"[teacher] Okay, lads, you've got ninety minutes." "Any subject you like." "Your time starts now." "[Ned] We've all have one thing we're ashamed of, the memory of one moment so embarrassing we don't think we'll ever get over it." "A moment that still wakes us at 4 am... sweating." "My terrible moment happened, because I was afraid." "I was afraid because I lost the only true friend I'd ever known." "People do bad things out of fear." "For me, the good life ended when Mom died a few years back." "Suddenly Dad married Natalie, they were living in Dubai and I was in boarding school, in the middle of nowhere." "A school where rugby was a religion," "Where I was persecuted daily." "I mean, legally, you guys shouldn't be able to force me to go to school." "Legally, I'm basically an adult." "You're basically an adult but you're actually like sixteen." "Yes." "Sixteen is your actual age." "Which is why the idea of us letting you leave school is absurd." "So you're pretty much sending me to jail?" "But even prisoners make an effort to fit in." "They do jigsaws together, play ping-pong with each other." "Could you please listen to yourself for the briefest of moments?" " Excuse me?" " Ned, conforming is part of being a grown up." "And letting you leave school early would be sending you to jail, in a way." "Boys who leave school at your age doom themselves to a life of sweeping up supermarket floors..." "[Ned] Dad was obsessed with the guys who swept supermarket floors." "...and then crime, naturally." "Natalie, Adam Quinn's boy, he was expelled from school last year and now, apparently, he's a bum in Paris." " No way." "Really?" " Yes!" "Reading his poetry on the Metro for money." "Practically begging." "It's desperately sad." "So just think about that." "[Ned] A bum... in Paris!" "I would have loved that." "But was I bad enough to get expelled?" "This year would tell." "[jazz music playing]" "[school bell ringing]" "[indistinct chatter]" "[boy humming]" "Got my own room!" "Magical." "Did... did you just say you have your own room?" "No way." "Let me see." "Oh..." "[Ned] Ladies and gentlemen, my tormentor-in-chief." "Okay." "Maybe the reason you have your own room is so... nobody gets bummed, you know, in the middle of the night." "And hello to you, Weasel." "I trust the summer treated you well?" ""I trust the summer treated you well?"" " [all laughing]" " You are an utter bender!" "Easy on this fucking lad!" "I haven't seen you in ages." "All right." "[Ned] Back to jail." "And just like prison, if nobody likes who you really are then, buddy, you better hide yourself away." "Here's an example: for English essays," "I stole the lyrics from obscure songs the very old Mr. Fottrell would never know." "But it was a private joke." "Nobody else knew the song - or cared one way or the other." "Everyone at Woodhill College was obsessed with rugby." "And I didn't hate rugby, but what happened if you didn't love it... [boy cawing] [all laughing]" "Yeah... that sound means gay." "I have no idea why it means that, but believe me..." "I heard it a lot." " [teacher talking] - [Ned] I should explain." "[teacher] ...you all recognize this..." "[Ned] "Gay" means crap, bad or different." "And the fear of being in any way different ran through our school from top to bottom." "...ask the lady to dance." "And then, you know, you get into a sort of... remember..." "Right?" "But do not do that, okay?" "So, any questions?" "[Ned] There were other kinds of schools, of course." "Cool, modern day schools where anything went." "But not here." "Today, we're going to be looking at..." "[Ned] Talking about sexual identity to anyone in our school that was like staring at the sun." "...any one have any idea?" "[students laughing]" "[Ned] It seemed you could be whoever you liked out in the world." "[boy moaning]" "But our school wasn't a part of the world." "[Walter] Firstly, some sad news." "After a short illness, our dear colleague and friend Glen Fottrell has passed on." "[student] Get in!" "[students cheering]" "Students!" "[Walter] Which will mean some re-shuffling in the English department." "In honor of our recently deceased English teacher, one victorious student will be chosen to represent the school in the National Essay Writing Competition." "There is a first prize of five grand... [all cheering] ...as a donation to the school." "[all disappointed]" "Now..." "Rugby!" "[Ned] Did you ever meet an adult who wishes they were a kid again?" "That was our headmaster, Walter." "[all cheering]" "This school has won seventeen Senior cups, but it has been a long decade since the last." "We have a fine crop of players." "And the entire school needs to support our fantastic coach, Mr. Pascal O'Keeffe." "[Ned] As for this guy, well... rumor had it Pascal's wife left him because he was too obsessed with rugby." "And that... that's the guy who changed everything." "[boy] Oh, let go!" "[boy grunting]" "[Lindy speaking indistinctly]" "[Lindy] This is the perfect school for Conor, what with it being sporty and..." "Now young man." "Before we show your mother your digs," "I need you to promise me something." "I am told you left your old school for repeated and persistent fighting." "We're happy to educate you, as long as that kind of behavior remains in your past." "Understood?" "Follow me." "Get out of that bin, Kennedy, and cease your egregious play-act!" "Yes, sir." "Because it's all my fault." " [boys snickering] - [Walter] Apology accepted!" "Our coach Pascal O'Keeffe is a former pupil." "[Lindy] That's exciting!" "We've a fantastic crop of players this year." "[speaking Latin]" "Just one more tilt to the title." "Training starts tomorrow." "Do not be late for Pascal." "A nice boy called Ned is in this room." "His parents live in Dubai." "[Lindy] What sort of a boy is Ned?" "[Walter] A voracious reader." "Well I'll um... leave you to say your farewells." "Honey, I'm sorry your Dad didn't make it." "He wanted to." " He's just..." " Drunk." "He's busy." "He's incredibly busy with work." "You know how hard he works, it's flat out... [whispering] Best of luck." "You okay, Miss?" "Give me a second." "[Ned] I can't share with a guy like him." "[Walter] Ned, Ned, Ned..." "You know, my time in the Boy Scouts as a young man was rewarding on so many levels." "Bivouacking, orienteering, the nautical art of making knots." "And although I may not be able to remember how to fashion a round-turn and two half hitches," "I will never forget the lasting bond of friendship that ensued." "Sir, the Geneva Convention..." "My decision is final." "Leave." "[Ned] Yes, this was a blow, but it wasn't as if the rugby team would be congregating in my bedroom." "[Spainer] We heard you were coming." "Yes, you're younger than us, but Pascal says "If you're good enough, you're old enough."" "Look, Conor, this is the last year for this dream team, all right." "We all leave in the summer." "I've been captain twice and I'm not allowed to repeat again, unfortunately." "So, we have to win this thing this year." "If I'm being honest with you," "I don't think the chance is gonna come around again to this school." "Training starts tomorrow at six." "Do not be late." "Seriously." "Big no-no." "This is your roommate?" "God, I was really starting to wonder for a second, I mean... this is a picture of two guys wearing the face off each other, Conor." " I mean - really?" " That's not mine." "Touch me, homo, and I call rape." "Okay?" "Jesus, what's wrong with you?" "Weasel, give it a rest." "Conor, you're gonna have to seriously consider moving rooms, okay." "You're going to get AIDS in here." "We cannot have a teammate giving us AIDS in the middle of a scrum." "Yeah" " I'm not totally sure that's how the HIV virus is transmitted?" "And, go fuck yourself, Spainer." "And as for you..." "You just made..." ""Weasel's Shit List."" "Coming?" "[Walter] You were wondering if there's another room you can sleep in." "But what's wrong with the room that you already have?" "My roommate..." "As a new boy, it can be... it can be..." " It can be what?" " It's just..." "You can be..." "Go back to your room, Conor." "Good man." "[Ned] The Berlin Wall was built overnight." "The world woke up the morning after and there it was." "Now, I'm no communist, but there's a lot to be said for acting decisively." "[cows mooing]" "[school bell ringing]" "[boys chattering in class]" "[Ned] Did you know lizards can regrow their tails?" "That's how it was in our school with English teachers." "One dies, another grows in its place." "No big deal." "[boys chattering]" "[Darren purring]" "Darren Finnegan." "Did you make that absurd noise?" "Age 16." "Birthday June." "Shoe size eight and a half." "Fan of Formula One car racing." "Allergic to milk, and therefore all dairy surely." "Father - management consultant." "Mother a stay at home mom." "Bed-wetter I'd imagine and a coward for sure." "Congratulations, Mr. Finnegan." "You are today's winner of the witless tool competition." "Be gone." "[door closed hard]" "Anyone else?" "No?" "Good." "How did I learn all that stuff about Darren?" "[whispering] I read it, and I read about each and every one of you similarly." "There is no limit... to what you can learn... from reading." "And with that in mind I'm setting you an essay." "The essay is due on Friday, and the title of the essay is..." ""A Family Member."" "And before you consider how dull, how asinine the title of that essay is, let me tell you I know how dull and asinine it is and I want you to own the dullness!" "Reveal to me... who you are," "if you dare." "In the meantime, we're going to be reading Lord of the Flies, by Golding." "A cautionary tale about giving power to an impressionable mass of fragrant and unkempt urchins." "Not that that's ever going to happen in my class." "Okay." "Books open please, page one." "[boy reading] "The boy with fair hair lowered himself down"" "the last few feet of rock." "And began to pick his way toward the lagoon." "Though he had taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand," ""his gray shirt stuck to him..."" "[knocking on the door]" "Go away!" "Thank you." "Wow!" "Uh, sorry, sir." "I thought you were a pupil." "No." "What's with the Berlin Wall?" "That's a matter of necessity." "Right." "Who's your roommate?" "Oh, uh, honestly, I don't know." "Right." "Well I've got a delivery for, uh..." "No way you can make him feel welcome, huh?" "Yeah, see he's a rugby player so believe me, my friendship would be a hindrance." "That's quite a persecution complex you've got going on there." "Thank you." "You gonna let me hear something?" "Well, I can't play and even if I could I don't think I'd play anything you like." "[whispering] Just play something." " Okay, so that's 'D.'" " That's 'D.'" " Is 'D' your only..." " D's my only chord, yeah." "I see." "Okay, well..." "Lift your finger up to that one." "There." "Yep." "Now play." "[whispering] Now you know another chord." "See ya." "[door closes] [coach whistle blowing] [guitar strumming]" "[strumming between two cords]" "Sir, I'm really, really sorry." "I know I'm late." "[stammering] It's just..." "I couldn't find my boots." "I thought I put them in my bag and I thought my bag was in my classroom." " But..." " Conor, relax." "You're new." "It happens." "The lads are running drills out there." "Get ready, I'll go out with you." "Get you introduced." "[Pascal] Once you cross that white line, Conor," "I want you to concentrate on just one thing." "Express yourself." " Good to go?" " Yeah." "After you." "[two cords strumming]" "Everyone, this is Conor." "Conor won the Junior Cup with St. Bart's last year, kicking nineteen points in the final, was it?" "I asked him up with us seniors so he sees what we're made of." "Give him something to aspire to." "Also, give Wallace a bit of competition." "You've met our captain, Victor." "Apart from him far too many names to remember but I'll give you the gist," "Kieth Chappy, prop." "Tom Quinlin, current place kicker." "We get our speed from this fella." "Scrum half one, two..." "Chief wrecking ball." "Okay, line out, first against seconds." "Conor, play at 10 for the firsts." " Wallace... where's Wally?" " I'm here." "Defend it." "Don't worry, Wally." "I got you." "["Thirteen" playing] [coach commands] [coach whistles]" "♪ ...walk you home from school ♪" "♪ Won't you let me Meet you at the pool ♪" "♪ Maybe Friday I can ♪" "You're an animal!" "[Weasel] You're a fucking monster!" "Wallace, come back in for Conor." "Conor, take a break." "Take a break?" "We've only just begun." "Okay." "Reset!" "♪ Won't you tell your dad Get off my back ♪" "♪ Tell him what we said 'Bout 'Paint It Black' ♪" "♪ Rock 'n Roll is here to stay ♪" "♪ Come inside where it's okay ♪" "♪ And I'll shake you ♪" " Is it broken?" " Of course it's fucken broken!" "Well done lads." "Well played." "And don't worry about that, Weasel, you were never a looker." "[boys laughing]" "Anyone see Conor Masters?" "He never came in." "♪ Won't you tell me What you're thinking of ♪" "[Sherry] "Reveal to me who are you" I said." "I set an essay title for you because I wanted to find out about you and there are some excellent essays." "But there was one that stood out above all." "Ned Roche, do you want to get up here and read it in front of the class?" "I'm actually okay... thanks." "I mean, thank you, but um..." "I'd just prefer not to." "I can appreciate that." "But I think you should." "[boys purr together]" "The next person to make a single solitary sound of any sort is in hideous trouble." "Good." "Ned." "[Ned reading] "A Family Member."" "I have this cousin whose name's Kevin." "And I'm pretty sure he's destined for Heaven." "He's always spotlessly dressed." "Clean and neat and totally smooth." "He likes to wear this..." " [rock music blaring] - "fur lined, sheepskin jacket..."" "Keep going, please." ""..." "Kevin were just not the same."" "Oh my perfect cousin." "...he doesn't." "He's his father's pride and joy." "His mother's little golden boy." "...economics." "[all laughing] ...physics and bionics." "He thinks that I'm a bit of a cabbage." " "Cos I hate university..."" " Stop, stop, stop." "Sit down." "Listen to you, the baying crowd." "Bleating like sheep." "Why do you assume that this lesson isn't for you?" "Never, ever, ever use a borrowed voice!" " You're all individuals..." " [school bell rings]" "Stop!" "Stop!" "If you spend your whole life being someone else, who's going to be you?" "Get out!" "[Conor clears his throat] [clears his throat louder]" " I'll turn it down." " No, not that." "Today, that was pretty cool." "I liked the song." "Could you go straight to hell please?" "I liked it." "A lot." "Why do you like so much old stuff?" "Well, because modern life is rubbish." "I hear that." "So I saw Weasel's face." " How did you know I did that?" " Word gets around." "Even to me." "Can I ask you a question?" "It's personal." "Are you gay?" "Don't worry, Conor." "I'm not going to "bum you" in the night." "All right." " No, sorry." "I..." " Was that it?" "That was your question, was it?" "It's not really the music." "It's more the story." "How someone can write about themselves like that, about their family." "It's mad, isn't it?" "Well, yeah." "The madder the better." "[old rock music playing softly]" "So you're not just taking a piss?" "I liked the song." "All right, follow me, then." "[music playing louder]" "[music becoming faint]" "I didn't know this was here." "I found these last year." "Vinyl." "[Ned] Look at those faces." "[Conor] What were they thinking?" "Well... none of them ever cared about the stuff that matters here, that's for sure." "Man, I can't wait to get out of here." "What are you going to be?" "I am basically unemployable, but I'll be free." "My Dad and I used to sail, before he... before he became interested in other things." "I remember sitting at the front of the boat." "That felt free." "Flying..." "You still got the boat?" "It's still there, I think." "Rusting away." "So, what's it like to punch someone in the face?" "Whoa, show me that." "How do you know a chord?" "I can like music, you know." "We're not all the same." "So you don't have a "Shit List"?" "I think you've been taken off that list." "[strumming new cord]" "[Ned] I never knew I had been lonely until I found a friend." "Not that Conor and I were peas in a pod." "I mean, I'd never met someone who liked to run around as much as I liked to sit down and do nothing at all." "My defenses were coming down and" " I'd never say it out loud, but it felt pretty good." "Weasel had suddenly stopped bullying me and I no longer dreamed of being expelled." "Despite my best intentions," "I began to feel like I fit in." "All packed?" "Yeah." "What happened?" " I was pocketed." " Again?" "How many times is that since September?" "Err, three... no... four." "Yeah." "How many have you had?" "I've never been pocketed." " You've never been pocketed?" " I've never been pocketed." "That's not right." "Anyway, this is for you." "What is it?" "A birthday present." "Really?" "Yeah." "Well..." "I wasn't going to get you anything, obviously, but... my wicked stepmother said seeing as we're roommates and all, you know, probably should - it's a harmonica." "Thanks, Ned." "Oh, I have one more present for you actually." "Yeah..." " You wouldn't dare." " Wouldn't I, though?" "Ned..." "Have a good birthday." "Bastard..." "Alas, poor Yorick!" "I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest..." "[Ned] Mr. Sherry began to work with us as a team." "And we all loved him for it." "[speaking indistinctly]" "Still, when an annual variety show was announced at the local girl's school no one stuck their hands up." "But Sherry had heard us messing around on those old guitars and said..." "No, insisted that Conor and I should play a song." "[playing guitar]" "All right, fellas." "How's it going?" " Extremely bad." " Awful, thanks." " And why is that?" " Well... we're not these deadly Spanish guitar players, so we can't do an instrumental." "We have to do a song, but neither of us wants to be the singer." " I'm definitely not doing it." " No." "Me neither." "Why not both of you?" "What, like Simon  Garfunkel?" "Yeah, like Simon  Garfunkel." "[Ned laughing nervously]" "I don't think so." "Not cool enough for you, Ned, no?" "Honestly no, not really." "Well you, young man, need to learn about what is much more important than cool." "And that is... what is beautiful." "["Think For A Minute" playing softly]" "♪ Something's going on ♪" "♪ A change is taking place ♪" "♪ Children smiling in the street Have gone without a trace ♪" "♪ This street used to be full ♪" "♪ It used to make me smile ♪" "♪ And now it seems that everyone Is walking single file... ♪" "High..." "low..." "Oh but sir, it's so high." "[Sherry] "So high."" "Don't gallop, Mr. Hines, you're not a horse." "Conor." "Training." "Ten minutes, man." "Come on." "[students cheering]" "[Ned] The school rugby team embarked on a long, unbeaten road." "And the local papers put it down to my friend." "The new star right half." "But the players worshiped Pascal." "[Pascal] Stop!" "Number '9', congratulations!" "You have an announcement to make?" " No." " You do." " No." " You do." "Come on, number '9'." "Everybody, I just noticed Number '9' tackling and it's clear that he has something else on his mind." "So I'm guessing it's because... you and your boyfriend are engaged to be married." "[Pascal clapping loudly]" "The hell are you doing breastfeeding a tacking bag?" "Hit it!" "[both grunt]" "Are you afraid to be hit?" "Go sign up for the school opera!" "I'm sure they're short a few tavern wenches." "Everyone, gather round." "[clears throat] Time to get serious." "It is the nature of this school that you hear a lot of talk about "opening your mind", and the value of "a rounded education."" "Bullshit." "We're about to walk onto a battlefield, and once we do, the last thing we need is empathy for your fellow man, to be "feeling" things." "Conor is leading us out and he will have a target on his back, so from now on, men, you're not a team." "It's a war zone, and you're in the army." " Shouldn't you be asleep?" " Shouldn't you?" "I'm not the one playing in the quarter final tomorrow." "That is why I'm not sleeping." "I can't." "My nerves." "You're gonna win." "You don't know that." "I don't know the first thing about rugby but..." "I feel it in my bones." "Are you gonna be there?" "It's not really my team." "This one time, before you came here, one of your teammates... flushed my head down the toilet." "So that is not going in my autobiography." "You're better off without me." "I will be rooting for you though." "Single file, gentlemen." "Single file." "[pop song playing]" "[cheering]" "Conor, your old man's out at the bar." "Says he wants to buy us all a drink." "Watch out." "Coming through." "Coming through." "Here we are." "Mind yourself, boys." "Now have yourself a drink." "Get stuck in, lads." "Have a drink with your old man, son." "I'm fine with water, thanks." "Come near to me, I won't hurt you." "We can't toast the victory without a man's drink." "To my son the athlete... and to all you fine young men." "Cheers!" "[all cheering]" "[Ned] Conor later told me that if he hadn't had that first drink his night would have ended very differently." "[Conor's dad drunk and yelling boisterously]" "[indistinct conversation]" "Your Dad is a complete inspiration." "The best thing about watching you play today was realizing that all that rubbish in the last school was just rubbish." "That was the real "you" today, huh." "I loved you today." "I loved you again." "You felt like my son again." "Not that other eejit from before." "Come on, jump in." "I'll give you a lift back." "We'll have the chats." "I'm getting the train." "Ahh..." "Son..." "[Ned] After walking for hours" "I found a cinema showing a subtitled film about a nun which was long..." "I ended up late for the coaches back to school and that's when I saw Conor." "The idea was that I would surprise him." "[soft EDM music playing inside the club]" "[clears throat]" "Far too young." "Sorry, pal." "No, no." "He's my friend." "He's older than you." "What kind of bar is this?" "A bar for adults." "Okay." "What kind of adults?" "[whispering] Gay adults." "Totally." "Just double-checking." "I'm just gonna wait for him." "He'll be out soon." "[whistling]" "I, uh..." "I better head." "Yeah, it's getting late." "[Ned] All this time I thought I was the only one on the outside." "Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong." "[indistinct conversation]" "[man over PA] Welcome to the Regional Express." "This is a non-stop service..." "Oh, hi Conor." "You're on the train." "I nearly missed the bloody train." "So congratulations on today." "I believe you played really well." "Thanks, sir, but I actually missed a few kicks." " Not my best." " Oh, did you?" "Did you now?" "Okay." " But still, you got to the quarter..." " Semi." "Semi-finals." " No pressure then..." " [laughing nervously] No." "I might have a cup of tea or something." "I like a cup of tea, me." "I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I like..." "I like a cup of tea... or a pot!" "A nice big pot!" "A pot of tea." "A nice big pot of tea..." "Sir, before... it's not like it seemed." "What?" "No, no, no..." "I was bursting for the loo and it was the nearest bar..." "Yeah, you know my friend..." "My friend there, Conor, he's very, very affectionate." " There's no signs out front." " Yes." "Very poorly signposted." "And he's Italian, he's all over..." "You know..." "Jesus..." "Conor, I think a certain degree of discretion..." "I'm never gonna say anything, sir." " ...about anything." " Ever." " Ever." "Okay." " Ever, sir." "Okay." "All right." "I'm gonna get a cup of tea." "Do you want a cup of tea?" " Do you want one?" " Yeah." "Okay, uh..." "Okay... [indistinct conversation]" " [Conor] Okay, have you learned your part?" " [Ned] I have." "Ned, there's no avoiding this any longer so... just go for it." "Okay..." " One, two, three..." " Sorry, Conor, before we start..." "What?" "Just..." "Erm..." "Nothing." "Nothing." "You sure?" "Yeah." "[clears throat]" "One, two, three, four..." "[Conor strumming]" "♪ Something's going on Change is taking place... ♪" "You made me do it by myself!" " I just got..." " Teamwork, Ned!" "Yeah..." "Are you ready?" "One, two, three, four..." "[Conor strumming]" "♪ Something's going on, Change is taking... ♪" "I thought we agreed that you would go high and I would go low." "We did." "And I thought you said you'd learned your part." "And I did." "I have..." "I mean I have learned my part, it's just... all I can hear in my head is... your voice." " It makes me want to follow you." " Well don't." "Sing your own part." "Or I can go high and you can go low..." " No." "I can be high." " Okay, then be high." "Okay." "One, two, three, four..." "[Conor strumming]" "♪ Something's going on Change is taking place ♪" "♪ People smiling in the street Have gone without a trace ♪" "♪ This street used to be full It used to make me smile ♪" "♪ And now it seems that Everyone is walking single file ♪" " I think that was all right." " Yeah." "[clears throat]" "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop..." "Conor, sport... kicking... takes a quiet mind." "You need to have nothing going on in there." "Okay?" "So what's eating you?" "Sir... sometimes I just feel like a robot... doing this again and again." "Like there's a little more to life than..." "You have a rare gift." "And you need to use it." "And recently, I've noticed you hanging around with different people, which is fine, I suppose." "Whatever." "But here's the thing, son..." "You lie down with dogs... you get fleas." "Have you identified the fleas?" "Don't complicate this, son." "There's you, and that... and those." "[claps his hands together] Now come on." "[whispering] For fuck's sake... [knocking on the door]" " [Walter] Good morning Pascal." " Walter." "A question." "Have you run a background check on Dan Sherry?" "And why would I do that?" "Sherry's not married, is he?" " What are you asking?" " I don't know what I'm asking, only I'm sure you noticed that Conor Masters's level is dropping, he misses a number of kicks in the match yesterday and then, very late last night" "I encounter him sauntering back to school." "Drunk." "In the company of a certain Dan Sherry." "I won't shit you Walter, I'm concerned." "Did you not take the boys for a celebratory glass of beer last night?" " Yes, but that was just..." " "But" nothing." "If you don't know what you're asking, Pascal, be careful what you're insinuating." "Walter, I need your support." "Everything hinges on this." "We - the team-we need it." "Dan Sherry is a teacher in this school just like you and I." "This is the team." "Sherry's like me?" "Nah." "I don't think so." "Listen, forget it." "It's fine." "I just wanted to put my concerns on the record." "In case." "That's all." "In case of what?" "Boys Conor's age are highly impressionable." "You know this." "Certain types of people as teachers, around kids... once you know for certain those certain types of people are those certain types of people..." "I mean I would consider myself a Christian and a liberal, but..." " But?" " But those certain aforementioned types of people, and those certain types of behaviors are seriously not cool... not cool near children." " You know this..." " Thank you Pascal." "I mean, you have to know that, Walter!" "Thank you Pascal." "[Sherry] Okay... [clapping hands fast] this is a lesson in projection." "What - in projection!" "Yes." "Move back." "Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going..." "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, okay." "When you sing tomorrow, you can't whimper like some weird little field-mice." "Okay?" "You've got to project!" "Reveal to me who you are!" "If you dare." "Let your voices bounce off the walls!" "All right." "Begin." "[Sherry clears his throat]" " ♪ Something's going on... ♪" " I can't hear this." " ♪..." "Change is taking place ♪" " At all." " ♪ ..." "Children smiling in the street... ♪" " What?" "Louder!" " ♪ ..." "Have gone without a trace ♪" " Yes." "Louder." "♪ ..." "This street used to be full It used to make me smile... ♪" "Louder!" "Louder, come on!" "♪ ..." "Seems that everyone Is walking single file ♪" " Better." " ♪ ..." "Something's going on... ♪" "♪ Change is taking place... ♪ ...oh there's definitely more I can do, you know." "Flexibility." "Conditioning." "That's your outhalf, there." "[inaudible singing]" "Have you any idea why Conor left his old school?" "No." "You have a cousin in St. Bart's, don't ya?" "Well Dave's actually a second cousin, but..." "Actually I was meant to go there myself, but" " when my dad died we..." " He's letting all our work go to waste." "I wouldn't be happy about that if I was on his team." "Matter of fact..." "I'd be raging..." "Knock, knock." "Ah, there's Conor." "Hey, can I ask you something?" " Yeah." " Yeah, um..." "Why are you hanging out with that freak Ned?" "That freak Ned is my mate." "Your mate?" "How?" "He's my roommate, Weasel." "Oh, okay." "Got it." "Everything okay up there?" "Everything's really good, Conor - it's just I have a..." "I have cousin in St. Bart's..." "Well, second cousin." "But I know everyone says that you left your old school because " "I don't know, you were fighting all the time." "But I was talking to him..." "And I was wondering what was the... what was the reason, you know, for all this fighting?" "Why the fighting, you know?" "What do you want, Weasel?" "Conor, I promised my father on his death bed that I would do everything in my power to win that cup." "I'm not the only one that's noticing you're spending... a lot of time with the wrong kind of people." "What we're gonna do is - you're gonna pick your company a little bit better." "You're gonna focus on the semi-final and... we'll let the rumors from your old school be rumors from your old school." "Yeah." "Good." "Good chat." " [patting Conor on his back]" " Good chat." "[alarm clock ringing]" "[Ned] When I woke up on the day of the talent show and there was no sign of Conor," "I wasn't that surprised." " If you play for the rugby team, - [yelling indistinctly] you're up early for training..." "The fuck!" "You look up!" "Eyes up, everybody!" "[teacher speaking indistinctly]" "[Ned] You get to skip all sorts of classes," "Especially when it gets to the semi-final." "You're carrying the hopes of the school on your shoulders, you see." "Is an education more important than that?" "[spectators cheering]" "But I was worried by 6 pm." "Okay look, he's not coming, all right." " Sir, I can't do it on my own." " You can." "You can do it." "[headmistress] So give it up for Clinton." "[applause and cheering] [drum and bass music playing]" "Sir, he's a genius." "He's not." "He's not a genius." "It's not about who is and who isn't the genius." "It's about... it's about..." "It's about... it's about taking part..." "How's he doing that?" "All you need to do is go out there and let them hear your voice." "That's all." "That's all you need to do." "Okay?" "...from two current Wood Hill College students." " Okay, good luck." " [applause]" "Don't be nervous." "You're fine." " [mic feedback]" " One of us, actually..." "Turns out there's only one of us." "♪ Something's going on Change is taking place ♪" "♪ Children smiling in the street Have gone without a trace ♪" "♪ This street used to be full It used to make me smile ♪" "♪ And now it seems that everyone Is walking single file ♪" " ♪ And many hang their heads in shame ♪ - [audience giggling]" "♪ That used to hold them high ♪" "♪ And those that used to say hello ♪" "♪ Simply pass you by... ♪" " [singing becomes inaudible] - [few people in the audience laughing]" "Hey there, Pascal." "Can I have a word?" "It's a free country." "So you must be pretty excited." "Quarterfinals." " Semi-final." " Semi-finals." "It's exciting, yeah?" "It's no time for complacency." "No." "No, quite." "So listen, Conor, he didn't show up to sing at the variety show." "He had kicking practice." "Oh, you knew about it." "Well in semi-final week, our outhalf had... more important things on his mind." "You sure it wasn't you who had other things on his mind?" "I'd consider you something of a Trojan horse, Sherry." "I'm not sure where this is going, Pascal." "Encouraging Conor Masters to be a singer?" "One week before the semi-final of the Senior cup?" "Come on, I'm trying to help him." "You can have the weird ones with the dyed hair and the banjos." "I've got fuck-all use for them." "No interest." "I'll say this to you the once." "You'd do well to let that boy focus on his rugby." "You get me?" "You got apple in your beard... [reporter] Meanwhile in school rugby, a difficult two halves from Conor Masters." "Inspirational with the ball in hand, but trouble off the kicking team." "Despite those penalty misses," "Wood Hill College progresses to their first senior final in over a decade." "[Ned] Everyone who's ever been young - so that's everyone ever, knows just what humiliation feels like." "Worse than the embarrassment was Conor's vanishing act." "He had disappeared from my life." "And I can't believe I'm about to say this, but..." "I missed him." "We were friends..." "I wasn't gonna give that up without a fight." "Halt." "Who goes there?" "Oh." "Can I help you?" "I was looking for Conor." "I wanted to say well done." "Is he in there?" "Oh, yea... nope." "He's actually not in there." "I'm really sorry." "Maybe I'll just check." "Yeah." "Well maybe instead of checking you could just piss off?" "Does that sound like a plan?" "I'm not gonna tell you again to piss off, okay?" "Oh!" "Fuck!" " Eh, eh, no!" " Ned - leave it." " Weasel, come on man, just leave him be." " Thank you." "I want to go see my friend." " Conor." " He is not your friend." "He's your roommate." "He had no choice but to hang out with you!" "Do you get it!" "Conor, this little..." "I don't know, vole appears to be very much in love with you." "Now I've told him you're not that way inclined but... maybe I'm wrong." "Am I wrong, Conor?" "Go back to the fucking dorm, Ned." "Go back to the dorm, faggot." "Tell them, Conor." "Go back to the fucking dorm, Ned." "Tell them." "[Ned] I only meant for Conor to tell his teammates that we were friends, but looking back, maybe he thought I knew more than that." "Tell them." " I'm warning you." " Tell them..." "Fuck!" "[Weasel] Et tu, Conor!" "This is some Ides of March shit right here..." "Fuck off Weasel!" "See you later, Ned!" "[boys screaming]" "[Sherry] " Those masterful images because complete"," "Grew in pure mind, but out of what began?" "A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street," "Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can, old iron, old bones, old rags," "That raving slut who keeps the till." "Now that my ladder's gone," "I must lie down where all the ladders start." ""In the foul rag and bone shop..."" "[knocking on door]" "Come in." " Go on, then." " Everyone up." "Follow us to the gym." "[Ned] Compulsory cheerleading practice ahead of the final." "Pretty much the last place on earth I wanted to be." "[older student] We're ready to make a little bit of history!" "♪ Wood Hill College for the cup ♪" "♪ We always play with honor Whenever we grow stronger... ♪" "[Ned] Lyrically, these songs left a little to be desired." "But on this day - the lyrics weren't the problem." "It was what was behind them." "This wasn't my team." "And maybe the idea of getting expelled began to surface once again." "Honestly, I don't remember." "[singing indistinctly]" "Sing!" "Fucking sing!" "Sing!" "Sing, you little queer!" "[Ned] They wanted me to sing?" "I'd sing like a canary." "I had this big piece of news I could share - and what was I keeping it for?" "There was nothing wrong with being different." "I knew that." "And why did Conor get to be adored and me bullied, and we're about the same?" "Oh I'd tell them" " I'd tell everyone." "Then they'd apologize." "Then everyone would be on my side for once." "Finally, now I had the conch!" "I'll tell you who's gay   [feedback] - oh I'll tell you who's gay all right..." "Conor Masters is gay!" "[Ned] There it is, folks." "A terrible memory." "Your parents are flying home from Dubai tonight." "They'll be here first thing in the morning." "Ned, I'm aware you haven't had it easy in this school." "But grabbing a megaphone, disrupting match preparations, it crosses a line." "Am I expelled?" "You'll sleep in the infirmary tonight." "We'll meet tomorrow morning at 8 am." "I expected so much more from you, Ned." "I expected compassion... towards a boy who was new," "towards a boy who was always going to feel a little different than the rest of you." "You, of all people, I thought could empathize with that." "Go on." "Leave." "[Ned] It's funny how it goes, isn't it?" "Now that I seemed to have achieved my goal of getting expelled, there was nothing I wanted more than to go back to being a pupil in this school." "Hey Conor." "Can I talk to you?" "Yeah." "Yeah, of course you can." "Oh, I can't let you in here, sorry." "Stupid regulations." "Come on." "We'll go for a walk." "[Sherry] So... big day tomorrow, Conor." "The first final in how long is it?" "Yeah, I can't do it." "It's just nerves." "You're a great player in a great team." "You'll be fine." "That's got nothing to do with it." "Sir, I saw you, with your friend." "You were together." "So you saw me with a friend, Conor." "So what?" "Look, I know it's hard," "I know." "But... it gets better." "Trust me." " When I'm older." " Yeah, when you're older." "Sad fact of life." "So I'm just supposed to keep lying." "It's not a lie." "It's not necessarily lying if you keep something to yourself." "But if you pretend to be something you're not, then that's a lie." "Sir, I remember the lesson with Ned." "I remember when you called him out for plagiarizing that song." ""Don't use a borrowed voice," you said." ""Find your own voice." "Don't be a sheep."" "Sir, you said that lesson wasn't just for Ned." "You said it was for all of us." "So why am I exempt?" "Why am I different from everyone else?" "You can't be all things to all men, Conor, at all times." " It's not smart." " Why not?" "Sometimes you need to keep things hidden away." "To protect yourself." "There will come a point in the future... when you won't have to lie anymore." "Trust me." "Will there?" "Yeah." "And are you at that point?" "This isn't about me." "It gets better." "That's all I can say to you." "Please believe me, Conor." "How on earth can I even begin to believe you?" "Come on, Conor..." "Conor..." "[Victor] Jesus Christ, Conor - it's 11:05!" "[Walter] We take this type of transgression very seriously." "We'll take the midterm to consider." "But punishment will be severe." "I appreciate all that, thank you." "Tell me though, what happened to my son's face?" "[Walter] Well, we can't get an answer on that, I'm afraid." "Ned?" " Nothing happened." " Something happened..." "This is nobody's fault but my own." "More than anything, this is about preserving the ethos of the school." "[opening door suddenly] Sir..." " Sorry..." " Wait outside, Victor." "I can't, sir." "Conor's gone missing." "[Victor] He didn't stay in his bed last night." "He's gone." "Well have you told Pascal..." "I mean Mr. O'Keeffe?" "No." "I thought I'd come to you first." "Well tell Mr. O'Keeffe I want to see him here." "Immediately!" "Go on!" "Yes, sir." "[door closing behind]" "Sir, Mr. Curly wants to see you." "Victor" " I thought you were supposed to be Victor and Conor." "Where's Conor?" "Sir, there was an incident yesterday, and Conor... he's gone missing." "Okay - what do you mean "missing," Victor?" "Walter wants to see you, sir." "Now." "Walter wants to see me... [whispering] Of course this has to happen today." "Thank you, Victor." "Hey, Pascal." "Good luck today." "Are you okay?" "You're delighted, Sherry, huh?" "Over the fucken moon, yeah!" " Uh... what?" " Conor Masters, huh?" "Missing - on the day of the final..." " Missing?" " Missing!" "Yes!" "What part of "missing" don't you understand?" "[knocking on door]" "When we get back... can I please jump out in town?" "I really need to do something." "You must be kidding..." "Look, Dad, I know I'm in trouble, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't absolutely vital." "Not only are you not "jumping out," Ned, you are massively, unbelievably grounded until we can figure out what to do with you." "Tanner, feet down." "Dan." "I suppose you've heard about Conor Masters." "Yeah." "His parents don't know where he is." "Well, I've notified the guards anyway, so..." "And we have an untested player at outhalf." "And Wallace is - at best..." "Oh who cares about the fucking rugby, Walter?" "Some boys don't play rugby." "What about those boys?" "Ned!" "Ned!" "Fuck..." "[Ned] Conor was always running." "I couldn't understand it, but now I finally got it." "You have to know that you're running in the right direction." "Men." "You might be wondering where our outhalf is." "Earlier, as you know, I was called to Mr. Curly's office and informed that the boy has... had some kind of breakdown, and has gone missing." "Today of all days, I know..." "I don't know if you were aware of the rumors swirling around, but it transpires that he was dealing with... serious personal issues." "Well he's missing today, and I want to tell you this:" "we are way better off without him." "I mean, we all have personal issues, but look around you!" "Anyone who can't be trusted to put those issues to one side can't be part of a team." "Yeah..." "We all have shit that we're going through, you know." "But do you run?" "No." "You stay." "You stay, and deal with your shit, by standing in a field blowing a whistle in the fucking rain!" "[indistinct cheering]" "Hello?" "Can I come in?" "What do you want?" "I want to apologize... for being a terrible friend." "So you knew about me all along." "I'm so sorry, Conor..." "I want you to play." "There's still time." "You said that that wasn't your team." "You've never even seen us play before." "Yeah look" " I was wrong." "Okay?" "Turns out I was wrong about pretty much everything." "Not everything..." "You don't have to pick a side, Conor." "You don't have to be one thing or the other." "You can be everything." "I'm not sure I can play for them." "For Weasel." " For the Coach." " It's not for them!" "You're not playing for them." "You're playing for us." "It's my team if you're playing for it." "Reveal to them who you are." "If you dare..." "If you dare..." "Our team yeah." "[referee blowing the whistle]" "Conor." "What can we do for you?" "Late again." "Sorry about that, lads..." "Your mind is shot, right?" "You're all over the place." "I understand that." "How is it shot?" "Well... at this point... we all heard about the thing..." "The thing?" "The thing..." " The thing?" " The thing!" "The thing!" "The thing!" "Lookit, it's not your fault," "but you cannot fit into this team." " Since when?" " Since..." "lookit, you're incompatible." "Incompatible according to who?" "Us." "According to all of us." "Isn't that right, lads?" "I don't know if you heard why I left my old school..." "Yeah." "We heard you got in some fights." "...and I don't know if you heard why I was fighting." "I was fighting everyone who found out who I was." "Every last one of them." "But... they kept coming." "I couldn't stop them coming, and I couldn't fight them all." "I couldn't stay and keep denying it so I ran away, to our school..." "Thing is, lads..." "I'd like to stop running away, you know." "I'm done with that." "Thanks to Ned here... you all know who I am." "I'm the same me I always was and I really really really want to be a part of this team." "I'm here, and I'm ready to play." "So... if you want me on your side, just..." "Wallace has been filling in at ten and doing a perfectly good job." " C'mon Pascal..." " No I haven't, Pascal." "Believe in yourself, boy." "I believe I'm fucking shit at out-half." "I'm a winger and you know it." "Come on, Pascal." "Just put Wallace on the wing." "Well that's a pity, Victor, 'cos Wallace has just put himself on the bench!" "There is one coach on this team." "One voice." "Not fifteen!" "You hear me?" "Do you hear me, Victor?" "Congratulations Victor, you're off the team and all!" "Tom Quinlan, Keith Shafrey, you're both subbed off, you pair of eejits." "You pair of fucking tools." "Lads, I'm sorry, but this lot have ruined your hard work for the year." "Anyone else walks over to that side and they're gone too." "I'll forfeit the game if I have to!" "I can do that!" "That's enough I said!" "You hear me?" "Ah, for fuck's sake." "We all have that one thing we're ashamed of." "A memory of one moment so embarrassing we don't know if we'll ever be able to forget it." "Single moments when, not only do we betray everyone around us, but we betray ourselves too in the most terrible way." "[Ned continues] Yes, we all have that moment." "But the pain of remembering the embarrassment begins to fade eventually, with the help of a good friend." "I will never forget that game for as long as I live." "Conor was everywhere." "Everyone noticed it." "The determination to shut people up." "To prove them wrong." "What he was feeling spread throughout the team like a fever." "People talked about it for months afterwards." " Conor's playing!" " Yeah." "Young Ned found him." "Well he's a good kid." "Ned." "Walter, this is Arthur." "Hello, Arthur." "Walter." "Arthur's me fella." "We're a bit of "an item."" "[Ned] Like I said..." "I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the embarrassment and the shame of what I did." "But in a way, some good did come out of it..." "That year, everyone in school learned the same lesson." "Not to speak in a borrowed voice." "[yelling indistinctly]" "[yelling indistinctly]" "You know, one single year before..." "I'd have given everything I owned for that kick to be missed..." "[Ned] But people change..."