Voila! Finally, the Waking The Dead
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Keith Gordon movie
with Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Waking The Dead. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
That happens only on the farshores
of a distantland.
But just a short time ago...
...such terror apparently struck
this quiet neighborhood...
...on the outskirts of Minneapolis.
A car bomb completely destroyed a vehicle
carrying two Chilean nationals...
...and apparently,
a young American woman.
The FBI is refusing comment.
However, early reports indicate
the bombing was carried out...
...by Chilean government agents.
The agents were trying to stop
Francisco and Gisela Higgens...
...who have been touring around the US...
...speaking out against
Chile's military dictatorship.
Minneapolis police believe the bomb
was detonated by remote control...
...and that all three occupants of the car
were killed instantly.
The bodies have been removed to
Minneapolis community general hospital.
As for the young American woman...
...it's not yet officially known,
but we have learned...
...that she was Sarah Williams,
an activist from Chicago...
...who was also working
with the sanctuary movement.
Sources tell us that she had made
several trips to Chile herself...
...assisting in bringing
political refugees into the US.
Obviously, the death of a young
American girl on American shores...
...will throw a whole new light
on both the sanctuary movement...
...and on the government's relationship
with the Chilean regime.
I'm Bill Haugland,
reporting live from Minneapolis.
Hi, Fielding. Kill anyone today?
-Not yet, Tamara. Is Danny here?
-He's in his office.
-Hi.
-Hi.
I'm here to see the boss.
Who are you?
I'm his brother.
-Go on in. He's expecting you.
-Thanks.
You're new here, right?
Do you like it here?
Yeah, I love it.
Jesus!
-Good morning, Private.
-Colonel.
It's a damn good feeling knowing
you're patrolling New York harbor.
The fuckin' Cong could be shoppin'
on Fifth Avenue like that.
Fielding, I want you
out of that Coast Guard.
-Come on!
-No, really.
I'm worried about you.
What if Nixon takes the wrong pill...
...and sends you guys over to Vietnam?
Name one national political leader
who hasn't served his time, Danny.
Remember that little coast guard song
that you made me learn?
My new assistant just told me
what semperparatus means.
I don't like this...
..."always ready" shit.
I get distinct death vibes.
Your new assistant? The girl out there?
Yeah. Sarah.
Catholic girl.
They know their Latin.
"My coast guard fights for me
"And our shore's liberty
"We will be strong
"Even if die we must
"We'll never fail the trust
"That we've been shown"
-Good, let's go.
-No way. We're not done yet.
"We're proud, we're true
We're brave
"We fear not pain nor grave
"Our tide rolls on
"We'll sail the ocean blue
"Coast guard, we love you
and everybody too"
I can't remember the rest of the words.
Viking's doing this book on
J. Edgar Hoover that sounds a lot like ours.
Really?
Good. Cancel ours and get us out
of the whole fuckin' thing.
We don't want to deal with the FBI.
It's just a big headache we don't need.
Ready for lunch?
-Do you mind if I join you?
-Yes.
You mind?
I mean, no.
-We'll all go together.
-Okay. I'll go get my bag.
Check it out. Who am l?
"Yes, no." Very smooth.
The thing about Harvard, for...
...somebody from the working class,
like us, coming from that background...
...is that there is a terrible sense
of isolation, of aloneness there.
Not to mention that I was
a year younger than everyone.
It was like walking around campus with
"scholarship kid" tattooed on my head.
I do believe, though,
that politics can still make a difference.
But you have to become a part of it.
You become one of the people
who sends the message to people...
...that lying and corruption
in government is wrong.
I know that we think of law
as something that is cerebral.
I won't say that it's a courageous stance
to take, but it's a....
We know that the war is evil.
It's a way for me not to become
disenfranchised, you know, become...
...some radical member
who is now in prison--
Should I be taking notes?
Eat your lunch.
Carry on. Sorry.
Mimi, get me Don Ragland
on the phone in my office.
Fielding, don't hurt yourself.
When do you have to get back to the war?
Can I buy you dinner tonight?
Can I talk?
What do you do in the Coast Guard?
Right now I patrol New York harbor.
Not glamorous, but....
It's not the Army, Canada or jail.
Do you think they might send you
to Vietnam?
No.
And the war is ending pretty soon.
The war's been ending soon
for a long time.
It's just something that I have to do.
I have one, too.
One what?
Sense of destiny.
Okay, what's your sense of destiny?
When I was little, I wanted to be a nun.
It's a true story!
What stopped you?
Puberty.
As it should.
Now, I want...
...a life of unbelievable adventure...
...and...
...profligacy...
...and at the last possible moment,
sainthood.
I want a life that makes sense.
You...
...still haven't told me how you got
the idea you wanted to be a senator.
That's not actually what I want.
I want to be the President.
Why are you smiling?
Because you mean it.
-You're still part of the same system.
-So what do I do, go to Canada, go to jail?
Yes! I mean, if it's what you believe in.
I think that's easy for you to say
because you can't be drafted.
That is so patronizing.
I'm sorry.
But if I do those things,
either of those things...
...l risk throwing away
everything that I've worked for.
This way, eventually...
...l can make some real,
substantial changes...
...without throwing away my life
on some ultimately meaningless gesture.
Sometimes meaningless gestures
are all we have.
You're very ambitious, aren't you?
I'm afraid I am.
Be careful.
Ambition is...
...the ice on the lake of emotion.
Who said that?
I did.
Can I come up?
-Too fast.
-Can we think of it as a wartime romance?
Come on up, Fielding.
Oh, God.
Please don't let them send you to Vietnam.
I'll be okay.
All right?
It's not that.
What?
If you go over...
...you'll be getting shot at
by the people I want to win.
I don't want to have to choose
who to root for.
You still with us, Fielding?
I'm just thinking.
Do you realize what the Governor
is offering here, Fielding?
It's a big jump from the
county prosecutor's office...
...to the United States Congress.
What the hell are you looking at out there?
He's thinking, Ed.
You don't want a snap decision, do you?
I don't want to spend all day
sitting here, either.
There's no problem.
Nothing to be scared of, kid.
You can't lose.
You know when a Democrat
last lost a special election in this district?
Hell, I was still going to high school--
What about Jerry Charmichael?
He hung himself.
One thing to be a fag, but he got caught
putting his boyfriend on the US payroll.
Anyway, he's announced his resignation.
That's his business.
Yours is: Do you want this seat or not?
All right.
Tell me if there's anything about you
I don't know that maybe I ought to.
I never know how to answer that.
-What the fuck are you playing with?
-Come.
-He's kicking the gift horse in the nuts.
-He's a good kid.
Clean as a whistle.
Father's a union man.
All right.
I owe your friend Isaac.
I'll get you to Washington.
By the time you learn to find your ass
without using both hands...
...it'll be time for the regular election
and if we aren't friends by then...
...that'll be that.
-I have to go.
-Of course.
It'll all work out.
I'll have my people call you.
All those years.
I want a life that makes sense.
You're my lover, Fielding.
I have one, too.
I don't want to have to watch you
turn into a cog in their machine.
Sometimes meaningless gestures
are all we have.
Sarah?
I want to apologize
to the people of my district.
I've let them down...
...and that's something
I'll have to live with for the rest of my life.
I also want to apologize
to my wife, Lorraine...
...my two children.
Insiders say the man most likely
to fill the vacant seat...
...is a -year-old attorney
from the DA's office...
...Fielding Pierce,
a bachelor and political unknown.
Governor Kinosis is expected to announce--
Hello?
Beware the lonely man with a telephone.
Is that my congressman brother?
I guess you heard the news.
Mom and Dad told you?
Are you kidding me?
Mom's already bought
a whole new scrapbook.
Congratulations, honey.
Thanks.
Honey?
-You know what I wish?
-What?
I wish Sarah was here.
-I know. I still miss her, too.
-It gets better.
Then it's like it never got better at all.
If you were still with her,
none of this would be happening.
Everything she was would've taken you
away from where you wanted to go.
I know.
I'm starting to pretend she's alive.
Why would you do that?
I don't know.
It's just happening.
I can feel her around me in the snow.
Oh, God.
Fielding, don't do this to yourself.
No, it's....
I don't mind it, really.
It's just interesting, that's all.
No, it isn't, honey.
It's sad.
It's really, really sad.
Dear Fielding:
If you were going off to fight a war,
a good war...
...l could write this by candlelight...
...weep, and then go to church
and pray for you.
But there's only one war...
...and it's bad.
And though you promise
that your ship's not going near Vietnam...
...l keep thinking your course will change.
It's : in the morning...
...and I'm needing you...
...like a thousand monkeys on my back.
I'm wearing your black T-shirt.
You were looking all over for it
before you left, but I had it hidden.
I needed something here
that smells of you...
...unspeakably delicate...
...and innocent.
It amazes me to think that
while I was growing up in Louisville...
...you were growing up in New York.
But our fates had been cast.
And every step we took
was only bringing us closer...
...until we fell into that bed
and you were inside me...
...and we both knew...
...that we'd come to the end of the line.
We will never be apart.
We may be at each other's throats...
...or we may be separated by miles...
...but we'll never be apart.
So get off that boat.
Get off...
...and come home to me.
I need you.
Your girl always...
...Sarah.
We may be separated by miles...
...but we'll never be apart.
Don't go.
What are you looking for?
I'm definitely going crazy.
It's : in the morning...
...I'm needing you,
like a thousand monkeys on my back.
How are you?
Every step we took...
...was only bringing us closer
until we fell into that bed...
...and you were inside me...
...and we both knew.
And so,
I endorse Angelo Bertelli in this race...
...not just because he's a good man,
of and from this district...
...but because he represents a change.
A change, a break...
...from machine politics...
...machine thinking...
...and machine answers.
Great.
First the gay vote, now half the Black vote.
Got to love a challenge.
Bertelli's a nothing.
He's like a write-in candidate.
Besides, I hear he's an old lecher.
Are you going to use that?
No.
But maybe we should get married.
I'll run on the morality issue.
You're not ready to marry anybody.
I was only kidding.
Besides, wouldn't that be awful
if we got married and I lost the election?
What would be so awful about it?
I was just saying that if we got married
for the sake of the election...
...and then I lost, that's all.
Why does that make my stomach hurt?
If I said, "Let's get married,"
you'd say the same thing to me.
You're making me feel bad.
Okay, I'm sorry I said it.
-Looking forward to seeing your family?
-Yeah.
I only wish I had more time.
But you don't.
You've got to hit the ground running.
You've got to start building
a real constituency...
...or the next election....
Thanks for everything, Isaac.
Nothing to thank me for.
Right.
And Pinocchio owed nothing to Gepetto.
Adele asked me to give you this.
It's a poem she wrote you.
Here.
Thank you.
Your plane takes off in minutes. Go.
-How's Juliet, by the way?
-She's all right.
Nice girl.
Real lady, in the best sense.
What's wrong?
Do you ever remember Sarah?
Of course I do.
What do you remember about her?
The funeral.
The reporters.
The whole thing sort of...
-...drifting away like it never happened.
-Yes.
I miss her...
...so much and I can't get away from it.
I could've spent the rest of my life
figuring out what happened to her...
...with all that shit, and why...
...and I just dropped it.
There was nothing you could do.
You had places to go.
What's going on?
I don't know.
All right, let's go home.
Can I just say something,
then we don't have to talk about it again?
Of course.
I want to be good.
You are good.
Maybe you're too good.
I don't know what I am.
I want you to come some place with me.
Okay.
Don't you want to know where?
-I don't think I do.
-Yeah, I think you might.
Tell me where we are going.
Oriental massage parlor.
I don't think so.
Just drop me off at the hotel.
No, listen to me.
I am in love...
...with a Korean whore
and I want you to meet her.
Danny, don't you think I could meet her
somewhere else?
Come on.
Are you so worried about your reputation
that you won't come with your brother...
...to meet his girlfriend?
That's nice, Fielding.
Okay.
Here's the deal.
These Korean gangsters brought her
over here, promised her a job...
...and then threw her in this whorehouse--
Which you just happen to patronize.
-Look at you judging me.
-What do you want me to do?
I don't want you to judge me.
-What do you want me to do?
-Use your influence.
-You can get her a green card.
-Get the fuck out of here!
I'm not running for office so I can get
your friend a goddamn green card.
My "friend"?
She's not my "friend," Fielding.
This happens to be the woman I love.
You fuckin' think it's so inappropriate,
but it happens to be a woman I love.
Remember what Sarah used to say?
Sarah Williams.
You do remember Sarah, don't you?
-Go fuck yourself.
-I know you do.
She'd see some junkie on the street.
People just walking by,
nobody even noticing.
But she'd see him and she'd say,
"How do you know that's not Jesus?"
How do you know?
Oh, God, I had this dream.
You want to hear it?
You're a senator.
We're at this...
...fancy Washington party...
...and I'm in this expensive, low-cut gown...
...and all I can think is that...
...l can't move my hands
because I haven't shaved under my arms.
If anyone sees,
then your whole career is ruined.
I'm so glad I'm starting in Chicago
with a job.
Working with the church
makes me feel like I'm here...
...on the planet, you know?
And I matter.
You matter to me.
That's different.
Besides, you have law school.
I'm never going to see you, anyway.
I think I'm scared of disappearing.
I'm not going to let that happen.
It's not up to you.
Next, Flight ....
Okay, so we have one, two, three,
four, five, six, seven, eight.
Sarah? Sarah Williams?
Yes.
I'm Father Steven Mileski
from Resurrection House.
Hi.
-Call me Steven.
-Steven.
How did you guess who I was?
You were....
I don't know. I just knew.
I thought you'd need help, so I figured
I'd give you a ride to your apartment.
Absolutely. Thank you so much.
This is Fielding.
Hi.
You're a blessing.
I'm saying that if you want
real social change...
...revolutions have a terrible track record.
So you let people starve and suffer
while they're waiting for salvation?
You know me better than that. Come on.
You have to accept....
What are you doing?
I'm making a point. That's not fair.
You have to accept that....
Do you know how much I love you?
It's a brilliant paper.
You're a brilliant student.
You're going to be a brilliant lawyer...
...and a brilliant senator.
You're just going to have to put up
with me as your Jiminy Cricket.
-Okay?
-Okay.
That's a good argument.
See? You retire, even your kids
say good things about you.
-Come on, Pop.
-You made a nice speech.
I'm glad.
You made it sound like I raised you myself.
If you're running for office, no woman
in this room would've voted for you.
And you get too personal.
If anybody really knew Kennedy,
you think they would've voted for him?
You've got to be strong.
So strong...
...you'll want to blow your brains out.
But you won't.
So strong people can say,
right to your face...
...you're a dirty, lying son of a bitch,
and it's not going to make any difference.
What if I don't want to do that?
Then you'll be making a big mistake.
You'll end up just like me.
So? What's wrong with that?
You sit down in the morning and tear
your hair out when you read the paper...
...because the world is run by people
not half as smart as you are.
Guys who think
that working people are dog shit.
Look good, boy.
Strong.
You're doing it for all of us.
If you have hope for the future
of your community and this country...
...get out and vote on January ...
...and send me to Congress...
...and let me work for you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
How are you?
Nice to see you.
You're a registered Democrat, right?
How are you?
Thanks for coming out.
We really appreciate it.
Take a flyer.
Thank you all for coming out.
Thank you, everyone.
I know that I was grateful
the government was there.
I'm there for every hard-working American.
How are you doing?
Which ones are yours?
He's interested in drawing monsters.
Wait until you see him in action.
I want you to meet him.
He has the teamsters in his pocket.
You have to go and say hi.
This has got to be Fielding Pierce.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
-I'm really excited about meeting you.
-Excellent.
I got a few ideas.
My dear.
-How are things?
-Very well.
You're having a good time, I hope.
There you are.
Come here. It's okay.
I want you to meet someone.
This is Isaac Green and Adele.
This is Sarah Williams.
-Sarah.
-Hi.
-How do you do?
-Very pleased to meet you.
I'm sorry about my clothes.
-I just came from work.
-You look fine.
You should see our son.
At least you look clean.
Have you thought any more
about the DA's office?
My connections are strong,
and it's a hell of a launching pad.
It's definitely interesting.
Good.
I don't know, Fielding.
Do you really want
to be putting people in jail?
Would you like a drink, Sarah?
Come.
You know, Isaac and I are so grateful....
So....
-Hi.
-You're late.
It's : .
-I know. I was worried.
-I'm sorry.
We said we were going to cook dinner,
you were going to help me with my paper.
But Manuel, that little boy
I told you about? He talked today.
Steven was playing with him,
and he finally talked.
You're never here anymore.
You're at the church all day long.
And you're at school
or studying all day long.
Are you in love with him?
Who?
Mileski.
Steven's a priest.
You're my lover, Fielding.
He's part of what I do.
You can't be everything to me.
I want to be.
Oh, dear.
I love that you said that.
-This is Sarah Wilson.
-Congressman, how are you?
I'm very well, thank you.
-Sorry.
-No, you go right ahead.
This is Sarah Wilson and Fielding Pierce.
Very nice to meet you.
Everything's good
with the independent voters?
They're pretty earrings.
I know exactly where he's going.
I only know about soccer.
Sarah Wilson? These are brothers.
This is Sarah Wilson and Fielding Pierce.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
"Would you like a drink?"
And the Roman Catholic priest says--
-Over here.
-Who is that in the corner?
Yes, Mr. Ellis. How are you?
It's a pleasure to meet you.
-I hear great things about you.
-Thank you.
-I hope I can live up to them.
-I'm sure you will.
Our friend Isaac is
a shrewd judge of character.
If he takes a young man under his wing,
he's got good reason.
Thank you.
-Mr. Ellis.
-Yes?
I read your article in Newsweek
about Chile.
Yes, my dear.
Yeah, I thought it was reprehensible,
disgusting bullshit.
You have the balls to suggest
that the overthrow of...
...a democratically elected government
by murderous thugs is in our interest?
You tell people to support that?
You use your fucking power in that way?
Now, see here, my dear--
I'm not your "dear." What about you?
Aren't you going to say something?
You fucking clapped
when I ripped up that article.
Or was that someone else?
Otto, I want you to meet my niece,
Juliet Beck.
-Darling, this is Professor Otto Ellis.
-Charming.
And this is Fielding Pierce.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
And Sarah Wilson.
It's Sarah Williams, Isaac.
-Yes, Williams.
-It's a pleasure.
I'll talk to you later.
Just what is going on here?
-Nothing.
-Jesus.
It's fine.
-It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
-Yes, you too.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to fuck up.
He was just such an asshole.
Why are you saying that now? Jesus.
He was definitely a part of it.
Your friends are much tougher
than they look.
I don't even know most of them.
You liked her, didn't you?
Who?
What?
-Who?
-Isaac's niece.
You know.
Come on.
Miss Perfect Future President's Wife.
Juliet, you mean?
I don't know. She seemed very shallow.
Maybe.
Fuck off.
That's where you're heading.
That's your world.
It's all mapped out.
It's been mapped out
long before we ever met.
I'm not going to change it.
Do you want me to change it?
I think that both of us
would love to change each other.
-No, I don't want to change you.
-Yes, you do.
You're the incarnation
of your family's ambition.
And I am the incarnation
of your family's fear.
Your father, his name is Ed.
Your mother's name is Mary.
-They named you Fielding.
-Yes.
-What does that mean?
-It means I was meant to succeed.
I accept that.
I don't want to watch you
turn into a cog in their machine.
That's so...
...fucking condescending.
Sometimes cogs can make machines
run a little bit better.
Sometimes.
Mostly they turn in circles and wear out.
And then they get replaced.
-Come work at the church with me.
-Yeah, don't work for the US Government.
Work for the people who brought us
the Children's Crusade and the Inquisition.
-That's a moral step up.
-It's infuriating loving you sometimes.
The feeling's mutual.
Honey?
I'm home, and I'm horny.
I'm so glad you're home.
I'm going to Chile.
I'm going to be gone for two weeks.
We're going to get some friends
out of there.
-How are you going to do that?
-It's all planned.
-It's not difficult or dangerous.
-When is this happening?
Tonight. Our flight's at : .
Can I ask you not to go?
No.
Who are you going with?
Steven.
We're meeting up with a nun
named Sister Angela.
-What'll the generals think?
-I can't talk about that.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Listen, if anybody comes
snooping around...
...just dodge their questions.
-We must go. There'll be traffic.
-Not to mention the storm.
God has given us a lot
to put our shoulder against.
Yeah, he's been such a help. Really.
I'll bring her back safe and sound.
You have my word.
Is there something I can do to help?
Do you have any money?
Thanks.
Take me with you. Please.
-You'll be with us. We feel your love.
-No, I mean it seriously.
-I speak better Spanish than both of you.
-Sister Angela speaks it perfectly.
Just take me with you.
Everything's arranged for this time.
It means a lot you asked.
-I'm sorry, but we must go.
-I'll go with you to the airport.
You think what I'm doing is wrong?
Of course not.
The truth is I think you're...
...fucking incredible.
And I do wish you weren't going.
I want to forget everything
that separates us, Fielding.
You're my lover.
The only man in the world I love.
You're the only woman I love.
Ten years ago
we could run a campaign for $ .
Now it takes a goddamn million.
We got the votes, right?
Vote early and vote often.
What we need to do is coast.
We'll get plenty of ink for free.
Reporters have got nothing to do
this time of year, right Kelly?
You're right about that.
Also, we can count on
Jerry Charmichael's full cooperation.
I don't know if you want him involved,
but he's willing to do whatever's best.
I'm losing my mind.
Beg your pardon?
What do you mean?
I've been seeing things
and hearing things...
...from Sarah.
And I've been believing them.
Believing that she's....
I don't know. Come back from
the other side, or maybe she never died.
I can't explain it.
I thought I saw her...
...a couple of years ago in New York.
It seemed really crazy,
so I never told you about it, but...
...she was coming out of
like a coffee shop...
...with this guy, this older guy.
And I didn't think about it. I just...
...called her name.
And she looked around,
and she looked straight at me.
And...
...l guess I was just so surprised.
I just forgot that she wasn't alive
anymore, and...
...she turned around and walked a bit
further, so I called her name again.
And she turned around.
And then I remembered.
And, you know...
...it wasn't her. She looked different.
That's not true.
She looked a lot like Sarah.
But she wasn't Sarah. That's the point.
She just looked like her.
I was really freaked.
I really was, but I just carried on
and made myself forget all about it.
I never told you because it was just dumb.
But that happens.
-But you saw her.
-I thought I saw her.
I didn't see her. Of course I didn't.
I am absolutely sure about that.
You're absolutely sure?
Yeah.
So will Congressman Charmichael
be participating in your campaign?
Jerry's pretty exhausted, so--
You remember me at all, Fielding?
It was my very first news job
in Minneapolis.
It was one of the biggest stories
of the year there.
What was the story?
There were American priests giving
left-wing Chileans sanctuary...
...and right-wing Chileans
hunting them down.
Fielding's girlfriend
got caught in the middle.
I'm sorry. There's a woman...
...who has some statistics that I need.
I won't be long!
Sarah?
What is this? What is this?
Goddamn you! Goddamn you!
Who is making this disturbance?
Fielding.
My God, what's wrong?
What brings you here?
-I don't know. Where am l?
-You're in my church.
This is my parish now.
You've created a disturbance--
-I want to talk about Sarah.
-What do you--
Just tell me about her! Is she alive?
-Tell me, please.
-All right.
Just stop the shit
and tell me if she is alive!
She is alive in the hearts of those--
Bullshit! I followed her into this church!
I followed her into this church!
And I'm tired of being screwed with!
Poor Fielding.
Francisco and Gisela Higgens,
I'd like you to meet my right arm here...
...Sarah Williams and her friend,
Fielding Pierce.
It's an honor, really.
I hope we can be of service to you.
What about you? Another good Catholic?
Not at all.
If it weren't for some great churchmen
we wouldn't be here to speak out...
...and our friends, Gustavo and Seny,
would be in prison or dead.
So, what do you do?
Fielding wants to be a senator.
Well, well. A senator.
With so many of your politicians
showing their corruption...
...l am surprised to see someone
from the youth...
...who chooses to follow their example.
Do you really believe
that I'm going into politics...
...so I can become
a corrupt son of a bitch who...
...sells electrodes
to the Chilean secret police?
What Gisela means is
when you enter a corrupt institution...
...you become part of it.
So you would say, leave politics
to the worst America has to offer?
Young man, everything is politics.
Life is politics.
Calling only your elections politics
is part of your sickness here.
I am so sick of having to apologize
for being an American.
-North American.
-Oh, God, I'm so sorry. North American.
I can't help noticing that
when people run to freedom...
...they tend to wash up
on North American shores.
This country is the best we've been able
to do in the history of the planet.
You can't be serious.
We know our government plays rough.
Of course it does. All governments do.
But when you compare it
to a country like Chile...
...where even the leaders of the opposition
come from the upper class...
...a guy like me would have no shot.
My parents, my family, they were nothing.
My brother's a publisher,
my sister's an artist...
...and if I do become an elected official,
I think it must mean something.
This is like the patient who describes
his symptoms as a sign of good health.
That's ugly, Steven.
Yes, that is ugly, Steven.
Reminds me of something
Sarah would say.
You're in this conversation
by yourself, Fielding.
I'm in this whole fucking room by myself!
And I'm choking on the collective sense
of superiority!
I'm just going to Minneapolis
to drive them around for a few days.
You're acting like I'm leaving you forever.
If it's only for a few days,
why are you taking so much stuff?
Seny doesn't have any winter clothes,
so I'm bringing some for her, too.
I do love you, you know.
Fielding?
You have to love me, too.
Not an image and not an idea.
And not in spite of who I am.
I'll be at Our Lady of the Miracle
by tomorrow afternoon.
You know...
...most people think you all are crazy.
Most people...
...or you?
Most people.
And me.
Sarah?
The coroner is expected
to make his initial report.
As for the young American woman,
it's not yet officially known...
...but we have learned
that she was Sarah Williams...
...an activist from Chicago who was also
working with the sanctuary movement.
Obviously the death of a young
American girl on American shores...
...will throw a whole new light
on both the sanctuary movement...
...and possibly on the government's
relationship with the Chilean regime.
I'm Bill Haugland,
reporting live from Minneapolis.
Mr. Williams, who do you blame
for your daughter's death?
I just want to take her home and bury her.
You're the boyfriend, right? The fiancé?
Who do you blame
for Sarah Williams's death?
There are times when death
seems not the will of God...
...but the venal, ugly act of man.
And these are the times...
...that make us want to raise
our heads to the heavens and shout.
Shout loud enough to wake the dead.
Tony has been doing some informal polls.
You're slipping.
You're not behind yet, but you're slipping.
You have to work harder.
Come on, Caroline. Work harder?
I went places yesterday.
My throat is killing me. Come on.
My hand is so swollen, I can't put
a glove on it. What do you want me to do?
Put everything out of your mind until
after this is over. Absolutely everything.
After the election...
...we can be as crazy as we like.
You can't get there from here...
...but send me and let me work for you.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for coming out.
-You want some more?
-No, I'm fine.
Hey, man.
You have the willpower...
...to have just one glass of this?
That's good. Fuck, yeah, very strong.
Everyone stay put. Don't say
anything interesting. I'll be right back.
Bro.
You sure you don't want any of this
because it's good?
Is this all we have, rice cakes?
I can't stay here tonight.
What? Where are you going to go?
A friend's.
You going to come back?
-Yeah, of course.
-That's very nice of you.
I'll be back tomorrow.
You want something special for breakfast?
-Sprout omelet or something?
-Do you know what I think?
I think if you win this election
and I don't go to Washington with you...
...in three weeks,
you won't even know the difference.
You know what I think?
I think you're right.
A chance to see my brother
go down the tubes.
-Dan, hey!
-I'm just kidding.
If that's the way you feel,
why did you come here?
When I took Kim from the massage parlor,
the Koreans were furious.
They wanted her back.
Korean men think, Kim run away...
...maybe other girls run away, too.
I can't get involved
with your shit right now.
It's either very fucking stupid of you,
or it's sadistic of you to come here.
Wait a minute. It's not that big of a deal.
You cannot be here.
I'm in the middle of an election,
and it's going to be close.
And when it's close, it gets ugly.
I don't want to have to explain you,
or your girlfriend, to anyone anymore.
Wait. You're a powerful man.
You have influence.
-Just make a phone call or something--
-No.
You're not in my district, Danny.
I am your fucking district.
Who do you think made you what you are?
You are me, you fuck!
You close the door on me,
you close the door on yourself.
So be it then.
What would you be without us?
Some repulsive combination of...
...Harvard and the Coast Guard
stirred up by Isaac Green...
...and his fucking, tight-assed niece.
I'll get a cloth.
Goddamn it.
Did I wake you?
Sarah?
Yes.
Who is this?
I'm so sorry, Fielding.
Every day I had to decide
whether I should call you.
I tried to bring you to me.
Put your name on a little piece of paper
and I pinned it to my blanket.
I couldn't stay where I was.
I wanted to so badly,
but I couldn't stay that person.
I don't think you're going
to like me anymore.
What?
I don't think you're going
to like me anymore.
Oh, honey, I will always love you.
-Where are you? Tell me where you are.
-I'm far away.
-Tell me where you are and I'll--
-I can't.
I can. Tell me where you are.
Just tell me, please.
I'm with you.
Sarah?
Sarah?
Calm down.
Why the fuck is this happening to me?
-Hello?
-It's Isaac. You'd better come over--
-Do you want to lose this election?
-What's the problem?
You've missed three appearances
this morning.
The Dayton's poll has you in a dead heat.
Your campaign is out of money,
and the election's in three days.
Is that enough?
Come in. Sit down.
Whatever problems you two are having
can be put aside for a while.
He's not beating us on issues.
On issues you cream him every time,
but he's affable, and that comes across.
When he wants to be, you can be
the most charming man on Earth.
What are you doing here?
Why are you here?
Because I want to be.
But we're not, you know. You left.
It is so stupid to let you throw
this campaign away when you're so close.
Do you want to lose this election?
-Do you realize--
-I've got to go. I'm sorry.
-Where do you think you're going?
-I'm going to go find Sarah.
-You're going to visit her grave?
-No.
-I don't understand. This is crazy.
-Listen to me.
They didn't bury Sarah.
It was somebody else.
They probably realized
it would help them a great deal...
...if they thought they'd killed an American.
Does that make sense?
You saw her, Caroline!
-What is happening to him?
-Didn't you?
-You got the time, man?
-What time is it?
Nice fucking watch you got there.
Give him the watch!
It should be snowing, but that's okay.
Right about...
...there.
Turn the light out.
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do?
Should I do what they want?
Is that the right thing?
You still going to love me?
Where did you go?
Where the fuck did I go?
A simplified tax code
with radical reductions of write-offs...
...and a thorough reappraisal
of our endless expenditures on defense.
When I was given the opportunity...
...to run for Congress....
I was going to say that...
...l accepted the opportunity because
it'd give me a chance to serve my country.
But that's not entirely true.
The truth is that I have wanted this...
...as long as I can remember.
And...
...when you've wanted something
that long...
...getting it becomes
the most important thing.
We become dogs chasing
a mechanical rabbit around a racetrack...
...and what do we do
when we finally getting our jaws?
I do believe...
...that I can make a difference.
I believe that I can hear
the voices of the people in difficulty.
But I must finish...
...by promising to you...
...that if you elect me
I will do everything I can...
...to protect what is left of the best in us...
...from the selfish and the brutal...
...to make this world
as close to paradise as we can.
That may not be very close at all, but...
...what better way to spend a life
than crawling towards it.
Thank you.
And on this th district
it's still too close to call.
Looks like it's going down to the wire.
Wait, Mom. Hold on one second.
-Thank you so much.
-I'm staying here.
Stay tuned throughout the evening
for details--
All we can say now is
that it's simply too close to call.
-Hello?
-Final tally is in. You won.
What was the margin?
Six hundred and fourteen votes.
Congratulations.
Thanks, Isaac.
How's it going?
Well, I'm here, aren't l?
The prices in this place are obscene.
Don't worry, Mom.
It's a Sleepwalker Books party.
Expense account money is still money...
...and I don't like these places
playing me for a sucker.
My family. I think I'll kill them.
Caroline's right. We should concentrate
on being happy for Fielding.
And then tomorrow,
we can go back to trashing each other.
There's something that I think
I should tell you all.
I'm not feeling very well.
I haven't been for a while.
Something inside me has jumped the track.
I'm confused.
I'm not thinking right.
I'm not sleeping right.
Just don't think I am complaining
about this...
...or asking for your help...
...because there's nothing anyone can do.
It's happened and that's it.
I don't know what I'm going to say
from one minute to the next.
I really don't.
I don't know what I'm going to say,
or what I'm going to do.
Do you understand?
I know this is coming at a bad time
for everyone...
...but there's nothing I can do about that.
I'm tired and I'm....
I don't see things the way that I used to.
Everything...
...everything, everything
is fucking strange...
...and it's all completely out of control...
...and I'm frightened.
Maybe if you all
could give me some real help...
...and not your pity or generosity,
but some help.
Take a look at me.
I know I'm ruining everything,
but if I don't say this, I may never say it.
Everything's going fast. It's going
very fast. It's completely out of control.
If I don't say it today,
tomorrow may be too late.
I may be too crazy to even know
how crazy I am.
I don't know what to do!
I don't know what to do!
Something has happened to me,
and I'm very lost!
And it doesn't stop. It's not getting better.
I don't get better. I'm not getting better.
It's just going on, and it's going on.
And there's nothing that I can do about it.
It's not stopping!
It's not stopping.
Stupid.
I'm fine.
I feel better.
Thanks. I'm okay.
Don't worry. I'll be okay. I'm sorry.
Who is it?
Did you have to do it like this?
You ripped my life in half.
You took away everything that
was starting to mean something in my life.
How did you do that?
Why did you do that?
Can you stay...
...for a while?
No.
You need to stop talking
to people about me.
It's not safe.
All right. I won't.
Are you all right?
I'm good.
I really am.
I miss you so much.
I miss you, too.
I'm being so irresponsible.
I know when I made my decision,
I kept to it.
I thought wanting you
was going to go away.
They told me it was going to go away.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Please don't go.
Our lives have taken us so far apart now.
It seems wrong to think
we belong together.
But I think it.
I do too, but...
...l think I know why.
Why?
Because it's what we want.
But...
...so few people get what they want.
And the ones that do...
...aren't really the lucky ones, anyway.
They're not?
Who are?
The ones that do what they're meant to.
Can we not talk for a little bit?
I would feel so happy
if you would just hold me.
Let's just pretend that this is
what our lives are like.
This is perfectly natural.
It's no big deal.
I can close my eyes
and let everything else go away.
It's hard what you're doing, isn't it?
Just hold me.
Dear Congressman Charmichael:
My son is years old.
He was born with a very low birth weight.
He has never enjoyed good health.
Can you please send me any information
about the rights of adopted children?
Please mark the envelope:
"Top-secret. Do not open."
If they knew what I was doing,
they'd kill me.
The American consulate was polite,
but when I told them...
...that I had seen his body,
that he had been murdered--
Dear Congressman Pierce:
Congratulations on your election.
I am writing to you because I am having...
...a bad problem with my social security.
I've taken food out of the garbage
in the hall.
That money they're holding from me
is mine.
I've earned it.
I've done everything that I know how...
...to get this problem solved.
If I could come down to your office
in Washington...
...l would get down on my knees...
...and I would take your hand...
...and I would beg you.
Please.
Please, help me.
I never saw Sarah again.
I think I've managed to help
some people in Congress.
Do some good.
Less than I'd have liked,
but more than I had feared.
And to this day, I still don't know
if Sarah was real that night or...
...just the product of my broken heart.
But, Sarah, if you are alive...
...and it was you that night...
...here for one last moment of sweetness
before going back out...
...to try to make things better
in the world...
...l can only say...
...keep fighting.
God be with you.
I love you.
And if it wasn't really you....
If my visit was...
...only the you that still lives in my heart...
...the you that never gave up...
...that taught me
what being brave was all about...
...if it was only the you
that I will carry with me...
...in my soul until the day I die...
...l can only say...
...keep fighting.
And God be with you. I love you.