A Monster Calls (2016) Movie Script
Mum!
How does this story begin?
It begins like so many stories.
With a boy.
Too old to be a kid.
Too young to be a man.
And a nightmare.
It's got two fundamental constants.
E, the base of the natural
logarithm system.
It's a number. It's a number that
emerges from asking,
"What is the mathematicaI function
or thing which describes things,
"where the rate at which they change
is proportionaI to their magnitude"?
Now, if you do that
mathematically,
it will give you
this fundamental constant.
Conor?
Are you all right there, Conor?
You look tired.
Are you getting enough rest?
Yeah, I'm fine.
'Cause, you know,
if you ever wanted to talk...
I'm fine.
Okay.
Everyone, eyes front.
Now, pi is the ratio of the circumference,
and when you put it...
CarefuI there, O'Malley.
You might fall.
Are you drunk or something?
He'll have to get his slaphead
mother to kiss it for him.
You're always off in your
own little dream world.
And what's there,
so interesting?
- Ahhh!
- Oh!
Get up.
You've been a good boy.
Remember, O'Malley,
good boys don't talk.
Hey, Con.
Hey, Mum.
What is that?
It's a surprise.
So, this is a VCR?
This is much better
than a VCR.
It's your grandpa's
old film projector.
- There we go.
- I wish you could have known him.
Who?
Grandpa.
Even Grandma softened up
around him.
Yeah, right.
Here we go.
What a bunch of assholes.
Why are they trying to kill
King Kong?
People don't like
what they don't understand.
They get scared.
King Kong could just
smash them all.
Break them into a million pieces.
Boom.
Boom.
Yeah.
Conor.
Mum?
I have come to get you,
Conor O'Malley.
Why don't you run,
Conor O'Malley?
Why don't you run
for your mother?
You leave her alone!
I'm not afraid of you!
I will visit you again on further nights,
Conor O'Malley.
And I will shake your walls
until you wake.
And then, I will tell you
three stories.
You're going to tell me stories?
I am.
I will tell you three stories
and when I have finished my stories,
you will tell me a fourth.
I don't know anything
about stories!
You will tell me a fourth,
and it will be the truth.
What are you talking about?
This truth that you hide.
The truth you dream.
- You will tell me your nightmare.
- No.
Yes. That will be your truth.
And if I don't?
Con, I was asleep.
You should be
in your own bed, Con.
- Just five minutes.
- That's not true.
Yes, it is.
Come on, Con.
Just five minutes.
I promise.
Hmm.
Five minutes.
Night, night.
I respect that, Lizzie. I do.
The last thing your father would want
would be for him to be taken
off to America to live with some
strange woman and her strange child.
We have to discuss this now.
Hey, Con!
Ah, there's the little man.
Where did you say
you got these?
From a very nice old people's home.
They're clearing it out
to make flats, and I'll be the agent.
Your mother needs
a cup of tea.
Green, no sugar.
I take mine black.
What do you think, Con?
He loves it. Go on.
Okay.
Go on, try something else.
You need to tell him.
You're not even listening.
I don't want to have
this conversation now!
All right.
I understand that,
but you can't just drift, Lizzie.
- I'm not drifting!
- You have to make some decisions.
I am making all the decisions I can
and I will decide when I speak to Conor.
When will that be?
You can't just...
You have to think about it now...
Go and help Conor with the tea
or I'll literally go insane.
You and I need to have a talk.
I'm making tea.
- Conor!
- I said, I'm making tea.
We have to...
I'm not the enemy, Conor.
- I'm here to help your mother.
- I know why you're here.
I'm here because
12-year-old boys
shouldn't be wiping down counters
without being asked to first.
Do you wanna do it?
Less of your cheek.
She's always sick
after the treatments.
She'll be better tomorrow.
And then you can go home.
She'll... seem better tomorrow.
- She needs to talk about this with you.
- Talk to me about what?
About your coming
to live with me.
- I'm never coming to live with you...
- Listen to me, Conor.
- If your mother.
- There's no, "If"!
She'll be better
and then you can go.
Oh! Lizzie?
Lizzie! Oh, my God!
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Where's the medicine?
Conor!
Conor!
I'm here, I'm here.
Take a deep breath.
Conor, please!
Please give me the medicine.
Hurry, hurry.
It's coming. It's coming.
Here you go. Here you go.
Isn't that better?
Deep breath.
Deep breaths. Deep breath.
Deep breath.
It's okay.
Just don't touch anything.
Trust me, I'll be doing
my very best not to.
Our conversation isn't over,
young man.
Oh, yes, it is.
Mum, run! Please, run!
Mum! Mum!
Mum! Mum!
Mum!
Mum!
What took you so long?
It is time for me
to tell you the first tale.
I don't need a tale.
I need a bus ticket
for my grandma.
It is time for me
to tell you the...
Where do you think you're going?
I will be listened to!
I am as old as this land
and I will..
What do you know
about anything?
I know everything about you,
Conor O'Malley.
No, you don't! If you did,
you'd know I don't have time
to listen to stupid stories
from a stupid tree
that is just a dream.
A dream?
What is a dream,
Conor O'Malley?
And who is to say that it is not
everything else that is a dream?
Never mind.
I came to see you today
because I thought...
You thought I might have come
to topple your enemies.
- Slay your dragons.
- Or at least help me with my grandmother.
But all you want to do
is tell me stories.
Stories of how
I toppled my enemies.
Stories of how I slew dragons.
Let me tell you a tale
of when I came walking.
Let me tell you of the end
of a wicked queen
and how I made sure
she was never seen again.
Go on, then.
Good.
What do you see?
Nothing. There are leaves
in the way.
Use your imagination, Conor O'Malley.
What do you see?
I see a spark.
Yes. And?
No, it's water.
It's watercolor.
Keep looking.
- Whoa!
- Whoa, indeed.
Long ago,
before this was a town
with roads
and trains and cars,
- this was a kingdom.
- Here?
They dont even have a Tesco.
It was a prosperous kingdom
with a wise king who had won peace
for his people,
but peace had come
at a price.
The king had lost all three of his sons
in battle to giants.
To dragons.
To armies of men
led by great wizards.
This is all sounding
pretty fairytale-ish.
You wouldnt say that if you heard
the screams of a man killed by a spear.
The queen was unable to bear
the loss of all their three sons,
leaving the king alone in despair
with the company of his only remaining heir,
his orphaned grandson.
The child was raised as a prince,
winning the love of the kingdom
with his gallantry and good heart.
His people loved him.
Our future king!
He was nearly a man
when his grandfather took a new wife.
The king felt ill and rumor began to spread
that she was an evil witch,
that she was bent on taking
the throne for herself
by poisoning the king.
A few weeks later,
the king died.
The prince was too young
to take the kings place.
So, by law, the queen would rule
for another year.
The future was uncertain.
The prince, meanwhile,
had given away his heart.
She was beautifuI and smart,
and though only
a farmers daughter,
the kingdom smiled
on the match.
The queen, however,
she was rather enjoying being queen.
And what better way to remain so
than to marry the prince herself?
What? Thats disgusting!
She was his grandmother!
Step-grandmother.
And still a young,
beautifuI woman herself, dont forget.
The prince, however,
didnt like the idea, either.
Hyah! Hyah!
He took the farmers daughter
and they rode away into the night.
They stopped to rest
under the branches of a yew tree.
Thats you!
The next morning,
the prince awoke.
Arise, my beloved, he said.
But the farmers daughter
did not stir,
which was when the prince
noticed the blood.
Blood?
Someone had killed
his beloved in the night.
What?
The queen! he cried.
The queen has murdered
my bride!
The villagers, full of fury and vengeance,
rose up at the crime.
It was then
that I came walking.
The queen was never seen again.
Good! She deserved it!
Now, I don't suppose
you can help me with my grandma.
The story is not yet finished.
I took the queen and carried her
far enough away,
so the town's people
would never find her.
To a village by the sea,
where she began a new life.
But she killed
the farmer's daughter!
How can you save a murderer?
You really are a monster.
I never said she killed
the farmer's daughter.
I only said that the prince
said it was so.
The prince never fell asleep
that night,
but waited for the farmers daughter
to be lost in her dreams
and then began his reaI plan.
What?
He knew her death would start a fire
that would consume the queen entire.
That's a terrible story!
And a cheat!
It's a true story.
Many things that are true
feel like a cheat.
Kingdoms get the princes
they deserve.
Farmers' daughters
die for no reason.
And sometimes witches
merit saving.
Quite often, actually.
You'd be surprised.
So, the good prince
was a murderer,
and the evil queen
wasn't a witch after all?
No, the queen most certainly
was a witch
and could well have been
on her way to great evil.
Who can say?
Then why did you save her, then?
Because what she was not,
was a murderer.
She hadnt poisoned the king.
He had merely grown old.
Did the prince ever get caught?
No. He became
a much beloved king,
who ruled happily
until the end of his long days.
Oh, yes!
I don't get it.
Who's the good guy here?
There is not always a good guy,
Conor O'Malley.
Nor is there always a bad one.
Most people are somewhere
in between.
So how is all this meant
to save me from Grandma?
It is not her you need saving from.
There are always
two sides to a story.
Now, how many of you
know the saying,
"Sticks and stones may break your bones,
but words can never hurt you"?
Now, next time, when someone
says something to you that you think
is being hurtful,
take a step back and think,
"Is this person
asking for attention?"
Good, you're home.
Your mum's upstairs.
She wants to talk to you.
What?
Your father's flying in
on Sunday.
Dad's coming? From America?
Go on. She's waiting.
And pack a bag. You're coming
to stay with me for a few days.
Go on.
That tree is amazing.
It's been here
for thousands of years.
What do you think?
I think Grandma is trying
to turn me into Tina Turner.
She must be a fan.
Why am I going to stay
with Grandma?
Are you going back
to hospital?
Come here, Con.
This latest treatment's
not doing what it's supposed to.
So they're going
to adjust it,
try something else.
- That's all?
- That's all.
Are you sure?
I'm sure.
Because..
You could tell me, you know?
Hey.
Everything will be fine, Conor.
You'll see.
And bam, right into his stomach.
Wait, wait for us, Conor.
Where are you going?
- Don't touch him.
- Don't touch him?
- But it's such a punchable face!
- I said don't touch him!
O'Malley and I
have an understanding.
I am the only one
who touches him.
Isn't that right?
Now tell me,
why is it every time I turn around,
you're there looking at me?
Getting a bit odd,
don't you think?
Sorry, that was a bit harsh.
Life's not really going
your way today, is it?
No, we're just having a laugh.
I have a house to show.
I'm trusting you here alone
until your father shows up.
I'm not five years old.
This is the correct time.
Not the one on your phone
or on the computer,
not even on the news.
It was my mother's,
your great-grandmother's.
Perfect time keeping
for over a hundred years.
Conor, pick up your rucksack!
I don't want your father to think
I'm keeping you in a pigsty.
Not much chance of that.
Now, when you go to
the hospital
your father may not notice
how tired your mom is getting, okay?
So we have to make sure
that he doesn't overstay his welcome.
Not that, that's historically
been a problem.
No eggs.
You've already had eggs
twice this week.
If you get hungry,
there's spinach in the fridge
which you can steam.
Yeah, sure.
Don't touch anything.
I'll do my very best not to.
Get in!
Dad.
How you doing, Conor?
You look tired.
I'm fine.
Mum's on this new medicine,
and it'll make her better.
She goes into hospital
once every two weeks and, um...
They pump the medicine
into her bloodstream.
She's sick for the next few days,
but she's better again.
Hey, your, uh.
- Your sister's doing better.
- Half-sister.
Yeah.
I'd still love you
to meet her.
Been talking with your grandma
about bringing you out to LA.
You want me to come to LA?
Yeah, absolutely!
- You'd like that, wouldnt you?
- Yeah.
We were thinking
over Christmas.
That way you can be back here
in time for school.
So you mean
just for a visit, then?
Yeah, but it'd be great.
I don't want to live
with Grandma.
It's an old lady's house,
with old lady's things.
You can't touch anything or sit anywhere.
You can't even leave a mess
for two seconds.
- Conor, I know..
- I want to have my own room
in my own house
with my own things.
Well, you wouldn't have that
in America, Con.
- There's barely enough room for the three of us.
- I don't care!
Conor, listen.
- She's so strict...
- Your family, your life,
- your friends, your school..
- Her house is like a museum!
...all of it is here.
Okay? It'd be unfair
to take you out of it.
- Unfair to who?
- Conor.
Doesn't look like
your grandma's home yet.
She sometimes goes back
to the hospital
after I go to bed.
The nurses let her sleep
in a chair.
Hey.
Just 'cause your grandma
doesn't like me,
doesn't make her a bad person.
She says you're all start
and no finish.
Well, she's entitled
to her own opinion.
How long you here for?
Long as I can be.
What does that mean?
Means we don't have
a lot of money.
And Americans don't get
a lot of holiday.
You're not American.
No, but I live there now.
I'll come back
whenever I need to.
And you are gonna come
to LA for Christmas.
In your cramped house,
where there's no room for me.
Conor!
Why did you come?
Conor, wait!
Conor, I'll see you
tomorrow, yeah?
There's still loads of time!
No!
As destruction goes,
that was remarkably pitiful.
Now,
I've come to tell you
the second tale.
Is it as bad as the last one?
It ends with proper destruction,
if that's what you mean.
It's about a man
who thought only of himself.
A man who wasn't as generous
as he should have been.
A man who gets punished
very badly indeed.
Stories aren't real, though.
They don't help anything.
Stories are wild creatures,
Conor O'Malley.
When you let them loose,
who knows what havoc they may wreak?
Oh, yes!
Okay.
Go on, then.
Good.
One hundred
and fifty years ago,
the future came.
Factories grew in the landscape
like weeds.
Trees fell,
rivers blackened and the sky
choked on smoke and ash.
But there was still green
if you knew where to look.
On the edge of this town
lived a stubborn man
who refused to change.
He dealt in the old ways
of medicine,
herbs and barks
and concoctions
brewed from berries
and leaves.
Villagers only ever called him
the apothecary.
- The What?
- The apothecary.
- An old-fashioned name for pharmacist.
- Oh.
Why didnt you just say?
There was also a young parson
in this village,
an enlightened man
and a kind one who just wanted
the very best for his congregation.
He preached against the apothecarys
use of the old ways,
and the apothecarys
fouI temper and greed
made certain some of these
sermons fell
on eager ears.
Much as he tried
to keep on helping the community,
his business sank,
which only
made him grow bitter.
On the parsonage grounds
there also lived a yew tree.
Thats the hill
where you live.
And the yew tree is the most important
of all the healing trees.
- Why?
- Its berries, its bark,
they thrum and burn
and twist with life.
It can cure
almost any ailment.
Really? Anything?
Anything that can be cured,
if mixed by the right
apothecary.
The apothecary
wanted the yew tree very badly.
But in order to harvest
these things,
he would have to cut it down.
And this,
the parson would not allow.
The parson had two daughters
who were the light of his life.
He was a caring, loving father
Whod have done anything
for their sake.
But one day, both little girls
were struck
by a terrible sickness.
And nothing
the parson did helped.
No cure from the more
modern doctors,
no prayer, nothing.
Yah!
Yah!
There was no choice
but to approach
the apothecary.
WilI you not help my daughters?
the parson begged.
WilI you not save
two innocent girls?
Why should I?
said the apothecary.
You have driven away my business
with your preachings
and you have refused me
the yew tree,
my best source of healing.
You may have the yew tree,
said the parson.
I will preach sermons
in your favor.
I will do anything if you would only
save my daughters.
You would give up everything you believed in?
said the apothecary.
If it would save them,
I would give up everything.
Then there is nothing I can do
to help you.
The very next day,
both of the parsons daughters died.
What?
And that night, I came walking.
Good! He deserves
all the punishment he gets!
Indeed!
It was shortly after midnight that I tore
the parson's home from its very foundations.
Parson?
What are you talking about?
The apothecary's the evil one.
He was greedy and rude
but he was still a healer.
The person? What was he?
A man of faith without faith.
Belief is half of all healing.
Belief in the cure,
belief in the future
that awaits.
Your belief is valuable,
so you must be careful
where you put it
and in whom.
Tell me, Conor O'Malley.
- What shall I destroy next?
- What?
It is most satisfying,
I can assure you.
Come on! Tell me!
What should I destroy?
Snap the chimney?
The chimney!
Next.
Throw away their beds!
Smash the furniture!
Break the windows!
Windows.
Break them yourself.
Go on.
Harder, Conor O'Malley!
Come on! Harder!
That's it, that's it!
Yes!
Feels good, doesn't it?
Yes!
Grandma. Grandma.
Grandma.
Grandma, please.
Grandma.
Heard you like them
sunny-side up.
What are you doing here?
What do you think?
Grandma called
very early this morning.
She's gone to the hospital
to see your mum.
Your mum's
had a bad turn, Con.
I need to see her.
Look, we'll see
what happens today
and maybe you can visit
for a little while this afternoon.
I can see how upset you are.
I didn't mean to.
I don't know what happened.
Worse things happen at sea.
What does that mean?
Aren't you going to punish me?
What could possibly
be the point in that?
I gotta say, champ,
this is really just
amazingly thorough.
Oh, buried treasure!
These must be those, um.
The home movies
your mum used to send to me
when I first moved away.
Why did you move away?
We were young.
Too young. You know,
we had big dreams, and..
What kind of dreams?
Well, your mum wanted
to go to art college.
Really?
Yeah. She didn't go,
but she wanted to.
What happened?
Because Mum
got pregnant with me.
Hey, hey, hey. Your mum
never regretted having you.
You were only ever
good news.
And I know that
for a fact,
because the one thing
she regretted was marrying me.
Why did she marry you, then?
Because I'm handsome.
Your mum was amazing,
and she still is.
And we were in love.
I mean, I still love her.
But, you see, the...
Love isn't enough.
It doesn't carry you through.
So, you didn't get
happily ever after.
No, but that's life,
you know?
Most of us just get
messily ever after.
That's all right.
And even I'm happy
you turned out like her.
Well, I'll call you tomorrow.
- Thank you again.
- Right.
- Right.
- Okay.
Mrs. Chandler...
Liz, he's a kid in school.
He can come and visit me.
Because his education
is really important!
You're telling me now
what to do, so I'm pulled
- in every direction.
- You're gonna take him out.
You're gonna take him
out of school then?
Thank you.
I'm gonna go and find
something to eat.
Do you want anything, kid?
I want you to stop
calling me kid.
Fair enough.
I'm sorry, Lizzie.
Who was that man in the suit?
Just... Nothing.
What happened this morning?
Nothing.
It's fine.
Just had a bit
of a bad reaction.
But there's one more thing
they're gonna try, and it's...
It's a medicine that's had some
really good results.
Why didn't they
try it in the first place?
Well, 'cause this is
something you take
when the other stuff hasn't worked
the way they want it to.
Does that mean it's too late?
No, of course it doesn't mean
it's too late.
Are you sure?
I believe every word I say.
Belief is half of all healing.
Belief in the cure,
belief in the future
that awaits.
Yeah.
And you know that tree
that I'm always going on about?
Yeah.
Well, this drug,
it's made from trees like that.
- It is?
- Yeah!
- Seriously?
- All this time,
we could've gone out there
and just chopped it down.
But not that one.
That one's our friend.
Where are you?
I am here.
So can you do it?
Can you make my mum better?
If your mother can be healed,
the yew tree will do it.
So that's a yes?
You still don't know
why you called me.
I didn't call you.
And even if I did,
it was obviously for my mum.
- Was it?
- Why else?
To listen to idiotic stories
that make no sense?
It is not yet time
for the third tale.
But soon. And after that,
you will tell me your story,
Conor O'Malley.
No!
No, no, not this!
That's just a nightmare!
No, please!
Mum!
That's not my truth!
That's just the nightmare!
Nevertheless,
this is what will happen
after the third tale.
I want to know what's going
to happen with my mum!
Waste the precious time
that is given to you.
Wait! Where are you going?
If you're a tree of healing,
then I need you to heal!
And so I shall.
Conor,
I'll come back. I promise.
All right? And you'll come
to LA for Christmas.
I don't want to leave Mum
on her own for Christmas.
Conor, this medicine
your mum's taking...
It's going to make her well.
No, Conor. It probably isn't.
Yes, it is.
No, it's a last-ditch effort, son.
It'll heal her, okay?
I know it.
It's the reason it came,
it has to be.
Reason what came?
- The Monster.
- Conor, what?
It comes at 12:07.
At first I thought it was a dream,
but there's always..
Conor, stop it. All right?
It's a dream.
That's all it is.
I'm sorry you have to face this,
but you have to be brave.
Do you understand?
Come on.
Come on.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
What if it's not fast enough?
- Conor, listen...
- It's okay.
What's okay?
Just...
You don't have to.
Look. Can you see?
Can you see?
Can you wave? Can you see him?
Then we wave to Grandma.
Hello, Grandma!
Con, can you say hello
to Grandma and Mum?
Hello.
Your Grandma. There we go.
Thanks a lot.
Okay, you ready?
Con, look, sit,
come sit here.
Con, look.
Hello, Grandma.
Mummy and...
Mummy.
There we go.
Were doing you a picture,
Grandma.
And then mix it together.
What color is that?
Brown.
Yeah!
- Its a nice sludgy brown.
- Its brown.
But we have brown here.
Thats true. What can you see?
Whats that?
What are those?
What do you...
What are these?
Eyes.
The eyes, thats it.
Life is always in the eyes.
If you get that,
youlI be a proper artist.
Yes.
Look.
This is how we draw
the eyes in.
Because this is where the eyes
catch the reflection.
Then we see the life
in the eyes, see that?
Do it again.
Its life.
Maybe if we take a pencil,
and you can draw on there.
Do you want to try it?
Show me how you do it.
Look, Con.
Thats his hair.
And this is his eyebrow.
Theres the eyes.
Oh, look, theres his mouth.
Theres his mouth,
hes very angry.
Can you see? Look at that!
And then we start to make a face.
And then..
Theres our monster. Theres the monster.
Look at the monster.
Let's take this off
and put on something warm.
Very slowly.
That's it.
That's it. Okay.
Let me help you.
It won't be long.
Okay, it's a 30-minute exam
this morning.
And this is all the stuff we've been doing
for the last two weeks.
So, if you've done your revision,
won't be any surprises.
So, in a moment I'm going to ask you
to turn your pages over.
There will be no talking
for the next 30 minutes.
I want total silence in here,
'cause you're going to be using
your brains, not your mouths.
So, 30 minutes,
starting now. Good luck.
- I don't...
- Yeah, it does.
I think I've finally
figured you out.
After all this time.
All that you are looking for
is someone to kick your head in.
But you know what?
I'm not that guy anymore.
Good-bye, O'Malley.
I no longer see you.
Now you're invisible to me, too.
Hope your mum gets better.
What took you so long?
It is time for the third tale.
There was once an invisible man
who had grown tired of being unseen.
It was not that he was
actually invisible.
It was just that people
had become used to not seeing him.
One day, the invisible man
couldn't stand it anymore.
He kept wondering,
"If no one sees you,
are you really there at all?"
What did the invisible man do?
He called for a monster.
I don't even know
what to say to you, O'Malley.
You sent him to hospital!
His parents
are threatening to sue.
- It wasn't me.
- What was that?
It wasn't me.
I'm not invisible! I'm not invisible!
If you want to be seen, O'Malley,
this is not the best way.
I'm not invisible! Can you hear me?
I'm not invisible!
School rules dictate
immediate exclusion.
But how could I do that?
Consider myself
any kind of a teacher?
Go back to class.
We will talk about this one day.
But not today.
You're not punishing me?
What could possibly
be the point?
Well, let me give you
an example of emotional wellness.
You know how difficult it is
sometimes to say no, right?
How good it feels when you finally find
the courage to say it.
Now, why is that?
John?
Hi, Miss Kwan.
We just had a phone call
from the hospital,
and I think Conor's mother's
not gonna make it.
- They have asked for him to be there ASAP.
- Surely.
Aren't you coming?
I'll be right here.
Hey.
What did you do
to your hands?
This is the talk, isn't it?
Everybody always wants
to have a talk lately.
Con.
Look at me.
I spoke to the doctor
this morning.
The new treatment, it's..
It's not working.
The one from the yew tree?
Yeah.
How can it not be working?
Things have just moved
really fast.
- Just faster than they thought.
- But how can it not be working?
I don't know.
It has to.
So what happens now?
What's gonna be
the next treatment?
I'm so sorry.
I've never been more sorry
about anything in my life.
It's okay that you're angry, Con.
It really is.
I'm pretty angry, too,
to tell you the truth.
But, Con...
Con, are you listening?
One day,
if you look back and you feel bad
for being so angry
you couldn't even
speak to me,
you have to know
that that was okay.
That I knew.
'Cause I know everything
you need to tell me
without you having
to say it out loud.
And if you need
to break things,
by God, you break them.
Break them good and hard.
And I'll be right there, Con.
I wish I had a hundred years.
A hundred years
I could give to you.
Wake up!
Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up!
Wake up!
I don't care what time it is!
You lied!
Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up!
I need you now!
You will do yourself harm
if you keep that up.
It didn't work! You said the yew tree
would make her better,
but it didn't!
Fix her! Make her better!
Conor!
You were the one
who called me, Conor O'Malley.
If I called you, it was to save her!
It was to heal her!
I did not come to heal her.
Yes, you did!
I came to heal you.
Me? I'm the one
who needs healing?
How many times
do I have to tell you?
My mum's the one who...
Help me.
It is time
for the fourth tale.
No! No, please,
get me out of here!
It is time
for your nightmare.
I need to get back
to my mum!
She is already here.
No! Mum, get out of here!
I'm fine, darling!
It's all right. There's nothing
to worry about.
Mum, run! Please, run!
Mum!
Mum!
Conor!
Mum!
Mum!
Conor!
- Mum!
- Conor!
Mum!
Mum!
- Conor!
- Mum!
- Don't let go!
- I won't!
- Conor!
- Mum! No!
Conor!
- Mum!
- Please, don't let me go!
Conor!
Mum! Mum!
Ow!
Mum! Mum!
Conor!
Here is the fourth tale.
Just help!
Here is the truth
of Conor O'Malley.
No, Mum! No!
- Conor!
- Mum!
Here is your nightmare.
- Mum!
- Conor!
Please.
- Conor.
- Mum!
No, Mum!
Mum!
Mum!
Mum!
This is when I wake up.
This is when I always wake up.
The tale is not yet told.
Get me out of here!
I need to see my mum!
She is no longer here, Conor.
She fell. I couldn't hold on
to her anymore.
Conor!
Speak the truth!
No!
You must speak the truth
or you will never leave this place.
What truth?
I don't know what you mean!
You must tell me the fourth tale,
Conor O'Malley.
You must tell me your nightmare
before it is too late.
- No!
- Yes! Tell me, Conor! Tell me the truth!
It'll kill me if I do!
It will kill you if you do not!
No!
Speak the truth!
- No!
- The truth, Conor O'Malley! Tell me the truth, boy!
- No!
- Speak the truth!
No!
- No!
- Speak the truth!
Speak the truth!
- No!
- Speak the truth, boy!
I want it to be over!
I can't stand knowing
that she'll go.
I want it to be finished.
I let her fall.
I let her die.
That was brave, Conor.
You finally said it.
Why didn't it kill me?
I deserve punishment.
I deserve the worst.
Do you?
I've known forever
that she wasn't gonna make it.
She'd keep telling me
she was getting better all the time,
because that's what
I wanted to hear.
And I believed her.
Except I didn't.
I started to think how much
I wanted it to be over.
How could I.
I couldn't stand how alone
it would make me feel.
A part of you wished it would end,
even if it meant losing her.
I let her go.
I could have held on
for longer.
But I always let her go.
And that is your truth,
Conor O'Malley.
I don't want it to be, though.
Now it's for real.
Now she's gonna die
and it's my fault.
That is not the truth at all.
You were merely wishing
for an end of pain.
Your own pain. It is the most
human wish there is.
I didn't mean it, though.
You did,
but you also did not.
How can both be true?
How can a prince be a murderer
and beloved by his people?
How can an apothecary be evil-tempered
but right-thinking?
How can invisible men make themselves
more lonely by being seen?
I don't know. Your stories
never made any sense to me.
Because humans
are complicated beasts.
You believe comforting lies
while knowing full well
the painfuI truth that make
those lies necessary.
In the end, Conor, it is not important
what you think.
It is only important
what you do.
So what do I do?
What you did just now.
You speak the truth.
That's all?
You think it's easy?
You were willing to die
rather than speak it.
I'm so tired.
So tired of all this.
Then sleep. There's time.
Are you sure?
I need to see my mum.
We will both see her tonight.
WilI you be there?
Yes.
It will be the final steps
of my walking.
How does the fourth story end?
Shh.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Thank God.
Conor! Conor!
I've been out of my mind
trying to find you.
- There was something that I had to do.
- No time, we have to go now.
Oh!
Damn it!
Grandma.
I'm sorry.
About the sitting room and..
And everything.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
You know, Conor,
you and me,
we're not the most
naturaI fit, are we?
No. I guess not.
I guess not either.
But we're gonna have to learn.
I know.
You do know, don't you?
Of course you do.
But there is one thing
we have in common.
Your mum.
That's what
we have in common.
It's okay.
I see you found him.
Thank you.
Hello, my darling.
Yes, I'm here.
I'm here.
Can you feel my hand?
And Conor's here, too.
- Is he?
- Yes.
Here's the end of the tale.
I'm afraid.
Of course you are afraid.
It will be hard.
It will be more than hard.
But you will make it through,
Conor O'Malley.
You'll stay?
I will be right here.
What do I do?
Now all that is left is for you
to speak the simplest truth of all.
I don't want you to go.
I know, my love.
I don't want you to go.
How does the fourth story end?
It ends with the boy
holding on tight to his mother.
And by doing so,
he can finally let her go.
Conor.
This is your room now.
I've been making it ready.
Thank you.
Yeah.
How does this story begin?
It begins like so many stories.
With a boy.
Too old to be a kid.
Too young to be a man.
And a nightmare.
It's got two fundamental constants.
E, the base of the natural
logarithm system.
It's a number. It's a number that
emerges from asking,
"What is the mathematicaI function
or thing which describes things,
"where the rate at which they change
is proportionaI to their magnitude"?
Now, if you do that
mathematically,
it will give you
this fundamental constant.
Conor?
Are you all right there, Conor?
You look tired.
Are you getting enough rest?
Yeah, I'm fine.
'Cause, you know,
if you ever wanted to talk...
I'm fine.
Okay.
Everyone, eyes front.
Now, pi is the ratio of the circumference,
and when you put it...
CarefuI there, O'Malley.
You might fall.
Are you drunk or something?
He'll have to get his slaphead
mother to kiss it for him.
You're always off in your
own little dream world.
And what's there,
so interesting?
- Ahhh!
- Oh!
Get up.
You've been a good boy.
Remember, O'Malley,
good boys don't talk.
Hey, Con.
Hey, Mum.
What is that?
It's a surprise.
So, this is a VCR?
This is much better
than a VCR.
It's your grandpa's
old film projector.
- There we go.
- I wish you could have known him.
Who?
Grandpa.
Even Grandma softened up
around him.
Yeah, right.
Here we go.
What a bunch of assholes.
Why are they trying to kill
King Kong?
People don't like
what they don't understand.
They get scared.
King Kong could just
smash them all.
Break them into a million pieces.
Boom.
Boom.
Yeah.
Conor.
Mum?
I have come to get you,
Conor O'Malley.
Why don't you run,
Conor O'Malley?
Why don't you run
for your mother?
You leave her alone!
I'm not afraid of you!
I will visit you again on further nights,
Conor O'Malley.
And I will shake your walls
until you wake.
And then, I will tell you
three stories.
You're going to tell me stories?
I am.
I will tell you three stories
and when I have finished my stories,
you will tell me a fourth.
I don't know anything
about stories!
You will tell me a fourth,
and it will be the truth.
What are you talking about?
This truth that you hide.
The truth you dream.
- You will tell me your nightmare.
- No.
Yes. That will be your truth.
And if I don't?
Con, I was asleep.
You should be
in your own bed, Con.
- Just five minutes.
- That's not true.
Yes, it is.
Come on, Con.
Just five minutes.
I promise.
Hmm.
Five minutes.
Night, night.
I respect that, Lizzie. I do.
The last thing your father would want
would be for him to be taken
off to America to live with some
strange woman and her strange child.
We have to discuss this now.
Hey, Con!
Ah, there's the little man.
Where did you say
you got these?
From a very nice old people's home.
They're clearing it out
to make flats, and I'll be the agent.
Your mother needs
a cup of tea.
Green, no sugar.
I take mine black.
What do you think, Con?
He loves it. Go on.
Okay.
Go on, try something else.
You need to tell him.
You're not even listening.
I don't want to have
this conversation now!
All right.
I understand that,
but you can't just drift, Lizzie.
- I'm not drifting!
- You have to make some decisions.
I am making all the decisions I can
and I will decide when I speak to Conor.
When will that be?
You can't just...
You have to think about it now...
Go and help Conor with the tea
or I'll literally go insane.
You and I need to have a talk.
I'm making tea.
- Conor!
- I said, I'm making tea.
We have to...
I'm not the enemy, Conor.
- I'm here to help your mother.
- I know why you're here.
I'm here because
12-year-old boys
shouldn't be wiping down counters
without being asked to first.
Do you wanna do it?
Less of your cheek.
She's always sick
after the treatments.
She'll be better tomorrow.
And then you can go home.
She'll... seem better tomorrow.
- She needs to talk about this with you.
- Talk to me about what?
About your coming
to live with me.
- I'm never coming to live with you...
- Listen to me, Conor.
- If your mother.
- There's no, "If"!
She'll be better
and then you can go.
Oh! Lizzie?
Lizzie! Oh, my God!
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Where's the medicine?
Conor!
Conor!
I'm here, I'm here.
Take a deep breath.
Conor, please!
Please give me the medicine.
Hurry, hurry.
It's coming. It's coming.
Here you go. Here you go.
Isn't that better?
Deep breath.
Deep breaths. Deep breath.
Deep breath.
It's okay.
Just don't touch anything.
Trust me, I'll be doing
my very best not to.
Our conversation isn't over,
young man.
Oh, yes, it is.
Mum, run! Please, run!
Mum! Mum!
Mum! Mum!
Mum!
Mum!
What took you so long?
It is time for me
to tell you the first tale.
I don't need a tale.
I need a bus ticket
for my grandma.
It is time for me
to tell you the...
Where do you think you're going?
I will be listened to!
I am as old as this land
and I will..
What do you know
about anything?
I know everything about you,
Conor O'Malley.
No, you don't! If you did,
you'd know I don't have time
to listen to stupid stories
from a stupid tree
that is just a dream.
A dream?
What is a dream,
Conor O'Malley?
And who is to say that it is not
everything else that is a dream?
Never mind.
I came to see you today
because I thought...
You thought I might have come
to topple your enemies.
- Slay your dragons.
- Or at least help me with my grandmother.
But all you want to do
is tell me stories.
Stories of how
I toppled my enemies.
Stories of how I slew dragons.
Let me tell you a tale
of when I came walking.
Let me tell you of the end
of a wicked queen
and how I made sure
she was never seen again.
Go on, then.
Good.
What do you see?
Nothing. There are leaves
in the way.
Use your imagination, Conor O'Malley.
What do you see?
I see a spark.
Yes. And?
No, it's water.
It's watercolor.
Keep looking.
- Whoa!
- Whoa, indeed.
Long ago,
before this was a town
with roads
and trains and cars,
- this was a kingdom.
- Here?
They dont even have a Tesco.
It was a prosperous kingdom
with a wise king who had won peace
for his people,
but peace had come
at a price.
The king had lost all three of his sons
in battle to giants.
To dragons.
To armies of men
led by great wizards.
This is all sounding
pretty fairytale-ish.
You wouldnt say that if you heard
the screams of a man killed by a spear.
The queen was unable to bear
the loss of all their three sons,
leaving the king alone in despair
with the company of his only remaining heir,
his orphaned grandson.
The child was raised as a prince,
winning the love of the kingdom
with his gallantry and good heart.
His people loved him.
Our future king!
He was nearly a man
when his grandfather took a new wife.
The king felt ill and rumor began to spread
that she was an evil witch,
that she was bent on taking
the throne for herself
by poisoning the king.
A few weeks later,
the king died.
The prince was too young
to take the kings place.
So, by law, the queen would rule
for another year.
The future was uncertain.
The prince, meanwhile,
had given away his heart.
She was beautifuI and smart,
and though only
a farmers daughter,
the kingdom smiled
on the match.
The queen, however,
she was rather enjoying being queen.
And what better way to remain so
than to marry the prince herself?
What? Thats disgusting!
She was his grandmother!
Step-grandmother.
And still a young,
beautifuI woman herself, dont forget.
The prince, however,
didnt like the idea, either.
Hyah! Hyah!
He took the farmers daughter
and they rode away into the night.
They stopped to rest
under the branches of a yew tree.
Thats you!
The next morning,
the prince awoke.
Arise, my beloved, he said.
But the farmers daughter
did not stir,
which was when the prince
noticed the blood.
Blood?
Someone had killed
his beloved in the night.
What?
The queen! he cried.
The queen has murdered
my bride!
The villagers, full of fury and vengeance,
rose up at the crime.
It was then
that I came walking.
The queen was never seen again.
Good! She deserved it!
Now, I don't suppose
you can help me with my grandma.
The story is not yet finished.
I took the queen and carried her
far enough away,
so the town's people
would never find her.
To a village by the sea,
where she began a new life.
But she killed
the farmer's daughter!
How can you save a murderer?
You really are a monster.
I never said she killed
the farmer's daughter.
I only said that the prince
said it was so.
The prince never fell asleep
that night,
but waited for the farmers daughter
to be lost in her dreams
and then began his reaI plan.
What?
He knew her death would start a fire
that would consume the queen entire.
That's a terrible story!
And a cheat!
It's a true story.
Many things that are true
feel like a cheat.
Kingdoms get the princes
they deserve.
Farmers' daughters
die for no reason.
And sometimes witches
merit saving.
Quite often, actually.
You'd be surprised.
So, the good prince
was a murderer,
and the evil queen
wasn't a witch after all?
No, the queen most certainly
was a witch
and could well have been
on her way to great evil.
Who can say?
Then why did you save her, then?
Because what she was not,
was a murderer.
She hadnt poisoned the king.
He had merely grown old.
Did the prince ever get caught?
No. He became
a much beloved king,
who ruled happily
until the end of his long days.
Oh, yes!
I don't get it.
Who's the good guy here?
There is not always a good guy,
Conor O'Malley.
Nor is there always a bad one.
Most people are somewhere
in between.
So how is all this meant
to save me from Grandma?
It is not her you need saving from.
There are always
two sides to a story.
Now, how many of you
know the saying,
"Sticks and stones may break your bones,
but words can never hurt you"?
Now, next time, when someone
says something to you that you think
is being hurtful,
take a step back and think,
"Is this person
asking for attention?"
Good, you're home.
Your mum's upstairs.
She wants to talk to you.
What?
Your father's flying in
on Sunday.
Dad's coming? From America?
Go on. She's waiting.
And pack a bag. You're coming
to stay with me for a few days.
Go on.
That tree is amazing.
It's been here
for thousands of years.
What do you think?
I think Grandma is trying
to turn me into Tina Turner.
She must be a fan.
Why am I going to stay
with Grandma?
Are you going back
to hospital?
Come here, Con.
This latest treatment's
not doing what it's supposed to.
So they're going
to adjust it,
try something else.
- That's all?
- That's all.
Are you sure?
I'm sure.
Because..
You could tell me, you know?
Hey.
Everything will be fine, Conor.
You'll see.
And bam, right into his stomach.
Wait, wait for us, Conor.
Where are you going?
- Don't touch him.
- Don't touch him?
- But it's such a punchable face!
- I said don't touch him!
O'Malley and I
have an understanding.
I am the only one
who touches him.
Isn't that right?
Now tell me,
why is it every time I turn around,
you're there looking at me?
Getting a bit odd,
don't you think?
Sorry, that was a bit harsh.
Life's not really going
your way today, is it?
No, we're just having a laugh.
I have a house to show.
I'm trusting you here alone
until your father shows up.
I'm not five years old.
This is the correct time.
Not the one on your phone
or on the computer,
not even on the news.
It was my mother's,
your great-grandmother's.
Perfect time keeping
for over a hundred years.
Conor, pick up your rucksack!
I don't want your father to think
I'm keeping you in a pigsty.
Not much chance of that.
Now, when you go to
the hospital
your father may not notice
how tired your mom is getting, okay?
So we have to make sure
that he doesn't overstay his welcome.
Not that, that's historically
been a problem.
No eggs.
You've already had eggs
twice this week.
If you get hungry,
there's spinach in the fridge
which you can steam.
Yeah, sure.
Don't touch anything.
I'll do my very best not to.
Get in!
Dad.
How you doing, Conor?
You look tired.
I'm fine.
Mum's on this new medicine,
and it'll make her better.
She goes into hospital
once every two weeks and, um...
They pump the medicine
into her bloodstream.
She's sick for the next few days,
but she's better again.
Hey, your, uh.
- Your sister's doing better.
- Half-sister.
Yeah.
I'd still love you
to meet her.
Been talking with your grandma
about bringing you out to LA.
You want me to come to LA?
Yeah, absolutely!
- You'd like that, wouldnt you?
- Yeah.
We were thinking
over Christmas.
That way you can be back here
in time for school.
So you mean
just for a visit, then?
Yeah, but it'd be great.
I don't want to live
with Grandma.
It's an old lady's house,
with old lady's things.
You can't touch anything or sit anywhere.
You can't even leave a mess
for two seconds.
- Conor, I know..
- I want to have my own room
in my own house
with my own things.
Well, you wouldn't have that
in America, Con.
- There's barely enough room for the three of us.
- I don't care!
Conor, listen.
- She's so strict...
- Your family, your life,
- your friends, your school..
- Her house is like a museum!
...all of it is here.
Okay? It'd be unfair
to take you out of it.
- Unfair to who?
- Conor.
Doesn't look like
your grandma's home yet.
She sometimes goes back
to the hospital
after I go to bed.
The nurses let her sleep
in a chair.
Hey.
Just 'cause your grandma
doesn't like me,
doesn't make her a bad person.
She says you're all start
and no finish.
Well, she's entitled
to her own opinion.
How long you here for?
Long as I can be.
What does that mean?
Means we don't have
a lot of money.
And Americans don't get
a lot of holiday.
You're not American.
No, but I live there now.
I'll come back
whenever I need to.
And you are gonna come
to LA for Christmas.
In your cramped house,
where there's no room for me.
Conor!
Why did you come?
Conor, wait!
Conor, I'll see you
tomorrow, yeah?
There's still loads of time!
No!
As destruction goes,
that was remarkably pitiful.
Now,
I've come to tell you
the second tale.
Is it as bad as the last one?
It ends with proper destruction,
if that's what you mean.
It's about a man
who thought only of himself.
A man who wasn't as generous
as he should have been.
A man who gets punished
very badly indeed.
Stories aren't real, though.
They don't help anything.
Stories are wild creatures,
Conor O'Malley.
When you let them loose,
who knows what havoc they may wreak?
Oh, yes!
Okay.
Go on, then.
Good.
One hundred
and fifty years ago,
the future came.
Factories grew in the landscape
like weeds.
Trees fell,
rivers blackened and the sky
choked on smoke and ash.
But there was still green
if you knew where to look.
On the edge of this town
lived a stubborn man
who refused to change.
He dealt in the old ways
of medicine,
herbs and barks
and concoctions
brewed from berries
and leaves.
Villagers only ever called him
the apothecary.
- The What?
- The apothecary.
- An old-fashioned name for pharmacist.
- Oh.
Why didnt you just say?
There was also a young parson
in this village,
an enlightened man
and a kind one who just wanted
the very best for his congregation.
He preached against the apothecarys
use of the old ways,
and the apothecarys
fouI temper and greed
made certain some of these
sermons fell
on eager ears.
Much as he tried
to keep on helping the community,
his business sank,
which only
made him grow bitter.
On the parsonage grounds
there also lived a yew tree.
Thats the hill
where you live.
And the yew tree is the most important
of all the healing trees.
- Why?
- Its berries, its bark,
they thrum and burn
and twist with life.
It can cure
almost any ailment.
Really? Anything?
Anything that can be cured,
if mixed by the right
apothecary.
The apothecary
wanted the yew tree very badly.
But in order to harvest
these things,
he would have to cut it down.
And this,
the parson would not allow.
The parson had two daughters
who were the light of his life.
He was a caring, loving father
Whod have done anything
for their sake.
But one day, both little girls
were struck
by a terrible sickness.
And nothing
the parson did helped.
No cure from the more
modern doctors,
no prayer, nothing.
Yah!
Yah!
There was no choice
but to approach
the apothecary.
WilI you not help my daughters?
the parson begged.
WilI you not save
two innocent girls?
Why should I?
said the apothecary.
You have driven away my business
with your preachings
and you have refused me
the yew tree,
my best source of healing.
You may have the yew tree,
said the parson.
I will preach sermons
in your favor.
I will do anything if you would only
save my daughters.
You would give up everything you believed in?
said the apothecary.
If it would save them,
I would give up everything.
Then there is nothing I can do
to help you.
The very next day,
both of the parsons daughters died.
What?
And that night, I came walking.
Good! He deserves
all the punishment he gets!
Indeed!
It was shortly after midnight that I tore
the parson's home from its very foundations.
Parson?
What are you talking about?
The apothecary's the evil one.
He was greedy and rude
but he was still a healer.
The person? What was he?
A man of faith without faith.
Belief is half of all healing.
Belief in the cure,
belief in the future
that awaits.
Your belief is valuable,
so you must be careful
where you put it
and in whom.
Tell me, Conor O'Malley.
- What shall I destroy next?
- What?
It is most satisfying,
I can assure you.
Come on! Tell me!
What should I destroy?
Snap the chimney?
The chimney!
Next.
Throw away their beds!
Smash the furniture!
Break the windows!
Windows.
Break them yourself.
Go on.
Harder, Conor O'Malley!
Come on! Harder!
That's it, that's it!
Yes!
Feels good, doesn't it?
Yes!
Grandma. Grandma.
Grandma.
Grandma, please.
Grandma.
Heard you like them
sunny-side up.
What are you doing here?
What do you think?
Grandma called
very early this morning.
She's gone to the hospital
to see your mum.
Your mum's
had a bad turn, Con.
I need to see her.
Look, we'll see
what happens today
and maybe you can visit
for a little while this afternoon.
I can see how upset you are.
I didn't mean to.
I don't know what happened.
Worse things happen at sea.
What does that mean?
Aren't you going to punish me?
What could possibly
be the point in that?
I gotta say, champ,
this is really just
amazingly thorough.
Oh, buried treasure!
These must be those, um.
The home movies
your mum used to send to me
when I first moved away.
Why did you move away?
We were young.
Too young. You know,
we had big dreams, and..
What kind of dreams?
Well, your mum wanted
to go to art college.
Really?
Yeah. She didn't go,
but she wanted to.
What happened?
Because Mum
got pregnant with me.
Hey, hey, hey. Your mum
never regretted having you.
You were only ever
good news.
And I know that
for a fact,
because the one thing
she regretted was marrying me.
Why did she marry you, then?
Because I'm handsome.
Your mum was amazing,
and she still is.
And we were in love.
I mean, I still love her.
But, you see, the...
Love isn't enough.
It doesn't carry you through.
So, you didn't get
happily ever after.
No, but that's life,
you know?
Most of us just get
messily ever after.
That's all right.
And even I'm happy
you turned out like her.
Well, I'll call you tomorrow.
- Thank you again.
- Right.
- Right.
- Okay.
Mrs. Chandler...
Liz, he's a kid in school.
He can come and visit me.
Because his education
is really important!
You're telling me now
what to do, so I'm pulled
- in every direction.
- You're gonna take him out.
You're gonna take him
out of school then?
Thank you.
I'm gonna go and find
something to eat.
Do you want anything, kid?
I want you to stop
calling me kid.
Fair enough.
I'm sorry, Lizzie.
Who was that man in the suit?
Just... Nothing.
What happened this morning?
Nothing.
It's fine.
Just had a bit
of a bad reaction.
But there's one more thing
they're gonna try, and it's...
It's a medicine that's had some
really good results.
Why didn't they
try it in the first place?
Well, 'cause this is
something you take
when the other stuff hasn't worked
the way they want it to.
Does that mean it's too late?
No, of course it doesn't mean
it's too late.
Are you sure?
I believe every word I say.
Belief is half of all healing.
Belief in the cure,
belief in the future
that awaits.
Yeah.
And you know that tree
that I'm always going on about?
Yeah.
Well, this drug,
it's made from trees like that.
- It is?
- Yeah!
- Seriously?
- All this time,
we could've gone out there
and just chopped it down.
But not that one.
That one's our friend.
Where are you?
I am here.
So can you do it?
Can you make my mum better?
If your mother can be healed,
the yew tree will do it.
So that's a yes?
You still don't know
why you called me.
I didn't call you.
And even if I did,
it was obviously for my mum.
- Was it?
- Why else?
To listen to idiotic stories
that make no sense?
It is not yet time
for the third tale.
But soon. And after that,
you will tell me your story,
Conor O'Malley.
No!
No, no, not this!
That's just a nightmare!
No, please!
Mum!
That's not my truth!
That's just the nightmare!
Nevertheless,
this is what will happen
after the third tale.
I want to know what's going
to happen with my mum!
Waste the precious time
that is given to you.
Wait! Where are you going?
If you're a tree of healing,
then I need you to heal!
And so I shall.
Conor,
I'll come back. I promise.
All right? And you'll come
to LA for Christmas.
I don't want to leave Mum
on her own for Christmas.
Conor, this medicine
your mum's taking...
It's going to make her well.
No, Conor. It probably isn't.
Yes, it is.
No, it's a last-ditch effort, son.
It'll heal her, okay?
I know it.
It's the reason it came,
it has to be.
Reason what came?
- The Monster.
- Conor, what?
It comes at 12:07.
At first I thought it was a dream,
but there's always..
Conor, stop it. All right?
It's a dream.
That's all it is.
I'm sorry you have to face this,
but you have to be brave.
Do you understand?
Come on.
Come on.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
What if it's not fast enough?
- Conor, listen...
- It's okay.
What's okay?
Just...
You don't have to.
Look. Can you see?
Can you see?
Can you wave? Can you see him?
Then we wave to Grandma.
Hello, Grandma!
Con, can you say hello
to Grandma and Mum?
Hello.
Your Grandma. There we go.
Thanks a lot.
Okay, you ready?
Con, look, sit,
come sit here.
Con, look.
Hello, Grandma.
Mummy and...
Mummy.
There we go.
Were doing you a picture,
Grandma.
And then mix it together.
What color is that?
Brown.
Yeah!
- Its a nice sludgy brown.
- Its brown.
But we have brown here.
Thats true. What can you see?
Whats that?
What are those?
What do you...
What are these?
Eyes.
The eyes, thats it.
Life is always in the eyes.
If you get that,
youlI be a proper artist.
Yes.
Look.
This is how we draw
the eyes in.
Because this is where the eyes
catch the reflection.
Then we see the life
in the eyes, see that?
Do it again.
Its life.
Maybe if we take a pencil,
and you can draw on there.
Do you want to try it?
Show me how you do it.
Look, Con.
Thats his hair.
And this is his eyebrow.
Theres the eyes.
Oh, look, theres his mouth.
Theres his mouth,
hes very angry.
Can you see? Look at that!
And then we start to make a face.
And then..
Theres our monster. Theres the monster.
Look at the monster.
Let's take this off
and put on something warm.
Very slowly.
That's it.
That's it. Okay.
Let me help you.
It won't be long.
Okay, it's a 30-minute exam
this morning.
And this is all the stuff we've been doing
for the last two weeks.
So, if you've done your revision,
won't be any surprises.
So, in a moment I'm going to ask you
to turn your pages over.
There will be no talking
for the next 30 minutes.
I want total silence in here,
'cause you're going to be using
your brains, not your mouths.
So, 30 minutes,
starting now. Good luck.
- I don't...
- Yeah, it does.
I think I've finally
figured you out.
After all this time.
All that you are looking for
is someone to kick your head in.
But you know what?
I'm not that guy anymore.
Good-bye, O'Malley.
I no longer see you.
Now you're invisible to me, too.
Hope your mum gets better.
What took you so long?
It is time for the third tale.
There was once an invisible man
who had grown tired of being unseen.
It was not that he was
actually invisible.
It was just that people
had become used to not seeing him.
One day, the invisible man
couldn't stand it anymore.
He kept wondering,
"If no one sees you,
are you really there at all?"
What did the invisible man do?
He called for a monster.
I don't even know
what to say to you, O'Malley.
You sent him to hospital!
His parents
are threatening to sue.
- It wasn't me.
- What was that?
It wasn't me.
I'm not invisible! I'm not invisible!
If you want to be seen, O'Malley,
this is not the best way.
I'm not invisible! Can you hear me?
I'm not invisible!
School rules dictate
immediate exclusion.
But how could I do that?
Consider myself
any kind of a teacher?
Go back to class.
We will talk about this one day.
But not today.
You're not punishing me?
What could possibly
be the point?
Well, let me give you
an example of emotional wellness.
You know how difficult it is
sometimes to say no, right?
How good it feels when you finally find
the courage to say it.
Now, why is that?
John?
Hi, Miss Kwan.
We just had a phone call
from the hospital,
and I think Conor's mother's
not gonna make it.
- They have asked for him to be there ASAP.
- Surely.
Aren't you coming?
I'll be right here.
Hey.
What did you do
to your hands?
This is the talk, isn't it?
Everybody always wants
to have a talk lately.
Con.
Look at me.
I spoke to the doctor
this morning.
The new treatment, it's..
It's not working.
The one from the yew tree?
Yeah.
How can it not be working?
Things have just moved
really fast.
- Just faster than they thought.
- But how can it not be working?
I don't know.
It has to.
So what happens now?
What's gonna be
the next treatment?
I'm so sorry.
I've never been more sorry
about anything in my life.
It's okay that you're angry, Con.
It really is.
I'm pretty angry, too,
to tell you the truth.
But, Con...
Con, are you listening?
One day,
if you look back and you feel bad
for being so angry
you couldn't even
speak to me,
you have to know
that that was okay.
That I knew.
'Cause I know everything
you need to tell me
without you having
to say it out loud.
And if you need
to break things,
by God, you break them.
Break them good and hard.
And I'll be right there, Con.
I wish I had a hundred years.
A hundred years
I could give to you.
Wake up!
Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up!
Wake up!
I don't care what time it is!
You lied!
Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up!
I need you now!
You will do yourself harm
if you keep that up.
It didn't work! You said the yew tree
would make her better,
but it didn't!
Fix her! Make her better!
Conor!
You were the one
who called me, Conor O'Malley.
If I called you, it was to save her!
It was to heal her!
I did not come to heal her.
Yes, you did!
I came to heal you.
Me? I'm the one
who needs healing?
How many times
do I have to tell you?
My mum's the one who...
Help me.
It is time
for the fourth tale.
No! No, please,
get me out of here!
It is time
for your nightmare.
I need to get back
to my mum!
She is already here.
No! Mum, get out of here!
I'm fine, darling!
It's all right. There's nothing
to worry about.
Mum, run! Please, run!
Mum!
Mum!
Conor!
Mum!
Mum!
Conor!
- Mum!
- Conor!
Mum!
Mum!
- Conor!
- Mum!
- Don't let go!
- I won't!
- Conor!
- Mum! No!
Conor!
- Mum!
- Please, don't let me go!
Conor!
Mum! Mum!
Ow!
Mum! Mum!
Conor!
Here is the fourth tale.
Just help!
Here is the truth
of Conor O'Malley.
No, Mum! No!
- Conor!
- Mum!
Here is your nightmare.
- Mum!
- Conor!
Please.
- Conor.
- Mum!
No, Mum!
Mum!
Mum!
Mum!
This is when I wake up.
This is when I always wake up.
The tale is not yet told.
Get me out of here!
I need to see my mum!
She is no longer here, Conor.
She fell. I couldn't hold on
to her anymore.
Conor!
Speak the truth!
No!
You must speak the truth
or you will never leave this place.
What truth?
I don't know what you mean!
You must tell me the fourth tale,
Conor O'Malley.
You must tell me your nightmare
before it is too late.
- No!
- Yes! Tell me, Conor! Tell me the truth!
It'll kill me if I do!
It will kill you if you do not!
No!
Speak the truth!
- No!
- The truth, Conor O'Malley! Tell me the truth, boy!
- No!
- Speak the truth!
No!
- No!
- Speak the truth!
Speak the truth!
- No!
- Speak the truth, boy!
I want it to be over!
I can't stand knowing
that she'll go.
I want it to be finished.
I let her fall.
I let her die.
That was brave, Conor.
You finally said it.
Why didn't it kill me?
I deserve punishment.
I deserve the worst.
Do you?
I've known forever
that she wasn't gonna make it.
She'd keep telling me
she was getting better all the time,
because that's what
I wanted to hear.
And I believed her.
Except I didn't.
I started to think how much
I wanted it to be over.
How could I.
I couldn't stand how alone
it would make me feel.
A part of you wished it would end,
even if it meant losing her.
I let her go.
I could have held on
for longer.
But I always let her go.
And that is your truth,
Conor O'Malley.
I don't want it to be, though.
Now it's for real.
Now she's gonna die
and it's my fault.
That is not the truth at all.
You were merely wishing
for an end of pain.
Your own pain. It is the most
human wish there is.
I didn't mean it, though.
You did,
but you also did not.
How can both be true?
How can a prince be a murderer
and beloved by his people?
How can an apothecary be evil-tempered
but right-thinking?
How can invisible men make themselves
more lonely by being seen?
I don't know. Your stories
never made any sense to me.
Because humans
are complicated beasts.
You believe comforting lies
while knowing full well
the painfuI truth that make
those lies necessary.
In the end, Conor, it is not important
what you think.
It is only important
what you do.
So what do I do?
What you did just now.
You speak the truth.
That's all?
You think it's easy?
You were willing to die
rather than speak it.
I'm so tired.
So tired of all this.
Then sleep. There's time.
Are you sure?
I need to see my mum.
We will both see her tonight.
WilI you be there?
Yes.
It will be the final steps
of my walking.
How does the fourth story end?
Shh.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Thank God.
Conor! Conor!
I've been out of my mind
trying to find you.
- There was something that I had to do.
- No time, we have to go now.
Oh!
Damn it!
Grandma.
I'm sorry.
About the sitting room and..
And everything.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
You know, Conor,
you and me,
we're not the most
naturaI fit, are we?
No. I guess not.
I guess not either.
But we're gonna have to learn.
I know.
You do know, don't you?
Of course you do.
But there is one thing
we have in common.
Your mum.
That's what
we have in common.
It's okay.
I see you found him.
Thank you.
Hello, my darling.
Yes, I'm here.
I'm here.
Can you feel my hand?
And Conor's here, too.
- Is he?
- Yes.
Here's the end of the tale.
I'm afraid.
Of course you are afraid.
It will be hard.
It will be more than hard.
But you will make it through,
Conor O'Malley.
You'll stay?
I will be right here.
What do I do?
Now all that is left is for you
to speak the simplest truth of all.
I don't want you to go.
I know, my love.
I don't want you to go.
How does the fourth story end?
It ends with the boy
holding on tight to his mother.
And by doing so,
he can finally let her go.
Conor.
This is your room now.
I've been making it ready.
Thank you.
Yeah.