTLE MUSIC)" "It isn't Christmas yet, Poppy." "You know I'm not a fan." "Christmas is fun." "I've got Maya's Christmas present in the car." "Wh...what present?" "You're not allowed to open it until Christmas." " Yeah, well, uh..." " (LAUGHS)" "Well, I don't think I'll last that long." "How do you know?" "Oh, the waiting game, it, um..." "it gives you an insight." "You're gonna be alright, Dad." "You'll get a transplant." "I'm sure you will." "Yeah, well, they say that Christmas is a good time for, um..." "That's a dreadful thought." "Mmm..." "I wouldn't see Easter, they told me, and now it's almost Christmas." "And I'm still here, my darling Poppy." "And back on the waiting list." ""Please, Father Christmas, could I have three snowflakes," ""five raindrops, a large passing cloud," ""and maybe, maybe, could you throw in a new liver." ""medium-sized?"" "Here you go." " Whoa!" " (LAUGHS)" "We never loved like this in my life." "Yeah." "Don't tell her I've opened it." "Whoa." "(BIRDSONG)" "(POIGNANT MUSIC PLAYS)" "When Uncle is gone, everything will change." "Life moves on." "Thousands of candles can be lit from one single candle." "And the life of that candle will be shortened, hm?" "(CHILDREN HUM ON TV)" "Love remains." "All that Uncle has received from life passes on." "Won't be wasted through death." "Hm?" "(MUSIC ON TV SWELLS)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "Dad and Louise have gone out of their way to make us all have Christmas dinner together." "It's never happened before." "It's the first time." "Dad's become...warm and loving." "Will this be our last supper?" "Oh, can't order my thoughts." "I feel strange." " (PHONE RINGS) - (INDISTINCT CHATTER)" "ROBERT:" "Hello?" " Hello?" "MAYA:" "Hello, darling." "Ah, Maya!" "Hey, it's lovely to hear your voice." "How are you?" "I'm fine." "Merry Christmas." "(LAUGHS) And merry Christmas to you too." "Thank you for Vincent." " Oh." " He's beautiful." "You're welcome." "So, what are you up to?" "Well, I, uh, don't normally celebrate Christmas." "But, uh, Dad and Louise have put on a Christmas dinner." "It's, uh...it's highly unusual, but it's lovely." "Oh, that's nice." "How's Uncle?" "Uncle will be leaving us soon." "He's passing on his truthfulness, his forbearance, his love." "We will celebrate his life." "He wanted it like that." " (CRACKLING)" " ROBERT:" "Hello?" "(CRACKLING)" "I love you." "(CRACKLING AND DISCONNECTED TONE)" "(SPEED DIAL BEEPS)" "(PHONE RINGS)" "Maya?" "Merry Christmas to you too." "Who is this?" "Yeah." "Yes." "Ah, yes, yes, I can..." "I can be there." "We're, um..." "We're about two hours away, but we can be quick." "Thank you." "WOMAN:" "Robert?" "(POIGNANT MUSIC)" "ROBERT:" "They've made a mistake." "It's Christmas." "I don't have my toothbrush." "Why did I eat all that pudding?" "Maya?" "Maya, Maya, where are you?" "My life." "My life." "Poppy." "Poppy, my darling." "My darling Poppy." "My..." "Christmas lights in hospital." "Is this the right hospital?" "Hannah." "I must thank her." "I must thank her." "So many people to thank and I don't have time." "It's always late." "Always too late." "I'm Saskia." "I'm going to take you to the operating theatre." "Saskia was Rembrandt's wife." "That's right." "That's how I got my name." " (LAUGHS)" " May Rembrandt be with us." "(DARK MUSIC)" "(GENTLE RATTLING)" "(BIRD CRIES)" "(CHIMES TINKLE, WATER SPLASHES)" "(BELL TOLLS)" "(GATE SQUEAKS)" "(GENTLE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC)" "(BELL TOLLS)" "(CHIMES TINKLE)" "(BELL TOLLS)" "The birds are coming home." "Where did they go?" "I wake up." "Huh." "From where?" "From what?" "I feel nothing." "I see nothing." "(LAUGHS) Why are these horses laughing?" "No, I don't speak Russian, but I understand every word you say." ""How do you feel?" Oh, good as gold." "Volcanoes are spewing oil into the air." "The oil catches fire and lashes the earth like a whip." "What power is this?" "What can you do with death?" "I'm in Venice." "Why am I in Venice?" "Who understands the true facts of life?" "We all have a function." "Why this terrible sense of loss?" "What reality is this?" "Please help me." "Hold me." "I'm dying." "MAYA:" "Uncle's gone." "He..." "He died this morning." "We're..." "We're..." "We're thankful." "And we're celebrating." "I'm also celebrating..." "Robert's miracle." "Please tell him to wait for me." "(BELLS RING)" "(POIGNANT MUSIC)" "(WATER SPLASHES)" "Be careful." "Phone me as soon as you get there." "OK?" "Uncle's blessing will be travelling with you." "Take care of yourself." "You too." "(POIGNANT MUSIC)" "Mum?" "Maya!" "Hello." "Oh, come here." "(BOTH LAUGH)" "Do you want to come?" "(HAUNTING INDIAN MUSIC)" "(WOMAN SINGS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)"