Black Mirror (2011) s07e05 Episode Script
Eulogy
1
[low, thrumming rumbling]
[high-pitched tone]
[ethereal music plays, fades]
- [gentle string music playing]
- [pruning shears click]
[grunts, sighs]
[phone ringing]
[phone ringing]
[phone ringing continues]
Hello.
[man] Hello. Am I speaking
to Mr. Philip Connarthy?
It's pronounced "Connarty."
Apologies. I'm calling on
behalf of a Miss Kelly Royce.
I don't know a Kelly Royce.
Absolutely, but this regards
Miss Royce's mother, Carol Royce.
I don't know a
Carol Royce either.
Her maiden name was
Hartman. Carol Hartman.
Yeah, I know the name.
Um
I knew her. Uh, sorry,
why are you calling?
I'm afraid she passed
away last Wednesday.
Her daughter wanted you to know.
Hello?
- Tell her I'm sorry for her loss. Uh
- Of course.
Thank you for letting me know.
There will, of course, be a
funeral. In London. In England.
In England.
No, um, I can't. Uh
No, that's understood.
I'm not calling about attendance.
I'm from a company called Eulogy.
Eulogy, okay.
We're helping the family
curate an immersive memorial.
Immersive memorial. Mm-hmm.
We've been contacting names
in her mother's old papers,
which is where you were listed.
Locating people who knew Carol in
her youth has been challenging.
If you could contribute a memory, it
would mean a great deal to the family.
- It was all so long ago, and I can't, um
- Well, you won't have to write anything.
The system curates your recollections
and uploads them for the memorial.
- Would you like to take part?
- I'm not sure.
It's entirely voluntary.
If it's easier, we can just send you
the kit, and you can decide then.
The kit?
[pensive music playing]
[camera shutter clicks]
[music fades]
[haunting string music plays]
- [woman's voice] Hello?
- [startled] Ah!
Hello?
[scoffs]
[sighs] Hello?
You don't have to speak directly into
me. Sorry. I know, weird thing to say.
Sorry.
I've got a bit of an opening
spiel I need to do here.
- Go for it.
- Okay.
Today, we celebrate the
life of Carol Royce.
[chuckles]
As guide, my role is to
help you reminisce, relive,
and to curate your
fondest memories of her.
Yeah, can we maybe skip the intro?
Just tell me what you need me to do.
Okay. Uh
So first, let's,
um let's calibrate.
Simply place the guide disc,
uh, that's me, on your temple.
[scoffs]
- This, like, on the side of my, like
- Mm-hmm.
That's it.
Now all you have to
do is think of Carol.
Well, I haven't done
that for a long time.
Mm-hmm. Understood.
But try to recall her now.
Close your eyes and
picture her face.
[wistful string music playing]
[sighs]
Okay, uh, not really
getting anything.
Oh, well sorry, but, um
Just, uh just try to focus.
I am, but it's hard to, uh
To see her clearly?
Yes.
At first, getting
hold of a memory
feels like trying to grab
a river with your hands.
- Oh boy.
- Yeah, sorry, not my words.
That's what the,
uh, brochure says.
What helps are tangible prompts.
Photos, songs, mementos.
That kind of thing.
Can't you supply photos?
Oh, I'm not allowed to
provide external material.
- It would get mixed up with your memories.
- Right.
They do it this way to keep
the recollections accurate.
Right, right, right.
But if you grant access
to your photo cloud,
I can search for
images of Carol.
Smartphones and clouds didn't
exist back when I knew her.
Um, okay, but do you
have any physical photos?
[wistful string music playing]
[sighs]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
[groans]
- Are you there?
- Yeah, did you find some?
- Uh, a few.
- A few?
Okay, three.
- I can process up to 1,500 photos.
- And I got you three.
They recommend a minimum
of six different images.
- Can we just get going?
- Absolutely.
- So?
- So pop me back on.
Lay out the first image you'd like
to import and then look at it.
- Literally just look at it?
- That's right.
Okay. Uh, the first
one is, uh this.
Okay. What are we
looking at here?
That's the day I met Carol.
This would've been in Brooklyn.
Rooftop barbecue at The Coop.
- The Coop?
- Uh, yeah. It used to be a squat. Um
The idea was it was a co-op, so everyone
just called it Coop, hence The Coop.
I mean, we were
just kids, really,
but we called ourselves
artists, musicians misfits.
Well, believe it or not, that, yeah,
that young man is me, and that is Carol.
What, the the woman
with her back to us?
Yeah.
We're looking for a clear
recollection of her.
This is what I have.
We can enhance the moment
by entering the image.
Shall we go in?
- What do you mean "go in"?
- It's easiest to just show you.
- [gasps]
- [intriguing music playing]
[gasps]
Jesus Christ.
[music fades]
- Hi. Sorry.
- [startled] Ah!
- [gasps]
- [chuckles]
- [Philip relieved] Oh.
- [laughs] It's me.
- Your guide.
- Holy crap.
I didn't didn't
mean to make you jump.
No, it it's not
It's just that this is
Yeah. Take a moment
to get your bearings.
[Philip sighs]
[The Guide] This is the photograph
fused with your memories.
Some parts are missing,
but details appear as and
when your memories fill out.
So when this was taken, this was
before you and Carol got together?
[Philip] Huh
Well, I never said
we got together.
Oh, come on. Look at the
way you're looking at her.
And I'm guessing she was looking
back at you the same way.
[wistful string music playing]
I'd made her laugh.
She was new in the house.
I didn't know her,
but I wanted to,
and I'd made her laugh,
and she looked
- Oh Christ.
- It's okay.
No, there's no Um,
I can't see her face.
It'll come to you.
Try to focus on what you
can recall of this moment.
[indistinct chattering]
Okay.
Um
She had just moved in. Uh
She kept to herself. She
had been studying the cello.
She was usually in
her room, practicing.
I think she still had a boyfriend
back home at this point.
Fiancé.
Sorry?
There's an engagement
ring on her finger. See?
The eye can't make that level
of detail out in your photo,
but there's enough for the algorithmic
sharpening to make visible to us in here.
I never knew she was engaged.
Maybe you chose not to
see or not to remember.
No, she never said
it was that serious.
Perhaps she underplayed it.
- Didn't wanna scare you off.
- Uh-huh.
Shall we mark this moment for
potential upload for the memorial?
I don't think her family would
appreciate seeing a fond memory
of her flirting with me while
engaged to someone else.
Hmm, you're right.
Though it would be an honest
representation of her character.
Shall we move on?
[gasps, gulps]
[intriguing music playing]
Jesus Christ.
Yeah. Don't worry.
These transitions should get
less disorientating as you go.
Shall we try your next photo?
Okay.
Looks like another party.
Uh, yeah, I can't remember what
for. Any excuse would do, you know?
That was The Coop.
Okay. A lot of faces. Why don't
you talk me through who's who?
Uh, okay.
That's Emma with
the blonde hair.
[indistinct chattering]
[Philip] And the guy with
the bong, that's Jamo.
And the girl lying
back there is Amanda.
You'd have liked her. She
was British, like you.
But there's no Carol.
Or you.
No, we're not in the photo, but we
were definitely both at this party.
[The Guide] Mm.
Looks like there was a record
playing. "Fools Gold" by
The Stone Roses.
It's one of Amanda's.
Music's great for
jogging the memory.
["Fools Gold" playing]
[indistinct chattering]
[Philip] There.
Right.
Yeah.
We were through there,
down the hall.
That was the first time me
and Carol really got talking.
I was so nervous.
My brain was screaming behind my
ears, "Don't fuck this up, man."
But I didn't fuck it up.
Talking with her was easy.
She was funny.
Can you remember what
you talked about?
No, but
she was like no
one I'd ever known.
Or even thought of knowing.
[laughter]
That was our first
night together.
[sighs, chuckles]
I can't use this either, can I?
"I screwed the deceased.
May she rest in peace."
Probably not.
[sighs]
Um, let's try your last photo.
[sighs] Uh
Me again.
What the hell was I wearing?
[both chuckle]
Don't have a clue who took this.
I didn't notice anyone taking it.
But still no sign of Carol.
No. But I was listening
[intriguing music playing]
to her.
[footsteps approaching]
[Philip] She was in her room.
On her cello, practicing.
Lost in it.
She didn't know I was watching.
[music fades]
- She's in there, but I can't see her.
- Can you remember what she was playing?
This thing she used to play over and
over. It was a beautiful piece of music.
If you can remember the name
of the piece, I can look it up.
Listening might
fill out the memory.
No, it won't be on a service.
She wrote it herself.
It was a piece she composed?
Yeah. She was good.
She was good.
[Philip sighs]
It's a shame you don't have more
photos, but since that's all you have,
perhaps we should try some
other form of stimuli
It's not.
Sorry?
[eerie music sting]
I've got other pictures.
Of her.
Great! Then let's look at those.
They won't help.
[ethereal string music playing]
[sighs] See what I mean?
Yeah.
A year or so after we broke up,
if it had her face in it, I
either threw it out or I did that.
- You were upset with her.
- [chuckles]
That's one way of
putting it, yeah.
You won't ever know how
hard I fell for that girl.
Like, beyond everything.
And she said she always
said she felt the same,
and I believed
she felt the same,
and then she drops me.
Into a pit. Just a fucking pit.
Just cold, bang.
Just, "See ya."
Not a word. Just walks away.
And she went on with her
life while mine just stopped.
So that was me.
Lost. No hope. Nothing.
[sighs] So then came the drinking,
all that shit, the desperation of it.
The fucking shame.
Me and Carol were
together three years.
It took me 15 to climb out
of the hole she put me in.
- So, yes. I was upset.
- And you never stayed in touch?
[laughs]
Uh, no.
[laughs] No, we did not.
Reexamining the past isn't
always comfortable, but
Okay, sorry.
But, yeah,
there were good times
when we were together.
I know that. But, uh
that's all gone.
I can't even picture
her face anymore.
Do you want to stop?
[wistful string music playing]
No.
Well, do you have any
particular memories
associated with what's
left of these photos?
I don't Um
Used to, maybe? I don't know.
It's just the more
you can recall,
the more likely it is we can
restore your memory of her face.
All right, then. Let's
let's try this one.
Which one's you?
[laughs]
Sorry, I'm joking.
Oh, you're hilarious.
What do you remember about
the day this was taken?
It was wet.
Well, that's a start.
Let's see what else
you can recall.
[The Guide] So where
exactly are we?
Uh, the pier at Cape Cod.
[Philip chuckles]
Well, that's where you live now.
Yeah, well, I inherited my folks'
house, but they were out of town,
so we took the opportunity to
take a cheap little vacation.
My first getaway
with a girlfriend.
Who took the photo?
Uh, just a tourist.
Some passerby we handed
the camera to and asked.
I liked this photo
more than Carol did.
- She wasn't into hot dogs?
- No, it was the beer.
"You could've put that
bottle down for the picture."
[chuckles] Well,
yeah. She had a point.
Yeah.
You know, it was on this trip
that we knew we were serious.
Lying in bed, fascinated
by each other's eyes.
"I love you" back
and forth, all that.
Nothing else existed. Just us.
That's all we needed.
We made plans.
Man, we were so young.
[sentimental music playing]
So what were the plans?
Well, we decided to get
our own place together.
Oh, black and white?
That's a bit arty.
[Philip] This was it. Tiny
place over a piano store.
Uh, I took the picture, so I
would have been about there.
[The Guide] Mm.
Can you remember what color
she's painting with here?
[Philip] The walls were
nicotine-yellow when we moved in.
First place of our
own for both of us.
We wanted to make our mark, so we
painted the whole place blue.
[chuckles] Yeah,
that's it. Blue.
[laughs] Yes!
[laughs]
Oh my God, the landlord lost his shit.
We weren't supposed to redecorate.
It was a stupid idea, really.
It made it look even
smaller than it already was.
- The two of you were happy here?
- Mm-hmm.
Just me and her.
And the cello.
Yeah, we both kept up the music.
She'd joined the band by now.
- You were in a band together?
- Oh yeah. I'll show you.
Here, it's one of our gigs.
It's about '91, I think.
I stabbed it with a pen.
Will it still work?
Should do.
- [muffled rock music playing]
- There we are.
So Carol played keyboards?
Yeah, that was my idea.
Not cello?
Cello wouldn't have
fitted our sound.
You could adapt the sound.
She could play anything.
It might not have been the
cello, but she was fine with it.
She told you that?
Sorry, it's not a trial.
[Philip] No, it's not.
[Philip chuckles]
We were getting
quite a following.
- [music continues]
- [crowd cheering]
I'm not saying we were a big
deal, but maybe we could've been.
Have you got a recording? It might
bring back more of the moment.
Not anymore, no.
Zeke quit the band, moved to
Seattle, decided he was God,
and that was it for us.
So, no, no recording.
It's just as well.
Hearing his voice gives
me hives, to be honest.
He went on to become
a big deal, didn't he?
Yeah, well, assholes prosper.
Maybe we could've kept
going without him, but
Carol's heart wasn't in it.
- Maybe you should have let her play cello.
- Maybe you could say "cello" again.
- Well, the cello was important to her.
- I know.
She played it her whole life.
Taught her daughter to play it.
Are you supposed to be mildly
annoying? Is that how they coded you?
I wasn't really coded.
- More generated.
- Okay.
Generated from some
digital asshole.
Sorry.
Apology accepted.
Let's try another picture.
Okay, so these are
definitely all '91.
- Halloween at the Undervault.
- Oh, this is good.
With multiple photos, we'll get
a composite of the entire night.
[indistinct chattering]
[Philip] Yeah, Jamo
took a whole bunch.
Wild night. A lot of
drinking. And I mean a lot.
Jesus, that's Carol in red there. I
was so mad, I used a cigarette on this.
- You burned your own face out too?
- That's not me.
[music playing on speakers]
That's me in the hockey mask.
I had the bar job by now.
So who's Beetlejuice?
Just some dickbag trying
his luck with my girlfriend.
Even though you're standing right there
dressed like Jason from Friday the 13th?
Exactly. I was that close, and
she still just sat with this guy.
Right in front of me.
[The Guide] Looks like
you had company too.
Who's she?
Oh, that's Emma.
She was in The Coop
photos earlier.
[Philip] Yeah, she
worked there too.
The two of you get on?
We worked together.
Oh Jesus. Not you too.
[scoffs]
Carol thought I encouraged
her, which I didn't.
It was a bar job, for Christ's sake.
You joke around. [chuckles] You know?
So she was jealous?
We fought about it that night.
I was pissed she'd been sitting
all night with Mr. Asshole.
Looks like she wants
to get away from him.
[Philip] What?
She's leaning back,
like his breath smells.
Okay, that's one snapshot.
Believe me, she
could've moved anytime.
- She was there the whole night with him.
- The whole night?
Absolutely.
I think so.
See that area?
Jamo must've photographed it
at some other point that night.
Isn't that Carol with
her back to us in red?
Okay, not the whole
night, literally.
It was just a stupid fight.
She went on and on,
and then she blamed me that
she didn't get an early night
'cause she had some audition
tryout thing the next day.
Brooklyn Philharmonic.
For the cello.
And she didn't get it.
She must've been sad about that.
Not for long. [sighs]
It opened the door to
other things for her.
When the orchestra gig didn't
work out, she was bummed.
She didn't have any work.
But then Amanda, the
British girl from The Coop,
she'd moved back home,
pulled a couple of strings.
Got Carol a six-month placement
in the orchestra pit for Phantom
of the Opera, of all things.
London's West End.
Total tourist bullshit, but
she was excited.
Yes, she was.
You didn't want her to go?
Oh, she kept saying, "It's
just for a few months," but
it's easy to say that when you're
the one going on an adventure.
[sighs]
She sent me a
postcard every week.
Upbeat, but saying
she missed me.
Little poems and such.
Maybe we could scan
in one of the
- Oh.
- I was thorough.
So you didn't see
her for a while?
No, but we arranged for me
to fly out there in the fall,
see her for a long weekend, but
it felt so far away, you know?
A long time on my own.
What's this?
My birthday.
So you weren't alone the
whole time she was gone.
What do you mean?
Well, someone took this photo.
[mysterious music playing]
So that's
Emma. [sighs]
Oh God, yeah.
Uh
Oh Christ, yeah. [chuckles]
Um, don't look at me like that.
- [The Guide] Like what?
- Like you are.
I'm not looking at
you like anything.
[groans]
[chuckles]
Okay, so it was my birthday.
I had a few drinks at work.
Uh, not my idea. They were
practically forcing shots on me.
[The Guide] Sure.
And Emma came back to the
apartment, and, you know
Uh, we weren't [scoffs]
[splutters] It was
a dumb thing, okay?
It was just a one-off thing.
[sighs]
I mean, we'd we'd have just
regretted it, me and Emma, in secret.
It wouldn't have been a
big fucking deal if
If what?
[phone ringing]
[phone ringing]
I mean, Carol never called.
Couldn't afford to.
- Long distance back then was a fortune.
- [phone ringing]
But this night,
she gets up early and called
to sing me "Happy Birthday,"
and Emma answers the call.
I don't know why.
- Making mischief?
- Yeah, I don't know, maybe.
Anyhow, shit hit the fan.
Me and Carol screaming at
each other down the line.
She yelled all kinds of shit. I
yelled all kinds of shit back.
[sighs]
Just ugly, scorched-earth stuff.
Ugly.
[sighs]
She hung up on me.
Or I hung up on her.
I don't know. I can't
fucking remember.
[sighs]
But, yeah, anyway,
not good.
Do you want to mark this memory for
potential upload? For the memorial?
I never said I was perfect.
You've said a lot
about Carol's failings.
"She did this, she did that,
she's the root of all evil."
[chuckles] Okay, you
don't understand.
What did she do that was
so awful, so heinous,
you become this wounded dog?
I haven't shown you yet.
[solemn string music playing]
You remember I told you we
arranged for me to fly out there?
- Mm-hmm.
- I already had my ticket, so
- So Carol knew you were coming.
- Right.
A few months or so
after my birthday.
Now, she was staying in this
British family's spare room
in the sticks somewhere,
so I booked us a stupid suite in a
hotel I couldn't afford. [chuckles]
Big romantic.
[chuckles] Nice.
I went to the matinee.
Not my thing, and I couldn't
even see her, of course.
She was in the pit somewhere, but
I met her at the stage door after.
I took her suitcase
back to the hotel,
and
we went out for dinner.
Anywhere nice?
To a fancy restaurant.
I'd read this article
about it on the flight.
When I landed, I called to see
if they had a table for two.
I think they bumped someone when
I told them what I was gonna do.
What do you mean?
[ethereal string music playing]
We were over here.
So walk through what happened.
Well, uh
she looked kind of the
same but different.
She said she'd put on weight,
but I couldn't see that.
I thought she looked beautiful.
And I ordered a bottle of champagne.
First time I'd done that anywhere.
But she didn't touch it. She
didn't wanna drink anything.
And I was like, "Come on." [chuckles]
"I've come all this way. Have one."
But no.
So I had to bite my tongue because,
you know, it was irritating.
I had the ring in my
pocket, so I was nervous.
I'm draining the glasses.
And, finally, I
pluck up the nerve,
and I take out the ring,
and I almost dropped it.
I was so jittery.
And she looks at it, and
she goes quiet.
She doesn't say anything.
She doesn't even look at me.
And now the waitresses
are shooting looks over
'cause they know I'm there to
propose, so I'm on display, you know?
My cheeks are burning. My throat
is dry, so I'm drinking more.
And then, in the end, I just
I ask her, "Just say something."
"Say anything." [sighs]
And she's just
staring at the floor,
so I bang the
table with my fist,
and now everybody's watching,
and she just gets up
and walks out.
There's just silence. There's
just the clanging in the kitchen.
And I'm there, and
everyone's quiet, the staff
can't make eye contact,
just this stink of
humiliation on me.
[hand thuds]
So I sat there, and I
finished that bottle.
They told me I didn't have to pay
for it, but I insisted I would.
- I didn't want their pity.
- No, because you could provide your own.
What?
You're talking a lot
about how sad you were.
I was destroyed.
And how was she?
I'm not saying that she was a
big, happy fucking sandwich,
but she walked out on me.
Not a word as to why.
Would you have listened if she told
you? A bottle of champagne down.
- Of course.
- So why do you think she left?
Maybe she was cheating.
Maybe she was sick of
me. Maybe she was cruel.
She she knew that I was coming.
She could have ended it on the phone.
She made me fly all
that way. She knew
But not that you were
coming to propose.
Like that's a big difference.
You said this was autumn '92?
Fall, yes, like October.
She looked sort of
different. Wouldn't drink.
She was pregnant.
With me.
Kelly Royce.
Carol's daughter.
The one she taught
to play cello.
[Philip sighs]
Don't worry. You're not my dad.
He was a one-night stand.
Played xylophone in the
orchestra, believe it or not.
[surprised gasp]
You're Carol's daughter?
Yes. Well, kind of.
I'm not real.
I'm a disposable avatar.
A temp guide. An echo, really.
I'm programmed with her
thoughts and opinions
so I can decide what
she'd like to include
without her having to be
exposed to everything herself,
which, as you can imagine,
might be upsetting.
Why didn't you say?
You said, "Skip the intro."
[sighs]
So you know everything that
the real daughter knows?
Mm-hmm. More or less.
So you already knew everything
I've been telling you here.
Well, some of it,
but, to be honest, she never really
spoke much about this time in her life.
- Right.
- I think looking back was painful for her.
It doesn't mean your time
together wasn't meaningful.
- Probably the opposite.
- Mm.
This guy, your dad.
[The Guide inhales]
- What was he like? I just wanna know.
- [exhales] Why?
- She cheated with him.
- You mean, followed your lead?
Could you just tell me?
I never knew much about
him. He was called Brian.
- Brian?
- Yeah.
And they were never together.
And by the time I was
born, he was in Manchester.
I saw him maybe
five or six times.
And the last time, he was ranting about
some online rabbit-hole conspiracy theory.
And the year after that,
I heard he died of Covid.
Oh boy.
He sounds like a real catch.
Great choice, Carol.
[scoffs] Great choice.
[Philip sighs]
Sorry.
It's okay.
She'd agree. [chuckles]
[pensive string music playing]
She said she wrote to you to explain
or at least start the conversation,
and you never replied.
- She never wrote to me.
- It's what she told me.
She never wrote! [scoffs]
Or I never got it.
I I didn't get it.
[splutters] I'd have listened.
Yeah, and said, "Get rid of it."
No! I don't know. [splutters]
We'd have talked it over.
- And you'd have heard her?
- Yes, I would! Yes, I would!
[music fades]
[sighs, sniffles]
I wanna get out of here.
[sighs]
[exhales]
[sighs]
[sighs]
I just wanna see her, you know?
Maybe there's something else
that could jog your memory?
I don't know.
Well, um, what
about in that box?
[Philip sighs]
Is that, like, a camera there?
- [sighs] This?
- Yeah.
[chuckles] It's a
disposable camera.
Big in the '90s. I
got it at the airport.
The plan was we would take
photos around the city together.
That never happened,
of course. We never
[intriguing music playing]
[Philip] Here.
- I haven't seen one of these in forever.
- Can you still process it?
- There's only one photo been taken.
- I know, I know, I know.
- I'll have to wind it on.
- Okay.
- You'll waste the rest of the film.
- But you can retrieve the one photo?
Might take a while.
I'll wait. [sighs]
Matte or gloss?
Matte.
[music fades]
[The Guide] So?
Was there anything on it?
Here.
I think I took this.
Just a nothing photo.
Oh.
Look, we could still go in.
[sighs] What's the point?
Well, you took it on your trip,
so it might give us something.
Sure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Philip] Told you. It's nothing.
This was the hotel room.
When I came back from the
restaurant, her case was gone,
so I knew that was that.
[tuts]
And I took it out on the room.
It was pathetic.
What are you even looking for?
[The Guide] I just want to see
what your camera picked up.
There's a note here.
It says "Philly."
System sharpened it up.
There's a piece of paper
with "Philly" written on it.
- That's what she called me.
- I'm pretty sure it's her writing.
Well, I I never saw that.
- [Philip grunts]
- No, Philip, it's just part of an image.
- You
- Oh, come on.
You won't be able to pick it up. I'm
sorry. That's just not how it works.
No, come on.
Please, come on.
[grunts, pants]
Get me out of here.
[snorts]
- Maybe you kept it somewhere.
- [sighs]
- No.
- Are you sure?
I'd fucking remember.
[sighs] Sorry.
It's okay.
Let's just walk through what you
did after you took the photo.
Um
I just smashed
the room up. Uh
I went out, drank
myself into a blur.
And when I got back,
the maid had cleaned the place
up, put it all in a little pile.
I just packed everything up,
I I put it away,
and I never
[ethereal music playing]
Uh
[Philip sighs]
[Carol] Philly, I have
to tell you something.
I couldn't say earlier. I froze.
I'm sorry.
Please please don't hate me.
That day I rang and
got Emma, I was so mad.
I had a one-night stand with
someone in the orchestra here.
It didn't mean
anything, and I'm sorry.
I've missed my period.
I don't know what to do.
I love you, and I want us to work,
but I don't know how you'll feel.
I think I wanna keep the baby.
I don't know.
But could you live
with that if I did?
If you still wanna talk,
meet me tomorrow afternoon at the
stage door, after the matinee.
I'll understand if you
never wanna see me again.
I hope you do.
I love you,
Carol.
[sobs]
[sighs]
[music subsides]
[The Guide] I'm so sorry.
[cassette clatters]
[Carol chuckles] Okay, Philly.
So you asked me to record
this piece of music for you.
[Philip tuts]
[Carol] Careful
what you wish for.
Let's see her.
[poignant string music playing]
[music fades]
[cello music continues]
[cello music continues]
[cello music continues]
[music fades]
[low, thrumming rumbling]
[high-pitched tone]
[ethereal music plays, fades]
- [gentle string music playing]
- [pruning shears click]
[grunts, sighs]
[phone ringing]
[phone ringing]
[phone ringing continues]
Hello.
[man] Hello. Am I speaking
to Mr. Philip Connarthy?
It's pronounced "Connarty."
Apologies. I'm calling on
behalf of a Miss Kelly Royce.
I don't know a Kelly Royce.
Absolutely, but this regards
Miss Royce's mother, Carol Royce.
I don't know a
Carol Royce either.
Her maiden name was
Hartman. Carol Hartman.
Yeah, I know the name.
Um
I knew her. Uh, sorry,
why are you calling?
I'm afraid she passed
away last Wednesday.
Her daughter wanted you to know.
Hello?
- Tell her I'm sorry for her loss. Uh
- Of course.
Thank you for letting me know.
There will, of course, be a
funeral. In London. In England.
In England.
No, um, I can't. Uh
No, that's understood.
I'm not calling about attendance.
I'm from a company called Eulogy.
Eulogy, okay.
We're helping the family
curate an immersive memorial.
Immersive memorial. Mm-hmm.
We've been contacting names
in her mother's old papers,
which is where you were listed.
Locating people who knew Carol in
her youth has been challenging.
If you could contribute a memory, it
would mean a great deal to the family.
- It was all so long ago, and I can't, um
- Well, you won't have to write anything.
The system curates your recollections
and uploads them for the memorial.
- Would you like to take part?
- I'm not sure.
It's entirely voluntary.
If it's easier, we can just send you
the kit, and you can decide then.
The kit?
[pensive music playing]
[camera shutter clicks]
[music fades]
[haunting string music plays]
- [woman's voice] Hello?
- [startled] Ah!
Hello?
[scoffs]
[sighs] Hello?
You don't have to speak directly into
me. Sorry. I know, weird thing to say.
Sorry.
I've got a bit of an opening
spiel I need to do here.
- Go for it.
- Okay.
Today, we celebrate the
life of Carol Royce.
[chuckles]
As guide, my role is to
help you reminisce, relive,
and to curate your
fondest memories of her.
Yeah, can we maybe skip the intro?
Just tell me what you need me to do.
Okay. Uh
So first, let's,
um let's calibrate.
Simply place the guide disc,
uh, that's me, on your temple.
[scoffs]
- This, like, on the side of my, like
- Mm-hmm.
That's it.
Now all you have to
do is think of Carol.
Well, I haven't done
that for a long time.
Mm-hmm. Understood.
But try to recall her now.
Close your eyes and
picture her face.
[wistful string music playing]
[sighs]
Okay, uh, not really
getting anything.
Oh, well sorry, but, um
Just, uh just try to focus.
I am, but it's hard to, uh
To see her clearly?
Yes.
At first, getting
hold of a memory
feels like trying to grab
a river with your hands.
- Oh boy.
- Yeah, sorry, not my words.
That's what the,
uh, brochure says.
What helps are tangible prompts.
Photos, songs, mementos.
That kind of thing.
Can't you supply photos?
Oh, I'm not allowed to
provide external material.
- It would get mixed up with your memories.
- Right.
They do it this way to keep
the recollections accurate.
Right, right, right.
But if you grant access
to your photo cloud,
I can search for
images of Carol.
Smartphones and clouds didn't
exist back when I knew her.
Um, okay, but do you
have any physical photos?
[wistful string music playing]
[sighs]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
[groans]
- Are you there?
- Yeah, did you find some?
- Uh, a few.
- A few?
Okay, three.
- I can process up to 1,500 photos.
- And I got you three.
They recommend a minimum
of six different images.
- Can we just get going?
- Absolutely.
- So?
- So pop me back on.
Lay out the first image you'd like
to import and then look at it.
- Literally just look at it?
- That's right.
Okay. Uh, the first
one is, uh this.
Okay. What are we
looking at here?
That's the day I met Carol.
This would've been in Brooklyn.
Rooftop barbecue at The Coop.
- The Coop?
- Uh, yeah. It used to be a squat. Um
The idea was it was a co-op, so everyone
just called it Coop, hence The Coop.
I mean, we were
just kids, really,
but we called ourselves
artists, musicians misfits.
Well, believe it or not, that, yeah,
that young man is me, and that is Carol.
What, the the woman
with her back to us?
Yeah.
We're looking for a clear
recollection of her.
This is what I have.
We can enhance the moment
by entering the image.
Shall we go in?
- What do you mean "go in"?
- It's easiest to just show you.
- [gasps]
- [intriguing music playing]
[gasps]
Jesus Christ.
[music fades]
- Hi. Sorry.
- [startled] Ah!
- [gasps]
- [chuckles]
- [Philip relieved] Oh.
- [laughs] It's me.
- Your guide.
- Holy crap.
I didn't didn't
mean to make you jump.
No, it it's not
It's just that this is
Yeah. Take a moment
to get your bearings.
[Philip sighs]
[The Guide] This is the photograph
fused with your memories.
Some parts are missing,
but details appear as and
when your memories fill out.
So when this was taken, this was
before you and Carol got together?
[Philip] Huh
Well, I never said
we got together.
Oh, come on. Look at the
way you're looking at her.
And I'm guessing she was looking
back at you the same way.
[wistful string music playing]
I'd made her laugh.
She was new in the house.
I didn't know her,
but I wanted to,
and I'd made her laugh,
and she looked
- Oh Christ.
- It's okay.
No, there's no Um,
I can't see her face.
It'll come to you.
Try to focus on what you
can recall of this moment.
[indistinct chattering]
Okay.
Um
She had just moved in. Uh
She kept to herself. She
had been studying the cello.
She was usually in
her room, practicing.
I think she still had a boyfriend
back home at this point.
Fiancé.
Sorry?
There's an engagement
ring on her finger. See?
The eye can't make that level
of detail out in your photo,
but there's enough for the algorithmic
sharpening to make visible to us in here.
I never knew she was engaged.
Maybe you chose not to
see or not to remember.
No, she never said
it was that serious.
Perhaps she underplayed it.
- Didn't wanna scare you off.
- Uh-huh.
Shall we mark this moment for
potential upload for the memorial?
I don't think her family would
appreciate seeing a fond memory
of her flirting with me while
engaged to someone else.
Hmm, you're right.
Though it would be an honest
representation of her character.
Shall we move on?
[gasps, gulps]
[intriguing music playing]
Jesus Christ.
Yeah. Don't worry.
These transitions should get
less disorientating as you go.
Shall we try your next photo?
Okay.
Looks like another party.
Uh, yeah, I can't remember what
for. Any excuse would do, you know?
That was The Coop.
Okay. A lot of faces. Why don't
you talk me through who's who?
Uh, okay.
That's Emma with
the blonde hair.
[indistinct chattering]
[Philip] And the guy with
the bong, that's Jamo.
And the girl lying
back there is Amanda.
You'd have liked her. She
was British, like you.
But there's no Carol.
Or you.
No, we're not in the photo, but we
were definitely both at this party.
[The Guide] Mm.
Looks like there was a record
playing. "Fools Gold" by
The Stone Roses.
It's one of Amanda's.
Music's great for
jogging the memory.
["Fools Gold" playing]
[indistinct chattering]
[Philip] There.
Right.
Yeah.
We were through there,
down the hall.
That was the first time me
and Carol really got talking.
I was so nervous.
My brain was screaming behind my
ears, "Don't fuck this up, man."
But I didn't fuck it up.
Talking with her was easy.
She was funny.
Can you remember what
you talked about?
No, but
she was like no
one I'd ever known.
Or even thought of knowing.
[laughter]
That was our first
night together.
[sighs, chuckles]
I can't use this either, can I?
"I screwed the deceased.
May she rest in peace."
Probably not.
[sighs]
Um, let's try your last photo.
[sighs] Uh
Me again.
What the hell was I wearing?
[both chuckle]
Don't have a clue who took this.
I didn't notice anyone taking it.
But still no sign of Carol.
No. But I was listening
[intriguing music playing]
to her.
[footsteps approaching]
[Philip] She was in her room.
On her cello, practicing.
Lost in it.
She didn't know I was watching.
[music fades]
- She's in there, but I can't see her.
- Can you remember what she was playing?
This thing she used to play over and
over. It was a beautiful piece of music.
If you can remember the name
of the piece, I can look it up.
Listening might
fill out the memory.
No, it won't be on a service.
She wrote it herself.
It was a piece she composed?
Yeah. She was good.
She was good.
[Philip sighs]
It's a shame you don't have more
photos, but since that's all you have,
perhaps we should try some
other form of stimuli
It's not.
Sorry?
[eerie music sting]
I've got other pictures.
Of her.
Great! Then let's look at those.
They won't help.
[ethereal string music playing]
[sighs] See what I mean?
Yeah.
A year or so after we broke up,
if it had her face in it, I
either threw it out or I did that.
- You were upset with her.
- [chuckles]
That's one way of
putting it, yeah.
You won't ever know how
hard I fell for that girl.
Like, beyond everything.
And she said she always
said she felt the same,
and I believed
she felt the same,
and then she drops me.
Into a pit. Just a fucking pit.
Just cold, bang.
Just, "See ya."
Not a word. Just walks away.
And she went on with her
life while mine just stopped.
So that was me.
Lost. No hope. Nothing.
[sighs] So then came the drinking,
all that shit, the desperation of it.
The fucking shame.
Me and Carol were
together three years.
It took me 15 to climb out
of the hole she put me in.
- So, yes. I was upset.
- And you never stayed in touch?
[laughs]
Uh, no.
[laughs] No, we did not.
Reexamining the past isn't
always comfortable, but
Okay, sorry.
But, yeah,
there were good times
when we were together.
I know that. But, uh
that's all gone.
I can't even picture
her face anymore.
Do you want to stop?
[wistful string music playing]
No.
Well, do you have any
particular memories
associated with what's
left of these photos?
I don't Um
Used to, maybe? I don't know.
It's just the more
you can recall,
the more likely it is we can
restore your memory of her face.
All right, then. Let's
let's try this one.
Which one's you?
[laughs]
Sorry, I'm joking.
Oh, you're hilarious.
What do you remember about
the day this was taken?
It was wet.
Well, that's a start.
Let's see what else
you can recall.
[The Guide] So where
exactly are we?
Uh, the pier at Cape Cod.
[Philip chuckles]
Well, that's where you live now.
Yeah, well, I inherited my folks'
house, but they were out of town,
so we took the opportunity to
take a cheap little vacation.
My first getaway
with a girlfriend.
Who took the photo?
Uh, just a tourist.
Some passerby we handed
the camera to and asked.
I liked this photo
more than Carol did.
- She wasn't into hot dogs?
- No, it was the beer.
"You could've put that
bottle down for the picture."
[chuckles] Well,
yeah. She had a point.
Yeah.
You know, it was on this trip
that we knew we were serious.
Lying in bed, fascinated
by each other's eyes.
"I love you" back
and forth, all that.
Nothing else existed. Just us.
That's all we needed.
We made plans.
Man, we were so young.
[sentimental music playing]
So what were the plans?
Well, we decided to get
our own place together.
Oh, black and white?
That's a bit arty.
[Philip] This was it. Tiny
place over a piano store.
Uh, I took the picture, so I
would have been about there.
[The Guide] Mm.
Can you remember what color
she's painting with here?
[Philip] The walls were
nicotine-yellow when we moved in.
First place of our
own for both of us.
We wanted to make our mark, so we
painted the whole place blue.
[chuckles] Yeah,
that's it. Blue.
[laughs] Yes!
[laughs]
Oh my God, the landlord lost his shit.
We weren't supposed to redecorate.
It was a stupid idea, really.
It made it look even
smaller than it already was.
- The two of you were happy here?
- Mm-hmm.
Just me and her.
And the cello.
Yeah, we both kept up the music.
She'd joined the band by now.
- You were in a band together?
- Oh yeah. I'll show you.
Here, it's one of our gigs.
It's about '91, I think.
I stabbed it with a pen.
Will it still work?
Should do.
- [muffled rock music playing]
- There we are.
So Carol played keyboards?
Yeah, that was my idea.
Not cello?
Cello wouldn't have
fitted our sound.
You could adapt the sound.
She could play anything.
It might not have been the
cello, but she was fine with it.
She told you that?
Sorry, it's not a trial.
[Philip] No, it's not.
[Philip chuckles]
We were getting
quite a following.
- [music continues]
- [crowd cheering]
I'm not saying we were a big
deal, but maybe we could've been.
Have you got a recording? It might
bring back more of the moment.
Not anymore, no.
Zeke quit the band, moved to
Seattle, decided he was God,
and that was it for us.
So, no, no recording.
It's just as well.
Hearing his voice gives
me hives, to be honest.
He went on to become
a big deal, didn't he?
Yeah, well, assholes prosper.
Maybe we could've kept
going without him, but
Carol's heart wasn't in it.
- Maybe you should have let her play cello.
- Maybe you could say "cello" again.
- Well, the cello was important to her.
- I know.
She played it her whole life.
Taught her daughter to play it.
Are you supposed to be mildly
annoying? Is that how they coded you?
I wasn't really coded.
- More generated.
- Okay.
Generated from some
digital asshole.
Sorry.
Apology accepted.
Let's try another picture.
Okay, so these are
definitely all '91.
- Halloween at the Undervault.
- Oh, this is good.
With multiple photos, we'll get
a composite of the entire night.
[indistinct chattering]
[Philip] Yeah, Jamo
took a whole bunch.
Wild night. A lot of
drinking. And I mean a lot.
Jesus, that's Carol in red there. I
was so mad, I used a cigarette on this.
- You burned your own face out too?
- That's not me.
[music playing on speakers]
That's me in the hockey mask.
I had the bar job by now.
So who's Beetlejuice?
Just some dickbag trying
his luck with my girlfriend.
Even though you're standing right there
dressed like Jason from Friday the 13th?
Exactly. I was that close, and
she still just sat with this guy.
Right in front of me.
[The Guide] Looks like
you had company too.
Who's she?
Oh, that's Emma.
She was in The Coop
photos earlier.
[Philip] Yeah, she
worked there too.
The two of you get on?
We worked together.
Oh Jesus. Not you too.
[scoffs]
Carol thought I encouraged
her, which I didn't.
It was a bar job, for Christ's sake.
You joke around. [chuckles] You know?
So she was jealous?
We fought about it that night.
I was pissed she'd been sitting
all night with Mr. Asshole.
Looks like she wants
to get away from him.
[Philip] What?
She's leaning back,
like his breath smells.
Okay, that's one snapshot.
Believe me, she
could've moved anytime.
- She was there the whole night with him.
- The whole night?
Absolutely.
I think so.
See that area?
Jamo must've photographed it
at some other point that night.
Isn't that Carol with
her back to us in red?
Okay, not the whole
night, literally.
It was just a stupid fight.
She went on and on,
and then she blamed me that
she didn't get an early night
'cause she had some audition
tryout thing the next day.
Brooklyn Philharmonic.
For the cello.
And she didn't get it.
She must've been sad about that.
Not for long. [sighs]
It opened the door to
other things for her.
When the orchestra gig didn't
work out, she was bummed.
She didn't have any work.
But then Amanda, the
British girl from The Coop,
she'd moved back home,
pulled a couple of strings.
Got Carol a six-month placement
in the orchestra pit for Phantom
of the Opera, of all things.
London's West End.
Total tourist bullshit, but
she was excited.
Yes, she was.
You didn't want her to go?
Oh, she kept saying, "It's
just for a few months," but
it's easy to say that when you're
the one going on an adventure.
[sighs]
She sent me a
postcard every week.
Upbeat, but saying
she missed me.
Little poems and such.
Maybe we could scan
in one of the
- Oh.
- I was thorough.
So you didn't see
her for a while?
No, but we arranged for me
to fly out there in the fall,
see her for a long weekend, but
it felt so far away, you know?
A long time on my own.
What's this?
My birthday.
So you weren't alone the
whole time she was gone.
What do you mean?
Well, someone took this photo.
[mysterious music playing]
So that's
Emma. [sighs]
Oh God, yeah.
Uh
Oh Christ, yeah. [chuckles]
Um, don't look at me like that.
- [The Guide] Like what?
- Like you are.
I'm not looking at
you like anything.
[groans]
[chuckles]
Okay, so it was my birthday.
I had a few drinks at work.
Uh, not my idea. They were
practically forcing shots on me.
[The Guide] Sure.
And Emma came back to the
apartment, and, you know
Uh, we weren't [scoffs]
[splutters] It was
a dumb thing, okay?
It was just a one-off thing.
[sighs]
I mean, we'd we'd have just
regretted it, me and Emma, in secret.
It wouldn't have been a
big fucking deal if
If what?
[phone ringing]
[phone ringing]
I mean, Carol never called.
Couldn't afford to.
- Long distance back then was a fortune.
- [phone ringing]
But this night,
she gets up early and called
to sing me "Happy Birthday,"
and Emma answers the call.
I don't know why.
- Making mischief?
- Yeah, I don't know, maybe.
Anyhow, shit hit the fan.
Me and Carol screaming at
each other down the line.
She yelled all kinds of shit. I
yelled all kinds of shit back.
[sighs]
Just ugly, scorched-earth stuff.
Ugly.
[sighs]
She hung up on me.
Or I hung up on her.
I don't know. I can't
fucking remember.
[sighs]
But, yeah, anyway,
not good.
Do you want to mark this memory for
potential upload? For the memorial?
I never said I was perfect.
You've said a lot
about Carol's failings.
"She did this, she did that,
she's the root of all evil."
[chuckles] Okay, you
don't understand.
What did she do that was
so awful, so heinous,
you become this wounded dog?
I haven't shown you yet.
[solemn string music playing]
You remember I told you we
arranged for me to fly out there?
- Mm-hmm.
- I already had my ticket, so
- So Carol knew you were coming.
- Right.
A few months or so
after my birthday.
Now, she was staying in this
British family's spare room
in the sticks somewhere,
so I booked us a stupid suite in a
hotel I couldn't afford. [chuckles]
Big romantic.
[chuckles] Nice.
I went to the matinee.
Not my thing, and I couldn't
even see her, of course.
She was in the pit somewhere, but
I met her at the stage door after.
I took her suitcase
back to the hotel,
and
we went out for dinner.
Anywhere nice?
To a fancy restaurant.
I'd read this article
about it on the flight.
When I landed, I called to see
if they had a table for two.
I think they bumped someone when
I told them what I was gonna do.
What do you mean?
[ethereal string music playing]
We were over here.
So walk through what happened.
Well, uh
she looked kind of the
same but different.
She said she'd put on weight,
but I couldn't see that.
I thought she looked beautiful.
And I ordered a bottle of champagne.
First time I'd done that anywhere.
But she didn't touch it. She
didn't wanna drink anything.
And I was like, "Come on." [chuckles]
"I've come all this way. Have one."
But no.
So I had to bite my tongue because,
you know, it was irritating.
I had the ring in my
pocket, so I was nervous.
I'm draining the glasses.
And, finally, I
pluck up the nerve,
and I take out the ring,
and I almost dropped it.
I was so jittery.
And she looks at it, and
she goes quiet.
She doesn't say anything.
She doesn't even look at me.
And now the waitresses
are shooting looks over
'cause they know I'm there to
propose, so I'm on display, you know?
My cheeks are burning. My throat
is dry, so I'm drinking more.
And then, in the end, I just
I ask her, "Just say something."
"Say anything." [sighs]
And she's just
staring at the floor,
so I bang the
table with my fist,
and now everybody's watching,
and she just gets up
and walks out.
There's just silence. There's
just the clanging in the kitchen.
And I'm there, and
everyone's quiet, the staff
can't make eye contact,
just this stink of
humiliation on me.
[hand thuds]
So I sat there, and I
finished that bottle.
They told me I didn't have to pay
for it, but I insisted I would.
- I didn't want their pity.
- No, because you could provide your own.
What?
You're talking a lot
about how sad you were.
I was destroyed.
And how was she?
I'm not saying that she was a
big, happy fucking sandwich,
but she walked out on me.
Not a word as to why.
Would you have listened if she told
you? A bottle of champagne down.
- Of course.
- So why do you think she left?
Maybe she was cheating.
Maybe she was sick of
me. Maybe she was cruel.
She she knew that I was coming.
She could have ended it on the phone.
She made me fly all
that way. She knew
But not that you were
coming to propose.
Like that's a big difference.
You said this was autumn '92?
Fall, yes, like October.
She looked sort of
different. Wouldn't drink.
She was pregnant.
With me.
Kelly Royce.
Carol's daughter.
The one she taught
to play cello.
[Philip sighs]
Don't worry. You're not my dad.
He was a one-night stand.
Played xylophone in the
orchestra, believe it or not.
[surprised gasp]
You're Carol's daughter?
Yes. Well, kind of.
I'm not real.
I'm a disposable avatar.
A temp guide. An echo, really.
I'm programmed with her
thoughts and opinions
so I can decide what
she'd like to include
without her having to be
exposed to everything herself,
which, as you can imagine,
might be upsetting.
Why didn't you say?
You said, "Skip the intro."
[sighs]
So you know everything that
the real daughter knows?
Mm-hmm. More or less.
So you already knew everything
I've been telling you here.
Well, some of it,
but, to be honest, she never really
spoke much about this time in her life.
- Right.
- I think looking back was painful for her.
It doesn't mean your time
together wasn't meaningful.
- Probably the opposite.
- Mm.
This guy, your dad.
[The Guide inhales]
- What was he like? I just wanna know.
- [exhales] Why?
- She cheated with him.
- You mean, followed your lead?
Could you just tell me?
I never knew much about
him. He was called Brian.
- Brian?
- Yeah.
And they were never together.
And by the time I was
born, he was in Manchester.
I saw him maybe
five or six times.
And the last time, he was ranting about
some online rabbit-hole conspiracy theory.
And the year after that,
I heard he died of Covid.
Oh boy.
He sounds like a real catch.
Great choice, Carol.
[scoffs] Great choice.
[Philip sighs]
Sorry.
It's okay.
She'd agree. [chuckles]
[pensive string music playing]
She said she wrote to you to explain
or at least start the conversation,
and you never replied.
- She never wrote to me.
- It's what she told me.
She never wrote! [scoffs]
Or I never got it.
I I didn't get it.
[splutters] I'd have listened.
Yeah, and said, "Get rid of it."
No! I don't know. [splutters]
We'd have talked it over.
- And you'd have heard her?
- Yes, I would! Yes, I would!
[music fades]
[sighs, sniffles]
I wanna get out of here.
[sighs]
[exhales]
[sighs]
[sighs]
I just wanna see her, you know?
Maybe there's something else
that could jog your memory?
I don't know.
Well, um, what
about in that box?
[Philip sighs]
Is that, like, a camera there?
- [sighs] This?
- Yeah.
[chuckles] It's a
disposable camera.
Big in the '90s. I
got it at the airport.
The plan was we would take
photos around the city together.
That never happened,
of course. We never
[intriguing music playing]
[Philip] Here.
- I haven't seen one of these in forever.
- Can you still process it?
- There's only one photo been taken.
- I know, I know, I know.
- I'll have to wind it on.
- Okay.
- You'll waste the rest of the film.
- But you can retrieve the one photo?
Might take a while.
I'll wait. [sighs]
Matte or gloss?
Matte.
[music fades]
[The Guide] So?
Was there anything on it?
Here.
I think I took this.
Just a nothing photo.
Oh.
Look, we could still go in.
[sighs] What's the point?
Well, you took it on your trip,
so it might give us something.
Sure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Philip] Told you. It's nothing.
This was the hotel room.
When I came back from the
restaurant, her case was gone,
so I knew that was that.
[tuts]
And I took it out on the room.
It was pathetic.
What are you even looking for?
[The Guide] I just want to see
what your camera picked up.
There's a note here.
It says "Philly."
System sharpened it up.
There's a piece of paper
with "Philly" written on it.
- That's what she called me.
- I'm pretty sure it's her writing.
Well, I I never saw that.
- [Philip grunts]
- No, Philip, it's just part of an image.
- You
- Oh, come on.
You won't be able to pick it up. I'm
sorry. That's just not how it works.
No, come on.
Please, come on.
[grunts, pants]
Get me out of here.
[snorts]
- Maybe you kept it somewhere.
- [sighs]
- No.
- Are you sure?
I'd fucking remember.
[sighs] Sorry.
It's okay.
Let's just walk through what you
did after you took the photo.
Um
I just smashed
the room up. Uh
I went out, drank
myself into a blur.
And when I got back,
the maid had cleaned the place
up, put it all in a little pile.
I just packed everything up,
I I put it away,
and I never
[ethereal music playing]
Uh
[Philip sighs]
[Carol] Philly, I have
to tell you something.
I couldn't say earlier. I froze.
I'm sorry.
Please please don't hate me.
That day I rang and
got Emma, I was so mad.
I had a one-night stand with
someone in the orchestra here.
It didn't mean
anything, and I'm sorry.
I've missed my period.
I don't know what to do.
I love you, and I want us to work,
but I don't know how you'll feel.
I think I wanna keep the baby.
I don't know.
But could you live
with that if I did?
If you still wanna talk,
meet me tomorrow afternoon at the
stage door, after the matinee.
I'll understand if you
never wanna see me again.
I hope you do.
I love you,
Carol.
[sobs]
[sighs]
[music subsides]
[The Guide] I'm so sorry.
[cassette clatters]
[Carol chuckles] Okay, Philly.
So you asked me to record
this piece of music for you.
[Philip tuts]
[Carol] Careful
what you wish for.
Let's see her.
[poignant string music playing]
[music fades]
[cello music continues]
[cello music continues]
[cello music continues]
[music fades]