Original subtitles

Concentration. 64.

No repeats or hesitations.

I'll go first. I'll go second.

With puppet kids.

Things on a beach.

Volleyballs.

Towels. Crab.

Algae.

Lemonade sand.

Sandcastles. Ocean.

Ocean. Pictures.

Sister Karina once told me that God leaves a mark on everyone.

The small dent above your lip is made by God's finger, gently pushing you into

the world.

God touches everyone in different ways.

God gave my father crooked fingers, so he has no luck.

If he holds his hand up to the sun, beams of light shoot through the gaps

between his fingers.

He can't hold on to his money.

But my uncle Ace was born with plump sausage fingers, and he has a good luck

money face.

Luck is very important for my grandma.

Every morning, she pours three cups of tea.

for a God who never seems to be thirsty.

I was born in 1966 in the year of the fire horse, which occurs once every 60

years. I was lucky to be born at all.

A long time ago in China, nobody wanted a child who was a fire horse because of

their strong will.

So terrified were the parents that when the fire horses were born, they would

drown the baby in the river.

The river swelled with the spirits of unwanted horses.

As for my mother, she doesn't believe in spirits or superstitions. But to this

day, she can't explain the dark spirit that possessed her to pick up the axe.

Don't worry, Mama.

When the news of my mother's pregnancy spread in the community, nobody could

stop the old ladies who were whispering about the tree chopping.

When you sever the tree, you sever the poor, they said.

Which one means it's a girl again?

It's a

boy.

My mother was four months

pregnant. when my grandma's 70th birthday came.

My Auntie Eight always makes shrimp for happiness, dumplings for luck, and

noodles for long life on special celebrations.

We're not allowed to say anything bad on these days, or else we'll bring on bad

luck.

There are actual people in this world who need more

food than the gods.

Like homeless people. Paulina.

Patty Hearst. Kidnappers are demanding that her father give $40 to every

homeless person in the city. So bourgeois.

Of course he won't do it. Who cares about Patty Hearst?

I want to buy the most beautiful longevity noodles for my mom to

Long longevity is good for your head.

Thank you.

How is my brother?

He's fine.

But he has a high blood pressure.

When did he get a blood test?

I don't think so.

I'll do a blood test with him to see how he's doing.

Don't worry.

Thank you.

I knew he'd be fine.

I knew he'd be fine. I knew he'd be fine.

I knew he'd be fine.

After my auntie ate cursed our family, my sister and I were waiting for

something bad to happen.

Look, it's PWT.

At least my dad has a job.

Gotta pay for all the food.

Hey, where you going?

Knock the turbine off,

man. Knock it off. Not even a real turbine. It's a trainer turbine.

Turbine with training wheels.

I don't understand why Sally doesn't have any friends.

She's got long blonde hair.

It's because she's PWT.

What's a PWT?

Poor White Trash.

Are we poor white trash?

Don't be stupid. We're not white.

If you break a tree, you can break a baby.

But if you plant the seed...

What are you doing?

I'm helping my mom.

Is it true your mom chopped down the apple tree?

She did.

Why?

Ancient Chinese secret.

I'm serious.

Why can't she hire a lumberjack or something?

Everybody in China chops down their own tree.

That's just the way they do it.

We're not in China.

My brother was all liquid when he showed up in this world.

Over the summer, my mother could barely get out of bed.

Sometimes she would stare out the window at the stump.

It looked like a fist.

Where is Mommy?

But she said she'll braid my hair for picture day.

But she promised.

She said she'll braid my hair.

I don't want you to do it. I want Mommy to do it.

I don't want Mama.

No!

Mom knows you're not happy today.

But don't scold me.

Be good.

Listen to me.

Today is your birthday, right?

That's it.

I'll help you, okay?

Don't tell anyone.

This is a secret between the two of us.

Okay?

Take a look.

How long now?

Is it Mommy?

We forgot

Mama's sweater.

Why can't we go inside?

But I want to talk to her.

Okay.

I forgot to give Mama the lucky candy.

It's stupid to give her candy anyway. She can't even eat it.

Why not?

Why can't we go inside?

Superstition.

Hello.

Underneath the stars I'll meet you Underneath

the stars I'll greet you

She's going to smell.

All corpses smell.

No matter how clean you are when you are alive.

All corpses rot and smell.

And worms crawl out of their eyes.

Shut up.

You shut up.

Mama, I cleaned your room for you.

My family burned paper money for my mama to spend in the afterworld.

I wanted to burn my birthday money, but my father wouldn't let me.

You can't burn real money.

Baba,

can you tell me about the goldfish?

Is it true that people get reincarnated into goldfish?

Baba,

can I have a goldfish?

You're so

selfish. Don't you even

care about Mama?

I care.

Then why don't you cry?

You don't love Mama.

Mama?

Mommy?

I saw Mama.

But I saw her. She was downstairs.

No,

it was for real.

She was washing Baba's shirt.

Does Mama hate me?

But

it's

been seven days today.

Does Mama hate me?

Here. Husband, you have to cover your back.

Kid, I really want to go with you.

I think Mom wants to have more children.

Are you stupid?

How can you go?

You heard what the doctor said.

Besides, if you go, what about the rent?

Who will take care of it?

That's enough, Uncle.

It's okay.

I can handle it on my own.

Tell Daddy bye -bye.

Bye -bye.

Be good.

Listen to Mom.

Be careful.

Be careful.

A -Ling, brother, go.

You can do it.

Actually, you guys are really lucky.

It's really fun to have a rental apartment.

© transcript Emily Beynon

Thank you, Mom.

I promise.

You dropped it a while back.

That's not mine.

This is the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

It tells you what happens after you die.

You could be reborn as anything.

So you should always be nice to your goldfish, because you never know if it

somebody's grandma once.

These are the goddesses. When everyone's asleep, they come alive and they dance

with wild abandon all through the night.

At the first sight of daylight, They freeze in mid -motion, and they stay

until the following night.

Yes, very good, Eve.

Very exotic.

Eve has generously shared with us something about her country.

Thank you, Eve.

Okay, we're going to start the lesson for today.

Hello, ma 'am. How are you today?

Wait a minute.

Yes?

Oh, well, my name is Fred. This is Jeff.

We're God's Witnesses.

Have you ever opened your heart to the Lord?

No. Would you like to open your heart to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

What am I?

We're not buying, sorry.

Oh, well, we don't want to sell you anything. In fact, we have a free gift

you.

What?

Um, no, I have to go.

We want to give you a book.

A book?

It's yours to keep.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you. Bye -bye.

Bye -bye.

Is this what heaven looks like?

Exactly.

My

book

is called Living Together in Heaven on Earth.

Author, Gideon Publishing.

Report by Karina Ng.

I like this book very much because it tells you that there can be peace on

if we all believed in Jesus Christ.

If we all believed in him, then there would be no more wars, no more disease,

more mean or prejudiced people in the world.

All the bad people will be cast off the face of the earth, and all that's left

will be the good people to inherit the kingdom of God.

Karina, can you come over, please?

That's a very interesting book report.

Do you have the book with you?

Have you been carrying this book around with you?

Where did you get it?

It was a gift.

Have you read the entire book?

Yes.

Religion is a very complex thing.

It's not about carrying a book with you.

It's about faith.

Do you understand what faith is?

Have you ever been to church?

No.

I shouldn't really do this, but my daughter goes to the Sunday school.

Maybe you should ask your parents about it.

Usually they show the movie around Easter time.

It's when Christ was resurrected after he was crucified.

And then people start to believe in God because he rose from the dead.

It's the holiday with the chocolate rabbit.

That was amazing!

How did they divide the sea into two parts?

It's just a special machine.

I like the mosaic very much.

It looks very nice.

I think Jesus is also teaching how to be a good person.

Some people say it's better to believe in Christ than to be a beggar.

Because they are more vulnerable.

In the world, there is a law that says how to respect one's family.

It's the same as what the Bible says.

You know

when

Moses joined the Red Sea and drowned all those soldiers?

I don't understand why God drowned all those horses too.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Girls, I'd like you all to welcome Karina and Eve.

Is this your first time at Sunday school?

Yes. Well, welcome.

Have you girls been baptized?

No. Well, we'll have to arrange for those at some point.

I can't swim.

You don't have to know how to swim, dear.

Now, what would you girls like to learn at Sunday school?

To be a good person.

I want to learn more about heaven.

Well, heaven is paradise, Eve. And if you're a good Catholic, you'll get to go

there one day.

Or else I could get reincarnated into a goldfish.

No, no. Catholics don't believe in reincarnation, dear.

Is Buddha a god as well?

Buddha is not a god. Catholics only worship our savior, Lord Jesus.

It's a sin to worship any other god. Do you understand?

Okay, today I'm reading from the book of Psalms, Psalm 1.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth

in the way of the sinners.

Are the Buddha and Jesus friends, Mommy?

Kyla?

But in the Bible, it says all Buddhists are going to hell.

Sold it.

You're not going to hell?

It's like this. You have to be on your knees.

You have to go like this.

Your fingers have to be straight, and they have to be pointing to heaven, like

this.

You have to bow your head.

Look down past your hands onto the floor.

No, you can't touch your head on the floor like a Buddhist.

Your head has to be up, and you can't move your lips when you pray.

Oh, bless the Lord, my soul.

His praise to thee proclaim.

And all that is within me join to bless his holy name.

Oh, yeah.

I'm shot. I'm shot.

Then I fall to the ground, and I think I'm going to die.

But then I feel the Bible in my front pocket.

The Bible saved my life. The bullet makes it all the way into the New

Right into the book of Psalms.

And then the Bible grows wings.

And it flies you to Mars.

Don't be dumb.

This is a true story.

God saved the soldiers.

Stupid chink. Get out of here, chink.

That is too cold.

You're too skinny.

Something happened today.

What happened?

I saw a vision.

I saw Mother Mary.

This is the first meeting of our new club.

The mission of this club is to do good in this world.

Hail Mary, full of grace.

And so it came to pass that my sister and I became the Girls of Perpetual

Sorrow.

The Girls of Perpetual Sorrow will do her best to be sorrowful enough to be

worthy of this title.

When a girl perpetual sorrel rides the number 14 button, she will give up her

seat to an elderly person.

A girl perpetual sorrel will wash all 14 hours of the Jerry Lewis telephone, and

she will donate all her birthday money.

She will wash the dishes with hot water.

The hotter the better, and she must never complain.

She will pray for all the people in the world.

She will spend her whole life doing good for others.

She will become a saint.

We have to say grace.

Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy

bounty, for Christ our Lord, amen.

Dad,

have you heard the news of the Lord?

Jesus is good.

Stop,

stop, stop, stop. Eve, you're moving around too much.

But I feel like it.

Well, this is a choir, and you're here to sing.

You need to keep your body still.

It helps your breathing.

Okay. And again.

on to my first day, too.

It doesn't matter.

I'm going to be a famous opera singer one day, and I can move all I want.

In fact, my grandmother once sang for the emperor of China, and he fainted

because her voice was so powerful.

It's a sin to lie, you know.

It's one of the Ten Commandments.

I'm not a sinner.

Of course you are. We're all sinners.

Especially you, because your name's Eve.

The Bible is sacred.

See, Jesus' words aren't all red.

If you touch the Bible, it can read all of your thoughts, good and bad.

Just thinking about doing something bad is a sin.

What's hell like?

People get boiled alive in a giant wok.

Is Mama in hell?

No, she's in limbo.

We have to introduce her to the Lord. We have to do this by doing good deeds.

That's going to be our first mission.

Jesus, meet Mama.

Mama, meet Jesus.

Mama is a very nice woman and she deserves to be in heaven.

She's floating in some limbo fishbowl right now.

I hope we can meet her one day.

As part of the mission of the Girls of Perpetual Sorrow, your second good deed

is to love thy neighbor.

That's why you have to love Mr. Wicker.

Why Mr.

Wicker?

Because he's our closest neighbor, he lives right next door.

Every night you have to pray for him, and you have to give him a look that's

opposite of the evil eye.

How do I do that?

Shoot goodness at him, through your eyes, like this.

I can't.

I'm not supposed to do it. It's against the Bible.

No, it's wrong.

It's a mortal sin.

I only pray to one God, and that's Christ the God Almighty.

Kim's mother doesn't make her better, her stupid gods.

What's he going to say?

You. Help me go out and listen to it until it's expensive. Expensive to the

point you can't even talk to your mother.

You're out of your mind.

I'm a terrible, terrible person.

I deserve to be punished.

Why can't I be perfect like you?

Jason, can I move in color?

I want to sleep here too.

If I told you a story, will you go back to bed?

Okay.

Tell me the story of Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve used to walk around naked in the Garden of Eden.

Then, one day...

The serpent tricks Eve into eating an apple from a tree of knowledge, even

though she knows she's not supposed to.

So now everybody has to wear clothes because of her.

Is Eve a bad person?

Yes, Eve is a bad person.

Can anybody else?

Think of a miracle that Jesus performed.

Yes, Becky.

He took two fishes and a loaf of bread. He turned it into enough food to feed

thousands of people.

That's right.

What other miracles did he perform?

A miracle happened to my dad.

Well, Eve, we're talking about miracles by Jesus, okay? It happened in

California, and that's why we're never going to go back there ever again.

Why not?

I'm not supposed to talk about it.

Why? What happened?

It happened not so long ago that my father worked as a chef in

a world -famous restaurant in Santa Cruz.

One stormy night when he was driving home from work, a tree fell on his car.

People were helpless to get him out.

But suddenly the door fell open and my father emerged with barely a scratch on

his body.

The people thought they witnessed a miracle.

Not long after the accident, my father left California because he knew there

no more luck for him there anymore.

He had used it all up.

Since then, my father has traveled to a great many places, but he will never set

foot in California ever again.

Eve, there's a difference between luck and miracles, okay?

No. Can anyone else tell us about a miracle performed by Jesus?

I told you not to tell that story anymore.

But it's the truth.

Thank you.

Have you ever been awake?

Never seen a daybreak?

Leaning on my pillow in the morning.

Thank you.

Thank you, brother.

Clean it up.

Why are you so awesome these days? You won a lot of money these days. Hey,

brother. Congratulations.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Actually, I'm not strong even now. I won't win even in this dark.

Why don't we buy a car and use the money to pay off the debt?

Are you stupid?

The car is our fortune.

Come on, girls.

Come on, let's go.

The car is so big.

You'll be poor if you buy a new car.

New cars in Japan are cheaper and cheaper.

Japanese cars are useless.

Japanese cars beat Chinese cars. Japanese cars are useless.

Hey, have you found

the

girl yet?

What are you looking for? Just a few things. A pair of gloves and a haircut.

That's enough.

Don't be so shy.

You're a bad boy.

He looks like a nice guy.

That tenant was caught last week.

Two of the cabinets were broken.

The shares fell.

That's enough.

Let's play cards.

What? I can't talk?

I'm sorry.

Is that so?

Lord for giving our dad a new Cadillac.

I know it's because of us. We made it happen.

We will continue to do good in this world. We promise.

Amen.

Songs from the Song of Solomon.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely.

Thy two breaths are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle that feed among the

lilies. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruit.

You have ravished my heart with the glance of your eyes.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. For thy love is better than...

It's so embarrassing.

I need to give you a new mission.

Why are you here?

This is for you.

It's cool.

Come in.

I cut the hair myself.

I want to be a hairdresser when I grow up.

Can I cut your hair?

No thanks.

Can I braid your hair?

All done.

Let's see.

I feel sick.

What's wrong?

I don't know. I feel weak, like Samson.

Like who?

I should go home.

Why aren't you dancing while the band is on?

That's how depressing it is. So much guilt.

I'm sorry.

I know.

But you can understand how I don't much feel like dancing.

You don't have to do that.

Well, if I'm not dancing, I might as well be productive.

I've read the papers.

It's said that cats and dogs have to be transplanted, right?

In the past 10 years, human transplant surgery has been very good.

The big problem is that very few people want to donate.

That's right.

Winnipeg, a Chinese man waited more than 10 years to get a donor.

Frank, I think your cell group and your brother...

Maybe it's a match.

Yes, brother.

Actually, I'm not easy to speak.

But my brother is younger than me.

I just need to do a simple inflammation.

That's all.

Brother, it's not easy to kill a person in one day.

So when do you do the inflammation?

Why does Baba have to do it?

Can't they find somebody else?

You don't even want me to help him.

Now I'm asking him to help me.

Where are you going?

If you help me, I'll give you my money.

What are you going to do?

Are you saying your money came from God?

I don't know if I'm right.

God will protect Dad and Uncle Nate and we do more good in this world.

We have to spread the news of the Lord and we have to convert somebody and we

have to keep praying.

Is anybody else coming?

Half -lake?

What's it made out of?

Half.

More thanks.

You have a lot of Jesus stuff.

I have an extra Bible.

Do you want it?

No, thanks.

Have you ever opened your heart to the Lord?

No. Well, would you like to open your heart to our Savior, the Lord Jesus

Christ?

I'm sick.

That's not your fault.

I'm not into Jesus.

But you can have everlasting life.

No, thanks.

I can help you.

No, thank you.

Why doesn't the Buddha dance with Jesus anymore?

Irreconcilable differences.

Truthfully, we tiptoe around Jesus most of the time.

He likes to think he's the only one here.

Will my dad be okay?

Depends. Your girl's been successful in your missions.

Well, Karina couldn't convert surrender.

Doesn't look good for Baba.

Is my mama still in limbo?

Personally, I don't go for all that fire and brimstone crap.

But if you're really worried, you should take some of that paper money and burn

it for your grandma and your dad so you can bargain with the devil.

You should do it in a church.

In the house of worship.

Trust in the Lord and do good.

So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine

heart.

Very good, girls. Now let's turn to page 275.

This is God's house, Eve. What were you trying to do?

You know you must never play with matches.

She's sorry.

Well, there's no real damage done. But you must never, ever play with matches

again. Do you understand?

Eve is a troublemaker. I am not.

Eve is the mother of all sins.

Go away. She's a big liar.

I'm not a liar.

You lie all the time. But your grandma being an opera singer and your father's

accident.

How should we punish her?

Make her swear in the Bible to never lie again. And if she does, God will punish

her.

Do it, Eve.

Just do it, Eve.

Do it, Eve. It's for your own good.

Repeat after me.

I, Eve, Ing.

I, Eve, Ing.

Swear on the Bible.

Swear on the Bible.

I will never tell another lie.

I will never tell another lie.

Or else... It has to be something serious.

Or else you won't get any presents for Christmas.

It has to be something more serious.

Or else...

You'll die next year.

Is that year starting in January or Chinese New Year?

When's the Chinese New Year?

February.

Say, or else I will die next year starting in February.

It's for your own good.

Or else I will die next year.

Starting in February.

Now Eve, tell us the truth.

Did your father really have an accident in California?

No.

See? It's not that hard to tell the truth.

What are you doing?

You don't have to cry.

I won't get hurt.

I bought you a

neck

collar.

It's not good to look at the wall all the time.

It hurts my neck.

I'll see you

at

the hospital.

Kung pa pa kung pa pa la.

Which window is it?

I want

to

go home.

Don't you want to see papa?

It's my fault that Mama died.

It's my fault that Baba's in the hospital.

I swore on the Bible that I wouldn't lie.

I know.

I told a lie.

Who's in front of us?

Hello. Yeah.

Oh. Oh.

Is something wrong?

Is Dad okay?

You have to

do

this. You have to be baptized.

I know.

And you have to be serious about it.

How long should I stay in the water?

The longer, the better.

I purify you with this holy water.

Let your sins wash away.

Stop it, Eve.

You have to be serious.

You have to stay down.

That night, I saw the firehorses.

Thousands of firehorses that drowned in the river.

They came to me.

They were talking to me.

They were comforting me.

We have called your child, Karina, to this cleansing water that she may share

the faith of your church and have eternal life.

By the mystery of this consecrated water, lead her to a new and spiritual

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

This is our faith.

This is the faith of the church.

We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

I died in the bathtub.

Karina told me that God forgave me of my sins.

She said it didn't matter if I died for an eternity or for just one second.

I baptize you in the name of the Father. It still counted.

And of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

And he anoints you with the prisoner of salvation.

Have put on Christ, and in him you are now baptized.

Sometimes my sister will ask me about the night I died.

She asked me if I saw God.

I tell her I saw a light, and in that light I saw a face.

I know it wasn't the face of Jesus or the Buddha or anything that I've seen

before.

All I know is that I saw a bright white light and the light was kind and good.