All language subtitles for The Good Mother (1988).en

When I was a child,
I spent summers with my grandparents...

at their vacation home in Maine.

In those days, there was
no road to the house,

so one of my favorite chores
was to row visitors across the lake.

My mother had three sisters...

and a brother, my Uncle Orrie.

In August, the men would join
their wives and the children,

and for two weeks,
the family was fully assembled.

Orrie! Orrie!

Orrie! Orrie!

Looking good.
Looking good, McCords!

- Sit down. You'll tip the boat.
- My grandmother seemed overwhelmed in their company,

but she was the one
I loved the most.

We were all dominated
by my grandfather.

He demanded ambition and achievement,
and we all tried to please him.

Hi. How are ya, darlin'?

Good to see ya.

All of ya come.
Let's get that luggage into the house.

The only one who ever
stood up to him was Babe.

She was my mother's youngest sister,
20 years younger than my mother.

- I can take that.
- It's heavy.

Okay, watch your toes, sweetheart.
Watch your toes.

- It's good to see ya, Elmer.
- Was it a hard row across the lake, Anna?

- No, it was easy, Gram.
-Anna! - Good for you.

Bring that big one.

Well, I tell you,
it's certainly good to be here.

- Don't spoil your dinner.
- Yes, well, here we all are.

Wanna come?

My mother doesn't want me to.

You wanna grow up and be
just like your mother, Anna?

Through those long summers,
Babe became my friend.

I was... Well, I was the oldest
grandchild, and, I was shy.

Already I was a conformist.

All right. Come on.

Hurry up.

Ready?

Where'd you get the cookies?

Stole 'em...
Whaddya think?

Compared to the others,you see,

Babe just seemed so glamorous
and unconventional,

and I adored her.

# We're here because we're here #

- #Because we're here #
- I can't hear you!

# Because we're here #

#We're here
because we're here #

# Because we're here
because we're here #

- What a bunch of fucking assholes.
- Once again!

#We're here
because we're here #

# Because we're here
because we're here #

I remember there was
a time when Babe was gone a lot...

with young men in their powerboats
from the other side of the lake.

Okay, I'll see ya.

Babe, do you realize
what time it is?

You betrayed my trust.

# Baby, everything
is all right #

# Uptight
Outta sight, baby #

# Baby, everything
is all right #

# Uptight #

I'm ready, Auntie Babe.

Can I go too, Mom?

Why is everyone
so angry at you?

I'm pregnant.

They're just all in a twit.

My boyfriend's not
respectable enough.

They're sending me away to Europe.

Do you love him?

How do you know you're pregnant?

You feel it.
Your body changes.

How does it feel?

Like... that.

- You wanna see?
- Sure.

You get bigger here.

And your nipples get fatter.

And down here it gets all tight.

You wanna feel?

Come here.

It's amazing, huh?

Babe, come on.

A week later, Babe left for
Europe with one of my aunts.

I learned later that she'd
had her baby in Switzerland...

and gave it up
two days afterward.

# Oh, it was then I knew #

One at a time.

And as I grew up and
began to drift away,

I saw Babe less and less.

Then... she'd appear
at family gatherings...

often having had a lot to drink.

I'm fine. It's just...

Oh, God, would you quit?

Thanks.

What is the rush, Orrie?

It's late.
Father will be waiting.

Babe?

Babe! Watch...
What the hell...

God... oh, shit. Oh!

Hey! Don't be an ass!

Goddamn it!

Babe! Come back here!

Babe!

Babe!

Babe!

Babe!

In the yearsafter Babe's death,
I often thought of...

of what she offered me
during those summers.

In her presence, it just seemed
as if anything was possible.

And I wanted to be like her.
I wanted to take risks.

I wanted to feel...
I wanted to be a passionate person.

And even now, in spite
of everything that has happened,

I...
I feel...

I really, really had to try.

Molly. Molly, please.

Come on. Come and
eat breakfast, okay?

- Do I have to eat pancakes, Mama?
- Do you have to?

- You said you wanted them.
And look. Look what I did. - What?

Look at this.
I made you a picture.

- See?
- What is it?

- You have to guess.
- Is it dog?

No, no.
It's much bigger than a dog.

- Here, let me put your shoe on.
Eat something. Go on. - A horse?

No. No. And it lived
a long, long time ago.

A dinosaur!

That's right. That's right.
Do you want some syrup with it?

- What are you doing?
- I have to get my other shoe.

Oh, no, no, no. You sit back
down here and eat your breakfast.

I'll get your shoe.
Put some syrup on it. It'll be good.

What is it?
Oh, Molly.

- I didn't mean to.
- I know you didn't.
Here. Put your shoe on.

- Oh.
- Oh, God.

- I wanna help.
- Just put your shoe on.

It's getting late.
Eat something, Molly, all right?

Hi, Alex.
How's school?

Oh, wow. Keep up the good work.
I'm glad to hear it.

Yeah. I'm fine.
Things are going very well.

Oh, Molly's very good. I just wanna thank
you for asking. It's just so sweet of you.

She's gettin' to be real big, Alex.
See ya later. Good talkin' to ya.

Real good talkin' to ya.

Whoa! Let's take this again.
Let's try this again.

Let's take it a little slower. What
is your foot doing on the pedal?

- Oh, damn it. I had my foot on
that stupid pedal again. - I know.

- You know, I drive this way. It's gonna kill
me someday. - Try and play it. Two-four.

What?

- Is this the da-gentles? - That's
the man's genitals. That's right.

- This is the lady's?
- Yes, that is.

It's that funny?

- Look at baby worms. - I know.
Those aren't worms. Those are sperm.

- Is the baby in Mama's stomach?
- No, no, no.

Not really in her stomach, honey.
She's in her mom's uterus.

How did she get in there?

Well, she got in there 'cause she
grew there from this tiny, little egg.

- Just like you grew. See?
- I'm not a egg.

No, you're not an egg.
Not anymore, no.

But I think you're a girl
who has to go to sleep real soon.

- Do you wanna sleep with Sammy
or with Julia tonight? What? -Julia.

Julia. Okay. Maybe Julia'll put you
to sleep real good, huh?

There you go. Okay. There you go.
You're tucked in.

- Are you gonna sleep with me?
- No, I'm not gonna sleep with you tonight.

- No, I'm not. Close your eyes.
- Why are you staying here?

- I'm just saying good night.
Close your eyes. Good girl. - Oh.

- Don't look at me, Mom.
- Well, I'm not. I'm not looking at you.

- Oh, yes, you are. - Are you
saying I am? Well, I can't help it.

- Do you know that?
Do you know why? - Why?

'Cause it's the way I love you. I love you
with these things right here. See? They just...

- Eyes, you mean. - Yeah, my eyes.
Right. They go like this,

and they just go like this,
and you know what they are?

- What?
- They're eyeball love.

That's eyeball love,
Molly, and I got it for you.

Okay. Okay.

- # A, B, C, D, E, F, G #
- Good.

I gotta go pee, Mama.

Okay, well, we're gonna
be there in just a minute.

It's one more minute.
One, one, one, one, one.

All right.

# On the farm he had a duck #

# E-I, E-I, O #

- # With a honk #
- # Honk #

- No, not a honk. That's a goose.
- All right.

- Did you notice that new wallpaper?
- Oh, everybody's here.

Hello, Anna. Happy Thanksgiving.
All right, everyone!

# We're here because
we're here #

# Because we're here
because we're here #

Gram.

- Hi, darlin'. - Hey, Molly,
do you have something for Gram?

- There we are.
- Oh, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving. I know.
It's beautiful, isn't it?

Molly, Molly, Gram wants to
give you some cranberries. Here.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

- Oh, thank you.
- You got it?

- Tilt your hand, honey. - What do
you hear from your parents, Anna?

Oh, well, not much.
They're doing fine.

What are you doing
these days, Anna?

- I'm doing lab work
at the college. - Really?

Yeah, I'm sort of a
glorified dishwasher.

Of course, Anna's really
a pianist. Isn't that so?

Well, I... I think piano
teacher's more accurate,

but the lab work
helps pay the bills.

Anna, why this
Bohemian pretense?

- It's tiresome coming
from a woman your age.

May I see you after dinner?

Of course.

Not with your hands,
honey. Okay?

- How's Molly been?
- Oh, fine.

- Adjusting to the divorce?
- Well, yes, pretty well, I think.

- Your grandmother and I
are worried about her. - Why?

She shouldn't have
to be in day care.

She's not the child
of factory workers, after all.

Yeah, well, neither are the children
she's in day care with, if that matters.

As we know, your parents have
not had a very strong interest,

so your grandmother and I would like
to make a contribution to your income,

the money to be set aside to be used for
someone to come to your home and care for Molly.

I'm sorry, Grandfather. I really
think that she'd just be bored stiff.

But thank you anyway.

You seem to suffer from some
romantic ideas about poverty.

Even though you insist
on it for yourself,

it's nothing short of criminal
to infict it on your daughter.

It's not poverty that
I care about, Grandfather.

Brian is helping us.
We're hardly poor.

You know, it's...

It's independence.
It's being my own person.

- Here. Keep it.
- Okay. Thanks.

Daddy!

- Hi. Hello. How are you?
- Hello, Anna.

- It's good to see you.
- Good to see you too. Good to see you.

- Well...
- Well.

- You don't have to leave right away.
- Oh, no, no, no.

I thought it'd be easier this way. And, Molly,
you can show Daddy where everything is.

- Okay!
- Okay, okay. Okay.

- Where are you staying? - At Ursula's.
I left the number on the kitchen counter.

- Okay.
- Bye.

- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, bye.

- Don't forget.
- I won't forget.

- Okay? I'm gonna see you when?
Sunday night, right? - Yeah.

- Okay. Bye.
- Promise?

- It's a promise.
- Bye.

Bye.

We were right in the
middle of the divorce...

when he told me that
he was going to marry again.

Yes. This woman Brenda,
who was a lawyer in his firm.

And I remember... I remember
thinking that I should care about this,

that I should really be outraged.

Oh, God. Why am I doing this?
Why am I telling you this?

I mean, I must be drunk
or something.

- I don't know.
- No, tell it. Go ahead. Tell it.

Yeah? Okay, well, I told him.
I said to him straight out, I said...

I could understand him
wanting someone else because...

sex between us was so... nothing.

I think that's the phrase I used.

I didn't think I was being cruel
or anything. I really didn't.

It's just that it was so...
obviously, it was so true.

I mean, it was like it was...

It was nothing.

I remember Brian saying, "Ohh,

well, I never thought so."

- How long were you married?
- Seven years.

That is a long time
for nothing sex.

Well, it wasn't all Brian's fault.

What do you mean?

Well, I never
really felt very...

erotic or... around him.

So that's why you got a divorce.

Oh, no, no, no, no.
It was all very reasonable.

Brian's firm was opening
an office in Washington.

He wanted to go,
and I didn't want to go.

And... And sex had
nothing to do with it?

Well, look, it's never really
been a priority of mine.

'Til lately.

Yeah.

Oh, please!

- Oh, are those yours?
- Yeah.

I'm sorry. They were sitting in here
for so long, and it was the only dryer.

- They're still wet, you know?
- Yeah, they're a little damp.

I'm so tired of this crap. Even in
the laundromat, it's dog eat dog.

Look, I said I was sorry.
Your clothes were sitting in the dryer.

The dryer had been sitting there...

Excuse me.
What's the rule here?

You're supposed to keep your underwear
company while it dries or what?

Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself
and just put your clothes in the dryer?

- Are you finished here?
Can I use this now? - Yes, I am.

- Yes, I am finished.
- Thank you.

- Excuse me.
- Yeah?

You wouldn't have
a quarter, would ya?

I got all this stuff here.

Oh, thanks.

- I'm sorry I got upset.
- It's okay.

It's been a tough day. I had my heart
set on some dry underwear, you know?

Thank you.

You're very pretty.

I mean it.

Are you picking me up?

I'm trying to.
I'm trying to. It's...

It's pretty predictable too.

Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, but I don't do this,
you know? I don't normally do this.

I don't pick up girls
in launderettes.

Well, I'm sorry.
I guess I'm not in the mood.

Leo Cutter.

You're not gonna st...
Hello, Leo.

Tamara?
Brigitte?

- Anna.
- Anna.

Just Anna? Just plain Anna?
No parents, no?

- Anna. Anna Dunlap.
- Dunlap.

You don't fancy a cup of coffee,
do you, Anna?

No, I'm sorry.
I feel pretty lousy today.

- But thank you. Yeah.
- Okay.

Well, look, if you change your mind, I'm
goin' to a place called Tommy's Grill.

Do you know it?
About a hundred yards down the street?

I'll be waitin'for this
to dry, all right?

I'm off.
Come in if you like.

Ahem.

I spy with my eye the letter "H"

- What's next?
-I don't know. You tell me. What's next?

- "A."
- "A" ?

"A." I don't know. "A."
Air. No? Not air? What?

- What is that for? - This? Well, this I've
gotta put over here on the bulletin board.

I need some piano
students desperately.

Oh, God, look.
Molly? Molly.

Molly!

Molly, come here.
Come here right now.

- You can't run away like that.
- But, Mom!

Here. Look.

Yeah. Ahem.

Anna, you are so bourgeois.

The minute that you find out he has
a profession, you're interested.

No, that is not it at all, Ursula.
It's just that it's safe.

It means that he's not some kind of a,
you know, screwball or something.

My, he's adorable.
Call him up.

No, I can't, Ursula.

- Why not?
- I can't! I can't.

Maybe I'll see him,
in the laundromat.

Oh! Anna. Anna.

Do you know how few guys are
out there that aren't either gay...

or married or even like women enough
to try to pick them up in a laundromat?

I would've followed
this guy home on my knees.

Well, I mean,
that's you, Ursula.

- "Cutter, Leo."
- Oh.

- Now call him up.
- Just... Just...

No.

No! I can't call a guy.

Six, five, nine, two. Six.

Oh, hello, this is Anna Dunlap.

Anna. Uh, Anna from
the wet laundry. Right?

Right.

Well, um, I was just hoping it wasn't too
late to take you up on that offer for coffee.

I mean, I can understand if you'd
rather not. It's perfectly fine. What?

Well... okay.

All right.
Well, that's good.

# Brian went buyin' #

- #A lion for Molly #
- # Molly #

# But Molly was solly #

- # Bo do doe do she wanted a collie #
- # Collie #

# Oh, Molly #

A dog will be yours someday.
Ya ready?

# Oo wee ee ooh #

That sounds good. Very good.
Hi, Brian. Hello.

- Hello.
- Hey. Gonna have fun?

- Yeah.
- Bye-bye.

-Okay.
-Whoa. Aren't we looking pretty tonight.

- Oh. Thank you.
- So are you going someplace special?

- Oh, I have a date.
- Ah. Well-- Oh. Well, you look great.

- Thank you. Thank you very much.
I'm off. Bye. - Bye.

Bye.

# I love you
That's a fact #

# But I can never
take you back #

Arlene Bennett. Roomful of Blues.
Give 'em a big round of applause.

# Yeah, I'm gonna sell my... #

- Hey, Leo, my man. What's happenin'?
- How ya doin', Butch?

- Okay. Anna, Butch. Butch, Anna.
- Butch. Hello.

- Hi. Hello.
- How ya doin'?

- Hey.
- I'll catch you later, yeah?

Yeah, man,
I'll talk to you later.

- Do you wanna dance, Anna?
- I... No, I can't. I just...

- Why not? I'm only joking. I'm only
joking. Why not? - I really can't.

No, don't ask.

# I thought he had
a lotta class #

# My heart was headed
for a crash #

# He gave me whiplash #

# He gave me whiplash ##

I mean... Watch yourself.

My real name isn't Leo anyway.
It's Lauren.

- Well, what made you change your name?
- Oh, God.

Come on. "Lauren." Listen to it.
You know, it's "Lauren."

It's up your nose somewhere.
So inward, you know?

But "Leo"! "Leo" goes out there.
It's like, you know, "Leo!"

It's like "Anna."
You know, "Anna!"

- It's out there. It's a statement.
- Well, what happened?

Well, by then, I had this fellowship
to Yale. I mean, I didn't have a clue.

I'd just come over from Ireland,
and I'm with all these guys...

that are supposed to be
the cream of the crop.

I thought they were terrible. So, I started
puttin' all this odd stuff into my sculpture.

- Yeah?
- Like car parts, industrial refuge.

- Weird stuff like that. Just to get
at them, you know? - Did you?

Yes. Oh, yes!
Did I get them!

You know, it was the first time in my
life I thought I might be really good.

And then, yesterday,
yesterday, I hear that...

one of these guys wins a grant
that I'd applied for.

I'd like to wring
his neck, I tell you.

- There are other grants. - Yeah,
but that's not the point, you know?

I mean, we both applied,
and he won.

Doesn't mean he's
better than you.

- What are you doing?
- Well, somebody thinks so, you know?

Some boring old fart thinks so.

- Garbage men.
- Yeah.

- Always on strike.
- Ahem.

Okay.

- Watch your step.
- Oh, thank you. Thank you.

Oh! Well.

- This is your work.
- Yes. "Celtic Twilight."

What's...

What's this?
What...

- Yeah, it's...
- This is...

- Well, it's...
- It...

It's a lamp shade
made of metal.

It's a thing.
This is "Drunken Boat."

That?

"The Worshiper."

Yeah.

Gosh.

- What is this? Why do you have that?
- Well, I may use it in a piece someday.

- Oh. - Along with this.
I don't know. Maybe.

- Maybe. Yeah.
- Maybe. Maybe. Well.

- Some music? All right.
- Sure. Music. That'd be good. Sure.

These shadows, huh?
I like them.

- Yeah? Well...
- This piece isn't done?

No, it's not really
finished, you know?

- You see, I sometimes use the
shadows in the wall. - You do.

- See? Just to make...
Just to make... - Yeah.

- Just to make... Just a little strange.
- Play with it. Come on. Try it.

- No, no, no. I can't.
I really can't do it. - Why?

- Come on. Of course you can.
Let me take your coat. - Oh.

Sure. Ahem. Yeah.

- It's a good way to learn how to dance.
- It's a good way, yes. Dance?

- No, no. That's the thing... I can't
dance, no. - I said the wrong word.

- Come on. Try it and see. Just relax.
- Just relax. Oh, God, relax.

Come on. Listen to the music. Watch your shadow
on the wall. I do not exist. I'm not here.

- Okay. Just... We do the shapes.
- Yeah. Come on. Ya see that there?

- Come on. Yeah. Yeah.
- Go like, like that?

What's that? Come on.
You're doing it. You're doing it.

Yeah?

There you go.
That's it.

Yeah. That is it, yeah.

- Right.Just relax. There. You see?
- Yeah? Relax?

- Yeah. Move your body.
- Yeah.

- Move your body.
- Move my body.

That's it. Now make a shape.
Make a shape.

- Make a shape? Like...
- That's it.

- That's it.
- Make a shape.

- Well, I...
- You're doing it.

- Let me think.
- Come on.

Now move your body.
There you go.

You've done this before.

- What are you...
- Kiss me. Kiss me.

- Oh, no.
- Oh, you're beautiful.

- Yeah.
- What? What?

Oh, yes.

Oh, no, wait. Wait.
What... What are you...

- I... I don't know about this.
Wait. Wait. - What?

Let's do it this way.
You do it.

Hello?

- Mom, it's for you.
- All right.

Well, thank you, mademoiselle.

Thank you so much. Hello?

Oh, hello. Hi.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.
That's my Moll.

- Who is it, Mama?
- Sure is. Um... well, yeah.

Sure.

Wednesday night.
That'd be really good.

Okay.
All right.

Bye-bye.

- Come here. Give me your face.
- Who was that, Mama?

Give me your beautiful face.

- You mean me?
- Ooh, you're so attractive.

Excuse me.

Well, I don't know.
I... I was scared.

- Scared. Of what?
- Yeah.

Oh, of waking up next to you.

- Yeah. You know.
- Why did that scare you?

Because. All that intimate stuff,
you know?

Getting up and being
your ugliest self.

And besides, the truth is,

I didn't know if you'd
want me there.

Why didn't you ask, Anna?

I am. I am.
I'm asking.

Yes. Yes. Yes. And I want you
there tomorrow morning too.

I can't tomorrow.

Why not?

Because I have a baby-sitter,
and I have to be back by 11:30 tonight.

Does that mean we're gonna make
love as soon as we get back to my place?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, we could do that.

- Oh... Don't. Oh, no. - I want to take
a look at you under here. I do. I do.

- No, no, no.
- Oh, yeah. I'd love to see that.

- Oh, Leo, please. Where?
- I'd love to look under there.

Yeah, it's charming. I've seen it.
I really... I've seen it.

- It's... You know? - What's with
the ostrich impersonation?

I don't know.

Heh?

I don't know.

- What? - "What?" Come here.
You're disappointed, aren't you?

- No.
- You are. Tell me.

Not in you.

- What, in you?
- Well, I don't think... You know...

- You don't think what?
- I don't think...

I don't think
I'm very good at it.

- Oh, come on.
- I don't.

- Anna.
- What?

- So what?
- So, we can fix that.

- We can?
- Yeah. We can fix that.

- I don't know.
- You'll get a tad of Cutter's medicine.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.

Yeah. Now if we do it,
then can I look at you?

Yeah?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

Hmm?
Now can I look at you?

Oh, boy.

Oh, yeah.

Over here.
Come on. Come on.

Okay, boy. Okay, boy. Right.
That's a good boy. That's a good boy.

Whoo! Yea!

- Yea! There it is! Come on, boy.
- That's the best!

- Go get 'em, Wrecker.
- Great!

Hey, listen. Come here.

- Here.
- Leo!

Hey, Leo.

- All right.
- "Couldn't find the damn thing"?

- Where'd you get it?
- Yeah. - It's beautiful?

All right. Well, it came in, and I knew
he was gonna go for it. You like it, right?

- I love it. I love it.
- See? I know what he likes.

- I know.
- Salmon, he likes.

Reminds me of my wife.
Come on, you clown.

Get outta... Hey,
Wrecker, bite his ass.

Kill this one. Wrecker.

- Hey, Wrecker. That's no way...
- Bite his ass. Not that ass.

- You trained that thing, didn't you?
- Get outta here, you clown.

Beat it. Get outta... Help!

- It's too tight, Mama.
- Well, that's okay.

Push hard. I know. It's a little
sticky. You can get it though.

- Hi. Hi.
- Hi.

I know, we must look like
a couple of rubber canaries.

That's very yellow.

Uh, yeah, I know.

I need a bandage, Mama.

Molly, you don't even have a blister.
Come here. Come here.

Molly, this is Leo.
Leo, this is Molly.

Hi, Molly.
How are ya?

Molly. Aren't you gonna
say hello to Leo?

Hi.

Hi.

Hi.

Oh, wait. Let me
grab a carrot. Wait.

Whoa. Whoa, Moll. Molly!
What are you gonna...

Molly, you're gonna wait for us
at the crosswalk, right? Good.

What? I know.

Take Leo's hand, honey.
No, you're not gonna take it.

Okay, hold mine.
Hold mine.

Vroom. Vroom.

Vroom. It needs wheels.

It needs wheels? Wheels.
Well... Wheels. Right.

- What are they? What--somethin'
round or somethin'square, Moll? - Round.

Well, what's here
that's round then, Moll?

Right over here.

- Perfect.
- Would you make it for me?

- Well, I'll show you how to make one
for yourself, all right? - You make it.

That's what I meant.

- Oh, okay. Now I've got it.
- Is Leo going home now?

No, he's gonna go home in a little
while. You wanna say good night to Leo?

- Yeah. Night, Leo.
- Okay.

- Night, Moll.
- Thanks for the car.

Oh, my pleasure, Molly.
Sleep well.

Here. Give me the car.
Let's put the car to sleep.

You go to sleep.
Bye-bye. Bye.

Nighty-night.

Nighty-night.

- I'll tell you something.
- What?

I think she really likes you.

Me?

- Yeah, I think she really likes...
- I like you.

- You like me?
- Yeah.

- How much do you like me?
- Oh.

- Do you like me as much as I like you?
- I hope so.

- Do you know how much I like you?
- How much?

- I like you like that.
- Yeah?

Yeah, and I like you like...

I like you.
I like you.

- Mama!
- Molly? Come on in.

Oh, yes. There you are.

I thought I heard
somebody, Mom.

I don't think so.

What... Whoa. Now, Molly, you make
sure you ask who it is at the door.

Okay, Mama.
Who is it?

It's Leo, Molly.

- Hey, Molly.Just thought I'd come by
and say hello. - Are you gonna stay?

- I was gonna stay for a little while if that's
okay with you. - Could we make another car?

- Another car? That's a good idea.
- Yeah.

- Let's do that. Okay.
- Come on.

"But the unhappy
princess couldn't decide...

"which of her many suitors
she wanted to marry.

And her father, the king,
was not..."

Look at that.
One king, right?

- Are you sure that's a king?
- 'Course I'm sure that's a king.

He's wearin' a crown, isn't he?

"Her father, the king,
was not famous for his patience.

"He told the princess he would hold a
race to the top of the glass mountain,

and whoever reached the castle first
would win her hand in marriage."

I really do think you can see
into someone's character...

by the way they play the piano.

- Right? Like, for instance, Ursula.
- Ursula.

Yeah. She has this way of just completely
forgetting the tempo altogether.

She just puts her head down and races to
the finish... Sorry. Was I talking too much?

- Huh? No. No. I was enjoying it.
- No?

But I noticed that
you'd stopped enjoying it.

To tell you the truth, Anna,your lab
work, the piano students, the lab work...

- It's all pretty interchangeable,
isn't it? - Well, maybe. Maybe.

- I think I feel more utilized with
my piano lessons. - Oh,Jesus, Anna.

"Utilized." God.

I mean, I just can't
stand the way that,

you know, you think
about your work, your life.

You don't even have work in the sense
I'm talkin' about.

Okay, well, what sense is that?

- Well, I'm talkin' about a passion, right?
A commitment. - Oh, boy.

A commitment to something else other
than a way to put food on a table.

- Well, I have a commitment like that,
Leo. I do. - What? To music?

No. To Molly. And to doing
carefully and well what I do.

Oh, come on. "Careful." These words.
Let's not talk about it.

No, wait a minute. I'd like to talk about it.
You listen to me for one minute, Leo.

I remember it used to be
that men would say,

"Okay, I want a woman who..." and then
the list would be slightly different.

"I want a woman who can
cook and who can sew..."

All right?
"Who can entertain my friends."

- Yeah? - It's still the same thing.
It's still your list.

- It's still your rules. It's still your game.
- No. No. That's not it.

I'm just an extension of you,
so I better look good to the world.

- That's not it at all.
- Then what is it, Leo?

- I'm talkin' about...
- What if I had been a real musician?

What if I had been a composer?
Or what if I had been a performer?

-Would that have done the trick for you?
-Don't make fun of me.

No, I'm not.
I really mean it, Leo.

Because I might've been.
That was the plan for me.

It's just that I
wasn't good enough.

So I made a different kind of life
for myself, Leo, with Molly!

And I'll tell you something.
She is my commitment.

And I'll tell you, I hate... I really hate
to be told that there's no honor in it.

- Who's talkin' about honor?
- Especially by somebody as lucky as you are...

with the good fortune
of being good at what you do.

Anna. Anna, come here.

- What is it? What do you want?
- I'm sorry.

- No, you're not. Leave me alone, Leo.
- I'm sorry. No, wait.

- No! What are you doing?
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

- You're not sorry. You meant what you said.
- I am. I don't. I didn't...

I don't know what I meant. Please,
please. I don't know what I meant, Anna.

I'm sorry, darling.
I'm sorry.

- Jesus, Anna.
- What?

- I'm sorry!
- Yeah?

I love you. I love you.
I love you.

Oh, Molly. What is it?
What's the matter? What is it?

- I had a bad dream, Mama.
- What's the matter? What happened?

- Something scare you? - I was playing a game,
and Jerome kept taking my toys away.

- Oh, no. What?
- Every time he did that, Mama.

So Jerome did that to you?
He did that to you in your dream?

- He made me cry.
- Oh, he made you cry.

I'm sorry.

You just stay right here
'til you're better.

You can just stay with us.

Molly.

Molly.

Oh, Leo.
I love you so much.

- Oh, wait. This is with me, huh?
- That's yours.

Molly, let's put this on, all right?

Good girl. Okay.

Expressway service to
Washington National Airport.

All right now, Molly.

You're gonna be a good girl, okay?
'Cause I'm gonna miss you a lot.

- I'll miss you too.
- I know. I know.

Well, it's gonna go real fast,
and you'll have lots of fun with Daddy.

How many days is it, Mama?

How many days are
in a month? How many?

Thirty.

You're so smart, Molly.
Okay. Bye-bye.

- Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
- Bye.

I'll see you, okay?
Oh, wait a minute.

Guess what? I made this for you.
I made this for you.

- What is it? - You're gonna listen to it.
You guess. You find out.

- Will I know it?
- Maybe.

- Okay.
- Bye-bye.

Bye, Mama.
I love you.

Bye-bye.
Brian, call me.

- Yeah, I'll call you.
- Thank you. - Okay.

- Set it?
-Just over there. Straighten out.

Yep.

New York, New York.

- I'll see you soon?
- All right.

- I guess that's it. - Do you really
have to leave quite so soon?

- I do. I gotta go.
- Do you really? Really?

- Yeah. Look, it's only for three days.
- Okay. I know.

- Sure you won't change your
mind and come? - No, I can't.

I really can't. I got all
that stuff to do at the lab.

- Come on. We'd have fun. - What about you?
Maybe we could meet later tonight.

- I don't wanna hit traffic and stuff
like that, you know? - Come on. Do it.

- Yeah?
- Just for a while.

Okay. No, I'm not. I'm goin'. I'm outta
here. Get away. Get away from me, woman.

Here. Here's something for you.

- For me? Yeah?
- It's a photograph of me, yeah.

Wait, wait, wait.

- See ya.
- Yeah. See ya.

- Bye. Guess what?
- Come here.

- What?
- You're not going.

- You're comin' with me.
I knew you'd change your mind.

- I want to go with you. Wait.
Whoo-hoo. Bye. Bye! - I'll see you.

So, Alex, are you studying hard?

Oh, well, no. I tell ya,
I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm sure it's going
to be perfectly fine.

Me? Well...

Oh, well, you know, a lot has...
Well, it's changed.

It's really changed since
the last time we talked.

I... I met this guy.

And... I don't know.
It's kinda, kinda changed my life.

I mean... Yeah.

Yeah, it's kinda changed my life.

Hi, Anna. How are ya?

Oh, I'm okay.
How are you doing?

- Good.
- How are the kids?

- Oh, they're great.
- That's good.

Brian?

- Hello, Anna. - Brian, is
something wrong? Where's Molly?

Well, I just came by, Anna, to,

tell you that I'm keeping her.

- What do you mean?
- She's staying with me and Brenda.

She's not coming back to you.
I'm going back to Washington tonight.

- What are you talking about?
- Ask your boyfriend.

- Why don't you just ask your boyfriend
what I'm talking about. Leo! - Leo?

- Yes. Ask Leo why I'm taking Molly
away from you. - Wait. Wait, wait.

What are you talking about?
I don't understand what you mean.

- Oh, you just don't have any idea
what I'm talking about? - That's right.

- I don't know what you mean. - All right.
I came by out of a sense of fairness, Anna.

I just wanted to tell you face to face.
You see, I have filed papers.

There's gonna be a hearing.
You're gonna be getting a subpoena.

- Brian, wait a minute.
- I would get a lawyer if I were you.

Brian, I don't understand what you're
talking about. What do you mean?

- This guy live with you? - He has his own place,
but he stays with us sometimes, yes.

- Yes, and you've left her
alone with him? - Of course I have.

- She likes him. They have fun together, Brian.
- Ask him about the fun, Anna.

What are you suggesting, Brian,
that he did something wrong with Molly?

- He did, Anna!
- Well, he didn't.

That'll be the argument in court.

And let me tell you something else.
You better get someone very good.

Because I'm gonna win this.
She told me. She's told the shrink.

- He did it, Anna. You ask him!
- No, Brian! He didn't do it!

- And you let him! You're in charge
of her, and you let him! - He did not!

No, Brian, wait!

- Brian...
- I'm not gonna argue this with you.

I came by to tell you because
I still have some feelings for you,

some pity for you,
but I'm not gonna argue with you.

Just get a lawyer.
Get a fuckin' lawyer.

- No! Brian, wait!
- Go.

Brian!

- Wait.
- Billy. Billy, get over here.

Okay.

Oh, boy.
Oh, dear. Oh, no.

Okay. Ohh. Okay.

Okay.

Three, three...

Okay.

Hello?

Leo Cutter, please.

Uh,yeah, Frank Dawson from
the district attorney's office.

I have a 2:00 with,
Attorney Miller...

Could I just call down, please?

Well, he has a client right now.
Would you like to wait?

Oh, thank you.

- Mrs. Dunlap. Nice to see you again.
- How are you? Good to see you.

Mr. Muth, this is Leo Cutter.

- Mr. Cutter. Come on in.
- Mr. Muth.

Okay. Thanks.

This way.

Sit down, Mr. Cutter.

- Bring the papers with you?
- I did. Yes.

Thank you. Yeah.

Mum, mum, mum, mum,
mum, mum, mum.

Well, Mr. Cutter, Mrs. Dunlap and I have
been through some of this on the phone,

and I think it would help me
to find out just what it is...

that's got Mr. Dunlap
so fired up here.

- What happened? How often?
That kinda thing. - It happened once.

Can you fill me in on it
a bit, Mr. Cutter?

It happened about a month ago.

Anna was working at the lab,
and she'd left Molly with me.

She was going to get back
in time to tuck her in.

It was hot, and I'd
been working all day,

and I wanted
to take a shower.

Molly was playing in her room, so I told
her where I was in case she needed me.

I got in the shower, and just as
I finished, Molly came in.

I'd forgotten to get a towel,
so I asked her to get me one.

She got it
and handed it to me.

And as I was drying off,
I noticed her staring at me.

She'd seen me naked before
so I didn't think anything of it.

She'd come in before when
you were taking a shower?

Yeah. Sometimes we talked while I was in
the shower. She liked the company, I guess.

Anyway, when I'd finished,
she just said out of the blue,

"Is that your penis?"

She was learning those words,
that stuff, you know?

She had a book that Anna had been
reading to her that explained about babies...

where babies come from.

Still have the book?

- Yes.
- So...

I just said, "Yeah, it is."

I felt a wee bit uncomfortable
about it, actually,

but I'd seen how relaxed Anna was
about things like that,

and I didn't want to screw it up.

I tried to seem natural,
not cover up or anything.

- Okay.
- And she said, "Can I touch it?"

I didn't think about it for more than a second.
I just said, "Sure" and she did.

- And that was that?
- Yeah. Pretty much.

She'd talked about it
some more that night.

She knew a little bit
about the facts of life, about sex.

And then I put her to bed.

Well, did you discuss this with
Mrs. Dunlap when she returned?

- No.
- Why not?

I felt embarrassed, I guess.
And I thought I'd handled it okay.

I didn't see it as a problem.

Well, can I ask, Mr. Cutter,

why you didn't tell the child
that she couldn't touch you?

You said you felt uncomfortable.

I thought Anna would've wanted me to be as
relaxed and as natural with Molly as she was...

about her body and
that kind of thing.

So you might say you
misunderstood the rules.

I thought I understood them.

Well, what were the rules around Molly
in terms of nudity?

Well, they were pretty relaxed.

When you were married to Mr. Dunlap,
pretty much the same kind of rules?

Less relaxed.

Okay. Well, Mr. Cutter,

we'll have a lot more to chat about.

But for now,
if it's all right with you,

I'd like to talk to Mrs. Dunlap alone
for a couple of minutes, hmm?

It's good to talk to you, Mr. Cutter.
I appreciate your honesty.

Well, anything you wanna tell me about
Mr. Cutter? Any doubts about him?

Any signs of aberrant behavior?

No. No. I mean,

he's not a very conventional person,
but I trust him with Molly.

And so, it was just in this case
that he misunderstood you.

No, he was doing what
he thought was right.

- In what sense do you mean?
- Look, Mr. Muth,

I have tried to raise Molly freely.

I didn't want her to be ashamed of her body
or think that it was something she had to hide.

I think he was just
trying to honor that.

Well, I believe him, but,

I think we're gonna have to down-pedal
this permissive business, Mrs. Dunlap.

We both know it's probably healthier
for a kid to be open about sexual stuff,

but I don't think it makes much sense
to try and educate the judge about it.

But if we explain how it happened,
if we explain the context in which it...

All right. Well, we'll do that.
We'll do that.

But these judges
are very conservative.

What they hear all day long
is terrible stuff: child abuse.

Rape. Child molestation.
After a while,

they lump everything like that
together in their minds.

I mean, I can understand how
it happened, and you can understand.

But I can also tell you how
their attorney is going to present it,

and it's not going to sound good.

So what are you suggesting we do?

I think we focus on how happy she
was with you, how responsible you were.

Mr. Dunlap is a bit
of a workaholic.

His wife's got
the same kind of a job,

and so, it's pretty much
a choice...

between a loving mother
and a paid baby-sitter.

And we'll let 'em bring up
the sexual stuff with Cutter.

But we're not going to defend it
or tie it in to the idea...

of sexual openness or anything.

It's just going to be
a mistake he made.

Sound reasonable?

Yeah.

- You mean blame Leo, huh?
- That's the strategy.

That's pretty convenient, isn't it?
We just find somebody to sacrifice.

- Why don't we just build ourselves a bonfire?
- Do you see it another way?

I don't see how Brian has the right to do this...
to sit in judgment on my life like this.

- He doesn't know Leo. He doesn't know how we live.
- Well, all I'm telling you is...

- What if we told the truth?
How about the truth? - Which is?

The truth is that... that
Leo would never hurt Molly,

that Molly wasn't hurt.

He may have made a mistake, but he was just
trying to do what he thought I wanted him to do.

It's Brian who's got this all wrong.
It's Brian who's got this all twisted around.

And now you're trying to make it sound
like there's something wrong with Leo...

something wrong with us.

- Mrs. Dunlap.
- What?

I'll represent you
in any way you like,

but I think the point here
is to get Molly back...

and not to enlighten the
judge on sexual morality.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Are we in agreement on that?

Yeah.

- Anna.
- What?

- Anna, come here.
- What?

I've said this before, and I guess
I'm gonna keep sayin' it.

- I am sorry.
- I don't think it's all your fault, Leo.

- I think your lawyer does. - No, he's
just trying to help me get Molly back.

- How much is it gonna cost us?
- It's not your problem, Leo.

Anna, it is my problem if I lose you.

That's not what's at stake here,
is it? You losing me?

Where's your baby?

Oh, she's staying with
her father for a month.

- Oh.
- Yep.

Yeah.
It must be hard.

- You must miss her.
- I do.

- Very much.
- What was his name?

- Brian.
- Oh.

- Yeah.
- Brian.

Divorced.

We just couldn't make
each other happy, Gram.

I know that must be hard
for you to understand, but...

I understand.

Happy.

There was a time in my life where I used to
wake up every morning and wish I'd died.

Just wish I'd passed
away in the night.

I never would have done
anything, you know, but...

each day, I'd open my eyes
sorry that I had to.

How long did you feel that way?

Ten years.
Fifteen years, I suppose.

Never knew that, Gram.

Why should you?
No one did.

What ended it?

- When Babe came.
- Oh. Yeah.

Your grandfather didn't take
too much of an interest.

He hadn't wanted her
in the first place.

He'd got his son by then.

She was mine, I felt.

The only one that was.

The only one that was.

You wouldn't believe how handsome your
grandfather was when I first met him.

I thought I'd die
if I didn't get him.

I just thought I'd die.

I didn't know anything about it.

Why, Anna. To what
do we owe the pleasure?

Hello, Grandfather.

- Yikes! It's Anna!
- Hi, Celia.

- Where's my blueberries?
- Right here, my sweet.

- You remember Garrett.
- Of course.

Thank you.

Anna wants to borrow money.

I think they're a bit early this year,
don't you think?

Ahem.

Well, Anna?

Uh, I need money.

Not to put too fine
a point on it.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude.
Uh, I just do.

You'll forgive my curiosity.
I'm wondering why the urgency.

You haven't rushed up here because
you suddenly decided to hire someone...

to care for your daughter, surely.

No.

Um, Brian started a custody suit.

He wants Molly.
I need money for a lawyer.

What makes him think
he can win such a suit?

- He believes he has grounds.
- Correct me if I'm wrong.

I thought only a mother's incompetence
would be sufficient grounds.

Uh, he has... he has grounds.

He has grounds based
on your incompetence.

I've had a lover,
Grandfather.

Not an unusual event for
a woman in my situation...

someone living with me, essentially.

Molly's been aware of it.

She's... seen some of it,
not to put too fine a point on it.

Anyway, she must have
said something to Brian,

and, he's angry.

And you've talked to a lawyer.

And?

He wants $4,000 to start.

No, I meant what does he think
your chances are for keeping custody?

I don't know.
I think he feels...

that Brian has a reasonable chance.

And who is this lover of yours, this
man whom Molly has seen too much of?

Does it, uh, really matter?

- To me, it does, yes.
- Why?

- Why not?
- Because-- Because it just...

It seems like prying to me.

But you would like my money.

Yes.

- It seems to me I have the right to
ask a few questions then. - I'm so...

I just don't see the relevance of my personal
life beyond what I've already told you.

If you're not going to give me
the money, why don't you just say so?

And I'll figure out what to do.
I'll just figure out what to do next.

Are ya still seeing this man?

- Are you?
- Here now. Stop this.

You don't need to concern
yourself with this, my dear.

I'm talking to you, Frank.

This is between Anna and me.
Anna has asked me for help.

- Then hadn't you better help her?
- That's for us to arrange.

I have money too.
You could ask me, Anna.

That's not what
your money's for, Eleanor.

- It's for whatever I wish. - You're
not to spend your money on the family.

That's not the way we do it.

You could ask me, Anna.

- Anna has asked me.
- But you're not giving it to her.

Yes, I am!

You are?

Yes.

I will give Anna the money, Eleanor.

Let me see.

That's that, then?

Yes.

Thank you.

Well, good for you, Frank.

I think I'll nap now.
I skipped that today,

getting the berries and so on.

I think you should.

Can't you see?
She told me what to say.

I don't care what she told you.
She's not your lawyer.

Now, the name is Harkessian.

She'll be making
her recommendation...

on how Molly will spend her time
while this is all being worked out.

How often you get to see her,
that sort of thing.

Now, she'll want to know
how this all happened.

Remember what we decided:
You're sorry. Leo misunderstood you.

Uh, maybe both of you
used bad judgment, etc., etc.

But the main thing is it was a mistake.
That's very important.

Mrs. Dunlap?
I'm Mrs. Harkessian.

- Hello.
- Won't you come in, please?

- Mr. Muth.
- Dunlap. How are you?

I think he simply misunderstood me...

my attitudes about sex and how I was
raising Molly with respect to them.

I mean, I can understand how it might have
happened, but, um, I didn't condone it.

I don't con...
I don't condone it.

Mr. Dunlap thought that
there were times...

when you and Mr. Cutter
had Molly in bed with you.

I wonder if you can explain
to me your thinking on that.

- Is that what Molly said?
- It's what Mr. Dunlap said.

W-Well, she couldn't have known. The only time
we were having intercourse, she was asleep.

But you did actually have intercourse
while the child was in bed with you?

Oh, no, no.
I-It's not the way it sounds.

I mean, it's not...
we didn't actually...

Look, see, Molly...

Molly'd had a bad dream, and,
um, she came into the bedroom...

but we weren't making love
with her right there, not like that.

- It wasn't like something you'd imagine...
- But she was in bed with you?

Well, she was asleep,
and, it was just that once.

And it... it was a mistake.

It was a mistake.

Okay. Is there anything that you'd like
to add or any questions you might have?

- No,just, well...
- Good.

I'll go get Mr. Dunlap.

Fine.

And we'll make arrangements
for visitation.

Mr. Dunlap?

- Get off the swing. It's my turn!
- No, I don't have to.

- Get off now! Now!
- No!

- No, she doesn't have to.
- Nick?

Larry. Hey, Larry!
Don't. Let's not fight, okay?

You can use the swing,
but don't fight.

That's better.
See?

- Mama!
- Molly?

Molly!
Well, look at you!

Look at this dress!

You look so... Oh!
Look at you.

Hello, Anna.

- Hello, Brian. - I'll be back to
pick her up on Wednesday morning.

Okay. Fine.

There's a list in here of all her
things so it doesn't get mixed up.

Good. Good.

Bye, babe.
Got a kiss for Daddy?

I love you.

Hey, look at this person!
Oh-oh! This is a heavy person.

- I know.
- You do know? How do you know?

- Have you been on a scale?
- No.

- But I've been on a skateboard.
- You've been on a skateboard?

Dad took you on a skateboard?

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

So, um, could you describe
Molly for me, please?

She's bright and imaginative.

Um, pretty private, I guess.

Right now she seems a little bit tense. I think
she's afraid of letting me out of her sight.

I was wondering why you think
Mr. Dunlap is doing this now.

I mean why he's
trying to get custody.

Oh, well, um, I can imagine him hearing
whatever it was Molly had to say...

and just, uh, freaking out.

I mean he's, a very careful man.

A-And a caring man
in a lot of ways.

But, tell me why you think
he didn't call you.

I mean, I was told by your attorney that
you had a fairly amicable divorce...

so why wouldn't he just, you know,
call you up and say, "What is it? What's going on?"

I don't know. Um, maybe it
wasn't so amicable after all.

Maybe he's jealous in some ways.
He... He wants to get back at me.

Um, let's focus a little bit on why it was
that you allowed Molly to be in bed with you...

while you were having sex.

- You seem to be attacking me.
- Uh, i-in what way?

Oh, I don't know.
I really don't know, but I, uh,

I hear you blaming me.

Well, you may have heard
blame, Anna, but I assure you...

that all I was expressing
was curiosity.

Yeah, well.

Well... I felt...

I-I honestly...
I honestly didn't feel...

with Leo that...

that there was a need for...

all the... the rules and the lines.

I mean, we were... all of us...

we were very happy.

We had been naked around her.
It's true.

But it was...

It was all part of this,

this world that Leo had
opened up to me where...

where...

well, where I was...

I was beautiful, and our sex
together was beautiful and...

and, and, Molly was... she was
part of our... part of our love,

part of our life and...

I really think you have to understand
that--you see, with, um, Brian,

we just stopped having sex
a long time before we split up.

I was, um, I was
frigid with him and...

Well, I'd, I'd, uh,
I'd always been frigid.

But... well...

all of that... you see, all of
that changed with, with Leo.

My life changed, and I...
I really think that...

that it was...
it was good for Molly.

You know?
So that night, when she...

when she came into my room
and... and I held her and...

and she fell asleep...

Well, yes, we were. We were
making love. I-It's true, but...

I'm sure...
I-I'm really convinced that...

That she didn't know.

- I see.
-And I think it was in that context...

that Leo, you know,
let her touch him because...

he misunderstood...

what the boundaries were.

I mean...

she asked;
she was curious; he let her.

But he shouldn't have.

It was... It was a mistake.

He made a mistake.
We both made mistakes.

I just...
I don't want to lose her.

I really don't want to lose her.

Now, Mr. Dunlap,

During these visits with Molly...

at Mrs. Dunlap's apartment,

did you notice any changes...

in Molly or... or in her environment?

Yes, uh, the first indicator was...

when my ex-wife would get
calls from different men.

Objection. The witness
doesn't know who called...

or whether they were "different."

- I'll sustain. - Well, she would
get calls from a male person...

or persons,

and by my next visit, there was
evidence that a man was staying there.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

You found articles in the house
that belonged to a man.

Right. A razor, a can
of shaving cream,

hiking boots in the closet,
that sort of thing.

How did you feel about that,
Mr. Dunlap?

Well, I might have, uh,
been a little jealous.

You know, Molly's my little girl.
Is this guy gonna come in and take my place?

- That sort of thing.
- Did you notice any other changes?

Changes in behavior?

She was very curious about my body.

Well, about our bodies,
my wife's and mine...

in a way that seemed, new,
and inappropriate to me.

We'd always been very careful not to,
distress her or scare her...

by having her see us... naked.

Uh, when you say "we" you mean?

Well, in both marriages.

It seemed to me
that Molly was,

well, had changed around this issue...

that there was something
preoccupying her or frightening her.

And then one time she asked me,
just asked me straight out...

I was shaving... if she could see it,

and I said...

"No. That's my business."

And she said, "Well, Leo lets me see
his penis. He lets me touch it."

- Objection. That's hearsay.
- Sustained.

You know better, counsel.

Thank you, Mr. Dunlap.

Mr. Dunlap,

were you aware that,

Molly had a book which
explained sex to her?

- No.
- You were not aware of that?

- No. - Uh, were you aware that
the day care center...

had done a project on anatomy
and body parts with the kids,

which included sexual parts?

- No. - Well, now that you
have been made aware,

Mr. Dunlap, uh,
doesn't it seem clear...

that Molly's preoccupation
with sexuality,

with your body, her stepmother's...

might have a great deal to do
with learning experiences...

rather than anything else?

- No.
- No what?

No, it doesn't seem clear to me.

I see.

You all right?

- Yeah, I'm fine.
- You sure?

Well, he's good, your husband,
but we made our points, I think.

Mr. Cutter, you're next. They're going
to make you a hostile witness.

Listen carefully.

Don't let him trap you into
something you don't mean to say.

- And don't let him rile you.
- He won't.

I just want a chance to explain it
the way it happened.

Mr. Cutter, how long had you gone out with
Mrs. Dunlap before you slept together?

- Once.
- Once. I see.

You are, currently
unemployed, are you not?

I'm self-employed.
I'm an artist. I make sculpture.

- But you are not currently working on a job,
are you? - Not in that sense, no.

A simple "no" is sufficient,
Mr. Cutter.

So it would be fair to say that you
live an unstable life, economically.

- Yes, that's fair.
- So moving in with Mrs. Dunlap...

represented a fairly good
deal for you, didn't it?

I didn't move in.

You slept there every night
and had your meals there.

- Usually.
- But you didn't move in.

- No.
- Well, we won't quibble, Your Honor.

Mr. Cutter,you took care of my client's
daughter from time to time, didn't you?

- Yes.
- You were alone with her.

- You bathed her. You put her to bed.
- Yes.

And on one of these occasions, you were
naked in front of the child, were you not?

- Yes. - And you told her
to touch your genitals.

No, I didn't.

You did not tell her to touch you.

No. She asked if she could.

A child asked if she
could touch you sexually.

Yes... No. Not sexually.

The child asked if she
could touch your genitals.

Yes.

A six-year-old child spontaneously
requests to fondle a grown man.

- She was curious.
- And you said, as anyone would, "Yes.

Sure. Great. Go ahead."

I said y... Ahem. I said yes.

Okay.

Mr. Cutter, let's talk
about something else.

On occasion,

did you and Ms. Dunlap
take Molly to bed with you?

- Yes. - You would be naked,
and the child would be in bed with you.

Neither of us wore pajamas.
Molly was in bed with us occasionally,

but we never took her
to bed with us naked.

Thank you, Mr. Cutter,
for that explanation.

So when it happened to end up...

two naked adults and
a six-year-old child in the same bed,

on any of these occasions, were you and
Mrs. Dunlap actually having intercourse?

- Once. - So you were making love
while the child was in bed with you.

- She was asleep. - How did
you determine that she was asleep?

- I could see she was sleeping.
- I see.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- Mr. Muth?
- I have no questions, your honor.

You may step down, Mr. Cutter.

I know. I...

You could have told me, you know?

He implied I'd get a chance to tell the
story my way, so I was a good little boy...

for the cross-examination, and then
he pretends not to fuckin' know me!

- He was just trying to help me, Leo.
- Anna, you know I'll do anything to help you.

To help him help you.
I told you that.

If he doesn't want to talk to me
in court, great, but just tell me.

Well, I think he just thought maybe
you'd perform better or something like...

I don't give a shit what he thought.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Now, Dr. Payne,
in your examination of Molly,

did she show signs
of being traumatized...

by the events mentioned here?

No, I think not.

I don't think she perceived it as
frightening or threatening in any way at all.

In fact, uh, I might say that my most
relevant observation about Molly...

actually had nothing to do
with these sexual issues at all.

And, uh, what was
that observation?

Molly's relationship with
her mother is a strong one.

It gives her a certain kind
of inner strength...

which she can take with
her wherever she goes.

It actually allows her to move towards the
independence which all of us desire for our kids.

Now, what I'm suggesting is that we
not compromise that at this point,

that we not say to her, "Okay, because
you've, you've taken all this so well,

now we're gonna take the one person with
whom you feel some sense of strength away."

That would be putting her at risk,
in my book.

Thank you, Doctor.

Now, Mrs. Dunlap,

would you tell us, please,
how Molly reacted to Leo?

Well, she adored him. Um, he worked
very hard to get her affection.

He was steady with her,
and she enjoyed being with him.

And, um, what was your response...

when you learned of this
incident between them?

I was shocked.

Did you express that
opinion to Mr. Cutter?

- Yes.
- Do you recall the words you used?

No. Just that
I thought it was bad,

and I couldn't understand how he could
have thought that it was all right.

Now, Mrs. Dunlap,

I'm going to ask you a question, and
I want you to consider it carefully.

If this court gives you
custody of Molly...

but it makes a condition
of that custody...

that you give up your relationship
with Mr. Cutter,

what would your response be?

I would be willing not
to see Mr. Cutter again.

Okay.
Thank you.

That's all.

Mrs. Dunlap,

do you disapprove of
what Mr. Cutter did?

Yes.

And yet you allowed your little girl to be in
bed with you while you were having intercourse.

- Isn't that so?
- Well, sh-she was very sleepy...

Just yes or no, Mrs. Dunlap.

Yes.

Do you disapprove
of what you did...

in letting the girl watch
you have intercourse?

She didn't watch.

- Do you disapprove of your own actions?
- Yes, I do.

- And you wouldn't do it again.
- No, I wouldn't.

Tell me, Mrs. Dunlap. You changed
your mind about your behavior.

- Isn't that the case?
- No, I didn't.

- No, I did not. - But once it was
fine and dandy. Now, apparently,

I did not feel that
it was "fine and dandy."

- But you did it.
- Yes, I did.

Without feeling it was all right?

She wa... She was asleep.

That's all, Your Honor.

This hearing is adjourned.

Whatever happened with that?

Well, I took the car down,
and I told the guy...

"Look, I want the tires
done, and I want..."

So,

if you get Molly, what...
what, am I to be...

What's the word? Dismissed?
Is that how you say it?

- He doesn't think they're gonna
make that a condition, so... - I see.

Well, why would they ask
the question, Anna?

It's what they all wanted
to hear, Leo. I was rehearsed.

- I knew the question was coming. - There's not
a damn bit of truth in the whole thing, is there?

- It's all a charade, isn't it?
- Leo, I...

So what do we do now?

We wait.

How long, do you think?

Maybe Monday.

Well, do I come with you?
What? Do I come with you?

- No, I...
- I want to, Anna.

I love you.

Yeah. Well...

Mrs. Dunlap?

- You can go in.
- Okay. Oh.

Let me just put this here.
Oh, yeah. Good. Good.

Hello, Anna.

- Hi.
- Sit down.

Oops.

- Yeah.
- Anna, I'm very sorry.

We did everything we could.

Another judge and, uh, the decision
might have come out the other way.

Well... is it final?

- I'm afraid it is.
- Yeah.

Well, can we appeal?

They never reverse
the trial judge in issues like this.

Later, perhaps, uh, new evidence,
we could reopen the case.

- Oh! Oh, no!
- Now, Anna.

- Anna, we've got to focus
on the positive. - Oh!

They're being generous about visitation.
You're gonna get a lot of time with Molly.

- Now, you just have to make
the best of a bad deal. - No!

Oh, Leo.

I'll come in with you, yeah?

All right, do you want to
come round to my place?

You wanna be on your own?

Will you call me?
Will you call me?

Anna, call me.

Oh, my...

Anna?

Anna.
I've been calling and calling.

Ursula's been trying to get
in touch with you. Are you all right?

I'm fine.

Why didn't you
answer the phone?

- Talk to me.
- I don't know what you want.

I would just like to know
what the hell's going on here.

My life is ruined,
and I'm just, you know...

- I'm just trying to find a way to put it back
together. - So does that mean without me?

- It means whatever it has to mean.
- There is nothing about me...

- that has to be, Anna.
- Oh.

It's all up to you. It's all
your choice now. Isn't that true?

- No one's made me part of any condition here.
- Why don't you leave me alone?

- Okay, Leo? Just leave me alone,
all right? - Sure, I can leave you alone.

I can leave you alone and do nothing!

Because I feel guilty... responsible!
Because I respect your grief.

I can leave you alone and lose you
for sure, or I can struggle with you...

and impose on you
and maybe not lose you.

What are you trying to do? Are you
trying to argue me into loving you?

- Do you think that's going to make it all go away?
- What do you want me to do?

- I don't know. - Do you want
me to roll over and play dead?

Well, I already did that. I played dead
for you and that asshole lawyer of yours.

I agreed. I'm the pervert!
I'm the criminal!

I took the rap while you stood
up there and pretended I was...

just some accident
that happened to you.

- You think that makes up
for everything? - No!

No, but I didn't do everything. We just
pretended I did, and that was fine with me.

All I ever wanted
was to make it right if I could.

But you and I know the truth, you know.
Some of the responsibility falls on you.

I'll take the rap everywhere else,
but here with you, I want the truth.

Don't you think I'm taking the rap too?
Huh? How about for the rest of my life?

- I did everything I could to make that
not happen. - What? Leave me alone!

- Leave me alone! Get away from me!
- Stop it, will you?

Just get away!
Just get away from me!

Leave me alone!
Leave me alone!

Go! Go!

Go!

I don't know how long I sat there,

but I had a sense
of returning to myself...

from a great distance.

Molly took the outcome
of the custody hearing real hard.

Occasionally
on her visits, she'd cry.

She wanted to know...

why she couldn't come
and live with me.

But slowly, she began
to seem better.

My lawyer called,
and he told me to watch her.

See if I notice signs...

of her being unhappy
with the situation...

and then we might try
and reverse the decision,

but I never called him
because what I wanted most...

wasn't to make use
of Molly's misery...

but to see it end.

I take heart in knowing that
Molly's in a family of her own,

and sometimes,
I long to be in a family too.

I tell myself I will.

- How does she seem to you?
- Oh, I think she's gonna be fine.

And you, Anna?

I guess...
I guess I'm starting over?

- I have to finish packing.
- Okay.

Every now and then,

Leo calls or... or I call him.

Sometimes late at night.

His voice always
lifts my heart, but then...

somehow we bump up
against the impossibility.

Good. You brought the
life jackets. Very good.

Here. Get in. Come on.
Over here. That's a girl. Good.

All right, ready?

Ready?

I see Molly...

every second weekend...

and during school vacations...

and we try to make the
most of our time together.

Sometimes I'm all right, but...

other times,
the pain of the loss is terrible.

And then I... I think of something
that Gram said to me...

when my losing Molly
seemed unthinkable,

something that could
never come to pass.

She said...

"Everybody knows you're
a good mother, Anna."