Chantilly Bridge (2023) Movie Script
1
- [Natalie] The writer,
Thornton Wilder wrote.
There's a land of the living
and a land of the dead.
And the bridge is love.
The only survival,
the only meaning.
(upbeat music)
We were closer than family,
as children playing together,
sharing our secrets and hopes,
a day would feel like a year
stretching out before us
filled with end endless
possibilities.
And then as we got older,
the years flew by like days.
Filled with laughter and
tears and love, always love.
We had vowed to be
friends for life,
but life interferes with
the best intentions,
and its currents take you to
places you never intended.
And sometimes much too soon.
I was never really
concerned with whether
there was life after death.
Of course, I didn't
think I would die at 40.
Are you going to
Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one
who lives there
She once was a true
love of mine
Tell her to find me an
acre of land
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Between the salt water
and the sea strands
Then she'll be a true
love of mine
- [Natalie] Here it is
25 years later
and it's another death
that unites my friends.
And through their memories, me.
- We miss you, Natalie, but
your mother is with you now.
(upbeat music)
- Welcome home.
Are you going to
Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one
who lives there
She once was a true
love of mine
A true love of mine
(clock ticking)
- Mom.
(upbeat music)
Oh bye bye baby that
was yesterday
I'll tell you now you
got a price to pay
I know you're gonna miss me
Oh you're gonna miss me
I know you're gonna miss me
You'll be sorry
when I'm gone
Hey you gonna miss me
You'll be sorry
when I'm gone
(crowd cheering)
- Val, come in, come in.
Thank you so much for coming.
- Oh, Maggie.
So glad to see you.
Close this door, oh its cold.
It's mom's coat.
- Well I'm just
inhabiting the coat.
- Well I'm very grateful
to you for coming,
cause there's an
awful lot of work.
- Happy to do it.
- Hey Aspen.
Oh buddy.
(laughs)
Yeah.
Oh, oh, oh.
You are hungry.
Another one?
(doorbell rings)
- Oh God, Rheza.
- I'm so sorry I'm a bit dirty.
- Oh, come here,
come in that's fine.
- We had an
emergency at the zoo.
- Oh dear.
- Didn't wanna be late.
- Do you wanna go in
and then get warm
and get your coat off and...
- Thanks Shelley.
We're supposed to think of this?
We're supposed to know
what she's talking about?
- [Natalie] Look at them,
my friends, my family.
- I remember always around this
table doing plays with her.
We did wonderful.
- [Natalie] Shelley was never
really part of our group.
Probably my fault, not
wanting my kid sister around,
but when our mother died,
my friends
immediately reached out.
It's been 25 years since
they've all been together.
It was my funeral.
- Natalie was like that too.
- Like mother, like daughter.
- Remember Natalie
playing ping pong?
- She was ferocious.
- Hello?
(laughs)
- Love, oh my God.
- Nice to see you.
- Oh my gosh Hannah.
- Did you bring food?
- I brought some veggies.
- Oh what do you have here?
- Do you need help getting
that in the kitchen?
- No I'll be fine I'll
be right back.
- I remember sitting
at this table.
- We had so many fun times.
- Yeah.
- It was so fun remember that?
- I can't believe I forgot.
- Midsummers night,
- "Through the forest,
have I gone."
- I remember your mom
helping me with an audition
for the high school production
of the Scottish play.
"Out out damn spot!"
Rage!
She is raging and I was
like "she is raging".
(laughs)
Remember that?
- How do you get younger?
- Me?
- Every year.
- Oh that's nice.
- I'm really starting
to resent this.
(laughs)
- Oh gosh in this
drawer right there
I found something for you guys.
- What, over here?
- Yeah in that drawer.
- The top, okay.
- Were you talking about this?
- Yes those.
- All right.
- That's for you.
- Yeah, what are these here?
These are birthday
cards for Natalie.
(screams)
- Happy birthday Natalie.
- I'm wearing this hat.
- We gave her these on
her fortieth.
- I didn't mean to
bring up a bummer.
- No it's just so sweet.
- Love.
- Beautiful.
- So wonderful.
- But that she kept them.
- Oh, my God.
- Your mother had
things of yours?
- No, but I'm still
here, so it's different.
I don't know what it's
like to lose a child,
I just know what it's like
to be the one left behind.
(chattering)
- It's kind of who I see here.
I mean, I can't bring us
into our present.
Could it be a faded rose
- I keep talking to, who we
were, that's always here.
- Isn't it so odd though,
about getting older,
doesn't it just feel like
we're still inside the same.
- Exactly.
- I feel like...
- Exactly.
- I'm still struggling
with the same, yeah though.
My mother calls it the
organ recital.
- Yeah.
- You go around and say,
what's wrong like I have a hip,
I have a shoulder,
I have a heart.
- If I only had a brain.
(laughs)
- Before I found photography,
I probably made a big mistake
choosing a profession that
was my mother's. Commercials.
Yeah I just did commercials
because I had to pay
for trying to do theater,
which didn't work out too well.
- I work with seniors,
I take them to,
their appointments and stuff
but I also bring them to
the library cause we have
a lot of great classes
and like that.
- Well that's wonderful.
- Yeah it's great.
- Keeps your mind.
- And keeps me feeling young,
which is the important thing.
- But you look.
- I'm not as sick as that
person, oh no.
- What I might like to do,
which is to work with the dying.
- Really?
- Yeah I might.
- You didn't tell me that.
- Well it's, we are at
that age where,
all of us are searching,
it's a natural time.
Am I this, am I that, yes
and nuns do that as well.
So I'm thinking of
working in hospice.
- I wanna say this to you.
- Is that, well,
- The best comedic nun,
I've ever known.
(laughs)
- No I wanna try to explain.
Your mother gave me
the privilege of having
to preside, to enjoy,
to collaborate with her
during her death, her dying,
which was for me...
profound.
I need to tell you that,
that she, what you,
it was because we know
Ruth had many flaws.
She was very human and,
but you know, death is,
it doesn't have to be
for most people.
But with her, it was courageous,
she caught the light.
- Well, Ruth never had any
trouble finding her light.
(laughing)
- Like this.
- I'm not hearing a
thing from Lizzie.
Your sister's not coming,
should we start packing?
- Lets go, let do our packing.
- Maggie don't take the coat.
Please don't take the coat.
Respect the animal, let's not,
let's not-.
- I understand, but this is dead
already now what do you do?
- Understand the dying.
- I wanna just inject, like
it is, sometimes things
carry a person's spirit
and soul, and this vibrant
- Oh my God, looks like,
- is a Ruth thing.
(doorbell rings)
- Doorbell, oh wait a minute
there's somebody at the door.
Oh it's come on it's Nat,
come on.
- I like the coat.
- I know.
- Hi Natalie.
- Hi.
- I'm Shelley.
- Hi Shelley.
- You're named after my sister.
So nice to have you
here, thank you so much.
- Hi.
- Hi Val you look amazing.
- Good to see you guys.
- Well, let's get you
something to drink
and get your coat off and
then get back to work.
- I'm here to help though.
- Yes, here we go.
- Lizzie where are you?
- Where am I?
- Yeah.
- Well I'm home,
where should I be?
- Are you kidding me,
you're home?
- Yeah I'm home with the kids.
- You're supposed to be here.
We're at Ruth's, we're
going through all her stuff.
You're, you're supposed to
be here everybody's waiting.
- Oh my God.
- You're home, oh my God.
- Oh my God, Val please
don't do this to me again.
I told you I couldn't get up
there, I have too much to do.
This is a setup.
- Okay so how are you,
how's it going?
How's your new girlfriend?
- Normal.
- How's your girlfriend?
- My partner? Great.
Everything's great, everything's
normal. All is going well.
- Okay great wonderful.
So did you get your
check this month?
(sighs)
- Val can we not with this,
can we not you know, no.
No,I didn't get the check this
month surprise you know that.
- Really you didn't
get it from those guys?
- You know I didn't get it.
- I'm telling you there's
something wrong there.
There something wrong
with those people.
- No. Val.
- There's something suspicious,
I really.
- It's from you, it's you
that didn't send me a check.
It's you, you are in charge
of sending the check.
- It's what mom wanted honey
what do you want me to do?
It's what mom wanted,
she wanted me
to be the executor of her
estate, she wanted that.
And hmm, I wonder why? I
wonder why she thought that
maybe possibly you weren't
responsible enough to
handle your own money.
I wonder where I
could be thinking
that maybe you still
have this problem?
Or was it the time that
you missed the plane
and didn't make it to
dad's funeral?
Could that have possibly
been the reason that, geez.
- I understand I am not
a trustworthy person.
I was rebellious, I was
this and that.
This is many, many,
many years ago.
I have a family I have
a career, I have a life.
The person who thinks I'm
not responsible is you now.
- How's-
How's Lucas?
- We actually broke up so,
hopefully he's doing
wonderfully.
- I'm so sorry, sweetie,
what happened?
- He said that he
wanted to have kids.
So that was pretty much
the end of that.
- You never wanna have kids?
Well I mean I think
you're a little young
to making a big decision
about your whole life.
You just, I mean,
no one can really.
- I don't like wanna do
this whole thing.
Like cute little cups,
mom home cooking,
while the husband's out.
- Somehow I feel like
it's a dig at me,
but I'm sure you're not
intending to do that.
- Don't you wish that you
had your own thing though?
You know, like dad goes
out and goes to work,
I'm not here anymore,
and you just don't have,
you know, like your own
independent lifestyle.
Doesn't that bother you at all?
- Oh.
Ow.
- Doesn't it though, I mean.
- God, the judgment.
Is there any chance you can
just like soften a little
for dear old mom.
- I wanna have a career you
gave up your would be career.
- I don't know what it
is you think you saw
between your father and
me, but we are fine.
There's nothing-
- Are you happy?
Are you happy with
your marriage?
- Like happiness is not
really like a one block thing.
It's not like you find
somebody you fall in love,
happy for the rest of your life.
Relationships, it's up
and down and up and down
and it takes a lot of fortitude
and you're putting your time
and energy into this
thing that is movable.
It's more like water,
it's not like a rock.
- That's some really
beautiful and flowery language
to just say that you
were afraid to leave dad
and live your own life.
So you stayed with him
and you made me scared
of what I could become.
- Okay I actually can't
take this in anymore,
I can't take it in.
Fine, you can have your opinion
and I have my opinion about you.
And quite honestly, you're
on a path to be very lonely
in your life.
- Yeah I'm not speaking
to you anymore, bye.
- Yeah, fine.
Ugh.
- You weren't there in
the hospital for me,
when I had that,
when I had my mastectomy,
it really hurt me, it did.
I have to be honest with
you, it's very hurtful.
- Oh my God, Val,
I know, you're right.
- My friends were there
for me at the hospital
and my friends are like
sisters to me,
and I so you know, I'm
fine, I'm totally fine.
And the other person
who was there,
really, really there
for me was Joe.
- Joe.
He was there every single day.
- I know.
- And it made me feel
great about myself,
because I was very
depressed because you know,
you lose both of your breasts,
and you don't feel like a woman,
but he makes me feel
like a woman.
He knows a lot of stuff
and oh, by the way,
I just wanna tell you,
you're just gonna hate this.
You're going to hate this.
- She's downstairs,
criticizing me and my
relationship
and the choices that I've made,
who is she to be giving me
advice really on anything,
but especially on
relationships and marriage.
- Don't be so quick
to judge her.
She loves your father.
Marriage is very complicated.
Really I'm not kidding.
It's, you don't.
- I believe it.
You have to be tolerant
of your mother.
- I think I just blew it
royally with my kid, again.
- Again?
- Ugh.
- I don't think so.
She's wildly unique
and wonderful.
- She is.
She's just so mad at me.
- She's going to
separate from you
and you have to
separate from her.
- I feel like I don't text,
I don't call,
I don't say too much,
I keep my mouth shut
and still it's like-
- Oh you're the perfect mother.
- I mean, I am in such a
flat line moment right now.
- I think it's true
probably of every mother,
that the thing you'd like
most is for your child
to like the things you like.
It would make things so simple.
But it's never true, right?
It's your job to be
somebody else.
(chuckles)
It is, right?
And maybe she's having
a hard time with it,
but just the listen for
the love in it.
Listen for the love in it,
not the content of what
she's saying.
She might be getting it all
wrong, but she's trying.
- It's so strange to feel
like you're a disappointment
to your kid.
- You've been a
wonderful mother.
- I think daughters carry
terrible burdens of
their mother.
- The unsaid burdens, right?
- The secrets, or the regrets,
or the sacrifices of the mother.
Did you ever get my letter?
(clears throat)
-Yeah.
I got your letter.
- Why didn't you answer me?
- I didn't know what to say.
You know, I'm not in
love with David
but Hannah you married him.
It's weird.
- It's been really
hard between us.
- He's not an easy guy.
(chuckles)
- I just wish I had some way
to like answer back to him.
You know?
I feel like I'm getting
run over and I just,
I need some caustic
witticisms to kind of zing.
(laughs)
I can't like get it out to him.
- Yeah.
- God how do you do it?
- I didn't do it honey,
if I'd done it,
we'd still be together okay.
And I warned you.
I warned you if you didn't
know who the hell you were,
that you would wind up like
the incredible shrinking woman.
- Do you know why my dad
divorced Natalie?
- Because she
couldn't have a baby.
- Wow.
- I feel like the best years
of my life are behind me.
- Oh.
- But I am,
I am super stuck.
Starting at around
three o'clock,
this is my deep dark secret.
- Okay.
- I just sit on the couch
I manage to get through
to three o'clock and then
I'm just totally flat lined.
- And then?
- And then I just can't
get up from the couch.
I don't want David to
see me, God forbid,
Natalie ever even
knew about this.
She already thinks I'm not
accomplishing much.
This is so not
accomplishing it's-
- But we get up off the couch,
right?
- Yes.
- And then we say I have no
idea what I'm supposed to do.
That's a big moment.
The "I don't know" moment.
- Yeah.
I don't know.
- I don't know either.
I just trust.
It is a spiritual issue,
it is your choice.
Get off the,
- I can't.
- Get off, get off.
(laughs)
- Get off this couch.
- I got off the meds
- And I'm totally fine.
- No you're foggy.
No I'm not, I got off the
meds and I'm totally fine.
- Can I ask,
did you taper off the meds?
You do it with a doctor,
did you do it responsibly?
- I know I did it, I know I
tapered and don't remember
exactly how went, I can't
remember exactly how it went,
but I know I did it,
it happened,
and everybody's like totally
wanting me to and get involved
in this packing,
so I have to go.
So thank you for all your,
I really appreciate it.
- Val.
- I love you so.
- Hi, how's it going?
- I'm deciding whether
this is a good time
to become an oxycodone
addict, what do you think?
I don't know what to
do with them
and you can't pour 'em
down the sink.
- Wow, Ruth was in
all these plays.
- You want this?
I have enough
pictures of Natalie.
- Sure.
- Okay.
- My sister's such a bitch.
- Whoa.
- She knows just
exactly where to hit.
- Kind of felt that way
about Natalie.
- You mean, you thought
Natalie did that to you?
She thought you did that to her.
- I don't know maybe
all sisters feel
that way about each other.
- Well, I just know that she was
worried about your
being angry or
envious or something
and just didn't seem
to ever work.
- Well, of course I was.
You saw the way mom
was with her.
I mean, there's only one
picture of one of us in here.
- Yeah, that's kind of
how it was with me too.
I had that all that time with
my mom before Lizzie was born
and we were a team,
my mom and I.
- Do you think that Lizzie
felt weird about her being gay
and you weren't gay and
life was harder for her?
- I think I've kind of
known about it for a while,
you know.
I think I kind of
suspected it and stuff,
and I didn't wanna talk
about it or anything because,
I was scared of it.
- I can't tell mom and dad.
- No.
- So I really need you
to tell me it's alright.
- What's in here?
- Well, yeah there's a lot
of stuff that's starting to
probably, oh my God.
- Oh look at this, geez.
- That's hideous.
- No that's for me, this is
for me, let me get it on.
- You like it really?
- Yeah.
- I can't wear anything of hers.
- I could wear it to
the bull fights.
(laughs)
Oh, this is you.
- Oh, you think?
- Oh yeah, well they both,
I can't believe she ever
wore those oh my God.
- This was a classic.
- What was she thinking?
- I think she was trying
to be Minnie Pearl.
- Yeah she was like.
- You know like, oh here
this is trash.
Yeah, that's not a keeper.
- Why did she keep coffee
in her bedroom?
- Don't open that, it's ashes,
her ashes.
- God! Ah!
- You remember when she did
that whole commercial campaign
for Monarch Coffee, it was
at the height of the 50s
they paid her so much
money to do.
It paid for this house.
- Wow.
- So she decides years ago
that she's gonna be cremated
and she wants her ashes
in a Monarch Coffee can.
Remember they had that
tagline, that slogan,
"The end justifies the beans."
(laughs)
- Oh God.
- Yeah.
(upbeat music)
- Oh my gosh, my wings.
- Now I gotta get my little
skirt going with my wings.
- Get your wing away from me.
- Sorry I'm running
into your wings.
(laughs)
- Oh my gosh, I think these
were mine, these marbles.
- Do remember playing?
- No, these were from my brain,
mom had them removed.
- Oh, check it out, our
championship paddles.
- You just figure them out,
the algorithms are on my desk.
- What is this, A Viking Myth?
- [Rheza] May I sell a watch?
- I'd really like that one.
- [Shelley] Okay, here
you take this.
Look at this watch,
this is a very cheap watch.
- Okay, thank you bye.
- You end up with all the books.
- The first chapter of
David Copperfield is called,
"I am born."
- What is that?
- Can I have that when you die?
- You want
everything when I die.
- Who uses these anymore?
- Hi kids.
- We made angels.
(chattering)
(laughing and chattering)
- Going, going, gone.
White Christmas DVD.
- Oh,
- That's a great one.
- Yeah that's a good one.
- Sinatra Can-Can.
- Oh.
- That's a great one.
- Oh God, we're never
gonna throw anything away.
Esther Williams?
- Oh Esther Williams.
- A Wonderful Life?
- Oh.
- That's kind of how I
thought about our little sweet
little town, when we
were growing up.
- Yes it was.
- We had time for each other.
- Not so nice for you.
(laughs)
- What are we talking about?
- When I was in school,
everybody either wanted
to be my friend because
my mother was famous
or the teachers were
disappointed
that I wasn't Natalie.
- But it's also different
for me because growing up
in a place where people
don't look like you,
it was pretty isolating.
- This town is very,
very, very, very white.
- It's very homogenous and
people definitely growing up
and kids are mean, but
people were very quick
to make me feel like the other.
When I was little, it
was the, you know, oh,
does the color rub off?
Then it evolves to when you're
an actual teenager and people
saying really offensive things
and nobody asking you to prom
because they're a target, if
they're taking the only black
girl in the class,
that kind of thing.
- Oh, I never heard that.
- I'm glad to hear about this.
We have such different
experience of life.
I mean, you know.
- Yeah, you have the privilege
to not have to see this.
- Serious ladies.
- Whoa.
- See, I got you on that one.
- Woo!
Oh my God.
(shouting and laughing)
- Ready?
- Yeah.
- What? Oh so good.
- Oh sorry.
(sobbing)
(sobs)
(laughing)
- Nice Rheza.
- Yeah.
- Oh!
(sobbing)
(shouting and laughing)
- We only play under
the net now.
- Under the net.
(slow music)
- So frustrating, Charlie and
I were panting for each other.
So I mean, we were only 10, so
we probably weren't panting,
but he runs out the door, he
and his friend run out the door
and I ran after him
and I grab him
and I kiss him on the mouth.
- Oo!
- It was the boldest thing
I've ever done.
- That was so brave.
- It is.
- My first kiss was from a
boy named Archie Stalemate.
(laughing)
I kid you not, it just happened.
- Yeah.
- And to start my
period that night.
But I thought I was very, I
didn't know what was happening
and I thought it was tied
into this fact
that I felt something
like, I got turned on.
So when I went to the
bathroom and I saw this thing,
I thought it was because
I had been bad
and had kissed and
gotten turned on.
So I thought something
somehow connected
guilt, shame, immediately.
- Yeah.
- Wow.
- I remember the first
guy that felt me up.
- Okay.
Second base.
- It was like one of those
things where it was like,
you were just sort of, it
was awful feeling me up.
That was kind of my, me
too movement that moment.
13, 14, I didn't wanna
be felt up and I was.
- What did you do?
- And I don't love that
I'm about to say this.
I think I just was silent.
Just like.
- That's what most of us do.
If you could be born a
man would you be?
- No, I love being
underestimated as a woman
and then showing up and
crushing it with a smile.
- Yeah.
- And having it charm them and
scare them at the same time
and you can only do that as a
woman and I love that feeling.
- Be nice to be able to
pee standing up though.
- So what is something
that you've never told
your significant other?
- Sometimes when
we're having sex,
I imagine he's like
Vladimir Putin.
- No don't.
- No, you're joking right?
- Stop.
- Are you like really, does
that make the sex better?
- No, no.
- Please tell me you're
making this up right?
- Yeah please.
- I'm not really.
- Oh my God.
- I'm sorry I forgot
you were here.
- You mean like Vladimir Putin
from Saturday Night Live?
- Let's just move along to
something else.
- So outrageous something
like Putin really?
- It was in the early days
before all the terrible spying
on the United States of America.
- Like naked from the
waist up on the horse?
- On the horse.
(laughs)
- That kinda got me.
- Yeah, that got you, yeah
it got most of Russia too.
(laughing)
- I never told my husband that
I wanted a lot of children.
- Oh.
- We had two children and
I felt that he,
at that point felt that
that was enough
and I didn't tell him.
- You didn't tell him that
that's an important thing
that you wanted and you, why?
- Because I instinctively
felt that, you know
he was the provider he was,
basically the,
the one in charge of
the farm and,
that we weren't gonna have a
huge amount of money,
that it would put a
strain on him
and that it would affect him
deeply because if he felt
at any point he was failing us,
it would kill him.
- You are the kindest
person in the world.
- She is.
She so is.
- Or maybe the most
dishonest I don't know.
- No.
- But I just kept it in.
- I promise this is not a way
to get out of cleaning up,
but I need to-
I wanna take Natalie
upstairs for a second
I have something I
have to give you.
- Okay.
- Okay.
I, um -
I have to tell you a secret,
that I've never told anyone,
but it's really important
that you hear this.
When my sister was dying,
she was in so much pain
and she made a decision
to end her life,
but these were the days
that it was illegal,
there was no such thing as
assisted suicide anywhere.
- Yeah.
- She knew that mom
and all of her friends,
wouldn't be able to do it.
So, she called me, talked
to her and told me that,
well because we
weren't very close,
that she thought that I
would be able to do it.
- That's terrible.
- Yeah it was.
- So sorry.
- I just left.
I, I-
I didn't even know how to react.
I went to my therapist,
talked to him he said,
you can't talk to me about this.
I would have to report it.
Especially if you did it,
it's a crime.
And then I realized I
wouldn't even be able
to talk to him about it.
- Wow, that's awful.
- I thought, oh great,
she's asked me to,
to do the worst thing I
would ever do in my life,
and I wouldn't even be able
to talk to anybody about it.
But then, all my life I'd been
wanting to be close to Natalie.
And I had never been.
And I felt so terrible,
when I just abandoned her
and I left and she was
alone and she was in pain
and I felt so bad about that.
And so I went to her and I said,
I can't help you do this,
I can't do that,
but I can be there for
you I can be with you.
When we sat for hours
and talked and talked,
it was very healing.
But one of the things that
we talked about was you.
- Why me?
I wasn't even, wasn't
even born yet.
- You were on the way.
She wrote you this letter.
Now, I was gonna mail
it to you but,
I'm,
I'm so glad that I can
give this to you now
because she wanted me to
wait until you turn 25.
And so now I can,
and you're here and.
- Dear, oh so beautiful girl.
I know you'll be a girl
and I know you'll be
beautiful like your mother.
And sensitive, compassionate,
creative,
and that you'll feel things
deeply just like her,
and you'll also be
smart and ambitious
and headstrong like your father.
(chuckles)
But sometimes those qualities
can be at war with each other.
And perhaps you might
think your strength lies
in all your father's qualities,
and you might not see who
your mother really is,
because your mother
doesn't, at least not yet.
But I do and I wanted
to tell you a story.
[Natalie] At camp, I was
Hannah's counselor.
I don't know if you
know what color war is,
or if it even still exists.
- Oh, it does.
- The camp would be divided
into two sides, two colors,
and they would
compete at sports.
Hannah was a terrific
swimmer, the best in the camp.
She was a mermaid.
- She's amazing.
- There was a swim meet,
four girls on each side,
and they would swim out
to the dock and back.
The strongest swimmers go last.
The girls were even
when your mother
and the girl from the other
team dove into the water.
They touched the dock
at the same time
and were neck and neck
swimming back.
It was close, but the
other girl won.
And the other girl was
hugged and praised,
and got to hold the trophy.
You see the other girl
wasn't liked.
She wasn't pretty,
spoke too loud,
said the wrong thing at
the wrong time.
But Hannah being Hannah,
saw what the other girls didn't,
a girl wanted
desperately to fit in.
So your mother threw the
race. That took compassion,
that took selflessness
and that's your mother.
I hope she knows that.
I know I've gone on too
long, but I'm a writer.
Ask your mother, better
yet just hug her for me.
I send you my love
beautiful girl, Natalie.
- Thank you.
(upbeat music)
- [Natalie] My mother used
to get a script
and immediately turn to
the last page to see what
happened to her character.
She said, if she didn't
know the end,
she wouldn't know how
to play all the scenes
that came before.
So I wonder if I could
tell one of my friends,
what's gonna happen to her,
should I?
And would that make living
it easier or harder?
And which one would I tell?
- Oh my, you are attached
that balloon, aren't you,
can you put the balloon
down for a minute?
- What time is she coming?
- Three O'clock.
- What time is it now?
- 2:45.
- Excited.
- Hey Kenai.
Hey Kasha.
I gotta tell you something,
okay?
(sighs)
I have to go.
I don't wanna go, I don't
wanna leave you.
(sighs)
I remember when you were born,
Kenai look at me.
Thank you.
(laughs)
(wolves howling)
(howling)
I'm not gonna forget you.
(wolves howling)
(country music)
- You know, I sing this song
with my guys in the bar.
- You do?
- My band yeah.
- You are the sexiest
woman on the planet.
- Tell that to my fireman.
- How's that going?
- Oh he's so, he's just
given up on me.
- Oh, no, you broke up?
- Well I thought he was
gonna leave his wife
which was a little weird.
- I'm sorry.
- But I kind of got my eye
on my lead guitar player,
Barry, he's very hot.
(camera clicks)
- I love that face.
- I'm gonna, could you
just get that?
- Oh, your hair, your wonderful
hair wait, let me go closer.
(camera clicks)
- Got it?
- Got it.
- Cause this is my
last donation,
I'm gonna, you know,
locks for love.
- I applied to grad school.
- Oh my God you've been
wanting to do that forever.
- Classical studies I'm
super excited.
Thank you Val.
Thank you I'm waiting to hear,
I can't wait, I hope, I hope.
- What time's she coming?
- She's coming
sometime after three.
- Okay good, we have
a little time.
- Yeah.
(background music)
- Can you take your glasses off?
- Okay.
- Only for a second.
- Right.
- Got it.
- Okay that was right, that
was a second all right.
- What's going on?
(camera clicks)
- She's early!
- You fearless goddess person,
who's gonna kick the four
corners of the universe.
(chatttering)
- Good bye tension
happy pension.
- Yeah!
- Picture!
Everybody face forward.
All right, ready?
Say uterus!
- Uterus!
(camera clicks)
- Look at this beauty, who's
gonna go out into the world
and teach us how-
- Wait, what?
- I'm not, I'm not retiring.
I got fired this morning.
- Oh, what?
- Wait, wait, wait, Val I
thought you said that
I thought you said
that this was -
- Well, Sally on the
board she told me
that they were retiring her.
- No, no, no, no.
"Retiring her", that's code
for that you're getting fired.
- Oh God I feel terrible.
- Rheza!
- It's okay, it's okay.
- Now I've wrecked all
this and everything.
- It's all right, it's okay.
(waves crashing)
- This is not just about me.
Patrick has been so depressed.
It's so much harder to run
a small farm. It gets harder
and harder, you can't get
help you can't keep help.
He's older.
He's in despair about
the environment.
He made us write letters
to our children
and our grandchild apologizing.
I'm scared Maggie,
I, we could fall apart.
Oh God and then
there's the animals.
(sobbing)
- Oh.
- You know, we caged them
and we try to give
them happy lives.
I'm not under any
illusion that we do.
Oh Maggie
- I believe, God has big
plans for you.
(laughs)
Well, I do.
- He's gonna be up all night.
- Big plans!
- You gave me a quote years
ago about the animals,
they're not underlings.
- [Both] They're other nations.
- Like ourselves captured
in the web of time and life.
Fellow prisoners.
- Your work's not done.
Oh my dear friend.
- You went through this.
- I did.
I left the convent, I
went to a new convent
and I found my life's
work, I found it there.
And my work's just
beginning and so is yours.
Big plans.
(laughs)
Our fellow prisoners need you.
- I would like to say
how beautiful you look,
you changed into the-
- With the overalls?
- Shell blue, would we say?
- So I wanna make a
toast to second chances.
In this country today, given
how long everybody lives,
people change their jobs
a million times,
they may have three or
four careers.
This is my second and so
we'll say to second chances.
- What did we say?
"We will get there!"
- We will get there!
(chattering)
- To where we're gonna get.
- But just one more toast ready?
- Okay.
- The good Lord said come forth,
but he came fifth and
lost the race.
- Is that inspiring?
- He came in fifth and
lost race, okay.
- Okay anyway, we're drinking.
- We're drinking.
- We're drinking, yes.
- That's beautiful.
- Drinking.
- I have a firing story.
- Oh great.
- I was in a department
store for the makeup counter
and I never wore any makeup
and I wasn't very good at it.
And when these women would
have their makeup put on,
they would say, I would do
was just a terrible job.
I thought, after I got the
makeup on and the women,
they would say, how do
you think I look?
What do you think, and I would
have to tell them the truth
which is I thought they
looked better before.
(laughs)
Anyway.
- I wasn't fired, but all the
good stuff that's interesting,
at least at school was
going to the younger people.
You know the new projects,
if I had a project
that I was excited about, I
used to get a lot of attention
on those projects and
then it was suddenly,
I don't think that's such
a good idea and,
just gradually just feel
the focus is off you.
But anyway, I've got my band
and I wouldn't have started
singing with the band
if they done that so.
- And I wouldn't be
taking pictures.
- And I wouldn't be
applying to grad school,
if I hadn't felt like get
off the couch.
(chattering)
- We have transformations,
cause that's what we're really
talking about right.
All of us going to
the next place,
the next stage into new
skin, into new thoughts.
- Doesn't it make you think
back when you were younger
and you had a grandparent
or somebody who was older
or someone that you might have
just a little bit dismissed.
I would've loved to have asked
my grandmother about what
that felt like after the
kids were gone,
and after I would just love
to have had that one on one,
like how was that for you?
- You know I wonder if
our generation has escaped
a little bit of that because
the baby boomer generation
was so huge, and then they
started saying things like
50 is the new 40 and 60
is the new 50.
- And it's so awful, the
premium on youth.
- And everybody in
our generation
started having surgery
and everybody's working
out like crazy.
And so I think our generation
kind of stretched our youth
longer than the
generations before us.
- On the one hand,
I feel like everyone
should fly their flag like
if you wanna be dressing
in high heeled shoes in
your 60s and you know,
glam in your face,
then we should just
celebrate each other.
But on the other hand for
myself, if I'm being honest,
there's always a
little bit like,
what mold are you
putting yourself in,
and who is that for really.
- Now my job doesn't depend
on how I sound or how I look
or you're not pretty enough.
- That was a great thing
about working with animals.
(laughs)
- Maggie have ever been
fired Maggie?
- Yes, remember a bunch
of us protested.
- Oh boy.
- And that's a wild thing
if you wanna see
a bunch of protesting nuns.
But I was put on
probation so you can,
I think we can all feel
we can lose our jobs.
Sometimes for good reasons.
- What do you think Natalie
would've been doing now,
if she's...
Because I remember when she
was fired after her 40th
birthday and we were-
- She was fired because
of growing a little older,
right was it?
- Ageism.
(chattering)
- Lizzie I told you that in
secrecy, how does she know?
- I didn't tell her.
-Well then how does she know?
- Because I told my wonderful,
trustworthy older sister, Val.
- Oh great so everybody here
knows? Great.
I lost my job okay?
- She was really
pushing the envelope.
If she lived, do you
think she would've been
like the head of some network?
- Maybe she would've
had her own show on CNN
or some, or the PBS news hour.
- The person you tuned
into to hear about women,
- Glass ceiling would've been
just shattering all over.
- I call this guy in Chicago
that I knew, a businessman
and I've known him
over the years.
And I said, I've just
turned 40, I've been fired
and I'm ready to
change careers.
And he said, I'll
take a chance.
- Unbelievable.
Just outta the blue,
I'll take a chance.
So maybe losing my job
was the best thing
that ever happened to me.
- Should we toast to Natalie?
To Natalie, wherever you are.
Forever.
- To Natalie.
- To Natalie.
- Yes to Natalie.
- To Natalie.
- Keep inspiring us
to go forward.
- You know, when I was here
before I was talking to Val
about spreading my mother's
ashes at Christmas,
she volunteered, she kind
of volunteered you guys too.
How would you feel about that?
- Yes, I would love that.
- I would be honored.
- And I would love to host,
just to have
everybody at my house.
- My mother would've loved that.
- Yes.
- A nice gathering.
- Beautiful idea.
- Wonderful.
- It's beautiful.
- I would love for
you to be there.
- Yes, definitely.
- Rheza would you give me a
minute, could I talk to you?
- It would be an honor.
- I love Christmas time too.
- Just need to talk to
you for a second.
- We're just gonna, I just
have to tell her something.
Or show her something,
just show her something.
- Okay.
- Be right back.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- All right.
- Well we'll just drink
while you're gone.
- Rheza, Rheza, sit down.
- What?
- Sit down
I lost the ashes.
- What?
- So we were packing
everything up, in Ruth's house,
and I was with Shelley
and we found the ashes.
- Right.
- And she asked me if I
would take them
because she was going to Africa
and she couldn't, take them.
So what could I say?
So I took them and I
put them in a box
and then I put them with
the other boxes
and I put them in my car
and I brought them home.
But then I didn't open
up for a couple of weeks,
but when I did, the
ashes were gone.
- When you were packing
the car, you gave me a box
but that was just, that
was stuff for the kitchen.
- Oh that's it, I put
them in the kitchen box.
Oh my God, you use this
honey cornbread.
- What are you talking about?
Oh my God.
We have to open.
(gasps)
- Okay, I'm gonna...
No, no you can't
- There are never any arguments,
very happily together.
And the men said it was because
they never see each other
during the day.
(laughs)
- I was just talking about
these women in Burma.
So wait, what did...
- Is everything okay?
- Yes, perfect.
Everything is very much okay.
- Oh, wait a minute, present.
- What about the presents?
- I can't believe this.
- They're supposed to
be joke presents
- You get fired and
people give you presents.
- Oh, that's when you
should have presents.
- I'm embarrassed, so excited.
- And this is about what
you can do in your future,
with the new time that you have.
- Wait minute, this looks
like a, it's a pancake maker.
(chattering)
- It's not a dream griddle
that's just the box.
- It's a little alarm clock.
- I wanted a dream-
- Dream griddle
that's hilarious-
- Dream griddle alarm
box but that's not it.
- This feels, um...
- No.
- What?
- Oh my God.
- Oh my God.
- What on earth are
you thinking?
- And the funny thing
is it didn't have ears
when I put it in.
(laughing)
- Can you not point that at me?
- What are talking about?
- And it doubles as a
dream griddle.
- Is it an alarm clock?
- Its an alarm clock.
- It will make great alarm
clock, wake up girls.
- It doubles as an alarm clock!
- Bless your heart
- Can you just put this up
more over here?
(laughing)
- Val, I think you're the
only older woman I know,
that still wants to have sex.
- You're the best.
- I know.
- Oh come on.
- I'm just looking out for you.
- I'm in a book club, there's
some of the women are married,
some are not, but everybody,
they were all saying
they didn't care
if they ever had sex again.
And that the only reason they
were still having sex is cause
their husbands wanted it and
so they were like, okay well.
- It's so sad.
- But they really didn't care.
- If you don't wanna
do it, you don't do it
but I just think, wow,
this is like so much fun,
and it makes me feel so great,
and why wouldn't
everybody wanna do it?
It's just me.
- This is from you.
- Yeah.
- Oh my gosh.
Oh, this is so beautiful.
- This is called a
Toka from Tibet.
- Oh.
- And it's Tara and she's
the goddess of protection
and animals and compassion
and she's fearless,
like our Rheza, beautiful.
- Oh, thank you so much.
- You're so welcome.
- From my heart.
- Oh my God.
- You did that?
- Oh my God.
- Wow.
- Oh this is, oh thank you.
- Is that from that place
with the women?
- Oh, this is beautiful.
- Oh these were still in
Africa when I went through-
- That's so beautiful.
- Boy, I'm glad I was fired.
(laughing)
- Goodbye tension,
happy pension.
- Yay!
- Make a wish Rheza!
- I want us all to make a
wish together.
Ready?
- Uh-huh.
(blows the candle)
(upbeat music)
- [Natalie] As we get older,
our perspective on age changes.
When we were younger,
we thought 40 was old.
When I died at 40, my friends
said she died too young.
You have a conviction
that at a certain age,
you should have it all together,
but then you get older and
you keep moving the goal post.
How will my friends
remember this year?
The year that Ruth died,
the year they were all
together again.
What change that is coming
will take center stage
in their lives?
Oh and if you're wondering if
everything is predetermined
or if you are in control
of your own destiny,
the answer is yes.
(Christmas carols)
- Glory to the newborn king
(camera clicks)
- Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
(camera clicks)
- So what is the plan
when you get home?
- Actually, Lucas and I
are gonna go on a trip.
I know.
- You're back together?
- Yeah we've been dating and
spending a lot of time together
and it's been really,
really good.
- What changed do you think?
- Well, on the kids'
situation, we kind of decided
that we would just take
it as it comes.
- Uh-huh.
- And really,
my example of a mom was
a very devoted mother
and I don't know, I feel
like where I am now
I couldn't be that
kind of focused
and involved and great mom.
So, but I'm learning that
maybe it doesn't have
to be one extreme
or the other, but.
- There she is.
- Mm.
- It's an adjustment cause I
was so used to having the house
to myself and now
he's there but,
- All the time.
- We're navigating, I've gotten
him to go to a yoga class.
- Dad's doing yoga?
- He is, and the downward facing
dog is a whole other thing.
- Wow, sign me up.
- He's doing well though.
- That's great, good
for you guys.
- Yeah, it's very sweet, he's
got the best sense of humor
and it's- that goes a
long way I have to say.
- I actually decided
this morning
that you should move back.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
We could spend weekends
up here I'm thinking,
this would be a
really nice thing.
- Yeah but if I move back,
I'll have to see my
mother all the time.
- We won't tell her.
(laughs)
- I dunno where she went, she
left Chicago, I don't know.
- You need a sandwich
or something?
I can make you a little
shrimp salad.
- No serve food on the plane
these days, it's a new thing.
- Ah, really?
- I miss you.
- Me too, sweetie.
Take care of yourself.
Bye, bye.
Love you.
- I love you.
- Val.
Val?
Val.
Sweetie, take a
deep breath okay.
It's hard to be here.
I am grateful for you and
you, grateful for life.
- No one like you. Okay.
- Love you Nat.
- I got back from China,
I talked to the guy from the
gallery, he wants to do a show.
- That's amazing.
- I'm calling it The
Kingdom of Daughters.
(chattering)
- Wonderful.
- Thank you.
- So I am very happy in
my new order,
Sisters of the Sacred Mount,
we do wonderful hospice work
and I am moving
forward with that.
But I'm not cutting my hair yet,
not yet.
- I noticed that.
- I started Rheza's Rescues.
I'm taking in stray dogs,
some wounded animals,
and making a lot of
new friends.
- Wow, oh gosh.
- We have a litter of
puppies do you want any?
- And I am at the end of
my first semester
in classical studies and
I love, love my cohort.
It's been incredible.
- She's learning.
- Every night I'm like
"Let me tell you about
the Trojan Women and Hecuba!-
(chattering)
And Demeter, and Persephone"
- And I'm like, oh, I
have to go to sleep now.
And she's like, "But one more!"
But no, it's exciting, it's
nice to see you so passionate
and lit up about something.
- Yes, and can I tell
your aunties about,
she's- Nat's been offered
this incredible promotion
that was just, almost like-
- It's avatars, yes, computers.
- Tell us about it I don't know.
- So I was offered a promotion
as a senior software engineer,
but I would just have to work
closely with another engineer
and I don't know if
it's really a good fit.
So I'm just kind of
weighing my options
and seeing maybe I wanna switch
companies, I'm not sure yet.
- What's the dynamic like that
it's not comfortable or what?
- Um,
yeah, it's that.
I don't think I'd be,
I just don't think we
would work well together.
It's not the most
comfortable situation
and working even more closely
with him, would just not be.
- What did he do?
- Oh.
- Oh God.
- So a month ago I was at
the office late,
I go into his office, he tells
me to come around the desk
so I can take a look at what
he's working on, so I do,
and he goes to hand me
a folder and it drops,
and so, I go to pick it up,
and that's when I see
that he is um,
playing with himself.
I tried to get up, but he pushed
my head down into his lap.
- Oh no, no.
- And he wouldn't let me go,
like I physically couldn't move
and I've never felt that before.
And I bit him, I bit it.
- Good.
- He pushed me away
and he called me a cunt
and he told me that I'd be
fired if I ever told anyone.
So I didn't, I actually
haven't told anyone until now.
- I'm so sorry.
- So I'm just figuring
out what I'm gonna do.
- I'm so sorry this
happened to you.
- All I wanna do was my job.
That night when I went
into his office,
all I wanted to do was my job.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna
talk about this,
I don't wanna have to
deal with it.
I'm just not, I don't want it.
I don't want any of this so.
- I think there is a choice.
There's so much support now.
I think for his own sake,
you need to report him.
- Don't report him, it will
ruin your whole career.
- What you both just said,
I've been battling in my mind,
- Right.
- A lot over the last
month and, the thing is,
Im, I'm a terrible person if I
don't report it and stop him
from potentially doing
this other women,
but I could also completely
ruin my career if I do
and it's such an unfair
position to be put in.
- This happened to Natalie
and she didn't report it, and
she always felt terrible about
it, she always regretted it.
But in our day there
wasn't a group of people
that she could go to talk to
who experienced the same thing.
And you can.
The only way for you to heal,
I think, is for you
to fight back.
- Change is always
extraordinary,
you're going to be fine.
(sighs)
- [Maggie] We've all been there.
-[Rheza] You're not alone.
- [Shelley] You are
so not alone.
(gentle music)
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin
mother and child
Holy infant so
tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
(camera clicks)
Sleep in heavenly peace
- What are you doing,
we're enjoying the company.
(laughing)
- No
- What are we talking about now?
- Memories, memories oh my God.
- We're talking about your
mother and her fabulousness
and her dread orange lipstick
and her leopard coats.
- All right, all right.
Do you know the story of Ruth
and Shelley and the movie?
All right.
Ruth's latest movie was
in town and she decided
to take the girls.
She didn't wanna draw a lot
of attention to herself,
she said, when she prepared
to go to the movie,
she was in disguise,
- Incognito.
incognito, in a huge fur hat,
a lot of fur and a scarf.
- A Persian fur!
- And dark glasses.
- Right, dark glasses
in the movie theater.
- And then they see the
lights go down
and they sneak in the
back and sit down.
So in this movie, Ruth
was playing a mother,
with a little girl, exactly
the same age as Shelley.
So as Shelley's watching
the story unfold,
she starts to think that her
mother has another daughter
and that she loves her more.
So she starts crying
and she's inconsolable
and Ruth cannot stop
this child crying.
She's trying to stop her
and shushing her
and getting Kleenex and
whatever and finally,
as there's this moving scene
between the mother and daughter
on screen, she stands up,
she points to the screen
and she says, "That's
not my daughter."
(laughing)
And then lights come up
and the projector goes off,
everybody turns around
to look at them.
And in her grand way she says,
"Thank you, thank you,
carry on please."
(laughing)
- To Ruth.
- To Ruth.
- To Ruth.
- Oh your mother was glamorous.
- Very glam.
- She was. I envied that
confidence that she had.
Natalie had it, that confidence.
- Mm, she did.
- I didn't, I was the
little ugly duckling child.
- Oh, stop.
- Not ugly
- I was, I was.
- I wonder how you turned out.
(laughs)
- Bitter.
- It's interesting about
mothers and daughters
and if your daughter
isn't in your image,
what you do to either make
her seem more like you,
or just the path
towards acceptance,
if they really aren't
a mini me or,
they're different from
you, just how you navigate.
- Everyone's looking at me now.
(laughing)
- Well.
- Well, pretty was
important to her, looks.
- Yeah, there's a
premium on that.
- But it's important
to women right?
- I'm pretty sure she saw
that as a power that's true,
but gee, she was so kind to me.
She took me in when my
mother found another man,
and I came only, I knocked
on the door, I said, Ruth.
And she said, look, come on in.
She's very kind, she
never said anything right?
To any of you?
- No.
- Ruth, thank you.
- That's amazing.
- I think I'd wanna leave
behind this idea
and I know I've told
Nat about this,
that friendship, it
actually takes effort,
that you have to really
in the same way,
marriage or a career,
that with friendships,
you really do have
to be the one,
I mean, this is something
that I've learned,
just over the years to
keep reaching out,
to keep making the effort.
Sometimes friends can
be going through things
and it might feel personal,
and actually just what
gets stitched together,
when you keep reaching out,
which is...
(Maggie coughs)
- Are you okay?
- I'm giving you a stroke?
- No it.
- Oh mm.
- What dear?
- What did you put in this?
(laughs)
- I mean, no I'm sorry.
It was a privilege to be
with your mother.
- Yes.
- And if anything happens
to me I want you there.
- Mm, righty-o.
- Do you want me there?
- All right.
(laughs)
I love you, I want you-
I want you all there.
- I have all the people
that I love so much here,
to pay tribute to our
dear friend.
- Happy birthday Natalie!
- I'm just so happy to
have us all together.
You know because it's
been too long.
- It's true.
- Especially that we
could be here
to celebrate this wonderful day.
Because-
cause we didn't know if
we would ever be able
to celebrate your 41st
birthday together.
We didn't know if you
would be here,
and here you are.
(laughs)
- Oh, no honey.
Um-
Val,
I changed my hair.
- Oh.
- And so I look a little
more like Natalie
than I usually do, but I'm
Shelley, I'm, Natalie's sister.
- Shelley.
- Yeah.
- Right sweetie, it's
Shelley okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Sweetie?
- Oh Christ.
- Don't be scared
it's all right.
- Deep breath.
- I, um,
yeah, I think I'll give
Lizzie a call.
- That's a good idea.
- It's Christmas and-
- Okay.
- I'll go find my phone.
- Oh, sweetie, it's all right.
It's all right, it's
been coming.
- All the times that I
wanted to be Natalie,
I've never wanted it
more than just...
- You handled that very well,
you're so very wonderful.
- Oh here it is,
I think, here it is.
I'll just give her a call.
- Hey, Merry Merry Happy Happy.
- Hey, hey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- You know, Lizzie, I think
I think I, something isn't,
I think I need your help.
I think I need your help.
- Okay.
- Um,
you know, I think there's,
- Val?
I think there's something wrong.
- Okay.
- I think I can see that
there's something wrong,
and um I need you to...
- Val what?
- I need you come
and be with me.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- Yes, Val.
- Okay.
- Who is-
Are you by yourself?
- No no, I have my
- Who's there?
- I have my friends here.
- Everybody's here.
(chattering)
- Here's Rheza.
- What's going on?
- Hi sweetie, its Rheza.
Hey take it easy
everybody's here,
we'd love it if we could talk
to you a little bit later?
All right?
- Okay.
- Cause Val's just a little,
you know, she's a little tired,
roll on tired.
She's got loving arms around
her all night tonight, okay?
Why don't you say goodnight.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi, Val.
- Hi.
- Val.
- Hi sweetheart.
- Can you hear me?
- I can, I can.
- Val?
- I have my friends.
- Val?
- Yeah, yeah.
- I love you.
- Yeah.
- I love you so, so much.
- And I love you sweetheart.
- First friend, best friend.
- Okay.
- Yes?
- Okay, yeah.
- Did you hear me?
- Yeah!
- Okay.
- Okay, I'll see you later.
- Okay honey
- Okay?
- Yes.
- Bye, bye.
- Bye.
- Stay calm.
- That was good now I
feel better.
(chattering)
Thank you, everybody.
- You know I was just thinking,
I don't think
tomorrow's a good day
to go spread these ashes.
- No, that's, it's
important that we do it.
I think we should do it.
And I feel better now and I,
who knows how I'll feel
if we wait so,
I think we should do it
now, I wanna be here for it.
(laughs)
- You're right.
- Okay.
- You are right.
- Good.
- We're doing it.
- Great.
- We're doing it.
- All right.
- Oh here, toast!
- Yes.
- This is yours.
Love and friendship.
- Yeah.
- That's good.
- Cheers.
(upbeat music)
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my jo
For auld lang syne
We'll take a cup of
kindness yet
For auld lang syne
And surely you will
buy your pint
And surely I'll buy mine
We'll take a cup of
kindness yet
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my jo
For auld lang syne
- [Natalie] Many years
have passed since that day,
Val was the first to join
me, Rheza was the last.
And just like Maggie wanted,
we were all there for
each other's passing,
on one side or the other.
We too have run
about the braes
And pulled the daisies fine
And we wandered many
a weary mile
Since auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my jo
For auld lang syne
- There is a land of the
living and a land of the dead.
And the bridge is love.
The only survival,
the only meaning.
For auld lang syne
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
Are you going to
Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one
who lives there
She once was a true
love of mine
Tell her to find me an
acre of land
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Between the salt water and
the sea strands
Then she'll be a true
love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
Then she'll be, she'll be
Then she'll be, she'll be
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love, a true love,
a true love
A true love, a true love,
a true love
A true love, a true
love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be she'll be
- [Natalie] The writer,
Thornton Wilder wrote.
There's a land of the living
and a land of the dead.
And the bridge is love.
The only survival,
the only meaning.
(upbeat music)
We were closer than family,
as children playing together,
sharing our secrets and hopes,
a day would feel like a year
stretching out before us
filled with end endless
possibilities.
And then as we got older,
the years flew by like days.
Filled with laughter and
tears and love, always love.
We had vowed to be
friends for life,
but life interferes with
the best intentions,
and its currents take you to
places you never intended.
And sometimes much too soon.
I was never really
concerned with whether
there was life after death.
Of course, I didn't
think I would die at 40.
Are you going to
Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one
who lives there
She once was a true
love of mine
Tell her to find me an
acre of land
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Between the salt water
and the sea strands
Then she'll be a true
love of mine
- [Natalie] Here it is
25 years later
and it's another death
that unites my friends.
And through their memories, me.
- We miss you, Natalie, but
your mother is with you now.
(upbeat music)
- Welcome home.
Are you going to
Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one
who lives there
She once was a true
love of mine
A true love of mine
(clock ticking)
- Mom.
(upbeat music)
Oh bye bye baby that
was yesterday
I'll tell you now you
got a price to pay
I know you're gonna miss me
Oh you're gonna miss me
I know you're gonna miss me
You'll be sorry
when I'm gone
Hey you gonna miss me
You'll be sorry
when I'm gone
(crowd cheering)
- Val, come in, come in.
Thank you so much for coming.
- Oh, Maggie.
So glad to see you.
Close this door, oh its cold.
It's mom's coat.
- Well I'm just
inhabiting the coat.
- Well I'm very grateful
to you for coming,
cause there's an
awful lot of work.
- Happy to do it.
- Hey Aspen.
Oh buddy.
(laughs)
Yeah.
Oh, oh, oh.
You are hungry.
Another one?
(doorbell rings)
- Oh God, Rheza.
- I'm so sorry I'm a bit dirty.
- Oh, come here,
come in that's fine.
- We had an
emergency at the zoo.
- Oh dear.
- Didn't wanna be late.
- Do you wanna go in
and then get warm
and get your coat off and...
- Thanks Shelley.
We're supposed to think of this?
We're supposed to know
what she's talking about?
- [Natalie] Look at them,
my friends, my family.
- I remember always around this
table doing plays with her.
We did wonderful.
- [Natalie] Shelley was never
really part of our group.
Probably my fault, not
wanting my kid sister around,
but when our mother died,
my friends
immediately reached out.
It's been 25 years since
they've all been together.
It was my funeral.
- Natalie was like that too.
- Like mother, like daughter.
- Remember Natalie
playing ping pong?
- She was ferocious.
- Hello?
(laughs)
- Love, oh my God.
- Nice to see you.
- Oh my gosh Hannah.
- Did you bring food?
- I brought some veggies.
- Oh what do you have here?
- Do you need help getting
that in the kitchen?
- No I'll be fine I'll
be right back.
- I remember sitting
at this table.
- We had so many fun times.
- Yeah.
- It was so fun remember that?
- I can't believe I forgot.
- Midsummers night,
- "Through the forest,
have I gone."
- I remember your mom
helping me with an audition
for the high school production
of the Scottish play.
"Out out damn spot!"
Rage!
She is raging and I was
like "she is raging".
(laughs)
Remember that?
- How do you get younger?
- Me?
- Every year.
- Oh that's nice.
- I'm really starting
to resent this.
(laughs)
- Oh gosh in this
drawer right there
I found something for you guys.
- What, over here?
- Yeah in that drawer.
- The top, okay.
- Were you talking about this?
- Yes those.
- All right.
- That's for you.
- Yeah, what are these here?
These are birthday
cards for Natalie.
(screams)
- Happy birthday Natalie.
- I'm wearing this hat.
- We gave her these on
her fortieth.
- I didn't mean to
bring up a bummer.
- No it's just so sweet.
- Love.
- Beautiful.
- So wonderful.
- But that she kept them.
- Oh, my God.
- Your mother had
things of yours?
- No, but I'm still
here, so it's different.
I don't know what it's
like to lose a child,
I just know what it's like
to be the one left behind.
(chattering)
- It's kind of who I see here.
I mean, I can't bring us
into our present.
Could it be a faded rose
- I keep talking to, who we
were, that's always here.
- Isn't it so odd though,
about getting older,
doesn't it just feel like
we're still inside the same.
- Exactly.
- I feel like...
- Exactly.
- I'm still struggling
with the same, yeah though.
My mother calls it the
organ recital.
- Yeah.
- You go around and say,
what's wrong like I have a hip,
I have a shoulder,
I have a heart.
- If I only had a brain.
(laughs)
- Before I found photography,
I probably made a big mistake
choosing a profession that
was my mother's. Commercials.
Yeah I just did commercials
because I had to pay
for trying to do theater,
which didn't work out too well.
- I work with seniors,
I take them to,
their appointments and stuff
but I also bring them to
the library cause we have
a lot of great classes
and like that.
- Well that's wonderful.
- Yeah it's great.
- Keeps your mind.
- And keeps me feeling young,
which is the important thing.
- But you look.
- I'm not as sick as that
person, oh no.
- What I might like to do,
which is to work with the dying.
- Really?
- Yeah I might.
- You didn't tell me that.
- Well it's, we are at
that age where,
all of us are searching,
it's a natural time.
Am I this, am I that, yes
and nuns do that as well.
So I'm thinking of
working in hospice.
- I wanna say this to you.
- Is that, well,
- The best comedic nun,
I've ever known.
(laughs)
- No I wanna try to explain.
Your mother gave me
the privilege of having
to preside, to enjoy,
to collaborate with her
during her death, her dying,
which was for me...
profound.
I need to tell you that,
that she, what you,
it was because we know
Ruth had many flaws.
She was very human and,
but you know, death is,
it doesn't have to be
for most people.
But with her, it was courageous,
she caught the light.
- Well, Ruth never had any
trouble finding her light.
(laughing)
- Like this.
- I'm not hearing a
thing from Lizzie.
Your sister's not coming,
should we start packing?
- Lets go, let do our packing.
- Maggie don't take the coat.
Please don't take the coat.
Respect the animal, let's not,
let's not-.
- I understand, but this is dead
already now what do you do?
- Understand the dying.
- I wanna just inject, like
it is, sometimes things
carry a person's spirit
and soul, and this vibrant
- Oh my God, looks like,
- is a Ruth thing.
(doorbell rings)
- Doorbell, oh wait a minute
there's somebody at the door.
Oh it's come on it's Nat,
come on.
- I like the coat.
- I know.
- Hi Natalie.
- Hi.
- I'm Shelley.
- Hi Shelley.
- You're named after my sister.
So nice to have you
here, thank you so much.
- Hi.
- Hi Val you look amazing.
- Good to see you guys.
- Well, let's get you
something to drink
and get your coat off and
then get back to work.
- I'm here to help though.
- Yes, here we go.
- Lizzie where are you?
- Where am I?
- Yeah.
- Well I'm home,
where should I be?
- Are you kidding me,
you're home?
- Yeah I'm home with the kids.
- You're supposed to be here.
We're at Ruth's, we're
going through all her stuff.
You're, you're supposed to
be here everybody's waiting.
- Oh my God.
- You're home, oh my God.
- Oh my God, Val please
don't do this to me again.
I told you I couldn't get up
there, I have too much to do.
This is a setup.
- Okay so how are you,
how's it going?
How's your new girlfriend?
- Normal.
- How's your girlfriend?
- My partner? Great.
Everything's great, everything's
normal. All is going well.
- Okay great wonderful.
So did you get your
check this month?
(sighs)
- Val can we not with this,
can we not you know, no.
No,I didn't get the check this
month surprise you know that.
- Really you didn't
get it from those guys?
- You know I didn't get it.
- I'm telling you there's
something wrong there.
There something wrong
with those people.
- No. Val.
- There's something suspicious,
I really.
- It's from you, it's you
that didn't send me a check.
It's you, you are in charge
of sending the check.
- It's what mom wanted honey
what do you want me to do?
It's what mom wanted,
she wanted me
to be the executor of her
estate, she wanted that.
And hmm, I wonder why? I
wonder why she thought that
maybe possibly you weren't
responsible enough to
handle your own money.
I wonder where I
could be thinking
that maybe you still
have this problem?
Or was it the time that
you missed the plane
and didn't make it to
dad's funeral?
Could that have possibly
been the reason that, geez.
- I understand I am not
a trustworthy person.
I was rebellious, I was
this and that.
This is many, many,
many years ago.
I have a family I have
a career, I have a life.
The person who thinks I'm
not responsible is you now.
- How's-
How's Lucas?
- We actually broke up so,
hopefully he's doing
wonderfully.
- I'm so sorry, sweetie,
what happened?
- He said that he
wanted to have kids.
So that was pretty much
the end of that.
- You never wanna have kids?
Well I mean I think
you're a little young
to making a big decision
about your whole life.
You just, I mean,
no one can really.
- I don't like wanna do
this whole thing.
Like cute little cups,
mom home cooking,
while the husband's out.
- Somehow I feel like
it's a dig at me,
but I'm sure you're not
intending to do that.
- Don't you wish that you
had your own thing though?
You know, like dad goes
out and goes to work,
I'm not here anymore,
and you just don't have,
you know, like your own
independent lifestyle.
Doesn't that bother you at all?
- Oh.
Ow.
- Doesn't it though, I mean.
- God, the judgment.
Is there any chance you can
just like soften a little
for dear old mom.
- I wanna have a career you
gave up your would be career.
- I don't know what it
is you think you saw
between your father and
me, but we are fine.
There's nothing-
- Are you happy?
Are you happy with
your marriage?
- Like happiness is not
really like a one block thing.
It's not like you find
somebody you fall in love,
happy for the rest of your life.
Relationships, it's up
and down and up and down
and it takes a lot of fortitude
and you're putting your time
and energy into this
thing that is movable.
It's more like water,
it's not like a rock.
- That's some really
beautiful and flowery language
to just say that you
were afraid to leave dad
and live your own life.
So you stayed with him
and you made me scared
of what I could become.
- Okay I actually can't
take this in anymore,
I can't take it in.
Fine, you can have your opinion
and I have my opinion about you.
And quite honestly, you're
on a path to be very lonely
in your life.
- Yeah I'm not speaking
to you anymore, bye.
- Yeah, fine.
Ugh.
- You weren't there in
the hospital for me,
when I had that,
when I had my mastectomy,
it really hurt me, it did.
I have to be honest with
you, it's very hurtful.
- Oh my God, Val,
I know, you're right.
- My friends were there
for me at the hospital
and my friends are like
sisters to me,
and I so you know, I'm
fine, I'm totally fine.
And the other person
who was there,
really, really there
for me was Joe.
- Joe.
He was there every single day.
- I know.
- And it made me feel
great about myself,
because I was very
depressed because you know,
you lose both of your breasts,
and you don't feel like a woman,
but he makes me feel
like a woman.
He knows a lot of stuff
and oh, by the way,
I just wanna tell you,
you're just gonna hate this.
You're going to hate this.
- She's downstairs,
criticizing me and my
relationship
and the choices that I've made,
who is she to be giving me
advice really on anything,
but especially on
relationships and marriage.
- Don't be so quick
to judge her.
She loves your father.
Marriage is very complicated.
Really I'm not kidding.
It's, you don't.
- I believe it.
You have to be tolerant
of your mother.
- I think I just blew it
royally with my kid, again.
- Again?
- Ugh.
- I don't think so.
She's wildly unique
and wonderful.
- She is.
She's just so mad at me.
- She's going to
separate from you
and you have to
separate from her.
- I feel like I don't text,
I don't call,
I don't say too much,
I keep my mouth shut
and still it's like-
- Oh you're the perfect mother.
- I mean, I am in such a
flat line moment right now.
- I think it's true
probably of every mother,
that the thing you'd like
most is for your child
to like the things you like.
It would make things so simple.
But it's never true, right?
It's your job to be
somebody else.
(chuckles)
It is, right?
And maybe she's having
a hard time with it,
but just the listen for
the love in it.
Listen for the love in it,
not the content of what
she's saying.
She might be getting it all
wrong, but she's trying.
- It's so strange to feel
like you're a disappointment
to your kid.
- You've been a
wonderful mother.
- I think daughters carry
terrible burdens of
their mother.
- The unsaid burdens, right?
- The secrets, or the regrets,
or the sacrifices of the mother.
Did you ever get my letter?
(clears throat)
-Yeah.
I got your letter.
- Why didn't you answer me?
- I didn't know what to say.
You know, I'm not in
love with David
but Hannah you married him.
It's weird.
- It's been really
hard between us.
- He's not an easy guy.
(chuckles)
- I just wish I had some way
to like answer back to him.
You know?
I feel like I'm getting
run over and I just,
I need some caustic
witticisms to kind of zing.
(laughs)
I can't like get it out to him.
- Yeah.
- God how do you do it?
- I didn't do it honey,
if I'd done it,
we'd still be together okay.
And I warned you.
I warned you if you didn't
know who the hell you were,
that you would wind up like
the incredible shrinking woman.
- Do you know why my dad
divorced Natalie?
- Because she
couldn't have a baby.
- Wow.
- I feel like the best years
of my life are behind me.
- Oh.
- But I am,
I am super stuck.
Starting at around
three o'clock,
this is my deep dark secret.
- Okay.
- I just sit on the couch
I manage to get through
to three o'clock and then
I'm just totally flat lined.
- And then?
- And then I just can't
get up from the couch.
I don't want David to
see me, God forbid,
Natalie ever even
knew about this.
She already thinks I'm not
accomplishing much.
This is so not
accomplishing it's-
- But we get up off the couch,
right?
- Yes.
- And then we say I have no
idea what I'm supposed to do.
That's a big moment.
The "I don't know" moment.
- Yeah.
I don't know.
- I don't know either.
I just trust.
It is a spiritual issue,
it is your choice.
Get off the,
- I can't.
- Get off, get off.
(laughs)
- Get off this couch.
- I got off the meds
- And I'm totally fine.
- No you're foggy.
No I'm not, I got off the
meds and I'm totally fine.
- Can I ask,
did you taper off the meds?
You do it with a doctor,
did you do it responsibly?
- I know I did it, I know I
tapered and don't remember
exactly how went, I can't
remember exactly how it went,
but I know I did it,
it happened,
and everybody's like totally
wanting me to and get involved
in this packing,
so I have to go.
So thank you for all your,
I really appreciate it.
- Val.
- I love you so.
- Hi, how's it going?
- I'm deciding whether
this is a good time
to become an oxycodone
addict, what do you think?
I don't know what to
do with them
and you can't pour 'em
down the sink.
- Wow, Ruth was in
all these plays.
- You want this?
I have enough
pictures of Natalie.
- Sure.
- Okay.
- My sister's such a bitch.
- Whoa.
- She knows just
exactly where to hit.
- Kind of felt that way
about Natalie.
- You mean, you thought
Natalie did that to you?
She thought you did that to her.
- I don't know maybe
all sisters feel
that way about each other.
- Well, I just know that she was
worried about your
being angry or
envious or something
and just didn't seem
to ever work.
- Well, of course I was.
You saw the way mom
was with her.
I mean, there's only one
picture of one of us in here.
- Yeah, that's kind of
how it was with me too.
I had that all that time with
my mom before Lizzie was born
and we were a team,
my mom and I.
- Do you think that Lizzie
felt weird about her being gay
and you weren't gay and
life was harder for her?
- I think I've kind of
known about it for a while,
you know.
I think I kind of
suspected it and stuff,
and I didn't wanna talk
about it or anything because,
I was scared of it.
- I can't tell mom and dad.
- No.
- So I really need you
to tell me it's alright.
- What's in here?
- Well, yeah there's a lot
of stuff that's starting to
probably, oh my God.
- Oh look at this, geez.
- That's hideous.
- No that's for me, this is
for me, let me get it on.
- You like it really?
- Yeah.
- I can't wear anything of hers.
- I could wear it to
the bull fights.
(laughs)
Oh, this is you.
- Oh, you think?
- Oh yeah, well they both,
I can't believe she ever
wore those oh my God.
- This was a classic.
- What was she thinking?
- I think she was trying
to be Minnie Pearl.
- Yeah she was like.
- You know like, oh here
this is trash.
Yeah, that's not a keeper.
- Why did she keep coffee
in her bedroom?
- Don't open that, it's ashes,
her ashes.
- God! Ah!
- You remember when she did
that whole commercial campaign
for Monarch Coffee, it was
at the height of the 50s
they paid her so much
money to do.
It paid for this house.
- Wow.
- So she decides years ago
that she's gonna be cremated
and she wants her ashes
in a Monarch Coffee can.
Remember they had that
tagline, that slogan,
"The end justifies the beans."
(laughs)
- Oh God.
- Yeah.
(upbeat music)
- Oh my gosh, my wings.
- Now I gotta get my little
skirt going with my wings.
- Get your wing away from me.
- Sorry I'm running
into your wings.
(laughs)
- Oh my gosh, I think these
were mine, these marbles.
- Do remember playing?
- No, these were from my brain,
mom had them removed.
- Oh, check it out, our
championship paddles.
- You just figure them out,
the algorithms are on my desk.
- What is this, A Viking Myth?
- [Rheza] May I sell a watch?
- I'd really like that one.
- [Shelley] Okay, here
you take this.
Look at this watch,
this is a very cheap watch.
- Okay, thank you bye.
- You end up with all the books.
- The first chapter of
David Copperfield is called,
"I am born."
- What is that?
- Can I have that when you die?
- You want
everything when I die.
- Who uses these anymore?
- Hi kids.
- We made angels.
(chattering)
(laughing and chattering)
- Going, going, gone.
White Christmas DVD.
- Oh,
- That's a great one.
- Yeah that's a good one.
- Sinatra Can-Can.
- Oh.
- That's a great one.
- Oh God, we're never
gonna throw anything away.
Esther Williams?
- Oh Esther Williams.
- A Wonderful Life?
- Oh.
- That's kind of how I
thought about our little sweet
little town, when we
were growing up.
- Yes it was.
- We had time for each other.
- Not so nice for you.
(laughs)
- What are we talking about?
- When I was in school,
everybody either wanted
to be my friend because
my mother was famous
or the teachers were
disappointed
that I wasn't Natalie.
- But it's also different
for me because growing up
in a place where people
don't look like you,
it was pretty isolating.
- This town is very,
very, very, very white.
- It's very homogenous and
people definitely growing up
and kids are mean, but
people were very quick
to make me feel like the other.
When I was little, it
was the, you know, oh,
does the color rub off?
Then it evolves to when you're
an actual teenager and people
saying really offensive things
and nobody asking you to prom
because they're a target, if
they're taking the only black
girl in the class,
that kind of thing.
- Oh, I never heard that.
- I'm glad to hear about this.
We have such different
experience of life.
I mean, you know.
- Yeah, you have the privilege
to not have to see this.
- Serious ladies.
- Whoa.
- See, I got you on that one.
- Woo!
Oh my God.
(shouting and laughing)
- Ready?
- Yeah.
- What? Oh so good.
- Oh sorry.
(sobbing)
(sobs)
(laughing)
- Nice Rheza.
- Yeah.
- Oh!
(sobbing)
(shouting and laughing)
- We only play under
the net now.
- Under the net.
(slow music)
- So frustrating, Charlie and
I were panting for each other.
So I mean, we were only 10, so
we probably weren't panting,
but he runs out the door, he
and his friend run out the door
and I ran after him
and I grab him
and I kiss him on the mouth.
- Oo!
- It was the boldest thing
I've ever done.
- That was so brave.
- It is.
- My first kiss was from a
boy named Archie Stalemate.
(laughing)
I kid you not, it just happened.
- Yeah.
- And to start my
period that night.
But I thought I was very, I
didn't know what was happening
and I thought it was tied
into this fact
that I felt something
like, I got turned on.
So when I went to the
bathroom and I saw this thing,
I thought it was because
I had been bad
and had kissed and
gotten turned on.
So I thought something
somehow connected
guilt, shame, immediately.
- Yeah.
- Wow.
- I remember the first
guy that felt me up.
- Okay.
Second base.
- It was like one of those
things where it was like,
you were just sort of, it
was awful feeling me up.
That was kind of my, me
too movement that moment.
13, 14, I didn't wanna
be felt up and I was.
- What did you do?
- And I don't love that
I'm about to say this.
I think I just was silent.
Just like.
- That's what most of us do.
If you could be born a
man would you be?
- No, I love being
underestimated as a woman
and then showing up and
crushing it with a smile.
- Yeah.
- And having it charm them and
scare them at the same time
and you can only do that as a
woman and I love that feeling.
- Be nice to be able to
pee standing up though.
- So what is something
that you've never told
your significant other?
- Sometimes when
we're having sex,
I imagine he's like
Vladimir Putin.
- No don't.
- No, you're joking right?
- Stop.
- Are you like really, does
that make the sex better?
- No, no.
- Please tell me you're
making this up right?
- Yeah please.
- I'm not really.
- Oh my God.
- I'm sorry I forgot
you were here.
- You mean like Vladimir Putin
from Saturday Night Live?
- Let's just move along to
something else.
- So outrageous something
like Putin really?
- It was in the early days
before all the terrible spying
on the United States of America.
- Like naked from the
waist up on the horse?
- On the horse.
(laughs)
- That kinda got me.
- Yeah, that got you, yeah
it got most of Russia too.
(laughing)
- I never told my husband that
I wanted a lot of children.
- Oh.
- We had two children and
I felt that he,
at that point felt that
that was enough
and I didn't tell him.
- You didn't tell him that
that's an important thing
that you wanted and you, why?
- Because I instinctively
felt that, you know
he was the provider he was,
basically the,
the one in charge of
the farm and,
that we weren't gonna have a
huge amount of money,
that it would put a
strain on him
and that it would affect him
deeply because if he felt
at any point he was failing us,
it would kill him.
- You are the kindest
person in the world.
- She is.
She so is.
- Or maybe the most
dishonest I don't know.
- No.
- But I just kept it in.
- I promise this is not a way
to get out of cleaning up,
but I need to-
I wanna take Natalie
upstairs for a second
I have something I
have to give you.
- Okay.
- Okay.
I, um -
I have to tell you a secret,
that I've never told anyone,
but it's really important
that you hear this.
When my sister was dying,
she was in so much pain
and she made a decision
to end her life,
but these were the days
that it was illegal,
there was no such thing as
assisted suicide anywhere.
- Yeah.
- She knew that mom
and all of her friends,
wouldn't be able to do it.
So, she called me, talked
to her and told me that,
well because we
weren't very close,
that she thought that I
would be able to do it.
- That's terrible.
- Yeah it was.
- So sorry.
- I just left.
I, I-
I didn't even know how to react.
I went to my therapist,
talked to him he said,
you can't talk to me about this.
I would have to report it.
Especially if you did it,
it's a crime.
And then I realized I
wouldn't even be able
to talk to him about it.
- Wow, that's awful.
- I thought, oh great,
she's asked me to,
to do the worst thing I
would ever do in my life,
and I wouldn't even be able
to talk to anybody about it.
But then, all my life I'd been
wanting to be close to Natalie.
And I had never been.
And I felt so terrible,
when I just abandoned her
and I left and she was
alone and she was in pain
and I felt so bad about that.
And so I went to her and I said,
I can't help you do this,
I can't do that,
but I can be there for
you I can be with you.
When we sat for hours
and talked and talked,
it was very healing.
But one of the things that
we talked about was you.
- Why me?
I wasn't even, wasn't
even born yet.
- You were on the way.
She wrote you this letter.
Now, I was gonna mail
it to you but,
I'm,
I'm so glad that I can
give this to you now
because she wanted me to
wait until you turn 25.
And so now I can,
and you're here and.
- Dear, oh so beautiful girl.
I know you'll be a girl
and I know you'll be
beautiful like your mother.
And sensitive, compassionate,
creative,
and that you'll feel things
deeply just like her,
and you'll also be
smart and ambitious
and headstrong like your father.
(chuckles)
But sometimes those qualities
can be at war with each other.
And perhaps you might
think your strength lies
in all your father's qualities,
and you might not see who
your mother really is,
because your mother
doesn't, at least not yet.
But I do and I wanted
to tell you a story.
[Natalie] At camp, I was
Hannah's counselor.
I don't know if you
know what color war is,
or if it even still exists.
- Oh, it does.
- The camp would be divided
into two sides, two colors,
and they would
compete at sports.
Hannah was a terrific
swimmer, the best in the camp.
She was a mermaid.
- She's amazing.
- There was a swim meet,
four girls on each side,
and they would swim out
to the dock and back.
The strongest swimmers go last.
The girls were even
when your mother
and the girl from the other
team dove into the water.
They touched the dock
at the same time
and were neck and neck
swimming back.
It was close, but the
other girl won.
And the other girl was
hugged and praised,
and got to hold the trophy.
You see the other girl
wasn't liked.
She wasn't pretty,
spoke too loud,
said the wrong thing at
the wrong time.
But Hannah being Hannah,
saw what the other girls didn't,
a girl wanted
desperately to fit in.
So your mother threw the
race. That took compassion,
that took selflessness
and that's your mother.
I hope she knows that.
I know I've gone on too
long, but I'm a writer.
Ask your mother, better
yet just hug her for me.
I send you my love
beautiful girl, Natalie.
- Thank you.
(upbeat music)
- [Natalie] My mother used
to get a script
and immediately turn to
the last page to see what
happened to her character.
She said, if she didn't
know the end,
she wouldn't know how
to play all the scenes
that came before.
So I wonder if I could
tell one of my friends,
what's gonna happen to her,
should I?
And would that make living
it easier or harder?
And which one would I tell?
- Oh my, you are attached
that balloon, aren't you,
can you put the balloon
down for a minute?
- What time is she coming?
- Three O'clock.
- What time is it now?
- 2:45.
- Excited.
- Hey Kenai.
Hey Kasha.
I gotta tell you something,
okay?
(sighs)
I have to go.
I don't wanna go, I don't
wanna leave you.
(sighs)
I remember when you were born,
Kenai look at me.
Thank you.
(laughs)
(wolves howling)
(howling)
I'm not gonna forget you.
(wolves howling)
(country music)
- You know, I sing this song
with my guys in the bar.
- You do?
- My band yeah.
- You are the sexiest
woman on the planet.
- Tell that to my fireman.
- How's that going?
- Oh he's so, he's just
given up on me.
- Oh, no, you broke up?
- Well I thought he was
gonna leave his wife
which was a little weird.
- I'm sorry.
- But I kind of got my eye
on my lead guitar player,
Barry, he's very hot.
(camera clicks)
- I love that face.
- I'm gonna, could you
just get that?
- Oh, your hair, your wonderful
hair wait, let me go closer.
(camera clicks)
- Got it?
- Got it.
- Cause this is my
last donation,
I'm gonna, you know,
locks for love.
- I applied to grad school.
- Oh my God you've been
wanting to do that forever.
- Classical studies I'm
super excited.
Thank you Val.
Thank you I'm waiting to hear,
I can't wait, I hope, I hope.
- What time's she coming?
- She's coming
sometime after three.
- Okay good, we have
a little time.
- Yeah.
(background music)
- Can you take your glasses off?
- Okay.
- Only for a second.
- Right.
- Got it.
- Okay that was right, that
was a second all right.
- What's going on?
(camera clicks)
- She's early!
- You fearless goddess person,
who's gonna kick the four
corners of the universe.
(chatttering)
- Good bye tension
happy pension.
- Yeah!
- Picture!
Everybody face forward.
All right, ready?
Say uterus!
- Uterus!
(camera clicks)
- Look at this beauty, who's
gonna go out into the world
and teach us how-
- Wait, what?
- I'm not, I'm not retiring.
I got fired this morning.
- Oh, what?
- Wait, wait, wait, Val I
thought you said that
I thought you said
that this was -
- Well, Sally on the
board she told me
that they were retiring her.
- No, no, no, no.
"Retiring her", that's code
for that you're getting fired.
- Oh God I feel terrible.
- Rheza!
- It's okay, it's okay.
- Now I've wrecked all
this and everything.
- It's all right, it's okay.
(waves crashing)
- This is not just about me.
Patrick has been so depressed.
It's so much harder to run
a small farm. It gets harder
and harder, you can't get
help you can't keep help.
He's older.
He's in despair about
the environment.
He made us write letters
to our children
and our grandchild apologizing.
I'm scared Maggie,
I, we could fall apart.
Oh God and then
there's the animals.
(sobbing)
- Oh.
- You know, we caged them
and we try to give
them happy lives.
I'm not under any
illusion that we do.
Oh Maggie
- I believe, God has big
plans for you.
(laughs)
Well, I do.
- He's gonna be up all night.
- Big plans!
- You gave me a quote years
ago about the animals,
they're not underlings.
- [Both] They're other nations.
- Like ourselves captured
in the web of time and life.
Fellow prisoners.
- Your work's not done.
Oh my dear friend.
- You went through this.
- I did.
I left the convent, I
went to a new convent
and I found my life's
work, I found it there.
And my work's just
beginning and so is yours.
Big plans.
(laughs)
Our fellow prisoners need you.
- I would like to say
how beautiful you look,
you changed into the-
- With the overalls?
- Shell blue, would we say?
- So I wanna make a
toast to second chances.
In this country today, given
how long everybody lives,
people change their jobs
a million times,
they may have three or
four careers.
This is my second and so
we'll say to second chances.
- What did we say?
"We will get there!"
- We will get there!
(chattering)
- To where we're gonna get.
- But just one more toast ready?
- Okay.
- The good Lord said come forth,
but he came fifth and
lost the race.
- Is that inspiring?
- He came in fifth and
lost race, okay.
- Okay anyway, we're drinking.
- We're drinking.
- We're drinking, yes.
- That's beautiful.
- Drinking.
- I have a firing story.
- Oh great.
- I was in a department
store for the makeup counter
and I never wore any makeup
and I wasn't very good at it.
And when these women would
have their makeup put on,
they would say, I would do
was just a terrible job.
I thought, after I got the
makeup on and the women,
they would say, how do
you think I look?
What do you think, and I would
have to tell them the truth
which is I thought they
looked better before.
(laughs)
Anyway.
- I wasn't fired, but all the
good stuff that's interesting,
at least at school was
going to the younger people.
You know the new projects,
if I had a project
that I was excited about, I
used to get a lot of attention
on those projects and
then it was suddenly,
I don't think that's such
a good idea and,
just gradually just feel
the focus is off you.
But anyway, I've got my band
and I wouldn't have started
singing with the band
if they done that so.
- And I wouldn't be
taking pictures.
- And I wouldn't be
applying to grad school,
if I hadn't felt like get
off the couch.
(chattering)
- We have transformations,
cause that's what we're really
talking about right.
All of us going to
the next place,
the next stage into new
skin, into new thoughts.
- Doesn't it make you think
back when you were younger
and you had a grandparent
or somebody who was older
or someone that you might have
just a little bit dismissed.
I would've loved to have asked
my grandmother about what
that felt like after the
kids were gone,
and after I would just love
to have had that one on one,
like how was that for you?
- You know I wonder if
our generation has escaped
a little bit of that because
the baby boomer generation
was so huge, and then they
started saying things like
50 is the new 40 and 60
is the new 50.
- And it's so awful, the
premium on youth.
- And everybody in
our generation
started having surgery
and everybody's working
out like crazy.
And so I think our generation
kind of stretched our youth
longer than the
generations before us.
- On the one hand,
I feel like everyone
should fly their flag like
if you wanna be dressing
in high heeled shoes in
your 60s and you know,
glam in your face,
then we should just
celebrate each other.
But on the other hand for
myself, if I'm being honest,
there's always a
little bit like,
what mold are you
putting yourself in,
and who is that for really.
- Now my job doesn't depend
on how I sound or how I look
or you're not pretty enough.
- That was a great thing
about working with animals.
(laughs)
- Maggie have ever been
fired Maggie?
- Yes, remember a bunch
of us protested.
- Oh boy.
- And that's a wild thing
if you wanna see
a bunch of protesting nuns.
But I was put on
probation so you can,
I think we can all feel
we can lose our jobs.
Sometimes for good reasons.
- What do you think Natalie
would've been doing now,
if she's...
Because I remember when she
was fired after her 40th
birthday and we were-
- She was fired because
of growing a little older,
right was it?
- Ageism.
(chattering)
- Lizzie I told you that in
secrecy, how does she know?
- I didn't tell her.
-Well then how does she know?
- Because I told my wonderful,
trustworthy older sister, Val.
- Oh great so everybody here
knows? Great.
I lost my job okay?
- She was really
pushing the envelope.
If she lived, do you
think she would've been
like the head of some network?
- Maybe she would've
had her own show on CNN
or some, or the PBS news hour.
- The person you tuned
into to hear about women,
- Glass ceiling would've been
just shattering all over.
- I call this guy in Chicago
that I knew, a businessman
and I've known him
over the years.
And I said, I've just
turned 40, I've been fired
and I'm ready to
change careers.
And he said, I'll
take a chance.
- Unbelievable.
Just outta the blue,
I'll take a chance.
So maybe losing my job
was the best thing
that ever happened to me.
- Should we toast to Natalie?
To Natalie, wherever you are.
Forever.
- To Natalie.
- To Natalie.
- Yes to Natalie.
- To Natalie.
- Keep inspiring us
to go forward.
- You know, when I was here
before I was talking to Val
about spreading my mother's
ashes at Christmas,
she volunteered, she kind
of volunteered you guys too.
How would you feel about that?
- Yes, I would love that.
- I would be honored.
- And I would love to host,
just to have
everybody at my house.
- My mother would've loved that.
- Yes.
- A nice gathering.
- Beautiful idea.
- Wonderful.
- It's beautiful.
- I would love for
you to be there.
- Yes, definitely.
- Rheza would you give me a
minute, could I talk to you?
- It would be an honor.
- I love Christmas time too.
- Just need to talk to
you for a second.
- We're just gonna, I just
have to tell her something.
Or show her something,
just show her something.
- Okay.
- Be right back.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- All right.
- Well we'll just drink
while you're gone.
- Rheza, Rheza, sit down.
- What?
- Sit down
I lost the ashes.
- What?
- So we were packing
everything up, in Ruth's house,
and I was with Shelley
and we found the ashes.
- Right.
- And she asked me if I
would take them
because she was going to Africa
and she couldn't, take them.
So what could I say?
So I took them and I
put them in a box
and then I put them with
the other boxes
and I put them in my car
and I brought them home.
But then I didn't open
up for a couple of weeks,
but when I did, the
ashes were gone.
- When you were packing
the car, you gave me a box
but that was just, that
was stuff for the kitchen.
- Oh that's it, I put
them in the kitchen box.
Oh my God, you use this
honey cornbread.
- What are you talking about?
Oh my God.
We have to open.
(gasps)
- Okay, I'm gonna...
No, no you can't
- There are never any arguments,
very happily together.
And the men said it was because
they never see each other
during the day.
(laughs)
- I was just talking about
these women in Burma.
So wait, what did...
- Is everything okay?
- Yes, perfect.
Everything is very much okay.
- Oh, wait a minute, present.
- What about the presents?
- I can't believe this.
- They're supposed to
be joke presents
- You get fired and
people give you presents.
- Oh, that's when you
should have presents.
- I'm embarrassed, so excited.
- And this is about what
you can do in your future,
with the new time that you have.
- Wait minute, this looks
like a, it's a pancake maker.
(chattering)
- It's not a dream griddle
that's just the box.
- It's a little alarm clock.
- I wanted a dream-
- Dream griddle
that's hilarious-
- Dream griddle alarm
box but that's not it.
- This feels, um...
- No.
- What?
- Oh my God.
- Oh my God.
- What on earth are
you thinking?
- And the funny thing
is it didn't have ears
when I put it in.
(laughing)
- Can you not point that at me?
- What are talking about?
- And it doubles as a
dream griddle.
- Is it an alarm clock?
- Its an alarm clock.
- It will make great alarm
clock, wake up girls.
- It doubles as an alarm clock!
- Bless your heart
- Can you just put this up
more over here?
(laughing)
- Val, I think you're the
only older woman I know,
that still wants to have sex.
- You're the best.
- I know.
- Oh come on.
- I'm just looking out for you.
- I'm in a book club, there's
some of the women are married,
some are not, but everybody,
they were all saying
they didn't care
if they ever had sex again.
And that the only reason they
were still having sex is cause
their husbands wanted it and
so they were like, okay well.
- It's so sad.
- But they really didn't care.
- If you don't wanna
do it, you don't do it
but I just think, wow,
this is like so much fun,
and it makes me feel so great,
and why wouldn't
everybody wanna do it?
It's just me.
- This is from you.
- Yeah.
- Oh my gosh.
Oh, this is so beautiful.
- This is called a
Toka from Tibet.
- Oh.
- And it's Tara and she's
the goddess of protection
and animals and compassion
and she's fearless,
like our Rheza, beautiful.
- Oh, thank you so much.
- You're so welcome.
- From my heart.
- Oh my God.
- You did that?
- Oh my God.
- Wow.
- Oh this is, oh thank you.
- Is that from that place
with the women?
- Oh, this is beautiful.
- Oh these were still in
Africa when I went through-
- That's so beautiful.
- Boy, I'm glad I was fired.
(laughing)
- Goodbye tension,
happy pension.
- Yay!
- Make a wish Rheza!
- I want us all to make a
wish together.
Ready?
- Uh-huh.
(blows the candle)
(upbeat music)
- [Natalie] As we get older,
our perspective on age changes.
When we were younger,
we thought 40 was old.
When I died at 40, my friends
said she died too young.
You have a conviction
that at a certain age,
you should have it all together,
but then you get older and
you keep moving the goal post.
How will my friends
remember this year?
The year that Ruth died,
the year they were all
together again.
What change that is coming
will take center stage
in their lives?
Oh and if you're wondering if
everything is predetermined
or if you are in control
of your own destiny,
the answer is yes.
(Christmas carols)
- Glory to the newborn king
(camera clicks)
- Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
(camera clicks)
- So what is the plan
when you get home?
- Actually, Lucas and I
are gonna go on a trip.
I know.
- You're back together?
- Yeah we've been dating and
spending a lot of time together
and it's been really,
really good.
- What changed do you think?
- Well, on the kids'
situation, we kind of decided
that we would just take
it as it comes.
- Uh-huh.
- And really,
my example of a mom was
a very devoted mother
and I don't know, I feel
like where I am now
I couldn't be that
kind of focused
and involved and great mom.
So, but I'm learning that
maybe it doesn't have
to be one extreme
or the other, but.
- There she is.
- Mm.
- It's an adjustment cause I
was so used to having the house
to myself and now
he's there but,
- All the time.
- We're navigating, I've gotten
him to go to a yoga class.
- Dad's doing yoga?
- He is, and the downward facing
dog is a whole other thing.
- Wow, sign me up.
- He's doing well though.
- That's great, good
for you guys.
- Yeah, it's very sweet, he's
got the best sense of humor
and it's- that goes a
long way I have to say.
- I actually decided
this morning
that you should move back.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
We could spend weekends
up here I'm thinking,
this would be a
really nice thing.
- Yeah but if I move back,
I'll have to see my
mother all the time.
- We won't tell her.
(laughs)
- I dunno where she went, she
left Chicago, I don't know.
- You need a sandwich
or something?
I can make you a little
shrimp salad.
- No serve food on the plane
these days, it's a new thing.
- Ah, really?
- I miss you.
- Me too, sweetie.
Take care of yourself.
Bye, bye.
Love you.
- I love you.
- Val.
Val?
Val.
Sweetie, take a
deep breath okay.
It's hard to be here.
I am grateful for you and
you, grateful for life.
- No one like you. Okay.
- Love you Nat.
- I got back from China,
I talked to the guy from the
gallery, he wants to do a show.
- That's amazing.
- I'm calling it The
Kingdom of Daughters.
(chattering)
- Wonderful.
- Thank you.
- So I am very happy in
my new order,
Sisters of the Sacred Mount,
we do wonderful hospice work
and I am moving
forward with that.
But I'm not cutting my hair yet,
not yet.
- I noticed that.
- I started Rheza's Rescues.
I'm taking in stray dogs,
some wounded animals,
and making a lot of
new friends.
- Wow, oh gosh.
- We have a litter of
puppies do you want any?
- And I am at the end of
my first semester
in classical studies and
I love, love my cohort.
It's been incredible.
- She's learning.
- Every night I'm like
"Let me tell you about
the Trojan Women and Hecuba!-
(chattering)
And Demeter, and Persephone"
- And I'm like, oh, I
have to go to sleep now.
And she's like, "But one more!"
But no, it's exciting, it's
nice to see you so passionate
and lit up about something.
- Yes, and can I tell
your aunties about,
she's- Nat's been offered
this incredible promotion
that was just, almost like-
- It's avatars, yes, computers.
- Tell us about it I don't know.
- So I was offered a promotion
as a senior software engineer,
but I would just have to work
closely with another engineer
and I don't know if
it's really a good fit.
So I'm just kind of
weighing my options
and seeing maybe I wanna switch
companies, I'm not sure yet.
- What's the dynamic like that
it's not comfortable or what?
- Um,
yeah, it's that.
I don't think I'd be,
I just don't think we
would work well together.
It's not the most
comfortable situation
and working even more closely
with him, would just not be.
- What did he do?
- Oh.
- Oh God.
- So a month ago I was at
the office late,
I go into his office, he tells
me to come around the desk
so I can take a look at what
he's working on, so I do,
and he goes to hand me
a folder and it drops,
and so, I go to pick it up,
and that's when I see
that he is um,
playing with himself.
I tried to get up, but he pushed
my head down into his lap.
- Oh no, no.
- And he wouldn't let me go,
like I physically couldn't move
and I've never felt that before.
And I bit him, I bit it.
- Good.
- He pushed me away
and he called me a cunt
and he told me that I'd be
fired if I ever told anyone.
So I didn't, I actually
haven't told anyone until now.
- I'm so sorry.
- So I'm just figuring
out what I'm gonna do.
- I'm so sorry this
happened to you.
- All I wanna do was my job.
That night when I went
into his office,
all I wanted to do was my job.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna
talk about this,
I don't wanna have to
deal with it.
I'm just not, I don't want it.
I don't want any of this so.
- I think there is a choice.
There's so much support now.
I think for his own sake,
you need to report him.
- Don't report him, it will
ruin your whole career.
- What you both just said,
I've been battling in my mind,
- Right.
- A lot over the last
month and, the thing is,
Im, I'm a terrible person if I
don't report it and stop him
from potentially doing
this other women,
but I could also completely
ruin my career if I do
and it's such an unfair
position to be put in.
- This happened to Natalie
and she didn't report it, and
she always felt terrible about
it, she always regretted it.
But in our day there
wasn't a group of people
that she could go to talk to
who experienced the same thing.
And you can.
The only way for you to heal,
I think, is for you
to fight back.
- Change is always
extraordinary,
you're going to be fine.
(sighs)
- [Maggie] We've all been there.
-[Rheza] You're not alone.
- [Shelley] You are
so not alone.
(gentle music)
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin
mother and child
Holy infant so
tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
(camera clicks)
Sleep in heavenly peace
- What are you doing,
we're enjoying the company.
(laughing)
- No
- What are we talking about now?
- Memories, memories oh my God.
- We're talking about your
mother and her fabulousness
and her dread orange lipstick
and her leopard coats.
- All right, all right.
Do you know the story of Ruth
and Shelley and the movie?
All right.
Ruth's latest movie was
in town and she decided
to take the girls.
She didn't wanna draw a lot
of attention to herself,
she said, when she prepared
to go to the movie,
she was in disguise,
- Incognito.
incognito, in a huge fur hat,
a lot of fur and a scarf.
- A Persian fur!
- And dark glasses.
- Right, dark glasses
in the movie theater.
- And then they see the
lights go down
and they sneak in the
back and sit down.
So in this movie, Ruth
was playing a mother,
with a little girl, exactly
the same age as Shelley.
So as Shelley's watching
the story unfold,
she starts to think that her
mother has another daughter
and that she loves her more.
So she starts crying
and she's inconsolable
and Ruth cannot stop
this child crying.
She's trying to stop her
and shushing her
and getting Kleenex and
whatever and finally,
as there's this moving scene
between the mother and daughter
on screen, she stands up,
she points to the screen
and she says, "That's
not my daughter."
(laughing)
And then lights come up
and the projector goes off,
everybody turns around
to look at them.
And in her grand way she says,
"Thank you, thank you,
carry on please."
(laughing)
- To Ruth.
- To Ruth.
- To Ruth.
- Oh your mother was glamorous.
- Very glam.
- She was. I envied that
confidence that she had.
Natalie had it, that confidence.
- Mm, she did.
- I didn't, I was the
little ugly duckling child.
- Oh, stop.
- Not ugly
- I was, I was.
- I wonder how you turned out.
(laughs)
- Bitter.
- It's interesting about
mothers and daughters
and if your daughter
isn't in your image,
what you do to either make
her seem more like you,
or just the path
towards acceptance,
if they really aren't
a mini me or,
they're different from
you, just how you navigate.
- Everyone's looking at me now.
(laughing)
- Well.
- Well, pretty was
important to her, looks.
- Yeah, there's a
premium on that.
- But it's important
to women right?
- I'm pretty sure she saw
that as a power that's true,
but gee, she was so kind to me.
She took me in when my
mother found another man,
and I came only, I knocked
on the door, I said, Ruth.
And she said, look, come on in.
She's very kind, she
never said anything right?
To any of you?
- No.
- Ruth, thank you.
- That's amazing.
- I think I'd wanna leave
behind this idea
and I know I've told
Nat about this,
that friendship, it
actually takes effort,
that you have to really
in the same way,
marriage or a career,
that with friendships,
you really do have
to be the one,
I mean, this is something
that I've learned,
just over the years to
keep reaching out,
to keep making the effort.
Sometimes friends can
be going through things
and it might feel personal,
and actually just what
gets stitched together,
when you keep reaching out,
which is...
(Maggie coughs)
- Are you okay?
- I'm giving you a stroke?
- No it.
- Oh mm.
- What dear?
- What did you put in this?
(laughs)
- I mean, no I'm sorry.
It was a privilege to be
with your mother.
- Yes.
- And if anything happens
to me I want you there.
- Mm, righty-o.
- Do you want me there?
- All right.
(laughs)
I love you, I want you-
I want you all there.
- I have all the people
that I love so much here,
to pay tribute to our
dear friend.
- Happy birthday Natalie!
- I'm just so happy to
have us all together.
You know because it's
been too long.
- It's true.
- Especially that we
could be here
to celebrate this wonderful day.
Because-
cause we didn't know if
we would ever be able
to celebrate your 41st
birthday together.
We didn't know if you
would be here,
and here you are.
(laughs)
- Oh, no honey.
Um-
Val,
I changed my hair.
- Oh.
- And so I look a little
more like Natalie
than I usually do, but I'm
Shelley, I'm, Natalie's sister.
- Shelley.
- Yeah.
- Right sweetie, it's
Shelley okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Sweetie?
- Oh Christ.
- Don't be scared
it's all right.
- Deep breath.
- I, um,
yeah, I think I'll give
Lizzie a call.
- That's a good idea.
- It's Christmas and-
- Okay.
- I'll go find my phone.
- Oh, sweetie, it's all right.
It's all right, it's
been coming.
- All the times that I
wanted to be Natalie,
I've never wanted it
more than just...
- You handled that very well,
you're so very wonderful.
- Oh here it is,
I think, here it is.
I'll just give her a call.
- Hey, Merry Merry Happy Happy.
- Hey, hey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- You know, Lizzie, I think
I think I, something isn't,
I think I need your help.
I think I need your help.
- Okay.
- Um,
you know, I think there's,
- Val?
I think there's something wrong.
- Okay.
- I think I can see that
there's something wrong,
and um I need you to...
- Val what?
- I need you come
and be with me.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- Yes, Val.
- Okay.
- Who is-
Are you by yourself?
- No no, I have my
- Who's there?
- I have my friends here.
- Everybody's here.
(chattering)
- Here's Rheza.
- What's going on?
- Hi sweetie, its Rheza.
Hey take it easy
everybody's here,
we'd love it if we could talk
to you a little bit later?
All right?
- Okay.
- Cause Val's just a little,
you know, she's a little tired,
roll on tired.
She's got loving arms around
her all night tonight, okay?
Why don't you say goodnight.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi, Val.
- Hi.
- Val.
- Hi sweetheart.
- Can you hear me?
- I can, I can.
- Val?
- I have my friends.
- Val?
- Yeah, yeah.
- I love you.
- Yeah.
- I love you so, so much.
- And I love you sweetheart.
- First friend, best friend.
- Okay.
- Yes?
- Okay, yeah.
- Did you hear me?
- Yeah!
- Okay.
- Okay, I'll see you later.
- Okay honey
- Okay?
- Yes.
- Bye, bye.
- Bye.
- Stay calm.
- That was good now I
feel better.
(chattering)
Thank you, everybody.
- You know I was just thinking,
I don't think
tomorrow's a good day
to go spread these ashes.
- No, that's, it's
important that we do it.
I think we should do it.
And I feel better now and I,
who knows how I'll feel
if we wait so,
I think we should do it
now, I wanna be here for it.
(laughs)
- You're right.
- Okay.
- You are right.
- Good.
- We're doing it.
- Great.
- We're doing it.
- All right.
- Oh here, toast!
- Yes.
- This is yours.
Love and friendship.
- Yeah.
- That's good.
- Cheers.
(upbeat music)
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my jo
For auld lang syne
We'll take a cup of
kindness yet
For auld lang syne
And surely you will
buy your pint
And surely I'll buy mine
We'll take a cup of
kindness yet
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my jo
For auld lang syne
- [Natalie] Many years
have passed since that day,
Val was the first to join
me, Rheza was the last.
And just like Maggie wanted,
we were all there for
each other's passing,
on one side or the other.
We too have run
about the braes
And pulled the daisies fine
And we wandered many
a weary mile
Since auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my jo
For auld lang syne
- There is a land of the
living and a land of the dead.
And the bridge is love.
The only survival,
the only meaning.
For auld lang syne
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
Are you going to
Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one
who lives there
She once was a true
love of mine
Tell her to find me an
acre of land
Parsley, sage,
rosemary, and thyme
Between the salt water and
the sea strands
Then she'll be a true
love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
Then she'll be, she'll be
Then she'll be, she'll be
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love, a true love,
a true love
A true love, a true love,
a true love
A true love, a true
love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be, she'll be
A true love of mine
Then she'll be she'll be