16 Years of Alcohol (2003) Movie Script
MAN: Sometimes, for some people,
things don't work out
as they might have hoped,
Hope is a strange thing,
A currency for people
who know they're losing,
The more familiar you are with hope,
the less beautiful it becomes,
This is a story about hope,
Hope
and desire,
A dream of an extraordinary world,,,
,,where angels watch over you
as storm clouds gather,
Mary? Come on, come on,
pick up the phone.
- Hi, please leave a message,,,
- Mary, it's Frankie.
I just wanted to tell you...
WOMAN: Frankie, I'm here,
Frankie?
Frankie?
PUNCHING AND GRUNTING
FRANKIE: Sometimes,
for some people,,,
,,things don't work out,,,
,,as they might have hoped,
# PADDY REILLY: Fields of Athenry
# Michael, they have taken you
# Away
# For you stole Trevelyn's corn
# So the young might see the morn
# Now the prison ship
# Lies waiting in the bay
# Low lie
# The Fields of Athenry
# Where once we watched
# The small free birds fly
# Our love was on the wing
# We had dreams
and songs to sing... #
OK, cowboy, go get your mother.
Come on, Mum. Dad wants to go.
Hurry up!
I have always had
a strange feeling about love,
It seemed tricky,
Happiness and sadness,
ugly and beautiful,,,
,,real and unreal,
One thing I've always known, though,
is that I have wanted
to be around love,
Quietly, not too much,
Just enough to make my heart happy,
It didn't have to sing,,,
,,just smile a little,,,
,,smile at the world,
Love is greedy,
Sometimes, when things don't work out
as you might have hoped,,,
,,love becomes a dangerous thing,
Scary, violent,
cold like the moon,
But today, it's warm like the breeze,
Mrs Jackson? I see you've got
your pet pig with you.
Christ, Jim, it's you! You've shaved.
Ladies and gentlemen, have you
ever seen two more handsome men?
Alberto and Cornelius,
the Brothers Grimm.
LAUGHTER
What is this I see in front of me?
Who is this vision of beauty?
Well, well, well, it's my wife.
Take a bow, you gorgeous creature.
That's it, stand up, take a bow.
APPLAUSE
Magic! OK, what's it to be?
- Goodnight Sweetheart!
- He'll Have To Go? Jim Reeves.
Yes.
OK, here's one for the beautiful
girls who've stolen our hearts.
# Put your sweet lips
# A little closer to the phone
# Let's pretend that we're together
All alone
# I'll tell the man to turn
The jukebox way down low
# And you can tell your friend
There with you
# He'll have to go
# Whisper to me
Tell me do
# You love me true?
# Or is he holding you
# The way I do?
# Though love is blind
# Make up your mind
I've got to know
# Should I hang up
# Or will I tell him
He'll have to go?
# You can't tell the words
I want to hear
# While you're with another man
# Do you want me
Answer yes or no
# Darling, I'll understand
# Put your sweet lips
A little closer to the phone
# Let's pretend that we're together
# All alone
# I'll tell the man to turn
The jukebox way down low
# And you can tell your friend
There with you
# He'll have to go,,, #
APPLAUSE
It feels suddenly as if the clocks
stop and the world stops moving,
The derision, the hate,,,
,,the end of good,
What are you left with,
other than this thing called hope?
I knew it all along
but didn't understand it,
WOMAN MURMURS
This was a charade,
WOMAN: Oh, Christ.
Not a place where people
won things,,,
,,but a place where people lost,,,
,,and lost badly,
Here comes the wind,,,
,,cutting down the buildings,
Looking for someone to blame
for its pointless journey,
Someone always has to pay,
that's the rule, the only rule,
Have you seen your father?
Did you hear me?
Your father, have you seen him?
Did he come out of the bar?
No. I haven't seen him.
Go home.
Go home.
What have these seen tonight,
I wonder?
Hey, cowboy,
who's the fastest gun in the west?
So, you're Jack Wilson.
Yeah, that's right.
I've heard that you're nothing
but a low-down Yankee liar.
WOMAN: She should know who I mean,
she's been with him 15 years.
Every single day she's seen him.
Anyway, she's telling me
she's coming down next Thursday.
I said, ''Be at the British Legion.''
She says, ''I'm calling the bingo.''
I said, ''You won't. Last time
you made a right hash of it.''
She comes in last week
with her husband.
Says, ''I'm not married.''
I said, ''I was at the wedding.''
Anyway, he comes in with her,
like Lord Muck and Lady Toff.
Last time I saw her she was pregnant.
I tell you what,
they only go there on a Friday...
What does that taste like?
What, this?
Terrible. Like donkey's piss.
..Need a decent meal. She said, ''What
would you know about a decent meal?''
Can I have a taste?
..Wouldn't go on a diet
if you paid me.
CLOCK TICKS
MUM IN OTHER ROOM: I saw her.
She had your jacket on.
DAD: She probably went to the bar
to get some cigarettes.
You're fucking out of order.
I'm sick of this, too.
MUM: You bastard, stop lying to me!
DAD: Fucking lying. You're lying!
SHOUTING
You're fucking out of order!
I can't go out with my pals
or have a fucking drink!
MUM: Do what you want,
I'm not here to take it!
DAD: Fucking let me in!
I'm sick of this, too!
What are you doing?
I want to come down.
SILENCE
I'm coming down.
Can you hear me?
I'm coming down.
Hello?
I'm coming in now.
RECORD PLAYER HISSES
This is not the stuff
that dreams are made of,,,
Each second here is another education
in the art of destruction,
The wonder of hate,
There's no heart left here,
Only eyes that lie and people
that charge through the day,
Trying to remember
where it all began is not good,
All that matters is how it affects
you and the people you care about,
That's the real world,
You see, how easy is this?
Too easy to stop,
They say when a ship sinks
the rats float to the top,
Some people
Look forward to that time,
- Where did this happen?
- The social club.
- On your own turf?
- Absolutely. An outrage.
No, it's not,
it's a diabolical liberty.
Well, you know me...
- One singer, one song?
- Yes.
What did you say?
Well, I said,
''So, James, you man of mystery,
this is the moment
your world changes forever.''
Know what he said?
Oops! The boss has arrived.
Sit down just for a minute, Frankie.
So, where was I? Oh, yeah.
So I said, ''James, this is the moment
your world changes forever.''
And the bastard said,
''It's either me or you.''
So I said,
''No, James, you're wrong.''
- ''There's only you.''
- What did he say to that?
He never lived to tell the tale.
That's right, Frankie.
How's it going, Frankie?
WOMAN SINGS
Don't see your mum much these days.
She'll be back soon.
Don't worry, that's just what women
do to get attention.
# Show me the stairway
# I have to climb
# So for my sake
# Lord, teach me to take
# One day at a time
# One day at a time
# Sweet Jesus
# That's all I'm asking of you
# Give me the strength
# To do every day
# What I need to do
# Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
# Tomorrow may never be mine
# So for my sake
# Teach me to take
# One day at a time... #
- Fuck.
- What's the matter? Shit!
# If you look down below
It's worse now than then
# Cheatin' and stealin'
Violence and crime... #
Well. Here we are, Shane.
You and me.
Are you gonna go for it, Shane...
..or do I have to show you how
it's done?
Turn around, Shane.
I'll count to 10...
..and then it's all over.
One.
Two.
CLOCK TICKS
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Six.
TICKS LOUDER
Eight.
Nine...
# SYMARIP: Skinhead Moonstomp
# Yeah, yeah, yeah
# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah
# Alright!
# Now, before we reach the moon,
fellas
# We gotta make sure you shine
your boots
# Brush your teeth
# Because the man on the moon looking
different from man on the earth
# That's what I say, boy.
Now remember, I'm the boss! #
GENERAL CHATTER
Whoa!
What the fuck are you doing?
Get out before I call the police.
That's it.
I've had enough of this shit.
- Get out of my fucking bar.
- Hey, drop it. Drop it.
I'm sorry.
Please, I'm sorry.
My name's Frankie.
Look, we're really not
looking for trouble.
Please, take the money
and we'll move on. Alright?
Please, I'm really sorry.
- Fair enough.
- Sorry, everyone.
PUNCHING AND GRUNTING
BEATING CONTINUES
LOUD MUSIC
- What the fuck is that racket?
- Time for a change.
- Stop this fucking racket.
- This rubbish.
- This fucking crap.
- Indeedy do.
- What shall it be? Budgie?
- Desmond Dekker, Dad.
- Kill? Miller?
- Alex Harvey.
Mott The Hoople.
- Mott the fucking Hoople?
- You are joking?
Miller, you've let the side down.
Stand in the corner.
Go on, Miller, stand in the corner
for being a fucking idiot
who likes fucking idiot music by...
Big poncey bastards!
So.
Will you get in the corner?
Fuck off, Frankie.
FRANKIE: That's not nice.
You let the side down, Miller.
You asked for Mott the Hoople.
For that, face the wall.
- Desmond Dekker, then.
- Not until he...
Saved by the bell, hello.
- I'll take over, have your break.
- What about, erm...
Do you think I should stay?
No, it's fine. I'll see you later.
GANG LAUGHS
You are a fucking ride.
Your man was just about to play
Desmond Dekker.
Which we approve of.
- Oh, really?
- Yes.
How about you and me getting
out of this two-horse town, baby?
THEY MAKE ANIMAL NOISES
He said Desmond Dekker,
you fucking cow.
Turn this shit off.
Do you hear me? Off.
- Don't talk to me like that.
- Or I'll call the police.
Or I'll play Mott the Hoople.
THEY LAUGH
Come here. Come over here.
Christ. We came to listen to
music, do you get it?
Go on, out!
# VELVET UNDERGROUND: Pale Blue
Eyes
Fuck, this is shit!
Sorry.
For what?
- For being with them.
- You chose them.
Kind of.
Maybe see you around, then?
Can't wait.
# Thought of you as everything
# I've had but couldn't keep
# I've had but couldn't keep
# Linger on
# Your pale blue eyes
# Linger on
# Your pale blue eyes... #
DOOR BUZZER
BUZZING CONTINUES
BUZZ
Somebody out there
will always remember,
Revenge, it's a drug,
A brilliant motivator
for the hopeless,
- Where is he?
- He's coming, rat face.
- Listen to him, the big man.
- Fuck you and fuck him.
I'm sick of being
treated like a moron.
Miller, you are a fucking moron.
Next time
he fucks with me, that's it.
- What's what?
- He wants to say something. Right?
What? Alright.
We go in separately. Not together.
Keep clear of each other for a bit.
OK? Or they'll chuck us out.
And Miller!
Try and stay out of trouble for once.
''Try and stay out of trouble?''
Who the fuck does he think he is?
Prick. Fucking trouble.
I'll give him fucking trouble.
Oh, shut up! OK, I'm next.
Come on, you nutball.
# CLAUDETTE & THE CORPORATION:
Skinhead A Bash Them
# Skinhead a bash them
# Skinhead a bash them... #
# ROXY MUSIC: Love Is The Drug
# T'ain't no big thing
# To wait for the bell to ring
# T'ain't no big thing
# The toll of the bell
# Aggravated - spare for days... #
Got a problem?
Like what you see, faggot?
# Boy meets girl
Where the beat goes on
# Stitched up tight, can't shake free
# Love is the drug, got a hook on me
# Oh oh, catch that buzz
# Love is the drug I'm thinking of
# Oh oh, can't you see... #
MILLER: Go on, suck it. Suck it.
Not so full of it now, eh,
you fucking wimps? What are you?
Look at you. See what happens
when you fuck with me.
OK, up you get.
Nice and easy. You.
He won't do anything.
OK, Miller, you've made your point.
Let's get out of here
before we get thrown out.
You showed them, Miller.
They can't fuck with you. No way.
They know now.
C'mon, give me the knife
and let's go...
Well done, Miller.
You fucking idiot.
He's with you, not me.
You get rid of him.
Where are you going? You can't
fucking leave now, Frankie?
Alright?
You alone? Can I walk with you?
Yes?
No.
So?
I'm not easy to get rid of.
It would be easier to talk to me.
Just tell me to get lost.
Hey...
..thank you.
Inside all of us
is something beautiful,
Something that wants
to say hello to the world,
We only want the world
to smile back for a moment,,,
,,and then let it move
onto someone else,
Well,,,
Frankie!
Maybe stay a little longer,
- You're looking gorgeous.
- Look, he's got great big muscles!
Hey, Frankie. How about me and the
girls showing you the facts of life?
ALL: Ooh!
Oh, yes, Louise, go for it!
MAN SINGS
- Hello, boys.
- Dirty old bastard!
- Look at you.
- Fucking horrible.
- Dirty. Dirty.
- Horrible. Dirty.
Dirty old bastard!
Hey! Hey!
Thanks, son. A million thanks.
God bless you. You're a good man.
A million thanks.
Can you help us out, son?
A few bob for the bus up the road.
I understand. Sure enough.
Sure enough, son.
Sorry to trouble you.
Hey, mister.
Mister!
# THE BLUE NILE: Family Life
# Starlight do you know me
# Please don't look at me now
# I'm falling apart
# Silver on the window
# Like the bike I once had... #
You don't wake up one day
a new person,
But you might wake up one day
and hear things in a different way,
See things in a different way,
Start to behave in a different way,
# Jesus love
# Let me down
# And I know where you are
# And it might lead
# Somewhere... #
HE COUGHS
COUGHS LOUDER
- Any chance of hearing this?
- It's not your kind of thing.
- My kind of thing?
- Retro.
Retro? What does that mean?
- From another...
- Era. I know.
What do you mean,
my kind of thing is retro?
Have you looked in the mirror lately?
- Can I hear it, please?
- Please?
- You said ''please.''
- I know.
MUSIC PLAYS LOUDLY
SHOUTS: What? What?
No, it's fine, thanks!
It's really great, thank you.
No, it's really great. Thanks.
# IGG Y AND THE STOOGES: Raw Power
# Lose sleep baby
and stay away from bed
# Raw power is sure to come
a runnin' to you
# If you're alone
and you got the fear
# So am I baby
Let's move on out of here
# Raw power is sure
to come a runnin' to you
# Raw power got a magic touch... #
That could have cut me!
- What the fuck is up with him?
- Me, you.
- Now. Right here.
- Me and you. Are you fucking joking?
Let's see what you're made of, prick.
Me or you.
Me or you.
No, there's only you.
Put the knife down, for fuck's sake.
Enough.
Enough of this shit.
Wanker. Useless cunt. Like the rest
of your fucking family - cunts.
What did you say?
What did you say?
Fuck you, Frankie, fuck you,
you fucking bastard.
That's enough, Frankie.
There is a time when you
never think of things like survival,
Fearless people know that
this is something,,,
,,that cannot last for long,
The brave ones know the truth,
They know about fear,
Sometimes it's not possible
to tell people that you are afraid,
It just wouldn't help the situation,
It's not a good feeling,,,
,,fear, fear, fear,,,
Sometimes, if you try,,,
,,things can take a different turn,
If your heart beats
in the right way,,,
,,at least you have a chance,
GIRL:
So who's that guy that you're seeing?
Erm...
He's... he's really unusual.
I don't know how
to describe him, he's...
I like him.
- He doesn't seem your usual type.
- I know.
So what's it like in there?
- It depends.
- Depends? On what?
On how you're feeling.
The way the walls look,
people's faces.
Everything around you affects you.
Do you know what I mean?
It must be the same for you.
For me?
No, no, it's always the same.
- It can't be.
- Always.
What, so, even if it's raining
or the sun's shining,
or someone smiles at you a little?
Someone smiles at you a little...
Say that again.
Someone smiles at you a little.
SHE LAUGHS
- I love it here.
- Why?
Sometimes
I just feel so small down there.
Like people could just
walk on top of me.
And up here?
I feel like I'm up with the gods.
Like nobody can touch me.
Safe.
Safe. I like that.
You can touch me.
Why can I?
Because if you're up here,
you must be one of the gods.
Gods.
Which one do you think I might be?
You were a god of war,
but since meeting Venus,
that's me, goddess of love,
you've changed
into Hermes,
god of luck, bringer of good news.
SHOUTS: The news today, citizens,
is good.
Frankie Mac, god of luck,
is back off the ropes
and means no harm to you good people.
Today is an official holiday
from this day forward.
Today is Frankie Mac Day,
a day of peace.
Oh mighty god of luck, Frankie Mac,
we applaud thee and worship thee
but tell us,
is there any bad news today?
No. No bad news.
Unless of course you are
an unfortunate, an imbiber,
a destroyer of the liver,
a killer of the kidneys,
a faithless non-believer
in the good - then today is bad news.
What does this mean, oh mighty one?
There will be no more drinking
from this day forward.
The years of alcohol abuse are over.
Citizens, repent and ask forgiveness
for your indulgence and sins.
It's over.
THEY LAUGH
You ready?
- Another.
- Really?
Three nil.
- I know.
- How much?
- How about all of my records?
- No, thanks.
No, thanks! What do you mean?
Yes, yes, but that was just a gift.
No, no, that was a mistake.
What about
your Bryan Ferry obsession?
He's alright.
No, no, he writes
music for hairdressers.
Listen to you, the brute male.
- Not at all, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed.
- Desmond Dekker!
Yes, yes, Aretha Franklin,
Marvin Gaye.
- David Bowie.
- No. No.
- Yes. Yes.
- No. No.
- Yes.
- No!
Yes.
Maybe.
What about this? This is proving
popular with the disco boys.
- The what?
- How do the disco boys wear this?
They kind of pull it in, so it shows
off their shape when they're dancing.
Shows off their shape? You're joking.
- Fucking disco boys.
- Language. Sorry. He'll try it on.
- Will I fuck.
- Go on, show us your shape.
No way. No chance.
This will never happen. Ever.
Never. No.
Forget it. No way. No chance!
- Turn around.
- No!
I think it looks quite good.
What an amazing little beach.
How did you find this place?
Someone brought me here
when I was a kid.
- Who?
- Who what?
Who used to bring you here?
Can't remember.
- What's that?
- Glass.
A bottle factory nearby dumped
the broken bits into the sea.
It's beautiful.
The edges are smooth.
- It's only glass.
- Not anymore, it's not.
- It belongs to us. It's ours.
- Ours?
RADIO PLAYS
- Two teas, please.
- No problem.
Fair weather for this time of year.
Your girlfriend?
You want to keep
an eye on that one, eh?
Sugar?
Frankie.
- Sugar?
- How do you know my name?
- You look like someone I knew.
- That right?
Your father, you look
Iike your father. Unmistakable.
He was some man, your father.
But dangerous...
Dangerous, is that what he was?
How much for the tea?
On the house for old times sake, eh?
Frankie, Jake's from art school.
Is one of them for me?
Helen was showing me the glass.
Lovely. Beautiful colours.
The finish on it, you know?
- Here.
- No. I couldn't, honest...
- Take it, please.
- Cheers.
Jake's degree show is tonight.
He's invited us.
Degree show?
He makes collages, you know, with
stuff he finds in places like this.
- Why?
- Why?
Why?
- No one's ever asked me.
- Nobody's ever asked?
- No.
- You have no idea why you do it?
I haven't really thought about it.
Do you know why it is that you do
all the things that you do?
No, but I'm not asking anybody
to appreciate my work. You are.
You're the artist.
He's only doing what we were doing,
collecting things
and giving them meaning.
It has no meaning. It's glass.
It must have meant something to you
to want to pick it up off the beach.
Nothing. It means nothing at all?
Right, I'd better go.
Good to meet you, Frankie.
JAKE: See you later maybe?
There will always be things that
happen that are out of your control,
Strange, then, that you walk into a
world that has nothing to do with you
and you know that somewhere
down the line you might fall,
Fall hard,
But then, that's the part
that is out of your control,
You just don't know when
it's going to happen,
Jake Buchan.
Yeah, I've been watching this guy.
He's good.
You see what I mean. It's there.
- It's perfect.
- Yes.
- He's going places, he's got it.
- Absolutely.
This is the best of all,
don't you think?
Definitely.
- Why is it the best?
- It's obvious.
Obviously, you haven't
looked at it properly.
No. I have. Why is it the best?
SIGHS: It's obvious.
MAN: Now this is really something.
What do you mean, something?
Now, look.
We were having a perfectly
lovely evening before you arrived.
- I don't mean to be rude, but...
- Piss off.
That's not very nice.
I only wanted to know what the fuck
you meant. No need to be rude.
Yes, you're right.
I'm sorry. Now could you please
fuck off and leave us alone?
In the real world, you old cunt,
I would cut your arse
with a knife so close
that the tissue
couldn't be sewn back together.
Then I would hang you from a wall
and say to passers by,
''Look, my best work.''
And they would say, ''Absolutely
divine, darling. Heavenly.''
They would say, ''That Frankie Mac
is definitely going somewhere.''
What was all that about?
What happened in there?
They didn't show me any respect.
To them I was...
To them you were nothing.
What did you expect, a dinner invite?
Don't, Helen -
they were fucking horrible
and maybe it was a good thing
that someone told them that.
You threatened to cut
and hang them from a wall.
HE LAUGHS
That's funny, is it?
- You find that amusing.
- I was joking. Having a laugh.
Trying to make light
of a bad situation.
What did you promise me?
Do you remember?
- Frankie, talk to me.
- I remember.
You said it was over.
The violence.
The drink.
- All of that stuff was over.
- Over.
It's never going to be over.
They hit you, you hit them,
someone says something,
you say something back.
You look for it.
It doesn't come looking for you,
you're on the lookout for it.
What am I on the lookout for?
The past.
I've got to go.
Alone.
WHISPERS: Alone?
Sure, sure, I get it.
- I understand.
- Bye, Frankie.
Bye.
Helen.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
People talk about strength
at times like this,
Strength of character-
be strong,
be a hero, be a man, say no,
Just when you thought
it was in your grasp,,,
,,you find yourself
back where you started,
Nothing is ever as easy
as people would have you think,
Nothing,
Vodka,
vodka, vodka,
Where is love when you need it most?
Where is love when the past
begins to leak into your heart?
Where is hope,,,
,,in a hopeless place?
FRANKIE: What the fuck do you want?
You.
Me?
We heard you were a born again,
Frankie, a non-drinker.
Must have been given
the wrong information.
Ms Goody-two-shoes
wouldn't be too impressed.
Maybe I'll knock on her door and let
her know that her project's fucked.
Her little experiment
has fallen apart.
- Tarzan's gone back to the jungle.
- Fuck off.
Maybe I could stand in for you,
take your place, keep her bed warm.
I said fuck off, Miller.
Maybe I should take the boys
to hers for some fun.
She looks the type who'd like that.
She's educated, isn't she?
It makes sense,
why have one when she can three?
The world is silent,
The clocks have stopped again,
I can see the ship that sailed
has sunk to the bottom of the sea,
YELLING
YELLING
I burn,
My heart beats the tune that
this is not a fantasy, this is real,
This is when you become
dizzy with hate,
WOMAN: Hi, everybody. Welcome.
A few familiar faces here...
..and we've a new member, welcome.
I'll explain the process.
Anybody that wants to speak
gets a chance.
I'm off first today, I'm Jennifer
and I'm an alcoholic.
Er, it's been quite a good week,
actually.
I actually went swimming -
me, swimming!
Felt really good about that.
Wednesday was hard.
Day off.
I was going to do all these things,
do this, see friends, never did it.
I got caught up watching the telly
in the morning.
Was Kilroy, he's enough
to make anybody greet, him.
I watched it
and there was this guy...
..talking about his life.
I just started to cry,
couldn't stop, uncontrollable.
I wanted a drink.
God, did I want a drink, all day.
But I didn't, I heId on...
..got to Thursday, got back to work,
got back to normality.
Now I'm here.
I got through the week.
CLAPPING
My name is Frankie...
..and I am a violent man.
I woke up one morning.
It was winter.
I could see an oak tree
standing right next to me.
It was cold.
At first I couldn't feel anything...
..and then I realised that my face
was frozen to the ground.
I couldn't lift it.
It was stuck.
I was lying on the ground.
Beneath a tree.
Frozen to the ground.
I don't know how long I had been
there, but long enough to freeze me.
Something bad had happened.
Something violent.
My hands were free and they were red.
Blood red.
Strangely enough,
my thoughts were clear. Very clear.
I could almost hear them
racing around in my head.
They told me...
..I was a dead person.
Dead.
Dead.
No longer living.
Lifeless.
I remembered everything.
Everything from the past.
The past was there in front of me.
As the sun came up, the ice thawed
and my face was released.
For a while I didn't want to get up.
I just lay there listening
to my thoughts about the past.
This is where the world spins in
the wrong direction, where it ends.
The realisation that everything that
you ever wanted will never happen.
Gone like the wind. Gone forever.
16 fucking years of nothing. Gone.
Think of all the love you gave people
who never understood
that what you did was only for them,
and all you ever
wanted back was something small.
Hope. Not charity.
You wanted them
to make hope beautiful again...
STORM RAGES OUTSIDE
Hey, how you doing?
- Weather's shocking.
- Yeah. Terrible weather.
How are you doing?
Can't complain.
What's a man got to do to get
a drink in here?
What's the rush?
Will you join me?
It's turning cold. Think it'll snow?
After a while I got up
and I think for the first time ever,
I understood
something that had real meaning.
You can't escape from what you are.
You can only try
and make you a better person.
I'm trying, that's all I'm doing...
..trying to be better,
trying not to give up.
I guess what I'm trying to say
is sometimes things don't work out
Like you might have hoped
and it's up to you to get on with it.
Even though you feel hope is tired
and suddenly
it isn't available any more.
Christ, listen to me going on. Sorry.
Can I end with an odd
and hopefully funny thought?
Things got so desperate
that I ended up going somewhere,
just for a little while,
where they encourage you to be...
..to be someone else.
I went to acting classes.
CLAPPING
# THE BLUE NILE: Happiness
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last?
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last?
# Birds are laughing in the trees
# It's only make believe
# It's only love
# It's only love... #
- You. What's your story?
- My story?
- What's my story?
- Your story.
No. I don't think so. You know
how to talk around a subject?
- Yeah.
- I learned from a master.
A master of avoiding real questions.
A master of avoiding real questions.
Be nice to him, sounds
like he's knows what he's doing.
- So?
- So?
So, Mary...
..what is your story?
Well, I think it's just beginning.
But I don't know where it's going.
- Where do you think it's going?
- Not back, I'm sure of that.
Forward... well, hopefully...
To good places. To better places.
SHOUTS AND CHEERS
WHISTLE
No goal.
BOYS SHOUT PROTESTS
If he's off, we're all off!
Come here! Come here, come here!
What do I tell you every week?
- It was a goaI!
- No.
No excuses. You're onIy 12 years oId!
Don't push the referee
even if he is stupid.
- What do you want?
- I won't tolerate this behaviour.
You're the coach, it's your
responsibility, get it sorted out.
Get a grip of the game and
I'll look after my end. Is he off?
- Definitely.
- Bastard. Right, get stuck in.
Forget about what just happened.
There's a few minutes left,
we can still win.
Even with 10, you can win. Come on!
BOYS YELL
Stay focused!
Archie, Archie, over, over, up, up!
Watch him, watch him!
Tackle him!
Archie, Archie! What are you doing?
WHISTLE
WHISTLE
No way!
Referee, you have got to be joking!
- Glad you could make it.
- Sorry.
- Again.
- Again?
Right, shall we continue?
So we've reached the end.
This is where all the games,
all the shit,
all the fun that they've had at each
other's expense all comes to light.
So take a moment
and we'll give it a go.
Ready, Frankie?
So we're in a bar
in the quiet part of the city.
It's the kind of bar where sad people
go and drink and stare into space.
Smoke is hanging in the air.
People talk in whispers.
Alright, Mary, in your own time.
Men watch me.
I know.
I see them. I like it.
Look at the sad bastards,
watching, wanting, thinking,
''What is she wearing
under that dress?''
''I bet she's wearing nothing at all.''
- Frankie?
- Sorry.
Sorry, I was listening
and thinking...
- That it was your line.
- No, I was thinking...
How odd it is that
we've been doing this for days
and it's the first time I've actually
listened to what's being said.
- Well, good. Can we go on?
- No.
- No. I can't.
- What do you mean?
I'm sorry,
but this is fucking rubbish.
Who cares about rich, spoiled people
playing games with each other?
Other rich, spoiled people.
It makes them feel better.
''Look'', they say to themselves,
''that could be me up there,
that could be,
if I didn't look in the mirror.''
''Look at her power, what she can
do to men, how beautiful she is.''
It's a fantasy, now, for fuck's sake,
you've had your revelation,
can we get on with this,
what did you call it, Frankie?
This fucking rubbish.
I can't. I'm sorry, it's pointless.
Alright. Let's take a break.
Frankie, can we talk, please?
I think we should talk here.
Fine. How many times
have you been late, Frankie?
Lots.
How often has Mary bailed you out
and told a white lie? Too often.
What the fuck do you think
you're doing here?
What the fuck do you think this is?
Emotional therapy?
Bullshit. This is work.
This is hard work.
Everyone here is trying their best.
You walk in, late as usual,
and what do you bring to the table?
Your fucking baggage.
Don't you think it's about time
you stopped
wallowing in your own story,
in your own self-pitying bullshit?
I'm sorry, Frankie, but fuck you!
I'm sick of your chippy bad attitude
and it's not our fault.
It's not our fault.
If you don't like us and the fucking
rubbish that we make, well, fuck off.
Oh yeah, what are you going to do?
Beat me up?
Oh, that's good,
get it out of your system.
Don't like the director,
so I hit him.
MARY: That's enough.
I'm sorry.
Everyone, I'm sorry. You're right.
Please. I am sorry. I am.
- No, I'm sorry for what I said.
- Me, too. Me, too.
TEACHER: So, er, shall we try again?
Right...
Danger past,
The feeling that something has gone,
Something that was part of you,
Something that you needed,
It protected you, The violence that
you wore like a cloak of honour,
The feeling that you could protect
your world with fists has gone,
It's pouring out of you,
Running away, fast, fast, faster,
You're of no use to it any more,
Maybe,,,
maybe now you can fly
with the gods,
# THE BLUE NILE: Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# I wanted more
# I wanted more
# Happiness
# Live with less
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last?
# Happiness... #
CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
LAUGHTER
Hey!
TEACHER: Hey, do you mind?
- Am I not good enough for you?
- Get off.
TEACHER: Hey, let her go!
- You heard him. Let her go.
- Well, well.
Look at you,
Shane coming to the rescue.
Are you ready, Frankie?
Maybe you should just go.
Fuck you. Fuck all of you.
Watch your back, Frankie, you never
know what might be behind you.
OK, everyone?
I came here with someone who thought
that it was the palace of the gods.
There are no gods in this city,
Frankie. Just us.
I love how you can do that.
Exclude the world at will.
What else do you love about me?
In all our time together,
you've never said that.
- Said what?
- That you loved me.
I,,, love,,, you,
I love you,
That easy,
it's that easy for some,
MAN WHISPERS: When will you tell him?
About me, Me and you,
Us, Together, Forever, When?
He will be coming soon.
Coming here to see me. To see me
and for me to tell him it's over.
- Say it again.
- It's over. Over and Over.
Us. Together. Forever. It's over.
I know what they are doing. Saying.
In their head. What it means tonight.
Tonight is a bad night.
Where are the stars?
Where is the star of hope tonight?
Tonight. I can feel it.
Creeping, crawling like a rat.
Something bad is in the air tonight.
Come soon. Come here. Come back.
Come to me. Speak to me. Love me.
She's changing. Don't panic.
I can see her changing. Don't panic.
Don't awake me. Keep dreaming.
- Keep dreaming...
- He's here. The fool. He came.
- He came. The fool.
- The fool. He came.
I came... I came to tell you...
To tell me...
To tell her... that...
I love you.
Me.
You and me.
Forever and ever...
WHISPERS: Forever and ever.
# Ae fond kiss, and then we sever
# Ae fareweel, and then for ever
# Deep in heart-rung tears
I'll pledge thee
# Warring sighs and groans
I'll wage thee
# Who shall say that
# Fortune grieves him
# While the star of hope
# She leaves him?
# Me, nae cheerful twinkle
lights me... #
- Me?
- You.
# Dark despair around benights me. #
WHISPERS: Forever and ever.
# I'll never blame my partial fancy
# Naething could resist my Nancy
# But to see her was to love her
# Love but her, and love for ever
# Had we never lov'd sae kindly
# Had we never
# Lov'd sae blindly... #
COUPLE LAUGH
Sometimes, the city takes your heart
and moulds it into something
you don't recognise,
Something lost,
The lost heart,
In the city of hope,
Where nothing belongs to you,
Frankie?
Frankie, will you talk to me, please?
Hello, Mary.
Can you not even look at me?
What's happened, Frankie?
One minute we're fine, we're happy
even, the next minute, you're gone.
- Gone.
- Yes, you're gone.
No one can believe it.
They thought you got lost again,
we were all worried about you.
Frankie, will you look at me, please?
Are you alright? Did you...
- What's happened?
- Happened?
Frankie?
I don't know what to do.
Help me out here.
I'm not...
I can't go on like this.
I'm not strong enough to...
To fool me.
To fool you?
What are you talking about?
To fool you? What do you mean?
Maybe I'm the fool.
Maybe I'm the fool, I keep running
after you, I keep trying...
Don't do this, Frankie.
Don't do this to me.
I've been through a lot with you.
I've waited...
I've waited for you to want me
more than a friend or a lover or...
I've waited for you to love me.
Do you know how that feels?
No.
Because all that mattered
was you.
We made a mistake, Mary.
No, we didn't make a mistake.
We had a chance. I took it...
WHISPERS: You don't want it...
You don't want it.
At least tell me why?
Why you don't want it...
Why you don't want me.
If everything that you'd ever ruined
fell from the sky at this moment,,,
,,then the world
would be covered in darkness,
Is this what you really wanted?
Is this the dream?
Do you have it now?
The shape of yourjourney,
at last you can see it,
Maybe it's time to start the clocks
ticking again,
Look time in the face,
Look at time in the face
and forget about the past,
Stop the past
leaking into your heart,
Forget, just stop the past
leaking into your heart,
But, then,,,
Sometimes, for some people,,,
,,things don't work out
as they might have hoped,
Hope is a strange thing -
a currency for people
who know they're losing,
The more familiar you are
with hope,,,
,,the less beautiful it becomes,
# GILLIAN WELCH AND DAVID
RAWLINGS:
I Dream A Highway
# Oh, I dream
# A highway back to you, love
# A winding ribbon
# With a band of gold
# A silver vision
# Come and rest my soul... #
Mary?
Come on, come on, pick up the phone,
- Hi, please leave a message,,,
- Mary, it's Frankie,
I just wanted to tell you,,,
DROPS PHONE
MARY: Frankie, I'm here,
Frankie?
Frankie?
# The Grand Ole Opry's
# Got a brand new band
# Lord, let me die
# With a hammer
# In my hand
# I dream
# A highway back to you... #
''The words are lovely,
dark and deep,''
''But I have promises to keep,''
''And miles to go before I sleep,,,
,,miles to go
before I sleep,''
# Thank the hatchetman
# Who forked my tongue
# I'll lie and wait
# Until the wagons come
# And dream
# A highway back to you
# The getaway
# Kickin' up cinders
# An empty wagon
# Full of rattlin' bones
# Moon in the mirror
# On a three-hour jones
# I dream
# A highway back to you
# Oh, I dream
# A highway back to you, love
# A winding ribbon
# With a band of gold
# A silver vision
# Come, arrest my soul
# I dream
# A highway back to you
# Which lover are you
# Jack of Diamonds
# Now you be Emmylou
# And I'll be Gram
# I send a letter
# Don't know who I am
# I dream
# A highway back to you... #
things don't work out
as they might have hoped,
Hope is a strange thing,
A currency for people
who know they're losing,
The more familiar you are with hope,
the less beautiful it becomes,
This is a story about hope,
Hope
and desire,
A dream of an extraordinary world,,,
,,where angels watch over you
as storm clouds gather,
Mary? Come on, come on,
pick up the phone.
- Hi, please leave a message,,,
- Mary, it's Frankie.
I just wanted to tell you...
WOMAN: Frankie, I'm here,
Frankie?
Frankie?
PUNCHING AND GRUNTING
FRANKIE: Sometimes,
for some people,,,
,,things don't work out,,,
,,as they might have hoped,
# PADDY REILLY: Fields of Athenry
# Michael, they have taken you
# Away
# For you stole Trevelyn's corn
# So the young might see the morn
# Now the prison ship
# Lies waiting in the bay
# Low lie
# The Fields of Athenry
# Where once we watched
# The small free birds fly
# Our love was on the wing
# We had dreams
and songs to sing... #
OK, cowboy, go get your mother.
Come on, Mum. Dad wants to go.
Hurry up!
I have always had
a strange feeling about love,
It seemed tricky,
Happiness and sadness,
ugly and beautiful,,,
,,real and unreal,
One thing I've always known, though,
is that I have wanted
to be around love,
Quietly, not too much,
Just enough to make my heart happy,
It didn't have to sing,,,
,,just smile a little,,,
,,smile at the world,
Love is greedy,
Sometimes, when things don't work out
as you might have hoped,,,
,,love becomes a dangerous thing,
Scary, violent,
cold like the moon,
But today, it's warm like the breeze,
Mrs Jackson? I see you've got
your pet pig with you.
Christ, Jim, it's you! You've shaved.
Ladies and gentlemen, have you
ever seen two more handsome men?
Alberto and Cornelius,
the Brothers Grimm.
LAUGHTER
What is this I see in front of me?
Who is this vision of beauty?
Well, well, well, it's my wife.
Take a bow, you gorgeous creature.
That's it, stand up, take a bow.
APPLAUSE
Magic! OK, what's it to be?
- Goodnight Sweetheart!
- He'll Have To Go? Jim Reeves.
Yes.
OK, here's one for the beautiful
girls who've stolen our hearts.
# Put your sweet lips
# A little closer to the phone
# Let's pretend that we're together
All alone
# I'll tell the man to turn
The jukebox way down low
# And you can tell your friend
There with you
# He'll have to go
# Whisper to me
Tell me do
# You love me true?
# Or is he holding you
# The way I do?
# Though love is blind
# Make up your mind
I've got to know
# Should I hang up
# Or will I tell him
He'll have to go?
# You can't tell the words
I want to hear
# While you're with another man
# Do you want me
Answer yes or no
# Darling, I'll understand
# Put your sweet lips
A little closer to the phone
# Let's pretend that we're together
# All alone
# I'll tell the man to turn
The jukebox way down low
# And you can tell your friend
There with you
# He'll have to go,,, #
APPLAUSE
It feels suddenly as if the clocks
stop and the world stops moving,
The derision, the hate,,,
,,the end of good,
What are you left with,
other than this thing called hope?
I knew it all along
but didn't understand it,
WOMAN MURMURS
This was a charade,
WOMAN: Oh, Christ.
Not a place where people
won things,,,
,,but a place where people lost,,,
,,and lost badly,
Here comes the wind,,,
,,cutting down the buildings,
Looking for someone to blame
for its pointless journey,
Someone always has to pay,
that's the rule, the only rule,
Have you seen your father?
Did you hear me?
Your father, have you seen him?
Did he come out of the bar?
No. I haven't seen him.
Go home.
Go home.
What have these seen tonight,
I wonder?
Hey, cowboy,
who's the fastest gun in the west?
So, you're Jack Wilson.
Yeah, that's right.
I've heard that you're nothing
but a low-down Yankee liar.
WOMAN: She should know who I mean,
she's been with him 15 years.
Every single day she's seen him.
Anyway, she's telling me
she's coming down next Thursday.
I said, ''Be at the British Legion.''
She says, ''I'm calling the bingo.''
I said, ''You won't. Last time
you made a right hash of it.''
She comes in last week
with her husband.
Says, ''I'm not married.''
I said, ''I was at the wedding.''
Anyway, he comes in with her,
like Lord Muck and Lady Toff.
Last time I saw her she was pregnant.
I tell you what,
they only go there on a Friday...
What does that taste like?
What, this?
Terrible. Like donkey's piss.
..Need a decent meal. She said, ''What
would you know about a decent meal?''
Can I have a taste?
..Wouldn't go on a diet
if you paid me.
CLOCK TICKS
MUM IN OTHER ROOM: I saw her.
She had your jacket on.
DAD: She probably went to the bar
to get some cigarettes.
You're fucking out of order.
I'm sick of this, too.
MUM: You bastard, stop lying to me!
DAD: Fucking lying. You're lying!
SHOUTING
You're fucking out of order!
I can't go out with my pals
or have a fucking drink!
MUM: Do what you want,
I'm not here to take it!
DAD: Fucking let me in!
I'm sick of this, too!
What are you doing?
I want to come down.
SILENCE
I'm coming down.
Can you hear me?
I'm coming down.
Hello?
I'm coming in now.
RECORD PLAYER HISSES
This is not the stuff
that dreams are made of,,,
Each second here is another education
in the art of destruction,
The wonder of hate,
There's no heart left here,
Only eyes that lie and people
that charge through the day,
Trying to remember
where it all began is not good,
All that matters is how it affects
you and the people you care about,
That's the real world,
You see, how easy is this?
Too easy to stop,
They say when a ship sinks
the rats float to the top,
Some people
Look forward to that time,
- Where did this happen?
- The social club.
- On your own turf?
- Absolutely. An outrage.
No, it's not,
it's a diabolical liberty.
Well, you know me...
- One singer, one song?
- Yes.
What did you say?
Well, I said,
''So, James, you man of mystery,
this is the moment
your world changes forever.''
Know what he said?
Oops! The boss has arrived.
Sit down just for a minute, Frankie.
So, where was I? Oh, yeah.
So I said, ''James, this is the moment
your world changes forever.''
And the bastard said,
''It's either me or you.''
So I said,
''No, James, you're wrong.''
- ''There's only you.''
- What did he say to that?
He never lived to tell the tale.
That's right, Frankie.
How's it going, Frankie?
WOMAN SINGS
Don't see your mum much these days.
She'll be back soon.
Don't worry, that's just what women
do to get attention.
# Show me the stairway
# I have to climb
# So for my sake
# Lord, teach me to take
# One day at a time
# One day at a time
# Sweet Jesus
# That's all I'm asking of you
# Give me the strength
# To do every day
# What I need to do
# Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
# Tomorrow may never be mine
# So for my sake
# Teach me to take
# One day at a time... #
- Fuck.
- What's the matter? Shit!
# If you look down below
It's worse now than then
# Cheatin' and stealin'
Violence and crime... #
Well. Here we are, Shane.
You and me.
Are you gonna go for it, Shane...
..or do I have to show you how
it's done?
Turn around, Shane.
I'll count to 10...
..and then it's all over.
One.
Two.
CLOCK TICKS
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Six.
TICKS LOUDER
Eight.
Nine...
# SYMARIP: Skinhead Moonstomp
# Yeah, yeah, yeah
# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah
# Alright!
# Now, before we reach the moon,
fellas
# We gotta make sure you shine
your boots
# Brush your teeth
# Because the man on the moon looking
different from man on the earth
# That's what I say, boy.
Now remember, I'm the boss! #
GENERAL CHATTER
Whoa!
What the fuck are you doing?
Get out before I call the police.
That's it.
I've had enough of this shit.
- Get out of my fucking bar.
- Hey, drop it. Drop it.
I'm sorry.
Please, I'm sorry.
My name's Frankie.
Look, we're really not
looking for trouble.
Please, take the money
and we'll move on. Alright?
Please, I'm really sorry.
- Fair enough.
- Sorry, everyone.
PUNCHING AND GRUNTING
BEATING CONTINUES
LOUD MUSIC
- What the fuck is that racket?
- Time for a change.
- Stop this fucking racket.
- This rubbish.
- This fucking crap.
- Indeedy do.
- What shall it be? Budgie?
- Desmond Dekker, Dad.
- Kill? Miller?
- Alex Harvey.
Mott The Hoople.
- Mott the fucking Hoople?
- You are joking?
Miller, you've let the side down.
Stand in the corner.
Go on, Miller, stand in the corner
for being a fucking idiot
who likes fucking idiot music by...
Big poncey bastards!
So.
Will you get in the corner?
Fuck off, Frankie.
FRANKIE: That's not nice.
You let the side down, Miller.
You asked for Mott the Hoople.
For that, face the wall.
- Desmond Dekker, then.
- Not until he...
Saved by the bell, hello.
- I'll take over, have your break.
- What about, erm...
Do you think I should stay?
No, it's fine. I'll see you later.
GANG LAUGHS
You are a fucking ride.
Your man was just about to play
Desmond Dekker.
Which we approve of.
- Oh, really?
- Yes.
How about you and me getting
out of this two-horse town, baby?
THEY MAKE ANIMAL NOISES
He said Desmond Dekker,
you fucking cow.
Turn this shit off.
Do you hear me? Off.
- Don't talk to me like that.
- Or I'll call the police.
Or I'll play Mott the Hoople.
THEY LAUGH
Come here. Come over here.
Christ. We came to listen to
music, do you get it?
Go on, out!
# VELVET UNDERGROUND: Pale Blue
Eyes
Fuck, this is shit!
Sorry.
For what?
- For being with them.
- You chose them.
Kind of.
Maybe see you around, then?
Can't wait.
# Thought of you as everything
# I've had but couldn't keep
# I've had but couldn't keep
# Linger on
# Your pale blue eyes
# Linger on
# Your pale blue eyes... #
DOOR BUZZER
BUZZING CONTINUES
BUZZ
Somebody out there
will always remember,
Revenge, it's a drug,
A brilliant motivator
for the hopeless,
- Where is he?
- He's coming, rat face.
- Listen to him, the big man.
- Fuck you and fuck him.
I'm sick of being
treated like a moron.
Miller, you are a fucking moron.
Next time
he fucks with me, that's it.
- What's what?
- He wants to say something. Right?
What? Alright.
We go in separately. Not together.
Keep clear of each other for a bit.
OK? Or they'll chuck us out.
And Miller!
Try and stay out of trouble for once.
''Try and stay out of trouble?''
Who the fuck does he think he is?
Prick. Fucking trouble.
I'll give him fucking trouble.
Oh, shut up! OK, I'm next.
Come on, you nutball.
# CLAUDETTE & THE CORPORATION:
Skinhead A Bash Them
# Skinhead a bash them
# Skinhead a bash them... #
# ROXY MUSIC: Love Is The Drug
# T'ain't no big thing
# To wait for the bell to ring
# T'ain't no big thing
# The toll of the bell
# Aggravated - spare for days... #
Got a problem?
Like what you see, faggot?
# Boy meets girl
Where the beat goes on
# Stitched up tight, can't shake free
# Love is the drug, got a hook on me
# Oh oh, catch that buzz
# Love is the drug I'm thinking of
# Oh oh, can't you see... #
MILLER: Go on, suck it. Suck it.
Not so full of it now, eh,
you fucking wimps? What are you?
Look at you. See what happens
when you fuck with me.
OK, up you get.
Nice and easy. You.
He won't do anything.
OK, Miller, you've made your point.
Let's get out of here
before we get thrown out.
You showed them, Miller.
They can't fuck with you. No way.
They know now.
C'mon, give me the knife
and let's go...
Well done, Miller.
You fucking idiot.
He's with you, not me.
You get rid of him.
Where are you going? You can't
fucking leave now, Frankie?
Alright?
You alone? Can I walk with you?
Yes?
No.
So?
I'm not easy to get rid of.
It would be easier to talk to me.
Just tell me to get lost.
Hey...
..thank you.
Inside all of us
is something beautiful,
Something that wants
to say hello to the world,
We only want the world
to smile back for a moment,,,
,,and then let it move
onto someone else,
Well,,,
Frankie!
Maybe stay a little longer,
- You're looking gorgeous.
- Look, he's got great big muscles!
Hey, Frankie. How about me and the
girls showing you the facts of life?
ALL: Ooh!
Oh, yes, Louise, go for it!
MAN SINGS
- Hello, boys.
- Dirty old bastard!
- Look at you.
- Fucking horrible.
- Dirty. Dirty.
- Horrible. Dirty.
Dirty old bastard!
Hey! Hey!
Thanks, son. A million thanks.
God bless you. You're a good man.
A million thanks.
Can you help us out, son?
A few bob for the bus up the road.
I understand. Sure enough.
Sure enough, son.
Sorry to trouble you.
Hey, mister.
Mister!
# THE BLUE NILE: Family Life
# Starlight do you know me
# Please don't look at me now
# I'm falling apart
# Silver on the window
# Like the bike I once had... #
You don't wake up one day
a new person,
But you might wake up one day
and hear things in a different way,
See things in a different way,
Start to behave in a different way,
# Jesus love
# Let me down
# And I know where you are
# And it might lead
# Somewhere... #
HE COUGHS
COUGHS LOUDER
- Any chance of hearing this?
- It's not your kind of thing.
- My kind of thing?
- Retro.
Retro? What does that mean?
- From another...
- Era. I know.
What do you mean,
my kind of thing is retro?
Have you looked in the mirror lately?
- Can I hear it, please?
- Please?
- You said ''please.''
- I know.
MUSIC PLAYS LOUDLY
SHOUTS: What? What?
No, it's fine, thanks!
It's really great, thank you.
No, it's really great. Thanks.
# IGG Y AND THE STOOGES: Raw Power
# Lose sleep baby
and stay away from bed
# Raw power is sure to come
a runnin' to you
# If you're alone
and you got the fear
# So am I baby
Let's move on out of here
# Raw power is sure
to come a runnin' to you
# Raw power got a magic touch... #
That could have cut me!
- What the fuck is up with him?
- Me, you.
- Now. Right here.
- Me and you. Are you fucking joking?
Let's see what you're made of, prick.
Me or you.
Me or you.
No, there's only you.
Put the knife down, for fuck's sake.
Enough.
Enough of this shit.
Wanker. Useless cunt. Like the rest
of your fucking family - cunts.
What did you say?
What did you say?
Fuck you, Frankie, fuck you,
you fucking bastard.
That's enough, Frankie.
There is a time when you
never think of things like survival,
Fearless people know that
this is something,,,
,,that cannot last for long,
The brave ones know the truth,
They know about fear,
Sometimes it's not possible
to tell people that you are afraid,
It just wouldn't help the situation,
It's not a good feeling,,,
,,fear, fear, fear,,,
Sometimes, if you try,,,
,,things can take a different turn,
If your heart beats
in the right way,,,
,,at least you have a chance,
GIRL:
So who's that guy that you're seeing?
Erm...
He's... he's really unusual.
I don't know how
to describe him, he's...
I like him.
- He doesn't seem your usual type.
- I know.
So what's it like in there?
- It depends.
- Depends? On what?
On how you're feeling.
The way the walls look,
people's faces.
Everything around you affects you.
Do you know what I mean?
It must be the same for you.
For me?
No, no, it's always the same.
- It can't be.
- Always.
What, so, even if it's raining
or the sun's shining,
or someone smiles at you a little?
Someone smiles at you a little...
Say that again.
Someone smiles at you a little.
SHE LAUGHS
- I love it here.
- Why?
Sometimes
I just feel so small down there.
Like people could just
walk on top of me.
And up here?
I feel like I'm up with the gods.
Like nobody can touch me.
Safe.
Safe. I like that.
You can touch me.
Why can I?
Because if you're up here,
you must be one of the gods.
Gods.
Which one do you think I might be?
You were a god of war,
but since meeting Venus,
that's me, goddess of love,
you've changed
into Hermes,
god of luck, bringer of good news.
SHOUTS: The news today, citizens,
is good.
Frankie Mac, god of luck,
is back off the ropes
and means no harm to you good people.
Today is an official holiday
from this day forward.
Today is Frankie Mac Day,
a day of peace.
Oh mighty god of luck, Frankie Mac,
we applaud thee and worship thee
but tell us,
is there any bad news today?
No. No bad news.
Unless of course you are
an unfortunate, an imbiber,
a destroyer of the liver,
a killer of the kidneys,
a faithless non-believer
in the good - then today is bad news.
What does this mean, oh mighty one?
There will be no more drinking
from this day forward.
The years of alcohol abuse are over.
Citizens, repent and ask forgiveness
for your indulgence and sins.
It's over.
THEY LAUGH
You ready?
- Another.
- Really?
Three nil.
- I know.
- How much?
- How about all of my records?
- No, thanks.
No, thanks! What do you mean?
Yes, yes, but that was just a gift.
No, no, that was a mistake.
What about
your Bryan Ferry obsession?
He's alright.
No, no, he writes
music for hairdressers.
Listen to you, the brute male.
- Not at all, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed.
- Desmond Dekker!
Yes, yes, Aretha Franklin,
Marvin Gaye.
- David Bowie.
- No. No.
- Yes. Yes.
- No. No.
- Yes.
- No!
Yes.
Maybe.
What about this? This is proving
popular with the disco boys.
- The what?
- How do the disco boys wear this?
They kind of pull it in, so it shows
off their shape when they're dancing.
Shows off their shape? You're joking.
- Fucking disco boys.
- Language. Sorry. He'll try it on.
- Will I fuck.
- Go on, show us your shape.
No way. No chance.
This will never happen. Ever.
Never. No.
Forget it. No way. No chance!
- Turn around.
- No!
I think it looks quite good.
What an amazing little beach.
How did you find this place?
Someone brought me here
when I was a kid.
- Who?
- Who what?
Who used to bring you here?
Can't remember.
- What's that?
- Glass.
A bottle factory nearby dumped
the broken bits into the sea.
It's beautiful.
The edges are smooth.
- It's only glass.
- Not anymore, it's not.
- It belongs to us. It's ours.
- Ours?
RADIO PLAYS
- Two teas, please.
- No problem.
Fair weather for this time of year.
Your girlfriend?
You want to keep
an eye on that one, eh?
Sugar?
Frankie.
- Sugar?
- How do you know my name?
- You look like someone I knew.
- That right?
Your father, you look
Iike your father. Unmistakable.
He was some man, your father.
But dangerous...
Dangerous, is that what he was?
How much for the tea?
On the house for old times sake, eh?
Frankie, Jake's from art school.
Is one of them for me?
Helen was showing me the glass.
Lovely. Beautiful colours.
The finish on it, you know?
- Here.
- No. I couldn't, honest...
- Take it, please.
- Cheers.
Jake's degree show is tonight.
He's invited us.
Degree show?
He makes collages, you know, with
stuff he finds in places like this.
- Why?
- Why?
Why?
- No one's ever asked me.
- Nobody's ever asked?
- No.
- You have no idea why you do it?
I haven't really thought about it.
Do you know why it is that you do
all the things that you do?
No, but I'm not asking anybody
to appreciate my work. You are.
You're the artist.
He's only doing what we were doing,
collecting things
and giving them meaning.
It has no meaning. It's glass.
It must have meant something to you
to want to pick it up off the beach.
Nothing. It means nothing at all?
Right, I'd better go.
Good to meet you, Frankie.
JAKE: See you later maybe?
There will always be things that
happen that are out of your control,
Strange, then, that you walk into a
world that has nothing to do with you
and you know that somewhere
down the line you might fall,
Fall hard,
But then, that's the part
that is out of your control,
You just don't know when
it's going to happen,
Jake Buchan.
Yeah, I've been watching this guy.
He's good.
You see what I mean. It's there.
- It's perfect.
- Yes.
- He's going places, he's got it.
- Absolutely.
This is the best of all,
don't you think?
Definitely.
- Why is it the best?
- It's obvious.
Obviously, you haven't
looked at it properly.
No. I have. Why is it the best?
SIGHS: It's obvious.
MAN: Now this is really something.
What do you mean, something?
Now, look.
We were having a perfectly
lovely evening before you arrived.
- I don't mean to be rude, but...
- Piss off.
That's not very nice.
I only wanted to know what the fuck
you meant. No need to be rude.
Yes, you're right.
I'm sorry. Now could you please
fuck off and leave us alone?
In the real world, you old cunt,
I would cut your arse
with a knife so close
that the tissue
couldn't be sewn back together.
Then I would hang you from a wall
and say to passers by,
''Look, my best work.''
And they would say, ''Absolutely
divine, darling. Heavenly.''
They would say, ''That Frankie Mac
is definitely going somewhere.''
What was all that about?
What happened in there?
They didn't show me any respect.
To them I was...
To them you were nothing.
What did you expect, a dinner invite?
Don't, Helen -
they were fucking horrible
and maybe it was a good thing
that someone told them that.
You threatened to cut
and hang them from a wall.
HE LAUGHS
That's funny, is it?
- You find that amusing.
- I was joking. Having a laugh.
Trying to make light
of a bad situation.
What did you promise me?
Do you remember?
- Frankie, talk to me.
- I remember.
You said it was over.
The violence.
The drink.
- All of that stuff was over.
- Over.
It's never going to be over.
They hit you, you hit them,
someone says something,
you say something back.
You look for it.
It doesn't come looking for you,
you're on the lookout for it.
What am I on the lookout for?
The past.
I've got to go.
Alone.
WHISPERS: Alone?
Sure, sure, I get it.
- I understand.
- Bye, Frankie.
Bye.
Helen.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
People talk about strength
at times like this,
Strength of character-
be strong,
be a hero, be a man, say no,
Just when you thought
it was in your grasp,,,
,,you find yourself
back where you started,
Nothing is ever as easy
as people would have you think,
Nothing,
Vodka,
vodka, vodka,
Where is love when you need it most?
Where is love when the past
begins to leak into your heart?
Where is hope,,,
,,in a hopeless place?
FRANKIE: What the fuck do you want?
You.
Me?
We heard you were a born again,
Frankie, a non-drinker.
Must have been given
the wrong information.
Ms Goody-two-shoes
wouldn't be too impressed.
Maybe I'll knock on her door and let
her know that her project's fucked.
Her little experiment
has fallen apart.
- Tarzan's gone back to the jungle.
- Fuck off.
Maybe I could stand in for you,
take your place, keep her bed warm.
I said fuck off, Miller.
Maybe I should take the boys
to hers for some fun.
She looks the type who'd like that.
She's educated, isn't she?
It makes sense,
why have one when she can three?
The world is silent,
The clocks have stopped again,
I can see the ship that sailed
has sunk to the bottom of the sea,
YELLING
YELLING
I burn,
My heart beats the tune that
this is not a fantasy, this is real,
This is when you become
dizzy with hate,
WOMAN: Hi, everybody. Welcome.
A few familiar faces here...
..and we've a new member, welcome.
I'll explain the process.
Anybody that wants to speak
gets a chance.
I'm off first today, I'm Jennifer
and I'm an alcoholic.
Er, it's been quite a good week,
actually.
I actually went swimming -
me, swimming!
Felt really good about that.
Wednesday was hard.
Day off.
I was going to do all these things,
do this, see friends, never did it.
I got caught up watching the telly
in the morning.
Was Kilroy, he's enough
to make anybody greet, him.
I watched it
and there was this guy...
..talking about his life.
I just started to cry,
couldn't stop, uncontrollable.
I wanted a drink.
God, did I want a drink, all day.
But I didn't, I heId on...
..got to Thursday, got back to work,
got back to normality.
Now I'm here.
I got through the week.
CLAPPING
My name is Frankie...
..and I am a violent man.
I woke up one morning.
It was winter.
I could see an oak tree
standing right next to me.
It was cold.
At first I couldn't feel anything...
..and then I realised that my face
was frozen to the ground.
I couldn't lift it.
It was stuck.
I was lying on the ground.
Beneath a tree.
Frozen to the ground.
I don't know how long I had been
there, but long enough to freeze me.
Something bad had happened.
Something violent.
My hands were free and they were red.
Blood red.
Strangely enough,
my thoughts were clear. Very clear.
I could almost hear them
racing around in my head.
They told me...
..I was a dead person.
Dead.
Dead.
No longer living.
Lifeless.
I remembered everything.
Everything from the past.
The past was there in front of me.
As the sun came up, the ice thawed
and my face was released.
For a while I didn't want to get up.
I just lay there listening
to my thoughts about the past.
This is where the world spins in
the wrong direction, where it ends.
The realisation that everything that
you ever wanted will never happen.
Gone like the wind. Gone forever.
16 fucking years of nothing. Gone.
Think of all the love you gave people
who never understood
that what you did was only for them,
and all you ever
wanted back was something small.
Hope. Not charity.
You wanted them
to make hope beautiful again...
STORM RAGES OUTSIDE
Hey, how you doing?
- Weather's shocking.
- Yeah. Terrible weather.
How are you doing?
Can't complain.
What's a man got to do to get
a drink in here?
What's the rush?
Will you join me?
It's turning cold. Think it'll snow?
After a while I got up
and I think for the first time ever,
I understood
something that had real meaning.
You can't escape from what you are.
You can only try
and make you a better person.
I'm trying, that's all I'm doing...
..trying to be better,
trying not to give up.
I guess what I'm trying to say
is sometimes things don't work out
Like you might have hoped
and it's up to you to get on with it.
Even though you feel hope is tired
and suddenly
it isn't available any more.
Christ, listen to me going on. Sorry.
Can I end with an odd
and hopefully funny thought?
Things got so desperate
that I ended up going somewhere,
just for a little while,
where they encourage you to be...
..to be someone else.
I went to acting classes.
CLAPPING
# THE BLUE NILE: Happiness
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last?
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last?
# Birds are laughing in the trees
# It's only make believe
# It's only love
# It's only love... #
- You. What's your story?
- My story?
- What's my story?
- Your story.
No. I don't think so. You know
how to talk around a subject?
- Yeah.
- I learned from a master.
A master of avoiding real questions.
A master of avoiding real questions.
Be nice to him, sounds
like he's knows what he's doing.
- So?
- So?
So, Mary...
..what is your story?
Well, I think it's just beginning.
But I don't know where it's going.
- Where do you think it's going?
- Not back, I'm sure of that.
Forward... well, hopefully...
To good places. To better places.
SHOUTS AND CHEERS
WHISTLE
No goal.
BOYS SHOUT PROTESTS
If he's off, we're all off!
Come here! Come here, come here!
What do I tell you every week?
- It was a goaI!
- No.
No excuses. You're onIy 12 years oId!
Don't push the referee
even if he is stupid.
- What do you want?
- I won't tolerate this behaviour.
You're the coach, it's your
responsibility, get it sorted out.
Get a grip of the game and
I'll look after my end. Is he off?
- Definitely.
- Bastard. Right, get stuck in.
Forget about what just happened.
There's a few minutes left,
we can still win.
Even with 10, you can win. Come on!
BOYS YELL
Stay focused!
Archie, Archie, over, over, up, up!
Watch him, watch him!
Tackle him!
Archie, Archie! What are you doing?
WHISTLE
WHISTLE
No way!
Referee, you have got to be joking!
- Glad you could make it.
- Sorry.
- Again.
- Again?
Right, shall we continue?
So we've reached the end.
This is where all the games,
all the shit,
all the fun that they've had at each
other's expense all comes to light.
So take a moment
and we'll give it a go.
Ready, Frankie?
So we're in a bar
in the quiet part of the city.
It's the kind of bar where sad people
go and drink and stare into space.
Smoke is hanging in the air.
People talk in whispers.
Alright, Mary, in your own time.
Men watch me.
I know.
I see them. I like it.
Look at the sad bastards,
watching, wanting, thinking,
''What is she wearing
under that dress?''
''I bet she's wearing nothing at all.''
- Frankie?
- Sorry.
Sorry, I was listening
and thinking...
- That it was your line.
- No, I was thinking...
How odd it is that
we've been doing this for days
and it's the first time I've actually
listened to what's being said.
- Well, good. Can we go on?
- No.
- No. I can't.
- What do you mean?
I'm sorry,
but this is fucking rubbish.
Who cares about rich, spoiled people
playing games with each other?
Other rich, spoiled people.
It makes them feel better.
''Look'', they say to themselves,
''that could be me up there,
that could be,
if I didn't look in the mirror.''
''Look at her power, what she can
do to men, how beautiful she is.''
It's a fantasy, now, for fuck's sake,
you've had your revelation,
can we get on with this,
what did you call it, Frankie?
This fucking rubbish.
I can't. I'm sorry, it's pointless.
Alright. Let's take a break.
Frankie, can we talk, please?
I think we should talk here.
Fine. How many times
have you been late, Frankie?
Lots.
How often has Mary bailed you out
and told a white lie? Too often.
What the fuck do you think
you're doing here?
What the fuck do you think this is?
Emotional therapy?
Bullshit. This is work.
This is hard work.
Everyone here is trying their best.
You walk in, late as usual,
and what do you bring to the table?
Your fucking baggage.
Don't you think it's about time
you stopped
wallowing in your own story,
in your own self-pitying bullshit?
I'm sorry, Frankie, but fuck you!
I'm sick of your chippy bad attitude
and it's not our fault.
It's not our fault.
If you don't like us and the fucking
rubbish that we make, well, fuck off.
Oh yeah, what are you going to do?
Beat me up?
Oh, that's good,
get it out of your system.
Don't like the director,
so I hit him.
MARY: That's enough.
I'm sorry.
Everyone, I'm sorry. You're right.
Please. I am sorry. I am.
- No, I'm sorry for what I said.
- Me, too. Me, too.
TEACHER: So, er, shall we try again?
Right...
Danger past,
The feeling that something has gone,
Something that was part of you,
Something that you needed,
It protected you, The violence that
you wore like a cloak of honour,
The feeling that you could protect
your world with fists has gone,
It's pouring out of you,
Running away, fast, fast, faster,
You're of no use to it any more,
Maybe,,,
maybe now you can fly
with the gods,
# THE BLUE NILE: Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# I wanted more
# I wanted more
# Happiness
# Live with less
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Happiness
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last
# Now that I've found peace at last
# Tell me, Jesus
# Will it last?
# Happiness... #
CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
LAUGHTER
Hey!
TEACHER: Hey, do you mind?
- Am I not good enough for you?
- Get off.
TEACHER: Hey, let her go!
- You heard him. Let her go.
- Well, well.
Look at you,
Shane coming to the rescue.
Are you ready, Frankie?
Maybe you should just go.
Fuck you. Fuck all of you.
Watch your back, Frankie, you never
know what might be behind you.
OK, everyone?
I came here with someone who thought
that it was the palace of the gods.
There are no gods in this city,
Frankie. Just us.
I love how you can do that.
Exclude the world at will.
What else do you love about me?
In all our time together,
you've never said that.
- Said what?
- That you loved me.
I,,, love,,, you,
I love you,
That easy,
it's that easy for some,
MAN WHISPERS: When will you tell him?
About me, Me and you,
Us, Together, Forever, When?
He will be coming soon.
Coming here to see me. To see me
and for me to tell him it's over.
- Say it again.
- It's over. Over and Over.
Us. Together. Forever. It's over.
I know what they are doing. Saying.
In their head. What it means tonight.
Tonight is a bad night.
Where are the stars?
Where is the star of hope tonight?
Tonight. I can feel it.
Creeping, crawling like a rat.
Something bad is in the air tonight.
Come soon. Come here. Come back.
Come to me. Speak to me. Love me.
She's changing. Don't panic.
I can see her changing. Don't panic.
Don't awake me. Keep dreaming.
- Keep dreaming...
- He's here. The fool. He came.
- He came. The fool.
- The fool. He came.
I came... I came to tell you...
To tell me...
To tell her... that...
I love you.
Me.
You and me.
Forever and ever...
WHISPERS: Forever and ever.
# Ae fond kiss, and then we sever
# Ae fareweel, and then for ever
# Deep in heart-rung tears
I'll pledge thee
# Warring sighs and groans
I'll wage thee
# Who shall say that
# Fortune grieves him
# While the star of hope
# She leaves him?
# Me, nae cheerful twinkle
lights me... #
- Me?
- You.
# Dark despair around benights me. #
WHISPERS: Forever and ever.
# I'll never blame my partial fancy
# Naething could resist my Nancy
# But to see her was to love her
# Love but her, and love for ever
# Had we never lov'd sae kindly
# Had we never
# Lov'd sae blindly... #
COUPLE LAUGH
Sometimes, the city takes your heart
and moulds it into something
you don't recognise,
Something lost,
The lost heart,
In the city of hope,
Where nothing belongs to you,
Frankie?
Frankie, will you talk to me, please?
Hello, Mary.
Can you not even look at me?
What's happened, Frankie?
One minute we're fine, we're happy
even, the next minute, you're gone.
- Gone.
- Yes, you're gone.
No one can believe it.
They thought you got lost again,
we were all worried about you.
Frankie, will you look at me, please?
Are you alright? Did you...
- What's happened?
- Happened?
Frankie?
I don't know what to do.
Help me out here.
I'm not...
I can't go on like this.
I'm not strong enough to...
To fool me.
To fool you?
What are you talking about?
To fool you? What do you mean?
Maybe I'm the fool.
Maybe I'm the fool, I keep running
after you, I keep trying...
Don't do this, Frankie.
Don't do this to me.
I've been through a lot with you.
I've waited...
I've waited for you to want me
more than a friend or a lover or...
I've waited for you to love me.
Do you know how that feels?
No.
Because all that mattered
was you.
We made a mistake, Mary.
No, we didn't make a mistake.
We had a chance. I took it...
WHISPERS: You don't want it...
You don't want it.
At least tell me why?
Why you don't want it...
Why you don't want me.
If everything that you'd ever ruined
fell from the sky at this moment,,,
,,then the world
would be covered in darkness,
Is this what you really wanted?
Is this the dream?
Do you have it now?
The shape of yourjourney,
at last you can see it,
Maybe it's time to start the clocks
ticking again,
Look time in the face,
Look at time in the face
and forget about the past,
Stop the past
leaking into your heart,
Forget, just stop the past
leaking into your heart,
But, then,,,
Sometimes, for some people,,,
,,things don't work out
as they might have hoped,
Hope is a strange thing -
a currency for people
who know they're losing,
The more familiar you are
with hope,,,
,,the less beautiful it becomes,
# GILLIAN WELCH AND DAVID
RAWLINGS:
I Dream A Highway
# Oh, I dream
# A highway back to you, love
# A winding ribbon
# With a band of gold
# A silver vision
# Come and rest my soul... #
Mary?
Come on, come on, pick up the phone,
- Hi, please leave a message,,,
- Mary, it's Frankie,
I just wanted to tell you,,,
DROPS PHONE
MARY: Frankie, I'm here,
Frankie?
Frankie?
# The Grand Ole Opry's
# Got a brand new band
# Lord, let me die
# With a hammer
# In my hand
# I dream
# A highway back to you... #
''The words are lovely,
dark and deep,''
''But I have promises to keep,''
''And miles to go before I sleep,,,
,,miles to go
before I sleep,''
# Thank the hatchetman
# Who forked my tongue
# I'll lie and wait
# Until the wagons come
# And dream
# A highway back to you
# The getaway
# Kickin' up cinders
# An empty wagon
# Full of rattlin' bones
# Moon in the mirror
# On a three-hour jones
# I dream
# A highway back to you
# Oh, I dream
# A highway back to you, love
# A winding ribbon
# With a band of gold
# A silver vision
# Come, arrest my soul
# I dream
# A highway back to you
# Which lover are you
# Jack of Diamonds
# Now you be Emmylou
# And I'll be Gram
# I send a letter
# Don't know who I am
# I dream
# A highway back to you... #